Delhi Airport replaces Dubai as the world’s second busiest airport in March: Report

The Delhi Airport was in 23rd place in March 2019 before the pandemic.

Delhi Airport was the world’s second busiest airport in March 2022 in terms of domestic and international flights handled, said Official Airline Guide (OAG), a global travel data provider, in its recent report.

Whilst Atlanta retains its position as largest, Dubai is knocked out of second place this month (March) by Delhi which moves up from third place last month (February),” the OAG’s report mentioned.

The Delhi Airport was in 23rd place in March 2019 before the pandemic, it added. In March this year, airports in Atlanta in the US, Delhi in India and Dubai in the UAE handled 4.42 million, 3.61 million and 3.55 million seats, it mentioned.

dnaindia.com

** HumCen Global Backed World Record For 100 Patent Filings in 24 Hours!

HumCen Global (P) Ltd has successfully organised a huge event on World IP Day, April 26, 2022, with the primary goal of filing 100 Indian Design patents in 24 hours. The World Book of Records (LONDON) recognized and commended this bold initiative.

The team from HumCen Global Pvt Ltd and Trichy’s K Ramakrishnan College of Technology worked tirelessly to attain this goal. As a result, the “100 Design Patent Filed within 24 hours”, this claim was a first-of-its-kind effort around the globe.

The crew works bright filing the first patent at 2:42 AM,. It was not easy, but sheer determination got the team through, and the record-breaking patent was achieved at 11:32 p.m.

As a strategic patent consulting partner of K Ramakrishnan College of Technology (Autonomous) in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, it was an excellent overall experience for HumCen Global Pvt Ltd in Chennai, TamilNadu, India to work for the theme IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future with 300+ Student Innovators cum Faculties. 

globenewswire.com

GLOBAL RECORDS: INDIA RECORDS: India-born Scientist & Conservation Biologist Kamal Bawa Elected to US National Academy of Sciences

Conservation biologist Kamal Bawa has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Kamal Bawa is president of the Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) as well as an elected fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the American Philosophical Society.

“The election is a reaffirmation of our important work on the ecology, conservation, and management of tropical forests that are declining all over the world but are critical to humanity’s well-being,” said Dr. Bawa.

A few years ago, Dr. Bawa brought together scientists from India’s leading institutions to develop the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing under the banner of the Biodiversity Collaborative.

The effort was supported by the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and is currently funded by the Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.

source/content: thehindu.com (edited)

** ‘Vakeel Babu’ Selected for New York Indian Film Festival 2022

The film stars Abhishek Banerjee, Bhamini Oza Gandhi and Lovleen Mishra in pivotal roles.

The film Vakeel Babu, produced by Civic Studios and co-produced by TrainTripper Films, has landed a place at the 22nd edition of the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2022, taking place virtually from May 7th to 13th 2022.

The film will be participating in the Shorts (Narrative) category and has also been nominated in the Best Short (Narrative) category.

source/category : thehindu.com (edited)

** Regional cinema: Unesco glory for Dostojee, North American awards for Once Upon a Time in Calcutta

Dostojee, set in rural Bengal, has won the children’s award CIFEJ Prize while OUATIC, a slice of urban Bengal, was awarded the Grand Jury Award at IFFLA, Los Angeles, and the Circle Award at Filmfest DC, Washington DC.

Jeete khub-i bhalo laagchhe, eta amar bachchader jonno Eid er gift (We are overjoyed with the win; this win is Eid’s gift for the child protagonists of my film)… now we are looking for theatrical distribution partners in India,” says Prasun Chatterjee, whose debut feature Dostojee (Two Friends), set in an early-’90s remote, resplendent rural Bengal along the border, is a tender tale of childhood innocence, a friendship unmarred by the pulls of religious antagonism. It won the prestigious CIFEJ Prize, recognised and accredited by UNESCO, and picked up the Best Director award in the International Competition section of the 2022 SIFFCY (Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth).

ie

** More than 1,000 Indian peacekeepers serving with UN Mission in South Sudan awarded medals for outstanding work

The work includes protecting civilians, performing engineering assignments and providing health services to humans and animals, a news report posted on the UNMISS website said

More than 1,100 Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) were awarded UN medals, honouring them for their exceptional service in the strife-torn East African country.

