Category: RECORDS, ALL OTHER excl. Asia & India

** American Association of Engineers of India Origin launches Innovation Center

The hub was inaugurated by Bill Foster, Congressman-IL, together with AAEIO President Gladson Varghese, President-Elect Ajit Pant, Vice President Nitin Maheshwari, and other board members.

** Amara Raja investing €10 million in European electric vehicle battery group

The investment is part of the Energy and Mobility strategy Amara Raja is pursuing to foray into new green technologies and solutions through expansion and investment

Amara Raja Batteries is investing €10 million in InoBat Auto, a European Group focused on research and development in the field of batteries for electric vehicles and production of lithium-ion battery cells as well as tailored and customs cells.

** Reliance New Energy Solar to acquire U.K.’s sodium-ion battery tech firm Faradion

Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd. (RNESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd., said it has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% shareholding in Faradion Ltd. (Faradion) for an enterprise value of GBP 100 million (around ₹1,000 crore).

In addition, RNESL has also agreed to invest GBP 25 million as growth capital to accelerate commercial roll out.

“Based out of Sheffield and Oxford in U.K. and with its patented sodium-ion battery technology, Faradion is one of the leading global battery technology companies. It has a competitively superior, strategic, wide-reaching and extensive IP portfolio covering several aspects of sodium-ion technology,” RIL said in a statement.

** How Bengal Heritage Foundation sustains the ‘living bridge’ between India and the UK

“There is no stronger or more important ‘living bridge’ than what the United Kingdom shares with India, and especially Bengal. It has been fantastic to see how the Bengal Heritage Foundation (BHF) has been nourishing and developing this unique bond over the years,” said Nick Low, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, at The Bengal Club on December 27.

Low was speaking at the Bengal Heritage Dinner organised by the BHF — set up by a group of Bengali families in London in 2009 — to shed light on the wide-ranging work that the Foundation does to bolster Indo-British ties, apart from promoting the distinctive qualities of Bengal and Bengalis in the UK.

West Bengal

** India gives food aid, defence equipment to Mozambique

India handed over two Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC) and other self defence equipment to Mozambique to assist in its capacity building as the Central African nation battles growing terror threats.

Naval ship INS Kesari entered Port of Maputo in Mozambique to deliver 500 tonnes of food aid as well as the defence equipment, under the eight edition of Mission Sagar by the Navy to assist friendly foreign countries in the region.

** Meet Rajasthan’s Ravi Soni – Guinness World Record holder for largest drawing by an individual

Udaipur-based designer Ravi Soni recently broke the Guinness World Record by creating the World’s Largest Drawing measuring a whopping 629.981 square meters (6781 sq.feet). Soni created his huge painting on November 30, 2021 at Maharana Bhupal Stadium, Udaipur. It took him around 24 hours to complete the drawing spanning across 5 days. 

** Uzra Zeya appointed U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibet

The coordinator’s role involves promoting “substantive dialogue” between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama.

U.S. official Uzra Zeya has been appointed the country’s new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. She will hold the position concurrently with her current role as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via a statement.