NEWS OF INTEREST (INDIAN CONTEXT)

NATIONAL EVENTS:
April 1 Nation turns off lights to save Earth On March 31, India and many other countries turned off their lights for One Hour to save the Earth. At 8:30pm sharp, all government offices, major monuments like India Gate and Mysore Palace, and numerous private sector companies switched off their lights to mark the Earth Hour. The cheering and shouting slogan Save Earth prevailed all over. The city of Kanpur became the Champion of Earth Hour 2012. Earth Hour is a worldwide event organized by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), Australia. It is celebrated on the last Saturday of March between 8:30pm to 9:30pm. At present 135 countries from the whole world are members of this event. April 4 India gets a nuclear powered sub-marine The nuclear powered attack sub-marine INS Chakra was formally inducted into Indian navy. INS Chakra is inducted on a lease of 10-years from Russia at a cost of around $1 billion. The sub-marine is equipped with lethal hunterkiller and intelligence gathering capabilities. It weighs around 8140 tonnes and it is propelled by 190MW nuclear reactor to get the maximum speed of 30 knots. April 8 Pakistan President visits India, paid reverence at Ajmer Dargah Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari visited India to pay his reverence to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty Dargah at Ajmer. He gave Rs 5-crores as nazrana (gift) to Dargah, which is the largest nazrana ever made to the shrine. Also, Zardari discussed various national issues with Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh. April 12 Tribals in Madhya Pradesh protect trees (their Gods) with Bows & Arrows In the remote Ranjara jungles of the district Dindori in Madhya Pradesh, people of the Baigas tribe are protecting trees (their Gods) with bows and arrows. According to tribe people, the lush jungles have been their homes for generations. They worship the trees as their gods and no person (including the government and forest officials) has rights to slaughter their Gods. The local village panchayat held meetings to protest the forest departments policy of felling trees. However, running out of patience, the panchayat in its recent meeting asked every able man, woman and child to take up their traditional arms to ensure that not a single tree is cut. April 13 Shah Rukh Khan questioned at US airport again

Shah Rukh Khan was once again stopped and questioned at US Airport. He was on a trip to Yale University to receive a Chubb fellowship and deliver a speech. While his fellow travellers including Nita Ambani (wife of Mukesh Ambani) cleared the security check swiftly, he was reportedly stopped for extended questioning about his programme for about two hours. The Indian government has intervened strongly on behalf of Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan. April 16 Environment Ministry banned live animals for dissection The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has banned the use of live animals in dissection and other experiments in educational and research institutions. However the scientists conducting new molecular research will be exempted from the ban. Based on the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), the MoEF has issued guidelines to the University Grants Commission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Pharmacy Council of India and the Medical Council of India to discontinue dissection and experiments with live animals in universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, laboratories. Instead, use alternatives like computer simulation. These guidelines mention the imprisonment for five years and monetary penalty too. April 17 The twig of grass with Gandhijis blood stains on it was sold for 10,000

A pinch of soil and blood-stained blades of grass from the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 sold for 10,000 at an auction held in London. Other Gandhi memorabilia including his round-rimmed glasses, charkha, and numerous letters written signed by him. While, the round-rimmed glasses were sold for 34,000, the charkha was sold for 26,000. However, the letters were sold between 3,000 and 6,600. April 19 India successfully tested Agni-V a long range ballistic nuclear capable missile.

On Thursday morning, India heralded a new era in its 'credible' strategic deterrence capability by testing its most ambitious nuclear missile the over 5,000-km range Agni V. This missile brings all of China and much more within its strike envelope. It is a long range ballistic nuclear capable missile that can accurately hit targets more than 5000 km away. It is also described as China Killer. This 50-tonne missile was launched from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast at 8.07 am, to an 'impact point towards western Australia. It took 20-minutes of flight to reach the destination point. With this, India also opened the door to the super-exclusive ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) club that counts only the US, Russia, China, France and the UK as its members. Agni V, a three-stage, solidfuelled missile will be ready for deployment by the tri-Service Strategic Forces Command by 2015.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS:
April 1 - Two blasts in Thailand kill 11 Two deadly car bomb explosions shook the southern provinces of Thailand. 11 people were killed and 110 others were severely injured. Both bombs were exploded in a busy area of Yala city before lunchtime at an interval of 20 minutes. It is believed that these explosions were staged by the suspected Muslim insurgents. According to the major officials of the area, these explosions were the most deadly attack in past few years. April 1 Japan warns future risk of 112-ft high Tsunami After revising the tsunamis worst case scenario in Japan, an expert cabinet panel has projected that a 34-metre (112-ft) tsunami could hit the Japanese coast. Panel has suggested the town Kuroshio in south-western Kochi prefecture could be the victim such tsunami hit. At the Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Shizuoka prefecture, the tsunami could be as high as 21 metres, breaching the 18-metre breakwater currently being constructed. The cabinet panel has not been able to calculate the exact date and time, but they are sure of such disasters in the nearby future. April 2 Aung San Suu Kyi won the elections. Grabbed the seat at Myanmar Parliament

