blogger news: Secret Vessel to Test Durability of Materials in S...

blogger news: Secret Vessel to Test Durability of Materials in S...: A secretive U.S. Air Force space plane is scheduled to make a fourth trip into orbit on Wednesday.As with the previous flights, the Ai...

Secret Vessel to Test Durability of Materials in Space, NASA Says

A secretive U.S. Air Force space plane is scheduled to make a fourth trip into orbit on Wednesday.As with the previous flights, the Air Force revealed few details about what the unmanned X-37B spacecraft, which resembles a smaller version of NASA's retired space shuttles, will be doing.

"The test mission furthers the development of the concept of operations for reusable space vehicles, and fine-tunes technical parameters for an affordable, reusable space vehicle," said Capt. Christopher M. Hoyler, a spokesman for the Air Force.

Boeing has built two X-37B spacecraft for the Air Force. The first launched in April 2010, setting off speculation over the vessel's purposes. Some suggested that the craft had something to do with space weapons, which the Pentagon denied. It landed in December that year. The second orbiter was sent up from March 2011 to June 2012. The first craft made a second flight, launching in December 2012 and returning 674 days later, in October 2014.

The Air Force was not saying which of the two was packed inside an Atlas 5 rocket on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"We are excited about our fourth X-37B mission," Randy Walden, the director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement released last month. "With the demonstrated success of the first three missions, we're able to shift our focus from initial checkouts of the vehicle to testing of experimental payloads."

A four-hour launch window opens at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday. Forecasts indicated a 60 percent chance of favorable weather.

One of the experiments the Air Force has talked about is an improved version of an electric thruster. Unlike conventional thrusters employing chemical reactions, electric thrusters are more efficient, accelerating charged ions through electric fields.

Electric thrusters are common on commercial satellites, but the Air Force needs more powerful propulsion. Aerojet Rocketdyne has built thrusters for three military satellites that run at 5 kilowatts, or about four times the power of those on commercial satellites. The thruster on the X-37B is a modified version, intended to improve performance, although it still generates less than a tenth of a pound of thrust.

"But it does it very, very efficiently from a fuel standpoint," said Fred C. Wilson, director of business development at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "It's a higher-power, higher-performance device."

NASA, which collaborated on the development of the thruster, hopes that similar technology can be used to propel cargo ships to Mars, part of an eventual mission to send astronauts there. Last month, the space agency selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop and test a 100-kilowatt electric thruster.

NASA is also taking advantage of this X-37B flight to test how almost 100 materials react to the harsh conditions of space, like the barrage of radiation and swings of temperature the craft will experience while passing between the day and night sides of the Earth for at least 200 days.

"It's just sitting there and letting the environment hit it," said Miria Finckenor, a materials engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She is the principal investigator for the experiment, which is housed in the space plane's cargo bay.

The materials to be tested include thermal coatings to keep spacecraft components within a certain range of temperatures, clear materials under consideration for lighter windows on NASA's Orion crew capsule and ink to make sure that markings on parts do not fade away.

NASA previously tested more than 4,000 samples outside the International Space Station, but it is difficult to carve out time during spacewalks to set up and retrieve the experiments. "This opportunity presented itself, and we just needed to take advantage of it," Finckenor said.

The information gleaned from such experiments helps engineers choose materials for spacecraft components like antennas.

In addition to the space plane, the Atlas 5 rocket will give 10 tiny satellites known as CubeSats a ride to space. The CubeSats will be deployed to test technologies like new propulsion and communication systems.

One of the CubeSats is LightSail, developed by the Planetary Society, a nonprofit that promotes space exploration. On launching, it is about the size of a loaf of bread, but after a month of testing, it is to deploy four 13-foot booms and unfurl four triangular pieces of Mylar to act as a sail, propelled by sunlight. For this test flight, the orbit will be too low for the force of photons to overcome atmospheric drag, and the satellite is expected to fall out of the sky within a few days.

A second LightSail, scheduled to lift off next year on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, is to be sent high enough to demonstrate controlled solar sailing in orbit. The second LightSail is already built, but the society is raising additional money through a Kickstarter campaign for education and promotion.

blogger news: Kerala Minister's Car Killed Professor. Industrial...

blogger news: Kerala Minister's Car Killed Professor. Industrial...: Thiruvananthapuram:  Kerala minister Dr MK Muneer was traveling in an SUV when it hit a man riding a scooter. Dr ...

Kerala Minister's Car Killed Professor. Industrialist Owner, Government License Plates

Thiruvananthapuram:  Kerala minister Dr MK Muneer was traveling in an SUV when it hit a man riding a scooter. Dr Muneer rushed the victim, a college professor, to the nearest hospital, where he died on Tuesday.

The accident has triggered a controversy because Mr Muneer was using a white Range Rover that is registered in the name of a businessman, but bore license plates proclaiming it a government vehicle. The car also had the lal batti or red beacon used to indicate a VIP is on the move and must get right of way. Police sources say they are not clear on whether the red light was in use when the accident took place.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of the Congress, under attack from the opposition, said today, "There is nothing wrong with using private vehicles. Many time, we use (a) taxi with government number plates while in transit. The car belongs to a person from his own party."

The industrialist who registered as the owner of the car is a member of Dr Muneer's party, the Muslim League, which is a member of the coalition government.

A police case has been registered against the minister's driver who was reportedly not speeding when he hit Professor Shashi Kumar. After moving the college lecturer to hospital, Dr Muneer used another car to continue with his journey.

blogger news: For Bullet Trains, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu...

blogger news: For Bullet Trains, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu...: New Delhi:  While discussing one year of the Modi government, senior minister Suresh Prabhu has admitted to NDTV ...

blogger news: Men of Letters: In Turf War, Arvind Kejriwal and L...

blogger news: Men of Letters: In Turf War, Arvind Kejriwal and L...:   New Delhi:  A flurry of letters today marked the escalating turf war between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejri...

For Bullet Trains, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has Wife-Mother Analogy

New Delhi:  While discussing one year of the Modi government, senior minister Suresh Prabhu has admitted to NDTV that the backlash to the land reforms was the result of poor public communication of the benefits of the new rules to acquire farmland. "I agree that wrong communication has created misconceptions. We are now telling the people and our perception is going. Our bill is pro-farmer," said Mr Prabhu, who is Railways Minister.

He rebutted criticism that the government's focus on introducing bullet trains is a misplaced priority given the vast state of disrepair and inefficiency in the world's fourth-largest rail network.

"We can do both. Just because I love my mother doesn't mean I am not loving my wife," said Mr Prabhu in a unique analogy.

The government's new rules for how businesses can buy land have led to it being tagged by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi as 'a suit boot ki sarkar (government for the elite).' "I don't know what it means," said Mr Prabhu. "(The) opposition doesn't want us to wear shoes. Now they want to decide the dress code for the country and do moral policing," he joked.

The land bill, seen as the centerpiece of the government's economic reform agenda, has been sent to a parliamentary committee for review after a united opposition blocked it from being brought to the Rajya Sabha or Upper House where the government is in a minority.

While assessing the government's first year in office, Mr Prabhu said reports of the Prime Minister's Office being over-centralised are incorrect. "PM Modi is not domineering. He is available for consultation for everyone and he is a tall leader who overawes," said Mr Prabhu.

Men of Letters: In Turf War, Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Dispatch More Charges

 

New Delhi:  A flurry of letters today marked the escalating turf war between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. In the middle of an unpleasant back-and-forth, the Centre has indicated that it will not intervene.

