The government of India has identified wildlife conservation as one of its key goals

India has a wide variety of flora and fauna and the government has identified conservation of wildlife as one of its key goals. None other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his commitment on many global platforms about promoting environmental and wildlife conservation. He has now assigned a target of conservation and protection of big cat species. This is after achieving the target of doubling the number of tigers ahead of time. The target also includes 50 cheetahs during the next five years. Already, the exercise of inducting eight cheetahs from Namibia is over. It is the first inter-continental large carnivore translocation project. With their arrival, India has become the only country where all five members of the big ‘cat species’ are now present. On the subject, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said – “Decades ago, the age-old link of biodiversity that was broken and became extinct, today we have a chance to reconnect it. Today the cheetah has returned to the soil of India.” Incidentally, the last cheetah in India was found dead in Chhattisgarh in 1947 and was officially declared extinct in 1952. India goes all out to increase wildlife species.

The authorities expect cheetahs to help restore the open forest and grassland ecosystem in India and the program will help in the conservation of biodiversity. Society would reap benefits like improvement of ecosystem processes in the form of water security, carbon absorption and soil moisture conservation. It could also increase livelihood opportunities for the local communities. This could be through eco-development and eco-tourism activities. The arrival of cheetahs has made India the only country that is home to all five members of the ‘big cat’ species – tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 has notified animals like tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, lions, etc. as endangered species. They enjoy the highest degree of protection.

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It seems Beijing wants to remove the status quo vis-à-vis Taiwan

Nigeria, the West African nation, sees the worst flooding in a decade with more than 600 dead

Good news for Indians – Diwali will be a public school holiday in New York City starting 2023

Meghan and Harry visited Uvalde, Texas, the location of the second deadliest shooting in a U.S. school to open a new community play space

North Korea fires hundreds of artillery shells in retaliation to annual defense drills of the South

Heavy overnight rain robs residents of Bangalore of their sleep

Taiwan has allies in the Pacific and Lithuania is its newest unofficial ally

Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, reels under floods – authorities issue yellow alert for next few days

The Chinese XPeng X2 two-seater flying car completed the first public test flight in Dubai

2017 Republic Day Parade will see 23 tableaux on the Rajpath

2017 Republic Day Parade will see 23 tableaux on the Rajpath in Delhi and, 17 of these will display the unique cultural heritage, festivals, rituals and art forms of the states. Remaining six will be from the central ministries showing recent landmark initiatives.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 23 January 2017.

Jammu and Kashmir will showcase the snowy peaks of Gulmarg on its float in an effort to woo tourists for winter sports

Maharashtra is celebrating the 160th anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak - it will depict the landmarks in his life like starting the newspaper Kesari, initiating Ganeshotsav and going to Mandalay jail

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Karnataka, Punjab, Tripura and Tamil Nadu will be showcasing their traditional dance forms

Haryana will promote Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao - it will have achievements of women like astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and paralympic champion Deepa Malik

Gujarat will focus on the art and lifestyle of the Kutch region

Odisha will display Dol Jatra

West Bengal will come with Sharad Utsav

Assam will show the Kamakhya temple

Union territory of Lakshadweep will make a return after 23 years - it will showcase the 'unexplored tourist destination' comprising 36 islands

It will be the first time that a float by National Housing Bank will be shown. It will be the float of Khadi India and it is understood that it will avoid images of both Mahatma Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi. The float will focus on traditional weavers and modern attire made of the hand-woven cloth

The Central Board of Excise and Customs has created its tableau on GST, which is touted as the biggest tax reform since Independence

Tableaux of Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh failed to secure a place this year

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to debut at the 2017 Republic Day parade

Many of the Trump hats are not made in America but in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh

Chinese firm to invest over Rs 1300 crore in Toto rickshaw manufacture in Howrah


Didi visualizes industrial revival via nalen gur (satire)

Lord Shiva and the sight of potbellied policemen (satire)

In the wonderland of health drinks


Shah Rukh Khan's movie Raees to release in Dubai on January 25

James Cameron plans to resurrect his Terminator franchise in 2019

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan wants more power to women in 2017


ISIS destroys portions of Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra

Kim Jong-Un plans to send a message to Donald Trump by launching a missile

Bomb blast in a vegetable market in Parachinar kills at least 20

Death toll in Patna boat tragedy rises to 25, toll could go up

The death toll in the Patna boat tragedy rose to 25 with fears that it could rise still further because more than half a dozen are still missing. The boat was carrying 40 people from Sabalpur Diara en route to Gandhi Ghat in Patna and capsized.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 January 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragedy and, announced an ex gratia from the PM's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured in the incident.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also announced an ex gratia to the next kin of deceased persons at the earliest. As per existing guidelines of Bihar government, an amount of Rs 4 lakh is paid as ex gratia to the kin of persons killed in any kind of disaster.
The chief minister has also ordered a high-level investigation into the mishap.


