For the year 2024, the 72nd National Film Awards honor excellence in Indian film. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting revealed the awards.

An 11-member Central Jury, presided over by renowned Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj, judged the awards. Jayaraj supervised the final selection process after reviewing submissions from all across the nation.

The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) organizes the event, which has a well-defined jury system. With a formal presentation, the prizes seek to recognize Indian films’ artistic and technical accomplishments without any public bias.

Although the ceremony’s location has not been disclosed, the National Awards will likely take place in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where the President of India has historically presented the National Film Awards to the victors. Recent editions, such as the 70th and 71st National Film Awards, have been held there.

Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan and Malayalam cinema icon Mammootty shared the award for Best Actor, which was revealed on Saturday at the National Media Centre for the upcoming 72nd National Film Awards.

Kartik was recognized for his role in the sports biopic “Chandu Champion,” while Mammootty received the award for his performance in “Bramayugam.”

Yami Gautam received Best Actress recognition for her performance in “Article 370.”

The prize for her brilliant acting in Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s Hindi film “Article 370,” which was also declared the Best Feature Film, went to Yami Gautam. Shashwat Sachdev, the music director of Article 370, also won the Best Music (Songs) award.

Rajkummar Rao‘s “Srikanth – Aa Raha Hai Sabki Aankhein Kholne” was named Best Hindi Film. The movie is based on Srikanth Bolla, an entrepreneur with visual impairment, and is directed by Tushar Hiranandani.

‘Pushpa 2‘ earned director Sukumar the National Award for Best Screenplay.

Shashwat Sachdev, who recently scored the movies ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Dhurandhar The Revenge’, received the Best Music Direction prize for ‘Article 370.’

‘Kalki 2898 AD‘ received Best Production Design, while ‘Stree 2‘ was awarded Best Choreography.

Randeep Hooda, an actor, has responded to his National Award win for Best Debut Director, “Swatantryaveer Savarkar.”

“I’m still trying to process the announcement that I won the National Award for Best Debut Director for ‘Swatantryaveer Savarkar,'” he said. This film demanded more of me than any other I’ve ever done. The journey of this film was fraught with difficulties at every turn, but I’m glad we persevered and overcame each one. And despite that, we somehow continued to find the strength to move on. As an actor, co-writer, and first-time director, I poured my all into this film because I felt a tremendous responsibility to tell Veer Savarkar’s story honestly and sincerely. What we endured while making this film is nothing compared to the life he lived and the sacrifices he made. ”

“I am profoundly appreciative of my whole team for believing in this dream and supporting it through all the good and bad times. This honour belongs to all of us, and I hope it will motivate more individuals, particularly the younger generation, to explore and consider Veer Savarkar’s legacy,” he continued.

On Saturday, actor Sivakarthikeyan declared that it was a proud day for the entire Amaran family as he expressed his pleasure that his film ‘Amaran’ had taken home three prizes at the 72nd National Awards, including one for Best direction.

Sivakarthikeyan shared a statement on his X timeline shortly after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting revealed the winners of the 72nd National Film Awards, saying, “A proud day for our entire Amaran family. ” My beloved director has my deepest sympathies.

At the 72nd National Film Awards (2024), Rajkumar KP took home Best Director, G. V. Prakash was honored for Best Music Direction (Background Score), and Kalaivanan was honored for Best Editing.

For his ultimate sacrifice while battling militants in Jammu and Kashmir, Major Mukund Varadarajan was awarded the Ashok Chakra, the country’s highest medal for valor. Based on his life, “Amaran” earned Rajkumar Periasamy the award for Best Director. Kalaivannan also received the award for Best Editing for the movie, while G. V. Prakash Kumar took home the prize for Best Background Score.

In the same message, Sivakarthikeyan also congratulated other National Award winners, including actor Dhanush, who took home two awards, one for each of the Tamil movies ‘Raayan’ and ‘Captain Miller’. While ‘Captain Miller’ received a Special Mention award, ‘Raayan‘, directed by Dhanush, was selected as the Best Tamil Feature Film. The Best Feature Film for Encouraging National, Social, and Environmental Values went to Captain Miller as well.

Sivakarthikeyan penned, “I’d also want to congratulate @sunpictures, @dhanushkraja, @Sathya Jyothi,” as he offered his congratulations to Dhanush and the other champions.

The 72nd National Film Awards for winning National Awards, to @ArunMatheswaran, AnlArasu, @valentino_suren, @sachananamidass, TSHariHaraSudhan & @edmondranson.

In order to get to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, Argentina, the current champions, staged an incredible late comeback, scoring goals from Lautaro Martinez and Enzo Fernandez to overcome England 2-1.

