World News on Pitara Kids Network

India's first Underwater World

Sun, 20 Jul 1997 04:22:42 +0000

June 24: If you have ever visited an aquariam you would have noticed that the fish look plain bored. Their homes are not very exciting. Nor are the visitors terribly charged up. True, some aquariums are fairly well maintained, but the fact remains that they rarely attract hordes of visitors.

The government of Maharashtra has suddenly woken up to the fact that this is a fishy state of affairs. And it wants to make amends. So it has entered into a partnership with a Singapore-based company to create India’s first underwater world, or oceanarium. The Taraporevala Aquarium, on Maine Drive, Mumbai, is all set to become a six-storied oceanarium.

India's First Female Grand`master'

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 09:10:13 +0000

July 31: What does a person achieve at 21? A college degree or, maybe, a job if she is lucky.

How about the title of Women’s Grandmaster in chess?

S. Vijayalakshmi is 21. And she has just won this title to become the first woman Grandmaster of India. It is a record which will never be challenged as other women aspirants can only follow her achievement.

To win Vijaylakshmi, or Viji as she is known, had to defeat International Master P. Harikrishna. He was ranked higher than her at the Wipro International Grandmaster Chess Championship played in Hyderabad, a few days ago. Viji won in the ninth round.

Sitting in Rows is Better for Primary School Kids

Tue, 25 Jun 2002 23:58:18 +0000

October 21: Are you studying in primary school? How does your teacher make you sit – in rows or in groups? How would you like to sit? Does sitting in rows make you feel good or does it make you feel lonely? Do you feel that sitting in a group and discussing things makes you learn more and in an easier way?

For those who were in primary school at any time, try to remember your classroom, the way the tables and chairs were arranged. How were you made to sit, and did you like it?

Another Big Quake for 2010 – Chile

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:05:04 +0000

Where: Santiago,Chile

March 17, 2010 : Chile experienced an 8.8-magnitude on February 27, 2010. Around 700 people lost their lives. This was the fifth strongest earthquake recorded in the world since 1900. The quake struck near Concepcion, Chile’s second largest city, where thousands of people were holidaying over the weekend. In neighbouring Argentina, houses and power lines collapsed. There were three tsunami waves that rose at least four metres (13 feet) along Chile’s coastline.

By March 12, 2010, there had already been over 300 aftershocks from the quake. Of these, over 200 were greater than 5.0 in magnitude. This slowed down the reconstruction process considerably. President Sebastian Pinera said it would cost at least $30billion to rebuild the country. Around 300,000 houses, hospitals, schools and roads needed to be rebuilt. Some of the work would be paid for with the income earned from copper exports. Chile is the world’s biggest producer of copper.

The Yellow River

Tue, 19 Feb 2002 16:59:48 +0000

October 21: The Yellow River has been called the cradle of the Chinese civilisation, just as the Indus River made it possible for the ancient Indian civilisation of Harappa and Mohenjodaro to flourish, the Tigris and Euphrates gave birth to the Mesopotamian civilisation (now in Iraq), and the Nile gave birth to the Egyptian civilisation more than 4000 years ago.

The magnificent river runs 4345 km, and is second only to the Yangtse river. Called China’s sorrow because of its tendency to overflow and change its course, till date it has overflowed 1600 times and changed its course 26 times, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Coconut Oil + Kerosene = Fuel

Sat, 16 Aug 2003 07:03:43 +0000

Coconut Oil + Kerosene = Fuel [Illustration by Shinod AP]

March 27: Fossil fuels or fuels that are naturally found in the earth, are being rapidly consumed by humans. And the world has begun searching for an ‘alternative fuel’. Necessity is the mother of invention. And out of necessity, a coconut farmer in a village in Thailand has ‘invented’ an alternate fuel.

What an Enigma!

Thu, 08 May 2003 08:09:28 +0000

December 9: It has been 55 long years since the second World War ended but several relics from that period still attract curiousity. The Enigma Code Machine, for instance. While the police have been chasing wild geese trying to find the Enigma, one fine day it just landed up on their doorstep, but without three vital parts that ran the machine. The police claim to have arrested the thief now.

The Enigma Code Machine became famous as the device the Nazis used to encrypt top-secret messages during the Second World War of 1939 – 1945.

These Bold Police Women

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 10:17:58 +0000

April 21: These days Nirbhay (Fearless) Singh Gujjar, is not really living up to his name. This dreaded outlaw who operates in India’s most notorious dacoit-infested region, the Chambal Valley in the Bhind district of northern Madhya Pradesh, is on the run because he is scared of a 28 year-old police officer.

Her name is Priyanka Mishra and she is the first woman police officer to be posted in the Chambal range.

Gujjar is wanted by the police of two states – Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. While the UP police has declared a Rs 1 lakh ($2,174) reward on his head, the MP police has declared a reward of Rs 25,000 ($543.5).

Toddler teacher in UK

Sun, 27 Mar 2005 16:55:35 +0000

August 26: At a a supermarket in County Durham, England, the workers are getting ready for some lessons in sign language so as to better communicate with deaf customers. And the prospective students are only too eager to meet their teacher. For in this case, Madame Diana Graham, all of two years old, will be giving them the lessons. Seriously.

Diana is a wonder-kid. Even before she uttered her first word, she had learnt sign language to speak to her mother who happens to be deaf. So whenever the phone rings or there’s a knock at the door, 36-year old Susan Graham is promptly informed by her alert daughter.

World's hottest chili takes on wild jumbos

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:32:07 +0000

Where: the north-eastern state of Assam

November 14, 2007: For some time villages in Assam located close to forests have been having a tough time. Often the villagers find unwelcome guests in their backyards: herds of wild elephants in a wild mood. In the contest between human and animal there have been deaths on both sides.

In recent times, more and more forests have been cut down. Wild animals have found their homes getting smaller and smaller. At the same time, human settlements are getting closer to the elephants’ habitats. This has resulted in disaster. Wild herds of elephants stray into villages and villagers panic, using everything they have to defend themselves. In some cases villagers have tried to put up electric fences, but these plans have not succeeded in keeping wild elephants at bay.

Pickpocket

Sat, 27 Sep 2003 07:42:23 +0000

December 9: Small children on streets running around, darting in and out of traffic seemingly without a care in the world. They are usually homeless and all alone. Even at such a young age they have a profession, where they earn at least Rs 20 a day – pickpocketing.

Not a profession any of you would like to practise, would you? But not having much else to fall back upon, some poor young children in Calcutta were lured into stealing. The Telegraph has reported that they were promised food and shelter, and some money as bonus pocket money. Seen from their point of view, that was a lot. Much more than they had been getting from their parents or relatives earlier.

The Woman who Jailed Bihar's Dons

Sun, 26 Aug 2001 23:14:53 +0000

Bihar is known for its vast coal mines. It is equally well known for the mafia lords or dons who control these mines and carry on all kinds of illegal activities. But the same mafia lords are trembling in their boots today. The reason for their fear is a young woman called Shobha Ohatker. After becoming the Superintendent of Police in Hazaribagh, Shobha has put the biggest names in the coal mafia in jail – most of them, anyway.

The Writer

Tue, 04 Feb 2003 11:04:44 +0000

The Writer [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 9: Stanley “Tookie” Williams is an American writer of children’s books. His books are cautionary tales, warning children to stay away from drugs, guns and gangs so common to certain sections of poor America.

Williams has won wide acclaim and two literature prizes. But then Williams is no ordinary children’s writer. He is a four-time murderer on death row (waiting to be executed) in California’s San Quentin prison. This means that the State will execute him someday for the crimes he has committed.

Boy who Became a Golfer by Accident

Tue, 16 Oct 2001 06:42:48 +0000

July 22: Eighteen-year-old Ashok Kumar is a golf champion in the making. But barely six years ago, he was accused of stealing at the same club where he plays winning game after game, today.

He has won many golfing titles in the junior category and also amateur or beginners titles in prestigious golfing events.

Ashok was a poor boy from a village in Bihar. He came to Delhi to earn some money for his family back home. He was 12 years old and missed home badly. The only good thing was, his brother also lived in Delhi. The two lived together. Right next to the city’s Air Force Golf Club.

Holi in Fiji

Thu, 30 Jan 2003 05:15:50 +0000

March 19: Before it was Holi in India, phagua, as Holi is called by the Indo-Fijians, was already being celebrated. The Fiji Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, are six-and-a-half hours ahead of Indian time and the Indo-Fijians were already singing chautal, an oral tradition of celebration.

For the community, memories of India go as far back as 120 years, when the first batch of Indians in colonial India, were taken to Fiji, also a British colony, as labour. As is the case with many immigrant communities all over the world, celebrations always seem to carry a greater echo of ‘home’. And so it was during phagua.

The Hospitality of a True Blue Nawab

Tue, 25 Feb 2003 07:55:53 +0000

April 21: Nawab Mir Jafar Abdullah entertains guests in the celebrated Awadhi style of his forefathers. The nawab (title of former rulers of princely states), hosts elaborate traditional dinners for foreign tourists at his grand palace called Sheeshmahal (glass palace), in Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow flourished in the 18th century as the capital of the nawabs of the principality of Awadh. It became an important cultural centre for art, music, crafts and etiquette based on the idea of graciousness that may seem excessively laidback today.

Teenage Girl Lone Survivor from Yemeni Air Crash

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:03:50 +0000

Where: Moroni, Comoros

July 2, 2009 : Weeks after an Air France airliner crashed into the Pacific Ocean, a Yemeni jetliner went down into the Indian Ocean near Comoros, where it was scheduled to land. All passengers were killed, except one teenage girl.

The passengers on the ill-fated plane Airbus that crashed into the Indian Ocean were flying the last leg of a journey from Paris in France to Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes. Of the 153 people on board, only one, a teenage girl, survived. Comoros is an archipelago of three main islands between Africa’s southeastern coast and the island of Madagascar. The aircraft, an Airbus 310, was believed to be very old, and some of its equipment had been certified faulty during an inspection in 2007. Severe turbulence and high speed winds at the time were among the factors that caused the crash.

The Concorde

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 05:30:23 +0000

The sleekest and the fastest jet aircraft in the world. The Concorde.

Sounds like an ad?

Wait till you hear how much it costs to travel in it.

A trip on this aircraft could cost you $9,000 – at least 25 per cent more than the regular first class travel fare.

For a long time, the Concorde was considered the safest aircraft – the only jet aircraft in the history of aviation which has never had a serious accident.

World's First Space Tourist

Wed, 09 Jul 2003 13:04:28 +0000

May 11: The world’s first paying space tourist is back on earth after a week-long joyride in space. On Sunday, May 6, American millionaire Dennis Tito and two Russian cosmonauts landed back on earth, as their space capsule gently parachuted down onto the barren steppe in Kazakhstan.

World’s First Space Tourist [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Emerging unsteadily from the capsule, the exhilarated 60-year-old Tito, who is also a former NASA rocket scientist, said the trip was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

The Woman who Builds Sand Castles

Mon, 08 Jan 2001 04:52:11 +0000

July 31: Ever made castles in the sand? Fun. Isn’t it? All you need are your hands and a little imagination?

Marjon Katerberg builds castles in the sand all the time. And gets paid for it, too. It’s her job.

Marjon is an international sand artist. She has just carved the largest sand sculpture park in the world, according to a report in ‘The Indian Express’.

The park is located at a place called Almeerderzand near The Hague in the Netherlands. It stretches over several acres of land. For two years, Almeerderzand has been hosting a sand-sculpting festival. Marjon’s sculptures are part of this festival.

The South Indian Sikh

Tue, 18 Jun 2002 23:42:38 +0000

October 21: Sardar Bhupinder Singh is 91 years old. He is also a bit of an oddity where he lives – in Kadakarapally, Kerala. He is the only one in his area to keep his hair long, wear a turban and visit the gurudwara or Sikh temple in nearby Kochi.

Bhupinder Singh is one of the few living Malayalee Sikhs of his generation, in the south-western state of Kerala. He is known in the area as “Sikh chettan” that is, Sikh elder brother, says a recent report in The Hindustan Times.

Assam's Boys Shine in Asian Cricket

Sat, 21 Jul 2001 10:22:08 +0000

July 22: Two young boys have done the impossible in Assam. They have pushed politicians and the continuing violence, out of the media spotlight. Both boys are stars of the Indian under-15 cricket team.

One of them, Palash Jyot Das, is the son of a bank employee. The other, Mrigen Talukdar comes from a poor family. There’s nothing remarkable about their backgrounds. Much is remarkable about their achievements, though. While Palash is Asia’s best batsman, Mrigen is Asia’s best bowler.

Man Who Could Make The Taj Disappear

Sat, 16 Jun 2001 13:28:51 +0000

August 12: Franz Harary is the magician. He has a simple wish: he wants to make the Taj Mahal disappear. Nothing doing, says the Indian government.

Harary is an American magician. His specialty is making huge monuments disappear. In ten years, he has done things no other magician has dared do before. In Hawaii he moved a volcano two miles out to sea. In Japan, he made the Tokyo Bay Bridge vanish. At Cape Kennedy in the USA, he made the NASA space shuttle vanish.

Language Split

Sat, 26 Oct 2002 11:10:40 +0000

Language Split [Illustration by Anup Singh]

November 18: The English language is believed to have caused one of Sri Lanka’s leading political parties to split. How? Well, the party’s leader, being a member of the upper class, spoke in English during press conferences, a language his local language-speaking cadre or party members could not fathom. This double talk of the politician caused the party members to do a double take and they went ahead and split into two.

Parts of Pakistan Under Taliban Control

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:14:36 +0000

Where: Islamabad, Pakistan

February 20, 2009 : The Swat Valley, a picturesque region in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province and once a major tourist destination, is completely under Taliban control. The Taliban, the most dreaded extremist Islamic militant group in the world, is present in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It opposes modernisation and the education of girls and women. Since January 2009, the militants have closed down 400 private schools which had 40,000 girl students. At least 10 schools which re-opened were blown up.

Trees of Delhi – Under the Axe!

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 12:52:38 +0000

Where: The Capital city of New Delhi, India

March 26, 2007: Imagine you are in a city where there are a lot of trees, large parks, open spaces, playgrounds. Slowly, the city starts filling up with more and more people. These people need houses. They need transport, to get from one place to another. They need more schools, more hospitals, more office buildings, more markets, more space. How will they get this space, and who decides which space to use?

World's Largest Blanket

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 07:37:46 +0000

Val Stone, a Devon, UK,-based pensioner has made the world’s largest crocheted blanket and plans to sell it to raise money for a cancer fund.

Stone, a leukaemia patient, has spent 11 years making the blanket, which is larger than a tennis court.

The blanket measures about 24 metres by 8 metres when stretched out and weighs about 90 kilograms.

World’s Largest Blanket [Illustration by Shinod AP]

She hopes to raise £3,000 (Rs. 206,322) for the Exeter Leukaemia Fund by selling pieces of the blanket for between £10 (Rs. 687) and £25 (Rs. 1,719).

The Beggar who is a Money Lender

Fri, 26 Oct 2001 13:55:29 +0000

August 5: A beggar is someone who is so poor that she has to beg people for money. For, she generally has little that belongs to her. No money to buy food, no proper shelter to live in, not even perhaps, two sets of clothes to wear.

Or, at least that’s what we’re told to believe.

But Bhanwari Sethani forces us to take a new look at the tired, old pictures of the beggar that we have in our mind. Bhanwari Sethani is a beggar all right. But at the same time, she is also a money lender. And she has made all her riches in the begging profession. So much so that the popular Hindi word for rich woman, ‘Sethani’ has been added to her name.

World Leaders Propose Solutions to Global Hunger

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:56:24 +0000

Where: L’Aquila, Italy

July 10, 2009 : The leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) countries met at a summit in L’Aquila, Italy. The G-8 is a group of industrialized countries that includes Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan and the United States. After three days of talks, the leaders of these countries launched a new plan to tackle global hunger. The plan was approved by over 30 countries and organizations. Food security, or ensuring adequate access to food, has become a very important issue for governments everywhere after high food prices last year led to riots in some countries. What’s more, there are now one billion people across the world who live with hunger.

The Quake that rocked Gujarat

Sat, 07 Aug 1999 20:45:53 +0000

Where: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

February 5, 2001 : It was 8.45 am on January 26, 2001. A day when the country was celebrating Republic Day. Like their counterparts across India, the people of Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat, were settling down to watch the Republic Day Parade on television. Basant Rawat was one of them.

Suddenly the earth began to shake under his feet. Basant ran out of his house. And, the sight that greeted him seemed to be straight out of an action film – Tagore apartments, a five-storeyed building, 400 yards from his house, collapsed like a pack of cards, says a report in ‘The Telegraph’. He was right in the midst of an earthquake.

The Kiwi is Australian!

Tue, 26 Aug 2003 11:57:12 +0000

The Kiwi is Australian! [Illustration by Shinod AP]

March 14: The kiwi bird is one of the most common symbols of New Zealand. It is also the country’s national bird. And that’s not all. It features as an insignia on New Zealand’s coat of arms as well.

New Zealanders consider the kiwi their most enduring national symbol and until now, they believed that the bird did not even exist outside New Zealand. But recently, a group of scientists, led by researcher Alan Cooper, has made a startling statement – the kiwi might have Australian origins.

English and Indlish

Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:59:46 +0000

July 15: Students are often rebuked for using what is known as ‘Indian English’ words. Perhaps these teachers need to know that many Indian words have actually become a part of an Oxford Dictionary.

The Asian Age newspaper reported that the Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary of Correct English has a section on Indian English. The section has 2,500 words The fifth edition of the dictionary was released recently.

Words like bandicoot, bungalow, jungle, chit, cushy, juggernaut are commonly known. But, there are others that most of us wouldn’t know had an Indian origin.

Animal Sense

Sat, 22 Feb 2003 16:47:42 +0000

February 14: So you live in a quake-prone region and want to be prepared the next time an earthquake strikes. Unfortunately, science has still not come up with a way to predict earthquakes. But there’s hope yet. Just visit your local zoo and observe the behaviour of the animals there.

Astonishing but true. Animals remain even today, the best bet of alerting humans to an impending natural disaster.

Animal Sense [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Curious to know why? Animals, birds and snakes possess a sixth sense, claim animal behaviour experts. The indefinable ability to sense the presence of a natural disaster lurking in the background. Innumerable disaster films have used the theme of the family pet sensing the approach of something terrible, like a typhoon or volcano, and trying to alert the humans to it.

Asia's First Floating Museum

Sat, 26 Jan 2002 22:47:05 +0000

October 16: Wouldn’t it be exciting to visit a war museum of vintage aircraft on a huge ship floating in the ocean ? And when the ship in question happens to be INS Vikrant, the experience promises to be truly memorable.

INS Vikrant is India’s first aircraft carrier and came into service in 1961. Once the hallmark of the Indian Navy, it has been decommissioned for some time now. This means that it is no longer in use. Formerly known as HMS Hercules, the ship could carry 22 aircraft and a crew of more than 1,000 soldiers, in its heyday.

The Bt Brinjal Battle

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:52:52 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

February 20, 2010 : India’s environment minister Jairam Ramesh had announced that Bt Brinjal, a genetically modified (GM) plant, would be introduced for cultivation across the country. A storm of public protests followed. As a result, the introduction has been put on hold for the time being. On February 9, 2010, the government of India announced that it needs more time to take a final decision.

Bt Brinjal is brinjal modified by the addition of a gene from ‘Bacillus thuringiensis’ (a bacterium). This gene makes the plant resistant to pests. Bt Brinjal was developed by an American company. If it is introduced it will be India’s first GM food crop. Bt Cotton has already been introduced in India.

A safety net for cheetahs, vultures, dolphins

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:09:03 +0000

Where: Rome, Italy

December 9, 2008 :The fastest moving mammal on earth is now moving – fast – towards extinction. The Guardian reports that cheetah is on a list of 21 names newly added to the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals List 1 of endangered species. The Egyptian vulture is on this list too, because it is affected by the excessive use of toxic pesticides.

A safety net for cheetahs, vultures, dolphins []

A species of Asian duck, which is eaten as a delicacy in its native region, three kinds of dolphins, some marine mammals and bird varieties are also on the list. These findings were aired at an international wildlife conference by the UN, which was held in Rome.

Vanishing Vulture

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 02:34:39 +0000

It’s the bird most commonly associated with death. Once a common sight in South Asia, the vulture, or nature’s scavenger, is one of the 78 species in India that is dying out. Faced with a mysterious virus and pesticide poisoning, the population of vultures today is said to be just 5 per cent of what it was (about 20 years ago) in the 1980s. A couple of years ago, the vultures of Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur numbered 2000. Now there are just four.

Girl Power in Gaul!

Fri, 09 May 2003 21:16:57 +0000

Girl Power in Gaul! [Illustration by Shinod AP]

March 27: Over 40 years ago, Belgian artist Alberto Uderzo and French scriptwriter Rene Goscinny, created a new comic series. It was all about the ‘mis’adventures of a diminutive warrior Asterix, his giant of a friend Obelisk, and their dog, Dogmatix as they battle the invading armies of the Romans in Gaul, as ancient France was known.

The Little Magician

Wed, 26 Sep 2001 09:50:29 +0000

The Little Magician []

Five-and-a-half-year-old Bhagyanath can tell a story real well, especially the one about how a teacher caught him sharing a Coke with his friends in the school canteen. “I hid the bottle inside a book and when the teacher asked me to show what I was hiding, I opened the book. There was nothing there,” says the bright-eyed boy."

Indeed, there wasn’t! The little boy on stage had just managed to make a Coke bottle disappear in thin air. Master Bhagyanath is among the youngest magicians in the world.

This Time Teachers are the Students

Tue, 24 Apr 2001 14:20:08 +0000

August 12: About 55,000 teachers in West Bengal are going back to school. They are going to be taught English so that they can teach the language to their students.

The West Bengal government has realised that most primary school teachers in the state do not know the ABC of English. Rather, they don’t remember.

The reason is not hard to find. For 20 years the government had banned the teaching of English at the primary level. So children studying up to class V were taught in Bengali. As a result primary teachers were not required to know English, which was taught as a second language from a higher class onwards.

Marriage in Prison

Thu, 15 Jun 2000 03:41:23 +0000

July 15: He was a prisoner in Model Jail in Lucknow and she was the warden of the jail. The fell in love. And got married.

Sounds like a filmi story? It happened in real life. And the story just goes on to show that prisoners are human beings too. And wardens are not villains who keep prisoners under lock and key.

The warden, Ranjana, met the prisoner, Santosh, three years ago in Lucknow jail.

Polluted India

Fri, 19 Nov 1999 14:45:31 +0000

Where: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad is a lake famous for the thousands of migratory birds it attracts from other parts of India and abroad, in the winter months. But the seagulls, ducks and other migratory birds no longer find it hospitable. They only use it as a stopover and prefer to fly away elsewhere.

Too many idols spoil the lake

The lake has seen more clay idols of deities such as Ganesh and Durga being immersed in its waters than any other lake in the vicinity. The chemicals used to paint the idols are highly toxic. They contaminate the waters, the algae and the water plants in it.

Talkie Star from the Silent Era

Mon, 08 Oct 2001 07:03:00 +0000

Talkie Star from the Silent Era []

August 19: At times the story of an actor’s life is no less adventurous than the exciting roles he plays on the film screen. P Jairaj was such an actor, who chose to leave the comfort of an aristocratic life for the ups and downs of a career in the magical art of cinema, which was a big novelty then.

Rat Menace

Sat, 22 Dec 2001 21:18:50 +0000

August 12: About 26 people in Mumbai and nearby Thane died recently due to a strange fever. Initially the doctors in Mumbai were unsure which disease had afflicted these people, because no tests were conducted to find out the nature of the fever.

Most patients had avoided getting the test done because it cost a lot of money (Rs. 750) and they did not see why they should spend so much money for what appeared to be just an ordinary fever. That is, until people started dying like flies and newspapers began writing about it.

Square Watermelons

Fri, 14 Oct 2005 06:48:41 +0000

August 26: On a hot summer day is there anything that tastes as delicious and refreshing as a cold, juicy round watermelon? No wonder this healthy fruit has been enjoyed by man for thousand of years. How about trying square watermelons instead of round ones? Sounds fascinating doesn’t it?

Recently farmers in the southern Japanese town of Zentsuji have discovered a technique to grow their watermelons in square shape says a report of CNN.

The reason they’re doing this in Japan is because of lack of space in refrigerators. They are trying to make watermelons “refrigerator friendly”.

War Memorial for Child Soldiers

Thu, 13 May 1999 22:12:55 +0000

Where: New York, USA

September 23, 2000: “Everyone was dying. You saw the legs or hands of your friends lying in front of you. It was so horrifying, you couldn’t make sense of it. It was hell… Boys lay on the ground for three or four days without being buried. We were fighting around their corpses.” This is how Rashid, an Ethiopian high school student, described his experience of fighting on the Badme front in 1999.

Humble Rickshaw Gets a Face-lift

Mon, 21 Dec 1998 15:13:35 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

July 15, 2000: This inauguration did not make the media go crazy with their cameras and flashbulbs. There were no pop stars or actors either. Delhi’s Chief Minister, Sheila Dixit was present when 20 rickshaws quietly got on to the roads. The sleek, colourful cycle-rickshaw is designed to give comfort to the driver as well as the passenger. They are easy to pedal and comfortable to ride.

Humble Rickshaw Gets a Face-lift [Illustration by Shiju George]

The cycle-rickshaw has a new gear system, which reduces the amount of pedalling needed. It is wider than the existing rickshaw and has better seating arrangements. Its webbed seat and backrest reduces the jolts during the journey. It even has a lot of space under the seat for luggage.

Winter Guests

Tue, 09 Dec 2003 11:37:39 +0000

December 27: Every winter, the Delhi Zoo in New Delhi, India, spruces up for the visit of some special foreign visitors. They fly in from the distant lands of China, Japan and Central Asia to escape sub-zero temperatures back home and bask in the warmer Delhi sun.

These visitors include pin-tail ducks, shoveller ducks, common teals, coots, dab-chiks, yellow wagtails, yellow-winged wagtails and white wagtails. Flocks of migratory birds have made the Delhi zoo their temporary habitat. And they’ve already arrived in the city, reports The Times of India.

Slices of Italy

Sat, 12 Apr 2003 05:30:02 +0000

April 12: So, you love digging your teeth into a cheesy pizza made with home-made sauce from fresh tomatoes and herbs. Then you would have loved to attended the 10th World Pizza Championship! At the championship this year, judges had their fill of tasting pizza of various types including classic pizza, pizza in a baking tray, fastest pizza, and yes, the largest pizza.

The championship was held in Salsomaggiore, Italy. And the Italians once again walked away with the top honours. They were declared expert pizza makers. But naturally, after all the Italians gave the pizza to the world!

Former Child Worker Visits Clinton

Sun, 20 Jun 1999 23:48:48 +0000

Where: Washington DC, USA

September 23, 2000: A few days ago, 12-year old Kalu Kumar was a special invitee of the US President, Bill Clinton, at the White House. Kalu had been invited by the President for the launch of a book on child labour written by Kerry Kennedy, of the Kennedy family that has contributed many significant figures to American politics, including former President John F Kennedy, and his brother, Robert Kennedy.

Kalu was once a child-labourer.

Young girl's earth-shaking courage

Sat, 26 Jun 2004 08:30:30 +0000

There is a ray of hope for quake hit-Gujarat. All it needs to do is listen to a 12-year-old girl, Prutha Desai. She might be small but towers over many in spirit. This girl who lost her right arm in the January 26 earthquake, six months ago, has shown great courage in starting life afresh, literally: from learning to write with her left hand to wearing socks. But what is remarkable is that Prutha hasn’t lost her smile, courage, or creativity in drawing and art, says a report in The Indian Express.

Earthquake Rocks New Zealand

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:39:29 +0000

Where: Wellington, New Zealand

July 16, 2009 : A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in New Zealand’s South Island, near the city of Invercargill. No one was injured, nor was there any major damage. The region, South Westland, is almost uninhabited, and the quake was centred 35 kilometres under the sea off its coast. An earthquake of this intensity could have caused destruction on a massive scale had it struck near the heavily populated capital city of Wellington.

Buried under a Garbage Mountain

Sat, 17 Feb 2001 18:54:52 +0000

August 5: Recently, a group of homeless people living in the streets of Manila came to know the meaning of a mountain of garbage. One such mountain loomed behind their makeshift shelter.

The pile of garbage grew and grew. Like Jack’s beanstalk. And, then, one day, it rained. The rains loosened the pile and it collapsed. On the houses of the squatters. Crushing them and the people in them, in the process.

The result: At least 218 people dead.

The Peacocks are Dying

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 07:00:27 +0000

May 11: The residents of the Rajasthan State Electricity Board colony in Heerapur, 12 km from Jaipur, are in shock. They don’t know how to reconcile to the sudden, unexplained deaths of 19 peacocks in their colony in the first week of May. The priest at the Radha Krishna temple in the colony is inconsolable: there are no more peacocks to peck at the vessel filled with jowar.

In the first week of May, at Sirsiya village in Phagi district, a villager saw six of the birds die, foaming at their mouth as they tried to dance. After eating the jowar and wheat seeds kept outside households for them, the peacocks just collapsed on the roof of a building.

Rani Hindustani!

Wed, 03 Dec 2003 02:53:01 +0000

March 27: Poonam Maharashtrian Hindustani (Indian) runs a one-woman-one truck transport company. But it is not merely her name or her profession that are colourful. The lady has had an equally colourful past.

A good deal of her time in that past has been spent trying to assert her independence, reports The Indian Express, which wrote an article on this courageous woman.

Poonam had been born Hemlata Gaikwad in Pune city, Maharashtra. Her father constantly beat her mother up and even burnt Poonam’s secretly-acquired driving license. He wanted the women of his household to be docile and meek.

A Memorial to Children

Wed, 23 May 2001 01:22:03 +0000

July 31: In a wintry morning in Delhi three years ago, a school bus packed with children going to school, skidded off a bridge. It fell into the cold waters of the river Yamuna below. More than 30 children died. Today, there are plans to develop a memorial in a park for them, very close to the spot where the terrible accident took place.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to build the memorial. The DDA is the government body in charge of public construction in the city.

