Month: March 2016

Air India to Operate All-women Crews on International Women’s Day, March 8

NEW DELHI — Air India will operate the longest all-women crew flight from the Indian national capital to San Francisco March 6 to celebrate International Women’s day.

The “historic” New Delhi-San Francisco flight will have 14 crew members and four pilots, all of whom will be women. The flight will leave March 6 and return March 8.

Besides that, the national carrier said on March 4 it would operate over 20 all-women crew flights in domestic routes March 8 on International Women’s day.

Air India was the first carrier in the world to operate an all-women crew in 1985.

Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani said the flight to San Francisco March 6 would be a symbol of “women’s empowerment.” The duration of the flight will be more than 15 hours.

“It will be a historic flight and the longest to be operated by an all-women crew,” Lohani said.

The state-run airline has around 3,800 women in its workforce of 27,500 people, with 20,500 of them regular employees.

According to Lohani, the airline has immense respect for women, and everyone associated with the flight, including pilots, engineers and those at the gate, will be women.

Every year Air India operates all-women flights to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Mar 6, 2016 – 9:23 pm EST
US group studying religious freedom denied visa to India

A US commission scheduled to visit India to discuss and report on the conditions of religious freedom in the country has been denied visa by the Indian government.

A three-member delegation of US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wanted to make a one-week visit starting Friday to meet with government officials, religious leaders and activists in India.

“We are deeply disappointed by the Indian government’s denial, in effect, of these visas,” said Robert P George, chairman of USCIRF in a statement.

“As a pluralistic, non-sectarian, and democratic state, and a close partner of the United States, India should have the confidence to allow our visit,” he said.

This is not the first time the USCIRF members have not been issued visas. The members, who prepare an annual report on religious freedom in countries across the globe, were denied the visas for the first time in previous UPA regime.

USCIRF has been able to travel to many countries, including those that are among the worst offenders of religious freedom, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China and Burma, George said.

“One would expect that the Indian government would allow for more transparency than have these nations, and would welcome the opportunity to convey its views directly to USCIRF,” George said.

The USCIRF delegation was scheduled to leave on Friday and had the support of the state department and the US embassy in New Delhi, it said.

USCIRF’s principal responsibilities include reviewing, through the lens of international human rights law, the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and making policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
“USCIRF will continue to pursue a visit to India, given the ongoing reports from religious communities, civil society groups, and NGOs that the conditions for religious freedom in India have been deteriorating since 2014,” George said.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission with commissioners appointed by the President and the leaders in both Houses of Congress.

Mar 6, 2016 – 9:21 pm EST
Movie Review: Jai Gangaajal Is Disappointing – Only PeeCee Fans will watch this misfire

In her first Bollywood movie since the blockbuster Bajirao Mastani, Priyanka Chopra’s too-sophisticated unmade-up-make-up is very distracting, even in her few convincing moments.

Prakash Jha’s crime and corruption thriller Jai Gangaajal isn’t half the film that the original Gangaajal was.

Jai Gangaajal isn’t strictly a sequel because neither its characters nor its plot take off from where the previous film left.

Jai Gangaajal goes beyond the issue of policing and straddles several other themes land acquisition, agrarian distress, political skullduggery and systemic corruption. As a result, the film seems at times to have chewed off more than it can digest.

The only real point of interest in Jai Gangaajal is the presence of Priyanka Chopra, who is of late flying high internationally. For her fans, this film is a chance to check out how good she is as an action star.

As the take-charge-policewoman-in-a-tough-posting, Priyanka Chopra comes off as dressed-for-the-part and stilted. You can see she’s trying hard, especially in some of the ‘action’ sequences in which she has to kick and punch and thrash, but she’s far too smooth for this part.

Priyanka is at best passable in the guise of Superintendent of Police Abha Mathur, who is posted in lawless Bankipur. The district is at the mercy of a four-time MLA Babloo Pandey (Manav Kaul), who is only interested in feathering his nest, and the newly appointed police chief has a job on her hands.

Everything else in this sequel of ‘Gangaajal’, which replaces the khaki-clad Ajay Devgn with Priyanka Chopra, and pouring acid in the eye with a hanging from the nearest tree/post/fan, falls strictly in the seen-before-category. Bankipur, a village over- run by greedy politicians, ‘bikey-huey-cops’, and self-serving locals, could be any Jha ‘gaon’ from his previous films.

The detailing is just a little different—an effeminate ‘chamcha’ (Sharma), a young girl refusing to give up her patch of land (Tamotia), a podgy baddie in colourful shirts (Kamath; nice to see him in a substantial role)—but overall, this is Jha’s much-traversed universe, in which the lawless rule and the law is an ass, till the hero (or in this instance, the heroine) shows up to clean up the mess.

The villains, called Babloo Bhaiyya (Kaul, who’s making it a habit of playing evil pols), and his ‘chota bhai’ Dabloo Bhaiyya, are in cahoots with powerful land-grabbers and goons. Dabloo Pandey (Ninad Kamat) who is desperate to acquire all the land in the area for a mega power project. But the local people are against selling their plots.

But they do not stand a chance against the strong-arm tactics of the two ruthless brothers, who have an ally in a corrupt cop Bhola Nath Singh (Prakash Jha).

The no-nonsense Abha Mathur proceeds to assert her presence in Bankipur, which puts her on a direct collision course not only with the politician, but also with elements in the police force.

One actor who is head and shoulders above the rest of the cast is Manav Kaul. But the character that he plays is reduced to a standard Bollywood villain who, at the slightest provocation, flies off the handle and spouts angry lines of little import.

Prakash Jha gives himself a great deal to do as an actor. He manages to stay on top of the character of the scheming policeman who has a change of heart when one of his many indiscretions boomerangs on him.

Jai Gangaajal has its moments, but these are too few and far between to dispel the impression that all the drama that the film unleashes is an exercise in futility because none of it is remotely original.

It seeks to attain epic proportions but only manages to be a disappointing misfire. Jai Gangaajal is only for Priyanka Chopra fans.

Mar 6, 2016 – 6:14 pm EST
Fan Trailer: This Time, SRK Will Chase His ‘Psycho’ Fan

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited film “Fan” s trailer was launched by his fans at the Yash Raj Studios here on monday.

Going by the title and the theme of the film, Shah Rukh’s fans from all around gathered at the studios to unveiled the trailer with him.

