Yuki Bhambri. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Captains of the participating teams ahead of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup Qualifiers at the G.M.C, Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad on March 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Fabiano Caruana arrived in Mumbai just a few weeks after winning the United States Chess Championship. In a tournament that featured some of the world’s top players, such as Wesley So and Levon Aronian, he came a clear first. A couple of months before that, he had won the Grand Chess Tour. Still, the World No. 3 isn’t exactly pleased with his year.

Caruana is also the third-highest-rated player in history, behind Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov. He had challenged Carlsen for the World title in 2018 but lost out in the tie-breaks. He is now eyeing another crack at the World Championship: he will be playing the Candidates in March-April in Cyprus. Before that gruelling event, where he has been a regular since 2016, he played in the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League for the first time. 

And he led Alpine SG Pipers to the title at Mumbai’s iconic Royal Opera House, with a commanding win in the final over Triveni Continental Kings, the champion in both previous editions. Excerpts from an exclusive interview Caruana gave The Hindu on a cool December morning, by the poolside of Trident Hotel, just a stone’s throw away from the Arabian Sea:  

ALSO READ | After breaking even in season three, GCL set to expand, says chairperson Dubey

Your thoughts on your maiden Global Chess League?

It was nice. I wanted to play previous years, but there were always some scheduling issues. So I was excited when I got contacted for this year’s league. And actually, I didn’t really expect it, because I knew all the teams had their players, but one spot opened up for this team. We have two of the best players in the world [Anish Giri and R. Praggnanandhaa], along with many-time World champion for women [Hou Yifan] and one of the best junior players in the world [Leon Mendonca]. And Nino [Batsiashvili] is also a great player. I think the GCL is a very interesting tournament. It is nice to have so many strong players [14 of the world’s top 15] in one place. It took a while to get used to the time control [increment of two seconds after the 40th move].

How do you look back at your wins at the Grand Chess Tour and the US national championship, which you won for the fourth year in a row?

Those two were my major successes this year. Besides that, it wasn’t a great year, but of course that does brighten it quite a bit. The US championship is always very strong for a national tournament, similar to what the Soviet Union championship used to be. This year, it was very close.  

Your compatriot Hikaru Nakamura says he has already started preparing for the Candidates. What about you?

Yeah, well, definitely thought has already gone into preparation for the tournament. The concrete preparation hasn’t really started yet, but it will start pretty soon.  

How close do you think it is going to be in Cyprus? You must be an expert on the Candidates, having played in every edition since 2016.  

Every time it is close. The only question is how close. I think the only exception was in 2022, when Ian [Nepomniachtchi] was clearly first, but that was also a strange year because the runner-up [Ding Liren] ended up qualifying as well.

ALSO READ |  The Woman Grandmaster who made the bold move beyond the chessboard

I was speaking to So a few days ago, and he picked you as the favourite. Who do you think could be your toughest rivals?

Anyone potentially. By rating, it is clear: it is Hikaru and Praggnanandhaa. And Anish, as well, is up there because he recently also gained a lot of rating. There are other players who can also be dangerous.  

Somebody like Wei Yi, or Javokhir Sindarov…

Wei is such a strong player, though it is his first time in the Candidates. He is a very capable player, for sure. 

Talking of the Candidates, are you happy with the way the players are selected? 

aI think the only change I would really make is to change the qualification for the spot given to the highest-rated player. Let’s say you have to play opponents that have an average rating of 2600 Elo rating, for example. But Hikaru has deserved his spot, for sure.  

Now Candidates slots are also going to be filled from the newly announced Total Chess World Championship…

I generally don’t like the name of that tournament. We already have the total World Championship, you know, the classical World Championship. That is the ultimate goal for a player. Then you have this new world championship and then the confusion.

A few years ago, you had made an interesting study of the young Indian players. Was Gukesh moving ahead of the pack and winning the World title a surprise for you?  

Well, when I did this in 2022, Gukesh was still very young, clearly going to be very strong, but I think he was a little bit less known compared to Arjun [Erigiasi] or Praggnanandhaa. I said Arjun would be the first to cross the 2800 rating, and it ended up being correct, but Gukesh has been the most successful, at least currently, of the bunch. It was hard to predict, and we didn’t predict, of course, that he would be World champion.  

