BRICS Bank signs $173 mn Loan Agreement for Lesotho Water Project
The New Development Bank (NDB), which was established by the BRICS bloc, and the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) inked a loan agreement for the implementation of phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
The NDB will provide a project loan of 3.2 billion South African Rand (USD 173 million) to TCTA under the sovereign guarantee of South Africa.
Lesotho is a small landlocked country bordered on all sides by South African provinces. The LHWP is a multi-phased project to provide water to the Gauteng region of South Africa and to generate hydroelectricity for Lesotho.
The loan agreement was signed by Vladimir Kazbekov, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NDB and Percy Sechemane, Chief Executive Officer of TCTA, on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg.
Norway to Become Third Country to Give F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine
Norway will donate U.S.-made F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine, the Norwegian Prime Minister announced during a visit to Kyiv, joining an effort led by the Netherlands and Denmark.
F-16s have been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability. The fighter jet is equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.
NTCA Approves India's 54th Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan
India got its 54th tiger reserve in Rajasthan's Karauli and Dholpur districts with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approving a proposal in this regard. This is Rajasthan's fifth tiger reserve after Ranthambore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills and Ramgarh Vishdhari.
The number of tigers in India has increased from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022, an annual rise of 6 per cent, according to government data.
With a 50 per cent increase in the last four years, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of tigers in the country (785), followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).
The number of tigers in Rajasthan has increased from 32 in 2006 to 88 in 2022.
Uber Appoints Arnab Kumar as Director of Business Development for India, SA
Ride-hailing company Uber appointed Arnab Kumar as the director of business development for India and South Asia. Kumar, who brings over 17 years of experience across the technology and financial services sectors, has been instrumental in building the India operations for Coinbase and leading fintech investments and strategic initiatives for Prosus (formerly known as Naspers). He has previously served as a program director at the government think tank NITI Aayog, where he played a vital role in developing emerging technology initiatives, including Aarogya Setu, India's Covid contact tracing app.
In addition to his previous roles, Kumar has worked as an investment banker for Deutsche Bank in Singapore and New York. He is an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology Mesra and the Indian School of Business Hyderabad, and holds the CFA charter.
HDFC Bank Launches India's First Co-Branded Hotel Credit Card with Marriott
HDFC Bank, India's leading private sector bank, partnered with Marriott Bonvoy, the acclaimed travel program by Marriott International, and unveiled the 'Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card'.
This pioneering co-branded hotel credit card, the first of its kind in India, operates on the esteemed Diners Club platform, a part of the Discover Global Network, and aspires to set new standards for rewarding travel cards in the country.
The Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card brings together the strengths of these two prominent brands, presenting consumers with an unparalleled selection of travel benefits. One of the prime offerings is the Silver Elite Status within the Marriott Bonvoy program, which offers a host of advantages such as priority late checkout, exclusive member rates, bonus Marriott Bonvoy points, and more.
Shemaroo Entertainment Appoints Manisha Dey as Head of Devotional and Music Division
Shemaroo Entertainment announces the appointment of Manisha Dey as the head of the devotional and music category. The strategic decision underlines Shemaroo's commitment to elevating its content repertoire and delivering experiences to its audience within the dynamic entertainment landscape.
Manisha's remarkable professional journey and achievements underscores her visionary acumen. She has extensive experience and has a well-established track record across diverse facets of the music and entertainment industry, particularly in the devotional genre.
Amanpreet Singh Clinches Gold in Men's 25 metre at ISSF World Championship
Indian shooter Amanpreet Singh won the gold medal in the men's 25m standard pistol shooting event at the ISSF World Championship 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Indian shooter topped the field of 50 shooters with 577 points from 60 shots. The Republic of Korea's Gunhyeok Lee settled for silver with 574 (17 X's) while Kevin Chapon of France claimed bronze with 574 (11 X's).
Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Honduras and Sweden are Six New Members to Join World Boxing
World Boxing added weight to its bid to achieve recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by announcing six new members.
New members include federations from Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Honduras and Sweden joined the new breakaway sports body, bringing the total number of members to 12.
World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with a mission to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement amid fears it might be excluded from future Games over the IBA's failure to implement reforms.
BCCI Announces BookMyShow as Ticketing Platform for ICC Men's World Cup 2023
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced BookMyShow as the official ticketing platform for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The tournament will feature a total of 58 matches, including 10 warm-up fixtures, hosted across 12 prominent venues throughout India.
