For many women around the world, the devastating loss of a partner is magnified by a long-term fight for their basic rights and dignity. Despite the fact that there are more than 258 million widows around the world, widows have historically been left unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured in our societies.

Today, as armed conflicts, displacement and migration, and the COVID-19 pandemic leave tens of thousands of women newly widowed and many others whose partners are missing or disappeared, the unique experiences and needs of widows must be brought to the forefront, with their voices leading the way.

Experience from the past, shows that widows are often denied inheritance rights, have their property grabbed after the death of a partner, and can face extreme stigma and discrimination, as perceived ‘carriers’ of disease. Worldwide, women are much less likely to have access to old age pensions than men, so the death of a spouse can lead to destitution for older women. In the context of lockdowns and economic closures, widows may not have access to bank accounts and pensions to pay for healthcare if they too become ill or to support themselves and their children. With lone-mother families and single older women already particularly vulnerable to poverty, this is an area that needs urgent attention.

The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Nations has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world.

The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.

A satellite developed by China and France, the most powerful yet for studying the farthest explosion of stars, was launched into orbit on Saturday (June 22).

Sino-French satellite launched into orbit, state broadcaster reports

The satellite to study phenomena including gamma-ray bursts was lifted into orbit by a Chinese carrier rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, CCTV said on Saturday.

The launch of the Space Variable Objects Monitor will play an important role in astronomical discoveries, the broadcaster said, citing the China National Space Administration.

It is the first astronomy satellite developed by China and France, although they developed the China-France Oceanography Satellite, launched in 2018, China Daily reported in April.

B. Dhiraj led India to two bronze medals in recurve competitions on the final day of the Archery World Cup Stage-3 in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday.

Dhiraj combined with Bhajan Kaur to deliver the mixed team bronze before securing the men’s individual bronze.

The Indians rallied from a set down to beat the Mexican pair of Matias Grande and Alejandra Valencia, who is a 2020 Olympics mixed team bronze medallist, 5-3 (35-38, 40-39, 38-37, 38-38) to take the third place.

Four officers of the Armed Forces Medical Service (AFMS) have brought laurels to India by clinching a record 32 medals in the 43rd World Medical and Health Games held in Saint-Tropez, France, from June 16-23, 2024, a Defence Ministry release said on Sunday.

According to the release, Lieutenant Col Sanjeev Malik, Major Anish George, Captain Stephen Sebastian, and Captain Dania James made history by winning 19 gold, nine silver, and four bronze medals in the world's largest sports event for health professionals.

The government has permitted exports of 2,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to two African nations - Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification.

Though exports of non-basmati white rice have been banned since July 20, 2023 to boost domestic supply, exports are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to certain countries to meet their food security needs on request.

Malawi is a landlocked country in south-eastern Africa, while Zimbabwe is a South African nation.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the Australian Government, hosted a comprehensive and productive roundtable to discuss the learnings from the Australia-India Critical Agriculture Skills Pilot Project. Led by Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE, and Mr. Mathew Johnston, Minister Counsellor, Education and Research, Australian High Commission, the roundtable focussed on the opportunities that lay beyond in taking the initiative forward, bringing it up to scale and replicating the model to other sectors. Representatives from the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Education (MoE), and Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) were also part of the roundtable.

Federal Bank has joined hands with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch RuPay Wave Credit Card. The new card will help customers with the convenience of UPI-powered transactions on a robust RuPay network. It will seamlessly integrate the benefits and features of RuPay credit cards with the experience of UPI payments, ushering in a new era of simplicity and efficiency in digital transactions.

By leveraging the robust UPI infrastructure developed by NPCI, Federal Bank's cardholders can now link their RuPay Wave credit card to their preferred UPI applications, enabling swift and secure transactions with just a couple of clicks on their mobile devices. This is the simplest and easiest option for credit card users.

Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a wholly owned by Bharti Group, on June 19 announced the appointment of Akhil Gupta, currently the Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, as its new Chairman.

With over 40 years of professional experience, Gupta has played a crucial role in the growth of Bharti Airtel since its inception, the company said in a statement.

Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated leadership in forging strategic partnerships for Bharti with leading investors such as Warburg Pincus, Temasek, KKR, Qatar Foundation Endowment, AIF, and Sequoia Capital, the statement added.

Kalash Gupta, a computer science and engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, has been declared the winner of a global coding contest, TCS CodeVita, season 10 that saw the participation of over 100,000 contestants from 87 countries, said a press release issued by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

CodeVita holds the Guinness World Records title as the world’s largest computer programming competition. The first and second runner ups of the contest were from Chile and Taiwan respectively.