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New Delhi: India has begun work on a home-built bullet train that will exceed 250 kilometres per hour (kmph), a top government official told ET. The official said it will be faster than any of the trains now running on the Indian Railways. «It is being built on the Vande Bharat platform that can already clock a maximum speed of 220 kmph,» the official said. The designs are being prepared at the Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

Rafael Nadal returned from injury at the Barcelona Open, marking his first ATP Tour appearance since January due to a hip issue. The 22-time Grand Slam winner missed several tournaments in 2023 due to injuries.

UN Security Council to make it legitimate, representative, responsive and effective is through the expansion of the its membership in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. India has been at the forefront, especially leading the Global South, demanding reforms in the United Nations and seeking a place as a permanent member of the 15-member UN Security Council. «India is in favour of the expansion of UN Security Council membership in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, as this is the only way to achieve genuine reform of the Security Council and make it legitimate, representative, responsive and effective,» Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India's permanent representative at the UN, said in her remarks in the General Assembly at the sixth round of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform late on Monday. «In a nutshell, we need a reformed Security Council that better reflects the geographical and developmental diversity of the United Nations today. A Security Council where voices of developing countries and unrepresented regions, including Africa, Latin America and the vast majority of Asia and Pacific, also find their due place at the horseshoe table,» she said.

Between allegations of sophisticated cheating, rampant paranoia, and geopolitical strife at the highest levels of chess, the past few years have been among the most tumultuous this ancient game has ever known. So it was hardly a surprise that chess erupted into controversy again at the tournament to determine who would contend for the world championship. This time, the accusation that threatened to derail a major tournament came at a critical juncture and exploded like a piano falling out of a window.

Kremlin reacted coolly on Tuesday to French President Emmanuel Macron's call for a truce in international conflicts during the Paris Olympics, saying Ukraine might use it as an opportunity to regroup and rearm. Suspending armed conflicts under an «Olympic truce» is a longstanding tradition, and Macron said in an interview on Monday that he would work towards achieving one when Paris hosts the Summer Games from July 26 to Aug. 11. Asked about this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that both President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military had «noticed that, as a rule, the Kyiv regime uses such ideas, such initiatives to try to regroup, to try to rearm, and so on and so forth».

April 17 marks the 100 days countdown to the Paris Olympics ambitious opening ceremony

Rajeev Chandrasekhar slams Sam Pitroda over Ram Mandir remark, says it represents Rahul Gandhi's thinking Describing the similar political atmosphere in the developing and developed countries, Sam Pitroda said, “So I have friends in many of these countries, and I believe the problems are very similar. The authoritarian regimes are getting more attention, institutions are bending, they are losing their independence.

India has showcased itself as a global leader, the top intelligence official from the US Department of Defense has told the Congress that in 2023, India took steps to modernise its military to compete with China and reduce its dependency on Russian origin-equipment. «During the past year, India has showcased itself as a global leader by hosting the Group of 20 economic summit and demonstrated a greater willingness to counter PRC (People's Republic of China) activity throughout the Indo-Pacific region,» Lt Gen Jeffrey Kruse, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency told members of the House Armed Services Committee — the subcommittee on intelligence and special operations during a Congressional hearing on defence intelligence countering China. India, he said, has advanced partnerships in the Indo-Pacific with regional South China Sea claimants, such as the Philippines, through training and defence sales and deepened cooperation with the US, Australia, France and Japan.

the finance ministry’s estimates, annual payment totals for 2024/25 for a family of four are $1,800 in Alberta, $1,200 in Manitoba, $1,120 in Ontario, $1,504 in Saskatchewan, $760 in New Brunswick, $824 in Nova Scotia, $880 in Prince Edward Island and $1,192 in Newfoundland and Labrador.The top-up for rural residents remains at 10 per cent for now, as the amendment to increase that top-up to 20 per cent has not yet passed the House of Commons.

ALSO READ: Wall Street week ahead: Investors to focus on US economic data, key earnings Iran had launched the attack after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders. Investors’ sentiments were also boosted by positive economic data. A report showed that US retail sales rose 0.7 per cent in March.

Iran attacks on Israel LIVE Updates: US, allies destroyed over 80 drones, missiles from Iran and Yemen, says Pentagon Late Saturday night, Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel in response to Israeli attack on Tehran's consulate in Syria on April 1. Newswire Reuters quoted Macron as saying, “We are all worried about the possible escalation of the Middle East conflict.

Iran attacks Israel, could this be the beginning of WWWIII or The Prophecies of Nostradamus coming true," a user posted on X on Sunday. Follow Israel-Iran Tensions LIVE Updates here Nostradamus was a 16th-century French astrologer, physician, and seer. He is known for his book Les Prophéties (The Prophecies), which is a collection of 942 poetic quatrains that allegedly predict future events.

Israel, Italy — which holds the rotating presidency of the group of developed nations — said. «The Italian presidency of the G7 has summoned G7 leaders for a video conference early this afternoon», the government said as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the attack and said she feared «destabilisation of the region».

Booms and air raid sirens have sounded across Israel after Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushes the Middle East closer to a regionwide war

Middle East closer to a regionwide war. More than 200 drones along with ballistic and cruise missiles were sent towards Israel. The US forces extended support to Israel by shooting down ‘nearly all’ drones and missiles, while pledging to convene G7 meeting to develop a unified response.

Israel early Sunday after Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war. The attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Condemnation from the United Nations chief and others was swift, with France saying Iran «is risking a potential military escalation,» Britain calling the attack «reckless» and Germany saying Iran and its proxies «must stop it immediately.» The Israeli military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Iran fired scores of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles — with the vast majority intercepted outside Israel's borders. He said warplanes intercepted over 10 cruise missiles alone, also outside Israeli airspace.

Rafael Nadal is set to return to ATP competition after recovering from a hip injury. The Spaniard, who will turn 38 this year, will face Flavio Cobolli in the Barcelona Open next week. Nadal has never played 63rd-ranked Cobolli, 16 years his junior.

Regional tensions have intensified following Iran's warning of retaliation against Israel over an attack on its embassy in Damascus that resulted in the deaths of two Iranian generals. This development has heightened concerns about a potential escalation in the already volatile region, with countries like India, France, and Russia advising against travel to the area. Threat of Direct Iranian Attack on Israel Iran perceives the strike on its embassy as an attack on its territory, raising the possibility of a direct Iranian assault on Israel. This threat comes amid ongoing tensions over the war in Gaza, which has entered its seventh month.

Iran planning to attack Israel in next 24 hours? Here's what new report says On Friday, the US President said he expected Iran to attack Israel "sooner, rather than later". Biden also explicitly defended Israel by saying, "We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed".

Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden said simply, «Don't,» and he underscored Washington's commitment to defend Israel. «We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,» he said.