NEW DELHI: Bike-borne shooters unleashed a hail of gunfire on a businessman’s car and house in Rohini in a brazen extortion attempt on Friday evening. The men fired over two dozen rounds, leaving the vehicle riddled with bullets.The shooting occurred days after the businessman of cardboard and real estate got an extortion call that demanded Rs 3 crore.Investigators believe the daring strike marks the resurgence of gangster Himanshu Bhau, signalling that his syndicate had returned to business following a brief hiatus. Bhau is believed to be in the US.Police are also probing if a local gang was trying to misuse Bhau’s name to extract money from the businessman. Sources, however, said that the modus operandi, marked by excessive use of bullets, was indicative of Bhau’s involvement.The incident – reported to police in a PCR call at 5.23 pm – left the blue Toyota Innova with a shattered front windscreen. The businessman escaped without any injury. Around 25 bullet marks were found at the spot.The groundwork for the attack seems to have been laid between Dec 26 and 29 last year when the complainant received multiple WhatsApp calls and voice messages from an international number. “A caller, identifying as a major gangster, demanded a substantial sum of money and issued threats,” a senior police officer said. The victim initially did not report the threats to the authorities, mistaking it for a prank.In the wake of the incident, the cops at the local Begumpur police station registered an FIR on charges of extortion and attempted murder. “Crime and forensic science laboratory (FSL) teams were dispatched to the scene to collect the empty cartridges and other evidence to identify the calibre of the weapons that were used,” a cop added.Bhau and his close aide, Sahil Ritolia, were declared absconders by a court, and a red notice was issued by Interpol against them. A request for their trial in absentia was also moved before the court, allowing the trial to proceed even in the absence of the accused.The cops tried to bring back Bhau and Ritolia for over two years. Bhau was briefly held in the US last year on a request by Indian agencies but was let off for lack of proven charges, sources said.Last Oct, 10 members of this gang were booked under MCOCA by the crime branch. Originally from Haryana’s Rohtak, Bhau was active in Delhi since 2022. He got a passport made on forged documents in 2022 and fled to Dubai, then to Portugal and now to the US.
British broadcaster and television personality Narinder Kaur has called for immigrants to be given fair chances as the UK enters 2026, sharing a personal story about her father’s life and hard work.In a post on X, Kaur wrote that she normally would not share a photo and the early life of her father as a poor immigrant, but this time made an exception only to speak out against growing anti-immigrant rhetoric. “My dad came from India in the early 60s and went straight into hard labour. No help. Not a penny given. Double shifts at the steel foundry for YEARS. The kind of work that ruins your body and shortens your life. Heat, noise, pain, exhaustion—day after day. He didn’t get a choice,” she said.
Kaur described how her father and uncles endured racism and hardship in the British land but survived, saving money and building a life in a foreign place. “Every shift he worked went into that shop in Newcastle. That shop didn’t come from luck, talk, or ideas. It came from steel work, double shifts and pain… Earned with his body,” she wrote, adding that the whole family contributed to the business, including Kaur and her siblings.Kaur explained that so much physical labour can take a toll on any person, and said that her parents and uncle died young because of it. “No—the generation of immigrants back then weren’t different to the new. The new immigrants ALSO are desperate to work and make a life for themselves,” she said.Kaur concluded by urging a change in how immigrants are viewed in 2026. “This narrative must change and we must give others a chance,” she said. She highlighted every instance of resilience, dedication, and contribution of immigrant families to British society.
MI Emirates will be up against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in qualifier two of the International League T20. This article provides details about Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ Playing 11 vs MI Emirates for the match in question.
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, led by Jason Holder, would eye a spot in the final of the ILT20 season four courtesy of a win against the MI Emirates in the second qualifier.
ADKR would hope for the players to replicate the same performance that they delivered in the Eliminator against the Dubai Capitals.
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For that to happen, the team would bank on its openers to get them off to a good start in the first six overs so as to lay a platform for the middle order batters to capatalize on and put on a strong performance to get the opposition bowlers under pressure.