Aung San Suu Kyis had won an avalanche victory in historic by-elections. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) party had won a parliamentary seat in closely watched election held on April 1. Thousands of supporters were gathered outside her partys headquarters. Suu Kyi said, The success we are having is the success of people I hope that vote marks the beginning of a new era for the long repressed country. April 5 Bosnia remembers war with empty chairs

11,541 empty red chairs were lined in Sarajevo, Bosnia to mark the 20 anniversary of the bloodiest clash in Europe since World War II. The number of empty seats shows the number of innocent citizens killed in during the 1992-95 war. The people sang 14 songs in remembrance. Most of the songs were composed during the citys bloody siege. April 6 Buford, the smallest town in America with the total population of only one man, sold for $900,000

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Buford, the smallest town in America, was sold at auction for $900,000. It was purchased by a Vietnamese national from Ho Chi Minh City. The town had the population of only one person named Don Sammons. April 11 Two massive earthquakes jolted Aceh, Indonesia, no casualties reported Two massive 8.6 magnitude earthquakes in Aceh triggered back-to-back warnings for Indonesia and its Southeast Asian neighbours including India. However, no deadly waves of tsunami followed the quakes and the tsunami watch for much of the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours. Thankfully, the quakes didnt claim any casualties; thus made people of Indonesia scream, God is great. In December 2004, an undersea quake of 9.1 magnitude off Sumatra triggered tsunami waves up to Africa and killed 2.3-lakh people in 14 countries including India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. April 12 Ceasefire holds, guns remain silent in Syria

(Bashar al-Assad) A fragile brokered by the UN took hold in Syria with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition. Violence came to a halt across most of Syria, after President Bashar al- Assad pledged to observe a United Nations brokered cease-fire. The UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, brokered the cease-fire as part of a sixpoint peace plan that won backing from Russia and China. Assads crackdown on protests that started peacefully in March last year has left more than 9,000 people dead. However, Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a telephone interview from London, "There is 'complete calm across Syria' except for a few explosions in the capital as the cease-fire went into effect at 6 a.m." April 15 - Whole world marked 100 Anniversary of Titanic People and organizations from the whole marked the 100 anniversary of the legendary ship Titanic. The Titanic, the worlds largest and most luxurious ocean liner was travelling from England to New York on April 14, 1912. At
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11:40 pm, it struck an iceberg at North Atlantic and sank within three hours. 1514 passengers lost their lives. The th 100 anniversary is marked in the remembrance of the dead people and the Titanic itself. On this occasion, a memorial monument of Titanic was unveiled in a ceremony held at Belfast in Northern Ireland, where the Titanic was built. The ceremony was attended by local dignitaries, relatives of the dead and Robert Ballard. Robert Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic on the ocean floor in 1985. April 15 Siege in Kabul: Unexpected attacks by Taliban rattled the place In retaliation to Quran burning by NATO soldiers and killing of 17 civilians by a rogue soldier, the Taliban launched a complex assault in Kabul. To accomplish this mission, they used the teams of suicide bombers and gunmen who held buildings for hours after the first explosions. However, the Afghan security forces had repulsed the attacks and inflicted losses in return. The police headed off some attacks and arrested two potential suicide bombers and destroyed a vehicle full of explosives. At least one police officer and 19 militants died in the attacks. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai was moved to a safe area and his palace went into lockdown. April 17 150 Afghan schoolgirls poisoned 150 Afghan schoolgirls were poisoned after drinking contaminated water at a high school in the Kunduz district of Afghanistan. Some of the 150 girls were in critical condition, whereas others were able to go home after treatment. The officials blamed it on conservative radicals opposed to female education. Since the 2001 toppling of Taliban, which banned education for women and girls, females have returned to schools, especially in Kabul. But periodic attacks still occur against girls, teachers and their school buildings, usually in the more conservative south and east, from where the Taliban insurgency draws most support. Jan Mohammad Nabizada, a spokesman for education department in northern Takhar province said, We are 100% sure that the water ...was poisoned. This is either the work of those who are against girls education or irresponsible armed individuals. However, none of the officials blamed any particular group for the attack, fearing retribution from anyone named. April 18 Tokyo Sky Tree is the worlds tallest TV Tower

