Heavy rains in West Bengal, Mamata rushes back from London - 39 deaths reported

Heavy rains have crippled West Bengal and so far, 39 deaths have been reported – moreover, it has affected nearly seven lakh people leaving many homeless. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of those who died and has asked concerned officials to ensure prompt rescue, relief and restoration work.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 1 August 2015.

Most of the deaths were from lightning strike, wall collapse, electrocution, snake bite or drowning.
The Chief Minister had cut short her London visit and returned back to Kolkata because of the cyclone threat. She has asked the officials to ensure that release of water from different barrages due to heavy rains in the high catchment area is controlled and done with prior notice to local residents.
Preliminary assessment of Disaster Management department officials for loss to crops is of the order of one lakh hectare in areas of Howrah, Nadia, Birbhum, West Midnapore and Burdwan.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Gold smuggling route to India via London - courtesy airline staff

The gold route to India is changing track – it is now entering the country via London, courtesy airline staff. London is fast becoming the new source for smuggling the yellow metal into India and crew members of international airlines are turning out to be the new carriers. This is the first time that London has figured on the gold smuggling map to India.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 August 2015.

In the recent past, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have arrested three crew members of Jet Airways and Virgin Atlantic – they were carrying nearly 7-Kg of gold valued at nearly Rs 2 crore. They were on the route Heathrow airport to Delhi.
Moreover, Customs authorities at the airport have also apprehended staff of Bird Worldwide Flight Services India Private Ltd for helping a passenger smuggle in gold.
In the opinion of experts, since the authorities have become more alert on traditional smuggling routes like through Dubai, Thailand, Colombo and Nepal, the smugglers had to identify an alternate route – hence, London.
Gold has also been smuggled in from other routes like Bangladesh, Singapore and China.
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One 14ft Burmese python shot dead after an 18-ft one was caught in the Everglades

Burmese pythons in America – while one 14ft specimen was shot dead in a Missouri yard after it had apparently been targeting pets in the area, another 18-ft one had been captured some time back in the Everglades. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 30 July 2015.

The 14ft, 160lb python had been spotted in rural Warren County at the same time that two dogs and three chickens went missing. These have apparently become fodder for the snake. It was later shot dead.
As per a Missouri Department of Conservation official, owners who keep them as pets usually dump them outdoors when they get too big.
It comes after a female Burmese python measuring 18ft 3ins and weighing 133lbs, was captured on Shark Valley tram road on 9 July. It was captured along a wildlife-watching trail in Everglades National Park and was the second largest to be caught in Florida.
On a rough estimated there are nearly 100,000 pythons in South Florida – these Burmese pythons came to Florida decades ago as a result of the international pet trade.
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Rural families use firewood for cooking because they cannot afford LPG

As per latest statistics, nearly two third of rural families living in villages use firewood for cooking during July, 2011 to June, 2012 – the corresponding figure for cities was only 14 per cent.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 30 July 2015.

The question of why rural families go in for firewood instead of gas is not because they love the smell of burning wood but because they just cannot afford such luxuries. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants those who have two LPG connections to surrender one so that he could give it to those who use firewood. The fact is that they do not use firewood by choice but by compulsion.
The report of National Sample Survey Organisation study based on NSS 68th round of survey carried out during July, 2011 to June, 2012 has indicated that at the all-India level, firewood and chips were used by more than two-third (67.35) of rural households, followed by LPG, which was used by 15 per cent households.
The findings are - in villages, the proportion of families dependent on firewood and chips for cooking exceeded 56 per cent in all major states except Punjab and Haryana. Dung cake was an alternative – this was used for cooking for 33.4 per cent of rural families in Uttar Pradesh, 30.3 per cent in Punjab, 24.4 per cent in Haryana, 20.8 per cent in Bihar and 10.6 per cent in Madhya Pradesh.
Use of LPG for cooking in rural India was Tamil Nadu (37.2 per cent), Kerala (30.8 per cent) and Punjab (30.5 per cent). Against this, use of LPG was least in Chhattisgarh (1.5 per cent) followed by Jharkhand (2.9 per cent) and Odisha (3.9 per cent).
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Onion prices shoot through the roof – get ready to have Pakistani onions

Onions have yet again brought the residents of Delhi to tears – with high-quality onion prices hitting Rs 50 per Kg due to limited supplies, government agencies have begun to take action. In order to keep the price in check, the SFAC and NAFED have started to sell onions via Safal and DMS retail outlets in the Delhi-NCR region.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 30 July 2015.

The Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) and the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation (NAFED) have managed to procure 7,000-8,000 tonnes of onions from Nasik using the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF). The price at Lasalgaon mandi in Nashik is Rs 31.50 per kg.
However, low-quality onions are still available for Rs 30-40 per kg. The bulbs from Rajasthan sell for Rs 20-30 per kg and those from Madhya Pradesh and Nashik are available at Rs 30-40 per kg.
NAFED has also floated a tender to import 10,000 tonnes of onions. Most probably, the source of supply would be Pakistan, China and Egypt. Gurdaspur may continue to happen but onions from across the border will bring back the smiles.
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Rat inside Air India’s Dreamliner forces it to abort flight to Milan and return to Delhi

A rat in the cabin of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner forced the aircraft to return back to base after four hours into the flight AI-123 from New Delhi to Milan. The rat was spotted by some passengers and crew members. Since such sighting means the aircraft must land immediately, the captain had no other alternative.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 31 July 2015.

At the time, the aircraft was over Pakistan airspace and needed to jettison furl to ensure a safe landing. It had been filled up for the long flight to Italy hence, a large quantity of fuel had to be jettisoned.
Rat menace in aircraft is not new – it happens all over the world. But, this happens to be the second time in as many months that AI flights from Delhi faced a rodent problem. In May-end, its aircraft had to be grounded in Leh after some rats were spotted on it.
In the opinion of experts, rats usually get on board an aircraft via the catering vans. The rodents follow the large storage cases in which food trays are kept. Food keeps getting dropped and the rats get on the high lifts that take those storage cases to aircraft and, subsequently, remain there.
The trouble is that if they chew through the electrical cables of the aircraft, it can go out of control and crash. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Misplaced priorities - Indian Railways begin online survey for bedrolls that only a few use

Indian Railways have mixed up its priorities – instead of concentrating on activities that would affect the majority, they want to focus attention on only a select group of passengers that does not constitute the masses. They want to improve passenger amenities and services and have, therefore, begun an online survey on consumers' preference of bedrolls which will cover aspects from cleanliness and hygienic conditions to their color and design choice.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 30 July 2015.

Incidentally, bedrolls are provided to only the passengers who travel in air-conditioned classes and that is only a handful – in mail and express trains, out of the 20-plus compartments, less than half are air-conditioned.
Anyway, the babus know best and, as per the news, the proforma can be filled up online by August 17. The questions asked in this survey include all aspects pertaining to bedrolls like cleanliness and hygienic conditions, color preference, size preference, design preference, fabric preference, possible charges.
It is revealed that the Indian Railways have signed a MoU with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to work on quality and design of bedrolls and related issues. Hence, this survey that has been designed to generate necessary data for implementation.
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Some little known facts about the Jagannath Temple Mahaprasad of Puri

During the annual rath yatra or chariot festival of Lord Jagannath in Puri, mahaprasad is offered to all devotees and it is cooked on the premises of the temple at Ananda Bazar (abode of peace). This is believed to be the largest open-air eatery in the world where thousands of devotees buy and eat together irrespective of their caste, creed or status.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 30 July 2015.

