A hotel in space

 
Russian organization Orbital Technologies figures it'll be sending sightseers into space as ahead of schedule as one year from now. Visitors would zoom up to the Commercial Space Station on a rocket, then invest their energy in one of the station's four lodges appreciating zero gravity and watching earth through the boat's goliath windows. Also, this is just the starting: Mashable has totted up nine business organizations wanting to send typical individuals into space throughout the following decade or somewhere in the vicinity.

RJio accuses Vodafone, Airtel and Idea for rejecting port-requests

 

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Reliance Jio has slammed incumbent operators Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone for allegedly refusing to help their mobile phone users port or switch to the new operator.
In a letter to TRAI Chairman R S Sharma, Reliance Jio said Bharti Airtel Ltd, Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone India Ltd are perpetrating "illegal and perverse actions" by refusing to enable the porting of mobile number connections.
"Considering that this is a clear and deliberate breach of the license conditions, TRAI must direct incumbent dominant operators to comply with their license terms and obligations ... failing which it should recommend cancellation of the respective licenses at the earliest," Jio wrote.
The three firms did not offer any immediate comment on the story.
"It is important to note that this is being done in blatant disregard to license terms and their obligations under the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009 and TRAI directions," Reliance Jio wrote on September 14.
Jio said it has been certified as Mobile Number Portability (MNP) compliant by the Telecom Enforcement, Resource and Monitoring Cells of all service area and in this month it wrote to incumbents about commencing services.
"Inspite of being under legal and contractual obligation to port the numbers after a valid request is made, the incumbent dominant operators have rejected all the requests made for porting between September 9 and September 12," it said giving data of port requests rejected.


It said the rejections were in addition to "the rejection of MNP request of 4,919 corporate mobile numbers issued to employees and members of Reliance Industries Group by Bharti Airtel in August 2016. This was inspite of a confirmation from Bharti Airtel that there were no outstanding dues and that the MNP process could be completed."
Reliance had last month asked all its employees to shun rival mobile phone operators and shift to Jio.
"Almost all of these rejections have been made on the baseless and unsubstantiated ground of 'violation of contractual obligation'. The incumbent dominant operators have not even bothered to elaborate the contractual obligations that have been violated," it said.
The "baseless and unsubstantiated" ground of violation of contractual obligation was being raised to unnecessarily harass customers and prevent them from availing the services of Jio, the company said.
Jio asked TRAI to take serious cognizance of its complaint and intervene by taking strict action against the incumbent operators under the relevant provisions.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime India Launch Expected on Monday

 

Samsung India on Friday started sending welcomes for a Galaxy J-arrangement cell phone dispatch in Gurgaon on Monday. The organization is required to dispatch the Galaxy J7 Prime, which was propelled in Vietnam in late August.

To review, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime was tipped by a set up Mumbai retailer to dispatch soon in India. Mahesh Telecom guaranteed the cell phone would dispatch at Rs. 18,790, and will wear a MRP of Rs. 19,400. The value uncovered is a nearby match to the Vietnam estimating, making it conceivable.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime is the updated form of the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016), and highlights a unique mark sensor on the home catch moreover. Different contrasts incorporate the nearness of a full-HD show rather than a HD show, more memory (3GB RAM rather than 2GB), more inbuilt stockpiling (32GB rather than 16GB), and a higher determination front camera (8-megapixel rather than 5-megapixel).

(Likewise see: Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime versus Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016))

Alternate determinations of the Galaxy J7 Prime totally coordinate the Galaxy J7 (2016). The double SIM (Micro-SIM) Galaxy J7 Prime boats with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The cell phone bears a 5.5-crawl full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) IPS show with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4, and keeps running on a 1.6GHz octa-center processor combined with 3GB of RAM.

The Galaxy J7 Prime components a 13-megapixel back camera with a f/1.9 gap and LED streak, while there is a 8-megapixel front camera with a f/1.9 gap additionally on board. The cell phone accompanies 32GB of inbuilt stockpiling that is expandable by means of microSD card (up to 256GB) - to take note of, the Galaxy J7 (2016) just backings microSD cards up to 128GB in limit.

