UN Adds Russia to its 'List of Shame' over Ukraine War
The United Nations put the Russian army and its armed groups on its 'list of shame' for killing and maiming hundreds of children during its ongoing war in Ukraine.
The UN report said that at least 24,300 violations had been committed against children in 2022.
The annual report is about the treatment of children in conflict zones which is submitted to the 15-member UNSC and accounts attacks such as for killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction or recruitment of children, denial of aid access and targeting of schools and hospitals.
The report was compiled by Virginia Gamba, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres' special representative for children and armed conflict.
Notably, the so-called "list of shame" is intended to shame the parties involved in the conflict and hopes to push them to implement measures for protecting children during a war.
Global Liveability Index 2023
Austria's capital Vienna was named as the world's 'most liveable city' for 2023, as per a list released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The list contained the names of 173 cities around the world that were ranked based on a number of significant factors, including health care, education, stability, infrastructure and the environment. Five cities from India - Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai - were also in the list based on their performance in various metrics.
The EIU is a sister organisation to The Economist and releases its Global Liveability Index every year.
After Vienna, Denmark's Copenhagen was placed second, retaining its position. Australia's Melbourne and Sydney are also on the list, ranked third and fourth.
Canada had the highest number of cities - 3 namely Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto - in top 10. Two Swiss cities were also among the top in the liveability index, with Zurich taking sixth place and Geneva tying for seventh place with Calgary.
Mahendra Lodha New MD and CEO of PTC Indian Financial Services
PTC Indian Financial Services (PFS) appointed its Director (Finance) Mahendra Lodha as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked MD & CEO Pawan Singh to go on leave.
PFS, a non-banking finance company promoted by PTC India, was granted the status of an infrastructure finance company by the RBI.
The company offers financial products to infrastructure companies in the entire energy value chain and other infrastructure industries.
Airtel Payments Bank Ties up with Care for Health Insurance
Airtel Payments Bank (APB) partnered with Care Health Insurance to offer its customers health insurance products via the Airtel Thanks app.
Customers of APB, the payments banking arm of Bharti Airtel, will have access to family health insurance products with a host of sum-insured options, ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 5 lakh. The offerings will also include coverage towards pre-existing ailments and day care treatment.
Customers can opt for the health insurance services through the Airtel Thanks app and pay using an APB account.
India, US to Launch Joint Mission to Space in 2024
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of US and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) agreed to launch a joint mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024.
India also decided to join the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration. The Artemis Accords are a set of principles, guidelines and best practices applicable for the safe exploration of the Moon and ultimately expand space exploration to Mars and beyond. It is a part of the US government's Artemis program, an American-led effort to take humans to the Moon by 2025. When India signs the Artemis Accord, it will join the signatory list, which includes the UK, US, Italy, Japan, UAE, Luxembourg, France, Romania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Singapore, Ukraine and South Korea.
India Win the 2023 Women's Emerging Asia Cup Title
India A, captained by Shweta Sehrawat, became the champions of the inaugural edition of the Women's Emerging Asia Cup. They defeated Lata Mondal's Bangladesh A by 31 runs in the final at the Mission Round Ground in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
After being put in to bat first, India A scored 127 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.
The Indian bowlers rose to the occasion with Patil (4/13) and Kashyap (3/20) sharing seven wickets between them and bundled out Bangladesh for 96 in 19.2 overs.
Cristiano Ronaldo Receives Guinness World Record Award
Cristiano Ronaldo has received the Guinness World Records certificate after becoming the first male player to make 200 international appearances.
The Portugal star marked the milestone by scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute as Portugal pip Iceland 1-0 in the European Championships qualifying.
Before the kick-off, Ronaldo was honoured by Guinness World Records for reaching 200 games for Portugal almost 20 years after his debut.
The record is yet another addition to Ronaldo's long list of accomplishments in international football.
India and the US agreed to end six trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation while New Delhi will also remove retaliatory customs duties on 28 American products such as almonds, walnuts and apples.
This came amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State Visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
In 2018, the US imposed 25 per cent and 10 per cent import duties on certain steel and aluminium products respectively on grounds of national security. In retaliation, India in June 2019 imposed customs duties on 28 American products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid and diagnostic reagents.
Centre Allocates Rs. 145 cr to Nagaland for Setting up Unity Mall
The Central government has allocated Rs. 145 crore to Nagaland for the construction of a Unity Mall in Dimapur. This funding is part of the Union Budget 2023-24, which has set aside Rs. 5,000 crore for the establishment of Unity Malls across the country. The mall in Nagaland aims to promote and showcase the state's One District One Product (ODOP) offerings, highlighting the unique products and industries of the region.
India-United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS X) Launched
The India-United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS X) was officially launched at an event held in Washington DC. The initiative aims to foster collaboration and innovation between Indian and US defence start-ups, promoting technological advancements in the sector.
Co-organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) under the Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defence (DoD), the two-day INDUS X event brought together government representatives, defence industry leaders, think tanks, investors, and start-ups from both countries.
The event featured a joint showcasing of innovative technologies by 15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups, spanning multiple domains such as maritime, AI, autonomous systems, and space.
President of India Presents National Florence Nightingale Awards for 2022 and 2023 (24)
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, bestowed the National Florence Nightingale Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 to nursing professionals during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These prestigious awards were established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, in 1973 to honour the exceptional contributions made by nurses and nursing professionals to society.
The National Florence Nightingale Awards are considered one of the highest honours in the nursing profession in India. They highlight the significant role nurses play in the healthcare system and recognize their selfless commitment to saving lives and promoting well-being.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 50000, a certificate and a medal.
IISc Bangalore Top Indian Institute in THE's Asia University Rankings 2023
The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, emerged as India's highest-ranked university in the Times Higher Education's (THE) Asia University Rankings 2023. In the full rankings, which were released for Asian universities, it stood at 48th place.
It was the only Indian university in the top 50.
In India, IISc was followed by JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Bengaluru, which ranked 68th in Asia. Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, ranked 77th in Asia and third in the country.
India had four universities in the top 100 and 18 universities in the top 200. Kottayam's Mahatma Gandhi University was the only other Indian university in the top 100. It stood at the 95th spot.
In the full list, China's Tsinghua University retained the top spot for the fourth year in a row. In second place was another Chinese university, Peking University, which also retained the spot for the fourth year in a row.
The third place went to the National University of Singapore, which also maintained its position for the fourth consecutive year.
The other two universities in the top five rankings were the University of Hong Kong and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) announced the commencement of various short-term, skill-based courses. These courses are available in both online and offline modes and also provide placement assistance.
The courses are open to a wide range of individuals, including working professionals, entrepreneurs, university students, job seekers, and even school dropouts.
Calcutta High Court Dismisses Withdrawn PIL Seeking Inclusion of Kudmi Community under Constitution Order 1950
The Calcutta High Court dismissed as withdrawn a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking direction to the Union of India to correct by including Kudmi Community under the Constitution (Schedule Tribes) Order 1950. The advocate appearing for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner is not a third party but is claiming to be the proposed beneficiaries.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hrranmay Bhattacharyya prima facie of the view that such relief is not maintainable in a petition.
Technically, this petition should not have been classified as public interest litigation as rightly pointed by the Additional Solicitor General, the Court said.
Since the writ petition was presented as public interest litigation as could be seen from the presentation form, the Registry has entertained the same as public interest litigation. In any event, since the advocate for the petitioner states that the petitioner can be termed to be the proposed beneficiary, the Bench granted liberty to the petitioner to withdraw the petition and approach the appropriate forum.
+91-85588-96644
