The second phase of construction of the “world’s largest Ramayan temple” began in East Champaran district of Bihar of Tuesday.

The Viraat Ramayan Mandir, once complete, will be three times bigger than the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Being built at a cost of ₹500 crore, the temple will also have the world’s largest shivling. Thearchitecture of the temple is inspired by the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, and the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai.

The construction of the three-storey temple, spread over an area of 3.76 lakh sq.ft., began in June 2023 and is expected to be complete in 2025.

The Madhya Pradesh government has approved Rs 23.8 crore to implement the National e-Vidhan Application (NEVA) in the state assembly, as part of the Union government's Digital India initiative. The project aims to digitize legislative proceedings, reported The Times of India.

Additionally, the cabinet approved scholarship increases for students in hostels and ashrams and decided to purchase a new aircraft for the state. The total cost includes Rs 9,271 crore for seven irrigation projects and Rs 217.7 crore for construction in the Central Jail on Sanwer Road in Indore.

Under the NEVA initiative, 60% of the funding will come from the Union government, with the remaining 40% covered by the state government. Urban Administration and Legislative Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya explained that the initiative is part of a broader effort to make legislative assemblies paperless.

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a breathtaking image of a distant quasar, a super bright object powered by a black hole. This image isn't your typical space picture though. A cosmic phenomenon called gravitational lensing has transformed the quasar's light into a stunning "Einstein ring."

The quasar, known as RX J1131-1231, resides an incredible 6 billion light-years from Earth. In the foreground of the image lies a massive elliptical galaxy. Its powerful gravity bends the light from the distant quasar, creating a bright arc and even duplicate images. This creates a mesmerizing effect resembling a ring adorned with jewels.

World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced an online platform called MeDevIS (Medical Devices Information System), the first global open access clearing house for information on medical devices. It is designed to support governments, regulators and users in their decision-making on selection, procurement and use of medical devices for diagnostics, testing and treatment of diseases and health conditions.

The MeDevIS platform includes 2301 types of medical devices used for a broad-ranging health issues, including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes as well as infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

“The number of medical technologies used in health care is growing, as is their complexity, which can make it challenging for health care practitioners and patients to navigate,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products. “We aim to provide a one stop shop of international information, which can be invaluable for those making decisions on life-saving medical technologies, especially in resource-limited settings, and to improve access”.

Tata Mutual Fund announced the launch of the Tata Nifty India Tourism Index Fund, an open-ended equity scheme following a sectoral or thematic theme.

The scheme opened for public subscription on July 08, 2024, and will close on July 19, 2024. The scheme re-opens for continuous sale and repurchase on July 29, 2024.

This is an open-ended equity scheme following the special situations theme.

At the launch of the index fund, Anand Vardarajan, Chief Business Officer, Tata Asset Management said, “High disposable income, infrastructure developments like better highway connectivity, improved railway comfort & speed and so many new airports have made travel easy, swift and safe. We are witnessing exponential growth in domestic aviation, hotels, restaurants, and travel which augurs very well for the tourism segment. All types of travel, be it pilgrimage, business, medical, or leisure are registering a surge. This makes a compelling case for looking at tourism as a segment and how one could invest and aim to benefit from the growth of this sector.”

Four public sector banks, including Canara Bank and Indian Bank, on Wednesday presented dividend cheques worth Rs 6,481 crore to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for financial year 2023-24.

"Smt @nsitharaman receives a dividend cheque of Rs 2,514.22 crore for FY 2023-24 from Shri Debadatta Chand, Managing Director & CEO -@bankofbaroda," the finance ministry said in a post on X.

Smt @nsitharaman receives a dividend cheque of Rs 252 crore for FY 2023-24 from Smt Harsha Bangari, Managing Director & CEO - @IndiaEximBank. pic.twitter.com/xOCdyn7q8Q

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) July 10, 2024

Similarly, a dividend cheque of Rs 1,838.15 crore was handed over by Canara Bank MD and CEO K Satyanarayana Raju.

Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh set a new world record in the women's high jump on Sunday, clearing 2.10 meters at the Paris Diamond League to break a mark that has stood since 1987.

The 22-year-old world champion brushed off suggestions though that the jump had made her the clear favourite for the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 26.

"I am looking forward to the Olympic Games here. I am sure it will be a great competition with an even better atmosphere, but I know it will be hard and very competitive," she said.

Two new species of litter-dwelling jumping spiders from the evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats have been found by researchers from Christ College, Irinjalakuda.

The newly discovered species, Habrocestum swaminathan and Habrocestum benjamin, which have been added to the illustrious roster of the genus Habrocestum, have sparked scientific curiosity among arachnologists and nature enthusiasts.

The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), a regional security grouping, officially welcomed Bangladesh as its fifth member state on Wednesday. The announcement came during the 8th Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA) level meeting, hosted virtually by Mauritius. The existing members – India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and the Maldives – warmly received Bangladesh into the fold, while Seychelles participated as an observer state.

The Colombo Security Conclave was established in 2020, when India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives agreed to expand the scope of their trilateral meeting on maritime cooperation. Mauritius joined the conclave at the fifth meeting of the grouping in Male in March 2022.

During Wednesday’s virtual meeting, member states reviewed the progress of activities outlined in the CSC’s Roadmap for 2023-2024. They also discussed decisions taken at previous high-level meetings, including the 7th DNSA level meeting hosted by the Maldives in July 2023 and the 6th NSA level meeting in Mauritius last December.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second-biggest ally is demanding Rs 30,000 crore ($3.6 billion) from India’s federal budget this year to help fund projects in Bihar state, according to people familiar with the matter, a test for the coalition government.

The Bihar government, which is led by Janata Dal (United)’s Nitish Kumar, made the request during a pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

The government has received the request from Bihar but hasn’t yet decided how much will be allocated to the state this year, one of the people said.