India is navigating a complex diplomatic landscape, attempting to balance its 'forever honeymoon' with the Israel-UAE-Bahrain axis against its historical ties with Iran, as evidenced by recent high-level visits and evolving geopolitical realignments in the Middle East, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India's women's cricket team is set to make history by playing their first-ever Test match at Lord's against England. This follows an early exit from the T20 World Cup, allowing more preparation time. Head coach Amol Mujumdar expressed the team's excitement for this landmark occasion, highlighting the dream of playing a Test at the iconic venue. Both teams feature potential debutants, with England's Tammy Beaumont retiring after this historic match.
India has actively engaged in cultural diplomacy over the past 12 years, providing grant assistance and expertise for the restoration and conservation of significant heritage sites, including temples and archaeological complexes, across multiple Asian countries, reinforcing shared civilisational ties.
M S Dhoni celebrated his 45th birthday by watching the 3rd T20I between India and England in Nottingham, where he was mobbed by fans and received a huge roar from the Trent Bridge crowd, despite India's 125-run loss.
Major League Baseball has announced a partnership with Indian cricket star Suryakumar Yadav, appointing him as an MLB Ambassador to promote baseball among Indian sports fans. Yadav will participate in various events in India and the U.S., including the MLB All-Star week, and will curate content to connect with fans. This initiative is part of MLB's broader strategy to engage with India's vibrant sports culture, alongside renewing its broadcast agreement with JioStar.
India's exports of printed circuit boards (PCBs) to China dramatically increased over 40-fold to $1.5 billion in FY26, indicating a significant shift where China is increasingly importing simpler electronic assemblies from India as it focuses on higher-value manufacturing domestically.
India has announced a calendar of 29 international sporting events over the next two years, aiming to bolster its credentials as a host nation. This strategic move is part of its larger goal to secure bids for the 2036 Olympic Games, the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and the 2038 Asian Games, showcasing its capacity to host large-scale multi-sport spectacles.
Notwithstanding the economic complementarities and the host of agreements for deepening economic relation on a host of areas, both sides share common viewpoints on the foreign policy domain and seek common grounds to serve as a counterweight to China, notes Dr Rajaram Panda.
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 Environment Ministry has designated the Natural History Museum (NHM) in Mizoram as India's 21st designated repository, significantly enhancing the country's biodiversity conservation and scientific infrastructure, particularly within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.
Manish Malhotra made his much-awaited debut at Paris Haute Couture Week with his Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, Maa, presented at the historic Pavillon Cambon. The deeply personal collection was inspired by his late mother, Sudarshan Malhotra, and celebrated the bond between a mother and her child through the language of couture.
Former US President Donald Trump reiterated his claim of mediating the India-Pakistan conflict, stating that 11 jets were shot down during the May 2023 hostilities. He also suggested the conflict could have escalated to a nuclear level and claimed credit for averting a major catastrophe, a claim consistently denied by India which maintains no third-party intervention occurred.
The highly anticipated new generation Toyota Hilux is set to launch in India in July this year with significant upgrades, premium features, and a powerful mild-hybrid diesel engine, aiming to capture the Indian pick-up truck market.
EY India has launched its Cyber Performance Management (CPM) platform, an integrated solution designed to help enterprises quantify and manage cyber risk in real-time. This platform leverages AI and cybersecurity to provide decision intelligence, enabling organisations to identify and address threats proactively and translate cyber exposure into financial insights.
England inflicted a record T20 defeat on India, winning by 125 runs at Trent Bridge, with Josh Tongue taking 4-28 and Jofra Archer 3-29, to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The arms trade surplus grew tenfold, reaching $691 million in FY26 from $63 million in FY18.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced that Telangana will host the 2026 Khelo India Youth Games, expected to take place in November, continuing the vision to spread national events across India.
Danish pharma major Novo Nordisk has launched 'Awiqli' in India, a once-weekly basal insulin injection for adults with diabetes, aiming to simplify treatment and reduce the burden of daily injections.
The Centre for Studies of International Relations (CSIR) has established the International Centre for Civilizational Studies "Manas and Mahabharata" in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in collaboration with the Manas National Academy. The inauguration also saw the release of the first Hindi translation of the Kyrgyz epic "Manas," aiming to foster scientific, educational, and cultural cooperation between India and Kyrgyzstan.
Ford Business Solutions (FBS) India, the global capability centre for Ford Motor Company, has inaugurated a new office in Coimbatore, its third location in India. This expansion is a strategic move to strengthen the resilience of Ford's global operations, with nearly 50 per cent of its future growth in India expected to be in technology, data science, and data analytics.
