China has achieved a major milestone in space exploration. Two astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station completed a nine-hour spacewalk. This feat, confirmed by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), sets a new global record.

Surpassing a Two-Decade-Old Record
The previous record belonged to US astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms. They spent eight hours and 56 minutes outside Space Shuttle Discovery. Their mission took place on 12 March 2001 during an International Space Station expedition.

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong surpassed that time. Their extravehicular activity (EVA) concluded at 9:57 p.m. Beijing time on Tuesday. The CMSA called the mission a "full success."

Malayalam cinema and serial actor Meena Ganesh died at private hospital at Shoranur, Palakkad, Kerala on Thursday (December 19, 2024) morning. She was 81. She was under treatment for age-related issues for some time. She stayed away from acting after she suffered a stroke six years ago.

Meena acted in more than 100 films. Notable among them were Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum, Karumadikkuttan, Punaradhivasam, Meesha Madhavan and Nandanam, among others.

Born in 1942 at Kallekulangara in Palakkad to Tamil actor K.P. Keshavan, Meena began her career as a theatre artiste when she was 19. She worked with theatre groups such as SL Puram Surya Soma, KPAC, Kayamkulam Kerala Theatres, Angamaly Pournami, Kottayam National Theatres, Changanassery Geetha, and Thrissur Chinmayi. She won many awards for theatre performances.

Chennai-born Indian American Caitlin Sandra Neil has won Miss India USA 2024 during the annual pageant held in New Jersey. The 19-year-old, who is a second-year student at the University of California, Davis, expressed her desire to make a positive impact on her community. ‘’I want to leave a positive lasting impact on my community and focus on women’s empowerment and literacy, ‘’ Caitlin stated in a media release.

Born in Chennai, India, Caitlin has spent the last 14 years in the United States. She wants to make her career as a web designer while also doing modelling as well as acting. Her win at the Miss India USA pageant reflects her dedication and goal to contribute to society meaningfully and simultaneously achieve personal success in her chosen field.

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 42 million loan to provide coastal and riverbank protection to increase resilience of local communities and natural ecosystems in the state of Maharashtra.

The ministry of finanace in an official statement on Thursday stated that the signatories to the loan agreement for the Maharashtra Sustainable Climate-Resilient Coastal Protection and Management Project were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, for the Government of India, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, for ADB.

Mukherjee stated that the ADB financing will help restore and stabilise Maharashtra's coastline and protect the livelihoods of coastal communities.

"Culture in many ways is the essence of soft power," Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said as India and France signed what he called "a project of great national importance" - a museum, the world's largest, which will be located on Raisina Hill - just in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The museum, named 'Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum' will tell the story of India - a timeline spanning more than 5,000 years.

It will be located on Raisina Hill - the seat of the Central government. The museum will be housed in the North Block and South Block buildings, which are currently the address of the foreign ministry, home ministry, defence ministry, finance ministry, and several other ministerial offices.

The museum - a project of national heritage, prestige, and importance - will cover an area of 1.17 lakh square metres with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three storeys. In his speech after India and France signed the agreement, Mr Jaishankar said "What is being seen today is a very important expression of international cooperation, one that is built on exchanges of best practices, on sharing of experiences."

New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has been finalised as the venue for the 2025 Para Worlds slated for 26 September to 5 October 2025. This is the first time India will host para athletics’ biggest sporting event. The development was announced by the World Paralympic Association (WPA) on their official website on Thursday.

The 2025 event is the 12th edition of the championships and the fourth time it is hosted in Asia, following Doha 2015, Dubai 2019 and Kobe 2024. As per WPA, the capital will also host a World Para Athletics Grand Prix from 11 to 13 March at the same venue in 2025. The Grand Prix event will serve as a trial event before the big competition scheduled for October.

“We are delighted to announce that the first major championships of the new Paralympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028 will be hosted in New Delhi. The 2025 Para Athletics World Championships will be the largest international Para sport event ever to take place in India, representing a massive opportunity to grow our sport, our fan base, and to impact society’s perception of persons with disabilities in the world’s most populous nation,” Paul Fitzgerald, Head of World Para Athletics said.

The World Bank on Friday said it cleared a $800 million loan for integrated urban development of Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, to help establish the city as a "well-managed, climate-resilient growth centre" that generates jobs.

The multilateral body's financing will also catalyse more than $600 million in private sector investment to help the city become financially sustainable, it said in a statement.

"The $800 million loan requested by the Government of India to develop Amaravati as an economic hub and state capital for Andhra Pradesh, has a final maturity of 29 years, including a grace period of six years," it said.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department says Ayodhya welcomed13.55 crore domestic tourists and 3,153 international visitors between January and September 2024. Uttar Pradesh has experienced a tourism surge, breaking records with an impressive 47.61 crore tourists visiting the state between January and September 2024. Ayodhya, home to the Ram Temple, has emerged as the state’s most visited destination, surpassing the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department reported that Ayodhya welcomed an astounding 13.55 crore domestic tourists and 3,153 international visitors during this period. The inauguration of the Ram Temple has driven this unprecedented surge, reshaping the tourism map of the state.

Real Madrid won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Mexico's Pachuca 3-0 in the final on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior scoring.

It was a largely one-sided contest at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, with Madrid doing just enough and never looking likely to cede control despite allowing their opponents to threaten occasionally from counter-attacks.

The Champions League winners opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a fine team goal that started with Jude Bellingham passing to Vinicius, who ran past the goalkeeper before putting it on a plate for Mbappé, who tapped it into the empty net.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the “Banglar Bari” scheme on Tuesday to provide houses for the rural poor in the State.

Ms Banerjee released the funds to 42 beneficiaries across 21 districts and said over 12 lakh beneficiaries in the State are eligible for the first instalment.

The launch of the scheme assumes significance as Ms. Banerjee had announced it ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and said that if the Centre does not release funds for PM Awas Yojana, then the West Bengal government will go ahead with its own scheme.

The release of funds for central schemes in West Bengal has emerged as a political issue, with the Chief Minister starting similar schemes and releasing funds to the beneficiaries after the Union government allegedly failed to release money.