In chess, India’s Divya Deshmukh won the World Junior Girls’ Chess Championship after beating Bulgaria’s Beloslava Krasteva in the final round at the Gift City Club in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Top-seeded Divya beat Krasteva in the 10th round with just 26 moves to claim her maiden U-20 title. She finished unbeaten in the championship by winning nine of her games while drawing the other two.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1.45 crore on Central Bank of India for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI, the central bank said on June 14.

According to an RBI press release, the bank sanctioned a working capital demand loan to a Corporation against amounts receivable from Government by way of subsidies.

Also, it failed to credit the amount involved in a few instances of unauthorised electronic transaction to the customer’s account within 10 working days from the date of notification by the customer, the central bank added.

The UNESCO has shortlisted seven most beautiful museums for the prestigious Prix Versailles Award, including the Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum of Bhuj, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel informed on Friday.

“A moment of pride for Gujarat and India! The Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum in Bhuj has been listed among the 7 most beautiful museums in the world under the prestigious Prix Versailles Award, which is announced annually at UNESCO for architecture and design,” Patel said on X.

R Lakshmanan has been appointed as Government Nominee Director on the Board of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), a PSU under the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) on Friday. The MoPSW has conveyed the approval of Lakshmanan's appointment through an order issued on June 13.

Presently, Lakshmanan is serving as Joint Secretary in MoPSW.

This information has been shared by the Shipping PSU in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges on Friday.

In a historic achievement for Indian equestrian sports, Shruti Vora, astride Magnanimous, has become the first Indian rider to win a three-star Grand Prix event.

Shruti scored 67.761 points in the CDI-3 event held in Lipica, Slovenia, from June 7 to 9. The Indian finished ahead of Moldova’s Tatiana Antonenco (Aachen), who scored 66.522. Austria’s Juliane Jerich (Quarter Girl) completed the top three with a score of 66.087.

“This is great news for the Indian equestrian fraternity. This inspiring performance from Shruti has made the country proud. Many women are taking up the sport, and such milestones will inspire many more riders to strive for excellence,” EFI Secretary General Col Jaiveer Singh said in a statement by the Equestrian Federation of India press release.

In Swimming, India’s Likith SP and Dhinidhi Desinghu bagged two bronze medals in Singapore National Swimming Championship 2024. Ace swimmer, Likith SP claimed bronze in men’s 100 metre breaststroke with a timing of 1 minute and 2 seconds. Dhinidhi Desinghu grabbed a bronze medal in the women’s 200-metre freestyle event clocking in 2 minutes 5 seconds. The Singapore National Swimming Championship is seen as the last opportunity for swimmers to qualify for the Paris Olympics ahead of the June 23rd deadline.

Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory, a Unit of Department of Space, has said that three recently discovered craters on Mars have been named after its former director Devendra Lal—renowned cosmic ray physicist—and cities of Mursan and Hilsa in UP and Bihar respectively.

The Physical Research Laboratory said, though the discovery was made by PRL scientists in 2021, the but the naming was approved by International Astronomical Union (IAU) earlier this month.

A woman-led start-up has successfully developed an AI-based tool that creates a “robust and multi-faceted authentication system” by combining facial recognition with gait analysis, the defence ministry said on Friday.
This innovative solution marks a “significant advancement” in biometric authentication technology, offering “enhanced accuracy and reliability” in identifying individuals, it said in a statement.

The start-up was established by woman entrepreneur Shivani Verma after winning the prestigious ‘Dare to Dream 2.0’, a pan India theme-based contest organised by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), it said.

Ingenious Research Solutions Pvt Ltd has successfully developed an AI tool ‘Divya Drishti’ that “integrates face recognition with immutable physiological parameters such as gait and skeleton,” the ministry said.

World Wind Day is an important event for raising awareness about wind energy and its diverse uses. This particular day serves as a reminder of wind power’s enormous potential and importance in combating climate change and supporting sustainable energy options. This special day is observed around the globe on June 15 every year.

While we are dealing with the negative effects of global warming, carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, humanity must take steps towards more sustainable energy options. The goal of the day is to increase awareness about the various uses of wind energy, as well as how it can change and redefine existing energy systems.

World Wind Day, which focuses on renewable energy sources, emphasises the necessity of harnessing wind power for a better and more sustainable future.

A Group of Seven summit opened on Thursday with agreement reached on a US proposal to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral, giving Kyiv a strong show of support even as Europe's political chessboard shifts to the right.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni welcomed the heads of state of the G7 leading industrialised nations to a luxury resort in southern Italy, saying she wanted the message of the meeting to be one of dialogue with the global south and unity.

She likened the G7 to the ancient olive trees that are a symbol of the Puglia region, with their solid roots, and branches projected toward the future.