CHENNAI: A tiny needle system that sends cancer drugs directly into breast cancer cells, while protecting healthy ones, has been developed by researchers from IIT Madras and two Australian universities – Monash University and Deakin University. The nanotechnology injection delivery system packs the anticancer drug, doxorubicin, into special protective bubbles, then pushes it inside cells using needle-shaped silicon tubes on a chip.“It was a study on petri dishes,” said IIT-M assistant professor Dr Swathi Sudhakar, who works with the department of applied mechanics and biomedical engineering. “We could release the drug directly, but that would be faster delivery. So, for sustained release, it was wrapped in a bubble and pushed into it. Lab tests on breast cancer cells showed the drugs stopped cell growth, killed cancer cells, and blocked new blood vessels for tumours,” Dr Sudhakar said.Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in both urban and rural areas. In cities such as Chennai, 28% of cancers in women are breast cancers, followed by cervix (14%), ovary (6%), and corpus uteri (4%). Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation often harm non-cancerous tissues due to systemic drug exposure, causing side effects.Results of the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials Interfaces show the new system worked 23 times better than the drug alone. “It had higher potential even when used in smaller amounts. There is thermal stability and long-term drug release, up to 700 hours, and it addresses common drawbacks of existing nanocarrier systems, such as burst release and poor compatibility,” she said.The technology, they said, is a reliable and scalable candidate for future trials.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have started planning for the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) much earlier than usual after the blockbuster IPL 2026 Auction in Abu Dhabi. Following their poor campaign in 2025, the franchise has already taken major steps to fix the problems and come back stronger in the IPL 2026.

Even with more than three months left before IPL 2026 begins, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are already focusing on rebuilding their bowling strength, which was the major reason behind their struggles in the last season when Rishabh Pant made his captaincy debut with the franchise.

LSG plan a special South Africa camp for its pacers

As reported by Cricbuzz, LSG are planning to send a group of their domestic fast bowlers to South Africa for a special training stint. The bowlers will train in Durban alongside players from the Durban Super Giants during the upcoming SA20 2025-26, which is set to get underway on December 26.

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This move will allow the players to work in competitive conditions while staying match-ready. The report revealed that Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan are the two main names who will be sent first to South Africa. Even the young left-arm pacer Naman Tiwari is likely to be part of the group.

The LSG bowlers are expected to travel to Durban next week, as neither of them have the BCCI contracts or domestic commitments. It is being said that the Lucknow-based franchise has already taken official clearance from the BCCI for this special training in South Africa.

Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan among others, to train with DSG

The Durban setup is ideal for LSG because several familiar faces will be involved in the coaching staff. Lance Klusener, Tom Moody, Bharat Arun, and Carl Crowe are part of the Durban’s Super Giants’ support team, and most of them also work with Lucknow in the IPL.

Notably, Durban’s Super Giants is LSG’s sister franchise in South Africa’s T20 league, SA20. Well, this strategy will help the players follow the same training methods and recovery plans they will use during the IPL.

Avesh Khan has not played competitive cricket since the last IPL season, while Mohsin Khan missed the entire 2025 season. Both pacers have been recovering from injuries and have only recently started bowling again. Their time with the Durban’s Super Giants will help the bowlers slowly build rhythm, confidence, and fitness before the IPL 2026 begins on March 26.

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Lucknow Super Giants plan early grooming for Naman Tiwari ahead of IPL 2026

Additionally, the Lucknow Super Giants are also closely tracking the progress of Naman Tiwari. The 20-year-old left-arm fast bowler was bought for ₹1 crore at the IPL 2026 Auction last week. He is seen as a long-term prospect and is not part of the Uttar Pradesh squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, which makes him available for LSG’s training program.

In the recent auction, they brought in Josh Inglis for ₹8.6 crore, Mukul Choudhary for ₹2.6 crore, and Akshat Raghuwanshi for ₹2.2 crore, along with experienced fast bowlers Anrich Nortje of South Africa and Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka for ₹2 crore each, besides signing Naman.

