IBPS CRPSPL-IV Exam - Download Admit Cards

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS)  has released the admit cards for the candidates who have successfully registered for Common Recruitment Process (CRP) for selection of personnel in Specialist Officers' cadre posts. The admit cards can be downloaded from the official website of IBPS. 

Admit cards can be downloaded through the official website of IBPS using the registration number, Date of birth or password. The online examination for  common recruitment process to recruit personnel in Specialists officers  will be conducted on February 14 and 15, 2015.

Vacancy Details:

Name of the posts:
 I.T. Officer (Scale-I)
Agricultural Field Officer (ScaleI)
Rajbhasha Adhikari (Scale I)
Law Officer (Scale I)
HR/ Personnel Officer (Scale I)
Marketing Officer (Scale I)

Paper pattern of the Online CWE:

For Law Officer-Scale I and Rajbhasha Adhikari Scale I:

The exam will be conducted for 120 minutes and will include the following sections.
Reasoning- 50 marks
English Language- 25 marks
General Awareness with special reference to Banking Industry-50 marks
Professional Knowledge-75 marks
Total- 200 marks    

For IT Officer Scale I, Agricultural Field Officer Scale I, HR/ Personnel Officer Scale I & Marketing Officer Scale I:

The exam will be conducted for 120 minutes and will include the following sections.
Reasoning- 50 marks
English Language- 25 marks
Quantitative Aptitude-50 marks
Professional Knowledge-75 marks
Total- 200 marks

All the tests except the test of English language will be available bilingually. 

Penalty for wrong Answers:

There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is marked by the candidate; there will be no penalty for that question.

Interview Round:

Candidates who will be shortlisted in the online examination of CRPSPL-IV will be called for interview. The total marks allotted for interview will be 100.
The minimum qualifying marks in interview will not be less than 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates). The weightage (ratio) of Online CWE (exam) and interview will be 80:20.

Selection Procedure:

Candidates are required to appear for the common online entrance exam. Those who appear and shortlisted in the examination, will subsequently called for a common interview to be conducted by the participating organizations and Co-ordinated by the Nodal bank with the help of IBPS.

Shortlisted candidates will be provisionally allotted to one of the participating organization depending on the vacancies to be filled in during the financial year 2015-16.

Important Dates:

Online Examination (Tentative dates): February 14, 2015 and February 15, 2015.

AICTE CMAT 2015 Admit Cards Download

The admit cards for Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) for the February 2015 session will be available on the official website from today i.e. January 30. To fetch the admit cards, the candidates will be required to visit the AICTE CMAT website and click on the link 'CMAT 2015 admit card/ hall ticket'. By inserting the name and password, the admit cards will appear on t he monitor screen and can be downloaded, thereafter.

The candidates are required to carry the admit cards along with them at the time of exam, failing which they will not be permitted to sit for the test. 

The candidates who have completed their graduation or appearing in the final year of their graduate courses are eligible to sit for CMAT exam. To be held for a duration of 180 minutes, the CMAT exam will be bifurcated into four sections, namely: Quantitative Techniques and Data interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension and General Awareness.

There will be 25 questions in each section carrying four marks each. A total of 100 questions carrying 400 marks will have to be answered by the candidates. For every wrong answer, one mark will be deducted. 

The candidates who will successfully qualify CMAT will be eligible for admissions to various MBA programmes in AICTE approved institutions and University Departments of the states, and one of the five tests for PGDM programmes. 

The CMAT is scheduled to be held between February 19 and February 22 in two sessions, i.e. 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. and 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. 

Click Here To AICTE CMAT 2015 Admit Cards Download for AICTE CMAT 2015

Not DRDO all over again: Sujatha Singh knew she would be replaced, says Sushma

Keen perhaps to avoid another DRDO-like situation, the NDA government has taken pains to refute reports that Sujatha Singh did not know that she was to be replaced as foreign secretary by India's envoy to the US, Dr Jaishankar.

External Affairs Minster Sushma Swaraj tweeted that not only did Singh know that she was to be replaced, but that she had also spoken to Singh personally about the decision.

