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Hyderabad Nosier than Delhi

  Noise pollution is the highest form of pollution in the world, at the moment. If all the pollution sources are shortlisted, then the cities will become the cradle of noise pollution. The urbanization has brought in all the industries and allied activities to the cities.The observation of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which in its latest report also noted how the noise pollution (noise level beyond the prescribed limits of 55 dB during day and 45 dB during night) can cause aggression, hypertension, hearing loss, tinnitus and sleep disturbance.   The CPCB has gathered data from 35 noise monitoring systems installed in 9 metro cities. Mumbai, the noisiest city in India, was followed by Lucknow, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore. The report also says that ITO in Delhi and Bandra in Mumbai are nosier than the busiest parts of London, New York and Beijing.

Arun Jaitley eyes on PF again

  In what is thought to be an unprecedented move, the finance ministry has today set aside the recommendations of CBT and decreased the interest rate on Employees Provident Fund. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) often decides the interest rate to be granted on EPF. The decision of CBT would normally be accepted by the Finance Ministry. But this time, as the CBT fixed the rate at 8.8%, finance ministry has ratified it at 8.7%. This move has of course ignited the wrath of trade unions across the country. The trade unions including RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have already announced nationwide protests against the decision, until it is rolled back.   The central government from a few months, has been trying to profit on the lakhs of crores accumulated through EPF. At first, the finance minister has tried to impose tax on it and failed. Later, several restrictions were laid on the withdrawal of EPF. But as the protests against the decision turned violent in Bengaluru, the government has moved back from its war front on EPF. And now the latest move seems to lead one more spur between the middle class India and the government.

Fire at Natural History Museum... a major loss!

  No causalities might have been reported after the fire broke out at the Natural History Museum in Delhi. But the loss is incalculable. The museum which works under the Environment ministry has lost much of its valuable artifacts in the fire. The museum USED to contain large collections that depicted the flora and fauna of the nation. Established in 1972, museum displays stuffed species, fossils and replicas of endangered animals. The blaze which took over this National Museum has started around 1:30 today morning.   It took almost 4 hours and 35 fire tenders to bring it under control. It’s a sad note that this prestigious museum doesn’t have a building on its own and has been working under the rented premises. The museum has always been under deficit for funds and was alleged to be ignored by the government. Environment minister Javadekar has assured that necessary precautions would be taken that such incidents won’t happen again in future. But the assurance seems to have come after the museum was almost burnt to ashes! What protection could be given to them?

Supreme Court criticizes BCCI

  The Supreme Court on Monday slamed BCCI for monopolizing cricket in the country and said several youngsters who are working hard to become the next Dhonis and Kohlis are not being given equal opportunity if they are not on the right side of the cricket body. SC also` expressed anguish over the BCCI running a "prohibitory regime and monopolizing cricket." "Several youngsters in the country want to make their career in cricket and want to be Dhonis and Kohlis due to the glamour and glitz associated with it. They do not get equal opportunity if they are not on the right side of the BCCI. Sometimes they are prevented by the people at the helm of affairs," a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur said.   The apex court also appointed senior advocate Gopal Subramanium as amicus curiae in the matter and sought his assistance to explore as to how the recommendations of Justice RM Lodha committee favouring large-scale structural reforms, which BCCI and other boards have been resisting, could be implemented.

Kanhaiya Kumar Fined By JNU

  Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar have been fined Rs.20,000 and 10,000 on the recommendation of a university panel that investigated their role in a controversial on campus event in support of terrorist Afzal Guru. Umar Khalid has been suspended for a semester by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for "indiscipline".Anirban Bhattacharya, the third student arrested on the same charge, has been barred from pursuing any course in JNU for the next five years.   The university has accused the students of "arousing communal caste feelings, creating disharmony and colluding in the unauthorized entry of outsiders".On Sunday, the 28-year-old was deplaned from a Mumbai-Pune flight after he alleged that a co-passenger, Manas Deka, tried to strangle him. Mr Kumar alleged that Mr Deka, who works with IT-major TCS, is a BJP supporter and when he complained, the airline took no action but deplaned both of them.  

