Swami Vivekananda’s ideas of universal tolerance, compassion, and concern for the poor are as relevant today as they were during his lifetime, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu told the World Hindu Congress (WHC), an international conference organised by affiliates of the RSS. The event coincides with the 125th anniversary of Vivekananda’s …
Read More »Monthly Archives: September 2018
Assam parties up in arms against NRC chief
He has suggested trimming the number of admissible documents as citizenship proof from 15 to 10 Suggestions to the Supreme Court by the officer heading the exercise to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to slash the list of “admissible documents” as citizenship proof from 15 to 10 has …
Read More »It will be feats of clay this year for the deity who ‘removes obstacles’
Increasing awareness has seen eco-friendly Ganesh idols making steady inroads into a sea of plaster of paris gods Ganesh Chaturthi observances today owe much to Bal Gangadhar ‘Lokmanya’ Tilak. Under British rule the festival, which had been celebrated with gusto in Maharashtra under the Peshwas, became a smaller family occasion. …
Read More »IAF prepares to induct Rafale jets
Pilots being sent to France again for training; Rs. 400 crore sanctioned for readying bases Though the Rafale jet deal has been caught in a political firestorm, the Indian Air Force is quietly readying infrastructure for the new fleet and training its fighter pilots to fly the aircraft. Official sources …
Read More »‘Areas under Maoists have shrunk by 40% in past three years’
RPF Director-General says the force is getting closer to the core areas of the extremists, cutting down the striking distance and striking time The Central Reserve Police Force has been the main force fighting Maoists in 10 States affected by left-wing extremism. CRPF Director-General R.R. Bhatnagar says the force was …
Read More »377 verdict has inbuilt firewall
SC thwarts any future attempts to bring back criminalisation of homosexuality Within the pages of the Supreme Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality contains a safeguard against any attempts by governments, present and future, to enact laws to make homosexuals criminals again. The five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of Dipak …
Read More »A-G’s advice swung T.N. decision
A-G Vijay Narayan said Governor has ‘unfettered power’ under Article 161 The Tamil Nadu Cabinet’s decision to recommend the release of the seven life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was taken on the strength of Advocate General Vijay Narayan’s opinion that the Governor had “unfettered …
Read More »Predatory bacteria may help combat antibiotic resistance
Predatory bacteria may fight antibiotic resistance In a bid to fight back against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers are now developing germ-eating microbes that will attack all sorts of nasties, including bacterial lung infections, plague and deadly germs that have developed resistance to antibiotics. They studied Bdellovibrio, which bores into bigger bacteria …
Read More »Rajapaksa visit hints at thaw
With Delhi trip, former Sri Lankan President seems to be warming to India In an indication of warming of ties, former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit New Delhi this week and hold important discussions. Mr. Rajapaksa, who is credited with ending the reign of the Liberation Tigers of …
Read More »T.N. recommends release of all seven Rajiv case convicts
Governor bound to accept Cabinet decision under Art. 161, says Jayakumar A meeting of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Sunday evening recommended to Governor Banwarilal Purohit that all seven life convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case be released under …
Read More »Cloudy forecast
Developed countries, especially the U.S.,need to commit funds to limit climate change The conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bangkok last week, that was to draft a rulebook for the Paris Agreement ahead of a crucial international conference in Poland in December, ran into predictable difficulties …
Read More »Holding up the mirror
Alan Rusbridger’s new book captures the troubling reality in the media ecosystem today I am never tired of saying that the best journalism is akin to Umberto Eco’s idea of balancing humility and pride as a means for academic excellence. Academic humility, according to Eco, is the knowledge that anyone …
Read More »A greater transformation
In reading down Section 377, the Supreme Court has showed the way to deepen democracy In its decision in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India last week, the Supreme Court has finally struck down the colonial-era law criminalising homosexuality and the lives of LGBTQ persons. In a 493-page verdict, …
Read More »Why not Dalit?
The government advisory on the use of the word shows its intent to further marginalise the community In pre-Independence India and after 1947, during the several unyielding movements for justice for Dalits, multiple terms have been used to convey the idea of the caste system which B.R. Ambedkar described “as …
Read More »Too close for comfort?
Dialogue with the U.S. should not define India’s strategic future or its other bilateral relationships The India-U.S. 2+2 meeting on September 6 between the Defence and Foreign Ministers of the two countries appeared to be a singularly one-sided affair. Washington was calling the shots, and New Delhi was trying to …
Read More »IISER Bhopal develops organic solar cell using vitamin B12 derivative
The synthesised material absorbs light much like porphyrin in natural chlorophyll Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have developed cheaper and more flexible organic solar cells using a synthetic derivative of vitamin B12. An organic solar cell is made up of acceptor and donor …
Read More »JNCASR: Electrochemical sensor detects dopamine, paracetamol
The sensor could detect levels of the analytes in spiked human serum and urine Developing electrochemical sensors to detect dopamine and paracetamol in the body is an active field of research. A team from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, has come up with a nanocomposite material made …
Read More »Fuel from air and water
Why not convert CO2 into solid carbonate rocks? As we have kept on burning more and more of organic fuel, such as coal and crude oil, over the last century across the world, the amount of the oxidation product, carbon dioxide (CO2), in the atmosphere has reached alarming levels, causing …
Read More »Aptamer inhibits TB bacteria entry into cells
Despite being an attractive drug target, designing inhibitors against HupB protein has been largely unsuccessful till now By using a small single-stranded DNA molecule (DNA aptamer) that specifically binds to a single protein (HupB) present in TB bacteria, researchers have been able to achieve 40-55% reduction in the bacteria’s ability …
Read More »Indonesia can best defend the rupiah by staying calm
Indonesia’s best defence of its currency may be a cool head. A dramatic sell-off in emerging markets has pushed the rupiah to its weakest level against the dollar since the 1998 Asian crisis. Policy-makers appear rattled, but measured approaches are available.Jakarta is better placed to defend the rupiah than it …
Read More »