The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 42 million loan to provide coastal and riverbank protection to increase resilience of local communities and natural ecosystems in the state of Maharashtra.

The ministry of finanace in an official statement on Thursday stated that the signatories to the loan agreement for the Maharashtra Sustainable Climate-Resilient Coastal Protection and Management Project were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, for the Government of India, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, for ADB.

Mukherjee stated that the ADB financing will help restore and stabilise Maharashtra's coastline and protect the livelihoods of coastal communities.

"Culture in many ways is the essence of soft power," Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said as India and France signed what he called "a project of great national importance" - a museum, the world's largest, which will be located on Raisina Hill - just in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The museum, named 'Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum' will tell the story of India - a timeline spanning more than 5,000 years.

It will be located on Raisina Hill - the seat of the Central government. The museum will be housed in the North Block and South Block buildings, which are currently the address of the foreign ministry, home ministry, defence ministry, finance ministry, and several other ministerial offices.

The museum - a project of national heritage, prestige, and importance - will cover an area of 1.17 lakh square metres with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three storeys. In his speech after India and France signed the agreement, Mr Jaishankar said "What is being seen today is a very important expression of international cooperation, one that is built on exchanges of best practices, on sharing of experiences."

New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has been finalised as the venue for the 2025 Para Worlds slated for 26 September to 5 October 2025. This is the first time India will host para athletics’ biggest sporting event. The development was announced by the World Paralympic Association (WPA) on their official website on Thursday.

The 2025 event is the 12th edition of the championships and the fourth time it is hosted in Asia, following Doha 2015, Dubai 2019 and Kobe 2024. As per WPA, the capital will also host a World Para Athletics Grand Prix from 11 to 13 March at the same venue in 2025. The Grand Prix event will serve as a trial event before the big competition scheduled for October.

“We are delighted to announce that the first major championships of the new Paralympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028 will be hosted in New Delhi. The 2025 Para Athletics World Championships will be the largest international Para sport event ever to take place in India, representing a massive opportunity to grow our sport, our fan base, and to impact society’s perception of persons with disabilities in the world’s most populous nation,” Paul Fitzgerald, Head of World Para Athletics said.

The World Bank on Friday said it cleared a $800 million loan for integrated urban development of Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, to help establish the city as a "well-managed, climate-resilient growth centre" that generates jobs.

The multilateral body's financing will also catalyse more than $600 million in private sector investment to help the city become financially sustainable, it said in a statement.

"The $800 million loan requested by the Government of India to develop Amaravati as an economic hub and state capital for Andhra Pradesh, has a final maturity of 29 years, including a grace period of six years," it said.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department says Ayodhya welcomed13.55 crore domestic tourists and 3,153 international visitors between January and September 2024. Uttar Pradesh has experienced a tourism surge, breaking records with an impressive 47.61 crore tourists visiting the state between January and September 2024. Ayodhya, home to the Ram Temple, has emerged as the state’s most visited destination, surpassing the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department reported that Ayodhya welcomed an astounding 13.55 crore domestic tourists and 3,153 international visitors during this period. The inauguration of the Ram Temple has driven this unprecedented surge, reshaping the tourism map of the state.

Real Madrid won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Mexico's Pachuca 3-0 in the final on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior scoring.

It was a largely one-sided contest at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, with Madrid doing just enough and never looking likely to cede control despite allowing their opponents to threaten occasionally from counter-attacks.

The Champions League winners opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a fine team goal that started with Jude Bellingham passing to Vinicius, who ran past the goalkeeper before putting it on a plate for Mbappé, who tapped it into the empty net.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the “Banglar Bari” scheme on Tuesday to provide houses for the rural poor in the State.

Ms Banerjee released the funds to 42 beneficiaries across 21 districts and said over 12 lakh beneficiaries in the State are eligible for the first instalment.

The launch of the scheme assumes significance as Ms. Banerjee had announced it ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and said that if the Centre does not release funds for PM Awas Yojana, then the West Bengal government will go ahead with its own scheme.

The release of funds for central schemes in West Bengal has emerged as a political issue, with the Chief Minister starting similar schemes and releasing funds to the beneficiaries after the Union government allegedly failed to release money.

Goa's vibrant Manohar Parrikar Stadium in Margao has become the center of international attention as it plays host to the 4th Asian Roll Ball Championship. This prestigious event, which began with a spectacular inauguration yesterday, marks a significant milestone in the promotion of Roll Ball, a sport steadily gaining global traction.

The championship sees participation from 12 nations, each bringing their finest talent to compete for the coveted title. Teams have completed their trial runs, and from today, the action officially begins, with matches scheduled to culminate in a thrilling final on December 19th. Enthusiasts and sports lovers can look forward to intense competition and moments of sheer brilliance as players from across Asia showcase their skills and teamwork.

HarperCollins India is proud to announce the upcoming release publication of 'BRING IT ON The Incredible Story of My Life' by Deepa Malik.

"I haven't seen a better motivator than Deepa Malik" - Narendra Modi

It is her smile that you notice first. It captivates you and ensures that your eyes don't move away from it. You don't see the wheelchair; you don't see the body paralysed chest down. You don't see the trauma of recurring spinal tumours, the frustration of an unresponsive body caging a free spirit, the countless hours of gruelling training. All you see is Deepa Malik—achiever, champion, inspiration.

Call her India's foremost para athlete with twenty-three international medals—including a silver at the 2016 Rio Paralympics—and several national awards, a recipient of the Padma Shri, the Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award, or the first Indian female paraplegic swimmer, biker and car rallyist, there's truly only one statement that defines Deepa Malik—a powerhouse of possibilities.

India’s economy will grow a tad faster at 6.6 percent in FY26 compared with 6.4 percent in the current fiscal, as investments emerge as a key driver of growth, India Ratings and Research said at the launch of its “FY2026 Macro Economic Outlook”.

"Ind-Ra believes India is facing monetary, fiscal and external tightening. While it expects monetary conditions to ease now, the fiscal and external tightening is expected to continue in FY26 as well. Nevertheless, the FY26 growth is expected to be the same as India’s best decadal growth (FY11-20),” said Devendra Kumar Pant, chief economist, Ind-Ra.

The ratings agency was less optimistic about the country’s quarterly growth outlook than the Reserve Bank of India, which pegged FY25 growth at 6.6 percent for the year.

The RBI expects the economy to average 7 percent for the second half of the year after what Ind-Ra describes as a “cyclical slowdown” pushed growth in Q2FY25 to a seven-quarter low of 5.4 percent. The Indian economy grew 6 percent in the first half of the year.