Microsoft has announced the retirement of 27-year-old Internet Explorer as the firm's oldest browser will be completely phased out from June 15, 2022.

 

Internet Explorer was launched in 1995 as an add-on package for Windows 95. Microsoft later started providing the app for free as part of the package.

 

The nearly three-decade-old browser peaked at 95 per cent usage share in 2003. However, IE could not maintain its position, and its user base started to decline drastically as other competitors released new browsers with better user interfaces, faster internet speed and smoother performance.

 

Internet Explorer, over time, has devolved into a default browser that is used to install other browsers.

 

"The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 lies in Microsoft Edge," said Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft Edge program manager, quoted Mashable..

Source : Business Standard

This year, 2022 marks the fifth anniversary of the Central Government’s dream initiative, Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN). The effort began slowly but grew in popularity as newer airlines, such as Star Air, began to explore this vast untapped market. 

 

According to analysts, UDAN is a gamechanger in the aviation business since it allows the average person to commute between smaller cities in minutes rather than hours and at a reasonable cost. Over 415 UDAN routes connect 66 underserved/unserved airports, including heliports and water aerodromes, benefiting over 92 lakh people.

* The Union Government has launched the Rashtriya Puruskar Portal for inviting nominations for various awards of the various Ministries, Departments and agencies to ensure transparency and public partnership. This common portal has been developed by the government to bring together all the awards under one digital platform.  

 

* Aim :  To facilitate citizens to nominate individuals and organizations for various awards instituted by the Government of India.

 

* Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement today said, presently nominations and recommendations for Padma Awards are open till the 15th of September this year(2022) for Sardar Patel National Unity Awards, nominations will be open till the 31st of next month.

 

* Nomination for Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award will remain open till the 16th of this month and nomination for Jeevan Raksha Padak series of Awards will be open till 30th of September this year(2022)..

Source : News On Air

* Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia to become India's second-biggest supplier of oil behind Iraq as refiners snap up Russian crude available at a deep discount following the war in Ukraine, industry data showed.

 

* Indian refiners bought about 25 million barrels of Russian oil in May, or more than 16 per cent of all their oil imports.

 

* Russian-origin crude hit 5 per cent of India’s total seaborne imports in April for the first time, rising from under 1% throughout 2021 and Q1 2022, the data showed.

 

* India, the world’s third-biggest oil-importing and consuming nation, has long defended purchases of crude oil from Russia following President Vladimir Putin ordering the invasion of Ukraine. The Oil Ministry had last month stated that “energy purchases from Russia remain minuscule in comparison to India’s total consumption.”

 

* Iraq remained the top supplier to India in May and Saudi Arabia is now the third biggest supplier.

 

* India has taken advantage of discounted prices to ramp up oil imports from Russia at a time when global energy prices have been rising.

 

* After the U.S. and China, India is the world’s third-largest consumer of oil, over 85 per cent of which is imported.

 

* Following its invasion of Ukraine, there are now fewer buyers for Russia’s Ural crude oil, with some foreign governments and companies deciding to shun Russian energy exports, and its price has fallen. Indian refiners have taken advantage of this and bought Russian crude oil at discount as high as $30 per barrel..

Source : India Today

XPay.Life, a blockchain-enabled transaction framework, launched UPI services on Friday(10th June 2022). XPay.Life is working with the regional rural banks (RRBs) and district co-operative central banks (DCCBs) to offer better banking facilities and drive financial inclusion in rural areas.

 

With the launch of its UPI services, XPay.Life’s 4 million consumers across 15 states and in over 1 lakh villages will have better access to financial facilities.

 

XPay.Life works on three models – SaaS (software-as-a-service) which include their mobile app, PaaS (platform-as-a-service) which includes their dynamic natured website & IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service), which it’s mobile vans cover.

 

The fintech company along with NABARD, NPCI and the state government is working to strengthen digitization of payments into reality by enabling the last mile links of RRBs and DCCBs..

