Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said demonetisation has nothing to do with the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, phase two of which will get underway on Wednesday.

“Demonetisation has nothing to do with Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Demonetisation part of government's programme to clean up both economic and political systems,” Jaitley said.

“UP is the biggest state of the nation, its development is inevitable for development of India,” he added. 

Campaigning for the 67 state assembly seats spread over 11 districts which will go to polls on Wednesday ended on Monday. The first phase was held on February 11.

In the high-stake elections, much is at stake for both the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

While, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) is solely banking on PM Modi's popularity who has been successfully attracting impressive gatherings at all his public addresses.

Days after two Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations were opened in Chandigarh, the 'City Beautiful' will have to wait longer for more such stations as the proposal for the same has hit a bumpy road.

The approval for opening three more Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in Chandigarh is pending for about 20 months now as the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is yet to receive 'Go ahead' for it from the administration.

Three CNG stations waiting for a 'Go ahead' have been approved by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO).

The IOC claims to have submitted the request for the no objection certificate (NOC) to the Union Territory (UT) Administration on 1 June, 2015. But the state sector oil company is still waiting for a 'Go ahead' from the administration for 20 months now.

“It is because of the inefficiency of the UT Administration that the people of Chandigarh have to wait for the CNG pumps,” an IOC official said.

On the other side, the Chandigarh administration has a different take. The sources in the administration said that issuing a NOC is not the work of a solo department, but is that of eight to ten departments put together. Therefore, it is taking time, sources said.

UT administrator V P Singh Badnore has made his point straight many a time to the OIC officials who are awaiting for the nod from the administration that he wants five CNG pumps in the city promptly.

He said he does not want to see the queues outside any CNG station, therefore the facilities should be apt.

In November last year, Chandigarh got its first CNG station and the second one was opened in Mohali, situated next to Chandigarh. While inaugurating it the Union minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas,Dharmendra Pradhan, had asked to set 30 CNG stations within 2 years in the city.

The Trump Administration needs to convince China to ask Pakistan to take "good-faith measures" to address India's concerns on cross-border terrorism which is a key trigger of Indo-Pak military escalation, a top American think-tank said in a new report.

US Institute of Peace in the report warned that any terrorist activity coming from across the border might escalate into a major war, which could be disastrous for the region.

"Washington needs to convince Beijing to urge Pakistan to take good-faith measures addressing India's concerns on cross-border terrorism, which is a key trigger of military escalation. Beijing could in turn prod Islamabad to prosecute terrorists involved in attacks on India as a first step," USIP said.

"Meanwhile, the Indian government should abandon its current policy of seeking to internationally isolate Pakistan.

These moves by both countries could create an opening for resuming talks and politically settling the Kashmir issue," it said.

The report said that China's relations with Pakistan have deepened particularly after China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement and Beijing has greater influence over Islamabad s policies than Washington does.

"The US should regularly underscore the urgency of the Kashmir situation to Chinese counterparts at the highest levels and make a forceful argument that a South Asian war would directly threaten China," it stressed, adding that China's policy on the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan has a significant impact on regional stabilisation and crisis management efforts in South Asia.

"Beijing also plays an important third-party role in helping deescalate hostilities between the two countries," it noted.

Since the 1980s, China's policy on Kashmir has shifted from a strong pro-Pakistani stance to a more balanced one between Pakistan and India, the report said.

"Chinese diplomatic support for internationalising the Kashmir issue in the United Nations has diminished over time, though Beijing also has blocked UN action against Pakistan-linked terror groups," USIP said.

The report said that during crises, Chinese concerns about preventing war between India and Pakistan "outweighed political considerations to defend Pakistan", and Beijing worked closely with Washington to mitigate regional tensions.

It said China's "protection" of Pakistan-based militant groups that have launched terrorist attacks in India from international criticism and punitive actions undermines its claims of neutrality.

China has blocked action in the UN sanctions committee over Pakistan's release of Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and extended its technical hold on a ban on Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar for his involvement in the Pathankot attack on an Indian air force station.

"China also prevented India from naming Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) declaration of October 2016 that condemned terrorism in all its forms. Over the years, China has refused to support the Indian proposal to issue a joint declaration against terrorism, which Beijing views as an Indian strategic design to internationally isolate Pakistan," the report said.

