NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah predicted Tuesday a BJP govt in Bengal with a two-thirds majority in the 2026 assembly polls, while promising to end infiltration and seeking to calm fears among the Matua community over EC’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls and the Citizenship Amendment Act.“BJP has resolved that when it forms govt after April 2026, it will restore Bengal’s lost glory,” Shah said during a 40-minute interaction with reporters. “Development has come to a halt. Fear and corruption have become the identity of the state… We will uproot Trinamool Congress.”

Shah traced BJP’s rise in Bengal from two Lok Sabha seats and 17% vote share a decade ago to 18 seats in 2019 and 77 assembly seats in 2021, asserting Congress and CPM had been reduced to zero. “We had 36% vote share in 2021 and we will win 2026 with a two-thirds majority,” he said, adding the election would be fought on “stopping infiltration and driving infiltrators out”.Addressing Matua concerns, Shah said he spoke Monday with Bongaon MP and junior Union minister Shantanu Thakur, assuring that no Matua would lose voting rights or citizenship. “Matuas have no reason to be afraid. Refugees who came to Bengal are citizens of India and nobody can harm them – not even Mamata Banerjee,” he said. BJP functionaries said that of nearly 1.5 crore Matuas in Bengal, about 70,000 have applied for citizenship under CAA.Shah accused the TMC-led govt of blocking border fencing by not allotting land to BSF. “I have sent seven letters… there was no response,” he said. “Infiltration is happening on Mamata Banerjee’s watch. Forged documents are being prepared. Demography is changing to strengthen her vote bank.”Shah also targeted TMC over alleged corruption, naming Partha Chatterjee, Jyotipriya Mallick and Anubrata Mandal, and referring to allegations against Firhad Hakim and Sovan Chattopadhyay. “Yet Didi says there is no corruption,” Shah said.He claimed women’s safety was at risk and people were told not to step out after 7pm. Urging voters to give BJP a chance, Shah said politics over mandir and masjid was a distraction. “Core issues are women’s safety, corruption, jobs for youth and flight of industries,” he said.

Magnus Carlsen’s latest table slam goes viral on social media platforms (Screengrab)

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen once again found himself in the spotlight, not for his chess moves, but for his angry reaction at the board. The incident happened on Monday during the World Blitz Championship in Doha, after Carlsen lost to India’s Arjun Erigaisi.Carlsen, a five-time world champion, was playing under heavy time pressure when he eventually lost the game on time. Moments later, he slammed the table, pushed his chair back and walked away. A video of the incident quickly went viral on social media, drawing mixed reactions from fans and players.

Chris Bird, the arbiter who was on duty during the game, later explained what happened. He posted on X to calm speculation around the incident.“No pieces, chessboards or tables were harmed during the filming of this video and for those wondering, Magnus immediately apologized to his opponent and me,” Chris Bird wrote on X.However, the incident did not sit well with several in the chess community. Grandmaster Levon Aronian responded strongly, saying such behaviour should not be treated lightly.“Chris, i don’t think we as should be normalizing tantrums like that. It does affect players who are in a middle of a game who hear loud noises. In many sports such acts are penalized as unsportsmanlike behavior in order to send a message to younger athletes,” Aronian wrote.Bird replied once again, clarifying his stand and stating that he did not support Carlsen’s reaction.“Certainly not my intention to make it seem like I was OK with this behavior. I think in the video you can see I briefly spoke with Magnus, who like I said apologized. Beyond that point the issue was handed to my superiors to deal with as they saw fit,” he added.The loss itself was a major moment in the tournament. Arjun defeated the defending blitz champion in the ninth round, one of the biggest shocks of the event. Before the game, six players, including Arjun and Carlsen, were tied at the top with 6.5 points. After the win, Arjun moved to 7.5 points and shared the lead with Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov.Arjun’s win was even more impressive as he played with the black pieces, which are usually considered slightly disadvantageous. He stayed calm throughout, won a pawn, and slowly built pressure. Though Carlsen fought back, time ran out.This was not Carlsen’s first emotional outburst at the event. Earlier, after losing to Vladislav Artemiev, he walked away angrily and pushed a camera aside. Earlier this year, he also slammed a table after losing to India’s D Gukesh, a moment that went viral online.

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MOHALI: The 66-year-old wife of a former additional advocate general of Punjab was strangled to death by robbers, who then looted cash and jewellery from the house in Mohali’s high-profile Phase-5 area late Monday. Police said defensive wounds on Ashok Kumari’s body proved she had fought fiercely but was overpowered and strangled with a rope. CCTV footage showed two robbers casually walking into the house around 11.40pm as if they knew their way around. With her husband, Krishna Kumar Goyal, and daughter in Muscat to visit the couple’s elder daughter, only Kumari and their housekeeper were at home. Cops said the robbers seemed to know that the rest of the family was not home.

