Month: July 2022

Prof. receives patent for creating supercapacitors from used tyres

Professor Nand Gopal Sahu of the Rajendra Singh Nano Science and Nanotechnology Centre of Kumaun University’s Chemistry department has obtained a patent for making supercapacitors and energy storage devices from tyre waste.

Talking to Sahu, he said that Tyre waste can be used to synthesize graphene, which is a vital industrial material.

This graphene is used to make supercapacitors that can be used for the manufacture of a variety of devices, including electric vehicles.

Sahu acknowledges Professor AB Melkani, research scholars Gaurav Tatari, Dr Chetna Tiwari, Dr Sandeep Pandey, Dr Manoj Kadakoti, and Dr Himani Tiwari for their contributions to the study.

Nainital, Uttarakhand

thetimesbureau.com

Rohit Sharma surpasses Virat Kohli to reign supreme in T20Is, scripts two sensational world records during IND vs WI

Rohit Sharma scored a 35-ball fifty to take India past the 100-run mark in the Twenty20 series opener in Trinidad.

Rohit Sharma on Friday went past Martin Guptill to regain first place in the list of top run-getters in T20 Internationals. The India skipper achieved the milestone en route his 35-ball fifty in the T20 series opener against West Indies in Trinidad. Earlier this week, Guptill had surpassed Rohit to become the leading run-scorer in the shortest format. He was 20 runs ahead of Rohit before the Indian recouped lost ground. India vs West Indies 1st T20 Live Score

Guptill is closely followed by former India captain Virat Kohli (3,308), Ireland’s ODI skipper Paul Stirling (2,894), and Australian captain Aaron Finch, who is fifth on the list with 2,855 runs.

Apart from Guptill, Rohit also eclipsed Kohli in the list of most 50-plus scores in men’s T20Is. Kohli held the first position before notched up a fifty – his 31st 50-plus score in the 20-over format.

Most fifty-plus scores in Men’s T20I:

31 – Rohit Sharma*

30 – Virat Kohli

27 – Babar Azam

23 – David Warner

22 – Martin Guptill

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ISRO earns $279 million in foreign exchange through satellite launches

In a written reply to a question, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said ISRO in association with its commercial arms has successfully launched 345 foreign satellites from 34 countries on-board Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), through its commercial arms, has earned $279 million in foreign exchange by launching satellites for global clients, Union Minister Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha on July 27.

In a written reply to a question, Mr. Singh said ISRO in association with its commercial arms has successfully launched 345 foreign satellites from 34 countries on-board Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

“Total foreign exchange revenue earned through launching of foreign satellites amounts to $56 million (one million=10 lakh) and 220 million Euros approximately,” Mr. Singh said, without mentioning any time-frame for such launches. As per current exchange rates, 220 million euros are equivalent to 223 million dollars.

The latest PSLV mission was on June 30 when ISRO’s warhorse launch vehicle placed three Singaporean satellites into orbit. PSLV-C53 mission by ISRO, successfully launched three Singapore customer satellites namely DS-EO, NeuSAR and SCOOB-1.

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Chennai Chess Olympiad updates | Declaring open the 44th Chess Olympiad, PM Modi says TN is chess powerhouse of India

A gala opening ceremony of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad took place at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on July 28, 2022. The international event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

The world’s biggest team chess championship, featuring players from 187 countries, takes place at Hotel Four Points by Sheraton, Mamallapuram, starting July 29 and is to conclude on August 10. The Olympiad is being held in India for the first time ever, after being moved out of Moscow in Russia following the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who declared open the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad said that in a short period of time, the organisers had made outstanding arrangements.

The grand inaugural was also attended by the Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan and Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi.

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Kerala’s damselfly checklist gets a new member

Anamalai Reed-tail first spotted at Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary

The odonates’ checklist of Kerala has now grown to 182 with the discovery of a new damselfly species from the Western Ghats in the Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary in Thrissur.

Three entomologists, Kalesh Sadasivan, Vinayan P. Nair and Abraham Samuel of the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS), have identified the species, Anamalai Reed-tail (scientific name: Protosticta anamalaica Sadasivan, Nair and Samuel, 2022). The discovery has been published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.

