Chennai: India’s first indigenous microprocessor designed by researchers of Indian Institute of Madras may soon power your mobile phone, surveillance camera and smart meters.

The microprocessor named Shakti was developed, designed and booted at Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) of Indian Space Research Organisations (Isro) in Chandigarh, making it the first ‘RISC V Microprocessor’ to be completely designed and made in India.

This microprocessor will be helpful in reducing reliance on imported microprocessors in Communications and Defence Sectors and is on par with International Standards.

The front-end design of the Shakti processors is developed with Bluespec, an open-source High-Level Synthesis (HLS) language. Shakti and its eco-system with its modular design approach enables design and development of application-specific end-user computing and communicating systems

Earlier, in July 2018, an initial batch of 300 chips, named RISECREEK was produced under Project Shakti, that were fabricated at the Multinational Chip Manufacturer Intel’s facility at Oregon, US, that successfully booted the Linux operating system.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced major steps including 59-minute loan portal for sanction of up to one crore rupees for small and medium enterprises (MSME). 

He was speaking at the launching ceremony of Government’s Support and Outreach Initiative for MSME. 

He said the measures are expected to boost the MSME since the sector is one of the major generators of employment opportunities and making a significant contribution to the overall growth of the country's economy. 

The Prime Minister said, mandatory procurement of 20 per cent from MSMEs by Public Sector Undertakings has now been increased to 25 per cent. 

Mr Modi said, it has also been decided that 3 per cent of the total purchases from it will be reserved for women entrepreneurs.

Mr Modi said, it will now be necessary for all Central Government companies to subscribe to Government E-Marketplace, GeM. 

The Prime Minister said, only one consent will be mandatory for MSMEs under air pollution and water pollution laws. He said, he will himself review the work of MSMEs in 100 districts. 

Simone Biles made history by picking up her record 13th career gold medal at the world gymnastics championships when she cruised to victory in the vault final on Friday. Yet it’s the silver she captured on uneven bars that the Olympic and world champion may cherish more.

For years Biles viewed bars with a mixture of skepticism and scorn. There was a point in time she admits she would have been OK with taking a “chainsaw” to every bars set in the country.

Those days are over. Helped in part by the influence of new head coach Laurent Landi, Biles now considers the event a challenge more than a chore. Maybe that’s why the smile on the podium during the medal ceremony after she came in second to Belgium’s Nina Derwael was so wide.

“I’ve come a long way,” Biles said.

It certainly showed. Biles put together a score of 14.7 to edge Germany’s Elisabeth Seitz for silver. Belgium’s Nina Derwael won the first ever gold medal for her country at worlds when the judges awarded her daring and intricate set with a score of 15.2.

French champions Paris St Germain beat Lille 2-1 in Ligue 1 on Friday to break the record for the best start to a season in Europe’s top five leagues with their 12th successive win.

France forward Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian Neymar scored the goals as PSG surpassed the 11 victories Tottenham Hotspur notched up to begin the 1960-61 English top flight campaign.

The result left leaders PSG on 36 points, 11 ahead of closest challengers Lille. Montpellier, who are a further three points adrift in third, host fifth-placed Olympique de Marseille in the round’s other standout fixture on Sunday.

Mbappe lit up the match with another brilliant goal, his 11th of the season, when he took a through ball in his stride and buried a delightful curling shot from 20 metres past Lille keeper Mike Maignan in the 70th minute.

Neymar made it 2-0 with a clinical finish in the 84th before Nicolas Pepe netted a stoppage-time penalty for Lille, who matched the home side for long spells with an adventurous approach and incisive passing.

Manipur government has declared a war on drugs affecting a significant number of people in the state, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said.

The state government and the security forces have initiated projects to wean away drug users from the addiction while initiating strict action against drug peddlers, he said.

The chief minister said 600 peddlers were arrested this year and fast track courts have been set up to try the accused persons.

The Northeastern state, which is close to the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia — infamous for drug trafficking, has been affected by drug usage and a large number of HIV cases owing to intravenous drug usage.

“Thousands of hectares of land are used for poppy cultivation in areas near the international border with Myanmar,” Singh told a group of visiting newspersons.

He said the poppy is exported to other countries via the Golden Triangle.

“We are taking help of the Army and Assam Rifles to root out the cultivation of poppy in Manipur,” the chief minister said adding that the poppy growers are being rehabilitated with lemongrass cultivation.

Novak Djokovic remains on course for a fifth Paris Masters title after beating Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday to set up a semifinal against Roger Federer. Federer advanced to their 47th career meeting by beating Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, his sixth straight win against the Japanese player.

Chasing his 100th career title after winning the Swiss Indoors last Sunday, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was hardly troubled. He saved a break point with a sharp volley at the net when serving for the set at 5-4 and then broke Nishikori at the start of the second set to take firm control.

Federer has won this tournament only once, back in 2011, and has not played here since 2015. He was given a huge ovation by the crowd after his win.

Now he has to find a way past Djokovic, the Wimbledon and US Open champion who has beaten Federer in their past three meetings and leads him 24-22 overall.

“If the crowd is for Novak that’s also good, as long as the (arena) is full. I know I have fans here, I can’t complain,” Federer said. “I have an enormous amount of support around the world. But for my fans to get into the match, I also have to play some good tennis.”

Four new judges— Justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi were sworn in as Supreme Court Judges today at 10:30 am in the Chief Justice’s Court, raising the total number of judges to 28, as against the sanctioned strength of 3...

On October 30, the Collegium comprising CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice A K Sikri and Justice S A Bobde had recommended that judges are “are more deserving and suitable in all respects than other Chief Justices...

Four new judges— Justices Hemant Gupta, R Subhash Reddy, M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi were sworn in as Supreme Court Judges today at 10:30 am in the Chief Justice’s Court, raising the total number of judges to 28, as against the sanctioned strength of 3...

On October 30, the Collegium comprising CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice A K Sikri and Justice S A Bobde had recommended that judges are “are more deserving and suitable in all respects than other Chief Justices...

An Australia team still feeling reverberations from the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal will face their demons against South Africa in a one-day series starting in Perth on Sunday.

The teams meet for their first international clash since the ill-tempered test series wrapped up in Johannesburg in April with Australia’s reputation in tatters and three of their players sent home in disgrace.

While seven months have passed, Australian cricket has struggled to move on from the Newlands nightmare, and the release of a culture review this week re-opened the wounds.

North and South Korea on Friday agreed to officially inform the International Olympic Committee of their intent to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics as they continued with reconciliation efforts.

Korean sports officials after meeting at the North Korean border town of Kaesong also agreed to send a combined team to the world handball championships in January, according to a statement. The rivals vowed to “actively participate” in international sports events hosted by each other and organize more friendly competitions between them.

“The plan is to organize friendly competitions marking meaningful anniversaries between the South and North, for example the first anniversaries of the (April) inter-Korean summit and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics,” said South Korean Vice Sports Minister Roh Tae-kang, according to a pool report. North Korean officials at the meeting were led by a counterpart, Won Kil U.