In a major capability boost for the Air Force’s fighter fleet, India is planning to carry out the first test of the 120–130 km strike range Astra Mark 2 air-to-air missile in next few months.

The Astra Mark-1 air-to-air missile with strike range of around 90–100 kms is already in the Indian Air Force and is already integrated with the LCA Tejas and the Su-30 MKI fighter jets.

The work on developing the 120-130 km strike range Astra Mark-2 air-to-air missile is going on and we are looking to carry out the first test firing in the next few months, defence officials told ANI.

Models and influencers generated through artificial intelligence will compete in a "Miss AI" beauty pageant with a prize money of $20,000. According to Forbes, this is the world's first AI beauty pageant and the contestants will be judged based on their looks, the heft they command online and the technical skill that went into creating them. The AI influencers' social clout will be assessed based on their engagement numbers with fans, rate of growth of audience and utilisation of platforms, the outlet further said citing a release from World AI Creator Awards (WAICA).

The pageant will see AI-generated ladies go head-to-head in front of a panel of judges, including two AI influencers.

The Central Govt has assigned additional charge as Secretary of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to Saurabh Garg (IAS) on Tuesday.

According to an order issued from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Garg has been given additional charge of the post upon completion of tenure of Dr GP Samanta on April 15 and till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Garg is a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Odisha cadre. Presently, he is serving as Secretary of the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment.

India has allowed limited shipments of onions to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka, after banning its export in response to rising prices.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), issued a notification late Monday evening, permitting the export of an additional 10,000 metric tons (MT) of onions to the UAE (above 24,000 tonne already allowed) and 10,000 tonne to Sri Lanka.

In December last year, the government banned onion exports until March 2024. According to a DGFT notification, onion exports were permitted only with prior approval from the central government.

In August, the government imposed a 40 per cent duty on onion export to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market. It subsequently set a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of $800 per tonne on a free-on-board basis starting from October 29.

Kuwait’s Emir has appointed Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah al-Ahmad al-Sabah as the new prime minister of Kuwait. This decision follows the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on April 7. Sheikh Mohammad submitted his cabinet’s resignation on April 6, following the election of a new parliament on April 4. His resignation was a procedural move after a new parliament was elected.

The new prime minister Sheikh Ahmad is a Kuwaiti economist and has served as Minister of Finance and Communications from 1999 to 2005, before serving as Minister of Health, Minister of oil and Minister of Information from 2006 to 2011.

World Haemophilia Day, observed annually on April 17 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WHF), aims to raise awareness about the rare genetic bleeding disorder. This global event provides a platform to educate people about haemophilia and other bleeding disorders while also encouraging improved accessibility for those affected. Its primary goals include raising funds to support patients.

Haemophilia can cause continuous bleeding both internally and externally, due to the absence of blood clotting proteins. As of now, while there is no cure for this condition, various treatments are available to manage the condition. As we observe World Haemophilia Day, let’s explore its theme, history, symptoms, causes and types of this disorder.

The Public Sector Day 2024 was observed on April 10, which was celebrated through a glittering event at SCOPE Complex New Delhi. On this occasion, the first-ever PSUs’ Club, "Scope Social Interaction Centre" was successfully delivered to SCOPE. The project has been executed by NBCC Services Limited (NSL), a subsidiary of Navratna CPSE, NBCC (India) Limited.

During the occasion, "Scope Social Interaction Centre" was inaugurated amidst esteemed dignitaries, including Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Chairman of SCOPE; Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay, Vice Chairman of SCOPE; Atul Sobti, DG of SCOPE; KP Mahadevaswamy, CMD of NBCC (India) Limited; BK Sokhey, Chairperson of NBCC Services Ltd. and other senior dignitaries from various PSUs.

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, for co-operation in Research and Technology/Product Development — in the areas of Semiconductors, Quantum Technologies and Drones.

The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and IIT-Mandi.

It will support indigenisation of products/solutions being supplied by BEL to its customers and is in line with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

India and Mauritius have signed a protocol to amend the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA), which included a principal purpose test (PPT) to decide whether a foreign investor is eligible to claim treaty benefits.

Tax experts said a new article has been added to the protocol “Article 27B Entitlement to Benefits”. The amended protocol was signed on March 7 and made public now.

The introduction of the PPT aims to curtail tax avoidance by ensuring that treaty benefits are only granted for transactions with a bona fide purpose.

British-American author Salman Rushdie releases his memoir "Knife" on Tuesday, recounting the harrowing experience of being stabbed at a public event in 2022 and how he overcame the near-fatal ordeal.

Rushdie lost sight in one eye after the attack by a knife-wielding assailant, who jumped on stage at an arts gathering in New York state.

The Indian-born author, a naturalized American based in New York, has faced death threats since his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" was declared blasphemous by Iran's supreme leader.