NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday hailed the successful flight test of the indigenous Third Generation Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top attack capability, calling it an important step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.The missile was successfully flight-tested against a moving target on January 11 at the KK Ranges in Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence. The test was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory in Hyderabad.In a post on X, the defence minister’s office said, “Third Generation Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top attack capability was flight tested successfully against moving target by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh has complimented DRDO, DCPP Partners and Industry for the successful test of Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile with top attack capability and termed it an important step towards AatmanirbharBharat.”According to the defence ministry, the indigenously developed MPATGM incorporates several advanced indigenous technologies, including an Imaging Infrared homing seeker, all-electric control actuation system, fire control system, tandem warhead, propulsion system and a high-performance sighting system. These systems have been developed by multiple DRDO laboratories, including Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory in Pune and Instruments Research & Development Establishment in Dehradun.The Thermal Target System used during the trial was developed by Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur to simulate a target tank. The Imaging Infrared seeker provides day and night combat capability, while the warhead is designed to defeat modern main battle tanks. The missile can be launched from a tripod or a military vehicle-mounted launcher.Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are the Development-Cum-Production Partners for the weapon system.Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the DcPP partners and the defence industry for the successful test, reiterating that it marked an important step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the team, saying the trial had been conducted successfully and would lead to the weapon system’s induction into the Indian Army, the release added.

PM Modi on Monday hailed the growing strength of India-Germany ties, highlighting that bilateral trade between the two countries had crossed the 50 billion dollar mark. “Our bilateral trade has reached its highest level ever, surpassing the 50 billion dollar mark. More than 2,000 German companies have a long-standing presence in India. This reflects their unwavering confidence in India and the immense opportunities available here. This was vividly demonstrated this morning at the India-Germany CEO Forum,” he said. The remarks came as PM Modi met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ahmedabad during high-level engagements aimed at strengthening economic and strategic cooperation. The meeting coincided with the India-Germany CEOs Forum, which brought together chief executives from both countries amid expanding trade and investment ties. Highlighting cooperation beyond trade, the Prime Minister pointed to steady progress in technology and clean energy collaboration. “Technology cooperation between India and Germany has strengthened year after year, and its impact is clearly visible on the ground today. India and Germany share common priorities in the field of renewable energy. To further enhance this cooperation, we have decided to establish the India-Germany Centre of Excellence. This will serve as a shared platform for knowledge, technology, and innovation,” he said. During the event, both countries signed several Memorandums of Understanding, highlighting efforts to expand institutional and sectoral cooperation. Chancellor Merz’s visit, his first official trip to India, included delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi earlier in the day. These discussions reviewed existing collaboration in areas such as trade, investment, technology, education, skilling and mobility, while also examining opportunities in defence, security, science, innovation, research and sustainable development. Recent figures underline the scale of the partnership. Bilateral trade in goods and services reached $51.23 billion in 2024–25, with Germany continuing as India’s largest trading partner within the European Union. Germany accounts for around one-fourth of India’s total trade with the EU, reinforcing its leading position. Trade in services between the two countries rose by 12.5% in FY 2024–25, touching a record $16.65 billion. Investment ties have also remained significant. Germany ranks as the ninth-largest foreign direct investor in India, with cumulative inflows of $15.40 billion from April 2000 to June 2025. During FY 2024–25 alone, German investments in India amounted to $469 million.

India’s injury concerns deepened on Sunday after all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against New Zealand due to a rib injury sustained during the opening match in Vadodara. The setback comes at a time when the Indian camp is already grappling with multiple fitness issues ahead of a busy home season.

Washington Sundar ruled out of ODI leg due to rib injury

The 26-year-old picked up discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling in the first ODI. Sundar managed to complete five overs, conceding 27 runs, but was forced to walk off the field midway through the New Zealand innings. He did not return to field for the rest of the innings, raising early concerns among the team management and medical staff.

Despite the injury, Sundar displayed commendable resilience by walking out to bat at No. 8 during India’s chase. Clearly in discomfort, he still contributed in a tense phase of the match as India went on to secure a four-wicket victory. However, post-match assessments confirmed that the injury required careful monitoring, leading to his eventual exclusion from the remaining games.

Notably, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development, stating that Sundar had been ruled out following the onset of pain in the rib region. The decision was taken as a precautionary measure to avoid aggravating the injury, especially with a long international calendar ahead.

