Thursday, 30 January 2014

Stratasys Launches Multi Material Color 3D Printer

Stratasys is shaking up the 3D printing game with today's introduction of the first and only machine that combines color with multi-material 3D printing.

The Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer is more than just a mouthful—it features a unique triple-jetting technology, which allows for an almost unlimited combinations of materials and color. It pops out a finished product, no assembly or painting required.

The name of the printer Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer---doesn't quite roll off the tongue, but could have implications for design, engineering and manufacturing.
                                                   
         
While 3D printing is capturing the imagination of consumers to some degree, the real action in the sector revolves around manufacturing and the supply chain.

According to Wired.com, Stratasys, owner of the Markerbot range of 3D printers, claims that the combinations for creating base materials with different rigidity, flexibility, and color combinations are “virtually unlimited.” This printer has the ability to print using different materials and the capabilities to print pretty much any color combination.

The 3D printer combines traditional 2D printer color options with the multi-material printing capabilities. It features “Triple-jetting” technology that allows three base materials, reducing the need for separate runs to paint, thus decreasing the production time needed. Stratasys estimates that it can help to reduce the time that it takes to bring prototypes to market by 50 percent.

While there are other 3D printers, such as the ProJet5500X , these printers only offer a small range of colors including black, white, and gray. The Object500 Connex3 offers not only a wide variety of colors but materials as well.

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

AAP Leaders Not Providing information on Party Funding: Centre to HC

New Delhi: The Centre today told the Delhi High Court that AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, have not provided the information sought by them on the funding received by the party.

"We have asked for certain details from them regarding bank accounts and other information vide our letter dated November 4, 2013.

We had also sent another letter to them. But there is no answer," Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra, appearing for the Ministry of Home Affairs, told the court.
                                                       
Meanwhile, the bench headed by justice Pradeep Nandrajog asked petitioner advocate M L Sharma to also implead AAP as one of the respondents in the PIL filed by him seeking lodging of a criminal case against founding members of the party, including Kejriwal, for allegedly receiving foreign funds in violation of law.

"AAP is a registered political party. Why you have not made them a party? File an amended memo of parties by next date of hearing i.e. February 5," the bench said. Besides Kejriwal, the petitioner has made AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan as party in his PIL.

The high court had earlier asked the Centre to look into "afresh" the accounts of AAP to find out the source of money received by it after its inception.

The order had came after the Centre had filed a report in which it had said that an evaluation of the accounts of civil society of Team Anna was done in 2012 and a report was filed before another bench of the high court last year in a similar PIL filed by the petitioner earlier.

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

Bus Ride Costliest in Kerala in South India

Kochi: Private bus operators are demanding yet another hike after the one implemented over a year ago. And with the Fare Revision Committee appointed by the government supporting the claims of bus owners, it seems another ticket fare hike is on the cards.

But, obviously, the UDF government does not want to go in for a hike immediately as the Lok Sabha polls are round the corner. The hike is very much on the card ones the elections are over.Nearly 35, 000 private buses operate in the state, forming the backbone of the public transportation system.
                                           
The hike is contemplated despite the fact that the state is among the costliest for commuters in the country when it comes to public transportation. The current minimum charge here is Rs 6 against Rs 3 in Tamil Nadu and Rs 4 in Karnataka.click here for more information about Bus Ride Costliest The income per km in Kerala is the highest in South India because of the high density of population and subsequent demand for public transport.

Experts point out that the Fare Revision Committee submitted inflated expenditure figures to the government and another hike close on the heels of the tax rise on autos and taxis proposed in the Budget would lead to commuters deserting the public transport system in the state.

“The committee headed by Justice Ramachandran basically relied on a NATPAC study that showed the average number of passengers per bus as 32 whereas the private bus owners themselves submitted it as 50.

If we take the latter figure then the minimum charge would come to only Rs 3 and the per km charge 33 paise,” said Dijo Kappen of the Pala-based Centre for Consumer Education, who approached the high court against frequent bus fare hikes.

When contacted, NATPAC scientist T. Elangovan stood by the study. “The last year saw diesel prices going up by 12 per cent and wages by 15 per cent (Rs 680 from Rs 580). The insurance charge has also gone up besides spare part costs,” he said.

