Google on August 15 announced it is extending its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search experience, AI Overviews, to consumers in India and five other countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil.

In India, the feature will be available in English and Hindi languages in the coming weeks, along with India-first features such as the ability to listen to search responses and toggle between English and Hindi results, both of which were piloted in the country last year.

This rollout comes more than two months after the search experience was introduced in the United States, following its announcement at the company's annual developer conference Google I/O 2024 on May 14.

At launch, Google stated that it was introducing AI overviews after nearly a year of experimenting with a generative AI-powered search experience called Search Generative Experience (SGE) in a few markets, including India. The feature provides consumers a quick AI-generated summary of a topic along with links to go deeper, at the top of the search results.

The government on Wednesday appointed acting Enforcement Directorate chief Rahul Navin as full-time director of the anti-money laundering agency for two years.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, in a statement dated August 14, confirmed his appointment as the new Director of Enforcement in the Directorate of Enforcement.

His appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of the position and will last for a period of two years or until further orders are issued.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Rahul Navin, IRS (IT:93074), Special Director, ED as Director of Enforcement in the Directorate of Enforcement for a period of two years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the DoPT statement read.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Wednesday appointed 1989-Sikkim cadre IAS officer Govind Mohan as the next Home Secretary. Mohan will replace Ajay Kumar Bhalla upon completion of his tenure on August 22. Mohan is currently posted as Secretary in the Ministry of Culture.

Bhalla, a 1984-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was appointed as Home Secretary in August 2019.

Mohan, who holds an electrical engineering degree from BHU-IIT Varanasi, has served as Union Culture Secretary since October 2021 and had two stints in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the past.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced England seamer Gus Atkison and Sri Lanka all rounder Chamari Athapaththu as ‘Players of the month’ for July on Monday, August 12. Notably, Atkison had a brilliant start to his Test career as he played a pivotal role in England’s 3-0 whitewash over West Indies and helped them win the Botham Richards Trophy.

Atkison started his Test career with a bang registering the second best figues by an England bowler on debut at home picking 7/45 in the first Test at Lord’s. He ended up picking another five wicket haul in the second innings (5/61) finishing the match with figures of 12/106. As a result, he registered the third best match figures by an England bowler on debut and was deservedly awarded Player of the Match.

The 26-year-old finished as the highest wicket taker of the series with 22 wickets to his name from six innings at an average of 16.22 and an economy of 4.01. Courtesy of his performance, he was also adjudged Player of the Series.

Former Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra assumed charge as the Ambassador of India to the United States on Tuesday. Kwatra succeeds India’s former envoy to the United States, BJP leader Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

“Privileged to assume charge as the Ambassador of India to the United States of America. Team @IndianEmbassyUS will continue to work intensely to strengthen this crucial partnership,” Kwatra said in a post on X.

Sripriya Ranganathan, Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., welcomed the new Ambassador to the US, stating, “Delighted to welcome Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new Ambassador of India to the United States of America. All of us @IndiainUSA are excited to work under his leadership!”

On July 14, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar bid farewell to outgoing Foreign Secretary Kwatra, acknowledging his profound contributions to India’s foreign policy and national security over the past decade. Jaishankar praised Kwatra for his strategic acumen in shaping and executing crucial policies during his tenure.

A total of 1,037 police personnel will be awarded Police Medals on the occasion of the 78th Independence Day.

The Central government on Wednesday announced 1,037 medals for police, fire, prison, home guard, and civil defence personnel of Central and state police forces on the eve of Independence Day. Out of 208 gallantry awards, 52 have been awarded to the personnel deployed in Left-wing extremism areas, 31 in the Jammu and Kashmir region, and 17 to those from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The list published by the Union Home Ministry includes one President’s Medal for Gallantry, 213 Police Medals for Gallantry, 94 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service, and 729 Police Medals for Meritorious Service. Among the recipients are officers recognised for exceptional dedication and bravery, with some receiving posthumous honours for their sacrifice in the line of duty.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, once again classified Mpox as a global public health emergency. This comes after a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the virus spreading to neighboring countries.

Mpox is a viral infection typically spread through close contact. While usually mild, it can be fatal in rare instances. Symptoms include flu-like illness and a rash of pus-filled lesions.

The WHO's declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is its highest level of alert. Designating a disease outbreak as a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC), the WHO can expedite research, funding, and global public health efforts to control and contain the disease.

Morne Morkel, former South Africa speedster, has been appointed as India’s men’s cricket team’s bowling coach. Morkel’s appointment completes trio suggested by the new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Jay Shah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, confirmed that Morkel will join for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19. The Hindu understands that Morkel will arrive in India in time ahead of the weeklong preparatory camp in Chennai, likely to begin from September 10.

Morkel, after having been Gambhir’s teammate at the Indian Premier League franchisee Kolkata Knight Riders, was roped in as the bowling coach by Lucknow Super Giants during Gambhir’s stint as the mentor.

Besides his experience as bowling coach in franchise cricket across the globe, Morkel also worked as the bowling coach of Pakistan men’s team during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

With the aim of promoting kabaddi on a global level, the first-ever Global Women’s Kabaddi League is scheduled to take place in September 2024.

The League, known as the Global Pravasi Women’s Kabaddi League (GPKL), will bring together women athletes from over 15 nations in a first-of-its-kind tournament. This event marks a significant step towards promoting kabaddi on the international stage, furthering the goal of including kabaddi in the Olympic Games, and supporting India’s bid to host the landmark event in 2036.

The League is organized by the Holistic International Pravasi Sports Association (HIPSA) in collaboration with World Kabaddi. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed between HIPSA and the Government of Haryana. The League is set to launch in Haryana, focusing on promoting and developing women’s kabaddi globally.

The Global Pravasi Women’s Kabaddi League will feature teams from over 15 countries. Athletes from diverse backgrounds, including nations like England, Poland, Argentina, Canada, and Italy, have expressed interest in participating in the League.

India’s net direct tax collection, with refunds adjusted, grew 22.5 per cent to Rs 6.93 trillion between April 1 and August 11 of FY25.

In the same period last year, tax collection was at Rs 5.65 trillion, according to the Income-Tax (I-T) Department’s latest data released on Monday.

Of the tax mop-up, personal income-tax (PIT) outpaced corporation tax. PIT stood at Rs 4.47 trillion (net) as against Rs 3.44 trillion in the same period a year ago.

Corporation tax reported at Rs 2.2 trillion, an increase of 5.7 per cent, which is lower than the growth rate of 12 per cent set for this financial year.