Blog - The Purbottar

22 May

Sunderlal Bahuguna, the driving force behind the legendary Chipko movement succumbs to Covid

editor0 CommentsHealthclimate, Covid-19, INDIA, Sunderlal Bahuguna

Gandhian environmentalist, Sunderlal Bahuguna was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh, on May 8, and was on life support. A statement from AIIMS-Rishikesh said he had comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, and had contracted Covid pneumonia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Bahuguna’s demise as a “monumental loss” for the nation. “He manifested our centuries old ethos of living in harmony with nature. His simplicity and spirit of compassion will never be forgotten,” he posted on Twitter. President Ram Nath Kovind described Bahuguna as “a legend in his own right” who “made conservation a people’s movement”.…

22 May

COVID crisis in India a warning of possible events in other low- and middle-income countries: IMF

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Observing that the ongoing "catastrophic" second wave of COVID-19 in India is a sign that the worst may be yet to come, the IMF has said that the situation in the country is a warning of the possible events in low- and middle-income nations that have seemingly escaped the pandemic till now. A report co-authored by International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist Ruchir Agarwal and its Chief Economist Gita Gopinath on Friday also said that under the business-as-usual scenario, the vaccine coverage in India is expected to remain under 35 per cent of the population by the end of 2021. The…

22 May

IAF Pilot’s family calls to ban MiG-21 aircrafts after his death in crash

editor0 CommentsHealthcrash, defence, IAF, INDIA, Pilot

Dr Anjum, a cousin of Squadron Leader Abhinav Chaudhary said, "Each year, a number of our fighter pilots are being killed during crashes of these “flying coffins” that have been discarded by the Russians in 1980. Yet our government is dilly-dallying the decision to do away with these vintage Soviet air crafts." Abhinav's Father, Satendra Chaudhary said, "I HAVE lost my son but I appeal to the government with folded hands that the MiG-21 fighter planes should immediately be phased out from the Indian Air Force (IAF) so that more parents may not have to bear such an irreparable loss.”…

22 May

Why Microsoft is killing Internet Explorer and what will be its future Edge

editor0 CommentsBusiness, Technology

Microsoft is bidding goodbye to Internet Explorer after 26 long years. For a web browser that was once market leader and then one of the holy trinity along with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, it might seem like the end of an era. But the fact is that Internet Explorer’s time had come long ago. Microsoft recently opened up a little about the transition to Internet Explorer-free Windows 10 experience and revealed that Chromium Edge is the future of Internet Explorer on the operating system. After the announcement, changes have already begun to appear in the preview builds of Windows…

22 May

China Earthquake: 3 dead, 12 injured

editor0 CommentsNorth East

At least 3 people were killed and 27 others injured after a series of earthquakes that jolted Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in China's Yunnan Province on Friday, local authorities said. Rescue forces have been dispatched to the quake zone, and rescue efforts are underway. However, no casualties have been reported after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted northwest China's Qinghai Province Saturday The quake was felt in all 12 counties and cities of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, with Yangbi being the worst hit, Yang Guozong, the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of the prefecture, said. Two deaths were reported…

21 May

Ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip has come into effect

editor0 CommentsNorth Eastceasefire, hamas, israel, palestine

The ceasefire began early on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of fighting in which more than 250 people were killed, most of them in Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas claimed victory in the conflict. The truce faced an early test on Friday when fresh clashes broke out at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP news agency that Palestinians had thrown stones at officers, and that "riot" suppressing measures had been taken in response. The fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza began on 10 May after weeks of…

21 May

Govt makes all-round efforts to ramp up supply and availability of Amphotericin-B drug for Black Fungus treatment

editor0 CommentsNorth EastAmphotericin-B drug, Black Fungus treatment

The government of India has been supporting States and UTs in procuring drugs and diagnostics for COVID19 management through a “Whole of Government” approach. The States and UTs are proactively supported by the Union Government for ensuring adequate availability of various medicines, medical equipment, PPE kits, masks etc., since April 2020. In recent days, several States and UTs have reported an increasing number of patients suffering from COVID complications in the form of Mucormycosis, popularly known as Black Fungus. There is also a reported shortage of Amphotericin-B, an anti-fungal drug used for the treatment of the Black Fungus disease. Union…

21 May

Bosch Group plans to invest euro 1 billion in fuel-cell technology

editor0 CommentsBusinessbosch, global supplier of technology and services

Bosch Group, a global supplier of technology and services, plans to invest euro 1 billion in fuel-cell technology from 2021 to 2024. Fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity, and Bosch is developing both stationary and mobile fuel-cell solutions. The company will make an upfront investment of 5 billion euros in electromobility with an euro 700 million investment in 2021 alone. In India, Bosch has made significant investments in electrification and local solution development in three broad categories, said Guruprasad Mudlapur, chief technology officer, Bosch. “We are developing battery systems and electric mobility solutions in the lower voltage category of 48 volts…

21 May

India observes former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s 30th death anniversary today

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Every year on May 21, India pays homage to the former prime minister and Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated during a political campaign, 30 years ago today. This year, the Congress party has asked all its state units and frontal organisations to observe the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi as the day of "Seva and Sadbhavna" for the people who are grappling with Covid-19 pandemic. Rahul Gandhi visited Veer Bhumi and paid floral tributes to his father. "Truth, Compassion, Progress," he later wrote on Twitter with the hashtag #RememberingRajivGandhi. Priyanka Gandhi also paid tributes to her father and…

21 May

Tarun Tejpal acquitted in sexual harassment case

editor0 CommentsNorth East

The Mapusa District and Sessions Court in Goa on May 21 acquitted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 sexual harassment and rape case filed by his colleague. Mr. Tejpal was accused of raping his colleague in an elevator of a five-star hotel. He was arrested on November 30, 2013, by the Goa Crime Branch and was granted bail on July 1, 2014, by the Supreme Court. The case hit the headlines for days amid a renewed focus on crimes against women. It surfaced a year after the rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus…