World Lung Cancer Day 1-Aug 202|What others days are celebrated today.

World Wide Web Day, Sisters Day, International Childfree Day, Friendship Day, World Lung Cancer Day, Swiss National Day.

World Lung Cancer Day

2nd most common form of cancer and major cause of death around the world

Significance:

To raise awareness about the causes and treatment of lung cancer. The lack of sufficient research and funding has made Lung Cancer a deadly one. According to data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 2.09 million deaths annually. New research and experiments continue to make breakthroughs in the study and treatment of lung cancer, it ranks among one of the lowest in terms of survival rate when compared to breast cancer or prostate cancer. It is majorly due to lack of funding and late detection.

Survival Rate: 22%

HIstory:


The campaign was first organized in 2012 by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, in collaboration with the International Association for the study of Lung Cancer and the American College of Chest Physicians. They provide support to those who have been affected with lung cancer and who have survived it.

LCFA’s World Lung Cancer Day 2021 Hashtag:  #LivingWithLungCancer


The symptoms:

  • Laboured breathing
  • Coughing blood
  • Chest or back pains
  • a cough that doesn’t go away after 2 or 3 weeks.
  • Persistent breathlessness
  • Pain in the chest, back or shoulders that worsens during coughing, laughing or deep breathing.
  • Wheezing, cough with blood, and weight loss. (These symptoms often don’t appear until the cancer is advanced.)

The causes:

  • Smoking or being exposed to smoke.
  • Exposure to radon, secondhand smoke, air pollution, asbestos, diesel exhaust or certain other chemicals, tobacco products, industrial products (uranium, radiation, asbestos), and nutritional deficiencies.
  • long-term respiration of carcinogenic materials.

You can find legit donations nearby or on websites like these below. Lung cancer has very low funding compared to others. Amy amount of donation is going to save a life.

https://www.lung.org/get-involved/ways-to-give

https://lcfamerica.org/get-involved/events/world-lung-cancer-day/

Other Days celebrated today.

International Childfree Day

It was created in 1973 in the United States by the National Alliance for Optional Parenthood, at the time the National Organization for Non-Parents (N.O.N.), under the name of Non-Parents’ Day. It has also been described as “a day of celebration worldwide for those couples who have faced criticism, ridicule, and rejection because they chose to be Childless by Choice.” The initiative, resurrected in 2013 by author Laura Carroll, also bestows Childfree Person of the Year.  The 2020 winners were Elizabeth Hintz, an American doctoral candidate who “has dedicated her professional career to understanding and normalizing childfree experiences”, and the Russian internet community “Childfree”, which “has helped so many people to find a point of support in so pro-child, so patriarchal Russian society.”

Friendship Day –

In India, Every first Sunday of August is celebrated as “Friendship’s Day”. Good friends play a huge role in our lives. They can be a sister, brother, parent, partner in crime and what not. This day is celebrated to bring us together and cherish each other’s company.

Swiss National Day –

It is inspired by the date of the Federal Charter of 1291, Pacte du Rütli, placed in “early August”, when “three Alpine cantons swore the oath of confederation” (Schwyz, Uri and Unterwald), an action which later came to be regarded as the founding of Switzerland.”  It has only been an official holiday since 1994. 1 August is celebrated each year with paper lantern parades, bonfires, hanging strings of Swiss flags, and fireworks. Since, 2014 the event format has changed with the motto Back to the roots

In Britain it is also Yorkshire Day, celebrating the country of Yorkshire.

World Wide Web Day –

The World Wide Web (WWW) was conceived in 1989 at the CERN lab in Geneva, Switzerland, as a way for scientists to share knowledge. It aims to remember Sir Tim Berners-Lee for bringing WWW into the world.

Jean Armour Polly, a librarian, is credited with coining the term surfing the web.

Billionaire Investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Plans Ultra-Low Cost Airline

Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is planning on having 70 aircraft within four years for a new airline he wants to set up in India on optimism more people will travel by air.

Mr Jhunjhunwala, who is considering investing $35 million and would own 40% of the carrier, expects to get a no-objection certificate from India’s aviation ministry in the next 15 days, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview Wednesday.

The ultra-low cost airline will be called Akasa Air and the team, which includes a former senior executive of Delta Air Lines Inc., is looking at planes that can carry 180 passengers, he said.