The tiny insect was first spotted at Ponmudi hills in the Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary that forms part of the Nelliampathies–Anamalais sub-unit of the Munnar landscape in November 2021. The group later spotted the same species from Mankulam, Malakkappara and Edamalakudy. This is the second species belonging to the damselfly genus Protosticta to be described by the TNHS researchers after Ponmudi Reed-tail ( Protosticta ponmudiensis) that was described in 2015 from Ponmudi hills in Thiruvananthapuram.

The addition of Protosticta anamalaica to the checklist raises the odonata species diversity of the Western Ghats to 208 with 81 endemics. Kerala has 182 species with 69 endemics.

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Navy gets two MH-60R choppers from US

The Indian Navy received delivery of two MH-60R multi-role helicopters manufactured by USA’s Lockheed Martin Corporation at Kochi airport on Thursday.

The MH-60R is one of the most advanced maritime helicopters in the world and is designed to operate from frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers. The MH-60R has advanced features for anti-submarine warfare and will replace the ageing fleet of British Westland Seaking anti-submarine helicopters.

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Zenara Pharma gets CDSCO panel nod to manufacture Covid drug

The approval by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has been granted under the emergency authorisation route, Zenara Pharma said in a statement.

Zenara Pharma on Thursday said it has received the CDSCO approval to manufacture and sell combination packs of Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir tablets, indicated as an option for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

The tablets will be sold under the brand ‘Paxzen’ and are being manufactured at the company’s USFDA-approved facility in Hyderabad, it added.

The combination pack of Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir tablets is the generic equivalent of Pfizer’s Paxlovid, which has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for COVID-19 treatment, it added.

“We expect to launch Paxzen in the next couple of weeks and are in talks with multiple institutions and several hospitals in India to ensure that the product is readily available for patients in need,” Zenara Pharma CEO Srinivas Arutla said.

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Hyderabad theatre, Nishumbita enters ‘India book of records’ for performing 27 plays in record time of 24 hours

The marathon featured 27 plays in Telugu, Hindi and English with a crew of over 85, which included actors aged between four and 35 years.

Dr Ram Mohan Holagundi can’t get the numbers 27-24-27 out of his head. What started as a grand thought earlier this year turned into a record-breaking feat in the history of Indian theatre. Ram, founder and director of the Hyderabad-based Nishumbita Ballet and Theatre Group, is the force behind the 27 plays staged back-to-back for 24 hours on March 27, in the group’s auditorium in Hyderabad. This June, he was officially recognised by the India Book of Records (June 2022 edition) for this triumph.” My mother was apprehensive about my career choice. She felt that only those who fail in life choose theatre. Now, when she sees Nishumbita, she is proud of me,” he says. 

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Historic day for India as Cochin Shipyard delivers first Indigenous aircraft carrier to Navy

Scripting history, the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) handed over India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) to the Indian Navy on Thursday. The aircraft carrier, which was designed by the Navy’s in-house Directorate of Naval Design and built by the CSL, will be christened after INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier, which played a crucial role in 1971 war against Pakistan. With the delivery of Vikrant, India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.

Sources said the vessel will be commissioned and formally inducted into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Independence day. The Navy is planning to make the induction ceremony a mega event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

The 262 m long aircraft carrier has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes which is much larger and more advanced than her predecessor. The ship is powered by four gas turbines totalling 88 MW power and has a maximum speed of 28 Knots. Built at an overall cost of Rs. 20,000 crores, the IAC has been built in three phases of a contract between the Ministry of Defence and the CSL, concluded in May 2007, December 2014 and October 2019 respectively.

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New President and Vice President of the National Library of Wales appointed

The Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has announced the appointment of a new President and Vice President for the National Library of Wales.

Ashok Ahir has been appointed as the new President. Mr Ahir has been Interim President of the National Library since September 2021.

Andrew Evans has been appointed the new Vice President. Mr Evans is a consultant specialising in fundraising and business development for start-ups, charities and not-for-profits, particularly in the cultural sector.

The Library’s President is accountable to the Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Arts and Sports for the library’s performance and for the delivery of strategic priorities

source: gov.wales