Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that India has become the first country in the world to commercially produce bio-bitumen in road construction. Bitumen is a black, viscous mixture of hydrocarbons produced by the fractionation of crude oil, and it serves as a crucial binder in road construction.

While addressing the CSIR Technology Transfer Ceremony in New Delhi, the Minister congratulated CSIR on this historic milestone. Mr Gadkari said that the initiative will help in reducing pollution from crop residue burning. The Minister said that bio-bitumen is a transformative step towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Speaking on this occasion, Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that by achieving this milestone, India has entered into a new era of clean and green highways. He said that the initiative will also aid the Waste to Wealth mission and support the country’s vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

US President Donald Trump announced withdrawal from dozens of international organisations, including the UN’s population agency. Trump yesterday signed an executive order stopping US support for 66 organisations, agencies and commissions after ordering a review of American participation and funding. The State Department said in a statement that the administration believes these institutions are poorly managed, unnecessary, wasteful, or influenced by interests that do not align with US priorities, and may threaten the country’s sovereignty and prosperity. The decision comes as Trump’s administration has taken several foreign policy actions, including capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and indicating an intention to take over Greenland.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today unveiled a book titled Khutbaat-e-Modi- Lal Qila Ki Faseel Se in New Delhi. In a social media post, Mr Pradhan informed that this book is a compilation of PM Modi’s Independence Day speeches from 2014 to 2025. He said that these speeches document Mr Modi’s way of working by adopting Sabka saath, sabka vikas aur sabka prayas.

He highlighted that the book also covered topics such as Antyodaya, Swachh Bharat and numerous other vital matters concerning the national interest. The book is a compilation of the Prime Minister’s speeches translated in Urdu language and is published by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is set to resume orbital launches with the PSLV-C62 mission, scheduled for January 12, 2026, at 10:17 AM IST from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The launch will mark the 64th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the 5th use of the PSLV-DL variant, equipped with two strap-on boosters.

The mission’s primary payload is EOS-N1 (Anvesha), an Earth observation satellite designed to enhance India’s remote sensing capabilities across agriculture, urban mapping, and environmental monitoring.

The Australian Cricket team created history and emulated a feat that only India has achieved before in Test cricket on the third day of play in the fifth Test of the 2025-26 Ashes on Tuesday (January 6) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as the Steve Smith-led team took a big lead as they aim to seal a 4-1 series win after the shock defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the Boxing Day Test.

Smith scored the 37th Test ton of his career and was unbeaten at 129 at stumps after Travis Head's incredible knock of 163 earlier in the innings. At the end of play on Day 3, the hosts are 529-7 and have a massive first-innings lead of 134 runs. Earlier, England was bowled out for 384 despite Joe Root's stunning knock of 160.

The Australian innings had seven 50+ partnerships, with the only exception being the 27-run stand between Alex Carey and Steve Smith. This is the second-most in history in a team's innings, with only India's innings in the 2007 Oval Test against England, which is remembered for Anil Kumble's only Test century, ahead of Australia's effort today. The Rahul Dravid-led team had eight partnerships of 50 runs or more.

Indian scientists have developed the first supercomputer-powered simulation to capture the long-existing paradox of hot water freezing faster than cold water. The Ministry of Science and Technology informed that this phenomenon, technically called the Mpemba effect, had eluded scientists for a long time.

According to the Ministry, researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research have used supercomputers to develop the first simulation of ice formation, proving the Mpemba effect of water. The Ministry added that the simulation also demonstrates that the effect can appear during fluid-to-solid transitions in systems other than water. This research has been published in the Journal of Communication Physics.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (January 5, 2026) laid the foundation stone of a 5-km-long bridge over the river Muriganga to connect Sagar Island with the mainland. Sagar is the biggest island of the Sundarbans archipelago, where the annual Gangasagar Mela pilgrimage is held on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Estimated to cost ₹1,670 crore, the four-lane bridge will connect Lot 8 in Kakdwip to Kachuberia on Sagar Island.

The Chief Minister expressed hope that the bridge will improve business and commerce and facilitate travel for pilgrims visiting the Gangasagar Mela. It is believed that the river Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island in front of Kapil Muni Temple, and every year lakhs of devotees descend on the remote island to take a holy dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

A Sakthivel, Founder of the Tiruppur-based Poppys Knitwear Pvt Ltd, and one of India’s senior most leaders in the apparel industry, has assumed charge as the Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) for the fifth term in January 2026. He has been a board member of AEPC for the last 43 years, says a release from AEPC.

Rohit Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, wished Sakthivel and said Dr Sakthivel brings a lot of joy to every exporter through his warmth and affection.

Kansal said, “One world which defines the textiles industry is resilience. The government is cognizant of the difficulties of the industry and is ready to continue its support for boosting textiles exports.”

Third Technical Hindi Symposium (Takniki Hindi Sangoshthi) “Abhyuday-3” organised at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore. The two-day symposium is concluded today. The program was jointly organised by IIT Indore, IIT Jodhpur and the CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR–NIScPR). The symposium aims to promote the use of Technical Hindi and to strengthen the outreach of science and technology to wider sections of society.

In the inaugural session, the symposium souvenir and other publications were released. Director of IIT Indore highlighted the importance of Technical Hindi, the role of effective science communication, and the need to connect research and innovation with the general public.

On this occasion, Shri C. B. Singh, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, emphasised the development of Technical Hindi, the significance of effective science communication, and the necessity of taking research and innovation to broader sections of society. He also highlighted the contributions and continuous efforts of CSIR-NIScPR in disseminating scientific knowledge in the Hindi language including publication of Hindi popular science magazine “VigyanPragati” since 1952.

Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today inaugurated the National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration and the National Environmental Standard Laboratory at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) in New Delhi.

Addressing the occasion of the 80th foundation day celebrations of CSIR-NPL, Dr Singh said that India has become the world’s fifth country, after the USA, Germany, China and Japan, to have a Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration. Dr Singh emphasised that in view of growing environmental concerns, the Environmental Standard Laboratory is the second largest in the world.

He added that it will enable highly accurate measurement of various environmental parameters and will provide services not only to government agencies but also to the non-government sector and even to other countries.