MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded that civic elections in wards where candidates—mostly from ruling parties—were elected unopposed be cancelled and the polling process restarted. Addressing a joint event with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, Uddhav alleged that democracy in the country was being replaced by “mobocracy”. The two cousins also unveiled their alliance manifesto for the upcoming Mumbai civic elections. Raj Thackeray asserted that Marathi identity must be respected, stating that the mayor of Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra would be Marathi. Uddhav Thackeray alleged that since the fall of his government in June 2022 and the formation of the Eknath Shinde-led government, the finances of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were being diverted to benefit contractors. Claiming large-scale corruption, he said if the BMC’s annual expenditure is around Rs 15,000 crore, advance mobilisation payments to contractors amount to Rs 3 lakh crore. “This is a Rs 3 lakh crore scam, and the kickback money is being used for civic elections,” the former chief minister alleged. The BJP and its Mahayuti allies have won 68 seats unopposed in the civic polls scheduled for January 15. Uddhav accused the ruling parties of “stealing candidates” after allegedly “stealing votes”. “If the State Election Commission has courage, it should cancel elections in wards where candidates were chosen unopposed and restart the poll process,” he said, adding that such outcomes deny voters—especially Gen Z—their right to vote. Warning the ruling dispensation, Raj Thackeray said power is not permanent and accused the BJP of setting a dangerous precedent. He also recalled that the BJP had earlier approached the Supreme Court in similar cases in West Bengal, questioning the party’s current stand. Responding to the criticism, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said at a roadshow in Chandrapur that the people’s mandate would prevail even if opposition parties approached the courts. “They can go to court, but the people’s court has already elected us,” he said, accusing the Opposition of making excuses in the face of defeat. Uddhav Thackeray also targeted Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, accusing him of violating the model code of conduct during the civic polls, interfering in the nomination process and tampering with CCTV footage. He demanded Narwekar’s immediate suspension, arguing that a Speaker must function without political allegiance. Narwekar, the BJP MLA from Colaba, rejected the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has sought a detailed report from BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani following complaints that returning officers in south Mumbai’s Colaba area refused to accept nomination forms on the final day of filing. The issue pertains to wards 225, 226 and 227, where Narwekar’s relatives are contesting. Narwekar’s brother Makrand Narwekar, sister Gauri Shivalkar and sister-in-law Harshita Shivalkar are in the fray from wards 225, 226 and 227 respectively. Polling will be held on January 15 for 29 municipal corporations across the state. According to SEC data, 33,247 nominations were filed, of which 24,771 were found valid. A total of 8,840 candidates withdrew, leaving 15,931 candidates contesting for 2,869 seats across 893 wards. Except for Mumbai, which has 227 single-member seats, the remaining corporations have multi-member wards.(With agency inputs)

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone rang in their new year in New York City. The couple was seen in matching outfits as they stepped out to party. Now, another picture has surfaced on the internet, and the netizens have claimed that it features the couple kissing each other during the party. Let’s take a look at the photo here.

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone ring in the New Year with a kiss

The picture showcased Deepika Padukone holding Ranveer Singh by his waist while leaning on his body. The ‘Dhurandhar’ actor can be seen holding his wife in his arms and leaning forward to kiss her. The caption of the post read, “Almost 14 yrs nothing changed.” Reportedly, the duo celebrated their New Year’s Eve with their close friends and family in the US.

Take a look at the picture here. Earlier, pictures of them posing with the fans had surfaced online. Not just that, photos of DeepVeer exploring the city and the festive decorations during the Christmas week were also doing rounds on the internet.

More about Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone got married to each other on November 14, 2018, after dating for several years. The couple welcomed a baby girl on September 8, 2024. They lovingly named her Dua Padukone Singh.

Film projects

On the work front, Ranveer Singh is currently enjoying the massive success of his recent release, ‘Dhurandhar’, at the box office. The film has even surpassed Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ at the worldwide box office collection. In India, it has collected over Rs 740 crore. He will next feature in the second part of ‘Dhurandhar’, which is set to release in theaters on March 19, 2026. On the other hand, after exiting two Telugu projects last year, Deepika Padukone is currently working on Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘King’. The action adventure, directed by Siddharth Anand, is reported to be set to release in the second half of 2026. She will also star in Allu Arjun’s film directed by Atlee.

Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray jointly unveiled their manifesto, ‘Vachan Nama’ (ANI image)

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Sunday jointly unveiled their manifesto, ‘Vachan Nama’, for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled for January 15. This marks a major step in their renewed political alliance.The manifesto was released at a joint press conference at Shiv Sena Bhawan in Mumbai, a venue Raj Thackeray returned to after nearly two decades. The cover of the manifesto prominently features the Thackeray cousins along with Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