World's Cheapest Car Launched in India

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:57:16 +0000

Where: Mumbai, India

March 23, 2009 : The Tata Nano was launched by Tata Industries chief Ratan Tata. The car will go on sale in April 2009 and deliveries will begin in July 2009. ‘Nano’ means ’extremely small.’ The car costs just 100,000 Indian rupees, and it is only 3 metres (10 feet) long. It can seat five. Mr. Tata said, ‘I hope it will provide safe, affordable four-wheel transportation to families who till now have not been able to own a car.’ The company is out to compete with the two-wheeler vehicle industry. The basic model doesn’t have any frills like air conditioning, radio or power steering.

An invasion of toxic toads

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:06:31 +0000

Where: State of Queensland, Australia

April 2, 2007: This is certainly not a toad you’d want to kiss. Not only will the toad not turn into a handsome prince, you may not be left alive to tell the tale.

It’s as big as a small dog, has the body of a football and enough poison to kill a crocodile if it makes the mistake of having a Cane toad for lunch. It has been 70 years since the cane toad was first brought to northern Australia from South America to kill and eat the beetles that were spoiling the sugar cane crop.

A Film on Anne Frank

Tue, 08 Jul 2003 18:00:31 +0000

March 14: Anne Frank was a teenager when the Second World War broke out. And as Hitler’s Nazi Germany chillingly went about targeting Jews with death, her life changed beyond recognition. She lived in hiding for a while but was caught out and put in a concentration camp, where she died.

When in hiding, the young girl had kept a diary in which she had recorded her thoughts and impressions of what was happening to her and around her. After the war her writings were published under the title, Diary of a Young Girl. It was a phenomenal success.

Microbes begin Deforestation

Tue, 07 Oct 2003 07:34:21 +0000

May 19: The conifer trees on the hills of Himachal Pradesh may soon become history. No, they are not being cut by humans. This time, it is the turn of microbes to go on a rampage.

Insects, fungi and various kinds of insects are eating into the deodar, pine and kail trees of Chopal and the stretch that lies between Sundernagar and Jhenjheli, Suket division in Mandi and at Bharari and Mashobra in Shimla. The trees are drying up due to this.

The Truth about Eels

Wed, 31 Mar 1999 03:53:10 +0000

Where: Florida, USA
October 16, 2000: The recent emergence of a large number of unfamiliar eels in the waters off the coast of Florida in South-east America, is causing worry to local ecologists there. They fear that the new arrivals, eels of Asian origin, will disturb the food chain of the region with their voracious appetites.

What exactly are eels ? They are slippery serpent-like fish, inhabiting shallow coastal waters throughout the world. They are fairly common in the freshwaters of eastern and south-eastern America.

Hundreds Killed in Ethnic Violence in Nigeria

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:52:31 +0000

Where: Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

March 18, 2010 : Hundreds of people have died in ethnic and religious violence around the Nigerian city of Jos since the year 2010 began. The last such incident was an attack on three mostly Christian villages over the weekend of March 7-8, 2010. Villagers including women and children were attacked by men with machetes. More than 200 people died. Police arrested around 90 suspects.

Survivors said the attackers spoke Hausa and Fulani, two languages used mostly by Muslims. The violence was seen by some as a revenge attack for the Muslims killed in January 2010. While northern Nigeria is mostly Muslim, the south is predominantly Christian. The reasons for differences among the people extend beyond race and religion. There are political, social and economic factors which strengthen the divide between the groups. The recent bloodshed occurred in central Nigeria. Nigeria’s “middle belt” is filled with fertile lands, and war is waged over who will control them.

Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Dies at 50

Sat, 29 May 2010 09:10:42 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

June 25, 2009 : Michael Jackson, known as the ‘King of Pop’ died suddenly in his Los Angeles home. He was 50. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. The police have ruled out any possibility of foul play. Fans all over the world were shocked at their idol’s death. Michael was one of the most successful entertainers of all time. He began his singing career with The Jackson 5, a group which featured him and his older siblings, in 1966. He was to register many hits and best sellers in his adult career, and the biggest of them was the 1982 hit Thriller, an album that sold over 50 million copies worldwide. Jackson will be remembered as one of the greatest black singers of all time. He was a very skilled dancer, and his biggest hit albums were released in an age when music videos began to be aired over television.

Punch and Spar: Way to go, Mary!

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 10:24:30 +0000

Where: north-eastern state of Manipur, India

September 12, 2007 : Mary who? Twenty-five-year-old M.C Mary Kom from Manipur has won the world women’s boxing championship not once, not twice but thrice in the 46 kilogram category. (Boxers of similar body weight compete in a category.)

Mary won the three titles consecutively or in three straight years. She won her titles in Turkey in 2004, in Russia in 2005 and in Delhi in 2007. How many of us know of the achievements of this powerhouse of punches who comes from a remote village in the northeastern state of Manipur?

Olympic Games are Fair Game for TV Satire

Sat, 17 Feb 2001 20:57:04 +0000

August 5: Heard of facts imitating fiction?

Well, that’s exactly what’s happening in Australia. There’s a comedy serial on Australian television these days. It is a spoof or hilarious leg-pulling on the Australian officials who are in charge of making all the arrangements for the Olympic Games scheduled to start in the Australian capital Sydney.

The really strange part is, much of what the serial shows as fiction, ends up happening as fact some time later, says a report in ‘The Times of India’.

Friendly Neighbourhood Bank: For Kids Only

Wed, 09 Dec 1998 18:58:44 +0000

June 24: This is a bank with a difference. For, you hardly meet any adults here. The place is run by children and has children as members.

Welcome to the kids bank of Juhapura, a working class locality in Ahmedabad. It is called the Sarjan Bank.

The bank was started 22 years ago as part of a programme called Sarjan. It was started by a group called the Ahmedabad Study Action Group. This organisation has been working for poor people in Gujarat since 1973.

Killer Storm Rages Through Western Europe

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:44:01 +0000

Where: Paris, France

March 1, 2010 : A violent storm originating in the Atlantic Ocean crashed into the western coasts of France, Portugal and Spain on February 28, 2010. The storm, named Xynthia, left more than 50 people dead and thousands homeless along France’s Atlantic coast. The storm killed people in Germany, Spain and Portugal, but France had the maximum number of casualties.

Winds raging at speeds of 140 kilometres (87miles) per hour moved from Portugal up through the Bay of Biscay and struck the French coast. There was torrential rain as well. The storm later swept north-eastwards into Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. High speed winds struck the Swiss Alps.

Chained Inmates of an Asylum burnt to Death

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 17:44:24 +0000

August 8: In a gruesome tragedy, 26 mentally challenged persons were burnt to death in Yerwadi, Tamil Nadu. When the fire broke out, the patients, who were chained to posts, in a makeshift asylum, were unable to escape. Eleven of the patients were women.

Chained Inmates of an Asylum burnt to Death []

Taking serious note of the fire, the Supreme Court issued notices to the central and the Tamil Nadu governments seeking a report on the Yerwadi fire. The Court said the tragedy “raised questions concerning human rights of inmates of a mental asylum”.

Photocopies of babies

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 09:51:52 +0000

August 18: Who would have thought that humans can be ‘photocopied’ like documents? But, it is happening and the brain behind the whole act, Severino Antiniro, an Italian doctor is all set to create the first ‘photocopy’ babies of the world, reports say.

Though the doctor seems confident, his experiment could result in a Jurassic Park-like disaster, experts say. The child produced thus may have physical or mental disabilities, they say.
That does not seem to have hampered Antiniro’s plans. Nor has the fact that almost every country in the world is against the idea.

Polite Police

Mon, 16 Oct 2000 08:42:10 +0000

July 8: Very soon, a banner will appear in the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi. It will read:

The Tourist Police
For you, with you,
Always.

But, most people are scared that it might actually mean “The Tourist Police, For you, with you, after you, Always.

Polite Police [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Disappointed with the police force and its rude ways of dealing with the public, the Ministry of Tourism now wants to have its own police force, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper.

Bead Calculator

Mon, 27 May 2002 08:28:03 +0000

November 18: Quick! Tell me what you get when you divide the number 992.587318, by 5,647.723? Stumped? Need a calculator? Well, thirteen-year-old Hiroaki Tsuchiya of Japan arrived at the answer in no time at a mental mathematics tournament in Kyoto: the right answer – 0.17575000013279688115015555826658. And, he did it without a calculator, too!

Bead Calculator [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Hiroaki is adept at mental arithmetic multiplying, dividing, adding or subtracting large numbers that would make an accountant’s head spin. An Associated Press report that appeared in ‘The Asian Age’ says that Hiroaki is not the only one with such ability. For centuries, merchants, students and thousands of ordinary people throughout Asia have been calculating dizzying rows of numbers, using the same technique that Hiroaki has.

The Day it Rained Fish

Tue, 20 Nov 2001 16:30:18 +0000

August 12: Last weekend saw some ‘fishy’ happenings across the world.

In Britain, for example, it rained fish.

The Day it Rained Fish [Illustration by Shiju George]

It happened in Great Yarmouth, a fishing port in Norfolk. Residents found a shower of dead but still fresh fish called sprats raining down on them. “I thought at first I might have had something wrong with my eyes. The whole of my backyard seemed to be covered in little slivers,” said a resident to ‘The Times of India’, which carried a report.

Gandhi's School is Dying

Tue, 04 Jun 2002 12:54:26 +0000

Where: Wardha district in the western state of Maharashtra, India

October 6 : Every year, October 2 is observed as Gandhi Jayanti in India. Both children and adults look forward to this day, but not to commemorate the birth of ’the greatest Indian since the Buddha, as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been called. It is more to enjoy the national holiday that falls on this day.

To most people Gandhi Jayanti is more like a history lesson they learnt by rote in school. There is very little that is remembered of the principles he stood for, beyond the standard one liners like “simple living, high thinking, and non violence”.

Latecomers Out

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 23:33:55 +0000

August 19: What happens when guests come late to school functions in the city of Surat, Gujarat? They are not invited a second time round. No prizes for guessing the identity of these guests – the city’s politicians, of course.

Latecomers Out [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Politicians who come late to functions in Surat, known as the diamond city for its thriving trade in the precious stone, are a worried lot today. They are no longer invited to be chief guests at school functions in the city.

A Battle Well Fought

Thu, 06 May 2004 12:28:34 +0000

June 2: In the war against AIDS, they don’t come any tougher than Xolani Nkosi, better known as Nkosi Johnson since his adoption by a white family. In his short life, he had become one of South Africa’s youngest and boldest campaigners fighting for the rights of AIDS affected people to be accepted by society.

At 5:40 am on June 1, he finally lost the battle. Now, there’s nothing more the doctors can do for him. The virus had damaged his brain, making him unable to speak or eat.

Human Robots

Sat, 13 Sep 2003 20:50:13 +0000

Human Robots [Illustration by Shinod AP]

March 27: At one time we considered robots as machines to do our work. But now we have begun to think of them differently. We want them to be more human than humans themselves! Or else why would the Japanese have designed a new robot to help humans interact with each other?

One significant feature of most industrialised societies in the developed world is the breaking-up of the family and the rise of individualism.

IMAX the High-Tech Theatre

Tue, 03 Jul 2001 13:13:51 +0000

If you thought watching Jurassic Park in your local theatre was a fantastic experience…you haven’t seen anything yet! Imagine being surrounded by dinosaurs ten times larger than the regular movie-screen dinosaurs. For that is exactly what an IMAX screen will show. The IMAX theatre is all set to give ‘watching films on the big screen’ a whole new meaning.

IMAX the High-Tech Theatre [Illustration by Navin Pangti]

IMAX is coined from the word ‘maximum Image’. The images on the giant dome screen enlarges the size of the picture and the impact of sight and sound envelopes the audience, providing an amazing sense of involvement by putting them in the centre of action. So whether it is climbing Mt Everest, or exploring the lush Amazonian rainforest – you will feel that you are part of the action.

Going Bananas

Mon, 11 May 1998 05:09:01 +0000

Where: Taiwan

July 7, 2000: The military force of the Asian country of Taiwan was put on a very important job last week. They were ordered by the government to eat as many bananas as possible.

The members of government did the same thing. They stood outside their parliament and munched bananas for a long time. Journalists from newspapers, radio and television were there to see their cheeks puff as they bit into one banana after another.

Hockey Heroines

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:03:03 +0000

Where: India

September 12, 2007 : I must confess that I got interested in the Indian women’s hockey team after watching the film Chak De! India . But unlike many friends who kept talking about the bright actors in the film thinking they were actually discussing the game of hockey, I did some reading up on the hockey team. To tell you the truth it was as captivating, if not more, than the film.

Since this is a news item, let me give you the ‘hard’ news first. The Indian women’s team played in the Sixth Asia Cup hockey championship in Hong Kong early this month. This tournament is held once every four years and the Indian women had won it in 2003. But several players who had been in the team for a long time have bowed out. This is a young team. they played well but had to be content with the fourth spot.

Honey, what about it?

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 14:59:55 +0000

Where: the eastern state of Orissa,India

July 19: Banjipali village stands on a hill surrounded by forest. It is a very small village, with about 150 people. They are mostly poor tribals from the Binjhal community. For years they have suffered from a water shortage and from the fact that it is very easy for the world to forget about small villages tucked away in some forest. So they decided to take matters in their hands and came up with a very sweet idea.

Man who was a mountain

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:50:39 +0000

Where: state of Bihar, India

August 19, 2007: It’s the kind of superhuman deed that seems so hard to believe because it is true. One man hacked away at a rocky hill for 22 years to create a three-km-long road linking his village to the outside world, armed with nothing more than a hammer and a chisel. What drove the frail man on was a resolve much higher than the hill facing him.

His name: Dasrath Manjhi.

Barack Obama Sworn In As 44th American President

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:56:50 +0000

Where: Washington, DC, U.S.A.

January 20, 2009 : Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the U.S.A. in a year which is also the 200th birth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln, the President who abolished slavery in that country. African-Americans first went to America as slaves, and they did not have the same rights as white people even as recently as the middle years of the twentieth century.

Despite freezing weather conditions and high security, a record number of people (over a million) gathered outside Washington D.C.’s Capitol building to witness the inauguration. The President was sworn in on an outdoor platform of the Capitol, in keeping with tradition. He chose to take oath with his hand on the same Bible that President Lincoln had used on his inauguration in 1861. The crowds waved American flags and cheered wildly in a jubilant atmosphere. The American people seemed to be expressing the hope that President Obama would pull their country out of its terrible economic crisis, out of the controversial war in Iraq, and into a new era of peace and prosperity. The event was watched live by millions of television viewers all over the world.

Little Heroes

Fri, 17 Jan 2003 02:40:37 +0000

January 31: Four-year old Parul Mishra of Lucknow (right) walked over a burning bed of coal to save her little friend Priyanka, who had accidentally fallen into it. Twelve-year old Sunil Singh and 13-year old Mukesh Kumar of Doda district, Kashmir, foiled a militant attack on their village.

Two brothers, Prince and Ashish Kumar of Gaya district, Bihar, fought a dangerous gang of dacoits who had stormed into their house. Parul, Sunil, Mukesh, Prince and Ashish are ordinary children, but for one trait. They are extraordinarily courageous.

Flightless Mosquitoes the Solution to Dengue Fever?

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:41:21 +0000

Where: Oxford, United Kingdom

February 27, 2010 :Scientists have come up with a novel method to tackle the menace of dengue fever. They propose to breed mosquitoes that cant fly. The plan is to genetically alter the male of the species. These males will father a new generation of female mosquitoes with limited wing growth. The females will continue to transmit these genes, but only to female offspring. The male offspring will remain unaffected. Scientists feel this is a safe way to fight the spread of dengue – safer than the use of insecticides. The chief researcher Luke Alphey of the University of Oxford said,“The technology is completely species-specific, as the released males will mate only with females of the same species.”

Every dog has his bark

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 11:34:33 +0000

August 17: The next time your pooch goes ‘woof’, listen closely. He could be saying “I’m hungry”, or “You’d better take me for a walk fast, or I’m going to do it right here on the carpet.”

Japan’s third-largest toymaker, Takara Co. Ltd, has just launched a hand-held electronic device that gauges a dog’s moods by listening to its bark.

Every dog has his bark []

The ‘Bow-lingual’ has a mike attached to the collar which sends a voice print via infra-red beams to the owner’s canine emotion pager, which has a small liquid crystal display that shows how the dog feels.

Pushkar Lake Water or Sugarcane Juice?

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 20:14:14 +0000

May 19: If you take a glass of water from the famous Pushkar lake in Rajasthan, it looks like sugarcane juice. But, that is where the simile ends. It is neither sweet, nor does it smell fresh.

It has a rotten smell and you will not feel like tasting it. Plus, it has fish bones and mud in it – because, in the past two weeks, 200 fish weighing between 5-20 kilograms have died in the brown depths due to lack of life-sustaining oxygen, The Indian Express newspaper reports.

Answering Nature's Call in Peace

Tue, 30 Oct 2001 12:48:31 +0000

August 5: If the children feel like relieving themselves, they go to the nearby drain or the fields beyond. For their mothers and sisters, matters are even worse. They have
to wait for night to fall. They can attend nature’s call only under the cover of darkness. As if they were committing a crime.

But now things are changing for the 1000 odd residents of Karuvettupatai in Tiruchi district, Tamil Nadu.

Answering Nature’s Call in Peace [Illustration by Shiju George]

Gramalaya, a local nongovernment organisation, has constructed toilets for them. And there are special models for children. These are perhaps the first child-friendly
toilets in the country, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’.

The Boy Who writes with His Feet

Sun, 20 Apr 2003 08:25:31 +0000

March 7: Sujit Dawn of Sehera Bazar town in Burdwan district, West Bengal, is taking the madhyamik (middle-level) or Class X Board Examinations this year. If he passes, he goes on to senior school.

But there is something about Sujit that makes him different from the other boys taking the exams. He is writing the exams with his feet.

Sujit is physically challenged. The only son of Swapan (a timber merchant) and Putul Dawn, he was born without hands and learnt to write by holding the pen between his right toes. His ambition is to become a teacher, says a report in

Rahman Bags Double Grammy Honour for India

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:08:30 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

January 31, 2010 : A.R. Rahman, one of India’s most well-loved music composers, won international recognition with two Grammy awards. Last year, he had won the Oscar for his music in the hit film Slumdog Millionaire. This year, he had his first Grammy win. He picked up two awards: one for the ‘best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture’ (Slumdog Millionaire) and the other for ‘Best Motion Picture Song’ for the song ‘Jai Ho’ from the same film. In the best song category Rahman beat singer Bruce Springsteen and his song ‘The Wrestler’ from the movie of the same name. The modest Rahman said, “This is insane, God is great again”.

Alive! American Plane Makes Miracle Crash-landing on Hudson River

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:07:08 +0000

Where: New York, USA

January 16, 2009 : There were 150 passengers, three flight attendants and two pilots on board US Airways flight 1549. The plane, an Airbus 320, was on its way to Charlotte in the state of North Carolina from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Less than a minute after take-off, the pilot reported a ‘double bird strike’ – meaning that birds, probably a flock of geese, had hit both the plane’s jet engines. Passengers could soon see flames near the engines, and they smelt fuel, while power went off inside the cabin. The pilot asked and received permission from ground control to land at the nearest airport. However, the aircraft was losing altitude, and he decided to ‘ditch’, or land in water.

Women's hockey steals the show!

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 14:42:04 +0000

The year was 2002. The Commonwealth Games were on in Manchester, England. A nail-biting hockey final was being played out between the women’s hockey teams of favourites England and underdog India. England had defeated the reigning world and Olympic champions Australia to reach the final. India had come from nowhere to defeat stronger teams like New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea to meet England for the decisive match on England’s home ground.

Picture the scene now. Hosts England play a fast game from the word go – “attacking” game as sportswriters put it. But the first goal is scored by Indian striker Mamta Kharab in the first half. Then Sita Gossain scores one more goal. India is jubilant. However, before the first half ends, a determined England captain Sarah Banks puts in a goal.

Badminton champs in the spotlight

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:41:11 +0000

Hyderabad Hurricane – Saina Nehwal

No, this is not a spelling mistake. We are not writing about Sania Mirza and her achievements in tennis. In this piece we are writing about the latest sensation on the badminton courts, Saina Nehwal. In 2006, Saina became the first Indian woman to win a badminton tournament with a four-star rating. Ranked 86 in the world, she defeated Julia Xian Pei Wong of Malaysia who was ranked number 4 in the tournament. The event was the Philippines Open. Saina was 16 years old. On the way to the title Saina had beaten world number 4, Xu Huaiwen.

Guns everywhere

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:05:13 +0000

Where: The southern state of Virginia, United States

April 19, 2007: April 16 began like any other at Virginia Tech college. Some hours later, it turned into the most violent day that any American college had seen so far. A student armed with two guns went on a shooting spree, killing 32 people. The gunman’s bullets just did not seem to end. He fired in a dormitory as well as in a classroom. Finally, he shot himself.

Q is for Queue and not Queen any more

Tue, 26 Jun 2001 02:56:34 +0000

July 22: Ever found your school uniform displayed on the pages of your textbook?

Well, students of schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), did. In a colourful English primer brought out by MCD a few days ago. It is called ‘My First Book’, says a report in ‘The Times of India’.

These students saw a picture of their school-uniform, telling them what the alphabet U stands for. Unlike other primers showing the boring old umbrella. Similarly, I is for ice cream and not inkpot. And every child knows what that is!

Winner Juice

Thu, 14 Nov 2002 08:46:25 +0000

Winner Juice [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

October 28: Ask anyone who watched the recent Olympic Games, and they will tell you that it was the 28-year-old Japanese sportswoman, Naoko Takahashi, who won the women’s marathon.

But you could say that the race was won by giant killer hornets, whose stomach juices were drunk by the athlete to improve her stamina phenomenally.

A fascinating report by the ‘Telegraph Group’ of England, published in ‘The Hindu’ newspaper recently, stirred up a hornet’s nest in the world of sport with this announcement.

Do Computer Games Make You Violent?

Sun, 12 Aug 2001 12:25:03 +0000

August 12: Four children aged four and five were suspended from their nursery school in New Jersey, US, for using their fingers for guns in a game of cops and robbers. The children were heard shouting ‘I shot you’ and ‘Boom, boom’ during break time.

Do Computer Games Make You Violent? [Illustration by Kusum Chamoli]

“It may be just a game …but it can be taken differently by other children,” said school principal, Georgia Baumann. The incident was reported in the magazine Index, published from London.

To Russia with Love?

Thu, 13 Mar 2003 12:30:27 +0000

To Russia with Love? [Illustration by Shiju George]

November 25: Meet Tinky-Vinky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po. They are the Russian version of characters in Teletubbies, the British television series for toddlers. The four made an eagerly awaited debut amidst great hype and hoopla in Moscow. Their audience – 3,500 enthusiastic children.

The 365-episode series is not known as Teletubbies in Russia but by their Russian name Telepuziki or Telebellies. And they are going to be beamed into Russian homes by the state-run television, RTR, says an article in the ‘Indian Express’.

Camel's Milk and Pet Registration

Tue, 05 Mar 2002 01:12:30 +0000

November 24: Hey, how about trying camel’s milk instead of buffalo’s or cow’s milk with your porridge? Not very keen on the thought? Doesn’t sound appetising?

Did you know that many mothers, particularly in the rural regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, offer camel’s milk to their children? Unlike cow’s milk, a camel’s milk is rather salty and very thick. But as far as being a source of nutrition is concerned, its benefits are considerably more than that of cow’s milk.

India launches the Agni-III missile

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 22:07:22 +0000

Where: Balasore, Orissa, India

April 12, 2007: The newspapers have splashed the news across the front page. TV channels have gone ballistic. India today test fired a missile that can reach as far as the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing and most of the region of West Asia. A missile is basically an object or weapon that is fired, thrown, dropped, or otherwise projected at a target. It could be as simple as a rock shot off with a catapult (where the rock is the missile) or a toy car zooming out of a launcher (where the toy car is the missile). TO send it on its way, scientists use a launcher that can give the missile enough push to cover a large distance.

Acting Colour Blind?

Wed, 06 Mar 2002 12:09:19 +0000

October 6: England’s world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company has made a break with tradition. It has cast a black Nigerian actor, David Oyelowo, in the lead role of Henry VI, whose insanity unleashed a 30-year bloody civil war between two ruling parties, called the War of the Roses.

Acting Colour Blind? [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is one of the oldest and most prestigious theatre companies of the world. It has been staging the plays of Shakespeare for many years now. Plays by RSC are considered the last word in Shakespeare on stage.

Green Protection for the Taj Mahal

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 08:40:29 +0000

Where: Agra, India

February 3, 2009 : ‘Ocimum tenuiflorum’ or ‘Ocimum sanctum’ is better known as Tulsi in Indian homes. It’s been used for centuries to prepare home remedies to cure coughs, colds and stomach disorders. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine, too. A tulsi plant, grown traditionally in many Indian gardens, is believed to purify the air around it. This has now been confirmed by environmentalists.

The Tulsi plant releases high amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere, and this reduces the harmful effects of industrial pollution.The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, in collaboration with a Lucknow-based firm Organic India Private Ltd, has launched a program to plant one million Tulsi saplings around the Taj Mahal. The Taj, one of the seven wonders of the modern world, and one of India’s best loved monuments, is showing the ill-effects of chemical emissions. The surface of the white marble monument has been corroded by harmful chemicals released into the air from industries, especially refineries.

Where are the Children?

Sat, 22 Mar 2003 13:58:04 +0000

Where are the Children? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

April 21: Slavery was banned in south America several decades ago. But in west and central Africa, it still continues. Now, child slaves from poor African countries are being sold to the rich African countries.

Poor families sell their children to work for almost nothing in Gabon, a country in west Africa. Gabon is rich in oil. Despite international efforts to stop this trade, it continues, reports The Asian Age newspaper.

History was Made Here

Tue, 29 Oct 2002 15:54:00 +0000

November 4: It is a dirty and dimly-lit room, located on the first floor of the government-run JJ Hospital at Byculla, Mumbai. It includes a table, a chair and pieces of equipment occasionally used by the hospital staff, and is used as a safe refuge by tired employees looking for a quiet corner to doze off.

History was made over a hundred years ago in this room, when a German bacteriologist called Robert Koch discovered the vaccine against the tuberculosis and cholera bacteria, in it. But there seems to be no sense of pride in keeping that memory alive as an inspiration, seeing the terrible neglect the room has fallen into, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’.

Tiger Target

Sun, 17 Mar 2002 18:13:21 +0000

October 16: A few months ago, the accidental death of a dozen Royal Bengal tigers, at an Orissa zoo, shocked the nation. The news made headlines and gradually got relegated to the inside pages of newspapers before vanishing altogether. Yes, public memory is notoriously short and people eventually forgot about the whole episode.

Now, yet another tiger death has shaken us out of our apathy. The gruesome slaughter of a young Bengal Tiger (Saki) at the Hyderabad zoo has once again highlighted the utter negligence on the part of zoo officials.

The Green Magician

Mon, 08 Nov 1999 08:37:44 +0000

July 1: Many children, all over the world, are working to protect the environment. While some are involved with school groups, others are busy spreading awareness in their neighbourhood. Fifteen-year-old Kruti Parekh is a bit different for she uses some rather fantastic methods in campaigning for the environment. This nature-loving teenager uses magic to promote environmental causes! Kruti also happens to be India’s youngest professional conjurer — a record she has held for the last five years.

How Spy Cameras expose Scandals

Sat, 08 Mar 2003 20:11:11 +0000

In the past one year, tehelka.com has unearthed two major scandals using hidden cameras.

In May 2000, video footage revealed cricketers involved in match-fixing. And now, senior politicians and defence ministry officials have been caught on camera, taking kickbacks or bribes from people selling arms.

How Spy Cameras expose Scandals [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Whether these tapes will hold up in a court of law is not clear. What is certain is that in the new age, where technology forces transparency in how the government works, is here to stay.

A school for budding politicians

Tue, 24 Aug 2004 06:01:35 +0000

August 1: The ‘Netagiri Vidyalaya’ (Leadership School) in Ranchi gives the impression of being one of those ‘dingy-lane’ institutes that spring up like mushrooms during rains. What could a school situated in such premises possibly teach its students, you wonder. Apparently a lot, says a report in the India Today magazine. As the name suggests, the recently opened school, the first of its kind in the country, aims to educate aspiring politicians.

And the institute is sure to get a lot of ‘students’ for Ranchi is now the capital of the new state of Jharkhand, formerly a part of Bihar.

More fuel to the CNG fire

Tue, 24 May 2005 13:26:52 +0000

August 16: It’s a nightmare either way. Too little, and we have thousands of autorickshaws and bus drivers in Delhi waiting for their turn to fill their fuel tanks with the new eco-friendly CNG or Compressed Natural Gas. Too much, and we have the gas pipe of a bus bursting when a careless attendant over-filled a tank at the Bhikaji Cama Place mother station.

On the other side, Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik is now championing the cause of low-sulpher diesel, and more recently, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), which we use as cooking gas. He is grumbling that gas wells have dried up.

A Problem, Naturally!

Tue, 23 Dec 2003 21:46:11 +0000

April 4: On April 1 or Fool’s Day, India’s capital, New Delhi, wore a deserted look. There were no public vehicles on the road. According to a Supreme Court decision passed two years ago, they were required to run on compressed natural gas or CNG, to ease the terrible pollution levels in the city.

For two years, two successive Delhi governments slept through the deadline, not bothering to create a system that would make the transition easy.

The Fossil Tree

Sat, 01 Nov 2003 15:26:26 +0000

December 27: Which are the oldest living trees in the world? You might think it’s those huge redwood trees, called giant sequoias, dating 4000 years. Not true. How about the Wollemi Pine? Yes, you’re getting there. But the answer is the Nightcap Oak, which was discovered recently. This oldest tree is 90 million years old.

The Nightcap Oak has been identified as a living fossil. It dates back to millions of years and was thought to have died out. But, at least one Nightcap Oak tree is alive. And, wonder of wonders, it has not undergone any basic changes in the body over the centuries, writes a Reuters report in

Cruising in the Sky

Thu, 06 Feb 2003 06:54:12 +0000

Cruising in the Sky [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 9: You remember how plush and huge the Titanic was? It was a ship any one would want to travel in. Don’t you wish travelling in an aeroplane could be made as comfortable instead of you being crammed into a place where you can’t even stretch out to sleep? Well, very soon you will actually be able to make your dream come true !!

