Former AC Milan and Italy defender Franco Baresi, one of the most recognisable players of the golden era of Italian football in the 1980s and 1990s, has died at the age of 66, his former club said on Friday.
India, top-seeded in the men's section, is a strong favourite to win the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. The tournament, featuring 23 men's and 18 women's teams, will see India's men's team led by G. Sathiyan and the women's team by Sreeja Akula, facing tough competition from Australia, England, and Singapore.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, saw early gains, primarily driven by IT stocks, amidst expectations of a less aggressive monetary policy from the US Federal Reserve following softer inflation data. Global market trends and upcoming Q1 results are also influencing investor sentiment. Track Sensex, Nifty on july 16.
India's judokas scripted history at the Commonwealth Games on Friday as Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh clinched the country's first-ever gold medals in the sport, while Yamini Mourya added a silver to cap the nation's best-ever judo campaign.
An Argentine war veterans federation has urged football fans to prioritise the World Cup semi-final against England as a sporting event, rather than using it to reignite sovereignty claims over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. They emphasised diplomacy for territorial disputes and called for respect for fallen soldiers without promoting hatred.
The Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Competition in Ranchi will serve as the selection trial for the Asian U23 Athletics Championships. Athletes aged 20-22 are eligible, and the event also serves as a qualifier for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Top-seeded India enters the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships as strong favourites for the men's team title, featuring seasoned players like G. Sathiyan. While facing tough competition from Australia and England in the men's event, and Singapore in the women's, India's women's team will compete without star player Manika Batra. The tournament, hosted in New Delhi, includes 23 men's and 18 women's teams, offering a record prize money of USD 110,000.
Former Indian boxing coach Mohammed Ali Qamar believes the country's women's boxing squad for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games is one of its best ever, with each of the seven members capable of securing a medal, though he cautioned that draws would be crucial.
For hundreds of Indian scholars who journeyed to Canada aiming for a foreign degree and a path toward long-term career opportunities, what should have been a triumphant graduation has instead spiralled into deep uncertainty.
Andrea Pirlo, a 2006 World Cup winner and former Juventus manager, has reportedly been appointed as the new head coach of the Italian national football team on a four-year deal.
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has stepped down after nine years in charge, the Croatian Football Federation said on Wednesday, less than a week after his side's exit from the 2026 World Cup following a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the Round of 32.
Indian judoka Arun Kumar has been withdrawn from the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games after failing an out-of-competition dope test. He tested positive for an anabolic steroid and has been provisionally suspended by NADA, reducing India's judo contingent.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has officially confirmed the departure of national team coach Roberto Martinez and his coaching staff following the expiry of his contract. Martinez had previously announced his intention to leave after Portugal's World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Spain.
Since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, have lost their lives, and 75 have been injured. Separately, 30 Indian nationals were among 52 individuals arrested and deported by US Border Patrol during 'Operation Checkmate' for allegedly being in the United States illegally.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign, accusing the global governing body of 'destroying the football industry' through the expansion of international competitions at the expense of domestic leagues and clubs. Tebas also criticised the handling of a US player's ban and the proposed expansion of the men's World Cup.
A factional feud has erupted within the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA), leading to the formation of a three-member ad hoc committee by a majority of its members. This committee aims to manage daily affairs and hold elections on August 30, bypassing current president Anuj Gupta, who has labelled the move "illegal" and plans legal action.
Indian tennis legend Leander Paes has been appointed Player Ambassador of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF). In this role, Paes will work to promote tennis across Asia, mentor young players, support grassroots development, and represent the federation at international events, aiming to inspire the next generation of athletes.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has agreed to rework its selection criteria after talks with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) following the suspension of an assessment camp due to alleged irregularities. The decision comes after concerns were raised about transparency and fair play in the selection process for the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
The Russian Athletics Federation has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the World Athletics Council's decision to extend the suspension of Russian athletes from international competitions, citing discrimination.
Vande Mataram, the national song that has stirred passions and political controversies for more than a century, received legal protection on Thursday with Parliament passing a bill making any insult to it a punishable offence, rekindling the long-running debate over its place in India's history and identity.
