5G Panel Wants India to Start 5G Mobile Network Trials Without Chinese
The debate about Huawei’s role in the 5G network rollout in India continues. This comes at a time when the government has made its intentions clear to start with the 5G trials soon. The Times of India has reported that high-level committee on 5G is opposed to including Chinese vendors including Huawei in the 5G trials. There is a persistent fear that equipment being sold by Chinese vendors includes a backdoor which can allow the Chinese government to access data from 5G networks. Principal scientific adviser K Vijay Raghavan, who heads a high-level committee on 5G, believes India should “go for trials immediately with all, except for Chinese vendors”, says the report. The committee includes officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), ministry of external affairs, home ministry, telecom and IT ministry and the department of science & technology. This report comes just days after the US president Donald Trump lifted the trade ban on Huawei, and has asked US based companies to continue working with Huawei. In India, Huawei still doesn’t have the permissions for the 5G trials, and getting these will be crucial. The company has already made repeated assurances that it does not share any data with any entity. 5gdonald trumpgovernment of Indiahuawei First Published: July 2, 2019, 9:30 AM IST
congresselection commissionNarendra ModiOdisha First Published: April 18, 2019, 2:29 PM IST New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday questioned the Election Commission order suspending a high-ranking poll official deputed to Odisha for allegedly checking the prime minister’s chopper and said EC rules “do not exempt” PM’s vehicle from being checked.The opposition party accused the EC of “bias” after it suspended Karnataka cadre IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin for what the poll panel said was “dereliction of duty” with regard to “SPG protectees”. The Congress also wondered what Modi was carrying in his helicopter that he did not want India to see.”An official was suspended by ECI for doing his job of inspecting vehicles. The rule cited governs the use of official vehicles for campaigning. It DOES NOT exempt PM’s vehicle from being searched,” the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.”What is Modi carrying in the helicopter that he doesn’t want India to see?” it added.The Congress said instead of checking all flights of leaders, the EC was acting against its officials.”After the case of the mysterious box being moved from Modi’s chopper, we’d have expected the Election Commission of India to investigate every flight.”But suspending an official who did this reeks of bias,” the party said in another tweet.According to an EC order, IAS officer Mohsin was suspended for “actions contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees” on April 16 the day SPG-protectee Prime Minister Modi visited Sambalpur in Odisha to address an election rally.”There have been instances where during polls EC was allowed to check convoys of both current & the former Congress President. SPG protectees can’t be frisked personally. Why suspend an officer for checking PM’s chopper? What message is being sent? Law is special for some?” senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted. 
Electronic Voting MachineEVMsITILok Sabha elections 2019 First Published: April 26, 2019, 9:43 PM IST Nagpur: The Congress’ Ramtek Lok Sabha candidate Kishore Gajbhiye Friday demanded the registering of a case and detailed probe in the theft of a digital video recorder (DVR) and two LCD television sets from a ‘strong room’ in Umred.Ramtek went to polls on April 11 and Gajbhiye is pitted against sitting MP Krupal Tumane. Gajbhiye said in case the stolen equipment is not found, a repoll should be ordered for the seat. “On April 12, one DVR and two LCD television sets were stolen from a temporary strong room in the government’s ITI facility in Umred. EVMs were kept at this strong room till the evening of April 12 before they were taken to the main counting centre in Nagpur,” Gajbhiye said, while addressing a press conference.The DVR and LCDs were stolen in the intervening night of April 12 and 13, he said. “Besides, the assistant returning officer (ARO) did not send a report of the theft to the government and the collector. The ARO should have filed an FIR about the theft as it relates to the election process,” he said.The ARO took cognisance of the issue 8-10 days later when it appeared in local newspapers, Gajbhiye alleged.”We have filed a complaint with the Chief Election officer (Maharashtra)and the police department. We demand that there should be no counting of votes in the Umred segment till we see the CCTV footage and the contents of the DVR. If is is not retrieved, we will demand a repoll,” he said.He said only the footage in the DVR will show whether any irregularities took place in the strong room.In a press note, Ramtek Lok Sabha returning officer Shrikant Fadke said that after the polls on April 11, the EVMs that were used for voting were deposited at the Kalamana strong room in Nagpur by April 12 afternoon.”Similarly, the strong room was sealed in the presence of the representatives of all political parties. Hence, there were no EVM and VVPAT in the Umred strong room,” he said in the statement.He added that the LCDs and DVR were stolen from a guard’s cabin outside the strong room.Fadke further informed that the strong room was under police protection and when the incident came to light, police was informed by poll authorities on April 15.He said the incident would not affect the polls as all the EVMs and VVPAT slips are safe in the Kalamana strong room, he added. 
