Author: kumbhorg

Some off beat reads for the weekend: India seems immune to global warming (Science Focus) India’s Titanium bottleneck (ORF) 5 years after the fall of Kabul (Crisis) The IRGC paradox (MEM) Iran’s assassination threats against Trump (New Lines) China warns Japan (Tass) What Zionism actually is (Pierre Rehov) The Christianization of Andhra (True Indology) Why anti-Brahmin hate got fueled (True Indology) The story of free Dadra & Nagar Haveli (Parimal) The strategic mind of General Sundarji (FP) The Malabar Moplah riots (RKS) Forystufe sheep of Iceland (Sama Hoole) Time to upgrade Railway food (Binu Alex) Drive: North Karnataka (Team BHP)…

Marnus Labuschagne finds himself under increasing pressure ahead of Australia’s second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay, with former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie warning that another low-scoring performance could put his place in the team at serious risk.Marnus Labuschagne’s lean run continuesLabuschagne endured another difficult outing in the opening Test in Darwin, managing just 1 and 31 as Australia suffered a surprising defeat against Bangladesh. While his second-innings knock showed some signs of improvement, it did little to ease concerns surrounding his prolonged struggle for consistency. The Australian batter has now gone 42 Test innings without scoring a century, with his…

Offseason questions Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News: Looking at some offseason questions that remain. Will the Connor Hellebuyck trade talk pick up soon? The Winnipeg Jets couldn’t work out a deal with the Buffalo Sabres. If Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has the Jets on his no-trade list, a deal between the two seems unlikely. The New Jersey Devils are a team that might be looking at the goalie market. What will the Detroit Red Wings end up doing with Dylan Larkin? They don’t have a GM at the moment, and didn’t have much success in trade talks when they had one.…

Royal Mail has once again missed its delivery targets for first and second class post, but said it is making progress towards the goals as its turnaround plan continues. The postal service delivered 85% of first class deliveries the next day between March and June, up from 76% in the same three months of 2025, but below regulator Ofcom’s 90% target. Second class mail was delivered within three days 91% of the time, another improvement from the previous year, but short of Ofcom’s 95% target.Royal Mail said the results are “encouraging and show that the work we are doing to…

Closed versus Open Source code has divided the Bitcoin and broader crypto industry for well over a decade. Bitcoin advocates have long argued that the financial infrastructure of the world should be built in public. Transparency and auditability, they say, are non-negotiable when real money is at stake. Yet the app and legacy layers of finance often disagree.  Yet the recent Coldcard hack, a popular self-custody hardware wallet where users lost over $100 million worth of bitcoin (more than 1,500 BTC), cast doubt over what “Open Source” actually means. It revealed that perhaps most people, even many hardcore bitcoiners, are…

Prince Harry and Meghan plan to relocate from the US to a private, non-royal residence outside London, with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, enrolled to start at school in September.The decision follows a visit in July by Prince Harry, Meghan and their children to see King Charles III at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire.It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years, and the couple’s first visit to the UK together since 2022.The BBC understands the King was unaware of the move before last weekend, but he…

Joe Root has etched his name into the Test cricket record books, overtaking Australia great Steve Smith to become the leading fielder for most catches in the history of the format. Root reached the landmark during Pakistan’s second innings of the first Test against England at Headingley on Friday, taking a sharp catch at leg slip to dismiss Azan Awais off Jofra Archer.The dismissal was the result of a well-executed plan between Root and Archer. Just a couple of deliveries earlier, Root had spoken to Archer and added a leg slip and short leg to the field. Archer then bowled…

IBPS Clerk recruitment 2026 The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) will close the registration process for the 2026 Customer Service Associate (Clerk) recruitment today, August 21. Candidates who are yet to apply for the IBPS Clerk recruitment under Common Recruitment Process Customer Service Associate-XVI (CRP CSA-XVI) can submit their forms and pay the application fee until 11:59 pm.The recruitment drive is being conducted for 11,403 vacancies across 11 participating public sector banks. Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements can apply online through the official IBPS website, ibps.in.The application process began on August 1, 2026. Candidates should complete the form…

Bitcoin price action has gone completely vertical this week. Bitcoin is trading around $77,700, up 8.3% over the past 24 hours and 23.8% over seven days, as its ETF news turns bullish. It has also pushed its market cap above $1.55 trillion. The move comes after BTC broke through $75,000 during Friday’s Asian session. It later pushed toward $78,000 as buyers continued to chase the breakout. Market Cap 24h 7d 30d 1y All Time This is no longer the same Bitcoin market that was struggling around $64,000 earlier this month. Momentum has flipped quickly, and the latest ETF data gives…

Long-term government bond yields hit multi-decade highs this week. The U.S. 30-year yield reached its highest since 2007, French borrowing costs hit their highest since 2008, and German yields climbed to 2011 levels. U.K. gilt yields closed in on 6%, while Japan’s long-term yields neared record highs. The U.S. Treasury even doubled its bond buyback program to stop the bleeding, but it barely worked. What’s up with that?! What’s Actually Going On? Most traders learn that bond yields move when central banks change interest rates. That’s generally true for short-term bonds, but long-term bonds play by a different set of…