Category: Records, India

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE, MOVIES : The 12th Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2022 (BISFF): Short films, big impact

With 250 short films selected from over 90 countries, the ongoing Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2022 offers two new categories on women-centric movies, and disabilities.

Brevity, experimentation and different varieties of storytelling in the visual medium often grips the audience quicker. Bengalureans are watching some of the best films in the 12th edition of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) which will continue till August 14.

The festival is dedicated to master filmmaker Satyajit Ray to celebrate the Oscar-winning director’s birth centenary, as the poster of Pather Panchali pays homage to his legacy. More than 3,000 submissions poured in for the prestigious festival from across 90 countries, of which around 250 films have been shortlisted. Among the directors, 23 per cent are women.

The platform has been coveted by young and amateur filmmakers to make a mark in the hearts and minds of discerning audiences, and more importantly, mingle with the achievers of the field, to absorb constructive criticism and feedback. BISFF has come a long way in identifying and nurturing young and talented filmmakers. “It’s been a good reception.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, AVIATION: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Developing AI-Driven Long-Endurance Drone for Strategic Visions and Vigil over Long Borders

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is working on an AI-driven multi-role, advanced and long-endurance drone for strategic missions in high-altitude areas including along the frontiers with China, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The rotary-wing drone will have the capability to carry a load of 40 kgs, including missiles and sensors, and it is being developed considering the requirement of the armed forces to keep a strong vigil over the mountainous areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), they said.

The HAL has set a target of conducting the maiden test-flying of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by the middle of next year and plans to produce 60 such platforms in the first phase of the project, the people in the know told PTI.

They said the operating system of the long-endurance drone will feature applications of Artificial Intelligence and the armed forces will be able to use it for multiple purposes including transporting essential supplies.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES, VACCINE: RT-PCR Detection Kit for Human Monkeypox Virus Developed by NeoDv Biotech Labs Released

Company obtained manufacturing licence from CDSCO and is awaiting clinical validation of kit, which uses gold-standard RT-PCR method.

A human monkeypox virus (MPXV) multiplex RT-PCR detection kit was released by Minister for IT and BT and Science and Technology C.N. Ashwath Narayan on Friday.

Developed by NeoDx Biotech Labs, the MPXV kit is designed for specific detection of the Central African (Congo Basin) and West African Monkeypox virus clades. The kit uses gold-standard Taqman chemistry-based RT-PCR method.

The company has obtained the manufacturing test licence from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and is waiting for clinical validation of the kit, according to a press release.

The kit was released on the occasion of the foundation-laying ceremony for the “Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases” held at the Centre for Human Genetics (CHG) in Bengaluru.

The CHG, under the guidance of the founding Director, Professor H. Sharat Chandra, for the past 20 years, has been providing high quality genetic services to patients with rare diseases from all over Karnataka and other states, the release said.

Meenakshi Bhat, Associate Director at CHG said nearly 35,000 families with genetic disorders have been diagnosed and counselled in the past 15 years. “The genetic laboratories at CHG provide diagnostic testing in around 5,000 patients per year. The majority of these patients are from government hospitals in Karnataka and these services are provided free to BPL and other eligible patient families and at cost to others,” she said.

The Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases is an extension of the present CHG building. This 40,000 sq. ft extension will have three floors in which comprehensive genetic counselling facilities for around 2,500 families with rare disorders will be evaluated annually, she said.

content/source: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL RECORD BREAKER: SPORTS, AQUATICS: Dhinidhi Desinghu 12-year-Old Bengaluru’s Little Swimming Champ Breaks 13-year-old Swimming Record

Bengaluru’s Dhinidhi Desinghu has been making waves in the swimming circuit. The 12-year-old rose to prominence last year when she set national records in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley at the Junior and Sub-Junior National Aquatic Championship.

