Investors apply for 16 projects

• NEPAL INVESTMENT SUMMIT

At a glance

• Development of a multi-model logistic park
• Development of 600-MW utility-scale solar PV project
• 5G mobile network service
• Development of Simara SEZ on PPP modality
• Setting up aRs 10bn fund to finance projects
• Development of Himalaya Boutique Village Resort in Banepa
• FDI worth Rs 399m in United Finance Ltd of Nepal
• Development of the 164-MW Kaligandaki Gorge Hydropower Project
• Financing commitment for 900-MW Arun-III Hydropower Project.[Readmore]

CDAC all set to develop crucial technology indigenously 

PUNE: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) is in the final stage of creating India’s first 64-bit quad core microprocessor to end the country’s dependence on imported microprocessors and assure better data security. The process to indigenously build the system under the Microprocessor Development Programme took 18 months at a cost of Rs85 crore. Director general of CDAC Hemant Darbari said, “This will be very important for the defence and space sector as it will ensure better security due to fewer chances of interference by outside elements. We have already realized the processes in the microprocessor and found desired results. This will now go in production mode.” [Readmore]

Nepal seeks Indian investment in hydro power, roads & highways

Kathmandu: Nepal has invited Indian investments in hydro power, roads and highways and the hotel industry to give a boost to economic ties between the two countries. 

Huge business opportunities exist in sectors such as roads and highway, hydro power, etc, Maha Prasad Adhikari, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Investment Board Nepal (IBN), a body under the Government of Nepal, told reporters here on the sidelines of the Nepal Investment Summit 2019. [Readmore]

Norway's Statkraft eyes hydropower projects in India

New Delhi: Norwegian state-owned electricity company Statkraft is actively scouting for hydropower opportunities in North India, including buying out stressed assets.

The attempt by Europe’s largest green energy producer comes in the backdrop of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government changing regulations governing the beleaguered sector earlier this month. Of around 66 gigawatts (GW) capacity facing various degrees of financial stress, there are 13 hydropower projects comprising 4.57 GW.

The first foreign investor in India’s hydropower space, Statkraft has been present in the country since 2004.

It has equity stakes in Malana and Allain Duhangan projects in Himachal Pradesh and acquired the 100 MW Tidong hydropower project in Himachal Pradesh last September. [Readmore]

Methane Spike on Mars Hints at Water Reservoir Frozen Deep Underneath the Surface

Data from spacecrafts on Mars state that the methane spike may be owing to tectonic faults in deep buried permafrost, which is what USC researchers reckon too.

Mars, it seems, might have a lot more water seeping underneath its barren, red hostility. The latest development is pertaining to the debacle around Mars’ atmospheric constituency, and the possibility of water and microbial life on the planet. This took a new turn, when NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered a strong spike in methane within Mars’ atmosphere, back in June 2013. A day later, the Mars Express corroborated the same observation, through its onboard spectrometer. This, naturally, sparked interest and excitement about potential alien microbes still present somewhere within the Martian body. The studies were published recently. [ReadMore]

Ports & Terminals in India

Which are the key ports in your jurisdiction and what sort of facilities do they comprise? What is the primary purpose of the ports?

Ports in India are divided into two categories: major ports and minor ports. The major ports are:

West Coast

• Kandla;
• Mumbai;
• Jawaharlal Nehru;
• Marmugao;
• New Mangalore; and
• Cochin.

East Coast

• Tuticorin;
• Chennai;
• Ennore;
• Visakhapatnam;
• Paradip;
• Kolkata; and
• Haldia.

There are more than 200 minor and intermediary ports in India. These ports comprise:

• bulk terminals;
• liquid cargo terminals;
• container terminals;
• general cargo;
• ferry and cruise; and
• others.

The primary purpose of these ports is the connectivity and transportation of goods and passengers to and from the hinterland through the sea. These ports are used for loading and unloading of goods, transhipment of goods and passengers, ferry services, etc. These ports act as a major route for trading as more than 90 per cent of India’s trade happens through the sea. [ReadMore]

Gmail turns 15: Smart compose, 

schedule send, and more coming today

Fifteen years ago, Google introduced its web-based email service, Gmail. The free service offered more storage than competing services back in 2004. As the search giant marks the 15th anniversary of its very popular product, there are a handful of new features which are also making their way into Gmail.

Starting this week, Gmail will show you a new Smart Compose feature to help you craft instant emails on-the-go using predictive behaviour via machine learning. The feature will be first made available on Android devices, followed by iOS. It will also support four new languages including Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. [Readmore]

Shanghai’s Hongkou becomes world’s 1st 5G district

Shanghai on Saturday claimed to have the world’s first district with 5G coverage and a broadband gigabit network. It conducted trial runs of the 5G network, backed by telecom services provider China Mobile.

“Trial runs of the 5G network started on Saturday in Shanghai’s Hongkou district, where 5G base stations had been deployed over the last three months to ensure full coverage,” the China Daily reported.

Shanghai’s vice-mayor Wu Qing made the network’s first 5G video call on Huawei’s Mate X smartphone, the first 5G foldable phone. [ReadMore]

Stone Bridges over Antietam Creek, Washington County, Maryland

This collection of photographic negatives of the stone bridges over the Antietam Creek in Washington County taken before 1910 was made available by Bob Savitt of the Washington County Historical Society. Bob was lent the negatives by Paul and Shelby Beaver of Burkittsville who found them in their attic. 

The photographer was initally unknown, but it was soon realized that the photogravures were those used by Helen Ashe Hayes in her book Antietam and its bridges, published in 1910. John C. Artz of North Potomac Street, Hagerstown, was listed as the photographer, though in 1905 he was included in the Hagerstown City Directory as selling icecream and in 1910 he was a confectioner living at 34 N. Potomac, Hagerstown.  He died of congestion of the lungs August 22, 1911. [Readmore]

How to Be a Better Web Searcher: Secrets from Google Scientists

By Daniel M. Russell and Mario Callegaro.

In a cheery, sunshine-filled fourth-grade classroom in California, the teacher explained the assignment: write a short report about the history of the Belgian Congo at the end of the 19th century, when Belgium colonized this region of Africa. One of us (Russell) was there to help the students with their online research methods.

I watched in dismay as a young student slowly typed her query into a smartphone. This was not going to end well. She was trying to find out which city was the capital of the Belgian Congo during this time period. She reasonably searched [ capital Belgian Congo ] and in less than a second she discovered that the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo is Kinshasa, a port town on the Congo River. She happily copied the answer into her worksheet. [ReadMore]

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Andhra Pradesh scopes ‘Best Smart Grid Project’ in India award

The India Smart Grid Forum has recognised Autogrid for the smart grid project project the firm deployed for APSPDCL.

The solutions provider deployed smart grid and Internet of Things based solutions to help APSDCL to improve its demand-side management.

The automated demand-side management programmes included the installation and adoption of:

1. Time-of-use tariffs to leverage cheaper power at off-peak hours
2. Soil-moisture/water-level sensor-based pump-set operation to intelligently reduce energy and water used for agricultural purposes
3. Air conditioning system cycling to drive both energy efficiency and peak load shaving
4. Renewable integration to incorporate more cost-effective solar and wind power supply without impacting the reliability or quality of service

The project aimed to enhance enhance the utility’s financial health and consumer experiences. For instance, the solution provider claims the project will enable benefits of over $ 150 million per year. [ReadMore]