London: The younger brother of England’s reinstated Test captain Joe Root, Billy Root, has announced his retirement from professional cricket. Billy had played just two games in the ongoing County Championship Division One 2026. The Glamorgan left-handed batter made his final appearance in professional cricket earlier this month, registering scores of 11 in both innings….
New York: India has been placed on the “strategic partner stream” in the Pacific Islands Forum, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, describing it as a “positive development” that will contribute to the deepening of Delhi’s cooperation with the region. Jaishankar co-chaired the India-FIPIC (Forum for India-Pacific Islands cooperation) Foreign Ministers’ meeting Wednesday at the…
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday will interact with participants of ‘Seva Yatra’, an ongoing motorcycle rally travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi that passes through towns, districts, and villages to take the spirit of service directly to the grassroots. The rally is bringing together several dimensions of public engagement including ‘seva’ (service), ‘sampark’…
U Lakshman Rao “We realize the value of something only when it is no longer available.” Few truths describe our relationship with water more accurately. When water flows freely from a tap, its presence becomes almost invisible to us. We turn the handle, and water appears; we drink it, cook with it, wash with it,…
The question confronting modern air defence is no longer merely whether an enemy drone can be shot down. It is whether a nation can afford to keep shooting down hundreds of inexpensive drones with enormously expensive missiles. That is precisely where the latest advances by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) assume strategic significance….
India has become so accustomed to the convenience of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) that many of us have forgotten what life was like before instant digital payments became part of everyday life. Yet, whenever there is a discussion about charges associated with digital transactions, some of the criticism seems disproportionate. The larger question is simple:…
Trump has announced the use of two tools to kill two different birds. Not the usual one-shot killing of two birds. He wants to use Russia tariffs to force an end to the Ukraine war. This piece, however, deals with his replacement of AI with SI. He now calls SI “Super Intelligence”. He feels SI…
Brig (retd) G.B. Reddi Delhi certainly claims the dubious distinction of being the “Capital of Rapes”. None of the people of Delhi should suffer from any illusions on this count. Apportioning the blame to the “Law and Order” machinery is the common refrain after every rape. “CASTRATION” punishment followed by “Bulldozer” justice can only redress…
Lakshmanrao Upadhyayula The sage Vishwamitra, speaking in the sacred rhythms of Anuṣṭup and Gāyatrī chandas, offers a profound invocation to Indra, the mighty lord of divine power, wisdom, and victorious action. The hymn recalls that through sacred devotion, disciplined yajñas, and the offering of Soma, Indra was strengthened to destroy Vṛtra, the great obstructer who…
Sanjaya spoke to Dhritarashtra, saying, “O King, the mighty Karna, blazing with unconquerable valor, advanced against Dharmaraja with the fury of a tempest. His bow sang without pause as torrents of keen arrows descended upon the son of Dharma. Though assailed from every side, Yudhishthira stood firm, meeting every assault with unwavering courage. The encounter…