This year, she has kept up her gold-winning performances, bagging three gold medals in the Karnataka Mini Olympics in May and following it up with three more golds at the Karnataka Junior and Sub-Junior Aquatic Championship, including a recording-breaking effort in 100m freestyle (59.64 seconds) that rewrote a 13-year-old record.

The youngster has the tough task of balancing her academics and swimming commitments. “Since school timings have changed after the easing of the pandemic restrictions, it is a bit more stressful and my academic workload has increased since the previous year. But I am able to cope,” says Dhinidhi, a Grade 7 student at Kendriya Vidyalaya DRDO in CV Raman Nagar.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: BUSINESS & ECONOMY/ MINING, DRONES: Tata Steel Signs MoU with Bengaluru Start-up Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS) for Drone-based Mining Solutions, Analytics & Geo-Technical Mapping

Tata Steel will also work jointly with AUS to provide exclusive drone-based solutions, including mine analytics and geo-technical mapping, to Tata Steel group companies.

Domestic giant Tata Steel on Wednesday said it has inked a pact with a Bengaluru-based startup for drone-based mining solutions for effective mine management.

The primary goal of this collaboration is to jointly develop and offer sustainable and end-to-end integrated solutions that will focus on efficiency, safety, and productivity of open cast mining operations.

“Tata Steel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS), a Bangaluru-based startup, providing end-to-end drone solutions… for effective mine management,” the company said in a statement.

Tata Steel will also work jointly with AUS to provide exclusive drone-based solutions, including mine analytics and geo-technical mapping, to Tata Steel group companies across mining locations in India, it said.

On the partnership, D B Sundara Ramam, vice president, Raw Materials, Tata Steel, said: Drone survey enabled digitalisation and other technology will assist in gathering impactful and actionable insights. We see enormous potential in redefining core mining processes such as exploration and mine planning using drone data and adequate analytics.

source/content: business-standard.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS: COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Weightlifter Gururaj Poojary Wins Bronze – India’s 2nd Medal at CWG 2022, Birmingham

Weightlifter Gururaj Poojary won the second medal for India at Commonwealth Games 2022 after he bagged a bronze medal in the men’s 61kg event, here on Saturday July 30. 

Poojary successfully pulled off a combined lift of 269kg, (118kg in snatch and 151kg in clean and jerk) to claim a podium finish at Birmingham 2022. This was also his second straight CWG medal after he won the men’s 56kg silver medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Gururaj Poojary hails from Jeddu in Chittur gram panchayat of Kundapur. Gururaj, son of Mahabala Poojary and Paddu Poojary couple living at Jeddu village.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SPORTS, SAILING : The Royal Mysuru Sailing Club (RMSC) hosts the ranking event ‘4th National Youth Championship 2022’

The National Youth Championship that concludes on August 4 is supported by the Yachting Association of India.

The Royal Mysore Sailing Club (RMSC) is hosting its 4th event on the KRS backwaters – the National Youth Championship – which was allotted to it by the National Federation- Yachting Association of India (YAI).

The event is a ranking event and will take place from July 29 to August 4.

The RMSC is also shortly launching a programme titled ‘Vision 2028 Olympics’ which is an endeavor directed towards producing Olympians from Karnataka, in line with the National Sports Policy launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a release here.

Following the ranking event, RMSC is organising a National Fun Regatta event from August 4 to 7 which will help bring participants and visitors from across the country to come together and explore Mysuru as a tourist destination. By elevating Mysuru’s presence as a metropolis city and a noteworthy vacation spot, the event will also aid in boosting the city’s tourism, the release stated.

The Royal Mysore Sailing Club (RMSC) is also taking the initiative in launching a campaign directed towards the growth of Mysuru as a city. The campaign is titled ‘City of Sails’ which refers to the significance of sailing as a sport and the importance of the KRS backwaters associated with Mysuru.

