National News & Politics

What is Fit India Grading System For Schools?

HT News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rolled out Fit India School grading system for schools across the country. Divided into three categories, the grading system ranks schools according to their contribution in fitness program.

What is Fit India School grading system?

It is a fitness system developed to check participation of educational institutions in popularizing fitness among students, teachers and other staff members. Also, the schools would have to invest in developing infrastructure for supporting fitness programs.

Grades of Fit India School

• The Fit India Schools

• Fit India School (3 Stars)

• Fit India School (5 Stars)

The level of ranking would be determined from the efforts, schools make for inculcating fitness in students and teachers. Also, the availability of fitness equipment would be a factor in grading.

How could schools participate in the fitness grading system?

Schools need to visit Fit India portal to declare themselves fit. They would be given ratings according to the set procedure. The portal would give Fit India three star and five-star rating to schools. The participating schools would be allowed to use Fit India flag and logo.

What did PM Modi say during launch of Fit India School?

Narendra Modi launched the Fit India School grading system in his popular radio program Mann Ki Baat on Sunday. He invited all schools across the length and breadth of the country to participate in the grading system to declare their fitness.

He appealed to all schools to enroll in the Fit India ranking system and make it a mass movement to bring awareness about what the country must strive for.

Source: https://bit.ly/2OGGLuS… Read the rest

News & Politics

Supreme Court Reserves Its Order OnThe Petition Challenging Government Formation In Maharashtra For Tuesday

HT News

The BJP got a breather from the Supreme Court over its government formation in Maharashtra. The SC today reserved its order on a petition challenging the Maharashtra government formation. The SC has earlier asked the BJP to show the letters from the Maharashtra governor to form government and support of all NCP MLAs.

What was the Supreme Court ruling on Maharashtra government formation?

The BJP submitted the letter from Maharashtra governor and the letter of support from NCP to the Supreme Court. The letter shows that the BJP has the support of 54 NCP MLAs and it calls it AjitPawar’s Nationalist Congress Party. But the rival gang of Shiv Sena also claims support of 154 MLAs and demands immediate test of strength on the floor of the house.

The SC, after hearing the petition and checking the letters, reserved its decision on a quick show of strength till Tuesday. The SC on Sunday had asked Devendra Fadnavis to show letters from the Maharashtra governor and from AjitPawar to prove his strength.

Highlights of Maharashtra case in SC

• The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress challenged the way Maharashtra government was formed. The development took place hours after the three parties decided to enter into a coalition to form a stable government in Maharashtra.

• Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, representing Devendra Fadnavisclaimed that the letter from the governor wasn’t forged.

• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing Governor’s office said that AjitPawar had submitted letters of support from all 54 MLAs of NCP to government on 22 November.

• Mukul Rohatgi appearing for BJP MLAs and independents said the governor’s role couldn’t be questioned.

• Kapil Sibal representing the rival alliance called for immediate test of strength in Maharashtra assembly.

• … Read the rest

Today's Special Viral

How Sarafina Nance Impressed Google SEO Sunder Pichai With Her Zero In Quantum Physics?

HT News

Google CEO Sunder Pichai was all praise for Sarafina Nance despite knowing that couldn’t do well in a quantum physics exam. The woman scored zero in the said exam a few years back. But it didn’t stop Sunder Pichai and other tech leaders of the world from showering their blessings on the woman.

Who is Sarafina Nance?

The 26-year old Sarafina Nance is an astrophysicist in the University of California, Berkeley. She’s doing PhD in supernovae and had already published 2 research papers. But she was a below-average student 4-years ago. It was at that time when she received a zero in science. But she got the blessings and motivation from top tech leaders of the world.

Sunder Pichai praised Sarafina Nance for pursuing science despite getting the lowest score. Also, she’s a breast cancer survivor. All these factors make her special. She has a liking for science and she should get the support she needs to more forward.

What did Sarafina Nance say about her achievement?

She was anxious about her career in science as low score in quantum physics could be the reason for changing her science major. She met with her profession fearing a suggestion for change of subjects but the things turned out to be favorable.

Mike Turner, Director of Science, Wellcome Trust, a research charity based in London said that her is an inspiring story for others. He said that this breast cancer survivor opened a floodgate for similar inspiring stories from other parts of the world.

Source: https://bit.ly/2KQufaO… Read the rest

Cricket Sports

Pink Ball Injures Bangladesh Batsmen But Virat Kohli Makes 136

HT News

Virat Kohli became the first Indian batsman to make a hundred after hitting 136 in the first Pink Ball Test in Kolkata. Earlier Virat spoke at length about the challenge of facing pink ball but he was more comfortable on the ground.

Virat Kohli makes hundred with pink ball

Skipper Kohli maintained discipline while hitting the pink ball hard. Most of his shots were aimed at the “V” area where he found much room for his ball. The 136 runs he made include 18 boundaries that gave Bangladesh bowlers a chase to the boundary. Finally, the Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam sent Virat Kohli to pavilion.

