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Navi Mumbai: Politicians across party lines demanded rectification in the voter list well ahead of the civic election due to a large number of duplicate voters in the electoral roll. The State Election Commission accepted the voter list dated July 1, 2025, for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections. The commission earlier identified 45,588 potential repeat voters, of whom 13,336 duplicate entries were confirmed following verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the municipal wards recently. Those duplicate voters submitted alternative undertakings stating under which name and ward they would cast their vote.In the municipal area, ward-wise BLO teams were formed to verify the repeat voter list provided by the State Election Commission. Under the supervision of municipal commissioner and election officer Kailas Shinde, the list was classified by repeat voter names and assembly list sections using a computer system, and BLOs received photographs of suspected duplicates for verification.BLOs checked whether duplicate names appeared in the same ward, whether the photographs matched, whether there was similarity in parental names, and whether the addresses corresponded. Where the same person appeared at two addresses, they were required to submit a guarantee letter specifying the address under which they would vote.The NMMC carried out this planned verification of potential repeat voters as part of its preparations for the municipal elections on Jan 15, 2026. Navi Mumbai unit of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena head Gajanan Kale, who relentlessly fought against the duplicate voters’ presence in the list, welcomed this move but was not content yet since a large number of duplicate voters are still there in the revised roll.
India ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer is all set to return for the ODI series against New Zealand, if there are no late red flags. Iyer is training at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and is likely to be there till December 30.The right-hander will then link-up with the Mumbai Vijay Hazare Trophy squad in Jaipur on January 2. He is expected to feature in the matches on January 3 and 6 before joining the Men in Blue for the three-match series starting in Vadodara on January 11.
“We are hearing positive developments around Shreyas. He is very likely to play two games for Mumbai on January 3 and January 6. The final schedule will depend on clearance from CoE but signs are positive for playing those games in Jaipur. He is batting well in the nets and no discomfort,” says a MCA official aware of developments.As TimesofIndia.com had first reported, Iyer batted for close to an hour in Mumbai on December 23 without any discomfort and made his way to the CoE for further assessment. He had already resumed regular physical training and gym work after recovering from the nasty injury.The blunt injury to the abdomen forced him to miss the ODI series vs South Africa and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Mumbai. Iyer’s return to the ODI set-up is a big boost for the ODI set-up as it allows the team management to firm up their plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli firing on all cylinders, Iyer’s return to the No.4 position will add a lot of solidity to the middle-order. In Iyer’s absence, Ruturaj Gaikwad was tried in the position and while he returned with a hundred, it will be difficult to accommodate the two right-handers in the Playing XI. The selectors are likely to pick the squad after receiving the necessary clearances for Iyer from the CoE and an announcement is expected early in the first week of January.As TimesofIndia.com had reported, both Bumrah and Pandya are likely to be rested keeping the T20 workload in mind and a call would need to be taken for the second wicketkeeper spot. Ishan Kishan is in red hot form and will make it a very happy headache for the selectors when they assemble to pick the squad for the three fixtures.
India’s food delivery market is set to see its next phase of growth driven by customer experience, faster deliveries and value-conscious consumption, according to leading aggregators Swiggy and magicpin.Anshoo Sharma, founder and chief executive of magicpin, said growth in 2026 will come from deeper merchant inclusion and catering to users who are increasingly focused on value. magicpin is currently India’s third-largest food delivery platform.“We are scaling by onboarding a wide range of merchants, from single, standalone local restaurants to large brands and national chains, enabling them to participate competitively in the digital economy,” Sharma told PTI.By lowering entry barriers and improving unit economics for merchants, platforms can help build a more balanced and sustainable food delivery ecosystem in 2026 and beyond, he said.Swiggy’s chief executive for food marketplace Rohit Kapoor said food delivery has evolved significantly as consumer lifestyles and priorities have changed.“Meals today have to fit into tighter schedules, longer days and changing priorities. Sometimes it’s about comfort, sometimes about speed, and increasingly, it’s about feeling good about what you eat,” Kapoor said, PTI quoted.Looking ahead to 2026, Kapoor said the opportunity lies in responding to everyday decisions and newer use cases — making food delivery faster when needed, more balanced when required, and consistently reliable.“The challenge will be to scale these experiences thoughtfully, while keeping food accessible and ensuring great customer experience for millions of people who now depend on it as part of daily life,” he added.Sharma said value-conscious users are emerging as a key growth driver as food delivery becomes a daily habit for students, office-goers and families.“At magicpin, we are seeing food delivery become a daily habit across students, office-goers and families who are looking for affordability without compromise,” he said.The company’s focus has been on expanding everyday meal consumption — from late-night campus orders and office lunches to celebration-driven dining — while ensuring users continue to save meaningfully on each order, Sharma added.India’s food delivery platform sector generated Rs 1.2 lakh crore in gross output in 2023-24 and has been expanding at a pace faster than the overall economy, emerging as a significant economic engine, according to an NCAER–Prosus report.The sector’s direct employment rose to 1.37 million in 2023-24 from 1.08 million in 2021-22, the report released earlier this month said.
