Kepler-62e, 62f and 69c: Earth-like planets that could host life discovered by NASA

Kepler-62e, 62f and 69c: Earth-like planets that could host life discovered by NASA

April 25th, 2013

NASAs Kepler Mission has found five planets orbiting a Sun-like star called Kepler-62. Four of these planets are so-called super-Earths, larger than our own planet, but smaller than even the smallest ice giant planet in our Solar System.
The Kepler-62 system has five planets:

• 62b
• 62c
• 62d
• 62e
• 62f

Kepler-62e, 62f and 69c are the super-Earth-sized planets. NASA is not terming these planets “Earth-like” exactly; but they are being described as “Super Earths” that are anywhere from 40 to 70 % larger than our planet.

• Kepler-62f is only 40% larger than Earth, making it the exo-planet closest to the size of our planet known in the habitable zone of another star. Kepler-62f is likely to have a rocky composition. There’s also the possibility of water.
• Kepler-62e orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone and is roughly 60% larger than Earth. Could be either rocky or a water world.
• Kepler-69c is 70% larger than the size of Earth, and orbits in the habitable zone of a star similar to our sun. Astronomers are uncertain about the composition of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days around a sun-like star resembles that of our neighboring planet Venus. Described as potentially a “Super Venus,” situated on the hotter side of the habitable zone.

Scientists do not know whether life could exist on the newfound planets, but their discovery signals we are another step closer to finding a world similar to Earth around a star like our sun.

Mahatma Gandhi among top three most admired leaders of the world: Survey

Mahatma Gandhi among top three most admired leaders of the world: Survey

April 24th, 2013

Mahatma Gandhi figures among the top three most admired leaders of the world as per a global survey of CEOs conducted by accountancy firm PwC. As part of its yearly survey, PwC recently asked 1,400 CEOs from around the world “which leaders they most admired, and what they most admired about their actions”.
The TOP 10 most admired leaders of the world:-

1. Winston Churchill
2. Steve Jobs
3. Mahatma Gandhi (*Indian)
4. Nelson Mandela
5. Jack Welch
6. Abraham Lincoln
7. Margaret Thatcher (*Only woman in top-10)
8. Ronald Reagan
9. John F Kennedy
10. Bill Clinton

Indian "Human Computer" Shakuntala Devi passes away

Indian "Human Computer" Shakuntala Devi passes away

April 24th, 2013

World-renowned Indian prodigy mental calculator and astrologer Shakuntala Devi (83) passed away. She was known as “Human Computer”.
Shakuntala Devi was born in Bangalore, India and in her initial childhood years she worked in Circus and road-shows with her father where she displayed her amazing ability at number crunching.
She developed the concept of ‘mind dynamics’.
Shakuntala Devi later entered the field of Astrology and commenced offering astrological advice to hundreds of people, including celebrities, politicians, etc.
Some special achievements:

• In Dallas in 1977 she gave cube root of 188138517 faster than a computer in a competition.
• In a US University, she gave 23rd root of 201-digit number : “916748676920039158098660927585380162483106680144308622407126516427934657040867096593279205767480806790022783016354924852380335745316935111903596577547340075681688305620821016129132845564805780158806771” as 546372891 in 50 seconds and the answer to this question took a UNIVAC 1108 computer (fed with 13000 instructions) 62 seconds (12 seconds more than 50 seconds).
• In 1980, she demonstrated the multiplication of two 13-digit numbers 7,686,369,774,870 x 2,465,099,745,779 picked at random by the Computer Department of Imperial College, London. She correctly answered 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730 in 28 seconds. This event is mentioned in the 1995 Guinness Book of Records.

She also authored famous books like:

• Puzzles to Puzzle You
• More Puzzles to Puzzle You
• Book of Numbers
• Perfect Murder
• Figuring: The Joy of Numbers
• The World of Homosexuals
• In the Wonderland of Numbers
• Super Memory: It Can Be Yours
• Mathability: Awaken the Math Genius in Your Child
• Astrology for You

India largest recipient of global remittances: World Bank

India largest recipient of global remittances: World Bank

April 24th, 2013

The world bank held that India remains the largest recipient of global remittances in the world, receiving USD 69 billion in 2012.
Top recipients of global remittances in the world:

• India (USD 69 billion)
• China (USD60 billion)
• The Philippines (USD24 billion)
• Mexico (USD23 billion)
• Nigeria and Egypt (USD21 billion each).

Other large recipients include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Lebanon.