Monday, 27 January 2014

RPF Staff Shortage Affects Security on Trains

While the South Western railway (SWR) division claims that the helpline, created soon after the July 2012 incident when a wo­man was molested and pushed out of a train, has helped reduce crimes agai­nst women on trains, the culprits are taking advantage of lack of guards during day time.

The railway protection force (RPF) is unable to deploy guards during day due to a shortage of staff. While the helpline rece­ived 213 complaints since August 2012, when it was set up, it received 101 complaints in 2012 and 112 in 2013. Among them, 10 cases were related to misbehaviour with women.
                                             
In one of the cases, the wife of railway personnel was allegedly molested. In another, a group of men harassed a woman and even got into quarrel with her husband. They even tried to push them out of the train. SWR division has pasted stickers of helpline on at least 40 trains which operate from Mysore.

While a train should have four security guards at night, only three are being deployed. According to SWR division sources, though as many as 391 personnel have been sanctioned for RPF Staff Shortage, it currently has only 319, including seven women constables.

In the past thirty years only 40 additional security personnel have been sanctioned for the division, out of which only 27 posts were filled in 2010.

While the Mysore station alone has eight entry poi­nts, it has only one door frame metal detector. Arou­nd 25,000 to 30,000 passengers use the station on any given day. The division needs at least 200 more personnel to handle the rush, sources said.

Friday, 24 January 2014

‘Fellow Martians’ to Meet in Bangalore Today

Bangalore: “Fellow Martians” to meet in Bengaluru? Well, this is not a do of little green men from Mars, but of 62 Indians among 1,058 aspirants worldwide short-listed by Mars One - a crowd-funded project of a Dutch non-profit organization to send 24 to 40 people on a one-way voyage to Mars to build a permanent settlement on the red planet.

They will gather here at the “Million Martian Me­eting” on Saturday to get to known their co-passe­ngers, and about what mo­tivated them to res­pond to the most daring call in history to volunteer to be the first inhabitants of that planet.                            

And, though there are four more rounds of physical and psychological evaluation for these astronaut-aspirants, some like Sandeep Ku­mar Laik, an automation test engineer in a mu­lti-national company in Bengaluru and Am­ulya Nidhi Rastogi, a student of mechanical engineering student from Gurgaon, are getting ready with a list of things they would like to carry with them to Mars.

“As a console gaming freak, I wish I could carry my console (PS3) there along with my favourite songs or movies and PDF copy of the books I like to read,” says Sandeep. And Amulya’s baggage wou­ld include gifts from his parents, girlfriend and friends though he has not started packing his bag yet.

Though Amulya and Vinod Kotiya, a project manager at NTPC Ltd, New Delhi, and father of an 18 month-old baby girl, who has also made the first cut, are concerned about the hazards in­vo­lved—a 6-8 month journey th­rough space, high levels of cosmic radiation and du­st storms on Mars, they are confident that they would be able to overcome them. 

AAP Likely to Announce First List of Candidates For Lok Sabha Polls

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to announce the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections by January 26.

Sources in the party said it will announce candidates for few seats in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana Bihar and Maharashtra. The first list is likely to include the names of senior party leaders and prominent faces.
                                                                 
"First and second round of screening candidates for a few seats was completed last week. We should hopefully release the list of candidates by January 26. "The party may announce potential candidates for a seat and then shortlist one after consulting the active members of the party," said a source.

At its National Executive Committee meeting early this month, party leaders had announced that the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha Polls would be declared between January 15 to 20, but the "tremendous" response and number of applications it received delayed the process.

"The deadline to submit the forms by aspirants wanting to contest Lok Sabha seats was January 15.

However, we are still receiving forms. We have received maximum forms from Delhi and Haryana. In Delhi alone, the ratio is 65 people to 1 seat," party spokesperson Dilip Pandey said.

The party has so far received 2600 forms from 200 Lok Sabha constituencies from aspirants willing to contest elections.

Thursday, 23 January 2014

Top Players 'Intrigued' By IPTL - Bhupathi

(Reuters) - If Novak Djokovic is to be believed then Mahesh Bhupathi has lit the touchpaper for a revolution in tennis.

The doubles specialist is the driving force behind the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), launched earlier this week to great fanfare with a dazzling list of top-rank players already signed up.

World number one Djokovic will be joined in the inaugural edition, scheduled for December 2014, by 11-times grand slam winner Rafa Nadal and U.S. Open holder Andy Murray. Retired grand slam champions Pete Sampras and Carlos Moya will also take part.
                                                             
Among the women, 15-times major winner Serena Williams and twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will be the headline acts.

