The fifth edition of Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX) 2024 started at Ambala, Haryana today. The aim of VINBAX-2024 is to enhance the joint military capability of both countries.

This edition marks a significant increase in the scope with Bi-Service level participation for the first time by personnel of the Army and Air Force from both countries. The Indian Army contingent comprises 47 personnel, represented by a Regiment of the Corps of Engineers along with personnel from other arms and services. VINBAX-2024 will conclude on the 23rd of this month.

India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, highlighted the deepening bilateral ties between India and Australia during the inauguration of a new Indian consulate in Brisbane on Monday. He described the opening as a “landmark moment” in the evolving partnership between the two nations.

The consulate is expected to play a vital role in addressing the needs of the expanding Indian community in Queensland, where a considerable number of Indian students are pursuing higher education.

Jaishankar referred to the Indian diaspora as a “living bridge” between India and Australia, highlighting their contributions to Australia’s vibrant, multicultural society.

“We have a million-strong Indian diaspora, and certainly, they are making their contribution to the vibrant and multicultural society here,” he said.

Cairn Oil & Gas, part of Vedanta Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding with United Nations Environment Programme's flagship methane reporting and mitigation initiative - Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0, making it the first oil and gas producer in India to commit to effective reduction of methane emissions.

OGMP 2.0 established a comprehensive framework that includes best practices for emissions management and a robust reporting system. It emphasises accurate measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of methane emissions to drive reductions effectively.

"Under this MoU, Cairn will establish a 5-year methane reduction target and transparently report its progress to OGMP. This would enable Cairn to analyse its emission profiles and utilise the data to mitigate emissions cost-effectively. With this partnership, Cairn reaffirms its commitment to accelerate its efforts towards becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2030," the company said in a statement.

Leading commodity exchange MCX on Friday said Praveena Rai has assumed office as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for a five-year term.

Rai took charge on October 31, the exchange said in a statement.

She succeeds P S Reddy, who completed his five-year tenure in May 2024.

Prior to joining MCX, Rai served as the CEO at National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), where she spearheaded marketing, business development, product management, and operations strategy.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the global economy today—fundamentally reinventing labour markets, industries, and societal dynamics, which have thereby brought both opportunities and challenges.

As there’s growing adoption of AI, a forecast by Grand View Research highlights that the global AI market size is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.6% from 2024 to 2030.

IMF highlights this will result in advanced economies experiencing its benefits and pitfalls sooner than the emerging market and developing economies, primarily owing to their employment structure focused on cognitive-intensive roles.

New Delhi may be looking east, at Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto, as chief guest for its Republic Day 2025 celebrations, sources said. A number of high-level interactions with the new Indonesian government and defence deals are on the anvil, besides a possible invitation to the Indonesian military to participate in the parade.

While a formal invitation to President Subianto, a retired General and the former Defence Minister (2019-2024), is awaited, the sources said preparations are under way for a meeting between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brazil later this month, where they are expected to discuss the possibility.

In a number of early outreaches, the government has already engaged the new government of Mr. Subianto, who was sworn in with his Vice-President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, on October 20. Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita flew to Jakarta to attend the inauguration, and is understood to have extended an invitation for an “early visit” to the new President. On October 23, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, where he said he had congratulated the Minister on his new assignment and “discussed further strengthening our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

The first science result from the Aditya-L1 mission, India’s first scientific mission dedicated to studying the Sun, is out.

Scientists who developed Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) onboard Aditya-L1 precisely estimated the onset time of a coronal mass ejection that erupted on the Sun on July 16. VELC is the spacecraft’s primary payload.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched Aditya-L1 on September 2, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The spacecraft’s VELC payload was developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAp), Bengaluru.

India’s Atanu Das has bagged Bronze medal in Swiss Open Indoor Archery in Lausanne, Switzerland. Olympian Atanu Das defeated Switzerland’s Thomas Rufer 6-4 in the Recurve Men’s Bronze medal match.

Earlier in the Semifinals, Atanu faced a defeat against Romain Fichet of France 4-6. Romain clinched the silver while Italy’s Alessandro Paoli clinched the gold.

The 2025 Indoor Archery World Series kicked off on Friday, featuring over 300 archers from 31 countries. The Swiss Open includes both recurve and compound divisions. There will be six events held during the 2025 season 1, starting in November 2024 and ending in March 2025.

The 14th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championship kicks off today, at Chennai’s Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium. Running until November 16, the tournament will see 31 teams, divided into eight pools, battling for the title. In the league stage, teams will face off within their pools, with the top team from each pool advancing to the Quarter-Finals on November 13.

The Semi-Finals are set for November 15, followed by the Final and a 3rd/4th place play-off on November 16. The opening matches featured exciting clashes, including Uttar Pradesh Hockey vs. Kerala Hockey and Hockey Karnataka vs. Hockey Uttarakhand. Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming tournament. He said this championship provides a platform for showcasing the best talent from across the country.

India delivered an impressive performance at the Under-19 World Boxing Championships in Colorado, USA, securing 17 medals, including four golds, across the men’s and women’s categories. The Indian squad, featuring 19 boxers, 9 men and 10 women, saw 12 athletes reach the finals, with every female boxer winning a medal.

The four gold medalists included Hemant Sangwan, the only male champion, and female champions Krisha Verma, Parthavi Grewal, and Vanshika Goswami. Of the medalists, 11 were Khelo India athletes, eight of whom trained at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Center of Excellence (NCOE) Rohtak, which claimed 10 medals overall. NCOE Aurangabad contributed one gold by Krisha Verma. India now looks to further establish itself in boxing, hoping for the sport’s inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.