In addition to that, ADKR would also wish for Philip Saly and Michael Pepper to score runs individually as well in order to be in good rhythm for the final against the in-form Desert Vipers.
If the opening duo is able to do what is required of it, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will have a good chance of posting an above-par total on the board while batting first.
Liam Livingstone, Alex Hales, and Andre Russel are the names that make up ADKR’s middle order, a force to reckon with against a strong bowling lineup that MI Emirates possesses.
The above mentioned abtters will be assisted by Alishan Sharfu and Brandon McMullan, along with captain Jason Holder, who will play a vital role with the bat lower down the order and with the ball.
The responsibility will be on the top five batters to shoulder the weight of run scoring and get the majority of the team’s runs.
Every ADKR batter will have to put his hand up and make a decisive contribution whenever he comes to bat, and help the team post a challenging total or chase whatever target is set by the opposition.
As far as ADKR’s bowling is concerned, it comprises of expierenced bowlers like Sunil Narine, Pyush Chawla, captain Jason Holder, and Andre Russell.
The quartet of bowlers will be supported by Ajay Kumar, who has impressed everyone with his bowling and will look to bowl a match-winning spell in the next game to get his team over the line and with that a place inthe final of the six-team competition.
The spin duo of Pyush Chawla and Sunil Narine would wish to get dry conditions to bowl as both bowlers will play a vital role in the game, given the rich vein of expierence that they carry.
Other than Ajay Kumar, Jason Holder, and Andre Russell will take care of the team’s fast bowling department, with Holder expected to partner with Ajay in the powerplay.
NEW DELHI: In a major boost for electronics manufacturing, the Centre has cleared 22 new proposals – including from Samsung, Foxconn, Tata Electronics and Dixon – for component manufacturing entailing investments of nearly Rs 42,000 crore.The investments under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) are projected to result in domestic production of Rs 2.6 lakh crore in the coming years and reduce the reliance on imports. In recent years, electronics manufacturing, including mobile phones and computers, has increased in the country but imports haven’t come down as the manufacturers rely on components produced in other countries, especially China.Companies such as Apple are stepping up iPhone production in India, positioning it as a rival base to China and its vendors, including Foxconn, Tata Electronics, ATL Battery Tech, Hindalco Industries and Motherson Electronic Components, are among those investing under the new scheme.While a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme helped boost electronics manufacturing, the components programme is likely to augment that. The scheme will see the production of printed circuit boards, capacitors, enclosures and lithium-ion cells among the 11 categories.While four facilities each will be in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana (three each) are the other major production centres under the scheme.
Looking to cut import dependence
Govt had earlier cleared proposals in two tranches – seven projects with investment of Rs 5,500 crore and then 17 proposals entailing investment of Rs 7,172 crore.IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Centre’s focus on major reforms, enabling policies, and efficient and speedy execution of projects and initiatives have helped generate investments and the “results are clearly visible, sector after sector.”He also said that four chip companies will start commercial production this year, and almost all the top automobile and telecom companies will source semiconductors from them.“The plants which started pilot production last year, they are the ones that will get into commercial production earlier, which is Kaynes and CG Semi. Micron has also started pilot production very recently. They will also go next month. Tata plant in Assam will start pilot production by middle of the year, and by the end of the year they will start the commercial production,” Vaishnaw said.
Just like Virat Kohli’s recent domestic matches, Indian ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill’s upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy game will also be played without fans in the stands. It will be Gill’s first domestic game since being dropped from India’s T20 World Cup squad.Gill will turn out for Punjab against Sikkim on Saturday at the Jaipuria College ground, but no general public will be allowed to watch the match from inside the venue.
