Decrying the lack of proper sanitation facilities, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said toilets built over the last 10 years across the country are being used for storing food grain.
"In last 10 years, toilets have been built (across the country)...But toilets are not being used for the purpose for which they had been built. They are being used for storing food grain...they have been turned into storage godowns and they have been locked," Ramesh told reporters here today.
The minister chaired a regional review meeting on drinking water supply and sanitation in which representatives from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh participated.
Asked about states where toilets were being used for storing food grain, Ramesh said Punjab was one of them where this practice was being followed.
Not optimistic of achieving the target of making India an open-defecation free country in next 10 years, Ramesh said there were several big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa where it would take at least 15-20 years to become open-defecation free.
"...I do not think that we can achieve this target...we have several big states like UP, Bihar, Orissa and MP where it seems impossible that these states will be open-defecation free by 2022. These states may take 15-20 years," he noted.
Asserting that 60 per cent people in the country still defecate in the open, Ramesh said that the Centre had set a target to become open-defecation free under the 'Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan' in the next ten years.
The financial assistance for setting up a toilet has also been hiked from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 by the Centre, Ramesh said.
Noting that there was a need to bring about a change in the mindset of people, he stressed that strong political will would also be essential to make the country open-defecation free.
He said, "Sikkim has become the first state in the country which is now open-defecation free. By November, Kerala will become open-defecation free, thereafter Himachal Pradesh will in March 2013".
Though Haryana was on course to have sanitation facilities by March 2015, Ramesh said that only two per cent of Gram Panchayats in Punjab have them.
He further said that an MoU would soon be signed with DRDO to have 50,000 bio-digester to facilitate proper sanitation facilities and 1,000 Gram Panchayats would be selected in first phase to set up bio-digester based toilets.
"In last 10 years, toilets have been built (across the country)...But toilets are not being used for the purpose for which they had been built. They are being used for storing food grain...they have been turned into storage godowns and they have been locked," Ramesh told reporters here today.
The minister chaired a regional review meeting on drinking water supply and sanitation in which representatives from Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh participated.
Asked about states where toilets were being used for storing food grain, Ramesh said Punjab was one of them where this practice was being followed.
Not optimistic of achieving the target of making India an open-defecation free country in next 10 years, Ramesh said there were several big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa where it would take at least 15-20 years to become open-defecation free.
"...I do not think that we can achieve this target...we have several big states like UP, Bihar, Orissa and MP where it seems impossible that these states will be open-defecation free by 2022. These states may take 15-20 years," he noted.
Asserting that 60 per cent people in the country still defecate in the open, Ramesh said that the Centre had set a target to become open-defecation free under the 'Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan' in the next ten years.
The financial assistance for setting up a toilet has also been hiked from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 by the Centre, Ramesh said.
Noting that there was a need to bring about a change in the mindset of people, he stressed that strong political will would also be essential to make the country open-defecation free.
He said, "Sikkim has become the first state in the country which is now open-defecation free. By November, Kerala will become open-defecation free, thereafter Himachal Pradesh will in March 2013".
Though Haryana was on course to have sanitation facilities by March 2015, Ramesh said that only two per cent of Gram Panchayats in Punjab have them.
He further said that an MoU would soon be signed with DRDO to have 50,000 bio-digester to facilitate proper sanitation facilities and 1,000 Gram Panchayats would be selected in first phase to set up bio-digester based toilets.
Actress Katrina Kaif has a reason to rejoice as she has topped the list of world's sexiest woman in a poll conducted by a leading men's lifestyle magazine. Katrina, who has a string of films lined up release like 'Ek Tha Tiger', 'Dhoom 3' and Yash Chopra's untitled film with Shahrukh Khan, has for the fourth time topped the list of world's sexiest woman.
She has beaten the likes of her Bollywood contemporaries including Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Hollywood stars like Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and Blake Lively.
"Being sexy is not about clothes. For me to wear a cotton sari without any make-up and still be desirable is sexy," Katrina said in a statement here. On being voted sexy, Katrina says, "I am really excited with the news. It feels nice. It means that people are not voting for me only based on physical looks, they are also looking at me in entirety."
She has beaten the likes of her Bollywood contemporaries including Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Hollywood stars like Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and Blake Lively.
"Being sexy is not about clothes. For me to wear a cotton sari without any make-up and still be desirable is sexy," Katrina said in a statement here. On being voted sexy, Katrina says, "I am really excited with the news. It feels nice. It means that people are not voting for me only based on physical looks, they are also looking at me in entirety."