India Withdraws Visa To Dolkun Isa

India on Monday withdrew the visa granted to Germany-based  Uyghur leader Dolkun Isa. Isa, branded a terrorist by the Chinese government, was given the visa to attend a conference on democracy in Dharamsala later this month. India decided to withdraw the visa as there is a red corner notice against Isa, said MEA sources. The move was seen as linked to China blocking New Delhi's proposal at the UN to designate Pakistan-based Jaish e Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar a terrorist.   China accuses Dolkun Isa of terror activities in the remote Xinjiang region where there is frequent violence between the local Uyghur population and government forces. Isa was given asylum in Germany in the 1990s. China had reacted angrily after India granted visa to the Uyghur leader last week.The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement, referred to an Interpol red corner notice against Isa and said: "Bringing him to justice is a due obligation of relevant countries."

Diamond's found in donation box at Shirdi

  Shirdi Sai Baba temple was in for a star-studded surprise on Tuesday, when diamonds worth R 92 lakh were found in the donation box, wrapped in a packet.This is the first time in the history of the temple that such forbiddingly expensive valuables have been anonymously deposited in the donation boxes. Usually, large donations are made directly to the trustees since there is a chance that they might get misplaced.   One of them is 6.67 carats (brilliant cut) and the other is 2.50 carats (emerald cut). Together, their value is Rs. 92 lakh. The trustees will now be approaching court in order to decide what is to be done with them.At present, the temple trust is directly headed by a Bombay high court committee. Bajirao Shinde, CEO of the trust, said the court will decide what is to be done with the diamonds.As per tradition, we do a valuation of the donations through registered evaluators twice a year.   Shirdi Sai Baba temple is considered one of the top five temples in the country on the parameters of donations and wealth. The trust is planning to celebrate the 100th year of Sai Baba's samadhi next year.

Sri Lankan cricketer hospitalized

Sri Lanka's Test opener Kaushal Silva was taken to hospital on Sunday after being hit on the head by a cricket ball while fielding in a domestic match. Sri Lanka Cricket said that Silva was struck during a match in Pallekele. His scans were clear, but he was flown to a hospital in the capital Colombo for further tests and observation, the cricket body added. Kaushal was fielding at short leg when he got hit.Silva was wearing a helmet with additional padding, a design introduced for player safety following the death of Australia batsman Phillip Hughes after being struck by a ball on the head in November 2014. Sunday's match was part of Sri Lanka's preparations for their tour of England next month, with the first of three Tests starting at Headingley on May 19.

Kohli fined with 12 lakh rupees

  Virat Kohli, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore might have steered his team to a victory last night... but was fined for slow over rate. Kohli and his teammate AB de Villiers smashed quick half centuries to guide their team to a 13 run win over Rising Pune Supergiants in the ongoing IPL season. Royal Challengers which has reached the finals of IPL twice before, was unable to claim the title twice. But the fans of RCB were expecting a massive season for their team under the captaincy of Kohli who was in the peak of his career.   RCB at present is at the third place in the points table and is expecting a berth in the semi finals. Kohli was however left with red face for being fined with such massive amount. "Since it was his first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr. Kohli was fined Rs 12 lakh," the IPL said in a statement. But is wasn’t new for Kohli to be fined. Earlier this year 30 percent of his match fees was slashed off, for showing his dissent against a leg before decision.

Indian Railways to acquire Spanish trains

  It might be a good news for those who have wearied experience on slow moving coaches. Indian railways might soon purchase Talgo trains from Spain. These trains were made out of aluminium and were almost soundless. And what’s better... they can easily reach the speeds above 150 km per hour. The ministry has already given an order for nine such coaches. If the officials get satisfied with these coaches, a bulk order might be possibility.   These coaches would then replace the present coaches in Rajdhani and Shatabdi express. The sharp curves on the Indian tracks doesn’t seem to be a problem for the talgo trains. They were expected to be of less cost than the present coaches and utilise less electricity. With all such advantages, Talgo has a shortcoming too. These coaches can be used as chair cars and and can’t accommodate sleepers. That’s certainly a bad news for Indian travelers who like the comfort of sleeping while travelling. But Talgo can certainly be the future of our Indian Railways for inter city journeys!

