Australia exports sunshine to Asia via a giant cable

A ten-gigawatt capacity solar farm is planned to be built across the Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory occupying an area of about 15,000 hectares. A 3,800km cable will be put across the seafloor to export the power generated to Singapore. Due to its use of solar energy, the project has been named ‘Sun Cable’.

To provide an alternative to the export business of iron ore, coal, and gas, similar projects are already in the pipeline. As of now, Australia doesn’t export any of its renewable energy. One-fifth of Singapore’s power supply will be provided by the project by 2030. One of the major reasons behind the conceptualization of Sun Cable is the fact that high-voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cables have already proven feasible in many countries. A few HVDC grid interconnectors are already running across the continent of Europe. The project is expected to cost around A$20 billion and will be completed in 2027. The “solar array” prefabrication technology of 5B, a Sydney based firm, which is in contract with Sun Cable will accelerate the building of the solar farm. The Sun Cable has been granted a “Major Project” status by the Northern Territory government which would further help in clearing potential investments and approval barriers to ease the project’s financial aspects.

Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest country, is partnering with Japan to support an initiative run by its government called the “Concept of Cyber Security” or “Kazakhstan Cyber Shield”. Japan-based Trend Micro, multinational Cybersecurity and Defense Company, and Kazakhstani T&T Security Company have made an agreement on scientific and technological cooperation.

The agreement will help Kazakhstan’s Security services reach new heights. This will in turn help in the prevention of cyberattacks that go undetected while using traditional antiviruses and other security features. In the previous year alone, as much as 2.5 billion cyberattacks were identified in Kazakhstan’s government agencies and private organizations. The agreement will bring new opportunities for the export of Kazakhstani IT products. Out of all the institutions in Kazakhstan, the government has identified 336 institutions to be the most significant that is to be protected from potential threats. Government agencies, banks, and industrial enterprises are a few among the list of 336 institutions and the government is planning to expand the list. In the Global Cyber-security Index, Kazakhstan currently ranks 40 out of 175 countries.

Automated security solutions for customers of VMware, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Amazon AWS are provided by Trend Micro’s virtualization security and cloud products. Trend Micro, established in 1988, helps servers, containers, and cloud computing environments, networks, and endpoints by developing enterprise security software.

Wearable electronic devices by Google misses Indian patent

Google had recently applied for a patent at the Indian Patent Office. Google had put forward its inventions comprising of electronic devices provided in shoes or ankle bracelets for the patent. The method and the operation by which the devices are to be performed have been given by the company, but lack a full description and incomplete specification.

Under ‘System and method for wearable electronic devices” in the year 2007, Google had filed a patent application. Among the various wearable models listed in the application are electronic communication devices attached to the clothes, wireless pieces, a shoe that communicates data to the user, and ankle bracelets that can transmit updated information from the body to the user. According to the application, the shoe provides functions not present in existing devices such as cellular phones, and personal digital assistants, temperature, pulse rate, and a display to showtime. Satellite navigation receiver, motion sensing unit, humidity sensor are some of the new features of the wearable device. It also includes a vibrator, air pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and calendar information. Multiple reasons such as a lack of inventive steps as required by the Indian Patent Act are the reasons behind the patent’s rejection. Portable devices worn on the wristwhich allow transmission and reception of calls are already known, sothis led to rejection.  

17 New Planets Discovered by Michelle Kunimoto – A UBC Student

Michelle Kunimoto, a student of the University of British Columbia has discovered 17 new planets including a potentially habitable Earth-like planet by going through the data from NASA’s Kepler mission. The Kepler satellite looked for planets over its four year mission especially those that lie in the habitable zones of their stars where liquid water could exist on the plant’s surface. The findings that were published in The Astronomical Journal included one particularly rare planet. This planet is just 1 ½ times the size of Earth and is in the habitable zone of its star.

“This planet is about a thousand light-years away, so we’re not getting there anytime soon!” said Kunimoto, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of physics and astronomy. “But this is a really exciting find, since there have only been 15 small, confirmed planets in the Habitable Zone found in Kepler data so far.”

The planet has a 142 ½ day year and is orbiting its star at 0.444 Astronomical Units (AU), just bigger than Mercury’s orbit in our solar system and gets about a third of the light that our Earth gets from the Sun.

Out of the 16 newly discovered planets, the smallest is two-thirds the size of Earth, making it one of the smallest planets to be found with Kepler.

Kunimoto has previously discovered four planets during her undergraduate degree at UBC. She’s now working on her Ph.D at UBC using the “transit method” to look for planets among the 200,000 stars observed by the Kepler mission.

x

How to plan a vacation in Brazil to fully explore the food and culture

If you want to explore Brazilian cuisine, you must travel across the country as each region has its favorite cuisine. 

Southern Brazil 

Southern Brazil’s cuisine usually revolves around a barbecue, called churrasco in the country. This is often beef seasoned with rock salt and cooked over an open fire. When you travel to Brazil, consider trying the three types of ribs found at smokehouses in Porto Alegre. 