“Fan” revolves around a young boy from Delhi named Gaurav who embarks on a journey to the city of dreams, Mumbai, in order to wish his favourite actor on his birthday. After all, he is Aryan’s biggest fan and even has a striking resemblance to him – how difficult could it be for the world’s biggest fan to get an audience with the world’s biggest star.

But when things don’t go according to plan, Gaurav’s love and passion for his idol turns in to a dangerous obsession.

Mar 6, 2016 – 6:00 pm EST
Modi Steps in | Amid Sharp Criticism, Jaitley asked To Rollback Tax On EPF Withdrawal

Following widespread concern over the proposed tax on withdrawal from the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contributions, the government is contemplating to give relief to people but without a complete rollback, said informed sources.

According to sources, a meeting between the officials of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the finance ministry and the labour ministry took place on late Thursday and discussed the EPF tax issue.

The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), which has also opposed the proposal and demanded a complete rollback, also said that government is considering their demand.

“We are talking to government representatives and they are considering our concern. We are in regular touch with them. We hope some announcement in a day or two,” BMS general secretary Vijesh Upadhyay told IANS.

The BMS leaders have met Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and some other government representatives in this regard.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to make the announcement when he replies to the debate on the Budget in parliament.

In his budget speech on February 29, Jaitley said that 60 percent of withdrawals from the provident fund accounts will be taxed on contributions to be made after April 1. The aim is to make India a more insured and pensioned society, he said.

Mar 6, 2016 – 5:56 pm EST
Gujarat Terror Alert: Hunt For 10 Suspected Terrorists Continues; NSG Commandos Rushed To State

New Delhi: A security alert has been sounded in Gujarat and all metro cities by Central agencies following reports that 10 terrorists suspected to be from Pakistan have entered the western state to carry out attacks against high-value targets. Two NSG teams comprising nearly 200 personnel were rushed to Ahmedabad from Delhi.

The national capital has also been put on high alert and security has been beefed up at vital installations, important buildings, malls, hospitals, schools and colleges and crowded places in Delhi.

Sources in the Delhi police said the input specifically mentions that 10 militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have entered India via Gujarat and that they could carry out a terror strike in Delhi.

According to media reports, Pakistan’s NSA has informed that these are fidayeen from the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammed cadres, who are planning for major terror strikes across the state during the festival.

Reports added that, following Doval’s communication to Gujarat, The state director general of police P C Thakur convened an emergency meeting on the issue and alerts were sounded off in all major cities and districts.

Security has been stepped up at sensitive installations, places of worship and public places across the state.

The DGP has also issued a notification cancelling leaves of all police officers and personnel till further directives.

The Gir-Somnath district authorities in Gujarat have postponed Monday’s cultural event at Somnath Temple owing to the terror threat. “A massive security operation has been launched and raids are being conducted by a police team, led by the South Kutch superintendent of police in the coastal areas,” sources said.

Mar 6, 2016 – 5:53 pm EST
US Presidential Elections: Cruz catches up

The march of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to Republican and Democratic presidential nominations was slowed a little as rivals Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders notched two more wins each in five nomination contests.

While real estate mogul added Louisiana primaries and Kentucky caucuses on Saturday to his 10 victories in 15 states earlier, Texas Senator Ted Cruz put Kansas and Maine in his victory column to slow the Trump train.

Though with 12 victories to date, Trump remains far ahead overall in the Republican contest, Cruz’s two wins Saturday combined with his earlier success in four other states — Iowa, Nevada, Oklahoma and Alaska — back up his claim to be Trump’s main rival.

“I have been in competitions all of my life,” Trump said in a press conference at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. “There is nothing so exciting as this stuff.”

But rival Cruz said at an event in Idaho, which votes on Tuesday, that “the scream you hear-the howl you hear from Washington, DC – is utter terror for what we the people are doing together. What we’re seeing is conservatives coming together”.

“I think what it represents is Republicans coalescing, saying it would be a disaster for Donald Trump to be our nominee and we’re going to stand behind the strongest conservative in the race,” he said.

Boasting of his “breadth of support”, Cruz suggested it was time for the other two Republican candidates, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich, to consider dropping out of the race.

Establishment favourite Rubio, who has won only one state so far, put on a brave face, saying that the states being contested on Super Saturday favoured other candidates, but predicted that his fortunes would soon change.

He predicted victory in his home state of Florida on March 15, but polls show Trump leading him by double digits there.

On the Democratic side, self-styled Democratic Socialist Sanders won in Nebraska and Kansas, while Clinton picked up another win in Louisiana, where black voters make up a large portion of the Democratic electorate.

In a statement after his victory in Kansas, Sanders pointed to wins in a geographic range of states. “We have now won double-digit victories from New England to the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains to the Midwest,” Sanders said.

“Tonight, we won Kansas with a good vote. We won Nebraska with a good vote,” he said. “I think we are going to do well in Maine tomorrow. We are going to do very well here on Tuesday.”

Saturday’s results were not likely to alter the broader contours of the Democratic race as Clinton maintains a significant delegate lead.

Mar 6, 2016 – 5:49 pm EST
India wins the sixth Asia Cup title

Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan scored a swashbuckling fifty to help his side crush Bangladesh by eight wickets and clinch the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket title on Sunday.

Dhawan, who made just 19 in his previous three innings, smashed 60 off 44 balls guiding India to 122-2 in 13.5 overs after Bangladesh notched up 120-5 in a rain-drenched pitch.

The match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka was reduced to 15-over-a-side affair after storms delayed the start of play for two hours.

Coming together after India had got off to a poor start, Dhawan and Kohli produced a 94-run partnership as the visitors overhauled the 121-run target in 13.5 overs. Dhawan, who has been a flop throughout the tournament, finally found his touch when it mattered most, scoring 60 runs off 44 balls with nine boundaries and a six.

Kohli remained unbeaten on 41 runs off 28 balls with five boundaries. India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni added the finishing touch with 20 runs off just six deliveries, with one hit to the ropes and two sixes.

Pacer Al-Amin Hossain (1/30) gave Bangladesh some early hope by dismissing Rohit Sharma early. Chasing a tricky target in front of a packed stadium rooting for the hosts, Rohit probably found the pressure too much to handle as he edged one that was moving slightly away to Soumya Sarkar at first slip.

But that was one of the few moments of joy that the Bangladesh players and the capacity home crowd could find as Kohli and Dhawan came together to pull the visitors out of trouble.

