• Wireless loop technology could replace conventional cables in congested Calcutta, according to the Department of Telecommunication (DoT). • Heli-skiing has been banned in Himachal Pradesh after the ministry of environment and forests found that it affected the national parks and sanctuaries situated nearby and caused noise pollution. • The Supreme Court has asked Kerala's fish exporters to contribute 1 per cent of their gross earnings towards a welfare fund for the state's poor fishermen. • A parliamentary committee on transport and tourism headed by Pramod Mahajan, MP has ordered the Centre to finalise an integrated surface transport policy within 6 months. • The Netherlands government -- according to the visiting*** Dutch minister of transport A Jorritsma- Lebbink -- will share its expertise in water management, transport and telecommunication with Indian industries. • Germany has offered financial assistance worth Rs 60 crore to help the state of Maharashtra tide over the century's most severe drought. • The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon this year, which will provide a much-needed relief from the heat and drought. • In a 3-day meet (from May 17) organised in Kathmandu by the Indian Environmental Society (IES) in association with the Fredrich Ebert Stiftung of Germany, the progress made by the world community in environment was reviewed. • Recent findings of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Izzatnagar, Uttar Pradesh state that the harmless-looking cockroach can be a carrier of the deadly salmonella paratyphii germs which cause gastro-enteritis and enteric fever. • A total of 424 earthquake-resistant houses, a community hall and an impressive school building have come up in the quake-affected Latur region of Maharashtra. • The government has nominated the Export Inspection Agency (EIA) for certifying seafood exports, as per the guidelines of the European Economic Community.