Villages in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, to become 100% solar powered

The villages of Chanduhar and Fakirpur in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, that have never electricity for the last 68 years since Independence, can now boast of being the first villages in the state to be having 100% solar power. It will be free for the first five years.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 July 2015.

Under the initiative of the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the 250 kilowatt mini-grid worth Rs 6.15 crore, was built within four months. It will power 60 street lights and provide energy to 450 homes and their 2,000 residents, apart from commercial establishments, two schools, a training centre and a healthcare facility.
Things will certainly change for the residents of Fakirpur and Chanduhar villages in Kannauj that, till now, used to come to a standstill at sun down. Every electrical appliance from flour mills to submersible water pumps and street lights will be electrified with solar energy in these villages.
The connection has already been given for lights of the streets and narrow lanes and as formal inauguration would be done on July 7 by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, in the presence of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Kannauj Member of Parliament (MP) Dimple Yadav.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Fizzy drinks are the latest health scare – kills 184000 every year

Fizzy drinks that include fizzy soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sweetened iced teas possess no health benefits and have been declared as a Health Scare – these kill as many as 184,000 adults each year as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 30 June 2015.

The experts from the campaign group Action on Sugar, who have carried out the research believes that sugary drinks were involved in 133,000 diabetes deaths worldwide in one year. Another 45,000 died from cardiovascular disease and 6,450 from cancer. All three diseases have been linked to high sugar consumption and the researchers have warned that global community should make it a priority to eliminate such harmful drinks from people’s diets.
During the year under review, there were 1,316 deaths in the UK – the reason was drinking sweetened drinks. Mexico topped the list, with 30 per cent of adult deaths under 45 attributed to sugary drink consumption, and Japan at the other extreme was lowest with 1 per cent.
The study covered sodas, fruit drinks, sports or energy drinks, sweetened iced teas and homemade sugary drinks that contained at least 50 calories per 240ml.. Against this norm, a can of Coca-Cola contains 101 calories per 240ml or 139 overall.
Therefore, in your own interest, ignore those ads of screen heroes and heroines who dance to feet tapping jingles and promote all types of soft fizzy drinks. If you fall for their charms, you will have to pay the price.
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Chinese submarine crosses Arabian Sea and docks at Karachi port

This may come as a shock to many but a Chinese submarine had crossed the Arabian Sea, docked at Karachi port for a week, and returned to Beijing even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his visit to China.
This has been reported in indiatoday.intoday.in dated 27 June 2015.

It was China's Yuan Class 335 submarine, it entered Karachi port on May 22 with a crew of at least 65. The sub and crew spent at least a week in Karachi, refueled, and replenished stocks before returning to China.
The incident happened within a week of Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapping up his Beijing trip.
This Yuan 335 submarine is believed to be China's deadliest conventional submarine and it had left its base at Hainan Island in the South China Sea on 31st March. The sub is equipped with torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and an air-independent propulsion that improves its underwater endurance.
After leaving China, it entered the Gulf of Aden over a fortnight later but Karachi was its first port of call and, that has caught the South Block unawares. This action of Beijing could be the first step for selling subs to Pakistan by China. Apparently, there are plans to sell some eight Yuan class submarines to Pakistan within the next few years.
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India dives deep into the Indian Ocean to search for gold

India has set in motion an ambitious project to explore for mineral deposits and precious metals, especially like gold and silver in the Southern Indian Ocean. This activity for search of polymetallic sulphide would be done in the Rodriguez Triple Junction RTJ which is a geological junction near Mauritius. It is in the southern Indian Ocean where three tectonic plates meet.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 30 June 2015.

Authority to undertake the exploration has been granted the International Seabed Authority (ISA). This is an autonomous international organization that had been established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
A informed by scientists at the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa – our country has been granted 10,000sqkm near RTJ for seabed exploration of polymetallic sulphide. This is a mineral deposit with three or more metals in commercial quantities. The license to conduct the work would be valid for 15 years and it was granted in 2014.
Incidentally, polymetallic sulphide usually holds copper, iron and lead, apart from gold and silver in lesser quantities.
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Top Ramen follows Maggi and goes off the shelves

Another instant noodles hits the dirt – within a few weeks after Maggi was shown the door, Top Ramen has its head on the guillotine. As per directives of the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Indo Nissin, the company that manufactures Top Ramen has announced the withdrawal of its product from the market.
This has been reported in newindianexpress.com dated 30 June 2015.

