Praveen Ranjan (IDAS) has been selected for the appointment as Director in the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance.

According to an order issued from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Ranjan has been selected for the appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.

Ranjan is an Indian Defence Accounts Services (IDAS) officer of 2010-batch. “He may kindly be relieved of his duties immediately with instructions to take up his new assignment in the Department Expenditure,” the order further said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on April 28 appointed World Cup-winning Gary Kirsten as their head coach for ODIs and T20Is, while former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie will take over that role in Test cricket.

Along with them, former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was appointed as the assistant coach of the team across the formats.

"The appointment of (Gary) Kirsten and (Jason) Gillispie who are high-profile coaches shows how much value is given to the Pakistan cricket team and how much potential foreign coaches see in our players," PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said during a media conference.

The Indian economy is expected to achieve “higher” than 7% growth in 2024-25, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on Monday said pointing at strong high-frequency indicators, an above normal monsoon forecast and a benign global outlook.

The think tank’s outlook is a bit more optimistic than the 7% real gross domestic product (GDP) growth projected by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its monetary policy review on April 5. While the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on April 11 projected India’s GDP growth for FY25 at 7%, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 16 raised India’s growth forecast the fiscal year to 6.8% from 6.5%.

Tata Motors on Monday said it has tied up with South Indian Bank to offer financing solutions to its commercial vehicle customers and dealerships.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), South Indian Bank will offer financing solutions across the auto major’s entire commercial vehicle portfolio, Tata Motors said in a statement.

“For our customers, easy access to financing solutions for their commercial vehicles is one of the key priorities for their operations. Our alliance aims to empower fleet owners and dealerships to achieve their business goals,” Rajesh Kaul, Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles Vice President & Business Head Trucks, said.

Humza Yousaf, the Pakistani-origin Scottish National Party (SNP) leader who took over as Scotland's first Muslim leader in March last year, on Monday announced his resignation after days of political turmoil for the devolved SNP-led government.

Yousaf, 39, who was also the region's youngest First Minister, had ended a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green Party last week amid growing policy differences and plunged his leadership of a minority government into crisis. His former Green Party allies then teamed up with the Opposition Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties to back two non-confidence motions one in Yousaf's leadership of Scotland and the second regarding the Scottish government as a whole.

While a route through this week's motion of no confidence was absolutely possible, I am not willing to trade my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power, said Yousaf. Therefore, after spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm, he said.

Alejandra Marisa Rodriguez, a 60-year-old lawyer from Argentina, etched her name in the history books, after she was crowned the Miss Universe for the province of Buenos Aires. With this, she became the first woman of her age to win such a prestigious beauty title.

She contested with 34 others, ranging from 18 to 73 in age, to win the beauty pageant that was held on April 24.

Alejandra Marisa Rodriguez is from La Plata, the capital city of Argentina's Buenos Aires Province. After completing high school, Alejandra embarked on a career in journalism before pursuing law degree. She told an Argentinian television network that she transitioned into a role as a legal advisor for a hospital.

Alejandra believed she had long aged out of the worldwide beauty pageant, but her opinion changed when the rules changed in 2023.

Following years of delays and numerous setbacks during test flights, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is finally set to make its inaugural crew launch.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, two of NASA's most seasoned astronauts, will be the pilots of the Crew Flight Test mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

The two veteran astronauts will travel to and from the International Space Station, marking what could be a historic and long-awaited victory for the beleaguered Starliner programme.

Sarvadanand Barnwal (ISS) has been selected for the appointment as Director in the Department of Land Resources on Friday. According to an order issued from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) on April 26, Barnwal has been selected for the appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Barnwal is an Indian Statistical Service (ISS) officer of 2010-batch. He was recommended for the Central deputation by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.

A team of three astronauts, on Thursday, launched aboard a rocket as part of China's Shenzhou-18 mission, heading towards the Tiangong space station in low earth orbit, according to Chinese space authorities.

This marks the most recent mission in Beijing's space programme, which is working towards sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft, also known as the "Divine vessel," along with its three passengers, launched atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 8:59 pm.

The spacecraft carries mission commander Ye Guangfu (43), who previously served on the 2021 Shenzhou-13 mission, along with crewmates Li Cong (34) and Li Guangsu (36). Both Li Cong and Li Guangsu are former fighter pilots embarking on their inaugural spaceflight mission.

Gina Justus, a teacher at Our Own English High School, Sharjah Girls’ Branch, has been named the regional winner for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the 2024 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards. Justus, originally from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has been working in the UAE since 2005 and was recognised for her outstanding mentorship and dedication to charity.This year’s competition saw a record-breaking number of nominations, with over 14,840 submissions from 141 countries. The Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards is a global competition that honors exceptional primary and secondary school teachers. Students, parents, and peers can nominate teachers who have made a significant impact on their educational journey.In its sixth year, the competition emphasizes the crucial role teachers serve in molding the lives of their students and equipping them for the global stage.The public will now vote to determine the overall winner of the 2024 Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards, which will be announced on May 29th.