Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced that the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) will set up an Edu City in Navi Mumbai, which will be the country’s first educational campus for foreign universities. Two MoUs — Rs 1,500 crore each — were signed with foreign universities at the WAVES summit.

“CIDCO signed an agreement worth Rs 1,500 crore with University of York from the UK and another MoU worth Rs 1,500 crore with Western Australia University. These universities will set up their off-shore campuses in Navi Mumbai,” said Fadnavis. He added that discussions with three other prominent universities was complete and UGC clearance was awaited.

“In addition five more universities have held primary talks. We are setting up the country’s first educational campus with foreign universities in Navi Mumbai and two MoUs were signed today,” he said.

In a unique initiative to promote public awareness and railway safety, Western Railway has entered into a collaboration with the fictional character Chhota Bheem, from an Indian animated comedy adventure television series for educational and outreach activities.

Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Vineet Abhishek, spoke to ANI and said, "Chhota Bheem is a 100 per cent Indian character that entertains and educates kids... We also try to reach our passengers for their safety or other things. When the Prime Minister praised the cartoon character in Mann Ki Baat, we thought of collaboration between Chhota Bheem and Western Railways and intensifying the reach among passengers."

"Usually our passengers are adults, but we have noticed that by reaching kids through Chhota Bheem, we can reach passengers as well... If the kids convey our messages, they will understand better. This is we have established a letter of collaboration," he added.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accompanied by Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, flagged off the 'Mahila Samvad' campaign on Friday, April 18, aiming for women empowerment ahead of the Assembly polls.

The campaign is a state-wide outreach programme that aims to engaging with over two crore women across 70,000 locations in Bihar.

The campaign, which will run for about two months, is being seen as a significant pre-election initiative by the state government in the lead-up to the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025.

At the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Awards 2025, Subhasish Bose was named the Men’s Player of the Year, while Soumya Guguloth took home the Women’s Player of the Year award for the 2024-25 season at Bhubaneswar last evening. Reacting to his win, Subhasish acknowledged the challenges of the season.

Khalid Jamil was awarded Best Men’s Coach and Sujata Kar received the Best Women’s Coach honour. Vishal Kaith and Elangbam Panthoi Chanu were named Best Goalkeepers in the men’s and women’s categories respectively. Rising stars Brison Fernandes and Toijam Thoibisana Chanu were recognised as the Most Promising Players of the Year.

Speaking on the occasion, AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey praised Odisha’s commitment to football, highlighting its top-tier infrastructure and support for the sport. Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo also attended the award ceremony. In a social media post, he said the future of Indian football shines bright with rising stars like Brison Fernandes and Thoibisana Chanu, crowned as the most promising players of the year.

The Governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Verma, on Wednesday inaugurated Babuji Vanam, the world’s first energy transmission garden, at Kanha Shanti Vanam near Hyderabad. Developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the garden commemorates the 125th birth anniversary of Babuji Maharaj and marks the closing of a year-long national celebration.

Kanha Shanti Vanam is located in Kanha Village, Nandigama mandal, Ranga Reddy district in Telangana.

Designed to radiate Pranahuti - a form of yogic energy transmission - the garden features 40 species of medicinal trees, eco-friendly infrastructure, and silent zones aimed at enhancing spiritual stillness. It is part of a larger initiative led by Heartfulness and supported by the Ministry of Culture to promote meditation, wellness, and sustainable living.

In a move to boost the maritime sector, the Maharashtra state cabinet on Tuesday approved the Shipbuilding, Ship Repair and Ship Recycling Policy, 2025, with a targeted investment of Rs 6,600 crore by 2030. Minister for Fisheries and Ports Nitesh Rane said that Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to introduce a dedicated, independent policy in this domain.

“The goal is to make Maharashtra a hub for shipbuilding, repair, and recycling. The policy aims to create a supportive ecosystem, develop skilled manpower, and promote advanced technology through R&D investment. By 2030, Maharashtra aims to contribute at least one-third of India’s shipbuilding targets,” said Rane.

Under the policy, the state aims at an investment of Rs 6,600 crore and 40,000 jobs by 2030 and Rs 18,000 crore investment and 330,000 jobs by 2047.

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to implement an AI-based real-time alert system on a pilot basis for active forest management using satellite images, mobile feedback, and machine learning, an official said on Tuesday.

The Artificial Intelligence system will enable the forest department to detect land encroachment, land use change, and forest degradation.

"Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to implement an AI-based real-time forest alert system. This historic step has been taken towards active forest management in the state. This system works with the help of satellite images, mobile feedback and machine learning," the official said.

The group of monuments at Lakkundi, and temples from surrounding places, dating from the early the 10th to 12th centuries CE and built during the period of Kalyana Chaluykas or Western Chalukyas, are in the process of being finalised for inclusion in the UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

The State which has already announced its intent to give the proposal a push, tied up with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) which was fine tuning the proposal.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian Prime Minister to win a second consecutive three-year term in 21 years.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat in Saturday’s election, saying, “We didn’t do well enough during this campaign, that much is obvious tonight, and I accept full responsibility for that.”

“Earlier on, I called the Prime Minister to congratulate him on his success tonight. It’s an historic occasion for the Labor Party and we recognise that,” he added.

Tech majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and IBM have joined hands to participate in Andhra Pradesh government’s first of a kind Quantum Valley Tech Park in Amaravati. This initiative will develop a vibrant quantum ecosystem in the country to create high-end jobs, attract top-tier talent, and draw global investments.

The tech park will be anchored by an IBM Quantum System Two installation, with a 156-qubit Heron quantum processor, the largest quantum computer in India.

TCS is partnering with IBM to support the development of algorithms and applications that will help the Indian industry and academia solve some of the nation’s most complex challenges. The Andhra government, IBM and TCS hope to accelerate the development of India’s quantum ecosystem through this initiative, said a press note.