The Delhi duo kept the required run rate within manageable limits with regular hits to the fence and some excellent running between the wickets. It needed a superb effort in the field by Sarkar off Taskin Ahmed’s (1/14)bowling to see the back of Dhawan. The Delhi batsman attempted a square drive off a full toss, but Sarkar dived to his right to pluck the ball inches off the ground.

But by then, India were well on the road to victory and Dhoni strode in to finish off the job with some trademark power-packed hits.

Earlier, Mohammad Mahmudullah produced some lower order fireworks as Bangladesh posted 125/5 in 15 overs.

Walking in with Bangladesh in trouble at 75/5, the right-hander proceeded to hit two boundaries and an equal number of sixes in his 13-ball innings to remain unbeaten on 33. Sabbir Rahman gave him crucial support from the other end with 32 runs from 29 balls. The duo produced a 45-run partnership to help the hosts to a competitive total.

Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah (1/13) and Ashish Nehra (1/33) made good use of the seam friendly conditions to remove the Bangladesh openers early on. Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who opened the Indian bowling, had figures of 1/14 while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (1/25) also bagged a wicket.

Bangladesh had a decent start with 11 runs in the first two overs before Bumrah pegged back the run rate with just three runs in the third over. The Bangladesh openers tried to push up the run rate with Sarkar smashing two boundaries in the next over. But Nehra struck back immediately as he mistimed the last ball of the over while playing across the line to offer an easy catch to Hardik Pandya at mid-off.

Bumrah then piled on the pressure by trapping Tamim Iqbal leg before. With both openers gone, Shakib al Hasan and Rahman set about trying to rebuild the innings. They were cautious in the initial stages before trying to break the shackles with some big hits. The duo added 34 runs between them before Shakib was caught by Bumrah at short fine leg while trying to sweep Ashwin.

Bangladesh suffered back to back jolts in the 12th over when Mushfiqur Rahim was found short of his crease while attempting a second run, while Mashrafe Mortaza holed out to deep midwicket in the very next ball as Bangladesh reeled at 75/5.

Mahmudullah then provided the crucial big hits later on to help the hosts to a strong finish.

Mar 6, 2016 – 5:46 pm EST
MUSSOORIE

A charming hill station cocooned at an altitude of 1880 m in the Garhwal hills, Mussoorie is the ideal getaway for city-dwellers. If you’re in a rush with only 24 hours to spare, we help you manoeuvre through the day without missing out on the highlights. From stocking up on some deliciously prepared local goodies and strolling along the Mall, to walking through green, misty environs on the outskirts, gorging on spicy Tibetan food and soaking in the serenity of a Buddhist Tibetan temple—there’s so much you can do in so little time.

SIGHTSEEING

KEMPTY FALLSThese vertical waterfalls are one of the most popular spots for tourists visiting Mussoorie. The water cascades down from a height of 40 feet and crashes against the boulders below before splitting into five streams. Plunging from a mountain placed at about 1,364 metres above sea level, the Kempty Falls are usually crowded with tourists, so the best way to take them by is by picking a picnic spot at a vantage point and observing them from a distance. The more adventurous can also take a dip in its cool water.

DHANAULTI At a height of 2286 m, Dhanaulti is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, especially city-dwellers who want to escape to the quiet for a weekend. Located on the road from Mussoorie to Chamba, Dhanaulti is devoid of the thronging tourists, commercial mall, cramped hotels and noisy cacophony that is synonymous with its more commercial counterpart, Mussoorie. A small and sleepy hill town nestled within thick forests of deodars, rhododendron and silver oak, there’s very little to do here, other than take in the stunning views and absorb the calm.

Infuse your sleepy vacation with a touch of activity by visiting Surkhanda Devi, a 13th century temple perched atop a hill, best approached by a steep climb up from Kadu Khal. It’s said that Shiva passed through this spot carrying Sati’s dead body and accidently dropped her remains at this spot. A little lower down, make your way to View Point, which offers you panoramic views of the sprawling Doon valley below, and the Himalayas rising high in the distance. There’s also the Eco Park to discover. Established by the forest department, this protected forest has narrow pathways and trekking trails running through it, perfect for a leisurely evening walk. Accommodation in the area is limited, although there are a few mid-range hotels close by, and the government guest house (GMVN) is also an option.

SHEDUP CHOEPELLING TEMPLE Also known as the Tibetan Buddhist temple, this was set up by the Tibetan population in Mussoorie and is located on the Happy Valley road close to the IAS Academy. The Dalai Lama took refuge in Mussoorie after he escaped from Tibet, before the Tibetan community was granted refuge in Dharamshala. The temple has a serene vibe and is especially suitable for those seeking a bit of tranquillity amidst the madness. Housing many Tibetan literature and books, the temple is adorned with clay lamps and colourful prayer flags.

THE MALL The Mall in Mussoorie is the chief shopping shopping hub in the hill station. Jam-packed with people at any given time, you might have to wrestle your way through the crowds to get a spot of shopping done here, but for shopaholics in need for a fix, this is the best place to pick up a wide range of stuff. Comprising of one main street with a few off-shoots along the way, there’s nothing you can’t get here—from woollens, handicrafts, and the famous Ladakhi shawls, to freshly baked biscuits and boxes of cherries—a stroll along Mall Road will tick all the items off your shopping list.

Mar 6, 2016 – 5:30 pm EST
PM MODI IN GRIP OF AN ACUTE DISEASE ‘RAHUL PHOBIA’: CONGRESS

Congress has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as being in grip of “Rahul phobia” and said he has made a “mockery of democracy” by making “petty-minded jibes” in his political speech on President’s address in Parliament, never done in the past. “Prime Minister Shri Modi seems to be in the grip of what I can describe as ‘Rahul phobia’. It is an acute disease. It has now attained the size of an epidemic as far as the BJP and the Prime Minister are concerned,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Singhvi said that the Prime Minister’s speech was “devoid of substance” as he lost the opportunity of clearing doubts of people that were raised through questions posed by Congress and Rahul Gandhi, which he never answered.

“In what has now become a characteristic habit of the Prime Minister, he again made a mockery of democracy and Parliament. In a response to President’s address, this kind of political petty-fogging, petty-minded jobs is neither the culture nor the occasion, nor the manner and style sanctified and hallowed in the almost 70 years of Indian Democracy,” he said.