Here are 10 developments in the story:

1. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the crisis, told reporters: "The LG and Chief Minister must jointly find out a solution to the problem."
2. The Lieutenant Governor wrote to the Delhi Government this evening stressing that it was his job to approve the transfer and posting of senior officers in consultation with the Chief Minister. He also said Mr Kejriwal's circular asking officials not to follow oral or written orders from the Lieutenant Governor unconstitutional.
3. Mr Kejriwal shot off a reply that asked Mr Jung to explain "which clause of the Constitution" gave him the powers.
4. The Lieutenant Governor's letter was a response to Arvind Kejriwal's circular on Monday evening instructing bureaucrats not to follow any order from the Lieutenant Governor without running it by the Chief Minister's office.
5. AAP accuses the Lieutenant Governor of overstepping his jurisdiction and bypassing a popular, elected government as if Delhi is still under central rule like it was last year, after AAP abruptly quit power.
6. Arvind Kejriwal has written to PM Modi and asserted that his government should be allowed to function independently. He has alleged that the Centre is trying to rule Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor.
7. The turf war that began soon after Mr Kejriwal took charge in February peaked last week when Mr Jung decided to promote IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi, without consulting the Chief Minister.
8. Mr Kejriwal retaliated by removing the officer who signed off on the Lieutenant Governor's order - Principal Secretary Anindo Majumdar - who was locked out of his office on Monday. Two more officers were given Mr Majumdar's duties, despite Mr Jung telling the government in a letter that the appointments were void.
9. Both Arvind Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor met President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday and accused each other of violating the Constitution.
10. The government today reached out to officers amid reports that many of them have sought transfers to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Mr Kejriwal and his Deputy Manish Sisodia met senior officials including Shakuntala Gamlin.

blogger news: Exclusive: Glaring Errors in Judgement That Allowe...

blogger news: Exclusive: Glaring Errors in Judgement That Allowe...: New Delhi:  Celebrations for former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's acquittal in a disproportionate ...

Exclusive: Glaring Errors in Judgement That Allowed Jayalalithaa to Get Away

New Delhi:  Celebrations for former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa's acquittal in a disproportionate assets case last week were dampened after the prosecution pointed out accounting errors in the Karnataka High Court order. The nearly-1000 page judgement had calculated Ms Jayalalithaa's cumulative income to be about Rs. 34 crore, which was later found to be only Rs. 21 crore because of an exaggeration of loans advanced to her. This would suggest her unaccounted assets are 76 per cent more than her income, and not, as the court had found, only eight per cent.But a closer scrutiny by NDTV of the judgement has revealed even further glaring inconsistencies in the court's assessment of the former chief minister's income and assets: gifts alleged to be tainted shown as legitimate; exaggerated earnings from one of her companies; and a lowered estimation of construction costs on her various properties.

Tainted Gifts as Income

In the sources of her income, the order lists 'gifts' to the tune of Rs. 1.5 crore offered to Ms Jayalalithaa on her 44th birthday in 1992.

But as pointed out by the prosecution, these gifts are under CBI investigation for an alleged breach of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, which prevents a public servant from receiving gifts from those with whom he or she has official business.

Twenty-one of these were from AIADMK officials who were given plum appointments just before and after her birthday. The list of names in the CBI chargesheet include, for instance, AM Paramasivam the Minister of Labour appointed in 1993, who gifted Ms Jayalalithaa Rs. 10 lakh; and DK Murthy, appointed Chairman of a milk producers union in 1994, who gave Rs. 2.9 lakh.

The CBI probe is now being heard in the Supreme Court. Karnataka Special Prosecutor BV Acharya told NDTV this should have been brought to Judge Kumaraswamy's attention.

Exaggerated Income of Jayalalithaa's Company

The High Court order also lists Rs. 4 crore as income that Jayalalithaa earned from the company Jaya Publications - of which she and Sasikala are directors - between 1991 and 1996.

But, according to her own submissions before the trial court, the company only earned a profit of Rs. 1.15 crore in that period.

No explanation was given for this four-fold exaggeration by the high court.

The order goes into some detail on a newspaper subscription scheme cited by the defense as additional income.

But, the trial court verdict last year had found the subscription scheme to be fraudulent - retrospectively invented to justify the income that is unaccounted for. Judge Kumaraswamy, too, raises questions about the authenticity of the scheme, but doesn't explain how the company's earnings then tripled in his calculation.

'Mystery' Method to Lower Cost of Construction

Crucially, the high court verdict used a puzzling method to compute the cost of construction on Jayalalithaa's and her associates' properties.

According to the prosecution, these plots - adding up to about 1.6 lakh square feet - were developed at a cost of approximately Rs. 27 crore, which makes up almost a third of Jayalalithaa's alleged unaccounted wealth of Rs. 66 crore.

But the judgement found the cost of construction to be only about Rs. 5 crore, slashing almost a third of her unaccounted assets.

The order does this by fixing a flat rate of Rs. 280/sq ft as construction costs for all the properties, a highly unusual decision given that the properties range from farm houses in Tirunelveli to bungalows and offices in the heart of Chennai. No clear explanation is given for how it arrived at this uniform rate.

Mr Acharya said that these additional revelations will show that Jayalalithaa's unaccounted wealth is more than 200 per cent of her income, and that there is enough material to mount a strong appeal against the acquittal.

But an AIADMK spokersperson told NDTV that there will be no change in the plans for Jayalalithaa to return to high office.

blogger news: She Worked as Domestic Help in 5 Bengaluru Houses,...

blogger news: She Worked as Domestic Help in 5 Bengaluru Houses,...: Bengaluru:  17-year-old Shalini of Bengaluru has scored 84 per cent in her Class 12 exam. Nothing unusual, many w...

She Worked as Domestic Help in 5 Bengaluru Houses, Still Scored 84% in Class 12 Exam

Bengaluru:  17-year-old Shalini of Bengaluru has scored 84 per cent in her Class 12 exam. Nothing unusual, many would argue - except that when others took study breaks, this teen worked as a help in five houses.

In addition to studying for her exams, Shalini cleaned houses to add to her family's income.

"I used to clean clothes, clean utensils and put rangolis (decorative motifs on the floor)," she told NDTV in fluent English. Her ambition is to become the first engineer in her family.

Shalini's father Armugam was disabled in an accident and does not work anymore. Her mother Vijaya, the main bread earner, has to juggle her cleaning jobs with hospital duties; Shalini's younger brother Surya has been diagnosed with blood cancer and is in hospital.

Shalini had no choice but to continue working while preparing for her exams.

Asked how she managed to get any studying done, the teenager says: "I woke up at 4.30 am, went to a house to put Rangoli, that was till 5.30, then I mopped and cleaned at another house till 7.30, then went to another house to wash clothes and clean utensils till 9, then I studied, had breakfast, went to another house to wash clothes, then another house to clean utensils, then studied at night..." Shalini's day seems impossibly long, but then she has always been a fighter.

She started with a Tamil medium school, then shifted to Kannada medium and finally went to an English medium college.

The family stays in a small house shared with Shalini's mother Vijaya's brother and his wife. Vijaya only studied till Class 5 and her husband is illiterate. But she was perhaps her daughter's biggest inspiration.

Many say the real test of life is usually outside the examination hall. If that is the case, young Shalini is already a winner.

blogger news: IAS Officers Seek Transfers to Duck Becoming Priso...

blogger news: IAS Officers Seek Transfers to Duck Becoming Priso...: New Delhi:  At least 20 senior bureaucrats have reportedly indicated that they would like to be relocated from De...

