New Delhi: The Ranji Trophy will once again be played in two phases with the opening round starting on October 11 while the 2026-27 domestic season will commence with the Duleep Trophy starting August 23, the BCCI announced Wednesday. The BCCI will be organising 1788 games across age-group and senior cricket segments during the season, which include...

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Italy drew reactions from leaders across the political spectrum Wednesday, with politicians highlighting the importance of strengthening bilateral ties, addressing global conflicts, and focusing on India's economic interests. Speaking to media, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP, Sasmit Patra said India and Italy share common democratic and cultural values, making...

Bhubaneswar: As part of a Memorandum of Cooperation and to celebrate 100 years of India-New Zealand sporting ties, the national rugby federations of the two countries will collaborate for a two-day high-performance coaching program at the Kalinga Stadium here beginning Thursday. The joint initiative by Rugby India and New Zealand Rugby will bring together selected coaches from...

New Delhi: China has blocked Meta’s proposed $2 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus, citing national security concerns, in a move that signals tighter regulatory scrutiny of cross-border technology deals, a new report has said. According to a report by Modern Diplomacy, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) ordered the transaction to be unwound under...

Rome: India and Italy Tuesday decided to elevate their ties to special strategic partnership and enhance cooperation in areas of trade, investment and new technologies following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. "We deliberated extensively on enhancing India-Italy ties," PM Modi said in a joint press statement after talks with Meloni....

Tallinn: Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has called for more high-level visits from India to deepen bilateral ties and said Estonia would be "very happy" if Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the northern European country. In an exclusive interview with PTI , Tsahkna said Estonia is organising the Ukraine recovery conference in 2027 and hoped that India...

Vilnius: Residents of Vilnius were told to take shelter, and Lithuania's President and Prime Minister were taken to safe locations Wednesday because of an alarm over drone activity near the border with Belarus, underlining jitters on NATO's eastern flank over incursions related to Russia's war with Ukraine. An emergency announcement from the military told people in the...

Mumbai: Declining for the ninth consecutive session, the rupee depreciated 13 paise to close at a fresh lifetime low of 96.83 (provisional) against the US dollar Wednesday as elevated global crude prices amid the West Asia crisis stoked inflation worries. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 96.89 against the US dollar, then lost...

Puri: Ferozepur district administration in Punjab Wednesday informed the authorities of the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri that they have ensured the postponement of the Rath Yatra planned for May 23 after the shrine's officials protested against holding the festival on random dates. The authorities of the Puri Jagannath Temple had written to Ferozepur District Magistrate Deepshikha...

Rome: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday called on Italian President Sergio Mattarella and held discussions on further expanding the India-Italy partnership in areas such as trade, technology, clean energy and culture. PM Modi arrived in Italy Tuesday on the concluding leg of his five-nation tour from May 15-20. He was earlier in the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden...