MONTH THAT WAS

Disabled friendly govt action

Bhopal: Database of 8 lakh 10 thousand disabled persons has been complied under Sparsh Abhiyan in the state so far. Of this, government jobs have been provided to 1,006 disabled persons. As many as 14 thousand 595 disabled persons have been identified for self-employment while 3735 disabled persons have been employed by private institutions and industries. 

Urination-US Marine to be tried

Washington: A US Marine officer will be court martialed for his alleged role in the scandal sparked by a video that showed soldiers urinating on the dead bodies of three Afghans, the Marine Corps said, reports AFP.

In a statement, the Corps said Captain James Clement “will be tried for dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentlemen for failing to stop the misconduct of junior Marines.”

He is accused of failing to prevent men under his command of desecrating the bodies of three Afghans, in a case that dates back to July 27, 2011, during an operation against the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, reports AP. The video of the soldiers, laughing as they posed over the bodies, went viral months later, sparking outrage around the world. A few days later, a 21-year-old Afghan soldier opened fire on some French soldiers who were training Afghan troops, later saying it was in retaliation for the desecration. Five French soldiers were killed and 15 wounded. All five of the Marines belong to an elite unit of snipers. One, Staff Sergeant Joseph Chamblin, was jailed for 30 days, fined and demoted after pleading guilty to participating in the video.  Others involved in the case have faced administrative sanctions.

Hindi in Australian curriculum

Melbourne: A vast untapped pool of skilled Indian migrants should be used to teach Hindi in Australian schools and universities, according to a report.

The report by Melbourne-based think tank Australia India Institute (AII) argues for the inclusion of Hindi in Australia’s school curriculum, saying it should be an essential part of the Commonwealth’s Asia policy.

Authored by well known Australian journalist Hamish McDonald, the report says Hindi was included as one of the four priority languages in the government’s Asia White Paper last year, along with Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian.

“The prospect is for Hindi language teaching to grow organically out of existing programs, with an emphasis on quality rather than a quick rush for larger numbers,” McDonald wrote.

“At school level, the Indian diaspora in Australia is likely to supply the initial demand for Hindi teaching and the supply of teachers as well.”

McDonald wrote the Australian-Indian community with many native speakers with a high level of education, not necessarily in education, could “with the right training” be turned into excellent teachers.

But he wrote such a plan would be contingent on enough resources being put to the case, citing the removal of Korean from teaching programs in Australia, which showed “good intent is not enough”.

The White Paper sets the ambitious target of giving all students access to one of these languages continuously throughout their schooling, presumably by the target date for general “Asia literacy” of 2025, the report said.

In bid to facilitate the introduction of Hindi language teaching in schools, the report further suggested establishing a federal-state team to design a nationally accredited course for native speakers of Hindi who wish to become qualified language teachers, perhaps through a specialised diploma of education. The team could also consider the introduction of new measures and incentives that facilitate the uptake of tuition in foreign languages in general by Australian high school students, it said.

Establishing an “Australia Bhavan [House]” in a north Indian city for Australian undergraduates to take Hindi courses and extending opportunities for Australian students to spend part of their course at Indian institutions were few other recommendations of the report.

Game changer: Green Toilets!

Mumbai: Regular toilets will be replaced by eco-friendly bio-toilets for disposing human waste at all stations of the Konkan Railway (KR).Two railway stations, Chiplun and Kankavali on the KR route, had earlier been selected for installing the country’s first green toilets to bio-degrade night soil through technology developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). “The technology, while permitting eco-friendly and quicker disposal of human waste, is also economical. Passengers and locals at both Chiplun and Kankavali have appreciated the efforts of the railways,” the official said.

Encouraged by the public response, KR has now decided to set up such toilets at all the major stations on its network. The bio-toilet uses the DRDO’s bio-digester technology, which is economical and can be implemented faster than the regular RCC (reinforced concrete cement) toilets. “The technology is 100 percent maintenance free and allows complete elimination of pathogens without requiring the night soil to be disposed through sewage line and septic tank,” the official explained. Since the need for septic tanks and sewage lines has been eliminated in this technology, the bio-toilets can be installed and ready for use within just 48 hours, compared to two months for the conventional toilets. Even the cost savings on bio-toilets are high, as much as 70 per cent, compared to regular toilets. 

12 minute ad per hour on TVchannels

New Delhi : In view of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) tough stance, broadcasters have decided to reduce the air time for advertisements shown on channels to 12 minutes by October 1.

Sources told PTI that after consultations with TRAI, broadcasters decided that they would reduce the quantum of advertisements shown every hour in a phased manner till they reach the limit of not more than 12 minutes of air time every hour as prescribed by rules.

Chinese Diplomat sister caught shoplifting

New York: The sister of a senior Chinese diplomat has been caught for alleged shoplifting from a top department store here, a media report has said.

Guo Wang, 37, whose brother Bangfu Wang is a section chief in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was busted for alleged shoplifting from the Herald Square Macy's, The New York Post reported.

Wang walked into the store, picked up several shirts and two dresses and took them to the fitting room.After a few minutes, she walked and tried to leave without  paying for the items, according to court records.A store clerk, who watched the diplomat's sister walk around the store, called security and confronted the woman.

Yoga in Chinese prisons

Beijing: The popularity of Yoga seems to be growing in China and has now percolated to prisons with a women's detention centre recently introducing the ancient Indian discipline to its inmates.

A women's detention house in Wuyi county in east China's Zhejiang province has been holding regular Yoga sessions for its inmates to help them "fight stress and find serenity".

"The inmates are organised to do their favourite exercise - Yoga - every night. Their instructor Tang Junhui believes Yoga can help these women inmates to fight stress and find serenity," a photo feature carried by the state run People's Daily Online said.