India’s 18 year old, Esow Alben won a gold in the men’s Keirin individual event of the Six Day Berlin Tournament, finished on top of the podium, earning 20 classification points. The event is a six-day track cycling race. Alben was followed by Czech Republic’s Tomas Babek, who won a silver while Maximilian Lev of Germany settled for the bronze.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through video conferencing inaugurated 18.5 km long stretch of Nagpur Metro Aqua line of Maha Metro Rail Network in Nagpur. The proposed Broad-Gauge Metro network will pass over the Ambazari lake in city and will connect the east and west parts of the city. It will connect the satellite towns like Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur near Nagpur city. The Broad-Gauge Metro Rail will consist of metro coaches with speeding capacity of 120 kilometre per hour.
Qatar’s Emir has appointed Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani as the Gulf state’s new Prime Minister and Interior Minister. He will replace Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. Sheikh Khalid took the oath of office before the Emir, in a ceremony. Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani was also present in the ceremony. Sheikh Khalid had also been the head of the Amiri Diwan.
Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal was launched by Union Minister of State for PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh. The web portal was launched in Anthariksh Bhavan, ISRO Head Quarters in Bengaluru. It will function with the help of satellite technology developed by ISRO. The web Portal will enhance network application of gram panchayats. The workshop on space-based information support for decentralized planning will be held to connect gram panchayats and help the flow of information.
Indian Navy launched Operation Vanilla to support the people of island nation Madagascar, which has been hit by a Cyclone. Indian Navy Ship (INS) Airavat, which was en-route to Seychelles has been diverted to Madagascar for rendering assistance. The ship is scheduled to reach Madagascar by 30 January 2020, carrying victualing, clothing and stores along and medicines to provide clothing, emergency food, medical assistance, diving and communication assistance. The ship will also undertake transportation and evacuation of personnel using its four large and two medium-sized boats.
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad Researchers have developed essential-oil-based drug delivery systems to treat fungal infections without running the risk of inducing drug resistance. This medication can even counter fungi that have developed resistance to conventional antifungal drugs. The research was led by Dr Mudrika Khandelwal, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad. It was funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Grants from the American multinational conglomerate AT&T.
Renowned Indian environmental economist and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador Pavan Sukhdev, 59, has been awarded the 2020 Tyler Prize, regarded as the “Nobel Prize for the Environment” for “green economy” work. He has been acknowledged for his work on bringing the economic consequences of environmental degradation and loss to the attention of corporate and political decision-makers. Sukhdev will receive the award alongside conservation biologist Gretchen Daily, at a private ceremony on May 1. They will be conferred with a gold medallion and share a cash prize of USD 200,000.
Bajaj Housing Finance Limited (BHFL), a 100% subsidiary of Bajaj Finance Limited, has won the ‘BFSI Digital Innovation Award‘ for Cloud Solutions at the Express BFSI Technology Conclave and Awards 2020 held in Pune. The event held on 24th-25th January was organised by the Express Computer, an IT business magazine from the Indian Express Group. The conclave ended with the BFSI Digital Innovation Awards which were given away to Indian Banks or Indian subsidiaries of MNC BFSI institutions in the BFSI industry that demonstrate the innovative use of a particular technology or a combination of technologies for distinct business benefit.
Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida was appointed as the head of future EU diplomatic mission to the UK after Brexit on 24 January. The UK’s exit was scheduled for 31 January 2020. Almeida will head the first EU delegation to the UK as of the first day of February. Joao Vale de Almeida has experience as the European union’s U.S. ambassador in 2010-2014. Prior to his appointment to London, he was the EU ambassador to the United Nations.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and Mangaluru Smart City Ltd (MSCL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for sustainable development in Mangaluru. The MoU aims at capacity building of professionals involved in the development of Mangaluru as a smart and green city.
Under the MoU, a joint assessment study will be done to evaluate the green criteria of Mangaluru as per IGBC Green Cities rating system. MSCL is the first smart city in the country to enter into an MoU with IGBC. The two parties shall work together towards development of green buildings in Mangaluru and also incentivising green buildings rating system to suit various types of construction projects.