The U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform Bill, that would roll back what are seen as excessively punitive criminal justice policies that have been in place since the crackdown on crime in the 1980s. The Bill, which had wide bipartisan support (only …
Read More »Daily Archives: December 20, 2018
Olive ridleys congregate for mating season
Debris caused by Titli cyclone cleared by forest department for nesting Thousands of olive ridleys, as part of their annual mating season, have assembled near the Rushikulya rookery on the Odisha coast. The forest department has stepped up its patrol in the area to safeguard the turtles. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/olive-ridleys-congregate-for-mating-season/article25785560.ece
Read More »Reducing GST is ‘belated wisdom’
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that the government was trying to reduce goods and services tax (GST) on 99% of the items below 18% as ‘belated wisdom’. “Having scrambled the egg needlessly when GST was introduced, government is trying to unscramble it! …
Read More »LS passes Bill banning commercial surrogacy
“The hon. Supreme Court, Madam, has recently decriminalised Section 377 and the LGBT community has been accepted to be a part of the mainstream. So, we have same sex couples now. But, in this Bill, there is no mention of them,” she said. The Trinamool MP also called for stopping …
Read More »Satellite gives IAF a shot in the arm
Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa said on Wednesday that the launch of satellite GSAT-7A would enhance the networking and communication capabilities of the Air Force. Big push “We have several platforms (aircraft) which have capabilities of communication through satellite. The communication to the platform (aircraft) through the satellite will be …
Read More »27 farmers move SC against Bengal govt.
The Supreme Court has ordered the West Bengal government to respond to a case of 27 farmers, who are fighting to retain their land against the State’s claim of having acquired it over six decades ago. Srikanta Charan Kanp, the lead petitioner in the case, told an apex court Bench …
Read More »Tejas fuel droptank put through test in Chennai
A team of scientists from the Fatigue and Fracture Laboratory and the Advanced Seismic Testing and Research Laboratory, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC), Chennai, conducted a crucial qualification test of the fuel drop tank of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). The laboratory designed and developed the test in consultation …
Read More »Officials collect J&J baby powder samples for testing
Officials from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Food & Drug Administration on Wednesday (FDA) visited some facilities of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to take samples of baby powder to test them for the presence of cancer-causing asbestos. This follows a recent Reuters report on the presence of …
Read More »Swaminathan distances himself from GM paper
In the aftermath of criticism by scientists, eminent agriculture scientist, M.S. Swaminathan, has said that he’s a “supporter of genetic engineering technology” and that he ought not to have co-authored the article, which was a review of genetic modification (GM) technology in crops, in India. “I wish to… reiterate my …
Read More »Rajya Sabha rocked for 7th day
For the seventh consecutive day, the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out over a war of words between the government and the Opposition on the Rafale aircraft deal and protests by Tamil Nadu parties over the Cauvery issue. Minutes after the Upper House convened for the day, Congress …
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