Heena Sharma Blog

The announcement on Monday of the Nobel Medicine Prize opens this year's amputated awards season, with no Literature Prize for the first time in 70 years because of a # MeToo scandal . Like every year, Nobel aficionados have speculated wildly about possible winners, given the number of worthy candidates in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, peace and economics. The medicine prize committee at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute is the first to reveal its choice of laureates, on Monday at 11:30 am (0930 GMT). But its announcement risks being at least partially eclipsed by a Stockholm court's verdict around the same time against Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, charged with rape. However, the discovery could be too early for a Nobel, with a recent study suggesting the technique may damage DNA more than previously thought. A legal dispute is also raging over who discovered the technique. It has been claimed on the one hand by the French-American r...

Country's top court refused to refer a dispute between religious groups over the ownership of land in the northern city of Ayodhya to a Constitution bench, setting the stage for the possibility of a verdict on the controversial site before next year’s election. A majority ruling by a three judge bench headed Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the court will only decide ownership of land and it didn’t see any need to review merits of a 1994 judgment which held that a mosque is not essential to the practice of Islam. Justice Abdul Nazeer dissented and said the matter should be referred to a larger number of judges. ALSO READ: Aadhaar, Ayodhya, adultery judgments to mark Misra's last week as CJI Hindu groups have said the medieval-era mosque at the disputed site was built over the ruins of a temple that marked the birthplace of their god, Lord Ram. Hindu mobs razed the 16th-century Babri mosque in 1992 triggering riots that killed at least 2,000 people, mostly Muslim...

India will host the Deaf ICC T20 World Cup slated to begin from November 23-30 in Gurugram, the organisers announced Thursday. The eight-day tournament will see participation from over 200 players across eight countries including England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, South Africa, apart from India, vying for the top honours. The eight teams will be divided into two groups and each team will play three matches in the group stage. Two teams from each group will then qualify for the semifinals. The tournament will be hosted by the Deaf Cricket Society (DCS), the apex body governing, promoting and organizing cricket for the deaf in India, that is also affiliated to the Deaf International Cricket Council (Deaf ICC). Stefan Pichowski, Chairman, Deaf ICC said: "We are delighted that India is hosting the second edition of Deaf-ICC World Cup T20. The enthusiasm from the teams across the world is overwhelming and the visit to India will be very special as it i...

A court has directed police to register an FIR against senior Congress leaders Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia and an RTI activist on charges of "fabricating evidence" in the Vyapam scam case . The special court of Additional District Judge Suresh Singh in Madhya Pradesh issued the order Wednesday in response to a private complaint filed by advocate Santosh Sharma. The judge asked the police to immediately register an FIR and submit its copy before the court, and also sought the investigation report in the case by November 13. ALSO READ: Vyapam: A scam that won't die, continues to throw up fresh twists His complaint came after Digvijay Singh deposed on Saturday in a court in connection with his private complaint seeking criminal prosecution of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister Uma Bharti and five others in the Vyapam scam. Singh had deposed for over two hours before judge Suresh Singh of the spec...

While it's a known fact that there are many physical and mental health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies, according to the latest research, this might be due to genetic changes induced by breastfeeding. Dr Lester, one of the lead researchers said, "What we found is that maternal care changes the activity of a gene in their infants that regulates the infant's physiological response to stress, specifically the release of the hormone cortisol." " Breastfeeding was associated with decreased DNA methylation and decreased cortisol reactivity in the infants. In other words, there was an epigenetic change in the babies who were breastfed, resulting in reduced stress than those who were not breastfed," said Dr Lester. Read Complete Article Business Standard

Mere adultery can't be a crime unless it attracts the scope of Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC, the Supreme Court said on Thursday. " Adultery can be ground for civil issues including dissolution of marriage but it cannot be a criminal offence," the apex court said. On the petition challenging the validity of Section 497 (Adultery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), CJI Dipak Misra said, "The magnificent beauty of the democracy is I, you and we. Equality is the governing principle of a system. Husband is not the master of the wife. Women must be treated with equality. Any discrimination shall invite the wrath of Constitution. Section 497 IPC which deals with Adultery is absolutely manifestly arbitrary." What the Judges said: Justice D Y Chandrachud says Section 497 destroys and deprives women of dignity Justice R F Nariman terms Section 497 dealing with adultery as archaic law We declare Sect 497 IPC and Sec 198 CrPC dealin...

