- News Fast & Furious
Nation
Railway Budget 2010
Feb 24th
Railway minister Mamta will be presenting the rail budget today at 12 noon in Parliament. Successive railway budgets have bring in dissappointment to the railway commuters.
Left points out that this budget is targeted at the upcoming elections in Calcutta. Mamta will try to impress the public of Calcutta by providing lot oppurtunities to Calcutta.
Some of the grievances from the public is Last budget projects haven’t started. 40 foundation stones were laid out, but none of them have started. Lack of punctuality, cleanliness, security etc
Plane crashes into 7 storey building in Austin, Texas
Feb 19th
An angry man slams plane into Texas Tax office building, which is coincidentally the building next to the FBI office. Man piloting the plane killed, 2 IRS employee injured.
Officials have ruled out any terror angle in this attack. Pilot crashed the plane out of anger. IRS, US Federal Tax agency was target of this attack.
As per the early reports the name of the pilot who was flying the plane was Joseph Andrew Stack. Stack was furious with the IRS tax agency. He has also blamed the US Government Tax laws in his suicide note.
Stack set his home on fire before ramming the plane on the building which had around 190 employees working in it at that moment.
List of 44 deemed universities - government de-recognized
Feb 14th
- Vadodara
- Shri Devraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research | Kolar
- Yenepoya University, University Road | Mangalore
- BLDE University, Solapur Road | Bijapur
- Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences | Satara
- DY Patil Medical College, Kolhapur | Maharashtra
- Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education & Research Chennai
- Chettinad Academy of Research & Education (CARE) Kancheepuram
- Sri Siddharth Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur | Karnataka
- Jain University | Bangalore Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth | Pune
- Siksha “O’’ Anusandhan, Khandagiri Square |Bhubaneswar
- Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE) of Gandhi Vidya Mandir | Sardarshahr
- Mody Institute of Technology and Science, district Sikar | Rajasthan
- Dr MGR Educational & Research Institute | chennai
- Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Chennai
- Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Virudhunagar | Tamil Nadu
- Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology (PMIST) | Thanjavur
- Academy of Maritime Education and Training (AMET) | Chennai
- Vel’s Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies | Chennai
- Karpagam Academy of Higher Education | Coimbatore
- Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology | Chennai
- Nehru Gram Bharati Vishwavidyalaya | Allahabad
- Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth | Puducherry
- Vinayaka Mission’s Reearch Foundation | Salem, Tamil Nadu
- Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research | Chennai
- Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology | Thanjavur
- Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) | Sriperumbudur
- Shobhit Institute of Information Tech| Meerut
- Jaypee Institute of Information Tech| Noida
- Manav Rachna International University | Faridabad
- Santosh Univ | Ghaziabad
- Lingaya’s Univ | Faridabad
- Maharishi Markandeshwar Univ, Maullana | Ambala
- Janardan Rai Nagar, Udaipur |Rajasthan
- Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya | Haridwar
- Graphic Era University | Dehradun
- Nava Nalanda Mahavihara | Nalanda
- National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology | New Delhi
Transgenic Brinjal: Good or Bad
Feb 10th
The introduction of Bacillus Thuringiensis Brinjal, popularly known as Bt brinjal in India, is still in the middle of debate. This is a genetically modified strain of the non-transgenic Brinjal promoted by India’s top seeds company Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company) in collaboration with an US based transnational Monsanto and their aim is to improve the yields by a significant extent and also help the agricultural sector.
French scientist Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini of the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), carried out the first ever independent assessment of Monsanto-Mahyco’s report on toxicity tests submitted to the Indian regulatory authorities.
Seralini found many heath impact on not only the human and animal life but also on environment.He found :
It involves the insertion of a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into the DNA or genetic code of the Brinjal to produce pesticidal entotoxins in every cell. This toxin can induce antibiotic resistance in the vegetable cells.
this is a major health problem and is inappropriate for commercial use. Bt brinjal have 15 percent less calories and consists of different kinds of alkaloids compared to non-GM brinjal. It contains 16-17 mg/kg Bt insecticide toxin. When fed to animals, effects were observed on blood with significant differences according to the sex of the animal or period of measurement. Other effects were also found on blood clotting time (prothrombin), total bilirubin (liver health), and alkaline phosphate in goats and rabbits.
Changes in lactating cows were observed in increased weight gain, intake of more dry roughage matter and milk production up by 10-14 percent as if they were treated by a hormone.
Rats fed Bt brinjal had diarrhoea, increased water consumption, decrease in liver weight, and liver to body weight. Feed intake was modified in broiler chickens. But in anyhow, there are arguments in favour of its introduction, and there are strong reasons for refusing the approval of Bt brinjal. If it get approved then the Bt Brinjal would be the first genetically modified food in India.