With an incredible comeback, Argentina have now won six World Cup semi-finals in a row. On Sunday, Lionel Scaloni’s reigning champions will play Spain in the championship match in New York, New Jersey.

The Three Lions, competing in their second semi-final of the previous three World Cups, took the lead through Morgan Rogers’ cross, but it wasn’t enough to secure their first World Cup final place since 1966. Martinez headed in the winner in the third minute of injury time to give Argentina a chance to retain their title after Fernandez had scored from outside the box.

Italy (1934, 1938), Brazil (1958, 1962), Argentina (1986, 1990), Brazil (1994, 1998), and France (2018, 2022) have all won the World Cup and qualified for the next final, making Argentina the sixth side to do so. In the meantime, England has lost three World Cup semifinals (1990, 2018, and 2026) and has only made one final appearance, in 1966.

The match started out with a lot of energy. It was cautiously played and furiously challenged, and no side had a chance on goal until the 33rd minute. John Stones then nodded broad from a Declan Rice free-kick at the far post. Fernandez smacked a powerful shot over at the opposite side.

These teams had to work hard to get here. In the moments they most needed inspiration, they both discovered it. Julian Alvarez tried to create one such moment shortly after the restart by going past Djed Spence after a long ball ahead and forcing Jordan Pickford to make a wise stop at his near post.

Instead, the breakthrough came at the other end when Morgan Rogers, one of three players brought back into England’s starting XI, delivered a terrific low cross from the right. Gordon, who arrived at the back post, outmaneuvered Nahuel Molina to direct a fantastic controlled finish into the corner of Emiliano Martinez’s goal.

Spence, one of the starters Thomas Tuchel restored, made a fantastic goal-saving tackle to prevent Giuliano Simeone from scoring, but the close calls persisted as England played increasingly deep and Argentina’s pressure mounted. Alexis Mac Allister’s header struck the post, and substitute Nico Gonzalez’s header was stopped by a superb save from Pickford.

Eventually, the pressure told as Messi squared the ball to Fernandez after a short-corner routine, and he unleashed a magnificent strike from outside the box that sailed past Pickford to his right.

Then, in extra time, Mac Allister’s shot hit a post, but Messi retrieved the hazard, sending a right-foot cross that substitute Martinez buried at the far post.

Notably, Messi, at 39 years and 21 days old, surpassed Fritz Walter and Gunnar Gren, who were both 37 years and 236 days old when they played against each other for West Germany and Sweden, respectively, in 1958, to become the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup semi-final.

“I’m speechless, speechless. ” Following the final whistle, Argentina Coach Lionel Scaloni said, “What a delight for our country, for our people. ” I stated the other day that I’m always amazed by this team. And it is incredibly challenging to persuade individuals to realize what these players are capable of after this. It’s amazing. Really, we’re one of a kind, and we mean that with all our hearts—not out of vanity. We did that until the finish as well, and we had to dig in after we went up 2-1. When we’re small, we’re taught that this is a representation of everything we learn about what football is.

In a historic move that signals a turning point in the nation’s train mobility and provides a major boost to clean transportation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off India’s first hydrogen train from Jind, Haryana, on July 17.

Several firsts are among the many benefits of the cutting-edge Hydrogen train: no smoke, no carbon emissions, operation on clean hydrogen fuel, and water vapor as its only byproduct emission. Before its official release, it has been established as a major subject of national conversation because of these unique selling factors.

In addition to starting a thrilling new chapter in the nation’s green energy transition, the Hydrogen-powered train running between Jind and Sonipat in Haryana is a pilot project that will usher in a new era of rail travel.

The hydrogen train is powered by a 1200 kW hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and only emits water vapour, making it a sustainable, clean, and green option. It is the world’s most powerful hydrogen train, with 3200 horsepower.

India is about to make a huge leap forward in achieving cleaner and greener rail travels as well as furthering environmentally sustainable transportation and zero-carbon emission goals with the introduction of its first Hydrogen train.

Since the train has been developed and designed locally and is supported by Jind’s indigenous hydrogen storage and refuelling infrastructure, it will also be a major asset to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Mission.

Acknowledging the significant achievement in the history of Railways, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri declared that India has become a member of an exclusive club of countries, along with Germany, Japan, China, and the United States, that are examining hydrogen fuel cell technology for environmentally friendly rail operations.

The first hydrogen train in India can hold 2,600 people. Scheduled to start its journey from Jind on Friday, it promises to revolutionize Indian Railways‘ operations, enhance passenger travel experiences, and advance the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision.

The producers of Mysskin‘s next film, ‘Train,’ which stars Vijay Sethupathi, have confirmed that it will be released in August of this year.

Let’s do it this August, producer Kalaipuli S Thanu remarked during his talk at the film’s teaser launch event, which was conducted recently. His V Creations is producing the film.