About a quarter-million computer users around the world are at risk of losing Internet access on Monday because of malicious software at the heart of a hacking scam that the US authorities shut down in November, 2011.
Some blogs and news reports hyped the risk of an outage, warning of a potential "blackout" and describing the Alureon malware as the "Internet Doomsday" virus.
Yet experts said only a tiny fraction of computer users were at risk, and Internet providers would be on call to quickly restore service. They said they considered the threat to be small compared with more-prevalent viruses such as Zeus and SpyEye, which infect millions of PCs and are used to commit financial fraud.
As of this week, about 245,000 computers worldwide were still infected by Alureon and its brethren, according to security firm Deteque. That included 45,355 computers in the United States.
The viruses were designed to redirect Internet traffic through rogue DNS servers controlled by criminals, according to the FBI. DNS servers are computer switchboards that direct Web traffic.
When authorities took down the rogue servers, a federal judge in New York ordered that temporary servers be kept in place while the victims' machines were repaired. The temporary servers will shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, which means the infected PCs that have not been fixed will no longer be able to connect to the Internet.
Some US Internet providers, including AT&T Inc and Time Warner Cable, have made temporary arrangements so that their customers will be able to access the Internet using the address of the rogue DNS servers.
Information on how to identify and clean up infections can be found on a website that a group of security firms and other experts set up: www.dcwg.org.
"It's a very easy one to fix," said Gunter Ollmann, vice president of research for security company Damballa. "There are plenty of tools available."
Many of the machines that remain infected are probably not in active use since most victims were notified of the problem, said security expert Johannes Ullrich, who runs the Internet Storm Center, which monitors Web threats.
The United States has charged seven people for orchestrating the worldwide Internet fraud. Six were arrested in Estonia, while the seventh, who was living in Russia, is still at large. Tallinn has so far extradited two of the men to New York where they appeared in Manhattan federal court.
The case is USA v. Tsastsin et al, US District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 11-cr-878.
Some blogs and news reports hyped the risk of an outage, warning of a potential "blackout" and describing the Alureon malware as the "Internet Doomsday" virus.
Yet experts said only a tiny fraction of computer users were at risk, and Internet providers would be on call to quickly restore service. They said they considered the threat to be small compared with more-prevalent viruses such as Zeus and SpyEye, which infect millions of PCs and are used to commit financial fraud.
As of this week, about 245,000 computers worldwide were still infected by Alureon and its brethren, according to security firm Deteque. That included 45,355 computers in the United States.
The viruses were designed to redirect Internet traffic through rogue DNS servers controlled by criminals, according to the FBI. DNS servers are computer switchboards that direct Web traffic.
When authorities took down the rogue servers, a federal judge in New York ordered that temporary servers be kept in place while the victims' machines were repaired. The temporary servers will shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, which means the infected PCs that have not been fixed will no longer be able to connect to the Internet.
Some US Internet providers, including AT&T Inc and Time Warner Cable, have made temporary arrangements so that their customers will be able to access the Internet using the address of the rogue DNS servers.
Information on how to identify and clean up infections can be found on a website that a group of security firms and other experts set up: www.dcwg.org.
"It's a very easy one to fix," said Gunter Ollmann, vice president of research for security company Damballa. "There are plenty of tools available."
Many of the machines that remain infected are probably not in active use since most victims were notified of the problem, said security expert Johannes Ullrich, who runs the Internet Storm Center, which monitors Web threats.
The United States has charged seven people for orchestrating the worldwide Internet fraud. Six were arrested in Estonia, while the seventh, who was living in Russia, is still at large. Tallinn has so far extradited two of the men to New York where they appeared in Manhattan federal court.
The case is USA v. Tsastsin et al, US District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 11-cr-878.
( Reuters )
The Emerald Ace (Provided by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd.) |
The Emerald Ace, a 60,200-ton car carrier that combines solar power panels with a diesel engine, was shown to the media on June 25 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works.
A ceremony to mark the official completion of construction is set for June 29.
The ship is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 4 percent on a two-month voyage to Europe, officials said.
The 199-meter-long vessel can carry 6,400 passenger cars. The 768 solar power panels installed on its deck have an output capacity of 160 kilowatts, enough to power 50 average households.
Energy is stored in 324,000 lithium-ion batteries in the ship’s hold and fed through to the engine. Excess energy is used to power the ship’s radar instruments, lighting, air conditioning and other equipment.
The Emerald Ace shuts down its diesel engine and relies totally on batteries when in port. It is the first ship in the world to produce no emissions while not at sea, according to shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd.