New Delhi: A PIL has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Election Commission (EC) to review political parties having names with religious connotations or using symbols similar to that of the national flag and to de-register them if they do not change them within three months.The petition by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has contended that use of names with religious connotations or symbols similar to the national flag or emblem might prejudicially affect the poll prospects of a candidate and would amount to a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act (RPA) of 1951. “Review the political parties, registered with religious, caste, ethnic or linguistic connotations and ensure that they are not using a flag, similar to the national flag and de-register them if they fail to change it within three months,” the plea has urged the high court which is likely to hear the matter on Friday.Upadhyay, also a lawyer, has claimed in his plea that such a step would help to ensure free and fair elections.In his petition, he has referred to political parties such as the Hindu Sena, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Indian Union Muslim League as examples of names with religious connotations and said this was “against the spirit” of the RPA and the Model Code of Conduct. “In addition, there are many political parties, including the Indian National Congress, which use a flag similar to the national flag, which is also against the spirit of the RPA,” the plea has said. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeenelection commissionhindu senaIndian National Congress First Published: May 16, 2019, 5:41 PM IST
Patna: Maoism travelled from Naxalbari in West Bengal to Ekwari village in Bihar’s Arrah where the extreme Left militants launched their first armed struggle in the early Seventies. A group of Maoists, mostly drawn from the Dalit community, annihilated Bhumihar landlord Shankh Singh to mark their entry into Bihar. A chain of retaliatory massacres ensued, thereafter, in which hundreds of lives of landlords and Maoists were lost. The flame of Naxalism that spread from Ekwari engulfed the entire south-central Bihar and a number of splinter groups of Red army operating in different parts of the state. Some of these splinter groups even claimed to have ‘liberated’ certain areas of Bhojpur (Arrah) district, often referred to as ‘flaming fields of Bihar’ and established their own system of governance for some time challenging the sovereignty of India.Veteran Communist leader, late Ram Naresh Ram, who belonged to Ekwari, founded the underground CPI-ML (Liberation) along with Jagdish Master and led a sustained armed struggle against landowners, who later established their private army, called the Ranbir Sena. By early 1980s, the Maoist leaders felt the need for an overground outfit along with the underground armed squad and floated the Indian People’s Front (IPF) as the CPI-ML’s front organization in 1982. The IPF contested the Lok Sabha election from Arrah in 1989 and its nominee Rameshwar Prasad became the first representative of the extreme Left outfit in Parliament.Eventually, the CPI-ML itself became overground and turned into a full-fledged political party fighting Assembly and parliamentary elections. Having contested several elections after 1989, the CPI-ML, this time, is taking on the BJP candidate and sitting MP Raj Kumar Singh in the Arrah Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to poll in the seventh phase on May 19.Arrah is the only constituency that has been spared for the CPI-ML by Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) from its quota of 20 seats in the grand alliance. With a solid backing of mahagathbandhan allies, CPI-ML candidate Raju Yadav has embarked on a direct contest with the BJP nominee and sitting MP.In 2014, Singh, who is also the former Union home secretary, had defeated the RJD candidate Sribhagwan Singh Kushwaha by over 1.35 lakh votes. Yadav had secured 98,000-odd votes, while Janata Dal (United) candidate and then sitting MP Meena Singh had secured 75000-odd votes. “It is a masterstroke of the RJD chief — leaving Arrah for the CPI-ML which has a considerable influence in all the seven assembly segments of this constituency. The combined votes of RJD, JDU and CPI-ML outnumber the votes polled by the BJP candidate last time. This time, we will claim 70% of the total votes in the constituency,” said Santosh Sahar, a CPI-ML activist. Though massacres and retaliatory killings are things of past today, the divide between haves and have-nots are clearly visible and caste sentiments, especially those of extremely backward castes and Dalits, are still directed against the landed gentry of upper castes and some land-owning intermediary castes.For the CPI-ML, it is a golden opportunity to win this seat again after 1989. Despite having contested in subsequent general elections, the party has failed to cut much ice. It is in this background that the CPI-ML candidate Raju Yadav, son of a former party leader Ram Tavakya Singh, is trying to rope in the support of the intermediary castes and Dalits. “It is expected that anti-BJP votes will not be divided this time like in the past elections because the mahagathbandhan allies are with us,” Yadav said.Aware of the risk of sharp polarisation of backwards and Dalits in favour of the CPI-ML, the BJP is harping on the issues of nationalism, popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the image of its sitting MP RK Singh, known for his integrity and impartiality. The BJP has put up posters with slogans like ‘Jaatiwad na Naxalwad, sabse upar rashtravad’ (It is neither casteism nor Naxalism, but all-surmounting nationalism) throughout the constituency.Old-timers feel that with mahagathbandhan allies supporting the CPI-ML, it may turn out to be a tough fight between the CPI-ML, which has its roots in Arrah, and the BJP, which has the backing of supporters of the erstwhile Ranbir Sena, an outfit of landlords.At Khopira, the village of dreaded Ranbir Sena chief late, Barmeshwar Mukhia, a school teacher, Shiv Sharma, said it was difficult to gauge people’s mood, though there was a visible undercurrent for the BJP among well-off sections and sympathy for the CPI-ML among the poor.However, the Mandal politics pursued by Lalu Prasad Yadav after 1990 has mitigated the sharp divide between haves and have-nots and the area has undergone a radical change in its socio-political profile. For the past two decades, guns have stopped booming and the internecine fights between the Ranbir Sena and CPI-ML cadres have almost come to an end. Landlords are no more oppressive and wages for labourers are paid as per the government rules. Some of the landless labourers have even purchased land during this period. There is complete peace as both the groups have settled for what is ‘legal, socially prudent and permissible under the law.’ The most remarkable change that has occurred in this erstwhile violence-ridden area is the attitude of people towards each other. In the past, their rivalry has led to several ghastly massacres taking 250-odd lives. Perhaps, the huge loss of human lives that they suffered during the past three decades has led them to realise that ‘peaceful coexistence’ alone would end the social strife. The wind of change is certainly blowing across the Son river, which used to often turn red during the Seventies and Eighties.(Author is a senior journalist) arrah-s04p32bihar grand alliancebihar mahagathbandhanbihar-lok-sabha-elections-2019 First Published: May 17, 2019, 6:11 PM IST