It’s a bold bet by Mr Jhunjhunwala, who’s known locally as India’s Warren Buffett, in a market that has seen some airlines collapse in the face of intense fare wars and high costs. Still, what was once the world’s fastest-growing aviation market holds an allure and Jhunjhunwala is looking at opportunities to woo flyers with a brand new carrier offering low fares.

“For the culture of a company to be frugal you’ve to start off fresh,” Mr Jhunjhunwala said. “I’m very, very bullish on India’s aviation sector in terms of demand.”

Even before the pandemic, airlines in India were struggling. Kingfisher Airlines Ltd., once the country’s second-largest domestic carrier, ended operations in 2012, and Jet Airways India Ltd., which was recently approved to fly again, collapsed in 2019.

While demand for air travel has been hit globally, India’s aviation industry is at greater risk of delayed recovery as the threat of a third wave of infections looms. Airlines are feeling the impact.

Vistara, which Singapore Airlines Ltd. jointly owns with conglomerate Tata Group, is in discussions with Boeing Co. and Airbus SE to delay aircraft deliveries and make changes to the payment timetables. IndiGo, India’s largest airline, reported a wider-than-anticipated loss as Covid disruption crimped its revenue.

That’s not deterring Mr Jhunjhunwala, who according to Forbes has an estimated net worth of about $4.6 billion.

“I think some of the increment players may not recover,” he said. “I’ve got some of the best airline people in the world as my partners.”

Ben stokes takes indefinite break from cricket

England all rounder ben stokes has taken an indefinite break from all forms of international cricket, with immediate effect to focus on on his mental state. As a result he wont be available for the test series against India that is starting from next week. but what caused ben stokes to take indefinite rest?

Ben stokes has spent the majority of the last year in bio bubble with England test and limited overs team. and he is a that kind of player, who you could not afford to miss out from playing 11. He has that kind of effect in game. Than after the national duty ,stokes came for IPL where again he had to live in bio secure bubbles as per guidelines.

Bio secure bubbles are very safe bubbles . it was made to organize sporting events during COVID -19 pandemic with strict quarantine and safety measures throughout that period . it is very easy to say that the players who are in bio bubble do not have to do anything they just have to live like a normal life. but it is not so easy in reality. it is a like a cage , an invisible cage where you can go on a limited space only with strict protocols and guidelines to be followed. these bio bubbles are safe for organizing cricket and other sporting events but they are very irritating and difficult for players.

Recently We also heard that about many incidents in this year’s IPL, that many foreign players did not came to play IPL due to bio bubble fatigue because these players were playing in these bio bubbles for a long period of time and they were not ready to live in these restrictions for 2 months more. And in many bio bubbles , families are not allowed.

“Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing. “Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this.

“Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone’s wellbeing.”

“Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future,” said Ashley Giles, the Managing Director of England Men’s cricket. (source : https://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/118394/ben-stokes-england-cricket-to-take-an-indefinite-break-from-all-cricket-cricbuzzcom)

As a result , ben stokes will miss the upcoming series against India , that will be a huge loss for England test team. There is an uncertainity that whether he will be availabe for ICC T20 WC or not because the time period of his break is not stated. that is going to be held in UAE. but first of all keeping all cricket side, he should take a reasonable amount of break so that he recovers with the mental fatigue as soon as possible.

How Do I Choose Between Medication and Therapy?

In the last couple of weeks, there have been some big announcements from the medical and mental health communities about the wisdom of using drugs over behavioral methods for various disorders. The meds vs. therapy debate has been an active one for a number of years.But these days, some experts and organizations are questioning, more and more, whether popping pills should really be our go-to treatment, based on the literature. And it seems that for some that have historically used meds as the first line of treatment, the evidence for behavioral methods has mounted to the point where recommendations have shifted in their favor. At least for some things.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Whether you’re leaning toward therapy, medication, or a combination, knowing that a reliable pharmacy partner is part of the care network can bring added reassurance. Many people now use online tools to locate a specialty pharmacy near me, ensuring they can quickly connect with professionals who understand their unique health needs. Therapy or medication? In both children and adults, evidence-based psychosocial therapies have been shown to work for a broad range of mental health disorders, as well as for many life problems. The same can be said for the effectiveness of some medications. The information below is intended to help parents/caregivers choose between treatment options for their child or adolescent, and to decide whether therapy and medication should be combined for the most effective treatment.Medications, psychotherapy and their combination have been shown to help people with emotional or behavioral problems. Different kinds of problems, however, will respond differently to various treatments; therefore, choosing the right treatment can be complicated. Your choice of treatment should be based on the best available scientific evidence, as well as your own willingness to try these treatments and to stick with them. Whatever the choice, these discussions should be reviewed with your physician, psychologist or mental health professional. Here are some things to consider:

Best Evidence

  • For depression, two kinds of psychotherapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy, as well as antidepressant medications, have been shown to be helpful. There is some evidence that combining psychotherapy and medications may be more effective than either treatment alone. People who are suicidal may need to be treated in a hospital.
  • For anxiety disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications and anti-anxiety medications have all been shown to be helpful. Research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medications, and that adding medications does not significantly improve outcomes from psychotherapy alone.
  • For alcohol and drug use disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy and environment-based therapies, as well as 12-step support programs, have been shown to be helpful. People with severe substance use problems may also benefit from the addition of certain medications that reduce cravings or intoxication effects.
  • For eating disorders, medical management may be necessary to maintain physical safety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy and antidepressant medications have all been shown to be helpful, and some evidence suggests that combining psychotherapy and medications may be more effective than either treatment alone.
  • For schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, most people will require treatment with antipsychotic or mood-stabilizing medications. Research suggests that adding cognitive-behavioral or family psychotherapy to the treatment can improve functional outcomes.
  • For problems with parenting, marriage or adjustment, psychotherapy is usually the first recommendation. This treatment can help you build skills and respond more appropriately to stressors.

Personalizing Your Treatment

  • Different people respond to treatments differently. Therefore, if one treatment does not help, try adding the other. Research shows that psychotherapy can be helpful even for people who do not respond well to medications.
  • Psychotherapy and medications both require that you stick with the treatment. Results usually do not happen overnight. Therefore, only start a treatment if you are willing to continue it long enough for it to help you.
  • You will be most likely to stick with a treatment if it makes sense to you. Therefore, it’s important that you discuss the treatment thoroughly with your doctor, and that the treatment is explained in a way that you can understand.
  • When in doubt, ask your doctor. He/she can inform you of the best evidence and make a specific recommendation for your condition.

India At Olympic 2021 (Updated)

30th July 2021 – P.V. Sindhu (Badminton), Indian hockey team, Deepika Kumari (Archery), A.M. Sable(Athletics), Madari Palliyalli (Athletics), Simranjeet Kaur (Boxing), Lovlina Borgohain(Boxing), Fouaad Mirza (Equestrian), Anirban Lahiri and Udayan Mane (Golf), Indian Sailing Team,

31 July 2021 – Atanu Das(Archery), Kamalpreet Kaur(Athletics), P.V. Sindhu(Badminton), Pooja Rani(Boxing),Fouaad Mirza (Equestrain), Anirban Lahiri (Golf).

1 Aug 2021: P.V. Sindhu , Fouaad Mirza, Anirban Lahiri, U. Mane, Indian Hockey Team.

2 Aug 2021: Kamalpreet Kaur, Dutee Chand, Fouaad Mirza, Indian women’s hockey team.

3 Aug 2021: Annu Rani(Javelin Throw), Tajinderpal Singh Toor(Shotput), Indian Hockey Team,

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is untitled-design-6.jpg

Archery

Women’s individual

Deepika Kumari defeated Ksenia Perova from Russia in 1/8 Eliminations with scores 6-5.

But, An San from Korea gave her a tough match in Quarter Finals. Deepika Kumari lost to wth scores 6-0.

Men’s individual

In 1/8 Eliminations, Takaharu Furukawa from Japan won against Atanu Das in a close call match with scores 6-4.

Athletics:

Men’s 3000m steeplechase

In round 1, Heat 2, A.M. Sable secured 7th Position failing to qualify for the next round.

Men’s 400m hurdles

In round 2, Heat 5, Madari Palliyalli, secured 7th position failing to qualify for next round.

Women’s discus throw

Valarie Allman from USA and Kamalpreet Kaur from India have qualified for finals by securing 1st and 2nd Position respectively.

Discuss Finals:

  1. Valerie Allman from America
  2. Kristin Pudenz from Germany
  3. Yaime Perez from Cuba

Kamalpreet Kaur held the 6th position in the finals.

Women’s 200m

Dutee Chand acquired 7th position in heat 4.

