It’s easy to see discarded plastic as nothing more than waste. Much of it ends up in landfill, breaking down into microplastics that seep into water supplies and threaten the environment, and potentially human health. But what if the same plastic waste could instead be transformed into life-saving medicines?

In a recent study published in Nature Sustainability, scientists at the University of Edinburgh have shown that everyday plastic waste is not just an environmental burden but an untapped source of embedded carbon – the carbon atoms locked within plastic’s chemical structure. They demonstrated that engineered E coli bacteria can convert polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – commonly used in bottles and food packaging – into levodopa, a key treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has congratulated Ayush Shetty for winning the silver medal at the Badminton Asia Championships.

In a social media post, Mr. Mandaviya said the shuttler has become the first Indian men’s singles finalist in 61 years. He praised the outstanding performance, saying the remarkable debut has made the entire nation proud.

Army havildar Sawan Barwal did what no other Indian marathoner has done for nearly half a century.

At the NN Marathon Rotterdam, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race on Sunday, the 28-year-old from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, clocked 2 hours 11 minutes and 58 seconds to break the late Shivnath Singh’s marathon record of 2:12:00 set in 1978.

India’s oldest athletic record was broken by the long-distance runner making his debut in the marathon.

Maharashtra’s World Championships finalist high jumper Sarvesh Anil Kushare won the title in the fourth leg of the Indian Athletics Series here on Sunday.

Kushare won after clearing a height of 2.19m.

Odisha’s national indoor champion Sarun Payasingh continued his good run, winning the men's long jump event. He emerged winner with a jump of 7.46m.

Tamil Nadu’s international hurdler Vithya Ramraj, who was representing Railways, was a comfortable winner in the women’s 400m hurdles. She clocked 57.02 seconds.

April 14, 2026, marks the birthday of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and the Sikh religious festival of Baisakhi. Both, B R Ambedkar and the Sikh Gurus fought against caste discrimination. But caste in Sikh history has been complicated terrain.

The Sikh faith was founded on the cornerstone of brotherhood, equality and fraternity. The founder of the faith, Guru Nanak was born in 1469 Common Era, a time when the Punjab and Northern India were witness to invasions, inter-religious conflict and caste atrocities.

Nanak, through his life and teachings, sought to bring religious communities closer and end caste discrimination.

North Korea conducted another test-fire of strategic cruise missiles and anti-warship missiles on Sunday as part of operational efficiency trials of its destroyer Choe Hyon, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Leader Kim Jong Un observed the test alongside senior defence officials and naval commanders, the report said.

Two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-warship missiles were fired to check the warship's integrated weapons command system, train crews in missile-launch procedures and verify the accuracy and anti-jamming performance of upgraded navigation systems, KCNA said.

Australia on Monday said a woman would lead its army for the first time in history, as part of a reshuffle of the country's defence force leadership.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, will become chief of army in July, the government said in a statement. She will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart.

Coyle's appointment comes as Australia's military seeks to boost the number of female officers in its ranks. It faces a wave of allegations of systematic sexual harassment and discrimination.

Until a few days ago, over 100 residents of Nelangur, a hilly village deep inside the forests of Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad, depended entirely on water streams and faced acute shortages, especially in summer. That changed last week when the government, under the Jal Jeevan Mission, provided tap water connections to homes.

Nelangur is among the remotest villages, located on hilly terrain about 52 km from the Narayanpur district headquarters and nearly 8 km from Kuwakodi village in Maharashtra’s Bhamragad taluka.

Last April, security forces set up a police camp, clearing the security vacuum and easing Naxal influence in the area. It was only last year that Abujhmad, long seen as a Maoist stronghold since the 1980s, was largely freed of such influence.

A day after workers in Noida Phase 2 took to the streets in large numbers, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced an interim minimum wage increase of approximately 21 per cent for workers across Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad. The protesters, however, are not done yet.

The high-level committee constituted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the interim wage revision with effect from 1 April, covering workers across skill categories in two of Uttar Pradesh's most industrially significant districts.

According to the Noida District Magistrate's office, the revised monthly wages for workers in Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad are as follows. Unskilled workers will see their monthly pay rise from ₹11,313 to ₹13,690. Semi-skilled workers will move from ₹12,445 to ₹15,059. Skilled workers, previously earning ₹13,940 per month, will now receive ₹16,868 — an increase that tracks closely to the 21 per cent headline figure across all categories.

The Department of Posts, Karnataka Postal Circle, today unveiled two commemorative postage stamps and souvenir sheets celebrating the remarkable progress of India’s human spaceflight programme led by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The stamps, released at a function in Bengaluru, trace India’s inspiring journey in space exploration, from the launch of Aryabhata to its ambitious future plans in human spaceflight and orbital infrastructure. The design also highlights India’s rich scientific heritage, symbolised by the iconic Jantar Mantar.

Addressing the gathering, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan outlined the organisation’s growth trajectory across various states and detailed upcoming milestones. He said ISRO is preparing for the Gaganyaan mission, which will include three crewed missions followed by a fully safe crewed mission. He also revealed plans for establishing an Indian Space Station with 52-tonne flight modules, with the first module targeted for launch by 2028. Additionally, studies are underway for a future crewed lunar mission. Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla, who was present at the event, shared his experiences in space with students, inspiring young minds about careers in space science and exploration. The programme was presided over by K. Prakash, Chief Postmaster General of the Karnataka Circle.