"The players are intrigued and willing to commit and I think we will bring a whole new set of fans to the sport, with a fast-paced entertaining short concept like this," Bhupathi told Reuters in an interview at the French Open in Paris click here for more information about IPTL - Bhupathi .

The only notable absentees, for now, are Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer, but don't be fooled into thinking the Swiss is not behind the idea - he is.

Whether or not the league, that will take place in six as yet unspecified cities across Asia and will feature players drafted into teams to compete in one-set shootout tennis, soars into orbit or falls flat remains to be seen.

Bhupathi, however, is adamant about one thing - it will be a serious competition and not a glorified exhibition.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

India's 1st Climate Change Theatre opens

Kapurthala: India's first climate change theatre was opened at Pushpa Gujral Science City in Kapurthala on Thursday to educate people on one of the pressing developmental issue in the world.

The 18 meter diameter theatre, inaugurated by Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral, has been set up in a dome shaped building with the seating capacity of 125 persons. "It will provide the visitors an unforgettable experience aiming to sensitize the audience about the currently debated subject of Climate Change Theatre and Global Warming.
                                 
Visitors will be made aware of and have a better understanding and appreciation for the latest climate science and issues surrounding human role in climate change," said a Science City spokesperson.

The theatre provides a unique experience showing videos on two screens - flat and dome shaped and illuminating the static and moving objects along with special light and sound effects, as the video displays storyline of the film. The 25-minute film explores what a worst-case future might look like if humans do not take action on current or impending problems which could threaten civilization. The film starts by giving a glimpse of future - floods, droughts, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Coming back to the present, the Earth introduces itself and talks to the audience about current situation and impacts it is experiencing due to global warming. "The script of the film is connected to locally relevant issues, including people, places and examples that help audiences to connect and understand their role in meeting this challenge," said Science city director general Dr R S Khandpur.


Tuesday, 21 January 2014

SC Ask NCST to Look into ST Status of Meghalaya CM

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to verify the authenticity of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma's ST status which was challenged by political rivals.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, while hearing a PIL challenging the ST status of Sangma, refused to go into the issue and said that the matter be decided by the Commission. It asked the commission to look into the complaint and take a decision within eight weeks.
                                                             
   
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by All Northeast Indigenous Garo Law Promoters Association seeking its direction to hold inquiry into the ST status of Sangma and cancellation of the certificate issued to him on June 23, 1982 .

The association in its petition alleged that Sangma does not belong to the 'Sangma' clan, and that he had used his surname only to obtain a Scheduled Tribe certificate.

Earlier, Meghalaya High Court on October 7 last year had dismissed a PIL that challenged the authenticity of Sangma's ST status.

Sangma had won the 2013 Assembly elections from Ampatigiri in South West Garo Hills. He had also emerged victorious from the constituency in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008.

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Sunanda Pushkar's is a Case of Sudden, Unnatural Death

New Delhi: In a startling revelation, the doctors of AIIMS have revealed that the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Shashi Tharoor, is a case of sudden, unnatural death.

We have found some injuries on the body, the doctors said after  after conducting autopsy on the body of Pushkar, who was found dead at a Delhi hotel Friday night.
                                     
                     
The doctors added that nature of injuries cannot be revealed. They also said that those injuries may or may not be related to her death.
                                           
There is no evidence of any poisoning, AIIMS spokesperson said while talking to media.

The AIIMS team has videographed the entire postmortem process.

Samples have been sent for toxicological analysis to rule out poisoning, they said. A detailed report is expected in a couple of days.

Sunanda Pushkar did not have serious health problems: Kerala doctors

The body of Sunanda Pushkar was earlier in the day shifted to the AIIMS for post-mortem as police continued to probe various angles including suicide in the case.

The body of 52-year-old Pushkar was taken from the Leela Palace Hotel to AIIMS at around 3:30 AM, sources said.

Friday, 17 January 2014

Cricket Author Qamar Ahmed Completes 400 Tests

SHARJAH: Veteran Pakistani cricket publisher Qamar Ahmed became usually a third male in story to cover 400 Test matches on Thursday, during a third compare between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah.