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:19 pm EST
PM HITS BACK AT RAHUL USING QUOTES BY NEHRU, INDIRA AND RAJIV

NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 4 reached out to the opposition, saying he needs their support for “improvement” in his government, even as he attacked the Congress over disruptions in Parliament while skipping the raging issues like JNU and Dalit student’s suicide. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Modi used wit and barbs as he responded to the attack by Congress over various initiatives of his government, including ‘Make in India’ and MNREGA.

Slamming the Congress for disrupting Parliament and stalling bills, he said the main opposition party was doing so because of “inferiority complex” of its top leaders. He also invoked the statements made by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and first President Rajendra Prasad by reading out their statements against stalling of legislative business.

He deplored the ‘tu tu, mai mai’ (blame game) attitude by political parties for “scoring points”, saying the officialdom rejoices over this and nation suffers. “This government also needs improvement which cannot happen without your help. I am new, you are experienced. I need the benefit of your experience.

Governments will come and go.

Let us work shoulder to shoulder,” Modi said while replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address which was approved later.

He said a democratic country like India cannot be left at the mercy of the bureaucracy as he sought to underline the importance of the legislature, saying even a single MP of any party should be treated like “Prime Minister”. In his 75-minute speech, Modi, however, did not respond to the specific issues raised by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders, like his visit to Pakistan, blackmoney, JNU and Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide.

Without naming Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister appeared to be responding to his Wednesday’s remark that he should listen to others. “It is easy to preach others … There are some people to whom all kinds of questions are asked. But there are some others, to whom nobody dares to ask questions,” he said. “I have been questioned, I have faced criticism and accusations over last 14 years. I have learnt to live with it,” said Modi, apparently referring to the attacks on him in the aftermath of Gujarat riots of 2002. While hitting out at Rahul for criticising his government, he sarcastically recalled how the Congress vice-president had torn at a press conference an Ordinance approved by the Cabinet headed by Manmohan Singh and including veterans like AK Antony, Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah.

He also took on Rahul for mocking at the government’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ programme, questioning whether such a scheme should be made fun of. “You are mocking at ‘Make in India’? If it is not successful, you should suggest what should be done to make it successful,” he said.

Referring to disruptions in Parliament due to which several bills, including the crucial GST legislation is stuck, Modi said “House is not allowed to function due to inferiority complex (of the opposition leadership).”

While elaborating, he appeared to suggest that top Congress leadership was not allowing “young” and “bright” leaders to emerge fearing that they may overshadow Rahul.

“In the opposition there are bright and talented youngsters who don’t get a chance to speak…They do a lot of study … The concern is that if they speak, they will be praised. Then what will happen to us,” Modi said. While talking of disruptions in Parliament, the Prime Minister again appeared to take a swipe at Congress, saying the opposition’s attitude was to “demonstrate its strength” even though its “strength may be less”.

Congress has only 45 members in the 545-member Lok Sabha.

Invoking Rajiv Gandhi over disruptions, Modi read out a statement made by the former Prime Minister in which he had expressed “pain” over stalling of Parliament and said that while it hurts the government, it equally hurts the members of the opposition who want to raise issues of their concern.

He said because of the will of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, some bills were passed in Lok Sabha but those could not move ahead, suggesting that they got stuck in Rajya Sabha. Identifying some of these legislations, he said the Whistleblowers Protection Amendment bill is meant for enlightening the citizens and “I see no reason why it is stopped.”

Source: PTI

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:18 pm EST
Polls in WB, Kerala, Assam, TN from April 4 to May 16

NEW DELHI (TIP): The BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress and Left parties are now all set for a mega electoral battle.

Chief Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi said on Friday that the 126-member Assam Assembly will go to polls in two phases on April 4 and 11. Polling for 294 seats in West Bengal will be held in six phases between April 4 and May 5. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will vote on May 16 to elect 140, 234 and 30 members respectively.

The results of all the state elections will be out on May 19.

The BJP, which now leads the rulingcoalition at the Centre, has tied up with the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodo People’s Forum in Assam. It is keen to pose a tough challenge to the Congress which has been in power in since 2001.

The All India United Democratic Front led by Badruddin Ajmal is likely to be another key player in the poll.

The Congress and the Left parties are exploring possibilities of a tie-up in West Bengal to pose a tough challenge to ruling Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The CPM and other Left parties, however, will take on ruling Congress led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Kerala.

While the ruling AIADMK led by Chief Minister J Jayalalitha is going it all alone to seek re-election in Tamil Nadu, the Congress already declared alliance with main Opposition party DMK.

The DMDK is yet to announce if it would join the Congress-DMK alliance. The PMK, too, has not made public its electoral strategy.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force in the four states and Puducherry soon after the EC announced the poll-schedule on Friday. Zaidi, flanked by Election Commissioners O P Rawat and A K Joti, said that the EC, after visiting the poll-bound states, had directed a time-bound and systematic drive for “improvement in the quality and health of their respective electoral rolls, so as to enhance their fidelity for the conduct of free and fair elections”.

He said that the Special Electoral Roll Purification Drive from February 15 to 29 focussed on enrolment of all eligible voters, removal of multiple entries and names of dead voters, correction of various types of errors in Electoral Photo Identity Cards and roll data.

Source: Deccan Herald

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:16 pm EST
I AM A TOUGH NEGOTIATOR, LET ME SAVE MONEY: PARRIKAR ON RAFALE DEAL

NEW DELHI (TIP): Showing no signs of relenting, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on March 5 said he is a “tough negotiator” and wants the “best price” for Rafale fighter jets from France.

However, the minister said the budget for next fiscal takes into account the Rafale deal for which “adequate money” has been kept aside.

“I am a tough negotiator. Let me save money for the nation,” Parrikar told reporters here when asked why the deal has not been signed yet.

Stating that he was aware that the IAF needs the aircraft, the minister added “I think a good buyer does not put his weakness in front. He always keeps his cards close to his chest. Please don’t ask me to disclose my cards in national interest.”

Asked if he was looking at any alternative to equip the IAF in case the Rafale deal does not go through, he said “many times it is better to cross the bridge when it comes”.

The defence budget for the next fiscal takes into account the payments that will have to be made when the Rafale deal is signed, said Parrikar who had last month made it clear that the price of the aircraft was the only sticking point left in the agreement. At least 15 per cent of the total payment will have to be made immediately, if and when the deal is signed.

During French President Francois Hollande’s visit here in January, India and France had inked an MoU for the purchase of 36 French Rafale aircraft but persisting differences over the pricing of the fighter jet came in the way of the multi-billion dollar deal being wrapped up.

