Main Street: Decades after Hong Kong gave refuge to Martin Lee's father, a former Kuomintang general, his son, the founder of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, has just been arrested. Images: KeystoneSTF//AFP/Getty Composite: Mark Kelly

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has predicted that next year's coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games may ultimately be amongst the great games ever, if not the greatest. The Sydney-born Coates, who oversees planning for the Tokyo Olympics for the International Olympic Committee, told the AOC's annual general meeting on Saturday that he would put aside any of his parochialism while hoping that Tokyo would supplant Sydney as the best ever. At the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Games, then IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch described the Australian event as the best Olympic Games ever during the closing ceremony. The best-ever"claims for Tokyo by Coates, who did not go into further details, come despite spiraling costs for the Japan games, which will now begin on June 23, 2021. Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics, but a government audit report last year said it was at least twice that much. It's all public money except for $5.6 billion .

Coronavirus infected patients developing severe illness or having compromised immunity will have to test negative through RT-PCR test before being discharged by a hospital, the Union health ministry on Friday said in its revised discharge policy for COVID-19 cases. Moderate cases of COVID-19 and pre-symptomatic, mild and very mild cases need not undergo tests before being discharged after resolution of symptoms. According to the rules till now, a patient was considered fit to be discharged if he or she tested negative on day 14 and then again in a span of 24 hours. "The revised discharge policy is aligned with the guidelines on the 3 tier COVID facilities and the categorisation of patients based on clinical severity," the ministry said. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,981 and the number of cases climbed to 59,662 on Saturday, registering an increase of 95 deaths and 3,320 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry. The discharge criteria for severe ...

Bobby Deol says be it the superstars or the aspiring actors, everyone is struggling right now as the nationwide lockdown has brought the Indian film industry to a grinding halt. The 51-year-old actor, who started his second innings in Bollywood with films like "Race 3" and "Housefull 4", believes the ongoing scenario across India due to coronavirus pandemic is scary. "There are a lot of actors in the industry who want work but not everybody gets that opportunity or the luck. Right now, even the big stars are also sitting at home. "Everybody is sailing in the same boat. For actors there is no way out to go and work till things get fixed. It is scary for everybody," Bobby told PTI in an interview. The actor had finished two digital projects -- a Netflix film Class of 83, to be produced by Red Chillies, and Ashram, a web-series with Prakash Jha -- before the lockdown was announced. Bobby said he was hopeful that the projects will release this year. "Everybody's work is on pause right ...

From the paints in our homes to the discarded CFL tubes, the sources of toxic chemicals that pose a serious threat to our health and safety are omnipresent. Darryl D’Monte highlights why it is imperative for India to move faster and more determinedly in tackling this problem.

Incidents of sexual violence against women arouse transient societal awakening and state rhetoric, but beyond that there is little active effort. As schemes for rehabilitation rot in cold storage, Vinita A Shetty throws light on all that can be done to make life easier for survivors.

E-governance is governance first and electronics next. Though administrative improvements brought about through the use of technology are welcome, the real goal should be enhanced governance. We cannot also ignore the great risk that mere technocratic e-government may sharpen the stark inequalities of our society. The India Together editorial.

A Pepsi bottling plant in Kerala is extracting excess groundwater and may be subjecting it to contamination risks, a state government study had reported several months ago. Despite meeting five times, a state assembly committee has not acted. M Suchitra digs deeper.

Does participatory development result from the actions of local groups themselves, or is it shepherded by NGOs? A documentary film on migrant women labourers explores their coping strategies against poverty and restricted roles, as well an NGO's efforts on their behalf. Ammu Kannampilly notes Women Builders' sensitive and unsentimental portrayal.

The world’s first Porsche, built in Nazi-era Germany, is going up at auction. WSJ’s Dan Neil got to take the 1939 Type 64 Berlin-Rome Rennwagon for a drive. Photo: Jack Schroeder Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual act following a six-week trial. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance called the conviction “the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault.” Weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. Photo: Peter Foley/Bloomberg News

'At the moment, we don't visualise any scenario where the support of the Left will be an indispensable factor. The Congress is comfortable with its present allies. We will add to their number in the coming days.'

Election Commissioner S Y Quarishi on Election 2009 and the challenges many the Election Commission faced.

Fly ash, the residue from coal used in thermal power plants, is not only a headache for plant operators; its use in agriculture and other sectors violates environmental sanctity and poses a serious risk to human health. Shripad Dharmadhikary studies a new CEA report to bring us more.

In the recent history of development in India, examples of interconnected success -- in local autonomy, forest rejuvenation and agriculture -- such as this, are rare. For Nagaland, it all started under the stewardship of Achyut Madhav Gokhale. Surekha Sule has it all.