It seems tests have been conducted at two FSSAI accredited independent laboratories and while many Top Ramen samples have been tested by various state FDAs, slightly higher lead level has been found in the tastemaker in two of the samples. The approval for Top Ramen products is pending with the regulator and they have agreed to withdraw the product until they give the approval.
Apart from instant noodles, nearly 500 other products that have attracted attention of regulators following the ban by FSSAI on Maggi, have at least 32 products from Tata Starbucks, a cereal from Kellogg’s and poultry products from Venky’s. Hindustan Unilever has also recalled its ‘Knorr’ noodles pending FSSAI approval.
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Indian ODI team gets Ajinkya Rahane as new captain for Zimbabwe tour

#AjinkyaRahane #Zimbabwe #Harare #harbhajansingh #INDvsZIM There was a certain amount of uncertainty regarding the Zimbabwe tour to play ODI and T20 and matters appear to have been resolved. The BCCI has agreed to rest a whole lot of players because of ‘too much cricket’ and tiredness and fatigue creeping in which was affecting the performance of key players.
The BCCI has, therefore, given the captaincy to Ajinkya Rahane who will be taking a new crop of players to Zimbabwe to play three ODIs and two T20 matches beginning July 10 in Harare. Ajinkya Rahane is a consistent batsman and, in the just concluded tour of Bangladesh, he got a chance to pay in only one ODI.
This has been reported in oneindia.com dated 29 June 2015.

The new team will see the return of Harbhajan Singh to the shorter formats of the game and new players will be seen in the form of some who have proved their worth in the IPL. They are Murali Vijay, Manoj Tewari, Robin Uthappa, Kedar Jadhav, Karn Sharma, and uncapped Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey and paceman Sandeep Sharma.
There is no specialist wicketkeeper but both Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tywari can carry out the role. Seniors who have been rested are M S Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandra Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Obviously, the BCCI wants to give chances to newcomers and look out for new talent for the future because cricket is a game that will continue to hold attention for a longtime to come and, there is bound to be wastages.
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Solar powered aircraft ‘Solar Impulse 2’ on its way to Hawaii from Japan

#SolarImpulse2 #solarpower #hawaii #japan #AndreBorschberg ‘Solar Impulse 2’ the solar powered aircraft is on the last leg of its journey around the world without using any type of conventional fuel. It has left Japan and is on its way to Hawaii.
This has been reported in dnaindia.com dated 29 June 2015.

The journey from Japan to Hawaii is nearly 8000-Km flight and there is no means of stopping enroute as it wings its way across the Pacific Ocean. And, 12 hours after take-off, it was more than 1,000-Km into its 7,900-kilometre flight and its pilot "Andre Borschberg had passed the point of no return.
The flight is expected to describe an arc between Japan and Hawaii because it has to follow a corridor with no clouds. ‘Solar Impulse 2’ was delayed for a month in Japan and it finally took off from the central Japanese city of Nagoya.
In the event of any problem cropping up and if the pilot has to face the worst-case scenario, the 62-year-old Borschberg would have to eject from his super-lightweight cockpit with a parachute and a life raft.
Then, he would have to inflate the life raft and wait for another plane to bring help and life support. The pilot can remain in this big raft for approximately three days by which time a ship can come to rescue him.
For the records - Solar Impulse 2 had taken off from Abu Dhabi earlier in 2015 in a multi-leg attempt to get all the way around the world without a single drop of fuel. The flying machine was not supposed to land in Japan, but due to bad weather from Nanjing in China to Hawaii, it was a forced diversion that happened at the beginning of June.
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Chimpanzees escape from Oasis Park in Canary Island and attack staff members

#oasispark #Fuerteventura #chimpanzees It turned out to be a chaotic situation when three chimpanzees broke out from their cage in Oasis Park – a zoo in Canary Islands. British holidaymakers were caught by surprise and the primates attacked the staff members. When tranquilizers failed to contain them, they were shot – two died while the third is seriously injured.
Tis has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 June 2015.

