Over 10,000 cops to be deployed in Sabarimala for Mandala Pooja
Kerala Police has decided to deploy more than 10,000 security personnel in and around Sabarimala Temple over five phases starting from November 15 ahead of the Mandala Pooja. The temple will open on November 16 for the three-month-long pilgrimage season. In September 2018, the Supreme Court had overturned the restriction on entry of women into the temple.
New fossil pushes back insect pollination proof to 99 mn yrs ago
A new study has pushed back the first-known physical evidence of insect flower pollination to 99 million years ago, during the mid-Cretaceous period. The revelation is based upon a tumbling flower beetle with pollen on its legs discovered preserved in amber inside a mine in Myanmar. Researchers say the pollen likely originated from a flower species in the group eudicots.
Movies like ‘Iron Man’ are for kids: Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Talking about how “franchise movies are taking over small-budget films”, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has said that “films like ‘Iron Man’ are meant for kids”. He added that it’s shameful that films like ‘The Irishman’ are being “watched by the grown-ups on OTT platforms and in film festivals, and not in theatres”. He further said that critics should support small-budget films.
7 killed in car bomb explosion near Afghan interior ministry
Seven people were killed and seven others were injured on Wednesday in a car bomb explosion near the interior ministry in the Afghan capital of Kabul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. This comes a day after two Taliban commanders and a leader of the Haqqani militant group were released in exchange for two professors.
US boy gets double lung transplant after damage due to e-cigarettes
A 17-year-old US boy underwent a double lung transplant after damage due to e-cigarettes. “This teenager faced imminent death had he not received a lung transplant,” a doctor said. Family members of the boy, who was not identified by name, said in a statement that they had asked doctors to make public the “horrific life-threatening effects” of vaping.
IIT student falls to death from 5th floor of hostel, was ‘under stress’
A student of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi died after falling from the fifth floor of her hostel building last week, police has said. Her mother said that the 18-year-old was under stress because of her studies. The CCTV footage showed the student going alone towards the ramp of the fifth floor of her hostel.
After ‘Nazi’ controversy, farthest object explored officially named
The farthest object ever explored by humans with a spacecraft, previously known as ‘Ultima Thule’, has now been officially renamed as “Arrokoth”. The term means ‘sky’ in Native American Powhatan/Algonquian language. This comes after NASA was criticised over the controversial name ‘Thule’, which the Nazi Party allegedly used to refer to the mythical homeland of the Aryan people.
India now leads the world in scooter-sharing space: Germany’s Unu
India now leads the world in scooter-sharing with fleet-size of scooter rental apps crossing 15,000, according to the “Global Scooter Sharing Market Report 2019” by German e-scooter maker Unu. The fleet is almost entirely based in Bengaluru, home to prominent scooter-sharing apps Bounce and Vogo. “Bengaluru is, as of 2019, by far the global scooter-sharing capital,” the report said.
PUBG competition runner-up MortaL donates his prize to Indian Army
Naman Mathur, ‘MortaL’ from Team SouL which stood as the runner-up in the “PUBG Mobile Club Open Fall Split 2019” competition, has donated his prize share to the Indian Army. The regional finals of the event recently concluded in Delhi, with Entity Gaming being the winners. “I’d like to dedicate our qualification into globals to the Indian Army,” MortaL said.
Goldman to re-check Apple Card credit scores after sexism claims
Goldman Sachs has said it’ll re-check credit scores for people with lower-than-expected limits. This comes after tech entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson accused Apple Card’s algorithm of sexism as it gave him 20 times the credit limit his wife got. Hansson had received support from Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak, who said he got 10 times higher credit limit than his wife.
Maharashtra under President’s rule for 3rd time in state’s 59-yr history
The President’s rule has been imposed in Maharashtra for the third time since the present-day Maharashtra came into existence in 1960. While it’s the first time the rule has been imposed in the state due to inability of political parties to form a government after an assembly election, it was first imposed in 1980 and the second time in 2014.
Lata Mangeshkar still on life support, condition slowly improving: Doctor Veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was admitted to hospital on Monday due to breathing difficulties, is still on life support, said Dr. Pratit Samdani. “Her condition is slowly improving, but she is still critical,” the doctor added, while another doctor stated, “It’s difficult to say anything at this moment.” Mangeshkar’s team said on Monday that she had viral chest congestion.
