Monthly Archives: April 2018

Slovenia to Resettle 60 Syrian Refugees from Turkey

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Slovenia will implement its first ever refugee resettlement programme with the support of IOM, the UN Migration Agency, by resettling 60 Syrian refugees from Turkey to Slovenia in 2018. The new programme officially came into effect after the signing of a Framework Agreement between IOM and the Slovenian government on Thursday (12/04).

“The resettlement agreement marks a new milestone in the cooperation between Slovenia and IOM,” said Iva Perhavec, IOM Slovenia Head of Office.

“Through the programme, we will support the Slovenian Government in meeting its commitments to providing a safe and legal pathway for vulnerable Syrian refugees in Turkey, and sharing responsibility with Turkey as a host country for refugee protection,” Perhavec continued.

In 2017, Turkey was the top departure country for resettlement globally, with 10,162 vulnerable refugees resettled to European countries alone.

Resettlement from Turkey is implemented through a close partnership between EU Member States, the Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM), UNHCR and IOM.

The resettlement process from Turkey begins with the DGMM and UNHCR, which identify, assess and submit refugee files to countries for resettlement consideration. Following the selection missions undertaken by EU Member States in Turkey, selected refugees are assisted by IOM with case processing, including assistance with obtaining visas and travel documents, pre-departure health assessments, pre-departure orientation sessions and movement management.

When the refugees are travel-ready, IOM facilitates their transfer from Turkey, including by providing operational and/or medical escorts to particularly vulnerable persons with special needs to resettlement states in the EU, where representatives of the local IOM office meet and greet them at arrival.

Following the arrival of refugees in Slovenia, local non-governmental organizations and other service providers will provide them with integration assistance to support their smooth and successful start to integration in their new home.

Resettlement of refugees has continued to be one of the fundamental purposes and priorities of IOM. Founded in 1951 to assist in the resettlement of Europeans displaced in the aftermath of World War II, IOM has been working closely with governments, UNHCR, non-governmental organizations and other partners to provide a durable solution for vulnerable refugees through resettlement for over 65 years.

In 2017, some 93,216 refugees were resettled worldwide by IOM, of which 26,673 beneficiaries were assisted with resettlement to and humanitarian admission in European countries, an increase of 49 per cent compared to the previous year. A total of 23 European countries implemented resettlement or humanitarian admission programmes in 2017, two more than in 2016.

Faster walking patients are hospitalized less: Study

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Faster walking patients with heart disease are hospitalised less, according to research presented today at EuroPrevent 2018, a European Society of Cardiology congress, and published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.1,2

The three-year study was conducted in 1,078 hypertensive patients, of whom 85% also had coronary heart disease and 15% also had valve disease.

Patients were then asked to walk 1 km on a treadmill at what they considered to be a moderate intensity.3 Patients were classified as slow (2.6 km/hour), intermediate (3.9 km/hour) and fast (average 5.1 km/hour). A total of 359 patients were slow walkers, 362 were intermediate and 357 were fast walkers.

The researchers recorded the number of all-cause hospitalisations and length of stay over the next three years. Participants were flagged by the regional Health Service Registry of the Emilia-Romagna Region, which collects data on all-cause hospitalisation.

Study author Dr Carlotta Merlo, a researcher at the University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy, said: "We did not exclude any causes of death because walking speed has significant consequences for public health. Reduced walking speed is a marker of limited mobility, which is a precursor of disability, disease, and loss of autonomy." 4,5

During the three year period, 182 of the slow walkers (51%) had at least one hospitalisation, compared to 160 (44%) of the intermediate walkers, and 110 (31%) of the fast walkers.

The slow, intermediate and fast walking groups spent a total of 4,186, 2,240, and 990 days in hospital over the three years, respectively.

The average length of hospital stay for each patient was 23, 14, and 9 days for the slow, intermediate and fast walkers, respectively (see figure).

Each 1 km/hour increase in walking speed resulted in a 19% reduction in the likelihood of being hospitalised during the three-year period. Compared to the slow walkers, fast walkers had a 37% lower likelihood of hospitalisation in three years.

Dr Merlo said: "The faster the walking speed, the lower the risk of hospitalisation and the shorter the length of hospital stay. Since reduced walking speed is a marker of limited mobility, which has been linked to decreased physical activity,4 we assume that fast walkers in the study are also fast walkers in real life."

She continued: "Walking is the most popular type of exercise in adults. It is free, does not require special training, and can be done almost anywhere. Even short, but regular, walks have substantial health benefits. Our study shows that the benefits are even greater when the pace of walking is increased."

