Current Affairs

Navies of India, Indonesia begin coordinated patrol exercise in Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca

The 38th India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol between the Indian Navy Units of Andaman and Nicobar Command, ANC, and Indonesian Navy is being conducted from today to the 24th of this month in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca.  

This is the first post-pandemic Coordinated Patrol between the two countries, including. a visit by the Indonesian Navy units to ANC at Port Blair from today to the 15th of this month followed by a Sea Phase in the Andaman Sea and a visit by Indian Navy Units to Sabang, Indonesia from 23rd to 24th of this month. 

As part of the Government of India’s vision of SAGAR, Security And Growth for All in the Region, the Naval Component under the aegis of Headquarters ANC undertake coordinated patrols with other littoral countries of the Andaman Sea along respective Exclusive Economic Zones towards enhancing regional maritime security.



Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launches “Start-Ups for Railways” in New Delhi

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has launched “Start-Ups for Railways” in New Delhi yesterday. This Start-Ups policy aims to leverage innovative technologies developed by Indian Startups, MSMEs, Innovators and Entrepreneurs to improve operational efficiency and safety of Indian Railways. The policy which is part Indian Railways Innovation Programme, will bring scale and efficiency in the field of operation, maintenance and infrastructure creation through participation of very large and untapped startup ecosystem.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vaishnaw said, through this platform, start-ups will get a good opportunity to connect with Railways. He said, out of over 100 problem statements received from different divisions, field offices or zones of Railways, 11 problem statements like rail fracture and headway reduction have been taken up for phase 1 of this programme. The Minister said, these will be presented before the start ups to find innovative solutions.



Ananth Technologies, Antaris partner for development and launch of satellites

The first satellite is likely to be launched in September this year.

Indian aerospace solutions provider Ananth Technologies and California headquartered satellite software solutions provider Antaris have announced partnership for development, launch and management of advanced small satellites for various use cases.

Ananth Technologies said it got the confirmation to manufacture six satellites, and will take about a year to complete the order.



Para Shooting World Cup 2022: PM Modi lauds Avani Lekhara on winning 2nd gold

Vadovicova and Normann grabbed the silver and bronze, respectively.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed young paralympic champion Avani Lekhara for clinching her second gold medal at the ongoing Chateauroux 2022 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in France.

Lekhara shot 458.3 in the R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 finals to take the gold ahead of experienced Paralympic stars Veronica Vadovicova (456.6) of Slovakia and Sweden's Anna Normann (441.9).



Indian GM Praggnanandhaa wins title in Norway chess open

Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged winner in the Norway Chess Group A open chess tournament here with 7.5 points from nine rounds. The 16-year old GM, the top-seed, was in fine form and remained unbeaten through the nine rounds. He finished the tournament with a win over fellow Indian V Praneeth, an International Master, late on Friday.

Praggnanandhaa (Elo 2642) finished a full point ahead of second-placed IM Marsel Efroimski (Israel) and IM Jung Min Seo (Sweden). Praneeth with six points was joint third but was placed sixth due to an inferior tie-break score.
Apart from beating Praneeth, Praggnanandhaa posted wins over Victor Mikhalevski (in round 8), Vitaly Kunin (round 6), Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov (round 4), Semen Mutusov (round 2) and Mathias Unneland (round 1). He drew his other three games.



North Korea Appoints Veteran Diplomat As First Female Foreign Minister

North Korea has appointed veteran diplomat Choe Son-hui as its first female foreign minister, state media reported Saturday, as Pyongyang pushes ahead with a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests and ignores US calls for talks.
Choe, who formerly served as the North's vice foreign minister, was tapped to lead the foreign ministry at a ruling party meeting overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, the state media KCNA reported.

She replaces Ri Son Gwon, a hardline former military official who previously led talks with the South.



Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins in Baku as Charles Leclerc retires

Max Verstappen won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and took control of the World Championship after an engine failure on Charles Leclerc's Ferrari.

Leclerc's second engine-related retirement from the lead in three grands prix leaves him trailing Verstappen by 34 points, despite six pole positions in eight races.

And it continues the impression that Ferrari's season is falling apart after such a promising start, as Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz also failed to finish following a hydraulic failure.

Verstappen led team-mate Sergio Perez to a Red Bull one-two, as George Russell took third for Mercedes, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton fighting back to finish fourth.



NCPCR celebrates Elimination of Child Labour Week in 75 places in country from today

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, NCPCR is celebrating Elimination of Child Labour Week in honour of World Day Against Child Labour in 75 places from today. Rescue operations in 75 places where children are involved in labour work, in the scrap and automobile markets across the country shall be conducted during this week. This will be done with the help of authorities like State Commission, District authorities, Child Welfare Committee and other stakeholders.
 
The NCPCR has developed a draft SOP on the rescue and post-rescue of child labour incorporating all provisions of various children related Acts which are applicable in these cases. Endeavour has been made to simplify the understanding of the process laid down for inquiry and rehabilitation of children who are victim of child labour cases.



President Kovind to visit Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Kullu district today

President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Kullu district today on the second and final day of his visit to Himachal Pradesh.

The Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, which connects Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3rd of October, 2020.

The 9.2 km long Atal Tunnel is the world's longest highway single tube tunnel located at above 10,000 feet.

Security has been tightened in view of the President's visit. Flying of drones, hot air balloons and paragliding have been prohibited in Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu districts. Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that the prohibitory orders have been issued to avoid any hindrance in the President's aerial visit and ensure his safety and security.



FM Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurates Mega exhibition on Nation Building and Central Public Sector Enterprises in Gujarat's Gandhinagar

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today inaugurated a Mega exhibition- on Nation Building and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar Gujarat. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also remained present on the occasion.

The event has been organized as part of ongoing celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav. During the visit, the Minister was apprised of various key initiatives of CPSEs and their contributions towards nation-building.

During this four-day exhibition, participating CPSEs will showcase their contribution to the development of the country for achieving Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Earlier, the Joint Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises- DPEs Sanjay Kumar Jain said that about 75 CPSEs are participating in this exhibition.