The three animals were called King, Cheeta and Felipa – out of them, King and Felipa, are dead and Cheeta is undergoing emergency treatment from the vets. They had been at the park for over 20 years. It seems King and Cheeta had been rescued in 1988 from a street photographer and Felipa had been saved from animal traffickers by the Service for the Protection of Nature.
The Fuerteventura Oasis Park had recently received a TripAdvisor certificate of excellence and its owners have termed the incident as ‘the saddest day in the history of the park since it opened its doors in 1985’.
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4th of July – Americans must be vigilant about ISIS attacks

House Committee on Homeland Security has warned Americans to “remain vigilant” to homegrown terror threats on the 4th of July because the ISIS terrorist had committed three deadly attacks simultaneously within three hours on three continents by launching terror attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait.
By doing this, they have demonstrated that ISIS is not just a regionalized setup active in Iraq and Syria but is a global threat because they can conduct external operations easily since they are tech savvy and use the owes of the Internet.
This has been reported in foxnews.com date 28 June 2015.

In France, they attacked an American-owned industrial chemical plant near Lyon where they tried to blow up the factory and decapitated a person. In Kuwait City, it was a suicide bombing in one of the largest Shiite mosques in the area in which at least 24 people have been killed. And, in Tunisia, the target was a beach resort in which at least 27 persons were killed.
As far as America is concerned, the Federal Bureau of Investigations FBI has already arrested 10 U.S. citizens who were plotting attacks on American soil over the past three weeks. Many of the calls came from social media messages, Internet-based propaganda and other digital domains.
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At least 30 Britons were killed in the Tunisia attack

As more information becomes available, it is believed that the number of British people killed in the Tunisia terror attack could double and go up to at least 30. There were 38 victims and the Government had already confirmed 15 of them to be from UK. Three of the dead are Irish.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 29 June 2015.

The killer 24-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui had begun his deadly rampage from inside the hotel grounds and Britons have paid the heaviest price in the atrocity at the beach resort in Sousse but, it cannot be said that the targets were only the Britons. Incidentally, the hotel was one that was housing a majority of British tourists.
The killer was later shot down by the police – he had a bomb on his body.
The hotel director has revealed that there were three gunmen involved in the attack and Scotland Yard has indicated that 16 detectives and forensic experts have been sent to Tunisia to help local officers.
Rime Minister David Cameron has said that Britain will not submit to terror threats and would defeat what he branded as a "poisonous ideology".
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Dragon fails to keep its date with the International Space Station

The Dragon cargo spaceship failed to keep its date with the International Space Station. It was carrying 4,000 pounds (1,800-Kg) of gear to the space station and among the items was a large parking space. It was an International Docking Adaptor which was designed to make it easier for an array of commercial crew spacecraft to dock at the orbiting lab in the future.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 28 June 2015.

This failure of Dragon is attributed to explosion of the unmanned SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket – it happened within minutes after launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida and before the first stage could separate.
The rocket was carrying the Dragon cargo spacecraft with supplies and equipment meant for the ISS. It was the 7th cargo mission of SpaceX – it has a contact for 12 missions. Now, in view of this incident, another Dragon would have to be readied for dispatch of the items required by the ISS.
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Relaxed norms for growing wheat leaves FCI with 24m tonnes of poor quality stuff

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is stuck with a major problem. It has procured 27 million tonnes of wheat so far this year and most of it was under relaxed norms. The norms had been relaxed by the government in order to help the farmers whose crops were hit in the unseasonal rain and hailstorm.
The good intentions of the government has created a problem for itself because the grains have a shorter shelf life and must be used in 8 to 10 months. Moreover, the grain is shrivelled, broken and lacks lustre.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 29 June 2015.

While there is a need to protect the interest of farmers, the problem for FCI is how to offload the stock. It can distribute a maximum of 20 million tonnes through the PDS or Fair Price shops – the balance has to go in the open market but, who will buy substandard wheat at the official price.
The problem is confounded by the fact that the government has also allowed import of wheat and this wheat sells at cheaper price as compared to the FCI stock.
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Four naughty women tie the Modi government in knots

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when taking over the reins of the country had indicated that he was not one to accept corruption. His administration has, within the year, initiated action against previous regime stalwarts who are believed to have been involved in irregularities. But, he is now faced with four women leaders who belong to his own party and appear to have been involved in misdeeds that are tarnishing the clean image of the part.
It seems it is turning out to be a case of the pot calling the kettle of being black.
The way skeletons are stumbling out of the cupboard of the Modi government within one year in office is a matter of concern for the Prime Minister.

