Abania Elects General Major Bajram Begaj as New President
Albania's parliament elected a top military official, General Major Bajram Begaj as its new President after no candidates were nominated in three rounds of voting. The outgoing President Ilir Meta signed the decree on Begaj's dismissal as Chief of General Staff of the AAF.
Earlier, Bajram Begaj held the post of the Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF). He is Albania's 8th President and the 3rd from the military ranks. Bajram Begaj will take oath as the new President on 25th July 2022 to replace the current President 'Ilir Meta', who will remain in office until 22nd July 2022.
Chilika Home to 176 Fishing Cats, Finds World's 1st Survey
Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, is home to around 176 fishing cats. Touted to be the world's first population estimation of the fishing cat outside the protected area network, the enumeration was carried out by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with The Fishing Cat Project (TFCP).
The total number of the Schedule-I species was found to be in the range of 131-237 during the survey. The estimation was conducted in two phases. Phase-I was conducted in 2021 in the 115 sq km marshland present in the north and north-eastern section of Chilika and its surrounding areas, while Phase II was conducted in 2022 in the Parikuda side along with the coastal islands of Chilika.
The cat is a globally threatened species found in marshlands, mangroves, flooded forests and other wetlands. They are found in 10 Asian countries but have remained untraced in Vietnam and Java for more than a decade.
Kiya.ai Launches India's First Banking Metaverse Kiyaverse
Kiya.ai, a digital solutions provider serving financial institutions and governments globally, announced the launch of India's first-ever banking metaverse "Kiyaverse". In the first phase, Kiyaverse will allow banks to extend their own metaverse for clients, partners, and employees, through services that will include Relationship Manager & Peer Avatars and Robo-advisors. Kiyaverse will enable customers to use their personalized avatars on digital banking units, mobiles, laptops, VR headsets and mixed reality environments.
The platform will bring banking services from the real world to the virtual world and vice-a versa, interacting with a relationship manager's avatar creation and customisation, AI-based digital customer interaction, portfolio analysis, wealth management, co-lending, and corporate banking.
Mukesh Ambani Richest in Asia, up at 8th Rank on Bloomberg Billionaires List
Mukesh Ambani regained his spot as Asia's richest man, surpassing his rival Gautam Adani, the difference between the two billionaires was 'just $1 billion'. Reliance Industries chairman's net worth was $99.7 billion, while the wealth of Adani Group's founder stood at $98.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. Ambani's wealth surged as RIL shares continued to rise, trading near record high levels.
The 65-year-old is now the eighth-richest person worldwide in June 2022, the Bloomberg's Billionaires Index said, while Adani is just behind him, at the ninth spot.
India Adds 14 Unicorns in 2022 First Half, Builds 70K Start-ups in 8 Years
India got 14 unicorns between January and June of 2022. According to Tracxn, India saw 13 unicorns in the same time period in 2021. According to Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, the country has risen from 300 to 70,000 start-ups in the last 8 years, which is a massive 20,000 per cent increase. It is a matter of pride that globally out of every 10 unicorns, one is Indian. Nearly 47 per cent of startup businesses have women as their director or CEO.
However, the start-ups ecosystem is witnessing a funding winter owing to Aglobal macro-economic factors that can last up to 18-24 months.
China successfully launched three astronauts on a six-month mission to complete the construction of the country's space station currently orbiting the Earth. The Shenzhou-14 spacecraft carrying astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe was lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The Shenzhou 14 crew will spend six months on the Tiangong station, during which they will oversee the addition of two laboratory modules to join the main Tianhe living space that was launched in April 2021.
The station will operate in low-Earth orbit at an altitude between 340 to 450 kilometres. Once completed, it will have a lifespan of 10 years, but experts believe it could last more than 15 years with appropriate maintenance and repairs.
Avinash Sable Breaks Own National Record for Eighth Time
India's Avinash Sable finished a creditable fifth at the prestigious Diamond League meet and in the process shattered his own 3,000 metres steeplechase national record for the eighth time.
The 27-year-old clocked 8 minutes and 12.48 seconds in a high-quality field, shaving off more than three seconds from his own previous national record of 8:16.21, which he set during the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram in March 2022. Sable finished ahead of the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Benjamin Kigen of Kenya, who ended eighth in 8:17.32.
UAE's ILT20 to be Held from Jan 6 to Feb 12, 2023; Reliance, KKR, GMR, Adani Own 4 Out of 6 Teams
The Emirates Cricket Board will conduct the inaugural International League T20 from January 6 to February 12, 2023, with three IPL franchises owning outfits in the six-team league. Out of the six franchises, five are Indian companies, including Reliance Industries which owns Mumbai Indians, Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders Group, Delhi Capitals co-owners GMR, Adani Sportsline and Capri Global apart from Lancer Capitals, a company belonging to Manchester United owners Glazer family.
The tournament will also provide a valuable platform for Emirates Cricket to take their local talent to a higher level.
President Ram Nath Kovind Addresses the Centenary Celebrations of Gita Press at Gorakhpur
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind graced and addressed the centenary celebrations of Gita Press at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Gita Press has played a very important role in taking the spiritual and cultural knowledge of India to the masses through its publications. He noted that the intention behind the establishment of Gita Press was to make available Gita in pure form with right meaning and at low price to masses which were not easily available at that time. It is a matter of great pride for all of us that a small initiative started from Kolkata is now well known for its work all over India.
Apart from the Bhagavad Gita, Gita Press publishes books like Ramayana, Puranas, Upanishads, Bhakt-charitra etc. It has made a record by publishing more than 70 crore books till now and has the distinction of being the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious books.
