Google ends its free WiFi service at Indian railway stations
Google is ending its free WiFi service at several Indian stations and around the globe. It was first launched at Mumbai Central railway station. Currently, there are more than 400 railway stations equipped with this facility called RailWire. It is provided by RailTel which is partnered with Google. It registered 2.6 crore user logins in a month and over 9,491 TB of aggregated data consumption.
February 21, 2020
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Interview with Priya Bhavani Shankar: I hope Mafia helps break the 'homely' tag
The 'Mafia' star talks about doing her own stunts in the Karthick Naren film, her first time working with Kamal Haasan in Shankar's Indian 2 and the impact her long term partner has had on her career.
February 21, 2020
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Wall erected in Ahmedabad ahead of Trump visit
Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to Ahmedabad, the government has built a new wall at a few patches to hide slums dotting the road that his convoy would use.
Trees have been trimmed, fully grown palm trees have been planted and even electric poles and pillars of under-construction metro system have been painted while special cameras have been installed along the roads for enhanced security.
Read full article here: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/walls-rise-in-ahmedabad-ahead-of-donald-trump-visit/article30812445.ece
February 20, 2020
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Creating amazing art from electronics
During his free time, Vishwanath Mallabadi is found either segregating and making an inventory of the e-waste that he has collected from different scrap dealers, or working to give the e-waste a new lease of life. Sometimes he finds himself a seat at the division in his office where the safe handling of hazardous e-waste is taught.
This 57-year-old senior consultant with Wipro in Bengaluru aims to give e-waste a new lease of life and make defunct gadgets a part of our life, albeit in a safe way. Vishwanath was in town to showcase his creative collection and talk about putting e-waste to good use at a two-day International Data Science Technology Conference for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. At the first-ever conference of its kind, he spoke of how discarded old phones or the spiral cord of a telephone are not useless for an eco-artist. “No e-waste is a waste for me; I turn it into worthy objects. Over the years I have collected a ton of e-waste. Once I have collected and segregated it, I work on my designs,” says Vishwanath.
February 18, 2020
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A steep rise in LPG prices
The price of auto liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and non-subsidised LPG cylinders have seen a surge. Cylinders weighing 14.2 kg has increased by ₹144.50 to ₹149. This is the steepest since January 2014. The government given per cylinder to domestic users have almost doubled.
It has been increased from ₹153.86 to ₹291.48. Domestic users are entitled to get a total of 12 cylinders each year. The rise is due to the spurt in the benchmark global rates of fuel. Domestic prices of LPG are determined from the import parity price (IPP). IPP is the price that is fixed based on the cost of importing the commodity into a location. It includes ocean freight, customs duties, port dues and the like.
Saudi Aramco's LPG price acts as a benchmark for IPP. This price is then converted into rupees before local costs. The government resets the LPG prices every month based on IPP and prevailing dollar rates. As a result of this, household budgets are bound to go up. The price hike has worried autorickshaw drivers across the country.
February 18, 2020
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India's manual scavenging problem
Despite stringent provisions in the law, manual scavenging continues unabated in India. Manual scavenging is defined as “the removal of human excrement from public streets and dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers”.
The number of people killed while cleaning sewers and septic tanks has increased over the last few years. 2019 saw the highest number of manual scavenging deaths in the past five years. 110 workers were killed while cleaning sewers and septic tanks.
February 16, 2020
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Eat Raja, India's first zero-waste juice shop
Situated in Bengaluru's Malleshwaram, Eat Raja is a zero-waste juice shop.
It has undertaken several initiatives to be eco-friendly. Eat Raja does not use cups, straws or any kind of paper or plastic. The shop offers fruit juice in that particular fruit's shell to avoid any wastage. This not only eliminates the need for water to clean the glasses, but also helpd recycle the solid waste generated.
People who bring their own steel cups can get their drinks for a discount In case a customer asks for a straw, they are provided with a steel straw or one made out of bamboo or leaves The wet-waste generated in the store is also put to use - to make bio-enzymes Bio-enzyme is a multi-purpose, natural cleaner that can be used to wash bathrooms, toilets, floors, and other surfaces.
Eat Raja is run by Anand Raj, a Radio Jockey-turned-businessman.
February 14, 2020
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What is juice jacking and how can it be avoided?
Mobile phones can get infected through a type of cyber attack called Juice Jacking. A USB port is not simply a power socket, you can also use it to transfer and sync your data.
A hacker can tamper with a USB charging port at a public charging station to steal passwords and export data.
February 14, 2020
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Ashok Selvan and Ritika Singh talk love, chemistry, friendship and 'Oh My Kadavule!'
