China cuts the ribbon of its first solar highway which will charge the running electric vehicles

China didn’t stop to make the first solar road of the world despite many-sided the concept as impractically. The project will serve as a clean energy testbed to evaluate new technologies, with an overarching goal to reduce the amount of land needed for solar farms and transmission wires. The panels, covering 5,875 square meters, can generate 1 million kWh of power in a year, enough to meet the everyday demand of around 800 households. Electricity produced by the test section will be used to power highway lights, signboards, surveillance cameras, tunnel and toll gate facilities. Surplus power will be supplied to the state grid. Future functions to be developed include mobile charging for electric vehicles and providing internet connection.

Viswanathan Anand bags bronze

Grand Master Viswanathan Anand continued his excellent run by bagging a bronze in the World Blitz Chess Championship at Riyadh, Saudi. He defeated Maxim Vachier-Lagrave of France in the final round to take his tally to 14.5 points. World Champion Magnus Carlsen won the tournament scoring 16 points followed by Sergey Karjakin with 14.5 points out of the maximum possible 21 points.

Israel withdraws from UNESCO

Israel has formally notified UNESCO of its withdrawal from the education and science organization. Israel, which has been a member since 1949, has nine sites on the list, including the ancient Masada fortress next to the Dead Sea. Tensions had been bubbling since UNESCO controversially admitted Palestine as a member state in 2011 – a move opposed by the US and Israel.

Maiga appointed as the new PM of Mali

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appointed Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, a former defence and foreign minister and intelligence chief as the new Prime Minister. Maiga will form a new government. This is done after his predecessor Abdoulaye Idrissa Maiga and his entire cabinet’s resignation. The new government will be the fifth to serve under President Keita since his election in 2013.

Mystery Writer Sue Grafton passes away at 77

Sue Grafton, author and creator of the Alphabet Series of mystery novels, has passed away at age 77. She was dealing with cancer for the last two years.

Nepal bans solo climbing on Mount Everest and other peaks

Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce accidents. The new safety regulations also prohibit double amputee and blind climbers from attempting to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak without a valid medical certificate. The law had been revised to make mountaineering safer and to decrease deaths. World-renowned Swiss climber Ueli Steck, who was known as the “Swiss Machine”, also died during a solo climb to a peak neighbouring Everest. Foreign climbers will have to be accompanied by a guide, according to the new regulations. The new rule also will help create more job opportunities for Nepali mountain guides.

Pratibha Gai honoured with Damehood by queen Elizabeth

Acclaimed York-based scientist Pratibha Laxman Gai has been named for damehood , the female equivalent of a knighthood, leading a number of people of Indian-origin from various walks of life in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2018. Gai, professor and acclaimed expert on electron microscopy based at the University of York, grew up in India and won the national science talent scholarship before winning another scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge. She is the fourth Indian-origin woman conferred with the honour since it was institute in 1917. She has been honoured for “services to chemical sciences and technology”.

NASA’s “Girl of the Year” doll

NASA, is collaborating with American Girl, a doll and book company, to inspire children to dream big and reach for the stars. The focus of the collaboration is the “Girl of the Year” doll for 2018, an 11-year-old aspiring astronaut named Luciana who wants to be the first person to put boots on Mars. NASA want to encourage girls and boys to pursue their dreams.

Jitu Rai bags men’s 50m pistol national title

Ace Indian marksman Jitu Rai won the men’s 50m pistol national title with a new national record score of 233 at the 61st National Shooting Championship in Thiruvananthapuram. Rai’s score of 233 was a new record in the finals of the event. Jitu Rai also won the team gold in the event combining with Jai and Omprakash Mitherwal for a total of 1,658.

India leads in global milk production

According to the Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh during the past 3 years, India has outpaced the global milk production with an annual growth rate of 5.53% compared with the 2.09% achieved globally. India has been the largest producer of milk in the world for the past 15 years. Milk production, which was around 17-22 million tonnes in the 1960s, has increased to 163.7 m tonnes in 2016-17.