Tight security for Amarnath yatra

Jammu: With the first batch of yatris scheduled to leave for the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir on Tuesday, over 4,000 pilgrims from all over the country arrived at the base camp in Jammu city on Monday amid tight security.

“Roughly over 4,000 yatris have arrived from various parts of the country. More are on their way,” Deputy Inspector-General of Police Farooq Khan said.

The first batch of pilgrims will leave today from the Yatri Niwas in Bhagwati Nagar, Jammu, base camp for the Amarnath yatra, for their journey to the shrine, which is located at a height of 13,500 feet.

DIG Khan, who welcomed the pilgrims at the newly set-up reception and assistance centre at Kunjwani on the outskirts of Jammu, said adequate security measures have been taken for the yatris' safety.

“We have asked pilgrims and their families to pray for peace to prevail in Jammu & Kashmir when they pay obeisance at the cave shrine,” the DIG said.

The security apparatus in and around the base camp has been operationalised, he said, adding that officers have been asked to remain vigilant and maintain coordination with various agencies to ensure smooth conduct of the yatra.

The Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas was opened on Monday for registration of pilgrims seeking lodging. With a multi-tier security set-up, the Niwas spread across several hectares of land has started community kitchens, assistance booths, a joint control room, a registration centre as well as board and lodging areas.

Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sham Lal Sharma also visited the Bhagwati Nagar base camp to review the arrangements made for the yatra.

The Minister also asked the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu to personally monitor the yatra on a regular basis and ensure the pilgrims do not face any kind of inconvenience. (PTI)

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar gets Nissan GT-R Supercar

The master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who already owns the super luxury sports car Ferrari, has now received a new super sports car - Nissan GT-R Supercar. Powered by a 530 HP engine, the Japanese beauty costs $87,000 (Rs 4 crore approx). A red color model of the car was delivered to Tendulkar at his La Mar residence in Bandra, about two weeks back.

The car was brought from Dubai and two top engineers were flown in from there along with the car so that the car could be tuned in to the batting maestro presence.

In a statement given to TOI, a close friend of Cricketing maestro said, "Sachin is delighted with the arrival of his new car." He added that "It was tough for him to ensure that the car maintained its minimum run on Mumbai's roads. Also, he could not get out on the roads because people would easily identify the car. It wasn't used much for the same reason."

Sachin Tendulkar already has 2 BMWs and a Skoda, and the new Nisan GT-R Supercar will take the rally of his luxury cars to 4.

Centre's nod to Rs 919.76-cr highways project in Madhya Pradesh Centre's nod to Rs 919.76-cr highways project in Madhya Pradesh

NEW DELHI: Centre has given its approval to Rs 919.76-cr highways project in Madhya Pradesh under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP).

According to a government statement, “The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure today approved four laning of Jabalpur-Lakhanadone section on National Highway 7 in Madhya Pradesh under NHDP Phase IV-A on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis in Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) toll mode of delivery.”

The net estimated project cost is Rs 919.76 crore, out of which Rs 143 crore will be used for land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement and pre-construction related works.

The net length of the project is 80.825 km. When the project gets completed, it will bring down the time and also the travel coat for traffic plying between Jabalpur and Lakhanadone. When this project gets completed, then it will surge the employment potential for the local labourers.

A DEVICE INVENTED FOR SAFE DRIVING

Now a days there is an increasing focus on alcohol related issues in Europe and the rest of the world .In the industrialized part of the world alcohol is the third largest risk factor for illnesses and accidents. So it has led to a greater need for measuring the degree of sobriety.

Our idea revolves around a small portable alcometer and a specially developed software. The system uses the mobile network to communicate results and allows the user to map his/hers alcohol burning rate. By taking advantage of today mobile and web-based services we can provide our clients with exciting opportunities. We create a relaxed relationship between the small portable alcohol sensor and the users that promotes an exchange of information with them.

World's thinnest LAPTOP launched by DELL

Dell officially launched the Adamo XPS, the highest-end version of its designer ultra portable. Dell says it expects to “begin taking orders and shipping the Adamo XPS in time for the holidays.” The ultra thin luxury laptop starts at $1,799. The system is championed as the thinnest notebook ever and measures just 0.39 inches at its thickest point. Dell accomplishes the feat by tucking most of the computer components into the display section and relying on a unique hinge that opens underneath and acts as a built-in prop .











In spite of its slimness, the notebook still has a removable battery, two USB ports and DisplayPort output but also weighs slightly more than its MacBook Air rival at 3.2 pounds.