Rohingya Refugees and Locals Work Together to Prepare for Monsoon in Cox’s Bazar Camps

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Rohingya refugees and local people in Teknaf, a southern sub-district of Cox’s Bazar, are racing to prepare for monsoon rains forecast to start as early as this week. IOM, the UN Migration Agency, has been supporting efforts to prepare the camps, which although smaller than the giant Ukhiya sub-district settlements of Kutupalong and Balukali, still house thousands of people, who face similar threats of flooding and landslides.

To date IOM has supported 24 quick impact projects in Teknaf under the umbrella of 20 Para Development Committees (PDCs) – community platforms, each comprised of six refugees and five locals. The projects include building bridges, access roads, steps, drains, and slope protection work that will enable communities to better weather the monsoon.

The projects are mainly located in the densely populated Unchiprang, Leda Makeshift Settlement, Nayapara and Shamlapur camps. Over 21,310 people live in Unchiprang, 9,320 in Leda, 24,790 in Nayapara and 22,700 in Shamlapur. In all, some 250,000 Rohingya refugees live outside the main Ukhiya camps.

“At present, the most critical issue for both the Rohingya refugees and local people is to be safe from the rains,” said Maulavi Shaker, 35, a Rohingya member of a Teknaf PDC. “We’ve been working towards that, building roads and bridges so that our area won’t get cut off if there is flooding,” he added.

“Most refugees in Teknaf are living in shelters built only with plastic sheets and thin bamboos, which are highly vulnerable in the monsoon,” said Mohammad Helal Uddin, 35, another Teknaf member.

IOM and partner agencies recognize the risks posed by the flimsy structures in high winds and rain and have been racing to upgrade the shelters. In Teknaf over 15,000 shelters – covering over 78,000 people – have been identified as in need of upgrades, including plastic sheets, poles and guy ropes. IOM itself is targeting 13,204 shelters housing 66,020 refugees.

“The PDCs are helping our teams to identify workers and organizing cash for work in order to ensure that households living in flood-prone and landslide-prone areas get back-filling to elevate their shelter plots. We’re also constructing drainage to protect the shelters from run-off water, building embankments to prevent tidal surges and doing a number of slope protection works,” said Rafael Abis, IOM’s site management area coordinator. “The PDCs will also help IOM in the event of an evacuation – particularly if it involves those who are unable to evacuate themselves,” he added.

IOM has also helped the PDCs to establish Youth Safety and Security sub-committees within each of PDC to cope with possible emergencies such as flash floods, landslides, fires or conflicts. The sub-committee members have been trained to build the response capacity of their respective communities.

“Despite all the challenges that the Rohingya influx has created in Cox’s Bazar, the refugee and local communities have maintained a harmonious relationship throughout the crisis,” said John McCue, IOM Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar. “Representatives of both communities have come together to identify shared needs and solutions. The roads and bridges that they have constructed to provide access, particularly during the rainy season, is a significant example of communal harmony in this disaster-prone area,” he added.

Fatty fish, camelina oil good for HDL, IDL cholesterol: study

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Eating fatty fish increases the size and lipid composition of HDL particles in people with impaired glucose metabolism, said a new study by the University of Eastern Finland.

The changes in size and lipid composition of HDL (good cholestrol) particles make them beneficial for cardiovascular health, said the study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. It also found that camelina sativa oil decreases the number of harmful IDL particles.

The researchers studied the effects of camelina oil and fatty fish intake on the size and composition of cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins. Although the health effects of HDL particles actually are dependent on their size and composition, earlier research has shown that large HDL particles are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, whereas a small HDL particle size may increase the risk.

The IDL lipoprotein, on the other hand, is the precursor of LDL, which is also known as “the bad” cholesterol. Previous studies have shown that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have a beneficial effect on lipoprotein size and composition. Camelina oil. It’s also rich in alpha-linolenic acid, which is an essential omega-3 fatty acid whose associations with lipoproteins aren’t well understood yet.

The study involved 79 Finnish men and women aged between 40 and 72, and with impaired glucose metabolism. The participants were randomly divided into 4 groups and studied for 12 weeks — the camelina oil group, the fatty fish group, the lean fish group, and the control group.

People in the lean and fatty fish groups were instructed to eat lean or fatty fish four times a week, and people in the camelina oil group were asked to use 30 mm of camelina sativa oil daily. Participants in the control group were allowed to eat fish once a week, and the use of camelina oil and other oils containing alpha-linolenic acid, such as rapeseed oil, was prohibited.

The researchers found that eating fatty fish increased the size and lipid composition of HDL particles, and that the use of camelina oil decreased the number of harmful IDL particles.

Both of these changes can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Eating lean fish, however, was not associated with changes in the number, size or composition of lipoprotein particles, they found.

More power extraction from solar cells found

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Physicists at the University of Warwick found a new way that could literally squeeze more power out of solar cells by physically deforming each of the crystals in the semiconductors used by photovoltaic cells.

