NASA astronaut Sunita Williams retired from the space agency after 27 years of remarkable service. The retirement, effective from the 27th of last month, was announced by NASA this morning.

In a press release, NASA said Williams flew on three missions to the International Space Station (ISS), spending 608 days in space, the second-most for a NASA astronaut, and completed nine spacewalks totalling over 62 hours, the most by a woman. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.

The Indian-origin Williams first flew in 2006 on the Space Shuttle Discovery and later served as commander of the ISS during Expedition 33. Her most recent mission was in 2024-2025 aboard Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9, where she commanded Expedition 72.

A new species of ginger, Parakaempferia alba, has been discovered in the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, underlining the Eastern Himalayas’ status as a global biodiversity hotspot. The discovery has been published in the Nordic Journal of Botany.

The plant was found in the Miglung area of East Siang District at an altitude of 150–400 meters, growing along shaded streambanks in humid, sandy soil. The research team comprises Tatum Mibang, Bipankar Hajong, Devpratim Koch, and Pankaj Bharali.

Scientists note that the finding highlights the ecological richness of the region. Belonging to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), the species may have potential medicinal and economic importance pending further research.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) under the Ministry of Mines will host the 65th Central Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting in Delhi on January 21. The meeting, to be held at the A.P. Shinde Symposium Hall at ICAR, Pusa, will bring together representatives from Central ministries, State governments, industry, academia and mining bodies to discuss emerging geoscience priorities, mineral exploration strategies and challenges linked to clean energy, geohazards and sustainable development.

The CGPB functions as a key platform where GSI presents its Annual Field Season Programme (FSP) for discussion, ensuring coordinated survey and exploration activities across the country and preventing duplication of efforts. Suggestions and collaboration requests from State governments, mineral exploration agencies, PSUs and private players are evaluated, following which GSI finalises its annual programme in line with national priorities.

As India prepares to host Bharat Steel 2026, a global platform to reshape future of steel, the nation is signalling its intent to showcase the next era of global steelmaking forged by R&D, digitalization, innovation, and access to high skilled engineering and technology human resources. The two-day summit in New Delhi will bring together policymakers, technology pioneers and industry leaders to confront the defining challenges of the decade: building resilient supply chains and accelerating the transition to low-emission steel production.

Steel has played a pivotal role in modern economies, akin to a skeleton”, emphasised Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, remarking that whether it is skyscrapers, shipping, highways, high-speed rail, smart cities, or industrial corridors, steel is the strength behind every success story. “India is striving to achieve the goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy, with the steel sector playing a significant role in this mission”, he added during India Steel 2025, expressing pride in India being the world's second-largest steel producer.

The Prime Minister’s vision forms the cornerstone of this year’s Bharat Steel summit, which seeks to reimagine a global blueprint for the steel sector at a time marked by economic uncertainty, fragmented trade flows, rising protectionist tariffs, and the urgent imperative of achieving net-zero goals.

Abu Dhabi, 20 January: The Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX) and the Simulation and Training Exhibition (SimTEX) opened on Tuesday at the ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi, bringing together international players to showcase advances in unmanned systems, robotics, simulation and training technologies. The exhibitions will run until January 22. Now in its seventh edition, the event has recorded its largest participation since its launch in 2015, with 375 companies and brands from 38 countries, including 10 first-time participants. International firms account for 55 per cent of exhibitors, while the UAE pavilion is the largest at the event.

Key attractions include a live artificial intelligence versus human pilot drone challenge organised in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, highlighting emerging capabilities in autonomous flight. EDGE Group is also a strategic partner, presenting its expanding portfolio of autonomous and advanced technology systems.

Punjab Police today launched ‘Operation Parhar’ to dismantle the gangster network in Punjab to make the state gangster-free. 2,000 teams involving 12,000 police officials have started raids across Punjab from today to arrest gangsters. In a press conference in Chandigarh, Director General of Police of Punjab Gaurav Yadav said that the police are mapping 60 major gangsters and their 1200 associates who are involved in criminal activities.

He said that strict action will be taken against all of them. He said the complete ecosystem involving financing, logistics, safe houses, weapon supply chains and communication chains will be busted. Launching an Anti-Gangster Helpline Number- 93946-93946, he called upon the citizens to inform about gangster activities in their areas to make Punjab a safe state. He said their names will be kept secret.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday advocated wider adoption of steel slag–based road construction and repair technology, particularly in hilly and Himalayan regions, to build more durable and sustainable roads.

Addressing an event marking the signing of an agreement between the Technology Development Board (TDB) and Visakhapatnam-based Ramuka Global Eco Work Private Limited, the Minister said awareness of the technology remains limited in several hill States and Union Territories despite its proven benefits. He said that a two-day workshop on steel slag road technology will be held in Jammu and Kashmir next week, followed by similar programmes in other States and UTs.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, while virtually inaugurating the National Paralympic Powerlifting Championship on Friday, said that the past decade has witnessed an unprecedented transformation in India's sporting history, making this period a golden chapter for Indian sports.

Addressing the championship's inaugural ceremony, held via a virtual platform from COER University in Roorkee, CM Dhami said that this championship is not merely a sporting event but a celebration of India's indomitable willpower, which transforms every obstacle into a challenge and every challenge into an opportunity.

CM Dhami remarked that powerlifting symbolises discipline, patience, courage, and self-confidence. "This sport is not just about strength; it is also a unique example of resilience and self-respect."

HDFC Bank Limited has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the re-appointment of Mr. Kaizad Bharucha as the Deputy Managing Director and Whole-time Director of the bank for a further tenure of three years, effective April 19, 2026.

The private sector lender disclosed the development to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

RBI Approval Following Board Recommendation

According to the regulatory filing, the approval was granted by the RBI vide its communication dated January 20, 2026, following an application made by the bank based on the recommendations of its Governance, Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Board of Directors.

Mr. Bharucha (DIN: 02490648) will continue to serve as Deputy Managing Director of HDFC Bank for an additional three-year term starting from April 19, 2026.