BCB sends another letter to ICC asking for venue change for its T20WC games
New Delhi (PTI): The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday formally sent a second communication to the ICC, explaining the specific security concerns about travelling to India for the T20 World Cup while reiterating its demand for a change of venue to Sri Lanka.
The World Cup gets underway on February 7 and Bangladesh are scheduled to play four games (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai).
They have refused to travel to India after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from the IPL on instructions of the BCCI, which cited unspecified "developments all around" to justify the decision.
"Following discussions with sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul, the BCB has once again sent a communication to the ICC. The ICC wanted to know areas of concern with regards to security and BCB has cited them," a source close to the cricket board told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
ALSO READ: ICC willing to work with us to address security concerns on playing in India: BCB
However, he did not elaborate on the specifics of the letter.
The development comes amid sustained back-and-forth between the BCB and the ICC over Bangladesh's participation. The global body has maintained a stoic silence so far and has sought clarity on the exact nature of the security apprehensions being flagged by the Dhaka-based board.
It is understood that the BCB itself is divided on the issue.
While one section of the board is backing Nazrul's hardline stance on the matter, another group is in favour of keeping channels of discussion open with the ICC and Indian authorities.
They are stressing on the need for enhanced and foolproof security arrangements for the entire Bangladesh team during its stay in India.
Nazrul, who has been vocal in his criticism of India in the past, is learnt to have pushed a more uncompromising line, a marked departure from the BCB's traditionally cordial working relationship with the BCCI.
Mustafizur's release followed incidents involving attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
As of now, the ICC hasn't given any indication that it would shift Bangladesh's venues from Kolkata and Mumbai to Colombo.
The BCB has, however, asserted that the ICC has shown willingness to work with it in assessing the security concerns.
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86 nations, two int'l organisations sign AI Impact Summit declaration: IT Min Vaishnaw
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 86 countries and two international organisations have signed the AI Impact Summit declaration, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said, adding that the US, UK, Canada, China, Denmark, and Germany are among the signatories.
The strong global backing for the declaration comes at the conclusion of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Vaishnaw told reporters that nations across the world have formalised and upheld principles of 'welfare of all, and happiness of all'.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's human-centric AI vision been accepted by the world. Democratising Artificial Intelligence resources so AI facilities, services and technology can reach everyone in society has been accepted by all," the minister said.
Balancing economic growth with social good has been prioritised, he added.
"Not just economic growth, even social harmony has to be kept in mind. Safety and trust are at the centre, they have been brought among the main points," Vaishnaw said, adding that a secure, trustworthy and robust AI framework has been focused on.
Other major areas of thrust include innovations and development of human capital, he noted.
"For all these areas, all countries have agreed to work together. Almost all countries that participated, including the US, the UK, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, and Germany... everyone has participated," the minister said.
The mega AI Impact Summit secured investment commitments of over USD 250 billion in infrastructure alone, with Vaishnaw on Friday terming it a "grand success".
Vaishnaw had said participation at the summit crossed five lakh visitors, reflecting strong domestic and global engagement with India's AI push.
The India AI Impact Summit brought together global policymakers, industry leaders and technology experts, positioning India as a key player in shaping international AI governance and infrastructure development.
"More than five lakh visitors participated in the exhibition, learnt a lot, and interacted with many experts from around the world. We had practically every major AI player in the world participating in large numbers. We had so many startups getting the opportunity to showcase their work. Overall, the quality of the discussion was phenomenal," he had said.
Be it the ministerial dialogue, the leaders' plenary, the main inauguration function, or the Summit overall, the quality of participation and dialogue was phenomenal, Vaishnaw had pointed out.
The investment pledges have crossed USD 250 billion for infra-related capital and around USD 20 billion on VC/deep tech investments.
Vaishnaw had said that the Summit reflected the world's confidence in India's role in the new AI age.
Delhi played host to a lineup of global tech heavyweights this week - Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Brad Smith and Anthropic's Dario Amodei - as discussions spanned most intensely debated global topics in the tech universe, from AI's opportunities and risks, all the way to AGI, governance and the future of jobs.
