NEW DELHI: It has been a week of double delight for Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin. First, his qualification for the Esports Chess World Cup became official. Shortly after, the 21-year-old became the first Indian to secure a direct qualification invite for the main event of the inaugural edition of Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026.While Nihal…
Sundar Pichai, at Google I/O 2026, reiterated the company’s aggressive plan to spend close to $200 billion in AI infrastructure, signaling the company’s push in the semiconductor segment. This massive budget represents a six-fold increase from the $31 billion the company spent in 2022. While a significant portion of this capital will fund AI data…
Magnus Carlsen, R Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh, and D Gukesh (Photo by Michal Walusza for Norway Chess) NEW DELHI: If you turn the pages of an English dictionary to find the meaning of the word “cliché”, it will tell you that a cliché is nothing but a phrase or an idea that has been so overused…
Civil society can soften the edges of that history, but it cannot settle questions of power, territory, terrorism, security and identity. Remember that Manna Dey classic from Manoj Kumar’s Upkar?“Kasme, waade, pyaar, wafa,Sab baatein hain, baaton ka kya.”Promises, vows, love, loyalty,All are just words.Nearly six decades on, that Upkar lament could be the theme song…
Faf’s century powers TSK to 6-wicket victory (Image: X) Veteran South African batter Faf du Plessis turned back the clock with a sensational unbeaten century as the Texas Super Kings (TSK) kicked off their Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 campaign with a thrilling six-wicket victory over the Seattle Orcas at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.Chasing…
Representative Image of large herbivores grazing in a rewilded wetland reserve (AI-generated image) In the early 1980s, Dutch ecologist Frans Vera introduced Heck cattle, Konik horses and red deer together into the Oostvaardersplassen, a stretch of reclaimed wetland in Flevoland province that had been left undeveloped after failed plans to use it for industry. Vera’s…
Centre pushes Bengal to fast-track PM-JAY, HPV vaccination (Image credit: ANI) NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday pushed West Bengal to speed up rollout of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, HPV vaccination and TB elimination programmes, while assuring full support to strengthen the state’s healthcare infrastructure.At a virtual review meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash…
Bengal has two poets whose vintage is considered above all others: Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Now, with full awareness of the absurdity involved, one may have to add a third name to the footnotes: MD Ahnaf Hossain.Hossain, a Bangladeshi-origin New Yorker, became a social media sensation after his chant: “My mayor’s Muslim, my…
NEW DELHI: Former Karnataka Ranji cricketer SL Akshay died on Sunday after reportedly suffering a heart attack while playing a local division cricket match in Bengaluru. The 39-year-old, who was from Shivamogga, had earlier represented Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and also featured in the Karnataka Premier League, now called the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.According…
Indonesia, Singapore reaffirm that Strait of Malacca will remain open and free for all Singapore and Indonesia have pledged to keep the Strait of Malacca open, safe and accessible to all, elevating maritime security to the forefront of a bilateral relationship that both countries see as critical to regional stability.The commitment came after talks on…