Category Archives: GENERAL

FaceBook Reaches 2 Billion Active Users, Doubles in 5 Years

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Facebook has reached 2 billion regular users, a registered Facebook user who logged in and visited Facebook through its website or a mobile device, or used its Messenger app, in the past 30 days.

Describing it as another milestone in its growth from a college curiosity to the world’s largest social media network, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosed the number on a Facebook post. “It’s an honor to be on this journey with you,” he wrote.

The member base is bigger than the population of any single country and of six of the seven continents and it constitutes more than a quarter of the world’s 7.5 billion people, said the company.

The figures for May have also taken into consideration the duplicate accounts, according to an estimate from last year, representing about 6 percent of its worldwide user base. Its nearest rival Twitter has about 328 million as of April and Snapchat has 166 million daily users at the end of the first quarter of 2017. WeChat, a widely used service in China, had 938 million monthly active users in the first quarter of this year.

Facebook had 1.94 billion people as of March 31, an increase of 17 percent from a year earlier. Facebook reached its first 1 billion mark in October 2012 and by now it could have doubled the number, compared to its first half.

Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004 in his college dorm room, used its huge reach to get advertisers, offering them highly targeted marketing capabilities based on its data about users, sometimes ignoring privacy complaints in the US and elsewhere. It has about 5 million advertisers now.

Facebook’s growth has increasingly come from outside the United States, such as India, which is one of its major users. Three years ago, US, Canada and Europe accounted for 38 percent of users, compared with about 30 percent in the first quarter of this year, said a report.

Mike Nowak, Product Director and Guillermo Spiller, Product Manager of Facebook have on the occasion launched a personalized video to celebrate bringing the world closer together.

“This wouldn’t have happened without the millions of smaller communities and individuals who are sharing and making meaningful contributions every day. Each day, more than 175 million people share a Love reaction, and on average, over 800 million people like something on Facebook. More than 1 billion people use Groups every month.To show our appreciation for the many ways people support one another on Facebook, we will share several personalized experiences over the coming days,” they said in blog post.

COMEDK Declares Cutoff Ranks for First Round Engineering Admissions 2017

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The COMEDK’s online counselling that started on June 12 for registration has completed the First Round of admission counselling with the cutoffs declared for each of the colleges for engineering seats and the last date for admission will be June 29, 2017.

Students are advised to check the First Round cutoff declared on the website and here is the cutoff for top 10 colleges in Bangalore and Mysore, according to the COMEDK notification released today. Architecture notifications will be published shortly, it said.

At a glance, the sets available for RV College of Engineering in computer science are 49 for general merit and 5 for North Karnataka region and the total fee is Rs.170,000. Same is the case for CEC stream.

To check the seat allocation by cutoff rank, please check the link given below on COMEDK official website:

https://www.comedk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/CUT-OF-RANK-ROUND-1-ALLOTMENT-R1.pdf

(Notified on 28/06/2017)

The students will be given choice until 29th June 2017,11:30 AM to confirm their choice on allotment and to pay fee online from 28th June 2017, 11:00 AM to 30th June 2017,11:30 AM.

The document verification and Allotment letter printing (First come first serve basis) will be done from 6th July 2017 to 10th July 2017. For more details, download the Comedk 2017 Counselling Brochure HERE.

As per the current seat matrix, 45% of seats in private colleges are given under the government quota on the payment of about Rs.50,000 as fee, 30% seats are part of COMEDK quota given under Rs.180,000 per annum fee and the remaining 25%, including the NRI quota, are given by the respective managements on payment of Rs.10 to Rs.30 lakhs depending on their reputation and demand.

When the real allotment is made, students should visit the centre in Bangalore with their original documents and fee payment DDs as specified and get the original allotment letter issued and complete the total fee payment and other formalities.

Here are codes:

COURSE CODE COURSE NAME
ECE Electronics & Communication Engineering
CSE Computer Science & Engineering
ME Mechanical Engineering
EEE Electrical & Electronics Engineering
ISE Information Science & Engineering
CE Civil Engineering
AERSE Aerospace Engineering
BT Biotechnology
TE Telecommunication Engineering
CHE Chemical Engineering
EIE Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering

 

Wildlife Report Calls for Better Human-Wildlife Management to End Conflicts

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Stressing the need to strengthen human-wildlife conflict management across India in view of up to 32 wildlife species damaging life and property in this nation of 1.2 billion people, a recent study published in the July 2017 edition of Human Dimensions of Wildlife sought a better management approach to end the conflict.

The researchers have called for the identification of effective prevention techniques, strengthening existing compensation schemes, and an open inclusive dialogue between local communities, governments, and conservationists.

The authors of the study, “History, Location, and Species Matter: Insights for Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation,” are Dr. Krithi Karanth, conservation scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Sahila Kudalkar, research associate with the Centre for Wildlife Studies.

The study examined the patterns of human-wildlife conflict and mitigation use by 5,196 families from 2011 to 2014 from 2855 villages neighboring 11 wildlife reserves across western, central, and southern India. The study was designed to help inform better policies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

Some of the results of the research are here:

Of the more than 5,000 households surveyed around 11 reserves in India, crops were lost by 71% of households, livestock by 17%, and human injury and death were reported by 3% of households.

Rural families use up to 12 different mitigation techniques to protect their crops, livestock and property. Night-time watch, scare devices, and fencing are the most common mitigation techniques used by rural families in the periphery of reserves.

