One of India’s biggest religious festivals, the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is here and the celebrations are in full swing. Also known as the ‘Festival of Chariots’, this occasion begins in the month of Ashadha. This year, the festival commenced on June 20 in Puri, Odisha, and will culminate on June 28.

The festival signifies the annual visit of Lord Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra to the Gundicha temple in Odisha. Every year, the Rath Yatra takes place for nine days and is known as the biggest chariot procession globally.

The International Day of Yoga is marked annually on June 21 on a global scale since 2015. An invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition, yoga has emerged as one of the most trusted means to boost physical and mental well-being. This year, the theme for International Yoga Day is "Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," which beautifully encapsulates our collective aspiration for "One Earth, One Family, One Future."

Every year, the International Day of Yoga is celebrated with fervour across the globe. Check out our collection of best wishes, messages, quotes, greetings, WhatsApp messages, and Facebook statuses to boost your fitness mood.

The Drug Control General of India (DCGI) has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to an Omicron-specific booster vaccine, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said on Tuesday. The mRNA-based vaccine, GEMCOVAC-OM, was developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals using the indigenous platform technology, and supported under the Mission COVID Suraksha, implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

The U.S. will have its first Bangladeshi American and first Muslim female federal judge after the Senate confirmed Nusrat Choudhury on Thursday. President Joe Biden nominated Choudhury, a civil rights attorney, to the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York in January, and she was confirmed to the life-tenured position with a narrow margin of 50-49 votes.

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who exposed the extent of US involvement in the Vietnam War, has died, aged 92.

He died at his home in Kensington, California, of pancreatic cancer, his family said.

The former US military analyst's 1971 Pentagon Papers leak led to him being dubbed "the most dangerous man in America".

It led to a Supreme Court case as the Nixon administration tried to block publication in the New York Times.

But espionage charges against Ellsberg were ultimately dismissed. "Daniel was a seeker of truth and a patriotic truth-teller, an anti-war activist, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a dear friend to many, and an inspiration to countless more. He will be dearly missed by all of us," Ellsberg's family said in a statement obtained by NPR.

Indian paddler Mudit Dani has entered the history books by becoming the first Indian to win the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) Male Athlete of the Year award for his exceptional performances in 2022-23. The NCTTA is a national organisation member of USA Table Tennis and the prestigious award is given to the best performing male athlete across USA and Canadian universities at the end of every season.

Abhishek Verma added a gold medal to India’s tally by clinching the top prize in the men’s compound individual final at the World Cup Stage 3 here.

The 33-year-old Abhishek, winner of the compound team gold and an individual silver at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, defeated James Lutz of USA 148-146 on Saturday.

Abhishek, the multiple World Cup gold medallist, who is making a comeback after missing the first two stages of the World Cup, had earlier stunned the world No 1 and top seed Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands 148-148 (10*-10) in a thrilling shoot-off to advance to the individual semifinal.

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), a unique space telescope developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), is now ready and has been delivered to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The telescope is set to be integrated with the ADITYA-L1 mission, expected to be launched in mid-August this year.

” It is proud news for us that the telescope will be integrated with the ADITYA-L1 mission as a very important instrument in its array,” said Prof R Srianand, Director of IUCAA.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully deployed Indonesia's new communications satellite into orbit, the company said on Monday.

The SATRIA-1 telecommunications satellite lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 6:21 p.m. EDT (3:51 a.m. IST) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday.

SATRIA-1 (short for "Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia") will be operated for the Indonesian government by the Indonesian company PSN.

India’s defence ministry on Thursday approved the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed drones from the US, with a formal announcement on the deal expected during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington next week, people familiar with the matter said.

The clearance for procuring the drones made by General Atomics was given by a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, the people said.