Sania Mirza sails into women's doubles final of Hobart International
Hobart: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok stormed into the women's doubles final of the Hobart International with a straight-set win over the Slovenian-Czech duo of Tamara Zidansek and Marie Bouzkova here on Friday.
The fifth seeded Indo-Ukrainian pair defeated Zidansek and Bouzkova 7-6 (3) 6-2 in the semifinal clash.
The 33-year-old Sania is returning to the WTA circuit after two years.
During her time away from the game, she battled injury breakdowns before taking a formal break in April 2018 to give birth to her son Izhaan. She is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.
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Prabhakar Raghavan appointed Google’s chief technologist, receives ₹300 crore offer
Silicon Valley: Google has named Prabhakar Raghavan, a distinguished IIT Madras alumnus, as its new Chief Technologist. In a major career leap, Raghavan has accepted an impressive ₹300 crore offer, marking a high point in his career of over two decades.
Raghavan, 64, previously served as Google's Senior Vice President, overseeing key areas including Search, Assistant, Ads, Commerce, and Payments. Known for his pioneering contributions, he played a significant role in launching AI-powered tools such as Smart Reply and Smart Compose.
In a note to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai praised Raghavan’s decision to return to his computer science roots, saying, “After 12 years leading multiple teams at Google, Prabhakar is ready for his next chapter as Chief Technologist.”
Raghavan's career began with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT Madras, followed by advanced studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in computer science from UC Berkeley. His early work at IBM’s Almaden Research Center and as a professor at Stanford University laid the foundation for a distinguished career that included leadership roles at Yahoo and Verity.
His appointment comes amid rising competition in the tech landscape, with Google facing challenges from rivals like Microsoft, OpenAI, and other startups. With a renewed focus on artificial intelligence, Raghavan envisions AI transforming industries and tackling global issues, including urban traffic and disaster management.
