MUMBAI: A 9-year-old boy with acute liver failure at KEM Hospital would have died within days had it not been for the humane act of a Thane-based family who donated the organs of their 33-year-old son following a tragic road accident.This single act of kindness has saved at least four lives so far and will continue to improve many more through the donation of bones and corneas. The donated liver was split: one portion saved the paediatric patient, and the other was transplanted into a man at Apollo Hospital in Navi Mumbai.

This “split” is only possible when the donor is under 45. While the city sees over 300 road accident fatalities annually, organ donation from young deceased individuals remains rare due to the immense grief surrounding such untimely losses. The latest donation took place at Mahavir Jain Hospital in Hajuri, Thane, on March 28, where a team of 40 doctors was involved in organ retrieval.The other donated organs included the heart, pancreas and kidneys. They were transplanted at various hospitals between Saturday and Sunday. Ajay Ashar, chairman of Mahavir Jain Trust, which runs the hospital, said, “It was a sensitive discussion, but after some time, the family agreed. We salute their courage in making this decision during such profound grief.”KEM dean Dr Sangeeta Ravat said it was only in 2024 that the hospital restarted liver ICU. Dr Akash Shukla, part of the transplant team at KEM, said that the child suffered from Wilson’s disease, which is a rare condition for which a liver transplant is essentially a cure. The procedure was entirely covered under the National Rare Disease Fund.But none of this would have been possible without coordination between traffic police teams from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. They created four “green corridors” for the organs to reach four different hospitals in time, travelling all the way from Mahavir Jain Hospital.“Hospitals request us to create a green corridor in advance when an organ has to be transferred,” explained a senior traffic police official.This is a demarcated, cleared-out route designed for the transport of donated organs to reach the destination hospital without halts. A pilot vehicle is assigned by the police to lead the ambulance from the point of origin to the destination.Traffic chowkies along the route are alerted, and personnel are posted to clear vehicles just before the ambulance arrives. The control room monitors the route through surveillance footage in real time.The system is well-oiled. The 37km distance from Mahavir Jain Hospital to HN Reliance Hospital in Girgaon was covered in 31 minutes with a human heart on ambulance seats. A heart has the shortest “cold ischemic time” of any organ, requiring it to be transplanted within a strict four-hour window.One kidney and pancreas reached Nanavati Hospital (27 km) in 32 minutes. Another kidney and split liver arrived at KEM (27 km) in 26 minutes, while the final transport from Thane to Apollo Hospital in Navi Mumbai (22 km) took 34 minutes.

The stage is set for a high-stakes encounter as the Punjab Kings (PBKS) host the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 4th match of IPL 2026. This clash features two young Indian captains, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both looking to kick off their campaigns with a statement win at PBKS’s new fortress in Mullanpur.

PBKS enters this season as the 2025 runners-up, having built a squad that prioritizes an aggressive Indian batting core. The opening duo of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh will be the ones to watch after their explosive synergy last year.

On the other hand, GT remains one of the most balanced units in the league. With the addition of Jos Buttler and the steady rise of Sai Sudharsan, their top order looks formidable. The battle between Arshdeep Singh’s death bowling and Gill’s clinical strokeplay is expected to be the highlight of the night.

PBKS vs GT, Head-to-Head Record in IPL

Matches played: 6 | PBKS won: 3 | GT won: 3 | No result/Tied: 0

Probable XI of Both Teams

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Impact Player options: Yash Thakur / Musheer Khan

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Impact Player options: Sai Kishore / Anuj Rawat

Also WATCH: IPL 2026 – Rohit Sharma hilariously teases Ajinkya Rahane during tense injury moment in MI vs KKR match

IPL Stats and Records at Barsapara Cricket Stadium

• Total matches: 11
• Matches won batting first: 6
• Matches won bowling first: 5
• No Result: 0
• Average 1st Inns scores: 170
• Average 2nd Inns scores: 143
• Highest total recorded: 228/5 (20 ov) by MI vs GT, 2025
• Lowest total recorded: 95/10 (15.1 Ov) by KKR vs PBKS, 2025
• Highest score chased: 177/6 (19.2 Ov) by PBKS vs DC, 2024
• Lowest score defended: 111/10 (15.3 Ov) by PBKS vs KKR, 2025

Also READ: MI Coach Mahela Jayawardene explains why Suryakumar Yadav played as impact player in IPL 2026 clash against KKR

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US military is constructing a massive underground complex beneath a new, privately funded ballroom at the White House. The facility will include a Presidential Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC), a secure command centre that has existed since the second World War.Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed the project, saying, “The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, that’s under construction.” He added that the new ballroom will have advanced security features, including bulletproof glass and drone-resistant design, and will host international dignitaries as well as major events such as presidential inaugurations.Earlier reports suggested that the existing PEOC had been dismantled during renovations in the East Wing, and a new, modernised facility was being built. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday, “I cannot tell you more about that, actually, as a matter of fact. However, the military is making some upgrades to their facilities here at the White House, and I’m not privy to provide any more details on that at this time.”Trump also spoke about the design of the ballroom, saying it would feature high-end architectural details, including hand-carved Corinthian columns. “They’ll be Corinthian, which is considered the best, most beautiful by far,” he said. Reports indicate that the classified nature of the underground work allowed it to bypass approval by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).White House official Joshua Fisher told the NCPC that the project would enhance “mission-critical functionality,” improve security, and create “resilient, adaptive infrastructure” for future needs, CNN reported.The NCPC held a review meeting on March 5 to hear presentations on preliminary and final plans for the East Wing Modernisation Project, including input from members of the public. The commission said it would take action on April 2, noting that there would be no public testimony during deliberations.Architects and preservationists have also criticised the design, arguing that the 90,000-square-foot ballroom is too large and would overshadow the 55,000-square-foot White House. The Trump administration has also proposed a separate 33,000-square-foot screening facility for visitors beneath Sherman Park.The National Trust for Historic Preservation has moved court to stop the project, and the case is expected to be heard this week.

