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England were held up by India captain Shubman Gill's patient century as their bowlers fought admirably on day one of the second Test at Edgbaston, BBC reported.

After captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first again, his bowlers battled against Gill's calmness and another flat pitch to limit India to 310-5 at the close.

Chris Woakes bowled KL Rahul off the inside edge in a fine new-ball spell and Brydon Carse found extra bounce to have Karun Nair caught at slip for 31 shortly before lunch.

But opener Yashasvi Jaiswal complied an elegant 87 and after he was caught behind off Stokes, Rishabh Pant put on 47 with Gill as the new-ball zip faded in the Birmingham sunshine.

England hung in, however, and Pant's patience broke after tea when he hit Shoaib Bashir to long-on for 25. Nitish Kumar Reddy was bowled shouldering arms to Woakes in the next over, according to BBC.

That left India at risk of collapse but Gill remained unflustered and reached three figures for the second match in a row in 199 deliveries. He put on 99 with Ravindra Jadeja to see out the final 90 minutes of play.

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, was conferred Ghana’s highest civilian honour, the Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, on Thursday for his global leadership and efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama presented the award during Modi’s official visit, marking the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 30 years, according to Firstpost.

Modi dedicated the honor to the people of India, describing it as a symbol of shared values and developing friendship between the two countries. Both presidents are committed to transform India-Ghana relations into a comprehensive partnership.

At least 10 people were killed and 34 others reported missing after multiple cloudbursts and flash floods hit Himachal Pradesh within 24 hours, officials said Wednesday.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the state witnessed 16 cloudbursts and three flash floods in 24 hours as a result of incessant rains that wreaked havoc and caused widespread devastation. The worst-affected area was Mandi district, about 133 km north of Shimla, the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, The Hindu reported.

Severe rains in Himachal Pradesh caused landslides, damaged infrastructure, blocked roads, and rescued 370 people. Authorities are concerned that the death toll will grow and have initiated large-scale rescue attempts.

Since June 20, monsoon-related incidents have left 51 dead and caused an estimated $33m in damage. An orange alert remains in effect, with heavy rain expected to continue until July 7, according to The Hindu.

The Quad grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia called on Tuesday for the perpetrators of an Islamist militant attack that killed 26 in India-administered Kashmir to be brought to justice without delay, Reuters reported.

The April 22 attack sparked heavy fighting between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in the latest escalation of a decades-old rivalry as India blamed it on Pakistan, which denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation.

The U.S. State Department issued, opens new tab a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the grouping, who met in Washington, but stopped short of naming Pakistan or blaming Islamabad.

"The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," the ministers said in the statement, according to Reuters.

Under the aegis of its India-Nepal Centre and in association with Visa Inc and Banking, Finance and Insurance Institute of Nepal (BFIN), the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organised “India-Nepal Fintech Summit 2025” on 30 June at New Delhi. Participated by the leading policymakers and industry leaders from both India and Nepal, the Summit hosted meaningful dialogues to come forward for further enhancing India-Nepal bilateral cooperation in the financial technology (fintech) domain. This also paves the way of recognising Community Engagement, Social/Financial/Digital Inclusion & Diversity and Social Impact as major transformational attributes of payment innovation drive.

Speaking on the occasion, Amb Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to India, said: “Nepal has made impressive progress in FinTech, driven by the growing need for mobile banking and digital services. There's strong momentum, but to move forward, we must act quickly-beyond signing MOUs-to implementation. Coordination between ministries is crucial, and improving systems for digital service exports, taxation, and international payments will help us unlock our full potential.”

Amb Munu Mahawar, Additional Secretary (North), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, said: “India and Nepal share a very special relationship, rooted in history, culture, and a unique treaty framework. We deeply appreciate PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre for its constant support in promoting India-Nepal economic ties. With Nepal's special access to the Indian market and our shared commitment, I'm confident our partnership will continue to grow and flourish in the years ahead.”

Anand Jha, Vice President (Head of Government Engagement: India & South Asia), Visa Inc, said: “The idea for this seminar stemmed from my visit to Nepal, where I saw a real need for guidance and mentorship. Startups don't need rocket science-they need the right mentor and direction. Nepal, especially in the digital payments space, has a huge untapped market for fintech innovation. India has walked a similar path, and thanks to bold private initiatives and institutional support like Startup India.”

Vaibhav Taranekar, Vice President (Client Services), Visa Inc, said: “Fintech is now an integral part of the financial ecosystem across South Asia. While many initially believed they could operate alone, today, everyone wants to be part of the fintech experience. The biggest transformation has been in empowering merchants optimizing their digital footprint, made possible only through fintech. Its success lies in the spirit of collaboration that has turned fintech into a true support system.”

