The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought reply of the poll panel on pleas seeking to quash the notification laying down the manner of allocation of wards for reserved categories and women in the upcoming MCD polls.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar issued notice to the Delhi State Election Commission and directed them to file their affidavit explaining the manner in which they have allotted the seats for the reserved category.

The matter has now been fixed for further hearing on March 16, the next date of hearing.

The bench was hearing pleas filed by NGOs challenging the poll panel's February 6 notification, announcing the election for 272 wards of the three municipal corporations here.

The election are scheduled to be held in April.

Many social activist have also approached the high court seeking stalling of the MCD polls, which was declined by the bench on Thursday.

In its pleas, the NGOs said the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in 2011 was divided into three zone — North Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The petitioners have sought quashing of the January 13 order with regard to delimitation of 272 wards with the composition of wards in each assembly constituency.

It said while the number of wards in each of the three corporations 104 each in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and 64 in East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has remained the same, the number of wards in a few assembly segments has changed, ranging from three to seven.

In 2012, ahead of the MCD elections, a notification was issued regarding allocation of wards amongst schedule caste, women and general category, the pleas stated.

Claiming that the present notification was contrary to the Constitution as well as Section 3 of the DMC Act, one of the plea demanded that it should be quashed and a fresh circular issued in accordance with the law.

It sought direction to identify and determine the municipal wards for the purpose of reservation for schedule caste, women and general category in terms of Article 243 of the Constitution.

The article provides for reservation of seats for the schedule castes in the municipal area by rotation to different constituency in the municipality.

The pleas have alleged that the poll panel, government and others agencies have not made reservation to different constituencies in a municipality by rotation.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought reply of the poll panel on pleas seeking to quash the notification laying down the manner of allocation of wards for reserved categories and women in the upcoming MCD polls.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar issued notice to the Delhi State Election Commission and directed them to file their affidavit explaining the manner in which they have allotted the seats for the reserved category.

The matter has now been fixed for further hearing on March 16, the next date of hearing.

The bench was hearing pleas filed by NGOs challenging the poll panel's February 6 notification, announcing the election for 272 wards of the three municipal corporations here.

The election are scheduled to be held in April.

Many social activist have also approached the high court seeking stalling of the MCD polls, which was declined by the bench on Thursday.

In its pleas, the NGOs said the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in 2011 was divided into three zone — North Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The petitioners have sought quashing of the January 13 order with regard to delimitation of 272 wards with the composition of wards in each assembly constituency.

It said while the number of wards in each of the three corporations 104 each in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and 64 in East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has remained the same, the number of wards in a few assembly segments has changed, ranging from three to seven.

In 2012, ahead of the MCD elections, a notification was issued regarding allocation of wards amongst schedule caste, women and general category, the pleas stated.

Claiming that the present notification was contrary to the Constitution as well as Section 3 of the DMC Act, one of the plea demanded that it should be quashed and a fresh circular issued in accordance with the law.

It sought direction to identify and determine the municipal wards for the purpose of reservation for schedule caste, women and general category in terms of Article 243 of the Constitution.

The article provides for reservation of seats for the schedule castes in the municipal area by rotation to different constituency in the municipality.

The pleas have alleged that the poll panel, government and others agencies have not made reservation to different constituencies in a municipality by rotation.

Scientists have developed a molecule that uses light or electricity to efficiently convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into a carbon-neutral fuel source.

The molecule employs a nanographene complex to absorb light and drive the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, researchers said.

It is a "new milestone in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere into carbon-neutral fuels and other materials," said Liang-shi Li, associate professor at Indiana University in the US.

"If you can create an efficient enough molecule for this reaction, it will produce energy that is free and storable in the form of fuels. This study is a major leap in that direction," said Li.

Burning fuel – such as carbon monoxide – produces carbon dioxide and releases energy. Turning carbon dioxide back into fuel requires at least the same amount of energy.

A major goal among scientists has been decreasing the excess energy needed.

This is exactly what Li's molecule achieves: requiring the least amount of energy reported thus far to drive the formation of carbon monoxide.

The molecule – a nanographene-rhenium complex connected via an organic compound known as bipyridine – triggers a highly efficient reaction that converts carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide.

The ability to efficiently and exclusively create carbon monoxide is significant due to the molecule's versatility.

