Ambur Mazharul Uloom School protest

Ambur: As students at a minority Muslim school at Ambur in Tamil Nadu staged a protest and boycotted classes demanding that they should be permitted to write their Standard X board exams in Urdu.

Students of Mazharul Uloom Higher Secondary School near Ambur in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu have been demanding that the state education department authorities allow them to write their Class X board exam in their mother tongue Urdu and not in Tamil.

The district education officer Marx rushed to the site of the protest and held negotiations with them. He urged them to call off their protest immediately. He assured them that their demand will be considered and the administration will initiate necessary steps to allow the students to take up their exam in Urdu.

TN state government had passed a legislation in 2006 (called Tamil Language Act of 2006) which said that all schools under the state board must teach Tamil as a subject (as a language) starting from the first standard in 2006; first and second standards in 2007; first, second and third standards in 2008, and so on. Accordingly, by the year 2016, all students up to the 10th standard were expected to be taught Tamil as a subject from the first to tenth standards.

As per provisions of the Tamil Language Act of 2006, even the minority schools must teach Tamil in addition to their mother tongue.

An interim order on a batch of petitions filed by linguistic minority institutions and individual students challenging the Tamil Language Act enacted in 2006, the Madras High Court granted exemption to the students having mother tongue other than Tamil from writing Tamil language paper during the board exams.

The High Court clarified that the exemption from writing part I Tamil language paper during class 10 board exams for academic year 2016-17 will only be applicable for schools and students who have already applied for it. The court also directed the School Education Department to decide as per law on fresh applications seeking exemption for students, whose mother tongue is not Tamil, from writing the Tamil language paper.

Mother forgets baby at ariport | flight returned

Saudi Arabian Airlines flight had to make a last minute turn-around because a passenger forgot her baby behind at the airport.

Flight to Kuala Lumpur returned to its gate at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after the panicked woman alerted the cabin crew that she forgot to bring her child on board.

Video clip of the pilot requesting permission from the Air Traffic Control is going viral on the social media. He is heard murmuring: “May God be with us. Can we come back or what?”

Airport authority says “Ok, head back to the gate. This is totally a new one for us!”

World's Oldest living person | 116 Years old

116-year-old Japanese woman who still enjoys studying math and playing board games has been recognised as the world's oldest person, the Guinness World Records said on Saturday.

Old lady Kane Tanaka was born on 2 January 1903, the year when the Wright brothers launched the first powered flight, according to Guinness.

Ms Tanaka's birthday was celebrated at the nursing home where she lives in western Japan's Fukuoka by city mayor Soichiro Takashima and other well-wishers.

Most cute answer: When asked what moment she was the most happy in life, she replied: "Now."

Ms Tanaka married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, giving birth to four children and adopting a fifth.

She normally wakes each morning at 6 am and passes the afternoons by studying mathematics and practicing calligraphy. "One of Kane's favourite pastimes is a game of Othello and she's become an expert at classic board game, often beating rest-home staff," Guinness said.

Country Japan has one of the world's highest life expectancies and has been home to several people recognised as among the oldest humans to have ever lived.

Also they include Jiroemon Kimura, the longest-living man on record, who died soon after his 116th birthday in June 2013.

Earlier verified person ever -- Jeanne Louise Calment of France -- died in 1997 at the age of 122, according to Guinness.

2019 Election date announced

National election will be held in seven rounds from 11 April and the results will be announced on May 23, the Election Commission said on Sunday. Voting will be held across India on April 11, April 19, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19.

Ethiopian Plane crash 157 killed

Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from the capital Sunday morning killing all 157 thought to be on board. No immediate details on what caused the crash of the Boeing 737-8 MAX plane, which was new and had been delivered to the airline in November.

State-owned Ethiopian Airlines, widely considered the best-managed airline in Africa, calls itself Africa’s largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.

As per statement said 149 passengers and eight crew members were thought to be on the plane that crashed six minutes after departing Addis Ababa on its way to Kenya’s capital. Crash occurred around Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Addis Ababa, at 8:44 a.m.

Search and rescue operations are in progress and we have no confirmed information about survivors or any possible casualties, Separate statement by the Ethiopian prime minister’s office offered its “deepest condolences” to families.

EBC reported all passengers were dead and that the passengers included 33 nationalities. An Ethiopian Airlines spokesman said 32 Kenyans and 17 Ethiopians were among the victims.

Earlier in October, another Boeing 737-8 MAX plunged into the Java Sea just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, killing all 189 people on board. Cockpit data recorder showed that the jet’s airspeed indicator had malfunctioned on its last four flights, though Lion Air initially claimed that problems with the aircraft had been fixed.

Last deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane was in 2010, when the plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Beirut killing all 90 people on board.

Today's crash comes as the country’s reformist prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, has vowed to open up the airline and other sectors to foreign investment in a major transformation of the state-centered economy.

Free Backpack if you walk | GOQII

Make your every steps count with India Steps Challenge!



Mission:

Research by Stanford University in 2017 revealed that the average step count of Indians is only 4297 steps a day and ranks 39th among the 46 countries surveyed. As, India is just below the worldwide average of 4961 steps a day. Hence, GOQii is on a mission to increase the nation’s step count and Make India Healthy Again!