Russia launches ‘Noah’s Ark’ satellite for space biology research

Russia launches ‘Noah’s Ark’ satellite for space biology research

April 21st, 2013

Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos launched an orbital Noah’s Ark to examine the consequences of spaceflight on animals to set up for human interplanetary flights. Bion-M1 is the world’s only returnable satellite committed to biological research. The satellite is proposed at biological research in space and for interplanetary flights in future.
On board for a 30-day flight are 45 mice, 8 Mongolian gerbils, 15 geckos, snails and containers with several microorganisms and plants. The satellite’s inhabitants will be the subject of more than 70 physiological, morphological, genetic and molecular-biological experiments.Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos launched an orbital Noah’s Ark to study the effects of spaceflight on animals to prepare for human interplanetary flights. Bion-M1 is the world’s only returnable satellite dedicated to biological research. The satellite is aimed at biological research in space and for interplanetary flights in future.
Bion-M1 is a Russian space mission and is a part of the Bion series ( also named Biocosmos) of spaceflights.

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners

April 20th, 2013

 “The Orphan Master’s Son” – a novel based on North Korea by author Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

List of 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners

Letters, Drama and Music

FICTION - "The Orphan Master’s Son" by Adam Johnson
DRAMA - "Disgraced" by Ayad Akhtar
HISTORY – "Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam" by Fredrik Logevall (Random House),
BIOGRAPHY – "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" by Tom Reiss (Crown)
POETRY - "Stag’s Leap" by Sharon Olds
GENERAL NONFICTION – "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America" by Gilbert King (Harper)
MUSIC - "Partita for 8 Voices" by Caroline Shaw, recording released on October 30, 2012 (New Amsterdam Records)

Journalism
PUBLIC SERVICE – Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING – The Denver Post Staff
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING – David Barstow and Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab of The New York Times
EXPLANATORY REPORTING – The New York Times Staff
LOCAL REPORTING – Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis
NATIONAL REPORTING – Lisa Song, Elizabeth McGowan and David Hasemyer of Inside Climate News, Brooklyn, NY
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING – David Barboza of The New York Times
FEATURE WRITING – John Branch of The New York Times
COMMENTARY - Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal
CRITICISM - Philip Kennicott of The Washington Post
EDITORIAL WRITING – Tim Nickens and Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, FL
EDITORIAL CARTOONING – Steve Sack of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis
BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY – Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen of the Associated Press
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY – Javier Manzano, free-lance photographer, Agence France-Presse

“Twitter #music” – a music app service launched by Twitter

“Twitter #music” – a music app service launched by Twitter

April 20th, 2013

Twitter has brought out a new music app “Twitter #music” which will suggest tracks based on who you follow on the social network. Songs can be played straight in the application via services such as Rdio, Spotify and iTunes. Twitter #music displays songs your friends are at present listening to and other suggestions from artists. Twitter #music follows moves by other social networks such as Facebook to add in music into their services.

Aruna Bahuguna – First women special DG CRPF

Aruna Bahuguna – First women special DG CRPF

April 20th, 2013

Aruna Bahuguna, Senior IPS Officer (1979-batch Andhra Pradesh cadre officer) appointed Special Director General of CRPF, India’s largest paramilitary force. She became the first women officer to be appointed to the top position. Her husband S. Jayaraman is also an IPS officer of the 1977 batch of West Bengal cadre and is presently special secretary in the Union home ministry handling internal security.

April 22 is Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day, an annual event to raise awareness about the environment and its conservation. So, in time to celebrate this day, a leading online travel adviser has compiled a list of the ten most enchanting forests from around the world. 


1.crooked forest ,poland
Taking top honours is Poland’s Crooked Forest with its 400 curved pine trees planted in 1930. The twisted shape of the trees is said to be man-made, though the method and motive are not known. 


2. Sagano Bamboo Forest, Japan 

Sagano Bamboo Forest is located within the Arashiyama district in the western outskirts of Kyoto covering an area of 16 square kilometers. The sound of the wind as it blows through the grove was voted by the Japanese government as one of the hundred sounds to be preserved. 




3. Black Forest, Germany 

The Black Forest situated in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany, has always been an integral part of German folklore and was a fertile source of stories for the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale compilation. The Romans named the forest Silva Nigra or Silva Carbonara (Latin=Black Forest) because of the dense growth which blocked out most of the light in the forest. 