With this century, Virat Kohli is now standing alongside top batsman with highest hundreds. He has crossed Steve Smith and moving ahead to join South Africa’s Graeme Smith and Australia’s Allan Border who also have 27 Test hundreds.

Indian bowlers relished bowling with pink ball

According to Cheteshwar Pujara, Indian pacers and spinners were quite excited to bowl before a jam-packed stadium where the audiences were shouting to encourage bowlers at every ball. The Bangladesh batsmen found it quite difficult to face the pink ball.

Injuries to Bangladesh batsmen

Bangladesh became the first Test Team to replace 2 players due to concussion injuries.Litton Das and Nayeem Hossain were retired hurt. Mushfiqur Rahim was also hit in the helmet but he continued and made 59 runs.

Reason given for more concussion injuries with pink ball is the color and light the ball carries. It comes with a great force that makes it very difficult to spot the ball.

Source: https://bit.ly/2pKtbxV… Read the rest

News & Politics

Shiv Sena Called It Was Backstabbed By Ajit Pawar Of NCP

HT News

Shiv Senasaid thatAjit Pawar backstabbed everyone by supporting BJP and making a coalition government. AjitPawar has been present in the meetings between NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena but he never revealed his intentions.

How Shiv Sena reacted to Ajit Pawar forming government with BJP?

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that AjitPawar switched his phone off late last night and no one in the NDP knew what happed to him or in the party. He further said that there was a meeting of coalition partners and AjitPawar was present in the meeting. But no one knew why he vanished from the political scene.

But Shiv Sena was certain it was his personal decision and that Sharad Pawar and the NCP has nothing to do this event and decision. Shiv Sena was trying to form government with the help of NCP and Congress and the things were moving in the right direction. Sharad Pawar had declared that Udbhav Thackeray would be the CM of the coalition government.

Shiv Sena said that Chhatrapati Shivaji and the people of Maharashtra would never forgive AjitPawar. Mr. Raut found Ajit’s body language suspicious during meetings. He said that AjitPawar wasn’t seeing into the eyes of the coalition partners during the meetings.

Sharad Pawar is expected to address media with Udbhav Thackeray about the new development in the state polity. He is expected to clear the stand of the party about AjitPawar’s support to the media and the people of Maharashtra.

Source: https://bit.ly/2KNm1Aq… Read the rest

News & Politics

Devendra Fadnavis Becomes Maharashtra Chief Minister With Ajit Pawar As His Deputy

HT News

In a surprising event, Devendra Fadnavis took oath of Maharashtra Chief Minister for second time but this time he has a deputy, Ajit Pawar. The development came amid speculations of Udbhav Thackeray as propective candidate of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP alliance.

Why Ajit Pawar joined hands with BJP?

According to Ajit Pawar, he formed a quick coalition with BJP to give a stable government to Maharashtra. He said that lingering of talks between NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena forced him to take this decision. He further said that Maharashtra needed a strong and stable government and joining BJP was the only way to achieve this objective.

Is NCP with Ajit Pawar?

In political circles, speculation of senior Pawar backing the Jr. Pawar was rife but Sharad Pawar made things clear with his tweet. He said it was Ajit’s personal decision and that NCP isn’t endorsing this pact. But it is said that the coalition wasn’t possible without the support of senior Pawar.

It is said that 29 NCP MLAs have signed the letter of support to the government on the directions of Ajit Pawar. But it is only a guess as the NCP is yet to disclose the number of MLAs going with Ajit Pawar.

What did Shiv Sena say about the new alliance?

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut said that Ajit Pawar has backstabbed Sharad Pawar and NCP. President’s rule in the state was revoked at 5:47 AM. The Union Home Ministry notified that the President Ram Nath Kovind had signed the proclamation for revocation of central rule this morning.

Source: https://bit.ly/33acyJS… Read the rest

International News & Politics

India Gets Billion Dollar Sophisticated Naval Guns From The US

HT News

US President Trump notified the Congress about sale of latest version (Mod 4) of naval guns to India. But the proposed sale of armaments won’t disturb the delicate military balance in the region. If the Congress permits, India would become one of the few countries to have these guns.

What is the size of proposed arms deal?

Total cost of the deal is $1.0210 billion and it includes 13 MK-45 5-inch/62 caliber (MOD 4) naval guns and related equipment. Manufactured by the BAE Systems and Land and Armaments, these guns are used against warships, anti-aircraft and shore bombardment.

What is the advantage of these guns for India?

According to the Defence Security Cooperation Agency the MK-45 Gun System will boost India’s power to conduct anti-surface warfare and anti-air defence missions. Also, it will provide interoperability with the US and other allied forces. But India would use the newly achieved power to handle the present and future threats from enemy weapon systems.

What is MK-45 Gun System?

It is the latest gun system developed by the US and there are only a few countries that possess these arms. The US has provided these naval guns to Australia, Japan and South Korea. India would be the fourth country to have these advance naval guns. Thailand is also given this gun but it is an upgraded MOD 4 version. The US is also willing to sell these guns to Britain, Canada and other allies.