USIP said China has the potential to play a greater role in stabilising the region, but thus far has been relegated to occasional crisis manager and has not proactively called for resolution of Kashmir issue.

"Although Beijing prefers that a war not break out, it also benefits from some level of Indo-Pakistani tension, which splits India s strategic attention on China," the report said.

 Scientists have detected more than 100 new potential exoplanets, including one orbiting a star about 8.1 light years away from the Earth, using one of the most successful techniques for spotting alien worlds.

Astronomers released the largest-ever compilation of exoplanet-detecting observations made using a technique called the radial velocity method.

The radial velocity method takes advantage of the fact that the planet's gravity also affects the star. Astronomers are able to use sophisticated tools to detect the tiny wobble the planet induces as its gravity tugs on the star.

The virtual mountain of data was gathered as part of a two-decade radial velocity planet-hunting programme that uses a spectrometer called HIRES, mounted on the 10-metre Keck-I telescope of the W M Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

The compilation includes almost 61,000 individual measurements made of more than 1,600 stars.

By making the data public, the team is offering unprecedented access to one of the best exoplanet searches in the world.

"HIRES was not specifically optimised to do this type of exoplanet detective work, but has turned out to be a workhorse instrument of the field," said Steve Vogt of the University of California Santa Cruz in the US, who built the instrument.

Now as the survey moves into its third decade, the team members have decided it is time to clean house. With so much data at hand and a limited amount of time, they recognised that more exoplanets would be found by sharing their catalogue with the exoplanet community.

Mikko Tuomi of the University of Hertfordshire in the UK led a sophisticated statistical analysis of the large data set to tease out the periodic signals most likely to be planets.

"We were very conservative in this paper about what counts as an exoplanet candidate and what does not, and even with our stringent criteria, we found over 100 new likely planet candidates," Tuomi said.

One of these probable planets is around a star called GJ 411, also known as Lalande 21185. It is the fourth-closest star to our own Sun and is only about 40 per cent the mass of the Sun. The planet has a very short orbital period of just under 10 days, so it is no Earth-twin.

However, the planet, GJ 411b, continues a trend that has been seen in the overall population of detected exoplanets: the smallest planets are found around the smallest stars.

The team is hoping their decision will lead to a flurry of new science, as astronomers around the globe combine the HIRES data with their own existing observations, or mount new observing campaigns to follow up on potential signals.

The catalogue release is part of a growing trend in exoplanet science to broaden the audience and discovery space, which has emerged in part to handle the aftermath of follow-up discoveries by NASA's Kepler and K2 missions.

The research appears in The Astronomical Journal.

The excessive display of paranoia by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), right from its top leadership to the lowest cadres, has assumed ludicrous proportions and indicates complete demoralisation in the party in the face of imminent defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday.

"With AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal leading the way, every Tom, Dick and Harry in the party is running for the Election Commission (EC). With one or the other frivolous complaint, it is a clear indication that the party is preparing the ground to save face following the declaration of the results," said the Congress chief ministerial candidate, in a hard-hitting statement issued here.

Amarinder demanded that, as in the case of the judiciary, there should be some provision in the EC rules to penalise political parties and candidates found indulging in unsubstantiated complaints and petitions, and engaging the EC in cheap gimmickry to further their vested interests.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president also lambasted Kejriwal and his party for dragging the EC, which all serious political parties look up to as being a neutral and non-partisan democratic institution, into an ugly quagmire of allegations and counter-allegations.

"This is not a healthy sign and reflects on the immaturity, and worse still, on the despicable thinking and lack of ideology in AAP" Amarinder said.

Beijing has banned high-emission vehicles in a bid to control recurring air-pollution enveloping the city with a population of 21.7 million people.

Starting from Wednesday, light-duty gasoline-powered cars that fail to meet the National Emission Standard III will be banned from entering Beijing's fifth ring on weekdays.

Substandard cars will also be taken off the road through annual inspections or spot checks.

The Chinese capital currently requires new cars to comply with the "Beijing VI" emission standard, which is higher than the widely-used National Emission Standard V and equivalent to the Euro VI standard, the strictest in China.

The National Emission Standard I was introduced in 1999 and the National Emission Standard II followed in 2004.

