Category: PTI

Website designing firm CSS Founder plans of providing free websites for needful startups

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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CSS Founder is a globally leading web design firm which is now mulling on empowering needy startups with potential with a free website. Known for their ‘Website for Everyone’ mission, CSS Founder is going a step ahead with their vision to help those who are in actual need of building their website but cannot afford one.

This is not the first time that the firm has thought of giving it back to the society, CSS Founder is known for revolutionizing the website designing industry by proposing to contribute the maximum share of their profits to the needy and underprivileged. “Our vision is to empower everybody with their own website and that is the meaning of ‘Website for Everyone’, our management strongly feels that everyone regardless of their background, orientation, income group should have their digital presence through a website. CSS Founder is committed to providing websites at the most affordable costs but we also understand that there might be startups with umpteen potential who cannot afford a website hence the upper management is mulling on providing a free website for those who need it the most. However, the idea is still in the discussion and is being thought upon”, says the team at CSS Founder, in a statement.

The top website design company in India and globally, CSS Founder is well known for providing both competitively priced and excellent web design services to meet a variety of market demands. Due to our extensive business experience, they have worked on several projects that have been successful and have met the demand for people to have a greater online presence.

As the largest global provider of web design services and the only recognised brand name in the industry, CSS Founder is in charge of creating a monopoly. A technical revolution is being driven by CSS Founder, which has become well-known throughout the world for its “Website For Everyone” mission. After establishing a sizable and enduring clientele in India, they are starting to gain recognition internationally.

Organizations of all shapes, sizes, potential for revenue, and business models hire companies like Css Founder to design their websites. CSR is gaining importance for most firms today as a way for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to promoting society. Css Founder is a well-known website design company in Delhi with more than 2000 happy clients.

In addition to promoting the trend for businesses to be empowered by a professional website, CSS’s director and founder, Imaran Khan, believes that every corporation has a social obligation and that both small and large businesses in India should invest in social activities. We may all endeavor to make society better by allocating 10% of the marketing budget to the needs of the populace and appropriately publicizing it to motivate others.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

UN chief Antonio Guterres warns of large COVID outbreaks in Asia, says pandemic far from over

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With new coronavirus variants emerging every four months on average, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has cautioned that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over as large outbreaks are spreading in Asia. Guterres also called for governments and pharma companies to work together to deliver vaccines to every person, everywhere.

In the video message — One World Protected – Break COVID Now — to the GAVI COVAX Advance Market Commitment Summit 2022, Guterres said, on Friday, that the gathering is a critical reminder that the “COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. We’re seeing 1.5 million new cases each day. Large outbreaks are spreading in Asia. A new wave is sweeping across Europe,” he said, adding that some countries are reporting their highest death rates since the start of the pandemic. He said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is a startling reminder of how quickly COVID-19 can mutate and spread especially in the absence of high vaccination coverage.

While some high-income countries are preparing for their second booster doses, one-third of humanity remains unvaccinated, he rued. This is a brutal indictment of our deeply unequal world. It’s also a prime breeding ground for new variants more deaths and increased human and economic misery, he said.

Also Read: Shanghai hospital pays the price for China’s COVID-19 response

Guterres said that the next variant is not a question of ‘if’ but of ‘when’. We are far from our target of every country reaching 70 percent vaccination coverage by the middle of this year. And with new variants emerging every four months, on an average, time is of the essence, he said.

He added that governments and pharmaceutical companies need to work together to deliver vaccines to every person, everywhere and not just in wealthy countries. A new strain of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, appears to be more transmissible than previous strains of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) had said.

WHO said last week that the XE recombinant (BA.1-BA.2), was first detected in the United Kingdom on January 19 and more than 600 sequences have been reported and confirmed since. Early-day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 percent as compared to BA.2. However, this finding requires further confirmation, WHO had said. It added that XE belongs to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported. WHO continues to closely monitor and assess the public health risk associated with recombinant variants, alongside other SARS-CoV-2 variants, and will provide updates as further evidence becomes available.

The WHO COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update issued this week said that after the increase observed during the first half of March 2022, the number of new COVID-19 cases has decreased for a second consecutive week, with a 16 percent decline during the week of March 28 through April 3 as compared to the previous week. The number of new weekly deaths also decreased sharply (-43 percent) as compared to the previous week, when an artificial spike in deaths was observed. Across the six WHO regions, over nine million new cases and over 26,000 new deaths were reported. All regions reported decreasing trends both in the number of new weekly cases and new weekly deaths. As of April 3, over 489 million cases and over 6 million deaths have been reported globally.

