The first-of-its-kind SURYAPATH TIRANGA Global Relay concluded yesterday, completing its journey from Fiji in the East to the United States in the West, across 54 countries and multiple time zones. The External Affairs Ministry said that the Suryapath Tiranga initiative was celebrated as part of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.

Launched from the High Commission of India in Fiji, the relay carried the spirit of the Tiranga from one sunrise to the next, bringing together the Indian community and friends of India across the world. The relay ended with the flag hoisting by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco. The relay also marked 150 years of Vande Mataram, celebrating its enduring legacy as a symbol of India’s national spirit and pride.

The relay witnessed overwhelming participation and response from the members of the diaspora, underscoring the deep emotional connection with the Tiranga.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has secured a licence from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), allowing it to resume full operations in Venezuela after years of limiting activity because of sanctions-related risks, a senior company official said.

The U.S. approval removes a key hurdle for ONGC's Venezuelan investments and could pave the way for the state-run explorer to expand production, sign new agreements and take over operatorship of some projects from Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, Anupam Agarwal, director-finance at ONGC, said at an investor call post first quarter earnings announcement.

The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology has launched a national cyber security and Artificial Intelligence hackathon named Cyber Kushti 2026. The Ministry of Electronics and IT said that the hackathon is designed to test and recognise human judgement in cyber security assessment.

Registration for Cyber Kushti 2026 opened yesterday and will remain open until the 10th of the next month. The Ministry said that participation is free and open to students and independent researchers in teams of three. It also informed that the winning team will be awarded the title ‘Cyber Kesari 2026’ and presented the traditional Gada (गदा), while the runners-up will be recognised with the titles ‘Rustam’ and ‘ Pahalwan.’

India will host the twelfth BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting in New Delhi tomorrow. This meeting will be preceded by the BRICS Senior Officers’ Meeting of the Environment Working Group and Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development.

The event will be held under the overarching theme of India’s BRICS Chairship 2026 – Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. The BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting would be presided over by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that the meeting will provide a platform to engage in substantive discussions, foster consensus, and strengthen environmental cooperation.

The Ministry further said that as part of the Chairship, India has identified four priority areas for focused engagements under the BRICS Environment Working Group. The priority areas are Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles, Afforestation, Forest Fire Management and Disaster Resilience, Circular Economy, and Adaptation.

The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions will organise the 9th National Anubhav Awards Ceremony and the 60th Pre-Retirement Counselling Workshop at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday.

Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh will confer the National Anubhav Awards 2026 on 15 selected awardees during the ceremony.

The Anubhav platform provides retiring and retired Central Government employees, employees of 12 Public Sector Banks and Central Public Sector Enterprises an opportunity to share their experiences and contributions during their service.

The 15 awardees selected for the 2026 National Anubhav Awards have contributed to nation-building through their work on various government initiatives and projects. Their contributions include work related to Passport Seva Kendra, reform and formulation of rules, technological adoption in administration and accounting, and energy conservation.

More than two decades after India launched its Chandrayaan programme and achieved major milestones in lunar exploration, Pakistan is now preparing to send its first lunar rover, Jinnah-1, to the Moon in 2029 with China's support. The rover will travel aboard China's Chang'e-8 mission and conduct scientific research near the lunar south pole, a region of significant interest due to its challenging terrain and potential water ice reserves, according to Dawn.

At a ceremony held in Islamabad, Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) said the name Jinnah-1 was selected from 4,000 proposals received through a countrywide competition.

Seven participants had proposed the name "Jinnah-1", and the winner was selected through a lucky draw, according to a Suparco statement.

The Government has announced Gallantry and Service Medals for One thousand 57 (1,057) personnel of the Police, Fire Services, Home Guard and Civil Defence, and Correctional Services on the occasion of Independence Day 2026. The Ministry of Home Affairs today released the list of 301 Medals for Gallantry (GM), including 272 for Police personnel and 29 for Fire Service personnel.

The Medal for Gallantry is awarded for conspicuous acts of gallantry in saving life and property, preventing crime, or apprehending criminals. Of the 301 Gallantry Medals, 197 personnel from Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, 51 from Jammu and Kashmir, 12 from the Northeast and 41 from other regions are being awarded for their gallant actions.

A total of 92 President’s Medals for Distinguished Service (PSM) have also been awarded. These include 83 for the Police Service, four for the Fire Service, three for the Civil Defence and Home Guard Service, and two for the Correctional Service.

India’s first private train gets a new name: The Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express, known as India’s first private train, will now run under the name ‘Sprite Tejas Express’. Introduced in 2019, the train is operated and maintained by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

The Tejas Express is a semi-high-speed train equipped with modern onboard facilities designed to provide passengers with a more comfortable journey. Its coaches are manufactured at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab.

The coaches are capable of running at speeds of up to 200 kmph. However, due to track-related restrictions, the train currently operates at a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced plans to establish the first-ever multinational, multi-domain attack drone task force to integrate unmanned systems operated by the United States and regional partners across West Asia, amid continuing conflict and heightened security tensions in the region.

The new unit, designated Task Force Falcon Strike, will employ one-way attack drones comprising unmanned systems operating above, on and below the sea, CENTCOM said in a statement on Thursday.

The initiative comes nine months after CENTCOM established Task Force Scorpion Strike, described by the US military as its first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East.

The Karnataka Health Department has approved the phased rollout of SAMASTA, a digital platform designed to make health data collection easier and more accurate at the field level.

The system will be used by ASHA workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), health inspectors and other community health workers who currently maintain a large number of handwritten records while collecting information from beneficiaries.

The department said the continued use of manual records has affected the accuracy, accessibility and analysis of health data. Although information under different national health programmes is already entered into separate online portals, field-level staff still depend heavily on handwritten registers and diaries.