Ankit

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

Fun fact.

Modern humans first appeared about 250,000 years ago, but record keeping didn't began until about 6,000 years ago.

That means, about 97% of human history is lost forever.

[✏️ @waitbutwhy]

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

When you start a chess game, you have 20 possible moves available. After the first full move (White then Black), there are already over 400 possible positions. By the third move, that number jumps to around 8,900, and after the fourth it reaches nearly 200,000.

By the time you get to move #40, the total number of possible games explodes to roughly 10⁴⁰, a number comparable to the total number of atoms in the observable universe.

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

India will be in for a superhot summer this year. @PulahaRoy maps it out

[Ankit @ankit_992019]

RT @TheNavroopSingh: A naval blockade at Strait of Hormuz to stop Iranian Oil is foolish thought Donald ! You will break Rare Earths agreem…

[Ananth Rupanagudi @AnanthOnTrack]

#DidYouKnow H. Martin, one of the authors of the famous Wren & Martin's High School English Grammar & Composition, taught at Aligarh Muslim University and even served as its Pro-Vice Chancellor in 1930-31?

Originally written in 1935 for the children of British officers in India, this book has stood the test of time and is still a go-to resource for teaching English grammar in schools across India. Co-written by H. Martin and P. C. Wren, it's a true classic!
#HMartin #PCWren #education #English #grammar

[Normal Guy @Normal_2610]

Greenland is becoming geopolitically priceless for USA

Why Greenland suddenly matters? Earlier, Arctic was frozen, Sea routes unusable, No one cared much

Now, Ice is melting, Arctic sea routes are opening, Ships can move between - Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean through the Arctic

This makes the Arctic a new global highway.

Greenland sits right in the middle of this. Geography shocker most people miss ( Very Strategic location)

Greenland is much closer to the US than to Denmark. Distance from Washington DC to Nuuk is less than Nuuk to Copenhagen

So, US sees Greenland as a direct security zone. Denmark is far away, US is next door.

China is already Part owner in a Greenland mining company, Trying to enter Arctic trade routes

Russia - Arctic neighbor, Long-standing polar military presence

As Arctic opens up - US fears China entering its backyard, Greenland becomes the choke point. US military already controls Greenland security

Important fact >>

In 1951, US and Denmark signed a treaty - US is responsible for Greenland’s defense

US maintains - Pituffik Space Base (earlier Thule Air Base), Part of NORAD missile and space tracking system

So, US already acts like Greenland is strategic territory. Trump wants formal control, not just presence

Dark Cold War history there - Two shocking facts. Nuclear weapons scandal

Denmark had banned nuclear weapons on its soil. Later discovered - US had secretly stationed nukes in Greenland

1968 nuclear crash - US B-52 bomber crashed near Thule, Carrying four hydrogen bombs, One bomb was never found, Radiation spread occurred

This shows - Greenland has long been part of nuclear strategy

How big Greenland really is?

This is where people underestimate it badly. Greenland area About 21.6 lakh sq km

India area About 32.8 lakh sq km

So, Greenland is two-thirds the size of India, Only 56,000 people live there. Bigger than India’s 10 largest states combined. Largest island in the world.

Minerals are the hidden gold. Greenland has 25 out of 34 critical minerals. Needed for - Defense systems, EV batteries, Chips, Modern technology

Earlier, Ice made mining impossible

Now, Melting ice, Easier access, Lower cost. This makes Greenland strategic treasure.

Political status of Greenland. Greenland is Part of Denmark But high autonomy

Timeline:

1979: Home rule
2009: Right to independence if people choose

Now:
Strong independence sentiment
Own parliament
Own government

This year:
Greenland may vote on independence
This creates a window of opportunity.

Trump’s calculation

Trump sees - Denmark is weak on control, Greenland wants independence, China is moving in, Arctic is opening

So he thinks - Make an offer Greenland cannot refuse Or strike a deal during transition

If US pays Denmark - Looks colonial, If US pays Greenlanders directly - Each citizen becomes multi-millionaire

Some estimates - Deal value up to $1.7 trillion

This is not new for America

US history - Louisiana Purchase, Alaska purchase from Russia. Alaska was mocked then. Today it is priceless.

