National Zoological Park in Delhi installs watercoolers and mini water pools for its inmates

Animals have to, like their human counterparts, beat the summer heat of Delhi and, therefore, the Delhi Zoo has installed giant coolers and mini water pools apart from adding electrolytes in drinking water and providing loads of cooling fruit like cucumber and water melons to its inmates. The objective is to ensure that the scorching summer heat does not hit its animals.
This has been reported in news18.com dated 21 April 2016.

As an authority of the National Zoological Park has indicated - in view of the intense heat this year special arrangements have been made for over 60 species of birds and beasts it houses. Generally the preparations for summer begin on April 23 every year, but this year, due to the excess, the process has been started three weeks in advance.
The arrangements include mini water pools for animals apart from giant coolers that will work round the clock in the enclosures. There will also be adequate provision of water to avid dehydration of the animals.
The zoo sees footfalls of around 5,000-7,000 on weekdays and between 10,000-12,000 during weekends.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Didi wants to move around fast and wants a solution (satire)

Lord Shiva intrigued by the writing on the walls (satire)

Moody hates hotels and feels more at home in his aircraft (satire)


Taj Mumbai welcomes Prince William and Kate, the fourth generation of British monarchy

Huge 26ft python found in Penang - could become a new a Guinness Record holder

Lok Sabha ethics committee probing Narada sting feels the videos are genuine


ISIS still holding 30 workers out of 300 kidnapped from cement factory in Dumeir

Another Bangladeshi blogger killed in Dhaka because of his views on religion

Florida hunters bag a 15-foot 800-pound massive alligator


James Cameron, writer director of Avatar, promises his fans four sequels

'Deadpool' sequel planned and in the pipeline with Ryan Reynolds

Indonesian pop star dies after being bitten by a cobra on stage

Delhi government collects Rs 2 crore as fine from violators of the odd-even scheme

#oddevenplan #kejriwal The odd-even scheme for controlling air pollution by controlling the number of vehicles on the roads of Delhi has brought in Rs 2 crore as fines from people who violated the norms - that is, they brought on road cars with even numbers on days earmarked for odd numbers and vice versa.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 15 January 2016.

The amount has been collected from the over 10,000 challans issued by the traffic police, transport department and Sub Divisional Magistrates to violators of odd-even scheme which has ended on Saturday. The scheme had been in force since January 1.
The Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDM) had challaned 5,582 motorists, while around 2,870 people were fined by the Delhi Traffic police for violating the scheme.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has heaped praise on the traffic police for their assistance in enforcing the odd-even scheme. The Government had stipulated Rs 2,000 penalty under relevant sections of Motor Vehicle Act for each violation of the restrictions. It had rolled out on January 1 and was in force between 8 AM to 8 PM during weekdays.
It may be recalled that the Delhi government has already announced that it will provide subsidy on purchase of cycles, from the money collected as challans during the implementation of period of odd-even scheme. With the pilot scheme of odd-even over, the government will now constitute a committee to work out further modalities of the idea of bicycle subsidy.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Abhi Shake for industries to boost Bengal’s image (satire)

Rum Mudda reminds Moody about temples (satire)

Lord Shiva’s solution for global warming – go under water (satire)


Beautiful diners get tables near windows or high visibility areas in restaurants

Ahmedabad hosts 13th edition of 'Sattvik' - the pan-India food festival

53-year-old British woman flew 13000-mile in 1942 bi-plane from Farnborough to Sydney


Shah Rukh Khan’s fond wish - to see Ethan Hunt and James Bond in one movie

'Avatar 2', sequel to 'Avatar' of 2009 expected to release in Dcember 2017

Aamir Khan no longer the face of Incredible India


Motorcycle riding gunmen open fire upon tourists as they boarded bus in Cairo

Woman with fake passport in a British Airways flight from Ibiza leads to panic

German police hunting for seven suicide bombers who planned to blow up Munich railway stations

Delhi plans to give subsidies for purchase of bicycles for clean environment

Encouraged by the response to its odd-even strategy on vehicles to curb pollution and have a clean environment, the government of Delhi is planning to give subsidy for purchase of bicycle. While seeking to promote cycling in the national capital, Delhi government has indicated that it will provide subsidy on purchase of cycles - the money collected as challans during the odd-even scheme's implementation period would be used to finance the scheme.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 9 January 2016.