NEW DELHI: Three days after an Air India Express pilot allegedly assaulted a passenger at IGI Airport’s Terminal 1, Delhi Police received cross complaints from both. It registered a case based on the complaints of the flyer, Ankit Dewan, under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126 (wrongful restraint) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of BNS on Monday.The complaint of the pilot is under investigation, a senior police officer said.Dewan told TOI that he emailed his complaint on Monday. “The crux of the email is the same as what I wrote on X,” he said.On Dec 19, Dewan posted on the social media platform, “@AirIndiaX, today one of your pilots, Captain Virender Sejwal, assaulted me physically. My family and I were guided to use the security check that the staff use because we had a four-month-old baby in a stroller. The staff were cutting the queue ahead of me. On calling them out, Sejwal, who was doing the same, asked me if I was anpadh (uneducated) and couldn’t read the sign that said the entrance was meant for the staff.“A altercation broke out. Not able to exercise restraint, the pilot proceeded to physically assault me. The blood in the photograph (Dewan posted) on his shirt is mine,” said the flyer, who was to board a SpiceJet flight with his wife, daughter and the infant.Police said the captain, who was flying on IndiGo to Bengaluru as a passenger to join duty and was later grounded by AI Express pending an inquiry, filed the complaint on Sunday.Sejwal’s advocate claimed Dewan initiated the confrontation by verbally abusing him without provocation and continued using abusive, degrading and threatening language even after being asked to stop. “The situation escalated into a physical altercation in which Sejwal also sustained injuries. CISF personnel intervened, repeatedly told Dewan to calm down and stop abusing Sejwal, yet he refused to relent and continued his misconduct,” the advocate said.

Sarfaraz Ahmed (Screengrab)

NEW DELHI: Pakistan lifted the U19 Asia Cup title in style after crushing India by 191 runs in the final on Sunday, but the match also ended with strong words from Pakistan’s mentor Sarfaraz Ahmed. The former Pakistan captain accused the Indian team of showing poor behaviour during the one-sided contest.

While Pakistan’s cricketing display stood out, Sarfaraz’s post-match comments grabbed major attention. Speaking after the game, he questioned the conduct of the Indian players and described it as “unethical”.“We have played against Indian teams that respected cricket. The way the young boys behaved was disrespectful towards the sport,” Sarfaraz said.He made it clear that he had spoken to his own players about maintaining discipline and respect, even during celebrations.“I clearly told my players that celebrations should be respectful. I wanted the boys to show their ability in this format. I told my boys: back yourself, let them do what they are doing,” he added.Sarfaraz stressed that Pakistan chose to celebrate their big win with dignity, despite what he felt was provocation from the opposition.“India’s behaviour regarding the game was not good, and the Indian team’s conduct in cricket was unethical,” he added. “But we celebrated the victory with sportsmanship, because there should always be sportsmanship in cricket; what India did is their own action.”During the match, a video from the Pakistan dugout went viral on social media. In the clip, Sarfaraz could be heard speaking to his players in their native language as he urged them to stay calm and respectful.Pakistan won their second Under-19 Asia Cup title, and their first in 13 years, thanks to a dominant all-round performance. Batting first, Pakistan piled up a huge total of 347 for eight. The innings was built around a stunning knock from Sameer Minhas, who smashed 172 runs off just 113 balls. India never looked comfortable in the chase and were bowled out well short of the target.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court summoned BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani and the state pollution control board (MPCB) member-secretary on Tuesday morning to “explain inaction on the part of officers concerned” after a survey of 36 sites by a court-appointed panel prima facie indicated implementation of civic guidelines to curb air pollution was lacking, and compliance, where seen, was “cosmetic”.“Nothing doing… Not even one day. We are summoning them [on Tuesday],” a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad said when senior counsel S U Kamdar, appearing for BMC, sought a few days to enable the civic chief to read the ground reality report by the four-member panel. The judges also orally said stopwork notices ought to be issued at non-compliant sites.The panel found a “recurring pattern of incomplete or inconsistent compliance” at the bullet train project site, a ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant and the Metro 2B site at BKC. “The RMC plant showed the most serious non-compliance,” it said.It said demolition activities in Bandra East at the govt colony where the new HC complex is planned were found to be “generating massive amounts of dust and debris, which were scattered openly across premises” with “no barricades, wet coverings or dust suppression mechanisms in place”.Senior counsel Darius Khambata, the amicus curiae (friend of the court to assist), who read findings from the report, said none of the sites was found compliant. In its order, HC said, “We have formed a prima facie opinion that the municipal commissioner and the member secretary of MPCB should personally explain the inaction” of officials.A Bombay HC bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, hearing a suo motu PIL to tackle rising air pollution in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, asked if the sites visited by a four-member panel—comprising advocates Karan Bhosale, Namrata Vinod and Anand Mallya, and forest conservator Anita Patil—were compliant. Senior counsel Darius Khambata, the amicus curiae (friend of the court to assist), said none were. Senior counsel Ashutosh Kumbhakoni for MPCB said action would be taken and was being contemplated. The CJ, dictating the order, said, “We have been taken through some parts of the report prepared by the court-appointed committee running into 74 pages.”Khambata said the report prepared by the committee and the observations and findings demonstrate a complete lack of monitoring of the polluting sites. “We have also taken note of the fact that steps were taken by the authorities after this court took suo motu cognisance of the poor air quality in Mumbai and the surrounding areas. The report dated Dec 15 was after the panel visited sites where AQI (air quality index) was poor,” said HC.The panel found the condition of MPCB’s air monitoring station in Mahape, Navi Mumbai, to be deeply alarming, reflecting systemic neglect and operational failure. “The outdoor air quality display was completely non-functional, down since at least Dec 11,” it said.At Fort, Cuffe Parade and Colaba in south Mumbai, it found poor adherence to BMC’s guidelines at four construction and redevelopment sites. The issues involved were not minor lapses but fundamental shortcomings in basic dust control and site management measures, although there was significant scope for corrective action, it said. The report said three of the four were “almost entirely noncompliant with the basic pollution control and safety measures” required under the BMC guidelines. At one site, an AQI monitor was installed, but its placement was on the ground floor of the 20-storey under-construction building. The remaining three sites showed widespread and repeated breaches of the required norms, the report said.Compliance across 17 under-construction sites, three RMC plants, seven road sites and five infrastructure sites was more “reactive, rather than proactive,” with compliance intensifying after HC’s suo motu PIL hearing following the recent spike in Mumbai’s AQI. “Water sprinklers, fogging and smog guns are deployed in a limited, ad hoc or cosmetic manner and appear largely confined to areas where authorities claim clear jurisdiction”, and vehicles carrying demolition waste had no tracking system, while road cleaning activities were “often spreading pollution”, not suppressing it, with no wetting measures, the panel said. It recommended “urgent action” to ensure complete implementation of existing guidelines, real-time monitoring, centralised data integration, differential standards by activity type and accountability at every site. Without these measures, it cautioned, the AQI will deteriorate further and “public health risk will persist unabated”.

