Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Friday declared a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja celebrations. The announcement came hours after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena wrote to the chief minister requesting her to declare a holiday on November 7.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Friday declared a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja celebrations.

Delhi govt declares public holiday on Nov 7 for Chhath Puja celebrations

Fair trade regulator CCI has dismissed allegations of abuse of dominance against Coal India concerning its e-auction scheme introduced in December 2022, ruling that the state-owned company had not violated norms.
Coal India Ltd (CIL), a Maharatna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Coal, is the single-largest coal producing company in the world.
"In view of the... facts and circumstances of the present matter, the commission is of the view that there is no prima-facie case of contravention of provisions of the act warranting an investigation into the matter," Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in a order on December 30.
The case, filed by a Kolkata-based individual, claimed that Coal India's 2022 e-auction scheme replaced its earlier spot e-auction scheme 2007 with terms allegedly unfair to buyers, the order said.
The individual argued that the scheme's conditions, such as requiring advance bid security and forfeitures without reciprocal obligations on CIL, ...

The case, filed by a Kolkata-based individual, claimed that Coal India's 2022 e-auction scheme replaced its earlier spot e-auction scheme 2007 with terms allegedly unfair to buyers

Adani Wilmar, which sells edible oils and other food items, on Saturday reported a 6 per cent annual growth in sales volumes and a 33 per cent increase in revenue in the December quarter.
Adani Wilmar, established jointly by Adani Group and Singapore Wilmar Group in 1999 markets its products mainly under Fortune brand.
Adani Group recently announced its exit from the joint venture by divesting its entire 44 per cent stake to Wilmar group as well as open market sale.
In a regulatory filing on Saturday, Adani Wilmar said the company "achieved a healthy volume growth of 6 per cent year-on-year in Q3 (December quarter), despite significant price hikes driven by surge in raw material costs".
Revenue grew 33 per cent year-on-year, it added.
"In the edible oils segment, although there was downtrading among consumers, the company maintained its market share by its strategy of having a diverse portfolio of brands at various price points," Adani Wilmar said.
The company reported 4 per cent

Adani Group recently announced its exit from the joint venture by divesting its entire 44 per cent stake to Wilmar group as well as open market sale

ISRO on Saturday said the cowpea seeds it had sent to space onboard the PSLV-C60 POEM-4 platform have germinated under microgravity conditions within four days of the launch of the mission.
The space agency sent eight cowpea seeds as part of the Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS) experiment conducted by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to study plant growth in microgravity conditions.
"Life sprouts in space! VSSC's CROPS experiment onboard PSLV-C60 POEM-4 successfully sprouted cowpea seeds in 4 days. Leaves expected soon," ISRO said in a post on X.
The PSLV-C60 mission placed two SpaDeX satellites in orbit on the night of December 30. The fourth stage of the rocket carrying the POEM-4 platform has been orbiting the earth with 24 onboard experiments at an altitude of 350 km since Tuesday.
The CROPS experiment aims to understand how plants grow in the unique conditions of space, which is essential for future long-duration space missions.
The experiment 

The CROPS experiment aims to understand how plants grow in the unique conditions of space, which is essential for future long-duration space missions

With Assembly elections in Delhi due in February, political parties are using Artificial Intelligence to churn out creative ads and visuals -- projecting their leaders as heroes and targeting rivals with sharp jibes.
From calling its supremo Arvind Kejriwal the "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time) to portraying him as "Delhi ka Beta" (Son of Delhi), the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is creatively leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its campaigns.
On the other hand, the BJP is labelling Kejriwal as the "Original Mahathag" (master conman) in AI-generated videos and posters.
In one instance, a scene from Amitabh Bachchan's movie "Baghban", which depicts parents enduring neglect from their children despite their sacrifices, was modified with AI to feature Kejriwal, emphasising that "Delhi ka Beta" will never abandon the people.
Delhi BJP's X handle also has multiple ad clips, including videos featuring Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi.
In one such video, Atishi is shown praising Kejr

The X platform has become a battleground for political parties, where they are using twists and turns to attract voters

Reacting to Home Minister Amit Shah's post, Sadhguru expressed pleasure in meeting him and praised Shah's engagement and interest in the civilizational aspects of our nation, calling it admirable

The Unit has highlighted that sound levels exceeding 120 decibels during the concert could pose significant risks to children's health

Apparel exporters body AEPC on Saturday urged the government to announce tax incentives, including removal of a provision requiring payments to MSMEs within 45 days to claim deductions and customs duty exemption on garment machinery imports.
The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has also requested that an  interest equalization rate of 5 per cent be announced in the Budget, scheduled to be unveiled on February 1 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Other demands include extension of concessional tax rate for new manufacturing units to encourage setting up of new garment units; simplification in the procedure of imports of trims and embellishments under IGCR (Import of Goods at Concessional Rate); and liberalizing e-commerce export procedures.
"Ready Made Garments (RMG) industry has also demanded removal of Sec43B (H) of IT Act in the ensuing Budget which pertains to payment to any MSME companies within a maximum 45 days' time to claim any deduction in tax. This has increase

The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) has also requested that an interest equalization rate of 5 per cent be announced in the Budget, scheduled to be unveiled on February 1

Experts feel despite government efforts there has been a lag in capex pick up but there is a good case for continued push towards such expenditure

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

Delhi govt declares public holiday on Nov 7 for Chhath Puja celebrations

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Friday declared a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja celebrations. The announcement came hours after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena wrote to the chief minister requesting her to declare a holiday on November 7.

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