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After a 45-minute drive from the Maharana Pratap Airport to the Seesarma road in Udaipur, when I enter Fairmont Udaipur Palace hotel’s grand Raj Dwar, I am drawn to its distinct architectural style. Inspired by Mewar’s forts, particularly Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh, the facade reinterprets the aesthetic language of these two iconic forts to create a structure that feels both historically grounded and emotionally resonant, yet fully modern in its purpose and execution. The palace’s elevated presence appearing to rise organically from the Aravalli landscape is inspired by the Chittorgarh Fort. It also takes cues from Kumbhalgarh, known for its massive encircling…

The Government of India released the Economic Survey 2025–26 last week. Growth this fiscal is expected to touch 7.4 per cent, against the initial projection of 6.3–6.8 per cent. The economy is clearly pushing the growth frontier. Trading is harder in the current geopolitical climate. The world remains mired in conflicts. Strong armed forces and a robust security establishment are imperative for the economy to prosper. Europe has just realised that overdependence on the US for its security will not work. Technologies are not easily shared, and therefore “Atmanirbharta” is the only way forward. All this requires funding, and therefore…

70628014This decision generated considerable controversy worldwide, particularly given the current direction of vaccination policy in the United States towards a more conservative approach. However, that does not necessarily mean that the FDA’s refusal of a new mRNA influenza vaccine is connected to this policy shift.Let us examine the facts. How mRNA tech worksThe new vaccine, named mRNA-1010, was developed by Moderna Inc., which also made an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine taken by millions of people worldwide during the pandemic (mRNA vaccines were not part of India’s mass vaccination programme). While most conventional viral vaccines insert actual pieces of a virus into…

In an action-filled daylong operation, the forces from the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) , together with other departments, cracked down on the unauthorised structures in the Bam Rukn Ud-Dowlah (Lake Rukn Ud-Dowlah) in Shivarampally area of Rajendranagar mandal on Saturday (August 10, 2024).High tension prevailed in King’s Colony and Shastripuram areas as the houses of some VIPs were allegedly demolished.Equipped with earthmovers, the forces pulled down several structures which came up within the full tank level (FTL) of the lake, which had been filled up by the encroachers over the past eight months.The structures allegedly included…

India needs to address its structural cost disadvantages, leverage free trade agreements (FTAs) and promote the manufacturing of strategic components to boost its electronics goods exports, according to NITI Aayog’s Trade Watch Quarterly report released on Friday (February 13, 2026). The electronics segment represents a $4.6 trillion global market. However, India’s share in this market stands at only around 1% for 2024. Key markets for high-tech components like integrated circuits and semiconductors remain dominated by China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Also Read: Why is the India-EU trade agreement significant? | ExplainedWhile recent FTAs improve external market access, the government think…

New Zealand players in a relaxed mood ahead of the Canada clash. | Photo Credit: S.R Raghunathan New Zealand will look to draw comfort from pleasant memories at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium as it aims to seal its berth in the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage when it takes on Canada in its final Group D fixture on Tuesday.The Black Caps won both their games at this venue — against Afghanistan and the UAE — before being handed a seven-wicket thrashing by South Africa in Ahmedabad.On paper, the Kiwis shouldn’t be troubled by Canada, but their defeat to the…

When asked which was the best sight as they drove from Dublin, Ireland, to Palakkad, Kerala, friends Sreenand Kandath and Nihal Ahamed say, “It was in Tibet — pure white, pristine snow — one of the most spellbinding sights of our lives. This was the best part of our road trip. Having lived in Europe, we have seen plenty of snow: in Germany, Switzerland and other parts. But this was unlike anything we had ever seen. It was as white as snow can be!” The childhood friends, based in Europe (Nihal is based in Frankfurt and Sreenand in Dublin), set off…

In moments of national stress, states often turn to symbolism. In moments of institutional crisis, they turn to narratives. Pakistan, for decades confronting both simultaneously, has increasingly relied on manufactured breakthroughs to compensate for the absence of its measurable progress. Over the last few weeks, this tendency has taken a particularly visible form as the repeated announcement of defence-export “successes”, centred around the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, is presented as proof that Pakistan remains strategically relevant, technologically capable, and globally sought after. Yet beneath the headlines lies a widening gap between rhetoric and reality, the one that has completely eroded…

A team of physicists from various universities has teamed up with the artificial intelligence (AI) model GPT-5.2 to arrive at a new result in theoretical physics, OpenAI announced on February 13.While the result itself is obscure, although valuable to physicists working on the topic, the methods that the team and the model used to arrive at the result are turning heads.Problem statementImagine you’re trying to predict what happens when particles crash into each other. In particle physics, scientists calculate these predictions using something called scattering amplitudes — essentially formulae that spit out the probability of different outcomes when particles collide.Now,…

Passengers ride a train in Mumbai, India. | Photo Credit: ABEER KHAN Post-liberalisation in 1991, the per capita income of the southern States surged significantly and they emerged as “leading performers”, shows an analysis released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). In contrast, the economic performances of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar regressed and worsened after bifurcation.Among the western States, Maharashtra and Gujarat consistently performed well. Gujarat exhibited rapid growth from the beginning of the millennium. Among the northern States, Delhi and Haryana performed exceptionally well, though the latter’s economic might is mostly drawn from Gurugram and…