NEW DELHI: Starting Thursday, Australia is set to provide duty-free access to all Indian exports under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Monday.“From Jan 1, 2026, 100% of Australian tariff lines will be zero-duty for Indian exports, unlocking fresh opportunities for labour-intensive sectors,” Goyal posted on his social media handle.The minister said over the past three years, ECTA has delivered sustained export growth, deeper market access, and stronger supply-chain resilience, benefiting Indian exporters, MSMEs, farmers and workers alike as India’s exports to Australia grew by 8% in 2024-25, helping improve India’s trade balance.“Strong gains were witnessed across manufacturing, chemicals, textiles, plastics, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, and gems & jewellery with gems & jewellery exports rising 16% in April-Nov 2025. Agri-exports recorded broad-based growth, with sharp increases in fruits and vegetables, marine products, spices, and exceptional growth in coffee,” the minister said.The ECTA, which came into force on Dec 29, 2022, aims to deepen trade and investment ties between India and Australia by progressively eliminating tariffs, simplifying market access, and supporting supply chain integration at a time when India is increasingly seeking to diversify export destinations after trade ties with the US strained in recent months.The minister further added that as both sides remain engaged in negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), ECTA continues to anchor India’s economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

RAMPUR: A 40-year-old man, driver with the Uttar Pradesh power department, was killed in a road accident on the Nainital Highway in the Ganj Kotwali area of Rampur on Sunday evening after a truck loaded with wooden scrap toppled onto the vehicle, crushing it completely.The incident occurred at around 4.45 pm near the Pahadi Gate crossing, one of the busiest intersections on the highway. According to police, both vehicles were heading towards Bilaspur Gate, with the Bolero, the government vehicle, moving ahead of the truck. As the vehicles approached the crossing, the Bolero driver attempted to take a turn, while the truck continued straight. On suddenly seeing the Bolero in front, the truck driver tried to swerve to avoid a collision. In the process, the truck rammed into the divider, broke through it and overturned onto the Bolero.The truck was carrying wooden scrap, which spilled across the road and completely buried the Bolero beneath it. The impact flattened the vehicle, triggering panic and chaos at the scene. With uncertainty over how many people might have been inside the Bolero, passers-by raised alarms, leading to a swift response from authorities.Traffic police, teams from three police stations, the fire brigade and at least half a dozen ambulances rushed to the spot. Superintendent of police Vidyasagar Mishra and city circle officer Jitendra Kumar also reached the site to supervise the rescue operation. A crane was deployed to remove the overturned truck and clear the debris.The trapped driver was pulled out of the mangled Bolero and rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The highway remained choked for nearly an hour as police worked to remove the scattered wooden scrap and restore traffic.“The deceased has been identified as Firasat, a resident of Gujjar Tola in Rampur. His family has been informed,” SP Vidyasagar Mishra said, adding, “The truck driver fled the scene and efforts are on to trace him. We are also investigating whether the truck was overloaded.”The Bolero was attached on contract with the electricity department and was allotted to the Khod power substation. Sub-Divisional Officer Nagendra Kumar said he had taken charge only two days ago and was not using the vehicle on Sunday due to the weekly holiday. “On holidays, the driver usually gets the vehicle serviced. That is why the Bolero was with him,” he said.

Young Mumbai batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi has opened up about his partnership with veteran Team India opener Rohit Sharma during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025. The right-handed batter said he enjoyed batting alongside Rohit, describing watching him from the non-striker’s end as being like a movie.

Rohit made himself available for selection for Mumbai for the first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The opener scored 155 runs off 94 balls, including 18 fours and nine sixes, while chasing a target of 237 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

It Honestly Felt Like a Movie – Angkrish Raghuvanshi on Batting With Rohit Sharma

Angkrish Raghuvanshi described batting alongside Rohit Sharma as a special experience after their big opening stand against Sikkim. Raghuvanshi said that he enjoyed having a front-row view from the non-striker’s end. He added that watching Rohit bat was like watching a movie unfold.

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“Out of the 141 runs, I got only 40, so it was just so much fun. I was mostly giving him singles and watching from the non-striker’s end, and it honestly felt like a movie,” Angkrish Raghuvanshi said.

VIDEO | Vijay Hazare Trophy: Mumbai opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi, reflecting on his 141-run opening-wicket partnership with Rohit Sharma against Sikkim, said, “Out of the 141 runs, I got only 40, so it was just so much fun. I was mostly giving him singles and watching from the… pic.twitter.com/EI52maJaWn

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 29, 2025

Raghuvanshi scored 38 runs off 58 balls, including four boundaries, during the tournament opener. The young batter added a 141-run partnership with Rohit in the run chase. However, he failed to convert his start into a half-century.

Rohit Sharma Set To Return To International Cricket In January

Rohit Sharma is set to return to international action in January during India’s three-match home ODI series against New Zealand, which begins on January 11 in Vadodara.