"Carbon monoxide is an important raw material in a lot of industrial processes," Li said.

"It's also a way to store energy as a carbon-neutral fuel since you're not putting any more carbon back into the atmosphere than you already removed. You're simply re-releasing the solar power you used to make it," he said.

The secret to the molecule's efficiency is nanographene – a nanometre-scale piece of graphite, a common form of carbon – because the material's dark colour absorbs a large amount of sunlight.

Li said that bipyridine-metal complexes have long been studied to reduce carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide with sunlight.

However, these molecules can use only a tiny sliver of the light in sunlight, primarily in the ultraviolet range, which is invisible to the naked eye.

In contrast, the new molecule takes advantage of the light-absorbing power of nanographene to create a reaction that uses sunlight in the wavelength up to 600 nanometres – a large portion of the visible light spectrum.

The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Scientists have developed a molecule that uses light or electricity to efficiently convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into a carbon-neutral fuel source.

The molecule employs a nanographene complex to absorb light and drive the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, researchers said.

It is a "new milestone in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere into carbon-neutral fuels and other materials," said Liang-shi Li, associate professor at Indiana University in the US.

"If you can create an efficient enough molecule for this reaction, it will produce energy that is free and storable in the form of fuels. This study is a major leap in that direction," said Li.

Burning fuel – such as carbon monoxide – produces carbon dioxide and releases energy. Turning carbon dioxide back into fuel requires at least the same amount of energy.

A major goal among scientists has been decreasing the excess energy needed.

This is exactly what Li's molecule achieves: requiring the least amount of energy reported thus far to drive the formation of carbon monoxide.

The molecule – a nanographene-rhenium complex connected via an organic compound known as bipyridine – triggers a highly efficient reaction that converts carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide.

The ability to efficiently and exclusively create carbon monoxide is significant due to the molecule's versatility.

"Carbon monoxide is an important raw material in a lot of industrial processes," Li said.

"It's also a way to store energy as a carbon-neutral fuel since you're not putting any more carbon back into the atmosphere than you already removed. You're simply re-releasing the solar power you used to make it," he said.

The secret to the molecule's efficiency is nanographene – a nanometre-scale piece of graphite, a common form of carbon – because the material's dark colour absorbs a large amount of sunlight.

Li said that bipyridine-metal complexes have long been studied to reduce carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide with sunlight.

However, these molecules can use only a tiny sliver of the light in sunlight, primarily in the ultraviolet range, which is invisible to the naked eye.

In contrast, the new molecule takes advantage of the light-absorbing power of nanographene to create a reaction that uses sunlight in the wavelength up to 600 nanometres – a large portion of the visible light spectrum.

The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue Rs.10 denomination notes with enhanced security features for circulation.

The RBI on Thursday said the banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi series-2005 are to carry inset letter 'L' on both number panels, bearing the signature of Governor Urjit Patel.

The year of printing, 2017, will be on the reverse of the note. Among other features, numerals on both the panels will be in ascending size from left to right.

The first three alpha-numeric characters (prefix) will remain constant in size.

"All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs.10 issued by the Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender," the central bank said in a notification.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon issue Rs.10 denomination notes with enhanced security features for circulation.

The RBI on Thursday said the banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi series-2005 are to carry inset letter 'L' on both number panels, bearing the signature of Governor Urjit Patel.

The year of printing, 2017, will be on the reverse of the note. Among other features, numerals on both the panels will be in ascending size from left to right.

The first three alpha-numeric characters (prefix) will remain constant in size.

"All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs.10 issued by the Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender," the central bank said in a notification.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will probe the Lucknow terror operation.

The home minister applauded the father of terror suspect Saifullah, for refusing to accept a ‘traitor’s’ body.

"Saifullah’s father has refused to take his body as he was a traitor. The government and the Parliament is proud of him," Rajnath said while addressing the second leg of the Budget Session.

"The government is expressing sympathy to slain terrorist Saifullah’s father," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the father of Saifullah, Sartaj refused to accept his son’s body saying “a traitor” is no son of theirs.

"A traitor can’t be our son. We are Indians, we were born here, our forefathers were born here. One who indulges in anti-national activities can’t be our son… we won’t accept his body,” Sartaj said.