Harish Rawat becomes CM for one day

  Many people might remember the movie Oke Okkadu by Shankar (Nayak in Hindi) where the hero is given a chance to work as a Chief Minister for just one day. Of course, it was a film and you can expect miracles from the protagonist within a day. But Harish Rawat too has tried to create the best out of his time. Harish who was declared to be the CM by the Uttarakhand high court knew well that he could be dismissed by the Supreme court, the very next day. So he conducted two cabinet meetings withing a span of 24 hourse and took 11 decisions which is very rare.   Some of the decisions almost looked like boons to the state. Increasing of pension under social welfare schemes, making the guest teachers jobs permanent are few of the decisions to name. Harish has also took the opportunity to pay obituary to the horse Shaktiman. His cabinet has decided that a major bridge in Dehradun will from hear by be called as Shaktiman bridge. As readers are aware, Harish Rawat is challenging the imposing of President's rule in Uttarakhand. This view is supported by the Uttarakhand High court which gave him a chance to prove his majority on April 27... but the decision was put on hold by the Supreme court.

The nominees to Rajya Sabha by BJP

  Yesterday, the Rashtrapati Bhavan has approved a list of six members for Rajya Sabha on behalf of BJP. The list provided by BJP consisted of noted celebrities from various fields. Watch out...   Subramanian Swamy- This 76 year old lawyer is known for his relentless fight against the Nehru family. He has led cases such as 2G scam and National Herald scam which of course irked the Gandhi’s. This Jan Sangh leader is presently associated with BJP and might even end up filling a cabinet berth.   Swapan Dasgupta- Though a senior journalist, Swapan Dasgupta is often known to write columns in favour of right wing. Being a knowledgeable person and commentator, Swapan could well defend the BJP on the field of Rajya Sabha.   Navjot Singh Sidhu- This cricketer turned commentator turned politician has been a big fish for BJP in Punjab. With his wit and wisdom Sidhu is quite famous in Punjab. But Sidhu has been feeling quite rebellious after being denied a ticket from Amritsar. The present nomination might of course appease him.   Narendra Jadhav- This 63 year old economist with a PhD degree from an US university is much closer to congress than BJP. But BJP is thought to have chosen him for being a prominent personality from the dalit community. He is even known for his proximity to Modi.   Suresh Gopinath- Popularly known as Suresh Gopi and recognised for his roles as a cop in Malayalam movies, he is already a star campaigner for BJP in Kerala. His inclusion into Rajya Sabha might boost the morale of BJP cadre in Kerala which is already colourful with cricketer Sreesanth on its roll.   Mary Kom- Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom called as Mary Kom in short is certainly a surprising nominee for the Upper House. Though the government has considered her for her boxing victories which included a bronze in previous Olympics, certain other factors too have favoured her selection. Mary Kom is from the north eastern part of India which has often felt to have been neglected by the mainstream. Her belonging to the Christian community might have also helped her being picked by the government to add the spice of social justice to its list.

Trump mocks Indian accent

  Well by now, everyone is aware that Trump has a hatred outlook towards the east. But for those who are happy that he hasn’t ever spit his venom against India... it’s time to check the news now. While speaking at the rally in Delaware, Trump accused the countries like India for snatching their jobs. He narrates an incident where he called up his credit card company and his call was received by an Indian call centre.   He described such outsourcing as crooked banking. “India is great place. I am not upset with other leaders. I am upset with our leaders for being so stupid,” he said at the rally. Trump has now received the support of 845 delegates, but should still needs 392 votes to represent Republican party in the forthcoming Presidential elections in US. Trump is mostly relying on hate speeches to gain popularity among the citizens.

Sikh legislator shot dead in Pakistan

  Pakistan which has a poor track record for protecting its minorities, has added yet another black mark to its history of impatience. Sardar Sooran Singh, an assembly member of Khyber province was shot dead yesterday. Besides being a member of legislature, Sooran Singh is also acting as a Special assistant of minority affairs in the province. Sooran singh was regarded a multi faceted man. Apart from being a politician, he is a successful doctor and TV anchor.   He has hosted a programme called `Za Hum Pakistani Yam` for three and a half years with Khyber News. Though he started his political career with Jamaat-e-Islami party, he has been an active member of Tehreek-e-Insaf from 2011. Sooran Singh was yesterday shot dead at his house by unidentified gunmen. The Pakistan government has of course ordered for an inquiry. But the local Sikh community allege that such murders were often committed by the extremists to terrorise the minorities.

Eight people of same family killed in US

  In the worst nightmare of their lives, 8 people from the same family were killed in the state of Ohio in US. This include a 4 day old baby along with her mother who were killed on their bed. Though these 8 people lived in 4 different houses in Pike county, they seemed to have been targeted based on their family name. Police suspect that the other members of the family too can be under threat and has warned them to be cautious till the culprits were found.   Police suspect that the murders were carried in an execution style and probably involve multiple culprits. Though serial killings are not new to US, targeting the members of a single family is felt to a rarest case. The killing a four day old baby indicates that there might be some fierce rivalry against the victimised family.

