India will fulfil responsibilities on climate: Modi to Obama

India will fulfil responsibilities on climate

Paris (Fance): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 30^th November 2015, said India will fulfil all its responsibilities with regard to climate change as he met US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the climate summit at Paris.

Modi, in his meeting with Obama, also appreciated the openness with which the US President addresses issues with him and said it will help in developing a better understanding.

"India will fulfil expectations from it and its responsibilities...the country is working to take forward development and (protecting) environment together," Modi said at a joint press event with Obama.

The Prime Minister also mentioned India's ambitious target of producing 175 GW of renewable energy.

Prime Minister's comments came in the backdrop of India's strong resentment to US Secretary of State John Kerry's statement that India would be a "challenge" at the climate conference. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar described the comments as "unwarranted".

Javadekar and Kerry accompanied Modi and Obama respectively along with other senior ministers and officials.

Modi also talked about solar alliance initiative saying it will help in fulfiling the dreams which have brought the countries together here.

Ahead of his talks with Obama, Modi had said that there was an urgent need to craft a comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement to limit global warming. .

NASA’s new device to find life in alien planets

NASA’s new device to find life in alien planets

Wahington:  NASA scientists have a new device up their sleeves to help find life on other planets. The rectangular box is being called the "Chemical Laptop," but it's really more of a portable, automated chemistry lab that can be built into future NASA rovers.

The Chemical Laptop has one primary goal, according to NASA: to find molecules associated with life. Specifically, it's designed to find amino acids and fatty acids, which are key to proteins and cell membranes, respectively, in life here on Earth.

Samples obtained on Mars or elsewhere need to be dissolved in water before they can be analyzed. The Chemical Laptop uses something researchers are likening to an espresso machine to heat up and dissolve the samples in water. Dyes and other chemical additives will be used to help mark molecules in the samples, and anything that's obtained will be analyzed by a laser in the device.

But the tool won't just be able to tell if there are amino acids or fatty acids on an alien planet. It can determine additional information that could help determine whether those amino acids actually came from a life form.

A particular amino acid can come in either a left- and right-handed variety; the two versions, called enantiomers, have identical physical properties, but they are mirror images of each other. Here on Earth, life has evolved to almost exclusively use the left-handed versions. Many biological reactions will retain the "handedness" of a molecule — for whatever reason, left-handed came to dominate life that we know. But it's equally possible that right-handed amino acids could dominate life on another planet. What's not likely is that an alien life form would use an equal mixture of the two — if a sample contained an equal mix, the molecules probably didn't come from life.

Since the left- and right-handed versions are so similar, they can be difficult to distinguish — especially on a faraway planet. To solve this problem, some of the dyes used by the Chemical Laptop only work with left- or right-handed amino acids. That will then let researchers see the composition of a sample, and determine if it's likely life existed on the planet.

Jessica Creamer, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says in a statement that if an excess of one was found, "That would be the best evidence so far that life exists on other planets." She added that the Chemical Laptop "would be the most sensitive device of its kind to leave Earth," if and when it's implemented on future missions. So far, a version of the device has already been demonstrated here on Earth — now it just needs its chance in space.

PM Modi leaves for Paris climate summit

PM Modi leaves for Paris climate summit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 29^th November 2015, left for Paris to attend the world conference on climate change amid his emphasis that it is the responsibility of all to work against global warming.

“Leaving for Paris, where I will join @COP21. In the Summit, we will deliberate on crucial issues relating to environment & climate change,” he tweeted just before his departure.

“At the @COP21 will inaugurate India Pavilion, showcasing India’s harmony with nature, environment & commitment to mitigate climate change,” Modi said in another tweet.

The Prime Minister said he and French President Francois Hollande will jointly host a meeting of International Solar Alliance.

Modi will also attend ‘Mission Innovation’ being hosted by US President Barack Obama. Prior to his departure, the Prime Minister said in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’:

 “The whole world is worried about climate change. There are discussions everywhere over it and concerns are being expressed…. The temperature of the Earth should not increase now. It is the responsibility and concern of all

His emphasis on the responsibility of all assumes significance as the developed world is trying to place greater onus on developing nations like India in the fight against climate change. India has been maintaining that the developed countries have been the major polluters over centuries and should assume greater role in fighting global warming by funding and transferring low-cost technology to developing nations.