Families near reserves in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh were most likely to use mitigation. In recent years, these states have recorded high levels of damage by wildlife, and are among states that provide the highest compensation payments across India. In contrast, families in Rajasthan were least likely to protect crops and property.

Across wildlife reserves, people reported average crop losses amounting to Rs. 12,559 (US$194) , and Rs.2,883 (US$44)of livestock losses annually. Such losses constitute a significant chunk of India’s rural economy, where the majority of the population earns less than Rs. 5,000 (US$77) per month.

Said Dr. Karanth: “Resolving human-wildlife conflict requires revisiting the goals of conservation policies and investments by people and organizations. This is especially true with respect to effort and money deployed associated with mitigation and protection. People may be better served by deploying early warning, compensation and insurance programs rather than by focusing heavily on mitigation.”

Said Sahila Kudalkar, “Combined with high poverty, and low awareness regarding government compensation, such families may be most vulnerable to impacts of wildlife damage upon their livelihoods.”

The study was supported by DST Ramanujan Fellowship, National Geographic Society, National Science Foundation, and Rufford Foundation.

‘Shocked and Hurt,’ Retorts Sridevi to Rajamouli’s Remarks on Bahubali Role

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The ongoing issue over Sridevi rejecting the role in Bahubali has reached its peak with director Rajamouli baring the facts in an interview to a daily that the veteran actress had asked for more fees among other demands.

“After hearing series of wishes from her, our team got fed up. We also thought that it would be above our budget to meet her demands. Then we approached Ramya Krishna and she proved herself fantastic and we now feel, we were lucky that we dropped the idea of having Sridevi in our film.”

The second part of the view that they were lucky to drop Sridevi must have irked any actor and the retort was equally strong. “I was shocked and hurt by his interview. Rajamouli is a calm and dignified person. I was very happy to work with him. But, the way he spoke about the issue made me feel very sad,” said the veteran actress who grew up in films from the age of 5 to 54, her current age.

Despite busy with the promotions of her upcoming film ‘Mom’, the actress confirmed that she did turn down the offer in Bahubali for her own reasons and not because of the remuneration.

“I would like to talk about this. It has become such a big issue and people are imagining things [as to why I have said no the film]. I have my own reasons. First of all two parts of Baahubali have come out, and now they are asking me. There are many films, I refused. Why are they not talking about it? Why only this film? I will go there and talk about it,” she told the Telugu news channel NTV.

On Rajamouli remarks, she said, “I don’t know if the producer wrongly told Rajamouli that I made all these demands but it is not in good taste to speak like this.”

 

US Statement on Modi Visit Says ‘Prosperity Through Partnership’ with India

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Following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the White House issued a statement listing a huge array of opportunites explored together in trade, cultural and scientific areas.

“The visit reinforced the close ties between the United States and India that have strengthened both great democracies,” said the statement. Here is the full text of the Highlights issued by the White House:

“Global Partners on Defense and Security

  • Major Defense Partner. The United States remains a reliable provider of advanced defense articles in support of India’s military modernization efforts. United States-sourced defense articles, including the Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial System, Apache attack helicopters, and C-17 aircraft will further enhance the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces and provide additional opportunities for interoperability. Completion of these sales would increase bilateral defense trade to nearly $19 billion, supporting thousands of United States jobs. If selected, United State offers to sell F-16 and F/A-18 fighter aircraft to India would represent the most significant defense cooperation between the United States and India to date.
  • DTTI. The United States-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) remains the premier forum for deepening collaboration on defense co-development and co-production. The seven DTTI Joint Working Groups continue to discuss a range of technologies and platforms for potential co-development, including India’s participation in the Future Vertical Lift program. DTTI representatives met most recently in April 2017.
  • Military-Military Engagements. Key military and civilian defense leaders continue to meet via reciprocal counterpart visits and strategic and policy dialogues, promoting closer service ties and improving interoperability among our forces. The annual MALABAR naval exercise, occurring in July 2017 in the Indian Ocean, will be the most complex to date, including participants from the U.S. Navy, Indian Navy, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. The United States and India also participate in the VAJRA PRAHAR Special Forces exercise, the RED FLAG air force exercise, and YUDH ABHYAS army exercise.
  • Counter-Terrorism Partnership. The United States and India are committed to combatting terrorism in all its forms and to strengthening cooperation on terrorist screening, intelligence, and information sharing, terrorist use of the internet, and multilateral terrorist designations. Reflecting this partnership, the U.S. Terrorist Screening Center and Indian counterparts are cross-screening known and suspected terrorists for investigative and intelligence purposes.
  • Law Enforcement Cooperation. The United States has provided anti-terrorism assistance training for more than 1,200 Indian security personnel since 2008.
  • Facilitating Strategic Trade. The High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) facilitates greater civil high technology and defense trade between American and Indian businesses, leveraging India’s status as a Major Defense Partner. In 1999, 24 percent of all exports from the United States to India required an export license. Currently, licensed exports still make up only a small percentage of trade with India; in 2016, only 0.4 percent required a license, commensurate with the United States’ closest allies and partners.