Lok Sabha Election Results 2019: As India anxiously awaits the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections on May 23, here is a look at Exit Polls most of which have predicted a second term for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Congress-led UPA fall way short of even the half-way mark. The exit polls, released on the conclusion of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election 2019 have been rejected by the Opposition parties including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies are gung-ho about retaining power with absolute majority.Twelve of 14 exit polls predicted the BJP led-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) getting a full majority ranging from 282 to 365 seats. On the other hand the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is predicted to get 82 to 165 seats. A party or an alliance needs 271 seats to form the government with the Lok Sabha elections having been held on 542 of 543 seats.For the NDA, Republic Bharat exit polls Jan ki Baat predicted 305 seats , News Nation 282-290 seats, Times Now-VMR 306 seats, India News-Polstrat 298 seats, ABP-Neilsen 267 seats and the India Today 339-365 seats.For the UPA, Republic Bharat Jan ki Baat predicted 124 seats , News Nation 118-126 seats, Times Now-VMR 142 seats, India News-Polstrat 118 seats, India Today 77-108 seats and ABP-Neilsen 127 seats. Keywords: Lok Sabha Election Results 2019, Lok Sabha Election Results, Indian general elections, VVPAT, lok sabha election, lok sabha polls, lok sabha results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, BJP supremo Amit Shah, Priyanka Gandhi, General Election Results 2019, Lok Sabha Polls Result 2019, VVPAT, Election Commission of India, ECI, BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, SP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party, Mamata Banerjee, TMC, Trinamool Congress akhilesh yadavBahujan samaj partyBharatiya Janata PartyBSP First Published: May 23, 2019, 7:12 AM IST | Edited by: Ahona Sengupta
New Delhi: Unhappy with locals for joining the ranks of the police in Jharkhand, Maoists are now using force to keep them away from police recruitment drives. In fact, the success of government’s police recruitment drives over the past five years has been a setback for the Maoists in Bastar. According to sources, senior Maoist commanders have been seen in several Bastar villages and are reportedly profiling the youth who have applied for the posts in police department. The young boys are reportedly being detained by the Maoists and threatened with dire consequences in case they decide to join forces. In one such input, Lakhma, a commander of Local Organisational Squad (LOS) based out of Usuur, is said to have visited several villages in South Bastar’s Bijapur district with at least 30 armed guerillas. “According to information available with us, he rounded up all the boys who have studied up to 12th standard and threatened them to stay away from the recruitment drives. Those who were found to have participated in these drives last year aren’t being allowed to leave their villages,” a source said.Locals in Bastar have repeatedly come forward to fight the red extremists as part of police and paramilitary formations. The all-women Danteshwari Tigers is one such recent anti-Maoist formation that consists of 30 local women, some of who are surrendered Maoists. The force has already been part of many encounters in coordination with District Reserve Guards (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) of the police.Bastariya battalion is another such example where battalions consisting of local men have been trained by the CRPF to fight Naxals, at the paramilitary’s site in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, and has also seen intense action already. Locals are preferred by police and paramilitary forces due to their familiarity with the terrain and with the local Gondi language which gives them an edge over centrally deputed officers. Support from locals is one of the major reasons that the government has been able to successfully reduce the foot print of Maoists over the last few years. The government recently said the number of Maosit-affected districts reduced from 126 to 81. BastarJharkhand PoliceMaoismMaoists First Published: July 9, 2019, 4:27 PM IST
Hardeep Singh PuriMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairsparliamentpmay First Published: July 3, 2019, 3:07 PM IST New Delhi: A demand was made in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday to increase the size of ‘pucca’ homes being constructed under the flagship housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).The government said the scheme is being implemented in consultation with state governments. “Under the scheme, the prescribed size is 30 square metre pucca home with a toilet and kitchen, etc. If there are suggestions, the state government can provide,” Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said during the Question Hour in the Upper House. The demand was made by BJP MP from Gujarat C K Gohel. Responding to a query on providing budgetary support to develop infrastructure in Bengaluru which is getting congested, Puri said the Centre is providing support through various central schemes to Karnataka but the state government has to send proposals for specific things.”Land and colonisation are state subject. It is entirely upto the state to develop plans. However, we have central government interventions through PMAY, smart city programmes and Swacchh Bharat Mission under which funds are provided to the state,” he added.The question was raised by Congress MP from Karnataka B K Hariprasad. On another query raised by NCP MP from Maharashtra Majeed Memon on number of slums constructed under the PMAY inMumbai, the minister said details will be conveyed to him separately.He said 83 lakh slums have been constructed so far under the scheme against the target of 1 crore. The Centre has figures for state-wise and not city-wise. 
accidentmaharashtraMaladMalad Wall Collapse First Published: July 20, 2019, 9:34 PM IST Mumbai: The death toll in the July 2 wall collapse in Pimpripada area of Malad East touched 31 Saturday with the death of 50-year-old Basanti Kishor Sharma in civic- run Cooper Hospital, an official said.She was one of the over 90 people who were injured in the incident, the official added. The state government had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased and had also asked the BMC to give an equal amount. 
Story TimelineNokia Lumia 2520 reviewNokia Lumia 2020 8-inch tablet rumored for release by April 2014See the Surface Mini that Microsoft killed in these leaked images This is not the first Windows tablet to come out of Microsoft’s and Nokia’s failed relationship, but no one wants to talk about the Lumia 2520 for one reason and one reason alone: Windows RT. Microsoft’s half-assed attempt at putting Windows on tablets went the way of the Zune. Unfortunately, it took this non-RT Nokia tablet down with it.This “Mercury” tablet is no Lumia 2520. Instead of Windows RT, it ran a full Windows 8.1 operating system. That would have been unheard of at that time, circa late 2013 to 2014, where full Windows versions couldn’t be found in devices smaller than 10.1 inches. Although that wouldn’t have addressed the problems Microsoft had with Windows 8.1 and its lack of touch-friendly apps, it could have at least given it a fighting chance in that space. Really, you can’t do worse than Windows RT anyway.That said, having Windows 8.1 did mean that the hardware would be considerably different from the Surface Mini. In essence, that boils down to an Intel Atom Z3795, though with 2 GB of RAM at most. There would later be small-sized Windows 8.1, and even Windows 10, tablets running on Intel Atoms, but having a Microsoft flagship would have helped dispel the image of these tablets as being cheap step-children.On the design side, it’s arguable which between the Surface Mini and the Nokia Mercury would have appealed better to public taste. The Nokia tablet bore the company’s bright colors and polycarbonate shells while Microsoft’s attempt put extra wide bezels and an odd felt texture on the back. Considering barely anyone makes 7 to 9 inch Windows tablets anymore, these two canceled tablets perhaps prefigured a short-lived breed.VIA: Windows Blog Italia Not all devices, even those highly leaked ones, see the light of day. Some get unceremoniously abandoned on the cutting room floor. Last week, we caught a glimpse of the much fabled and sadly still-born Microsoft Surface Mini. Now we’re being treated to another canceled 8-inch Windows device, the Nokia “Mercury”, which would have become the Lumia 2020. Unfortunately for Nokia, it never came to be. Unfortunately for Microsoft, this could have been a better hit.