Sharif- The rich politician of PAK

  Even on the official front, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif emerges to be one of the richest politician in the country. According to the disclosure he has made to the election commission recently, his assets have gone by more than one billion in just four years. Yesterday, the Election Commission has released the assets statements of Sharif for 2015 who as per law, updated the commission about his wealth. These declarations reveal huge assets owned by Sharif and his wife. Even the birds and animals owned by Sharif amount to 2 million. The statements have emerged amidst the revelations from Panama Papers. The names of Sharif’s children has found a place in the elite list exposed by Panama Papers. However, Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz had declared that their investments in Panama were true but legal. The assets of and allegations against Nawaz Sharif might certainly affect his political future. Imran Khan the leader of opposition party seems to be gaining popularity with every scam that’s emerging in Sharif’s reign.

A video for Delhi CM that mocks him

  Have you ever seen Arvind Kejriwal’s advertisement in a Telugu newspaper and wondered why it was there. Have you ever surprised at the manner in which Kejriwal slams at everyone on twitter. Well! We might have thought that it’s none of our business, because he is not our CM. But a person Ajay Sherawat from Delhi seems to have enough of his CM’s publicity. He shot a video slamming the CM and sent it to Arvind Sa’ab. Ajay in his video was clearly upset about the publicity mania of Kejriwal. He feels that someone should be ashamed to look so many posters of his own face. He even alleged that publicity calls from Kejriwal have crossed their limit. ‘Even my girl friend won’t call me that many of times’ said Ajit. He calls Kejriwal as Mayawati of Delhi who is passionate about publicity. Ajit suggests that if Kejriwal is really capable of good administration, he need not go for cheap publicity. Ajit feels that though Kejriwal was a crusader before, he has completely changed after becoming the CM. He has promised to provide shelters for poor, but the promise was gone in vain. He could have provided many shelters with the amount that was spent of publicity. Ajit even has pointed out at the odd-even vehicle policy of Kejriwal. He says that it was only temporary option and the CM should pursue more sustainable choices to curb pollution. Ajit feels that kejriwal is getting rude and is not showing a good example for the present day youth. Finally he hopes that Kejriwal would realise his adversities by now and would rule the next four years in a proper way, as he enjoys considerable majority. Hope that Arvind has watched this video!

Ravi Shankar receives a beheaded photo from ISIS

  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar might have been one the celebrities in the field of spirituality, but ISIS doesn’t seem to care him. Recently Sri Sri has tried for an open dialogue with ISIS, but they has sent him their own message. "I tried to initiate peace talks with the ISIS recently, but they sent me a photograph of a beheaded body of a man. Thus, my effort for a peace dialogue with the ISIS ended," Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said yesterday.   Ravi Shankar who has been touring the north eastern states of India has called for peace in those troubled states too. While speaking at a meeting in Manipur, he requested the chief minister Lobbi Singh  to ask the insurgents to come for peace negotiations. But neither Sri Sri nor Lobbi Singh received any response from the insurgents. Sri Sri has been severely criticised for harming environment for his ‘world culture festival’ on the banks of Yamuna. But he now seems to play an active part in initiating peace across the world. Alas! No one is ready to take up his call.

India invites a terrorist, to anger Chinese

  As the Chinese government backed Maulana Masood Azar on the stage of UN, India seems to have got a chance for a sweet revenge. Indian government has now granted a visa to a Dolkun Isa, a leader who is treated as a terrorist by the Chinese government. Dolkun Isa based in Germany is a leader for the Uyghur community outside china. Uyghur community is a Turkish origin of Muslims. They form a major part of Xinjiang province in China. China has been alleging that Dolkun Isa was encouraging the Uyghurs in China to rebel against the government. It has even issued a red corner notice against him.   But India has now allowed Dolkhun to visit Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh to attend conference. Various activists across the world would attend the conference to discuss the state of democracy in China! Dolkun has already expressed his wish to visit the conference that is to be held between April 28 and May 1. Dolkun said that India is one of the dream countries he wished to visit. He has suggested that china should learn democracy from India. the Chinese ministry has of course expressed its fury over Dolkun’s visit to India.