Assorted

Kolkata, July 28: A litterateur with the zeal of an activist, Mahasweta Devi used creative expression as a tool to fight for the rights of the indigenous people and marginalised sections. With the sincerity of an activist and the passion of a writer, the Bengali writer was the voice of the oppressed in her novels and short stories, which won her a number of awards including the Padma Vibhushan...

Abu Dhabi, Jul 26: Solar Impulse 2 landed today in the UAE, completing its epic journey to become the first sun- powered airplane to circle the globe without a drop of fuel to promote renewable energy. The plane touched down at 04:05 (0535 IST) in the capital Abu Dhabi after a more than 48 hour-long flight from Cairo, the final leg in its journey which began on March 9 last year. Cheers and...

United Nations, Jul 22: India is ranked at a low 110 of 149 nations with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to a new index topped by Sweden that shows all countries face major challenges in achieving these ambitious goals. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung launched a new Sustainable Development Goal Index and Dashboard...

New Delhi, Jul 17: Drug trafficking in India is on a new 'high' with anti-narcotics agencies having detected the crime being perpetrated through the cryptic 'darknet' and the clandestine and unregulated currency Bitcoin. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), chief law enforcement and intelligence agency responsible for fighting drug trafficking and abuse of illegal substances, has interdicted two...

Kerala: The opening salvos of the fight against fat have been fired in the southern Indian state of Kerala. On Friday, the state government announced a 14.5 percent "fat tax" on burgers, pizzas, donuts, tacos, sandwiches and pasta served in branded restaurants. With Kerala having the second highest rate of obesity in India, the new tax is a "preventive measure," the state's finance minister Thomas...

New Delhi, Jul 14: India ranks second after Indonesia on the global list of shark fishing nations as fishing of the species in the country has progressed from being “incidental” to “targeted”, a wildlife body said on Thursday. “Shark fishing in India has progressed from being incidental to targeted over the years. The transformation occurred only during the 1990s due to increasing demand in the...

Washington, Jul 6: Underlining that India's 7.5 per cent growth rate may be "overstated", the US has said the Narendra Modi government has been "slow" to match its rhetoric in economic reforms even as it appreciated measures taken by it in areas like bureaucracy and easing FDI restrictions. Highly appreciative of the series of economic reforms, in particular streamlining bureaucratic decision...

London, Jul 4: Greenhouse gas emissions have caused the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool - the largest area of warm water in the world - to get hotter and increase in size, scientists have warned. The pool stretches about 14,484 km along the equator and 2,414 km from north to south. It is an area of ocean with an average temperature of more than 28 degrees Celsius and can reach up to 30 degrees in places...

New Delhi, Jul 4: India has slipped to 75th place in terms of money held by its citizens with banks in Switzerland, while the UK remains on top. India was placed at 61st place last year, while it used to among top-50 countries in terms of holdings in Swiss banks till 2007. The country was ranked highest at 37th place in the year 2004. As per the latest annual update on Swiss banks, released by...

Washington, Jul 1: In a historic decision, the Pentagon has lifted the ban on transgender Americans to serve in the United States military, a move which is being hailed across the country. "We are ending the ban on transgender Americans in the United States military," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. "Effective immediately, transgender Americans may...