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Day 50 of Kashmir unrest: Mehbooba Mufti slams Pakistan

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addressed the media in Delhi on 27 August after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the ongoing Kashmir unrest.

Mufti accused Pakistan of openly provoking and fuelling tension in the Valley. "Pakistan has been openly trying to provoke and fuel tensions in the valley," she told ANI.

"Sadly, Pakistan has repeatedly wasted chances to talk and resolve issues. Instead of assisting to resolve the Kashmir crisis, they are trying to incite more violence," she said.

Twin earthquakes hit Himachal Pradesh

Two medium intensity earthquakes, 20 minutes apart, rocked Himachal Pradesh on 27 August.

No casualties have been reported in the quakes, which were epicentered in Kullu region.

According to National Centre of Seismology, a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences, the first quake measuring 4.6 on Richter scale occurred at 6.44am at a depth of 10 kilometres. The second quake measured 4.3 at Richter scale occurred at 7.05am at the same depth.

Dhaka attack suspected mastermind shot dead

The suspected mastermind of the 1 July attack on a cafe in Dhaka, that claimed lives of over 22 people, has reportedly been shot dead in a encounter on 27 August.

Alleged mastermind Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury was among the three militants who were killed in a raid at a house in Naraynganj on the outskirts of Dhaka.

The terrorist opened fire at the Bangladeshi security forces when they tried to break into their hideout place, the Daily Star reported. The place has now reportedly been sealed.

India asks Pakistan to not remain in denial mode on support to cross-border terrororism

India has asked Pakistan not to stop being in "denial" mode regarding its support to cross- border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.

In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of 19 August for talks, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a "prime perpetrator" of terrorism.

No more injections: New Insulin pills to make diabetes painless

There's some good news for diabetes patients. Millions of patients have to inject insulin directly into their bodies. Now, researchers in the United States have found a way to administer insulin through pills. The challenge so far was that insulin couldn't withstand the stomach's digestion acids. The new pill solves this problem because they're made of Cholestome, a lipid that can pass through the stomach unscathed. They are absorbed by the intestines, which then release the insulin in the bloodstream.

Elephant seals help climate scientists gather data in Antarctic

The icy depths of the Antarctic are now accessible to scientists, thanks to elephant seals. Scientists are mounting measurement instruments on the back of the seals, which dive into the waters. The instruments gather information on salinity and temperature of sea water. The data is meant to throw light on melting of ice shelves on the ice-covered continent and how it affects oceans. Scientists want to understand how enhanced melting of the Antarctic ice due to climate change is affecting the mix of fresh and salty water.

Rural Indians consuming fewer nutrients than 40 years ago

A study by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau has found that rural Indians are consuming 550 lesser calories than in their 1975-79 survey, reports IndiaSpend. They are consuming 13 gm lesser protein and 5 mg lesser iron. Children are also undernourished: against a requirement of 300 ml of milk every day, the survey found that children were having an average of just 80 ml. In all, 35% of rural adults were found to be undernourished while 42% children were underweight.

Orangutans could go extinct within 10 years, warns study

Orangutans face a serious threat from deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia. A study has warned that the monkeys will go extinct due to large scale cutting of the dense rainforests by the palm oil industry. Orangutans cannot live in palm tree plantations. International Animal Rescue, an NGO that runs rescue centres in Borneo for the animals, has warned that the Sumatran variant of Orangutan is the most threatened. The other variant, the Bornean orangutan, was last month added to the list of 'critically endangered' species, the last threat assessment before 'extinct'.