Heena Sharma Blog

As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares for one of the most important meetings of his seven-year rule, he appears to have Donald Trump on the brain--even if he won’t say so directly. In conversations with other leaders ahead of his sit down tomorrow with the U.S. president on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, Xi spared no opportunity to paint the U.S. as the bad guy in China’s spiraling trade conflict, while avoiding the provocative step of naming Trump personally. In remarks to African leaders this morning, Xi took a not-so-subtle swipe at Trump’s policy slogan, "America first." Warning against "bullying practices," Xi said that “any attempt to put one’s own interests first and undermine others’ will not win any popularity.” Xi then used remarks on the digital economy to call for a "fair and equitable market environment" and the "completeness and vitality of global supply chains." It comes as Trump singles out Chines

NASA said Thursday that it's sending a drone called Dragonfly to explore Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Using propellers, the drone will fly and land on several spots on the icy moon to study whether it can support microbial life. The nuclear-powered mission is part of NASA's competitive New Frontiers program, which launched the New Horizons spacecraft that became the first to visit dwarf planet Pluto. Dragonfly beat out nearly a dozen proposed projects, including a mission to collect samples from a nearby comet. The drone is slated to launch in 2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034. The plan is to land on some of Titan's dunes and later on a crater. Development costs for the mission are capped at around USD 850 million. "What really excites me about this mission is that Titan has all the ingredients needed for life," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's planetary science division. Titan is a haze-covered world with a thick atmosphere. The mo

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), among the four Indian states with the highest prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), recorded tobacco sales worth Rs 5,530 crore over seven years to 2017-18, according to state sales tax data exclusively accessed by IndiaSpend. This is the equivalent of the funds needed to construct four state-of-the-art hospitals along the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jammu. COPD, typified by coughing, wheezing and breathlessness, is the second most frequent killer disease in India, responsible for the death of almost 1 million Indians in 2017, IndiaSpend reported in March 2018, citing the Global Burden of Disease study by the University of Washington, US. Caused by the inflammation of the lung’s airways, it destroys the air sacs that extract oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Air pollution and smoking have been established as the primary reasons for COPD in India, according to a 2018 study published in The Lancet.

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a "top-rated" knock in the World Cup clash against the West Indies and did the right thing by taking his time in the middle. Dhoni's rate of scoring has been a topic of debate in the ongoing showpiece. On Thursday, the former skipper scored 56 off 61 balls, exploding in the last over, to help India post a winning 268-run total on the board against the Caribbeans. "The innings that he played is the kind which is very under-rated. Sometimes you might feel that he is batting slow but sometimes it is important that he takes time, which he did," Bumrah said on 'bcci.tv'. "He absorbs the pressure and takes the game deep. It was top-rated innings and got us to 268, which was a good total on this pitch. He knew there were pinch-hitters coming later so he could take his time. Youngsters can learn a lot from this knock," he added. Speaking of his own performance, th

Apple Inc on Thursday confirmed than the company's streaming music service has more than 60 million subscribers, trailing rival Spotify Technology SA's 100 million premium subscribers. A company spokesman confirmed the figure that Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services for the iPhone maker, disclosed in remarks made to French publication Numerama in Paris. Apple executives had not disclosed a new number since May 2018, when the company said it had 50 million Apple Music subscribers. The 60 million figure includes Apple customers who are on a free trial of Apple Music. In April, Spotify reported it has 100 million "premium" subscribers. Spotify's definition of premium subscribers also includes those on free trials of its paid service so long as the user has entered a payment method such as a credit card. When including listeners to its ad-supported service, Spotify has 217 million users. Apple and Spotify are locked in an antitrust dispute after

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity which not only kills innocents but also severely affects the economic development and social stability. Speaking at the informal BRICS leaders' meeting in Osaka, Modi said that there is a need to stop all the mediums of support to terrorism and racism. "Terrorism is the biggest threat to humanity. It not only kills innocents but also severely affects the economic development and social stability," he said. The Prime Minister, who is in Osaka for the G20 Summit , congratulated Jair Bolsonaro on being elected as the President of Brazil and welcomed him in the BRICS family. He also congratulated Cyril Ramaphosa on his election as the President of South Africa as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit Osaka. In his remarks, Modi spoke about strengthening the WTO, fighting protectionism, ensuring energy