Google released two new apps for Android (and iOS) devices, both of which are truly entertaining. They provide the sort of functionality that a smart handheld computer really should provide, without the whole “why does this exist though” thing getting in the way. As such, I recommend you have a peek at the both of them immediately. Or on your lunch break – unless you’ve got a case of The Mondays already. Story TimelineGoogle Chrome Experiments launches their 1000th experimentGoogle launches “Android Experiments” for your phone, watch, and tabletAndroid Experiments Magic Calendar blends paper and digital The first of two apps you’ll want to take a peek at is web-based and requires you to select a number of colors. It’s called Art Palette, and it’s recommended that you launch it on its own – don’t be split-screening this experience. With Art Palette, you’ll select 5 different colors (or 5 of the same, whatever you want,) and the system will provide artworks that match what you’ve selected.I was shocked by the insane combinations I was able to find artwork results for. Colors off every wall have their own associated works of creativity – even the most gross combinations. This system was created by Simon Doury and Etienne Ferrier. This and the other in-browser app can be run by other browsers, but I recommend you try Chrome, first – desktop or mobile style.The second of two new apps is called LIFE TAGS. This system does an intricate search through Life Magazine photos from the past several decades, searching for tags. Instead of searching for subject matter only, this system uses machine learning and image analyzation to pick up on recognizable elements within photos. As such, one can find all the photos with “helmets” in them, if one wishes. You can thank developer Gaël Hugo for that.AdChoices广告Of the two, LIFE TAGS is the more demanding in-browser app. This app works on Android and iOS devices, but I recommend you try it on a desktop computer if you really want to get the full shebang out of it. These two titles are just the newest in a selection of creations – “Experiements” – in Google’s “Arts & Culture Experiments” collection. Have a peek there for more awesome oddities!
Fitbit just announced not just one but two wearables, a smartwatch and a fitness tracker for kids. Google is expected to do a rebranding, and maybe even a re-envisioning, of its Android Wear platform. Amidst all of these announcements, one can’t help but wonder what has become of what should have been the next phase in our mobile evolution. Smartwatches still exist, no mistake about that, probably as long as Apple is still playing the game. But smartwatches need to do some heavy thinking, maybe even a U-turn if it’s to remain relevant, even if Apple suddenly decides to throw in the towel. Lack of focusWhat is a smartwatch anyway? Or more importantly, what is it for? You probably won’t get a straight, standard answer because smartwatches today do anything and everything. They’re easily compared to smartphones that indeed do almost everything. Except with a smaller screen. Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly work for something that you strap on your wrist.That lack of focus and purpose has made smartwatches something nice to have but ultimately not something compelling. A few wear it because of its technological benefits, often because it’s part of their job or area of interest. Most of those that do don’t wear it because of function or design. Those that do keep wearing smartwatches, more often than not, wear it because they’d rather not wear a regular watch and a separate fitness tracker if they could.Too much on your wristThe Neptunte Pine. The poster boy for how NOT to do smartwatches.The fitness tracker market may have plateaued, but they remain stronger than smartwatches. They are also, almost ironically, starting to enter into smartwatch territory. But they have a subtle yet distinct advantage over smartwatches. They’re fitness trackers first and foremost that just happens to also tell the time. They may be able to do more, but their primary purpose is unambiguous. And what they’re able to do is pretty limited.Smartwatches offer the ability to use your smartphone without using your smartphone, which is probably more a curse than a blessing. It is naturally limited by its design to a few functions and gestures, but the actions you’d want to use a smartphone for would really require the size and power of a smartphone. And for those functions, you can conveniently do on your wrist? Those pretty much don’t need a smartwatch at all. Some fitness trackers already support call and message notifications, media control, and alarms. All without the complexity of a smartphone.Distraction on a smaller screenSmartwatches are also supposed to save us from our smartphones by reducing the need to fish out our phones and look at them. They can’t, however, save us from ourselves and we end up looking at our watches instead. We’ve only moved the distraction from one screen to another but haven’t become smarter about it. The mere thought that we’d have the ability to see those notifications anytime already pushes as to do so. And while we can indeed screen which notifications arrive on our smartwatches and which don’t, the defaults aren’t exactly helpful and take too much work to tweak. In that sense, neither smartphones nor smartwatches have actually become smart enough to help us.The geek factorThis isn’t to say that geek is bad, but smartwatches have always carried an aura of being something that only a niche would have any use for. Smartphones were, for a while, also like that, but thanks to heavy marketing and apps, that image was quickly given a facelift. Smartwatches aren’t as lucky, especially when the first two generations of devices came from smartphone makers themselves.Fortunately, the situation is shifting slightly and smartwatches are becoming more the fashion accessories that they are, with fashion and luxury brands the ones pushing the market forward. It makes smartwatches things you’d want to wear rather than simply use. In other words, something worth buying.Salvaging the smartwatchSmartwatches aren’t yet disappearing, but they don’t seem to be going anywhere either. There need to be some changes but, unfortunately, the end product might not resemble the smartwatches we have today.Simpler is betterSmartwatches are veritably mini-smartphones on our wrists. But much of that power and functionality are wasted and left unused. If smartwatch and platform makers did a study, they will most likely learn that majority of the uses smartwatch users have revolved around health, simple notifications, and media control. Pretty much the same features that higher-end fitness trackers have. All those fancy apps are only good for a few first uses but then become easily forgotten. It’s perhaps no wonder at Apple is pushing the Apple Watch towards a more health-focused future.Longevity mattersReducing functionality, maybe even the hardware, could have the side effect of allocating space for the battery. A watch that dies out on you even before the end of the day is going to always be a worry. Especially when traveling where a charging stand or dock isn’t easily available. Smartwatch battery life should number in days, even weeks, and not just hours.Smart speaker on your wristPerhaps smartwatches have the wrong role model. Granted, smart speakers didn’t exist years ago. The two, however, share some common traits, like their limited use and limited interaction methods. While a smartwatch does have the advantage of having a screen, its size is also very limiting. It won’t be surprising if smartwatches eventually evolve not as smartphones on our wrists but smart assistants on our wrists.Fashion senseThere is one thing that the current smartwatch generation is doing right. Smartphone makers have withdrawn from the scene. Instead, those who know watches better have taken hold of the reins. Smartwatches are more watches than smartphones and they benefit most from having a fashion sense, not to mention fashion brands, behind them. Customization and personalization shouldn’t be underestimated, especially in a product that is even more personal and more visible than a smartphone.Wrap-up: Do we even need smartwatches?Part of the changes is happening already. The “old” smartwatches are giving way to fashion smartwatches. Fitness trackers are simply adding watch faces but without the overload of apps and features. And hybrid smartwatches offer almost the same basic functionality but with almost years of battery life.It still raises the question of whether we need smartwatches at all. We do, but probably not in the sense of the smartwatches we have today. Everything is becoming smarter, one way or another, whether that means being connected to the Internet or our phones. Wearables are going to be inevitable and the easiest smart device we can wear is a smartwatch. Might as well prepare ourselves for that future now.
