Bangladesh is all set to become a member of the exclusive club of satellite-owning countries as its first commercial satellite “Bangabandhu-1” will likely be flying to space on May 7 from the US.

Bangladeshi Telecommunication and ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar made the announcement here on Wednesday during his speech at a discussion meeting, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Telecom Reporters’ Network of Bangladesh (TRNB).

The satellite will be launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, Xinhua news agency reported. Jabbar said the scheduled launch of May 4 was deferred to May 7 due to inclement weather.

The satellite’s launch was also rescheduled a couple of times earlier. SpaceX had reportedly planned to launch the satellite using Falcon-9 rockets on December 16, but the launch was postponed due to Hurricane Irma.

In September 2016, Bangladesh signed a 14-billion-taka (about $180 million) loan agreement with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) to finance the country’s first-ever satellite “Bangabandhu-I”.

In November 2015, Bangladesh signed a 19.51-billion-taka (about $248 million) deal with French firm Thales Alenia Space for the satellite project.

The Bangladeshi government has already purchased a 119.1 east longitude orbital slot from Russia-based Intersputnik for 15 years.

New 5G Sim To Be Launched

A new 5G Sim is all set to be launched which will is offer unlimited 5G data & calling free for a year. if you are also a 4G user and are still getting internet speed slow then you have a good news. One sim company is offering high speed internet 5G service.

2016 was an AC year in which the telecom industry changed significantly. In 2016, Jio provided cheap data to everyone by providing 4G service. But now Jio is coming to give even more speed than a new 5G Sim.

This will be the 1st ever 5G Sim in which you will be given a lot of offers.

The Jio Company is now all set to provide free Unlimited 5G data for every 1 year. Together they said that its speed would be 10x higher than 4G. Right now its network is running low and this is going to end soon.

The name of this Sim is Wingtel and these is going to come soon in India.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will install red-amber-green arrows in as many of the 1,600 traffic junctions as possible in the coming years.

This means motorists will have to wait for the arrow to turn green before making a right turn. There have been suggestions in recent days for authorities to do away with the “discretionary” right turn, following two fatal accidents at traffic junctions.

“In five years, the vast majority of traffic junctions will have red-amber-green (RAG) arrows,” said Mr Chandrasekar, LTA’s group director of traffic and road operations on Thursday (Apr 26).

“Where it is not feasible to implement RAG arrows, LTA will look into other features, such as turning pockets, lighted road studs, integrated pedestrian countdown timers, dashed pedestrian crossing lines and ‘Give Way to Pedestrian’ signs, to ensure safety and smooth traffic flow,” he said.

Former Minister and Senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today hit out at both Centre and state governments claiming that price rise had broken the common man’s backbone while those in power were busy talking big.
There was a rise in the price of pulses, LPG and other commodities but both Governments has maintained silence on the issue. “PM is talking big but not concerned about the plight of the common man whose backbone has been broken due to price rise,” he alleged.
The soaring prices of essentials and other items have badly affected the common people in the State. The prices of vegetables and other food items have reached an unprecedented high, making impossible for the common people to prepare their monthly budget, he added.
He said that BJP was on one hand raising the slogan of “Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao” to reap political benefits, but on the other hand poor woman employees were lathi-charged by the Government. He said the BJP Government’s slogan of “Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao” was just to fool the common people.
People voted for BJP because it had promised that Jammu region will not be neglected. They were told that for the first time the chief minister of the state will be from Jammu region, but it is very disappointing that BJP bowed down to the PDP to come to power.
The party also took a U-turn on various other issues, which would cost them in future,” Bhalla maintained. BJP at the time of ironing out a Common Minimum Programme (CMP), compromised on various issues, probably to grab the chance to occupy the treasury benches for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.
Statements and systematic U-turns by the BJP from the promises it made in CMP are to cover the lost ground in Jammu region, where the party is facing heat from the common people and within its folds.
The BJP and PDP leaderships have different views on various others issues which is making it more difficult for the coalition partners to hid the rift within the government.

Hindusthan Samachar/Ranjit/Balwan/Shri Ram\

Tech major Infosys has donated Rs 2.50 crore to the Neurosurgery Department of the state-run Medical College hospital, here.

The money was used to install a brand new neurosurgery dedicated operating microscope, replacing a two decade old one.

Speaking to IANS, P. Anil, Head of Department Neurosurgery, said that Infosys answered to a request he had made in 2017.

“I took a chance and I wrote to Infosys if they can come to our help. It was an year back. Soon they responded and after they undertook a brief study of our activities, they decided to help us,” he added.