Trump sees Greenland as The next Alaska

[Velina Tchakarova @vtchakarova]

After carefully monitoring the situation in Venezuela for the last 24 hours, the EU has found out that the water bottle of Maduro did not have the EU-regulation approved attached cap.

[Joy Bhattacharjya @joybhattacharj]

Richard Hadlee broke his head, Malcolm Marshall knocked out his teeth, Imran Khan knocked him unconscious, and Michael Holding sent him to hospital.
And yet Mohinder Amarnath got 3 centuries in Pakistan, 2 in the West Indies and 1 against Thommo in Australia.
In those days, batting against the frightening pace of Holding, Imran and the West Indians involved a bit more than just skill, it needed raw courage and Jimmy Amarnath had that in dollops.
Jimmy turns 75 today & India's first Man of the Match in a World Cup final certainly deserves much more acclaim and attention
(Picture Credit: The Guardian)

[Gurmehar Kaur @mehartweets]

A nation that arms Israel’s war on Gaza, bankrolls another, buries Epstein’s client list, and enables the starvation of Palestinian children has no standing to question India’s energy choices or trade policies.

Least of all Trump.

[William Dalrymple @DalrympleWill]

"BBC staff: we're forced to do pro-Israel PR
A devastating letter signed by over 100 BBC journalists underlines one of the great scandals of our age"
https://t.co/CsRBy6I2zy

[Cyrus Janssen @thecyrusjanssen]

An Iranian man left this comment on my YouTube channel. It's the single best explanation I've ever heard on the future of #Iran 👇

As an Iranian, I can tell you the situation is no longer just political—it's existential. We are trapped between two collapsing structures: one internal, one external. On one hand, we face a deeply dysfunctional government, led by the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic’s unelected institutions.

Decades of economic mismanagement, suppression of dissent, and brutal ideological control have alienated multiple generations. No one believes in reform anymore—because every attempt has either been co-opted or crushed.

But here's the paradox: We are also terrified of regime collapse—because we've watched the aftermath of Western intervention in countries like Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan.

Each was promised freedom; each descended into chaos, civil war, or foreign occupation. So no, we don't trust the U.S. or Israel. Not because we support our regime—but because we know how imperial powers treat ‘liberated’ nations in the Middle East.

Freedom, in their language, often means vacuum, fire, and permanent instability. Right now, many Iranians live with three truths at once: The Islamic Republic is morally and politically bankrupt. The alternatives offered by foreign actors are not liberation—they’re collapse. A bad government is survivable. No government is not. We are not silent because we agree.

We are cautious because we’ve learned—too well—what happens when superpowers decide to "help." In a sentence: Iran is a nation held hostage by its own regime, but haunted by the fate of its neighbors. We are stuck in a house we hate, surrounded by fires we fear more.

[SANJAY HEGDE @sanjayuvacha]

One can only thank our stars that India went nuclear in 1973. At that point of time Indira Gandhi, took a poor country to being a nuclear power. Iran was richer and ruled by the American backed Shah who could not dare show an independent streak. This bombing will lead every country to want a weapon of their own. The rules based order has collapsed and new equilibrium has yet to emerge. #FordowAttack

[Ankit @ankit_992019]

The truth!

[Suhasini Haidar @suhasinih]

After bombing its way through Iraq for WMD (not there), Afghanistan for OBL(He was in Pak), Libya for R2P (no mass graves found), now US bombs Iran for its nuclear weapons...more the norm than the exception to strike before proving cause.

[Salil Tripathi (સલિલ ત્રિપાઠી) @saliltripathi]

In my days as a reporter, I covered two air crashes: both in the late 1980s, both for India Today -- one was in Ahmedabad (I went on the relief aircraft), the other in Bangalore (which I reported on from Bombay). 1/4

[Pratik Sinha @free_thinker]

Cults are dangerous - whether they form around a politician, a preacher, an actor, a sportsperson, a team, a religion, a god or an idea. Blind devotion, no matter the object, erodes reason and endangers lives.

[Spencer Hakimian @SpencerHakimian]

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[Saikiran Kannan | 赛基兰坎南 @saikirankannan]

💡❣️A Rare but Enlightening Conversation with a Pakistani Researcher on Indo-Pak Tensions

This morning, I had one of the sweetest and most thought-provoking exchanges in a long time— with a researcher and a long-time friend from Pakistan.

