Thane: As preparations gather pace for the Thane Municipal Corporation elections, the civic administration has issued a strict warning to polling officials and staff against skipping mandatory election training, even as the nomination process got underway across the city. Municipal Commissioner and Election Officer Saurabh Rao said training sessions for polling personnel will be held from Dec 27 to 29, 2025, to ensure that the voting process is conducted smoothly, transparently, and in accordance with rules. A first day of training session was held. He cautioned that officers and employees who remain absent despite official orders will face disciplinary action and criminal proceedings, stressing that election training is an essential part of poll duty under Election Commission guidelines.For the conduct of polling, a total of 10,120 staff have been deployed across 2,013 polling booths. The training, to be held in two daily sessions at Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan and Dr Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha, will include detailed guidance on polling-day responsibilities, EVM handling, mock polls, voter identification, enforcement of the model code of conduct, and emergency procedures. Rao said no excuses for non-attendance will be accepted, noting that elections are a cornerstone of democracy and every assigned official is expected to discharge duties responsibly.Meanwhile, the nomination process for the civic polls commenced on Friday, with 521 nomination forms distributed across nine ward committees in Thane on the first day. Of these, 13 candidates filed their nomination papers before the respective returning officers — eight from the Uthalsar ward committee, two each from Kalwa and Diva, and one from Mumbra. Civic officials said that between Dec 23, 24, 26, and 27, a total of 3,599 nomination forms have been distributed so far. Ward committee-wise, Majivada-Manpada accounted for 65 forms, Vartak Nagar 53, Lokmanya Savarkar Nagar 100, Wagle Estate 58, Naupada-Kopri 60, Uthalsar 34, Kalwa 39, Mumbra 49, and Diva 63, with the administration stating that the election process is progressing smoothly under close supervision.

Silver prices surged over 15 per cent last week to reach Rs 2.42 lakh per kg in the nation’s futures market. This rally was driven by strong industrial demand, expected US interest rate cuts in 2026, and concerns about supply disruptions. The price surge was mirrored globally, with silver reaching an all-time high of $79.70 per ounce.On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), silver futures for March 2026 delivery jumped by Rs 18,210 in a single day. The white metal has shown incredible growth this year, rising by nearly 175% from its December 2024 levels.“Silver is no longer trading merely as a precious metal like gold. Its indispensable role in high-performance technology, combined with shrinking above-ground stocks and non-negotiable industrial demand, is reshaping its fundamentals,” said Rahul Kalantri, VP, Commodities, Mehta Equities, as quoted by PTI.The surge is largely attributed to China’s new export restrictions on silver, set to begin January 1, according to commodities experts. As the world’s largest consumer of silver for solar panels, electronics, and electric vehicles, China’s policy change is expected to hit global supply chains.Jigar Trivedi, senior research analyst at Reliance Securities, predicted that Comex silver prices could reach $100 per ounce next year, based on growing industrial demand outpacing supply.The precious metal has shown consistent growth in global markets too. Silver prices increased by $47.95, or 164 per cent, from $29.24 per ounce recorded at the end of 2024. Other factors that contributed to silver’s remarkable performance are strong industrial consumption, steady ETF inflows, and increased investment interest.

Grace Hayden, one of cricket broadcasting’s fastest-rising faces, marked her return from ILT20 duties with a warm, festive family gathering alongside her father, Australian great Matthew Hayden. Social media quickly lit up with images of the joyful reunion, blending holiday cheer with a touch of cricketing heritage.

Sports presenter Grace Hayden reunites with her father after UAE stint

The pictures – widely reshared by fan pages – show Grace and Matthew beaming together, capturing a relaxed, celebratory mood after weeks on the road.

Grace recently concluded a prominent presenting role during the ILT20 Season 4 in the UAE, where she featured extensively at matches involving the Dubai Capitals. Broadcasting from the Dubai International Stadium, she impressed viewers with confident analysis, smooth delivery and an easy rapport with players and pundits.

Her tournament posts drew thousands of likes, with fans praising her polished on-air presence and distinctive style. Photos from matchdays – often featuring elegant cream and white outfits -earned particular attention, including a popular “Lady in White” look that circulated widely during the league’s latter stages.

Grace’s Instagram stories charted the transition from tournament grind to holiday mode. Posts from the airport hinted at excitement about heading home, followed by celebratory captions such as “Let the holidays begin.” She also thanked the league publicly, tagging ILT20 with a message of appreciation: “Thank you for having me… you were a blast!”

Those posts set the scene for the family celebration that followed, as Grace reconnected with loved ones after weeks abroad.

Matthew Hayden’s influence on Grace

Beyond the festive photos, Grace has often spoken about the influence of father Matthew on her professional growth. In recent ILT20 reflections, she revealed that Matthew’s feedback sometimes blunt – has been instrumental in sharpening her craft as a presenter. Speaking to Khaleej Times, Grace credited both parents for maintaining strong family connections despite Matthew’s extensive travel during his playing career.

Their easy chemistry is evident in shared content over the years, from birthday tributes – such as Grace’s heartfelt message on Matthew’s 54th – to playful Ashes banter and light-hearted challenges testing each other’s IPL knowledge during Star Sports segments.

