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NATIONAL: IT TECH BENEFITS :Adobe Express adds support for eight Indian languages, new features

Content creators in India can leverage Adobe Firefly powered GenAI features in Adobe Express to create localised videos, flyers, banners, logos, and more.

Adobe Express

Adobe has added Indian language updates to its content creation app Adobe Express. According to the company, the interface for Adobe Express on Desktop Web and mobile is now available in Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali. Furthermore, the Translate feature in Adobe Express for Desktop Web now supports eight Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Content creators in India can leverage Adobe Firefly powered GenAI features in Adobe Express to create localised videos, flyers, resumes, banners, logos, and more.

What are the new features?

With local language capabilities in Adobe Express, users will be able to create a wide range of content in eight Indian languages. Local language users will now be able to navigate the tool with ease, improve productivity, and browse relevant features and templates, leading to quicker task completion, said Adobe.

Furthermore, users can easily translate text across single and multiple-page files, eliminating the need for manual translations and external tools. However, the Translate feature is a premium offering but is currently available for free for a limited period.

Also, the user interface is now available in Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali. Users can selectively control which text elements are translated as per their need.

Govind Balakrishnan, senior Vice President, Adobe Express and Digital Media Services, said “With millions of active users, Adobe Express is seeing rapid adoption in India, and we’re excited to double down on this diverse market’s fast expanding content creation requirements by introducing user-interface and translation features in multiple Indian languages.”

The Adobe Express Free plan is available for free on web and mobile apps.

source/content: moneycontrol.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: GCC – WEST ASIA: Jaishankar arrives in Riyadh for first India-GCC Foreign Ministers’ meeting

EAM Jaishankar was warmly welcomed in Riyadh by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs, Abdulmajeed Al Smari. After arriving, Jaishankar shared on social media platform X, saying, “Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to participate in the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari for the warm reception.”

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to participate in the First India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

The EAM received a warm welcome from Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al Smari in Riyadh.

After his arrival, EAM Jaishankar took to the social media platform X and said, “Arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to take part in the First India – Gulf Cooperation Council Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Thank Abdulmajeed Al Smari, Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs for the warm reception.”

During his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia (September 8-9), EAM Jaishankar is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries.

“India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade & investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people–to-people ties. The GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and is home to a large Indian expatriate community, numbering around 8.9 million. The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

After concluding his Riyadh visit, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin for a two-day visit starting September 10 which will be his third bilateral visit to Germany.

Both India and Germany share a robust Strategic Partnership and Germany is one of India’s prominent trading partners and among the largest Foreign Direct Investors.

On September 12, the External Affairs Minister will travel to Geneva, home to a large number of UN bodies and international organisations, for an official visit.

source/content: telanganatoday.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ECONOMY: Nuclear to LNG, India & UAE ink 4 key pacts to expand energy ties

An agreement for long-term LNG supply between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and another between ADNOC and India Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) are among the four pacts.

India and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed four pacts to expand energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the visiting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) also inked an MoU for operation and maintenance of Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, Ministry of External Affairs said.

The fourth pact is a production concession agreement for Abu Dhabi Onshore Block 1 between Urja Bharat and ADNOC. A separate pact was inked between the Gujarat government and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC on setting up food parks in India.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said PM Modi and Crown Prince Al Nahyan discussed the multifaceted relations between India and the UAE with an aim to broaden comprehensive strategic partnership. “India-UAE ties taking greater strides! PM @narendramodi met with HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi today,” he said on X.

“The two leaders discussed the multifaceted India-UAE relations and avenues to broaden the comprehensive strategic partnership to new and emerging areas,” Jaiswal said.

In their talks, Modi and Al Nahyan are understood to have also deliberated on pressing global challenges, including Gaza.

Al Nahyan also called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where discussions covered the “warm, historic and comprehensive ties between the two countries and the several initiatives taken in recent years”. “President Murmu expressed her gratitude to the leadership of the UAE for hosting more than 3.5 million Indians,” the MEA said.

The Crown Prince also visited Rajghat and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. He became the third-generation leader from the UAE to plant a sapling at Rajghat, following Sheikh Zayedbin Sultan Al Nahyan, former President of the UAE in 1992; and Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE in 2016.