The UN chief called on countries to commit new funding for the ACT-Accelerator and COVAX this year. The COVAX Facility is the global pooled procurement mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines through which COVAX seeks to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all 190 participating economies, using an allocation framework formulated by WHO.

Also Read: COVID booster dose approved for all adults: Doctors assess demand and stockpile

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Joe Biden expects ‘2+2’ dialogue to help continue driving USA’s work with India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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US President Joe Biden expects that the Indo-US “two-plus-two” ministerial dialogue, in Washington on Monday, will drive forward his administration’s work with India and their “shared goals” in the Indo-Pacific region and have “close consultations” on the war in Ukraine, the White House has said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are all set to host their Indian counterparts, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, for the 2+2 Ministerial on April 11. This is the first such meeting between the two countries under the Biden Administration.

“The two Indian leaders are expected to arrive in Washington DC over the weekend. We also believe both sides will continue our close consultations on the consequences of President (Vladimir) Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine and mitigating the impact by addressing energy and food prices. Obviously, it could cover a range of topics, but we expect that to be a central one,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on Friday.

There has been some disquiet in Washington over India’s position on the Ukraine crisis as well as its decision to procure discounted Russian oil. Asserting that India is strongly against the Russia-Ukraine conflict as no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that if New Delhi has chosen a side, it is the side of peace and an immediate end to violence.

Also Read: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit US from April 11-14 for ‘2+2’ dialogue

India on Thursday abstained from the United Nations General Assembly voting on Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council. The 193-member UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia, a veto-wielding Security Council member, from the Geneva-based top human rights body over allegations that Russian soldiers killed civilians while retreating from towns near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

The United States and Ukraine have alleged that the Russian forces may have committed war crimes in the Eastern European country. “President Biden believes our partnership with India is one of the most important relationships we have in the world. As you know, he met with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and other Quad leaders in March,” the White House Press Secretary said.

“He (Biden) expects that at this 2+2, Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin, will continue driving forward our work with India and our shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world,” Psaki said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the region.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Jailed Dera chief Ram Rahim not a ‘hardcore prisoner’, says High Court

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh does not fall in the category of “hardcore prisoners”, for the purpose of his release on parole or furlough, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held. The bench of Justice Raj Mohan Singh also disposed of the plea filed by a Patiala resident who had challenged the furlough granted to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in February.

The order was pronounced on Thursday. The petition was disposed off as infructuous as Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had already returned to jail. The Dera Sacha Sauda chief, who is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail, was granted a three-week furlough on February 7 to meet his family in Gurugram after the Haryana government concluded that he does not fall in the category of hardcore prisoners.

Furlough is a short-term temporary release of convicts from jail. Kanika Ahuja, one of the counsels of the Dera chief, on Friday said the court has held that Ram Rahim does not fall in the category of “hardcore prisoners”. Petitioner Paramjit Singh Saholi had contended that Ram Rahim had committed a heinous crime for which he has been convicted and therefore he should not be granted furlough.

The counsel for the Dera chief argued that he does not fall in the category of “hardcore prisoners” as he was convicted for the charges of criminal conspiracy in the two murder cases. Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two women disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, where the ‘dera’ is headquartered. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017.

Last year, the Dera sect head was also convicted along with four others for hatching a conspiracy to kill Dera Manager Ranjit Singh in 2002. In 2019, Ram Rahim and three others were also convicted for the murder of a journalist in 2002. He had been held guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused for these killings and is convicted under Section 120-B read with Section 302 IPC.

The punishment of life term for the two separate murder cases will commence after he completes his sentence for the rape case. Ram Rahim had been given Z-plus security cover during his 21-day release on furlough in February considering the “high-level threat” to his life from “pro-Khalistan” elements. During the furlough period, the sect chief was with his family in his Gurugram ashram where he was kept under heavy security.

Also Read: Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 4 others get life term in 19-yr-old sect manager murder case

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit US from April 11-14 for ‘2+2’ dialogue

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a four-day visit to the US, beginning April 11, primarily to participate in the fourth edition of the India-US ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue. Announcing the visit on Friday, the defence ministry said that Singh is also scheduled to travel to the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) headquarters in Hawaii after his trip to Washington DC.

Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold the ‘2+2’ dialogue with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 11 in Washington. In a statement, the defence ministry said Singh will visit the US between April 11 and 14. “The 2+2 dialogue will review bilateral cooperation across domains and chart out the way forward,” it said.

