India secured their place in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals with a perfect record after defeating New Zealand by 44 runs. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy starred with a 5-42, while Shreyas Iyer's 79 helped India post 249/9. India will face Australia in Dubai, whereas New Zealand will play South Africa in Lahore.
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World champion D Gukesh finished eighth at the German Freestyle Chess Grand Slam after losing to Alireza Firouzja. Despite a winless campaign, Gukesh earned $20,000. Vincent Keymer won the tournament, defeating Fabiano Caruana, and secured $200,000. Top players like Magnus Carlsen, Javokhir Sindarov, and Hikaru Nakamura also took notable prizes, while Levon Aronian and Vladimir Fedoseev finished in lower ranks.
A private lander from Houston-based Intuitive Machines, named Athena, landed on the Moon near the lunar south pole. The status is still being determined to check the orientation as the previous lander, Odysseus, tipped over after landing. This attempts to support future human missions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet US President Donald Trump to reinforce the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Modi will also attend AI Action Summit in France with President Emmanuel Macron, review India-France strategic ties, inaugurate India's first consulate in France, and honor Indian soldiers at the Mazargues War Cemetery.
On January 5, 2025, Nikki Glasser will host the 82nd Golden Globes at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The star-studded nominations include Kate Winslet and Selena Gomez, with Morris Chestnut and Mindy Kaling announcing the nominees. The awards will be broadcast live on Lionsgate Play in India on January 6 at 5:30 a.m.
Activist Anjali Damania has urged the Bombay High Court to take suo motu action in the kidnapping-murder case of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. She highlighted state minister Dhananjay Munde's ties with prime accused Walmik Karad, suggesting the investigation be moved out of Munde's influence. Damania provided evidence linking Munde to business dealings with Karad.
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has firmly denied rumors about Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar expecting their first child, putting an end to the speculation. According to Azmi, there is no truth to the reports. Farhan is currently working on his film 'Jee Le Zaraa,' while Shibani continues to pursue new career opportunities.
The BJP achieved a sweeping victory in Chhattisgarh's urban body elections, winning all 10 municipal corporations and securing 81 nagar panchayat presidents. This marked a significant shift from the previous polls where Congress had dominated. BJP's national president and CM celebrated the historic win, attributing it to welfare and development schemes.
Elon Musk is appealing to reinstate his $56 billion compensation package from Tesla after it was voided by a Delaware court, arguing that legal errors were made. The 2018 pay deal, heavily tied to Tesla's stock performance, was ruled unfair to investors despite being approved by shareholders twice.
Following a revelation in a chargesheet about a plot to kill Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, bulletproof glasses were installed at his Mumbai residence. The chargesheet indicated Khan was the Bishnoi gang's primary target. While earlier, gunmen fired shots at his house, the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique was a fallback plan after failing to assassinate Khan.
Demetrius Frazier, convicted of murdering and raping Pauline Brown in 1991, was executed using nitrogen gas in Alabama. This marks Alabama's first execution of 2025 and the fourth in the US using this method. Frazier apologized to Brown's family before his death, while Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer expressed concerns about the transfer, which allowed the execution to proceed.