The Crown Prince will visit Mumbai Tuesday and participate in an India-UAE Business Forum. A soft launch on the commencement of work on the India-UAE virtual trade corridor and MAITRI interface to facilitate VTC will also take place in Mumbai on Tuesday.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: SPACE RECORDS: Historic first! India’s Chandrayaan-3 records more than 50 moonquakes. Here’s what it means

The researchers have identified more than 50 instances in which it was observed that the seismic signal had significant amplitude in comparison to the expected background levels.

In a historic achievement, Chandrayaan-3 became the first lunar mission to have detected more than 250 seismic signatures from the south pole of the Moon, since the Apollo missions.

These 250 seismic signals included 50 unique signals that are likely to have links with moonquakes, which refer to the earthquake on the lunar soil.

This is the first time seismic data has been collected from the South Pole of the lunar surface and also the first time such an activity has been recorded since the Apollo missions.

According to the media reports, 250 seismic signatures have been detected by the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) aboard the Vikram Lander during its operational period from August 24 to September 4, 2023, between the coordinates of 69.37 degrees south and 32.32 degrees east.

In 2023, the India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the ILSA payload on Chandrayaan 3 Lander has been able to record the movements of Rover and other payloads.

The ILSA payload is the first Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology-based instrument on the moon that utilises sensors manufactured with cutting-edge silicon micromachining technology.

All about 250 seismic signals detected by Chandrayaan-3

Among the 250 seismic signals, nearly 200 of them were said to have been produced by different mission activities like the Pragyan rover’s movements or the operation of scientific instruments like the ChaSTE thermal probe or Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS).

However, the remaining 50 signals were classified as “uncorrelated” and the scientists were not able to draw a connection between them and any mission-related activities. This raised the possibility of these signals being produced from real moonquakes.

These findings related to the moonquakes were mentioned in a recent paper published in ICARUS, which is a famous scientific journal.

Commenting on the findings, LEOS Director Sriram said, “Out of the 250 seismic events, about 200 correlate with Pragyan’s movements or other instrument operations. The remaining 50 signals do not align with any known activities, warranting further investigation to understand their origins.”

The study emphasised that the longest continuous seismic signal recorded had lasted 14 minutes.

(With inputs from agencies)

source/content: wionews.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPORTS: WORLD RECORD- SHOOTING: World Deaf Shooting Championship: Dhanush Srikanth breaks world records as India sweeps men’s air rifle event

India dominated the men’s 10m air rifle event on day two of the second World Deaf Shooting Championship in Hanover, Germany, with Dhanush Srikanth, Shourya Saini, and Mohammed Murtaza Vania making a clean sweep of the medals.

Dhanush set two world records in a single day, first by scoring 632.7 in the qualification round, followed by a stunning 251.7 in the final.

His performance left Shourya, who secured the silver with a score of 249.9, trailing by a significant margin.

Mohammed Murtaza Vania claimed the bronze with a score of 226.2.

In addition to their success in the men’s event, India also shone bright in the women’s category with Mahit Sandhu and Natasha Joshi winning silver and bronze respectively, adding to the country’s medals tally.

The Indian contingent had already secured four medals on the first day of the competition, including one gold, two silver and a bronze.

( Source : PTI )

source/content: deccanchronicle.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPORTS: India Ends Paris Paralympics 2024 With 29 Medals. Pakistan, China Got…

India finishes the Paris Paralympics 2024 campaign with a total of 29 medals – seven golds, nine silvers and 13 bronze.

The Paris Paralympic Games 2024 concluded for India on Sunday, with Pooja Ojha the final athlete in action. Ojha failed to qualify for the women’s kayak 200m final and bowed out of the competition. As a result, India’s medals tally at the Paris Paralympics ended at 29 — seven golds, nine silvers and 13 bronze, making it the most rewarded campaign for the country. Courtesy of the 29 medals, India stood at the 18th position in the points table. Pakistan, who were also competing win the event, ended the campaign joint-bottom at the 79th position, with just a solitary bronze to its name.

India did very well in the 2024 campaign, beating top nations like Switzerland, Belgium, South Korea, Turkey, Argentina, etc. to finish the Paris Para Games among the top 20 countries in the world.

