CHENNAI: India's Yuvraj Wadhwani has clinched Asian Junior Squash Championship title after defeating Anas Ali Shah of Pakistan in the final of the boys' U-13 individual event.

Wadhwani thrashed his Pakistani counterpart 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 12-10 in the final to become the second Indian to lift the prestigious trophy.

In 2014, it was Indian squash player Veer Chotrani, who had won the title in Iran.

In under-15 category, India's Arvav Sareen had to settle for the second podium finish after losing his summit clash 6-11, 9-11, 7-11 to Mohammad Hamza Khan of Pakistan.

Overall, Indian squash players managed to win a total of six medals in the tournament including one gold, one silver and four bronze.

The International Day of Older Persons is observed every year on October 1 to focus on issues that affect the aged, such as dementia and the abuse of old individuals.

This is also a day when we should sit back and remember all the contributions that have been made to society by old people.

It was on December 14, 1990, that the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish this date as the International Day of Older Persons. The next year, the day was observed as a holiday.

The International Day of Older Persons is similar to National Grandparents Day in the United States and Canada and also Respect for the Aged Day in Japan.

According to official figures released in 2016 by the ministry of statistics, the number of Indians over the age of 60 is at an all time high, comprising 8.6% of the country’s 121-crore population.

Keeping this in mind, we need to make sure that increased attention is given to the challenges faced by elderly people. It is also imperative that we make the world a more inclusive place so that they can participate more freely in it and be an active part of our

he 'Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence' has been inaugurated today, on September 29 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

The conference is attended by vice-chancellors and directors of over 350 higher education institutions.

The 'Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence' has been organised by are the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Research for Resurgence Foundation - a sister-concern of the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal.

Theme of the conference:
"The theme of the conference is to deliberate on the challenges facing the Indian education system and to work out a plan for a paradigm shift both in terms of achieving academic outcomes and also in the regulation of education," said a statement released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

"This conference is in continuation of the efforts being made by the ministry for evolving an action plan for transformation of the higher education sector. The first among this was held in Delhi during vice-chancellors' conference from July 26 to 28," as reported in an IANS report.

Senior diplomat Vikram Misri has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to China, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced Friday. He will replace Gautam Bambawale. Misri, a 1989-batch India Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is presently serving as Indian envoy in Myanmar.

“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the ministry said.

His appointment comes at a time when India and China are trying to deepen their cooperation in various areas, leaving behind last year’s Dokalam standoff which was the most serious military face-off in decades.

Misri has served in various capacities at the headquarters of the MEA here as well as in the Prime Minister’s Office. He has also served in various Indian Missions in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Misri had taken charge as India’s Ambassador to Myanmar on August 31, 2016.

He was born on November 7, 1964 in Srinagar. He did his schooling from the Scindia School in Gwalior and earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from the Hindu College, University of Delhi. Misri is also an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Rohit Sharma, India's stand-in captain was in top form right through the tournament and he started the chase confidently even as he lost two partners within quick succession of each other. Rohit pierced the gaps for three boundaries and hit three sixes before falling to Rubel Hossain for 48.

Rohit's dismissal brought Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni together and even though the latter took his time early on in his innings, there was no pressure on the Indian camp. Gradually, the pair started opening up but Karthik was done in for 37 by Mahmudullah when he missed a full toss and the ball him in front of middle stump.

Also read - MS Dhoni 1st Asian wicketkeeper to affect 800 dismissals in international cricket

The onus was then on Dhoni but he was still far from his best. However, with the asking rate well within control. But Bangladesh's hopes were raised when Kedar Jadhav walked in to bat and after playing a couple of breathtaking shots, began to cramp up. Dhoni, under pressure to get on with the scoring played a rash shot and fell to Mustafizur Rahman. Soon after, Jadhav had to retire hurt.

However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Jadeja joined forces with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and brought India close to their target. The duo ran hard - Jadeja hit just one boundary while Bhuvneshwar hit one six and a boundary with 13 runs needed off the last three overs.

Jadeja fell to Hossain with only 11 needed off 16 balls - that brought Jadhav back to the crease. But this time, there was no limp and struggle. Jadhav kept his nerves and hung around till the last ball to see India through in a thriller.

Also read - 23-year-old Liton Das smashes historic hundred vs India

But as a Bangladesh fan, you could not fault your team for lack of effort. The bowlers, led by skipper Mashrafe Mortaza were heroic after Liton Das's maiden hundred guided them to 222.

Liton and Mehidy had added a record 120 for the opening wicket before Bangladesh lost their way with the bat. Even as India kept picking regular wickets thereafter, Das held his ground before falling for a 117-ball 121.

