India, Israel to Come Together for Joint Missile Development for Army

Prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to Israel in June, India has approved a ₹17,000-crore deal.to jointly develop a medium range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) system for the Army.

This is the latest in a series of other variants of SAM systems for the Navy and the Air Force being jointly developed with Israeli help under deals estimated at billions of dollars.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Mr. Modi, at a meeting on Wednesday, gave the go-ahead for the deal to be executed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).

According to a source, Mr. Modi is likely to visit Israel in June, and preparations were on in both countries.

The deal is for 200 missiles for five regiments, each getting 40 units. The missile has a range of 50-70 km.

“The system will be based on the older Barak system of Israel, which is in use in India. It is being changed as per requirements,” a defence source said on Thursday.

The systems will be manufactured in India and would have an 80% indigenous content.

The DRDO would play a crucial role in developing the target homing system. Deliveries would begin in 2023, a source said.

The two countries are also in an advanced stage of negotiations for the purchase of two more long-range Phalcon Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS). The CCS had approved the deal for additional AWACS last year that is expected to cost ₹7,500 crore.




Report: The Hindu

Liquor Ban In Cyber Hub

Since the Supreme Court's recent ruling that ordered a ban on liquor sale within 500 metres of national and state highways, thirty- four pubs and bars in Gurgaon's upscale DLF CyberHub, near the Delhi- Gurgaon Expressway seem to be heading into a future full of uncertainties.

Moreover, a total of 109 pubs and 43 liquor vends have been identified by the excise department. These pubs and vends will lose their licences on April 1 in compliance with the apex court order.

The bars in several five-star hotels and resorts, located along the expressway, also fall within the red zone.

On December 15, the Supreme Court had directed states and union territories to stop sale of liquor within 500 metres of national and the state highways, as well as on service lanes along highways.

The court also directed the administration and the police departments of all states to chalk out a plan for enforcement within a month.

The closure of the 43 liquor vends could result in a loss of Rs 70.81 crore in revenue per year.

Some pubs and bars in the Sector 29 market will also be affected. A number of such outlets are also located along Sohna Road.

“We will comply with the orders of the Supreme Court. We have conducted a survey and will shortly submit the report to the headquarters,” said Aruna Singh, deputy excise and taxation commissioner, Gurgaon.

Pub owners are planning to meet the excise department officials to get more clarity on the matter.

“Restaurants are being targeted unjustifiably. A restaurant is the safest place for an individual to drink and at least more than three-and-a-half lakh employees face the risk of losing jobs,” said Arvind Kumar, general manager, The Wine Company.

“Due to a lack of description in the ruling, all food and beverages outlets have come under the scanner. Let’s hope that the Supreme Court will explain this and give us a realistic guideline of the ruling,” Goumtesh Singh, owner, Raasta Cafe.

Report and statements collected from The Hindustan Times

WATCH | Ninjago Movie Trailer: Jackie Chan and Taylor Swift Come Together For The Lego Movie

A first trailer has been released for The Lego Ninjago Movie, which hits theatres on September 22.

Jackie Chan, Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña and Zach Woods star in the third movie in the Lego franchise.

In the movie, “the battle for NINJAGO City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret ninja warriors,” according to a description. “Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, The Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to be Lloyd’s dad.”

The Lego Ninjago Movie is the feature film directorial debut of Charlie Bean (Tron: Uprising) and is produced by Dan Lin, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Roy Lee, who collaborated on The Lego Movie, as well as Maryann Garger (Flushed Away).

Mount Everest Base Camp To Become Free WiFi Zone

The base camp of Mount Everest will soon be a site for Nepal for the creation of free WiFi zones in the region. Located at an altitude of 5, 360 metres (17, 600) feet, the base camp will become the highest location with an availability of free WiFi services, which will also prove to be helpful in rescue efforts during any contingencies.

Mobile and landline services have reached out towards the base camp through Nepal's telecom service providers, overshadowing the use of expensive satellite phones. However, the use of mobile phones atop the 8, 848 metres high Everest still appears to be a far- fetched fancy.

Mountaineering news portal Himalayanglacier has pointed out that WiFi services tend to become more expensive as one ascends, along with services such as food and lodging.

“You can buy credits amounting to ½ GB of internet from Everest Link at around $8 in a place called Machermo. Once you reach the base camp, purchasing WiFi comes at a very high cost of around $5 per hour…,” the portal states.

Digambar Jha, chairman of state-run Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), said in Kathmandu on Wednesday that the regulator plans to set up free WiFi zones along the trials of Lukla-Everest Base Camp area and Annapurna Base Camp. “We will expand this service in other areas too,” he said.

Jha also added that the WiFi service will operate on the “Okumura Model”, which uses low-cost optical fibre cables for high-speed internet. Special optical fibres resistant to extremely cold weather and icefall will be used for the service. “We have already discussed the project with the International Telecommunication Union, and they are also positive about providing such facilities,” he added.

