12 years after playing his last ODI, former India cricketer Dinesh Mongia announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the age of 42 on Tuesday. Mongia last played for India in an ODI in Dhaka in 2007 before joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and getting a ban from BCCI. All the players participating in ICL were later cleared by BCCI but interestingly, Dinesh Mongia was the only one not to get a clearance from the board for his alleged involvement in match-fixing.

Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent had named Mongia as well as the Kiwi all-rounder Chris Cairns in the match-fixing case in 2015 during a hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Indian Air Force has successfully flight-tested air-to-air missile Astra off the coast of Odisha. The missile was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI combat aircraft on Monday as a part of User trials.

According to the Defence Ministry, a live aerial target was engaged accurately by the Astra while the mission profile was executed in a text book manner. The missile was tracked using radars, electro-optical tracking sensors and struck its target successfully.

The missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the premier research and development organisation of the armed forces.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and Air Force teams for the successful test.

Former speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Kodela Siva Prasada Rao was found dead under suspicious circumstances at his residence here on Monday.

Joint Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A.R. Srinivas said the 72-year-old politician was suspected to have committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence in Banjara Hills. He was taken to Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital, where doctored declared him dead.

“After attending on him for more than an hour, doctors pronounced Rao dead,” Mr. Srinivas said, adding that there was a ligature mark around his neck.

Bollywood actor Neena Gupta registered a double victory at Indian International Film Festival of Boston. The Badhaai Ho actor won Best Actress award while her film The Last Color emerged victorious in Best Feature Film category.

An elated Neena took to Instagram to thanks her fans for their love and support. The directorial debut of world-renowned chef Vikas Khanna The Last Color deals with taboo surrounding widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi in India.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's will honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Swachh Bharat Mission, a sanitation initiative that improved access to toilets.

In a statement issued on Monday in Seattle,USA, the Gates Foundation said, Mr Modi will receive its annual Goalkeepers Global Goals Award for providing 500 million people in India safer sanitation. Mr Modi will be in the United States next week to receive the foundation's award.

The Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in 2014 and its components include the construction of household toilets, community and public toilets and solid waste management.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to his home state Gujarat. 

Mr. Modi was received by Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his senior cabinet colleagues on his arrival at Ahmedabad airport last night. 

According to sources, Prime Minister Modi has departed for Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam at Kevadia in Narmada district to mark the historic moment of overflowing of the Dam.

AIR correspondent reports that Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to perform the Puja of Narmada water at Sardar Sarovar Dam- which was completely filled up for the first time after raising its height to 138.68 metres. He will also address the people on this occasion.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh conferred the Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award 2019 in Dhaka on Monday. The award has been instituted in the memory of former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The award citation lauded Prime Minister Hasina for her vision of a peaceful and prosperous South Asia, free of tension, conflicts and terrorism. It acknowledged her contribution in fostering cooperation between India and Bangladesh.

Speaking after receiving the award Prime Minister Hasina said that the award will inspire her government to strive for the achievement of greater inclusive development of people.

Chief Adviser of the Dr Kalam Smriti International Advisory Council former Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan handed over the award to Sheikh Hasina.

Film editor Sanjib Kumar Datta, who has movies like Iqbal, Ek Hasina Thi and Mardaani to his credit, passed away on Sunday. He was 54.

His frequent collaborator and filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor, who is currently in Canada, confirmed news about Sanjib’s demise to indianexpress.com.

“What I have heard is that he went in for a bypass but never came out of it. I am still gathering details. It is a big loss. He was the silent architect behind 13 of my films,” Kukunoor said.

An alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Sanjib Kumar Datta initially worked as an assistant to late editor Renu Saluja. His first big project was the 1998 film Bada Din.

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer | The United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2000, designated the day in memory of the date in 1987 when nations inked the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The celebrations are also known as World Ozone Day.

According to the United Nations, the theme for the World Ozone Day, 2019 is - 32 Years and Healing, celebrates over three decades of international cooperation to protect the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of 99 percent of ozone-depleting chemicals in refrigerators, air-cooling systems and other products.

Spain beat Argentina 95-75 to win the Basketball World Cup in Beijing, their first title for 13 years.

The Spaniards scored 14 of the first 16 points and never lost their lead to the 2004 Olympic champions.

Phoenix Suns point guard and tournament MVP Ricky Rubio managed 20 points and three assists, while NBA champion and Toronto Raptors' Marc Gasol added 14 points and seven assists.

Both teams had previously qualified for next year's Tokyo Olympics.