President Donald Trump warned that the United States will take action on Greenland, saying it will act “the easy way” or “the hard way” to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence on the Arctic island.Addressing a gathering on Saturday at the White House, Trump said, “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour. I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if not, we are going to do it the hard way.”Emphasising the strategic importance of the island, he said, “When we own it, we defend it… Look at what happened with the horrible deal Obama made with Iran, which was a short-term deal… Countries need to have ownership… We have to defend Greenland, because if we don’t, China or Russia will.”The Trump administration is reportedly considering offering direct cash payments to Greenlanders to encourage closer ties with the United States. Sources cited by Reuters said officials have discussed lump sums ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person. Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory with around 57,000 residents, is rich in natural resources.Denmark has expressed alarm over the potential US actions, warning that its troops are under standing orders to “shoot first and ask questions later” if Greenland comes under attack. European officials have also voiced concern over the United States openly weighing military options in the Arctic territory.The plan remains at a preliminary stage, with aides estimating that total payments could amount to nearly $6 billion. Another option under discussion is a Compact of Free Association, similar to agreements the US has with several Pacific island nations, in which the United States provides financial aid and defence protection in exchange for military access. Greenland would likely need to become independent from Denmark first, and the payments could be used to encourage public support for such a step or a future agreement with the United States.Polls indicate that most Greenlanders favour independence from Denmark but do not want to become part of the United States.

Becoming a three-format regular for India cricket team is one of the toughest challenges in modern-day cricket, given the intense competition and the ever-evolving demands of each format. Former India opener believes that while Yashasvi Jaiswal has the talent to succeed across formats, the youngster is missing a piece in his journey to becoming a complete all-format player.

Becoming a three-format player remains a rare achievement

In an era where formats demand contrasting skill sets, excelling consistently in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is is no easy feat. Indian cricket’s depth means even highly talented players must outperform peers season after season to stay relevant. Only a select few have managed to adapt their technique, temperament, and mindset to meet the shifting requirements of red-ball patience, 50-over balance, and T20 explosiveness. For young cricketers, the pathway to becoming indispensable across formats often hinges on producing standout performances in high-pressure tournaments.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rise and the gaps in his white-ball journey

Jaiswal is widely regarded as one of India’s brightest batting prospects and has already established himself as a regular in the Test side. His composure, hunger for big scores, and ability to bat long hours have impressed selectors and fans alike. However, his exposure in white-ball cricket remains limited, particularly in T20Is, where competition for opening slots is fierce. While Jaiswal has shown flashes of brilliance in limited-overs cricket, he has yet to cement a permanent role, leaving questions about his readiness to be viewed as a three-format certainty.

India are set to face New Zealand in a white-ball series comprising three ODIs followed by five T20Is, starting in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. Although Jaiswal has been included in the ODI squad, his absence from the T20I plans underlines the selectors’ cautious approach and the importance of sustained impact performances.

Also READ: Aakash Chopra names Indian cricket’s top 5 defining moments of 2025

Ex-opener presents blueprint for Jaiswal to become an all-format star

Addressing the topic on his YouTube channel, former opener Aakash Chopra offered a clear roadmap for Jaiswal’s progression. According to the former opener, a blockbuster IPL season could transform Jaiswal’s standing in white-ball cricket. Chopra stressed that tallying 400 to 450 runs in a season, while respectable, does not align with Jaiswal’s potential or the expectations placed on him.

“Yashasvi, I have a request for you. I want you to have a 700-run IPL season. Every year, I think it would be like that for you. You are having 400 to 450-run seasons, but that’s not good enough. Not for you, not for your standard,” said Chopra.

Chopra urged the left-hander to aim higher, specifically setting the benchmark at a 700-run IPL campaign. Such a season, he argued, would force the selectors’ hand and make Jaiswal impossible to ignore across formats. In Chopra’s view, a dominant IPL not only reflects consistency and adaptability but also demonstrates the match-winning impact required at the international level.

“I need a 700-run season so that you break the door and go in. That’s what I expect from him. That’s what I want from him. So Yashasvi should actually become a three-format player sooner than later,” he added.

Also READ: Harry Brook, Yashasvi Jaiswal or Rachin Ravindra? Mark Waugh names the next greatest Test batter

AMBERNATH: In a fresh twist to the political drama in the Ambernath municipal council, a day after 12 suspended Congress councillors joined BJP, all four councillors from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP withdrew their support to the BJP-led front and extended it to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. With this, Sena, which had emerged the single-largest party by winning 27 seats, now has the support of 32 councillors (one backer is an independent), a majority in the 60-member council. The latest move is a setback to an attempt by BJP, with 15 councillors, to gain a majority by first securing the support of 12 Congress and 4 NCP councillors and then taking the suspended Congress councillors into its own fold.

