Tuesday, October 15, 2013

CAT Exam 2013 starts tomorrow - Test Centres in Delhi

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2013, a ticket to the prestigious 13 IIMs and other premium B-schools in the country will be held from October 16 to November 11 across 40 cities. Last year there were 36 locations.

Total 1.94 lakh aspirants have registered for Common Admission Test (CAT) 2013 and they would be competing for approx. 3,300 seats in 13 IIMs.

The first session will begin at 10 am and the second Session will start at 3.15 pm. The total duration of the test will be 2 hour 35 minutes. Students need to report at the test centre atleast 1 hour 30 minutes before their scheduled test.

IIM Indore will be conducting CAT this year with Prof. Rohit Kapoor as the Convenor. The pattern of the test is going to be the same as last year with two sections Quantitative Ability /Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability/Logical Reasoning and a duration of 70 minute each. Like last year and the year before, you cannot move between the sections.

New Delhi Test Centres-
1. Apex Institute of Professional Studies - PU Block, Pitampura, New Delhi Delhi 110034

2. Delhi School of Business - AU Block, Outer Ring Road, Pitampura, New Delhi Delhi 110088


3. Delhi School of Professional Studies and Research - No.9 Institutional Area Sector 25, Rohini Phase-3, New Delhi Delhi 110085

4. Era Business School - Plot No. HAF-1, Opp. Shivalika Apartment, Sector-9 Dwarka, New Delhi Delhi 110077

5. Netaji Subhash Institute of Management Studies - NIMS B-School, City Tower, Netaji Subhash Place, Pitampura, New Delhi Delhi 110034

6. Titiksha Public School - Sector 11, Rohini, New Delhi Delhi 110085

7. Trinity Institute of Professional Studies - Sector- 9, Opp. District Court, Institutional Area, Near Metro Pillar No. 1160, Dwarka, New Delhi Delhi 110075

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Indian SC judgement on lawmakers: Govt likely to consult parties

SC judgement on lawmakers: Govt likely to consult parties

     Government is likely to consult
political parties before firming up its response on the
Supreme Court judgement on disqualification of lawmakers.
    Government's legal arm, the Law Ministry, is going
through the fine print of the order, parts of which have
apparently not gone down well with political parties.
    Sources said the next step of the government would depend
on the response of the political parties which are likely to
be consulted in the coming days.
    The focus of the study is the part of the verdict which
seeks to remove the discrimination between an ordinary
individual and an elected lawmaker who enjoys protection under
the Representation of the People's Act.
    The sources said political parties, who have been guarded
in their response, may suggest moving a larger bench of the
apex court or even taking a legislative route to overturn the
judgement.
    "It is a 41-page verdict. We need to study it...people
who will implement it and people who will come under its
purview also need to study it," Information and Broadcasting
Minister Manish Tewari said here.
    He said in his personal opinion, "prima facie, no one
should have objection" to the verdict.
    Commenting on the contention that cases could be filed
out of political rivalry, Tewari opined that any judgement by
a court comes after a trial process. "If the court reaches a
conclusion, it should be respected."

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Chinese trio held by Indian troops near Line of Actual Control--carrying political maps in Arabic language



