NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has decided to move Supreme Court seeking remedy against the “unfortunate action of West Bengal chief minister” in obstructing the probe and tampering with evidence in a PMLA case against I-PAC, and a nod to continue with its probe against the political consultancy agency. The petition is likely to be filed late in the night or early Sunday morning. Lawyers aware of the developments told TOI that ED has, in its petition, accused the West Bengal police of actively acting under the directions of the TMC govt to thwart the probe into the money laundering case against I-PAC, by an FIR against the directorate officials to coerce them not to conduct investigations in the case.

ED is trying to get the petition listed for Monday amid indications that the solicitor general may represent it if the Supreme Court entertains the plea. The West Bengal govt has already filed a caveat in SC to preempt ED from seeking and getting an ex parte order, amid its continuing political slugfest with central agencies which began with the state govt in Nov 2018, withdrawing general consent to CBI to investigate cases inside the state. ED, it is learnt, has argued that its attempt to raise its grievances before Calcutta HC was unsuccessful as unruly scenes during the hearing on Friday forced the judge to adjourn hearing on a case which required urgent interim orders to protect the sanctity of investigations. Multiple FIRs filed ‘in malicious manner’ against officers: ED The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also contemplating requesting Supreme Court to transfer the pending petitions, one by ED and the other by Trinamool Congress relating to I-PAC case, to Delhi high court to be in an atmosphere conducive to adjudication by a constitutional court. The agency had petitioned Calcutta high court on Friday to order a CBI probe against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar, Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Varma and others for “theft of digital and other evidence, wrongful restraint and confinement of central govt officers, and breakdown of the rule of law”. It said that multiple FIRs had been registered “in a malicious manner” against its officers for conducting an investigation under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) into the financial dealings of political consultancy I-PAC, which has been associated with TMC and the Bengal govt for years. The 28-page petition, filed in response to Mamata and the police brass’s allegedly “illegal and unconstitutional interference” in ED’s search of addresses linked to I-PAC, details how the Bengal CM and her entourage tailed the central agency throughout Thursday – from the Loudon Street residence of the firm’s director Pratik Jain to its office in the tech hub of Salt Lake’s Sector V. The petition alleges that Mamata entered Jain’s residence around 12.05pm and “took possession of all digital devices along with key incriminating documents” from an ED officer, ignoring requests not to interfere with the investigation into I-PAC’s alleged role in money laundering linked to a 2020 coal scam. At I-PAC’s Salt Lake office, ED officers were “obstructed” while performing their duties as the CM and a contingent of Trinamool functionaries and workers refused to budge from there for nearly four hours, the petition stated. Countering the CM’s allegation that Union home minister Amit Shah had sent ED to “snatch” documents and digital storage containing Trinamool Congress’s poll plans under the garb of an investigation into I-PAC’s dealings, ED informed the high court that its officials officially recorded the sequence of events in a panchnama.

Pakistan pacer Zaman Khan’s action questioned (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: A fresh controversy has erupted in the Big Bash League after Pakistan’s young fast bowler Zaman Khan was questioned over his unusual bowling action during a match on Saturday. The incident quickly grabbed attention as Australia star David Warner openly raised concerns on the field. Zaman Khan, known for his slingshot-style action, was playing his first match of the season for Brisbane Heat. He joined the team as a replacement for injured Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi. However, his debut did not go as planned.

While batting for Sydney Thunder, David Warner looked uncomfortable facing Zaman. Warner, who went on to score a strong 82, was seen repeatedly stopping play and speaking to the on-field umpire about the pacer’s action. Cameras also caught him exchanging words directly with Zaman during the spell. “He is bowling like a four-year-old bowling. It stay so low,” Warner was heard as saying to Zaman. Warner’s reaction sparked immediate debate among fans watching the game. Some felt that Zaman’s low-arm action looked different. Others also believed Warner’s comments were harsh and unnecessary. On the field, Zaman couldn’t make an impact as he gave away 32 runs in his three overs and failed to trouble the batters consistently. It was a tough start for the young pacer. Brisbane Heat still ended the night on a positive note. They chased down the target to win the match by seven wickets. Former Australian international Usman Khawaja played a key role in the victory, having amassed a fluent 78 and guiding the team home with ease. The incident brought back memories of an earlier Big Bash controversy involving another Pakistani fast bowler, Muhammad Hasnain. During a previous season, Hasnain’s action was questioned after Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis raised concerns. Hasnain was later suspended from bowling, went through a long process to fix his action, and saw his international career badly affected.

