India, who made it to two successive Asian Cups for the first time in 2023, are aiming to extend the streak. Hong Kong also qualified for the previous tournament, but with only one available berth, either side is bound to miss out.
After a perilous 500-km road journey out of conflict-torn Tehran, stranded Indian tourist Falguni Dey reached Iran's Astara border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday evening, but his ordeal is far from over.
Arathi Menon, a native of Kochi, recounts the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed her father, N Ramachandran, and 25 others. Menon, her father, and her six-year-old twin sons were walking through a fenced grassland in Baisaran when the attack happened. The family crawled under the fence to escape, but a man emerged from the woods and opened fire. Menon's father collapsed, and she fled with her sons into the forest. Despite the trauma, Menon found compassion from strangers who helped her, including her driver Musafir and another man, Sameer. Menon concealed the tragedy from her mother, pretending that Ramachandran was injured and receiving treatment. She only told her mother the truth after they landed in Kochi. The mortal remains of Ramachandran were brought to Kochi airport on Wednesday, and his final rites will be held at the Edappally public crematorium on Friday.
Be practical and value what you have, says Rediff's Love Guru.
'It is easier to make friends with strangers as they are non-judgmental.'
World number one Jannik Sinner delivered a flawless performance to pulverise Czech Jiri Lehecka in straight sets in little more than 90 minutes on Saturday.
'In a world which is full of categories, hatred and ideologies, there was this basic decency.'
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming and Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid have praised the composure of young batsmen Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the IPL.
Arjun Menon looks at 2024's top Web series from South India.
'It was inspired by the Hamas attack and was like their attack -- well planned and well executed.'
'While I would never wish for anyone to go through what we are, it has brought out the best in us by making each one of us a better version of ourselves.' 'Being courageous, fighting for freedom, taking the burden of responsibility to help each other...' 'I know hundreds and hundreds of examples where Ukrainians are risking their lives for complete strangers and it is only in moments like this that we truly understand what it means to be human.'
Teja Nidamanuru believes in their potential to upset India in their final game of the ongoing World Cup.
Sukanya Verma lists 15 scenes that reveal facets of Salman outside the formula.
'Justice may or may not happen, but who are those people who did this to her?' 'If the hospital authorities had helped us that day, or the police, then the real culprits would have been caught.' 'Getting justice for my daughter is my goal now and I want the CM to remember that.'
Original's goodwill, natural bonhomie amongst the actors and wild card entries, Stree 2's spirited return sure has its high points, notes Sukanya Verma.
Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam, with its retro-inspired title song and background score just tries too hard, both with the comedy and the message, feels Deepa Gahlot.
From CEOs to RBI governors, cricket's rich imagery and strategy resonate deeply with leadership, uncertainty, and decision-making across industries and global diplomacy, points out Suveen Sinha.
At 160 minutes, Wicked is too long, and knowing the undercurrents running through the plot, the candyfloss cheeriness gets too much after a point. Still, it is a worthwhile page-to-stage-to screen journey, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Indian English is the only language that uses the expression 'non-veg' for meat, fish, and those who consume them. A fascinating extract from Shashi Tharoor's A Wonderland of Words: Around the Word in 101 Essays.
Is it their appearance, looks or weight? It's time to be honest.
Find out more about interesting films and Web series coming up on OTT this month.
The idea of releasing a new season in two parts is probably what is not working for Part 2 of Emily In Paris 4, observes Divya Nair.
The favourites to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked as Manchester United manager on Monday.
She knows her clothes and what they can do for her.
Mothers' advice from 50 years ago reappears, notes Ajit Balakrishnan.
It's FaFa time and more on OTT this week! Sukanya Verma lists her recommendations.
'That's the best bit of coaching I had.'
'I love to meet people.' 'I love that personal connect when they express their genuine, heartfelt feelings.'
Chanu, who has a personal best of 88kg in snatch and 119kg in clean and jerk, is no stranger to injuries and has struggled with a persistent back problem.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India admitted on Friday that Irfan Pathan was approached by a "stranger" a few years back and said the discarded pacer did the right thing by informing the team manager.
'The vitriol against Deepika Padukone, who is a hugely popular star, will fade over time. But let's not forget what caused it,' says Shuma Raha.
It is not your job to help her move on from a relationship that she chose to break. You don't owe your ex-partner your unconditional support, counsels rediffGURU Ravi Mittal.
'I don't feel like going back to India, to the old Delhi that I grew up in. Because the place doesn't exist anymore.'
'Kamala likes south Indian food.' 'She likes a special rasam which her husband also likes, she likes coconut rice, she likes puri aloo...'
Neha Saigal recalls her uncharacteristic behaviour on her first transatlantic flight.
They realised that the Portuguese were better prepared to defend Daman than Dadra and Nagar Haveli. If reinforcements from Daman were to reach Silvassa, there was no chance of defeating the Portuguese. They decided that cutting Daman's communication lines would have to be their top priority before attacking Silvassa. A fascinating excerpt from Neelesh Kulkarni's new book, Uprising-The Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The man who owns the World record of fastest List A hundred (off 29 balls in the Marsh Cup) has now done enough that Delhi Capitals have been forced to drop David Warner on the pretext of a hand injury.
Shaitaan's wickedness may be its calling card but relies on age-old formulas to do the trick, observes Sukanya Verma.
Raja Sen list his favourite moments at the Golden Globes.
We are spoilt for choice with the buffet of options available to us, notes Aarti David.
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