Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune have discovered a new low-altitude basalt plateau in the Thane region of the Western Ghats. The plateau is now listed as the fourth plateau-type in the mountain range. It houses 76 plant and shrub species from 24 families that the scientists say can hold clues to the impact of climate change on the survival of species. Earlier, there were three known plateau types in the Western Ghats, namely, high-altitude laterite plateaus, low-altitude laterite plateaus, and high-altitude basalt plateaus. “We have only recently discovered tha
A Meerut-based jeweler, Renani Jewels, has been awarded the Guinness World Record title for the most diamonds set in a watch. The watch has 17,512 white diamonds and 12 black diamonds. This beat the previous record set by Aaron Shum Jewelry Ltd of Hong Kong with 15,858 diamonds in December 2018. The diamonds set in the watch are sourced through the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which ensures that all the diamonds are conflict-free, said Harshit Bansal, the CEO and Founder, Renani Jewels. “We tried a lot of conceptual designs initially. But our idea was clear — to ma
The Tamil community in Singapore celebrated the annual Hindu festival of Thaipusam with pomp and fanfare on February 5, after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic curbs in place. Thaipusam commemorates Lord Murugan, the God of War and Fertility. In the celebrations, the devotees participate in a range of activities, including balancing brass pots of milk on their heads, piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers, and carrying wooden structures called kavadis decorated with peacock feathers and spears. This year, the festivities started at 11.30 pm on Saturday and co
Indians have become the top homebuyers in Dubai, purchasing properties worth Rs 35,500 crore in the emirate in 2022, a report said. The amount is almost double the money spent by Indians to purchase homes in Dubai in 2021. In 2022, Indians made up a large chunk, 40 per cent, of all the homebuyers in Dubai. According to the Times of India report, most such homebuyers come from Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), Ahmedabad, Surat, Hyderabad and Punjab. The average cost of houses bought by Indians ranges from Rs 3.6 crore to Rs 3.8 crore. Apart from Indians, Russians, Chinese, Pakistanis an
Pop superstar Beyoncé broke the record for most career wins at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on February 5. British singer Harry Styles won the prestigious album of the year award. Music composer Ricky Kej, based out of Bengaluru, has won his third Grammy Award for the album Divine Tides. Beyoncé added four Grammys to her collection. Her lifetime total now stands at 32, surpassing the tally of late classical conductor Georg Solti. The US singer was nominated for nine awards this year. She won the all-time Grammy record with her award for best dance/electronic album for Renaissance, and t
The Biodiversity Management Committee, the panchayat of Chumathang village, and SECURE Himalaya Project have resolved to declare Yaya Tso as Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site (BHS) under the Biological Diversity Act. Yaya Tso is among the most beautiful lakes in Ladakh. It is known as birds’ paradise for its beautiful lake located at an altitude of 4,820 metres. A nesting habitat for a large number of birds and animals, such as the bar-headed goose, black-necked crane and brahminy duck, it also has the distinction of being one of the highest breeding sites of the black-necked c
Long-haul carrier Emirates successfully flew a Boeing 777 on a test flight on January 30 with one engine entirely powered by sustainable aviation fuel. The test flight comes as carriers worldwide try to lessen their carbon footprint. The fuel powered one of Boeing’s two General Electric Co. engines, with the other running on conventional jet fuel for safety. Flight No. EK2646 flew for just under an hour over the coastline of the United Arab Emirates. It took off from Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, and headed out into the Persian Gulf before c
Hong Kong is giving away 5,00,000 airline tickets worth more than €250 million in an effort to woo tourists back to the region. On February 1, Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee launched the $2 billion (€1.8 bn) 'Hello Hong Kong' campaign. Under the campaign, flight tickets will be given away beginning March 1, going on for about six months, with tickets distributed in phases. The city has rolled back several COVID-19 travel restrictions in recent months, including mandatory isolation on arrival. It now hopes to bounce back from the massive impact that the pandemic had on its tour
India has jumped 26 spots globally in case of median mobile speeds, from rank 105th in November 2022 to rank 79th in December 2022, said a report by Ookla. Ookla released an update on the Speedtest Global Index for the month of December 2022. In its report, the network intelligence and connectivity insights provider said median mobile download speeds in India increased from 18.26 Mbps in November to 25.29 Mbps in December. However, the country fell in overall median fixed broadband speeds category to 81st position from 80th. Its performance in fixed median download speeds witnessed a sligh
India and South Africa (SA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to translocate more than 100 cheetahs to India over the next decade, said the SA government on January 26, 2023, in a press release. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment release said that 12 big cats may arrive in India sometime in February. The plan is to translocate 12 cheetahs every year for the next eight to 10 years to establish a healthy and genetically diverse cheetah population in India. The terms of the MoU on Cooperation in the Re-introduction of Cheetah to India will be reviewed e