Reservation for Marathas in Maharashtra government jobs and education institutes is constitutionally correct but should be reduced from 16 per cent to 12-13 per cent, said the Bombay High Court on Thursday. "We hold and declare that the state government possesses legislative competence to create a separate category of the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) and grant reservation," said a bench comprising Justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre. The court said the reservation should be reduced as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. The court was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging Maharashtra government's decision granting 16 per cent reservation to Marathas. On November 30, 2018, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill granting 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs for the Marathas, declared a socially and educationally backward class by the state government. The reservation will be in addition to th

Morris Garages, a British automobile manufacturer, on Thursday launched MG Hector SUV , its first vehicle in the Indian market priced between Rs 12.18 lakh and Rs 16.88 lakh, according to an Economic Times report. The car is aimed at the premium SUV segment and comes with a host of segment-first features for Indian automobile enthusiasts. The car comes loaded with a segment-first 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system which can be controlled by touch or Voice Assist. Developed by Nuance, the AI-powered voice assistant has been designed to understand Indian accents better and it utilises artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve its understanding with time. Apart from this, it also comes pre-loaded with a number of apps, including TomTom’s real-time navigation application, a customised Gaana app for music streaming and an AccuWeather app for weather forecast. Termed as the 'internet car' or connected car, Hector also comes with an onboard connection tha

India's monsoon rains were 24% below average in the week ended June 26, the weather office said on Thursday, as the seasonal rainfall was scanty over central and western parts of the country. The rains are crucial for farm output and economic growth as about 55% of the south Asian nation's arable land is rain-fed, and the farm sector makes up about 15% of a nearly $2.5-trillion economy that is Asia's third-biggest. The below-average rainfall has delayed sowing of summer-sown crop such as rice, soybean and corn and threatens to curtail crop yields. Monsoon has delivered 36% lower-than-normal rainfall since the start of the season on June 1, due to a delay in the onset of monsoon rains, according to data compiled by India Meteorological Department. Monsoon rains arrived in Kerala on June 8. However, Cyclone Vayu developed in the Arabian Sea drew moisture from the monsoon and weakened its progress. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad launched its new budget phone Cool 3 in India on Wednesday. The phones starts at Rs 5,999 for the 2GB RAM + 16GB storage variant, while its 3GB RAM + 32GB storage option has been priced at Rs 6,499 and will go on sale on July 2. "We are thrilled to launch the Coolpad Cool 3 Plus which will transform the definition of budget smartphones in the country. While designing the smartphone, we have kept in mind the needs of young millennials who look for products that exceed their expectations," Coolpad India CEO, Fisher Yuan said. "The Indian smartphone industry is at a cusp of innovation and with the launch of our latest product, we aim to provide Indian customers with the best of technology and upgrade the smartphone era. To further this, we will soon be launching 5G-ready smartphones in India with 800+ patents under its name," Yuan added. The smartphone features a 5.71-inch 'Dewdrop' HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect r

The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to correct an error in cigarette taxation under the new tax regime, which did not account for the cascading effect on excise duty that existed in the pre-GST system. FAIFA is a non-profit organisation that represents the cause of farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat. In a letter written to the Finance Minister, which has also been submitted to various concerned Ministries including the PMO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Labour, the association has highlighted that error in cigarette taxation has inadvertently increased compensation cess rates that has resulted in additional taxes of around 13 per cent above the pre-GST levels. "Any additional burden caused by the increase in compensation cess rates will put furth

A silent gap of around nine months, smartphone maker Motorola, owned by Chinese electronics firm Lenovo, recently launched the Motorola One Vision in India. Priced at Rs 19,999, this is the first smartphone in the country with an ultra-tall 21:9 aspect ratio screen with a punch-hole for the front camera. Besides a new screen format, the midrange phone also boasts a 3,500 mAh battery with fast-charge support, high-resolution cameras with a quad-pixel technology on the rear and front, and stock Android Pie operating system with the Android One promise. On paper, the phone appears to be a strong player in the midrange segment. But is it? Let’s find out: Design The Motorola One Vision is one of the smartphones with an unconventional form factor, but it feels comfortable to hold and operate. The phone’s tall stance, thanks to a screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio, is both functional and stylish, and the glass-metal sandwich design is sturdy. The punch-hole on the phone’s screen is a

