Artist Swapan Kumar Das draws a portrait of Argentine footballer and 2022 FIFA World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi ahead of his visit, in Kolkata, West Bengal. (PTI Photo)

Lionel Messi is returning to India after his first visit in 2011, but this trip will not involve any competitive football. His 2011 appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium drew more than 85,000 people who watched Argentina beat Venezuela 1-0 in a FIFA friendly. This time, his schedule under the ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’ is limited to events and appearances, beginning on Saturday in Kolkata and ending on Monday in New Delhi.Messi will not play a match during the tour. The event is promotional and commercially planned. Kolkata, which has welcomed football icons including Maradona, Pele, Dunga and Ronaldinho, will host him again.Organisers have opened 78,000 seats at the Salt Lake Stadium, with ticket prices going up to Rs 7,000 for a 45-minute appearance on Saturday morning.Messi will be in India for less than 72 hours and will travel to Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. His schedule includes meetings with chief ministers, business leaders, film personalities and a planned meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, who has spoken about admiring Messi, is also expected to meet him after the Dharamshala T20I on December 14.Messi’s last India trip on September 3, 2011, remains a key memory for fans who watched him lead Argentina in a friendly.

Events planned across cities

The main event of the tour is a 45-minute charity fashion show in Mumbai on Sunday with Messi, Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.“There will be celebrity models, cricketers, Bollywood celebrities, millionaires, founders. Tiger and Jackie Shroff, John Abraham among others,” said Satadru Dutta, promoter of the tour.The organisers have requested Messi to bring “some memorabilia” of his trophy-winning 2022 World Cup campaign which will be auctioned during the Mumbai leg. Before the Mumbai event at Wankhede Stadium, there will be a Padel Cup at the CCI.Kolkata will welcome Messi on Saturday. He will stay at a hotel on EM Bypass and attend a sponsor-only event in the morning. A new ‘Messi landmark’, a 70-foot statue near the Sreebhumi Clock Tower, will be inaugurated virtually from his hotel after police declined permission for a public event. A Messi mural, 25ft x 20ft, planned for next year’s Durga Puja, will also be unveiled and later handed to him at Salt Lake Stadium.Messi will fly to Hyderabad at 2 pm. The stop was added after a planned friendly in Kochi was cancelled. In Hyderabad, he will attend the GOAT Cup, supported by Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy, which will include a 7v7 celebrity match, penalty shootouts, a masterclass for young players and a musical event.The final stop is Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Young players from Minerva Academy, who won the Gothia Cup, Dana Cup and Norway Cup this year, will be honoured in his presence. A nine-a-side celebrity match is also planned.

Kolkata’s long football history

Messi’s visit adds to Kolkata’s long record of hosting major football names. In 1977, Pele and New York Cosmos played a 2-2 exhibition against Mohun Bagan. Pele returned in 2015 and told the crowd: “You can never have another Pele.”Other past visitors include Dunga, Bebeto, Mauro Silva and Colombia’s Rene Higuita, who showed his ‘scorpion kick’ in 2012. Oliver Kahn’s farewell match in 2008 drew more than one lakh spectators.Diego Maradona’s visits in 2008 and 2017 brought large crowds, and Diego Forlan was welcomed in 2010 soon after his Golden Ball-winning World Cup performance.

Criticism over a ‘handshake visit’

Some former Indian footballers have criticised the tour and expressed disappointment over not being invited.Former India and Mohun Bagan midfielder Gautam Sarkar, who marked Pele in 1977, said, “These are nothing but gimmicks. Messi is coming only to do a handshake… Pele had come here and actually played with us.”He added, “Instead of bringing Messi, our focus should be on how to improve football in the country. We must give utmost priority to Indian football and bring back the glory of the past.”Former India defender Subrata Bhattacharya also said he felt “insulted”.

Russia’s oil exports crashed to their lowest point since the Ukraine war began, weighed down by buyers moving away from Moscow amid tightened US sanctions and Kyiv’s escalating attacks. In its latest assessment, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that Russian oil exports declined by 420 kb/d in November, pulling total shipments down to 6.9 mb/d.The drop in volumes and weakening prices pushed Moscow’s oil revenue down to $11 billion, which is $3.6 billion less than the same month last year. The IEA added that both export volumes and prices have dropped, “dragging export revenues to their lowest since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.”

