The English translation of Perumal Murugan's controversial Tamil novel "Maadhorubaagan" has won the Sahitya Akademi's Translation Prize 2016.

Titled "One Part Woman", the translation in English is done by Aniruddhan Vasudevan and the book is published by Penguin.

"We are happy to inform you that Sahitya Akademi has declared its Translation Prize 2016 in English language to Sri Aniruddhan VasudevanAfor his book 'One Part Woman' translation of Sri Perumal Murugan's Tamil Novel Maadhorubaagan," the literary organisation said in a statement.

Vasudevan will be felicitated with the award along with other winners of the Sahitya Akademi award in 23 languages in a ceremony in June this year.

"The prize in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and a cash component of Rs 50,000 would be presented at a ceremony in June," the statement added.

Murugan's Maadhorubaagan was first published in the year 2010. In the year 2015, Murugan quit writing after he came under the attack from Hindu extremists who claimed that his book was "blasphemous".

The earnings from the sale of railway scrap on the e-platform have come down subsequently in the last three years.

Railways disposed off Rs.2,719 crore of scrap during 2016-17 as against Rs.2,801 crore in 2015-16 and Rs.3,247 crore in 2014-15.

A senior Railway Ministry official said scrap generation has declined due to better utilisation of assets and completion of gauge conversion process and the figures have come down accordingly.

In order to bring transparency and efficiency, railways had made it mandatory for scrap to be sold through e-auction only. E-auction module is part of IREPS (Indian Railways e- procurement system) which is the single portal of Indian Railways handling all purchase tenders and e-auctions.

All 17 zonal railways as well as all production units of railways use this single platform for disposal of scrap.

Railway scrap is generated mainly from condemned wagons, coaches, locos, wheels, axles and discarded rails.

The e-auction of scrap was introduced on a pilot basis on March 6, 2012 and since then, it has been introduced on the entire rail network.

The Indian Railways had completely switched over to e- auction from June 1, 2013 and so far, nearly 8000 e-auctions have been conducted successfully.

The official said prompt disposal of scrap not only helps in decongesting the work place but also contributes to the Swachh Bharat mission besides making a significant contribution in generating revenue for the railways.

Scrap disposal is a performance indicator of Zonal Railways which is monitored continuously at all levels including the Railway Board.

Developed by the Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS), the e-auction module is fully digitised and scrap disposal activities are monitored online on a real time basis.

The module has also been integrated with payment gateway of the State Bank of India for deposit of sale value by bidders.

The Delhi Police special cell and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested three people suspected to be ISIS terrorists from Jalandhar, Mumbai and Bijnor.

According to reports, those arrested are believed to be part of an ISIS module that were looking for recruits in Bihar, UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Besides Uttar Pradesh ATS and Delhi Police special cell, the crime investigation department of Andhra Pradesh police, Maharashtra ATS, Bihar Police and Punjab Police were part of the operation.

Further investigation is on and six suspects have also taken into custody for interrogation.

US President Donald Trump will make a special Earth-to-space call from the Oval Office to personally congratulate NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson for her record-breaking stay aboard the International Space Station on April 24, NASA has said.

Trump will be joined by daughter Ivanka Trump and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins for the 20-minute call which will air live on NASA Television and stream on the agency's website and Facebook page at 10 am. EDT.

Commander of the station's Expedition 51 crew, Whitson will officially set the US record Monday for most cumulative days in space, surpassing NASA astronaut Jeff Williams' record of 534 days. 

Additionally, she is the first woman to command the space station twice, and holds the record for most spacewalks conducted by a female astronaut.

Whitson will be joined for President Trump's call by NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, who is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory on Thursday.

The call will be made available to schools, museums, and other organisations across the nation and globally, NASA said in a statement on Wednesday.

Cassini spacecraft will make its final close flyby of Saturn's largest moon Titan on April 21, NASA has said.

During the encounter, Cassini will pass as close as 979 kilometres above Titan's surface at a speed of about 21,000 kms per hour, the US space agency said.

The flyby marks the mission's final opportunity for up-close observations of the lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbons that spread across the moon's northern polar region, and the last chance to use its powerful radar to pierce the haze and make detailed images of the surface.

