CHENNAI: At least eight people, including a budding Tamil actress and an assistant director in the Tamil film industry, were arrested on Thursday after the Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit (ANIU) South team seized methamphetamine and ganja from them in Valasaravakkam. Police said Anju Krishna has acted in the Tamil film Vellimalai and in a few Malayalam films, while Vincy Nivetha worked as an assistant director in a Tamil film.Following a tip off received by inspector Johnny Chellappa of the ANIU (South) team, police apprehended Vigneshwaran, 33, of Nesapakkam and questioned him. During interrogation, he said he procured narcotic substances from Venkatesh Kumar, 31, of Kovur near Porur.

Police sent a decoy customer to Venkatesh Kumar and intercepted him when his car came near a landmark in Valasaravakkam. Police then searched the car and arrested him along his associates Karthik Raja, 31, of Kovur, Yashwanth, 25, of Kattupakkam, Sriram, 33, of West Mambalam, Alvibinsha, 27, of Kovilambakkam, Vincy Nivetha, 26, of Vadapalani, and Anju Krishna, 30, of Vadapalani.Police also seized six grams of methamphetamine, 7 grams of OG ganja, 15 grams of ganja, a smoking bong, a stamp, and nine mobile phones. The arrested people and the seized materials were handed over to the Valasaravakkam police for further investigation.They were all produced before a magistrate court in the city and remanded in judicial custody.

MUMBAI: The RBI is proposing to compensate customers for losses arising from small-value digital frauds, with payouts of up to Rs 25,000, as part of a broader overhaul of consumer protection rules amid rising risks from mis-selling, cyber fraud and aggressive loan recovery practices. The e-fraud compensation will be for 85% of the loss amount or Rs 25000 whichever is less and will be a once-in-lifetime benefit for those who have lost money including those who have shared one-time passwords.Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank has reviewed its 2017 framework on limiting customer liability in unauthorised electronic banking transactions, citing rapid technological adoption in banking and payments since then. “Accordingly, the draft revised instructions, including a framework for compensation in case of small value fraudulent transactions, shall be issued shortly for public consultation,” he said.Malhotra said that ideally customers should learn from the mistakes of others but in the case of first-time victims, RBI has decided to compensate 70% of the amount with the balance 30% of the loss being equally borne by the bank and customer.Alongside digital frauds, the Reserve Bank of India is tightening norms to curb mis-selling of financial products by regulated entities. Malhotra said mis-selling has “significant consequences for both customers as well as the regulated entity,” and stressed the need to ensure that third-party products sold at bank counters are suitable for customers and aligned with their risk appetite. “There is a felt need to ensure that third party products and services that are being sold at the bank counters are suitable to customer needs and are commensurate with the risk appetite of individual clients,” he said.To address this, the RBI plans to issue comprehensive instructions covering advertising, marketing and sales of financial products and services. “The draft instructions in this regard shall be issued shortly for public consultation,” the governor said.The central bank will also review and harmonise rules governing loan recovery and the engagement of recovery agents, an area that has drawn frequent customer complaints. At present, different categories of regulated entities follow different conduct-related instructions. “It has now been decided to review and harmonise all the extant conduct related instructions on engagement of recovery agents and other aspects related to recovery of loans,” Malhotra said, adding that draft norms will be released for public feedback.The proposed measures signal a sharper regulatory focus on consumer protection as financial institutions expand digital offerings and distribution of third-party products.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that the Men in Blue are pressing ahead with their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, regardless of Pakistan‘s threat to boycott their marquee clash. The rivalry, often the crown jewel of any global tournament, is currently mired in a diplomatic stalemate after the Pakistan government directed its team to skip the February 15 fixture in Colombo.

Suryakumar Yadav sets the record straight on Pakistan’s potential boycott of T20 World Cup 2026 fixture

Speaking with characteristic composure at the pre-tournament captain’s press conference on February 5, 2026, Suryakumar addressed the elephant in the room with absolute clarity. He emphasized that India is adhering strictly to the ICC-approved schedule and has no intention of backing away from the high-stakes encounter.

“Our mindset is very clear. We haven’t said no to playing them; they are the ones who’ve said no. Our flights are booked, and we are going to Colombo. Our fixtures are ready, first USA, then Canada, and then we are off to Colombo,” Suryakumar stated firmly. He dismissed any talk of preparation shifts, noting that India is ready to fulfill every tournament obligation.

While Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha reiterated that the decision to boycott is a government directive beyond the players’ control, Suryakumar highlighted that India will be at the R. Premadasa Stadium as scheduled. Under ICC regulations, if the Indian team is present for the coin toss and Pakistan fails to appear, the match will be declared a forfeit. This would award India two points and significantly damage Pakistan’s Net Run Rate (NRR), as a forfeit is often treated as a loss with maximum negative statistical impact, a blow that could end Pakistan’s tournament hopes before the Super 8s.

Also READ: MS Dhoni shares his honest views on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s ODI World Cup 2027 prospects

India’s dominant form and the road to the title

The boycott drama comes at a time when India is arguably the most formidable T20I side in the world. Since their historic 2024 World Cup triumph, the team has undergone a seamless transition under Suryakumar’s leadership. India enter this tournament following a record-breaking 2024 and 2025 season, maintaining a staggering win percentage of over 90%. With young stars like Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma firing alongside veterans like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the defending champions are widely favoured to retain their crown.

India’s path through Group A is strategically structured:

• February 7: vs. USA (Mumbai)
• February 12: vs. Namibia (New Delhi)
• February 15: vs. Pakistan (Colombo)
• February 18: vs. Netherlands (Ahmedabad)

While the February 15 clash in Colombo remains the biggest talking point, the Indian camp remains focused on the task at hand. If both teams progress, they could meet again in the knockouts, leaving Agha’s side in a precarious position. For now, India stand ready to play, leaving the ball and the political fallout firmly in Pakistan’s court.

Also READ: Shehbaz Sharif breaks silence on why Pakistan won’t face India in T20 World Cup 2026

US President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a self-branded prescription drug website, “TrumpRx,” which the administration says will help Americans access discounted medicines directly from the pharmaceutical companies. This includes discounted rates for weight-loss and infertility treatments.“Starting tonight, dozens of the most commonly used prescription drugs will be available at dramatic discounts for all consumers,” Trump said, unveiling the website at a brief evening event on the White House campus. “Americans have long been paying the highest drug prices anywhere in the world… the American people were effectively subsidising the cost of drugs for the entire world.”He further added, “You’re going to save a fortune. And this is also so good for overall health care.”Trump said the lower prices are the result of his administration pressuring pharmaceutical companies to offer “most favoured nation” pricing — matching the lowest prices offered in other developed countries.“We’re tired of subsidising the world,” he said, arguing that price cuts in the US would be offset by higher costs abroad.

What is TrumpRx?

Despite being billed as a way to buy drugs “directly,” TrumpRx is not itself an e-commerce platform. Instead, the government-hosted site functions as a facilitator.Users can search for a medication. They are then routed to drugmakers’ websites to purchase, or can print coupons to present at pharmacies.The site launches with savings offers covering more than 40 medications, including high-demand weight-loss drugs and fertility treatments.Trump cast the initiative as part of a broader push to lower healthcare costs, a major voter concern. This comes ahead of the Republicans heading into November’s midterm elections with affordability pressures extending beyond medicine to housing, groceries and utilities.The White House and Trump allies promoted eye-catching discounts for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, with Trump saying Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Wegovy would drop from over $1,000 a month to $199 monthly through the program.The TrumpRx website indicates the discounted pricing may apply initially and then rise after the first two months, according to details posted on the site.Officials also used the event to spotlight fertility-drug discounts, bringing a woman on stage whom they said was the first user to obtain a reduced-cost fertility medication through TrumpRx.Dr Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, suggested the initiative could have sweeping public-health effects, at one point saying, “We’re going to have a lot of Trump babies with these costs.”However, the practical impact on household budgets remains uncertain.The site includes disclaimers that the listed figures represent “out-of-pocket” prices and that insured consumers “may be even lower” through existing coverage.Many patients already receive drug-cost protection through employer plans, private insurance marketplaces, or government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and some may be able to switch to less expensive generics depending on the prescription.The launch follows months of announcements by Trump about drug-price deals with major manufacturers, including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Merck, and comes after multiple delays to the website’s release that the administration has not publicly explained.Trump has also pointed to separate efforts to lower prices for certain Medicare drugs through a negotiation program created by a 2022 law, which his administration has continued to use alongside the new TrumpRx rollout.

