A breathtaking celestial event is on the horizon. On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, an annular solar eclipse will grace the skies, offering a stunning "ring of fire" view for those in certain regions. While this astronomical wonder will not be visible from India, it is set to capture the attention of observers across parts of the Southern Hemisphere.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow that only partially covers the Sun. Since the moon is not large enough to completely block the Sun, its shadow leaves the Sun’s outer edges visible. This creates the awe-inspiring "ring of fire" effect. Additionally, the moon will be at its farthest point from Earth, known as apogee, making its shadow too small to fully eclipse the Sun.

Just few days before the announcement of assembly polls, the Maharashtra cabinet on Monday passed over 56 decisions, from sanctioning finances to infrastructure projects worth Rs 30,000 crore and handing over 255 acres of salt pan land for Dharavi redevelopment project to be executed by the Adani group to declaring desi breed of cows as “Rajyamata” (Mother of the state).

The slew of decisions sanctioned in a cabinet meeting, which lasted for nearly two hours, also included accepting second and third report of Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde Committee on sanctioning on finalising the protocol for issuing Kunbi-Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi certificates based on historical records. This will lead to the increase in number of Kunbi certificates being distributed to Marathas.

Last week, the cabinet had cleared around 46 decisions. According to sources, another cabinet meeting will be held this week where another set of proposals will be cleared.

Chandrayaan 3: India's lunar mission has landed in one of the oldest craters on the Moon, scientists said on Saturday. The crater where ‘no other missions’ have gone, is 3.85 billion years old, said scientists.

Scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmedabad, said that the crater was formed in the Nectarian period-3.5 billion years ago.

According to S Vijayan, an associate professor in the Planetary Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, the mission's Pragyan rover has gone to a place on the Moon that no other missions has visited.

Uttar Pradesh will add three new medical colleges in Baghpat, Hathras, and Kasganj districts under viability gap funding (VGF) scheme of the Central government and will run under public private partnership (PPP) model.

This will at least add 300 more MBBS seats to existing 11,200 seats. Proposal for new colleges will go for approval at the state cabinet, according to the officials in the medical education department.

Director general medical education Uttar Pradesh Kinjal Singh said construction of the autonomous state medical college in Amethi is in progress, with 34 percent of the work completed. An application for the approval of 100 seats for the 2025-26 academic year will be submitted once the National Medical Commission (NMC) portal in New Delhi opens.

In a difference of microseconds, Karichal Chundan rowed by Pallathuruthy Boat Club (PCB) became the winner of the 70th edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race (NTBR) held at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on Saturday.

Veeyapuram Chundan rowed by Village Boat Club Kainakari became the first runner-up, while Nadubhagom Chundan rowed by Kumarakom Town Boat Club became the second runner-up. Niranam Chundan rowed by Niranam Boat Club was the third runner-up.

PCB is winning the NTBR for the fifth consecutive year, while Karichal won 16 victories in the 70-year-long history of the NTBR. Karichal finished the 1,200 m long track in 4.29.785 minutes, while Veeyapuram finished in 4.29.790 minutes. Nadubhagom finished in 4.30.13 minutes and Niranam Chundan finished in 4.30.56 minutes.

Gulveer Singh, a 26-year-old Indian athlete, won the gold medal in the men’s 5,000 meters race at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Japan yesterday. He set a new national record with a time of 13 minutes and 11.82 seconds. This broke his own previous record of 13 minutes and 18.92 seconds, which he had set earlier this year. Before that, the record was held by compatriot Avinash Sable. In March this year, Gulveer broke the men’s 10,000m record at the Ten Track Meet in California. He crossed the finish line in 27 minutes and 41.81 seconds, and in doing so, he improved on Surender Singh’s old mark of 28 minutes and 02.89 seconds, set nearly 16 years ago in 2008. However, Gulveer’s effort was not enough for Olympic qualification, as he missed the Paris Games qualification time of 27:00.00 by over 41 seconds.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday inaugurated the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. This world-class facility, the result of the vision of Jay Shah, the secretary of the organisation, to nurture the future of cricket, will now be called the BCCI Centre of Excellence.

Spanning over 40 acres, this facility is designed to become the epicentre for nurturing cricketing talent and advancing sports science in India. The Centre of Excellence features a total of three grounds and 86 pitches, including both indoor and outdoor areas, highlighting its capacity to provide comprehensive training facilities, as per a press release from BCCI.

Tropical storm Krathon is headed for the Philippines as the authorities place northern parts of the main Luzon island on alert, saying there is a high chance of rapid intensification and the possibility it could become a super typhoon.

According to an advisory released by the Philippine Weather Bureau, Krathon will continue to intensify and reach the typhoon category by this evening or early tomorrow. As per the latest updates, Typhoon Krathon was still strengthening and more likely to make landfall in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, the Interior Ministry held a meeting today with relevant agencies to discuss preparedness for approaching Typhoon Krathon. Officials reviewed emergency plans and safety measures. The Korean Meteorological Administration said the typhoon will likely pass near Taipei on Wednesday with a maximum wind speed of 37 meters per second in a 320-kilometre radius and begin having an impact on South Korea on Thursday next week.

Government school students will have an opportunity to visit popular tourist destinations in the state under ‘Telangana Darshini’, which was announced by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Friday.

Announcing the programme, he said that students studying in government schools will be given an opportunity to visit tourist and historical places in the state free of cost and that Telangana Darshini would educate the students about the historical and tourist places.

As per the order released by the Youth Advancement, Tourism and Culture department, this tour program has been structured for students from class 2 to graduation from all the government schools and colleges for educational and cultural experiences. In addition, the programme will also be extended to residential schools, KGVBs, model schools and a few Yuva Tourism Clubs.

THDC India Limited (THDCIL) has been recognised for its exceptional exhibit at the UP International Trade Show 2024, held at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The event, which attracted over 2,500 exhibitors and thousands of visitors, showcased innovations across various industries.

THDCIL's stall, located in Hall No. 8, was awarded one of the "Best Display" honors for its presentation of cutting-edge power solutions, reflecting the company’s dedication to sustainability and India’s energy security. The award was presented by the Hon'ble Union Minister for Textiles, Sh. Shandilya Giriraj Singh, in the presence of distinguished dignitaries.