Indian scientists turn coconut oil into biofuel

Kochi: Scientists who have been running the four-stroke diesel engine of a light pick-up truck on coconut oil for the past one year have approached the union government to commercialise the biofuel.

The scientists are attached to the Kochi-based SCMS Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology Research and Development and the SCMS School of Engineering and Technology.

While the manufacturers of the Tata Ace claim mileage of 16 km to a litre of diesel, the vehicle can run 22.5 km per litre of the biofuel, the scientists say.

“We purchased this brand new vehicle a year back. By now, it has done 20,000 km and has proved beyond doubt that coconut oil can replace diesel. We can provide this product at Rs.40 a litre,” C. Mohankumar, who heads the team of six scientists, told IANS.

A new philosophy of money for the modern age

The kids were shocked when I told them that if they had been born in the olden days, they would have to hunt for their food. “But we don’t even know where burgers live,” said one.

“They live in caves,” I explained. “In America. And they have claws.”

Modern parents must teach children that everything has a cost in money or effort. To do this, I share cash-related stories from the newspaper. Recent example: A sneaky jeweller who wanted to hide his sales from the taxman sold six million euros worth of jewellery for cash. The buyers took the jewellery and left him with a suitcase full of Monopoly money.

Antarctica, a laboratory for climate change research

Fildes Bay (Antarctica): Antarctica has become a laboratory for research on climate change as a result of the impact that global warming is having on some of the continent’s regions and its role in regulating the Earth’s climate.

The effects of climate change are most evident on the Antarctic Peninsula and in the South Shetland Islands, the white continent’s northern tip.

“Over the last century, the Earth’s average temperature has risen about 0.74 degrees C (2.4 degrees F), while in the Antarctic Peninsula in just 60 years it has risen almost 3 degrees C (6.8 F),” Ricardo Jaña, an expert on glaciers and climate change at the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) said.

New sports for 2020 Olympics to be decided prior to Rio Games

Tokyo: New sports for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be determined in August next year ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Games.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice president John Coates said here Thursday that new sports will be approved at the IOC session in August just prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics, reports Xinhua. 

Working best way to celebrate birthday for Abhishek

Mumbai: Abhishek Bachchan turned 39 Thursday and the actor has a particular policy for ringing in all his birthdays.

“For me the best way of celebrating is to work. A birthday is a birthday. I like to spend my birthday with my family if I can. But it wouldn’t be a happy birthday for me if I’m not working,” said Abhishek.

This has been the birthday routine for Abhishek since his debut in filmdom. 

Actresses focussing on roles, not glamour: Jacqueline Fernandez

Mumbai: Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez feels that actresses are more focussed on getting meaty and quality roles rather than stressing on glamour alone.

“I love the fact that now if I look around at my contemporaries, they are not concentrating on glamour, which they are leaving to red carpet events or photoshoots. They are focussing on roles and I think that’s an amazing thing,” Jacqueline told IANS.

The actress, who is currently awaiting the release of “Roy”, which is hitting the screens Feb 13, comes from a non-film background. And she believes that the only edge that star children have above “outsiders” is the goodwill they have courtesy their parents.

Advani, Amitabh, Ramdev, Rajnikant may receive Padma awards on Republic Day

New Delhi : Days after honouring former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Bharat Ratna, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government is reportedly mulling to confer Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in the country, on former deputy PM Lal Krishna Advani.

According to the Zee Media sources, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, noted yoga guru Baba Ramdev, southern superstar Rajnikant and Shiromani Akali Dal patron and Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal may also be honoured with Padma awards this year.

Besides the above-mentioned celebrities, Hindi cinema veteran Dilip Kumar, noted film director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, script writer and lyricist Salim Khan and renowned ad film-maker Prasoon Joshi’s names also figures in the list of 148 hopefuls for this year’s Padma awards, the sources said.

From the sports world, the names of hockey team captain Sardara Singh, badminton player PV Sindhu, chess grandmaster Sasikiran Krishnan, wrestler Sushil Kumar, his coach Satpal and Arunima Sinha – the first women amputee mountaineer to climb Mount Everest – are being considered.

Renowned economist Bibek Debroy, who is also a member of NITI Aayog, journalist and India TV chairperson Rajat Sharma, Swapan Dasgupta, Hari Shankar Vyas, late actor Pran have also been nominated for the award.

Obama to conclude India visit today with address to youth

New Delhi : US President Barack Obama will conclude his three-day-long visit to India on Tuesday.

Prior to leaving for Saudi Arabia in the afternoon, Obama will address a select gathering that will include young Indians, at south Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium.

During the address, Obama is expected to stress on the shared values of the world’s largest democracies and speak on how to tap the energy of the people of India and the US, and to turn that into positive progress on the issues that matter in people’s lives.

“The President will want to speak to how do we tap into the energy and the support in both countries for the relationship and turn that into positive progress on the issues that matter in people’s lives.

“When you look at energy, counter-terrorism, defence cooperation, efforts to create economic growth, these are things that have a direct bearing on the well-being of US and Indian citizens,” Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes had said last week.

Ranbir Kapoor inspires me: Mrinal Dutt

Mumbai: Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor’s style and charm has a fan in TV actor Mrinal Dutt.

Mrinal, who is seen as the male lead in TV show “Private Investigator”, has shot a few advertisements with the “Barfi!” star, and Ranbir became his inspiration during one such shoot. 

“I have worked with several Bollywood celebrities — from Ranbir Kapoor to Kareena Kapoor to Nargis Fakhri to Ali Zafar. But I guess Ranbir is someone who has left an everlasting impression on my mind,” Mrinal said in a statement.

US win Basketball World Cup

Madrid: The US retained their title as world basketball champions Sunday with a crushing 129-92 win over Serbia in the final held in Madrid’s Palacio de Deportes, Xinhua reported.

The Americans may have ended eight points short of the world record score of 137 in the 1994 World Championship final and the Serbs can also be proud of a display which could possibly have given them the title against any other team in the world, but nobody can question the merit of the win.

Many have said this American side is not as good as other ‘Dream Teams’ of recent years and the US came to Spain missing some star names such as Kevin Durant, but the fact is they have rarely looked in any trouble en-route to their title, winning all nine of the games they have played over the past fortnight and with almost insulting margins of victory in the knockout stages.