Asia Now

C. Nagendran from Tamil Nadu represents the meaningful connection between visual arts, environmental awareness, and creative expression through his interest in environmental photography. Photography offers a unique way to observe the world, preserve important moments, and communicate ideas that extend beyond words. Through the camera lens, natural surroundings can be presented in ways that encourage people to appreciate the beauty, diversity, and complexity of the environment

Jayalakshmi G is a dedicated visual artist, art educator, and cultural practitioner whose work reflects a strong commitment to traditional and folk art forms. With more than two decades of experience in art and craft education, she has built a professional journey that brings together artistic expression, heritage preservation, and innovative approaches to learning. Her dedication to Indian visual art extends beyond her own paintings to include the development of young artist

The National Talent Award 2026 recognizes Aaradhika Kar of Uttar Pradesh for her notable achievement in Sports & Athletics, particularly in the demanding discipline of Inline Speed Skating. At just 6 years and 4 months of age, Aaradhika has demonstrated an exceptional combination of endurance, discipline, concentration and determination through a remarkable continuous skating performance. Her achievement reflects the potential of young athletes to develop extraordinary sporti

Most of the time, I notice students getting frustrated easily when they face failure and gradually losing hope. In today’s lifestyle, many of us become frustrated even with simple failures and expect success in every attempt, sometimes from the very first try. But the truth is, it is completely okay to fail sometimes. Failure is not the end result; it is an opportunity to understand our mistakes, learn from them, improve ourselves, and move forward. Failure is an important pa

Rinku from Haryana has been honoured as the distinguished winner of the National Talent Award 2026 by the Indian NGO Awards Council for her exceptional performance in a national debate competition, marking a significant achievement in the fields of intellectual discourse, public speaking and social awareness. Rinku earned this prestigious recognition for her compelling presentation on the thought-provoking topic, “Universal Basic Income – A Better Poverty Solution Than Expand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Bishkek on a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan. He was received at the airport by Kasymaliev Adylbek Aleshovich, chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers. A traditional Kyrgyz dance performance was also organised to welcome him. Mr Modi is visiting Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of President Sadyr Zhaparov for 26th SCO Summit. On the first day of his visit to Kyrgyzstan, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with SCO leaders on the sidelines of

President Droupadi Murmu will address the combined convocation of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New Delhi today. Graduating students from 18 NIFT campuses across the country will be conferred degrees on the occasion. Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh, Secretary Ministry of Textiles Neelam Shami Rao will also grace the occasion, along with other distinguished dignitaries, members of the Board of Governors, senior officials, faculty members, schola

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India is likely to sustain an economic growth rate of 7 per cent or more in the financial year 2026-27. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Chicago during her US visit, she said India is likely to maintain its growth momentum despite geopolitical uncertainties and supply-chain disruptions following the US-Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. She said that the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz due to West Asia con

Nepal has intensified efforts to free hundreds of people trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects, including the Trishuli-3A site, following Wednesday’s flash floods. Rescuers, including experts from India and China have been attempting to make contact but have so far received no response from inside the tunnel. Hundreds of the 2,500 people reported missing are believed to be employees of Nepal’s hydropower projects. Wednesday’s disaster has killed at least 794 people a

U.S. forces have struck Iran’s Larak Island in latest round of escalation in the conflict. These are the first American strikes on Iran in almost a month. US CENTCOM has stated that U.S. forces took limited and precise action against IRGC forces involved in laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which posed an imminent threat to shipping. It said the action was taken to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping and the free flow of global commerce. Iran’s Revolutionary

By Kinjal Chakraborty Indian teacher education is standing at an important psychological and pedagogical crossroads. For decades, teacher preparation has largely operated within a transmission-oriented framework in which the teacher is trained to explain, organise, control and evaluate, while the learner is expected to listen, practise, reproduce and perform. Behavioural approaches have contributed significantly to educational psychology by demonstrating the importance of rei

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that reforms are not a compulsion but a commitment and conviction for his government, and that its policies are pro-people, pro-growth and pro-development. Addressing the World Leaders Forum in New Delhi last evening, PM Modi said his government has created a clear roadmap for reforms, with the primary focus being on reforms at the governance level. He said India is undertaking next-generation reforms at the policy level to secure the cou

In the BWF Badminton World Championships, India’s women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take centre stage in the semifinals today. The Indian duo will face top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The Indian duo stormed into the semifinals yesterday, defeating fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China 16-21, 21-15 and 21-13. With this victory, Treesa and Gayatri have assured India of a

India and the UK have agreed to expand bilateral exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries through joint exercises, training and capacity building, as both sides held a key dialogue in Delhi. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the 25th India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting with Permanent Under Secretary for Defence of the UK, Jeremy Pocklington, in the National Capital. During the meeting, both countries reviewed ongoing defence industri

India has raised with Somalian authorities the issue of the hijacking of two foreign-flagged commercial vessels with 22 Indian sailors on board. The vessels, carrying 16 Indian seafarers on board MT Sibu and six Indian seafarers on board MV Lutuf, were hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia. In a social media post, the Indian High Commission in Kenya said all Indian seafarers are reportedly safe. It said India attaches the highest importance to

The monsoon remains active over Madhya Pradesh, with heavy rain continuing in several districts. A strong weather system is active over Madhya Pradesh due to the monsoon trough, a cyclonic circulation and a low-pressure area. As a result, heavy rain has been lashing the eastern parts of the state for the past two days, and several rivers are in spate. The weather department has issued an orange alert for extremely heavy rain in Seoni and Balaghat today. A heavy rain alert has

Durgesh Sangappa Jamadar has been honoured with the prestigious Rashtra Seva Puraskar by the Veyil Foundation in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of legal services as an advocate. The recognition reflects his professional dedication, commitment to justice, and sincere efforts toward serving individuals through the legal system. His achievement represents the values of responsibility, integrity, and public service that form the foundation of a meaningfu

The India-Japan Defence Ministers Meeting was held in New Delhi today. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi co-chaired the meeting. The discussions focused on deepening maritime security, ‘Make in India’ defence technology, and expanding strategic trust. Both Ministers signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation. In his opening remarks, Mr Singh welcomed Mr Koizumi and the delegation to India. He expressed sympa

The 4th round of India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) will be held in Singapore today. The participating Ministers from the Indian side are Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Commerce, Industry, Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada. The mechanism of ISMR is an important platform to drive cooperation including in new and emerging areas. Its inaugural meet

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has concluded his two day visit to Armenia. During the visit, he held bilateral meetings with Deputy Defence Minister of Armenia, Karen Brutyan, and First Deputy Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff of Armenia, Edward Asryan. The Defence Ministry said that the discussions covered the entire gamut of ongoing defence and military technical cooperation, with particular emphasis on capacity building, training, military technical coope

The 31st South Zonal Council Meeting in Mahabalipuram near Chennai is underway. The meeting is chaired by the Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. The 31st South Zonal Council meeting under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah began in Mahabalipuram near Chennai, with leaders and senior officials from southern states discussing inter-state disputes, security and development priorities. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, Karnataka Chief Minister

Rumen Alam Barbhuiya, a dedicated practitioner of photography, is being recognised with the Rashtra Seva Puraskar in the Photography category for his contribution to the visual arts and his commitment to the creative possibilities of photographic expression. Photography is much more than the act of recording an image. It is a medium through which moments, people, places, emotions and social realities can be preserved and communicated. A photograph can document an important ev