Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol has said that the Central Government has launched the world’s largest grain storage initiative in the cooperative sector to enhance the nation’s grain storage capacity.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Mohol said that, as part of the pilot project, eleven godowns have been constructed across eleven states. He said, more than five hundred Primary Agricultural Credit Societies have been identified for the construction of these godowns.

The Minister said, for the first time in the country, grain storage infrastructure is being developed through cooperative societies. He noted that adequate storage facilities will help reduce crop losses, benefit farmers, and ultimately increase their incomes.

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which has successfully bred more than 800 vultures in its conservation breeding centres across India, is now preparing to release six vultures in Assam in January 2026.

BNHS scientists on Thursday (December 4, 2025) said they are finalising the dates to release three male and as many female slender-billed and white-rumped vultures, aged between two and three years, in Assam’s Kamrup and Biswanath districts. They were bred at BNHS Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Rani, Kamrup district.

How did the near-extinction of vultures in India contribute to thousands of additional human deaths? | In Focus podcast

About the selection of Kamrup and Biswanath districts as the location to release the vultures, BNHA Senior Scientist and Assistant Director Dr. Sachin Ranade explained, “These locations fall within the natural range of vultures where there are already a small flock of them and Biswanath is closer to Kaziranga National Park.”

Abu Dhabi is hosting the Global AI Show 2025, held under the theme “AI: 2031 – Accelerating Intelligent Futures.” The event brings together technology leaders, researchers, policymakers and major industry players, as the region strengthens its profile as a centre for digital transformation and smart innovation.

Speakers examined how artificial intelligence is reshaping global innovation. With new, accessible coding tools, even those without technical backgrounds can now create applications, allowing ideas to emerge from anywhere. Traditional development models were described as outdated, and experts noted that the region now has the capital, talent and education needed to push forward its innovation goals. There is growing confidence that the next two years could see unprecedented global-scale innovation emerging from West Asia.

In an effort to revive and conserve the nearly defunct Royal Bird Sanctuary at Majuli—the world’s largest river island—the Charaichung Festival has been organised in the island district for the second time.

The festival commemorates the 392-year-old legacy of Asia’s first protected Royal Bird Sanctuary, ‘Charaichung’, established in 1633 AD by Ahom king Swargadeu Pratap Singha. The four-day festival, being held from December 7 to 10, has been organised under the initiative of Majuli Sahitya and locals, with the aim of placing Charaichung on the global map and rejuvenating its bird habitat.

The festival also features a special exhibition highlighting forest conservation efforts. The display sheds light on ongoing initiatives to protect Majuli’s biodiversity and reflects the collective commitment to safeguarding the island’s natural heritage.

Bitcoin MENA 2025, the Middle East’s premier annual conference dedicated to advancing Bitcoin understanding, adoption, and innovation, concluded today at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi after two days of intensive discussions on digital finance transformation in the region.

The conference brought together more than 12,000 attendees from over 100 countries for panel discussions, keynote sessions, and fireside chats across four stages, featuring industry leaders addressing topics ranging from corporate Bitcoin adoption and mining infrastructure to regulatory frameworks and institutional investment strategies. The final day explored emerging trends in the region’s rapidly expanding crypto ecosystem.

The United Arab Emirates has established itself as a key player in the global digital asset landscape, with a crypto ownership rate exceeding 30 percent of its population and inflows of USD 34 billion between July 2023 and June 2024. This growth is supported by the nation’s zero-tax policy on personal crypto gains and clear regulatory frameworks provided by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and the Securities and Commodities Authority.

On December 10, the world observes Human Rights Day to commemorate the anniversary of the United Nations' adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a significant document.

The UN advocates for freedom, equality, and respect for all people on Human Rights Day. On this day, numerous humanitarian initiatives, events, talks, and campaigns are held worldwide to promote awareness of the importance of collective action in protecting human rights.

Human Rights Day 2025 Theme

This year's theme, "Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials," emphasises the significance of human rights in our day-to-day existence. It falls on Wednesday, December 10, in 2025. On this day, we are reminded to speak out against hate, false information, and lies and to take concrete action to defend human rights.

India will host the Squash World Cup for the third consecutive time, with the tournament taking place at SDAT Stadium in Chennai from tomorrow till the 14th of this month.

Twelve nations will compete, including hosts India, defending champions Egypt, and 2023 runners-up Malaysia. Each team has two men and two women, and matches follow the format introduced in the 2023 games to seven points with sudden-death tiebreaks at 6-6.

India has announced its squad, blending experience and young talent. In the men’s category, No.1 Abhay Singh will team up with Velavan Senthilkumar. Former World No.10 Joshna Chinappa returns, aiming to improve on India’s third-place finish in 2023. On the women’s side, No.1 Anahat Singh will make her World Cup debut.

Former captain Rohit Sharma achieved a major milestone on Saturday, going past 20,000 runs in international cricket. The 38-year-old achieved the feat when he got to 27 in his knock of 75 during India's chase of 271 against South Africa in the final ODI of a three-match series in Visakhapatnam.

Rohit Sharma became only the fourth Indian batter to achieve the landmark and the 14th batter to get to the milestone in international cricket. Rohit joined an elite list of Indian batters, including Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

Rohit hit 75 off 73 balls, smashing seven boundaries and a six before getting out to Keshav Maharaj. The senior campaigner and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 155 runs for the opening partnership, laying a strong foundation for India's chase in the series decider.

Indian scientists have discovered an ancient and massive galaxy called Alaknanda. It looks similar to our Milky Way galaxy and is special because it has clear spiral arms, even though it formed when the universe was only 1.5 billion years old. Today, the universe is 13.8 billion years old.

Announcing the discovery, Professor Yogesh Wadadekar at the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA-TIFR) said, "This galaxy looks like a regular, well-structured system."

Such galaxies should take at least three billion years to develop stable spiral arms, he added, unlike the Milky Way, which took billions of years to form its spiral discs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden ODI century trumped Quinton de Kock's 23rd as India clinched the series from South Africa by nine wickets on Saturday. Jaiswal's unbeaten 116, beside Rohit Sharma's 75 and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 65 powered India to the target of 271 with 10.1 overs to spare. They won the series 2-1 after losing the test series 2-0. The teams start a five-match T20I series on Tuesday in Cuttack. Jaiswal also became just the sixth man from India to smash a ton across formats. He joined Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill in the list. Notably, women's team batter Smriti Mandhana has also achieved the feat.

De Kock's 89-ball 106 and captain Temba Bavuma's 48 were South Africa's only substantial innings before it was all out for 270 in 47.5 overs.

Medium-pacer Prasidh Krishna took the sting out of the Proteas with three wickets in three overs, including de Kock, after India ended a string of 20 lost tosses in ODIs since the 2023 Cricket World Cup semifinals.