Gukesh and Pragg have been the most accomplished. But Arjun is also very accomplished and has had the highest rating. In terms of his chess, I think what impresses most people is that it feels like he is kind of a very natural player. While Gukesh is a very prepared player, very focused, very professional. His mentality is his strongest suit. Pragg is also very focused, very prepared. He works very hard, which is very good. It is going to take him far along with his talent. And this year, he’s won a lot of tournaments. When a player can win tournaments, not just keep a high rating, but actually win — that is always a very good sign for them.

You are hugely popular here. Are you getting recognised in India more than back home?

Probably yes, I mean even at the airport I was getting recognised a few times. It happens in the US, but usually more in the major cities, like New York for example. Here you can see the interest in chess from the public.

ALSO READ | I find it very interesting when you open your soul and say what you’re thinking: Peter Leko

Your earliest memories of chess?

I have some very early childhood memories from when I was five, playing my first tournament. I grew up in New York, where there was a vibrant chess scene then. That was where the main hub for chess in the US was and now it has changed a lot. It’s gone to St. Louis. You know I also have some fond memories from my teenage years when we moved to Europe and I started to travel to get better and chase my norms

Which other sports do you follow?

Tennis.  

Any favourite players?

Currently Alcaraz. Of course, I have liked the big guys of the past — Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. All three of them have been great, and it is hard to choose. And Agassi as well. His book ‘Open’ got me interested in tennis in the first place. I have always enjoyed watching Agassi. 

Eight editions of the T20 World Cup have followed 2007’s inaugural spectacle. Not once in all these years has a team lifted the sleek, silver-plated prize in successive campaigns — a fair reflection of the challenge of attaining consistency in a format inclined to fickleness.

Can India buck the trend? Can the two-time champion, on the back of winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, manage another serious tilt at the title on home turf?

ALSO READ | Persistence outlasts rejection for Sanju Samson

Stacking wins

The results since that heady afternoon in Bridgetown have provided little reason to doubt India’s credentials. A change of captain and coach from Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir unfolded soon afterwards, but victories have continued to stack up at an impressive rate in the 18 months since the previous iteration.

Of its 36 T20Is this cycle, India has won 29 (two in Super Overs) and lost just five (two no-results). Furthermore, it has won all seven bilateral series. At September’s eight-team Asia Cup in the UAE, Suryakumar and Co. stitched together an undefeated run.

Those are among the good bits. With just five T20Is against New Zealand to go before India’s T20 World Cup campaign kicks off on February 7, what has not been so good is the form of the captain, who has scored a meagre 448 runs in 31 matches at 17.92 since taking the reins. Suryakumar’s last half-century (75 vs. Bangladesh) dates back to October 12, 2024.

The 35-year-old’s pedigree isn’t up for debate. He is one of only four batters to amass four or more T20I centuries and has won the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year award twice (2022, 2023). At his free-flowing best, he has an inimitable repertoire of strokes that accesses every nook and cranny of the outfield, and he is as adept at attacking pace as he is at dismantling spin.

ALSO READ | Class is useful, but form is everything in a T20 team

Even so, his lean stretch has gone on for far too long to not arouse concerns. True to Suryakumar’s easy-going demeanour, he took pointed queries on the chin during the announcement of India’s T20 World Cup squad. “Ye waala patch thoda lamba ho gaya [this patch has stretched a bit too long]. I’m sure everyone has seen this in their respective careers. I will also overcome it. I know what to do,” he grinned reassuringly.

Even more of a talking point, of course, is the last-ditch reshuffle at the top of the order. Having reposed faith in Shubman Gill as Suryakumar’s deputy and opening batter just ahead of the Asia Cup, the selection committee has abandoned that idea by dropping the Test and ODI skipper from the 15-member T20I squad entirely. Doing so at the eleventh hour is a tacit admission on the part of the selectors and team management that they were wrong to disrupt the opening association between Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the first place.

It would be altogether understandable if Samson has encountered cobwebs of self-doubt in the process. Despite smashing three hundreds as opener in 2024, he was shunted down the order and even out of the team recently. If he can overcome the latest hiccup, his tendency to tee off straightaway, coupled with Abhishek’s free-spirited aggression, should help India set the PowerPlay overs ablaze. 

