Kathmandu/Singapore: India's global partners, including the US, UK, France, Russia and Iran, Saturday extended greetings to the country on its 80th Independence Day, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and regional cooperation. French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were among leaders who hailed ties...

Baleshwar: A teacher of a private school died of electrocution, and three students were injured while trying to fix an iron pipe to hoist the national flag on Independence Day in Odisha's Baleshwar district Saturday, police said. The incident took place at Maitapur in Simulia block, they said. The deceased was identified as Priyabrata Behera (26), a...

New Delhi: Central government cut export duties on petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from Saturday, setting the petrol levy at zero and cutting charges on diesel and ATF. The government reduced the petrol export duty to nil from Rs 3.5 per litre, cut the total levy on diesel to Rs 24 per litre from Rs...

New Delhi: The Income Tax Department Saturday notified a new voluntary disclosure scheme allowing small taxpayers to declare certain undisclosed foreign assets and income by paying an effective 60 per cent tax, as the government seeks to bring overseas holdings into the tax net without exposing eligible taxpayers to further penalties or prosecution. The Foreign Assets of...

Amstelveen (The Netherlands): India made a winning start to their men's Hockey World Cup campaign, defeating Wales 3-1 in a Pool D match Saturday, with captain Harmanpreet Singh scoring twice from penalty corners. Playing in front of a large crowd at the nearly 10,000-capacity Wagener Stadium on the country's Independence Day, India dominated for long periods and...

New Delhi: Opposition parties Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "dimaagi Naxal" remark, saying he should not have used his Independence Day speech for politics, and claimed his pitch on 33 per cent women's reservation in legislatures displayed the ruling BJP's "hypocrisy" after not implementing the quota in the 2024 general elections. Senior BJP leaders,...

Galle: Devdutt Padikkal made a memorable return to Test cricket with a marvellous unbeaten 131, helping India construct a commanding 288 for two against Sri Lanka at stumps on the opening day of the first match Saturday. Padikkal, whose last appearance in whites was against Australia in Perth in 2024, underlined the progress and maturity as a...

Bhubaneswar: Cricket became a celebration of inclusion on Independence Day as young adults with autism stepped onto the field for the Independence Cup, organised by Zain Foundation Trust, getting an opportunity to play the sport they love in an organised match alongside their fathers, caregivers and support staff. The rain gods relented on the day, allowing the...

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday announced the scrapping of the six-attempt limit for the Odisha Civil Services Examination and free textbooks for students of Classes 9 and 10, while outlining several other initiatives in education, youth employment and agriculture in his Independence Day address. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Chief Minister Majhi paid...

Galle: Devdutt Padikkal and KL Rahul played contrasting knocks of unbeaten 84 and 77 respectively as India reached a commanding 197 for one at tea on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka here Saturday. Rahul flicked his Zen mode on during 162-ball knock while Padikkal mixed elegance and aggression to a nicety in...