China has asked Nepal to join the newly formed International Organisation for Mediation as Beijing wants more countries, besides Pakistan, from the South Asian region to join the initiative formed to further its global influence.

The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was launched on Friday in Hong Kong.

State-run Xinhua news agency reported that 33 countries signed the convention on-site, making them the founding members of the IOMed. However, the full member list is not yet released.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who launched the initiative met his Nepali counterpart Arzu Rana Deuba on the sidelines of the ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday and expressed hope that Nepal will join IOMed at an early date, an official press release said here.

The Indian Navy and the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) will hold a joint exercise at sea soon.

The exercise will see the participation of ESPS Reina Sofia and ITS Antonio Marceglia from EUNAVFOR, as well as ships and aircraft from the Indian Navy. The complex tactical exercises are aimed at enhancing the interoperability between the two sides and enabling seamless operations when deployed for combating non-traditional threats such as piracy and smuggling in the Indian Ocean Region, according to a release.

In the run-up to the exercise, ESPS Reina Sofia, commanded by Commander Salvador Moreno Regil of the Spanish Navy, and ITS Antonio Marceglia, commanded by Cdr Alberto Bartolomeo of the Italian Navy, were in Mumbai from May 26 to June 1 on a short port visit. Both ships presently operate under EUNAVFOR. “The visit is significant as it is their first such visit to India under the aegis of the European Union,” the release said.

In what could be a boost to the agri-input segment, the Government registered 34 biostimulants this week, increasing the total to over 45. This could spur manufacturing and exports of these formulations. In May 2024, India had registered 11 biostimulants.

In an extraordinary gazette notification on May 26, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notified biostimulants such as seaweed extracts, humic and fulvic acid formulations, among others, under the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO). In 2021, the biostimulants were officially incorporated into the FCO, categorising them as distinct class of fertilisers.

“I believe it’s a fairly good start that has been made. I was informed that in the European Union, probably five or six biostimulants have been registered. And we have already notified 45. We have another of 50 to 60 products that are likely to be notified in the next 60 days,” said Vipin Saini, CEO, Biological Agri Solutions Association of India (BASAI), a body of biostimulant manufacturers.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested six alleged members of a transnational cybercrime syndicate that targeted Japanese citizens. They were held following searches at 19 locations in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The accused have been identified as Ashu Singh (Delhi); Kapil Ghakhar (Panipat, Haryana); Rohit Maurya from Ayodhya, and Shubham Jaiswal, Vivek Raj, and Adarsh Kumar from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

“As part of its ongoing efforts to combat cyber-enabled financial crimes under Operation Chakra-V, the CBI on May 28 conducted coordinated searches...the operation culminated in the arrest of six key operatives and the dismantling of two illegal call centres engaged in a sophisticated transnational tech support scam targeting Japanese citizens,” said the agency on Thursday.

The postal department has released a policy document titled Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address (DHRUVA) that seeks to outline a framework for a national Digital Address DPI, an official release said on Friday.

The DHRUVA envisions a standardised, interoperable, and geocoded digital addressing system that supports secure, consent-based, and seamless sharing of address information.

"At its core is the concept of Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) -- the array of services associated with address data management to support secure and efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organisations," the release said.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AMUL, India’s largest dairy cooperative, and Richplus, AMUL’s organic farming partner. According to the stakeholders, this MoU will promote organic farming and help in rural empowerment. Ajay Kumar Srivastava, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of IOB said about one lakh farmers will be onboarded through this initiative.

“This partnership is a remarkable step toward reshaping Indian agriculture. By combining our strengths, we can create a transformative journey for farmers, allowing them to embrace sustainable practices that enhance their livelihoods,” said Amit Vyas, Managing Director of of AMUL.

A co-branded Organic Farming Card for IOB account holders was also launched. This card offers farmers access to discounted organic inputs through AMUL’s certified outlets and other benefits including free agronomist support, training opportunities, and high-quality seeds. IOB will also introduce a dedicated credit scheme “Harit Kranti “, tailored to the needs of organic farmers.To scale the initiative, a series of organic farming conclaves will be organized, beginning with a major FPO meet in Madurai in June, followed by events across Tamil Nadu.

The Indian Army contingent departed on Thursday for 17th edition of India-Mongolia joint military exercise 'Nomadic Elephant', Ministry of Defence said in an official statement on Thursday.

The exercise is scheduled to be conducted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from May 31 to June 13. The exercise is an annual event conducted alternatively in India and Mongolia. Last edition of the same exercise was conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya in July 2024.

The Indian contingent comprising 45 personnel will be represented mainly by troops from a battalion of the Arunachal Scouts. The Mongolian armed forces contingent, also comprising similar strength, will be represented by 150 Special Forces unit, as per the ministry.

The government, May 30, announced the names of three more startups selected to build India’s first home-grown artificial intelligence (AI) foundational model: SoketAI, Gnani.ai, and Gan AI.

Earlier, on April 26, Sarvam AI was shortlisted for the same initiative, with the government indicating that two to three more startups would be added to the programme.

“Like Sarvam, the three teams have a very big target in front of them. Whichever sector they are targeting, they should become the top 5 in the world,” IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at an event.

Vaishnaw added that the mission has created the opportunity, to bring talent back to India. “I hope young talent sees this and comes back to India. This will also be a major achievement.”

In A big push for deeper connectivity in the North-East, Mizoram’s capital Aizawl has now been linked to the national railway network via the Bairabi–Sairang line in the state.

Bairabi in Kolasib district, near the border with Assam, has so far been the only railhead in Mizoram. Sairang is a satellite town of Aizawl, around 20 km from the city.

A senior official of the Ministry of Railways said the formal inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang line is likely to take place after June 17.

“The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct the inspection of the project this week. Only after that can the inauguration happen, leading to the start of train operations. Barring a few sideworks, work on the line is almost complete,” the official said.

The inspection by the CRS, the railway safety audit body, is the final stage for the train operation.

Egypt unveiled three new tombs of prominent statesman in the Dra Abu al-Naga necropolis in Luxor, officials said Monday.

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered tombs dating back to the New Kingdom period (1550–1070 BC) and identified the names and titles of their owners through inscriptions found within, according to a statement by the tourism and antiquities ministry.

Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in the statement that further study of other tombs’ inscriptions is needed to gain a deeper understanding of the tombs’ owners.