Facebook's drones - made in Britain

In a warehouse in Somerset, the latest phase in Facebook's bid for world domination has been taking shape.

Or, to put it less dramatically, the social network's plan to connect millions in developing countries is proceeding.

It is called Project Aquila and involves building solar-powered aircraft which will fly for months at a time above remote places, beaming down an internet connection.

Two years ago Facebook bought small British business Ascenta, which specialises in solar-powered drones, and its owner Andy Cox is now the engineer running Project Aquila.

At the end of June, the first aircraft produced in that warehouse on an industrial estate in Bridgwater was dismantled and taken in pieces to Arizona. There, it was reassembled for its first flight.

The unmanned aircraft, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 737 but is only a third the weight of a typical family car, stayed airborne for 90 minutes and performed well. The fragile structure did suffer some damage when it landed in a stony field some way short of the runway.

When it finally goes into service the idea is that it will come to rest on grassland.

Back in Bridgwater after the flight, Mr Cox told me there was still a long way to go.

"Eventually we will fly at 60,000-90,000 feet, above conventional air traffic, where it's very cold, and for periods of up to three months," he said.

"That means we can loiter around a given waypoint providing the internet without interfering with other traffic."

Right now the record for continuous flight by a solar-powered aircraft is two weeks, so getting to the point where the Facebook drone can stay airborne for three months will involve a lot more work.

Solar cells must be embedded all over the upper surface of the aircraft, while keeping it as aerodynamic and light as possible.

He lifted up one section to show just how light the structure was. "It needs to be light. Every kilo of extra weight means we need more power to fly it."During the day, the plane will fly on solar power, replenishing the batteries that keep it powered at night. They account for about half of the weight of the aircraft.

This might sound like just the kind of fringe project that a hugely wealthy technology business can afford to tinker with, but Facebook seems to be taking it seriously at the highest level. Mark Zuckerberg was in Arizona to see the first flight, and the global head of engineering, Jay Parikh, has been making frequent trips to Somerset to oversee progress.

"Our mission is to connect everyone on the planet," Mr Parikh told me, explaining that Project Aquila was just one of a number of technologies Facebook is developing to bring connectivity to remote places.

He ducked my question about what was the return for Facebook shareholders, insisting that the aim was just to help the telecoms industry bring down the cost of connectivity. Facebook, which has 1.6 billion active users, reckons there are another 1.6 billion people out there in need of an internet connection.

Of course, it is not alone in its mission to get these people online. Google's Project Loon involves using high altitude balloons to connect people to the internet in the same remote places that Facebook aims to serve. Both of these internet giants would like to be seen as benevolent forces advancing the global good of connectivity, so we can expect the race to be pretty fierce.

And these kind of initiatives are not without controversy. India rejected the Facebook Free Basics project, which was to give citizens limited, free web access via their mobile phones, amid suspicions that it was all about making the company more powerful.

This time, Facebook is treading carefully with Project Aquila, emphasising that it will just provide the connection, leaving local companies responsible for any services.

Mr Zuckerberg seems to have a genuine desire to bring people the connectivity that could transform their lives. But you cannot help feeling that he will also be hoping that Facebook's drones will be flying above sub-Saharan Africa before Google's balloons.

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Grading the Obama Economy, by the Numbers

That was how Bill Clinton singled out economic conditions as the most important issue in his 1992 presidential election campaign. Eight years earlier, candidate Ronald Reagan asked: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

Today, some eight years after the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression, the nation's economy is once again central to both parties' appeal to voters.

For presumptive GOP nomineeDonald Trump, that means tapping into the financial anxiety weighing on middle-class voters. "It's not just the political system that's rigged, it's the whole economy," he told supporters in New York last month. "It's rigged against you, the American people."

Harkening back to the booming economy of the 1990s during the Clinton administration, presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said in May that she would put her husband "in charge of revitalizing the economy ... Because, you know, he knows how to do it."