The decision announced by the Cabinet appointments committee took everyone by surprise, with even the Congress party demanding to know why Singh had been 'sacked'. Many drew parallels with the unceremonious ouster of DRDO chief Avinash Chander, who reportedly found out that he was going to be removed via media reports.

The incident left a sour taste in the mouth, despite defence minister Manohar Parrikar saying that it was done in an effort to introduce young blood into the ageing organisation. Although many agreed with the decision and the logic behind it, the way it was done only added to perception that the Modi government was being ruthless in its treatment of government employees who had served the country for many years.

So this time around, and especially with an important state election right around the corner, the government wants to make it clear that Singh's ouster was not a surprise to her.

In fact, Singh herself had sent a farewell mail to her colleagues, in which she had said that 'no individual is larger than the institution'.

The letter added that, “I believe that the Foreign Secretary, as Head of this service and the senior-most civil servant in the Ministry, plays a critical role in being the main point of interface with the political leadership, in giving objective advice that takes into account India’s foreign policy interests over all connected and interlinked aspects… While individuals can and do play a critical role in building institutions, I believe that no individual is larger than the institution. It can never be about individuals. It has to be about institutions and how institutions interface and coordinate with each other.”

She had also said that she sought an early retirement after 38 years in the service. However, Singh had reportedly not been present when Jaishankar took over the office.

As clarified by Swaraj, under the rules of service, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer cannot be appointed foreign secretary once he/she is past the official retirement age of 60. As Foreign Secretary, Jaishankar now gets a fresh two-year tenure.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar did not mention Singh either after taking charge.

"My priorities are the government’s priorities. So, I think at this time let’s leave it at that This is a big responsibility. I would say that I am very honored that I have been assigned this responsibility," he said.

ALL CREDITS:- http://www.firstpost.com

Why some Indians want to build a statue of Mahatma Gandhi’s killer

NEW DELHI -- For several weeks now, a small Hindu fringe group in India has been attracting attention around the world because of its plans to erect a bust in honor of Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi in 1948.

Organizers had chosen Friday, the 67^th anniversary of the freedom fighter’s death, as the big day. They had a bust of assassin Godse ready to go — and had even conducted a special purification ritual at the temple spot in the northern city of Meerut, 43 miles northeast of New Delhi.  They demanded that Friday be declared as a “day of courage” across India, to mark what they regard was Godse’s brave act.

But on Friday, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha said they were prohibited from leaving their office to implement the plan. Police, fearing that the move could prompt community tension, also sealed the site with ropes and stuck a prohibitory notice on the wall that barred any installation activity.

“Senior police officers are sitting outside our office, we are not allowed to move out. They say installing Godse’s statue will disturb social order in the country,” grumbled Abhishek Agarwaal, 36, district president of the group. “It is a myth that Hindus are becoming dominant after Narendra Modi became the prime minister of India. Look at how they are treating Hindu groups like ours?”

The move has confounded many in India -- and around the world. It would be like a group of Americans threatening to erect a statue of James Earl Ray, who killed Martin Luther King, or John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Abraham Lincoln.

Yet this is not the first time the group has vented its desire to celebrate Godse. They did the same when Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was last in power more than a decade ago.

Members of Agarwaal’s group consider Godse a patriot because he killed the man they hold responsible for the country’s violent partition into Hindu-majority India and Muslim majority Pakistan in 1947. Godse was a member of the Hindu-pride group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, but quit in the early 1940s. Modi too began his early political career as a member of the group.

In December, Sakshi Maharaj, a lawmaker from Modi’s party, called Godse a patriot. A day later he apologised amid loud opposition. In recent weeks, many Hindu fringe groups have raised contentious issues like religious conversions. Maharaj also urged Hindu women to have four children to keep up with the growing number of Muslims.

“For so many years Gandhi has been revered as a great soul by Indians. We want to tell the youth that it is all a lie,“ Agarwaal said. “Godse was the true patriot. We do not regard Gandhi as the father of the nation. He was too soft on Muslims. It was because of him that Pakistan was created out of my motherland.”

