The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board approved the transfer of Rs 2,10,874 crore as surplus to the Central Government for the accounting year 2023-24.

The decision was taken at Apex Bank’s 608th meeting of the Central Board of Directors. Presided over by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, the board reviewed the global and domestic economic scenario, including risks to the outlook. The workings of Apex Bank during the year April 2023 – March 2024 were also discussed during the meeting.

The transferable surplus funds for the years 2023-24 were determined using the guidelines set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in August 2019. These guidelines were recommended by a committee led by Dr. Bimal Jalan. The committee suggested that the RBI should keep aside funds for unexpected risks, known as the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB), which should be between 5.5 per cent and 6.5 per cent of the RBI’s total assets, the release added.

Football seems to be dealing with too many goodbyes lately, as today, the evergreen German and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos announced that he will be retiring from all forms of football after the EURO 2024.

The midfield maestro also mentioned that the UEFA Champions League Final against Borussia Dortmund will also be the last game he plays for Real Madrid.

“My career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship,” 34-year-old Kroos, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, posted on his Instagram.

India registered record exports in the just concluded financial year 2023-24 at USD 778 billion, sources in the commerce ministry said. In the financial year 2022-23, the combined value of exported goods and services stood at USD 776.3 billion.

In 2023-24, services exports increased from USD 325.3 billion to USD 341.1 billion, while merchandise exports marginally declined from USD 451.1 billion to USD 437.1 billion.

The government has launched the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme with the aim of enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian manufacturers, attracting investments, boosting exports, and integrating India into the global supply chain to reduce dependency on imports.

China, Russia, Iraq, UAE, and Singapore are among the countries where India’s exports in the just-concluded financial year have risen substantially, though with a low base. The other countries in the Top 10 list are the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

India’s diplomatic missions in the UAE were recognized for their outstanding work at the 5th Minister of Foreign Affairs Excellence Awards ceremony held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.

In a rare distinction, India became the only country to receive two honours, with the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai both awarded the prestigious Shield of Honour. The awards were received by the Indian Ambassador to the UAE Sunjay Sudhir and Consul General at CGI Dubai Satish Kumar Sivan.

The awards, presented by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, were given in the “Distinguished Accredited Missions in UAE” category, acknowledging the efforts of the Indian missions in strengthening bilateral ties between India and the UAE.

Jaya Badiga, born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has made history by becoming the first Telugu woman appointed as a judge in the US. She was appointed as a judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court in California. She is the daughter of industrialist and former Machilipatnam Lok Sabha MP Badiga Ramakrishna.

Before her judgeship, Badiga served as a commissioner for the Sacramento County Superior Court. Her appointment is a significant milestone for both the Telugu and broader Indian communities in the US.

She was a commissioner at the Sacramento Superior Court and was assigned to a domestic violence and child support calendar. Commissioner Badiga was a certified family law specialist and has worked in Family Law for more than 10 years.

India has kickstarted the process of unifying its four airspace regions into one spanning the entire nation in order to streamline and enhance air traffic management.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI), the public entity responsible for air traffic management (ATM) services, last month invited expressions of interest (EoI) for the preparation of a detailed project report for an Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management at Nagpur (ISHAN).

The move is expected to benefit not just the airlines through more seamless operations and increased flight handling capacity, but also passengers by reducing congestion and flying times.

The 10th World Water Forum under the theme of "Water for Shared Prosperity" officially opened on Indonesia's island of Bali on Monday.

A number of national leaders and United Nations representatives attended the opening ceremony.

The 10th World Water Forum focuses on four topics, namely water conservation, clean water and sanitation, food and energy security, and mitigation of natural disasters.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in his opening remarks that in 2050, 500 million small farmers who contribute 80 percent of the world's food are predicted to be among the most vulnerable to drought.

India’s energy major, IndianOil, exported its first-ever parcel of the superior 100 octane premium fuel, XP100 from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Nava Sheva, Navi Mumbai today. Tailored for premium high-end vehicles, XP100 is set to offer superior performance for its customers in Sri Lanka.

This milestone of exporting XP100 to Sri Lanka symbolizes IndianOil's ambition to become a global energy player, recognized not just for the scale of operations but also for the quality of products and contributions to a sustainable future.

India’s first 100 octane petrol XP100 is domestically developed, leveraging IndianOil’s indigenous Octamax Technology. Designed for high-end vehicles.

Tokyo Paralympics silver winner Mariyappan grabbed a gold in T63 high jump with a championship record of 1.88m. This was his first gold in a major event in eight years.

Reigning Paralympics champion Sumit Antil on Tuesday defended his F64 javelin throw world title while Thangavelu Mariyappan and Ekta Bhyan also grabbed gold medals in their respective events as India jumped to third place in the World Para Athletics Championships here.

With five medals won on a productive fifth day, India's tally swelled to 10 (4 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze) and the country is currently placed below China (15 gold, 13 silver, 13 bronze) and Brazil (14 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze).

Antil, who had won gold medals in the Tokyo Paralympics and 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, sent his spear to a distance of 69.50m to stand on top of the podium.

Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 30th time on Wednesday morning, setting a new world record.

“This morning at 7:49 am, Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record he had set just nine days earlier. This marks his 30th ascent to the top of the world,” said Khimlal Gautam, Chief of the Expedition Monitoring and Facilitation Field Office.

This achievement marks Kami’s second ascent of the season, following his first successful climb on May 12.

The 54-year-old Sherpa, who hails from Thame village in Solukhumbu, Nepal, has been scaling mountains for over two decades. His mountaineering journey began in 1992 when he joined an expedition to Everest as a support staff member. Since then, Sherpa has embarked on numerous expeditions and conquered other formidable peaks, including K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Manaslu.