The lead actors of the upcoming Valentine's Day romcom release visit The Hindu office to discuss the making of their film, why romantic comedies need to become a trend in Kollywood again, and confirm if Vijay Sethupathi is playing 'God' or not...
#ohmykadavule #ashokselvan #ritikasingh #vijaysethupathi
February 12, 2020
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Delhi 2020: breaking down the results
The Aam Aadmi Party is heading back to power for a second term in Delhi with the party leading in over 50 seats. Here's a list of key winners and losers.
Early trends pointed to the Aam Aadmi Party’s key candidates leading in important constituencies. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, contesting from New Delhi constituency, is leading against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sunil Yadav by over 20,000 votes.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has retained the Patparganj seat by a little over 3,200 votes. The AAP’s Atishi Marlena was leading in Kalkaji constituency.
February 11, 2020
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Delhi 2020 Elections: Key Winners and Losers
The Aam Aadmi Party is heading back to power for a second term in Delhi with the party leading in over 50 seats. Here's a list of key winners and losers.
Early trends pointed to the Aam Aadmi Party’s key candidates leading in important constituencies. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, contesting from New Delhi constituency, is leading against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sunil Yadav by over 20,000 votes.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has retained the Patparganj seat by a little over 3,200 votes. The AAP’s Atishi Marlena was leading in Kalkaji constituency.
February 11, 2020
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Delhi's Chief Ministers over the years
Since 1952, Delhi has had seven Chief Ministers. Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav was the first CM of Delhi from in 1952 to 1955.
He was succeeded by Indian National Congress' Gurmukh Nihal Singh who assumed office in 1955 just for one year. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 made Delhi a Union Territory under Central control. In 1993, Delhi became the National Capital Territory with its own Legislature and CM.
Madan Lal Khurana from the BJP was the CM from 1993 until he resigned in 1996 after being embroiled in a corruption scandal. He served as the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism in the Vajpayee government.
Sahib Singh Verma served as CM from 1996 to 1998. He began his socio-political journey as a volunteer in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and later climbed the ranks in politics.
Sushma Swaraj served as the first female CM of Delhi for 52 days. She was also the first woman CM from the BJP.
Sheila Dikshit was longest-serving CM of Delhi, as well as the longest-serving female CM of any Indian state. She served for a period of 15 years.
Arvind Kejriwal has served as the CM of Delhi for two terms since 2014. AAP won the 2015 Assembly elections with a historic majority, obtaining 67 out of 70 assembly seats.
February 11, 2020
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Why are RO water purifiers being prohibited?
Homes have been effectively prohibited from installing domestic reverse osmosis (RO) systems by the Union Environment Ministry. The Ministry has issued a draft notification that seeks to regulate membrane-based water filtration systems. A membrane is a barrier that allows certain substances to pass through while blocking others.
The regulation will be in areas where the source of water meets drinking water norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards. However, studies show that the existing quality of piped water is deficient in much of India.
The Ministry was acting on a National Green Tribunal order. The order asked to prohibit use of RO purifiers where total dissolved solids in water are below 500 milligrams per litre.
RO was originally a technology devised to desalinate sea water. It uses “activated carbon” components, such as charcoal and carbon black. These components can filter out contaminants as well as organic substances such as bacteria. It all depends on the filtering material and the number of filters that incoming tap water must pass through.
In making tap water pass through multiple stages of cleaning, RO systems end up wasting a lot of water.
February 10, 2020
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Oscar 2020 highlights and the big winners
Oscars 2020 saw some expected wins and major surprises. The 92nd Academy Awards took place at the Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre. A total of 24 key categories were awarded. Here are a few highlights from the ceremony. Parasite won the Best Picture award. It is the first non-English film to win in that category. The film also bagged Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film and Best Director. Joaquin Phoenix won 'Best Actor' for his role in Joker. Renee Zellweger won 'Best Actress' for Judy. The film 1917 was also a big winner. It won awards for Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects and Cinematography. Brad Pitt was awarded Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Laura Dern bagged 'Best Supporting Actress' award for her role in Marriage Story. It is the first time an actor has won an Oscar for a Netflix movie. The awards ceremony saw performances by Janelle Monae, Eminem, Idina Menzel, Cynthia Erivo, Elton John and Billie Eilish.
February 10, 2020
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Longest stay in space by a woman
Christina Koch has set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman. The U.S. astronaut landed in Kazakhstan on February 6 after 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS). She was accompanied by European astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov in a Soyuz MS-13 capsule. 41-year-old Koch joined NASA in 2013. During her ISS stay she led the 1st all-female spacewalk. Her mission could provide data on how weightlessness and space radiation affects the female body. The information would be useful for NASA's aim of building a space station on the Moon. According to NASA, out of 227 maintenance spacewalks, nearly 2 dozen included women astronauts.