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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

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

Swatchh Bharat is he dream of our Prime minister Narendra Modi and, in order to make it a reality, plenty of funds have been earmarked. The Jabalpur Division of West Central Railway introduced steel mugs in the lavatories - the mugs were kept chained to the walls. But, over the pat three months, 1100 of the 1800 have gone missing.
With such an attitude among the travelers, the Prime Minister's Clean India campaign would be extremely difficult to implement because, such an experiment has failed.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 4 January 2017.

Until recently, steel mugs were available in the toilets of only some of the AC coaches. But, the railways have begun to provide them in all categories of compartments. Jabalpur Division began implementation three months ago and, when a recount was done after 90 days, there were only 700 of the 1,800 mugs left.
The cost of the stolen mugs is estimated to be Rs 90,000 and, an equal sum had been spent on the steel chains - these had been yanked off the wall clamps.
A senior railway official added that one day, 80 new mugs were installed in the Shridham Express. This train travels between Jabalpur and New Delhi and, when it returned to Jabalpur 36 hours later, there were only 20 mugs. It seems all the mugs in the AC and sleeper coaches were missing - presumed to have been stolen.


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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

Demonetisation effect in Varanasi - daily sale of Banarasi saris down from Rs 20 crore to Rs 4 crore

One of the items associated with Varanasi is its Banarasi sari and, this famed product has seen its business shrink from Rs 20 crore to Rs 4 crore per day and this city is the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The familiar sight of wholesale buyers has practically died down in the localities where the sari are made ever since the note recall was announced on November 8 and curbs placed on withdrawals from bank accounts.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 December 2016.

Varanasi has nearly one lakh-plus handloom weavers and they are not able to find buyers any more because it's a cash market. The saris would sell for anything between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 and, now, the weavers are ready to sell them for as low as Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500, without any profit.
The art of creating Banarasi saris thrived during the Mughal period because the nobles and the rich loved to cover themselves in silk, gold and silver. Way back in the 14th century, artisans from Iran and Iraq came to Varanasi and settled down here.


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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

Another somersault of the Modi government - yoga removed from sports category

One year after recognizing yoga as a sport and placing it in the "priority" category alongside other sports like football, swimming, squash and chess, the sports ministry has reversed the decision. Yoga is no longer considered to be a sport.
It may be recalled that the proposal to recognize yoga as a sport had come from the department of personnel and training, which is under the PMO. The Prime Minister Modi had also led countrywide International Yoga Day celebrations for the past two years.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 24 December 2016.

It seems the department (of sports) has studied the matter and has decided that it may not be feasible to hold competitions in yoga. This has been conveyed through a letter from the ministry to the Indian Olympic Association and all recognized national sports federations. The reason is that yoga has various dimensions/ arms in which competitions are not possible. Hence, it cannot be termed as a sport.
The department of ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) had given its go-ahead and within a matter of months yoga was recognized as a sport in September last year. Getting such a status meant all zonal and national competitions in the discipline would be funded by the sports ministry and, those who practice yoga would get a pie of the sports quota.


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Squirrels of Seattle, Boston and Toronto are stealing Christmas light bulbs

Petrol tanker crashes into other vehicles in Kenya - leaves at least 30 dead

Qantas to fly non-stop from Perth to London in 17 and a half hours


Moody and the half pant brigade (satire)

Lord Shiva cracks jokes and Durga fries samosas (satire)

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


AR Rahman contender for Oscar nomination for Pele: Birth of a Legend

Julia Roberts of 'Pretty Woman' fame to star in her first TV series

Meryl Streep creates history with her 30th Golden Globes nomination


Suicide bomber kills at least 49 people in a military camp in Aden

US estimates that active ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have dropped considerably

Syrian forces shoot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes

Baba Ramdev says his association with the BJP is "a thing of the past"

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev is unhappy with the way things are happening around him. He has apparently gone on records as saying that the demonetisation effort has triggered a scam of "Rs 3-5 lakh crore" due to corrupt bankers. This needs to be exposed.
He has also said that his association with the BJP is "a thing of the past".
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 December 2016.

