Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan was on Wednesday named as one of the four event ambassadors for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 to March 9.

Besides Dhawan, the ICC has also named Pakistan’s 2017 Champions Trophy-winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, and New Zealand’s legendary fast bowler, Tim Southee as event ambassadors.

The quartet will write guest columns and will also attend matches, sharing their thoughts on the event, where the world’s best eight teams will compete for the top honour.

Dr. Raj P Narayanam, Founder and Executive Chairman of Zaggle, was awarded the prestigious 2024 Hurun Industry Achievement Award for Financial Solutions Innovation at India's most respected Entrepreneur Awards 2025. The awards celebrate the achievements of leaders across industries who have significantly impacted their sectors and contributed to the growth of the Indian economy.

* Honoured at India's Most Respected Entrepreneur Awards 2025 hosted by Hurun India

* The industry award recognizes trailblazers who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact in their respective fields

* "Hard work, perseverance, and dedication describe my journey toward success," said Dr. Raj

The award is a testament to his pioneering innovations and contributions to transform the financial solutions landscape. Under Dr. Raj's leadership, Zaggle has consistently delivered innovative financial solutions that address the evolving needs of businesses and customers. His forward-thinking approach and emphasis on leveraging technology have enabled the development of scalable, efficient, and customer-centric financial products and services.

Reliance Consumer Products has announced the launch of sports drink ‘Spinner’ at an affordable price of ₹10 and said the beverage would lead the movement to create a sports beverage category of up to $1 billion in the next three years.

The sports drink has been co-created with former Sri Lankan cricketer and current coach of Sri Lanka, Muttiah Muralitharan.

The beverage brand has partnered with top IPL franchises such as Lucknow Super Giants, SunRisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians, which will drive awareness and increase brand visibility across the country, the company said.

The 14th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (14AFAF), with the theme “Greening the Blue Growth in Asia-Pacific” is being organized in New Delhi during February 12-14, 2025. The Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (AFAF) is a triennial event of the Asian Fisheries Society with its Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This 14th AFAF is being jointly organized by the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS), Kuala Lumpur; Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi; the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Government of India; and the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch (AFSIB), Mangalore. This prestigious event is being hosted in India for the 2nd time after the 8AFAF held at Kochi in 2007.

The 14th AFAF brings together key players from the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and will host around 1,000 delegates from 24 countries, including researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders. The Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (AFAF) has a strong legacy of fostering global collaboration in the sector. Since its inception, the forum has been successfully hosted in multiple countries across Asia. Hosting the 14th AFAF in India after 18 years highlights the country’s growing prominence in global fisheries and aquaculture. With a rapidly expanding blue economy, progressive government policies, and significant scientific advancements, India has emerged as a key player in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Today, India occupies 2nd position in total fish production and also aquaculture production globally. The forum will provide a platform to showcase India’s contributions, strengthen international partnerships, and promote innovative approaches for sustainable, resilient, and economically viable fish production systems.

The 38th edition of the National Games is currently being held in Uttarakhand with 28 states, eight union territories and the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) participating.

Services currently leads the standings with 97 medals - 54 gold, 22 silver and 21 bronze. Maharashtra has 146 medals (41 gold, 52 silver, 53 bronze) and Karnataka has 62 medals (31 gold, 13 silver and 18 bronze), is second in the medals tally.

Nagaland, Puducherry and Sikkim are yet to register a gold medal in the competition.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) officially launched a seven-year project with Somalia that aims to enhance climate adaptation and resilience for vulnerable communities in the country. The 95 million dollar “Climate Resilient Agriculture in Somalia” project, dubbed “Ugbaad,” which means hope in Somalia, will tackle climate change challenges and strengthen agrifood systems through large-scale investment.

Speaking at the launch event, Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Salah Jama emphasised the government’s commitment to tackling climate change. The project, which was approved in October 2024, represents a significant step in tackling the pressing challenges posed by climate change, restoring productive landscapes, and empowering vulnerable local communities.

The FAO noted that in Somalia, the agricultural sector is the main economic activity for an estimated 65 percent of the population, contributing about 75 percent of the gross domestic product. Somalia is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world. Serious weather shocks are hitting more often, harming livelihoods and economic growth. The 2020-2023 drought and later flooding highlighted the plight of millions of Somalis who rely on seasonal rains to grow crops or raise cattle.

The largest edition of MRO Middle East and Aircraft Interiors Middle East (AIME) 2025 has opened in Dubai, marking a significant milestone for the regional aerospace industry. The two-day event has attracted over 250 international exhibitors, highlighting the aviation sector’s robust growth amid record-high passenger demand. The gathering focuses on aircraft modernization programs and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, bringing together key players from across the global aviation supply chain.

The event witnessed several major announcements, including GE Aerospace’s $10 million investment to expand engine service capacity and capabilities at its two MRO facilities in the Middle East. Additionally, Airbus unveiled its Middle East Services Forecast for 2024-2043, projecting global services demand to reach $32 billion by 2043, with a 4.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over 20 years. The forecast highlights the Middle East as one of the fastest-growing regions for aviation services.

President Donald Trump said Monday he is banning federal use of paper straws, saying they “don't work” and don't last very long. Instead he wants the government to exclusively move to plastic.

“It's a ridiculous situation. We're going back to plastic straws,” Trump said as he signed an executive order to reverse federal purchasing policies that encourage paper straws and restrict plastic ones. The order directs federal agencies to stop buying paper straws “and otherwise ensure that paper straws are no longer provided within agency buildings.”

ISRO on Saturday said that it has successfully carried out the ignition trial of the indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine powering the upper stage of LVM3, with a Multi-element igniter under vacuum conditions, which simulates the engine ignition in the vacuum condition of space.

This test was carried out on Friday in the High Altitude Test Facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, ISRO said in a statement.

This engine is crucial for the Gaganyaan mission, India's ambitious crewed space mission.

During this test, the ignition of the engine Thrust Chamber was carried out with a multi-element igniter in a vacuum, under the tank pressure conditions that are expected to prevail at the time of restarting the cryogenic engine in flight. The performance of the engine and the facility during the test was normal and as expected.

NASA has selected SpaceX to launch a small exoplanet science mission as a rideshare payload as soon as September.

NASA announced Feb. 10 it awarded a task order to SpaceX for the launch of the Pandora spacecraft. The task order is through the through the Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract, intended for small missions with higher acceptance of risk.

Pandora is a smallsat mission that is part of the agency’s Astrophysics Pioneers program for low-cost smallsats. The spacecraft features a 45-centimeter telescope equipped with optical and infrared detectors that will observe 20 stars known to have exoplanets over a one-year mission.