In South Korea's deadliest air disaster, a Jeju Air passenger jet, Flight 7C2216, crashed during its landing attempt at Muan International Airport on Sunday, resulting in 179 fatalities. The crash occurred after a series of events, starting with a bird strike reported by the pilot as the flight was approaching the airport. According to the final timeline of the flight, the aircraft was cleared by air traffic control at 8:54 am to land on runway 01. However, just minutes later, a

Google is preparing for a critical 2025, with CEO Sundar Pichai stating that the company will focus heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) and scaling its Gemini chatbot to disrupt the market. During a strategy meeting on December 18, Pichai highlighted the stakes as being "high," calling 2025 a year of disruption. He stressed the need for the company to rapidly scale its AI products, particularly Gemini, to solve real user problems and compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT.

On Day 5 of the 4th Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India was bowled out for 155, handing Australia a crucial victory and a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the lone fighter for India, scoring 84 runs before a controversial dismissal ended his innings, marking the second time in the match he fell short of a century. India’s downfall started when wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was caught while attempting a pull shot. Senio

India has initiated anti-dumping investigations into two Chinese products—nylon filament yarn and trimethyl dihydroquinoline (TDQ). The investigations were triggered by petitions from domestic companies, such as Century Enka Ltd., Gujarat Polyfilms Ltd., and Oriilon India Ltd., for nylon filament yarn, and NOCIL Ltd. for TDQ. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) is looking into whether these cheap imports from China and Vietnam have caused material harm to local industries.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made a significant change to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system by enabling UPI payments between verified digital wallets, also known as Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), and third-party UPI applications. This new directive will allow users of digital wallets to make and receive UPI payments via any third-party UPI app, rather than being limited to the wallet’s own mobile application. The move is aimed at enhancing interoperability within t

A groundbreaking study has uncovered notable differences in the nut-cracking abilities of chimpanzees within the same group, shedding new light on their cognitive and motor skills. Researchers analyzed extensive video footage of wild chimpanzees from Bossou, Guinea, where they observed 3,882 instances of chimps attempting to crack open nuts using stones as tools. The study found varying levels of efficiency among individuals, indicating differences in cognitive abilities and physical dexterit

Cephalopods, including octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid, have long fascinated researchers due to their exceptional cognitive abilities. While we still don’t fully understand the extent of their emotional states or conscious experiences, there's no doubt that these marine creatures display remarkable intelligence. For example, cuttlefish like Squirt have demonstrated highly accurate aim and a complex level of learning, raising questions about their capacity for intentional behavior.

On Christmas, an Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near Aktau city in Kazakhstan, leading to the deaths of 38 people out of the 67 on board. The flight had originally departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, headed for Grozny, Russia, but was diverted when it was unable to land in Grozny due to dense fog. The aircraft, rerouted over the Caspian Sea, crashed in an open field near Aktau after encountering difficulties. 29 passengers survived the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines, in

Cochin Shipyard’s stock saw a significant surge on Friday, hitting an upper circuit limit, following the announcement of a major order from Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. The order, valued at approximately Rs 450 crore, is for the construction of eight state-of-the-art harbour tugs, making it the largest contract for the company under the government’s Make in India scheme. Adani Ports emphasized its commitment to the "Make in India" and "Aatman

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has released the admit cards for the upcoming CA Foundation and Intermediate exams scheduled for January 2025. Candidates who have registered for either of the two exams can now download their admit cards by visiting the official ICAI website and logging in with their CA registration number and date of birth. The admit cards contain essential details such as the candidate’s name, CA roll number, photograph, signature, date

Steve Smith put on an impressive display of batting during the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), scoring a remarkable 140 runs off 197 balls. This century not only cemented his love for the venue but also extended his consistent record against India, marking his 11th century in 43 innings. Smith's innings featured 13 fours and three sixes, leading Australia to a strong position at 454/7 by the end of the first session on day two. Smith's ce

Nepal's tourism industry, which saw a post-pandemic resurgence with over a million foreign visitors this year, continues to grow, attracting tourists with unique experiences like the recently held hot-air balloon festival. The event, organized by Sabin Maharjan and his team, featured more than 10 countries participating in the thrilling balloon flights. The stunning views of the snow-capped Annapurna range, mountains, lakes, and rolling hills provided an unforgettable experience for the p

Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd., a subsidiary of the Jubilant Bhartia Group, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Coca-Cola India Pvt. to acquire its sparkling beverage portfolio and other products from the company's authorized bottlers. The deal, set to begin in April 2025, will see Coca-Cola’s authorized bottlers supplying sparkling beverages to Jubilant FoodWorks, which will handle the marketing of these products. The move is expected to enhance Jubilant Fo

NASA has announced delays to its Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon. The first crewed lunar mission, Artemis 2, will now take place in April 2026, pushed back from its original launch window in September 2025. The second mission, Artemis 3, which seeks to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, has been rescheduled from late 2026 to mid-2027. The delays, revealed on December 5, are attributed to technical issues discovered during the Ar

Alibaba’s Qwen research team has introduced a new experimental open-source AI model, the QVQ-72B, designed to handle both vision-based analysis and advanced reasoning tasks. The model combines the abilities of analyzing visual information from images and answering complex queries through reasoning-focused techniques. According to internal benchmarks, QVQ-72B surpassed OpenAI’s o1 model on the MathVista (mini) benchmark, scoring 71.4% compared to o1’s 71.0%. The mod

India has started a probe into the alleged dumping of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks from China, following a complaint by domestic company Inox India Ltd. The company has requested the imposition of anti-dumping duties, claiming that the influx of cheap imports is negatively affecting the profit margins of the domestic industry. These LNG fuel tanks are used for transporting methane gas in vehicles like trucks. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), which handles

In response to Russia's Christmas Day attack on Ukrainian cities and its energy infrastructure, President Joe Biden has instructed the U.S. Defense Department to maintain its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Biden condemned Russia’s actions, which were aimed at disrupting Ukraine’s power supply and endangering the country’s energy grid during the harsh winter. The attack, which involved cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones, is part of Russia’s ong

As 2025 approaches, India has already begun shaping its foreign policy for the year. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to travel to the United States to meet officials from both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump team, ahead of the U.S. power transition. Jaishankar is expected to discuss the Quad Summit, where U.S. President Donald Trump may attend, and potentially seek an early date for Trump’s visit to India. In addition to the Quad Summit,

In a major setback to the unity of the opposition bloc, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded that Congress be removed from the INDIA alliance unless the party takes action against its Delhi leader, Ajay Maken. AAP leaders Atishi and Sanjay Singh accused Maken of helping the BJP in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, claiming that Maken's statements were made at the BJP's behest. The dispute intensified when Maken called AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal "anti-national," a comm

In the ongoing India vs Australia 4th Test match in Melbourne, former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fee following a shoulder barge incident with Australian debutant Sam Konstas. The altercation took place after the completion of the 10th over of the Australian innings when both players crossed paths on the field. As they moved across the pitch, Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders, which led to an exchange of heated words. The incident was quickly defused by