Stock market today (AI image)

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmark indices, opened in green on Tuesday. While Nifty50 was below 26,200, BSE Sensex tanked 300 points. At 9:25 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 26,193.10, down 57 points or 0.22%. BSE Sensex was at 85,140.05, down 300 points or 0.35%.Analysts are of the view that Indian equity markets will trade with a positive bias in the near term, supported by stronger than anticipated third quarter earnings and expectations of higher capital expenditure announcements ahead of the Union Budget. However, analysts caution that bouts of volatility cannot be ruled out due to ongoing global geopolitical developments.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “The US markets have largely ignored the Venezuelan crisis and moved ahead. It seems the market’s verdict is that the economic consequences of this major geopolitical event will not be negative; perhaps it can be even positive from the medium to long-term perspective, when the crude prices decline on increased supply from Venezuela. However, it is too early to take a call on this since further surprises on the geopolitical front are likely. We are in a highly uncertain phase. Therefore, investors can also think of increasing the cash position in their portfolios even while remaining invested. Heightened uncertainty triggered by unprecedented geopolitical events demands a cautious approach to investment supported by higher cash positions to exploit sudden movements in the market.” “The banking sector is moving to a stronger position supported by increasing credit growth even though deposit mobilisation remains a challenge.”Global cues remained supportive after Wall Street closed higher on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average scaled a fresh all-time high, led by sharp gains in financial stocks, while energy shares advanced after a US military operation resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.Asian markets opened marginally higher on Tuesday, extending the recent record-breaking rally in global equities, as investors chose to look beyond geopolitical risks and focused on improving risk appetite.In currency markets, the US dollar hovered near a two-week high in early Asian trade on Tuesday. The easing of immediate market anxiety following US military action in Venezuela, combined with dovish remarks from Federal Reserve officials, helped underpin risk-taking sentiment on Wall Street.On the domestic institutional front, foreign portfolio investors were net sellers of Indian equities worth Rs 36 crore on Monday, according to exchange data. Domestic institutional investors, in contrast, provided strong support to the market with net purchases of Rs 1764 crore.(Disclaimer: Recommendations and views on the stock market, other asset classes or personal finance management tips given by experts are their own. These opinions do not represent the views of The Times of India)

NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed the decision to appoint Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain, saying the star opener looks “ready for big challenges”. He also said Gill will get more opportunities in the T20I format after being left out of the T20 World Cup squad, despite a brief stint as the team’s vice-captain.Gill, who lost his first ODI series as captain against Australia away from home, is now gearing up for his maiden ODI series at home, against New Zealand, starting January 11. While the hard-fought 2-2 draw against England in the UK and his tally of 754 runs, including four centuries, remain the highlights of his short tenure as Test captain, he is yet to make a significant impact as both a batter and leader in ODIs.

In T20Is too, Gill failed to meet expectations after returning as vice-captain during the Asia Cup, managing just 291 runs in his last 15 innings without registering a fifty since his comeback.Speaking to ANI about Gill’s return to ODIs following a neck injury sustained during the South Africa Tests and his omission from the T20 World Cup squad, Harbhajan said, “Gill was bound to make a comeback. I had no doubt that there was any question about Shubman’s return. I think Shubman Gill was left out solely because of the T20 format and the combination Team India wanted. Otherwise, I never had any doubt that he would not be in the ODI or Test team. So, he has returned as captain. I hope the team plays well, and this series will also be won by India.”Harbhajan termed the T20 World Cup squad selected by chief selector Ajit Agarkar as a “10/10 team” and said that while he felt disappointed for Gill, the opener would get his chances soon.“The team is really good. I had told that Ajit should be given 10/10 for the team. I felt a little bad for Shubman, but he will get more chances soon. All the players are match winners in their own right. Hope we can win back-to-back World Cups because we have that team,” he said.Justifying the decision to appoint Gill as ODI captain, Harbhajan said it was taken with an eye on the future and added that he believes Gill is ready for the responsibility.“I think the decision has been taken keeping the future in mind. Sometimes you do feel things have been done quickly. But I think he is ready for this job. This is a high-demand job; he is young. The sooner he learns the art of captaincy and team management, the better the results will be. That England Test series was one of the finest I have ever seen. Scoring so many runs and leading from the front shows that he has worked harder than anybody else. Whatever I know of Shubman, he is ready for big challenges,” he added.Harbhajan also praised India’s “match-winning” spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav selected for the T20 World Cup.“Spin is nice for India. Kuldeep, Varun and Axar are all spinners and can win you the match in one spell. Players are still not able to decipher Varun. Kuldeep has that variation. This is a nice combination of spinners, hope they stay injury-free and serve India for a long time,” he said.He further backed skipper Suryakumar Yadav, despite his modest returns of 218 runs in 19 innings last year at an average of 13.62 without a fifty, to deliver in a crucial T20 World Cup game.“Suryakumar has not made many runs, but when the WC comes, we will need big players to fire. He will shine bright in that big match. Abhishek (Sharma) can win you matches on your own. The form Hardik (Pandya) is in, he is a key player. We also have Arshdeep (Singh) and (Jasprit) Bumrah in pace,” he concluded.

