Dubai has secured the eighth spot globally and the top position in the Middle East in the Global Power City Index (GPCI) 2024, maintaining this ranking for the second consecutive year.

The index, released annually by Japan’s Mori Memorial Foundation, highlights Dubai’s leadership in innovation, economic growth, and global connectivity. It is the only city in the Middle East to make it to the top 10, solidifying its status as a global hub for business, talent, and investment.

Sheikh Hamdan, Crown Prince of Dubai, credited the city’s success to its modern infrastructure, progressive laws that encourage innovation, and strong public-private partnerships fostering collaboration and growth. He emphasised that Dubai is not just keeping pace with global trends but setting new standards for excellence.

Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. She was 116.

Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of elderly policies, said Itooka died on December 29 at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan.

Itooka, who loved bananas and a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink called Calpis, was born on May 23, 1908. She became the oldest person last year following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

In a remarkable discovery, a member of the Team of Research on Culture and Heritage (TORCH) here, Saikumar K., has hit upon a three-foot idol of the 13th Century saint, Narahari Tīrtha recently.

Believed to have hailed from Chikakolu town (present Srikakulam), Tirtha’s ancestors were aristocrats in the Gajapati empire in what is now the Odisha state. Available epigraphical evidence suggests that kings of Eastern Ganga dynasty were assisted by the saint for three decades, indicating he was already ordained into the fourth order by Acharya Madhva then.

That the saint was commanded by Acharya to assist the empire even after ordination is being cited as proof of Acharya’s foresightedness and his care for the welfare of humanity as per his own dictum “Nāna Janā Śuśṛṣa Karmākhya Karavanmite.”

India ranked as the second most targeted nation globally for cyberattacks in 2024, with 95 entities falling victim to data theft, according to CloudSEK's Threat Landscape Report 2024. The report highlighted critical vulnerabilities across sectors, exposing the risks accompanying rapid digitisation.

The United States led the list of most targeted countries, with 140 cyberattacks attributed to its economic and digital prominence, followed by India with 95 attacks and Israel with 57. CloudSEK's report pointed out that India's rapid digital adoption has made it increasingly susceptible to cyber threats.

The financial and banking sectors in India were the most affected, with 20 breaches reported, followed by the government (13), telecommunications (12), healthcare and pharma (10) and education (9). Major data breaches included the exposure of 850 million records of Indian citizen data from Hi-Tek Group, customer data from Star Health and Allied Insurance and 2TB of data from Telecommunications Consultants India Limited.

Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced the Anna Award, Mahakavi Bharathiyar Award, Thanthai Periyar Award, Annal Ambedkar Award, Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Award for 2024 and Ayyan Thiruvalluvar Award for 2025. Chief Minister M.K Stalin will present the awards on January 15.

According to the press release, M. Padikkaramu has been selected for Ayyan Thiruvalluvar award; DMK leader L. Ganesanwho was at the forefront of the anti-Hindi agitation, for Anna Award; poet Kabilan for Mahakavi Bharathiyar award and Pon. Selvaganapathy for Bharathidasan award. Medical professional G.R. Ravindaranath will get Tamil Thendral Thiru. Vi. Ka. award and Ve. Mu. Pothiyaverpan has been chosen for KAP Viswanatham award. The awardees will get ₹2 lakh, one sovereign one sovereign gold medal and a citation. Journalist Viduthalai Rajendran who propagated the ideas of Periyar, will receive the Thanthai Periyar award and VCK MP Ravikumar the Annal Ambedkar award. They will get ₹5 lakh, a gold medal, and a citation. one sovereign gold medal and a citation. Muthu Vavasi will receive the Kalaignar Award that carries ₹10 lakh, a gold medal and a citation.

Shigemi Fukahori, a survivor of the 1945 Nagasaki atomic bombing, who devoted his life to advocating for peace and campaigning against nuclear weapons, has died. He was 93.

Fukahori died at a hospital in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 3, the Urakami Catholic Church, where he prayed almost daily until last year, said on Sunday. Local media reported he died of old age.

The church, located about 500 meters from ground zero and near the Nagasaki Peace Park, is widely seen as a symbol of hope and peace, as its bell tower and some statues survived the nuclear bombing.

The central government has appointed eight Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from Uttarakhand to various prestigious positions for the year 2024-25.

According to an official release, the appointments, part of a routine deputation process, have been communicated to the Chief Secretary of the state.

Among the officers included in the list are IPS Barinder Jeet Singh, who will be deputed to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), IPS Senthil Avudai Krishna Raj S, assigned to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), IPS Janmejaya P Kailash, appointed to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), IPS Rajiv Swaroop and IPS Arun Mohan Joshi, both set to join the Border Security Force (BSF).

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated a Drone Training Centre at the Arts and Commerce College in Indore on Sunday, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make India the global leader in drone technology by 2030.

"The Flying Club has decided to establish a Drone Training Institute here. I congratulate them on this initiative... As PM Modi has said, by 2030, India will become the capital of drone technology in the world. The Madhya Pradesh government is fully committed to advancing drone technology, and I have encouraged them (Flying Club) to collaborate with IIT Bhopal to make this technology accessible to women, youth, and farmers so they can also benefit," said CM Yadav.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday inaugurated the 11-day famous Adivasi Mela, and launched the Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Scheme.

Under this initiative, a one-time annual assistance of Rs 5000 each will be provided to 2 lakh tribal students, as part of the government's commitment to improving tribal welfare, a release said.

The scheme has been allocated a budget of Rs 156 crore.

Speaking to ANI, CM Majhi said, "The Adivasi Mela is being organised in a good manner this year... it is a coincidence that this time Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is being organised in Odisha too. It gives a platform to depict the song, music, culture and traditions of Odisha..."

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared a 60-day state of emergency in seven provinces and three municipalities amid escalating internal unrest and armed conflict. The provinces affected include Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, El Oro, Orellana, and Sucumbíos, along with the Metropolitan District of Quito, La Troncal, and Camilo Ponce Enríquez. Mr. Noboa cited rising crime rates and the growing presence of organized armed groups as the main reasons for the emergency. Under the emergency measures, the right to inviolability of the home and correspondence was suspended in the affected regions. According to media reports, a night curfew was also imposed in around 20 cantons. Since January last year, Ecuador has been engaged in an internal armed conflict against organized crime groups labeled as terrorists by the government.