RBI tightens counterfeit note checks

Why TypeScript Developers Should Replace try-catch with Functional Either Types

TypeScript's exception-based error handling hides failures from function signatures, leaving callers unaware that a function can throw and forcing them to rely on try-catch blocks without compiler support. A functional alternative called the Either type explicitly encodes success or failure in the return type, making error states visible and compiler-enforced. Using Either, a function returns either a Right value on success or a Left value containing a typed error, eliminating guesswork in catch blocks. Operations can be composed cleanly using pipe and chain utilities, where any failing step short-circuits the pipeline and propagates the error automatically with its type intact. This approach improves code reliability and readability by ensuring error handling is explicit, typed, and impossible to accidentally overlook.

How to Wire MOCO MySQL Backups to MinIO on Hetzner StorageBox, and Fix the davfs2 Bug

Engineers running the MOCO MySQL operator on Kubernetes built a custom MinIO setup using a Hetzner StorageBox mounted via WebDAV and FUSE, rather than using the official MinIO Operator with block storage. A recurring IncompleteBody error consistently failed 74GB database uploads to MinIO immediately after the dump completed, despite the dump itself never failing. The root cause was traced to a davfs2 bug introduced by the custom FUSE-mounted network filesystem, which is incompatible with MinIO's multipart upload semantics. The team lost backups across two production clusters simultaneously before identifying and resolving the issue through davfs2 configuration tuning. Their Dockerfile, entrypoint script, and fix have since been published to a public GitHub repository to help others running similar WebDAV-backed MinIO deployments.

Cabinet Clears Rs 84,084-Crore Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Plan

The Indian Cabinet has approved a Rs 84,084-crore scheme focused on offshore oil and gas exploration. The plan aims to boost activity across the full exploration and production value chain. Authorities expect the initiative to attract significant long-term investments into the energy sector. The scheme is also anticipated to drive innovation and create fresh economic opportunities for industry stakeholders.

Rajinikanth donates Rs 1 lakh to veteran actor Mohan Sharma amid financial hardship

Superstar Rajinikanth has stepped in to help veteran actor Mohan Sharma by donating Rs 1 lakh after Sharma publicly appealed for financial support. Sharma, a respected figure in the film industry, has been facing severe hardship following the sale of his house and personal family difficulties. He expressed gratitude for Rajinikanth's contribution, which has provided some relief during his difficult period. Sharma continues to seek broader support from the film fraternity to address his ongoing financial and medical needs. It has also been suggested that securing the satellite rights for his acclaimed film Namma Gramam could help fund his medical expenses.

Former Army Chief General VN Sharma Dies at 96

General Vishwa Nath Sharma, a former Chief of Army Staff, passed away at the age of 96. He holds the distinction of being the first officer commissioned after India's Independence to rise to the top post of the Indian Army. General Sharma played a significant role during the 1987 military standoff with China, a particularly tense period in India's defence history. His tenure as Army Chief was marked by several internal and external security challenges facing the nation. He was widely regarded as a soldier-scholar who led the armed forces at a critical time.

Delhi Court Sentences Tahir Hussain to Life in IB Officer Ankit Sharma Murder Case

A Delhi court has sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma. The killing took place during the northeast Delhi riots in February 2020. While prosecutors argued the case met the 'rarest of rare' threshold warranting the death penalty, the court disagreed. The judge cited the possibility of reformation as the key reason for rejecting capital punishment. The verdict marks a significant conclusion to one of the most high-profile cases to emerge from the 2020 Delhi riots.

Guide: Migrate OpenAI SDK Apps to a Compatible API Gateway With Minimal Code Changes

Developers using the OpenAI SDK can switch to an OpenAI-compatible gateway like Route Key by updating just three things: the API key, base URL, and model ID. The migration requires no full application rewrite, as the existing request format remains largely intact. Before going live, developers should test both standard and streaming requests, verify response quality, and confirm model IDs against the provider's current catalog. Best practices include storing API keys in environment variables, setting retry and concurrency limits, and maintaining a rollback option with the original provider configuration. Production traffic should only be redirected after thorough testing of latency, cost, tool calls, and any provider-specific endpoint behavior.

India Condemns Pakistan Over Crackdown on Protesting Civilians in PoK

India has strongly criticised Pakistan over its crackdown on civilian protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks during a press briefing, highlighting what he called Pakistan's disregard for its own people. Jaiswal pointed out that Pakistan's defence minister had labelled the protesting civilians as 'enemies', which India condemned as deeply troubling. The statement underscores growing tensions over the treatment of civilians in the region under Pakistani administration.