South Korean electronics major LG on Wednesday unveiled its India-specific W-series smartphones, which includes the LG W10, the LG W30 and the LG W30 Pro . While the LG W10 and the LG W30 will go on sale from July 3, exclusively on Amazon India, the LG W30 Pro availability will be announced later. The LG W10 is priced at Rs 8,999 and it comes in tulip purple and smoky grey colours. The LG W30 is priced at Rs 9,999 and it comes in thunder blue, platinum grey and aurora green colours. LG W10 specifications and features LG W10 The LG W10 is the most affordable offering in the company’s W-series smartphones. It boasts a 6.19-inch notch screen of HD+ resolution, stretched in 18.9:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by Mediatek Helio P22 system-on-chip, mated with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Powering the phone is a 4,000 mAh battery. Imaging is covered by a dual The LG W10 is the most affordable offering in the company’s W-series smartphones. It boasts a 6.19-inch notch scre

Seven central ministries and departments have not earmarked funds for tribal welfare schemes in their budget for 2019-20 and 12 have "kept the provision below the level stipulated by the Niti Aayog", officials said Wednesday. In 2017, the Niti Aayog developed new guidelines obligating 41 central ministries and departments to earmark funds for "Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes" (DAPST), earlier known as Tribal Sub-Plan. An official said the guidelines were finalized in January 2019, which means complete adherence cannot be ensured this financial year. "Since the ministries decide their allocations for various schemes by November-December and the guidelines were finalised in January, any corrective action is possible next year only," the official said. The guidelines state that the 41 identified ministries and departments have to earmark at least 4.3 per cent funds for DAPST. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

Intending to keep users safe while they are riding in a taxi or driving by themselves, Google on Wednesday announced the roll-out of a new feature called " Stay Safer ", first in India. The feature would alert Android users travelling in public vehicles if their drivers deviate more than 0.5 km from the suggested route on Google Maps. The users' phones would buzz with a prominent notification which they would be able to tap on and see where they are compared to the original route. "Through our extensive research across India, we found that a lot of people limit their mobility due to safety-related concerns. To address this, we are launching this India-first feature," said Amanda Bishop, Product Manager, Google Maps. The feature would also allow users to choose to share the live trip with friends and family directly from that screen so they know and can keep track of the journey. Earlier in June, the feature was being tested exclusively in India.

Korean tech giant LG is betting on new India-first 'W' series of smartphones to woo consumers in the hyper-competitive Indian phone market, and grab double-digit share over the next two years. LG will introduce five devices under its W series , which will be available online in partnership with Amazon.in, as it aims to sell about one million units by December-end. Competing against majors like Xiaomi and Samsung, LG will also bring in smartphones from its global portfolio to the Indian market. "We reached out to our headquarters about a year ago to request them for an India-specific portfolio and after deliberations, they allowed us. So, India is the first country where LG will have its own portfolio of smartphones," LG Electronics India Business Head Mobile Communication Advait Vaidya told PTI. He added that the first two devices from the W series will be available from July, followed by another sometime in August and two more around Diwali. The W seri

Taiwanese electronics maker Asus’s recently launched smartphone, the Asus 6z (review), goes on sale on Wednesday for the first time in India. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone comes in 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB RAM and storage variants priced at Rs 31,999, Rs 34,999 and Rs 39,999, respectively. As part of lthe faunch offer, Flipkart is offering its complete mobile protection plan worth Rs 3,999 for Rs 99 only. The Asus 6z is a premium midrange smartphone. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip and boots Android Pie operating system-based ZenUI 6.0. The OS has several value-add features integrated by Asus for an improved user experience. The key highlight of the phone is its motorised flip camera module, which rotates 180-degree and turns into a selfie camera, and a 5,000 mAh battery, which supports 18W fast charging with the supplied charger. The phone is compatible with the Quick Charge 4.0 quick-charging technology. The Asus 6z has a glass-met

Defence Development Research Organisation (DRDO) has issued a recruitment notification inviting application for 351 Technician A posts. Applications began on June 3, 2019. Today is the last day for submission of applications. To apply for the posts, the candidates have to apply in a specific prescribed format and they have to go through the official notofication. Candidates have to make sure they all the requisite educational qualifications and experience required for these jobs. The candidates who do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria will be rejected. Educational qualifications: The candidates should be at least class 10 pass or equivalent. They should hold a certificate from any recognised ITI in related disciplines. Selection process: The candidates will be selected on the basis of a computer-based (CBT) and other parameters. For details, candidates may visit the official website www.drdo.gov.in for more details. The selection process for Technician posts

