September 22, 2026 - IndiaVerve

Asian Games 2026: India win first gold as women’s cricket team triumphs

September 22, 2026 by India Verve Desk

New Delhi: India secured its first gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya after the women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the T20I final.

The victory took India’s medal tally to seven at the end of Day 3. The day also brought medal assurances from the men’s badminton team and Wushu star Roshibina Devi, according to reports.

The Indian men’s hockey team produced a dominant performance in its final Pool A match, defeating Sri Lanka 16-1. In badminton, India experienced contrasting results as the women’s team exited the competition after losing 1-3 to hosts Japan in the quarter-finals, while the men’s team defeated Japan 3-0 to reach the semi-finals and assure India of a medal.

Roshibina Devi also secured a medal for India after advancing to the semi-finals of the women’s 60kg Wushu event.

In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished second in the qualification round of the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event to enter the gold medal match. However, the Indian pair later finished fourth in the final and missed out on a podium finish.

India recorded a comprehensive 63-31 victory over South Korea in the men’s Group A Kabaddi contest.

In fencing, Sachin and Hemash Singh finished fourth in Pool 5 and Pool 1 respectively in the men’s individual foil. Sachin subsequently lost to Kazakhstan’s Timofey Semyonov in the Round of 32.

In swimming, Aryan Nehra finished fourth in Final B of the men’s 1500m freestyle. The Indian quartet of Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston and Dhanush Suresh finished seventh overall in the men’s 4x100m medley relay heats and qualified for the final. India later finished eighth in the men’s 4×400 medley relay with a time of 3:44.26.

In Karate, Chetan Bhatt narrowly missed a place in the men’s 84kg kumite final after losing his semi-final through the Senshu rule. Asian champion Alisha Choudhary suffered a 1-6 defeat to Indonesia’s Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani in the women’s Kumite -55kg Round of 16.

In Soft Tennis, Jay Meena defeated Pakistan’s Hussain Arain 4-0 in the men’s singles Group D. Aadhya Tiwari lost 1-4 to Thailand’s Alisha Ziegler in the women’s singles Group D but later defeated Pakistan’s Kainaat Shallwani in the same event.

Aryan Thakur was beaten by Chen Po-Yi of Chinese Taipei in the men’s singles Group C.

In Wushu, Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam finished ninth in the women’s Nanquan and Nandao final. Roshibina Devi advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s 60kg event to assure India of a medal. Aryan was eliminated in the men’s 56kg quarter-finals.

India’s men’s Sepaktakraw team suffered a 0-3 defeat to Malaysia in the men’s team Regu Group B.

In equestrian, Ashish Limaye, riding Willy Be Dun, was the highest-placed Indian after the dressage phase in 13th position. Arjan Singh Nagra, riding Cooley Goodwood, stood 23rd, while Fouaad Mirza, riding Camouflage 38, was placed 26th.

In table tennis, India defeated Thailand 3-2 in the women’s team Round of 16 before losing to North Korea in the quarter-finals.

In esports, India’s Shakeel Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo played out a 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan in the eFootball Group F. The Indian pair later defeated Mongolia via DNS.

In boxing, Jadumani Singh defeated Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa 5-0 to enter the men’s 55kg Round of 16.

In artistic gymnastics, Pranati Nayak advanced to the women’s vault final.

The Day 3 results added India’s first gold medal of the Asian Games 2026 while also producing medal assurances in badminton and Wushu.

India-Japan air exercise Veer Guardian 2026 concludes in Jodhpur

September 22, 2026 by India Verve Desk

New Delhi: The bilateral air exercise Veer Guardian 2026 between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) concluded at Air Force Station Jodhpur on Tuesday.

The 14-day exercise provided a platform for the two air forces to enhance interoperability and strengthen their strategic partnership.

The IAF participated with Su-30 MKI, Rafale and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, while the JASDF deployed F-2A fighter aircraft, according to an official statement.

The joint training included a range of advanced flying missions, covering within-visual-range combat and coordinated multi-aircraft operations.

On Distinguished Visitor’s Day, General Takehiro Morita, Chief of Staff, JASDF, and Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, visited Air Force Station Jodhpur and flew the indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft.

The exercise also featured several ground-based interactions between personnel from the IAF and JASDF.

These included subject matter expert exchanges, operational discussions, mission planning conferences, engineering interactions, maintenance practices, and aerospace safety briefings.

The interactions enabled personnel from both contingents to gain insights into each other’s best practices and learn from their respective capabilities.

The conclusion of Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 highlighted the enduring friendship and professional camaraderie between the Indian and Japanese air forces. The engagement is expected to contribute to greater collaboration and strategic depth in the defence partnership between India and Japan.

