Romain Ducret, a 17-year-old supporter of French club Paris St Germain, clutched in his hand a document that soccer fans all over Europe dream of having: a ticket to watch a top-flight soccer game in the flesh. He was among 5,000 fans given special dispensation -- despite the COVID-19 epidemic -- to attend.

'Manmohan Singh's fond hope of avoiding conflict over territory by 'making borders irrelevant' is increasingly difficult to realise in a world where institutional restraints on aggression are weakening and the new game in town is unalloyed power play,' notes T N Ninan.

Very few today realise that without Brigadier John Dalvi's courage, we would never have known what really happened during those tragic days of October/November 1962, reveals Claude Arpi.

Chances are any such disruption will not occur on the major shipping lanes but on some edge of the ocean between India and China. Even if there is no actual disruption, the costs of averting one can be punitive. The setting for this is provided by the energy shortage both countries face, says Subhomoy Bhattacharjee.

Black Lives Matter protests and coronavirus rages across the pandemic and much more. Here are the top images from the month of June.

;The world paid a heavy price for the megalomania of the Third Reich's fuehrer.' 'Will it pay a similar price for the ambitions of China's leader-for-life?' asks Amulya Ganguli.

Most of India's reserves for war in the mountains have been sucked in by the standoff with China. A large part of India's airpower has also similarly been committed on the eastern border. By moving these reserves to the China border, India has been weakened vis-a-vis Pakistan. All in all, the nightmare scenario for India of a two-front war may well come true, warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

In the 30-year period between 1986 and 2015, temperatures of the warmest day and the coldest night of the year have risen by about 0.63 degree Celsius and 0.4 degree Celsius, respectively.

'No aeroplane in the world has been designed to switch off its engines above 14,500 feet.' 'Thanks to a lot of practice, we were able to execute a flawless landing at DBO at 0900 hours on 31st May, creating history.'

'Post the pandemic, when India is turning a new leaf in its economic policy with an eye on foreign capital and global supply chains that are likely to leave China, heightened tensions on the India-China border creates an atmosphere of uncertainty,' observes Virendra Kapoor.

'It is crucial today to realise where we have reached in this 15 year-period in order to fully and properly assess the profundity of what General Rawat has said,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

'Whatever else may or may not happen, China and its people are likely to pay a very heavy price for the lack of transparency of its Communist regime,' predicts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

'Coronavirus is not the only emergency, and it is certainly not the only illness people can suffer from'

A 55-year-old from Hubei province could have been the first person to have contracted the viral infection on November 17 last year and cases rapidly began piling up since then, it said, without revealing the gender of the individual.

The first One-Day International between India and South Africa in Dharamsala on Thursday was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. It was the second match in less than six months to be abandoned at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium because of inclement weather.

She lived for two-thirds of her life in India, adopted its national cause and customs, and took an Indian passport. She served a prison sentence in Lahore as part of Gandhi's protests against an Imperial power which happened to be her motherland. Freda Bedi delighted in confounding accepted definitions of identity.

What does a Muslim in politics do? Where does he go?

'The idea of a 'Hindu Rashtra' only emerged in the 1920s and 1930s.' 'The context at that time was the clear British attempt at 'divide and rule' between Hindus and Muslims and within Hindus on caste lines,' argues military historian Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

Video footage showed 'Himveers' dressed in white uniforms and chanting slogans of -- Bharat Mata ki Jai and Vande Mataram as the tricolour flies high. Two of the soldiers were seen holding the tricolour as they marched in the snow.

'Neither Modi nor the BJP have lost control over the minds and votes of their original supporters due to their tremendous political ability to play upon baser communal instincts.' 'But this buoyant support will melt away if the economic scenario remains depressing.' 'That makes 2020 an interesting year to watch out for,' notes Sheela Bhatt.

'Modi cannot drag India back into a primitive epoch resembling the religious wars in medieval Europe and at the same time claim to represent the aspirations of modernity among Indians,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

'Being one of the 150 million upper middle class consumers, I can vouch that the average expenses on white goods or clothing are minimal. Indians are not consumerist by nature,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

'Tehran,' Foreign Minister Zarif said, 'had expected the Modi government to be "more resilient" in the face of Washington's bullying,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

The Ayodhya verdict heralds not the beginning of theocracy or Hindu rashtra (that never existed in 5,000 years), but marks the end of a divisive phase of our history.

'Art Deco was the last of the truly international styles.'

'Her short black choli with a deep cut-out back and multi-coloured pom-poms became quite a sensation. It was clearly meant to draw your attention to Kareena's perfect figure.'

"It would be my hope that people understand why this particular transaction is important for us," the EAM said in Washington, DC.

Rajneesh Gupta throws up all the numbers of how both teams have fared in Twenty20 Internationals.

The Congress leader was brought to the jail on Thursday evening and he has got no special facilities, except a separate cell and a Western toilet as specified by the court, prison officials said. Like other inmates, he will also have access to the prison's library and can watch television for a specified period.

In the hands of skilled photographers, smartphones are capable of producing works of art - as these stunning images show. Now in its twelfth year, the iPhone Photography Awards competition aims to find the best photographs taken using just an iPhone. Every year since it was founded in 2007, the IPPAWARDS has selected the very best shots among thousands submitted by iPhone photographers from more than 140 countries around the world. This year's grand prize went to Gabriella Cigliano for a mesmerising image shot on an iPhone X of two young girls in Tanzania. Scroll down to take a look at the stunning photos that made the cut.

Milind Bhade presents a list of 10 forts near Mumbai that offer a slice of history along with breathtaking views.

'From the Indian perspective, Trump's invitation to Imran Khan to visit the White House is a bitter pill to swallow,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed happiness that the city has been recognised as a World Heritage Site.

Eight people were killed and five injured in rain-related incidents across Maharashtra where several parts were lashed by heavy rains on Friday.

Elections for the five non-permanent members of the 15-nation Council for the 2021-22 term will be held around June next year.

'The return of India to its own civilisational values can never endanger freedoms as pluralism is the bedrock of our culture,' assert Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

'The fact that Modi and Xi exuded confidence to accelerate the negotiations for a border settlement alone underscores that the Russia-India-China triangle has become very dynamic,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Meanwhile, a three-member committee appointed to probe the attacks that killed 258 people, including 11 Indians, on Monday submitted its final report to President Maithripala Sirisena.

"My heart goes out to the families of the victims and the injured," Modi said.

Rajneesh Gupta profiles the cricketers playing the World Cup 2019.