Transport Minister Gopal Rai has indicated that once the car-rationing pilot plan is wrapped up, the government will constitute a committee to work out further modalities of the this proposed idea of bicycle subsidies.
He has also said that there are no cycle tracks on main roads in Delhi. However, the government appeals to people to use bicycles wherever possible -like in their colonies and mohallas where they can easily ride them and where the possibility of road accidents are also less.
Instead of using motor bikes and scooters, people could go in for using bicycles for their small household works like buying milk or local shopping.
It may be recalled that in order to cut down air pollution in the city, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has implemented a 15-day-long odd-even scheme, which has come into force on January 1.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Moody gifts his neighbor a turban on his birthday (satire)

Lord Shiva’s solution for global warming – go under water (satire)

Didi discusses industries with Moo Cool and Omit Misra (satire)


Use online honey trappers to test the fidelity of the spouse

NASA developing hopping drones to explore Martian caves for human settlement

Cleanliness drive by Railways - collects Rs 58 lakhs in fine from Delhi Railway station


Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood

All female pop-group Moranbong Band cancels China goodwill tour

“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” - Disney’s upcoming television movie


Christmas Day bushfire destroys 100 homes in popular tourist spot of Lorne in Victoria

Migrants ready to pay £1,200 to people smugglers for trip across Channel in UK-registered car

US airdrops 50-tons of ammunition for M-16s and AK-47 to Syrian fighters

Dense fog in Delhi disrupts flights and cancels trains

There was dense fog in Delhi with minimum temperature settling at 11.5 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal. The city had recorded a maximum temperature of 24.7 degrees Celsius the previous day - it was five degrees above normal. As a result, more than 130 trains were cancelled and 60 early morning flights were delayed. The meteorological department has predicted a partly cloudy sky and moderate to dense fog early on Friday morning with very light, isolated showers.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 8 January 2016.

This condition is because of a western disturbance that is affecting northwest India and causing shallow fog and mist. At the IGI Airport, visibility barely crossed 500-900m during the day and was below 700m between 4.30pm and 7.30pm. Similarly, in the morning hours there was poor visibility. The previous day, it was 1,200-1,500m during the same period. This was attributed to higher humidity which, by 11.30am had touched 78% and were 85% at 5.30pm.
Another contributory factor for low visibility was the calm wind - against the three-six knots experienced between 11.30am and 4.30pm on Wednesday, there was almost no wind on Thursday.


(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Moody gifts his neighbor a turban on his birthday (satire)

Lord Shiva’s solution for global warming – go under water (satire)

Didi discusses industries with Moo Cool and Omit Misra (satire)


Use online honey trappers to test the fidelity of the spouse

NASA developing hopping drones to explore Martian caves for human settlement

Cleanliness drive by Railways - collects Rs 58 lakhs in fine from Delhi Railway station


Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood

All female pop-group Moranbong Band cancels China goodwill tour

“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” - Disney’s upcoming television movie


Christmas Day bushfire destroys 100 homes in popular tourist spot of Lorne in Victoria

Migrants ready to pay £1,200 to people smugglers for trip across Channel in UK-registered car

US airdrops 50-tons of ammunition for M-16s and AK-47 to Syrian fighters

Delhi embraces odd-even formula to breathe fresh air

At long last, after plenty of criticism, Delhi is embracing the odd-even formula of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal - the CM has, himself, set the ball rolling by car-pooling with Transport Minister Gopal Rai and Home Minister Satyendra Jain to reach the Secretariat. Delhi is now witnessing full implementation of even-odd rule. Other ministers of Delhi also dumped their cars and used alternate modes to reach office. Since it was the day for even numbers, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia cycled to office - his car is odd numbered.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 4 January 2016.

