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Bulgarians will ​vote on Sunday in the eighth parliamentary election in five years, with the clear frontrunner, pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev, promising to end a spiral of weak, short-lived governments and stamp out widespread corruption, Reuters reported. 

Radev, a eurosceptic former fighter pilot who opposes military support for Ukraine's war effort against Moscow, stepped down from the presidency in January to run in the election, which comes after mass protests forced out the previous government in December.

A ​slick social media campaign, deep coffers, and a pledge of stability have boosted Radev's support in the Balkan country of about ​6.5 million, where voters are weary of repeated snap polls and a small group of veteran politicians widely ⁠seen as corrupt.

National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye Numan Kurtulmus held a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).  NA Chair Dahal is in Istanbul to participate in the 152nd IPU Assembly.

On the occasion, they discussed the issues—relations, mutual welfare and parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, according to Dahal's Secretariat.

Stating that the relations between the two countries should be further strengthened and deepened, NA Chair Dahal mentioned that they were eager to exchange parliamentary experience, visits and form a parliamentary friendship group.

He underlined that Nepal and Turkiye have enjoyed diplomatic relations for six decades, urging the Turkish Speaker to establish a Turkish Embassy in Nepal to further deepen bilateral relations in the coming days.

The NA Chairperson also expressed gratitude for warm welcome and hospitality by the Turkish government and Parliament at the IPU Assembly. 

Similarly, the Speaker expressed his pleasure in welcoming Nepali parliamentary delegation along with NA Chairperson to Istanbul.  

Sharing that they were always ready to further strengthen bilateral relations between Turkiye and Nepal, Speaker Numan opined that the Turkish government is positive to establish Turkish Embassy in Nepal. 

He viewed that the Turkish government has arranged a limited quota of educational scholarship for Nepal, expressing commitment to increase such quota as well as to increase trade between the two countries.

Mentioning that COP-31 is scheduled in Turkiye in November, the Speaker also requested Nepal to provide necessary support for its leadership.

Currently, there is a partial influence of the westerly and local winds in the country. 

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the weather in Koshi Province, hilly and mountainous regions would remain generally cloudy today. 

Similarly, partly cloudy weather has been forecast at Tarai areas as well as there is a possibility of light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning as well as snowfall at few places of hilly and mountainous areas of Koshi, Bagmati and Lumbini Provinces.

Likewise, light rainfall along with thunderstorms and lightning as well as snowfall are likely at one or two places in hilly areas of Karnali Province and Sudurpaschim Province.

Generally cloudy weather is expected at mountainous regions, partly cloudy weather in hilly regions and mainly fair weather in Tarai areas of the country. 

There is a possibility of light rainfall and snowfall at one or two places in the mountainous region of Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces.

In an era where chess is increasingly defined by engine preparation and majority draws, Javokhir Sindarov, at 20 years old, has produced a dominance in the Candidates 2026 that feels unnatural. Firstly, theCandidates is a tournament that happens every two years where the top eight players are chosen for a double round robin tournament, where the winner gets the chance to challenge the current world champion for their title. And Javokhir, in his first ever candidates, won the tournament with ten out of fourteen points. 

This performance stands out because of modern chess trends. Advanced engines and opening prep have dominated the early phases of the game and have reduced creativity at the highest level. Because of the precise lines and openings, most chess games end in a draw. Statistically, almost 60 percent of the game's in the candidates are a draw. The opening prep of the players takes them to a neutral and simplified position, which, when played perfectly, ends in a draw every time.

Therefore, the only time when the game has a deciding result is if one of the players does not is caught lacking in some weird opening preparation or if the person blunders—which is quite rare inhigh level chess. So, winning six games in fourteen rounds in the hardest tournaments surrounded by players such as Hikaru, Anish, and Fabiano is unheard of.

To even begin to understand how great a performance Javokhir Sidarov had in the tournament, let's start with the record he broke. He broke the record for the highest points ever secured in the candidates, which was nine and a half out of fourteen by Ian Nepomniachtchi. There is an understanding about the candidates that you are almost guaranteed to win if you win five games in fourteen rounds and draw most of the others. In comparison, Sindarov had four wins in the first five rounds. Even Magnus Carlson was surprised,”Nobody expects you to go four and a half out of five. I will be curious to go home and check the games”. He destabilized the entire tournament structure.

His playstyle was confident, dynamic and decisive. He won the candidates statistically with one round to spare and finished the tournament with two points higher than the second place. This is one of the most dominating and impressive tournament performances in the world, which you could argue is on par with the Legendary run of Fabiano Caruana in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, where he secured seven consecutive wins and finished the tournament with eight and a half out of ten points. After Sindarov’s performance, Fabiano Caruana himself acknowledged the difficulty of Sindarov’s run, saying, “Could I have a dream run like Javokhir did here? I don’t know. Scoring plus six in the Candidates is extremely hard. I believe I’m capable of winning the tournament if I’m in good form, but whether something like that happens, I have no idea.”

With all of this, Sidharav wasn't even favoured to win. Hikaru and Fabiano were the clear pre-tournament favourites. This was a great upset. But his victory points to something larger—it reflects a generational shift  in elite chess. Even Nakamura himself admitted this trend, ”So, broadly speaking, it's clear that there is a shift in the generation. I am not having a great tournament, and Fabi is still having a decent result, but it is not what he wanted. I think the trend is going in a direction where chess is getting younger and younger: Javokhir, Gukesh, Vincent, Arjun, and others. Time is running out for the older players like Fabi and me.” This has set the precedent and expectations of the younger generation even higher.

The women’s Candidates, in stark contrast, unfolded as far more equal and uncertain. Anna Muzychuk had a slight lead during the sixth round, but by the eighth round, five players were tied for first with four and a half points. Unlike the open section, where the outcome was almost certain, the women’s section remained uncertain and provoking until the end.

Vaishali Rameshbabu briefly emerged ahead with six points in round ten, but just three rounds later, Bibisara Assaubayeva pulled herself back into the first place tie with seven and a half points. You could feel how quickly the momentum shifted in the women’s field. Even in the last round, there was still a chance of a five way tie. This was the level of competitiveness and closeness the tournament had. The last round was the deciding round. In the end, Vaishali managed to find a critical move, c4, under time pressure. Then she converted a chaotic position into a winning endgame, after which Kateryna Lagno resigned. Vaishali finished with 8.5/14 and is confirmed as a challenger to the world champion's title.

Now, all that's left is the anticipation for the world championship match happening in about six or seven months. This is going to be a great event for the Indian chess fans as both the open and the women's world championship has one indian representative: Gukesh as the defending world champion and Vaishali as the challenger to the women's world champion. The fight between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov, and the fight between Vaishali Rameshbabu and Ju Wenjun will be the beginning of the new era of elite chess.