Chinese trio held by Indian troops near Line of Actual Control

After dealing with the PLA
incursion last month, army personnel have now apprehended
three persons of Chinese origin along the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) carrying political maps in Arabic language in
the same area.
          The three men, identified as Adil, Salamo and Abdul
Khaliq, were nabbed inside the Indian territory on June 12
near Sultanchku and it took nearly 10 days for the authorities
to make them give their name, official sources said.
          All the three men are Sunni Muslims aged between 18 and
23 with fair complexion but their language was not
comprehensible, they said.
            The three men -- one of whom is one-eyed -- were at
present in the custody at Murgo post and efforts were on to
comprehend their language which did not have any similarity
with either Chinese or Balti spoken in Pakistan-occupied-
Kashmir's Baltistan.
            It was also not clear where from they had come as the
nearest habitation across the LAC was in North of Karakoram
range. Authorities are working on the possibility that they
could have entered through either Raki Nallah, Jeevan Nallah
or North of Daulat Beig Oldie, where Indian and Chinese troops
had a face-off for nearly 21 days from April 15 to May five.
            The three men, who are well built, cannot be interrogated
until they are brought to Leh town where translators could be
used to understand their language, the sources said.
            There was a possibility that the language could be
Yarkandi spoken in Xinjiang province, close to Pakistan-
occupied-Kashmir and touches DBO tip in north of Ladakh. The
area has a huge Uyghur population.
            Both summer and winter road connectivity to this post
were cut off due to bad weather in Ladakh region this year.
Now the authorities have sought permission to airlift the trio
to Ladakh for a detailed questioning.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Chinese daily blames British for confusion over Aksai Chin--Confusion over Aksai Chin, the area occupied by China during 1962 war with India, was created by colonial British rulers

Chinese daily blames British for confusion over Aksai Chin
Confusion over Aksai Chin, the area
occupied by China during 1962 war with India, was created by
colonial British rulers who have never presented it to Chinese
governments in the past, an article in an official daily here
said today.
    "India's claim to Aksai Chin is mainly based on the
Johnson Line proposed in 1865. Aksai Chin was put inside
Kashmir in the proposal. However, the line was never presented
to the Chinese government and was severely criticised for its
gross inaccuracies by the British government, which had
dominant colonial power in India at that time," an article in
the Global Times said today.
    From the 1950s, India started establishing outposts in
the area, having set up 43 in its heyday in the border regions
of Xinjiang and Tibet, it said.
    The site of the latest standoff, referred to as the
Depsang Valley, is called Tiannan River Valley by the Chinese.
    It is located in the western sector of Aksai Chin, which
is largely a vast high-altitude desert covering an area of
about 37,000 square km, the article, a compilation of views of
Indian and Chinese analysts on the recent stand off, said.
    Aksai Chin is also one of the two main disputed border
areas over which China and India fought the 1962 war.
    The area is administered by China as part of Hotan county
in the Hotan prefecture of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region. India regards Aksai Chin as a part of the Ladakh
district, it said.
    Although China dismantled the Indian outposts after the
1962 war and has since reinforced its actual control of the
area, Indian troops continue to patrol the area, it said.
    A Chinese analyst Hu Shisheng, an expert on South Asia
research at the China Institute of Contemporary International
Relations refuted the perception that India is getting closer
to Japan, Vietnam, Korea and Myanmar apprehending aggressive
moves by China.
    India is unlikely to become an ally with countries
involved in territorial disputes with China, Hu said.
    "Only if India maintains its strategic independence can
it maximize gains from its relations with other countries," he
said.

IPL Cricket match fixing case--How Delhi Police stumbled upon spot-fixing in IPL

IPL Cricket match fixing case--How Delhi Police stumbled upon spot-fixing in IPL

           It all started with a probe into a
case related to organised crime when an alert official of
Delhi Police's Special Cell heard an unusual conversation
about giving signals at the cricket ground.
          This generated some interest in the official who, after
informing his seniors, began finding as to who has to give
signals and why.
          After monitoring a phone call, the investigation had
virtually turned pan-India with some of the bookies based in
Gujarat and Mumbai.
          After stumbling upon the "accidental" call, the Delhi
Police's Special Cell, which recently had Madan Mohan Oberoi
as its Joint Commissioner after completing his tenure with
CBI, began monitoring all the phones linked to one call.
          And as time passed by, the Delhi Police sensed it was a
sensational case.
            Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was personally
monitoring the case almost on a daily basis and had
coordinated with police forces of other states as well so that
there is no faux pas.
            And finally after recording over 100s of hours of
conversations, Delhi Police decided to crack the whip by
arresting 14 people including three players of Rajasthan
Royals -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.
            Meanwhile, the case for which the monitoring was being
done is still under investigation.