The Delhi Traffic Police have issued about 200 challans in the morning office hours and, DTC buses and Delhi Metro witnessed usual flow of passengers during peak office hours. It is obvious that people preferred car-pooling and auto-rickshaws to reach their destinations.
It is now four days that this system has been introduced and, the odd-even scheme for vehicular movement faced its real test when the city witnessed maximum traffic during office hours. In this connection it needs to be noted that most of Delhi's traffic has been off-road since January 1 due to weekend and New Year holidays and, the odd-even vehicular restriction policy of the Delhi government had come into effect on January 1. Thousands of volunteers took to the streets to assist traffic police in enforcing the pilot plan that will stay in force till January 15.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Moody gifts his neighbor a turban on his birthday (satire)

Lord Shiva’s solution for global warming – go under water (satire)

Didi discusses industries with Moo Cool and Omit Misra (satire)


Use online honey trappers to test the fidelity of the spouse

NASA developing hopping drones to explore Martian caves for human settlement

Cleanliness drive by Railways - collects Rs 58 lakhs in fine from Delhi Railway station


Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood

All female pop-group Moranbong Band cancels China goodwill tour

“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” - Disney’s upcoming television movie


Christmas Day bushfire destroys 100 homes in popular tourist spot of Lorne in Victoria

Migrants ready to pay £1,200 to people smugglers for trip across Channel in UK-registered car

US airdrops 50-tons of ammunition for M-16s and AK-47 to Syrian fighters

Delhi odd-even - DTC had 4,120 buses on the roads as against 3,800 on other days

Reluctance to change is a global phenomenon and, the decision of Delhi to go in for odd-even strategy to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and, thereby, reduce and contain pollution is viewed with skepticism. However, on the first day of the modification, DTC had put 4,120 buses on the roads as against 3,800 on other days and carried four million passengers.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 2 January 2015.

Since it was the day of the exercise, DTC buses were in great demand on Day One of the odd-even road-rationing experiment in Delhi. Delhi Metro, however, did not record any substantial jump in its ridership. These two operators Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) are expected to carry the major share of additional commuters during the 15-day-long road-rationing experiment.
The restrictions apply from 8 AM to 8 PM from Monday to Saturday.
In the morning, DTC had 4,120 buses on roads while in the evening shift there were 4,063 buses - normally, 3,700 ply during this period.
Moreover, 'DTC Parayavaran Bus Sewa', under which 3,000 private buses have been given special permits for plying during the 15-day-period of the pilot plan, also carried passengers. Under this scheme, 1,226 private buses ('DTC Parayavaran Bus Sewa') were on he roads in the morning and evening shifts.

Some more interesting links -

Moody on climate change – promote bullock carts and tonga (satire)

Baba Someday to use gobar gas and yoga for space flights (satire)

Momo and sushi gear up to dislodge jilebi and pedhas (satire)


Winterline carnival in Mussourie - enjoy hot air balloon rides

Mamata Banerjee visits Digha sea beach and outlines her plans

Elon Musk finally gets it right - SpaceX rocket lands back on Earth vertically


'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' takes the world by storm - set to break records

Batman Ben Affleck, the Dark Knight, speaks up

When Bollywood film stars fall in love with Kolkata


British Muslim family not allowed to travel to Disneyland from Gatwick airport

ISIS chooses jungles of Philippines as its training camp

Terror attacks in Paris makes the US issue global alert for its citizens

Delhi boasts of women only liquor mall in Mayur Vihar

Delhi can now lay claim to be a city that caters to its women who love liquor - usually, women generally hate to enter liquor shops frequented by men because of obvious reasons. Therefore, liquor shops meant exclusively for women in Mayur Vihar would go a long way to meet their needs. One location is Star City Mall in East Delhi, right next to DLF The Galleria. It is a liquor store that stands out from its competitors.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 29 December 2015.

There are glass walls, fancy interiors and apart from a comfortable-looking sofa, there is a large pink strip on the outside that reads “Exclusive section only for ladies”. There are at least a dozen of these spread over these two malls in Mayur Vihar.
The Star City mall, next to Pizza Hut, has opened in October this year, and it is gradually getting noticed by women who want to buy alcohol without being harassed or intimidated or be stared at by men. Although men are not allowed in the women’s-only section, they can go to an adjoining section of the same shop, which is open for all.
Of course, even though marketed as women-only, couples make up the bulk of its customer base. Many people do not know about the concept. There is a distinct women-friendly image with female security guards. Women who come here for vodka, wine and champagne. Some go in for whiskey as well and, if accompanied by male companions, they buy beer. But the choice of girls is generally tequila.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting links -

