Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit of Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi for a period of five years. She is the first female Vice-Chancellor of JNU.

Former Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University Jagadesh Kumar has been appointed as the Chairman of University Grants Commission UGC.

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar was laid to rest with full state honours on Sunday in the presence of her family at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, actors Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Vidya Balan and Ranbir Kapoor were among those who paid homage to the veteran singer. She died at Breach Candy hospital on Sunday of multi-organ failure at the age of 92.

Daughter of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti Mangeshkar, Lata belonged to a musical family. Her father was a well-known Marathi musician and theatre artiste. She was first tutored by her father and later appeared as a child artiste in several of his plays.

Dinesh Prasad Saklani, a professor of history at the HNB Garhwal University, was appointed as the director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for five years on Friday. He succeeds Hrushikesh Senapaty, who finished his term over a year ago.

NCERT is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Education (MoE) that is tasked with advising the Union government on school curriculum and drafting school textbooks. NCERT textbooks are taught in all schools affiliated to CBSE and also adopted by over 20 states.

The Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary near Jamnagar in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh have been listed as Wetlands of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

The announcement by the Ramsar secretariat in Iran came on the eve of International Wetlands Day (February 2). With this, the total number of Ramsar sites in India goes up to 48.

Khijadiya, which is part of the Central Asian Flyway, has become the fourth wetland of Gujarat to get the Ramsar tag. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Thol Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana wetland are the other Ramsar sites in the state. The last two were included in April last year.

The 2022 Ranji Trophy, which will be held over two phases, will begin on February 10 and will be hosted across nine venues. While the first phase ends on March 15, the second phase of the tournament will be held from May 30 to June 26.

The first phase will feature 38 teams and 57 matches. The knockouts will be held after the conclusion of IPL 2022, and will have seven matches.

In a letter sent to its members, BCCI secretary Jay Shah explained that the revised schedule was made to “mitigate any cross-transmission risk while also ensuring bio-secure bubbles are not overburdened”.

Cancer is dreaded across the globe and accounts for more than 10 million deaths worldwide every year. Better management of the ailment requires an early diagnosis, followed up with requisite treatment. However, it becomes difficult to bear the high medical cost of this ailment due to the complex nature of this disease and prolonged period of treatment.  An effective way to manage cost of cancer treatment is through an appropriate Health Insurance plan.

With over 850,000 deaths, India reports a high adult cancer mortality rate of 8%; where 1.3 million new cases are added every year. Further, an ICMR report suggests that there will be a 12% rise in the number of cancer cases by 2025. This increase in cases is a wake-up call for everyone who believes that they are safe from the disease. Unhealthy lifestyle choices and a family history of cancer are two major risk factors. 

Multiple disputes based on religion, race, or geography in various regions of the world have shattered global peace today. In December 2020, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution establishing the International Day of Human Fraternity.

Many nations in the globe demonstrate a lack of tolerance and respect for variety, leading to conflicts, at a time when the world is confronting an unprecedented challenge posed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Despite all of humanity's political and health concerns, it is imperative that the spirit of tolerance and respect for a variety be strengthened. And this shift necessitates a worldwide reaction based on solidarity, unity, and revitalised multilateral collaboration.

The International Day of Human Fraternity was established to highlight the need of increasing knowledge of other cultures, faiths, and beliefs, as well as promote tolerance.

Dublin-based Indian poet Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe's debut poetry collection "Auguries of a Minor God" is among the eight novels, two poetry collections and two short story collections longlisted for this year's Dylan Thomas Prize worth 20,000 pounds.

Eipe, who was born in India and grew up across the Middle East, Europe and North America before calling Ireland home, draws inspiration from Kama, the Hindu god of love and desire, for her first poetry collection.

India on Thursday said it is regrettable that China has chosen to politicise the Winter Olympics. Replying to media queries on reports of China making Galwan soldier the torchbearer at the sporting event, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Charge de Affairs of the Indian Embassy in Beijing will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Replying to another query on torture of a boy from Arunachal Pradesh by Chinese PLA, Mr Bagchi said India has taken up the issue with the Chinese side.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will make its third venture to the Moon through the Chandrayaan-3 mission in August this year. This was stated by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to Lok Sabha yesterday. Dr. Singh revealed that the realization of Chandrayaan-3 is in progress, and the mission team is making preparations based on the learnings from Chandrayaan-2 and suggestions by national-level experts. He said, the mission-related hardware and their tests are successfully completed and ISRO is all set to launch Chardrayan-3 in August. This year is expected to be quite busy for ISRO as major projects such as Gaganyaan and Aditya solar mission are also in the pipeline. ISRO will conduct 19 missions till December this year.