Former India football coach Stephen Constantine has expressed deep disappointment over the national team's current decline, criticising the All India Football Federation for its decisions, including the appointment of Khalid Jamil as coach despite his lack of international experience. Constantine, who led India to a historic FIFA ranking of 96, believes he should still be managing the team and calls for wider structural reforms in Indian football.
Poland's Secretary of State, Wladyslaw T Bartoszewski, has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine in late 2022, highlighting Modi's significant influence on the Russian leader.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Pyongyang for his first official visit in seven years, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to reaffirm their long-standing friendship and pledge further development of bilateral relations amidst Pyongyang's deepening military ties with Moscow and China's assertions against Japan's 'new militarism'.
'After the Galwan clash, the rules of engagement changed with the army commanders allowed to use any means at their disposal as they deem fit for tactical operations.'
Much will depend on how the protagonists use the current interlude to work proactively for the beginning of a durable settlement or, on the contrary, prepare for a new round of escalation, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Star Indian high jumper Sarvesh Kushare has set a new national record by clearing 2.31m at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar, becoming the first Indian to breach the 2.30m mark.
India's race walk coach Ronald Weigel has urged national selectors to consider the extremely humid conditions during the National Inter-State Championships when picking the team for the upcoming Asian Games. He highlighted how tough weather significantly slows down endurance athletes and suggested holding future selection events in more favourable conditions like Bengaluru.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu has hailed India's upcoming hosting of the BWF World Championships as a "landmark moment" for the sport in the country.
'The main problem the country faces is not low GDP growth, but low employment growth.'
If Iran and Oman choose to charge a fee for rendering services to vessels using their territorial waters, so be it. The US is indulging in an irrationally self-destructive act, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India has lost its $5 trillion market capitalisation (mcap) tag following Monday's sharp selloff in equities and a simultaneous slide in the rupee.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said the United States would prefer to end its extension of waivers on Russian oil "as soon as possible", while noting that such decisions ultimately rest with the US Treasury Department.
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to clear the Strait of Hormuz to secure the vital oil corridor, citing risks to global energy supplies and criticising other nations' inaction.
'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.'
A US-sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian crude oil has rerouted mid-voyage from its previously indicated destination of India to China, raising questions about payment issues and the future of India's Iranian oil imports.
'They talked bad about our leaders. They said India was a dead economy. They were not sensitive to the Indian psyche.'
It may now be time to question the price India is paying for Israel's disregard of the serious undermining of India's energy security, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries' Executive Chairman Dilip Shanghvi described the USD 11.75 billion acquisition of US-based Organon & Co as both a "happy" and "bit anxious" moment, acknowledging the significant debt required to fund the large transaction.
Not a single retail outlet ran dry. Every household that wanted a cylinder got one. India faced neither a 1991 moment nor a 2013 one. Macroeconomic stability held. This was not an accident, and it was not luck alone. It was the work of a government that chose to act as it had during the pandemic -- deliberately and gradually, building one measure upon another rather than reaching for a single dramatic lever, explains V Anantha Nageswaran, chief economic advisor to the Government of India.
The US-China rapprochement, however tenuous, is not without implications for India. Both China and Pakistan have become closer to the US, notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
The Nepalese foreign minister was speaking to the media a day after holding wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar that focused on ways to further expand ties in diverse sectors, including trade, critical technology, connectivity and energy.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Iran conflict and its impact on global energy supplies during a phone call.
China's latest defence budget surges to $275 billion, fueling its ambitious military modernisation program and intensifying geopolitical dynamics in the region.
The demerger of Vedanta's four new entities - Vedanta Aluminium Metal, Vedanta Oil & Gas, Vedanta Power, and Vedanta Iron & Steel - has led to a 16% appreciation in aggregated market capitalisation, with Vedanta Aluminium Metal identified as a likely near-term top performer due to its scale, low production costs, and favourable commodities cycle.
To get its act going in Myanmar, India would need very dynamic diplomacy and not the lazy all-eggs-in-one-basket approach, points out Subir Bhaumik.
If one has to compare the tenures of the two prime ministers one must credit Nehru with laying the foundations on which Modi is building a grand edifice, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
India's premier long-distance runner, Gulveer Singh, is confident of improving his bronze medal performance from the 2022 Asian Games in the upcoming edition. Holding national records in multiple events, Singh is preparing for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, focusing on strategic training under his US-based coach and utilising advanced sportswear technology.
'We caught General Pervez Musharraf talking over the phone with his Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Mohammad Aziz. Musharraf was visiting China; Aziz was in Rawalpindi.'
'We won not (only) because we were able to carry out long-range precision strikes.' 'That is, of course, one of the reasons but we had better situational awareness about what's happening than Pakistan.'
'The BNP's election manifesto lists grievances against India, mirroring the attitude of past BNP governments.' 'Political parties have been careful not to say bad things about China.'
Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar have been awarded the rights to host the Asian Relays in 2027 and the Asian Indoor Championships in 2028, respectively, marking a significant moment for Indian athletics.
A new book, "Heroes: The Changemakers of Indian Sports" by journalist-author Thirumoy Banerjee, chronicles the inspiring journeys of 15 Indian athletes, including Manu Bhaker, C A Bhavani Devi, Nikhat Zareen, Aman Kumar Kadyan, and Sumit Antil. It highlights their determination, resilience, and triumphs over setbacks, offering insights into their paths to success and celebrating their unwavering spirit.
...is a way out, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War. What the indefinite extension produces is a prolonged condition of not-war-not-peace, in which oil markets cannot stabilise, Asian refineries cannot plan, European governments cannot stop subsidising consumption they cannot afford, and the next flashpoint -- a seized tanker, a miscalculated drone strike, a Truth Social post that claims too much -- is one news cycle away.
Experts' worries intensified after Pakistan commissioned its first Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine, PNS Hangor, last month.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted some 20 per cent of the global flows but even if it opens, damages to production facilities in the region will take time to repair, points out Sunita Narain.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is impacting lifestyles worldwide, from reduced gold purchases in India to energy conservation in Europe and Japan, as governments urge citizens to adapt to the global energy shock.
The new title is likely inspired by the film's first track Maatrubhumi, sung by Arijit Singh.
FIFA officials are visiting India this week to try and resolve a deadlock over broadcast rights for next month's World Cup, with millions of Indian soccer fans potentially missing out on the tournament.
If India caves in to US pressure as Trump hopes it will, he will further try to blackmail it into submission, points out Ramesh Menon.
The falling Total Fertility Rate offers India a chance to become the Pandavas -- fewer in number, but each citizen genuinely empowered, educated, and capable of contributing to a civilisation worth building, asserts Amberish K Diwanji.