Also READ: ILT20 Season 4 – Complete list of presenters and commentators – From Grace Hayden to Mohammad Kaif

While new party images with Matthew are circulating online, fans have also resurfaced older festive moments – most notably a 2005 Australian team Christmas lunch where a young Grace posed with her father at home.

The contrast between this throwback and the recent reunion highlights how far Grace has come, carving her own path in the cricket world while staying closely connected to her roots.

Also READ: “I’m disowning my father…”: Grace Hayden’s hilarious warning to father Matthew Hayden after Joe Root’s Ashes century saves the day

Chaitanya Marpakwar Mumbai: After almost a week of negotiations between the BJP and Shiv Sena for the BMC polls, Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam on Saturday said that the two parties finalised a 128-79 (BJP-Sena) formula, but talks on 20 more seats were still pending. Satam mentioned that a decision on these 20 seats would be taken by the top leadership of the two parties. Sena functionaries stated that they had sought an additional 10-15 seats, taking their total to over 100 seats, which was their original demand when talks began. If there is a consensus on the remaining 20 seats, then the list of candidates could be declared on Sunday. The last date for filing nominations is Tuesday.“It has been decided that Mahayuti will contest 227 BMC seats together. There is already consensus on 200 seats, but the decision is pending for the 27 seats, and it will be decided based on the candidates and combinations of winability criteria,” Satam said.The BJP increased their offer by over 10-15 seats from their initial offer of just 70 seats. A senior Sena functionary said they were expecting a few more seats, and more rounds of talks were likely late on Sunday. The BJP stated they had conceded more seats from their initial offer of 60-70 seats, and it might not be possible for the party to concede over 100 seats. After the first round of talks, where CM Devendra Fadnavis and DCM Eknath Shinde were present late on Monday, there was a second round of negotiation between BJP’s Ashish Shelar, Ameet Satam, Praveen Darekar, Atul Bhatkhalkar, and Sena’s Uday Samant and Rahul Shewale late on Tuesday. There are 227 seats in BMC, and both Sena and BJP will have to accommodate some smaller parties, such as RPI (A), too.“The BJP was very reluctant to even consider any seat, beyond 70. But now, with the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance in place and the challenge posed by the Thackeray cousins, they have offered around 80 seats. So they are more accommodating compared to before. We will have one more round of talks. But we are still keen on over 100 seats given the new political reality after the Thackeray reunion,” the Sena functionary said.At a meeting with CM Fadnavis on Monday, Shinde asked for triple-digit seats and told the BJP it would be hard for him to concede over 100 seats and explained the rationale behind the demand. The Sena functionary said Shinde claimed he had 60 sitting former corporators, and BJP must give it more seats to fight the Sena (UBT)-MNS combine in Marathi areas.

Mumbai: A 34-year-old caregiver accused of defrauding an 82-year-old retired IIT Bombay professor of nearly Rs 7 crore was granted bail. Nikita Vijay Naik was in judicial custody since June 2025. Additional Sessions Judge DG Dhoble observed that the continued detention of the accused would amount to “pre-trial punishment,” given that the investigation is complete and the charge sheet has already been filed.“The applicant is a woman having two children, and she has been in jail since her arrest, i.e., June 30, 2025. Considering the nature of allegations, facts, and circumstances of the case, and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, this court is of the view that the applicant deserves to be enlarged on bail,” the judge said.It was alleged that Naik, working as a domestic help for the elderly victim, took advantage of his visual impairment and isolation to embezzle Rs 6.93 crore between 2017 and 2025. The allegations included the misappropriation of Rs 1.03 crore from bank accounts, the theft of gold jewellery worth over Rs 8 lakh from a locker, and the fraudulent transfer of the professor’s share in three flats—valued at Rs 4.89 crore—via a registered gift deed. The police further claimed to have seized Rs 2 crore in cash from Naik’s bank accounts during the probe.Defending the caregiver, her lawyer argued that Naik was a victim of false implication. It was argued that the professor, a highly educated former academic, voluntarily transferred the assets out of “love and affection” because Naik cared for him during years when his own children allegedly deserted him. The defence said that until 2023, the informant was managing his own affairs and was of sound mind, suggesting the financial transactions were legitimate gifts rather than the result of coercion or fraud.The court, while considering the gravity of the financial fraud involving a vulnerable senior citizen, noted that the dispute over the property transfers and gift deeds was essentially a civil matter, which is already pending before a civil court. The judge referred to the legal principle that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception,” particularly for offences not punishable by life imprisonment or death. “One of the sons is a doctor by profession in Pune, and one of his daughters resides near his flat in the same vicinity. The alleged incident occurred during 2017 to 2025. The transaction of the flat is a registered one. The amount is transferred through the bank from time to time during the period…,” the judge said.In the order, the judge further said, “All allegations raised by the prosecution and submission of the applicant are required to be adjudicated during the course of the trial, and no final conclusion can be arrived at this stage.”Naik was granted bail on a bond of Rs 25,000 with strict conditions, including a prohibition on tampering with evidence or leaving the country without the court’s permission. The case was registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal breach of trust, cheating, and theft.

