<p>A five-membered family of Sri Lankan Tamils arrived on Indian shores in the wee hours of Tuesday, after fleeing their home country and taking a dangerous boat ride across the seas. Hailing from Jaffna, in the northern part of the island nation, this family is among several others who are being pushed to the brink amid the ongoing severe economic crisis in the island nation. Dayalan, the head of the family, his wife, their children, a two-month-old infant and a six-year-old girl, and their grandmother, were taken to the Marine Police station, on receipt of information regarding their arrival.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
While being questioned by the Indian authorities, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the family is said to have cited the basic livelihood issues and the daily struggles faced by those in the lower economic strata of Sri Lanka's. Among the reasons that prompted their extreme decision to flee their homeland are the skyrocketing prices of essentials, a kilogramme of milk powder being sold at Lankan Rs. 2000 (5.7 USD), the unavailability of vaccines meant for infants, meagre daily wages, and the fear of starving to death.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-coast-guard-saves-all-six-crew-members-of-sinking-ship-off-indias-west-coast-475633">Indian Coast Guard saves all six crew members of sinking ship off India's west coast</a></strong></p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">While many manage to stay back, earn a living, make ends meet &amp;protes against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rajapaksa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rajapaksa</a> family rule in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SriLanka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SriLanka</a> , the plight of poor <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SriLankan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SriLankan</a> tamils is in stark contrast.Fearing they'd starve to death, this Tamil family from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/jaffna?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#jaffna</a> fled to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/india?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#india</a> with their 2month-old infant <a href="https://t.co/mFXQ05SFKv">pic.twitter.com/mFXQ05SFKv</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1521035668381601792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>It is said that the five-member family has been sent to the Mandapam refugee camp in the Ramanathapuram district. The illegal influx of Lankan Tamils into India began on March 22nd and families continue to arrive in batches of up to 18 people, in the hope of a better life across the Palk Strait.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:</strong><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>Recently, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution to provide aid to Sri Lanka and provide succour to a country that is faced with its worst-ever economic crisis. The decision to provide aid to all of Sri Lanka is a volte-face by the Tamil Nadu government. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had offered to provide aid only to Lankan Tamils. This move had faced backlash from the island nation. Many Lankan Tamil voices were clear that they were not willing to accept aid from Tamil Nadu, if it was only going to help Lankan Tamils. The Lankan Tamils were firm in their stance that any aid must benefit their entire country and not one community alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/exclusive-hardship-for-sri-lankan-citizens-is-going-to-increase-says-weerakoon-wijewardena-475287">Exclusive | Hardship for Sri Lankan citizens is going to increase, Weerakoon Wijewardena tells WION</a></strong></p>

<p>However, the aid being sent from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka could only be facilitated via the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Colombo. In this regard, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar asked the Tamil Nadu government's Chief Secretary to coordinate with the Government of India in supplying the relief material. It was also stated that the aid from Tamil Nadu can supplement what was already being provided by the Government of India and that the Government of Sri Lanka prefers inclusive distribution of relief material.&nbsp;</p>


A five-membered family of Sri Lankan Tamils arrived on Indian shores in the wee hours of Tuesday, after fleeing their home country and taking a dangerous boat ride across the seas.

A five-membered family of Sri Lankan Tamils arrived on Indian shores in the wee hours of Tuesday, after fleeing their home country and taking a dangerous boat ride across the seas. Hailing from Jaffna, in the northern part of the island nation, this family is among several others who are being pushed to the brink amid the ongoing severe economic crisis in the island nation. Dayalan, the head of the family, his wife, their children, a two-month-old infant and a six-year-old girl, and their grandmother, were taken to the Marine Police station, on receipt of information regarding their arrival. While being questioned by the Indian authorities, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the family is said to have cited the basic livelihood issues and the daily struggles faced by those in the lower economic strata of Sri Lanka's. Among the reasons that prompted their extreme decision to flee their homeland are the skyrocketing prices of essentials, a kilogramme of milk powder being sold at Lankan Rs. 2000 (5.7 USD), the unavailability of vaccines meant for infants, meagre daily wages, and the fear of starving to death. Also read | Indian Coast Guard saves all six crew members of sinking ship off India's west coast While many manage to stay back, earn a living, make ends meet &protes against #Rajapaksa family rule in #SriLanka , the plight of poor #SriLankan tamils is in stark contrast.Fearing they'd starve to death, this Tamil family from #jaffna fled to #india with their 2month-old infant pic.twitter.com/mFXQ05SFKv — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) May 2, 2022 × It is said that the five-member family has been sent to the Mandapam refugee camp in the Ramanathapuram district. The illegal influx of Lankan Tamils into India began on March 22nd and families continue to arrive in batches of up to 18 people, in the hope of a better life across the Palk Strait. WATCH WION LIVE HERE: Recently, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution to provide aid to Sri Lanka and provide succour to a country that is faced with its worst-ever economic crisis. The decision to provide aid to all of Sri Lanka is a volte-face by the Tamil Nadu government. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had offered to provide aid only to Lankan Tamils. This move had faced backlash from the island nation. Many Lankan Tamil voices were clear that they were not willing to accept aid from Tamil Nadu, if it was only going to help Lankan Tamils. The Lankan Tamils were firm in their stance that any aid must benefit their entire country and not one community alone. Also read | Exclusive | Hardship for Sri Lankan citizens is going to increase, Weerakoon Wijewardena tells WION However, the aid being sent from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka could only be facilitated via the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Colombo. In this regard, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar asked the Tamil Nadu government's Chief Secretary to coordinate with the Government of India in supplying the relief material. It was also stated that the aid from Tamil Nadu can supplement what was already being provided by the Government of India and that the Government of Sri Lanka prefers inclusive distribution of relief material.

Family of 5 Lankan Tamils arrive on Indian shores, flee island nation carrying infant

<p>In a significant initiative towards boosting scientific temper and enthusiasm for space technology in the young citizens of Seychelles, an Indian organization facilitated the launch of Seychelles' first-ever balloon satellite.</p>

<p>Completely funded by UNESCO, this project dubbed 'Mission Payanke' began with a four-member team from 'Spacekidz India' training the school students from the African nation in satellite fabrication, related fields, and helping them execute the launch and recovery of the balloon satellite weighing 2.5 kg.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to Dr. Srimathy Kesan, Founder &amp; CEO of Spacekidz India, their four-member team held a 11-day workshop (from April 19-30) for a group of 30 students, who hailed from humble backgrounds in the archipelagic nation. The programme imparted training in the design, fabrication, and launching of a balloon satellite, branches of engineering such as electronics, electrical, computer science, mechanical, besides the tracking, telemetry, and telecommand of the launched satellite.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Students of <a href="https://twitter.com/visitseychelles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@visitseychelles</a> seen launching their country's first-ever balloon satellite, after 11-day hands-on training from SpaceKidz India, in a <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNESCO</a> funded initiative<br />
<br />
Balloon sat reached 73K feet &amp; was recovered. It's aimed at promoting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STEMeducation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STEMeducation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hci_seychelles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hci_seychelles</a> <a href="https://t.co/xEJgJsnFd0">pic.twitter.com/xEJgJsnFd0</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1520379956454649856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Responding to a query from WION, Dr. Kesan elaborated that the 2.5kg satellite that was launched using a helium balloon, carried sensors to measure radiation, pressure, temperatures, and other student-built payloads and LoRa module(meant for wireless, Long Range communication).</p>

<p>"The helium balloon with the satellite was attached to a parachute and then launched to reach an altitude ranging between 70,000-1,00,000feet, where data collection about upper atmosphere and near-space can be conducted. In his case, our balloon reached 73,000 feet and then expanded and burst, only to be carried down slowly by the attached parachute. All through the journey, we had an onboard 360-degree camera giving us live aerial photos and data via the Slow-scan television transmission technique" she explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Later, the satellite which happened to have landed on a hillock was located using GPS and later spotted using a drone, following which the payload was recovered. According to SpaceKidz, this is the first time that an Indian aerospace organization has been abroad and launched balloon satellites for educational purposes.</p>

<p>Conducted in the presence of the Vice President and other senior Government officials of Seychelles and Gen Dabir Singh Suhag(retd), the Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles, this initiative provides impetus to Seychelles' national effort of building a STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering AND Math) Research Park and experimenting with rockets, in the coming years.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch WION's live TV:</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


In a significant initiative towards boosting scientific temper and enthusiasm for space technology in the young citizens of Seychelles, an Indian organization facilitated the launch of Seychelles' first-ever balloon satellite.

In a significant initiative towards boosting scientific temper and enthusiasm for space technology in the young citizens of Seychelles, an Indian organization facilitated the launch of Seychelles' first-ever balloon satellite. Completely funded by UNESCO, this project dubbed 'Mission Payanke' began with a four-member team from 'Spacekidz India' training the school students from the African nation in satellite fabrication, related fields, and helping them execute the launch and recovery of the balloon satellite weighing 2.5 kg. According to Dr. Srimathy Kesan, Founder & CEO of Spacekidz India, their four-member team held a 11-day workshop (from April 19-30) for a group of 30 students, who hailed from humble backgrounds in the archipelagic nation. The programme imparted training in the design, fabrication, and launching of a balloon satellite, branches of engineering such as electronics, electrical, computer science, mechanical, besides the tracking, telemetry, and telecommand of the launched satellite. Students of @visitseychelles seen launching their country's first-ever balloon satellite, after 11-day hands-on training from SpaceKidz India, in a @UNESCO funded initiative Balloon sat reached 73K feet & was recovered. It's aimed at promoting #STEMeducation @hci_seychelles pic.twitter.com/xEJgJsnFd0 — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 30, 2022 × Responding to a query from WION, Dr. Kesan elaborated that the 2.5kg satellite that was launched using a helium balloon, carried sensors to measure radiation, pressure, temperatures, and other student-built payloads and LoRa module(meant for wireless, Long Range communication). "The helium balloon with the satellite was attached to a parachute and then launched to reach an altitude ranging between 70,000-1,00,000feet, where data collection about upper atmosphere and near-space can be conducted. In his case, our balloon reached 73,000 feet and then expanded and burst, only to be carried down slowly by the attached parachute. All through the journey, we had an onboard 360-degree camera giving us live aerial photos and data via the Slow-scan television transmission technique" she explained. Later, the satellite which happened to have landed on a hillock was located using GPS and later spotted using a drone, following which the payload was recovered. According to SpaceKidz, this is the first time that an Indian aerospace organization has been abroad and launched balloon satellites for educational purposes. Conducted in the presence of the Vice President and other senior Government officials of Seychelles and Gen Dabir Singh Suhag(retd), the Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles, this initiative provides impetus to Seychelles' national effort of building a STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering AND Math) Research Park and experimenting with rockets, in the coming years. Watch WION's live TV:

UNESCO funds launch of Seychelles first-ever balloon satellite

<p>The Tamil Nadu Assembly, on Friday, passed a unanimous resolution urging the Government of India to permit the state to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which has been reeling under a constantly worsening economic crisis. This latest resolution comes after Stalin's earlier requests to the Indian Government to permit Tamil Nadu to send aid to only Sri Lankan Tamils.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Addressing the legislators, Chief Minister Stalin said that his government's decision to send food grains, essential drugs etc. is only a first step. He also added that the Tamil Nadu Government is prepared to offer more help, as maybe required by the people of Sri Lanka.</p>

<p>Stalin expressed that the Tamil Nadu government is willing to accept the donations from the people of Tamil Nadu and the commercial establishments in the state and would facilitate the transfer of this donation to Sri Lanka, via the Indian government.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/sri-lankas-economic-woes-embattled-president-rajapaksa-chairs-an-all-party-meet-474852/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>In a gesture of political courtesy, Stalin thanked AIADMK Coordinator and Opposition leader O. Panneerselvam for having announced that he was donating Rs.50lakhs to Sri Lanka, from his personal funds. Appreciating Panneerselvam, Stalin said that this act of kindness was worth emulating.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Stalin has been emphasizing the issue of sending aid to Sri Lanka during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier this month and also &nbsp;ubsequent communications with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. It is noteworthy that Tamil Nadu cannot directly send aid to Sri Lanka. Instead, the aid has to be routed via the Indian Government and the country's High Commission in the island nation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, Stalin had mentioned only about sending aid to Lankan Tamils living in the Northern and Eastern parts of the island nation and also Colombo. However, this move was met with considerable backlash among sections of Lankan Tamils. They even spoke to media in Sri Lanka and said that they (Tamil Community) alone did not require aid, at a time when the entire country was suffering. They had made their stance clear that they would accept aid only if it were meant for all the people of Sri Lanka.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Since the last week of March 2022, nearly 60 Lankan Tamils fled their home country to reach Indian shores and seek refuge in Tamil Nadu. Arriving in batches, these individuals (including pregnant women, children and elderly) had taken the arduous boat ride from the northern and eastern parts to Sri Lanka, to alight on Indian territory in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district, fleeing the severe economic crisis back at home.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch WION's live TV here:&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>The economic crisis that has devastated the island nation has taken a severe toll on daily wage earners and those from the lesser-fortunate sections of society, whose wages have been stagnant amid skyrocketing prices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The worst-ever crisis faced by the island nation is primarily caused by a shortage of foreign currency to import essential commodities. The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns, over-dependency revenue from tourism, export of tea, spices and other consumables, were contributing factors to the downfall. Angry and distraught citizens are out in protest against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy.</p>


