Pune: MP and BJP’s in-charge for civic polls in Pune district, Murlidhar Mohol, on Thursday criticised deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP for backing women from the families of gangsters Bandu Andekar and Gajanan Marne in the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) election.“The Pune guardian minister (Ajit Pawar) talks about cracking down on criminals and eliminating the koyta gang, but these claims seem hollow when we look at their candidate list…Maintaining law and order is the primary responsibility of elected representatives. Giving tickets to people associated with criminals will definitely disturb peace in Pune. Citizens are wise and will respond through the EVMs,” Mohol said.

Ajit Pawar’s NCP has allied with RPI (Kharat), and under this arrangement, Bandu Andekar’s daughter-in-law Sonali and sister-in-law Laxmi have filed nominations for the Raviwar Peth-Rasta Peth ward. Bandu’s son, Vanraj, had contested on an NCP ticket and won the PMC poll in 2017 but was murdered on Sept 1, 2024. Now, Sonali and Laxmi are in the fray, and although they filed nominations under RPI (Kharat), they are expected to contest on the NCP’s clock symbol.Responding, Ajit Pawar said the seats in question were allocated to RPI (Kharat) as part of the alliance. “It is that party’s decision to nominate candidates. I will issue a detailed statement on this later,” Pawar said after visiting the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial.In a twist in the tale, BJP has also fielded Pratibha Chorge, wife of Rohidas, who has a criminal record. When asked about this, Mohol said, “Pratibha has been involved in social work and has no criminal charges against her. Now that her husband’s record has come up, the party will review the matter.”BOX:BJP candidate withdraws nomination after online trollingPrasad.KulkarniPune: Puja More, the BJP candidate from Ward number 2 of PMC, withdrew her nomination on Wednesday, citing trolling on social media over her past remarks.In earlier posts, More had made critical comments about CM Devendra Fadnavis. Speaking to reporters after her withdrawal, she said, “Social media played a significant role in previous elections. If misleading information about me is being circulated online, it could harm the party’s image. Therefore, I chose to step down as the BJP candidate.”Speaking on her decision, Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol said, “Some party workers opposed her candidature. The party collectively decided to replace the candidate for that seat.”

Aditya Dhar‘s spy thriller ‘Dhurandhar’ is showing no signs of stopping at the box office since its release in theaters on December 5, 2025. The movie has surpassed the collections of ‘Pathaan’, ‘Jawan’, ‘Chhaava’, and many more. While the film has garnered massive appreciation from the audiences, a section of people have hailed it as a “propaganda” owing to the politics shown in it. In a new developement, latest reports have indicated that the makers are set to re-release the movie with a revised version. Let’s learn more about it right here.

‘Dhurandhar’ to re-release in theaters with revised version

According to a Bollywood Hungama report, cinema halls across the nation received an e-mail from the distributors on December 31, 2025, informing them about the replacement of the DCP of the film. The source told the publication, “The reason for the change is that the makers have muted two words and changed a dialogue in the film, as per the directives received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India.”

Reportedly, the cinemas have been asked to download the new version of the movie and play it from January 1, 2026. The insider further told the website, “One of the words removed from the new version of Dhurandhar is ‘Baloch’.”

More about ‘Dhurandhar’

Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’ will be completing a month since its release in theaters. The movie has crossed the Rs 1100 crore mark in global box office earnings. Meanwhile in India, the film has surpassed Rs 720 crore in collections on its 27th day. The film stars Ranveer Singh as the lead actor. He plays the role of an Indian spy who infiltrates a terror group in Lyari Town, Pakistan. While the film is enjoying its dream run in cinemas, it has been banned in all Gulf countries.Apart from Singh, it also stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi in prominent roles. The cast also includes Naveen Kaushik, Saumya Tandon, Naseem Mughal, Danish Pandor, and Gaurav Gera in pivotal roles.Part of the film is scheduled to hit theaters on March 19, 2026.

Though England are still left with a game in the series, the ECB is expected to intervene in Brendon McCullum’s future plans with the English Test side. Top executives from the ECB are expected to fly to Australia for talks with the England management mid-tour.

The Ashes Test series defeat has largely affected England’s campaigns and their strategies. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, the successful coach-captain duo for England, have struggled against the disciplined Aussies, and the flaws of Bazball have been exposed.

