NEW DELHI: Giving the tourism sector a significant push, the government on Thursday launched the much-touted online visa facility for 43 countries including the US, Australia, Japan, Israel, Germany and Singapore. Travelers can apply for a visa from the comfort of their homes and receive a visa within 72 hours. Read more...

Source: Time of India Online

The total number of Indian students studying in the US shot up 28% to 1,34,292 students, comprising the second largest foreign student body in America after China, according to a new report published by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security.

A startling majority - 65% - were studying engineering, computer science, and information technology and support services, and together with students in other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields made up 79% of all India students in America. Read more...

Source: Times of India Online

Source: Times of India

LONDON: A well-known Indian-American surgeon and writer Atul Gawande will deliver this year's prestigious BBC Reith Lectures in four global cities, including Delhi. Dr Gawande, a Harvard professor and best-selling author, will give four talks later this year, grouped under the title 'The Future of Medicine'. 

The 48-year-old said he was "flattered and grateful" to be invited to speak in Boston, London, Edinburgh and Delhi. "I hope to use the lectures to bring together my thinking on how medicine is changing and must change globally," he said in a statement. Read more...

Source: blueandgreentomorrow.com, timesofindia.com

The BRICS group, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have established their own international bank, to promote sustainable investment and to act as an emergency reserve. In a declaration, the nations said: “BRICS continue to face significant financing constraints to address infrastructure gaps and sustainable development needs ....These initiatives show that, despite our diversity, our countries are committed to a solid and productive association," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said at a summit in the northeastern seaside city of Fortaleza.

To ease worries of any nation getting more power than the other, BRICS leaders agreed to put the bank's headquarters in Shanghai. The first president will be Indian while the first board chair will hail from Brazil. Read more...

Source: PTI / Times of India

MUMBAI: Japanese brokerage Nomura today said India may become the biggest turnaround story among emerging markets in five years, given the decisive mandate received by the pro-growth Modi government and the Reserve Bank's actions. 

"The landslide election victory by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, combined with governor Raghuram Rajan at the helm of RBI, is a potential game changer for India," it said. 

"It is not an exaggeration to expect India to stand out as the biggest EM turnaround story in the next five years," Nomura added. Read more...