On Wednesday, Ivory Coast inaugurated a 37.5 megawatt (MW) solar power facility, marking the beginning of its renewable energy agenda. Being the world's top producer of cocoa, the country plans to become a major power supplier in West Africa. It generates about 2,250 MW of power, mostly from gas and oil, which it exports to surrounding countries, including Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, and Mali. Ivory Coast wants to acquire 45% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Following the achievement of this milestone, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Power, and Electricit
India is actively seeking processing technology from key critical mineral producers, following the rollout of auctions for critical mineral mines. Ongoing discussions are being held regarding collaboration with the US, UK, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, and Argentina. The signing of agreements is expected to occur shortly. The aim is to establish India's first critical mineral beneficiation and processing plant within 3-5 years to develop processing and extraction capabilities simultaneously. Beneficiation improves the quality of ore by eliminating undesirable minerals, which is
The United States and Mexico are partnering to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain, aligning with the U.S. CHIPS Act of 2022. This collaboration involves assessing Mexico's semiconductor ecosystem, regulatory framework, and infrastructure needs. Stakeholders like state governments, educational institutions, and companies, along with Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy, will participate in this analysis. The automotive and medical device industries will profit from this partnership, which is essential for the stability and competitiveness of the global semiconductor supply chain. It exp
Japan and the United States are all set to announce high-tech collaboration in cutting-edge domains like artificial intelligence (AI). The Asahi Shimbun newspaper first revealed the impending declaration on Saturday. During Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's scheduled meeting with US President Joe Biden on April 10, this alliance will be viewed as a "global partnership.” As per the published report, the partnership will emphasise reinforced cooperation in artificial intelligence and semiconductor technologies. It added that the United States and Japan are expected to create a formal frame
On Monday, a Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts from Belarus, Russia, and the United States successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). The launch was postponed from its original Thursday schedule due to the power supply. The three astronauts, Novitsky, Vasilevskaya, and Dyson, join the ISS crew, including NASA's O'Hara, Dominick, Barratt, and Epps, alongside Russians Kononenko, Chub, and Grebenkin. Dyson will spend six months before returning with Kononenko and Chub, concluding their year-long mission. Novitsky and Vasilevskaya, Belarus' first astronauts, will
ISRO's PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) successfully re-entered Earth's atmosphere on January 1, 2024, leaving no orbital debris. The final PSLV stage, converted into POEM-3, was deorbited from 650 km to 350 km altitude, facilitating rapid re-entry. Within a month, POEM-3 completed its mission with nine experimental payloads, six of which were NGE deliveries via IN-SPACe. The upper stage decayed naturally, impacting the North Pacific on March 21, 2024. Startups, academic institutions, and NGEs use POEM as an affordable platform for space experiments for a range of tests, such
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to launch the Europa Clipper Mission to Jupiter's moon, Europa, this October, aiming to uncover its mysteries. Extraterrestrial life may exist on Europa because its icy crust hides a huge ocean that is larger than all of Earth's oceans put together. NASA engraved a message on the spacecraft in 103 languages, including Hindi, that represented the word "water" in visual waveforms together with the American Sign Language symbol for it, symbolising Earth's link with Europa. The goal of the Europa Clipper project is to promote
The European Parliament has granted final approval to the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act, marking a significant milestone in global AI regulation. Passed after five years of deliberation, the Act aims to steer AI development towards a human-centric approach, ensuring human control over the technology for societal progress and economic growth. The law classifies AI applications according to risk levels, imposing more stringent regulations on high-risk applications, including vital infrastructure and medical devices. Companies must adhere to voluntary standards and codes of conduct, while
India successfully conducted the inaugural test flight of its indigenous Agni 5 missile, featuring Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the success of the mission. Expressing pride in the achievement, he praised the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists for their contribution to "Mission Divyastra." This technological breakthrough, according to sources, allows a single missile to drop many warheads in different places. The project director is a woman, which is noteworthy as it highl
The Indian government plans to invest 103 billion rupees ($1.25 billion) in AI projects, including computing infrastructure, large language models, and startup funding. The government aims to develop AI applications for the public sector, anticipating India's AI market to reach $17 billion by 2027, with a growth rate of 25%–35% annually from 2024 to 2027. According to junior minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the investment will boost computing infrastructure and support AI startups, fostering India's AI ecosystem. Though India's AI market is still in its early stages, with projections of $1