GM and Segway rolled out a new electric vehicle on Tuesday. The released prototype is a two-wheel, two-seat vehicle, named PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility).The vehicle is powered by a lithium-ion battery and has all-electronic features. Speeds up to 35MPH are possible. Energy consumption would be about 200MPG.Vehicle production likely to start by 2012.
Israel shipped money to Gaza Banks to pay salaries for PNA (Palestinian National Authority) employees. The shipment was a result of the talks between the Middle East peace envoy, Mr.Tony Blair and the Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu. The lack of money in Gaza was due to Israeli sanctions. Sources reported that the shipped Israeli Shekels were inadequate to compensate the PNA workers.
The US Government began a five –year campaign to create awareness about HIV and AIDS. The campaign, named ‘Act against AIDS’, intends to have public announcements and advertisements on public transport systems. A Web site, NineAndaHalfMinutes.org is dedicated to the cause. The program is estimated to cost $9million and would initially target African-Americans.
Strong aftershocks continued to rattle central Italy, after Monday’s earthquake. Death toll has risen to 250.Over 1000 have been injured and 50 were missing. An estimated 17,000 people have been rendered homeless. The hilly region of Abruzzo bore the brunt of the earthquake. Rescue work continued in L’Aquila and other nearby villages.
Anti-government protestors stormed the Thailand capital urging the Prime Minister, Mr.Abhisit Vejjajiva, to step down. The protestors, clad in red, gathered in large numbers in Central Bangkok. The protest was in support of the former Prime Minister, Mr.Thaksin Shinawatra. Mr.Thaksin Shinawatra, an elected leader, was ousted in a military coup. The poor state of the country’s economy was another stimulus for the protests.
A Russian spacecraft carrying a three member crew, including a billionaire space tourist from USA has landed in Kazakhstan. The tourist, Mr.Charles Simonyi, is a former Microsoft executive.Incidentally; he is the first person to travel twice into space as a tourist. The others on board were Yuri Lonchakov and Michael Fincke.
The abolition of nuclear weapons is nuclear disarmament. The need was accurately felt after USA used nuclear bombs in Japan in World War II. Many treaties have since come into existence to prevent the acquisition and deployment of nuclear weapons. The most prominent of these treaties is the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (1968).This multilateral treaty lays stress on disarmament by nuclear arsenal-possessing countries and binds the non-nuclear countries into non-possession of the controversial weapons. The possibility of possession of nuclear weapons by terrorists is a grave threat to humanity. The double standards adopted by the big five nuclear powers regarding nuclear disarmament have disillusioned other countries.
Increase in the earth’s temperature is known as global warming. Temperature around the world has risen by 1 degree Celsius. The effect is most felt in the Arctic regions. This has resulted in the melting of the glaciers and as a result the Arctic ice is slowly disappearing. Scientists attribute the increase in occurrence of floods, storms and forest fires to global warming. The temperature rise is very fast as per the scientists’ claim. Moreover, scientists believe that the earth should now ideally be in a cooling phase according to the solar cycles. Hence scientists infer that the current global warming is man-made and not a natural phenomenon.
Above and beyond the global financial crisis, global warming is another world’s issue which has to be noted. The origin of the global warming with Green house gases which traps the infrared rays of the sun and heats the earth’s atmosphere. Human activities like burning of fossil fuels in the thermal power plants, vehicles and industries releases the green house gases. But on the contrary any of those activities cannot be halted in the fast technology world.
Some of the impacts are: Rise of natural calamities universally, Melting down of glaciers swallow up low lying countries, Change in the seasons which gives a lengthy summer and unpredictable heavy rains, Microbes develop in large extent which introduces new diseases, Hasty changes in the climate cause a loss in the natural habitat affects the animal kingdom .
Today’s’ Worldwide burning issue is the recession which gives a very bad picture to the economy. The leaders of all the countries are struggling hard to find a solution to come out and up rise the economy. But how this recession happened? 150 years ago, Karl Marx, one of the greatest thinkers has expressed the financial and economic crisis as an epidemic of over production, too much industry and commerce.
He also suggested a solution of destroying some productive forces and invasion of new markets to get over the crisis. The same situation has happened in today’s wealth. It has created a complete disorder in the middle class society which has led to massive debts. The world leaders have organized a summit G-20 i.e. a group of leaders of 19 national economies and European Union to study and review the current financial crisis.