“Washington Sundar reported an acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday. He will undergo further scans, following which the BCCI Medical Team will seek expert opinion. Washington has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of the ODI series,” read the statement from BCCI.

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Replacement announced for Sundar

Following Sundar’s exclusion from the ODI series, BCCI confirmed that the Men’s Selection Committee has named Ayush Badoni as his replacement in the squad. The young all-rounder has been drafted in to bolster India’s options ahead of the remaining two matches of the series. Badoni is expected to join the team in Rajkot, which will host the second ODI on January 14, and will be available for selection as the team management reshuffles its combination following Sundar’s injury.

“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Ayush Badoni as his replacement. Badoni will link up with the squad in Rajkot, the venue for the second ODI,” added BCCI.

Mounting injury list worries India

Sundar is the third Indian player to be hit by injury concerns in quick succession. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was earlier ruled out of the ODI series after suffering a side strain, while young batter Tilak Varma will miss the first three T20Is following groin surgery. The growing list of unavailable players has added pressure on the team management as they aim to manage workloads without compromising performance.

Also READ: Top 3 cricketers with most Player of the Match awards in ODIs ft. Virat Kohli

NEW DELHI: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday successfully flight tested third generation Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM), which has a top attack capability against a moving target.A video released from a desert test range shows a successful missile firing during a weapons trial conducted in the KK Ranges at Ahilya Nagar in Maharashtra.The footage opened with a side-rear camera view of a two-member crew positioned behind a tripod-mounted launcher, which was already elevated and locked onto the target.Moments later, the missile was fired with a bright orange-white plume and a sharp muzzle flash as the rocket motor ignited. It exited the launcher rapidly and climbed steeply, indicating a top-attack flight profile rather than a direct, flat trajectory. In the mid-flight phase, tracking footage showed the missile arcing high across the desert sky, leaving behind a thin smoke trail.In the terminal phase, captured by a separate impact camera, the missile descended almost vertically onto a designated target, believed to be an armoured vehicle or tank mock-up placed on the range. The impact triggered a bright explosion, followed by a fireball, thick black smoke, and flying debris, demonstrating a precise strike on the target’s upper surface and a successful warhead detonation.MPATGM, a shoulder-launched, portable missile system, is specifically designed to counter enemy tanks and armoured vehicles. Weighing approximately 14.5 kg, with an additional 14.25 kg for the command launch unit (CLU), the missile is a lightweight, cylindrical weapon featuring two sets of four radial fins. Its high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shaped charge warhead, combined with an operational range of 200 to 4,000 metres, makes it a formidable asset on the battlefield. The indigenously developed MPATGM consists of state-of-the-art indigenous technologies like Imaging Infrared (IIR) Homing Seeker, all electric Control Actuation System, Fire Control System, Tandem Warhead, propulsion system and high performance sighting system, which are developed by DRDO’s sister laboratories.

‘Dhurandhar’ has carried its remarkable momentum into the sixth weekend, despite facing competition from Prabhas starrer ‘The Raja Saab’. The Aditya Dhar directorial has done better than the Prabhas starrer in the Hindi belt. The film made Rs 51.25 crore in week five and entered its six week. On Friday, it did get affected by the release of ‘The Raja Saab’ and made only Rs 3.5 crore.Dhurandhar Movie Review However, the reviews for the Prabhas starrer were not very good and the film saw a drop of 50 percent as compared to Friday. ‘The Raja Saab’ had collected Rs 53 crore on day 1, while on day 2, Saturday, it made Rs 26 crore. On Sunday, day 3, it made Rs 19.1 crore. On Monday, till afternoon, it has made Rs. 1.37 crore. The usual decline in numbers on Monday is expected. The total collection of ‘The Raja Saab‘ now in India, according to Sacnilk is Rs. 109.37 crore.

Meanwhile, ‘Dhurandhar‘ made Rs 5.75 crore and Rs 6.15 on its sixth Saturday and Sunday respectively, which is still great. On 6th Monday, it has made Rs. 0.45 crore till afternoon. The total collection of the film is now Rs. 806.1 crore according to Sacnilk. As per trade website Box Office India, ‘Dhurandhar’ will finish roughly Rs 40 crore nett ahead of ‘Pushpa 2’. While the film still trails ‘Pushpa 2’ in circuits such as Mumbai, CPCI Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, and Odisha, the biggest surprise lies in Mysore/Karnataka, where ‘Dhurandhar’ is set to surpass the business of ‘Pushpa 2’.This achievement is particularly striking because ‘Dhurandhar’ released only in Hindi in Mysore/Karnataka, whereas ‘Pushpa 2’ had a much wider presence with multiple language versions, including the local Kannada release.