The decision has been taken following BCCI guidelines. According to the board’s instructions, both Shubman Gill and India pacer Arshdeep Singh will feature in Punjab’s next two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. Punjab will face Sikkim on January 3 and Goa on January 6. While the match against Goa will be played at the KL Saini Stadium, the Sikkim game has been scheduled at the Jaipuria College ground. Due to security concerns and the absence of proper seating arrangements for spectators, the match will be held behind closed doors. A BCCI source explained that only people associated with the college will be allowed entry. “The students and staff are allowed inside the premises but there will be enough security arrangements including private bouncers being deployed. In any case, no outsiders will be allowed inside the college premises,” the source told PTI.“The scheduling was done much earlier. Only because of Rohit Sharma and anticipating the response, Mumbai’s match had to be shifted to Sawai Man Singh Stadium from Anantam,” the source added. Like the Vijay Hazare Trophy games featuring Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Gill’s match will also not be available for fans to watch on television or online. There will be no live broadcast or live streaming of the game. Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh are expected to reach the venue late on Friday night. Their travel plans were affected due to poor weather conditions in north India. “Both Gill and Arshdeep were supposed to arrive by evening but prevailing weather condition in North India has led to delay of their flights. Weather permitting, they will arrive by late night,” the source said. With fans unable to attend or watch the match live, Gill’s appearance for Punjab will remain a low-key affair. However, the game will still be important for Punjab as they continue their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with two key international players returning to domestic cricket.
If only wishes were horses. After honouring his commitment to the Barmy Army and England cricket fans and gifting them with a two-day win in Melbourne in the fourth Test to make the Ashes appear a bit more competitive, dear old Santa travelled to India, sneaked into the room of a diehard Indian cricket fan and on New Year’s Day, asked him to make a fan wishlist for Indian cricket for 2026. Here’s what Santa found…Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!1. Since it’s all about the fan, can we be a bit selfish? Can you please tell the BCCI that, after the players, we are the biggest stakeholders and that if we don’t watch the games on TV or throng the stadiums, the product they show and advertise looks really bad? So, can you please tell them to provide us with cleaner toilets when we come to the stadiums and access to clean drinking water — either free or at a reasonable price? Oh, we hope we are not asking for too much.
2. We really care about Indian cricket and how it is represented globally. Can we ask for a single person in charge to run the game, rather than honorary administrators who try to do an honest job but, because of the nature of the role, often face no accountability when things go wrong?3. Can we have luminaries without agendas as director of cricket or CEO and give them the freedom to run the show? Let them plan the ‘A’ tours, run camps for junior and senior players before major home or away series, decide on player workloads and have the power to pull players out of lucrative franchise leagues to keep them fresh for important red-ball assignments. Doesn’t Indian cricket deserve that level of efficiency and accountability? Doesn’t the Test cricket fan deserve to see the game played in six or seven fixed venues that have a history of watching and appreciating the nuances of Test cricket? Also, can we please say goodbye to Test-match pitches where wickets and wins are delivered faster than quick-commerce apps deliver our goods?
Poll
What is the most important demand from Indian cricket fans for 2026?
4. We know leaks in bathrooms and water tanks often result in discoloured walls and damaged foundations. Please tell players, coaches and the administrators, of course, to avoid leaking information to select media outlets just to level scores with people they do not like. The past year saw too many dressing-room rumblings, with the head coach and the players taking veiled potshots at each other through the media.5. Can we see more players being rewarded for performances in domestic cricket? The likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan, despite toiling away earnestly in the domestic circuit, haven’t been rewarded with steady international opportunities. A first step has been taken with the selectors rewarding Ishan Kishan’s success in domestic cricket with a recall for the T20 World Cup. Now can we see some fresh faces for the Sri Lanka Test series in August? As great as the Indian men’s team was in T20Is, we as fans still care about red-ball cricket. Ask any of us what our favourite moment of 2025 was and, apart from Harmanpreet Kaur’s leap in the air at cover to dismiss Nadine de Klerk off Deepti Sharma that sealed the women’s ODI World Cup final for India, it would be Mohammed Siraj uprooting Gus Atkinson’s off stump at the Oval. That wicket resulted in a thrilling six-run win as India levelled the series 2-2 in England. We thought that would signal the start of a red-ball renaissance after a disappointing 2024, but what unfolded against South Africa at home was nothing less than a horror show.
