Pakistan launched its first home-made observation satellite on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China, Pakistan's space agency said.

The PRSC-EO1 satellite will boost Pakistan's ability to monitor and manage natural resources, respond to disasters, and improve urban planning and agricultural development, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) said in a statement.

This type of satellite uses electro-optical sensors to collect data and images of the Earth's surface by detecting and measuring reflected sunlight or emitted radiation.

New champions emerged in the Tata Mumbai Marathon as unheralded Berhane Tesfay of Eritrea took the men's elite title while Kenya's Joyce Chepkemoi Tele won the women's crown in Mumbai on Sunday.

Tesfay clocked 2 hours 11 minutes and 44 seconds to complete the 42.195km distance and win his maiden international full marathon title as thousands of Mumbaikars turned up for the marquee event which is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.

The tiny African nation of Eritrea finished 1-2 as Tesfay's compatriot Merhawi Kesete was second in 2:11:50s while Ethiopia's Tesfaye Demeke (2:11:56s) was third.

Tele, meanwhile, won the women's elite crown in 2:24:56s, finishing ahead of Shitaye Eshete (2:25:29s) of Bahrain and Medina Deme Armino (2:27:58s) of Ethiopia.

In India Open Badminton in New Delhi, Demark’s Viktor Axelsen won the Men’s singles title. He defeated Hong Kong’s C. Yiu Lee in straight sets 21-16. 21-8 in the final today.

In Women’s singles, South Korea’s An Se Young defeated Thailand’s P. Chochuwong 21-12, 21-9 in the final to win the title.
The duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin of Malaysia are the new Men’s Doubles Champions. In the final, they defeated the pair of Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea 21-15, 13-21, 21-16;

The Women’s Doubles crown went to the Japanese pair of Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto who, in the final, defeated South Korea’s pair of Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong 21-15, 21-13.
China’s pair of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin won the Mixed Doubles title, beating France’s duo of Thom Gicquel & Delphine Delrue 21-18, 21-17 in the final

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the naming of the iconic Cultural Center in Jaffna built with Indian assistance, as Thiruvalluvar Cultural Center. In a social media post, Mr. Modi said, it is also a testament to the deep cultural, linguistic, historical and civilisational bonds between the people of India and Sri Lanka.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is set to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 in Davos, Switzerland, underscoring India’s commitment to inclusive growth and transformative development. Before his departure, Vaishnaw emphasized India’s remarkable progress in ensuring equitable opportunities for all, particularly for marginalized communities.

India’s Model of Inclusive Growth

Before his departure for the prestigious global event, Vaishnaw outlined India’s impressive strides in ensuring development for all sections of society, with a particular focus on those who have historically been excluded from progress. He pointed out that Prime Minister Modi’s focus on inclusive development has brought about transformative changes in the lives of those at the bottom of the pyramid.

The Government of Odisha's Electronics and IT Department and Singapore's Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) signed an MoU to establish a Global Competency Centre in Bhubaneshwar to foster FinTech collaboration, with a focus on developing an inclusive and sustainable InsureTech and related areas.

The MoU was signed during the official visit of Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to Odisha on Friday, according to a press release by GFTN. Tharman is on the State Visit to India from January 14 to 18. The initiative marks another positive step commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore in 2025.

Commenting on the MoU, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, Odisha aims to leverage GFTN's global expertise and resources to drive innovation and create tailored Fintech solutions in the state.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday lowered India’s growth forecast to 6.5 per cent for the current fiscal year (2024-25 or FY25) as against 7 per cent estimated in October. Meanwhile, it has maintained the growth projection for the next two fiscal years (2025-26 or FY26 and 2026-27 or FY27) at 6.5 per cent.

“Growth in India also slowed more than expected, led by a sharper-than-expected deceleration in industrial activities,” IMF said in latest update of World Economic Outlook. Indian economy grew by 6.4 per cent in the July-September quarter, which led to lowering the estimates by various agencies, including RBI. While RBI Cuts the forecast for FY25 to 6.6 per cent against 7.2 per cent, the Statistics Ministry projected 6.6 per cent in first advance estimates.

Meanwhile, IMF expects growth to be better in the next two fiscal (FY26 and FY27)

“In India, growth is projected to be solid at 6.5 per cent in 2025 and 2026, as projected in October and in line with potential,” it said. However, these numbers are slightly lower than the World Bank’s projection, which expects 6.7 per cent growth in the next two fiscal. The economic survey will give projections for the next fiscal on January 31.

Justice Arun Mishra was appointed as the Ombudsman and Ethics Officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Thursday.

Justice Arun Mishra was selected in the Bar Council M.P. with record votes in 1989 and 1995. He was elected as the youngest Chairman of the Bar Council of India in 1998-99. He was appointed Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on October 25, 1999, and was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court on November 26, 2010. Arun Mishra was also appointed as the Chief Justice of the High Court at Calcutta on December 14, 2012.

Earlier on Sunday, former first-class cricketer Devajit Saikia was announced as the replacement of Jay Shah who took over the role of ICC Chairman last year as the new secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India during the Special General Meeting .

In a momentous event marking 60 years of diplomatic relations, President Droupadi Murmu and the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, unveiled a special joint logo on January 16 in New Delhi. The logo celebrates six decades of strong ties between the two nations.

The design features elements symbolizing both countries: colours from the Indian and Singaporean national flags, the lotus (India’s national flower), the orchid (Singapore’s national flower), and the number 60, highlighting this significant milestone. Together, these elements represent the enduring friendship, mutual trust, and shared values between India and Singapore.

Over the years, India-Singapore cooperation has deepened across various sectors. The relationship is built on strong political, defence, economic, cultural, educational, and people-to-people ties. The partnership has expanded to include advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalization, healthcare, sustainability, and skills development.

NITI Aayog organized a pivotal workshop titled "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in the Indian Cement Sector" at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 16th January 2025. The workshop saw participation from Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Dr. VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; Sh. Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power; Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG CSIR and dignitaries from government, PSUs, industry, think tanks, and academia.

The workshop is part of India’s ongoing efforts to achieve its net-zero target of 2070 and ensure a sustainable future. Decarbonizing the cement sector is vital for meeting the country's long-term environmental goals, and to achieve that, CCUS needs to play a crucial role in reducing emissions in the cement sector. The objective of the workshop was to discuss sector-specific approaches to decarbonization and explore CCUS technologies as a cornerstone of India's strategy to reduce emissions by tailoring solutions to the unique challenges and opportunities in the cement sector.