| |
Read More
Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15May drove a truck across a new bridge linking mainland Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea, triggering a fierce reaction from Kiev.
Russian state television showed Putin dressed in jeans and a casual jacket sit behind the wheel of a construction truck with workers to drive 19 kilometres (12 miles) across the bridge, which links the Taman peninsula in southern Russian to Ukraine's Crimea peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I want to sincerely congratulate you with this remarkable, festive and, in the full sense of the word, historical day," Putin told workers upon arrival on the Crimean side of the bridge. "In different historical eras, even under the tsar, people were dreaming of building this bridge," Putin told cheering workers.
He was referring to Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, who first proposed such a bridge, but the outbreak of World War I prevented it going ahead.
Another unsuccessful attempt was made in the 1930s under Joseph Stalin. During World War II the occupying Nazis also began building a bridge but abandoned the project. "And finally, thanks to your work, your talent, this project, this miracle happened!" Putin said.
The Russian leader, who was re-elected for a fourth Kremlin term in March extending his long rule, then pledged to build more of "such projects" across Russia. The Crimean Bridge overtakes Lisbon's Vasco da Gama Bridge as the longest in Europe.
|
Read More
India has released grant of NRs. (Nepalese Rupees) 18.07 crore for river training and construction of embankments along Lalbakeya, Bagmati and Kamla rivers in Nepal.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over a cheque of grant to Dr. Sanjay Sharma, Secretary Ministry of Energy, Irrigation & Water Resources, Nepal in Kathmandu on 15May
Minister for Energy, Irrigation & Water Resources Barsha Man Pun was also present on the occasion.The river training and embankment works in the Lalbakeya, Bagmati and Kamla rivers in Nepal aimed at flood control and water resources management, which benefit several million people inhabiting in the watershed of these rivers in India and Nepal.
Since 2008 the Government of India has given NRs. 4.68 billion to Nepal for the river training and embankment works.
India remains committed to continue working closely with Nepal for further cooperation in the field of river training, flood control and water resources management in these and other rivers
|
Read More
Exports grew by 5.17 percent to USD 25.91 billion in April compared to the same month last year on account of the healthy performance by engineering, chemicals and pharmaceutical segments, according to the commerce ministry data.
Imports too grew by 4.60 percent to USD 39.63 billion in the month on yearly basis, leaving a trade deficit of USD 13.72 billion. Oil imports during the month under review were valued at USD 10.41 billion, 41.5 percent higher than the same month of previous year.
Non-oil imports, however, dipped by 4.3 percent to USD 29.21 billion in April 2018. Engineering, chemicals and pharmaceutical exports recorded a growth of 17.63 percent, 38.48 percent and 13.56 percent respectively during the month.
However, petroleum products, carpet, gems and jewellery and iron ore recorded negative growth. Gold imports too dipped by 33 percent to USD 2.58 billion in April.
Exports had dipped by 0.66 percent to USD 29.11 billion in March, even as foreign shipments increased by 9.78 percent for the full 2017-18 fiscal.
|
Read More
North Korea plans to join international efforts to implement a total ban on nuclear weapons tests, it told the United Nations disarmament body 15 may
"DPRK will join international desires and efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests," North Korea's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Han Tae-song said in an address to the Conference on Disarmament, using North Korea's official acronym.
His comment came amid a recent whirlwind of diplomacy and outreach by the long-isolated regime, and ahead of a historic summit next month between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.
Kim last month announced that his country would halt its own nuclear tests and intercontinental missile launches, which was widely hailed as an important step towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula. But Pyongyang has yet to rejoin the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it withdrew from in 2003.
It is also one of eight countries with nuclear test capacity, including the United States, China and Iran, which have so far failed to either sign or ratify the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, blocking it from taking effect.
Han, who made no reference to the treaties, told the UN assembly that his country aimed to make more "efforts to achieve the development of intra-Korean relations, defuse acute military tensions and substantially remove the danger of the war on the Korean peninsula."
|
Read More
In case of a hung assembly, the spotlight is on the Governor. But what exactly are the rules or the convention in such a case
There are no specific guidelines in the Constitution on what the Governor should do or whom he or she should invite in case there is a face/off between parties or coalition allies. In this matter, the Sarkaria Commission recommendations, which were affirmed by a Constitution Bench of the SC in Rameshwar Prasad vs Union of India in 2005 are often the guiding principle and are the main reference point. The mandate is outlined in the Commission recommendation.
