India’s first private train gets a new name: The Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express, known as India’s first private train, will now run under the name ‘Sprite Tejas Express’. Introduced in 2019, the train is operated and maintained by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

The Tejas Express is a semi-high-speed train equipped with modern onboard facilities designed to provide passengers with a more comfortable journey. Its coaches are manufactured at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab.

The coaches are capable of running at speeds of up to 200 kmph. However, due to track-related restrictions, the train currently operates at a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced plans to establish the first-ever multinational, multi-domain attack drone task force to integrate unmanned systems operated by the United States and regional partners across West Asia, amid continuing conflict and heightened security tensions in the region.

The new unit, designated Task Force Falcon Strike, will employ one-way attack drones comprising unmanned systems operating above, on and below the sea, CENTCOM said in a statement on Thursday.

The initiative comes nine months after CENTCOM established Task Force Scorpion Strike, described by the US military as its first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East.

The Karnataka Health Department has approved the phased rollout of SAMASTA, a digital platform designed to make health data collection easier and more accurate at the field level.

The system will be used by ASHA workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), health inspectors and other community health workers who currently maintain a large number of handwritten records while collecting information from beneficiaries.

The department said the continued use of manual records has affected the accuracy, accessibility and analysis of health data. Although information under different national health programmes is already entered into separate online portals, field-level staff still depend heavily on handwritten registers and diaries.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is taking measures to mitigate the growing risk of space debris arising from the proliferation of large Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and satellite internet constellations, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Singh said the growing number of satellites in large constellations, which can comprise thousands of spacecraft, has increased the risk of collisions in heavily populated orbital regions. While several satellite systems have autonomous collision-avoidance capabilities, failed or non-manoeuvrable spacecraft can still pose significant risks.

He also highlighted the threat posed by small and difficult-to-track debris. Such objects may be impossible to avoid through collision-avoidance systems and may cause mission-ending damage if they strike operational satellites. Collisions or accidental fragmentation events could generate additional debris and further increase risks in already crowded orbital shells.

Amrit Bharat Express trains: The Railway Board (RB) has approved seven new Amrit Bharat Express trains to expand rail connectivity across the country. These trains offer a travel experience comparable to the Vande Bharat Express, but are specifically designed to provide affordable service for passengers from lower and lower-middle income category.

The Railway Board has approved the introduction of the Dhanbad-Coimbatore Amrit Bharat Express (Train number 22363/22364). The proposed service will have the following stoppages:

Dhanbad Jn, NSC Bose Jn Gomoh, Parasnath, Hazaribagh Road, Koderma, Gaya, Anugraha Narayan Road, Dehri On Sone, Sasaram, Bhabua Road, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn, Mirzapur, Prayagraj Chheoki, Katni, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Pipariya, Itarsi, Betul, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Balharshah, Sirpur Kaghaznagar, Mancheral, Peddapalli, Warangal, Mahbubabad, Khammam, Vijayawada, Ongole, Nellore, Gudur, Renigunta, Tiruttani, Katpadi, Jolarpettai, Salem, Erode and Tiruppur.

The office of the Registrar General of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs has notified the questionnaire for the Household Schedule for the Census 2027. The questionnaire has a list of 40 questions. This includes parents’ details, Aadhaar, mobile number, total number of bank accounts, Travel to place of work, Religion and caste. The Census remains a vital tool for governance, providing foundation for India’s development planning for the next decade. The last Census was conducted in 2011.

The first India-Israel Hackathon, organised on the theme Restorative Healthcare, has drawn a huge response from young innovators from both countries seeking to develop technology-driven solutions to challenges in healthcare and rehabilitation. The Hackathon brought 1300 students and individuals from both countries to address the 14 problem statements.

Ambassador of India to Israel JP Singh felicitated the winners of the Hackathon. Among the winning solutions in Israel is a wheelchair-mounted limb mobilisation system that harnesses the natural rotation of a wheelchair’s front wheel to enable controlled leg movement without the use of electricity. The winning solutions in India included a system that uses real-time video processing and automated movement analysis to assess the limb movements of injured patients.

The initiative provided a platform for the community to strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Israel while harnessing the creativity and technical skills of young students for solutions with wider societal impact.

India emerged as the overall champions at the Commonwealth Fencing Championship by winning an impressive 35 medals after four days of competition held at Lagos in Nigeria. Indian contingent secured thirteen gold, eight silver, and fourteen bronze medals at the event across the Under 23 and senior competitions.

The senior Indian fencers claimed five gold medals in six events on the fourth and final day of the competition, securing honours in Men’s Sabre, Women’s Sabre, Men’s E’pée, Women’s Epée and Women’s foil, as well as a silver in Men’s foil.

The performance also helped India win the Wilkinson Sword Trophy, awarded by the Commonwealth Fencing Federation to the country with the best overall results. Secretary-general, Fencing Association of India, Rajeev Mehta, said in a statement that lifting the Commonwealth Overall Championship title for the first time is a testament to the talent, discipline, and hard work within Indian fencing.

North Gujarat’s wildlife tourism map is set for a major expansion, with the proposed Desert Zoological Park and Night Safari at Juna Deesa securing approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). The approval clears a crucial stage for what the Gujarat government describes as Asia’s first desert-themed drive-through night safari and a world-class desert-themed zoological park.

The project, being developed by the Gujarat Forest Department, will come up on around 103 hectares of contiguous government land at Juna Deesa at an estimated cost of Rs 542.14 crore. The government expects the facility to simultaneously promote wildlife conservation, eco-tourism and employment generation in Banaskantha and the wider North Gujarat region.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has launched e-Inspection and e-Certified Copy Services to provide advocates, litigants and other stakeholders faster and more convenient access to judicial records and certified copies.

NCLT President Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal inaugurated the two services through video conferencing on Wednesday. The initiative is part of the Tribunal’s broader digital transformation, which includes its revamped website and the ongoing e-Courts 2.0 initiative.

Justice Grewal said the new services are aimed at making the NCLT Registry more accessible and technology-enabled while improving the efficiency of judicial record management.