In comparison to India, the traditional heavyweights at the Paralympic Games — China, Great Britain, USA, Italy, etc. did very well gain, finishing among the top 10 nations. India, having shown significant progression in Paris, would be keen to produce an even better show in the 2028 LA Para Games.

On Saturday, India earned its 29th and final medal of the Paris Paralympic Games through Navdeep Singh who clinched gold medal in men’s javelin throw F41 classification.

Navdeep, who competes in the classification meant for athletes of short stature, originally ended with a silver after he upstaged world record holder Sun Pengxiang of China with a 47.32m throw.

However, that was upgraded to an unprecedented gold after Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flag. Pengxiang (44.72m) finished with a silver.

Sayah had managed to nose ahead of the field with a new Paralympic record of 47.64m in his penultimate throw but lost the medal owing to his antics.

The International Paralympic Committee rules bar athletes from making any political gestures at the event and Sayah was thrown out of the final results for unsporting/improper conduct.

At the same venue, Simran, accompanied by her guide Abhay Singh, clocked an impressive personal best of 24.75sec to finish with a bronze in the women’s 200m (T12) event.

The 24-year-old from Delhi, who was found to be visually impaired at the time of her premature birth, is the reigning world champion in this event. She had finished fourth in the 100m competition of the ongoing Games and Saturday’s medal helped her redeem her campaign.

Track-and-field has contributed 17 medals to this tally, four of them gold. The country is placed 15th in the overall standings, led by China with a whopping 208 medals, including 90 gold.

For Navdeep, the gold makes up for the fourth-place heartbreak he endured in the Tokyo Games.

An inspector in the Income Tax Department, Navdeep has medalled five times at the national level since taking to the sport in 2017. He won a bronze in the para-world championships earlier this year.

Simran, on the other hand, won two silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year and secured three gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and long jump at the inaugural Khelo India Para Games last December.

She is coached by her husband Naik Gajendra Singh.

With PTI Inputs

source/content: sports.ndtv.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: WEST ASIA: EAM to attend first India-GCC foreign ministers meet in Riyadh on September 8-9

Jaishankar will travel to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, on September 8-9 to attend the first India–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Foreign Ministers’ meeting. During the visit, he is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from GCC member countries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, will be in Saudi Arabia, Germany and Switzerland from September 8 to 13, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that “India and the GCC enjoy a deep and multifaceted relationship, in areas including political, trade & investment, energy cooperation, cultural and people – to – people ties. The GCC region has emerged as a major trading partner for India and is home to a large Indian expatriate community, numbering around 8.9 million. The Foreign Ministers meeting will be an opportunity to review and deepen institutional cooperation between India and the GCC across various sectors.”

On the second leg of the visit, Jaishankar will travel to Berlin, Germany for a 2 – day visit from 10 – 11 September. This will be his 3rd visit as Minister to Berlin.

“Both India and Germany share a robust Strategic Partnership and Germany is one of India’s prominent trading partners and among the largest Foreign Direct Investors,” the MEA said.

During the visit, MEA said that Jaishankar will meet the German Federal Foreign Minister as well as the leadership and other ministers from the German government with an objective to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations between India and Germany.

The External Affairs Minister will thereafter travel to Geneva, Switzerland for an official visit on September 12-13.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & HEALTH : VACCINES: Chhattisgarh scientists develop new biomarkers to predict Covid severity

The new biomarkers have been designed to diagnose early stages of infection in patients who are affected with severe COVID-19 illness.

In a major breakthrough, the scietist of the Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit (MRU) in Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar hospital, Raipur, have introduced the country’s first-ever bio marker kit that could provide early-stage severity assessment of Covid.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, a journal by the Nature Publishing Group, holds promise for enhancing patient care during the pandemic. The new biomarkers have been designed to diagnose early stages of infection in patients who are affected with severe COVID-19 illness. With the help of an invented kit, doctors will be able to decide whether it is necessary to hospitalise the patient or he can recover at home through medicines.

Under the headship of Dr Jagannath Pal, the team utilising leftover samples from routine Covid-19 tests, has developed a method with impressive accuracy-boasting a sensitivity of 91 per cent and a specificity of 94 per cent in non-comorbid.

The MRU’s research also aligns with the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” initiative. The project was supported by the health administration of Chhattisgarh and funded by the Department of Health Research (DHR), Government of India.