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:13 pm EST
OPPOSITION PROTESTS GOVT’S ‘INTERFERENCE’ IN ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS

NEW DELHI (TIP): Opposition parties led by Congress and SP on March 5 created a storm in Rajya Sabha over alleged government interference in the autonomy of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), forcing adjournment of the House till noon.

Opposition members trooped into the well, raising slogans against alleged threat to the minority status of the university and government interference.

Deputy chairman PJ Kurien asked members to return to their seats and give notice if they wanted a discussion on the issue but as none relented, he adjourned the House till noon.

Javed Ali Khan of SP, through a Zero Hour mention, raised the issue of human resource development Minister Smriti Irani declaring offsite centres of the university illegal and threatening to stop financial aid.

The University’s executive committee and academic council, drawing rights from Section 12 of AMU Act, in 2008 had decided to set up five off campus centres. Three of them were made operational, he said adding the BJP government has now questioned that decision, Khan said.

He said AMU vice-chancellor has in a statement said that HRD minister was declaring these centres illegal and threatening to stop assistance.

“They talk of ‘sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’ but want to deprive a large section of population of education,” he said demanding a clarification from the government on the minority status of AMU and other such insitutions.

Minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the government is committed to protecting minority status of AMU and other minority institutions.

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:13 pm EST
MAHA SHIVRATRI
Maha Shivaratri or Maha Sivaratri / padmarajarathri is a great festival in Hinduism, celebrated annually with the devotion and religious enthusiasm in the honor of the Lord Shiva, deities of Hindu Trinity. The literal meaning of Shivaratri is “The Great Night of Lord Shiva”. According to the Hindu calendar, it is celebrated in the Varanasi in the dark fortnight or Krishna Paksha at the 13th night or 14th day of the month Maagha or Phalguna (month of February or March according to the English calendar) to worship Shiva Lingam to make happy the Lord Shiva.

Maha Shivaratri 2016 would be celebrated all over India as well as abroad by the devotees of Lord Shiva on 7th of March, at Monday.

History

This festival is celebrated to respect Lord Shiva by offering leaves of Bael or
Bilva/Vilvam, Bhang, Dhatura, flowers, coconut, fruits, water, cow milk and other things. Devotees keep fast of full-day and full-night and pray to Lord Shiva for their beautiful life partner with healthy and prosperous life. According to the ritual belief and traditions, penances are performed to get benefited in the practice of Yoga and meditation. Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi is one of the most important places for tourist attractions in the UP state where a big fair is held on at Maha Shivratri in front of the Virla temple and Vishwanath Gali of the old Vishwanath temple.

Another myth of celebrating Maha Shivaratri in Hinduism is that, whole world was facing destruction and more near to the pralaya, and then the Goddess Parvati had worshiped her husband the Lord Shiva to save the world. Finally her prayer was approved by the Lord Shiva and then Goddess Parvati named that night, the Maha-Shivaratri, or the great night of Shiva.

Favorite Day of the Lord Shiva

It is believed that after completion of the creation of world, Goddess Parvati asked to Lord Shiva that which devotees and rituals satisfied him the most, and then Lord Shiva replied to Goddess Parvti that the 13th night of the Maagha month is his most favorite day. After that, she repeated the words of Lord Shiva to her friends, and then the words were spread all over world.

Rituals

On Maha Shivratri, people keep fast of whole day and night and Kashi Vishwanath temple gets congregated by the young and old devotees from the very early morning. They come to the temple to perform the puja of traditional Shivalingam and hope to get what they have prayed to the god. They take bath in the holy water of the Ganga (Symbol of the purity) early in the morning before sunrise and wear a clean clothe after the sacred bath.

Every worshiper brings a pot full of holy Gange water to the temple to offer the Shivalingam. Women pray to God for her well-being of their husbands and sons, an unmarried woman pray to get their desired husband like Shiva (the ideal husband) in future; boys pray to get beautiful wife and successful life in future. The temple full of sound of bells and people shouts of “Shankerji ki Jai” or “Mahadevji ki Jai”. Devotees take 5 round of the Shivalingam and pour water on the Shivalingam. Some also pour cow milk on the Shivalingam.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Mahashivaratri puja involves six steps which are:
- Taking bath in the Gange for purification of soul, mind and body. Bathing of the Shiv Linga with the holy water of Gange, then bathing with milk and honey. God Shiva loves bel patra (three leaves stalked in one) so every rituals added it to the puja.
- After bathing of the Shiv Linga, vermilion paste applied on it which represents
  the virtue.
- Offer fruits, flowers which are given to get long live and satisfaction of desires.
- Burning enrage yields wealth.
- The lighting with diya represents achieving more knowledge.
- Offering betel leaves provide satisfaction full of great pleasures.
- Worshipers also apply three horizontal lines of holy ash on their forehead just like the Lord Shiva which represents spiritual knowledge, cleanliness and penance. They wear garland made up of the Rudraksha (seed of Rudraksha tree) while worshiping the Lord Shiva. It is believed that Rudraksha tree was originated from the tears of Lord Shiva. Shivaratri is also considered as the wedding day of the Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati.
What makes the Lord Shiva please more?

It is written in the Shiva Purana that doing abhisheka of the Lord Shiva Linga with six dravyas such as cow milk, yoghurt, sugar, honey, ghee and Gange water while reading Sri Rudram, Chamakam and Dasa Shanthi pleases more the Lord Shiva. Milk is for the approval of cleanliness and faithfulness, yogurt for wealth and offspring, honey for sweet tongue, ghee for success, sugar for pleasure, and water for purity.

Significance of Mahashivaratri

Mahashivaratri Festival is of great and tremendous significance for the millions of Hindu devotee’s all over India as well as abroad. It falls every year on fourteenth day of the Phalgun month in the dark fortnight at the end of winter season. This festival is the big festival during which devotees can please the Lord Shiva in order to fulfill their desires. It has another great significance for the Women. Both married and unmarried women keep strict fast for whole day and do Shiva Linga Puja with very honesty to please the Goddess Parvati or Gaura Mata in order to get the marital bliss as well as long, wealthy and prosperous married life. At Mahashivaratri, the marriage of Lord Shiva with Mata Parvati took place in the ancient time, so the Hindu people celebrate this festival by performing the same ceremony every year. People in Varanasi start this ceremony from Mahamrityunjaya temple of Daranagar to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

This festival is especially auspicious for the women. At this day, married women pray to God for the wellness and well being of their Suhaag however; unmarried women pray to God to get good husband in future just like the Lord Shiva means an ideal husband. Devotees of the Lord Shiva wake up in the early morning and take a ritual bath especially in the holy water of river Ganga. They wear fresh or new clothes and go to nearest Shiva temple to offer the Milk Abhishek to the Shiva Lingum and then with honey and water. They also offer some fruits, peach, dhatura, bael patra, bhang leaves, sweets, Ganga jal, etc. They pray to the God to fulfill their long list of wishes. People also sing ritual songs, do arti, drink bhang and dance at music.

