INSAT-3D successfully launched

India's advanced meteorological satellite INSAT-3D was successfully launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana early today, giving a boost to weather forecasting and disaster warning services.

European space consortium Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket launched INSAT-3D and Alphasat satellites.

Alphasat is Europe's largest telecommunication satellite-ever manufactured and results from a large-scale public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Inmarsat.

The workhorse vehicle lifted off exactly on schedule at 1.23 AM IST from the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone in French Guiana for a nearly 33-minute flight.

World Youth Athletic Championship - Donetsk (Ukraine)

The eighth World Youth Athletic Championship started in Donetsk (Ukraine).

Around 1,700 competitors from 165 countries will participate in the biennial tournament, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The tournament, which started Wednesday, is open to track and field events for under-17 competitors.

Total of 148 medals will be awarded for 40 events scheduled for the five-day tournament.

The previous World Youth Athletic Championship was held in Lille, France, in 2011.

Indian PSLV successfully launches IRNSS-1A navigation satellite

India have launched their Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Monday carrying IRNSS-1A, the first satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. Liftoff from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre occurred at 18:11 UTC (23:41 local time).


Source: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/07/indian-pslv-launch-irnss-r1a/

Shashi Kant Sharma appointed as new CAG

Defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma was on Tuesday named as the new Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG), succeeding Vinod Rai who demitted office today after an eventful five-and-a-half years during which the audit body was locked in confrontations with the government.

 The CAG is appointed for a term of six years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Lydia Davis wins the Man Booker International Prize 2013

Lydia Davis, an American author best known for her short stories, has won this year's Man Booker International Prize. Davis, 65, has had six collections of short stories published. She has also translated a number of French classics, including Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and has written one novel. 

The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes one writer for his or her achievement in fiction. It is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language.

Laureus World Sports Awards 2013

• Laureus World Sportsman of the Year- Usain Bolt 
• Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year- Jessica Ennis 
• Laureus World Team of the Year- European Ryder Cup Team 
• Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year- Andy Murray 
• Laureus World Comeback of the Year- Feliz Sanchez 
• Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year- Felix Baumgartner 
• Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability- Daniel Dias

ISRO's PSLV-C20 Rocket Successfully Launched

Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite, SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika) were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) flew from first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre and was successfully put into the orbit. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee witnessed this launch from mission control centre at Sriharikota.

Satellites launched by PSLV-C20 rocket

• 410-kg SARAL with payloads - Argos and Altika
• Two micro-satellites UniBRITE and BRITE from Austria
• AAUSAT3 from Denmark
• STRaND from United Kingdom
• Micro-satellite (NEOSSat)
• Mini-satellite (SAPPHIRE) from Canada

Bengal Gazette

James Augustus Hicky's Bengal Gazette was an English newspaper published from Kolkata (then Calcutta), India. It was the first major newspaper in India, founded on January 29, 1780

NASA Released Mayan Apocalypse Video TEN DAYS Early

A film from Nasa about the Mayan prophecy that the world will end on 21 December, has been released 10 days early. The film entitled The World Didn't End Yesterday looks at the science behind the Mayan calendar which 5,125-year run is due to end in 10 days, and how it should be interpreted as cyclical.

Human Rights Day, 10 December

Human Rights Day presents an opportunity, every year, to celebrate human rights, highlight a specific issue, and advocate for the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone everywhere.

This year, the spotlight is on the rights of all people — women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and marginalized — to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making.

These human rights — the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, to peaceful assembly and association, and to take part in government (articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) have been at the centre of the historic changes in the Arab world over the past two years, in which millions have taken to the streets to demand change. In other parts of the world, the “99%” made their voices heard through the global Occupy movement protesting economic, political and social inequality.

Source: 

http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/ 

http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=937

Organ transplant pioneer Joseph Murray dies at 93

Dr. Joseph E. Murray, the Nobel laureate who conducted the world's first successful organ transplant, died Monday at the Boston hospital where the pioneering surgery was performed. He was 93. On Dec. 23, 1954, in Operating Room 2 of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Dr. Murray took the healthy kidney of Ronald Herrick and sutured it into the donor's dying identical twin, Richard. With that 5½-hour operation, Dr. Murray and his team saved a life, sparked an ethical debate that still echoes today, and opened medicine to a new frontier. Murray, who focused on plastic and reconstructive surgery for most of his career, was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1990.

Isolines

Isolines

An isoline map is a map with continuous lines joining points of the same value. The prefix "iso-" means "equal."

