India and Russia have doubled their payments in national currencies (rupee-rouble) since last year despite sanctions by the U.S. and European Union, said Russia’s largest, state-controlled bank Sberbank that handles a majority of payments for Indian exports to Russia.

The surge may rise further after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow last week, economists and Indian businessmen working in Russia hope, warning that in the absence of the Indian rupee, Chinese businesses and the yuan would continue to benefit from the “vacuum” created by the exit of Western companies.

We are witnessing an increase in trust towards the rupee from our clients. Today, not only have rupee-denominated current accounts become a reality, but also rupee deposits, which businesses are showing great interest in. Since the beginning of the year, the volume of corporate deposits in rupees has increased sixfold,” a Sberbank spokesperson told The Hindu in response to queries about potential growth areas, adding that the rupee is now “easily convertible” in Russia, and that Sberbank hopes to serve as a “Sherpa” for more businesses given the $100 billion trade target by 2030 set by Mr. Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during talks.

India will host the second Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on civil aviation on September 11 and 12.

The first conference was organised in February 2018 in Beijing.

As many as 39 Member States of U.N. aviation safety body International Civil Aviation Organisation fall in the Asia Pacific region and are expected to participate.

“This region recorded the 33.41% of the global departures, which is the highest among all the regions in the world and it is indeed opportune that the second ministerial conference to consolidate Asia Pacific regional collaboration and co-operation to craft a futuristic vision in the region including a culture of innovation and a culture of safety is being held here,” Director General, DGCA, Vikram Dev Dutt said at the curtain raiser event held here.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri B.L Verma, will inaugurate the ‘Samajik Adhikarita Shivir’ at the Police Line Ground in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh tomorrow.

The event is being organized for the distribution of different categories of assistive devices to 791 pre-identified persons with disabilities. The camp is part of the Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) scheme, under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.

The event will witness the presence of local representatives and dignitaries. The initiative affirms the commitment of central government towards empowerment of Divyangjan and its efforts to provide equal opportunities for persons with disabilities, allowing them to lead productive, secure, and dignified lives.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has rescued a staggering 84,119 children over the past seven years through their initiative ‘Nanhe Farishtey’, the Railways said on Wednesday.

Aimed at safeguarding vulnerable children found at railway stations and on trains, the operation has been instrumental in preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.

Since its inception in May 2018, ‘Operation Nanhe Farishtey’ has focused on rescuing children and providing them with necessary protection.

According to the data, the operation began in 2018 with the rescue of 17,112 children, including runaways, missing children, and those left behind, underscoring the urgent need for such initiatives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Dr R Balasubramaniam and signed a copy of his book 'Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi'.

The book captures Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership journey and interprets it through Western and Indic lenses, amalgamating them to provide a roadmap for those who aspire to a life of public service, as per a press release from Prime Minister's Office.

"The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi met Dr R Balasubramaniam today and signed a copy of his book 'Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi'. The book captures Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership journey and interprets it through Western and Indic lenses, amalgamating them to provide a roadmap for those who aspire to a life of public service," as per a press release from the Prime Minister's Office.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have always shared a special bond with Australia and had players like Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and many more. The association is set to take a new dimension with the launch of Super Kings Academy in Sydney.

This will be the Super Kings Academy's third international destination following centres in USA (Dallas) and UK (Reading) apart from India.

The Super Kings Academy in Sydney will be located at Cricket Central, 161, Silverwater Road, Sydney Olympic Park.

It will be a state-of-the-art centre with facilities to train outdoors and indoors throughout the year, a CSK release said, adding that cricket coaching for boys and girls will begin in September.

Ahead of the Annual Budget for FY25, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the fifth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) for Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs). This comprehensive list encompasses 346 strategically important items, including line replacement units, systems, sub-systems, assemblies, sub-assemblies, spares, components, and raw materials. The import substitution value of these items is estimated to be Rs 1,048 crore.

These indigenised items will now exclusively be sourced from Indian industries, in line with the specified timelines for indigenisation as outlined in the list, which is accessible on the Srijan portal (https://srijandefence.gov.in).

The Srijan portal, launched by the defence ministry in 2020, serves as a platform where DPSUs and Service Headquarters (SHQs) collaborate with industries, including MSMEs and start-ups, to promote the indigenisation of defence items. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) and is spearheaded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to promote self-reliance in defence production.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced a new scheme called the ‘Ladla Bhai Yojana’ for youths who have passed the 12th examination in the state.

Under this scheme, students who have completed their 12th grade will receive Rs 6,000 per month. Additionally, those with a diploma will be given Rs 8,000 monthly, while graduates will be provided with Rs 10,000 each month.

“Some people said that ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ (for women) has been launched; what about ‘Ladka Bhau’ (beloved brother)? We are now announcing a scheme for Ladka Bhau… They will receive this stipend from the government during their on-job training in the industry,” Shinde told the media.

Nallathamby Kalaiselvi, the first woman Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), on Tuesday was granted a two-year extension in service.

A government order said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved the extension of tenure of Ms. Kalaiselvi "for a period of two years beyond 07.08.2024, or until further orders, whichever is earlier."

She was appointed to the post in August 2022 following the superannuation of Shekhar Mande in April that year.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated Asia's first health research-related "Pre-clinical Network Facility" under the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) at the Regional Centre of Biotechnology under the aegis of the "Translational Health Science & Technology Institute" (THSTI), Faridabad, on Tuesday.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has selected BRIC-THSTI as a pre-clinical network laboratory based on its capability to handle BSL3 pathogens. It will be the 9th such network laboratory across the globe and the first such laboratory in all of Asia. The other labs are located in the USA, Europe and Australia. The experimental Animal Facility is one of the largest small animal facility in the country, with a housing capacity of about 75,000 mice, including immune-compromised mice and other species such as rat, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.