The study, led by Professor Marin Alexe and his team Ming-Min Yang, and Dong Jik Kim in the University of Warwick’s Department of Physics, first looked at the physical constraints on the current solar cells with absolute limit on their efficiency. Known as Shockley-Queisser Limit means only a maximum of 33.7% of sunlight can ever be turned into electricity. The anomalous photovoltaic effect has very low power generation efficiency and never used in practical power-generation systems.

The Warwick team worked on semiconductors that are effective in commercial solar cells so as to manipulate or push them in some way so that they too could be forced into a non-centrosymmetric structure and possibly benefit from the bulk photovoltaic effect.

For their experiment, they decided to push such semiconductors into shape using conductive tips from atomic force microscopy devices to a "nano-indenter" which they then used to squeeze and deform individual crystals of Strontium Titanate (SrTiO3), Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), and Silicon (Si).

They found that all three could be deformed to give a non-centrosymmetric structure and then able to give the bulk photovoltaic effect. Professor Marin Alexe from the University of Warwick said:"Extending the range of materials that can benefit from the bulk photovoltaic effect has several advantages: it is not necessary to form any kind of junction; any semiconductor with better light absorption can be selected for solar cells, and finally, the ultimate thermodynamic limit of the power conversion efficiency, so-called Shockley-Queisser Limit, can be overcome."

He described that there are engineering challenges but it should be possible to create solar cells where a field of simple glass based tips (a hundred million per cm2) could be held in tension to sufficiently de-form each semiconductor crystal. If such feat is possible and even a single percentage point of efficiency is added, it would be of immense commercial value to solar cell manufacturers and power suppliers.


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This is an artists impression of squeezing more power out of solar cells by physically deforming each of the crystals in the semiconductors used by photovoltaic cells.(CREDIT: University of Warwick/Mark Garlick)

How mineral-rich Japan can dictate world now?

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China’s minister visited Tokyo for an economic dialogue last week not without a valid reason. Japan no longer needs China’s rare earth materials as it found a treasure of an island in its own backyard and the supply is semi-inifinite. This is what’s called turn-around in destiny.

Some precious “rare-earth” metals such as yttrium is vital to manufacture lasers, magnets, ceramic capacitors, oxidative agents, high-temperature superconductors, stainless steel, and PET scanners. Scientists in their new report on the island Minami-Tori-shima, also known as Marcus Island, said the mud is saturated with rare-earth elements and yttrium, abbreviated REY. Though Yttrium is not always classified as a rare-earth element, it is extremely rare.

The enriched mud has Yttrium and HREE (heavy rare earth elements), which accounted for 44 percent of the total amount of REY available in the region. It means Japan can supply Yttrium for 780 years, Europium (Eu) for 620 years, Terbium (Tb) for 420 years and Dysprosium (Dy) for the next 730 years, without any interruption.

What has puzzled scientists was the huge area with a high concentration of rare-earth elements, which in itself is very rare. The so-called rare-earth elements (REY) are not common on Earth and paleontologists believe that they could have been brought to earth from asteroids.

For instance, cerium is the 25th most abundant element within the Earth’s crust and is more prevalent than copper but widespread and never concentrated at one place, making it rare. In all, 17 different rare-earth elements are currently being mined in China, with Australia as the second-largest worldwide supplier.

It was in 2011 that research reports indicated huge REY-rich mud with mineral concentrations up to 2,230 ppm spread across the Pacific Ocean. In 2013, a report zeroed in on Japan’s isolated Marcus Island or Minamitori island which showed rich deposits of up to 5,000 ppm REY existed around the small coral atoll. The richest samples were up to 0.66 percent rare earth oxides, compared with a typical concentration of 0.05 to 0.5 percent for Chinese mines, said the report.

This latest survey of Minamitori island showed the total amount of rare earth material which can be potentially mined is more than 16 million tons of rare-earth oxides with an average 964 ppm, making it a semi-infinite basis to the world. The study found that the grains of rare earth material could be filtered by size, making it far easier to mine.

With its technological superiority, Japan is expected to mine the resources efficiently and keep it as a long-term resource and dilute china’s superiority in the field of rare earth materials.


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NO CASH in ATMs? What’s Behind Sudden ‘run’ on Banks?

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It is more than 18 months since the whole country’s citizens were paraded on the streets by the Demonetisation 2016 and the days are here again with No Cash board greeting on ATMs, especially in non-BJP ruled states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal. Karnataka facing elections next month has been partly spared from the cash crunch.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday questioned whether a "financial emergency" was subtly imposed in the country. "Seeing reports of ATMs running out of cash in several states. Big notes missing. Reminder of #DeMonetisation days. Is there a Financial Emergency going on in the country? #CashCrunch #CashlessATMs," Banerjee tweeted.

