The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday successfully conducted the maiden flight test of indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile ‘Pralay’, from Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
U.S. official Uzra Zeya has been appointed the country’s new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. She will hold the position concurrently with her current role as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via a statement.
Indian men’s hockey team rewrote history as it claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years, defeated Germany 5-4 in men’s hockey match to win bronze at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
Simranjeet Singh scored two goals for India at the Oi Hockey Stadium, along with Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh also adding their names on the scoresheet.
Aug 05, 2021
India’s table tennis player Bhavina Patel created history at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday when she astonished her world world no. 3 Chinese competitor 3-2 to become the first table tennis player from the country to reach the final of the Paralympic.
This was Patel’s first victory against the former world number one Zhang Miao of China in the women’s singles Class four semi-final matches. The two players had met 11 times before.
August 28, 2021
A 19- year-old Shooter Avani Lekhara created history on August 30 and became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, firing her way to the top of the podium in the R-2 women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event here.
Avani completed with a world record equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record.
She is the fourth Indian athlete to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016) and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan (2016).
Aug 2021
Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has honoured Tehelka journalist for his relentless initiatives to safeguard the rights of media persons in the south Asian country and also for defending the press freedom in the region with an exemplary commitment.
The Guwahati-based working journalist was awarded on 30th November 2021 remotely as it was difficult for him to reach Geneva because of the Covid-19 restrictions. Even a virtual interaction program with a group of journalists there was also cancelled at the last moment.
“It is the first time that the PEC rewards a journalist from India, the second-most populous country of the world. India has a strong democracy and a vibrant press. Last year however, a record number of 15 journalists were killed in India while six have been killed this year. Journalists are targeted documenting abuses, corruption, criminal activities,” said Blaise Lempen, secretary-general of PEC.
Bengaluru-based author and coach Mohammed Ali Athar Ahmed, also known as MD Ahmed, entered the Guinness World Records for memorising the most number of three-digit flashcards.
Ahmed bagged the world record for recalling 32 three-digit flash numbers. The previous record was held by an Iranian (30 three-digit cards).
Ahmed is highly trained in memory techniques and also trains others to use such techniques. He decided to attempt a Guinness World Records title to help inspire others who are also interested in memorising as a skill and sport, Guinness World Records noted.
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Saturday defeated compatriot Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-14, 21-17 in the Men’s Singles semi-finals to reach his maiden BWF World Badminton Championships final.
The 28-year-old beat Lakshya in a thrilling match to become the first-ever Indian male badminton player to enter the World Championships final.
In a twist to that claim, Portugal is now led by people of Indian descent with family ties to the former colony: Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Finance Minister Joao Leao and Planning Minister Nelson de Sousa.
“I am very proud of visiting my father’s land as prime minister, and especially the first prime minister of Indian origin in the European Union. This visit has a strong emotional side in the personal motivation,” Costa said during a visit to India in 2017.
Costa’s grandfather Luis Afonso Maria da Costa was from Margao, where his relatives still live and his 200-year-old ancestral home is located, according to the Portuguese American Journal.
Luis Costa emigrated to what was then another Portuguese colony, Mozambique, where the prime minister’s father Orlando da Costa was born in the capital Maputo.
The elder Costa was a writer and his son released an English translation of his book, Sem Flores Nem Coroas (Without Flowers or Wreaths) while visiting India.
The beautifully handwritten note on the yellowing service record, compiled by the Punjab government in 1919 and now over a century old, is as brief as it is poignant.
In faded ink, the entry for Wasawa Singh, the son of Shera, a Jat from the village of Gaike in northeast Punjab, tells the story of a young life cut short in the service of an alien empire.
There are no dates, merely a rank — havildar, equivalent to sergeant — and the name of a unit, the 30th Punjabis.