| Who is Anand Varadarajan? Starbucks appoints Indian national as chief technology officer Dec 20th 2025, 03:54 by TOI BUSINESS DESK Starbucks has appointed Anand Varadarajan, an Indian-origin tech leader with extensive experience from Amazon, as its new Chief Technology Officer, effective January 19. This strategic move aligns with CEO Brian Niccol's vision for a significant technology overhaul aimed at enhancing in-store operational efficiency. Varadarajan's expertise will be crucial in driving this transformation. | | 'Scared to death': B'desh newspaper goes unpublished for first time; editor recounts 'darkest night' Dec 20th 2025, 03:41 by TOI WORLD DESK Violence erupted in Dhaka following the fatal shooting of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Hundreds of his supporters allegedly set fire to the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star newspapers. The executive editor described it as a "darkest night" for the media, with journalists forced to flee. | | T20 World Cup | India think tank's top priority: Keeping Bumrah and Pandya fresh Dec 20th 2025, 03:40 by SAHIL MALHOTRA With a 50-day countdown to the 2026 T20 World Cup, India's think-tank has made workload management its top priority, ring-fencing Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Bumrah will skip the New Zealand ODIs, while Pandya's domestic appearances will be carefully rationed, as the management prioritises peak fitness and continuity in T20Is over all other formats. | | Hardik Pandya's monster hit injures cameraman; ice pack, hug follow - WATCH Dec 20th 2025, 03:30 by TOI SPORTS DESK Hardik Pandya's explosive 63 off 25 balls powered India to a 30-run victory and a 3-1 series win against South Africa. His rapid half-century and a crucial partnership with Tilak Varma set a massive target. Pandya's sportsmanship, checking on a cameraman hit by his six, also drew praise. Varun Chakravarthy's four wickets sealed the win. | | Assam tragedy: Rajdhani Express hits herd of elephants, killing 8; engine, 5 coaches derail Dec 20th 2025, 03:09 by TOI NEWS DESK Eight elephants tragically died after being struck by the Sairang New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai district early Saturday. The collision caused five coaches and the engine of the train to derail, though no passengers were injured. The incident occurred in a forested area known for elephant movement. | | Tamil Nadu: Lab assistant dies after 'snakebite'; sons plotted murder for Rs 3 cr insurance Dec 20th 2025, 01:22 by SINDHU KANNAN A chilling murder plot unfolded in Tiruvallur district where two sons allegedly orchestrated their father's death by snakebite to claim ₹3 crore in insurance. Initially ruled accidental, the investigation revealed a staged second bite by a krait after a previous cobra incident. Six individuals, including the sons, have been arrested. | | Trump Vs Nicolas: US imposes sanctions on family members: Who are they? Dec 20th 2025, 01:14 by TOI WORLD DESK The United States has imposed sanctions on seven individuals linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The Treasury Department accused them of supporting Maduro's "rogue narcostate" and threatening regional stability. This action follows a series of US military buildups and operations in the Caribbean aimed at pressuring Maduro's government. | | Brown University shooting: How a Reddit post helped police track the shooter Dec 20th 2025, 00:30 by TOI WORLD DESK A Reddit tip about a suspicious car with Florida plates near Brown University led police to Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the suspect in a deadly campus shooting and the murder of an MIT professor. Valente, a former Brown graduate student, died by suicide in a storage unit. Investigators are still probing his motives. | | Amazon 'misunderstood' in AI race, says AWS chief; claims platform now strongest Dec 19th 2025, 20:32 by TOI TECH DESK AWS CEO Matt Garman acknowledges initial concerns about Amazon's AI narrative but asserts the company's strong position. He highlights AWS's robust agentic platform, broad model selection, and comprehensive security controls, emphasizing their focus on enterprise solutions rather than consumer applications like ChatGPT. Garman is pleased with the current perception of AWS in the AI landscape. | | Maharashtra horror: Nurse gang-raped after knocking on wrong hotel room; 3 arrested Dec 19th 2025, 20:03 by TNN A 30-year-old nurse was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a hotel room in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after she mistakenly knocked on their door. The accused, including two recovery agents and an MBA student, were arrested and remanded in police custody. The victim had gone to meet a friend for financial assistance when the incident occurred. | | Starlink reports 200m near-collision: calls out no coordination; Chinese launch provider replies Dec 19th 2025, 19:58 by TOI TECH DESK A near-collision occurred in space when a new Chinese satellite came within 200 meters of a SpaceX Starlink satellite. SpaceX blamed the Chinese launch provider, CAS Space, for not sharing location data and coordinating satellite deployments. CAS Space stated its responsibility ends after deployment but is investigating the incident and emphasizes international cooperation for space safety. | |