Sarat Chakraborty Mani and Rana Pratap Bairagi (Images/X)

Bangladesh witnessed two deaths within 24 hours in a fresh spike of violence against its minority Hindu community. The incidents have triggered serious concerns over law and order and the safety of minorities. The back-to-back killings take the toll to six Hindu deaths in 18 days, with the latest victims identified as Sarat Chakraborty Mani (40), a grocery shop owner killed in Narsingdi on Monday night and Hindu journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi, who was shot and had his throat slit in Manirampur, Jashore, on the same day.Mani was attacked with sharp weapons at Charsindur Bazaar in Palash Upazila while he was running his shop as usual. Bangladesh news channel Blitz reported, citing eyewitnesses, that unidentified assailants suddenly attacked him, leaving him critically injured. As locals rushed him to the hospital, he died on the way.Sarat Chakraborty Mani was the son of Madan Thakur, a resident of Sadharchar Union in Shibpur Upazila. His wife, Antara Mukherjee, is a homemaker and he is survived by a 12-year-old son, Abhik Chakraborty.Mani had earlier worked in South Korea and returned to Bangladesh a few years ago. He later built a house in Brahmandi, Narsingdi town, where he lived with his family.A family member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mani lived a simple and peaceful life and had no disputes with anyone. He was, however, deeply troubled by the deteriorating situation in the country.On December 19, he wrote in a Facebook post: “So much fire everywhere, so much violence. My birthplace has turned into a valley of death,” according to Blitz.Mani’s neighbour described him as calm, humane and socially responsible, stating that he had no enemies. According to the neighbour, the only possible reason for his killing was that he was Hindu.

Hindu journalist killed in targeted Jashore assault

Mani’s killing came on the same day as the murder of Hindu journalist Rana Pratap Bairagi (also known as Rana Pratap) in Manirampur, Jashore. The 45-year-old factory owner and acting editor of BD Khobor was shot multiple times in the head and his throat was slit in the Kopalia Bazar area.Monirampur Police station officer-in-charge Md Raziullah Khan said the attack took place around 6 pm. He said: “Rana was shot three times in the head, and his throat was slit. Upon receiving the news, we went to the scene. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy. We are investigating the perpetrators.”Police recovered seven bullet casings from the spot.Witness Ripon Hossain said the attackers arrived on a motorcycle, called Rana out of his ice factory, shot him multiple times and fled immediately. Rana was the son of a schoolteacher from Arua village in Keshabpur upazila and had been running his ice factory for two years.Rana’s murder followed a series of brutal attacks on Hindus across Bangladesh.In Mymensingh district, Dipu Chandra Das, a local garment factory worker, was lynched by a mob, after which his body was hung from a tree and set on fire last month.Another killing was reported last week, when Khokon Das (50), a Hindu pharmacy owner and bKash mobile banking agent, was attacked while returning home after closing his shop in Keherbhanga Bazaar. He was assaulted by three to four attackers near the Tilai area and later died from his injuries.Last week, Bajendra Biswas, a Hindu garment factory worker, was shot dead while on duty at a factory in Mymensingh.

Sexual violence against Hindu women adds to minority fears

Alongside these killings, sexual violence against Hindu women has also sparked outrage. In Jhenaidah district, a 40-year-old Hindu widow was allegedly tortured, raped, tied to a tree and had her hair cut by two local men. The survivor was rescued unconscious and admitted to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.Hospital superintendent Dr Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman said: “Later, through medical examination, we came to know that she had been subjected to torture.”Jhenaidah additional superintendent of police Bilal Hossain said: “We have called the victim to the police station and registered her complaint. After completing the investigation, the police will take strict legal action against those responsible.”The two accused have since been arrested.The string of killings and assaults has drawn international attention. India has expressed concern over what it described as “unremitting hostility” faced by minorities in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation.

