Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon has completed his first spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major milestone in his first mission in orbit.

Menon and Nasa astronaut Jessica Meir completed US Spacewalk 96 on Thursday, August 6, after spending 6 hours and 27 minutes outside the orbital laboratory.

Nasa confirmed that the spacewalk ended at 12:30 am IST on August 7, after the astronauts completed their primary objectives.

For Menon, the excursion was his first time working outside the ISS. Meir, meanwhile, completed her sixth spacewalk.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth has scripted yet another milestone by becoming the first woman fighter pilot to successfully complete the prestigious Fighter Combat Leader (FCL) course at the Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE) in Gwalior.

The 20-week programme is regarded as one of the IAF’s most demanding advanced combat courses and is reserved for a select group of fighter pilots. Successful completion qualifies pilots to lead complex air combat missions and places them among the Air Force’s frontline combat tacticians.

A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial the social media giant lost in March.

In a ruling late Thursday, Judge Bryan Biedcheid said the bulk of the money - $420 million - will be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years.

In the first phase, jurors had ordered $375 million in civil penalties against Meta, determining that it knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched the distribution of application forms for the Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Monia Scheme and Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Babu Scheme at a central programme held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

At the same programme, the Chief Minister also disbursed Rs 15.86 crore via DBT to 793 flood-affected schools across Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat and launched financial assistance of over Rs 4.26 crore from the CMRF for 21,025 students in Sivasagar and Charaideo to purchase educational materials after the recent floods. Of the amount, Rs 11.00 crore has been allocated to 550 schools of Sivasagar, Rs 2.22 crore to 111 schools, Rs 2.06 crore to 103 schools of Jorhat and Rs 0.58 crore to 29 schools of Golaghat district.

Microsoft on Thursday launched its largest data centre region in India in Hyderabad, expanding its cloud infrastructure to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) services. Adani Group, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank and PB Pay are among the early customers using the new facility.

The launch of the India South Central region expands Microsoft’s cloud footprint in the country to four regions, alongside Pune, Chennai and Mumbai.

The company said the addition gives it the largest hyperscale cloud presence in India, offering customers more options to run cloud services and AI workloads within the country.

OpenAI's anticipated push into consumer hardware is beginning to take shape. Months after reports first suggested the ChatGPT maker was working on an AI companion with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, Bloomberg has revealed that OpenAI's first mass market hardware product could be a portable, screenless AI companion.

According to the report, the device will resemble a doughnut roughly the size of a hockey puck, making it small enough to carry around the house with one hand. It is expected to cost between $300 and $400 and is currently slated for release in 2027. Rather than being another smart speaker, OpenAI reportedly sees it as an AI-first computer designed to help users complete everyday tasks through natural conversations.

The 10th BRICS Industry Ministers' Meeting, held under India's chairship, concluded in Jaipur on Thursday with member countries adopting a joint declaration for strengthening industrial cooperation and promoting innovation-driven growth.

Held under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", the meeting brought together industry ministers and senior representatives from BRICS nations to deliberate on enhancing industrial capabilities, leveraging technological transformation and expanding collaborative opportunities.

Addressing the gathering, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said BRICS countries must convert aspirations into practical innovation and cooperation, and leverage their complementary strengths to build resilient industries. He noted that the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) has emerged as a key mechanism for such collaboration.

Ladakh Lt Governor VK Saxena has approved guided jeep safaris on snow leopard and bird-watching trails to promote sustainable eco-tourism in the Union territory. These wildlife tours will be India’s first high-altitude wildlife safaris and will provide visitors with a rare guided opportunity to witness Ladakh’s distinctive flora and fauna.

The decision was taken in the first governing body meeting of the newly constituted Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature (SHAN) Conservation Society, chaired by LG Saxena, on Thursday.

The Forest Department has been directed to introduce safari on the lines of popular national parks, like Kaziranga, Ranthambore and others. These safaris will use specially designed open-back vehicles, to be operated by trained local drivers and guides.

Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday launched the nationwide Har Ghar Tiranga 2026 campaign, which will be observed across the country from August 9 to 17 to encourage citizens to hoist the National Flag and participate in activities celebrating patriotism, national unity and India’s cultural heritage.

The campaign, launched in New Delhi, marks the fifth year of the Har Ghar Tiranga initiative, which began in 2022 as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and has since evolved into one of the country’s largest public participation movements. The launch event was attended by Randhir Jaiswal, Additional Secretary (XP) and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, and Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

Addressing a press conference, Shekhawat said Har Ghar Tiranga has grown beyond a flag-hoisting campaign into a nationwide celebration driven by community participation, cultural programmes, heritage activities and digital engagement. He described it as a true people’s movement that inspires citizens across regions and communities to celebrate the Tricolour as a symbol of India’s unity, honour and collective national identity.

India successfully conducted a user trial of the nuclear-capable Agni-4 medium-range ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence said. The launch was carried out under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command and validated all operational and technical parameters.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the test formed part of a routine user trial aimed at reaffirming the missile system's reliability and operational readiness. The successful launch further strengthens India's strategic deterrence capability and the preparedness of the Strategic Forces Command.

The Agni-4 is a medium-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a strike range of around 4,000 km. It is equipped with advanced avionics, a Ring Laser Gyro-based Inertial Navigation System and several indigenous technologies designed to improve accuracy and performance.