Saifullah was killed by commandos in a house on the outskirts of Lucknow on Wednesday after an exchange of fire with the police for about 12 hours.

Certain sequences of Avengers: Infinity War have been reportedly filmed on a set resembling the Hogwarts castle from the Harry Potter series.

Rumour mills went abuzz after directors Anthony and Joe Russo posted their photo on Facebook, standing in Durham Cathedral, a Hogwarts-like building, perhaps hinting they would use the location for the next Avengers installment, reported Ace Showbiz.

Reports say, the filmmaker duo, however, took the picture off as it was supposed to be under wraps and they would use Durham Cathedral as one of the settings in the movie.

There has been no official announcement about whether Infinity War will be shot in Durham Cathedral.

The movie, which started filming in Atlanta in January, is set to release on May 4, 2018.

Candidates waiting to download their JEE (Main) admit card 2017 don't need to wait much. As per the latest update, JEE admit card 2017 will soon be released online on the official website jeemain.nic.in.
 
Earlier, it was informed that the JEE Main exam admit card 2017 will be made available for download in the second week of March, 2017. 

Just next to the released of JEE 2017 main exam admit card candidates are advised to enter the official website and fill the blank space with the required information including date of birth, centre name, city and other required details.

In 2017, JEE Main (offline) examination will take place on April 2, 2017 and JEE main (Online) examination has been schedule for April 8 and 9, 2017.

JEE main examination has been conducted under the guidance of CBSE.

Widows in Madhya Pradesh need not compulsorily hold a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card to get their pension, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced.

"The condition of BPL card will not be imposed for sanctioning pension to widows in the state. Also, from now on, they (widows) will be addressed as Kalyani," Chouhan said last evening in a private function on the occasion of International Women's Day.

A state government pension scheme is in place to help distressed widows.

The CM also said that they would be given priority in welfare schemes and their expertise will be used for the betterment of the state.

On the occasion, ten women who managed to reach top positions beating odds in life were honoured by the Chief Minister for their achievements.

Chouhan said that women have showed that they are not distressed but are now empowered, by facing challenges successfully.

"They do not lack in intelligence, commitment and devotion. They can illuminate the lives of others if they get opportunity," he said.

He informed on the occasion that efforts are being made to eliminate discrimination faced by them.

Girls are no more a burden on their families. Several schemes have been prepared for their empowerment in the state, Chouhan said.

He further mentioned that the state government will forward a draft demanding capital punishment to culprits involved in heinous crimes against women, to the President.

This draft was submitted to the CM by the first beneficiaries of 'Mukhyamantri Kanyadaan', 'Ladli Laxmi' and 'Tejasvini' schemes and a group of girls who met him in the programme.
 

Trinamool Congress MPs on Thursday staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex against the killings of Indians in the US.

Demanding a response from the Centre, the TMC MPs from both the Houses held placards with slogans "All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in the USA" and "The world is one. All citizens are our brothers and sisters. We must take care of them".

Speaking on the issue in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Saugata Roy said “This is the result of a persistent hate campaign against Indians which is taking place in the United States, especially after the new Government came to power.”

Raising questions on the silence of the government on the issue, he asked "Aren’t we going to take steps to stop this hate campaign against Indians?"

"The Central Government, especially our very voluble, vocal and articulate Prime Minister is keeping a strange silence on the issue" he added.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC chief had also tweeted on the issue and urged the Centreto take up the issue at the highest level in the US.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Short, fair men are more likely to go bald early, say scientists who have identified over 63 gene alterations that increase the risk of premature hair loss.

Some of these genomes are also associated with illnesses such as prostate cancer or characteristics such as small body size.

Researchers from University of Bonn in Germany analysed genetic data from more than 20,000 men, of which 11,000 men had premature baldness from seven different countries. Around 12,000 men with no hair loss served as a control.

"We were thus able to identify 63 alterations in the human genome that increase the risk of premature hair loss," said Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach of University of Bonn.

"Some of these alterations were also found in connection with other characteristics and illnesses, such as reduced body size, earlier occurrence of puberty and various cancers," she added.

The genetic findings confirmed the link between hair loss and an increased risk of prostate cancer.

The link with heart disease is much more complicated.