This mahaprasad is prepared by a team of 600-700 cooks in earthen pots on wood fires and nearly 50,000 pilgrims take it daily, thus generating a business of Rs 8-12 lakhs. The total amount of ingredients that go into preparing this mahaprasad are 40 to 50 quintals rice and 20 quintal dal (pulses) daily. Then there are other vegetables to cook.
The cost of a kudua (assimilation of clay containers) containing rice and different types of dal and vegetables starts from Rs. 50.
The mouth-watering ‘Mahaprasad’ (food first offered to the deity) of the Jagannath Temple has managed to retain its appeal among tens of millions of devotees for ages. On an average, it cooked for around 20,000 people on any given day but, on special occasions, it goes up to nearly 50,000 people.
It seems Rs.800,000-Rs.10,00,000 are generated every day from the sale of Mahaprasad.
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Mamata Banerjee to trade Tata’s small car Nano with Swraj Paul’s sports car Caparo T-1

Mamata Banerjee’s trip to Britain to woo investors and bring back investments into West Bengal got a boost of sorts when Swraj Paul, the Indian-origin British businessman whose company had an auto ancillary unit in Singur, indicated that his firm would consider setting up a plant in Bengal to manufacture a compact sports car Caparo T-1 for the Indian market.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 30 July 2015.

Swraj Paul has admitted that his sports car may not be suitable for the Indian market since it is in the high price range but he has assured Mamata Banerjee that his company is in the process of designing a cheaper sports car. Once that is done, he would consider Bengal for setting up a plant. There are many ifs and buts.
Chief Minister had gone to meet Swraj Paul in his apartment along with some businessmen from Bengal before she headed back to the airport to catch a flight to India. She had to cut short her visit because of the flood situation in Bengal.
Incidentally, Swraj Paul’s company still holds 18 acres of land in Singur. It had already begun production of equipment before Mamata's anti-land acquisition movement forced Tata Motors to shift its Nano plant out of Bengal. Obviously, it affected Swraj Paul also.
It is a quirk of fate that Mamata had driven out the small car Nano of the Tatas meant for the masses and could now be looking at the sports car Caparo T-1 meant for a selected few.
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Researchers discover a 5000-year-old house with 97 skeletons in China

It was a most strange find in China - the remains of 97 human bodies stuffed into a small 20-square meter 5,000-year-old house in a prehistoric village in the northeast. An anthropological team at Jilin University in China is studying these prehistoric remains, trying to determine what had happened to these people.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 29 July 2015.

The remains include bodies of juveniles, young adults and middle-age adults - all are crammed into the 5000-year-old house. In the opinion of experts, it could have been the result of a 'prehistoric disaster' like an epidemic of sorts.
The modern-day name of the site is 'Hamin Mangha' in Inner Mongolia. It appears to date back to a time before writing was used in the area and when people lived in relatively small settlements, growing crops and hunting for food. There are remains of pottery, grinding instruments, arrows and spearheads that throw some light on their way of life.
The house has been dubbed 'F40.'
Incidental, the skeletons in the northwest are relatively complete, but those in the east have only the skulls, with limb bones scarcely remaining. In the south, limb bones have been discovered stacked in two or three layers. Moreover, on the floor there are numerous human skeletons scattered in a haphazard manner.
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Nepal to stop slaughter of animals during Gadhimai festival

During the Gadhimai festival in Nepal, lakhs of animals are slaughtered every year by worshippers because such actions ae believed to bring prosperity and wealth. However, Nepal has now taken a decision to ban such inhuman acts and the temple authorities have announced an indefinite ban on this centuries-old Hindu tradition of mass animal slaughter.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 29 July 2015.