CHENNAI: A Chennai consumer court has ordered luxury hotel The Leela Palace, Udaipur, to pay more than Rs 10.65 lakh in compensation and refund after holding it guilty of deficiency in service over a serious breach of guest privacy involving a pregnant woman.The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chennai (North), in its December 16 order, found that a housekeeping staff member unlawfully entered an occupied room using a master key while the complainant and her husband were inside the washroom, causing severe mental trauma and humiliation.

The complainant, a Chennai-based advocate, had booked a premium “Grand Room with Lake View” at the Leela Palace, Udaipur, for Rs 55,500 on a non-refundable basis for a one-day stay in January 2025 to celebrate her husband’s birthday and their baby-moon. The commission noted that despite the room being occupied, a housekeeping associate entered the room within seconds of ringing the bell, relying on internal standard operating procedures.Rejecting the hotel’s defence, the commission held that internal SOPs cannot override a guest’s fundamental right to privacy, particularly in a five-star hotel charging premium tariffs. It observed that entry using a master key within less than a minute was unreasonable and unsafe, especially when the washroom was in use.The commission relied on contemporaneous evidence, including WhatsApp communications with hotel officials, apology letters issued by the housekeeping staff and hotel management on the same day, and photographs showing a broken washroom door and a non-functional CCTV camera outside the room. It said these documents supported the complainant’s version and disproved the hotel’s claim that there was no immediate protest.The court also criticised the hotel’s conduct after the incident, citing delays in sharing CCTV footage, misleading assurances, and harassment at checkout, when the complainant and her husband were made to wait for hours and their luggage was withheld. The complainant’s pregnancy, the commission said, aggravated the trauma and imposed a higher duty of care on the hotel.Holding the hotel liable, the commission ordered refund of the full room tariff of Rs 55,500 with 9% interest from January 26, 2025, Rs 10 lakh as compensation for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages, and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs, to be paid within two months.

Brendon McCullum responded to the claims of a ‘booze-fueled’ Ashes tour, which resulted in England‘s 4-1 humiliation in Australia. He defended the England players, saying that the real picture is very different from what has been painted recently.

England lost the Ashes to Australia by a humiliating margin of 4-1 as the Aussies continued their domination in the massive rivalry. However, what humiliated England was not the loss but the fact that the matches looked very one-sided before Australia finally won it with some performance.

Moreover, when England lost the series, one of the main reasons that was cited for the loss was the lack of discipline within the English camp. Throughout their Aussie tour, Brendon McCullum’s strategies remained under severe scrutiny, as sometimes England were seen skipping practice matches, while next they were partying and spending a holiday after repetitive losses.

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“Half our guys don’t have a drink, to be honest” – Brendon McCullum

England and ECB were both mocked after their loss in Adelaide, which crushed England’s hopes for a fightback, since they lost the series with their third consecutive loss at the Adelaide Oval. However, England players took a holiday off to Noosa during the period between the second Test at the Gabba and the Third Test at Adelaide.

During this break, England players were spotted drinking together, while Ben Duckett was caught intoxicated on camera alongside Jacob Bethell, who was seen dancing with an unknown woman. Brendon McCullum denied such claims of irregularity despite accepting the fact that the team was on a holiday.

“Half our guys don’t have a drink, to be honest. They’ll have a couple of beers every now and again. I think people do that in most walks of life,” McCullum said, as quoted by The Guardian.

Brendon McCullum declares the Noosa break as “quite important”

According to the dynamic coach, McCullum, the team’s culture should not be under scrutiny since the mid-series break to Noosa was planned long ago and was deemed as absolutely necessary for the English players.

McCullum had also claimed that England lost the pink ball Test at the Gabba due to overpreparation and hence were not fresh enough to outdo the Aussies.

He then further claimed that cricket is a very demanding sport in the region, and with the amount of fans storming in with high hopes, the players are often under immense pressure; hence, such go-out refreshments are important. But he did not believe that any player did things in excess.

“These guys are young men playing a highly pressurised sport, there’s an opportunity for us to guide and nurture as they become fully grown men who are dealing with some high pressure,” he said.