The Congress party on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence over the recent incidents of attacks on Indians in the United States and said such incidents have increased after President Donald Trump took charge.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, demanded Prime Minister Modi to make a statement on the issue in the Parliament.

"Such incidents have increased after the new US President has taken charge. The Prime Minister tweets on every other issue. Why doesn't he talk on this issue? Why is he silent? He should make a statement today," Kharge said while addressing the second part of the Budget Session in Lok Sabha.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier in the day had said that the government has taken up the matter of incidents regarding attacks on Indians in US and a statement on behalf of the Government of India would be given in the Parliament next week.

"We will take steps to ensure that Indians in USA feel secure there. The government will make a detailed statement soon," Singh said in Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai said it is high time that India should intervene and protect its citizens and see to it that such incidents don't repeat.

An Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed and another Indian Alok Madasani was injured in a shooting by navy veteran Adam Purinton, who yelled 'terrorist' and 'get out of my country' before opening fire on them in Kansas last month.

Automaker Renault on Thursday unveiled a variant of its popular hatchback Kwid in the country, with the price starting at Rs.4.3 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Christened as Kwid Climber, the variant will be available in both manual and automated manual transmission (AMT) modes.

The manual variant is priced at Rs.4.3 lakh while the AMT trim of the vehicle comes for Rs.4.6 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

"The Renault Kwid Climber has been developed keeping in mind specific customer needs and caters to diverse audiences, becoming the perfect offering for young achievers who are moving up places steadfastly," Renault India Operations Country CEO and MD Sumit Sawhney told reporters here.

This new launch reflects the company's intent to keep pace with global innovations and at the same time make products to suit local needs, he added.

The 1.0-litre SCe engine, which powers the Kwid Climber, is optimally designed for better performance.

The company first showcased the Kwid Climber as a concept vehicle at the auto expo last year.

The SUV-inspired variant is designed and developed by Renault's design studios in Mumbai and Chennai. Kwid Climber comes with segment leading length, power to weight ratio, boot space, ground clearance and cutting-edge technology.

"With this launch, we look forward to welcoming more customers into the Renault family as we endeavour to aggressively consolidate our presence in India," Sawhney said.

These efforts are accentuated by a clear strategy to enhance the customer brand experience, with several unique and pioneering initiatives already under way to ensure customers have an unmatched and superlative association with the Renault brand, he added.

On future outlook, Sawhney said: "Our road map for India is very clear, with an immediate goal of achieving a market share of 5 per cent in the near term." 

The company will continue with its product offensive strategy in India, as is reflected by the Kwid Climber launch, to substantially grow the Renault brand in India, he added.

Indo-US ties will touch new heights under the Trump administration as the two countries are "natural partners" and have common interests amid China's assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, an Indian-American entrepreneur considered close to Vice President Mike Pence has said.

With Indian-Americans playing the role of an umbilical cord between the two counties, India and the United States have common interests in balancing the increasing economic and military influence of China in the Asia-Pacific region and fighting together the menace of terrorism in South and Central Asia, said Indiana-based Gurinder Singh Khalsa.

Founder and chairman of Sikhs Political Action Committee or SikhsPAC, Khalsa has emerged as one of the vocal leader of the Indian-American Sikhs in particular in the Midwest region.

"India and the United States are natural partners at this time. Both have an interest in balancing growing Chinese economic and military influence in southeast Asian. Both have an interest in fighting terrorism originating in central Asian areas like Pakistan and Afghanistan," Khalsa told PTI in an interview.

"It is to India's long-term benefit to continue improving relations with the US. We also have many shared business priorities, particularly in IT and tech industries," he said.

China has been assertive in the disputed South China Sea region, building artificial islands which could potentially be used for military purposes. It is also building a number of ports in South Asian countries.

The US has called for freedom of navigation to be respected amid the South China Sea actions by Beijing.

Khalsa, an accomplished businessman from Indiana, is a friend of Pence from the days the US vice president was not even elected the Governor of Indiana.

Khalsa says he wants to focus on strengthening India-US relationship and be the voice of Indian-Americans and other such ethnic communities in the US.

"(Pence) has been very outspoken about the need for more economic cooperation between India and Indiana. Prior to his selection as Vice President, he spoke to us about his intention to travel to India after the election. He wanted to be the first Indiana Governor to visit India after the election," Khalsa said recollecting his meetings with Pence.

