Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju etched his name in history by becoming the youngest-ever Chess World Champion 2024, defeating defending champion Ding Liren in the final round. The 18-year-old’s victory marks a monumental achievement, making him the second Indian to claim the title after Viswanathan Anand.

Gukesh’s remarkable performance throughout the tournament, including a standout display at the Candidates event, has drawn widespread praise, including from world number one Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian legend lauded Gukesh’s strategic prowess and predicted a bright future for the young champion, suggesting he could soon become the world’s second-ranked player and possibly challenge for the top spot.

Carlsen, who chose not to defend his title in 2023 after a decade of dominance, commended Gukesh’s team for their innovative strategies. “It’s an incredible achievement. Gukesh’s performance in the FIDE circuit, the Chennai tournament, and the Candidates event was extraordinary,” Carlsen said during a recap stream.

The former world champion, however, ruled out the possibility of a title match with Gukesh. “I’m not part of this circus anymore,” Carlsen said, maintaining his decision to step away from world championship clashes.

Despite this, Gukesh expressed his admiration for Carlsen, stating his desire to compete against the Norwegian at some point. “Winning the Chess World Championship 2024 doesn’t make me the best player—Magnus Carlsen is still the benchmark. It would be an amazing challenge to face him,” Gukesh said during a press conference.

Gukesh’s victory has been celebrated as a milestone for Indian chess, highlighting the nation’s growing prominence in the global chess arena. Carlsen called it a “massive moment for India,” emphasizing the collective efforts that have fueled such successes.

“This is just the beginning,” Carlsen remarked. “There are many more success stories to come. Gukesh’s win is a testament to the hard work being done in India’s chess ecosystem. It’s heartwarming to see what it means to him and the country.”

With his victory, Gukesh Dommaraju has not only claimed the prestigious title but also set the stage for an exciting new chapter in international chess. As he aims for even greater heights, the chess world watches with bated breath to see how far this young talent will go.

Sagarika Ghose, Trinamool Congress MP on Thursday moved a privilege motion against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju for calling opposition MPs unworthy of being in Rajya Sabha.

Reportedly, the notice was endorsed by 60 opposition MPs. This follows a day after Kiren Rijiju, speaking to opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha, said that they all are not worthy of being in this house.

Addressing the media, Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose said that the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, instead of doing his best to run Parliament smoothly, has chosen to repeatedly insult the opposition.

She added that Kiren Rijiju has insulted opposition members and used personal terms both inside and outside Parliament. She continued that this is totally unbecoming of the high office he holds and amounts to total misuse of his position.

In a privilege motion against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Trinamool MP accused him of misusing his office and using unparliamentary language against the opposition. Many senior leaders from all opposition parties have signed the motion, she added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kiren Rijiju criticised opposition members, saying they were not worthy of being in the House. He further defended Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has faced opposition attacks.

The Union Minister said that if the Opposition cannot respect the chair, then they have no right to be a member of this House.

Nearly sixty MPs from the opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha for a no-confidence motion against Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Opposition accused him of being extremely partisan in his role as chairman of the Upper House.

In the no-confidence motion, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Opposition have no personal enmity or political fight with him, but want to tell the countrymen that they have taken this step to safeguard democracy, the Constitution, and after giving it a lot of thought.

Ahead of the assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that the Delhi cabinet has cleared a financial assistance proposal for women over the age of 18. He further announced that the assistance of Rs 1,000, originally announced in March, would be hiked to Rs 2,100 if the AAP wins. 

Arvind Kejriwal noted that the money would not be credited into bank accounts since elections were likely to be announced soon, but said that registrations for the scheme, named Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, would begin tomorrow.

The former Delhi Chief Minister said that the registration will begin tomorrow, and the registrations will begin for Rs 2,100 and not Rs 1000. He made this announcement at Mahila Samman Yojana event where he was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.

Arvind Kejriwal stated that previously he had promised to give Rs 1000 to every woman, but some women came to him and said that Rs 1,000 would not be sufficient due to inflation. Therefore, Rs 2,100 will be deposited into the accounts of all women, he continued. Furthermore, the AAP national convenor said that the aforesaid proposal was passed in the cabinet meeting chaired by Atishi this morning, following which the scheme has been implemented.

In March 2024, the then Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced Rs 1,000 per month to all women above 18 years in the national capital under the Mukhyamantri Samman Yojna.

Notably, this initiative bore resemblances to Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana, under which women from lower- and middle-class homes would receive a monthly transfer of Rs 1,000 into their accounts.

In his address today, Arvind Kejriwal said the scheme would prove to be a boon for the Delhi government as it will be blessed by mothers and sisters, benefitting from the monthly funding.

He also added that women build the future of the country, and they consider it their privilege to support them in their work. Along with Delhi’s two crore population, the government overcomes the biggest obstacles, he said, adding no obstacle can prevent them from doing good work for the people of the city.

Lashing out at the BJP, Arvind Kejriwal said that he first announced the scheme in March and hoped that it would be implemented at least by May. However, the BJP conspired and sent him to jail based on a fraud case. He added that since his return from jail, he has worked to implement this scheme with Atishi. 

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March in connection to the Delhi liquor policy case. The former Chief Minister was released from Tihar Jail on September 13 after the Supreme Court granted him bail. Four days later, he resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister.

The elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are expected in January 2025. The AAP has so far released two lists of candidates to contest the election.