Following the success of ‘RAINMUMBAI’, India’s first rainfall-based weather derivatives contract, NCDEX on Monday announced the launch of a second contract on similar lines to capture the Northeast monsoon.

The Northeast monsoon largely impacts the southern parts of the country. Called ‘RAINCHNNAI’, the contract, according to an official statement, is designed to help market participants hedge financial exposure arising from the Northeast (retreating) monsoon, which accounts for nearly 70 per cent of Chennai's annual rainfall.

Although the Northeast monsoon officially starts in October, an official said September will be common for both ‘RAINMUMBAI’ and ‘RAINCHNNAI’ for continuity, ensuring no break in hedging. The ‘RAINCHNNAI’ contracts will be for the months of September, October, November and December, while ‘RAINMUMBAI’ covers the months of June, July, August and September.

Building on the experience gained from ‘RAINMUMBAI’, the contract has been developed in collaboration with IIT Bombay and anchored in official data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the statement said.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi etched his name into the record books on Monday, becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history at just 15 years and 157 days. Playing for East Zone in the semifinal against Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, the attacking opener reached his fifty off just 42 balls, smashing a six off off-spinner Saransh Jain to bring up the milestone.

The record had stood for 57 years, previously held by Laxman Singh, who scored a fifty at 16 years and 23 days in the 1969 edition. Piyush Chawla had also registered a Duleep Trophy half-century at 16 years and 307 days in 2005.

Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to a 20-year Argentina career that included a World Cup triumph, two Copa América titles and a record 207 appearances for his country. Messi said the decision had been on his mind since the World Cup final defeat to Spain, before the death of his father further convinced him it was time to step away. The 39-year-old revealed the decision in a statement posted on his official Instagram account, confirming that he would no longer wear the Argentina jersey after one of the most celebrated international careers in football history.

Messi said the decision had been painful, particularly because of the emotional bond he has shared with the national team and Argentina’s supporters throughout his career. He led his country to the World Cup title in 2022 after years of near misses and also helped Argentina win two Copa América crowns. His international journey also included World Cup final defeats in 2014 and again this summer, with the loss to Spain in July proving to be a significant moment in his decision-making process.

The fourth edition of Tri-Services Future Warfare Course concluded in New Delhi today after four weeks of professional military education and deliberations. It was conducted under the aegis of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and coordinated by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies.

The Ministry of Defence has said that the course brought together officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with representatives from government organisations, academia, industry and strategic think tanks to examine emerging trends shaping the future character of warfare.

Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani interacted with the participants, seeking their views on emerging areas and additional subjects that could be incorporated in future editions to further strengthen the relevance of the programme. The course also dwelt on out-of-the-box ideas for enhancing the operational and functional efficiency of the services in an integrated ecosystem. The fourth edition further reinforced the importance of joint learning, technological awareness, strategic foresight and operational preparedness in preparing military leaders for the evolving character of warfare.

Indian Railways has approved projects worth a combined ₹675 crore to strengthen railway safety, modernise signalling infrastructure and enhance freight movement across the network.

The approvals include ₹170 crore for deploying Kavach Version 4.0 across the remaining 712 Route Kilometres (Rkm) of Moradabad Division, ₹233 crore for Electronic Interlocking (EI) at 21 stations in Samastipur Division, and ₹272 crore for an 11-km bypass line between Adra end and Joychandipahar in South Eastern Railway.

Kavach 4.0 to cover remaining 712 Rkm of Moradabad Division

Indian Railways has sanctioned ₹170 crore for the provision of Kavach Version 4.0 on the remaining 712 Rkm of Moradabad Division under Northern Railway.

Hockey India has announced a cash award of 50 lakh rupees for the Indian Women’s Hockey Team for their historic fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 in Belgium and the Netherlands. India defeated World No. 5 Germany 3-1 in Amstelveen on Thursday. It is India’s best World Cup finish since the team secured fourth place in the inaugural edition in 1974.

Captain Salima Tete’s team lost only one match in the tournament. India held higher-ranked China, England and Australia to draws. The team also recorded a 6-1 win over South Africa. Hockey India President Padma Dilip Tirkey called the result historic. He said the fifth-place finish after 52 years reflects the team’s hard work, resilience and fighting spirit. Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh also praised the team.

He said Salima and her teammates had made the country proud by competing strongly against some of the world’s best teams. He said the award would motivate the players ahead of the Asian Games. FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 final between the Netherlands and Argentina will take place at Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen tonight.

India recently introduced its first national minimum standards for mortuary and post-mortem infrastructure, finalized by the National Council for Clinical Establishments under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), setting uniform requirements for cold storage, staffing, body identification and autopsy facilities while barring morgues from basements and areas near hospital waste disposal sites.

The standards seek to replace a fragmented system in which mortuary operations have largely been governed by state police manuals and medico-legal codes rather than uniform technical requirements, according to two government officials and the ‘Clinical Establishment Act Standards for Mortuary’ document reviewed by Mint.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026. The Rules provide for Indian Standard Time (IST) as the common time reference across the country for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes.

The common time reference will support accurate time-stamping of banking and digital payment transactions, coordination of railways, airports and other transport systems, and also the coordination of emergency and other time-sensitive services.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said that the Rules will come into force one hundred eighty days from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. The rules are aimed at ensuring that important systems across the country use accurate and consistent IST.

India is preparing for another significant Earth Observation mission with the launch of EOS-05 (GISAT-1A) scheduled by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The satellite is meant for high resolution imaging of the Indian subcontinent and could be very useful in monitoring cyclones, floods and forest fires.

Now, the mission is in a critical condition with the rocket GSLV-F17 shifted from the Vehicle Integration Centre (VIC) to the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota ahead of its take-off.

ISRO is readying itself for the launch of the 2,367-kilogram EOS-05 satellite on board the 51.7-metre GSLV-F17 rocket. The satellite is an earth observation satellite able to collect high-resolution images.

Bihar and Jharkhand on Monday will sign an agreement formalising the sharing of Sone river waters, resolving the dispute that has persisted since Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.

“All details had already been finalised. Chief ministers of both states are coming to sign the pact Monday,” a senior Union Jal Shakti ministry official told HT, on condition of anonymity.

HT had on July 24 reported that the agreement was very close to be signed after both states completed their internal approvals. The development comes after Jharkhand in July passed the matter in its cabinet earlier this month.