By deciding that a wicketkeeper at the top is the way to go, India has essentially opted for greater flexibility in the middle and lower order. While Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel are the primary seam- and spin-bowling all-rounders respectively, the multi-faceted traits of Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar will come into the equation based on the surfaces and opponents. Rinku Singh may not have as many strings to his bow, but as a finisher with ice in his veins, he is as good as they come. Such a wide spread enables India to have batting depth till No. 8 while also allowing for more than six bowling options at all times.

The Gambhir way

That has been Gambhir’s way ever since he transitioned to a role in the dugout. The 44-year-old’s predilection for players with multiple skills has probably hindered the Test team on occasion, but his excellent record as white-ball coach leaves no room to find fault.

“The captain and coach know what combinations they want to play. We’ve got a lot more options to play at different positions, which is what the team management is always looking for,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said.

Another of Gambhir’s core beliefs in T20 cricket seemed to be the importance of left-right combinations in the middle and flexible batting line-ups. As recently as the Asia Cup, the coaching staff repeatedly stressed that other than the opening pair, every batter would have to be ready to slot in anywhere. But, like with Gill, there seems to have been a rethink here too. Much to Tilak Varma’s benefit, it frees up the southpaw to exhibit his flair at No. 3 regardless of whether Abhishek or Samson gets dismissed first.

ALSO READ | Arundhati and the power of perspective

“We’ve come to a point, Gauti bhai and I, that we’re not looking for left-right. It’s actually a little overrated. We’ve fixed the No. 3 position for Tilak, I want to bat at 4. We want to fix it so that Tilak is comfortable, he knows what his role is, and he’s enjoying that position,” Suryakumar said.  

Conversely, there were no late modifications to the bowling pack. It points to the fact that Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana comprise a bunch of bonafide wicket-takers equipped to handle high-pressure scenarios.

All the same, a lot will predictably rest on Bumrah. Take, for example, India’s most recent outing against South Africa in Ahmedabad. Defending India’s 231 on a shirtfront, the 32-year-old spearhead returned extraordinary figures of 4-0-17-2 even as most other bowlers were met with a stern beating.

Between now and the start of the 20-team event, India should ideally have Bumrah wrapped up in cotton wool, so that his back, which takes much of the load of his unique action, is in the best possible shape to deal with the exertions of the biennial tournament. Does it need reminding how India shaped up in the 2022 T20 World Cup when he was missing with injury? 

Cloak and dagger

Adding a tinge of intrigue to India’s attack this time is Varun’s mystery spin. With Gambhir being a vocal admirer, the 34-year-old from Tamil Nadu forced his way back into the set-up 14 months ago and hasn’t looked back. As 55 scalps in 33 games signify, the ability to strike at various stages of a T20 innings is his distinguishing characteristic. 

For all intents and purposes, then, this Indian squad has the belligerence with the bat and the bite with the ball to mount a robust title defence. Will they all coalesce into a conquering force one more time? It is part of the allure of the T20 game that one can never quite tell.

Published – December 27, 2025 03:01 am IST

Captain Marvel: Nigar Sultana, as always, will look to lead Bangladesh from the front
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

At the Chennai International Airport a few days ago, a gaggle of television cameras set up shop and began the usual drill — checking all equipment, dragging the worn-down podium into position and strategically arranging microphones to best display their organisations’ logos.

An inevitable guessing game followed. Whose arrival was the preparation for? Was it a politician? One could hear someone whispering that it was an actress flying back after a vacation.

When G. Kamalini walked out, barely visible behind the mountain of bags she was pushing, the cameras began rolling while passers-by looked on wondering why there was so much fuss about the diminutive kid who looked like she would rather be away from all the flashlights.

ALSO READ | Maaya keen to hone her skill at the Rafa Nadal Academy

The women’s game in India has increasingly commanded the attention of the nation with achievements like a second-consecutive U19 World Cup title being celebrated with much fanfare. Arriving in Chennai a little over 48 hours after the final, Kamalini stood by her family and patiently indulged the press.

Nearly three hours passed before Kamalini could begin her journey home where her favourite chicken biryani lay waiting. Celebrations aside, the family wanted to feed their famished daughter who didn’t have the best culinary experience in Malaysia.

