Teachers request Maharashtra Education Department to declare dates for Diwali break
Teachers of Maharashtra have requested the education department to declare the dates for Diwali break. This came after the state government declared that schools will continue to remain online until Diwali.
The education department has not yet come up with a timeline to conduct the examinations. Rajesh Pandya from the Teachers’ Democratic Forum said, “Schools need to finish their exams before the Diwali break. For this, we need to know the dates for the Diwali vacations in advance. Right now, each school is coming up with their own exam plan.”
IIT-Jodhpur announces launch of new B-Tech programme in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur has announced that it will offer a new undergraduate programme in artificial intelligence and data science from the academic year 2020-21. The new programme will have courses in mathematics, computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning and their applications in different domains.
Students can also opt for specialisation in areas including socio-digital realities, visual computing, language technologies, robotics and artificial intelligence of things.
BMC asks Navratri mandals to arrange online idol darshan amid COVID-19
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the BMC has directed the community mandals across Mumbai to arrange online idol darshan or pooja of Goddess Durga during this year’s Navratri. In a circular issued on Friday, the civic body also said the height of idols for mandals must be capped at four feet and for home worship at two feet.
India-Israel to launch rapid COVID-19 test kit soon, will give result in less than a min
Ambassador Ron Malka has said that a rapid COVID-19 testing technology is being jointly developed by India and Israel and should be ready for rollout in a few days. The Israeli envoy to India has further said that the test will require an individual to blow into a tube and will be able to give the test results in less than a minute.
French Open 2020: Djokovic beats Tsitsipas to play finals against Nadal
World no.1 Novak Djokovic overcame a fightback from fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas to play the finals with World No. 2 Rafael Nadal at the French Open. Djokovic defeated the 22-year-old Greek 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 in three hours and 54 minutes.
The top two champions will meet for the ninth time in a Grand Slam final and 56th time in total in their careers.
Over 39.57 lakh online classes conducted in Chhattisgarh amid COVID-19
Amid the nationwide Covid-19 crisis, Chhattisgarh’s innovative academic program “Padhai Tuhar Duar” has successfully completed over 39.57 lakh online classes. “Padhai Tuhar Duar” is an educational web portal launched by the government of Chhattisgarh in the early days of lockdown to provide non-stop education for the students amid the pandemic. Apart from the online classes, offline classes in remote and forested areas with low internet connectivity is also being conducted.
Crime against women: Govt issues advisory for mandatory action by police
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday has issued an advisory directing the states and union territories to ensure mandatory action by police in cases of crimes against women. It is said that the government has taken steps to deal with sexual offences against women and girls and strengthen legislative provisions. Any failure of police to adhere to these mandatory requirements will invite stringent action against the officers.
2 terrorists killed in an encounter in J&K’s Kulgam district
On Saturday, 2 terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the police stated. A pistol and a M4 rifle was recovered from the site. The police officer said that the identity and group affiliation of the terrorists are being ascertained.
Russia: Armenia & Azerbaijan agree on ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Armenia and Azerbaijan, after nearly 10 hours of “substantive” talks have agreed on a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting on Saturday. The top diplomats from the two countries said in a statement that the truce is intended to exchange prisoners and bodies of those killed in the conflict, adding that specific details will be agreed on later.
Harvard Business School names Indian-origin Srikant Datar as the new dean
Indian-origin economist Srikant Datar has been named as the next dean of Harvard Business School, succeeding Nitin Nohria who is leaving after 10 years in the job. This is the first time Harvard Business School will have back-to-back Indian origin deans in its 112-year history. Datar is an alumnus of University of Bombay and IIM-Ahmedabad and joined HBS faculty in 1996.
