Indian women's team captain Rani Rampal became the first-ever hockey player to win the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the Year' award.

The World Games announced the winner last night after 20 days of polling in January this year by sports fans worldwide.

Congratulating Rani, the World Games said with 1,99,477 votes, she is the clear winner of the Athlete of the Year race. All in all, over 7,05,610 votes were cast during the poll.

Last year, India won the FIH Series Finals, and Rani was named Player of the Tournament.

Under Rani's leadership, the Indian women's team qualified for just the third Olympic Games in its history.

Rani, who was recently named among the Padma Shri awardees, dedicated the award to the entire hockey fraternity, her team and the country.

A 60-year-old pharmacy worker has become the first deaf person on record to row an ocean by finishing a 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic. Mo O'Brien and her fellow crew members, including her daughter, landed on the Caribbean island of Antigua 49 days after setting out from the Canary Island of La Gomera in December.

Their arrival late yesterday local time makes them the fastest female trio to complete the challenge. The Ocean Rowing Society, which is responsible for monitoring ocean rowing records, confirmed the world first. Ms O'Brien, rowed almost 3,000 miles (4,800km) of Atlantic Ocean with her daughter Bird Watts, and their friend Claire Allinson.

Well-known theatre person Sanjana Kapoor will receive the prestigious French honour of ‘Chevalier dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) for her outstanding contribution to the field of theatre.

French Minister of Culture Franck Riester, who’s currently on an official India visit, will confer the insignia of the distinction on Kapoor in a special investiture ceremony on January 28 at the French embassy in New Delhi.

Kapoor was born in an illustrious family of Indian and English theatre personalities -- Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal. She debuted on screen with Aparna Sen’s 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981) and played the leading actor in Hero Hiralal (1989). She also appeared in Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988).

An Air India special flight will depart today from Delhi for China's Wuhan for evacuation of Indians following outbreak of novel Coronavirus in the neighboring country.

Sixteen crew members will be on-board for the evacuation process.

The crew is traveling with masks, gloves and disinfectant sprays and will not get off the aircraft in Wuhan.

There will be minimal contact with the passengers during the flight.

The Air India jumbo from Mumbai picked up special medical kits in Delhi being procured by the health ministry.

Air India will board only those passengers who do not show symptoms of the infection. In its first ferry, approximately 325 passengers will be evacuated.

Indian women's team captain Rani Rampal became the first-ever hockey player to win the prestigious 'World Games Athlete of the Year' award.

The World Games announced the winner last night after 20 days of polling in January this year by sports fans worldwide.

Congratulating Rani, the World Games said with 1,99,477 votes, she is the clear winner of the Athlete of the Year race. All in all, over 7,05,610 votes were cast during the poll.

Last year, India won the FIH Series Finals, and Rani was named Player of the Tournament.

 Under Rani's leadership, the Indian women's team qualified for just the third Olympic Games in its history.

Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.86 metres at the Athletics Central North East meeting in South Africa. The 22-year-old Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist breached the Olympic qualification mark of 85 metres in his fourth attempt at Potchefstroom last night.

Neeraj had missed the IAAF World Championships, the Diamond League and the Asian Championships due to an elbow injury. His last major international competition was the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games where he won gold with a national record of 88.06 metres.

Another Indian in fray, Rohit Yadav threw 77.61 metres.

Nation pays homage to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 72nd death anniversary today. It was on this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi fell to the bullet of his assassin. The day is also observed as Martyrs Day.

A Sarva Dharma Prarthana Sabha has been organised at his Samadhi - Rajghat in the national capital. All India Radio Delhi will broadcast live commentary on the Sarva Dharma Prarthana Sabha and Bhakti Sangeet from Rajghat. It can be heard on Rajdhani channel from 9:40 AM.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has paid tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary today. In a series of tweets, Mr Naidu said, Mahatma Gandhi’s life and message of peace and non-violence are relevant for all times and find resonance in every part of the world. He said, through the philosophy of Ahimsa, Satyagraha and Non-Cooperation, Gandhi Ji galvanised masses and spearheaded the national movement.

For better planning and monitoring of government projects, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the Bhuvan Panchayat web portal's version 3.0. For the first time, a thematic data base on a 1:10,00 scale for the entire country is available with integrated high resolution satellite data for planning.
In the project that will last for at least two years, ISRO will collaborate with the gram panchayat members and stakeholders to understand their data requirements. The third version of the portal will provide database visualisation and services for the benefit of panchayat members, among others. The project is meant to provide geo-spatial services to aid gram panchayat development planning process of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Jitendra Singh, Minister Of State in the Prime Minister's Office, launched the programme. “This kind of technical empowerment benefits officers dedicated to the rural development ministry. It’s a proud moment to be associated with ISRO in its most interesting time. ISRO and the Department of Science & Technology will be an essential tool in making of Modi's new India," he said.