NATIONAL NEWS

Indian AI Platform Hanooman Launches in 98 Global Languages

3AI Holding Limited and SML India announced the launch of ‘Hanooman’, India’s homegrown multilingual GenAI platform in 98 global languages, including 12 Indian languages, to build Gen AI ecosystem for India by leveraging the country’s diverse linguistic and cultural heritage.

Derived from the name of Lord Hanuman, it symbolises the platform’s commitment to using the power of GenAI for the greater good.

Hanooman, with all his knowledge, power and strength always served Ram loyally and we want Hanooman to bring the same GenAI power to humanity.

The AI tool has been developed by generative AI business SML India in partnership with 3AI Holding, an Abu Dhabi-based investment company.

The 12 Indian languages that the web version and app are currently available in include Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Assamese, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Sindhi.

It is the largest multilingual and most affordable Gen AI platform.

It aims to cater to four sectors namely healthcare, governance, financial services, and education.

It offers an open-source alternative to commercially accessible Large Language Models (LLMs).

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India to Operate a Terminal of Iranian Chabahar Port for Next 10 Years

India and Iran have signed an agreement under which India will operate the strategically important Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar Port of Iran for the next 10 years.

India operated the Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar on a short term contract which was renewed periodically .This is the first international terminal which will be operated by India.

The agreement was signed in the Iranian capital city of Tehran by the Indian Ports Global Ltd and the Port and Maritime Organisation (PMO) of Iran.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Iranian Minister for Roads & Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash.

As part of the agreement the India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) will invest around $120 million in developing the Shahid Beheshti terminal .

To improve the rail and road infrastructure for better connectivity to the terminal the government of India has given $250 million to Iran.

World Hydrogen Energy Summit

India has set up its maiden pavilion at the World Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition 2024.

The Pavilion was set up by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and it was inaugurated by the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Bhupinder Singh Bhalla.

The World Hydrogen Summit 2024 is being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from 13-15 May 2024.

The Summit is being attended by 15,000 delegates from around the world.

The 2024 World Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition is the largest global green hydrogen event which seeks to promote the use of green hydrogen technology and green hydrogen based fuel in the world.

The Indian pavilion will showcase the progress made by India in the use of Green Hydrogen.

The pavilion will also highlight the government policy in promoting green hydrogen and various steps taken by the government of India to promote the use of green hydrogen in India.

 

BANKING

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Introduces ICICI Pru Platinum

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has launched ICICI Pru Platinum, the company’s first unit-linked product (ULIP) which aligns distributor payouts to their customers’ fund value.

The distributor commissions are linked to their customers’ Assets under Management (AUM).

Aim is to foster the sustained growth of assets under management while offering customers a cost- and tax-efficient means of wealth accumulation over extended periods.

Customers enjoy unlimited free switches between asset classes without incurring any costs or tax implications.

The product offers a choice of 21 funds, including 13 equity funds, four debt funds, and four balanced funds.

Additionally, customers can select from four portfolio strategies tailored to their investment preferences.

The product incentivizes distribution partners to encourage their customers to remain invested throughout the policy term.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register’

Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra and Sahṛdayāloka-Locana of India is among 20 items of the Asia Pacific region which has been included in the 2024 cycle of the ‘UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register’.

The Memory of the World Asia Pacific Committee recognises and honours the Asia-Pacific achievements in genealogy, literature, and science, among other categories.

The decision to include Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra and Sahṛdayāloka-Locana was taken at the 10th General Meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP), held in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia.

The 10th General Meeting of MOWCAP was hosted by the Mongolian government's Ministry of Culture, the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, and the Bangkok Regional Office of UNESCO.

The meeting was attended by 38 representatives from member states convened alongside 40 observers and nominees.

Ramcharitmanas was written by Tuslidas in the 16th century A.D in the Awadhi dialect. It is different from Ramanaya which was written by Sage Valmiki in Sanskrit language. The Ramcharitmanas is written in Chaupai form.