Four women stalwarts are in the center of controversy – two of them are central ministers, one is the chief minister of a state and the fourth is a minister in the Maharashtra government. Their behind-the-scenes activity have come a huge embarrassment for the Prime Minister and he, like his predecessor, has chosen to remain silent on the affairs. The chief minister had made a trip to New Delhi to explain her position but she has, apparently, been snubbed by New Delhi.
The controversy surrounding the second union minister is regarding her education certificate – it seems the certificate she had submitted on different occasions for contesting elections were not consistent – she has sought to explain it off as ‘typo errors’.
Once upon a time the party that used to criticize the then Prime Minister of remaining silent on matters of corruption find that their own Prime Minister is following the same route.
And, ever since the controversy broke, the senior minister is abroad – probably waiting for the heat to cool off.
As to the minister of Maharashtra, she is trying to put up a brave front – she is the daughter of a famous political leader and knows the tricks of the trade.

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Express train rams into a herd of nilgai near Kamil jungle and leaves 14 dead

The nilgai is Asia's largest antelope and 14 of them were mowed down by the speeding Kasganj-Farrukhabad passenger train near Kampil jungle. The location is about 148-Km from Agra. The accident occurred when the herd of about 35 animals was crossing the railway tracks late in the evening.
The train was running at its peak speed of nearly 55 km per hour when the accident took place.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 28 June 2015.

There was no human casualties, neither any derailment of the train but, the front part of the engine was badly damaged due to the impact. The train had dragged bodies of the antelopes for several hundred metres. While a total of 14 nilgais were killed, many others were stuck under the train's engine for hours before they could be rescued by Railways' quick reaction team.
The stretch of tracks had to be cleared of the dead animals and, as a result, there was delay of around one hour for other trains on the route.
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Explosion and fire in Formosa Water Park in Taipei injures over 500

The explosion and fire happened as a concert was on in the Formosa Water Park in Taipei and the sudden accident left over 500 injured with around 80 serious with over 40% burns. At the time there was neatly 1000 people in the crowd and many of them fled in their swimwear.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 28 June 2015.

The incident apparently took place when some colored powder was being sprayed near a music stage and the powder ignited and turned into a fireball that swept through the 1,000-strong crowd. The stage on fire and crowds were seen running away.
The injured had to be shifted out of the danger zone in inflatable rubber dinghies which were converted to makeshift beds.
New Taipei Mayor has ordered the park to shut down immediately and be placed under a rigorous investigation.
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No more cold drinks or junk food for Amarnath Yatra

Supreme Court of India had ruled in 2012 that there should no sale of cold drinks or junk food to pilgrims who are going for the Amarnath Yatra to ensure that health of the pilgrims is taken care of. Hence, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has decided that from this year onwards, the ban would be strictly enforced. This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 26 June 2015.

Following the Supreme Court's concern over the large number of pilgrim deaths in 2012, an expert committee had explained that shortage of oxygen supply on the route to the cave results in difficulties in digesting stuff like fast foods and cold drinks – that leads to breathing problems and health problems. The SASB has also asked the larger organizers not to distribute fried food items and cold drinks since they are also not good for the health in low oxygen conditions. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Agra Railway Police sends 109 persons to jail for committing nuisance on railway property

Peeing in public places is a common sight in India and Agra has set a trend by arresting 109 persons who have been caught by the Railway Police for urinating in public and committing other nuisance in or around the railway platforms, railway tracks, and parking lot. It was an unprecedented cleanliness drive. The 109 persons were sent to jail for 24 hours after they were found urinating on the railway property, including platform, tracks parking lot. They were, subsequently, released after paying fines ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 June 2015.

The drive was conducted over a 48-hour period across 12 stations of GRP, Agra division and, out of those nabbed, 27 were caught in the act. The divisions were Agra Cantt, Agra Fort, Idgah, Raja Ki Mandi and Tundla.
The drive was in accordance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.
It is a wonderful move, no doubt, especially in Agra which is a tourist spot. But the fact remains that the facilities available at railway stations are not only inadequate but also dirty and unhealthy, the floors are wet and slimy and the surroundings stinky. The authorities need to look into this aspect.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Terrorist attack in Lyon, France – man beheaded by IS militants

In a terrorist attack in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, Lyon, a man has been decapitated and several others injured at a chemicals factory in France. The attack has been labeled as a terrorist attack by President Francois Hollande. The dead man had Arabic inscriptions on him and there was an Islamist flag found near the site.
This has been reported on bbc.com dated 26 June 2015.

