The Indian short film Anuja secured nomination in the Best Short Film (Live Action) category at the 97th Academy Awards. The film will compete against Alien, I’m Not a Robot, The Last Ranger, and A Man Who Would Not Remain Silent. The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards were announced on Thursday by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott.

The Netflix movie musical Emilia Perez led the nominations, giving the streaming service another shot at its first Best Picture trophy. It was followed by the historical drama The Brutalist and the box-office smash Wicked.

Emilia Perez, a Spanish-language story about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to a woman and starts a new life, earned 13 nominations. The Brutalist, a 3 1/2-hour tale about a Holocaust survivor and architect chasing the American dream, and The Wizard of Oz prequel Wicked each picked up 10 nods.

Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, organized a workshop on National Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2025 for the Anubhav Nodal Officers of various Ministries/Departments including 12 Public Sector Banks and Central Public Sector Enterprises on 23rd January, 2025 at CSOI, Vinay Marg under the chairmanship of Secretary (Pension).

The participants were benefited from the experiences shared by the eminent speakers from major stakeholders.

Sh. Dhrubajyoti Sengupta, Joint Secretary (Pension) presented an overview of the National Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2025. He emphasised upon the inclusivity and customized marking system of the Scheme. He urged to adopt all possible means for encouraging the retiring employees for submission of their write-ups on Anubhav portal.

Sh. Mohammad Jamshed, Ex- Member (Traffic), Railway Board and Anubhav Awardee, 2023 highlighted the role of the scheme in creating institutional memory and nation building.

The 15th National Voters’ Day (NVD) will be celebrated across the country on 25th January. This year’s celebration comes soon after the historic and successful conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the largest democratic exercise in the world. The Election Commission also celebrates 75 years of its dedicated service to the nation.

The event, celebrating the voters of the country again assumes a grand scale this year in light of the fact that India’s total electorate is approaching 100 crore mark. The electoral database now stands at 99.1 crore and counting. The electoral rolls bear a youthful and gender balanced look with 21.7 crores young electors, in the 18-29 age group and a 6-point increase in Electoral Gender Ratio from 948 in 2024 to 954 in 2025.

The Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu will grace the national function in New Delhi as the Chief Guest. Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal will grace the occasion as the Guest of Honour, besides the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners leading the event.

India’s space economy has grown to $8 billion and is set to expand to $44 billion over the next decade, according to Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, according to a press release issued by the Ministry on Tuesday.

In a conversation with Rajya Sabha Member Vijay Tankha on Sansad TV, Dr. Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s space sector reforms for opening the industry to private investment, enabling significant growth.

Dr. Singh highlighted major milestones, such as the indigenous Gaganyaan Mission, the forthcoming Chandrayaan-4 (2027), Shukrayaan (2028), and the Indian Space Station (2030), marking India’s progress in space exploration. He lauded the role of startups and foreign direct investment (FDI) in driving innovation, mentioning key advancements like SPADEX’s docking capabilities and the Vyom Mitra robo mission, a precursor to human space exploration.

India is projected to account for 16% of global consumption by 2050, up from 9% in 2023, according to a report by McKinsey Global Institute titled “Dependency and Depopulation: Confronting the Consequences of New Demographic Reality.”

By 2050, only North America, with a projected 17% share, will surpass India’s global consumption share. These estimates are based on purchasing power parity, which adjusts for price differences across countries.

India’s rise in global consumption share is primarily attributed to its young and growing population, alongside increasing incomes. The report also highlights a global demographic shift driven by falling fertility rates in advanced economies, leading to ageing populations.

FICCI Frames, India's leading global media and entertainment convention, is all set to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. Ayushmann Khurrana has been appointed as the brand ambassador for this milestone edition of FICCI Frames.

The actor shared his excitement about being named the brand ambassador, saying, "It is a huge honour for me to be announced as the first Brand Ambassador for FICCI Frames in its silver jubilee year. As someone who arrived in Mumbai from Chandigarh with nothing but dreams in my eyes, I could never have imagined this incredible journey, one where my work has not only touched lives but also become a part of India's rich pop culture tapestry."

AMID A global race to develop hypersonic munitions, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently demonstrated a cutting-edge “active cooled scramjet combustor ground test” for 120 seconds for the first time in India. The successful ground test marks a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), a Hyderabad-based facility of DRDO, has been working on development of a long-duration supersonic combustion ramjet or scramjet-powered hypersonic technology.

Hypersonic missiles are a class of advanced weaponry that travel at speeds greater than ‘Mach 5’, or more than five times the speed of sound. These advanced weapons have the potential to beat existing Air Defence Systems of major military powers across the world and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes. Several nations including the US, Russia, India and China are actively pursuing hypersonic technology and have demonstrated various levels of development.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Wednesday said it has inked a pact with professional networking platform Apna for talent hunt to help government-registered startups.

The MoU seeks to provide these startups with credits worth Rs 2,000 each on Apna's platform, according to an official statement.

These credits will support better hiring by enabling job postings and unlocking access to tailored talent pools.

With 7 lakh registrations on the Bhaskar platform of DPIIT, the initiative represents a value of upwards of Rs 140 crore, it said.

"As the number of startups grows within the ecosystem, the value will escalate to Rs 300 crore. The credits will enable startups to access Apna's comprehensive hiring tools, promoting better job matching and efficiency," it added.

In Jammu and Kashmir, in a significant stride to promote tourism and highlight the scenic beauty of the region, the Kathua District Administration yesterday organized the first-ever Winter Festival at the breathtaking Sarthal Valley in the Bani Subdivision. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that the first-ever festival was inaugurated by Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, amidst an electrifying atmosphere with over 3500 visitors gathered to celebrate the occasion. The festival showcased an array of engaging activities. The Marquee event ‘Bani Got Talent’ show received an overwhelming response with youngsters displaying their skills. The event provided a perfect platform for showcasing local talent and engaging the community. Speaking on the occasion, the Div Com expressed his admiration for the initiative, emphasizing the importance of such festivals in promoting lesser-explored tourist destinations like Sarthal Valley. He said, ‘The Winter Festival is not just a celebration of culture and adventure but also a step towards realizing the immense tourism potential of this region. He said the UT Government aim to put Sarthal Valley on the map as a sought-after destination for nature and adventure lovers. He informed me that the Sarthal Winter Festival now on will be a calendar event which will gradually get larger in the coming years. He further disclosed that Bani is going to host the inaugural Summer Festival in Dhagger; another picturesque valley of Bani which ultimately will give a huge fillip in the tourist footfall of the region. The highlight of the festival was a spellbinding performance by internationally acclaimed singer Sonali Dogra, who captivated the audience with a soulful blend of Dogri Hindi, and  Punjabi folk songs. The mela also featured Paragliding, Snow skating, Volleyball and other sports activities besides the Sarthal Valley buzzing all day with a host of fun activities.

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla today reviewed the NIK-SHAY and TB Control Programme being implemented in the state. A team of the State Health Department led by State Health Minister Dr. Sapam Ranjan attended the meeting, which was held at Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

The Governor reviewed the ongoing special 100-day campaign announced by the Prime Minister recently and advised the team on multi-pronged efforts, including doubling patient support, using technology and better diagnostic tools, and exploring newer drugs. He insisted that the special campaign must be a mass movement in the state.

The campaign was launched throughout the country by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare this year to end tuberculosis (TB) in the country by 2025. It aims to increase community involvement in the fight against the disease, to increase awareness about TB, and to reduce the stigma. The campaign also aims to improve living and working conditions for TB patients.