Even BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and coalition government in Bihar have reported cash crunch on Monday but Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley categorically denied the reports of any cash crunch. "There is more than adequate currency in circulation," he reiterated, saying RBI figures show that Rs 18.17 lakh crore was in circulation.

Severe cash crunch was faced in India following Nov. 8 ban on high-value currency notes. Almost the entire country was seen in big queues before the banks, and the sordid saga continued at a stretch for 15 days.

However, this time, reports say that the cash crunch was a knee-jerk reaction to the latest Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill, being tabled in parliament. Rumours are widespread that it affects deposits if a bank goes bankrupt, though government has clarified that it is not the case.

In some states, this has led to a run on banks from where people are withdrawing deposits and collecting cash, especially, in Rs.2000 notes so as to hoard it easily at home.

Already huge bank defaults in Punjab National Bank, ICICI bank scam, and evasion of thousands of crores by big business magnates are making round every day in the country, leading to loss of people’s faith in the banking system. As of March 2018, bank deposits grew at 6.7 percent compared to 15.3 percent in 2016-17.

Opposition has described it as a "deliberate move” of the government. “News reports say that ATMs around the country are running of out of cash. Is it just gross mismanagement by the Modi Govt or is this a deliberate move? The people of the country forced to suffer even after 1.5 years of demonetisation show the acute failure of BJP government,” tweeted Congress.

Severe weather warning issued for this weekend 13 – 18 April 2018

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India Meteorological Department has issued severe weather warning from Friday, 13th April to 17th April, 2018 as below:

13 April (Day 1):♦ Heavy rain very likely at isolated places over Assam & Meghalaya , Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamilnadu.

  • Thunderstorm accompanied with squall very likely at isolated places over Assam & Meghalaya, Sub­Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura, Kerala and Tamilnadu.
  • Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds very likely at isolated places over Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Coastal & Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Lakshadweep.

Squally weather with wind speed occasionally reaching 40-­50 kmph very likely to prevail over

Comorin Maldives area. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas.

14 April (Day 2): ♦ Heavy rain very likely at isolated places over Kerala.

  • Thunderstorm accompanied with squall very likely at isolated places over Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura Kerala and Lakshadweep.
  • Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds very likely at isolated places over Sub­ Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Odisha, Coastal & Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Tamilnadu.

Squally weather with wind speed occasionally reaching 40­-50 kmph very likely to prevail over

Maldives­Lakshadweep area. Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas.

15 April (Day 3) : ♦ Thunderstorm accompanied with squall very likely at isolated places over Assam & Meghalaya.

Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds very likely at isolated places over Odisha and North Interior Karnataka.

16 April (Day 4): ♦Thunderstorm accompanied with squall and Hail likely at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

  • Thunderstorm accompanied with squall likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand.
  • Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds likely at isolated places over North Interior Karnataka.

17 April (Day 5): No weather warning.

 

 

Indian Army, Axis Bank sign MoU on accounts, insurance cover

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A Memorandum of Undersanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and Axis Bank on the Defence Salary Package on Friday, 13 Apr 2018, following a similar MoU signed in 2011 and renewed on 24 Mar 2015. The current MoU is tailor-made to suit the requirements of serving soldiers, pensioners and families.

The signing-in ceremony was chaired by the Director General (MP&PS), Lt Gen SK Saini and was attended by the top dignitaries of Axis Bank headed by Mr Sanjay Sailas, President and Head, Retail Banking, Axis Bank.

Recently, Indian Army has also signed a MoU with HDFC bank. MoUs are considered for inception and renewal with banks on analyzing their utility and suitability to the requirements of serving soldiers, pensioners and families. Army is hoping that this MoU will benefit a large number of serving and retired Army personnel who are having their accounts with Axis bank; and also provide them an opportunity to access modern banking facilities.

Under the current MoU, apart from other benefits, the Army personnel will get free personal accident death cover and free permanent total disability cover of Rs 30 lakh and free educational cover of up to Rs 2 Lakh for children between the age of 12 and 20 years.

EC panel finds no wrong with BJP tweet on Karnataka poll

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The panel formed by the Election Commission to probe the alleged leakage of the announcement of Karnataka elections has submitted its report stating that there was no leak but only speculation.

The Officers’ Committee, constituted by the Election Commission of India on 27th March 2018 to probe alleged news leak of Election Schedule of Karnataka Elections ahead of the official announcement, has zeroed in to Times Now as the first source and said others, including BJP and Congress IT heads have tweeted it immediately.

The committe said that the leak in public domain was first displayed on Times Now TV news channel and used by all others it has questioned in the probe. Since the date of schedule put out by Times Now as May 12 and counting date as May 18, the information was not correct and based on speculation.

