The highly anticipated 67th Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Convention will commence today, July 6 in Colombo. The three-day convention’s inaugural ceremony promises to be a star-studded affair with the esteemed presence of Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremasinghe, and High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay among others.
The convention presents numerous trade opportunities for Indian and Sri Lankan travel industry stakeholders. With 500 participants and 50 Indian media personnel, the event solidifies its position as a premier travel event in the region. The convention’s agenda features a range of thought-provoking sessions, including discussions on India’s tourism vision for 2047, the rise of experiential travel, the growing significance of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), and the ever-expanding digital opportunities in the travel industry.

On the first day of the Space Economy Leaders Meet held in Bengaluru today as part of the G20 Indian Presidency had a discussion on the possibilities of bilateral partnership in sharing space economy.

The Chairman of ISRO S Somanath informed that partnerships between space agencies, industries, and start-ups were discussed during the meeting today. The discussion also covered the possibilities of the rule of law in space, guidelines and regulations in space missions, the possibility of upgrading the G20 Space Economy Leaders forum, and how to bring new countries into the space sector, helping them to build rockets and ground stations. The ISRO Chairman said that the theme of the meeting, namely towards a new space era -Economy, Responsibility, and the alliance was extensively discussed during the Heads of Space Agencies session. 

B Neeraja Prabhakar, Vice-Chancellor of the Telangana State Horticultural University, has been appointed Chairperson of the Oil Palm Research Advisory Committee (RAC) by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). She will hold the position for three years.

The 10-member Research Advisory Committee will guide the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (Pedavegi, Andhra Pradesh) in formulating its research plans, based on the problems faced by oil palm farmers.

Team India and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin remained number one in the latest ICC Test Rankings even as New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson replaced Joe Root as the top-ranked batter.

The Indian team, which lost the World Test Championship final to Australia last month, continues to hold on to its top spot.

Ashwin also held on to his world No 1 spot among bowlers. The senior off-spinner has 860 points and is followed by Australia skipper Pat Cummins, who has moved two spots to second with 826 points.

India’s first Tele-MANAS chatbot, which will start an instant conversation with people in distress, was launched in J&K on July 5. This year Kashmir saw the highest number of distress calls to the Tele-Manas centre.

“The initiative will ensure the availability of health counsellors, clinical psychologists and consultants round-the-clock,” J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who inaugurated the ‘J&K Health Conclave’ on Mental Health and Non-Communicable Diseases at Srinagar, said.

Maharashtra’s Rujuta Khade stole the limelight, obliterating a 20-year-old national mark while Aryan Nehra continued his record-breaking spree at swimming nationals here on Tuesday. Rujuta clocked 26.47s to win the gold in the 50m women’s freestyle event ahead of state mate Anannya Nayak, who timed 26.64s while Karanataka’s Nina Venkatesh touched the pads at 26.73s to take home the bronze.

In the process, Rujuta shattered the earlier national record of 26.61s that stood in Shikha Tandon’s name since 2003.

Rujuta’s husband, 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade won the 50m men’s freestyle — the fastest race at the ongoing meet. The 22.82s time wasn’t Virdhawal’s best but the seasoned swimmer still managed to finish ahead of youngsters Mihir Ambre (22.96) and AS Anand (23.30) who clinched the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Indian Naval Air Squadron 324 (INAS 324) celebrated its maiden anniversary at INS Dega here on Tuesday. INAS 324, equipped with indigenous ALH Mk III helicopters, embodies the spirit of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Their deployment significantly enhances maritime surveillance capability and strengthens coastal security along the east coast. With the inclusion of removable medical ICUs, the aircraft also has the ability to provide critical medical support during emergencies. The crew upholds their motto “Nidruvith Dhrud Veeryvath” - “Faithful, Tenacious, Fearless” with their unwavering dedication and professionalism in service to the nation, the officials said.

The U.N. Security Council will hold a first-ever meeting on the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on July 18th. The meeting organized by the United Kingdom, will see global leaders discussing the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) to international peace and security. It has been presented as a centrepiece of the UK’s presidency of the council.

This was announced by the UK’s ambassador to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward. She said that since becoming Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has been pushing for a leadership position in the global effort to regulate AI tools. Mr. Sunak had earlier claimed that the UK was the natural place to lead the conversation on AI. He had also announced that Britain will host the first major global summit on AI safety later this year.

To foster academic collaboration and promote research initiatives, the University of Jaffna and the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The signing took place at the Kilinochchi campus, where the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Jaffna, Dr. K Pirapaharan, handed over a copy of the MoU to Indian Consul General Raakesh Natraj.

The MoU entails a range of opportunities for both institutions, including student and faculty exchanges. Initially, the exchange program will facilitate the transfer of approximately 10 students and faculty members each year at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This initiative aims to enhance cross-cultural learning experiences and promote academic diversity.

The prestigious 37th Hyderabad Sailing Week and Laser National Championship has taken off under the aegis of EME Sailing Association (EMESA), Laser Class Association of India, and Secunderabad Sailing Club at Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad. 

Lieutenant General JS Sidana, Commandant MCEME, Commodore EME Sailing Association, and Vice President Laser Class Association of India formally flagged off the event. Lieutenant General JS Sidana said, the event will pave the way for sailors to represent the Nation at various national and international Forums.