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India lunar rover Pragyaan takes a walk on the Moon
India’s Moon rover has taken first steps on the lunar surface a day after the country made history by becoming the first to land near the south pole.
Chandrayaan-3’s rover “ramped down” from the lander and “India took a walk on the Moon!”, the space agency said.
The Vikram lander successfully touched down as planned on Wednesday evening. With this, India joins an elite club of countries to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, after the US, the former Soviet Union and China.
The 26kg rover called Pragyaan (the Sanskrit word for wisdom) was carried to the Moon in the Vikram lander’s belly.
After the dust raised by last evening’s landing had settled, panels on one side of Vikram opened to deploy a ramp to enable Pragyaan to slide down to the lunar surface. It will now roam around the rocks and craters, gathering crucial data and images to be sent back to Earth for analysis. Pragyaan is carrying two scientific instruments which will try to find out what minerals are present on the lunar surface and study the chemical composition of the soil.
Pragyaan will communicate only with the lander which will send the information to the orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 – which is still circling the Moon – to pass it on to the Earth for analysis.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has said that the rover will move at a speed of 1cm per second – with each step it will also leave on the Moon’s surface the imprint of Isro’s logo and emblem embossed on its six wheels.
The landing coincides with the start of a lunar day – a day on the Moon equals a little over four weeks on Earth and this will mean the lander and rover will have 14 days of sunlight to charge their batteries. Once night falls, they will discharge and stop working. It is not yet clear whether they will come back to life when the next lunar day starts.
The lander is also carrying several scientific instruments which will help find out what goes on the Moon’s surface and above and below it. Moon is thought to hold important minerals but one of the major goals of Chandrayaan-3 is to hunt for water – scientists say the huge craters in the south pole region which are permanently in shadow hold ice which could support human habitation on the Moon in future.
It could also be used for supplying propellant for spacecraft headed to Mars and other distant destinations.
(BBC)
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Firearms and ammunition provided to civilians for personal protection should be returned / submitted for inspection before 20th January
The Ministry of Defence through electronic and print media announced that all firearms and ammunition issued to civilians for personal protection must be returned to the government by 21 November 2024 for a quantitative review.
In response to the notice, about 85% of the licensees have returned their firearms. Furthermore, the licensees were informed to submit appeals to the Ministry of Defence before October 30, 2024 explaining the requirement if they wish to retain their firearms. The licensees who have submitted appeals were informed to submit relevant documents along with their firearms to the Ministry of Defence for inspection and review.
The Ministry of Defence decided to issue only one firearm per person for personal protection and it will be issued after considering intelligence reports.
The review of all appeals for firearms and firearm inspections will be completed on January 20, 2025 and licensees are requested to submit their firearms for inspection before that date.
Furthermore, it has been observed that a significant amount of firearms and ammunition have been issued by the Sri Lanka Army and the Police in the past. Therefore, the Ministry of Defence has instructed that these firearms and ammunition be returned to the government before December 31, 2024.
Accordingly, the licenses are informed to follow the directives and hand over these firearms and ammunition to the nearest police stations.
It is also informed that legal action will be taken against licensees who fail to return their firearms for inspection before the stipulated date under the Firearm Ordinance No. 33 of 1916.
In line with this decision taken by the Ministry of Defence to ensure a safe society by minimizing the use and misuse of firearms in the civil society and by implementing proper regulation, the licensees are informed to return all licensed firearms that have not been returned and submitted for inspection, before January 20, 2025.
It is also emphasized that legal action will be taken against those who fail to do so.
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Bangladesh pull off maiden T20I series sweep vs West Indies
On a record-breaking day in Kingstown, Bangladesh completed a 3-0 sweep of the hosts West Indies with a massive 80-run win powered by Jaker Ali’s sensational 72* and a clinical bowling effort. Jaker’s 41-ball essay was built on the rapid start provided by the top-order, to help Bangladesh to their highest ever T20I total in West Indies – 189/7.The bowlers then combined to shoot down the hosts for just 109 inside 17overs to script the visitors’ biggest win in terms of runs.
Leading 2-0 in the series, Bangladesh opted to bat first and were served well by a brisk 44-run opening stand where Parvez Hossain Emon (39 off 21) did the bulk of the damage. Bangladesh lost both the openers in quick succession by the end of PowerPlay, but had a solid base of 54/2 to work with. Tanzid Hasan couldn’t capitalise, but Jaker led the charge well thereafter.
Joining hands with Mehidy Hasan Miraz at 65/3, the Bangladesh No. 5 helped stabalise with a 37-run stand. Roston Chase got his team a timely breakthrough that triggered a mini collapse as both Shamim Hossain and Mahedi Hasan were run out in the space of three balls. In a moment of confusion, it was indeed Jaker who walked back to the pavilion after the first run-out but was recalled promptly after the replays.
With Bangladesh having slipped to 114/6 in the 15th over, Jaker switched gears and combined with Tanzin Hasan Sakib for a fifty partnership to help his side finish strong. He was himself on 17 off 16 at the time of the callback, and went on to punish the West Indies attack as he fetched 55 runs in 25 balls from thereon. Alzarri Joseph particularly came in the firing line and leaked 12 and 25 runs in his final two overs with Jaker hitting four sixes and two boundaries off the pacer.
Having defended 147 and 129 previously, Bangladesh bowlers had plenty to work with in their bid for maiden T20I series sweep against the West Indies. Taskin Ahmed took just two balls to make an impact when he trapped Brandon King LBW in the opening over of the chase. Despite some fireworks from Nicholas Pooran, the hosts managed only 45 from their powerplay and lost two more wickets in the phase. That included Mahedi Hasan completed a series-wide hat-trick of Pooran’s wicket.
Only Romario Shepherd put up a brief fight, but none of the other West Indies batters showed any application in the big chase. The asking rate mounted the pressure, and Bangladesh bowlers sustained their dominance. All five bowlers deployed bagged at least a wicket each, while Rishad Hossain was the pick of the lot with figures of 3 for 21 from his four overs.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 189/7 in 20 overs (Jaker Ali 72*, Parvez Hossain Emon 39; Romario Shepherd 2-30) beat West Indies 109 in 16.4 overs (Romario Shepherd 33; Rishad hossain 3-21, Mahedi Hasan 2-13) by 80 runs
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Sri Lanka Cricket implements historic amendment to constitution
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced that at an Extraordinary General Meeting held today (20), its membership has approved significant amendments to the SLC constitution, reaffirming its commitment to fostering good governance, transparency, inclusivity and efficiency in its management structure.
Among the notable changes is a reduction in the number of voting members from 147 to 60. The new voting structure ensures that voting rights are determined solely based on the level of cricket played by each member club, with all qualified clubs and associations being entitled to only one vote.
The media release by Sri Lanka Cricket:
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