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NATIONAL: SPACE & SATELLITES: ISRO PSLV Launch: 7 Singaporean Satellites placed into intended Orbits

DS-SAR satellite will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the government of Singapore.

The PSLV rocket by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has placed all seven Singaporean satellites into the near-equatorial orbit (NEO) after its successful launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. About 23 minutes after the lift-off, the rocket separated from satellites and after covering a distance of 535 km, deployed them into their intended orbits, said ISRO.

5 facts about ISRO PSLV-C56 mission

The DS-SAR satellite was developed in partnership with the Government of Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency and ST Engineering. It will be launched into a near-equatorial orbit (NEO) at 5 degrees inclination at a 535 km altitude.

Once deployed and operational, the DS-SAR satellite will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the government of Singapore, as per ISRO.

The PSLV-C56 also carries six co-passenger customer satellites – VELOX-AM, a 23 kg technology demonstration microsatellite; ARCADE Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer (ARCADE), an experimental satellite; SCOOB-II , a 3U nanosatellite flying a technology demonstrator payload; NuLIoN by NuSpace, an advanced 3U nanosatellite enabling seamless IoT connectivity in both urban and remote locations; Galassia-2, a 3U nanosatellite that will be orbiting at low earth orbit; and ORB-12 STRIDER, satellite is developed under an International collaboration.

It is the 58th flight of PSLV and 17th of PSLV in core alone configuration.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / TENNIS : Sumit Nagal Wins Tampere Challenger, Finland

Sumit Nagal beat Dalibor Svrcina of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5 in the final of the €73,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Tampere, Finland, on Sunday.

It was the second Challenger title of the season after the one in Rome, and the fourth Challenger title of his career for the 25-year-old Nagal.

After a hesitant start when he was down 1-4, Sumit reeled off nine games in a row to lead 6-4, 4-0. However, there was a tussle thereafter with the Czech asserting his fighting qualities on the clay court. Sumit by his own admission refocussed to pull through in straight sets.

The champion collected 75 ATP points and $9,880. The points are expected to catapult Sumit back into the top-200 rankings and help him get into the US Open qualifying event. Sumit had enjoyed a career best rank of 122 in 2020.

The runner-up pocketed 50 points and $5,820.

In the ATP event on grass in Newport, USA, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni went down with guns blazing in the doubles semifinals against the top seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(2) 6-7(1), [9-11].

Yuki and Saketh collected 90 ATP points and $10,660.

In the $60,000 ITF women’s event in Evansville, USA, third seed Karman Kaur Thandi made the final with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Mccartney Kessler of the USA. She was scheduled to play the fourth seed Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine in the final.

The results: $718,245 ATP, Newport, USA: Doubles: Semifinals: Nathaniel Lammons & Jackson Withrow (USA) bt Yuki Bhambri & Saketh Myneni 6-7(2), 7-6(1), [11-9].

€73,000 Challenger, Tampere, Finland: Final: Sumit Nagal bt Dalibor Svrcina (Cze) 6-4, 7-5.

$60,000 ITF women, Evansville, USA: Semifinals: Karman Kaur Thandi bt Mccartney Kessler (USA) 6-4, 7-5.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / PARA – ARCHERY: Rakesh Kumar and Sarita Adhana Script History, Become First-Ever Gold Medal Winners For India at Para-Archery World Championship

Rakesh Kumar and Sarita Adhana have a historic moment as they win gold medal in the mixed team compound archery event in the Para-Archery World Championship 2023.

They win by 152-146 against Brazil in the final. 

source/content: latestly.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: LEADERS: Former Indian-Origin Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam in Singapore Officially launches Presidential Bid

The 2023 presidential election is due in September, as President Halimah Yacob’s six-year term ends on September 13.

Singapore’s former Indian-origin minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam formally launched his presidential campaign on Wednesday and pledged to evolve the country’s culture to keep it a “shining spot” in the world.

The official launch comes more than a month after Mr. Tharman first announced his intention that he will run for president.

Mr. Tharman, 66, stepped down from active politics after 22 years last month.

“I stepped into this race because I feel very strongly in the need to evolve Singapore’s culture, some of our norms and the way we go about working with each other so that we remain a shining spot in the world,” he said at a press conference.

He said he intended to be “a President for a new era” as he officially launched his campaign for the office.

The 2023 presidential election is due in September, as President Halimah Yacob’s six-year term ends on September 13.

Accompanied by his wife Jane Yumiko Ittogi, Mr. Tharman outlined challenges facing Singapore both globally and domestically and emphasised that the nation’s real challenge was to avoid becoming a divided society.