Related: Doubts Grow That U.S. Economy Can Sail Through Global Slowdown

For his part, President Barack Obama has vigorously defended his economic record over the last eight years.

"Anybody who says we are not absolutely better off today than we were just seven years ago — they're not leveling with you," he said in February. "They're not telling the truth. By almost every economic measure, we are significantly better off."

As American voters measure candidates based on how well off they feel and how confident they are about the future, CNBC.com analyzed the economic records of the last six presidents to better assess their performance. We looked at a variety of measures, calculating the net change from the start of a president's term to the end, beginning with Jimmy Carter's inauguration in January 1977.

Here are a dozen charts showing what we found.

With six months left before Obama leaves office, the overall economy continues to expand — slowly. As of the first quarter of this year, the U.S. economy is nearly 15 percent bigger than when the president took office in 2008, adjusted for inflation.

That gain is slightly less than his predecessor, George W. Bush, and roughly half the GDP gain in percentage terms during the Reagan administration.

Carter, who served only one four-year term, produced an impressive 12 percent economic expansion. If Carter had been re-elected and kept up that growth pace, he would have had the third-best performance among the six presidents in our analysis. But Carter left office in the middle of a double-dip recession, a major reason for his defeat to Reagan in 1980.

George H.W. Bush, the other one-termer in our analysis, left office with only an 8 percent gain in GDP.

The biggest expansion of GDP came under Clinton, who presided over the 1990s boom; when he left office in 2000, the economy was nearly 35 percent bigger than when he moved into the White House in 1993.

Not surprisingly, the presidents' records on job growth stack up roughly the same. During the Clinton administration, total payrolls grew by nearly 21 percent, slightly better than Reagan's 17 percent gain. The Carter administration had the third-best record, boosting payrolls by 12 percent. If he had kept that up for a second term, he would have topped the list of job creators. Both Bushes produced the smallest gains.

Related: U.S. Economy Adds 242,000 Jobs in February; Unemployment Rate Holds Steady

The Obama administration, which began in the midst of massive layoffs from the Great Recession, has presided over a job market turnaround. Overall employment is about 7 percent higher than when he took office.

But those jobs gains are only one measure of the health of the labor market. Since the 1990s, many Americans workers have left the labor force for a variety of reasons. Some are boomers who have retired; others have become so discouraged looking for a job that they've given up.

After steady gains during the Carter, Reagan and first Bush administration, the labor force participation rate peaked during the Clinton administration and has been declining since, with the steepest losses coming during the Obama years.

Second to having a job, American workers are most concerned about wages, which have stagnated during much of the recovery from the Great Recession. In real terms (adjusted for inflation), hourly compensation saw the biggest gains during the Clinton-era '90s boom, followed by the 1980s expansion under Reagan. The second Bush administration had the third-strongest showing, followed by the Obama administration, which has seen the fastest wage gains during his second term.

Stagnant wages have also widened the gap between the rich and poor, a major issue in political campaigns at all levels of government. That gap, as measured by the Gini ratio, a widely used measure of income distribution, began rising during the Reagan administration. Despite the Obama administration's focus on closing the income gap, it has continued to expand under his watch.

ership, a dream that was shattered for many with the collapse of the housing market in 2008. The last major downturn in housing dated to the Bush I administration, following the collapse of the savings and loan industry that had provided mortgages to American families for generations.

Home sales peaked in 2005 during the middle of the Bush II administration and bottomed early in Obama's first term. Sales have since recovered, but are still at levels not seen since the early 1990s when Bush I was leaving office.

The housing crash also sent homeownership rates plunging, erasing the gains during the Bush I and Clinton administrations. Despite a recovery in the housing market and historically low mortgage rates, the homeownership rate has continued to fall during the Obama administration to levels not seen since the Carter era.

Presidents are also judged for their management of taxpayers' money, and federal spending has become a major issue in recent presidential campaigns. Measured as a share of the overall economy, spending remained relatively steady — ranging from 18 to 22 percent of GDP — during the Carter, Reagan and Bush I administrations.