They Make you Swallow a Fish for a Herbal Cure

Mon, 07 Jul 1997 18:30:07 +0000

June 17: As the northwest monsoon strikes India in the first week of June, people from all parts of India, and abroad, make a beeline for Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. They all have one thing in common: they suffer from the disease of asthma and gather in Hyderabad for a unique herbal cure. The medicine is stuffed inside the mouth of a three-inch live murrel fish which the patient is made to swallow. Once inside the body, the fish releases the medicine. Those who gather the courage to take the cure find that it works, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’.

Pushed to the Edge

Sun, 30 Mar 2003 03:34:03 +0000

December 27: Leslie Readwin of Britain is in India with a purpose. She wants to see the famous tigers of the Corbett National Park, which nestles at the foot of the Indian Himalayas. The 80 year old is very keen to meet the majestic cats in their natural surroundings. But she might have to return without seeing even one.

The tiger is dying out at Corbett, a Park that was created with the very aim of preserving the region’s tigers.

The World's First Floating Airstrip

Wed, 22 Mar 2000 19:55:24 +0000

July 8: It was a day like any other. A light aircraft prepared to take off from an airstrip south of Tokyo, Japan. But it was no ordinary flight. For, the plane took off from a metal airstrip right in high seas — a floating airstrip. Japan has claimed that it is the world’s first of its kind, says a report in ‘The Asian Age’. Four big steel companies and 13 shipbuilding firms came together for this project. They say their creation is unsinkable. Japan’s shaky government must be longing for an unsinkable platform like this to keep afloat.

Indian chess queens make their move

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 05:46:55 +0000

Check Mate, says Koneru Humpy

In 1997, a smiling, curly-haired, nine-year-old Indian girl announced her arrival in the chess world. Koneru Humpy, from Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, won the World under-10 Championship at Cannes, in France. Not only that, she made a habit of winning world titles — And made a habit of winning world titles – World under-12 (1998), World under-14 (2001) and World Junior title (2002). She is also the only Indian girl to have won the under-14 boys title in the National Children Chess Championship, and the only Indian girl ever to have won a world title.

Kidnapped for the Camel Race

Sat, 23 Nov 2002 13:24:04 +0000

September 30: Ten year-old Mohammad Zubair Arrian was playing in Medina Syedan, his village in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Suddenly, he met a mysterious red-bearded man. The stranger gave him something to eat. The next thing Mohammad knew, he had woken up in an airport.

For the little boy who had never stepped outside his village, it was the most scary moment of his life. But, somehow, he managed to escape. He roamed about the unfamiliar streets lost and crying, until a passer-by saw him and turned him over to the police, says a report in ‘The Guardian’ newspaper of Britain, which was published in ‘The Deccan Herald’.

Simputer: The Low-cost Computer

Sat, 27 Apr 2002 11:24:54 +0000

September 23: For all those who thought computers were expensive items and not in the list of “essential buys”, think again. A new computer is here, priced at an easily affordable Rs 9,000 (about $200)! And cheaper than a colour TV. Does that grab your attention?

It is called Simputer. And it’s the answer to your prayers.

As the name suggests, Simputer is not for the hitech geeks! It is a simple computer meant for those who think that a mouse is a small rodent and that a RAM is a male goat. It is in fact a people’s computer.

The Slum Hero

Mon, 22 Jan 2001 11:11:25 +0000

August 5: Last week, we had written about social worker Aruna Roy who has been tirelessly working to promote the rights of villagers in Rajasthan. And for her work, she has been awarded the Magsaysay Award for the year 2000. Keeping her company is 53-year-old Arputham Jockin.

Arputham has only one objective in his life — to ensure the rights of slum dwellers in Mumbai. For this purpose, he has also founded the National Slum Dwellers’ Federation (NSDF), says a report in ‘The Hindu’.

International Conservation Meet on Animal Trade

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:47:30 +0000

Where: Doha, Qatar

March 25, 2010 : The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) took place in Doha, Qatar, between March 13 and 25, 2010. The representatives of 175 member nations attended. They held discussions on several animal species that are in danger of becoming extinct because of trade, both legal and illegal.

CITES secretary-general Willem Wijnstekers said, “If we use tiger numbers as a performance indicator, then we must admit that we have failed miserably and that we are continuing to fail.” Tiger numbers have dropped because of many factors. One is human encroachment. Another is the loss of nine-tenths of their habitat. Poaching and illegal trade in tiger parts have contributed to the fall in their numbers from 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to around 3,600 today.

Indian Shooters Combat Racism

Wed, 24 May 2006 20:52:51 +0000

The Indian squad that just won the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in the UK, has brought back more than just 13 gold, six silver and eight bronze medals. They’re also carrying some bad memories. According to the Indian shooters, who included Jaspal Rana and Mansher Singh, the behaviour of their British hosts bordered on racism.

In a report in The Hindustan Times, the Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India, Baljit Sethi recalled the day when India won all four gold medals. “Every time the Indian flag went up, the murmers increased…I could make out from their expressions that they were appalled at the clean sweep by India. I brought this to the notice of the President of the Commonwealth Shooting Championship, Graham Hudson of New Zealand, and a senior official, Peter Anderson of Australia. I told them that they (the English) still feel that Indians are their slaves. They were pushing us (into) a corner so that we could not win medals.”

The Law versus the Dhoti

Mon, 17 Mar 2003 18:08:12 +0000

February 26: It took a 25-page judgement by a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, in the state capital Jaipur, for the dhoti’s fortunes to rise. The traditional lower garment worn by men in India, can now be worn by practising lawyers to court.

It all started with lawyer Ved Pal Shastri coming to court one day, wearing a dhoti, instead of the usual white trousers that every lawyer wears. His senior, Justice Rajaram Yadav, objected to the dhoti saying it went against notions of the prescribed dress code.

Crazy About Harry

Fri, 07 Aug 1998 23:52:43 +0000

He is an ordinary boy. But he has made the world go crazy. Meet Harry Potter, the boy with the magical powers.

Where: Worldwide

July 15, 2000: Harry has a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright green eyes. He wears round glasses held together with a lot of cellotape because of all the times Dudley punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry likes about his appearance is a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. (excerpt from ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’).

Indians: Masters of Junk

Wed, 02 Oct 1996 13:57:52 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

In the last couple of years, in the Indian capital, Delhi, and in many other parts of the country, schoolchildren have led a very effective campaign against plastic – the material that is choking the earth.

But why do we Indians store so much junk? Well known sociologist Shiv Visvanathan tells us the reason in a simple and detailed way.

June 5, 2000: Indians are masters of junk. And out of junk they produce masterpieces. One such junk master is the sculptor Nek Chand who fashioned his sculptures from waste. The story goes that Nek chand was once invited to America to fashion sculptures, works of art out of waste. Nek Chand came back disillusioned and glum complaining that their junk was not so good, that its feel and smell was so alien.

5000 Years Old Quake-proof Town

Mon, 22 Dec 2003 06:21:45 +0000

February 14: The image on the right is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Harappan civilisation. It is the bearded man of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. But why is this sober gentleman smiling in our image?

There’s a reason for it. The January 26 earthquake has devastated a large part of the Kutch region. Village after village, town after town depict the same sad story of death and destruction. It’s almost as if entire towns and villages have fallen off the map. But there is one deserted town in the Great Rann of Kutch that has withstood the devastating tremors of the January 26 earthquake in Gujarat.

Girl Power

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 17:29:12 +0000

August 26: The world is changing fast. A decade ago, no one would have thought about boys wanting to step into a girl’s shoes. But now, this is happening. According to a report in The Times Of India, girl power rules. A survey by the Hyderabad-based market research company, NFO-MBL India, says that 42 per cent boys marvel at the thought of being a girl. The boys in question are between 15 and 19 years of age and they belong to the five cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai.

She Pulls Airplanes, with her Teeth

Wed, 13 Mar 2002 08:13:31 +0000

September 9 : Eighteen-year-old Seema Bhadoria has no teething problems when it comes to pulling strings with weights attached. She is one of the strongest persons in India. Seema has done something even strong body builders hesitate to do – she has pulled an airplane weighing 3387.33 kg on the runway of the Bhopal airport.

What’s even more amazing, she has pulled the plane with her teeth.

Seema weighs barely 56 kg and at 5 feet 6 inches, is not even very tall. But she loves pulling enormously heavy things with her teeth. And now, she intends to make it to the Guinness Book of Records on the strength of her teeth.

All About Dinosaurs

Sun, 17 Oct 1999 06:58:32 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

November 4, 2000: The “dino” passion that the 1993 film ‘Jurassic Park’ ignited among children and adults does not show any signs of abating even in today’s world of ever-shortening attention spans.

In the few years since Hollywood director Steven Spielberg made his blockbuster film, an industry has sprung up around the dinosaur theme, with dino caps, bags, theme parks, books and of course, films, milking to their heart’s content, the public’s never-ending fascination for the gigantic creatures that roamed the earth in prehistoric times.

Saina Nehwal Wins Indonesian Open Badminton Women's Title

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:02:15 +0000

Where: Jakarta, Indonesia

June 26, 2009 : Nineteen year old Saina Nehwal, ranked eighth in the world, beat China’s Wang Lin (world number three). Saina was seeded sixth in the tournament. She took 49 minutes to beat Wang 12-21, 21-18, 21-9 in an exciting final. Saina became the first Indian to win a super series badminton tournament. In the past, two male badminton players have won the All England Championship title. Prakash Padukone won it in 1980, and Pullela Gopichand, who is currently Saina’s coach, won the title in 2001.

No Begging for Merit

Wed, 15 Sep 2004 12:11:52 +0000

May 25: When Nagarathna, a beggar girl from Mysore, was preparing for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Class X) examinations, she had to beg to buy books and study under street lights. She passed the exams with flying colours and the Indian Express newspaper published her success story.

After the story appeared in the paper, Nagarathna has been receiving innumerable offers from people who are keen to fund her education. A non-resident Indian, a retired statesman, actress-turned politicians, the list is endless.

Tintin Storm in 'Millionnaire' Show

Thu, 05 Sep 2002 03:30:58 +0000

October 14: A couple of weeks ago, the French version of the game-show, ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ ( the Indian version, Kaun Banega Crorepati, is the most popular programme on Indian TV these days ), asked Frederic a real teaser of a question.

The question was: in the adventures of Tintin, which doctor takes care of Captain Haddock – Dr Rotule, Dr Omoplate, Dr Mensiscus or Dr Tympan?

Tintin is a boy reporter who goes around the world having hair-raising adventures with his dog, Snowy, and his friend, Captain Haddock, in one of the most famous comic book series in the world till date, having sold more than 175 million copies around the world. He is one of the world’s most famous Frenchmen.

Bullet Train for India

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:00:37 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

January 19, 2009 : Mr. Lalu Prasad and his team of railway officials took a ride on one of Japan’s bullet trains, which covers the 515 kilometres between Tokyo and Kyoto in two hours and 20 minutes. Back home, the minister announced, “The day is not far off when the bullet train will run in the country.” The railway ministry is appointing international consultants to plan the project. France and Germany have expressed an interest in the project in addition to Japan.

UFO in Kolkata?

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:56:00 +0000

Where: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

October 30, 2007 : In a city as passionate about football as it is about Rabindra Sangeet and rosogollas, an unlikely visitor made a flying visit. An unidienfitied flying object or UFO was spotted in Kolkata’s skies early Monday morning. The fireball, which was filmed by a Kolkata-based executive, seemed to move very rapidly and kept changing its shape.

When the film footage was shown on television, it showed the fireball changing shape from a round object to a triangle to a straight line. It is this which has the scientists at the Birla Planetarium scratching their heads, who are fascinated by this “extremely interesting and strange object.”

A Children's park in the Train

Wed, 28 Aug 2002 13:25:38 +0000

October 14: First chocolates and now mobile playgrounds! Children have two reasons to thank the Swiss. The latest bit of good news is that the Swiss railways have started trains which have a special children’s corner. And no prizes for guessing that the theme of this playground is dinosaurs. The Indian Express.

Children boarding trains on the Basel-Zurich-Chur route and the St. Galen-Zurich-Berne-Interlaken line have found that riding the train can be a most enjoyable experience, reports ‘The Indian Express’. No more pestering mothers to take a round on the train that would send them flying into someone’s lap, or buying unending supplies of candy, or reading a much thumbed comic for the fiftieth time to avoid looking out at a boring scenery.

Prized Skeleton in Museum Closet

Thu, 14 Mar 2002 14:15:18 +0000

September 23: A newcomer has joined the exhibits at Delhi’s prestigious National Museum. She is all of 5000 years old, from the time of the Harappan Valley civilisation, and in skeletal form.

Discovered from Rakhigarhi, in the northern Indian state of Haryana, the skeleton is
remarkably well-preserved. Even the shell bangles in her left hand, are still intact, says a report in ‘The Hindustan Times’. Several pots were found arranged around her, hinting that the Harappans may have believed in life after death.

Jean Clad Superman

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 04:36:29 +0000

Who wears a red chaddi over blue tights and a flying cape to save the world from disaster ever so often? Superman, of course! But why is he flying around in jeans and shirt all of a sudden, looking like a high school student? What is even more amazing is that when he’s not saving the world, he seems to have all the problems that teens usually have, from pimples to dating!

In a new television serial, Smallville, soon to hit the US, Superman (Clark Kent) will appear as an American teenager of the 21st century. But many Superman fans are upset that the costume which has been such a hit since the American comic book character was created in 1938, will not be seen in the serial. They want their superhero back in his underwear and tights.

Lucknow Students Win Robotics Trophy in Canada

Mon, 17 Jul 2000 23:16:53 +0000

July 1: It’s a long way from Lucknow to Calgary, Canada. But five schoolboys did it very easily. The students of City Montessori School (CMS) went to participate in the World Robotics Championship and almost pocketed the entire championship. They won five golds, four silvers and a bronze medal. Among the ideas that won them these medals was a “seeing” cap for the blind, and a robot that can trace the place from where a fire starts.

Fiji Struck by Cyclone

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:00:02 +0000

Where: Suva, Fiji

March 16, 2010 : Fiji declared a state of emergency in the northern and eastern parts of the country after they were struck by a tropical cyclone, Cyclone Tomas. The eastern Lau group of islands was the worst affected. The country’s second largest island, Vanua Levu, also sustained severe damage.

Over 17,000 people left their homes and fled to evacuation shelters as the storm raged. There were reports of deaths in some places but the numbers were not known. In northern Fiji houses and crops were damaged by winds. Some buildings were washed away by floods. In some areas, there were sea surges and the sea waters rose as high as 7metres (23feet). These caused floods which did not subside for 36 hours.

Angry Little Girls

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:46:17 +0000

August 26: She is a cute little Korean-American girl with pigtails, and her name is Kim. Like so many others, her parents, too, went to the United States of America as immigrants and settled there. Kim, who was born in the US, is American. And anyone who gives her the feeling that she is not a true American, or makes fun of her ‘Asian’ origin, gets the sharp end of her tongue. No wonder she is called the Angry Little Asian Girl.

Advertisement for Dogs

Sun, 25 Jul 2004 02:43:12 +0000

Advertisement for Dogs [Illustration by Shiju George]

If you are selling a dog’s product, who should you ask to buy it – the dog owner or the dog?

A British advertisement firm has decided to get the attention of dogs in their latest ad campaign on a pet awards show.

The programme, to be conducted by the television channel Animal Planet, is being publicised with posters that have been sprinkled with dog urine, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

Indian Children on US Mars Project

Wed, 15 May 2002 22:36:15 +0000

October 6: The planet Mars, or the ‘red-planet’ as it’s called, has fascinated people on earth for centuries. The fourth planet from the sun, Mars is the nearest planet to earth.

This stunning landmass of craters, an uneven surface and dark skies has been a highly favoured destination for space travelers in science fiction, the body of literature that deals with stories of exploration into alien worlds.

The possibility of humans visiting Mars and even colonizing it some day, is the dream of astronomers and space scientists the world over. That is why when two American scientists announced evidence of ground water on Mars recently, the news created a great deal of excitement.

Who's Stealing the Doctors' Clothes?

Tue, 04 Sep 2001 22:00:01 +0000

August 5: Some thieves are lurking in the corridors of Delhi’s Lady Hardinge Hospital. They steal clothes. But, not any clothes. It has to be a doctor’s clothes.

Or perhaps, the clothes are the only items of value around that place as all other valuables are locked carefully.

For over a year now, doctors who go into the operation theatre after leaving their clothes in the changing room, have not seen them again. Doctors change before getting into the operation theatre to leave behind any germs of infection that their clothes might carry inside.

The Colour of China is Red — Henna Red

Sun, 17 Jun 2001 06:26:10 +0000

July 31: Madonna, the international pop star, was among the first to use henna as an international fashion. But young people around the world are using more and more of it to beautify their bodies or their hair. And now even the Chinese have adopted it in a big way.

The Colour of China is Red — Henna Red [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Call it henna or call it ‘mehndi’, that coffee-coloured extract from the henna plant, which has been used down the ages in India as a beauty aid.

Poor Rainfall In India Affects Crops

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:50:52 +0000

Where: Mumbai, India

July 15, 2009 : The Indian Meteorological (Met) Department had predicted an excellent monsoon in 2009 for the entire country. The monsoon is an annual rainfall system, and India’s farmers have always depended on it for their crops. Changing monsoon patterns are among the harmful effects of climate change.

The Met Department has reported that the entire country had a 34 per cent drop in rainfall between June 1 and July 9, 2009.

The Borders of the Internet

Sat, 08 Mar 2003 12:17:27 +0000

November 25: In what is seen as a historic decision by many people, a civil judge in Paris has ordered Yahoo! Inc., a leading American web company, to block out from its sites any reference to Nazi associated saleable items to people who log in from France. The Nazis under Adolf Hitler, perpetrated a reign of terror against Jews in the 1930s and 1940s and France suffered greatly under Hitler’s rule.

The Borders of the Internet [Illustration by Shiju George]

Well you thought the World Wide Web has no borders, huh? And you could put up anything on the Internet, and rest assured that it would be accessed by millions of people across the world. After all, you insist, it is this quality that makes the Net so democratic, i.e., by relating to the broadest mass of people.

Shakespeare in Prison

Wed, 09 Oct 2002 16:47:11 +0000

October 6 : Hulagappa Kattimane directs plays written by the world-famous English playwright, William Shakespeare. Macbeth and Hamlet are two plays that he staged recently in the South Indian cities of Bellary and Mysore. Both were astounding successes.

There’s nothing unusual in any of this except for one thing – his actors are all prison inmates.

Hulagappa is on a mission to reform criminals and help them cope with their sentences by introducing them to Shakespeare and the art of theatre.

A World for Children

Fri, 09 Nov 2001 00:13:21 +0000

July 31: K Shankar Pillai (1902-1989) or Shankar as he was called, was one of India’s best-known and best-loved cartoonists. Besides cartooning, he had one other love – children. He was especially interested in encouraging a child’s creativity. It was lucky for children that he thought this way, and from Delhi, where he was settled he wove an amazing web of dreams for children.

He began the Shankar’s International Children’s Writing and Painting Competition in 1949 or 51 years ago. He started the Shankar’s International Dolls Museum in Delhi, which stores dolls from all over the world and even established a dolls designing and production workshop making authentic Indian dolls.

Tattoos that Talk

Wed, 31 Mar 2004 03:10:48 +0000

Where: St. Petersbug, RUssia

May 19, 2001: For more than 50 years Danzig Baldayev had been studying a unique mode of communication amongst the Russian prisoners. When he was a prison guard he discovered that the tattoo on each prisoner’s body had a message for the other inmates.

A burning cross meant the prisoner wanted revenge, a pirate with a knife between his teeth showed that the person was a sadist or one who likes to hurt others and a tattoo of the Soviet founder, Vladimir Lenin, was like a charm against execution. A tattoo of ex-Soviet President Boris Yeltsin, with a glass of vodka, meant the guy was a drunk!

The Magic Carpet

Tue, 09 Jul 2002 14:31:51 +0000

October 21: Meet Sheikh Tayyab Mahajan. This resident of Nagpur has a dream – he wants to create a carpet in which he can weave the complete cultural pattern of India.

Ambitious? But possible, thinks Tayyab. That is why he started weaving a durrie or rug seven years ago. At that time, he wanted to make it to the Guinness Book of Records for weaving the longest carpet in the world.

Now he is aiming higher having already woven 900 feet of the durrie. He has decided that he wants the rug to remind people of the diverse cultures of the country. This was reported in an article in

The Tiger Cubs who Lost their Parents

Mon, 09 Apr 2001 03:18:44 +0000

August 5: What’s the worst thing that could happen to a kid?

The death of his parents.

But it’s not just us humans who feel the pain of becoming orphans. Three orphaned tiger cubs have shown that when you lose your folks, it doesn’t matter whether you’re an animal or not. The pain is the same.

The Tiger Cubs who Lost their Parents [Illustration by Shiju George]

A happy white tiger family lived in Nandankanan Zoo in Orissa. The family comprised a father, Sukant, a mother, Durga and three male cubs – Jagat, Bhagat and Swagat.

Screen Saver that saves

Tue, 19 Mar 2002 21:46:12 +0000

You can find a cure for cancer. Sounds impossible? But, it could become true. Now, there is a way in which you can be a part of a high-tech research team and perhaps hit upon the right combination to make a cancer drug.

Screen Saver that saves [Illustration by Shinod AP]

All you have to do is download a certain software and use it as a screen saver. This way your computer might find the way to make that wonder drug. So how does it work?

Eleven-year-old Eco-ambassador

Sun, 30 Dec 2001 22:45:43 +0000

July 31: Somya Ahuja does not like the way people treat their environment. So she wrote an essay about it. And that essay led to her becoming India’s Eco-ambassador at a children’s conference in England recently.

Eleven-year-old Somya lives in Delhi – a city which has the distinction of being one of the most polluted cities in the world. The city’s roads are choked with cars, lorries, buses, tempos and three wheelers. Most of these vehicles belch poisonous gases.

Ancient Library in the Desert

Fri, 18 Apr 2003 22:15:26 +0000

Ancient Library in the Desert [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

February 16: Ever heard of Chinguetti, a city nestling deep in the Sahara desert close to the North African country of Mauritania? No? Well, neither did most of the world, till it was discovered that this desert city that is slowly sinking in sand, could be home to the world’s oldest “living” libraries. That is to say a library with intact manuscripts.

Chetak's Descendents

Sat, 29 Jun 2002 17:05:26 +0000

September 9: Rajasthan’s Maharana Pratap was a legendary warrior who fought many battles astride his favourite horse, Chetak. The beautiful Chetak was loyal, brave and extremely fast. Chetak is probably one of the few animals famous in history for their legendary qualities.

Chetak belonged to a special breed of horses called Marwari or Rajasthani. These horses are known for their loyalty and battle-worthiness. They are handsome and tall and have long flowing manes.

The fame of these horses has spread far and wide. Now, even the Americans want them. ‘The Times of India’ in an article reported that six of these colts or young horses were recently exported to the United States of America.

Three Nations or One?

Tue, 06 Nov 2001 04:10:29 +0000

August 19: Tang Weijiang is an angry man. He is suing the famous Japanese company Canon for causing him mental distress! Reason – Tang, a Chinese, was furious that the company making a particular brand of printer, in its publicity video, had given the impression that China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were three separate countries.

He is demanding $12 million in compensation.

Three Nations or One? [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

While the island of Hong Kong has come back to China after being under British control for almost 100 years, Taiwan broke away from China more than 50 years ago to declare independence. But China continues to state that Taiwan is a part of it.

Pretty bird no more

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:04:35 +0000

Where: London, England

April 24, 2007: For 40 years, the people of London have been happy to spot in their parks a bird that seems to have made its way from the Himalayas to the capital of England. With its shocking green body, red beak, long tail and noisy screech, the rose-ringed parakeet brought a vivid splash of colour to parks in and around London. The parakeet (psittacula krameri) is native to a great belt of land stretching from Africa to the Himalayas in India. So impressed were people with its colourful presence, that they started putting out bird feed for it.

Do You Know What You are Eating?

Fri, 03 Dec 2004 13:24:09 +0000

June 5: When you think of a cold drink, you think of its sweet taste, the fizz, and the sparkling bubbles under your nose. But not for a moment do you imagine animal parts being mixed in it.

And yet that is what seems to be happening, says a report in The Hindu newspaper. The use of animal ingredients in ‘vegetarian’ food products is more common than you can ever dream of.

According to the report, an organisation called the Animal Welfare Board of India has brought out a list of vegetarian food products containing disguised animal supplements. What’s more, these ingredients are undeclared by the manufacturers.

Films for Kids — By Kids

Tue, 23 Oct 2001 19:02:08 +0000

All over the world achievers are getting younger and younger. A few weeks ago we had written a report on five Indian schoolchildren from south India who landed jobs with a famous American company called Lucent Technologies. Before that it was five children from Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) who had walked away with a huge haul of medals at the World Robotics championship, in Canada. Now it is the turn of a few schoolchildren in Delhi to get creative by making a 40-minute film all by themselves.

Street Cricket in Calcutta: Out, Caught!

Tue, 21 Dec 1999 08:21:39 +0000

July 1: Calcutta. A city without playgrounds. But still, a city that has learnt to have fun with what there is – the streets. And street or ‘para’ cricket is one of those inventions. Cricket during the day, under the sun, and cricket under streetlights and floodlights once the sun is down. Cricket played to the cheers of the neighbourhood — the family, the pet, the neighbours, their domestic helps — in short, all.

This is nothing unusual for Indians who have always spent a large part of their lives outdoors, sitting on a ‘charpai’ or stringed cot under a tree or playing games according to the season, be it ‘gulli danda’ in summer or throw a stick in mud and let it hold, during the rain. And cricket has become the king of all street games. The street is where most of our cricketing legends started, including Calcutta’s very own ‘Bengal ka gaurav, Saurav’ (the pride of Bengal – Saurav (Ganguly).

Children e-Lead the Way

Thu, 05 Mar 1998 22:03:00 +0000

Where: San Mateo, USA

June 24, 2000: Many adults think that the decision to buy a computer is theirs. The children just smile. For, they know it is because of them. They are the world’s Webmasters. Now, a US survey has found proof of the fact. Children are taking to the Internet, like ducks take to water. The number of children logging on to the Internet has tripled in the past three years, says a report by the Associated Press. A company called Grunwald Associates, in San Mateo, US, conducted the survey.

Web of Financial Scandal

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 01:52:47 +0000

August 18: The recent arrest of P S Subramanyam, chairman Unit Trust of India, has sent shock waves through the country, among the 20 million people who had invested their lifetime savings in India’s oldest public mutual fund company. What exactly happened?

A mutual fund company has one main function: to take in or mobilise people’s savings and invest them on their behalf, to maximise the returns. Most of us put our savings in banks. Banks are seen to be solid and safe but they do not give more than 9 per cent returns (interest). Mutual funds, on the other hand, are attractive because they give higher returns or interest on the savings.

Earth Heroes

Tue, 31 Oct 2000 06:50:28 +0000

July 15: Heroes are people admired for certain noble qualities. Like standing up to wrongs committed by others. And doing something to right those wrongs.

Recently, a few men were honoured as earth heroes for what they have done for wild animals. They were awarded Millennium Awards for Wildlife Service reported The Asian Age newspaper. The awards were started this year by Sanctuary magazine and ABN AMRO Bank.

The earth heroes have fought several battles. With authorities who don’t care what happens to animals. With poachers who don’t respect laws and hunt animals. Even endangered ones. And with hostile locals who don’t understand the need to protect or look after the wildlife in their neighbourhood.

Violence Rocks China's Xinjian Province

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:28:42 +0000

Where: Urumqi, Xinjiang,China

July 8, 2009 : Clashes broke out between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, on Sunday, July 5, 2009. Over 150 people were killed in clashes, nearly 1,000 were injured, and hundreds were arrested. By Tuesday morning, it looked as if the authorities had Urumqi under control. But gangs of Han Chinese armed with sticks and bars began to form and they poured down the streets towards the Great Bazaar, the town’s Uighur trading quarter. The Han Chinese appeared angry at the failure of security forces to protect their community on Sunday.

Gandhi's Belongings Auctioned for Millions

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:36:36 +0000

Where: New York, USA

March 6, 2009 : Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya bought Gandhi’s belongings at a New York auction for $1.8 million (Rs 9 crore). The trademark wire frame spectacles, pocket watch, brass bowl and plate set and a pair of leather sandals had belonged to Mahatma Gandhi, India’s most revered national leader. They were owned by American James Otis, and he put them up for sale at the auction house Antiquorum.

The Indian government had tried to prevent the auction, as it wanted the items to be returned to the country. Mahatma Gandhi’s legal heir is the Navjivan trust. The Trust filed a petition against the auction in the Delhi High Court, and obtained an order of restraint. This also made it impossible for the Indian government to bid in the auction without overriding a court ruling.

Indian women squash all opposition!

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:53:42 +0000

Squash all opposition, Joshna

At 19, Joshna Chinappa of Chennai became the first Indian girl to win the prestigious junior title of the British Open Squash Championship. She won the indoor racquet game title in August 2005. She also became the first sportsperson to be adopted by the Mittal Champions Trust – a trust started by steel tycoon L.N. Mittal to sponsor and encourage champions at the right time so that their talent can flower.

Jumbos have some oily fun

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 20:12:29 +0000

August 9: It’s a slippery situation that has officials of the Oil India Limited (OIL) in Assam religiously muttering the Ganesh Mantra. The public sector company owns and operates the world’s oldest oil producing wells here and they’re helpless against the antics of wild elephants who love the swooshing sound of oil spurting in Digboi’s oil fields.

Jumbos have some oily fun [Illustration by Shinod AP]

According to a report in The Indian Express, the wild tuskers move around freely in the oil fields, often opening crucial valves in the pipelines that connect the oil wells to the refineries.

Counting the world in different ways

Thu, 19 May 2005 05:25:59 +0000

August 17: Counting the world’s population may seem a bit like counting the stars in the sky, but not if you know how to go about it the right way. And there are as many ways to do it as there are countries, the United Nations recently discovered at a four-day seminar attended by number-happy statisticians from 55 countries. The idea was to see how countries are using technology to make the census-taking exercises more manageable and accurate.

The 'English Pinch' in Bangladesh

Mon, 19 Apr 2004 04:27:57 +0000

What would you say if you saw a restaurant billboard saying “You be in our guest and please like any menu from arrangement ultimate sea food”?

Will you brush it aside thinking the billboard painter must be ‘uneducated’. Mark, when I say ‘uneducated’, I actually mean that he does not know English. For a lot of us, being educated also means knowing English.

But, can you brush aside an entire nation – Bangladesh – which has problems with its English? That does not mean people living in this country are not educated. They are, they have simply done their education in another language.

Swan falls in love with a pedal boat

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 07:47:01 +0000

Where: The city of Munster, Germany

April 10, 2007: Some call it Petra. Others call it Black Peter. But everyone in Germany agrees on one thing — Petra or Black Peter, is one rare black swan.

The story begins when Petra or Black Peter fell in love with a pedal boat shaped like a swan. This happened at Aesee Lake in Munster city, in north-western Germany. The black swan had been brought to the lake some time last year to attract picnicking crowds. It was an attraction, for the swans in Germany and other countries of the European continent are white. The black swan comes from Australia.

On the tracks of a hero

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:25:34 +0000

Where: Delhi, India

April 17, 2007: He does not look like Superman or Shaktimaan from any angle. Nor does he look like Batman or Spiderman. But 57-year-old Mahender Singh is a super hero in real life.

In December 2006, he stood on a railway track to stop a train speeding towards him. It was the only way to stop the train from going over the broken railway track and having a terrible accident. By doing this Singh saved the lives of thousands of people travelling on the train.

My Country is a Land of Plains!

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:53:36 +0000

February 26: India is a land of rivers, cows, wheat fields, hot dusty plains and flat-roofed houses. This is what Stanzin Zangpo had learned in his class. But he is from Ladakh and he had never seen these things. The 12-year-old boy could not even imagine them. His part of India had jagged snow-capped mountain peaks, bitterly cold climate, large barren wastes of land and frozen lakes.

But now Stanzin knows differently. He and 29 other children from Ladakh have come to Delhi on a trip. They have finally seen the part of India that their textbook said there was. For the first time in their lives they saw an elephant (and were terrified of it), a zoo and the Qutub Minar. They were also special guests at the Republic Day parade and the Army Day parade, reports

Where Children Run Their Own Lives

Mon, 30 Dec 2002 22:52:04 +0000

September 9: Govindpuri, a sprawling slum settlement in New Delhi, spread over nine km, is like any other slum — a congested maze of narrow lanes, uncovered drains and tiny houses. But it is unique in one aspect. The children living there have come up with an unusual way to settle their problems. They have set up Bal Panchayats or local governing bodies that have child members only.

“We started Bal Panchayat two and a half years ago to address our own problems. We handle topical issues like students dropping out of school, somebody failing in exams or even Kargil. Then we decide our course of action and act on it,” says Ravi, one of the members, sounding very confident.

Taming the Boors

Mon, 07 Jan 2002 11:14:47 +0000

October 28: Regulars at the Lucknow University campus in Lucknow, are familiar with the site of a tall, well-built young woman, in police uniform, zipping past on a powerful motorbike.

The young woman is Lakshmi Singh, a police sub-inspector who has recently taken charge of Lucknow University’s outpost. And she is on a mission – to curb the spiralling violence against girls studying in the University.

The Lucknow University campus, is supposedly one of the most notorious campuses in India. Hundreds of hooligans and college boys loiter in the campus grounds, with the purpose of making the lives of the University girls miserable with their antics, reports The Telegraph. Many of them even carry guns. They indulge in eve-teasing and molestation of girls, and misbehave with everyone.

Where is Sirisha?

Wed, 06 Jun 2001 01:07:30 +0000

July 22: Two-year-old Sirisha has been missing since March. Missing along with her are eight siblings. Sirisha’s father P.L Narasimhan has been running from pillar to post to get her traced, but has not had any luck so far. Now, the Hyderabad-based Indian has taken the extreme step of appealing to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of America, for help. Yes, the same FBI that is shown in Hollywood films as rushing to find the criminal who has hijacked the American President’s plane.

Eight year old rules the publishing world

Wed, 07 Jul 1999 18:57:23 +0000

Where: San Francisco, USA

July 1, 2000: The literary world is in a fix. Poets, scholars and publishers cannot believe their ears. An eight-year-old has accomplished what most of them believe is impossible.

Eight year old rules the publishing world [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Sahara Sunday Spain, has received a record advance of £66,000 from the publisher HarperCollins for a book of her poems. That amounts to $100,000 – quite a large sum even for an adult considering that it is for a poetry collection. Even the well-known British poet Ted Hughes received 50,000 pounds for his last collection of poems.

Flying Granny, Courageous Climber

Sat, 27 Mar 1999 23:20:44 +0000

Where: Worldwide

June 24, 2000 : British grandma Jennifer Murray turned 60 in Calcutta some days ago. But she is no ordinary grandmother. In 1997, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming the first woman to pilot a helicopter around the world. And now she is determined to become the first solo woman to circumnavigate the world in a helicopter. She was in Calcutta for a brief halt in the journey.

Grandma Murray is doing it for a cause. She is being sponsored by an organisation called the Pacific Century Cyber Work’s Network of the World. Their aim is to raise one million dollars for a very special project called Operation Smile. The project is run by a group which helps children who need to have facial surgery. The project is running in 16 developing countries. And Grandma Murray is flying for the cause.

The Mail Carrier

Mon, 19 Nov 2001 08:19:27 +0000

August 5: Karrappan walks through dark forests and lively villages, covering more than 20 km on foot everyday. And he carries a heavy bag on his head.

Karrappan is a mail carrier. He works with the postal department of Pulpully, a small, remote village in Kerala. He has been working there for 40 years now.

Karrappan is a most unusual employee. Take his appearance, for instance. Karrappan wears only a dhoti. And nothing else. The dhoti may be just a long piece of cloth which Indian men wear, tied around their waist, but it is probably the most suitable attire when you have a gruelling walk ahead of you, under the glaring sun.

Creating Light from Garbage

Thu, 19 Apr 2001 18:49:43 +0000

July 22: We all create garbage. Every day we throw away armloads of things that we don’t need. Wrappers, leftovers, car parts, torn cloth, vegetable remains and mounds of other such stuff. What we throw away at home is domestic garbage. There’s much more that factories throw away. Garbage from factories is often very dangerous, because it could be poisonous chemicals, or plastics that choke the earth. The result of all this throwing away is that garbage levels around the world are rising, and fast. So fast that soon we will have no place left where we can throw our junk away.

Talking Through their Hats for Peace

Wed, 06 Nov 2002 07:28:24 +0000

September 9: A group of children are going to attend the International Conference on War-affected Children, at Winnipeg in Canada, from September 10 to 17. Coming from war-torn countries like Somalia, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Kosovo will all wear hats during the conference. The hats are meant to prevent them from being identified back home. They might be punished for speaking out against war when they return.

But there will be some children who will not wear hats, and will even talk to journalists, according to a recent article in ‘The Indian Express’.

Frank Conrad's Garage

Thu, 15 Apr 1999 09:01:25 +0000

Where: Pittsburgh, USA

July 22, 2000: Over eighty years ago, the first commercial broadcast on radio occurred in a garage in Pittsburgh, US. Today, the garage and the house it is part of, are up for sale, according to a brief report in ‘The Asian Age’.

The garage and house had then belonged to engineer, Frank Conrad. Conrad had 200 patents on the radio, which meant that he had official documents that gave him the right to make, sell or use the radio.

Bush Takes the Cake

Sun, 05 Oct 2003 19:39:33 +0000

December 27: After causing much uncertainty and merriment to the entire world, the mystery of Who will be the next American President has finally been solved. It’s George W. Bush.

Bush Takes the Cake [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

The decision was finally made by the United States Supreme Court. And so, Bush won. But, what exactly happened?

As mentioned in World News In-depth a few days ago, All The Presidential Men, the root of the problem was located in the state of Florida. At the time the votes were counted, there was a marginal difference between the number of votes given to Bush (candidate of the Republican party) and the candidate from the Democrat party, Al Gore. So the votes were recounted by hand.

What Lies Beneath?

Thu, 14 Nov 2002 07:38:28 +0000

What Lies Beneath? [Illustrations by Shiju George]

October 28: When archaeologist Donny Youkhanna started excavating an ancient mound in the Umm al-Ajarib cemetery, located 400 km of Iraq’s capital Baghdad, he had no idea what he was going to unearth. He dug up a huge graveyard belonging to the ancient civilization of Sumer, which flourished in Iraq nearly 5000 years ago, says an Associated Press report which appeared in The Times of India.

Origamist Whizkid Sivaram

Mon, 09 Sep 2002 15:55:11 +0000

October 21: Imagine the talent required to fold a single sheet of paper as many as 100 times, to create fantastic animals, birds, insects, celebrities, aircraft and gods! Actually this is an intricate art dating back to1000 A.D. Japan, where it was pioneered, and is called Origami.

And 12-year-old origamist Sivaram Narayanan, is a whiz at it, as visitors during his recent “one man” exhibition at the Lalit Kala gallery, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, says a report in the Chennai edition of ‘The Hindu’. As many as 300 of his works were shown.

Green Fields in a Concrete Jungle

Thu, 04 Oct 2001 14:51:21 +0000

August 5: Imagine green paddy fields and a calm pond next to it. The breeze that blows over the still waters is cool and refreshing in the afternoons. Imagine all this in the middle of a city.

Sounds dreamlike?

Actually that is what Govind Mhatre’s farm is like. Like a dream. It looks like it has been displaced from a picture book and placed in a wrong setting. Govind’s farm exists in the middle of a bustling city — complete with its concrete buildings and polluting vehicles –in the suburb of Borivli in Mumbai.

The Circle of Life

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 23:16:39 +0000

February 5: Young Vittal Partani is one of many volunteers who has been engaged in a singleminded task these last few days in the town of Bhachau that was devastated by the January 26 earthquake, in Gujarat. But there is something special about the 20 year-old and the youngsters accompanying him on the rescue mission.

All of them are orphans of the Latur earthquake disaster of 1993. Only this time around, their roles have reversed – from victims to rescuers.

The China Doll

Fri, 11 Jul 2003 20:18:48 +0000

The China Doll [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 9: A country’s national identity is very much like an individual’s identity. Each country has a name, a past from which it traces its origins and a few distinguishing characteristics that make up its overall personality. Yes, nations have personalities. Just like human beings, those countries with strong personalities are the ones with a sure sense of who they are.

Olympic Swim Against the Tide

Sat, 23 Nov 2002 14:38:21 +0000

September 23: Twelve-year-old Fatima Abdeljamid is creating waves at the Sydney Olympics and for all the right reasons. She is one of two Bahraini nationals and among the very few from the Middle East nations to compete in the Olympics.

Fatima, a swimmer, and Myriam al-Hili, an athlete, have been invited to the Sydney Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is a gesture that is meant to encourage Muslim women from Islamic nations to take part in the Games.

Teachers' Day

Tue, 27 Nov 2001 02:18:13 +0000

Teachers’ Day [Illustration by Shiju George]

September 5: An average teacher teaches, a good teacher explains, a superior teacher illustrates, and a great teacher? A great teacher both learns and inspires students to ask questions fearlessly, for asking the right question is like taking the right turn amidst a maze of lanes and bylanes.

But these are different times. While school students say that teachers are no longer interested in teaching, teachers turn around and say that it is not their fault – nobody is interested in learning and that society treats them like dirt. So, who is right?

Iraq Celebrates As US Troops Withdraw

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:10:05 +0000

Where: Baghdad, Iraq

June 30, 2009 : A national holiday and a full military parade marked “National Sovereignty Day” as Iraq celebrated the withdrawal of American troops. USA’s troops pulled out of Iraq’s towns and cities, six years after they led coalition forces, including troops from four other countries, into Iraq. The forces invaded Iraq in 2003 to remove the dictator Saddam Hussein, and to destroy weapons of mass destruction, which the country was believed to have developed. Saddam was deposed and executed, but no weapons of mass destruction were discovered. Thousands of lives were lost, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis became refugees. The occupation of Iraq began to be opposed very strongly in the USA itself.

The Bright Ones

Wed, 26 Jun 2002 01:48:37 +0000

September 9: Five-year-old Krishna and four-year-old Rama are two very bright brothers. They are too young to join school but they know by heart all the textbooks of the primary school.

The little geniuses, however, are not Indian! Their names are the only thing Indian about these kids. For they are Russians in every other way.

The two boys, sons of Ariy Radogar, were allowed to take the test for primary school admissions after their father insisted that they could clear them. At first the headmaster of the school refused to admit the children. In Russia, as in the rest of the world, the age of the child for entry in primary school is six.

Duped Again

Wed, 01 May 2002 10:40:56 +0000

October 21: There are two Indias – the India of the powerful, privileged classes and the India of the masses. The powerful have good jobs and enviable lifestyles while the masses are precariously perched on the brink of survival. A large proportion of the masses lives in villages, which, as Mahatma Gandhi said long ago, is where the real India lives. Ill-fed, ill-clothed and ill-educated.

Time and again, this real India finds itself being taken for a ride. Last week we wrote about the villagers in Maharashtra who were promised jobs by the state government 25 years ago, and are still waiting.

Testing Times for Indian Sports

Thu, 13 May 2004 20:35:03 +0000

August 6: It was the sort of news that makes everyone sit up and take notice. No wonder the Indian newspapers have been full of it. Some time ago, sportswoman Sunita Godhera submitted an explosive petition to the Delhi High Court. In it were the names of 144 sportspersons who, she says, have been found to be taking banned drugs to boost their performances. These tests were carried out at the laboratory of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in New Delhi.

The Eyes of a Child Soldier

Mon, 24 May 1999 23:42:42 +0000

Where: Sierra Leone, Africa

August 5, 2000: A child is recognised everywhere as a symbol of innocence. Those who fight wars know this fact. And the more brutal among them use this knowledge to do the most terrible thing. They force children to fight the wars that they have started.

This is what the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) does in the West African country of Sierra Leone. The title of the group suggests that it is performing heroic acts. What it actually does is just the opposite. It begins its attacks on government forces by sending waves of children in front. The idea is to unnerve the opponents. And the children come directly in the line of their gunfire.

Mystery Surrounds Air France Plane Crash

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:21:03 +0000

Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

June 16, 2009 : Air France Flight 447 carrying 228 people on board disappeared while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris hours after it took off on June 1, 2009. The plane vanished from radar when it was some distance away from the Brazilian coast. The Airbus A330-200 made its last radio contact with aviation authorities around three and a half hours after takeoff. Half an hour later, Air France officials received an automatic signal from the aircraft indicating electrical problems related to strong turbulence. However, no contact was made with the pilot, and the jet disappeared off all radar without a distress signal.

Alcoholics Beware!

Wed, 06 Feb 2002 05:49:49 +0000

November 24: After centuries of subjugation at the hands of their men, Indian women are fighting back. We have been featuring news stories of how women across India, especially village women, are charting their own routes, learning to stand up for their rights and scripting their own successes.

For instance, the women of Nyala village in Rajasthan, who have received praise from President Bill Clinton, of the United States, for putting their village on the road to success; or the women of Simayal village in the Kumaon hills, who’ve done the same for their village.

The School that Built Many Lives

Mon, 14 Feb 2000 07:58:08 +0000

July 8: Picture a world far removed from today’s life. No roads, nor any means of transport. Where going to school means crossing three knee-deep streams on foot.

Kalpana Naroti used to do just that to reach her school, the Lok Biradari Post Basic Ashram Shala. Her efforts paid off. She is this year’s topper in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE), in Maharashtra. She is now looking forward to joining college.

The bright student belongs to the Madia Gond tribe. The Madia Gondis live deep in the forests of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. The struggle for life is very hard. Educating children is like a miracle.

Bird Flu Virus Returns to Asia

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:49:11 +0000

Where: China

December 18, 2008: The deadly Bird Flu virus is back, and hundreds of thousands of chickens are being culled (killed) across Asia and Africa to stop the virus from spreading. The H5N1 virus is commonly referred to as Bird Flu virus since it spreads through birds. It can be fatal for human beings, especially those that are exposed to birds such as poultry.

Bird Flu Virus Returns to Asia []

In China, over 370,000 chickens have been culled in the country’s eastern province of Jiangsu. In India, a similar exercise is happening in the western state of Bengal. The virus has also surfaced in Egypt, where it killed a little girl, and in Cambodia and Taiwan.

Beef in McDonald's Fries

Sun, 11 May 2003 04:19:04 +0000

May 11: Fast food giant McDonald’s seems to be frying in its own fat once again – quite literally at that. Last week, an Indian-American lawyer, Harish Bharti took the fast food giant to a US court for lacing its french fries with beef flavouring, a chemical compound that mimics the taste of beef fat. Millions of Hindus from across the world freely munch its french fries believing them to be vegetarian.

Beefing up Bharti’s case is information provided in Eric Schlosser’s recently published book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of An All-American Meal.

No Singlish, we're Singaporeans

Mon, 21 Apr 2003 00:09:16 +0000

April 21: That person is very havoc, always out late every night. If you ever hear one Singaporean telling another that, don’t rush to correct them. The two are merely having a chat about the nocturnal habits of someone else, in Singlish, the unofficial lingo of Singaporeans.

A mixture of English, Malay, Chinese and local slang, Singlish is English with a peppering of Singaporean colloquialisms. But like most hybrids, it does not get much respect, nor is it understood by non-Singaporeans. So, the government of Singapore has advised its citizens to adopt standard English.

Brushed under the Carpet

Thu, 26 Sep 2002 08:32:14 +0000

October 14: Morocco is one of the few countries in the African-Arab world to have tourism as a major industry. Tourists flock to Morocco for two things – its old-world charm and fine weather. And for its beautiful carpets.

Morocco produces about 7,50,000 square metres of carpet a year. That’s a lot of carpet. Their bargain prices attract tourists in droves. And, most of these carpets are produced by young children.

Brushed under the Carpet [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Tourists Stranded in Machu Picchu

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:53:46 +0000

Where: Lima, Peru

February 1, 2010 :Heavy rain and landslides destroyed the only land link to the ancient Inca* site of Machu Picchu in Peru’s Andes mountains. Around 20 people died in the floods, and 40,000 others were affected. This includes the 4,000 tourists who were visiting Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is famously known as the lost city of the Incas. This architectural marvel is situated on a mountain ridge high above the Urubamba River Valley. Built in the 15th century, Machu Picchu was hidden to the rest of the world until an American explorer Hiram Bingham found the ruins in 1911. It is now the most well known symbol of the ancient empire.

Volcano Erupts in Alaska

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:08:45 +0000

Where: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

March 23, 2009 : The 3,100 metre high Mount Redoubt, an active volcano, erupted six times in 36 hours starting Sunday, March 22, 2009. It threw up an ash plume almost 15 kilometres high into the air. Scientists had begun issuing alerts 48 hours earlier as they were recording 40 to 50 earthquakes every hour during that period.

Residents of Anchorage, Alaska’s biggest town, which is about 150 kilometres west of the volcano, experienced falls of fine ash dust. There was no falling ash, though, as winds blew the ash cloud away from Anchorage. Volanic ash in the region is like rock fragments with jagged edges. It can injure eyes, skin and breathing passages. It can also damage plane and car engines. Residents were advised to stay indoors as much as possible, to avoid driving, and to cover air inlets and all open water supplies.

Chess Bonanza

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 11:06:52 +0000

It’s a sky full of young Indian stars and superstars, in the world of chess today. Leading this amazing pack are 15-year-old Pentyala Harikrishna, and 14-year-old Koneru Humpy, who have created major records in the last fortnight. Harikrishna became the youngest Commonwealth Chess Champion, and Humpy won the World Junior Chess title, which falls in the under-20 category!

Add to the list the names of the World champion (Anand), the Boys Under-10 champion, Deep Sengupta, and several Asian champions like Krishnan Sasikiran, Pallavi Shah and M. Kasturi (Asian Under-20) among others, and what a world class line-up it is!

Birds!!!

Sat, 23 Nov 2002 22:34:17 +0000

October 6: If feeding pigeons is your hobby, then the place to go is London’s Trafalgar Square. With about 40,000 pigeon tummies to fill, you can be sure that demand will never outstrip supply.

Trafalgar Square’s pigeons are a major tourist attraction. Thousands of pigeons can be found in the square at any given time, which has a fountain and the monument of famous English general Lord Nelson at the centre. Some tourists and residents visit the square only to feed the birds.

Eastward Ho!

Thu, 23 Aug 2001 05:39:47 +0000

Britain wants Indian engineers to help modernise their London-Glasgow railway link, and that’s a real about turn! Nearly 150 years ago, Britain was the first country to use steam locomotives.

The British also built the first rail tracks in India and set up India’s railway network with one purpose – they wanted to collect raw material such as cotton from different parts of the country so that they could be shipped to Britain. And later, when the ready-made products came back to India, they used the rail network to sell them by reaching different corners of the country.

Patel 20th most popular surname in England

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:53:05 +0000

Where: London, UK

April 15, 2007: In the UK alone, more than 1.05 million Indians contribute to making the country culturally colourful. Now, there’s more proof that Indians are the largest minority ethnic group in England. According to a study published in The Observer on Sunday, the Indian surname “Patel” is one of the top 500 British surnames. “Patel” is 20th in the list. No wonder too! There were as many as 80,000 Patels in Harrow alone as early as in 1998. Adding all the baby Patels that would have entered the world since then, should give you some idea of why Patels form a healthy chunk of UK’s population.

The Misfortunes of Kera..la

Mon, 25 Mar 2002 05:14:00 +0000

December 9: What are the images that come to mind when one hears the name – Kerala? Beaches, backwaters and… coconut trees. Rows and rows of coconut (kera) trees swaying in the breeze along the coastline, a picture perfect sight in this coastal state in South India.

But this image might be in danger of disappearing. A very poor demand for coconuts combined with an all time low price for the fruit, is ruining the thriving coconut business in the state.

Little Ali's Heart

Mon, 27 Aug 2001 23:36:16 +0000

August 12: One-year old Ali Haider was very sick. His tiny heart had a gaping hole in it. He also had an enlarged liver; lungs clogged with fluid, and he was terribly underweight. His parents searched high and low for someone who could cure their child, but in vain.

Little Ali’s Heart [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The doctors in Pakistan, their own country, did not have the skills to cure Ali. Doctors in the US did not want to risk operating on such a tiny child, either. Ali’s parents did not know what to do. They were distraught.

Shopping for Buyers

Sun, 20 May 2001 13:00:40 +0000

August 5: In June, German carmaker Volkswagen opened Autostadt, Europe’s first automotive theme park on cars. The company spent $424.4 million to build the complex. Situated in Wolfsburg, the park features displays, events, a motor museum, special areas for kids, special chambers to check how your car fares against wind and vibration, and even a section where you can design your own car. All this merely to persuade customers to buy a VW car. Companies are going out of their way to lure customers to buy their wares.

No marks for mother tongue

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 02:39:34 +0000

August 18: What’s the most difficult subject for students in Uttar Pradesh? Is it Maths, English or Science. Surprisingly, it’s none of these, it’s Hindi! According to a Press Trust of India report, it’s Hindi that lets them down when it comes to examinations.

Nearly 50 per cent of the class X students failed in Hindi in the UP Secondary School Board Examinations. And Hindi is the language they speak – for most people in the state it is their mother tongue. In the intermediate (intermediate refers to the to years after Class X and in some states these two classes are part of college) examination, the failure rate was 21 per cent and in elementary school 91 per cent of the children failed.

Starving in the Midst of Plenty

Mon, 26 Jul 2004 13:27:09 +0000

May 19: People in the rural areas of six states of India – Orissa, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhatisgarh and Maharashtra – are experiencing famine-like conditions. But the governments are refusing to give them relief. The terrible thing is that they are doing so at a time when their godowns are overflowing with grain.

Which is why an organisation called the Public Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) has filed a case (public interest litigation or PIL) on behalf of the people of these states in the Supreme Court of India. And on May 10, the Supreme Court ordered the states in question to explain their inaction.

These Boots are meant for Flying!

Thu, 04 Jul 2002 02:39:28 +0000

October 21: Two weeks ago, as the Russian government was aiming to steer history by trying to reduce the tension between Israel and Palestine in West Asia, history from below was being created in its backyard, at the rundown Salavat Ulayev sports stadium, in Moscow. The fastest boots in the world were being tested out under the watchful gaze of a ‘Sunday Times’ journalist.

These Boots are meant for Flying! [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Chief boot tester Atanov was getting ready to race Russia’s 1,500 metre national champion, 22-year-old Alexei Ivanov, to see if the stilt-like petrol-powered and turbo-charged boots would enable him to take strides nine feet long, past the athlete.

The Flood

Tue, 10 Feb 1998 10:58:25 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

Every day, Indian newspapers carry reports that large parts of Bihar, Bengal and north-east India are flooded, causing loss to human and animal lives, and property. This happens year after year. What is the reason for these floods? An indepth report from ‘Gobar Times’, a children’s magazine on the environment brought out by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.

The Flood

May 12, 2000: The mighty Himalayas get knocked out by the monsoon system every year. For four months in a year, the mountains get a concentrated battering by two gargantuan blue-grey fists — the Bay of Bengal monsoon current and the Arabian Sea current. As an opponent, the Himalayas are very big, but not very strong. After all, they once used to be the bottom of the sea, just sand and slimy sediments!

IPL Cricket Out of India in Second Season

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:26:44 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

March 24, 2009 : The second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will now be held in South Africa. IPL is a creation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It is a Twenty20 cricket competition, in which each team plays just 20 overs in a game, and each innings takes around 75 minutes to play. The second season was to have been held at different locations in India, just like the first, hugely successful one last year.

World Hunger Figure Reaches One Billion

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:24:09 +0000

Where: Rome, Italy

June 22, 2009 : The global financial meltdown is responsible for pushing the figure for the world’s hungry people to a record one billion. This means hunger now affects one in six people. These depressing figures, which show a rise of 100 million over 2008, were released by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). A human being who consumes fewer than 1,800 calories a day is certified hungry.

War, drought, political instability, high food prices and poverty were cited as the causes that spread hunger over so many millions. The financial meltdown has contributed to a “devastating combination for the world’s most vulnerable,” according to the FAO. “No part of the world is immune,” FAO’s Director-General Jacques Diouf said. “All world regions have been affected by the rise of food insecurity.” The FAO officials stressed the link between hunger and instability, pointing out that soaring prices for staple foods like rice triggered riots in the developing world last year. An official of the World Food Program, another UN food agency also based in Rome, said hungry people rioted in at least 30 countries last year. He added, “Without food, people have only three options: They riot, they emigrate or they die. None of these are acceptable options.”

The Faithful Dog

Tue, 01 Jul 2003 09:05:28 +0000

April 12: How many of us would have the courage to fight a wild cat like a panther, even if it were to save our own lives? Imagine how scary it is even to face a panther? But one brave dog called Pinto attacked a panther in a forest, and saved the lives of his master and his son.

This incident occurred recently in the Challehonda forest in Yellapur taluk (or collection of districts) in Sirsi on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border, reports the Deccan Herald. The irony of the situation is that Pinto saved his master Ganapati Nayak from the panther only to see him arrested by the forest department officials.

This Park Bench has an Address

Fri, 19 Apr 2002 23:06:24 +0000

November 18: Park Bench, Portland Square, Bristol. No, this is no cute address given by some children to their favourite bench. Rather, in the latest demonstration of just how finicky the British can be to minor details, a humble park bench in the town of Bristol, is soon going to have an address. And given its own postcode to boot.

This means that if someone sends a letter to the above address, it will reach the Park Bench.

An Olympics with a Difference

Fri, 09 Mar 2001 13:31:56 +0000

August 19: For all those who are physically challenged, Abilympics offers a wonderful opportunity to do something special.

An Olympic competition featuring ‘sports’ like painting, tailoring, jewellery-making, book-binding, embroidery and computer programming? Welcome to the fifth Abilympics, the three-day International Skill Competition that celebrates the abilities of the physically challenged to stand on their own in a harsh and competitive world.

Held in Czechoslavakia starting August 15th, the day India celebrates her independence, the Ablilympics are quite different from the Olympics.

Terror Targets India: Bomb Blast Kills 16

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:01:38 +0000

Where: Pune, India

February 25, 2010 : On February 13, 2010, a bomb exploded at a popular restaurant in Pune, Maharashtra. Nine people were killed on the spot. At least 40 other people were injured. Since then, seven of them have died. The latest casualty was a 21-year-old Sudanese student who died on February 24. In all five foreigners lost their lives.

The German Bakery was a favourite with students and with foreign tourists from the Osho Ashram, Pune’s famous spiritual/mystic centre. The Bakery was packed with customers on the evening of the blast. At around 7.30 p.m., a waiter spotted a bag which seemed to have been left behind by someone. He tried to open it, and the powerful bomb went off. It was first thought that a cylinder of cooking gas had exploded. Later, investigations showed that around 7 kilograms of explosives had been used.

Volcano Erupts in Chile

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:53:07 +0000

Where: Santiago, Chile

April 4, 2009 : Llaima volcano, which is located in Chile’s scenic lake region, erupted on Saturday, 4 April, 2009. It is one of the most active volcanoes in South America. It emitted a river of lava more than 1,000 metres long. People could see bright red bursts of lava in the night sky during the eruptions. Explosions reaching 600 metres above the crater, and falling ash were also visible.

The lava and hot gases from the eruption have melted the snow on the sides of the volcano. Some towns were thought to be in danger of being hit by mudslides. Some 70 people from the sparsely populated region were shifted out to safety. The Conguillio national park which surrounds the volcano has been closed. While an ash-swollen river near the volcano swept away a pedestrian bridge, no other damage was reported.

Water-Ice on the Moon?

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:45:30 +0000

Where: Bangalore, India

January 29, 2009 : The possibility of water-ice existing on the polar regions of the moon is one of the questions that scientists aim to discuss at a meeting to mark the first hundred days of Chandrayaan-I. The scientists include representatives from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Chandrayaan-I has so far captured the first-ever images of the dark side of the moon, detected the presence of iron and received X-ray signals from its cratered surface. Chandrayaan-I was launched on October 22, 2008, from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch marked a major step ahead in India’s space programme, and India became the fourth country to put its flag on the moon.The unmanned craft carries on board 11 scientific instruments. Five of these were developed by Indian scientists and the rest by foreign agencies, including NASA and ESA.

