Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has secured a silver medal in the women's 49kg event at the Asian Games, ending a 12-year pursuit for the prestigious continental honour. This marks India's first weightlifting medal at the Asian Games since 1998, adding to Chanu's impressive collection which includes an Olympic silver.
North Korea warns the US that it will soon 'suffer the greatest pain it ever experienced in its history'. Rajaram Panda looks at the latest twist in the North Korean crisis.
India's wrestling campaign at the Asian Games will be spearheaded by Sujeet Kalkal, Antim Panghal, and Aman Sehrawat, all of whom face challenging draws. Sujeet is in red-hot form but could meet Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka, while Antim Panghal eyes a strong performance against Zhang Jin. Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat also has a tough path, potentially facing another Olympic medallist early on. The wider Indian contingent also features medal hopefuls across freestyle, women's, and Greco-Roman categories.
This was Kim's first visit abroad as North Korea's leader and came ahead of his planned summit with Donald J Trump.
The flag-hoisting ceremony for the Asian Games, involving India and five other contingents, was significantly delayed due to "miscommunication" between the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the local organising committee (ANAGOC). The disruption, which lasted over an hour, initially caused confusion and speculation about political issues, but organisers later clarified it was a communication breakdown, adding to existing organisational challenges for the event.
Indian women's doubles pairs Sreeja Akula-Syndrela Das and Yashaswini Ghorpade-Diya Chitale have advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the table tennis competition at the Asian Games after securing dominant wins over their respective opponents.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), top officials, including the country's leader Kim Jong Un, held a crisis politburo meeting to discuss the outbreak and announced they would implement a 'maximum emergency' virus control system.
India's top men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, faced a surprising early exit from the Asian Games badminton competition after losing to Thailand's Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Indian shooter Esha Singh and Kurash athlete Pincky Balhara for their impressive medal-winning performances at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
'In 1984, Pyongyang just had one hotel and one could not move out without an official escort.' 'India was the only country with an embassy, apart from the socialist countries.'
The country's sixth nuclear test sparked a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake which was detected in the northeast of the country where North Korea's test site Punggye-ri is located.
'The world may be desirous of peace, but not Kim Jong-un.' 'Should we then accept the old adage that to maintain peace, we should be prepared for war?' asks Rajaram Panda.
Indian table tennis players had a strong showing at the Asian Games, with two women's doubles pairs, Sreeja Akula-Syndrela Das and Yashaswini Ghorpade-Diya Chitale, reaching the pre-quarterfinals. In men's singles, Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar also advanced to the next rounds.
The traditional flag hoisting ceremony at the Asian Games in Nagoya was delayed and then abruptly halted due to unspecified "trouble," leaving multiple countries, including India, awaiting clarity. This incident adds to growing criticism against organisers for logistical chaos, including complaints about delayed and cramped container-style lodging facilities provided to athletes to cut costs.
India concluded its Asian Games campaign in Nagoya with a creditable fourth place, securing 85 medals, including 21 golds. The final days saw a surge in gold medals, notably from the cricket and hockey teams, and historic individual wins by 17-year-old archer Kumkum Mohod and golfer Pranavi Urs.
Ace Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is gearing up for an 'Olympic-level' competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where she expects to face the strongest lifters from China, North Korea, and Thailand, making it her toughest challenge yet.
The US should join hands with Japan, South Korea, India and Israel to target North Korea's nuclear and missile establishments through covert action, feels security expert B Raman
Asian Games gold medallist Aman Sherawat expresses strong confidence in winning an Olympic wrestling gold medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Having defeated a world champion in the Asian Games, he believes he can achieve what no other Indian wrestler has done, despite the challenges of the competitive 57kg category and past weight issues. He plans to continue training with foreign coaches to fine-tune his techniques.
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley also called on all countries to sever economic and diplomatic ties with Pyongyang to curb its nuclear programme.
Pyongyang on Sunday claimed it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb meant to be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. It was Pyongyang's sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test, which was set to raise tension in the region.
North Korea on Wednesday announced that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, marking a major step forward in its nuclear development, if confirmed.
Indian badminton players experienced mixed fortunes at the Asian Games. Men's doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a surprising early exit, losing to Thailand's Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukphun. However, the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila secured two consecutive wins to reach the quarterfinals. Women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also advanced, while Unnati Hooda moved to the second round in women's singles. Other Indian pairs faced defeats, and the team events saw the women's team miss a medal and the men's team secure bronze.
This is the third time that the two leaders are coming face to face, the last meeting being in May at Hanoi.
Indian boxers, including Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and Commonwealth Games champions, face challenging draws at the Asian Games.
North Korea considers Assad's Syria an ally, so it views Donald Trump's decision to strike Syria as a message to Pyongyang as well.
While trying to persuade North Korea to give up its provocative actions, engaging China is the first hurdle that world leaders will have to deal with, says Rajaram Panda.
The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community, US President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he described the nuclear tests by Pyongyang as "highly provocative".
Pyongyang cited the ongoing military exercise between the US and South Korea as a reason behind the move.
India's Manush Shah and Diya Chitale secured a historic medal in mixed doubles table tennis at the Asian Games by defeating Hong Kong's world No. 4 pair. This marks India's second mixed doubles medal in Asian Games history. While other Indian paddlers faced early exits in various categories, Shah also advanced in men's singles and Yashaswini Ghorpade in women's singles.
Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu secured a silver medal in the women's 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, completing her collection of major international medals. Her chief coach, Vijay Sharma, revealed that a meticulously designed training programme focused on injury prevention was crucial to her success, especially after previous Asian Games disappointments due to injury. Chanu lifted a combined 198kg, adding this prestigious medal to her Olympic silver, Commonwealth Games golds, and World Championships title.
Indian shooter Esha Singh secured a silver medal in the women's 25m pistol final at the 2026 Asian Games. She revealed that technical interruptions during the tense shoot-off were a "blessing in disguise," helping her manage unexpected fatigue and hand tightness. Esha battled through multiple shoot-offs, eventually finishing second to China's Xiao Jiaruixian, and plans to celebrate her achievement with a meal with her coach.
North Korea beat Japan 1-0 in a tempestuous World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, the result largely academic with the visiting Blue Samurai already through to the final qualifying round for 2014.
The United States has warned North Korea against going ahead with its long-range rocket launch and asked the international community to take appropriate actions to prevent Pyongyang from such a provocative act.
North Korea on Tuesday warned that it had the capability to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, "if necessary", following joint US-South Korea military drills earlier this week.
A defiant North Korea on Friday test-fired another short-range missile and warned of more 'self- defence counter-measures' if 'hypocrites' in the United Nations Security Council slapped sanctions on it for this week's nuclear test. North Korea launched a new type short-range missile with an estimated range of 160 km from its Musudan-ri rocket launch site on its east coast, a South Korean official said.
The reported test came amid escalating cross-border tensions, with the North threatening retaliation over the start of South Korea-US military exercises condemned by Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, South Korea will convene an emergency meeting of top officials after the North Korean threat, news agencies reported.
"North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! USA," Trump tweeted, toughening his stance on North Korea.