The most recent Samsung J-Series cell phone offers 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS/A-GPS, Bluetooth v4.1, Micro-USB (with OTG), and 3.5mm sound jack as far as network choices. It is fueled by a 3300mAh battery, and measures 151.5x74.9x8.1mm.

LeEco To Launch A Phone With 8 GB RAM And 25 MP Camera

Two or three telephones were dispatched as of late with an exceptionally extensive 6 GB RAM limit, LeEco Max 2 and OnePlus 3. (For point of view, the portable PC from which this article is being composed has 4 GB RAM.) But even that is by all accounts not exactly enough for the Chinese telephone producer LeEco, which is currently going to dispatch another 8 GB RAM gadget.

The conceivable dispatch date is 29 June. The telephone will have both of the Qualcomm's most recent chipset, Snapdragon 821 or 823 and a 25 MP back camera.

LeEco is wanting to value the telephone at around 3000 Yuans (around ₹ 30,000). The organization is on a telephone propelling spree, with 3 new cell phones dispatched in China as of late.
It is making advances in India as well. Their late dispatches have been graced by the music author Pritam and his group. Furthermore, the telephone producer pulled in some spotlight by propelling two new telephones in which it has discarded the earphone jack for another standard, called CDLA (Continual Digital Lossless Audio) combined with USB C connectors.

15 Hot New Technologies That Will Change Everything

The Next Big thing? The memristor, a minute segment that can "recall" electrical states notwithstanding when killed. It's relied upon to be far less expensive and quicker than blaze stockpiling. A hypothetical idea since 1971, it has now been implicit labs and is as of now upsetting all that we think about figuring, perhaps making streak memory, RAM, and even hard drives out of date inside 10 years.

The memristor is only one of the amazing innovative advances sending stun waves through the universe of figuring. Different advancements in progress are more rational, yet they likewise convey watershed noteworthiness. From the advances that at long last make paperless workplaces a reality to those that convey remote power, these advances ought to make your modest PC a far various monster come the turn of the decade.

In the accompanying segments, we layout the nuts and bolts of 15 up and coming advancements, with forecasts on what may happen to them. Some are breathing down our necks; a few advances are still simply out of compass. And all must be figured with.

• Memristor: A Groundbreaking New Circuit
• 32-Core CPUs From Intel and AMD
• Nehalem and Swift Chips Spell the End of Stand-Alone Graphics Boards
• USB 3.0 Speeds Up Performance on External Devices
• Remote Power Transmission
• 64-Bit Computing Allows for More RAM
• Windows 7: It's Inevitable
• Google's Desktop OS
• Motion Based Remote Control
• Radical Simplification Hits the TV Business
• Window ornaments for DRM
• Utilize Any Phone on Any Wireless Network
• Your Fingers Do Even More Walking
• PDAs Are the New Paper
• Where You At? Ask Your Phone, Not Your Friend
• 25 Years of Predictions

iOS 10: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

 

Apple has dispatched iOS 10 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. That gave us the ideal chance to discuss the working framework. To talk about this, Mikhail, Rishi, and Akhil, join your host Pranay. iOS 10 conveys a few new and marvelous components to the fore, however what number of them really function admirably in India? Is Siri any better at perceiving Indian English articulations now? Will it tell whether you're stating WhatsApp or what's up? We talk about the majority of that and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Akhil discusses his cherished Apple Music and how it could be a great deal better. While Rishi to a great extent sounds content with iOS 10, he has a somewhat bizarre issue with the OS for somebody who flip-flounders a ton amongst Android and iOS. Mikhail dedicates some an opportunity to discussing how iOS functions the iPad and how Apple's product group issues programming upgrades for its tablet lineup. Every one of the four individuals invest a ton of energy discussing iMessage overhauls and how that effects designers.

(Additionally see: iOS 10: Our Favorite iMessage Apps and Sticker Packs)

This scene of Orbital stores unique notice for the capacity to dispose of pre-stacked applications on iOS 10. You can subscribe to it on iTunes or by means of RSS, or simply hit the play catch beneath to listen to this scene.

Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus available for pre-orders in India

 

Each one of those Apple fans out there in India holding up frantically to lay there hands on the following iPhones - iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus - can now pre-request the new cell phones.

