International News

Adani Ports secures top position for its climate actions and environmental performance

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has secured top position for its climate actions and environmental performance in assessments done by four global rating agencies. The CDP assigned leadership band “A-“ to APSEZ, recognising the company efforts in implementing the current best practices to tackle climate change risks and opportunities. Around 23,000 companies, worth over half of the global listed market cap, participated in the assessment performed by the CDP on behalf of the investors representing an AUM of over USD136 trillion. APSEZ received the highest rating of “A” for its emission reduction initiatives, climate governance and risk management processes. Notably, a handful of companies make it to the leadership band every year.
APSEZ has also secured the top position in the environmental dimension of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) 2023 among the 324 leading players in the Global Transportation and Transportation Infrastructure sector, which includes marine ports, shipping, air, road and rail transport, logistics, mass transit system and other transportation businesses. The environmental pillar provides 56% weight for climate indicators and strategy, with APSEZ improving its score for the third consecutive year to achieve the top position. On the overall ESG assessment, APSEZ with 96 percentile score stands among the top 15 leading companies in the sector globally and is apparently the only port operator to feature on the list.
The Sustainalytics Low Carbon Transition Rating has also assigned APSEZ the top rank in the ports sector during their January 2024 update. The indicator measures the alignment of the projected emissions of the company with the global net zero target. While Sustainalytics found the company current projected emissions in line for a 1.7oC rise in global temperature, APSEZ has already announced its commitment to reach net zero by 2040, a decade earlier than the requirement for the global GHG emissions to hit net zero to keep to 1.5oC. On the overall environmental dimension covering biodiversity & land use, emission and pollution control and waste management, Sustainalytics has assigned a low to negligible risk rating to APSEZ on account of a strong risk management framework that the company has implemented.
APSEZ has also received an Advanced rating in the last Energy Transition Rating from Moody, reflecting its leadership position. Furthermore, Moody evaluated APSEZ on an environmental, social and governance basis in 2022, wherein the Company secured first rank in the Transport & Logistics sector and ninth across all sectors/ industries in the Global Emerging Markets. In India, APSEZ was ranked 1st on ESG performance across all the sectors. There were 4,885 companies globally that were evaluated by the rating agencies on a range of ESG indicators, policies, processes, and systems. The next assessment by Moody is likely this year.

India allocates record of over Rs 6.21 lakh crore to Defence Ministry

NEW DELHI: India today made a record over Rs-6.21 lakh crore allocation to its Defence Ministry in the Interim Union Budget 2024-25. It is more than 4.72% for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
This allocation comes out to be 13.04% of the total Union Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today (Thursday) tabled an interim budget of Rs-47.66 lakh crore in parliament for fiscal year 2024-25.
"The encouraging Interim Budget outlines the govt vision for a confident, strong & self-reliant Viksit Bharat, inspired by PM Modi vision," Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on "X".
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to receive the highest allocation among the ministries. The budgetary allocation to Defence for 2024-25 financial year is higher than (approx.) one lakh crore (18.35%) over the allocation for the 2022-23 fiscal and 4.72% more than the allocation for the 2023-24 fiscal.

imo becomes first social app to introduce 2K HD video calls

Transforming the way we connect with dear ones, popular instant communication platform imo has now introduced 2K-resolution HD video calling, becoming world first platform to offer a free 2K video calling experience. Hence, imo users can now enjoy maximum clarity when video calling friends, families and acquaintances worldwide, for free.
Be it while catching up with family and friends over video call, or when presenting an important slideshow in a professional setting, a poor video quality with pixelated and noisy images can be quite annoying. Recognizing this very issue, imo team of visionary engineers introduced 2K HD video calls, as an effort to revolutionize communication across the globe with superior video calling experience.
To achieve the stunning 2K-resolution output, imo relevant teams utilized the power of AI and machine learning. They designed intelligent algorithms that can predict network fluctuations and adaptively adjust video parameters in real-time, ensuring a consistent, crystal-clear visual experience.
Moreover, imo's engineers worked extensively on device-specific optimizations. Collaborating closely with leading smartphone manufacturers, they fine-tuned the software to leverage the hardware capabilities of the latest devices, ensuring an optimal high-resolution video calling experience. imo 2K- resolution HD video call feature was unveiled after a rigorous process testing and iterations, leaving no scope for errors.
Hence, while a video resolution of maximum 1080p was considered the standard, users can now enjoy twice as much. All you need to do is switch to 2K HD quality while making a video call on imo app.
Mehran Kabir, Business Director of imo Messenger, said, “Video calling amongst loved ones has become an integral part of life; however, its necessity in social, professional and educational scenarios increased during the pandemic. Ever since, online communication has become the norm across many sectors. Hence, be it personal or professional calls, a noise-free and clear video calling experience is quite important. Recognizing this very necessity, imo has introduced the 2K HD video quality feature, so that our users can enjoy superior quality communication, always.”

Israel killed Aruri in Beirut with guided missiles: Lebanese official

BEIRUT: A high-level Lebanese security official told AFP on Wednesday that Israel fired guided missiles from a warplane to kill Hamas number two Saleh al-Aruri in a Beirut suburb.
Lebanese authorities and Hamas accused Israel of killing Aruri in Beirut southern suburbs on Tuesday, with Lebanese state media saying he died with six others in a drone strike.
"Aruri was killed in strikes using guided missiles which were launched by an Israeli warplane," the official said, requesting anonymity because of security concerns.

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