It seems there were a number of explosions before two men drove into the Air Products gas factory near Lyon and crashed into it in a car. The Air Products is a US-based firm. One of the suspects, a 30-year-old who was known to police, has been arrested.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has ordered that security be stepped up at sensitive sites around Lyon. The attack has come nearly six months after Islamist attacks in and around Paris that had killed 17 people.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Britons have changed their food habits – go in for pizzas, kebabs and ready meals

A recent study has revealed that the British have changed their food habits over the last four decades and going for pizzas, kebabs and ready meals – cooking has gone for a nosedive! Other food items that have become more popular are chicken, salmon and yoghurt, while jelly squares have all but gone – its requirement has dropped from 13 grams per week to 5 grams.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 26 June 2015.

The study has also brought to light the facts that they now buy staggering amounts of bottled water as compared to the 1970s, and liver, Brussels sprouts or lard do not find a pace in their shopping lists.
Moreover, in trying to become a healthier nation, they purchase more of brown bread – its sale has gone up 93 per cent over the past four decades, while white bread is down 71 per cent.
These have been disclosed in the annual Family Food survey by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DEFRA – the analysis is of the average amount of popular foods purchased per person, per week, in 1974 as compared to 2013.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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DHC-3 Otter turboprop plane on sightseeing mission crashes in Alaska – 9 killed

Eight cruise ship passengers and a pilot were killed when a sightseeing plane DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter turboprop crashed in southeastern Alaska. The reasons for the crash is not known but, it was found against the cliff's granite rock face, 800 feet above Ella Lake.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 25 June 2015.

The deaths have been confirmed by the Alaska office of the National Transportation Safety Board. It has added that rainy and windy weather was hindering recovery of the bodies off the cliff about 20 miles northeast of Ketchikan. It is in a steep, mountainous terrain.
The sightseeing was of the Misty Fjords National Monument and the ship was on a seven-day cruise that had come from Seattle. The attractions of the tour of the 2-million-acre Misty Fjord National Monument in its float planes were the towering granite cliffs, 1,000-foot waterfalls, lush and remote valleys and serene crystalline lakes that make up the incredible landscape.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Good news from the Cold War front – Putin rings up Obama in the White House

#BarackObama #VladimirPutin #ISIS #Syria #Irannucleardeal #coldwar There appears to be some good news from the Cold War front. President Putin has rung up President Obama in the White House and expressed a desire to meet, sit down and try to find out a workable solution to solve the global problems that are being faced.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 26 June 2015.

The recent unrest in Ukraine over the annexation of Crimea by Russia coupled with the increasing clout and influence of the Islamic State, the civil war in Syria and Iran’s nuclear deal, are a few problems that has landed the world in a chaotic situation.
The face-off between the United States and Russia on Ukraine has led to the precipitation of a Cold War and, both sides want to have control of the northern areas - NATO has indicated that it would step up its military presence in eastern Europe, while Russia is trying to prevent that.
Already several sanctions have been slapped on individuals and organizations because of the Ukraine affair. President Putin has, all along, denied siding with the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine and, the phone call with Obama, had been initiated by him.
The crisis in Ukraine has taken the lives of at least 6,500 people in a little over a year and a peace deal was struck in Minsk, Belarus.
The two leaders have also reportedly discussed Syria, where the self-proclaimed Islamic State group has made rapid gains, apart from the historic negotiations between world powers and Iran over its disputed nuclear program. They have also underscored the importance of continued P5+1 unity in ongoing negotiations to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
(Image courtesy wikmediacommons.org)

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Women in Punjab taking over the drug trade

Women in Punjab appear to be taking over the drug kingdom. A 47-year-old woman is behind bars for after a local court found her guilty of possessing 500-Kg of intoxicating powder and poppy husk. She was booked under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and is one among 513 such women, booked under the NDPS Act in the state.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 June 2015.