Urals crude prices plunge

As exports dragged down, Urals crude prices also tumbled by $8.2/bbl to $43.52/bbl (one barrel is about 159 litres). This marked the lowest level since the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.According to the IEA, this downturn pushed export revenues to their lowest monthly level since the invasion began.

Impact of Ukrainian strikes and Russia’s “shadow fleet”

The IEA said Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet” and marine oil facilities cut almost half of Russia’s November seaborne exports through the Black Sea.The pressure on shipments and prices comes as Russia struggles with meagre economic growth, the accumulated impact of sanctions and Ukrainian strikes on its energy infrastructure.Ukraine intensified strikes on Russian refineries over the summer and early autumn, causing domestic petrol prices to spike and prompting some Russian regions to introduce fuel rationing.“After weathering significant unplanned refinery outages in November, tightness in refined product markets has eased, but sanctions in 1Q26 will provide fresh challenges,” the IEA said.

Russia’s budget under strain

The Russian finance ministry reported that oil and gas revenues for the first nine months of the year were down 22% to $88 billion.A combination of high military spending, entrenched inflation and falling oil income has stretched Moscow’s budget. Russia is expected to post a $50 billion deficit this year, around three percent of GDP, and plans to raise taxes on consumers and businesses next year to narrow the gap.

US escalates pressure with tariffs and sanctions

The United States has warned several countries that they may face additional tariffs and punitive trade measures if they continue buying Russian oil. The EU has Washington recently imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, citing its continued purchases of Russian crude. This was on top of the 25% tariff previously announced by US President Trump.In October, the US unveiled some of its toughest measures yet on Russia’s energy sector by sanctioning Rosneft and Lukoil, the country’s two biggest oil producers, in an effort to pressure Moscow to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

Global supply slips

Global oil supply fell by 610 kb/d in November, extending cumulative declines from September’s record high of 109 mb/d to 1.5 mb/d, the IEA said.OPEC+ accounted for more than three-quarters of the overall drop, driven mainly by sanctions-hit Russia and Venezuela. The group contributed 80% of the supply decline over the past two months, reflecting major unplanned outages in Kuwait and Kazakhstan, alongside continued contractions in Russia and Venezuela.Among non-OPEC+ producers, the United States, Brazil and biofuels were also contributors to the global supply decline.

Outlook — What will happen in the oil sector?

Despite recent market tightness, the IEA projects global oil supply to grow by 3 mb/d in 2025 and a further 2.4 mb/d in 2026. However, the agency revised its supply growth forecasts downward, by 100 kb/d for 2025 and 20 kb/d for 2026 — to 106.2 mb/d and 108.6 mb/d respectively.On the demand front, world oil consumption is expected to rise by 830 kb/d in 2025, supported by improved macroeconomic and trade conditions. The IEA has also upgraded its 2026 demand outlook to 860 kb/d, an increase of 90 kb/d from earlier estimates.Gasoil and jet/kerosene are projected to account for half of this year’s demand growth, while fuel oil continues to lose ground due to substitution by natural gas and solar in power generation.

Vinesh Phogat (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: India’s trailblazing wrestler Vinesh Phogat has officially reignited her Olympic journey. On Friday, the 31-year-old announced her return to competitive wrestling — ending her 18-month retirement with a powerful declaration that her “fire never left,” and that she is ready to chase her dream of stepping onto the Olympic podium at Los Angeles 2028.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Vinesh, who had retired in the aftermath of the Paris Olympics controversy, shared an emotional and introspective post on Instagram confirming her comeback. Her retirement had followed one of the most heartbreaking episodes in Indian sporting history: she reached the gold-medal bout in Paris, but was disqualified hours before the final for being 100 grams overweight, losing the opportunity to become the first Indian woman to fight for an Olympic wrestling gold.

“For the first time in years, I allowed myself to breathe,” Vinesh wrote, describing how stepping away from the sport helped her confront the highs, heartbreaks and sacrifices of the past decade. “And somewhere in that reflection, I found the truth — I still love this sport. I still want to compete.”She revealed the emotional reconstruction that happened during her time off the mat. “In that silence, I found something I’d forgotten — the fire never left. It was only buried under exhaustion and noise.”

