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 Compostable Plastics: The Next Generation Of Plastics Compostable plastics are the next generation of plastics- they come from renewable materials and break down through composting. Instead of using plastic made from petrochemicals and fossil fuels, compostable plastics are derived from renewable materials like corn, potato, and tapioca starches, cellulose, soy protein, and lactic acid. Compostable plastics are non-toxic and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass when composted. Don’t get confused- compostable plastics are not the same as biodegradable, oxo-biodegradable, or bio-based conventional plastics. Some of the first alternative plastics were hybrid plastics made of both petroleum-based and plant-based resins. These hybrid plastics were not truly compostable because they contained petroleum. Read more about the differences between biodegradable and compostable plastics  here . What is compostable plastic made out of? World Centric® compostable pla...

  After Fishermen Deaths, 11-Year-Olds from TN Designed Zero-Cost Life Jackets Using Plastic Bottles Disturbed that fishermen die at sea every day because they cannot afford safety gear, these boys from a government school in Tamil Nadu designed a cost-efficient life jacket out of waste plastic bottles. The project won the ‘Boldest Idea’ award at the ‘I CAN Awards 2014’ organised by Design for Change. E leven-year-old Rishikesh spent a lot of his time playing on the beaches of Ramanathpuram and the neighbouring fishing villages. While there, he’d often heard murmured stories of fishermen tragically drowning at sea. Disturbed by these stories, and knowing that most fishermen cannot afford safety gear, he started thinking. With his Class VI friends – Praveen, Naveenkumar, Karthi, and Guhan, all of whom hail from agricultural families – from the Panchayat Union Middle School in Muthuramalingapuram, rural Tamil Nadu, Rishikesh went about designing a product that could help fisherm...

  Alnwick Garden The Poison Garden located on the grounds of Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England  is the deadliest garden in the world. In the Poison Garden, you can admire the plants with your eyes, but you're not allowed to touch or smell anything, because every plant in the garden is poisonous, and can possibly even kill you. Alnwick Garden  is a complex of formal gardens adjacent to Alnwick Castle in the town of Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The gardens have a long history under the dukes of Northumberland, but fell into disrepair until revived at the turn of the 21st century. The garden now features various themed plantings designed around a central water cascade. The revival of the gardens led to several public disputes between the Duchess of Northumberland and various garden experts concerning preservation and the use of public funds. The garden now belongs to a charitable trust, which is separate fro...

 Nirmala Sitharaman on India-US ties: 'Can choose a friend, not neighbour...' Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who has been in the United States, spoke on India's purchase of oil and weapons from Russia amid the Ukraine war. Finance minister  Nirmala Sitharaman , who has been in the United States this week, on Friday spoke of the Washington-New Delhi ties in context of India's geography, stressing that " a friend can't be weak". "You can choose your friend but not your neighbour," the finance minister said as she explained that "India does not have an option to relocate” and, accordingly, the country has to take a “calibrated stance”. Her comments came in the backdrop of questions linked to India's purchase of weapons and oil from Russia, which has been facing global sanctions over the Ukraine war. In a video tweeted by news agency ANI, the  62-year-old leader , while answering a question, says: "Every bettering of relationship ...

  Indian Start-Up Ecosystem Gains Global Recognition: Union Minister Minister for IT and Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw asked start-ups and entrepreneurs to come out with inclusive new-age solutions to transform the lives of poor and marginalised sections New Delhi:  The Indian start-up ecosystem has gained global recognition and respect, Minister for IT and Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw said today, asking start-ups and entrepreneurs to come out with inclusive new-age solutions to transform the lives of poor and marginalised sections. Terming start-ups as "accelerators", the minister said the combination of their multiplier force along with the strength of a trusted post office network can yield phenomenal results for financial inclusion goals. "Understand the gravity of the convergence of humanity and technology...keep the bottom of the pyramid in mind for all programmes...The goal is to reach the last person in the society," the minister said, speaking at the l...

  Nidhivan Nidhivan  which means "Forest of  Tulsi " is one of the sacred forest sites of  Vrindavan . It is situated in the  Mathura district ,  Uttar Pradesh ,  India .  Nidhivan is considered as the most prominent site dedicated to the pastimes of Hindu deities  Radha Krishna  and their  gopis . It is the common belief among devotees that Nidhivan still witnesses the  Raslila  (dance) of  Radha  and  Krishna  during night time and thus, nobody is allowed to stay inside the premises of Nidhivan at night. The site has numerous  Tulsi  ( Basil ) plants which are short in height but found in pairs and have entangled trunks. Besides Tulsi plants, the premises houses a palace called "Rang Mahal" where it is believed that Radha Krishna spend their night after raslila, a temple called "Bansichor Radha" where Radha has stolen the flute of Krishna, a shrine dedicated to  Swami Haridas  who...