Times Now in its response said, “Channel assessed the details from informed sources. Given that the information was not entirely accurate it is obvious it was not a leak.”

The acutal date of counting as per the Commission announcement was 15th May and not 18th May. The panel said the stakeholders should have restrained from tweeting immediately or telecasting the speculative news.

“It is the responsibility of all the stakeholders including media and political parties not to attempt any speculation that may create unnecessary doubt in the minds of our stakeholders and citizens at large,” noted the panel.

The Election Commission (EC) has also questioned others who tweeted the “leak” of dates — BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya, Karnataka Congress social media in-charge Srivatsa Y.B. and Kannada news channel Suvarna News, who maintained that they got it from Times Now.

Malviya had clarified his source of Tuesday itself while the others responded on Wednesday.

Suvarna News said the news was first broken by Times Now. After few minutes, they took the same news. “We would like to bring to your notice that one more Kannada news channel, BTV, was first to put this news. Then Suvarna News and Public TV aired the news almost simultaneously. Absence of vast network in national capital makes us follow reputed national news (channels). We do not have any source whatsoever inside Election Commission who could leak us the information before the press meet.”

Congress’ Srivatsa also gave similar response. “I hereby clarify that the source of my information was a newsbreak that I saw on Times Now TV channel at 11.06 a.m., which I then used to post my tweet. It’s my submission that my tweet wasn’t intended to infringe upon the constitutional mandate of the EC to conduct free and fair elections,” Srivatsa wrote. He also attached screenshots of Times Now and his tweet.

The EC committee headed by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha and comprising Deputy Election Commissioners Sandeep Saxena, Sudeep Jain and Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Director General Dhirendra Ojha and Principal Secretary Standhope Yuhlung, probed into the “leak” and found that there was no leak.

Sri Reddy Leaks: Human Rights panel steps in as Govt mulls case against whistle blower

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When #MeToo movement reached the Telugu film industry, it has a different resonance compared to the wave it created in Hollywood. Here, the Telangana government and the central Information and Broadcasting Ministry were preparing to file cases against the whistle blower, forcing the Human Rights Commission to step in defence of the #MeToo actress Sri Reddy.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday served notices on the Information and Broadcasting ministry and the Telangana government, seeking detailed reports on the alleged sexual exploitation of women in the Telugu Film Industry or Tollywood.

The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of the recent protests by Telugu actress Sri Reddy who stripped in public in Hyderabad on Saturday against what is known as casting couch or sexual exploitation of aspiring artistes. Her act has sent shockwaves among the members of the Movie Artistes Association (MAA), an apex body of the Telugu film industry.

Not only did the MAA refused to make Sri Reddy a member of the body, but also threatened to file legal case against her. Sri Reddy followed the fight with her ‘SriReddyLeaks’ page on Facebook and started leaking the information about the people who had exploited her over the period. The former TV anchor has taken the Telugu film industry for a task that six names she had revealed have hit the roof.

The NHRC has sent notice to the MAA for not forming any committee to address sexual harassment complaints from women artistes in the film industry and even asked the state government to act on Sri Reddy’s complaints, instead of mulling cases against her.

Meanwhile, MAA has boycotted her and asked the members not to give her any role or work with her. The commission has taken a serious note of it and said such move by MAA violates the actress’s "right to livelihood and live a life with dignity." Instead of addressing the root-cause of the casting couch in the film industry, the government and the film body are acting against the whisle blower, noted the Human Rights commission in its notice served on MAA and the Telangana government.

“The Commission has also observed that reportedly, legal action against the actress has been taken under section 294 of IPC but it is nowhere mentioned, if action on the serious allegations of casting couch and sexual harassment, levelled by her, has been taken by the authorities. Therefore, it appears to be an attempt to muzzle the voice of whistle blower both from the sides of MAA and the State authorities,” said NHRC in a statement.

Sridevi named Best Actress at National Film Awards posthumously

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Sridevi, who died mysteriously in a Dubai hotel in February, was on Friday named the Best Actress posthumously for her role as a vengeful mother in the Hindi film "Mom", directed by Ravi Udyawar.

The role of Sridevi in the film revolved around a mother who goes out to take revenge against the person who had exploited her step-daughter. The film has made many parents to be cautious in sending their daughters to parties in farmhouses.