Panchatantra is one of the oldest collections of fables in the world, composed in Sanskrit. Vishnusharma, the court scholar of King Amar Shakti of Mahilaropya, is credited with compiling it.

'Sahṛdayaloka-Locana' has been composed by Acharya Anandvardhan in Sanskrit. He lived in Kashmir during the second half of the 10th century and the first half of the 11th century AD.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Sahitya Akademi Fellowship

Eminent English author Ruskin Bond was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Fellowship at Mussoorie.

Bond was named a recipient of Akademi’s highest honour in September 2021.

However, due to his ill health, he could not be given the honour in person.

Born on 19 May 1934 in Himachal Pradesh, Bond has been actively writing for more than 50 years and has written in various genres of literature, including short stories, children’s books, novels, autobiographical works and non-fiction.

Bond, who has written over 300 short stories, essays and novels and more than 30 books for children besides several other works.

He is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992, Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2012, Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2019 among other prestigious awards.

The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India bestowed by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.

 

SPORTS

85th Chess Grandmaster

Tamil Nadu’s P Shyaamnikhil became India’s 85th chess Grandmaster(GM).

The 31-year-old chess prodigy, who started his career at the age of eight, finally secured his third and final GM norms at the 2024 Dubai Police Masters Chess Tournament.

He became the International Masters (IM) in 2011 and earned his first GM norm in the Mumbai Mayors Cup 2011.

He earned his second GM norm in the Indian Championship. He completed the mandatory 2500 ELO rating in 2012.

Grandmaster or International Masters is one of the many chess titles which is awarded by the world chess governing body FIDE.

Doha Diamond League

Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Doha Diamond League meeting javelin throw event as his big final effort of 88.36m fell short by two centimetres of Jakub Vadlejch

The 26-year-old Chopra trailed Czech Republic veteran Vadlejch, who won the title with his third round throw of 88.38m all through the competition.

Two-time world champion Anderson Peters took the third sport with a best throw of 86.62m.

Vadlejch had won silver in the Tokyo Olympics and a bronze in the 2023 World Championships, the two events in which Chopra had won gold.

Chopra had won the 2023 Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m, ahead of Vadlejch (88.63) and Peters (85.88m).

Dominic Thiem, Announces His Retirement From Tennis

Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem announced that he will retire at the end of this season.

The 30-year-old, who won the US Open men’s singles title in 2020, said that recurring problems due to his wrist injury forced him to arrive at this decision.

Thiem has won 17 career titles, the most recent being the US Open wins in 2020.

The Austrian achieved a career-highest ranking of 3 in March 2020.

He is currently ranked 117th.

Thiem reached the final of the Australian Open in 2017 and the French Open final in 2018 and 2019.

He has also contested two ATP finals in London that brings together the season’s eight best players.

Asian Trampoline Gymnastics Championship

In Trampoline, India’s Srishti Khandagale scripted history by becoming the first-ever Indian to win a medal at the Asian Trampoline Gymnastics Championships.

She clinched the silver medal in the Women’s Individual Age group category at the 6th Asian Trampoline Gymnastics Championship held in Hong Kong, China.

However, she did not qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics, as she was competing in an age group event.

Kazakhstan’s Dolgopolova secured the gold medal, while Hong Kong’s S Hung won the bronze.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

25th May declared as World Football Day by the UN

The 193 member United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution on 7 May 2024 to observe 25 May, every year as World Football Day 

The resolution was adopted by consensus by the members of the United Nations General Assembly.

The resolution to mark 25th May of every year as World Football Day was introduced by Libya's ambassador to the United Nations Taher El-Sonni. It was co-sponsored by more than 160 members of the United Nations.

In 2024, the Summer Olympics is being held in Paris and 25 May 2024 will mark the 100th anniversary of the 1924 football event

To celebrate the momentous event, the United Nations unanimously accepted to celebrate 25 May as the World Football Day.