China to host BRICS Film Festival in June
The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27. The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, last September. Chinese director Xie Fei will be the president of the festival jury. This year’s festival would be held ahead of the BRICS summit to be held in September this year in China’s Xiamen city.
UN International Vesak Festival in SL from May 11 to 13
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate UN Vesak Day in Colombo on May 12, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Justice and Buddhasasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said here on Wednesday (20.04.2017). The UN General Assembly in 1999 declared an “International Day of Observance for Vesak” — on the initiative of the then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. This United Nations Day of Vesak is celebrated annually in Buddhist countries. This is the first time Sri Lanka has been given the opportunity to host this festival.
India contributes $250,000 to UN election assistance programme
India has made a quarter-million-dollar contribution to the UN programme for helping countries to hold elections and develop their electoral systems. Eenam Gambhir, a First Secretary in India's Mission to the UN, presented the cheque to Kyoko Shiotani, Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General at the UN Department of Political Affairs, on Tuesday (18.04.2017).This is the second Indian contribution of $250,000 to the programmes for electoral assistance and capacity building. The first was made in 2012. Through the Election Assistance Division set up in 1991, the UN has helped over 100 countries with their elections
Civil Services Day - 21st April
The Civil Services Day is organized on 21st April every year, when civil servants re-dedicate themselves to the cause of the citizens and renew their commitment to public service. This day coincides with the date on which SardarVallabhbhai Patel had addressed the first batch of probationers at the All India Administrative Service Training School at Metcalfe House, New Delhi in 1947. Government of India has taken a decision to observe the 21st of April every year as "Civil Services Day" as an occasion for the civil servants to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizens and renew their commitment to public service and excellence in work.
Narendra Modi, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma in Time’s ‘most influential people’ list
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians to make it to an annual list of ‘100 most influential people in the world’ this year released by the Time magazine on Thursday.
PM Modi to inaugurate ‘Textiles India 2017’ on June 30
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Textiles India — a mega event showcasing the country as a global sourcing hub — in Gandhinagar on June 30. The three-day conference will be attended by several Union Ministers including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and provide a platform to connect and collaborate with global manufacturers, investors and buyers in the textiles sector
Tata Motors arm launches Made-in-India robot
TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, has launched a Made-in-India robot catering primarily to micro, small and medium industries. It is priced 30-40 per cent lower than competition, the firm claimed.The indigenously built robot — TAL Brabo — is available in two variants of payloads of 2 kg and 10 kg, priced at ₹5 lakh and ₹7 lakh, respectively.“This is the first robot conceptualised and designed in India.
Global economy will grow 3.5% in 2017, IMF predicts
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Research Department, told reporters at a news conference here. “We project the world economy to grow at a pace of 3.5 per cent in 2017, up from 3.1 per cent last year, and 3.6 per cent in 2018,
Italian mayor wins UNESCO peace prize (For the First Time, UNESCO's Peace Prize Goes to a Mayor)
UNESCO on awarded its peace prize to Giuseppina (Giusi) Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees who flee across the the Mediterranean on often unseaworthy boats.
Visually Challenged Indian Runner Sagar Baheti Completes Boston Marathon
Bangalore-based Sagar Baheti becomes the first visually challenged runner to complete the famous Boston Marathon. The event was organised by Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI). Baheti is the first visually impaired Indian to take part in the renowned marathon. Out of 3000 runners, Baheti achieved 121st spot which is commendable. He covered 42.16 km of distance in just four hours.
Veteran journalist Nora Chopra no more
Senior journalist and columnist, Nora Chopra passed away on following a period of illness. She was actively engaged in her work till her premature demise. Chopra was widely respected for being a passionate, spirited and combative journalist.
For 1st time, study links monogamy to genes
The oldfield mouse doesn't seem extra ordinary . With soulful black eyes and tiny teacup ears, the rodent lives a humdrum life scurrying about meadows and beaches in southeast America.
By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in Arctic Ocean
Hundreds of billions of pieces of plastic are floating in the oncepristine Arctic, according to a new study , in a startling indication of how polluted the planet has become.According to one estimate, there will be more plastic pollution in the oceans than fish by 2050. The tiniest pieces of plastic are able to get into the bloodstream and even the flesh of animals. This has raised the prospect of our rubbish returning to haunt us in the seafood we eat.