Thanks to a booming economy in the 1990s, spending as a share of GDP fell during the Clinton administration but began rising again under Bush II. When the Great Recession sent the economy in reverse, spending as a share of GDP soared when Obama took office, but has come back in line with historical trends since then.

Obama has also presided over some of the biggest budget deficits in the last four decades, in part because of massive stimulus spending aimed at heading off an even deeper downturn. Of the six presidents, only Clinton returned a budget surplus during his last years in office, helped in part by a windfall of tax receipts from the dot-com investment bubble.

Those big Obama deficits also added substantially to the pile of public debt outstanding, which now stands at roughly 100 percent of GDP. But the pile has been growing for 40 years. The level of public debt as a share of GDP roughly doubled during the Reagan and Bush I administrations, then fell during the Clinton era and began rising again under Bush II.

The strength of the economy can also be measured by the health of the private sector, which presidential candidates typically rely on for campaign contributions.

Based on one measure — total after-tax corporate profits — Bush II stands out. During his administration, profits soared, only to come crashing back with the collapse of the financial system. Profits were 36 percent higher at the end of his term, compared with 47 percent gains during the Clinton administration and 62 percent under Obama's watch.

Profits rose roughly 25 percent under Reagan and Bush I; they were up 37 percent under Carter.

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As Cars Get Increasingly High Tech, Are Insurers Stuck in the Slow Lane?

As internet-connected and, eventually, driverless vehicles roll off production lines, traditional motor insurers need to adapt to ward off competition from car manufacturers.

Insurers have struggled for years to make a profit from motor insurance due to intense competition and a rising tide of fraudulent claims. Now they face a much bigger threat as new technology sends key information about drivers' behavior, including their speed when an accident occurred, directly to car makers.

Kenny Leitch, telematics director at British insurer RSA , said car manufacturers will want to offer insurance directly to car owners to remove the risk of a Jaguar, for example, being sent for repair and the insurer replacing it with a courtesy BMW - which the driver ultimately prefers.

"You can see them trying to grab control, they do not want insurers taking control," he said.

RSA is in discussions with car manufacturers on ways they can work together and "we will keep talking to them," Leitch said.

One way forward for insurers is joint partnerships.

Japan's Toyota and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, for example, are planning to jointly develop car insurance based on a driver's habits.

Car manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Ford and General Motors, are already making cars that are hooked up to smartphones, letting drivers do everything from honking the horn remotely to recording the force with which they brake and accelerate.

The data from these connections could then be used to price insurance policies.

Insurers, traditionally slow to embrace technology, need to catch up.

"Insurance is in the stone ages, while people are circling Mars in spaceships in other industries," said Mark Wilson, chief executive of British insurer Aviva. It has opened a digital hub to generate new product ideas and make them more accessible via tablet and smartphone in London's trendy Hoxton area, home to many tech firms.

"We need to build our own spaceship," said Wilson.

Insurers are also using telematics - black boxes installed in cars - to monitor behavior on the road and lure safer drivers with lower premiums.

Between 2013 and 2015 the number of policies using telematics tripled in the United States to 6.8 million, and more than doubled in Europe to 5.1 million, according to consulting firm Ptolemus.

"Insurance is in the Stone Age, while people are circling Mars in spaceships in other industries."

The advent of driverless cars, however, could tilt the balance further in the direction of manufacturers.

At $500 billion plus, the global motor insurance market is large but Graham Jackson, a partner at consultancy PwC, warns of the threat of an "existential crisis" for insurers.

Volvo Car Group will test its driverless cars in London next year. Volvo, Mercedes and Google have said they will take liability for accidents in their driverless cars, potentially meaning car owners will only need insurance for fire and theft.

"As the car becomes more autonomous ... we believe more of the liability will be absorbed by the manufacturer or the entity that has made the algorithms behind the brain of the car," said Jerry Albright, principal in KPMG's actuarial and insurance risk practice.

