MUMBAI: With their agreement on seat-sharing finalised for the BMC and other municipal corporation elections, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will formally announce the political alliance of their parties, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, on Wednesday.The cousins will hold a press meet at Worli in the afternoon to make the announcement, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said in a post on X.UBT Sena functionaries said under the proposed formula, Sena (UBT) will get 145 to 150 seats in Mumbai, the MNS 65 to 70 seats, while 10 to 12 seats will be given to NCP (SP). Sena (UBT) has “left” 12 to 15 of seats where it had corporators for MNS; in a majority of these seats, the former corporators have joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.Raut said “the issue regarding Congress is currently closed, but Sena (UBT) will continue to talk to Congress till the end.” Congress has decided to go it alone in the BMC polls.Raut said that final touches to the pact were made on Monday night. “The Sena (UBT) and MNS workers have accepted the alliance. There is no disagreement over seatsharing. The alliance was formed when the two brothers came together in Worli in July,” he said.He further said, “The issue of seat-sharing in Nashik, Pune, KDMC, Thane, Mira Bhayandar is over. Discussions are underway with NCP (SP) MLA Jayant Patil regarding an alliance. He is also in talks with Uddhav Thackeray.”MNS functionary Sandeep Deshpande said, “There is no tussle anymore. There was some last-minute discussion on candidates and winnability. The cousins are coming together for Mumbai and for the Marathi manoos. No one is upset in either party. Workers will sacrifice for Mumbai so there will be no rebels.”

Ben Duckett of England during a nets session. (Getty Images)

England’s managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key has said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will investigate reports of excessive drinking by players during their mid-Ashes break, after videos circulating on social media raised fresh questions about the team’s conduct on tour.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!England have already lost the Ashes after defeats in the first three Tests, allowing Australia to retain the urn in just 11 days of on-field action. Attention has now shifted off the field following the squad’s stay in Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast between the second and third Tests — a long-planned stop intended to help players relax during the gruelling tour.

A video that emerged on Tuesday appeared to show opener Ben Duckett struggling to remember how to return to his hotel while speaking to members of the public. In the clip posted on X, Duckett is asked whether he knows how to get home, to which he appears to reply, “No,” before continuing the conversation in a disoriented manner. Another video showed batter Jacob Bethell dancing in a nightclub, though Bethell has not featured in the Test series so far.The ECB said in a brief statement that it was aware of the content circulating online but would not comment further until the facts were established.Speaking in Melbourne ahead of the fourth Test, Key said he would not tolerate over-indulgence if evidence emerged. “If there’s things where people are saying that our players went out and drank excessively, then of course we’ll be looking into that,” Key said. “Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something that I’d expect to see at any stage.”Key added that initial feedback suggested the players had behaved responsibly. “From everything that I’ve heard so far, they actually were pretty well behaved. Very well behaved. They sat down, had lunch, had dinner, didn’t go out late… had the odd drink. I don’t mind that. If it goes past that, then that’s an issue.”Duckett’s form has dipped sharply during the Ashes, managing a top score of 29 across six innings after arriving in Australia with strong credentials. Key also revealed he had previously looked into reports of players drinking on the eve of a one-day international in New Zealand, calling it a “wake-up call”.“I don’t mind players having a glass of wine over dinner,” Key said. “Anything more than that, I think is ridiculous.”

Top stocks to buy (AI image)

