Citizen Journalist: #China

Showing posts with label #China. Show all posts

Saturday, November 12, 2022

Global carbon emission of China is lower to that of the United States

A study released by the Global Carbon Project at the COP27 conference underway in Egypt reveals a new picture. Until now, the concept was that U.S. emissions had been steadily dropping while Chinese emissions had been rising. It is not so. The study reveals that in China, fossil fuel pollution in China was down 0.9 percent this year compared with 2021, while in the United States it was 1.5 percent higher. It is a fact that the burning of fossil fuel this year has put 1 percent more heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the air compared to last year. Scientists who track emissions say this is a piece of bad news for the fight against climate change. However, China appears to have succeeded in reigning in the emission. Global carbon pollution continues to increase but not at a rate of 10 or 15 years ago. Obviously, the world has become cautious. The fact remains that much more needs to be done because it is pushing the Earth closer to hitting and then passing the globally adopted threshold of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Carbon emissions from fossil fuels rise globally, including U.S., but drop in China. As a climate scientist of Princeton University says - “It means we better get ready to blow past the target and enter a world that humans have never experienced.’’

The study team, along with other scientific reports, calculate that the Earth can put only 419 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air before warming reaches the 1.5-degree mark. That would work out to about nine to 10 years’ worth of emissions. In other words, that point will come at around 2031 or 2032. Obviously, the time for 1.5 is running out. According to the study, in 2022, the world will put 40.3 billion U.S. tons of carbon dioxide into the air from energy and cement use. That will work out to the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza in carbon dioxide spewed every 75 minutes. The emissions are on the rise in the United States, India witnessed a 6 percent increase in 2022, while Europe had a 0.8 percent drop. The rest of the world averaged a 1.7 percent rise.

Friday, November 11, 2022

China will send monkeys to its Tiangong space station to experiment with reproduction in space

Populating another planet is the ultimate goal for all humans. China plans to send monkeys to its Tiangong space station to see if they can reproduce in space. Humans have to wear spacesuits to keep from floating away in the zero-gravity environment and rely on oxygen cylinders to prevent dying of asphyxiation. China will face the teething problems with monkeys. Others will wait to see how the animals adapt to such conditions and how long it takes them to reproduce in space. Moreover, whether the final product will resemble a normal baby or an alien. Space stations are laboratories where scientists test their hypotheses. In the past scientists have studied many pregnant animals in space. These include salamanders, fish and rats. China is now poised to use its Tiangong space station to up the ante by sending monkeys and rats to space. Such experiments will help scientists to assess the feasibility of reproduction of mammals in a zero-gravity environment. China to Send Monkeys to The Tiangong Space Station to Study Reproduction In Space.

Zhang Lu is a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Speaking to a section of the media he said – “some studies involving mice and macaques will be carried out to see how they grow or even reproduce in space. These experiments will help improve our understanding of an organism's adaptation to microgravity and other space environments.” He will conduct the study in the Tiangong space station's largest module. This module is primarily reserved for experiments in life sciences and currently has only enough room for algae, fish or snails. However, its design allows for expansion and reconfiguration to cater to larger organisms. When monkeys are sent into the space station, they will need to be fed and their wastes have to be disposed off. Soviet researchers had sent the rats into space for an 18-day mating experiment earlier. However, upon their return to Earth, none of them gave birth. It probably highlights the fact that it is not easy to conceive in surroundings of zero gravity.

Monday, November 7, 2022

Cruise ships are in the revival mode

In early 2020s, cruise ships were in the news for all the wrong reasons. Some people even went to the extent of predicting the industry would never recover. There were news related to outbreaks, port refusals, travelers stuck onboard. Fans of cruises say all that is ancient history. As a Singaporean said - “Given a choice, we would be living on the cruise ship for the remainder of our lives.” He goes on to add that those are issues of 2020 and “not of any concern” today because people are vaccinated and they observe personal health protocols.” He and his wife loves cruises and have already planned three cruises through 2023. They love to wake up in a different country the next day. A recent report mentioned about COVID-19 outbreak in a cruise ship circumnavigating Australia. According to a survey published by Cruiseline.com and the booking app Shipmate, 91 percent of respondents planned to take a cruise by 2023. Afraid to cruise? Not at all, say fans who are causing ‘an explosion of bookings’.