ALL CREDITS TO:- WASHINGTON POST

NOTE:- ALL TEXT MATERIAL IN THIS POST IS COPIED FROM WWW.WASHINGTONPOST.COM WEBSITE

Coal India share sale floor price set at Rs 358 per share

 The government has fixed a floor price of Rs 358 a share for its up to 10% stake sale in Coal IndiaBSE -3.81 % on Friday. This is a 4.6% discount to the closing price of Rs 375.15 for the company's shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday. Retail investor will also get another 5% discount on the final offer price. Twenty per cent of the issue has been reserved for retail investors.

The government is selling 5% of company's shares through an offer for sale with an option to sell another 5% for a maximum 10% divestment. At this floor price, the government will get Rs 22,600 crore if the greenshoe option is exercised. Such an option allows seller to offer more shares if there is good demand. The government currently has 89.65% stake in the coal monopoly.

In October 2010, Coal India was listed through a record initial public offer (IPO) that raised Rs 15,199 crore. At the IPO price of Rs 245 apiece, the issue was oversubscribed 15 times.

Most market experts said the issue is attractively priced. If the 10% stake sale goes through, the government will be able to meet almost half of its disinvestment target. It has so far managed to raise Rs 1,715 crore through a 5% divestment in Steel Authority of India (SAIL) against a record target of Rs 58,425 crore, of which Rs 43,425 crore was to come from stake sale in state owned firms.

The balance Rs 15,000 crore is to come from government's remaining stake in privatised companies such as Hindustan Zinc. Earlier this week, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said the government will off-load stake in state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) this fiscal subject to conducive market conditions.

A 5% stake sale in ONGC it may fetch another Rs 15,000 crore, bringing the governemnt closer to the disinvestment target. According to officials, next in line are Power Finance and Rural Electrification Corp.

In the past few years, asset sales have fallen short of target. In 2013-14, the government could mobilise just Rs 15,820 crore against a target of Rs 40,000 crore. In 2012-13, disinvestment yielded Rs 23,957 crore against a target of Rs 30,000 crore. Nomura said the company could announce a dividend once the offer closed. "As has historically been the case, we believe CIL may well consider declaring an interim dividend next month" it said in a report.

ALL CREDITS:- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Interactive intent modelling gives SciNet the edge over other search engines

SciNet combines a conventional search interface with a radar-like interactive cloud of related keywords that can be combined or moved nearer or farther from the center to improve result relevance

Google may be dominant in the battle of the search engines, but its ever-evolving page rank algorithm and straightforward list of results don't always get you the information you want – especially when you're not sure precisely what keywords to use. Now researchers at the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT) have developed a new alternative called SciNet that uses information visualization to help you dig through related terms in narrowing down a search. Its creators claim that it outperforms conventional search user interfaces in finding information in an academic database.

SciNet's big selling point is a user interface called IntentRadar, which is meant to make search a more exploratory experience. Results appear with a radar-like cloud of keywords and terms on the left and the traditional ranked list on the right. Keywords nearer the center of the radar are deemed more closely related to the search topic than those farther away. Related topics are also shown. You can move keywords in the radar around to show what information is most useful.

The idea is to interactively model your intent so that your query evolves naturally through feedback loops as you dig deeper. The researchers give the example of searching for "3D gestures." The intent model suggests gesture recognition as a highly-relevant, potentially-interesting intent, with other intents including video games, interaction, virtual reality, and hidden Markov models (a special variety of statistical modelling). If you drag "gesture recognition" close to the center, the radar reconfigures itself and visualizes new estimates of intent. Conversely, if you drag "video games" further away, keywords related to that will be downplayed in the results.

Relevant keywords can be combined at a click, too. Selecting "gesture recognition" and then "hidden Markov models" will result in the system suggesting results that apply hidden Markov models in gesture recognition. And keywords at the periphery can be enlarged by a fisheye lens effect that follows the mouse cursor around the radar. You can see a video demonstration of the system below.

