View Articles

New Delhi: India, in a bid to provide a clean environment, is taking stock of mercury contamination in the country.

About 80% of the seismic energy is released by earthquakes occurring along the plate boundaries. These earthquakes are called as interpolate earthquakes, due to the fact that they are directly associated with forces related to the interaction of the plates.

Major earthquakes are often followed by a number of smaller magnitude events called, aftershocks that originate from the same source region of the main shock or principal shock, Aftershock sequences may continue for several days, weeks, months and even years.

The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of earthquakes is that India is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Almost 54% of the land is vulnerable to earthquakes. The latest version of seismic zoning map of India assigns four levels of seismicity in terms of zone factors. Bureau of Indian Standards [IS-1893 (Part-I):2002], based on various scientific inputs from a number of agencies, has grouped the country into four seismic zones viz. Zone-II, -III, -IV and –V unlike its previous version which consisted of five zones for the country.

KOLKATA: For academics involved or interested in the history of development of socialist ideas of different strains, the Oxford University Press-project., The Oxford Handbook of the History of Communism (OHHC), is slated to open up a new window on the vast subject although efforts along identical lines are afoot in West Europe.

India is undergoing rapid dietary transition. High economic growth has resulted in a burgeoning middle-class having greater access to commercially available foods, including fried and baked food items. Most of these foods contain high amounts of Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs), particularly if cooked in vanaspati (partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) which is often preferred for its low cost and longer shelf life. TFAs can adversely affect cholesterol levels, predispose the individual to diabetes, coronary heart disease and may also affect many of his body organs.

Mercury is the only liquid state metal, which finds very wide commercial application in industries, electrical appliances, mercurial catalysts, healthcare sector for extensive , seed treatment, laboratory reagents etc. Because of extensive use in thermometers, sphygmomanometers, dental amalgams, agriculture for seed treatment, as laboratory reagents etc. Because of extensive commercial use, the mercury consumption in the country is quite high. The Mercury Cell process based Chlor-alkali industries are one of the major users and thus prime source of mercury release to the environment along with the coal-fired thermal power plants, plastic industries, pulp and paper industries, discarded medical instruments, used electrical appliance, electronic waste, certain pharmaceuticals and agricultural products.

Mother Teresa whose, Birth Centenary is being celebrated, was one of the noblest souls of our times. She was the epitome of compassion, and all through her life she served selflessly to spread the message of love and compassion through her work. She was truly the embodiment of the word Mother in its fullest, truest and complete sense. It has been truly said that God cannot be everywhere and that is why he has created Mother.

New York: The situation in one of the largest camps for people uprooted by the conflict in the war-ravaged Sudanese region of Darfur has topped talks between top United Nations and African Union (AU) officials.

Certain species are very hard to find like the snow leopard and the red panda that live in the high reaches of the Himalayan Mountains and in the rain forests. But, this is not so with the Caracal because it resides in the easily approachable main lands of India, some are also the main tourism hubs of India such as Ranthambhore and Sariska. Yet, to sight this mysterious cat is not easy.