"After weeding out yellow-labelled cars (outdated and heavy-polluting vehicles), vehicles consistent with the National Emission Standards II and III release most of the pollutants on the roads," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Yu Jianhua, chief engineer of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

Higher-polluting gasoline vehicles account for less than 10 per cent of vehicles on the road, but discharge over 30 per cent of nitrogen oxide and 25 per cent of volatile organic compounds, Yu said.

Beijing's 5.7 million vehicles produce 500,000 tonnes of various pollutants annually and account for 31 percent of locally-generated PM 2.5, a particulate matter associated with hazardous smog, making it the prime source of PM 2.5, according to the environmental authority.

Plagued by smog over the past decade, the capital city has initiated a series of regulations to improve its air quality but the pollution persisted sparking public criticism.

It has moved out high-polluting industries, pulled outdated cars off the road, continued to improve the public transportation system and rolled out policies to support new energy vehicles.

Average density of PM 2.5 in the capital was 73 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016, down 9.9 per cent from the previous year, the Beijing Municipal Reform and Development Commission said.

A new round of air pollution hit Beijing and 20 other cities in eastern China due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Apart from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, which is expected to see heavy pollution till Wednesday, air quality in more than 20 cities in provinces such as Shandong and Henan is forecast to deteriorate due to unfavourable weather conditions.

A cold front is expected to help disperse the pollution on February 16.

The pollution returns to these cities after a fortnight holiday during which most of the factories have been shutdown now resumed production affecting the air quality.

After giving tough time to incumbent telecom operators, Reliance Jio on Tuesday wished Happy Valentine's Day to its warring rivals Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular in a tweet.

"Dear @airtelindia, @VodafoneIN, @ideacellular , Happy Valentine's Day. #WithLoveFromJio," Reliance Jio tweeted from its official account.

Airtel, Vodafone and Idea have filed complaints against Reliance Jio in various forums including the Department of Telecom and sector regulator Trai.

Reliance Jio free 4G services have reduced profit of Airtel by more than half, lowered Vodafone India's profit and pushed Idea Cellular into first ever quarterly loss.

Mukesh Ambani led Jio, however, didn't tag his younger brother Anil Ambani's firm Reliance Communications that has also posted its first ever quarterly consolidated loss in October-December 2016 period.

After giving tough time to incumbent telecom operators, Reliance Jio on Tuesday wished Happy Valentine's Day to its warring rivals Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular in a tweet.

"Dear @airtelindia, @VodafoneIN, @ideacellular , Happy Valentine's Day. #WithLoveFromJio," Reliance Jio tweeted from its official account.

Airtel, Vodafone and Idea have filed complaints against Reliance Jio in various forums including the Department of Telecom and sector regulator Trai.

Reliance Jio free 4G services have reduced profit of Airtel by more than half, lowered Vodafone India's profit and pushed Idea Cellular into first ever quarterly loss.

Mukesh Ambani led Jio, however, didn't tag his younger brother Anil Ambani's firm Reliance Communications that has also posted its first ever quarterly consolidated loss in October-December 2016 period.

With a view to tackle the menace of stray cattle, the Haryana government has decided to constitute village-level committees under the chairmanship of Sarpanch concerned for construction and maintenance of ‘Pashu Phatak’ or ‘Gau Greh’.

While stating this here on Tuesday, a spokesman of the panchayats and rural development department, said that the gram panchayats would ensure construction and maintenance of ‘Pashu Phatak’ or ‘Gau Greh’ utilising their own resources as per the provisions of Section 21 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.

The committee would include as members Panch, Panch belonging to scheduled caste, any prominent person from the village and the Numberdar. The Gram Sachiv concerned would serve as member secretary.

He said the committee would function under the supervision of block development and panchayat officer and panchayat samiti. The committee concerned would prescribe the amount of fine to be levied on collection of the impounded animal.

Unclaimed cattle would be kept in the ‘Pashu Phatak’ or ‘Gau Greh’ and the upkeep of such animals would be done using the money recovered as fine or donations, he added.

A written communication to this effect has been sent to all deputy commissioners in the state to ensure construction of Pashu Phatak or Gau Greh in all villages within three months. They will also submit its report to the department, he added.