“If I’m fortunate enough to be elected as President, I pledge to bring my full experience and capabilities on the ground nationally and internationally, to serve as your President for this new and more challenging era,” Channel News Asia quoted him as saying.

The senior politician said his 22 years in politics had given him ample experience in unifying people, an important role for the president.

“When we talk about being a unifying figure, I do not say this rhetorically or just as an aspiration but I speak from a real track record,” he said.

“That includes the track record of respecting different views, including different political leanings and constantly trying to find common ground,” he said.

Mr. Tharman said he would also fulfil other responsibilities of the presidency such as safeguarding the reserves, citing his experience in government and politics over the years.

He said he would bring a “more basic orientation” of integrity and independence of mind, which he has been known for.

“I don’t have to change my colours like a chameleon. I’m the same person with the same integrity and same independence of mind, and that remains critical for the role of the president,” he said.

Mr. Tharman was an economist and a civil servant, mainly at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, before joining politics in 2001.

He has served as the Minister for Education and Finance and was the Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019. He has also held prominent posts at international organisations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.

There are three prospective candidates who have publicly announced their intention to contest the polls.

The other two prospective candidates who have announced their intention to contest the election are businessman George Goh and investment manager Ng Kok Song.

Under requirements laid out in Singapore’s Constitution, public sector presidential candidates must have held office for at least three years as a minister, chief justice, attorney-general or other high-level posts.

Private sector candidates must have served for at least three years as chief executives of a company with an average of Singapore dollars 500 million in shareholders’ equity.

Singapore will hold its first presidential election since 2011, after President Halimah announced on May 29 that she will not seek a second term.

She is the country’s eighth and first female president. Her six-year term ends on September 13 this year.

The 2017 presidential poll was a reserved election, in which only members of the Malay community were allowed to contest. Halimah was named president then as there were no other candidates.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPACE – INDIA IN SPACE: Final Orbit-raising Manoeuvre of Chandrayaan-3 Completed

Following the final orbit-raising manoeuvre, ISRO will perform the TransLunar Injection (TLI) on August 1.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday (July 25) successfully completed the fifth and final orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound perigee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission .  It was performed successfully from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

The spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 1,27,609 km x 236 km. This means that Chandrayaan-3 is now in an orbit, which, when closest to Earth is at 236 km and when farthest is at 1,27,609 km.

“The achieved orbit will be confirmed after the observations,” ISRO said after the successful orbit-raising manoeuvre.

The four earlier orbit raising manoeuvres were performed by ISTRAC between July 15 and July 20.

Following the final orbit-raising manoeuvre, ISRO will perform the TransLunar Injection (TLI) on August 1 to slingshot Chandrayaan-3 towards the Moon.

“The next firing, the TransLunar Injection (TLI), is planned for August 1, 2023, between midnight and 1 a.m. IST,” ISRO said.

The Chandrayaan-3 consists of a lander module (LM), propulsion module (PM) and a rover which was launched by the LVM3-M4 on July 14.

After the TLI takes place, the PM and the LM separation will happen on August 17. A series of deboost manoeuvres is also scheduled to take place before the power descent phase for the soft landing on the Moon. The lander is expected to touch down on the Moon surface on August 23 at 5.47 p.m.

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the fifth and final orbit-raising manoeuvre (Earth-bound perigee firing) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. It was performed successfully from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.
  • The spacecraft is expected to attain an orbit of 1,27,609 km x 236 km. This means that Chandrayaan-3 is now in an orbit, which, when closest to Earth is at 236 km and when farthest is at 1,27,609 km.
  • The four earlier orbit raising manoeuvres were performed by ISTRAC between July 15 and July 20.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL : SPORT / SHOOTING: 3rd ISSF Junior World Championships 2023, Changwon, Korea: Indian Shooters Win 17 Medals Tally, Ranking Overall at No.2 from 44 Countries Participating

As many as 90 Indian shooters are taking part in the junior shooting world championships in Changwon, South Korea. Know how many medals India has won.

The July 16-24 ISSF Junior World Championship 2023 are underway at Changwon Shooting Range, Republic of Korea. The junior shooting world championships, now in its third edition, will see 90 Indian shooters vie for medals in pistol, rifle and shotgun competitions in the under-21 age category. 

India’s contingent of 90 shooters for the 2023 junior world championships is the largest, followed by Korea’s squad of 66. The USA have 43 shooters in the competition.

