current affairs 25 August 2022

IIT Guwahati developed new method to produce sugar substitute.

• IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a new method, ultrasound-assisted fermentation, to produce a safe sugar substitute called ‘Xylitol’ from sugarcane waste.
• Xylitol is a sugar alcohol derived from natural products.
• It has potential antidiabetic and anti-obesogenic effects and is a mild prebiotic and protects teeth against caries.
• The research team was led by Professor VS Moholkar.
• Other team members: Dr. Belachew Zegale Tizazu and Dr. Kuldeep Roy.

Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh to attend SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting.

• Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh has attended the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting at Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
• He also hold the bilateral meetings with his counterparts Lieutenant General, Bakhodir Kurbanov (Uzbekistan); Colonel, General Zhaksylykov Ruslan Zhakslykov (Kazakhstan) and Lieutenant General, Viktor Khrenin (Belarus).
• Aim: The entire spectrum of defence cooperation with the three countries was reviewed to expand mutually beneficial collaboration.

Fahmida Azim wins 2022 Pulitzer prize in Illustrated Reporting category.

• Fahmida Azim (Bangladesh) has been selected for the 2022 Pulitzer prize under the category of Illustrated Reporting and Commentary.
• Presently, she is working for the Insider online magazine of US.
• She is among the four journalists including Anthony Del Col, Josh Adams and Walt Hickey of Insider, selected for their work on the Chinese oppression of the Uyghurs.
• Fahmida Azim is an illustrator and story teller. Her work centers on themes of identity, culture and autonomy.

Debasisa Mohanty appointed as director of National Institute of Immunology.

• Senior scientist, Debasisa Mohanty has been appointed as the director of the National Institute of Immunology (NII).
• He is currently working as the staff scientist with the institute.
• In another order, Revenue Secretary, Tarun Bajaj has been given additional charge as Corporate Affairs Secretary.
• Rajesh Verma, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, was appointed as the Secretary to President, Droupadi Murmu.

DRDO, Indian Navy successfully test fire indigenous VL-SRSAM from Chandipur.

• India has successfully test-fired Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the Odisha coast.
• The missile was tested by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy.
• This missile is equipped with indigenous radio frequency (RF) seeker, intercepted the target with high accuracy.
• The missile system has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO
• DRDO HQ: New Delhi