PM Modi with Ram Sutar (Image/X@narendramodi)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep grief over the passing of legendary sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, offering condolences and remembering him as an artist whose creations gave enduring form to India’s history, culture and national pride. Sutar, best known as the designer of the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue, passed away at his Noida residence late on Wednesday night. He was 100 and had been suffering from age-related ailments.The Prime Minister also shared photographs with Sutar, recalling his monumental contribution to Indian art and public memory.In a post on X, PM Modi wrote: “The passing of Shri Ram Sutar Ji has left me deeply saddened. Through his unique sculptures, India has been gifted with several prestigious landmarks, among which the Statue of Unity at Kevadia stands out as a particularly remarkable symbolic creation. His artworks vividly showcase India’s history, culture, and collective consciousness. By giving eternal form to national pride, he has created an invaluable legacy for future generations. His creations will continue to inspire artists and citizens forever. I express my condolences to his family, admirers, and all those affected by his great life’s work. Om Shanti.”Sutar’s son Anil Sutar confirmed his death in a note shared with the press, stating that the renowned sculptor passed away peacefully at home around midnight on December 17.Born on February 19, 1925, in Gondur village of Dhule district in present-day Maharashtra, Ram Vanji Sutar showed an early inclination towards sculpting despite coming from a humble background. A gold medallist from the Sir JJ School of Art and Architecture, Mumbai, Sutar went on to build an extraordinary career spanning several decades, earning global recognition for his mastery of bronze and realistic sculptures.Among his most celebrated works are the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat, a 182-metre (522-foot) tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister. His other iconic creations include the seated meditative statue of Mahatma Gandhi and the equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Parliament complex. Sutar’s busts of Mahatma Gandhi have been installed in over 450 cities worldwide, further cementing his international stature. He was also associated with major upcoming and ongoing projects, including the Lord Ram statue in Ayodhya and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mumbai.In recognition of his immense contribution, Sutar was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016. Recently, he was conferred the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the highest civilian award of the state. Earlier this year, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, along with deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, presented the award to him in Noida.Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed sorrow over the “irreparable loss to the art world,” describing Sutar as the artisan behind the world’s tallest statue. In a post on X, he wrote: “The demise of the great sculptor, the artisan of the world’s tallest statue ‘Statue of Unity’, ‘Padma Bhushan’ Shri Ram V Sutar Ji, is extremely sorrowful and an irreplaceable loss to the art world… Om Shanti!”President Droupadi Murmu also condoled Sutar’s death, remembering him as an artist whose work significantly enriched India’s cultural heritage. In a post on X, she said: “Saddened by the passing of Shri Ram Sutar Ji, Padma Bhushan recipient and an eminent sculptor whose exceptional contributions have enriched India’s artistic and cultural heritage. His monumental works, including the Statue of Unity, stand as great symbols of India’s enduring legacy. His art will continue to inspire generations of artists. I extend my deepest condolences to his family members and admirers.”Union home minister Amit Shah termed Sutar’s passing “extremely heartbreaking,” highlighting his role in creating historical sculptures and restoring artworks at Ajanta and Ellora. BJP president JP Nadda remembered him as one of India’s most respected sculptors, noting that while the artist is no longer with us, his works will continue to keep his legacy alive.Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the nation had lost an “artist par excellence,” recalling Sutar’s work on the statues of Lachit Barphukan in Jorhat and Gopinath Bardoloi in Guwahati. He praised the sculptor’s personal involvement and exceptional craftsmanship in bringing Assam’s heroes to life.The Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office later announced that Sutar’s mortal remains would be accorded full state honours during the funeral rites in Noida, following a request made to the Union Home Minister and the Uttar Pradesh government.Often compared to masters like Rodin and Michelangelo, Ram Vanji Sutar leaves behind a towering artistic legacy that shaped India’s public spaces and collective imagination. His monumental creations, admired both in India and abroad, will continue to inspire generations to come.

