Cabinet rejig: RPI's Athawale to take oath tomorrow, vows to work for Dalits

Cabinet rejig: RPI's Athawale to take oath tomorrow, vows to work for Dalits

Expressing his delight over a Dalit getting representation in the Cabinet after Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Republican Party of India (RPI) leader Ramdas Athawale today thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this opportunity and vowed to work for the backward sections of the society.

Talking to the media in New Delhi after attending a meeting called by BJP president Amit Shah, Athawale confirmed that he would be taking oath tomorrow.

"I just talked to Amit Shah ji and he has given me the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He told me that I will be taking oath tomorrow. I am very happy that Prime Minster Modi and party president have given us this opportunity," he said.

Athawale recalled that Dr Ambedkar was a minister in India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet and said that the RPI didn't get an opportunity after that.

"But now the RPI is getting a representation in the Cabinet. All the Dalits of the country will be very happy. The Prime Minister will decide on the portfolios tomorrow. I will work for the Dalits and backward classes of the society," he added.

Dr Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb, was Independent India's first law minister and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.

With an eye on the politically crucial assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh scheduled next year, the much-awaited expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet will take place tomorrow. Read more.

Narendra Modi cabinet likely to see 19 new ministers: Who are they?

Narendra Modi cabinet likely to see 19 new ministers: Who are they?

At least 19 new ministers are to be sworn in today, which government sources have said will strengthen the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led team with “experience, expertise and energy”.

Sources said the PM laid down the selection procedure “to bring in doers and performers who would deliver on his vision of development and good governance, and further his central priority of gaon (villages), garib (poor) and kisan (farmers). “New ministers were identified from various walks of life to bring to bear their unique rich experience and expertise to their office,” sources said.

The list has several who are OBCs, five Dalits, two from minority communities and two women. The 19 have been drawn from 10 states. However, several of the new ministers are in their 60s and have been brought in primarily to ensure the delivery of promises the government has made in its three budgets and the BJP manifesto.

Let's take a look at the new ministers in Modi cabinet:

IS Baghdad bomb blast kills at least 119

IS Baghdad bomb blast kills at least 119

A suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group ripped through a busy Baghdadshopping district on Sunday, killing at least 119 people in the deadliest attack this year in Iraq's capital.

The blast hit the Karrada district early in the day as the area was packed with shoppers ahead of this week's holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It came a week after Iraqi security forces recaptured Fallujah from IS, leaving Mosul as the only Iraqi city under the jihadist group's control.

The bombing also wounded more than 140 people, security officials said. Prime MinisterHaider al-Abadi visited the site of the attack and vowed "punishment" for its perpetrators, his office said. The blast set buildings ablaze, and firemen were still working to extinguish them some 12 hours later.

Men carried the bodies of two victims out of one burned building and a crowd of people looked on from the rubble-filled street as firefighters worked at the site.

Hussein Ali, a 24-year-old former soldier, said six workers at his family's shop were killed in the attack, their bodies burned so badly that they could not be identified.Read more.

Five things you should look forward to in Android N

Five things you should look forward to in Android N

Google has finally let us know what the ‘N’ in Android N stands for. And this time they decided to crowdsource the name. And no, it’s not Neyyappam or Nankhatai. The ‘N’ in Android stands for Nougat, that chewy, sticky dessert.

Nougat is a sweet made from sugar or honey, nuts, and egg white.

Now, nougat isn’t as mainstream as say KitKat or Ice Cream Sandwich or Marshmallow, but it does have its fans. I have an old relationship with it. As a kid, I would pop into my mouth the moment I didn’t want to answer inane questions such as “Do you like your teacher?” or “Recite a poem for us”. While such nougats are long gone, the closest one can have over the counter is a Snickers bar.

But Google chose Nougat over Neyyappam, the deep-fried concoction from God’s Own Country. This despite the fact that we’ve had reports that among the names being considered were Nankhatai and Neyyappam, and that Neyyappam was leading!