After scathing comments from two consecutive CAG reports, the Gujarat government faces mounting questions related to systematic pilferage of earthquake reconstruction funds, reports Himanshu Upadhyaya.

Our economic and political leaders do not have much faith in the free market, or in trickle-down economics, despite their apparent support for both, says Ashwin Mahesh.

It is certainly not because of mere demand-supply mismatch. Kannan Kasturi deconstructs the supply chain dynamics and credit linkages in the vegetable markets to show how these, coupled with government impotence, have led to uncontrolled, spiralling inflation.

A petition filed by an NGO before the NGT seeks a phasing out of the use of plastic bottles and multi-layered plastic packaging, but there is a strong opposition to the proposal from a significant section of stakeholders belonging to the industry. Devanik Saha reports.

Security hawks are expanding the list of terror suspects to include not just the illiterate poor, but also the well-to-do educated Muslims. Who does that leave out, asks Firdaus Ahmed.

The thrust on chemical-free cultivation of vegetables that started as an experiment in the 90s has now evolved into a culture in Kerala’s Kanjikkuzhi Gram Panchayat. P N Venugopal traces the growth and success of this initiative so far.

It is far from clear if capital exports out of India are good for India. What is apparent, from their enthusiasm, is that Indian companies believe it is good for them. Kannan Kasturi reports.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have together seen 89,362 farmers' suicides between 1997 and 2005. On average, one farmer took his or her life every 53 minutes between 1997 and 2005 in just these states, writes P Sainath.

The government’s push to the amended land acquisition law overlooks provisions in other acts that address closely related issues such as food security and conservation of biodiversity, writes Shalini Bhutani.

Rural women have nothing to lose by speaking out. Urban women have their bank accounts, education certificates and some 200-300 saris in the cupboard. They have a high tolerance for violence, says Ruth Manorama, in this interview with Charumathi Supraja.

Abhijit Mohanty brings us the story of certain tribal villages in Koraput district of southern Odisha that have successfully overcome the challenges posed by denudation and inadequate irrigation and have etched out a path towards food security and well-being.

As employers play hide and seek because they want to cut corners, thousands of women weavers in Haryana pay the price, says Alka Arya.

The new vision for financial inclusion In India as unveiled by a committee appointed by the RBI could well be an effective catalyst for transforming the lives of the people, feels Shankar Jaganathan.

The Railway Budget this year has been hailed for its pragmatic approach and emphasis on modernisation and customer experience. Tanvi Bhatikar raises a critical issue that needs to be addressed in order to deliver on those fronts.

Sloppy and biased surveys of damaged houses and paltry compensation have made the flood victims in Koppal and Bellary districts run from pillar to post to get what is rightfully theirs, writes Savita Hiremath.

An India Together interview with Nirmalatai Purandare, of the Vanasthali Rural Development Centre.

Many teenagers in Mumbai are spending their evenings on the "untiring toil" of tuitions, trying to learn what their teachers should have been teaching them in junior college but don't. This is a system that unthinkingly takes away these kids' leisure time, says Dilip D'Souza.

In India's business capital, the NGO Sanmitra is helping HIV positive women re-enter the mainstream workforce, thereby ensuring them a life of independence and dignity. Sumita Thapar has more.

My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) Official TV Spot – ‘Pony Fever’

3rd T20I: India beat Kiwis via Super Over, wins first ever T20 series win in NZ

On being asked whether he has any friends in the film industry, actor Johny Lever mourns that in this industry, there is dosti but no dosts. He feels people make all kinds of promises when they are at work, but none of these amount to much once a film is done and dusted. Lever may be speaking the truth of his own experience, but his life is not the mirror of every life in Bollywood.

Did you know why the Indian lockdown is creating so much human suffering, even though we did relatively well on the Covid case numbers? Why is ours the only major country in the world where...

Things that every person who has been asked to quarantine should strictly follow

Things every girl must try from her man's wardrobe

China's Hong Kong affairs office on Wednesday condemned Hong Kong protesters as a "political virus" who seek independence, warning that the city will never be calm unless what it said were violent black-clad protesters were all removed.

Researchers have discovered nine new genes linked to the most severe type of childhood speech disorder (CAS) -- apraxia, in which a child has difficulty making accurate movements when speaking.

For each 10-dirham ($2.7) donation, one of the building's 1.2 million LED lights will be illuminated -- each representing a meal.

Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor has decided to go festive and fashionable while ensuring he has kept coronavirus at bay this Onam.

Murder hornets are seven times more poisonous than a honey bee. They usually attack in groups. Each year in Japan around 50 people get killed by the murder hornets.

NASA’s Perseverance rover is said to have the most advanced pair of “eyes” with next-gen zoom capability.

The Tollywood star, who has been a part of the industry for almost a decade now, is known for playing versatile roles.

Oil prices were declining even before the pandemic hit as producers flooded the market with more oil than the world could use.