Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a relatively simple method to convert polyethylene, the widely used plastic found in shopping bags and cutting boards, into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels. The process uses inexpensive aluminum-based molten salts to break down the plastic’s long molecular chains into smaller hydrocarbons, yielding around 60% gasoline under relatively mild conditions.

According to the ScienceDaily website, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a new way to transform polyethylene, one of the world’s most common plastics, into gasoline- and diesel-like fuels.

Polyethylene is widely used in products such as shopping bags and white plastic cutting boards, and large amounts of it ultimately end up as waste. The ORNL team’s method combines the plastic with molten salts containing aluminium chloride. These salts perform two jobs at once, acting as both the reaction medium and the catalyst that drives the chemical conversion.

Regulator IBBI on Monday said Jayanti Prasad, a Whole-Time Member, has been given the additional charge of Chairperson.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is a key institution in implementing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) that provides for a time-bound and market-linked resolution of stressed assets.

Prasad has taken charge as Chairperson with effect from September 13, in addition to his existing duties.

The additional charge will be "till the completion of his tenure in IBBI on 20th November, 2026 or till the joining of a new incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is the earliest," IBBI said in a release on Monday.

If birds had a fashion week, the black robin would probably arrive dressed head-to-claw in black, say very little and leave before anyone could make small talk.

But this tiny, shy bird from New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands has just become the country’s Bird of the Year 2026, beating some considerably more famous feathered contenders.

Known as the karure, or Chatham Island black robin, the bird won more than 25,000 votes in this year’s competition, finishing ahead of the kākāpō and the kārearea, or New Zealand falcon.

India’s first maritime lender, Sagarmala Finance Corporation, plans to raise funds through the ‌country’s maiden blue bond on September 28, its top executive ⁠said.

The lender aims to raise 600 crore ($62.62 million), including a greenshoe option ‌of 500 crore, through the sale of 10-year bonds, ‌a provisional term sheet ‌showed.

Blue ⁠bonds are a debt instrument ⁠used to finance sustainable water and marine projects, including clean water, recycling, shipping, sustainable fishing, ocean energy ‌and mapping.

The proceeds will be used for maritime sector lending, greenfield port projects, funding coastal road network ‌and more, Managing Director L.V.S. Sudhakar Babu told Reuters late on Monday, adding that the funds ⁠will be used within the current financial year.

The global stage is set for the WorldSkills Competition 2026, starting September 22, in Shanghai. Representing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat, India’s largest-ever delegation—a 70-member Team Skill India contingent—will showcase its expertise across 63 skill categories at what is widely celebrated as the 'Olympics of Skills'.

For the first time, India will compete in 11 cutting-edge, future-ready domains, including Drone Technology (Unmanned Aerial Systems), Software Testing, and Dental Prosthetics.

Jindal Steel has joined hands as the Official Sponsor to empower these young skill champions representing the nation on the global stage.

India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana became the first women’s cricketer to complete 11,000 international runs during the Asian Games final against Sri Lanka at Korogi Sports Park on Tuesday.

Mandhana came into the final with 10,987 international runs — 788 in Tests, 5,411 in ODIs and 4,788 in T20Is — and needed 13 runs to reach the landmark.

She achieved the milestone in the third over after India opted to bat first. Mandhana began with two fours in the opening over before hitting a six to complete 11,000 international runs.

The achievement comes shortly after Mandhana became the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across the three formats, surpassing former India captain Mithali Raj’s tally of 10,868 runs during the recently concluded Asia Cup.

Jay Meena won the bronze medal in men’s singles at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

Meena’s historic run ended in the semifinals, where he lost to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka 3-5, 1-4, 1-4, 4-1, 6-4, 1-4.

The Indian had earlier beaten the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit in a thrilling seven-game quarterfinal, winning 4-3 (0-4, 4-2, 2-4, 4-2, 5-3, 2-4, 7-5) to assure India of its first medal in the sport at the Asian Games.

The bronze adds to Meena’s steady rise on the international soft tennis circuit.

Fintech major PhonePe on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) announced that it has secured in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE for two key operating licences, marking its first international expansion footprint.

The in-principle approval covers retail payment services and card schemes (RPSCS), as well as stored value facilities (SVF), the company said in a statement.

The digital payments firm will now work towards obtaining final approval before commencing commercial operations in the United Arab Emirates.

India has reaffirmed its commitment to combating Viral Hepatitis and eliminating Hepatitis B and C as public health threats by 2030. Addressing a side event of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, organised by the UN Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted India’s comprehensive, people-centred response across prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and care.

The Health Secretary said India has strengthened interventions across the continuum from antenatal screening and Hepatitis B immunisation to free diagnosis and treatment, safe blood transfusion services, counselling and rehabilitation support for people who inject drugs. She emphasised the importance of sustained global cooperation, equitable access to prevention, testing and treatment, and stronger health systems to accelerate progress towards the 2030 targets.

The Centre has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, requiring packages of soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, other cosmetics and toiletries to display a symbol indicating whether the product is of vegetarian or non-vegetarian origin.

Under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2026, notified on September 21, products of vegetarian origin must carry a green dot, while products of non-vegetarian origin must carry a red or brown dot. The symbol must appear at the top of the principal display panel of the package. The requirement applies to soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, other cosmetics and toiletries. The amendment came into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.