IAS Officers Seek Transfers to Duck Becoming Prisoners of Delhi War

New Delhi:  At least 20 senior bureaucrats have reportedly indicated that they would like to be relocated from Delhi to avoid becoming prisoners of the war between Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

Sources in the Union Home Ministry said that the bureaucrats looking to be re-assigned have not made formal requests for transfers because they fear they will then be persecuted by the Delhi government, which is headed by Mr Kejriwal.Over the last few days, a long-simmering feud between the Lieutenant Governor and him has taken on epic proportions. Both men claim they have the final say on appointment government officers. Both met today with President Pranab Mukherjee to make their cases.

"We will find a solution to this crisis," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Because Delhi is a Union Territory and not a full-fledged state, it is the Lieutenant Governor, as the representative of the Union government, who assigns bureaucrats to offices, says Mr Jung - a position that the Union government reportedly agrees with, according to sources in the Home Ministry.

But Mr Kejriwal and his supporters, and many others say that as the elected head of state, the Chief Minister cannot be ignored in the assignation of important posts.

The flashpoint for the crisis was last week's appointment by Mr Jung of Shanktula Gamlin as the Acting Chief Secretary, which makes her the most senior bureaucrat in the government. Mr Kejriwal said Mr Jung's choice was unacceptable to him because Ms Gamlin misused her post in the Power department to financially benefit the firms that supply electricity to the capital. Ignoring Mr Kejriwal's request to turn down the assignment, Ms Gamlin got to work yesterday in her new office.

Another bureaucrat found the going equally tough. Anindo Majumdar was locked out of his office on the orders of the Delhi government yesterday - punishment for releasing the appointment letter for Ms Gamlin in her new position.

Mr Kejriwal's attempt to replace Mr Majumdar with another bureaucrat was declared void by Mr Jung.

The Home Ministry, which is vested with substantial responsibility in running the capital, is keen to broker a quick truce. "Bureaucrats and governments often have differences, but if officers are targeted and their reputations are tarnished, no officer would like to keep working there," a senior bureaucrat told NDTV.

blogger news: Feud Between Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Govern...

blogger news: Feud Between Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Govern...:   New Delhi:  In separate meetings today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Ju...

Feud Between Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung Reaches President

 

New Delhi:  In separate meetings today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung urged President Pranab Mukherjee to step in amid an escalating power struggle that started with the appointment of a top officer last week.

Here are 10 developments in the story:

1. Arvind Kejriwal complained about what he alleges is blatant overreach by Mr Jung, who unilaterally promoted IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary, making her Delhi's seniormost officer without the Chief Minister's consent.
2. "Bypassing the Chief Minister and threatening officers is not good for democracy. The Lt Governor is running the government as if it is under President rule," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said after the meeting with the President.
3. Mr Sisodia has called a meeting of all Secretaries and the Chief Secretary tomorrow morning at 10 am, say reports.
4. Mr Kejriwal had earlier instructed officials, including the Chief Secretary, not to follow any order from the Lieutenant Governor without running it by him or other Delhi ministers.
5. The Lieutenant Governor, who also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, is believed to have said that this kind of order "cannot be tolerated or allowed," and the central government has to take a call. Sources close to Mr Jung say he has expressed concern about a "complete breakdown of Constitutional machinery."
6. Mr Jung is believed to have said that at the root of the present crisis is the Chief Minister's demand for full statehood for Delhi as he wants a free hand to deliver on poll promises.
7. Legal experts consulted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government have backed Mr Kejriwal. "There is no provision granting the LG the power to act at his own discretion in the matter of appointment of the chief secretary," said former Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising.
8. The new order came after the Lieutenant Governor wrote to the Delhi Government saying its decision to remove an officer and appoint another were "void" as he had not cleared it.
9. The bureaucrat who was removed, Principal Secretary Anindo Majumdar, was locked out of his office yesterday, reportedly on the Chief Minister's orders. Mr Majumdar's duties have been allocated to two officers, Rajender Kumar and Arvind Ray.
10. Mr Kejriwal's objection to Shakuntala Gamlin's appointment is based on his allegation that she tried to favour power distribution companies in Delhi and acted against public interest.

blogger news: In Row With Lieutenant Governor, Arvind Kejriwal t...

blogger news: In Row With Lieutenant Governor, Arvind Kejriwal t...: New Delhi:  The turf war between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung...

In Row With Lieutenant Governor, Arvind Kejriwal to Ping PM Narendra Modi, President

New Delhi:  The turf war between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung escalated by several notches today as a senior Delhi bureaucrat found himself locked out of his office. AAP has clashed head on with Mr Jung over his decision to appoint a top officer without Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's consent.

Here are 10 developments in the story:

1. Principal Secretary Anindo Majumdar found his office on the seventh floor of the Delhi Secretariat sealed this morning.
2. Mr Majumdar was removed by Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, allegedly for signing off on the Lieutenant Governor's decision to appoint IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi.
3. Mr Kejriwal also replaced Mr Majumdar, who was in charge of services, with another officer, Rajender Kumar. The Lieutenant Governor has called both decisions void in a letter.
4. In response, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia wrote back: "Your directions are against the provisions of law and Constitution therefore cannot be complied with." He added that Mr Kejriwal would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
5. Mr Kejriwal is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow evening to discuss his ugly feud with the Lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung, over the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin.
6. AAP has declared war on Mr Jung for not consulting it; Mr Kejriwal alleges that she favoured power distribution companies and tried to trick the government into signing documents that would give Rs. 11,000 crore to these firms.
7. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accused Mr Jung of leaking his letters to the media. "Strange that a Constitutional Authority leaking letters addressed to Dy CM before it is recieved. Is it allowed under Constitution of India? (sic)," he tweeted.
8. On Sunday, addressing auto-rickshaw drivers, Mr Kejriwal said Ms Gamlin's appointment proved that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre "wanted Delhi's government to fail." The Lieutenant Governor reports to the Centre and is frequently accused by AAP of acting on the ruling BJP's orders.
9. "All appointments happen with full transparency. Everyone should show some respect to civil service officers, otherwise it affects other people as well," said Jitender Singh, the Minister of State with the Prime Minister's Office.
10. The Chief Minister has vowed to keep a tab on Ms Gamlin for the 10 days that she will work as chief secretary, and said that he will ensure every file goes through his office. Ms Gamlin did not attend office today but was seen at the union home ministry.

blogger news: MIT Scientists Solve Mystery of the Dress That Spl...

blogger news: MIT Scientists Solve Mystery of the Dress That Spl...: Washington:  MIT scientists have cracked the science behind the dress that went viral on the internet after some ...

MIT Scientists Solve Mystery of the Dress That Split the Internet

Washington:  MIT scientists have cracked the science behind the dress that went viral on the internet after some saw it as black and blue while others perceived it to be gold and white.

In a survey of 1,400 individuals, with over 300 who had never seen "The Dress" before, researchers found that people who perceive it as white and gold may have just been exposed to natural daylight, while those who saw a black and blue garment may spend most of their time surrounded by artificial light sources.

Neuroscientist Bevil Conway believes "The Dress" phenomenon marked the greatest extent of individual differences in colour perception ever documented.

In February, 21-year-old singer named Caitlin McNeill had posted a picture on her blog of a dress that was blue and black but was being seen as white and gold by some people. The dress went viral on the internet, with celebrities such as Taylor Swift jumping in to debate the colour.

