A small but powerful Chinese rocket capable of sending payloads at competitive costs delivered nine satellites into orbit on Saturday, Chinese state media reported, in what is gearing up to be another busy year for Chinese commercial launches.

The Jielong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, blasted off from a floating barge off the coast of Yangjiang in southern Guangdong province. It was the third launch of the rocket, developed by China Rocket Co, a commercial offshoot of a state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer, since December 2022.

President Xi Jinping has called for the expansion of strategic industries including the commercial space sector, deemed key to building constellations of satellites for communications, remote sensing and navigation.

Following the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has designed a comprehensive tour program based on places of pilgrim importance as cited in the Ramayana.

The first of such tours began on February 4, and a group of 122 tourists from United Kingdom (60), Portugal (52), and India (10) are touring multiple sites including the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, the Bharat-Hanuman temple in Nandigram, the Janaki Mandir in Nepal’s Janakpur, the Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi, the Rameshwar Nath Temple in Buxar, the Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and so on.

An IRCTC official said that such tours are done on special request by groups of tourists.

Call it a smart acronym or a bid to keep Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in good humour, the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority has introduced a device matching the CM’s name for farmers and common people to alert them on lightning, floods, heatwaves, and coldwaves.

Termed Novel Initiative Technological Intervention for Safety of Humanlives (NITISH), the disaster management authority, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna, has come up with a pendant-shaped device that will sound alert to its users through voice message on lightning, floods, heatwaves and coldwaves. The device is synced with the Bihar meteorological service centre.

The device was recently launched in presence of the CM in Patna earlier this week. When the CM learnt about the name of the device, he smiled and said the state government has its eyes fixed on strengthening its disaster management system.

The authorities in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro have declared a health emergency as they try to contain the spread of dengue fever.

The incidents of the mosquito-borne disease quadrupled in Brazil in January compared to the same month last year.

Rio has registered 10,000 cases so far this year, compared to 23,000 for the whole of 2023.

Dengue can cause a fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and a blotchy rash.

In a surprise move, Tata Digital, the superapp from Tata Sons, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Naveen Tahilyani, as chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD).

Tahilyani replaces Pratik Pal, who was at the helm since the Tata group announced its foray into digital commerce and the creation of the Tata Neu supperapp.

Tahilyani is currently the CEO and MD of Tata AIA Life Insurance Company.

Tata Digital said Tahilyani comes with a strong understanding of the Indian consumer landscape and extensive experience in the financial services sector. He has a proven track record of driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and achieving operational excellence.

In a significant diplomatic event, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai as the “guest of honour” on February 14. This marks the second time PM Modi has been invited to speak at the prestigious summit, the first being in 2018. 

The WGS is an annual global gathering that brings together world leaders, policymakers, experts, and thought leaders from various fields to discuss and address pressing global issues.

The summit, scheduled from February 12 to 14, has been a staple in Dubai since 2013, attracting participants from governments, international organisations, academia, and the private sector. The development comes just a month after UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan graced the 10th Vibrant Gujarat edition in January as the chief guest.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan unveiled a book, 'Artificial Intelligence and National Security' at the Defence Literature Festival, "Kalam and Kavach," in Pune on Saturday.

Chief Guest Gen Anil Chauhan, the CDS, inaugurated the event, marking a significant milestone in blending India's rich cultural heritage with contemporary national security strategies.

Army Southern Command along with Pentagon Press hosted the Defence Literature Festival, Kalam and Kavach at the RSAMI Institute in Pune.

Rajendra Prasad has been appointed the new advocate general of Rajasthan, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Governor Kalraj Mishra has approved the proposal for Prasad's appointment, the statement said.

The post of advocate general was vacant for almost two months after the change of government in December. Prasad will replace MS Singhvi as the state's advocate general.

Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council on Monday appointed its foreign minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as the country's new prime minister. Outgoing PM Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed will take on the role of an advisor to the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Reuters reported. 

Bin Mubarak came to prominence in 2015 when he was kidnapped by the country's Iran-aligned Houthis while he served as Yemen's presidential chief of staff during a power struggle with then-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Yemen, a nation in the Arabian Peninsula, is experiencing increased tensions as a result of a wave of Red Sea attacks on ships by Houthi rebels, which have triggered retaliatory strikes by the United States and the United Kingdom recently.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched the "drugs-campaign">Dhami against drugs campaign" being run by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Metropolitan Dehradun from February 5 to February 10.

The campaign was launched on Monday.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister also released T-shirts and posters related to the campaign.

Earlier Dhami called upon people in the state to work to come forward to help the government in its resolution to make the state drug-free by the year 2025.