The Commission report details the options before the governor in the situation where no single party has obtained an absolute majority.
The order of preference for the Governor in such case is (1) An alliance of parties that was formed prior to the elections(2) The single largest party staking a claim to form the government with the support of others, including independents(3) A post-electoral coalition of parties, with all the partners in the coalition joining the government(4) A post-electoral alliance of parties, with some of the parties in the alliance forming a government and the remaining parties, including independents, supporting the government from outside.
Sarkaria Commission was set up in June 1983 to examine the relationship and balance of power between state and central governments and suggest changes within the framework of the Constitution.
However, the discretionary powers of the Governor offer him or her vast liberty in actions. According to the Constitution, the decision of the Governor is final and the validity of anything done by him as a matter of his discretion cannot be questioned.
|
Read More
India emerged as the third largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US, Mercom Communications India said in a report.
"In 2017, India emerged as the third largest solar market ...having grown at a CAGR of approximately 170 percent since 2010," it said. As per the report, India set a new record with 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017, which was more than double the 4.3 GW installed in 2016. The robust growth boosted the country's total solar installed capacity to 19.6 GW as of December 2017, it added.
"In 2017, larger players started consolidating their positions at the top as India quickly emerged as one of the most important solar markets in the world for suppliers and vendors,"Mercom Capital Group CEO Raj Prabhu said.
As of 2017-end, large-scale project development accounted for 92 percent of the all-time cumulative solar installations in India with 19.6 GW, and 2017 alone made up 90 percent of such installations with 8.6 GW.
Of the total 1.6 GW cumulative solar rooftop installations in India by 2017, 995 MW was installed last year. Mercom Communications India is an arm of global clean energy consulting firm Mercom Capital Group.
|
Read More
In yet another effort to boost clean energy generation, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on Monday unveiled a National Wind-solar Hybrid Policy that which seeks to promote new projects as well as hybridisation of the existing ones.
The MNRE is also in the process of launching a scheme for new hybrid projects under this policy, which are 10 to 15 percent cheaper than 100 percent solar or wind projects, an official told said.
The official said that under the scheme, the government would bid out wind-solar hybrid projects on tariff-based competitive bidding and these projects can be set up anywhere across the country depending on feasibility and land availability with bidders.
The official said the efficiency of such projects ranges from 40-45 percent as the two clean sources complement each other while 100 percent solar or wind projects have an efficiency of 20 to 30 percent. Elaborating further on the lower cost of a hybrid project, the official said that common land, transmission system to evacuate power and equipment reduce costs by as much as 15 percent. The ministry had initially planned for 10 GW of such hybrid projects in the country, but now it depends on the response of bidders in view of merits over 100 percent solar or wind projects, the official added. The objective of the policy is to provide a framework for promotion of large grid-connected wind-solar PV hybrid system for efficient utilisation of transmission infrastructure and land, an MNRE statement said.
The policy is also aimed at reducing the variability in renewable power generation and achieving better grid stability. On technology front, the policy provides for integration of both the energy sources i.e. wind and solar at AC (alternate current) as well as DC (direct current) level.
The policy also provides for flexibility in share of wind and solar components in hybrid project, subject to the condition that, rated power capacity of one resource be at least 25 percent of the rated power capacity of other resource for it to be recognised hybrid project.
|
Read More
Former BCCI president Shashank Manohar will expectedly serve a second term as the independent chairman of the International Cricket Council after he was elected unopposed by the governing body's Board.
Manohar, who became the first independent ICC Chairman in 2016, will continue for a second two-year term following his unopposed election. According to the election process, ICC Directors were each allowed to nominate one candidate, who had to be either a present or a past ICC Director. Nominees with the support of two or more Directors would have been eligible to contest an election.
However, given that Manohar was the sole nominee for the position, the independent Audit Committee Chairman, Edward Quinlan, who has been overseeing the election process, declared the process complete, and Manohar the successful candidate.
That Manohar will get a second term was clear during last month's quarterly meet of ICC in Kolkata as there wasn't any opposition to his candidature.
During the last two years, Manohar has led the significant reform of the sport, reversing the resolutions of 2014, introducing a revised governance structure, including the appointment of the ICC's first independent female Director.