The Trump administration has notified the US Congress about the proposed arms deal with India and it will proceed only after getting Congress’ approval.

Source: https://bit.ly/37pnVkr… Read the rest

News & Politics

Mamata Banerjee Opposes Pan-India Implementation Of NRC

HT News

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeequestioned implementation of NRC outside Assam and said that she won’t allow the citizenship act to be implemented in West Bengal. Her statement came out after Amit Shah declared pan-India implementation of NRC.

What did Mamata Banerjee say about NRC?

Addressing a public meeting at Sagardighi in Murshidabad district, Mamata Banerjee said that NRC was part of the Assam Accord signed during the tenure of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. She further said that the act could never been implemented on other parts of country.

Mamata Banerjee also questioned leaving 14 lakh Hindus and Bengalis out of the final list of NRC published on August 31. Launching a veiled attack on BJP, she said that some people are fomenting trouble in the peaceful areas. They want to divide the country along religious lines for personal gains.

She said that the proposed implementation of NRC in West Bengal is creating panic. She claimed that it has already claimed 11 lives in the state as the people are worried about meeting the same fate as the people of Assam.

Mamata Banerjee also questioned the Kashmir policy of the center by highlighting killing of Bengali laborers in Kashmir. She said that families of those killed in Kashmir are given compensation. Also, the government was making necessary arrangements to bring others back to their homes. She said that all migrant labors of Bengal will be duly compensated.

What did Amit Shah say about NRC?

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that NRC would be implemented across the country but also assured that no one would be persecuted due to the act.

Source: https://bit.ly/2O8u4dh… Read the rest

Cricket Sports

James Pattinson Faces One-Time Suspension For Personal Abuse Of a Player

HT News

Cricket Australia found James Pattinson guilty of player abuse and bans the fast bowler from playing the first Test against Pakistan at Brisbane. The Test starts on Thursday.

Why as James Pattinson banned?

The governing body of Cricket Australia found James Pattinson guilty of violating code of conduct during Victoria’s Sheffield Shield game against Queensland last week. Statement released by the head of integrity and security Sean Carroll reads that James Pattinson was banned for personal abuse of a player while fielding.

The statement further read that it was his third breach in the past 18 months and for this reason he was handed only one-match suspension. The earlier incidents happened in March.

First Incident: Abuse of equipment in a match against NSW

Second Incident: Showing dissent during a Shield game in Adelaide just a week after the first incident

CA considered the first two incidents as minor and classified those incidents as Level One breaches. Also, CA denied any replacement for the Test squad.

Did James Pattinson accept the breaches?

The paceman admitted to doing faults in the three occasions and offering his apologies as soon as he realized the mistake. He said that he apologized to both the umpires and the opponent but his apologies yielded no results. The matter was brought into the notice of the CA and he was banned for a day.

James Pattinson ban is seen as a blessing for Mitchell Starc that is hopeful of playing in the Test at Brisbane. Australia will play with Pakistan on Thursday.

Source: https://bit.ly/2QCPErK… Read the rest

Technology

Realme X2 Pro: Launch, Specifications, Highlights And Expected Price

HT News

Realme will launch its much-awaited Smartphone Realme X2 Pro in India. The phone that has been launched in China last month packs a Snapdragon 855+ SoC and quad-camera with a 64-megapixel main sensor at the back.

Realme X2 Pro Specifications

• Super AMOLED Fluid display (20:9 aspect ratio)

• 6.5-inch FHD+ (1080×2400 pixels)

• 90Hz refresh rate

• 135Hz touch sampling rate

• DC dimming 2.0 technology

• 91.7 screen to body ratio

• Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

• Dual-SIM (Nano)

• Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6.1

• Snapdragon 855+ octa-core SoC

• 6GB, 8GB, and 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM

• 64GB (dual-channel UFS 2.1), 128GB (UFS 3.0), and 256GB (UFS 3.0) storage

• Quad camera

• 4,000mAh battery with 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge support

Realme X2 Pro camera

The Realme X2 Pro sports a massive quad-camera setup and boasts of a 64-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 primary sensor with a six-piece, f/1.8 lens. The secondary sensor is 13-megapixel with an f/2.5 telephoto lens. The third one is an 8-megapixel tertiary sensor with a 115-degree ultra-wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture. The fourth sensor is a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfie, it has a 16-megapixel camera with Sony IMX471 sensor with an f/2.0 lens. The selfie camera supports portrait shots.

Price of Realme X2 Pro

Cost of Realme X2 Pro6GB RAM + 64GB; 8GB RAM + 128GB and 12GB RAM + 256GB could be approximately Rs. 27,200; Rs.29,200 and Rs. 33,200 respectively. The phone is available in White and Blue colors with a gradient finish on top.

Realme will also release the Realme X2 Pro Master Edition in Brick and Cement finish. It would be available in 12GB RAM + 256GB storage configuration and it could cost approximately … Read the rest