AFC joins UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing FIFA's private investor commercial plan

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has publicly opposed FIFA's proposal to bring private investors into its commercial rights structure. The AFC declared solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF, both of which had already rejected the plan put forward by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Beyond opposing the commercial proposal, the AFC also called for an urgent review of FIFA's overall governance framework. FIFA has defended its position, claiming that media coverage misrepresented the true intent of the proposal. The growing opposition from major continental bodies marks a significant escalation of resistance against Infantino's commercial ambitions.

Cabinet Clears Rs 36,441 Crore for Sports Development Under Khelo India and NSF Schemes

The Indian Cabinet has approved a major sports funding package worth Rs 36,441 crore under the Khelo India and National Sports Federations (NSF) schemes. The decision marks a significant boost to the country's sports infrastructure and athlete development programs. The existing budgetary allocation for Assistance to National Sports Federations stood at Rs 425 crore for 2026-27. The expanded funding is aimed at strengthening grassroots sports development and supporting elite athletes across the country.

CJP plans nationwide accountability push

Delhi Court Sentences Ex-AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain to Life for Officer's Murder

A Delhi court at Karkardooma has sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment for the murder of an intelligence officer. The court described the manner in which the crime was committed as one of utmost brutality and savagery. Hussain, who was previously associated with AAP, was found guilty in connection with the killing. The verdict marks a significant development in a case that drew widespread attention due to the victim's background and the violent nature of the crime.

India's forex reserves rise by $6.1 billion

Researchers Claim to Have Disproved the Maxwell Conjecture

A new paper posted on arXiv asserts that the Maxwell Conjecture has been proven false. The work, referenced under arXiv ID 2607.27197, challenges a long-standing mathematical or physical hypothesis. The submission has attracted attention on Hacker News, garnering points and early discussion among readers. The conjecture's disproof, if verified by the broader scientific community, could have significant implications in its field. Details of the methodology and authors remain to be widely reviewed and confirmed.

Bitcoin $60,000 put leads the pack as mood swings bearish for August

Your day-ahead look for July 31, 2026

How One AI Coding Agent Kept Failing — and the Code Written to Fix It

Software firm Univoco built a retrieval-augmented AI coding agent for a proprietary document layout engine that has no public internet presence, forcing the agent to rely entirely on a private documentation index. Because the engine is absent from the model's training data, the setup offered a rare opportunity to observe pure problem-solving behaviour — and its failures. The agent repeatedly made unexpected errors, such as failing to locate an existing file by searching its contents rather than its filename, or deleting one line of code while leaving related configuration lines intact. Engineers at Univoco documented each failure in the order it occurred and published the specific code fixes applied to resolve them. The post details nine distinct failure modes, covering issues ranging from literal search limitations and infinite search loops to the agent inventing APIs that did not exist.

Indian Army Shoots Down Pakistani Spy Drone Near LoC in Jammu

The Indian Army shot down a Pakistani surveillance drone in the Khour sector of Jammu, near the Line of Control. The drone was detected while hovering close to key military installations in the area. Security forces recovered a memory card from the downed drone, suggesting it was being used for intelligence gathering. The incident underscores ongoing surveillance activities along the sensitive India-Pakistan border.

How Elden Ring's Stat System Teaches Developers to Build Smarter RPG Tools

RPG build systems like those in Elden Ring are far more complex than they appear, involving non-linear stat scaling, multi-attribute weapon dependencies, and diminishing returns beyond soft caps. Developers face the challenge of modeling these layered relationships accurately rather than relying on hardcoded values. A well-designed build calculator separates static weapon data from calculation logic, making the system easier to balance and maintain. Soft caps — points where additional stat investment yields shrinking returns — are critical to surface for players, helping them allocate attributes more efficiently. Ultimately, a calculator must go beyond mathematical correctness and present insights in plain language, guiding players toward informed decisions rather than overwhelming them with raw numbers.

Flagstar Bank's $31.5M settlement opens claims up to $25,000 for breach victims

Flagstar Bank has reached a $31.5 million class action settlement over two cyberattacks that occurred in 2021. The breaches compromised the personal data of over 2.1 million customers. Affected individuals may be eligible for payouts ranging from approximately $60 to $25,000, depending on the nature of their claims. To receive compensation, eligible customers must submit the required claim forms by August 11, 2026.