Moody on climate change – promote bullock carts and tonga (satire)

Baba Someday to use gobar gas and yoga for space flights (satire)

Momo and sushi gear up to dislodge jilebi and pedhas (satire)


Winterline carnival in Mussourie - enjoy hot air balloon rides

Mamata Banerjee visits Digha sea beach and outlines her plans

Elon Musk finally gets it right - SpaceX rocket lands back on Earth vertically


'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' takes the world by storm - set to break records

Batman Ben Affleck, the Dark Knight, speaks up

When Bollywood film stars fall in love with Kolkata


British Muslim family not allowed to travel to Disneyland from Gatwick airport

ISIS chooses jungles of Philippines as its training camp

Terror attacks in Paris makes the US issue global alert for its citizens

Delhi set to get a mini-beach with beach volleyball in Sanjay Lake

A new lake is coming up in Delhi - it will boast of a mini-beach with beach volleyball on its periphery apart from a military-inspired obstacle setting with a tightrope 40ft above the ground coupled with an idyllic and scenic background. This will be the adventurous, sprawling wild west-themed park that will be officially thrown open at Sanjay Lake in east Delhi.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 December 2015.

The Sanjay Lake promises to be one-of-a-kind adventure park that will have every conceivable attraction from treetop course to paddle boats and lush green lawns in an enthralling lake setting to attract visitors. It is spread across 6.3 acres, and has nine lawns - these are named: Great Plain, Battle Ground, Home Dome, The Den, Grazing Field, Bad Lands, Cattle Ranch and Cowboy Creek.
And then there is a man-made beach too.
As an official of the tourism department has said - in Delhi there is shortage of open space for kids to play and, while there are amusement parks where one can go for rides, an adventure park is a different kettle of fish. It allows them to participate in various activities. The basic idea is to get people out of their homes to enjoy in the open. This is the first phase of the project, and there are plans to introduce more attractions in phase II, which is expected to be completed by March or April.
The aim is to provide people of Delhi a camping experience by setting up huts and tents.


(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Moody and the mystery of Didi in Delhi (satire)

Kartika wants to become a Bollywood hero (satire)

Momo and sushi gear up to dislodge jilebi and pedhas (satire)


Be careful of six things that can reduce your lifespan

Monkey business in Uttarakhand - Uttar Pradesh dumping its monkeys in Uttarakhand

Japan to give India her first Bullet Train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad


Quentin Tarantino wants to do 'Kill Bill 3'

Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila to perform in Kolkata to mark Vijay Diwas

Shah Rukh Khan to address alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore


Two men of Syrian origin caught in Geneva with explosives

President Obama cautions Americans on new type of terror threat

USS Zumwalt, largest destroyer ever built, sets out for sea trials

delhi

Schools in Delhi to be closed from Jan 1 to Jan 15 to control pollution

Delhi government has decided to keep schools in Delhi closed for 15 days with effect from Jan 1 during which time the odd-even system would be tried out to reduce pollution in the capital. As per information, all schools in the national capital will be closed from January 1 to January 15 next year in order to avoid any problems to the students in view of the implementation of odd-even system for cars and other vehicle during this period of time.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 12 December 2015.

As Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said children are most affected due to rising pollution and government will make a policy of odd-even formula with their involvement.
There is a winter holiday in all government and private schools from December last week to the first week of January every year and, in case the Education Department declares holidays for 15 days between January 1 and 15, the studies of students will not be affected.
He also added that since children are the largest stakeholder with 26 lakh of them studying in schools, it is necessary that the policy of odd-even formula be made with their involvement. While everyone is affected by te rising pollution, children are the most affected and that is a matter of concern.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has held a high-level meeting with all his cabinet ministers, concerned departments and agencies in order to prepare a strategy for implementing the odd-even scheme.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Moody on climate change – promote bullock carts and tonga (satire)

Moody shelves black money, goes for gold (satire)

Moody wants dhokla to be the National dish (satire)


