President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma Bhushan upon John Chambers, founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures during Padma Awards 2019

PM Narendra Modi extends his greetings to Padma Shri Bhagirathi Devi, Shikarpur MLA, and social worker after she was felicitated

Renowned dancer and filmmaker Prabhu Deva was conferred with Padma Shri at the special function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Singer and music composer Shankar Mahadevan Narayan shares a lighter moment with renowned percussionist Anandan Sivamani

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma Bhushan upon Viswanathan Mohanlal, film actor from Kerala

Gopalan Thanthri Jayan gets Padma Shri award for his contribution to Carnatic music

Sports personalities (L-R) Wrestler Bajrang Punia, chess player Harika Dronavalli, kabbadi player Ajay Thakur and table-tennis player Sharath Kamal Achanta pose for a group photo before receiving Padma Shri awards

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma Shri upon Shankar Mahadevan Narayan, singer and music composer

As many as 112 "inspiring" personalities were selected for this year's Padma awards including four Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma Shri upon Prabhu Deva, choreographer, film director, producer and actor

In pics: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri awards 2019; the complete winners' list

Business Standard

E-commerce companies and online sellers are expected to ship merchandise worth $12 billion to consumers in India this festive season

Gopalan urged workers to call off "illegal" strike, return to work, and come forward for talks

Meta was punished Friday with a fine worth more than USD 100 million from the social media giant's European Union privacy regulator over a security lapse involving passwords for Facebook users.
The Irish Data Protection Commission said it slapped the US tech company with the 91 million euro (USD 101.6 million) penalty following an investigation.
The watchdog started investigating in 2019 after it was notified by Meta that some passwords had been inadvertently stored internally in plain text, which means they weren't encrypted and it was possible for employees to search for them.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said it's widely accepted that user passwords should not be stored in plain text, "considering the risks of abuse.
Meta said a security review found that a subset of Facebook users' passwords were temporarily logged in a readable format.
We took immediate action to fix this error, and there is no evidence that these passwords were abused or accessed improperly, the company 

The Irish Data Protection Commission said it slapped the US tech company with the 91 million euro (USD 101.6 million) penalty following an investigation

Samsung announced that consumers pre-booking the Galaxy S24 FE will be able to get the 8GB + 256GB storage variant for Rs 59,999, which is the launch price of the 8GB + 128GB variant

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and sought early release of pending funds for Chennai metro and integrated education initiatives, besides an intervention to protect Tamil fishermen.
The DMK president, who described the meeting as "purposeful", presented a detailed report on three main issues. "The Prime Minister listened patiently," Stalin told reporters after the meeting.
The chief minister sought the speedy release of funds for the Chennai metro project as Rs 18,544 crore has already been spent so far.
The state government wants to start work on the second phase of the Chennai metro and the non-disbursement of the pending dues has "caused a delay in the works, he emphasised.
About the integrated education initiative, Stalin highlighted the hold-up in the first instalment of the 60:40 Centre-State funded programme.
He clarified that while Tamil Nadu has incorporated positive elements of the National Education Policy, it has not acce

The chief minister sought the speedy release of funds for the Chennai metro project as Rs 18,544 crore has already been spent so far

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Friday said as India strives towards becoming a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, the ministry is seeking to increase the number of airports in the country to 350 and boost tourism.
In his address at an event held to mark the World Tourism Day at Vigyan Bhawan here, he also said his ministry is working on connecting more hinterlands locations which are close to unexplored sites.
Naidu emphasised the government's vision of boosting domestic connectivity and providing better facilities and warm hospitality at airports to welcome foreign tourists, as airports are "gateways to a country".
"Today, we have 157 airports but in the next 20-25 years, when we are going to see the real Viksit Bharat in 2047, we want to increase the number of airports which is 157 today to the tune of 350," he said at the event hosted by the Tourism Ministry.
He also congratulated the tourism ministry after Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announc

Naidu emphasised govt's vision of boosting domestic connectivity and providing better facilities and warm hospitality at airports to welcome foreign tourists, as airports are "gateways to a country"

The finance ministry will commence from October 10 its pre-Budget meetings with review of six ministries and departments, including new & renewable energy and skill development & entrepreneurship.
The meetings, which will continue through November 11, are being held to firm up budgetary allocations for 2025-26 and finalise the revised estimates for the current fiscal year.
On the last day, Ministry of Railway and Department of Health and Family Welfare will be discussed.
The Union Budget 2025-26 is expected to focus on reforms to further accelerate growth and implement measures to boost job creation and economic demand.
"Pre-budget meetings chaired by Secretary (Expenditure) shall commence in the second week of October 2024. Financial Advisers shall ensure that necessary details...are properly entered in UBIS (Union Budget Information System) before/latest by October 7, 2024," the Budget circular 2025-26 issued by Department of Economic Affairs said.
It will be the second ...

The meetings, which will continue through November 11, are being held to firm up budgetary allocations for 2025-26 and finalise the revised estimates for the current fiscal year

The finance ministry will commence the exercise to prepare the annual budget for 2025-26 from the second week of next month in the backdrop of the Indian economy recording 7 per cent growth rate for the fourth consecutive year.
The budget for the next financial year would focus on reforms to be pushed to further accelerate growth momentum and measures to generate jobs and boost demand in the economy.
"Pre-budget meetings chaired by Secretary (Expenditure) shall commence in the second week of October 2024. Financial Advisers shall ensure that necessary details...are properly entered in UBIS (Union Budget Information System) before/latest by October 7, 2024," Budget circular 2025-26 issued by the Department of Economic Affairs said.
Hard copies of the data in the specified formats should be submitted for cross-verification, it said.
It will be the second budget of the Modi 3.0 government and 8th straight Budget for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a rare distinction in Indian ...

Pre-budget meeting shall commence from second week of October, 2024 and shall continue till around mid-November, 2024, it said

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

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After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
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Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

In pics: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri awards 2019; the complete winners' list

As many as 112 "inspiring" personalities were selected for this year's Padma awards including four Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri

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