The Empire Strikes Back

Thu, 14 Nov 2002 22:01:33 +0000

October 28: The roots of the present-day education system in India lie in British attempts, more than one and a half century ago, to raise a breed of English-speaking Indians who were ‘babus’ or clerks and could manage the affairs of the British rulers.

That is why the study of English has always been stressed in India, even if it is at the expense of the country’s languages. And why English is India’s first language today.

The Actor

Sat, 19 Oct 2002 23:06:35 +0000

October 6 : Dhanna wants to become an actor. His dream is to star in a film with Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, two famous actors of Bollywood, Mumbai’s hugely popular film industry.

Seventeen year-old Dhanna is the son of a rexine bag-maker. He lives with his family in a narrow by-lane of a poor colony in Delhi. The journey from here to the bright lights of Bollywood appears to be very long indeed. The journey becomes even more convoluted given the fact that Dhanna is also mentally challenged.

Fungus Threatens Chinese Warriors

Mon, 14 Jan 2002 12:10:45 +0000

September 23: These Chinese warriors have survived over two 2,000 years of wars, earthquakes and revolutions, but now find themselves battling against their most formidable enemy yet — a fungal infection. These Chinese warriors are not made of flesh and blood; they have feet – and bodies – of clay, and they are a valued cultural treasure not only for China but also for the world.

Fungus Threatens Chinese Warriors [Illustration by Shiju George]

The bad news is that over 7,000 terracotta figurines of soldiers, archers and horses in China’s northern city of Xian (pronounced Shee-ahn), capital of Shaanxi Province, have been found suffering from attacks by over 40 species of mould.

World Environment Day on June 5: Become an Earth Warrior

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:58:06 +0000

Where: Worldwide

June 4, 2009 : World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. The guiding principle is that people have to take responsibility for the environment. The earth’s rain forests are disappearing, chemicals have poisoned our air, marine life is dying in our polluted seas, and harmful waste and toxins have reached even the least populated corners of the globe. The wake up call for earth’s citizens for 2009 is “Your Planet Needs You — UNite to Combat Climate Change”.

India Gets Its Own 'Air Force One' Plane

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:29:41 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

April 1, 2009 : The Indian Air Force has now got its own version of Air Force One, the American Presidential aircraft. Three exclusive Business Boeing Jets were added to the Indian Air Force’s fleet on April 1, 2009. Named Rajdhoot, Rajhans and Rajkamal, the three aircraft will be used to transport the Indian President and the Prime Minister. The President or PM will have an executive office on board, a secure communication chamber and facilities to host around 50 guests.

Gunning for Clouds

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:24:17 +0000

Where: Beijing, China

July 19: The photograph in the newspaper shows a soldier handling an anti-aircraft gun. At once, an image flashes across your mind: the gun moving left to right and firing away with a deafening, staccato noise, with an aircraft bursting into flames and somersaulting to the ground.

Good powers of imagination, fed on Hollywood films, but, unfortunately, completely off the mark.

The anti-aircraft gun shown in the Hindustan Times is used for the purpose of cloud seeding, or making rain.

Gaseous twist to the Delphic legend

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 09:31:43 +0000

August 26: In ancient Greece, like a magnet, the shrine at Mount Parnassus, in Delphi, attracted people from all over Europe. They were drawn by the prophetic powers of the Pythia, or priestess of Apollo, who was famous as the Oracle of Delphi. It was said she could foretell everything, from the result of wars to new twists in day-to-day family problems. But, from where did the Oracle get her prophetic powers?

Legend says that high priest of the shrine, Plutarch, thought that the Pythia got her prophetic powers by inhaling some special gases, which would lead her to a state of trance. Now a four-year study by geologists in areas near the shrine has found evidence of hallucinogenic gases rising from a nearby spring and preserved within the temple rock. (Hallucinogenic gases contain hallucinogen, a substance that induces hallucinations or visions and imaginary perceptions.) The scientists have smelt truth in the high priest’s claim at last! The study has been reported in the August issue of Geology.

Smart Future

Fri, 26 Jan 2001 16:00:54 +0000

August 12: Do you know that there’s a possibility you may live forever? And that you will have computers that are 1,000 times more intelligent than Albert Einstein, generally known as the smartest scientist ever! That all these miracles may happen in 15 years or more?

These are the predictions of Ian Pearson, a top British futurologist. A futurologist is a person who tells what life will be in the future. He is a kind of professional day-dreamer.

Conquering without Seeing

Fri, 17 Mar 2000 21:10:38 +0000

July 8: Yahya Sapatwala is a determined young man. Recently, he and his friends climbed the Beas Kund mountain in Manali, which is 12,000 feet (3,636 metres) high. And he did it without seeing. Yes, Yahya is blind.

But that has never stopped Yahya from doing what he wants. A college teacher in Surat town in the western state of Gujarat, he walks to work every day. He is familiar with the route and reaches the institute where he works, without any problem. At home, too, 30-year-old Yahya does not need any help to move around. He knows exactly where each object is and avoids bumping into them.

Honduras President Deposed

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:58:30 +0000

Where: Tegucigalpa, Honduras

July 5, 2009 : President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras in Central America was removed from office on June 28, 2009. At dawn on that day, around 300 troops went to his home and asked him to surrender at gunpoint. Mr. Zelaya was sent into exile in Costa Rica. Later, Mr. Roberto Micheletti, the speaker of Congress and second in line to the presidency, was sworn in as interim leader.

President Zelaya had plans to hold a public consultation on June 28 to seek the people’s views on making changes in the constitution. His critics saw his actions as part of a move to remove the current one-term limit on a serving president, and to pave the way for his possible re-election. The ouster of President Zelaya is the biggest political crisis in Central America in years. Military takeovers (coups) and political upheaval were common in Central America for much of the 20th Century. Until the mid-1980s the military dominated political life in Honduras. Mr. Zelaya’s removal is the first in the Central American region since 1993. Recent developments have provoked worldwide condemnation. The USA has put an end to all joint military operations and the World Bank has suspended financial aid.

Earthquake in Italy Kills 150

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:56:15 +0000

Where: Rome, Italy

April 6, 2009 : A powerful earthquake rocked the mountainous Abruzzo region of central Italy in the early hours of April 6, 2009 (3.32am local time). Over 150 people were killed and 1,500 were injured. The number of people who may be trapped alive could not be estimated. Thousands of rescue workers searched for survivors. Some 24 hours after the disaster struck, they began losing hopes of finding any more.

Most of the deaths took place in L’Aquila, a 13th century mountain city close to the epicentre of the earthquake. Surrounding towns and villages were also badly hit. Most of the stone buildings in the region were centuries old and collapsed quickly. Around 50,000 people lost their homes.The need for shelter became an important factor, as temperatures were in the region of 5 degrees C. Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a national emergency.

Still Standing Tall

Wed, 01 Oct 2003 22:17:19 +0000

Still Standing Tall [Illustrated by Shinod AP]

March 14: Recently, a severe earthquake shook the city of Seattle in the United States of America (USA). It was the regions strongest earthquake in 50 years. It measured 6.8 on the Richter scale.

On January 26, 2001, an earthquake that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, 10 times stronger than the earthquake in Seattle, struck Gujarat, in India. Thousands of people had died and property worth millions of rupees was destroyed. But the Seattle quake saw only one death, and that too from a heart attack. There was not much property damage, either.

UFO Landing

Sat, 27 Jul 2002 13:01:24 +0000

December 9: Did ‘Unidentified Flying Objects’ (UFOs) cause life on earth? Those UFOs that are supposed to float around in space, which are more like distant dreams of an outer space enthusiast?

To test this theory, special balloons filled with neon gas (used in electric lamps) were launched into space from Hyderabad recently by a team of Indian scientists. The balloons are expected to collect air samples at different altitudes in space ranging between 10 and 35 km.

Take Me Back

Tue, 27 Jan 2004 21:30:11 +0000

July 6: A clueless girl stands outside her school building, looking lost among the swirling mass of uniformed school students. She is not allowed to wear the school uniform, ususally sits in the last row without a partner, her notebooks go unchecked and her name does not appear in the attendance register.

Meet six-year-old Ekta, who is being punished for something her father, Sunil Mistry, did. He had questioned the fee structure of the school and called it illegal.

A Green Olympic Village

Mon, 29 Jan 2001 13:11:30 +0000

August 19: Where will the world’s best sportspersons go when they stride away from the sporting venues at the coming Sydney Olympic Games? The answer is, the Olympic Village.

A Green Olympic Village [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

As many as 15,000 athletes will live in a specially created residential complex designed to satisfy each and every whim of theirs. The village will have 800 houses, 355 apartments and 336 modular homes. What’s more, it will be an eco-friendly village, running with the help of solar power.

Four Nation Hockey Tournament in Chandigarh

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:43:41 +0000

Where: Chandigarh, India

February 10, 2009 : The Punjab Gold Cup, a four nation hockey tournament, was organized by the state government of Punjab in Chandigarh. Hosts India, captained by Sandeep Singh, got a chance to test their skills against New Zealand, European champions Holland, and world-cum-Olympic champions Germany. The final match went to Holland, who defeated the home team 2-1. This didn’t dampen the spectators’ enthusiasm, though.

The myth that only cricket can pull crowds in India was busted. The hockey arena in Chandigarh’s Sector 42 drew over 15,000 people each day, and 25,000 spectators on the final night, when India took on Holland. Thousands of people came into Chandigarh from cities like Amritsar and Jalandhar to watch the matches. There is talk of a similar four-nation hockey tournament for women coming up in Chandigarh in the future.

Precious Boats

Mon, 05 Jul 2004 02:43:19 +0000

July 27: Grooms in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district are singing a different tune these days. They are no more asking for jewels or hard cash. No, they haven’t given up on the dowry. Instead they are demanding for something more practical and useful, a wooden boat. Along with it comes the demand for a bride who can swim, says a report in Hindustan Times.

The reason for this lies in the floods that hit this area last year and the people are not taking chances anymore. “Life after all, is more precious than gold, silver or a few thousand rupees,” says a resident of Murshidabad, in the news report. “Though we hope there are no floods like last year’s, the boats can always be used for fishing.”

The Girl who Failed the Citizenship Test

Mon, 25 Jun 2001 18:22:21 +0000

July 22: Twentyfour-year-old Vijai Shree has lived in the US since she was four months old. She holds a “green card” which permits her to stay on in the country. Her parents, Mr Sunder Rajan and Ms Shakuntala, are American citizens. Though they were not born in America, they have lived there for a long time and the US government has recognised them as naturalised Americans. That is, the government will protect them in the same manner that it protects its local people. And they get the same benefits as any other American citizen.

Teachers who Ticked Correct Answers Wrong

Sat, 21 Apr 2001 05:00:35 +0000

August 19: Do you know what a universal truth is? It is a truth that never changes, wherever in the world you might wish to test it.

For example, we all know that the earth goes round the sun. It’s a truth that will never change, at least not until the solar system lasts.

Another universal truth we’re told to believe is that our teachers know more than us. It’s a non-scientific universal truth, for sure. But then, if our teachers didn’t know more, they couldn’t very well be teaching us, could they?

Sea Levels Rising At Alarming Rates

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:41:57 +0000

Where: Copenhagen, Denmark

March 12, 2009 : A scientific conference on climate change was held during the week in Copenhagen. Environmental experts there announced that sea levels are rising almost twice as fast as the United Nations had forecast just two years ago. Both the Greenland and the Antarctic ice caps have been melting at increasing rates. Scientists now say that sea levels will rise by anything between 50cm and 100cm by the year 2100. The 2007 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had predicted that they would rise by between 18cm and 59cm by 2100.

Anchor rips through phone and internet cable

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:56:32 +0000

Where: The Mediterranean Sea

December 22, 2008: A ship’s anchor slammed into the ocean bed, ripping apart an undersea cable that connected millions of computers and telephones. Cut somewhere between Sicily and Tunisia, in the Mediterranean Sea, the cut ends of the cable are being searched by an undersea robot. The robot will bring the cable ends up to the surface, where they will be joined on a ship.

According to a story by the Associated Press, experts from France Telecom Marine sent the robot called ‘Hector’ down to the sea bed to start the search for the broken ends of the SEA-ME-WE 4 cable (which stands for South Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4). This cable links South East Asia to Europe via the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East. Repairing the cable will take time, because the ship’s anchor could have dragged the cable several kilometers from its usual position.

Places That Care

Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:11:31 +0000

How many of us have ever given even a fleeting thought to the inconvenience faced by disabled people in the public spaces in our country?

How many of us have seen them shopping or visiting theatres, cinema halls or places of worship, leave alone historical monuments?
Perhaps, none.

For the ‘differently abled’, it is not just disability that makes life tough but our own insensitive and smug attitude coupled with a pathetic support structure that deems it fit to label people with disabilities as ‘handicapped’ rather than help them lead lives on their own.

Still Going Strong!

Thu, 02 Oct 2003 00:30:23 +0000

Still Going Strong! [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 27: Something momentous happened at London’s West End theatre a few days ago on December 16. A play by famous mystery writer Agatha Christie, The Mousetrap, was staged to a standing ovation yet again.

Nothing unusual in that except for one thing. It was the 20,000th stage performance of The Mousetrap. And this makes the play the longest running in the world, having premiered in the year 1952. And, Agatha Christie’s grandson, Matthew Prichard, was present on the occasion.

Child's Play!!

Tue, 08 Apr 2003 22:19:01 +0000

February 26: A new game for children is being touted as the next big thing in America. Called Flip-Itz, the game is a colourful collection of three-legged toys with wacky human, animal and alien faces that propel through the air once their owners press down on them. Really so simple.

Child’s Play!! [Illustration by Navin Pangti]

And earlier this month, 11-year-old Justin Lewis and 12-year-old Matthew Balick, the creators of the toy, also flew to New York to market their product at the city’s annual international toy fair. The organisers of the fair had to lift their usual ban on children to allow the two to participate.

Injured right arms

Wed, 02 Apr 2003 13:45:43 +0000

May 3: Got an exam today and not studied a word? Copying from chits, hiding books under the desk, copying from the neighbour – all these are old tactics. Some students have geared up to more ‘modern’ ways!

Students of Zakir Hussain College, Delhi, seem to have found the answer to this problem, reports The Indian Express. And what’s more, no one can even catch them out!

Any guesses? Well, listen to this – if a student is incapable of writing (due to something like an injured hand) doesn’t another student do the writing for him? All the student has to do is to speak out the answer. The fun part of this is that the two of them get to sit in a separate room, so that they do not disturb the rest of the students!

Too Much Information

Wed, 05 Jun 2002 17:18:39 +0000

October 28: Over 1400 years ago, Chinese scholar Hiuan Tsang travelled thousands of miles from his home to reach the city of Nalanda in Bihar. His objective was to study precious Buddhist manuscripts at the University of Nalanda, which was famed in those days for its library of Buddhist manuscripts. In the process, he also recorded his observations of seventh century India, and this remains one of the most valuable sources of information on the land during that age.

Children's Theatre of the World

Fri, 25 May 2001 04:39:11 +0000

August 5: At this very moment in Japan, a city called Toyama is hosting a very interesting event — the 6th World Festival of Children’s Theatre.

The purpose of this year’s theatre festival is to encourage children of the future to create a new theatre. Through which they will foster new values and a new culture for themselves and others around them. Since it is these kids who will be the new millennium’s first citizens.

Swimming in Trouble

Tue, 03 Oct 2000 23:53:56 +0000

July 1: All governments and leaders talk about children as the “future” of the nation – a “strong” nation. They specially talk about the need to encourage sports among children from an early age. But if you ask the young swimmers who participated in the National Swimming Championship for the 11 and 13-year-old category recently, they will tell you how nonsensical these statements are. For they have a horror story to tell.

Two weeks ago, all the star swimmers of India in the 11 and 13-year-old category travelled to Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. They went there to participate in the National Swimming Championship and were prepared for a tough competition. How tough the competition would be, they had no idea. For, they ended up competing with the swimming pool, not with each other. Bruised heads and feet and frogs as swimming companions – this was the experience the young swimmers went home with after the championship.

International Concern Over North Korea's Rocket Launch

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:24:52 +0000

Where: Pyongyang, North Korea

April 5, 2009 : The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea’s (North Korea’s) plans to launch a rocket had created a stir weeks ahead of the event. It was feared that the launch was actually a missile test. Japan, South Korea, and Alaska in the United States were all under threat if this was so. Finally, on Sunday, April 5, 2009, the Eunha-2 rocket succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit.

South Korea, that has a long history of war with the North, called it a “reckless act”.The United Kingdom, France and the European Union urged North Korea to resume nuclear disarmament talks. Japan requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. US President Barack Obama, who has been calling for nuclear disarmament worldwide, appealed to the United Nations for quick action against North Korea. He said that country had violated the Security Council’s ban on conducting ballistic missile tests. The Security Council had imposed sanctions against North Korea in October 2006, after it tested a nuclear bomb. The US government said North Korea was preparing to fire its longest-range ballistic missile, Taepodong-2.

The Privileged Moles

Fri, 04 Apr 2003 22:41:42 +0000

April 4: When you take a walk in the streets of Canada’s largest city, Toronto, you will probably come across people who hold out their hats for money. At least this is what a Reuters report in The Indian Express says.

Though Toronto is a prosperous city, there are many homeless, sick and destitute who have made the streets their home. To avoid running into them, the city’s richer citizens have gone underground. Literally.

Here is where they are: Toronto’s underground is made up of 27 tunnels, that are about 10 km long. These tunnels are collectively known as ‘The Path’. The Path occupies more than four million square feet of space. It connects the city subway with 48 tall office towers, six major hotels and 1,200 stores.

Illiterate Americans

Sat, 30 Nov 2002 18:36:45 +0000

October 6: Last week we had written about Ganga, a teenaged girl who taught the women in her slum how to read and write. These women are not an isolated case. A very large percentage of the Indian population does not know how to read and write. In fact, the mass illiteracy of its citizens is one of the biggest problems staring the Indian government in its face today.

Illiterate Americans [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Now there’s news that the richest country in the world, the United States of America, is struggling to cope with ‘illiteracy’ too. As many as 50 million American adults are in danger of becoming ‘functionally illiterate’, reports the news agency Reuters in ‘The Asian Age’. But it’s not as if these people don’t know how to read and write. What they don’t know is how to use the computer.

Made to Order

Sun, 02 Jun 2002 17:14:44 +0000

December 9: We’ve heard of gene therapy for humans. But for seeds? And yet, this is exactly what seeds in India will be treated for in the future. Thanks to gene therapy, the seeds will have made-to-order properties.

Some scientists are introducing a gene (the element that gives hereditary characteristic to a living thing) from a weed into the Indian mustard seed to make the crop consume less water. This is to help farmers survive droughts in India. The idea is to cut down irrigation by almost half; from the usual four-five times a field has to be flooded to two-three floodings per season.

Federer is Number One Again

Thu, 13 May 2010 08:08:29 +0000

Where: London, United Kingdom

July 5, 2009 : It was a day of tennis records and grand performances at the Wimbledon Men’s Final. Swiss Roger Federer, ranked second in the tournament’s listings, faced a tough fight over five sets by Andy Roddick before he could win his sixth Wimbledon title and 15th Grand Slam title. The American Roddick (ranked sixth), who’d defeated Britain’s Andy Murray in the semi-finals, often looked as if he could win his first Wimbledon crown. He has been runner-up twice at Wimbledon. Both times, in 2004 and 2005, he lost to Federer. This was Federer’s seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, another record. It was his sixth win here. Pete Sampras, the last American to win the Wimbledon, has seven titles to his credit.

Japanese Government Announces Green Stimulus Package

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:37:20 +0000

Where: Tokyo, Japan

April 11, 2009 : The recession has prompted many governments to inject ‘stimulus packages’ to boost their countries’ economies. Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso announced a package with a green focus. His government will encourage the start of mass production of electric cars in three years. It also has plans to boost solar power generation to 20 times the current level of 1.42m kilowatts.

Then there is a car scrappage scheme, under which motorists who trade in cars that are more than 13 years old for environment-friendly vehicles will receive subsidies. Energy efficient car owners will get to pay less tax.

International Appeal to stop Iceland's Whaling for Jobs Program

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:33:19 +0000

Where: Reykjavik, Iceland

February 16, 2009 : In a letter signed by senior diplomats in Reykjavik, the governments of six countries appealed to Iceland to rethink its decision to permit the hunting of 150 fin and 100 minke whales in a year. The countries are the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Finland and Sweden. The former Iceland government took the decision before stepping down in the face of the country’s economic collapse. The letter expressed “extreme disappointment” and asked the new government to consider the long-term interests of the whaling industry.

The Olympic Gold Rush

Mon, 13 May 2002 01:06:47 +0000

September 30: At the Millennium Olympics in Sydney, Barbados, the tiny island nation in the Caribbean, has overtaken the United States and China to head the medals tally – if you calculate the number of medals against the population.

When sprinter Obadele Thompson won the bronze in the 100-metre race in 10.04 seconds, on September 23, Barbados topped the medal table list maintained by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This is because Barbados has a population of only 270,000. This report featured in ‘The Hindustan Times’.

Destination Mir

Sun, 09 Sep 2001 01:55:31 +0000

Destination Mir [Illustration by Shiju George]

August 19: Dennis Tito is a very excited man. This businessman-cum-space-enthusiast has won the first prize in a game show called Destination Mir. He is now all set to be the world’s first space tourist, and is training at Russia’s Star City space-base for his unusually long journey.

Russia has launched a television game show to revive interest in its ageing space station, Mir. The winner of the show gets to shoot into space, straight to the Russian space station Mir, which has been in space for 14 years now.

Protest Without Clothes

Fri, 07 Apr 2000 02:48:40 +0000

July 1: See this picture. What do you think the children were doing?

No, they were not waiting for a community bath. They were at a gram sabha (village meeting). They had gone there to tell officials that the increased cost of power is making them miserable.

This kids protest happened at Sitarampura near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh recently.

Protest Without Clothes [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The gram sabhas were being conducted last week by officials of the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation (AP Transco). They had not expected a bunch of naked kids to come with their list of woes, reported the Hyderabad-based ‘Deccan Chronicle’ newspaper.

A Soldier's Death is a Soldier's Death

Sat, 26 Apr 1997 15:37:18 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

May 16, 2000: Today’s newspapers must have given some relief to Indian Army men. For, George Fernandes, the Defence Minister of India, has finally agreed to their demands. Their demand was that the family of every jawan, or soldier, killed in action must get the same compensation amount of Rs 1 million ($23,255) from the Government of India. It did not matter where the soldier died: Kargil, Srinagar, or the north-eastern part of India.

Thousands Protest 'Unfair' Election Result in Iran

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:08:12 +0000

Where: Tehran, Iran

June 19, 2009 : The Iranian Presidential election results were announced on June 13, 2009, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner for a second term. The popular reformist leader Mirhossein Mousavi was declared defeated. Ever since then, the country has been rocked by widespread demonstrations. Tens of thousands of angry voters took out protest rallies. They claimed the results were fake, and that their leader Mousavi had won.

In 1979, after the Islamic revolution, Iran’s government was taken over by clerics (religious authorities). Around 60 per cent of the population of Iran was born after 1979, and it appears that younger voters have sought modernisation and change. The country is going through an economic crisis, with an inflation rate of 24 percent, rising unemployment and a fall in income from crude oil exports (Iran is the world’s fifth biggest oil exporter). Iran is also caught in a tussle with the Western world over its nuclear program. Mousavi had pledged to improve relations with the West, to ease restrictions on women, and to fix Iran’s ailing economy.

Supreme Court gets Tough After Ragging Death and Torture

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:08:52 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

March 16, 2009 : Ragging was at one time considered to be a fun way for seniors to interact with freshers in college. It has now become nothing less than systematic torture by bullying groups of seniors.

Three shocking ragging incidents occurred in the past week. Aman Kachroo, a student of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, died of head injuries on March 8, 2009. He had complained to the authorities earlier that he was being assaulted by a group of seniors from the time he joined college. Their last attack took his life. Four students were arrested. A Bench comprising two Justices of the Supreme Court issued notices to the college Principal and Registrar.

A New Ancient Civilisation

Sat, 18 Sep 2004 18:47:43 +0000

Where: Central Asia

May 19, 2001: Imagine people living in large apartment complexes made out of bricks. Their city may have been a major stop for silk traders that is why they were well off, decked in gold and semi-precious stone jewellery and using fine ceramics utensils. Bronze axes were among the implements used for cutting and carvings on alabaster (white marble) and bone were used as decoration pieces.

Doesn’t sound all that different from what we see around us today, does it? But to think that all this existed 4000 years ago and that too in the Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan regions of Central Asia!

The Big Meltdown

Sun, 26 May 2002 11:51:05 +0000

September 23: Earth is the only planet with an atmosphere congenial to life forms as we know of. If a blanket of air didn’t surround us…our planet would have been a frozen wasteland – much too cold for human habitation. We have a lot to be thankful for. But we humans have been taking things for granted. As a result, this protective blanket is now slowly suffocating us.

The Big Meltdown [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

According to a worldwide study carried out by the World Wildlife Fund. (WWF), concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere have doubled in the last 50 years.

A Girl Soldier Speaks Out

Thu, 01 Feb 2001 10:48:07 +0000

September 8: At seven Arumuyam Malar could handle a gun better than a pencil. At eight she could handle the wireless radio and knew how to use hand grenades and semi-automatic rifles.

As an ‘Eelam tigress’, or a child guerrilla of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, she was told that she had to fight till the end for her Tamil homeland or Eelam — and commit suicide by taking a cyanide pill upon capture. Malar had been tricked and abducted by the LTTE.

Singapore's 'Boy Wizard'

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:21:06 +0000

Where: Singapore

February 6, 2009 : Lim Ding Wen, a fourth grade student in Singapore, is an expert at six programming languages. He first used a computer when he was aged two! His ‘Doodle Kids’ is a painting program for Apple’s iPhone. The program’s users can draw with their fingers on the touchscreen. And all it takes to clear the screen is a little shake. ‘Doodle Kids’ has been downloaded over 4000 times from the iTunes store in two weeks.

Plans to shut Guantanamo Bay prison

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 03:23:37 +0000

Where: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

December 19, 2008: The controversial prison camp, Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, may finally be closed. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered that plans be made to close the prison that houses “alien combatants” accused of supporting terrorist activities against the United States.

Often colloquially referred to as Gitmo (a spoken version of GTMO, which stands for Guantanamo), the Guantanamo prison was set up just after the September 11, 2001 attacks in which terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center buildings in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and one plane that crashed because passengers tried to overcome the hijackers.

Wet behind the ears: Mumbai floods again

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 05:07:49 +0000

Where: Mumbai, India

June 25, 2007: A kid of five would tell you that it rains in June. Especially in Mumbai, which being on the coast, takes a soak before the rains make their way to inland cities like Delhi.

Yet, year after year, with unfailing precision, Mumbai goes under water. Knee deep water, with floating trash, stinking dead rodents and million toxic bacteria.

This year, it has been no different. The Indian Express reports that five persons were killed, subways got flooded, trains were running late (or not at all), trees were uprooted and roads were under three feet of water. Wading in waist-deep water, Mumbaikars (as the residents of Mumbai are called), carried a sick person to hospital, attempted to get to work, and tried to keep the water out of their homes.

'Your dam is our death'

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:25:45 +0000

August 26: Last week, 70 children from the Narmada Valley were in the Capital, meeting with other children, journalists, activists and supporters in an attempt to share with them their very real apprehension that soon their homes and villages would be under water. They hoped that their voices would be carried to the President and that he would respond positively to their call.

Every evening, the India Gate lawns, in New Delhi, become one vast picnic spot. They are full of wide-eyed tourists, families and giggly children on outings. Vendors selling ice cream, popcorn, candy floss and chana jor garam mushroom as if by magic. But August 21 was different, at least in the small lawn – closest to India Gate.

Swear, it's true!

Mon, 09 May 2005 02:30:26 +0000

August 17: You might think that schools would discourage students from using bad words, but it is not so. Schools in England will soon be teaching their pupils swearwords in an attempt to stop them from using bad language! Does that make any sense?

Apparently, British teachers feel that young children pick up swearwords from adults and older children, and they do not have a clue what the words really mean. This new scheme has already created quite a controversy. According to the Education Board, children, as young as 11, will be asked to write down as many swearwords as they can think of. Teachers will then explain what each word means in the hope that the students will not use them again.

Death Threat

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 08:08:23 +0000

March 19: The Olive Ridleys are olive-green coloured sea-turtles that have existed for more than 200 million years. The Gahirmatha beach in Orissa is one of their nesting sites, but unfortunately the fishermen have started catching these turtles for meat to sell in the local market.

This has alarmed environmentalists. Nature lover and scientist, BR Ray says that this trend will surely lead to the extinction of the turtles.
Thousands of female ridleys travel thousands of kilometres to lay their eggs at Gahirmatha beach. The beach also happens to be one of the four large nesting sites for Olive Ridleys in the world. The others are found in the tropical Pacific, Indian and the South Atlantic Oceans.

Historic Station Soon to be History

Wed, 09 Oct 2002 05:14:16 +0000

November 24: A historic railway station, that once linked the Indian city of Jammu, with Sialkot in Pakistan, is soon going to be demolished. A Kala Kendra Complex or centre to preserve art and culture will be established in its place.

The catch is that the Jammu & Kashmir government, that ordered the demolition, itself does not know what exactly it is going to preserve in the art centre. But that clearly does not seem to bother it. The more important job is to tear down the old station, never mind if it is over 100 years old and has a rich legacy, reports the ‘Indian Express’ in an article covering this issue.

No Dalmatians Please

Sun, 12 May 2002 07:11:55 +0000

Have you seen the movie ‘101 Dalmatians?’ Remember the cute cuddly spotted puppies scampering around and performing tricks? Well, if you loved the movie, here’s some news for you – Disney is coming out with yet another puppy-filled movie and it is going to be called ‘102 Dalmatians’ – a sequel to the original movie.

No Dalmatians Please [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Dalmatians are believed to have originated in Dalmatia (now in Croatia, Europe), long, long ago. While no one is quite sure when the Dalmatian first appeared, what is commonly known about the dog is, it is pure white at birth and develops black spots within a few weeks.

