India achieved a remarkable six-gold haul on the penultimate day of the Asian Games, surging to fifth place with 76 medals. Key victories included the women's hockey team securing gold and Olympic qualification, historic boxing golds from Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda, and Ankush Panghal, a wrestling gold by Sujeet Kalkal, and maiden recurve archery gold. This strong finish significantly bolstered India's overall campaign.
Indian boxer Sachin Siwach has advanced to the men's 60kg quarterfinals at the Asian Games with a 4-1 victory over Mohammad Adnan Abu Jajeh. Meanwhile, last edition's bronze medallist Preeti Pawar was eliminated after a 0-5 loss to North Korea's Pang Chol M in the women's 54kg round of 16. Siwach is now one win away from securing a medal.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge extended congratulations to Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain for her gold medal win in the Women's 75kg Boxing event at the Asian Games. Borgohain's victory, achieved on her 29th birthday, marked an end to India's 12-year wait for a women's boxing gold at the continental event. Kharge also lauded the Indian women's recurve archery team for their gold medal triumph.
The Indian men's team continued its fine performance, defeating Spain 3-1, with World champion D Gukesh showing the way with a very clean victory over former world championship challenger Alexei Shirov.
Brighton and Hove Albion delivered a stunning 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, ending the Premier League champions' perfect start to the season with goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas, and Chema Andres.
India has opened its Asian Games medal tally with two silvers in shooting, driven by Elavenil Valarivan's performance, and secured an unexpected podium finish in Mixed Martial Arts. The women's cricket team also advanced to the finals, aiming for a second consecutive gold.
Archery emerged as one of India's biggest success stories at the 2026 Asian Games, bringing in as many as five gold medals led by 17-year-old sensation Kumkum Mohod leading the way.
The NCP (SP) has demanded a complete rollback of the 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, effective October 15. The party termed the move a "direct assault" on small traders and shopkeepers, accusing the Modi government of "double standards" by burdening small merchants while large industrialists benefit from loan write-offs.
Indian teqball player Quimcy D'Souza narrowly missed out on two bronze medals in women's singles and mixed doubles at a recent tournament in Nagoya. Despite suffering a back spasm and gluteus muscle strain, D'Souza displayed immense grit, pushing her opponents to the limit in back-to-back matches. Her performance, though unrewarded with a medal, highlights India's growing presence in the nascent sport of teqball.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led a large protest in Mumbai, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke announced a further protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Kumar does not step down, citing alleged voter deletions and irregularities in recent elections. The protest, which saw participation from various activists and public figures, also called for freezing voter lists and abolishing the 2023 law on Election Commissioner appointments.
The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has begun deliberations on significant reforms, including decriminalising nine offences, softening provisions for 24, and raising the threshold for criminal prosecution to Rs 5 crore. The proposed changes also include scrapping the arrest powers of GST officers and introducing an 'invoice matching system' to combat fake input tax credit claims, aiming for a trust-based taxation approach and enhanced ease of doing business.
Indian cyclists experienced early eliminations in the men's omnium, women's sprint, and women's madison events at the Asian Games. Harshveer Singh Sekhon finished 10th in the men's omnium points race, while Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka and Celestina failed to advance past the 1/16-final repechages in the women's sprint. The women's Madison team also did not finish their event.
India's shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games commenced with a strong performance, securing two silver medals in the women's 10m air rifle event. Elavenil Valarivan was instrumental, winning an individual silver and contributing to the team silver alongside Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod. While Valarivan narrowly missed individual gold, her performance, along with the team's, provided an encouraging start for India.
Indian teqball player Quimcy Dsouza lost a hard-fought bronze medal match to Japan's Yuina Sakamoto at the Asian Games in Nagoya. Dsouza showed a strong comeback, taking both sets to a narrow 11-12 finish, but ultimately fell short.
'It really sucks': Filipino fans were left frustrated by rain as Alex Eala's Asian Games opener was moved indoors in Nagoya.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka has reiterated the outfit's demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, alleging the exclusion of 13 crore names from electoral rolls and questioning the BJP's defence of Kumar. The CJP plans a nationwide protest starting October 2, vowing not to back down until Kumar resigns, and has launched the 'Election Commission Thik Karo' campaign. Ranka also accused the CEC of fraudulently redrawing constituencies in Assam to benefit the ruling party.
Brazil's star centre-back Marquinhos discusses the significance of their FIFA international friendly against India in Kolkata. He views the match as a "golden opportunity" for the Selecao to gain experience and kickstart a new cycle after their disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign. Marquinhos acknowledges India's strong fan base for Brazil and emphasises the team's commitment to every game, regardless of its "friendly" status, as they focus on rebuilding confidence and winning.
75% of India's 60 million digital-payment merchants have never recorded a transaction above 2,000.