“It is an honour to be re-elected as the Chairman of the International Cricket Council and I would like to thank my fellow ICC Directors for their continued support. Together we have made big strides over the last two years, fulfilling promises I made to the sport when I was appointed in 2016," said Manohar.
Manohar said that ICC plans to launch a global strategy for the sport. “Over the next two years, we can look forward to launching a global strategy for the sport in partnership with our members so we can grow the game and ensure more of the world can enjoy cricket. The sport is in good health but we are the guardians of the game and we must continue to work hard to maintain that.”
|
Read More
Indian shooter Heena Sidhu clinched the gold medal while compatriot P Shri Nivetha settled for bronze in the women's 10m air pistol at the International Shooting Competitions of Hannover (ISCH) ahead of next week's ISSF Munich World Cup.
Heena was in a rollicking form in the final where she was tied with France's Mathilde Lamolle on 239.8 points. She won the tie to win the gold ahead of Mathilde. While Shri Nivetha finished on 219.2.
The finish marks a strong build-up to next week's ISSF World Cup in Munich. After beginning with a series of scores in the 9s, Heena switched gears and notched up 10 and above consistently to break away from the field. Her second series produced consistent 10s and she even hit a perfect 10.9 in the elimination round to put herself in contention for gold.
After initially fighting for the 3rd-4th position, the Commonwealth gold medallist Indian scored a 10.9 on her 13th shot in the final to take the lead and then held her nerve till the end. Heena qualified for the final in the fourth place scoring 572 while Shri Nivetha topped the qualification with a total of 582. "I am feeling good with how my training is shaping up. Of course, it's not perfect but we are moving in the right direction so it's just a matter of time, said Heena after her gold medal win.
The ISSF Munich World Cup will be held from May 22 to 29 and will be Heena's second major competition after her twin medal success at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the World Cup in Korea. Heena had won a gold in the women's 25m pistol event in Gold Coast and a silver in 10-metre air pistol.
|
Read More
Scientists have developed smart rings and wristbands that can allow users to type on mobile devices using hand gestures.
Using acoustic chirps emitted from a ring and received by a wristband the system is able to recognize 22 different micro finger gestures that could be programmed to various commands - including a T9 keyboard interface, a set of numbers, or application commands like playing or stopping music.
The system can accuratly recognise hand poses using the 12 bones of the fingers and digits '1' through '10' in American Sign Language (ASL).
"A wearable is always on you, so you should have the ability to interact through that wearable at any time in an appropriate and discreet fashion. When we're talking, I can still make some quick reply that doesn't interrupt our interaction," said Cheng Zhang, PhD student at Georgia Tech.
The system is also a preliminary step to being able to recognise ASL as a translator in the future, Zhang said. Other techniques utilise cameras to recognize sign language, but that can be obtrusive and is unlikely to be carried everywhere. "If my wearable can translate it for me, that's the long-term goal," Zhang said.
The system is called FingerPing. Unlike other technology that requires the use of a glove or a more obtrusive wearable, this technique is limited to just a thumb ring and a watch.
The ring produces acoustic chirps that travel through the hand and are picked up by receivers on the watch. There are specific patterns in which sound waves travel through structures, including the hand that can be altered by the manner in which the hand is posed.
Utilising those poses, the wearer can achieve up to 22 pre-programmed commands. The gestures are small and non-invasive, as simple as tapping the tip of a finger or posing your hand in classic "1," "2," and "3" gestures.
"The receiver recognises these tiny differences. The injected sound from the thumb will travel at different paths inside the body with different hand postures," Zhang said.
|
Read More
Scientists have developed a robot with artificial intelligence that taught itself to help humans wear clothes, and could assist people with injuries or disabilities.
The machine, a PR2, taught itself in one day, by analysing nearly 11,000 simulated examples of a robot putting a gown onto a human arm. Some of those attempts were flawless, while others were spectacular failures - the simulated robot applied dangerous forces to the arm when the cloth would catch on the person's hand or elbow.
From these examples, the PR2's neural network learned to estimate the forces applied to the human. In a sense, the simulations allowed the robot to learn what it feels like to be the human receiving assistance.