The ministry said Singh will separately meet US Defence Secretary Austin in the Pentagon to discuss defence cooperation including defence industrial collaboration and capability building through military-to-military engagements. “The defence minister is also scheduled to visit the Headquarters of US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) at Hawaii after his visit to Washington DC,” it said.

Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), had said on Thursday that Jaishankar will visit the US from April 11 to 12. The unfolding situation in Ukraine is expected to be discussed in the fourth edition of the dialogue.

“The dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and vision for further consolidating the relationship,” the MEA had said on Thursday. “The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern,” it had said.

Also Read: Rajnath Singh releases 3rd list of banned weaponry for import; to be developed indigenously

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

DRDO successfully test fires missile propulsion system; to boost long-range air defence weapons

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday, successfully flight-tested a propulsion system that enables a missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds. The Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) booster was tested at the integrated test range in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.

The successful trial of the SFDR is expected to help the DRDO in extending the range of air-to-air missiles, the officials said. The SFDR-based propulsion enables a missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds.

The defence ministry said the flight testing of the SFDR was successful and demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system. “The test successfully demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system and met all the mission objectives,” it said in a statement.

Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) successfully flight tested from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha @rajnathsingh @SpokespersonMoD https://t.co/OLHPlE9PIy pic.twitter.com/l8BRcvsA7O

— DRDO (@DRDO_India) April 8, 2022

It said that the performance of the system has been confirmed from the data captured by a number of range instruments like telemetry, radar and electro-optical tracking systems. “The SFDR has been developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories such as Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune,” the ministry said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO for the successful trial of SFDR. He termed it an important milestone toward the development of critical missile technologies in the country.

Complimenting the teams involved in the design, development and testing of the system, DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy said, “with the successful trial of SFDR, the range of air-to-air missiles can be enhanced”.

Also Read: India successfully test-fires two more Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles off Odisha coast

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID-19: XE variant not more severe than Omicron, says Gagandeep Kang

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The new XE variant of COVID-19 is not a matter of concern as it is not likely to cause any more severity than other sub-variants of Omicron (BA.1 and BA.2) did, Dr Gagandeep Kang, noted microbiologist and Professor at Christian Medical College in Vellore, said on Thursday.

“Variants will come because people are travelling. Of what we know of the variant (XE) is that it is not a point of concern,” Kang said. “We were worried about BA.2 but it did not cause more serious disease than BA.1. XE does not cause more serious disease than BA.1 or BA.2,” she said on the sidelines of a panel discussion organised by John Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute here.

She added that in a vaccinated population, the XE variant is not something to be bothered about. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning against XE, a new variant of Omicron first detected in the UK.

Also read: New COVID variant XE found in India, first case reported in Mumbai

It has suggested that it could be more transmissible than any COVID strain so far. XE is a combination — or recombinant — of both sub-variants (BA.1 and BA.2) of Omicron. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said it has detected the first case of XE infection in Mumbai.

However, the Union Health Ministry said that the sample which is being said to be ’XE’ variant was analysed in detail by genome experts of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), who have inferred that the genomic constitution of this variant does not correlate with the genomic constitution of XE variant.

Also read: COVID-19: All you need to know about mutant strain XE; symptoms & transmissibility

When asked about her views on administering booster dose to population below 60 years, Kang said that the country doesn’t have enough data to establish the effectiveness of booster doses among people younger than 60 years. Dr Balram Bhargava, Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), echoed this view on booster dose and said, “I agree with Dr Kang.”

The panel discussion was held on the theme, “Applying Lessons Learned from COVID for a Stronger Health System”. Speaking during the panel discussion, Dr Bhargava said that the greatest thing India learnt from COVID was that it became self-confident.

“We got self-confidence that our health care system can deliver,” he said. He acknowledged that there was a need to strengthen the primary healthcare system to tackle such situations in future. “We need to invest more in primary health care system and impart good training which is much needed. We need good MBBS doctors with proper raining,” Dr Bhargava said.

