In answer to a question posed in Parliament, March 2025, details of India's forest cover, were highlighted, state-wise. Madhya Pradesh, with its enviable 11 national parks and plethora of flora and fauna, is the Indian state that boasts the most forest cover. Arunachal Pradesh, however, has the highest percentage of forest.
India comes second only to the US, according to World Population Review, in the length of its road network, boasting totally 6.37 million km. Which states have the best highways?
Asian Games champion Pranavi Urs aims to become the first home player in a decade to win the Women's Indian Open in Gurugram, facing strong competition from defending champion Shannon Tan (winner in 2025) and a host of international and Indian golfers, including past champions Liz Young (2024) and Pornanong Phatlum.
President Droupadi Murmu has announced a major gubernatorial reshuffle, appointing new governors for Tamil Nadu, Keralam, Sikkim, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Odisha. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar moves from Keralam to Tamil Nadu, while Om Prakash Mathur becomes the new Keralam Governor. Dushyant Gautam, Sudha Yadav, Dhal Singh Bisen, and Braj Mohan Ram are among the new appointees, bringing diverse political experience to their roles.
Which parts of urban India have the highest proportion of households owning gold jewellery or bullion?
India's Karan Singh and Digvijay Pratap Singh have set up an all-Indian singles final at the ITF Men's M25 Mumbai Open. Singh reached his second consecutive final by defeating Chirag Duhan, while Pratap Singh overcame Garrett Johns. In the doubles, S. D. Prajwal Dev and Nitin Kumar Sinha won the title in a thrilling tie-break.
13-year-old amateur golfer Ojaswini Saraswat has made history by becoming the youngest Indian ever to make the cut at a Ladies European Tour event, achieving this feat at the Hero Women's Indian Open with a remarkable three-under 69 in the second round.
Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini leads the Women's Indian Open after day one with a 5-under 67. Indian golfers Pranavi Urs and Avani Prasanth are tied for fifth place. Singapore's Shannon Tan and Argentina's Magdalena Simmermacher are tied for second. Play was suspended due to darkness at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
Indian golfer Vani Kapoor has taken a one-shot lead on the penultimate day of the Hero Women's Indian Open, positioning herself to become the first home winner in a decade. She carded a three-under 69, staying ahead of defending champion Shannon Tan and Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum, while other Indian golfers like Pranavi Urs and Tvesa Malik also performed well.
India's Karan Singh and Digvijay Pratap Singh have secured their spots in the singles semifinals of the Mumbai Open ITF Men's M25 Tennis Championship. Other Indian players also advanced, while the doubles competition saw two Indian pairs reach the final.
The 29th season of the CTR-JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship is set to begin this weekend at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. The event will feature 17 races across various categories, including LGB Formula 4, Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, and Novice Cup, with participation from national, international, and women racers.
Indian physicist Ashoke Sen has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Oskar Klein Medal, making him the first Indian to receive this honour. Sen, a leading figure in modern string theory, was recognised for his pioneering work, including contributions to S-duality, black-hole entropy, and string field theory. He delivered a memorial lecture on October 22 in Stockholm.
Indian tennis players Arnav Paparkar, Karan Singh, Digvijay Pratap Singh, Sidharth Rawat, and Chirag Duhan have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Mumbai Open ITF Men's M25 Tennis Championship. The doubles team of SD Prajwal Dev and Nitin Kumar Sinha also secured a win. The next rounds are scheduled for Friday.
Indian athletes achieved a clean sweep in the men's discus throw F44/64 event at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya. Devender Kumar secured the gold medal, with Rakesh and Pardeep Kumar winning silver and bronze respectively. The event featured athletes with lower limb impairments, classified as F44 (without prosthesis) and F64 (with prosthesis).
India has secured three medals in the men's singles SL4 badminton competition at the Asian Para Games, with defending champion Suhas LY, Naveen Sivakumar, and Abhijeet Sakhuja advancing to the semifinals. Suhas LY will face Indonesia's Fredy Setiawan, while the other semifinal will be an all-Indian clash between Naveen and Abhijeet.
PGTI president Kapil Dev stated on Friday that Pranavi Urs' recent gold medal at the Asian Games is a crucial step in popularising golf in India, hoping to inspire young talent to achieve global success. He also announced the Shri Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship, set to begin next year with a significant prize purse. Additionally, Dev shared his observations on the evolving mindset within Indian cricket regarding global tournament victories.
Asian Games gold medallist Pranavi Urs is set to compete in the Hero Women's Indian Open starting October 22 in Gurugram. Fresh off her success in Aichi-Nagoya, Urs is confident and aims to leverage her "home turf" advantage at the DLF Golf and Country Club, even expressing a desire to challenge defending champion Shannon Tan.
An Indian-origin Metropolitan Police officer, PC Harman Singh, has been charged with one count of attempted rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of intentional strangulation. The charges relate to alleged offences against a woman in her 20s in January 2026. Singh was arrested on January 10, suspended from duty, and is due to appear in court on Monday.
Indian golfer Pranavi Urs, who won a gold medal at the Asian Games, was presented with a cheque of Rs one crore by MP Anurag Thakur on behalf of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) in recognition of her achievement.
Indian states' capital expenditure (capex) utilisation for April-August FY27 fell to 21.21 per cent, slightly below the 21.73 per cent recorded in the same period of FY26, according to a CAG analysis. Despite the dip, this figure remains the third highest in the past six years, with significant variations observed across states.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has publicly welcomed competition from Elon Musk's Starlink in the satellite communications sector, asserting that all players, including Jio, must abide by Indian laws and policies.
