GM Arjun Erigaisi made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest Indian and only the second from the country after Viswanathan Anand to surpass the coveted 2800 Elo rating mark.

Arjun — playing for team Alkaloid in the European Chess Club Cup 2024 — beat Russia’s Dmitry Andreikin in the fifth round with White pieces to achieve the feat. This win also helped him become the World No. 3 in the live rating list.

Arjun became the 16th player to cross the 2800-rating mark.

Frenchman Alireza Firouzja, at 18 years and five months, is the youngest player to cross the 2800 barrier. Five-time World Champion, Magnus Carlsen sits second on this list.

Indian women’s hockey legend Rani Rampal has announced her retirement as player. Rani played 254 international matches and scored 120 goals since making her debut at just 14 years old in 2008 during the Olympic qualifiers in Kazan, becoming the youngest woman to represent India at the senior level in hockey. Rani also played a key role in the Indian team that won a silver medal at the Asia Cup in 2009 and helped secure a bronze at the Asian Games in 2014.

In honour of Rani Rampal’s remarkable contributions to Indian hockey, Hockey India retired her iconic No. 28 jersey later in the day.

The queen of Indian hockey, Rani, will now be seen coaching and nurturing the future stars of the sport, as she was named the coach of India’s under-17 team by Hockey India in 2023. This year, she also took on the role of coach and mentor for the Soorma Hockey Club in the upcoming Hockey India League.

BEML Limited on Wednesday announced the induction of two highly experienced professionals into its board. According to the company, Rajeev Kumar Gupta has joined as Director (Rail & Metro) while Sanjay Som has taken on the role of Director (Mining & Construction) on the board of the defence PSU.

Gupta holds a degree in Electronics Engineering from BIT Sindri and brings over 35 years of public sector experience. His distinguished career includes leadership roles at SAIL and BHEL, showcasing his vast expertise in manufacturing, marketing, project execution, IT, strategic management, corporate communication, and international business.

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (Power Grid), a Maharatna CPSU under Ministry of Power, celebrated its 35th raising day across the country with great zeal and enthusiasm.

The Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik joined the 35th Raising Day celebrations with Power Grid family at Gurugram on October 23. He congratulated Power Grid CMD RK Tyagi and team for enabling One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency and realizing the dream of making one of the largest synchronous grids of the world.

He also praised Power Grid's role in Energy Transition.

State-run NLC India Limited (NLCIL) has announced its decision to form two joint ventures (JV) with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) which will focus on setting up a lignite-based thermal power station and establishing Renewable Energy (RE) projects in Rajasthan. The two companies have signed a joint venture agreement in this regard. Neyveli Lignite Corporation said that the decision to set up two JV companies is in line with the PSU’s corporate plan for aggressive capacity addition.

“With the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, for energy security with sustainable energy generation, under the guidance of Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, and in line with the corporate plan for aggressive capacity addition, NLC India Ltd has entered into Joint Venture Agreements for formation of two significant Joint Ventures (JVs) with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL),” said a statement.

Urmila Chaudhary of Nepal won the Global Anti-Racism Championship Award 2024 which was presented by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. This award honours six civil society leaders for their exceptional courage, leadership, and commitment to advancing racial equity, justice, and human rights.

Urmila Chaudhary is an abolitionist and labour activist who was rescued from child servitude at age 17. She co-founded the Freed Kamlari Development Forum and established 42 cooperatives to empower former bonded labourers. She is currently studying law to further her fight against injustice. Urmila Chaudhary is honoured for her dedication to advancing the rights of marginalized castes and ethnic communities in Nepal and for combating systemic racism and intersectional abuses.

The 2024 edition of the Embassy’s flagship diaspora engagement event, Pravasi Parichay, was inaugurated by Ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan at the Embassy Auditorium in Riyadh. The week-long cultural celebration commenced with a specially curated event titled “Classical Languages of India,” aimed at highlighting the rich linguistic diversity of the country. Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, extended a welcome message on the occasion, further emphasizing the importance of such initiatives.

The Indian community in Saudi Arabia actively participated, presenting a unique play that featured all 11 classical languages of India: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Pali, Prakrit, and Sanskrit. The play, which combined narration, poetry recitals, conversations, dances, and songs, was deeply appreciated by the audience. The poetry recital in Pali and Prakrit particularly captivated the attendees.

Additionally, the event featured a quiz and a painting exhibition by women artists, adding further cultural depth to the inaugural day.

As governments worldwide grapple with cybersecurity and data privacy concerns, many have moved to restrict or ban popular social media platforms. From Hong Kong to North Korea, here's a look at some countries enforcing limits on digital communication apps.

Hong Kong: Banning WhatsApp and Google Drive on Government Devices

To tighten cybersecurity, Hong Kong has barred civil servants from using apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Google Drive on work computers. The new IT guidelines are designed to prevent data breaches and hacking incidents. Civil servants can still use these services from personal devices or request approval for exceptions.

India: TikTok and 58 Other Apps Blocked

India banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in 2020, citing national security concerns following border tensions with China. The government aimed to safeguard user data and prevent potential espionage, especially as TikTok’s popularity soared in the country.

The foundation stone for a people’s Right to Information museum was recently laid at Beawar, the birthplace of the RTI movement, in the presence of eminent lawyers and former judges with focus on digital exclusion in social security pensions. About 13.5 lakh people in Rajasthan have been waiting for release of their pensions, which were stopped following a discrepancy in the digital database.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life gathered in Beawar to attend ‘Jashn-e-Samvidhan’ organised as a festival of democracy and RTI. Former judges Madan B. Lokur, Govind Mathur and S. Muralidhar, lawyers Prashant Bhushan and Prashanto Chandra Sen and social activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey addressed the gathering, while laying emphasis on ensuring social security of vulnerable sections of the population.

The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), which has been waging struggles for people’s rights relating to land, minimum wages and forests, had organised a prolonged dharna in Beawar in April-May 1996 demanding an RTI law, when it was unheard of.

IN REMARKS that could trigger a fresh debate on population control, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while expressing concern over ageing population in the southern states has urged people in his state to have more children. He also said that his government is planning to bring in legislation to make only those with more than two children eligible to contest local body elections.

“We are thinking of providing incentives to families with more children, encouraging couples to have more children,” Naidu said Saturday after flagging off the resumption of construction work at Amaravati that had been halted under the previous government.

“We have repealed the earlier law barring people with more than two children from contesting local body elections,” he said, referring to the August 7 state Cabinet decision. “We will bring in a new law to make only those with more than two children eligible to contest.’’