Pakistan confers Nishan-e-Pakistan on Chinese president Xi Jinping

Pakistan conferred the Nishan-e-Pakistan, its top civilian award, on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, lauding his “outstanding contribution in the promotion of the relationship between the two countries”. The award was established in March 1957. Former Prime Minister of India Morarji Desai is only Indian to receive this award. He was awarded this award in 1990.

603 km/h: Japan’s maglev train notches up new world speed record

Japan’s state-of-the-art Magnetic levitation technology (Maglev) train has clocked a new world speed record smashing through the 603 kilometre per hour mark in a test run near Mount Fuji. The new record has surpassed its previous record of 581 kilometre per hour which was set in 2003. Japan had launched its first bullet train named Shinkansen in 1964.

ICICI launches near-field communications-enabled payment service ‘Tap-n-Pay’

Largest private sector lender ICICI Bank  in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launched a payment service ‘Tap-n-Pay’ based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology, enabling customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash. Any person having any bank account, and not limited to ICICI customers, can avail the service.

Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand declared as India’s 48th Tiger Reserve

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on 21 April 2015 accorded final approval to Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand as India’s 48th Tiger Reserve. With this notification, Uttarakhand got its second tiger reserve after the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The park was named after the last Governor­ General of independent India, C Rajagopalachari, popularly known as Rajaji. C. Rajagopalachari was one of the first recipients of India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1954.

Former Odisha Chief Minister J.B Patnaik passes away

Former Odisha chief minister and senior Congress leader Janaki Ballabh Patnaik passed away in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. He was 89. Patnaik had served as CM of Odisha for three times and was in office from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 1999. He also had served as the Governor of Assam from 2009 to 2014.