February 09, 2020
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Can the Oscars be predicted?
Hollywood's award season reaches its extravagant finale at the Oscars on February 9 at the Dolby Theatre.
Experts predict Sam Mendes's 1917 , which was first shown to voters barely two months ago, could outflank all rivals. The degree of accuracy of predictions varies, from one predictive model to another.
A model built by independent statistical consultant Iain Pardoe has proved to be one of the most accurate. Pardoe uses three basic patterns which include using Awards preceding the Oscars as an important data point, the inter-relationship between nominations, and past nominations of lead actors and directors. Between 1938-2018, Iain Pardoe's model has accurately predicted 71% of the Oscars winners.
This year's Oscar favourites include 1917 for Best Picture, Sam Mendes as Best Director, Joaquin Phoenix as Best Actor and Renée Zellweger as Best Actress.
However, the Academy has thrown up surprises on many occasions. For example, in the 2016 Oscars, Moonlight with a 2% chance beat La La Land which had 97%.
February 09, 2020
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Can masks protect you from the novel coronavirus
The world is running out of masks and other protective equipment against the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organization chief warned on February 7.
“The world is facing a chronic shortage of personal protective equipment,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. He also said countries must not hold back clinical data on confirmed cases of virus.
But face masks are not designed to filter small airborne particles. The N95 respirator is a specialized mask that is said to be more effective in filtering such particles. It is named so because it ostensibly blocks at least 95 per cent of very small airborne particles. The respirator is thicker than a face mask because of which it is challenging to put on and to wear them for long periods of time. Special training on how to properly fit these respirators around the nose, cheeks and chin are given to hospital staff.
Only N95 respirators that are certified by NIOSH must be used. An N95 respirator cannot be cleaned or disinfected. All FDA-cleared N95 respirators are labeled as "single use", disposable devices. Although the respirators are available online, they are not recommended for common use in countries like India yet.
- with inputs from PTI and AFP
February 08, 2020
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope ends its mission
NASA has decommissioned the Spitzer Space Telescope, one of its greatest observatories which has studied the universe by detecting cosmic infrared radiation for more than 16 years.
Launched in 2003, Spitzer Space Telescope was one of NASA's four Great Observatories. Spitzer along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory constituted NASA's four Great Observatory programme.
In 2016, NASA made a decision to close the Spitzer mission in 2018 in anticipation of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). As the launch of the JWST got postponed, the Spitzer mission was granted it's fifth and final extension, which ended on Januray 30th 2020.
February 08, 2020
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What happened to BlackBerry?
At one point of time the QWERTY keyboard was synonymous with BlackBerry. The company was founded in 1984 as Research in Motion.
Its first handheld device, BlackBerry 850, was announced in 1999.
The Blackberry 5810 which ran on a 2G network was launched in 2002.
It became the device of choice in corporate America due to its enterprise-level security and business functionality.
In 2005 it launched BBM, its mobile instant messenger. Apple launched its first phone in 2007, opening the market to full touch screen phones. In 2008 it launched Storm, its first full touch phone.
A majority of American big businesses and government organizations still relied on BlackBerry’s security, reliable email, and utilitarian functionality.
It hit its peak in 2013 with 85 million BlackBerry subscribers worldwide In 2016.
It announced that it would no longer be making devices of its own. TCL picked up the license and started manufacturing the phones under the brand of BlackBerry Mobile.
Under CEO John Chen, BlackBerry, from being a smartphone-only firm, has refashioned itself around its enterprise and software services. TCL has announced in 2020 that it will stop selling BlackBerry phones after Aug 31.
February 07, 2020
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How is India dealing with coronavirus?
Coronavirus outbreak has now been declared a global emergency. On February 6, 2020, the death toll in China rose to 560. The disease, which originated in China's Wuhan, has now spread to 20 countries, including in India. Here is how India is dealing with the outbreak. Three positive cases have been confirmed so far, all in Kerala. All are students studying at Wuhan University. They have been kept under observation in an isolation ward. India has temporarily suspended e-visas for travellers from China. Indian citizens have been asked to refrain from travel to China. They have also been warned that in case of travel on return from China, they could be quarantined. India also successfully evacuated its citizens from Wuhan. A total of 650 people were brought back in special flights in two phases. As on February 2, 58,658 passengers from 445 flights have been screened for symptoms.
February 07, 2020
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R. Santhanam and his wife Vadivukkarasi have no less than 16 dogs as pets.