Messing Up, Alphabetically

Tue, 07 May 2002 08:53:08 +0000

November 4: Central Asian countries that proclaimed independence after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) disintegrated in 1991 are not merely beset by the usual political and economic uncertainties that mark all new nations. They are uncertain about their alphabets too. At the root of all this confusion is an identity crisis that the countries are suffering.

Messing Up, Alphabetically [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Take Azerbaijan, for instance. Since most people here speak Azeri, verbal communication is not a problem. But, as no one can decide on the written script, written communication is a problem. And this confusion is not a new thing either. In the past 75 years, Azerbaijan has seen four completely different alphabets come and go one after the other.

Finding a Match for an Elephant

Mon, 26 May 1997 06:32:27 +0000

Where: Rome, Italy

July 1, 2000 : Calimero, a twenty-year-old African elephant, who has been pining for his lost love, may soon find a new love. But romance may not come easy for this lovelorn jumbo because he will have to travel across the Alps in order to find his dream girl.

Calimero was brought to the Rome Zoo when he was barely a year old. Soon after, Carla, an African she-elephant from Gabon, joined him. The two elephants fell in love. They were inseparable and spent nine blissful years together. Calimero’s companion died in 1991 and the besotted Calimero went into a deep depression. It was only last year that the authorities finally woke up to the fact that the zoo’s star attraction was wasting away, pining for his lost love.

Pope Benedict XVI Completes Weeklong Tour of Holy Land

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:41:40 +0000

Where: Nazareth, Israel

May 15, 2009 : Pope Benedict XVI, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, made a weeklong trip to the Middle East, touring the Holy Land in a bid to promote peace and unity in the region. The pope prayed at some of Christianity’s most sacred destinations and visited Muslim and Jewish holy sites. He also visited Israel’s Holocaust* memorial and saw the conditions in which Palestinian refugees live.

In the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem (in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory) the pope appealed for a separate state for Palestinians. He also called for an end to the blockade Israel has imposed against Gaza (a Palestinian territory) since the Islamic Hamas movement seized power there in June 2007.

A Glider at the Railway Station

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:32:00 +0000

Where: Sarnath, India

December 11, 2008 : Passengers at the Sarnath Railway Station noticed that a paper box, left abandoned near a railway track, was behaving a little oddly. They alerted the railway authorities, who found that the box carried the inscription, “It is a rare animal, please send it to the zoo”. It was a Flying Lemur, a species native to China and the Philippines. The forest department sent a team that recovered the animal, identified it, and moved it to the local zoo.

Underwater Terminator

Thu, 04 Apr 2002 09:44:26 +0000

It is not an animal or disease. It is a collective name given to plants, which live underwater. Algae do not have specialised body parts such as roots, stems and leaves.
They range in size from very tiny cells to 30 metre long weeds. A special characteristic of algae is that they multiply very fast.

Underwater Terminator [Illustration by Kusum Chamoli]

US researchers recently identified the algae, which has caused large-scale destruction of European sea habitats – almost 4,050 hectares of sea habitats along the Mediterranean coast, according to a report in ‘Down To Earth’ magazine. This algae destroys underwater plant and animal life. Being toxic it forces the fish to seek new homes.

Bermudas on Beaches — and in Parliament

Mon, 26 Feb 2001 04:12:00 +0000

August 12: Very soon members of Parliament in Bermuda will go to work wearing Bermuda shorts. This is what the lawmakers of Bermuda Islands have decided.

Usually, parliaments across the world are known for their sober dress sense to convey that being a member of the legislature is no laughing matter, and the prestige of the Parliament has to be kept in mind while dressing for it.

Bermudas on Beaches — and in Parliament [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The Bermudian House of Assembly, which is where the members of Parliament assemble, recently voted to relax the dress code of its parliament. So colourful, knee-length Bermuda shorts will be allowed now. Safari suits and collarless Nehru suits for men and trouser suits for women, will also be acceptable.

Schools of Failed Teachers and Students

Thu, 25 Jan 2001 05:55:56 +0000

September 6: Three schools in Hyderabad are changing people’s views of government schools – they showed a 90 per cent pass percentage in this year’s Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examination.

At the same time 12 government schools in Hyderabad have set another record of sorts. All students of the schools appearing for the SSC exam flunked the exams.

The SSC exam is the most important exam of a school student’s life. It marks the end of a student’s school life and the beginning of college life – which in many cases decides the student’s future course in life.

India Votes for Stability, Not Change

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:07:53 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

May 16, 2009 : The results of India’s general elections, the largest democratic elections in the world, were announced on May 16, 2009.The Indian National Congress party won 205 of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha (the House of the People, or the lower house of the Indian Parliament). This was its best performance in the last 25 years. The party and its coalition partners, who make up the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won a total of 261 seats, only 12 short of an absolute majority. The Trinamool Congress with 19 seats has the maximum number of seats among the allies. The chief opposition party, the Bhartiya Janata Party, and the Congress’ former allies, the Left Front, were defeated and had to give up the idea of trying to form governments.

Medical Research : Location, Mt. Everest

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 22:15:16 +0000

Where: London, United Kingdom

January 10, 2009 : An interesting story by BBC News tells how a team of London doctors, including five anesthetists, two general practitioners and a vascular surgeon climbed Mt. Everest. They then treated themselves as guinea pigs to measure oxygen levels present in their blood at the summit.

The readings confirmed that high-altitude climbers have extremely low levels of oxygen in their blood. At sea-level these would only be seen in patients who were close to death. The team leader Dr Mike Grocott said the experiment would help to establish how much oxygen deprivation people can tolerate before they are treated with ‘aggressive interventions’. That would include treatments like ventilation, which carry a risk of damage to organs like the lungs.

Hanoi's Good Samaritan

Fri, 10 May 2002 09:27:05 +0000

Hanoi’s Good Samaritan [Illustration by Shiju George]

November 4:The streets of cities in Vietnam teem with young boys who, despite their sad eyes, have dazzling smiles on their faces, and speak halting, broken English, that sounds charming to the ears. They sell postcards, shine shoes and hassle tourists with remarkably impressive sob-stories about needing money for sick parents, school fees and English lessons. It’s a combination that never fails to move the tourist for whose benefit of course, the entire performance is staged.

Operation Clean Up

Mon, 29 May 2000 21:20:38 +0000

The bricks came a tumbling. And the concrete made a rumbling. Leaving behind a huge mound of debris.

And a huge crowd of human beings. With tears in their eyes.

Their houses had been destroyed before them.

Jagmohan, the Minister for Urban Development was in action. He was cleaning up the city, he said. The people were sent to Narela, a far flung area in the suburbs of Delhi.

They would get new houses, they were told.

Injured Deer Lands on Dinner Plate

Fri, 24 Mar 2000 03:51:00 +0000

July 8: A deer was in great pain. It had got injured in the forest. It was discovered by some villagers who lived near the forest.

This incident happened in the Champhai district of Mizoram, in north-east India. The villagers picked up the deer and gave it to Hranleikapa, a leader of the Mizo National Party, to hand over the deer to the zoo in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram.

But, that was not to be.

Vast Coral Reef in South-East Asia May Disappear by End of Century, Warns WWF Report

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:14:18 +0000

Where: Manado, Indonesia

May 14, 2009 : The World Ocean’s Conference, a two-day meeting of ministers and officials from more than 80 countries was held in Manado, Indonesia. Rising sea levels, warming waters and increased acidity caused by global warming were some of the major issues discussed here.

A World Wildlife Fund report released to coincide with the conference reveals that the coral reefs stretching across south-east Asia will disappear by the end of the century. This area is known as the Coral Triangle, and is home to 3,000 fish species. Deforestation, coastal reclamation, destructive fishing and the pumping of pollution and sewage into sea over the last 40 years have already destroyed about 40 per cent of these coral reefs.

Cyclone Aila Rages Through Eastern India and Bangladesh

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:48:29 +0000

Where: Kolkata, India

May 28, 2009 : Cyclone Aila, which formed over the Bay of Bengal last weekend, hit the coast of India’s eastern state of West Bengal on Monday, May 25,2009. Winds blowing at the speed of 100 kilometres an hour with heavy rain caused havoc and paralysed life in the state’s capital city Kolkata. At least 10 people were killed in the city; some of them crushed to death under falling trees. The cyclone raged through several districts of the state, including the hill district of Darjeeling, where 23 people died in landslides. There were flash floods in most of the major rivers flowing through the state. The cyclone also wrecked large areas in the Sunderbans, the coastal delta chain of islands and home to a number of endangered Bengal tigers. Crops were destroyed in 24 Parganas district, and farmers there fear that the flooding by brackish waters would damage the soil and prevent any cultivation for the next two years.

Global Concern Over Possibility of Nuclear Bomb in Iran

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:30:47 +0000

Where: Tehran, Iran

February 26, 2009 : Bushehr, located on Iran’s Gulf coast, houses the country’s first nuclear facility. It was inaugurated with much ceremony, but will only become fully functional later in the year. The 1000-megawatt reactor was built with Russian help. Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations security council, which has repeatedly imposed *economic sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. The Russian government has stressed that Bushehr is a civilian facility which cannot be used to make bombs.

The Don's dream team

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 14:33:15 +0000

August 17: He is officially and unanimously known as the best cricketer of all times. Undoubtedly, he will find a place in any dream team. But who all would feature if Don Bradman created his own dream team? Well, among some of the towering giants of cricket, Indian hero, Sachin Tendulkar finds a pride of place in the Don’s ‘dream-11’ squad, according to a book ‘Bradman’s Best’ released in Sydney last week.

In the team, the legendary batsman placed himself at number three, followed by Tendulkar at four. Other greats who feature in the team include Dennis Lillee, considered the most devastating bowler by Bradman, Barry Richards, Gary Sobers and Don Tallon.

The Young Tax Commandos

Wed, 17 Jul 2002 21:45:04 +0000

October 14: Every country has its heroes in every generation, and children, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, point at them. There was a time when becoming a diplomat or a cosmonaut was the most thrilling profession for Russian children. Recognition from others, glamour and adventure – these professions seemed to have it all.

But times have changed and how. Today, the ambition of most Russian children is to have an ear to the ground. They want to be tax commandos above all else today. Tax commandos are smart police officers trained to catch people who do not pay their taxes, reports ‘The Indian Express’.

Creating News to Cover News

Sat, 10 Feb 2001 10:36:32 +0000

August 12: Throughout the world, the media’s hold on the minds of people is increasing day by day. We are often asked not to believe everything we see on television or read in the newspaper. But so compelling are the words and pictures that these media use, that it’s hard not to.

The media has become so powerful that they are forgetting a very important thing. Their job is to record news, not to create it.

Computer Whiz Grans

Fri, 02 Feb 2001 11:16:23 +0000

July 31: A.Yogananda is learning the basics of the computer at a computer centre in Pune. Like how to send and receive e-mails to friends in US, Mumbai and Bangalore. He is as excited as any kid who is learning something new.

This eager student is all of 79 years old.

And he is not the only one. Senior citizens in Pune are rushing to computer classes and taking notes like never before. In the process they are discovering a strange universe of computer terms. Like Yahoo! Windows, folders, and recycle bins.

Children's Museum says no to Dolls, Yes to e-games

Tue, 25 Nov 1997 21:56:53 +0000

June 17: For many years, the Nehru Children’s Museum in Calcutta, has been a popular place for children and adults. It has a huge collection of rare Indian and foreign toys. Many of them are handmade and depict characters from the epics of Mahabharata, the Ramayana, or the Jataka tales (or tales of the Buddha). It has toys from 88 countries. The excited chatter of children has always been a familiar sound around. But not any more. The dolls section was closed some time ago.

Slumdog Millionaire's Big Haul at the Golden Globe Awards

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 11:32:23 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, U.S.A.

January 12, 2009 : Slumdog Millionaire, an Indian story set and shot in India, is based on the novel ‘Q&A’ by an Indian diplomat and first-time novelist Vikas Swarup. It was directed by the well-known British director Danny Boyle, and released in 2008. The film won awards for best director, best picture, and screenplay (by Simon Beaufoy) in addition to best musical score. The prestigious Golden Globe awards are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association every year in Los Angeles.

New Year in South Pole

Sun, 29 Sep 2002 20:44:14 +0000

November 18: The year 2000 was ushered in with much fanfare throughout the world. Hotels in famous tourist spots were booked months in advance; the ones in cities planned glorious events lasting for days and nights.

Though there were doubts whether 2000 was really the start of the new millennium it was quickly shushed as the celebration fever was catchy. People all over went a little crazy wondering what to do at the hour when the clock would announce the arrival of the new year. Some couples even got married at the precise hour to make their celebration of year 2000 memorable.

Finns Favour Freezing Swim

Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:39:48 +0000

November 4: It’s winter in Finland and temperatures are touching single digits. Across the Arctic, from Burbank to Murmansk, the land is completely frozen. Suddenly a group of Finns appear with a pickaxe and drill a hole in the thick ice pack. Are they going to fish? So where are the rods?

Before you can blink a frozen eye, they have stripped down and stand shivering at the hole’s edge eyeing the chilly winter waters. Then, the bravest (or is it the most foolhardy?) splashes in!

Haiti Hit By Massive Earthquake

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:11:05 +0000

Where: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

January 28, 2010 : A massive earthquake hit the Caribbean nation of Haiti* on January 12, 2010. It’s magnitude was 7.0 on the Richter scale**. The earthquake struck close to the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The first tremors destroyed most of the city. Two strong aftershocks followed almost immediately. In what is one of the most devastating natural disasters in history around 200,000 people have died. To put that in context consider that the January 2001 earthquake that devastated the western Indian state of Gujarat killed around 20,000 people and the hurricane “Katrina” killed 1,836 people.

Dalai Lama Calls for End of Oppression in Tibet

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:16:50 +0000

Where: Dharamsala, India, and Beijing, China

March 13, 2009 : The Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan people, has said that Tibetan culture and identity are “nearing extinction”. He accused the Chinese government of bringing “hell on Earth” to Tibet. He was addressing thousands of supporters in India on 10 March, 2009, the 50th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.

China invaded Tibet in 1950 and made it a province of the People’s Republic of China. In 1959, the Tibetan rebellion against the Chinese occupation was crushed. The Dalai Lama, who is the religious as well as political head of the Tibetan people, fled the country and took asylum in Dharamsala in India. Here he set up the Government of Tibet in Exile. The Indian government at the time, led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, urged the Dalai Lama not to press for independence but to work on Tibet’s Seventeen Point Agreement with China.

Indians All the Way As 'Slumdog Millionaire' Sweeps Oscars

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:41:23 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

February 22, 2009 : India awoke to the sound of cheers and applause last Monday as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fetched two Oscars* for A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty. With the American-made film ‘Smile Pinki’ about an Indian girl winning the Oscar for the best short documentary, the focus was definitely on India.

Slumdog Millionaire, directed by the recognised British filmmaker Danny Boyle, is about an Indian boy. The film has an all Indian cast, and was shot in Mumbai with Indian technicians. A.R. Rahman, one of the country’s best known musicians, became the first Indian to win two Oscars (Best Original Score as well as the Best Song, ‘Jai Ho’). Rahman’s acceptance speech was simple, and the maestro modest in victory. The honours for best song are shared by the famous lyricist Gulzar. Rahman had earlier won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA awards for his work in the film.

Fossil of Giant Snake Found in South America

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:27:29 +0000

Where: Cerrejon, Colombia

February 4, 2009 : ‘Nature’ journal reports that the snake, named ‘Titanoboa cerrejonensis’ by the scientists who found the remains, would have had a 13-metre-long body and weighed 1,140 kilograms, making it the largest snake on record. A mathematical ratio between the size of vertebrae and the length of the body in living snakes was used by the team to estimate the size. The world’s heaviest snakes, green anacondas, weigh only 250 kilograms, and the longest, reticulated pythons, measure 10 metres at the most. Titanboa would have been similar to a boa constrictor, and could have swallowed a whole cow. What its prey was has not been established, but it would have needed to eat a lot.

The Case of the Stonemasons

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 00:29:34 +0000

December 27: Last year, 10 stonemasons had been taken from Udaipur to London to build a temple. Overjoyed with this opportunity to earn more money, they went along willingly. But what did they get there? Just a dirty shack to live in and only 20 pence an hour.

The stonemasons did not know that they were being exploited. However, they did know that they were being treated badly. The moment they reached London, their passports were taken away from them. Then they were threatened that they would have to go back to India on their own if they disobeyed their ’employers'.

Building a Giant Lie

Wed, 14 May 2003 00:32:05 +0000

February 5: The earthquake that struck Gujarat, one of India’s most prosperous states, will go down as among the worst since India gained independence. Both in terms of the numbers of people killed (about 50,000 are feared dead) and the scale of destruction wrought, it has few contemporary parallels.

The images of prosperity in cities such as Ahmedabad have been reduced to the symbols of a wasteland – rubble, dust, twisted steel and wire.

Building a Giant Lie [Illustration by Shinod A P]

A real tragedy, say many of us, but follow it up with a resigned look and statement about the “fury of natural disasters”. That is where we are wrong. We should actually be talking about the consequences of “man-made disaster” brought upon by greed and avarice.

Riding into a Promising Future

Mon, 21 Oct 2002 15:19:07 +0000

October 28: In Gujarat last year, thousands of girls who passed out of primary school, were given unique gifts by the Gujarat government: bicycles to ride to secondary schools.

The gifts are not meant to reward the girls for passing their examinations. They are recognised as the only way for these girls to pursue higher education in secondary school, usually situated far away from their homes.

The scheme is the brainchild of the Minister of Other Backward Castes, Gabhaji Thakore. The Indian Express has written a report on the trend.

Dead Poet's society

Sat, 20 Apr 2002 17:11:13 +0000

October 28: Do any of these names make your heart sing a sonnet – Oliver Goldsmith, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Byron? All of them are famous poets of England of long ago. But where has the poetry of these poets gone today? Is it only to be confined to a select few intellectuals, the older generation, and to the dusty cobwebbed shelves at home?

Dead Poet’s society [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Will the younger generation sweep aside the lyrics of Madonna and Michael Jackson and read classical English verses that are literally poetry-in-motion?

North Korea Conducts Nuclear Test

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:11:10 +0000

Where: Pyongyang, North Korea

May 26, 2009 : North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Monday, May 25, 2009, in the face of warnings and opposition from countries around the world. Geological sensors in South Korea detected tremors from an artificial earthquake caused by the explosion. This was followed by an official announcement by the North Korean government agencies of the successful conduct of the test. The Russian Defence Department said the bomb was probably as big as the bombs that caused such large scale destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the second World War.

Hunting for Planets in Earth's Galaxy

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:09:53 +0000

Where: Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

March 7, 2009 : The USA’s space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched its Kepler Telescope successfully from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The telescope is designed to search for planets orbiting stars other than the Sun in our galaxy, the Milky Way. William Borucki, principal science investigator of the mission, said, “Even if we find no planets like Earth, that by itself would be profound. It would indicate that we are probably alone in the galaxy.” Planets around stars other than the Sun have been thought to exist for centuries. In 1988, a team of Canadian astronomers found evidence that the star Gamma Cephei had planets.

General Elections Announced in India

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:56:09 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

March 2, 2009 : India is set to go to the polls to elect a new government. The Chief Election Commissioner Mr. N. Gopalaswami announced the schedule for the General Elections. The country will elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha, or the House of the People, in Parliament. Voting will take place on five days; April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 13, 2009. Counting of votes will take place on May 16, 2009 and results will be announced immediately. The number of voters is estimated to be 714 million. All 28 states and seven union territories will elect their representatives.

Terror Blasts in Assam on New Year's Day

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:33:40 +0000

Where: Guwahati, Assam, India

January 7, 2009 : A series of blasts rocked Guwahati, the principal town of India’s northeastern state of Assam, on January 1, 2009. Six people died, and 50 were injured. The terrorists who planned the explosions got past New Year’s Day security arrangements with alarming ease. Police said the first blast took place near a hospital, the second near the famous Kamakhya temple, and the third at Bhangaghar, one of Guwahati’s upmarket areas, and home to many of its shopping malls. Indians all over the country were shocked, as they are still coming to terms with the terror attack on Mumbai in November 2008.

Rats Race through US Cities

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:05:36 +0000

Rats Race through US Cities [Illustration by Shinod A P]

August 7: Even as Americans compete with each other in the “rat-race” for a good life, the real rats are coming out of the sewage dumps and are literally dancing on the streets. Funny though it might sound, rats have become a menace in many US cities. So much so, that in New York City, a rodent task force has been appointed to tackle the problem.

Worming into the Olympics

Mon, 06 May 2002 23:20:49 +0000

The organisers of the 2000 Sydney Olympics are very serious about projecting the Olympics as an eco-friendly event. So the Olympics village in Sydney, where the athletes are living, is entirely solar-powered. But the organisers haven’t stopped at that. They’re ensuring that even the garbage generated by people at the Olympics is eco-friendly.

For this, they’ve enlisted the help of the humble earthworm — three varieties of the earthworm, in fact. Thousands of these worms cluster behind eating areas at the Olympics. And chew their way through the garbage left there deliberately for their eating pleasure, reports an ‘Associated Press’ feature in ‘The Indian Express’.

The Long and Short of It

Mon, 04 Mar 2002 10:09:43 +0000

November 4: In a throwback to the age of British rule, constables of the Indian police force in a few districts of Andhra Pradesh, might go back to wearing knickers.

No, it’s not nostalgia for the uniforms of the colonial period. Neither is it a matter of airing the legs in the intense Andhra heat. It appears that the state police force is short of uniform cloth to make trousers for the constables.

The constables are not happy at this turn of events.

Chattering Kids and Teacher's Tape

Fri, 08 Dec 2000 19:38:32 +0000

July 8: It happened in a primary school in the city of La Plata, Argentina. There were 70 bright-eyed children in one class. Seventy chattering children, all seven years old. A school rehearsal was on for Argentina’s Independence Day celebrations. And the teacher tried her best to see that they kept quiet during the rehearsal. But, the children did not.

Chattering Kids and Teacher’s Tape [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The teacher lost her cool. She stuck tape over their mouths to make sure they did not talk. Indeed, they could not. We do not know whether the rehearsal went on after that. What we do know is that the teacher is facing charges of cruelty to children for taking such an extreme step.

Hi-tech Schools

Fri, 28 Jan 2000 10:59:58 +0000

Where: Guizhou province, China

July 15, 2000: This face appeared in the Wall Street Journal, a business newspaper in the US. What is so great about this face that it was written about in a newspaper.

The face belongs to Bi-Jiangang, a 36-year-old man, who has brought about a huge change in the school system in China. He has started a school, called the Qiannan Computer School, which teaches computer skills to poor teenagers of the Guizhou province.

The Lake and the Birds

Wed, 15 Dec 1999 06:46:25 +0000

Where: Himachal Pradesh, India

March 8, 2001: The picturesque Pong Dam lake region in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, is losing its lustre. A great deal of its charm has lain in the fact that it is north India’s largest refuge for migrating birds escaping harsh winters abroad. But not for long, if recent trends are any indication.

A low water level in the lake this year has forced the migratory birds to fly away one month in advance, says a report in The Indian Express.

Athlete's Death Casts Gloom Over Games

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Where: Vancouver, Canada

February 15, 2010 : The 21st Winter Olympics began in Vancouver, Canada, on February 12, 2010. Just hours before the opening ceremony, Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a practice session. He lost control of his sled, which was going at a speed of 90 miles per hour. The sled flew off the track at a sharp curve and crashed into a metal pillar. His event was luge: an ice sport in which the participant lies face up on a sled and propels himself forward using his calf and shoulder muscles.

More Disturbing Attacks on Indians in Australia

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:11:12 +0000

Where: Canberra, Australia

February 3, 2010 : A large number of Indians living in Australia have become the targets of violence in the past months*. Most of the victims are students, who have been beaten, robbed, and in some cases, murdered. The most recent case was that of Nitin Garg, who was stabbed to death on January 2, 2010.

In 2007-2008, there were almost 1500 cases of crimes against Indians in the state of Victoria alone. Most of them were in the capital Melbourne. Between 2004 and 2009, 33 Indians died in violent attacks countrywide.

Spate of Attacks on Indian Students in Australia

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:35:32 +0000

Where: Melbourne, Australia

May 31, 2009 : A number of Indian students were attacked in a series of violent incidents in Melbourne over the last few days. One of the most shocking incidents was the one in which 25-year-old Shravan Kumar was stabbed by a group of teenagers who forced their way into his house. Kumar, who almost died on the way to hospital, had to be put on life support systems. Days later he was reported to be out of danger, but doctors expressed doubts that he would ever recover fully.

Antarctic Ice Bridge Collapses

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:47:55 +0000

Where: Antarctica

April 4, 2009 : A satellite picture from the European Space Agency (ESA) showed that a 40 kilometre long strip of ice had splintered at its narrowest point, about 500 meters wide. It was believed to have pinned the Wilkins Ice Shelf in place. The Wilkins Ice Shelf once covered around 16,000 square kilometres. It began to shrink in the 1990s, and by May 2008, the ice bridge was all that connected it to the coast. The bridge was almost 100 km wide in 1950.

End to Recession in Sight?

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:52:13 +0000

Where: New York, USA

March 25, 2009 : The New York Stock Exchange and European Stock markets showed high trading figures after the American government announced that it had planned another bailout package for banks. The United States Treasury is also expected to pump $1 trillion into the market for buying up ’toxic assets’. This means government will put money into those ‘bad assets’ which have frozen trading and aggravated the recession.

Mr. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, the central bank in USA, said he expects that the recession in the country will end this year. The recession, or economic slump, began in 2007. Large numbers of businesses closed down and most others have cut down on jobs and pay packets. The number of unemployed people is still rising in the USA and in the United Kingdom.

Pet Chimpanzee Shot After Violent Attack

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:04:02 +0000

Where: Stamford, Connecticut, USA

February 17, 2009 : A pet chimpanzee named Travis, belonging to a Ms.Sandra Herold of Stamford, Connecticut, was shot and killed by the police after it broke out of its cage and attacked a woman. Travis, it seems, got out of control, escaped from his cage and attacked a 55-year-old woman friend of Ms. Herold’s. He bit her several times, and her injuries were said to be life-threatening. She was removed to hospital and was in a critical condition.

India's Software Giant Satyam Computer Services in Country's Biggest Corporate Scandal

Tue, 15 May 2007 02:05:38 +0000

Where: Hyderabad, India

January 09, 2009 : Satyam, India’s fourth-largest software company, is at the centre of the country’s biggest corporate scandal. The group’s Chairman, Ramalinga Raju revealed on 7 January, 2009, that around US $1.04 billion (Rs. 5000 crore or 94% of the company’s cash assets, was non-existent, and that figures and account books had been ‘cooked’, or modified, to show profits. Raju resigned from the Board of Directors, and his location is at present unknown.

World Economic Forum Davos 2009 Begins On Gloomy Note

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:22:21 +0000

Where: Davos,Switzerland

January 28, 2009: The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, began on January 28, 2009 and will conclude on February 1, 2009. The theme of this year’s meet is ‘Shaping the Post-Crisis World’. There are around 2,600 delegates, including political and business leaders from all over the world participating in a series of discussions on economic and political issues. Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao addressed the meeting on the opening day.

It's Hi Harry, Bye Hardy Boys

Sun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:11 +0000

August 1: On July 31, as an army of children and adults got ready to “celebrate” Harry Potter’s birthday, there was a young fictional heroine waiting to share the limelight with him. Her name? Lyra Belacqua, a girl with extraordinary powers, unusual friends, and living an orphaned life as well. Lyra Belacqua is the name of the latest craze unleashed by writer David Pullman among young book readers in the US.

The verdict is clear; Harry Potter and Lyra Belacqua are here to stay. Gone are the days when the clean and well-scrubbed Hardy boys, Nancy Drew, the Famous Five and The Secret Seven ruled over young readers’ hearts and cupboards.

For the Olympic Heights of Stamina

Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:58:54 +0000

September 7: The horse is a symbol of strength, power and stamina. Ever wondered about the secret behind its energy? It is the kind of food the animal eats. Ask the person who has to keep up the energy levels of one of the world’s costliest racehorses, Fusaichi Pegasus, worth all of $4 million (approximately 1.8 crore rupees).

That is the reason why US Olympic swimmer, Gary Hall, is all set to imitate Fusaichi Pegasus’ diet in the hope that it will work wonders for him at the forthcoming Olymic Games.

Fiji's President Revokes Constitution

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:56:30 +0000

Where: Suvo, Fiji

April 10, 2009 : Fiji’s Court of Appeal declared that President Ratu Josefa Iloilo’s military government was illegal. Three judges of the Court of Appeal ruled that the president should appoint an independent caretaker prime minister to dissolve Parliament and call a general election.

In retaliation, the President revoked the constitution and sacked the judges. He also declared a public emergency and decreed that fresh elections will not be held for five years. In 2006, the present regime had ousted the elected government and appointed an interim Government. The Court ruled that both actions were unconstitutional.

World Health Organisation Declares Swine Flu Pandemic

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:54:58 +0000

Where: Geneva, Switzerland

June 12, 2009 : The World Health Organisation (WHO), one of the United Nations organisations, officially declared a worldwide swine flu pandemic* after an emergency meeting on June 11, 2009. The flu, which has spread all over the world, is a new strain of the influenza A virus subtype H1N1. The virus was identified in April 2009, and is commonly referred to as swine flu. It infects human beings and can be transmitted either by coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth. The symptoms include fever, bodyache and stiffness in the joints. In extreme cases, the flu can kill. By May 24, 2009, nearly 90 per cent of the deaths reported had taken place in Mexico.

Potatoes get you in the pink of health

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 05:34:08 +0000

Where: Spain

June 25, 2007: Word’s just in: potatoes are good for you. But, you may still have to hold off on those fries you’ve been eyeing. Turns out, potatoes are best eaten in a cold salad, and not drowned in oil.

A team of Spanish researchers say that eating potatoes could have a beneficial effect on the body’s immune system. They’re rich in vitamin C and B-complex, have good doses of minerals like iron, calcium, managanese, magnesium and phosphorus, and believe it or not, are great for the tummy.

When Everyone Counts

Sun, 16 Mar 2003 15:36:25 +0000

March 28: Have you been counted yet? But you must have been! There’s one head count that cannot afford to leave anyone out. It is the Census 2001.

