Current Affairs

Rare Indian banknotes that survived 1918 shipwreck to be auctioned in London

A ship travelling from Bombay to London, carrying wine, marmlade and ammunition, sank in 1918 after being hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat.

Among the survivors were two Indian banknotes.

The two 10-rupee banknotes that had taken a dip in the sea in 1918, off the Irish coast, will now make a splash at an auction in London next Wednesday (May 29), according to PTI.

The auction at Noonans Mayfair auction house in London as a part of their World Banknotes sale, and can be sold off at 2,000 to 2,600 pounds.

The two 10-rupee banknotes, issued on May 25, 1918, were found on a ship called SS Shirala, which was wrecked by a German U-boat on July 2, 1918.



YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down after nine years

In a blog post, she said she had "decided to start a new chapter focused on my family, health and personal projects I'm passionate about."

YouTube's chief product officer, Neal Mohan, will take over as head of the Google-owned video platform.

"The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube," Ms Wojcicki said.

Ms Wojcicki added she would continue to work at YouTube in the "short term" to "support Neal and help with the transition."

In her blog, she praised Mr Mohan's work launching YouTube TV, as well as leading YouTube Music, Premium, and Shorts.



India 'sees' its third unicorn of 2024 in logistics services platform Porter

Homegrown logistics services platform Porter has likely become the third unicorn (with valuation of $1 billion and above) in India this year after a fresh internal round.

According to sources, the fresh round involved key individual investors who bought stock from the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) pool of the logistics provider, taking its valuation at $1 billion.

The company told IANS in a statement: "We do not comment on market speculation as a company policy."

Before Porter, India saw the birth of two unicorns -- Ola's Krutrim AI and fintech firm Perfios - this year amid global slowdown.



BRO’s Project Vijayak In Kargil Successfully Utilizes Indigenous REJUPAVE Road Construction Technology

In Ladakh, the Border Roads Organisation’s (BRO) Project Vijayak in Kargil has successfully utilized the indigenous REJUPAVE road construction technology. Developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, REJUPAVE was used to construct high-altitude bituminous roads in low and sub-zero temperatures on the Drass-Umbala-Sankoo Road, located in Drass, the world’s second coldest inhabited place.

REJUPAVE, an innovative asphalt modifier derived from biomass and renewable resources, lowers the heating requirements for bituminous mixes and maintains their temperature during transit. This technology was previously implemented by BRO to build road sections at the world’s highest Sela road tunnel and the LGG-Damteng-Yangste (LDY) road section near Arunachal Pradesh’s China border at 18,000 feet. Now, it has been successfully tested on the Drass-Umbala-Sankoo Road at an altitude of 13,000 feet.



Germany's Jenny Erpenbeck wins International Booker Prize

Erpenbeck's novel "Kairos" depicts a turbulent love story in the final years of communist East Germany. Translator Michael Hofmann has also been honored.

German author Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofmann on Tuesday won the International Booker Prize for fiction for the book "Kairos."

The book was chosen from 149 submissions for the UK-based award. The £50,000 ($64,000, €59,000) in prize money will be divided between the translator and the author.

Last year's winner was "Time Shelter" by Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov and translated by Angela Rodel.



DD Kisan To Launch AI Anchors Krish And Bhoomi

Doordarshan Kisan (DD KISAN) is going to become the first government TV channel of the country to launch two AI anchors – AI Krish and AI Bhoomi. Agriculture Ministry said DD Kisan is coming with a new look and a new style among the farmers of India on 26th May where the presentation of the channel is going to be in a new avtar. It said the AI anchors can speak in fifty languages and read news 24 hours and 365 days without getting tired.

The viewers will be able to see these anchors in all the states of the country. These AI anchors will provide necessary information about agricultural research in the country and global level, trends in Krishi Mandis, changes in the weather and information about government schemes.



Wheat procurement crosses last year’s total figure, Central Pool in 'comfortable position'

The procurement of wheat in this Rabi marketing season (RMS) 2024-25 has surpassed last year's total figure of 262 lakh tonne, with a total MSP outflow of Rs 59,715 crore, according to the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry.

262.48 lakh tonne of wheat has already been procured so far this year in the Central Pool, surpassing last year’s total procurement of 262.02 lakh tonne.

The Food Ministry said 22.31 lakh farmers have recieved the MSP benefit during the RMS 2024-25, with the highest wheat procurement contribution coming from Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.



India's 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' wins La Cinef prize at Cannes 2024

Indian filmmaker Chidananda S Naik's 'Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know' won the 1st prize of La Cinef for Best Short at Cannes 2024. Mansi Maheshwari's 'Bunnyhood' won the third prize in the same category. While 'Bunnyhood' is a UK film, it is made by an Indian from Meerut. The La Cinef awards were announced on May 23.

Cannes will allocate a grant of 15,000 euros for the first prize and 11,250 euros and 7,500 euros for the second and third prizes, respectively.



India To Get Next-Generation Nuclear Fuel from Russian

Russia has announced that it will supply next-generation nuclear fuel to its strategic partner this summer. The announcement was made by Alexey Likhachev, the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, during a visit by Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, to the Siberian region of Tomsk on Thursday.

During the visit, Likhachev showcased the site of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (PDEC) in Seversk, Tomsk region, which is part of the “Proryv” (“Breakthrough”) strategic industry project. He described the facility as hosting “the safest atomic reactor in history” and highlighted Russia’s readiness to significantly expand its cooperation with India in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.



Indian Cinematographer Santosh Sivan to receive prestigious Pierre Angénieux tribute at Cannes

Renowned Indian cinematographer Santosh Sivan is to be recognized with the prestigious Pierre Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography honour at the Cannes Film Festival 2024.

This accolade marks a significant moment for Sivan as he will become the first Asian to receive this honour, which celebrates outstanding contributions to the field of cinematography.

Preceded by a welcome dinner on May 23, the recognition will culminate in an honorary event on May 24.

On Wednesday, a conference was also held at Bharat Pavilion to celebrate the achievement of Sivan. Actor Aditi Rao Hydari was also present.