The Royal Mysore Sailing Club (RMSC) is approved by the Karnataka State Sailing Association (KSSA) and the Mysore District Sailing Association (MDSA).

source/contents: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL, KARNATAKA: AVIATION & DEFENCE: Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Signs $100m Contract with Honeywell for HTT-40 Engines

There is potential requirement of 70 aircraft.

Defence Public Sector Undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Wednesday signed a contract worth over $100 million with Honeywell for supply and manufacture of 88 TPE331-12B engines/kits along with maintenance and support services to power the Hindustan Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40), the basic trainer aircraft

The contract was exchanged by Eric Walters, Senior Director OE Sales, Honeywell Defense & Space, and B Krishna Kumar, Executive Director (E & IMGT) in the presence of R Madhavan, Chairman & Managing Director, HAL.

Entering into this ‘Manufacturing & Repair license agreement for Honeywell TPE331-12B Turboprop engine’ marks a major milestone in the execution of 70 HTT-40 aircraft contract with IAF.

HAL is working closely with Honeywell for its support for export potential of HTT-40. HAL and Honeywell are exploring other areas such as 1MW Turbo Generators, manufacturing, Repair & Overhaul of TPE 331-10GP / 12JR engines for variants of Dornier.

“HAL has successfully developed the Basic Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40) to address the basic training requirements of the IAF.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: KARNATAKA: Mysuru Chosen by United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for Sustainable Cities Project

Climate-smart capital budgeting for MCC projects on the agenda.

A two-day workshop on climate-smart capital budgeting under the Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot (SCIAP) project of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in association with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for the officials of the Mysuru City Corporation, got off to a start here on Monday.

Mayor Sunanda Palanetra inaugurated the workshop while Nand Pal Singh, Senior Technical Advisor, UNIDO, spoke about the project.

The SCIAP is being implemented in Mysuru and four other cities – Vijayawada, Guntur, Bhopal and Jaipur – by UNIDO with funding assistance from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The technical assistance activity supports MCC officials and technical staff with enhanced capacity to produce capital investment plans with a specific focus on climate-smart and resilient attributes and make effective financial decisions for the investment plans, a release said.

UNIDO has partnered with the University of Washington (Seattle) in executing the capital budgeting exercise. The team of Janice Whittington, Adrienne Greve from California State Polytechnic University, and Sujatha Srikumar introduced an Excel-based capital investment planning model on day 1 of the workshop, offering a step-by-step process for energy auditing, carbon emission forecasting, and lifecycle cost analysis for select projects of MCC, according to the release.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES, DRUG PATENT: Bengaluru-based firm Synergia Biosciences Develops a nanoemulsion intra-nasal platform for Brain-Related Disorders and gets International Patent

City-based Synergia Biosciences unveiled a nanotechnology-based intra-nasal platform of medicine for brain-related disorders.

It has acquired patents for the same in the United States of America, the European Union, India, and Japan. 

Synergia Biosciences said they have developed the platform in which lipophilic drugs can be dissolved for the intra-nasal spray mode of administering to patient.

“We have patented the composition of the platform and the process to arrive at that,” Sambratha Shetty, Chief Operating Officer, Synergia Biosciences said. 

The nanoemulsion platform presently is best suited to treat various brain-related disorders from cluster headaches, migraine, schizophrenia, dementia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and vertigo, binge drinking, depression, among others.

“One of the biggest challenges in drugs treating brain-related disorders is that it is very difficult to make the drug reach the target area. But with the intra-nasal route, it bypasses the first pass metabolism, increases bioavailability of the drug, and causes rapid absorption (less than 5 minutes),” Ms. Shetty explained.

Synergia has stabilised the nanoemulsion for four drugs: two antipsychotic ones, an analgesic, and an antiemetic. The same platform can be tweaked to carry vaccines and insulin, Synergia claimed. 

“The technology is non-invasive and mainly cost-effective. It is an affordable way to treat multiple diseases. This is a strategic technology which will help India treat multiple diseases at an affordable cost,” said Tobby Simon of Synergia Foundation.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)