"At one point, does that become such a large portion that carmakers say,'we will insure all these cars'?"

Google Threat

A 2015 KPMG report suggests the personal car insurance sector could shrink to 40 percent of its current size within 25 years. In addition to manufacturers taking liability, the number of accidents should drop as driverless cars take off, reducing insurance premiums, KPMG says.

Insurers see their biggest threat as Alphabet's Google because of its strong brand and ability to use customer data, according to consultancy Capgemini.

"Companies like Google are expert at protecting value," said Jackson at PwC. "If there is profit to be made from underwriting, they will underwrite."

But others are less sure Google will be willing to enter the highly regulated insurance sector, pointing to its recent exit from running an insurance comparison website.

The insurance industry, which started life in London in 1688 in Edward Lloyd's coffee house, has already coped with the arrival of the car, the plane, and the space rocket.

The insurance industry, which started life in London in 1688 in Edward Lloyd's coffee house, has already coped with the arrival of the car, the plane, and the space rocket.

It could adapt again, industry specialists say, by offering cyber insurance against the hacking of connected or driverless cars, or liability cover to car manufacturers.

"I don't think insurers are panicking," said Kymberly Kochis, partner at law firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan's New York office. "I don't think this will cause the demise of auto insurance - this is an area for insurance companies to watch."

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Black Dollars Matter': Bank-Ins May Be The Way to Empowerment

According to the president of OneUnited Bank, which bills itself as the first black-owned internet bank, after the wake of recent protests over police-involved deaths of black men, business has increased tenfold.

"We've had a surge," said Teri Williams, OneUnited's president. "When I say surge, I mean people lined up outside the door of our branches to open accounts."

Her bank is not alone.

After the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, black activists nationwide organized boycotts of major banks and retailers — including aneconomic boycott of a Baton Rouge mall and Walmart the weekend of Sterling's death. Activists have called on African-Americans to patronize black-owned stores and banks, to use the hashtags #BankBlack challenge and #MoveYourMoney, and to circulate a mass text thread to engage citizens.

And, in a seemingly unrelated Facebook movement, activists, called on more than 8,000 people to participate in "Day of Absence Pt. 1," encouraging its following to restrict purchasing goods from select retailers and restaurants and essentially any businesses that are not minority-owned.

"It is high time that we stop talking about our purchasing power and show our true value in all areas of life," the Facebook page stated.

Such efforts, black business owners say, have resulted in an uptick in business.

"As we say internally," Williams said of her bank staff's mantra, "black dollars matter."

Black buying power has a major influence on America's economy. The 2015 Multicultural Economy Report from the University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth estimated black buying power to be $1.2 trillion in 2015, with potential to reach $1.4 trillion in 2020.

These numbers and the recent galvanization on social media helped lead to OneUnited's #BankBlack challenge, which encourages banking with black-owned banks.

Every community spends money within their community," Williams said. "For whatever reason when it's us, it's considered to be radical. We really do need to be unapologetically black."

Rapper Killer Mike has been a strong advocate for African Americans to move at least portions of their money to black-owned banks to stimulate economies in those communities. The Atlanta native is particularly fond of Citizens Trust Bank, a black-owned bank in his hometown.

"What I would like to see happen is one million people instead of buying Jordans or caps or whatever thing is cool this month," he said, "one million black people find one black banking institution," Killer Mike said at the "What Now" town hallhosted by MTV and BET.

Over the past week, Citizens Trust received about 8,000 applications for new accounts and they've opened 2,200 of those accounts according to the bank's President and CEO, Cynthia N. Day.

"We're extremely excited that people are galvanizing around this cause (and) want to join us on this journey and our mission to create a better economic situation for our community," said Day.

