The 13th edition of the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year was held to recognise exceptional contributions of remarkable individuals across seven categories — Business, Entertainment, Sports, Youth Icon, Rising Sports Star, Social Change, and Climate Warriors.
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain start 2024 with the world's most powerful passport, allowing visa-free entry to 194 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Indore and Surat have been awarded with the prestigious ‘cleanest cities’ of the 2023 title. Indian President Draupadi Murmu presented the Swachh Survekshan Awards, declaring the two cities as the joint cleanest cities in the country. Varanasi and Prayagraj were recognized as the cleanest Ganga Towns.
National Youth Day is observed in India every year on January 12 to honour the teachings and ideals of Swami Vivekananda who was born on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata. The decision to celebrate Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day was taken in 1984, and it was first marked on January 12, 1985.
India and Singapore last year linked their respective digital payments systems, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and PayNow. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has now announced that this facility is live on BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money), PhonePe and Paytm.
India’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments fell sharply to $2.25 billion in December 2023, compared to over $4.12 billion in December 2022. Sequentially, they were also down from $4.0 billion in November 2023, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.
The Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) said it will continue its endeavour to act as an industry watchdog to prevent, reduce, and correct instances of questionable business practices through persuasion and consensus-building among member NBFCs.
Indian Bank has announced its partnership with FPL Technologies to launch the ‘Indian Bank one co-branded credit card’ powered by Visa and RuPay. The partnership signifies a strategic shift as the One co-branded credit card will now be extended not just to existing Indian Bank customers but also to new customers, allowing a reach to a broader audience.
State Bank of India (SBI), India's largest lender, on January 10 said it has concluded the issuance of $600 million senior unsecured fixed rate notes with maturity of 5 years at a coupon of 5 percent, payable semi-annually, under Regulation-S. This issuance comes after the bank concluded the placement of $250 million senior unsecured green floating rate notes.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has signed a major media rights agreement with Viacom18. This agreement runs for a four-year cycle (2023-2027) and includes all FIH events, except the FIH Nations Cup.
India is set to chair UNESCO's World Heritage Committee and host its 46th session in New Delhi from July 21 to 31, 2024, marking a historic milestone for our nation. Vishal V Sharma, India's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, announced this decision on January 9.
Ms Audrey Azoulay | Director-General of UNESCO
The government has appointed IAS officer Senthil Pandian C as ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva after Brajendra Navnit’s tenure as India’s ambassador to the global trade watchdog ends on March 31, 2024. He will replace Brajendra Navnit after his tenure ends by March-end and will continue to lead India’s negotiations until the ministerial meeting.
Indian Army will observe 2024 as the “Year of Technology Absorption” as it’s trying to gradually mature into a modern force that will have a new operational philosophy for induction of drones & counter-drones systems right across infantry, artillery and armoured battalions, and establish Command Cyber Operations Support Wings, besides bridging other conventional asymmetries
IndusInd Bank recently introduced the “IndusInd Bank Samman RuPay Credit Card", equipped with UPI functionality, in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Tailored for government sector employees, the card is designed to offer a variety of exclusive perks, aiming to elevate their banking experience.
The World Economic Forum’s “Global Risks Report 2024,” released, ranked AI-derived misinformation and disinformation — and its implications for societal polarization — ahead of climate change, war and economic weakness in its top 10 risks over the next two years.