Most IWorld stores, Apple's Premium Resellers in Northern India, are tolerating pre-appointments for Apple's new iPhones. Clients can likewise pre-book (store to purchase in store) the gadgets on the organization's site. Another Apple Premium Partner in India, Unicorn, too is tolerating pre-orders for the two new iPhones. Intrigued purchasers can pre-book the cell phones subsequent to paying a development installment of Rs 5,000. Delhi-based Unicorn has nearness over a few states in the nation.

Notwithstanding, two of the greatest buyer hardware retail locations in the nation, Tata Group's Croma and Reliance Industry's Reliance Digital, are still to begin pre-appointments for both the cell phones. Another conspicuous electronic retail location in the nation Jumbo said that it will acknowledge pre-orders beginning one week from now.

Formally as well, Apple India is yet to declare the opening of pre-appointments for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Additionally, while Beetel Teletech Ltd, one of the wholesalers for Apple in India, said that it will begin conveyances of the two telephones at 7pm on October 7, businessperson at both IWorld and Unicorn said that there stores will begin offering the cell phones at spot 12 am on October 7. Another Apple wholesaler Rashi Peripherals too has reported that it will begin offering the most recent iPhones from October 7 in India. The organization, in any case, has so far not unveiled the time when it will begin deals at its 1,000 areas the nation over.

October 7 is the official dispatch date of the up and coming Apple cell phones for India. The organization is dispatching the gadgets in India in the third stage. In the principal stage, the new iPhones will go at a bargain in 28 nations over the world on September 16. In the second stage, starting September 23, the twosome will be accessible in more than 25 nations including Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Qatar, Romania,

Apple revealed its most recent iPhones at an even in San Francisco on September 7. The cell phone mammoth has not yet uncovered the complete valuing points of interest of its new cell phones in India. The organization, in any case, recently said that the cost of the iPhones will begin at Rs 60,000 in the nation. This is prone to be the cost of the base iPhone 7 model with 32GB interior stockpiling. Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB stockpiling variations. The shading alternatives accessible are Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Black and Jet Black. Of these, the Jet Black shading variation comes

Apple iPhone 7 highlights a 4.7-inch show with 3D touch, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch Retina HD show with 3D touch. Both the cell phones are controlled by another quad-center Apple A10 Fusion processor, which the organization cases is 40% quicker that Apple A9 and it runs iOS 10. just in 128GB and 256GB variations.

CULTURE

SOME DEFINITIONS

CULTURE

• Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.
• Culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.
• Culture is communication, communication is culture.
• Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning.
• A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.
• Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives. The meanings of the symbols are learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institutions.
• Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other hand, as conditioning influences upon further action.
• Culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation.
• Culture is a collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.

PM Modi, Ashraf Ghani denounce terrorism, vow to strengthen bilateral ties

 

Head administrator Narendra Modi and going to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday criticized the sponsorship of fear in the area and pledged to encourage extend respective collaboration.India additionally vowed one billion dollars for the backing and improvement of "a bound together, sovereign, equitable, tranquil, steady and prosperous Afghanistan".Ghani is on a two-day visit to India beginning Wednesday."The two pioneers examined the provincial circumstance and communicated grave worry at proceeded with utilization of fear mongering and viciousness in the area for accomplishing political targets," a joint proclamation issued toward the end of the meeting said."They concurred that this marvel exhibited the single greatest danger to peace, strength and advancement in the area and past.""Focusing on that disposal of all types of fear mongering, with no separation, is vital, they called upon the worried to put a conclusion to all sponsorship, bolster, places of refuge and havens to psychological oppressors, including for the individuals who target Afghanistan and India," it said.Modi and Ghani reaffirmed their resolve to counter fear based oppression and fortify security and safeguard participation as imagined in the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement.The two sides additionally marked an Extradition Treaty, a concurrence on participation in common and business matters and a reminder of comprehension (MoU) on collaboration in serene utilization of space."The Prime Minister emphasized India's withstanding support for a brought together, sovereign, majority rule, serene, steady and prosperous Afghanistan. He passed on India's preparation to consider further prerequisites of Afghanistan for limit and ability working in circles, for example, training, wellbeing, agribusiness, expertise advancement, strengthening of ladies, vitality, framework and fortifying of vote based establishments."To this end, the Prime Minister offered that... India would distribute a total of $1 billion. The Prime Minister likewise proposed to supply world class and effortlessly moderate medications from India and collaboration in sun based vitality through commonly concurred instruments," the MEA articulation said.The two sides likewise talked about brisk execution of the trilateral understanding including Afghanistan, India and Iran, marked in May 2016, utilizing Chahbahar port.