‘Dhurandhar’ is now nearing the completing of its second week at the box office. The film has been on a winning streak and how. The second weekend collections of the movie were bigger than the first weekend, not to mention, it became the biggest second weekend grossing movie, beating ‘Pushpa 2’. Meanwhile, it managed to hold pace on Monday, Tuesday, though, the drop from the Sunday numbers was expected and obvious.Dhurandhar Movie Review Even worldwide, ‘Dhurandhar’ has beaten the lifetime collection of ‘Baahubali’ with a whopping Rs 674 crore. There’s clearly no stopping to this one. Meanwhile, at the domestic box office, ‘Dhurandhar’ made Rs 30.5 crore on Monday and Tuesday each after a second Sunday of Rs 58 crore. On Wednesday, it saw a drop of around 16 percent and collected Rs 25.5 crore. On Thursday, it has begun on a slow note with Rs. 5.12 crore, till afternoon. The film’s total collection is now Rs 442.37 crore in India, according to Sacnilk.

It’s quite evident that from now Wednesday and more so Thursday onwards, ‘Dhurandhar’ has begun to slow down. This also could be due to the fact that ‘Avatar Fire And Ash’ has begun to gain momentum in its advance bookings. The advances for the movie are decent here, and one can expect Rs 30+ crores ($3.5+ million) opening day. ‘Avatar: Way of Water’ opened to nearly 50 crores gross in 2022, and went on to gross around 500 crores in its lifetime run.

Day wise collection of the film:

Day 1 [1st Friday] Rs. 28 CrDay 2 [1st Saturday] Rs. 32 CrDay 3 [1st Sunday] Rs. 43 CrDay 4 [1st Monday] Rs. 23.25 CrDay 5 [1st Tuesday] Rs. 27 CrDay 6 [1st Wednesday] Rs 27 CrDay 7 [1st Thursday] Rs. 27 CrWeek 1 Collection Rs. 207.25 CrDay 8 [2nd Friday] Rs. 32.5 CrDay 10 [2nd Sunday] Rs. 58 CrDay 11 [2nd Monday] Rs. 30.5 CrDay 12 [2nd Tuesday] Rs. 30.5 CrDay 13 [2nd Wednesday] Rs. 25.50 Cr ** Day 14 [2nd Thursday] Rs. 5.12 Cr ** Total ₹ 442.37 CrDISCLAIMER: The box office numbers in this article are compiled from our proprietary sources and diverse public data. While we strive for accuracy, all figures are approximate unless explicitly mentioned, offering a fair representation of the project’s box office performance. We are open to feedback and suggestions on toientertainment@timesinternet.in

The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) has released the list of examination centres for 2026 High School and Intermediate examinations. Students appearing for their UP board class 10 or class 12 board exams can now check the complete list of centres by visiting the board’s website, upmsp.edu.in. The board has also opened an objection window for students who are not satisfied with the allocation of examination centres. Students can submit their objections online before December 22, 2025. In case a student is unable to submit the objection online, they can inform their respective school authorities. Students/schools have to submit reasonable evidence to support their objections.

Exam centres allotted by UPMSP

Students who are preparing to appear for the UP board class 10 or class 12 board examinations in 2026 can check the list of centres allotted by visiting the official website. The same can be downloaded by clicking on the link provided below:UPMSP board exam centre list 2026.The final list issued by the board includes 7,448 exam centres across the state where the annual board exams will be conducted. Students are advised to verify the list specific to their district as published on the official portal.

What’s next for UP board students?

The UP board exams 2026 are scheduled to commence February 18, 2026 onwards. The exams will be concluded on March 12, 2026. Ahead of the theory examinations, UP board will conduct practical exams for class 12 students. As per the official schedule released by the board, the UPMSP class 12 practical exams will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 will be conducted from January 24 to February 1, 2026, while phase 2 will be held on January 29 and 30, 2026.

When will UP board hall tickets be issued?

The UP board authorities will issue hall tickets for classes 10 and 12 students soon. Based on past years’ trends, it is expected that the admit cards will be released a few weeks before the examinations commence. Registered students can expect the UP board admit cards to be released by late January or early February.Once issued, students will be able to download their hall tickets by following the steps given below:

If students spot any discrepancy or error in their admit card, they should immediately inform their respective school authorities. The admit card serves as an entry ticket to the examination centre. Therefore, students should ensure that all the details mentioned in their hall tickets are accurate. For more information and updates about UP board exams 2026, students are advised to keep checking the official website regularly.

By: Mallica JoshiNEW DELHI: How did Beijing go from being the ‘smog capital of the world’ to footnotes in research papers on tackling air pollution? China has lessons for India.In a series of posts on X, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, Yu Jing laid out the path that Beijing followed to drastically improve air quality.

