1. ISRO is Building 'Igloos' for Future Outposts on Moon
In what's likely to become India's biggest science programme in the next few years, Isro has started work on building igloos on the Moon. These 'lunar habitats', as scientists call them, will be built by sending robots and 3D printers to the Moon, and by using lunar soil and other materials.
The project has seen progress with a working model – created using a 3D printer - sitting in the space agency's lunar terrain test facility. Scientists have drawn up five designs of the lunar habitats, and hope their work could contribute to scientists' plans of creating outposts on the Moon.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Man Immolates Himself After Cops Seize his Bike
Representational image of a crime scene.
A 38-year-old courier delivery agent set himself ablaze in front of Mico Layout traffic police station early on Sunday and later succumbed to burns after police accused him of driving under the influence of alcohol and seized his bike.
Family members of Manikantha K, a resident of CK Achchukattu, south Bengaluru, have alleged foul play. They have vowed to petition the police commissioner on Monday, seeking action against the guilty policemen.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Naming Ceremony of Mysuru Royal Family Scion
The naming ceremony of the new member of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru was held at the Bengaluru palace on Sunday. The son of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Trishika Kumari has been named Adyaveer Narasimharaja Wadiyar. Yaduveer took to the social media to share the news.
Trishika Kumari gave birth to the baby at a hospital in Bengaluru on 6 December. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and other members of the erstwhile royal family attended the ceremony.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
4. Explosive Materials Seized Near Kolar
Officials of the check-post at Hebbani near Nangali in Kolar district seized unlicensed detonators and arrested two persons on Saturday evening.
The seized items included 400 pieces of electrical detonator fuses and 400 pieces of slurry explosive gel tubes, a release said. The SUV used to transport the illegal materials was also seized. The arrested persons are Amarnath Naidu alias Amarendra Naidu and Shaik Aftab Pasha, both residents of Chittor district in Andhra Pradesh.
Cases have been registered under section 9 (B) of the Explosives Act, 1884 and 5 (A) of Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and under Section 286 of the IPC.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. BMTC Lost 1.5L km a day in 5 Years Due to Traffic Snarls
The city’s traffic crawl is taking a toll on its public transport with BMTC losing over 1.5 lakh km per day over the past five years.
Records with BMTC show the total average daily distance covered by its buses has come down from 13.1 lakh km in 2013-14 to 11.6 lakh km in 2017-18, despite its fleet strength going up from 6,473 to 6,600 during this period. This means the average daily distance covered by each BMTC bus has reduced from 218 km to 206 km during this period.
Many BMTC drivers admit they are unable to complete targeted trips, owing to congestion on roads. Bengaluru’s vehicular population has increased from 50.5 lakh to 72.6 lakh in the last five years, reducing the average speed in most parts of the city to 10kmph during peak hours.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Farmers Play Hardball as Shah Tries to Woo Them
BJP national president Amit Shah, who found himself cornered when farmers threw hard questions at him, offered to publicly apologise if it was proven that the BJP-led Centre had waived loans borrowed by industrialists.
This comes in the wake of Congress president Rahul Gandhi repeatedly mounting attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the Centre had written off loans of "India's richest" worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore while refusing to waive farmers' loans.
"Let me guarantee you, the Modi government has not waived a single rupee of loan for any industrialist," Shah told farmers during an interaction here. He even dared Rahul to prove his claims. "If he has any records, let him make it public. I am ready to answer and even apologise to the farmers of Karnataka," Shah said.
Source: Deccan Herald
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