Conway, who teaches at Wellesley College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his team designed an experiment in which they asked people to identify the colours they saw on "The Dress" from a full palette.

They found impressive individual differences in colour perception; they also found that people fall into one of three camps corresponding to the main groups identified by social media: a blue/black camp, a white/gold camp, and a smaller blue/brown contingent.

"It could have been the case that you had a continuum of perceived colours, but if you plot the colours people picked, you see two main clumps falling into the two categories for what words people used to describe the colours of 'The Dress,'" said Conway.

Researchers also found that older people and women were more likely to report seeing "The Dress" as white and gold, while younger people were more likely to say that it was black and blue.

Conway believes that these differences in perception may correspond to the type of light that individuals' brains expect to be in their environment. People who see "The Dress" as white and gold may have just been exposed to natural daylight, while those who saw a black and blue garment may spend most of their time surrounded by artificial light sources.

The brains of those who saw a brown and blue dress are likely used to something in between.

"One framework for understanding why you get these variations is to consider how light is contaminated by outside illumination, such as a blue sky or incandescent light," said Conway.

"Your visual system has to decide whether it gets rid of shorter, bluer wavelengths of light or the longer, redder wavelengths, and that decision may change how you see 'The Dress'," he said.

blogger news: Kejriwal's Daughter Tested Official by Offering Br...

blogger news: Kejriwal's Daughter Tested Official by Offering Br...: New Delhi:  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today claimed corruption had come down to "70-80 per cent&q...

Kejriwal's Daughter Tested Official by Offering Bribe. It Didn't Work.

New Delhi:  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today claimed corruption had come down to "70-80 per cent" after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power and cited how his daughter found out that officials were now wary of taking bribes when she went to get her driving license.

"I will not say that we have completely ended corruption in Delhi but it has come down to 70-80 per cent," Mr Kejriwal said while addressing autorickshaw drivers at a public meeting in Burari in Outer Delhi.

Fighting corruption was a major poll plank of the party. On April 5, the AAP government re-launched its anti-corruption helpline 1031 and asked people to send sting videos of corrupt officials. The helpline has received over 1.25 lakh calls.

Striking a personal note, Mr Kejriwal narrated his daughter's experience of applying for a learner's driving license and how she tried to find out if officials can be lured into taking bribe.

"My daughter went to get her learner's driving license. I could have called the department and officers could have made it for me. But my daughter went to the office and waited for her turn. She told the officer (without revealing her identity) that she is not carrying one of the certificates which were required and the officer declined to make her license," he said.

"She further tried to bribe him by offering money. As she offered money this officer started noticing her phone if she was making a video. My daughter insisted that it was urgent and she was ready to pay any amount but the officer refused it," Mr Kejriwal said.

The chief minister told the gathering that after a few minutes, his daughter returned to the officer and gave him her documents.

"The officer after reading her name and my name in father's section asked her if she was daughter of Chief Minister of Delhi and then entire department came forward to make her license.

"This shows the level of corruption has come down in the city. Even auto drivers have given me feedback. Corrupt officers are afraid while the honest officers are moving fearlessly," Mr Kejriwal said.

The Chief Minister also asked auto drivers to work honestly and serve the people of the city.

"It is your responsibility to do public service. You have to work with honesty. Recently, DTC people went on a two-day strike. Most of the auto drivers were over-charging then. Do not take undue advantage when people are in crisis.

"If you serve your passengers with honesty, then they will stand by you and ask for a hike in your fare. I will take care of your children, if you promise to serve the people of this city," Mr Kejriwal said.

blogger news: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Slams Arvind Kejriwal ...

blogger news: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Slams Arvind Kejriwal ...: New Delhi:  Union minister Kiren Rijiju today accused Arvind Kejriwal of "character assassination" amid...

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju Slams Arvind Kejriwal for 'Character Assassination' as Row Over Officer's Appointment Intensifies

New Delhi:  Union minister Kiren Rijiju today accused Arvind Kejriwal of "character assassination" amid a bitter slugfest between the Delhi Chief Minister and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung over the promotion of a senior IAS officer.

The Kejriwal government has forcefully objected to the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as Delhi's acting Chief Secretary - the topmost bureaucratic post in the state - by the Lt. Governor. It has accused her of using her post in the power department to work against public interest and in favour of the companies that supply power to the capital.

"The apprehension raised by the people of Delhi that the Kejriwal government will be more interested in spreading anarchy rather than governance is proving to be true. The act of character assassination being adopted by Kejriwal against one North-East lady IAS officer is condemnable... it is an insult to the people of Northeast," said the Minister of State for Home, who also belongs to the region.

AAP's Somnath Bharti, in a tweet, retorted, "BJP won't resist from using regionalism, religionalism n castism for political gains n making people fool (sic)."

The AAP government, which says the Lieutenant Governor is guilty of blatant overreach in ordering the officer's appointment, has accused him of endeavouring to stage a "coup" in the service of the BJP.

"My Q 2 Delhites - Shud a person perceived to be very close to bijli cos be made CS of Del? Shud elected CM have no say in selection? (sic)," Mr Kejriwal had tweeted on Saturday.

Mr Rijiju hit back, saying, "Merely because you are an elected government does not mean that you have overriding powers and work against rules and the Constitution."

The Lieutenant Governor refutes Mr Kejriwal's charges and insists that he is empowered to appoint government officers in Delhi. Mr Kejriwal says he has sought an appointment with the President for an urgent intervention.

blogger news: One Rank One Pension Cleared in Principle, PM Modi...

blogger news: One Rank One Pension Cleared in Principle, PM Modi...: New Delhi:  The Centre has in principle cleared the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme for retired armed force...

One Rank One Pension Cleared in Principle, PM Modi to Take Final Call: Sources

New Delhi:  The Centre has in principle cleared the 'One Rank One Pension' scheme for retired armed forces personnel, sources have told NDTV. The government has made a provision for an additional Rs. 8,300 crore for this purpose.

The scheme, which seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, has been a long-standing demand of the over 20 lakh ex-servicemen in the country. Majority of Defence personnel hang up their boots much before 60 years. Also, over the years the disparity in the pension drawn by personnel of same rank who retired for instance a decade ago and those who retire now is substantial.

Demand for One Rank One Pension has been an emotive issue with defence pensioners for long. And, between 2008- 2010 veterans have on several occasions marched to Rashtrapati Bhavan to return their gallantry medals.

Sources say once Prime Minister Narendra Modi is back on May 19 from his three-nation tour, a final round of discussions will take place with him. The official announcement is likely to be made later this month, coinciding with the first anniversary celebrations of the NDA government.

The government has already made it clear that One Rank One Pension will be implemented with effect from April 1, 2014.

blogger news: Truth vs Hype: Jan Dhan's Half-Empty Promise

blogger news: Truth vs Hype: Jan Dhan's Half-Empty Promise: Mewat/Alwar:  In Nizampur village in Haryana's Mewat district, they show us their new Jan Dhan passboo...

Truth vs Hype: Jan Dhan's Half-Empty Promise

Mewat/Alwar:  In Nizampur village in Haryana's Mewat district, they show us their new Jan Dhan passbooks. The NDA government's marquee financial inclusion scheme was launched here last September; many signed up, lured by the promise that they would receive government benefits - pension, insurance, gas subsidies - directly into their bank accounts.

Some of them were also drawn by potent rumours. "We were told each of us would get Rs. 5,000 in our accounts from black money seized from abroad," said one man.

