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No single momentous invention from India in 60 years: Narayana Murthy

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N R Narayana Murthy

Bengaluru: There has not been a single invention from India in the last 60 years that became a household name globally, nor any idea that led to “earth shaking” invention to “delight global citizens”, IT czar NR Narayana Murthy said today.

“Our youngsters have not done much impactful research work despite being equal to their counterparts in intellect and energy in Western universities,” he said delivering the convocation address at the Indian Institute of Science here.

Listing out 10 major inventions that Massachusets Institute of Technology has created in the last 50 years that includes Global Positioning System, Bionic Prostheses and Microchip, Murthy said these happened because students and faculty at MIT “walked the untrodden path, asked the unasked questions and used their intellectual prowess to take huge leaps”.

“They demonstrated unusual courage to achieve the plausibly-impossible. The story is similar at many other western institutions of higher education,” he said.

He said almost all inventions such as cars, electric bulb, radio, television, computers, internet, Wi-Fi, MRI, laser, robots and many other gadgets and technology happened, “thanks to the research by Western Universities”.

He added: “On the other hand, let us pause and ask what the contributions of Indian institutions of higher learning, particularly IISc ans IITs, have been over the last sixty-plus years to make our society and the world a better place?

“Is there one invention from India that has become a household name in the globe? Is there one technology that has transformed the productivity of global corporations? Is there one idea that has lead to an earth shaking invention to delight global citizens?”

Co-founder of the country’s major IT firm Infosys said, “Folks, the reality is that there is no such contribution from India in the last 60 years. The only two ideas that have transformed the productivity of global corporations — The Global Delivery Model and the 24-hours workday — came from the company called Infosys.”

(PTI)

Regulate Internet calls, disallow Internet.org-like app: DoT

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Internet calls

New Delhi: A government panel on Net neutrality has proposed to regulate domestic calls made using Internet-based calling applications such as Skype, Whatsapp and Viber at par with phone call services offered by telecom operators.

The panel has opposed projects like Facebook’s Internet.org, which allow access to certain websites without mobile data charges, while suggesting that similar plans such as Airtel Zero be allowed with prior clearance from TRAI.

“In the case of Over-The-Top (OTT) VoIP international calling services, a liberal approach may be adopted. However, in the case of domestic calls (local and national), communication services by TSPs (telecom service providers) and OTT communication services may be treated similarly from a regulatory angle for the present.

The Committee is chaired by DoT Advsior for Technology A K Bhargava and members in the panel include A K Mittal, V Umashankar, Shashi Ranjan Kumar, G Narendra Nath and R M Agarwal.

Net neutrality implies that equal treatment be accorded to all Internet traffic and no priority be given to an entity or company based on payment to content or service providers such as telecom companies, which is seen as discriminatory.

The neutrality debate flared up in India after telecom operator Airtel launched a platform, Airtel Zero, that would allow free access of some websites on its network. However, the companies were asked to pay Airtel for joining the platform.

The panel discussed Facebook’s Internet.org and said that until April 2015, Internet.org users could have free access for only a few websites, and Facebook’s role as gatekeeper in determining what websites were on that list was seen as violating Net neutrality.

The panel said that “collaborations between telecom operators and content providers that enable such gate-keeping role to be played by any entity should be actively discouraged”.

At the same time, the panel approved allowing zero rating platform after telecom operators compared it with a toll-free number. It said there is a multitude of possibilities in designing tariff plans and everything cannot be validated in advance on parameters of Net neutrality.

The panel proposed “ex-ante determination” and “ex-post regulation” model for dealing with tariff plan, including zero rating.

Under ex-ante determination, the panel has proposed telecom operators to follow current practice of filing tariffs before the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the regulator should carefully vet it on scale of Net neutrality before giving its nod.

In line with demand from telecom operators, the panel has recommended that OTT players should be brought under regulation to comply with national security norms like telecom operators in the country do.

“National security is paramount, regardless of treatment of Net neutrality. The measures to ensure compliance of security related requirements from OTT service providers need to be worked out through inter-ministerial consultations,” the report added.