Sarfaraz Khan (AP Photo)
6. While we’re at it, can we ask for a proper No. 3 batter instead of players who are not yet ready for the big stage being handed that position on the basis of success in white-ball cricket? After all, many of Indian cricket’s greats have batted in that position.7. Can you quietly whisper in Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav’s ear that he is allowed to hit the ball on the off side, too, and that he has a range of stunning strokes, not just the pick-up shot in the arc between mid-wicket and long leg? Also, can you ask him if all is okay with his right wrist? And if not, can you provide him with a magic potion that heals it quickly and allows him to play the T20 World Cup without any problems? A lot of people’s jobs could be on the line if India do not win that tournament, Surya included. And the Indian team cannot carry passengers in the top four in a competitive multi-nation tournament.8. Since head coach Gautam Gambhir made a passionate plea about people needing to “stay in their domain” — and not comment on whether India would benefit by splitting the coaching role for redball and white-ball formats — can you tell him to tell the players too to stay in their domain and not make emotional speeches in press conferences or prize distribution ceremonies about patriotism and nationalism? Especially before the team plays Pakistan in Colombo on Feb 15? After all, fans don’t care whether a player is looking at politics as a post-retirement career option!
Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir (BCCI Photo)
9. Can we ask you to tell all cricket lovers not to be as angry and toxic on social media, and not run trends and hashtags to make ‘Player Ro’ appear bigger or greater than ‘Player Ko’?10. Santa, we know we have already gone overboard with our demands, but if it is not too much of a bother, can you also locate the Asia Cup trophy that we won last Sept in Dubai? It would be great if we could have it before the 50-over version comes around next year. That just about does it. Thank you. Happy New Year.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. relish their big moment with the trophy (Pic credit: BCCI)
INDIAN CRICKET: 2025’S UNIQUE NUMBERS
—Stats: Rajesh Kumar
NEW DELHI: Underlining that an investigative agency must be given freedom to conduct a probe, Supreme Court has held that courts should ordinarily refrain from setting timelines for agencies to complete the investigation as it would amount to stepping on the “toes of the latter”. A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N K Singh said that courts should step in to impose timelines only if there is delay on part of the agency to wrap up the investigation. “In sum, timelines are imposed reactively and not prophylactically,” it said, quashing the order of Allahabad HC that set a timeline of 90 days for the state police to complete the probe in a criminal case pertaining to procurement of arms licences on the basis of forged documents.Speedy trial, timely probe integral to Article 21: SC Supreme Court said judicial directives fixing timelines are warranted only where there is evident stagnation, unexplained inaction or a pattern of delay that cannot be justified by the nature or complexity of a case. Referring to various judgments of SC, the bench said, “Necessary conclusion to be drawn from the discussion is that timelines are not drawn by court to be followed by investigators/executive right from the beginning, for that would clearly amount to stepping on the toes of the latter. Timelines are, therefore, imposed at a point where not doing so would have adverse consequences i.e. there is material on record demonstrating undue delays, stagnation or the like.“ At the same time, it stressed speedy trial, which necessarily includes timely and diligent investigation, has been recognised as an integral part of Art 21 of Constitution and cannot be ignored as it is essential to maintain fairness and credibility of criminal justice system. “The challenge, therefore, lies in balancing the practical realities of investigation with constitutional mandate that criminal proceedings, from investigation through trial, be conducted with reasonable promptitude and care. It is this balancing role that judiciary plays. It is for those reasons that while on the one hand, there is a statutorily laid down process in place which is generally followed, powers such as that of Article 226 of the Constitution and Section 482, Code of Criminal Procedure, have been kept open in their widest sense possible – to secure the ends of justice,” the bench stated. Court said the process of investigation is long and winding and legal proceedings also frequently intersect with the investigation and affect its pace and direction, and hinted that it might be difficult to complete a probe within a fixed timeline. “Applications for anticipatory bail, regular bail, or the like can result in temporary pauses or changes in strategy. Courts may call for further investigation, ask for clarification on specific aspects, or even direct a change of the investigating officer. Each such intervention requires the investigating agency to revisit its work and sometimes take a fresh path altogether,” it said. “So, it can be seen that the investigative process is at times straight, at other times one of lots of twists, turns and recalibrations and in yet others, frustratingly round-about like before it can come to a somewhat definitive conclusion to present the case for trial before the concerned, and sometimes, even at that time the definitive conclusion, at least from an investigator’s standpoint, remains elusive,” it added.
