The United Arab Emirates celebrated in the early hours of Monday morning the launch of its "Hope" probe to Mars, the first interplanetary mission by an Arab nation.

The long-anticipated blast-off of the unmanned spacecraft at 6:58 am local time (2158 GMT Sunday) from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center was met with rapturous applause in the Emirates.

Meanwhile, the command and control centre at Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) -- which spearheaded the Mars project on which some 450 people worked, more than half of them Emirati -- was abuzz with excitement.

The UAE Mars mission's deputy project manager, Sarah al-Amiri, said it was "an indescribable feeling" to witness the rocket launch. "This is the future of the UAE," Amiri, who is also Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, told Dubai TV from the launch site.

Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav has said that all capitals of North-Eastern states will be connected to the rail network by 2023.
He said, these are very important projects which topped railway's agenda during the last five years. He told media persons that work to connect capitals of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya is in progress. Mr Yadav said attempts to connect every part of Jammu and Kashmir to the railway are underway at full speed, and the Katra-Banihal rail link project is likely to be completed by December 2022.
 
He said this is a very difficult project and there are a lot of hardships in the last phase because it requires the construction of a large number of tunnels and bridges. He said work on the last stretch of 111 kilometers from Katra to Banihal is in progress and the project is targeted to be completed by December 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today deliver a keynote address virtually at this year’s High-Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council session to be held at the UN headquarters in New York.

The Prime Minister will be speaking at the valedictory session along with his Norwegian counterpart and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The annual High-level Segment convenes a diverse group of representatives from the Government, the private sector, civil society and academia. The theme of this year’s High-level Segment is Multilateralism after COVID19: What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary.

Our correspondent reports, this session will focus on critical forces shaping the course of multilateralism and explore ways to bolster the global agenda through strong leadership, effective international institutions, a broadening of participation and enhanced significance of global public goods.

This will be the first opportunity for Mr Modi to address the broader UN membership since India’s overwhelming election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council on 17th of last month, for the term 2021-22.

Several high-profile Twitter accounts were hijacked on July 15 -- including those of US presidential candidate Joe Biden, reality television show star Kim Kardashian, former US President Barack Obama, billionaire Elon Musk and rapper Kanye West, among many others -- used to solicit digital currency.

Many hours after the first wave of hacks, the cause of the breach had not yet been made public.

In a sign of the seriousness of the problem, Twitter took the extraordinary step of preventing at least some verified accounts from publishing messages altogether.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed a virtual conclave on World Youth Skills Day organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The Prime Minister presented a new mantra for the youth to skill, reskill and upskill in order to remain relevant in the rapidly changing business environment and market conditions.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the vital role of skilled migrant workers in changing the local economy.

Referring to the portal launched recently for mapping the skilled employees and employers, PM Modi stated that it will help the skilled workers, including the migrant workers who have returned to their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to access jobs easily and the employers to contact skilled employees at the click of a mouse.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address the valedictory of high-level segment of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Friday.
 
This will be Prime Minister Modi's first speech at the United Nations after India reinstated it's place as a non permanent member in the Security Council earlier this year.
 
ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states of the United Nations. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Council since it's formation in 1945.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a video address on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day today. The day marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of Skill India Mission. A Digital Conclave is being organized by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to mark the occasion.
 
Our Correspondent reports that skill India is an initiative of the Government of India to empower the youth with skill sets, making them more employable. Skill India offers courses across several sectors which are aligned to the standards recognised by both, the industry and the government under the National Skill Qualification Framework.
 
The courses enhance the technical expertise and companies don’t have to invest in training for the particular job profile.

Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai has announced an investment of 75,000 crore rupees in India through Google for India Digitisation Fund to help accelerate country's digital economy.

Addressing the sixth annual edition of the "Google for India" virtual event yesterday, Mr. Pichai said the fund would be used over the next five to seven years through equity investments and tie-ups.

The tech giant asserted that the latest move is a reflection of the company's confidence in the future of India and its digital economy.  He said the investments will focus on four key areas of India's digitisation.

Given the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, IRDAI, has allowed 30 general and health insurers to launch short-term ‘Corona Kavach' health insurance policies. The policy will cover medical expenses occurred due to coronavirus disease.
 
The insurance regulator said that it has designed a standard Covid specific product addressing basic health insurance needs of insuring public with common policy wordings across the industry. The sum insured amount of the policy ranges between fifty thousand rupees to five lakh rupees.
 
This policy can be availed by persons between the age of 18 to 65 years. People can avail the Corona Kavach policy for Self, spouse, parents, parents-in-law and dependent children up to 25 years of age.