“I didn’t like the food. I used to eat pancakes and fruit in the morning. In the afternoon, I used to eat a rice dish I don’t even know the name of,” she revealed, in a chat with The Hindu.

The 16-year-old, now well-fed and reasonably rested, recalled the World Cup triumph and the party, which involved cake, chips, coca cola and dancing till 1am, with glee.

Bright lights, big city

It was all well deserved. Kamalini was the third-highest run-getter (143) in the tournament, in a sport she took up purely by chance. A skater until the age of 12, cricket was a lockdown pastime as she began to bowl to her brother, Dominic Kishore, in the nets at their home in Madurai.

Seeing her aptitude for the game, Kamalini’s father Gunalan decided to invest time and money in his daughter’s career. The intimate and largely traditional confines of Madurai couldn’t accommodate the pair’s big ambitions and the family decided to relocate to Chennai.

“When we moved to Chennai, I didn’t know what was happening. But I knew that I liked cricket and what I wanted to do. My father took the decision to move as the cost of travelling between the cities was greater than just shifting to Chennai. I just told my dad to do what he thought was best,” she recalled.

For Kamalini, though, the first memories of staying in Chennai were not very pleasant.

“Initially, my mother was in Madurai and I was in Chennai with my father and brother. The first place we lived in was the most horrible place I have ever seen. But we had no choice as we had to stay to play in the ground there. After that we moved back to Madurai.

“Later we took the decision to move to Chennai and it has been three years since the move. I had some language issues initially since there was a difference in the Tamil dialect spoken in Madurai and Chennai. Over time I got over that and also made many friends here.”

The switch

Kamalini’s father has much to do with a lot of foundational decisions his daughter took in her early years in the sport. One of them was the right-handed Kamalini opting to train as a left-hand bat.

“My brother and I were playing in the verandah one day. We are both right-handed and in the game, we had to play left-handed. When he served underarm, I played the drive very well. Then my brother told my father that I was playing the [left-handed] drive superbly and that he should try me as a leftie. The very next day my father told me to play left-handed. I did and have never looked back.

The teenager is comfortably ambidextrous, and not just in cricket.

“I bowl with both my left hand and right hand. I write with my left hand and also my right hand. The only thing I don’t do well with my left hand is throwing.”

A fortuitous coup de maître, in hindsight.

Concealed grief

In 2023, Kamalini moved up to the Under-19 level and immediately showed her mettle. She hit 311 runs in eight matches to help Tamil Nadu triumph in the Under-19 domestic tournament in October. She followed that with a dazzling 79-run knock in the final of the U19 Tri-Series against South Africa A. Having earned a call-up to the Indian squad to feature in the U19 Asia Cup, everything was falling into place for the youngster. But things soon unravelled after her father suffered a massive heart attack, needing open-heart surgery thereafter.

A weak heart notwithstanding, Gunalan lost sleep over how to keep his daughter’s dreams intact. His transport business and financial bearings were impacted by his hospitalisation. More importantly, he was not with Kamalini guiding her through the gears of cricket.

ALSO READ – On playing Afganistan | When sport is politics by other means, self-interest is key

A decision was taken by the entire family to keep Kamalini in the dark about everything.

“When it happened, I was not at home, I was playing for my State. My mother and brother did not tell me anything. ‘Father is very well, he will be discharged soon’ is what they kept telling me. I didn’t have any information beyond that. Only after my father fully recovered did I get to know more details, that he went so close to death and returned,” she recollected.

“I was angry as to why they didn’t tell me everything before, but they sat me down and reminded me what I was doing at that moment, and how I would have performed had I known the full details. I was angry but I also understood why my mother did what she did.”

Gunalan would agree that he was living his childhood dreams through his kids. A lack of support from his family had forced him to give up his cricketing aspirations.

He turned that disappointment into a stubborn drive to give his kids everything they needed. Kamalini’s family’s sacrifices kept fanning the flame of her passion for cricket. It was not enough to bat well or chip in with some off-spin. Kamalini veered towards keeping too.

