The Kolkata hotel fire on Mirza Ghalib Street has killed at least nine people, including a child, and injured six others
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Venus and Serena Williams made a highly anticipated return to doubles action at the Cincinnati Open, playing their first match together since the 2022 US Open. Playing before a packed crowd on a electric Grandstand Court, the legendary sisters faced off against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk and American player Peyton Stearns. After dropping the first set 6-2, the 14-time Grand Slam champions shook off the rust to dominate the second set 6-1, forcing a tense match tie-break. Although Kostyuk and Stearns raced ahead to a 6-0 lead in the tie-break, the Williams sisters mounted a fierce comeback before ultimately falling short 10-8, sealed by a late double-fault. Despite the narrow defeat, it was a celebratory, nostalgic reunion for the tennis icons.
Find today's news in pics from India and around the world for August 19, 2026
Boca Juniors secured a commanding 4-0 victory against Paraguay's Recoleta FC at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, completing a comprehensive 7-1 aggregate win to advance to the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals. Carrying a 3-1 lead from the first leg in Buenos Aires, Boca asserted total control early in the return fixture. Santiago Ascacíbar opened the scoring in the 30th minute, followed quickly by a strike from Sebastián Villa just before halftime to put the tie out of reach. In the second half, Miguel Merentiel extended the lead in the 52nd minute, and substitute Alan Velasco capped off the rout with a fourth goal in the 77th minute. Recoleta struggled to break through a disciplined Argentine defense, sealing Boca's dominant progression into the next round.
India's premier women's doubles pair, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, advanced to the pre-quarters of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi with a clinical straight-game 21-15, 21-12 victory over the USA's Lauren Lam and Allison Lee. Displaying sharp coordination, the Indian duo neutralized their opponents with superior court coverage and execution. Gayatri controlled the pace swiftly at the net with lightning-fast interceptions, while Treesa dominated from the backcourt, dismantling the American defense with explosive, high-altitude jump smashes. Having already bypassed the opening round following their earlier win against Spain's Paula López and Lucía Rodríguez, this dominant performance comfortably secured their spot in the Round of 16.
Preparations for the World Humanoid Robot Games have entered high gear, with over 2,000 robotic systems from across the globe converging for rigorous pre-competition tuning and technical checks. Engineering teams are fine-tuning advanced neural networks, mobility controls, and delicate dexterous hand mechanisms to handle demanding multi-stage tasks. Training camps feature intense scenario simulations—ranging from navigating complex household obstacles and office management to autonomous emergency response drills. Meanwhile, state-of-the-art support hubs like the newly established Robot Home have been deployed to manage high-speed battery recharging, rapid digital check-ins, and diagnostics, ensuring mechanical athletes remain fully optimized for peak performance.
India's 18-year-old prodigy Unnati Hooda kicked off her debut BWF World Championships campaign with a hard-fought straight-games victory over Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar in the women's singles Round of 64. Playing at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Arena in New Delhi, Hooda overcame tricky court conditions and a tense opening battle. The first game saw a tight, neck-and-neck contest where Thuzar held a game point before Hooda showed great composure, saving it with a sharp smash and executing key tactical plays to edge it 22-20. Carrying the momentum into the second game, the young Indian player cleaned up her unforced errors, upped her attacking tempo, and comfortably closed out the set 21-16. Winning the match in 40 minutes, Hooda successfully advanced to the Round of 32.
India's Lakshya Sen survived a major early scare to launch his BWF World Championships 2026 campaign with a hard-fought comeback victory over Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon in the opening round. Playing at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Arena in New Delhi, the 14th-seeded Indian shuttler overcame a sluggish start and tricky court drift to secure a 16-21, 21-8, 21-4 win in 45 minutes. The opening game saw Sen struggle with his length and control against the tall Austrian, who capitalized on short lifts to comfortably take the lead. However, Sen completely turned the tide from the second game onward by altering his tactics—drawing Filimon into extended rallies and tightening his net control. After completely dominating the second set 21-8, Sen carried that relentless momentum into the decider, rattling off an 11-point streak to seal the match and advance to the Round of 32.
India moved to the brink of victory on a dramatic Day 4 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, setting the hosts a 372-run target before reducing them to 84/4 at stumps. India were bowled out for 193 in their second innings, with Rishabh Pant’s aggressive 66 off 69 providing the crucial momentum after KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal added a valuable partnership. Sri Lanka’s chase quickly unravelled as Mohammed Siraj dismissed Nishan Madushka, while Manav Suthar removed Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Lahiru Udara, and Prasidh Krishna accounted for Kamindu Mendis. Dhananjaya de Silva remained unbeaten on 31 alongside Sonal Dinusha on 25, but the hosts still need 288 runs on Day 5. India require six wickets for a 1-0 lead, although rain could yet influence the thrilling finish.
Markets remained shut in Imphal on the first day of a two-day strike called by the JFD, demanding NRC implementation and the return of IDPs to their original homes before the census
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