With a view to tackle the menace of stray cattle, the Haryana government has decided to constitute village-level committees under the chairmanship of Sarpanch concerned for construction and maintenance of ‘Pashu Phatak’ or ‘Gau Greh’.

While stating this here on Tuesday, a spokesman of the panchayats and rural development department, said that the gram panchayats would ensure construction and maintenance of ‘Pashu Phatak’ or ‘Gau Greh’ utilising their own resources as per the provisions of Section 21 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.

The committee would include as members Panch, Panch belonging to scheduled caste, any prominent person from the village and the Numberdar. The Gram Sachiv concerned would serve as member secretary.

He said the committee would function under the supervision of block development and panchayat officer and panchayat samiti. The committee concerned would prescribe the amount of fine to be levied on collection of the impounded animal.

Unclaimed cattle would be kept in the ‘Pashu Phatak’ or ‘Gau Greh’ and the upkeep of such animals would be done using the money recovered as fine or donations, he added.

A written communication to this effect has been sent to all deputy commissioners in the state to ensure construction of Pashu Phatak or Gau Greh in all villages within three months. They will also submit its report to the department, he added.

AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala on Tuesday sacked acting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam while, Minister Edappady K Palaniswamy was elected the leader of the legislature party.

The development comes shortly after Sasikala was convicted by the Supreme Court (SC) in a corruption case and is bound to be jailed.  

The decision was taken after Sasikala met the 125 MLAs, who have been lodged in a resort on the outskirts of Chennai to thwart any attempts of horse-trading by the Panneerselvam camp.

Palaniswamy is a known Sasikala loyalist and is likely to be the chief ministerial candidate of the AIADMK.

Both Sasikala and Panneerselvam were locked in a battle to claim the chief minister’s seat after the demise of AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala on Tuesday sacked acting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam while, Minister Edappady K Palaniswamy was elected the leader of the legislature party.

The development comes shortly after Sasikala was convicted by the Supreme Court (SC) in a corruption case and is bound to be jailed.  

The decision was taken after Sasikala met the 125 MLAs, who have been lodged in a resort on the outskirts of Chennai to thwart any attempts of horse-trading by the Panneerselvam camp.

Palaniswamy is a known Sasikala loyalist and is likely to be the chief ministerial candidate of the AIADMK.

Both Sasikala and Panneerselvam were locked in a battle to claim the chief minister’s seat after the demise of AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

At least 30 houses and some 50 other buildings were destroyed by bushfires over the weekend in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state, authorities said on Tuesday.

The most serious damage was in the Sir Ivan reserve, where the fire destroyed 23 houses, including five in the town of Uarbry, located some 380 km northwest of Sydney.

Fires near the coastal towns of Port Macquarie and Kempsey, as well as in Narrabri village, destroyed seven homes, while blazes near the town of Dunedoo damaged 51 outbuildings and a church, the authorities added.

Firefighters, who are still battling about 60 fires in New South Wales, 19 of which remain out of control, are taking advantage of a drop in temperatures, although it is feared that conditions similar to the weekend, when temperatures rose to 40 degrees Celsius combined with strong winds, could reappear, Efe news reported.

In a 2016 report, Australian authorities warned of the future worsening of extreme heat waves and bushfires as a result of the global increase of carbon dioxide emissions.

The country's worst bushfire incident in recent decades occurred in early February 2009 in the state of Victoria, causing the death of 173 people, 414 were injured and over 4,500 sq.km of land was burned.

At least 30 houses and some 50 other buildings were destroyed by bushfires over the weekend in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state, authorities said on Tuesday.

The most serious damage was in the Sir Ivan reserve, where the fire destroyed 23 houses, including five in the town of Uarbry, located some 380 km northwest of Sydney.

Fires near the coastal towns of Port Macquarie and Kempsey, as well as in Narrabri village, destroyed seven homes, while blazes near the town of Dunedoo damaged 51 outbuildings and a church, the authorities added.

Firefighters, who are still battling about 60 fires in New South Wales, 19 of which remain out of control, are taking advantage of a drop in temperatures, although it is feared that conditions similar to the weekend, when temperatures rose to 40 degrees Celsius combined with strong winds, could reappear, Efe news reported.