The basic theory behind all of this is that people often aren't sure precisely what they're searching for – what is known as the vocabulary mismatch problem. It's not a great issue in cases where your query is simple ("Thai restaurants near me" or "best websites about emerging technology"), but it becomes problematic when your search is for more complicated information and you don't know the appropriate jargon. By exploring relevant keywords, you can quickly adjust your search and focus in on the abstract target in your head.

This sort of exploratory search is possible with the likes of Google and Bing, but it requires visiting pages in the results and skimming through them to find more appropriate terms, a process that can be lengthy and laborious if your search is particularly complex.

The researchers claim that their system offers dramatic real-world improvements in complex information retrieval. They tested an earlier version on 20 people in a 2013 study in which participants were given 30 minutes to solve research tasks using information retrieval systems on a database of more than 50 million scholarly articles. Interactive search intent modelling significantly improved performance over a conventional list-and-typed-queries system. Users of the new system also iterated on their query nearly twice as many times as those of the conventional method, suggesting that it's easier to direct a search with an interactive IntentRadar.

Intent modeled search may soon extend into wearables and augmented reality, too, the researchers suggest. Head-mounted displays like Google Glass could suggest information based on a poster at a conference, for instance, and they've even had some success mining information relevance directly from the human mind via electroencephalography (EEG).

A company called Etsimo Ltd has been set up to further develop and commercialize the SciNet search engine, which is described in an article published in the journal Communications of the ACM.

Sources: Helsinki Institute for Information Technology

Madras University UG / PG Nov 2014 results announced

Chennai, Jan 28 (TruthDive): Madras University which conducted UG / PG / Professional examination in the month of November 2014 has announced the results in its official website.

Candidates who appeared for Madras University UG /PG Professional examination may download the results in the below given websites.

www.unom.ac.in

www.results.unom.ac.in

www.indiaresults.com

www.results.chennaieducation.net

To check Madras University UG / PG / Professional November 2014 results, click the link www.results.unom.ac.in

To check Madras University UG November 2014 results, click the link  www.results.unom.ac.in

To check Madras University PG November 2014 results click the link www.results.chennaieducation.net

To download Madras University UG /PG/Professional November 2014 results, candidates may follow the below steps:

Log on to the official website at www.results.unom.ac.in

Click the link titled as Madras University UG / PG / Professional November 2014 results.

Enter essential details as instructed. Submit the entered data.

Madras University UG / PG / Professional November 2014 results will display on the screen.

Candidates may take a print out of their results for reference.

To obtain Madras University results 2014 via SMS, candidates may follow the below steps:

For UG results

Type RESULT<space>UNOMUG<space>REGISTER NUMBER and send to 56263

For PG results

Type RESULT<space>UNOMPG<space>REGISTER NUMBER and send to 56263

Important note

Qualifying candidates who wish to appear for April 2015 examinations may submit their application from 30^th January 2015.

Closing date for online registration- 13^th February 2015

Candidates who fail to submit their application before 13^th February 2015 may submit the application on or before 20^th February 2015(with fine).

Candidates can register their name for revaluation / re total of answer scripts of the mentioned examination only from 28^th January 2015.

Closing date for online registration of revaluation/re total- 3^rd February 2015

For more details candidates may visit the official website at www.results.unom.ac.in

Joint Radio Address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama

Hours after US President Barack Obama left India after a historic visit, during which he was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade and held summit meetings, a joint radio address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Obama is being broadcast.

The joint address had been recorded yesterday. Here are some highlights from the address:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

• For the past few months I have been speaking to you. Today we are joined by US President Barack Obama.
• In Swahili, Barack means 'one who is blessed'.
  In African cultures, they say 'I am because we are'. It is similar to our saying 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam'.
• When we speak of Martin Luther King or Obama, we get to hear them speak about (the influence) of Mahatma Gandhi.
• President Obama's life, the way he has raised his daughters will serve as an inspiration for us - 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' is our social obligation which all of us must fulfill.
• I want to tell you, you can come any time, India will always welcome you and your children.
• When I first went to America, we'd taken a photograph with White House in the background. Now that I've become PM that photo has become famous.
• When I went to White House, Barack gave me a book. It was a compilation of speeches at the World Religions Conference in 1894 where Swami Vivekananda had gone.
• He told me with pride that I come from that city (Chicago) where Swami Vivekananda had gone.
• A tea seller or some one born to a single mother lead our nations. An example of extra ordinary opportunities in our nations.
• Communists used to say earlier, 'workers of the world unite.' I think today it should be- youth unite the world.
• Benjamin Franklin's life inspires me. His thoughts still impact American life.
• If you read about him, it will help and inspire you to transform your life.
  

