Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying was appointed as the vice foreign minister, according to an official announcement on Monday.

Hua was born in 1970 and graduated from Nanjing University. She has worked in the former Department of Western European Affairs, the Department of European Affairs, the Information Department, as well as at the Chinese Embassy in Singapore and the Chinese Mission to the EU, according to public records.

From 2012 to 2019, Hua served as the deputy director-general of the department of press, communication and public diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). She is also the fifth female spokesperson for the MFA, following Li Jinhua, Fan Huijuan, Zhang Qiyue, and Jiang Yu.

Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the leading state in terms of the addition of transmission lines by state transmission utilities in FY24, statistics released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) suggest.

In FY24, state utility Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (UPPTCL) added 1,460 ckm of transmission lines of 220kV or above. This was much ahead of the achievement by any other state utility. Second-ranking utility Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd (GETCO) ended FY24 with the addition of 898 ckm, state power department officials here on Thursday said.

Put together, state power utilities added 6,993 ckm of transmission lines in FY24, which represented about 64 per cent of the targeted 11,002 ckm. Most of the additions took place in the 220kV category.

Mukesh Ambani is set to enter Africa with a telecoms venture as he seeks to focus on mobile broadband customers. Bloomberg reported that a unit of Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Ltd.- Radisys Corp- will provide key network infrastructure, applications and smartphones for Ghana-based Next-Gen InfraCo. Citing Harkirit Singh, the executive director of NGIC, the report claimed that the plans will be announced soon as the company will begin operations by the end of this year.

NGIC will provide 5G broadband services to mobile operators and internet services providers in Ghana, he said, adding that the company “is based on a premise of building affordable digital services in emerging markets."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come forward to assist Kerala in a bid to alleviate the state from the economic crisis as the Centre has sanctioned borrowings up to Rs 21,253 crores.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar took to social media platform X to announce financial support from the Centre to Kerala.

In a post on X on Saturday, Chandrasekhar mentioned, "PM @narendramodiji's govt steps up to assist Kerala's economic crisis Government of India sanctions borrowings up to Rs 21,253 crores till December 2024....."

The Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana on Saturday took to X to announce the ban on gutkha and pan masala. It said: “The Commissioner of Food Safety has issued a notification prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of gutkha/pan masala which contains tobacco and nicotine, with effect from May 24, 2024’’.

‘’In exercise of the powers conferred under clause (a) of Sub-section (2) of Section 30 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 rcad with 2.3.4 of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation 2011 and in the interest of public health, Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana state hereby prohibits the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of gutkha and pan masala which contains tobacco and nicotine as an ingredient which are packed in sachets /pouches/package containers, or by whatever name it is called in the entire State of Telangana for a period of one year with effect from May 24, 2024,” the notification read.

For the upcoming occasion of International Yoga Day, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva and World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday organised a ‘Walk the Talk’ Yoga session event at Place des Nations. Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra joined by Director General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other senior officers of India delegation joined the event and re-energised themselves with yoga aasanas. 

To promote hydrogen and fuel cell technology for heavy-duty e-mobility, Indian Oil handed over a hydrogen fuel cell bus to the Indian Army at an event held at the National War Memorial on Monday in Delhi.

During the event, IndianOil also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army to pioneer the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell technology for heavy-duty e-mobility.

The initiative positions Indian Army as a pioneer in evaluating this technology in collaboration with IndianOil to improve future mobility in India.

The handing over and signing ceremony was held in the presence of General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff, S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil, and senior officials of IndianOil and the Indian Army.

World hunger has been a prevailing issue since the beginning of time. Since the time the world began, a large number of people have been suffering and failing to meet basic nutritional needs. Around 820 million people across the world suffer from hunger every day. This further leads to malnutrition, stunted growth, low immunity, becoming prone to diseases and ultimately, death. World hunger needs to be addressed as soon as possible to provide basic necessities to everyone around the world. Every year, World Hunger Day is observed to raise awareness about the silent struggle of many around the globe. 

Legendary Pakistani actor Talat Hussain died on Sunday, May 26 in Karachi following a prolonged illness. He was 83. Arts Council of Pakistani Karachi President Ahmed Shah confirmed the news, stating that he had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in the city.

Talat Hussain worked with actors Jeetendra and Rekha in the 1989 film 'Souten Ki Beti'. Confirming his death, Shah said, "An acclaimed actor like Talat Hussain is born after centuries."

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Wednesday said it has signed a deal with Kuwait’s commercial lender Burgan Bank to help modernise its core banking technology. The size and tenure of the deal were not disclosed.

“The bank will deploy TCS BaNCS to consolidate multiple standalone legacy applications into a contemporary universal banking solution that drives innovation and strengthens customer relationships,” TCS said in a statement.