George Russell has boosted his title bid by seizing victory in the Austrian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver taking his seventh career win ahead of a chasing Max Verstappen and championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Russell made a smooth getaway from pole position when the lights went out, while Verstappen also bounced back from the disappointment of his crash in Qualifying to make gains in the early laps. Antonelli did not have an entirely smooth start, the Italian running wide on several occasions.
While Russell held a solid lead for much of the following laps, Verstappen – after engaging in more than one feisty battle with Lewis Hamilton along the way – made his way up to P2 as the race progressed, resulting in the Dutchman putting increasing pressure on Russell later on.
Verstappen held off Antonelli by just 0.375s, bringing to an end an impressive day for the four-time World Champion, while Antonelli had to settle for third – meaning that he now leads the championship by 40 points.
Oscar Piastri was fourth for McLaren, ahead of the Ferrari of Hamilton in fifth and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in sixth.
The other McLaren of Lando Norris claimed P7, followed by Charles Leclerc in P8 on a disappointing day for the Scuderia.
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad grabbing the final points on offer in P9 and P10.
The Audi duo of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg both missed out in 11th and 12th, as did Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in 13th.
Haas’ Ollie Bearman was P14, followed by the other Alpine and Haas cars of Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon respectively.
Williams’ Alex Albon and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso were the final classified runners in 17th and 18th.
PayGlocal, India's leading cross-border payments platform, announced the launch of Google Pay Card Payments on its International Payment Gateway, making it one of the first payment platforms in India to enable Google Pay for international transactions.
With this launch, and Apple Pay already live on PayGlocal's gateway, Indian merchants can now collectively reach over one billion customers across the world's largest consumer markets - the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the UAE, Singapore, and across Western Europe.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has announced that the Corporate Mitra scheme, introduced in the Union Budget 2026-27, will create a pool of trained and certified para professionals to support MSMEs in managing business and regulatory compliances. The initiative will facilitate ease of doing business and contribute towards Viksit Bharat.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs formed a steering committe after the budget announcement to lay the foundation for implementation of the scheme. Regular reviews by the ministry ensured coordination between professional institutes, including ICAI, ICSI and ICoAI, along with IIT Madras.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 10th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the meeting being organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will bring together representatives of Central Ministries, State Governments and drug law enforcement agencies to review and strengthen efforts to combat drug trafficking and drug abuse across the country.
On the occasion, Mr Shah will release the Vision Document on Narcotics Control 2026-2029, which has been prepared through extensive consultations with various stakeholders. The Ministry said that the document will provide a roadmap for tackling the drug menace through coordinated measures focusing on demand reduction, supply reduction and rehabilitation.
It will also outline strategies to address emerging challenges such as synthetic drugs and darknet-enabled trafficking, while promoting greater awareness, treatment and rehabilitation services.
The Home Minister will also release the NCB Annual Report-2025 and inaugurate the newly built NCB Zonal Offices in Jammu and Guwahati.
He will launch the Online Drug Disposal Fortnight Campaign under which 2,09,500 kilograms of seized narcotic substances, valued at about 6,000 crore rupees, are expected to be destroyed across the country in accordance with legal procedures.
The Ministry further said that the meeting is aimed at reinforcing the government’s zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and further advance the vision of a drug-free India. It will also provide a platform for assessing the collective efforts of all stakeholders and charting the course for effective narcotics control over the next three years.
England Test captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, confirming that the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge would be his last assignment. The all-rounder brought a close to a career which began with the white-ball teams in 2011. He then made his Test debut in December 2013 at the Adelaide Oval during the Ashes.
Stokes is known for playing many memorable knocks during his stint as an England player, but nothing would beat the heroics of the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand and the Headingley Test against Australia. Stokes' decision to retire comes days after the infamous nightclub episode for which he was left out of the squad for the second Test.
Recently, Stokes was involved in a major controversy after he was left out of the team for the second Test against New Zealand. The all-rounder was found guilty of breaching the team curfew after the win at Lord's, and later it emerged that Gus Atkinson, the England pacer, was involved in an altercation with a rugby academy player.
However, days later, both Stokes and Atkinson were cleared of wrongdoing and made their way back into the squad for the third and final Test.
On his comeback Test, which happens to be the third and final Test against New Zealand, Stokes became just the second player in the history of the sport to take more than 250 wickets in Tests and also have 7000 runs to his name.
Overall, he played 122 Tests, 114 ODIs and 43 T20Is for England.