Speaking after the release, Uddhav Thackeray asserted that “Mumbai’s mayor will be a Marathi”. The similar sentiment was also echoed by Raj Thackeray, who said that the mayor of Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra must be Marathi and that the Marathi language must be respected.The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance promised a range of civic reforms, including affordable housing and stronger infrastructure in healthcare, public transport and education. Under the manifesto, women working as domestic help and Koli women will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 through the proposed Swabhiman Nidhi scheme. The alliance also pledged to reduce the minimum bus fare from Rs 10 to Rs 5, add more buses and routes, scrap property tax on homes up to 700 square fee and ensure one parking space per flat in redeveloped buildings.Both leaders strongly attacked the BJP-led Mahayuti government over candidates winning civic seats unopposed. Uddhav Thackeray demanded that elections in such wards be cancelled and the polling process restarted, alleging that voters were being denied their democratic rights. He claimed that democracy was being undermined. “The atmosphere in the country is like democracy has been taken over by mobocracy,” Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said.Accusing the ruling parties of manipulating the electoral process, Uddhav alleged that after “vote-stealing”, they had now begun “stealing candidates”. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader further urged the State Election Commission to cancel polls in such wards and restart the election process.“If the SEC has courage, it should cancel elections where candidates were chosen unopposed, initiate poll process again in those wards,” Uddhav said. The former Maharashtra chief minister also alleged large-scale corruption in the functioning of the BMC since his government was removed in 2022. He claimed that while the civic body’s annual expenditure is around Rs 15,000 crore, advance mobilisation payments to contractors amount to nearly Rs 3 lakh crore, calling it a massive scam whose proceeds were allegedly being used to influence elections.Uddhav Thackeray further targeted Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, accusing him of threatening candidates and voters and interfering in the nomination process. He demanded Narwekar’s immediate suspension, alleging violations of the model code of conduct and tampering with CCTV footage linked to the filing of nominations. Narwekar has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.Raj Thackeray warned the ruling party that power is not permanent and accused the BJP of setting dangerous precedents. He questioned the party’s silence over unopposed victories in Maharashtra, recalling that it had earlier approached the Supreme Court over similar issues in West Bengal.The Maharashtra State Election Commission has sought a detailed report from the BMC chief following complaints that nomination forms were rejected in certain Colaba wards, where relatives of Speaker Narwekar are contesting.Polling for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. Elections will be held for 2,869 seats across 893 wards, with Mumbai accounting for 227 seats.Seat-sharing between Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS for the BMC polls has been formally finalised. Under the arrangement, Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 145 to 150 seats, the MNS 65 to 70 seats, while 10 to 12 seats have been allocated to the NCP.

Mustafizur Rahman (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad, with Litton Das named captain, for next month’s T20 World Cup, hours after it was instructed by the country’s sports ministry to seek the shifting of the team’s league games from India to Sri Lanka.The BCB has been told by the sports ministry to request the relocation of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup league matches from India to Sri Lanka due to “concerns about players’ safety” following Mustafizur Rahman’s ouster from the IPL on BCCI instructions.

Bangladesh’s four league games are scheduled against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9) and England (February 14) in Kolkata, followed by their final match against Nepal (February 17) in Mumbai. The T20 showpiece will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.Das continues as captain, while pacer Taskin Ahmed returned to the side after missing the recent Ireland series. Ahmed will partner Mustafizur Rahman — who was also, as expected, named in the squad — in the pace department.“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the national squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March,” the BCB said on ‘X’.Following the BCCI’s diktat, Shah Rukh Khan co-owned IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday released Rahman, who was bought for Rs 9.20 crore after a bidding war at last month’s auction in Abu Dhabi.The development prompted Bangladesh government advisor Asif Nazrul to instruct the BCB to ask the Jay Shah-led ICC to shift Bangladesh’s four league games to Sri Lanka. However, a BCCI source insisted that such a move is next to impossible with just a month remaining before the tournament.Although the BCCI did not explicitly cite the current political situation in Bangladesh for seeking Rahman’s release, it said the decision was triggered by “what’s been happening all around.”BANGLADESH SQUAD:Litton Das (Captain), Mohammed Saif Hassan (Vice Captain), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Qazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Md Shaifuddin, Shoriful Islam

The 13th Match of SA20 2026 will take place between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals on January 04. The clash will be hosted by the iconic Newlands in Cape Town.

For the home side, MI Cape Town, the situation is becoming desperate. Languishing at the bottom of the table with zero wins from four matches (3 losses, 1 No Result), they are in urgent need of points to keep their playoff hopes alive. Their narrow loss on Friday showed fighting spirit, but they failed to close out the game when it mattered most.

The Paarl Royals, currently sitting comfortably in 3rd place with 8 points, will be brimming with confidence. Their ability to defend a total under immense pressure in the previous match has validated their bowling depth, and their young batting stars are beginning to fire.

MICT vs PR, SA20 2025-26: Match details

• Date and Time: January 4 (Saturday); 7:00 pm IST / 01:30 pm GMT / 3:30 pm Local
  Venue: Newlands, Cape Town

MICT vs PR, Head-to-Head Record in SA20 2025-26:

Matches played: 8 | MI Cape Town won: 5 | Paarl Royals won: 3 | No result/Tied: 0

Newlands Pitch Report

Newlands has been a batting paradise this season. In the two completed matches here so far, first-innings scores were 232 and 220. MI Cape Town themselves scored 217 in a losing cause. Expect a high-scoring affair where 200 is par. Bowlers will need to rely on variations, but pace and bounce are generally true.