The flyby is also the gateway to Cassini's "Grand Finale" — a final set of 22 orbits that pass between the planet and its rings, ending with a plunge into Saturn on September 15 that will end the mission. 

During the close pass on April 21, Titan's gravity will bend Cassini's orbit around Saturn, shrinking it slightly, so that instead of passing just outside the rings, the spacecraft will begin its finale dives which pass just inside the rings.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is in orbit around Saturn for nearly 13 years.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, accused in a money laundering case, is likely to present himself before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, an official said.

Singh will appear before the investigating officer at the ED Headquarters in New Delhi.

"We hope that he (Singh) will be present at the ED Headquarters here as we haven't received any information from his office so far," ED spokesperson Anil Rawal told IANS.

The ED had summoned Singh in the money laundering case on April 18 and had said that he must appear before it on April 20.

Earlier the ED had summoned him on April 13. But he failed. 

The senior Congress leader had earlier allegedly avoided summons to get his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). 

He is said to have excused himself by referring to his official commitments. 

In the first week of April, the ED attached Singh's Delhi farmhouse worth Rs.27.29 crore. 

The agency's move came after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against Singh and others in March for allegedly amassing assets worth Rs.6.03 crore. 

The ED had filed a criminal case under the PMLA against Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha, Life Insurance Corporation agent Anand Chauhan, his associate Chunni Lal, and others in 2015 following the CBI's FIR dated September 23, that year. 

The case was registered after a preliminary inquiry found that Singh as Union Minister from 2009 to 2012 allegedly accumulated assets worth Rs.6.03 crore, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

After his Delhi farmhouse was attached, the Chief Minister accused the Centre of harassing him and destabilising his government. 

He alleged that central agencies like the ED and CBI were being misused against political opponents by the Centre.

Chinese officials will have to provide details of their assets, investments and foreign trips to the Communist Party of China (CPC) as per new regulations aimed at combating corruption, the media reported on Thursday.

The new regulations, released simultaneously by the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and General Office of the State Council, will also require officials to report their marital status, family assets, their criminal records and any other source of income, Efe news reported.

This regulation, which comes with toughened penalties for possible false declarations, will affect leaders and officials at the deputy county level or above, and allow for random verifications that will affect one out of every ten officials.

The Organisation Department of the Central Committee of the CPC said in a statement the report is an important assessment of loyalty to the party and commitment to the CPC code of conduct.

According to Xinhua news agency, over 9,100 officials concealed personal information while 124,800 were penalised over false declarations.

On Wednesday, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the agency responsible for investigating corruption in China, released another legislation regulating the activities of senior party officials on social media and internet.

The legislation prohibits officials from receiving money through mobile phones or open online stores. 

US tech giant Microsoft has announced a new feature wherein users can now just use their smartphone to sign in to their account.

The company is enabling the new option as part of the iOS and Android Microsoft Authenticator app. 

"The process is easier than standard two-step verification and significantly more secure than only a password, which can be forgotten, phished, or compromised," said Alex Simons, Director of Program Management, Microsoft Identity Division, in a statement. 

Just add your account to the Android or iOS Microsoft Authenticator app, then enter your username as usual when signing in somewhere new. Instead of entering your password, you will get a notification on your phone. Unlock your phone, tap "Approve", and you are in.

Using your phone to sign in with PIN or fingerprint is a seamless way to incorporate two account "proofs" in a way that feels natural and familiar, Simons added. 

Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday visited Professor Joshil K Abraham of GB Pant Engineering College at AIIMS, who is on hunger strike against corruption and lack of infrastructure for students.

"Gandhi understood the problem and gave unconditional support of Indian National Congress to the issue. He also said that he will take up the issue with the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," the students said in a statement.

Abraham is on an indefinite hunger strike since April 5 demanding the college campus in 20 acres of land which will include one hostel building, one sports block, one academic block, faculty residence.

He also demands an auditorium and a playground from the phase II construction of IIIT-D who have taken over the land.

Sidelined AIADMK Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran has been summoned by the Delhi Police on his reported attempt to bribe Election Commission officials in a case related to the party's poll symbol.

The Delhi Police served the summons on Dinakaran late on Wednesday night and asked him to appear in person on Friday in Delhi, it is learnt.

High drama was witnessed late on Wednesday night when a Dinakaran follower attempted self-immolation when the police arrived to serve the summons.