The Tamil Nadu Assembly, on Friday, passed a unanimous resolution urging the Government of India to permit the state to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which has been reeling under a constantly worsening economic crisis.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly, on Friday, passed a unanimous resolution urging the Government of India to permit the state to send humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka, which has been reeling under a constantly worsening economic crisis. This latest resolution comes after Stalin's earlier requests to the Indian Government to permit Tamil Nadu to send aid to only Sri Lankan Tamils. Addressing the legislators, Chief Minister Stalin said that his government's decision to send food grains, essential drugs etc. is only a first step. He also added that the Tamil Nadu Government is prepared to offer more help, as maybe required by the people of Sri Lanka. Stalin expressed that the Tamil Nadu government is willing to accept the donations from the people of Tamil Nadu and the commercial establishments in the state and would facilitate the transfer of this donation to Sri Lanka, via the Indian government. In a gesture of political courtesy, Stalin thanked AIADMK Coordinator and Opposition leader O. Panneerselvam for having announced that he was donating Rs.50lakhs to Sri Lanka, from his personal funds. Appreciating Panneerselvam, Stalin said that this act of kindness was worth emulating. Stalin has been emphasizing the issue of sending aid to Sri Lanka during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier this month and also ubsequent communications with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. It is noteworthy that Tamil Nadu cannot directly send aid to Sri Lanka. Instead, the aid has to be routed via the Indian Government and the country's High Commission in the island nation. Earlier, Stalin had mentioned only about sending aid to Lankan Tamils living in the Northern and Eastern parts of the island nation and also Colombo. However, this move was met with considerable backlash among sections of Lankan Tamils. They even spoke to media in Sri Lanka and said that they (Tamil Community) alone did not require aid, at a time when the entire country was suffering. They had made their stance clear that they would accept aid only if it were meant for all the people of Sri Lanka. Since the last week of March 2022, nearly 60 Lankan Tamils fled their home country to reach Indian shores and seek refuge in Tamil Nadu. Arriving in batches, these individuals (including pregnant women, children and elderly) had taken the arduous boat ride from the northern and eastern parts to Sri Lanka, to alight on Indian territory in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district, fleeing the severe economic crisis back at home. Watch WION's live TV here: The economic crisis that has devastated the island nation has taken a severe toll on daily wage earners and those from the lesser-fortunate sections of society, whose wages have been stagnant amid skyrocketing prices. The worst-ever crisis faced by the island nation is primarily caused by a shortage of foreign currency to import essential commodities. The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns, over-dependency revenue from tourism, export of tea, spices and other consumables, were contributing factors to the downfall. Angry and distraught citizens are out in protest against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy.

Tamil Nadu Assembly passes resolution urging Centre to allow aid from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka

<p>Indian government's Department of Space is currently working majorly with nations like Russia, the US, France, Japan and Israel in the domain of space science and technology. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is in line with the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) efforts towards pursuing cooperation with space agencies of other nations, by carrying out joint missions, sharing expertise in applications of space technology, organising International events in India, etc. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Till date, India has signed space cooperation documents with agencies of 60 countries and five multinational bodies, revealed the Department of Space Annual Report for 2021-22. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/fascinating-fact-giant-moon-of-saturn-has-a-earth-like-landscape-474452" hreflang="en">Fascinating fact: Saturn Moon Titan has Earth-like landscape</a></strong></p>

<p>Listing out the major areas of cooperation between ISRO and foreign space agencies, the report talks about NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, for which ISRO shipped the S-band SAR payload and other hardware's to NASA's JPL for conducting various joint S-band &amp; L-band payload integration tests. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>With regard to Russia, four Indian astronaut candidates as part of the Gaganyaan, which is India's Human Spaceflight Programme, successfully completed the general astronaut training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, Russia. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>As a new initiative under India-Russia space cooperation, ISRO and the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) have started exploring cooperation in space research. &nbsp;</p>

<p>French Space Agency CNES and ISRO are taking their ties beyond Earth observation and working in the areas of Human Spaceflight and Space Situational Awareness (SSA - the tracking of space debris and orbital objects). In addition to this, there are also deliberations over establishing an ISRO ground station in French Guyana. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Indian EAM Jaishankar on a three-day visit to Bangladesh, Bhutan to deepen ties with neighbours</strong></p>

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<p>ISRO and Japanese Space Agency JAXA are working together in the fields of lunar exploration, satellite navigation and Earth observation. The two agencies are specifically working on completing the phase-A study of the Indo-Japan Lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission; finalising the instruments to be accommodated lander rover, etc. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>ISRO and the European Space Agency (ESA) are working on network and operations support for Indian missions, such as Chandrayaan-3, Aditya L1, etc. &nbsp;</p>

<p>"As part of India-Australia space cooperation, discussions are progressing towards establishing ISRO's transportable ground station at Australia's Cocos-Keeling island (CKI) for Gaganyaan mission. ISRO and Israel Space Agency (ISA) have a kick-off meeting for cooperation in flying ISA's Electric Propulsion System (EPS) in ISRO's small satellite," the report added. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Indian Space agency's launch and mission schedules were badly hit during the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 and the accumulated backlog continues. This has meant that work is still underway on multiple high-profile missions, such as Chandrayaan-3 (Lunar exploration via Lander and Rover), Gaganyaan (Human Spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit) and&nbsp;Aditya L1 (spacecraft mission to probe the sun). &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>While it was initially said that Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan (maiden unmanned flight) could take place in 2022, recent announcements in the Indian Parliament indicate that they might happen only in 2023 and beyond.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


Indian government's Department of Space is currently working majorly with nations like Russia, the US, France, Japan and Israel in the domain of space science and technology.

Indian government's Department of Space is currently working majorly with nations like Russia, the US, France, Japan and Israel in the domain of space science and technology. This is in line with the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) efforts towards pursuing cooperation with space agencies of other nations, by carrying out joint missions, sharing expertise in applications of space technology, organising International events in India, etc. Till date, India has signed space cooperation documents with agencies of 60 countries and five multinational bodies, revealed the Department of Space Annual Report for 2021-22. Also Read | Fascinating fact: Saturn Moon Titan has Earth-like landscape Listing out the major areas of cooperation between ISRO and foreign space agencies, the report talks about NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, for which ISRO shipped the S-band SAR payload and other hardware's to NASA's JPL for conducting various joint S-band & L-band payload integration tests. With regard to Russia, four Indian astronaut candidates as part of the Gaganyaan, which is India's Human Spaceflight Programme, successfully completed the general astronaut training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, Russia. As a new initiative under India-Russia space cooperation, ISRO and the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) have started exploring cooperation in space research. French Space Agency CNES and ISRO are taking their ties beyond Earth observation and working in the areas of Human Spaceflight and Space Situational Awareness (SSA - the tracking of space debris and orbital objects). In addition to this, there are also deliberations over establishing an ISRO ground station in French Guyana. Watch: Indian EAM Jaishankar on a three-day visit to Bangladesh, Bhutan to deepen ties with neighbours × ISRO and Japanese Space Agency JAXA are working together in the fields of lunar exploration, satellite navigation and Earth observation. The two agencies are specifically working on completing the phase-A study of the Indo-Japan Lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission; finalising the instruments to be accommodated lander rover, etc. ISRO and the European Space Agency (ESA) are working on network and operations support for Indian missions, such as Chandrayaan-3, Aditya L1, etc. "As part of India-Australia space cooperation, discussions are progressing towards establishing ISRO's transportable ground station at Australia's Cocos-Keeling island (CKI) for Gaganyaan mission. ISRO and Israel Space Agency (ISA) have a kick-off meeting for cooperation in flying ISA's Electric Propulsion System (EPS) in ISRO's small satellite," the report added. The Indian Space agency's launch and mission schedules were badly hit during the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 and the accumulated backlog continues. This has meant that work is still underway on multiple high-profile missions, such as Chandrayaan-3 (Lunar exploration via Lander and Rover), Gaganyaan (Human Spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit) and Aditya L1 (spacecraft mission to probe the sun). While it was initially said that Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan (maiden unmanned flight) could take place in 2022, recent announcements in the Indian Parliament indicate that they might happen only in 2023 and beyond. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