No LPG to houses with multiple-connections from Jun 1

No LPG to houses with multiple-connections from Jun 1
 Cooking gas or LPG supplies to
households having unverified multiple connections will stop
from June 1, state-owned oil firms announced today.
     The three state-owned fuel retailers have been "directed
to stop supplies of LPG refills to households having multiple-
connections for which no KYC (Know Your Customer) details have
been received, with effect from June 1," a statement issued by
Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, said.
     No transactions, including delivery of non-subsidised
cylinders, will be permitted in such cases once such
connections have been blocked.
     IOC said all multiple LPG connection holders have been
identified and intimated. All three firms, IOC, Hindustan
Petroleum (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) are sharing data
on LPG customers.
     Customers whose name figure on the list of multiple
connection holders need to submit their KYC details along with
proof of identity and proof of address immediately to their
LPG distributors to continue receiving uninterrupted quota of
subsidised cylinders, IOC said.
     Other customers whose names do not appear in the list
need not submit their KYC details as of now.
     "The oil companies are advising all multiple-connection
holders to submit their KYC details, pertaining to the LPG
connection they wish to retain, immediately to their LPG
distributors," the statement said adding customers have been
advised to surrender excess or multiple connections.
     Though the deadline for submission of KYC was December
31, 2012, KYCs are being accepted and LPG connections are
being regularised for supply of subsidised cylinders till
date, it added.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Sun blasts out three flares in 24 hours

Sun blasts out three flares in 24 hours

          Solar flare bonanza! The Sun has
emitted the third significant solar flare within 24 hours, the
strongest X-class flare this year so far.
          The flare, classified as an X3.2 flare, surpassed in
strength the two flares that occurred earlier in the 24-hour
period.
          The flare was also associated with a coronal mass
ejection, or CME. However, CME was not Earth-directed.
          Experimental NASA research models show that the CME left
the Sun at approximately  2,253 km per second, which is
particularly fast for a CME.
            The models suggest that it will catch up to the two CMEs
associated with the earlier flares. The merged cloud of solar
material will pass by the Spitzer spacecraft and may give a
glancing blow to the STEREO-B and Epoxi spacecraft.
            Their mission operators have been notified. If warranted,
operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the
instruments from solar material.
            The X2.8-class flare was also associated with a coronal
mass ejection, or CME, another solar phenomenon that can send
billions of tons of solar particles into space, which can
potentially affect electronic systems in satellites and on the
ground.
            The second-strongest was an X5.4 event on March 7, 2012.
The strongest was an X6.9 on August 9, 2011.
            Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful
radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere
to physically affect humans on the ground, however - when
intense enough - they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer
where GPS and communications signals travel.
            This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare
is ongoing - the radio blackout associated with this flare has
since subsided.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Intellectual imprisonment---China tightens grip on discourse, ideology--frozen the microblog accounts of intellectuals

China tightens grip on discourse, ideology

 Chinese authorities have shut down
or frozen the microblog accounts of several prominent liberal
intellectuals and harassed rights lawyers lobbying against
unofficial "black jails," underlining the determination of the
country's new leadership to control dissent even as it vows to
root out corruption.
    The moves over the last few days occurred around the time
officials announced that a senior official was being
investigated for graft, months after a prominent journalist
accused him of wrongdoing.
    The probe against Liu Tienan, deputy chairman of China's
economic planning agency, was heralded by the Chinese press as
proof that the battle against corruption is best fought when
authorities allow public participation.
    "The authorities and the people combined their strengths
in this case, and it is an encouragement to the public's power
in fighting corruption," said a state-run daily, the Beijing
News, in a commentary.
    But in other instances, the authoritarian government has
shown an unwavering intent to clamp down on anyone who seeks
to publicly pressure it into social or political change. The
message appears to be that if any reform is on the agenda, the
Communist Party will push it through on its own terms.
    "The controls are tighter than ever," said Li Cheng, an
expert on China's elite politics at the Washington-based
Brookings Institution. "The challenges are greater, so the
suppression is escalating."
    Small groups of activists have been detained in Beijing
and other cities for holding banners calling for officials to
publicly declare their assets a key anti-graft measure that
the government has been reluctant to implement.
    One activist, Liu Ping, has been accused of inciting
subversion, a vaguely worded charge frequently used to
suppress dissidents.
    Authorities are also maintaining a years-long effort to
quash legal activism.
    On Monday, several rights lawyers attempting to visit one
of China's unofficial detention centers also known as "black
jails" in the southwestern city of Ziyang were beaten by
unidentified men, said Beijing attorney Li Heping, who was
contacted by one of the lawyers.
    The efforts to police discourse are also being ramped up
in the Chinese blogosphere, where users often challenge the
government's version of events and its control over
information.
    Over the weekend, authorities apparently removed all
microblog accounts belonging to the writer Hao Qun, better
known by his pen name Murong Xuecun, from four different
sites. His subsequent efforts to set up new accounts have been
blocked, he said.