Committed to Increasing Free and Fair Trade

  • Trade. Two-way trade in goods and services reached $114 billion in 2016. With the Indian economy growing at 7 percent annually, both countries are committed to further expanding and balancing the trade relationship.
  • Aviation. In 2017, Indian airline SpiceJet announced the order of 100 new Boeing 737MAX-8s, bringing its order to 205 planes valued at more than $20 billion and, according to industry, creating and sustaining 130,000 American jobs in the state of Washington and elsewhere. At the Paris Air Show in June, SpiceJet announced a preliminary commitment for an additional 20 Boeing aircraft.
  • India is projected to become the world’s third-largest commercial aviation market by 2020. Through the U.S-India Aviation Cooperation Program, the United States has increased the safety and security of India’s rapidly growing aviation sector, and generated over $600 million in exports of U.S. manufactured goods and services.
  • Trade Facilitation. The United States and India, both signatories to the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), are working together to implement the TFA’s provisions and help lower the cost of trade for both our countries.
  • Investment. According to the Government of India, the United States is one of the top five destinations for investment from India. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that Indian companies have invested over $11 billion in the United States economy, creating and sustaining more than 52,000 jobs. Industry sources indicate these investments are spread across 35 states.
  • Capital Markets. The Department of Treasury and Indian Ministry of Finance continue to collaborate on resolving outstanding tax disputes, building Indian capital markets, and promoting greater bilateral investment. Enhanced technical cooperation includes areas such as the development of India’s municipal bond market. The just-completed issuance of a municipal bond for the city of Pune was India’s first municipal issuance since 2011.

Powering the New India

  • Liquefied Natural Gas Exports and Investment. Indian energy companies have signed more than $30 billion in long-term contracts for U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas (LNG), including from Louisiana and Maryland. Industry estimates that Indian companies have invested more than $10 billion in the United States LNG and shale sectors.
  • Nuclear Power. The United States and India are committed to realizing commercial civil nuclear cooperation, in particular through a contract for six Westinghouse Electric AP-1000 nuclear reactors to be built in Andhra Pradesh, India. Once completed, the project will provide reliable electricity for millions of Indian citizens.
  • Fossil Energy. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency will host a Refineries Performance Optimization Reverse Trade Mission in fall 2017, familiarizing senior executives from Indian refining companies with U.S. technologies that can optimize the performance of India’s oil refineries.
  • Grid Expansion and Modernization. The Department of Commerce will lead a Smart Grid and Energy Storage Business Development Mission to New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai in March 2018 to showcase U.S. technologies and services that can help India address its grid modernization needs. The two countries also announced the Smart Grid and Energy Storage consortia under the U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy and Research Development Center.
  • Energy Finance. The U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance Task Force is delivering recommendations to mobilize U.S. technology exports and American and Indian private investment in India’s $1.2 trillion power market. Additionally, the Department of State is facilitating connections between American and Indian industry, state governments, and universities to advance energy solutions.

Expanding Ties Between Our Citizens

  • Today, nearly 4 million Indian-Americans reside in the United States and over 700,000 U.S. citizens live in India. Last year, the United States Government issued nearly one million visas to Indian citizens, and facilitated 1.7 million visits by Indian citizens to the United States.
  • Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program. The United States began accepting applications from India for the expedited entry program, facilitating travel in both directions that will lead to more business, investment, and tourism. In 2016, Indian visitors in the United States spent nearly $13 billion, making India the sixth largest market for U.S. travel and tourism exports.
  • Skills Development. More than 166,000 Indian students studied in the United States in 2016, contributing $5 billion in economic activity and supporting some 64,000 American jobs. Over the last decade, Indian students contributed $31 billion to the U.S. economy.
  • Entrepreneurship. The United States and India will co-host a Global Entrepreneurship Summit this year in India, focused on supporting women entrepreneurs, and geared toward solving 21st century challenges and improving lives. President Trump has asked Ivanka Trump to lead the United States delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
  • Indian Americans have embraced innovation and entrepreneurship, sitting at the forefront of Silicon Valley’s technology revolution, and founding an estimated 15 percent of Silicon Valley startups. They have helped to develop the Pentium chip, fiber optics, and noise canceling headphones, among numerous other innovations.

Tackling Global Challenges

  • Exploring Space. The United States and India are working together in the exploration of space, from discovering water on the surface of the Moon to sharing data on Mars from our respective orbiters. The joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, scheduled for launch in 2021, will help scientists to better understand some of Earth’s most complex systems and hazards.
  • Afghanistan Development. The United States and India support increased stability and prosperity in Afghanistan and their expanded development coordination and cooperation benefits all three countries. India has spent $2 billion on development assistance to Afghanistan since 2001, and pledged an additional $1 billion in 2016. In September 2017, the United States will co-sponsor the India-Afghanistan Export, Trade and Investment Fair in New Delhi, to promote expanded Afghan commercial ties with India.
  • Global Agriculture Cooperation. Fifty years after the Green Revolution helped India to free millions from hunger, the United States and India have trained more than 1,500 agricultural practitioners from 17 countries across Africa and Asia on specialized farming practices to improve productivity and income.
  • U.N. Peacekeeping Burden Sharing. India and the United States remain committed to U.N. peacekeeping and building the capacity of African partners, training participants from 13 countries and the African Union. The two sides will conduct additional joint training in July 2017 and lead a mobile training team in Africa this fall.
  • Disease Research and Treatment. For more than 40 years, the United States has collaborated with India on disease research, including tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and rotavirus, and non-communicable diseases – cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The United States supports India’s ambitious goal to end TB by 2025, through the scale-up of detection, diagnosis, and new treatments for drug-resistant TB.

Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). As GHSA Steering Group members, the United States and India recognize the importance of strengthening global capacity to counter infectious disease threats. India is working across sectors to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) stewardship, a key threat to global health security and modern medicine. The United States remains committed to supporting India as it develops and implements multi-sectoral national action plans to combat AMR and two national AMR networks for the use of antimicrobial surveillance.”

