The 6^th India-UK Science & Innovation Council (SIC) meeting held in New Delhi today discussed a range of issues on S&T cooperation between the two countries .Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences & Environment, Forests and Climate Change, India and Mr. Sam Gyimah, Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, UK led the Indian and UK delegations respectively.

Noting the success of the Newton Bhabha partnership through which India and UK are jointly delivering cutting edge science and Technology solutions to societal challenges, Dr. Harsh Vardhan expressed the need to establish few more Network Centres in areas such as Cyber Physical System- Artificial Intelligence, digital Economy, health technologies, cyber security and promoting clean growth, smart urbanization, future mobility and environment.

Dr. Vardhan stressed upon both the countries to expeditiously take forward the UK India tech partnership announced by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Theresa May during PM’s Modi’s visit to the UK in April and also welcomed the UK proposal for FutureTech Festival scheduled at New Delhi later this year.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and citizen engagement platform MyGov have launched the online portal ‘Innovate India Platform’.

Through the portal, users can view, comment, share, and rate the innovations crowdsourced on the #InnovateIndia platform, according to an official statement.

They can view the leaderboard which is calculated based on the votes on each innovation. Citizens can also share their or other organisations’ innovation on the platform by logging into the MyGov website. These innovations can also be shared on various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter.

R Ramanan, Mission Director, AIM under NITI Aayog that promotes innovation, said in the statement that the #InnovateIndia MyGov-AIM portal creates the much-needed innovations platform for registering both grassroots and deep-tech innovators at a national level.

“Those searching for a critical innovation can leverage the portal for the benefit of the economy as well as national social needs,” he added.

MANILA: Two Indians -- one a psychiatrist who works for the mentally-ill street persons and another whose initiative to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress improved the lives of the Ladakhi youth - were today declared the winners of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Bharat Vaswani and Sonam Wangchuk are among six individuals who were declared winners of the award, regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize.

Vaswani was recognised for "his tremendous courage and healing compassion in embracing India's mentally-afflicted destitute, and his steadfast and magnanimous dedication to the work of restoring and affirming the human dignity of even the most ostracized," the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said in its citation for the winner.

Vaswani, who is based in Mumbai, and his wife started an informal operation of bringing mentally-ill street persons to their private clinic for treatment, leading them to establish Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation in 1988, aimed at rescuing mentally-ill persons living on the streets; providing free shelter, food, and psychiatric treatment; and reuniting them with their families.

Wangchuk, 51, was recognised for "his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world," the citation said.

Wangchuck was a 19-year-old engineering student at the National Institute of Technology in Srinagar when he went into tutoring to finance his schooling and help woefully unprepared students pass the national college matriculation exams.

Bharti Airtel-owned telecom tower company Bharti Infratel Limited said on Monday it has got an approval from the Competition Commission of India to merge with Indus Towers Limited.

Indus Towers is 42 per cent owned by Bharti Infratel and Vodafone each, while Idea Cellular Limited holds 11.15 per cent. The rest is held by private equity firm Providence.

It is the largest tower company in India with around 27 per cent market share.

“Pursuant to Regulation 30 of Sebi Regulations, we are pleased to inform you that the approval of the Competition Commission of India has been received for the proposed merger of Bharti Infratel Limited and Indus Towers Limited,” the company said in a stock filing.

As per the deal, Bharti Infratel will offer 1,565 shares for every one share of Indus Towers.

The 10th BRICS Summit is all set to begin at Johannesburg on 25th July. The Summit will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other heads of the BRICS Nations, viz Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

The summit is being held at a time when the global trade exhibits a war-like scenario. As estimated by the International Monetary Fund, the unilateral trade actions taken by the United States President Donald Trump could cost the world $430 billion by 2020.

BRICS summit this year is expected to witness a lot of actions. It is expected that China will protest the protectionist measures of Donald Trump, as it has suffered the most due to Trump’s actions. India. India will protest against the protectionism, without naming the US.