China blue book---'India preparing for a possible two-front war with Pak, China



'India preparing for a possible two-front war with Pak, China'

                     India continues to view Pakistan as
the "real threat" even though it is adjusting its military
strategy to include the possibility of a limited two-front war
with both Pakistan and China, the first Blue Book on India
published by a Chinese think tank said.
          Pakistan is India's main "real threat" to maintain a high
degree of vigilance and preparedness, the summary of the Blue
Book released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
(CASS) said.
          The report says Indian military deployment on land is
mainly fixated against Pakistan but in recent times, it is
also being adjusted for both China and Pakistan.
          The book in Chinese language, the first ever on India,
said, New Delhi is focusing to deal with limited war with
China and Pakistan at the same time.
            It spoke of large increase in troops at the borders and
upgradation of border forces with new weapons and equipment.
            The report spoke about India's maritime military
deployment in recent years, the prime cause of China's worry
as it regards India's fast expanding blue water navy as a
major threat.
            The book, which speaks of India's efforts in the past to
strengthen its maritime military strength in the East,
specially mentioned Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command and
its bases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
            It also spoke of increase in Indian defence budget with
the rapid growth of the Indian economy making it the biggest
buyer of the international arms.
            About India's policy towards neighbours, it said New Delhi
continued to pursue the "Gujral Doctrine" on neighbouring
countries to provide unilateral assistance, enhancing mutual
trust and cooperation with the neighbouring countries of South
Asia, while continuing to push forward the peace process with
Pakistan.
            India also established a strategic partnership with
Afghanistan while developing relations with Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka and Nepal, it said.


The book also mentioned India's bid for the permanent

membership of the UN Security Council in association with
Germany, Japan and Brazil besides India's Look East Policy
improving relations with Japan, Vietnam, Australia in the
backdrop of US' Asia Pacific push.
            While cautioning the Chinese establishment against
underestimating India's "great potential" for development in
future, it has highlighted the recent corruption scandals
which has damaged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government.
            However, the book praised India's progress saying that it
has achieved remarkable progress.
            Since the implementation of a comprehensive economic
reform in 1991, India's economic development has made
remarkable achievements with accelerated economic growth
improving the comprehensive economic strength resulting in
"India's rise".
            Noting the campaigns like "Incredible India", "world
office", it said India remained one of the fastest growing
economies in the world.
            But at the same time, India faced many contradictions in
its aura of high-growth which include the problem of poverty,
uneven development, irrational industrial structure, the high
fiscal deficit, it said.

