The Indian Railways has bagged 17 coveted and prestigious National energy conservation awards 2018, instituted by the Government of India, said a Railways statement, on Sunday. This is the highest number of awards bagged by a single organisation.

The statement said the awards were representative of the Railways’ continuous emphasis on energy efficient technologies and energy conservation measures. 

Minister of Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal, congratulated the officials for the achievement and called upon the organisation to continue striving for more and more energy efficiency and conservation measures in railways, the statement said.

These awards are given by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) of the Ministry of Power to various institutions for adopting measures for reducing energy consumption and cost.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the institution of a new national honour for national unity on the pattern of Padma Awards, an official statement said on Sunday.

The annual award will be given to an Indian who has contributed to national unity in any manner, it said, adding that the PM drew inspiration from Sardar Patel’s contribution towards unification of the country.

The announcement was made at the just-concluded annual conference of Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police held at Kevadiya in Narmada district of Gujarat, near the statue of Sardar Patel.

Modi also released a commemorative postal stamp on the National Police Memorial and a special issue of Indian Police Journal on police martyrdom, published by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, it said.

India Inc on December 23 cheered the GST Council's decision to slash tax rates on 23 goods and services and said the move will push demand and boost the economy.

The council reduced tax rates on goods and services including movie tickets, TV and monitor screens and power banks, and exempted frozen and preserved vegetables from the levy.

The reduced rates are likely to come into effect from January 1, 2019, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after the 31st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council here Saturday.

Rajeev Talwar, president, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry said consistent indirect tax revenue growth along with reduction in high GST rates indicate that tax base is widening and economic activity is expanding.

Ficci President Sandeep Somany said the GST Council has followed a pragmatic policy by bringing down rates gradually, taking into consideration the revenue realisation and affordability, and this will stabilise and strengthen GST further.

The 28 per cent slab is now restricted to only luxury and sin goods apart from auto-parts and cement -- the tax rate on which could not be cut due to high revenue implication.

US President Donald Trump has forced Defence Secretary James Mattis to leave his post early, appointing an acting successor to take over in the new year.

Gen Mattis, 68, strongly hinted at policy differences with Mr Trump when he resigned on Friday.

He offered to stay in the job until February but will now leave on 1 January after Mr Trump reportedly balked at media coverage of his exit.

Deputy Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan, 56, will take over the role.

Mr Trump has lauded his achievements and described him as "very talented".

Mr Shanahan, a former executive at the aerospace giant Boeing, joined the Pentagon in July 2017 after Mr Trump nominated him.

He was reportedly a vocal supporter of the president's plan to establish a sixth branch of the armed forces, known as the "space force".

Originally from Washington state, Mr Shanahan studied mechanical engineering and business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and joined Boeing as an engineer in 1986.

Indian woman Vedangi Kulkarni has become the fastest Asian to cycle the globe. Hailing from a suburb of Pune, 20-year old Vedangi cycled into Kolkata in the wee hours today, completing the 29,000 kilometers' distance required to qualify as bicycling across the globe.

Vedangi told news agency PTI that she spent 159 days  peddling up to 300 kilometers a day in 14 countries. Starting off from Perth in July, she will now be flying back to the Australian city to complete the record by cycling a 15 kilometer distance to reach the same place from where she started.  

Vedangi is a student of the University of Bournemouth in the United Kingdom pursuing a degree in sports management. 

Thirty-eight year old British adventurer Jenny Graham  is the fastest woman to have cycled the globe in 124 days this year.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today launched the Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region, IFC-IOR at the Information Management and Analysis Centre, IMAC in Gurugram.
 
Speaking on the occasion, Ms Sitharaman said, the objective of having an IFC-IOR is more for partners, equals to work towards keeping the global commons safe and democratically available for all. 

She said, in addition to utilising the collective wisdom and resources towards addressing the myriad challenges in the region, the IFC-IOR will help interface and integrate, wherein, the country will benefit from each other’s best practices and expertise. The Defence Minister said, IFC-IOR will help foster bonds of trust, camaraderie and partnership.
 
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said,  IFC - IOR shall be a collaborative construct that will work with partners, countries as well as international agencies to enhance maritime security and safety.

The missile is 20 meter-long and weighs 17 tonnes. It is equipped with state-of-the-art Avionics, 5th generation onboard computer and distributed architecture.

Nuclear strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV was successfully test fired off Odisha coast on Sunday.

The test fire took place from launchpad number 4 of integrated test range at APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast at 8.30 in the morning.

The extraordinary resignation letter that Defence Secretary Jim Mattis handed to a surprised President Donald Trump was not just a product of two years of accumulating frustration with an impulsive boss, but an outline of the strategic hazards facing the next Pentagon chief.

Mattis, who was quietly back at work Friday while stunned Pentagon staff soldiered on around him, implicitly warned in his letter to the president of the threat to the US from allowing alliances to fray and of the risk that disrespecting allies will undermine US credibility. It was an outline of the challenges facing the nation and whoever takes over as defence secretary when Mattis leaves Feb. 28.

“As this Administration continues to implode, Secretary Mattis’ extraordinary resignation is a significant loss and a real indication that President Trump’s foreign policy agenda has failed and continues to spiral into chaos,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Mattis announced on Thursday his plan to resign, a move prompted by the decision by the president to pull all of the approximately 2,000 US troops from the fight against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria. Mattis also was dismayed by plans under consideration to cut the number of US troops in Afghanistan and, as his letter made clear, did not see eye to eye with a president who has expressed disdain for NATO and doubts about keeping troops in Asia.

Rafael Nadal has donated 1 million euros (USD 1.15 million) to the victims of the flash floods that hit the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca. The Island is the tennis superstar’s hometown and local authorities made an announcement regarding his contribution on Thursday.

A total of 13 people were killed after flash floods hit Mallorca on October 9, reports Efe news.

“We know about his affection and humanity, which is as great as his talent and his results and he has shown that both on and off the court,” the local government said in a statement.

Nadal donated the money despite being unable to take part in a charity exhibition match aimed at helping people who were affected by the disaster. The 17-time Grand Slam champion joined the clean-up operations and opened up his academy for the victims.

At least 12 people were killed as heavy rain and flash floods hit Sant Llorenc on the Spanish island of Mallorca later on October 9, emergency services said. Images posted on social media showed cars being swept along narrow streets by torrents of brown water.

The UN General Assembly has adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions.

It is meant to address issues that concern the world’s 258 million people on the move and countries of origin, transit and destination.

The compact was adopted by the General Assembly with 152 votes in favour in Marrakesh, Morocco, on December 10.

India voted in favour of the resolution while, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Poland, and US voted against it.

After the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the document reaffirms the foundational principles of global community, including national sovereignty and universal human rights.

He said that through this, the UN stands ready to support Member States and all partners to make migration work for all.

Though non-legally binding, the Compact is the outcome of a long negotiation process and provides a strong platform for cooperation on migration, drawing on best practices and international law.