Category: Life & Style

NASA has chosen Iceland as a training base for the Artemis II mission, maintaining a long tradition of astronaut training on the Nordic island dating back to the Apollo days. This summer, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen trained in geology while exploring Iceland’s lunar-like landscape.

According to Cindy Evans, Artemis geology training director at NASA, Iceland’s geology is similar to the Moon’s, including basalt and breccia formations, making it suitable for preparing astronauts for future trips.

During training, astronauts exercised navigation and field skills while giving input to instructors. They tested tools like hammers and scoops, which are necessary for collecting lunar rock samples. Trevor Graff, Artemis’ exploration geologist, stated that while the tools are identical to those used in Apollo, changes are required to accommodate launch limits and the unique lunar environment.

The Artemis II mission will be NASA’s first crewed voyage under the Artemis program, laying the groundwork for future missions to land the first woman, person of colour, and international partner astronaut on the Moon. The training objectives include analysing surface characteristics from orbit, which allows astronauts to record geological facts for future investigation.

The Indian government has announced the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) initiative, with a significant budget of Rs 35,000 crore. This program seeks to obtain higher prices for farmers while also addressing the price volatility of critical goods for consumers.

The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepted the approval of PM-AASHA, which aims to give remunerative rates for farmers while ensuring market price stability for consumers. The whole budgetary commitment under this strategy will last until the 15th Finance Commission Cycle, or fiscal year 2025-26.

To improve its effectiveness, the government combined the Price Support Scheme (PSS) and the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) into PM-AASHA. This integrated approach is intended to increase implementation and effectiveness, allowing farmers to obtain fair prices for their output while also managing price volatility in vital commodities, ensuring that they are available to consumers at acceptable prices.

The updated PM-AASHA will now include several components, such as the Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), Price Deficit Payment Scheme (PDPS), and Market Intervention Scheme (MIS).

Starting December 1, 2024, Thailand will implement an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system for visa-exempt visitors, including those from India. This program seeks to simplify immigration procedures and improve tracking of foreign nationals, in line with Thailand’s initiatives to improve national security and visitor management. This statement follows Thailand’s decision to expand visa exemptions in July 2024.

The ETA will apply to nationals of 93 countries who are now visa-free, except travellers from Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Each ETA allows for a single entry and is valid for up to 60 days, with the possibility of a 30-day extension.

The ETA application procedure will be completed online, with no fees required, assuring a pleasant experience for travellers. The ETA system will be implemented with an e-Visa system, which will be merged by June 2025, resulting in a consolidated online application.

Holders of an ETA can use automated immigration clearing gates, which speed up the admission process by reading QR codes. However, overstaying will result in penalties, such as daily fines. While the ETA expedites immigration, it does not ensure entrance, as border officers have discretion.

As the first female fighter pilot to join the Indian Air Force’s elite 18 ‘Flying Bullets’ squadron, which flies the Indian-made LCA Tejas fighter jets, squadron captain Mohana Singh has accomplished a historic first. Singh recently took part in the historic ‘Tarang Shakti’ exercise in Jodhpur, where she was crucial in instructing the vice chiefs of the Indian Army and Navy during a historic flight.

During this noteworthy exercise, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani piloted the trainer versions, while Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh flew the LCA Tejas alone. The Indian defence forces’ strong endorsement of the ‘Make in India’ concept was demonstrated by this joint exercise.

Along with Bhawna Kanth and Avni Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh was a member of the first group of women fighter pilots when she joined the IAF in 2016. Singh piloted MiG-21s until she was recently assigned to the LCA squadron at the Naliya air base in Gujarat. Her father is a warrant officer in the Indian Air Force, and her grandpa was a flight gunner.

Egypt intends to develop Ras Banas, a secluded peninsula on the southern Red Sea coast, to attract large-scale investment. Ras Banas spans 30 kilometres and is one of Egypt’s last few undeveloped coastline areas. The government seeks to draw in investments to help alleviate its protracted economic crisis, which has been marked by record inflation, growing debt, and currency depreciation over the last two years.

Earlier this year, Egypt sold rights to develop the Ras El Hekma Peninsula on its Mediterranean coast to a UAE sovereign fund for $24 billion, stoking interest in future Gulf investment deals. Sherif El-Sherbiny, the Housing Minister, has revealed that Ras Banas’ strategic plan is nearing completion and will soon be submitted to investors.

A source in the finance ministry highlighted Saudi Arabia’s probable interest in transforming its Egyptian Central Bank savings into direct investments in Ras Banas. The country has been in talks for months.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund also offered $5 billion in investments during a meeting with Egypt’s Prime Minister and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This statement caused a spike in Egypt’s government bond prices.