Over 550 shooters from 44 countries are competing at the ISSF Junior World Championships 2023.

The 16-year-old shooter Darshna Rathore, an ISSF World Cup bronze medallist, is part of the Indian squad. She will compete in the women’s trap event.

India, with 43 medals including 17 golds, had topped the medals tally at the last junior world championships held in Lima, Peru, two years back.

Raiza Dhillon, Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat, Bakhtyaruddin Mohamadmuzahid Malek and Naamya Kapoor, who contributed to India’s success in Peru, are also competing at the Changwon meet.

ISSF Junior World Championships 2023: India’s medal winners

ShooterEventMedal
Shubham Bisla10m air pistol menGold
Sainyam10m air pistol womenGold
Abhinav Shaw and Gautami Bhanot10m air rifle mixed teamGold
Abhinav Shaw, Srikanth Dhanush and Parth Rakesh Mane10m air rifle men’s teamGold
Kamaljeet50m pistol menGold
Yashita Shokeen, Veerpal Kaur and Tiyana50m pistol women’s teamGold
Kamaljeet, Ankait Tomar and Sandeep Bishnoi50m pistol men’s teamGold
Shubham Bisla, Amit Sharma and Abhinav Choudhary10m air pistol men’s teamSilver
Uttam Sonam Maskar, Gautami Bhanot and Swati Chowdhury10m air rifle women’s teamSilver
Raiza DhillonWomen’s skeetSilver
Harmehar Singh Lally and Sanjana SoodMixed team skeetSilver
Sameer, Mahesh Anandakumar and Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu25m rapid fire pistol men’s teamSilver
Bakhtyaruddin Malek, Shardul Vihan and Arya Vansh TyagiTrap men teamSilver
Abhinav Chaudhary and Sainyam10m air pistol mixed teamBronze
Sainyam, Urva Chaudhary and Anjali Chaudhary10m air pistol women’s teamBronze
Umamahesh Maddineni10m air rifle menBronze
Unish Holinder, Randeep Singh and Akshay Kumar25m standard pistol men’s teamBronze
Yashita Shokeen, Prarthana Khanna and Tiyana25m standard pistol women’s teamBronze

source: olympics.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SUSTAINABILITY: 07-year-old Indian-origin Girl Moksha Roy Wins UK PM’s ‘Points of Light Award’ becomes World’s Youngest Sustainability Advocate

Moksha Roy, who received the award from Deputy British PM Oliver Dowden last week, has the distinction of being the world’s youngest sustainability advocate.

A seven-year-old Indian-origin schoolgirl, who started volunteering for a United Nations’ sustainability initiative against microplastic pollution when she was just three, has been awarded the British Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.

Moksha Roy, who received the award from Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden last week, has the distinction of being the world’s youngest sustainability advocate.

Moksha has been recognised for volunteering for several sustainability campaigns, including raising funds to help children in need.

“Moksha has set an excellent example in her work championing UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has gone to significant lengths to have these included in the school curriculum and has been in communication with leaders all over the world to encourage them to consider this,” said Dowden.

“Her school no longer uses plastic glitter, confetti or plastic art supplies – this is a testament to her strong beliefs and ability to change those around her to create a better world,” he said.

Moksha has also assisted in educational sessions for deprived schoolchildren in India.

“I am very happy to receive the Points of Light award. I hope both children and adults get to understand that caring for the planet and its people and making small changes to everyday life should not be just for a few. It is just like brushing our teeth,” said Moksha.

“We brush our teeth to care for them and avoid pain; similarly we can take care of the planet not for anyone else, but just us, to be safe. Each and every one of us can do small things in our own lives, work and community to combat the big challenges such as climate change, pollution, poverty and inequality,” she said.

Her parents, Ragini G Roy and Sourav Roy, said their daughter’s efforts prove that even the youngest in society have a role to play in combatting climate change.

According to Downing Street, the Points of Light awards recognise outstanding people whose service is making a difference in their communities and whose story can inspire others towards innovative solutions to social challenges in their own communities and beyond.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / SKEET : Harmehar Singh Lally & Sanjana Sood Win Silver in Skeet Mixed Team event at ‘ISSF Junior Worlds Championships’ Changwon,Korea

Harmehar and Sanjana had to endure a gruelling 52-shot shoot-off, which they won 26-24 eventually, enroute to the final, where they lost 38-43 to Italian duo of Andrea Galardini and Sara Bongini.

Indian pair of Harmehar Singh Lally and Sanjana Sood on Wednesday bagged a silver medal in the skeet mixed team event in the International Shooting Sport Federation Junior World Championships in Changwon, Korea.