Amy Poehler set to receive Hollywood Walk Of Fame star

Malaika Arora Khan wants to open a restaurant

Nicole Kidman all praises for Bollywood


Laldighi in Kolkata to lose its trams and make way for East-West Metro

Radiation from Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan has spread to the United States

Electric cars to combat greenhouse effect


RAF jets pound ISIS oil field in Syria

Britain bares its fangs - RAF Tornados bomb ISIS oilfields

United States sending 200 troops to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces take on ISIS

Japan to give India her first Bullet Train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad

Japan has landed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. The proposal of China was not accepted because of the bullet train accident in China four years ago in the south-eastern city of Wenzhou in which 40 people died and close to 200 were injured. Japan has offered low-cost finance and a promise to have a substantial 'Make in India' component and transfer of technology. These ensured that Japan get the contract.
The first high-speed Bullet Train would run initially between Mumbai and Ahmedabad and, in future, could be extended to Delhi.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 December 2015.

The Rs 98,000 crore project was cleared by the cabinet and is set to be announced during the visit of Japanese premier Shinzo Abe's later this week.
Incidentally, the Shinkansen System had the best safety record with no fatalities in addition to the fact that delays on a trip did not exceed a minute.
Nearly 70-80% of the components could be manufactured in India and the Japanese government has offered technical support and was willing to drive the local manufacturing and technology transfer initiative within a specified period.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Moody on climate change – promote bullock carts and tonga (satire)

Moody shelves black money, goes for gold (satire)

Moody wants dhokla to be the National dish (satire)


Amy Poehler set to receive Hollywood Walk Of Fame star

Malaika Arora Khan wants to open a restaurant

Nicole Kidman all praises for Bollywood


Laldighi in Kolkata to lose its trams and make way for East-West Metro

Radiation from Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan has spread to the United States

Electric cars to combat greenhouse effect


RAF jets pound ISIS oil field in Syria

Britain bares its fangs - RAF Tornados bomb ISIS oilfields

United States sending 200 troops to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces take on ISIS

Durgapur-Delhi flight takes off, thanks to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Durgapur gets a direct flight to Delhi by Air India – chief minister Mamata Banerjee herself was on the inaugural flight. This development would provide a big boost to the 1.1 crore population that the city holds. It will ensure a hassle-free travel on the 122-seater, Airbus-319 Air India aircraft which is expected to operate thrice a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
This has been reported in indiatoday.intoday.in dated 7 December 2015.

The Durgapur airport is India's first Greenfield airport – it is named Kazi Nazrul Islam. Regular flights will commence from December 12. With this, Durgapur has become the latest city in the Burdwan district to be connected to the National Capital. The Kazi Nazrul Islam airport at Andal was built by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited BAPL in association with Singapore's Changi Airports International (CAI).
As Mamata Banerjee has said – this service, which is in addition to the existing connectivity between Durgapur and Kolkata, will help in the growth of industry, commerce and tourism in the region.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Moody on climate change – promote bullock carts and tonga (satire)

Moody shelves black money, goes for gold (satire)

Moody wants dhokla to be the National dish (satire)


Amy Poehler set to receive Hollywood Walk Of Fame star

Malaika Arora Khan wants to open a restaurant

Nicole Kidman all praises for Bollywood


Laldighi in Kolkata to lose its trams and make way for East-West Metro

Radiation from Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan has spread to the United States

Electric cars to combat greenhouse effect


RAF jets pound ISIS oil field in Syria

Britain bares its fangs - RAF Tornados bomb ISIS oilfields

United States sending 200 troops to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces take on ISIS

Future of street foods in Delhi bleak - Delhi bans cooking on roads

Street food culture is integral with any city but, soon, Delhi may forget the concept of street foods because the policy decision imposes a blanket ban on cooking on the streets – it also has many stringent measures, which vendors claim could lead to more harassment for them. Vendors' associations are, therefore, planning to meet chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and register their protest against the scheme for implementation of the Street Vendors Act, 2014.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 October 2015.