Panasonic Corp. developed the system that integrates the solar panels with the ship's batteries. The Emerald Ace will be loaded at several ports in Japan before heading for Europe.
( Source: The Asahi Shimbun )
Intel has developed sensors that can be placed closer to the ground--on lamp posts and traffic lights, for example--to create what Intel senior principal engineer Terry O’Shea calls "a community-based approach to sensing."When it’s too hot and you want to open the windows, you want to know if you’ll get a bunch of pollution.
There are a number of use cases for the technology--asthma sufferers will obviously benefit greatly, for example. According to O’Shea, a canal effect causes wind blowing along major thoroughfares to peel off into side streets and alleyways, where air contaminants end up as a result. So in big cities, "when it’s too hot and you want to open the windows, you want to know if you’ll get a bunch of pollution because there’s a big baseball game happened that day," he says.
Eventually, Intel anticipates that sensors already in smartphones will also contribute to weather and pollution data aggregation. "Data coming from people on the streets can be aggregated back to city management dashboards," explains Intel Labs researcher Jessica McCarthy.
Intel won’t reveal how much the sensors cost--they’re still in the prototype phase, anyway--but O’Shea says that they are " two orders of magnitude below the cost level" of current sensors.
Top Stories
Economic fears move front and center as central banks cut rates
The People's Bank of China, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England all acted within one hour of one another Thursday to cut interest rates and boost liquidity as fears mounted over a staggering world economy. For the Chinese central bank, it was the second cut in less than a month and came as something of a surprise. "With the second rate cut in less than a month, the central bank fully delivered its intention of maintaining economic growth," said Guo Tianyong, a professor at Beijing's Central University of Finance and Economics.
Europe's key interest rate gets notched down to a record low
Thursday's cut in Europe's key interest rate to 0.75% marked a record low for the European Central Bank. The move followed up on last week's meeting of European leaders, who vowed to take action to boost the continent's economies. But given already low lending rates, the ECB's move may be seen as mainly symbolic.
Bank of England adds cash injection
The Bank of England injected an additional 50 billion pounds into the U.K. economy by raising the target for the bank's asset purchase program. However, as with the European Central Bank's rate cut, some doubted the move would have much practical meaning. "With quantitative easing bringing little effect and interest rates near rock bottom, it's likely that new tools will be devised in due course," said Tim Ohlenburg, senior economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
U.S. unemployment claims fall; private hiring climbs
Two new jobs figures for the U.S. economy show slight improvement on recent dismal numbers but still offer scant hope of an unemployment turnaround. Jobless claims dropped by 14,000 last week while a private barometer reported the private sector added 176,000 jobs in June. The key June Labor Department unemployment figure is due today.
Agencies dim their outlooks for Barclays after Diamond's departure
Moody's and S&P lowered their outlooks for Barclays after the resignation of chief executive Bob Diamond in a Libor rate-fixing scandal. Barclays is now under pressure to perhaps reduce its investment banking operations. Such a move could prove beneficial over the long run, observed Moody's, but "the uncertainty surrounding such a change in direction is credit-negative in the short term."
Market Activities
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS OVERVIEW
Central bank actions intended to shore up growth in Europe and China produced little excitement on stock markets in either the U.S. or Europe. Tempered remarks from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi warning of downside risk after the bank's interest rate cut sent European stocks into retreat. Later, U.S. stocks rallied a bit after earlier losses, with the S&P 500 ending the day down 0.5%. Here is a continuously updated list of global stock indices.
Economic Trends & Outlook
South Korean economy edges ahead despite eurozone headwinds
The eurozone's extended debt struggles as well as stagnation elsewhere around the world are holding back South Korea's economy, which nonetheless continues to improve modestly for the time being, the country's Ministry of Strategy and Finance reports. Looking ahead, "we have to closely monitor trends at home and abroad while bracing for a possible long-term crisis as well as beefing up policy efforts to reinvigorate the economy," the ministry said in its monthly "green book" report.
Malaysian central bank stays course with key interest rate
While central banks in China and Europe took quick action to support a sagging world economy, Malaysia's central bank on Thursday left its key interest rate unchanged at 3.0%, citing local economic resilience. It was the seventh such decision since May 2011.
Taiwan may be in for a rate boost as inflation picks up
The Taiwan government's target of no more than 2% annual headline inflation may be under threat, analysts say, after a 1.77% year-on-year jump in the consumer price index in June. The country's central bank is now likely to boost its policy rates by 12.5 basis points in the fourth quarter as demand-side pressures increase, said Katrina Ell, an associate economist at Moody's Analytics.
