Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time these machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-km (13-mile) course.

The robots from Chinese manufacturers such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 cm (3.9 ft), others as tall as 1.8 m (5.9 ft). One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile.

Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials have described the event as more akin to a race car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams.

Amid fears of dumping into India following steep US duties on Chinese goods, the government has imposed a 12 per cent safeguard duty on non-alloy and alloy steel flat products, a notification from the Ministry of Finance released on Monday showed.

This follows an investigation by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which in its findings last month said that there was a “sudden and sharp” surge in imports that could “cause serious injury to the domestic industry”.

“The safeguard duty imposed under this notification shall be effective for a period of two hundred days (unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier) from the date of publication of this notification in the Official Gazette and shall be payable in Indian currency,” the notification stated.

India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), announced on Monday, April 21, that minors above the age of 10 will be able to open and operate independent bank accounts, reported the news agency PTI.

According to the report, the minors will be able to independently open and operate a savings bank account, along with term deposit accounts.

“Minors above such an age limit not less than 10 years and up to such amount and such terms as may be fixed by the banks keeping in view their risk management policy, may be allowed to open and operate savings/ term deposit accounts independently, if they so desire, and such terms shall be duly conveyed to the account holder,” said RBI in the circular cited the news agency.

Prioritizing and highlighting the issue of fire prevention and safety in health facilities, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the Fire Safety Week in collaboration with all States/UTs as well as relevant central Ministries/Departments from 21st to 25th April, 2025. Union Health Secretary, Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava led the nationwide pledge ceremony on the theme of 'Fire Safety in Health Facilities' at Nirman Bhawan, today.

Senior officials of the Ministry physically participated in pledge taking ceremony. Over 3,000 participants from public and private health facilities virtually joined the pledge ceremony and webinar on "Emergency evacuation and patient safety strategies" and "Fire prevention in high-risk areas of healthcare facilities".

Speaking at the occasion, the Union Health Secretary stressed on the importance of ensuring fire and electrical safety in all health facilities, while highlighting need for fire safety planning, capacity building of all healthcare functionaries on hospital fire safety as well as need to organize regular mock drills on fire preparedness as well as patient evacuation.

India has nominated Ms. M. Revathi, Joint Wireless Advisor at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), as its candidate for Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This marks India’s most significant bid in decades to influence global radio spectrum governance.

A specialized UN agency based in Geneva, the ITU ensures that the world’s communication systems work together, safely, securely, and fairly. The Radiocommunication Bureau of the ITU regulates the global radio frequencies and satellite orbits—crucial for 5G, 6G, space broadband, disaster response, managing these finite resources. As Director, Ms. Revathi would play a central role in shaping next-gen radiocommunication standards and ensuring equitable spectrum access.

Her candidacy reflects India’s vision of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and its push for inclusive digital growth, particularly benefiting developing nations. If elected, she would become the first woman and the first representative from ITU Regions E (Asia/Australasia) and D (Africa) to lead the Bureau—representing more than half the world’s population.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Microsoft have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch AI Careers for Women—a pioneering skilling initiative aimed at empowering women in higher education institutions to pursue careers in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This strategic collaboration seeks to bridge the gender gap in emerging tech by equipping women with industry-aligned AI skills, enabling them to participate meaningfully in the digital economy and become active contributors to India’s innovation-led growth.

As part of this collaboration, Microsoft will provide 240-hours training curriculum under AI skilling and Innovation framework for women, aligned to the industry standards, and developed in consultation with the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). The training will be delivered in a hub and spoke model in partnership with the state government departments for higher education, across a network of 30 Centre of Excellence - Hubs and 150 educational institutions – spokes in Tier-II and Tier-III towns across six states.

Former Tennis player Rafael Nadal, Paris Olympics 2024 champions Armand Duplantis, Simone Biles, and Rebeca Andrade were some of the biggest winners at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday, as per the Olympics.com.

The ceremony marked the 25th edition of the prestigious event honored the biggest sports stars and was held in the Spanish capital.

Transcending achievements over the Olympic year, 11-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement award while tennis legend Rafael Nadal took home the Laureus Sporting Icon Award to a standing ovation from a glittering hall filled with sports royalty.

US President Donald Trump, tech magnate Elon Musk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus are among the prominent names featured in the Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2025 list. However, no Indian featured in the Time Magazine's list, a noteworthy absence considering previous appearances.

Last year, actor Alia Bhatt and Olympian wrestler Sakshi Malik were among the few Indians who featured in the Time Magazine's list. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, World Bank President Ajay Banga and actor Dev Patel were the few Indian-origin people who made it to the list.

The 2025 Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People list features global figures ranging from politics, science, business and entertainment who made significant impacts and contributions over the past year.

United States Vice President JD Vance received a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Palam Airport on Sunday, marking the beginning of his first official visit to India. Accompanied by Second Lady Usha Vance and their children, the Vice President was warmly welcomed by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw upon his arrival.

To commemorate the occasion, hoardings featuring Vice President Vance were installed around the vicinity of Palam Airport. His four-day visit, spanning from April 21 to 24, is expected to significantly boost bilateral ties between the two nations.

Later today, Vice President Vance will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Prime Minister’s official residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. The formal meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., will center on strengthening cooperation in key areas such as economy, trade, and defense.

Founder of KIIT and KISS Achyuta Samanta was conferred the Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Award 2025, in Kokrajhar at Assam on Friday.

Instituted by Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Trust, the award recognises Samanta’s significant contributions to the society through education and social empowerment.

The award is named after Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma, a revered spiritual leader and social reformer of the Bodo community, widely known as the Mech Gandhi of Assam, who dedicated his life to the propagation, preservation, and promotion of education. Every year, in his memory, this award is presented to distinguished individuals who have made remarkable contributions in various fields.