India

Indian tunnel workers freed after 17 days

A crowd of local residents, gathered around the tunnel, erupted in joy and shouted slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai", or "Long live mother India," and set off firecrackers in celebration as the men were rescued.

Officials presented the first rescued workers with garlands made of flowers, hanging them around their necks as the crowd cheered.

Australia Stun India in World Cup Final

India had been undefeated throughout the tournament but were bowled out for 240 on the final ball of their innings before Head starred for Australia on his way to a match-winning 137 — after Australia had been reduced to 3-47 in front of an increasingly frenzied home crowd.

Head, with able support from Marnus Labuschagne (58), steadied the ship to lead Australia to victory despite falling with just two runs required.

He became the third Australian to make a century in a men's world cup final, joining Ricky Ponting (2003) and Adam Gilchrist (2007) in doing so.

Rohit Sharma hails Australia as Complete Side

The Indian captain, who's overseen a magnificent unbeaten 10-match procession towards the Ahmedabad climax, was quick to counter a questioner at his eve-of-final news conference who'd suggested Australia were no longer seen as a "dominant" side.

"I don't agree with not being dominant. They've won eight out of eight, the last eight games that they've played — and they played it really well," said Sharma.

"So, it's going to be a good contest.

"They are a very complete side."

Kohli carrying India's hopes on his shoulders

This continues during his innings whether he's taking a single or flicking a six over square leg.

If Kohli is dismissed, you can hear a pin drop in the stadium. Such is the popularity of the Indian superstar.

When Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket in 2013 as the leading run-scorer and century-maker in Tests and ODIs, Indians thought they'd never see another player like him.

While the Little Master remains a god-like figure in a country where cricket is a religion, he's sharing the spotlight — and one of his records — with Kohli.

'President of Bharat' dinner invite leads to speculation India will change its name

It all stems from a simple invite sent out for a dinner on the sidelines of the G20 summit, which referred to India's President Droupadi Murmu as the "President of Bharat".

So, what is Bharat and why has this invite led to suspicions India will soon change its name?

The president of Bharat

By convention, invitations issued by Indian constitutional bodies have always mentioned the name India when the text is in English, and the name Bharat when the text is in Hindi.

Six Countries to join China and Russia in BRICS bloc

Key points:

  • More than 20 countries had formally applied to join BRICS ahead of this year's summit and more than 20 others had expressed interest
  • China and Russia have been pushing for expansion, while Brazil and India have been wary
  • The five BRICS leaders were in closed-door discussions for two days before announcing the expansion

The United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia were also set to enter BRICS from January 1, 2024.

PM Marape sends condolences to India

“On behalf of the Government and People of Papua New Guinea, I would like to take this time to express our sincere condolences and sympathies to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his people.”

Close to 300 people have lost their lives and over 1000 injured in the Indian state of Odisha in what is believed to be India’s worst rail crash in 20 years.

A passenger train hit a stationary freight train which then resulted in the pile-up of another passenger train travelling in the opposite direction of the first train.

Indian railways official says error in signalling system led to crash that killed 275 people

13 dead after falling into well in Kushinagar

Police said the victims - all women and children - were sitting on a metal slab covering the well when it collapsed under their weight.

Two more people have been injured in the accident, which took place in Kushinagar district.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths "heart-wrenching".

The tragedy took place on Wednesday evening during the traditional "haldi" ceremony, in which relatives apply turmeric paste to the faces of the bride and groom as a marker of prosperity.

India bids farewell to beloved singer

Mangeshkar, whose voice was the soundtrack to hundreds of Bollywood films, died aged 92 on Sunday.

PM Narendra Modi and stars of the entertainment industry attended the funeral, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects.

Her extraordinary career spanned more than half a century and she recorded thousands of songs in 36 languages.

Two days of national mourning will follow the funeral and the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country.