Director Mysskin, who was pleased by his announcement, attempted to get the producer to agree to a release date in a lighthearted manner.

Oh my God, is that correct, sir? “Please also announce the date,” he exclaimed in an eager voice.

But Suriya’s picture is out on August 14, sir, he added, pretending as if the filmmaker had confirmed August 14 as the release date, even as the producer just smiled and held his tongue.

The audience laughed as producer Thanu pointed out that he had only stated that the movie would open in August and had not mentioned August 14.

Since the creators released a preview on Sunday, director Mysskin’s quick-paced action thriller “Train,” starring actor Vijay Sethupathi, has garnered a great deal of attention from fans and film aficionados who may not be aware of it.

A speeding train being operated by several dangerous individuals is seen in the intense 43-second teaser. As one man (Vijay Sethupathi) fights a solo combat, terrified travelers fearing for their lives watch on. The teaser reveals that the train, which looks like a speeding beast, is not stopping at any of the scheduled stations.

Those who appear to have hijacked the train appear to have been well-prepared, which is even more important. What is their mission? These people are who? And who, most significantly, is attempting to challenge them? Train, like all of Mysskin’s other thrillers, promises to be an edge-of-the-seat experience.

Star-studded Train, directed by Mysskin and produced by V Creations, will feature Nasser, Shruti Haasan, Yugi Sethu, Narain, KS Ravikumar, Sampath Raj, Kalaiyarasan, Ira Dayanand, and Preethy Karan.

Mysskin himself wrote the score and Fowzia Fathima shot the cinematography for the picture.

Last year, Narain shared photos of himself on the set of Train in a social media post, which was intriguing. The images showed that he was portraying a police officer in the movie.

The disclosure prompted conjecture as to whether or not Mysskin was trying to establish a Mysskin Cinematic Universe with Train.

The speculation was sparked by Narain’s portrayal of a police officer in Mysskin’s immensely successful movie, “Anjaathey. ” However, this has not been confirmed.

American tech behemoth Google announced a number of artificial intelligence (AI) projects for Indian startups, corporations, and educational institutions.

The company revealed new AI education programmes, healthcare partnerships, cybersecurity initiatives, and more infrastructure for Indian businesses employing its AI models at the Google I/O Connect India 2026 conference here.

Google also estimated that its Google Play Store and Android ecosystem would bring in about Rs 5. 3 lakh crore (approximately $60 billion) in revenue for app publishers and the larger economy in India in 2025, which would represent a 28% increase over the previous year.

Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar stated during the event that Google has been instrumental in extending internet access and digital services in India via products like Search, Android, YouTube, Maps, and Google Pay.

Every day, Google transformed how billions of people access knowledge, how students learn, how companies grow, and how governments provide services. He remarked that everyone had made a truly amazing contribution.

Google DeepMind unveiled its free 56-hour AI Research Foundations curriculum, which is meant to teach students how to create and improve huge language models, as one of its main announcements.

In collaboration with NASSCOM, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and other universities, the initiative will be introduced.

AI is being deployed by Indian builders at a rate that is practically unmatched elsewhere. Preeti Lobana, country manager for Google India, stated that “as we drive the shift into the agentic era, our focus is on giving the ecosystem the infrastructure and guardrails it needs to scale safely. ”

Google also debuted ATL Saathi, a Gemini-powered assistant for educators working on the Atal Innovation Mission, which will first be made available in 100 schools.

The firm stated that researchers at AIIMS Delhi are creating India-specific tools for leprosy and sexual and reproductive health using its MedGemma open AI models in healthcare, and that the resulting models would be made accessible to the nation’s developer ecosystem.

Additionally, Google revealed that Gemini Live now works with 25 Indian languages and dialects, such as Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Sanskrit.

The closing ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature performances by Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, and IShowSpeed, all of whom will commemorate the historic competition prior to the summit confrontation.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony, which will take place before the final match at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday (July 19), will celebrate the unforgettable journey of the 48 teams throughout the three host nations and 16 Host Cities as the biggest sporting event in history comes to a close.

FIFA said in a report on its official website that “this star-studded show will feature performances from Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, and IShowSpeed, as well as a special appearance by Tom Cruise, bringing together some of the world’s largest names in music and entertainment for an unforgettable celebration before kick-off. ”

Jennifer Hudson, the winner of the Tony, Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy awards, will give a special performance of the United States national anthem before the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. Hudson’s strong performance, one of the most famous musicians in the world, will lay the groundwork for football’s biggest match and the tournament’s most eagerly awaited occasion.

