The Shillong Times

Tehran, July 18: Iran launched renewed attacks on US Gulf allies on Saturday after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) concluded a new round of strikes on Iran overnight. Irans semi-official Mehr news agency said that explosions were reported in Bushehr province as well as Hormozgan provinces Sirik and Qeshm counties, and the official IRNA news []

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (Belgium), July 17: Red Bulls Max Verstappen lapped fastest in first practice for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix on Friday with Ferraris Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc his closest rivals. Both race winners this season, seven-time champion Hamilton and Leclerc were 0.145 and 0.207 slower respectively than Verstappens best effort of one minute []

JAPAN OPEN TOKYO, July 17: Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu reached the Japan Open semifinals after a withdrawal from her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara here on Friday. This marked Sindhus third semifinal of the season, after the Malaysian Super 1000 and Australia Super 500. Moreover, this is her first Super 750 semi-final since the 2023 []

LAHORE, July 17: Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been handed a three-month suspension for failing a dope test after consuming a substance of abuse unrelated to sporting performance during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, the ICC said on Friday. Nawazs sentence would be reduced to one month on completion of a substance []

PROVIDENCE (Guyana), July 17: West Indies collapsed from 67-1 to be all out for 140, handing New Zealand a six-wicket win in the third one-day cricket international Thursday and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The collapse mirrored that of the second match in which the West Indies fell from 63-0 to 138 all []

CHENNAI, July 17: French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja inflicted a shock defeat on reigning world champion D Gukesh to emerge as the sole leader after the second round of the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 here on Friday. Firouzja, who had beaten Indian GM M Pranesh with the black pieces in the opening round, outlasted Gukesh in []

NEW DELHI, July 17: Elavenil Valarivan has been at the top of her game ever since she burst onto the international shooting scene as a prodigiously talented teenager. Still only 26, the rifle shooter has built a reputation not merely on brilliance but on unwavering consistency, making her one of Indias most dependable performers. Her []

NEW DELHI, July 17: There were no surprises on offer in the Indian womens hockey squad announced for next months World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands with the selectors naming the same 20-strong group that has been picked for the Asian Games in September-October. The 20-member squad, announced on Friday, will be led by []

Atlanta, July 17: England midfielder Jude Bellingham has urged fans to continue believing in the national team despite its heartbreaking exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting bigger achievements lie ahead if the country remains united. Englands hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 ended with a 2-1 defeat to defending []

France, England fight for World Cup bronze FRANCE VS ENGLAND | SUN, jULY 19 AT 2:30 AM Atlanta, July 17: France and England will lock horns in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff on Saturday, with both European heavyweights aiming to end their campaigns on a positive note after suffering heartbreaking defeats in the []

ISLAMABAD, July 17: As the United States continues to hit Iran, and Tehran keeps up its retaliatory actions across the Persian Gulf on Washingtons installations, Pakistan finds itself poised precariously on an agonising geopolitical precipice. Islamabads immediate priorities go beyond an effective bulwark against collateral damage. While prioritising energy imports and remittances, border security along []

BEIJING, July 17: China on Friday said it has never interfered in US elections and has no interest in doing so, urging Washington to stop making what it described as groundless accusations after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of meddling in the 2020 election. In an address to the nation Thursday, Trump again raised doubts []

LONDON, July 17: Andy Burnham was on Friday confirmed as the newly elected leader of the UKs governing Labour Party, becoming the prime minister-designate to take charge at 10 Downing Street next week. The 56-year-old member of Parliament for Makerfield in northern England, on track to become Britains seventh prime minister in a decade, admitted []

MOSCOW, July 17: Boris Nadezhdin, who criticised Moscows military action in Ukraine and tried to challenge President Vladimir Putin in the 2024 election, was convicted Friday of displaying extremist symbols an action that will keep him out of this years parliamentary race. The charges against Nadezhdin, 63, were based on a 2023 online interview []

PESHAWAR, July 17: Twenty-four terrorists were killed during a series of intelligence-based operations in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said on Friday. The operations were launched in and around the restive Bannu district over the last 24 hours, the militarys media wing said in a statement. It said 24 terrorists were killed during the []

Superstar Aamir Khan has revealed that his character Phunsukh Wangdu from the 2009 blockbuster 3 Idiots is not based on educationist and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. Aamir was speaking at the ongoing London Indian Film Festival when an audience member asked him about Sonam Wanchuk being the inspiration behind 3 Idiots. Aamir replied: No, thats []

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that he held discussions with Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar for a movie on legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan. Sarma asserted that a grand-scale Hindi film on Borphukan will further encapsulate him and his heroics at the national and international level. The movie Dhurandhar was a big hit. []

