Top Indian athletes like PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Neeru Dhanda, and Harmanpreet Singh have been nominated by their respective National Sports Federations to the electoral college for the Indian Olympic Association's Athletes Commission polls on November 3. The article details the nomination process, eligibility criteria, and the composition of the new Athletes Commission, noting the absence of some federations and the exclusion of outgoing members like Mary Kom.
India Test captain Shubman Gill is taking an unprecedented step to prepare for the upcoming red-ball series in New Zealand by personally funding four to five net bowlers to accompany him on the tour. This move highlights his dedication to Test cricket, especially as he balances ODI commitments and skips India A matches, opting instead for a Ranji Trophy fixture before his early departure to acclimatise.
Soft tennis player Jay Meena, marathon runner Sawan Barwal, and air pistol shooter Kamaljeet share their personal journeys and challenges leading up to their medal wins at the Asian Games. Meena recounts how school rustication led him to soft tennis and his struggle with quarterfinal defeats. Barwal discusses the mental pressure of switching to marathon running, while Kamaljeet reflects on injury setbacks and the pressure of securing India's first shooting gold at the Games.
Matt Renshaw's outstanding performance in Australia's Test victory over South Africa has solidified his middle-order spot, but the team still faces uncertainty regarding its opening batting combination. Travis Head's suitability at the top of the order is questioned, while Nic Maddinson's inconsistent debut adds to the dilemma. The article also highlights strong bowling performances from Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, and the team's challenging schedule ahead.
Two individuals were arrested and a minor detained on Monday after allegedly brandishing swords and causing panic at a garba event in Kalyan, Thane district. The incident involved eight persons, with two carrying swords into the Navratri celebration area. Police have charged the accused under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Maharashtra Police Act, and a probe is ongoing to determine their motive.
The 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship is set to commence in Jhansi from Saturday, featuring 29 teams across three divisions. The tournament will run until October 21, with Punjab as the defending champions. The article details the pool compositions for Division 'A', 'B', and 'C', along with the knockout stage schedule.
Indian para track and field athletes delivered a spectacular performance at the Asian Para Games, securing 22 medals, including five gold, on Wednesday. Sprinter Simran Sharma was a standout, clinching her second gold medal in the women's 100m T12 event, making her only the fourth Indian to win two golds in the same edition. Other gold medallists included Dilip Gavit, Praveen Kumar, Ayush Verma, and Sachin Khilari, contributing to India's total of 42 para-athletics medals.
Pacers Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj have been included in India's Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against New Zealand. Shreyas Iyer will captain the team in the final two ODIs, while Shubman Gill focuses on red-ball cricket. The article also lists the full ODI and Test squads, with the Test series starting on November 19.
India's T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma discusses his adaptability to the middle-order batting position despite his preference for No. 3. He explains the mental adjustments required for different roles and clarifies the recent run-out incident in the third T20I against West Indies. India leads the series 2-1 ahead of the fourth T20I in Hyderabad.
West Indies captain Shai Hope has continued his exceptional form against India, scoring his fourth century and fifth fifty-plus score in seven innings during the ongoing tour. His consistent 'Player of the Match' performances have been crucial, with the series now level at 2-2 heading into the decider on October 17 in Bengaluru. Hope also reflected on the challenging pitch conditions during their recent win.
A suspect in a Rs 1.53-crore gold robbery and murder case in Rajkot was shot in the leg by police after he opened fire on officers during evidence recovery. The accused, Anurag Singh Rajput, was among 10 arrested for the October 14 robbery where an employee was killed.
Liverpool fans staged a vocal protest against Manchester City at Anfield following the verdict of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules. Supporters displayed banners, chanted, and booed, while police were on alert for potential bus targeting, though City's team took an alternate route.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has initiated an investigation into the role of temporary home guards following a stampede at a Kolkata Durga Puja pandal that killed 19 people. Adhikari criticised the previous administration and highlighted issues with crowd management and the conduct of home guards during the incident. The probe will also include puja organisers and licensing authorities, while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed. Seven people, including organisers, have been arrested.
Argentina's men's hockey captain, Matias Rey, draws inspiration from football legend Lionel Messi as he leads his team in his sixth World Cup. Rey, like Messi, emphasizes the "never give up" philosophy learned from the national football team's success. The team, including goalkeeper Tomas Santiago, is preparing for a tough match against India, focusing on neutralizing key players like Harmanpreet Singh, while fans show their support by wearing Messi's jersey.
Indian women's cricket team top-order batter Punam Raut announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket on Thursday. The 37-year-old played four Tests, 73 ODIs, and 35 T20Is for India, highlighting her career with a record-breaking ODI partnership and participation in the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup.
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke warned that banning protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar would lead to nationwide agitations. He stated that CJP leaders were detained on Tuesday morning after attempting to protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Dipke accused the government of suppressing democratic dissent and vowed to continue the protest.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay congratulated speed skaters Anandkumar Velkumar, Lakshita, Pragathi, and Rutva for their medal wins at the World Skate Games 2026 in Asuncion, Paraguay. Anandkumar secured a gold medal in the senior men's marathon, while Lakshita, Pragathi, and Rutva earned bronze in the junior women's 3,000 m relay race, marking India's first relay medal in the event.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has decided to send separate teams to the U23 Senior World Wrestling Championship and the Senior World Wrestling Championship due to the short interval between the two events, aiming to ensure optimal preparation and performance for Indian wrestlers.