The “India-Nepal Fintech Summit 2025” was chaired by Amb Manjeev Singh Puri, Chair, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI & India’s Former Ambassador to Nepal and moderated by Atul K Thakur, Secretary, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI. Among others, it was addressed by: Md. Alam Ansari, Deputy Director (Startup India), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India; Dr Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI; Anukool Bhatnagar, Adviser, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI & Former MD & CEO, Nepal SBI Bank Ltd (NSBL); Jyoti Prakash Gadia, Co-Chair, BFSI Committee & Managing Director, Resurgent India Ltd; Diwas Sapkota, CEO, Fonepay; Pranaya Rajbhandari, CEO, FOCUSONE Payment Solutions (MOCO – Digital Wallet); Dr Binod Atreya, Managing Director, Banking, Finance and Insurance Institute of Nepal (BFIN); Dushyant Thakor, Deputy Executive Director, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA); Dr Seema Sharma, Professor (Economics), Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi; Dr Jayanthi Ranjan, Vice Chancellor, Sharda University (Agra); Dr Deepak Tandon, Senior Professor (Finance), Jaipuria School of Business; Shishir Sinha, Associate Editor, The Hindu Business Line; Shashvat Singh, Senior Fellow, India Foundation; Aniruddha Shanbhag, Director, Koan Advisory Group; Mahesh Kumar Agrawal, Bihar State Coordinator, Seema Jagran Manch; Atul Koirala, Board Member, BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation & Techno-Entrepreneur; Bikas Rauniar, Executive Director, Interstate Multi Modal Transport (P) Ltd

India and Nepal have made significant strides in fintech collaboration, particularly through the integration of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Nepal's payment systems. This partnership aims to enhance cross-border digital transactions, promote financial inclusion, and strengthen economic ties between the two nations. In June 2023, the National Payments Corporation of India’s international arm (NIPL) and Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate India's UPI with Nepal's National Payments Interface (NPI). This has eased the cross-border fund transfers and merchant payments between the two countries, however, recognising the challenges are important for broader fintech collaboration. Nepal lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework and a strong investor network to fully support fintech growth. Still, the nation has laid important groundwork that could enable fintech innovations to play a pivotal role in driving broader economic progress in the years ahead. Beyond digital payments, India and Nepal should explore collaborations in other fintech areas with focus on expertise and scale for payment innovations including Electronic Real-Time Payments, Investment Banking and Fintech Ecosystem Development.

The policy recommendations of the Summit shall support the ongoing efforts to make the payment systems between India and Nepal smooth and thus making the businesses and lives reaping their benefits for greater common good.

Nepal imported goods worth Rs 434. 43 billion from India via Birgunj in the last 11 months of the current fiscal year 2024/25.

According to Deepak Lamichhane, the Chief Customs Administrator of the Birgunj Customs Office, the majority of import and export through this border is with the neighbouring country, India.

Argentina comes in second place after India in terms of imports through this check point. 

Many goods and commodities are imported from Argentina. 

In the current fiscal year, goods and commodities worth Rs 46.74 billion have been imported from Argentina. The share of goods imported from that country is 8.27 percent.

Similarly, goods worth Rs 28.86 billion have been imported from the northern neighbour China during the same period. The share of imports from China is 1.22 percent.

In the 11 months of the current fiscal year, goods and products worth Rs 565. 42 billion  have been imported from 50 countries at the Birgunj border.

Similarly, goods and items worth Rs 91. 51 billion have been exported to foreign countries through the Birgunj border in the last 11 months of the current fiscal year. During this period, goods and items worth Rs. 86. 97 billion  have been exported to India through this border. This volume of export to India comprises 95.05 percent of total export trade volume through Birgunj customs. 

America comes in second place in terms of volume of exports through Birgunj during the same period. 

Goods and products worth Rs 2.18 billion have been exported to America, which is 2.38 percent of total exports.

Similarly, goods worth Rs 680 million have also been exported to Afghanistan through this border customs checkpoint during the same period.

A fully stable relationship has been elusive to India and China. Since the birth of the modern nation states, the unresolved border has continued to put an ominous shadow on the relationship. The lack of understanding toward each other has also resulted in major mistrust which has only grown with time. The Galwan clash of June 2020, which pushed the relationship into a total freeze for 4.5 years, has added to the existing mistrust. However, some positive momentum and thaw was finally achieved in October 2024 after multiple rounds of talks and has been pushing the relationship in a positive direction. But, given the history of the relationship, it will not be wrong to assume that a lot needs to be reformed for this relationship to be truly functional.

