India successfully tests high-speed expendable aerial target ABHYAS

ABHYAS is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO

India on Wednesday successfully flight-tested the indigenously developed high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT), ABHYAS, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur off the Odisha coast, as per a statement.

The performance of the aircraft at low altitude, including sustained level and high maneuverability, was demonstrated during the test flight, it said.

The target aircraft was flown from a ground-based controller in a pre-designated low-altitude flight path, which was monitored by various tracking sensors deployed by the ITR, including radar and an electro-optical targeting system, it added.

ABHYAS is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The air vehicle was launched using twin under-slung boosters, which provide the initial acceleration to the vehicle. It is powered by a small gas turbine engine to sustain a long endurance flight at high subsonic speed, the statement said.

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Gold for Srihari, Mihir and Aneesh

Olympian Srihari Nataraj, Mihir Ambre and Aneesh Gowda won golds in the 17 th Singapore National swimming championships here on Thursday.

National record holder Nataraj clocked 55.32s for the 100m backstroke gold while Ambre produced a personal best 24.66s for the 50m butterfly title. Meanwhile, Gowda won the 800m freestyle gold in 8:14.08s.

In the women’s section, Olympian and national record holder Maana Patel bagged the 100m backstroke silver.

The results (Indian medallists only):

Men: 800m free: 1. Aneesh Gowda (8:14.08s). 50m butterfly: 1. Mihir Ambre (24.66s). 100m back: 1. Srihari Nataraj (55.32s), 3. Sridhar Siva (57.58).

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India grabs maiden compound mixed team gold in archery World Cup

India won its maiden World Cup gold in compound mixed team archery event after the duo of Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam outclassed their experienced French opponents at the Stage 3 edition here on Saturday.

Riding on a spectacular start, the Indians withered late resistance from the French pair of Jean Boulch and 48-year-old Olympic medallist Sophie Dodemont to seal the contest 152-149, a first-ever World Cup gold for India in the compound mixed team event .

The gold also opened the account of Indian archers, who have assured a second medal in the women’s recurve team event where the trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur will fight for the yellow metal on Sunday.

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Two States: The Indians in Hong Kong and their unique legacy

Most of the 50,000 Hong Kong residents who commute on the Star Ferry every day are likely unaware of its roots in Mumbai. But that’s not the city’s only Indian connection.

The Morning Star first set sail in 1880, the brainchild of Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, a cook from Mumbai who launched Hong Kong’s first ferry service. Mithaiwala landed in Hong Kong in 1852, coming, according to one account, as a stowaway. The captain of his ship allowed him to stay as a cook. Putting his quickly learned culinary skills to good use, he then launched a successful bakery, one of many profitable ventures. The serial entrepreneur’s greatest legacy, however, was the Kowloon Ferry Company, which he later sold, and was renamed Star Ferry.

Most of the 50,000 Hongkongers who every day take the ferry, which has over the years been revamped and upgraded, are probably unaware of its roots in Mumbai. But what’s remarkable is that Star Ferry is by no means the only enduring Hong Kong institution with an Indian connection.

A short walk from one of the ferry’s piers on Hong Kong Island in the bustling Wan Chai district is Ruttonjee Hospital, first founded in the early 20th century by Jehangir Ruttonjee as a sanatorium to help fight tuberculosis, and subsequently expanded into a world-class hospital by the Ruttonjee-Shroff family, who are still deeply involved in health and social welfare activities in Hong Kong.

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India exported 1.8 million tonnes wheat to several countries since ban: Food Secretary

India has exported 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to a dozen-odd countries, including Bangladesh and Afghanistan, since the country banned exports of the grain on May 13, according to Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey.

About 33,000 tonnes of wheat as humanitarian assistance has already been supplied to Afghanistan against the commitment of 50,000 tonne, he said.

Mr. Pandey, addressing a ministerial conference on ‘uniting for global food security’ held at Berlin, Germany on June 24, said India has always taken the needs of the world into consideration, even while meeting the onerous obligations of feeding its population of 1.38 billion people, an official statement said.

“After the regulation until June 22nd this fiscal year, 1.8 million tonnes of wheat have been shipped out, almost four times from the previous year to countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Israel, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam and Yemen,” he said.

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New spider from Thar desert named after Malayali arachnologist 

Pseudomogrus sudhii inhabits dry grass blades of the desert

A new species of spider discovered from the Thar desert of Rajasthan has been named after a Malayalee arachnologist.