Women’s Javelin throw

Annu Rani secured 14th position with score as 54.04m in qualifications.

Men’s shotput

Tajinderpal Singh Toor, a petty officer in the Indian Navy, secured 13th position with distance as 19.99mm.

Badminton

Women’s Singles

What a amazing match it was between Akane Yamaguchi and P.V. Sindhu. In the first set, the points were 21-13 with Sindhu being in lead. In the second, we can see the clash between shot acer (Sindhu) and defense master (Yamaguchi) aggressively using their skills to make points. Sindhu gets the game to deuce i.e. scores are 20-20 wherein a player has to score 2 more points than their opponents score. Using her signature moves, Sindhu won by scoring 2 continuous smashes.

Women’s Singles Semi-Finals


Tai Tzu-ying from Chinese Taipei Vs P.V. Sindhu. TTY won by 21-18 and 21-12.

1 Aug, P.V. Sindhu can fight for Bronze medal in Bronze medals match vs He Bingjiao

P.V. Sindhu begged the Bronze Medal.

Boxing

Women’s LIghtweight

Sudaporn Seesondee from Thailand defeated Simranjit Kaur From india in Round 16.

Men’s flyweight

Yuberjen Martínez from Colombia won against Amit Panghal in round 16

Women’s middleweight Quarter-finals

Pooja Rani vs Li Qian. Li Qian won by 5-0 scores in Quaterfinal 4

Equestrian

Individual eventing

Fouaad Mirza placed at 9th Position in Dressage session 2

He continues his streak by acquiring 9th place in Dressage session 3

He bagged 22nd Position in Cross-Country

He placed 23rd in the Jumping Finals. – 2 august

Golf

Udayan Mane secured 66th positon in Men’s Individual.

Anirban Lahiri acquired 28th Position in round 3 of Finals and U. Mane 55th Position.

Hockey

Men’s Tournamnet

Indian Men’s Hockey team defeated Japan with scores 3-2.

Belgium defeated India in the semi-finals to enter finals with scores as 5-2. – 3 aug

Women’s Tournament

Indian Women’s Team defeated Ireland with scores 1-0

India defeated South Africa with scores 4-3 on 31 July.

Indian Women’s Team defeated Australia in a nail-biting against match against with scores 1-0 to enter the Semi-Finals. – 2 Aug

Sailing

49er

Indian team secured 17th Position in Race 9.

Race 12, India bagged 17th Position.

Wrestling

Women’s freestyle 62kg

In an extremely nail-biting match of “Sonam Malik vs Bolortuya Khurelkhuu “, Bolortuya Khurelkhuu from Mongolia won with points 2-2. Although, the scores were eual and acquired in the last second, she won due to powerful move of scoring in 1/8 Finals.

Bad Bank

Have u ever heard of bad bank? Well, in this article we will know about what bad bank is and how is it taking shape in India. 

So to start over, A bad bank is a financial entity that was formed to purchase the risky loans and other illiquid assets of another financial institution. The company with many nonperforming assets will sell them to the bad bank at market value. The goal of Bad Bank is to bring financial stability to the banking industry. It would store bad loans for public sector banks, which will be offered to investors at a discount which will eventually assist banks in cleaning up their balance sheets. 

Recently, Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, has announced the establishment of a bad bank in the nation. Sitharaman said in her budget address that an Asset Reconstruction Company Limited and an Asset Management Company will be established to manage the bad debt of public sector banks such as the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and others.

However, Experts were perplexed by this because IBC known as insolvency and bankruptcy code was considered to be pretty efficient in settling problematic debts. But the government was concerned about delays and low asset realization under the IBC. Furthermore, the loans were offered at steep discounts. The assets were liquidated in some circumstances. There were also issues regarding the public sector bank’s(PSB) lack of cooperation. 

So, to consolidate and take over the current stressed debt, an ARC and AMC will be established. It will then manage and sell the assets to Alternative Investment Funds and other potential buyers in order to realize their full worth. To put it another way, it will store bad loans for public sector banks, which will subsequently be sold to investors at a lower cost which will aid in the cleaning up of the balance sheet and will eventually lessen the financial burden of future capital requirements. So, India’s bad bank is now taking form. With the formation of the National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd, the much-anticipated wait for the “Bad Bank” came to an end. 

