Researchers have identified a new ‘cousin’ of the turmeric, thanks to a serendipitous discovery during a field trip in Nagaland.

Belonging to the genus Curcuma (the ginger family Zingiberaceae), the plant, which stands 65-90-cm high with prominent yellow flowers at full growth, has been given the name Curcuma ungmensis after Ungma, the village in Mokokchung district where it was found.

The international journal Phytotaxa has published a paper on the discovery by Mamiyil Sabu and V.S. Hareesh of the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, Kerala, and P. Tiatemsu of the Department of Botany, Fazl Ali College, Nagaland.

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya to enhance the skills and capability building of personnel in logistics operations. On this occasion, the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh said that it is a monumental partnership to build a world-class and future proof logistics system and achieve self-reliance in defence sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that Vishwavidyalaya will serve as a vital partner in empowering the Armed Forces with cutting-edge logistics education, research and innovation.

Nepal has become the 101st country to join the International Solar Alliance-ISA as a full member. In a social media post, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Nepal handed over its Instrument of Ratification to the ISA in New Delhi today. The Instrument of Ratification was exchanged during a meeting between Nepal’s Charge d’ affairs Dr. Surendra Thapa and Joint Secretary (ED&MER) in the External Affairs Ministry, Abhishek Singh.

Former Election Commissioner Arun Goel will be the next Ambassador of India to Croatia. The Indian government announced this on Saturday. Goel is expected to assume charge shortly.

It may be recalled that Goel (who assumed charge of EC in November 2022) resigned from the EC days before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His tenure in EC was to end in 2027.

Goel, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1985 batch belonging to the Punjab Cadre, did his post-graduation in Development Economics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England.

The ginger family has just welcomed six hitherto undocumented ‘dancing’ members from India.

Two scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Bhopal recorded six new species in the genus Globba belonging to the ginger (Zingiberaceae) family from the Eastern Himalayas and two northeastern States. The common name for this genus is dancing girl or dancing lady ginger.

The IISER’s Vinita Gowda and Ritu Yadav described these new-to-science species in the latest edition of PhytoKeys, a peer-reviewed international botanical journal.

The 20th edition of the India-USA Joint Military Exercise, Yudh Abhyas 2024, commenced today at the Foreign Training Node in the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, Rajasthan. This year's exercise will take place from September 9 to 22. Since its inception in 2004, Exercise Yudh Abhyas has been held annually, alternating between India and the United States.

This edition features a significant expansion in both scope and complexity, with increased troop strength and advanced equipment. The Indian Army contingent, comprising 600 personnel, includes a battalion from the Rajput Regiment, supported by various other arms and services. The US contingent, with a similar number of troops, is represented by the 1-24 Battalion of the 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska.

The United Arab Emirates has successfully completed the Arab world's first nuclear power plant, the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said in a statement.

According to ENEC, the four-reactor plant will provide 25 percent of the electricity required by the hot, desert Gulf state, where air-conditioning is widespread—approximately equivalent to New Zealand's annual electricity consumption.

It will also power major industries such as oil production, steel manufacturing, and aluminum production.

Vinay Goyal has assumed office as the State Mission Director of National Health Mission (NHM).

He takes over from K. Jeevan Babu, who has moved to the Kerala Water Authority as managing director.

A native of Haryana, Dr. Goyal, belongs to the 2016 IAS batch. He holds an MBBS degree from PGIMS Rohtak, a postgraduate degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and yet another postgraduate degree in Public Management from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He has formerly held the posts of CEO, Thiruvananthapuram Smart City; Managing Director of Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Ltd. (KRTCL); Director of Backward Classes Development department; Secretary, Kerala State Housing Board among others.

The "Namami Gange Mission" is making significant strides in maintaining the purity and continuity of the Ganga river. In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2024-25, four major projects in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been successfully completed and are now operational. These large-scale initiatives aim to reduce pollution in critical areas along the Ganga and Ramganga rivers.

In Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, projects approved in May 2020 at a cost of Rs129.08 crore have been completed. This includes intercepting and diverting drains, establishing new networks, and constructing two Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with capacities of 8.5 MLD each at Bisunderpur and Pakka Pokhara. The existing 14 MLD STP at Pakka Pokhara has been upgraded, and a new main pumping station has been added to the city's infrastructure.

Deepu Yadav, Plant In-Charge of the 8.5 MLD STP in Bisunderpur, notes, "The biggest benefit of this STP is that municipal wastewater, previously disposed of into the Ganga, is now treated here. We meet all required parameters before discharging the treated water back into the river. This has also created job opportunities for local residents."

Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, S. Somanath, on Thursday (September 5, 2024) released a coffee-table book brought out by The Hindu Group of Publications, ISRO: Exploring New Frontiers - To The Moon, The Sun & Beyond.

The book curated by T.S. Subramanian, former Associate Editor, Frontline, documents the achievements of India as a space-faring nation in detail, from its nascent days in the 1960s to recent programmes like the Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-1, 2 and 3 and the Aditya L-1 missions.

The book documents these missions with insightful behind-the-scenes stories, interviews and spectacular photographs of India’s space journey.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Somanath lauded The Hindu for bringing out the book, which he said was a good historical collection of information related to the ISRO and India’s space programme.