Joining a select group of countries, India said it will provide USD 2.5 million for the vulnerable nations in the Commonwealth to help them introduce clean energy and reduce green-house gas emissions. 

Brace for frequent extreme heat waves, scientists warn

Brace for frequent extreme heat waves

London:  With the help of a new method to model heat wave magnitude, scientists have projected that extreme heat events are likely to increase both in severity and number during the next two decades.

"Even if global mean temperatures do not increase too much, we will see more extreme heat events," said one of the study authors Simone Russo from European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy.

"These will be hotter, longer, and more frequent," Russo warned.

The new method to model heat wave magnitude that the researchers developed takes both the duration and the intensity of the heat wave into account, and proposes an improvement to the existing index used to quantify heat waves.

The researchers also considered the 2015 warm weather, and compared it with the top 10 European heat waves since 1950.

The 2015 summer heat wave had a lower magnitude than that which occurred in the summer of 2003, but was comparable to other heat waves, the researchers said.

"Its largest anomalies (higher than average temperature) and duration were recorded in Switzerland in July, and Germany in August," Russo said.

The findings were detailed in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Scientists Caught Giant Black Hole Swallowing Star

Scientists Caught Black Hole Swallowing Star

Washington :  Astronomers have caught black holes in the act of murdering stars before. But a study published Thursday, 26th November 2015, in Science claims to have caught a step in the crime that has remained elusive until now.

In addition to catching evidence of the star's destruction -- an inevitable death caused by the massive, inescapable gravitational pull of a dense supermassive black hole -- the scientists saw a hot flare of matter escape from the scene of the crime.

You can basically think of it as a hot plasma burp.

The researchers say this is the first time anyone has successfully picked up the radio signal produced by this jet of escaping matter. These black hole jets have been seen before, but they've never been directly linked to a star being torn apart -- and the phenomenon remains pretty mysterious.

"These events are extremely rare," study author Sjoert van Velzen, a Hubble fellow at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement. "It's the first time we see everything from the stellar destruction followed by the launch of a conical outflow, also called a jet, and we watched it unfold over several months."

The deceased star was quite similar to our own, but sat a staggering 300 million light years away. It was done in by the type of supermassive black hole thought to sit in the center of most galaxies -- including our own.

Ohio State University scientists were the first to catch the murder in progress using an optical telescope, which they announced online in 2014.

Along with researchers from the University of Oxford, van Velzen used different telescopes to gather optical, radio, and X-ray signals from the event as it unfolded. The researchers hope that they'll be able to catch more black hole burps in progress, so they can figure out the exact mechanism behind the purge.

We still have a lot to learn about black holes. Luckily, NASA has dubbed November 27 "Black Hole Friday.

You can watch the giant blackhole swallowing Star video clicking here the image below:

Modi discusses GST bill with Manmohan, Sonia

Modi discusses GST bill with Manmohan, Sonia

New Delhi: Hopes of a thaw on the GST bill emerged on Friday night, 27^th November 2015, with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaching out to the Congress leadership, which will discuss within the party the government's response to its three objections on the measure.

The government will establish "fresh contact" with the Congress once the party completes its internal discussion on the three issues of "their concerns" on which they made their position clear, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after Modi met his predecessor Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

This is the first direct outreach by Modi to the principal opposition ever since he came to power last year in a bid to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament in the winter session.

Modi had invited Singh and Gandhi for a tea at his residence where the discussions covered issues pending before Parliament, particularly the large number of bills that have accumulated over the past two sessions.

PM Modi praises Nehru, previous governments

PM Modi praises Nehru, previous governments

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 27th Novemeber 2015, lavished praise on Jawaharlal Nehru and hailed all previous governments as he struck a conciliatory note after two days of debate during First Constitution Day  that saw sparks fly between the opposition and treasury benches.

Ending two days of discussions in parliament on the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, widely seen as the architect of the constitution, Modi reached out to the opposition while underlining the diverse nature of the country.