US President Upbeat as Supreme Court Upholds Decision on Travel Ban

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US President Donald Trump has termed the Supreme Court decision as a clear victory for the country’s national security. He said the court verdict allows him to use the directive as an important tool for protecting the Nation’s homeland. He has appreciated that the court decision was unanimous at 9-0.

A statement by the White House said, “It allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective.”

President Rump said, “As President, I cannot allow people into our country who want to do us harm. I want people who can love the United States and all of its citizens, and who will be hardworking and productive.”

Earlier, a White House spokesperson said the US government will review the decision and determine how to proceed.

The March 6 travel ban imposed a 90-day ban on travelers from Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and a 120-day ban on all refugees entering the United States in order to implement stronger vetting procedures citing recent hike in crimes and attacks on American citizens.

The U.S. Supreme Court in its verdict on Monday upheld President Trump’s temporary bans on travelers from all these six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees and agreed to hear his appeals in the closely watched legal battle that brings cheer to Trump administration for the first time since it took over on January 20, 2017.

The court granted parts of his administration’s emergency request to put the order into effect immediately while the legal battle continues. It said the travel ban will go into effect “with respect to foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”

The Supreme Court however allowed the lower-court injunctions against the ban pertaining to people in the United States who have relatives as foreign nationals abroad and whose rights might be affected if those foreigners were excluded from entry.

 

NASA Denies Anonymous Video on Alien Life Discovery Announcement

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US space agency NASA has denied global hackers group Anonymous claim that it is going make announcement on the discovery of alien life, said a spokesman.

Last week, the hacking group Anonymous posted a video on YouTube that said NASA is about to announce the discovery of life in our galaxy but NASA scientist beyond Earth.

“Contrary to some reports, there’s no pending announcement from NASA regarding extraterrestrial life,” said NASA science chief Thomas Zurbuchen in a tweet.

“Are we alone in the universe? While we do not know yet, we have missions moving forward that may help answer that fundamental question,” Zurbuchen said.

In fact, Anonymous has put out its video based on Zurbuchen’s testimony to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Science and Space in April this year. However, NASA has always maintained that there is no discovery of alien life and Anonymous video (see below) has surprised many.

Anonymous on their website said, “NASA says aliens are coming!” and  uploaded the above video citing alien-friendly comments made by NASA astronauts and space scientists.

Anonymous quoted Zurbuchen’s rendering before a Congressional hearing in April titled “Advances in the Search for Life” that said: “NASA`s recent advances, such as the discovery of hydrogen in Saturn`s moon Enceladus and the Hubble team’s promising results from the oceans of Jupiter`s moon Europa, are promising signs that we’re closer than ever to discovering evidence of alien life.”

“Taking into account all of the different activities and missions that are specifically searching for evidence of alien life, we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented, discoveries in history,” Zurbuchen said. Perhaps the second part of the quote has made Anonymous see NASA forthcoming with an announcement.

 

 

 

Bangalore Faces ‘Pub’ Dilemma, Team Rushed to Delhi over Highway Liquor Ban

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What has been cited during the British period sketches has come up to put Bangalore’s famous Brigade Road and MG Road pubs to closure now, with the Supreme Court effecting ‘No Bars’ on Highways. No one had ever noticed that the famous Brigade Road was part of a highway.

In view of the impending order taking effect from July 1, 2017, the Excise authorities in Bangalore have issued closure notices to liquor licence holders last week citing the SC order.

The notice published in TOI reads: “…As per the SC order, we are instructed to close any shop selling alcohol within 500 metres from national and state highways by June 30. The relaxation (under Karnataka Excise Act) that liquor could be served in these areas given that they are within the city and have a population of more than 20,000 has also been struck down.”

The Karnataka government is contemplating to move the Centre or the apex court for a review petition on the order and has sent a team to Delhi to convince the Centre to denotify the six national highway stretches which run in the middle of new Bengaluru.

Once implemented, hundreds of pubs and liquor vending shops will have to shut their shops on MG RoadBrigade Road, Church Street, Indiranagar and areas around Hosur Road. The loss will amount to about Rs.60 crore in licence fee and Rs.5,000 crore as excise tax revenue to the state.

The option for all these shops is to shift elsewhere and keep away from a distance of 500 metres of highways in the city. “We are ready to renew the licence if they relocate to a different address,” TOI report quoted an official as saying.

Even five star hotels in the vicinity of these highways are in a dilemma over the confusion about which road is a highway and which one is not, as nearly 6 highways run through the heart of the city.

Many shop owners are upset with the state government which had remained lukewarm over the issue and had not acted swiftly when the Supreme Court gave its ruling moths ago.

Al Qaeda New Document Poses Threat to India, Hindu Outfits

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Al Qaeda, almost dead since Osama bin Laden’s shoot-out in 2011, has now turned to Indian Kashmir issue, issuing a threat not only to the Indian army and police but also adding Hindu organisations’ leaders.

In a document called “Code of conduct for Mujahideen in the subcontinent”, Al Qaeda has set its target and issued some do’s and don’ts for its members and affiliates, said a report in the Times of India.

“All personnel of the military are our targets, whether they be in the war zone or in barracks at their bases. Even the personnel on vacation are not exempted due to their battle against implementation of Sharia,” the outfit was quoted as saying in the report.