“In between there were some issues with regards to GST but finally the equipment has been installed. We have already put it to use in the first case, a few days back,” said Anil.

Anil said the new piece of device has come as a huge boon to the patients who mostly come from poor background.

The Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital has the most crowded casualty department with accident cases coming for expert and quick treatment.

Speaking to IANS, Sunil Jose, a top official attached to the Infosys unit here, said their company always has set aside money as part of the corporate social responsibility programme.

“Our studies found out that the department provides yeomen services to accident victims and most of the patients came from the low and middle income category.

“In this microscope project, we started working on it as soon as we got the proposal from the Neurosurgery Department. We felt that they are doing a good job and sanctioned it,” said Jose.

Incidentally this is not the first time that Infosys have helped the hospital. They had built a sky walk connecting the major building after finding out that patients were being moved in stretchers through the road.

(IANS)

While there are reports of cash shortage in some parts of the country, cash seems to be flowing in poll bound Karnataka.

• As part of enhanced alertness in the wake of elections scheduled on the 12th of May 2018, the Investigation Wing in Karnataka Goa has stepped up its surveillance and monitoring activities.
•  Though the election process is just beginning, the Investigation Wing of the Income Tax department has already seized cash of Rs. 4.13 Crores and Gold Jewellery of 4.52 Kgs valued at Rs. 1.32 Crores.
•  The interesting fact in these seizures is majority of the cash is in the denomination of Rs. 2000 and Rs. 500. Out of the total cash seized cash Rs. 4.13 Crores an amount of Rs. 4.03 crores in these higher denominations. When the people are finding it difficult to withdraw the money from the banks/ATMs seizure of these high denominations is raising eyebrows. Among the cash seizures, the Bangalore city tops the list with the figure of Rs. 2.47 Crores followed by the Bellary Rs. 55 Lakhs
•  A high level of alertness is being maintained in airports and railway stations. A person carrying Rs 16.5 Lakhs was intercepted at on one of the airports. The source of the cash could not be explained by him. Follow up action was taken in Mumbai and cash of Rs 37 Lakhs were found and seized from the Mumbai premises. Thus, a total seizure of unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 53.50 Lakhs was made in the case.
• A contractor in one of the districts was covered on the basis of reliable information. It was found that he had made payments to another person who in turn had withdrawn cash from the amount transferred. The cash withdrawn of Rs 55 lakhs was seized and the contractor also admitted to concealment of Rs 16 crore.
• In another case, household articles worth Rs 9.51 crore intended for distribution was found in a warehouse near Mysore. After careful investigation, it has been established that this was meant for distribution.The concerned DEO has been alerted to ensure that these items are not actually distributed during the election process
•  In another case, cash of almost Rs 50 lakhs was seized from a private person.
• The Income tax department has set up 24×7 control room in Bangalore to receive election related complaints from general public and other agencies of Karnataka. It has also formed Strike teams with statutory powers in all Districts to act upon any information received. The department is in to intelligence gathering at various places of public transport and its Air Intelligence Units are keeping close watch in all the airports in the state of Karnataka and also in the neighbouring state of Goa.
•  The Investigation Wing has also gathered details of all Contract payments made in the last quarter of the completed Financial year and making a comparison with previous years for identifying the abnormal cases. It is also co-relating all the bank transactions, cash withdrawal with the intelligence in its position.

Google’s decision to launch a new messaging service called “Chat” without end-to-end encryption shows utter contempt for the privacy of Android users and has handed a precious gift to cybercriminals and government spies alike, Amnesty International has said.

Communications on the new “Chat” service will not be sent over the Internet but through mobile phone carriers, like SMS text messages, according to reports.

In a statement to The Verge this week, a Google spokesperson confirmed that the new service will not use end-to-end encryption and that Google is “pausing investment” in its existing mobile messaging app “Allo” which has an option for end-to-end encryption.

“Not only does this shockingly retrograde step leave Google lagging behind its closest competitors — Apple’s iMessage and Facebook’s WhatsApp both have end-to-end encryption in place by default — it is also a step backwards from the company’s previous attempts at online messaging,” Joe Westby, a technology and human rights researcher at Amnesty International, said on Friday.

Amnesty International considers end-to-end encryption a minimum requirement for technology companies to ensure that private information in messaging apps stays private.

End-to-end encryption is a way of scrambling digital data so that only the sender and recipient can see it.

When it is in place, even the company providing the service is unable to access the content of communications.

“Following the revelations by CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden, end-to-end encryption has become recognised as an essential safeguard for protecting people’s privacy when using messaging apps. With this new Chat service, Google shows a staggering failure to respect the human rights of its customers,” Westby said in a statement.

