Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, and Deputy Chair of the Global System of Mobile Communication or GSMA, an industry body representing the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, has been appointed as the Acting Chair of the Board. The elevation was following the resignation of José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica, from the post.

Gopal Vittal, who was recently re-elected as Deputy Chair of the GSMA Board, has previously served as a key member during the 2019-2020 term.

“Following the announcement that José Maria Álvares-Pallete resigned from his position as Chairman & CEO of Telefónica, he is no longer able to continue in the position of Chair of the GSMA Board of Directors. The GSMA is grateful for his contribution to the organisation and to the industry overall. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel Group and GSMA’s Deputy Chair, will be Acting Chair of the GSMA Board until the Board elects a new chair after MWC Barcelona,” said GSMA in a press note.

Reserve Bank of India has informed that the total value of 2000 rupee banknotes in circulation dropped to 6,577 crore rupees as of 31st of last month. In a statement, RBI has clarified that 98.15 per cent of the 3.56 lakh crore worth of currency notes in circulation in May 2023 have been returned to the system.

The RBI announced the withdrawal of 2000 rupee notes on 19th May 2023, urging citizens to deposit or exchange them at banks by 7th October 2023. While the 2000 rupee note remains legal tender, RBI has reminded the public that they can still deposit or exchange the notes at any of the 19 RBI Issue Offices through India Post.

The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit—WAVES 2025 will unveil AI-powered solutions for combating misinformation in live broadcasting. The Electronics and IT Ministry said that the upcoming TruthTell Hackathon challenge, part of the inaugural WAVES, is a pioneering initiative that will bring much-needed solutions in live broadcasting.

The hackathon carries a prize pool of 10 lakh rupees, with developers, data scientists, and media professionals called upon to create AI-driven tools for real-time misinformation detection and fact verification. The winning teams will receive cash prizes, mentorship opportunities, and incubation support from leading tech professionals. The ministry mentioned that to date, the hackathon has received overwhelming interest, with over 5,600 registrations globally, including 36 per cent participation from women.

The TruthTell Hackathon challenge was earlier announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and is being organised, in collaboration with the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA).

The government today said the Ayush visas are being issued for a year with a maximum of three entries for persons of foreign origin.

Minister of State for AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, informed this in the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. He further said the visa can be extended on a yearly basis up to a maximum period of five years from the date of issuance of the Ayush Visa by the concerned Foreign Regional Registration Office. He added that this will be on producing a medical certificate or advice from a recognised hospital in the country.

The minister further said a foreigner will be granted an Ayush visa on producing evidence of bearing the expenses of their own for the required treatment.

Over 16 lakh 14 thousand electric vehicles have been supported by the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, FAME II scheme, till the end of last year. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma informed that the FAME-II scheme has been implemented across the country, covering urban and rural areas to promote electric mobility and reduce pollution.

In another written reply, the minister said 10 thousand 900 crore rupees have been allocated under PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM e-DRIVE), and the scheme will be implemented for two years till March 2026. Under the scheme, electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, e-trucks, emerging electric vehicles, e-buses, e-ambulances, and EV public charging stations will get support.

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, best known for her role in the hit 2001 series Meteor Garden, has died from pneumonia at the age of 48, Deadline reported.

Her sister, Dee Hsu, confirmed the news in a statement, revealing that Barbie fell ill during a family trip to Japan before succumbing to pneumonia. The sisters began their careers as a pop duo before transitioning to television hosting and acting.

Hsu, who had a history of epilepsy and heart disease, had been hospitalized in the past due to seizures, according to the outlet. She starred in popular TV dramas such as Summer’s Desire and Corner With Love and appeared in films like Reign of Assassins and Motorway.

In a thrilling display of precision shooting, Punjab's Sift Kaur Samra won the gold in the Women's 50m 3 Position event at the 38th National Games, held at Maharana Pratap Sports College Trishul Hall in Uttarakhand.

Samra's commanding performance saw her score an impressive 461.2 points, securing the top spot in a competitive final. Her fellow state-mate Anjum Moudgil, also from Punjab, claimed the silver medal with 458.7 points, while Telangana's Surabhi Bhardwaj Rapole took bronze with a score of 448.8.

The event featured some of the nation's top shooters, and it was an intense battle from start to finish. Kerala's Vidarsha Vinod led after the Kneel Position but could not maintain her momentum in the final stages, allowing Samra to surge ahead.

The digital payment transactions in the country have gone up to over 18,000 crore rupees last financial year, registering an annual growth rate of 44 per cent. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary said, the Immediate Payment Service and National Electronic Toll Collection have shown remarkable growth, while Unified Payments Interface has been the major driving force of digital payment transactions in the country. He added that Incentive Scheme for Promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and Low-Value BHIM-UPI transactions has a financial outlay of 3,500 crore rupees for the last fiscal. The Minister further said, the Payment Infrastructure Development Fund, operationalized by RBI to support digital payments infrastructure in Tier-3 to Tier -6 centres and Northeastern states, have led to the deployment of 4.08 crore touch points till November last year.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the central government has allocated a record amount of 23,778 crore rupees to Maharashtra in the 2025-26 budget for the implementation of railway projects. He also highlighted that the total ongoing railway work in the state is worth 1.7 lakh crore rupees. Addressing a press conference on Maharashtra’s budget allocation, he announced that a tripartite agreement had been signed between the state government, the central government, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Under this agreement, the RBI will contribute the state’s share towards railway projects. He further stated that under the Amrit Stations Scheme, 132 new railway stations will be developed across Maharashtra. Mr. Vaishnaw also mentioned that since 2014, 2,105 kilometers of new railway tracks have been laid in the state. Regarding Mumbai’s suburban railways, Mr. Vaishnaw informed that work is underway to enhance the capacity of various terminals on the Western and Central Lines.

India’s ambitious mission to send scientists to explore the depths of the ocean in specially-designed submersible Samudrayaan got a boost with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocating Rs 600 crore for the Deep Ocean Mission. The mission involves mapping deep ocean floors and developing technologies like a manned submersible with 6000 m water-depth rating. It also involves exploration of deep-sea mining for sustainable utilisation of deep-sea bioresources and developing engineering designs for offshore thermal energy-driven desalination plants.

India plans to send a manned-submersible, developed by the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), up to a depth of 500 metres in the ocean later this year, and gradually explore the seabed at the depth of 6,000 meters next year.

The finance minister also allocated 1,329 crore for Mission Mausam, an Earth Sciences Ministry initiative to improve weather forecasting capabilities.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences, which is steering the Deep Ocean Mission, got an allocation of around 3,650 crore rupees in the Union Budget, presented yesterday.