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Martin Odegaard’s first goal of the season and a Georgino Rutter own goal helped Arsenal beat Brighton 2-1 in London. David Raya’s late save preserved the win, taking Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table

Bengaluru’s Hemanth Muddappa won two titles and a podium at the Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in Chennai. He leads the standings with 75 points, while Syed Imran, Mujahid Pasha and Lapis Lazuli also impressed in their respective categories

A khap panchayat in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, has banned children from using smartphones and wearing half pants in public, urging boys to wear kurta-pyjamas and girls salwar-kurtas. The panchayat also opposed weddings in marriage halls, insisting they be held in villages and homes to preserve family ties.

Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik criticised the bowler-friendly MCG pitch after the Ashes Test ended in two days, highlighting selective criticism of Indian tracks. Michael Vaughan and Aakash Chopra joined the chorus, while CA CEO Todd Greenberg admitted short Tests are bad for business

India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, aim for a fourth straight win in the Women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka. With bowlers Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh starring, India lead 3-0 and look set for a clean sweep

England captain Ben Stokes criticised the bowler-friendly MCG pitch after the Ashes Test ended in two days. Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik highlighted selective criticism of Indian pitches, while CA CEO Todd Greenberg admitted short Tests are bad for business

Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh joined Magnus Carlsen at the top after five rounds of the FIDE World Rapid Championships in Doha. Zhu Jiner leads the women’s section with a perfect score, while Koneru Humpy and Ju Wenjun trail with three points

BCCI is weighing Gautam Gambhir’s future as India’s Test coach after the South Africa series defeat. An informal approach was made to VVS Laxman, who declined. Gambhir’s contract runs till 2027, but split coaching could be considered after the T20 World Cup

The Supreme Court will hear on December 29 a plea filed by the CBI challenging the Delhi High Court’s suspension of the life sentence awarded to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the 2017 Unnao rape case. The case, transferred to Delhi in 2019, continues to draw national attention.

Rayan Cherki scored an 83rd-minute winner as Manchester City defeated Nottingham Forest 2-1 in the Premier League. Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring, Omari Hutchinson equalised, but Cherki’s decisive strike gave City their eighth straight win, taking them to 40 points

Nizamabad District defeated Hyderabad Blues by six wickets in the HCA B-Division T20 knockouts in Hyderabad. Warangal District and Mahbubnagar District also registered wins, while standout performances came from Srikar, Varshith and Rohith Reddy

Hyderabad’s Aaron George has been selected in India’s U19 World Cup squad for Zimbabwe and Namibia. India, five-time champions, are in Group B with New Zealand, USA and Bangladesh

Health officials say counterfeit rabies vaccine concerns do not affect government hospitals in Telangana, as supplies come directly from manufacturers. However, the State faces rising dog bite cases and a serious shortage of Rabies Immunoglobulin injections needed for severe bites.

Surya Charishma Tamiri and Tanvi Patri reached the women’s singles final at the Senior National Badminton Championships in Vijayawada. In men’s singles, S Rithvik Sanjeevi stunned top seed Kiran George, while Bharat Raghav upset M Tharun to set up the final clash

Telangana’s Shivani Karra won gold in the under-14 girls 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke at the South Zone aquatics championship in Hyderabad. Dakshinya Harini Gidijala added gold in the 200m breaststroke as swimmers from Karnataka and Telangana shared honours

Jain University defeated University of Mumbai 3-2 in the AIIU Inter Zonal women’s table tennis tournament in Hyderabad. Savitribai Phule University and Chandigarh University registered straight wins, while Punjab University advanced with a walkover against Adamas University

The mixed doubles pre-quarterfinals at the AAI 52nd Institutional Table Tennis Championships in Indore saw PSPB, RBI, Railways and Tamil Nadu pairs advance. Matches featured thrillers, straight-game wins and deciders, underlining the competitive depth at Abhay Prashal

Hyderabad: Shrivalli Rashmika Bhamidipaty lost in the semi-final of the Solapur Open ITF Women’s tennis tournament on Saturday. The Hyderabad player went down to M Ozeki 6-4, 4-6, 4-6.

A New York Times report highlights how American technology giants are investing heavily in India’s Artificial Intelligence and data centre infrastructure. Despite trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi, projects are advancing, with Hyderabad and coastal cities emerging as prime hubs.

Para athletes Shivani from Andhra Pradesh and Jyoti from Haryana were honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi. Both were trained by the Aditya Mehta Foundation and recognised for their sporting excellence

TCA Khammam defeated TCA Hanamkonda by 75 runs in the Telangana Gold Cup East Zone League at Warangal, with Imran Shaik scoring 75 not out. TCA Mahabubabad beat TCA Mulugu by eight wickets, with R Suresh starring with the ball

Tilottama Sen won gold in the women’s 50m rifle 3P final at the 68th National Shooting Championship in Bhopal. Vidarsa Vinod took silver and Ayonika Paul bronze. Rituparna Deshmukh claimed junior gold, while Rajasthan and Karnataka won team titles

A tragic accident in Vadodara claimed the life of Vipulsinh Zala, who slipped into a 15–30-foot open manhole near the Manjalpur Sports Complex while out for dinner with his family. His relatives discovered his boots floating inside the pit during a search after he failed to return. Fire department personnel pulled him out, but doctors declared him dead at the hospital.

Forest officials in Jagtial seized two langurs illegally confined in rice mills at Kodimial following a complaint by animal welfare activist Mudavath Preethi of the Stray Animal Foundation of India. Inspections at Chamundi Rice Industries and Dattasai Rice Industry led to the rescue.