India, Bangladesh Hold Joint Military Exercise 'Ex SAMPRITI-X' as Part of Bilateral Defence Cooperation
India-Bangladesh bilateral defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise Ex SAMPRITI-X is being conducted at Jashore Military Station in Bangladesh from 05 June to 16 June 2022. The aim of the exercise is to strengthen interoperability between the two armies and to understand each other's tactical drills and operational techniques. The Indian contingent of company strength is being represented by a Battalion of the DOGRA Regiment and the contingent reached by road for the exercise location.
Exercise Sampriti is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour conducted alternately by both countries which aims to strengthen and widen the aspects of interoperability and cooperation between both the armies.
India Successfully Tests Agni-IV Missile
India successfully carried out a night launch of the nuclear-capable Agni-4 ballistic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, marking a significant boost to the country's military capabilities. The missile has a range of around 4,000 kilometres, and it is largely seen as part of India's deterrence against China. The launch validated all operational parameters as also the reliability of the system.
The test launch of the missile came amid India's lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh. India has been steadily enhancing its overall military might over the last couple of years. It has carried out successful tests of a number of missiles during the period.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police Team Scales Mount Abi Gamin
An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) mountaineering team scaled Mount Abi Gamin located at an altitude of 24,131 feet in Uttarakhand. The expedition, undertaken by the ITBP'S Northern Frontier, was launched from Dehradun and the team returned to the base camp.
The team, led by Deputy Commandant Kuldeep Kumar of the 2nd Battalion, comprised 14 personnel, including two Assistant Commandants, and four local sherpas. Abi Gamin is located in the central Himalayas at the culminating point of the Zaskar range.
At 83, Japanese Oldest to Sail Solo across Pacific
An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer successfully completed his solo, non-stop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone. Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japan's western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbour in San Francisco in March 2022.
It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo non-stop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco. Sixty years later, he travelled the opposite route.
World Food Safety Day is celebrated on 7 June to draw global attention to the consequences of contaminated food and water to health. Also, this day focuses on the way to reduce the risk of food poisoning. The safety of food is a key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The theme for this year's World Food Safety Day is "Safer food, better health," and offers pointers on what the Day is about and how to get engaged.
While safe food is a marker of good health, unsafe food can cause many diseases. Poor food quality contributes to worsening health conditions, such as impaired growth and development, micronutrient deficiencies, non-communicable or communicable diseases and mental illness.
Indian Railways Awarded by the UIC International Sustainable Railway Awards (ISRA)
Indian Railways observed World Environment Day in an appropriate and befitting manner keeping in line with the theme of this year's World Environment Day. In a gala ceremony in Berlin, Indian Railways was awarded by the UIC International Sustainable Railway Awards (ISRA) in the category of "Best use of Zero-Carbon Technology" for feeding Solar Energy directly to 25 KV AC Traction System.
Railways is an environmental friendly means of bulk transportation. For environment protection, Railways has been continuously taking major initiatives that have positive impact on the environment by way of reducing pollution/GHG emissions, promoting resources and energy efficiency and contributing to sustainability.
Indian American Harini Logan Wins 2022 Spelling Bee Champion
Indian American girl, Harini Logan from Texas won the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She has spelled 21 words correctly to win the prestigious 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee and defeated Vikram Raju in a marathon.
Prize money was USD 50,000 cash prize and Scripps Cup trophy on top of awards from Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica. She is the fifth Scripps champion to be coached by Grace Walters.
NABARD Chairman Launches My Pad My Right Programme in Leh
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Chairman Dr GR Chintala launched "My Pad My Right programme", in Leh. The programme launched by Nabard's NabFoundation with machinery and materials of a cost of Seven and half Lakh rupees. Dr GR Chintala announced to sanction One more lakh to upgrade the machinery to make sanitary pads suitable to the demands of women of different age groups.
This efforts are on for economic empowerment of rural women through menstrual hygiene.
This will help women to participate in country's economic development. Under this unique project, award winning sanitary pad making machines will be installed through the network of self help groups.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin flagged off the luxury cruise liner "Empress" from Chennai Port. The eleven-storey tourist vessel can accommodate up to two thousand passengers and about 800 crew members. The packages include going to the high seas from the city port and to return, and also to anchor at Puducherry and Visakhapatnam harbours. The three different packages consist of two, three and five days.
The vessel has a swimming pool, children's play area, gym, theatre and a multi-cuisine restaurant. This is considered the first luxury cruise liner to operate from the state, while state officials say a few other prominent operators have also shown interest in offering sea-based tourism services.
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice appointed Kuldeep Mathur and Shubha Mehta as two new Judges of the Rajasthan High Court. In a first for the Rajasthan High Court, a couple will be serving as its judges. Subha Mehta and Kuldeep Mathur were appointed judges to the HC by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. Justice Shubha Mehta's husband Justice Mahendra Goyal is already a judge in the HC. While Justice Mehta is from the judicial service, Justice Goyal was a lawyer. He was appointed in November 2019.
In December 2020, Justice Murali Shankar Kuppuraju and his wife Justice Tamilselvi T Valayapalayamand were sworn in as judges of the Madras High Court on the same day. Before that, Justice Vivek Puri and Justice Archana Puri were sworn in as judges of the Punjab High Court on the same day in November 2019.
Gold Smuggling does not Amount to Terrorist Act under UAPA: Delhi HC
According to Delhi High Court, smuggling of gold alone won't amount to a terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), unless it threatened the economic security or monetary stability of India. It granted bail to nine persons accused of smuggling more than 500 gold biscuits (83.6 kg gold) which was seized at New Delhi Railway Station by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in August 2020 while travelling in Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express on fake documents. The case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The accused were charged with offences under certain provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA.
+91-85588-96644