BJP had won the direct election to the post of council president but will now be compelled to share power with Shiv Sena as key positions such as that of deputy president and posts of chairpersons of local committees are expected to go to Sena and NCP, political observers said. The elections held last month saw Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP contest separately. Ambernath has traditionally been a Shiv Sena stronghold and is also considered the bastion of Shiv Sena LS MP Shrikant Shinde, son of deputy CM Eknath Shinde. To maintain control of the civic body, BJP had brought together 12 Congress councillors, four from NCP, and one independent, forming the 32-member Ambernath Vikas Aghadi. The group was formally registered with Thane collector. However, BJP faced criticism for aligning with Congress, and the latter subsequently suspended its councillors, leading all 12 to formally join the saffron outfit. However, Shinde Junior is said to have turned the tables on BJP by securing the support of the four NCP councillors plus one independent. Two independents were elected to the council; the other is with the BJP-led group. Sena MLA Balaji Kinikar confirmed Friday’s developments. A BJP politician who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the four NCP councillors had formally joined the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi, and the group was recognised by the Thane collector. This, he said, raises questions over whether the NCP councillors can extend support to Sena. Observers said the changing political equations have altered the balance of power in the council but may have also opened the door to possible legal and political challenges in the days ahead.

Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, right, and Tottenham Hotspur’s Joao Palhinha battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur in Bournemouth, England, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2026. (AP)

MANCHESTER: Manchester City signed Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth on Friday to strengthen its attacking options ahead of the team’s tilt at the Premier League and Champions League titles. Semenyo, who has scored 10 goals and been one of the best attackers in English soccer this season, has moved in a deal worth a reported 65 million pounds ($87 million) and on a 5 1/2-year deal. He’ll provide competition to City’s stock of wingers that already includes Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Oscar Bobb. Savinho and Bobb are currently injured, while Marmoush – currently at the Africa Cup of Nations – has been out of favor this season. The 26-year-old Semenyo also was linked with Manchester United and Liverpool. He was at Bournemouth for 2 1/2 seasons after joining from second-tier Bristol City. “I have so much scope for improvement,” Semenyo said in a City statement, “so to be at this club, at this stage of my career, is perfect for me. It’s a real privilege to be here. “My best football is yet to come, I am sure of that.” God-given talent’Semenyo marked his final game for Bournemouth by scoring a stoppage-time winner from outside the area against Tottenham on Wednesday. “Everything just aligned,” said the forward, whose two-footedness means he is a danger on either wing. “It makes it so difficult for defenders to mark me – it’s my God-given talent,” Semenyo said in quotes provided by City. “I feel very chaotic on the eye, just spontaneous and can do anything at any moment.” City manager Pep Guardiola has showed a willingness to play more on the counterattack this season in a switch of style and the club’s director of football, Hugo Viana, said Semenyo was an “ideal” signing. “We are constantly watching players all over the world. Antoine was the one we most wanted,” Viana said. “He has shown he can perform in the Premier League. He is humble, hard-working, professional and totally focused on being a better footballer.” City is second in the Premier League, six points behind Arsenal in its bid to regain the title after relinquishing it to Liverpool last season. Guardiola’s team is fourth in the 36-club Champions League standings with two rounds of matches remaining in the league phase. The top eight qualify automatically for the round of 16. Semenyo has never played in the Champions League. He could make his debut for City against Exeter in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday and is eligible to play in the English League Cup semifinals, with City playing the first leg at Newcastle on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: Taking note of the rampant misuse of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to curb the menace