Every time we talk of crowdsourcing, we expect to win by sheer numbers. And of course, doesn’t our own “Sundi” head Google? Neyyappam was a winner even before you finished saying it. Yes, India is a land of over a billion people, but we forgot to read the fine print: Google takes the final call on the name, despite whichever name getting the maximum ‘votes’. And while Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google, that in no way affects what the next version of Android should be named. So while we might think it’s a loss of face for Indian fans, we should spare a thought for the millions of non-Indians who also use the world’s most popular mobile operating system. And if one goes by sheer numbers, shouldn’t all phones run only Chinese versions of software? Read more

Sony Xperia X: Falls short on performance

Sony Xperia X: Falls short on performance

When I first got my hands on the Sony Xperia X, I was filled with a sense of deja vu - the reason being the uncanny similarity the phone shares with the Xperia Z series.

The phone has a metallic back with a 2.5D curved glass front. The corners are more rounded which makes it comfortable to hold. The power button is located in the middle on the right side, just above the volume rocker. The power button doubles up as a fingerprint sensor and setting the sensor up was easy. The sensor is pretty responsive and for people who favour one-handed usage, the sensor placement comes in handy.

specification of sony xperia X

The Xperia X comes with a 5-inch Full HD display. The colours are vivid and sharp and with the correct brightness level, using it in sunlight isn't a problem either.

The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and is devoid of excessive pre-installed apps. The app drawer is akin to that of a stock Android.

Though the Xperia X falls in the premium segment, the hardware doesn't quite match up. Under the hood it houses a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor with 3GB of RAM. I would have expected such a processor in mid-range smartphones. With a price tag of Rs 48,990, Sony could have easily gone for an upgrade. Read More.

All you need to know about the alleged scam behind Robert Vadra's Haryana land deal

All you need to know about the alleged scam behind Robert Vadra's Haryana land deal

Justice S N Dhingra, who was appointed to probe issues concerning the grant of license(s) for developing commercial colonies in Gurgaon Sector 83 by Haryana’s Department of Town and Country Planning, on Thursday asked for more time to submit the report.

Justice Dhingra, who was meant to submit on Friday a report on whether Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, was the beneficiary of a sweetheart deal when her party was in power, said that he needs an extension of six more weeks.

What the allegations are

The alleged scam revolves around Haryana-cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka, Vadra, and the latter's company.

The company in question is Skylight Hospitality, which bought a 3.5-acre plot in Shikohpur village near Manesar. The same plot was later sold to DLF at a huge profit.

According to a report by Tehelka magazine, the land in question, purchased by Vadra's company for around Rs 7 crore, was sold to DLF for an amount of Rs 58 crore. The report added that in the period between its purchase and sale, the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government in the state granted a Change of Land Use (CLU) permission for the land. Due to the CLU permission, the report said that the value of the plot of land in question shot up sharply.

Alleging various irregularities, Khemka, in late 2012, set aside the mutation of the property sold by Vadra to DLF. However, the then Congress-run state government later gave a clean chit to Vadra. Read More.

Nine killed, 1 fireman injured in fire at Mumbai medical store

Nine killed, 1 fireman injured in fire at Mumbai medical store

Nine persons, including five children, were killed and a fireman was injured when a firebroke out at a medical store in a chawl in suburban Andheri this morning, police said.

Among the five deceased children was a 3-month-old infant, they said.

The fire occurred early this morning at 'Wafa' medical store located on the ground floor of a chawl in Juhi Galli on Wireless Road in Andheri, Mumbai police spokesman Ashok Dudhe said.

Eight persons were initially killed in the blaze. Later, a seriously injured woman also succumbed to her burns at a hospital, police said.

The families of the victims were staying on the first and second floors of the premises, he said.

According to police and fire brigade officials, the electric wiring and other power installations in the 120 sq ft medical store caught fire. The blaze then spread to other floors of the ground plus two-floor chawl in which nearly 17-18 people were staying.

Prima facie, the police and fire officials suspect that because of a very small internal staircase in the chawl, the victims were trapped inside the premises and got engulfed in the fire. Read more.