Daily News Wrap | ISRO to launch new SSLV rocket from Sriharikota; 5G services to launch by October

National

ISRO to launch its new SSLV rocket on Aug 7 from Sriharikota

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota on August 7.

According to ISRO, the mission will be launched at 9:18 am IST. The public will be allowed to witness the launch from up-close, from ISRO's Launch Viewers gallery.

The Space Port of India naturally attracts visitors to witness the launch activities and cheer for the pride of our Nation. Launch view gallery would allow thousands of viewers to witness the launch.

The ground testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for the new launch vehicle of ISRO i.e. Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was carried out today, March 14 2022 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota at 1205 hrs.

All the propulsion parameters during the test are found satisfactory and closely matching with the predictions.

UP govt to economically empower destitute women by imparting skill training

In an initiative to make women of Uttar Pradesh self-dependent, the state government will provide vocational training to the destitute women residing in about 13 shelter homes.

The Department of Women and Child Development as well as the Skill Development Mission will hold joint sessions to impart skill training to destitute females.

There are about 725 women residing in 13 shelter homes established by the government. The shelter homes are located in districts including Gorakhpur, Mathura, Etawah, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Moradabad, Meerut, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Bareilly (two shelter homes), Kanpur Nagar and Agra.

According to the special action plan, new shelters for women, with a capacity of 100 beds each, will be set up in Ghazipur, Moradabad and Ghaziabad districts of UP at a cost of ₹20.21 crore. Children's homes with a capacity of 50 beds will be built in Agra while State Observation Home with a capacity of 100 beds will be constructed in Rae Bareli, Kanpur, Mirzapur and Chitrakoot.

Finance

Rupee to trade 79.15-79.75 against dollar

The Indian rupee is expected to trade against the US dollar in the range of 79.15 - 79.75 this fortnight supported by positive global cues, according to a Bank of Baroda research report.

As per the report, the rupee, after a record-low of 79.99/$ on July 20, has closed the fortnight stronger by 0.9%. Apart from a weaker dollar, a reversal in foreign portfolio investments (FPI) outflows has also helped in supporting the rupee.

FPIs, which remained net sellers in the domestic markets for the past nine months, invested $239 million in the Indian markets in July. This suggests an improvement in investor sentiment which should support the rupee going forward, the report notes.

Business

BMW recalls some 2022 electric cars over battery fire risk

BMW has issued a recall for some of its electric cars as the high voltage battery "may have internal damage", which can result in an electrical short circuit.

The recall notice has been issued for a "small number" of 2022 i4 sedans and iX SUVs due to the risk of battery fires.

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a short-circuit in a high voltage battery increases the risk of a fire.

"BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2022-2023 iX xDrive50, iX M60, 2022 i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles. The high voltage battery may have internal damage, resulting in an electrical short-circuit," the administration said in a statement.

5G services will launch in India by October

The fifth generation (5G) telecom services are likely to be launched in India by October this year as the government successfully completed the spectrum auction. They picked up over ₹1.50 lakh crore in bids from four companies including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks.

Out of the total 72,098 MHz of spectrum on offer, 51,236 MHz has been sold in the auction. A total of 40 rounds of bidding were conducted in the past seven days. The total value of the bid stands at ₹1,50,173 crore.

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited has made bids worth ₹88,078 crores accounting for 58.65% of the total value of ₹1,50,173 crore received by the government in the 5G spectrum auction.

Jio has made bids to acquire 24,740 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz.

Bharti Airtel has made bids worth ₹43,084 crores to acquire 19867.8 MHz spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz frequency bands.

Vodafone Idea Limited has made bids worth ₹18,799 crores to acquire 6,228 MHz spectrum in 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz.

International

Sri Lanka Navy rescues Indian fishermen stranded in its territorial waters

The Sri Lankan Navy, on Monday, rescued six Indian fishermen who were stranded after their boat drifted in Lankan waters due to a glitch.

Fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram went into the sea for fishing. Around 532 boats from Rameswaram fishing harbour left for the sea. But a developed a mechanical snag in the Palk Bay area, the Indian-Sri Lankan sea border. Moreover, due to the speed of the wind, the boat drifted into Sri Lankan waters.

Noticing the boat on their maritime boundary line, the Lankan Navy personnel sent a patrol boat to the spot immediately. They inquired about the boat drifting into the Lankan waters and later tried to repair the boat, but to no avail.

The Sri Lankan Navy pulled Rameswaram fishermen's boat with a rope and handed it over to the fishermen who came in the rescue vessel and sent them.

Technology

iPhone 14 models to feature different grades of OLED panels

Apple is planning to use different OLED panel grades for the upcoming iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, a new leak suggests.

According to TheElec, Samsung Display will be applying different grades of materials on the OLED panels it will manufacture for the upcoming iPhone 14 series depending on the model tiers.

It will use its latest and most advanced material set for the higher tier iPhone 14 models, while it will use its prior generation set for the lower tier ones. The move is being made to save costs. Samsung Display will be supplying OLED panels for all four models of the iPhone 14 series; rival LG Display will be supplying for two models.

Samsung Display calls its material sets used on Samsung's Galaxy and Apple's iPhones the M series.

Sports

Chess Olympiad: Tania Sachdev shines in Indian women team's win

Tania Sachdev battled long and hard to rake in a precious point as India A registered a sensational 2.5-1.5 win against Hungary in the fourth-round match of the women's section at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Chennai on Monday.

After Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali ended with a draw in their respective encounters, Sachdev rose brilliantly to the occasion. She thrashed Zsoka Gaal to earn a decisive point as well as a match for the team.

The 11th seeded Indian women's B team also edged past Estonia with a similar 2.5-1.5 score. Vantika Agrawal, extending her winning run, clinched the winning point for the team while the other three games ended in draws.