In a first after Galwan, the Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh visited Qingdao China from June 25 to June 26 to attend the defence ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting and met his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun. It was during this meeting that the Indian side proposed a four-point plan to achieve a ‘permanent solution’ to the border problem. The four-point agenda includes: “adherence to the 2024 disengagement plan, continued efforts to de-escalate, accelerated efforts to achieve the goal of demarcation and delimitation at the borders, and the usage of the existing special representative level mechanism to prepare new processes to manage differences and improve relations”. Singh also reiterated the need to build and establish mutual trust, which has been adversely impacted after the 2020 Galwan clash.

The points clearly highlight the multiple level of challenges and issues which India-China relations face even after 75 years of diplomatic relationship. India was one of the first countries to recognize the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Since then, the relationship has faced major hurdles and what makes it ever more problematic is the existing unresolved border.

Singh has rightly asserted that there is a need to look for a permanent solution to the border as it has time and again proved to be a major obstacle in the improvement of the relationship. The idea promoted by China, which led to the thaw in 1988, was that borders can be resolved at a future date, while economic and other relationships improved, has been proven quite fragile. The India-China trade relations have boomed in the last four decades and today the bilateral trade stands at $118bn dollars, however, it has not proved to be a factor in actually bridging the trust deficit or strengthening the relationship. The fragility of diplomatic mechanisms has been witnessed time and again.

Both sides had realized the need for regular communication and they tried to look for ways to improve this. The lack of communication was quite apparent during the 73-day military standoff at Doklam. In order to address this lacunae, the two countries did engage in unofficial talks in the form of the Wuhan Summit of 2018 and the Mamallapuram Summit of 2019. These summits were supposed to help the leaders communicate better and help any future challenge like the standoff at Doklam. However, the Galwan clash of 2020 underscored the fact that the mistrust and miscommunication ran too deep.

However, India and China are two of the largest economies and nuclear power states and de-escalation is a crucial and necessary step toward improving the relationship. The Indian side’s reiteration is understood as a peaceful border is essential for overall growth of the country. But it appears that India and China need to genuinely understand each other’s concerns. Both have been working toward achieving their own respective goals and are trying to resolve the border issue as per their understanding. The unresolved border has time and time again pushed this relationship into uncertainty and the fact that the Confidence Building Mechanisms (CBMs) which were achieved and implemented by mutual understanding could be shattered by one incident underscores the need for better communication and peaceful resolution of the border. 

For the last 75 years, the two countries have also built a domestic narrative on the border and this is today closely linked to the sovereignty and identity of the countries. For a resolution, the border will have to be negotiated, and as negotiations go, it will call for a compromise. The question this raises is: Which country or government will be comfortable accepting any such outcome? No government can be seen as giving up on territory and thus appear weaker. The mistrust is too deeply ingrained and the repeated border skirmishes initiated by Beijing time and again has not helped the case. Nationalism soars too high and too strong when it comes to resolving the border.

Even today, it appears that the two sides are talking parallel to each other. The Chinese have continued to stress the need to restart and establish people-to-people contact, which had completely broken after Galwan and also impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Beijing has shown its proactiveness here by restarting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and also issuing visas to a large number of Indians. It is also asserting that direct flights should be restarted soon. Meanwhile, New Delhi has continued to push for a resolution of the border and push for de-escalation, which is clear from the Indian defence minister’s agenda too. The fact that no joint statement was made during the SCO defence ministers’ meeting further shows the gap in perception. India has been firm on asserting the role of Pakistan as a terrorist state while China continues to push a parallel narrative.

A stable and cooperative India-China relationship will be beneficial to them as well as the South Asian region but it can be achieved only when the two sides genuinely start to understand and trust each other.

The author is an associate professor at OP Jindal Global University

Thirty-five youths from various districts of Nepal held captive under the lure of jobs have been rescued from Kashipur, Uttarakhand, India.

The Nepali Embassy in New Delhi has stated that they were rescued as per the directives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after receiving information that they were held captive, beaten and tortured and extorted money under various pretexts. 

The embassy rescued them Thursday with the help of Uttarakhand Police and a community-based organization called KIN India.

The Uttarakhand Police has arrested some people related to the incident and is conducting further investigation, the Embassy stated.. 

The rescued ones will be sent to Nepal after completing the due legal process.

Doctors in India say 270 bodies have been recovered from the site of Thursday's plane crash in Ahmedabad, BBC reported.

The London-bound aircraft crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew members, a 40-year-old British man.

Officials have also been trying to establish how many people were killed on the ground and have been continuing the slow process of matching DNA samples to confirm the victims' identities. 

Vigils honouring the dead have taken place across India and the UK, according to BBC.