The closing ceremony, which was created in cooperation with Balich Wonder Studio, will honor the passion, emotion, and global spirit that characterized the 23rd FIFA World Cup: a groundbreaking event with 48 teams that broke records and inspired a new generation of boys and girls worldwide to dream. In the next few days, more artists and special guests will be revealed.

“The closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle via music, culture, and football before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament,” Heimo Schirgi, Chief Operating Officer – FIFA World Cup 2026, said, “echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. ”

As the closing ceremony begins 90 minutes before kick-off at 13:30 local time, supporters in the stadium will have an active part in the event and should arrange to arrive early.

According to the announcement, gates will open at 11:00 (four hours before the start of the match), at which time a full range of experiences, such as unique activations, rewards, and extra pre-match entertainment, will commence.

India defeated England by six wickets in the opening ODI in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Tuesday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, thanks to Axar Patel’s strong all-around performance.

Then, Axar returned to the field to record an undefeated 57 and, together with Washington Sundar, established a match-winning partnership of 102 runs after taking four wickets to help dismiss England for 258 runs. Sundar hit his first ODI half-century and finished the game with a huge six, remaining unbeaten on 52.

England won the toss and decided to bat first, giving India a fantastic start. Even after Ben Duckett’s second Powerplay counterattack, the hosts still struggled to score against India’s disciplined pace attack. Although Duckett and Jacob Bethell put up a 61-run opening partnership, Gurnoor Brar quickly turned the game around by taking two wickets in the same over. England then slumped from 61 for no loss to 80 for five in just a few overs.

Joe Root and Liam Dawson made a spectacular comeback with a 121-run stand for the seventh wicket just when it appeared England would get a modest total. Before being dismissed, Dawson scored a strong 68, earning his first ODI half-century.

Root batted for the whole innings, scoring 76 not out. With England’s 258 total in 47. 5 overs, Axar completed the tail end in style with his amazing 4 for 62 record, taking the final four wickets.

With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill comfortably navigating the new-ball spells of Jofra Archer and ODI debutant Josh Tongue, India’s pursuit got off to a good start. Rohit was bowled by Sam Curran for 11, after the opening partnership had reached 43. Archer caught Virat Kohli lbw for only 5 in the following over, putting India under early pressure.

India’s momentum was shifted by Gill and Shreyas Iyer’s excellent response, as they put together a faultless 101-run partnership for the third wicket. Even though he received treatment many times, Gill appeared confident and scored another elegant half-century before cramping forced him to leave the game injured at 80 runs. England saw a chance when Iyer was out for 35, and KL Rahul went for just 1.

But India’s all-round spin bowlers made sure there was no drama at the conclusion. India won thanks to Axar and Washington Sundar’s outstanding calm, which resulted in a 102-run partnership for the fifth wicket that went unbroken.

Sundar completed his unbeaten 52 and secured India’s convincing six-wicket victory with 28 balls remaining by hitting the winning runs over the ropes, which was a fitting conclusion to the game.

Brief scores:
England 258 all out in 47.5 overs (Joe Root 76, Liam Dawson 68; Axar Patel 4-62, Prasidh Krishna 2-50)
India 262/4 in 45.2 overs (Shubman Gill 80 (retd hurt), Axar Patel 57; Josh Tongue 1-50, Sam Curran 1-55)

SEBI has strengthened its framework for employee behavior on announcing extensive changes to its service laws, including tighter investment limitations, improved disclosure requirements, and tighter conflict-of-interest safeguards.

According to the SEBI (Employees’ Service) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the regulator of capital markets has broadened the definitions of “family” and “dependent” to include adopted and stepchildren, as well as persons who are significantly reliant on an employee.

The judgment expands the range of compliance requirements pertaining to investments, disclosures, and other service commitments.

Among the significant alterations is the establishment of a two-year cooling-off period for previous SEBI staff.

Retired or resigned employees will not be allowed to represent anyone before the regulator in connection with proceedings, adjudication, settlements, or approvals during this time.

Furthermore, the revised rules strengthen protection against potential conflicts of interest by compelling workers to report any employment talks with prospective employers within one month of starting such negotiations.

Additionally, the market regulator has made a clear separation between authorized and prohibited investments for its staff.

Employees and their family members are forbidden from making new investments in equities, equity-convertible instruments, or derivatives while the employee is working for the regulator under the updated rules.

Nonetheless, investments made via authorized pooled investment vehicles, like real estate investment trusts (REITs) and mutual funds, will remain permissible.

Furthermore, the regulator has limited investments in specific regulated investment products to 25% of an employee’s overall investment portfolio. Specific examples for which limited exclusions have been allowed include investments controlled by discretionary portfolio management services and employee stock options awarded to spouses.

SEBI has also clarified customary gifts that may be accepted under the regulations, increasing the reporting threshold from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. This is another significant modification.