National Film Awards 2017 have been anounced and here is the full list of other recipients:

Here’s the complete list of National Film Awards winners:

Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment – Sathamanam Bhavathi
Best stunt choreography – Peter Hein (Pulimurugan)
Best Children’s Film – Dhanak (Hindi)
Best Film on social issue – Pink
Best Direction – Rajesh (Ventilator)
Best Actor – Akhay Kumar (Rustom)
Best Actress – Surabhi Lakshmi (Minnaminungu)
Best Supporting Actress – Zaira Wasim (Dangal)
Best Child Artist – Adhish Praveen (Kunju Daivam), Saj (Noor Islam), Manohara (Railway Children)
Best Male Playback Singer – Sundara Iyer (Joker)
Best Female Playback Singer – Thume jaake
Best Screenplay (original) – Syam Pushkaran (Maheshinte Prathikaram)
Best Screenplay (adapted) – Sanjay Krishnaji patel (Dashakriya)
Best Editing – Rameshwar Ventilator
Sound designer – Jayadevan (Kaadu Pookunna Neram)
Best production design – 24
Best Costume Designer – Sachin (Marathi film)
Best Environmental film including agriculture – The Tiger who crossed the line
Best Make-up Artist – MK Ramakrishna
Best Music Direction – Babu Padmanabha (Kannada Lama)
Special Mention – Kadvi Hawa Mukthi bhava (Hindi)
Special Jury award – Mohanlal (Malayalam) for Pulimurugan, Janatha Garage and Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol

ISRO Successfully Launches IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite, What’s Next?

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In its 43rd flight, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C41) successfully launched the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite on Thursday from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

PSLV-C41 lifted off at 0404 hrs (4:04 am) IST from the First Launch Pad. After a flight lasting about 19 minutes, the vehicle achieved a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 281.5 km and an apogee (farthest point to earth) of 20,730 km inclined at an angle of 19.2 degree to the equator. At this point, IRNSS-1I separated from PSLV.

After separation, the solar panels of IRNSS-1I were deployed automatically. ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan, Karnataka took over the control of the satellite. In the coming days, orbit manoeuvres will be performed from MCF to position the satellite at 55 degree East longitude in the planned Geosynchronous Orbit with an inclination of 29 degree to the equator.

IRNSS-1I is the latest member of the ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)’ system. NavIC, also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1,500 km around the Indian mainland.

A number of ground facilities responsible for IRNSS satellite ranging and monitoring, generation and transmission of navigation parameters, satellite control, network timing, among others have been established in many locations across the country as part of NavIC.

Till now, PSLV has successfully launched 52 Indian satellites and 237 customer satellites from foreign customers.

Mystery structure beneath sea points at the lost city of Atlantis?

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Based on Google Earth 3D imagery, Google users have spotted something unusual and conspiracy theorists believe it might have been the lost city of Atlantis that Plato had suggested claiming his grandfather has passed the legend to him.

According to Ancient Code, “Through violent earthquakes and floods, in a single day and night of misfortune [the whole race] was swallowed up by the Earth and the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea,” said Plato.

A video posted on YouTube shows a strange strange structure at a depth of over 4,500 meters under the ocean off the coast of Africa, in a spooky geometric pattern. Atlantis was believed to have been made of up rings in a circular structure, whereas this structure is in geometric lines.

The Youtube video claims that “the lost civilisation of Atlantida” has been discovered though. Time magazine, quoting, Google engineers said the structure was merely an artefact created by boats collecting sonar mapping data and not the lost city of Atlantis.

Similar 3D formations spotted on Google Earth include a large triangle on the ground in Wittmann, Arizona. For decades, conspiracy theorists argued that this could be the triangle symbol with connotations to the Illuminati in Biblical context.

Of late, Biblical traces to strange formations on the earth have been circulating via the social media. Even numerologist david Meade has been surfacing every three months to suggest a new date based on Biblical contexts and this time he cited April 23 as the Doomsday or the day Rapture begins.


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End of the World champion Meade surfaces again, says April 23 the Doomsday

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Numerologist and Christian conspiracy theorist David Meade never relents despite series of failures to his predictions in the past and now he has come up with the Doomsday as April 23, 2018, suggesting that the world will end ten days from now.

Citing the Bibile codes, he said earlier that the end of the world would come on November 23, matching the book of Revelation 12:1-2. Now he has revived his prediction suggesting April 23 to be the Doomsday, as per the code in Bible, the passage that signals the start of the Rapture and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The passage 12:1–2 in Bible says, “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.”

Taking Virgo as the woman from the passage, on April 23, the sun and moon will be in Virgo, as will Jupiter, which represents the Messiah. The celestial astrological alignment happens every 12 years. But the conspiracy theorists claim that another planetary alignment, representing “the Lion of the tribe of Judah’, will make the Rapture this time.

David Meade has been in forefront predicting a mythological planetary system Nibiru or Planet X will appear in the sky on April 23, triggering the Rapture with volcano eruptions driven by its gravitational force. In an article, titled “Will the World end on 23 April”, he said, “As usual with any astrology, one cherry-picks the stars that fit the desired conclusion. There is nothing to suggest that April 23 is a momentous date for biblical prophecy, and Christians need to be careful about being drawn into such sensationalist claims. We won’t know the day or the hour—so we should be prepared at all times!"

