Today News Diary on 20 Feb 2021

1. India, China hold tenth round of Corps Commander level talks

2. PM Modi chairs sixth meeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog

3. Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina hands over Ekushey Padak 2021 in Dhaka

4. Government released Rs 1 lakh Crore as GST compensation shortfall to States

5.Alfiya Pathan wins first gold medal at Adriatic Pearl Tournament in Montenegro

6. New platform to measure DNA modifications can have potential application in early detection of Cancer, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s

7. Bosnian villagers cheer as NASA attempts to land on namesake lake on Mars

Synopsis

National

PM Modi greets people of Arunachal, Mizoram on statehood days

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram on their statehood days and heaped praise on their culture and traditions.

'Bengal wants its own daughter': TMC launches poll slogan

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday launched its slogan for the upcoming assembly elections - ''Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chaye'', adding to the shrill insider vs outsider debate while portraying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the daughter of Bengal.

India and China hold 10th round of military talks; focus on further disengagement in eastern Ladakh

New Delhi: India and China on Saturday held another round of military talks with a focus on taking forward the disengagement process in Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh and bring down the tensions in the region, official sources said.

Soon small cars in UP 112 fleet to reduce emergency response time

Smaller cars will soon replace some bigger SUVs used by Uttar Pradesh police''s 112 emergency service to improve response time to distress calls and enable teams to access congested areas and narrow lanes faster, a senior official said.

International

Extreme weather testing Biden's disaster management skills

Washington: A month into the job and focused on the coronavirus, Biden is seeing his disaster management skills tested after winter storms plunged Texas, Oklahoma and neighboring states into an unusual deep freeze.

Thailand's prime minister survives no-confidence vote

Thailand''s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha survived a no-confidence vote Saturday in parliament amid allegations that his government mismanaged the economy, bungled the provision of COVID-19 vaccines, abused human rights and fostered corruption.

California man charged with trying to help terrorist group

A Russian man has been charged in California with attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization, authorities said Friday.

No hasty or disorderly withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan: US Defence Secretary

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the US will not undertake a hasty or disorderly withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, stressing that violence must decrease now in the war-torn country and more progress is needed in the Afghan-led negotiations.

Florida is a for voting. The GOP wants change anyway

Florida was a citizen when it came to elections in 2020. The state showed off its years of voting reforms. Even as Donald Trump railed against voting systems elsewhere, he praised Florida and urged his supporters to trust its vote-by-mail system. And, indeed, results were reported quickly and accurately. Turnout soared.

Business

FM urges industry to unleash animal spirits; make India fastest growing economy

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman exhorted India Inc to unleash animal spirits and bring in fresh investment to make India one of the fastest growing economies of the world.

Centre, states need to work closely to boost economic growth: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a strong case for repealing archaic laws and making it easier to do business in India stating that the centre and states need to work closely to boost economic growth.

Gehlot attacks Modi govt over rising fuel prices

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said fuel prices have been increasing for 11 days and the common man is suffering as a result of "wrong" economic policies of the Centre.

Rs 125 crore corpus fund to help Meghalaya entrepreneurs: CM

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said that a corpus fund of Rs 125 crore will be constituted over the next two years to aid the entrepreneurs in the state.

Entertainment

Hugh Jackman's 'Reminiscence' to release in September

Hugh Jackman-starrer sci-fi thriller "Reminiscence" will make its debut in US theatres and on streamer HBO Max on September 3 this year.

Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kanye West

Los Angeles: Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from rapper Kanye West after almost seven years of marriage.

Anna Friel to lead 'The Perfect Girlfriend' adaptation

"Marcella" star Anna Friel will be headlining an upcoming series adaptation of the novel "The Perfect Girlfriend".

Sidharth Malhotra's 'Shershaah' to release in July

Actor Sidharth Malhotra-starrer "Shershaah", based on the life of Kargil hero Captain Vikram Batra, is scheduled to hit the screens on July 2.