This was the second successive Asia Cup final where India took on Bangladesh . In 2016, India had decimated Bangladesh in the final (of the Asia Cup T20). Overall, this was India's seventh Asia Cup triumph.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, lost their second successive multi-nation tournament final to India. In March, Bangladesh had lost the Nidahas Trophy final when Karthik slammed an 8-ball 29 to give India a memorable victory.

He said, ancient Indian universities like Nalanda, Takshila and Vikramshila used to stress on innovations. Prime Minister said, education and knowledge cannot be gained only through books.
Prime Minister Modi called upon academics to not only impart education in classrooms of college and universities but connect their students with the aspirations of the country. Prime Minister said, higher education should equip students with high thinking, dignified behavior and capability to solve the problems being faced by the society. Mr Modi said, his government is paying special attention to investment in education.

He said, government has started Revitalisation of Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) to improve infrastructure in education. Prime Minister said, his government has decided to raise budget for higher education in the country. He said, government has set up Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) which will financially help set up the institutions of higher learning.

Prime Minister Modi said, 60 universities or institutions of higher learning have been given graded autonomy to improve the standard of education in the country. Vice-Chancellors and Directors from more than 350 universities are participating in the day-long conference.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said “At the outset, let me congratulate the Indian Railways and the Google Arts and Culture Association for this wonderful initiative, which has taken over 2 years of hard work, research, inquiry and execution. It is often said that civilisation is built over millenia by countless generations, with each generation leaving its footprints in the sands of time. A culture must reserve these footprints to remember what it was and where it came from. Whenever we look at the evolution of the transport system in India, all these rich traditions, history and culture will play an important role in understanding how the Indian Railways has evolved. Being a 165 year old organisation, the Railways has a lot of material which we need to preserve and leave behind for posterity. Mark Twain had once said, "Our most valuable and instructive materials in the history of mankind are treasured in India". The Indian Railways has a lot of treasured moments for the world to see how technologies evolved over time: Mumbai has a special place in the Railways, being the first Railway line to be set up in India. It was way back on 16th April, 1853 when the first train ran between Bori Bunder and Thane. We will be setting up 22 digital screens across different locations in India for showcasing this historic project”.

The Minister further added, “This partnership between the Railways and Google also has the dimension of the Wi-Fi, which we have proliferated to over 400 stations in India. This shows the potential of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Jodhpur Military Station Friday morning to inaugurate 'Parakram Parv' -- an exhibition to commemorate the second anniversary of surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army against terror camps across the Line of Control in 2016.

The Army on September 29, 2016 had announced that it carried out the cross-border strikes, days after several Indian soldiers were martyred in a pre-dawn terrorist attack on the Army Headquarters in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri.

PM Modi was accompanied by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

The Konark Corps organised the exhibition on Indian Army's combat capability on the occasion. Soldiers performed various drills in combat gear.

The 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship organised by Asian Yoga Federation will begin in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala today.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally inaugurate the event.
Nearly 450 participants representing 12 Asian countries showcasing their yoga skills will take part in four-day event. AIR correspondent reports that the pan-Asian yoga event is being held in the country for the second time.


Participants from various countries including China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Iran, Nepal, Vietnam, Afghanisthan and Bangladesh have already reached Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian team include 111 yoga exponents, including five Keralites. Competitions would be held under various age groups in six categories including Asian yogasana sports competition, artistic yoga, artistic pair yoga, rhythmic yoga, free flow dance competition, and professional yogasana sports competition.

Yogaratna Awards will be given away to foreign delegates who were instrumental in popularising yoga in their respective countries. Noted Saudi yoga instructor Nouf Marwaai, who was recently awarded the Padma Shri, is expected to participate in the event.

A meeting between Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Minister for Development of Information Technologies and Communications, Uzbekistan Mr Shuhrat Sadikov was held in New Delhi for strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in ICT sector.

The Uzbek side appreciated India’s achievement under the Digital India programme and expressed interest for cooperation in the area of IT-ITeS trade promotion, e-Governance, HRD and Capacity building, Telemedicine etc. Further, the Uzbek side showed keen interest in techno-park cooperation.

Union IT Minister Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad assured his counterpart that India will provide all possible technical support from the Indian side in the digital growth of Uzbekistan. Subsequently, in presence of both the Ministers Two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU’s) were signed: -  

a)         Agreement between National Informatics Centre (NIC), India and e-Government System development centre of the Ministry for Development of Information Technologies and Communications of Uzbekistan for strengthening e-Governance cooperation.

b)         Declaration of Intent between CDAC, India and Tashkent University of Information Technologies, Uzbekistan for cooperation in the area of capacity building in ICT sector. 

 Sh. Prasad said that India will assist in creating technology parks in Uzbekistan and a pre-agreement was also signed with STPI in this regard.