The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s sixteenth Conference of Parties (COP16) is beginning today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the first time West Asia hosts this crucial environmental conference. India will join representatives from 197 nations at this milestone event, which coincides with UNCCD’s 30th anniversary.

India’s delegation, led by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, will participate in a significant side event at the IUCN Pavilion on the opening day. The delegation will present the Aravalli Green Wall Project (AGWP), a comprehensive initiative targeting the restoration of 1.15 million hectares of degraded landscape across four states in northwestern India.

The project presentation, scheduled for December 2nd, will demonstrate India’s innovative approach to combating desertification, land degradation, and drought through the integration of indigenous species afforestation, biodiversity conservation, and advanced water management strategies. The initiative employs modern GIS tools and Nature-Based Solutions while emphasizing community engagement and cultural preservation.

The Ministry of Coal has achieved a remarkable milestone in November 2024, with overall coal production reaching 90.62 million tonnes (MT) (Provisional), compared to 84.52 MT in the same month last year, marking a 7.20% growth.

Coal production from captive and other entities has shown significant progress, reaching 17.13 MT (provisional) in November 2024, up from 12.44 MT in November 2023, marking an impressive growth of 37.69% (provisional).

Cumulatively, coal production for FY 2024-25 up to November 2024 reached 628.03 MT (Provisional), compared to 591.32 MT during the same period in FY 2023-24, reflecting a growth of 6.21%. (Provisional)

State gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd on Friday signed an agreement with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd for long-term charter hire of a newly built LNG ship.

The pact was signed through the ship-owning company established in Singapore, GAIL said in a statement.

The LNG ship will be a modern two-stroke vessel having a tank capacity of 1,74,000 cubic metres and will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd, Korea, with which the ship owning company has concluded a shipbuilding contract.

The contract was signed in the presence of R K Jain, GAIL Director (Finance), Sanjay Kumar, GAIL Director (Marketing), and R K Singhal, GAIL Director (Business Development) by S Bairagi, GAIL Executive Director (Marketing - Shipping & International LNG) and Satoshi Kanamori, Managing Executive Officer (LNG, Carbon Solution Business), K-Line.

The Cabinet sub-committee constituted on Rythu Bharosa would be submitting its report and recommending modalities. The same would be discussed in the next assembly session and opinion would be sought on how to go about it, Revanth Reddy said at a press conference here on Sunday.

With an eye on local bodies’ elections, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has started appeasing the farming community by declaring that Rythu Bharosa would be extended after Sankranti and continuation of the Rs.500 bonus for fine rice varieties in the next season. He also claimed that the crop loan waiver scheme was “completed”.

The Cabinet sub-committee constituted on Rythu Bharosa would be submitting its report and recommending modalities. The same would be discussed in the next assembly session and opinion would be sought on how to go about it, Revanth Reddy said at a press conference here on Sunday.

India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a USD 98 million loan agreement to enhance horticulture crop productivity in the country.

The Ministry of Finance on Friday stated that the funding will support the establishment of disease-free planting material systems, boosting crop yields, quality, and resilience to climate change.

It said, “The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a USD 98 million loan to improve horticulture crop farmers' access to certified disease-free planting materials, which will boost their crops' yield, quality, and resilience to climate impacts.”

The loan agreement, part of the "Building India's Clean Plant Programme," was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Kai Wei Yeo, Officer-in-Charge of ADB's India Resident Mission.

The Ministry of External Affairs’ proposal to establish nine One-Stop Centres (OSCs) has received approval from the Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. These centres aim to provide comprehensive assistance to women in vulnerable situations, addressing their immediate needs and offering critical support.

Out of the nine proposed OSCs, seven will include shelter homes and will be set up in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia (with centres in both Jeddah and Riyadh). The remaining two centres, located in Toronto and Singapore, will operate without shelter home facilities. To facilitate the rollout of these initiatives, the Ministry of External Affairs has opened a dedicated budget line for these missions.

The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF), already operational in Indian Missions and Posts worldwide, will play a vital role in extending welfare measures to distressed Indian nationals, particularly women. Since its guidelines were comprehensively revised in September 2017, the ICWF has significantly expanded its scope to address a wide range of issues faced by overseas Indians.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Panipat on December 9 and launch "Bima Sakhi Yojana", aimed at empowering women, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Monday.

Prime Minister Modi will on December 9 launch the "Bima Sakhi Yojana", aimed at empowering women, which will directly benefit millions of women across the country, he said.

Saini on Monday reviewed the preparations for the prime minister's upcoming visit to Panipat, said an official statement here.

Development and Panchayat Minister Krishan Lal Panwar, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda, BJP State president Mohan Lal Badoli, BJP MLA Pramod Kumar Vij, Director General of Police (DGP) Shatrujeet Kapur and senior officials were also present.

India pacer Siddarth Kaul, who was stalwart Virat Kohli's teammate in the title-winning Under-19 squad, announced his decision to retire from Indian cricket.

Kaul brought the curtain down on his career with six international appearances, three apiece in T20Is and ODIs between 2018 and 2019.

After almost six years of representing the Men in Blue, the 34-year-old took to X to announce his decision to retire from his career with India.

"When I was a child playing cricket in the fields in Punjab, I had one dream. A dream to represent my country. In 2018, by God's grace, I received my India Cap Number 75 in the T20i team and Cap Number 221 in the ODI team. The time has now come to call time on my career in India and announce my retirement. Words cannot express my gratitude for the love and support I have received through all the highs and lows of my career," Kaul wrote on X.

HPCL's Director (Marketing) Amit Garg is set to be the new Chairman & Managing Director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG). Garg had taken over charge of the Director post a year back in December 2023. Prior to joining as Director (Marketing) of HPCL, he was serving as Executive Director (Aviation) in the same organisation.

A Search-cum-Selection Committee formed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) had conducted interviews for the selection of the new CMD of HPCL on November 13. According to sources, the committee has recommended the name of Amit Garg for the CMD post.

Earlier this year in June, the PSU headhunter PESB had conducted interviews for the top position. Later, the board had announced that none of the candidates who were interviewed were found to be suitable for the post of HPCL CMD. It later recommended the ministry to choose an appropriate course to find a worthy candidate.

India on Wednesday carried out the test firing of the nuclear-capable 3,500-kilometre-range K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the Indian Navy's newly inducted nuclear submarine, INS Arighaat, news agency ANI revealed on Thursday, citing unnamed defence sector sources. In a post on social media platform X, the news agency said that the test results were "being analysed" at the time of reporting.

The Indian Navy on Wednesday "carried out the test firing of the 3,500-km K-4 ballistic missile from the newly inducted nuclear submarine INS Arighaat. The test results are being analysed. The boat is operated by the Strategic Forces Command," ANI's social media post said.

"The test of the ballistic missile was done for the full range. The details are being analysed, and the top military and political brass would be briefed by officials concerned on the exact details after complete analysis," said another ANI social media post, citing defence sources.