  The decades-long Punjab-Haryana fight over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal The Haryana Assembly has passed a resolution seeking the completion of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. Why is Punjab against the canal and why was its construction halted in the 1990s? The governments of Punjab and Haryana have locked horns over two contentious issues – first over the claim to the capital Chandigarh and now over sharing of river waters. At a special assembly session in Haryana on Tuesday, Chief Minister moved a resolution urging the Centre to take measures for the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. “The right of Haryana to share waters Ravi and Beas rivers by the construction of the SYL Canal is historically, legally, judicially and constitutionally established over time. The august House has unanimously on at least seven occasions passed resolutions urging the early completion of the SYL canal,” the resolution read. The SYL canal The Satluj Yamuna Link Canal is a propose...

  US Says India 'free To Decide' On Import Of Russian Oil Days After Warning Against It White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said, "It is the decision of each country, including India to determine whether they're going to import Russian oil". As countries continue to impose sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, the White House clarified that the decision to announce the sanction is on the individual country. This came after there were reports claiming that sanctions imposed on Russia by the US may also be considered on other nations The matter was stressed as Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA) for International Economics Daleep Singh during his trip to India had warned not to purchase Russian oil. Speaking at the press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned that India’s imports of Russian energy represent only 1- 2 per cent of their total energy imports. “It is the decision of each individual country, including India, to det...

  Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to visit BJP headquarters Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba began his tour of India by visiting the BJP headquarters. Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka said Deuba’s visit to the BJP office was in his capacity as Nepali Congress chief. Deuba visited the BJP headquarters at the invitation of party chief J P Nadda. Nepalese Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba who is arriving in India on Friday for a three-day visit will also be dropping in at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in the Capital to meet party president JP Nadda and other senior leaders. According to Vijay Chauthaiwale, who heads the party’s overseas cell, Nadda had written a letter to Deuba, inviting him to visit the party headquarters. “The Nepalese PM accepted the invitation and will be stopping by later in the day on Friday. He will be received by Nadda ji and will meet a few senior party leaders,” Chauthaiwale said. This is probably the first time that a premier of anothe...

  'Never-Before' Ukraine Evacuation, PM's Intervention "Unique": Government Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Stressing the need for dialogue and diplomacy, S Jaishankar said that "no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood". NEW DELHI:  No one has ever evacuated its citizens at such a large scale, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today said in the Lok Sabha while briefing the house on the situation in Ukraine. Answering questions on Operation Ganga - India's evacuation mission for citizens stranded in Ukraine - he said that it was the most challenging evacuation carried out by India and is inspiring other countries. "Had the four Union ministers not gone to countries neighbouring Ukraine, India would not have got the same level of cooperation," he said. Mr. Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally invested in the evacuation, and that he conducted meetings and supervised the situation in the midst of elections. Following Indi...

US Sactions Five North Koreans After Missile Launch.   THe US . Treasury Department said one of the North Koreans , Choe Myong Hyon , was based in Russia and had provided support to North Korea's Second Academy of Natural Sciences ( SANS ), Which is already subject to sanstions. Also targeted were four China -based North Korean representatives of SANS -subordinate Organizations, the Treasury Department said: Sin Kwang Sok , Kim Song Hun , Kang Chol Hak , and Pyon Kwang Chol . Russia and China moved to block the Biden administration's bid to impose sanction on North Koreans as Kim Jong Un's regime threatened to conduct nuclear weapons tests. The UN  members were set to conduct a closed- door meeting as Part to the UN security council meeting. Both CHINA and RUSSIA blocked the US  proposal ahead of the meeting. NORTH KOREA conducted successive Ballisyic Missile test including what it called a hypersonic missile test  starting from JANUARY 5. Russia and China...

Buddhas of Bamiyan The  Buddhas of Bamiyan  were two 6th-century  monumental statues,  Salsal  and  Shahmama  (in the  Hazaragi  dialect of  Dari Persian ), which were carved into the side of a cliff in the  Bamyan  valley of central  Afghanistan , 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of  Kabul  at an elevation of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). Carbon dating of the structural components of the Buddhas has determined that the smaller 38 m (125 ft) "Eastern Buddha" was built around 570 AD, and the larger 55 m (180 ft) "Western Buddha" was built around 618 AD, which would date both to the time when the  Hephthalites  ruled the region.                Larger 55 meter Western Buddha                Smaller 38 meter Eastern Buddha The Buddhas of Bamiyan (shown before 2001) were  carbon-dated  to 591–644...