Total Chess World Championship Tour

NEW DELHI: Last week was anything but ordinary in the chaotic realm of elite chess, not because of a single blockbuster match, table slamming, or another jaw-dropping off-the-board spat, but due to the sudden proliferation of “World Championships”. Within days of each other, two major announcements landed on the global chessboard. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!On one side was the Total Chess World Championship Tour, a collaboration between Norway Chess and FIDE, which unveiled the list of 16 players eligible to receive invitations for its 2026 pilot event scheduled for 3–15 October later this year. Almost simultaneously, FIDE, in partnership with Freestyle Chess, launched the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship, which splashed water on the burning, long-standing tussle.

The optics are impossible to ignore. Two “world championship” labels with similar promises of global reach and big prize money.For now, the Total Chess World Championship Tour remains officially a work in progress. The 2026 edition has been clearly designated as a pilot, meant to test the concept, format and regulations. The first full-fledged Tour season, culminating in the crowning of an official Total Chess World Champion, is slated for 2027. But even at the announcement stage, comparisons with Freestyle Chess were unavoidable, especially given that Freestyle Chess ran its own Grand Slam last year using a tour-style format.

Jan Henric Buettner, co-founder and CEO of Freestyle Chess, is candid about how deceptively simple such ideas appear from the outside.“When I heard about it, I thought, okay, it’s interesting,” Buettner told TimesofIndia.com from South Africa during an exclusive interaction. “But in the end, it’s much more difficult than it looks from the outset to start a tour. I can really say that from my own experience.”Buettner believes that while the Total Chess Tour announcement made waves, execution is where the real test lies. “Especially when you want to put out prize money in that range, and you want to be on four continents and so on,” he said. “In their public communication, it feels a little bit like a copy and paste of what we have done, from prize funding, going around the world, and so on.”That perception has also spilled onto social media, where players and fans have reacted with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

Buettner referenced Indian grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi’s light-hearted video poking fun at the growing maze of formats and World Championship titles. “It’s so complex,” Buettner said. “There’s a lot of confusion about how it is and so on.”Still, he stops short of dismissing the Total Chess Tour as mere imitation. “In the end, we wish them good luck,” he told this website. “Maybe it even opened FIDE up to say, ‘Okay, we can create more world championship titles.’”Significantly, Buettner also pointed out that, as of now, much about the Total Chess Tour remains undefined. “They’re talking about a pilot tournament, and then maybe they’re going to get a tour together with sponsors and so on. They just announced the players who have qualified, but we still don’t know the location, what exactly they’re doing.”Home advantage, he feels, could make an early difference. But major challenges lie outside those four walls.“Maybe they do it in Norway for the first time, and then it’s their home turf,” Buettner said. “But it’s a totally different thing to organise tournaments on other continents. I can surely tell that from experience: being in the US, in Africa, in Paris. Doing it at home or somewhere else is not the same.”Those words carry weight. TimesofIndia.com can confirm that Freestyle Chess was keen to host a Grand Slam leg in India last year, but the plan fell through due to a lack of interest from Indian sponsors.Yet Buettner is surprisingly open-minded about the future coexistence of formats. “After this new development, it might even be a good thing,” he said. “They can do their tour, and maybe the winner of their tour also has a qualification for the World Championship in Freestyle Chess. Why not? I’m open to anything.”Away from formats and formats wars, Buettner himself has been at the centre of speculation for the last few months. In June last year, TimesofIndia.com reported that he would step down as CEO of Freestyle Chess on July 1, transitioning to an Executive Chairman role while COO Thomas Harsch took over daily operations. That handover, however, did not materialise.“I’m not the person who leaves something that’s not in the right place,” Buettner clarified. “When we planned the transition, we were not anywhere near complete. So my plan now is to do this World Championship and then hand it over to somebody else, so we can present new leadership for season two.”Whether the Total Chess World Championship Tour can escape the copy-cat label, or whether the chess world will ultimately embrace parallel pathways, will only be decided once the clocks are started and the tours actually roll out.