Amazon has taken another step in addressing the problem of counterfeit products on its platform. The company has unveiled Project Zero, a program that enables brands to directly target counterfeit product listings. Using what Amazon describes as a ‘self-service’ tool, brands can remove counterfeit product listings themselves rather than wait for Amazon to act on a report. READ: FTC targets fake, paid Internet product reviews for the first timeCounterfeit products are a major problem for online retailers, particularly Amazon given its vast popularity. The company utilizes various technologies to target these inauthentic products, but they remain a problem for the retailer. With the new tool, Amazon is now enabling some brands to directly remove listings that offer fake versions of their products.This new option eliminates the need for these brands to report the items to Amazon, reducing the amount of time it takes to remove the items from sale. According to Amazon, data from these brand removals is used by the company’s ‘automated protections’ to better enable the system to identify other counterfeit products in the future. Those automated protections are powered by Amazon’s machine learning technologies, which scan product listings and remove items identified as possibly counterfeit. According to the company, it scans more than 5 billion listings every single day, and this has resulted in stopping 100 times more potential counterfeit products versus removing items based on reports it gets from brands.Joining both methods is a service Amazon calls product serialization, which allows brands to put unique codes on its authentic products. When one of these products are ordered from Amazon, it scans the code to verify the item is authentic, helping avoid issues with potentially sending a customer a counterfeit item.At this time, Amazon has made Project Zero available as invite-only for select brands. Story TimelineEcho Wall Clock sales return after Amazon fixes connectivity issueAmazon expands high school computer science program to all 50 statesAmazon Day: All your deliveries at once, for good or ill
Lawmakers opt to set up committees to study the issue instead. In Texas, some tea party-affiliated lawmakers threaten to reject the state budget if negotiators include a rider that would allow discussions about expanding coverage with the federal government. Efforts in California, meanwhile, move forward with a $26.5 million injection from the California Endowment.Politico: Missouri Lawmakers Torpedo Medicaid ExpansionRepublican supermajorities have all but scuttled Medicaid expansion in Missouri, defeating — at least for this year — efforts supported by the Democratic governor to extend basic health coverage to an estimated 250,000 low-income state residents. State lawmakers are set to finalize their annual budget this week, and neither chamber included expansion in their blueprints. They’ve opted to create committees to study the issue for the rest of the year and to report on the impact of expansion in early 2014, delaying any decision until after the Jan. 1 start date (Cheney, 5/8).The Texas Tribune: As Clock Ticks, Chance For Medicaid Expansion DwindlesSome members of the Tea Party faction in the House are prepared to vote down the 2014-15 budget — and potentially send the Legislature into a special session — if budget negotiators include a rider that would open the door to discussions with the federal government to expand health care coverage for the state’s poorest adults (Aaronson and Batheja, 5/8).California Healthline: Medi-Cal Outreach Gets Big BoostIf the state won’t pay for it, one private donor will. The California Endowment yesterday committed $26.5 million to fund the state’s Medi-Cal expansion outreach under the Affordable Care Act. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services yesterday voted unanimously 3-0 to accept the contribution and directed state officials to apply for federal matching funds for a total of $53 million in outreach money (Gorn, 5/7).And in state news regarding health exchanges – Health Policy Solutions (a Colo. news service): Despite Outrage, Health Exchange Wants Additional $125 MillionDespite outrage from some lawmakers who called review of Colorado’s health exchange a “mockery,” a bid for an additional $125 million in federal dollars is likely to move forward by next week. … [State Sen. Irene] Aguilar anticipated “sticker shock” over such high costs, but as chair for the legislature’s exchange review committee, she and vice-chair, Rep. Beth McCann, D-Denver, can authorize the grant request (Kerwin McCrimmon, 5/7). GOP Supermajority In Missouri Scuttles Medicaid Expansion Plans This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
After Puzzling Over Mumps Outbreaks, Scientists Recommend Extra Dose Of Vaccine There have been cases recently where the vast majority of a population affected by an outbreak had received the two doses of vaccine, yet people still contracted the virus. In other public health news: a pen that detects cancer, overtreatment, mosquitoes, breast cancer, romantic attraction and more. A few weeks ago, Kathy Brandt’s 86-year-old mother was hospitalized in Florida after a fall. After rushing to her side, Brandt asked for a consult with a palliative care nurse. “I wanted someone to make sure my mother was on the right medications,” Brandt said. For all her expertise — Brandt advises end-of-life organizations across the country — she was taken aback when the nurse suggested hospice care for her mother, who has advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease and a rapid, irregular heartbeat. (Graham, 9/7) Aerobic fitness seems to alter the interior workings of cells in ways that may substantially lower the risk of breast cancer. A new study with female rats found that those that were the most fit were much less likely than other animals to develop cancer after exposure to a known carcinogen, even if they did not exercise. (Reynolds, 9/6) NPR: Dating App Questionnaires May Not Measure Real-Life Attraction The New York Times: Infectious Mosquitoes Are Turning Up In New Regions The New York Times: Overtreatment Is Common, Doctors Say The New York Times: Fitness May Lower Breast Cancer Risk Stat: Can Craig Venter Really Predict What Your Look Like From Your DNA? This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription. Kaiser Health News: Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’ 
