Maria Branyas, world's oldest person, passed away at the age of 117 in a Spanish nursing home, as confirmed by her official X account on Tuesday.

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” read a post on her X account, which is managed by her daughter.

Guinness World Records (GWR) also issued a statement confirming that she passed away at the age of 117 years and 168 days. “Maria passed away peacefully at the nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where she had lived for the past two decades,” the GWR statement read, noting that she died on Monday.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is chairing the meeting to review the performance of public sector banks on various parameters in New Delhi. Secretary, Department of Financial Services Dr. Vivek Joshi, Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Public Sector Banks, and other senior officials are attending the meeting.

During the meeting, Ms. Sitharaman, along with other participants, will review deposit growth, the credit-to-deposit ratio, and asset quality, which are vital indicators of the banks’ health.

The Finance Minister will also evaluate the performance of public sector banks under government initiatives such as PM Awas Yojana, PM Surya Ghar, and PM Vishwakarma schemes. This is Ms. Sitharaman’s first review meeting of such banks after assuming charge as Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister in the Modi 3.0 government. In the evening, Finance Minister Sitharaman will also review the performance of regional rural banks.

Ashok Kumar Singh, IAS, took over charge as Director General of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt of India at its headquarters in New Delhi on Monday.

Ashok Kumar Singh is an IAS Officer of the 1999 batch of Kerala cadre. Earlier, he worked as a Principal Secretary, the Water Resources Department, Govt. of Kerala.

He has vast experience in governance and management of District and State level organisations.

At the centre level, he has served as the Executive Director in the National Mission for Clean Ganga, as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and as Director of Ministry of Finance in the Govt. of India also.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers, JP Nadda inaugurated the 'First Policy Makers' Forum', here on Monday, which will run until August 22.

To elevate India's position in the global pharmaceutical sector, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Ministry of External Affairs, hosted an international delegation of policymakers and drug regulators from 15 countries.

The forum featured the launch of innovative digital platforms for pharmacopoeia and drug safety monitoring.

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General S. Padmanabhan passed away at his residence in Chennai on Sunday. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday. General Padmanabhan, who was the COAS between September 2000 and December 2002, was 83, and is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son.

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks of the Army offered their tributes and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, a statement from the Army said.

“Known affectionately as ‘Paddy’ among his peers, Gen. Padmanabhan’s legacy is marked by his commitment to the welfare of soldiers, modernisation of the Army and strategic vision,” the Army said. General Padmanabhan led the Army during the crucial period of ‘Operation Parakram’.

In a forward-looking initiative, the Indian Army convened a formal interaction with senior veteran officers Shaurya Sampravah 1.0, at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi.

Spearheaded by General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), this represents a major step towards harnessing the rich experience and insights of the veteran community to shape the future of the Indian Army and contribute to the nation's growth.

General Upendra Dwivedi, in his remarks, welcomed the veterans, expressing profound gratitude for their continued service to the nation, both in uniform and beyond. He emphasised that this maiden interaction is not just a meeting but a significant platform for the confluence of ideas and thoughts between the Army's current leadership and its veteran community.

Sanskrit is one of the most ancient languages. It is said that it is the language of Gods. With changing times, people have left Sanskrit far behind. Like other languages, it is important to keep the status of this language high. For this very reason, Sanskrit Day is celebrated. According to the Hindu calendar, World Sanskrit Day is celebrated every year on the day of Shravan Purnima. This year, Sanskrit Day is on Monday, 19 August. This day is the last Monday of Sawan along with Raksha Bandhan. This day is a special day dedicated to celebrating the glory of the Sanskrit language and promoting it. Let us tell you that Sanskrit Day has a different theme every year. Let us know here about the theme of the year 2024. Along with this, we will also know why and since when Sanskrit Day is celebrated. Not only this, here we have also brought for you special wishes messages, quotes, shayari, poems and photos of Sanskrit Day.

Sadbhavana Diwas, meaning ‘Harmony Day’, is observed every year on August 20 to mark the birth anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. This day serves as a reminder of his vision for a peaceful, prosperous, and united India.

Sadbhavana Diwas was first observed on August 20, 1992, following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister of India in 1984, taking office during a time of significant turmoil, after the assassination of his mother, Indira Gandhi. His tenure as the youngest Prime Minister of India was marked by a forward-thinking approach to governance, with a strong emphasis on national integration and communal harmony.

Rajiv Gandhi recognised the importance of unity in a country as diverse as India. He believed that India’s progress was closely linked to the collective efforts of its citizens, regardless of their caste, creed, or religion. To honour his memory and the ideals he stood for, the Indian National Congress, the political party he led, along with various organisations and government institutions, established Sadbhavana Diwas. This day is dedicated to promoting the values of peace, unity, and harmony.

In pursuance of the Union Budget 2024-25 announcement by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to simplify rules and regulations for Foreign Direct Investment and Overseas Investment, as one of the initiatives, the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, has amended Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 vide notification dated 16.08.2024.

The amendments aim to simplify cross-border share swaps and provide for the issue or transfer of Indian company equity instruments in exchange for foreign company equity instruments. This will facilitate the global expansion of Indian companies through mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives, enabling them to reach new markets and grow their presence worldwide. Another key change brings further clarity on the treatment of downstream investments made by Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)-owned entities on a non-repatriation basis, aligning it with the treatment of Non-Resident Indian (NRI)-owned entities.

The government has finalised a tender document to procure 1,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) as part of its ambitious IndiaAI Mission and offer computing capacity to Indian start-ups, researchers, public sector agencies and other entities approved by the government, The Indian Express has learnt. A requirement of data localisation has also been considered in the tender.

The move is part of the Rs 10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission to establish a computing capacity of more than 10,000 GPUs and also help develop foundational models with a capacity of more than 100 billion parameters trained on datasets covering major Indian languages for priority sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and governance. The idea is that if such an infrastructure exists in the country, start-ups could plug into it for developing AI systems.