“Wicketkeeping came naturally to me and I like it a lot. As I grew older, I was being asked if I was a wicketkeeper or a bowler. In one Under-15 domestic tournament, I bowled in two matches and kept wickets in the rest. In the Under-19s, I bowled in the T20s and was wicketkeeper in the 50-overs.”

Her U19 coach Nooshin Al Khadeer had an important role to play in Kamalini persisting with keeping duties.

“At the World Cup, Nooshin ma’am asked me if I knew why she was making me a keeper. Being quick is one reason, but she said that I also keep the team together. I accepted it and began to fully focus on wicketkeeping, even more than I did on my battling. It actually helped my batting and improved my concentration and ball-eye coordination.”

Mumbai calling

Kamalini went to Malaysia for the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup as a superstar. Her versatile stroke selection, footwork and enviable attitude help her set every stage participation on fire.

In the auction preceding the 2025 edition, Kamalini was registered at a base price of ₹10 lakh, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians then sparred for rights to get the highest bid, with MI eventually having the last laugh – one worth a staggering ₹1.60 crore.

That’s more than half the ₹2.65 crore purse money MI had when they sat down for the auctions.

Kamalini has a wise head on her shoulders. While excited about getting picked by MI for WPL 2025, Kamalini is also very mindful about making the most of her chances without setting any big expectations. The past few months have involved the company of some of the biggest names in the women’s game in India. The youngster though is unfazed. No unnecessary respect.

ALSO READ | Cricket takes a leap into the unknown with half a billion pounds

“I do not have any favourite women cricketers and I am not saying it with any attitude. I can’t be like Smriti [Mandhana], Smriti is Smriti. I can only be myself. Everyone says I play like Smriti, but we both have our own styles, I can’t play like her.”

So how about the men?

“I like Steve Smith and Chris Gayle. I like Smith’s stance and I love the left-handed Gayle’s hitting power. And, of course, my first favourite is my brother.”

Her career so far has been like an endless teaser campaign for a product that takes the market by storm. Picking up cricket, becoming a left-hander, and donning the gloves – everything has been by chance, or divine intervention depending on how you want to see it.

The technical expertise has been a happy by-product but Kamalini is well and truly on the path to greatness.

Liverpool Football Club’s (LFC) annual staff Christmas party at the city’s Anglican cathedral on Thursday (Oct 12) had to be shut down prematurely after authorities discovered drug paraphernalia in the restrooms. The team from Merseyside had rented the cathedral, one of the most iconic landmarks in the city, for a party for about 500 staff members, according to a report in the New York Times (NYT). Neither head coach Arne Slot, nor the players were present at the venue at the time of the incident.

After an unrelated medical emergency at the venue, officials carried out searches at the venue which led to the discovery of suspected drug paraphernalia in the toilets. The emergency saw a staff member receive medical treatment after collapsing but it is believed to be not related to the drug discovery.

After the discovery, the club officials decided to call off the party with 30 minutes remaining before the bars were scheduled to be closed. The club also issued a statement, saying it did not condone the presence of illicit substances.

“We do not condone or tolerate the use of illegal substances at any of our sites or events. We thank the events team at the venue for their swift action and professional response to the medical emergency which was unrelated,” the club said.

“The member of staff is recovering well,” it added.

Social media posts by Liverpool’s Vice President of Communications, Craig Evans, showed the venue fully decked up with the club’s badge, featuring the mythical Liver bird projected high onto the chapel windows while the hall was floodlit with a streak of red light.

The @LFC staff Christmas party is underway at the amazing @LivCathedral. pic.twitter.com/0AR35Vsray

— Craig Evans (@CraigEvans_LFC) December 12, 2024

Liverpool’s strong start to the campaign

Liverpool under Mr Slot have started the season in brilliant fashion. The Reds are currently top of the Premier League as well as the Champions League table and look certain to go the distance in cup competition as well. The team has only lost a single match this season so far while beating the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen.

Mr Slot, who took over from legendary Jurgen Klopp in the summer, has quickly implemented his style of play that oscillates between the heavy metal style of the German as well as the possession control of Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to the Indian Cricket Team on the phone to congratulate the players for their T20 World Cup win against South Africa, officials said.