4. Caddo Lake, United States 

Situated on the border between Texas and Louisiana, Caddo Lake is named after a Native American culture called the Caddoans or Caddo who occupied the area before their expulsion. It covers an area of 25,400 acres and is internationally protected under the RAMSAR treaty. It also features the world’s largest Cypress forest. 


5. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China 

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is one of the several parks located within the Wulingyuan scenic Area in Hunan Province, China. It is famous for its majestic pillar-like geographic formations which dot the entire park. The pillars are said to be an inspiration for the floating Hallelujah Mountains seen in the movie 'Avatar'. 


6. Inyo National Forest, United States 

This National Forest covers 1,903,381 acres, including the White Mountains of California and Nevada and parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California. Nine designated wilderness areas are located within the national park and it is also home to the oldest living tree in the world, the Methuselah bristlecone pine. 

Nicolas Maduro elected Venezuela president

Venezuela's acting President Nicolas Maduro was elected Hugo Chavez's successor Sunday with 50.66 percent of the vote, while opposition rival Henrique Capriles earned 49.06 percent, election officials said.

In a bitterly fought election, Venezuela on Sunday voted for Hugo Chavez once again as it elected his political heir, Nicolas Maduro, as the new president. In the polls that opened with the sounds of firecrackers and trumpets at 6 am and closed more than 12 hours later, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela leader defeated Henrique Capriles Radonski, the joint candidate of several opposition parties by a margin of less than 2% votes. Maduro defeated the opposition candidate by only about 300,000 votes. While Maduro got 50.66% of votes, Capriles took 49.07% of the ballots in a tighter-than-expected vote. Announcing the result, the president of the national election commission, Tibisay Lucena, said the result is "irreversible" 

 

Uhuru Kenyatta Sworn-In as the President of Kenya

 Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn-in as the new President of Kenya on 9 April 2013. He is the fourth president of Kenya. 

Kenyatta clinched victory in a tightly fought race for Kenya's presidency on 9 March 2013 against Raila Odinga.

It is very important to note that Uhuru Kenyatta along with his deputy William Ruto are controversial figures as they are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity from alleged role in the country's 2007-2008 election.

 

Margaret Thatcher dead at 87 after stroke 

 

• Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher,  (13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013) was a British Conservative Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. 

• She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office.

•  A Soviet journalist called her the "Iron Lady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. 

• As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.

 

Death

Thatcher died on 8 April 2013 at The Ritz Hotel in London after suffering a stroke.She had been staying at a suite in The Ritz Hotel since Christmas after having difficulty with stairs at her Chester Square home.
She had suffered from poor health for several years. Lord Bell, Thatcher's spokesman, confirmed her death in a press release issued at 12:52 BST (11:52 UTC).
A Buckingham Palace spokesman announced: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher.
 Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It was with great sadness that I learned of Lady Thatcher's death. We've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton."
In accordance with her wishes, Thatcher will not receive a state funeral, but will be honoured with a church service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where she will be accorded military honours.


Some reactions were less sympathetic, particularly from coal miners, the UK's LGBT community, and Irish republicans.Residents in Orgreave, South Yorkshire, site of a major confrontation between striking coal miners and British police in June 1984, declared that their village had been "decimated by Thatcher". 
 Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin, condemned "the great hurt done to the Irish and British people during her time as British prime minister", adding: "Here in Ireland, her espousal of old draconian militaristic policies prolonged the war and caused great suffering."




The Associated Press quoted a number of British miners as responding to her death simply with: "good riddance".MP George Galloway tweeted the phrase "Tramp the dirt down" after hearing of Thatcher's death, in reference reference to Elvis Costello's 1989 song by the same name about dancing on Thatcher's grave^.
In the immediate aftermath of her death, there were efforts through social media to organise street parties in celebration.

 These took place in Glasgow's George Square and Brixton,despite opposition from local authorities.

ISRO to telecast Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra live in August

Devotees across the country and abroad can watch the famous Nanda Devi Raj Jaat Yatra live on television, as the Uttarakhand government has given the direct telecast rights for the pilgrimage to Indian Space Research Organisation.  

 Upon accepted a proposal sent by the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, ISRO has also constituted a team headed by senior scientist Virendra Kumar to oversee live coverage of the event, also known as the Kumbh of the Himalayas

America’s Serena Williams won Miami Masters open Tennis Tournament 2013

World No. 1 Serena Williams on 30 March 2013 won Miami masters open Tennis Tournament for record sixth time in Key Biscayne

Serena Williams claimed the record equaling sixth title by winning the last 10 games to sweep by Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

By winning the title, Serena Williams joined Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova as the only women to have won the same event six times.

