HCLTech, a technology company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati to offer its employees advanced education in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related technologies.

Under the agreement, eligible HCLTech employees would be offered a four-year online Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Data Science and AI, said HCLTech on Friday.

This initiative was designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in the rapidly evolving tech landscape, preparing them for future leadership roles within the company, it further said.

Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed a contract with Indian Army Air Defence to manufacture Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (IDDIS). The company also said that it has received additional orders worth ₹572 crore since the last disclosure on 7th April 2025.

Major orders received include IDDIS, Software Defined Radio (SDR), and Data Communication Unit (DCU) for attack guns, AI based solutions for ships, simulators, communication equipment, jammers, spares, services, among others.

The company has confirmed the deployment of integrated drone detection system was during Operation Sindoor. The PSU described the laser-based system pivotal in the operation, claiming it destroyed several low-RCS (Radar Cross Section) drones from Pakistan.

In Nigeria, the death toll from the Lassa fever outbreak in Africa’s most populous country has reached 138 since the beginning of this year. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said 717 confirmed cases have been recorded so far. With this, the case fatality rate has risen to 19.2 per cent, the NCDC said, noting that overall, this rise in the casualties figure remained alarming.

At least 18 out of the 36 states in the country have been affected by the viral haemorrhagic disease so far this year. According to the World Health Organisation, Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. Humans usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. Diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential to treat the disease. Early supportive care with rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival.

The Khelo India Youth Games 2025 will conclude this evening. Curtains of Youth Games will come down with a colourful and entertaining closing ceremony to be held at the Pataliputra Sports Complex in Patna, Bihar, at 6:30 PM. The Youth Games commenced on the 4th of this month.

Maharashtra emerged as the overall champion at the games, garnering 158 medals, including 58 gold and 47 silver. Haryana, with 117 medals, secured the second position, winning 39 gold and 27 silver. Rajasthan took third place with 60 medals, 24 gold and 12 silver. The final day witnessed mixed results in basketball, fencing, and weightlifting.

In today’s boys’ basketball final, Uttar Pradesh defeated Rajasthan to win the gold medal. In the girls’ category, Karnataka defeated Haryana to clinch the gold.

India remains the fastest-growing large economy, according to the United Nations (UN). As per the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) mid-year report, the Indian economy is expected to grow by 6.3 per cent this fiscal year, even as the global economy faces a “precarious moment.”

Ingo Pitterle, a senior UN economist, said the growth is driven by strong private consumption and public investment. The report projects India’s growth to rise slightly to 6.4 per cent next year. In contrast, global growth is forecast at just 2.4 per cent in 2025, with trade tensions and policy uncertainty weakening the outlook.

The report also noted positive trends in inflation and employment. Inflation is expected to ease from 4.9 per cent in 2024 to 4.3 per cent in 2025, remaining within the central bank’s target range.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea.

Samples of the highly infectious virus were found in two healthy children during a routine screening in Lae, a coastal city in the country's north east.

"We have to make maximum effort to get 100% [vaccination] coverage," Dr Sevil Huseynova, WHO's representative in Papua New Guinea, said at a media conference on Thursday, according to the BBC.

Papua New Guinea was said to be polio-free since 2000, until an outbreak in 2018, which was contained within the same year.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has released the 36th Monthly Report on the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of Central Ministries and Departments’ performance for the month of April. Nearly one lakh 25 thousand grievances were redressed by central ministries and departments in April this year.

The report states that the Department of Posts, Department of Telecommunications and Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare topped the Group ‘A’ category in the rankings, while the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Heavy Industries topped the Group ‘B’ category. Around 48 thousand new users registered last month, with maximum registrations from Uttar Pradesh. The report provides a detailed analysis of types and categories of public grievances and the nature of disposal.

The total number of Aadhaar authentication transactions has crossed 150 billion mark, making it a milestone moment in the journey of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and for the broader Aadhaar ecosystem.

The landmark highlights the extensive usage and utility of Aadhaar, and the growth of digital economy in the country. Ministry of Electronics and IT in a statement said that the cumulative number was achieved by the end of April 2025, since its inception.

The Ministry added that in April alone, almost 210 crore Aadhaar authentication transactions were carried out which is nearly eight percent more than the same month in 2024. It added that Aadhaar-based authentication has been playing a stellar role in aiding ease of living, in effective welfare delivery, and in voluntarily availing various services offered by service providers.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalties on two major banks – Deutsche Bank AG, India, and Yes Bank Limited – for violations of regulatory norms.

Deutsche Bank AG has been penalised 50 lakh rupees for non-compliance with RBI directions regarding the creation of a Central Repository of Large Common Exposures Across Banks and the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) – Revision in Reporting. RBI found that Deutsche Bank had failed to report credit information of certain borrowers to the CRILC system. After considering the bank’s reply and submissions during a personal hearing, RBI determined that the violation warranted a monetary penalty.

In a separate order, RBI imposed a penalty of 29.60 lakh rupees on Yes Bank Limited for failing to comply with directions on financial statements presentation and disclosures. RBI noted that the bank did not provide correct and complete information regarding customer complaints in its Annual Financial Statements for the year 2023-24. This action was also taken under the same provisions of the Banking Regulation Act.

President Droupadi Murmu today conferred the 58th Jnanpith Award on Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya at a function in New Delhi. Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and the renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Gulzar have been selected for this prestigious award for 2023. These eminent personalities have been honoured with this award for their outstanding contribution in the field of literature.

Speaking on the occasion, the president congratulated Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and Gulzar for the Jnanpith Award. However, Gulzar could not attend the award ceremony as he is not well. President Murmu said that literature unites and awakens society. The president said, from the social awakening of the 19th century to the country’s freedom struggle in the 20th century, poets and writers have played a great role in connecting people. She said the song ‘Vande Mataram’, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, has been awakening the children of Mother India for almost 150 years and will always do so.

Speaking about Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, the president said that he has set an inspiring example of excellence. She expressed confidence that by taking inspiration from his glorious life, future generations will continue to move ahead on the right path in literary creation, society-building, and nation-building.