Badminton Association of India on Thursday announced a cash incentive of over INR 1.12 crore to the players and support staff for their success in major international tournaments including the Asian Games, Badminton Asia Team Championship and the BWF World Junior Championships.

The women’s team that won the historic Badminton Asia Team Championship (BATC) crown last month will get INR 35 lakh, 2022 Asian Games gold medallist men’s doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are awarded INR 12 lakh, 2022 Asian Games men’s singles bronze medallist HS Prannoy will receive INR 5 lakh while the men’s team that bagged the 2022 Asian Games silver for the first time will collectively get a prize sum of INR 40 lakh.

The BAI has also rewarded 2023 BWF World Championships bronze medallist Ayush Shetty (INR 1 lakh), Badminton Asia Junior U-15 boys singles champion Bornil Aakash Changmai (INR2 lakh), U-17 girls singles silver medallist Tanvi Sharma (INR 1 lakh) and U-15 boys singles bronze medallist Jagsher Singh Khangurra (INR 50,000).

Goa was awarded 'The Best Destination of the Year' by the Pacific Area Travel Writers' Association at the ITB Berlin Convention, which culminated on Thursday, for promoting the concept of regenerative tourism.
Hailing the feat, Goa Tourism Secretary Sanjeev Ahuja said such prestigious awards encourage the state to provide better facilities for tourists.

"I am very happy Goa has received this award. We have been working on improving our facilities in various ways. Goa has given focus on improving tourism facilities and also promoting local festivals, culture and cuisines by involving local communities," Ahuja said.

"Goa is famous for the beaches. But we are going beyond the beaches," he asserted.
The ITB Berlin Convention took place between March 5 and 7 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds with the motto 'Pioneer the Transition in Travel and Tourism Together'.

With hopefully an innings still left in hand, Yashasvi Jaiswal would aim beat Sunil Gavaskar's record in Test cricket as the youngster stands 63 runs behind.

India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his sublime form on Thursday in the ongoing Test series against England as he notched up his fourth career half-century in the fifth game at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. En route to the knock, Jaiswal not only reached the milestone of 1000 runs in the format, but also matched the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's elusive record.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared the project to design and develop India’s fifth-generation fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The AMCA will bring India among a select group of nations, which have developed a fifth-generation fighter. Only the US, Russia, and China have developed such advanced jets.

The project is under the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the DRDO and it will be manufacturing the prototypes of the aircraft. The manufacturing agency will be Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

International Women’s Day 2024 Best Wishes: As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, March 8th, globally, it is a day that celebrates the contribution and achievement of women in society. This year, in 2024, the theme for International Women’s Day is #InspireInclusion, which emphasises the importance of inspiring women to be included, fostering a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Women’s Day serves as a crucial reminder of the ongoing need for gender equality and women’s empowerment, thereby acknowledging the progress made towards gender equality while also recognising the challenges that persist.

This day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the women in your life with thoughtful wishes and acknowledge their strength, resilience, and contributions.

From the local tea stall to the neighborhood kirana, QR codes have revolutionized the way we pay, simplifying transactions for vendors and customers alike. India has 27 Mn Static QR (SQR) stickers and more than 10 Mn SQR soundboxes deployed. No wonder our streets are filled with QRs all around us! Yet, amidst this digital revolution, there’s a missing link in the chain: organized retail. 80% of in-store payments happen via QR, however, out of this, only 2% is from organized retail. In organized retail stores, traditional QR codes in POS devices aren’t user-friendly, leading to longer transaction times and queues at the checkout counter. 

In a first in Delhi, a team of doctors at Ganga Ram Hospital successfully performed a bilateral hand transplant on a painter who lost both hands in a train accident in 2020. The highly complex surgery lasted for 12 hours.

According to Times Now, Meena Mehta, who served as the administrative head of a reputed school in South Delhi, pledged to donate her organs after her demise. Her kidneys, liver, and corneas have transformed the lives of three people, and her hands have been donated to the painter.

The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) announces the opening of its annual competition for Fulbright-Nehru and other Fulbright fellowships for Indian citizens, the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement on Wednesday.

With the opening, USIEF began accepting applications from Indian citizens for the academic year 2025-2026.

The fellowship programme, funded by MEA, the government of India and the US Department of State helps to bring the citizens of India and the US closer through opportunities that enrich fellows' academic, research, trading and professional capacity, the statement said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to embark on its next lunar mission, Chandrayaan-4. Unlike its predecessor Chandrayaan-3, Chandrayaan-4 will be launched in two separate phases, utilising both the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III) and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). This mission is poised to achieve a significant milestone by not only landing on the Moon but also returning rocks and soil samples (lunar regolith) to Earth.

Chandrayaan-3 featured three main components: a lander, a rover, and a propulsion module. However, Chandrayaan-4, as outlined by ISRO chief S Somnath at the National Space Science Symposium, will be more intricate, comprising five spacecraft modules, each playing a specific role to guarantee the mission’s success.

Ramesh Singh Arora (48), a legislator from Narowal, became the first from the minority Sikh community to take oath as a minister in the Punjab province of Pakistan on Wednesday.

A three-time Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Narowal, Arora took oath as a minister in the Cabinet of recently sworn-in Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Chief Minister Maryam Nawaf Sharif, daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The ceremony was held at the Governor’s House in Lahore.

Maryam’s uncle Shehbaz Sharif was recently sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.