First Made in India rotavirus vaccine, cost just around Rs 50

First Made in India rotavirus vaccine, cost just around Rs 50

An indigenously-developed vaccine
that could cost around just Rs 50 per dose was unveiled here
today to treat severe rotavirus diarrhoea, which kills more
than one lakh children under the age of five in India every
year.
    The Rotavac vaccine, which is a culmination of efforts
spanning 28 years, has an efficacy of 56 per cent if
administered in the first year of life, according to
scientists who released the results of the Phase III clinical
trials of the vaccine.
    "Rotavac significantly reduced severe rotavirus diarrhoea
by more than half," M K Bhan, former Secretary, Department of
Biotechnology, who isolated the rotavirus strain in 1985 while
pursuing research at AIIMS, told reporters here.
    However, commercial production of the vaccine would take
some time as it is yet to get clearance from the Drug
Controller General of India (DCGI).
    "We are planning to file a dossier with the DCGI in July.
We will come to the market after getting the requisite
regulatory clearances," Krishna M Ella, Chairman and Managing
Director, Bharat Biotech, said.
    Bharat Biotech, which has been associated in the
development of vaccine candidates and clinical trials, has
announced a price of USD one (about Rs 54.7 )per dose--much
cheaper than other rotavirus vaccines available in the market.
The price of the vaccine now used is in the range of Rs 800 to
900.
    Officials said there were two licensed rotavirus vaccines
introduced in more than 40 countries but they remain out of
reach for many in the developing world.
    "The results indicate that the vaccine, if licensed,
could save the lives of thousands of children each year in
India," K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of
Biotechnology, said.
    Rotavac is an oral vaccine administered to infants in a
three-dose course at the ages of six, 10 and 14 weeks
alongside routine immunisations recommended at these ages.
    According to a study in Lancet, Rotavirus is most common
causative agent of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among
infants below 11 months age group in India.

Mount Everest losing its cloak of ice and snow

Mount Everest losing its cloak of ice and snow
 Mount Everest is shedding its
frozen cloak as its glaciers have shrunk at an alarming rate
of 13 per cent over the last 50 years due to global warming, a
new study has warned.
    Glaciers smaller than one square kilometre are
disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43 per cent
decrease in surface area since the 1960s, researchers said.
    The snow-line also has shifted upward by 180 meters,
according to lead researcher Sudeep Thakuri, from the
University of Milan in Italy.
    Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are
replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and
debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice.
    These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have
increased by about 17 per cent since the 1960s, according to
Thakuri. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an
average of 400 meters since 1962, the team found.
    Researchers taking a new look at the snow and ice covering
of Mount Everest and the national park have also been studying
temperature and precipitation trends in the area.
    They found that the Everest region has been warming while
snowfall has been declining since the early 1990s.
    Researchers suspect that the decline of snow and ice in
the Everest region is from human-generated greenhouse gases
altering global climate.
    However, they have not yet established a firm connection
between the mountains' changes and climate change, Thakuri
said.
    Thakuri and his team determined the extent of glacial
change on Everest and the surrounding 1,148 square kilometre
Sagarmatha National Park by compiling satellite imagery and
topographic maps and reconstructing the glacial history.
    Their statistical analysis shows that the majority of the
glaciers in the national park are retreating at an increasing
rate, Thakuri said.
    The researchers found that the Everest region has
undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius increase in temperature and 100
millimetre decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon
and winter months since 1992.
    "The Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a
water tower for Asia since they store and supply water
downstream during the dry season," said Thakuri.
    "Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water
for agriculture, drinking, and power production," he said.
    The findings were presented at the Meeting of the Americas
in Cancun, Mexico - a scientific conference organised by the
American Geophysical Union. PTI SAR AKJ
SAR
05141607