‘India has signed documents on space cooperation with 60 countries’

<p>A massive blaze continues to burn through a dump yard in Chennai city in Southern India and huge clouds of toxic smoke are seen spreading across the city skyline. Situated in a very eco-sensitive marshland in the city, the Perungudi dumpyard that spans several acres is under the control of the city's civic body, the Greater Chennai Corporation.</p>

<p>While the dump yard itself encroaches upon the marshland, it must be noted that several residential and commercial properties and an IT Corridor have eaten into the marsh, over the last several decades.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Blaze at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chennai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chennai</a> Perungudi dumpyard said to have begun around 12noon. It's still ablaze, continues to spew kilometer-long toxic fumes across city<br />
<br />
Sources say, only option is to let it burn &amp;exhaust combustible material &amp; control spread, as it is tough to put out dumpyard fire <a href="https://t.co/Op81Zvx2Me">https://t.co/Op81Zvx2Me</a> <a href="https://t.co/rITFqo0isW">pic.twitter.com/rITFqo0isW</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1519355832131268608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Photos and videos of the blaze and resultant smoke have been doing the rounds on social media. According to those that work in IT parks overlooking the marsh and dump yard, the blaze began around 1 pm on Wednesday. From the afternoon onwards, distinct clouds of smoke are seen rising from the locality, where the dump yard is situated.</p>

<p aria-hidden="true">According to Jayshree Vencatesan, Managing Trustee, Care Earth, the ongoing fire is the largest in recent decades. However, she adds that fires in the dump yard are recurring phenomenon and are mostly man-made. She points out that these fires are often started by ragpickers and others with access to the dump yard, so as to reduce the volume of the trash and sometimes it is done to burn off the plastic and collect the metal scrap.</p>

<p>"We have a garbage dump in a natural habitat of bird and plant life. This place is a potential candidate for a 'Ramsar site'(Ramsar identifies wetlands of international importance, especially those providing waterfowl habitat). The toxic fumes choking the air in the region will cause havoc in the long term as the residue will remain for a long time. The heat and air pollution generated by this fire will also cause extensive damage" Jayashree added.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Video shared by a friend, whose workplace is pretty much diagonally opposite the spot where the blaze is ongoing...<br />
<br />
Surely, this blaze at the toxic dumpyard will mess up <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chennai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chennai</a> air quality to pathetic levels... Sea breeze might help is dispersing it, let's hope <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FireAccident?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FireAccident</a> <a href="https://t.co/5pSvgPpBrR">pic.twitter.com/5pSvgPpBrR</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1519289290119065600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>On the condition of anonymity, a Fire Services official told WION that efforts were underway to douse the flames and five fire tenders and upto twenty personnel were on site.</p>

<p>"The efforts are on from approximately from 2 pm and we are trying to control it. But, the combustion in the dump yard can't be doused easily, unless the combustible material itself is exhausted. We are working on preventing further spread of the blaze and also getting support from Metro Water authorities to augment our efforts" the official added.</p>

<p><strong>Watch WION's live TV here:</strong></p>

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A massive blaze continues to burn through a dump yard in Chennai city in Southern India and huge clouds of toxic smoke are seen spreading across the city skyline.

A massive blaze continues to burn through a dump yard in Chennai city in Southern India and huge clouds of toxic smoke are seen spreading across the city skyline. Situated in a very eco-sensitive marshland in the city, the Perungudi dumpyard that spans several acres is under the control of the city's civic body, the Greater Chennai Corporation. While the dump yard itself encroaches upon the marshland, it must be noted that several residential and commercial properties and an IT Corridor have eaten into the marsh, over the last several decades. Blaze at #Chennai Perungudi dumpyard said to have begun around 12noon. It's still ablaze, continues to spew kilometer-long toxic fumes across city Sources say, only option is to let it burn &exhaust combustible material & control spread, as it is tough to put out dumpyard fire https://t.co/Op81Zvx2Me pic.twitter.com/rITFqo0isW — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 27, 2022 × Photos and videos of the blaze and resultant smoke have been doing the rounds on social media. According to those that work in IT parks overlooking the marsh and dump yard, the blaze began around 1 pm on Wednesday. From the afternoon onwards, distinct clouds of smoke are seen rising from the locality, where the dump yard is situated. According to Jayshree Vencatesan, Managing Trustee, Care Earth, the ongoing fire is the largest in recent decades. However, she adds that fires in the dump yard are recurring phenomenon and are mostly man-made. She points out that these fires are often started by ragpickers and others with access to the dump yard, so as to reduce the volume of the trash and sometimes it is done to burn off the plastic and collect the metal scrap. "We have a garbage dump in a natural habitat of bird and plant life. This place is a potential candidate for a 'Ramsar site'(Ramsar identifies wetlands of international importance, especially those providing waterfowl habitat). The toxic fumes choking the air in the region will cause havoc in the long term as the residue will remain for a long time. The heat and air pollution generated by this fire will also cause extensive damage" Jayashree added. Video shared by a friend, whose workplace is pretty much diagonally opposite the spot where the blaze is ongoing... Surely, this blaze at the toxic dumpyard will mess up #Chennai air quality to pathetic levels... Sea breeze might help is dispersing it, let's hope #FireAccident pic.twitter.com/5pSvgPpBrR — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 27, 2022 × On the condition of anonymity, a Fire Services official told WION that efforts were underway to douse the flames and five fire tenders and upto twenty personnel were on site. "The efforts are on from approximately from 2 pm and we are trying to control it. But, the combustion in the dump yard can't be doused easily, unless the combustible material itself is exhausted. We are working on preventing further spread of the blaze and also getting support from Metro Water authorities to augment our efforts" the official added. Watch WION's live TV here:

Massive blaze underway in Chennai dump yard, toxic smoke visible for several kilometres

<p>During a routine patrol off east coast of India, near Andhra Pradesh, an Indian Coast Guard ship performed a rescue operation of a different kind. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>On spotting an endangered Olive Ridley Turtle caught in a fishing net, the ship sent a team to set it free. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-irate-over-repeated-snags-physiotherapist-sets-ablaze-his-e-scooter-474248" hreflang="en">India: Irate over repeated snags, man sets his e-scooter on fire</a></strong></p>

<p>In the pictures and videos of the incident, the 51-meter-long Fast Patrol Craft ICGS Rani Rashmoni can be seen overlooking the scene, when personnel on-board a small dinghy make efforts to free the turtle from the net. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Every life matters!<br />
<br />
While on regular patrol off the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Andhra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Andhra</a> coast, <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiaCoastGuard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndiaCoastGuard</a> ship 'Rani Rashmoni' spotted an endangered OliveRidley turtle caught in a fishing net<br />
<br />
True to the ICG credo, 'Vayam Rakshamah' (we protect), the ship sent a small boat &amp; freed the turtle <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> <a href="https://t.co/T4QERCCLcZ">pic.twitter.com/T4QERCCLcZ</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1519311909555961856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>According to the Schedule I of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Flora and Fauna, Olive Ridley turtles are among the endangered species.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Critically endangered Cotton-top Tamarin species monkey born in Colombia zoo</strong></p>

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<p>Indian Coast Guard fast patrol crafts, such as 'Rani Rashmoni', are meant to perform multifarious tasks, such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching operations.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

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During a routine patrol off east coast of India, near Andhra Pradesh, an Indian Coast Guard ship performed a rescue operation of a different kind. On spotting an endangered Olive Ridley Turtle caught in a fishing net, the ship sent a team to set it free.

