Highest French civilian award for ISRO scientist

Bengaluru: VR Lalithambika, former director, Directorate of the Human Spaceflight Programme, ISRO, has been awarded the top French civilian honour, Légion d’honneur, for her engagement in space cooperation between France and India. The award was given to her by Ambassador of France to India Thierry Mathou on behalf of the French Government on Tuesday. PTI

Kyrgyzstan moves to rid its flag of ‘sunflower’

Bishkek: Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted on Wednesday to tweak the design of the national flag after critics, including President Sadyr Japarov, said its central element looked like a sunflower, which in the local culture symbolises fickleness and servility. The Central Asian nation’s flag, adopted in 1992 after it gained independence from the Soviet Union, depicts a yellow sun — which doubles as the pinnacle of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt tent — with 40 rays on a red background. Reuters