His unbeaten 84 in the 2019 ICC World Cup final helped take the match against New Zealand to a Super Over in which England triumphed, while weeks later his sensational 135 not out at Headingley dragged England from apparent defeat to victory in the Third Ashes Test in one of the team’s greatest wins.
Kakinada Cooperative Town Bank has attained Tier-III status under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms after its total deposits crossed the ₹2,000-crore mark, Bank Chairman Chitturi Ravindra.
Addressing a press conference here, Ravindra, a former Member of Parliament, said the 46-year-old bank has also emerged as the second-largest among the 46 urban cooperative banks in Andhra Pradesh, with its total business exceeding ₹2,040 crore.
He said the bank has constructed a multi-storeyed Locker Plaza with a capacity of 2,000 lockers.
The facility will be commissioned from July 1, with 800 lockers being made operational in the first phase.
The bank, which has entered its 47th year of operations, currently has 18 branches across Kakinada, East Godavari, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema and Visakhapatnam districts.
Two more branches will soon be opened at Samalkot and Pithapuram
The bank also operates eight ATMs and plans to install a cash deposit ATM shortly.
On March 31, 2026, the bank’s deposits stood at ₹1,235 crore, while advances were ₹804.12 crore. Investments totalled ₹552.14 crore, including ₹401.05 crore in government securities and ₹151crore with other banks.
The bank has 55,605 members with a share capital of ₹28.63 crore. Its own funds have reached ₹198.20 crore, and the Board has declared a dividend of 12 per cent for members.
He said the bank posted a net profit of ₹16.18 crore during the last financial year after paying income tax of ₹5.61 crore and maintained zero net non-performing assets (NPAs).
Explaining the RBI classification, Ravindra said urban cooperative banks with deposits below ₹100 crore are classified as Tier-I, those with deposits between ₹100 crore and ₹1,000 crore as Tier-II, between ₹1,000 crore and ₹10,000 crore as Tier-III, and above ₹10,000 crore as Tier-IV.
Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (OPSA), in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), launched the TRL Compass Platform to standardise Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessments across sectors on 29 June 2026 under the chairmanship of Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
The platform adapts the globally accepted nine-level TRL scale to the specific needs of India's research and innovation ecosystem and provides a common national standard for evaluating projects seeking public funding.
The launch was also joined by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, OPSA; Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO, ANRF; Sangeeta Gupta, Sr. VP and CSO, NASSCOM and senior officials from OPSA, DSCI and CSIR.
TRL Compass will support the effective implementation of key national initiatives such as the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. It includes sector-specific annexures for Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals and Software, enabling domain-specific assessments.
The platform transforms project evaluation from subjective judgement into an objective, documentation-backed assessment of technology, manufacturing, quality, and programmatic readiness.
Mr Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI and Dr Preeti Banzal, Adviser/Scientist 'G', OPSA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of DSCI and OPSA, respectively.
The MoU facilitates collaboration on technology readiness assessments, capability mapping, and the development of a Technology Radar methodology. This partnership will also focus on building a pool of trained assessors for TRL assessments; and driving the adoption of TRL Compass across India's research and innovation ecosystem.
Gautam Buddha University, GNIDA, Space Kidz India & IN-SPACe Join Hands to Power India's All-Girls Lunar Mission ShakthiSAT.
In a landmark step toward advancing space innovation, STEM education, and women-led scientific leadership, Gautam Buddha University (GBU) has joined hands with Space Kidz India and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) to support Mission ShakthiSAT, the world's first all-girls international satellite mission to the Moon.
Mission ShakthiSAT is a global initiative bringing together 12,000 young girls from 108 countries, providing hands-on exposure to satellite development, space technology, research, innovation, and international scientific collaboration.
Conceptualised and led by Space Kidz India, the mission aims to inspire and empower the next generation of women scientists, engineers, innovators, and leaders.
As a key academic and institutional partner, Gautam Buddha University will support mission activities through research, innovation, interdisciplinary learning, and scientific engagement.
Space Kidz India also expresses its deepest gratitude to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) for its invaluable institutional support.
Mission ShakthiSAT today stands among the world's largest youth-driven aerospace initiatives, uniting 12,000 Young Girls 108 Countries 108 International Women Ambassadors Scientists, Engineers, Researchers, and Educators from Around the World.
The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and France’s Sorbonne University have launched a joint master’s programme in Biological Science and a joint PhD course for students and researchers. This partnership between the two institutes aims to improve their innovation, advanced research, academic programmes and student mobility.
