In the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2026, India delivered an exceptional performance on Day 2 of the event in New Delhi, winning 12 golds and securing multiple podium finishes across track and field events, including several clean sweeps of the podium.

The highlight of the day came in the Men’s Javelin Throw, where Paralympic champion Sumit Antil led an all-Indian podium. Antil clinched gold with a powerful throw of 69.25 metres, while Pushpendra Singh secured silver with 56.91 metres and Poonam Ram won bronze with 49.48 metres. India also dominated the Men’s 400 metres Run T13, with Subodh Bhatt winning gold in 51.88 seconds, followed by Priyanshu Kaushik with silver in 53.19 seconds and Avnil Kumar claiming bronze in 56.91 seconds.

In the Men’s 400 m Run T46/T47, Bhavikkumar Din Bharwad secured gold with a time of 49.89 seconds, while fellow Indian Jasbeer finished close behind to take silver in 50.09 seconds. India continued its dominance in the wheelchair category of the Men’s 400m Run T53/T54, sweeping the podium with Manojkumar Sabapathi winning gold in 54.33 seconds, Anil Kumar taking silver in 57.57 seconds, and Manikandan Jothi securing bronze with a time of 1:01.94.

The Chhattisgarh government has approved the draft of the Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held in Raipur yesterday evening under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The proposed legislation aims to effectively curb religious conversions carried out through force, inducement, fraudulent means, undue influence or misrepresentation while converting from one religion to another in the state. The Bill will be introduced during the ongoing Budget Session of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.

NASA said on Thursday that the long-delayed launch of Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, could come as soon as April 1.

"We are on track for a launch as early as April 1, and we are working toward that date," Lori Glaze, a senior NASA official, told a press conference, after technical difficulties delayed a launch originally expected in February.

"It's a test flight, and it is not without risk, but our team and our hardware are ready," she said. "Just keep in mind we still have work" to do.

China passed a law on a "shared" national identity among the country's 55 ethnic minority groups on Thursday (March 13), a move critics say will ⁠further erode the identity of people who are not majority Han Chinese and risk making anyone challenging that "unity" a separatist punishable by law.

Called "Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress", the ethnic minority law aims to forge national unity ‌and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its core, a draft copy of the law showed.

It was passed ‌at the closing session of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, China's ‌legislature ⁠by 2,756 votes, with three opposing votes and three abstentions, according to a Reuters ⁠witness.

News Desk, News Nation 360:  Prof. Yashwant Gupta, a distinguished astrophysicist and the head of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) in Pune, was conferred the MP Birla Memorial Award for 2025 on March 13, 2026. The event was held at the MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata. There was a special connection for Prof. Gupta, a distinguished astrophysicist and the head of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) in Pune, as his interest in the universe was kindled by a visit to the same planetarium during his high school days in the 1970s. After a hiatus of six years due to the pandemic, the MP Birla Memorial Award for 2025 was bestowed on Prof. Gupta for his pioneering work in radio astronomy and his contributions to international collaborations in the field. The event was initially scheduled for December 5, 2025, but was rescheduled by three months when a nationwide flight disruption prevented Prof. Gupta from attending the event. The MP Birla Memorial Award was instituted in 1993. Prof. Gupta joins a distinguished group of past laureates that includes Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, and Prof. Govind Swarup.

A professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has summited the Nevado Ojos del Salado, which is the highest volcanic peak in the world and the highest mountain in Chile.

By summitting the Nevado Ojos del Salado, which is 6,893 meters, on March 6, Arpita Patra, professor at IISc’s Department of Computer Science and Automation, became the second Indian woman to achieve this feat.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav on Friday inaugurated Yoga Mahotsav 2026 in New Delhi, marking the 100-day countdown to the 12th edition of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026.

During the event, the minister launched 10 Yoga Protocols for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Target Groups, designed to support people across various age groups and health conditions.

Speaking at the event, Jadhav said the International Day of Yoga has grown into a global movement over the past decade. “Yoga has evolved into a global celebration of wellness. It is a powerful discipline that promotes mental clarity, physical health and emotional balance,” he said.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), an autonomous telecom research and development institution under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), organised a Demo Day for 18 startups under Cohort-II of the ‘Samarth’ incubation programme at the NBCC Convention Hall in New Delhi on Thursday.

The event showcased technological innovations developed by startups working in areas such as telecom applications, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, IoT, 5G/6G technologies and quantum technologies.

Launched in March 2025, the Samarth incubation programme aims to support startups in the telecom and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors. The programme is structured into two cohorts of six months each, accommodating up to 18 startups per cohort, thereby supporting a total of 36 startups under the initiative.

Home Secretary Govind Mohan today inaugurated the National Dialogue on Online Crimes Against Women and Children in New Delhi. Addressing the gathering, Mr Mohan highlighted the growing challenges posed by online crimes in an increasingly digital ecosystem. He emphasised the need for strengthening institutional capacities at the State and Union Territory (UT) level to combat such offences effectively. The Home Secretary stressed that States and UTs must develop robust, specialised units and coordinated response mechanisms to ensure timely investigation, victim support, and swift action against perpetrators. He also directed law enforcement agencies to accord priority to online crimes against women and children, ensuring a prompt and coordinated response to such cases. The event was organised by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre with the objective of bringing together key stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening coordinated mechanisms to prevent and effectively respond to online crimes targeting women and children.

The Indian Army today participated in the National Additive Manufacturing Symposium 2026 in New Delhi. The symposium brought together representatives from government, the armed forces, academia and industry to deliberate on the growing role of Additive Manufacturing (AM) in strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem and enhancing strategic capabilities. The Ministry of Defence said that the symposium provided an important platform for the Indian Army to engage with national stakeholders and explore pathways for accelerated adoption of additive manufacturing technologies. The deliberations reinforced the importance of collaborative innovation between government, industry and academia to develop a resilient and self-reliant manufacturing ecosystem capable of supporting future defence requirements. The Ministry informed that the Indian Army delegation was led by Director General of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (DG EME) Lieutenant General Gen Rajiv Kumar Sahni.