It said: “Those officers of the military who have the blood of our Kashmiri brothers on their hands are our targets.” Besides making Kashmir its major focus, the document also referred to Maulana Asim Umar, UP, as the ’emir’ (chief) of the so-called al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). It also asked terrorist wings in India to extend their allegiance to what they called the “Islamic emirate of Afghanistan,” said the report.

The TOI report said the Indian intelligence agencies are aware of the threat and thee is close watch on its movements in the country especially after former Hizbul commander Zakir Musa formed a new wing with open support from Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda, founded by Ayman al Zawahiri and led by Osama bin Laden, has Pakistan’s ISI support and has several secret supporters in the country, said reports. The new warning, however, made it clear that the Mujahideen will not attack ordinary Hindus, Muslims or Buddhists, nor will it strike places of worship unlike Islamic State, another terrorist organisation that has been active in Syria and other Arab countries.

The document accessed by TOI reportedly claimed that hostages will be traded for release of arrested members or for extortion or killed. Moreover, the document has made Pakistan and Bangladesh also part of the target region besides India.

President Trump, PM Modi Joint Press Statement Reveals Little (Videos)

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The joint press statement from US President Donald Trump and the visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi elicited too little despite high expectations, especially on deep difference both nations have on several issues.

Trump in his typical speech pointed out that during his campaign, he had pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. “Not many people know it, but both American and the Indian constitutions begin with the same three very beautiful words: We the people,” and yes, democractic nations came together.

Appreciating PM Modi, he said, “In just two weeks, you will begin to implement the largest tax overhaul in your country’s history — we’re doing that also, by the way — creating great new opportunities for your citizens. You have a big vision for improving infrastructure, and you are fighting government corruption, which is always a grave threat to democracy.”

He sought more jobs to be created in the US and asked India to remove trade barriers to encourage the export of U.S. goods into their markets, and help US reduce the trade deficit, which means more concessions from India on American trading companies.

Trump was pleased with India’s decision on Indian Airlines’ recent order of 100 new American planes, one of the largest orders of its kind, which Trump said “will support thousands and thousands of American jobs.”

Then he pondered the energy sector and said, “We’re also looking forward to exporting more American energy to India as your economy grows, including major long-term contracts to purchase American natural gas, which are right now being negotiated, and we will sign them. Trying to get the price up a little bit.”

He thanked PM Modi fro inviting his daugher Ivanka to lead the U.S. delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India this fall and said, “I believe she has accepted.”

Finally, on security partnership, he shared India’s views on terrorism and vowed to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. “We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism.”

On military preparedness, the progress is visible as the US administration has already cleared the $2 billion Drones deal. “Reflecting the partnership, the US has offered for India’s consideration the sale of Sea Guardian Unmanned Aerial Systems, which would enhance India’s capabilities and promote shared security interests,” the joint statement said.

Further, President trump said, both US and Indian militaries will join together with the Japanese navy to take place in the largest maritime exercise (MALABAR) ever conducted in the vast Indian Ocean. Other issues on Afghanistan and North Korea figured in his speech.

In his reply, Prime Minister Modi thanked the US President and pondered on common priorities such as growth and terrorism being model democracies of the world. Increased productivity, growth, job creation, and breakthrough technologies will remain strong drivers of the cooperation, he said.

“I am sure that the convergence between my vision for a “new India and President Trump’s vision for “making America great again” will add new dimensions to our cooperation,” he said.

Finally, Modi termed his visit “very successful, very fruitful.” He concluded his speech inviting President Trump and the First Lady to visit India.”

Rajamouli to do Movie with Mahesh Babu Soon, Not Next One

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Bahubali director SS Rajamouli has revealed in a TV show that he would be making a film with the most-sought-after Telugu actor Mahesh Babu but has given enough indication that it won’t be his next film but later.

Rajamouli has made films with almost all the top Telugu heroes from Jr NTR, Prabhas, Nani and Sunil but remained choosy about his heroes till now. As there were several requests from Mahesh Babu’s managers, the combination would be the most acclaimed one and the movie has to be par excellent by any measure.

In his live interaction on TV with host Rana Daggubati in the “No.1 Yaari” TV show on Sunday the ace director said he would do a movie soon with Mahesh Babu, releasing enough bytes for the TV media for the next two years.

Otherwise, Rajamouli has his hands full on his next film with producer DVV Danayya, which he has repeatedly said will be without any VFX techniques and instead employ more human emotions, a film that may NOT go well with Mahesh Babu in view of his recent debacle over the failure of “Brahmotsavam”.

For all probabilities, it could be Jr NTR, with whom Rajamouli worked in two big hits in the past and it was said that Rajamouli was behind the sugggestion made to Jr NTR to become slim. He had also ruled out Pawan Kalyan who is already busy with his films and possible political career next.

That leaves a film for Mahesh Babu with in producer KL Narayana’s next film employing VFX, strong story line and even a huge budget making it possibly the “Bahubali 3” with ‘Prince’ Mahesh Babu in the lead role and the only question remains unanswered is the storyline.

If the plan for ‘Bahubali 3’ gets through, it would be another Prince who would take the centre-stage and Rajamouli will be keen to rope in the Prince for maximum effect of his next magnum opus.

India’s Bid to Buy $2 Billion Drones May Yield Positive Offers From Tough-Talking Trump Admin

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Within a couple of hours from now, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Donald Trump for their first one-on-one exchange at the White House that may last for 20 minutes to be followed by respective delegations joining the bilateral discussions.