Most physicians in the United States believe that overtreatment is harmful, wasteful and common. Researchers surveyed 2,106 physicians in various specialties regarding their beliefs about unnecessary medical care. On average, the doctors believed that 20.6 percent of all medical care was unnecessary, including 22 percent of prescriptions, 24.9 percent of tests and 11.1 percent of procedures. The study is in PLOS One. (Bakalar, 9/6) Stat: A Pen That Detects Cancerous Tissue Could Help Surgeons Remove Full Tumor Can genomics wizards make an informed guesstimate on what a person looks like, based on his or her DNA? J. Craig Venter sure thinks so, per a new PNAS paper. Yet his Human Longevity Institute study is facing Twitter blowback for that claim. Venter’s proof-of-concept study used a machine learning algorithm to analyze the genomic and biometric data of 1,061 volunteers. It looked at gender, facial structure, age, height, weight, skin color, eye color, and voice, generating a facsimile of the person based on their genetic analysis. (Keshavan, 9/6) A mounting number of citations on a popular disease-tracking website suggests that mosquitoes may be moving into new ecological niches with greater frequency. The website, ProMED mail, has carried more than a dozen such reports since June, all involving mosquito species known to transmit human diseases. (McNeil, 9/7) Dating sites claim to winnow a few ideal suitors out of a nigh-infinite pool of chaff. But the matches these algorithms offer may be no better than picking partners at random, a study finds. Researchers asked about 350 heterosexual undergrads at Northwestern University to fill out questionnaires assessing their personalities and romantic preferences. (Chen, 9/6) Anew handheld device could someday help cancer surgeons figure out what to cut and what to leave alone in real time. The device, called the MasSpec Pen, is (unsurprisingly) about the size of a pen and employs water, plastic tubing, and a mass spectrometer. It’s the latest in engineers’ efforts to speed up the pace at which samples collected during operations are processed for clinically valuable information. (Sheridan, 9/6) An extra dose of the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine can help to stop mumps outbreaks, a new study suggests. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and based on analysis of data from a large mumps outbreak at the University of Iowa in 2015-2016, showed that getting a third dose of MMR vaccine cut the risk of contracting the mumps by 78 percent. (Branswell, 9/6) Stat: Third Dose Of Mumps Vaccine Could Help Stop Outbreaks, Researchers Say 
Email Join the conversation → The Canadian Press Canada Pension Plan’s investment board racks up 8.9% return, more than enough to sustain fund until 2090 CPPIB adds $35.9 billion to assets Sponsored By: advertisement Reddit Comment TORONTO — Canada Pension Plan Investment Board recovered from a weak quarter in late 2018 to produce a solid 8.9 per cent net return for its most recent financial year.The Toronto-based investment manager for the Canada Pension Plan said its CPP Fund had $392.0 billion of net assets as of March 31, up $35.9 billion from the end of the 2018 financial year after all costs.The fiscal fourth quarter also showed a recovery from a weak return of 1.1 per cent in the third quarter that was affected by a general downturn in stock markets in December.CPPIB’s five-year real rate of return, which adjusts for inflation, was 8.9 per cent as of March 31 while the 10-year real rate of return was 9.2 per cent.Those returns are well ahead of what the Chief Actuary of Canada has determined to be necessary to sustain the Canada Pension Plan to at least 2090.Related Stories:Cintas Corporation Announces Record Fiscal 2019 Results What you need to know about passing the family cottage to the next generation CPPIB’s fiscal fourth quarter showed a recovery from a weak return of 1.1 per cent in the third quarter that was affected by a general downturn in stock markets in December.Getty Images 
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Few cars have built-in dashcams, but we’re likely to see that changing in the near future. The Tesla Model 3 (and all Tesla vehicles) now have an inclusive dashcam that comes standard as part of the recent Version 9 software update. If you don’t own a Tesla or a car that has a dashcam, we suggest picking up an aftermarket product if you can afford it and if you believe that it may be an asset based on your driving situation.Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.Video Description via Michael Wilson on YouTube:I literally just got my Model 3 set up with the dash cam feature and captured this. The cuts are because Tesla keeps the videos in 1 minute segments. I probably could have got this smoother, but I’m no video editor.This happened on 32 West in Columbia, MD.Brief timeline:0:32 – White SUV cuts off black SUV0:40 – Black SUV gets pissed, pulls in front of white SUV and comes to a complete stop0:55 – Having not noticed these previous events, I assume the black SUV is disabled1:05 – I think the black SUV is pulling over to get out of traffic1:10 – I start to realize something is amiss. I just let them do their thing.1:30 – I vacillate between trying to get close enough to capture this for possible police involvement and trying not to get involved myself.1:42 – White SUV finally overtakes black SUV.1:55 – Black SUV overtakes white SUV again.2:03 – Black SUV maybe hits/side swipes the white SUV, who is now off of the side of the highway.2:33 – Black SUV almost runs the white SUV into the guide rail.2:44 – White SUV overtakes and both cars pull off onto the shoulder. I had moved into their lane in hopes of getting their license plates. Looks like I did earlier in the video, but I didn’t know that at the time.A few seconds later I call police. Feast your eyes on this crazy display of complete nonsense and stupidity.If not just because we felt compelled to share and remind people what type of ridiculousness is happening on the roads today, this is another opportunity to provide a solid example of the new Tesla Model 3 dashcam (TeslaCam). Today, dashcam’s are becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. In the world we live in, it seems just about everything is caught on tape, and while that may not be the best situation in certain cases, being able to provide footage of incidents that occur on the road is surely a positive.More Tesla Model 3 Dashcam Footage: Author Liberty Access TechnologiesPosted on October 22, 2018Categories Electric Vehicle News Tesla Model 3 Accident: TeslaCam Shows Why You Need A Dashcam The Tesla Dashcam Apparently Looks This Good Source: Electric Vehicle News Watch TeslaCam Capture Motorcycle Versus Car Crash
