A rocket that was supposed to become Japan’s first from the private sector to put a satellite into orbit exploded shortly after takeoff on March 13, a livestreamed video showed. Online video showed the rocket called Kairos blasting off from Wakayama Prefecture, in central Japan, a mountainous area filled with trees, but exploding midair within seconds.

A huge plume of smoke engulfed the area, and flames shot up in some spots. The video then showed spurts of water trying to put out the blaze. There were no reports of injuries, and the fire has been brought under control, according to the fire department in Kushimoto city, Wakayama,

Tokyo-based start-up Space One, behind the rocket launch, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday appointed former director general of police (DGP) Rajkumar Vishwakarma as new the Chief Information Commissioner of the state.

Vishwakarma, a 1988-batch IPS officer who retired from service last year, has served as chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment Board. His appointment was made as an “expert in the matters of administration and governance”, it is learnt.

The state government also appointed 10 Information Commissioners, of which five are from the media background. The five are Mohd Nadeem, editor of Hindi daily Navbharat Times in Lucknow; Virendra Pratap Singh, who worked with Hindustan; senior journalist Rajendra Singh; Swatantra Prakash, a reporter with a local newspaper; and PN Dwivedi.

New Zealand's top order batter Rachin Ravindra became the youngest recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on Wednesday after being named the country's outstanding male cricketer of the year. Meanwhile, Amelia Kerr became the year's top female cricketer after winning the Debbie Hockley medal for the second time in a row.

Kane Williamson received the ANZ Test Player of the Year Award and won the Redpath Cup for men's first-class batting. Ravindra, 24, is the youngest winner of the award in its history, following a season in which he has established himself as a key member of New Zealand's red and white teams.

In a significant move towards promoting energy efficiency and conservation, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bhutan.

This landmark agreement, signed between the Bureau of Energy Efficiency of India's Ministry of Power and Bhutan's Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, aims to foster bilateral cooperation in the field of energy efficiency.

Under the MoU, India will extend its support to Bhutan in enhancing energy efficiency within the household sector, notably through the promotion of India's star labeling program spearheaded by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

After renaming Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv respectively, the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday decided to rename Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar after Ahilyabai Holkar and Velha tehsil in Pune district as Rajgad. Velha was the first capital of the Maratha Empire under the Maratha warrior king Shivaji.

Earlier, on the occasion of the 298th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the government would rename Ahmednagar as Ahilyanagar after Holkar, who was a Holkar Queen of the Malwa kingdom.

The International Day of Action for Rivers is a day of solidarity when people from all walks of life come together to declare that rivers are essential and deserve our protection. It highlights the importance of ensuring that communities have access to clean, free-flowing water and that everyone has the fundamental right to participate in decisions that affect their lives and their water. It is our collective responsibility to defend these rights and protect our rivers now more than ever. As we celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Day for Rivers.

Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday took oath as the new chief minister of Haryana, replacing Manohar Lal Khattar. BJP MLAs Banwari Lal, Jai Parkash Dalal and independent legislator Ranjit Singh were among the five ministers who took oath along with Saini at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.

Former Home Minister Anil Vij, who had left the legislative party meeting in between, was not present at the oath ceremony in Chandigarh.

"Our newly formed cabinet wants to thank former CM Manohar Lal Khattar. He has given Haryana a new direction and has given the best example of good governance. He did development work in the state without any discrimination," Saini told reporters after the oath ceremony.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday said that Rishabh Pant will play in the upcoming IPL 2024 tournament. The cricket body said that Pant is fit to play as a wicket-keeper in Tata IPL. Rishabh Pant went through an extensive rehab and recovery process for a period of 14 months after he met with a life-threatening road accident on December 30, 2022.

Rishabh Pant suffered a near-fatal road mishap while driving back to his home in Roorkee in December 2022. Due to this accident, the cricketer had multiple surgeries in 2023 and went through a strength and conditioning regimen.

"After undergoing an extensive 14-month rehab and recovery process, following a life-threatening road mishap on December 30th, 2022, near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant has now been declared fit as a wicket-keeper batter for the upcoming TATA IPL 2024," BCCI said in its medical update.

Samudrayaan mission set to explore ocean bed by 2025-end, the earth sciences minister Kiren Rijiju has said. The announcement came after an underwater acoustic telephone, developed by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) for the submersible project, was successfully tested at a depth of about 500 metres in the Bay of Bengal.

The ministry, in a tweet on Saturday, said, “Underwater acoustic telephone indigenously developed in-house by MSS Group of MOES NIOT for manned submersible has been successfully tested up to 500 meters depth in BoB (Bay of Bengal) on board Sagar Manjusha (research vessel).

Chairperson, Lokpal of India, Shri Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar administered the oath of office to the following as Judicial Member and Member of Lokpal of India, in a ceremony organised today at 11:00 AM at Lokpal of India Campus, New Delhi:

Judicial Member

1. Shri Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy
2. Shri Justice Sanjay Yadav

Member

1. Shri Sushil Chandra

Shri Justice Lingappa Narayana Swamy, before joining as Judicial Member of Lokpal of India, was the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court and is a former Judge of the Karnataka High Court.

Shri Justice Sanjay Yadav, before joining as Judicial Member of Lokpal of India, was the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and is a former Judge of the Allahabad High Court and Madhya Pradesh High Court.