Category: RECORDS, ALL OTHER excl. Asia & India

** Take pride in Tamil, says Modi

PM stresses language diversity of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that every citizen should be proud that the world’s oldest language, Tamil, is in India. Emphasising the importance of the mother tongue in his ‘M ann Ki Baat’ radio show, Mr. Modi said, “The mother and mother tongue, both together strengthen the foundation of life, lending it permanence. Just like we cannot abandon our mother, similarly, we cannot leave our mother tongue either.”

He said the country was proud to be associated with 121 forms of mother tongues, 14 of which are spoken by over one crore people in everyday life.

In 2019, Hindi was ranked third among the most spoken languages of the world. “Every Indian should be proud of this, too. Language is not just a medium of expression, but also serves to preserve the culture and heritage of society,” Mr. Modi said, highlighting the contribution of Surjan Parohi, a famous Hindi poet from Suriname, whose forefathers had gone there along with thousands of workers to earn a living.

** Pricol partners with US-based company

utomotive technology major Pricol has announced a strategic technology partnership with Sibros Technologies, a California-based company that provides Over-the-Air (OTA) connected vehicle software systems for OEMs worldwide.

A press release from Pricol said the partnership is to deliver deep connected vehicle solutions in Indian and ASEAN markets.

The connected, all-in-one platform of Sibros will complement Pricol’s suite of products on Driver Information Systems (DIS) and telematics. 

Vikram Mohan, Managing Director of Pricol said, “Connectivity and innovative mobility services are critical components of our strategy to enable software-powered products and solutions for our customers. We believe that the next generation of connected vehicles will be software and data-intensive, and will require a comprehensive suite of cloud and in-vehicle software to introduce new features and keep them updated to maximise performance, efficiency, safety and security. In Sibros, we have found an ideal partner who brings the best of Connected Vehicle suite of solutions with a global perspective.”

Pricol is a very strong player in the Indian market, and we intend to bring together complementary products, strong domain expertise, cutting edge technologies and qualified teams to create deep connected vehicle solutions,” said Hemant Sikaria, CEO and Co-Founder of Sibros Technologies, in the press release

Tamil Naduj / US

** Roll call at Indian restaurants abroad

MTR in London, Sona in New York, Tres Ind in Dubai — with more Indian restaurants opening internationally.

Spanking new openings, however, are reporting housefuls every day, from Sona (Priyanka Chopra’s New York restaurant), MTR and Chourangi in London (the latter being Anjan Chatterjee’s Calcutta special eatery), to Très Ind in Dubai — not new but newly anointed as the number four swish space on the prestigious World’s 50 Best in MENA (Middle East North Africa). What is the reality behind the scenes? Are they finding it tougher to get staff, or is the new world order seeing (or expecting) easier hires from India, as countries with shortages make work visas easier?

** WORLD RECORD : Bihar’s Sakibul Gani Creates World Record With Triple Century On First-Class Debut

Bihar’s 22-year-old batter Sakibul Gani etched his name on the history books by breaking the record for the highest individual score by a cricketer on first-class debut.

Becoming the first batter to score a triple hundred on first-class debut, Gani amassed 341 runs off just 405 balls with the help of 56 fours and 2 sixes in a Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Mizoram at Jadavpur University Campus 2nd Ground in Kolkata on Friday. He maintained a strike rate of 84.20.

** India, UAE sign comprehensive trade pact – February 18th, 2022

The agreement will herald a new age in India-UAE finacial ties, says PM Modi

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a bilateral “comprehensive” trade pact on Friday. Announcing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the biggest trade pact of the last seven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed investment from the Gulf country into Jammu and Kashmir and said the initiative would open new routes for regional trade and connectivity and advance “collective interests” of India, Israel, the UAE and the United States. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the CEPA would have strong anti-dumping measures.

“This agreement will herald a new age in our financial relations. Our trade in the next five years will increase from $60 billion to $100 billion,” said Mr. Modi, thanking Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who participated in the summit virtually.

Meet Anna Menon, crew member of SpaceX mission and wife of Kerala-origin astronaut candidate

One of the crew members of SpaceX is Anna Menon, wife of Malayali medical expert Dr Anil Menon.

Dr Anil Menon who is based in Minnesota in the US, is an expert who is set to be part of future US space missions organised by NASA.

Kerala / USA

** DUK partners with British High Commission to aid tech start-ups

Commercialisation support, access to investment opportunities on offer

Digital University Kerala and electronic hardware incubator Maker Village that functions under the university have partnered with the British High Commission for a business acceleration programme for technology start-ups.

According to an official release, the programme, UK India Tech Startup, also involves collaboration with Cambridge Cleantech, a UK-based network of organisations that support the growth of sustainable and clean technology companies, and UK-based business consultant Triple Chasm.

Kerala

** Apollo signs MoU with Marafon Group for setting up hospital in Uzbekistan

In phase I, the hospital at Fergana region will have 100 beds with scope for expansion in future

Apollo Hospitals entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Marafon Group for setting up a tertiary care hospital in Uzbekistan. 

Dinesh Madhavan, president of Group Oncology and International, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd., said there was a huge gap in healthcare in Uzbekistan due to the lack of a tertiary care hospital and numerous patients travelled to India for treatmen

** Indian-origin cop in short-list to be Scotland Yard chief

Neil Basu, an Indian-origin British police officer, is widely believed in political and media circles to be in a short-list of candidates who could become the next London Metropolitan Police Commissioner or chief of the hallowed Scotland Yard.