(PTI)

India whitewash Zimbabwe, clinch last ODI by 83 runs

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India whitewash Zimbabwe

Harare: A power-packed performance with the willow was backed up by a dominant show with the white leather as India won the final One-Day International against Zimbabwe by 83 runs to whitewash the hosts 3-0.

In reply to India’s 276/5, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 193 in 42.4 overs.

Chamu Chibhabha top scored for Zimbabwe with 82. Stuart Binny was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors with figures of 3/55. Harbhajan Singh, Mohit Sharma and Axar Patel bagged two scalps each.

(IANS)

Goa renews ban on Sri Rama Sene’s Muthalik

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Muthalik

Panaji: Authorities in North Goa and South Goa districts have renewed the ban on the entry of Pramod Muthalik, chief of the Mangalore-based Hindu right-wing organisation Sri Rama Sene, a government official said on Wednesday.

“Muthalik and his associates from the Sri Rama Sene have been banned from entering the two districts of Goa for 60 days from July 16 (Thursday) onwards as his aggressive statements and comments could hurt community feelings of certain groups and create violence, riots or an affray resulting in serious law and order problem,” a government spokesperson said.

The ban orders against Muthalik – infamous for his alleged communal speeches – were passed by North Goa’s Additional Collector Swapnil Naik and South Goa’s District Collector Sachin Shinde respectively, the spokesperson said.

Muthalik, who first shot to notoriety nearly a decade ago after beating up patrons of a Mangalore pub, was first banned from entering Goa by the then Congress government in 2009, after he publicly announced that he would try to curb the pub culture in Goa and try and establish ‘Hindu culture’ in the state.

The ban was subsequently renewed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government in 2014.

(IANS)

Rouhani says nuclear deal ‘political victory’ for Iran

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Dubbing it a proud moment for Iranians, President says Tehran will no longer be regarded as an international threat.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, who led the negotiations, is now back in Tehran [AP]

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, who led the negotiations, is now back in Tehran [AP]

by Al Jazeera

The nuclear deal with world powers is a political victory for Iran, President Hassan Rouhani has said, adding that the agreement meant Tehran would no longer be regarded as an international threat.

Rouhani’s comment came on Wednesday, a day after Iran and six world powers reached the deal, capping more than a decade of negotiations with a landmark agreement.

“No one can say Iran surrendered,” Rouhani said. “The deal is a legal, technical and political victory for Iran. It’s an achievement that Iran won’t be called a world threat any more.”

Under the deal, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations will be lifted in return for Iran agreeing long-term curbs on a nuclear programme that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb.

Rouhani said the deal was not “perfect” but it was necessary to compromise.

“It was really difficult to preserve some of our red lines,” he said. “There was a time we doubted there could be a deal. It’s a historic deal and Iranians will be proud of it for generations to come.”

Among Iran’s main conditions, or “red lines”, at the talks were a refusal to accept a long freeze on nuclear research and development and a demand for a rapid lifting of sanctions.

Thousands of Iranians gathered in the capital, Tehran, to celebrate the deal following the end of Ramadan fast on Tuesday. They waved Iranian flags from their cars, while drivers honked their car horns.

“My personal opinion is that I wish they had done this sooner so people wouldn’t have to go through all these difficulties,” Masumeh Momeni, a resident of Tehran, told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is now back in Tehran following the 18-day negotiations in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Arab concern

On Tuesday, Obama said the agreement offered a chance to reset strained relations with Tehran.

“Every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off,” he said, adding that the deal “offers an opportunity to move in a new direction. We should seize it.”

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the “honest and hard endeavours” of the country’s nuclear negotiating team just after the deal was clinched.

But not everyone is happy with the deal. Arab countries have deep fears of Iran gaining a nuclear weapon, and some have been skeptical that a deal will prevent that from happening.

But equally high for key Sunni-dominated Gulf allies of the United States is the worry that a deal gives Iran the means and an implicit green light to push influence in the region.

Saudi Arabia issued a pointed warning, saying Iran must use any economic gains from the lifting of sanctions to improve the lives of Iranians, “rather than using them to cause turmoil in the region, a matter that will meet a decisive reaction from the nations of the region,” in a statement carried on the state news agency late on Tuesday.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, criticised the deal calling the decision “a historic mistake for the world”.