The U-turn of Baba Ramdev is strange because he had always been a proponent of the demonetisation and a supporter of Modi. It may be recalled that he had led an anti-corruption agitation during UPA rule and had asked the then government to ban high-denomination currency notes.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation on November 8, Baba Ramdev had lauded the decision. And, he is ruing that - he feels the Prime Minister had been "misled by corrupt bankers" and that the demonetisation could have been implemented better.
Ramdev had campaigned for Modi ahead of the 2014 general election but Ramdev appears to be upset with the demonetisation because it has affected the sales if his company, Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. He has sensed the rising discontent among the poor against the demonetisation and is apprehensive that it could hurt the economy and Patanjali's expansion plans.
Incidentally, his comments coming ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh is significant. He is believed to wield plenty of influence in the state and had recently met chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad and heaped praises on them.


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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

Donald Trump is the Time 'Person of the Year.'

President-elect Donald Trump has been named Time 'Person of the Year.' He beat the finalists that included Hillary Clinton, Beyonce and Vladmir Putin. This was the second year in a row that Donald Trump had been a finalist of the accolade. Hillary Clinton came in second and Hackers came in third.
On the recognition, Trump commented that 'to be on the cover of Time as Person of the Year is a tremendous honor' while Time editor-in-chief Nancy Gibbs said it was the easiest decision the magazine has ever made for the honor.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 7 December 2016.

Time had earlier revealed that Prime Minister Modi was the winner of the online reader's poll for the 'Person of the Year' honor by winning 18 percent of the vote. He, thus, finished well ahead of the other finalists. There was a three-way tie for second place, with Trump, President Barack Obama and Julian Assange all of whom finished with 7 percent of the vote.
Last year, Trump was beaten by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.


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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

Madame Tussauds wax museum to come up in Connaught Place by mid-2017

Madame Tussauds is an international wax museum and a popular tourist attraction and it is set to come to New Delhi - it will be the 22nd in the world and would be located at Regal Cinema in Connaught Place. Its tentative launch date is mid-2017.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 24 November 2016.

The Delhi museum, which will be spread across two floors of Regal Cinema and one can see both local and international figures. A few of them are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, and American celebrity Kim Kardashian apart from Big B Amitabh Bachchan.
Madame Tussauds is run by entertainment company Merlin Entertainment which is headquartered in Dorset, England and has the biggest and most popular Madame Tussauds wax museum in London. It has wax replicas of Indian figures like Sachin Tendulkar, Narendra Modi, Mahatama Gandhi, and Aishwarya Rai.
Amitabh Bachchan was the first Bollywood figure in Madame Tussauds London in 2000 and it has appealed to the Indian consumer. Hence, it is extending its reach by opening the museum in New Delhi.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture

Prime Minister Modi on his second visit to Japan - hi-speed rail will boost bilateral trade and investment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his second visit to Japan and he hopes that the proposed hi-speed rail from Japan will boost bilateral trade and investment. This would be the annual India-Japan bilateral summit.
As he indicated prior to his leaving for Japan, ' ... the high-speed railway cooperation between India and Japan is a shining example of the strength of our cooperation .. it will not only boost our trade and investment ties, but will also create skilled jobs in India, improve our infrastructure and give a boost to our 'Make in India' mission.'
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 10 November 2016.

During the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India last year, there were talks on a high speed rail link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Therefore, during his present visit to Japan, PM Modi plans to travel to Kobe on the famed Shinkansen along with Shinzo Abe to see first hand the technology that will be deployed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway.
The plan is to visit the Kawasaki Heavy Industries facility in Kobe, where the high speed railway is manufactured.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

British Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to India - mango and visa on the agenda

Air India Express to provide improved air connectivity between Kolkata and Singapore

Mamata Banerjee to visit the United States in 2017 to woo industries


Lord Shiva’s views on Kalighat and marriages (satire)

Moody and the half pant brigade (satire)

Didi’s idea - deflate tyres to punish unruly drivers (satire)


Iraq special forces advanced into Mosul while ISIS militants killed 20

British police have foiled 12 terror plots against Britain in the last three years

No-fly zones to be imposed over jails to prevent drones from being used to smuggle drugs into prisons


Michael Fassbender says no to next James Bond - will a woman take over?

