JALANDHAR: One moment he was enjoying kebabs on Bondi beach. The next, he was running headlong towards a hail of bullets.The Bondi shooting, horrifying as it was, also saw heroism by ordinary individuals, one of whom was Punjabi-Sikh origin New Zealander Amandeep Singh Bola, who sprinted in the direction of the gunfire, saw one of the shooters stagger back upon being hit by a police bullet, and pounced on him.

Bola, 34, who works as a personal trainer in Australia, kicked Sajid Akram’s gun away, held him down, and locked up his arms in case he tried to use any other weapon. “I could feel him dying under me,” Bola, whose roots are in Punjab’s Nawanshahr, told TOI on the phone on Wednesday.“I was having a kebab when I heard the gunshots. At first, I thought it was firecrackers, but soon I saw men and women running away in fear. I started running in the direction of the gunfire. On the way, I tried to ask some people what happened, and figured out that two gunmen were shooting at people on the beach,” Bola said.

As he neared the footbridge where the shooters had positioned themselves, he slowed down and began advancing stealthily to try to get as close to them as possible before he made the final lunge.“When I saw one of them dropping down on the footbridge, I was just focused on getting him,” Bola told TOI. “I saw police shoot at one of the gunmen. I sprinted towards him, pounced upon him, and held his arms behind his back. A policeman also helped and asked me to keep a tight hold and not let him go. I could feel that he was dying while I was sitting over him. I told police that he seemed to be taking his last breaths. In moments, policemen took control of him,” he recalled.A short mobile phone video shows Bola, clad in a white T-shirt and shorts, sitting on Sajid’s back, holding his arms, as a policeman handcuffs the other shooter, Sajid’s son Naveed Akram. A man runs up and kicks Sajid in the head.“As I got up, there was a strong adrenaline rush. I felt like vomiting. People around me comforted me. Bondi has people from multiple cultures, and that brief moment reflected the true spirit of multiculturalism. A French guy gave me coconut water, two Africans remained by my side until I got comfortable, and a few others also stayed around, just to be close,” said Bola.Asked how he went against the natural instinct of running away from danger, Bola said, “In fact, I acted instinctively. My instincts took me there. I was only thinking of helping people in whichever way I could. But once I spotted the shooter, I was focused on getting him.” He said he hasn’t been able to sleep properly after the tragedy.Bola said his family hailed from Naura village near Banga in Nawanshahr district (around 100km from Chandigarh). “My great-grandfather, Puna Singh Bola, emigrated to New Zealand in 1916. He was one of the first Sikh immigrants to the island country. My grandparents, Mahan Singh Bola and Parkash Kaur, also lived here. My father, Manjit Singh Bola, who was born and raised in New Zealand, and my mother, Harvinder Kaur, who hails from Ludhiana, live in New Zealand while I moved to Australia six-seven years ago,” he said.Bola said he has visited Punjab quite a few times. “We last went to Darbar Sahib Amritsar in 2019,” he said.

India will be up against South Africa in the fifth of the five-match T20I series. This article provides details about South Africa’s Playing 11 vs India for the fifth match of the series.

South Africa Playing XI vs India- 5th T20I, South Africa Tour of India 2025:

Openers: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk)

South Africa will have no option other than winning when they step on the field to take on India in the final T20I of the five-match T20I series that the two teams are currently involved in.

The Proteas would hope for an improvement with bat and ball in the upcoming match as compared to what they did in the third game, in order to challenge India and increase their chances of leveling the series.

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Having said that, irrespective of a below-par performance, the visitors are expected to go into the fifth game with an unchanged playing XI.

The reason being the side comprised of the same names outplayed India in the second T20I and wouldn’t want to press the panic button after the defeat that followed the win.

For that to happen, the Aiden Markram-led side would back its openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks, both of whom will be entrusted to get the team off to a good start.

In addition to that, Quinton de Kock would wish to build on the half-century he scored in the second T20I, and for his partner Hendricks to make a vital contribution as well.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch

Like the openers, the team management would also bank on the South African middle order to come good, which wasn’t the case in the third T20I.

The responsibility will be on captain Aiden Markram to lead from the front once again, as he did in the third game of the series.

Markram would also look for support from the likes of Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, and Donovan Ferreira, all of whom are capable of taking the game away from the opposition and would want to do so in the next game.