Besides easing communication, tourists and other users can send photos, videos and messages that will help boost tourism, Jha said.

Accidents and rescue missions
The harsh climatic conditions coupled with high altitudes pose serious hindrances to rescue efforts in case of accidents, turning out to become costly affairs for the government and tourist entrepreneurs. The absence of proper communication media only adds to these woes.

Therefore, to ease rescue efforts through WiFi services, the authorities are determined on being open to other options besides optical fibres: if the latter do not work at high altitudes, other technologies such as micro-wave will be used to provide the WiFi service.

Rape, Molestation Are On Rise Around Us... But Hey! Let's Carry On With the "Whataboutery"!

Every time someone expresses one's concern over how women in our country are ceaselessly facing the evils of rape, molestation and discrimination, they are unabashedly ridiculed by a large host of people who come with the absurd whataboutery to counter legit arguments against misogyny and harassment.

Anyway, certain numbers have come forward through the minister of state for home affairs revealing the horrible truth which the enemies of womankind are bent on denying.

As many as 140 cases of rape and 238 cases of molestation were registered by Delhi Police in January this year alone, of which 43 and 133 cases respectively remain unsolved. 

The number of rape cases registered in 2016 was 2,155, of which 291 were unsolved, while there were 4,165 molestation cases of which 1,132 are unsolved. 

There were 36 rape cases registered against Delhi Police personnel in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. Of these, 28 were registered in Delhi and 8 in other states. While two of these cases were cancelled or quashed, in six cases there were aquittals while 28 cases are pending trial or investigation. 

Ninety cases of molestation and 9 cases of eve-teasing were also registered against Delhi Police personnel in these three years. 

The details were tabled in the Rajya Sabha by minister of state for home affairs Hans Raj Ahir during Question Hour. 

According to the details provided by the minister, 51 cases of eve-teasing were registered, of which 25 remain unsolved. 

“The reasons for unsolved cases vary from case to case. However, some of the main reasons include non- identification of the accused person, stay on the arrest of the accused by courts, insufficient evidence or the accused person is absconding and not traceable,” the minister said.

-Report by PTI 

 

PHOTOBLOG | A Whiff of Breathtaking Mountains

J. R. R Tolkien, the creator of The Lord of the Rings once said, "Not all those who wander are lost." And true to the words of the master storyteller, adventurous travellers have over the years followed unbeaten paths that run beyond doors before dwindling somewhere far off in places of wonder and beauty.

And so, today we bring to you some spectacular sights captured by a young traveller during his many wanderings.

Indulge and enjoy.


1. A world above the clouds






2. Pristine serenity






3. The marching woods capped with snow






4. Roots of the departed






5. Whispering through the eyes






6. Furry musings






7. Winter- kissed






8. Chasing the shooting star






9. "Home is behind, the world ahead."

10. Concrete storytellers

The photographer, Jagdeep Singh Sandhu is an 

automotive researcher for a Gurgaon based MNC.

All images are subjected to copyright under JD Photography,

owned, managed and curated by Jagdeep Singh Sandhu.

NATIONAL PAPERTALK | Kailash Satyarthi's Nobel Prize Certificate Stolen

Social activist Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Peace Prize certificate and other valuables were stolen from his New Delhi residence on Monday night.

An official of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a non-profit organisation which Mr. Satyarthi runs for child rights, confirmed to The Hindu that the theft took place at his apartment in the Alaknanda neighbourhood of the national capital.

Mr. Satyarthi’s son discovered the theft when he went to the apartment on Tuesday morning.

“It was a forced entry. We have not identified the intruder yet. Along with the original Nobel Peace Prize certificate, some jewellery and electronic goods have also been stolen. An FIR has been lodged at the Kalkaji police station,” the official said.

Mr. Satyarthi attended the Nobel Peace summit in Colombia from February 2-5 and is still out of the country.



Report by The Hindu

A 15 Year Old Girl Accidentally Lands Up In Delhi; Rest, You Know, Is All Rape and Torture

Representational Image

As the idea of "feminism" ceaselessly suffers hindering blows from pseudo-feminists and men's rights activists, those truly in need of this very basic idea continue to fall prey to sexual predators. And that too right under the noses of those who ridicule people who put forward endeavours towards women empowerment and the eradication of rape.

Read this incident reported by PTI, which narrates how a 15 year old girl, who boarded a wrong train and landed up in Delhi fell into the hands of a bunch of grotesquely vile people, one of them sadly, but not so surprisingly, a woman herself:

A 15-year- old girl who mistakenly reached Delhi after boarding a wrong train in Chhattisgarh was kidnapped, raped and sold to a person with the help of a woman before being rescued by the Delhi Commission for Women. 