Second trailer of Wonder Woman released- will be in the cinemas in July 2017

Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) begins 11 November

Charkha weaving course to start in UP as part of skill development program

The Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU) will start a new certificate course on weaving through charkha aimed at developing the skills of those who do not have any educational qualifications. It will be a six-month certificate course on weaving using charkha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always focused on skill development, hence the decision was taken to start charkha weaving course from January next year. UPRTOU will be the only university to run this course.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 9 November 2016.

The UPRTOU is a state open university with its head office in Allahabad. Therefore, the regional offices will only provide study material.
There is a charkha laboratory in Allahabad where students can attend classes from Monday to Saturday for practical lessons. The laboratory is equipped with 40 charkhas on which students can learn on how to run and weave on the spinning wheel. Teachers come from Uttar Pradesh Khadi and Gram Udyog.
While no educational qualification is needed to pursue this course and there is no age bar, it will benefit students belonging to rural areas. On completion of the course, students can get many employment opportunities since the demand for khadi clothes is increasing.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

British Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to India - mango and visa on the agenda

Air India Express to provide improved air connectivity between Kolkata and Singapore

Mamata Banerjee to visit the United States in 2017 to woo industries


Lord Shiva’s views on Kalighat and marriages (satire)

Moody and the half pant brigade (satire)

Didi’s idea - deflate tyres to punish unruly drivers (satire)


Iraq special forces advanced into Mosul while ISIS militants killed 20

British police have foiled 12 terror plots against Britain in the last three years

No-fly zones to be imposed over jails to prevent drones from being used to smuggle drugs into prisons


Michael Fassbender says no to next James Bond - will a woman take over?

Second trailer of Wonder Woman released- will be in the cinemas in July 2017

Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) begins 11 November

Bickerings within the BJP surfaces via Shatrughan Sinha and Yashwant Sinha

Ever since taking over office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a trend for not only himself but also of how the government should run. But, the results are always not what he would have liked. Therefore, BJP parliamentarian Shatrughan Sinha made some taunting remarks over the fact that India still ranking a poor 130 in the world in ease of doing business.
Last year, India's rank was 131 - or, this year it has gone up only one place compared to last year. Shotgun, Lok Sabha member from Bihar, hoped that the "dashing dynamic PM" would find a solution.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 29 October 2016.

The BJP has been mentioning Narendra Modi's knack for business-friendly administration and keeps holding up Gujarat as proof. Therefore, Shatrughan Sinha, a former Union minister wants the dashing dynamic PM to look into the situation and provide necessary impetus for improvement.
He has also openly criticised his party during last year's Bihar elections while expressing support for rival Nitish Kumar. Continuing in the same vein, he aimed a barb at Modi's claims of a "56-inch chest" while showering praise on Nitish, the "popular CM of Bihar". This was with reference to the release of a kidnapped businessman. Shotgun praised Nitish Kumar for the brilliant success of his police department and its senior officers and made special mention of the police officer who had led the operation.
Shotgun said - the police officer may not have a 56 (inch) chest but his 32 (inch) waist was enough to take care of the goons.
Interestingly, Shatrughan's comments come close on the heels of another Sinha - BJP veteran and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha. He embarrassed the party by leading a team of civil liberty activists to Kashmir and meeting the separatists. Obviously, there are bickerings within BJP and that is gradually surfacing.


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Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

Jammu & Kashmir Police seized more than 150 pigeons probably being used for espionage

The seizure of more than 150 pigeons by the Jammu & Kashmir Police that were allegedly being smuggled for the purpose of espionage has led to a probe being ordered into the issue. On October 5th, three people were apprehended in Jammu after they were found carrying 150 pigeons in Banana Boxes.
Subsequently, they were then booked under Section 144 cruelty to Animals Act and the birds and were given to an NGO called SAVE (Save Animals Value Environment). However, chairman of the NGO observed some suspicious things like rings in their claws apart from special magnetic rings attached to them. These raised suspicions and the deputy commissioner Jammu gave orders to inquire if the birds were being to be used in spying activities.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 October 2016.

Using pigeons for spying and other such activities is not a recent development. Earlier this month, a pigeon, apparently from across the border, was taken into custody. It had with it a letter written in Urdu and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The discovery was made by BSF personnel at Simbal post in Bamial sector.
Even before that, on September 23, a white pigeon, also apparently from across the border, was found in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district- It had with it "some words written in Urdu".