Census is a small Latin word meaning register. But to the people responsible for conducting it, it implies a marathon task. Census means counting each and every person in the country and gathering data related to them.

In India, the first Census was conducted in 1872. Thereafter, it has been held every 10 years. The groundwork for this Census started two years ago, while the Census operation itself was held between February 9, 2001 to February 28, 2001. A revision was held in the first week of March.

In Shakespearean Settings!

Fri, 14 Mar 2003 07:34:50 +0000

April 21: Nearly 400 years ago, the brilliant English dramatist William Shakespeare, wrote Macbeth, the story of a Scottish general who kills his monarch, King Duncan, and slowly becomes mad. The play is based on the life of a real 11th century general. It is universally accepted as a great tragedy, and is one of Shakespeare’s best plays.

It appears that all the ingredients of another bloody Shakespearean tragedy are brewing among Macbeth’s modern-day descendents. The ingredients include an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands, sinister curses and a family feud, writes a

Truant Teachers

Fri, 07 Dec 2001 11:33:59 +0000

July 31: Think of a school or college where classes are not held everyday. Sounds like a dream school or college?

But, a dream college like this is also a place where students don’t really learn much. The reason is very simple. Their teachers don’t have the time to teach them.

The Delhi University is such a place. Where teachers make a habit of not attending classes. Naturally, their students also do the same.

Truant Teachers [Illustration by Shiju George]

But, it’s not only the teachers and their students who shirk work. They have company in college principals. And administrators too. That’s what a report in ‘The Times of India’ says.

Killing them Surely

Tue, 14 Sep 1999 03:12:15 +0000

Where: Surat, Gujarat, India

November 4, 2000: When a member of the Parsi community dies, according to their religion, the body is not buried or consigned to flames. It is placed in the “Tower of Silence” for the scavenger birds or vultures to feed on them so that even in death the body is of use.

In Surat, Gujarat, till a few years ago, the body would be eaten up in no time in the Tower of Silence or the Dhokma as it is locally called. About 100 to 150 vultures would descend on the body minutes after it was placed on the Dhokhma and consume it in a few minutes.

Pakistani Taliban Public Flogging Video Creates Shock Wave

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:58:24 +0000

Where: Islamabad, Pakistan

April 3, 2009 : The Taliban authorised the brutal public flogging of a 17-year-old girl by four men in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The incident was recorded and broadcast over the internet. Shock and disbelief shook many sections of the Pakistani population. The video opened up the question of religion-backed violence against women in the country. It raised serious doubts about the wisdom of the Pakistan government’s peace deal with the Taliban. The government had agreed to the imposition of ‘Sharia’ or Islamic law in the Swat valley, which is under Taliban control. The video was shot by ‘spectators’ who were encouraged to record the event on their phone cameras by Taliban members.

New Government Takes Over in Israel

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:41:15 +0000

Where: Jerusalem, Israel

April 1, 2009 : Benjamin Netanyahu became the prime minister of Israel for a second time, to head a coalition government. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed the hope that the new government would work for peace, and towards establishing an independent Palestinian state. The United Nations is part of what is called the ‘Quartet of Middle East peace brokers’ along with the United States, Russia and the European Union.

Plane Crash in New York Kills Fifty

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:32:16 +0000

Where: New York, USA

February 12, 2009 : A commercial air plane crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground. The plane burst into flames on impact. The Continental Airlines plane was on its way from Newark, New Jersey before crashing some distance away from the airport. Two people in the house were injured. The house itself was completely destroyed, and the authorities evacuated people from the neighbourhood, so that investigations could be carried out.

The Famous Five

Sat, 11 Aug 2001 14:03:57 +0000

Meet the “Famous Five” — Arjun Bansal, Vijay Kumar, Shruti Chandrsekhar, Arvind Thiagarajan and Sundeep Venkataraman. These five teenagers have just got jobs in the Research & Development wing of the India branch of Lucent Technologies — the famous American company.

The teenagers were handed offers of employment in the company recently. They can join the company as soon as they complete their graduation.

The Famous Five [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

But first, they had to score the highest marks in a test done to discover the “best and brightest minds” in the cities of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. They beat 655 other candidates.

The Sweet Taste of Success

Fri, 22 May 1998 08:48:06 +0000

June 24: Vaibhav Bhagate starts work at 5.00 am. He works as an apprentice at the Technical Training Centre of the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking. After school, he attends class at the Vikas Night High School and Junior College at night.

Vaibhav is the son of a former municipal employee, Sitaram. He has topped the merit list of night students in this year’s Higher Secondary Examination of the Maharashtra State Board. Last week, he was felicitated by Anil Deshmukh, the Minister of State for Education. This was reported in ‘The Indian Express’.

Atlantis on 'Space Surgery' Mission for Hubble Telescope

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:20:20 +0000

Where: Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

May 11, 2009 : The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on a two day space journey to the Hubble Space Telescope. Seven astronauts were on board to service and repair the telescope. The Hubble Telescope is a space research tool that was put into orbit outside the earth’s atmosphere in 1990. It is one of the largest space telescopes in existence. Hubble is a cooperative project between USA’s NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the European Space Agency.

Quizzically Yours

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:31:54 +0000

September 6: Eight-year old Neha is the happiest girl in India. Her father has just won a huge amount of money at a popular television quiz show. Neha coached him for the show.

The game show, ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC), is the Indianised version of the famous American show ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ Contestants are given 15 questions to answer. The person who answers all the questions correctly, wins 10 million dollars (in KBC he or she wins one crore rupees.)

Rags-to-Riches: The Café Route

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 14:31:54 +0000

Where: London, UK

December 10, 2008 :Question: Name an impoverished British woman writer who wrote her first novel in sitting in cafes with her child, and went on to become a billionaire bestselling writer? J.K. Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter series, comes to mind at once. Well, now there’s more.

Marina Fiorato, new bestselling writer, says she was inspired by J.K.Rowling to write her book in cafes, according to a news item in Forbes.com. The author, her husband and little son lived in a small one-bedroom apartment. She would sit in the café for hours at a time, writing and nursing a coffee. The method seems to have worked, all right.

Coaching, Anyone?

Mon, 19 Aug 2002 23:22:45 +0000

October 21: Open any newspaper and chances are that you will find yourself staring at a full page advertisement of some coaching college proudly claiming that the bright young girl who topped the IIT entrance examination (her photograph is so smudged that you can’t see) had been coached by their able guides.

If there isn’t an advertisement in the newspaper there is bound to be a flyer or single sheet of paper concealed within the folds of the newspaper so that it catches your attention even before that news item on cricket match fixing that you are looking for.

The Common Man's Film-maker

Thu, 09 May 2002 07:02:29 +0000

September 23: From the rollicking ‘Chupke Chupke’ and ‘Golmaal’ to the shades of jealousy in ‘Abhimaan’, from the quiet seriousness of ‘Anupama’ to the tragic ‘Anand’, veteran film maker Hrishikesh Mukherjee has covered an entire range of emotions and relationships in his films.

In a career spanning more than four decades, he became known as the man who touched a chord in the common man – the middle class in particular. And the ordinary film viewer responded to his quiet flowering in the only way he or she knew – by seeing Hrishi_da_’s films again and again.

Boys' cancer unites warring people

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 11:34:11 +0000

August 5: Thirteen-year-old Kemal Saracoglu does not have much longer to live. He suffers from leukaemia or what is commonly known as blood cancer, usually a fatal disease. There had been a brief moment of hope when it was thought that his life could be lengthened, if not saved. That moment passed as the British doctors looking after Kemal in London said that the cancer had once again started attacking the young boy’s body mercilessly.

Mending Fences

Sun, 03 Jun 2001 08:29:08 +0000

August 19: South Africa is all set to sign an important agreement with its two neighbours – Zimbabwe and Mozambique. If all goes well, this agreement will help create the largest animal reserve or wildlife park in the world. The fences separating the national parks in the border region of each country will be removed and tourists and animals alike will be free to cross over.

Millions of antelopes, almost 20,000 elephants and many, many animals on the endangered list can be found in this region. Environmentalists say that the animals will increase in number once the fences, preventing free movement, are removed.

French President Calls For Ban on Burqas For Muslim Women

Wed, 12 May 2010 08:28:50 +0000

Where: Paris, France

June 23, 2009 : A small but growing group of French women wear burqas and niqabs, while many more wear the simple Muslim headscarf. Burqas and niqabs cloak the entire body and cover everything but the eyes. Last week, President Sarkozy told Parliament he proposed banning burqas in public, calling them “a sign of debasement” for women.

“We cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity,” Sarkozy said. “It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic.” The President’s statement came after a petition demanding a parliamentary inquiry on the wearing of burqas by a group of 60 lawmakers from all political parties.

Villagers go Online

Mon, 20 May 2002 22:03:52 +0000

October 28: The internet is quietly transforming the lives of over 20,000 people in six villages around the South Indian state of Pondicherry. Whether it’s sugarcane farmers in Kizhur village using the net to consult an entomologist ( one who fights bugs ) online, to save their crops from being ravaged by bugs, or a farm-worker making incense sticks under a government-sponsored scheme about which she found out on the net, the internet has become crucial to the lives of all the villagers.

Report cards

Fri, 22 Mar 2002 19:45:04 +0000

October 21: The two news reports appeared almost at once and said a lot about the state of affairs in education in the world.

One was the announcement of a whopping US$210 billion Gates Scholarship set up at England’s prestigious Cambridge University by the richest man on earth, Microsoft boss Bill Gates. The scholarship fund will enable 225 youngsters from across the world to be Gates Cambridge Scholars every year, beginning 2001.

Report cards [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Graduate students from every country in the world, barring the United Kingdom, would be eligible to apply. The scholarship fund will thus help talented students particularly from developing countries like India which are fast gaining an enviable reputation, to do well.

US Navy Rescue Mission Recaptures Ship, Frees Captain From Somali Pirates

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:55:52 +0000

Where: Mogadishu, Somalia

April 13, 2009 : Somalian pirates captured the MV Maersk Alabama, an American cargo ship which was carrying 5,000 tonnes of United Nations emergency relief supplies to Kenya. The crew managed to regain control of the ship, but pirates captured the Captain and escaped with him as hostage on a lifeboat. Four days later (on Easter Sunday), April 12, 2009, Capt. Richard Phillips was rescued, and his pirate captors were shot by the US Navy. Three pirates were killed and a fourth was taken into custody.

Swine flu flies to all corners of the earth

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:43:04 +0000

Where: Worldwide!

April 30, 2009 : Swine Flu has claimed the life of its first victim in the United States of America, a small child who lives near the Mexican border. With this, it appears that the world is on the brink of a virus attack, the Swine Flu.

It all started in Mexico, in South America, where people started getting sick with, and dying of, the H1N1 or Swine Flu virus. What makes it even more difficult to control, is that the symptoms of the virus are a lot like just regular flu. There’s fever, perhaps a sore throat, body ache, stiffness in joints, perhaps a bit of diarrhoea and vomiting. The only way to confirm if a person has contracted the Swine Flu virus is to get a blood test done in a laboratory.

Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana Steps Down

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:01:43 +0000

Where: Antananarivo, Madagascar

March 17, 2009 : President Marc Ravalomanana of Madagascar stepped down as troops seized control of his offices and the presidential residence. Mr. Andry Rajoelina declared himself president with the support of military forces. He rejected Mr Ravalomanana’s offer of a referendum to solve the crisis and called for his arrest. He also announced that there would be a new constitution and elections in the next 24 months.

Navy admiral Hyppolite Ramaroson confirmed that the military was backing Mr. Rajoelina as ‘president of the high transitional authority’. Mr. Rajoelina, a former disc jockey, was sacked as mayor of the capital city Antananarivo in February. As mayor, he had organised protests against rising food prices and government corruption. Thousands of people took to the streets at the time and engaged in violent conflict with government forces.

Somdev Devvarman Shines at Davis Cup Matches

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:02:57 +0000

Where: Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei

March 8, 2009 : India’s top tennis singles player Somdev Devvarman beat world number 59 Lu Yen-Hsun from Chinese Taipei in the second round Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I fixture. Devvarman made short work of his opponent, defeating him in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. The victory took India to the third and final round of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I competition, defeating Chinese Taipei 3-2.

On Saturday, India had won the doubles match against Chinese Taipei with Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi defeating Yang and Chu-Huan Yi. Devvarman won both the singles matches he played, while teammate Rohan Bopanna lost both his singles matches.

Couch pet-atoes

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 08:07:19 +0000

Where: Lucknow, India

July 18, 2007: First it was kids. Now, it’s the dogs. Middle class families across India are plagued by obesity. In other words, from the master to his pooch, everyone is fat, and very likely sick.

According to a report in The Times of India, doctors at the Government Veterinary Hospital (GVH) in Lucknow estimate that nearly one in every three pet dogs in the city is falling sick because of the kind of lives their owners lead.

All for One

Sun, 10 Aug 2003 16:30:21 +0000

February 26: What happens when someone in authority takes advantage of the position that he is in, to harass someone weaker? In India, more often than not, the victim ends up doing nothing about it. Why not? Fear forces him or her to keep quiet.

But not everyone believes in living up to the image of the powerless Indian. And when that ‘someone’ turns out to be an entire village, generally thought to be unchanging, it demands our attention.

They See!

Wed, 05 Mar 2003 06:27:04 +0000

March 19: Among the relief workers who rushed to Kutch, Gujarat, to help the quake-affected people, was 26-year-old Sudha Patel. Sudha, who is the sarpanch or village head of Changa village in the Anand district of Gujarat, began by collecting woollen clothes, foodgrains, blankets and donations of food packs and mineral water.

Then she began to send “family kits” consisting of tea, sugar and other necessary items, to the quake victims.

Sudha is visually impaired.

The Empowered Woman of Nyala

Sat, 15 Jun 2002 23:59:44 +0000

September 23: For someone who has never travelled beyond the village, a trip to New York is something to be excited about. And it’s no different for Shakuntala Bai, of Nyala, in Rajasthan.

She attended a two-day conference in New York organised by the Hunger Project and in the process met US President Bill Clinton too! Representing India, she spoke on “panchayati raj and the role of women”.

The Hunger Project is a movement working to end hunger and poverty in India. It works in more than 1,200 villages across 11 states. The project aims to mobilize grass roots people to change laws, collect resources and remove obstacles to build lives free from hunger.

Army Comes to the Aid of Birds

Wed, 06 Feb 2002 14:07:05 +0000

October 14: Harike sanctuary, a large wetland in India’s Punjab district, has just undergone a massive clean-up operation. The sprucing-up of a large part of the sanctuary has been done to welcome a special group of tourists who had stopped coming to the sanctuary because it had stopped being hospitable.

These tourists used to come all the way from Siberia, China, Central Asia and Ladakh to escape the harsh winter months. They were migratory birds like the cotton teal and common pochard, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’. Almost 360 species of birds have been recorded earlier in the vicinity of the sanctuary.

Conquering Britain!

Thu, 21 Jan 1999 00:08:26 +0000

Where: Birmingham, UK

November 25, 2000: A few weeks ago, we wrote about Indian-born Roshan Doug, who has been selected as the poet-laureate for the city of Birmingham in Britain. Close on the heels of that news comes another: Birmingham councillors will be giving an Indian name to a few suburbs in the city.

Birmingham’s Apna Town

Apna Town (our town) will be the new name for Sparbrook, a group of suburbs in Birmingham city. So this Christmas, if you drive past the Midlands (160 km north of London) you can see the Apna Town signage in English, Hindi, Gurmukhi and Urdu. A report on this, written by ‘India Abroad News Service’, appeared in the ‘Asian Age’.

The Chief Minister and the Butterfly

Thu, 17 Sep 1998 07:22:25 +0000

Where: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

July 1, 2000: Indian politicians are mighty people, especially when they are in power. Even Nature trembles before their arrogant minds. Some years ago, when India was ruled by a Congress-I government, its environment minister decided to build a guest house in Manali. Why not, you may ask. It’s a nice place. But there was one small problem – he wanted to have the course of a river changed so that he could have his guesthouse exactly where he wanted it.

Pakistan's Armed Forces Take on Taliban : Civilians Flee War Zone

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:39:55 +0000

Where: Islamabad, Pakistan

May 14, 2009 : Pakistan’s government signed a peace agreement with the Taliban*, which had taken control of the country’s Swat valley region in February 2009, and allowed it to impose Islamic Sharia law there. The militants started moving towards the capital Islamabad in the following months. Pakistani forces launched a military operation against them in late April using airstrikes, artillery bombardment and rocket attacks by helicopter gunships.

On May 11, a spokesperson of the Pakistani armed forces said that 200 militants had been killed in the fighting. Around 15,000 troops are now said to be fighting 5,000 militants in the Swat valley. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani called the conflict a “fight for the survival of the country”.

Terror Attack on Touring Sri Lankan Test Cricketers in Pakistan

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:07:54 +0000

Where: Lahore, Pakistan

March 3, 2009 : In an incident that shocked the governments and the people of the cricket-loving region, visiting players became the targets of a terrorist attack. Seven members of the Sri Lankan cricket team touring Pakistan were injured and six Pakistani poicemen were killed. The players were on their way to the Gaddafi stadium on the third day of the second cricket test match against hosts Pakistan. The team bus and police escort vehicles were waylaid near the Liberty Square roundabout. They were attacked by 10 to 12 masked gunmen bearing AK-47 guns, grenades, and rocket launchers. They first hit the vehicles leading the convoy, and then opened fire on the team bus. The attackers managed to escape, leaving their weapons and ammunition behind.

Hundreds Die In Australian Bush Blaze

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 03:09:57 +0000

Where: Melbourne, Australia

February 9, 2009 : Australia’s worst disaster in over a century, the bushfires could claim up to 230 victims. Bush* fires are common occurrences in the hot and dry Australian summer. This summer, the country has seen a severe drought and recorded temperatures as high as 47 degrees centigrade, as well as winds at speeds of over 90 km per hour. The fires have already destroyed more than 750 homes and an area of nearly 3,500 square kilometres. Twenty towns south of Melbourne fall in the disaster area.

Death Sentence for Makers of Killer Baby Milk in China

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 16:18:59 +0000

Where: Shijiazhuang, China

January 22, 2009 : The Sanlu Group is the largest producer of baby milk powder in China. The toxic substance melamine, which is used in the manufacture of resins, was added to raw milk so that it would appear to be higher in protein content. Six babies died as a result of drinking the milk and around 300,000 more took ill in September 2008. Around 900 tonnes of contaminated milk left the Sanlu dairies with the knowledge of the top management.

Reaching the Top of the World

Sat, 23 Oct 2004 08:08:47 +0000

May 23: Looks can be deceptive. At 16, Temba Tsheri Sherpa looks like any ordinary schoolboy from Kathmandu. But look closely. He is the youngest person to scale the world’s highest peak – the 8,848-metre-high Mount Everest, The Telegraph newspaper reported.

Reaching the Top of the World [Illustration by Anup Singh]

By climbing the peak 16 days after his 16th birthday, on May 22, he broke the record set by another Nepali climber, Shambu Tamang, in 1973, at the age of 17.

Flooded by disaster

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 13:27:43 +0000

July 31: Monsoon in Orissa has meant only one thing in the recent past: floods. It’s no different this year. Floods have left 85 lakh people in over 15,000 villages homeless. The official death toll: 80. And one lakh hectare of crops have been submerged.

About 5,000 kilometres of roadways, 500 kilometres of the national highways, and piped water supply sources to 61 towns have been submerged, causing widespread chaos and distress. As happens in such situations, water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, malaria and jaundice have affected more than 15,500 people, says a report in

Simayal's Women

Thu, 17 Jan 2002 04:46:24 +0000

September 30: Rows and rows of fresh vegetables and fruits: cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes, peas, bananas, apricots and apples in clean surroundings. That’s some of the stuff that greets Delhi-ites at the government-run ‘Mother Dairy’ outlets, which have mirrors on their walls to give a rich sense of plenty to buyers, at reasonable prices. No wonder, these outlets are great favourites with consumers.

Ever wondered where the outlets’ seemingly never-ending source of fresh produce comes from? There are many different sources and one of them happens to be Simayal, a remote mountain village in the Kumaon region of Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Every Ball You Bowl, Every Shot You Play

Thu, 18 Oct 2001 08:40:41 +0000

July 31: A spy will be hired to keep a watch on the activities of cricket players in Pakistan. This decision has been made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The idea is to prevent the players from fixing any more matches.

The spy will shadow the team, stay in the hotel and keep an eye on the cricketers. Like who they meet, where they go, and when they return to the hotel. So anxious is the PCB that the job is well done, that it has decided to keep the identity of the spy a complete secret. The players will be told about the appointment of a spy so that they feel nervous all the time. A report on this was carried by ‘The Asian Age’ recently.

A Penalty Kick into Disaster

Fri, 06 Apr 2001 20:38:26 +0000

Where: Kandahar, Afghanistan

July 22, 2000: It was the strangest football match that the Pakistani team had ever played. There they were in the city of Kandahar, in Afghanistan, for a match with a local team. Every sportsperson knows that home teams always get a lot more support than the visiting team, and is even prepared for it. But none of the Pakistani players were quite prepared for what happened to them on the football ground.

The Fearless Doctor

Sun, 15 Aug 1999 15:34:22 +0000

Where: Jolo Island, Philippines

July 1, 2000: She has dared to go where most of us wouldn’t. She went inside the jungles of southern Philippines where an armed group of people was holding 21 people, as hostages. Her purpose was to treat the kidnapped hostages, mostly foreigners.

She has made eight trips to the camp since June 10, says a recent report in ‘The Indian Express’.

This brave woman is Nelsa Amin. Nelsa works as a health officer in Jolo island in Philippines. She is 65 years old. And, patients with gunshot wounds are a common sight for her. For a long time there has been some conflict or the other between different groups in this part of the country – either with the government or between themselves. They fight each other to control the area and they all have weapons. Gun fights and bombings are common in this part of Philippines.

A Tale of Two Wonders

Wed, 07 Oct 1998 07:06:01 +0000

Where: USA and India

June 24, 2000: In the first week of June, Indian newspapers wrote about two very different kinds of success stories. Both involved youngsters — one 12 year old and another teenaged boy. One was in the United States, the other was in Madurai (Tamil Nadu), India. But both proved that their success had very little to do with the education system. It had more to do with their desires and determination.

Madhav Kumar Nepal Takes Office as Prime Minister of Nepal

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:00:18 +0000

Where: Kathmandu, Nepal

May 30, 2009 : Mr.Madhav Kumar Nepal took office as Prime Minister of Nepal on Monday. Earlier this month the Maoist-led government of Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda") had collapsed. “Prachanda” had led the Maoist movement to establish a republic and abolish monarchy. The Shah kings had been the rulers of Nepal since 1768. The rebellion lasted 10 years and ended in the year 2006. Around 14,000 people died in the conflict. In 2008, the monarch, King Gyanendra, stepped down, and Prachanda became the Prime Minister. After eight months in office, he resigned because the country’s President refused to back his decision to sack the army chief.

A 'Big Bang' in Earth's Orbital Space

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:56:40 +0000

Where: Orbital Space around Earth

February 15, 2009 : An American and a Russian satellite collided over Siberia, Russia, on February 10, 2009. Five days after the event, there were reports that burning fragments of the wreckage were spotted over several American cities. The American satellite, Iridium 33, was a civilian communications satellite launched in 1997, and the Russian one, Kosmos-2251, was a non-functioning military communications satellite, launched in 1993. Both satellites weighed over 450 kilograms. Travelling at approximately 28,000 kilometres per hour, they collided 790 kilometres above the earth. This was the largest accident in space in recent times, and it has created a mass of almost 600 chunks of fragments.

Cholera Epidemic Spreads Countrywide in Zimbabwe

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:45:23 +0000

Where: Harare, Zimbabwe

January 23, 2009 : A report that the World Health Organisation made in early January said 2,200 people had died from cholera in Zimbabwe since August 2008. One week later, the United Nations reported a 20 per cent rise in cholera cases, and the figure now stands at 2,755. Nearly 50,000 people have been infected with the disease. The humanitarian aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres said that the epidemic was now spreading to rural areas.

Climate Change: Some Chilling Facts

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:05:22 +0000

Where London: United Kingdom

February 5, 2009 : All of Europe and much of North America experienced very chilly weather and battled snow and ice through most of January. Snowfall of unexpected proportions hit Madrid, Spain, and severe storms blew across France, U.K., Germany, and Northern Italy.

Since February 2, 2009 the U.K. has seen unusual amounts of snowfall. By midday on February 2 alone, about a foot of snow had fallen over London, the heaviest snowfall over the city in 18 years. London’s Underground, the world’s oldest underground rail transport system, national highways and air transport services across the country were severely affected. Thousands of children stayed home as schools shut down across England, Scotland and Wales after more snowfall on February 5.

The Brightest of Them All

Sun, 28 Jul 2002 14:58:58 +0000

November 4: Children of Indian origin in Britain, are outperforming white children in important secondary school examinations. The British office for standards in education, Ofsted, shows that the number of Indian children passing five exams at the special Grade C level, a level corresponding to the Indian class 12, has risen from 23 per cent to 49 per cent between 1988 and 1997.

What this means is that many more Indian-born children are eligible to attend university in Britain now, than in the past.

High Performance, Low Pollution

Thu, 23 May 2002 15:44:47 +0000

With the number of vehicles and industries growing at an alarming rate in India, pollution levels are also shooting up. Most of us go about our daily lives feeling the impact of pollution in smarting eyes and asthmatic sighs, but we do not do much beyond talking about it. But there are some people who are actually thinking of ways in which to preserve a green environment so that we can all breathe cleaner air.

Woman who Terrifies Burma's Military

Thu, 04 Apr 2002 12:04:25 +0000

Woman who Terrifies Burma’s Military []

September 23: Two days ago, commuters at the railway station in Myanmar or Burma’s capital city Yangon (earlier spelt Rangoon), were confronted with a scary sight. A posse of policemen in riot gear, was swarming all over the station.

No, it wasn’t a dreaded terrorist attack that they were guarding against. They were preventing a frail 55 year-old woman from boarding the five pm train to Mandalay, according to reports in ‘The Hindu’ and ‘The Indian Express’.

How to Write the Right Way

Tue, 12 Mar 2002 22:15:43 +0000

September 9 : These are days of the high-tech child. A child whose grasp of the computer is phenomenal and who knows how to handle the mouse better than he can handle toys.

But in this rush to be computer whizzes at age fifteen and below, kids are forgetting how to hold pens and pencils. Or, to put it simply, today’s kids are forgetting how to write.
It looks as if the days of the neat homework book, with pages and pages of beautiful, tidy writing – the school-going child’s special pride – will soon be a thing of the past.

The Teenage Teacher of Pune

Sat, 05 Jan 2002 22:20:02 +0000

September 30: If you educate a man, you educate one individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a family, so goes a popular saying. But Ganga Waghmare of Pune has done more than educate a family. She has educated all the women of her neighbourhood. That would make it many families!

Ganga is 16 years old. She’s been teaching for three years now. Because of her efforts, 30 women have become confident about being able to read and write. This ability has, in turn, given them the confidence to make their own way in the world.

The Minister who Couldn't Add

Tue, 24 Jul 2001 16:42:06 +0000

July 22: I want to say it simple and clear: I am bad at arithmetic. In school I could not even add up my marks in the annual report card. I could never figure out figures at all. So I have a sneaking sympathy for Miroslaw Handke for what happened to him recently. He lost his job because he couldn’t calculate.

Handke is the Education Minister of Poland. Probably, his math skills are as bad as mine but he still went on to calculate the money that his Ministry would mark for the running of schools in the annual budget. It is his job. But he bungled badly.

Fire in Water

Fri, 17 Nov 2000 18:26:56 +0000

July 8: A flame moved through water! Unbelievable?
But it is true.

Fire in Water [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

This was the Olympic flame. It was carried under water last week.

Why, one would ask. Because the games are being held in Sydney this year. The Olympic Games are held once in four years. And each time it is held, the Olympic flame is lit in Athens, the birthplace of the games, and carried to the venue of the games.

Robbing the Rich for Rain

Tue, 15 Feb 2000 20:28:59 +0000

July 8: Life becomes difficult when it does not rain. Farmers try all sorts of things to make the rain gods happy. Some get frogs married, others perform ‘pujas’ or worship. But, the Bhil tribals of Mewar, Rajasthan, are different. They plunder or rob the houses of traders, most of whom happen to be Jains, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper.

The Bhils believe that the traders keep the monsoon clouds trapped inside their lockers. The only way to free the clouds is to open the locker. In the process, the traders’ treasure chests are emptied too!

Mutiny in Dhaka: 70 People Killed by Rebels

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:51:35 +0000

Where: Dhaka, Bangladesh

February 28, 2009 : The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troops rose in revolt against their commanders on 25 February, 2009 after a dispute. The BDR is a paramilitary unit that patrols the country’s borders. There was resentment among the troops over some issues, including pay. The BDR chiefs are all officers from the regular Bangladesh Army, and this was not acceptable to the troops either.

At a meeting between troops and officers where the men are allowed to air their grievances, the rebels started spraying bullets at officers. They killed their commanding officers and then their wives and families. Over 2,000 BDR paramilitaries took control of the regiment headquarters and held 100 people hostage. Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered tanks to be sent in and issued stern warnings. The rebels surrendered on the second day of the uprising. They were offered a legal pardon on surrender, but ministers in the government said the “people directly involved in the killings” would be punished. The legal penalty for mutiny is death.

Riots Rage in Greece After Cop Shoots Boy

Thu, 31 May 2007 14:43:58 +0000

Where: Athens, Greece

December 11, 2008 : The shooting took place after a verbal disagreement between two police officers and a small group of people in the Exarcheia district of Athens. Eyewitnesses said the police officer fired directly at the boy. In the riots that followed, protesters expressed their rage against the government. They set hundreds of buildings on fire, and hurled petrol bombs at police. Even the giant Christmas tree on Athens’ central Syntagma Square was torched.

Toilet Matters

Sat, 06 Feb 1999 15:38:04 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

August 3, 2000 : As a kid, I had a big problem going out. I hated the thought of travel. It’s not that I was a stay-at-home type. I liked visiting people, places. But travel I hated. For, in the midst of a particularly long journey, I would desperately want to go to the toilet. My parents would ask me to hold on, as there were no suitable public toilets for girls. I would try but start to fidget again. My parents would search for toilet, none would be found suitable. In fact, most of the time, none would be found at all. How I hated travel!