"To be clear, his interests are very definitely in the United States. He is an American and he will be advocating for Americans. But, I don't think that necessarily conflicts with his desire to improve economic and political ties with India.

It simply means, he'll be a tough, but fair negotiator," he said sharing his impression about Pence.

India is "underestimating" the value of the ASEAN and should give priority to the regional grouping as it could provide a "strategic balance" amidst growing geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, according to an Indian-origin former Singaporean diplomat.

"India is underestimating the value of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) for its long-term interest. It should give a bigger priority to ASEAN," said Kishore Mahbubani, who served in the Singaporean Foreign Services from 1971 to 2004, becoming the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

He is currently the Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

"India should recover the famous Indian cultural history with South East Asia," he said after launching his new book The ASEAN Miracle: A Catalyst for Peace co-authored by Jeffry Sng, who is also a former Singaporean diplomat.

If India and Southeast Asia re-establish and strengthen the ancient cultural links, it will provide added meaning to the well-known phrase "culture is destiny", wrote Mahbubani.

The ASEAN is a regional grouping comprising ten members: Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Phillippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.

In December, 2012, the leaders of ASEAN and India declared in New Delhi that the relationship should be elevated to a strategic partnership. As ASEAN comes under a renewed stress from the growing geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, India could provide a strategic balance.

The book recaptures the ancient contact between India and Southeast Asia as far back as 3,000 years.

According to the authors, Indian cultural influences penetrated both mainland and maritime Southeast Asia in the form of the Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Java.

In 1983, the Arjuna Wijaya Statues was installed in Central Jakarta. During current times, Bollywood productions have enjoyed extraordinary success in many Southeast Asian countries and television shows such as the Mahabharata was dubbed into Indonesian language and broadcast in March 2014.

The book notes India's drift towards Soviet Camp during the Cold War when the ASEAN countries were clearly pro-American. It points out at the challenges of Singapore having India joined ASEAN as a dialogue partner in December 1995.

"Out of Islamic solidarity, Indonesia and Malaysia felt that Pakistan should also be admitted as a full dialogue partner. The other ASEAN countries baulked at the idea of admitting India and Pakistan at the same time, fearing that their deep rivalry would be carried into ASEAN meetings and disrupt them," the co-authors disclose in their book.

"If this rivalry intensifies, the only power that can provide ASEAN with a geopolitical buffer is India," according to the book.

India has an opportunity to develop a 20-year plan to enhance its relationship with ASEAN. It also calls on India to consider the recommendations of ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG) which was established in 2010 to widen and deepen existing cooperation among them.

The EPG has called for a target of USD 200 billion ASEAN-India bilateral trade by 2022, up from USD 65 billion in 2015-16, mutually beneficial business visa regime.

The heir to the Samsung business empire denies all charges in connection with a wide-ranging corruption scandal, his lawyers told a preliminary hearing on Thursday.

Lee Jae-Yong, 48, was not present at Seoul Central District court for the hearing, which comes as his giant company — the world's biggest smartphone maker — struggles to recover from a recall scandal.

Lee, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, is being held in custody on accusations of bribery, corruption, perjury and other offences stemming from a scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached. Four other Samsung executives have also been charged.

"Everyone denies all the charges," a defence lawyer told the court at the hearing, which lasted little more than an hour.

The prosecutors' formal indictment was sketchy, with some of the accusations lacking clear evidence and only circumstantial, the defence said.

The accused allegedly paid nearly 40 million in bribes to Park's close friend Choi Soon-Sil to secure policy favours.

The courtroom was about 80 percent full, with dozens of reporters, students and a handful of middle-aged and elderly citizens.

When one of Lee's attorneys finished reading his statement, an elderly lady abruptly stood up from her seat and shouted: "Can a member of the public ask a question?" 

Her request was rejected by the judge.

Lee has effectively been at the helm of Samsung since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.

One of the favours which Lee allegedly sought from Park was state approval for a controversial merger in 2015 of two Samsung units seen as a key step to ensure a smooth transfer of power to him.

The deal was opposed by many shareholders who said it had wilfully undervalued shares of one of the two firms. But it eventually went through after the national pension fund — a major Samsung shareholder — approved it.