Arrivia is a travel loyalty provider. It operates programs for American Express, Bank of America and USAA and 75 percent of members indicated plans to cruise in the next two years. Moreover, regular leisure travelers are also open to cruising again. The fear of the pandemic gradually reduced. An example is an Indian national who said he had “no qualms” about cruising this month with his family – it was his first cruise ever. He said he felt safe and that his family wore masks in crowded areas and might cruise again next year. A market research provider says the global cruising industry will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027. In Asia, the problem is due “mainly to the slow recovery in China … due to the strict zero-tolerance COVID-19 policies.”

Sunday, September 11, 2022

NASA shelves Artemis I unmanned mission to the moon and back while China tries to keep abreast of America

China is becoming Asia’s rapidly growing space power. It is progressing on its own program to put both robotic and crewed spacecraft on the lunar surface. It wants to keep pace with NASA-led achievements. Ambitious plans of China include sample-return missions from the Moon, landings at the South Pole and sending astronauts there on a short-term visit. In 2024, there are plans to collect rock samples from the far side of the moon. Incidentally, in 2019, China became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. Subsequently, Chang’e-5 mission in 2020 carried out the first sampling of lunar material in over four decades. It brought 1.731 grams of lunar rocks to Earth. Then Chang’e-6 plans to collect fresh samples. China’s Moon Missions Shadow NASA Artemis’s Pace. Study of these samples could provide answers to the geological past of the Moon. That is what a planetary scientist of the University of Manchester, England.

The next mission would be Chang’e-6 in 2024. It will focus on the lunar south pole where NASA plans to land Artemis 3 crewed mission. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the country’s main space contractor. It is developing a new rocket that will be specifically meant for launching astronauts beyond low Earth orbit. NASA is leading humanity’s journey to the moon, but China is not too far behind. It is gradually accumulating capabilities for its long-term ambitions.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

China grows rice and vegetables on the Tiangong space station

China is gradually becoming an important player in space. It regularly carries out experiments in orbit and uses its own space station the Tiangong 1. The Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) confirms that astronauts aboard their Space Station have successfully grown rice and vegetables. China wants its astronauts to enjoy meals and have access to fresh food. Growing crops in space is totally different from growing crops on Earth. China conducted its experiments with thale cress and rice in an environment of zero gravity. The astronauts proved that it is possible to grow crops in space, far away from Earth. This will have massive implications for long-term exploration missions. China successfully grows rice and vegetables on the Tiangong space station. A researcher at the CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences said - “Crops can only be grown in artificial environments that mimic Earth-like conditions. By comparing plant flowers, we can find crops more adapted to space and microgravity environments.”

The Chinese experiment began on July 29. That is when the astronauts planted the seeds of thal cress and rice on their space station. The team does not have any plan to bring the plants back home until the end of the year. Reports from the CAS mention about satisfactory progress with the plants in the short period since the beginning of the experiment. The stems of the rice seeds have grown 5 to 30 centimeters in length. Thal cress seeds have also sprouted with up to four leaves. This plant represents one specimen of a vegetable. Researchers are excited with the results and believe other crops like rapeseed, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts can successfully develop in space. Two years ago, a Chinese probe took rice seeds to the moon and back. They want to use these to grow new varieties of the staple grain on Earth. Incidentally, the International Space Station have already grown pepper, broccoli and flowers in space.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China and left at least 65 dead

The quake of magnitude 6.6 struck Sichuan province in China at a depth of 6 miles. Local media reports that the impact led to breakage of telecommunication lines and triggered mountain landslides. These resulted to "serious damage." The quake left 65 people dead. Incidentally, last week the authorities had asked millions of people in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, to stay at home because of COVID rules. The epicentre of the quake was at Luding. This is a town located about 140 miles (226 Km) in a remote mountain region southwest of Chengdu. The China Earthquake Networks Centre has reported this. The city of Ya'an reports death of 17 people and neighboring prefecture of Ganzi reports 29 deaths. In addition, there were reports of another 16 people missing and 50 injured. The tremors shook buildings in Chengdu and the neighboring mega-city of Chongqing. There was blockage of roads and disruption of communication lines to hundreds of thousands of residents. China quake: Deadly tremor rocks Sichuan city in lockdown. The shocks led to the shut down of a number of power stations in the areas of Garze and Ya'an,