"People learn new skills using trial and error. We gave the PR2 the same opportunity," said Zackory Erickson, PhD student at Georgia Institute of Technology in the US. "Doing thousands of trials on a human would have been dangerous, let alone impossibly tedious. But in just one day, using simulations, the robot learned what a person may physically feel while getting dressed," said Erickson.
The robot also learned to predict the consequences of moving the gown in different ways. Some motions made the gown taut, pulling hard against the person's body. Other movements slid the gown smoothly along the person's arm.
The robot uses these predictions to select motions that comfortably dress the arm. After success in simulation, the PR2 attempted to dress people.
Participants sat in front of the robot and watched as it held a gown and slid it onto their arms. Rather than vision, the robot used its sense of touch to perform the task based on what it learned about forces during the simulations. The robot is currently putting hospital gown on one arm. The entire process takes about 10 seconds. Researchers said that fully dressing a person is something that is many steps away from this work.
|
Read More
Changes in the body odour may help identify people infected with malaria, even when they show no symptoms of the disease, a study has found.
Blood tests do not necessarily pick up infection with the plasmodium parasite, especially at low parasite densities, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DNA tests for the parasite usually show infection, but they are far from rapid.
"Our previous work in a mouse model found that malaria infection altered the odours of infected mice in ways that made them more attractive to mosquitoes, particularly at a stage of infection where the transmissible stage of the parasite was present at high levels," said Consuelo De Moraes, adjunct professor at the Pennsylvania State University in the US. "We also found long-term changes in the odour profiles of infected mice," said Moraes.
The researchers wanted to see if they could identify changes in human odours associated with malaria infection that might be useful for diagnosing infected individuals.
They were particularly interested in identifying those who were infected, but had no symptoms. The researchers initially used microscopy and an SD Bioline Rapid Diagnostic Test to identify patients with malaria.
Since these methods have limited sensitivity, particularly when parasite loads are low, infections were confirmed by DNA tests. They identified 333 people who unambiguously were either infected with malaria or were not infected with malaria. Only if both microscopy and DNA studies were negative were subjects considered malaria-free. In some later analyses, the researchers included 77 people who were positive for malaria according to DNA, but showed no parasites in the microscopic tests.
|
Read More
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced artificial trans fats from the global food supply by 2023.
Elimination of trans fats is key to protecting the health and saving lives, the WHO said. The global health body estimates that every year, trans fat intake leads to over 5,00,000 deaths worldwide from cardiovascular diseases.
Industrially-produced trans fats are contained in hardened vegetable fats such as margarine and ghee, and are often present in snack, baked, and fried foods. Manufacturers often use them as they have a longer shelf life than other fats.
But, healthier alternatives can be used, which would not affect taste or cost of food, the WHO said in a statement yesterday. "WHO calls on governments to use the 'REPLACE' action package to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from the food supply," WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said. "Implementing the six strategic actions in the 'REPLACE' package will help achieve the elimination of trans-fat, and represent a major victory in the global fight against cardiovascular diseases," he said.
The initiative provides six strategic actions to ensure the prompt, complete, and sustained elimination of industrially-produced trans fats from food supply.
In Denmark, the first country to mandate restrictions on industrially-produced trans fats, the trans-fat content of food products declined dramatically and cardiovascular disease deaths declined more quickly, the statement said. "New York city eliminated industrially-produced trans-fat a decade ago, following Denmark's lead," Dr Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, said. Trans-fat is an unnecessary toxic chemical that kills, and there is no reason people around the world should continue to be exposed to it, Frieden said. He said action is needed in low and middle-income countries, where controls of use of industrially-produced trans fats are often weaker, to ensure that the benefits are felt equally around the world.
|
Read More
The cremation of eminent Indian-American theoretical physicist, EC George Sudarshan who passed away on Sunday in Austin, Texas will be held on 17May.
According to the family sources and close friends, Sudarshan, 86, died of natural causes. He is survived by his wife Bhamathi Sudarshan and two children. The cremation services will be held in Austin, Texas on 17May.
Sudarshan had been teaching as a professor at University of Texas for over 40 years. He served as Honorary Advisory Council Member of Houston Sri Meenakshi Temple.
He was associated with the temple from 1977. Sudarshan, an outstanding theoretical physicist, was born in Kottayam, Kerala, India, in 1931. The professional career of Sudarshan spans five decades. He discovered the V - A theory of weak interactions while working on his PhD thesis under the late Robert E. Marshak.