During a routine patrol off east coast of India, near Andhra Pradesh, an Indian Coast Guard ship performed a rescue operation of a different kind. On spotting an endangered Olive Ridley Turtle caught in a fishing net, the ship sent a team to set it free. Also Read | India: Irate over repeated snags, man sets his e-scooter on fire In the pictures and videos of the incident, the 51-meter-long Fast Patrol Craft ICGS Rani Rashmoni can be seen overlooking the scene, when personnel on-board a small dinghy make efforts to free the turtle from the net. Every life matters! While on regular patrol off the #Andhra coast, @IndiaCoastGuard ship 'Rani Rashmoni' spotted an endangered OliveRidley turtle caught in a fishing net True to the ICG credo, 'Vayam Rakshamah' (we protect), the ship sent a small boat & freed the turtle #India pic.twitter.com/T4QERCCLcZ — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 27, 2022 × According to the Schedule I of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Flora and Fauna, Olive Ridley turtles are among the endangered species. Watch: Critically endangered Cotton-top Tamarin species monkey born in Colombia zoo × Indian Coast Guard fast patrol crafts, such as 'Rani Rashmoni', are meant to perform multifarious tasks, such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-poaching operations. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Watch: Indian Coast Guard ship spots endangered turtle being stuck in net mid-sea, sets it free  

<p>Having faced numerous performance issues and technical snags with his three-month-old electric scooter, a man hailing from southern Tamil Nadu state set his vehicle worth Rs 1.5 lakh (US $2,000) on fire.</p>

<p>G Prithviraj, a physiotherapist from Ambur, took the extreme step after a harrowing experience with the company and its customer service.</p>

<p>WION spoke to Prithviraj to understand the turn of events that led him to empty two litres of petrol from his electric scooter and set it ablaze.</p>

<p>He reasoned that didn't want those from economically weaker sections to have high hopes and invest in an EV scooter, only to be cheated by poor performance and customer service issues.</p>

<p>Prithviraj had purchased an Ola Electric Scooter in January 2022, and got it delivered to his hometown Ambur.</p>

<p>By the end of January, he had logged complaints after finding improper panel fittings, noise emanating from plastic panels and doors, and serious issues with the brakes.</p>

<p>Moreover, Prithviraj claimed that the bike was barely performing to 1/3rd of its claimed mileage on a single charge.</p>

<p>"The Ola Electric S1 model that I use has a claimed mileage of 181kms on a single charge. However, after getting it fully charged, the bike display shows that it can travel 134kms, but it barely runs for 60kms. Many times I have been stranded mid-way because the bike ran out of charge barely after 60kms," he added.</p>

<p>Prithviraj continued to face these problems even after getting the vehicle serviced by the company.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thread?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Thread</a> :<br />
Frustrated with technical&amp; performance issues with his 3-month-old <a href="https://twitter.com/OlaElectric?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OlaElectric</a> Scooter, <a href="https://twitter.com/PrithvR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrithvR</a> set it ablaze, has no regrets<br />
<br />
He tells me: Vehicle claims range of 181kms; on screen it shows 134km, but barely performs 60kms.<br />
This is after multiple service visits + <a href="https://t.co/VFjdY7dF7G">pic.twitter.com/VFjdY7dF7G</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1519216781315158016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>Despite having purchased the vehicle in January, the EV company hadn't facilitated the vehicle registration, Prithviraj said.</p>

<p>However, on his persuasion, the EV company made arrangements for vehicle registration but did so in a neighbouring town, which is over 50kms away from the vehicle owner's residence.</p>

<p>"There is a Regional Transport Office (RTO) in my hometown in Ambur, where the vehicle can be registered. But Ola Electric arranged for the registration in Gudiyatham town, for which I will have to 100kms on a round trip," he adds.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, Prithviraj rode his EV to reach the registration office, but he was turned away by officials citing that vehicle will be registered in a different town.</p>

<p>As Prithviraj, frustrated with the bureaucrat’s response, was riding back home, his vehicle stopped again due to low charge.</p>

<p>"When I was on the way back from the registration office, the vehicle showed a range of nearly 57kms. However, after driving around 5-6kms the vehicle came to an abrupt halt and went into parking mode and the range dropped to zero.”</p>

<p>“I sent videos of my ordeal to Ola Electric Customer Care and shared my grievances via E-mail and Twitter as well. I started reaching out to them around 10 am and eventually they agreed to pick up my vehicle from the spot where it was stranded, around 5.30 pm. It was embarrassing and frustrating as I was stranded in the afternoon heat. When I offered to leave the bike at a safe location and leave, they did not permit me to do so," he adds.</p>

<p>Having run out of options, Prithviraj asked his friends to pick him up from the spot and also bring along two litres of petrol.</p>

<p>Based on the video recording of the incident, Prithviraj set ablaze his scooter despite being urged not to do it.</p>

<p>On Tuesday evening, representatives from the EV company visited Prithviraj to explain and apologize. However, he refused to relent and raised several questions at the company, to which the executives are said to have not responded.</p>

<p>"As a physiotherapist in this town, I am well-known among the people and have to travel to various places to take care of my patients. I purchased the vehicle with the hope that it would satisfy my daily commute. I am not only frustrated with my experience over the last three&nbsp;months, but also want to warn the working class and delivery boys against buying this vehicle. Hence, I chose to set it ablaze (with no regrets) and send a message of protest to Ola Electric," he said.</p>


Having faced numerous performance issues and technical snags with his three-month-old electric scooter, a man hailing from southern Tamil Nadu state set his vehicle worth Rs 1.

