The Indian Air Force (IAF) has welcomed the arrival of the first of six brand-new Dornier Do-228 aircraft, exclusively manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This upgraded version of the aircraft boasts new engines, composite propellers, advanced avionics, and a modern glass cockpit.

The Ministry of Defence inked the deal back in March, securing the procurement of six Dornier-228 aircraft from HAL for the IAF, with a budget of Rs 667 crore. Originally employed by the IAF for Route Transport Role and communication tasks, these aircraft have also played a vital role in training transport pilots.

Launched in September 2019, Mint’s Emerging Markets Tracker provides a summary of economic activity across 10 large emerging markets* based on seven high-frequency indicators. With a composite score of 73, India topped the EM league table in August. China and Mexico were second and third, respectively.

China climbed two places despite slowdown fears. Inflation remained under control and though lower-than-expected, GDP growth was among the best.

Mexico jumped three spots to the third in August, with a relatively controlled drop in its currency, and inflation, too, in check.

The “disturbed area” status under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or Afspa will continue to remain in place in all of Manipur, except those under 19 police stations in the valley districts, with the state government Wednesday stating it opted for “status quo” in the light of the prevailing law and order situation.

The “disturbed areas” notification issued on Wednesday will come into effect from October 1 in the violence-hit state. It is applicable for six months, following which it can be periodically extended by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after assessing the situation in Manipur.

Android users in India can now get alerts for earthquakes thanks to a new system launched by Google. The system uses the sensors in your phone like the accelerometer to sense an earthquake and warn you in advance.

The Android Earthquake Alerts System is already deployed in many countries across the world helping provide an early warning when earthquake shaking begins. But Google is now bringing it to India in consultation with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Seismology Center (NSC).

Out of 64 economies, India has slipped four spots to 56th position, compared to its 52nd position in 2022, in the 2023 World Talent Ranking, according to the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) release.

Though the report, released on 27 September, acknowledges India's infrastructure improvements, it underscores the need for further enhancement in talent competitiveness.

The Indian contingent's unprecedented run in shooting at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou continues as 17 year old Palak secured a gold medal while 18 year old Esha Singh secured a silver medal in the 10m air pistol women's individual final on Friday.

With an individual score of 242.1 points, Palak not only won the gold, but also established a new Asian Games record in her category, going past China's record from 2018.

Shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale and Akhil Sheoran clinched gold in men’s rifle 3P team event at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou on Friday.

En route to their gold medal, the Indian shooters also broke the World Record after achieving a cumulative 1769 points, eight more than the previous record set by the United States in 2022 at the CAT championships.

Green Ammonia was imported through the V.O. Chidambaranar Port for the first time on Tuesday.

The Port successfully handled 3 x 20 ISO Green Ammonia containers, weighing 37.4 tons of Green Ammonia, from Damietta Port, Egypt, for Tuticorin Alkali Chemical and Fertilizers Limited (TFL).

Conventionally, Grey Ammonia is used for soda ash production. As part of its ‘Go Green’ initiative, TFL has imported Green Ammonia to produce green soda ash on a trial basis. Further, TFL has planned to import 2,000 tonnnes of Green Ammonia this year subject to its availability.

The Odisha assembly on Wednesday passed four bills, including the land acquisition and resettlement one that will enable the government to exempt strategic and development projects from social impact assessments.

The bills were passed when members of the opposition BJP and Congress walked out from the House over some other issues. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Odisha Amendment) Bill, 2023, was first introduced in the assembly in March but withdrawn a month later following severe criticism. The land acquisition bill enables the government to exempt 'strategic and development projects' from social impact assessments and special provisions for safeguarding food security.

India's vision to have ubiquitous coverage under 6G technology has been accepted by UN body ITU's Study Group in its meeting held at Geneva-- a move that is expected to reduce the cost of deployment of the next generation technology. ITU is responsible for developing international mobile telecommunication standards.

"In the current meeting, despite resistance and attempts to reverse our progress by few member states, the Department of Telecommunications was able to successfully include 'Ubiquitous Connectivity' and ratify the framework document," an official statement said on Wednesday.