PRAYAGRAJ: Allahabad HC has held that absence of written tenancy agreement or not furnishing particulars of tenancy do not bar jurisdiction of rent authority. HC has also said that under Uttar Pradesh Regulation of Urban Premises Tenancy Act, 2021, rent authority has jurisdiction to entertain a landlord’s application for eviction of tenant where no written tenancy agreement has been executed and the landlord has also failed to furnish particulars of tenancy. HC emphasised state legislature’s conscious decision to omit “fatal consequences” found in Central Model Tenancy Act ensured landlords were not deprived of their right to seek expedient eviction due to technical documentation failures. With this judgment dated Dec 16, HC partly allowed writ petitions filed by Canara Bank’s branch office and others. The issue in writ petitions was whether rent authority, constituted according to the 2021 law, had jurisdiction to entertain applications filed by landlords in cases where a tenancy agreement had not been executed, if not executed, the landlord having failed to file particulars of tenancy with the rent authority. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said, “This provision leads to the conclusion that jurisdiction of rent authority under the Act of 2021 cannot be narrowed down only in cases of written agreement and its intimation to rent authority. Had the legislature thought of giving limited access to landlord or tenant to approach rent authority only in cases of written agreement or its intimation, then proviso to sub-section (5) of Section 9 would not have been there in the statute book. The intention of the legislature cannot be ascertained merely on the basis of single provision, and regard must be given to other sections as well as the context, subject-matter and the object of the provision.” On behalf of the landlord, it was argued the 2021 Act was intended to balance the rights of owners and tenants. They maintained the legislature deliberately omitted the “consequences” for failing to intimate an agreement to ensure landlords were not stripped of their right to seek eviction. Essentially, they argued rent authority should handle disputes even in unwritten tenancies to prevent the law’s objectives from being frustrated by technicalities. HC observed the proviso further clarified the position to the extent that, in case of failure to present the agreement jointly or failing to reach an agreement, only particulars submitted separately with rent authority by the parties would suffice as to tenancy. For cases where eviction was sought directly under the new law, HC set aside orders that had previously deemed such applications non-maintainable due to a lack of written agreements. While some matters were remanded for fresh decisions, others resulted in eviction orders. In certain petitions, tenants were granted a six-month grace period to vacate the premises, provided they submitted a formal undertaking and cleared all financial dues.
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has endorsed Beijing’s claim that it played a mediating role in the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict that led to Op Sindoor. At a press briefing on Thursday, Pak Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said Chinese leaders were “in constant touch” with Pakistan’s leadership and had also made “certain contacts with the Indian leadership in those three, four days in May, 6th to 10th and maybe prior to that and after that” “So, I think those contacts, which were characterised by a very positive diplomatic exchanges, they did constitute in bringing down temperatures and trying to bring peace and security in the region. So, I’m sure that the Chinese characterisation of mediation is correct,” he said. Pak’s belated assertion on conflict pause raises brows Islamabad’s statement, the first-ever about Beijing’s alleged role in brokering the pause in the four-day conflict with India, should raise eyebrows because of the lag and because it had so far given the credit for suspension of hostilities exclusively to US President Donald Trump. India had maintained that the military pause followed a request from Pakistan’s DGMO to its Indian counterpart, and not the result of any third-party intervention. It dismissed Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s claim that Beijing had mediated during the crisis. Andrabi said Pakistan shared China’s assessment, calling the efforts “diplomacy for peace, for prosperity, for security” and that “this has been the hallmark of a number of international efforts that went into resolving that conflict in those three-four fateful days”. Pakistan, he added, “firmly” supported China’s position as stated by its foreign minister. China’s claim mimics repeated assertions by US President Trump that Washington played a decisive role in ending the confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