US President begins his joint radio address with 'Namaste':

• India and US are natural partners because we have so much in common.
• Linked by millions of proud Indian Americans.
• Appreciate the PM's strong personal commitment to strengthening the relationship between these two countries.
• I am told that it is first ever radio address by Indian PM and American President.
• They (my daughters) very much wanted to come. They are fascinated by the history and culture of India.
• Malia my elder daughter had exams... when I go back I'm going to tell them that India is as magnificent as they imagined.
• Will definitely do some shopping. I can't go to the stores but my team will. I'll take Michelle's advice...
• Look forward to partnering with organizations here in India on broader public health issues including obesity.
• Very proud of the work Michelle has done.
• When I first visited the White House I too did not think I'd be there. Both of us have been blessed with opportunity.
• Emphasis on higher education is necessary for all around development of youth which is actually strength of a nation.
• I think governments and leaders cannot simply try to govern.
• They have to rather reach out to people in an inclusive way and have a dialogue.
• Emphasis on higher education is necessary for all around development of youth which is actually strength of a nation.
• Everyone had bad days at work, you have to keep working through it.
• The only questions that come to me are the ones no one solved.
• There are days when it's tough and frustrating. But almost everyday I meet somebody who say I made a difference in their life.
• If you are helping someone else, the satisfaction you get from that exceeds anything else. That is what inspires me.
• There are days when it's tough but almost every day I meet someone who says you made a difference in my life.
•  

CREDITS:- http://www.ndtv.com

Miss Universe 2015

On Sunday night, a woman who has dominion over our universe was crowned in Doral, Florida. It was the Miss Universe pageant. There were hockey sticks on dresses, an ambassador for child prostitution, and a big upset.

Here's what you may have missed.

Who won?

(Getty Images)

Miss Colombia (Paulina Vega). Miss USA (Nia Sanchez) finished in second. Miss Colombia is now in control of our universe.

But as always, the real reason to watch was everything that happened before the winner was crowned.

Miss Canada dressed up like this...

Miss Canada (Getty Images)

The national costume is meant to be an embodiment of the country's pride and culture, hence Canada's hockey stick peacock costume. Somehow, however, Miss Canada (Chanel Beckenlehner) didn't win the international costume competition.

Miss Indonesia (Elvira Devinamira)'s extravagant, 44 lb. outfit took home the title.

Miss Indonesia (Getty Images)

No African countries made the top 15

Granted, this a beauty competition. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. There are no lives being saved here. That said, people were upset (and rightfully) at the message that was sent when no African country made it into the top 15 — the top 15 is essentially the first cut of the televised portion of the show, meaning there were no African countries represented for nearly three-quarters of the night.

The winner of Miss Congeniality was...

(Getty Images)

Miss Nigeria (Queen Celestine). But since no African countries made the cut, the only time we got to really see her on television was when she accepted her award.

The judges asked Miss USA about global terrorists

Miss USA made the top five, the part where the contestants are asked a question and are judged for their answer. And the question she received was completely bizarre.

"If you had 30 seconds to deliver a message to global terrorists, what would you say?" judge Manny Pacquiao asked.

Is it really fair that we are asking a woman who is devoting a portion of her life to be judged in a bikini something that's usually reserved for presidents and prime ministers to answer?

What exactly is a global terrorist? Are global terrorists watching Miss Universe? And what kind of speaking terms does this question assume? Is this message to global terrorists out of the blue? Is it formal, or is it candid? At what occasion will this message be played?