Harmehar and Sanjana had to endure a gruelling 52-shot shoot-off, which they won 26-24 eventually, enroute to the final, where they lost 38-43 to Italian duo of Andrea Galardini and Sara Bongini.

Harmehar and Sanjana shot a combined 140 out of 150 in qualification, but found themselves tied for second place with American pair of Benjamin Keller and Jessi Griffin. The Italians had topped the 16-team field with a score of 141.

A shoot-off between the Indian and the American pair decided the other finalists to take on Italy.

In the shoot-off, the Indian and the American pairs did not miss a single target for the first 48-shots.

As the Indians nailed their 25th and 26th double, the Americans finally missed to settle for a bronze medal.

In the final, Harmehar and Sanjana faced hiccups from the start, missing five of their first 16 targets against the Italian’s two.

Overall, both Harmehar and Sanjana missed five of their 24 targets each in the final, whereas the Italians missed five overall to coast to victory.

In the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) event, Sartaj Singh Tiwana grabbed the final eighth qualifying spot with a tally of 584, but finished fourth eventually to miss out on a medal.

Sartaj was 0.5 ahead of his Chinese opponent Ye Yishun before the 43rd of the 45-shot final, but an 8.9 to Ye’s 10.2, meant that he fell short by 0.8. Romain Aufrere of France won gold, his second of the championship.

Among other Indians in men’s 3P, Shivam Dabas shot 580 for a 15th place finish, Parikshit Singh Brar fired 579 for the 20th spot, Ramanya Tomer 576 for 27th, Harsh Singla 571 for 41st and Vedant Waghmare shot 571 to finish in 45th overall.

In the women’s 25m pistol as well, Payal Khatri was the only Indian to make it to the final with a score of 578. She too finished fourth with 22-hits as China’s Zuo Qingyi won the gold medal with 34-hits to her name.

Hosts Korea and USA were second and third respectively. Among other Indians Simranpreet Kaur Brar (574) was 15th, Naamya Kapoor (571) 20th, Divyanshi (571) 21st and Meghna Sadula (570) finished 22nd. Tejaswini shot 563 to finish 29th.

China extended the gap with India at the top of the medal standings by picking up two more gold medals on day four of the event.

India have so far won four gold, four silver and three bronze medals in the championship.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

REGIONAL SOUTH-ASIA: INTERNATIONAL: India, Sri Lanka Unveil Economic Partnership for Connectivity, UPI payments

India and Sri Lanka have announced a new economic partnership that includes cooperation in maritime, air, energy, and financial connectivity.

The partnership will also see the use of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system in Sri Lanka.

Additionally, the two countries will work on a power grid interconnection, construction of a petroleum pipeline, and a feasibility study for land connectivity.

India has also called on Sri Lanka to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil minority and work towards reconciliation and power-sharing.

The economic partnership reflects India’s long-term commitment to Sri Lanka and will accelerate cooperation in various sectors.

India and Sri Lanka on Friday unveiled a new economic partnership for maritime, air, energy and financial connectivity, including the use of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system, even as New Delhi pressed Colombo on a political solution to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil minority.

The India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision, issued after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ranil Wickremesinghe, includes a power grid inter-connection for electricity trade, construction of a petroleum pipeline, a feasibility study for land connectivity, and resumption of talks on an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement to replace an existing trade deal.

Following an agreement between India’s NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and Lanka Pay, UPI is set to be accepted in Sri Lanka after completion of certain processes in the next two to three months.

As a follow-up to the 2022 deal on the Trincomalee oil tank farms, the two sides signed an agreement to develop the facility as a regional hub of industry and energy.

Participating in a media interaction with Wickremesinghe, Modi said Sri Lanka has a key place in India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.

Referring to the unprecedented economic crisis that hit Sri Lanka over the past year, he noted that India stood shoulder to shoulder with the island nation in its hour of crisis.

“We believe the security interests and development of India and Sri Lanka are intertwined and therefore, it is essential that we work together keeping in mind each other’s safety and sensitivities,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi. The remarks were seen as an apparent reference to bilateral ties being hit last year by Sri Lanka’s decision to allow a visit to Hambantota port by a Chinese surveillance vessel.

“A stable, secure and prosperous Sri Lanka is not only in India’s interest, but in the interest of the entire Indian Ocean region,” he added.

Wickremesinghe expressed “profound appreciation” for India’s support during the economic downturn. India extended economic support worth almost $4 billion to help Sri Lanka tide over the crisis.