Sports

At Australian Open, Djokovic chases 18th Slam, Medvedev 1st

Melbourne: Novak Djokovic lost his first career Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open. Then he won his second, which came at the Australian Open.

Iglesias' penalty gives Betis 1-0 win over Getafe in La Liga

Borja Iglesias earned and converted a late penalty to give Real Betis a 1-0 victory over Getafe in the Spanish league.

Phil Mickelson returns to seniors with appearance in Arizona

Now that Phil Mickelson is not eligible for a World Golf Championship, he''ll go for a hat trick with the seniors.

Manu Bhaker demands action against AI employees for alleged harassment

Tokyo Olympics medal prospect Manu Bhaker has demanded action against two Air India employees for allegedly "harassing" and "insulting" the pistol shooter while she tried to board a flight to Bhopal from Delhi.

Delayed trial of Women v US Soccer pushed back to June 15

The long delayed trial in the case of female players against the U.S. Soccer Federation has been pushed back again.

News in Detail
 

1. India, China hold tenth round of Corps Commander level talks

The tenth round of Corps Commander level talks between India and China is underway on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in Moldo. The two sides are likely to discuss disengagement from other friction points after disengagement from both Northern and Southern banks of Pangong Lake.

The disengagement process of troops of the Indian Army and China’s People's Liberation Army from the Line of Actual Control was reached after sustained negotiations at the military and diplomatic level.
 

2. PM Modi chairs sixth meeting of Governing Council of NITI Aayog

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the sixth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog through video conferencing today. In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi said that AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign is the way to build an India that produces not only for its own needs but also for the world.

He said, development is our prime agenda and the country has made up its mind to walk ahead at rapid speed and not waste time. The youth has played a key role in this transformation.

 PM Modi said, India's private sector is also coming forward with energy. The new fund will generate employment for thousands. Prime Minister said, since 2014, over 2.4 crore houses have been built in rural and urban India.

PM Modi said, another initiative is going on in which houses are being built by modern technology in six states. In the last 18 months since Jal Jeevan Mission came into existence, over 3.5 crore rural households have been connected with piped water connections.

Prime Minister said, BharatNet scheme has also become a major changing feature to connect the villages with internet.

3. Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina hands over Ekushey Padak 2021 in Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the prestigious Ekushey Padak 2021 to 21 eminent persons of Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday on the eve of ‘Amar Ekushey’ day which is celebrated on February 21 to honour the martyrs of the language movement of Bangladesh.

The day is also celebrated as the International Mother Language Day for the preservation and promotion of mother languages of people across the globe. Ekushey Padak was also given in music, acting, film, recitation and journalism categories among others.

Ekushey Padak is the second highest civilian award of Bangladesh. Introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952, it is given annually to personalities for their  outstanding contribution in various fields. The winners of the award get a gold medal, Tk 400,000 and certification.

4. Government released Rs 1 lakh Crore as GST compensation shortfall to States

The GST compensation shortfall payment has reached the crucial level of 100000 Crore rupees. The Ministry of Finance, on Friday, released the 17th weekly instalment of Rs.5,000 crore to the States to meet the GST compensation shortfall.

Till now, 91 percent of the total estimated GST compensation shortfall has been released to the States & UTs with Legislative Assembly. Out of this, an amount of Rs. 91,460.34 crore has been released to the States and an amount of Rs. 8,539.66 crore has been released to the 3 UTs with Legislative Assembly.

The Government of India had set up a special borrowing window in October, 2020 to meet the estimated shortfall of Rs. 1.10 lakh crore in revenue arising on account of implementation of GST. The borrowings are being done through this window by the Government of India on behalf of the States and UTs. 17 rounds of borrowings have been completed so far starting from 23rd October, 2020.

Under the special window, the Government of India has been borrowing in Government Stock with tenor of 3 years and 5 years.  So far, an amount of Rs. 1,00,000 crore has been borrowed by the Central Government through the special borrowing window at an average interest rate of 4.8307%. 