Stock market recommendations: According to Mehul Kothari, DVP – Technical Research, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers, the top stocks to buy today are: CEAT, Endurance Technologies, and HPL Electric & Power.CEAT – Reversal from Fibonacci Demand ZoneBuy near: ₹3,940–₹3,900 | Stop Loss: ₹3,765 | Target: ₹4,300 | Time Frame: 30–60 DaysCEAT has undergone a healthy corrective phase, declining nearly 17.6% from its recent peak of ₹4,438 and moving into the ₹3,930–₹3,900 zone. This region coincides with the 50% Fibonacci retracement of the prior rally, indicating the presence of a potential demand pocket.The technical structure is showing early signs of stabilization, with falling trendline breakout indications visible on both price action and RSI, suggesting flattening momentum and a possible reversal setup. As long as ₹3,765 remains protected, the risk–reward remains favourable for a recovery move toward ₹4,300.ENDURANCE – Base Formation at Key Moving Average SupportBuy near: ₹2,680–₹2,650 | Stop Loss: ₹2,545 | Target: ₹2,850 | Time Frame: 30–60 DaysEndurance Technologies has corrected approximately 14.5% from its peak of ₹2,986 and is currently trading near the ₹2,680–₹2,650 zone, where the stock is showing signs of stabilization. This zone aligns with the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement, the 200-DEMA, and a prior breakout region, indicating strong confluence support.Additionally, positive divergence on both RSI and MACD points toward weakening downside momentum and the possibility of a near-term trend reversal. Sustaining above ₹2,545 keeps the structure constructive for an upside move toward ₹2,850.HPL Electric & Power – Trend Reversal After Deep CorrectionBuy near: ₹405–₹400 | Stop Loss: ₹375 | Target: ₹460 | Time Frame: 30–60 DaysAfter a sharp 42% correction since July 2025, HPL has approached a key demand zone last seen in February 2025, where strong buying interest had previously emerged. The stock has now taken out its prior swing high, signalling a potential trend shift rather than a mere relief bounce.This improvement is further supported by the daily RSI breaking above its previous swing levels, indicating strengthening momentum and renewed accumulation. If the stock holds above ₹375, the structure supports continuation toward ₹460 in the coming sessions.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered framing of charges against Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram and six others in connection with a visa scam, holding that prime facie, a case was made out against them for criminal conspiracy and illegal gratification. The court, however, discharged the eighth accused, Chetan Shrivastava, after concluding that there was “no material evidence” on record against him.CBI had filed a chargesheet in Oct 2024 against Karti and the others, alleging bribery in facilitating visas for Chinese nationals for a power company, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), in 2011, when his father P Chidambaram was Union home minister.Special CBI judge Dig Vinay Singh of Rouse Avenue courts observed that there was enough material to proceed against the Sivaganga MP and six other accused for offences including criminal conspiracy, demand and receipt of bribe, destruction of evidence, and related charges. The judge noted the materials placed before the court pointed to ‘coordinated acts’ by the accused.Besides Karti, others chargesheeted in the case included his close associate S Bhaskararaman, TSPL and Mumbai-based Bell Tools Ltd, through which the bribe was routed.The court held that at the present stage of framing the charges, the statement of approver Vikas Makharia, who was the associate vice-president of TSPL, had to be accepted at face value and it could be examined during the trial. It further observed that the conspiracy between Karti and Bhaskararaman was evident, based on the evidence collected during the investigation.Tracing the sequence of events, the court noted that Makharia approached Karti through Bhaskararaman in Chennai seeking 800 additional project visas for TSPL, believing that he had access to home ministry. Bhaskararaman dema-nded and received a bribe of Rs 50 lakh. Subsequently, the approver (Makharia) telephonically thanked Ch-idambaram, who affirmed receipt of the amount. The court noted that although explicit words such as “payment” or “money” were avoided during the call, the acknowledgement was recorded. The court rejected the submissions made by Karti that he had “not read the emails” relied upon by the prosecution, or that there was “no substantiated proof” of a meeting in Chennai or any telephonic conversation.CBI had registered an FIR in the case in 2022. According to the agency, TSPL, a subsidiary of Vedanta, had outsourced work to a Chinese firm for its 1,980 MW thermal power plant coming up in Punjab. With the project facing penalties because of delays, the facilitation was sought for re-use of project visas, since there was a ceiling on project visas permissible for a company’s plant. The FIR said there was no provision for the re-issue of project visas.

PATIALA: Former Punjab Police IG Amar Singh Chahal , 66, is battling for life after a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest at his Patiala home on Monday. Police say he shot himself with his gunman’s licenced revolver.This is the second such incident involving an IPS officer in the region after Haryana ADG Y Puran Kumar shot himself dead with his gunman’s pistol at his Chandigarh home in Oct.A12-page handwritten note found on the scene details how ex-IG Chahal was cheated of Rs 8.1 crore in a “highly sophisticated” online investment fraud that operated through WhatsApp and Telegram under the name ‘F-777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group’. It falsely claimed regulatory approvals and links with well-known financial institutions, the note says.