The process of worshiping, offering and praying continues whole day long from early morning till night. First of all in the early morning a ritual puja of the Shiva Lingam is performed by the temple’s priests. First they give bath to the Shiva Lingam with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar (also called panchagavya) and then with water by chanting the mantra of “Om Namah Shivaya”. Somewhere people give bath to the Shiva Linga with milk, yoghurt, honey, sandalwood paste and rose water. They apply vermilion paste on the Shiva Linga and keep Bilwa leaves (especially three joined leaves in one stalk) on the top in the believe that Goddess Lakshmi resides in Bilwa leaves and it has cooling effects to the hot-tempered deity so it would help devotees in pleasing the Lord Shiva.

Devotees ring temple bells in full sound. Then they allow devotees to come inside the temple and do their ritual. In some cities, a nightlong jaagran is organized at Shiva temples where a big crowd of large number of devotees stay whole night to sing holy hymns and devotional songs praising Lord Shiva and Mata Parwati. And in the early morning, devotees again perform all the ritual like bathing, offering Jal to Shiva Linga, etc and break their fast by taking Prasad offered by priests of the temple.
Mar 5, 2016 – 1:11 pm EST
FORD, GM TO OPERATE INDIA FACTORIES ROUND THE CLOCK

MUMBAI (TIP): Three global automobile powerhouses either have started operating their India factories round the clock or are in the process of doing so to meet increasing export demand, in a resounding endorsement of the Prime Minister’s call to make in India.

For the past six months, Ford Motor’s manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu is running three shifts a day, which is uncommon in the American carmaker’s global operations.

Europe’s largest carmaker, Volkswagen, is set to start a third shift starting next week, while the US No. 1, General Motors, is expected to add another shift from the beginning of next year.

Interestingly, these companies aren’t doing so well in the Indian market, and the incremental output is to cater to markets in Latin America, Europe and Africa.

ET spoke to several vendors who supply parts to these carmakers and they said while the domestic market is expected to grow by a single digit, the likes of Ford India, General Motors India and Volkswagen India are targeting 20-60% jump in 2016 production, clearly indicating their export plans. While these carmakers have a market share of less than 3-4%in India, experts say high export volume is helping them make local operations viable.

Automakers have committed to invest billions of dollars in India, enticed by the local market opportunity in the long term as well as its frugal manufacturing capabilities and abundant skilled manpower, which offer a cost-effective environment to make small cars and sell them at competitive prices internationally.

In fact, even before Narendra Modi made the call to make in India a year and half ago, making in India for the world had already become part of global carmakers’ strategy and boardroom discussions. Hyundai Motor and Maruti Suzuki have long been shipping India-made cars to foreign markets, even as they ruled the domestic market as well. Companies such as Nissan and Renault, too, target foreign markets with compact vehicles produced in India.

But now, with the government’s new push to promote manufacturing in India, companies are further expanding production and exporting more, even though the domestic market remains stuck in the slow lane.

“We are committed to position India as a global centre of excellence for manufacturing small cars and low-displacement engines,” said a spokesperson for Ford India, which is churning out the EcoSport compact SUV for the global markets from its plant near Chennai.

“Our unflinching commitment to India is reflected in the aggressive implementation of our growth plans, including more than $2 billion we have invested here so far,” he said.

Volkswagen and GM are witnessing strong demand for their India-made cars in Mexico – for the Vento and Beat, respectively. The Vento is already the segment leader in the Latin American country, where it sells double the number compared with India.

Volkswagen India Managing Director Andreas Lauermann said going past the capacity of the two-shift system due to higher demand is an important milestone for the company.

“Volkswagen Pune plant will start off with the third shift soon and will ramp up the production over the year. This step is necessary due to the rising demand from exports as well as domestic market, especially through the new Ameo. Exports have helped VW to create a natural hedging against the weak Indian rupee and fluctuating domestic demand,” Lauermann said.

Source: ET

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:05 pm EST
MOODY’S CUTS CHINA OUTLOOK TO ‘NEGATIVE’

SHANGHAI (TIP): Moody’s downgraded its outlook on Chinese government debt to “negative” from “stable” on March 2, citing uncertainty over authorities’ capacity to implement economic reforms, rising government debt and falling reserves.

“Without credible and efficient reforms, China’s GDP growth would slow more markedly as a high debt burden dampens business investment and demographics turn increasingly unfavourable. Government debt would increase more sharply than we currently expect,” Moody’s said in a note on Wednesday.

Moody’s said its rating committee had discussed China’s status at a meeting on February 9, during which the country’s institutional and fiscal strength, as well as its susceptibility to event risks, were reviewed.

The agency said the downgrade was driven by expectations that China’s fiscal strength will continue to decline, and the fall in its foreign exchange reserves which have shrunk by $762 billion over the last 18 months.

It also said that policymakers’ credibility was at risk of being undermined by incomplete implementation or partial reversals of some reforms.

“Interventions in the equity and foreign exchange markets over the past year suggest that ensuring financial and economic stability is also an objective, but there is considerably uncertainty about policy priorities,” Moody’s said.

Moody’s, however, retained China’s Aa3 rating, noting the country’s sizeable reserves gave it time to implement reforms and gradually address economic imbalances.

But the agency warned that it could further downgrade China’s rating if it saw slowing down of reforms needed to support sustainable growth and to protect the government’s balance sheet.

“It’s not a worrying sign yet, but rather a negative direction. That’s what Moody’s is flagging,” said Trinh Nguyen, senior economist for emerging Asia at global asset manager Nataxis.

“But they have room to do this. They have one of the lowest government debt as a share of GDP in comparison to other emerging nations. And most importantly, as China has a current account surplus it can fund its own fiscal expansion.”

Initial market reaction to the outlook change was muted, although the cost of insuring Chinese government debt against default rose slightly.