This 300 year old festival will go bloodless in its next edition in 2019 – the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of worshippers and more than five lakh animals get slaughtered.
The festival is held once in five years and hordes of devotees from Nepal and India flock to a temple in the Himalayan nation's southern plains where thousands of animals are sacrificed to appeasing the Hindu goddess of power, Gadhimai.
The last festival was held in 2014 and, in spite of the presence of police and a Supreme Court order to check the illegal smuggling of animals from Indian borders, people continued to cross the Bihar border with live cattle. In fact, 70% of the animals are technically smuggled from India.
Animal rights activists have applauded the decision. The campaign to ban this practice had attracted support from foreign celebrities like British actress Joanna Lumley and French movie legend Brigitte Bardot.
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Maoists could attack Howrah, Sealdah and Kolkata Metro stations

Eastern Railway has received intelligence reports that suggest that the railway stations of Kolkata namely Howrah, Sealdah and Kolkata Metro railway stations could be targeted by Maoists.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 29 July 2015.

It appears that Maoist posters have been found at some railway stations of Eastern Railway like Ratanpur and Kajra railway stations in Jamalpur-Kiul section of Malda Division and, security has accordingly been strengthened at these locations.
Moreover, in view of the terror strike at Gurudaspur in Punjab, extra security measures have been adopted because, the railways have become an area of soft target.
Some of the measures are sniffer dogs for checking at important stations, passenger areas as well as mail, express, passenger and EMU trains. In addition, special watch was also being kept at crowded places like computerized reservation counters, cloak rooms, waiting halls, toilets and especially concourse areas.
Notwithstanding the above, Quick Reaction Teams have been formed. All the divisions of Eastern Railway like Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol and Malda have been alerted to gear up their security machinery to handle any sabotage or terrorist activities.
However, given the lack of equipment like CCTV, metal detectors and the gaping holes in the fencing of railway stations, providing full security coverage would be a major challenge.
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Monsoon mayhem leaves at least 25 dead in Gujarat – tourists stranded in Mt Abu

It is monsoon mayhem in Gujarat where heavy rains accompanied by gusts of wind has left at least 25 dead – the worst hit is believed to be Banaskantha district where incessant rain has resulted in a flood-like situation, especially in towns bordering Rajasthan.
This is the considered to be the epicenter of a deep depression that is bringing rainfall in Gujarat.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 29 July 2015.

In Banashkantha district, reports of eight deaths have been received - two from Kankrej, and one each from Vav, Tharad, Suigam, Dhanera, Bhabhar and Lakhani. In addition, six people are also missing.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have already moved to Suigam, Tharad, Lakhani and Dhanera towns and nearly 1,000 people have been shifted to safer locations in the district. It seems around 400 villages are without electricity because of uprooting of 1,005 poles.
Communication links have gone down in Banaskantha and Patan districts since many electricity poles have been were uprooted due to strong winds and in Mount Abu, tourists are stranded - the road leading to the hill station had to be shut down due to landslides.
This is an example of the vagaries of nature – just one week ago, north Gujarat was the most rain-deficient region with just 19% of AAR (Average Annual Rainfall) and, within 48 hours the region has received nearly 70% of AAR.
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Indian origin witch doctors fleeing from New Zealand

Indian origin witch doctors have been doing a roaring business in New Zealand conning vulnerable and superstitious people. One woman from the Indian community had apparently paid a "six-figure" sum to a shaman to help her out of her miseries. But, with threats of deportation hanging over their heads, they are trying to leave the country.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 28 July 2015.

As informed by Pratima Nand, a community leader who has helped to blow the whistle on the witch doctors says that these persons are now fleeing the country in droves because they are under threat of deportation.
Pratima has received complaints from people who had believed witch doctors could help with finance, business, love, health and even immigration issues. Some of the victims had even handed over personal details and photos to the witch doctors.
One witch doctor is understood to have pledged to help a woman but after she forked out $1800 he disappeared. When the "patient" went to him for a planned follow-up visit, she found the door locked and his business closed.
These witch doctors have established themselves across New Zealand in cities outside South Auckland like Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch. and the scale of their business was bigger than previously acknowledged.
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It took 11-hours to neutralise three terrorists in Gurdaspur police station

It was a terrible morning when three militants, suspected to be from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), killed seven people and injured several others before being gunned down by commandos of the Punjab Police in Dinanagar town of Gurdaspur district.
It took nearly 11 hours to neutralize the terrorists. The action was undertaken by the state police commandos who were supported by the army, National Security Guards (NSG) and Special Security Group (SSG) commandos.
This has been reported in dnaindia.com dated 28 July 2015.