In addition to providing funds through the special borrowing window to meet the shortfall in revenue on account of GST implementation, the Government of India has also granted additional borrowing permission equivalent to 0.50 % of Gross States Domestic Product (GSDP) to the states choosing Option-I to meet GST compensation shortfall to help them in mobilising additional financial resources. All the States have given their preference for Option-I. Permission for borrowing the entire additional amount of Rs. 1,06,830 crore (0.50 % of GSDP) has been granted to 28 States under this provision.

5. Alfiya Pathan wins first gold medal at Adriatic Pearl Tournament in Montenegro

Indian Women boxers continued their fine run as Alfiya Pathan (81+kg) living up to the expectations, ensured the first gold medal for India and Babyrojisana Chanu (51kg), Vinka (60kg), Arundhati (69kg) and Sanamacha Chanu (75kg) stormed into the finals of the 30th Adriatic Pearl Tournament in Budva, Montenegro with impressive display.

6. New platform to measure DNA modifications can have potential application in early detection of Cancer, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s

Scientists have developed a new technique to measure DNA modifications that can have applications in early diagnosis of multiple diseases like Cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases.

Alteration in DNA affects their expression and functions. DNA controls cell survival through the genetic code as well as via modifications to its structure. There is a demand for techniques with very high resolution to measure such modifications of DNA structures and observe and understand the molecular mechanisms associated with it to track rare diseases.

The novel nanopore-based platform developed by the scientists can directly measure such modifications or branched DNA properties with the single-molecule resolution even with extremely low amounts of sample.

 The platform and associated analysis techniques developed by a team of scientists led by Professor Gautam Soni from Raman Research Institute, an autonomous Institute funded by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India can quantitatively assess the distribution of supercoiled branches on DNA plasmids (DNA molecule outside the chromosome). This research work done by researchers Sumanth Kumar, Koushik S., and Dr. Soni has been recently published in the journal ‘Nanoscale’.

 The measurement principle of the novel platform is analogous to the Archimedes principle. Individual analyte molecules are driven through a nanopore under an applied voltage, which, during translocation, results in a tiny electrical blip. Charges excluded by the analyte (supercoiled DNA) in the nanopore is directly proportional to the volume of the particle and is directly measured as the current change. This method utilizes extremely low amounts of sample and can measure DNA structural changes ranging to a few nanometers resolution in the axis perpendicular to the translocation and few tens of nanometers along the translocation axis.

 Further optimization of the technique can help in the development of portable nano-bio sensors for detection and quantification of protein aggregates and cell-free DNA or nucleosomes. This may help in the early diagnosis of many diseases like Cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Currently, researchers at RRI are also exploring applications of this method for virus detection.

7. Bosnian villagers cheer as NASA attempts to land on namesake lake on Mars

Schoolchildren in the Bosnian village of Jezero waited with great excitement for an attempt by NASA on Thursday to land on an ancient lake bed on Mars which is named after their tiny hometown.

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology lab ever flown to another world, is due to make a landing attempt on the ancient lake bed after a seven-month journey from Earth. Scientists hope to find signs of fossilized microbial life.

Before students are due to watch the historic landing live on video beam in their school courtyard, they are planning to hold a friendly volleyball match between sides called “Planet Earth” and “Planet Mars”.

“This time we’ll cheer for the Planet Mars,” joked Snezana Ruzicic, the mayor of the Jezero municipality in western Bosnia.

Jezero, which means lake in most Slavic languages, had been chosen as a name by NASA because it shares similar geological characteristics to the vast, rocky crater at the edge of a remnant river delta, which was carved into the red planet billions of years ago.

8. 'Something we've never seen' - Mars rover beams back selfie from moment before landing

NASA scientists on Friday presented striking early images from the picture-perfect landing of the Mars rover Perseverance, including a selfie of the six-wheeled vehicle dangling just above the surface of the Red Planet moments before touchdown.