Solange is another celebrity supporting black owned banks. She released a list of21 black banks nationwide. After joining protests in Louisiana, she that she made the personal decision to move her money into a black bank. source- BBC

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Zika Virus May Be in Florida — and Congress Is on Vacation

Florida health officials are checking on the latest case of Zika virus there — in someone who doesn't appear to have traveled to an affected zone and who doesn't appear to have been infected sexually by a traveler.

This may turn out to be the first instance of Zika spreading locally in the continental U.S.

If so, it will fulfill predictions made by the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the top infectious disease doctor at the National Institutes of Health, as well as countless experts in mosquito-borne diseases

But Congress went home last week for a seven-week summer break without appropriating the money that top health officials have asked for.

The failure to approve the funds has flabbergasted top public health officials, doctors in the trenches and academic researchers alike.

Now Florida is trying to track down the virus with its own resources, and with $2 million from the CDC — much less than it would normally need for the effort. President Barack Obama called Florida Governor Rick Scott Wednesday to talk about the case, and to promise another $5.6 million from the CDC.

But it's far short of the money Florida should already have had, health officials say.

"This is a disturbing yet predictable development that is precisely why Congress needed to approve emergency funding," said Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican who fought for the funding.

"Washington's failure to approve emergency funding was a national disgrace that needs to be corrected as soon as Congress returns from its summer recess."

CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden has said it's a matter of when, not if, the virus will start spreading in parts of the U.S. It's already at epidemic proportions in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, and thousands of travelers have come to U.S. soil infected.

All it will take is for an Aedes mosquito to bite someone who's infected, and then bite someone else. If that someone else is a pregnant woman, it could be disastrous for her baby.

"It really is outrageous," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat who's been fighting for the funding for months.

"I think it's criminal neglect," she said.

President Barack Obama started asking for $1.9 billion to fight Zika back in February. Unusually, Congress balked, for months.

Republicans said they wanted accountability, but Frieden and others say they have provided a detailed accounting for the money. Democrats overwhelmingly support the funding, but say they were forced to vote against a bill offered by Republicans in late June that was loaded with provisions they couldn't support - an age-old tactic known as "poison pills".

But it's unlikely voters will hold Congress accountable, said DeLauro.

"We are off for seven weeks. And they leave with impunity. They don't care," she told NBC News.

The seven-month standoff has astonished public health experts and politicians alike.

"We have got all the tools. We have got all the personnel, we have got reasonably good information about the Zika virus, what it is what it does. We just don't have the resources to fight it."

Health experts have pointed out several times that Zika causes a delayed disaster. The virus doesn't make most people sick. The biggest damage is to developing babies.

And if Zika's just now starting to arrive in the U.S., its effects may not show up for months. Studies show that microcephaly—the abnormally small heads that are a result of profound brain damage - are just the most obvious of the many birth defects the virus can cause.

"WE HAD A CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND WE DIDN'T."

"It's really about a potential Zika generation of infants," Hodge told NBC News.

"We are talking about a generation of kids whose potential disabilities will not be showing up for years.," he added. "Who's really going to be held accountable for this?"

The November elections will be over by the time babies born by home-grown Zika are born in the U.S.

"We had a chance to do something about this and we didn't," Hodge said.

"The tragedy runs deeper than the number of babies who will be harmed and the spread of disease that Congress has ignored," said American Public Health Association executive director Dr. Georges Benjami.

"It doesn't make sense, it's irresponsible and it will place tremendous strain on public health departments and communities. Even when Congress comes back, the situation will be worse and require more resources to appropriately combat."

"THERE IS NO ADVANTAGE TO IGNORING A PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT LIKE THIS."

DeLauro sputters with anger when she talks about it.

"They don't do that in a military emergency. They don't do that in a disaster," she said.

"If we can declare a hurricane, a flood…as an emergency, why can't we do it for public health? It is a politics that is beyond belief. Why? Why?"

Hodge says Republicans fear they are being asked to spend money unnecessarily. "They think CDC and perhaps others have cried wolf," he said. Ebola did not actually threaten the United States, although it was a disaster in West Africa, killing 11,000 people.

