Month: September 2023

Vodafone India makes ‘requisite payment’ of Rs 1,701 crore to DoT

Manish Kumar

Vodafone Idea pays first instalment for 5G spectrum  The telco confirmed that it has paid ₹1,701 crore to the Department of Telecommunications including interest, towards the 2022 Spectrum Auction instalment.  It appears that Vi was able to collect funds to pay the dues without the promoters’ help.  The promoter group entity of Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) had assured assistance of Rs 2,000 crore to the company in case it needed financial support to meet the impending payment obligations.  VIL had cleared about 10 percent of its dues for the April-June…

India’s Sun Mission Aditya-L1 Starts Collecting Scientific Data: ISRO

Manish Kumar

ISRO’s Aditya-L1 begins collecting scientific data on Solar exploration efforts.  The Indian Space Research Organization on Monday announced that Aditya-L1 has commenced collecting scientific data, marking a milestone in India’s solar exploration efforts.  The sensors of the STEPS instrument have begun measuring supra-thermal and energetic ions and electrons at distances greater than 50,000 km from Earth,”  STEPS, equipped with six sensors observing in various directions, is responsible for measuring supra-thermal and energetic ions ranging from 20 (kiloelectronvolt) keV/nucleon to 5 (mega electron volt) MeV/nucleon, as well as electrons exceeding 1…

China’s top diplomat & Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Russia ahead of the possible Xi-Putin meeting

Manish Kumar

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will start his four-day official visit to Russia on September 18 where he will hold security talks, the country’s foreign ministry confirmed.  Russia and China have been strategic allies as both countries frequently continue to reiterate their “no limits” partnership and military and economic cooperation.  The ties between the two countries grew closer after Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February last year which was not criticized by China.  In an initial briefing, the Russian foreign ministry stated that Wang will be meeting with his…

Gita Mehta, eminent author, journalist, and Odisha CM’s elder sister, breathed her last

Manish Kumar

Gita Mehta, renowned writer-filmmaker passed away on Saturday in New Delhi. Mehta, who died at 80, was the sister of Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and daughter of Biju Patnaik.  Gita Mehta will be remembered for her coverage of Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war for NBC and her acclaimed documentary “Dateline Bangladesh”.  Born in 1943 to Biju Patnaik and Gyan Patnaik in Delhi, she pursued her higher studies in India as well as at the prestigious Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.  Gita Mehta was the elder sister of Naveen Patnaik…

An idea conceived in 2010 comes to fruition; Tagore’s Santiniketan to be on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Manish Kumar

Santiniketan, the town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district where Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore spent much of his life, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The inscription was awarded at the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee (2023) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.  India has been striving for a long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in the Birbhum district.  The heritage tag has been given to the core area of Santiniketan, which is made of three zones: Ashrama or Hermitage,…

Congress prods SEBI to act against Adani firms, demands probe by JPC

Manish Kumar

The Congress on Saturday questioned SEBI’s move of not acting on money laundering allegations against “Adani-linked entities”.  It called for the formation of a joint parliamentary committee to discuss the issue during the special session of Parliament.  Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wondered whether SEBI will act now that the Mauritius financial regulator has revoked the licenses of two such entities.  “Even as SEBI professes helplessness, ironically Mauritian regulators have taken stringent action against suspect Adani-linked entities,” the Congress leader said.  The Congress and several other opposition parties have been…

The five-day “Amrit Kaal” session of parliament begins; “Small in Duration, Big on Occasion”: PM

Manish Kumar

The five-day “Amrit Kaal” session of parliament begins today.  Monday’s discussion on 75 years of parliament will be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha and BJP’s senior leader Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha.  Earlier this week, the government announced the agenda, putting an end to days of speculation about the country’s name change or a bill on “One Nation One Election”.  After Tuesday’s function at the Central Hall, the sitting will be shifted to the new parliament building.  Calling the special session of parliament, a “diversionary…

UK to hike student visa fee by Rs 13000 from October 4

Manish Kumar

The Home Office indicated a 15 per cent increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, and an increase of at least 20 per cent in the cost of priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship.  The British government has announced that a proposed hike in visa fees will become effective from October 4.   a visit visa for under six months will cost GBP 15 more and student visas will be GBP 127 more expensive for travellers from around the world, including Indians.  The hike in…

IMF to urge China to shift growth model toward consumption, address troubled realty sector

Manish Kumar

The IMF plans to tell China to boost weak domestic consumption, address its troubled real estate sector and rein in local government debt.  The Fund will strongly urge Beijing to shift its growth model away from debt-fuelled infrastructure investment and real estate.  China’s aging population and falling productivity are playing a ‘suppressing role’ in its growth rate, along with companies in the US and Europe shifting supply chains away from China.  The new forecasts are expected to reflect concerns about anaemic GDP growth around the world, as largest economies are…

Google Co-Founder Quietly Divorced Wife Over Her Alleged Affair with Elon Musk: Report

Manish Kumar

Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin has quietly finalized his divorce from Nicole Shanahan, after allegations that she had an affair with billionaire Elon Musk,  As per court documents, the couple’s divorce was confirmed on May 26.  Though Mr Shanahan did not contest the divorce, she asked the court to award her spousal support, the court papers said.  They will now split legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old daughter.   However, both Mr Musk and Ms. Shanahan denied their alleged affair.  Meanwhile, Ms. Shanahan called the scandal ‘utterly debilitating’. She insisted…