The Delhi Police has booked Dinakaran for allegedly attempting to bribe Election Commission officials through a middleman Sukesh Chandrasekar to get a favourable verdict in the party's two leaves symbol case.

The poll body has frozen the AIADMK's two leaves symbol with two factions — one led by party General Secretary VK Sasikala and the other by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam — claiming it as their own.

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan offered prayers at the holiest of Sikh shrines 'Harmandir Sahib' in Punjab on Thursday morning.

Sajjan arrived at the Golden Temple complex and was received by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Kirpal Singh Badungar and other members.

The Minister offered prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum and listened to hymns. He also took a 'parikrama' (went around the shrine) and sat there awhile.

The first Sikh to become the Defence Minister of a western nation, Sajjan, 46, was later honoured by the SGPC at the shrine complex with a 'siropa' (traditional honour) and presented a replica of the Golden Temple and a sword.

Sajjan arrived in the Sikh holy city on Wednesday evening amid controversy over him being labelled as a "Khalistani sympathiser" by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

He was received at the airport by the district administration officers. Members of some radical groups were also present outside the Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport with banners to welcome Sajjan.

The Minister's family hails from Bambeli village, 15 km from Hoshiarpur. His family had migrated to Canada in mid-1970s, when Sajjan was around five years old. 

He is likely to visit his native village and then arrive in Chandigarh. 

Amarinder Singh had stirred a controversy last week when he said that he would not meet the visiting Canadian Minister due to his (Sajjan's) links to radical elements who demand for a separate Sikh state, Khalistan.

In New Delhi, Sajjan sought to play down the controversy on Tuesday saying that he did not want the break-up of any country.

The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have welcomed Sajjan to Punjab and have condemned Amarinder Singh for his stand on the Canadian Minister.

Supported by positive Asian equity markets, domestic benchmark indices traded higher in the late morning trade on Thursday with Midcaps and Smallcaps indices leading the rally.

At 11.00 am, the Sensex was trading 86 points or 0.29 per cent higher at 29,421 while the Nifty50 was trading 25 points or 0.28 per cent up at 9,129.

In the broader markets, BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indices surged 0.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, Realty index registered the biggest gain with a jump of 1.4 per cent. Consumer Durables (up 1.2 per cent), Oil & Gas (up 0.6 per cent) and Teck (up 0.3 per cent) indices were other notable gainers. Bankex index dropped 0.4 per cent.

On Wednesday, the BSE Sensex closed 17 points or 0.06 per cent up at 29,337 while the NSE Nifty ended two points or 0.02 per cent lower at 9,104.

Top gainers in the Sensex-30 pack: Gail (up 4.1 per cent), HDFC (up 2.4 per cent), Adani Ports (up 1.7 per cent), ONGC (up 1.3 per cent) and HDFC Bank (up 1.1 per cent).

Top losers in the Sensex-30 pack: ICICI Bank (down 2 per cent), Axis Bank (down 1.6 per cent), Power Grid (down 0.5 per cent), NTPC (down 0.5 per cent) and Coal India (down 0.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, the Rupee was trading six paise down at 64.63 against the US Dollar.

Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, who was dismissed from service following the social media controversy over poor quality of food, said he will move court to seek justice if the government fails to support him.

"Will request the government to support me. If they are not able to take any action, then I will proceed to the court," the former BSF jawan said.

Bahadur's dismissal on Wednesday came after a court of inquiry ruled that he had damaged the image of the BSF when he uploaded the video clip on social media.

Earlier in January, Yadav had posted a video on social media, complaining about the poor quality of food being served to jawans. In another video, Yadav had alleged that he was being mentally tortured and that his attempt to post the first video was to bring to light the alleged corruption in his organisation.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday ordered all industries around the highly-polluted Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru to be shut and imposed Rs.5 lakh fine on anyone found dumping waste in and around the lake.

The green panel gave the state authorities one month's time to free the lake of all pollutants.

Reacting to the order, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said it would soon draw an action plan to comply with the NGT order.

"We will obey the Tribunal order and submit an action plan in two weeks to shut down all the industries around the lake," BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad told IANS. 

A bench headed by NGT Chief Justice Swatantar Kumar said the industries violating directions should be sealed by the State Pollution Control Board.

