On 6 February, 2023 Southern Turkey and the adjoining areas in Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake followed by several aftershocks. The tremors have flattened buildings and destroyed roads and other infrastructure. At least 35,000 casualties (UPDATE) have occurred across Turkey and Syria, with the vast majority being in the former nation. A news report cited the Turkish environment minister saying that 24,921 buildings across the region had collapsed. What...

The growth in enrolments of Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in higher education between 2014-15 and 2020-21 has been 47%, while OBC enrolments have increased by 31.67% in the same period. These are some of the key findings of the All India Survey on Higher Education 2020-21 (AISHE) conducted by the Ministry of Education. Other AISHE findings include: * Enrolment of ST students has increased to 24.1 lakh in 2020-21 from 21.6...

The Telegraph Over 60 scientists have signed a statement accusing the Indian Council of Agriculture Research of trying to ‘silence the voices’ of public sector scientists Sections of scientists on Monday asked India’s apex agricultural research agency to revoke what they described as a “gag order” intended to prevent former government researchers from articulating concerns about genetically modified mustard. Over 60 scientists have signed a statement accusing the Indian Council of Agriculture...

-The Hindu The provision has been introduced as “airwaves/frequencies are public property and need to be used in the best interest of the society” The Union Cabinet has approved the new guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of television channels in India, under which all the stations holding permission — except for the foreign channels and where it may not be feasible, -- would have to broadcast contents on issues of national importance...

-Down to Earth Could diversify feedstock basket, help secure long-term sustainability with improved economics  Ethanol-blended petrol is regarded as one of the most acceptable alternative fuel blends for transportation; however, the use of molasses and broken grains for its production raises the question of food vs fuel. Second-generation (2G) bioethanol could help to secure long-term sustainability with improved economics for the Indian biofuel market.   Union Minister of State (Ministry of Science and...