Miss USA cobbled together some word salad about hope, love and inspiration — the best she could when faced with a strange question. "As Miss USA I can always spread a message of hope and love and peace," Sanchez said.

India's Republic Day: history, pomp and a parade

(Reuters) - Barack Obama is the first U.S. president to be guest of honour at India's annual Republic Day parade, a flamboyant display of the South Asian nation's military might and cultural diversity in the heart of the capital, New Delhi.

Despite intermittent rain, large crowds flocked to see the show on Monday morning and catch a glimpse of the U.S. president and his hosts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee.

HISTORY

India won independence from British rule on August 15, 1947, but it was not until January 26, 1950, that the nation declared itself a sovereign republic state with the adoption of its constitution. On that day, Rajendra Prasad, India's first president, unfurled the national flag, and thereafter January 26 became a national holiday, Republic Day.

A SHOW OF MIGHT

India's military forces go on full display during the two-hour parade, with troops, rows of tanks, missiles and formations of horses and camels manoeuvring down the wide Rajpath (King's Way) boulevard. During the event, bravery awards are given to military personnel, civilians and children for showing "courage in the face of adversity". The event is presided over by the president, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

CAMELS AND BALANCING ACTS

Several days before the parade, India's various armed forces units can be spotted along the route, practising for the big day. India's Border Security Force are regular favourites in the show, with their "Daredevil" motorcycle riders appearing in gravity-defying balancing acts and their camel contingents toting guns and musical instruments.

DIVERSE NATION

Throughout the morning, children from across the country perform in the parade and in past years, "tableaux", or floats, from different states and ministries have shown off everything from India's agriculture to its research in the Antarctic.

Credits: Reuters/Anindito Mukherjee

Barack Obama assures Narendra Modi on concerns over H-1B visa issue

President Barack Obama has assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he will look into India's concerns on the H-1B visa issue as part of his comprehensive immigration reform, US officials said today.

Obama told Prime Minister Modi that his administration would be in touch with the Indian government on issues related to H-1B visas, popular among Indian techies.

"I think what the President indicated is this is the type of issue (H-1B) that we have approached through the context of comprehensive immigration reform and so, given his ongoing efforts to work with Congress in pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform, we would be incorporating these types of issues in that process and would be in touch with the Indian government as that moved forward," Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told US reporters travelling with Obama.

Responding to a question on the bilateral talks held between the two leaders yesterday, Rhodes acknowledged that India's concerns over certain aspects of the immigration reform were raised at the highest level.

"They (Modi and Obama) discussed the ongoing discussions around immigration reform in the United States where there are so many Indian-American and Indian immigrants," he said.

"The Indian government raised the issue, as they regularly do. It usually does include the H-1B visa issue. Indians are working in the high-tech sector in the United States, as well as broader India presence in the United States, people who are there on a temporary basis working," Rhodes said.

In November last year, President Obama had bypassed the Congress to announce the most sweeping reform to fix America's "broken" immigration system to protect millions of illegal workers from deportation.

The plan would let parents of US citizens and legal permanent residents remain in the country temporarily, without the threat of deportation. The measure would apply to those who have been in the US for last five years.

The executive action, said to be one of the largest measure by a US President on immigration, is expected to help a significant number of Indian techies who currently have to undergo a painful and agonizing process of H-1B visas to get legal permanent status (LPR), popularly known as Green Card.

How to use WhatsApp from your computer

Tired of only being able to access your WhatsApp conversations on your phone? Start using WhatsApp Web.

Earlier this week Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced WhatsApp Web. The new service makes it possible for a user to link a website accessible only through Google's Chrome browser to his or her WhatsApp account. In doing so, WhatsApp conversations will sync between the mobile device and desktop.

As long as you're signed in, your conversations will sync -- even when you're away from the computer, or on a cellular connection (as opposed to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer).

The process for linking your WhatsApp account to your computer is streamlined, and easy enough for Grandma to follow.