Militants Attack Police Academy in Pakistan

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:46:33 +0000

Where: Lahore, Pakistan

March 30, 2009 : Less than a month after the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers, militants targeted a police training school in Manawan on the outskirts of Lahore. They killed eight police recruits and two civilians, and injured nearly 100 people.

At 7.30 a.m., around 850 unarmed recruits at the school had assembled for their morning parade. At least 10 armed militants jumped over the boundary walls and entered the grounds. They threw grenades at the assembly and fired indiscriminately. All the recruits who died fell in this first strike. The attackers were in their twenties, bearded and dressed in salwar-kameez. Some of them wore police uniforms.They all carried backpacks full of arms and ammunition. Within an hour of the attack, it became clear that the police could not control the situation, and the government called in the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers and the Army. Three of the attackers blew themselves up to avoid being captured. Only one man was arrested.

They Don't Listen To Us

Thu, 28 Oct 2004 13:25:43 +0000

June 8: We have all heard of adults doling out that fearful thing called a report card to children year after year to remark on their academic performance. But as the school year comes to a close in the US, the Uhlich Teen Report Card, released in Chicago, is bound to raise many eyebrows. Here adults don’t give grades, they get graded by teenagers on their ability to handle issues affecting the youngsters, says a report in the Hindustan Times.

First Pope To Set Foot in Mosque

Fri, 24 Jan 2003 08:57:46 +0000

May 11: Pope John Paul II created history by setting foot in the Omayyad mosque in Damascus on his historic visit to Syria recently. He is the first Pope in Christianity’s 2000 year history to enter a mosque.

First Pope To Set Foot in Mosque [Illustration by Shinod AP]

And it isn’t just some ordinary mosque that the Pope stepped into, reports the Hindu newspaper. The site of the Omayyad mosque has a religious history predating Christianity, and goes back more than 3000 years.

A Syllabus for Harmony

Thu, 11 Jul 2002 08:14:59 +0000

November 24: A syllabus where a chapter on Habba Khatoon, a famous Kashmiri poet, jostles for space along with chapters on papier-mâché, hanguls (deer), apples and Kashmiri rugs?

Well, these subjects are what primary school students in Kashmir, are going to be reading in their textbooks – and it is not without reason. The violence in Kashmir seems to be never-ending. Alarmed at the violence and bloodshed that children in the state are exposed to, the Jammu and Kashmir Government now wants them to absorb themes of love, harmony and ecology, says a report in the ‘Indian Express’.

Aruna Roy – Voice of the People

Sat, 11 Aug 2001 14:50:07 +0000

July 31: She was once an officer of the Indian Administrative Service or the IAS as it is popularly known. What is equally well known is that most IAS officers are as remote from the people as possible. Today, she has won the Magsaysay Award for public service for daring to question this attitude.

She looks like a village woman in a simple sari, chatting away in a local dialect or language of Rajasthan.

She is Aruna Roy, the winner of the Magsaysay Award for public service of 2000.
The Magsaysay Award recognises individuals and organisations in Asia for the contributions they make in bettering the lives of people in some way or the other. The Award is named after the third president of the Republic of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, who is considered one of the outstanding leaders of his time. The award is given to those individuals whose work are in tune with the ideals and service for which President Ramon Magsaysay is remembered.

Lenses for Dogs

Sat, 19 Aug 2000 07:32:43 +0000

Blind dogs or dogs with eye problems can now wear special lenses to see.

Dabbu, an eleven-year-old Lhasa Apso, lost his left eye in an ugly fight with a street dog. Lately, he was losing vision in the right eye too because of a cataract. And has been stumbling around his owner’s house in Calcutta, bumping into things and being rather miserable.

Lenses for Dogs [Illustration by Shiju George]

But Dabbu was lucky. Light came back to his life after a small operation at the Moitri Vet Clinic in Calcutta. He had a lens implanted in his right eye. And now, Dabbu can see everything clearly, says a report in ‘The Telegraph’.

Kids Learn to Fight from Politicians

Tue, 14 Mar 2000 13:03:24 +0000

July 15: It happened in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. A man saw a few children abuse and fight each other, and break furniture. He asked them what they were doing. Giggling, the children replied, “We are acting out a Sangsad ( Parliament ) scene.” It was a pretty good imitation of the unruly scenes in the Bangladeshi Parliament.

Kids Learn to Fight from Politicians [Illustration by Shiju George]

But Bangladesh President Shahabuddin Ahmed did not find the incident funny, however. And he decided to make public his displeasure while making a speech at the Science and Technology University in Chittagong.

This Bird Paradise Stinks!

Wed, 16 Jul 2003 04:49:09 +0000

March 19: Are you a bird lover? If you live in Delhi, then the river Yamuna is the place to go to. Yes, that same river that was once Delhi’s pride but has got reduced to a polluted dump with mounds of plastic islands floating on its surface and toxic effluents flowing in from fields.

And yet, birds flock to the Yamuna. Perhaps because there is no other river or wetland region in Delhi, which is predominantly a dry city, says a report in The Hindu.

Where Guns rule

Sat, 19 May 2001 13:07:43 +0000

Where: The state of Texas, USA

May 19, 2001: In yet another shocking incident of firearms violence in US schools, 16-year-old student Jay Goodwin shot himself to death before the eyes of a teacher and female student, at the Ennis High School, in Goodwin, Texas.

The incident happened just two days after the march of mothers and grandmothers in the US capital, Washington DC, to demand that the government pass stricter gun control laws to protect children in the world’s most violent and gun happy society.

All the Presidential Men

Thu, 06 Jan 2000 11:17:44 +0000

Where: Washington DC, USA

December 9, 2000: Guess what the biggest mystery is nowadays that has the world in thrall? It is Who will be the next American President? Try to imagine all the big lawyers and judges in America trying to unravel this mystery, arguing with each other, jumping about and tearing their hair in frustration!!

This is one mystery that even the most powerful man on earth, Bill Clinton, the current American President, cannot solve. And this is exactly what is making the United States the butt of all jokes in smaller and less powerful countries. And if you too think about it, it is really very very funny.

Sri Lanka's Humanitarian Crisis : Thousands Trapped in War Zone

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:58:51 +0000

Where: Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

January 30, 2009 : The Sri Lankan army has been engaged in fierce fighting with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) forces. In the first weeks of 2009, the army took control of the main rebel bases of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. The LTTE is a militant group that formed in 1976, and their campaign to carve out an independent state for the minority Tamil population in the country’s northern region led to a raging civil war. There was a cease fire in 2002, but fighting resumed in 2006.

The Final Descent

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 14:42:11 +0000

March 26: After 15 years in the skies, the Russian-made Mir space station finally returned to earth on March 22. Its burning remnants could be seen as they shot across the sky over the Fiji islands.

The Final Descent [Illustration by Shiju George]

Mir means both ‘peace’ and ‘village’ in Russian. It housed 104 astronauts in its lifetime, 62 of whom were from other countries, including seven Americans. Mir’s first component was launched in 1986.

The Night of the Women

Mon, 20 Jan 2003 04:05:43 +0000

The Night of the Women [Illustration by Shinod AP]

March 19: A few days ago, the streets of Bogota, the capital of South American country Colombia, wore a very unusual look at night. Not one man was visible outside.

Bogota’s eccentric mayor, Antanas Mockus, had declared March 9, 2001, as the Night of the Women. All the city’s men were ordered to stay indoors and leave the city free for women that night, says a Guardian News Service report in The Hindustan Times.

Prisoners Ride on Fried Snack Success

Sat, 27 Apr 2002 14:27:39 +0000

September 30: It all began with ‘bhajiya’ (fritters). A few years ago, prisoners of Sabarmati jail in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, began a ‘bhajiya’ corner. They sold crispy ‘bhajiya’, a favourite snack of Gujaratis, in the shop. Predictably enough, the snack was a big draw among people. Sales touched Rs. 20,000 per day.

Inspired by the runaway success of their venture, the prisoners have decided to diversify.
They have proposed a series of profitable ventures that they would like to set up in the coming months. The only eligibility criteria they have to fulfill in return is to have a record of good conduct in jail.

Saved! Two Nuclear Submarines Collide; No Injuries or Leaks

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:42:54 +0000

Where: London, U.K.

February 16, 2009 : Last week two submarines, one British and one French, both carrying nuclear weapons, collided in the Atlantic Ocean. Neither British nor French officials could explain how this could have happened with two sophisticated vessels from allied nations. The event proved to be a puzzle and an embarrassment for both navies.

There were no leaks or injuries, but both submarines were badly damaged, and had to return to port. One expert said the ‘freak occurence’ was partly because the submarines are designed for stealth, and added, ‘The whole point of a deterrent submarine is that it is as quiet as possible so you can’t find it.’

American Woman Athlete, Aged 56, Swims Across Atlantic

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:07:29 +0000

Where: Trinidad

February 9, 2009 : Jennifer Figge, a 56-year-old American athlete, swam across the Atlantic Ocean, taking 24 days, spending eight hours in the water each day. Ms Figge claims she is the first woman on record to swim the Atlantic. She left Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa on January 12, tackling waves up to nine metres in height. She had planned to finish at the Bahama Islands. Strong winds forced her to change course and she hit land at Trinidad instead. The original route measured 3,380km, but the distance over the route she eventually took has yet to be measured.

Making Light of Darkness

Thu, 13 Mar 2003 18:32:57 +0000

May 11: Till five years ago, the Male Kudi tribals of Kodyadi, in the Western Ghats in Mangalore, lived in darkness. The government had never switched on to their needs. But now, thanks to their leader, Elyanna, the first graduate in the tribe, they have invented an ingenious method of electrifying their village – and their achievement has electrified the nation.

In 1995, when Elyanna returned from his educational stint at Ujire, his mind was teeming with ideas. The first idea was that of a cycle generator. Aluminium-coated tumblers were fitted around a cycle wheel. Since the mouths faced the water source, its force helped the wheel rotate. Hey presto! “The power was sufficient to light three bulbs,” says Elyanna in an exclusive report by

Bid your Name into a Bestseller

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 01:24:45 +0000

November 4: The publishing world has come full circle. At one point of time, authors would run from publisher to publisher trying to get his/her book published. Then it was the turn of the publishers to run after popular authors and pay them astronomical sums just to persuade them to write a bestseller.

Now a new twist has been added to the tale: no, it’s not an unknown author paying to get his book published. This time readers will pay through their nose to be a character in tomorrow’s bestseller!

Rahaman and Resul Win BAFTAS; Zakir Gets His Second Grammy

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:34:16 +0000

Where: London, UK, and Los Angeles, USA

February 11, 2009 : India’a A.R.Rahman won the award for the Best Music Director for his work in the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards ceremony. Fellow Indian Resul Pookutty, the sound director of the film, won the Best Sound Editing Award. At the 51st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Zakir Hussain, India’s tabla maestro, won the Grammy for the best Contemporary World Music Album. Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju and Hidalgo worked on the award winning ‘Global Drum Project’ album with him.

'Rim of Fire' in Indonesian Skies: 2009's First Solar Eclipse

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:01:37 +0000

Where: Samarinda, Indonesia

January 26, 2009 : The annular eclipse of the sun on Monday, 26 January was a celestial spectacle, seen in several parts of Indonesia, and on the Cocos, a South Pacific island group. These areas fell directly in line with the alignment of the moon and sun. People cheered and banged on drums as the moon moved slowly over the sun’s surface, until only a thin, blazing rim of fire could be seen. A partial eclipse was visible in southern parts of Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Western Australia.

'Ibuki' : Japan's 'Green' Monitor Orbits the Earth

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:02:42 +0000

Where: Tokyo, Japan

January 23, 2009 : A space centre in Tanegashima, a remote island about 970 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, today launched the first satellite designed to monitor carbon dioxide emissions. It is named ‘Ibuki’, which means ‘breath’. The satellite has sensors which can measure light reflected from earth, and gauge the density of carbon dioxide and methane. These two gases are the biggest contributors to global warming,

Ibuki will circle the globe every 100 minutes, and will monitor the levels of carbon dioxide and methane from 56,000 locations for the next five years. At present the sites that measure these emissions are land-based, and they are unevenly distributed over the globe. Ibuki’s capabilities will make it possible to monitor levels all over the world, especially in developing nations where there are no facilities.

From Prisoners to Teachers

Fri, 01 Oct 1999 18:47:00 +0000

July 1: Life in a prison can be quite depressing. Where prisoners are kept away from their near and dear ones. But now things in Delhi’s Tihar Jail are changing. The prison authorities have decided to bring about some light into the lives of the prisoners.

True, the prisoners are here because of crimes they have committed. But, if something can help them become better human beings, there is no reason why they should not be encouraged. Why do you think?

Federer Wins French Open Crown

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:05:50 +0000

Where: Paris, France

June 8, 2009 : Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player who is ranked world Number Two* and believed by many to be the best player of all time, won the prize that had been eluding him for years. He won the French Open men’s singles title in Paris, defeating Swedish player Robin Soderling in straight sets. This was 27-year-old Federer’s 11th attempt at the title, and his fourth consecutive final at the championship. For the last three years, he was defeated by the Spanish player Rafael Nadal. This year, Nadal was knocked out of the tournament in the fourth round by Soderling.

Virender Sehwag Hits Fastest ODI Century by an Indian Cricketer

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:17:04 +0000

Where: Hamilton, New Zealand

March 11, 2009 : With his century coming off just 60 balls, Virender Sehwag became the fastest Indian batsman to hit a hundred runs in One Day International cricket. Sehwag broke Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of a 100 off 62 balls in Baroda 21 years ago. Sehwag also became the world’s seventh-fastest century hitter in limited-overs cricket.

India won the match by 10 wickets. New Zealand put up a total of 270 for five. The target for the chasers was revised a number of times, because of rain. Nothing could stop Sehwag, though. He hit 14 fours and six sixes in his knock of 125 not out from just 74 balls. Fellow opener Gautam Gambhir played a supporting role. Their unbroken opening partnership was the largest ever to win a match in One Day Internationals. Rain ended the match in the 24th over, and the result was determined by the Duckworth-Lewis* method.

Gaza Under Fire: Israel Refuses to Relent

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:25:11 +0000

Where: The Gaza Strip

January 06, 2009 : Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip on December 28, 2008, and the attacks grew to a full-fledged war within days. The Gaza Strip lies along the Mediterranean Sea. It is not a part of a recognised sovereign state, but it is home to the Palestinian Arab people, numbering about 1.4 million. The area was under Israeli control until 2005. Since 2007, it has been administered by a radical group from the region called Hamas. Israel says the attacks are in retaliation against the rocket bombing of its territories by the Hamas.

A Debt Repaid

Mon, 28 Jul 2003 18:45:27 +0000

February 14: More than 60 years ago, the Maharaja of Jamnagar, a princely state in Gujarat, offered shelter to 600 Polish child refugees who had got orphaned during the Second World War. The children were housed near Balachadi, near Jamnagar. It was a deed that the Poles did not forget.

For, as the news of the devastating earthquake that hit Gujarat spread across the world on January 26, the Polish government was among the first foreign nations to rush in with aid. And, a part of the relief material was specially earmarked for the children of Jamnagar, says a recent report in ‘The Indian Express’.

Roy of Light

Wed, 17 Apr 2002 17:29:02 +0000

November 4: While cities and towns have the privilege of an electricity connection, there are still a number of remote villages in India that lack this facility. Their homes remain shockingly dark, even on the threshold of the twenty-first century. It’s a reality that the Indian government has done little to change. Providing electricity to all of India appears to be beyond its reach, even today.

So the loudest cheers must be reserved for the man who says, yes, it’s possible to light up all the villages in India, even the poorest, most remote ones. The man is Sanjit or Bunker Roy, a well-known social worker who, together with wife Aruna, has made rural Rajasthan their home for many years now.

Orissa Police's Feathered Force is Dying

Sun, 30 May 1999 14:42:50 +0000

July 1: The news is that a mysterious disease has killed 35 valuable members of the Orissa’s police service. They are all pigeons.

The first of the deaths took place in March in Puri district. Twenty-four more pigeons died soon after, in Cuttack district. They experienced long drowsy spells before dying. The veterinary doctors who examined them said that the mysterious disease could be just the sweltering heat.

Pigeons? In this day and age? Yes, Orissa is the only state in India whose police force still employs pigeons as message carriers. And, for the last 50 years, the messengers have not faltered in their duty even once, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper.

Indian Army Battles Infiltrating Terror Groups in Kashmir

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 03:59:08 +0000

Where: Jammu and Kashmir, India

January 08, 2009 : While we hope and pray for peace in the New Year, Indian troops are engaged in battle with a group of militants in the forested Mendhar sector of Poonch district in Kashmir. The gun battle broke out on 1 January, 2009, and entered its eighth day today. The militants, it is believed, are senior commanders of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The Indian Army besieged the Pati Tar peak in the middle of a forest after receiving information about the presence of the hardcore militants in the area.

UN Conference on Climate Change

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:47:06 +0000

Where: Poznan, Poland

December 13, 2008 : Global warming affects everyone. Finally, after years of negotiations, most countries in the world have agreed to work together to reduce how much they pollute the Earth’s environment. The United Nations Climate Change Conference began here on December 1, 2008 with delegates from 190 countries. Their target: to reach a global climate agreement by December 2008. This would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The US representative, Senator John Kerry, said temperatures could go up by anywhere between 3 degrees C and 5 degrees C higher by 2050. He also stressed the importance of developing economies, referring to countries such as India and Brazil, restricting their emissions.

Trapped

Thu, 14 Oct 1999 13:24:40 +0000

Where: Russia

August 19, 2000: The Kursk, an ultra-modern Russian nuclear-powered submarine has sunk. Its crew has been trapped underwater for over a week now. In fact many might already be dead. By denying that it was a serious accident and by not launching serious rescue efforts in the beginning, the Russian government has reduced their chances of survival further…

The submarine’s ability to stay for long periods underwater, is an absolute marvel of science. Actually, this is due to its capsule-like body. Adequate oxygen and food supplies enable submarine crew to survive under the sea for long periods. It’s a self-contained little world far removed from the world you and I live in.

Heads of Government to Seek Solutions to World Economic Crisis at G20 Summit

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:20:39 +0000

Where: London, United Kingdom

March 30, 2009 : The heads of the world’s 20 largest economic powers, the Group of 20 or G20, will assemble in London on April 2, 2009. The London summit will focus on finding solutions to the present global economic crisis.

The G20 is a forum that includes G-7, the world’s seven leading industrialized nations — the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Canada — and the world’s largest developing world economies: Brazil, Russia, India and China (often referred to as BRIC). The European Union (EU), Australia, Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are also members. The member countries of G20 generate 85 percent of the world’s total economic production.

A Show of Endurance

Sun, 14 Jul 2002 10:05:13 +0000

A Show of Endurance [Illustration by Shiju George]

October 22: The newspaper photograph showed Japanese swimmer Kei Miyamoto’s body finely arched at the starting point as he prepared to slice into the Olympic pool at the Sydney Aquatic Centre. And then I noticed it. He had no arms.

Kei was practicing for the Paralympic Games, just as wheelchair-bound track athletes and sportspersons bearing the loss of an arm or limb with practiced ease, went through their paces for the 11-day event for the physically challenged that is going on in Sydney at present.

Silence that Spoke of Protest

Thu, 23 May 2002 07:05:05 +0000

October 16: A few days ago, seven villages in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, wore a ghostly look for an entire day. Not one of the 40,000 people inhabiting the villages could be seen outside their homes.

The villagers were on a first ever self-imposed ‘janata (people’s) curfew’ in the country. Their purpose – to attract government attention to the serious state of unemployment in the villages.

Their grievance – a futile wait for over 25 years for jobs promised by the state government, reported ‘The Indian Express’.

Operation Rescue of Penguins

Thu, 26 Oct 2000 23:45:28 +0000

July 8: Last week, the South African government was engaged in a very important task – transporting 19,000 penguins from their home in Dassen Island near Cape Town, to safe waters. It was an emergency.

Operation Rescue of Penguins [Illustration by Kusum Chamoli]

The short legged, big bodied birds with pointed beaks did not have the “cute” look that we always see in them. Most of them were covered in slimy oil. Their feathers hung limply by their sides. They were unable to do anything – even eat, and had gone hungry for three days.

Old PCs Save Precious Lives

Sat, 02 Jan 1999 08:48:39 +0000

Where: Chicago, USA

July 1, 2000: Computers and Internet connections are not for the rich alone. Even the poor should be able to use it, says Zina Munoz. Zina works as a nurse in Chicago.

But Zina is not merely a nurse. She is also one of the people behind an Internet revolution in half a dozen countries across the world.

The idea came to her during a medical conference in Dallas four years ago. Americans keep throwing away old models of computers for newer and faster computers even though the old ones are working fine. Why not send them to hospitals in the developing countries and link them to the Internet, she asked. Hospitals need access, not speed, said the nurse. A report on this was carried in ‘The Indian Express’ recently.

Tintin Turns Eighty

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:40:43 +0000

Where: Brussels, Belgium

January 10, 2009 : Tintin made his first appearance in a Belgian newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle (The 20th Century) on January 10, 1929. This comic strip eventually became ‘Tintin in the Land of the Soviets’. There are 24 Tintin comic books in all, translated into more than 60 languages, including English – the originals are all in French! Over 200 million Tintin comic books have been sold worldwide. In an age before there were cartoons on television, these books were simply devoured by generations of readers, who loved to ’travel’ with their hero. Tintin has a huge fan following even today. You can check out his website, http://www.tintinologist.org/

General Motors Out of Bankruptcy

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:55:00 +0000

Where: Detroit, Michigan, USA

July 10, 2009 : The USA’s biggest carmaker, General Motors, had declared bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. When a company is unable to repay its debts to creditors, it can seek legal protection by filing a bankruptcy plea. The action also ensures that all creditors are repaid in equal measure. The case of General Motors (GM) is the largest bankruptcy filing by an industrial company in the USA’s history. The corporation won a second chance to prove itself profitable as it came out of bankruptcy at lightning speed.

Disastrous end to Lunar New Year Firework Display

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:00:56 +0000

Where: Beijing, China

February 9, 2009 : Beijing’s nearly completed Mandarin Oriental hotel, in the heart of the city’s business district, caught fire on the day of the Lantern Festival. It was the last day of the Chinese Lunar New Year Festivities, and officials from the state owned China Central Television (CCTV ) were using the new building as the backdrop for a fireworks display.

According to Beijing’s fire chief, the broadcaster did not have permission to hold such a large-scale display. In fact, its staff had been warned not to start fireworks. These were set off by computers, like the ones used for the Olympics. They went off only a dozen metres away from the building, some of them hitting the building. Since it was under construction, the sprinkler system had not been switched on. The building was a huge tourist attraction, scheduled to open later in the year. It took only half an hour for the entire structure to catch fire. It is now completely blackened and ruined. Seven people were injured and one fireman died fighting the blaze.

Somdev Devvarman : India's New Tennis Star

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 09:25:06 +0000

Where: Chennai, India

January 11, 2009 : At the 2009 Chennai Open tennis meet, the first ATP* tournament of the season, India’s Somdev Devvarman established himself as the country’s top singles tennis player. He reached the finals of the tournament, beating two-time Chennai Open former champion and world number 42, Spain’s Carlos Moya, and world number 25 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia. Rainer Schuettler of Germany, whom he was to have played in the semi-final, pulled out of the tournament due to injury. Devvarman lost the finals to Marin Cilic of Croatia.

The Grand Head Hunt

Thu, 23 May 2002 21:37:50 +0000

November 18: Making a head count of the number of people in the most populous country in the world, is no easy task. The government of China knows this for a fact. So it sent six million people across the length and breadth of the country, to count its population.

The Grand Head Hunt [Illustration by Anup Singh]

These people will take 10 days to collect data from 360 million households, says Reuters in a report in ‘The Asian Age’. It is expected that by February 2001, the government will know the exact number of people, including the number of males and females, in China.

Camp of Coexistence

Mon, 09 Sep 2002 07:28:03 +0000

October 28: The recent flooding of West Bengal might have been a tragic affair in all but one respect. In a time of crisis, the animals of the region are bonding like never before. Be it the hunter or the hunted, the carnivores or the herbivores, they are all living in harmony at seven flood relief camps set up in the Bongaon region of the state.

A few weeks ago, floods hit the state of West Bengal, threw life completely out of gear and led to a large scale loss of life and property. More than 1,007 gram panchayats, 296 municipal wards and eight districts were badly affected.

Women's Army of Blood Donors

Tue, 21 Jul 1998 17:29:58 +0000

June 24: In a country like India, the lives of people are often lost because there is no help at hand. Many people think of it as fate and do nothing. But a group of poor village women have shown the way to the people of the southern state of Kerala, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’..

Sometime ago, a woman from Parappa village became seriously ill. She started bleeding heavily. The villagers frantically hunted for a vehicle to take her to the hospital, which was 40 km away. The woman survived. It was almost a miracle that she survived, said the doctor. For, she had lost a lot of blood.

India's Winning Streak at the Australian Open

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:15:53 +0000

Where: Melbourne, Australia

February 1, 2009 : Yuki Bhambhri beat Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas of Germany 6-3, 6-1 in the junior boys final of the Australian Open Tennis championships in Melbourne. He is the first Indian to win this title. India’s tennis legend Ramanathan Krishnan, his son Ramesh, and later Leander Paes have all won the junior singles title at Wimbledon. Ramesh repeated the feat at the French Open, and Leander at the U.S.Open. Yuki, aged sixteen, entered the tournament ranked Numer One, as he had reached the semi-finals last year. He was given a hero’s welcome when he landed on home soil in Delhi.

From Kitchen Cabinet to State Cabinet?

Wed, 05 Feb 2003 15:00:14 +0000

May 11: From the kitchen floor of the house to the Floor of the House or State Legislative Assembly – that is the distance Lakshmi Parui is hoping to cover.

A widow in her late 50s, who supported herself by working as a domestic help in semi-urban Balagarh till a few weeks ago, she contested the West Bengal state elections on May 10. She has contested the elections as an ally of Mamta ‘Di’, leader of the Trinamool Congress. She was pitted against Communist Party Marxist MLA Dibakantha Rauth, a school teacher, in Balagarh constituency, Hooghly district, says a report in

Sudan President's Arrest Ordered By International Criminal Court

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:56:57 +0000

Where: The Hague, Netherlands

March 18, 2009 : The International Criminal Court (ICC)* issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on March 4, 2009 and charged him with committing war crimes and humanitarian crimes resulting in thousands of deaths. The victims of this genocide are the tribal minorities of Sudan’s Darfur region. Omar al-Bashir, a military dictator, has been supplying funds and arms to the militia group that is actually carrying out the brutal war. Over 300,000 people have died, and around 2.5 million have been forced to leave their homes.

Homing in on Prisons

Sun, 14 Apr 2002 23:48:14 +0000

September 9: Lately, newly-weds in Iran have been facing an unusual problem. They just can’t find homes to live in after they get married. This is because there is a shortage of housing in Iran.

To help solve this housing crisis, Iran’s government is planning to turn military centres and prisons into housing units for newly weds.

A housing ministry official was quoted in a news item in the Times of India as saying, “A plan has been drafted for turning military centers and prisons into economical 50 square metre housing units for newly married couples.”

24 Hours on Mt. Everest? Oh, Brother!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:18:30 +0000

Where: Kathmandu, Nepal

February 16, 2009 : Three Nepalese brothers, Pemba Dorje Sherpa, Nima Gyalzen and Phurba Tenzing plan to stay on Mt. Everest for 24 hours to establish a new world record. The current record is 20 hours on the peak. Between them the brothers have made 16 ascents to the top, mostly as climbing guides. Two more of their brothers have climbed the peak as well.

“We won’t sleep. We will pray 24 hours,” Pemba says. The will have with them a 30cm statue of the Buddha, which they say they will leave on the top in a glass box. When asked about the dangers of their planned exploit, Pemba said, “It’s a risk but it’s not so dangerous.” They will carry all kinds of equipment, including ropes, and a tent, which they will pitch after making a hole in the snow.

Ex-Guerrillas Win El Salvador Election

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:47:38 +0000

Where: San Salvador, El Salvador

March 15, 2009 : Mr.Mauricio Funes of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) defeated the Arena party’s Rodrigo Avila to become the first left-wing President of El Salvador. Arena had won every presidential election in the country since 1991. The winning party won 51.3 per cent of the votes polled against Arena’s 48.7 per cent.

FMLN formed in 1980 as a band of Marxist guerrilla* fighters. Mr. Funes, a former television journalist, is the first party leader who was not a participant in the warfare. The country still bears marks of the 12-year-long civil war in which some 70,000 people died. In addition to this, Mr. Funes will have to tackle widespread crime and an economic slump.

Indian elections 2009: a symbol of people power

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:05:03 +0000

Where: India

May 6, 2009 : When a nation of over one billion citizens wakes up every five years to elect its leaders, the entire world turns to watch. The “world’s largest democracy*”, India, went to the polls on April 13, 2009, to elect members of the 15th Lok Sabha (or House of Commons, in the Indian Parliament). In a one month-long process, which will end on May 13, 2009, over 714 million voters** will be eligible to vote.

Orphanage for Elephants

Sat, 15 Jan 2000 07:02:15 +0000

July 15: Five baby elephants were very sad. They were being returned to the forest. In fact, they broke into tears. But why were they sad to return home?

Orphanage for Elephants [Illustration by Sandeep Johri]

Because they had fallen in love with the orphanage they were staying in before they were returned to the forest. The men who had taken care of them were sad too. There were no dry eyes among them.

Indonesian Ferry Sinks, Over 230 People Drowned

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:36:04 +0000

Where: Makassar Strait, Indonesia

January 12, 2009 : An Indonesian ferry, the ‘Teratai Prima’ was struck by Cyclone Charlotte shortly before dawn on Sunday, January 11. It was making an overnight journey between the islands of Sulawesi and Borneo, carrying 250 passengers, 17 crew and cargo. Before the military search and rescue operations began at daybreak, fishermen managed to rescue eighteen passengers and four crew members. At the last count, 34 people were found alive, and 232 people are still missing and believed to be dead.