He has made remarkable discoveries in many fields of physics, including quantum optics, tachyons, quantum Zeno effect, non-invariance groups, positive maps of density matrices, quantum computation, etc.
His contributions include also relations between east and west science, philosophy and religion. In 2007, the Indian government recognised and awarded the physicist with the second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan.
He was also awarded the Dirac Medal in 2010, which is known to be given out to scientists who have made substantial contributions in theoretical physics, computational chemistry and mathematics. The renowned physicist was even recommended for the Nobel Prize nine times but never awarded.
|
Read More
British sports car manufacturer Lister is aiming to set a new world record for the fastest SUV with its upcoming project, based on the Jaguar F-Pace SVR.
To bag the title, the 'Lister Lightening,' needs to perform a 0-100kmph sprint under 3.5 seconds as two of the fastest SUV's the Jeep Compass Trackhawk and Lamborghini Urus clock triple-digit speed in 3.5 and 3.6 seconds respectively.
With a 0-100kkmph sprint record of 3.2 seconds, the Tesla Model X is the fastest electric SUV.
The Lightning is expected to offer close to 700PS of power which is around 100PS more than the standard Jaguar F-Pace SVR.
The Lister Lightening carries Lister's signature yellow and green paint scheme along with a new anti-roll bar, updated spring and dampers, larger but lighter alloy wheels, chunky tires and subtly designed body kit for improved aerodynamic efficiency, according a teaser released by the company.
Since its origin in 1957, Lister Cars have been an active part of motor sporting, retuning Jaguar's automobiles and producing their own supercars.
|
Read More
Shanghai has granted BMW a licence for self-driving car testing, setting up the German luxury brand to become the first foreign automaker to test autonomous vehicles on the road in China.
As global car giants race for an advantage in the world's largest car market, the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Information Technology awarded the two licences for BMW's 7 Series sedans on 14 May the regulator said
Since the city started issuing the testing permits in March, local state-owned automaker SAIC and Chinese electric vehicle startup NIO have logged more than 6,000 kilometres (3,728 miles) of driving without incidents, the commission said.
But the licences do not give automakers access to all of Shanghai's chaotic streets. Instead, they have a 5.6-kilometre stretch of road to drive up and down, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The autonomous car market is ramping up in China as local upstarts, technology behemoths and foreign automakers go head-to-head to produce what many expect to be the future of transportation.
Internet firms Alibaba and its rival Baidu recently predicted that self-driving vehicles will hit the road in the country within three to five years, and both have made big investments to be at the forefront of the shift.
|
Read More
In its bid to create over five lakh job opportunities by 2021 through green skills, the government on Monday launced mobile application to begin enrolments in 30 expert course under its Green Skill Development Programme (GSPD).
The GSPD-ENVIS app, which can be downloaded on mobile phones, is the easiest way to apply for the programmes, an official said.
The cost of the programmes which include 30 courses across 84 institutes like WII-Delhradun, Bombay Natural History Society in Mumbai, Botanical Survey of India in Pune and WWF in Delhi -- will be supported by the Union Environment Ministry.
"GSDP aims to get 80,000 people imparted green skills and filling the skill gaps in the environment sector... number of people to be employed under GSDP will be increased to cover 2.25 lakh people next year and to about 5 lakh people by the year 2021," Union Environment Minister Hash Vardhan said here.
Vardhan pointed out that the aim is to provide skills to the youth of India, especially dropouts. For this, the ministry is using its network and expertise of Environmental Information System hubs and Resource Partners for skill development in the environment and forest sector to enable youth to get employed or for self-employment.
"31 per cent of children are dropouts from school after the secondary stage itself... Priority is to develop skill sets with employability linkage," said Anandi Subramanian, Senior Economic Advisor, Environment Ministry.
Some of the courses to be conducted during 2018-19 include eco-tourism, scuba diving for marine conservation, propagation and management of bamboo, river dolphin conservation, forest entomology, pest control, paralegal practices in environment laws and forestry, and operation and management of sewage treatment plants.
"Some of these courses are unique... The ministry is spending on entire tuition and cost of the material. In some remote locations, we are also looking forward to bear the cost of boarding. However, no stipend will be paid," said a ministry official.
|