The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) conducted the Pre-Cyclone Exercise for the season April-June 2024 under the chairmanship of Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD in hybrid mode at Mausam Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The exercise was part of a biennial exercise conducted to take stock of the preparedness of various stakeholders in disaster management during the pre- and post-cyclone seasons.

"India has one of the best early warning systems and weather forecasting models," said the DG IMD.

Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) for Technical & Knowledge cooperation for Critical Minerals. The MoU was signed by Shri Sadashiv Samantaray, Director (Commercial), NALCO & CEO, KABIL and Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director, CSIR-IMMT, in the presence of Shri Sridhar Patra, CMD, NALCO & Chairman, KABIL, at NALCO Corporate Office in Bhubaneswar, today.

Under the MoU, KABIL will leverage the technical expertise and services of CSIR-IMMT to undertake various projects, including the design and analysis of metallurgical test work-plans, development and review of process flowsheets, and the selection of process technologies for mineral processing, beneficiation, and metal extraction. Furthermore, the agreement will also embark on joint research and facilitate the exchange of scientific information between the two entities.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has secured the 45th rank in Engineering and Technology in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject for 2024. With an overall score of 79.1 out of 100, the institute has improved on its 2023 performance in the same subject by two places.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject identifies the world’s strongest universities in individual subject areas, covering 55 disciplines as of 2024.

The results were released on Wednesday by the QS, a UK based ranking agency. Apart from engineering and technology, the premier technology institution from the city has been ranked in other subject areas too such as Natural Sciences, Computer Science, Management, Humanities and Social Sciences among all.

Barring official confirmation, Harendra Singh is set to replace Janneke Schopman as coach of the Indian women’s hockey team. The reported reason for the delay is due to the model code of conduct being in place for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

The reason for Model Code of Conduct affecting the big announcement is because Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey is a candidate in the upcoming elections. The former India player is a Biju Janta Dal candidate and set to contest from Sundargarh constituency in Odisha.

As per reports, Harendra played a role in pruning the preliminary 60-member assessment squad down to a core group of 33 players during the trials held on 6-7 April.

India currently has 67 unicorns, which is lower as compared with 68 such startups last year, according to the latest Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2024. It, however, said India produced more offshore unicorns than any other country, co-founding 109 unicorns outside of India compared with 67 in India.

“India’s start-up ecosystem has slowed, with the number of unicorns down for the first time since the launch of Hurun list,” according to the report.

Explaining reasons for the slowdown in India, Anas Rahman Junaid, founder and chief researcher of Hurun India, said, “India currently has 67 unicorns. India’s start-up ecosystem has slowed, with the number of unicorns down for the first time since the launch of our list. This is primarily fuelled by lack of investment into start-ups despite the recent stock market record highs. Another factor is that founders from India produced more offshore unicorns than any other country, co-founding 109 unicorns outside of India compared with 67 in India.”

Fintech firm PhonePe on Wednesday said it has partnered with Nepal's digital wallet service eSewa and the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Pokhara to promote digital payments through UPI on the Himalayan country's payment processor Fonepay Network. The partnership is a part of the Fewa New Year Festival which will be held from April 11-14 in Nepal.

Over 3,000 merchants will participate in the festival with more than 1,00,000 visitors expected to visit.

PhonePe in a statement said it will run on-ground activation aimed at raising awareness about digital payments among local merchants while demonstrating the convenience of digital payments for customers.

The General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”

12 April 1961 was the date of the first human space flight, carried out by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.

The General Assembly expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.

Cinematographer-filmmaker Gangu Ramsay, one of the seven Ramsay Brothers known for cult horror films such as Purani Haveli and Tehkhana, died at a hospital in Mumbai on Sunday morning, his family said. He was 83.

According to the family, Gangu Ramsay had been battling health issues for the past month.

"With profound sadness, we announce the passing of one of the Ramsay Brothers, the legendary cinematographer, filmmaker, producer and the second eldest son of F.U. Ramsay, Gangu Ramsay. He departed from us early this morning at 8 am, at the age of 83, after battling health issues for the past month. He was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital," the family said in a statement.

Britain’s King Charles III was on Tuesday presented with the first set of banknotes bearing his portrait by Bank of England representatives at Buckingham Palace in London.

The 75-year-old monarch, who has been undergoing cancer treatment, was pictured with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and Chief Cashier and Executive Director of Banking Sarah John.

It is seen as a historic moment as it is the first time the Bank of England has changed the image of the British monarch on a banknote, as King Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the first monarch to appear on a Bank of England note in 1960.

The US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) has appointed former Revenue Secretary and ex-Secretary of Economic Affairs Tarun Bajaj as the head of the US-India Tax Forum.

Bajaj, 61, joined the USISPF as an advisor to the Board of Directors in January and will now spearhead the US-India Tax Forum, an official announcement said on Tuesday.

“With his extensive experience and profound expertise in finance and taxation, Tarun stands as an ideal candidate to steer our efforts forward. His adept leadership in shaping fiscal and tax policies and navigating intricate economic terrains will fortify our mission of nurturing strong economic bonds between the United States and India,” said Mukesh Aghi, president and CEO of USISPF.