India's Krishna Nagar and Sivarajan Solaimalai secured a silver medal in the Men's Doubles SH6 badminton event at the Asian Para Games. This achievement comes as India also assured three more medals in the men's singles SL4 category, with Suhas LY, Naveen Sivakumar, and Abhijeet Sakhuja advancing to the semifinals.
Indian tennis players, including top seed Dhakshineswar Suresh, Arnav Paparkar, and Sidharth Rawat, have successfully advanced to the second round of the men's singles at the Mumbai Open ITF M25 event. Several other Indian and international players also secured wins in both singles and doubles matches on Wednesday.
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has suspended the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) from December 1 due to a prolonged governance crisis, stemming from the dissolution of EFI's executive committee by the Delhi High Court and the absence of fresh elections. This suspension bars Indian riders, officials, and horses from international competitions until new elections are held and evaluated by the FEI.
Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir made a remarkable debut at the FIA Karting World Cup in Viterbo, Italy. Representing Kart Republic Factory Race Team, the 11-year-old achieved a top-five finish in the heats and set the fastest time in a practice session, competing against 117 drivers. Despite a challenging qualifying, she showcased her talent by finishing P16 in the final, overtaking eight karts.
An Indian national was killed and two others were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. This incident follows another attack on the Shaybah oilfield where an Indian was also injured, amidst escalating strikes by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi infrastructure.
A foreign brokerage predicts that private investments in Indian AI startups are rapidly growing, with potential listings adding up to USD 100 billion to India's market capitalisation over the next two to five years. Goldman Sachs reported a tripling of PE investment in Indian AI startups in 2025 and highlighted India's rising global rank in AI funding and new AI companies.
Indian physicist Professor Ashoke Sen has been awarded the prestigious Oskar Klein Medal for 2026, making him the first Indian to receive this honour. Recognised for his groundbreaking work in string theory, including S-duality and black hole entropy, Sen delivered the memorial lecture at Stockholm University. He has previously received numerous accolades such as the Breakthrough Prize, Dirac Medal, and Padma Bhushan.
Captain Shreyas Iyer believes the return of veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will significantly address the Indian T20 team's lack of experience in its bowling attack, especially after recent series where new bowlers struggled.
The 2026-27 season of I-League 3, India's fourth-tier men's football league, is set to begin with 19 clubs competing. The group stage will be held across four venues: Imphal, Rudrapur, Shillong, and Mapusa, with matches streamed live. The top two teams from the play-offs will gain promotion to I-League 2 for the 2027-28 season.
A new global survey by HP reveals that a majority of Indian students are concerned that while AI helps them work faster, it prevents them from learning material as deeply. Despite these worries, students remain optimistic about AI's role in future job markets and feel confident in using AI tools responsibly. The report calls for policymakers to focus on durable skills and core education.
Indian shooters, including Asian Games gold medallists Neeru Dhanda and Suruchi Singh, are attending a preparatory camp in New Delhi for the upcoming ISSF World Championship in Doha. This championship is crucial as it marks the beginning of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualification cycle.
Forty-two naval vessels are already on order, while the navy has the government's initial go-ahead to procure another 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft, worth approximately Rs 2.41 trillion.
The Indian contingent made a striking appearance at the Para Asian Games opening ceremony in Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday, wearing ceremonial blazers adorned with motifs inspired by 5,000 years of Indian civilisation, including Indus Valley seals and SaptSindhu. Led by Paralympic medallist Simran Sharma and top shuttler Pramod Bhagat, over 100 athletes proudly represented India, which has a 281-member contingent competing across 11 disciplines. The Games will conclude on October 24.
Indian badminton players, including the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and singles players Unnati Hooda and Ayush Shetty, were eliminated from the Denmark Open badminton tournament on Wednesday.
Indian boxers Aman Dev and Mausam Suhag have shown strong performances at the World Boxing U-19 Championships in Budva, Montenegro. Aman Dev qualified for the quarterfinals in the men's 50kg category, while Mausam Suhag advanced to the Round of 16 in the men's 65kg category. Another Indian boxer, Shivam, was eliminated.
Indian-origin filmmaker Arafat Sheikh was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Dulles International Airport. Sheikh, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, was taken into custody on September 24 despite having a student visa and a pending immigration application, according to the "Free Arafat Sheikh" campaign. ICE is responsible for detaining non-citizens for suspected immigration violations.
Indian para table tennis players Bhavina Patel, Prachi, and Sonalben have advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, guaranteeing at least three bronze medals for the country. Bhavina Patel won her Class 4-5 quarterfinal, Prachi secured a historic medal in Class 6, and Sonalben triumphed in Class 3, showcasing India's strong performance in the sport.
Former Indian hockey captain and Olympian Pargat Singh has been appointed the new president of the Punjab Congress, replacing Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. A three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment, Singh's elevation comes amidst internal party wrangling and is seen as a strategic move to unite factions ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. His journey spans from a decorated sports career to a prominent political figure, having previously served as a minister and consistently winning his assembly seat.
An Indian national has been arrested in the US for allegedly falsely claiming American citizenship to vote in the 2024 general election in Minnesota. He faces charges that could lead to a maximum of five years in prison on each count if convicted.
