The Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), which is part of the Indian Council of Medical Research, has called for avoiding protein supplements for building body mass. It is also recommended that salt intake be restricted, sugar and ultra-processed foods be minimised, and information on food labels be read to make informed and healthy food choices.
According to guidelines, sugar should be less than 5 per cent of total energy intake, and a balanced diet should provide not more than 45 per cent calories from cereals and millet. Adding more, it said sugar should be 15 per cent of calories from pulses, beans and meat.
The guidelines also stated that the rest of the calories should come from nuts, vegetables, fruits, and milk, while total fat intake should be less than or equal to 30 per cent energy. As per the central health monitoring body, around 56.4 per cent of the total disease burden in India is due to unhealthy diets.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan will chair a two-day conference, ‘Parivartan Chintan-2’ on the jointness and integration of the Armed Forces in New Delhi began on 10th May. Parivartan Chintan, a pioneering conference for the heads of all Tri-Services Institutes and aims at generating novel reformative ideas and initiatives.
Members from all the subcommittees of the apex Chiefs of Staff Committee; the CDS as its permanent chairman, and the three Service Chiefs, shall review the progress made in multiple domains, and ideate on the necessary reforms to achieve the desired end state towards transformation through jointness and integration.
In a novel initiative, the Department of Telecommunications brought together start-ups/MSMEs, academia and research institutions under the "Telecom Design Collaboration Sprint". This Sprint was organised by DoT at IIIT, Bangalore. Fifteen leading startups/MSME in the Radio Access Network, Core ecosystems, IIT Madras, C-DOT, IIT Delhi and other network entities participated.
This collaboration engaged in deep-Tech rapid ideation and innovative solution towards developing a comprehensive and future-ready telecom stack encompassing comprehensive 5G solution and setting the stage for future advancements to 6G. The Sprint was driven by three primary objectives:
1. Leveraging Collective Strengths
2. Fostering Holistic Solutions
3. Creating Market
The Sprint underscores DoT's commitment to nurturing innovation and fostering industry collaboration to propel India's telecommunications sector towards global leadership in the 5G era and beyond.
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) located in GIFT City, Gujarat. Named "IREDA Global Green Energy Finance IFSC Limited," the subsidiary was officially incorporated on 7th May, 2024.
Earlier, on 8th February, 2024, the Reserve Bank of India gave its No Objection letter to set up the finance company in IFSC GIFT City. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), is a Non-Banking Financial Institution engaged in promoting, developing and extending financial assistance,
In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania. The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is a native species of the sub-Saharan region of Morocco, in the southwest of the country, which grows in arid and semiarid areas. It’s the defining species of a woodland ecosystem, also known as Arganeraie, which is rich in endemic flora.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated in 1988 the endemic production area as the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve. Also, all know-how concerning the argan tree was inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s third-largest solar power generator in 2023, according to a report by the global energy think tank, Ember. The Global Electricity Review 2024, released on Wednesday, offers a detailed analysis of power generation systems worldwide in 2023.
It was published alongside the world’s first open dataset on electricity generation in 2023, covering 80 countries representing 92% of global electricity demand. From ranking ninth in 2015, India has substantially expanded its solar generation capacity. The report indicates that its share of solar power surged from 0.5 percent in 2015 to 5.8 percent in 2023.
The report shows that solar power’s share in global electricity production surged to a record 5.5% in 2023. India witnessed the world’s fourth-largest increase in solar generation in 2023 (+18 Terawatt hours or TWh), following China, the United States (+33 TWh), and Brazil. Together, these top four solar growth countries accounted for 75% of overall growth in 2023.
HDFC Bank, India's leading private sector bank, announced the winners of its Parivartan Start-up Grants programme for FY2024. This year, 41 incubators and accelerators in the field of social impact entrepreneurship will receive grants totaling Rs 19.6 crore to support 170 start-ups working across specific focus areas.
This year's programme is undertaken in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, a Government of India initiative under NITI Aayog. The focus areas for the 2024 grants include Climate Innovation, Financial Inclusion, Agriculture and Sustainable Rural Economy, Accessible and Affordable Healthcare, Education and Livelihood Enhancement, Gender Diversity and Inclusion.