The family brought their dogs for vaccination at a camp organised by the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and animal Science University in Chennai. “Since we are treating our dogs regularly here, we were informed in advance by the doctors to participate in the vaccination drive,” said Mr. Santhanam, who hired a mini-truck to transport his dogs to the veterinary college from Tondaiarpet. | 📷 S.R. Raghunathan
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An acrobat demonstrates her skills at a rally to mark the 390th birth anniversary of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Nagpur on February 19. | 📷 S. Sudarshan
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By March, Chennai's Kannagi Nagar will be India's fifth art district, with 16 of its walls sporting large scale murals by national and international artists. 📷 M. Karunakaran
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The Supreme Court has upheld the Delhi High Court's ruling that women officers in the Army can be given permanent commissions. The apex court has given the Centre three months to implement the ruling.
Upholding the 2010 judgment, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said that the Centre's submissions that women are physiologically weak were based on a deeply entrenched stereotype that men are dominant and women are caretakers, and that taking care of the family is a woman's job. (Left to right) Lt Col Anjali Bisht, Lt Col Seema Singh, Lt Col Sandhya Yadav and Lt Col Sonia Sehwal celebrate outside the Supreme Court, after the judgment. | 📸 R.V. Moorthy
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A sea of roses in exotic shades of red, blue and green - it might make for a stunning photo, but did you know that sellers often inject roses with artificial dyes to get these eye-popping colours?
India’s tryst with roses goes back to the Mughals who, according to the Indian Rose Federation, came to the country with camel-loads of the flowers. Bengaluru’s climate was perfect to grow it, and the city's appetite for the flowers certainly helped. Today, Bengaluru is a thriving rose hub, selling 30 to 40 lakh rose stems each day.
This Valentine's Day, The Hindu photographer Bhagya Prakash K takes a look at the rose trade in Bengaluru’s K.R. Market. Click the link in bio for more details.
#roses #valentinesday #bengaluru #karnataka #bluerose
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Meet Umesh Gopinath Jadhav. Hailing from Maharashtra, Umesh traveled 61,000 km across India to meet the families of the 40 jawans who lost their lives in the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019.
Umesh, along with many others, paid homage to the jawans who lost their lives in the attack at the newly inaugurated memorial in Pulwama’s Lethpora area. | 📷 Nissar Ahmad
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Students of X and XII preparing for their exams at Ganesh Temple inside heritage Jogeshwari Caves in Mumbai. HSC and SSC exams will starts all over Maharashtra from February 18 and March 4 respectively. | 📷 Aadesh Choudhari.
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Folk artistes get ready to perform Chindu Yakshaganam, a traditional dance ballet, at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad.
Traditionally performed in temple precincts from dusk till dawn, Yakshaganam bears a resemblance to Kathakali. The colour of the costumes depends on the character depicted. | 📷 G. Ramakrishna
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A child dressed as Arvind Kejriwal at the AAP headquarters in New Delhi. Early trends show the ruling Aam Aadmi Party leading in the Delhi Assembly elections. Exit polls had predicted a big win for the party. | 📸 R.V. Moorthy
#delhielections2020
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"...But anyway I am here to recap the show for the bunch of nominees that don't look like me..." the Indian-American actor-singer Utkarsh Ambudkar, known for his role in 'Pitch Perfect' and 'The Mindy Project', showed off his rapping skills as he recapped the halftime show in rhythmic rhymes at the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The audience errupted in applause with his concluding lines:"Keep an open mind. I'm sure you'll find that there's plenty of light here for us all to shine." | 📷 AFP
#oscars #oscars2020
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As a measure of conservation of Manipur pony, one of India’s five indigenous horse breeds, the State hosts an international polo tournament.
Sagol Kangjei, from which the modern game of polo originated, rides on the back of an indigenous breed of horse. The Manipuri pony is now a threatened breed, its numbers slowly decreasing. Rapid urbanisation has left the animal with no grazing ground. Even Waithou in Imphal has lost a once flourishing grazing field. Considered descendants of the Asian wild horse, Manipuri ponies have been recognised as one of the five indigenous horse breeds of India; the others being Marwari, Kathiawari, Zanskari and Spiti. Smaller than the other breeds, the Manipuri pony is well known for its stamina, speed and ability to survive harsh weather.
Click the link in bio for more from the weekly photo feature. | 📸 Ritu Raj Konwar
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A farmer with the locusts he caught from his wheat fields at a village in Mansa district of Punjab.
Swarms of locusts were spotted in the border districts of Punjab and Haryana, putting the farmers on high alert for a possible threat to the standing Rabi crop. Locusts are short-horned grasshoppers, with highly migratory habits. | 📷 Akhilesh Kumar
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