Ministry of Tourism, Government of India along with various stakeholders including tour operators and state tourism departments participated in one of the important international travel exhibitions held at Singapore with an objective to promote inbound tourism to India globally including the Asia Pacific region.  The exhibition – ITB Asia started on  25th October 2023 and is on till 27th October. Ministry of Tourism is leading the participation of the Indian industry at the exhibition, which draws the travel trade business and stakeholders from across the globe and particularly from the Aisa Pacific region, to showcase varied tourism products and series of transformative experiences for travellers to India under the theme ‘Incredible India! Visit India Year 2023’.

Assam all-rounder Riyan Parag has become the first cricketer to smash six back-to-back half-centuries in T20s. Parag has been in sensational form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023.

Parag scored an unbeaten 57 off 33 balls to set a new T20 record. Parag’s innings helped Assam beat Kerala in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai.

Parag has scored half-centuries against Bihar, Services, Sikkim, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh before smashing the record-breaking fifty against Kerela in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

India is unlikely to sign onto a global pledge to reduce cooling-related emissions at the COP28 climate meeting, citing the need for the world's most populous country to have affordable cooling, two government officials told Reuters.

The pledge to cut cooling-related carbon dioxide emissions by at least 68% by 2050 compared with 2022 levels was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme's Cool Coalition and COP28 host the United Arab Emirates. The pledge would require major investments by countries to shift to sustainable cooling technologies and also raise the cost of such products.

It is expected nations will announce their decision on the cooling pledge at the annual climate conference in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

Popular Odia music director and lyricist Swarup Nayak died on Friday at his residence in Cuttack after a prolonged illness, family members said.

Nayak, 76, was suffering from throat cancer for the last few months, they said.

He had composed music for 41 Odia films including ‘Hira Nila’, ‘Bagula Baguli’, ‘Lal Paan Bibi’, ‘Jahaku Rakhibe Ananta’ and ‘Ki Heba Sua Posile’, and worked as a lyrist in 30 of those.

Three students of the Lucknow University (LU) have been selected for the NEP SAARTHI (Student Ambassador for Academic Reforms in Transforming Higher Education in India), an initiative of the University Grants Commission under the New Education Policy (NEP).

A total of 31 students were selected from 13 universities/educational institutions of India and of these three students are from Lucknow University. These LU students are Divyanshi Gupta (BSc semester-5), Priyanshi Rai (BTech semester- VII, computer science) and Ashutosh Bajpai (MA political science, semester-III).

The Union Government has come out with a Standards & Labelling Programme for solar panels, which will entail rating of solar panels through star labels to indicate quality and energy efficiency. The star labelling scheme prepared by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for PV modules will be voluntary for the first two years from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, for which no labelling fee will be charged.

While launching the programme in Delhi, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, said that the move will make it easier for citizens to make an informed and judicious decision while purchasing and deploying solar photovoltaic modules, known commonly as solar panels.

In Manipur,  the annual festival - Mera Houchongba will be celebrated at Kangla in Imphal tomorrow (Saturday). The festival is held to foster and consolidate relations among hill tribes and valley people of the State.

However, the Royal Palace of Manipur has announced that the festival will be toned down with just the observance of religious rituals, considering the ongoing situation in the State.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh along with the titular king of Manipur and Member of Rajya Sabha Leishemba Sanajaoba will inaugurate the festival tomorrow morning at Kangla, the erstwhile royal palace of Manipur. A ritual ceremony will be held there.

Afterward, exchanges of gifts between hill tribes and valley people will take place.

Indian para-athletes created history on October 28 as they clinched their 100th medal at the 4th Asian Para Games in China's Hangzhou, reported ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the para-athletes, highlighting their dedication and talent, which serves as an inspiration to the nation. In a post on Social media platform X, he said, “100 MEDALS at the Asian Para Games! A moment of unparalleled joy. This success is a result of the sheer talent, hard work, and determination of our athletes….They serve as a reminder that nothing is impossible for our youth."

In Punjab, two cities, Amritsar and Kapurthala, have been included in the 30 cities of historical and religious tourism importance of 15 States of the country selected under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme of the Union Ministry of Tourism. Earlier in the year 2018-19 Sri Anandpur Sahib, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, Chamkaur Sahib, Ferozepur, Khatkar Kalan, Patiala and Kalanaur were selected in this Scheme.

The objective of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Union Government is to make the visit of tourists pleasant and memorable by providing better basic facilities in cities of historical and religious importance. Under this, 70 crores of rupees will be spent on development works in Amritsar and Kapurthala cities of Punjab. The government's effort is to ensure that tourists stay in these cities for a longer period and get detailed information about the historical and cultural heritage. Definitely, this move will give a boost to the tourism industry in these cities. 

An Indian-origin astrophysicist from the University of Sheffield in the UK is part of a team of scientists who have helped bring humanity one step closer to understanding how the heaviest chemical elements are created in the universe with the help of a high-end camera.

Professor Vik Dhillon, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Physics and Astronomy who leads the ULTRACAM project, said the camera is the first instrument to pinpoint the location of the gamma-ray burst that indicated the start of the kilonova explosion.

A kilonova is the merger of two dense neutron stars and is important because their explosions are believed to form the heaviest elements in the periodic table, including most of the gold, platinum and uranium found on Earth.

“Our camera ULTRACAM was the first instrument to pinpoint the location of the gamma-ray burst, the second brightest one ever observed, that indicated the start of the kilonova explosion,” said Dhillon.