Rio Grande do Sul

If you find yourself traveling to Rio Grande do Sul, then you will want to try the arroz de carreteiro. This favorite dish is usually made with charque, dried beef, and rice. Then, the chef seasons it with onion, garlic, and parsley. There is no way to rush good arroz de carreteriro as the charque needs to soak overnight. You may want to go to Porto Alegre, Brazil, where the arroz de carreteiro, music and dancing are superb. This is not the cheapest city to dine in, however, so you may need to easily transfer money to Brazil before continuing your travel. 

Parana 

As you continue your travels through Southern Brazil, you will enter the state of Parana, where residents have a love for barreado. An exceptional 300-year-old ritual is carried out to prepare this dish that has beef, duck, and a special sauce. The mixture is then slow-cooked in a unique clay pot that is sealed with flour. It is usually served with rice and plantain leaves. In order to try barreado, head to Antonina, Brazil. When heading here, try for an early lunch as the restaurant can get very crowded later in the day. 

Santa Catarina

Once you reach Santa Catarina, you will want to eat the delicious seafood, including scrumptious oysters. Make your way to Florianópolis and dine at one of the restaurants located along the pier. After enjoying your meal, stroll along the glass-covered pier. Since many Germans settled here in the 18th and 19th centuries, you may want to consider getting a piece of their iconic apple pie. 

Midwest Brazil

As you move towards the middle of Brazil, you will find more African and European influences in the cuisine. There is also a heavy Indian influence. Bakeries are a popular dining option in the middle of Brazil. Since this region is near the center of the country, it is also a great place to try a variety of fruit grown in Brazil, including jabuticaba that resembles a grape, atemoia which has a sweet and sour natural taste, açaí which tastes great in a bowl of cereal, and bananas.

MatoGrosso

You will feel the influence of people who have moved from Paraguay and Bolivia or who have ancestors that did when you taste the food of this region where chicken is a very popular dish. Frango com gabiroba is found on many dinner tables. Similar to grilled chicken, its secret lies in the sauce made with peri-peri and paprika. You can find it served at many different restaurants, which are often called chicken joints. 

São Paulo

Many Japanese people settled in the southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, and you can find their influences in many dishes served there. You can also find Italian influences and African influences. If you are running short on money and you have no one to wire more to Brazil, then heading to this region is an excellent choice because of its vast diversity. If you want to see a great show head to Olympia, Palace, or Tom Brasil and order the traditional tutu a mineira, which is mashed beans served with roasted pork loin, cabbage, and rice. You may also want to consider ordering the fried shrimp pie, which is called acaraje. 

Minas Gerais

Many family farms cover Minas Gerais. You will find several traditional cooking methods used in this state. Many call this the food capital of Brazil, and there are several foods that you will want to try. Their soft white cheese called queijo Minas is often consumed as breakfast or an afternoon snack. It is firmer in this state than in other parts of Brazil. Fried cassava flour is usually eaten with beans and rice in this state. Most importantly, however, Minas Gerais is where farofa de andu is served alongside almost every meal.

Non-packaged sweets must display manufacturing and expiry date: FSSAI

A new order issued by the food regulator of India, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), has now made it mandatory for Food Business Operators (FBOs) to display ‘best before dates’ on the sweets that are not packaged. Starting June 1, 2020, the new mandate will become effective. In the last few months, FSSAI has received multiple complaints regarding the poor quality of food, especially sweets.

Currently, best before date or manufacturing date are displayed only on the packaged food items made by sweet shops and other similar businesses. With the new norm – that requires the display of expiry or manufacturing date on the loose and non-packaged sweets – people can now feel safe while consuming the non-packaged sweets. Food Business Operators (FBOs) are advised to take into consideration the nature of ingredients and their condition before labeling the best before date. A list containing the possible shelf life of different types of commonly available sweets in the market has also been issued by the Food regulator to assist the FBOs in complying with the new norms. RasMalai, Rajbhog, Rasgullas and Badam Milk are some of the items that are to be consumed within two days of manufacturing.

To ensure 100 percent compliance, the FSSAI has asked the help of the food regulators in all the states. Business owners, on the other hand, have shown skepticism to the order by FSSAI.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shares his vision for the future of technology

Microsoft's CEO Indian-born Satya Nadella visited Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi from 24-26th February to share his vision on the future of technology and how Microsoft is driving the transformation of technology in India during his three-day trip. He delivered his keynote in Mumbai and Bengaluru at the 'Future Decoded CEO Summits'. The summit included Microsoft leaders and other industry stalwarts who spoke about the future of various technologies in India.

Nadella met a group of students, developers, and entrepreneurs and discussed the transformation in the current generation digital technology which is transforming education and other sectors like AI, gamification, personalization, and simplifying STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). "India remains a top market for Microsoft, and Satya Nadella does visit almost annually. This year their president Brad Smith is also visiting, in April. Government engagement is a major focus for Microsoft top management in India for the past two decades, and all the more now with expanding digital plans, and also rising nationalist resistance to global digital and tech companies," says Prasanto K Roy, tech and policy consultant.Combined with its Cloud and AI services Microsoft is looking forward to accelerating the digital transformation across Indian start-ups and businesses as well as the government organizations. Nadella's visit will buttress this further. This will increase the global market capitalization of Microsoft among the most valuable companies in the world.