“The drivers – local government debt, capital outflows, falling reserves and concerns on the progress of reforms – are all well recognized by investors and a lot of them have arguably already been priced in,” agreed Aidan Yao, Senior Emerging Market Asia Economist at AXA Investment Managers.

Source: Reuters

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:04 pm EST
Coca-Cola can’t trademark new bottle: EU court

BRUSSELS (TIP): An EU court on Wednesday threw out an attempt by US drinks giant Coca-Cola to get trade mark status for a new design of its iconic fluted bottle throughout the 28-nation bloc.

Invented in the United States as a tonic drink in the late 19th century, Coca-Cola is a triumph of modern-day marketing, with its contoured bottle one of the most widely recognized global brands.

In 2011, the company introduced a flat surfaced bottle, but European Union authorities rejected its trade mark request because they said the new design lacked any
“distinctive character.”

The General Court of the EU, the bloc’s second highest court, ruling on a company appeal, said there was no reason to change that view, with the new design simply a variant of its predecessor.

“The General Court finds that the sign at issue is devoid of the distinctive character required for registration under the Community trade mark regulation,” it said.

“In those circumstances, the General Court dismisses in its entirety the action brought by Coca-Cola.”

The judgment features drawings of the new Coke bottle from the side, the top, and at a forward-leaning angle. Coca-Cola can in theory appeal to the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court.

There was no immediate reaction from the company.

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:02 pm EST
SBI SEEKS VIJAY MALLYA’S ARREST IN KINGFISHER LOAN DEFAULT CASE

MUMBAI (TIP): Top state-run lender SBI on Wednesday sought to arrest Vijay Mallya, and also impound his passport, as the bank approached the Debt Recovery Tribunal seeking action against the UB Group promoter for defaulting on loans.

The State Bank of India (SBI), which heads the consortium of 17 lenders to the grounded Kingfisher Airlines, moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal in Bengaluru against the airline’s chairman Mallya in its bid to recover over Rs 7,000-crore dud loans from him.

According to sources, SBI has moved four applications at the DRT, seeking impounding Mallya’s passport, getting him arrested, securing the lenders’ first right on the payout from Diageo and getting full disclosure of his assets in the country and abroad.

The immediate objective of the lenders moving the DRT is to secure a first right on the US$75-million severance package that Mallya will be getting for quitting Diageo-owned United Spirits (USL) as its chairman last week. An SBI official confirmed to PTI that they have moved the DRT seeking a right on the severance package, as the borrower Mallya, who has already been declared by the bank a wilful defaulter, has decided to leave the country and settle down in London.

Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines owed Rs 7,800 crore to a consortium of 17 lenders led by State Bank, which had an exposure of over Rs 1,600 crore to the now defunct airline. Since January 2012, the loan was not serviced.

Other lenders include Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Federal Bank, Uco Bank and Dena Bank among others. Last year, SBI declared Mallya a wilful defaulter. Last month, Punjab National Bank had also declared him, his group holding company United Breweries Holdings and the long-defunct Kingfisher Airlines as wilful defaulters.

As part of a deal, Diageo said it would pay US$40 million immediately to Mallya with the balance being payable in equal instalments over the next five years. It will also absolve Mallya of all liabilities over alleged financial lapses at the company founded by his family.

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:02 pm EST
WHAT A YEAR IN SPACE DOES TO A PERSON’S BODY

Scientists are about to learn exactly what spending a year in space does to a person, after two astronauts returned from a 340 day trip to the International Space Station.

Commander Scott Kelly will be of particular interest to Nasa scientists —his identical twin, Mark, stayed on the Earth. That means scientists can compare the two and see exactly what sort of changes happen after a year in space. Some of those findings have already emerged: Nasa has said that Scott Kelly is now two inches taller than his brother. The weightlessness of space is thought to have pulled out Commander Kelly’s spine — which means that his extra height will gradually disappear.

All of the information learnt as scientists study the effects further will go towards the eventual mission to Mars — where astronauts will have to spend even longer in microgravity and confined spaces.

But scientists already know many of the dangers and difficulties that spending so long in the International Space Station can cause. Astronauts usually stay on the station for four or five months, in which time their bodies undergo huge changes.

The most significant is the ways that the lack of gravity — and, largely of resistance — can impede the ways that the body usually keeps itself strong. That means that the bones and muscles in particular can become much weaker, an effect that can become dangerous for people once they make their way back onto Earth.

Bones will become much more brittle during time spent in space, for instance. Since the bones aren’t having to take the same kind of weight, they gradually break down and become more weak —that in turn can be dangerous since the body releases calcium to counteract it, which can potentially lead to kidney stones or broken bones. A similar effect can happen to the muscles in the body. Because they’re not being used as much, they can also become much weaker — in doing so potentially leading to injuries when those mucsles come to be needed.

Gravity has other, more direct effects, too. The blood tends to flow more around the upper body and make the head puffier, for instance, and the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to push it around so that it can become smaller. And the dangers are not just related to gravity, either. Being outside of the Earth’s atmosphere increases the exposure to radiation — the effects of which on humans still isn’t fully understood.

Many of the dangerous effects of space travel could be even worse on Mars — there, the gravity is much less strong, but there will be far fewer ways of supporting people once they arrive there.

Source: The Independent

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:01 pm EST
Get ready for more live videos in your Facebook timeline

NEW YORK (TIP): As more and more people are watching “Facebook Live Videos”, the social networking giant has pushed its live video feature to top of its News Feed.

The company is considering Live Videos as a new content type – different from normal videos – and learning how to rank them for people in News Feed.

“As a first step, we are making a small update to News Feed so that Facebook Live videos are more likely to appear higher in News Feed when those videos are actually live, compared to after they are no longer live,” wrote Vibhi Kant, product manager and Jie Xu, software engineer at Facebook in a blog post.

“People spend more than 3x more time watching a Facebook Live video on average compared to a video that’s no longer live. This is because Facebook Live videos are more interesting in the moment than after the fact,” they wrote.

“Facebook’s Live Video” feature allows users to broadcast live video from their smartphones.

News Feed is made up of posts from the friends and Pages you have connected to. These posts can be status updates, photos, videos, links and now, Facebook Live videos.

“We rolled out Facebook Live on iOS in December and last week, we began rolling it out on Android in the US. Over the last three months, Facebook Live video has become more and more popular and more and more people and Pages are creating and watching live videos,” the Facebook officials posted.