Police are investigating the allegations. It’s a disturbing indicator of how deeply such scams have penetrated society and can trap even those who are seemingly aware of the baits and lures.Patiala SP Palwinder Singh Cheema said one of Chahal’s friends alerted police that he may have attempted suicide after getting a message from him.Cyber thugs posed as wealth mgmt advisors: Former IPS officer in noteA police team rushed to his house in ‘26-Acre’ locality around 1.45pm and found him unconscious, with a bullet wound to the chest. A revolver lay close by. He was breathing, say police sources. Chahal’s son and daughter-in-law were in another room during the incident, say police.“Chahal is undergoing treatment in hospital and his condition is critical,” said Patiala SSP Varun Sharma. Late evening, Cheema said Chahal had undergone surgery and was on recovery mode but the next 24 hours will be crucial. “Our immediate priority is his treatment. We are also preserving evidence and examining the allegations mentioned in the note,” said Cheema.Police said Chahal, a 1990batch IPS officer, had not filed any complaint regarding the alleged fraud. According to officials who have seen the note, Chahal wrote that he was cheated by cyber criminals who posed as wealth management advisors.Chahal describes in the note how fraudsters posing as ‘senior executives and advisors’ of the firm gradually gained the confidence of investors by offering daily market tips, simulated dashboards and purportedly highreturn investment products. He alleged that the scheme progressed through multiple stages — daily trading, initial public offerings, over-thecounter trades and so-called quantitative funds — each promising escalating returns.Chahal claimed that as confidence grew, investors were encouraged to deposit larger sums while “planted participants” vouched for the scheme’s authenticity whenever doubts were raised. But when he sought to withdraw funds, he was asked to pay hefty service charges, taxes and membership fees, and was even coaxed into paying an alleged bribe to expedite withdrawals, says the note. Despite making repeated payments, no money was released.The former IG said that he had written to the Prime Minister, Union home minister and Union finance minister, seeking intervention. He urged authorities to constitute an SIT or hand the case to a central agency, arguing that only a specialised probe could “dismantle what the nationwide cyber-fraud network”.He has listed multiple bank accounts through which transfers were allegedly made and claimed that while about Rs 1 crore was his own money, more than Rs 7 crore was borrowed from friends and relatives. In his note, he expressed deep remorse and fear about the financial and emotional impact on his family, while repeatedly stating that no one else should be held responsible for his actions.The note also appealed for protection and assistance for his family and requested that creditors refrain from pressuring them.Chahal had preserved screenshots of dashboards, transaction records and chat histories, which he referenced in the note. Investigators are tracing the alleged transactions and examining the digital evidence he cited.Residents of Patiala and former colleagues described Chahal as a capable officer, who empathised with farmers’ issues and concerns of the Sikh community.

Artificial intelligence has already taken over large parts of modern hiring. Algorithms scan CVs, software ranks candidates, and automated systems now replace junior recruiters and even some of the engineers who once built them. CV screening, shortlisting and candidate ranking are now routinely automated. What has largely remained untouched, until now, is the interview: a human candidate speaking to a human interviewer in real time. That assumption is starting to fray, not through corporate announcements, but through unsettling first-hand accounts from people who believed they were speaking to real humans.

“My interviewer wasn’t even human”

In one account posted on Reddit, in the r/interviews subreddit, a job applicant described receiving a routine email invitation for an online interview. The link worked as expected. The video loaded. On screen was a woman who smiled, nodded, and began asking questions.At first, nothing seemed unusual.As the interview continued, the candidate noticed her head movements repeating in a way that felt unnatural. Small facial twitches appeared every few seconds. The applicant assumed it was a poor internet connection and carried on.When the conversation moved into substantive questions, the delivery stood out.“There was no hesitation. No ‘uh’. No pauses,” the user wrote.The interviewer responded instantly to every answer, with polished, perfectly structured language. Curious, the candidate asked a question back: “Why do you think this role matters?”The response came immediately. It was fluent, confident, and, in the user’s words, “textbook-perfect”.The candidate asked the same question again. The answer was identical. Same wording. Same cadence.They asked a third time.The response did not change.Shortly afterwards, the screen froze briefly. When the video resumed, the interviewer continued speaking as if nothing had happened.The candidate ended the post by questioning whether companies should be allowed to conduct interviews using AI avatars without disclosure, writing: “I’m not against AI in hiring, but if an interviewer is basically a talking bot, shouldn’t candidates at least be told?” The post sparked hundreds of comments, many expressing concern about transparency in recruitment and how easily AI could now pass as human in a professional setting.

“Five minutes in, I realised my candidate wasn’t human”

It is not only employers experimenting with automation. Some candidates, too, have turned to clever technological workarounds to get a foot in the door.In a separate but closely related account posted to r/recruiting, the experience unfolded from the other side of the interview. The poster said they were interviewing candidates for an AI engineering role and joined a video call expecting a routine screening. Almost immediately, they noticed something off about the candidate’s movements. “This person’s head moves a lot when they talk,” the recruiter wrote. “Weirdly repetitive. It is not natural. It is almost looping.” The recruiter continued the interview, assuming camera lag. Then the candidate began speaking uninterrupted for nearly two minutes. “No pauses. No filler words. Just continuous, textbook-perfect talking.” To test the situation, the recruiter asked a basic question: “What is AI?” The response came back scripted. When the question was repeated, the answer was identical. The third attempt produced the same result. Shortly after, the call disconnected. According to the recruiter, HR later confirmed what had happened. The real candidate had joined briefly at the beginning of the call to introduce themselves. After that, an AI agent had taken over the interview. “It even looked almost identical to the person’s LinkedIn photo,” the recruiter wrote. They concluded bluntly: “So yeah. Not just fake resumes anymore. Fake candidates are now literally joining interviews. Recruiting hell has officially entered the uncanny valley.” Even if this is not yet a formal or widespread practice, it fits squarely with the direction hiring has been moving in. Tasks once handled by people are increasingly outsourced to systems designed to simulate them, often well enough to pass without challenge. Interviews have long been one of the few remaining points of genuine human contact in recruitment. These accounts suggest that boundary is starting to blur.What makes the moment unsettling is not just that AI can now mimic faces, voices and conversational rhythm, but that it is learning to do so rapidly. Voice modulation tools already erase tell-tale pauses. Visual generators can produce lifelike faces that hold up under casual scrutiny. Behavioural models are improving at replicating imperfection itself. For now, repetition gives them away. Soon, even that may not.

