Author: Cheeno Muzumdar

Rahul Dravid will remain India’s head coach in all formats after accepting a contract extension from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The former batter, 50, was appointed in November 2021 but his contract expired at the end of the 50-over World Cup. Hosts India were tournament favourites and won all of their group-stage games before losing to six-time winners Australia in the final. The duration of Dravid’s contract extension has not been confirmed. He is expected to remain in charge until at least the T20 World Cup in June 2024. Dravid appeared in 164 Tests for India…

China and Pakistan on Friday wrapped up their largest bilateral naval exercise to date, marking the first time Pakistan hosted such an advanced Chinese destroyer for training. The Sea Guardians event is the latest in series of joint maritime exercises that began in 2014, but this is the third time it took on that title. The drills take place annually, and the two countries alternate as hosts. The sea phase this month off Pakistan’s port city of Karachi. The exercise aimed to demonstrate China and Pakistan’s common aim to safeguard their shared economic corridor — a key part of Beijing’s…

The painting above depicts the open area in front of Bara Imambara, a historical building complex in Lucknow, the capital city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Built in 1784 as part of a famine relief works project by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, the prince of the royal house of Oudh, it is one of the last great and palatial buildings constructed in the Mughal style. The complex includes several structures, including the Bhool Bhulaiya (a labyrinth) and the Asfi mosque. Look at the painting again. You can see the outer gate of the complex, and the Imambara itself is out…

“Informant”: Zaluzhny ahead of Zelensky in trust rating The trust rating of the Ukrainian population in the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Valeriy Zaluzhny exceeded that of the country’s President Vladimir Zelensky. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the sociological group “Rating,” the Ukrainian publication “Informator” reported on December 2. According to the study, 63% of respondents fully trust Zaluzhny, 19% “rather trust him.” Thus, the overall trust rating of the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is 82%. A similar figure for Zelensky is 72%, of which only 39% of Ukrainians fully trust…

Could the answer to Delhi’s pollution problem lie in the clouds? Last week, as the Indian capital battled days of toxic air, the city’s environment minister said that his government was considering cloud seeding – a rain-making technique – to bring down pollution levels. The plan’s fruition will depend on getting approval from India’s Supreme Court, and possibly a number of federal ministries. If that happens, the scheme may be implemented later this month, depending on weather conditions. This isn’t the first time that cloud seeding has been suggested as a possible solution for air pollution in Delhi. But some…

The US military confirmed to Voice of America that 31 Abrams tanks are in Ukraine. All the Abrams tanks promised to Kyiv by the administration of President Joe Biden have arrived in Ukraine.Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa, told Voice of America that all Ukrainian troops who trained with American troops on Abrams tanks in Germany have returned to Ukraine. According to a senior military officer, 31 tanks with ammunition and spare parts are already in the country.“We kept our end of the deal. From now on, they [the Ukrainians] must determine when and where…

Social media warriors have sprung up to share their community’s views and put down the others’ in this ethnic conflict. In early June, two men sat hunched over, working on laptops inside a partially constructed building in the Churachandpur district of northeastern India’s Manipur state. A fire had been raging across Manipur since May 3. Several parts of the state, including Churachandpur, were engulfed in an ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Zo and the Meitei people, who are among the largest ethnic groups in the state, which borders Myanmar. The Kuki-Zo people are a majority in Churachandpur and some other hilly areas…

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has refused to appear before India’s financial crimes agency for questioning in an alleged corruption case, saying the summons was “vague and motivated”. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating a case related to a now-scrapped liquor policy in the state. In a letter to the ED, Mr Kejriwal has asked them to “recall the summons”. He said he had to campaign for upcoming assembly elections and perform important duties as chief minister. The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which governs Delhi, Mr Kejriwal had been summoned for questioning by the ED on Thursday…

There’s nothing spectacular about a man riding a bicycle through a crowded street. But what if his eyes were covered with lumps of dough, thick swabs of cotton and several layers of gauze – and he had multiple layers of bandages wound tightly around his head in such a way that only his nostrils were left exposed? Kuda Bux, who was born in Kashmir in 1905, was famous for performing this cycling feat on streets of England and Europe in the 1930s and 40s – something he claimed he was able to do because he could “see without eyes”. He…

India’s space agency has carried out the first in a series of tests flights ahead of its planned mission to take astronauts into space in 2025. The Gaganyaan spacecraft was launched at 10:00 local time (04:30GMT) on Saturday from Sriharikota. This was the day’s second attempt – the first was put on hold five seconds before the scheduled launch time. The test was conducted to demonstrate whether the crew could safely escape the rocket in case it malfunctioned. “I am very happy to announce the successful accomplishment of the TV-D1 (Test Vehicle Demonstration 1) mission,” S Somanath, chairman of the…