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday kept the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, with the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voting unanimously to maintain status quo while modestly revising up its near-term growth and inflation forecasts.Following the decision, the standing deposit facility rate remains at 5%, while the marginal standing facility rate and the bank rate stay at 5.5%. The MPC also retained its neutral stance.Explaining the decision, the RBI governor said external headwinds have intensified since the last policy meeting, driven by geopolitical frictions and rising trade tensions. However, he noted that domestic macroeconomic conditions remain supportive. “The MPC was of the view that the current policy rate is appropriate and accordingly voted to continue with the existing policy rate,” he said.On growth, the RBI raised its projections for the first half of the next financial year. Real GDP growth for 2025–26 remains unchanged at 7.4%. For 2026–27, growth in the April–June quarter is now projected at 6.9%, up 20 basis points from the earlier estimate of 6.7%, while growth in the July–September quarter has been revised up by 20 basis points to 7%. The central bank deferred its full-year growth forecast for 2026–27 to the April policy review, citing the upcoming release of a new GDP series.RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra said the Indian economy continues on a “steadily improving trajectory”, supported by private consumption and fixed investment despite a challenging global environment. He added that high capacity utilisation, improving corporate performance and continued emphasis on infrastructure spending should support investment activity.Inflation forecasts were also nudged up for the first half of the next financial year. CPI inflation for 2025–26 is now projected at 2.1%, with inflation in the March quarter pegged at 3.2%. For 2026–27, inflation in Q1 has been revised up by 10 basis points to 4%, while Q2 inflation has been raised by 20 basis points to 4.2%. The governor attributed the upward revision largely to higher prices of precious metals, noting that underlying inflation pressures remain muted.He cautioned, however, that geopolitical uncertainty, volatility in energy prices and adverse weather events pose upside risks to inflation. He also flagged unfavourable base effects from the sharp decline in prices in Q4 of 2024–25, which are expected to push up year-on-year inflation in the final quarter of the current year.On the external front, the RBI said India’s merchandise exports grew 1.9% year-on-year in Q3 of 2025–26, while imports rose 7.9%, leading to a widening trade deficit. The governor said robust services exports and inward remittances should keep the current account deficit moderate and sustainable.He added that the recently concluded India–EU free trade agreement and a prospective India–US trade deal, along with other trade pacts, are expected to support exports over the medium term and integrate India more deeply into global value chains.Capital flows remained mixed, with foreign portfolio investors recording net outflows of $5.8 billion till February 3, even as foreign direct investment inflows stayed robust. India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $723.8 billion as on January 30, providing import cover of over 11 months.On liquidity, the governor said the RBI had undertaken further durable liquidity-augmenting measures in January and February in response to the cumulative 125 basis points cut in the repo rate so far, and would remain proactive to ensure adequate liquidity and smooth transmission of monetary policy.

File Pic: Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma

MUMBAI: When Team India lines up for the National Anthem at the Wankhede Stadium prior to their T20 World Cup opener against USA on Saturday, they will be watching former captain Rohit Sharma place the coveted trophy — which he lifted on June 29, 2024 in Barbados — on the podium. Rohit is the tournament ambassador for this edition of the World Cup.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!While his selfless explosiveness as opener is being probably matched by another Sharma, in Abhishek, one wonders whether Rohit, who has been part of every T20 World Cup since 2007, will be missed more as a leader. Of course, under Suryakumar Yadav too, India have built up a stellar record in the shortest format.

In a pressure-soaked environment of a home World Cup though, Rohit, who often was the zen architect with excellent man-management skills, coupled with tactical empathy for his bowlers and clutch composure, will probably be on SKY’s speed dial during the course of the event.Former India pacer and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who combined superbly with head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma for three ICC events (2022 T20 WC, 2023 ODI WC and 2024 T20 WC), feels the current regime’s pragmatic approach is based on the reality that Rohit is not with the squad. “The question of missing him does not arise.”Mhambrey, though, hails the impact of Rohit the captain, especially when India ended an 11-year ICC trophy drought in the USA and West Indies. He also endorsed Jasprit Bumrah’s views of Rohit as a “bowler’s captain”, who allows the bowlers to set fields and steps in only when their plans do not work. Paras explains the reasons why he became such a bowler’s captain, despite being such a destructive and classy opening batter who prioritised impact over milestones.

