Surat, the city that topped among India’s smart cities, was ranked as the best city to live in the years 2013 and 2019, is now home to Gujarat’s first privately-owned public Hospitality and Convention Centre. The development of this remarkable centre has been completed, and a Gruh Pravesh is scheduled for the 17th of September, 2023, in honor of the birthday of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendrabhai Modi as a gift to the country.

The soft launch of this project took place earlier in the presence of Darshanaben Jardosh (Surat MP & Union MoS – Railways and Textiles) and C. R. Paatil (Navsari MP and BJP State President), where Darshanaben mentioned that ‘The World is an innovative venture that extends its impact beyond Surat. Its strategic proximity to the Bullet Train Station and the Textile and Diamond Hub transforms it into a symbol of accessibility, evoking immense pride for Surat’. Additionally, C. R. Paatil highlighted the high demand for hospitality properties in Surat and expressed that ‘this centrally located project within the city, is the largest by size and will effectively address the long-standing shortage of hospitality space in the area’.

Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport became the first airport in the northeast to get ‘Digi Yatra’ facility. The Digi Yatra service will be available in three major areas of the airport, namely - first entrance, check-in and boarding areas.

After enacting a new law to regulate forest conservation in India that exempts agroforestry and plantations from regulatory oversight so that farmers can practice agroforestry on private land and harvest timber as required, the central government has published a fact sheet listing 36 species that can be grown in different agro-climatic zones.

Japanese duo Sara Wakita and Tenshi Iwami have claimed victories at the inaugural Tamil Nadu International Surf Open World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 3,000 event. It was a historic day of competition as the pair overcame a huge international field to win the first-ever WSL event in India as Mahabalipuram Beach turned on pumping three-foot surf for Finals Day.

Tenshi Iwami came into the Tamil Nadu International Surf Open in desperate need of a big result as he looks to qualify for the 2024 WSL Challenger Series. He looked to be in good form all event but needed to overcome an impressive Kian Martin in the Final.

SBI Life Insurance, one of the most trusted private life insurance companies in the country, launched its dedicated 24X7 inbound contact centre to address before and after purchase queries related to comprehensive insurance solutions provided by the company. The toll-free number is 18002679090. SBI Life, thus, becomes the first private life insurance company in the country to have such an extensive customer care support, which aligns with the company's commitment in enriching customer experience and addressing their insurance needs/queries at their convenience.

Shooters Esha Singh and Shiva Narwal brought cheers to the India camp, clinching the 10m air pistol mixed team gold by defeating Turkey in the final of the ISSF World Championship at Baku, Azerbaijan on 18^th August 2023.

The Indian duo defeated the Turkish pair of Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec 16-10 in the gold-medal match to take the country's medals tally to two.

India are currently placed second on the medals table with a gold and a bronze medal, while China is leading the tally with five gold and two bronze medals.

R Praggnanandhaa, the first Indian after Vishwanthan Anand to reach the semifinals of the FIDE World Cup, drew against his higher-ranked opponent Fabiano Caruana, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
 
In the other semi-final, former world champion Magnus Carlsen defeated Nijat Abasov in the first game with white pieces.
 
Out of four Indians, who had made it to the quarterfinals, Praggnanandhaa remains the only Indian in the fray.
 
Meanwhile, the first game of the women’s final between second seed Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia and 29th seed Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria ended in a draw after 33 moves.

China’s real estate giant Evergrande Group has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States on Thursday.

The company has sought protection under Chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code, a measure that protects non-US companies undergoing restructurings from creditors that hope to sue them or tie up assets in the United States.

A documentary film "Bay of Blood" on genocide in Bangladesh during 1971 War of Liberation today premiered at Liberation War Museam in Dhaka.

The Liberation War Museum organised the Bangladesh premier of the documentary, on the occasion of the 48th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The documentary is written and directed by eminent Indian Filmmaker Krishnendu Bose.

The Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Pranay Verma was invited as special guest during the premier.

In the maiden deployment of an Indian Navy submarine to Australia, INS Vagir, a Scorpene-class submarine, on an extended-range deployment since June, will reach the city of Fremantle on August 20.