China’s parliament has expelled three high-ranking military officials, confirming their removal after the trio had been absent from key events in recent months.The officers’ dismissals by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) were the latest moves in the ongoing “anti-corruption crackdown,” the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Sunday, a day after their expulsion.The officials removed are Wang Renhua, head of the Central Military Commission’s (CMC) political and legal affairs Committee; Zhang Hongbing, political commissar of the People’s Armed Police; and Wang Peng, director of the CMC’s training department.However, they will remain full members of the Central Committee, the ruling Communist Party of China’s (CPC) top decision-making body.The CMC, the overall high command of China’s military, is headed by President Xi Jinping.The NPC also revoked the memberships of two other senior generals, among nine expelled from both the CPC and the Chinese military in October for “seriously violating party discipline.” They are former CMC vice chairman He Weidong and He Hongjun of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) political work department.Also Read | Purge unlike any other: Nine top Chinese generals expelled — Why Xi Jinping is cleaning house againThe ‘unlucky’ threeWang Renhua, 63, was promoted to admiral by Xi last year and put in charge of the military’s courts, procuratorates, and prisons. He previously served as director of the political unit at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert and as deputy head of the PLA Ground Forces political work Department. In 2017, he became the chief anti-corruption official for the PLA Navy’s East Sea Fleet.Zhang Hongbing, 59, was promoted to full general in 2022. Prior to that, he served as political commissar of the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command from 2019.Wang Peng, 61, was promoted to lieutenant general in December 2021 and appointed head of the CMC’s Training and Administration Department.Dozens of senior PLA officers have been sacked or disciplined under an intensified anti-corruption campaign carried out by Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.(With PTI inputs)
NEW DELHI: Security agencies in Meghalaya on Sunday rejected claims by the Bangladesh Police that the killers of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had entered the state. They termed the allegations as unfounded and misleading.“There is no evidence to suggest that any individual crossed the international border from the Haluaghat sector into Meghalaya. The BSF has neither detected nor received any report of such an incident,” BSF chief in Meghalaya, Inspector General O P Opadhyay was quoted as saying by PTI.A senior Meghalaya police officer said there was “no input or intelligence to corroborate” claims that the suspects were present in the Garo Hills region, adding that local police units had detected no such movement and that coordination with central agencies was ongoing.Border Security Force (BSF) officials said personnel deployed along the international border remain on high alert to prevent any untoward incident, especially in view of the unrest and volatile situation in the neighbouring country. The force added that the border in the sector is under constant surveillance and that any attempt at illegal cross-border movement would be swiftly detected and dealt with.The Garo Hills region lies in Meghalaya’s western sector, which shares an international border with Bangladesh and is guarded by the Border Security Force.Earlier in the day, Bangladesh Police claimed that two prime suspects in the murder of Inquilab Moncho leader Osman Hadi had fled the country and entered India through the Meghalaya border.Addressing a media briefing in Dhaka, the Additional Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh crossed into India via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh with the assistance of local associates.Bangladesh Police said the suspects crossed into India through the Haluaghat border, were received by a local contact, and were later taken by taxi to Tura in Meghalaya, according to a report in the Daily Star.He added that Bangladeshi police had received informal reports indicating that Indian security agencies had detained those who assisted the suspects, and said the Bangladesh government is actively working to secure their return.Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was shot in the head on December 12 during an election campaign in Dhaka. He was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment but succumbed to his injuries on December 18.Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Moncho, was a prominent youth leader during the mass street protests in July–August 2024 that contributed to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. He was also a parliamentary candidate for the upcoming elections scheduled on February 12.