NEW DELHI: Police on Sunday recovered a “Chinese-made” weapon-mountable telescope from the Sidhra area in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.“Jammu (Rural) Police today recovered a telescope (that can be mounted on a weapon) from the Sidhra area,” a police spokesperson said, while urging people “not to panic” .According to the police, the device was found in the possession of a six-year-old boy from the Asrarabad locality of Sidhra.

During the inquiry, the child’s family told police that he had picked up the object from a nearby garbage dump earlier on Sunday.Teams from the police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) are conducting a detailed investigation to determine how the device reached the area, the spokesperson said. Police apprehended a 24-year-old man in J&K’s Samba district for questioning, news agency PTI reported.

Separate incidents in J&K

In a another development, a man named Tanvir Ahmad was taken into custody from village Diani in Samba district after a “Pakistani” phone number was reportedly found on his mobile phone, officials said. Ahmad is a resident of Anantnag in south Kashmir and is currently living in Samba, according to officials.In another separate incident on Sunday, security forces launched a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district after terrorists allegedly took food from a house in a village before fleeing into a nearby forest.Police and paramilitary personnel rushed to the area soon after, but the terrorists had already escaped by the time the forces arrived. Following the incident, the forest belt surrounding the village was cordoned off and search operations intensified.The operation comes days after a deadly encounter in the same region on December 15, where a policeman was killed in a gunfight with terrorists at Soan village in the Majalta area after security forces received information about the movement of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists. The terrorists managed to escape, taking advantage of thick foliage and darkness, PTI reported.

India and Karnataka all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham announced his retirement from all forms of the game on Monday (December 22). Krishnappa Gowtham was one of the domestic cricket giants with a 14-year journey in professional cricket.

The 37-year-old has represented India only in one ODI, but he has enjoyed great success with Karnataka across the formats in domestic cricket. Additionally, the bowling all-rounder also represented iconic franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Krishnappa Gowtham announces retirement from the game

Gowtham has not played any competitive cricket since September 2024, but he was involved in the game as a cricket pundit with Star Sports. Now, he has officially called time on his playing career.

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The 37-year-old announced his retirement at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) office in Bengaluru on Monday. On the emotional occasion, Gowtham was accompanied by his parents, wife, and daughter at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) office.

The former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who is currently serving as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president, was also present on the occasion and hailed Gowtham’s journey. However, neither the KSCA nor Gowtham has made an official announcement yet.

🚨 RETIREMENT 🚨

Karnataka’s K Gowtham has announced his retirement from cricket pic.twitter.com/BgWPtxwf7Q

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 22, 2025

Krishnappa Gowtham’s journey as Karnataka’s all-rounder

Meanwhile, Krishnappa Gowtham was known for his powerful hitting and smart off-spin bowling. The bowling all-rounder built a strong reputation in domestic cricket and later made his mark in the IPL as well.

He made his Ranji Trophy debut on November 17, 2012, playing for Karnataka against Uttar Pradesh. The Karnataka star made an instant impact in his very first match by dismissing big names like Suresh Raina as he announced his arrival in domestic cricket.