by introducing a “Romeo-Juliet” clause to exempt “genuine adolescent relationships” from its stringent provisions.In a significant verdict, the top court also held that the high courts cannot order mandatory medical age determination of victims at the stage of bail in cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh said, “Considering that repeated judicial notice has been taken of the misuse of these laws, let a copy of this judgment be circulated to the Secretary, Law, Government of India, to consider initiation of steps as may be possible to curb this menace inter alia, the introduction of a Romeo-Juliet clause exempting genuine adolescent relationships from the stronghold of this law; enacting a mechanism enabling the prosecution of those persons who, by the use of these laws, seek to settle scores, etc.” The bench, however, termed the law the “most solemn articulations of justice aimed at protecting the children of today and the leaders of tomorrow”.Setting aside an Allahabad High Court order to this effect, it held that the high court’s direction of medical age determination of victims at the stage of bail exceeded the jurisdiction under Section 439 (grant of bail) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).The bench ruled that the high courts cannot use their bail jurisdiction to conduct “mini-trials” or issue mandatory investigative protocols that contradict existing laws.“The determination of the victim’s age is a matter for trial, and the presumption which is accorded to the documents enumerated under the Section has to be rebutted there, for that is the appropriate forum to do so, not the bail court,” it held.The case stems from a challenge by the Uttar Pradesh government against an Allahabad High Court order granting bail to an accused in a sexual assault case, apparently involving a minor girl.While granting bail, the high court issued a slew of directions, including that in every case under the POCSO Act, police must conduct a medical age-determination test at the outset.The top court, which set aside the high court judgement, however, left the part of the order granting bail as “undisturbed”.The verdict, authored by Justice Karol, faced the question of whether the high court, while dealing with bail pleas, could have issued directions mandating an age-determination test to be conducted in all cases involving the POCSO Act.“It is unquestionable that the high court is a constitutional court. However, in the instant case, the error of jurisdiction by the high court was in exercise of a statutory power and not under the Constitution…,” it said.“There is an additional aspect which, if the proposition as posited by the impugned judgment is upheld, would fall foul of. Such an aspect would be that a court, at the stage of bail, cannot conduct a mini-trial. This position is trite in law,” it added.Referring to judgements, it has been clearly held that the determination of the victim’s age is a matter of trial and not at the stage of bail.“If the age is under question, the bail court may examine the documents produced to establish age, but it will not enter into the question of those documents being correct or not so…,” it said.“In cases where the victim’s courage may be tested by stigma, shame or the weight of societal scrutiny, medical evidence provides an impartial testament, grounding the pursuit of justice in the certainty of observable fact. It is, in essence, the bridge that links the personal suffering of the victim with the impartial adjudication of the law,” the bench said.It referred to certain instances of the high courts, noting the misuse of the POCSO Act.“Yet, when an instrument of such noble and one may even say basic good intent is misused, misapplied and used as a tool for exacting revenge, the notion of justice itself teeters on the edge of inversion. Courts have, in many cases, sounded an alarm regarding this situation,” it said.The misuse of the POCSO Act highlights a grim societal chasm – on the one end children are silenced by fear and their families are constrained by poverty or stigma, meaning thereby that justice remains distant and uncertain, and on the other hand, those equipped with privilege, literacy, social and monetary capital can manipulate the law to their advantage, it said.The bench directed the registrar (judicial) to share a copy of the judgment with the registrar general of the Allahabad High Court for necessary follow-up action, as well as information to the trial courts.The bench also emphasised the ethical responsibility of lawyers to act as gatekeepers against frivolous or vindictive litigation, warning that unchecked misuse erodes public faith in the justice system.