SHILLONG, July 17: Senior BJP MLA Alexander Laloo Hek on Friday asserted that neither the Centre nor any external agency can push ahead with uranium mining in Meghalaya without the consent of the people and the state government. Clarifying recent remarks by Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh on uranium exploration, Hek said the minister []

SHILLONG, July 17: BJP MLA and party leader Alexander Laloo Hek has said government offices themselves are places of worship where employees serve the public, and therefore there is no need to construct temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras or any other religious structures within government premises. Reacting to the controversy over the temple inside the CBI []

SHILLONG, July 17: Meghalaya has been ranked 23rd among 36 states and Union Territories in the NITI Aayogs Investment Friendliness Index 2026, scoring 43 out of 100. The report, released on Friday, places the state fifth among the 12 hilly and northeastern states and in the emerging performers category. One of the primary reasons for []

Union urges Khasis to honour the legacy of U Tirot Sing Syiem by standing up for the rights and identity of the indigenous people SHILLONG, July 17: The Khasi Students Union (KSU) on Friday renewed its demand for a stringent law to regulate the influx of outsiders into Meghalaya and urged members of the Khasi []

SHILLONG, July 17: A day after the Hill Farmers Union (HFU) staged a cabbage protest in the city, offering around six tonnes of the vegetable for free, the Meghalaya government has scheduled a meeting with farmers and key stakeholders on July 24 to examine the causes behind the collapse in wholesale vegetable prices and consider []

SHILLONG, July 17: The use of Meghalaya Project as the code name for an alleged multi-crore political conspiracy in Tamil Nadu has directly tarnished the name and reputation of Meghalaya and its people, dragging the peaceful hill state into an ugly bribery scandal thousands of kilometres away. Police say the Meghalaya Project was a carefully []

State pays tribute to freedom fighter on 191st death anniversary SHILLONG, July 17: Urging the people of Meghalaya to emulate the courage, sacrifice and ideals of U Tirot Sing, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday led tributes to the legendary Khasi freedom fighter on his 191st death anniversary, as commemorative events were held across []

SHILLONG, July 17: In a major effort to honour Meghalayas indigenous history, the Hynniewtrep Youths Council (HYC) on Friday unveiled two 15-foot statues of Khasi patriots Bormanik Syiem and Sngap Sing Syiem at Laitarted, Nongthliew, Eastern West Khasi Hills. The ceremony coincided with the 191st death anniversary of the iconic freedom fighter U Tirot Sing []

SHILLONG, July 17: A Working Group on Heritage Tourism will be constituted and two pilot Heritage Tourism Labs will be established to develop a community-driven framework for Meghalaya, following a workshop held by Asian Confluence and the Association for Conservation & Tourism (ACT) on Friday. The workshop, titled Initiating a Heritage Tourism Policy for Meghalaya, []

SHILLONG, July 17: The Khasi Students Union (KSU), Shillong Mihngi circle, on Friday ordered the closure of a mosque at 4th Furlong, alleging the structure was built without the necessary statutory approvals and documentation. The action was led by KSU Central Executive Council organising secretary Cleenstar Shabong. According to the union, its inquiry revealed that []

SHILLONG: North Garo Hills ajao mamong aro adok sorkarirang baksa songgigrikgipa dingtang dingtang project-rangko taraken chusokatchina gita Bristibar salo, adokni Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) didiangaha. Ia project-rangko BJP-ni state vice president aro Tura-ni MDC Bernard N Marak-ni dilanichi, mamong aro adok sorkarirang baksa soi kagrikanio bak ongpagipa manderang niangaha aro Marak-ni parakatani gitade uamang, North []

Hospital-rango anpakaniko 90% batatna nisan donenga: CM SHILLONG: Meghalaya adoko anseng baljokaniko onani, mongsongbate magiparangna aro bisarangna anseng baljokaniko onanio kamrangko Bristibar salo, adokni Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma nipilangaha aro ia tomanio adokni Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla baksana Health department-ni dingtang dingtang official-rangba dongpae bak raangaha. Ia tomanio, Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS)-ni ningo []

Garo Labour Corps-ni Research Committee-na gong lak 2-ko onna Assembly Speaker kurachaka TURA: First World War ba agilsak gimikni skanggipa dakgrikanio France asongona dakchakna reanggipa Garo Labour Corps-ko bilsianti manirongbaenga gitan ia bilsioba chang 108-gipa Garo Labour Corps Day-ko mijal Bristibar salo maniangaha. Ia program-ko Tura Babupara-o gital rikenggipa Garo Labour Corps-ni Cenotaph-ko matchotkujaengani gimin []