Given its size and development potential, the Indian economy will experience a steady supply of distressed assets. When the one-time loan arrangement finishes, Covid-19 will be a source of concern for many businesses. For public sector banks, the existing portfolio of problematic loans is a major source of concern. As of September 2020, the banking system’s total gross nonperforming assets (NPAs) accounted for 7.5% of the entire loan book. 

This is anticipated to rise to 13.5 percent by March-September this year, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Moreover, Many people believe that running a bad bank successfully necessitates a variety of factors. One, it must be for a defined purpose and include a time limit. For instance, Sweden AMC, supported by the government, recovered over 90% of bad loans in six years in the early 1990s. However, the Chinese AMC, which is supported by the government, failed to deliver. Now it’s up to NARCL, private ARCs, and IBC to preserve the value of stressed assets by restructuring and resolving them in a timely manner.

Telangana: Want to Resume physical classes for primary students….!!!

With many states planning to start physical classes only for high school students, managements and teachers said that it is much more important to resume physical classes for primary students, as many of them unable to follow virtual classes.

They said that offline classes should be conducted at least two days a week for primary students. “Even as per ICMR, the impact of Covid-19 on children under the age group of 10 is much less when compared with elder children and adults. Why not start physical classes for them as well,” V Amarnath, director.

“These students are unable to concentrate, their confidence is low and communication skills have been impacted,” he said, adding that holistic development of a child has been impacted overall. Teachers said that physical classes should be resumed for all children in August within a gap of 10-15 days and all students should get to attend offline classes on alternate days.

“Now, almost all teachers are vaccinated. The same is the case with parents. So the risk of children spreading Covid seems to be comparatively lower. However, the state should provide sanitation, medical staff and allocate sufficient budget to follow Covid protocols in schools. By following all norms, physical classes should be started,” said M Ravinder, a government teacher, adding students are already facing memory and conceptual loss.

Parents agreed that it is a matter of urgency to resume physical classes, although they said that the same cannot be done in a haste.

The government should form a committee and study the impact of reopening of schools. They need to communicate with parents, explain what to expect and give an assurance about their children and family members’ safety.

Water and No Water: Wastage, Shortage and mismanagement.

Mumbai is facing a shortage of water with a third of its residents not having drinking water as per a recent report. This comes in heels with the news of massive water-logging across the city and flood-like situations. This is reminiscent of the Chennai Water Crisis in 2019 when a flood had hit the city in 2018 and in May 2019, the city declared a zero-water day – no water left in any of its reservoirs. As per statistics, in the coastal city with a medium size river flowing right through it (the famed Anna University is actually partially built on lands claimed from the river), 60% of its population relies on bottled water for drinking all year long. Was this always the case? History suggests no. But it has been so for about a decade now. This is not very shocking given that Mawsynram, the place with the highest recorded average rainfall on the planet also faces water shortage during summers!!!

Maharashtra received 17 per cent excess rainfall since June: IMD | India  News,The Indian Express
A lot of rain, and yet no water to drink

Yemen – the poorest of Arab nations and a region marred by civil war and international interference for more than a decade now might also have the root of its civil war as water shortage. Let us understand that the Yemeni factions are the Houthis, the republicans – with both basically supporting their tribal interests – and a swinging group of Saudi-led forces. Records suggest that there existed blood feud between villages just because a village constructed a well very close to that of the other village. As per data, Yemen has the least water availability per capita on the planet, even inviting statements like – if water were to get exhausted on Earth, this process would begin in Yemen. This is odd, given the fact that Dubai is a sprawling metropolis situated in the same Saudi desert.

War and pieces: Political divides in southern Yemen – European Council on  Foreign Relations
Yemen is the most water depreciated nation on the planet.

The situation is actually grim in many more places – Northern India – a land abundant with rivers and lakes – most of them, technically all of them polluted beyond potability. Go to Africa and the nations with rainforests and rivers are dry.

What is the cause then? We often hear of climate change. A reader would agree about the reality of climate change but would certainly not let go of the sheer amount of mismanagement involved in the handling of water resources. Governments all over the world have tried in their own way to clean water bodies – the money ending up in their coffers owing to balant corruption. In India, for instance, the Save Ganges Movement or ‘Ganga bachao abhiyaan’ in the vernacular has been a project spanning over three decades and costing lakhs of crores – the best part – to no result. NGOs and villagers have often revived water bodies across the planet showing the importance of public participation in government or local initiatives. But, the people aren’t really very concerned about this issue it seems. It might find itself in discussions during summers or in newspapers – but people refuse to consider it as a problem as grim as climate change. No one can imagine the change Chennai saw with themselves.

