Manika Batra made history as the first Indian table tennis player to reach the pre-quarterfinals of any singles event at the Olympics. The 29-year-old triumphed over France’s world No. 18, Prithika Pavade, commanding the match from start to finish with scores of 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, and 11-7. This victory earned her a place in the Round of 16, where she will face either Hong Kong’s Zhu Chengzhu or Japan’s Miu Hirano.

This match marked a significant achievement in Indian table tennis at the Olympics. Manika had previously reached the round of 32 at the Tokyo Olympics and improved on that performance on Monday.

In the opening game, Batra overcame a two-point deficit to win 11-9. She then comfortably claimed the second game with a five-point lead, 11-6. Despite Pavade’s resilience in the third game, Batra secured another 11-9 victory.

In the fourth game, Batra started strong, quickly gaining a 5-1 lead. However, Pavade rallied to take the lead at 6-5. The lead exchanged hands several times, and Pavade eventually took the game 11-9, staging a significant comeback.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav launched today Ideas4LiFE for inviting ideas related to products and services, which induce behavioral changes related to environment-friendly lifestyles in the presence of Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Shri Yadav called upon the fraternity of students, research scholars, faculty and innovators to come up with innovative and out of box ideas, which will work towards fulfillment of the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister for mindful and deliberate utilization of resources.

Interacting with participants and students at the launch event of Ideas4LiFE, Shri Yadav said this initiative aims to encourage and motivate students, faculty and research scholars to contribute their innovative ideas to the global initiative of Mission LiFE. He said this is a remarkable opportunity for inspired minds to participate in global movement dedicated to environmental sustainability.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has been honored with the GEEF Global WaterTech Award under the category ‘Water Department of the Year’ at the prestigious Global Water Tech Summit -2024 organized by the Global Energy and Environment Foundation (GEEF) in New Delhi.

The Global Energy and Environment Foundation acknowledged the Central Water Commission's (CWC) pivotal role in hydro-meteorological data collection, flood forecasting, reservoir storage monitoring, water quality monitoring, coastal area management, appraisal and monitoring of water resources projects, and resolving inter-state water issues.

The Global Awards recognizes the most important achievements in the water sector in several categories to honor and reward initiatives in the water, wastewater, and desalination sectors on innovation, technology, conservation, and sustainable development.

Additionally foundation recognized several new initiatives taken by CWC like interactions with the Water Resources/ Irrigation/ Jal Shakti Departments of all the States/ UTs to enhance synergy in the works being done by CWC and those undertaken by the States/ UTs in various areas related to Water Resources.

Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner in Venezuela's presidential election Sunday, even as his opponents were preparing to dispute the results, setting up a high-stakes showdown that will determine whether the South American nation transitions away from one party rule.

Shortly after midnight, the National Electoral Council said Maduro secured 51% of the vote, overcoming the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González, who garnered 44%.

But the electoral authority, which is controlled by Maduro loyalists, didn't immediately release the tallies from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, hampering the opposition's ability to challenge the results after claiming it had data for only 30% of the ballot boxes.

Foreign leaders held off recognizing the results as the electoral council promised to release official tallies in the "coming hours."

India accounts for nearly half of the world’s digital payments, holding a 48.5 percent share in global real-time payment volumes, according to a report released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday. The report also underscores India’s leadership in global remittances, receiving USD 115.3 billion in 2023.

“India is leading the world with a share of 48.5 percent in global real-time payments volume. Global remittances that are increasingly being affected through mobile money and digital platforms are estimated to have increased to USD 857.3 billion in 2023, led by India (USD 115.3 billion),” said the report.

The digital economy currently makes up about a tenth of India’s GDP and is expected to grow to a fifth of GDP by 2026, based on growth rates observed over the past decade.

The IAEA and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) will launch a new series of joint activities to enhance collaboration, following an agreement signed during the recent UN High Level Political Forum in New York. The agreement, which includes joint workshops, outreach events and a new publication, will link the IAEA more closely with an international community of South-South practitioners.

“South-South cooperation is at the heart of the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme, as it is key to enhancing impact and ensuring sustainable development. We look forward to strengthening our ties with UNOSSC to widen the reach of our activities and support offered through South-South cooperation,” said Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation.

Master Mathan (91), Badaga leader and former BJP MP, passed away late on Friday night due to age related issues after a brief illness at his residence in Balaji Garden in Press Colony.

He is survived by his wife and three children. Mathan represented the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency from 1998 to 1999.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of former MP Master Mathan in the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for primary (urban) co-operative banks to give more focus on larger UCBs that require more intensive monitoring by optimal utilisation of supervisory resources. The PCA framework will replace the supervisory action framework (SAF) established as an early intervention tool to improve weak UCBs.

RBI said the PCA framework had been suitably harmonised with similar frameworks applicable to scheduled commercial banks and non-banking financial companies, with suitable modifications considering the underlying principle of proportionality. In a statement, RBI stated that the revised framework seeks to provide flexibility to design entity-specific supervisory action plans based on the assessment of risks on a case-by-case basis. RBI said that the hard-coded limit of ₹25,000 for restrictions on capital expenditure by UCBs under SAF has been dispensed with.

The PCA framework has been made applicable to all UCBs in Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 categories, except UCBs under All Inclusive Directions (AID). Tier 1 UCBs have been excluded from the PCA framework for the present. However, they will continue to be subjected to enhanced monitoring under the extant supervisory framework.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMP Kolkata), in alliance with Pacific International Lines (PIL), a leader in feeder and container services for over three decades, has announced the inauguration of the China Calcutta Service (CCS) at the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) recently.

According to an official statement, this pioneering direct weekly service from China to Kolkata meets the increasing demand for reduced transit times from the Far East Ports to Kolkata, enhancing connectivity and efficiency for our stakeholders.

The CCS will feature three dedicated vessels – Kota Ria, Kota Rukun, and Kota Rakiyat – each with an average parcel load of 622 TEUs, specially tailored to navigate lower draft conditions. This service promises a transit period of just 10 to 12 days, significantly enhancing logistical efficiency and meeting the needs of customers in India and Nepal.

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has secured a letter of intent (LOI) from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) to construct two 800 MW thermal power station in Koderma district, Jharkhand.

The project, valued at over Rs 10,000 crore, involves setting up thermal power units on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis.

BHEL's scope of work includes supplying equipment such as boilers, turbines, generators, and associated auxiliaries, along with electrical and C&I systems, and balance of plant packages. The company will also handle erection, commissioning, and civil works for the project.

The project has to be completed within a period of 52 months.