Seeks experiment ideas from space agencies, universities and researchers An 18-month-old pitch for what could be the first Indian orbiter mission to Venus has just been refreshed and relaunched, opening it up now for international experiments. Tentatively marking the yet to be named ‘Mission Venus’ for mid-2023, the Indian Space …

After changing the names of Mughalsarai, Allahabad and Faizabad, BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh are demanding renaming of more places associated with Mughal and Islamic rulers. While many names are being whispered about, Muzaffarnagar, Agra and Sultanpur are among those being discussed openly. Sangeet Som, Meerut MLA, has said Muzaffarnagar …

From the time President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Mr. Wickremesinghe on October 26, till he dissolved parliament exactly two weeks later, doubts about the constitutional validity of his moves have been a recurring theme. The dissolution of the House in particular, shortly after Mr. Sirisena’s party declared it lacked numbers for …

Devastated orchard owners try to mend trees felled by untimely snowfall, say compensation announced is just a speck in comparison to the losses November is the peak wedding season in south Kashmir’s ‘apple bowl’ Shopian. But Riyaz Dar, an orchard owner from Hirpora village in the district, has decided to …

Two years after demonetisation, the fake currency notes seized so far are not of a high quality, a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found. Another Home Ministry official said the network of same fake currency operators was still intact as two years ago, that pushed fake notes …

The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which opened in the city on Saturday, will not only celebrate 100 years of Bengali cinema but also cinema from the faraway land of Australia that is more than a hundred years old. Cinema in Australia goes back to 1906, much before Bengali …

Opposition parties in Maharashtra demand arrest of Sudhir Mungantiwar and investigation by CBI Opposition parties today demanded the arrest of Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who has been under pressure for allegedly ordering the killing of tigress Avni. The Congress, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded his dismissal …

The credit goes to the Shia community of Kashmir for keeping alive papier mache art — colourful, exquisite, highly decorative and delicate — in the Valley since the 14th century. “This wealth has been handed down to me by my father who inherited it from my grandfather and so on. …

Decision to reject T.N.’s appeal for release of Rajiv case convicts taken by Ministry The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has admitted that Tamil Nadu’s proposal for premature release of convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case was not sent to the President and the decision (not to concur with …

Opposition parties in Maharashtra on Saturday demanded the arrest of Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who has been under pressure for allegedly ordering the killing of tigress Avni on November 3. The Congress, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded his dismissal or, they said, protests would be held …

High stakes legal battle in offing as parties will move Supreme Court next week A day after Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena controversially dissolved Parliament, parties opposed to the decision are preparing for a high stakes legal battle. Major parties on Saturday decided to move the Supreme Court early next …

Northcote Parkinson said, ‘Work expands to fill time.’ I modify this to include the afternoon nap too. So that day I got up from my nap, which had stretched longer than usual. I prepared my own cup of coffee and sat in my armchair in the driveway. Enjoying the coffee, …

Diabetes has become a public health problem, and this is particularly so in India where almost 20% of all people with diabetes in the world live. More worrying than the absolute numbers of people with diabetes, are the complications related to diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney …

A lesson in adaptation, accepting life as it is, with courage, fortitude and a commonsensical approach That was my grandmother and that’s how far she got. She came from Tippalakatta village in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh. The name literally means “a bundle of problems”. She was one of several …

The grandmother as a shaping influence, impartinglife-strengths and negating gender stereotypes The train reached the destination at 5.45 a.m. I got down with the luggage and waited for my grandmother to alight too. The next thing I remember was a feeble hoot followed by the train leaving the platform. I …

A savvy nonagenarian’s experience with a tech device that tries some hand-holding I turned ninety a few days ago, and my grandchildren sent me a birthday gift. The package arrived late at night on my birthday; in fact, the courier staff brought it in at 10.30. I had received an …

A major factor holding back development of wearable biosensors for health monitoring is the lack of a lightweight, long-lasting power supply. Now, scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US have developed a method for making a charge-storing system that is easily integrated into clothing. “Batteries or other …

Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, promises to keep map-makers busy. He has not only picked up the pace in changing names of places in his State, but his colleagues in the BJP seem to be going through the atlas to identify cities elsewhere that could be re-designated …

The uproar overSarkar reveals a strong streak of political intolerance in Tamil Nadu Bullying film-makers into shelving projects or effecting cuts is not new in India. However, it is not often that a State government or the ruling party resorts to threat and intimidation against a commercial film. The AIADMK …

Despite the recent announcement suggesting that the Jaipur Zika virus strains cannot cause foetal microcephaly, all possible measures to control transmission and monitor pregnancies should be taken. To the best of our knowledge, there is not a specific Zika virus strain — or mutation — linked to microcephaly. All Zika …