The three militants we finally killed and as per official sources, they had infiltrated from Pakistan's Bamiyal sector. This is an international border just 20 km away from the city's bus stand.
The militants were dressed in army fatigues and they first attacked the driver of a Maruti 800 around 5:30 am on the Taragarh-Dinanagar road behind the bus stand and hijacked the car. As they sped away, they fired indiscriminately on a Jammu-bound bus that was carrying 70 passengers.
The terrorists then entered the two-storey police building, which was in a dilapidated state, and took the building into their custody hurling grenades at security forces to keep them at bay.
In the opinion of the Punjab police, the target of the militants was possibly Amarnath pilgrims but, due to some reasons, they changed their plans and targeted the police station.
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Government sanctions 50 UAVs for use of the BSF and CRPF

In order to strengthen security in the border areas, the government has sanctioned procurement of 50 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the use of the central armed police forces like BSF and CRPF. Moreover, people who ae deployed in hard duty areas would be entitled to some special duty allowances.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 27 July 2015.

The announcement was made today by Home Minister Rajnath Singh during the 76th Raising Day celebrations of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The minister stated that his ministry has approved purchase of 50 UAVs for enhancing and aiding the operations of central paramilitary forces. These forces are deployed for rendering a variety of internal security duties, anti-Naxal operations and also guarding the borders.
The UAVs are used for stealth reconnaissance of unseen territories and these flying machines provide a vital edge for troops on ground during operations.

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How to improve digestion through proper food items

Digestion is a major area of concern for many and, the makers of those wonder pills and tablets that guarantee instant digestion in the twinkling of an eye, keep dishing out super-fast selling products from the shelves of the medicine shops.
There are the any number of allopathic remedies and, ayurvedic remedies are also fast catching up – thanks to the sudden focus on Ayurveda.
The point to note is that indigestion can spoil anyone’s day – therefore, following some normal tips can help solve the problem.

1 Chew the food properly and do not just gulp it down – chewing ensures that necessary juices get released through the saliva and that, in turn, helps digestion
2 Ensure that fermented food items are there in the menu – items like pickles and curd should be obvious choices
3 Take care of the liver – abstain from alcohol and, go in for boosting the intake of liver-loving foods like carrots, beetroot and green leafy veggies and freshly squeezed juices.
4 Drink plenty of water – water is always useful for indigestion. It can be in the form of plain water or in the form of fresh nimbu paani, coconut water or fruit juices. Other options are herbal green teas
5 Learn to keep stress under control – life minus stress is unthinkable today. No one can live in isolation like the sages of yore who used to go to an isolated spot to meditate. Today, meditation is a part of everyday life. Stress can wreak havoc on the mind and affect digestion. Apart from meditation, a few other methods to release stress are pranayam, yoga, listening to soothing music, walking and short naps.
Read more at this link. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Effects of Syrian war – Zabadani, once a famous resort, now in ruins

Zabadani situated in the hills between Damascus and the Lebanese border, was once one of Syria's best-known resorts and was particularly popular with Gulf holiday-makers. The cool summer air and stone houses have now been reduced to ruins. Same for the nearby Christian village of Bloudan which was Syria's best-known skiing center – easily accessible from the capital which was just 30 miles away.
However, these beautiful spots are now in ruins and have turned into ghost towns as reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 27 July 2015.

Besieged, bombarded by regime jets and turned into a defensive nest by the Islamist rebels, Zabadani has become the latest victim of Syria's endless war and it can never regain its former glory and bring the tourists back.
As per information of the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights nearly 600 barrel bombs had landed on the town since the start of the army's operation at the beginning of the month.
Locals lament that Zabadani was the number one place in Syria for Gulf tourists. They would arrive in summer and rent accommodation. There would be no vacancy. The restaurants and cafés did wonderful business. All that is now history.
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Seagulls of Brighton beach steal lunch from unsuspecting visitors

Necessity is the mother of invention and the same can be said of seagulls that frequent Brighton beach, the birds have become crafty and have dreamt up their own cunning strategy to steal the lunches of unsuspecting visitors to the beach.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 27 July 2015.

