Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who exposed the extent of US involvement in the Vietnam War, has died, aged 92.

He died at his home in Kensington, California, of pancreatic cancer, his family said.

The former US military analyst's 1971 Pentagon Papers leak led to him being dubbed "the most dangerous man in America".

It led to a Supreme Court case as the Nixon administration tried to block publication in the New York Times.

But espionage charges against Ellsberg were ultimately dismissed. "Daniel was a seeker of truth and a patriotic truth-teller, an anti-war activist, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a dear friend to many, and an inspiration to countless more. He will be dearly missed by all of us," Ellsberg's family said in a statement obtained by NPR.

Indian paddler Mudit Dani has entered the history books by becoming the first Indian to win the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) Male Athlete of the Year award for his exceptional performances in 2022-23. The NCTTA is a national organisation member of USA Table Tennis and the prestigious award is given to the best performing male athlete across USA and Canadian universities at the end of every season.

Abhishek Verma added a gold medal to India’s tally by clinching the top prize in the men’s compound individual final at the World Cup Stage 3 here.

The 33-year-old Abhishek, winner of the compound team gold and an individual silver at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, defeated James Lutz of USA 148-146 on Saturday.

Abhishek, the multiple World Cup gold medallist, who is making a comeback after missing the first two stages of the World Cup, had earlier stunned the world No 1 and top seed Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands 148-148 (10*-10) in a thrilling shoot-off to advance to the individual semifinal.

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), a unique space telescope developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), is now ready and has been delivered to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The telescope is set to be integrated with the ADITYA-L1 mission, expected to be launched in mid-August this year.

” It is proud news for us that the telescope will be integrated with the ADITYA-L1 mission as a very important instrument in its array,” said Prof R Srianand, Director of IUCAA.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully deployed Indonesia's new communications satellite into orbit, the company said on Monday.

The SATRIA-1 telecommunications satellite lifted off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 6:21 p.m. EDT (3:51 a.m. IST) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday.

SATRIA-1 (short for "Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia") will be operated for the Indonesian government by the Indonesian company PSN.

India’s defence ministry on Thursday approved the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed drones from the US, with a formal announcement on the deal expected during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington next week, people familiar with the matter said.

The clearance for procuring the drones made by General Atomics was given by a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, the people said.

Miyawaki is a method created by a Japanese botanist named Akira Miyawaki. It helps forests grow quickly and become thick and natural. The process involves improving the soil by covering it with mulch, which also helps prevent dryness, erosion, and weed growth. Native trees are then identified and planted in the area. This method involves planting many different types of trees close together, which creates a balanced and cooperative environment among the species. The result is that plants grow 10 times faster and the forest becomes 30 times denser than usual.

Senior IPS officer Ravi Sinha was on June 19 appointed as the new chief of India's external intelligence agency RAW, a Personnel Ministry order said.

Expectedly and deservedly, Egypt, the top seed, bagged the SDAT-WSF Squash World Cup at the Express Avenue Mall on Saturday, with a thumping 2-1 (4-1 on points) win over Malaysia, seeded fourth, in the final. Egypt won the World Cup when it was last held here in 2011.

Malaysia was brimming with confidence especially after the upset victory over host India the other day, but the defending champion came roaring back after losing the first match to win the remaining two.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar conferred the fourth National Water Awards in New Delhi on Saturday. The awards focus on encouraging good work and efforts made by various individuals and organisations to conserve water. Madhya Pradesh was awarded the first prize in the best State category. In the best district category, the award was given to the Ganjam District of Odisha. The best Village Panchayat award was presented to Jagannadhapuram Village Panchayat, Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana. Akashvani, Guwahati also received the second-best award in Media category. The Jal Shakti Ministry had announced a total of 41 winners, covering 11 categories, including joint winners, for the National Water Awards, 2022.
 
Each award winner was conferred with a citation and a trophy as well as cash prizes. As part of the ongoing nationwide drive to realise the Government's vision of a water-prosperous India, the awards seek to create awareness among people about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt best water use practices.