Ever since he said in November that a series of mishaps and natural disaster will hit the earth, the Hurricane Irma on September 11, 2017 over the Florida Keys, Florida. emergence of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with his nukes, and every natural disaster started looming large as Nibiru effect. This time, he tried to make it sound more Biblical and rational.

"During this time frame, on April 23, 2018 the moon appears under the feet of the Constellation Virgo. The Sun appears to precisely clothe Virgo… Jupiter is birthed on April 08, 2018," he explained his prediction. "The 12 stars at that date include the nine stars of Leo, and the three planetary alignments of Mercury, Venus and Mars – which combine to make a count of 12 stars on the head of Virgo. Thus the constellations Virgo, Leo and Serpens-Ophiuchus represent a unique once-in-a-century sign exactly as depicted in the 12th chapter of Revelation. This is our time marker,” he wrote.

However, US space agency NASA has vehemently denied such rumours and debunked the existence of Planet X terming ait as a mere Internet Hoax. Astronomer Jonathon Sarfati said the phenomena is not new and has occurred four times in the last millennium. We are still alive, he reminded the readers.

2 Indian friends in Dubai win $1mn lottery

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Two friends from India, Pinto Paul Thommana and Francis Sebastian, staying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have won $1 million in Dubai’s Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw at Dubai International Airport on Tuesday.

Thommana, 36, who hails from Kerala works as a foreman at an automotive workshop in Sharjah and his friend Sebastian, an employee of Arabian Automobiles, will be splitting the jackpot prize as they had equally shared the cost of the ticket.
"Thank you Dubai Duty Free for this amazing surprise! This will certainly go a long way for the two of us," said Thommana.

Sebastian, who had purchased the ticket five times in the past but never won used to prank his mother in Kerala that he’d won. This time, she did not believe him. "It was only after a friend called and convinced her, that she came to terms with it," he said.

The immediate plans of both the friends is not clear immediately, they want to continue working in UAE for now. "There are no plans of going back to India as of now. We will stay here," said Thommana to Gulf News.

This is the third incident since January that Indian expatriates have won the jackpot or lottery in UAE. In January, an Indian expatriate also became a multi-millionaire after winning 12 million dirhams in the biggest-ever raffle prize money in Abu Dhabi. Again in the first week of April, a Dubai-based Indian driver won a jackpot by winning 12 million dirhams in a raffle.

The driver, John Varughese, who has been working in Dubai as a driver since 2016, won the amount at the Big Ticket raffle held at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on Tuesday. Varughes said he would share prize money with four of his friends and "invest it in his childrens’ future."

200-million-year-old insect’s ‘true’ color revealed by fossils

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Scientists from China, Germany and the UK have new evidence to reveal the "true color" of fossil insects, which are 200 million years old.

Structural colors have evolved in a myriad of animals and plants and result from the wavelength-selective scattering of incident light. These colors could be more vibrant and visually appealing than those produced via pigmentation. The colour plays an important role in intraspecific sexual signaling, aposematism and crypsis.

Recently, researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their colleagues from Germany and the UK reported scale architectures from Jurassic Lepidoptera from the UK, Germany, Kazakhstan and China and Tarachoptera from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.

Using several ultrastructural parameters identified in Jurassic specimens, they demonstrated the use of optical modeling to describe the theoretical optical properties of the type-1 bilayer scale arrangement, thus providing the earliest evidence of structural colors in the insect fossil record.

The Jurassic lepidopterans exhibit a type 1 bilayer scale vestiture: an upper layer of large fused cover scales and a lower layer of small fused ground scales, besides herringbone ornamentation on the cover scale surface.

These colours provide the earliest evidence for structural coloration in fossil lepidopterans and support the hypothesis that fused wing scales and the type 1 bilayer covering are fundamental features of the group.

Prof. WANG Bo from NIGP, and the team lead, said the widespread occurrence of wing scales in Jurassic lepidopterans and in tarachopterans strongly suggests that wing scales were widespread in stem Amphiesmenoptera prior to their apogee in the Lepidoptera.

Future studies will focus on optical response of scale nanostructures in other fossil specimens to understand models of the evolution of structural colors in lepidopterans, said the researchers.

The research was recently published in Science Advances.

Sri Reddy Leaks: Director Kona Venkat latest, 2 more later, says Telugu #MeToo actress

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Sri Reddy, the Telugu actress who is naming the Telugu film industry celberities in her allegations of couching cast row, has named director Kona Venkat as the latest whom she claimed to have exploited her.