India has become the first country to receive over $100 billion in remittances in 2022, according to the United Nations migration agency. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) revealed in its World Migration Report 2024 that India’s remittances surged to $111 billion last year, surpassing all other nations.
The report highlighted that India, Mexico, China, the Philippines, and France were the top five recipients of remittances in 2022. The report’s data showed that India led in remittance receipts in 2010 ($53.48 billion), 2015 ($68.91 billion), and 2020 ($83.15 billion), with $111.22 billion in 2022.
Apart from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh also rank among the top ten recipients of international remittances, underscoring the significance of labour migration from this subregion. The Gulf States remain pivotal destinations for migrant workers, particularly from India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Kenya, employed in sectors like construction, hospitality, security etc
The report highlighted that Mexico has become the second-largest recipient of international remittances, overtaking China, which held this position historically. Furthermore, the report pointed out that Asia serves as a major source of internationally mobile students, with China leading in outbound student mobility.
The Pulitzer Prizes, administered by Columbia University in New York was presented across 15 journalism categories and eight arts categories encompassing books, music, and theatre, highlight exceptional contributions in public service, investigative reporting, feature photography, and more.
The Public Service award, considered the most esteemed, includes a gold medal, while other winners receive $15,000 in recognition of their exceptional work.
One of the standout moments of this year's Pulitzers was the acknowledgment of The Associated Press for its powerful feature photography capturing the global migration journey through Latin America to the US.
Similarly, The New York Times and Reuters were honoured for their in-depth coverage of the Hamas-Israel war that occurred on October 7th and its aftermath.
ProPublica clinched the Public Service award for its revelatory reporting that "pierced the thick wall of secrecy" surrounding the US Supreme Court, exposing how billionaires gifted travel and other favours to justices.
Special citations were also awarded to journalists covering the war in Gaza and the late hip-hop critic Greg Tate. The New York Times staff was recognised for their comprehensive coverage of the October 7th Hamas attack, delving into intelligence failures and Israel's response in Gaza.
In the literary realm, Jayne Anne Phillips' "Night Watch," a gripping mother-daughter saga set in a West Virginia asylum after the civil war, received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The drama prize was awarded to Eboni Booth's "Primary Trust," a compelling narrative about a bookstore worker's unforeseen journey after losing his job.
Nathan Thrall’s A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy won for general nonfiction, and Jacqueline Jones received the history prize for No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era.
Tyshawn Sorey’s saxophone concerto Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith) was the winner for music.
CCAvenue, the payments platform of fintech firm Infibeam Avenues, will partner with Shivalik Small Finance Bank to provide merchants registered with it to access to SFB’s customer base.
Gandhinagar-based Infibeam said the partnership would integrate Shivalik SFB's internet banking service with its payment platform.
World Red Cross Day is an annual observance held on May 8th to honour the humanitarian work and principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The day serves as an opportunity to highlight the vital humanitarian values and activities of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
These organisations play a crucial role in providing aid and assistance to people affected by various natural disasters, armed conflicts, and other crises globally. World Red Cross Day originates from the significant events following World War I, where the Red Cross made significant contributions to fostering peace.
The theme announced for World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in 2024 is “I give with joy, and the joy I give is a reward.” The non-profit organisation’s motto, “Per Humanitatem ad Pacem,” translates to “With humanity, towards peace,” which reflects their message of promoting world peace.
The Sri Lankan government approved a deal with Gautam Adani's renewable energy wing Adani Green to develop wind power stations in the country. Adani Green Energy will be developing wind power stations in Mannar and Poonerin in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Cabinet has appointed a negotiation committee to evaluate project proposal which was furnished by Adani Green.
The renewable energy company got the approval in February 2023 to invest $442 million towards the development of the 484 megawatts wind power plants in the two areas located in Northern Sri Lanka.
A power purchase agreement for 20 years has been signed between the two parties. As per the agreement, Adani will be paid 8.26 cents per kilowatt-hours (kWh).