India shall also raise the issue of setting up a BRICS rating agency, for which it had presented a feasibility study in BRICS Summit 2016. India had argued that the S&P, Fitch and Moody’s methodology is not free from bias.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for cumulative co-operation from the BRICS nation in connection with issues like cross-border terrorism, joint action on money laundering, terrorist financing, cyberspace, and deradicalization.

Other issues like Cooperation in the areas of counterterrorism, UN reforms, cybersecurity, energy security and global and regional issues might also be discussed at the BRICS Summit.

NEW DELHI: 

An Indian Air Force contingent landed at the Darwin Air Force Base in Australia on Tuesday to participate in a multinational air exercise, the IAF said in a statement.

The IAF contingent comprised of four Su-30 MKI fighter jets, one C-130 and one C-17 transporter aircraft, it said.

Exercise Pitch Black, a biennial large force employment warfare exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), involves over 100 aircraft from around the globe and will provide a unique opportunity to the air-warriors to operate in a dynamic warlike environment.

"After the recently-concluded Exercise Gaganshakti-2018, the IAF's engagement with the Indonesian and the Malayasian Air Forces and participation in the Exercise Pitch Black-18 in Australia, the IAF will once again showcase its capability to be an effective net security provider in the region," it said in a statement.

Navigating across the ocean, precise air-to-air engagement with tanker aircraft and ability to operate over the international airspace reaffirms that the Indian Air Force would always play the cutting edge of our nation's military capability, the statement added.

As part of the commonwealth countries, India and Australia have always enjoyed amicable bilateral relations. The air forces of both the countries have participated in the World War II.

Tata AIA Life Monday announced the appointment of Rishi Srivastava as the new Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director starting August 1, 2018, subject to regulatory approval.

Srivastava will take over from current Chief Executive Officer Naveen Tahilyani who takes over as Chief Executive Officer, Group Partnership Distribution, AIA Group, Hong Kong.

Srivastava is currently Chief of Proprietary Channels, Product, Marketing & Corporate Communication at Tata AIA. He has more than twenty years’ experience in finance and insurance. He was previously Chief Agency Officer at ICICI Prudential, before moving to ICICI Bank as General Manager, and then on to AXA as Director of the Agency business in Jakarta.  He joined Tata AIA in 2016.

Washington: As trade frictions mount among the world's major economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Tuesday that large trade surpluses in Germany and China together with the large US deficit could exacerbate that conflict.

But in a message that seemed directed largely at US President Donald Trump, the IMF once again warned against using protectionist trade measures, calling this a "slippery slope" that could harm growth without resolving the problem.

In addition, Trump's own policies are driving some of the issues he has complained about: US fiscal stimulus-- like the massive tax cut approved in December -- "is leading to a tightening in monetary conditions, a stronger US dollar and a larger US current account deficit," the IMF said.

Those are precisely the developments Trump railed against on Twitter last week, breaking with longstanding tradition to chastise the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates, which has caused the dollar to strengthen.

Trump has pursued a multifront trade confrontation with key economies, especially China, but also has singled out Germany, and the European Union in general, for treating the US "unfairly." The tariffs he imposed have angered trading partners and prompted swift retaliation.

He also accused the EU and China of keeping their currencies artificially weak to make their exports more competitive.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched a contest, #Childline1098, inviting people to share images of the Childline 1098 logo that they spot at unique locations and send it with a tagline, to mark World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30.

      CHILDLINE is India's first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance. At present, it is operational at 450 locations. As Railways often act as carriers of trafficked children, the Ministry signed an MoU with the Ministry of Railways to rescue and rehabilitate runaway, abandoned, kidnapped and trafficked children via Railways. The Ministry launched an awareness campaign via posters in railway coaches in November, 2015, and around 2 lakh posters have been put in trains which caution passengers about children around them who may need protection.

