Posts

Live Budget

Budget: Wish'full' thinking

Some brilliant minds have come together to discuss possible effects of the budget on inflation, stock markets and growth.

Rail Budget: Live coverage

ร˜   LIVE from Mamata Banerjee's speech - ร˜   54 new trains to be introduced in FY11 ร˜   Dedicated freight & passenger corridors to be set up ร˜   Tourists trains to be launched on 16 routes ร˜   To provide employment to 1 member of land losers' family ร˜   Railway eco parks to be set up to give importance to nature ร˜   GPS-based driver guidance system on locomotives ร˜   Will set up 10 automobile and ancillary hubs ร˜   2008-09 combined turnover of Rs 13,641 cr for railways ร˜   5 wagon industries to be set up in JV-PPP mode ร˜   Design development & testing centre for wheels in Bangalore ร˜   No increase in freight tariff ร˜   To run 101 suburban trains in Mumbai ร˜   Railways to complete 25,000km of rail lines by 2020 ร˜   50 creches and 20 hostels for children of women employees ร˜   Mobile e-ticketing centres at hospitals, courts & universities ร˜   To make e-tickets available at panchayat level ร˜ ...

E- waste threatens ecology and health

he electronic waste generated due to discarded computers, mobile phones and other gadgets is all set to take a heavy toll on human health and the environment in India unless immediate steps are taken to collect and recycle this waste. By 2020, e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 500 per cent from 2007 levels in the country, a UN report released on Monday has warned. The waste from old television sets and discarded refrigerators will double or triple during this period, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stated in the report "Recycling รข€” from E-Waste to Resources". The waste from mobile phones would rise 18 times by 2020. Most e-waste in the country is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold. This type of recycling in the informal sector releases steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to well equipped industrial recycling facilities...

Earth in the Beginning

The early Earth was a vision of hell, all scalding rock and choking fumes. Since then, its surface has cooled, continents have drifted, mountains have risen and eroded, and life has emerged, benign and green. Nearly all traces of the planet as it was have been wiped away. But from clues in the oldest rocks, deepest magmas, and even the cratered face of the moon, scientists have traced the planet's beginnings. As those early days have come into focus, so have the rare scenes, found today in some of Earth's harshest places, that recall its ancient self. Its birth pangs began some 4.6 billion years ago as rock and ice particles swirling around the young sun collided and merged, snowballing to produce ever larger planetary building blocks. In violent pileups, they smashed together to create planets, including the infant Earth. In the turmoil, another body, as big as Mars, struck our planet with the energy of trillions of atomic bombs, enough to melt it all the way through. Most ...

Here's why you should eat fish

New Delhi, Feb. 20 -- Fish is a wonderful source of essential vitamins and minerals. Numerous studies have shown that it has multiple health benefits. It is high in protein and low in fat. It is particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, or the 'good' fats, which the human body does not produce. It's no wonder that fish is seen by many as an essential part of one's daily balanced diet. Here are some more reasons why doctors give a thumbs up to fish: Reduces the tendency of blood clotting. Repairs arteries damaged due to lack of oxygen owing to fatty deposits. Lowers blood pressure. Boosts body immunity. Lowers risk of oral and digestive track cancer. Helps reduce chances of breast cancer. Helps pre- and post-natal neurological development. Reduces tissue inflammation. Alleviates symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Regularises heartbeat. Reduces depression and halts mental decline in elderly people. Keeps the skin, nervous system and red blood cells healthy. Fish types a...

Sky's the limit

The Indian Express Tue, Feb 16 06:28 AM Beijing's dismissal of the DRDO's claims that its missile technology is superior to that of China might provoke knee-jerk patriotism in Delhi. But no one in the world disputes that China is way ahead of India in missilery and military uses of space. By transferring missiles and their production technology, China has also put Pakistan ahead of India. Instead of acknowledging the reality and redoubling the effort to catch up, the DRDO is making extravagant claims. Take, for example, its head V.K. Saraswat's claim that the Agni-III, with its 3000 km range, is ready for "induction" by the services. A weapons system inducted after just four tests including one failure? This is the kind of sanctimonious self-congratulation that the DRDO has doled out for decades. Because they wrap themselves in the flag, we are not supposed to ask questions, only clap. Saraswat has claimed that "there is no need to produce and store missile...