In a 2016 report, Australian authorities warned of the future worsening of extreme heat waves and bushfires as a result of the global increase of carbon dioxide emissions.

The country's worst bushfire incident in recent decades occurred in early February 2009 in the state of Victoria, causing the death of 173 people, 414 were injured and over 4,500 sq.km of land was burned.

Mercedes-Benz is going to launch the extended wheelbase version of the fifth-generation E-Class in the Indian market on 28 February, 2017. While the standard fifth-gen E-Class was first showcased at the 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, the long wheelbase version was unveiled at 2016 Auto China in April. The E-Class is one of the highest selling cars in its segment. Here are a few things you should know about the upcoming luxury saloon.

1) India is the first market to get right-hand drive long wheelbase E-Class

Uptil now, the extended wheelbase E-Class was only being sold in the left-hand-drive Chinese market. However, when designing the new generation of the long-wheelbase E-Class, Mercedes also developed a right-hand-drive version specifically for India. This makes India the second country to get the E-Class LWB and the first and only country where the long wheelbase E-Class is being offered in right-hand drive (RHD) configuration.

The prices of the outgoing E-Class start at around the Rs 50 lakh mark while the current S-Class has a price tag of around Rs 1 crore. The new E-Class is expected to be a bit more expensive than the outgoing car, while offering an experience that is closer to the S-Class. Also, the extra wheelbase will help the E-Class steal a march over its rivals like the handsome, feature-packed and competitively priced Volvo S90. Most of the customers in this segment are chauffeur-driven and will certainly appreciate the extra rear space.

2) No standard wheelbase E-Class for now

Mercedes-Benz is only introducing the long wheelbase version of the fifth-gen E-Class (V213), for now. No information regarding the launch of the standard fifth-gen E-Class (W213) is out yet.

3) New E-Class’ wheelbase is longer than the standard S-Class

The upcoming E-Class LWB has a wheelbase of 3,079mm – this is 44mm longer compared to the 3,035mm wheelbase of the standard S-Class. However, Indian S-Class customers need not worry as the S-Class sold in India is the long-wheelbase version which has another 86mm between the wheels!

4) High localisation

Instead of directly importing the complete car as CBU unit, Mercedes-Benz is trying to keep the E-Class competitive with high levels of localisation. Higher the localisation, lesser the price tag. While the chassis is being imported from China, the doors are brought in from Germany. However, the engine and gearbox are completely assembled in India. Other parts like tyres and wiring harness are being sourced from India.

5) Unique Features

The E-Class LWB offers a list of features not seen before in this segment. It has the same 12.3-inch TFT screen from the S-Class, 64-colour ambient lighting, touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, a 13-speaker surround sound system by Burmester, as in the S-Class.

6) It offers adaptable air suspension

When it comes to comfort, air suspension is the best suspension you can bet your money on. Apart from the best in segment comfort, the E-Class LWB's air suspension also features a lift mode, which allows you to raise the ground clearance by 15mm. This will certainly come handy to tackle the rough roads in the country.

7) It will go from 0-100kmph in 6.6s

The E-Class LWB is being offered with two engine options, a 3.0-litre diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol. While the petrol mill produces 183PS of power and 300Nm of torque, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine offers more power and torque putting out 258PS/ 620Nm. This diesel version of the E-Class is claimed to do 0-100kmph in 6.6s and with a top speed of 250kmph. The petrol can do the 0-100kmph sprint in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 240kmph.

8) Seven-speed automatic transmission replaced by 9-speed automatic

While the engines are being carried forward from the outgoing E-Class, the gearbox is completely new. The outgoing, fourth-gen E-Class had a seven-speed automatic transmission. However, both the diesel and petrol version of the E-Class LWB feature a new 9-speed automatic transmission. This makes the car quick to respond to driver inputs and improves mileage as well.

Source: CarDekho

Mercedes-Benz is going to launch the extended wheelbase version of the fifth-generation E-Class in the Indian market on 28 February, 2017. While the standard fifth-gen E-Class was first showcased at the 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, the long wheelbase version was unveiled at 2016 Auto China in April. The E-Class is one of the highest selling cars in its segment. Here are a few things you should know about the upcoming luxury saloon.