The birds have begun to gang up and target women who are carrying food along the seaside – one of the birds peck the girl to make her drop her food, and the other birds hover nearby to swoop down for the feast. Obviously, the seagulls have become smarter and more brazen than ever before.
They go after the girls because they are easily frightened and run for cover once attacked. The population of the seagulls have gone up considerably within the last 15 years ago and new colonies are springing up further from the coast.
Prime Minister David Cameron has expressed concern over the dangerous and brazen actions of seagulls and has urged for a 'big conversation' on aggressive seagulls.
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Mamata Banerjee to waive tax on ATF for airlines that operate direct flights to Europe

On the eve of her departure for London to woo investors, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has indicated that Bengal is ready to will waive tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for any airline that is willing to operate direct flights from Calcutta to Europe.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 27 July 2015.

She had a meeting with senior airport officials and bureaucrats in her entourage before she board Air India's Calcutta-Delhi-London flight where she made this announcement. She has asked the airport director to start the ball rolling and approach airlines with this unique offer.
However, how far this would appeal to airlines is a matter of debate – as officials of several international airlines feel that such flights would be viable only if there was a steady flow of business fliers who weren't "price-sensitive" and who were frequent travelers. That is, sadly, not there because Kolkata offers very few business-class passengers to airlines. The reason is the lack of industry. There used to be at least two European carriers, British Airways and Lufthansa that have left the city because of low yield.
Incidentally, the Bengal Global Business Summit held in last January could not attract any international airline to provide direct connectivity to Europe and/or the US.
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Andaman Islands to be exploited for tourism and extending India's economic and military reach

With the objective of extending India's economic and military reach, the Narendra Modi government wants to encroach into the Andaman Islands which is home to the distinct indigenous Jarawa tribe that has, till now, avoided ay contact with the outside world.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 27 July 2015.

The intention of the government is to accelerate development on the islands to promote its military, trade and tourism – but, preserving the pristine environment and protecting the interests of the handful of unique tribes would be difficult.
Environmental group Kalpavriksh has voiced their concerns – in their opinion, the islands are fragile, and located in a seismically active zone not far from Indonesia's Aceh coast. They are home to indigenous tribes. It is their land and their history and the impact of tourists will be detrimental. If one goes by history, the interaction between their world and the outside world has proved damaging for them.
The total population of the dark-skinned Jarawas is around 400 and one of six tribes believed to have lived on the islands for up to 55,000 years – they have, until recently, refused to have any contact with the outside world.
In spite of apprehensions, the military has started work on lengthening runways at airfields in the north and south of an archipelago – the generals believe that this is a key but long-neglected outpost to counter the Chinese navy's thrust into the Indian Ocean.
Other plans on the anvil are direct air links to Southeast Asia, an undersea cable to improve communications and a free port area. Air India is expected to begin flights between the Andaman capital Port Blair and Thailand's Phuket – to attract tourists.
Right now, tourists from Jirkatang travel in convoy with police cars at the front and back, and photography or contact with tribes is not allowed in order to protect them.
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Study reveals - global warming led to extinction of the Ice Age wooly mammoths

A study conducted by the University of Adelaide in Australia has concluded that it was global warming that led to the extinction of the wooly mammoths of the Ice Age - the mighty megafauna of the last Ice Age that included the woolly mammoths became extinct due to rapid climate-warming events.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 27 July 2015.