"All the industries located in the vicinity of Bellandur Lake and discharging effluent, either treated or untreated, are hereby directed to be closed," the bench said.

"No industry is permitted to operate unless inspection by a joint inspection team is conducted and analysis of effluent is found to be within the permissible limit," it said.

The bench added that no waste of any kind, either municipal solid waste or domestic waste, is to be dumped at the buffer zone of the lake. 

"If anyone is found violating this, he or she shall be liable to pay Rs.5 lakh fine."

The tribunal asked the Karnataka state government, the State Pollution Control Board, Lake Development Authority and Bengaluru Development Authority to start cleaning the lake immediately and report back in one month.

Meanwhile, BBMP Joint Commissioner Sarfaraz Khan and state Urban Development Secretary Mahendra Jain tendered an unconditional apology to the Tribunal and gave it an undertaking to immediately withdraw a circular Prasad issued on March 30, questioning its powers.

The circular had claimed that the Tribunal had no authority to pass orders on the protection of water bodies in Bengaluru.

The apology was made and the undertaking given in response to the Tribunal's summons on Tuesday to explain why the circular had questioned its powers.

The circular was issued nearly a year after the Tribunal on May 4, 2016 ordered ban on any construction on the wetland of the lake and redefined the buffer zone of the lakes and storm-water drains across the city.

The bench also pulled up the state Law Department and officials concerned for failing to implement its earlier order to clean up the lake. 

Bellandur Lake, the largest of the 262 lakes and tanks in Bengaluru, receives about 40 per cent of the city's sewage. Previously, in May 2015 and August 2016, froth over the water body had caught fire due to formation of flammable methane gas. 

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a show cause notice to Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor for cutting more branches than allowed of a banyan tree inside his Krishna Raj bungalow at Pali Hill in suburban Bandra here.

A BMC official said Kapoor had last week received the civic body's permission to trim six branches of the tree after the actor pointed out that they would obstruct the planned construction at the plot.

However, subsequent inspection revealed that the tree has been reduced to its trunk, the official said. The branches were not trimmed but chopped off, he added.

The notice was served on the industry veteran yesterday. He has been given 24 hours to explain why action should not be initiated against him.

BMC will file a police complaint, for registering a case under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, and Section 155 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the official said.

Reacting to the notice, the 64-year-old actor said he will speak to the contractor who is handling construction on the plot.
“The tree hasn't been uprooted. I will check if the contractor has made a mistake.”

At least two persons have died in the anti-government demonstrations in Venezuela that saw more than 400 people arrested, according to the country's Criminal Forum.

While some 57 persons have been injured on Wednesday said the Mayor of Caracas' Ramon Muchaco, Efe news reported from social media updates.

The demonstrators were attempting to approach the office of the Ombudsman to ask for the official's support in the process that was launched by the opposition-controlled Parliament against the Supreme Court magistrates who took over some legislative duties.

The two persons killed during the protests were a 17-year-old boy in Caracas and a 23-year-old woman in Tachira state, the local media and the public prosecutor's office said.

The Director of the Venezuelan Criminal Forum, Alfredo Romero, told EFE that the lawyers who were advising the arrested were constantly updating and verifying the figures in the capital as well as in the 23 states of Venezuela, as "too many cases had been registered in only one day."

Muchaco said that the hospitals in his jurisdiction were taking care of 57 people "from the demonstration," who tried unsuccessfully to reach the Ombudsman's Office in the centre of the Venezuelan capital here.

"Everyone is out of danger," Muchaco said on his Twitter account.

The two persons killed apparently were not participating in the demonstrations and were shot by unknown perpetrators, according to preliminary information.

Venezuela's Executive Vice President Tareck el Aissami rejected accusations by opposition groups who blamed the government of Nicolas Maduro for the deaths.

After almost three weeks of anti-government protests on the streets of Venezuela and coupled with Wednesday's figure, the current death toll has increased to eight, including one police officer.

Almost one thousand people have been arrested.

The police on Wednesday fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and block their marches.

The huge demonstration included thousands of government opponents who assembled and marched from 26 separate spots around the capital to the Libertador district.

The Libertador district encompasses part of the capital's metro area's central and western zones and is the area where key government buildings are located.