Prabhsimran Singh credited mentor Yuvraj Singh's tactical guidance and Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting's unwavering faith for his growth, saying both played a pivotal role in earning his maiden India T20I call-up.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indonesian parliament, emphasising India's commitment to development over expansionism and advocating for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. He highlighted the strong historical ties between India and Indonesia, calling for enhanced cooperation in various sectors, including defence, technology, and counter-terrorism, amidst growing concerns over regional security.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted India's growing global sporting stature, evidenced by the increasing number of international events the country is hosting. He announced that India is set to host 36 international events between January 2025 and June 2026, along with 9 events this year and 19 in 2027-2028. Mandaviya also spoke about government support for athletes, transparent selection processes for major events like the Commonwealth Games, and improved domestic athletic performances, citing 26 national records broken in Indian athletics recently.
India made a strong start at the Asian U-23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, securing five medals on the opening day. The haul included a gold in the mixed 4x400m relay, one silver, and three bronze medals, showcasing the nation's emerging talent in athletics.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed surprise at India's recent white-ball slump, which saw them suffer a crushing 125-run defeat against England and a 0-2 series loss to Ireland, but backed the team to recover, while also commenting on his upcoming biopic 'Dada'.
Torrential monsoon rains unleashed widespread destruction across several parts of the country on Thursday, inundating roads, uprooting trees, damaging property and disrupting normal life as authorities scrambled to restore normalcy.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes a victory in the historic Lord's Test against England would be a 'very big moment' for her side, helping them regain confidence after their T20 World Cup exit and marking a landmark achievement in women's cricket.
Researchers at CSIR-CIMFR have developed India's first mobile Smart Algal Liquid Tree (SALT), an innovative air-purification system using microalgae to absorb CO2 and release oxygen. Designed for polluted urban areas, this compact unit offers a sustainable solution where conventional tree planting is challenging, also providing public utility features.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised down India's GDP growth forecast for fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27) to 6.6 per cent from an earlier 6.9 per cent, primarily attributing the change to elevated energy prices stemming from the Middle East conflict. Despite this moderation, India is still expected to remain the world's fastest-growing major economy.
India captain Shreyas Iyer described his team's 125-run defeat against England in the third T20 International as 'atrocious,' criticising the bowling unit and the team's overall performance.
Climate experts explain how El Nino and climate change are intricately linked, with El Nino delaying monsoon onset and climate change intensifying rainfall. This new reality is altering the Indian monsoon's behaviour, leading to short-duration, high-intensity rain spells, especially in western and northwestern regions.
India has significantly improved its position as a global foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, climbing two places to 11th in 2025, with inflows surging by nearly 44 per cent to $38.89 billion, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) World Investment Report 2026.
Danish brewing giant Carlsberg has confidentially filed draft papers with India's markets regulator Sebi for an initial public offering (IPO) of its Indian business, joining a growing list of multinational companies looking to tap India's equity markets.
India commenced its U-19 Asian Boxing Championships campaign with impressive victories from Chandrika Pujari and Joyshree Devi. Chandrika secured a unanimous 5-0 win, while Joyshree forced an RSC. The campaign continues with U-23 men's boxers entering the ring, highlighting India's strong contingent and the championships' role in developing young talent.
After yet another failure for Sanju Samson -- his third in a row -- 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could make his India debut in the second T20I against England on Saturday.
Sooryavanshi, at just 15 years old, made his emotional T20I debut for India, becoming the youngest player to achieve this feat. He received his maiden cap from Tilak Varma amidst applause from his teammates, marking a dream come true.
VVS Laxman will lead India's support staff for the upcoming Zimbabwe T20I series and the Asian Games, providing a break for the senior team's regular staff. This arrangement allows for simultaneous international commitments, with Gautam Gambhir coaching the ODI squad against West Indies.
India has once again topped the Athletics Integrity Unit's global list of dope offenders with 162 names, highlighting a significant doping problem in the country's sporting landscape. This led to the Athletics Federation of India being re-categorised to 'Category A' due to high doping risk, requiring more stringent testing.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced India's growth forecast for FY27 to 6.4 per cent, citing the potential impact of higher energy prices offsetting the country's economic resilience. Despite this, India remains among the fastest-growing major economies.
The boundary mess between India and Nepal needs a solution in a manner as mentioned by Nepal's Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal: 'On evidence not emotions', counsels Lieutenant General Shakti Gurung (retd).