The new species of jumping spider, Pseudomogrus sudhii, has been named after Sudhikumar A.V., Head, Department of Zoology, Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and founder of the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) in recognition of his contributions to the field of Indian arachnology.

The jumping spider was discovered during a joint exploration by Dmitri Logunov (curator, Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, UK), Rishikesh Balkrishna Tripathi and Ashish Kumar Jangid of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

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MasterChef’s Sashi Cheliah gears up to launch Pandan Club in Chennai

Sashi was the winner of MasterChef Australia Season 10. This will be his first restaurant in India, in T Nagar, serving Peranakan cuisine and lemongrass cocktails

Police officer turned MasterChef contestant turned chef turned restaurateur Sashi Cheliah seems apologetic about his requirements for his first restaurant in India. “The thing is, we need professional chefs for this project,” he says, over filter coffee at the Leela Palace lobby, glittering with chandeliers and fragrant with vases of marigolds.

In Chennai with World On A Plate, Sashi is relaxing after cooking seven-course degustation menus, two nights in a row, for completely sold-out dinners at The Leela Palace. Then, true to form, the Singapore-born, Adelaide-based chef headed straight from the five-star kitchen to Chennai’s popular Erode Amman Mess for his own dinner. “It was fantastic,” he says, “When it comes to flavour there are so many great places to eat in this city.”

With roots in Tamil Nadu, including grandparents who came from Madurai, he has chosen to launch his restaurant, Pandan Club, in Chennai. A post on his Instagram profile, which has 1,29,000 followers, announcing openings for kitchen personnel resulted in a storm of resumes: many from fans and amateur cooks.

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Edinburgh Indian restaurant named city’s best at Scottish Curry Awards 2022

This popular place has just been deemed the Best of Edinburgh at the prestigious annual awards – and other capital food spots landed top prizes too. Here are all the Edinburgh winners.

An Edinburgh Indian restaurant is celebrating success after being crowned Best of Edinburgh at a prestigious national awards ceremony.

A number of capital eateries were shortlisted for the 2022 Scottish Curry Awards, vying with dozens of others from across the country to land the title of Scotland’s best.

And although the Outstanding Indian Restaurant of the Year prize went to 3idiots of Ayr, a Corstorphine favourite was deemed the Best in Edinburgh.

Sharing their excitement on social media following a glitzy awards ceremony in Glasgow, owners of Prahna Indian Grill said: “Last night, at the Scottish Curry Awards, Prahna won Best Restaurant in Edinburgh!

“Our team works hard to provide our customers with a special and unique dining experience. Thanks to our amazing customers who continually support us, we appreciate you so much!

Meanwhile there was further capital success, with Bell Bottom Indian scooping the New Takeaway of the Year award.

edinburghlive.co.uk

WHO approves Hyderabad firm to make vaccines for Johnson & Johnson

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved India based manufacturing site in Hyderabad, Biological E Limited, to make Covid vaccines for Jansen/Johnson & Johnson.

“This is a great progress for Quad Vaccine and the US India Health partnership,” said a US Embassy spokesperson.

This manufacturing would be done through US technical support and DFC financing. DFC is a US International Development Finance Corporation that invests in the development and advancing US Foreign Policy.

“Quad partners have collectively committed $524 million to the next phase of CEPI’s (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness) which is an innovative global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats) work, accounting for about 50 per cent of total public investors,” according to the joint statement released by Quad members after the Summit last month.

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India ranks fourth in global gold recycling; recycled 75 tonnes in 2021: WGC

India has emerged as the fourth largest recycler in the world and the country has recycled 75 tonnes in 2021, according to a World Gold Council (WGC) report.

According to the WGC report titled ‘Gold refining and recycling’, China topped the global gold recycling chart as it recycled 168 tonnes of the yellow metal, followed by Italy in the second position with 80 tonnes and the US at the third rank with 78 tonnes in 2021.

India was ranked fourth in the list as the country recycled 75 tonnes in 2021.

According to the WGC report titled ‘Gold refining and recycling’ from 300 tonnes in 2013, India’s gold refining capacity increased by 1,500 tonnes (500%) in 2021.

The report further noted that the gold refining landscape in the country has changed over the last decade, with the number of formal operations increasing from less than five in 2013 to 33 in 2021.

While the informal sector accounts for as much as an additional 300-500 tonnes, it is worth noting that the scale of unorganised refining has fallen, largely due to the government’s tightening of pollution regulations.

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