AMPATI: Lekka porani gadangko tangdoatna jaku deani bak gita Budbar salo, South West Garo Hills ajani ningo donggipa dingtang dingtang skulrango, poraienggipa bisarangni maa paarang aro skigiparangni gisepo tome agangrikanirangko ongatangaha. Ia tomanirangko ongatanio, detangtangni lekka pora raaniko namdapatna gita banga maa paarangan, gisiko nangbee bak raangtokaha aro ia tomanio, skulko dilenggiparang aro skigiparang, maikai []

ENGLAND 1 ARGENTINA 2 ATLANTA, July 16: No Hand of God this time. Argentina didnt need it. Instead it was the hallowed feet of Lionel Messi and the unbreakable spirit of a team that has repeatedly fought back at this years World Cup that is now one step away from back-to-back titles. Trailing []

Atlanta, July 16: Lionel Messi once again proved that football intelligence can outweigh physicality as Argentinas tactical adjustments exposed Englands defensive frailties to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup final. At 39, Messi no longer relies on blistering pace but instead controlled the game through intelligent movement, positioning and vision, effectively becoming an []

Atlanta, July 16: Englands FIFA World Cup title hopes may have ended with their semi-final defeat to Argentina, but Thomas Tuchels side still have one final assignment as they face France in Sundays third-place play-off. While the fixture may not carry the prestige of the final, it still offers plenty of significance for both teams. []

BUDAPEST (Hungary), July 16: Indias Olympic bronze medallist and U23 Asian Champion Aman Sehrawat delivered a commanding performance to clinch the gold medal in the mens 57kg freestyle category at the Polyak Imre, Varga Janos & Kozma Istvn Memorial Senior Ranking Tournament 2026 in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday. Continuing his impressive form on the global []

BRUSSELS, July 16: Formula One world champion Lando Norris will have a 10-place grid penalty at Sundays Belgian Grand Prix after McLaren changed the power electronics unit on his car.The Briton started last years race on pole position but McLaren have been off the pace this season and are currently third overall behind leaders Mercedes []

OHIO, July 16: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has entered next months Cincinnati Open as he targets a return from a wrist injury, tournament organisers said. The 23-year-old Spaniard, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, was unable to defend his French Open crown and also missed Wimbledon as he continued his recovery.But the world number three is []

NEW DELHI, July 16: Former India captain Sardar Singh believes the national mens hockey team has gained confidence at just the right time but success at next months World Cup and the Asian Games after that will depend on consistent team effort instead of individual brilliance. India head into the World Cup, beginning August 14, []

Shillong, July 16: Shillong football fans have under 10 days to wait for the start of the Shillong Premier League 2026, with reigning champions Langsning FC to kick off the defence of their title in the opening match on 25 July when they face Sawmer SCC. The Shillong Sports Association announced the fixtures for the []

Cardiff, July 16: Virat Kohlis confident 65 reminded all and sundry of his salad days but Rohit Sharmas continuous struggles did contribute to Indias below-par 233 in 44 overs in the second ODI against England here on Thursday. The middle-order caved in inexplicably with four wickets lost for 15 runs in a space of 26 []

Dubai, July 16: India fast bowler Gurnoor Brar has been handed an official warning and handed one demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first ODI against England at Edgbaston. The incident occurred during the eighth over of the England innings on July 14, when Brar picked []

Shillong, July 16: The East Khasi Hills District Badminton Association (EKHDBA) will organise the 10th East Khasi Hills District Open Badminton Championship 2026 from July 28 to 30 at the Glades Sports Arena, Mawlai Mawroh, providing a competitive platform for shuttlers across multiple age groups in the district. The three-day championship will feature competitions in []

New Delhi, July 16: Harshit Ranas hamstring injury in his first series after coming back from a knee surgery has raised concerns over his fitness regimen as top sources revealed that the burly fast bowler gained weight during his rehabilitation which probably contributed to the latest breakdown. According to sources, the 24-year-old Rana was found []

Washington, July 16: The Trump administration has told lawmakers that it is reshaping US development finance and overseas investment to reduce Americas dependence on China for critical minerals, energy, telecommunications and other strategic supply chains, arguing that economic security has become inseparable from national security. Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday (local []

Satluj row: Centre considering amendment in IT Rules for OTT platforms The government is considering amending the IT Rules 2021 for certification of films before release on OTT platforms, a development that comes amid a controversy over the film Satluj that was released without any clearances. Sources said the government is mulling introducing compulsory certification []

Actress Kriti Sanon is enjoying the ongoing ODI match between England and India at the Edgbaston Stadium with her rumoured boyfriend Kabir Bahia. On Tuesday, the actress took to the Stories section of her Instagram, and re-shared Kabirs story in which the rumoured couple can be seen with their friend. Kriti and Kabir have been []