The Government of India on Saturday gifted 40 ambulances to health institutions in various districts of Nepal. 

The vehicle handover ceremonies were held simultaneously at four locations including the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, the Consulate General of India in Birgunj and the Pension Paying Offices of the Embassy of India in Pokhara and Dharan.

A total of 40 ambulances were gifted today covering 33 districts across all the seven provinces of Nepal, reads a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. 

Out of these, 22 ambulances were handed over in Kathmandu, seven in Birgunj, seven in Pokhara and four in Dharan by representatives of the Government of India. 

Prasanna Shrivastava, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Kathmandu handed over the keys of the vehicles at the ceremony held in Kathmandu.

Mayors and Chairpersons of Municipalities and Rural Municipalities of various districts of Bagmati, Karnali, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces as well as representatives of various beneficiary organizations, political representatives, and social workers were present on the occasion. 

During the event, the Deputy Chief of Mission highlighted that gifting of ambulances has been one of the long-standing initiatives of the Government of India under the Nepal-India Development Partnership to bolster the efforts of the Government of Nepal to strengthen its infrastructure in the health sector, according to the statement.

He added that this initiative is a part of the larger robust and vibrant development partnership between India and Nepal which has expanded, deepened and diversified over the last seven decades. 

During their interactions with the Deputy Chief of Mission at the event, the beneficiaries expressed their gratitude for India’s support towards various ongoing developmental projects in their districts and Nepal, expressing confidence that the newly gifted ambulances will help enhance accessibility to health services in their respective regions. 

The Government of India has been presenting ambulances for more than three decades to various beneficiary organizations in different parts of Nepal, giving high priority to Nepal's health sector.

India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected after an Air India crash killed 270 people this week, the aviation minister said on Saturday, adding the authorities were investigating all possible causes, Reuters reported.

The aviation regulator had on Friday ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including assessments of certain take-off parameters, electronic engine control tests and engine fuel-related checks.

"We have also given the order to do the extended surveillance of the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian fleet," aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu told reporters in New Delhi.

"Eight have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done."

He did not say whether government officials will be involved in the inspections, according to Reuters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad and met with injured victims at the Civil Hospital on Friday.

The London-bound flight crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off on Thursday, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. The sole survivor, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, is recovering in hospital. The number of casualties on the ground remains unknown, according to Firstpost.

The aircraft was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian, according to Air India.

Families of the victims have begun providing DNA samples to aid in the identification process.

PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting in Ahmedabad with ministers and senior officials to oversee rescue operations, victim identification, and support measures for affected families, according to Firstpost.

Describing the tragedy as “beyond words,” Modi expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the bereaved families.

India has initiated an official investigation into the crash of Air India Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, which claimed 241 lives. The UK-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday, striking a building before catching fire. One person survived.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will lead the probe, adhering to international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Firstpost reported.

Additionally, the government has formed a high-level committee of experts to assess the incident and recommend measures to enhance aviation safety.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday that a team has been sent to India following the crash of Air India flight AI171. In a statement on social media, he described the incident as “absolutely devastating” and confirmed that Foreign Secretary David Lammy is leading the UK’s response.

Starmer stated that the UK is working closely with Indian authorities to investigate the cause and would provide timely updates. He is scheduled to chair a COBR emergency meeting later in the day, which is held by the Cabinet Office to coordinate government response during major crises, according to Xinhua.

Only one out of the 242 individuals on board survived.

An Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday (June 12, 2025) afternoon. Barring one miracle survivor, no one else could be rescued. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among those killed in the crash.

The Boeing 787-8 aircraft took off at 1:38 p.m. Five minutes later, the aircraft plummeted into the B.J. Medical College hostel mess 5km from the airport, as over 100 students were gathered for lunch. A towering plume of smoke was visible from afar after a massive explosion, The Hindu reported.

Government sources said the pilots gave a ‘Mayday’ call immediately after takeoff, signalling a life-threatening emergency. The aircraft was steered by Pilot in Command Sumit Sabharwal, and co-Pilot Clive Kunder.

After meeting the sole survivor of the crash in hospital, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said none of the other passengers could be saved. “Due to the huge amount of fuel at 1.25 lakh litre and high temperature from the explosion, no one could be rescued,” he said. The Press Trust of India identified the survivor as Vishwaskumar Ramesh, who was travelling in the A11 seat of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, heading to London with his brother, according to The Hindu.

Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, who served between 2016 and 2021, was among the passengers on the ill-fated London-bound Dreamliner that went down minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad, India Today reported.

Rupani's demise marks the second time a former Gujarat CM has died in a plane crash, six decades after Balwantrai Mehta's fatal air accident in 1965.