In 1998, Google began humbly, formally incorporated in a Menlo Park garage, providing search results from a server housed in Lego bricks. It had a straightforward goal: make the poorly indexed World Wide Web accessible to humans. Its success was based on an algorithm that analyzed the linking structure of the internet itself to evaluate what web pages are most reputable and useful. But founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page had a much more ambitious goal: They wanted to organize the world’s information. Twenty years later, they have built a company going far beyond even that lofty goal, providing individuals and businesses alike with email, file sharing, web hosting, home automation, smartphones and countless other services. The playful startup that began as a surveyor of the web has become an architect of reality, creating and defining what its billions of users find, see, know or are even aware of. ALSO READ: 'Search' for the future: Google brings AI, more visuals ...

Train services were disrupted for a few minutes at some stations in West Bengal during a 12-hour bandh called by the BJP Wednesday to protest the killing of two students in a clash in North Dinajpur district, Railway officials said. No untoward incident was, however, reported during the blockades put up by bandh supporters at the stations, a police official said. Transport services were normal in the city though bus drivers were seen wearing helmets. Bandh supporters had squatted on the tracks at Barasat, Krishnagar and some stations in Sealdah division for 5-10 minutes in the morning, but the blockade has been lifted, an Eastern Railway spokesman said. ALSO READ: Ten years after Tata Motors exit, Singur in West Bengal still a wasteland The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called the bandh to protest against the death of two students in a clash with the police on October 20 during a demonstration over recruitment of teachers at Daribhita High School in Islampur ...

Facebook has launched in the US free online education programme CodeFWDTo to increase the numbers of underrepresented and female students interested in pursuing computer programming. "We're working on a number of initiatives like CodeFWD to widen the pipeline of diverse talent studying computer science so the next generation of tech innovators reflects and incorporates diverse perspectives, building a future that benefits us all," Lauryn Ogbechie, Education Partnerships Director at Facebook, said in a statement on Tuesday. Created in partnership with connected toys maker Sphero, CodeFWD by Facebook, has been designed for both English and Spanish speakers. It is a three-step programme where educators and organisations introduce computer programming to 4th to 8th grade students. With the first module "I do", CodeFWD prepares educators to introduce the basics of computer programming to their students, even as they may be discovering the concept...

Breastfeeding is majorly correlated with positive health outcomes in infants, but it might not be the causal mechanism. Researchers from the University at Buffalo found that the benefits of breastfeeding, reported in the vast majority of prior research, could be influenced by the mother's characteristics, such as what they know about health and nutrition. "It's important to understand that we are not trying to imply that just intending to breastfeed is what's leading to these health outcomes," said Jessica Su, co-author of the study. "What we found is that intending mothers had more information about nutrition and diet; they more frequently consulted their physicians; and had better access to information related to infant health than those moms who did not intend to breastfeed." Read Complete Article Article Source >> BS

Over 210.8 million permanent account numbers (PANs) have been linked with Aadhaar till now, the latest data revealed as the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the linkage between the two databases Wednesday. According to official figures accessed by PTI, a total of 21,08,16,676 PANs issued by the Income Tax Department have been linked with Aadhaar till Monday. According to the latest data, out of the over 410.2 million PANs issued, an overwhelming number of more than 400 million PANs are held by individuals. ALSO READ: SC declares Aadhaar constitutionally valid, strikes down some provisions The rest are in the name of companies and other categories of taxpayers, the official said, adding the figure reflects that about 50 per cent of the PANs have been linked with Aadhaar till now. The deadline to link the two databases has been extended five times in the past in view of the apex court order to keep it open till a five-judge constitution bench delivers its judg...