It is plain to see that the US senate bill's real objective is to derail India's time-tested strategic partnership with Russia, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Analysts predict that the US-Iran geopolitical conflict, upcoming quarterly earnings announcements, and fluctuations in crude oil prices will be the primary drivers of investor sentiment in the Indian equity markets.
US Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has picked former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, Harvard University economics Professor Raj Chetty and Microsoft XBOX CEO Asha Sharma to be part of task forces constituted to examine the central bank's approach to monetary policy and propose transformational changes.
Defending champions U Mumba TT, led by captain Manush Shah and Anna Hursey, secured an emphatic 8-3 victory over HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades in the second semi-final of Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, setting up a final clash with Dempo Goa Challengers.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is preparing to announce the hosts for its three World Cup events in 2027, which will include the first-ever Doubles World Cup. This new event is being introduced to align with the return of doubles to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, aiming to boost player participation and interest in the category.
The Sports Authority of India's Training Centre in Dimapur, Nagaland, will be upgraded to a National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) following an MoU with the state government. This multi-phase development will transform the 64-acre Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex, providing enhanced facilities for athletes in various disciplines.
Indian benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, closed higher, primarily driven by bank stocks and encouraging US inflation data, which fuelled expectations of a less aggressive Federal Reserve monetary policy. However, escalating US-Iran hostilities tempered investor sentiment, leading to some profit-taking.
Spain's final training session before Sunday's World Cup final against Argentina has been cancelled due to thunderstorms, organisers FIFA said on Saturday.
Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey has requested the Sports Ministry to form an independent committee to investigate sexual harassment allegations made by Asunta Lakra, citing impartiality concerns if an internal probe is conducted due to the involvement of a federation office-bearer.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced that athletes who fail to participate in the National Senior Athletics Federation Cup without a valid reason may be barred from future events.
ICICI Bank has successfully raised $1 billion through a five-year senior unsecured US dollar bond, marking its first public dollar bond issuance since 2017 and the largest single-tranche US dollar bond issuance by an Indian issuer so far this year.
'Our biggest opportunity lies with the younger age-group teams.' 'If you look at the senior national team, our chances are about 50-50.' 'The gap becomes smaller as you move down the age groups.' 'At the Under-20 level, it's closer to 60-40.' 'By the Under-17 level, it's around 80-20. That's where I feel we have our best chance.'
India's passenger vehicle industry is poised for a record-breaking year in 2026, propelled by robust dispatches in the first half of the calendar year and strong demand for utility vehicles, despite facing several economic challenges.
Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra stated he is not 'obsessed' with consistently breaching the 90-metre mark in javelin, emphasising that winning major titles and maintaining consistency in challenging conditions are more important than chasing a specific distance.
'The market is currently neither cheap enough to be exciting about nor expensive enough to worry about.'
A Station House Officer (SHO) in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, has been shifted to Police Lines following a fact-finding inquiry initiated by Punjab Police. This action comes after news reports linked the officer to an extortion-related investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under "Operation Hard Ball," targeting India-based organised crime syndicates. The US indictment alleges the officer's involvement in a $400,000 extortion scheme using false murder charges, drawing significant political criticism.
The judgment is India's first to examine AI companies' use of copyrighted works for foundation models, setting an analytical framework for Section 52 of the Copyright Act.
India's first Olympic boxing medallist, Vijender Singh, expresses deep concern over the future of male pugilists, citing a lack of competitions and a selection system he claims promotes 'sycophancy'. He argues that women boxers are currently outperforming men and are brighter medal prospects for the 2028 Olympics. Singh is highly critical of the new grading system, advocating for a return to the traditional trials-based selection process.
India continues to lead the Athletics Integrity Unit's (AIU) global list of dope offenders with 162 names, highlighting a significant problem in the country's sports. The nation has been re-categorised to 'Category A' by the AIU, indicating an "extremely high" doping risk and requiring more stringent anti-doping measures.
Student organisations across India celebrated the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, attributing it to their nationwide protests against alleged NEET irregularities. While welcoming the move as a victory, groups like NSUI, AISA, and SFI affirmed their commitment to continue agitations until broader demands for accountability, transparency, and education reforms, including scrapping the NTA and NEP, are met.
