Saint Louis (USA), July 9 (IANS) Former World Rapid Champion Koneru Humpy, former women’s junior World Champion Divya Deshmukh, and 2026 FIDE Women’s World Championship Challenger Vaishali Rameshbabu will be among a strong field for the 2026 Cairns Cup chess championship to be held in Saint Louis in August.One of the world’s strongest women’s super-tournaments returns to Saint Louis this summer as the 2026 Cairns Cup welcomes 10 of the world’s top women chess players to compete for a $250,000 pr…

Panaji, July 9 (IANS) Teenage sensation Abhinandh PB and 2025 MVP Bernadette Szocs starred with dominant displays as two-time champions Dempo Goa Challengers opened their campaign with a convincing 10-5 victory over reigning champions U Mumba TT in Season 7 of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji on Thursday.Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, formally declared the season open in the presence of International Table Tennis Federation (ITT…

Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) Popular television actor Gaurav Khanna entered ‘Lock Upp 2’ as a special visitor on Thursday. However, it seems like contestant Ram Kapoor is unaware of who Gaurav is.As Gaurav was greeting the contestants, Ram asked his cellmate Dheeraj Dhoopar, “What does he do?”, to which Dheeraj replied, “He is an actor.”Ram then asked, “Is he well known though?”, after which Dheeraj said ‘Hmm’.”Okay, I’ve never seen him before. But that’s because I don’t watch any content,” Ram exp…

London, July 9 (IANS) Iran on Thursday strongly condemned US “military aggression” against Iranian ports, coastal areas and maritime infrastructure over the past two nights, saying the strikes had endangered maritime safety and security.Speaking at the 137th session of the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London, an Iranian representative said the targets of the US strikes included the maritime traffic control tower at Chabahar Port, civilian fishing vessels and equipm…

Ulaanbaatar, July 9 (IANS) US President Donald Trump does not appear to rule out the possibility of having US military ships he asked South Korea to build constructed in the Northeast Asian country, a presidential official said on Thursday. The presidential official made the remarks at a press conference in Ulaanbaatar, where he was accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on a three-day state visit to Mongolia, in response to a reporter’s question about Trump’s recent request that South Korea build…

Washington, July 9 (IANS) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday reaffirmed its support for free trade and open markets despite growing tariff barriers and rising economic nationalism, saying global trade remains essential for raising living standards and reducing poverty, even as it acknowledged that the gains from globalisation have not been shared equally.Speaking at the IMF’s regular press briefing, Julie Kozack, Director of the IMF’s Communications Department, said the Fund’s lon…

Washington, July 9 (IANS) The global economy has remained resilient despite the economic shock triggered by the Middle East conflict, with artificial intelligence-led investment and productivity gains helping offset the impact of higher energy and commodity prices, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday, while cautioning that uncertainty remains exceptionally high.Speaking at the IMF’s regular press briefing, Julie Kozack, Director of the IMF’s Communications Department, said the…

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has introduced amendments to two Quality Control Orders (QCOs) relating to the footwear sector with the objective of facilitating ease of doing business and strengthening the domestic footwear manufacturing ecosystem, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. Under the amendments, the timeline for clearance of legacy footwear stock has been extended by a year from July 31, 2026, to July 31, …

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said he was delighted to interact with the MP LEAD Fellows and hear their insightful ideas, aspirations and commitment towards India’s progress.In a post on X, Goyal said they discussed the transformative journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047, the role of youth in nation-building, and the importance of informed participation in shaping public policy. “The interaction also highlighted the significant contribution of M…

Belagavi, July 9 (IANS) Speaking about the measures being taken to address long-term water security in the state, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that Karnataka has conveyed its consent to the Centre’s proposal to link the Krishna, Cauvery and Godavari rivers. Addressing reporters, he stated: “The Central government proposes to implement the river-linking project as a National Project with an estimated cost of Rs 1 lakh crore. Under the proposed funding pattern, the Centre will bear 90 per c…