Guidelines for Good Driving
Feb 6th
- Always remember to wear a helmet while driving a two-wheeler and fasten your seat belt when driving a four wheeler.
- Reduce your speed when approaching an intersection.
- Follow the prescribed speed limits.
- Pay attention to the road when you are driving. While driving, please don’t engage in other activities.
- Be courteous to other road users.
- Give pedestrians the right-of-way on Zebra crossing.
- Use indicator lights when changing lanes or negotiating a turn.
- Ensure regular preventive maintenance of your vehicle. Breakdowns on road can be dangerous.
- While driving always carry your driving license and other important documents such as your Vehicle Registration Certificate, Insurance Certificate, Pollution Under control Certificate etc. Please check these documents regularly for their validity.
- Watch your tyre pressure regularly.Under inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, which increases fuel consumption.
- Use Rear-view Mirrors while turning, lane changing or stopping.
- Follow the traffic signals and road signs.
- Always stop before the STOP LINE at traffic intersections when you see a red traffic light or when a policeman signals you to stop.
- Don’t mix drinking and driving.
- Don’t talk on your cell phone while driving.
- Drive steadily. Avoid accelerating or decelerating unnecessarily. Anticipate stops, curve etc. to avoid sudden braking and prevent wastage of useful energy.
- Drive in the proper gerar to save fuel and prevent wear & tear of vehicle. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations in this regard.
- Use clutch only when you change gears. Riding the clutch causes loss of energy and damage clutch-lining.
- Always release the handbrakes when starting youe vehicle.
- Plan your route in advance and avoid rush hours to save time and fuel.
- Use car pools. Looks for people going in the same direction and share your car with them to help reduce the road congestion.
- Before you start on a trip, ask yourself following questions:
Is this trip really essential?
Can I use Public Transport for this trip?
Can I combine this trip with other trips in the same direction?
Goa Minor Rape Case
Jan 29th
The Russian minor rape case which has raised serious safety concerns for foreign tourists visiting GOA still continues to be the point of discussion. Russian government has warned India, that it is concidering issuing travel warning advisory to all the Russians scheduled to travel to Goa from hereon. It also blamed the Goa police for not acting quickly on the case to nab the culprits.
In the latest development, Anil Kumar Raghuvanshi co-accused has been arrested by Police from Bus Stand. Goa Police now hunting for the main accused. The main accused Aman Bhardwaj still absconding. Anil Kumar Raghuvanshi is the friend of the main accused Aman Bhardwaj.
Fog in Indian capital New Delhi, 9 flights cancelled
Jan 7th
Fog hits Delhi hard again with Air & Rail early morning services cancelled or delayed.
Thick fog in Delhi since early morning. MET department has warned about more fog in next few days.
Thankfully the Delhi runway visibility has been improving and the passengers stranded at the Airport might be able to fly in next couple of hours.
Lal chowk gun battle enters 20th hour
Jan 7th
Over 10 guests rescued from the terrorist attack at Lal Chowk. Terrorists are hurling grenades at the security personnels who have been trying to get close to the site.
Terrorists have holed up in Punjab hotel near CRPF camp. Police CRPF storms the srinagar hotel where the 2 terrorists are hiding. 2 people have already lost lives and 9 injured in this terrorist attack on Srinagar’s Lal Chowk.
CRPF & terrorist gun battle has been going on for more than 20 hours now. Security personnels get ready for the final assault.
Rahul Gandhi confirms that pilot was not forced to land in zero visibility
Dec 9th
Rahul Gandhi sidelined all the controversy after his helicopter landed in poor visibility at Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, Dec 7.
In a press conference held later Rahul Gandhi said being a pilot he is absolutely aware of the dangers of flying in low visibility conditions. The pilot has not broken any rules and the media was creating controversy and putting the pilots job in trouble.
We have not put any pressure on the pilot. It was done completely according to procedure. Not once have I broken security rules. There was plenty of visibility when the helicopter landed.
Lahore High Court: No reprieve to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
Dec 4th
Lahore High Court on Thursday rejected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s two petitions. Lakhvi who has been alleged the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
While rejecting his two petitions, the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court directed the Anti-Terrorism Court to consider Lakhvi’s objections against his indictment under provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Lakhvi’s lawyer Sultan Ahmed claimed that the prosecution did not have any incriminating evidence against him. He also said the statement given to the Indian authorities by Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist, was not admissible in the Anti-Terrorism Court.
The next hearing of the case will be in the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala jail on Saturday.