The coveted award has been conferred jointly upon Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir James Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L Feringa for their work on design and synthesis of molecular machines.
Jean-Pierre Sauvage is a French coordination chemist, specializing in supramolecular chemistry. Sir James Fraser Stoddart is a Scottish chemist, while Bernard L Feringa is a synthetic organic chemist, who specializes in molecular nanotechnology and homogenous catalysis.
Russia Suspends its Nuclear and Energy Research Agreement
Russia is suspending its nuclear and energy research agreement with the United States as a countermeasure against Washington for imposing sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.
The agreement on co-operation in nuclear- and energy-related scientific research, signed in 2013, provided the legal framework necessary to expand work between US and Russian nuclear research laboratories and institutes in nuclear technology and nonproliferation, among others.
The uranium agreement, signed in 2010, provided for feasibility studies into the conversion of six Russian research reactors from dangerous highly enriched uranium to more secure low enriched uranium.
The expansion of the country’s services sector business activity was softer in September vis-à-vis August as the level of new business placed with Indian services firms increased moderately while prices charged were raised in line with a higher cost burden.
Nikkei India Services Business Activity Index registered 52.0 in September, down from August’s 43-month high of 54.7.
Intas Buys Actavis Assets
In the biggest buyout by an Indian pharma company in Europe, Ahmedabad-based Intas, the largest privately held drug maker in the country, has acquired Actavis Generics in the United Kingdom and Ireland for about Rs. 5,100 crore from Israel's Teva in an all-cash deal.
Actavis has been consistently number one or two in the UK and Ireland generics market.
The annual revenue of Intas, among India's top 10 pharma majors, is estimated at over $1 billion with 60% coming from international operations.
India's latest communication satellite GSAT-18 was successfully launched by a heavy duty rocket of Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.
GSAT-18, built by the Indian Space Research Organisation, aims at providing telecommunications services for the country by strengthening ISRO's current fleet of 14 operational telecommunication satellites.
The Union Cabinet approved the long-awaited amendments to the HIV Bill, granting stronger protection to the country’s HIV community.
The Bill prohibits discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV) in accessing healthcare, acquiring jobs, renting houses or in education institutions in the public and private sectors.
There are approximately 21 lakh persons estimated to be living with HIV in India.