Amidst the usual noise of jingoism and tit-for-tat rhetoric, this conversation stood out for its maturity, historical clarity, and, surprisingly, its introspection.

The core idea he shared was this:

"India must stop looking at Pakistan as an equal adversary. Not in arrogance, but in strategic wisdom." As he rightly pointed out—Pakistan is no longer in the same league economically, diplomatically, or institutionally. By reacting to every provocation or escalation in kind, India ends up inadvertently legitimizing Pakistan’s attempt to stay relevant.

He was candid about how he sees the broader geopolitical game. “The Americans don’t want India to waste its energy on us,” he said. According to him, the U.S. wants India to rise as a counterweight to China—economically, technologically, and militarily—and not get stuck in a decades-old conflict with Pakistan. “Every time you focus on us, you’re doing China a favour,” he remarked.

In his view, Washington sees Indo-Pak tensions as a distraction from the larger strategic arc they’re trying to shape in Asia—with India as a central player, not a regional rival stuck in South Asia.

This makes a lot of sense. This is especially for our media who cannot stop jumping up and down when anything concerns Pakistan.

He pointed out how, during the Kargil War, Indian media—despite being at war—maintained a level of professionalism that even Pakistani viewers respected. “We used to watch your coverage and actually learn what was happening,” he said, noting how reporters back then were calm, factual, and rooted in field reporting. But today, he observed, the shift is stark. “Now, it’s like watching a wrestling match,” he said wryly, referring to the hyperbole and theatrics that dominate Indian primetime news. His tone wasn’t mocking—it was disappointing. “You used to set the standard. Now you're chasing TRPs like us.”

⚡Some powerful takeaways from our chat:

“Why let Pakistan define India’s strategic bandwidth?” India has bigger challenges to tackle—China, AI, global diplomacy, energy corridors, and tech regulation.

My researcher friend admitted that Pakistan is currently more focused on internal economic collapse and political instability than real military engagement.

He called out Pakistan's historical blunders too—supporting insurgency in Punjab, Kargil misadventures, and how these tactics eroded its own international credibility.

☄️Most significantly, he said: “If India stops reacting, Pakistan becomes irrelevant. You elevate, we fade.”

☄️He even lamented how many in Pakistan's military intelligence circles misread India’s responses as validation of their strategy, not realizing they’re bleeding their country in the process.

⚡About Asim Munir, he felt very disappointed with India😅

He expressed frustration at how India, through its media and political rhetoric, ended up turning General Asim Munir into a larger-than-life figure. “You made him a hero,” he said with a hint of irony. “Back home, no one really saw him that way—he’s struggling with legitimacy, running the economy into the ground, and facing public distrust. But your coverage gave him exactly what he needed: relevance. Now we may be stuck with him for a few more years”

His point was clear—by reacting loudly to every statement or move from Pakistan’s military leadership, India often ends up amplifying figures who are otherwise weak or embattled internally.

We also touched upon how the youth on both sides are increasingly frustrated with perpetual hostilities—especially when there are bigger, more constructive battles to fight in tech, development, and climate.

The conversation ended not in agreement—but in mutual respect for nuance and reality.

#India #Pakistan #OperationSindoor

[शिक्षित बेरोज़गार @kaul_vivek]

I think this is a good time to repeat what @jasonzweigwsj once said:

There are three ways to make a living:

1) Lie to people who want to be lied to, and you’ll get rich.

2) Tell the truth to those who want the truth, and you’ll make a living.

3) Tell the truth to those who want to be lied to, and you’ll go broke.

The rest is commentary.

And if I were to add my two bits to this: The largest audience is of the first kind. The circus must not stop.

[K. C. Singh @ambkcsingh]

What a bizarre day? A new Pope is elected. #IndiaPakistanWar starts. @realDonaldTrump busy with his trade deal with UK, unmindful of South Asia. Ukraine war gets short ceasefire. #veday80thanniversary -Putin-Xi celebrate in Moscow, as do UK/Europe. A splintered world!

[indianhistorypics @IndiaHistorypic]

1950s :: After India's Independence, Russia Helped India in Every Sector. From Agriculture to Aviation to Steel Plants to S-400 #indiarussia