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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

A total of 26 out of 1381 offshore islands have been identified to boost tourism

India has a total of 1,382 offshore islands and 26 of these, most of which are in Andamans and Lakshadweep, are under consideration for development as tourist destinations. This is what PM Narendra Modi wants, in order to boost tourism.
The selected islands will be provided necessary infrastructure to attract tourists.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 22 September 2016.

Developmental activities of the elected islands would center around basic infrastructure, tourism, agriculture (including organic agriculture and fisheries) and carbonneutral energy generation (renewable energy). PM Narendra Modi has stressed about the potential for tourism in these areas and has also added that solar energy should be used extensively in this exercise.
The scale of infrastructure development will vary from island to island depending on the environmental conditions. However, the biggest task would be to provide connectivity with the mainland. Therefore, some of the islands can be developed only for day-time tourism. That way, tourists can go, spend some hours there and return before nightfall.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Disneyland bans 25 things including selfie sticks in all its locations

Hillary Clinton has pneumonia - she fell ill at September 11 memorial

Lord Ganesh's laddu weighing 21-Kg auctioned for Rs 14.65 in Hyderabad


Moody wants Gold medals from Olympics (satire)

Didi and her BMW dreams (satire)

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


Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

Security beefed up for Munich Oktoberfest 2016

29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link


Shah Rukh's 'Fan' and Salman Khan's 'Sultan' to be screened at Busan International Film Festival

Sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy to release in US theaters on May 5, 2017

London-born singer Skepta wins the 25th Mercury prize fr his album Konnichiwa

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari gives credit to Manmohan Singh for coining the term 'acche din'

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has given credit to the earlier Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for coining the term 'acche din'. Gadkari, while speaking in Mumbai, has admitted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's famous slogan of 'acche din' had originally been coined by his predecessor Manmohan Singh.
Gadkari has also added that the phrase has now become the "millstone" around the neck of the NDA government because such a day can never come.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 14 September 2016.

He has clarified that "Acche din maanne se hota hai (Good days depends on one's belief)". It seems it was at an NRI meet in Delhi that Manmohan Singh had said that 'Acche din ayenge' (good days will come). When asked when 'acche din' will come, Singh had replied, 'in the future'.
Gadkari has said that Modi-ji said the same thing somewhere and it has now become the millstone around their neck. Incidentally, PM Modi had extensively used the 'acche din' slogan during the last Lok Sabha elections.
Gadkari went on to clarify that "Achhe din kabhi nahi aate. Achhe din ke naare gale mein fasi haddi hain (Good days never come. The slogan of Achhe din is a bone stuck in the throat for the National Democratic Alliance government."
The words 'Achhe Din' should not be taken in the literal sense but should be interpreted as gradual progress. He went on to explain that if a person has a bicycle, he would want a motorcycle, once the motorcycle is bought, the next target would be a car. Hence, no one ever feels that good days have arrived.


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Government to create 40,000MW of rooftop solar power capacity in ashrams

Government has drawn up plans to create 40,000MW of rooftop solar power capacity in ashrams spread across the country. For this, the Union new and renewable energy ministry is roping in religious and interfaith gurus who will demonstrate the virtues of green energy and set an example by ensuring that their ashrams are solar powered.
In the month of May, Radha Soami Dera in Amritsar became the world's largest single rooftop solar power facility. Its Rs 140 crore solar energy system which is spread over more than 80 acres of rooftops has the ability to generate an estimated 19MW of power.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 12 September 2016.

As indicated by the new and renewable energy secretary, the gurus will act as spiritual partners of International Solar Alliance. This is a global grouping of over 100 'sunshine countries' between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn that had been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Paris climate summit last December.
Since spiritual and interfaith gurus have a large number of domestic and overseas followers who visit their 'ashrams' (hermitages), or meditation centres, in big numbers, these gurus are ideally placed to showcase and demonstrate the values and virtues of solar energy to a global audience.
A data bank of at least 100 large ashrams is being drawn up to seek their cooperation and commitment for setting up solar power projects. They will, in return, get a 'commitment certificate' that will recognize their contribution to the solar cause. There are further plans to hold a global conference of interfaith leaders to showcase the commitment.
The government has an ambitious target of creating 175GW of solar energy capacity by 2022. This would include 40,000MW rooftop solar power capacity and it will be a part of the strategy to reduce the country's carbon footprint.


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Festival of India - 10 week event to be held in six Australian cities

The "Confluence: Festival of India" had been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Australia in November 2014. It will now be organized in six Australian cities over a 10-week period and will showcase some of the finest elements from the rich tapestry of Indian culture and civilization.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 1 September 2016.