"Whether you are a concerned adult or a child, you can dial 1098, the toll free number to access our services. We not only respond to the emergency needs of children but also link them to services for their long-term care and rehabilitation," said Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Hon'ble Union Minister for Women and Child Development, while adding that such online contests were a means to connect with citizens and engage them in spreading information about this great initiative towards curbing trafficking.
            To familiarise children with Childline 1098, Smt. Gandhi had earlier requested Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon'ble Union Minister for Human Resource Development, to popularise it through the National Council Of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) publications and screening of educational films on child sexual abuse in schools. Based on the request, NCERT has published the information regarding Childline (1098) on the back side of the front cover of all course books from Class 6 to Class 12.

            In order to address various aspects of trafficking in terms of its prevention, protection and rehabilitation of victims, the Ministry drafted the comprehensive Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection & Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, which was approved by the Cabinet in February, 2018, and is expected to be approved by the Parliament in the Monsoon Session.

New Delhi: India and Rwanda reviewed their entire gamut of bilateral ties and signed eight agreements across different sectors during the course of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the East African nation, the External Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.

“During the talks, both leaders reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and expressed satisfaction at the excellent relations between Rwanda and India in the overall context of Strategic Partnership,” the ministry said in a statement following delegation-level talks chaired by Modi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali on Monday.

Ties between India and Rwanda were elevated to that of a Strategic Partnerhsip in January last year.

According to the statement, Modi highlighted the fact that Rwanda would house the first of the 18 new resident Indian missions to be opened in Africa in 2018 and this underlined the importance attached by India to its relations with Rwanda.

Stating that India and Rwanda were looking forward to further elevate their ties, Modi, while addressing the media with Kagame following Monday’s talks, said: “This (opening the new mission) will not only facilitate close communication among our governments, it will also help in consular, passport, visa and other facilities.”

Agreements in the area of trade, defence, dairy cooperation, agriculture, culture, leather and allied sectors and two lines of credit worth $200 million for expansion of the special economic zone and irrigation scheme were signed.

“Prime Minister appreciated the effective utilisation of $400 million lines of credit extended to Rwanda in the last few years,” the ministry statement said.

In his address, Modi appreciated the steps for peace that have been adopted in Rwanda following the mass genocide in that country in 1994.

Around 500,000 to one million people were killed in the mass genocide against the Tutsi people by the majority Hutu government of that time.

“For us, it is a matter pride that India is a trusted development partner of Rwanda,” Modi said.

“We have been helping Rwanda in capacity building, infrastructure development and ICT,” he said.

According to the ministry statement, Modi complemented President Kagame for the important role played by him as African Union Chair in finalising the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement that has been signed by 44 countries as of March 21, 2018.

“He expressed hope that his leadership will guide the African Union in furthering economic integration of the continent,” it stated.

“He indicated India’s willingness to continue to strengthen relations with African Union.”

Following the talks, Modi also interacted with the Indian community in Rwanda and invited them to visit India for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in January 2019.

Members of the Indian community of neighbouring states had also travelled for this interaction with the Prime Minister.

On Tuesday, the second and concluding day of his visit, Modi visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial honouring the memory of the 1994 genocide victims and laid a wreath there.

Thereafter, he visited the Rwera model village and gifted 200 diary cows to the villagers as part of the Rwandan government’s Girinka programme for economic development.

Girinka was initiated by President Kagame in response to the alarmingly high rate of childhood malnutrition and as a way to accelerate poverty reduction and integrate livestock and crop farming.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi appreciated the Girinka programme, and Kagame’s initiative in this regard.

According to the External Affairs Ministry, he said people in India too would be pleasantly surprised to see the cow being given such importance as a means of economic empowerment in villages, in faraway Rwanda.

The Prime Minister also announced gifting of 100,000 books of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) books, setting up of the Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Kigali which would provide training to youth of Rwanda for enhancing their skills in a variety of sectors, fully funded 25 slots for short-term training in the field of dairy production and processing, contribution of $10,000 each to the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Imbuto Foundation run by the First Lady of Rwanda towards the education of the girl child.