The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft from India touched down safely inside a buried impact crater that was probably there before the South Pole Atkin (SPA) basin, and it had a circumference of around 160 km and a depth of about 4.4 km. The Physical Research Laboratory and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) came up with this discovery, and they published it in the scholarly journal Icarus. The Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover are part of the mission that landed in the lunar highlands close to the southern pole. The landing location showcases intricate geological formations that have b
Tourists, skilled professionals, and students from India now have 250,000 more visa slots at the US Mission in India. Officials said this is an effort to speed up the visa interview process, improving travel between the US and India. American Ambassador Eric Garcetti praised President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their joint efforts to simplify the visa procedure. He complimented the consulates and embassies for their efficient management of the increasing demand. There was a 35% increase from 2023 to 2024, with over 1.2 million Indians visiting the United States. No l
Mithun Chakraborty, the legendary actor, will get this year's prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, made the announcement on Monday, September 30, through a post on X. He said, "From Kolkata's streets to Cinematic Heights, Mithun Da's incredible journey has inspired generations! I am honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian cinema." Chakraborty will receive the prize during the 70th National Film Awards ceremo
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh took command of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday, following Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, who had retired after three years of service. Singh is a skilled fighter pilot with over 5,000 flight hours, and he previously served as Vice Chief. As Chief of Air Staff, his principal focus would be on obtaining new fighter jets and modernising the IAF to meet national security issues. He is also responsible for advancing the government's theaterisation reform project. Born on October 27, 1964, he was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in December 198
Billie Jean King became the first female athlete to win the Congressional Gold Medal, which recognises her remarkable achievements in sports and society. President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation on Thursday, honouring King's lifelong commitment to equal rights in sports and beyond. The law, filed in September on the 50th anniversary of King's famed victory over Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes," sailed unanimously through the Senate before being approved by the House of Representatives. King's victory over Riggs is still the most-watched tennis match of all time, repres
NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Mars since 2021, just discovered a remarkable black-and-white striped rock, called the "zebra rock." This remarkable find sticks out in the pebbly Martian landscape, near the rim of the Jezero Crater, a region thought to have important evidence about ancient life on Mars. Scientists expected fascinating discoveries, but the zebra rock's striking stripes came as a surprise. Perseverance acquired low-resolution photos of the item as it slowly ascended the crater's steep sides. Initially, Earth engineers called the object "Freya Castle" afte
Azerbaijan, the UAE, and Brazil—the previous, current, and future hosts of the UN climate conference—are expected to grow their combined oil and gas production by 33% by 2035, despite commitments to lead global climate action. Oil Change International's latest analysis underlines the discrepancy between their climate goals and increased fossil fuel investments. According to the report, the UAE and Brazil will increase production by 37% and 38%, respectively, by 2035, while Azerbaijan forecasts a modest 4% increase. Azerbaijan, which will host COP29 in Baku in November, is under investi
Geologists discovered a long-lost tectonic plate in Borneo, providing new insights into Earth's ancient geological history. According to a study led by Utrecht University geologist Suzanna van de Lagemaat and her supervisor Douwe van Hinsbergen, the plate, dubbed Pontus, dates back an incredible 120 million years. Using geological data from Borneo's mountainous regions, they discovered ancient tectonic activities that sculpted the Earth's crust millions of years ago. Initially, Van de Lagemaat thought she was looking for traces of a known lost plate. However, magnetic analysis in their lab
India is in talks with African and South American countries to assist them in establishing digital payment systems based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) paradigm. Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), expects two launches by early 2027. NIPL, the abroad branch of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is in talks with a number of countries and is close to reaching an agreement with one. The NPCI, a quasi-regulatory organisation under India's central bank, oversees UPI, which saw roughly 15 billion transactions in August, a 41% increase. NIPL,
Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, first-time flyer Nikolai Chub, and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson successfully returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday. The Soyuz MS-25/71S spacecraft undocked at 4:36 a.m. EDT and landed in Kazakhstan at 7:59 a.m. EDT, capping a 374-day mission for Kononenko and Chub, and 184 days for Dyson. Kononenko achieved a new record of 1,111 days in space. After landing, NASA and Russian rescue workers quickly assisted the astronauts, and all three appeared to be in good health. Kononenko, the world's most experienced spaceman, turned over comman