Two people have been arrested for trafficking the girl who was rescued from an area near Humayun’s Tomb on Friday. 

The girl was travelling in a train in Chhattisgarh in October to visit her relatives, but mistakenly boarded a wrong train and reached Delhi. 

At the Delhi railway station, she met one Arman who was selling water bottles, said a senior police officer. 

He took her to Sarai Kale Khan and raped her with the help of his wife Hasheena, he said. 

The couple then sold her for Rs 70,000 to one Pappu Yadav so he could marry the minor, he said. 

“She was living in Faridabad for close to two months with Pappu who physically and mentally tortured her. She somehow left his house and reached Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station where Hasheena met her and gave her a spiked drink,” he added. 

When she fell semi-conscious, Hasheena handed her over to one Mohammad Afroz, 22. 

“He raped her near the railway station and paid the sum to Hasheena. The victim somehow managed to escape and was noticed by a passerby who made a PCR call,” said the officer. 

She was rescued and a case under sections 363 (Punishment for kidnapping), 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 376 (Punishment for rape), 328 (Causing hurt by means of poison, with intent to commit an offence), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) read with 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC and 4 POCSO Act has been registered at Sunlight Colony police station. 

She is undergoing counselling after being examined at AIIMS hospital. 

“After several raids in Sarai Kale Khan and Faridabad, Mohammad Afroz and Pappu Yadav have been arrested. Efforts are being made to arrest the remaining accused,” he said. 

Police are also adding sections under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 based on the information available.

The only positive thing about this is that the police managed to come down heavy upon the perpetrators of the evils upon the girl. The society, though will continue establishing its "whataboutery" to deviate themselves and others from the argument of crime against the feminine population of the world.

ENTERTAINMENT | A Manglik Groom Meets A Restless Ghost of a Bride in Phillauri Trailer

Having successfully delivered an appealing piece of cinema in the form of NH10, Anushka Sharma is back with her second home production this year, Phillauri, the trailer of which was released online on Sunday.

The trailer appears to be a blend of two stories, featuring a mangalik Suraj Sharma set to marry a tree, which interestingly turns out to be the home of the spirit of a woman named Shashi, played by Anushka Sharma.

What follows next is a comic series of events between the mangalik groom (Suraj Sharma), the restless ghost (Anushka Sharma) and the bride to be (Mehreen Pirzada) with glimpses of Shashi's past (that is when she was pretty much alive and about) showing her romantic relationship with a Punjabi folk singer, played by Diljit Dosanjh, all occurring in the Punjabi town of Phillaur.

Phillauri sure does look like a film full of element of fun and is set to hit the theaters on March 24 this year.

ELLE India Launches New Video Challenging Gender Stereotypes

Image: YouTube screenshot

PART 1: The Outrage:
For long the women of our country have been subjected to rigorous "cultural conditioning" under which it is expected of them to never fall out of line of the numberless behavioural rules that have been pressed upon them for centuries now. One of these laws, which, to say the least, are downright patriarchal and oppressive, is a set of norms that decide how a woman should dress up. And, thanks to the minds who consider themselves as protectors of the Indian culture, this absurd law still prevails, disallowing our women even the slightest inch of a casual room to breathe.

Consequently, the women of India ceaselessly indulge in all that tugging and pulling, hoping to cover up all that they can from the ever searching eyes of a large host of men of this nation- the unbelievably perverted bastards that this group is. But oh, how often do these lustful minds realise that what our women wear are, after all, just garments; yes, they slip and slide sometimes, because- yes!- women can move very much like us men!; and yes, the slipping and slightly sliding off of garments reveals things that most of us men mistakenly- mind you, mistakenly- consider immodest, blasphemous towards our culture, and (the most absurd of all) provocative! 

The very idea is nonsensical! What are we even expecting? That women cover themselves in the thickest possible garments with hooks that dig deep into their skin just so that the outfit doesn't commit the unforgivable sin of bringing out in the open that scandalous strap of a brassiere? 

From what it appears to us, it is not the Indian woman who is at fault, gentlemen! So why not just let her be?

PART 2: The Video
ELLE India, in association with WEvolve, a World Bank organisation set up in 2015, has launched a global campaign under the tag #UnGender, which aims to bring both men and women together against gender inequality by using art and media.

It has recently released a video that subtly captures the daily ordeal of Indian women in a highly patriarchal society.

Watch the video here:

ENTERTAINMENT | Ben Affleck Steps Down As Batman Film Director

Actor-filmmaker Ben Affleck has announced that he would not serve as director on the upcoming Batman standalone film ‘The Batman’.

The 44-year-old star, who is also producing the project, said he would just like to focus on his performance as the Dark Knight, reported Variety.

“There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions. Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require.”

