The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has extended Ajit Agarkar’s contract as chief selector till June 2026, according to a report. Agarkar took charge in 2023 and helped India win the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy in 2025. A BCCI official said, “Under his tenure, the Indian team had won titles and seen transition too.” The extension was confirmed before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Agarkar also stressed on the careful workload management of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. India will begin the Asia Cup 2025 against UAE on September 10. (PC: NDTV)

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that negotiations will begin to free hostages held in Gaza and end the ongoing war. “These two things – defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages – go hand in hand,” he said. Israeli forces have advanced to the outskirts of Gaza City, with more troops joining the operation. Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working on proposals for indirect talks. Netanyahu stressed that all hostages must be freed for the conflict to end. No timeline was provided, and details of the negotiations remain limited. (PC: Reuters)

The Sports Ministry on Thursday said India will not take part in any bilateral sports events with Pakistan. “Indian teams will not travel to Pakistan, nor will we allow Pakistani teams in India,” a ministry source said. The new policy applies to all venues, even neutral ones. However, multilateral tournaments, like the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE, will go ahead. “We will not stop the Indian cricket team from playing in the Asia Cup as it is a multilateral event,” the source added. The policy also aims to follow Olympic norms and support international sports inclusivity. (PC: AFP)

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday vowed to continue holding public grievance hearings, a day after she was attacked at her Civil Lines residence. “My father taught me never to stop out of fear after a setback. Every moment of my life is dedicated to Delhi,” Gupta said in a post on X. She added that she would hold Jan Sunwai in every assembly of the city. Gupta was allegedly slapped and dragged by an accused during Wednesday’s hearing. Police have registered an attempt to murder case, while CRPF has taken over her security with Z-category cover. (PC: X)

Kutch district in Gujarat was shaken by two back-to-back minor earthquakes on Thursday night. The first quake, of magnitude 3.4, struck at 10:12 pm near Bhachau. Just seven minutes later, at 10:19 pm, another tremor of 2.7 magnitude was recorded near Rapar. Officials confirmed no reports of casualties, injuries, or property damage. Residents felt brief alarm as the district lies in a high-risk seismic zone. Kutch often experiences mild tremors, but memories of the devastating 2001 earthquake keep locals alert. Disaster management teams continue to monitor the situation, assuring there is no immediate threat.

The Jharkhand Police CID has exposed a large cyber-crime syndicate linked to over 15,000 mule bank accounts used in fraudulent investment scams. Acting on inputs from the I4C portal, officials identified several high-value transactions above ₹10 lakh. An FIR was filed on July 29, naming 40 accounts, and seven people have been arrested so far. The accounts were connected to fraud cases across states including Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala, and Delhi. Police also seized mobile phones, SIM cards, ATM cards, passbooks, and chat records. Officials said the scam involved crores of rupees moved through interstate networks.

The UK has summoned Israel’s ambassador after final approval was given for a controversial settlement plan in the West Bank. The project, known as the E1 settlement, will add about 3,500 homes east of Jerusalem and could cut the West Bank in two. Britain, along with 21 other nations, condemned the decision, calling it a clear breach of international law and a major threat to a two-state solution. The UN also warned the plan would “drive a stake through the heart” of peace efforts. Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich said the move was meant to erase the idea of a Palestinian state. (PC: Reuters)

The Assam government has decided to stop issuing Aadhaar cards to people above 18 years of age from October. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the move is to prevent illegal Bangladeshi migrants from getting Indian identity documents. Aadhaar will now be given only to minors, and for SCs, STs, and tea garden tribes, cards will be issued for one year. Applications will remain open until September. After that, exceptions will need approval from the Deputy Commissioner. Assam shares a porous border with Bangladesh and has long faced tensions over undocumented migration and identity documents. (PC: NDTV)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. The visit comes after the US imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods and criticised India’s purchase of Russian oil. Earlier, Jaishankar also met Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and said India and Russia will expand trade in a “balanced and sustainable” way. He defended India’s oil imports, saying India is not the largest buyer and that the US itself had encouraged such purchases to stabilise markets. Jaishankar added that India also buys oil from America and called US criticism “perplexing.” (PC: News18)

China has come out in support of India after the US imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods. Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong said the US was acting like a “bully” and warned that silence would only make it stronger. He stressed that China firmly opposed the tariffs and would stand by India. Xu also said China would welcome more Indian goods, especially in IT, software, and biomedicine. He urged India to give Chinese businesses a fair market in return. The US tariffs, which include penalties for buying Russian oil, will take effect on August 27. (PC: India Today)