As Philippine inflation cools, rates appear likely to hold steady
The Philippine inflation rate of 2.8% in June is well in line with projections and down decisively from the 5.2% registered a year earlier. Analysts say the reading should allow the central bank to hold rates steady for the remainder of 2012.
Capital Markets & Financial Products
China approves freer use of yuan in zone near Hong Kong
A $45 billion test project for freer trading in the yuan has received approval from the Chinese government. The Qianhai Bay zone of Shenzhen near Hong Kong will have six categories of activity, including finance, taxation and telecommunications, and its regulations will mirror those of Hong Kong. "After these changes, there will be -- in theory -- no holds barred in offshore and onshore yuan flow," said Wang Jianhui, chief economist with investment bank Southwest Securities.
ANZ affirms Asian strategy despite refraining from Tianjin capital boost
ANZ says it will not participate in the capital raising of the Bank of Tianjin, a move that will end with its stake in the Chinese bank reduced from 20% to 17.6%. Nonetheless, ANZ says it has not altered its strategy of aggressively pursuing growth in Asia.
South Korea's debt capital market was a field for big brokers in 1st half
Cash-flush securities firms dominated South Korea's debt capital market in the first half of the year, according to the Maeil Business Newspaper's RaytheM bookrunner league table. Leading the way was Korea Investment & Securities, underwriting 49 bonds worth 4.75 trillion won. Woori Investment & Securities was second with 66 bonds worth 3.54 trillion won.
South Korea's OTC bond market sees 9-month trading high in June
With a 5.1 billion won boost in activity from foreign investors, South Korea's over-the-counter bond market saw daily trade volume at a nine-month high in June. The daily average of 25 trillion won in trading was up 3% from May.
Temasek posts 16% lower profit, citing poor global economy
Citing a difficult investment environment, Singapore's Temasek Holdings posted a 16% decline in net profit for its fiscal year despite 2.6% growth in its portfolio to a record $198 billion Singapore. Looking ahead, Temasek said little improvement is likely given economic difficulties in Europe and the U.S.
Asian fund houses pursue Middle East clients
Asian-based fund houses are turning their attention to Middle Eastern wealth, but strategies differ. Partnerships with local fund houses or distributors are favored by some, but others say more is needed, as suitable partners are hard to find. "You actually find that a number of the international firms do it the hard way -- having the patience to set up an office, finding the people, building the relationships," observed Shashank Srivastava, acting CEO of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority.
Industry & Regulatory Update
China considers eliminating loan-deposit limit
Responding to economists' calls for a spur to growth, China is reported weighing whether to remove the 75% cap on its loan-to-deposit ratio as part of changes in liquidity risk indicators for banks. "A slowdown in economic activity has a lot to do with financial and monetary constraints," noted Teng Tai, chief economist with Minsheng Securities.
South Korea releases new handbook for foreign financial companies
An updated English version of South Korea's procedures handbook for foreign financial companies is now available from the Financial Supervisory Service. The second edition lays out requirements for setting up a financial company or a subsidiary and obtaining approval for changes in large shareholders for banks, investment banks and insurance companies.
Ethics & Standards
China watchdog laments "dictatorship" in state financial institutions
There now exists a "dictatorship" of a few officials that produces insider trading and nepotism in state financial institutions and steps must be taken to eliminate the danger, said Ma Wen, vice secretary of the Communist Party of China's anti-graft Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Ma called for a crackdown and urged bank managers in particular to address problems widely resented by the public.
Economic fears move front and center as central banks cut rates
The People's Bank of China, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England all acted within one hour of one another Thursday to cut interest rates and boost liquidity as fears mounted over a staggering world economy. For the Chinese central bank, it was the second cut in less than a month and came as something of a surprise. "With the second rate cut in less than a month, the central bank fully delivered its intention of maintaining economic growth," said Guo Tianyong, a professor at Beijing's Central University of Finance and Economics.
Europe's key interest rate gets notched down to a record low
Thursday's cut in Europe's key interest rate to 0.75% marked a record low for the European Central Bank. The move followed up on last week's meeting of European leaders, who vowed to take action to boost the continent's economies. But given already low lending rates, the ECB's move may be seen as mainly symbolic.