Tiger conservation: Strides and hurdles

On International Tiger Day( July 29), Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed that the government is committed to ensuring safe habitats for tigers and nurturing tiger- friendly ecosystems in India, home to over 70% of the world’s tiger population.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Pexels.com

The last tiger census (2018) pegged the big cat’s population at 2967, marking an increase of about 30% compared to the 2014 report ( 2226). In 2010, India had 1706 tigers, while in 2006 it was 1411. India’s tiger conservation journey started in 1973 with Project Tiger with nine reserves; today, it has 50 tiger reserves in 18 states.

The steady growth in the number of tigers and reserves happened because of state support; vigilance and conservation efforts by the forest department, especially its frontline staff; and the involvement of local communities that help secure forests and participate in ecotourism activities in many of the popular and revenue – generating tiger reserves.

While increased protection has encouraged tigers to breed, it has also led to migration from the safety of reserves. Once they leave the park, big cats encounter a different world.

The Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves 2018 report shows that at least half of the 50 tiger reserves are facing threats from linear infrastructure ( roads, highways, and railway lines), fragmented forest corridors, poaching, pressure of human – wildlife conflict, mining, improper garbage disposal, and pollution.

About 20% of the reserves have unsustainable pressure from pilgrims visiting temples inside them.

India has made progress, but must remain acutely conscious of the need for the need for the tiger conservation.

Plan Bee

Plan Bee has won best innovation award by Indian Railways. Plan bee is an initiative taken in action against the increasing case of elephant accident on Railway tracks, below is a detail summary about Plan Bee.


Animal protection is stated as a priority goal to save the endangered species and possibly bring back extinct species through efforts like forest conservation but, this is not the only solution. There are many incidents where these animals are killed. It is not only about the hunters and poacher who are killing the animals and cutting of green area. Hunting and poaching are done intentionally whereas forest are cut in the process of development There are many other reasons, one of which is accidents both road accidents and railway accidents are equally responsible for killing animals.
Roads that are located on the way of jungle or railway track that passes through forest area interrupt the path of animals and while they try to cross the track or road they are killed. As per WPSI (Wild life protection Society of India) 83 leopards lost their life in road and railway accident in the year 2019. Between the year 2016 and 2019 thousands of animals were killed. Animals like- deer, cattle’s, tiger, lion, , leopard, elephants etc are in the list. It is a big issue as far as animal protection is concerned in India.

At latest a prevention measure is taken to protect elephants from railways. This is called Plan Bee, an initiative taken by Government of India to keep the elephants away from railway track.
Plan Bee has already received the best innovation award by Indian railways and is now implemented in the north easter railway frontier. The first installation was done near Guwahatti railway station in assam.
The basic principle followed in making these devices is the use of buzzing sound of bee to keep the elephants away from the railway track. Apart from this other methods like monitoring system, elephant corridors are used to protect elephants specially in the places where the train passes from a forest. The speciality of Plan bee is that the sound can be heard from a distance of 700m. the first system was installed near kamakhya and Azara station near Guwahati.

As per the railway department it has been effective and has saved life of many forest elephants. These devices have been installed in over 55 locations under NFR. The railway minister has also highlighted how the system has turned out to be helpful in protecting animals, the train driver can being formed early if the system detects any elephant crossing the railway lines and he could stop the train within that time.

Apart from, plan Bee and monitoring system speed restrictions are imposed in such area, underpasses are build, elephant corridors are constructed. All these steps can help resolve the problem and reduce the elephant death taking place due to train collision. As the implementing is done successfully the results are also visible, it is just one of the step towards safeguarding animals and protecting their lives. While development is the focus railway tracks will be installed for better connectivity at the same time if proper measures like Plan Bee will be taken it will be fruitful for the railways and for the animals as well.

Government vs Twitter

Chris pirillo said that “twitter is a great place to tell the world what you are thinking before you have had a chance to think about it”. However, the government wants to control it. 

India’s Covid-19 rise had eclipsed all superlatives only a few months ago. Hundreds of thousands of people have died because of India’s worst public-health catastrophe in history, which has highlighted the country’s deteriorating healthcare infrastructure. In the midst of the tragedy, while armies of medical personnel and volunteers focused their energies on battling the virus, the administration looked to be concentrating on a different issue. And that issue is TWITTER.