Facts about Serena Williams

• Miami Tennis tournament title is her 48th WTA career tour title.
• Serena Williams is a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion.
• She also became the oldest women's champion in Miami history, four months older than Evert when the legend won here in 1986 at 31 years and two months of age.
• It was the 11th match victory in a row for Williams over Sharapova.

 

Thane building collapse caused by construction in area, Prithviraj Chavan says in Maharashtra assembly

Thane building collapse caused by construction in area, Prithviraj Chavan says in Maharashtra assembly

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday said that theresidential building that collapsed in Mumbai suburb Thanewas prima facie caused by jerks due to construction work in the vicinity.
 
Chavan was making a statement in the assembly after visiting the spot earlier in the day as he informed that41 people were killedin the incident and 60 others injured.

He said confusion prevailed over whom does the land belong to -- forest department or tribal development department.
 
The chief minister said there were no clearances from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to any of these projects in the area. He also admitted that no action was taken to stop the illegal construction even as some notices were sent to the violators.
 
He said a case was registered against builder Jamil Sheikh and another person.

Thane building collapse:

Thane building collapse:

The building collapse in Mumbra could have been avoided had all the authorities taken timely action. For instance when the work in the seven-storey illegal building was in full swing, a local activist Mangal Patil clicked the pictures of the building along with other buildings in the neighbourhood and sent it to the Thane municipal office, the police station and even the Chief Minister's office.

"I sent the pictures along with the details of the building on March 18. However, no one responded," said Patil. He claimed that the builders built the building in connivance with local politicians.

Patil's claim is not far off the mark. In Mumbra, which has a population of nine lakh, nearly 95 per cent of buildings are illegal.

In fact in Thane city itself there are around 30 per cent illegal buildings. With housing prices going through the roof unscrupulous builders have been making a fast buck by building structures within three to six months. The modus operandi is simple a land is identified by the builder who has already booked in materials like cement, steel and other materials.

"The work usually start during a public holiday or during the weekends. Public holidays and weekends are chosen because even if someone complains to the local civic ward office, then the ward office can tell the complainant that they won't be able to attend to the complaint since it's a holiday," said a retired civic official.

A case in point is the Mumbra building, after it fell the Thane Municipal authorities conveniently shifted responsibilities claiming that the building was not on TMC property but on forest land and that it was the Forest Department that should have demolished the building.

In many instances the builder has already got his clients ready even before the building construction is completed.

"The builder will not start construction unless 30 to 40 per cent of the flats are prebooked simply because he wants to move away from the project even before the civic authorities take action. This is one of the reasons why illegal buildings sprung up so fast as they want to sell the flats and don't want to get caught in the legal hassles," said the civic official.

An outright illegal building will have flats that are half the price of that a building built with all permissions or 40 per cent lower the cost, depending on the area. For instance, in Kalwa near Mumbra the price of a one room kitchen flat isRs.18 lakh. While in a legal building in the same area it would costRs.25 to 28 lakhs for the same space," said a builder from Kalwa who is in to these illegal constructions.

Flats in the Mumbra building which fell were supposed to be sold forRs.4 toRs.8 lakhs, however, they were not sold, the two builders in order to maximise their profits and prevent their building from being demolished decided to rent out parts of the building. This is because the municipal authorities are more reluctant to demolish a building with people staying in it.

If the building crashes there are always scape goats to be found for instance the Chief Minister on Friday announced the suspension of one civic official from Thane and a local police official for being responsible for the building collapse.

Death toll mounts to 62 in Thane building collapse, 2 officials suspended

Death toll mounts to 62 in Thane building collapse, 2 officials suspended

The death toll in the collapse of a residential building being constructed illegally in Mumbai rose to 62 Saturday amid diminishing hopes of finding any survivors alive, police said.

Another 70 people were injured when the eight-story building on forest land in the Mumbai suburb of Thane caved in into a mound of steel and concrete Thursday evening, police said.

Police officer Dahi Dhule said that rescue workers with sledgehammers, gasoline-powered saws and hydraulic jacks worked through Friday night to break through the tower of rubble in their search for possible survivors. Six bulldozers were brought to the scene.

Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan said a government probe has been ordered into the accident, and that a deputy municipal commissioner and a senior police officer have been suspended for dereliction of duty.

At the time of the collapse, between 100 and 150 people were in the building. Many were residents or construction workers, who were living at the site as they worked on it, said Sandeep Malvi, a spokesman for the Thane government.