Bank of England adds cash injection
The Bank of England injected an additional 50 billion pounds into the U.K. economy by raising the target for the bank's asset purchase program. However, as with the European Central Bank's rate cut, some doubted the move would have much practical meaning. "With quantitative easing bringing little effect and interest rates near rock bottom, it's likely that new tools will be devised in due course," said Tim Ohlenburg, senior economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
U.S. unemployment claims fall; private hiring climbs
Two new jobs figures for the U.S. economy show slight improvement on recent dismal numbers but still offer scant hope of an unemployment turnaround. Jobless claims dropped by 14,000 last week while a private barometer reported the private sector added 176,000 jobs in June. The key June Labor Department unemployment figure is due today.
Agencies dim their outlooks for Barclays after Diamond's departure
Moody's and S&P lowered their outlooks for Barclays after the resignation of chief executive Bob Diamond in a Libor rate-fixing scandal. Barclays is now under pressure to perhaps reduce its investment banking operations. Such a move could prove beneficial over the long run, observed Moody's, but "the uncertainty surrounding such a change in direction is credit-negative in the short term."
Market Activities
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS OVERVIEW
Central bank actions intended to shore up growth in Europe and China produced little excitement on stock markets in either the U.S. or Europe. Tempered remarks from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi warning of downside risk after the bank's interest rate cut sent European stocks into retreat. Later, U.S. stocks rallied a bit after earlier losses, with the S&P 500 ending the day down 0.5%. Here is a continuously updated list of global stock indices.
Economic Trends & Outlook
South Korean economy edges ahead despite eurozone headwinds
The eurozone's extended debt struggles as well as stagnation elsewhere around the world are holding back South Korea's economy, which nonetheless continues to improve modestly for the time being, the country's Ministry of Strategy and Finance reports. Looking ahead, "we have to closely monitor trends at home and abroad while bracing for a possible long-term crisis as well as beefing up policy efforts to reinvigorate the economy," the ministry said in its monthly "green book" report.
Malaysian central bank stays course with key interest rate
While central banks in China and Europe took quick action to support a sagging world economy, Malaysia's central bank on Thursday left its key interest rate unchanged at 3.0%, citing local economic resilience. It was the seventh such decision since May 2011.
Taiwan may be in for a rate boost as inflation picks up
The Taiwan government's target of no more than 2% annual headline inflation may be under threat, analysts say, after a 1.77% year-on-year jump in the consumer price index in June. The country's central bank is now likely to boost its policy rates by 12.5 basis points in the fourth quarter as demand-side pressures increase, said Katrina Ell, an associate economist at Moody's Analytics.
As Philippine inflation cools, rates appear likely to hold steady
The Philippine inflation rate of 2.8% in June is well in line with projections and down decisively from the 5.2% registered a year earlier. Analysts say the reading should allow the central bank to hold rates steady for the remainder of 2012.
Capital Markets & Financial Products
China approves freer use of yuan in zone near Hong Kong
A $45 billion test project for freer trading in the yuan has received approval from the Chinese government. The Qianhai Bay zone of Shenzhen near Hong Kong will have six categories of activity, including finance, taxation and telecommunications, and its regulations will mirror those of Hong Kong. "After these changes, there will be -- in theory -- no holds barred in offshore and onshore yuan flow," said Wang Jianhui, chief economist with investment bank Southwest Securities.
ANZ affirms Asian strategy despite refraining from Tianjin capital boost
ANZ says it will not participate in the capital raising of the Bank of Tianjin, a move that will end with its stake in the Chinese bank reduced from 20% to 17.6%. Nonetheless, ANZ says it has not altered its strategy of aggressively pursuing growth in Asia.
South Korea's debt capital market was a field for big brokers in 1st half
Cash-flush securities firms dominated South Korea's debt capital market in the first half of the year, according to the Maeil Business Newspaper's RaytheM bookrunner league table. Leading the way was Korea Investment & Securities, underwriting 49 bonds worth 4.75 trillion won. Woori Investment & Securities was second with 66 bonds worth 3.54 trillion won.
South Korea's OTC bond market sees 9-month trading high in June
With a 5.1 billion won boost in activity from foreign investors, South Korea's over-the-counter bond market saw daily trade volume at a nine-month high in June. The daily average of 25 trillion won in trading was up 3% from May.
Temasek posts 16% lower profit, citing poor global economy
Citing a difficult investment environment, Singapore's Temasek Holdings posted a 16% decline in net profit for its fiscal year despite 2.6% growth in its portfolio to a record $198 billion Singapore. Looking ahead, Temasek said little improvement is likely given economic difficulties in Europe and the U.S.
