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Billionaire Elon Musk sparked fevered speculation when he turned up with a black eye for his Oval Office farewell with US President Donald Trump on Friday.

But the South African-born tech magnate said he had a simple explanation: his son had punched him in the face.

“I was just horsing around with lil’ X, and I said, ‘go ahead punch me in the face,’” 53-year-old Musk told reporters when asked how he got the shiner.

“And he did. Turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is…” he added, before tailing off.

“I didn’t really feel much at the time but I guess it bruises up.”

Trump hosted the press conference with Musk to mark the Tesla boss’s last day at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk had expressed increasing disillusionment with the job but said he would remain a “friend and advisor.”

Musk’s appearance was overshadowed by allegations in the New York Times that he had engaged in heavy drug use while on the campaign trail for Trump in 2024.

Trump said he “didn’t notice” the purple bruise next to Musk’s right eye, but added: “X could do it, if you knew X.”

In the end, it was Mumbai Indians who won the key moments to advance in the competition. The victory took them to Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday when they take on Punjab Kings.

Despite heavy dew, overcoming a such a steep target in a knock-out game needed a special effort which came from Sudharsan who put his team on course for an improbable chase until his dismissal in the 16th over.

Bumrah removed Washington Sundar (48 off 24) with his trademark yorker before Sudharsan missed scoop against Richard Gleeson to see his stumps dislodged, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game.

While it lasted, it was a delight to see Sudharsan go about his business. In a game of pure muscle, Sudharsan was a picture of elegance and found gaps all around the park with pinpoint precision.

The equation came down to 36 from 12 balls with two left-handers Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford in the middle. Mumbai Indians debutant Richard Gleeson bowled the final over with Titans needing 24 runs and he bowled three immaculate deliveries to ensure victory before hobbling out due to hamstring issue. In fact, Suryakumar Yadav, the vice-captain was marshalling resources in the final over and it was a brave punt to bring Gleeson in for three deliveries knowing that he is in considerable discomfort. Once the target was out of reach, Surya took him off and asked left-arm seamer Ashwini Kumar to complete formalities.

Earlier, on a surface which had less grass compared to the one used on Thursday, Mumbai Indians decided to bat first and the batters ensured the team goes into the break with an upper-hand.

Titans dropped three crucial catches — two of Rohit (81 off 50 ) and one of Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) – and produced another ordinary effort with the ball in the knock-out fixture.

Rohit was dropped twice in the powerplay before veteran made the opposition pay dearly for their on-field errors. On the first occasion, Gerald Coetzee dropped him in the deep and Kusal Mendis’ GT debut went all awry when he bungled a regulation take behind stumps off Mohammed Siraj.

“Definitely not easy when we drop 3 sitters. Wasn’t easy for the bowlers to control and doesn’t help when you drop 3 catches,” said Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill after the game.

It was Bairstow (47 off 22), who gave Mumbai Indians the momentum in the powerplay with some sublime hitting.

The out of favour England batter, who joined the mighty Mumbai Indians days after collecting back-to-back fifties in county cricket for Yorkshire, took his chances early on and was well rewarded.

He targeted Titans’ best pacer of the season, Prasidh Krishna, plundering him for 26 runs in the fourth over of the innings that included three sixes. The first hit was a pull that comfortably sailed over square leg fence before picking the pacer for a clean hit down the ground.

Rohit too got into the act when spinner Sai Kishore was introduced inside the powerplay. The former MI captain employed the sweep shot to perfection to collect two fours and a massive six to take his team to 79 for no loss in six overs, the team’s best powerplay of the season.

Most batters prefer to see out Rashid Khan but having found his rhythm, Rohit even went after the star Afghanistan spinner. He first went for the inside out aerial drive before slog sweeping Rashid for a six. At 113 for one in 10 overs, Mumbai Indians looked unstoppable.

When Suryakumar joined Rohit in the middle, boundaries continued to flow. India’s T20 captain welcome Gerald Coetzee into the attack with couple of sixes, one a pull shot while the other was cut that just about cleared the ropes.

The confidence of the top-order also rubbed off on Tilak Varma (25 off 11) who has had a off season by his standards. He smashed three sixes in quick time before falling to Siraj.

Skipper Hardik Pandya picked Coetzee for couple of sixes in the 20th over to push the total past 225..

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan on Sunday carried out a strategic review of the Indian Army’s combat readiness at the force’s northern and western theatres following the Operation Sindoor.

In separate visits to the two crucial commands that played a major role during the operation, Gen Chauhan commended the overall synergy and timely accomplishment of tasks under challenging conditions.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), while conducting a strategic review and operational assessment, emphasised the importance of continued vigilance, jointness and synergy across the services to address “evolving threats”, according to the Army.

The top military official also exhorted the two commands to render a helping hand in rehabilitation of the civilians targeted by the “adversary”.

Operation Sindoor has become a testament to India’s growing military prowess, targeting nine key terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), avenging the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and redefining India’s anti-terror strategy on the global stage, said John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute and Executive Director of the Urban Warfare Institute.

In a detailed article posted on X, titled “Operation Sindoor: A Decisive Victory in Modern Warfare”, Spencer stated that India had achieved a “massive victory” following Operation Sindoor, which he claimed is still not “completely over” despite the undertaking of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Spencer noted that the operation “exceeded its strategic aims” as it neutralised terrorist infrastructure and showcased India’s military dominance, reinforcing deterrence as well as introducing a “new national security doctrine”.

He called the action decisive and not just “symbolic”, and that it was applied with clear intent. He stated that the cessation was “not merely a pause” but a “strategic hold” following this military victory.

Spencer noted that, unlike the previous attacks executed by India following such terror attacks, India “didn’t wait”, nor appealed to the international forum for mediation or issued a diplomatic demarche but launched “warplanes”.

The swift and precise calibration on May 7 sent a clear message that “terror attacks launched from Pakistani soil will now be treated as acts of war.”

Spencer further recognised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new doctrine as “India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail. India will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail.”

He further acknowledged PM Modi’s unveiling of a strategic doctrine as he said, “Terror and talks can’t go together. Water and blood can’t flow together.”

In his article Spence says that the nine precision strikes on major terror training camps, particularly Pakistan’s Bahawalpur and Muridke, on May 7; the damages done to the 11 Pakistani military airbases; and the “temporary halt” in firing weren’t just a tactical success but were a “doctrinal execution” under live fire. These actions had redefined India’s stance against terrorism by drawing and enforcing a new red line: terror attacks from Pakistani soil will now be met with military force. Additionally, it, combined with a display of overwhelming military superiority, has restored deterrence and asserted India’s strategic independence.

India’s military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying the four-day conflict never came close to the point of nuclear war.

“What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” Anil Chauhan, chief of defence staff of the Indian Armed Forces, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Saturday, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

He called Pakistan’s claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes “absolutely incorrect,” though declined to specify how many jets India lost.

“Why they were down, what mistakes were made – that are important,” General Chauhan said when asked about the fighter jets. “Numbers are not important,” he added.

“The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,” General Chauhan said.

The comments are the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official on the fate of the country’s fighter jets during the conflict with Pakistan that erupted on May 7.

Earlier this month, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country shot down six Indian fighter jets, an assertion that hasn’t been independently verified. India’s government had earlier refrained from commenting on whether it lost aircraft in the fighting.

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