Japan, South Korea and the United States have conducted a joint missile defence exercise directed at countering North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal. South Korea and the US also launched separate bilateral drills on April 17 with about 110 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighter jets, that will go on through April 28. North Korea had recently conducted one of its most aggressive weapons displays in years by flight-testing for the first time an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) powered by solid fuel. It is considered a more movable, harder-to-trace weapon and could directly ai
The Government of South Korea is looking at imposing tourism fees at Jeju Island, a destination famous for its blue skies and canola blossoms to never-ending coastal roads. The proposal is yet to be passed at the National Assembly of South Korea. Jeju Island has long been touted as the “Hawaii of Asia.” An increasingly popular holiday destination for domestic and foreign tourists, its booming tourism has also led to an overload of garbage and sewage. This has threatened the island’s marine ecosystem and the livelihood of its residents. Under the new plan, tourists are expected to pay
New York City topped a new list of the world’s wealthiest cities in 2023, according to the list compiled by London-based consultancy Henley & Partners. The US city is followed by Japan’s Tokyo and Silicon Valley’s Bay Area. Mumbai featured at the 21st position in the list, while Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad too made to the list. The list covered 97 cities across nine regions worldwide (Africa, Australasia, CIS, East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia) and has four Indian cities. It ranked the cities based on the number of
India is now the world’s most populous country, according to the United Nations. The country has surpassed China in population, says the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report titled ‘The State of World Population Report, 2023’. The report found India's population to be 1.4286 billion, while China's population stands at 1.4257 billion, making a difference of 2.9 million. Since 1950 when the UN started to collect population data, it is the first time that India’s population has overtaken China’s population. New Delhi is the most populated city in India with 30 million in
There were a total of 1,93,230 Indian visitors to Singapore in the first three months of this year, which is about 3.5 times more than the 54,530 who arrived in 2022, according to Singapore Tourism Board (STB. Singapore arrivals are now at two-thirds pre-Covid levels as Indian visitors surge 350% from last year. The STB announced that the number of visitors to Singapore was far beyond expectations, with over 2.9 million arrivals in the first quarter of this year, which is 62 per cent of 2019’s first three months. Indians accounted for the fourth-largest source of tourist arrivals in t
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to restore and carry out developmental activities at 69 lakes out of 201 lakes under its control in 2023-24. The civic body has sought ₹67 crore from Karnataka government to develop and rejuvenate these 69 lakes falling under its jurisdiction. It has already begun developmental work for rejuvenation of 25 lakes and will rejuvenate 44 more lakes this financial year. BBMP said that it has restored 63 lakes for ₹345.85 crore between 2019 and 2022, according to reports. Out of the 44 lakes, it will float tender for the development and rejuven
India is now home to at least 3,167 tigers, says the latest national tiger census summary report released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mysuru, Karnataka on April 9. The number of tigers has seen a jump of about 6.7 per cent from the last tiger census in 2018 when the census recorded 2,967 tigers. The number is increasing in comparison to other tiger-range countries, as people and wildlife have a long history of coexistence, said Prime Minister Modi while releasing the report. As per the results of the 2022 tiger census – the fifth census after tiger population monitoring efforts
One of Russia’s most active volcanoes in Kamchatka, Shiveluch erupted on April 11, spewing clouds of ash 20 kilometers into the sky and covering broad areas with ash. The ash cloud extended over 500 kilometres (more than 300 miles) northwest and engulfed several villages in grey volcanic dust. The Kamchatka Peninsula, which extends into the Pacific Ocean, is one of the world’s most concentrated areas of geothermal activity, with about 30 active volcanoes. According to the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Survey, the Shiveluch volcano erupted just after m
A titan of the field of statistics, Indian-American mathematician and statistician Calyampudi Radhakrishnan Rao will be awarded the 2023 International Prize in Statistics, for his historical work in statistical theory, which revolutionised statistical thinking. The 102-year-old will receive the award – the industry equivalent of the Nobel Prize – in July during the International Statistical Institute’s biennial World Statistics Congress in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The recognition comes with a reward of $80,000. Born to a Telegu family in Hadagali, Karnataka, India, CR Rao complete
The UAE's Federal Authority for Identity, Nationality, Customs and Port Security (UAE ICP) has announced a new comprehensive service to obtain a Golden Residency Visa. The 'One Touch Golden Visa service' is designed to make the process of obtaining a Golden Visa easier. It will help the aspirants with their visa applications, issuance of other visas, regularisation of status, and the issuance of residency and identity – along with the possibility of renewing all of these in just one step. If a resident meets the specified requirements for the Golden Visa, one can complete the application