“Both China and India know the struggle with air pollution amid rapid urbanization. While the challenge remains complex, China’s sustained efforts over the past decade have delivered noticeable improvements…” Jing posted.Also read: Poisoned skies: How China tackled pollution — if Beijing can, why can’t Delhi?Beijing’s annual PM 2.5 average in 2013 was 101.7 ug/m3. In 2024, it stood at 30.9 ug/m3.In her posts that followed, Jing spoke about the steps taken in transport and industry sectors that led to better air. “How did Beijing tackle air pollution? Step 1: Vehicle emissions control. Adopt ultra-strict regulations like China 6NI (on par with Euro 6). Phase-out retired old, high-emission vehicles. Curb car growth via license-plate lotteries and odd-even / weekday driving rules. Build one of the world’s largest metro and bus networks. Accelerate the shift to electric mobility. Work with the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region on coordinated emissions cuts. Cleaner air doesn’t happen overnight—but it is achievable,” she said.Addressing air pollution from industry, Jing said, “Step 2: Industrial Restructuring. Shut down or remove 3000+ heavy industries. Relocating Shougang, one of China’s largest steelmakers, alone cut inhalable particles by 20%. Transform vacated factories into parks, commercial zones, cultural and tech hubs. Example, the former Shougang site became the 2022 Winter Olympics venue. Relieve non-capital functions by relocating wholesale markets, logistics hubs and some educational and medical institutions. Coordinate regional integration by shifting general manufacturing to Hebei, while retaining high-value R&D and services in Beijing.”These interventions are not unheard of in India. Cleaner fuel for vehicles as well as industry, a curb on growth of private vehicles and robust public transport have been part of discussions for at least a decade.According to experts, the difference is in the scale and seriousness of the action.“In China, action was not taken just in Beijing but in 26 cities and towns to tackle the problem, which is regional. The first lesson is that the actions they took were urgent, stringent, and at a large scale. They took deep to enable massive energy transition, like getting rid of coal not only in industry but also in household use. Beijing also capped the number of cars that can be sold in a year even as it created infrastructure for public transport. We will find similarities in our plans for Delhi-NCR but the scale is missing,” said Anumita Roy Chaudhuri, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre For Science and Environment.She also said action in Delhi is taken only during air emergencies.“We can’t have just emergency measures. The implementation of these actions has to be round-the clock,” she said.Sunil Dahiya, Founder and Lead Analyst at the think tank EnviroCatalyst, said, “We already have BS6, which is equivalent to Euro 6, and the latest decision on not allowing BS VI or below vehicles in Delhi seems to be in the right direction. All the steps suggested for vehicular pollution were tried in India, but they didn’t work only because there wasn’t a political will.”On industrial pollution, Dahiya said shifting or removing all industries to a different region might be difficult as we are dealing with the livelihood of people residing in several states. “We can instead come up with better facilities. For instance, small and medium enterprises or manufacturing units mostly use undesignated fuel and lack air pollution control devices. We can introduce better mechanisms with common pollution control devices, emission control devices, and restructuring industrial clusters,” he said, adding that since 2019, no strict measures have been taken against power plants.

Microsoft 365 services in Japan and China have been fully restored after thousands of users experienced widespread access and sign-in failures early Thursday. The regional outage affected essential tools including Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot, disrupting business operations and remote work across both markets. Sharing a post on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), the official page of Microsoft 365 Status said “After an extended period of monitoring, we confirmed that our mitigating actions resolved impact for users. For more information, please see MO1198797 in the admin center”.

What caused Microsoft 365 services outage in Japan and China

According to updates posted in Microsoft’s admin center, the issue stemmed from a routing fault inside the company’s service infrastructure responsible for handling traffic in Japan. The outage led to intermittent login failures, slow loading times and degraded app performance for several hours. Microsoft engineers deployed mitigation steps throughout the morning, rebalancing traffic across backup systems to stabilize services.

Microsoft 365 services outage in Japan and China: Details of the disruption

The outage began around 12:00 am UTC (5:30 amIST), according to Microsoft’s status page. Users across Japan and China reported being unable to sign in to Microsoft 365 apps, with some experiencing repeated timeouts when accessing cloud-based files or using Copilot features. Microsoft confirmed that the disruption was limited to the Asia-Pacific region and said there was no indication of a cyberattack. Early assessments pointed to a routing misconfiguration that isolated parts of otherwise healthy infrastructure.Throughout the morning, Microsoft shared successive updates as mitigation progressed. At around 12:10 PM JST, engineers reported that traffic had been rebalanced across redundant systems and that services were returning to normal.In its latest post on X via Microsoft 365 Status, the company said: “After an extended period of monitoring, we confirmed that our mitigating actions resolved impact for users. For more information, please see MO1198797 in the admin center.”Outage impact and recoveryNo data loss or security issues were reported. However, the downtime affected organizations dependent on Microsoft’s cloud tools for daily operations. Copilot-powered workflows, email access, file sync and internal communication channels experienced the most disruption.