“He was completely involved during bowlers’ meetings. When you’re the captain and are playing a World Cup, there’s so many other things happening. Yet, he gave so much of his time to the bowlers and to us as coaches. He was there for discussions. That gave us great communication on the field, knowing the captain was very clear with plans. The bowlers were locked in on them too. If things didn’t work out, he h a d o p t i o n s ready. And what really makes great captains is instincts to read situations and rely on an option which is contrary to the popular one.”That perhaps explains the way he rotated his resources in two high-stakes encounters in the 2024 T20 WC. In the defence of 119 in the league phase vs Pakistan in New York, he kept holding Bumrah back rather than use him up in desperate search of wickets on a pitch that had begun to ease out. Conversely, in the final, when South Africa needed 30 off 30 balls with six wickets left in Barbados, he used Bumrah in the 16th and 18th over, rather than waiting for him to bowl the 18th and 20th.Paras feels the bowlers and the team look for calmness in the leader when things are not going well, and that is something which Rohit gave them. “Rohit is not very expressive and exudes a calm body language. That dilutes pressure and stops it from getting transferred to the bowler. In that game vs Pakistan, despite him wanting the bowlers to defend 120 and look for wickets, he never looked desperate.”Apart from prioritising high batting tempo in the powerplay, the Rohit-Rahul Dravid era will also go down in history probably as India’s most data-driven think-tank. Paras conforms to that view and highlights how Rohit often called Hari Prasad Mohan, the analyst, late at night before games during the WC, saying he needed data on some player.“Another fab guy, Hari, who worked very hard behind the scenes. During conversations, he used to often tell me and Rahul: ‘Rohit called me late at night, wanting a particular bit of data.’ Just shows how much Rohit was thinking all the time,” Paras stresses.The challenge, though, in team environments is often making people see your point of view or buy into what plans you have. Data, something which Rohit was heavily invested in, was one aspect. How did he make others accept the fact that data is important and filter it in a way that did not complicate things? “I don’t think anyone told him that they weren’t comfortable with data,” reveals Paras, and adds that he had the gift of filtering information in a way that the bowlers felt comfortable using. “Maybe, individual X wanted to know four points. Someone else wanted to know only two, depending on what stage of the game he was bowling and to whom. He addressed both quite well.”While SKY has imbibed most things from Rohit’s captaincy style, Paras feels it would be wrong to compare individuals. “When you entrust a captain with responsibility, you got to allow him to function the way he wants. Not every game will run the way you want it to run, but as long as you are consistent with your thought processes, things should be fine.”

—Stats: Rajesh Kumar

Bollywood actor Rajpal Naurang Yadav on Thursday surrendered before the Tihar Jail authorities after the Delhi High Court refused to extend the deadline granted to him in connection with his conviction in multiple cheque dishonour cases.“He surrendered before the jail authorities at 4 pm on Thursday. Now the jail authorities will follow the standard operating procedure,” a jail source was quoted as saying by PTI.

Court refuses to extend surrender deadline

The Delhi High Court had, on Wednesday, declined Yadav’s plea seeking more time to surrender. His counsel informed the court that the actor had arranged Rs 50 lakh and requested a week’s extension to deposit the amount.However, Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma rejected the application, stating that there was no ground to grant further relief. Yadav had earlier been directed to surrender by 4 pm on February 4, 2026.

Final attempt to avoid imprisonment rejected

On Thursday, the High Court rejected Yadav’s final attempt to avoid imprisonment and made it clear that no further hearing would be granted unless the actor first surrendered before the jail authorities. The court noted that the direction followed repeated violations of undertakings given by Yadav regarding payment of settlement amounts to the complainant company.Senior counsel appearing for the actor submitted that Yadav was willing to deposit Rs 25 lakh immediately and that both parties had tentatively agreed on a repayment schedule for the remaining dues. The court, however, declined to grant any relief.Justice Sharma observed that since Yadav had failed to comply with the earlier surrender order, he would be heard only after he hands himself over to the jail authorities.

‘Repeated breach of undertakings’

Following the court’s observation, Yadav’s counsel informed the bench that the actor would surrender at Tihar Jail later in the day. The court clarified that after surrendering, Yadav would be at liberty to file an appropriate application in accordance with law.The High Court noted that the leniency earlier extended to Yadav had been withdrawn due to repeated breaches of undertakings. The sentence awarded by the trial court had been suspended in June 2024 solely to facilitate a settlement between the parties.However, the court recorded that despite multiple opportunities and clear timelines, Yadav failed to honour commitments involving payments running into several crores of rupees. Even partial payments promised through demand drafts and instalment schedules were not deposited within the stipulated time.Rejecting explanations citing technical or typographical errors in demand drafts, the court held that such reasons did not inspire confidence, especially given the consistent pattern of default.

Amounts to be released to complainant

Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma also took adverse note of the fact that undertakings were given in open court through senior counsel and that additional time was granted based on the actor’s instructions. Despite this, no effective compliance followed.Taking note of the admitted liability and repeated non-compliance, the High Court declined to extend any further indulgence and directed that the amounts already deposited with the Registrar General be released in favour of the complainant company.