“Together with the studio (Warner Bros), I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world,” Affleck said in a statement.

According to the sources the decision was solely made based on what is best for the project and had nothing to do with the recent disappointment of Affleck’s latest directing job ‘Live by Night.’

“Warner Bros fully supports Ben Affleck’s decision and remains committed to working with him to bring a standalone Batman picture to life,” the studio said a statement.

Affleck first appeared as the superhero in last year’s ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’


Report: PTI

SCIENCE | Adorable Kitten Toe Beans In Space!

Back in 1963, a tuxedo kitty from the streets of Paris, named Félicette showed to the world that there just might be some relation between cats and space. Fifty- four years from then, The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has finally proved that cats and space do belong together!

The ESO, a 16-nation intergovernmental research organisation for ground-based astronomy, has recently released an image depicting some astounding cat toe beans in space. Cat people would already be familiar with what cat toe beans are. For those who haven't yet experienced kitty- love, they are those cute, spongy little pads on the underside of a cat's paw.

Anyway, there is, in space, a "Cat's Paw Nebula", which according to the ESO was first viewed by UK scientist John Herschel in the year 1837. Since then, human eyes have been blessed with a fuller view of the gorgeous paw in space.

But that's not the end of it. The ESO's latest images also feature the neighbouring Lobster Nebula. Like Cat's Paw, it is made up of vast gassy (mainly hydrogen) regions energised by the light of newborn stars. Both nebulae (officially named NGC 6334 and NGC 6357, which are 5,500 and 8,000 light years away, respectively) are found right near the tail of the constellation Scorpius. 

Here's the full image:

ESO

In an explanatory statement, the ESO stated that "with masses around 10 times that of the Sun, these hot stars radiate intense ultraviolet light. When this light encounters hydrogen atoms still lingering in the stellar nursery that produced the stars, the atoms become ionised. Accordingly, the vast, cloud-like objects that glow with this light from hydrogen (and other) atoms are known as emission nebulae."  

The new images come from the Very Large Telescope's 250-megapixel OmegaCAM, a successor to its impressive Wide Field Imager (WFI). "Despite the cutting-edge instruments used to observe these phenomena, the dust in these nebulae is so thick that much of their content remains hidden to us," the statement declares. 

"The Cat's Paw Nebula is one of the most active stellar nurseries in the night sky, nurturing thousands of young, hot stars whose visible light is unable to reach us. However, by observing at infrared wavelengths, telescopes such as ESO's VISTA can peer through the dust and reveal the star formation activity within," the statement further clarified.

SCIENCE | NASA Releases Close- Up Views of Saturn's Rings

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

NASA has released high- resolution close- up images of the outermost rings of planet Saturn. The images were captured by the spacecraft Cassini as part of its penultimate mission. The spacecraft has been hovering in and out of the planet's rings every week since November, taking images depicting features as small as 550 metres, a measurement that may not seem so small to us, but is of huge interest when one considers the fact that the photos being taken are those of another planet.

One of the images has been shown above. The encircled parts in the image are bright disturbances called "propellers" which are caused by the gravity of moonlets embedded in the ring.

Images of "straws", which can be defined as a temporary clumping in the rings resulting from gravity from a group of embedded objects, have also been captured by Cassini. Moreover, it took images of density "waves" and "wakes" as well, capturing the sights in visible light with its wide angle camera. The photos were initially taken on December 18th, 2016, although it was back in the year 2004 that Cassini first reached Saturn and showed us the features of the planet's ring. However, the new images happen to be twice as sharp and clear than what the world witnessed before. 

More images of the ring could probably come out in the next few months as Cassini continues to make progress in its approach towards Saturn.

SCIENCE | 'Little Fish Fireworks' On Display Underwater

Representational image

Have you heard of bioluminescence? Well, according to BBC Earth, it is 'one of nature's most dazzling underwater displays.' And fortunately for us, a BBC film crew has managed to film this phenomenon as a form of self- defence.

The ocean- dwelling ostracods are animals that are known to give off light when they are disturbed. These organisms produce the chemicals luciferin and luciferase. which emit light when they combine. This process is called bioluminescence, an adaptation that makes animals visible in the pitch black darkness in the deepest regions of the sea.

To exhibit why organisms are able to give off light, ostracods were put into a tank along with cardinal fish, which, by the way, are plankton- eaters. The crew then observed that when a cardinal fish swallowed an ostracod, the latter emitted a burst of light, compelling  the fish to spit it out.

Physicist and BBC presenter Helen Czerski called this dazzling display as a 'little fish firework'.

Catch the light- emitting ostracods in action here:

When the cardinal fish regurgitates, it appears to be casting a Patronus.  (Photo by BBC Earth.) pic.twitter.com/mBjInfLCBc

— The QI Elves (@qikipedia) January 30, 2017