The festival will have dance, music, theatre, sports and other visual arts from India and Australia and will be launched next month across six cities of the island nation. These are Opera House, Federation Square, QPAC, Festival Centre, Old Parliament and Perth Concert Hall in the cities of Adelaide, Alice Springs Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The variety of events lined up will include Odissi and Bharatnatyam performances by Nrityagram and Kalakshetra, a life-sized puppet show by contemporary puppeteer Dadi Pudumjee, singer and composer Raghu Dixit's unique mix of world music, spell-binding music of Sonam Kalra's Sufi Gospel Project and Bollywood flash mobs.
The aim of the festival is to foster cultural ties between the two countries.


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Prime Minister Modi is angry because 70 to 80% of so-called cow-protectors are anti-social elements

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking at a townhall-style event in Delhi expressed his anger against so-called protectors of cows. He said he was "very angry" with criminals in bovine protectors' clothing. He also equated them with "badshahs" who cunningly hid behind cows to tie the hands of "rajas" in the battlefield. He has asked state governments to draw up dossiers on them.
His words have come very late in the day. He spoke on the subject nearly a year after a man was lynched near Delhi on the mere suspicion of having consumed beef. Subsequently, four Dalits were brutally flogged by so-called cow protectors in Gujarat.
Of course, the Prime Minister did not make any specific reference to either of these incidents of atrocity.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 7 August 2016.

The Prime Minister said that there are people who indulge in anti-social and criminal activities at night and disguise themselves as cow protectors by day.... he wants the state governments to collect the history of such people and prepare dossiers on them because 70 to 80 per cent of them are anti-social elements.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad national secretary and spokesperson, Surendra Jain, responding to Modi's comments have said that - the percentage of anti-social elements mentioned by Modi is disputable.
The timing of Prime Minister's anger is significant because of the revelations on the latest atrocities on cows in Rajasthan where more than 1500 cows died within last two months - the matter has earned condemnation from all quarters.


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Mamata Banerjee in Delhi to meet Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar and discuss Federal Front

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, has gone to Delhi on a three-day visit. In the curse of her visit, she is expected to met several Union ministers apart from Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal, chief ministers of Bihar and Delhi. Also on her agenda are one-on-one meetings with finance minister Arun Jaitley, home minister Rajnath Singh and several other central ministers.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 July 2016.

Mamata Banerjee is slated to host a dinner for Kejriwal and Nitish tomorrow. It is common knowledge that both of them are fierce critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies and had also attended Mamata's swearing-in in Calcutta on May 27.
It is understood that the Trinamul supremo was keen to discuss the proposed federal front of non-BJP parties with the two chief ministers Kejriwal and Nitish Kumar. Moreover, she also has plans to meet parliamentary leaders from the NCP, the DMK, the AIADMK, the Telugu Desam Party, the BSP, the SP, the National Conference and the BJD. A Trinamul Lok Sabha MP has also hinted that she could be meeting some Congress leaders also.
Incidentally, she skipped a dinner hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan while Prime Minister attended the event. However, she congratulated him on completing four years in office today and said in a statement - "We are proud to have you as India's first citizen."


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PM Narendra Modi on tour to Africa to import tur dal from Mozambique

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a five-day tour to African countries. He will cover South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania, the gateway to several landlocked African countries. Before his Africa visit, the Union Cabinet has granted approval on India signing a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Mozambique for pulses import and drug trafficking prevention. Moreover, another MOU with Tanzania envisages promotion of Indian traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy and with Mauritius for rural development and poverty alleviation.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 5 July 2016.

The MoU with Mozambique would includes targets for imports of red gram (tur dal) and other pulses for five financial years and aims at doubling the trade from one lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to two lakh tonnes in 2020-21. It is expected that the signing of this MoU could open up the doors for similar arrangements with other countries.
The MoU between India and Tanzania would be to provide a structured framework for bilateral cooperation for promotion of Indian traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy in Tanzania. The financial resources for conducting research, training courses, conferences / meetings will be met from AYUSH Ministry’s existing allocated budget and plan schemes. Tanzania is in East Africa and has nearly 70,000 Indian diaspora. The bilateral ties have been marked by cooperation in health and medicine.
Incidentally, the Ministry of AYUSH , as part of its mandate to promote Indian systems of medicine globally, had also signed MoUs with countries that include China, Malaysia, Hungary, Bangladesh and Nepal.


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