India National Cricket Team modern-day batting great, Virat Kohli, would not be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, according to a latest report in The Times of India.

M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is the home of Virat Kohli’s Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise – the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – and it has been denied permission to host the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches.

M Chinnaswamy Stadium will not host Vijay Hazare Trophy matches

An unfortunate incident happened near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier in the year after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their first Indian Premier League (IPL) championship.

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During the title triumph celebrations, fans gathered in large numbers outside the stadium and there was no proper crowd management, which led to a deadly stampede that took the lives of many fans.

Since that incident happened, the Karnataka government has kept all the international and domestic cricket matches away from the venue due to security reasons.

However, recently it was reported that the iconic stadium will host the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 matches of Team Delhi.

Virat Kohli’s Chinnaswamy comeback has been officially cancelled

However, according to a latest report, Chinnaswamy will have to wait longer before hosting the matches as Delhi’s match against Andhra has been shifted to a new venue.

Kohli won’t be seen in action at Chinnaswamy because the Bengaluru city police have refused to give permission to stage the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches.

On Monday night, Virat Kohli landed in Bengaluru for the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, and he is now likely to play the games at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), which was kept as a backup venue.

Notably, an inspection was conducted at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by a committee comprising the Bengaluru city police commissioner and officials from the public works department, fire and emergency services, and the health department, and they submitted their report to Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) commissioner Maheshwar Rao, who heads the panel.

The committee found out that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was unfit to host the matches, and the city police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, in an official statement, said:

“The committee inspected the stadium and concluded that there are no proper facilities to conduct matches. A decision on allowing matches will be made only after the required work is completed. For now, KSCA’s request to conduct matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been rejected.”

Virat Kohli’s presence charges up the Delhi squad

Virat Kohli will be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a very long time, and his presence will act as a morale booster for the Delhi team. However, fans won’t be able to see Virat Kohli in action as the matches will be played behind closed doors, at the CoE.

Meanwhile, Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh said that Kohli is absolutely charged up to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and he is looking to win matches for the team.

“Virat Kohli is charged up, he is ready to rock. He is playing tomorrow.” said Sarandeep Singh, as quotes by RevSportz.

“All the senior players, all the players who are playing at the highest level are coming back to play for their respective states,” said Sarandeep. “It’s very good for the youngsters also, who can learn a lot of things and it would be a serious boost to their confidence. It’s a great gesture from those players who said that with no international matches happening, they would be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It’s a very nice thing happening for domestic cricket.”

“When a player like Virat enters the dressing room, things are totally changed. Youngsters look up to him. He is their idol. Everyone wants to be like him — how he is training, how he is doing his workouts, everything… There are a lot of things to learn from the senior players. He is here to win matches.”

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s Chinnaswamy return for VHT turns sour as Karnataka govt imposes ban

BENGALURU: Basavanagudi police have arrested a 46-year-old woman for allegedly stealing gold ornaments, cash and other valuables from wedding functions by posing as a relative of the bride or groom. The accused, Revathi, has been remanded in police custody for 12 days.Revathi, a former guest lecturer and a resident of Udayanagar in K R Puram was found to be involved in multiple thefts at convention halls.Following her arrest, police recovered 262 grams of gold ornaments worth about Rs 32 lakh. Revathi had quit her teaching job a few years ago before allegedly turning to theft.

The case came to light after a complaint from a Manjunatha Nagar resident, who, along with her mother, attended a relative’s wedding at a marriage hall in Basavanagudi on Nov 23. They had kept a bag containing a 32-gram gold chain and an artificial collar chain in one of the rooms. Later, they discovered that the chain, valued around Rs 3 lakh, and the piece of artificial jewellery, were missing.Revathi was arrested from her residence on Dec 1. During interrogation, she confessed to the theft and admitted to committing similar offences at two other marriage halls in Basavanagudi and in other districts. During interrogation, she revealed stashing away some of her ill-gotten gains at home while the rest were pledged to a bank in Kadubeesanahalli for a loan.According to police, Revathi targeted wedding functions, closely observing women attendees wearing gold ornaments while they were engaged in rituals. She would then slip into the rooms to steal valuables before quietly slipping out of the venue.She told the investigators that financial pressure, including her husband’s cardiac ailment, along with expenses of her son’s education and other household needs drove her to the thefts.