Indian squash prodigy Anahat Singh, 18, achieved a career-defining victory by defeating world number 6 Satomi Watanabe of Japan in a thrilling five-game semi-final at the Asian Games.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded on Wednesday, driven by value buying in banking stocks and select heavyweight counters, with the Sensex climbing 332.63 points and the Nifty ending above 23,200.
Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured two silver medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning an individual silver in the women's 10m air rifle event and contributing to a team silver. Her individual performance saw her finish closely behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who set a new Asian Games record.
Pakistan boycotted its Chess Olympiad opening round match against Israel in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to express solidarity with Palestine, resulting in a 4-0 walkover for Israel.
India's Asian Games soft tennis campaign came to an end on Friday after the men's team suffered a 0-2 defeat to Indonesia in the quarterfinals.
Suchika Tariyal secured India's first-ever medal in mixed martial arts at the Asian Games, winning a bronze in the women's traditional 60kg event despite a semifinal loss. This historic achievement adds to India's medal tally at the continental showpiece.
Suchika Tariyal has secured India's first-ever medal in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by reaching the semifinals of the women's 60kg event. The veteran multi-discipline combat athlete defeated Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 and will compete in the semifinals on Monday, guaranteeing at least a bronze medal as MMA makes its Asian Games debut.
The Supreme Court has refused to grant an interim stay on the imposition of Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant transactions exceeding Rs 2,000, which is set to take effect from October 15. The court has agreed to examine the challenge to this new fee and has issued notices to the Centre, RBI, and NPCI, seeking their responses within four weeks. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) argues that the levy lacks statutory safeguards, transparency, and public consultation, and could adversely affect merchants and consumers.
The Indian women's hockey team defeated defending champions China 1-0 in the Asian Games final, securing a gold medal and an automatic qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Coach Sjoerd Marijne credited the team's disciplined defence, tireless running, and collective effort for the historic victory.
India's Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra has warned that the upcoming rabi (winter) crop season is likely to be challenging for rainfed areas due to the strengthening El Nio weather pattern, potentially affecting foodgrain production. This comes as Maharashtra declares drought in nearly 74 per cent of its talukas, highlighting the immediate impact of climate change.
Defending champions India secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asian Games hockey semifinal, thanks to a last-minute goal by Abhishek. India initially led 3-0 but allowed Pakistan to stage a comeback, scoring three goals to level the score before Abhishek's decisive strike with just 45 seconds remaining. The win sends India to the final, though their second-half performance raised questions.
Delhi State 6-Red champion Abhishek Ahuja has secured his spot in the semifinals of the 49th Delhi State 15-Red Snooker Championship. He achieved this with decisive victories over Asif Malik and Anuj Uppal. Other quarterfinal winners include Shoaib Khan and Sandeep Gulati, with the championship organised by the Delhi Billiards and Snooker Association (DBSA).
Former civil servants and rights activists have issued a "people's impeachment" notice demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. They allege six charges against him, including undermining the Election Commission's functioning, mass disenfranchisement through Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and compromising political impartiality. The group, including G K Pillai and Najeeb Jung, was prevented from submitting the notice at the EC office.
Australia secured a 45-run victory over South Africa via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in Potchefstroom, preventing a whitewash in the three-match one-day international series, with Xavier Bartlett and Adam Zampa leading the bowling attack.
The GST Council is set to discuss the application of GST on merchant fees for UPI transactions exceeding Rs 2,000. This comes as a new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% (capped at Rs 300) is effective from October 15 for such transactions, which, as a service, would typically attract an 18% GST levy. The Council's decision is anticipated to consider consumer interests, with merchants potentially able to claim Input Tax Credit.
The Indian women's table tennis team secured a hard-fought victory over Thailand to advance to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games. However, the men's team faced an early exit after a 0-3 defeat against South Korea in the round of 16.
Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured two silver medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning an individual silver in the women's 10m air rifle event and contributing to a team silver. Her performance marks an encouraging start for India's shooting campaign, which aims to build on the success of the previous Hangzhou Asian Games.
India continued its strong performance at the Asian Games, securing gold medals in both men's and women's Kabaddi, a historic silver in marathon by Sawan Barwal, and advancing to squash finals. The day also saw mixed results in shooting, athletics, and badminton, contributing to India's growing medal tally.
Despite significant efforts including slashed ticket prices and complimentary passes, Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium saw a disappointingly low turnout for India's friendly matches against Brazil and Uruguay, raising concerns about fan engagement in Indian football, even with legendary players like Diego Forlan present.
Legendary Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, now coaching Uruguay, believes India can significantly improve its football standing despite cricket's dominance. He emphasizes the importance of grassroots development, strong domestic leagues, and consistent exposure to high-level international competition to nurture young talent and elevate the sport in the country. Forlan also shared his positive experiences with Indian football passion during his ISL stint.
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi made his international debut for India in the second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati, becoming the third player from J&K to play for India in ODIs.
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has commenced its three-day meeting, with a majority of economists and bankers anticipating a 25 basis point rate hike to counter escalating inflation risks, particularly from West Asia conflicts.