General Motors reported a dip in fourth-quarter US auto sales Monday, reflecting a sharp decline in electric vehicle transactions amid a broader slowing car market.But the US auto giant also achieved an annual sales increase, pointing to growth in pickups and crossovers sales as evidence of resonance with consumers despite offering lower incentives than the industry average.The Detroit giant reported 703,000 deliveries in the final quarter of 2025, a drop from the year prior of 6.9 percent, in a period characterized by tepid consumer confidence surveys.Other carmakers to report a drop in US sales in the fourth quarter included Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen, while Toyota and Stellantis were higher.Analysts at Cox Automotive had estimated a 4.7 percent drop in overall US car sales in the fourth quarter, with concerns about a weakening job market, high interest rates and cost-of-living pressures weighing on sentiment.A driver of GM’s decline was a pronounced fall in EV sales from the third quarter, when consumers raced to take advantage of a $7,500 tax credit that expired at the end of September, earlier than initially intended due to legislation championed by US President Donald Trump.EV sales at GM were 25,219 in the October to December period, less than half the level in the third quarter of 2025.GM’s annual sales were 2.8 million, up 5.5 percent from 2024. Among the vehicles with sizable gains were the Chevrolet Equinox, a small “crossover” sport utility vehicle and the GMC Sierra line of pickup trucks.“Demand for our brands and products is strong at every price point, and we are well-positioned to build on this momentum in the year ahead,” said GM senior vice president Duncan Aldred.At Toyota, fourth-quarter sales rose about eight percent to 652,195, in line with annual growth of comparable percentage. Total sales were 2.5 million for 2025.Toyota models with significant year-over-year sales increases included the Grand Highlander SUV and Tacoma pickup.Tariff effect?Stellantis, meanwhile, scored a four percent increase in the fourth-quarter to 332,321, helping to reduce the size of its annual drop after a number of weak quarters. Stellantis annual sales fell three percent to 1.3 million.“With consecutive quarterly sales increases and market share growth, it’s clear that we are taking the right steps to reset our business in the US,” said Jeff Kommor, head of US retail sales, who pointed to five new vehicle launches scheduled for 2026.Throughout 2025, automakers were faced with a fast-changing policy environment as Trump announced myriad tariff actions and moved to gut climate measures enacted under predecessor Joe Biden.Tariff costs did not lead to significant hikes in retail prices in 2025, in part because dealers were selling autos from inventory.However, analysts say consumers may see greater car price hikes in 2026 due to tariffs, potentially affecting demand.Cox estimates that US sales will come in at 15.8 million in 2026, or 2.4 percent below its projection for 2025 sales.

In its fifth day of release, Agastya Nanda’s inaugural film ‘Ikkis’, a stirring biopic about Arun Khetarpal, has encountered a stark decline at the box office, raking in only Rs 1.35 crore. Being the only major release has not shielded it from disappointing results, with an overall collection of THIS amount.

Agastya Nanda‘s ‘Ikkis’ became the first Hindi film to release in theaters in the year 2026. The highly anticipated war drama failed to live up to the expectations of the audiences. The movie has been showing a downward trend in its box office collections since the release. On the fifth day after arriving in cinemas, the movie has its lowest earnings. Let’s take a look at the box office numbers.

‘Ikkis’ box office collection Day 5

‘Ikkis’ marked the big screen debut of Agastya Nanda. According to the Sacnilk report, the movie has earned Rs 1.35 crore at the box office. With this, the total collection of the film now stands at Rs 21.50 crore. Even after being a solo release, the Arun Khetarpal biopic has failed to impress the masses.

Day-wise collection

Day 1 [1st Thursday]: Rs 7 croreDay 2 [1st Friday]: Rs 3.5 croreDay 3 [1st Saturday]: Rs 4.65 croreDay 4 [1st Sunday]: Rs 5 croreDay 5 [1st Monday]: Rs 1.35 croreTotal: Rs 21.50 crore

‘Ikkis’ vs ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri‘

Agastya Nanda’s film seems to be following the path of the Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday starrer ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ at the box office. Meanwhile, on January 5, 2026, (Day 12—2nd Monday), the rom-com has managed to earn Rs 0.30 crore. The total collection is now Rs 32.30 crore. The film has been struggling to cross the Rs 35 crore mark at the box office.