• First, download Chrome if you don't already have it installed on your computer.
• Next, visit https://web.whatsapp.com/ in Chrome.
• Follow the instructions to pull up the WhatsApp Web QR code scanner on your mobile device. The method for launching this section of the app is a different based on the platform you're using, but directions are listed just under the QR code.
• Scan the QR code and watch as your conversations magically appear in your browser.

iOS users will notice directions to connect your iPhone are missing from the list of supported devices. WhatsApp says the reason is due to "Apple platform limitations."

The layout of WhatsApp Web should mirror the mobile experience, just on a larger scale. You can still send emoji, photos, voice notes, view your contact list and so forth.

To receive alerts of incoming messages on your computer, click on Allow (top-right corner of Chrome) when prompted. You'll need to approve access to other aspects of your computer in a similar fashion as you attempt to send photos or record voice memos.

Going forward, anyone who has access to your computer will be able to pull up your WhatsApp conversations as long as you remain logged in. If your computer is password protected, that's probably not a big deal. But when using WhatsApp Web from a public computer, you'll want to sign out when you're finished. You can do that by clicking on the three-dot menu icon and selecting Log out.

India Celebrates Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 118th Birth Anniversary

PM Narendra Modi Pays Tribute To The Freedom Fighter 

Indians took to social media to pay tribute to one of the greatest freedom fighters of the country - Subhas Chandra Bose - on his 118^th birth anniversary, on 23 January. Even, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about his bravery, courage and patriotic zeal.

Subhas Chandra Bose is affectionately called "Netaji", who is known for his supreme sacrifice and his role in the freedom struggle of the country. Although Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have received maximum credit for their roles in India's freedom struggle, the contribution of Netaji is no less.

He founded Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) to overthrow the British Empire and came to acquire legendary status among Indian masses.

For a long time, his followers have demanded his birth day be named as "Desh Prem Divas".

Along with PM Modi, several others tweeted to pay tribute to Netaji on his birth anniversary.

 

Will there be hurdles to holding the coming KPSC examination?

In spite of the controversies the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has faced in recent times, it has invited online applications from aspirants for 440 posts of Gazetted Probationers’ posts of Group A and B-2014. Questions, pertinently, are now being raised whether the preliminary examinations scheduled for April 19 will be held as planned.

A highly placed source in the KPSC told The Hindu on Thursday: “If all goes well, the exams will be held as per schedule, and we are expecting over two lakh candidates to appear for the preliminary examinations.”

Scepticism over the legalities of inviting online applications, however, looms large. Expressing apprehensions, the source said: “If somebody moves the court challenging the KPSC decision to conduct the examination, then we don’t know what will happen.”

The State government had scrapped the selection list of 2011 batch following alleged malpractices in main examination and interviews. The government’s decision was challenged in the Karnataka High Court by candidates.

For the first time in the coming examinations, the KPSC will introduce negative marks for wrong answers. For a wrong answer, one-fourth (0.25) of the marks assigned to the question would be deducted as penalty, said a notification issued by Manoj Kumar Meena, Secretary, KPSC. “If the answer to a question is left blank, there will be no penalty for that,” it said. A certain percentage of posts have been reserved for candidates of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region as per Article 371-J of the Constitution.

KPSC Examination

How to Download Whatsapp for PC/Desktop

Download Whatsapp

Do you use WhatsApp on your iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows or Nokia phone? Did you always hope that your superior typing skills on a keyboard could be put to better use to WhatsApp? We have good news for you because WhatsApp now has a desktop version which is basically an app on your internet browser. You need to update your WhatsApp on your phone with the latest update to avail of the features on PC.

Just open your Google Chrome browser and add the free app from the chrome web store here. There is a ready-to-use version of WhatsApp on PC also which you can start using by clicking  https://web.whatsapp.com.

To download the WhatsApp app on your desktop, you need to scan the QR code by taking a picture of it. This is required because on the phone, all that WhatsApp needs is your mobile number and by scanning the QR code, the computer can immediately let you use WhatsApp on the PC. Here’s what you see when you have successfully updated the app on your phone and scanned the QR code.