When fully opened, the keyboard sits at maybe a 20-degree angle. It’s an unusual setup, but one that provides a more ergonomic typing experience than the average flat laptop keyboard. We also liked the keyboard’s metal keys and the reasonably large touchpad.

ARTIFICIAL LEAF INVENTED TO SOLVE POWER CRISIS AT MIT(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Scientists have created the world’s first practical artificial leaf that can turn sunlight and water into energy, which they claim could pave the way for a cheaper source of power.

A team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) says that the artificial leaf from silicon, electronics and various catalysts which spur chemical reactions within the device, can use sunlight to break water into hydrogen and oxygen which can then be used to create electricity in a separate fuel cell.

“A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. And placed in a gallon of water and left in sun, these artificial leaves could provide a home in the developing world with basic electricity for a day,” Daniel Nocera, who led the team, said.

He added: “Our goal is to make each home its own power station. One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.”

Both teams produced devices that combine a standard silicon solar cell with a catalyst developed three years ago by professor Daniel Nocera. When submerged in water and exposed to sunlight, the devices cause bubbles of oxygen to separate out of the water.

The next step to producing a full, usable artificial leaf, explains Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and professor of chemistry, will be to integrate the final ingredient: an additional catalyst to bubble out the water’s hydrogen atoms. In the current devices, hydrogen atoms are simply dissociated into the solution as loose protons and electrons. If a catalyst could produce fully formed hydrogen molecules (H₂), the molecules could be used to generate electricity or to make fuel for vehicles. Realization of that step, Nocera says, will be the subject of a forthcoming paper.

The reports by the two teams were published in the journals Energy & Environmental Science on May 12, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on June 6. Nocera encouraged two different teams to work on the project so that each could bring their special expertise to addressing the problem, and says the fact that both succeeded “speaks to the versatility of the catalyst system.”

Nocera’s ultimate goal is to produce an “artificial leaf” so simple and so inexpensive that it could be made widely available to the billions of people in the world who lack access to adequate, reliable sources of electricity. What’s needed to accomplish that, in addition to stepping up the voltage, is the addition of a second catalyst material to the other side of the silicon cell, Nocera says.

The “leaf” system, by contrast, is “still a science project,” Nocera says. “We haven’t even gotten to what I would call an engineering design.” He hopes, however, that the artificial leaf could become a reality within three years

HP(Hewlett-Packard) TO LAUNCH TOUCH PAD NEXT MONTH

Hewlett-Packard Co, hoping to tap into the tablet market dominated by Apple Inc'siPad, said it will begin sales of its TouchPadcomputer in July.

The tablet will sell for $499.99 to $599.99 depending on storage capacity, Palo Alto, California-based Hewlett-Packard said in a statement today. Sales will begin in the US on July 1, followed by the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Canada.

The first version of the TouchPad will have Wi-Fi technology to connect to the Internet through wireless hotspots. A future version of the device will connect through AT&T Inc (T)'s wireless network, Hewlett-Packard said.

Personal-computer makers are rushing into the tablet market as consumers buy the smaller, touchscreen devices and demand for traditional PCs slacks off. This week, research firm IDC lowered its estimate for growth in PC shipments this year to 4.2 percent from a February estimate of 7.1 percent, citing competition from tablets and smartphones as well as the sluggish economy.

The TouchPad will compete with the iPad, Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's Xoom and the Research In Motion Ltd PlayBook.

TEEN AGE BOY WAS KILLED IN KARRACHI

Karachi: Pakistani authorities are investigating a video that appears to show paramilitary forces shooting to death an unarmed teenage boy in the southern port city of Karachi, officials said Thursday.

The video aired repeatedly on TV, sparking another controversy for the Pakistani military, which is still reeling from criticism following the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden last month.

Pakistani security forces are often accused of using excessive force and abusing ordinary citizens.

A spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers claimed its forces detained 18-year-old Afsar Shah because he was attempting to rob people in a park in Karachi on Wednesday. He said a gun was recovered from Shah and he was shot because he was reaching for a Ranger's rifle.Shah's brother, Salik, a local crime reporter, denied his brother was a robber and accused the Rangers of shooting an innocent person.

"It seems to be a case of routine high-handedness of the Rangers," Salik Shah said. "They misuse their powers by shooting on sight."
"The Rangers have no authority to kill any unarmed individual and they can fire only in self-defence," he said. "On completion of the inquiry, all those found responsible will be given strict punishment."

SOURCE:timesofindia.com