114 Countries South Africans Can Travel To Without A Visa

 

A visa grants official permission for a non-citizen to enter a country and remain there for a limited duration. Each country can attach its own conditions to their visas, such as duration of stay, the territory covered by the visa, dates of validity, whether the visa is valid for more than one visit, etc. Historically, visas were originally granted by immigration officials on a traveller’s arrival at the borders of a country, but increasingly today a traveler wishing to enter another country must apply well in advance for a visa.

The stricter visa policies are due in part to immigrants from impoverished countries flocking to more economically developed countries in search of better opportunities, placing strain on many countries’ healthcare systems and other social services. However, many countries have bilateral agreements in place to waive visa requirements altogether for visitors intending to stay for brief periods of time.

Do you know that with South African passport, you can now visit these 114 countries around the world VISA FREE or VISA ON ARRIVAL? There are a number of countries that require that South Africans secure visa before they are allowed into the country which in most cases, leads to endless paperwork, unplanned spending and more bureaucratic stress. However, it is important that you are aware that your South African passport is more than you think of it in terms of what it can do as it can grant you entry to quite a number of countries without visa but note that entry requirements change constantly so it is always advisable to check with the embassy of any country close to the time of your travel. Nonetheless, as of today, here is a comprehensive list of countries for which no prior visa arrangement is needed for entry if you are a South African with a South African Passport:

Countries South Africans can go to without a Visa?
Due to good international relationship between South Africa and several other countries, you would not be wrong to expect an ample number of countries to be on the list below:

• Brazil – 90 days
• Antigua and Barbuda – 1 month
• Argentina – 90 days
• Costa Rica – 90 days
• Ireland
• Vanuatu – 30 days
• Bahamas
• Barbados – 6 months
• Chile – 90 days
• Belize
• Venezuela – 90 days
• Benin – 30 days
• Haiti – 3 months
• Botswana – 90 days
• Guyana – 3 months
• Saint Kitts and Nevis – 3 months
• Nepal – 90 days
• Jamaica
• Ecuador – 90 days
• Dominica – 6 months
• Colombia – 180 days
• Saint Lucia – 6 weeks
• Guatemala – 90 days
• Malawi – 90 days
• Dominican Republic – 30 day tourist card must be purchased on arrival.
• El Salvador – 90 days
• Zambia – 90 days
• Peru – 180 days
• Namibia – 3 months
• Fiji – 4 months
• Nauru Georgia – 90 days within 180 days
• Paraguay – 90 days
• Micronesia – 30 days
• Rwanda – 90 days
• Grenada – 3 months
• Nicaragua – 90 days
• Uruguay – 90 days
• Philippines – 30 days
• Honduras – 90 days
• Panama – 180 days
• Lesotho – 30 days
• Israel – 90 days
• Malaysia – 90 days
• Mozambique – 3 months
• Tanzania – 90 days
• South Korea – 30 days
• Mauritius – 90 days
• New Zealand – 90 days
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 1 month
• Singapore – 30 days
• Zimbabwe – 3 months
• Swaziland – 30 days
• Trinidad and Tobago – 90 days
• Thailand – 1 month (air) / 15 days (land)

Below are more countries that offer fewer restrictions to South Africans. All the listed countries would allow you to travel without a visa however, most of the countries in this section would preferably issue a visa on arrival. This removes the hassles and delays involved in securing visa before travel as the visas are almost always granted once you have a genuine reason and as mentioned earlier, it is imperative that you check with the country’s immigration very close to the time of your travel as visa policies change frequently.