Having faced numerous performance issues and technical snags with his three-month-old electric scooter, a man hailing from southern Tamil Nadu state set his vehicle worth Rs 1.5 lakh (US $2,000) on fire. G Prithviraj, a physiotherapist from Ambur, took the extreme step after a harrowing experience with the company and its customer service. WION spoke to Prithviraj to understand the turn of events that led him to empty two litres of petrol from his electric scooter and set it ablaze. He reasoned that didn't want those from economically weaker sections to have high hopes and invest in an EV scooter, only to be cheated by poor performance and customer service issues. Prithviraj had purchased an Ola Electric Scooter in January 2022, and got it delivered to his hometown Ambur. By the end of January, he had logged complaints after finding improper panel fittings, noise emanating from plastic panels and doors, and serious issues with the brakes. Moreover, Prithviraj claimed that the bike was barely performing to 1/3rd of its claimed mileage on a single charge. "The Ola Electric S1 model that I use has a claimed mileage of 181kms on a single charge. However, after getting it fully charged, the bike display shows that it can travel 134kms, but it barely runs for 60kms. Many times I have been stranded mid-way because the bike ran out of charge barely after 60kms," he added. Prithviraj continued to face these problems even after getting the vehicle serviced by the company. #Thread : Frustrated with technical& performance issues with his 3-month-old @OlaElectric Scooter, @PrithvR set it ablaze, has no regrets He tells me: Vehicle claims range of 181kms; on screen it shows 134km, but barely performs 60kms. This is after multiple service visits + pic.twitter.com/VFjdY7dF7G — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 27, 2022 × Despite having purchased the vehicle in January, the EV company hadn't facilitated the vehicle registration, Prithviraj said. However, on his persuasion, the EV company made arrangements for vehicle registration but did so in a neighbouring town, which is over 50kms away from the vehicle owner's residence. "There is a Regional Transport Office (RTO) in my hometown in Ambur, where the vehicle can be registered. But Ola Electric arranged for the registration in Gudiyatham town, for which I will have to 100kms on a round trip," he adds. On Tuesday, Prithviraj rode his EV to reach the registration office, but he was turned away by officials citing that vehicle will be registered in a different town. As Prithviraj, frustrated with the bureaucrat’s response, was riding back home, his vehicle stopped again due to low charge. "When I was on the way back from the registration office, the vehicle showed a range of nearly 57kms. However, after driving around 5-6kms the vehicle came to an abrupt halt and went into parking mode and the range dropped to zero.” “I sent videos of my ordeal to Ola Electric Customer Care and shared my grievances via E-mail and Twitter as well. I started reaching out to them around 10 am and eventually they agreed to pick up my vehicle from the spot where it was stranded, around 5.30 pm. It was embarrassing and frustrating as I was stranded in the afternoon heat. When I offered to leave the bike at a safe location and leave, they did not permit me to do so," he adds. Having run out of options, Prithviraj asked his friends to pick him up from the spot and also bring along two litres of petrol. Based on the video recording of the incident, Prithviraj set ablaze his scooter despite being urged not to do it. On Tuesday evening, representatives from the EV company visited Prithviraj to explain and apologize. However, he refused to relent and raised several questions at the company, to which the executives are said to have not responded. "As a physiotherapist in this town, I am well-known among the people and have to travel to various places to take care of my patients. I purchased the vehicle with the hope that it would satisfy my daily commute. I am not only frustrated with my experience over the last three months, but also want to warn the working class and delivery boys against buying this vehicle. Hence, I chose to set it ablaze (with no regrets) and send a message of protest to Ola Electric," he said.

India: Irate over repeated snags, man sets his e-scooter on fire

<p>India has repatriated a woman sailor of the Seychelles Coast Guard, for whom India provided mid-sea assistance and medical evacuation during an emergency, while she was off India's Western coast, near Lakshadweep. This act of goodwill has further enhanced the bilateral ties between India and the Indian Ocean littoral state. Notably, India's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Hari Kumar is on a three-day (Apr 21-23rd) visit to Seychelles to further deepen the ties.</p>

<p>On April 14th, the sailor was on-board the Seychelles Coast Guard vessel SCGS Zoroaster transiting Indian waters and sailing back home, when she reported severe abdominal pain. Since the foreign ship Zoroaster was being escorted by Indian Navy's INS Garuda, the sailor was shifted to the Indian ship for further medical management and evacuation. Later that afternoon, India's indigenously-built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), operated from the Indian Navy's INS Garuda base in Kochi successfully completed the medical evacuation.</p>

<p>Then, the patient who was brought to INS Garuda Naval Air Base in Kochi was shifted to INHS Sanjivani by ambulance and was observed to be in a stable condition. In order to facilitate a medical evacuation, the Indian Navy had prepared the ALH and Sea King 42C helicopters at Kochi. Eventually, the ALH chopper with a Naval Medical officer on-board took off from the base and headed towards INS Sharda, which was 15 km north of Minicoy Islands, off India's West Coast. In a little over four hours from the time of the chopper having lifted off from Kochi, the patient was brought to the city for further treatment, on April 14th .&nbsp;</p>

<p>Seychelles Peoples Defence Force Ship Zoroaster was on a goodwill visit to Kochi from 11-12th April 2022. Zoroaster is a Fast Attack Craft constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineering (GRSE) Kolkata and presented to Seychelles People’s Defence Force in 2021. The ship is on her return passage to Seychelles after participating in multi-lateral exercise MILAN-22 at Visakhapatnam. The ship also visited Kochi in January 2022 during her passage to Visakhapatnam. The visit of Zoroaster to Kochi has enhanced the defence cooperation between the two countries.</p>


India has repatriated a woman sailor of the Seychelles Coast Guard, for whom India provided mid-sea assistance and medical evacuation during an emergency, while she was off India's Western coast, near Lakshadweep.

India has repatriated a woman sailor of the Seychelles Coast Guard, for whom India provided mid-sea assistance and medical evacuation during an emergency, while she was off India's Western coast, near Lakshadweep. This act of goodwill has further enhanced the bilateral ties between India and the Indian Ocean littoral state. Notably, India's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Hari Kumar is on a three-day (Apr 21-23rd) visit to Seychelles to further deepen the ties. On April 14th, the sailor was on-board the Seychelles Coast Guard vessel SCGS Zoroaster transiting Indian waters and sailing back home, when she reported severe abdominal pain. Since the foreign ship Zoroaster was being escorted by Indian Navy's INS Garuda, the sailor was shifted to the Indian ship for further medical management and evacuation. Later that afternoon, India's indigenously-built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), operated from the Indian Navy's INS Garuda base in Kochi successfully completed the medical evacuation. Then, the patient who was brought to INS Garuda Naval Air Base in Kochi was shifted to INHS Sanjivani by ambulance and was observed to be in a stable condition. In order to facilitate a medical evacuation, the Indian Navy had prepared the ALH and Sea King 42C helicopters at Kochi. Eventually, the ALH chopper with a Naval Medical officer on-board took off from the base and headed towards INS Sharda, which was 15 km north of Minicoy Islands, off India's West Coast. In a little over four hours from the time of the chopper having lifted off from Kochi, the patient was brought to the city for further treatment, on April 14th . Seychelles Peoples Defence Force Ship Zoroaster was on a goodwill visit to Kochi from 11-12th April 2022. Zoroaster is a Fast Attack Craft constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders Engineering (GRSE) Kolkata and presented to Seychelles People’s Defence Force in 2021. The ship is on her return passage to Seychelles after participating in multi-lateral exercise MILAN-22 at Visakhapatnam. The ship also visited Kochi in January 2022 during her passage to Visakhapatnam. The visit of Zoroaster to Kochi has enhanced the defence cooperation between the two countries.