The authorities moved hundreds of rescue personnel to the epicenter and workers tried to remove the roadblocks caused by landslides. Residents of Chengdu saw people trying to vacate their high-rise apartments after receiving alerts of earthquake on their phones. Chengdu became the latest city to be locked down by Chinese authorities, in an attempt to stem the rise in COVID cases. This quake comes several months after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake tore through Sichuan in June. Sichuan lies along the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and is an earthquake-prone area. The earthquake brings into memory an 8.0-magnitude quake, which hit Wenchuan County in northwest Sichuan in 2008. It had left 70,000 dead and led to large-scale destruction.

Saturday, August 27, 2022

China uses drones and rockets for cloud seeding to get rainfall

Temperatures have gone beyond 104F in some parts of China for the past week and longer. This has led to a record-breaking heatwave and severe drought ever since China began to maintain records in 1961. Therefore, the authorities decided to go in for cloud seeding to bring rainfall. It involves sowing silver iodide into the clouds. The structure of the chemical is similar to ice and the process is known as cloud seeding. Chance of rainfall increases when droplets of water cluster around these particles. It modifies the structure of the clouds and chance of rainfall increases. An official of the weather modification office of Guizhou in southwest China informed that plans have been drawn up for eight flights to cover the entire province. He explained that Typhoon Ma-on has brought to Guizhou precipitation conditions. Therefore, the aircraft will conduct frequent operations to increase the amount of rainfall. Drones and rockets bring rainfall to China during record-breaking heatwave and severe drought. China dispatched drones over the Sichuan province in the southwest. The aim is to bring rainfall to more than 232 sq/miles of land.

In the Chongqing municipality of southwest China, local authorities made use of rockets to bring rainfall to 20 counties. Similarly, in the Tongan District, 15 rockets were fired six times to bring the long-anticipated rain. The local meteorological bureau confirmed about availability of an adequate number of rockets. Henan in central China is one of the country's granary provinces. It used a drone to bring artificial precipitation to the area. Obviously, drones and rockets are not just weapons of warfare but they have their uses in times of peace also.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Severe rain and floods kill more than 900 in Pakistan

Pakistan is passing through a crisis. It witnessed severe rains and flooding this summer. The country’s Minister for Climate Change told a section of the media that Pakistan needs international assistance. It is a "humanitarian disaster" and thousands have no shelter and food. The communication lines have broken and people do not have the basic amenities. The death toll has crossed 900 and the dead include 326 children. Heavy monsoon rains and floods since June have affected more than 2.3 million people in the country. This is as per the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA. It reveals at least 95,350 homes are destroyed. Most affected regions are the southeastern province of Sindh and the southwestern province of Balochistan. Over 900 killed by Pakistan monsoon rains and floods, including 326 children. Apart from loss of livestock, nearly 1,864 miles of roads and 129 bridges are damaged. These have cut off access to many flood-affected areas.

The governmental National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan wants international funding for flood relief, rehabilitation, and the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. Sherry Rehman, Minister for Climate Change, spoke at the NDMA briefing. She compared the situation to record flooding in 2010. She also mentioned about the "unprecedented humanitarian disaster" in parts of Balochistan and the Sindh region. The forecast is of more heavy rain and floods. Schools in Balochistan and Sindh will remain closed in anticipation of a fresh spell of monsoon rain expected towards the end of the week. China indicated that it would provide emergency humanitarian aid to Pakistan. These would include tents apart from cash. Monsoon rains are not new to Pakistan but this year was an exception. About 15 inches of rain poured down in the course of a few hours in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi. This July was the wettest in three decades.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Taiwan readies its army to counter military exercises by China

China completed its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan. It is now the turn of Taiwan to conduct its live-fire drill. Beijing repeated threats to bring the self-ruled democracy of Taiwan under its control. Recently, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. That did not go down well with Beijing, they staged air, and sea drills in the region. Such an exercise increased tension to their highest level in years. Taiwan accused China of using the visit as an excuse to carry out military drills. That could be a rehearsal for an invasion. Taiwan, on its part, fired howitzers and target flares as part of the defensive drill. It took place in the country’s southernmost county and lasted about an hour. Taiwan holds military drill after China says war preps will continue. The military said its exercises were already scheduled and there was no link to China's war games.