Rohit enjoyed an outstanding year in ODI cricket in 2025. He played 14 matches and scored 650 runs at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of just over 100, including four half-centuries and two hundreds. The batter climbed to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings during the year.

Rohit scored 202 runs in three innings against Australia, including a century in Sydney. He then carried that form into the home series against South Africa, where he struck two half-centuries.

Overall, the 38-year-old has featured in 279 ODIs for India, scoring 11,516 runs at an average of 49.21, with 33 centuries and 61 fifties to his name.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi Smashes Half-Century After Being Discharged From Hospital

Mumbai continued their strong run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with an easy nine-wicket win over Chhattisgarh. The chase was never in doubt, as Mumbai stayed in control from the start.

Chasing a target of 143, Angkrish Raghuvanshi played with confidence and maturity. The 21-year-old scored an unbeaten 68 off 66 balls, including six fours and two sixes. Mumbai reached the target in just 24 overs, finishing the game comfortably.

Raghuvanshi showed a good balance between playing safe shots and attacking when needed. A few days earlier, he had suffered a serious-looking injury while fielding, hurting his head and shoulder while attempting a diving catch. He was stretchered off and taken to the hospital for scans.

Also read: BCCI Central Contracts 2026: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma demoted as Shubman Gill gets promotion

Chennamaneni Ramesh (left) with BRS president KCR (File photo)

Hyderabad: A year after Telangana HC declared that former BRS MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh was not an Indian citizen and imposed a Rs 30 lakh fine on him for concealing his German citizenship while contesting assembly elections, he continues to receive a pension of Rs 60,000 as a former MLA.Congress MLA Adi Srinivas has urged the assembly secretary not to pay the pension to Ramesh, arguing that he is not entitled to any govt benefits, and has demanded the recovery of benefits, emoluments, and salary already given to the German citizen.“As there has been no action on my previous request, I am again urging the assembly secretary and the Speaker to stop his pension immediately. I will approach the HC on this issue again, if required,” said Srinivas, who had challenged Ramesh’s citizenship.Sources said the assembly secretary had earlier informed Srinivas that the high court order did not mention recovering salary and other emoluments from Ramesh, and that there was no provision under existing rules to make such recoveries.Under the Telangana assembly rules, former MLAs are entitled to a pension, medical reimbursement, and other benefits. As Ramesh had served four terms as MLA from Vemulawada, he drew over Rs 50,000 as monthly pension from Dec 2023. Following court order, Ramesh paid Rs 30 lakh in damages.Former Telangana advocate general K Rama Krishna Reddy said, “The legislative secretary cannot decide on pension issues as he does not have adjudicating powers. The assembly Speaker can decide whether Ramesh is entitled to the pension, as this is a decision to be taken post-disposal of the court case. Srinivas can also approach the competent court on the issue.”He added that Srinivas had approached Supreme Court by filing a special leave petition to declare him elected for the terms Ramesh served as MLA. However, in Aug this year, Supreme Court, declining to interfere, said it could not ‘resurrect’ the matter as the term of the election had already ended.“Even SC did not address the emoluments and pension when the present MLA approached top court,” a source close to Ramesh told TOI.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (PTI Photo)

Bihar have continued to be dominant in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate 2025-26. On Monday, they picked up an easy eight-wicket win over Meghalaya at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi. This was Bihar’s third win in a row, and they did it in convincing fashion by eight wickets.With Bihar winning the toss and deciding to bowl first, Meghalaya struggled to build partnerships and kept losing wickets.

Their top order failed to settle as the pressure continued to go up. Ram Gurung was the standout batter for Meghalaya. He played an unbeaten knock of 56 runs from 64 balls and tried to hold the innings together. Anish Charak also chipped in with 32 runs, while Akash Choudhary added a quick 26 off just eight balls at the end. Still, Meghalaya could only manage 217 for 9 in their 50 overs.Bihar’s bowlers were disciplined throughout. Sabir Khan was the pick of the attack with three wickets. Mangal Mahrour and Himanshu Tiwari picked up two wickets each and kept the scoring under control. Meghalaya never really looked like posting a big total.Chasing 218, Bihar got off to a fast start. However, they lost Mangal Mahrour early for four runs. The highlight of the early chase was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s short but explosive knock. In his latest appearance for Bihar, Vaibhav scored 31 runs off just 10 balls. He smashed six fours and one six, scoring at a strike rate of over 300 before getting out in the fifth over.After Vaibhav’s dismissal, Piyush Singh and Akash Raj took the lead in the chase. With Piyush playing a brilliant innings, scoring an unbeaten 100 off 88 balls. Having hit 14 fours and one six, he looked calm and confident throughout. Akash Raj supported him well with an unbeaten 75 from 90 balls. The duo shared a huge partnership as they made sure there were no further hiccups. Bihar reached 220 for 2 in just 32.3 overs. With this win, Bihar boosted their position in the Plate group.

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