The 76-year-old, fondly famous as Q to friends and cricketers around a world, follows British publisher John Woodcock of The Times and former Australian captain-turned-writer and commentator Richie Benaud to a milestone.
                                                         
In an exclusive interview with Dawn, the globetrotting Qamar Completes 400 Tests looked back at his colourful career which took him to all Test playing nations, barring Bangladesh, during which he saw a lot of milestones achieved and history being made.

Ahmed lonesome cricket’s 1,000th Test, between Pakistan and New Zealand during Hyderabad, Pakistan, in 1984 and a 2,000th, between England and India during Lord’s in 2011.

He has also clocked adult 732 one-day internationals and 8 World Cup tournaments.

“It’s a good honour to finish 400 Test matches as a publisher and we am unapproachable during a distinction,” pronounced Ahmed, a former left-arm spinner who has a eminence of dismissing all 5 of Pakistan’s mythological Mohammad brothers in initial category cricket in 1950s and 60s.

Ahmed was a earnest actor as a immature male and roughly done a Pakistan side for a country’s initial ever debate of a West Indies in 1958, though missed out and motionless to do his ambitions off a margin instead.

“On not removing to play for Pakistan, we went to England and complicated broadcasting though during that time it was tough to get a job, so we had to do peculiar jobs, though luckily we got a mangle in 1974 for British Broadcasting Corporation’s Urdu service,” he told AFP.

Thursday, 16 January 2014

Air Kerala Sprouts New Wings of Hope

Kochi: Kerala’s hopes of taking its dream budget airline, Air Kerala, to the skies have been rekindled with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajith Singh promising that the controversial rule that an Indian carrier must be five-years-old and have 20 aircraft in its fleet to fly abroad, could be discarded by next month.

Ajith Singh said the Civil Aviation Ministry would seek the Union Cabinet’s approval in this regard next month.
                                         
Air Kerala has been in hibernation for the past one year after a core team was constituted in November 2012 by CIAL managing director and director of Air Kerala Sprouts, V.J. Kurien, comprising experts from CIAL in association with project advisor Ernst and Young, to work on the project.

The team was headed by CIAL Assistant General Manager C.Dinesh Kumar and two others. Ernst and Young was expected to submit the Detailed Project Report.

However, after December 2012, the Kerala Government developed cold feet on the proposal after it was found that running domestic services alone for five years wouldn’t be a viable proposition for the airliner. Since then, it has been pressurizing the Central Government to waive the 5/20 clause.

“Six months ago, the Union Civil Aviation Minister had made a similar announcement but nothing happened. Let a decision come from the Union Cabinet waiving the rule and then we can spell out our plans. Air Kerala is fully prepared to start overseas services,” V. J. Kurien told DC on Wednesday.

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Indian, Japan Coast Guards to Enhance Ties

In the backdrop of mounting tensions between Japan and China over Chinese enforcement of a ‘no-fly zone’ over the disputed Senkaku a.k.a Diaoyu group of islands, Indian and Japan Coast Guard chiefs held a high-level meeting in Delhi on Monday. They also witnessed from aboard Indian Coast Guard’s advanced offshore patrol vessel Samrat a joint exercise conducted some 20 nautical miles off Kochi on Tuesday.

“The matter of jurisdiction of Senkaku islands is the biggest issue facing the Japan Coast Guard,” Admiral Yuji Sato, Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard, told the media at a joint interaction aboard ICGS Samrat. “Senkaku is our territory. But due to Chinese advances in the sector, it has come up as an issue now. Our effort, however, is not to escalate it. On a daily basis, we are working hard to ensure safe and secure seas as per the international laws,” he said in response to a query from The Hindu.
                                               
 
Terming his visit as successful, Admiral Sato said the Indian Japan Coast Guard intended to work towards increasing collaboration with its Indian counterpart. He had special praise for the high skill-levels of both agencies. The Admiral said while piracy in the Gulf of Aden was down thanks to intensive multi-naval patrol, the spread of piracy to the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz made it mandatory to enhance capabilities of coastal States in the region to deal with it effectively.

Vice-Admiral Anurag G. Thapliyal, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, said both forces placed emphasis on developing jointness and interoperability in order to be able to work together in a better fashion, understanding each other’s operating procedures.

He said Japan, an archipelagic country, had the second largest Coast Guard in the world which carried out a variety of tasks. “There are areas of benefit to both forces which include cooperation in search and rescue (SAR), pollution response, training and capacity-building and maritime law enforcement.”

