India has sent its first-ever commercial trial shipments of pomegranates to Australia through sea route, an official statement said on Monday (February 17, 2025).

At present, the exports are mainly done by air route because of lower volumes and different ripening periods.

The Commerce Ministry said that after getting the market access for export of Indian pomegranates to Australia, a work plan and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the export were signed in February 2024.

The Centre on Monday launched the ‘Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs’, which was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 to boost the micro, small, and medium enterprises.

The scheme facilitates collateral-free loans to MSMEs by providing loans up to Rs 100 crore for the purchase of plant, machinery, or equipment.

The scheme would provide 60 per cent guarantee coverage by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) to member lending institutions (MLIs) for a credit facility up to Rs 100 crore, sanctioned to eligible MSMEs under MCGS-MSME for the purchase of equipment/machinery.

Launching the scheme here, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also distributed sanction letters to MSMEs eligible under the scheme in Mumbai.

The Reserve Bank of India on Friday said 20 non-banking financial companies, including Reliance Commercial Finance and IDFC Limited, have surrendered their certificate of registration (CoR).

Of these, two non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) have surrendered their CoR as they have exited from the non-banking financial institution business. These NBFCs are Manoway Investments Private Limited and Reliance Commercial Finance Limited.

IDFC Ltd, IDFC Financial Holding Company Ltd and other 16 entities surrendered the CoR as it ceased to be a legal entity due to amalgamation or merger.

The Reserve Bank on Friday said it has imposed penalties totalling Rs 68.1 lakh on two banks -- Nainital Bank and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank -- for contravention of regulatory norms.

A penalty of Rs 61.40 lakh was imposed on Nainital Bank Ltd for non-compliance with certain directions on Interest Rate on Advances' and Customer Service in Banks', RBI said in a statement.

Further, RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 6.70 lakh on Ujjivan Small Finance Bank for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on Loans and Advances - Statutory and Other Restrictions'.

RBI also levied a penalty of Rs 5.80 lakh on Shriram Finance, a non-banking entity, for non-compliance with certain provisions, including Know Your Customer (KYC ) guidelines and directions on Data Format for Furnishing of Credit Information to Credit Information Companies'.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope has discovered a rare ring of light, known as an Einstein ring, around a galaxy nearly 590 million light-years away from Earth.

Photos, which were taken by Euclid in September 2023 but released on Monday, of the Einstein ring show a bright ball of light in the centre with a bright, cloudy ring around it. The ring was discovered around NGC 6505, a galaxy that was first found in the 19th Century.

Stephen Serjeant, an astronomer at the Open University, told The Guardian, “This is a beautiful, extraordinary, thrilling and lucky find in our first data.”

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate the first-ever Regional Dialogue on Social Justice, which is set to take place on February 24-25 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. This event is being organized by the Ministry of Labour & Employment in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Employers’ Federation of India (EFI), and marks a significant step in contributing to the Global Coalition for Social Justice, which was launched by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2023.

The Global Coalition for Social Justice brings together governments, employers, workers’ organisations, international and regional organisations, financial institutions, development banks, and other stakeholders to address social justice challenges collectively. As a member of the Asia Pacific Coordinating Group, India is leading this first regional dialogue, promoting the initiative “Responsible Businesses for Inclusive and Sustainable Societies,” focusing on expanding access to productive employment and sustainable enterprises.

World Number one tennis player Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month suspension after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over two positive doping tests. Announcing this today, WADA said now Sinner will serve the suspension from February 9 to May 4th. The International Tennis Integrity Agency had initially cleared him, but WADA appealed for a one-year ban.

Sinner tested positive for trace amounts of Clostebol last March, which he attributed to accidental contamination from a trainer’s treatment.

The Italian, who won the Australian Open in January, will now return for the Italian Open on May 7th and the French Open on May 25th.

The Aadi Mahotsav 2025, a grand festival celebrating India’s rich tribal heritage, will be held from February 16-24, 2025, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi. Organized by the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the event will showcase the vibrant culture, heritage, and economic potential of India’s tribal communities.

The Hon’ble President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will inaugurate the festival as the Chief Guest. More than 600 tribal artisans, 500 performing artists, and 25 food stalls will participate, representing the diverse traditions of over 30 states and Union Territories. The festival aims to empower tribal communities by providing them with an extensive marketplace to promote their products and reach modern consumers.

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo broke the half marathon world record on Sunday, becoming the first athlete to register a sub-57 minutes timing.

The 24-year-old Kiplimo, a two-time world cross country champion, finished the Barcelona Half Marathon in 56 minutes and 42 seconds to break the previous record of 57 minutes and 30 seconds set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia last year.

Kiplimo’s timing is subject to the usual ratification procedure.

Kiplimo held the world record between 2021 and 2024 before Kejelcha’s run in Spain. However, the Ugandan reclaimed the same in Spain itself with a spectacular performance.

Joaquin Niemann hit a stunning seven-under par final round of 65 to claim the LIV Golf Adelaide title on Sunday, finishing on 13-under par to win by three shots as Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs quartet claimed victory in the team event.

The Chilean trailed a trio of players that included Abraham Ancer by three shots at the start of the day’s play at the Grange Golf Club, prevailing in a battle with the 33-year-old down the back nine to win his third LIV Golf event.

“I’m starting to feel the chills now because I didn’t want to get out of the game rhythm because you never know what could happen, but now I feel that relief and it feels awesome,” Niemann said.

Niemann started the day on six-under par but had pulled himself into contention by the time he reached the turn, picking up four shots to put pressure on Ancer, who had been flawless after birdying the first two holes to take a clear lead.