ESAF Small Finance Bank MD and CEO K Paul Thomas has been elected as chairman of Sa-Dhan, an RBI recognized self-regulatory organisation (SRO) and an association of microfinance and impact finance institutions.

The decision was taken at the annual general meeting which saw participation of about 100 members, Sa-Dhan said in a statement on Friday.

Consequent to the election of the new members, Sa-Dhan Board reconstituted with Paul Thomas as the chairperson; Sadaf Sayeed, MD & CEO, Muthoot Microfin; and Mukul Jaiswal, MD Cashphor, as co-chairs; and Vivekananda Salimath, Chair IDF, as Treasurer, it said.

Noida International Airport on Friday said it has partnered with Anlon Technology Solutions to deploy India's first indigenously built runway rubber removal machine (RRM).

The Cleanjet RRM is a domestically manufactured solution for critical airport operations. Built on a robust Eicher Pro 6028 chassis, this innovative machine is designed to ensure the highest standards of runway safety and efficiency at Noida International Airport, according to a statement.

The machine efficiently removes rubber deposits, paint markings, and oil spills from runways, taxiways, and aprons. It uses ultra-high-pressure water jets, making the entire process 100 per cent chemical-free. This ensures a safe and skid-free surface for aircraft operations without harming the environment or airport pavement, it added.

India’s Velavan Senthilkumar signed off with a bronze medal after losing to second seed Alex Lau Tsz Kwan of Hong Kong in the men’s singles semifinal at the Asian Squash Championships here on Friday.

The Indian, ranked 45th in the men’s singles chart, went down 1-3 (9-11, 11-13, 11-5, 6-11) to the world number 41 Lau in a marathon 65-minute last four clash.

Both the losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze at the continental showpiece.

This was Senthilkumar’s second consecutive medal at the continental event. He had clinched a silver in the 2023 edition.

With his loss, India’s campaign also came to an end in the individual contest.

The Hockey India Masters Cup for men and women kicks off today in Chennai. This 10-day tournament, hosted by the Tamil Nadu Hockey Unit, features men in the 40 age group and women over 35. Twelve men’s teams and eight women’s teams are taking part in the event. There will be group matches followed by the knockout stage and the finals.

In the women’s opening matches, Himachal Pradesh will play Maharashtra, followed by Karnataka vs Kerala at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.

In the men’s opening game, Punjab will face Puducherry at the same venue. The match will begin at 1:30 PM.

This is the first edition of the tournament, providing a special platform for veteran hockey players in India.

The universe has two kinds of matter. There is invisible dark matter, known only because of its gravitational effects on a grand scale. And there is ordinary matter such as gas, dust, stars, planets and earthly things like cookie dough and canoes.

Scientists estimate that ordinary matter makes up only about 15% of all matter, but have long struggled to document where all of it is located, with about half unaccounted for. With the help of powerful bursts of radio waves emanating from 69 locations in the cosmos, researchers now have found the “missing” matter.

It was hiding primarily as thinly distributed gas spread out in the vast expanses between galaxies and was detected thanks to the effect the matter has on the radio waves traveling through space, the researchers said. This tenuous gas comprises the intergalactic medium, sort of a fog between galaxies.

Helped by significant improvement in energy efficiency and investment capacity, India has been ranked 71st on a global Energy Transition Index released on Wednesday by the World Economic Forum.

Sweden topped the list of 118 countries, followed by Finland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland in the top five.

China was ranked 12th, the US was 17th and Pakistan at 101st place. Congo was ranked lowest.

Every year, the World Refugee Day is celebrated on 20 June. The day is dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of refugees worldwide and promoting their inclusion and acceptance in host communities. World Refugee Day is commemorated with the hope of finding a lasting solution to the global refugee crisis and providing a safe place for all displaced people. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of international cooperation and solidarity in addressing this issue.

Refugees are forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, violence, or other forms of human rights violations.

The theme of World Refugee Day 2024 is ‘For a World Where Refugees Are Welcomed.’

Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday paid rich tributes to freedom fighter Buddhu Nonia at his centenary celebrations in Patna.

Addressing the gathering, Chouhan recalled his ultimate sacrifice during the Salt Satyagraha. “He was thrown into a boiling salt cauldron by the British, yet continued to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’,” Chouhan said, lauding the courage of the revolutionary.

“We earned our freedom through intense struggle and sacrifice. Many revolutionaries spent their entire youth grinding in the prisons of Andaman and Nicobar, and when they walked toward the gallows, their legs didn’t tremble. There was no fear or anxiety. They held the Gita in one hand, chanted ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, and had unwavering determination in their hearts,” the Union minister said.

The government has decided to make mandatory the use of Indian Standard Time for all legal, commercial, digital and administrative activities, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday.

This initiative will translate into more secure digital transactions, accurate billing in utilities, reduced cybercrime risks and synchronised timekeeping in transportation and communication. Presently, several systems rely on foreign sources of time.

To make Indian Standard Time (IST) mandatory, the government will shortly notify Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025. The draft rules were issued in January 2025 for stakeholders' feedback.

On Wednesday, the Department of Consumer Affairs organized a round table conference on Time Dissemination here.

Neha Rubab, a research scholar in the Urdu department at Allahabad University (AU) and a resident of the Kareli locality, has been selected for the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025, announced on Wednesday. This year, 23 young writers from across the country have been chosen for their outstanding contributions in various languages.

Neha received the honour for her Urdu-language novel Mazharul Haq: Tareeq-e-Azadi-e-Hind Ka Faramosh Karda Qaid. The award includes a cash prize of ₹50,000, according to AU PRO Prof Jaya Kapoor.