1) India is the first market to get right-hand drive long wheelbase E-Class

Uptil now, the extended wheelbase E-Class was only being sold in the left-hand-drive Chinese market. However, when designing the new generation of the long-wheelbase E-Class, Mercedes also developed a right-hand-drive version specifically for India. This makes India the second country to get the E-Class LWB and the first and only country where the long wheelbase E-Class is being offered in right-hand drive (RHD) configuration.

The prices of the outgoing E-Class start at around the Rs 50 lakh mark while the current S-Class has a price tag of around Rs 1 crore. The new E-Class is expected to be a bit more expensive than the outgoing car, while offering an experience that is closer to the S-Class. Also, the extra wheelbase will help the E-Class steal a march over its rivals like the handsome, feature-packed and competitively priced Volvo S90. Most of the customers in this segment are chauffeur-driven and will certainly appreciate the extra rear space.

2) No standard wheelbase E-Class for now

Mercedes-Benz is only introducing the long wheelbase version of the fifth-gen E-Class (V213), for now. No information regarding the launch of the standard fifth-gen E-Class (W213) is out yet.

3) New E-Class’ wheelbase is longer than the standard S-Class

The upcoming E-Class LWB has a wheelbase of 3,079mm – this is 44mm longer compared to the 3,035mm wheelbase of the standard S-Class. However, Indian S-Class customers need not worry as the S-Class sold in India is the long-wheelbase version which has another 86mm between the wheels!

4) High localisation

Instead of directly importing the complete car as CBU unit, Mercedes-Benz is trying to keep the E-Class competitive with high levels of localisation. Higher the localisation, lesser the price tag. While the chassis is being imported from China, the doors are brought in from Germany. However, the engine and gearbox are completely assembled in India. Other parts like tyres and wiring harness are being sourced from India.

5) Unique Features

The E-Class LWB offers a list of features not seen before in this segment. It has the same 12.3-inch TFT screen from the S-Class, 64-colour ambient lighting, touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, a 13-speaker surround sound system by Burmester, as in the S-Class.

6) It offers adaptable air suspension

When it comes to comfort, air suspension is the best suspension you can bet your money on. Apart from the best in segment comfort, the E-Class LWB's air suspension also features a lift mode, which allows you to raise the ground clearance by 15mm. This will certainly come handy to tackle the rough roads in the country.

7) It will go from 0-100kmph in 6.6s

The E-Class LWB is being offered with two engine options, a 3.0-litre diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol. While the petrol mill produces 183PS of power and 300Nm of torque, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine offers more power and torque putting out 258PS/ 620Nm. This diesel version of the E-Class is claimed to do 0-100kmph in 6.6s and with a top speed of 250kmph. The petrol can do the 0-100kmph sprint in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 240kmph.

8) Seven-speed automatic transmission replaced by 9-speed automatic

While the engines are being carried forward from the outgoing E-Class, the gearbox is completely new. The outgoing, fourth-gen E-Class had a seven-speed automatic transmission. However, both the diesel and petrol version of the E-Class LWB feature a new 9-speed automatic transmission. This makes the car quick to respond to driver inputs and improves mileage as well.

Source: CarDekho

Two US Senators have asked the Department of Defense to address why US President Donald Trump was using his unsecured Android phone for official communications, media reports said.

According to a report in Engadget on Monday, Senators Tom Carper and Claire McCaskill wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis asking for four things.

"First, confirmation on if Trump received a secured, encrypted smartphone for personal use on or before inauguration, and, if not, what kind of phone the President has been using since taking office," the report noted.

The Senators also wanted to know the policies and protections the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has in place for the personal phone's use.

"The senators want to know if the DISA, Secret Service an National Security Agency were consulted and coordinated with regarding the president's use of a personal cellphone," the report added.

It is deeply troubling for US Senators and other security agencies that Trump still uses his unsecured smartphone.

Trump is being urged by his aides and the Secret Service to give up his "unsecure smartphone and stick to the secure one that was issued to him".

"The absolutely minimum Trump could do to protect our nation is to use a secure device to protect him from foreign spies and other threats," New York Times quoted Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon on the Intelligence Committee, as saying.

It was not clear if Trump's device and its functions like texting are encrypted to thwart hacking. The device could be vulnerable to hacking if used on unsecured Wi-Fi and cellular networks.