Nasa is preparing an unprecedented mission to save one of its most successful space telescopes from falling out of orbit and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.

The agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004 to study powerful cosmic explosions known as gamma-ray bursts, is gradually losing altitude due to increasing atmospheric drag. Without intervention, scientists estimate the spacecraft could re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and be destroyed before the end of 2026.

Rather than allowing that to happen, Nasa decided to attempt something never done before: sending a commercial spacecraft to rendezvous with the ageing observatory, capture it, and boost it into a higher orbit.

The Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) 2026 has become the first pharmacopoeia in the world to establish exclusive standards for blood and blood components, a move aimed at strengthening quality assurance and patient safety in transfusion services, officials said on Wednesday.

A pharmacopoeia is an official compendium of quality standards of the drugs being imported, manufactured for sale, stocked or exhibited for sale or distributed in a country. The pharmacopoeial monographs prescribe standards to ensure the identity, purity and strength of the given drugs through botanical identification, various physico-chemical parameters and the like.

The new standards were highlighted at a national conference organised by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) at its Ghaziabad campus to facilitate awareness and implementation of the newly introduced monographs for blood and blood components in IP 2026.

The fate of India's ambitious 2036 Olympic bid will be known in mid 2029 after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of a Strategic Dialogue phase in the host selection process, during which the candidate nations will have to provide "core financial guarantees" among other requirements.

At the global body's 146th Session in Lausanne on Wednesday, the IOC's Future Host Commission chair, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, proposed the introduction of the new phase, which was approved by the member nations.

"Potential hosts wanted greater clarity. All stakeholders wanted greater transparency," said Grabar-Kitrovic, adding that the aim is to announce the 2036 host by middle of 2029.

In a major crackdown on the cybercrime infrastructure facilitating Digital Arrest scams, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided over 80 locations across the country in connection with more than 200 cases. Two accused have been arrested so far.

They have been identified as Naresh from Chennai and Sanjib Saha, a resident of Kolkata.

Under Operation Chakra-VI, the agency constituted 60 special teams and conducted coordinated searches in 16 States, including Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Manipur, Karnataka and Odisha.

India said it plans to share its technology involving the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, the country’s most reliable rocket, to help speed up development of the local space industry.

“We have released an expression of interest to transfer the technology of the PSLV rocket to the private sector,” Pawan Goenka, chairman of Indian National Space promotion and Authorization Centre, said in a recent interview. Only “companies that are majority owned and controlled by Indians” will qualify, he said.

The move is designed to bolster production of Indian rockets as the country seeks to become a hub for small satellite launches. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to open the industry to the private sector in 2019, hundreds of space-related startups have sprouted.

The BJP government in Rajasthan has constituted a five-member committee, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, to prepare a draft for implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

“Currently, there are different laws for men and women across various religions, which leads to violation of women’s rights. The UCC will steer the state towards a new direction and improved status for all women,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jawahar Singh Bedham

A uniform law on matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption will apply to all citizens residing in the state, irrespective of their religion or caste. Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham said the government intends to make the law transparent and inclusive rather than imposing it.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) to establish the NHAI Centre for Economics of Transportation, Mobility and Logistics at NCAER. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that the centre will serve as a dedicated platform for undertaking applied economic research on transportation, mobility and logistics. The focus of the centre will be on generating actionable insights to support long-term planning, investment and policy formulation in the road and transport sector. The Ministry said that beyond research, the Centre will serve as a knowledge hub for the transportation sector by disseminating findings through policy briefs, working papers and flagship reports.

The Centre will be anchored by an Advisory Committee comprising leading economists, transportation specialists, public policy experts and eminent academicians, along with NHAI’s Member (Finance) and the Director General of NCAER.

India has secured the 13th position globally in AI-economy readiness, according to the QS World Future Skills Index 2027, released today by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the global higher education analytics firm. While the ranking positions India as the leader among South Asian and lower-middle-income nations, the report flags a widening mismatch between the country’s booming labour market transformation and the quality of skills its universities are producing.

India achieved a perfect score of 100 on QS’s Economic Capacity sub-indicator — the highest in the world — driven by its consistent GDP growth, labour market investment, and aggressive infrastructure spending. India has been the fastest-growing economy in the G20 for three consecutive years, and its AI-related investments have already reached $90 billion as of February 2026.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday inaugurated a Rs 405-crore gold mining and processing project at Jonnagiri in Kurnool district, marking the beginning of commercial gold production in the state.

The chief minister also laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the project, which is being developed by Geo Mysore Services India Private Limited and Deccan Gold Mines Limited.

“This project opens a new chapter for Andhra Pradesh in the mining sector and is expected to contribute significantly to industrial growth and employment generation,” an official release said.

The government allotted 1,500 acres for the project, of which mining activities have commenced on 600 acres in the first phase. Expansion to the remaining area is planned in subsequent stages.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday launched the Auto Mutation System and Paperless Registration 2.0, marking another step towards good governance, transparency, and digital administration in the state.

Residents will no longer be required to submit separate applications for mutation of land records. Mutation documents can now be downloaded from home.

The Chief Minister launched the initiatives at a programme attended by Revenue Minister Vipul Goel, Public Works Minister Ranbir Gangwa, and Additional Chief Secretary Sumita Misra, among others. Deputy Commissioners joined the event virtually.