Monday, 13 January 2014

Israel's Ex-PM Ariel Sharon Dies, Aged 85

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died aged 85 after spending eight years in a coma following a stroke.

Jerusalem: Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli general and prime minister died aged 85, at a hospital near Tel Aviv on Saturday, reports said.

Israeli Army Radio said quoting a relative of his family that Sharon breathed his last at Sheba Hospital today.
                                                   
Affectionately known as "Arik" among his loyalists, Sharon will be buried next to his second wife, Lily, after a military funeral at 1200 GMT.

Sharon died at Tel Hashomer hospital just outside Tel Aviv, where his family had gathered at his bedside over the past several days as his vital organs reportedly deteriorated. His death was first reported by Israeli Army radio.

Visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addressed Sharon’s condition ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday.

He led his country into a divisive war in Lebanon in 1982 and was branded as indirectly responsible for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps outside Beirut when his troops allowed allied Lebanese militias into the camps. Yet ultimately he transformed himself into a prime minister and statesman.

Sharon's son Gilad announced the death on Saturday afternoon. Sharon's health had taken a downturn over the past week and a half as a number of bodily organs, including his kidneys, stopped functioning, and doctors on Thursday pronounced his condition "grave."

He was nevertheless elected prime minister 18 years later, pledging to achieve "security and true peace", and served until his second stroke. 

Saturday, 11 January 2014

Reserve Bank of India Eases FDI Rules; Exit Norms Relaxed

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday relaxed foreign direct investment regulations to allow investors to exit their investments subject to the conditions of a minimum lock-in period and without any assured returns.

“It is expected that this relaxation will facilitate greater FDI flows into the country,” the RBI said in a statement.                                              
                                         
According to the modified norms, foreign direct investment Eases (FDI) Rules contracts can now have optionality clauses, which allows investors to exit, subject to the conditions of minimum lock—in period and without any assured returns.
                           
Until now, only equity shares or compulsorily and mandatorily convertible preference shares or debentures could be issued to person’s resident outside India under the FDI policy and these instruments were not allowed to have any optionality clause, the RBI said.

FDI in India declined by about 15 per cent to $12.6 billion (Rs 74,971 crore) in April—October. According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, FDI in the same period a year earlier was $14.78 billion.

Food processing industries received $2.14 billion, services $1.36 billion, pharmaceuticals $1.08 billion, automobile $784 million and construction development $699 million.

In a separate notification, the RBI said banks may include a close NRI relative as a joint holder in an individual resident’s existing or new bank account on an “either or survivor” basis.

Friday, 10 January 2014

Banks Arm Twisting Clients Hit By Derivatives Scandal

Chennai: The exporter-victims who have suffered huge losses due to their banks ind­ulg­ing in illegal foreign curr­ency ‘loot’ transactions are being forced by the banks to convert those lo­sses as corporate loans so as to save the bank exe­cu­tives from blame for these scam-related losses, it is alleged.

“This is nothing but an attempt to cover up the scam of illegal foreign cu­r­­rency ‘loot’ derivative transactions and save the concerned bank banks arm Twisting Clients executives. In this process, the firms already hit badly by the scam will soon crumble under the unbearable burden of these fresh loans for no fault of the­irs.
                                                           
 
The customers resisting this conversion of der­ivates transaction los­ses into loans are bei­ng arm-twisted by the ba­nks threatening to stop their accounts and classifying them as NPAs (non-perfo­r­ming assets). This is gr­o­ssly unfair, unethical and illegal as it violates RBI norms,” said Raja M. Sh­an­mugham, MD of Wa­r­s­aw International at Tir­upur.

He is also president of Forex Derivates Cons­u­mers Forum, which was launched in 2008 to get all the victim-firms under one umbrella for fighting the banks which had sold them what these firms allege were fraudulent foreign exchange derivative contracts involving currency which the exp­orter/importer was not concerned with and also, linking the exchange of exposed currency with unconnected currencies.

This scam triggered by some foreign banks led to huge losses to the collaborating Indian banks, whi­ch they passed on to the innocent clients. The los­s­es are estimated to be in the range of Rs 30,000-50,­000 crore and the scam was also believed to have led to the fall of the Indi­an rupee.