We had heard the same rumour in Alwar in Rajasthan, where residents of Rawana village told us they had signed up for bank accounts because of the promise of "kala dhan" (black money ) that the BJP had promised it would repatriate to India.

The local bank that serves Nizampur, the Bank of India, says they met their target of opening 600 accounts.

Since its launch in August last year, the Jan Dhan Yojana claims to have opened 15 crore no-frills bank accounts across India, beating the previous UPA government's record of opening 10 crore accounts to make payments under its flagship job scheme, NREGA.

Six months later, the accounts in Nizampur are empty; not a single rupee of government benefits has come.

On the Jan Dhan Yojana website, nearly 70 per cent of accounts opened under the scheme are shown as dormant.

In New Delhi, officials in the Department of Financial Services, which oversees the Jan Dhan Yojana argue that this is an improvement - a reduction from an earlier figure of 80 per cent dormant accounts.

But even if the money starts trickling in, it's unclear whether India's banking systems are equipped to ensure it will reach the poor.

At Nizampur, the local bank is a six-kilometre trek away. A bank official admitted they did not have the manpower to handle the potential deluge of new customers.

"There are just three of us to service 600 Jan Dhan accounts and another 2,400 savings accounts," said HK Soni, General Manager of Bank of India.

Data from the Reserve Bank of India shows that the spread of rural banks has fallen by seven per cent between 2006 in 2013.

Diwakar Gupta, former Managing Director of the State Bank of India told us that no-frills banking "will never be profitable for banks. SBI has opened 3.6 crore accounts and the balance in them is Rs. 1,400 crore. So, it's an average of Rs. 400 per account. The bank on Rs. 400 a year will make Rs. 12. The cost of just putting it (the account ) on the core banking system, answering few questions, depositing, withdrawing, paying, reconciling all are significantly higher."

MG Vaidyan, Deputy Managing Director of State Bank of India, sounded confident. But when we asked him what additional hiring SBI had done to cope with its new accounts, he deflected the question, pointing to the bank's existing capacity.

"We have got something like more than three lakh outlets in the form of branches, then our ATMs and also we have got these portable ATM machines all across the country, so it is not necessary today that all our customers have to come to the branches", he said.

But the use by banks of  business correspondents  or BCs - young men and women armed with a backpack of cash, and portable biometric readers - to cover areas outside the reach of formal banking has had mixed results.

As we had reported last year, Haryana experimented with this model to make welfare payments, but was forced to abandon it.

Ashok Khemka, the Haryana bureaucrat who made headlines for taking on businessman Robert Vadra's land deals was in charge of financial inclusion.

According to him, the two main reasons why the model didn't work was that a "huge number of beneficiaries - close to 25 per cent - were not authenticated using fingerprints as biometrics." The second, he said, was because "banks were treating direct benefit transfers to the poorest of the poor as a revenue model."

Haryana went back to distributing cash through the panchayats. But now, it will revert to using the bank-BC model to distribute benefits.

Sowmya Kadambi, Director of the Hyderabad-based Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency, an organisation that audits social welfare schemes in Andhra Pradesh for the state government, says "introducing the newer schemes does not necessarily help the poor. Where is the question of choice? As a labourer, I should be given the choice whether I want to take my money from the post office or from the bank. It should be according to my convenience and not according the convenience of the government."

In Rawana village, in Rajasthan's Alwar, welfare payments and subsidies are made through the post office, a system that several we spoke to were not unhappy with. "We get the money at our doorstep, quite often on time."

Even if government benefits were getting delayed, we asked them why they were not depositing their savings into their new bank accounts.

They gestured towards their fields. "Where do we have the money?" they said. "There has been hail, crops have been damaged. Whatever cash we make, should we use it to feed ourselves or put in a bank?"

blogger news: Philadelphia Train May Have Been Hit By Projectile...

blogger news: Philadelphia Train May Have Been Hit By Projectile...: Philadelphia:  The Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia and a separate commuter train in the vicinity may h...

Philadelphia Train May Have Been Hit By Projectile Before Wreck

Philadelphia:  The Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia and a separate commuter train in the vicinity may have been hit by projectiles of some kind shortly before the wreck, a US transportation safety official said on Friday, after investigators interviewed members of the Amtrak crew.

But the Amtrak engineer said he had no memory of anything that happened in the moments leading up to the crash when questioned for the first time about Tuesday night's wreck that killed eight people and injured more than 200 others, said Robert Sumwalt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

An assistant conductor told NTSB investigators on Friday that she heard the engineer, 32-year-old Brandon Bostion, talking by radio with the driver of another train from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The other driver reported that his windshield had been cracked by a projectile that he believed was either fired from a gun or thrown at the train.

According to the conductor's account, Bostion replied that he believed his New York-bound Amtrak train had been similarly struck after pulling out of its previous stop, Sumwalt said.

It was moments later that the Amtrak train barrelled into a curve at more than 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour), twice the speed limit, in the city's Port Richmond neighbourhood along the Delaware River.

Sumwalt said investigators still have no explanation for why the train was going as fast as it was, and why it had accelerated from 70 mph to 100-plus mph in the 65 seconds before the crash, as was shown on video footage taken by a camera mounted on the locomotive.

The engineer had slammed on the emergency breaking system seconds before the wreck, investigators said.

Sumwalt said on Friday that Bostion, who has spoken with investigators with his lawyer present and was cooperative, told them he had no recollection of doing that, or of anything else from the time the train had departed from its previous stop.

Experts said the train's speed in the moments before the crash raised several questions: Could a technical glitch have caused the locomotive to speed up so rapidly? Would it take a deliberate action by the engineer? Or could human error, a medical issue, or some other factor like clumsiness explain the sudden burst of speed?

Sumwalt said the train, as designed, can only be accelerated by manual control, but the NTSB would examine whether a mechanical malfunction could have caused the train to speed up on its own.

He said Bostion reported to investigators that he had experienced some technical problems on his way south to Washington from New York earlier that day. He did not elaborate.

blogger news: Mumbai Housewife Files Obscenity Case Against Actr...

blogger news: Mumbai Housewife Files Obscenity Case Against Actr...: Mumbai:  Bollywood actress Sunny Leone faces an obscenity case filed by a Mumbai housewife, who has alleged that ...

Mumbai Housewife Files Obscenity Case Against Actress Sunny Leone

Mumbai:  Bollywood actress Sunny Leone faces an obscenity case filed by a Mumbai housewife, who has alleged that she found obscene, pornographic material on her website while surfing the Internet.

The complaint said that Ms Leone, a former adult film star, had posted pictures that amounted to circulating pornographic material. "Such posts poison the minds of people and especially children," the Dombivali woman said in her complaint.

"This actor is coming here and displaying vulagarity. Bollywood films could earlier be watched with families. Today we cannot see them with our families. When I visited her website I found that it was not fit for viewing. That's why I lodged this complaint," the complainant told reporters.

Shockingly, the complainant also said watching the videos can lead to rape while demanding the shutting down of the website.

Police said charges have been filed against the "Ek Paheli Leela" star under the Information Technology Act, for circulating obscene content on the Internet. She has also been charged under the Indecent Representation of Women Act.

The case has been transferred to the Cyber Crime cell of the Thane police.

Sunny Leone has not officially responded on this issue but sources close to her say she has no idea about the case.