The crime was discovered Tuesday morning by a maid who arrived to find Kumari dead in bed and the housekeeper, Neeraj, tied to a chair. She raised an alarm and police were alerted. Cops detained Neeraj (25) as his statements were inconsistent. He started working for the family around nine years ago. Neeraj claimed one of the men held him at gunpoint while the other one attacked Kumari. “We have formed multiple teams that are working in close coordination with each other. We are examining CCTV footage, and the servant is being questioned. He claims the robbers banged his head against the wall, but there’s no injury,” SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said. Police suspect an insider’s hand because of two reasons: the door was opened from inside when the robbers rang the bell close to midnight, and the killers spared the house help, who was a bigger threat, and murdered the elderly woman. From the crime scene, police said Kumari was taken by surprise as she slept in her bedroom. After killing her, the goons spent two hours ransacking the house. They tied Neeraj to a chair and walked out. On being informed the next morning, SSP Hans, City SP Dilpreet Singh, SHO Sukhbir Singh and a forensic team went to the spot. The house was sealed as forensic specialists collected evidence. Police teams were scanning CCTV footage from nearby streets and houses, hoping to track the killers’ escape route. The body was kept in a mortuary, and postmortem will be conducted Wednesday after Kumari’s husband returns. The murder sent shock waves through Tricity, terrifying elderly citizens and their children who stay in other states or abroad.

Kalyan: In the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP has registered an unopposed victory in one seat even before polling. Rekha Chaudhary has been elected unopposed from Ward No. 18-A as there are no other nomination was receivedOfficials said the official announcement will be made only after the scrutiny of nomination forms on Wednesday.The BJP and Sena denied tickets to several sitting former corporators.Several aspirants denied tickets filed nominations as independents.The denial of tickets to loyal and long-serving party workers also led to resignations. Former sitting corporator Shreyas Samel, after being denied a ticket, resigned from the party along with nearly 50 other party functionaries, publicly expressing disappointment over what they described as unfair treatment. The Congress, NCP (SP) and VBA party’s candidates also filed their nominations while MNS and UBT who is seperately contesting also filed their nominations. The Mahayuti’s third alliance partner NCP(AP) party who is contesting seperately their 50 candidates filed their nominations form out of 122 seats.The KDMC has planned to register an offence against 28 election duty staff members who have failed to report for their assigned responsibilities.For the successful conduct of the KDMC election, the presence and active participation of all appointed officers and employees is considered crucial. In this regard, Municipal Commissioner Abhinav Goel has directed Additional Commissioner Sandeep Rokade to initiate criminal proceedings against officials who have not reported for election duty.According to KDMC officials, the proposed action will be taken against 28 officers and employees, mainly those appointed in key election monitoring teams such as the Video Surveillance Team (VST), Flying Squad Team (FST) and Static Surveillance Team (SST), along with officers designated as Zonal Officers, who failed to join their assigned duties.In addition, notices have been served to staff members deployed at polling stations for voting day, giving them one final opportunity to report for duty. The Municipal Commissioner has issued a stern warning that failure to comply will invite criminal action under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The upcoming Women’s Premier League 2026 (WPL 2026) was hit by a major setback as several international stars withdrew from the next season, citing national duty and personal reasons. Just before the Women’s Premier League 2026 gets underway, teams have been forced into sudden changes that have shaken up their plans.

USA’s left-arm seamer Tara Norris has stunned the UP Warriorz by pulling out of the WPL 2026 due to national commitment. Norris has been named in the USA squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal.

WPL 2026 hit by last-minute pullouts as UP Warriorz lose Tara Norris

The qualifier runs from January 18 to February 1, clashing with the WPL. The upcoming Indian league will start on January 9, which means Norris will miss the entire season. Norris was part of Delhi Capitals in 2022-23, and she has taken seven wickets in five games in the league.

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To replace Norris, UP Warriorz have taken a gamble by signing the uncapped Australian all-rounder Charli Knott. Knott has joined the UP Warriorz at a base price of INR 10 lakh.

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After becoming one of the biggest names in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), Charli Knott is all set to make her mark in the WPL with UP Warriorz in 2026. It will be her debut season.

RCB hero Ellyse Perry misses WPL 2026; Sayali Satghare joins as her replacement

The shock didn’t end there, as two big Australian stars also confirmed their withdrawal from the WPL 2026. Ellyse Perry will not be available for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), while the Delhi Capitals (DC) will also be without Annabel Sutherland in the next edition of the tournament.

Both Perry and Sutherland cited personal reasons for their decisions. As a result, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have drafted in Indian all-rounder Sayali Satghare at her price of INR 30 lakh as Perry’s replacement. Satghare was part of the Gujarat Giants in the last season. She did not get many chances and finished with just one wicket from four matches.

Read Also: WPL 2026 dates officially announced, World Cup venue finalized for the opener

Perry has been one of the key players for RCB in the Women’s Premier League. The Australian all-rounder has played for the franchise in all three seasons so far and has made a big impact with both bat and ball. In 25 matches, Perry has scored 972 runs and picked up 14 wickets.

Perry’s best season came in the second edition of the WPL, where she finished as the highest run-scorer and played a key role in RCB lifting the title. Given her form, the RCB retained Perry ahead of the mega auction, along with Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil.

Alana King replaces Annabel Sutherland for WPL 2026

On the other hand, Delhi Capitals (DC) have signed the senior Australian leg-spinner Alana King at her base price of INR 60 lakh to replace Sutherland for the next Women’s Premier League season. King brings strong experience despite limited WPL action.

She played only one match for UP Warriorz in 2025, but her international numbers stand out. The leg-spinner has taken 27 wickets in 27 T20I games at an impressive average of 18.81.

Notably, Sutherland’s WPL journey started with Gujarat Giants in the first season and later shifted to Delhi Capitals. In the 2025 season, she took nine wickets and scored 95 runs. Delhi Capitals valued her all-round impact and retained her along with Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Shafali Verma, and N. Shree Charani.