The official countdown for the Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was marked with the handing over of the ceremonial torch bearing the Olympiad flame by FIDE Interim President Viswanathan Anand and All India Chess Federation (AICF) President Nitin Narang to the Candidates 2026 winner and top Uzbek player Javokhir Sindarov, according to a press release.

The Chess Olympiad is the most prestigious team competition, with the world’s best set to compete in Samarkand from September 15-27.

The Chess Olympiad Torch Ceremony was started by FIDE in 2022 on the lines of the Olympic flame to celebrate the global reach of the sport and build excitement for the competition.

“The Chess Olympiad Torch is a powerful symbol of how the game connects nations and generations. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi began this tradition in India in 2022, and it is special to see the flame now travel from India, the game’s birthplace, to Uzbekistan, two nations with a deep and growing chess culture. We wish Javokhir Sindarov and Uzbekistan the very best as Samarkand prepares to welcome the chess world,” said Nitin Narang, President, All India Chess Federation.

The Indian Air Force’s First ‘Dronathon-2026’ commenced today at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer. The three day event aims to strengthen the national goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and enhance the Indian Air Force’s operational capabilities in the unmanned systems domain. It brings together domestic manufacturers to showcase their capabilities and advancements in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS), inaugurated the event. He highlighted the nation’s growing capabilities in unmanned technologies and stressed the importance of developing indigenous defence technologies. During the three-day event, companies from the country’s defence and technology sectors will conduct live demonstrations of their indigenous drone and anti-drone technologies. The focus of the event is on drones and technologies designed to counter them rather than fighter jets or missiles. Domestic manufacturers, startups, innovators from across the country are showcasing their capabilities in Dronothon-2026.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to modernise its 1033 National Highway Helpline with artificial intelligence, real-time location tracking and smart emergency-response systems to provide faster assistance to highway users across the country.

The proposed Next Generation 1033 Helpline is aimed at improving emergency response during medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns and other highway-related incidents. The upgraded system will be designed to identify a caller’s location in real time, process calls in multiple Indian languages and facilitate quicker deployment of emergency services.

While technology will play a greater role in the new system, human operators will continue to remain central to the response mechanism, particularly in situations requiring judgement and decision-making.

1033 helpline handles around 15,000 calls daily

For millions of Indians, paying through UPI (Unified Payments Interface) has become a routine part of everyday life. A quick scan of a QR code, entering a PIN and the payment is complete.

However, a recent government notification raised questions about whether users could eventually be charged for making high-value UPI payments. The Centre, through a notification under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 on Monday, specified UPI transactions up to ₹2,000 and payments made using RuPay-powered debit cards as electronic modes of payment on which banks and payment system providers cannot impose charges.

The notification states that no bank or system provider can impose a charge, either directly or indirectly, on a person making or receiving a payment through these specified modes.

The Department of Rural Development (DoRD) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand pension coverage and strengthen social security among rural households through a dedicated cadre of Pension Sakhis.

Ministry of Rural Development said that the partnership will leverage the community institutional network of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission, including Banking Correspondent (BC) Sakhis and other trained community resource persons, to raise awareness, facilitate enrolment, and provide pension-related support in remote areas.

India is observing Hindi Diwas 2026 today, September 14, marking the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union.

The yearly celebration highlights Hindi's place in India's literary, cultural, and administrative spheres. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has sent a special message to his people on the occasion of Hindi Diwas 2026.

Additionally, the Home Minister explained that Hindi as a language is progressing together with all other Indian languages and is crucial to national integration, good governance, and mass communication.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the fifth edition of SEMICON India 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, on Wednesday. It will bring together over 600 exhibitors, 300 International Companies and delegations from more than 40 countries. The exhibition will feature six country pavilions and twelve State Government pavilions, along with a dedicated Startup Pavilion.

SEMICON India is India’s premier semiconductor conference and exhibition, jointly organised by the India Semiconductor Mission, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and SEMI. It serves as a flagship platform for bringing together the global semiconductor and electronics ecosystem to advance collaboration, innovation, manufacturing, investment and talent development.

The three-day conference programme will feature high-level keynotes, panel discussions and strategic sessions focusing on emerging trends and critical areas across the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem, including semiconductor manufacturing and technology.

India produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final in Dubai last night, securing a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title. The victory also helped India avenge their defeat to Sri Lanka in the 2024 final. It was India’s sixth win over Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup final across the ODI and T20 formats, including the 2004 edition when India defeated Sri Lanka 5-0 in the two-team tournament.

India first posted a formidable 183 for 5 after openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana produced a record-breaking 129-run partnership. The bowlers then completed the job by dismissing Sri Lanka for 111 in 19.4 overs, with Shree Charani taking four wickets and Deepti Sharma claiming three. Shafali Verma was declared Player of the Match.

India’s victory was built on a combination of explosive batting at the top and disciplined bowling through the middle and final overs. The record partnership between Shafali and Mandhana gave India the platform, while Charani and Deepti dismantled Sri Lanka’s chase to seal a memorable eighth title.

India and MERCOSUR have signed the First Additional Protocol to the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), marking an important step towards facilitating paperless trade and modernising customs procedures between India and the MERCOSUR countries.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said the move is expected to facilitate the transition towards digital and paperless trade documentation, reduce transaction costs and processing time associated with the issuance and verification of Certificates of Origin, and improve the efficiency of preferential trade under the existing India-MERCOSUR.

The Protocol was signed by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal, Ambassador of Uruguay to India Alberto Guani, and Ambassador of Paraguay to India, Fleming Raul Duarte Ramos, in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Mario Lubetkin.

The Government has approved the export of power for 18 hours a day to the Nepal Electricity Authority till the 31st of December this year. The Ministry of Power said the approval has been given for to six hundred megawatts of export through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar line and to 54 megawatts through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar line.

The recent floods have caused significant damage to hydropower infrastructure in Nepal, reducing its domestic power generation capacity and creating an additional requirement for electricity. The Ministry said that the approval given since Monday will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal. It added that India remains committed to supporting Nepal and strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.