On Monday, PM Narendra Modi, accompanied by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, launched Phase II of the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project. PM Modi uploaded photographs of himself taking the metro and talking with students. Phase II spans 21 km, connecting the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Motera to Gandhinagar Sector 1 via eight stations, including Gujarat National Law University, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, and GIFT City. The project, which cost Rs. 5,384 crore, is anticipated to improve regional connectivity.

With the completion of Phase II, the Ahmedabad Metro presently has a 68-kilometer network across two lines, with 54 stations, four of which are underground. The first phase, which opened in 2022, runs 33.5 kilometres along the north-south line, requiring 65 minutes to complete a full journey for Rs 35.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will also inaugurate India’s first Vande Bharat Metro, renamed Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, which would connect Bhuj and Ahmedabad and traverse 359 kilometres in 5.45 hours. Public service for this metro begins on September 17, with a charge of Rs 455 for the entire journey.

PM’s return to Gujarat is his first since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, briefly eclipsed Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to become the world’s second richest person, with a net worth of $203.9 billion, according to Forbes. Despite dropping back to third place behind Bezos, whose worth is valued at $206.4 billion, Ellison’s fortune has skyrocketed.

Ellison entered 2023 as the eighth richest person, but his fortune has more than doubled in the last two years, rising from $80 billion in October 2022 to $181 billion as of Monday. Due to the performance of Oracle’s stock on Tuesday, its net worth increased by $22.9 billion.

80-year-old Ellison holds nearly 40% of Oracle, the software company that he established in 1977. The firm has lately capitalized on the benefits of artificial intelligence and cloud services. Its shares have surged by more than 22.5% over this month. Oracle’s recent earnings beat expectations, and the company boosted its yearly estimate.

He also holds 15 million shares in Tesla, which he bought even before joining the board in 2018. He didn’t sell even after his resignation in 2022.

However, Elon Musk, with a net worth of $255 billion, still stands above Ellison.

India will host the second Global Food Regulators Summit in New Delhi from September 19 to 21. Delegates from over 70 nations will gather to discuss critical regulatory challenges in the food industry.

The event is organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Union Health Ministry, to build global food safety collaboration. It was the inaugural edition, which took place last July as part of India’s G20 events.

The theme of the conference this year will be about core issues: food safety, risk assessment, analytical competency, and capacity building. The summit encapsulates India’s initiative towards global leadership in food safety and security. More than 5,000 are expected to attend personally, with an additional 1.5 lakh participating online.

The FSSAI intends to establish a ‘Food Import Rejection Alert’ portal during the summit, to improve food safety through expedited import processes. The new Food Import Clearance System 2.0 will also be implemented to streamline import procedures.

In addition, the 2024 State Food Safety Index will be presented, which will assess the performance of states and union territories in terms of food safety.

India’s renewable energy ministry has obtained $386 billion in investment commitments from banks and financial institutions to help decarbonise the country. These investments aim to more than double India’s clean electricity generation by 2030, Renewables Minister Pralhad Joshi stated at the RE-Invest conference in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

India, the third-largest carbon emitter after China and the United States, aims to reach 500 gigawatts of non-fossil capacity by 2030. To accomplish this ambitious objective, the government must install 44 gigawatts every year, double the average growth rate over the last five years, according to Bloomberg’s power ministry data.

RE-Invest brings project developers, investors, manufacturers, and the government together on one platform to address the barriers to speedier renewable installations. While India’s rising electricity demand has been attractive for investors, challenges facing setup-transmission bottlenecks, land acquisition delays, and mismanaging the power distribution network have stood in the way of their goals.

States, which run most of the power retail network, should be encouraged to offer changes accordingly for an increased share of green energy. Affordable renewable energy would promote and help bring down carbon emissions and ensure the long-term energy security of the country.

Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya revealed intentions to merge the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) with the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). This will enable ESIC beneficiaries to receive medical care from over 30,000 institutions accredited by AB-PMJAY, removing the distinction between government, public sector, and private hospitals.

Mandaviya provided this briefing during the third regional conference of western states in Rajkot. Participants included prominent officials from Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep.

This meeting was one of six regional conversations centred on critical labour and employment concerns.

The minister also emphasised efforts to update the National Career Service portal with innovative technologies such as AI and integrate it with e-Shram to improve job matching across sectors.

He emphasised the importance of reliable employment data collection and the creation of a centralised dashboard for policy formation. States and Union Territories were encouraged to improve feedback channels from assistance recipients.

Mandaviya emphasised the government’s commitment to providing social protection to all workers in both organised and unorganised sectors, and he advocated for increased coordination among the Centre, states, and UTs to improve service delivery through IT and AI breakthroughs.