BENGALURU: What began as a tattoo of “another woman” on the husband’s forearm ended in the murder of his wife and a sentence of life imprisonment for him.Earlier this week, a city court convicted 33-year-old Vinay Kumar, a resident of A Narayanapura in Mahadevapura, of killing his wife Ashwini D, 29, inside their home in April 2021. Since his arrest, Kumar had remained lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, with his attempt to secure bail failing.
Kumar and Ashwini, an engineer and his younger sister’s classmate, met at a family wedding, fell in love, and married in 2018. But the marriage began to unravel three years later when Kumar returned home with a tattoo reading “Roopa” inked on his right forearm. When Ashwini questioned him about the tattoo and demanded to know who Roopa was, Kumar gave evasive answers. She later discovered that he was having an affair. According to the prosecution, Kumar feared she might take legal or personal action against him. Unwilling to end the relationship with Roopa, he decided to eliminate his wife. Public prosecutor Satyavati HR told TOI the murder was planned carefully. On the night of April 16, 2021, Kumar purchased a can of beer and a strip of 10 sleeping tablets before returning home. After having chicken biryani for dinner, he forced Ashwini to drink the beer, secretly mixed with the tablets. She soon slipped into a deep sleep. Kumar believed the overdose would be fatal. When he found Ashwini still breathing early the next morning, Kumar strangled her using her dupatta. “Afterwards, he stepped out of the house and raised the alarm, claiming his wife was lying motionless,” Satyavati said. With a neighbour’s help, he took Ashwini to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. Kumar initially managed to convince Ashwini’s parents and relatives that it was a natural death. However, Mahadevapura police ordered an autopsy, while viscera samples were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. The autopsy revealed the death was due to strangulation, leading to Kumar’s arrest. Subsequent FSL reports confirmed the presence of alcohol and sleeping tablets in Ashwini’s system. During the trial, circumstantial evidence sealed Kumar’s fate. Testimonies from a wine shop cashier and a medical store assistant, backed by CCTV footage, established that Kumar had purchased the beer and sleeping tablets on the night of the murder. After police filed the charge-sheet, Kumar filed his bail application. Police, however, discovered that the surety documents submitted were fake and informed the court that his family had distanced themselves from him after the crime. The bail plea was rejected, forcing him to spend time in prison.
Google has intensified its battle for AI talent by bringing back former employees, with 20% of its AI software engineer hires in 2025 being so-called boomerang workers—a notable increase from previous years, CNBC has learned. The tech giant confirmed the statistic remains accurate as of December and reported a surge in AI researchers joining from major competitors compared to 2024.The company’s aggressive rehiring strategy comes as it competes with OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic in the heated AI talent wars. Google’s head of compensation John Casey told employees that AI-focused engineers are attracted to the company’s substantial financial resources and computational infrastructure needed for advanced AI work, according to audio reviewed by CNBC.
Google has a large pool of former employees to recruit from, particularly after its largest-ever layoff round in early 2023 when parent company Alphabet cut 12,000 jobs—a 6% workforce reduction. The company has since continued with rolling layoffs and buyouts as part of ongoing efficiency measures.The boomerang trend extends beyond Google, with ADP Research data showing increased employee returns across the industry, particularly in the information sector. Among notable returns, Google brought back AI pioneer Noam Shazeer in late 2024. Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas had left Google in 2021 to start Character.AI after the company reportedly rebuffed their chatbot development efforts, but rejoined DeepMind in August 2024 under a licensing deal.
The competition for AI talent remains fierce across the industry. Microsoft hired around two dozen employees from Google’s DeepMind earlier this year, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed in June that Meta had been offering $100 million signing bonuses. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who came out of retirement in 2023, has personally reached out to prospective candidates, according to people familiar with the matter.Despite the competitive landscape, Google has made progress in its AI efforts. The company announced its latest Gemini 3 model last month, and Alphabet’s stock price has risen more than 60% this year, outperforming all megacap peers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday issued a sharp warning to Ukraine, saying, “If Kyiv does not want peace, Russia will achieve all special military operation goals by military means.” His statement came after he visited a command post of the Russian armed forces and just hours before crucial Zelenskyy-Trump meet in Florida, TASS reported.Putin said that work on creating a buffer zone along the Russia-Ukraine border is moving ahead, and claimed that Russian forces are making gains in Donbass and the Zaporozhye region along the entire frontline.He made these comments after meeting chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov and commanders of various battle groups. According to TASS, he was also briefed on the capture of Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye region and Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).TASS further reported that both Putin and Gerasimov suggested that Ukraine’s leadership is in “no hurry” to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.His remarks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that territories occupied by Russia during the four-year war, as well as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), are “red lines” for Ukraine. He said any major decisions on these issues must involve the Ukrainian people, either through a referendum or changes in legislation, ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday.In posts on X while travelling to the United States, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants to reduce the number of unresolved issues in any future peace deal but stressed that matters involving territory, the ZNPP, and national sovereignty remain extremely sensitive.He said that strong, reliable security guarantees are Ukraine’s top priority in any peace process.
