The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has rescued a staggering 84,119 children over the past seven years through their initiative ‘Nanhe Farishtey’, the Railways said on Wednesday.

Aimed at safeguarding vulnerable children found at railway stations and on trains, the operation has been instrumental in preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.

Since its inception in May 2018, ‘Operation Nanhe Farishtey’ has focused on rescuing children and providing them with necessary protection.

According to the data, the operation began in 2018 with the rescue of 17,112 children, including runaways, missing children, and those left behind, underscoring the urgent need for such initiatives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Dr R Balasubramaniam and signed a copy of his book 'Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi'.

The book captures Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership journey and interprets it through Western and Indic lenses, amalgamating them to provide a roadmap for those who aspire to a life of public service, as per a press release from Prime Minister's Office.

"The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi met Dr R Balasubramaniam today and signed a copy of his book 'Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi'. The book captures Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership journey and interprets it through Western and Indic lenses, amalgamating them to provide a roadmap for those who aspire to a life of public service," as per a press release from the Prime Minister's Office.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have always shared a special bond with Australia and had players like Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and many more. The association is set to take a new dimension with the launch of Super Kings Academy in Sydney.

This will be the Super Kings Academy's third international destination following centres in USA (Dallas) and UK (Reading) apart from India.

The Super Kings Academy in Sydney will be located at Cricket Central, 161, Silverwater Road, Sydney Olympic Park.

It will be a state-of-the-art centre with facilities to train outdoors and indoors throughout the year, a CSK release said, adding that cricket coaching for boys and girls will begin in September.

Ahead of the Annual Budget for FY25, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the fifth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) for Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs). This comprehensive list encompasses 346 strategically important items, including line replacement units, systems, sub-systems, assemblies, sub-assemblies, spares, components, and raw materials. The import substitution value of these items is estimated to be Rs 1,048 crore.

These indigenised items will now exclusively be sourced from Indian industries, in line with the specified timelines for indigenisation as outlined in the list, which is accessible on the Srijan portal (https://srijandefence.gov.in).

The Srijan portal, launched by the defence ministry in 2020, serves as a platform where DPSUs and Service Headquarters (SHQs) collaborate with industries, including MSMEs and start-ups, to promote the indigenisation of defence items. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) and is spearheaded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to promote self-reliance in defence production.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced a new scheme called the ‘Ladla Bhai Yojana’ for youths who have passed the 12th examination in the state.

Under this scheme, students who have completed their 12th grade will receive Rs 6,000 per month. Additionally, those with a diploma will be given Rs 8,000 monthly, while graduates will be provided with Rs 10,000 each month.

“Some people said that ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ (for women) has been launched; what about ‘Ladka Bhau’ (beloved brother)? We are now announcing a scheme for Ladka Bhau… They will receive this stipend from the government during their on-job training in the industry,” Shinde told the media.

Nallathamby Kalaiselvi, the first woman Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), on Tuesday was granted a two-year extension in service.

A government order said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved the extension of tenure of Ms. Kalaiselvi "for a period of two years beyond 07.08.2024, or until further orders, whichever is earlier."

She was appointed to the post in August 2022 following the superannuation of Shekhar Mande in April that year.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated Asia's first health research-related "Pre-clinical Network Facility" under the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) at the Regional Centre of Biotechnology under the aegis of the "Translational Health Science & Technology Institute" (THSTI), Faridabad, on Tuesday.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has selected BRIC-THSTI as a pre-clinical network laboratory based on its capability to handle BSL3 pathogens. It will be the 9th such network laboratory across the globe and the first such laboratory in all of Asia. The other labs are located in the USA, Europe and Australia. The experimental Animal Facility is one of the largest small animal facility in the country, with a housing capacity of about 75,000 mice, including immune-compromised mice and other species such as rat, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc.

Roberta Metsola secured broad backing for a new term as president of the European Parliament on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to win a second term as head of the EU assembly.

Metsola, a Maltese lawmaker who in 2022 became the first woman in 20 years to head the European Union assembly, is only the second president, after Germany’s Martin Schulz, to win another term since the EU Parliament became a directly elected institution in 1979.

Metsola was approved by a large majority of EU lawmakers to lead the EU assembly for a further two and a half years, with 562 backing her reappointment, out of the 623 that voted.

Greta Gerwig, the acclaimed filmmaker behind hits like Lady Bird, Little Women, and the Oscar-winning movie Barbie, is set to be honoured with the 2024 Pioneer of the Year Award by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (WRMPPF).

According to Deadline, the prestigious award recognises Gerwig’s outstanding contributions to the motion picture industry, celebrating her leadership, community service, and dedication to philanthropy. Jeff Goldstein, President of Warner Bros Domestic Distribution and Co-Chairman of the Pioneer of the Year Dinner, praised Gerwig as “a dynamic filmmaker with extraordinary vision who entertains and inspires audiences everywhere.”

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will launch its ‘One Scientist-One Product’ programme on July 16 to improve research in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry.

It will also formally announce the release of 323 varieties of 56 crops, including cereals, oilseeds, forage crops, and sugarcane, at a function in Delhi on Tuesday as part of the 96th foundation day of the institution. These crops include 289 climate-resilient varieties and 27 bio-fortified varieties.

The ‘one scientist, one product’ programme will be inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.