Also read: China relies on traditional medicine to fight COVID surge in Shanghai

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Accused in attack on Gorakhpur temple’s security guard to undergo psychological test

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Uttar Pradesh Police will get a psychological test done on Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, the accused in an attack on security personnel outside Gorakhpur’s Gorakhnath temple, a senior officials said on Thursday. Answering a question about the mental condition of Abbasi during a media interaction in Lucknow, ADGP (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said, “We will get the psychological assessment of the accused done by experts as per norms to ascertain his mental health condition.” Abbasi’s family members had earlier told the media that he is mentally disturbed and undergoing treatment for a bipolar disease for the past a couple of years.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, during a media interaction on Wednesday, also said that the claims made by Abbasi’s father about his mental health status should be looked into. Meanwhile, a purported video of Abbasi surfaced on social media, in which he is shown sitting with a plastered left hand. He is heard saying incoherently that he was scared and thought of going to Nepal from Gorakhpur. Asked about the video, the ADGP said that the video is being looked into.

Abbasi is currently in police custody and has been kept at the UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) headquarters in Lucknow. The case against him is being investigated jointly by the ATS and the Special Task Force (STF).

Talking about the investigation, Kumar said, “Gadgets including laptop and phone used by Abbasi have been seized. These gadgets will also be sent for an examination by IT experts to gather digital forensic evidence.” Abbasi, an IIT graduate, tried to enter the Gorakhnath temple premises on Sunday evening. When security personnel tried to stop him, he attacked them with a sickle, injuring two constables of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). He was soon overpowered by other security staff and arrested. The security staff seized the sickle used in the attack and a knife from his possession.

The Gorakhnath temple premises also has the residence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is the head priest of the temple. The CM was not on the temple premises at the time of the attack.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Shanghai starts China”s biggest COVID-19 lockdown in 2 years

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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China began its most extensive lockdown in two years Monday to conduct mass testing and control a growing outbreak in Shanghai as questions are raised about the economic toll of the nation’s zero-COVID strategy. China’s financial capital and largest city with 26 million people, Shanghai had managed its smaller, past outbreaks with limited lockdowns of housing compounds and workplaces where the virus was spreading. But the citywide lockdown that will be conducted in two phases will be China’s most extensive since the central city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, confined its 11 million people to their homes for 76 days in early 2020.

Shanghai’s Pudong financial district and nearby areas will be locked down from Monday to Friday as mass testing gets underway, the local government said. In the second phase of the lockdown, the vast downtown area west of the Huangpu River that divides the city will start its own five-day lockdown Friday. Residents will be required to stay home and deliveries will be left at checkpoints to ensure there is no contact with the outside world. Offices and all businesses not considered essential will be closed and public transport suspended.

Already, many communities within Shanghai have been locked down for the past week, with their housing compounds blocked off with blue and yellow plastic barriers and residents required to submit to multiple tests for COVID-19. Shanghai’s Disneyland theme park is among the businesses that closed earlier. Automaker Tesla is also suspending production at its Shanghai plant, according to media reports. Panic-buying was reported on Sunday, with supermarket shelves cleared of food, beverages and household items. Additional barriers were being erected in neighborhoods Monday, with workers in hazmat suits staffing checkpoints.

Shanghai detected another 3,500 cases of infection on Sunday, though all but 50 were people who tested positive for the coronavirus but were not showing symptoms of COVID-19. While people who are asymptomatic can still infect others, China categorizes such cases separately from confirmed cases those in people who are sick leading to much lower totals in daily reports. Nationwide, 1,219 new confirmed cases of domestic infection were detected on Sunday, more than 1,000 of them in the northeastern province of Jilin, along with 4,996 asymptomatic cases, the National Health Commission reported on Monday.

Also Read | Colombo Port City: A Chinese White Elephant as Sri Lanka desperately seeks India’s help to tide over economic crisis

China has reported more than 56,000 confirmed cases nationwide this month, with the surge in Jilin accounting for most of them. Jilin province is enforcing travel bans and partial lockdowns in several cities, including Changchun, one of the centers of the Chinese auto industry. Although the province has seen more than 1,000 new confirmed cases per day, prevention and control measures taken there do not appear to have been as extreme as in other places.

As has become customary, Jilin has been building pre-fabricated temporary wards to house COVID-19 patients and those under observation as suspected cases. The city of Suzhou, about an hour from Shanghai, as well as Changsha in the country’s center and Shenyang in the northeast are also erecting such structures capable of housing more than 6,000 people. China has called its long-standing zero-tolerance approach the most economical and effective prevention strategy against COVID-19.

The new measures being enforced in Shanghai aim to curb the virus spread, protect people’s life and health, and achieve the dynamic zero-COVID target as soon as possible, the city’s COVID-19 prevention and control office stated in an announcement Sunday evening. That requires lockdowns and mass testing, with close contacts often being quarantined at home or in a central government facility. The strategy focuses on eradicating community transmission of the virus as quickly as possible.

