USCIRF Condemns Violence in New Delhi, Calls for Swift Action
Expressing concern over the violence in New Delhi, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the Government of India to take swift action for the safety of its citizens.
Expressing "grave concern" over it, the USCIRF said the Indian government should provide protection to people regardless of their faith amid reports of attack on Muslims.
"We urge the Indian government to make serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by mob violence," USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
At least 27 people have been killed and over 200 injured in the violence over the Citizenship Amendment Act in the Indian capital.
Thomson Reuters Corp appointed former Nielsen Holdings Plc president Steve Hasker as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Jim Smith.
The parent of Reuters News also announced higher-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, reporting a 60% year-on-year rise in operating profit, helped by lower costs and investments following the separation of the Financial and Risk (F&R) business.
Stephane Bello, Chief Financial Officer, will also step down from his role and will be succeeded by Mike Eastwood, current Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance. Bello will oversee strategy and business development into 2021.
Rajiv Kumar Launches Baroda Startup Banking Initiative for Start-ups
Finance Secretary Shri Rajiv Kumar launched the 'Baroda Startup Banking' service with the objective of making Bank of Baroda (BoB) a preferred ally of start-up companies and connecting more than 2,000 start-ups over the next 2 years. The initiative was launched simultaneously in 15 cities across India.
A total of 15 Baroda start-up branches will be opened under this initiative. It will provide banking products and services as per the needs of startup companies.
Along with existing banking products, startup companies at these branches have special facilities like current accounts (CA), state-of-the-art payment gateway facilities, corporate credit cards, Corporate salary account and loan facility etc. will be made available. It will also help start-ups by way of cloud credits, mentorship, co-working space, legal/accounting services and other support services.
Amul to Acquire Heritage Foods' Dairy Plant in Punjab
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)'s flagship Amul Dairy is set to acquire Heritage Foods Ltd's dairy plant in Punjab for Rs. 21.20 crore.
Heritage Foods Ltd's Board of Directors on Friday approved the sale of "all tangible assets" of the dairy plant located at Bhambri village of Fatehgarh Sahib district in Punjab, the company said in its filing with exchanges. The move is part of its business rationalisation in northern India. The board approved the sale to Anand-based Kaira District Milk Producers Union Ltd (Amul Dairy), the flagship dairy under GCMMF.
On its part, GCMMF is evaluating the acquisition proposal, with its board likely to take a call soon, even as it looks to expand operations in Punjab to cater North India for liquid milk, curd and buttermilk, among other dairy products.
Astronomers at UBC Astronomy Club Discovers 17 New Planets
University of British Columbia astronomy student Michelle Kunimoto has discovered 17 new planets, including a potentially habitable, Earth-sized world, by combing through data gathered by NASA's Kepler mission.
Over its original four-year mission, the Kepler satellite looked for planets, especially those that lie in the "Habitable Zones" of their stars, where liquid water could exist on a rocky planet's surface.
The new findings, published in The Astronomical Journal, include one such particularly rare planet. Officially named KIC-7340288 b, the planet discovered by Kunimoto is just 1 ½ times the size of Earth - small enough to be considered rocky, instead of gaseous like the giant planets of the Solar System - and in the habitable zone of its star.
Bihar Passes Resolution to Conduct Caste-based Census
The Bihar Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to conduct a caste-based census in the state.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was advocating conducting a caste-based census since a long time.
The Chief Minister had earlier proposed a caste-based census in the Assembly, which was passed unanimously on Thursday.
Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary announced the passing of the proposal in the House.
As per Road Construction Minister Nandkishore Yadav, the resolution would now be sent to the central government.
MP Tops the List for Outgoing Patients for Treatment under PM-JAY: NHA
According to the analysis carried out by the National Health Authority (NHA) on the portability feature of the Narendra Modi government's flagship insurance scheme, PM-JAY -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (generally referred to as the Ayushman Bharat) availed by 81,254 patients. People can seek treatment in other states under the PM-JAY, and MP (Madhya Pradesh) tops the list for outgoing patients at a number of at least 11,765. It sends its patients to Gujarat, where People have been treated under 'portability' option, which allows patients to go to the best hospital in any state to avail of free treatment.
As per the analysis, MP is followed by UP (Uttar Pradesh), which has sent 4,288 patients to Uttarakhand, and 3,572 patients to Maharashtra. While Bihar, in turn, has sent 3,258 patients to UP. The states of MP and UP contribute nearly half of portability cases by volume and value.
India to Attend Signing of US-Taliban Deal
India will be represented by its envoy to Qatar at the signing of a deal by the Taliban and the US at Doha on February 29 on the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
Ambassador P. Kumaran's presence at the ceremony, however, should not be interpreted as a sign of India's involvement in any way with the negotiations with the Taliban or the planned deal.
India remains committed to an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process that retains the gains and constitutional structures put in place in Afghanistan over the past 19 years," the person added.
However, this will be the first time India will be officially represented at an event involving the Afghan Taliban.
Russia Sends Two Warships Armed with Cruise Missiles to Syria's Coast
Russia is sending two warships equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles to the Mediterranean Sea towards the Syrian coast, the Interfax news agency cited Russia's Black Sea Fleet as saying on Friday.
The deployment comes amid mounting tensions between Russia, Turkey and Syria over the Syrian province of Idlib.
S. N. Shrivastava New Police Commissioner of Delhi
The home ministry appointed S. N. Shrivastava as Delhi's Police Commissioner.
Shrivastava is currently Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi, a charge he was given on Tuesday.
