NASA Astronaut Christina Koch creates a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, surpassing the earlier record of 288 days in space.

When she arrives back on Earth in February 2020, she will have spent more than 300 days in space. 

She is onboard the International Space Station since 14th March 2019.

Vishwesha Tirtha Swami would be laid to rest at Poornaprajna Vidyapeeth in Bengaluru around 7 p.m. as per his wishes
Vishwesha Tirtha Swami, the 88-year-old pontiff of Pejawar Mutt, passed away in Udupi on Sunday.

He was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital in Manipal for the treatment of extensive pneumonia on December 20 and was shifted to the Pejawar Mutt in Udupi on Sunday morning on ventilator after his health condition worsened. He passed away hours after being shifted.

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa who visited the Pejawar Mutt said that there would be a three-day State mourning and the seer would be laid to rest with full state honours.

Hemant Soren, executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand at the Morabadi Ground in Ranchi on Sunday.

Governor Draupadi Murmu administered the oath to Mr. Soren, while three others, two MLAs from the Congress and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, were inducted into the Ministry.

The 44-year-old JMM leader took over as Chief Minister of tribal-dominated Jharkhand for the second time. He was deputy Chief Minister in the Arjun Munda Ministry in 2010 and went on to become Chief Minister in 2013.

Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy has become the 2019 Women's World Rapid Champion. She defeated China's Lei Tingjie in a dramatic final in Moscow, Russia. After losing the opening game, Humpy made an impressive comeback and collected nine points each in 12 rounds to be tied with Tingjie. The duo then played a fierce game to break the deadlock. Tingjie finished with a silver, while Turkey's Ekaterina Atalik won bronze.

This is a significant triumph for Humpy who is India’s best-ever women’s chess player. She is more at ease in the classical format and was clearly trying to take her skills in the rapid format to a new level. Norway's Magnus Carlsen claimed the men's title.

The Reserve Bank on Friday directed large cooperative banks to report all exposures of Rs 5 crore and more to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC), a move aimed at early recognition of financial distress.

The Reserve Bank has created a CRILC of commercial banks, all India financial institutions and certain non-banking financial companies with multiple objectives, which, among others, include strengthening offsite supervision and early recognition of financial distress.

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) Three loss making PSU Banks -- Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and UCO Bank - have got Rs 8,655 crore fresh capital infusion from the government.

The Finance Ministry has approved infusing fresh capital amounting to Rs 2,153 crore in the Allahabad Bank, Rs 2,142 crore in the UCO Bank and Rs 4,360 crore in the Indian Overseas Bank via preferential allotment of shares.

UCO Bank posted a loss of Rs 892 crore in Q2, Allahabad Bank a loss of Rs 2,103 crore and Indian Overseas Bank posted Rs 2,254 crore loss in July-September quarter.

India and Japan have vowed to deepen maritime cooperation and also held consultations on disarmament, non-proliferation and export control.

The 5th Round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in Tokyo on Tuesday with the Indian delegation led by Indra Mani Pandey, Additional Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs, while Japanese delegation was led by Ambassador Yamanaka A Osamu, Deputy Assistant Minister, Deputy Director-General in Foreign Policy Bureau.

Allee Willis, a Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated songwriter who helped compose the theme song for the sitcom Friends, has died aged 72.

I'll Be There for You, the single she co-wrote for the Rembrandts, became one of the most recognised television theme songs of all time.

Willis also co-wrote the Earth, Wind & Fire hits September and Boogie Wonderland and, last year, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The cause of death was cardiac arrest.

Born and raised in Detroit, home of the legendary record label Motown, Willis would visit the studios every weekend growing up, she told the New York Times last year. "You could hear through the walls, which is how I became a songwriter," she said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a postage stamp here on Thursday to commemorate the distinguished service and glorious contribution by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in protecting the nation, the Finance Ministry said.

Speaking on the occasion, Sitharaman congratulated the DRI on the excellent performance of its officers and remarked that the apex intelligence agency continues to play an immense role in countering smuggling as well as in preserving the cultural heritage and environment of the country. She stressed on the critical need for training the officers of DRI in using technology and data analytics to be able to inspire the confidence of its citizens and deter smugglers.

The finance minister congratulated all officers and staff of DRI on their commitment to duty and determined and collaborative efforts to counter smuggling activities in the country.

Da Chen, the brilliant storyteller who drew from the hardships he suffered as a persecuted child growing up in the midst of China’s cultural revolution to create the critically acclaimed memoir Colours of the Mountain, has died at age 57.

Chen died of lung cancer on December 17, his wife, Dr. Sun-Ling Chen, told The Associated Press on Tuesday from the family’s home in Temecula, California.

His most recent book, Girl Under a Red Moon, was published just three months ago.