Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has taken up his first coaching role after being appointed as head coach of Pretoria Capitals for the SA20 2026 season. The appointment comes just a day after former England batter Jonathan Trott had left the role.

After retiring from international cricket in 2008, Ganguly had moved into administrative roles, notably serving as the BCCI president and currently works as Chair of the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee, apart from being president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

His involvement in franchise cricket management has just been as Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He was with DC as their mentor in 2019 but soon left it to become BCCI president.

Ganguly’s first point of focus as Pretoria Capitals’ head coach will be picking the best players for the side in the player auction happening on September 9.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said, Kurukshetra, the land of dharma, will now become the cleanest and most beautiful city in the country. To make this sacred land clean, an 11-week ‘Swachh Kurukshetra – Mera Kurukshetra, Mera Abhimaan’ mission has been launched.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the launch of ‘Swachh Kurukshetra – Mera Kurukshetra, Mera Abhimaan’ mission at Gita Gyan Sansthanam in Kurukshetra today. Earlier, the Chief Minister, former Haryana Minister Subhash Sudha and Gita Manishi Swami Gyananand Maharaj, unveiled the campaign poster released by the district administration. On this occasion, the Chief Minister administered the cleanliness oath to the citizens and officials of Kurukshetra and formally flagged off the 11-week cleanliness mission from August 24 to November 7.

The Chief Minister said that under the ‘Haryana Shehr Swachhta Abhiyan – 2025’ a mass movement will be launched to make every street and corner of Kurukshetra clean. To implement this mission, committees have already been formed in all 32 wards of Thanesar Municipal Council. Administrative officers have prepared a detailed plan to ensure its success.

ISRO has successfully accomplished first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) for end to end demonstration of parachute-based deceleration system for Gaganyaan missions. It was a critical exercise to validate the parachute system that will bring back astronauts safely under the mission, from its spaceport in. This test is a joint effort of ISRO, Indian Air Force, DRDO, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.

The Test was designed to evaluate full suite of parachutes that will slow down and stabilise the crew module during re-entry and splashdown of the actual human spaceflight mission. This included two drogue parachutes which are conical or funnel-shaped devices with open ends, for initial slowing down, followed by pilot chutes and three main parachutes to ensure safe descent.

Additionally, ISRO is also preparing for upcoming tests such as the second Test Vehicle Demonstration (TV-D2) mission and the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission (G1), which will pave the way for India’s maiden human spaceflight.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight tests of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the coast of Odisha around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday (August 23, 2025).

According to the Defence Ministry, IADWS is a multi-layered air defence system comprising all indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles (QRSAM), Advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles and a high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW).

The integrated operation of all weapon system components is controlled by a Centralised Command and Control Centre developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory, which is the nodal laboratory of the programme. VSHORADS and DEW are developed by Research Centre Imarat and Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences respectively, the Ministry added.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has launched its first all-women commando unit to boost gender parity. Training is underway at the Regional Training Centre in Barwaha, Madhya Pradesh. 30 women personnel are undergoing an 8-week advanced course at the Centre. The programme includes physical fitness, weapons training, live-fire drills, rappelling, and survival exercises.

These commandos will be deployed in Quick Reaction Teams and Special Task Forces at high-security sites. At least 100 women from Aviation Security Groups and sensitive units will be trained in the first phase. CISF aims to make this a regular part of its training and reach 10% women representation. Currently, women make up 8% of the force, with 2,400 more recruits expected next year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed condolences on the demise of Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, a member of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and head of Rajsadan Ayodhya. In a social media post, the Prime Minister remembered Mr Mishra’s dedication towards religious and social service. He further prayed for strength and solace to his grieving family and admirers.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka will visit India from August 24 to 26, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Thursday.

Rabuka, accompanied by his wife Sulueti Rabuka, Health Minister Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu and senior officials, will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on August 25. PM Modi will also host a lunch in his honour, the MEA said.

Further, the Fijian Prime Minister will call on President Droupadi Murmu during his visit.

Rabuka is also scheduled to deliver a lecture titled ‘Ocean of Peace’ at the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi.

According to the ministry, the visit will reinforce cooperation between the two countries and expand people-to-people links.

Senior IPS officer Satish Golcha took charge as Police Commissioner of Delhi today. Mr Golcha is a 1992-batch IPS officer. The Central government appointed Satish Golcha yesterday as the New Delhi Police Commissioner. Mr Golcha replaced IPS officer SBK Singh, who was given additional charge of Delhi Police Commissioner besides his responsibility as the Director General of Home Guards in Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Aunta–Simaria project, including the 1.865km long six-lane bridge over the majestic River Ganga in Bihar’s Gaya district on Friday.

The project, viewed as a new chapter in Bihar’s infrastructure narrative, will link Mokarma in Patna district with Begusarai and will provide an alternative to the over seven-decade-old Rajendra Setu, currently under repair.

The project features India’s widest extradosed bridge, designed with a single segmental structure having 34-metre-wide deck, over the River Ganga. With span lengths ranging from 57 m to 115 m and 70 m cantilever arms, the structure exemplifies engineering excellence.

India accounted for a 70 per cent share of office space leasing in Asia Pacific (APAC) and the country’s demand “remains positive”, according to a report by Colliers. Domestic demand accounted for 46 per cent of office leasing in India.

Leasing activity in 11 key APAC markets reached 48.4 million square feet (msf) in the first half of 2025 (H1 2025), up 9.6 per cent from the previous year. Of this, India leased 33.7 msf of space in its top seven cities.

India also accounted for 48 per cent of the new office supply in APAC. New supply in APAC grew 45.4 per cent from the previous year to 51.7 msf, outpacing demand in most markets. India saw a supply of approximately 24.76 msf.