The study has found that during the unstable climate of the Late Pleistocene (about 60,000 to 12,000 years ago) there were sudden climate spikes called interstadials and these resulted in increased temperatures between four and 16 degrees Celsius within decades.
Survival was not easy for the large size animals like the woolly mammoths in these hot conditions because of the effects it had on their habitats and prey. As explained by one of the authors of the study - interstadials lead to dramatic shifts in global rainfall and vegetation patterns. The rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the consequential warming effects can have a similar rate of change and could herald in another major phase of large mammal extinctions.
In the opinion of another paleogenetics of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark is that this study can be considered as a wake-up call.
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Indian Railways to boost earnings by doubling the cost of shooting movies in trains

The Indian Railways are, at last, becoming business minded and want to tap every possible area to increase its earnings and, one option it is choosing is to double the cost of shooting movies using its trains.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 27 July 2015.

From the beginning of next month, railways will nearly double the rates for shooting of films on special trains. It will be a minimum of Rs 4.74 lakh per day as compared to the existing cost of around Rs 2.31 lakh. The charges will be for the movement of the film special train consisting of four coaches and one SLR (half luggage van) for a maximum distance of 200-Km. This cost is inclusive of detention charges, service charges, haulage charges and engine detention charges.
Incidentally, the charges had last been revised in 2009.
It seems the Indian Railways had failed to negotiate a price with the producers of 'Skyfall', a James Bond movie, to shoot on its properties in 2011 but it is now ready to make amends. If a similar sequence has to be filmed now like the Shahrukh Khan - Malaika Arora dancing to the tunes of “Chaiya Chaiya” on top of the moving Nilgiri Mountain Train in Dil Se film, the producer would have to shell out much more.
Or – opt to shoot such sequences in the studio as was the practice in the good old days.
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Vallauris beach closed to tourists because Saudi King Salman will holiday there in private

In view of the arrival of Saudi King Salman to the French Rivera to holiday in private, the beach of Vallauris has been closed to the tourist and, for this, more than 100,000 people have signed a petition insisting that the public beach should be "available for the benefit of all".
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 26 July 2015.

Authorities have already sealed off the beach to ensure that protesters do not occupy it.
King Salman, the Saudi monarch, is expected to stay at his villa for three weeks and, he and his entourage of about 1,000 people have arrived at Nice airport on board two Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747s.
While the king's inner circle would put up at the villa - between Antibes and Marseille – the remaining about 700 others will stay at hotels in Cannes.
The hotels in Cannes are happy at the prospect of doing good business because these are people with great purchasing power. But, the closure of a section of La Mirandole beach beneath the king's villa has outraged many local residents. The mayor of Vallauris has also written to President Francois Hollande to protest at some unauthorized work that has been carried out at the property. This is a cement platform created on the beach to provide a lift up to the king's villa – the Saudis have assured to remove the slab when they leave.
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Underwater volcano in the Caribbean Sea off Grenada could erupt any moment

An underwater volcano in the Caribbean Sea off Grenada is believed to be on the verge of erupting and poses a major risk to all passing ships because, once the volcano erupts, passing ships with vanish without any trace.
The name of the volcano is ‘Kick 'em Jenny it sits 180m below sea level off the northern coast of Grenada and has produced no less than 200 small earthquakes since it began stirring on July 11. Experts at the University of the West Indies' Seismic Research Centre have raised its threat level to orange, predicting that it could erupt at any point.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 25 July 2015.

In case if the volcano does erupt, then not only passing ships but, nearby islands will be in danger of being hit by a tsunami. In the opinion of scientists, the risk is relatively low, but as a precautionary measure, both shipping and marine vessels in the region have been cautioned. Recreational ships have been ordered to maintain a distance of at least 3 miles from the summit.
Eruption of ‘Kick 'em Jenny’ could see hot rocks shoot up to three miles into the air and, when that happens, they pose a significant risk to ships in the vicinity. As per history, in 1944, degassing from ‘Kick 'em Jenny’ had caused a passenger vessel to sink, killing 60 people.
The volcano had last erupted 14 years ago, in 2001.
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