The Prime Minister thanked coach Rahul Dravid , whose two-and-a-half-year-long tenure as Team India’s Head Coach came to a close after yesterday’s match, for his contribution to Indian cricket. Under Rahul Dravid’s guidance, India’s 11-year ICC title drought ended with Team India’s triumph in yesterday’s match.

Rahul Dravid’s incredible coaching journey has shaped the success of Indian cricket.

His unwavering dedication, strategic insights and nurturing the right talent have transformed the team.

India is grateful to him for his contributions and for inspiring generations. We are… pic.twitter.com/8MKSPqztDV

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2024

PM Modi congratulated Rohit Sharma for his “splendid captaincy” and praised Virat Kohli for his performance in the final match.

Dear @ImRo45,

You are excellence personified. Your aggressive mindset, batting and captaincy has given a new dimension to the Indian team. Your T20 career will be remembered fondly. Delighted to have spoken to you earlier today. pic.twitter.com/D5Ue9jHaad

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2024

Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – announced their T20I retirements yesterday. While Kohli announced his retirement minutes after the triumph, India captain Rohit Sharma announced it in the official post match press conference.

Dear @imVkohli,

Glad to have spoken to you. Like the innings in the Finals, you have anchored Indian batting splendidly. You’ve shone in all forms of the game. T20 Cricket will miss you but I am confident you’ll continue to motivate the new generation of players. pic.twitter.com/rw8fKvgTbA

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 30, 2024

PM Modi also praised Hardik Pandya for his final over and Suryakumar Yadav for his splendid catch on the boundary line to dismiss David Miller.

Home Minister Amit Shah also called Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma to congratulate them on the win.

In a video message, PM Modi yesterday had said that the team won the World Cup and also the “hearts of crores of Indians”. No small achievement that they did not lose a single match, he said.

“Champions! Our team brings the T20 World Cup home in style! We are proud of the Indian Cricket Team,” Prime Minister Modi posted on X – earlier known as Twitter.

The country witnessed euphoric celebrations last evening as Team India won the T20 World Cup, with fans flooding the streets carrying the Tricolour in their hands.

Social media was flooded with congratulatory messages and images of celebratory scenes as India edged past South Africa by seven runs in the final match of T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval, Barbados to clinch an ICC title after 11 years.

Arvind Kejriwal arrest | After India summons envoy, U.S. stresses it encourages fair, transparent legal proceedings

After India summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to lodge a protest over remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Washington on Wednesday stressed that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes and “we don’t think anyone should object to that”. “We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal,” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Two killed after anti-CAA meeting in Meghalaya

Two persons were killed in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on Wednesday following a meeting organised by a local organisation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019. Police said the bodies of the two persons — both non-tribals — were found at Ichamati and Dalda under the Shella Assembly constituency. Both places are close to the State’s border with Bangladesh. The district’s Superintendent of Police, Rituraj Ravi, told journalists that the post-mortem was yet to be done. “Additional police teams from Shillong have been sent to the site,” he said.

IPL-17 : MI vs SRH | Records go for a six as SRH outshines MI in run fest

Travis Head played a gem of an innings, Abhishek Sharma was stunning and Heinrich Klaasen flamboyant as the trio fashioned Sunrisers Hyderabad’s impressive 31-run win against Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring IPL league match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday night.

Priest can give CAA eligibility certificate, says government helpline

A local priest may issue an “eligibility certificate” under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 to validate the religion of an applicant, according to a response received by The Hindu through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ CAA helpline. The certificate, a mandatory document, is to be enclosed along with an affidavit and other documents that the applicants are to upload on the CAA portal. “The reasons for which applicant wishes to acquire Indian citizenship” must also be stated.

Congress announces 14 more candidates for Lok Sabha polls

The Congress on Wednesday brought out a fresh list of 14 candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections. Some of these were cleared by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party earlier in the evening. Sources said the CEC had discussed around 18 names and most had been cleared. In Uttar Pradesh, the party named Dolly Sharma from Ghaziabad, Virendra Chowdhury from Maharajganj, Nakul Dubey from Sitapur and Shivram Valmiki from Bulandshahr.