In a second statement on Tuesday afternoon, Netanyahu said the deal gives Iran incentives “not to change” and said “the world is a much more dangerous place today than it was yesterday”.

Iranians gather for celebrations following a landmark nuclear deal in Tehran [AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi]

27 Child labourers rescued in Bengaluru

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child labourers

Bengaluru: Around 27 child labourers from Thagajaguppe village in Kaggalipura police limits were rescued by CID’s anti-human trafficking unit on July 14.

The officials conducted a raid based on information provided by the 16 children who were rescued earlier from the same area. The children, all under the age of 15, hail from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

It is learnt that the employers, Ashwath Narayana (35) of Lingarajapuram, Anand of Chamarajpet and Prashanthkumar (35) of Vijayanagar brought them to Bengaluru on the pretext of giving them jobs; they were then made to work on segregating and cleaning plastics from the garbage. Both the accused are said to be absconding.

The children told the officials that they used to work from 6 am to 7 pm. Having been assured jobs, they were brought to the state by Tannulal, Mandee and Suresh Lal Jadhav, all belonging to the state of Bihar. The police are on a lookout for the accused.

(Agencies)

Champions League Twenty20 scrapped

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CLT20

New Delhi: The Governing Council of the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) on Wednesday confirmed that the competition will be discontinued with immediate effect.

The council, comprising representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket South Africa (CSA) and Cricket Australia (CA) made the decision unanimously. As such, the 2015 edition scheduled for September and October will not go ahead as planned.

The competition was launched in 2009 by the three boards. The council determined that the discontinuation of the league was the most appropriate decision due to the tournament’s limited public following.

“This has been a difficult decision as the CLT20 provided added context to a number of domestic T20 competitions around the world such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) in India, Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia and South Africa’s Ram Slam T20,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said.

“It was a fantastic platform for players from around the world to showcase their talent and the participating teams thoroughly enjoyed the experience over the last six seasons. Unfortunately, off the field, CLT20 wasn’t sustaining the interest of the fans as we had hoped. This decision was made, after consultation with all our commercial partners and meeting the contractual obligations of all parties involved.”

Thakur added: “The Governing Council would like to thank everyone involved with the CLT20 and all those who participated in the tournament. Further details associated with winding down the league including settling with the three nations that had invested time and effort in the competition, will be completed very soon.”

(Agencies)

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s wife Fabi Basheer passes away

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Fabi Basheer

Kozhikode: Fabi Basheer, widow of Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, passed away at a private hospital here on Wednesday.

She was 77.

She had been suffering from colon cancer for quite some time.

Fabi was admitted to the hospital three days ago with pneumonia and had been in the ICU of the hospital.

Basheer and Fabi entered into wedlock on December 18, 1958.

She is survived by their children Shahina and Anees.

(Agencies)

1993 blasts convict Yakub Memon to be hanged on July 30

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Yakub Memon

Mumbai: Yakub Memon, convicted for his role in the March 12, 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, will be hanged on July 30, official sources said here early Wednesday.

He is likely to be be hanged in the Nagpur Central Jail, where he is currently lodged, following the rejection of his mercy plea in April this year by the president, said the official who declined to be identified.

A chartered accountant, Memon, 53, has filed his second review petition before the Supreme Court which is expected to be heard July 21, but the state government is making all preparations for the hanging with the warrant issued earlier this week.

He was awarded the death sentence by a Special TADA Court in Mumbai on July 27, 2007 for his role in the blasts, including arranging finances for carrying out the 13 serial explosions which left 257 dead and over 700 injured across the city on March 12, 1993.

Subsequently, Memon – the brother of one of the main absconding accused Ibrahim alias Tiger Memon – appealed against the sentence in the Bombay High Court, Supreme Court and later filed a mercy petition with the president, followed by a review petition, and now a second review petition which is pending.

Leading criminal lawyer and a former defence lawyer in the same case Majeed Memon questioned the need for the state government’s “hurry” in the matter even before the outcome of the second review petition.

“Are they pre-empting the issue or are they already before-hand aware of the outcome of the review petition? They should have waited till the matter is finally decided,” Majeed Memon, a top NCP leader and Member of Parliament, told IANS on Wednesday.

(IANS)

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