With free entry for all for the first time in its history, the New Delhi World Book Fair will open here at Bharat Mandapam on January 10 with "Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75" as its central theme, the National Book Trust (NBT) announced on Thursday.

The 53rd edition of the "world's largest B2C book fair" will be inaugurated by Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan with dignitaries from the guest of honour country Qatar and the focus country Spain.

The nine-day book fair will bring together over 1,000 publishers from more than 35 countries, host about 600 literary activities with nearly 1000 speakers and is expected to "attract over two million visitors".

In a major transformation aimed at bolstering its capabilities to tackle modern warfare challenges, the Indian Army has created a pool of over one lakh drone operatives. The latest Special Force - Bhairav - is being readied to tackle the complexities of modern warfare with its advanced drone operations capabilities.

All operatives can handle drones and utilise them in real operations to target bases and formations within enemy territory. The Bhairav battalions, raised by the Indian Army, are designed to provide a dedicated force for high-speed, offensive operations, carrying out Special Forces tasking at multiple levels as per requirements.

already raised and assigned to different formations on both borders, the Army plans to raise around 25 such battalions in the near future.

The battalions are designed to bridge the gap between the Para Special Forces and regular Infantry battalions, carrying out special operations at tactical to operational depth.

Financial Software and Systems (FSS) a global leader in payments technology and transaction processing, has become the first payments company in India, the Middle East, APAC and South Africa to be certified as an ISO IEC 42001 Certification Lead, reinforcing its leadership in responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in payments and banking technology. By achieving ISO IEC 42001 Certification, FSS signals a shift from ad-hoc AI usage to a structured, enterprise-wide AI governance model, positioning AI governance alongside information security and quality management as a core business priority.

AI is deeply embedded across FSS's platforms, supporting use cases such as fraud detection, transaction monitoring, reconciliation, dispute management, and operational automation. By aligning with ISO IEC 42001, FSS has implemented structured oversight across the entire AI lifecycle, ensuring that AI systems are continuously monitored after deployment and assessed for risks such as bias, unintended outcomes, and regulatory non-compliance.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday launched the new edition of 'History That India Ignored', a book authored by veteran journalist and Asian News International (ANI) Chairman Prem Prakash.

Addressing the event, the Chief Minister lauded the ANI Chairman for the book, stating that it will help ensure that the truth of the country's freedom struggle reaches people, especially the younger generation.

"This is not just a release of the book, it is a reaffirmation of the national responsibility to remember, recognise and restore our collective memories of those chapters of history that were either neglected or deliberately misrepresented. I would congratulate Prem Prakash ji, the publisher and everyone associated with these important publications for bringing out the new edition of 'History that India ignored'. Releasing such a book is not merely an event, it is an act of national service. Books like these ensure that the truth about the freedom struggle reaches the people, especially the younger generation," Sawant said.

Election Commission of India (ECI) will host the three-day India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM)-2026 from 21st of this month in New Delhi. The International Conference is being organised by the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) under the aegis of ECI.

Addressing the media in New Delhi today about the Conference, Director General of IIIDEM, Rakesh Kumar Verma, said that the theme of the conference is democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world. He said the conference will act as a platform for international cooperation amongst Election Management Bodies, developing a shared vision on global challenges being faced by them and sharing best practices and innovations. On the occasion, Mr Verma also launched the logo of the Conference – IICDEM- 2026.

Talking to Akashvani News, Director General Rakesh Kumar Verma, said that besides deliberations on various electoral practices and the challenges being faced by Election Management bodies, different sessions will also be organised.

Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that India has become the first country in the world to commercially produce bio-bitumen in road construction. Bitumen is a black, viscous mixture of hydrocarbons produced by the fractionation of crude oil, and it serves as a crucial binder in road construction.

While addressing the CSIR Technology Transfer Ceremony in New Delhi, the Minister congratulated CSIR on this historic milestone. Mr Gadkari said that the initiative will help in reducing pollution from crop residue burning. The Minister said that bio-bitumen is a transformative step towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Speaking on this occasion, Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that by achieving this milestone, India has entered into a new era of clean and green highways. He said that the initiative will also aid the Waste to Wealth mission and support the country’s vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

US President Donald Trump announced withdrawal from dozens of international organisations, including the UN’s population agency. Trump yesterday signed an executive order stopping US support for 66 organisations, agencies and commissions after ordering a review of American participation and funding. The State Department said in a statement that the administration believes these institutions are poorly managed, unnecessary, wasteful, or influenced by interests that do not align with US priorities, and may threaten the country’s sovereignty and prosperity. The decision comes as Trump’s administration has taken several foreign policy actions, including capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and indicating an intention to take over Greenland.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today unveiled a book titled Khutbaat-e-Modi- Lal Qila Ki Faseel Se in New Delhi. In a social media post, Mr Pradhan informed that this book is a compilation of PM Modi’s Independence Day speeches from 2014 to 2025. He said that these speeches document Mr Modi’s way of working by adopting Sabka saath, sabka vikas aur sabka prayas.

He highlighted that the book also covered topics such as Antyodaya, Swachh Bharat and numerous other vital matters concerning the national interest. The book is a compilation of the Prime Minister’s speeches translated in Urdu language and is published by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is set to resume orbital launches with the PSLV-C62 mission, scheduled for January 12, 2026, at 10:17 AM IST from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The launch will mark the 64th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the 5th use of the PSLV-DL variant, equipped with two strap-on boosters.

The mission’s primary payload is EOS-N1 (Anvesha), an Earth observation satellite designed to enhance India’s remote sensing capabilities across agriculture, urban mapping, and environmental monitoring.

The Australian Cricket team created history and emulated a feat that only India has achieved before in Test cricket on the third day of play in the fifth Test of the 2025-26 Ashes on Tuesday (January 6) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as the Steve Smith-led team took a big lead as they aim to seal a 4-1 series win after the shock defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the Boxing Day Test.

Smith scored the 37th Test ton of his career and was unbeaten at 129 at stumps after Travis Head's incredible knock of 163 earlier in the innings. At the end of play on Day 3, the hosts are 529-7 and have a massive first-innings lead of 134 runs. Earlier, England was bowled out for 384 despite Joe Root's stunning knock of 160.

The Australian innings had seven 50+ partnerships, with the only exception being the 27-run stand between Alex Carey and Steve Smith. This is the second-most in history in a team's innings, with only India's innings in the 2007 Oval Test against England, which is remembered for Anil Kumble's only Test century, ahead of Australia's effort today. The Rahul Dravid-led team had eight partnerships of 50 runs or more.