Once the debate ended, Modi -- for the first time since taking office in May 2014 -- invited and met both his predecessor Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at his house and discussed the contentious GST.

A second meeting is expected after the Congress holds discussions within on the Goods and Services Tax.

In parliament, Modi made it clear that all governments had contributed in building India.

"No one can say that the earlier governments have not done anything for this country," Modi said, looking at opposition MPs. "I am not saying this today. I have said this from the Red Fort."

And in a rare gesture, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader praised Nehru, India's first prime minister, for his role in the constituent assembly and for his ability to concede other points of view.

He cited an incident when socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia quoted statistics to tell Nehru that his government's policy was wrong.

"Nehru said I cannot refute your statistics," Modi went on. "He (Nehru)showed greatness."

The prime minister's tribute to Nehru was in contrast to the earlier sparring between Congress and BJP leaders over the legacy of Nehru and Ambedkar.

Modi lauded the role Ambedkar played in framing the Indian constitution without any bias although he suffering indignities because he was a Dalit.

"It was a tribute to Ambedkar's personality that he bore all humiliation but there was no sense of revenge in him; the no sense of revenge is reflected in the constitution.

"To frame the constitution of a country like India, it is not easy."

But Modi quickly pointed out that other leaders too played a key role in framing the constitution, which he described as "a binding force in a diverse country".

And the spirit of the parliamentary discussion today was about "us" and not about "you" or "me".

Earlier, the Congress and the BJP sparred in the Rajya Sabha.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley referred to the subversion of the constitution by Hitler, making a not-so-subtle link to the imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi in 1975.

"Fundamental rights were snatched during the Emergency," he said, and pointed out that "you imposed Emergency, detained opposition leaders, censored newspapers".

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad accused the Modi government of "manufacturing" intolerance, and said it was trying to "re-write history" by not crediting Nehru for the constitution's preamble.

"We didn't speak about Pandit Nehru even once. How is it possible that we are discussing the objectives of the constitution and we don't mention Nehru.

"Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel are being pitted against each other even though they aren't alive. This is what is called intolerance.

"The atmosphere in the country in the last one-and-a-half years is against the constitution of India."

Jaitley interrupted Azad by asking: "Why do you have so much grudge against Ambedkar?"

The Congress leader retorted: "You can talk about Hitler, and we cannot even talk about our first prime minister? This is intolerance." 

WhatsApp helped to catch Gang Rapists!

WhatsApp helped to catch Gang Rapists!

MUMBAI:  Over a fortnight after a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped by her friend and three of his friends, the sordid crime came to light on Wednesday, 26^th Novmeber 2015, when her aunt received a video clip of the act on WhatsApp.

The boys had used the same clip to threaten the survivor into silence, but then they shared it with their friends on WhatsApp, after which the video went viral, eventually reaching the girl's aunt. The crime had taken place on November 8, when the girl's friend called her to his friend's house, saying he needed help with studies.

Waiting there were the four boys, all of whom are between 15 and 16 years and from the same neighbourhood and school as the girl, cops said. The boys made sure to call her there when no other family members were home. When she got there, they took turns raping her and recorded the whole act on their mobile phone.

The accused threatened to make the clip public if the survivor told anyone. However, one of the boys shared the video on WhatsApp, after which it quickly spread. The survivor's father had passed away, and her mother works abroad, so she lives with her sister, grandmother and aunt.

On Wednesday, the aunt was shocked to receive the same clip. She showed it to the girl, who broke down and narrated the ordeal. Her aunt immediately rushed to Malad police station and registered an FIR.

The police too swung into action and nabbed all the accused. They were booked under Section 376 (G) (gang rape) of the IPC, as well as under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The survivor's grandmother said, "The whole family is in trauma, but the police have supported us." "All four were produced before a juvenile court, after which they were sent to the Dongri correction home, where they will be questioned by a child welfare officer," said Senior Police Inspector S Sandbhor of Malad police station.

Second incident in 5 days

This was, in fact, the second such incident in Malad in a span of five days, with a 21-year-old also allegedly being gang-raped by her husband's colleagues. The woman used to live in Thakurli, Thane, with her husband and two children until recently.

