17th OCTOBER 2014

On October 15, 1994, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-D2) for the first time successfully placed an Indian Remote-sensing Satellite into orbit. Twenty years later, on October 16, 2014, the PSLV-C26 lobbed the 1,425 kg Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1C) satellite into its precise orbit.

With nearly one-fourth of the population of the country malnourished, fish can be a cheap source of protein to alleviate hunger, said Shivakumar Magada, professor of Aquatic Biology, College of Fisheries, during the inauguration of the World Food Day celebrations here on Thursday.

The Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, whose Block-III variant has perfected a surgical strike capability, is set to further expand its target engagement envelope by attaining a ‘near vertical dive capability’ to shock the enemy hidden behind mountains. “We want to demonstrate a ‘near vertical dive and surround’ capability to take the enemy by surprise. While radars do not have 360 degree coverage in the mountains, we would like to show the missile taking a turn in the horizontal axis and decimating the target around the hill. We hope to do this in a year’s time,” Sudhir Mishra, chief executive officer and managing director of the company, told 

In a relief for over one crore Non-Resident Indians, mostly migrants from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the Election Commission of India submitted a report in the Supreme Court on Thursday recommending proxy voting and e-postal ballots as alternatives to remove an “unreasonable restriction” requiring overseas electors to be physically present in their electoral constituencies to vote. The 50-page report was prepared by a 12-member committee led by Vinod Zutshi, Deputy Election Commissioner, for ‘Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors.’

The Central Bureau of Investigation will examine four top management functionaries of Tata group companies, including the then Tata Sons chief Ratan Tata, who were named in the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) report on the Tata-Realty-Unitech land deal, said top agency sources.

Sanjaya Rajaram, an eminent Indian scientist, has been awarded the World Food Prize in recognition of his significant contributions to global wheat production. Mr. Rajaram, currently a Senior Scientific Advisor at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), has developed some 480 wheat varieties that have been released in 51 countries across six continents and an estimated 58 million hectares.

  

In just 45 days from now, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch its most ambitious suborbital — less than the usual orbit- test flight — Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III.

Google on Wednesday ramped up its mobile arsenal, upgrading its Nexus line with a new tablet and smartphone, and unveiling its revamped Android software, to be dubbed ‘Lollipop’.