Bangladesh's Shakib al Hasan, number one ODI all-rounder, has achieved a rare feat by becoming the only second player to score a 50 and take a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match. On Monday, Shakib continued with his golden run in the ongoing tournament as he first scored 51 off 69 balls -- which included four boundaries -- to help Bangladesh post a competitive total of 262/7 against Afghanistan at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium in Southampton. He then went on take five wickets for 29 in his 10 overs to help the Bangla Tigers register a 62-run win and bolster their chances of making it to the semi-finals. During Monday's match, the left-hander also became the first Bangladeshi batsman to score 1,000 runs in World Cups. Shakib, who already has two hundreds to his name in the competition, also became the 19th player overall to achieve the feat. So far, the 32-year-old has amassed 476 runs in six matches of the ongoing showpiece event and also has 10 wickets to his

Pakistan's head coach Mickey Arthur has claimed that his team's defeat to arch-rivals India had left him so shattered that he wanted to "commit suicide". Pakistan were incredibly hurt by the scathing reactions from the media, fans and former cricketers after their 89-run loss to India in Manchester on June 16. "Last Sunday I wanted to commit suicide," Arthur was quoted as saying in the media here. "But it was, you know, it's only one performance. It happens so quick. You lose a game; you lose another game; it's a World Cup; media scrutiny; public expectation, and then you almost go into sort of survival mode. We've all been there," he added. Pakistan won their next game against South Africa to keep a slim chance of entering the semifinals alive. If Pakistan win all their remaining three games and the results of other teams go in their favour, they can still make the cut. The 1992 winners face table-toppers New Zealand,

SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying 24 experimental satellites in what Elon Musk’s rocket company called one of the most difficult launches it has attempted. The craft blasted off to cheers from onlookers at 2:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) after a three-hour delay from the original launch time late Monday. The boosters separated safely as the craft began its six-hour mission to deploy the satellites. The two-side booster rockets returned safely to Earth, landing on adjacent Air Force landing pads, but the rocket’s center booster missed its mark, crashing in the Atlantic ocean. Musk, who predicted trouble with landing the center booster on SpaceX’s drone ship in the Atlantic, said on Twitter early Tuesday, “It was a long shot.” The mission, dubbed Space Test Program 2 (STP-2), is the third for the Falcon Heavy rocket, which SpaceX describes as the most powerful launch system in the world. It was commissioned by the US

As many as 64 people had died and over 140,000 hectare crop area affected due to cyclone Fani in Odisha, the Home Ministry said on Tuesday. Cyclone Fani affected three states -- Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. In Odisha, 64 lives were lost, 556,000 houses and huts were damaged, 6,281 cattle were lost, 148,663 hectare of crop land affected and 6,416 boats and 8,828 nets were damaged, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai told Lok Sabha in a written reply. "In addition, infrastructure like roads, power, railway, telecommunications etc. were also damaged in Odisha," he said. There was no loss of human lives in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. A total of 222 houses/huts were damaged, 28 cattle were lost and 1,365 hectare crop area was damaged in Andhra Pradesh, he said. In West Bengal, 29,260 houses/huts were damaged and 112,000 hectare of crop area was affected due to the cyclone Fani, the minister said. To prevent loss of human lives, a rec

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei’s sub-brand Honor recently unveiled the Honor 20-series in India. The series includes the Honor 20 Pro, Honor 20 and Honor 20i. While the Honor 20 Pro’s sale details are yet to come out and the Honor 20i is on sale from June 18, the Honor 20 goes on sale from June 25. Priced at Rs 32,999, the phone will be available in sapphire blue and midnight black colours. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will also be available on offline stores. 90 per cent buy back offer details As part of launch offer, Honor is providing 90 per cent buy back guarantee on the Honor 20. In the buy back, the company would refund 90 per cent value of the phone if customer decides to return it within 90 days from the date of purchase. Called ‘Love it or return it challenge’, the buyback offer is subject to terms and conditions. Honor 20 launch offers The Honor 20 is eligible for no-cost equated monthly instalments, which start as low as Rs 5,500 per month on selec