Taiwan explained that these were annual affairs. The main purpose was primarily to ascertain proper condition of the artillery and their maintenance condition. The second was to confirm the results of previous year. China had said it had "successfully completed various tasks" in the Taiwan Strait and vowed to continue patrolling its waters and be prepared for war. China last issued a white paper on Taiwan in 2000. It had proposed the "one country, two systems" model similar to Hong Kong and Macau that were promised a degree of autonomy under Chinese rule. However, this is not acceptable to Taiwan. It has created a separate identity for itself and transformed from an autocracy into a vibrant democracy.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Demand increases for Yoga teachers of Rishikesh in foreign countries

Rishikesh is the yoga capital of India and it is exporting yoga teachers to Southeast Asia as well as China where the demand for yoga is at an all-time high. Right now, these is nearly 1,500 Indian yoga teachers in China and 70 to 80% of them hail from Rishikesh and Haridwar which are home to a number of yoga schools where these teachers have perfected their skills.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 7 March 2017.

One of the teachers who has been teaching yoga in China for over a decade now and learnt his asanas at an ashram in Rishikesh received the title of 'The Most Beautiful Yogi of China' last year. He runs his own studio 'WeYoga' in Beijing and has revealed that in spite of there being others who teach yoga, Indian teachers are the most preferred.
According to a report from Beijing, yoga is growing rapidly and becoming popular in China with the number of people involved in practicing it rising from 4 million in 2009 to 10 million in 2014. In 2009, there wee about 1.1 lakh professional coaches — both local and from across the globe — and thst number had shot to 2.3 lakh by 2014.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Barack Obama enters the league of top US Presidents with ranking of 12

Public tours of the White House will begin again from March 7

Explosion in French nuclear power plant in a non-nuclear zone

Didi caught in the whirlpool of industries (satire)

Moody’s love hate relationship with the raincoat (satire)

The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed

Mumbai will get to see Justin Bieber in action on May 10

Kangana Ranaut is 'fearless Julia' in Rangoon

Shakti Kapoor holds his audience spellbound in the Khandagiri Yatra

ISIS carries out car bombing in Baghdad - kills at least 55

Suicide bomb attack kills at least 72 in a Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Three year old panda Bao Bao leaves for China

Bao Bao was born way back in August of 2013 and is part of the National Zoo’s cooperative breeding program with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. She has spent her entire life at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. and the 3-year-old is now heading for China.
The zoo will be holding a number of celebratory events leading up to her departure on Feb. 21.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 19 February 2017.

Sending the panda off to China is because of a loan agreement. The parents are in America on loan, and the loan agreement stipulates that any cub born can stay here up until they are four years old and then would have to go back to China. The cub is three and a half years old and it is the right time for her to go back.
The flight to China is of 16 hours duration and, since she loves bamboo, there will be 50 pounds of it in the flight along with sweet potatoes and apples.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

New luxury cruise liner Seabourn Encore is labeled as 'sexiest ship at sea'

Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat gets a new look

200-year-old banyan tree uprooted by cyclone Vardah replanted in Chennai

The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed

Saraswati Puja means entering a new phase of life

Moody on UFO, Mangalyaan and Moon Mission for monkey baat (satire)

Naomie Harris gets Oscar nomination in the best-supporting actress category for Moonlight

Nicole Kidman could earn $8 million if she writes her autobiography

Sets of the film Padmavati in Jaipur vandalised, Bhansali cancels shooting

Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Militants in Indonesia looking for women terrorists

Six people shot dead by gunmen in a mosque in Quebec City during evening prayers

Monday, February 6, 2017

Donkeys are vanishing from Madhya Pradesh - China is to blame!

