The Ministry of Defence has said that ‘Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas’ will be the theme of tableaux for Republic Day (RDC)-2025. It added that 15 states and Union Territories have been selected to showcase their tableaux on the Kartavya Path during the parade. These states include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadar Nagar Haveli and Daman, and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka and among others. In addition, 11 Ministries and the Department of Union government have also been selected for RDC-2025.

The Ministery said the selected tableaux would showcase India’s diverse strengths and its constantly evolving cultural inclusiveness marching into a glorious future, showcasing ‘Swarnim Bharat – Virasat aur Vikas’ to the world audience.

The central government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a 500 million dollar loan to support green and sustainable infrastructure projects aligned with the country’s climate commitments. In a statement, the Ministry of Finance said that the loan, with a sovereign guarantee, will be extended to the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL). It said that the project will build the institutional capacity of IIFCL to integrate green and best practices into the infrastructure projects. The ministry said that a sustainability unit and an environmental sustainability framework and scoring method to assess the sustainability rating of the projects will also be established. Speaking on the occasion, the Country Director of ADB, Mio Oka, said that this financing will help IIFCL provide long-term capital for infrastructure projects focusing on connectivity, energy transition, education, and health care.

In a moment of national pride, Nusrath Fatima from Sankoo, Kargil, representing India, clinched a silver medal at the 5th Junior World Pencak Silat Championship, held in Abu Dhabi from December 18 to 22. Competing in the 58 kg Junior category, her outstanding performance underscores India’s rising stature in global combat sports.

Nusrath’s achievement not only highlights her personal dedication and talent but also reflects the untapped potential in India’s far-flung regions like Ladakh. Her victory emphasises the importance of nurturing sports at the grassroots level and integrating athletes from every corner of the country into national and international platforms.

General Secretary of the District Kargil Olympic Association, Syed Mehraj Uddin Shah, praised Nusrath’s accomplishment, calling it a proud moment for both Ladakh and India. He stated, “Nusrath’s success demonstrates the growing strength of India’s youth in traditional martial arts like Pencak Silat, which is gaining global recognition.”

Decorated international rifle shooter Shahu Tushar Mane of the Railways, clinched his first senior national title, winning gold in the popular men’s 10m Air Rifle event at the 67th National Shooting Championship Competitions (NSCC) for Rifle events, currently underway at Bhopal’s M.P. State Academy (MPSA) Shooting range.

Also hogging the limelight was former world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil of Maharashtra, who shot a sizzling 254.9 to win the junior final, surpassing the existing senior finals world record held by Olympic Champion Sheng Lihao of China, by a margin of 0.4.

It was Shahu however, who set the ball rolling on men’s Air Rifle Day at the MPSA finals hall, shooting nothing below 10.1 in the 24-shot final to win it by the barest of margins. The Kolhapur boy, who began shooting in 2015 and has won an ISSF World Cup gold in the air rifle mixed team as well as an individual silver in the Youth Olympics, managed to hold off a late surge by Dhanush Srikanth.

China has achieved a major milestone in space exploration. Two astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station completed a nine-hour spacewalk. This feat, confirmed by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), sets a new global record.

Surpassing a Two-Decade-Old Record
The previous record belonged to US astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms. They spent eight hours and 56 minutes outside Space Shuttle Discovery. Their mission took place on 12 March 2001 during an International Space Station expedition.

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong surpassed that time. Their extravehicular activity (EVA) concluded at 9:57 p.m. Beijing time on Tuesday. The CMSA called the mission a "full success."

Malayalam cinema and serial actor Meena Ganesh died at private hospital at Shoranur, Palakkad, Kerala on Thursday (December 19, 2024) morning. She was 81. She was under treatment for age-related issues for some time. She stayed away from acting after she suffered a stroke six years ago.

Meena acted in more than 100 films. Notable among them were Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum, Karumadikkuttan, Punaradhivasam, Meesha Madhavan and Nandanam, among others.

Born in 1942 at Kallekulangara in Palakkad to Tamil actor K.P. Keshavan, Meena began her career as a theatre artiste when she was 19. She worked with theatre groups such as SL Puram Surya Soma, KPAC, Kayamkulam Kerala Theatres, Angamaly Pournami, Kottayam National Theatres, Changanassery Geetha, and Thrissur Chinmayi. She won many awards for theatre performances.

Chennai-born Indian American Caitlin Sandra Neil has won Miss India USA 2024 during the annual pageant held in New Jersey. The 19-year-old, who is a second-year student at the University of California, Davis, expressed her desire to make a positive impact on her community. ‘’I want to leave a positive lasting impact on my community and focus on women’s empowerment and literacy, ‘’ Caitlin stated in a media release.

Born in Chennai, India, Caitlin has spent the last 14 years in the United States. She wants to make her career as a web designer while also doing modelling as well as acting. Her win at the Miss India USA pageant reflects her dedication and goal to contribute to society meaningfully and simultaneously achieve personal success in her chosen field.

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 42 million loan to provide coastal and riverbank protection to increase resilience of local communities and natural ecosystems in the state of Maharashtra.

The ministry of finanace in an official statement on Thursday stated that the signatories to the loan agreement for the Maharashtra Sustainable Climate-Resilient Coastal Protection and Management Project were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, for the Government of India, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, for ADB.

Mukherjee stated that the ADB financing will help restore and stabilise Maharashtra's coastline and protect the livelihoods of coastal communities.

"Culture in many ways is the essence of soft power," Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said as India and France signed what he called "a project of great national importance" - a museum, the world's largest, which will be located on Raisina Hill - just in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The museum, named 'Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum' will tell the story of India - a timeline spanning more than 5,000 years.

It will be located on Raisina Hill - the seat of the Central government. The museum will be housed in the North Block and South Block buildings, which are currently the address of the foreign ministry, home ministry, defence ministry, finance ministry, and several other ministerial offices.

The museum - a project of national heritage, prestige, and importance - will cover an area of 1.17 lakh square metres with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three storeys. In his speech after India and France signed the agreement, Mr Jaishankar said "What is being seen today is a very important expression of international cooperation, one that is built on exchanges of best practices, on sharing of experiences."

New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has been finalised as the venue for the 2025 Para Worlds slated for 26 September to 5 October 2025. This is the first time India will host para athletics’ biggest sporting event. The development was announced by the World Paralympic Association (WPA) on their official website on Thursday.

The 2025 event is the 12th edition of the championships and the fourth time it is hosted in Asia, following Doha 2015, Dubai 2019 and Kobe 2024. As per WPA, the capital will also host a World Para Athletics Grand Prix from 11 to 13 March at the same venue in 2025. The Grand Prix event will serve as a trial event before the big competition scheduled for October.

“We are delighted to announce that the first major championships of the new Paralympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028 will be hosted in New Delhi. The 2025 Para Athletics World Championships will be the largest international Para sport event ever to take place in India, representing a massive opportunity to grow our sport, our fan base, and to impact society’s perception of persons with disabilities in the world’s most populous nation,” Paul Fitzgerald, Head of World Para Athletics said.