Thursday, 9 January 2014

CPM Bid to Contain Revolt in Koyilandy As More Quit

Kozhikode: While CPM infighting in the Malabar region triggered off by the suspension of former Koyilandy area committee secretary N.V. Balakrishnan took a new turn with more and more party members adorning key positions in administrative bodies opting to resign from their posts, the party district committee has started conciliatory steps to snuff out the fuming rebellion in the region.

It is to be recalled that after the Onchiyam rebellion led by slain RMP chief T.P. Chandrasekharan, this is the major rebellion the party is facing in the region. Koyilandy municipal chairperson K.Santha, wife of Balakrishnan, had resigned from the post on Saturday.
                                                     
Anticipating trouble, the LDF constituency convention which was scheduled to be held on Sunday has been postponed indefinitely. C.Hareendran, CPM Bid to Contain Keezhariyoor panchayat president who reportedly submitted his resignation on Sunday withdrew it later following conciliatory talks by the CPM leadership.

Koyilandy MLA  K. Dasan and Kozhikode MLA A. Pradeepkumar are leading the conciliatory talks  between the rebel and official factions. Though the mediators promised to reduce the suspension period of Balakrishnan from one year to six months, Balakrishnan’s supporters demanded that the suspension period be reduced to three months and action be initiated against K.K. Muhammed, present area secretary, against whom corruption charges were raised with party workers providing proof at various forums.

Meanwhile, CPM district secretariat in a press statement on Sunday said that a section of the media had been creating confusion among party workers and the public, misinterpreting the action against Balakrishnan. “The reason for the action was the anti-party content of three articles by Balakrishnan in 4PM News, an eveninger published from Bahrain, criticizing party policies and organizational principles.

Wednesday, 8 January 2014

‘Mission Symbolises India’s Assured Access to Space’

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25) successfully putting the 1,350-kg Mars Orbiter first into its earth-bound orbit on Tuesday “symbolised India’s assured access to space” and it proved that “we can do any type of mission,” said S. Ramakrishnan, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. “With meticulous planning and team work, no mission is beyond our capability.”

VSSC director S. Ramakrishnan says the project is yet another daunting mission with over 400 people working on it. The cost of PSLV launch vehicle has been estimated at Rs 100 crore. “We hope to get the launch vehicle ready along with the integration as we race to the countdown”, Ramakrishnan told DC.
                                     
Another top official of VSSC said the series of seven navigational satellites were the equivalent of what the US had when they launched Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites in earth’s orbit.  If the US had a total 23 satellites for GPS,‘Mission Symbolises India has seven.

“With IRNSS 1B, we will be covering a little more of Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka in the navigational process. With IRNSS 1A already in orbit, we are tapping its full potential as we have already stabilized it.

“IRNSS 1B applications include terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking, terrestrial navigation aid for travelers and visual and voice navigation for drivers and much more”, said a top official of VSCC.

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Telugu Actor Uday Kiran “Ends Life”

Telugu actor Uday Kiran committed suicide by hanging himself in his flat at Srinagar colony, Punjagutta here on Sunday night, the police said on Monday.

Born Jan 26, 1980, Kiran Ends Life began his film career with Telugu film ‘Chitram’ in 2000. The movie proved a super hit. ‘Nuvvu Neenu’, ‘Manasantha Nuvve’ and Sriram were some of the other popular films of the actor. It was only Oct 24 last year that he married his long-term friend Vishita. IANS
                                               
 
The 33-year-old actor ended his life in his flat at Srinagar colony around midnight. He was alone in the flat.

Kiran’s wife Vishita and neighbours rushed him to Apollo hospital at Jubilee Hills after finding his body hanging to the ceiling in a room late on Sunday night. Doctors of the hospital declared him brought dead.

He refused to attend the birthday party of a relative in the city Sunday night and sent his wife for the same.

Vishita grew suspicious when he did not respond to her phone calls after sending her an SMS reportedly expressing his love. She rushed to the flat where she found him hanging from the ceiling in the gym. With the help of neighbours, she shifted him to hospital.

Family members told police that he was in touch with a Tamil filmmaker and was waiting for his phone call Sunday. He became depressed when he did not get the call.

Saturday, 4 January 2014

India to Host First Wimbledon Tennis Event outside UK

India will host the first Wimbledon tennis event outside the UK as 11-time-Tour winner Henman will be in Delhi and Mumbai later this month to launch 'The Road to Wimbledon' with a series of coaching clinics and events offering local children the chance to play at Wimbledon next August.