They moved to Malad after her husband's friends said they had found a better paying job for him as a security guard in Malad. But on Diwali - November 11 - when her husband went out for night duty, two of his friends - Dhanbahadur Pirva (38) and Karan Bika (30) allegedly raped her.

She kept quiet about it as well, as they had threatened to kill her husband. But the next day, two other men - Jagat Bhaga and Kalamveer Pirva - turned up the same way and raped her, after which she told her husband everything, once he returned from night duty.

All four accused were arrested on November 17 under Section 376 (G) of the IPC. According to the cops, while Bhaga was a driver for a businessman, the other three were watchmen.

Kalam’s grandnephew bids good-bye to BJP

Kalam’s grandnephew bids good-bye to BJP

New Delhi: APJ Abdul Kalam's grandnephew APJ Sheikh Salim quit the BJP on Monday, 23^rd November 2015 in protest against the government's refusal to declare the former President's bungalow a memorial.

According to sources,, Salim wanted 10, Rajaji Marg in Lutyen's Delhi to be converted into a memorial for the "people's President" as he was popularly known. ​The sprawling house is now occupied by controversial Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma.

In a recent TV interview, Sharma had called APJ Abdul Kalam "a great man who was a nationalist and humanist despite being a Muslim", a statement that was widely criticized, even as many artists and writers blamed the Modi government for rising intolerance in the country.

Salim lived with Kalam at his official Rajaji Road bungalow till the latter's death, Times Now said. He had joined the BJP in September, after Kalam's death in July.

Death sentence to 5 persons for gangrape and murder

Death sentence to 5 persons 

for gangrape and murder

Keonjhar (Odisha):  Five persons were on Monday, 23^rd November 2015 awarded death sentence by a court in Keonjhar district of Odisha for gangrape and murder of a minor girl over three years ago.

Additional District and Sessions Judge, Champua, Jadumani Mishra pronounced the death penalty for the five persons for gangraping and killing the 13-year-old girl in a forest near Belkundi village under Barbil police station jurisdiction on August 1, 2012.

The girl, a class 8th student in the Municiality High School at Barbil, was returning home from tuition when seven persons forcibly took her away to a nearby forest and gangraped her, the prosecution said.

When the girl did not return, the family members and others carried out a search and her body bearing injury marks was found a little away from the village.

While five of the accused persons - Mata Munda, Mangal Purty, Jiten Munda, Biswanath and Harjit Singh - were arrested two others are still at large.

Bird Hit Caused Katra Chopper Crash

Bird Hit Caused Katra Chopper Crash

Woman Pilot, 6 Pilgrims killed

JAMMU:  A bird-hit soon after take-off downed the helicopter that killed six pilgrims from Vaishno Devi and a woman pilot in Jammu's Katra on Monday, 23^rd November 2015. The aircraft -- which was returning from Sanji Chhat to Katra -- crashed and caught fire.

Eyewitnesses said the pilot, Sumeeta Vijayan, crashed while trying to land in an open space.

But the former Air Force pilot failed, as the tail rotor of the helicopter got damaged and the aircraft got out of control. The single-engine chopper was built in 2010.

"A bird was found dead near crashed helicopter. It seems the helicopter collided with bird that led to crash. We'll be inquiring further," said Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh.

The helicopter belonged to the privately-run Himalayan Heli Services, which also runs choppers for the Chardham Yatra. The aircraft -- which was returning from Sanjichat to Katra -- crashed soon after take-off and had caught fire.

Initial inquiries indicated that the chopper could have crashed ostensibly due to the fog, sources said. Several flights had been unable to land at the Jammu airport this morning due to the foggy weather.

But the authorities are also looking into the possibility of mechanical failure in the aircraft.The helicopter belonged to the privately-run Himalayan Heli Services, which also runs choppers for the Chardham Yatra.

The bodies, which have been recovered, are being identified, sources said. The pilot, Sumita Vijayan, was the chief pilot of the company.