It will take contributions from the top five batters in the South African lineup to create pressure on India’s bowling attack and increase the team’s chances of winning.

Bowlers: Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman

Unlike the batting, South Africa’s bowling did a fine job by dragging the game beyond the 15-over mark in Dharamsal, despite not having enough runs to play, and that is what the bowlers would hope for the batters to provide them with in the final game of the tour.

If the batters are able to post a challenging total on the board, South Africa has enough quality in the bowling arsenal to give the Indian batters a run for their money.

Regardless of going with no specialist spinner in the previous match, the South African bowlers gave their best and would hope to do the same in the upcoming match.

The likes of Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, and Marco Jansen would wish to bowl their team to victory and level the series in the process.

Mumbai: Mumbai University has recorded a sharp increase in its PhD output this year, with the number of doctoral degrees set to be awarded increasing 43% from 401 last year to 577 this year so far. University officials said the figure is likely to cross 600 by the time the annual convocation is conducted on Jan 17, 2026—making it the highest number of PhD graduates in the past nine years. The rise comes amid MU’s growing focus on research.The last time the university crossed 500 PhD graduate degrees was in 2018. During the pandemic, submissions dropped sharply, touching a low of 153 in the second year of Covid-19. Since then, the numbers have steadily recovered, with several candidates still in the pipeline and expected to complete submissions before the convocation in Jan.Vice-chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni said the notable increase in PhD enrolment at the university reflects the sustained focus on strengthening research excellence and adhering to global academic standards. “Initiatives such as the establishment of a dedicated research and development cell, the implementation of a University Department Ranking Framework, and various research promotion activities have created a supportive academic environment. These measures have strengthened research governance and infrastructure, resulting in growing confidence among young researchers and increased participation in doctoral programmes,” said Kulkarni.Of the 577 PhD degrees approved so far, nearly 45% are from the faculty of science and technology, followed by 144 from commerce and management, and 106 from the humanities. TOI had earlier reported, based on the data from 2022-23, nearly 10% of researchers pursued PhD in Business Policy and Administration (BPA), followed by chemistry. Education, Hindi and business management and management studies are some of the other popular subjects. Chemistry is sought-after nationally too, according to data from the All-India Survey of Higher Education.The convocation in Jan, during which over 1.5 lakh undergraduate and postgraduate degrees will be conferred, will be presided over by governor and chancellor of public universities in the state Acharya Devvrat. Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific adviser to the govt of India, will be the chief guest and deliver the convocation address. A total of 21 gold medals will be awarded to 19 students for outstanding performance. The ceremony will be live-streamed on official MU platforms.

India’s headcoach Gautam Gambhir with captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

India’s first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has weighed in on the debate surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s working style, saying the role of a head coach in modern-day cricket is more about player management than hands-on coaching. Gambhir has faced growing criticism after India’s 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa, with questions raised over frequent player rotation and the use of part-time options. Speaking at the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s ICC Centenary Session on Thursday, Kapil suggested the very idea of a “coach” is often misunderstood in today’s game.

“Today the word ‘coach’ is used very loosely. Gautam Gambhir cannot really be a coach. He can be a manager of the team,” Kapil said. “When I talk about a coach, I think of the people who taught me in school and college. Those were my coaches.” Kapil explained that at the international level, specialist players do not need technical instruction from a head coach. “How can you be a coach when someone is already a leg-spinner or a wicketkeeper? How can Gautam coach a leg-spinner or a wicketkeeper?” he asked. Instead, Kapil stressed that the key responsibility lies in managing personalities and creating the right environment. “Management is more important. As a manager, you have to encourage players and make them believe they can do it. Young players look up to you,” he said. According to Kapil, a coach or captain’s biggest role is to provide comfort and reassurance. “The job is to give confidence to the team and always tell them, ‘you can do better’. That’s how I see it,” he added. Reflecting on his own leadership style, Kapil said he made a conscious effort to support players struggling for form. “If someone scores a hundred, I don’t need to have dinner with him,” he said. “I would rather spend time with those who are not performing.” Kapil emphasised that building confidence in underperforming players is crucial to team success. “You need to give them belief. As a captain, your role is not just about your own performance, but about keeping the team together,” he said.