England are slowly coming on track from the fourth Test, which they won at the MCG. However, cricket experts have called it an absolute lottery, since the pitch was completely unpredictable and was deemed unsatisfactory.

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ECB chief executive to fly to Australia for talks with Brendon McCullum

England’s Ashes campaign may have a Test left; however, ECB executives are flying off to the island nation for a face-to-face discussion with the touring party. As per reports on the Daily Mail, Richard Gould is expected to travel to Sydney for crunch talks on the future of the England head coach, Brendon McCullum.

England not only lost the three-match series in Australia but was also crushed by the opposition. The Aussies dominated the English across every inning of the first three Tests; at times, they came from behind and defeated the English, leading to escalated humiliation.

The fourth Test has not erased the impact of the series defeat in Australia and the way they have lost all those games. Brendon McCullum’s ignorant attitude has further escalated things, as he once blamed overpreparation and once claimed that things did not go as planned, instead of simply accepting the fact that they had failed.

Sudden ECB visit will focus on a series debrief

The ECB is not visiting Australia all of a sudden without any major concern. McCullum’s public statements have revealed that he wishes to continue as the coach of the England National Men’s side. His contract with the ECB also extends to around the ICC World Cup 2027.

McCullum, despite the failures, has dressing room support, as even senior batters like Joe Root, who is now the greatest ever batter from Europe, have claimed that any decision to rip up the management midstream is not a good plan.

The immediate focus for the visit would be a debrief on what went wrong in the ongoing Ashes series and whether the current England structure is giving Ben Stokes the liberty and depth to support long hours.

Bazball looks at SCG to remain standing its ground for survival

This is hence evident from all these that England will have to review several bigger issues than Brendon McCullum’s sacking. The balance within the Bazball intent has been repeatedly questioned, and so has the selection strategy. The players should know when to accelerate and when to take control of the innings.

The Sydney Test is crucial from England’s point of view, not only because winning it would save England’s reputation with a 3-2 defeat in the Ashes, but also due to the fact that it would provide McCullum and Stokes the clarity of approach and help them during the post-Ashes post-mortem.

England still have several crucial series coming this year, as they will host New Zealand for a three-match series and then host Pakistan later this year for another home series. Ahead of these home series, England would look to regain the Bazball momentum.

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NEW DELHI: Canada has told Air India that one of its pilots was found tipsy just before operating a flight on Dec 23, 2025, violating the country’s laws, and that the airline should investigate the case and inform it of action taken by Jan 26, 2026.Transport Canada sent this communication to AI a day after the pilot failed the breathalyser (BA) test and asked it to take “corrective action” under its safety management system “to prevent any such recurrence”. This was first reported by TOI on Jan 1.Taking a serious view of the matter, AI has sought details of the BA test from Canada, including the level of alcohol found in the test, and has informed DGCA.“We were advised by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that Captain *** reported for duty on Air India Fight AI 186 on Dec 23, 2025, while under the influence of alcohol, and unfit for duty. Two BA tests conducted by the RCMP at Vancouver International Airport confirmed this after he was advised to leave the aircraft. This incident indicates a contravention of Canadian Aviation Regulations by the operator (AI) and the crew member... as well as conditions outlined in Air India’s Foreign Air Operator Certificate (FAOC 1946) issued by Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA). It is likely that enforcement action will be pursued by the RCMP, and by TCCA,” says a Dec 24 letter from Transport Canada to AI.One of the conditions in AI’s FAOC violated is that “foreign air operator shall conduct a safe operation”.Due to closure of Pakistan airspace after Operation Sindoor, AI North America ultra long hauls now make a midway fuelling stop. AI 186 was to be operated by two sets of pilots – a captain and co-pilot in each set – from Vancouver to Vienna. From the Austrian capital, another set would have flown it to Delhi.“This pilot, who had a layover in Vienna, was reportedly buying alcohol from Vancouver Duty Free… The pilot was boarding from Canada and alighting in Austria, both foreign stations where most probably no BA checks would have been conducted. However a staffer at duty free smelt alcohol on his breath and informed police. Using CCTV, the police traced him to the AI flight ,” said sources.Pilots don’t have alcohol at least 12 hours before flying. “In case someone has not been able to do so, they should refuse to operate a flight on medical grounds. Refusing the flight will save your job, your licence, and your career,” said a senior captain.In a statement on Wednesday, AI had said: “AI 186 from Vancouver to Delhi on Dec 23, 2025 experienced a last-minute delay after one of the cockpit crew members was offloaded prior to departure. Canadian authorities raised concerns regarding the pilot’s fitness for duty, following which the crew member was taken for further inquiry.”