The carrots are already flying in each other’s direction with the US declaring Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, a move that vindicates India’s stand against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. In return, what India offers will be seen at a joint press meeting four hours later.

Otherwise, in display of special relations with India, the White House will host a dinner for PM Modi, which is the first for a foreign dignitary by President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump. Vice President Mike Pence will host a cocktail reception prior to it though.

Trump has sent out friendly gestures describing Prime Minister Modi as a “true friend!”, which could be an indication that the White House is pleased with India’s bid to place an order for $2 billion worth 22 drones for use in Southeast Asian corridor, squarely aimed at China and the growing unease over the South China Sea.

The delegation level meetings are being attended by top Indian officials including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, while the US side will be represented by Vice President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster.

India is keen that Washington DC increases its troops to at least 5,000 more in Afghanistan in the wake of recent attacks on US and Indian embassies and repeated terrorist attacks in Kabul, among others.

What both sides want to avoid is a direct confrontation on Trump administration’s recent decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Agreement and Modi has not uttered a word against Trump so far and may not raise it in his one-on-one meeting either.

Another contentious issue that has to crop up is the H1 B visa that many IT companies, NASCOM and ASSOCHAM have urged Modi to raise during the meeting with Trump. It remains to be seen whether the US administration seeks to dilute its stand or offer some other olive branch in the form of a temporary relief.

If that happens, Modi will be a happy man to return home thumping on his success. But knowing Trump, some surprises will always pop up from his magic box at the most unexpected time and venue.

Rentals in IT-Centric Cities May Come Down in Next 3 Quarters: Assocham Report

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Amid huge layoffs by IT companies, IT-centric companies are witnessing pressure on rentals of homes in cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Gurgaon and Noida, which may decline to the extent of 10 to 20 percent over the next three quarters, said Assocham.

The worst hit was Bengaluru where the fresh inflows of young professionals is declining over the period as they constitute a major chunk of rental home seekers, which is fast bringing down the rentals with many house owners in the India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ slashing their rates, the study found after survey of owners.

“Even in the existing rental deeds, the tenants are seeking better options and no hike in the monthly outgo, quoting the adverse industry outlook. With better options, the market is tilting in favour of the tenants, especially those paying above Rs 50,000 per month,” said the report.

Owing to increase in layoffs, the rentals in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad may come down by 10 to 12 percent while in Pune it may see 20% decline, said the report. In delhi NCR region, Gurgaon and Noida rentals will see a decline of up to 10-15 percent, the study said in its forecast.

Currently, the IT sector employes over 40 lakh people, who are mainly spread over the five cities studied for the report, said Assocham in its report. “The IT and other services like financials are among the sectors which pay well. Besides, the age profile of these employees is quite tempting for the marketers. They are good spenders and want good life,” noted the report.

While rentals are seeing a decline in individual homes, the aprtments and gated communities are seeing the need for more such secure homes for the techies who work as couples and go to office in odd hours. “These factors kept the markets for rentals pushing up, especially in gated and well-equipped housing complexes and societies in Bengaluru, Gurgaon, and Hyderabad,” said D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, Assocham.

Meanwhile, techies in Bangalore have approached the state IT minister for intervention to stop the layoffs in several companies of late to trim the expenses. They had asked the government to ensure better deal while laying off the staff or deferring the move by few more months instead of effecting it overnight making lives of families miserable.

Meet Miss Haryana Manushi Chillar, Crowned Miss India World 2017

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The daughter of doctor parents, who studied at St. Thomas School in Delhi and a student of Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College for Women in Sonepat, Manushi Chillar went on to become Miss India 2017 and she will be representing the country at the Miss World 2017 pageant.

The 54th Femina Miss India World 2017 contest finale was held at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai on Sunday night and Manushi Chhillar was crowned amid glitterati and grandeur on the stage with the first runner-up Sana Dua from Jammu and Kashmir and the second runner-up from Priyanka Kumari from Bihar smiling at cameras. The contest will be shown on Colors TV on July 9, 2017 at 1 PM.

In an interview during the rehearsals, she had said: “The only thing I believe is certain in life is uncertainty and this is what is amazing about the pageant.”

In all, 30 participants from different states participated in the beauty pageant and 15 of them selected as Semi-Finalists and finally five could make it to the Final round where the judges bestowed on her the highest honour on Sunday night. Besides the three finalists, Vinali Bhatnagar won the Miss Active crown whereas Vamika Nidhi won the special award of ‘Body Beautiful’.

This year’s beauty pageant was changed and the selection of 30 girls from 30 states across the country was made after extensive tour of various places like Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand among others where participants came forward to be part of contest.

The costume design was made Manish Malhotra for the finale and all the 30 participants underwent a rigours process under the mentorship of former beauty queens and fashion industry heavy weights like Neha Dhupia, Waluscha De Sousa, Dipannita Sharma and Parvathy Omanakuttan.

Last year’s Miss World 2016 winner Stephanie Del Valle was present among the judges and Bollywood stars Arjun Rampal, Bipasha Basu, fashion designer Manish Malhotra, Abhishek Kapoor, Vidyut Jammwal, Ileana D’Cruz were part of the screening team.

Compered by Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh, the event also witnessed performances of top Bollywood names such as Sonu Nigam, Alia Bhatt, Sushant Singh Rajput and Ranbir Kapoor live on-stage.

Despite India Defeat, Virat Kohli Tops Facebook, with 3.54 Crore Followers, Second Only to Modi

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Despite anger and anguish at India’s defeat in the hands of Pakistan Cricket team at ICC Champions Trophy in London last weekend, Team India Captain Virat Kohli is still most followed celebrity on Facebook, second to PM Narendra Modi.