Senior Police Inspector V Shiwakar told NDTV, "Sunny Leone has posted obscene pictures on her website. We received a complaint yesterday and we have registered a case. Investigations are on."

blogger news: Now, Mamata Banerjee Warms Up to PM Narendra Modi'...

blogger news: Now, Mamata Banerjee Warms Up to PM Narendra Modi'...: Kolkata:  The bonhomie between Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi was on display last weekend when the prime minis...

Now, Mamata Banerjee Warms Up to PM Narendra Modi's Ministers

Kolkata:  The bonhomie between Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi was on display last weekend when the prime minister visited West Bengal. Now, she has extended her warmth to Minister of State for Coal and Energy Piyush Goyal as well. And it was fully reciprocated, by Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo, once known as a Mamata baiter.

All this on Friday when Union Minister for Coal and Energy Piyush Goyal came to Kolkata to inaugurate Coal India's new headquarter. "I can only say that West Bengal is in the path of progress," he said, adding, "In the days to come, we are going to see more and more industrialization in the state in the spirit of co-operative federalism and in the spirit of team India that PM Narendra Modi has often enunciated and for which we have always received the support of Chief Minister Mamata didi."

Ms Banerjee reciprocated with equal warmth, equal also her warmth towards Mr Modi on Sunday in Burnpur when they inaugurated India's biggest blast furnace for steel production. And for second time in less than a week, she reminded all that she was once an ally of Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"I worked as coal minister for three months when Atal Behari Vajpayee was PM. He insisted I take care of coal and mine," she said. "I can assure one thing from my state, whatever help you need, for expansion, for new, coal or power projects, we will always extend our cooperation to you," she added.

The warmest was Babul Supriyo, till the other day a Mamata baiter. Last Saturday, Ms Banerjee had given him a lift in her car and shared some jhulmuri (a Bengali puffed rice snack) with him and he is now singing a different tune.

"The big bang theory. The theory of relativity is e = mc square. If you have energy on side which stands for 'e' and 'C' for coal on the other side, in the middle you have 'm' which stands for Mamata didi," Mr Supriyo said, adding, "More power to the state governments, more respect to the federal structure."

Mamata Banerjee returned the warmth in word and gesture. "Babul of course is from my state... not going to give credit to him because he is son of soil. But really... thanks to my brother and minister Piyushji," she said.

Ms Banerjee's rivals haven't missed the bonhomie. CPM, in its mouthpiece, People's Democracy, says its Ms Banerjee's "ghar wapsi' to the BJP. Over the last week, neither party has tried to dispel that notion.

blogger news: Forbes Magazine Calls This Photo The World's Might...

blogger news: Forbes Magazine Calls This Photo The World's Might...:   New Delhi:  The World's Mightiest Selfie -- that's what the Forbes Magazine has called the photo in wh...

Forbes Magazine Calls This Photo The World's Mightiest Selfie

 

New Delhi:  The World's Mightiest Selfie -- that's what the Forbes Magazine has called the photo in which Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears together. The Prime Minister clicked and posted the photo on social media on Friday, with a caption "It's selfie time! Thanks Premier Li".Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among the 507,277 people who "Liked" the photo within six hours. On Twitter, it had been retweeted 3.2K times so far.
The Forbes article, titled "India's Modi & China's Li In Selfie, World's Mightiest Selfie?" said the photo "is being billed the selfie of the world's two mightiest".

The selfie was clicked at Beijing's Temple of Heaven, where the Prime Minister watched a performance of Tai Chi by Chinese students.The visit to the temple complex, where China's emperors paid homage to gods for good harvest, brought up the end of a hectic day in Beijing for the PM, who spent the afternoon there with Premier  Li.
PM Modi, who is in China this week to boost economic ties and discuss a persistent border dispute, is known for his ease with social media. He has a a large follower base on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The photo has also delighted the users of Weibo, which PM Modi joined just ahead of his China visit.
Some Chinese users posted messages like "cute premier!", others wondered why China's own leaders had no presence in social media. "Wouldn't it be great if Premier Li had his own Weibo?" one user wrote. "Then we could respond to him directly".
Such spontaneous online presence are rare for leaders in China, where discussion of politicians' personal lives is taboo and details such as their exact date of birth are considered a state secret.

blogger news: Petrol Price Hiked by Rs 3.13, Diesel by Rs 2.71

blogger news: Petrol Price Hiked by Rs 3.13, Diesel by Rs 2.71: New Delhi: Petrol price was on Friday hiked by Rs 3.13 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.71 per litre - the second straight steep increase...

Petrol Price Hiked by Rs 3.13, Diesel by Rs 2.71

New Delhi: Petrol price was on Friday hiked by Rs 3.13 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.71 per litre - the second straight steep increase in rates this month.

The raise, which comes on the back of increases of Rs 3.96 per litre and Rs 2.37 a litre in petrol and diesel, respectively, from May 1, will be effective from the midnight of May 15 and May 16.

Petrol price in Delhi will be Rs 66.29 a litre from Saturday as against the current Rs 63.16 while diesel will cost Rs 52.28 per litre as against Rs 49.57, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) said.

The two consecutive hikes have wiped away more than one-third of the gains that had accrued to consumers when global rates began to fall in August last year.

"Since last price change (effective May 1), there has been a steep increase in international prices of both petrol and diesel. Rupee-US dollar exchange rate has also depreciated quite significantly during this period."

"Combined impact of both these factors warrant an upward revision in prices, the impact of which is being passed on to consumers with this price increase," IOC, the nation's largest oil retailer, said in a statement.

State-owned fuel retailers IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) revise petrol and diesel prices on the 1st and 16th of every month based on average import cost and rupee-dollar exchange rate in the previous fortnight.

The price of petrol has been cumulatively cut by Rs 17.11 a litre in 10 reductions between August and February while that of diesel has been lowered by Rs 12.96 a litre in 6 reductions between October and February.

After two rates hikes (0.82 a litre in petrol and Rs 0.61 per litre in diesel on February 16, and Rs 3.18 per litre in petrol and Rs 3.09 a litre in diesel on March 1), rates were again cut on April 2 (49 paise a litre in petrol and Rs 1.21 in diesel) and then on April 16 (80 paise per litre on petrol and Rs 1.30 a litre on diesel).

"The movement of prices in international oil market and rupee-dollar exchange rate shall continue to be closely monitored and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes," IOC said.

blogger news: 'Make in India,' PM Narendra Modi Tells Top Chines...

blogger news: 'Make in India,' PM Narendra Modi Tells Top Chines...: Shanghai:  Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top Chinese CEOs and addressed a gathering of businessm...

'Make in India,' PM Narendra Modi Tells Top Chinese CEOs; Deals Worth $22 Billion Signed

Shanghai:  Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top Chinese CEOs and addressed a gathering of businessmen, Indian and Chinese companies signed 21 agreements worth about 22 billion dollars in Shanghai today.

To executives from 200 Chinese and Indian companies PM Modi said, "Now India is ready for business."

"You are the 'factory of the world'. Whereas, we are the 'Back office of the world'... Let us work together in mutual interest and for progress and prosperity of our great countries," the PM said in his speech, making a strong pitch for his make in India campaign.

The PM began his engagements in Shanghai, the last stop in his three-city, three-day visit to China, by meeting 22 top Chinese CEOs.

"I have come to say to you Make in India," he told them and talked about what he called the "5F Formula - From Farm to Fibre to Fabric to Fashion to Foreign."

India and China "can together give something to the world," the PM said to the CEOs. Among them was Jack Ma of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, who said to the PM, "We are excited about India. We are excited about Make in India and Digital India."