 The initial root of the situation was a tweet sent by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on May 18. Patra displayed a paper he referred to as a “toolkit” in this tweet, which appears to be an internal Congress document outlining the processes for undermining the BJP’s reaction to the epidemic and increasing publicity of the party’s activities. Days later, the Delhi Police, which reports to the Union government but is not a full-fledged state, paid a visit to Twitter’s headquarters in Delhi and Gurugram, ostensibly to find out why the company opted to put the warning label on Patra’s post. According to local sources, authorities in Uttar Pradesh recently blamed Twitter, along with journalists and opposition party officials, for posting a video that sparked communal strife. The video, which alleged to depict majority Hindus beating a minority Muslim guy, prompted another complaint against Twitter India CEO Manish Maheshwari, according to Delhi police. However, The problematic footage has subsequently been deleted, with no more comment from the firm other than a remark about following local regulations. 

The government has opted to focus on digital image management many times during the epidemic, including the most recent occurrences. Following government demands, Twitter and Facebook pulled down about 100 postings in April. The government’s approach to the epidemic was criticized in several of these tweets.Following the agricultural demonstrations, Twitter agreed to the BJP’s demands to temporarily and permanently restrict 500 accounts, including those of opposition leaders and journalists. The government also forced Twitter to remove several well-known personalities who expressed support for the protestors, like Punjabi musician JazzyB, whose account has 1.2 million followers but can’t be viewed from India, though the firm hasn’t followed through on all of its demands.

Therefore, they not only silence the critical voices but also exposes the corporation to much more pressure to stifle government critics in India and elsewhere. Twitter, a relative newcomer with 17.5 million members, has India as one of its fastest-growing markets. However, its limited reach makes it vulnerable in a country that demonstrated its willingness to outlaw popular foreign services a year ago when it banned TikTok — which had 200 million users in the country — WeChat, and hundreds of other Chinese-made apps following a violent clash on the disputed border. It is critical to political debate in India, and Modi himself is a frequent user with a following of over 69 million people, demonstrating its global reach. While politicians have been outspoken in their criticism of Twitter, none have publicly threatened to abolish it. 

France moves India to amber list from red

France has decided to remove India from the red list to amber as COVID cases decreased in India. The French government has classified amber-listed countries as nations where there is active circulation of the virus in controlled proportions, without further spread. After this news, VFS centres in Delhi and Mumbai have now opened and are accepting all visa categories. Also for kids, there won’t be any quarantine mandate in France.

Protocols to be followed

1) Fully vaccinated travellers holding a valid C-type Schengen visa for 3-5 years, can travel without any restriction to France. But the travellers must be vaccinated with any EMA-approved vaccines, which are Pfizer/ Comirnaty, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria/Covishield.

2) Passengers must travel after seven days of getting their second vaccine shot.

3) Travellers need to have proof of vaccination status. They must also have a attest statement saying they don’t have any infection symptoms.

4) The restriction will be applicable to unvaccinated travellers as well as those vaccinated with unapproved (yet) vaccines including Covaxin.

5) Those with ‘talent passports’, (students and researchers), fall under the list of compelling reasons. So they are allowed to travel to France. But they need to show their negative PCR test not older than 72 hours. A negative antigen test, not older than 48 hours before departure, is also acceptable.

Raj Kundra scam:

Tip-off on adult film shoot, led cops to Raj Kundra!! Know More

It was February 4. The Mumbai Police received a tip-off: a porn movie being shot at a bungalow in Madh Island. In a prompt raid on the bungalow that followed, the police found two persons in a state of undress being filmed in intimate poses in an uncomfortable position.

According to the police five persons assisting in the filming process were arrested and a woman was rescued from the house that day. Later a complaint was made in the case which eventually led to the arrest of businessman and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, Raj Kundra, five months later on July 19.

Kundra was produced in a court on Tuesday that sent him to police custody till July 23 and got extended till July 27 in connection with the alleged making of pornographic films and publishing them through some mobile applications.

Police said that five persons, arrested from the Madh Island bungalow, would promise aspiring actresses coming to Mumbai, from areas like Beed in rural Maharashtra or states like Jharkhand, roles in web series. On the day of the shoot, the accused would tell the women the script had been changed. They would allegedly ask them to undress and shoot intimate scenes.