The 1985 batch Indian Police Service officer takes over from Amulya Patnaik, who superannuates on Saturday.
Shrivastava has earlier served as Special Director General of the Jammu and Kashmir Zone of CRPF, and headed the Delhi police's special cell.
He has been tasked with taking over the force from 1 March "until further orders".
The Delhi police received major flak for failing to contain the violence that gripped the city's north-east district since Sunday.
Abhishek Next Ambassador of India to Venezuela
Diplomat Abhishek Singh has been appointed India's next Ambassador to Venezuela.
Singh, a 2003-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian embassy in Kabul, the MEA said in a statement.
He is expected to take up the assignment "shortly".
Renowned Vedic Scholar and Gandhian Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away in Bengaluru today. The centenarian was given the title Chaturvedi for his mastery over the four vedas. Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Arya Samaj movement, he had ed over 50 spiritual books in four languages. He had spent his last few years in the teaching of Vedas to young enthusiasts.
Rare Disease Day is an observance held on the last day of February to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families. European Organisation for Rare Diseases established this day in 2008 to raise awareness for unknown or overlooked illnesses. According to (EURORDIS), treatment for many rare diseases is insufficient, as are the social networks to support individuals with rare diseases and their families;[7] furthermore, while there were already numerous days dedicated to sufferers of individual diseases (such as AIDS, cancer, etc.), there had previously not been a day for representing sufferers of rare diseases. The Rare Disease Day Slogan for 2020 is "Rare is Many. Rare is Strong. Rare is Proud".
11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020 Organised in New Delhi
The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020 in New Delhi on 28 February 2020.
The theme of the three day national conference is 'Empowering Youth for Technology Led Farming'.
The conference has been organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) from 28th Feb to 1st March 2020.
The KVK national conference will mainly highlight technology-led farming and youth entrepreneurship through agriculture which will be attended by all the KVKs across India.
IIFL Wealth Management Limited (IIFL Wealth) was awarded the prestigious 'Best Private Banking Services Overall' award for India in the Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey 2020. It is also ranked number one across all the other 15 categories for India in the survey that ranges from catering to Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) individuals to Family Office Services, Investment Management and Emerging technology adoption.
The Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Awards recognise the best services in private banking, by region and by areas of service. It is an informative guide for high net-worth individuals having investable assets above $1 million on the range of professional wealth management service providers that are available.
IIFL Wealth Management Ltd is one of the leading wealth management companies in India. It is the investment and financial advisor to more than 5,600 influential families in the High Net Worth Individuals (HNI) and Ultra HNI segments in India and abroad, with more than USD 24 billion assets under management.
President Gives Away Awards to 21 Winners on National Science Day Celebrations
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, has emphasised on enhancing quality and relevance of our scientific enterprise. He said that our science must work for our people by contributing to their development and well-being. The President announced three key initiatives for gender advancement and equality in academic and research institutions on the occasion of National Science Day in a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. This year the theme for National Science Day is "Women in Science".
Vigyan Jyoti is an initiative that will create a level-playing field for the meritorious girls in high school to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in their higher education. The Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) will develop a comprehensive Charter and a framework for assessing the Gender Equality in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). An online portal for science and technology resources for women will provide E-resources related to all women-specific government schemes, scholarships, fellowships, career counseling with details of subject area experts from various disciplines in science and technology, President Kovind highlighted.
Government Approves Rs. 162 crore under Operation Green Scheme
The government has approved Rs. 162 crore under Operation Green scheme which has an outlay of Rs 500 crore to stabilize the supply of tomato, onion and potato (TOP) crops and to ensure their availability round the year without price volatility.
The scheme announced in 2018-19 budget aims to enhance value realisation for farmers by targeted interventions to strengthen production clusters and the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) and linking them with the market.
Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said five projects have been sanctioned in the country and more were in line for approvals. "The total cost of the projects is Rs 426 crore and the grant we will give is Rs 162 crore," she said.
Air India Flight Brings Back 119 Indians, 5 Foreigners from Coronavirus-hit Cruise Ship in Japan
A special Air India flight brought back 119 Indians, including 113 crew members and six passengers, who were on board coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship docked off Yokohama, Japan.
The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said that the flight which arrived in New Delhi from Tokyo, also evacuated five foreign nationals — two Sri Lankans and one each from Nepal, South Africa and Peru.
All evacuees will undergo a 14-day quarantine at a facility set up by the Indian Army in Manesar, Haryana.
Originally, there were 138 Indians on board the Diamond Princess. Of these, 16 Indian crew members have tested positive for coronavirus. They are receiving medical care and treatment at onshore facilities in Japan.
According to the ministry, three Indian crew members did not board the special flight and conveyed their wish to continue their stay on board the cruise ship — to complete the extended quarantine period put in place by the Government of Japan. The Indian Embassy in Tokyo has established contact with those individuals and is following-up on their recovery, the ministry said.
Crystal Palace's Lifesize Dinosaurs Added to Heritage at Risk Register
Dinosaurs are once again facing an extinction threat. Not a giant meteor this time but changing water levels threatening a Victorian Jurassic park that has fascinated and thrilled generations of visitors for 166 years.
Historic England announced that it is adding the Crystal Palace dinosaurs to its heritage at risk register, worried by large cracks appearing in some of the 30 lifesize statues that were part of a pioneering project to educate and entertain people about natural science.
The dinosaur and extinct animal sculptures were created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, one of the finest natural history artists of the Victorian era. Given that the term dinosaur had only been coined 10 years previously, it is not difficult to imagine the excitement and wonder they caused.
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