A high-level delegation from IIT Delhi, led by the Director, Prof. Banerjee, has visited Sorbonne University to strengthen the ties between both universities and to explore more ways of collaboration.
During this visit, discussions were focused on expanding the partnership beyond healthcare into other domains such as Material Science, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Informatics, Robotics and other interdisciplinary areas with high societal and technological relevance.
The France-Indian Integrated Health Campus, which is the heart of the partnership between the two institutions, was established as a pioneer platform for interdisciplinary research and education in healthcare.
The campus aims to bring together people who are experts in engineering, medicine, life sciences, social sciences, and digital technologies to address contemporary healthcare challenges through collaborative innovation.
HDFC Bank, announced former Finance Secretary and former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar as its choice for part-time non-executive chairman for three years.
Coming after months of uncertainty following the sudden resignation of Atanu Chakraborty, Kumar’s appointment is still subject to approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will succeed interim chairman Keki M Mistry, who has been serving in the role since March 2026.
Kumar has also been appointed as an additional independent director for four years from June 30, 2026, subject to shareholders’ approval. Kumar’s appointment follows an unusually turbulent period for HDFC Bank. Former chairman Atanu Chakraborty resigned in March this year, saying certain happenings & practices within bank were not in line with his personal values & ethics.
A 1984-batch IAS officer of the then Bihar cadre, now Jharkhand cadre, Kumar has spent nearly four decades in public service, much of it dealing with finance, banking and public policy. Before moving to the Election Commission, he retired as Finance Secretary in February 2020 after serving as Secretary in the Department of Financial Services between 2017 and 2020.
The 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda.
The Conference served as a significant platform to review the progress of key national health programmes, deliberate on emerging public health priorities and strengthen Centre-State collaboration for improving healthcare delivery across the country.
The Union Cabinet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an additional investment by the Government of India of ₹30,000 crore in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to be used for its upcoming funds, the government announced on June 29, 2026.
This would take the government’s total commitment in NIIF to ₹60,000 crore.
The NIIF is India’s sovereign anchored fund, in which the government of India is a 49% shareholder. It currently manages capital commitments of about ₹40,000 crore across its funds and investment strategies.
According to a release by NIIF, this additional allocation from the government will help NIIF to raise larger funds, attract investors across geographies, and deepen its presence in key sectors of the economy.
The government said that this additional investment of ₹30,000 crore will be used to set up NIIF’s second infrastructure focussed fund, the successor to its first flagship fund with this mandate.
NIIF Infrastructure Fund II is proposed to have a target corpus of close to ₹30,000 crore and is expected to undertake investments across transportation, energy, digital infrastructure, and emerging areas such as urban infrastructure and e-mobility
It added that the allocation will also support NIIF’s new fund strategies and upcoming bilateral and strategic funds.
Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Akshay, a new-generation Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), was commissioned into the Bharatiya Tatrakshak Fleet at Goa.
The Defence Ministry said the ship reinforces the Coast Guard’s resolve to ensure safe, secure and clean seas while protecting India’s vast maritime domain.
It added that the vessel is equipped to undertake a wide range of Coast Guard operations, including maritime law enforcement, coastal security, search and rescue, marine environmental protection and assistance to mariners in distress.
Designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited, ICGS Akshay is another significant milestone in indigenous shipbuilding and reflects the Government’s commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit PVSM AVSM VM VSM took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force on 01 Jul 26.
The Air Marshal was commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF on 06 December 1986. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Staff Service College (Bangladesh) and National Defence College with more than 3500 hours of flying.
The Air Marshal has an extensive flying experience on various aircraft; to name a few; Mirage-2000, variants of Mig, HPT-32, An-32, Avro, Kiran, Jaguar, IL-78, Hawk and Tejas. He is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.
He is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor. During his service career, spanning approx four decades, he has been actively involved in numerous operations and exercises viz Op-Safed Sagar, Op-Rakshak, Cope-India and Op Sindoor.
During his illustrious career, the Air Marshal has held a number of significant field and staff appointments. As Commanding Officer, he re-equipped No. 9 Sqn with Mirage-2000 and later commanded a front line fighter air base in Western Sector and a premiere fighter training base in Southern Sector.
He has served as a Directing Staff at Air Force Test Pilots School and held the staff appointment of Principle Director Air Staff Requirement at Air HQ.
In recognition of his exemplary and distinguished service to the nation, the Air Marshal has been awarded Vayu Sena Medal in 2006, Vishisht Seva Medal 2011, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026.