Despite a landmark verdict on Section 377 by the Supreme Court, which decriminalised gay sex in the country, the Maharashtra arm of National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) recently issued a newly-updated blood donor screening questionnaire to Mumbai-based blood banks. The new questionnaire, designed on the lines of developed nations, will now mandate the blood collectors to ask the male donors about their sexual behaviour and whether they have multiple partners or engaged in the male-to-male sexual activity. For decades, the ban on homosexuals to donate blood exists in India and those who are at high risk of suffering from prolonged diseases such as cancer, allergies, respiratory ailments and organ failure are also not allowed to donate blood. ALSO READ: Blood banks gasp for oxygen, India sees shortage of 1.9 mn units in 2016-17 NBTC’s 2017 revised guidelines, on the selection of blood donors reiterate that transgenders, bisexual men and female sex workers can never don...

It seems like every few months there’s a new cellphone, laptop or tablet that is so exciting people line up around the block to get their hands on it. While the perpetual introduction of new, slightly more advanced electronics has made businesses like Apple hugely successful, the short shelf life of these electronics is bad for the environment. Modern electronics are filled with circuit boards on which various metals and plastics are soldered together. Some of these materials are toxic – or break down into toxic substances. There are efforts underway to boost recycling of e-waste, recovering materials that can be reused and properly disposing of the rest. But most devices end up added to the growing piles of e-waste in landfills . Flexible bio-batteries I’ve developed flexible batteries, batteries powered by saliva and more. I figured that when seeking to power paper-based electronics, it made sense to try to make a battery out of paper. Fortunately, paper is a good pote...

The Supreme Court Wednesday declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as Constitutionally valid. The apex court's five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said Aadhaar is meant to help benefits reach the marginalised sections of the society and takes into account the dignity of people not only from personal but also from the community point of view. The top court said Aadhaar is serving much bigger public interest and Aadhaar means unique and it is better to be unique than being best. The verdict was pronounced on a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar scheme and its enabling 2016 law. The bench had on May 10 reserved the verdict on the matter after a marathon hearing that went on for 38 days, spanning four-and-half months. ALSO READ: Supreme Court declares Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid Catch All Live Updates Here Article Source >> BS

According to a new study, diets high in carbohydrates reduce body weight and body fat and improve insulin function in overweight individuals. In the 16-week randomised clinical trial, researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine placed participants in either a plant-based, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet group or asked them to maintain their current diet. The plant-based diet group avoided all animal products and added oils and limited fat intake to 20-30 grams per day. There were no limits on calories or carbohydrate intake. The control group maintained their current diets, which included meat and dairy products. Neither group altered their exercise routines. Total carbohydrate intake did not change in the control group, but increased significantly in the plant-based diet group, both as absolute intake and as a percentage of total calories. Participants focused on whole, complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Rea...

Google unveiled changes Monday aimed at making the leading search engine more visual and intuitive to the point it can answer questions before being asked. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are core drivers of how Google will pursue its 20-year-old mission to organise the world's information and make it accessible to anyone, search vice president Ben Gomes said at an event in San Francisco. The search engine focussed strongly on mobile use and appeared to be growing more like Facebook, encouraging users to linger and explore topics, interests or stories with an increasing emphasis on photos and videos. Results will be increasingly personalised. ALSO READ: Alphabet's comeback plans in China go beyond Google Search The search engine will also let users create Collections of online content, and suggest related material that might be of interest. A Google feed used by more than 800 million people monthly is getting a new name, Discover, an incr...