There is a mystery surrounding the donkeys of Madhya Pradesh that are disappearing - latest figures revealed by the state animal husbandry department reveal that these animals are disappearing faster than tigers. Going by the 19th census report, the donkey population in MP has gone down by 75 per cent - from 49,289 in 1997 to 14,916 in 2012.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 7 February 2017.

It seems China is to blame because it sources the animals from Madhya Pradesh and use them to produce medicinal tonics, aphrodisiacs and anti-ageing creams. They extract a gelatin from the hides of the donkeys - this gelatin is a key ingredient for ejiao which is one of China's most popular traditional remedies.
Ejiao is used for a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and dry cough and the edible form of ejiao is mixed with almonds and sesame seeds and served as a snack in certain parts of China. Donkey hides are being smuggled out of Madhya Pradesh to exporters in Delhi and Maharashtra at rock bottom prices of Rs 10-20 per hide.
Africa has banned sale of donkey hides to China and, hence, it has turned to India and Pakistan to meet its requirement of donkey hides.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

New luxury cruise liner Seabourn Encore is labeled as 'sexiest ship at sea'

Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat gets a new look

200-year-old banyan tree uprooted by cyclone Vardah replanted in Chennai

The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed

Saraswati Puja means entering a new phase of life

Moody on UFO, Mangalyaan and Moon Mission for monkey baat (satire)

Naomie Harris gets Oscar nomination in the best-supporting actress category for Moonlight

Nicole Kidman could earn $8 million if she writes her autobiography

Sets of the film Padmavati in Jaipur vandalised, Bhansali cancels shooting

Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Militants in Indonesia looking for women terrorists

Six people shot dead by gunmen in a mosque in Quebec City during evening prayers

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Deaddiction centers in China for internet addicts

It has happened in eastern China where, at the Addiction Treatment Center, more than 6,000 Internet addicts - most of them teenagers - had their Web access taken away and were also treated with electroshock therapy. The center is in Shandong province and had made headlines in September because one of its patients killed her mother in retribution for abuse she had purportedly suffered at the camp during a forced detox program.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 15 January 2017.

China is making attempts to regulate such camps as these have become a last resort for parents who are exasperated by their child's habit of playing online games for hours on end. There are proposals to limit how much time each day minors could play online games at home or in Internet cafes. It would be obligatory for providers of the games to take suitable measures to monitor and restrict use. These could be to require players to register under their real names.
The law does not as yet indicate the number of hours allowed, but minors would be prohibited from playing online games anywhere between midnight and 8 a.m.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

30th International kite festival in Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi and Karnataka

McDonald's enters The Vatican with an outlet near St. Peter's Square

Steel mugs in lavatories of trains stolen in spite of being chained to the walls

Lord Shiva laments over full Moon and a burnt roti (satire)

Didi’s Rose garden withers in the valley (satire)

Moody in the world of pickpockets and beggars (satire)

Juhi Chawla creates awareness about ill effects of plastic pollution

Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his film 'Haraamkhor' that premiered in the 15th annual New York Indian Film Festival

9th edition of Jaipur International Film Festival will screen 134 films

Car bomb kills at least 43 in the town of Azaz in Syria - most of the dead are civilians

US army veteran shoots dead five persons in Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida

Prison riots in Brazil leave at least 60 dead - some were beheaded

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Chinese smartphones have captured about 40 per cent share in India

It is strange that while India has banned Chinese firecrackers during Diwali, it is not doing so for smartphones. In fact, two leading smartphone brands have occupied the second and third spots respectively in the market share, while India’s domestic brands have seen a drop. India is believed to be the second largest smartphone market in the world.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 4 January 2017.

The entry of Chinese phone makers has seen a decline in the market of India’s domestic brands. In the opinion of analysts, smartphone giants view India (with a population of 1.34 billion), to be the “new China” and the competition will be intense.
OPPO has plans to invest 1.5 billion yuan (USD 215 million) to build an industrial park in India to bring down manufacturing cost and, the company already has a factory in Greater Noida.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha unable to attract foreign tourists

Alert Uber cab driver in California saves a 16-year-old girl from pimps

China to ban trade and processing of all domestic ivory by end 2017

Didi in jitters – keeps flying in and out of her city (satire)

Lord Shiva wants winter favorites, Durga raises her hands (satire)

Moody gets a call from Ronald Grump (satire)

Woman beheaded in Afghanistan for entering a city without her husband

Killer in Santa Claus costume kills 39 in New Year Eve party in Istanbul

Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 in Baghdad market

2016 - the year of biopics in Bollywood with cricketers ruling

Pop superstar George Michael (53) dies of suspected of heart failure

Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

First freight train service from China to London takes off

China has started its first freight train service to London from Yiwu - this is a famous wholesale market town in the eastern province of Zhejiang. The train will travel for 18 days and cover more than 7,500 miles (12,000km) to reach Britain from China.
It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 January 2017.