Countries that Issue South Africans Visa on Arrival

• Indonesia – 30 days
• Bolivia – 90 days
• Madagascar – 30 days
• Armenia – Visa on arrival
• Tunisia – 1 month
• Comoros
• Mauritania
• Jordan – 30 days
• Guinea-Bissau – 90 days
• Maldives – 30 days
• Burundi – 30 days; obtainable at Bujumbura International Airport
• Cambodia – 30 days
• Oman
• Iran – Conditions apply
• Palau – 30 days
• Ethiopia
• Gabon – Visa not required for children under 16
• Botswana
• Djibouti
• Samoa – 60 days
• Zambia
• Senegal – 3 months
• Rwanda
• Saint Helena
• Madagascar (Visa on arrival)
• Malawi
• Cape Verde
• Timor-Leste – 30 days
• Seychelles 1 month
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Senegal
• Gabon
• Guinea-Bissau
• Somalia
• Mozambique
• Uganda
• Zimbabwe
• Togo – 7 days Benin
• Kyrgyzstan – 30 days
• Laos – 30 Days
• Somalia – 30 days provided an invitation letter issued by the sponsor has been submitted to the Airport Immigration Department at least 2 days before arrival.
• Tuvalu – 1 month
• Turkey issues e-visa for 3 months

When it comes to crossing international frontiers, there’s one travel document that opens more doors than any other. And it isn’t a U.S. passport. German citizens, it seems, have the potential for the greatest mobility in the travel world. With a German passport, travelers can enter 177 out of 218 countries and territories without a visa, according to the 2016 Visa Restrictions Index.

Immediately behind Germany, holding its position as runner-up for the second year running, is Sweden with visa-free access to 176 countries.

Japan and South Korea were also among the group in the top three in 2014 and 2015, but have slid down to fifth and sixth place respectively this year. Belgium, Denmark and Netherlands stand alongside the U.S. in fourth.

At the bottom of the list, labeled countries with the “worst passports,” are Afghanistan, at 104, followed by Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Syria.

The top ranking country in Africa is Seychelles -an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean off East Africa, with a population of 90,000 people. Seychelles citizens have access to 129 countries.

The Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed it places a priority on negotiating for bilateral visa waiver agreements when it engages in diplomatic relations with any state. While the majority of these visa waivers are obtained for all Seychelles passport holders, there are at least 5 according to the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs website which are for diplomatic and official passport holders only.  Negotiations are ongoing with some of those countries to allow visa free entry for all passport types, including with the United Arab Emirates which the Seychelles government says it is currently finalizing negotiations on the matter. Currently, only citizens holding Seychelles diplomatic and special passports can enter in the UAE without a visa as part of a visa waiver agreement which the Seychelles government signed in 2012.

Mauritius is second on the list, with 124, and South Africa is third, Botswana, Kenya and Namibia follow suit.

Movies Releasing this Friday By India

Movie Releasing this Week – Friday, 16 September, 2016

 

 

 

 

Release Date -16 September

Movie - Pink  

Genre- Drama 

Director  -Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Cast - Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Release Date -16 September

Movie - Raaz Reboot

Genre- Horror

Director  -Vikram Bhatt

Cast -Emraan Hashmi, Kriti Kharbanda, Gaurav Arora

MS Dhoni The Untold Story: Almost everything you see in the film happened in Dhoni's life

MS Dhoni

Arun Pandey, who has been long-time friend and business partner for MS Dhoni, is entreprising. You can here it in his voice, how dedicated he is to his passion project releasing on September 30. The project is none other than a Bollywood film based on the life of Dhoni, India's most successful captain. He emphasises more than a few times that the film was made purely to motivate youngsters in India and around the world.

He repeats it so many times, that it actually becomes irksome. Dhoni is a very marketable commodity. And it's hard not to see the financial prospects in telling the life story of a man like him. He is a World Cup winning captain, has pan-India appeal and it only makes sense that his underdog story be sold to the highest bidder. However, the trailers suggest they have tried to capture the essence of the cricketer's life. Both Neeraj Pandey (director) and Sushant Singh Rajput (playing Dhoni himself) look sincere. Will MS Dhoni: The Untold Story break the jinx with Bollywood and biopics, we'll have to wait and watch.

1.       What was that one element in Dhoni's life story that separates him from the rest of the underdog stories in the world? Why does the world need to hear Dhoni's story?