BENGALURU: What was first believed to be a tragic death in a house fire has now been uncovered as a brutal murder.A second-year pre-university student has been arrested for the killing of a 34-year-old software engineer in east Bengaluru earlier this month. Police said the accused allegedly smothered the woman after she resisted his advances and then set fire to her flat in a calculated attempt to erase evidence.The victim, Sharmila Kushalappa, a native of Mangaluru, worked with Accenture and lived alone in a rented flat in Subramanya Layout, Ramamurthynagar. On the night of Jan 3, she was found unconscious inside her locked two-bedroom apartment after a fire broke out. She was later declared dead, with initial suspicion pointing to smoke inhalation — a theory that investigators would soon prove wrong. The accused, Karnal Kurai K, a IInd-year PU student at a private college and from Arasunagar in Virajpet town of Kodagu district, lived with his mother in the same building, next door to Sharmila’s flat on the second floor. He has been arrested and remanded to three days of police custody.According to police, the case took a decisive turn after forensic and postmortem findings contradicted the initial assumption that Sharmila had died due to smoke inhalation. Ramamurthynagar police had received a complaint from Sharmila’s friend, K Rohit, who suspected foul play after learning of her death.On the night of the incident, at 10.30pm, the building owner alerted the fire department after noticing smoke coming from Sharmila’s flat. Fire personnel broke open the locked door and doused the flames. Sharmila was found lying motionless near the kitchen and was rushed to hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.Investigators said injuries on her hands and visible signs of a struggle at the scene raised doubts. During autopsy, doctors found that the injuries were inflicted prior to the fire and were inconsistent with accidental burns. Medical opinion indicated that Sharmila had been smothered just before she lost consciousness.Based on this, police narrowed their probe and detained Karnal for questioning. He reportedly confessed to the crime. A police officer said Karnal entered Sharmila’s flat through a sliding window at 9pm. When confronted, he expressed his desire towards her, which she resisted, shouting at him to leave. Enraged by the rejection, he allegedly held her mouth and nose shut, causing her to lose consciousness.Police said bloodstains from her mouth and nose were found on her clothes. To destroy this evidence, the accused allegedly removed the clothes and set them on fire before escaping through the same window. The fire later spread to other parts of the flat.

Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli once again proved his unmatched composure under pressure as he guided India to a thrilling four-wicket win over New Zealand in the first ODI at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday. Kohli’s masterful 93 off 91 balls earned him the Player of the Match award and handed India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Chasing a competitive target of 301, India leaned heavily on Kohli’s experience as wickets fell at regular intervals. Calm, calculated, and authoritative, the former captain paced the innings perfectly, reminding fans why he remains the backbone of India’s ODI batting lineup.

Virat Kohli anchors India’s chase with classic ODI masterclass

India’s pursuit of New Zealand’s 300 for 8 began on an uncertain note, but Kohli steadied the innings with trademark assurance. Mixing caution with controlled aggression, he struck eight fours and one six, expertly handling the Black Caps’ varied bowling attack.

Crucial partnerships defined the chase. Kohli added stability alongside Shubman Gill, who contributed a brisk 56, before adding 77-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 49 off 47 balls.

New Zealand’s bowlers tested Kohli with movement and clever changes of pace, but the veteran batter’s shot selection and awareness neutralized the pressure, reaffirming his reputation as one of the finest chasers in the modern game.

Player of the Match award brings out Kohli’s humble side

While Kohli’s batting stole the show, it was his post-match comments that won hearts. Asked about his ever-growing collection of Player of the Match trophies – now numbering around 71 across formats – Kohli admitted he doesn’t keep track of them.

“I honestly don’t know how many I have,” he said with a smile, adding that officials could simply send the latest award to his mother in Gurgaon. The remark offered a rare glimpse into Kohli’s grounded nature and close family ties, even as his career continues to scale historic heights.

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Where Virat Kohli’s awards really go?

Kohli’s light-hearted confession shed light on an interesting detail of his career: there is no personal trophy room at his residence. Instead, most of his individual honours reportedly find their way to his family home in Gurgaon, where they are carefully preserved.

“I send it to my mum in Gurgaon, she likes to keep them. If I look back at my whole journey then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me,” stated Kohli.

The India great now boasts over 71 international Player of the Match awards, including 45 in ODIs, 16 in T20Is, and 10 in Tests – second only to Sachin Tendulkar. Memorable performances include multiple match-winning efforts against Pakistan in ICC events and iconic chases such as his unbeaten 82 in the 2022 T20 World Cup.