The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to join its `Moon Base’ programme, marking an expansion of India-US cooperation in lunar science and exploration, according to a US Embassy statement.

The invitation was extended during the ninth meeting of the India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group, held at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on August 5-6.

“NASA invited ISRO to join its Moon Base program, building on the two countries’ partnership under the Artemis Accords,” the statement issued on Tuesday noted.

Deepak Dhar, an IINSA distinguished professor and one of India’s most respected theoretical physicists, has been awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), a recognition considered among the highest honours in the field of physics.

The award, instituted in 1985, has over the decades been associated with some of the biggest names, including Stephen Hawkings, in theoretical physics.

Dhar is one of four physicists selected this year in recognition of their significant contributions to statistical mechanics.

Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has removed the requirement of submitting physical duty payment challans while applying for Export Obligation Discharge Certificates (EODC) under the Advance Authorisation (AA) and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Schemes.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry said that for voluntary duty payments made on or after 1st of this month, exporters will no longer be required to submit physical challans along with their applications for closure of authorisations. The Ministry said the measure is expected to speed up processing, reduce avoidable correspondence and ensure greater consistency in decision-making across DGFT Regional Authorities.

It added that replacing manual submission and verification with authenticated digital records will shorten timelines, improve data accuracy, minimise human intervention and enhance transparency. It will also reduce transaction costs and compliance burden for exporters, particularly MSMEs, by cutting documentation, follow-ups and physical interface.

India’s Asiatic lion population has risen to 891 in 2025 from 523 in 2015, marking an increase of more than 70 per cent in a decade, the government said on Monday. The latest population estimate represents a 32 per cent rise from 674 lions in 2020.

The figures were highlighted by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on World Lion Day. The 16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation, conducted in May 2025, found 891 lions across the Greater Gir landscape in Gujarat.

The latest figure represents a 32 per cent increase over 2020. The minister’s statement credited forest officials, conservationists and local communities for the recovery.

The achievement follows decades of conservation efforts after the Asiatic lion was pushed close to extinction. Only around 40-60 lions remained in and around Gir in the early 1900s because of overhunting and habitat loss. India established the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in 1965 and subsequently expanded protected areas as the population recovered.

Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president on Friday (local time), marking the start of a conservative administration that vows to depart sharply from predecessor Gustavo Petro’s left-wing government amid growing concerns about the country’s finances and rising violence.

He took the oath before Congress at a ceremony in Cali and became the first Colombian president in recent history to be inaugurated outside the capital city of Bogotá, Bloomberg reported.

In his inaugural address, De la Espriella said, "The time for restoring order, authority and freedom has begun." He also vowed to build mega-prisons, use the military to fight criminal organisations and eradicate coca crops with herbicides, adding, "Those who did not believe in my proposal will find, in the facts, that this project will serve the common good.”

India’s Basant Kumar Meghwal clinched the silver medal in the men’s high jump event in the 2026 edition of the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Oregon on Saturday.

The 19-year-old from Anupgarh, a border town in the Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, made a best clearance of 2.21m, equalling his personal best, to become the first Indian to win a high jump medal at the U-20 world championships.

This is now India’s second medal of the ongoing championship, following Ashish Yadav’s silver in Javelin Throw on Friday.

Basant narrowly missed out on gold, after being pipped by Younes Ayachi of Algeria, while Otis Poole of Great Britain secured bronze.

Saina Nehwal had other plans, but Indian badminton’s revival in the mid-2000s might well have come from Assam. Not via Haryanvi Hyderabad. Krishna Dekaraja had the giddy jump, the power smash and the glamour, but perhaps not the elite grit — or a coach like Pullela Gopichand. She faded as Saina emerged, and Assam, with its latent badminton history through Dipankar Bhattacharya, kept looking for its next star.

So Ashmita Chaliha grew up in an atmosphere that understood the fundamentals of badminton, but was also seduced by its flash.

Circa 2005, everybody wanted to play with the flair of Taufik Hidayat. Ashmita saw that flair and fell in love with the sport. But she didn’t grow up practising the persistence needed to back up the passion and panache. In 2026, though, the 26-year-old who has played long enough for the love of the sport has finally got serious.

The Indian Navy-US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Exercise 2026 will be conducted at Southern Naval Command, Kochi, from today till the 14th of this month. The Defence Ministry said the bilateral exercise aims to enhance interoperability and strengthen professional cooperation between the specialist diving and EOD teams of the two navies.

The five-day exercise will comprise Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, cross-training, equipment demonstrations and scenario-based practical exercises. The Ministry noted that the Indian Navy and US Navy have been conducting joint Salvage and EOD exercises since 2005 and the forthcoming engagement marks the eighth edition of this specialised bilateral training exercise.

India on Saturday launched E-Samudra, a comprehensive digital platform aimed at transforming maritime governance by bringing services for seafarers, shipping companies, ports and other stakeholders under a single digital window.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the platform at a national stakeholder interaction on “Seafarer Security, Safety and Welfare and Inauguration of E-Samudra” in Mumbai.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to make maritime administration more transparent, technology-driven and accessible while strengthening the safety, security and welfare of India’s growing seafarer workforce.

The government has extended the tenure of the Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Rahul Navin, by one year from the 13th of this month to the 13th of August next year. The extension in service will continue beyond his scheduled retirement on the 31st of July, 2027. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has given its approval to extend the tenure of Rahul Navin, who is a 1993-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.