A majority of the population is the youth, out of which a big number come from the small towns. And how many stories like Dhoni do you have that can motivate you to this extent? The ascent from where he started to what he has achieved, it is so massive, how do you not get inspired by a story like that? But it's not even about his victories and the success and the money that he has made. It is how he has conducted himself through those phases of life. You hear him in interviews, and he's always talking about a process. What is a process? The effort we put in today. A lot of people dream like Dhoni did, but did they put in the effort that Dhoni did? Dhoni himself never dreamt that he would play for the country, let alone lead it. What purpose the story will serve is to tell the youth, if you have dreams big or small, if you put in the effort today, you will be closer to achieving it than you were yesterday.

You watch Lincoln, Wolf of Wall Street and even A Beautiful Mind, from the last 15 year's Oscar-winners you'll find at least 10-12 of the films were based on real life stories. That's why we thought the story needs to be told. 2. Neeraj Pandey's earlier films have a completely different flavour compared to what this biopic would need. How did he come on board?

When we first thought of making the movie, we had a few names about who could be candidates for the director's job. As soon as I heard, that Neeraj was the man behind A Wednesday, I jumped and was convinced he was the man who would make it. I'm a great fan of A Wednesday, how he's made this whole movie around one incident and how in middle of it is the story of a common man. So I asked my people, and they set up a meeting. And after that one meeting, Neeraj was on board to direct.

3. Was Sushant the first choice to play Dhoni? What convinced you he could pull it off?

I was coming back on a plane when I saw Kai Po Che. And I saw Sushant, the way he batted, bowled and how he talked about the sport. We thought he would be a good boy to work with. We wanted someone raw, hardworking and we got both those things from Sushant who really worked hard to get Dhoni's physique.

4. When did Fox Star come into the picture?

So there was Dilip (Jha, the writer) who was writing about the various incidents in Dhoni's life. He used to go everyday, meet him and hear his stories and wrote that down. After Neeraj came on board, he started reviewing Dilip's work and he started asking questions and started piecing together a narrative for the film. After that it took close to 10 months to find the right studio who will help us tell the story like it should be told. Vijay Singhji (CEO, Foxstar) was a visionary enough to see the potential in the story and after that we began shooting.

5. A film like this can be risky, it requires scale to look convincing, were there dark days when you thought you couldn't pull this off?

I didn't doubt myself for a single second, since I decided to start work on making this biopic. The kind of love and affection MS gets from people all over India, never doubted the project for a single second. And Fox backed us completely, whatever was the requirement for the movie from my side, from Neeraj's side was fulfilled without question.

6. There is a tendency to sugar-coat biopics, has Neeraj Pandey attempted to take on the grey areas of Dhoni's life?

The definition of grey area tends to differ from person to person. And as far as clarifications related to conflict of interest has already been given, it's all there out in the open. There was no glamourisation of anything, in fact I can tell you positively that 98 percent of the what happens in the movie, is based on Dhoni's real life. Ask Neeraj, when he came on board and how difficult he found to find the grey areas in Dhoni's life. He was surprised that there was hardly any negativity in his life. He was appalled that he had to work so hard, talk to so many people, and he still couldn't find any grey areas in MS Dhoni's life.

7. When was the decision taken about dubbing the movie into Marathi, Tamil and Telugu?

It was always on the cards, even before the trailer was released. Dhoni has a pan-India appeal and we thought it would be a good idea to reach out to people in the other regions as well who will be equally eager to hear Dhoni's story. Even better if it is in their local language.

8. Raj Thackeray's MNS objected to the Marathi-dubbed version. Are you going to go ahead and release it in Marathi or is that on hold?

I have to speak to the people at Fox about that, I've not really been in the loop about that. I'll have to check up on it, it slipped my mind.

9. How comfortable was Dhoni opening up on the details of his love-stories? Which are two from the movie?

Whatever happened in real life, he sat down and spoke to Neeraj. And that's been included in the movie.

10. Has Dhoni seen the movie yet? What was his reaction?

Of course, he got emotional. It was a little awkward too for him, but he hardly ever expresses. He was a little overwhelmed seeing his life story adapted to the big screen.