In its latest rich list for the year 2025, Hurun India awarded Indian-origin billionaire Jayshree Ullal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of Arista Networks. With this achievement, she has successfully surpassed popular Indian-origin tech leaders such as Google’s Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella in the list of wealthiest executives in the tech sector. Here’s all you need to know about her.

Who is Jayshree Ullal?

Jayshree Ullal is an Indian-origin British-born billionaire who has been heading Arista Networks, a software services firm for the past 17 years.Earlier this year, the 63-year-old was ranked second among the top five first-generation women wealth creators, in the Candere Hurun Indian Women Leaders List 2025. As per her LinkedIn, she did her schooling at the Convent of Jesus & Mary in New Delhi. Then, she completed her bachelor’s in Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering from San Francisco State University and did her Master of Science, Engineering Management from Santa Clara University in 1986. Recently, she also received an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering in 2025. Based out of Santa Clara, California, Ullal runs the cloud networking company which designs and sells multiple software products. She joined Arista Networks in 2008 and before that, worked in Cisco Systems, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) and Fairchild Semiconductor.

Jayshree Ullal’s net worth

As per Forbes, her net worth is $5.7 billion and the revenue of her company in 2024 was $7 billion. Currently, she ranks as the 713th richest person in the world. Her net worth has recorded a rise of $34 million since 2020, with the boom in the AI and software services sector. While other Indian-origin leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have been witnessing dips in their net worths recently, Ullal’s finance experiences a steady raise, establishing her as an exemplary leader in a male-dominated industry.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi & Ayush Mhatre (Agency Image)

The BCCI has named India’s Under-19 squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa and the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set to lead the side on the South Africa tour. Sooryavanshi has been appointed captain for the three-match One-Day series in Benoni, with Aaron George named his deputy. Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra have been ruled out of the South Africa tour after sustaining wrist injuries. Both players will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further treatment and rehabilitation. The duo is expected to rejoin the setup in time for the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, where they will take on leadership roles.

For the Under-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15 January to 6 February 2026, Ayush Mhatre will captain the Indian side, with Vihaan Malhotra serving as vice-captain. India’s Under-19 tour of South Africa will consist of three One-Day matches, all to be played at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The series begins on Saturday, 3 January, followed by the second match on 5 January and the final game on 7 January. The 2026 ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup will feature 16 teams divided into four groups, followed by the Super Six stage, semi-finals and the final, which will be held in Harare. Five-time champions India, who have previously lifted the title in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022, have been placed in Group B alongside New Zealand, the USA and Bangladesh. India will open their World Cup campaign against the USA on 15 January at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. They will then face Bangladesh at the same venue on 17 January, before taking on New Zealand on 24 January.India’s squad for SA tour: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C), Aaron George (VC), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul KumarIndia U19 squad for ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026: Ayush Mhatre (C), Vihaan Malhotra (VC), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a two-day conference of senior police officers here on Saturday and launched an AI-based “YAKSH” app to strengthen policing and preventive law enforcement in the state.The conference, titled “Police Manthan”, focused on challenges ranging from cybercrime and human trafficking to emerging issues such as social media, officials said.In a post on X, the UP Police said officers will participate in 11 sessions to shape the strategic priorities and future road map for policing in the state.Adityanath was accorded a traditional guard of honour at the event and was welcomed with a bouquet by Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna and Additional Director General of Police (PAC) Ram Krishna Swarnkar, it said.The conference will end on Sunday, it added.“The objective of the conference is to strengthen people-centric policing, develop a technology-based modern policing system and ensure effective and swift action against crime and criminals,” the DGP told reporters.The chief minister will remain present for both days of the session, he added.Krishna said the conference replaces the traditional annual “Police Week” to ensure a sharper focus for outcome-oriented brainstorming sessions.Several thematic sessions were held on the first day, with detailed presentations on beat policing, technology-driven initiatives, and best practices made before Adityanath, police sources said.During the event, the chief minister also launched “YAKSH” app, a digital version of the beat book developed using AI and big data analytics, officials said, adding that the app will maintain comprehensive data on crimes, criminals and sensitive areas.YAKSH will simplify the daily work of beat personnel through features — station-wise offender databases, beat-level verification, AI-based suspect identification, voice search, gang-link analysis and movement alerts, they said.Discussions also covered women-related crimes, child protection and human trafficking, with Additional Director General of Police (Women and Child Security Organisation) Padmaja Chauhan presenting on key initiatives, including Mission Shakti centres, awareness programmes, family dispute resolution clinics, and law enforcement in rape cases.ADG Gorakhpur Zone Ashok Mutha Jain gave a presentation on the Bahu-Beti Sammelan, while deliberations were also held on police station management and upgradation.Another officer presented the “Smart SHO Dashboard”, which will allow station house officers to monitor complaints, crimes, and staff performance on a single platform.The dashboard will improve grievance redressal, reduce pendency, enhance accountability of police personnel and make traffic management and crime monitoring more effective, officials said.