Results for: India

Indian table tennis legends Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will lead the country’s historic team debut in the Olympic Games in Paris. The senior selection committee of the Table Tennis Federation of India has selected a six-member squad, including three men and three women, to compete in the team events. Additionally, Sharath and Harmeet Desai will compete in the men’s singles, while Manika and Sreeja Akula will represent India in the women’s singles. The selection was based on the latest world rankings, with Sharath, Manika, and Sreeja earning automatic berths due to their top-50 rankings. Archana Kamath and Harmeet Desai were chosen as the third members of the women’s and men’s teams, respectively, after a careful evaluation of their performances and rankings.

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma’s recent performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has sparked concerns ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Despite a respectable overall tally of 349 runs in 13 innings, Sharma’s form has taken a downturn in the latter half of the tournament, with a string of low scores and a lack of fluency. This dip in form, coupled with the struggles of potential opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, raises questions about India’s batting strength heading into the World Cup.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has emphasized the significant opportunities that emerging technologies, particularly AI, present for India and other emerging nations. He noted that with mobile penetration rates surpassing those of personal computing, India has witnessed a wider reach of technology to its population. Pichai believes that each technological shift offers an enhanced opportunity to drive further penetration, as exemplified by the potential of AI. He also emphasized the need for responsible AI development, involving social scientists to address broader societal implications.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the cowardly and dastardly attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, who was gravely wounded in an assassination attempt on Wednesday. Modi wished PM Fico a speedy recovery and expressed India’s solidarity with the people of Slovakia. The attack took place in the town of Handlova, where Fico was attending a meeting. A suspect is in custody, and an initial investigation has found a political motivation behind the attempt. Fico has been a divisive figure, but his recent pro-Russian stance has raised concerns among EU members.

India has a significant opportunity to shape the future of artificial intelligence (AI), as the country is well-positioned to influence global AI development, according to Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and Alphabet. Speaking at a roundtable during Google’s annual conference, Google I/O, Pichai noted that technology shifts provide opportunities for emerging countries like India to catch up or leap ahead. He highlighted that India has skipped landlines and gone straight to mobile, and with each technology shift, there’s a chance to increase penetration. This trend is also true for AI, as India has a large and growing developer base that is actively engaged with AI platforms. However, Pichai also emphasized the responsibilities that come with the widespread adoption of AI, particularly regarding deepfakes and misinformation. Google is committed to election integrity and is taking steps to stay ahead of these problems through initiatives like SynthID and AI-assisted red teaming. Pichai stressed the need for diverse professional involvement in AI solutions, beyond engineers, including social scientists and philosophers, to ensure responsible development and address the societal implications of AI.

The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) recently hosted Indian influencer Niki Mehra on a familiarization trip to showcase the archipelago’s luxurious offerings. During her stay at Amilla Maldives, Mehra experienced the destination’s romantic and idyllic ambiance, highlighting it on her social media platforms to her vast audience.

The trip aimed to promote the Maldives as a premier honeymoon destination for Indian travelers. India remains a key market for the Maldives, with strong growth potential in the luxury travel segment. MMPRC’s ongoing marketing initiatives include joint campaigns, familiarization trips, and event participation to attract even more Indian tourists.

Syed Mustafa Kamal, a lawmaker from Pakistan’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), drew attention to the severe lack of basic amenities in Karachi by contrasting the city’s conditions with India’s recent success in space exploration.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalized the schedule for the men’s T20 World Cup’s knockout stages. India, if they qualify for the semis, will play their second semi-final on June 27 in Providence, Guyana. This strategic allocation of the venue is driven by match timings, as the Guyana semi-final aligns with prime-time in India, unlike the first semi-final in Tarouba, Trinidad, which starts early in the morning in India. The final showdown in Bridgetown, Barbados, is scheduled as a day game starting at 7:30 pm in India.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has commenced issuing citizenship certificates to eligible applicants under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules. On Wednesday, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla presented certificates to 14 individuals in New Delhi. The development marks the implementation of the rules, which were notified several months after the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2019.

Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd), an Indian national working with the UN in Gaza, was killed on Monday when his vehicle was hit by shots fired from an Israeli tank. The UN has established a fact-finding panel to probe the incident, which is being condemned by UN chief António Guterres and other senior officials.