Also WATCH: 6,6,6,6,6,6: Dewald Brevis and Sherfane Rutherford unleash a flurry of sixes on MI Cape Town bowlers in SA20 2025-26

Squads:

MI Cape Town: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Smith, Jacques Snyman, Tom Moores, George Linde, Rashid Khan (c), Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Dane Piedt, Karim Janat, Thomas Kaber, Tiaan van Vuuren, Tristan Luus, Daniel Lategan, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Corbin Bosch

Paarl Royals: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Asa Tribe, David Miller (c), Sikandar Raza, Delano Potgieter, Rubin Hermann, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman, Vishen Halambage, Dan Lawrence, Hardus Viljoen, Gudakesh Motie, Okuhle Cele, Nqabayomzi Peter, Eshan Malinga, Thomas Rew, Keagan Lion Cachet

MICT vs PR, SA20 2025-26: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• MI Cape Town wins the toss and bats first
• MI Cape Town’s powerplay score: 50-60 (6 overs)
• MI Cape Town’s total score: 190-200

Case 2:

• Paarl Royals wins the toss and bats first
• Paarl Royals’ powerplay score: 40-50 (6 overs)
• Paarl Royals’ total score: 170-180

Match result: Team batting first to win the contest

Also READ: Faf du Plessis recalls MS Dhoni’s iconic act after Donovan Ferreira’s stunning run-out for Joburg Super Kings in SA20 2025-26

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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, has introduced a feature that allows users to create sexualised images of women without their consent,, for which it is facing widespread criticism. The tool can take pictures from the social media platform X, including images of real people, and digitally alter them to remove clothing or depict them in lingerie and bikinis.The situation escalated after the rollout of an “edit image” button in late December, which lets users modify any image on the platform. Some users reportedly used it to partially or fully remove clothing from women and children in pictures. Since the feature launched on Christmas Day, Grok’s X account has been flooded with sexually explicit requests.

However, rather than taking the matter seriously, Musk appeared to poke fun at the issue, posting laugh-cry emojis in response to AI edits of famous people – including himself – in bikinis.

Grok responded on X, acknowledging the issue, “We’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them.” The chatbot also emphasised that “CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) is illegal and prohibited.”In India, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) on Friday sent a letter to X, citing a “failure to observe statutory due diligence obligations” under the Information Technology Act, 2000. The ministry sought an Action Taken Report to prevent the hosting, generation, and uploading of obscene, nude, indecent, and sexually explicit content through AI services like Grok.The letter instructed X Corp, India Operations, to “strictly desist from the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law for the time being in force in any manner whatsoever.” It also warned that failing to comply could result in the loss of liability exemptions under section 79 of the IT Act and other legal consequences.Meanwhile, in Paris, the public prosecutor’s office has expanded an investigation into X to include new allegations that Grok is being used to create and distribute child pornography.One woman, Samantha Smith, told the BBC that she felt “dehumanised and reduced into a sexual stereotype” after Grok digitally removed her clothing. “While it wasn’t me that was in states of undress, it looked like me and it felt like me and it felt as violating as if someone had actually posted a nude or a bikini picture of me,” she said.

India is unlikely to be affected by the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, in terms of material economy or energy, Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) assured in a note. Though it was once a major buyer of Venezuelan crude, the think tank highlighted that New Delhi has been reducing shipments from the South American nation in recent years. In the 2000s and 2010s, Indian firms such as ONGC Videsh held stakes in Venezuela’s Orinoco belt, importing significant volumes of crude. But since 2019, US sanctions have forced the country to scale back imports and commercial activity, curbing trade to avoid secondary sanctions.

Now, trade between the two nations is relatively small and steadily coming down. In 2024-2025, India brought in just $364.5 million worth of goods from Venezuela, from which, crude oil amounted for 255.3 million. This marked a drastic, 81.3%, drop from the $1.4 billion in 2023-2024. Exports, meanwhile, stood at $95.3 million, led by pharmaceuticals goods valued at $41.4 million. “Given the low trade volumes, existing sanctions constraints, and the large geographical distance, the current developments in Venezuela are not expected to have any meaningful impact on India’s economy or energy security,” GTRI said. Looking beyond the immediate situation, GTRI said that global competition for raw materials and energy is likely to intensify in the coming years. It urged India to proceed with caution, protect its strategic autonomy, and secure access to critical resources and energy without succumbing to geopolitical pressure.The think tank’s approach comes after US forces carried out a large scale military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro, along with this wife. The duo was taken to US to face charges including allegations of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking. Venezuela’s oil reserves were at the heart of the US operation. The country holds around 18% of the world’s proven oil reserves, more than Saudi Arabia, Russia, or the United States and even more than the US and Russia combined. “The United States has signed trade deals with partners such as the European Union, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, getting commitments from them to buy US petroleum products and LNG, without having sufficient crude oil or refining capacity,” the GTRI note said. “Against this backdrop, Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest proven petroleum reserves, represents a critical source of upstream crude for the USA. Free access to Venezuelan oil was thus a central motivation for the US.”