Asian fund houses pursue Middle East clients
Asian-based fund houses are turning their attention to Middle Eastern wealth, but strategies differ. Partnerships with local fund houses or distributors are favored by some, but others say more is needed, as suitable partners are hard to find. "You actually find that a number of the international firms do it the hard way -- having the patience to set up an office, finding the people, building the relationships," observed Shashank Srivastava, acting CEO of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority.
Industry & Regulatory Update
China considers eliminating loan-deposit limit
Responding to economists' calls for a spur to growth, China is reported weighing whether to remove the 75% cap on its loan-to-deposit ratio as part of changes in liquidity risk indicators for banks. "A slowdown in economic activity has a lot to do with financial and monetary constraints," noted Teng Tai, chief economist with Minsheng Securities.
South Korea releases new handbook for foreign financial companies
An updated English version of South Korea's procedures handbook for foreign financial companies is now available from the Financial Supervisory Service. The second edition lays out requirements for setting up a financial company or a subsidiary and obtaining approval for changes in large shareholders for banks, investment banks and insurance companies.
Ethics & Standards
China watchdog laments "dictatorship" in state financial institutions
There now exists a "dictatorship" of a few officials that produces insider trading and nepotism in state financial institutions and steps must be taken to eliminate the danger, said Ma Wen, vice secretary of the Communist Party of China's anti-graft Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Ma called for a crackdown and urged bank managers in particular to address problems widely resented by the public.
London Cab Fleet To Get Free Wi-Fi
A fleet of London cabs are set to be rigged with Internet access. According to the Inquirer, Greentomatocars will equip 300 cars with SIM cards that will stream Wi-Fi for passengers--just need to hop in and log in with the password “ilovewifi.” 40 London tube stations are already fitted out with Wi-Fi access, with 80 expected to be ready by the time the Olympics begin, thanks to partner Virgin Media. The London overground is also getting wired for Wi-Fi, courtesy of ISP provider The Cloud.
Rumor: Suppliers Prep For Mass Production Of iPad Mini
The iPad mini is a recurring character in Apple rumorology. New information picked up by the Wall Street Journal suggests that work is in fact underway on a smaller version of Apple’s regulation-sized version of the device. According to the Journal’s sources, the screen size will be under 8 inches--this we’ve heard before. But suppliers of parts have also revealed, anonymously, that Apple has asked them to rally for mass production--that's one step ahead of the tests rumored to be underway earlier this year. Considering Apple has trounced the competition when it comes to regular-sized tablets anywhere, a mini version of the device is likely to be no small success.
Rakuten Adds "Pin It" Buttons To Websites
Japanese online megastore and Pinterest backer Rakuten has begun adding "Pin It" buttons to its web stores. To Rakuten’s benefit, the addition could cut out a few crucial steps between "pinners" and "buyers," while helping Pinterest grow on international shores. As TheNextWebpoints out, this is the first time the two companies have combined their services since Rakuten topped off Pinterest’s last funding round with a tidy $100 million.
Online stores have been watching Pinterest’s virally growing, free-spending user base, and its success at surpassing scrapbook status to drive sales has begun to spawn lookalikes (like the newly launched Wisemarkit) optimized to tap its wallet-loosening quality. Meanwhile, Pinterest itself has been pushing to grow its users internationally--after putting out a call for translators, its first three foreign language sites (Iberian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese) are up and running.
WikiLeaks To Release 2.4 Million Private Emails From Syria
WikiLeaks has begun publishing a trove of private emails from Syrian officials. The 2.4 million emails span six years and will be released over the next two months, the group said in a press release. WikiLeaks is calling the series the "Syria Files." It may be a while before revealing information bubbles up from the collection because it was released in bulk and un-parsed, so it will take groups of interested volunteers world-over to sift through the content for telling nuggets of information. As a primer, this is WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange's early take: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria’s opponents." Separately Iceland's government has warned MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a politician and earlier Wikileaks volunteer involved in releasing information about activities in Iraq, not to enter the U.S. for fear of reprisals by the DoJ.
HTC Wins Four-Patent Case With Apple In The UK
After a U.S. judge struck down Apple's request for an emergency ban on HTC smartphones in the U.S., a U.K. judge has greenlit HTC's plans to import its phones into that country. In a ruling on Wednesday, a U.K. judge decided that HTC did not violate four patents that Apple claimed were being breached. The judge also found three of Apple's patents--slide-to-unlock, multi-touch, and multilingual keyboards--invalid and not necessarily patent-like in the first place.
Google's Nexus 7 Tablet Will Lack Some Content In U.K.
