eagles fall prey to diclofenac

Vultures already threatened after feeding on carcasses of animals given the drug

After pushing vultures to the verge of extinction in the country, the veterinary painkiller and anti-inflammatory drug, Diclofenac, is turning out to be a serious threat to eagles as well.

A research paper published in Bird Conservation International, a Cambridge University journal, says other raptor species such as hawks, kites and harriers that feed on carcasses of animals, will possibly fall prey to the drug too.

Scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), the U.K.-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh conducted the study. Diclofenac residue was detected in the tissues of two steppe eagles (Aquila nipalensis) found dead in a cattle carcass dump in Rajasthan in February 2012.

“We conducted several tests on the bird carcasses that showed the same clinical signs of kidney failure as seen in vultures after they had ingested diclofenac,” Vibhu Prakash, co-author of the paper, told The Hindu.

The research paper says this is the first instance of diclofenac-related mortality in species outside the Gyps genus of vultures. Dr. Prakash says the drug should be banned, and suggests more studies.

PMO to have Foreign Policy Adviser

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firming up plans to appoint a Foreign Policy Adviser to guide his office’s handling of critical national security and geo-strategic issues, highly placed government sources told The Hindu on Friday.

The appointment is likely to take place within days, the sources said. The sources said Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, an Indian Foreign Service officer who currently serves as India’s Ambassador to the U.S., was among the leading contenders for the position.

The former Intelligence Bureau chief Ajit Kumar Doval was appointed National Security Adviser on Friday.

IAS-2014 NOTIFICATION

Good news :there is 1291 vacancy in 2014.do hard work to secure your seat in prelims.samveg ias is always with you for any kind of guidance.take advantage of this guidance came out with flying colours.here is detail

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who toppled Egypt's first freely elected leader, swept to victory in a presidential election, provisional results showed on Thursday, joining a long line of leaders drawn from the military.

But a lower than expected turnout figure raised questions about Sisi's credibility after his supporters had idolised him as a hero who can deliver political and economic stability.

Sisi captured 92.2 percent of votes cast in more than 50 percent of polling stations, judicial sources said. His only rival, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, gained 3.8 percent while 4.2 percent of votes were declared void.

Fireworks erupted in Cairo when Sisi's results began to emerge. His supporters waved Egyptian flags and sounded car horns on the crowded streets of the capital.

About 1,000 people gathered in Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and raised hopes of a democracy free of influence from the military. Sisi supporters honked car horns and waved flags.

Dancing dolls dressed in army fatigues quickly went on sale in Tahrir, a reminder of the army's wide influence in Egypt.

Sisi is the latest in a line of Egyptian rulers from the military that was only briefly broken during Islamist President Mohamed Morsi's year in office.

Sisi, who ousted Mursi last year after mass protests against his rule, is seen by supporters as a strong figure who can end the turmoil that has convulsed Egypt since the revolution that ended Mubarak's 30 years in power.

But critics fear he will become another autocrat who will preserve the army's interests, and quash hopes of democracy and reform aroused by the protests that swept Mubarak.

Sisi enjoys the backing of the powerful armed forces and the Interior Ministry, as well many politicians and former Mubarak officials now making a comeback.

Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus form Eurasian Union

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterparts from Kazakhstan and Belarus on Thursday signed a deal forming an Eurasian Union between the three states.

Kazakh president Nursultan Nazerbayev presented the deal live on television after the signing in Astana.

Commencing in January 2015, the Eurasian Union is supposed to become the successor to the Customs Union between the three countries.

Armenia and Kyrgyzstan have said that they want to join the Union later this year.

Tata Steel bags best Indian steel company award

Tata Steel has bagged the award for the best Indian steel company by US-based research firm Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).

The award was given by D&B post inclusion of Tata Steel in their publication ‘India’s Top 500 Companies 2014′ and on the basis of excelling on various business and social parameters, Tata Steel said in a statement here.

Pinaka rockets successfully test-fired (30 May 2014)
Balasore (Odisha): Indigenously developed Pinaka rockets, capable of destroying enemy positions at 40 kms-range with rapid salvos, were today successfully test- fired thrice from a multi-barrel launcher at an armament base in Chandipur-on-sea, near here.

The rockets, which have undergone several tough tests since 1995, have been already inducted into the armed forces and the present trials were conducted with some improvements in the weapon system, defence sources said, adding some more tests are likely to be held.

“Three rounds of Pinaka rockets were successfully tested from the proof and experimental establishment (PXE) today at Chandipur,” about 15 km from here, they said.

The unguided rocket system is meant to neutralise large areas with rapid salvos. With a battery of six launchers, the system can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds and neutralise a target area of 3.9 sq km.

The rockets, which act as force-multiplier, were developed to supplement artillery guns, the sources said.

The quick reaction time and high rate of fire of the system give an edge to the army during a low-intensity conflict situation, they said.

The system’s capability to incorporate several types of warheads makes it deadly for the enemy as the rockets could even destroy solid structures and bunkers.

In July last year, an advanced, second generation Pinaka Mark II Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher System had undergone successful trials at Chandhan area in Pokhran field firing ranges in western Rajasthan and is in development stage, the sources said.

The development and trials of the advanced system will continue and it is expected to enter service very soon, they said.