The clinics are part of two Under-14 National singles events in Delhi (RK Khanna Tennis Centre) and Mumbai (MSLTA Tennis Centre).
                                                   
 
In partnership with the All India Tennis Association (AITA), the Wimbledon Foundation unveiled plans to increase tennis opportunities for junior players with the establishment of two National 14 and Under events in Delhi and Mumbai in January 2014, culminating in a Junior Masters tournament in Delhi in April 2014.

The finalists of the Masters will be invited to the UK National Finals held at the All England Club, Wimbledon, in August 2014.

The top sixteen boys and girls from these two events are invited to the Wimbledon Foundation Junior Masters in Delhi in April with the two boys and two girls finalists invited to compete in the UK HSBC National Finals on the grass at Wimbledon.

The Wimbledon Foundation, the community, charitable and development arm of the All England Club and The Championships, Wimbledon, and HSBC have linked with All India Tennis Association (AITA) on this pilot scheme as the first phase of a long term plan to support the development of Indian tennis.

Friday, 3 January 2014

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Reforms in India

WORDS IN THE ARTICLE

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a direct investment into production or business in a country by an individual or company of another country, either by buying a company in the target country or by expanding operations of an existing business in that country. Foreign direct investment is in contrast to portfolio investment which is a passive investment in the securities of another country such as stocks and bonds.              
       

Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA): The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was legislation passed by the Indian Parliament in 1973 by the government of Indira Gandhi and came into force with effect from January 1, 1974. FERA imposed stringent regulations on certain kinds of payments, the dealings in foreign exchange and securities and the transactions which had an indirect impact on the foreign exchange and the import and export of currency. The bill was formulated with the aim of regulating payments and foreign exchange.

Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA): The Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) is a 1999 Indian law "to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India". (FDI) Reforms in India It was passed in the winter session of Parliament in 1999, replacing the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). This act seeks to make offenses related to foreign exchange civil offenses. It extends to the whole of India., replacing FERA, which had become incompatible with the proliberalisation policies of the Government of India.

It enabled a new foreign exchange management regime consistent with the emerging framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It is another matter that the enactment of FEMA also brought with it the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of 2002, which came into effect from 1 July 2005. Unlike other laws where everything is permitted unless specifically prohibited, under this act everything was prohibited unless specifically permitted. Hence the tenor and tone of the Act was very drastic. It required imprisonment even for minor offences. Under FERA a person was presumed guilty unless he proved himself innocent, whereas under other laws a person is presumed innocent unless he is proven guilty.

Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB): The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is a national agency of Government of India, with the remit to consider and recommend foreign direct investment (FDI) which does not come under the automatic route. It provides a single window clearance for proposals on FDI in India.

Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA): Government of India has set up the Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA) to facilitate quick translation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approvals into implementation, to provide a pro-active one stop after care service to foreign investors by helping them obtain necessary approvals, sort out operational problems and meet with various Government agencies to find solution to their problems. 

Thursday, 2 January 2014

General Bikram Singh Takes over As New Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman

New Delhi: Army Chief General Bikram Singh on Monday took over as the new Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) to succeed Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, who is superannuating on December 31, 2013.

Air Chief Marshal Browne had taken over as the Chairman of COSC on September 1, 2012 on becoming the eldest of all the three Service chiefs. Earlier, he was a member of the Committee since August 1, 2011.
                                               
         
During his stint as Chairman COSC, all the three Service chiefs had agreed to have a permanent chairman of the COSC in the interim even as having a Chief of Defence Staff remained the final goal of the three Services.

Successive governments have also dragged their feet in creating the post of a General No. 1, a tri-Service military chief, either in the shape of a chief of defence staff (CDS) or a permanent chairman of the CoSC.

Gen Singh was also speculated to be a frontrunner in the race for being appointed as the Permanent Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee -- a post which has been recommended by the Naresh Chandra Committee for reforms in the higher defence management.

For General B.K. Singh, who would now head the three services, the main challenge would be the successful induction and integration of the large number of weapon systems that India is either manufacturing or procuring at present.

While earlier, the practice was that the new COSC on taking over used to interact with the media and delve on the challenges and spell out his priorities, the taking over of General Bikram Singh marked a departure from the past.