The UNMISS “peacekeepers don’t ‘just’ protect civilians. Some 1,160 troops from #India in #SouthSudan also rehabilitate roads, build the capacity of local communities and give medical treatment to humans & animals. For that they deserve @UN medals,” the UNMISS said in a tweet on Thursday.

The 1,160 Indian peacekeepers currently serving in Upper Nile State were honoured with UN medals “for their outstanding and multifaceted work”, including protecting civilians, performing engineering assignments and providing health services to humans and animals, a news report posted on the UNMISS website said.

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** At $76.6 billion, India is third highest military spender in world, says report

According to data published by SIPRI, the top five military spenders—the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia—accounted for 62 per cent of the global military expenditure.

India was the third-highest military spender in the world behind the US and China as the global defence expenditure reached an all-time high of $2.1 trillion in 2021, hitting record levels despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Monday.

According to data published by SIPRI, the top five military spenders—the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia—accounted for 62 per cent of the global military expenditure.

SIPRI said India’s military spending, amounting to $76.6 billion in 2021, grew by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012. “Amid ongoing tensions and border disputes with China and Pakistan that occasionally spill over into armed clashes, India has prioritized the modernization of its armed forces and self-reliance in arms production,” according to the report.

ie

** Deepika Padukone to be part of Cannes Film Festival jury

French actor Vincent Lindon will be heading the jury at the 75th edition of the coveted festival, which will run from May 17 to 28

Actor Deepika Padukone will be a part of the competition jury at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, the organisers said.

Padukone, 36, was earlier the chairperson of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival for two years.

She found fame with her 2007 film “Om Shanti Om”, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, and later featured in several blockbuster and critically-acclaimed movies like “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, “Chennai Express”, “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela”, “Bajirao Mastani”, “Padmaavat” and “Piku”.

The actor, who was most recently seen in Shakun Batra’s “Gehraiyaan”, made her Hollywood debut with the 2017 actioner “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage”, fronted by Vin Diesel.

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** Indian doctor performs 1st pediatric stem cell transplant in UAE

A Malayali doctor in Abu Dhabi wrote himself into record books when he performed the first pediatric stem cell bone marrow transplant in the UAE.

Dr Zainul Aabideen, a native of Kannur in Kerala, presently Head of the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Burjeel Medical City successfully performed the advanced allogeneic procedure on a five-year-old girl from Uganda with sickle cell disease.

Billed as the first such surgery done in the UAE, the patient’s 10-year-old sister donated her bone marrow for the transplant treatment at Burjeel Medical City, a flagship hospital of VPS Healthcare.

Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder, which results in an abnormality in the hemoglobin found in red blood cells, causing them to become sickle-shaped and leading to several complications including anemia, swelling in the hands and feet, frequent pain, acute chest syndrome, and sometimes stroke.

Prior to the treatment, the child has been regularly admitted to the hospital due to complications arising from her disease since birth.

awaz

** Week-long activities to celebrate India@75 launched in US

Programme aims to celebrate the diversity of India and its people through cultural activities.

In commemoration of India’s 75 years of independence, the Indian Consulate here in collaboration with a city-based cultural organisation and a children’s museum commenced a week-long celebration involving a plethora of activities, including traditional paintings, music and storytelling, that honour the history of India’s people, culture and achievements.

The Consulate General of India in New York, The Culture Tree and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) kicked-off the special activities and interactive programming on Monday that aim to celebrate the diversity of India and its people through dance, music, literature, puppetry, drama, food and art, The Culture Tree said in a statement.

Anu Sehgal, founder and President of The Culture Tree that provides South Asian-themed classes and programmes, said that through these events, we can offer cross-cultural exposure that can help shape knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals, while also offering ways in which children and families from the diaspora can connect with and celebrate their heritage.

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