The Shillong Times

Bengaluru, Aug 2: India will host Malaysia U-21 mens hockey team for a eight-match exposure series at the SAI Netaji Subhas Southern Centre here from August 7 to 13. The Malaysia U-21 mens hockey team will take on the Indian junior mens side in five matches and the SAI team in three matches. The series []

Zurich, Aug 2: At a time when Indian football is striving to strengthen its global standing through improved governance, youth development and aspirations of hosting more FIFA events, an unprecedented leadership crisis engulfing world footballs governing body could have far-reaching implications. FIFA president Gianni Infantino is battling for his political survival after a controversial investment []

New Delhi, Aug 2: Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has forced his way back into Indias 2027 ODI World Cup conversation following a sensational IPL 2026 campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Once considered out of the national reckoning after his last ODI appearance in January 2022, the 35-year-old is now being backed by several former []

Winners of the Pine City Competition 2026 pose for a photograph with the organisers, chief guest Lion Kamal Kumar Jhunjhunwala and chief arbiter Pajat following the prize distribution ceremony. A total of 108 participants competed across the Under-11, Under-16 and Open categories.

SHILLONG, July 18: The state BJP on Saturday said the prolonged non-payment of salaries to employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) represents a betrayal of public trust and has cast serious doubts on the effectiveness of the reforms promised for the autonomous body. The party urged the District Council Affairs (DCA) Department []

SHILLONG, July 18: Residents and traders of Laban are set to benefit from improved market infrastructure with the inauguration of a new four-storey municipal market complex at Iewdak. The facility includes a community hall and office space for the DorbarShnong, providing a modern venue for commercial and community activities. The RCC+4 municipal market complex, constructed []

Tehran, July 18: Iran launched renewed attacks on US Gulf allies on Saturday after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) concluded a new round of strikes on Iran overnight. Irans semi-official Mehr news agency said that explosions were reported in Bushehr province as well as Hormozgan provinces Sirik and Qeshm counties, and the official IRNA news []

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (Belgium), July 17: Red Bulls Max Verstappen lapped fastest in first practice for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix on Friday with Ferraris Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc his closest rivals. Both race winners this season, seven-time champion Hamilton and Leclerc were 0.145 and 0.207 slower respectively than Verstappens best effort of one minute []

JAPAN OPEN TOKYO, July 17: Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu reached the Japan Open semifinals after a withdrawal from her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara here on Friday. This marked Sindhus third semifinal of the season, after the Malaysian Super 1000 and Australia Super 500. Moreover, this is her first Super 750 semi-final since the 2023 []

LAHORE, July 17: Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been handed a three-month suspension for failing a dope test after consuming a substance of abuse unrelated to sporting performance during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, the ICC said on Friday. Nawazs sentence would be reduced to one month on completion of a substance []

PROVIDENCE (Guyana), July 17: West Indies collapsed from 67-1 to be all out for 140, handing New Zealand a six-wicket win in the third one-day cricket international Thursday and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The collapse mirrored that of the second match in which the West Indies fell from 63-0 to 138 all []

CHENNAI, July 17: French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja inflicted a shock defeat on reigning world champion D Gukesh to emerge as the sole leader after the second round of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 here on Friday. Firouzja, who had beaten Indian GM M Pranesh with the black pieces in the opening round, outlasted Gukesh in []

NEW DELHI, July 17: Elavenil Valarivan has been at the top of her game ever since she burst onto the international shooting scene as a prodigiously talented teenager. Still only 26, the rifle shooter has built a reputation not merely on brilliance but on unwavering consistency, making her one of Indias most dependable performers. Her []

NEW DELHI, July 17: There were no surprises on offer in the Indian womens hockey squad announced for next months World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands with the selectors naming the same 20-strong group that has been picked for the Asian Games in September-October. The 20-member squad, announced on Friday, will be led by []

Atlanta, July 17: England midfielder Jude Bellingham has urged fans to continue believing in the national team despite its heartbreaking exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting bigger achievements lie ahead if the country remains united. Englands hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 ended with a 2-1 defeat to defending []