“Maybe there is someone better,” Brendon McCullum denies compromising

With several speculations over Brendon McCullum’s removal from the position of England’s head coach and the questions swirling over the end of the Bazball era, McCullum has made his stand clear through a statement: “Maybe there is someone better” for the job if he is not allowed to implement his own plans.

He clearly signalled that he is ready to continue as the head coach for England and is open to changes, but the changes should be in accordance with his own strategies. In short, McCullum has been clear that he won’t be implementing anyone else’s plans.

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The United States carried out “large-scale” retaliatory strikes against Islamic State targets across Syria on Sunday, following last month’s ambush near Palmyra that killed two US soldiers and an American civilian interpreter.US Central Command said the strikes began around 12.30 pm ET and were conducted alongside partner forces, hitting multiple ISIS targets across the country. A US official told CNN that more than 90 precision munitions were fired using more than two dozen aircraft.Also read | ‘Operation Hawkeye Strike’: US carries out ‘large-scale’ airstrikes on Syria; targets ISISSaturday’s strikes are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, the Trump administration’s response to the December attack that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat while they were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led mission to defeat ISIS.US Central Command said the strikes were aimed at preventing future attacks and degrading ISIS’s remaining capabilities in Syria.“The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria as part of our ongoing commitment to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region,” the command said in a statement on X.“Our message remains strong: if you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” US Central Command said.

The December ambush marked the first deadly attack on US personnel in Syria since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, were members of the Iowa National Guard. Three other Guard members were injured.Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched on December 19 with a large-scale operation that hit roughly 70 ISIS targets across central Syria. The United States and Jordan also carried out a previous round of strikes under the same operation last month.A day before Saturday’s strikes, Syrian officials said their security forces had arrested the military leader of ISIS’s operations in the Levant. Saturday also saw intense clashes in northern Syria’s Aleppo city, where Syrian government forces deployed in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood after days of fighting with Kurdish fighters that left dozens dead and wounded. According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, two Kurdish fighters blew themselves up while surrounded by security forces, causing no casualties. Gunfire was reportedly still heard around noon as security forces urged residents to stay indoors. Later in the day, an explosive drone struck the Aleppo Governorate building shortly after a press conference by two Cabinet ministers and a local official. The clashes began Tuesday in Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh, and Bani Zaid after negotiations between the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stalled over integrating Kurdish forces into the national army. Government forces have since taken control of Achrafieh and Bani Zaid. Five days of fighting killed at least 22 people, including civilians on both sides, according to AP. The United States on Saturday called on the Syrian government and Kurdish authorities to return to negotiations, AFP reported. Conflicting reports emerged from Aleppo, with authorities claiming a halt to fighting and the transfer of Kurdish fighters out of the city, which the Kurdish forces denied.

US role and ongoing mission

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have long been the United States’ main partner against ISIS, but since Assad’s ouster, Washington has increasingly coordinated with Syria’s central government in Damascus. Syria recently joined the global coalition against ISIS. Despite President Donald Trump’s skepticism about US involvement in Syria, hundreds of American troops remain deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. In April, the Pentagon announced plans to cut troop levels in half, and in June US envoy Tom Barrack said the United States would eventually reduce its bases in the country to one.

NEW DELHI: Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was briefly treated after being struck above his waist during net practice as India put the final touches to their preparations for the three-ODI series against New Zealand, starting Sunday at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium. Pant was batting against Indian throwdown specialists when he copped the blow and was seen grimacing in pain.

The team’s support staff attended to him, and head coach Gautam Gambhir was also present during the treatment. After receiving initial attention, Pant walked off the field of Ground B at the BCA Stadium, where India captain Shubman Gill was later seen engaged in a long discussion with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.Meanwhile, during the optional training session on Saturday, former India captain Rohit Sharma was waiting outside the net when pacer Mohammed Siraj came in early for a batting stint and struggled to connect while attempting to hoick the ball. Rohit offered tips to Siraj during the session. Other players, including India vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who had captained Mumbai in a narrow one-run loss to Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Thursday, batted in partnership with KL Rahul, while Pant and Ravindra Jadeja also had a hit in the nets. Pant, Iyer, and Siraj had all recently played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for their respective state teams, with their last matches taking place on January 8. The three-ODI series against a new-look New Zealand side begins at Baroda, with the second ODI set for Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium on January 14, and the final match scheduled at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.