Deep depression to trigger heavy rain in Odisha; red warnings issued for six districts

September 22, 2026 by India Verve Desk

Bhubaneswar: A depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a deep depression and bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall to several parts of Odisha over the next four days, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue red warnings for vulnerable districts and the state government to step up its preparedness.

The depression over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal moved westwards at a speed of about 18 kmph during the past six hours and was centred near 17.9°N and 86.0°E at 8.30 am on Tuesday, according to official data.

The system was located about 200 km southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha, 200 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, 210 km south of Puri and 290 km east of Visakhapatnam. It is expected to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a deep depression within the next 12 hours.

The system is likely to continue moving west-northwestwards as a deep depression and cross the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coast between the night of September 23 and the early hours of September 24, between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain at many places in Odisha on September 22, with heavy to very heavy rain at isolated locations. On September 23 and 24, most parts of southern Odisha are likely to receive light to moderate rain, with heavy to very heavy rain at some places and extremely heavy rain at isolated locations.

Red warnings have been issued for Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam for September 23-24, with heavy to very heavy rainfall expected at some places and extremely heavy rainfall at one or two locations. For September 24-25, red warnings are in force for Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri.

The weather system is also expected to strengthen winds along the southern Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. Wind speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, have already begun in the region. From the evening of September 22, winds may increase to 50-60 kmph with gusts up to 70 kmph.

Over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, winds are expected to reach 55-65 kmph with gusts up to 75 kmph between September 23 and the evening of September 24. Sea conditions are likely to remain rough to very rough. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the west-central, adjoining northwest and southwest Bay of Bengal and along the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal coasts until September 24.

Odisha recorded an average rainfall of 13.5 mm in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on September 22. Pattamundai in Kendrapara recorded the highest rainfall at 78 mm during the period.

The state government has also intensified its preparedness. Chief Secretary Anu Garg reviewed the situation on September 21 with the Special Relief Commissioner, Director of Fire Services, Health and Family Welfare Department, Water Resources Department, police and district collectors of southern Odisha.

Collectors have been directed to identify vulnerable areas, keep cyclone and flood shelters ready, stock essential supplies and deploy disaster response teams in advance. Special attention has been directed towards landslide-prone areas in Gajapati, Rayagada, Ganjam, Koraput and Malkangiri.

A total of 33 ODRF teams have been deployed or earmarked for the situation. Twenty-four teams have been positioned in vulnerable districts, including six each in Ganjam and Koraput, three each in Gajapati, Malkangiri and Rayagada, two in Kalahandi and one in Balangir. Nine additional teams have been kept in reserve at the OSAP 8th Battalion and ODRF unit in Chhatrapur, Ganjam.

Health authorities have been asked to ensure medical preparedness, while the Water Resources Department has been directed to continuously monitor rainfall, reservoir inflows and dam water levels. Senior officials and district administrations have been instructed to remain at headquarters and maintain close watch on the situation.

The government has advised people to remain alert, avoid flooded, low-lying and other vulnerable areas, follow local administration advisories and rely on official updates issued by the state government and the IMD.

ONGC strikes gas in Mahanadi Offshore Basin off Odisha coast

September 22, 2026 by India Verve Desk

Bhubaneswar: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has struck gas at its deepwater well MN-DW18-1-H-D in the Mahanadi Offshore Basin, off the Odisha coast, under the Samudra Manthan initiative.

The gas discovery was made on September 18, 2026, at an interval of 1,441 to 1,452 metres. The well was drilled to a target depth of 1,623 metres and is located approximately 43 km off Konark, ONGC said in a press release.

The well is the first drilled by ONGC in the Mahanadi Basin under the Samudra Manthan campaign. Its location relatively close to the Odisha coast offers potential for early monetisation, subject to further appraisal and commercial evaluation.

ONGC said the well has been flowing gas with encouraging flow and reservoir pressure for the last three days. The discovery is expected to strengthen the company’s deepwater exploration programme and contribute to efforts to expand India’s indigenous hydrocarbon resource base.

The well was spudded on July 25, 2026, by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri.

Earlier, on August 27, ONGC Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar Singh, Director (Technology & Field Services) Vikram Saxena and Director (Exploration) O. P. Sinha visited the drillship Platinum Explorer. They interacted with and encouraged the team involved in the drilling campaign.

ONGC said the discovery, along with other finds in the area, could be considered for development through shared facilities enabled by the PNG Rules, 2025. Such an approach could help bring deepwater resources into production.

Puri described the discovery as a milestone for India’s offshore energy exploration and said ONGC was continuing to explore the country’s deep and ultra-deepwater frontiers under the Samudra Manthan initiative.

In a post on X, he said the discovery, along with other finds in the area, opened up the potential for cluster development through shared facilities under the PNG Rules, 2025, providing a pathway to bring deepwater resources into production more efficiently.

The discovery remains subject to further appraisal and commercial evaluation before its development potential can be determined.