Exquisite scarves, crafted from the softest possible wool by a firm in India’s very own knitwear capital Ludhiana, are set to adorn scores of celebrity guests and some very lucky others at London’s Westminster Abbey next Friday when Britain’s Prince William weds sweetheart Kate Middleton.
While Britain’s PM David Cameron and his
Cabinet fret between the comfort of lounge suits and the formality of a morning suit, other invitees to the royal nuptials, could accessorise their chosen attire with highly exclusive scarves manufactured by Ludhiana’s Centex Exports and specially commissioned for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion by Boden, a top UK online fashion store. Centex has shipped 4,000 scarves and plan to send another 2,600 pieces. A significant portion of this scarf will also be available to the commoners through Bod-en’s online and offline outlets across the UK and US, firm representatives said.
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DNA code to keep poachers at bay
AJAYAN
KOCHI
April 24: Poachers and those with a taste for wild animals beware! An animal poached from the wild and cooked can be identified based on its DNA barcode. Like those tag of code lines with varied widths and different spacing on packs at stores, scientists are now developing such barcodes based on the DNA of animals in the wild.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material found in all organisms and every cell in that body will have the same quality. A tissue or blood, hardly 25 mgm, from the animal will reveal its identity.
This coding exercise of wild animals is being jointly initiated by the Kerala forest department and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB). It started around two years ago, according to principal conservator of forests (wildlife,) Mr N.V. Trivedi Babu.
This is aimed at having all the DNA details of wild animals which can help in their protection.
“Earlier, samples from the meat of a wild animal had to be sent to institutes outside the state to be identified. But since RGCB had initiated such a barcoding for various wildlife, including plants, the department decided to seek their support and the programme was initiated in 2009,” he said.