Besides strengthening connectivity in different spheres, the new economic partnership reflects India’s long-term commitment to Sri Lanka and will accelerate cooperation in tourism, power, trade and education, Modi said.

Modi expressed the hope that Sri Lanka’s government will fulfil the aspirations of the island nation’s Tamil minority and “drive the process of rebuilding for equality, justice and peace”. He called on Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitment to implement the 13th constitutional amendment, conduct elections to provincial councils and ensure a “life of respect and dignity” for the Tamils.

To mark 200 years of the arrival of Tamils in Sri Lanka, Modi said projects worth ₹75 crore will be implemented for the Indian-origin community. India will also contribute to development programmes in Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern regions that have a sizeable Tamil population.

Wickremesignhe said he shared with Modi a proposal he presented to Sri Lanka’s Tamil leadership this week for furthering reconciliation and power-sharing.

“I have invited all party leaders in Parliament to work towards consensus and national unity on these measures. Thereafter, the government will place relevant legislation before Parliament,” he said, adding Modi “expressed solidarity and goodwill” for these steps.

However, Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has rejected the proposal as it envisages devolution with the “exception of police powers”. Tamil leaders have pointed out that provincial councils have been virtually defunct for five years.

Asked about these matters at a media briefing, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said India continues to back a political solution that addresses the aspirations of the Tamils for equality, justice and self-respect within the framework of a united Sri Lanka. Modi raised these aspirations and emphasised that meaningful devolution of powers is essential for reconciliation, he added.

As part of maritime connectivity under the new economic partnership, the two sides will resume passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in India and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka and work for resumption of similar services between Rameshwaram and Talaimannar. They will cooperate to develop ports and logistics at Colombo, Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai.

Following the resumption of flights between Jaffna and Chennai, the two sides will expand flights to Colombo and explore connectivity between Chennai and Trincomalee, Batticaloa and other destinations in Sri Lanka.

In the field of energy connectivity, the proposed high-capacity power grid interconnection will enable bidirectional electricity trade between Sri Lanka and other regional countries. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation on renewable energy will facilitate development of offshore wind and solar in Sri Lanka.

The two sides will work towards the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) to enhance bilateral trade and investments in new areas. The two countries held 11 rounds of talks on ETCA till negotiations stalled in 2019. The ETCA is meant to replace a free trade agreement signed in 1998.

The Indian side agreed to facilitate investments for the divestment of Sri Lankan state-owned enterprises and in manufacturing and economic zones in various sectors. The two sides further agreed to leverage India’s digital public infrastructure in line with Sri Lanka’s needs for effective delivery of citizen-centric services.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ASIA REGION: Indian Boys’ Teams finish with Bronze Medal in TT at the 27th Asian Youth 2023

The two teams failed to cross the semifinal hurdles and ended up with the bronze medals from the outing, a qualification event for the World Youth Championships in Slovenia in December.

India’s U-15 and U-19 boys’ squads defeated Singapore and Hong Kong in the quarterfinals before settling for bronze medals at the 27th Asian Youth 2023 here.

The two teams failed to cross the semifinal hurdles and ended up with the bronze medals from the outing, a qualification event for the World Youth Championships in Slovenia in December.

The U-15 girls lost in the quarterfinals 0-3 to Japan, but the U-19 girls managed to take a game off Japan before bowing out 1-3.

In the Under-15 category, PB Abhinand beat Le Ellsworth of Singapore 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 to set the ball in motion.

Priyanuj Bhattacharyya dropped a game against Xing Yao before overpowering to win 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10, and the two Indians struggled against the pair of Irle Eles and Zhou Jinghe but won 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7. In the semi-final on Wednesday, they went down 0-3 to China.

As for the U-19 boys, the Indians had a tough time against Hong Kong, with their quarterfinal going down to the last rubber in which Jash Modi turned the tables against Yiu Kwan to win 6-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-2.

Modi, who lost his opening tie to Chan Baldwin Ho Wah 8-11, 5-11, 5-11, lost the first two games to Yiu before pulling up his socks to outwit him and put India in the semi-final.

Earlier, Ankur Bhattacharjee beat Yiu 11-8, 11-8. 11-7 before Divyansh Srivastava defeated Li Hon Man 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10 to seal the fate of Hong Kong players.

Like their juniors, the U-16 boys met championship favourites China in the semi-final and lost 0-3.

In position matches, the Under-19 girls finished seventh after beating Iran 3-0.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)