The ban on roadside cooking or in the open is based on an order of the Supreme Court and hence will have to be imposed. The vendors' associations says that the lives and livelihood of of lakhs of vendors would be affected since a majority of them sell food.
Brief details of the new scheme - vendors cannot cook, they can work only from sunrise to sunset, and they cannot leave their goods at the vending site. Moreover, no electricity and water connection will be provided. Another restraint – the vendors are not supposed to make noise to grab attention of customers. They have to also ensure that customers do not park their vehicles in front of their stalls.
The government has laid down stringent measures with fines ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 2,000 per day in case of non-compliance.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-
Online buyers beware: Flipkart in trouble – is it handling stolen goods?

Ramdev graduates from yoga-guru to marketing guru to capture Maggi’s market

Pepsi to withdraw from sponsorship of IPL because of spot fixing scandal


Shabana Azmi, Cate Blanchett, Freida Pinto to share their thoughts at Women in the World India Summit in Delhi

Sidharth Malhotra to be first Indian ambassador for Tourism New Zealand

Selena Gomez says her absence was not due to drugs but chemotherapy for lupus


Life imprisonment for 15-year-old British boy who plotted Anzac Day massacre in Melbourne

France joins the fight against the ISIS – bombs targets in Raqqa

Double suicide bombing in Turkish peace rally leaves 97 dead, more than 400 injured


Foodies build-up tempo to the Durga Pujas

Durga Puja today is a commercial venture

Durga Puja provides thousands of jobs for months

Taj Mahal loses its sheen – number of foreign tourists drops drastically

Taj Mahal, the well-known tourism destination is no longer in the list of foreign tourists who are now preferring to visit it for short duration – reason being pestering by touts and lack on infrastructure. The latest figures of those who stay in Agra for two days or more has fallen drastically this year. It has plummeted by 32% when compared to figures of 2014.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 2 September 2015.

It has been revealed by a Local Intelligence Unit that 53,113 foreigners stayed for more than one day in Agra between April and July in 2015. The corresponding figures for 2014 was 78,202. The reason is attributed to the prevailing tout culture apart from the generally shoddy tourism infrastructure.
Moreover, as per figures of the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI), out of 3.02 lakh foreigners who visited the Taj between January and May this year, 1.6 lakh (53%) left the city the same day. In 2014, there were a total of 3.23 lakh tourists out of which 1.36 lakh (42%) went back on the same day.
There is no airport in Agra and tourists have to get down at Delhi and travel by road or rail to Agra. Obviously, the occupancy in Agra hotels has taken a beating and, unless these are resolved, Taj Mahal would drop out of sight of the itinerary of foreign tourists and that will adversely affect the economy of the region.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

Qatar Airways changes its policy of sacking cabin crew for getting pregnant or getting married

Women’s hockey team into 2016 Rio Olympics after 36-years on Dhyan Chand’s birthday

Mumbai’s 9000-tonnes of daily plastic waste a major environment issue


Tila Tequila evicted from Celebrity Big Brother because of her praise of Hitler

‘Phantom’ – a Saif Ali Khan Katrina Kaif starrer with Mumbai 26/11 as backdrop

Cate Blanchett to be honored with BFI Fellowship at London Film Festival


Foolish robbers caught in London - they wore burqas but did not walk like women!!

Horror of free access to firearms – West Virginia 14-year-old takes 27 classmates hostage at gunpoint

Trained jihadists from Iraq and Syria returning to Europe to strike terror


A street food named jhal muri
A tribute to Kishore Kumar, the legend, on his 86th birthday

Indian kitchens must have ‘besan’

Chennai to enforce ban on thin plastic bags from August 15

Chennai plans to strictly enforce a total ban on thin plastic bags that are less than 40 microns in thickness with effect from Independence Day and, while it would be a laudable step, it is anybody’s guess how successful it would be.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 14 August 2015.

Chennai produces 429 tonnes of plastic waste per day and stands second only to Delhi that generates 689 tonnes. In the Swatchh Bharat rankings that the ministry of urban development has recently released, Chennai is placed at 61 among 476 cities.
Corporation of Chennai has indicated that the ban on plastic has been in force but local bodies will now increase enforcement so that it ensures compliance with the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011. Under this rule, it is not permitted to use any plastic of thickness less than 40 microns.
However, the plastic industry is worried. Chennai Plastic Manufactures and Merchants Association says that a complete ban on plastic is impractical. This is because there are more than 10,000 plastic manufacturers in the state. They generate direct and indirect employment for many thousands of people. If a total ban is introduced, it would affect them adversely.
It is a well-known fact that plastic pollution is harmful to the environment and, if a ban has to really be introduced, the authorities need to work out how best to rehabilitate those who depend on plastic bags for livelihood. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