Haris Rauf‘s three-for and Joe Clarke‘s fiery innings powered Melbourne Stars to a commanding win over Sydney Thunder. In the 14th match of the Big Bash League 2025-26 at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Sunday, table-toppers Melbourne Stars crushed Sydney Thunder by nine wickets with 36 balls to spare, chasing down 129 in just 14 overs.
Sydney Thunder’s batting collapsed on a good Canberra surface as they were bundled out for just 128 in their full quota of 20 overs after Melbourne Stars skipper Marcus Stoinis won the toss and chose to bowl first. Despite the pitch offering plenty for stroke-making, Thunder failed to build momentum after a promising start.
Openers Sam Konstas and Matthew Gilkes began positively and took the score to 33 inside the powerplay. Gilkes looked particularly aggressive, striking a boundary and two sixes, but the early spark was snuffed out when Rauf used his slower ball cleverly to have him chipped to mid-off. Konstas soon followed, bowled by Mitchell Swepson, triggering a steady slide for the Thunder.
The pressure mounted as David Warner couldn’t convert his start and was caught in the deep off Stoinis, while Cameron Bancroft’s scratchy stay ended lbw to Swepson after an unsuccessful review. At 63 for four, Thunder were in trouble and desperately needed a partnership.
Sam Billings and Shadab Khan attempted a recovery, adding some stability and taking the total close to 90. However, Rauf returned during the power surge and turned the game decisively in the Stars’ favour, removing Billings and later Chris Green with well-disguised variations. With the middle order undone, the lower order offered little resistance. Tom Curran and Peter Siddle cleaned up the tail as Thunder lost their final five wickets cheaply, slipping from a position of hope to another batting disappointment. Rauf’s incisive spell stood out as the defining factor in the collapse.
Also READ: Sam Harper’s explosive ton powers Melbourne Stars to a dominant win over Sydney Sixers in BBL|15
Joe Clarke produced a blistering opening act to set up a comfortable victory for the Melbourne Stars, showcasing his attacking intent from the very start of the chase. Clarke raced to a scintillating 60 from just 37 deliveries, peppering the boundary with eight crisp fours and a towering six. Alongside Sam Harper, he ensured the Stars flew out of the blocks, bringing up their fifty in a mere 3.6 overs during the power play. Clarke reached his half-century in only 29 balls, confidently dispatching Ryan Hadley with elegant flicks and forceful cuts through point, as the opening pair stitched together a commanding 86-run stand. The breakthrough eventually came when Chris Green dismissed Clarke at 86 for 1 in the 9.4th over, but by then the damage had been done.
With the platform firmly established, Harper and Glenn Maxwell calmly guided the Stars home without any hiccups. Harper remained unbeaten on 29 from 27 balls, while Maxwell added the finishing touches with an aggressive 39 not out off 20 deliveries, striking five boundaries and clearing the ropes twice. Maxwell took a particular liking to Shadab and Tanveer Sangha, ensuring the chase never drifted off course. The Stars reached 100 in just 11.1 overs and were never under pressure, as Thunder bowlers Daniel Sams and Ryan Hadley struggled to contain the flow of runs. This emphatic win keeps Melbourne Stars unbeaten with four victories from four matches, sitting comfortably at the top of the BBL|15 standings, while Sydney Thunder’s campaign continues to lose momentum.
Four wins. Zero losses.
These @StarsBBL are shining in #BBL15 🌟 pic.twitter.com/axshOfR4Lh
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 28, 2025
Also WATCH: Tom Curran knocks over Jason Sangha’s stumps with an absolute ripper in BBL|15
