Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf and England batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge were named the ICC (International Cricket Council) Player of the Month for November on Wednesday, December 11. The duo was bestowed with the award for the first time in their respective careers.

Rauf had a phenomenal month as he starred in Pakistan’s first ODI series win in Australia since 2002. Rauf was adjudged Player of the series in Pakistan’s historic triumph scalping ten wickets from three matches at an average of 12 and an economy of 5.

The speedster picked up 3/67 in nine overs in the first ODI followed by a magnificent 5/29 in the second match, which also earned him the Player of the Match award in Pakistan’s nine-wicket win. Rauf further picked up 2/24 in seven overs in the third ODI, which earned him his second consecutive Player of the Match award as Pakistan took the ODI series by 2-1.

Malaysian doubles specialist Tan Kim Her has returned to India for a second stint of coaching, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced on Wednesday.

Known to be the brains behind the dynamic duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy during his first time, Tan will focus on developing strong doubles partnerships and improving the bench strength ahead of the 2026 Asian Games and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Malaysian’s first stint in India was between 2015 and 2019. He has begun his second spell with the team, joining the players in Hyderabad.

“I am very happy to be back in India and get a chance to work with Satwik-Chirag and also the young and talented group of doubles players who have the potential to follow their path. I am looking forward to creating a bigger group of doubles combinations who can win tournaments at the world stage,” Tan said on his return to the Indian set-up.

India is set to finalise a landmark USD 4 billion defence agreement with Russia, aimed at acquiring an advanced long-range early warning radar system that will elevate the nation’s missile detection and air defence capabilities.

The radar, from Russia's renowned Voronezh series, is capable of identifying and tracking a range of threats, including ballistic missiles and aircraft, over distances of up to 8,000 kilometers. This level of coverage, previously accessible only to a few global superpowers, marks a big step forward in India's defence capabilities.

The acquisition is part of India’s ongoing efforts to modernise its air defence infrastructure in the face of regional and global security challenges. With its extensive detection range, the radar system will provide critical early warning of potential threats, extending India's surveillance capabilities well beyond its borders.

Reliance Industries is in talks with several banks to secure a $3 billion loan, reported news agency Bloomberg. The funds are intended to refinance debt that is due next year, as per sources mentioned in the report.

The Indian conglomerate led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani is engaging with about half a dozen banks to finalise the loan, which is expected to be syndicated to the broader market in the first quarter of 2025.

Discussions are ongoing, and the terms of the loan are yet to be confirmed. The final structure could change as negotiations progress, according to people cited in the report.

Syria's new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago.

In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously ran an administration in a pocket of the northwest controlled by rebels, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1.

"Today we held a cabinet meeting that included a team from the Salvation government that was working in Idlib and its vicinity, and the government of the ousted regime," he said.

Nilabhra Sengupta, IRSSE (1997 batch) has taken charge as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) on deputation.

Sengupta completed his BE in Electronics & Telecommunications from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 1996 and joined the Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers two years later.

Before taking over as CVO of BEL, Sengupta served as Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer/Projects at Metro Railway, Kolkata. He was also in additional charge of Director (Rolling Stock and Systems) in Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation. He has served as ADRM Operations in Eastern Railway, Howrah division, and was on deputation to RITES and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation from 2014 to 2017.

The recommendations of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers regarding the reduction of GST on micronutrients and raw materials were taken to the 53rd GST Council which has referred the matter to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Rate Rationalisation for a holistic view, a release said.

As per the release, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday said that under the New Investment Policy (NIP), to facilitate fresh investment in the urea sector and to make India self-sufficient, 6 new urea units have been set up with a production capacity of 12.7 Lakh MT each.

Dubai, Sunny Dhillon, a former assistant coach of an Abu Dhabi T10 League franchise, was on Tuesday banned from all forms of cricket for six years by the sport's governing body for "attempting" to fix matches.

Dhillon was charged last year. The ban has been back dated to September 13, 2023, the date Dhillon was provisionally suspended.

"Sunny Dhillon has been found to have breached the Emirates Cricket Board Anti-Corruption Code and has been banned from all cricket for a period of six years," said the ICC in a statement.

The Telangana High Court on Monday ruled that former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh is a German national and that he used forged documents to contest elections, according to a Times of India report.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Ramesh for suppressing critical information about his German citizenship and misleading the judiciary.

In his order, Justice B Vijaysen Reddy highlighted that Ramesh had misrepresented key facts when applying for Indian citizenship in 2008, failing to disclose his existing German nationality.

According to the report, the Union Home Ministry had already annulled Ramesh’s citizenship in 2019 due to these misrepresentations. The High Court upheld that order, stating Ramesh was not stateless as he possessed a valid German passport, renewed until 2033. Evidence also showed Ramesh had visited Germany three times in 2023.

Swede Joakim Alexandersson was on Thursday appointed as the chief coach of the India women’s U-20 and U-17 national teams by the All India Football Federation.

The 48-year-old Alexandersson has come as part of an agreement between the All India Football Federation and the Swedish Football Association. His stint will commence with a two-month long U-20 national camp beginning in Bengaluru from December 10.

Alexandersson had an extensive playing career as a defender, majorly for IF Elfsborg, captaining the Swedish club and winning multiple trophies. He is also a former Sweden U-21 international.