Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said that in consultation with Cricket Australia it has added an extra ODI to its schedule of home series against Australia, which begins on January 29 with the first of two Tests in Galle.

The tour’s original itinerary was of just one ODI alongside two Test matches, which are a part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle, with Australia booking its spot in the final against South Africa, to be played at Lord’s in June.

Now, SLC said in a statement that it has revised its schedule, which will now see both teams compete in two Tests and as many ODIs, with Australia scheduled to arrive in the country on January 24, after having a pre-tour camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sri Lanka off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana has achieved a career-best third place in the latest update to the ICC Men’s ODI bowling rankings on Wednesday. The move also means that Theekshana, 24, has entered the top three of the Men's ODI bowlers ranking list for the first time.

Theekshana gained four slots after finishing with 4-44 in the second match in Hamilton, including a hat-trick, though Sri Lanka lost by 113 runs. He then picked 3-35 in the third match in Auckland that Sri Lanka won by 140 runs. Theekshana has also climbed four spots to be in equal 26th place in the men’s ODI all-rounder rankings, alongside Curtis Campher and Gudakesh Motie.

Theekshana, with 663 rating points, is now just six behind top-ranked bowler, Afghanistan’s leg-spinner Rashid Khan (669). India’s left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is second with 665 points, while Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi comes after the three spinners in the rankings with 662 rating points.

A resident of Kadatti tribal village in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu's Erode district was trampled to death by a wild elephant, officials said on Wednesday.

According to Forest Department officials, Madevappa. 65, and three friends entered the forest on Tuesday to collect firewood. When they were about 500 metres into the forest at the Boothalapuram beat, they encountered a herd of elephants.

While his companions managed to escape, Madevappa was trampled by one of the elephants.

India will be the most resilient economy among the top 10 leading ones in the next three years (2025-2027), becoming the fourth largest economy by 2026, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) said on Wednesday.

The country is making significant strides in its futuristic growth trajectory and the GDP in the current financial year (2024-25) is expected to expand at 6.8 per cent and 7.7 per cent in FY2025-26.

India’s growth story continues with GDP surpassing $4 trillion in 2025, supported by robust economic fundamentals and a dynamic business environment.

As the medals won by the athletes at the 2024 Paris Games have shown signs of rust and deterioration, an Olympic medallist slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and host nation France for 'defective medals' and said had the medals been presented in India, the global response would have been far more critical.

Various athletes, including Indian medal winners, took to social media to share that the medals they won have started to lose their shine within days of the podium ceremony.

Reacting to the issue, the Olympic medallist has called both the IOC and host nation France responsible for the quality of the medals.

A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old youth at Rithoj village in Gurugram district, police said on Wednesday.

The body of the victim, identified as Harsh Kumar, was recovered in a pool of blood on Monday, Gurugram Police said.

The accused has been identified as Vishal alias Bholu (20) of the same village.

The first look of the upcoming sci-fi supernatural thriller film ‘Baida’ has been unveiled. It promises to transport the viewers to an intriguing world, consisting of abandoned cottages, lanterns, forests and a web of illusions.

The film is touted to be the first-of-its-kind sci-fi supernatural thriller set in the backdrop of India’s Hindi Heartland. The film is based on one of director Sudhanshu Rai’s popular audio stories.

The film stars Shobhit Sujay, Manisha Rai, Tarun Khanna, Sourabh Raaj Jain, Hiten Tejwani, Akhlaq Ahmad Azad and Pradeep Kabra. It is directed by Sudhanshu Rai and Puneet Sharma.

Talking about the film, Puneet Sharma said, “BAIDA is a tale of illusions, where the lead protagonist played by Sudhanshu traverses through different dimensions and timeframes. As he heads to a destination unknown, he meets someone delusive, and then begins an experience that has never unfolded before the Indian audience before. A story about unimaginable worlds, BAIDA is two hours of pure entertainment, which can only be experienced on the big screen”.

India is showcasing its growing strength in the textile industry with its Pavilion at Heimtextil 2025, at Messe Frankfurt. With the largest country participation at this prestigious global home textiles fair, India demonstrates its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and global partnerships.

The Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh inaugurated the India Pavilion and addressed global home textile exporters, importers, and manufacturers, highlighting the country’s growing competitiveness and the need for collaboration to achieve sustainable growth. He also invited all participating countries to attend Bharat Tex 2025 and explore investment opportunities in India’s thriving textile ecosystem.

The Minister, during the Investors’ Meet with the textile and machinery manufacturers, highlighted India’s growth story and rising FDI in the last 10 years, emphasizing that the ‘Make in India’ initiative is a proven strategy driving India’s emergence as a competitive manufacturing hub. He encouraged investors to seize the growing opportunities, warning that staying out of India’s market could lead to a fear of missing out. Inviting global investors, he said, ‘Come and invest in India - Make in India, Make for the World’.

Pakistan government's decision to hike petrol price by at least Rs 3.5 per litre from Thursday has invited widespread censure from citizens across the country who are already battling inflation and financial stress.

As per sources in the government, a summary for increase in fuel and petroleum prices has been proposed due to the variation in the global market. Details suggest that the price of light speed diesel may be increased by at least Rs 5 while kerosine oil price may also see a hike of at least Rs 6 per litre.

The proposal to increase prices, submitted by the Federal Petroleum Ministry through a working paper to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), recommends major adjustments.

The proposed prices will be reviewed by OGRA before being sent to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the final approval. The revised rates will stay from January 16 to January 31.

India is projected to see a five-fold growth in green investments to Rs 31 lakh crore between 2025 and 2030, a Crisil report showed on Wednesday.

Of the Rs 31 lakh crore investments, Rs 19 lakh crore is seen going into renewable energy and storage, Rs 4.1 lakh crore into transport and automotive sectors and Rs 3.3 lakh crore into oil and gas, according to the report presented at the Crisil's ‘India Infrastructure Conclave 2025’ in the national capital.

This is a crucial part of an estimated $10 trillion investments needed through 2070 to achieve the country’s net-zero goals as per the Updated First Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

Among India’s key NDC commitments are a 45 per cent reduction in the carbon intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 from 2005 levels, and an increase in the share of cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil-fuel-based energy resources to 50 per cent.