One of the advantages that Google's Nexus 7 tablet may have over its Amazon rival the Kindle Fire is that Google wants to push it out internationally sooner, whereas Amazon is overly U.S.-centric now. But it's emerged that when the Nexus hits British shores, it will lack access to Google-distributed TV shows, music, and magazines--limiting the multimedia value of the £160 device. The issue is almost certainly due to international licensing matters, which require Google to seal deals with the relevant distributing bodies in each nation, which it has evidently not concentrated on securing for British buyers. Apple faced this matter with its iTunes store, but has been continually expanding international availability--recently expanding to 12 Asian nations.
A fleet of London cabs are set to be rigged with Internet access. According to the Inquirer, Greentomatocars will equip 300 cars with SIM cards that will stream Wi-Fi for passengers--just need to hop in and log in with the password “ilovewifi.” 40 London tube stations are already fitted out with Wi-Fi access, with 80 expected to be ready by the time the Olympics begin, thanks to partner Virgin Media. The London overground is also getting wired for Wi-Fi, courtesy of ISP provider The Cloud.
Rumor: Suppliers Prep For Mass Production Of iPad Mini
The iPad mini is a recurring character in Apple rumorology. New information picked up by the Wall Street Journal suggests that work is in fact underway on a smaller version of Apple’s regulation-sized version of the device. According to the Journal’s sources, the screen size will be under 8 inches--this we’ve heard before. But suppliers of parts have also revealed, anonymously, that Apple has asked them to rally for mass production--that's one step ahead of the tests rumored to be underway earlier this year. Considering Apple has trounced the competition when it comes to regular-sized tablets anywhere, a mini version of the device is likely to be no small success.
Rakuten Adds "Pin It" Buttons To Websites
Japanese online megastore and Pinterest backer Rakuten has begun adding "Pin It" buttons to its web stores. To Rakuten’s benefit, the addition could cut out a few crucial steps between "pinners" and "buyers," while helping Pinterest grow on international shores. As TheNextWebpoints out, this is the first time the two companies have combined their services since Rakuten topped off Pinterest’s last funding round with a tidy $100 million.
Online stores have been watching Pinterest’s virally growing, free-spending user base, and its success at surpassing scrapbook status to drive sales has begun to spawn lookalikes (like the newly launched Wisemarkit) optimized to tap its wallet-loosening quality. Meanwhile, Pinterest itself has been pushing to grow its users internationally--after putting out a call for translators, its first three foreign language sites (Iberian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese) are up and running.
WikiLeaks To Release 2.4 Million Private Emails From Syria
WikiLeaks has begun publishing a trove of private emails from Syrian officials. The 2.4 million emails span six years and will be released over the next two months, the group said in a press release. WikiLeaks is calling the series the "Syria Files." It may be a while before revealing information bubbles up from the collection because it was released in bulk and un-parsed, so it will take groups of interested volunteers world-over to sift through the content for telling nuggets of information. As a primer, this is WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange's early take: "The material is embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria’s opponents." Separately Iceland's government has warned MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a politician and earlier Wikileaks volunteer involved in releasing information about activities in Iraq, not to enter the U.S. for fear of reprisals by the DoJ.
HTC Wins Four-Patent Case With Apple In The UK
After a U.S. judge struck down Apple's request for an emergency ban on HTC smartphones in the U.S., a U.K. judge has greenlit HTC's plans to import its phones into that country. In a ruling on Wednesday, a U.K. judge decided that HTC did not violate four patents that Apple claimed were being breached. The judge also found three of Apple's patents--slide-to-unlock, multi-touch, and multilingual keyboards--invalid and not necessarily patent-like in the first place.
Google's Nexus 7 Tablet Will Lack Some Content In U.K.
One of the advantages that Google's Nexus 7 tablet may have over its Amazon rival the Kindle Fire is that Google wants to push it out internationally sooner, whereas Amazon is overly U.S.-centric now. But it's emerged that when the Nexus hits British shores, it will lack access to Google-distributed TV shows, music, and magazines--limiting the multimedia value of the £160 device. The issue is almost certainly due to international licensing matters, which require Google to seal deals with the relevant distributing bodies in each nation, which it has evidently not concentrated on securing for British buyers. Apple faced this matter with its iTunes store, but has been continually expanding international availability--recently expanding to 12 Asian nations.
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By now, the world knows about the origin of the term Higgs boson - American physicist Peter Higgs and Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose.
Subatomic Particles Names and Classification according to their discoverers.
A quark is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of the atomic nuclei. Physicist Murray Gell-Mann who discovered it, was scrounging around for a suitable name till he came across the word in Irish writer James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. And you thought physicists were nerds who could never appreciate good literature, huh?
