World’s first flying micro-robot is born

September 2nd, 2009 Walrus, born in captivity, dies at NY aquariumNEW YORK — A young walrus that was among only a handful ever born in captivity has died at a New York City aquarium. Officials at the New York Aquarium on Brooklyn's Coney Island say Pacific walrus Akituusaq (ah-kee-TOO'-sak) died Tuesday of pneumonia despite around-the-clock attention from veterinarians.

July 24th, 2009 Hindus have asked their flock to use micro-blogging services like Twitter to make the message more attractive and accessible, especially for youth. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that in order to put religion and spirituality on the priority lists of youth, these interactive mediums could prove very effective tools in this age of complexities and distractions.

May 21st, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have made a robot learn how to fall gracefully during soccer matches, reducing damage to themselves and their environment. According to a report in New Scientist, to find out the optimum ways for a robot to fall, Javier Ruiz-del-Solar of the University of Chile in Santiago and his team used a computer simulation based on a humanoid robot called Nao, the player used by all teams competing in the RoboCup's Standard Platform League.

May 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - All eyes are on Saturday's vote count. A glance at the arrangements the Election Commission has made for the mammoth exercise across the country: * Total counting centres: 1,080 * Total counting halls: 4,260 * Counting staff deployed: approximately 60,000 * Secure arrangements for counting agents of candidates to witness the counting procedure.

May 15th, 2009 CHENNAI - The JK Tyre Indian National Rotax Max Karting championship, comprising five rounds, will commence next month in Coimbatore, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) said. The Championship, promoted by Meco Motorsports will be run in three classes - Micro Max, Junior Max and Senior Max.

April 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India has to build a sustainable micro-entrepreneurship movement, which would transform many of its job seekers into job creators, Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari said here Tuesday. 'Such entrepreneurship, however, needs to be broad-based and supported by the civil society,' Ansari said while addressing a conference on entrepreneurship, jointly organised by the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) BYST is a non-profit organisation, which is promoting micro entrepreneurship among the youth.

April 14th, 2009 DUBAI - After Dolly, the world's first cloned sheep born in Edinburgh, the first cloned camel has been born in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a media report Tuesday. The female camel calf, Injaz (Achievement), was born at the Camel Reproduction Centre (CRC) in Dubai April 8, the Gulf News reported.

April 6th, 2009 LONDON - Researchers are readying a robot with the help of an artist to place a little red cottage on the moon, as a symbol of what humankind can achieve. The goal is for the robot named Roony, to be able to place the cabin on the moon in 2012, under the project 'House on the Moon', a collaboration between Malardalen University and versatile artist Mikael Genberg.

March 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - High interest rates coupled with an uneven spread of micro-financial institutions are among the major reasons for credit still not being available to a sizable portion of the underprivileged, experts said Tuesday. 'There is an uneven spread of the micro-finance movement,' B.P.

March 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Arguably the world's first flying car took its first test flight sometime this month, a milestone in a project started four years ago by MIT students. At 7:40 a.m on March 5, the winged car taxied down a runway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., took off, flew for 37 seconds and landed further down the runway - a manoeuvre it would repeat about a half dozen times over the next two days.

March 16th, 2009 PATNA - The Election Commission will deploy micro-observers at all polling booths in Bihar to maintain constant vigil during voting for the general elections next month, an official said here Monday. 'The election commission has decided to deploy micro-observers on static duty at all booths in Bihar for the first time,' home secretary Afzal Amanullah told IANS.

February 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Biotech scientists have teamed up with curators to stem the decay of world's art and cultural heritage, hastened by the depredations of climate change. Many of the world's cultural treasures are created out of organic materials like paper, canvas, wood and leather which, in prolonged warmth and dampness, attract mould, micro-organisms and insects, causing decay and disintegration.

January 27th, 2009 SYDNEY - Seeing and flying like a dragonfly could be the key to developing highly versatile micro-aerial vehicles. The extraordinary flying ability of the dragonfly has been the subject of ongoing research by Richard Berry from the Centre for Visual Sciences at Australian National University (ANU).

January 24th, 2009 LONDON - Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman's hand is still paralysed and he will not be able to fly his aircraft until he recovers. He is taking a long time to heal, reports contactmusic.com.

January 2nd, 2009 LISBON - The world's oldest person, Maria de Jesus, died Friday at the age of 115 in a hospital in the Portuguese community of Corujo near the city of Tomar. She held the Guinness world record for just a month after the death of American Edna Parker.