India got off to a flying start at the Second India Open International Boxing tournament in Guwahati with all the seven Indian pugilists won their preliminary bouts on the opening day yesterday. 

Ace boxer Mary Kom will start her campaign today in 51 kilogram against Nepal's opponent. In the same category, two Indians- Nikhat Zareen and Anamika will face each other. In 64 kilogram category,  local girl Ankushita Boro will vie against Lalita. In men's category,  Ankit and Manjeet Panghal will play their matches in 60 and 75 kilogram category respectively.
 
As many as 10 Indian boxers are already confirmed of a medal each with six in men and four in women entering the semi-finals straightaway because of the smaller size of the draw.

Pakistan, on Monday, appointed Mueenul Haq as the High Commissioner to India. Haq's appointment comes after Sohail Mehmood left the High Commission to take over as Pakistan's foreign secretary, news agencies reported citing Pakistani media. Haq was Pakistan’s Ambassador to France and served as chief of the protocol before his appointment in Paris.

"New Delhi, India, is very important...After the consultation, I have decided to appoint Mueenul Haq, the current ambassador in France, who will be sent to (New) Delhi, and I hope that he (Haq) will deliver," Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a televised statement.

Besides India, Pakistan also announced appointments of High Commissioners to China, Japan and Brussels. "After consulting the Prime Minister, I am happy to announce the following appointments. I wish the newly appointed officers good luck and hope they represent Pakistan with utmost dignity and effectiveness," Pak FM tweeted.

The nation is paying homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 28th death anniversary today. 

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bombing at  Sriperumbudur of Tamil Nadu on this day in 1991. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Former President Pranab Mukherjee, former Vice President Hamid Ansari,  former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders offered floral tributes to Rajiv Gandhi at his memorial Vir Bhumi in the national capital. 

The martyrdom of Rajiv Gandhi is also observed as Anti-terrorism Day.

The Second India Open International Boxing Tournament will begin today at Sarusajai stadium in Guwahati.

16 countries will participate in the tournament where nearly 200 boxers will vying for the podium. The preliminaries will be held today and tomorrow to be followed by the quarter-finals and semi-finals, culminating into the grand finale on May 24.

India has fielded a strong contingent of 38 men and 37 women in the tournament including Mary Kom in 51-kilogram category.

Six pugilists from Assam would representing the country in front of the home crowd. Last year, India won 6 gold medals. The competition will be held in a total of 18 categories, 10 in men and 8 in women.

The gold medalist will get 2500 US dollar and Silver medalist will earn 1000 US dollar. 

The world body governing Badminton, BFA, has launched two new formats of the game --AirBadminton and Triples with new dimensions of the court and an innovative shuttlecock called Airshuttle. Traditional competitive badminton has been an indoor game.

In the new formats launched globally at Guangzhou last week, AirBadmintion will be outdoor sports. In Triples format, the match will be played between a team of three players each with presence of at least one female.  

India's top shuttlers have endorsed AirBadminton. Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and H.S. Prannoy said it has the potential to provide an alternate career to retired professionals. The Secretary, Badminton Association of India, Ajay Singhania hailed AirBadminton as a great initiative. 

Outdoor badminton is one of India's favourite recreational sports. Infrastructure won't be a hindrance for people interested in  Airbadminton as it can be played in different environments like grass in parks, on sands in beaches and the streets and bylanes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on his victory in the elections. In a tweet, Mr Modi wished the people of Australia all success under Mr Morrison's  dynamic leadership. 

He said, as strategic partners, he is looking forward to continue working together closely to further strengthen the  relationship between India and Australia. 

In Tennis, defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain has clinched the Italian Open 2019 title after beating Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in the final in Rome last night.

This is Nadal's ninth Italian Open title. It is the 81st title of Nadal's career.

Nadal also broke a tie with Djokovic by claiming a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 crown. Whereas, in Women's single Czech's Karolina Pliskova registered two straight-set victory against Britain's Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4 to claim the Italian Open title.

The Navies of India and Singapore are participating in the annual maritime bilateral exercise SIMBEX in the South China Sea.

Yesterday the sea phase of the bilateral naval drill started and will continue till Wednesday. In a statement in New Delhi, the Indian Navy said, various maritime combat exercises such as firing on aerial or surface targets, advanced aerial tracking, coordinated targeting exercises and tactical exercises on the surface or air scenarios is being conducted during the exercise.

The Indian Navy said, Naval ships INS Kolkata and INS Shakti taking part in the bilateral naval exercise, along with long-range maritime patrol aircraft Poseidon-8I. The Singapore side is being represented by RSN ships Steadfast and Valiant, maritime patrol aircraft Fokker-50  and F-16 fighter aircraft.

The forces of India and Singapore share robust military ties. The South China Sea waters, which are claimed by many littoral states, have been witnessing muscling in of the Chinese navy. Over the years SIMBEX has stood the test of time in demonstrating the nation’s commitment to enhance maritime cooperation between the two navies and bolster bonds of friendship between the two countries. 

In a matter of huge honour for India, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on Thursday conferred the prestigious Sasakawa Award 2019 for Disaster Risk Reduction to Pramod Kumar Mishra, additional principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mishra was conferred with the honour in recognition of his “long-term dedication to improve the resilience of communities most exposed to disasters and his personal commitment to social inclusion as a critical principle to reduce inequality and poverty, enhancing the safety net of the socially and economically marginalised”, the government said in a statement.

The Sasakawa Award is believed to be the most prestigious international award in disaster risk management and it began over 30 years ago. It is jointly organised by the UNDRR and the Nippon Foundation, with a total grant of $50,000 distributed among the winners. The winners could be either organisations or individuals.

This year’s award theme was “Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies” and the UNDRR got more than 61 nominations from 31 countries.

The Indian Navy has successfully test-fired a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM), achieving a significant milestone to enhance its anti-air warfare capability, the defence ministry said Friday.

The test-firing of the missile was undertaken on the western seaboard by Indian naval ships Kochi and Chennai.

"The Indian Navy achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its anti air warfare capability with the maiden cooperative engagement firing of the MRSAM," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The test-firing of the missile was carried out jointly by the Indian Navy, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries.

The DRDO has jointly developed the missile in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries. The MRSAM has been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.

"These surface to air missiles are fitted onboard the Kolkata class destroyers and would also be fitted on all future major warships of the Indian Navy," the ministry said.