The name of Kona Venkat is the latest in the list of Sri Reddy, which had mentioned the name of Abhiram Daggubati, brother of Telugu actor Rana Daggubati of Bahubali fame. Prior to that, she had named director Sreeram Chandra and Sekhar Kammula.

Speaking to a Telugu TV channel Mahaa News, Sri Reddy claimed that Kona Venkat had asker to go over to a guest house to meet VV Vinayak for a role and it ended up as another case of sexual exploitation, she said. In support of her allegations, she has made available some screenshot of their conversation on social media, though authenticity of them is not verified so far.

Kona Venkat, in his response, demanded a police investigation and sought the judicial process to punish the guilty. "I demand the government to conduct through police investigation in these allegations and punish whoever are guilty," he tweeted. He described the allegations as cheap tactics to embarrass film personalities who have become "soft target."

However, he quickly added that he definitely support the demands of Sri Reddy who is seeking more Telugu artistes to be hired for roles in Telugu films. "I definitely support taking Telugu artists in our films.. In Geethanjali u find only Telugu artists," he reasoned it out.

Here’s the Saga of sri Reddy’s Leaks in the last two weeks:

Sri Reddy, a Telugu actress first appeared named famous director Sekhar Kammula in the so-called casting couch row, speaking to some TV channels. Soon, the director tweeted:"APOLOGIZE and take back every word that was posted against me or be ready to face legal action, which will include criminal/civil proceedings."

He said he never knew Sri Reddy and had been impartial in giving roles to actors in his films. "People who know me and my work would be aware of the kind of importance I give to equality of women and their empowerment. I live by my CHARACTER and die by it," he said. "I could never imagine in my wildest dreams that a woman whom I don’t know, have not seen or never spoken to in person or on the phone can suddenly make these baseless allegations. [sic]"

Next in the allegations of Sri Reddy is Telugu singer Sriram Chandra, who she accused of sending lewd messages and asking her to send images of her private parts. The actress soon shared their alleged conversation on WhatsApp.

Abhiram Daggubati, son of producer Suresh Babu and younger brother of Rana Daggubati, was named by Sri Reddy. She said Abhiram called her to a studio that belongs to the government and meant to help talented people. But Abhiram chose it as a venue for his sexual exploitation, she alleged.

Latest WhatsApp Telugu videos fame Viva Harsha was also one of the names she has alleged in her sri Reey Leaks.

Sperm being sent to ISS to see whether they squirm the same way in Space

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Remember when you first learned about reproduction process in health class at school? Well, NASA biologists are wondering how some of those basics of how fertilization would work if sperm and egg were to unite in space. In other words, having sex aboard on ISS and examine how the sperm squirm in weightlessness — is their plan.

A cargo mission is launching to the International Space Station in April 2018 to study how weightlessness affects sperm. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the investigation, called Micro-11, aboard SpaceX’s 14th cargo resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

Little is currently known about the biology of reproduction in space, and this experiment will begin to address that gap by measuring, for the first time, how well bull and human sperm functions in space, said NASA in a statement. Studying reproductive biology in space is useful because the unique environment of microgravity can reveal processes and connections not visible in gravity on Earth, it explained the rationale behind such step.

In mammals, including humans, fertilization occurs when a sperm cell swims toward an egg and fuses with it. Before this can happen, the sperm cell must be activated to start moving. Next, to prepare it for fusing with the egg, the sperm needs to move faster, and its cell membrane must become more fluid.

Previous experiments with sea urchin and bull sperm suggest that activating movement happens more quickly in microgravity, while the steps leading up to fusion happen more slowly, or not at all. Delays or problems at this stage could prevent fertilization from happening in space.

For this experiment, two types of mammalian sperm, human and bull, will be sent to the space station as frozen samples. Bull sperm show similar changes in movement and other markers of fertility as human sperm. However, human sperm are inherently more varied in motion and appearance. So, the measurements of bull sperm will provide quality control to ensure the researchers can detect subtle differences in sperm from both species.

The astronaut crew will thaw the samples and add chemical mixtures that trigger activation of sperm movement and preparation for fusing with an egg. Researchers will use video to assess how well the space sperm move. Finally, the samples will be mixed with preservatives and returned to Earth, where they’ll be analyzed to see whether the steps necessary for fusion occurred and whether the samples from space differ from sperm samples activated on the ground.

We don’t know yet how long-duration spaceflight affects human reproductive health, and this investigation would be the first step in understanding the potential viability of reproduction in reduced-gravity conditions.

Managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, the Micro-11’s principal investigator for the fertilization in space experiment is Joseph S. Tash of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. The experimental hardware for Micro-11 was developed by BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado Boulder, and will launch aboard SpaceX’s 14th cargo resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.