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Four personnel from the Indian Air Force have been conferred the Shaurya Chakra for acts of exceptional courage and presence of mind during life-threatening situations, both in the air and on the ground. The gallantry awards recognise their swift action, professional skill, and composure under extreme pressure, which helped avert potentially catastrophic outcomes. Image Source: IAF on X Wing Commander Vernon Keane was flying a routine sortie in a fighter aircraft when a malfunction in the oil system led to the shutdown of both engines mid-flight. Despite the critical nature of the emergency, he maintained control of the aircraft, steering it away from populated areas to minimise the risk to civilian life. In the process, he managed to relight one of the engines and safely recover the aircraft, thereby preventing loss of life and saving a valuable national asset. Squadron Leader Deepak Kumar was on a night instructional sortie with a trainee pilot when a bird strike resulted in an engi...

In a heartening recognition of continued service beyond uniform, the Indian Army conferred the prestigious ‘Veteran Achievers Award’ on three exemplary former servicemen during the Retiring Officers Seminar held in the capital. Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi presented the honours, celebrating the veterans' exceptional contributions to society. Image Source: Indian Army on X The awardees — Colonel Christopher Rego (Retd) , Lieutenant Colonel Mohinder Singh Rana (Retd) , and Havildar Khirod Kumar Jena (Retd) — were recognised for their post-retirement service in the fields of education, community welfare, and environmental conservation . Colonel Rego , founder of the Sunbird Trust , was lauded for transforming education access and social development in Northeast India. Since 2016, his initiative has supported over 49,000 students and collaborated with government and armed forces in...

At a ceremony held at London’s Tate Modern on May 20, Heart Lamp , a collection of short stories by Banu Mushtaq and translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, was awarded the 2025 International Booker Prize. It is the first short story collection to win the award and the first Kannada work to be recognised in the prize’s history. The £50,000 prize is shared equally between author and translator, in keeping with the award’s focus on the importance of translation in bringing international fiction to English-language readers. For Indian literature, it is a significant development. Just three years after Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell won the same prize for Tomb of Sand , this year’s recognition of Heart Lamp reinforces the growing presence of Indian-language writing in global literary spaces. Which country has won the most International Bookers? It’s India! Here’s the year-by-year list from 2016 to 2025: South Korea. Israel. Poland. Oman. Netherlands. France. India. Bulgaria. German...

New Delhi, May 20 — Nominations for the Padma Awards 2026, to be announced on Republic Day next year, are now open and will be accepted until July 31, 2025 , the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced. The process began on March 15, 2025 , and nominations must be submitted online only via the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal at https://awards.gov.in . The Padma Awards — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri — are among India’s highest civilian honours, recognizing exceptional and distinguished service across diverse fields including art, literature, education, sports, medicine, science, social work, public affairs, and industry. Instituted in 1954, the awards are announced annually on January 26. Eligibility is open to all individuals, irrespective of race, occupation, or gender. However, government servants — including those from Public Sector Undertakings — are not eligible , with the exception of doctors and scientists . Reinforcing its commitment to the vision of a “People...