Thousands visit Vaishno Devi, one of the major pilgrim centres of India, every day. During the recent Navratras, more than one lakh people had paid obeisance at the cave shrine.  Many of them, especially the elderly people, use the chopper service, since the cave can be accessed only after a 10-km trek.

Cow Protection Law came in to Force in Haryana

Cow Protection Law came in to Force 

Narnaul (Haryana):  With cow protection law coming into force in Haryana, stringent punishment will be given to those indulging in cow slaughter or selling or eating beef, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said.

With the issuance of notification of the Bill on November 19 after the Presidential assent, cow slaughter in Haryana will now attract a rigorous imprisonment ranging from three years to 10 years.

"The Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill has come into force," Khattar said addressing a public meeting on Saturday, 21^st November 2015, after inaugural function of new building of Baijnath Chaudhry Government Women College, constructed at a cost of Rs 15 crore by Nangal Chaudhary Baijnath Charitable Trust in Mahendargarh district.

Khattar said, "The Bill was passed unanimously by all 90 members of Assembly including three Muslim legislators who hail from Mewat", a Muslim dominated region.

He said that people belonging to Muslim community have also appreciated the cow protection law passed by the Assembly in March this year and assured that they will provide every possible help in its implementation.

Khattar urged the people residing in urban areas that if they are unable to rear cows in their houses, they could ask their relatives living in rural areas to rear an extra cow on their account.

Notably, under the provisions of the new law, cow trafficking, slaughtering and eating beef are banned in the state.

For "protection and upkeep" of cows, Haryana Assembly had in March this year passed the Bill which clamps a complete ban on cow slaughter in the state and provides for a rigorous imprisonment ranging from three years to ten years for killing the animal.

Khattar said the Haryana government has implemented several schemes to promote cow rearing in the state.

Under these schemes, grants up to 50 per cent were given for setting up mini dairy with minimum five cows and incentive ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 was being given for rearing indigenous cows.

Meanwhile, speaking on education sector, Khattar asserted that the state government is committed to provide quality education.

He said that "new experiments" are being done for the improvement of education sector.

"New experiments are being done for the improvement of education sector under which big private educational institutions and government schools would work in coordination," the Chief Minister said.

Pankaj Advani pockets 15th world title

Pankaj Advani pockets 15th world title

HURGHADA: India's most successful cueist Pankaj Advani on Saturday, 21^st November 2015,  added another feather in his cap by winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship after battling past his Chinese opponent Zhua Xintong in the final to take his world title count to 15.

Advani, 30, once again mesmerised the green baize to prevail over the teenage sensation 8-6 in the best-of-15 final at Sunrise Crystal Bay resort here.

The victory for Bengaluru's 'Golden Boy' comes just after he clinched the IBSF Billiards crown in September. He is also the first person in history to take the short (6-Red) and the long snooker format in the same calender year.

India's poster of cuesport, who led 5-2 in the first session, looked unstoppable against his talented opponent even after the break, but was tested by the 18-year-old cueist in a match which saw top snooker at display.



Leading 6-2 after the break, Advani's march was halted by Xintong when he pulled back two frames to give the champion cueist a taste of his own medicine.

Advani held his nerve to make it 7-4, but the youngster wasn't done yet. Xintong went ballistic in the next two frames to make the multiple world champion eat humble pie and a match was on at 7-6.

Xintong drew first blood in the 14th frame, but Advani dug deep into his reservoir of experience to finish the tournament in style with a century break of 109.

United Nations declares Fight against ISIS

United Nations declares Fight against ISIS

Unpresedent resolution adopted by UN

United Nations:  All able states should join the fight against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and redouble efforts to prevent further attacks by the militant group, the United Nations security council has declared in a unanimous vote on Friday, 20^th October 2015.
The 15-member council adopted a resolution that was drafted by France after a series of deadly attacks in Paris killed 130 people and were claimed by Isis.

“The  Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security,” said the resolution.

Isis used the chaos of Syria’s nearly five-year civil war to seize territory in Syria and Iraq, where a US-led coalition has been bombing the militants for more than a year, while Russia began airstrikes in Syria in September.