After her recovery, India repatriates Seychelles Coast Guard sailor who had mid-sea medical emergency

<p>The COVID-19 cluster in IIT-Madras in Chennai has grown to a total of 55 cases, a significant number considering that there are only 286 active cases recorded in the southern state. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan, the 55 cases on campus were confirmed after performing 1,420 tests over the last couple of days. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that most of the students had mild symptoms, such as throat irritation and fever, while their blood oxygen saturation levels remained safe. With this cluster emerging and the pan-India trend of rising cases, the Tamil Nadu Government will be ramping up daily COVID-19 testing from 14,000 per day to 18,000 and eventually 25,000. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-18-sri-lankan-refugees-reach-tamil-nadu-shores-total-influx-reaches-60-473051" hreflang="en">India: 18 Sri Lankan refugees reach Tamil Nadu shores, total influx reaches 60</a></strong></p>

<p>Elaborating on the cases in Tamil Nadu, Dr Radhakrishnan, said, of the 286 active cases, only 17 were hospitalised, whereas the others were either isolated at home or in isolation facilities. Further, he stated that two patients are in the intensive care unit and seven of them are under oxygen support. On the cases in IIT Madras, he pointed towards the possibility of the spread having originated from students, who had recently travelled from other parts of the country and joined campus. &nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Total of 55 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iitmadras?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iitmadras</a> confirmed from 1400+ tests<br />
<br />
Y'day, when 33 cases were confirmed on campus, <a href="https://twitter.com/iitmadras?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iitmadras</a> went ahead with an in-person press meet on "Covid management"<br />
<br />
In a statement, IITM says they are fully geared up to meet exigency, all students vaxxed <a href="https://t.co/qHUYCyyR0q">pic.twitter.com/qHUYCyyR0q</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1517754741211934720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>On Friday, when a total of 33 cases were reported from the IIT Madras Campus, the institute had gone ahead with an in-person press meet on covid management, despite there being a known outbreak of a COVID-19 cluster and the further risk of spread. Notably, the institute had not formally communicated about the virus outbreak on campus or the prevailing situation there, when rolling out in-person invitations. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: More Sri Lankan refugees reach India</strong></p>

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<p>In a statement, IIT Madras later said that they were fully geared up to meet any exigency and all students were vaccinated, the institute would handle the current cases effectively, based on the lessons they learnt from handling the outbreaks during past three waves. &nbsp;</p>

<p>On Friday, Dr Radhakrishnan emphasised the need for people across Tamil Nadu to mask-up and follow Covid protocols. While stressing that the masking rule had never been relaxed by the government, he said that the collection of a Rs 500 penalty from mask-rule violators would resume with immediate effect. Allaying concerns of COVID-19 bed shortages that may arise, he said that there were more than 1.1 lakh beds in Tamil Nadu at present, in comparison with 1.8 lakh beds during the peak phase of the pandemic.&nbsp;</p>


The COVID-19 cluster in IIT-Madras in Chennai has grown to a total of 55 cases, a significant number considering that there are only 286 active cases recorded in the southern state.

The COVID-19 cluster in IIT-Madras in Chennai has grown to a total of 55 cases, a significant number considering that there are only 286 active cases recorded in the southern state. According to Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan, the 55 cases on campus were confirmed after performing 1,420 tests over the last couple of days. He added that most of the students had mild symptoms, such as throat irritation and fever, while their blood oxygen saturation levels remained safe. With this cluster emerging and the pan-India trend of rising cases, the Tamil Nadu Government will be ramping up daily COVID-19 testing from 14,000 per day to 18,000 and eventually 25,000. Also Read | India: 18 Sri Lankan refugees reach Tamil Nadu shores, total influx reaches 60 Elaborating on the cases in Tamil Nadu, Dr Radhakrishnan, said, of the 286 active cases, only 17 were hospitalised, whereas the others were either isolated at home or in isolation facilities. Further, he stated that two patients are in the intensive care unit and seven of them are under oxygen support. On the cases in IIT Madras, he pointed towards the possibility of the spread having originated from students, who had recently travelled from other parts of the country and joined campus. Total of 55 #COVID19 cases in #iitmadras confirmed from 1400+ tests Y'day, when 33 cases were confirmed on campus, @iitmadras went ahead with an in-person press meet on "Covid management" In a statement, IITM says they are fully geared up to meet exigency, all students vaxxed pic.twitter.com/qHUYCyyR0q — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 23, 2022 × On Friday, when a total of 33 cases were reported from the IIT Madras Campus, the institute had gone ahead with an in-person press meet on covid management, despite there being a known outbreak of a COVID-19 cluster and the further risk of spread. Notably, the institute had not formally communicated about the virus outbreak on campus or the prevailing situation there, when rolling out in-person invitations. Watch: Gravitas: More Sri Lankan refugees reach India × In a statement, IIT Madras later said that they were fully geared up to meet any exigency and all students were vaccinated, the institute would handle the current cases effectively, based on the lessons they learnt from handling the outbreaks during past three waves. On Friday, Dr Radhakrishnan emphasised the need for people across Tamil Nadu to mask-up and follow Covid protocols. While stressing that the masking rule had never been relaxed by the government, he said that the collection of a Rs 500 penalty from mask-rule violators would resume with immediate effect. Allaying concerns of COVID-19 bed shortages that may arise, he said that there were more than 1.1 lakh beds in Tamil Nadu at present, in comparison with 1.8 lakh beds during the peak phase of the pandemic.

Covid cases multiply at IIT Madras; Health authorities advise caution across Tamil Nadu in India

<p>A total of 18 Sri Lankan nationals illegally arrived on Indian shores on Thursday and Friday, at different locations in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arriving in three batches, these members belonging to different families had taken the arduous boat ride from the northern and eastern parts to Sri Lanka, to alight on Indian territory, fleeing the severe economic crisis back at home.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Following the initial investigation and procedures, all 18 members are said to have been taken to the Mandapam refugee camp in the same district.&nbsp;</p>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In batches, y'day &amp; today 18 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Srilankan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Srilankan</a> nationals fled the island nation &amp; reached <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#indian</a> shores <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TamilNadu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TamilNadu</a> via boat..<br />
<br />
With this 18, the total influx since March 22nd has risen to 60<br />
<br />
Feel sorry &amp; sad for their plight of having to sell everything for cash, flee across the sea <a href="https://t.co/AauEdTQ0bV">pic.twitter.com/AauEdTQ0bV</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1517532195749265408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>With this batch of six men, five women, and seven children having fled to India over the last month, the total count of refugees that have arrived here has touched sixty.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Since March 22nd , Lankan Tamils from the lowest strata of Sri Lankan society have been taking the extreme step of selling all of their belongings, leaving their homes and fleeing to India, in batches, by paying huge sums of money to fishermen and agents.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The economic crisis that has devastated the island nation has taken a severe toll on daily wage earners and those from the less-fortunate sections of society, whose wages have been stagnant amid skyrocketing prices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The worst-ever crisis faced by the island nation is primarily caused by a shortage of foreign currency to import essential commodities.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, over-reliance on tourism revenue, and the export of tea, spices, and other consumables all contributed to the country's demise.</p>

<p>Angry and distraught citizens are out in protest against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy. Protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government have only intensified.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Rajapaksa-clan, which until recently held all important portfolios in the government, has been facing severe backlash over widespread allegations of large-scale corruption.</p>


A total of 18 Sri Lankan nationals illegally arrived on Indian shores on Thursday and Friday, at different locations in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district. Arriving in three batches, these members belonging to different families had taken the arduous boat ride from the northern and eastern parts to Sri Lanka, to alight on Indian territory, fleeing the severe economic crisis back at home.