In particle physics, a hadron is a composite particle made of quarks held together by a strong force. Hadrons are of two types: baryons (made of three quarks) and mesons (made of one quark and one antiquark). The best known hadrons are protons and neutrons. The term hadron is derived from the Greek word hadros meaning stout and thick.
A baryon is a composite subatomic particle made up of three quarks (as distinct from mesons, which comprise one quark and one antiquark). Baryons and mesons belong to the hadron family, which are the quark-based particles. The name baryon comes from the Greek word for "heavy" barys, because, at the time of their naming, most known elementary particles had lower masses than the baryons.
Physicist Hideki Yukawa called his carrier particle the meson, from mesos, the Greek word for intermediate, because its predicted mass was between that of the electron and that of the proton. He had originally named it mesotron but was corrected by a German scholar of the Greek language who pointed out there was no 'tr' in the generic Greek word.
In particle physics, a fermion (named after American physicist of Italian origin Enrico Fermi) is any particle characterised by Fermi–Dirac statistics and following the Pauli exclusion principle. They include all quarks and leptons.
Skyrmion is a type of fermion which was proposed by British physicist Tony Skyrme. It is named after the scientist.
A lepton is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. The best known of all leptons is the electron which governs nearly all of chemistry as it is found in atoms and is directly tied to all chemical properties. The name lepton comes from the Greek lepton, meaning fine, small or thin.
Gluon is a type of boson responsible for the strong force between quarks. The term derives from the English word "glue" because of its strong bonding quality.
Quark:
A quark is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of the atomic nuclei. Physicist Murray Gell-Mann who discovered it, was scrounging around for a suitable name till he came across the word in Irish writer James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. And you thought physicists were nerds who could never appreciate good literature, huh?
In particle physics, a hadron is a composite particle made of quarks held together by a strong force. Hadrons are of two types: baryons (made of three quarks) and mesons (made of one quark and one antiquark). The best known hadrons are protons and neutrons. The term hadron is derived from the Greek word hadros meaning stout and thick.
A baryon is a composite subatomic particle made up of three quarks (as distinct from mesons, which comprise one quark and one antiquark). Baryons and mesons belong to the hadron family, which are the quark-based particles. The name baryon comes from the Greek word for "heavy" barys, because, at the time of their naming, most known elementary particles had lower masses than the baryons.
Physicist Hideki Yukawa called his carrier particle the meson, from mesos, the Greek word for intermediate, because its predicted mass was between that of the electron and that of the proton. He had originally named it mesotron but was corrected by a German scholar of the Greek language who pointed out there was no 'tr' in the generic Greek word.
In particle physics, a fermion (named after American physicist of Italian origin Enrico Fermi) is any particle characterised by Fermi–Dirac statistics and following the Pauli exclusion principle. They include all quarks and leptons.
Skyrmion is a type of fermion which was proposed by British physicist Tony Skyrme. It is named after the scientist.
A lepton is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. The best known of all leptons is the electron which governs nearly all of chemistry as it is found in atoms and is directly tied to all chemical properties. The name lepton comes from the Greek lepton, meaning fine, small or thin.
Gluon is a type of boson responsible for the strong force between quarks. The term derives from the English word "glue" because of its strong bonding quality.
In a first in the Middle East as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a teller machine for blind and visually impaired people has been launched here by the Sharjah Islamic Bank.
The ATM features a large Braille keypad, high resolution screen, wide keys, headphone and external speaker to ensure the user's privacy.
The user needs to choose fewer options than in a normal ATM. Though the machine is designed for the visually impaired, it can also be used by others.
The ATM is located at the Emirates Association for the Blind headquarters in Sharjah, where visually impaired people will be trained to use the machine by a team from the bank.
The ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, had recently ordered banks in the emirate to offer facilities to the blind in response to a telephone call made by Manar Al Hamadi, a blind lawyer.
The Sharjah Islamic Bank later opened a bank account for the lawyer.
The ATM features a large Braille keypad, high resolution screen, wide keys, headphone and external speaker to ensure the user's privacy.
The user needs to choose fewer options than in a normal ATM. Though the machine is designed for the visually impaired, it can also be used by others.
The ATM is located at the Emirates Association for the Blind headquarters in Sharjah, where visually impaired people will be trained to use the machine by a team from the bank.
The ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, had recently ordered banks in the emirate to offer facilities to the blind in response to a telephone call made by Manar Al Hamadi, a blind lawyer.
The Sharjah Islamic Bank later opened a bank account for the lawyer.