The group has recently  claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger plane in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board, and attacks in Lebanon, Turkey and Tunisia.

The council resolution “calls upon member states that have the capacity to do so to take all necessary measures ... on the territory under the control of Isil [Isis]” It also urges states to intensify efforts to stem the flow of foreigners looking to fight with Isis in Iraq and Syria and to prevent and suppress financing of terrorism.

“Welcome to everybody who finally woke up and joined the club of combating terrorists,” Syria’s UN ambassador, Bashar Ja’afari, told reporters before the vote on the French-drafted resolution.

The British prime minister, David Cameron, who is seeking to extend Britain’s airstrikes against Isis into Syria, called the vote on the French-drafted text an “important moment”.

7 Minutes Meditation to cut racial prejudice!

7 Minutes Meditation to cut racial prejudice!

London:  Not just making you calm and creating a feeling of kindness, a mere seven-minute of meditation daily can help reduce racial bias too, a new study shows.

 The researchers found that just seven minutes of a meditation technique called Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) directed to a member of a specific racial group (in this case, a black person) was sufficient to reduce racial bias towards that group.

 The Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) is a Buddhist practise that promotes unconditional kindness towards oneself and others.

 "This indicates that some meditation techniques are about much more than feeling good and might be an important tool for enhancing inter-group harmony," said lead researcher Alexander Stell, doctoral student in psychology from University of Sussex.

 LKM is known to engender happiness and kindness to oneself and others through repeating phrases such as "may you be happy and healthy" while visualising a particular person.

 Some previous studies have shown that inducing happiness in people, for example by exposing them to upbeat music, can actually make them more likely to have prejudiced thoughts compared to those hearing sad music.

 For the new study, 71 white, non-meditating adults were each given a photo of a gender-matched black person and either received taped LKM instructions or instructions to look at the photos and notice certain features of the face.

 Both conditions lasted just seven minutes.

 The researchers then scored the reaction times of the participants who were asked to match up positive and negative words (for example "happiness" or "wrong") with faces that belonged to either their own or another ethnic group.

 The team found that just seven minutes of LKM directed to a member of a specific racial group was sufficient to reduce racial bias towards that group.

 Additionally, the researchers measured levels of positive emotions and found that people doing LKM showed a significant enhancement in generating positive emotions.

 The study was published in the journal Motivation and Emotion. 

Mali hotel siege, 20 Indians freed

Bamako (Mali):  At least three people were killed on Friday, 20^th November 2015, as gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Mali's capital Bamako and took hostage some 170 people including 20 Indians. All the Indians were freed safety as security forces launched a counter-assault.

The external affairs ministry said in New Delhi initially that India's ambassador was and monitoring the situation, and later announced that all the Indians had been "safely evacuated".

An Al Qaeda-linked group has claimed responsibility.

The Radisson Bali hotel chain said two armed men locked 140 guests and 30 employees, CNN reported. Two Malian citizens and a French national were killed.

But some 80 people, including three UN staff members, were the first to be freed, the country's state broadcaster ORTM said.

Twelve Air France crew members staying in the hotel were in a "safe place", the airline said. Air France has cancelled all its flights Friday to and from Bamako as a precaution.

The Radisson Blu Hotel is about 15 minutes away from the Bamako Senou International Airport.

According to Xinhua news agency, at least seven Chinese guests were among the hostages.

One of them exchanged instant messages with a Xinhua reporter and said he heard multiple gunshots outside his room and then smelled smoke.

The ordeal began at around 7.00 a.m. when two men carrying AK-47s reached the hotel in a vehicle or vehicles with diplomatic plates, said Olivier Saldago, a spokesman for the UN Mission in Mali.

According to Salgado, the hotel was hosting a large delegation for the Mali peace process.

Mali, located in west Africa and the eighth largest country in Africa, has been hit by an armed conflict since January 2012. It led to intervention by French troops against Islamists in the country's north.

Nitish again Bihar CM

Nitish again Bihar CM

Patna:  JD-U stalwart Nitish Kumar on Friday, 20^th November 2015, again took oath as Bihar's chief minister for 5^th time, making his ally and RJD leader Lalu Prasad's son Tejaswi his deputy as the state got its first coalition government of the JD-U, the RJD and the Congress.