The color photograph, likely to become an instant classic among memorable images from the history of spaceflight, was snapped by a camera mounted on the rocket-powered “sky crane” descent-stage just above the rover as the car-sized space vehicle was being lowered on Thursday to Martian soil.

The image was unveiled by mission managers during an online news briefing webcast from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles less than 24 hours after the landing.

The picture, looking down on the rover, shows the entire vehicle suspended from three cables unspooled from the sky crane, along with an “umbilical” communications cord. Swirls of dust kicked up by the crane’s rocket thrusters are also visible.

Seconds later, the rover was gently planted on its wheels, its tethers were severed, and the sky crane - its job completed - flew off to crash a safe distance away, though not before photos and other data collected during the descent were transmitted to the rover for safekeeping.

The image of the dangling science lab, striking for its clarity and sense of motion, marks the first such close-up photo of a spacecraft landing on Mars, or any planet beyond Earth.

“This is something we’ve never seen before,” Aaron Stehura, a deputy lead for the mission’s descent and landing team, describing himself and colleagues as “awe-struck” when first viewing the image.

INSTANTLY ICONIC

Adam Steltzner, chief engineer for the Perseverance project at JPL, said he found the image instantly iconic, comparable to the shot of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon in 1969, or the Voyager 1 probe’s images of Saturn in 1980.

He said the viewer is connected with a landmark moment representing years of work by thousands of individuals.

“You are brought to the surface of Mars. You’re sitting there, seven meters off the surface of the rover looking down,” he said. “It’s absolutely exhilarating, and it is evocative of those other images from our experience as human beings moving out into our solar system.”

9. NASA's astrobiology rover Perseverance makes historic Mars landing

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology lab ever sent to another world, streaked through the Martian atmosphere on Thursday and landed safely inside a vast crater, the first stop on a search for traces of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet.

Mission managers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles burst into applause, cheers and fist-bumps as radio beacons signaled that the rover had survived its perilous descent and arrived as planned on the floor of Jezero Crater, site of a long-vanished Martian lake bed.

The six-wheeled vehicle came to rest about 2 kilometers from towering cliffs at the foot of a remnant fan-shaped river delta etched into a corner of the crater billions of years ago and considered a prime spot for geo-biological study on Mars.

“Touchdown confirmed,” Swati Mohan, the lead guidance and operations specialist announced from the control room. “Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars.”

The robotic vehicle sailed through space for nearly seven months, covering 293 million miles (472 million km) before piercing the Martian atmosphere at 12,000 miles per hour (19,000 km per hour) to begin its descent to the planet’s surface.

Moments after touchdown, Perseverance beamed back its first black-and-white images from the Martian surface, one of them showing the rover’s shadow cast on the desolate, rocky landing site.

Because it takes radio waves 11 minutes to travel from Mars to Earth, the SUV-sized rover had already reached Martian soil by the time its arrival was confirmed by signals relayed to Earth from one of several satellites orbiting Mars.

The spacecraft’s self-guided descent and landing during a complex series of maneuvers that NASA dubbed “the seven minutes of terror” stands as the most elaborate and challenging feat in the annals of robotic spaceflight.

Acting NASA chief Steve Jurczyk called it an “amazing accomplishment,” adding, “I cannot tell you how overcome with emotion I was.”

Deputy Project Manager for the rover, Matt Wallace, said the descent and landing systems “performed flawlessly.”

The landing represented the riskiest part of two-year, $2.7 billion endeavor whose primary aim is to search for possible fossilized signs of microbes that may have flourished on Mars some 3 billion years ago, when the fourth planet from the sun was warmer, wetter and potentially hospitable to life.

Scientists hope to find biosignatures embedded in samples of ancient sediments that Perseverance is designed to extract from Martian rock for future analysis back on Earth - the first such specimens ever collected by humankind from another planet.

Two subsequent Mars missions are planned to retrieve the samples and return them to NASA in the next decade, in collaboration with the European Space Agency.