After suffering a shock defeat against Sri Lanka, England cricket team will look to get back on winning track and take one step closer towards the semi-finals when they face arch-rivals Australia cricket team in their crucial ICC World Cup 2019 game at the iconic Lord's on Tuesday. With four wins from six games, England are currently at the fourth spot in the ICC World Cup 2019 Points table. The hosts, who came into the tournament as overwhelming favourites, are in a bit of a tight situation as they need to win at least two of their remaining three games to enter the last four. However, it would not be an easy task for them, especially considering they have to face India and New Zealand after their Australia game. England's record against all the three teams is not great as they have not been able to register a single World Cup win against Australia, India and New Zealand in the last 27 years. Thus, the pressure will surely be on Eoin Morgan and team to come out wit

Maharashtra School Education Minister Ashish Shelar on Monday said the state government will prepare a robust system to reimburse fees directly into the bank accounts of students hailing from drought-hit areas. Speaking in the state Assembly during the Question Hour, Shelar said the bank details of students along with their village and revenue code would be collected and whenever a drought condition is declared, the fees amount would be reimbursed directly into their accounts. Apart from the fees for written examinations, charges for practical tests will also be waived, he said. To another question raised in the House, Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Madan Yerawar said the 'Maganlal Chikki' (a sweet snack), popular in Lonvala hill station of Pune district, was found to be of sub-standard quality during a routine checking in December 2018. Therefore, the Maganlal Food Products company was asked to stop the production and a fine was imposed on it. &q

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India had eight of its models in SIAM's ten best-selling passenger vehicles list in May, even as the overall automobile market witnessed a sharp decline. The company's popular hatchback Swift was the best-selling model last month clocking 17,039 units, up from fourth spot in the same month last year when it sold 19,208 units, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Coming in second was entry level model Alto with sale of 16,394 units as against 21,890 units in year-ago month, retaining the same spot. MSI's compact sedan Dzire sold 16,196 units last month, occupying third position, down from the top spot in the same month last year when it clocked 24,365 units. Premium hatchback Baleno sold 15,176 units to be at fourth position, down from third in May last year when it registered 19,398 units. The new WagonR sold 14,561 units retaining the fifth position held by the old WagonR last May w

Over 800 posts of teachers of the total 1,748 are lying vacant in Sanskrit universities and institutions funded by central and state governments, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' told Lok Sabha on Monday. He said the government has launched a special drive to fill up vacancies and is currently engaging guest and part- time faculty to meet the shortage. Replying to a question, he said there are about 120 universities which offer Sanskrit as a subject or language while there are 15 Sanskrit universities, with three of them being deemed ones fully funded by central governments. There are 1000 traditional Sanskrit colleges affiliates to these universities with about 10 lakh students, he said. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

Americans and others around the world have turned increasingly to dietary supplements in order to maintain or preserve their brain health . A recent study found that a quarter of adults over 50 take a supplement for brain-related health. But that same study, done by experts convened by the AARP, suggests that seniors should spend their money elsewhere. The supplements don’t work. This is no small issue. Expenditures on non-vitamin brain health supplements such as such as minerals, herbal mixtures, nurtraceuticals or amino acids, have extended into the billions of dollars. This can amount to between US$20 and US$60 a month for seniors, a sizable sum that could be put toward other expenses, including fresh vegetables and fruit that actually do make a difference. As a neurologist who studies brain health and prevention of dementia, and who has been involved in research in memory and Alzheimer’s disease for my entire career, I can help explain what we do and don’t know about sup

Commemorating 20 years of the Kargil War , the IAF on Monday turned the Gwalior air base virtually into a conflict theatre, with dramatic reenactment of some of the milestones of the operation in 1999. In a symbolic 'recreation' of the Tiger Hill attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Drass-Kargil area, the air force used the Mirage 2000 aircraft and explosives were blown up on a 'model hill' to recreate the crucial events of the war. The chief guest for the event is Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa. The IAF has planned several activities at the air base to commemorate the 20 years of the war and the symbolic 'recreation' of the Tiger Hill attack was one of them. Five Mirage 2000, two MiG 21s and one Sukoi 30 MKI were on static display at the base. One of the Mirage 2000s showcased the Spice bomb carrier. The bomb was used in the Balakot airstrike in February. "The Kargil conflict offers an exemplary experience in the use of air power in warfare in high mo