As per records, 173 women had been arrested and convicted last year alone. Before to that, in 2013, the number caught was only 43 – and, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the remaining 340 are undertrials.
Most of the women (38) are lodged in Amritsar jails because the heroin is entering the state from the Pakistan border.
The number of men caught in narcotics smugglers is 11,400 locked in Punjab jails. However, Punjab is a male-dominated state where the sex ratio is 895 women per 1,000 men as per 2011 census. Hence, when 500 women are in jail for allegedly running drug rackets, it is a matter of concern.
Many of these women have wealth that run to crores of rupees.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Thieves in UP steal nine buffaloes from BJP MLA’s farmhouse

Theft of buffaloes is on the rise in UP. The latest victim now is BJP MLA Dharampal Singh from Awla. Thieves have taken away nine of his buffaloes from his farmhouse. This act of daring has, once again, raised serious questions for the UP government.
This has been reported in news18.com dated 24 June 2015.

As informed, Dharampal Singh has a resort in Siroli’s Gularia village under Bareilly district. There is a dairy in the farm and the thieves stole the buffalos after tying the caretaker of the farmhouse who doubles up as a guard as well. The thieves gained entry to the farmhouse and after tying the caretaker escaped with nine buffaloes. After the caretaker managed to untie himself, he immediately informed the minister about the theft. Singh’s brother has registered a complaint in Siroli police station and the police have begun investigation.
Incidentally, the police have managed to nab the thief who had stolen seven buffaloes belonging to UP Minister Azam Khan. The seven buffaloes, worth lakhs of rupees, had been stolen from a barn owned by the Azam Khan, UP Minister for Minorities and Urban Development on January 31, 2014. Subsequently, search was launched by the police using dog squads, crime branch sleuths and police personnel.
The thief has now been nabbed as reported in ndtv.com dated 24 June 2015.
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More than 700 die in worst heatwave to hit Pakistan in a decade

A heatwave in Pakistan has left at least 700 dead – it is believed to be the worst heatwave to hit the country in a decade, with temperatures reaching 45C (113F). Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared a state of emergency.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 24 June 2015.

The scorching weather first struck the southern Sindh province during the weekend and, since it is now the fasting month of Ramadan, when Muslims do not consume food or water during daylight hours, the situation has been aggravated. Morgues do not have space to store the dead and hospitals are trying to save the sick. So far, nearly 750 people are known to have died while thousands more are under treatment for heat-related ailments like fever, dehydration and stomach-related illnesses.
The worst-hit area is reported to be Karachi, the country's largest city, where at least 600 people have died. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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At least 34 dead in heavy rains in Gujarat – Rajkot and Amreli face floodlike situations

Gujarat is in the grip of the monsoons and at least 34 deaths have been reported, as a result of heavy rains coupled with squally winds parts of Gujarat like Rajkot and Amreli are faced with flood-like situation, besides claiming 34 lives due to continuous downpour.
In Ahmedabad, the heavy rainfall has left many parts inundated while few of the areas are worst-affected due to water-logging.
This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 24 June 2015.

Teams of NDRF, Indian Air Force and SRP have been pressed into service at Rajkot and Amreli to rescue the stranded people. The heavy rains have led to disruption of electricity supply in many villages. Approximately 1,500 people have been shifted to safer locations.
The Met department had already cautioned earlier that a "depression" had formed over the Arabian Sea, a second time in a month, which could turn into a "deep depression" and bring heavy rains in the state of Gujarat. Districts of heavy rains include -- Gir Somnath, Amreli, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. The city of Surat recorded more than 100 mm rain-fall and Ahmedabad, more than 200 mm.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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India wins 3rd ODI at Mirpur – Bangladesh lose the chance of a whitewash

#INDvBAN #SureshRaina #ShikharDawan #ViratKohli #Mirpur Bangladesh could not do the whitewash and India beat the home team at Mirpur by 77 runs to win the 3rd ODI and but lose the series 2-1. If only they had played a proper game and had not been overconfident in the previous games, the result could have been different.
Bangladesh won the toss and asked India to bat first. India put up an impressive score of 317 for loss of 6 wickets and Bangladesh fell short by 77 runs.
This has been reported in hindustantimes.com dated 24 June 2015.

Some long partnerships helped India go past the 300 run mark. There was Dhoni's 93-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ambati Rayudu (44 off 49) and Dhawan's 75-run partnership for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (25 off 35).
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (69 runs off 77 balls) and opener Shikhar Dhawan (75 off 73) played to their potentials.
Man of the Match was Suresh Raina who had put an all-round effort with both the bat and the ball – he scored 38 before ending with career-best figures of three for 45.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Global warming – snow on the Himalayas is melting too fast due to rise in temperatures


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Today TV dictates our lifestyle

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