According to market experts, the overall sentiment continues to be weak. (AI image)

Stock market today: Indian equity benchmark indices, Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, opened in red in trade on Thursday. While Nifty50 was below 25,800, BSE Sensex was down around 150 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at 25,784.80, down 34 points or 0.13%. BSE Sensex was at 84,412.18, down 147 points or 0.17%.According to market experts, the overall sentiment continues to be weak, with Nifty likely finding support near 25700-25650 in the near term before staging a recovery. Any upward movement could face strong resistance at 25950-26000 levels.Dr. VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited says, “The trend of weakening AI trade is gathering pace in the U.S. market. This trend is likely to continue in early 2026, and this will favour non-AI markets like India. An interesting takeaway from yesterday’s trade is that despite FII buying and net institutional buying the market drifted down. The reason might be the FIIs increasing their short positions in the market. This means, in the near-term, FIIs will resort to a sell on rally strategy.” US stock markets finished lower on Wednesday, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching three-week lows as concerns over AI-related stocks impacted the technology sector.Asian equities started lower, following US market decline as global sentiment turned risk-averse with technology concerns affecting stocks while supporting short-term Treasuries and precious metals.Foreign portfolio investors disposed of shares valued at Rs 1,172 crore on Wednesday. Domestic institutional investors acquired shares worth Rs 769 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: Indian athletes have claimed the top rank in dope violations once again. The country’s athletes notched up a record 260 involvements in dope-related activities in the year 2024, as revealed by the latest World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report. According to the report published on Wada’s website late on Tuesday, it has listed India as the worst doping offender globally for the third consecutive time.The findings emerged on the backdrop of India’s preparations to host the centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and is aggressively pushing for a bid to host the 2036 Olympics. The Inter national Olympic Committee (IOC) had red-flagged concerns over rampant doping when an Indian delegation visited its headquarters in the Swiss city of Lausanne in July to assess the feasibility of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Wada says, India accounted for 260 adverse analytical findings (AAFs), reflecting a positivity rate of 3.6 per cent — the highest among all countries that conducted 5,000 or more tests. The Delhi-headquartered National Anti-Doping Agency (Nada) conducted 7,113 tests last year, comprising 6,576 urine samples and 537 blood samples. Of these, 253 urine samples (196 in-competition and 57 out of-competition) returned positive for prohibited substances, while seven blood samples (four in-competition and three out-of-competition) failed the dope test. Nada insisted that the latest figures reflected the anti doping watchdog’s more aggressive testing approach, when a total of 213 cases returned dope positive from 5,606 samples collected in 2023.However, several leading sporting nations recorded far lower positivity rates despite more extensive testing. France tested 11,744 samples and recorded 91 anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs), a 0.8 per cent positivity rate. Russia accounted for 76 ADRVs from 10,514 samples, a 0.7 per cent rate, after leading the global doping charts until 2021. China had just 43 dope failures, with a minimal 0.2 percent positivity rate from 24,214 samples. The US anti-doping agency did a lesser number of tests than India, 6592 in total, and had a positivity rate of 1.1 per cent.

The report highlights how deep the menace runs in the Indian sporting culture and again emphasised on the need to have a robust scientific and research system in the country. The figures also highlighted that Indian coaches, doctors and physiotherapists – attached with teams of different disciplines – lack basic knowledge of the use of performance-enhancing supplements and medicines. “While this position may appear concerning at both national and international levels, it is essential to underscore that the figures are a direct outcome of India’s intensified anti-doping efforts, marked by expanded testing and stronger detection mechanisms rather than a surge in doping prevalence,” stated a statement from Nada as it explained the continued high rate of positivity.In 2025, Nada has said it has so far conducted 7068 tests with a positivity rate of 1.5 per cent after a relatively lower adverse results count of 110.To tackle the doping menace, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) recently formed a new anti-doping panel while the govt has passed a national anti-doping bill aiming to ensure the highest standards of integrity in sports.