In a clear admission of the role Lalu Prasad played in routing the BJP in assembly elections, Tejaswi Yadav, 26, was allocated the portfolios of PWD and forest and environment while elder son Tej Pratap, 28, was named the health minister.

Nitish Kumar, 64, who headed the Grand Alliance that worsted the Bharatiya Janata Party, kept with him the home, information and public relations as well as general administration ministries.

Veteran RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui got the finance portfolio. Congress leader Ashok Choudhary is the new education minister.

Earlier, cheered by about  one lakh supporters and watched by leaders of a dozen parties, Nitish Kumar was sworn in by Governor Ram Nath Kovind at the sprawling Gandhi Maidan at the head of a 28-member ministry.

Dressed in his usual white kurta pyjama, the chief minister took the oath of office and secrecy in the name of God at an event billed as the first major show of strength by non-BJP parties since Narendra Modi became the prime minister last year.

It is the fifth time engineer-turned-politician Nitish Kumar was sworn-in as the chief minister.

Lalu Prasad, whose RJD is the single largest party in the 243-member house, appeared pleased when his sons took oath immediately after Nitish Kumar.

Tej Pratap Yadav was interrupted twice by Governor Kovind after he made a slip while taking his oath.

Besides Nitish Kumar, 12 legislators each of the RJD and JD-U and four from the Congress were sworn in. Lalu Prasad's sons got the maximum cheers after the chief minister from the boisterous crowd.

A virtual Who's Who of political parties ranged against the BJP were present in strength at the Gandhi Maidan, with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi making it to the venue only 30 minutes after it began.

Those present included Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Virbhadra Singh (Himachal Pradesh), S. Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Oommen Chandy (Kerala), Tarun Gogoi (Assam), P.K. Chamling (Sikkim), O. Ibobi Singh (Manipur) and Nabam Tuki (Arunachal Pradesh).

The others were CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D. Raja, former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad, M.K. Stalin of DMK and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Representing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the dais was central minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

A total of 12 non-BJP parties were in attendance: JD-U, RJD, Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI-M, Janata Dal-S, NCP, DMK, CPI, National Conference and Sikkim Democratic Front.

Angry over his non-inclusion in the council of ministers, JD-U leader and former minister Shayam Razak did not attend the function.

The Grand Alliance won 178 of the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly. The BJP, which had hoped to oust Nitish Kumar, bagged 53 seats while its three allies together got five seats.

The Bihar battle was the biggest popularity test after the Delhi assembly election of February which the BJP lost badly to the AAP.

Pay Commission recommends 23.55% hike

Pay Commission recommends 23.55% hike

OROP for civilians too

New Delhi:  In a big bonanza to central employees and pensioners, the seventh Pay Commission on Thursday, 19^th November 2015, recommended a 23.55 per cent increase in salary, allowances and pension along with a virtual one-rank-one-pension for civilians, involving an additional outgo of Rs 1.02 lakh crore a year.

A minimum pay of Rs 18,000 per month and a maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh per month has been recommended by the Commission, headed by Justice A K Mathur, that presented its 900-page report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here.

The recommendations, which are to be implemented from January 1, 2016, will benefit 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.

The impact the recommendations will be Rs 1.02 lakh crore -- Rs 73,650 cr on Central Budget and Rs 28,450 cr on Railway Budget.

The award of the pay panel will also benefit staff of autonomous bodies, universities and public sector units, Jaitley said after receiving the report.

"In percentage terms, the overall increase in pay and allowance and pensions over the business-as-usual scenario will be 23.55 per cent," the report said. Within this, the increase in pay will be 16 per cent, in allowances 63 per cent and in pension would be 24 per cent, it said.

The total salary and pension bill of the central government, which will also include railway employees, will go up from estimated Rs 4.33 lakh crore to Rs 5.35 lakh crore during 2016-17.

The panel has suggested abolition of the pay band and the grade pay, though it retained the annual increment of 3 per cent.

It has also recommended a fitment factor of 2.57 which will be applied uniformally to all employees