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron had wanted to open up trade with China and had pitched for Britain as the pre-eminent gateway to the West for investment from China. He had proposed to make London the main international trading centre for offshore yuan.
The present Prime Minister Theresa May has continued with that trend and has said that the relationship with China remains "golden". She seeks to bring in billions of dollars in Chinese investment as Britain prepares to leave the European Union.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha unable to attract foreign tourists

Alert Uber cab driver in California saves a 16-year-old girl from pimps

China to ban trade and processing of all domestic ivory by end 2017

Didi in jitters – keeps flying in and out of her city (satire)

Lord Shiva wants winter favorites, Durga raises her hands (satire)

Moody gets a call from Ronald Grump (satire)

Woman beheaded in Afghanistan for entering a city without her husband

Killer in Santa Claus costume kills 39 in New Year Eve party in Istanbul

Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 in Baghdad market

2016 - the year of biopics in Bollywood with cricketers ruling

Pop superstar George Michael (53) dies of suspected of heart failure

Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Saturday, December 31, 2016

China to ban trade and processing of all domestic ivory by end 2017

China is the world's biggest ivory market and it has decided to ban trade and processing of all domestic ivory by the end of 2017. This decision is taken in a bid to save the fast dwindling tusker population and the move has been hailed by activists as "historic" and a "game changer" for African elephants.
The decision has come following the imposition of a three-year ban on ivory imports in March this year, in an escalated fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 31 December 2016.

The ban will have a direct impact on 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues in China and dozens of them will close down by end March 2017. Before the deadline, law enforcement agencies will continue to clamp down on illegalities associated with the elephant's tusk.
This action will help revive the elephant population since hundreds of African elephants are killed every year by poachers to feed the burgeoning markets in China and Hong Kong. The result is that the numbers of Africa's savannah elephants have dropped to 3.5 lakh thousand in 2014. The international market in ivory has been closed since 1989 but domestic markets have continued in many countries around the world.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Drone delivers hot food items and cold beverages to customers' homes in the US

18th rhino killed in Kaziranga - this exceeds the figures of last year

Christmas in Delhi - fancy Santa hats from China sell for Rs 400 a piece

Moody in silent mode over black money (satire)

Didi upbeat about Christmas tourism (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

Australian police foil a IS terror plot targeting Melbourne during Christmas

12 persons killed as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin

Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Aamir Khan's Dangal expected to cross Rs 100 crore in first weekend

Glastonbury Festival could shift from Somerset to a new location towards the Midlands

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

China starts its 2252-Km long Shanghai-Kunming bullet train line

China has started a line that links the country’s prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part of the country. It is the Shanghai-Kunming line which is 2,252-Km in length and will cut down travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours. The line goes through the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 28 December 2016.

The maximum speed of the train is 330 km per hour and, the line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China. A longer rail line that stretches north to south is the 2,298-Km Beijing-Guangzhou line - that was put into operation in 2012.
China has built more than 20,000-Km of high-speed rail lines and, as per plans of the the government. it will increase to 45,000-Km by 2030.
With the launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line, the country’s high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland. China is aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries, including India.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Drone delivers hot food items and cold beverages to customers' homes in the US

18th rhino killed in Kaziranga - this exceeds the figures of last year

Christmas in Delhi - fancy Santa hats from China sell for Rs 400 a piece

Moody in silent mode over black money (satire)

Didi upbeat about Christmas tourism (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

Australian police foil a IS terror plot targeting Melbourne during Christmas

12 persons killed as truck ploughs into Christmas shoppers in Berlin

Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame stops breathing on board a non-stop London-Los Angeles flight

Aamir Khan's Dangal expected to cross Rs 100 crore in first weekend

Glastonbury Festival could shift from Somerset to a new location towards the Midlands

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

China is a country of bachelors and spinsters - marriage is not for the young ones

China is being transformed into a country of bachelors and spinsters - marriage is not in the agenda of the young ones.
Its unmarried population has touched a whopping 200 million last year with a new survey pointing out that over 36 per cent of single women prefer to stay unwed.
This has been reported in deccanherald.com dated 13 December 2016.