NEW DELHI: Nearly a third of restaurants listed on food delivery platforms said they would stop using them due to rising commissions and lower profits, according to a report by economic policy think tank NCAER and investment firm Prosus.The report stated that 30% of restaurants surveyed wanted a reduction in the commission structure, with the average commission per order rising sharply from 9.6% in 2019 to 24.6% in 2023. However, larger restaurant chains were found to have greater negotiating power, enabling them to settle for lower commissions.

The report showed that meals delivered directly by restaurants are the most expensive for consumers. The average bill for restaurant-led home delivery stood at Rs 332, compared with Rs 302 for orders placed through food delivery platforms and about Rs 260 for dine-in meals. “Firms were asked whether they would stop using food delivery platforms, and 35.4% of platform restaurants said that they would do so. The reasons are high commissions, poor customer service, and not giving enough profits, orders, and customers,” the report released Thursday said.The study found that the average share of restaurant revenue from food delivery platforms increased from 22.1% to 28.8%, with small restaurants in Tier-3 cities deriving nearly a third of their revenue from such platforms. Despite the concerns, most restaurants continue to remain on platforms such as Swiggy, where Prosus in an investor, and Zomato as these apps provide visibility and access to a wider customer base.The report also mentioned Zomato’s recent announcement on sharing customer information with restaurants after obtaining user consent, stating, “It could potentially address privacy concerns and restaurants’ demand for more customer information…policy changes by one platform may also hopefully influence other platforms to change their behavior.” Currently, access to customer information remains limited by city type and restaurant sizes and 67% of restaurants reported that platforms shared only customer names.Separately, another NCAER report assessing the overall economic impact of the food delivery platforms showed that the sector has expanded rapidly. The gross value of output nearly doubled from around Rs 61,000 crore in 2021-22 to about Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2023-24, even though the sector still accounts for a small share of the overall economy.

MUMBAI: US-based private equity firm L Catterton has picked up a minority stake in Haldiram Snacks Food amid a rush among investors to take a bite of India’s growing consumer market. The latest investment in Haldiram’s, known for its wide range of namkeen (snacks), sweets and ready to eat products comes less than a year after Singapore’s Temasek, UAE’s IHC and American firm Alpha Wave Global collectively acquired over 10% stake in the snacks brand in the biggest local private equity consumer deal at a valuation of $10 billion. L Catterton did not disclose the specifics of the transaction but people aware of the matter said that it’s a minority investment. Queries sent to a company spokesperson did not elicit any response. The investment has been made from L Catterton’s $400-million India focused fund (reached first close earlier this year) through which it plans to deploy capital in the range of $25-150 million in a clutch of companies. Deals in the local snacks space have heated up with investors vying for a share of the segment that broadly caters to the masses. India’s savoury snacks market is pegged at $6.2 billion. Besides Haldiram’s for which investors are making a beeline, Rajkot’s Balaji Wafers is also set to bag an investment from General Atlantic at a valuation of Rs 35,000 crore. The new generation of family run traditional businesses such as Haldiram’s and Balaji Wafers want to bring professional investors on board to scale their companies and take them global. This year, there’s been a flurry of activity in the broader foods (both packaged food and food services) space – ChrysCapital, for instance, bought bakery chain Theobroma in a more than Rs 2,000-crore deal earlier this year. A partnership with L Catterton which is backed by French luxury group LVMH and Groupe Arnault, the family holding company of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault will allow Haldiram’s to tap into the PE investor’s global consumer sector expertise and wide industry network. Through the deal, Haldiram’s which is eyeing an IPO in the future, will “endeavour to foster a global India for the world brand,” L Catterton said in a statement on Thursday. “This will involve unlocking further value via a comprehensive range of initiatives in areas such as brand building, new product development, supply chain and distribution optimisation, geographic expansion, as well as talent development,” the PE firm said.