France, England fight for World Cup bronze FRANCE VS ENGLAND | SUN, jULY 19 AT 2:30 AM Atlanta, July 17: France and England will lock horns in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff on Saturday, with both European heavyweights aiming to end their campaigns on a positive note after suffering heartbreaking defeats in the []

LONDON, July 17: Andy Burnham was on Friday confirmed as the newly elected leader of the UKs governing Labour Party, becoming the prime minister-designate to take charge at 10 Downing Street next week. The 56-year-old member of Parliament for Makerfield in northern England, on track to become Britains seventh prime minister in a decade, admitted []

MOSCOW, July 17: Boris Nadezhdin, who criticised Moscows military action in Ukraine and tried to challenge President Vladimir Putin in the 2024 election, was convicted Friday of displaying extremist symbols an action that will keep him out of this years parliamentary race. The charges against Nadezhdin, 63, were based on a 2023 online interview []

Superstar Aamir Khan has revealed that his character Phunsukh Wangdu from the 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots is not based on educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. Aamir was speaking at the ongoing London Indian Film Festival when an audience member asked him about Sonam Wanchuk being the inspiration behind 3 Idiots. Aamir replied: No, thats []

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that he held discussions with Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar for a movie on legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan. Sarma asserted that a grand-scale Hindi film on Borphukan will further encapsulate him and his heroics at the national and international level. The movie Dhurandhar was a big hit. []

SHILLONG, July 17: BJP MLA and party leader Alexander Laloo Hek has said government offices themselves are places of worship where employees serve the public, and therefore there is no need to construct temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras or any other religious structures within government premises. Reacting to the controversy over the temple inside the CBI []

SHILLONG, July 17: Meghalaya has been ranked 23rd among 36 states and Union Territories in the NITI Aayogs Investment Friendliness Index 2026, scoring 43 out of 100. The report, released on Friday, places the state fifth among the 12 hilly and northeastern states and in the emerging performers category. One of the primary reasons for []

Union urges Khasis to honour the legacy of U Tirot Sing Syiem by standing up for the rights and identity of the indigenous people SHILLONG, July 17: The Khasi Students Union (KSU) on Friday renewed its demand for a stringent law to regulate the influx of outsiders into Meghalaya and urged members of the Khasi []

SHILLONG, July 17: A day after the Hill Farmers Union (HFU) staged a cabbage protest in the city, offering around six tonnes of the vegetable for free, the Meghalaya government has scheduled a meeting with farmers and key stakeholders on July 24 to examine the causes behind the collapse in wholesale vegetable prices and consider []

SHILLONG, July 17: The use of Meghalaya Project as the code name for an alleged multi-crore political conspiracy in Tamil Nadu has directly tarnished the name and reputation of Meghalaya and its people, dragging the peaceful hill state into an ugly bribery scandal thousands of kilometres away. Police say the Meghalaya Project was a carefully []

State pays tribute to freedom fighter on 191st death anniversary SHILLONG, July 17: Urging the people of Meghalaya to emulate the courage, sacrifice and ideals of U Tirot Sing, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday led tributes to the legendary Khasi freedom fighter on his 191st death anniversary, as commemorative events were held across []

SHILLONG, July 17: In a major effort to honour Meghalayas indigenous history, the Hynniewtrep Youths Council (HYC) on Friday unveiled two 15-foot statues of Khasi patriots Bormanik Syiem and Sngap Sing Syiem at Laitarted, Nongthliew, Eastern West Khasi Hills. The ceremony coincided with the 191st death anniversary of the iconic freedom fighter U Tirot Sing []

SHILLONG, July 17: A Working Group on Heritage Tourism will be constituted and two pilot Heritage Tourism Labs will be established to develop a community-driven framework for Meghalaya, following a workshop held by Asian Confluence and the Association for Conservation & Tourism (ACT) on Friday. The workshop, titled Initiating a Heritage Tourism Policy for Meghalaya, []

SHILLONG, July 17: The Khasi Students Union (KSU), Shillong Mihngi circle, on Friday ordered the closure of a mosque at 4th Furlong, alleging the structure was built without the necessary statutory approvals and documentation. The action was led by KSU Central Executive Council organising secretary Cleenstar Shabong. According to the union, its inquiry revealed that []