“As with any new type of content in News Feed, we are learning what signals help us show you the most relevant Facebook Live videos for you personally,” they added.

For example, a few years ago when more people began sharing and watching video on Facebook, the company listened to feedback to learn what signals helped them show people more of the videos they want to see and fewer of the videos they don’t.

“At first we updated News Feed ranking to take into account how many people watched a video and how long people watched for to help us personalise News Feed based on people’s preference for watching video,” the company said.

“Over time, we also learned that certain actions people take on a video, such as choosing to turn on sound or making the video full screen, are good signs they wanted to see that video, even if they didn’t choose to like it,” it noted.

Facebook Live is currently available for verified Pages and public figures using Mentions.

“We do not expect Pages to see significant changes as a result of this update. We will continue to learn how people are watching this new content type,” Kant and Xu added.

Source: IANS

Mar 5, 2016 – 1:00 pm EST
A celestial spectacle on March 9

NEW DELHI (TIP): A total solar eclipse will occur on March 9 but will be seen as a partial solar eclipse at sunrise from most places in India except from north-west and western parts of the country.

Solar eclipse is a phenomena where the moon passes precisely between the sun and the earth. It blocks the sun’s bright face, revealing the tenuous and comparatively faint solar atmosphere. It happens only once a year.

The total eclipse phase will begin at 5.47 am (IST) and it will last till 9.08 am on March 9. The partial phase will, however, end at 10.05 am (IST). In most places of India, the partial phase of the eclipse will begin before sunrise – it means partially eclipsed sunrise will take place on that day.

Obscuration of the sun by the moon at the time of greatest phase of partial eclipse will be around 15% in Agartala, 24.5% in Bhubaneswar, 11% in Guwahati, 18.5% in Kolkata, 12% in Patna, 49% in Port Blair and 12% in Silchar.

“However, the greatest phase of the partial eclipse will not be seen from many places in India as the sunrise will take place after the time of occurrence of greatest phase at these places”, said the statement.

The total eclipse of the sun would be visible within a narrow corridor in the northern Hemisphere. The totality path would pass through Sumatra, Borneo, Indonesia and the North Pacific Ocean.

Sounding caution, the ministry advised that the eclipsed sun should not be viewed with the naked eye, even for a very short time as it will cause permanent damage of the eyes leading to blindness even when the moon covers most portion of the sun. “Safe way to observe the solar eclipse is either by using proper filter like aluminized Mylar, black polymer, welding glass of shade number 14 or by making projection of Sun’s image on a white board by telescope”, said an official.

Source: TOI

Mar 5, 2016 – 12:58 pm EST
WhatsApp now allows you to share documents in chats

WhatsApp users will finally be able to share documents with each other over chats. The feature is now available on the latest WhatsApp builds available on Google Play and the App Store.

Users with WhatsApp version 2.12.453 on Android and version 2.12.14 on iOS will now see a new ‘Document’ section under attachments, which allows them to attach and share documents.

However as of now, the feature seems limited to PDF files only, though we expect more document sharing options to be added in the near future. Its also worth mentioning that users cannot share a document unless both the sender as well as the receiver have updated to the latest version of the app available on their respective app stores.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp for iOS also scores a bunch of new updates which now give you the ability to share photos and videos from other cloud storage apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft OneDrive. In addition, the update also allows users to choose from a variety of solid colours for their chat background.

Mar 5, 2016 – 12:57 pm EST
GOOGLE PHOTOS UPDATE ADDS NEW EDITING TOOLS

Google Photos now gets updated with a new feature that allows users to edit images faster. The update gives users a slew of powerful editing tools. For instance, the app now gets a variety of filters such as Mars, Ceres and Venus. Users can also change the aspect ratio as they can choose from Original, Square, 16:9 and 4:3. They can also swipe between images and still be in the edit mode.

“You can now navigate between photos while staying in editing mode. Your edits will automatically save, and undoing them is simple — just click Revert to Original,” said the company in a post on Google Plus.

Google Photos was made into a standalone app last year, which was earlier a part of Google Plus. The service offers unlimited storage space where users can store photos.

Last month, Google announced its plans to shut Picasa, primarily to shift focus to the new Google Photos service launched a year ago. The company said that time that data stored on Picasa web albums will be automatically transferred to a user’s Google Photos account starting May 1, 2016.

Mar 5, 2016 – 12:56 pm EST
Poop test can tell if you are diabetic, say docs

Scentists from Madras Diabetes Research Foundation will sequence the DNA of bacteria in the bowel to see if they contain enough ‘good’ bacteria or too much ‘bad’ bacteria that can trigger metabolic diseases.

The research centre has tied up with University of Copenhagen for the research, which earlier found a strong link between gut bacteria and diabetes. At least 1.5kg of bacteria in a human body, mostly in the gut, play an active role in not just digesting food also in the development and functioning of the immune and neural systems as also in a wide range of metabolic functions, doctors said.

Danish scientists spearheading the study, including Dr Oluf B Pedersen, a professor of molecular metabolism and metabolic genetics at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, said bacterial DNA extracted from stool samples of 292 individuals showed 23% of Danish adults had a 40% reduction in the abundance of bacterial genes. The DNA sequence of the bugs represents what is going on in the colon.

“We found people with fewer and less diverse types of bacteria had a higher body fat percentage and elevated blood lipids,” Pedersen said. “This is a significant correlation.We are curious to know if results are similar in Indians.”

His Indian counterparts are curious about this too. They have sequenced DNA from bacteria found in more than 450 stool samples from an equal number of diabetics, pre-diabetic and non-diabetic people.

“Our hypothesis is that Indians are at greater risk because we have less good bacteria that reduce diabetes risk and more bad bacteria that in creases the risk,” diabetologist and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation chief Dr V Mohan said.

There isn’t yet adequate evidence to show links in humans but stool samples from the lean twin mice given to germ-free mice, make them remain lean and stool from the obese mice given it to germ-free mice make them obese. “We can’t rule out that bacteria, in this case, may cause obesity. It may be more than just an innocent bystander,” Dr Pederson said.

He said looking at the bugs is like exploring a tropical rainforest, there are trillions in the body in anaerobic (without oxygen) environment. That means they are difficult to culture in the lab and there can’t be a quick fix solution to refill these bacteria.

Source: TOI

Mar 5, 2016 – 12:55 pm EST

Month: March 2016

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