Criminalisation of politics was felt in its strongest form during the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts which was the result of a collaboration of a diffused network of criminal gangs, police, customs officials and their political patrons, the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Referring to the report of the NN Vohra Committee, set up to study the problem of criminalisation of politics, the top court said the panel had referred to several observations made by official agencies, including CBI, IB and RAW, which unanimously expressed the opinion that criminal network was virtually running a parallel government. It said the committee also took note of the criminal gangs which carried out their activities under the aegis of various political parties and government functionaries. ALSO READ: NHPC moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order on arbitral award The apex court referred to the panel's report while holding today that all candidates will have to declare their crim...

A research was conducted with an aim to find out why even one fracture can lead to others. According to two new studies from UC Davis Health show, breaking a bone causes bone density losses throughout the body, not just close to the site of the fracture, and primarily around the time of the fracture. The studies are among the first to associate fractures with systemic bone loss. They also begin the path to find treatments that preserve long-term skeletal health and reduce susceptibility to additional fractures and, potentially, osteoporosis, which is diagnosed when bone-density losses are severe. Read Also on >> Business Standard "We know one fracture seems to lead to others, but we haven't known why," said lead author Blaine Christiansen, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at UC Davis. "Our work is the first step on the path to identifying the cellular mechanisms of systemic bone loss." Read Complete Article Article Sourc...

The Indian edition of dating app Tinder is trialing a new feature which gives women an additional level of scrutiny and security before they allow men to start messaging conversations, with a view to rolling the function out globally. The "My Move" feature allows women to choose in their settings that only they can start a conversation with a male match after both have approved each other with Tinder's swiping function. Also Read >> Business Standard Normally, the app gives both parties to a successful match - where both have swiped yes on the other's photograph - the right to text each other immediately. Tinder has been testing the function in India for several months and plans to spread it worldwide if the full rollout proves successful. Rival dating-app Bumble already only allows the female party to a heterosexual match to start conversations. Read Complete Article Article Source >> BS

Chinese smartphone brand Realme recently separated from Oppo and launched the Realme 2 in India at a starting price of Rs 8,990. At the launch, the company also announced its plans to launch a Pro edition. The Realme 2 Pro , scheduled to be unveiled on September 27 in India, is expected to be major upgrade. Based on the teasers shared by the company on its social media platforms, the Realme 2 Pro is expected to get a waterdrop design notch-based screen, unlike the wide notch screen in the Realme 2. The phone is also confirmed to get a dual camera module on its back. However, the lens configurations are not yet confirmed. A recent teaser also confirmed that the smartphone would get an 8GB RAM variant. Powering the device would be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip (SoC) with artificial intelligence capabilities. Watch Video on Business Standard However, the Realme 2 Pro is expected to trade off the gradient design language for a regular glass build. The phone is ...

On September 6, India saw victory of law and love. The five bench Supreme Court unanimously passed an order on IPC Section 377 , making the country really free for everyone – including gays and transgenders for the first time since 1861. India has become a better country since then. Many trans and homo children, both girls and boys, have been violated within families and their parents have long lived in constant fear of their children being considered criminal. The Supreme Court ruling will give solace to them. ALSO READ: How the SC judgement on Section 377 ties constitutional values with emotion Changing such thought processes is an uphill task and can be achieved if it is tackled effectively on three fronts: increase solidarity from within and empower the community, sensitise and engage with policymakers, and educate masses through platforms that involve members of the community and the general population. As long as the general population does not interact and engage wi...

A recent study suggests that children with mothers who use marijuana are more likely to try it at a younger age. According to the research, when mothers use marijuana during the first 12 years of their child's life, the children are more likely to start using cannabis at an earlier age than those with mothers who don't use it. Natasha A. Sokol, lead investigator of the research said, "Early initiation is one of the strongest predictors of the likelihood of experiencing health consequences from marijuana use. In a shifting regulatory environment in which we expect adult marijuana use to become more normative, developing a deeper and more nuanced understanding of social risk factors for early initiation is a critical step in intervention design and delivery." "Incorporating maternal cannabis use into our understanding of the important risk factors for early initiation may help us better identify at-risk youth for more tailored or intensive preven...