The Tokyo Sky Tree, worlds tallest TV tower. Also, it is the second-highest building at 2,080 feet after Dubais Burj Khalifa (2,717 ft). It has a restaurant and two cafes on the observation decks, a vertigo-inducing glass floor that

allows visitors to look straight down, and an emergency staircase with 2,523 steps. The tower is constructed with extremely strong steel tubes surrounding a central concrete column. Besides, the tower employs special vibrationcontrolling technology meant to withstand earthquakes that often strike Japan. April 18 Attend top US colleges at no charge; Stanford, Princeton and 3 other elite varsities to offer free online courses for students worldwide The founders of five prestigious US universities including Stanford and Princeton announced that the varsities will create free online courses for students worldwide through a new, interactive education platform dubbed 'Coursera'. For this, they had received $16 million in financing from two Silicon Valley venture capital firms. Coursera will offer more than three dozen college courses in the coming year through its website at coursera.org, on countless subjects from different academic arena including Greek mythology, neurology, Calculus, and American poetry, etc. Students will not get college credit, but Coursera may offer 'certificates of completion' to the students.

SPORTS EVENTS:
April 1 Geeta Kumari became the first Indian Women wrestler to qualify for the Olympics Geeta Kumari became the first Indian women to qualify for the Olympics. Her gold medal winning performance at Asian qualifying tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan has made her dreams come true. In the final round of the tournament, Geeta beat her Korean opponent Ji-Eun Um by 5-0 to settle and won the gold. She would wrestle in 55kg category. Womens wrestling was first introduced at the Olympics during the 2004 Athens Olympics. April 4 IPL Season 5 commenced with grand opening ceremony One of the biggest events of the year, IPL Season 5 was commenced with a very grand opening ceremony in Chennai. Various celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Katy Perry, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan had adorned the event with their magnificent performances. The first match was played between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. April 8 Vijender Singh qualifies for Olympics and becomes the first Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics for three times in a row. Vijender Singh, a veteran boxer, qualifies for the London Olympics. Also, he becomes the first Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics for the three times in a row. He beat Mongolias Chuluuntumur Tumurkhuyag by 27-17 at Asian qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan to clinch the last available chance London Olympics. April 8 Pankaj Advani won Asian Billiards Championship title for the 5 time Pankaj Advani, an expert billiards player, won the Asia Billiards Championship title for the 5 time. In the final th tournament of ONGC 11 Asian Billiards Championship in Goa, Pankaj got a fine victory over Thawat Sujaritthukaran Thailand. April 9 Yuvraj Singh, a famous Indian cricketer, returned back to India after the successful treatment of tumour
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The famous Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh has returned back to India after the successful treatment in America. The veteran player was suffering from malignant tumour on his lungs. After various medicinal courses in India, he was finally advised to go under a 4-month chemotherapy course in US. When asked how he was feeling, Thank God I am home, was all he said. April 11 18-year old Shiva Thapa becomes the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics; wins Gold at Asian Cup After defeating Japans Satoshi Shimizu by 31-17 in the semi-finals of the Asian Olympic Qualifying Event in Astana, Kazakhstan, 18-year old Shiva Thapa becomes the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics. Moreover on April 12, he won the final round of the event and grabbed gold medal in the 56-kg category. In finals, Sumit Thapa defeated Wessam Salamana of Syria by 18-11 points. April 11 Teenage boxer Sumit Sangwan grabs his Gold Medal and ticket to Olympics A 19-year old teenager, Sumit Sangwan doubled the celebration for the Indian boxing campaign by defeating Ihab Almatdault of Jordan by 24-12 points. With this win, he also secured his seat for the London Olympics 2012. He became the seventh Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics. His victory continued on April 12 as well. In the final match under 81-kg category, Sumit Sangwan defeated Jakhon Qurbanov of Tajikistan by 14-9 points and seized the Asian Cup gold medal for him. April 11 India is on 165 place the World Rankings of Soccer published by FIFA According to the latest world rankings of Football published by FIFA (Fdration Internationale de Football th Association), India has been slipped seven slots down to 165 spot. It is Indias worst ever ranking till date. The publication shows that Spain is topping the list, whereas Germany, Uruguay, Netherlands, and Portugal are following Spain in descending order. April 15 Cricketer Ajinkya Rahane slams the first 100 of IPL Season 5
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Ajinkya Rahane scored the maiden century of IPL season five to help Rajasthan crush Bangalore by 59 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. His hundred came in only 58 balls just a few matches after he missed a ton by 2 runs. He was aided by Owais Shah who slammed 60 runs in just 26 balls.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