Vinesh’s comeback is also intertwined with a new chapter in her personal life. The Olympian, who won the Julana Assembly seat in 2024 before taking maternity leave, welcomed a baby boy in July 2025. This time, she says, she returns with her “biggest motivation” by her side. “My son is joining my team — my little cheerleader on this road to the LA Olympics.”Her Olympic journey has been turbulent: forced withdrawal due to injury in Rio 2016, a shock early exit at Tokyo 2021 despite being world No. 1, and the devastating disqualification in Paris after defeating three continental champions en route to the final. Her appeal to UWW was rejected, and even her escalated plea to the Court of Arbitration for Sport could not overturn the decision.The emotional toll pushed her into retirement — but today marks a new beginning.With her comeback officially underway, Vinesh Phogat is set to rejoin the elite cadre of Indian athletes who have returned stronger after motherhood.

Gold’s intraday technical structure points toward a possible pullback from overbought levels. (AI image)

Gold price prediction today: Gold prices are showing signs of exhaustion, says Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst – Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities. He recommends selling if the gold prices slip below Rs 1,32,300:Gold futures on MCX witnessed a sharp rally overnight, touching highs near ₹1,32,610 before encountering resistance and slipping lower in early trade. The momentum indicators now suggest overbought conditions, and prices are showing signs of exhaustion near the upper band. This keeps the intraday bias vulnerable to a corrective move if support levels fail to hold. A sell signal activates below ₹1,32,300, with defined risk and clear downside potential.Technical Setup:The price has extended significantly above both short-term moving averages, indicating a stretched rally. EMA 8 is steep but beginning to flatten, a common early sign of momentum cooling. A break below ₹1,32,300 would shift prices back toward the EMA cluster, reinforcing bearish pressure.Bollinger Bands:Gold is trading at the upper Bollinger band after a vertical rise. This suggests price overextension, and a move below the mid-band could accelerate selling toward the lower volatility zone.RSI is at 72.7, firmly in the overbought territory. This level often precedes corrective pullbacks, especially when combined with slowing price momentum.MACD remains positive, but histogram bars are shrinking, indicating weakening bullish strength. A downward crossover in the next few sessions is possible if price slips below key support.Pivot Points (Previous Day):

Failure to hold ₹1,32,300 will expose the lower pivot levels, increasing the probability of a corrective slide.Intraday Trading View:

Targets:

Conclusion:Gold’s intraday technical structure points toward a possible pullback from overbought levels. Bears may regain control if the price slips below ₹1,32,300, opening room toward ₹1,31,700. Traders should maintain strict risk parameters with a stop-loss at ₹1,32,750.(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)

Investors await crucial data releases including India’s CPI and figures today. (AI image)

Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmark indices, opened in green on Friday. While Nifty50 was near the 26,000 mark, BSE Sensex was up over 300 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 25,976.75, up 78 points or 0.30%. BSE Sensex was at 85,108.90, up 291 points or 0.34%.Indian stock markets moved upwards on Thursday, breaking a three-day downward trend in Nifty. Foreign institutional investors continued their selling streak for the eleventh consecutive session. Investors await crucial data releases including India’s CPI and figures today.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “A healthy feature of the investment behaviour of retail investors is the steady inflows into mutual fund SIPs, which have been consistently above 29000 crores during the last three months. This has strengthened the DIIs in the FIIs vs DIIs tug of war and has enabled the DIIs to absorb the sustained selling by FIIs. It would be difficult for the FIIs to sell continuously and maintain a high short position in the market in the context of healthy SIP inflows, particularly when the economy is doing well and the prospects for earnings growth are improving.” “It is important to understand that rupee depreciation, sustained FII selling, delay in the finalisation of the US-India trade deal and the ongoing AI trade are all temporary drags on the markets. The most important factor that will dictate the direction of the market is the earnings growth, and this looks promising for FY 27. In December so far, FIIs have sold equity worth Rs 14845 crores through the exchanges. This sell figure has been completely eclipsed by the DII buying for Rs 36097 crores during this period. Sustained selling in India when the prospects for growth and earnings look bright is not a sustainable policy. This can lend support to the market.”Regional Asian equities opened higher, following record-setting performances in US and global markets, supported by the Federal Reserve’s third sequential rate reduction.The S&P 500 and Dow Jones reached new closing highs on Thursday after the Federal Reserve’s policy announcement proved less aggressive than anticipated. The technology-focused Nasdaq declined as Oracle’s financial report caused wariness regarding AI investments.Gold prices fell on Friday following a more than seven-week peak in the previous session, as investors took profits.Foreign portfolio investors sold shares worth Rs 2,021 crore net on Thursday. DIIs were net purchasers at Rs 3,796 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)