The 26th National Conference on e-Governance Held in Indore
The 26th National Conference on e-Governance was held in Indore to deliberate on providing better facilities to the citizens. The conference was inaugurated by MP Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Science & Technology Minister Om Prakash Sakhalecha. Tulsi Ram Silavat, Minister of Water Resources, Fishermen Welfare and Fisheries Development Department of Madhya Pradesh was also present on this occasion.
The two-day conference was organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh. The conference was brainstormed on the topic 'Developing India: Empowering Citizens'. Representatives from 28 states and 9 union territories as well as industry participated in the conference. Eleven themes including district-level initiatives, emerging technologies for providing citizen centric services, role of R&D in citizen centric services were discussed in the conference. National e-Governance Awards 2023 in 5 categories were presented during the conference.
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas achieved a significant milestone as it successfully fired the Astra indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile off the coast of Goa. This achievement marked a notable advancement in the Indian defense capabilities and showcased the country's progress in developing cutting-edge military technology.
According to a statement released by the Defence Ministry, the missile release was executed flawlessly from the Tejas aircraft at an altitude of approximately 20,000 feet. The test not only met all its predetermined objectives but also demonstrated a perfect textbook launch, affirming the precision and readiness of the Astra missile system.
The Astra missile system, a product of collaborative efforts involving the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), and other DRDO laboratories, is a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile designed to engage and destroy high-speed aerial targets with exceptional manoeuvrability.
Infosys Onboards Nadal as Ambassador for Brand and Infosys' Digital Innovation
Tech giant Infosys extended its partnership with Tennis star Rafael Nadal as an ambassador for the brand and Infosys' Digital Innovation. To mark Nadal's first-ever collaboration with a digital services company, Infosys and Nadal's coaching team are developing an AI-powered match analysis tool, the Bengaluru-headquartered company said in a release.
According to Infosys, Nadal is a perfect embodiment of what it takes individuals or business leaders to evolve and continually navigate their next.
The winners of the 69th National Film Awards were announced. While Allu Arjun bagged the Best Actor award for the film Pushpa: The Rise, Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the award for Best Actress for the films Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi respectively. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect won the award for Best Feature Film. The Kashmir Files won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film on National Integration at the 69th National Film Awards.
Shoojit Sircar's biographical historical drama Sardar Udham won several awards at the 69th National Film Awards. Apart from being named the Best Hindi Film, it also bagged Best Cinematography (Avik Mukhopadhyay), Best Audiography (Sinoy Joseph), Best Production Design (Dmitrii Malich and Mansi Dhruv Mehta) and Best Costume Design (Veera Kapur Ee) awards.
National Film Awards were first handed out in 1954 and were known as the 'State Awards'. At the time, only best films in different regional languages were recognised and awarded. The awards for actors and technicians working on the films were first given in 1967. Nargis was the first actress to win Best Actress for her performance in Raat Aur Din. Uttam Kumar won the Best Actor award for Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana in the same year.
2 Indian Languages for Classes 9-10, 1 for Classes 11-12
Students in classes 9 and 10 will now have to mandatorily study three languages, including two Indian native ones, while students in classes 11-12 will have to study one Indian and one other language, according to the New Curriculum Framework (NCF). The NCF has been prepared according to the new National Education Policy (NEP) by the national steering committee, headed by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan.
At present, class 9 and 10 students study two mandatory languages and class 11 and 12 students study one language. So far, the students from 9 to 12 have to mandatorily study five subjects with an option of adding one additional subject. According to the recommendations made in NCF, the number of mandatory subjects will be seven for classes 9-10 and six for classes 11-12.
Vaibhav Srivastava Appointed Additional Advocate General to Represent Himachal Pradesh in Supreme Court
Advocate Vaibhav Srivastava was appointed as Additional Advocate General (AAG) to represent the government of Himachal Pradesh in cases before the Supreme Court of India.
Srivastava had previously held the position of Deputy Advocate General representing the State of Madhya Pradesh before the Supreme Court.
AAG Srivastava has over 15 years of experience. He has practiced before the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.
He has also appeared before the High Courts of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gauhati, and others.
His legal career commenced under the guidance of Vivek Tankha, a Senior Advocate who later served as Additional Solicitor General of India.
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