This has got media outlets and government bodies worried. The consequences of this so-called wave of singledom is, in the opinion of demographers, a trend that will only grow in the future. Among the 200 million unmarried men and women in China, over 58 million are living on their own.
Incidentally, the unmarried population in China has skyrocketed from six per cent in 1990 to 14.6 per cent of the population in 2013. Demographers believe that the independence of modern Chinese women is one of the main causes of the growing unmarried population. As per a recent research of 2016, 36.8 per cent of single Chinese women feel that marriage is not necessary to live happy lives.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

Giraffes may soon vanish from the face of the Earth

Book comes back to the library after 130-years

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga discuss swipe machines (satire)

Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh sees more footfalls of Indians rather than foreigners

Legendary Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas celebrates his 100th birthday

Spider-Man: Homecoming - first trailer released

Two schoolgirls turn suicide bombers and kill 56 in a Nigerian market

All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

Anonymous caller threatens terror attack in Los Angeles near a Hollywood theme park

Monday, December 5, 2016

Pay $608 to experience the sinking of the resurrected Titanic in China

Work has begun on resurrecting the Titanic - the world's first full-size replica of the Titanic is being recreated in China, one of the countries that fell in love with the 1997 blockbuster movie about the doomed ocean liner.
Once completed, visitors can experience, firsthand, a simulated collision with an iceberg and subsequent sinking - the charge would be $608 per person.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 6 December 2016.

Visitors to the city of Daying in south-west China will get a chance to climb aboard the NZ$203 million, 300-metre luxury cruise ship in a reservoir on the Qijiang River to experience the simulated collision with an iceberg and subsequent sinking.
Other attractions under construction would include a dining hall, theatre, first-class cabins, economy cabins and swimming pool - this has been informed by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Company executives while interacting with the Chinese media.
The date for opening the new ship has not been disclosed but tickets for a one-night, economy-class berth start at about $608. The 3-D re-release of the film is believed to have grossed a record-breaking $94m in six days in China.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Make in Odisha conclave attracts investment of more than Rs 22000 crore on first day

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Patna zoo adds Chyawanprash to its menu to protect chimpanzees from cold

Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

Moody hates black money and strikes at midnight (satire)

Didi sharpens her weapons to conquer the Hindi belt (satire)

Ohio student stabs people with a butcher knife before being shot dead

Ukraine plans missile tests, Russia responds by sending warships to the Black Sea

London Police deputes anti-terrorism patrol units under Operation Servator

Sir Roger Moore says he could play James Bond once again

President Putin grants Russian citizenship to Hollywood star Steven Seagal

US President Barack Obama presents Medal of Freedom to Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Diana Ross and Bill Gates

Friday, October 7, 2016

China to ban internet gaming for those below the age of 18

China has made public its plans to regulate internet gaming use for people under the age of 18. The purpose is to combat gaming addiction among young people because it has become an increasing problem in the country. Nearly 74 percent of internet users in China are aged between ten and 39 with 20 percent aged ten to 19.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 7 October 2016.

The Cyberspace Administration of China has released the plans on their website on September 30. As per the plans, there will be rehabilitation centers that would be set up to help young people who are addicted to gaming.
Moreover, there will be a ban on gaming between the hours of midnight and 8am.
Additionally, in order to ensure that young people do not spend too many hours playing games, there will be a time limit imposed on how long underage gamers would be able to play continuously. Those playing the games would have to register using their Chinese ID card and the games will stop as soon as it hits the banned hours.
Incidentally, China is now the biggest online gaming market in the world with a revenue of $22 billion in 2015.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1

Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)

9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center

Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000