In the wake of the recent Facebook data scandal, Westby said that Google’s decision is not only dangerous but also out of step with current attitudes to data privacy.

“Google should immediately scrap it in its current form and instead give its customers a product that protects their privacy,” Westby suggested.

Google is going all in on building the Rich Communication Services (RCS).

RCS is a communication protocol between mobile-telephone carriers and between phone and carrier, aiming at replacing SMS messages with a text-message system that is more rich, provide phonebook polling and transmit in-call multimedia.

(Ians)

The major reforms undertaken by the Indian government for raising economic growth and maintaining macroeconomic stability have made the country one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, said Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).

Garg was addressing the Special Event hosted by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum on ‘Indian Economy: Prospect and Challenges’ in Washington D.C on Friday.

He said the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) represented an “historic economic and political achievement, unprecedented in Indian tax and economic reforms, which has rekindled optimism on structural reforms.”

He further emphasized that India carried-out such major reforms when the global economy was slow.

“With the cyclical recovery in global growth amid supportive monetary conditions and the transient impact of the major structural reforms over, India will continue to perform robustly,” Garg said.

During his meetings, Garg highlighted that the digital age technologies have profound implications for policies concerning every aspects of the economy. It also has enormous implications for emerging markets and developing countries.

He expressed that the response to such a transformation will have to shift from ‘catch up’ growth to adoption/adaption of digital technologies for development and growth.

Garg also informed that India has started adopting policies and programmes for transforming systems of delivery of services using digital technologies and connecting every Indian with digital technologies and access through Aadhaar and other such means

While citing the example of expanding mobile data access, he mentioned that India is now the largest consumer of mobile data in the world with 11 gigabytes mobile data consumption per month.

He informed that India is investing in digital technologies, encouraging private sector to adapt these technologies and also addressing the taxation related issues by introducing equalisation levy.

Garg is currently on an official tour to Washington D.C. to attend the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and other associated meetings. He is accompanied by Urjit Patel, Governor, Reserve Bank of India and other senior officials.

(Ians)

Petrol and diesel prices continued to rise, hitting multi-year highs, amid an upward trend in global crude prices on Friday. Currently, Petrol at Rs 74.08/litre in Delhi and Rs 81.93/litre in Mumbai and Diesel at Rs 65.31/litre in Delhi and Rs 69.54/litre in Mumbai. Petrol prices were raised marginally by 1 paisa on Friday, while diesel prices went up by 4 paise.

Petrol, Diesel prices rise to all-time high
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram asked why the rise in fuel prices even though crude oil price is still lower.

Chidambaram tweeted, “Crude oil price at US $ 74 per barrel is still lower than US $ 105 four years ago. So, why are Petrol/Diesel prices higher today than they were in May 2014?” He further alleged that for the last four years, “The BJP government has lived off an oil bonanza. Minus the oil bonanza, the BJP government is clueless and floundering.”

In its mission to create a healthier planet through innovation, Apple on Friday announced a donation programme and debuted a disassembly robot “Daisy” as a part of its ongoing recycling effort.

Ahead of Earth Day — which would be celebrated on April 22 — Apple said that for every device received at its stores and apple.com through the “Apple GiveBack” programme till April 30, the company would make a donation to the non-profit Conservation International.

“In recognition of Earth Day, we are making it as simple as possible for our customers to recycle devices and do something good for the planet through Apple GiveBack,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, said in a statement.

Conservation International uses science, policy and partnerships to protect the natural world people rely on for food, fresh water and livelihood.

Founded in 1987, the organisation works in more than 30 countries on six continents to ensure a healthy and prosperous planet.

Through Apple GiveBack, customers would be able to turn in their devices at any Apple Store or through apple.com to be recycled or traded in.

Eligible devices will receive credit that customers can use toward an in-store purchase or put on an Apple Store Gift Card for future use.

Apple also said that “Daisy”, which efficiently disassembles iPhones to reclaim valuable materials, would help the company move a step closer to its goal of making its products using only recycled or renewable materials.

“We are also thrilled to introduce Daisy to the world, as she represents what is possible when innovation and conservation meet,” Jackson added.

Created through years of R&D, “Daisy” incorporates technology based on Apple’s learnings from Liam — its first disassembly robot launched in 2016.

“Daisy” is capable of disassembling nine versions of iPhone and sorting their high-quality components for recycling.

Daisy can take apart up to 200 iPhone devices per hour, removing and sorting components, so that Apple can recover materials that traditional recyclers cannot – and at a higher quality.

(IANS)