₹50 lakh stolen from van carrying cash to ATM in Kerala

In a brazen daylight theft, ₹50 lakh was stolen from a van that was taking the money to fill cash vending machines, at Uppala in Kasaragod in Kerala on Wednesday .The incident occurred outside an ATM of the Axis Bank around 2 p.m. The van involved in the incident belongs to a private agency, Secure Valley. Notably, it arrived at the location without security personnel. The police apprehended the driver and seized the van.

Nirmala Sitharaman decides against contesting Lok Sabha polls

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has decided against contesting the Lok Sabha election, she said on Wednesday, citing the lack of “money to contest” the poll and her inability to meet the “winnability criteria” in southern States such as Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu that she could have considered battling from. The Minister, in her second term in the Rajya Sabha, had been sounded out by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top brass to consider a Lok Sabha candidature in the upcoming election, along with some of her Upper House cabinet colleagues such as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Environment and Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Government notifies revised wages under the MGNREGS

The Union government on Wednesday notified the revised wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), with several States reporting a hike in wages by 8 to 10%. The hike ranged from ₹7 in Uttar Pradesh (2023- ₹230 – to 2024 rate of ₹237) to ₹34 hike in Goa (2023 wages ₹322 to 2024 wages ₹356). Significant jump in wages have been reported by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Goa, where the hikes varied from 8% to 10.5%. Bihar follows closely behind, where the wages have been revised by ₹17. 

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt convicted in false drug seizure case

A court in Gujarat on Wednesday convicted former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a drugs seizure case dating back to 1996. The court is expected to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Thursday. The sessions court in Palanpur held Bhatt guilty of falsely implicating a Rajasthan-based lawyer, Sumer Singh Rajpurohit, by claiming that police had seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur where the lawyer was staying. The case was lodged when Bhatt was the district Superintendent of Police.

‘Close your eyes, feel my presence’: Arvind Kejriwal’s wife reads out his message to people

Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, posted a video message on the CM’s X account on Wednesday, where she relayed a message from her husband: “While my body is in jail, my spirit is with the people of Delhi.” “Close your eyes, and you will feel my presence around you,” Ms. Kejriwal said, relaying her husband’s message with her eyes closed and hands folded. While remanding Mr. Kejriwal in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody, a court in New Delhi had allowed him to meet his wife and lawyers between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily.

Solution cannot be found on battlefield, says Jaishankar on Russia-Ukraine conflict

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on March 27 said India’s position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been that a solution cannot be found on the battlefield and New Delhi wants to find a way of bringing this conflict to an end. Responding to a question on India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict during his interaction with the Indian diaspora in the Malaysian capital, Mr. Jaishankar said that there are “no winners of a conflict”. “We took the position from the start, that you’re not going to get a solution to this conflict on the battlefield,” he said.

In its seventh list, BJP announces Navneet Rana’s candidature for the contentious Amravati Lok Sabha seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced the candidature of Navneet Rana for the reserved Amravati Lok Sabha seat in its seventh list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Ms. Rana, an independent MP and the incumbent legislator of the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, is a supporter of the BJP along with her husband Ravi Rana, who is the current MLA from Badnera (in Amravati). The announcement now paves the way for Ms. Rana to formally join the BJP and contest on the Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved seat.

Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA conducts simultaneous raids in Shivamogga and Tamil Nadu

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, conducted simultaneous raids and questioned several suspects in Shivamogga, Karnataka, Chennai, and Ramanathapuram districts in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (March 27). NIA sleuths on Wednesday raided the residences of Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha in Thirthahalli. The duo are accused in the 2020 Al Hind IS module case registered in Suddaguntepalya and have been absconding since. They are also said to be the kingpins of the Thirthahalli module and accused in the Mangaluru cooker blast of November 2022. Given the similarity in the timer and detonator devices in the IEDs used in The Rameshwaram Cafe blast and the cooker blast, agencies have suspected the role of the same module. 

Woman stripped, paraded and beaten up in M.P. village; four women held

Four women were arrested for allegedly beating up, stripping and parading a 30-year-old woman over a dispute at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, police said on Wednesday. A video of the purported incident that occurred during the Holi celebrations also surfaced on social media. “On Monday, four women forcibly pulled the victim out of her house, beat her up and humiliated her by stripping her naked in public at Bachhora village of Gautampura police station area,” Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sunil Mehta said.