India’s gold imports rose 28.73% to $69 billion during April-February 2025-26, driven by elevated prices of the precious metal, according to Commerce Ministry data cited by PTI.Gold imports had stood at $53.52 billion in the corresponding period of 2024-25.The sharp rise in imports contributed to a widening trade deficit, which increased to $310.60 billion in the 11-month period of the last fiscal from $261.80 billion a year earlier.Prices of gold are currently hovering around Rs 1,51,500 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes) in the national capital.Switzerland remained the largest source of gold imports with around 40% share, followed by the UAE (over 16%) and South Africa (about 10%).Gold accounts for more than 5% of India’s total imports. Imports from Switzerland rose 11.57% to $23.5 billion during April-February 2025-26, while in February alone, imports from the country surged 719.30% year-on-year to $2.71 billion.India is the world’s second-largest gold consumer after China, with imports largely catering to demand from the jewellery sector. These inflows also have implications for the country’s current account deficit (CAD).According to RBI data, CAD rose to $13.2 billion, or 1.3% of GDP, in the December quarter from $11.3 billion (1.1% of GDP) a year ago, mainly due to a higher trade deficit.However, for April-December 2025, CAD moderated to $30.1 billion (1% of GDP) compared to $36.6 billion (1.3% of GDP) in the same period of the previous year.Silver imports during April-February jumped 142.87% to $11.43 billion. Silver is widely used in industries such as electronics, automobiles and pharmaceuticals.To curb imports, the government last week imposed restrictions on all forms of gold, silver and platinum articles.

Panaji: FIFA, the governing body for world football, has told the All India Football Federation (AIFF) it has “no objection” to elections being postponed from September to December 2026, to ensure full compliance of the constitution with the new National Sports Governance Act 2025 and its related regulations.AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey was elected on Sept 2 in 2022 for a four-year term. Elections were to be held before the end of the term, but with the National Sports Governance Act 2025 coming into force, AIFF informed the governing bodies that it needs to stay in office till later this year “to ensure uninterrupted administration of football in India.”“On Dec 22, 2025, the ministry of youth affairs and sports issued a notice recognising that the structural changes required for all national sports federations to fully align with the NSGA are foundational in nature. In order to facilitate compliance with the provisions of the NSGA, the ministry of youth affairs and sports allowed a one-time extension to national sports federations whose elections are due in this calendar year, allowing such federations to conduct their next elections by Dec 31,” AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan wrote in a letter to FIFA and AFC last month.FIFA said it has no objection and reiterated its willingness to support AIFF throughout this process and to work closely together.“We kindly ask that you keep FIFA and the AFC informed of any further steps in the amendment process of the AIFF constitution, and in particular to share with us a document outlining the key amendments and necessary steps required with tentative timelines to ensure compliance with the NSGA,” Emile Doms, Member Associations Governance Services Manager at FIFA, wrote to the federation last week.Meanwhile AIFF has asked its member associations to complete adoption of amendments to their constitutional document on or before June 30, 2026.AIFF said governance principles and constitutional positions that are reflected in the constitutions of state associations should extend to its affiliated units such as district associations, where applicable, to ensure consistency of governance standards across all levels of football administration in India.

LSG win by 5 wickets (Photo: IPL)

Mohammed Shami’s sensational opening spell laid the foundation for Lucknow Super Giants’ thrilling five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL clash on Sunday, as Rishabh Pant’s composed finish sealed the chase in the final over.Sunrisers Hyderabad endured a nightmare start after being put in to bat, collapsing to 35/4 inside the first 10 overs. Mohammed Shami was the chief destroyer, returning exceptional figures of 4-0-9-2, including 18 dot balls that choked the scoring. The veteran pacer removed the dangerous opening pair of Abhishek Sharma (0) and Travis Head (7) with clever variations, while Prince Yadav cleaned up Ishan Kishan (1) with a sharp in-swinger. Liam Livingstone’s struggle at the crease only compounded SRH’s woes as they slipped to 26/4 early on.