R Vaishali vs Divya Deshmukh (Photo by Yoav Nis)

NEW DELHI: The second round of the FIDE Candidates 2026 began with a touch of royalty on Monday. Five-time world champion and FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand stepped up to the board of Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Rameshbabu to make the ceremonial first move.It was a fitting start for a clash between two of India’s brightest talents, in a round that many expected to break the deadlock of the opening day.However, the theme of the day proved to be one of resilience rather than breakthrough. Across both the Open and Women’s categories at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Paphos, Cyprus, every single game ended in a draw.

While the Open section caught its breath after a volatile Day 1, the Women’s section remained a territory of peace treaties, with all eight games played so far in the tournament ending in a split point.Game of The Day: Divya Deshmukh vs R VaishaliThe highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly the all-Indian battle between Divya and Vaishali. Playing the White pieces, Divya built a significant advantage in a Queen’s Gambit Declined setup, reaching a position that appeared to be a forced win. “In the women’s section, all the games ended in a draw just like the first round,” veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com after the day’s play. “But the games were quite interesting; they were not plain or uneventful. For example, Divya versus Vaishali. Divya was pressing on the queenside, but on move 34, instead of playing the normal 34…b5, which would head toward an obvious draw, Vaishali decided to exchange knights with 34...Ne4.”

That decision by Vaishali was a double-edged sword that nearly backfired, but it also set the stage for the most dramatic sequence of the tournament so far.“That move could have been really dangerous because, after that, the position was a forced win for Divya,” Thipsay noted. “But Divya fell for a trap. Vaishali had set a very ingenious trap. On the 37th move, Divya could have played Qg4, exchanged queens, and maintained an extra pawn with a completely winning position. Instead, she chose Qg3 to try and trap Vaishali’s queen.”

It was a fatal miscalculation. Vaishali had calculated a spectacular resource that turned the tables instantly.“When Divya thought she was going to win the queen, Vaishali came up with a brilliant queen sacrifice: 40…Qxh3+. She must have seen this quite a few moves back. Divya had to give back her queen to a knight fork, leading to a drawn rook ending with no real chances,” Thipsay added.

“Vaishali’s 40th move must have been planned as far back as her 34th. It was a deep combination, and Divya must have missed the sacrifice when she played 37.Qg3.”A strategic phase in Open SectionIn the Open category, the fireworks of Sunday were replaced by a feeling-out phase. After his clinical victory over Anish Giri, R Praggnanandhaa switched to the Black pieces against China’s Wei Yi. Playing the French Defence. a staple of his recent repertoire, Pragg held a very slight edge, but Wei Yi’s simplified approach ensured the game never spiralled out of control. “Day two in the open section saw some sort of boring games,” Thipsay remarked. “I think players were just taking an overall review of the style and strength of the other participants. Wei Yi, for example, didn’t play the most challenging variation against Praggnanandhaa’s French Defence. Black got a very slight upper hand early, and even in the end, Pragg had an extra pawn, but it was of no use.”Elsewhere, Hikaru Nakamura found himself in a defensive grind against Andrey Esipenko. Despite being a pawn down, Nakamura leveraged his endgame knowledge to salvage a theoretical draw.“Hikaru Nakamura was struggling, but the game was a theoretical draw,” said Thipsay. “Esipenko has a good understanding of strategy, but he misses out on calculations and tactics. If Hikaru knows the procedure, it’s a quite easy draw.”

As the tournament moves into Round 3, the Open section leaderboard remains crowded at the top. Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana, and R Praggnanandhaa all sit on 1.5/2, having followed their opening wins with solid draws.“Three people are already leading with one and a half points,” Thipsay concluded. “I think players are looking at the first half as something to play steadily. The desperate play will likely come in the second half. Praggnanandhaa and Caruana seem to have a good edge. We will have a much better idea after the next five games of this first half.”FIDE Candidates Round 2 Results – March 30, 2026Open SectionAndrey Esipenko 0.5–0.5 Hikaru NakamuraAnish Giri 0.5–0.5 Fabiano CaruanaWei Yi 0.5–0.5 R PraggnanandhaaJavokhir Sindarov 0.5–0.5 Matthias BlübaumWomen’s SectionAnna Muzychuk 0.5–0.5 Tan ZhongyiKateryna Lagno 0.5–0.5 Zhu JinerBibisara Assaubayeva 0.5–0.5 Aleksandra GoryachkinaDivya Deshmukh 0.5–0.5 Vaishali RameshbabuRound 3 Pairings – March 31, 2026Open: Blübaum vs Esipenko; Praggnanandhaa vs Sindarov; Caruana vs Wei Yi; Nakamura vs Giri.Women: Vaishali vs Muzychuk; Goryachkina vs Divya; Zhu Jiner vs Assaubayeva; Tan Zhongyi vs Lagno.