Public health experts point out Congress appropriated $5 billion for Ebola in 2014 and much of it was used to help stop the epidemic and screen travelers before they could carry the virus to the U.S.

And eventually, Hodge and DeLauro both predict, Congress will OK the money for Zika, although it may be too late for many babies.

"There is no advantage to ignoring a public health threat like this," Hodge said. 

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7 Things Every Traveller Worth Their Salt can Talk for Hours About!

Summary:

We all have our routines with different aims, some to earn a living, some to pass an exam, some to live life as deemed fit by loved ones. Our minds, however, are trained reflections of the primitive adventure seeking, hunter gatherer. Ever wondered? Why planning a trip seems fun? Why anything to break routine seems ‘cool’ and interesting? Thats you wondering how it would be to pack your bag, leave routine behind and explore, wander and pack your mind with soulful moments that you will treasure till the end, more than that new car or flat you dream of buying! Pack your bags and venture out, you will come back a different person!

Plan to discover

Source:BruisedPassports

When you decide to travel, nothing prepares you from the magnanimity of ourplanet. Be it the languages, the cultures, the noises, the smells, the languages, the food etc etc etc. This is why you need to stop, calibrate and travel, IMMEDIATELY!

The dose of this vastness humbles you. You may be a scientist, engineer or an incredibly successful lawyer. You are a true authority, rightfully arrogant and brash in daily life.

No one knows you, unfamiliar surroundings

Remote travel like in Chhattisgarh on your way to Barnawapara National Park, it doesn't take more than a tea break on NH 6 to shed you off all the ‘know all’ paradigm. The language, the humility of the local people, the landscape all new, all of it beating a sense of awe out of you.

Source: Sid-thewanderer

Barnawapara: a place of balance

Then you get a chance to meet the Gonds of Barnawapara and your pride in the middle class lifestyle, modern capitalist and ego massaging, takes a beating. You see man and nature coexist side by side. People know their landscape and the wildlife is protected.  You realise, “Damn! There is a lot I don't know about, afterall”.

 

Source: blog.travelwithus

You wonder can having access to the forest be as important and fulfilling as me getting my newest X-Box? You see magic in simplicity and entitlement in happiness. That is new, refreshing and helps you find a connection.

Budget Hotel: Muba's Machaan

Mid range: Mayura Hotel

Luxury: VW Canyon

Out of your comfort zone; face the elements

What does being embraced mean to you? A hug from a loved one? Acceptance at your workplace? Getting out of routine, out of your well marked territorial comfort zone, puts you out there.

dangerous-business

Journey to the stars at Kudremukh 

Get your backpack, trek the Kudremukh peak. Get a local tribal guide. Carry a tent, camp under the stars; wild, inviting and completely isolated from your rockstar routine. Pristine wilderness surrounds you, the stars watch over your night’s rest, peacock calls wake you up. This is when you feel her comforting arms around you. The one true embrace.

Source:mumbaitravellers

Luxury: Taj West End

Mid-range: The Chancery

Budget: Ballal Residency

We make an Impact on this world

We change landscapes, we dam rivers, we use forests as resources, we build roads, we take pride in mega cities we build and reside in! Great achievements isnt it? Ever wondered what other species sharing this planet think about all of this? Well, we are an intelligent specie surely we know what impact we make. The planet is vast, tremendously old and wise. She has survived before us she will will continue to flourish after us. Become aware, get out of your usual grind. Travel and explore how we change our world and what happens to species that can't talk our language.

volunteerworkIndia

Islands of paradise remain; go explore Simlipal 

Less known and underexplored Simplipal Tiger Reserve is right in the middle of progress as we know it. A flourishing mining industry employing tribals displaced from their forests and rivers, Simplipal is the perfect place to see contrasting life forms co-exist, well for now atleast. Get a glimpse of a Tiger, explore the local cultural heritage, for those with an open mind, this place is a temple of learning of how we interact with the planet's diversity.

