🏏 India's best XI for Sri Lanka Test series 🏏

India is set to face Sri Lanka in the first Test, kicking off on Saturday, August 15th at Galle International Stadium. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are guaranteed openers, while Devdutt Padikkal is slotted at number three. Sarfaraz Khan is strongly advocated over Dhruv Jurel due to his spin capabilities, despite Jurel's chances. Ravindra Jadeja remains the key left-arm spinner, and Mohammed Siraj leads the pace attack. The team needs to balance spin options while maintaining batting stability throughout the series.

🌳 SIT hosts Greenathon for new students

Shetty Institute of Technology organized a Greenathon on Thursday, August 13th, as part of its 2026-27 first-year induction. The event brought new students and faculty together at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kalaburagi. This initiative, run by the NSS committee, moved environmental awareness beyond the campus to engage the wider community. Anirudh Shetty emphasized that education must connect students to their communities for meaningful change. The Greenathon is part of a week-long induction concluding on August 17th. 🌳

💧 NHAI funds ₹42.6 Cr to fix NH 66 flooding

The NHAI has sanctioned a full ₹42.6-crore project to tackle persistent waterlogging on National Highway 66. This initiative targets Kollam and Alappuzha districts, as the highway suffers from flooding due to blocked streams and poor drainage. ₹28.55 crore is for Kollam, and ₹14.05 crore is for Alappuzha, focusing on two major stretches. This comes after joint sessions with the State Government on January 16, May 13, and July 15. The funds will bring immediate relief to areas like Punnapra and Haripad. 💧

🎮 Phantom Blade Zero PC Specs Revealed 🎮

The action RPG Phantom Blade Zero has dropped its official PC system requirements after pre-orders began. Chinese developer S-GAME released these specs for the game launching on October 29th. Minimum specs include an i7-8700K and GTX 1660 6GB, while path tracing at 4K@60FPS demands an RTX 5080 16GB. This shows the game supports full path tracing on PC, unlike the PS5 version. Developers also confirmed support for NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution.

🚀 Bengaluru Techie Targets Early Retirement by 35

A 27-year-old tech professional based in Bengaluru is aiming for an early retirement by the age of 35. This individual is currently earning a salary of Rs 23 LPA. The person is actively looking for a spouse who earns a minimum of Rs 10 LPA. This goal reflects a desire to achieve financial independence much earlier in life. The search continues as the techie sets this ambitious financial timeline for the future. 🚀

🩺 Beyond the scale: real life with weight loss meds

A nurse and GLP-1 user noted that success with weight loss medications isn't just about the scale. In a November 2025 KFF poll, 12 percent of U.S. adults were taking GLP-1 meds for various conditions. Research from a 2026 meta-analysis showed reduced binge-eating behaviors among recipients. Stopping treatment can cause weight regain, highlighting the chronic nature of obesity. Therefore, comprehensive patient education on daily life is crucial for GLP-1 users.

🔬 New flu vaccine drops, but will it actually help?

A new flu vaccine has recently been introduced to the market for public use. This vaccine is available from various pharmaceutical companies across the country. Clinical trials showed it has a potential efficacy rate of 45% against circulating strains as of October 2023. Experts are now assessing its real-world impact on overall disease reduction rates. Further long-term studies are required to determine its true effectiveness against seasonal flu outbreaks. 🔬

⚔️ Donnie Yen is leveling up action games with Phantom Blade Zero

S-Game is pushing boundaries for their kungfupunk action RPG, Phantom Blade Zero. Martial arts master Donnie Yen is co-producing the wuxia-inspired game, ensuring intense authenticity. The development team was seen at the Shanghai studio in 2025, showcasing groundbreaking motion capture. Witnessing stunt performers perform incredible feats highlighted Yen's role in new mo-capping methods. Players can check out the first hands-on preview on PS5 and PC now. ⚔️

🎮 ASUS ROG hits 20 years milestone at Gamescom

ASUS Republic of Gamers marked a major 20th anniversary at Gamescom 2026. The celebration took place in Cologne, Germany, showcasing the brand's journey. Key highlights included over 50 new hardware reveals and special anniversary editions. This event solidified ROG's presence in the competitive gaming scene globally. ASUS plans to roll out more themed content throughout the rest of the year.

✨ WhatsApp drops new group chat features 📲

WhatsApp is rolling out several updates to enhance group chat organization for users. These features include flexible polls, a new @all alert, and side chats, which help manage group conversations better. Polls now allow setting expiration dates and keeping voter names private for more control. The @all feature notifies all members in chats with over 32 people, usable only by admins. Side chats allow users to branch off for specific conversations without bothering the whole group.

🔒 Passkeys risky for abuse survivors, new research finds

Passkeys, promoted as safer than passwords, present serious risks for individuals experiencing intimate partner abuse. The Cornell research found that abusers could set up their own passkeys on a partner's computer to invade their online space. The study involved 31 participants on Aug 12-14, assessing their ability to spot and stop malicious passkey use. Participants largely failed to identify attacker logins or remove compromised passkeys without researcher help. Services must significantly improve how they help users diagnose and fix account compromises. 😟