This is a list of some common types of isolines.

isobar

A line representing points of equal atmospheric pressure

isobath

A line representing points of equal depth under water

isobathytherm

A line representing depths of water with equal temperature

isochasm

A line representing points of equal recurrence of auroras

isocheim

A line representing points of equal mean winter temperature

isochrone

A line representing points of equal time-distance from a point, such as the transportation time from a particular point

isodapane

A line representing points of equal transport costs for products from production to markets

isodose

A line representing points of equal intensity of radiation

isodrosotherm

A line representing points of equal dew point

isogeotherm

A line representing points of equal mean temperature

isogloss

A line separating linguistic features

isogonal

A line representing points of equal magnetic declination

isohaline

A line representing points of equal salinity in the ocean

isohel

A line representing points receiving equal amounts of sunshine

isohume

A line representing points of equal humidity

isohyet

A line representing points of equal precipitation

isoneph

A line representing points of equal amounts of cloud cover

isopectic

A line representing points where ice begins to form at the same time each fall or winter

isophene

A line representing points where biological events occur at the same time, such as crops flowering

isoplat

A line representing points of equal acidity, as in acid precipitation

isopleth

A line representing points of equal numerical value, such as population

isopor

A line representing points of equal annual change in magnetic declination

isostere

A line representing points of equal atmospheric density

isotac

A line representing points where ice begins to melt at the same time each spring

isotach

A line representing points of equal wind speed

isothere

A line representing points of equal mean summer temperature

isotherm

A line representing points of equal temperature

isotim

A line representing points of equal transport costs from the source of a raw material

Children's Day - 14th November

Children's Day 

Children’s day is special day for the children. Universally, Children’s Day is celebrated on 20th November, every year as declared by the United Nations in 1954. 

But in India it is celebrated on 14th November, because the date marks the birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter and independent India’s first Prime Minister – Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru. 

As a tribute to Nehru and his love for children, Children’s Day is celebrated on his birth date. This day reminds to each and every one of us, to renew our commitment to the welfare of children and teach them to live by their Chacha Nehru’s quality and dream.

World Diabetes Day - 14 November 2012

World Diabetes Day

14 November 2012

World Diabetes Day raises global awareness of diabetes - its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent the illness in most cases. Started by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and WHO, the Day is celebrated on 14 November to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.

WHO estimates that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is likely to more than double by 2030 without intervention. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Latest Constitutional Amendment Bills of India

The Constitution (118th Amendment) Bill, 2012 

Government today introduced in the Lok Sabha a bill seeking to amend Article 371 of the Constitution to grant special status to six backward districts of Hyderabad-Karnataka region, enabling local reservation in education and jobs, besides development.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde introduced the Constitution (118th Amendment) Bill, 2012 which aims to insert a new Article 371-J, to provide for special provisions for the six backward districts of North Karnataka, namely Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal and Bellary.

The Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, 2012

The Government recently introduced the 117th Constitution Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill upon becoming an Act would amend the Constitution to provide reservation to members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in government job promotions.

The Constitution (One Hundred Seventeenth Amendment) Bill, 2012 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on September 5, 2012 by Mr. V Narayansamy, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
The Bill is necessitated to circumvent a Supreme Court verdict striking down reservation benefits for SCs and STs in promotions extended by the then Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh.

The Constitution (116th Amendment) Bill, 2011

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 was introduced along with a Constitutional (116th Amendment) Bill during the winter session of the 15th Lok Sabha on December 22, 2011.

Courtesy: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India

Jawahar Thayankari won the second President’s Trophy Boat Race, Ashtamudi Lake on Thursday

snake-boat Jawahar Thayankari of Sangham Kannetti at Karunagapally beat three competitors to win the second President’s Trophy Boat Race held on the Asramam Creek of the Ashtamudi Lake on Thursday.

The race was cheered by thousands who had thronged the banks. The snake boat Sree Ganesh of Kumarakam Boat Club which won the trophy last year was pushed to the second position. Devas of Victory Boat Club, Karunagapally, and Ayaparambu Paandi of Kottayam Town Boat Club came third and fourth.

In addition to the coveted trophy the Jawahar Thayankari team also won a cash prize of Rs.1.50 lakh plus a bonus of Rs.1.75 lakh. Sree Ganesh won the trophy of the Kollam City Corporation and a cash prize of Rs.1.25 lakh. Devas got the R. Sankar Memorial Trophy and cash prize of Rs.1 lakh. Ayaparambu Paandi won the Younus College of Engineering trophy and cash prize of Rs. 75,000.

In the losers’ finals, Aanari Puthen of Jesus Boat Club, Kollam emerged the winner. In the Veppu A grade category, Kottaparappan of Saint Francis Boat Club, Kollam was the winner. In the Iruttukuthi category Saint Sebastian of Chepanam Boat Club won the race. In the Thekanodi category rowed by women the boat Devas of Victory Boat Club, Karunagapally was declared the winner.

Sania Mirza Inagurated President's Trophy Boat Race yesterday.

National Integration Day - October 31

National Integration Day - October 31

National Integration Day is being observed in India on October 31, the day when former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984; thus it coincides with the martyrdom day of the former premier.

The new power circle of India

More: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/khurshid-raju-head-pack-in-major-reshuffle/article4040545.ece?homepage=true

Indian Origin Fabiola Mann, the Next Gen Einstein

Fabiola Mann, a 15-year-old London teen with Goan roots has beaten Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking with her IQ score. Her Mensa IQ score of 162 has put her in the top 1 percent of world’s intelligent people, two points above the 160 scored by the scientific greats, reported Karsten Miranda for TNN. Mensa was founded in 1946 as a society for intelligent people.

Nobel Prize Economics 2012

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2012 was awarded jointly to Alvin E. Roth and Lloyd S. Shapley "for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design"