How the kit works

The test results determine the response of adaptive immunity to new virus infection. The test required input of leftover RNA followed by the routine COVID-19 diagnosis by RT-PCR. Complementary DNA is prepared from RNA samples by reverse transcription.

The complementary DNA is used for subsequent qPCR reactions to determine the expression of the signature genes. By analyzing the level of the genes we determine a “Severity Score”. If the score is lower than a cut-off value it indicates the good immune response (T-cell) suggesting low risk and the patient could recover without the requirement of advanced medical facility or extra drug treatments. If the score is higher than a cut-off value it indicates a poor immune response (T-cell) suggesting high risk and patients may require advanced medical facility or extra drug treatments for recovery. The same test could be used for other virus infection also.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICINE: CANCER RESEARCH: President Murmu launches India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer -‘CAR-T cell therapy’

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday launched India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer at IIT Bombay.

Describing the newly-launched treatment, named “CAR-T cell therapy,” as a beacon of hope, President Murmu expressed confidence that the therapy will provide a new lease of life to countless cancer patients.

CAR-T cell therapy, considered a groundbreaking advancement in medical science, has long been available in developed nations. However, its prohibitive costs have rendered it beyond the reach of many.

President Murmu said that the therapy is not only accessible but also the world’s most affordable CAR-T cell therapy.

She applauded the collaborative efforts between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Tata Memorial Hospital, and industry partner ImmunoACT, highlighting the indigenous therapy as an example of the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPACE FRONTIERS : India’s first National Space Day: August 23rd, 2024 – PM Modi and ISRO chief reflect on India’s space milestones

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his greetings to the nation on the occasion of the first National Space Day. In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister expressed immense pride in India’s remarkable achievements in the space sector.

“Greetings to everyone on the first National Space Day. We recall with great pride our nation’s achievements in the space sector. It is also a day to laud the contributions of our space scientists,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Highlighting the government’s commitment to advancing the space sector, the Prime Minister said, “Our government has taken a series of futuristic decisions relating to this sector, and we will do even more in the times to come.”

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in strengthening India’s space ecosystem.

Speaking to ANI, Somanath highlighted recent policy reforms and initiatives under the leadership of PM Modi toward advancing the space sector.

The ISRO chief said that PM Modi’s leadership has been crucial in several key policy interventions in India’s space sector. “As Prime Minister, Modi has not only created but also implemented policies through the governmental system,” he said.

Underscoring three major initiatives, the ISRO chief said, “After the space sector reforms, we worked on a space policy. This new policy clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Space, ISRO, and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), paving the way for greater private sector involvement in space activities.”

“A foreign direct investment policy has also been announced, allowing private and foreign investments in the space sector with certain controls and regulations that were not possible earlier. The third initiative, undertaken by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), involves the geospatial policy. This policy makes all geospatial and satellite data freely available up to a five-meter resolution, creating secondary effects,” he added.

Reflecting on recent milestones, Somanath recalled the Prime Minister’s live participation in the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing event. “I remember our Prime Minister Modi watching the live transmission and taking a moment from the BRICS summit to join us,” he said.

Somanath also recounted Modi’s visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, where he showed keen interest in the Gaganyaan mission and other space projects.

“We were asked to prepare a long-term roadmap, a vision for space 2047 in the Amritkaal. The Prime Minister was delighted with our presentation on future space missions, including the Gaganyaan program and plans for a space station,” Somanath said.

M. Sankaran, Director of the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), also recalled the Prime Minister’s visit to the space center after the success of Chandrayaan-3.

“When he was talking, he was a bit emotional, thanking all of us for our efforts and appreciating everyone’s contributions. He was very clear that we need to involve other government agencies in space activities, which eventually led to the space sector reforms,” Sankaran said while speaking to ANI.

Following the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, PM Modi declared August 23 as National Space Day and named the landing site ‘Shiva Shakti Point,’ while designating the Chandrayaan-2 landing site as ‘Tiranga Point.’

This historic achievement made India the fourth country to land a rover on the Moon and the first to do so in the Moon’s southern polar region. The celebration aims to inspire future generations and foster interest in space exploration across the nation.

The theme for National Space Day 2024 is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga,” reflecting the impact of space achievements on everyday life and the nation’s ambitious space endeavors.