If the women refuses, police claimed, they would be threatened with the bill for setting up the shooting. Coming from humble backgrounds, most of these women would succumb to the pressure, the police stated.

Once the movies were shot, the accused allegedly put them on mobile applications like Hot Hit Movies and Hotshots. They allegedly also offered subscriptions on the lines of mainstream OTT platforms and also put up advertisements on social media platforms.

According to the police in June 2020, the Hotshots app was removed from the Apple store and from Google Store in November 2020 following complaints that it was streaming pornographic material.

The crime branch said that during the probe, they found that these adult movies were normally shot within a day at a rented bungalow on the outskirts of Mumbai, like Madh Island. There would be minimal staff of five to six people, who would double up as directors, dialogue writers, location scouts and web app developers. These apps became especially popular during the lockdown, with some gaining a subscriber base of lakhs, the police claimed.

Initially, during the course of its investigation, the Mumbai Police had focused on producers and others who assisted in the process of shooting. Those arrested included Rowa Khan, producer of such films, small-time actor of Gandi Baat web series Gehna Vasisht among others.

Later, the crime branch started focusing on platforms to which such films were sold. It was during this probe that the police arrested Umesh Kamat, who worked with UK-based Kenrin Pvt Ltd, a production company that owns the Hotshots app where some of these movies were uploaded.

Based on Kamat’s questioning and going through his call records, the police found that while Kenrin owned the app, it was allegedly being run by Raj Kundra through his Mumbai-based company Viaan Industries. A charge sheet filed in April, however, did not name Kundra.

After further probe and a scan of the technical data on Kamat’s laptop, the police sought the court’s permission to search Kundra’s office. Eventually, a police team raided the place on Monday and claimed to have found “incriminating evidence” based on which he was arrested late that night.

The police is still investigating in this case  and can find big evidences against this case!!!!

International Tiger Day

Today is International Tiger Day – 28th July 2021. It’s significance and theme this year.

 Theme this year: “Their survival is in our hands”.

The day is observed to spread awareness about dangers faced by tigers, the threat to their natural habitats due to natural or man-made reasons, to protect them from poachers. Wild tiger numbers dropped by more than 95% since the beginning of the 20th century.

Over 18 States in India provide habitat for tigers. 70% of the total number of tigers in the world are in India. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have mapped 32 major tiger corridors and several smaller ones. (By: ANI)

It has been reported that the number of India has increased over time due to active actions by local community. Reportedly approximately 3,900 tigers now. It is reportedly also known that many tigers live in cage rather than out in wild.

The tiger is officially declared as endangered by the IUCN.

Tiger daywas celebrated first in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia.13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2, the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022. Government officials, citizens, celebrities and many organizations from all over the world came together and showed the tiger range countries that there is worldwide support for tiger conservation efforts and to encourage the Tx2 goal.

“Doubling tigers is about tigers, about the whole of nature – and it’s also about us” 

Marco Lambertini, Director General WWF

WWF has contributed greatly to this cause. Animal adoptions, funding local communities to help them in tiger conservation, reducing poaching, and creating awareness by letting people be in proximity of this beautiful and ferocious animal to encourage them to take actoins.

https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/calendar/international-tiger-day

Facts about tigers:

  • Tigers are nocturnal creatures. They prefer engaging in most of their hunting activities at night. 
  • Tiger cubs are born blind. They follow their mother through her scent, almost half of them die due to thirst, hunger, or by other animals.
  • Unlike other cats, tigers like to play and hunt in water.
  • Their lifespan is about 25 years.
  • Ambush/ Steak : When a tiger are in a group, also when a tigress is with her cub.
  • Hybrid Cubs:
    • Tigon : Male cat and female lion’s cub is called Tigon.
    • Liger: Male lion and female tiger’s cub is called LIger.
  • They can imitate any animal!!
  • They do not normally look at humans as a prey.

What can you do to conserve our precious King of the jungle?

  1. For starters, learn about them, their habitats.
  2. Get acknowledged with organizations near you. Gather information about how they work and in what ways you can contribute.
  3. Visit WWF site, adoption, foster, donation and spread awareness by sharing it among your friends.
  4. Tigers are very important for our ecosystem. Advocate for banning poaching and hunting.
  5. Try to reduce pollution, garbage on land, sea, forest; when you visit them.
  6. Actively become the voice for our dear animals and roar for their right to live.