More than 20 people remained missing and three floors of the building remained to be searched, said R.S. Rajesh, an official with the National Disaster Response Force who was at the scene.

"All the three floors are sandwiched ... so it's very difficult for us," he said.

The dead included 17 children, police said.

A nearby hospital was filled with the injured, many of whom had head wounds, fractures and spinal injuries. Hospital officials searched in vain for the parents of an injured 10-month-old girl who had been rescued.

At least four floors of the building had been completed and were occupied. Workers had finished three more floors and were adding the eighth when it collapsed, police Inspector Digamber Jangale said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the structure to collapse, but local police commissioner K.P. Raghuvanshi said it was weakly built. Police were searching for the builders to arrest them, he said.

Police with rescue dogs were searching the building, which appeared to have buckled and collapsed upon itself.

Raghuvanshi said rescue workers had saved 15 people from the wreckage.

Building collapses are common in India as builders try to cut corners by using poor quality materials, and as multi-storied structures are built with inadequate supervision. The massive demand for housing around India's cities and pervasive corruption often result in builders adding unauthorized floors or putting up illegal buildings.

The neighborhood where the building collapsed was part of a belt of more than 2,000 illegal structures that had sprung up in the area in recent years, said Malvi, the town spokesman.

"Notices have been served several times for such illegal construction, sometimes notices are sent 10 times for the same building," he said.

G.R. Khairnar, a former top Mumbai official, said government officials who allowed the illegal construction should be tried along with the builders.

"There are a lot of people involved (in illegal construction) - builders, government machinery, police, municipal corporation - everybody is involved in this process," he told CNN-IBN television.

The building that collapsed was illegally constructed on forest land, and the city informed forestry officials twice about it, Malvi said.

A local resident, who did not give his name, said the site was meant to hold a smaller structure and accused officials of turning a blind eye to the problem.

"They made an eight-story building of what was supposed to be a four-story building. People from the municipality used to visit the building but the builder still continued to add floors," he said.

In one of the worst recent collapses, nearly 70 people were killed in November 2010 when an apartment building in a congested New Delhi neighborhood crumpled. That building was two floors higher than legally allowed.

President Pranab Mukherjee gives away Padma Awards to Dravid, Sridevi, Sharmila

President Pranab Mukherjee gives away Padma Awards to Dravid, Sridevi, Sharmila

President Pranab Mukherjee presented Padma awards, the country's highest civilian awards, to 54 personalities, including actors Sharmila Tagore and Sridevi.

Sridevi who sprung back into action with her comeback movie English Vinglish last September, has not looked back since. After receiving accolades for her performance in the movie, Sri has now landed another feather in her cap.

As the first batch of 2013's Padma honors rolled out, Sridevi was honored with the Padma Shri and Sharmila Tagore, the Padma Bhushan. Cricketer Rahul Dravid was also one of the recipients of the prestigious Padma Bhushan. They received the honor from President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan's Darbar Hall.

Also seen in the pics are Sridevi's daughters Jhanvi and Khushi.

When the Padma winners were announced, Sri had mentioned that she was thrilled. "I don't know what I did to deserve it. But I must have done something right to be honoured by our government" she had said in an interview.

Late Rajesh Khanna and comedian Jaspal Bhatti who passed away last year will receive their Padma Bhushan awards posthumously in the second batch.

Previously, Saif Ali Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Kajol and many other B-town celebrities have received this honour.

Kerala's literacy ambassador Chelakkodan Aysha dies

 The mortal remains of Chelakkodan Aysha, the brand ambassador of Kerala’s famed literacy movement, were interred at the Kavanoor Juma Masjid graveyard, near Areekode, on Friday morning. She died of respiratory problems on Thursday night. She was 91.

Odisha celebrated its 77th foundation day’ – Utkal Divas (Odisha Day)

Odisha celebrated its 77th foundation day’ – Utkal Divas (Odisha Day)

April 3rd, 2013

Odisha celebrates 77th foundation day – Utkal Divas is celebrated April 1 every year to mark the formation of Odisha state. Odisha Day (or Utkala Dibasa) is observed on 1 April every year  in Odisha in to mark the formation of the state as a separate province on 1 April 1936.

• Subsequent to the defeat and death of the last Hindu king Mukunda Dev, it lost its complete political identity in 1568.
• Consistent efforts were put in which finally resulted in the formation of a politically separate state under British rule on linguistic basis on 1 April 1936.