How it works:

You need to do is visit the Google Play Store/iOS App Store, download the app GOQII smart preventive healthcare on your mobile phone and connect your GOQii Tracker or mobile phone sensor to the app. Use Invite code goqii1577310. On doing so, you can participate in India Steps Challenge 2019 by achieving your daily step target, inviting more friends to join and win exciting prizes!


How to participate: 

All Indian residents who holds Smartphone/tracker are eligible.

Prize:

You can easily reach target of 100 points in 2 days as you will receive 6000 (60 points) steps each day. Once 100 points reached you can claim and give your address and pay shipping charge of 100 rupee. Once you completed your payment product will reach within 5 business days to you via Blue Dart courier service. I received in 3 days.

Use Invite code:
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Modi spotted in London | Bank fraud in India

Nirav Modi, the billionaire diamond tycoon who is a suspect for the biggest banking fraud in India.

Most wanted man diamantaire Nirav Modi, who is wanted in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud in India, is living in a luxurious apartment situated in London’s West End and running a diamond business.

Video released by a UK-based newspaper on Saturday shows Modi, apparently sporting a jacket made from “Ostrich hide” which costs “at least £10,000” (over Rs 9 lakh), answering “no comment” to every question posed by the reporter.

Nirav Modi is living in a “three-bedroom flat occupying half of a floor of the landmark Centre Point tower block, with views across London”, likely to be rented at around £17,000 (Rs 15 lakh), the report stated.

Viewing highly placed sources in UK government, Modi was provided with a ‘National Insurance Number’ by the Department for Work and Pension which allows him to operate online bank accounts in the country while still being on a wanted list in India. When asked about this, Modi replies: “No comment”.

Both Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi are being investigated by Indian investigating agencies after the PNB reported that it had been cheated of Rs 13,600 crore through fraudulent issue of letters LoUs and foreign letters of credit (FLCs).

Both left India in January 2018, a few weeks before the scam was unearthed. Modi is in the UK, Choksi has become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda and is learnt to be residing there.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/nirav-modi-video-london-pnb-scam-5617790/

Toy Train launched in Shimla

All railways station on the Shimla-Kalka heritage route will get free Wi-Fi, officials said on Wednesday. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched the free Wi-Fi facility along with the 'hop-on hop-off' service which will let passengers get down at any station and board another incoming train without purchasing new tickets.

Eye catching for tourism on wayside stations like Barog, Solan, Shogi and so on, Thakur said. CM also inaugurated various other modern facilities for Kalka-Shimla heritage railway line including a modern toilet complex.

CM Thakur also laid the foundation stones of two lifts at Shimla railway station and the project for renovation of Shimla extension station. On the occasion, Thakur thanked Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal for taking interest in modernising Shimla railway station besides upgrading Kalka-Shimla railway line.

Leopard movement caught on camera in Ambur | 3 teams formed to trap

Camera was installed a day after on a farm where an elusive leopard made the lastest attack at a calf at Arangalthurugam village, it has recorded the movement of a full grown leopard in the area.

Leopard on the prowl at the villages located close to the forest area surrounding Vaniyambadi Ambur and Tirupattur has killed more than a dozen livestock since December. Sunday night the leopard had entered a shed belonging to a farmer Pazhani and had mauled a calf at Arangalthurugam In order to track its movements a camera trap was installed on Monday and the carcass of the calf was left near the camera to invite the leopard to the spot. Next day morning forest officials on checking the camera trap found the footage of a leopard eating the carcass.

Forest officials have expressed hope to catch the leopard soon. “We have formed three special teams to capture the animal and have cautioned the people in surrounding villages not to venture out of their houses after evening. We have planned to set up more cages and camera traps and the big cat would be caught at the earliest,” Seva Singh, Chief conservator of forest expressed confidence.

20 Rupee Coin will be in hand soon

Finance Ministry on Wednesday announced a new coin for Rs. 20 which will be shaped like a 27 mm "dodecagon" - a 12-sided polygon. Finance Ministry issued a notification announcing the new 20-rupee coin.

Same like circular 10-rupee coin, which is also 27 mm in diameter and has 100 serrations on its edge, the 20-rupee coin will not have any marks on its edge.

Like the 10-rupee coin, it will be two-toned. While the outer ring will be 65 per cent copper, 15 per cent zinc and 20 per nickel, the inner disc will be 75 per cent copper, 20 per cent zinc and five percent nickel.

Government is also releasing the new series of prototypes of coins of Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5 and Rs 10.

Fact, it was nearly 10 years ago, in March 2009, that the Reserve Bank of India had issued the first 10-rupee coin.


Public have claimed that some traders have refused some variants of the 10-rupee coin, assuming them to be fake.

RBI issued a clarification saying that all 14 kinds of coins continue to be legal tender including 10rupee coin.

Visually impaired friendly circulation coin. Apart from Currency notes, coins have a longer life and hence, coins that are released over a long period continue to stay in circulation simultaneously, the RBI said.