A total of 18 Sri Lankan nationals illegally arrived on Indian shores on Thursday and Friday, at different locations in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district. Arriving in three batches, these members belonging to different families had taken the arduous boat ride from the northern and eastern parts to Sri Lanka, to alight on Indian territory, fleeing the severe economic crisis back at home. Following the initial investigation and procedures, all 18 members are said to have been taken to the Mandapam refugee camp in the same district. In batches, y'day & today 18 #Srilankan nationals fled the island nation & reached #indian shores #TamilNadu via boat.. With this 18, the total influx since March 22nd has risen to 60 Feel sorry & sad for their plight of having to sell everything for cash, flee across the sea pic.twitter.com/AauEdTQ0bV — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 22, 2022 × With this batch of six men, five women, and seven children having fled to India over the last month, the total count of refugees that have arrived here has touched sixty. Since March 22nd , Lankan Tamils from the lowest strata of Sri Lankan society have been taking the extreme step of selling all of their belongings, leaving their homes and fleeing to India, in batches, by paying huge sums of money to fishermen and agents. The economic crisis that has devastated the island nation has taken a severe toll on daily wage earners and those from the less-fortunate sections of society, whose wages have been stagnant amid skyrocketing prices. The worst-ever crisis faced by the island nation is primarily caused by a shortage of foreign currency to import essential commodities. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, over-reliance on tourism revenue, and the export of tea, spices, and other consumables all contributed to the country's demise. Angry and distraught citizens are out in protest against the government's handling of the debt-ridden economy. Protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana (Peramuna)-led government have only intensified. The Rajapaksa-clan, which until recently held all important portfolios in the government, has been facing severe backlash over widespread allegations of large-scale corruption.

18 Sri Lankan refugees reach Tamil Nadu shores, total influx reaches 60

India: 18 Sri Lankan refugees reach Tamil Nadu shores, total influx reaches 60

<p>From building IIT Bombay's maiden student satellite 'Pratham', to working on developing a safer fuel and more efficient engine for satellites, the founders of Indian start-up 'Manastu' have come a long way.</p>

<p>On the occasion of their venture's fifth anniversary, Tushar and Ashtesh, the duo behind Manastu threw light onto their interesting offerings and the company’s future projects. Notably, the Indian start-up hopes to fly their newly-developed system to space by early 2023 and also have their technology commercialised.</p>

<p>After being placed in orbit by rockets, satellites have to rely on their on-board fuel and engines to make maneuvers, in order to avoid colliding with space debris and to remain in their precise orbits, while functioning in the harsh environments of space. While this task has been handled for several decades by engines powered by fuels such as Mono methyl hydrazine, such fuels are toxic, highly volatile and cancer-causing, thus raising several concerns over their safety.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/your-story-isro-chairman-k-sivan-speaks-to-wion-on-chandrayaan-2-entering-lunar-orbit-244475/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>According to Ashtesh, who serves as the CTO at Manastu, they have developed a new propulsion technology for satellites and it will be powered by 'MS-289' which is a proprietary blend of Hydrogen peroxide and additives. In order to initiate the combustion of this novel fuel, the company will be using a chemical catalyst, that performs the similar function of a sparkplug in an automobile. About this technology, the company says "Fuel is as safe as common salt, hence less safety precautions and less infrastructure cost, Agile System due to ability to produce higher thrust compared to Electric Propulsion, 50 per cent&nbsp;Higher Performance due to higher combustion temperature and higher density of our fuel and engine design".</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/indian-space-start-up-pixxel-to-have-constellation-of-20-satellites-by-2024-468329">Also read |&nbsp;Indian Space start-up 'Pixxel' to have constellation of 20 satellites by 2024</a></strong></p>

<p>Three variants of this propulsion system have been built- to meet the requirements of satellites of different sizes (weighing over 100kg, small cube satellites etc. In addition to this, as part of their future endeavours they aim to develop satellite refuelling systems that can help extend the life of in orbit satellites.</p>

<p>Similar to an aerial-refuelling tanker that can extend the range of aircraft, this concept hopes to create a mechanism where a tanker(carrying satellite-grade) fuel can dock with a satellite and fill its tank, to extend its life. At the end of the satellite's operational life, similar tankers would also be used to de-orbit the satellite, thus preventing it from becoming space debris and a threat to other orbital assets.</p>

<p>By September this year, five-year-old company is optimistic about conducting a final test that involves putting the satellites through the rigours of space-like conditions(thermovac test), at a test facility. Once this test is complete, the team hopes to launch their satellite to space in early 2023 and prove its practical worthiness and capabilities, following which they can commercialise the technology.</p>

<p>According to team Manastu, India's state-run Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed up to have this technology onboard an Indian strategic satellite, whereas a French company is also in talks to utilise this system in the final stage of their rocket, for orbit correction and maneuvers.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


From building IIT Bombay's maiden student satellite 'Pratham', to working on developing a safer fuel and more efficient engine for satellites, the founders of Indian start-up 'Manastu' have come a long way.

From building IIT Bombay's maiden student satellite 'Pratham', to working on developing a safer fuel and more efficient engine for satellites, the founders of Indian start-up 'Manastu' have come a long way. On the occasion of their venture's fifth anniversary, Tushar and Ashtesh, the duo behind Manastu threw light onto their interesting offerings and the company’s future projects. Notably, the Indian start-up hopes to fly their newly-developed system to space by early 2023 and also have their technology commercialised. After being placed in orbit by rockets, satellites have to rely on their on-board fuel and engines to make maneuvers, in order to avoid colliding with space debris and to remain in their precise orbits, while functioning in the harsh environments of space. While this task has been handled for several decades by engines powered by fuels such as Mono methyl hydrazine, such fuels are toxic, highly volatile and cancer-causing, thus raising several concerns over their safety. According to Ashtesh, who serves as the CTO at Manastu, they have developed a new propulsion technology for satellites and it will be powered by 'MS-289' which is a proprietary blend of Hydrogen peroxide and additives. In order to initiate the combustion of this novel fuel, the company will be using a chemical catalyst, that performs the similar function of a sparkplug in an automobile. About this technology, the company says "Fuel is as safe as common salt, hence less safety precautions and less infrastructure cost, Agile System due to ability to produce higher thrust compared to Electric Propulsion, 50 per cent Higher Performance due to higher combustion temperature and higher density of our fuel and engine design". Also read | Indian Space start-up 'Pixxel' to have constellation of 20 satellites by 2024 Three variants of this propulsion system have been built- to meet the requirements of satellites of different sizes (weighing over 100kg, small cube satellites etc. In addition to this, as part of their future endeavours they aim to develop satellite refuelling systems that can help extend the life of in orbit satellites. Similar to an aerial-refuelling tanker that can extend the range of aircraft, this concept hopes to create a mechanism where a tanker(carrying satellite-grade) fuel can dock with a satellite and fill its tank, to extend its life. At the end of the satellite's operational life, similar tankers would also be used to de-orbit the satellite, thus preventing it from becoming space debris and a threat to other orbital assets. By September this year, five-year-old company is optimistic about conducting a final test that involves putting the satellites through the rigours of space-like conditions(thermovac test), at a test facility. Once this test is complete, the team hopes to launch their satellite to space in early 2023 and prove its practical worthiness and capabilities, following which they can commercialise the technology. According to team Manastu, India's state-run Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed up to have this technology onboard an Indian strategic satellite, whereas a French company is also in talks to utilise this system in the final stage of their rocket, for orbit correction and maneuvers.

Green fuel-powered satellite engine made by Indian start-up 'Manastu' to reach orbit by early 2023

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Zee News Rajasthan

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