Business
Tennis legend Billie Jean King sees progress, opportunity in women’s sports and leveling the playing field
Tennis legend Billie Jean King has been a fearless advocate for women’s rights and women in sports since early in her career, but she said there’s still work to do.
King made history in 1973 when she defeated top tennis player Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match. Over 90 million people worldwide tuned into the match, according to BJK’s official website. It is the basis for the 2017 movie of the same name starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.
Building on her strides for women in sports, King helped found the Women’s Tennis Association and became its first president. She also lobbied for equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open, making it the first major tournament to offer equal prize money across sexes.
As the 2025 U.S. Open descends on New York City, King sat down with CNBC’s Alex Sherman for a wide-ranging interview on the state of women’s sports, uniting tennis across men’s and women’s leagues and her perspective on aging gracefully.
Leveling the playing field
Growing up, King said her father believed in her just as much as he did in her younger brother. She said the way that men use their power is a key part of the fight for women’s rights.
“We’re taught not to ask for what we want and need. We are totally taught not to do that,” she said.
But King recounted examples of how women have brought about real, tangible changes in the industry when they speak up.
When David Stern was commissioner of the NBA, King had been sitting with him in the president’s box at the U.S. Open. After working up the courage, she said she asked Stern to promise he wouldn’t let the WNBA fail. He agreed and secured the financial backing to get the league on solid footing.
Similarly, King said hockey legend Kendall Coyne Schofield came to her and her wife, Ilana Kloss, to recruit their help in starting the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which had its first game in 2024.
“I looked at her, I said, ‘You have no idea how brave you are, because most girls don’t have the guts to even ask.’ But now we have a league because she asked. Kendall asked the question,” King said.
King said the male and female tennis players have been working together more and more over the years. But her goal to unite the two leagues — the ATP and the WTA — is still a work in progress.
“That’s my prayer for the future,” she said.
Aging gracefully
To King, aging just means more opportunity.
She said she and her wife try to play tennis together three times per week.
“I’ve read research, you can live almost — especially with tennis, it’s the healthiest sport in the world — that I can live almost 10 years extra, and that’s what I want,” she said.
On Tuesday, ride-share company Lyft announced it is partnering with King in its “Silver is Gold” campaign in an effort to reframe the conversation around aging.
King said Lyft Silver, a service designed for older adults, is useful because it uses larger font, offers tech support with a live person and matches users with vehicles that are easier to step into. She said it grants older adults freedom and independence.
And while older populations have increasingly turned toward pickleball over the past few years as a source of exercise, King said she’s sticking with tennis.
“I’ve played it a couple of times, but I don’t love the sound,” she said. “As long as I can play tennis, that’s where the magic is for me, when the ball hits the strings.”
The government on Thursday kept petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices unchanged at Rs253.17 per litre and Rs257.08 per litre respectively, for the coming fortnight, starting from January 16.
This decision was notified in a press release issued by the Petroleum Division.
Earlier, it was expected that the prices of all petroleum products would go down by up to Rs4.50 per litre (over 1pc each) today in view of variation in the international market.
Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middle classes.
Meanwhile, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary, as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains, and agricultural engines such as trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells, and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The government is currently charging about Rs100 per litre on petrol and about Rs97 per litre on diesel.
Business
Gold price today: How much 22K, 24K gold cost in Delhi, Patna & other cities – Check rates – The Times of India
Gold prices climbed to a fresh lifetime high in the domestic market on Thursday amid sustained buying by jewellers and stockists, according to the All India Sarafa Association.Gold advanced by Rs 800 to hit a new peak of Rs 1,47,300 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes), extending gains for the fifth consecutive session. The yellow metal had closed at Rs 1,46,500 per 10 grams in the previous session.Since the start of 2026, gold prices have surged Rs 9,600, or around 7 per cent, supported by persistent demand in the physical market. In overseas trade, spot gold slipped USD 12.22, or 0.26 per cent, to USD 4,614.45 per ounce, after having touched a record high of USD 4,643.06 per ounce in the previous session.Here is how much gold costs in major Indian cities today:
Gold price in Delhi today
The price of 22K gold in Delhi is Rs 13,140 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold is priced at Rs 14,333 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Chennai today
In Chennai, 22K gold costs Rs 13,290 per gram, up Rs 10, while 24K gold is priced at Rs 14,498 per gram, higher by Rs 10.
Gold price in Mumbai today
Mumbai markets see 22K gold priced at Rs 13,125 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold stands at Rs 14,318 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Ahmedabad today
In Ahmedabad, 22K gold is priced at Rs 13,130 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold costs Rs 14,323 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Kolkata today
Kolkata markets price 22K gold at Rs 13,125 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold stands at Rs 14,318 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Jaipur today
In Jaipur, 22K gold costs Rs 13,140 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold is priced at Rs 14,333 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Hyderabad today
Hyderabad sees 22K gold at Rs 13,125 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold is priced at Rs 14,318 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Bhubaneswar today
Bhubaneswar markets see 22K gold priced at Rs 13,125 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold costs Rs 14,318 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Patna today
In Patna, 22K gold costs Rs 13,130 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold is priced at Rs 14,323 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
Gold price in Lucknow today
Lucknow markets see 22K gold priced at Rs 13,140 per gram, down Rs 75, while 24K gold costs Rs 14,333 per gram, lower by Rs 82.
One of Britain’s most prolific rail fare dodgers could face jail after admitting dozens of travel offences.
Charles Brohiri, 29, pleaded guilty to travelling without buying a ticket a total of 112 times over a two-year period, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He could be ordered to pay more than £18,000 in unpaid fares and legal costs, the court was told.
He will be sentenced next month.
District Judge Nina Tempia warned Brohiri “could face a custodial sentence because of the number of offences he has committed”.
He pleaded guilty to 76 offences on Thursday.
It came after he was convicted in his absence of 36 charges at a previous hearing.
During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Tempia dismissed a bid by Brohiri’s lawyers to have the 36 convictions overturned.
They had argued the prosecutions were unlawful because they had not been brought by a qualified legal professional.
But Judge Tempia rejected the argument, saying there had been “no abuse of this court’s process”.
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