Paris, May 7 (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “all parties” to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “without delay and without conditions,” after a telephone talk with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “We must return permanently to the regime of full freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict,” Macron said on social media platform X on Wednesday evening (local time), adding that the future multinational escort mission launched by France and Britain wi…
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New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the progress of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) under construction at Lothal in Gujarat and set July 2026 as the target for completion of Phase 1 of the project. During the review, the minister directed officials to accelerate construction activities and ensure the timely completion of critical components, including panels, mural work, ceiling fabrication and flooring. Sonowal emphas…
London, May 6 (IANS) Wang Chuqin claimed two wins as China rallied to beat Romania 3-1 on Wednesday and reached the men’s team quarterfinals at the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals at the Wembley Arena in London.China fell behind early when Liang Jingkun lost 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 to Eduard Ionescu, the highest-ranked player in Romania’s lineup.”I was a bit tight at the start, and he performed better. After he had some excellent shots, my mentality was impacted, and I failed to …
New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) India pitched its deep-tech startup programme ‘Bharat Innovates 2026’ to global investors and stakeholders at a roadshow in Paris, building momentum ahead of the conclave scheduled to be held in Nice next month.The roadshow showcased India’s deep-tech startup ecosystem and higher education-led innovation landscape to global investors, corporates, universities and research institutions.The Paris outreach event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Edu…
New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) India shuttler HS Prannoy has expressed reservations over the decision by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to introduce a 3×15-point scoring system from January 2027, stating that the existing 21-point format offered a more complete test of a player’s game.Reacting to the change, Prannoy admitted the new system brings curiosity but questioned its overall impact. “It’s going to be interesting. Obviously, a point change is definitely an interesting aspect of the gam…
New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) Ace shuttler HS Prannoy reflected on India’s bronze medal finish at the Thomas Cup campaign, saying it will stay with him for a long time. India made their first-ever Thomas Cup final appearance in 2022 and clinched a historic gold medal. But in the 2026 edition, the former champions fell to France, who made their first-ever Thomas Cup final, 3-0 in the semifinal to take the bronze medal home. “This one stays with me. For a long long time. Not just the medal, but ever…
Horsens (Denmark), May 3 (IANS) South Korea delivered an inspiring team performance to beat defending champions China 3-1 and secure their third Uber Cup title in Horsens on Sunday. This win highlights their growing strength in women’s team badminton.South Korea had previously won the trophy in Kuala Lumpur (2010) and Bangkok (2022), both times defeating China. They rose to the occasion again at the Forum Horsens, creating another memorable victory.The tie started with a strong showing from wo…
New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Former chief coach Vimal Kumar opined that Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen’s absence was felt in India’s 3-0 loss in the Thomas Cup semifinal while also lauding France for their dominant show against former champions to make it to their maiden title clash. Paris 2024 semi-finalist Sen was forced to sit out for the semi-final tie after suffering an impact injury to his elbow during quarter-final clash against Chinese Taipei on Friday. Just as in their quarterfinals agains…
Horsens (Denmark), May 3 (IANS) Former winners India were stunned 0-3 by France in the semifinal of the Thomas Cup in a major upset in the tournament being held at Forum Horsens in Horsens, Denmark on Saturday night, bringing to a screeching halt their campaign in the men’s team badminton competition. While France made history by reaching their maiden Thomas Cup final, India will have to be content with a bronze medal.Ayush Shetty, playing the first singles in the absence of Lakshya Sen, who suf…
New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Indian quartet of Dharamveer Choudhary, Rajesh Ramesh, Vishal TK, and Manu T.S. clocked an impressive time of 3:00.32 seconds, a season best, in the men’s 4x400m to finish fourth in their heat 3 on day one of World Athletics Relays at Gaborone’s National Stadium on Saturday.The top two teams in each heat advanced to the final round on Sunday and earned an automatic spot for the World Athletics Championships 2027 in Beijing.Sunday will be the second qualifying roun…