When Top Gear inquired directly at Volkswagen about the performance specs of the I.D R Pikes Peak, they received these figures: 0-62mph is done in just 2.25 seconds. Tesla will do the same run in 2.68 seconds. Furthermore, it takes just 3.70 seconds for the VW I.D. R to sprint from 0-100mph, where the Tesla will achieve the same sprint in 6.46 seconds. With the 0-124mph taking 5 seconds flat in the I.D. R, the Tesla achieves the same in over twice the amount of time: 10.84 seconds.Clearly, these two cars couldn’t be more apart. However, the timings of a civilian, road ready and everyday use oriented electric car, gives us a feeling that Pikes Peak will never be won by an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car ever again. Simply put, the sheer power and the traction exerted by a dual electric motor setup, paired by the complete immunity of the electric car to the altitude, paired with the relatively short sprint that is the 12.42-mile course at Pikes Peak, makes us confident that the future has arrived and it’s here to stay.Source: Top Gear Electric Volkswagen I.D. R Sets Quickest Qualifying Time At Pikes Peak The Tesla Model S P100DWhen you compare the two, on first glance, Tesla (somewhat surprisingly) comes with an advantage. The Model S comes with a dual motor setup delivering 760 horsepower, while the same setup in the Volkswagen I.D R Pikes Peak delivers 670 horsepower. Torque wise, the difference is even more pronounced. The Tesla plays the all-too-familiar tire screeching sonata at the tune of 722 lb-ft of torque. On the other hand, the VW I.D R will utilize “just” 479 lb-ft of torque. However, the VW’s racer weighs a little over a metric tonne (2,204lbs) – less than half the weight of the 2,241kg (4,940lbs) Tesla P100D. Author Liberty Access TechnologiesPosted on October 29, 2018Categories Electric Vehicle News Tesla Model S P100D Races Flocka?
A ludicrously fast road-going luxury sedan versus a mental, no limits race carFor anyone that wasn’t sleeping under a rock for the recent past few years, the sheer speed that the Tesla Model S P100D – with the Ludicrous mode engaged – is capable of delivering right off the line is well known. On the other hand, the VW I.D R made its first and seemingly long-lasting impression a few months back, when it took down the fastest lap time at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb event. For the most part, these two couldn’t be more similar, albeit completely different at the same time. Both feature a similar dual motor setup and both are fast. Really fast.However, how does the Model S stack up against a mental, no limits all-electric battery powered racing car is a completely different story. And this is just the comparison that the good folks over at Top Gear tried to make.More about the Tesla Model S and the VW I.D. R Source: Electric Vehicle News One-Time Shot At Pikes Peak Electric Car Record Tougher Than LeMans
Costs Less Than Rivals; Falls Short On Electric Driving RangeFor years, Toyota has danced around electricity, perhaps fearful it would get schocked. But last year the company got back in the electric game (barely) with the Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) based on the 2016 Prius Liftback. Plug-in hybrids are a strange lot that are beginning to be noticed. They attract buyers who want a longer distance of all-electric driving, but aren’t ready to jump to a full electric vehicle.With a fully charged battery the Prime can travel 25 miles of electric-only driving before seamlessly switching to the hybrid drivetrain, and combined, the Prime can travel 640 miles without charging the battery or filling the gas tank.Short range, but great efficiency and low costThe Prius Prime has an EPA estimated miles-per-gallon equivalent (MPGe) of 133. MPGe is the government’s rating to try to help consumers understand how much energy an electric or hybrid car is using in combined city/highway driving. Also, the Prime achieves 54 mpg in combined driving when operating as a normal hybrid.The 2018 Prius Prime comes in three flavors with no changes from 2017: Plus, Premium, and Advanced. The Plus carries an MSRP of $28,220 including destination charges; the Premium comes in at $29,220; and the top-tier Prime Advanced is $34,220. Prices are before an available federal tax credit of $4,500 and any potential state incentives.New Hybrid PowertrainThe Prime is the first Prius to use a dual-motor drivetrain. It adds a one-way clutch to Motor-Generator 1 (MG1) so that both electric motors now help drive the wheels. Previously, the MG1 just started the gasoline engine and took care of regenerative braking. Now, when operating as an EV, there are two electric motors powering the wheels, which increases electric driving range and improves performance.Lift the hood and you’ll find that the Prime packs the same engine as the Prius liftback: a very efficient 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four making 95 horsepower. Combined with the electric motors, the hybrid system’s net output is 121 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 105 pounds-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. That’s good for a 0-to-60 mph run of a little less than 11 seconds—quick enough to merge onto a fast moving freeways with just a little sweat.The engine’s borrowed from the standard PriusThere are three different drive modes: HV mode combines the gasoline engine with electric power from the battery to drive the vehicle; EV mode uses the battery alone; and EV Auto Mode switches between the two for the most efficient drive, relying mostly on electric power but calling up the gas engine as needed.Within the three drive modes are three sub modes: Eco, Normal, and Power. The main difference between the three is acceleration. In Eco mode, there is a hesitation when you press the accelerator pedal, though it evens out as your speed increases. Normal mode feels… normal, while Power is the sharpest of the three.The 8.8 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack located in the trunk area is double the size of the previous Prius plug-in model, and the pack now has a warming system. When plugged in the battery will warm up so the vehicle can start in full EV mode even when it is freezing outside. A charge takes about two hours at 240 volts, or less than five hours at 120 volts.As with many other plug-ins, the Prius Prime allows you to reserve your EV charge for later—for example, drive in hybrid