French car manufacturer Peugeot has manufactured the worlds first car that can change its body colour in order to reflect its owners emotions. Peugeot RCZ uses psycho-chromatic coating or mood paint, a pioneering new technology developed by Peugeot UK. This coating alters the molecular structure of the paint to emit light at varying wavelengths. The drivers mood is detected via heat sensors integrated in to the steering wheel and the readings are then transmitted ahead to change the colour of the car accordingly. April 2 A computer that can spot if someone is lying to you A team at the University of Buffalo has developed new computer software that can spot if someone is lying to you. The software focuses solely on the users eyes and monitors the movement of pupils. The movement of pupils determines if someone is telling you the truth or lying. In a lab test, the software produced an impressive 82.5% accurate reading. April 4 Worlds first flying car tested

A Massachusetts based company Terrafugia Inc has developed and successfully tested the worlds first-ever Flying Car. The name of this flying-car is Transition. It has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so that it can be driven like a car. The Transition can reach around 112km per hour on the road and 184km in the air. It flies using 88-litre fuel tank and burns around 19-litre per hour in the air. Also, it gives the mileage of around 14km per litre. April 5 Medicine and IT sectors to experience new era as an ultra-small precise laser has been developed Washington D.C. A group of scientists claims to have developed the worlds first highly precise, fast and extremely small laser that could benefit medicine and computing. It is the first time that a micro-cavity resonator has been used to lock the modes of a laser. Lasers that have their modes locked generate shortest optical pulses of light. This is how ultra-short pulsed lasers are created. Such lasers would certainly bring new era in the laser based health treatments and optical computing. April 6 Baby Andrei, an eight month baby with no intestines, is still alive

Baby Andrei has puzzled the doctors of Bucharest just by being alive. The 8-months old tiny boy was born with almost no intestines. He has only 10 centimetres of intestine, which is actually short if compared to about 3-metres for other babies of his age. Though he has started teething like the other babies of his age, he still weighs less than an average new-born. He was born pre-mature to an underage poor Romanian gypsy couple. People in Europe and US are donating funds to help Baby Andrei get a complicated intestine transplant in the US.

April 9 A vaccine that can fight 90% of cancers has been developed London: Scientists claim to have developed a universal cancer vaccine that can train patients own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells. The vaccine targets a molecule MUC 1 that is found in 90% of all cancers. Usually, patients immune system does not recognise the tumour cells as threat because they are formed of patients own cells that malfunctioned. However, the scientists have found that the MUC1 molecules are found in high amounts on the surface of a tumour cells. Thus, these molecules can be used to immune system detect and destroy tumours. April 13 A Kashmiri farmer invented a singing lantern

Gulam Mohammad Mir, a 48-year old Kashmiri farmer, has a quirky habit of sleeping without clothes. So, tired of being found naked in his sleep every time soldiers searched his house during operations at the peak of militancy, Mir found a novel way to escape his tribulations. He developed a singing lantern that alerts him to human movement near his house in Sagaam village in Anantnag district. Thus, he gets enough time to dress up. Mir has no formal education. The 'singing lantern' is powered by a dry battery and equipped with a remote sensor. Gulam Mohammad Mir, who recently participated at the innovators meet at University of Kashmir, claims that the 'singing lantern' has saved his life many times. April 15 India to launch its first ever Robonaut to hunt for Aliens in Space India joined a global search in the quest of searching for alien life forms. As part of a new project called Detection of Life Forms in Other Planets, India will soon build a near human robotic system 'a Robonaut'. The Robonaut will be equipped with the capabilities for the analysis and assessment of air, water and soil and detection of possible life forms. The department of atomic energys working group says the quest for detection of life forms existing in other planets than earth will be an interesting and challenging project that India will push to become part of. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has expressed interest in joining the International Space Station (ISS) programme at the International Astronautical Congress in order to start the project. The ISS is operated as a joint programme by NASA, Russian Federal Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency. April 19 Drink water before exams and improve your grades A new research performed at London claims that students who took a drink, such as water, coffee or cola, before taking an exam scored 'up to 10%' better grades than the students who did not take any drink. It is unclear why a drink should help, but one theory suggests that information flows more freely between brain cells when they are well hydrated. Drinking water may also calm nerves, while those who became thirsty during the exams could be more easily distracted. SUGGESTION: We can add a section (for this issue only) stating 8 Wonders of the Near Future by taking content from Times Trends of April 8, 2012.