Take care of the heart – a few dos and don’ts

Chinese research finds that spicy food is the secret to a long life

Swatchh Bharat campaign takes a beating in Delhi itself


Dame Julie Andrews to direct new ‘My Fair Lady’ in Sydney for 60th birthday of Opera Australia

There is a fight scene between Captain America and Spiderman in ‘Civil War’

Shah Rukh Khan’s fond wish - to see Ethan Hunt and James Bond in one movie


Parts of lost plane MH370 of Malaysia Airline washes up on Reunion Island

Niloy Neel, fourth blogger of Bangladesh, hacked to death in Dhaka

Suicide bombers attack Kabul –kill dozens of innocents


A street food named jhal muri

A tribute to Kishore Kumar, the legend, on his 86th birthday

The world of fuchka, golgappa and panipuri

Delhi is now in the grip of waterlogging as there is no letup in the rains

The monsoons have heaped miseries on Delhi as the city continued to reel under massive traffic jams due to waterlogging due to heavy rains that lashed the city for second consecutive day on Saturday. Many arterial roads are flooded and commuters were stranded for hours while.
The lack of preparedness of the civic bodies was evident since it has not yet been able to deal with the perennial problem. The civic authorities have got portable pumps installed in many localities to pump out the excess water.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 12 July 2015.

The MET department has issued a warning that the heavy downpour could continue till Tuesday.
The problem of waterlogging in metropolitan cities in India are not new. It happens every year in Mumbai and Kolkata and, people living there have got used to this situation. The blame is usually put on the tides – Mumbai blames it on the tides in the Arabian Sea and in Kolkata, it is the Ganges that is to blame.
Interestingly, one chief Minister of Maharashtra had visions of turning Mumbai into Shanghai while the present chief Minister of West Bengal wants to turn Kolkata into London.
Long live such visionaries. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -
Maggi noodles are banned in India but, the same Maggi is safe in the UK

Top Ramen follows Maggi and goes off the shelves

India’s dreams of a Utopia vanishing, courtesy arrogant and corrupt ministers

Oil giant Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic off the Alaskan coast

Venezuela facing shortage of beer


Boko Haram unleashes another round of terror on Nigeria – kill 150 in Borno state

ISIS child executioners shoot and kill 25 Syrian soldiers in Palmyra ruins in public

Britain wakes from slumber after Tunisia deaths – to debate airstrikes on ISIS targets


Mangoes are forever

Ripe mangoes and mango cakes or amsatta

WHO report - pollution highest in North Indian cities, lowest down South

#airpollution #WHO #mostpollutedcities According a report of WHO, the cities facing maximum pollution in India are located in the northern regions and cities in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan dominate the list. These states lie in the fog belt and air pollution is worsening the problem. Incidentally, it had been already reported that the average fog hours in the month of January in Delhi had increased by as much as eight hours since 1989 — this is a trend that can be attributed to rising pollution.
Delhi has earned the dubious tag of the most polluted city in the world. The breakup of polluted cities statewise is nine in UP, five in Punjab, four in Rajasthan. There were three cities each in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and one city each in J&K, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
At the other end of the spectrum are five cities with the cleanest air – all of these are located in south India. Two of these were in Kerala - Kollam and Pathanamthitta, one in Karnataka - Hassan, one in Tamil Nadu - Madurai, and Pondicherry.
A total of 124 Indian data stations - mostly in cities – have been featured in the report of WHO.
A comparison between the cleanest and most polluted cities will reveal the extent of variation - Pathanamthitta, the cleanest city on the list, recorded a concentration of 10 parts per million of particles under 2.5 microns while in Delhi it was a concentration of 153 parts per million of such particles. This is more than fifteen times that of Pathanamthitta.
WHO relied on the concentration of particles in the air under 2.5 microns to determine how bad air pollution is because such tiny particles cause the most damage to health - when inhaled, they can go deep into the lungs, whereas larger particles are usually filtered out before they reach that far.