His followers on Facebook page has 35,444,199 followers, next to PM Narendra Modi’s 41,793,333 followers, reveal the latest figures, suggesting that Kohli may have the potential to become one of the most-followed celebrities in India though he may not overtake Modi’s numbers in terms of popularity.

Despite Kohli’s behaviour in ousting India coach Anil Kumble after the ignominous defeat of India at the Oval, severe criticism of his attitude towards coaches and the team’s discipline, Virat Kohli is not going down in his social media popularity.

Even among the Bollywood celebrities, Salman Khan who was ahead of others, is now trailing behind Virat Kohli with 6 lakh less followers compared to Virat Kohli. Salman Khan has 34,858,909 followers in India and Pakistan while Kohli has 35,444,199 followers.

Kohli also has considerable followers in Pakistan and Bangladesh, show the figures. About 83 percent of his followers are from India, 5 percent from Bangladesh and about one lakh followers are there in Pakistan, show the figures.

On Twitter, Virat Kohli has 16,106,040 followers though he joined the social media platform way back in September 2009. He still leaves a track of his team on Twitter and the latest was at a stopover from London to West Indies with his boys in Blue.

Virat Kohli’s Instagram is relatively new but his followers on this social website too are many at 14.3 million, indicating at his growing stardom in India, which was made possible for the first time by Sachin Tendulkar and next by MS Dhoni and now Virat Kohli. Time for Bollywood to pick up?

 

White House Not to Host Ramadan Dinner, Just Sends Out ‘Eid Mubarak’ Greetings

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As announced earlier, the US White House under President donald Trump has decided to skip the dinner hosted on the occasion for Muslims in the country and instead sent out ‘Eid Mubarak’ greetings in a statement, ending a two-decade-old tradition.

First time the Iftar party in the White House was hosted on December 9, 1805 by the then US President Thomas Jefferson coinciding with the presence of Tunisian envoy to the United States, Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, who had just arrived in the country and even the timing of usual dinners at White House was changed to evening as Muslims fast during the day.

Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and Muslims around the world will mark the end of the holy month by celebrating the holiday Eid al-Fitr, which falls on Saturday or Monday this year depending on moon-sighting in several regions of the world.

But breaking with the tradition of holding an evening Iftaar Party that was religiously followed by his predecessors Clinton, Bush and Obama, President Donald Trump has decided to give it a miss though citing lack of time to plan for it well in advance.

Instead a White House release from Trump and the first lady said:

“Muslims in the United States joined those around the world during the holy month of Ramadan to focus on acts of faith and charity… Now, as they commemorate Eid with family and friends, they carry on the tradition of helping neighbors and breaking bread with people from all walks of life. During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honor these values. Eid Mubarak.”

Rumana Ahmed, who had organised White House Iftar dinners during the Obama administration, told the Washington Post that the break from tradition was unfortunate. She recalled how the dinner changed over the years and included honoring Muslim American youth and recognizing their economic contributions.

“If you look at when it started and how it’s evolved, in a way it’s kind of been in response to conversations happening on a national level and in our society,” said Rumana Ahmed.

President Greets on Idu’l Fitr as Prayers, Celebrations Mark Ramzan

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The President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee has greeted fellow citizens on the eve of Idu’l Fitr, known as Ramzan, which is being celebrated on Monday, June 26, 2017 in India.

In his message the President said, “On the auspicious occasion of Idu’l Fitr, I extend greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens, particularly my Muslim brothers and sisters, in India and abroad. May this joyous occasion, which marks the culmination of the period of fasting and prayer during the Holy month of Ramzan, bring happiness, peace and prosperity and be an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to serve humanity.

May this day, strengthen in each one of us, an unflinching faith in our unity and common destiny that has characterised our composite culture over the ages,” he said.

Earlier, the moon-sighting committee in Nashik announced that the moon has been sighted in most parts of the country, hence, Ramzan can be celebrated on Monday, clearing the confusion on the exact day of celebrations.

Though a cloudy weather deterred sighting of the moon in Nashik, in several part of India it was reported positively by local clerics. “The holy month of Ramzan was celebrated with devotion. Now, it is time for Eid. The Eid-Al-Fitr special prayers will be held at Shahajahani Eidgah ground on Monday,” said maulana Abdul Muktadir Rashidi, Imam of Khadkali Masjid in Old Nashik.

The clerics in Malegaon, Jalgaon and Dhule districts too announced the sighting of the moon on Sunday night and announcing that Eid will be celebrated today.

As mass prayers mark the end of Ramzan, fast-observing month of Muslims, Mumbai police and all city security agencies hyave beefed up security around mosques to avoid any untoward incidents. Several mosques and houses have begun celebrations with illuminated lighting on Sunday and many shops have reported brisk business on Sunday in view of Eid festival shopping.

PM Meets Indian Community in Washington DC, Praises Their Contribution

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As part of his US visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with the Indian community in Washington DC after his CEOs meeting where he pitched for more investments in view of GST roll out and ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in India.

Addressing the Indian diaspora, he noted that they rejoiced whenever there was good news from India, and wanted India to scale newer heights, reflecting their inevitable ties with motherland. He appreciated the role played by the diaspora in contributing towards the American science, education and economy. The Prime Minister was confident that they would play a key role in transforming the country.

The Prime Minister asserted that in the last three years, there has not been a single allegation of corruption on his government.

