Dayamani Barla bihardays Ranchi: according to reports, Cultural Survival, an international NGO, recently recognized the work of the leader of several of such people’s movements in Jharkhand – tribal activist and journalist Dayamani Barla – awarding her the 2013 Ellen L. Lutz Indigenous Rights Award for protecting the rights of tribals. For this award, Ms. Barla was chosen from among 60 international nominees. Dayamani Barla, 48, a Munda adivasi has led people’s movements against displacement for over decade gained prominence when she travelled across villages in four... 

    The prize-winning master plan! Patna: In a major step towards realising the ambitious Nalanda International University, coming up in Rajgir in Bihar, an international jury has selected the architectural design of an Ahmedabad-based firm for the varsity. The design of Ahmedabad-based company Vastu Shilpa Consultants  was selected by a jury that comprised top architects from Singapore, China, Japan and India. Vice Chancellor Gopa Sabharwal, addressing the media here Thursday, said 79 proposals had been received and eight final entries were shortlisted. B.V Doshi, principal architect... 

  Lychee: More than meets the eye! Patna: often with diseases and other phenomena, when a strong statistical correlation is found, it’s time to look deeper into the matter. Earlier, Muzaffarpur reminded everyone of Lychees, but these days, it has become associated with the killer disease of encephalitis. So the question is – is there a correlation between the heavenly fruit and the diabolical disease? Thus a team of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, has flown down to Bihar amidst reports that three children, suspected to have been afflicted with acute... 

  New born Tiger babies Patna, May 1: Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve in Bihar has reasons to cheer. According to latest reports, a tigress gave birth to three cubs in Bihar’s only tiger reserve — the second such development in the area in one-and-half years, an official said Wednesday. “It is a positive development for us as a tigress has given birth to three cubs in Muradpur forest range in the (Valmiki) tiger reserve,” said Santosh Tiwari, director-cum-conservator of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran district. He said reserve officials would maintain a strict... 

  Grass eating lion: stupid? No way! What do animals do when they get sick? They can’t go to the doctor. But a surprising number of wild creatures have figured out ways to use herbs, resins, and even alcohol and nicotine for health’s sake. Scientists the ranks of animal pharmacists in the latest issue of Science. First on the list: primates, who are particularly good at exploiting the medicinal properties of plants. Chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas have all that swallowing rough leaves can purge their intestines of parasites. And chimps plagued by roundworm infections have been... 

  Jaduguda: affected by Uranium mining! Ranchi: a three-day festival, which kicked off at Central University, Brambe, on Tuesday, travelled to the RIMS campus on Wednesday. Students and teachers of the premier medical college, film lovers and social activists watched six documentaries and short films that highlight the ill effects of uranium mining. The films screened were Michael Madsen’s Into Eternity, Ranchi-based film-maker Sriprakash’s Buddha Weeps in Jadugoda and Jadugoda: The Black Magic, Galina Laskova Sanderson’s (Belarus) To Whom It May Concern, When the Dust Settles by Australian... 

  Bateman Crane in Bharatpur Bharatpur: After battling water shortages for 10 long years, Bharatpur is again ready to host winged visitors in numbers not seen in the bird sanctuary since the 1990s. Water from the Goverdhan drain reached the park last week, promising a permanent solution to the water woes of Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The Goverdhan project, which became functional last Friday, uses a 17.4km pipeline to pump Yamuna flood waters from a reservoir on the Haryana-Rajasthan border to the park. The Rs 56-crore project was expected to kick off in 2009 but was delayed due to re-tendering... 

  Honeybees: organized society? Experiments on the division of labour in honeybee hives have revealed why some bees do the waggle dance while others nurse their queens. The roles require drastically different behaviours, with nurses feeding the larvae and performing royal grooming duties, and foragers navigating great distances and performing complex dance routines to point others in the direction of rich sources of nectar. According to a report in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the job a worker bee does corresponds to distinct patterns of chemicals that latch on to and regulate certain... 

  Manmohan: Coal-gate address! Delhi: the ever quiet man Manmohan Singh got eloquent for a change. This is not a Lal Qila [Red Fort] speech, not one from the podium of Jantar Mantar, but one that needs close reading. So bracket your prejudices and plough through the text, which is surprisingly free of jargon and double talk. However, that is no justification for NOT reading between the lines, especially as there is some history here, which you may wish to investigate on your own. We forget that despite all drawbacks, Manmohan refuses to become a stalwart, a towering figure and in this he is... 

  Catching the sun power! Schanti Partners, New York Patna: A US-based agency, Schanti Partners, New York, has expressed its keen interest in investing Rs 580 crore for a solar energy project in Kaimur district of Bihar. Initially, a 10MW unit would be set up. The agency has already submitted its proposal to the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) and received approval from the Bihar State Investment Promotion Board as also no-objection letter from Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA). The agency intends to enter into a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with BSEB. The proposed...