‘Ikkis’ vs ‘Dhurandhar’

Even on its fifth Monday since the release, Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’ earned more than the collections of both ‘Ikkis’ and ‘Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri’ combined. The espionage thriller raked in Rs 4.5 crore at the box office on its 32nd day (January 5, 2026). The total collection in India stands at Rs 776.75 crore.

More about ‘Ikkis’

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the film also stars the late legendary actor Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat, Simar Bhatia, Sikander Kher, and Vivaan Shah. The movie is based on the life of Paramvir Chakra (posthumously) awardee Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred in the India-Pakistan war of 1971.The movie is also the last screen appearance of the Hindi cinema icon Dharmendra.It was released in theaters on January 1, 2026.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said Venezuela will not hold new elections within the next 30 days and that the country must first be stabilised following the capture of its leader, Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to NBC News, Trump insisted the United States is not at war with Venezuela, even as it deepens its involvement in the Latin American country.“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote,” Trump said. The MAGA chief added, “No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.”His comments came two days after US armed forces seized Maduro and his wife in Caracas and flew him to New York, where he was questioned on his alleged crimes, including narco-terrorism and cocaine importation. Maduro pleaded not guilty and said he remains Venezuela’s leader, even as vice president Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in on Monday as his successor and interim president.Trump said US could help rebuild Venezuela’s oil and energy sector and potentially subsidise oil companies involved in restoring infrastructure. “I think we can do it in less time than that, but it’ll be a lot of money,” Trump added. The US president added: “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”Trump clarified that US is not fighting a war with the Venezuelan state. “No, we’re not,” Trump said when asked if the US was at war with Venezuela. He said instead that America is at war with drugs: “We’re at war with people that sell drugs. We’re at war with people that empty their prisons into our country and empty their drug addicts and empty their mental institutions into our country.”Trump said a group of senior officials would oversee US involvement, including secretary of state Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, vice president JD Vance and deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller. The GOP leader also said the US could carry out another military operation if cooperation breaks down. “We’re prepared to do it,” he said. “We anticipated doing it, actually.”Despite criticism from some allies over the lack of congressional authorisation for the invasion, Trump said he did not need approval to act again. “We have good support congressionally,” he said.Moreover, the POTUS said he remains confident in his political support: “MAGA loves it. MAGA loves what I’m doing. MAGA loves everything I do.”

BENGALURU: For much of 2025, artificial intelligence did not enter people’s lives through dramatic product launches or viral demos. Instead, it slipped in quietly, taking over small, repetitive tasks that many users barely noticed. What began as casual experimentation with chatbots has, for many, evolved into a set of everyday tools that now handle remembering, planning, drafting and filtering information in the background.One of the most common uses of AI today is as a personal memory and life ledger. Hyderabad-based AI product manager Saumya Shikhar uses ChatGPT to log work achievements, skills he is building and challenges he encounters on the job. He also maintains separate chats to track RBI interest rate movements that affect his loan repayments, and another to record his health history. “That way, I feel like I have personal assistants with infinite memory and quick wisdom all the time,” he said.

Others are embedding AI even more deeply into their daily recall. Vignesh Ramakrishnan, founder of a Bengaluru-based AI consulting firm, built a WhatsApp-based AI assistant that acts as his operational memory. The system logs voice notes, handwritten notes, calendar entries and client conversations, and can retrieve details weeks later on request. “Earlier, client details were scattered across chats, notes and spreadsheets,” he said. “Now I just ask one place.”Another widespread shift is the use of AI to filter signal from noise. Instead of scanning crowded inboxes or unread newsletters, users increasingly rely on AI-powered curation tools. Dr Sneha Jain uses Readerwise and Pocket to curate and prioritise what she reads during the week. “I start each morning by scanning only high-signal insights instead of wading through inbox noise,” she said, adding that saved articles now resurface during short breaks between meetings, turning idle minutes into focused reading time.Drafting and structuring work remains one of the most common daily uses of AI. Tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot are now routinely used to turn rough thoughts into first drafts of emails, notes and long-form documents. Newer tools like Gemini’s Nano Banana and Gamma are increasingly being used to generate presentation visuals and slide decks from basic prompts. Meeting-focused tools such as Granola are also gaining traction for recording conversations and auto-generating summaries and action points. Founder and author Pavan Govindan said the biggest change has been the removal of thinking friction. “AI hasn’t replaced judgment or creativity,” he said. “It has replaced the blank-page problem.”