Lin Bin President of phone maker Xiaomi, said, "We have some big plans for India, we fully support Make in India."

The PM flew to Shanghai on Friday evening from Beijing, where he held talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The trade imbalance between the two countries has figured high on the agenda in discussions between the two countries.

Chanda Kochhar of ICICI and Rajan Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises Airtel, who were among 39 Indian Industry leaders in Shanghai today, told NDTV that the growing trade deficit is a huge worry.

The trade deficit between India and China increased about 34 per cent, to $48.43 billion in 2014-15 from $36.21 billion in the previous fiscal, in China's favour.

blogger news: First Woman to Run for Aligarh Muslim University S...

blogger news: First Woman to Run for Aligarh Muslim University S...: Aligarh:  Four years ago, Asma Javed made headlines when she became the first woman to run for student body presi...

First Woman to Run for Aligarh Muslim University Students' President Found Dead

Aligarh:  Four years ago, Asma Javed made headlines when she became the first woman to run for student body president at the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University, defying convention. The 28-year-old was found dead in her apartment on Wednesday.

Asma is suspected to have died four or five days ago. The police broke into her home in Aligarh's Civil Lines area after neighbours complained of a foul stench. Asma's brother Salman had also suspected something was wrong when he called her repeatedly and found her mobile switched off.

"I hadn't spoken to her since May 9. The neighbours kept saying there was a horrible smell from her flat. Our uncle also stays nearby. I went to the police and we got the door opened," said Salman Javed.

"The body was completely decomposed. We are investigating how she died," said Shrikrishan, a senior police officer. Her door was locked from outside, which was seen as a strong sign that she may have been murdered.

Some cash and her tablet were missing from the apartment.

Asma ran for the post of students' president in 2011. She had been living alone since her husband reportedly left for South America. Her family alleges that her death could be linked to her campaigns for women students in the university.

Asma, known to be vocal about women's rights, completed her doctorate from the university two years ago. Her family says she wanted to join a teacher's course.

blogger news: All-Veg Chinese Dinner for PM Modi in President Xi...

blogger news: All-Veg Chinese Dinner for PM Modi in President Xi...: Beijing:  It's Chinese tonight for dinner in Xian and there is no chilly paneer or crisp honey potatoes. Not ...

All-Veg Chinese Dinner for PM Modi in President Xi's Hometown

Beijing:  It's Chinese tonight for dinner in Xian and there is no chilly paneer or crisp honey potatoes. Not even veg manchurian.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be treated to a vegetarian repast that includes sour and spicy soup with fired dough, assorted vegetables with pancake and red bean rice and beancurd with mushroom.

Also on the menu - now being retweeted - is water chestnut in bean sauce and braised asparagus and bamboo fungus with lotus root. There is noodle, dumpling and pancake and a light fruits and sorbet for dessert.

Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted the menu, saying: Xian is Chinese president Xi Jinping's hometown and he is hosting the banquet for PM Modi. It was preceded by a traditional Tang dynasty welcome for the Indian Prime Minister, which involved song and dance by people in spectacular costumes.

PM Modi is the first world leader to be hosted outside Beijing. President Xi is reciprocating the Indian Prime Minister's gesture of hosting him in Ahmedabad in the latter's home state Gujarat, when he visited India last September.
  
In Ahmedabad, the two leaders had dined under a massive white Swiss tent on the Sabarmati riverfront. PM Modi had served a 150-dish Gujarati banquet, with traditional delicacies like Khaman and Dhokla.

blogger news: PM Narendra Modi Raises Stapled Visas in China, St...

blogger news: PM Narendra Modi Raises Stapled Visas in China, St...: Beijing:  During his 90-minute talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised...

PM Narendra Modi Raises Stapled Visas in China, State-Run TV Shows Distorted India Map

Beijing:  During his 90-minute talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised a series of stress points for their countries, including how China issues visas to applicants from Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as Southern Tibet.

Sources said the PM raised India's objections to visas being stapled to the passports of Arunachal residents, instead of stamps within.

A map of India carried on state-run China television channel CCTV removed Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, raising a controversy on Twitter.

Sources tell NDTV Mr Modi also shared concerns with President Xi about the $46 billion economic corridor that China is building through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Sources say that on the contentious issues, there was a free and candid exchange of views.

"It was very substantive and I would say the atmosphere was very comfortable, so in a sense it was building on the chemistry between the two of them that started last September... on the political side, there was a lot of discussion on strengthening trust and increasing convergence. Political issues were discussed, boundary issues were discussed, including peace and tranquility on the border," said Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar.

In a major departure from protocol by the Chinese leadership,  the PM  became the first world leader to be hosted outside Beijing  -  at President Jinping's hometown of Xi'an.

In his opening remarks, PM Modi, wearing a black bandhgala suit, expressed his appreciation for the President's gesture. "This is an honour to 125 crore Indians whom I am representing as Prime Minister," he said.

Last year, when President Xi visited India, he met with the PM in his home state of Gujarat, an encounter that was referred to today. "You received me very warmly in your hometown. I am very glad to receive you in my hometown," said the Chinese leader. 

The focus now shifts to Beijing tomorrow where the PM 's talks are expected to yield trade agreements worth $10 billion.

blogger news: 'Glad to Receive You in My Hometown,' Chinese Pres...

blogger news: 'Glad to Receive You in My Hometown,' Chinese Pres...:   Xi'an, China:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a spectacular Tang Dynasty welcome on Thursday eveni...

'Glad to Receive You in My Hometown,' Chinese President Xi Jinping Tells PM Modi: 10 Developments

 

Xi'an, China:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a spectacular Tang Dynasty welcome on Thursday evening in the ancient Chinese city of Xian. After attending a banquet hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, he left for Beijing.

Here are the latest developments in the story:

1. President Xi hosted PM Modi in his hometown Xi'an, in a departure from protocol, to reciprocate the Indian Prime Minister's gesture of hosting him in his home state Gujarat last year. Mr Modi is the first world leader to be hosted outside Beijing.
2. "This is an honour to 125 crore Indians whom I am representing as Prime Minister," said PM Modi in Hindi after a warm welcome by Mr Xi. The Indian Prime Minister is on a three day visit to China and Xian is his first stop.
3. Recalling his visit to Ahmedabad in September last year, President Xi said, "You received me very warmly in your hometown. I am very glad to receive you in my hometown." He spoke in Chinese.
4. In the afternoon, PM Modi and President Xi  held "substantive, positive talks...building on the chemistry between them which started last year," foreign secretary S Jaishankar said. They discussed political issues, boundary issues and counter-terrorism.
5. Mr Jaishankar said President Xi talked about the "miracle of Gujarat," and how PM Modi was trying to replicate his reforms efforts as chief minster of the the state, at the Centre now.  
6. Government sources told NDTV that the Prime Minister raised India's concern over China's plans for infrastructure projects in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. India had earlier formally objected to China routing an economic corridor through PoK.
7. In a "free and candid exchange of views," the sources said, PM Modi also voiced India's objections to China issuing stapled visas for residents of Arunachal Pradesh. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, a stand firmly refuted by India.
8. Later in the evening PM,  Modi left for Beijing, where he will hold formal talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang and other leaders tomorrow.
9. Trade is a major focus of this visit and India and China are expected to sign 20 business deals worth about $10 billion. PM Modi will also meet Indian and Chinese CEOs and address Industry in Shanghai on Saturday.
10. Sources have told NDTV that the trade imbalance will figure high on the agenda. The trade deficit between India and China increased about 34 per cent to $48.43 billion in 2014-15 from $36.21 billion in the previous fiscal in China's favour.

blogger news: 'Kill Them All,' a Gunman Shouted', Says a Woman P...

blogger news: 'Kill Them All,' a Gunman Shouted', Says a Woman P...: Karachi, Pakistan:  Gunmen on motorcycles boarded a bus and opened fire on commuters in Pakistan's volatile sout...