BENGALURU: What began as phone calls and mushy messages soon revealed itself as a carefully staged “love trap” — one that ultimately collapsed because a police inspector refused to play along. The woman has been arrested.It all began on Oct 30 when the first call was received by inspector Sathish GJ, who had taken charge of the Ramamurthynagar police station. The caller, who introduced herself as Sanjana, claimed she lived in the locality. Within minutes, the conversation veered away from small talk, ending with an unsolicited declaration of love.Sathish brushed it off as a prank. However, the calls didn’t stop. New numbers appeared each time old ones were blocked. By the time Sathish had blocked 11 numbers, it was clear this was not infatuation but persistence with intent. The woman demanded attention, affection, and acceptance, growing more aggressive with every rejection.When the attempts failed, pressure followed. Sanjana claimed to be a political party worker with access to the highest echelons of power. She sent photographs of herself with ministers and politicians and warned the inspector that his career could be “managed” up or down depending on his response. Calls even came in, claiming to represent the home minister and deputy chief minister, asking why Sathish was “ignoring” her complaint. The inspector said he replied, stating the woman had never formally visited the station nor filed any complaint, and that he would act only through due legal process.The woman changed tactics again. She visited the police station in Sathish’s absence, introduced herself as his relative, and left behind a bouquet and a box of sweets. When informed, Sathish warned her not to misuse his name. On Nov 7, she appeared at the station and handed him an envelope stuffed with handwritten love letters, heart sketches, declarations of devotion, and antidepressant tablets. The message was explicit: reciprocate, or she would end her life after holding him responsible. When the harassment continued, he formally lodged a complaint on Nov 8.During the inquiry, police learned that Sanjana had previously targeted a police constable in Whitefield and two other men in Ramamurthynagar and KR Pura, allegedly extracting money after similar “love” overtures. She returned on Dec 12, abusing the inspector, demanding a secret relationship, threatening suicide and vowing to destroy his reputation.In his complaint, the inspector alleged that the woman’s actions were aimed at harassment, intimidation, and possibly illegal financial gain, apart from damaging his personal dignity and the reputation of the police department. A case has been registered under the BNS sections 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 221 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions), and 351 (criminal intimidation).

New Delhi: IndiGo was quizzed on Wednesday by a parliamentary committee over the misery inflicted on passengers by its mass-cancellation of flights, but it blamed a variety of factors, including system glitch and adverse weather conditions, while DGCA and the aviation ministry parried off criticism of their role in the fiasco.Some committee members termed replies of different stakeholders as “unconvincing” and aimed at washing their hands of the crisis, encapsulated by the response of a govt official that he first came to know of the unfolding ordeal through media reports.The panel, headed by JDU’s Sanjay Jha, decided to wait for the report of an inquiry ordered by DGCA before coming to a conclusion and make its recommendation. It will hold another meeting and is expected to call these stakeholders again. The DGCA-ordered committee was constituted on Dec 5 and was asked to submit its report in 15 days.Captain Sam Thomas, president of Bengaluru-based Airline Pilots Association of India, created flutter at the meeting by alleging corruption in DGCA and was asked by members to refrain from making sweeping allegations without producing evidence. He alleged that one can commit any wrong, but stay safe if he touched right feet.A committee member said IndiGo, which has offered apology for the ordeal, was far from apologetic in its response before the panel. It told the panel that several factors combined to derail its operation, including a glitch in system, which needed rebooting, and adverse weather that had their pilots stuck in different zones.IndiGo was represented by its COO Isidre Porqueras, while officials of Air India, Akasa Air, Spice Jet and Air India Express appeared before the panel as well. Civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and top functionaries of other stakeholders were part of the deliberations.Replying to a query, IndiGo said all luggage, except 52 which remained unclaimed, have already been delivered.The panel’s meeting came against the backdrop of the suspicion, subject of investigation, that IndiGo remained resistant to the implementation of guidelines (Flight Duty Time Limitation) that allowed more rest for pilots in line with global norms aimed at ensuring flyers’ safety.It has been accused of engineering the disruption, leveraging its market dominance, to force the ministry to roll back the regulation as implementing it would have required the airline to hire more pilots. Faced with chaos caused triggered by disruption of IndiGo’s operations, DGCA had to relax the implementation of the guidelines.IndiGo management is reported to have denied allegation in meetings with ministry.