New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan both reached the women’s singles second round of the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Tuesday.Fourth-seeded Chen rallied from one game down to beat Lo Sin Yan Happy of Hong Kong, China, 18-21, 21-8, 21-11.”I made some adjustments after the first game, such as making myself more excited and moving faster on the court,” said Chen, who added that winning the title was only…

Madrid, Aug 18 (IANS) Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said striker Julian Alvarez will not be involved in his side’s opening game of the new La Liga season on Wednesday night.Atletico start their 2026-2027 campaign at home to Malaga in a game postponed from the weekend to allow the club’s World Cup stars more time to recover from the summer tournament.The game should see summer signings Lee Kang-in, Spain international Alex Grimaldo and Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand all make their debuts…

Jaipur, Aug 18 (IANS) Congress leader and former MLA Sanyam Lodha on Tuesday decided to file a contempt petition in the Rajasthan High Court over the postponement of the reservation lottery for Panchayati Raj institutions. Lodha has issued legal notices alleging contempt of court to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary, State Election Commissioner, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Panchayati Raj, and Panchayati Raj Commissioner. The move follows a High Court order on Lodha’s petition directing the sta…

Jerusalem, Aug 18 (IANS) Sripriya Ranganathan, Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday reiterated India’s support for a negotiated two-State solution in a meeting with Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine.”Advancing India-Palestine ties. Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan called on Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine. The two s…

Reykjavik, Aug 18 (IANS) India’s Ambassador to Iceland, R. Ravindra, on Tuesday called on Eyjolfur Armannsson, Iceland Infrastructure Minister, and briefed him about the upcoming ‘Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue’.“Ambassador R. Ravindra paid a courtesy call on Eyjolfur Armannsson, Minister of Infrastructure, on August 18. Ambassador briefed about the upcoming ‘Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue’. Ambassador also held a meeting with Ingilin Kristmannsdottir, Permanent Secretary and…

Port Louis, Aug 18 (IANS) Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool and Indian High Commissioner to Mauritius Anurag Srivastava raised toasts to celebrate the longstanding friendship between India and Mauritius at a reception hosted by the High Commission of India to celebrate the 80th Independence Day.”Toasts were raised by President Dharambeer Gokhool and High Commissioner Anurag Srivastava, celebrating the longstanding friendship between India and Mauritius,” the Indian High Commission in Maurit…

Amstelveen, Aug 18 (IANS) Few contests in world hockey carry the weight, history and emotion of an India-Pakistan encounter; and when the two arch-rivals meet at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 on Wednesday, the stakes could hardly be higher.The pressure-cooker game at the Wagener Hockey Stadium will decide who stays in the race to the semifinals as India and Pakistan renew one of hockey’s most storied rivalries in a Pool D clash, knowing that t here is little room for error.The equation is clea…

Guwahati, Aug 18 (IANS) Guwahati Royals coach Abu Nechim praised his team’s fearless approach after they secured their place in the semifinals of the Assam Premier League (APL), while also highlighting the tournament’s role in creating a pathway for young cricketers from Assam.Reflecting on the Royals’ performance, Nechim said the team’s intensity and attacking approach had been key to their success. “It was a very good match. Our intensity throughout the 40 overs was very good. Our cricket, w…

Madrid, Aug 18 (IANS) Jose Mourinho was officially presented as the new coach of former La Liga winner Real Madrid at a private ceremony at the club’s Valdebebas training ground in Madrid on Tuesday.Although Mourinho was confirmed for a second spell at the club at the start of the summer and has been leading training sessions since the start of preseason, he had not previously been formally presented by the club.”This is like coming home,” Mourinho said in comments published on the Real Madrid w…

Geneva, Aug 18 (IANS) World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday that the Bundibugyo virus disease epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to pose a “high” risk of further spread both within the country and across international borders, as the outbreak has become the second-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded.Speaking at the opening of the second meeting of the emergency committee convened under the International Health Re…