 

World Blood Donor Day is observed on June 14 to spread awareness regarding the need for “safe blood and blood products for transfusion”. According to the World Health Organization, blood-related products are crucial for public health across the globe. This day also marks an opportunity to thank volunteers and blood donors for their contributions.

 

 

* Raise global awareness of the need for safe transfusion blood and blood products.

* Emphasise the vital role that unpaid, volunteer blood donors play in national health systems.

* Assist national blood transfusion services, blood donor organisations, and other non-governmental groups in strengthening and extending their voluntary blood donor programmes.

 

World Blood Donor Day 2022 Slogan : Every year, the slogan for World Blood Donor Day varies to honour those individuals who donate their blood for others they don't know.

 

For 2022, the slogan is “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives”. According to the WHO, the theme will put light on the roles that voluntary blood donation plays in saving lives every year across the globe.

 

World Blood Donor Day History : World Blood Donor Day marks the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, who first distinguished human blood into A, B, AB and O groups. He even won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1930.

 

World Blood Donor Day 2022 Host : This year, the global event will take place in Mexico. Mexico's National Blood Centre will host World Blood Donor Day on June 14, 2022..

Source : NDTV

 

* Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: Dharmendra Pradhan.

Source : Business Standard

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said Sant Tukaram became not only a ray of hope for the present society but for the future also. The Prime Minister said this while addressing devotees after inaugurating the Shila Mandir of Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj at Dehu village near Pune today(14th June 2022). 

 

He said Veer Savarkar sang abhangs (devotional poetry in praise of Lord Vitthal) of Sant Tukaram while in jail during India’s freedom struggle.  

 

Sant Tukaram was a Warkari saint and poet, famously known for Abhanga devotional poetry and community-oriented worship through spiritual songs known as Kirtans. He lived in Dehu. A Shila Mandir was built after his demise, but it was not formally structured as a Temple. 

 

It has been rebuilt in stone masonry with 36 peaks, and also carries an idol of Sant Tukaram. Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the statues of Vitthal-Rukmini in the main temple of Dehu. He also worshiped the symbolic pillar of Bhagwat Dharma built in front of the Shila Mandir..

Source : News On Air

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based META4 Group will be setting up an Electric Vehicles (EV) manufacturing plant with an investment of ₹250 crore in Zaheerabad, Telangana.

 

The Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Telangana government in this regard. As per the MoU, the Telangana government will provide 15 acres of subsidised land in the National Investment & Manufacturing Zone at Zaheerabad.

 

The proposed plant is expected to be functional by the end of this fiscal year. Voltly Energy aims to manufacture at least 40,000 units in the first phase of the plant launch, and capacity will easily be taken up to 1,00,000 within the next three years. The new manufacturing plant will have major automation integration, including the latest semi-robotics and cutting-edge manufacturing machinery. The plant will help create nearly 500 direct and 2,000 indirect jobs in the State.

 

“META4 intends to bring quality-driven EVs to the Indian market in accordance with the Fame2 approvals set by the Indian regulatory authority, and it will simultaneously enable space towards a strong economic drive in electric mobility,’‘ Muzammil Riyaz, Group CEO, META4 said in a release on Monday(13th June 2022)..

Source : The Hindu Businessline

Asian Games double gold medallist and Olympian "Hari Chand" passed away on Monday (June 13, 2022) morning at the age of 69 in Hoshiarpur. Born on April 1, 1953, the former long distance runner hailed from Ghorewah village in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.

 

Hari Chand was one of the greats that India has produced in distance running. He participated in two Olympic Games. In the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, he came eighth in the 10,000m with a time of 28:48.72, which was a national record that stood for 32 years. He then took part in the 1980 Olympic Men's Marathon where the Indian completed the race with a timing of 2:22:08 at Lenin Stadium, Moskva.

 

The unsung hero of Indian athletics also bagged two gold medals in the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games. In Thailand, Hari was on the top step of the podium in both 5000m and 10,000m events.For his contribution to sports in India, Hari Chand was also conferred with Arjuna Award.

 

Born : April 1, 1953

 

Died : June 13, 2022

Source : Zee News