Rediff

India's Arjun Reddy Aluguvelli caused an upset by defeating eighth seed Adithya Kiran from the UAE at the Indian Junior International Grand Prix badminton tournament. Other Indian players, Jagsher Singh Khangurra and Vaibhav Singh, also secured hard-fought victories.

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel provided an update on Rishabh Pant's shoulder injury, stating the wicketkeeper-batter is adly bruised but expressed hope for his return on day four of the second Test against Sri Lanka. Pant did not keep wickets on day three after sustaining a blow while batting. Morkel also commented on Kuldeep Yadav's absence due to viral fever and India's strategy to secure the remaining Sri Lankan wickets.

Professor Philip Maini, an Indian-origin academic at the University of Oxford, is pioneering the application of mathematical biology to understand and develop new cancer therapies. His work focuses on creating models that predict treatment outcomes and developing adaptive therapy strategies to combat drug resistance in tumours, offering a novel approach to improving patient care.

India retained a firm grip on the second and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, despite Sonal Dinusha's unbeaten 85, with the hosts still facing the prospect of a follow-on after rain and bad light ended play early on day three.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has affirmed that Indian electronic voting machines (EVMs) are manufactured by public sector companies and operate without internet, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi connectivity, ensuring their security and reliability.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded UPI on its 10th anniversary, highlighting its role in India's digital transformation. Launched by NPCI in 2016, UPI has become the world's largest real-time payment system, witnessing a massive surge in transaction volume and value, demonstrating its success in empowering people with swift, seamless, and secure digital transactions.

SAI has defended the exclusion of five Indian tennis players from the Asian Games squad, saying they failed to meet the prescribed continental ranking criteria.

Mumbai-based TCR Engineering Services has become the first independent company in India to receive Nadcap accreditation for materials testing at its Navi Mumbai and Vadodara laboratories, a crucial step for Indian suppliers to enter the global aerospace supply chain.

The United States has sanctioned four India-based companies, including a customs broker and three other firms, for their involvement in importing petroleum and petrochemical products from Iran. This action is part of Operation Economic Outcast, a broader US campaign to sever Iran's financial lifelines and prevent funding for its destabilising activities.

India's electric two-wheeler market has seen record penetration, exceeding 11.2 per cent, driven by crude oil price fluctuations. This surge has led to an unexpected crisis for Indian OEMs, with unfulfilled customer demand reaching 20-30 per cent and average waiting periods exceeding four weeks, a situation expected to intensify during the upcoming festival season.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu highlighted that the success of UPI, which handles nearly half of the world's real-time digital transactions, stems from a collaborative ecosystem including financial inclusion, digital identity, and affordable internet. He attributed this digital payments revolution to the vision of PM Narendra Modi.

India women's hockey players urge the Sports Ministry and corporates to save the Women's HIL, saying the league is vital for developing future talent.

The Indian men's hockey team's failure to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup has highlighted significant issues, including a lack of intent in player transition and questionable selection decisions, according to former players and experts.

Former India captain Viren Rasquinha warns that an Asian Games gold could paper over deeper problems in Indian men's hockey after their disappointing World Cup campaign.

Former head coach Rahul Dravid believes India have 'fallen behind' in the World Test Championship final qualification race, highlighting the upcoming New Zealand series as a significant challenge for the young team.

Sumit Sarkar was never intellectually dismissive of the Hindutva project. He took it with deadly seriousness for he grasped the challenge it posed to the aspirations and ideals of the anti-imperialist movement that generated multiple imaginings of freedom and ways to attain it, recalls Pradeep Kumar Dutta.

Who is running the show in Dhaka? This kind of flip-flop, culminating in a last-minute decision to skip a maiden visit, can happen only when the remote is in the hands of one of the competing lobbies within the BNP -- one that appears determined to play a game of chess with India.

Russia on Monday assured India of uninterrupted supply of energy and fertilisers amid disruption caused by the West Asia crisis, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and held talks with his key interlocutors.

Ibrahim Zadran has been appointed captain of Afghanistan's T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against India, which will be played in New Delhi. The squad sees the return of fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, featuring a blend of experienced players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, alongside uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Noor Rahman.

The BJP has announced its new national team under party president Nitin Nabin, featuring 13 vice presidents, a new national treasurer, and several new general secretaries and secretaries, while retaining some key figures.

It is very unfortunate that China has decided to proceed with the controversial mega hydropower plants(despite the apparent opposition of many scientists in China). Why is Delhi silent about the development? asks Claude Arpi.

As India's decline continued on global indices, the government first blamed methodology and then motives. This is where we remain today as we wish each other and ourselves a happy Independence Day, points out Aakar Patel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day, declared that India is undergoing a rapid transformation across various sectors and is firmly on track to become a developed nation by 2047.

Aamir Khan's comments that his 3 Idiots character Phunsukh Wangdu was not based on Sonam Wangchuk has triggered reactions from politicians, activists and social media users, with some accusing the actor of distancing himself from the educationist, who is currently on a hunger strike.

Several Opposition leaders, including the Congress' Pawan Khera, showed solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar which has entered twentieth, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged NEET examination irregularities.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has clarified that his character Phunsukh Wangdu in the film 3 Idiots was not based on activist Sonam Wangchuk, addressing a widespread misconception. Khan expressed concern over Wangchuk's ongoing hunger strike in Delhi, urging him to end it for his health.

Congress leader Pawan Khera met activist Sonam Wangchuk and members of the Cockroach Janata Party protesting at Jantar Mantar against alleged NEET paper leaks. The protest demands the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, with Wangchuk on an indefinite fast. Other opposition leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Dimple Yadav, have also shown solidarity.

'Earlier, people used to hand money directly to priests after a ritual, and priests would keep it in their own pockets. We completely stopped that practice.'

'Energy prices would shoot up with the closure of Hormuz again.'

India too can rise to the top if the 1.4 billion Indians back home are given better opportunities to use their innate talent and capacity to work hard, with right incentives in a more meritocratic rules-based system, asserts Ajay Chhibber.

Fifteen Indian tourists died and one remains critically injured after a speedboat carrying 32 Indian tourists and four local crew members capsized off Vietnam's Phu Quoc Island. The bodies of the deceased have been moved to Ho Chi Minh City for repatriation, while most rescued tourists are returning to India. Vietnamese authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

India has condemned an attack on a Cyprus-flagged commercial vessel off the coast of Oman, which resulted in one Indian crew member going missing. The incident occurred amidst escalating hostilities between Iran and the US in West Asia, prompting India to call for immediate de-escalation and an end to targeting commercial shipping in the region.