India

A Cisco report revealed that 97 per cent of Indian firms have expanded privacy frameworks to support responsible AI use. While businesses see benefits like innovation and customer trust, challenges remain in data governance and cross-border data flows

Suryakumar Yadav struck back-to-back fifties against New Zealand, rediscovering his touch ahead of the T20 World Cup. Experts Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra hailed his confidence and adaptability, noting his ability to handle pacers and spinners with calculated aggression

Sanju Samson’s T20I struggles continue, with recent failures against New Zealand highlighting his inconsistency. Experts WV Raman and Zubin Bharucha believe his issues are both technical and mental, stressing adjustments in bat-speed and clarity of mindset to unlock his potential

World Champion D Gukesh defeated Vladimir Fedoseev to bounce back at the Tata Steel Masters. Anish Giri beat leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa held draws. Abdusattorov still leads with 5.5 points after eight rounds

Young Indian shuttlers including Priyanshu Rajawat, Kiran George, Tharun Mannepalli and Anmol Kharb will begin their campaigns at the Thailand Masters Super 300 in Bangkok. Several players face seeded opponents in a crucial early-season test on the BWF World Tour

Nat Sciver-Brunt scored the first-ever century in Women’s Premier League history as Mumbai Indians beat RCB by 15 runs. Richa Ghosh’s explosive 90 kept Bengaluru in the hunt, but Hayley Matthews’ all-round brilliance sealed Mumbai’s crucial win

India and the European Union have concluded official-level negotiations for a long-pending free trade agreement, paving the way for expanded trade, duty-free access for key sectors and deeper economic integration, with a formal announcement expected at the India-EU Summit

Strategic patience, backed by calibrated leverage, remains India’s best option for navigating the Bangladesh crisis

High female STEM enrolment contrasts with low career entry, reflecting persistent cultural and systemic barriers that push women out of India’s technology workforce

Public sector bank services are set to be disrupted nationwide as the United Forum of Bank Unions goes on strike seeking implementation of a five-day work week, with branch-level operations affected while digital services continue

Bihar crushed Manipur by 568 runs in the Ranji Trophy Plate Division final at Patna, earning promotion to the Elite Division. Piyush Singh’s unbeaten 216 and Bipin Saurabh’s 143 powered Bihar, while Suraj Kashyap starred with the ball

India’s 13-year-old tennis star Srishti Kiran clinched her fourth consecutive ITF Junior singles title at the J30 tournament in Huamantla, Mexico. She defeated Canada’s Natalie Tsatsalashvili in the final and also finished runners-up in doubles with partner Tamara Herman

Hyderabad Toofans clinched third place in the Hero Hockey India League with a 4-3 win over HIL GC at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. Amandeep Lakra scored twice, while Nilakanta Sharma and Jacob Anderson added goals in a thrilling contest

India’s men’s futsal team defeated Pakistan 4-1 to clinch the silver medal at the SAFF Futsal Championship 2026 in Bangkok. Lalsawmpuia scored twice, while Vincent Laltluangzela and Nikhil Mali added goals as India finished second behind Maldives

The Indian Army retained their men’s ice-hockey gold at the Khelo India Winter Games in Ladakh, edging Chandigarh 3-2 in a thrilling final. Haryana won the team championship, while Ladakh, Maharashtra and Telangana secured two golds each in the medal standings

Indian paddlers won 10 medals, including four gold, at the 2026 WTT Star Youth Contender and Feeder events in Doha. Highlights included an all-Indian podium sweep in U15 girls and doubles triumphs, underlining India’s growing strength in junior table tennis.

Telangana’s Hitesh Dolwani won the men’s singles Class X title at the third National Para Ranking Table Tennis Championship in Chennai. He defeated Maharashtra’s Vishwa Tambe in the final after earlier wins over Nitin of Tamil Nadu and Dibrojit of Assam

Indian Railways won the ninth Federation Cup ball badminton championship in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, for the fourth consecutive time. Led by G P Vignesh and coached by K Sashi Kumar, Railways dominated both league and Super League matches to emerge champions

Rohit Sharma said he sensed something different about Tilak Varma when he joined Mumbai Indians, praising his temperament and Asia Cup knock. He also spoke about batting flexibility, intent in knockouts, and moving away from the rebuild philosophy in T20 cricket

The Col C K Nayudu Trophy league match between Vidarbha and Hyderabad ended in a draw in Hyderabad. Vidarbha took the first-innings lead, while Wafi Kachhi’s 98 and Ruthik Yadav’s 68 helped Hyderabad finish strongly in their second innings

PVR INOX will divest its premium snacking brand 4700BC to Marico Ltd for Rs 226.8 crore in an all-cash deal. The move will help the multiplex operator reduce debt and focus on its core cinema exhibition business

Reliance Industries has not bought Russian crude oil in January so far, while state-run refiners increased imports amid heavy discounts, according to data. Overall Russian oil imports into India dipped slightly due to the impact of US and EU sanctions

The proposed India-EU free trade agreement, set to be announced on January 27, is expected to include import duty cuts on labour-intensive sectors, automobiles and wines, along with liberalised norms in services, sources said

Long before independence, our leaders engaged intensely with constitutional thought—experimenting, rejecting, and refining multiple legal and political frameworks