mode for a highway speed journey and then switch to EV mode for in-city travel.Prius Prime Has Different StylingAlthough the 2018 Toyota Prius Prime is essentially a regular Prius Liftback that plugs in, it presents styling that is different and easily noticed. Up front, the 2018 Prime borrows from the Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle with bigger air intakes, and has a front grille that is blacked out in the center with LED foglight strips that are much longer than the ones found on the standard Prius.Styling for the Prime is distinctiveOut back, the Prime’s taillights stretch across the top of the rear end and encircle the lower glass to form two C-shaped patterns. Additionally, the Prius Prime also has LED light clusters in the lower rear fascia that look like rear-mounted fog lights.Inside the cabin is where another key difference between the standard Prius and Prius Prime is found — the Prime is a four seater thanks to the larger battery. Having only four seats was a major objection when Chevy’s Volt was introduced, but there’s been little said about the Prime missing a rear seat position.The traditional top-of-dash mounted gauges are there so Prius fans won’t get confused by traditional gauge placement behind the steering wheel. But the kingpin of the cabin’s design and tech features is the large infotainment screen. The Plus base model comes with a 7.0-inch touch screen, while all other Prius Prime trims feature an 11.6-inch screen in the center of the dash.As futuristic as the Prius Prime’s exterior styling is, apparently Toyota thinks it looks high-tech enough to have high-gloss plastic trim like an old Apple iPod along with white upholstery. My take is the white version will easily get dirty and stained, and not only that, the materials are not very rich looking.The Prime gives this member of the Prius family its own identityNote to families with young children: don’t buy a Prius Prime with a white interior.Compared to the regular Prius, the Prime comes up short when it comes to cargo space. The rechargeable battery pack’s location not only removes several cubic feet of space but also the spare tire, reducing cargo space to 19.8 cubic space. There’s still enough room for a grocery trip, and folding the rear seats opens up enough space to haul a small desk or bedside table.Aside from a few accessories, there are no options for the Prius Prime. If you want more features, you buy more Prime.Neither Apple CarPlay or Android Auto are offered, and if your passengers are a crew of techies, they’ll have to take turns using the USB port because there’s only one, even in upper-level models.Driving the 2018 Prius Prime PlusDriving the Prius Prime Plus, or any other plug-in or regular hybrid, changes the way I drive, as I can’t help getting sucked into chasing mpg. Speeding from point-to-point is out, replaced by going with the flow and embracing the slow lane. My pulling away with a feather-touch on the pedal means cars always drive in front of me in traffic. But I just let it go (sometimes begrudgingly), and accept I’ll reach my destination… a couple minutes after I would have, but pleased with the knowledge I didn’t burn gallons of fuel in the process.Enough Prius gadgets to keep you occupiedI kept a close eye on the Prime’s gauges and found I got exactly the 25 miles of electric only driving in EV mode. With the battery depleted, driving in town in hybrid mode it was easy to mosey about with electric power before the gas engine kicked in. Overall, my days with this new plug-in saw 247 miles on the trip odometer with an average of 61.2 mpg of mixed city and highway driving.The Prius Prime Plus drove pretty much like a regular Prius, which is to say it is not a “fun” car behind the steering wheel. Once I got moving, the car pretty much felt like driving a comparably sized gas powered hatchback. Shuffling between power sources remained as seamless as always, but on occasion, stepping on the throttle would rev the engine and spin the CVT transmission without moving the car forward very much.Tepid best describes the Prime’s acceleration, but in around-town driving the car was fairly responsive. Engine noise is well-suppressed, but at cruising speed wind noise was prominent and the hard tires designed for maximum fuel efficiency create excessive road noise.The suspension struggled with the added weight of the larger battery pack, exhibited by exaggerated motions over rises and crests. And I’m sorry Toyota, the double wishbone suspension may be “found on the best sports sedans,” but the Prius Prime is not agile.In The MarketplaceThe 2018 Toyota Prius Prime is not without competitors, starting with its most direct rival, the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt is a spunky plug-in hybrid with more off-the-line power and twice the electric range of the Prius Prime. Prime’s base model is nearly six grand less than the Volt, while the top level Advance trim is $4,000 less than the Volt’s top trim.Plugging takes these sedans furtherFord’s Fusion Energi plug-in offering has more driving feel than the Prius Prime, but the all-electric driving range falls behind with 19 miles, however, their base price gives the Ford a slight edge. Hyundai’s Sonata plug-in hybrid offers 27 miles of EV driving range and does so with a standard transmission that gives the car a more natural driving feel, but the base model is also $6,000 more than the Prime.If you simply must have a Honda plug-in hybrid, the Clarity plug-in hybrid version offers a lengthy 47-mile electric driving range, but the base model will cost you $5,100 more that the base Prius Prime Plus.If you’re a Toyota Prius devotee and want to move to a plug-in hybrid, you’ll likely buy a Prius Prime without comparison shopping. If you’re open minded, as you’ve just read, there are several choices (and more below).What you will find is the 2018 Toyota Prius Prime Plus is unquestionably a great value from a tech perspective, offering more standard features than plug-in rivals with a lower price. Plus, the Prime, in all of its iterations is a lot of eco-minded car for the money.More PHEV OptionsRoad Test: 2018 Honda ClarityPHEVRoad Test: 2017 Chevrolet VoltRoad Test: 2017 Ford Fusion EnergiRoad Test: 2017 Hyundai Sonata PHEVRoad Test: 2018 Kia Niro PHEVRoad Test: 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVDisclosure:Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.The post Road Test: 2018 Toyota Prius Prime Plus appeared first on Clean Fleet Report. Source: Electric, Hybrid, Clean Diesel & High-MPG Vehicles