Author: Indmedia

From the musical whistles of a red-whiskered bulbul to the mechanical whirr of a barn swallow song, there is an incredible diversity to avian music. But according to a new study by researchers from France and the U.S., this vast diversity comes from just eight building blocks.Researchers analysed more than one lakh song recordings from more than 3,000 passerine bird species worldwide using machine learning to reveal the eight core motifs, or basic sounds.These motifs consist of three types of trills (repetition of the same note) distinguished by their speed, three types of whistles based on their pitch modulation, and…

In 2011, conservation teams set out on one of the biggest rat eradications ever on a tropical atoll, targeting an estimated 30,000 invasive rodents on Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific. The goal was not just to remove a pest, but to restore an entire ecosystem that had been suppressed for more than a century. Five years after the last rat was declared gone, the results were striking: native tree seedlings, once reduced to fewer than 150 across the atoll, surged to more than 7,700, signalling a dramatic rebound of the original forest. As documented by the U.S. Fish and…

The weekly ritual that sits at the heart of Westminster’s public image beckons, the half an hour or so of verbal jousting at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).Prime ministerial memoirs tell the stories of how central a moment it is in the week of any occupant of 10 Downing Street.Sir Tony Blair wrote that “PMQs was the most nerve wracking, discombobulating, nail biting, bowel moving, terror inspiring, courage draining experience in my prime ministerial life, without question”.Now, for the first time, it is Andy Burnham’s turn to feel those nerves. And yet, curiously, the questions at lunchtime may well feel like…

A woman alleged being asked to remove her burqa at Cooper Hospital, sparking a political controversy. MUMBAI: The controversy over a woman allegedly being asked to remove her burqa before entering the maternity ward at BMC-run Cooper Hospital has triggered a political row, with the hospital issuing a show-cause notice to the security guard concerned and conducting sensitisation workshops for its staff.The incident came to light after a video went viral, prompting allegations of religious discrimination. Advocate Jahanara Shaikh, who said she had gone to the Andheri hospital on Sunday to visit a relative, alleged that she was stopped outside…

New Delhi: Delhi govt will provide free rooftop solar systems to domestic consumers with average monthly electricity consumption of up to 400 units, with govt bearing the entire cost of the solar panels and their installation.The cabinet, chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, Tuesday approved the amendments to the existing solar policy to enable the rollout of the scheme. The move is part of govt’s push to promote solar power generation in the capital.The chief minister said Delhi aims to install solar systems on 2.3 lakh rooftops and add 500 MW of rooftop solar capacity under Delhi Solar Policy by…

Hookah pots seized from the house Bengaluru: A residential house in Kenchanapura village turned into a secret hookah bar, with a private firm employee reportedly serving customers, until police raided the premises and arrested them on Aug 31.Acting on specific information, Kumbalagodu police inspector Kumar and his team conducted a raid on the first floor of a house rented by Ajith B Nayak, 28, a resident of Meenakshinagar in Basaveshwaranagar. He had employed Varuna KR, 25, a native of Hassan, as a service boy. Police found the duo operating a prohibited hookah bar and supplying hookah to customers who were…

HYDRAA chief AV Ranganath HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana high court, on Tuesday, suspended a single judge’s order that had found HYDRAA chief AV Ranganath guilty of contempt of court and asked the chief secretary to relieve him from the post for wilful disobedience of court orders. The order was passed in connection with a dispute over around 40 acres of land at Lothkunta, Secunderabad, claimed to be owned by Shanta Sriram Constructions.The bench, comprising Justices P Sam Koshy and Nandikonda Narsing Rao, posted the matter to Nov 3 for final hearing. It was hearing a contempt appeal moved…

Chennai: PWD minister Aadhav Arjuna on Tuesday said political equations in India would change after the 2029 elections, paving the way for abolition of NEET in parliament.Speaking in the assembly on the ninth death anniversary of Ariyalur student S Anitha, who died by suicide in 2017 due to NEET failure, Aadhav said Union govt had ignored Tamil Nadu’s opposition despite resolutions passed by successive state govts.“Whether it was former chief ministers M K Stalin or Edappadi K Palaniswami or the present chief minister C Joseph Vijay, all have opposed NEET. But the Union govt has refused to listen,” he said.Calling…

Ahmedabad: Within minutes of activating her credit card, a banker was shocked to receive emails alerting her about two hefty transactions that she had not made. What made the fraud even more puzzling was that she had received no one-time password (OTP) on her phone to approve the transactions totalling Rs 1.7 lakh.She has now approached Vastrapur police for answers.According to her complaint, the 26-year-old woman, who works as an NRR officer with a private bank, had received an Axis Bank credit card and wanted to activate it. She searched Google for the bank’s registered mobile number and used WhatsApp…

Subarnarekha in spate at Rajghat in Balasore district Bhubaneswar: River Subarnarekha in north Odisha was in spate on Tuesday and crossed the danger mark at Rajghat causing flash flood threat for the second time in a month. The river was flowing nearly half metre above the danger level by the afternoon and inundated several low-lying areas in it’s catchments in Balasore district. Authorities have warned that the flood may affect four blocks in Balasore district, including Bhograi, Baliapal, Basta and Jaleswar.A senior govt official at office of the special relief commissioner (SRC) said the district administration will tackle fresh situation.…