A 32-year-old woman, Ruby, was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband, Vikas, in their rented house in northwest Delhi's Nihal Vihar following a family dispute. The accused fled the scene, and police have registered a murder case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with investigations underway to apprehend him.
The model from Kodumon, Kerala, walked the Victoria's Secret runway twice, sharing the stage with supermodels Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and Alessandra Ambrosio.
India's para-athletes concluded their Asian Para Games campaign with an unprecedented 114 medals, including 30 gold, marking their best performance to date. The final day was particularly successful, yielding nine gold medals across various disciplines. Notable achievements included world records set by Mona Agarwal in shooting, and Sandeep and Haney in athletics. Shuttlers Nitesh Kumar and Naveen Sivakumar secured individual golds, while archer Harvinder Singh also contributed to the gold tally. The swimming contingent also exceeded expectations with 11 medals.
Three suspects have been detained in Kota, Rajasthan, in connection with the recent firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff's car in Mumbai, as police investigate the alleged involvement of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
The Indian men's hockey squad for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy, to be held in Punjab from October 27 to November 5, has been announced. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak returns to the team, while the core of the Asian Games gold-winning lineup, led by Harmanpreet Singh, has been retained. The tournament marks the return of international hockey to Punjab, with matches in Jalandhar and Mohali.
Katie Zacharia has been relieved of her duties as White House Press Secretary after just five days, following a rocky debut and questions over her legal credentials.
Gurugram police have arrested three men from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, for allegedly providing bank accounts to cybercriminals involved in a fake e-challan SMS fraud. The arrests followed a complaint where a man lost Rs 1.35 lakh after clicking on a fraudulent link. The accused received Rs 7,500 for facilitating the transfer of Rs 70,000 from the victim's account.
Krish Gupta of Rayo Racing secured his first National Rotax Karting title in the Senior Category of the FMSCI National Karting Championship in Bengaluru. Despite a challenging start, Gupta showcased remarkable recovery and consistent performance, culminating in a third-place finish in the final race, which was enough to clinch the overall championship. His victory also earns him a spot to represent India at the Rotax World Finals in Portugal.
'... but runs with the rigour and discipline of a large enterprise.'
Nuh Police have revealed that Shahid alias Advani, a wanted criminal killed in a recent encounter near Sohna, had 70 cases registered against him across Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The cases include serious charges like murder, rape, kidnapping, and robbery. Police are now thoroughly reviewing his extensive criminal history.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has summoned Rajendra Shinde, husband of former Thane mayor Meenaxi Shinde, for questioning in connection with the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar. Purnekar's son accused the couple of orchestrating the killing. Police have already arrested several alleged assailants in the case.
Former India captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten 91 off 41 balls against Zimbabwe in the final T20, marking an emotional return to form after a lean patch.
A 24-member Indian shooting contingent, led by Olympic bronze medallists Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, will compete at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Cairo starting Saturday. The squad, which recently completed a national camp, will participate in eight individual Olympic disciplines and two mixed team events, featuring a mix of experienced Olympians and promising young talent.
Faridabad police have arrested six individuals, including three women, and seized approximately 35 kg of ganja. The contraband was allegedly smuggled from Odisha and intended for distribution in Palwal and Noida. The arrests followed a tip-off, with Vinod identified as the alleged mastermind.
Mumbai has announced its 16-member squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match against Himachal Pradesh, featuring Suryansh Shedge and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The team will see significant changes in its top order and overall composition due to injuries to vice-captain Ayush Mhatre and Shardul Thakur, as well as Yashasvi Jaiswal's commitment to the India 'A' team. Raghuvanshi and Divyaansh Saxena are expected to form a new opening partnership.
Mizoram's Chinmay Sutar achieved a rare feat by scoring an unbeaten 400 runs in a first-class Ranji Trophy match against Nagaland, becoming only the second Indian batter to reach this milestone after Bhausahab Babasaheb Nimbalkar in 1948.
India's largest bank, SBI, is investigating the suspected exposure of 3,897 customer records containing personally identifiable information on the dark web. The bank received alerts on October 16 and has initiated cyber incident response protocols, engaging an independent cybersecurity agency. While a detailed assessment is underway, SBI states the incident has not materially impacted its core business operations. This comes as CERT-In also warned last week about autonomous AI agents accessing confidential data and reported a compromise of eMudhra's private keys.
A six-year-old boy and his nine-year-old sister drowned in a water reservoir in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district on Wednesday. The girl reportedly jumped in to save her younger brother after he slipped into deep water while bathing. Both were declared dead at the hospital.
A vital aspect of captaincy is not the title, but the confidence that a captain plant in the hearts of their teammates. And both, Gill and Iyer, do this very well, points out K R Nayar.
United States special envoy Steve Witkoff engaged in high-stakes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in St. Petersburg. The aim of the meeting was to advance proposals to end the war in Ukraine and establish a pathway towards broader negotiations.
India's U20 football team secured a historic qualification for the AFC U20 Asian Cup main tournament after a 20-year hiatus, following a dominant 3-0 victory over Bangladesh. Goals from Danny Meitei Laishram, Vishal Yadav, and Md Arbash sealed their spot as one of the best runners-up, with the main tournament scheduled for 2027 in China.
The Noise-Free Nations Index is created annually by an award-winning African tour company, Go2Africa by assessing countries using seven measures, covering population and visitor concentration, rural landscapes, protected areas, road traffic, airports and railways.