While officials, including Communist Party leader Xi Jinping have encouraged more targeted measures, local officials tend to take a more extreme approach, concerned with being fired or otherwise punished over accusations of failing to prevent outbreaks. Most recently, Hunan province, which has seen relatively few cases, ordered punishments against 19 officials for failure to vigorously consolidate anti-pandemic policies,” state broadcaster CCTV reported Monday.

Also Read | Japan to revise foreign exchange law to end crypto loophole for sanctions on Russia

With China’s economic growth already slowing, the extreme measures are seen as worsening difficulties hitting employment, consumption and even global supply chains. With a 21-day curfew in place for all foreigners arriving from abroad, travel between China and other countries has fallen dramatically. On Friday, the International Air Transport Association announced it was moving its annual general meeting from Shanghai to Doha, citing continuing COVID-19 related restrictions on travel to China.” It is deeply disappointing that we are not able to meet in Shanghai as planned,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said in a news release.

Still, Shanghai’s announcement of the dates when the two lockdowns would be lifted appeared to show a further refinement in China’s approach. Previous citywide lockdowns had been open-ended. Although China’s vaccination rate is around 87per cent, it is considerably lower among older people.

National data released earlier this month showed that over 52 million people aged 60 and older have yet to be vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine. Booster rates are also low, with only 56.4per cent of people between 60-69 having received a booster shot, and 48.4per cent of people between 70-79 having received one. Older and unvaccinated people are more likely to become seriously ill if they contract the virus.

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Leaky valve, low pressure in propellant tank led to GSLV failure in August last year: ISRO

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Low pressure build-up in the liquid hydrogen tank that fed the cryogenic engine due to a faulty valve has been identified as the reason for the failure to put India’s first Geo Imaging Satellite (GISAT-1) into orbit in August last year, a report has revealed. The Failure Analysis Committee (FAC) set up by ISRO found that the GISAT-1 mission failed owing to a damage in the soft seal in a critical valve which resulted in lower pressure in the rocket’s liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank, the space agency said on Friday.

The FAC found that the failure happened when the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket’s cryogenic engine was to kick in to take the rocket forward. The GSLV-F-10 rocket had lifted off normally from Sriharikota on August 12 last year but the mission had to be aborted 307 seconds later as the launch vehicle veered off its charted course.

The FAC concluded that the lower LH2 tank pressure at the time of CUS (cryogenic upper stage) engine ignition, caused by the leakage of Vent and Relief Valve (VRV) resulted in the malfunctioning of the Fuel Booster Turbo Pump (FBTP), leading to mission abort command and subsequent failure of the mission, the ISRO said. The most probable reason for the leakage of VRV is attributed to the damage in the soft seal that could have occurred during the valve operations or due to contamination and valve mounting stresses induced under cryogenic temperature conditions, it added.

The space agency said the FAC observed that a deviation in performance of the cryogenic engine was observed at 297.3 seconds after lift-off due to which the onboard computer aborted the mission at 307 seconds. According to it, the ground servicing of the cryogenic stage/engine was normal and the required lift-off conditions were achieved.

However, subsequent to lift-off, the FAC observed that the build-up of pressure in the propellant (liquid hydrogen or LH2) tank during the flight was not normal leading to a lower tank pressure at the time of ignition of the engine, the ISRO said. This resulted in anomalous operation of the Fuel Booster Turbo Pump mounted inside the LH2 tank which feeds the main turbopump of the engine resulting in insufficient flow of liquid hydrogen into the engine thrust chamber, the ISRO said.

According to the ISRO, detailed studies indicate that the most likely reason for the observed reduction in LH2 tank pressure is a leak in the respective VRV, which is used for relieving the excess tank pressure during flight. Computer simulations as well as multiple confirmatory ground tests, closely simulating the conditions in the GSLV-F10 flight, validated the analysis by the FAC, the space agency said.

According to the ISRO, the FAC has submitted comprehensive recommendations to enhance the robustness of the cryogenic engine for future GSLV missions. The recommendations include an active LH2 tank pressurisation system to be incorporated to ensure sufficient pressure in the LH2 tank at the appropriate time before engine start command, strengthening of VRV and associated fluid circuits to avoid the possibility of leakage along with the automatic monitoring of additional cryogenic stage parameters for giving lift-off clearance.

Read Also | Chandrayaan-2 detects presence of water molecules on moon

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow