Ajit Agarkar acknowledges a significant shift in the Indian Test team. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin's absence creates a void. Shubman Gill is named captain for the England series. Rishabh Pant will be the vice-captain. Kohli communicated his decision in early April. The team is looking forward to the new World Test Championship cycle.
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Kamal Hasan's claim that "Kannada is born out of Tamil" ignited a language row, prompting criticism from Karnataka's Chief Minister and BJP president. Hasan later clarified that politicians, including himself, are unqualified to discuss language origins and suggested leaving it to linguists. He faced threats from Karnataka Rakshana Vedike for allegedly disrespecting Kannada.
In Faridabad, a rape accused named Nitish Kumar Pandey escaped from district jail. He exploited a name similarity with another inmate, Nitesh, who had secured bail. Both inmates had the same father's name in records. Jail officials failed to verify identities properly. Two officials were suspended, and an inquiry was ordered. Police are searching for Pandey in Patna.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis offers a more conservative estimate for the arrival of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) compared to Google's co-founder Sergey Brin. While Brin anticipates AGI before 2030, Hassabis predicts it will emerge shortly after, aligning with his long-held 20-year mission timeline. Hassabis emphasizes AGI's high bar, requiring it to match the human brain's capabilities.
England Test captain Ben Stokes expressed his disappointment that Virat Kohli won't be participating in the upcoming Test series between India and England. Stokes acknowledged Kohli's fighting spirit, competitiveness, and desire to win, highlighting his significant impact on the Indian team. Despite Kohli's absence, Stokes recognizes India's incredible batting depth and warns against underestimating them.
India declared a Pakistani official persona non grata. The official was asked to leave within 24 hours. This action follows a previous expulsion of another Pakistani official earlier in May. Tensions rose after India's counterterror operation and strikes on terror launchpads across Pakistan. Pakistan responded with drone incursions. India then destroyed key Pakistani military installations. A ceasefire was later reached.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor criticized Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's absence from the NITI Aayog meeting, questioning his health and cognitive abilities. Kishor accused Kumar of prioritizing political negotiations over development and the BJP of political opportunism by keeping Kumar as CM due to strategic compulsions. Kumar's absence has sparked political discussions, with opposition leaders expressing disappointment.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru aims for a top-two finish for the first time since 2016 as they face Lucknow Super Giants in their final league game. RCB needs a win to secure second place, while LSG, despite inconsistency, remains a dangerous opponent with key players returning. The pitch favors spinners and pace variations, with teams preferring to chase.
The Trump administration escalated its conflict with Harvard University by revoking its ability to enroll international students, demanding compliance on issues like pro-Palestinian protests and diversity policies. Thousands of foreign students face potential deportation unless they transfer or a court intervenes. Harvard currently has nearly 6,800 international students, most of them in graduate programs.
Donald Trump announced that the US is nearing a trade deal with India, while Pakistan representatives are expected in Washington for talks. He cautioned that conflict between India and Pakistan could jeopardize these agreements. Tensions are high following India's 'Operation Sindoor' in response to a terror attack. India is expected to allow US companies to bid for government contracts.
India has launched its indigenous Bharat Forecast System (BFS), a high-resolution weather prediction model, enhancing spatial resolution to 6km. This advancement enables village-level forecasts, improving accuracy for extreme rainfall prediction by 30% and rainfall in the monsoon core zone by 64%. The BFS, developed by IITM-Pune, offers localized forecasts with unprecedented precision.