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NEW DELHI: Medical aspirants seeking postgraduate admissions will get a wider choice this year after the National Medical Commission (NMC) approved 171 additional PG seats across medical colleges and directed counselling authorities to include them without waiting for formal permissions. According to a public notice, the 171 additional seats span key clinical and diagnostic specialties, including general medicine, general surgery, anaesthesiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, radiology, dermatology, emergency medicine, psychiatry, orthopaedics, respiratory medicine and pathology. Colleges across multiple states – including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Haryana – have received additional seats under the appeal process. In a notice issued on Dec 31, 2025, NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board said postgraduate seats granted by the First Appeal Committee for the 2025-26 academic year will be treated as valid for the counselling process. Counselling authorities have been told they need not wait for letters of permission (LoPs) from individual institutions to proceed. The additional seats were approved after medical colleges challenged earlier MARB decisions under provisions of NMC Act, 2019. These appeals were examined by the First Appeal Committee in meetings held on Dec 22 and 23, following which extra seats were sanctioned. The commission clarified that the list uploaded on the NMC website would itself serve as the valid document for counselling, ensuring that eligible PG seats are not lost due to administrative delays. Formal LoPs for the newly sanctioned seats, it said, will be issued shortly. Officials said the move is aimed at maximising seat utilisation while retaining regulatory oversight through the appeal mechanism. State medical education departments and counselling authorities have been instructed to act on the decision immediately. For thousands of PG aspirants, the approval offers additional opportunities at a time when competition for postgraduate medical seats remains intense.

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2025 turned out to be a landmark year for Smriti Mandhana both professionally and personally. On November 2, she etched her name in history as the Indian women’s cricket team lifted the World Cup for the first time, a moment that made the entire nation proud. Around the same time, her pre-wedding shenanigans with music composer Palaash Muchhal had captured public attention, with the couple scheduled to tie the knot on November 23, 2025. However, the much-talked-about wedding was eventually called off, amid massive speculations, marking a dramatic turn in what had seemed like a fairytale year.

Year-end recap with a cryptic message

As 2025 drew to a close, Smriti Mandhana took to Instagram on December 31 to share a recap video of the year gone by. The video featured glimpses of her World Cup-winning celebrations, cherished moments with her family, and snippets from her fitness routine. What stood out, however, was the quote she chose to end the video with—a line attributed to Lord Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita.

The quote read, “DAY 12 Of daily Bhagavad Gita ‘Before something great happens to you, everything falls apart. So just wait.’ – Lord Krishna.”The message immediately caught attention, with many seeing it as a reflection of the emotional ups and downs she experienced over the year.

Confirming the wedding cancellation

Earlier, on December 7, 2025, Smriti had confirmed through an Instagram Story that her wedding to Palaash Muchhal had been called off. Addressing the speculation around her personal life, she wrote, “Over the past few weeks, there has been plenty of speculation around my life, and I feel it is important for me to speak out at this time. I am a very private person, and I would like to keep it that way, but I need to clarify that the wedding is called off.”She further appealed for privacy, adding, “I would like to close this matter here and implore all of you to do the same. I request you to please respect the privacy of both families at this time and allow us the space to process and move on at our own pace.”In the same note, the Indian vice-captain underlined where her priorities lie. “I believe there is a higher purpose driving us all, and for me, that has always been representing my country at the highest level. I hope to continue to play and win trophies for India for as long as possible, and that is where my focus will forever be. Thank you for all your support. It’s time to move forward.”

From dream proposal to public scrutiny

Smriti and Palaash’s relationship had been in the spotlight just weeks earlier, from a dreamy proposal at the DY Patil Stadium—where she had lifted the World Cup—to their mehendi and sangeet ceremonies. The wedding, scheduled to take place in Smriti’s hometown of Sangli, was initially postponed after her father Shrinivas Mandhana was hospitalised. Soon after, allegations and speculation surrounding Palaash Muchhal surfaced, further intensifying public scrutiny. Eventually, both Smriti and Palaash addressed the situation separately, bringing an end to the chapter.