'Kill Them All,' a Gunman Shouted', Says a Woman Passenger on Karachi Bus

Karachi, Pakistan:  Gunmen on motorcycles boarded a bus and opened fire on commuters in Pakistan's volatile southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, killing at least 43, police said, in the latest attack directed against religious minorities this year.

The pink bus was pockmarked with bullet holes and blood saturated the seats and dripped out of the doors on to the concrete.

"As the gunmen climbed on to the bus, one of them shouted, 'Kill them all!' Then they started indiscriminately firing at everyone they saw," a wounded woman told a television channel by phone.

Police Superintendent Najib Khan told Reuters there were six gunmen and that all the passengers were Ismailis, a minority Shi'ite Muslim sect. Pakistan is mostly Sunni.

Militant group Jundullah, which has attacked Muslim minorities before, claimed responsibility. The group has links with the Pakistani Taliban and pledged allegiance to Islamic State in November.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he was saddened by the attack.

"This is a very patriotic and peaceful people who have always worked for the wellbeing of Pakistan," he said."This is an attempt to spread divisions in the country."

Uzma Alkarim, a member of the Ismaili community, said the bus took commuters to work every day. The Ismailis had faced threats before, she said.

"Around six months ago, our community elders had alerted us to be careful because of security threats but things had calmed down recently," she said.

English leaflets left in the bus were headlined "Advent of the Islamic State!"

The leaflets also blamed Shi'ites for a deadly sectarian attack in Rawalpindi, next to the capital Islamabad, and raged against extrajudicial killings by police.

In January, 60 people were killed when Jundullah bombed a Shi'ite mosque in the southern province of Sindh. The Taliban bombed another Shi'ite mosque in the northwest city of Peshawar weeks later.

blogger news: Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of Hi...

blogger news: Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of Hi...: Rahul Yadav, the CEO of real estate e-commerce website Housing.com, has allotted all of his personal shares - said to be worth between...

blogger news: Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of Hi...

blogger news: Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of Hi...: Rahul Yadav, the CEO of real estate e-commerce website Housing.com, has allotted all of his personal shares - said to be worth between...

blogger news: Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of Hi...

blogger news: Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of Hi...: Rahul Yadav, the CEO of real estate e-commerce website Housing.com, has allotted all of his personal shares - said to be worth between...

Housing.com CEO Rahul Yadav Has Allotted All of His Personal Shares to Employees, Says Company

Rahul Yadav, the CEO of real estate e-commerce website Housing.com, has allotted all of his personal shares - said to be worth between Rs. 150 crore and Rs. 200 crore - to the 2251 employees of Housing.com, the company said via a press statement on Wednesday.
Yadav made this announcement on Wednesday at the company townhall that was attended by all employees of Housing.com. Employees will get approximately one year of their annual salaries worth of Housing.com stocks, the statement added.
Yadav and Housing.com were in the news recently when the CEO controversially resigned, only to withdraw his resignation later.
Explaining his reasoning behind the move to effectively give away his personal fortune, the statement quotes Yadav as saying, "Housing was started because of 2 reasons. First, house hunting problem is unsolved globally. Just the problem statement gives me a lot of kick. Second, in each and every country there are 4-5 players doing the same poor job and still not able to solve the problem. Across the globe there are 500+ players. We want to unify all and create a global giant for real estate so that the one company can afford much higher level of R&D and technological innovation to push the category forward."
"Other than these 2, there is no other factor at play here, including money. I'm just 26 and it's too early in life to get serious about money etc," he added.

blogger news: Telangana Minister Rushes to Meet Families shortli...

blogger news: Telangana Minister Rushes to Meet Families shortli...: Telangana:  Rahul Gandhi isn't due in Telangana till Friday to visit families of farmers who have committed s...

Telangana Minister Rushes to Meet Families shortlisted for Rahul Gandhi Visit

Telangana:  Rahul Gandhi isn't due in Telangana till Friday to visit families of farmers who have committed suicide, but he's already helping them - inadvertently.

The state government sent representatives on Tuesday to meet with some of the families who have been shortlisted for house calls by Mr Gandhi in the drought-struck area of Adilabad, over 200 kilometres from Hyderabad.
 

"One lakh rupees is on behalf of the government, 50,000 rupees to settle outstanding loans and Rs. 10,000 is from my side," said Indrakaran Reddy, a minister  from Adilabad, after visiting the home of Bondla Linganna, who killed himself earlier this year. The family of another farmer, V. Rajeswar, was also handed Rs. 10,000.

Mr  Gandhi is scheduled to visit five villages in the area - each of them has seen a farmer suicide in the last year.

"We are happy that at least by announcing Rahul ji's visit, the families are getting some sort of financial help which can ease their problems," said Sridhar Babu, former minister and Congress leader.

The  road from the Hyderabad airport to Mr Gandhi's scheduled first stop - Nirmal in Adilabad - is lined with posters and cutouts welcoming him to India's youngest state, where his party was reduced to a virtual non-entity in last year's election.

It was the Congress-led union government that agreed in 2009 to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the carving out of Telangana as a new state. But as the other parts of the state roiled with a violent backlash, the government puts its decision on hold, a grave miscalculation for which it was heavily punished in both the residuary and new state. Andhra Pradesh voted for the Telugu Desam Party, pushing the Congress out of office. Telangana picked K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR, who had fronted the campaign for statehood.

This is Mr Gandhi's first visit to Telangana state. His party hopes his packed  24-hour tour will reenergize cadres and prove that in a state where at least 700 farmers have killed themselves in the last 10 months, it is the Congress that cares.

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'Yes, It's Me,' Quips Asaram Bapu as 6th Witness Against Him is Attacked

Panipat:  Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu, in jail for nearly two years over charges of rape, turned to sarcasm today when asked about an attack on a key witness against him - the sixth till now and the third this year.

"Duniyaan mein sabhi hamle main hi karwata hoon (I am responsible for all the attacks in this world)," he quipped while being taking to court in Rajasthan's Jodhpur.

The 74-year-old guru has been in a Jodhpur jail since August 2013, over allegations of raping a 16-year-old schoolgirl at his ashram earlier that year. Two months later he, along with his son Narayan Sai, were booked for the alleged rape of two sisters at their ashram in Gujarat's Surat.

In the time that they have been in jail, six witnesses have been attacked and two have died. The most recent attack took place yesterday.

Mahendra Chawla, a former assistant to Asaram's son, was shot at in Panipat in Haryana by two masked men who came on a bike when he was alone at home. He tried to jump off the balcony but was shot twice in the back.

His security officer, who had joined only a month back, had taken a break at the time.

The 32-year-old had worked for Narayan Sai between 2001 and 2005 and had agreed to testify against him in the Surat rape case. He is stable after a surgery to extract two bullets from his body.

In January this year, Akhil Gupta, the cook and aide of Asaram, was killed on his way home from work in Uttar Pradesh. Last year, Asaram's physician Amrut Prajapati was shot dead in Gujarat. Three others have survived attacks on them.