Charismatic India opener Smriti Mandhana, was on Monday (January 27, 2025), named ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year for her phenomenal performance that saw the left-hander score tons of runs in 2024.

The India vice-captain, who was the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2022, racked up 747 runs in 13 innings to set new career standards in ODIs.

She put several batting stalwarts, including the likes of South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, England’s Tammy Beaumont (554) and West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, to shade.

In their second year as hosts, the Union Territory of Ladakh finished on top of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025, the first chapter of which ended at the NDS Stadium on Monday. Like always, the grand finale saw the mouth-watering men's ice hockey final and the Indian Army squeezed past ITBP 2-1 to retain the KIWG crown. The second and final phase of KIWG 2025 will be held in J&K's Gulmarg from February 22-25.

Ladakh won two of the four gold medals decided on Monday. Their mixed relay quartet, comprising Stanzin Jampal, Skarma Tsultim, Mohammed Saquaf Raza, and Padma Angmo, clocked 3:02.19 secs to strike gold. Maharashtra (3:03.78 secs) and Telangana (3:04.85 secs) won silver and bronze, respectively.

There was more joy for the local fans. In what was sweet revenge, Ladakh girls romped past fancied ITBP 4-0 to finish on top of the women's round-robin league at a packed NDS Stadium complex. Women's ice-hockey started only last year and interestingly, Ladakh had lost the final match to ITBP by a 4-0 scoreline. Himachal Pradesh won the bronze.

India has sent a shipment of medical supplies, including bronchodilators, inhalers, and ventilators, to support the residents of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. The assistance reflects India’s approach to foreign policy focused on global cooperation and humanitarian efforts.

The humanitarian assistance to the semi-autonomous region once again spotlights India’s people-centric foreign policy and New Delhi’s commitment to the making of a ‘Vishwabandhu Bharat’, or a global friend.

In the past decade, India has contributed to relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, both independently and in collaboration with international initiatives under the United Nations framework.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a plan on Monday to inject an additional Rs 1.1 lakh crore into the banking system through various measures, including open market purchase auctions of Government securities and a variable rate repo auction. Additionally, a $5 billion dollar-rupee swap auction will be conducted to enhance liquidity.

This decision follows a review of current liquidity and financial conditions. The open market operations will involve the purchase of Government of India securities worth Rs 60,000 crore in three tranches of Rs 20,000 crore each. These tranches are scheduled for January 30, February 13, and February 20, 2025.

A 56-day Variable Rate Repo auction for Rs 50,000 crore will take place on February 7, while the dollar-rupee swap auction of USD 5 billion for a tenor of six months will be held on January 31, according to the RBI statement.

Detailed instructions for each operation will be issued separately, the statement added.

Indore and Udaipur have become the first two Indian cities to join the global list of accredited wetland cities under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Prime Minister took to social media and congratulated the two cities for joining the list of 31 Wetland Accredited Cities globally. "This recognition reflects our strong commitment to sustainable development and nurturing harmony between nature and urban growth," he wrote. "May this feat inspire everyone to keep working towards creating greener, cleaner and more eco-friendly urban spaces across our nation," he added.

In Athletics, India’s Jyothi Yarraji broke her own national record and won the gold medal in the women’s 60m indoor hurdles at the Meeting de Nantes Métropole 2025 in France, Yesterday.

Jyothi Yarraji, who already holds the national record in women’s 100m hurdles, clocked 8.04 seconds to win the final A at the Pierre-Quinon Metropolitan Stadium.

In the heats, the 25-year-old improved her previous record of 8.12 seconds, set at the Asian Indoor Championships in 2024, by finishing in 8.07 seconds. South Africa’s Marione Fourie 8.05 seconds and Finland’s Saara Keskitalo 8.13 seconds followed her in the final.

Meanwhile, another Indian hurdler, Tejas Shirse, set a new national record in the men’s 60m hurdles earlier this week, clocking 7.65 seconds in Luxembourg.

India’s preeminent cardiac surgeon K.M. Cherian, who performed India’s first coronary bypass surgery, died in Bengaluru on Saturday (January 25, 2025). Only a couple of days ago his biography Just an Instrument was launched virtually at the Kerala Literary Fest. He collapsed suddenly when attending a wedding in Bengaluru.

His son, Sanjay Cherian, shared a note that said, “It is with profound grief that I inform you all that my beloved father, Dr. K.M. Cherian, passed away around 11:55 p.m. last night [January 25]. Dad and I had attended a wedding reception in Bengaluru and as we were leaving, he suddenly collapsed...” He also said that Dr. Cherian was rushed to Manipal Hospital where he was declared dead. The funeral will be held on January 30.

Born on March 8, 1942, Dr. Cherian worked for over 50 years in the field of cardiology, training under some world-renowned leaders in the field. He is credited with performing the first heart–lung transplant in India, the second cardiac transplant, and strangely, for his profession where people stick to their chosen specialisation, he was also a pioneer in paediatric cardiac surgery. He also set up Frontier Lifeline Hospital in Chennai and Frontier Mediville, a large medical science park on the outskirts of Chennai, to help spur research into indigenous cardiac valves, among other technology. Sources said he was attending a wedding in Bengaluru, when he suddenly collapsed.

Doordarshan has been honoured with the award in the Electronic Media category for its comprehensive campaign on Voter Awareness and Education.

Doordarshan has been recognised for its coverage, including the “Chunav Ka Parv Desh Ka Garv” series during the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Doordarshan Director-General Kanchan Prasad received the honour from President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday (January 25, 2025).

“The campaign, conducted across the nation during the Parliamentary Elections 2024, showcased Doordarshan’s commitment to fostering an informed and active citizenry,” said the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

About 154 species of birds were spotted during the third Sundarban Bird Festival. Aimed at the promotion of avifauna, the estimation exercise was held from January 22 to January 26, during which birders recorded 51 species of migratory birds and 103 species of resident birds.

Forty birders across six teams spotted 31,926 birds during the exercise. About 100 bird species were recorded in the core area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve, 90 species were spotted in the buffer zone, and 129 species outside the protected area. I

In the Matla forests of the Sundarbans, 108 species of birds were recorded, Kalas recorded 95 species, and Sajnekhali recorded 64 species (the lowest). In the National Park West area, 81 species were recorded, the National Park East area recorded 70 species, and the Basirhat area recorded 73 bird species.

The offices of the Superintendent of Police and the Circle Officer of Sirathu were awarded the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Certificate for meeting international standards and excellent performance, a senior officer said Sunday.

In a post on X in Hindi, the Kaushambi Police on Sunday said, "The Superintendent of Police office and the Circle Officer, Sirathu, office were awarded the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Certificate for meeting international standards and excellent performance."

Kaushambi Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said the SP office has been recognised for meeting international standards for administration, surveillance, maintaining law and order, timely redressal of public grievances and prevention and investigation of crime.