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The 2016–17 Ranji Trophy season turned out to be a major breakthrough in his career. Gowtham was outstanding with the ball, picking up 27 wickets in just eight matches. The off-spinner became a key part of Karnataka’s bowling attack in the red-ball cricket.

In the next season, the right-handed batter smashed his maiden first-class century against Assam in Mysuru during the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy. That inning highlighted his value as a true all-rounder who could contribute with both bat and ball.

Krishnappa Gowtham’s IPL impact

Krishnappa Gowtham continued to perform consistently for Karnataka until 2023. In his career, he played 59 first-class matches and 68 List A games, taking more than 320 wickets in these formats. He also chipped in with important runs lower down the order.

In T20 cricket, Gowtham featured in 92 matches and picked up 74 wickets at a respectable economy rate of 7.18. Apart from domestic cricket, Gowtham enjoyed a solid IPL career. He represented top franchises like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants. In 36 IPL matches, the all-rounder scored 247 runs and claimed 21 wickets.

‘Dhurandhar’, the Aditya Dhar directorial starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles, witnessed its first major drop at the box office on its third Monday. The film’s collections fell below the Rs 20 crore mark for the first time since its release.Dhurandhar Movie Review

‘Dhurandhar’ box office collection day 18

After an impressive third weekend that fetched an estimated Rs 95.25 crore net, the film saw a sharp drop on Monday, earning approximately Rs 16.5 crore, according to early box office data from sacnilk. This marks a significant 57.14% drop and is now the film’s lowest single-day collection to date.Week 3 has shown signs of a slowdown, with the film earning an estimated Rs 22.5 crore on its third Friday. However, collections shot up over the weekend, with Saturday and Sunday bringing in around Rs 34.25 crore and Rs 38.5 crore, respectively. On Monday, ‘Dhurandhar’ recorded an overall Hindi occupancy of 28.76%, with evening and night shows seeing the highest footfalls.

‘Dhurandhar’ all-India collections

Despite the drop, the film continues its golden run at the box office. So far, ‘Dhurandhar’ has minted an estimated Rs 572.25 crore net in India, making it the highest-earning film of Ranveer Singh’s career. The film’s India gross collections have surged to approximately Rs 686.25 crore.

‘Dhurandhar’ beats ‘Kantara‘ at worldwide box office

The film’s extraordinary run has also propelled its worldwide gross beyond Rs 872.25 crore, cementing its spot at the top of the 2025 box office charts. ‘Dhurandhar’ created history by emerging as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 worldwide, surpassing Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara Chapter 1’, which earned Rs 852 crore gross.

‘Dhurandhar’ becomes highest-grossing Indian film overseas

Director Dhar’s spy action thriller has also shattered a major overseas record, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year internationally. Through its third Sunday (17 days), the film has collected approximately Rs 186 crore overseas, overtaking superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Coolie’, which had an entire overseas run of Rs 180.50 crore.‘Dhurandhar’ opened on a steady note but turned into a box office hit thanks to positive word of mouth and great audience turnout. The film is now heading towards the Rs 200 crore overseas milestone and is set to become Ranveer’s first Rs 200 crore international grosser.

14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi booed by Pakistan fans (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: India’s baby-faced batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had a tough time during the Under-19 Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan on Sunday. As Pakistan beat India to clinch the title, an off-the-field incident caught attention on social media.

A video showed some Pakistan fans outside the stadium booing Sooryavanshi as he walked past them. Despite the negativity, the teenager remained calm as he did not react or say anything and walked away quietly.Watch:With emotions running high and pressure being intense, India faced their biggest rivals in the final at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai.Batting first, Pakistan put up a huge score of 347 runs, thanks to the heroics of Sameer Minhas, who played a brilliant knock of 172 runs from just 113 balls. The target was always going to be difficult for India.India’s chase started poorly. Opener Ayush Mhatre was dismissed very early for just two runs. Much was expected from 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has been one of India’s standout performers in the tournament.Vaibhav began confidently and showed no fear. He attacked the bowlers from the first ball and played some exciting shots. He quickly raced to 26 runs off only nine balls, giving Indian fans some hope. However, the young batter failed to convert his start into a big innings. While attempting an aggressive shot against pacer Ali Raza, he edged the ball to the wicketkeeper and was dismissed.India’s early collapse hurt their chances badly, and the team eventually lost the final. There was also a heated moment when Sooryavanshi appeared to exchange words with Ali Raza after getting out.After being bundled out for 156 in 26.2 overs, India went on to lose the game by 191 runs. And the final loss was disappointing, but Sooryavanshi had a strong tournament overall. He started the Asia Cup with a stunning 171 runs off 95 balls against the UAE. He then scored a half-century against Malaysia. However, his form dipped in the knockout matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.Vaibhav scored 261 runs in five innings. He finished the tournament with an impressive average of 52.20 and a strike rate of 182.52.