Here's why you must visit the International Buddhist Conclave at Sarnath

Slated to begin at Sarnath on October 3 this year, the International Buddhist Conclave will be attended by delegates from more than 40 countries. The conclave seeks to highlight Buddhist heritage and pilgrimage sites in India.
The foundation for Buddhism was laid down by Prince Siddhartha at a time when he renounced his family and went on to become the Buddha. The knowledge he gained through his enlightenment started spreading far and wide. It spready not only in different parts of India, but other parts of the world as well.
Now, Buddhism has a global following in excess of 500 million people, and is among the leading faiths of the world. Starting from India, where Buddhism originated, the profound teachings of this faith spread in Asia and beyond over the centuries. The philosophies and thoughts attached to Buddhism remain relevant even in the modern world.

Giraffes are four species, not one: DNA and Genetic study

 DNA and Genetic study

Genetic research on the world’s tallest land animal has found that there are four distinct species of giraffe, not just one as long believed, with two of them at alarmingly low population levels.

Scientists on Thursday unveiled a comprehensive genetic analysis of giraffes using DNA from 190 of the towering herbivores from across their range in Africa.

The genetic data showed that four separate species of giraffes that do not interbreed in the wild inhabit various parts of the continent.

“We were extremely surprised,” said conservationist Julian Fennessy, co-director of the Namibia-based Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

Beyond genetics, the researchers identified differences among the four species including body shape, coloration and coat patterns.

Genetic differences among the four species were comparable to those between polar bears and brown bears, said geneticist Axel Janke of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and Goethe University in Germany.

Until now, scientists had recognised a single species, with the scientific name Giraffa camelopardalis.

The study identified the four separate species as: the southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), with a population of 52,000; the Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), with 32,500; the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), with 8,700; and the northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), with 4,750.

“The conservation implications are immense and our findings will hopefully help put giraffe conservation on the map," Mr. Fennessy said.

The giraffe currently is not listed as endangered, although its population has declined dramatically over the past three decades from more than 150,000 to fewer than 100,000, the researchers said.

But the low population levels of the northern giraffe and reticulated giraffe make them some of the world's most endangered large mammals and of high conservation importance, Mr. Fennessy said.

Giraffes stand up to about 18 feet (5.5m) tall, with long necks and legs, a sloped back and two to five short knobs called ossicones atop the head. They have a tan, white or yellowish coat blotched with brownish patches.

They roam the savannas of central, eastern and southern Africa, as far north as Chad, south to South Africa, east to Somalia and west to Niger.

Mr. Fennessy said the biggest threats to the giraffe include habitat destruction due to human population growth as well as poaching for bush meat, their tail hair and “medicinal” parts.

Their closest relative is the long-necked African mammal called the okapi.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2016

Ganesh Chaturth - 'Ganesh Chaturthi', is a festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha, one of the most revered Gods in the Hindu pantheon. Widely celebrated in India, especially in Maharashtra, on account of Lord Ganesha's divine visit to the earthly realm in the month of Bhadra, falling in August/September, this festival sees huge advance preparation. Also known as 'Ganesh Jayanti', this popular festival ends with immersion of Lord Ganesha's idol in rivers and lakes amidst full rejoicing.

When is Ganesh Chaturthi in 2016

Hindu God Ganesha birthday in 2016: 05 September, 2016
Where: Mumbai, Maharashtra and All over India.
Spread over ten days of rituals, festivities and chanting of powerful mantras that eulogize various aspects of Lord Ganesha, 'Ganesh Utsav' brings people together in complete devotion. With the ubiquitous idols Lord Ganesha in his grand seated posture bestowing success on mankind in important endeavors, this festival honors the divine aspect of intelligence and wisdom.
While Ganesh Chaturthi festival finds wide resonance in all parts of India including Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, the tradition of elaborate processions, decorations and sculpting of beautiful and life-like idols is most visible in Maharashtra state. The whole city of Mumbai, famed for its vivacious celebrations, is abuzz with large-scale celebrations and hectic activities during this period. 'Pandals' are set up in every locality with thematic decorations and people throng them for 'arti', and 'puja'. These 'pandals' compete with each other in terms of scale of decoration and idol-size. Both traditional 'bhajans' and contemporary music renditions follow in the evenings.