Kerala's opposition LDF has escalated its campaign against the ruling UDF government over an alleged cut in development funds for local self-government bodies. The Kannur district panchayat says ₹12.73 crore was slashed from its allocation, disrupting welfare schemes and projects. The LDF district committee has announced protest marches to local body offices on August 1 and 3 over the reduced Plan funds.
Dempo Goa Challengers beat former champions Dabang Delhi TTC 8-2 in Friday's first semifinal to become the first team into the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 final. Spanish Olympian Alvaro Robles won his singles against Youssef Abdelaziz and mixed doubles alongside Syndrela Das. Abhinandh PB clinched the tie 11-9 over Delhi captain Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. Goa, unbeaten all season, need one more win.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that a quarter of the flood-hit areas in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts remained cut off almost a week into an unprecedented deluge that has killed 61 people. He said nearly 11 lakh people across more than 2,000 villages have been affected, with heavy rain continuing to waterlog parts of Guwahati and other areas.
Google has ended Play services support for phones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, raising the minimum requirement to Android 7.0 Nougat. Affected devices won't stop working immediately — calls, messaging and existing apps continue — but they will no longer receive Play services updates, gradually causing compatibility, security and reliability problems. Google advises updating to Android 7.0 or newer, or switching to a supported phone.
Coca-Cola has raised Diet Coke's price in India by over 10%, Reuters reported, as the Middle East conflict disrupts aluminium can supplies. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz hit after a truce collapsed, the company is reportedly sourcing larger cans from Southeast Asia. The 300ml can (Rs 40) is replaced by a 330ml can at Rs 50, 13.6% costlier per millilitre.
American Express shares fell about 5.3% on Friday to $322.64, their steepest intraday drop in nearly five months, despite the card giant beating second-quarter estimates. It reported earnings of $4.53 per share against $4.08 a year earlier and revenue up 10% to $19.6 billion, and raised full-year revenue growth guidance to 10%. Investors instead focused on expenses climbing 12% to $14.5 billion.
Nisarga Adhikary, the 19-year-old security researcher who exposed flaws in CBSE's On-Screen Marking portal, joined the Cockroach Janta Party protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Friday, its seventh week. He had reported authentication gaps, including a hard-coded master password bypassing two-factor authentication, to CERT-In; IIT Kanpur's C3iHub later hired him. Friday's two-hour government-CJP talks agreed some measures but deadlocked over resignations.
Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes said he believes Lionel Messi had already decided the 2026 World Cup final would be his last national-team match. Speaking to DSports after the 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain, Paredes hoped Messi would reconsider. The 39-year-old, who has 125 goals in 207 appearances and won the 2022 World Cup, has not confirmed retirement; neither has the AFA.
The death toll from a landslide in southwestern China's Pengshui County, Chongqing, rose to 14 on Friday after rescuers recovered three more bodies, with officials warning dozens more likely died. The slide, which struck about a week ago, buried homes at a mountain's base and along a riverbank. Rescuers searching for around 50 missing people reported finding no signs of life.
LeBron James, 41, has agreed to join the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal, ESPN reported and Klutch Sports confirmed Friday. The move ends the NBA's all-time leading scorer's eight-season Lakers spell, making Philadelphia his fourth franchise. He joins a title-chasing roster of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, whom the Sixers traded for from Boston earlier this month.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, India's second-largest oil marketing company, will press ahead with its refinery capacity expansion despite the recent flare-up in West Asia, Finance Director Vetsa Ramakrishna Gupta told The Hindu on Thursday. He expects the tensions to prove temporary and noted global crude supply remains in surplus. BPCL also said it is confident of recouping losses from the volatility.
West Bengal's new BJP government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is reopening cases from the previous TMC era. Police have launched 458 fresh inquiries, filed 181 FIRs and reopened 59 cases over the 2021 post-poll violence, with 170-plus in Birbhum. The 2022 Bogtui massacre and 2024 RG Kar rape-murder are also under review, with three IPS officers suspended. TMC alleges political targeting.
Lionel Messi drew criticism for demanding referee Slavko Vinčić red-card Spain's Marc Cucurella during Argentina's 1-0 extra-time World Cup final defeat. Cucurella covered his mouth while speaking to Messi, breaching FIFA's IFAB-approved rule meant to stop players hiding abusive language from lip-readers. VAR reviewed but declined, deeming the exchange non-confrontational. Pundits Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart called Messi's appeal 'sad' and desperate.
The Indian rupee weakened 6 paise to 96.42 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, pressured by geopolitical uncertainty weighing on most Asian currencies. It opened at 96.41 in the interbank market before touching 96.42. Forex traders attributed the slide to climbing crude oil prices amid renewed tensions and stronger demand for the dollar as a safe-haven asset.
Five adults — two women and three men — drowned in Ohio's Scioto River at the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir, about 10 miles northwest of Columbus, on Sunday night, the Delaware County Sheriff's Office said. Two people entered the water to rescue a struggling swimmer, and two more adults died attempting their own rescue. A child alerted authorities after flagging down a passing motorist.
Actor Archana Puran Singh said she received no film offers for a decade after 2012's Bol Bachchan, telling News18 that meaty roles elude her after turns in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and Toaster. She said only brand endorsements come her way, blaming the industry's assumptions about her TV commitments. Her series Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya premieres July 24 on Prime Video.
The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered the State Police Chief to set up special squads in every district to trace and arrest offenders in hit-and-run cases. The Kochi court told the police force to coordinate and alert squads while tracking vehicles and drivers involved. It voiced concern that a growing number of such cases remain unsolved due to inadequate police attention.
The 23rd Commonwealth Games open in Glasgow in two days with just 10 sports — the fewest since 1994. Australia's Victoria had planned 21 sports but withdrew in July 2023 after costs ballooned to an estimated AUD 6-7 billion. Glasgow stepped in as a last resort, staging a scaled-down event across seven venues with no athletes' village. Badminton, hockey, cricket and wrestling were dropped.
Google parent Alphabet is reportedly developing a new chip, codenamed 'Frozen v2,' to run its Gemini models more efficiently, The Information reported. Citing anonymous sources, it said the chip could be six to ten times more power-efficient than Google's current AI chips and may launch in 2028. Google neither confirmed nor denied the report. Rivals OpenAI and Anthropic are pursuing custom chips.
F-1 international students, including many visiting India, are being advised to return to the US before September 15, when a new Department of Homeland Security rule takes effect, a Times of India report said. The rule replaces the open-ended 'Duration of Status' system with fixed admission periods capped at four years. Only students physically present on September 15 keep the older protections.