Source: telegraph

Budget stays: Bhagela Resorts

Mid-range stays: Monsoon Forest lodge

Luxury stays: Syna Tiger Resort

1. Dont Just Exist, LIVE

qz

There are many reasons to thrash routine and do what your soul tells you. Nothing beats a collage of culture, wilderness, people and cuisine all served to you in one gigantic platter of self discovery. Taking a roadtrip preferably alone is a stupendous task. It tests you often bringing out shades of you that no one knew existed. Its also gratifying to see the things you see, to learn all that is thrown at you, to feel your senses heighten at every new discovery. You feel life in everything around; this planet lives and breaths indeed. You start to find and love yourself. Maybe thats whats needed in today’s fast paced market oriented life. Don’t just exist, LIVE.

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WhatsApp adds new font: Here’s how to use it

WhatsApp is looking to add a new font to its iOS and Android app, and the feature has been spotted in Android beta build (version 2.16.179). The new WhatsApp version is available via Google Play’s beta program, and the feature has also been spotted by iOS beta users.

Users of WhatsApp will now be able to use a different font for chatting. The font – FixedSys – is similar to the one in Windows with the same name. This is the only font option that seems to be available for WhatsApp right now. The new font, however, isn’t very practical to use. So, everything that users want to type in FixedSys needs to go inside three backquote symbols, both at the starting and at the end of a sentence or a word.

For example, to type The Indian Express in FixedSys font, you will need to put The Indian Express between ”’. So, typing ”’The Indian Express”’ will change its font to FixedSys, which makes it a bit difficult to use frequently. Also, the font cannot be clubbed with other text formats like bold, italics or strikethrough.

Sponsored: Pay 5% on booking & 1% per month till possession for semi-furnished homes @ Godrej Prana, Undri in Pune.

WhatsApp recently added a host of new features to make its platform both convenient and fun. It rolled out quote message feature which allows users to quote specific messages or media and reply to them. Facebook-owned WhatsApp is reportedly looking to add GIF support to its iOS app.

WhatsApp, which added support to share documents like PDFs and Doc files; is now fully encrypted. This means that man-in-the-middle attacks are no longer possible on WhatsApp chats, and no third-party can read or listen in to the conversations. Also, WhatsApp is reportedly working on a video-calling feature, which was earlier spotted in an Android beta build, but later taken off.

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7th Pay Commission latest news: Akhilesh Yadav forms high level committee to look into salary hike of Central Government employees

Lucknow, July 19: For Central Government employees working in Uttar Pradesh, salary hike will soon turn into reality as Uttar Pradesh government led by Akhilesh Yadav has decided to constitute a high level committee after Centre’s decision to implement 7th Pay Commission recommendations.

The decision to set up a high level committee was taken by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet ministers on Monday who have been ordered to submit its report to the state government in 6 months. The panel has been asked to examine implications of the 7CPC recommendations on state exchequer over salaries, pensions and other related benefits provided by the government to state employees. Akhilesh Yadav will be appointing the chairman of the committee.

Before submitting its final report, the committee would consider state’s financial resources and constraints with regards to development.

After the 7CPC implementation, Uttar Pradesh government will have an additional burden on the state exchequer of around Rs 24,000 crore over the current salary and Rs 1,00,000 crore on pension bill.

The implementation of 7CPC in UP will benefit 16 lakh Central Government employees and over 15 lakh pensioners in the state. According to reports, UP government has the highest number of employees working under the payroll of centre.

With state assembly elections due in early 2017, Samajwadi Party leaders and Akhilesh is expected to move fast on the matter to keep a huge chunk of 21 lakh people happy. There are reports that the state government may provide some additional funds through supplementary budget if needed.

The 7CPC recommendations made by Justice A K Mathur and his committee was approved by the Union Cabinet last month which hiked the salaries by 14.27 per cent. More than 47 lakh Central Government employees and 53 lakh pensioners have been eagerly waiting for the implementation of 7CPC.

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