Hyderabad: Vehicle owners in Telangana can now skirt the cumbersome process at RTA offices to register their new cars and two-wheelers. The transport department, in a memo on Thursday, allowed authorised automobile dealers to submit applications for permanent registration online, doing away with the requirement for vehicles to be physically presented at RTA offices during first registration.Under the new system, authorised automobile dealers across the state will facilitate online submission of permanent registration applications, with necessary logistical and technical arrangements at the dealer points.

According to the memo, the decision is in line with Rule 48-B of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which permits first-time registration of fully built vehicles sold by authorised dealers without physical production before the registering authority.The facility will apply to fully built non-transport motorcycles and cars.As the department is in the process of migrating registration-related services to the VAHAN platform of the National Informatics Centre, a process expected to take around six months, the existing software service provider has been directed to modify the current system to enable dealer-point permanent registration. The company has been given 15 days to complete the required software changes.Under the new system, authorised dealers will be required to submit online applications for permanent registration through the department’s portal by uploading documents including the invoice, Form 21 (sale certificate), Form 22 (road-worthiness certificate), insurance certificate, address proof of the purchaser, a declaration on non-ownership of a second or subsequent vehicle wherever applicable, scanned copies of the purchaser’s photograph and signature, and photographs of the engine number, chassis number and the vehicle.The registering authority or additional registering authority will scrutinise the applications and, upon approval, assign registration numbers. The registration certificate will be dispatched to vehicle owners through speed post.The memo also states transport department officers, including motor vehicle inspectors, RTOs and senior officials, may conduct random inspections of vehicles available in the inventory of authorised dealers at any time.The exact date of implementation will be communicated separately and will not be later than 15 days from the date of the order, once the software modifications are completed.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration would decide which oil companies will be allowed to operate in Venezuela following the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and pledged to guarantee security for their operations.“We’re going to be making the decision as to which oil companies are going to go in, that we’re going to allow to go in, going to cut a deal with the companies,” Trump told top energy executives at the White House. He said foreign firms had no safety guarantees under Maduro, adding, “But now you have total security. It’s a whole different Venezuela,” as quoted by AP.Trump made the remarks during a White House meeting with executives from 17 oil companies, part of an effort to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil sector. “You’re dealing with us directly, you’re not dealing with Venezuela at all, we don’t want you to deal with Venezuela,” Trump told the gathering.“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said in a pre-dawn social media post.The investment push comes days after a U.S military raid captured Maduro, an action Trump has since framed as a major economic opportunity for the United States. He has said the US is seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and taking over sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned oil, with plans to control those sales worldwide indefinitely.On Friday, US forces seized a fifth tanker over the past month linked to Venezuelan oil. The move highlights the administration’s intention to exert control over Venezuela’s exporting, refining and production of petroleum, signaling long-term US involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.The strategy also aligns with Trump’s broader goal of keeping gasoline prices low. With many Americans focused on affordability, the administration has portrayed its actions in Venezuela as a way to influence global energy markets and ease pressure on prices at home.Companies attending the meeting include Chevron, which continues to operate in Venezuela, as well as ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which lost oil projects during a 2007 nationalization under former President Hugo Chávez. Other participants include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol, along with companies involved in construction and commodity trading.

The fourth season of the Women’s Premier League 2026 ignited with a high-stakes clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. Smriti Mandhana won the toss and elected to field, citing the potential impact of late-evening dew on the chase. England’s Lauren Bell made her RCB debut and immediately looked at home, finding sharp movement that troubled the world-class MI batting order. While Gunalan Kamalini showed early aggression with a few crisp drives, the focus quickly shifted to the intense battle between Bell and Amelia Kerr.

Lauren Bell marks RCB debut by dismissing Amelia Kerr to pick WPL 2026’s first wicket

The first breakthrough of WPL 2026 came from RCB’s debutant Lauren Bell, who orchestrated a dream start by dismissing the dangerous Kerr for just 4 runs off 15 balls. Kerr found herself etched into the record books for the wrong reasons, setting a new WPL record for the slowest start by an opening batter, taking 11 deliveries just to get off the mark.

Throughout her stay at the crease, Kerr appeared completely at sea against Bell’s extravagant inward movement and extra bounce, playing and missing at eight of the 11 balls the tall English pacer bowled to her. The dismissal eventually came in the 5th over when Kerr tried to swipe a hard-length delivery across the line, only to get a leading edge that flew straight to Arundhati Reddy at extra cover. Bell’s clinical opening spell, which included a maiden over and figures of 1/7 in her first three overs, left the Mumbai Indians reeling and proved that RCB’s new overseas recruit is perfectly suited for the bouncy Navi Mumbai track.

Here’s the video:

Also WATCH: WPL 2026 opening ceremony turns electric as Yo Yo Honey Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez and Harnaaz Sandhu steal the show

WPL 2026: Late surge lifts MI to a fighting 154 as RCB’s bowlers keep the opener nicely poised

Mumbai recovered from early jolts and a stuttering middle phase to post a competitive 154/6 against Bengaluru in the opening match of WPL 2026 at Navi Mumbai, a total shaped by a strong finish rather than a fluent start.

Asked to bat first, MI struggled for momentum in the powerplay, managing just 34 runs and losing Kerr early, before Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur fell in quick succession to leave them searching for stability. That stability arrived through a measured rebuild led by Kamalini, followed by a decisive acceleration from Nicola Carey and Sajeevan Sajana, whose fifth-wicket partnership changed the tempo of the innings.

Carey played the anchor with a controlled 40 off 29 balls, while Sajana provided the spark, attacking the spinners and pace alike to race to 45 off just 25 deliveries, including seven boundaries and a six. The final five overs yielded 54 runs, allowing MI to push past the 150 mark despite losing wickets late. RCB’s bowlers, however, ensured the damage was contained, with Nadine de Klerk emerging as the standout by picking up four wickets for 26, repeatedly striking just as MI threatened to break away. Bell was impressive with the new ball, conceding only 14 runs in her four overs and setting the tone early, while Shreyanka Patil chipped in with a crucial breakthrough.

Also WATCH: Ellyse Perry shares emotional tribute to RCB ahead of WPL 2026 clash with Mumbai Indians

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.