Mumbai: Among adolescents and young adults, self-harm is increasingly becoming a language of pain—an expression of betrayal, distress and anxiety when words fall short. It is not always a wish to die, counsellors say, but an urgent attempt to feel heard, to release emotions that have nowhere else to go.Members of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline iCALL field action project, speaking to the media, point to an uncomfortable truth: for many young callers, anxiety does not originate in the outside world but within the home. Dysfunctional family environments, they say, remain the most common and enduring trigger.“Self-harm is a rising trend in India,” said Dr Aparna Joshi, assistant professor at the School of Human Ecology and project director of iCALL and Sukoon at TISS. “It is not a way to end life, but a way to end pain — to manage overwhelming emotions. For many, it becomes a form of communication or venting, offering intense, if temporary, relief and a way of coping, although not helpful or constructive. Young individuals need to be supported in finding helpful and constructive ways of coping with their life difficulties”.Self-harm can take many forms—cutting, burning, or repeatedly injuring oneself — and is often viewed as part of a continuum that can, in some cases, edge towards suicidal behaviour. The concerns that surface alongside it are familiar and complex: academic pressure, struggles with identity and gender, strained relationships, trauma, and persistent emotional distress.Data from iCALL’s CHAMPS helpline supported by UNICEF reflect this landscape. The largest share of callers reach out for emotional distress (39.37%), followed by non-suicidal self-injury (9.79%), relationship issues (5.68%), suicidal ideation (3.40%), education and career-related stress (3.05%), and experiences of violence (3.32%). Together, they sketch a portrait of young lives grappling not just with external expectations, but with unresolved pain closer to home.Over the past three years, patterns in distress have traced an uneven map of the country. The CHAMPS helpline received the highest number of calls from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Yet the data also carries its silences: Of the 27,706 genuine calls logged, nearly 13,000 callers chose not to disclose where they were calling from.A similar geography — and reticence — emerges on Reyou, the suicide prevention chat-line supported by Zoomcares and Mariwala Health Initiative that has assisted more than 10,000 young individuals in distress. Here, most users reached out from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal and Karnataka, seeking help in typed words rather than spoken ones.

Bangladesh descended into widespread unrest overnight after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader of the country’s 2024 pro-democracy uprising. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka late Thursday and early Friday, demanding justice for Hadi, who died in a Singapore hospital after succumbing to gunshot injuries sustained in an assassination attempt last week.Demonstrations spread from Dhaka to other parts of the country, with protesters attempting to march toward Indian diplomatic premises and attacking properties linked to the former ruling Awami League.

Anti-India slogans, protests rock Bangladesh

Protesters in the southwestern city of Rajshahi tried to march toward the office of a regional Indian diplomat, but police stopped the procession. Several videos on social media showed incident of stone pelting near Indian assistant High Commission office.In Dhaka on Wednesday, hundreds of demonstrators attempted to gather outside Indian diplomatic premises, including the residence of India’s deputy high commissioner, prompting police to use tear gas to disperse the crowd.Members of the National Citizen Party (NCP), a major offshoot of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which led last year’s protests, joined the demonstrations, chanting anti-India slogans and alleging that Hadi’s assailants had fled to India after the killing. Protest leaders called on the interim government to shut the Indian High Commission until the suspects were returned.“The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed. Now or Never. We are in a war!,” PTI quoted Sarjis Alm, a key leader of NCP, sayingMeanwhile, a parliamentary committee on external affairs called the current situation in the neighbouring nation “complex and evolving”.“The committee has been informed that the current situation in Bangladesh is complex and evolving. There is uncertainty regarding the schedule of democratic elections. The political events of August 2024 have created significant instability and uncertainty with incidents of violence, attacks and intimidation of minorities, tribal communities, media groups, intellectuals, journalists, academicians, etc., becoming the norm,” it said.

Media houses vandalised

Several buildings in the capital were set ablaze as the protests escalated, including offices housing the country’s two largest newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.Fire officials confirmed at least three incidents of arson, with journalists and staff trapped inside the buildings as firefighters battled the flames, according to media reports.“Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and later surrounded the building,” PTI quoted a witness saying, who added that the protesters then set the Daily Star office on fire.

Awami League office torched

The violence quickly spread beyond the capital. Protesters torched an Awami League office in Rajshahi and vandalised properties linked to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after being ousted in last year’s uprising. Demonstrators also blocked a key highway connecting Dhaka with Mymensingh and attacked the residence of a former minister in the southeastern city of Chittagong, according to local media footage.

Sharif Osman Hadi’s death fuel outrage

Hadi, 32, was a senior leader of the student-led platform Inqilab Mancha and a vocal critic of both Hasina. He was shot by masked assailants on December 12 while leaving a mosque in central Dhaka and was later airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus described Hadi’s death as an “irreparable loss for the nation,” announced a day of mourning, and ordered special prayers nationwide. Police have launched a nationwide manhunt for the attackers, releasing photographs of two suspects and offering a reward of five million taka for information leading to their arrest, as authorities warned that the violence risked destabilising the fragile political transition.