On technology front, he said reducing corruption was his priority and pass on the benefits of Direct Benefit Transfer to people directly by integrating with Aadhar card. The Prime Minister complimented families which have given up their LPG subsidy as it could help provide LPG connections to 5 crore poor households.

“When I think of a developed India, I think of a healthy India, particularly the good health of the women and children of our nation”, he added.

The Prime Minister said that through technology-driven governance, a modern India is on the cards when appropriate policies and governance are in place, achieving the aspirations of the people of India.

On terrorism, he said the world has now understood the threat it poses and pointed out India’s aggressive surgical strikes undertaken recently across the border to stem terrorists from entering the country.

The Prime Minister also appreciated the role of the Ministry of External Affairs, especially of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in helping people in distress, across the world through Twitter and other online social media interactions.

Modi in US Meets CEOs, Reiterates ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in India

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of his US visit on Sunday met the CEOs of top 20 American firms, including Tim Cook of Apple, Sathya Nadella of Microsoft and Sunder Pichai of Google, and interacted wih them before highlighting his government’s reforms to make India a destination for ‘Doing Business’.

In a tweet, Modi said, “Interacted with top CEOs. We held extensive discussions on opportunities in India.” The 90-minute meeting focused on areas like manufacturing, trade, commerce, and people-to-people contact, young population in India and a rising middle-class.

“The whole world is looking at India. 7,000 reforms alone by GOI for ease of (doing) business and minimum government, maximum governance,” said the PM, according to Gopal Bagley, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The highlight of Modi’s interaction was on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which he termed as a complex task and its implementation may soon be “a subject of studies in US business schools… This shows India can take big decisions and implement them swiftly,” he said.

On bilateral interests, he said, “If America becomes stronger, India will be a natural beneficiary,” which clearly indicates a changed tone in Indian diplomacy hinting at adjusting with changed US global priorities under US President Donald Trump.

Prior to the interaction at the Willard Hotel, where he is staying, Modi had a photo-shoot with CEOs and elicited their views unofficially. He assured them that India under his government would follow ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ principle for greater efficiency, transparency, growth and benefit for all.

“In concluding remarks, PM stresses importance of cooperation for start ups, innovation and tapping huge intellectual, education and vocational training potential in India,” Baglay tweeted.

The CEOs were positive to Modi’s agenda and expressed their willingness to be partners in skill development and education initiatives in India, which many of them have already undertaken as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Pichai told reporters after the meeting that the US companies are looking forward to the roll out of the GST. Tim Cook said the meeting outcome was “Good.” However, the contentious H1B visa issue was not discussed with them as it was a government policy.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) president Mukesh Aghi said the CEOs praised the reforms but the H-1B visa issue was not discussed at the meeting. Other CEOs present included Shantanu Narayen from Adobe, Ajay Banga from Mastercard, David Farr from Emerson, Doug McMillon from Walmart, and Punit Renjen from Deloitte Global, Jim Umpleby from Caterpillar, Alex Gorsky from Johnson and Johnson, Jamie Dimon from J P Morgan Chase, and Marillyn Hewson from Lockheed Martin.

USIBC president Aghi said, “Today, as we witness a paradigm shift in the erstwhile global order, an opportunity has emerged for both countries to set new standards in bilateral ties that will be bound by their shared values.”

Miss India 2017: Miss Haryana Manushi Chillar Wins Crown to Represent India at Miss World 2017 Pageant

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Miss Haryana Manushi Chillar won the Miss India 2017 crown on Sunday night after a scintillating ceremony in Mumbai.

[FLASH: MANUSHI CHILLER WINS MISS WORLD CROWN 2017]

The five finalists included Shefali Sood, Sana Dua, Priyanka Kumari, Manushi Chillar, Anukriti Gusain and Aishwarya Devan who were quizzed further to select three of them to represent India in global pageants while Miss India crown was bagged by  Manushi.  They were quizzed on their plans by Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh and film producer and director Karan Johar.

The 15 semi finalists of Femina Miss India 2017 are Anukriti Gusain (Multimedia winner), Priyanka Kumari, Licha Thosum, Rody H vanlalhriatpuii, Shefali Sood, Triveni Barman, Sana Dua, Aditi Hundia, Navpreet Kaur, Aishwarya Devan, Manushi Chhillar, Audrey D’Silva, Maira Chowdhury, Mannat Singh and Swathi Muppala.

For the very first time every single Miss India finalist is a winner and she is representing her state at the grand finale of fbb Colors Femina Miss India 2017. They battled it out at the fbb Colors Femina Miss India 2017 grand finale held in Yashraj Studios in Mumbai on Sunday, the 25th of June 2017. The winner of the coveted crown will represent India at the Miss World competition.

Prior to event, the state winners were in Rajasthan visiting Amer Fort, Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall Museum, besides host of the iconic destinations in the state. The Rajasthali Resort and Spa played host to the 30 state winners, pampering them with its hospitality. Created by Manish Malhotra, the garments are adorned with handcrafted elements of design, including 3D floral threadwork, intricate brocade, fringes, sequinned highlights, signature jewelled necklines and much more, said the official Miss India website.

Manish Malhotra who designed for the stunning ladies said: “With silhouettes of global influences adorned with traditional handicrafts of India, the idea was to include some colour and texture play in the collection. I have used a lot of interesting pastels and muted colour tints in the garments. The proportion of thread-work in each outfit has been balanced out while pairing them together to enable fluidity for the wearer.”