Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Thursday said that Uttarakhand is striving to become the first state in the country to implement a dedicated yoga policy. He emphasised that the policy will play a crucial role in integrating Ayurveda and Yoga into the healthcare sector.

Addressing the 10th Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo 2024 on Thursday, he said that delegates from 50 countries and over 3,000 experts are participating in the event. The CM urged the AYUSH Ministry to establish All India Institute of Ayurveda in Uttarakhand. Union Minister of State Prataprao Jadhav said production of AYUSH products increased eightfold in a decade. India exports AYUSH and herbal products to 150 countries, he said.

Indian tourists may soon be able to visit Russia without needing a visa, with the new arrangement possibly starting as early as spring 2025.

In June, Russia and India held talks about a bilateral agreement to ease visa rules, aiming to introduce visa-free group tourist exchanges.

This follows a move in August 2023, when Indian travelers became eligible for e-visas to Russia, which are typically processed within four days.

In 2023, India was one of the top five countries receiving e-visas, with around 9,500 issued to Indian citizens, making up 6% of the total.

Most Indian visitors to Russia travel for business or work. In 2023, over 60,000 Indians visited Moscow, a 26% increase from 2022.

Britain today became the first European nation to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), becoming the 12th member. The bloc comprises Canada and Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The UK, following its 2016 Brexit referendum, is attempting to establish new trade deals abroad after signing the accession treaty with most EU members.

Established in 2018, the bloc safeguards against Chinese hegemony in the region, providing British companies access to a market of over 500 million people, contributing over 15% of the world’s GDP.

The Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) bagged the second prize in the State Energy Efficiency Performance Award (SDA Group-1) category at the National Energy Conservation Awards 2024.

The award ceremony was organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Union Ministry of Power on Saturday (December 14, 2024) as part of National Energy Conservation Day celebrations.

“Karnataka has consistently ranked among the top-performing states in energy efficiency, earning the “Front Runner” designation for three consecutive years — 2020, 2021-2022, and 2023 — in the State Energy Efficiency Index (SEEI). In the SEEI 2024, Karnataka achieved the second-highest score in the nation, further solidifying its reputation as a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability,” said a press release from the Energy Department.

The government on Sunday (December 15, 2024) unveiled a major policy for cargo promotion, ‘Jalvahak’, to boost long haul cargo movement via inland waterways across National Waterways (NW) on rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Barak.

The policy was unveiled by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal at an event where he flagged off cargo ships — MV AAI, MV Homi Bhaba along with MV Trishul with two dumb barges Ajay and Dikhu from the GR Jetty, in Kolkata. This marks the beginning of fixed Scheduled Sailing Service of cargo vessels from Haldia for NW 1 (Ganga) and NW 2 (Brahmaputra), a Ministry statement said.

“With its advantage of being an economical, ecologically sound and efficient mode of transportation, we want to boost cargo movement via waterways, to decongest the railways and roadways. Jalvahak scheme incentivises long haul cargo on NW1, NW2 & and NW16, and provides an opportunity for the trade interests to explore movement of cargo via waterways with positive economic value proposition,” Mr. Sonowal said at the event. Further, the regular scheduled freight service, which began from Kolkata, will ensure that the cargo is transported and delivered within a stipulated time frame, he stated.

The South Korean government plans to invest 2.7 trillion won ($1.9 billion) in developing technologies to combat climate change next year, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Sunday.

This represents a 3.9 percent increase from the 2.6 trillion won allocated for the initiative in 2024, according to the ministry.

The investment forms part of the government’s 10-year plan to advance scientific technologies by 2032 in response to global warming, Yonhap News Agency reported. South Korea has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2018 levels by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The 2025 budget will focus on developing core renewable energy technologies, such as next-generation solar batteries and large-scale floating wind power systems. It will also prioritize advancements in carbon-neutral technologies, including next-generation nuclear power systems and hydrogen power.

The Italian government has granted Argentine President Javier Milei citizenship in recognition of his Italian heritage, a move that has sparked outrage across Argentina, according to a report by The New York Times.

Javier Milei, whose grandparents migrated from Italy to Argentina, was granted Italian citizenship based on his ancestral ties, according to Italy's foreign ministry.

The decision has provoked criticism, particularly from opponents of Italy's citizenship policy, who argue that the law, which allows descendants of Italians to obtain citizenship, is unfair.

Critics point out the inconsistency of granting citizenship to individuals with distant Italian ancestry while denying it to children of immigrants born in Italy.

India on Saturday dispatched approximately 60 tons of emergency medical equipment, generators, and other essential utilities to Jamaica to bolster the country’s healthcare infrastructure and disaster preparedness.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, shared details of the humanitarian aid on Saturday.

“India sends humanitarian assistance to Jamaica. A consignment of approximately 60 tons of emergency medical equipment, generators, and other utilities has departed for Jamaica. This assistance will address healthcare needs, support the rehabilitation of medical infrastructure, and strengthen disaster preparedness against hurricanes,” Jaiswal said in a post on X.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday (December 14, 2024) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wipro GE Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., to establish an AI Health Innovations Hub at the Centre. The new hub will focus on the development of products and solutions that enhance healthcare delivery and outcomes through more precise diagnosis, innovative treatment protocols, and real-time patient data tracking.

As the technology partner, Wipro GE Healthcare will invest around $1 million over the next five years to co-develop, test, and deploy intelligent systems and workflow solutions in cardiology, oncology, and neurology. As clinical partner for the hub, AIIMS will provide multi-modal clinical inputs, and function as a real-world clinical environment for evaluation, feedback, and deployment of GE HealthCare’s AI-enabled solutions. A joint working committee from both organisations will oversee the collaboration, which will include clinical research and academic engagement.

Private sector lender YES Bank on Thursday (December 12) said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of Manish Jain as executive director (whole-time director) of the bank for a period of three years, effective from December 11, 2024, to December 10, 2027.

" we would like to update you that RBI vide its letter dated December 11, 2024, has approved, the appointment of Manish Jain as Executive Director (i.e., Whole Time Director) of the Bank under Section 35B of The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 for a period of 3 (three) years from the date of taking charge as Executive Director i.e. December 11, 2024, till December 10, 2027," YES Bank said in a regulatory filing.