    Washington, May 14 (PTI) Mount Everest is shedding its
frozen cloak as its glaciers have shrunk at an alarming rate
of 13 per cent over the last 50 years due to global warming, a
new study has warned.
    Glaciers smaller than one square kilometre are
disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43 per cent
decrease in surface area since the 1960s, researchers said.
    The snow-line also has shifted upward by 180 meters,
according to lead researcher Sudeep Thakuri, from the
University of Milan in Italy.
    Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are
replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and
debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice.
    These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have
increased by about 17 per cent since the 1960s, according to
Thakuri. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an
average of 400 meters since 1962, the team found.
    Researchers taking a new look at the snow and ice covering
of Mount Everest and the national park have also been studying
temperature and precipitation trends in the area.
    They found that the Everest region has been warming while
snowfall has been declining since the early 1990s.
    Researchers suspect that the decline of snow and ice in
the Everest region is from human-generated greenhouse gases
altering global climate.
    However, they have not yet established a firm connection
between the mountains' changes and climate change, Thakuri
said.
    Thakuri and his team determined the extent of glacial
change on Everest and the surrounding 1,148 square kilometre
Sagarmatha National Park by compiling satellite imagery and
topographic maps and reconstructing the glacial history.
    Their statistical analysis shows that the majority of the
glaciers in the national park are retreating at an increasing
rate, Thakuri said.
    The researchers found that the Everest region has
undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius increase in temperature and 100
millimetre decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon
and winter months since 1992.
    "The Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a
water tower for Asia since they store and supply water
downstream during the dry season," said Thakuri.
    "Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water
for agriculture, drinking, and power production," he said.
    The findings were presented at the Meeting of the Americas
in Cancun, Mexico - a scientific conference organised by the
American Geophysical Union.

Sanjay Dutt urges court to allow him to surrender before jail

 Sanjay Dutt urges court to allow him to surrender before jail

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt,
convicted in 1993 bomb blasts case, today urged a designated
TADA court here to allow him to surrender before Yerwada jail
in Pune instead of giving himself up before the special court.
    Judge G A Sanap, hearing the actor's application,
asked CBI to file a reply and posted the hearing on Dutt's
plea tomorrow. Public prosecutor Deepak Salvi appeared for
the Government and CBI.
    Dutt filed the application in the TADA court, hours
after the Supreme Court refused to grant Dutt additional time
to surrender for undergoing the remaining 42 months jail term
in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
    The apex court was hearing a petition filed by a film
producer, who sought time for Dutt to complete his
under-production films.
    Dutt, convicted under the Arms Act and sentenced to
five year jail term, is supposed to surrender on May 16
before the authorities.
    On May 10, the apex court had dismissed Dutt's plea
seeking review of its judgement on his conviction and
five-year jail term.
    53-year-old Dutt was earlier granted four weeks more
time to surrender to undergo the remaining jail term.
    The Supreme Court, on March 21, had upheld his
conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which it said was
engineered by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others with
the involvement of Pakistan's ISI.
    However, the apex court had reduced to five years the
six-year jail term awarded to Dutt by a designated TADA court
in 2006 while ruling out his release on probation, saying the
"nature" of his offence was "serious".
    Dutt was convicted by the TADA court for illegally
possessing a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle, which were part
of a consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India
for coordinated serial blasts that killed 257 people and
injured over 700 in 1993.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Govt unveils ad campaign, says not 'India Shining' but reality

            Govt unveils ad campaign, says not 'India Shining' but reality

           With an eye on general elections
government today unveiled a series of audio-visual clips as a
part of its multi media campaign to highlight its achievements
and showcase impact of UPA's policies in the last nine years.
          Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, in
whose presence the presentation was made, said the multimedia
initiative was different from the 'India Shining' campaign of
the NDA in 2004.
          "This is not India Shining but the actual story of India
that we are trying to present to you through these 12-13
spots," Tewari told reporters here.
          Officials said that the audio video clips that have been
directed by Bollywood filmmaker Pradip Sarkar of 'Parineeta'
fame would start playing in cinema halls and TV channels in
the coming days.
            Speaking about the audio video campaign, Tewari said that
it was only a small glimpse of the silent revolution that had
taken place during the UPA regime where the people were being
empowered through a rights based institutional structure
encompasing schemes like Right to Information, MHREGA, JNNURM,
PMGSY and new schemes like the Right to Food and Direct
Benefits Transfer schemes.
            Responding to a question on corruption, Tewari said that
whenever there were any allegations against anyone, UPA
chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had
asked the particular person to step down.
            He hit out at the BJP saying that a similar promptness was
not shown in Karnataka.
            He also added that the government was sensitive to the
issue of inflation.