Mac users have to wait for using WhatsApp on their computers as WhatsApp doesn’t support iOS platform at the moment. Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users can avail of the new function and start chatting on WhatsApp using their PCs. (Read: WhatsApp Plus is fake)

You need to keep your phone charged to be able to use WhatsApp on the desktop. A battery indicator pops up on screen according to TechCrunch when your phone is about to run out of battery. When your phone switches off, you can no longer use WhatsApp on your PC so keep those phones charged and start using the PC to stay connected with family and friends anywhere in the world.

Windows 10's new features

It’s official, folks: Windows 10 is coming to the people. After kicking off Windows 10 with a bevy of business-friendly features, Microsoft drew back the curtain on the operating system’s new consumer-focused features at an event on Wednesday, while simultaneously driving home a vision of an operating system designed to deliver a singular, cohesive experience across a myriad of device types.

And it'll be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users, who can snag the operating system for nada in the first year after Windows 10 hits the streets.

After Microsoft operating system chief Terry Myerson announced that crucial tidbit, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore took the stage to run through some features coming to Windows 10 Preview that are designed to make using the operating system a smoother experience.

First, Belfiore showed off some helpful tweaks to Windows 10 features that have already been announced: The Start menu will be able to expand to fill the full screen if you desire, for one thing. The Action Center (read: Windows 10’s notification center) is receiving improved functionality, such as Windows Phone 8.1-esque quick action buttons that let you activate features (such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) with a single click. Notifications in the Action Center will be able to be expanded.

More helpfully for everyday workflow, Windows 10 will condense the Control Panel and the modern UI PC Settings into a single interface, eliminating Windows 8’s maddening insistence on dumping crucial system tools into two separate locations. 

Microsoft also announced that its Continuum feature, which dynamically shifts the Windows 10 interface from the Modern UI to the desktop depending on whether you’re using a traditional PC or a touchscreen device, will soon appear in Windows 10 Preview builds.

Cortana comes to PCs

As anticipated, Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant will make the jump from Windows Phone to Windows 10, assuming control of many of the operating system’s search features. Cortana, which will get her own place next to the Start button in the desktop taskbar, can perform many of the same basic tricks she does in Windows Phone. Cortana can be interacted with via text or natural voice queries, just like on mobile devices.

Still based off Microsoft’s cloud-based Bing brains, Cortana can answer basic queries like “Will I need a coat tomorrow?” or how much it costs to attend the University of Washington, as Belfiore showed in live demonstrations. But Cortana’s also been tweaked for more useful PC-like interactions. She can scour your local machine, OneDrive account, and even your business network to find files based on natural language queries. Belfiore showed off the capabilities by asking Cortana to “Find PowerPoint slides about the charity auction” and “Show me photos from December.” The digital assistant surfaced the desired information nearly instantly.

That sounds pretty darn handy, and there are more playful commands, too: Telling Cortana to “Play my music” launches the music app, while asking her to “Please be quiet” silences the music. Nice!

Windows 10 for phones and universal apps

Belfiore then veered off to show Windows 10 on phones and tablets, including a brief demo of mobile, touch-friendly Office apps. Windows 10 for phones will basically act like an extension of your PC, featuring universal Windows apps that share the same central heart and design as their PC counterparts, as well as newly universal notifications that synchronize across Windows 10 devices.

Windows 10 phones and small-screen tablets will include a free copy of Office. For a quick look at the universal Office apps, be sure to check out our article on Windows 10 for phones and tablets.

After the mobile talk, Belfiore showcased a rebuilt version of Outlook designed for PCs, tablets, and phones alike as a universal Windows app. Strongly resembling the Mail app in Windows 8—at least aesthetically—the universal Outlook map will sport a unified look across device types, packing touch-friendly commands such as swiping left on a message to remove it, or swiping right to flag it for later follow up.

Since many of Microsoft’s apps—including Outlook—have their heads in the cloud, changes you make to a universal app on one device will be immediately reflected on other devices, as Belfiore demoed by actively editing Calendar app entries simultaneously on a PC and a phone.

Microsoft’s bringing the same cloud-centric, universal app experiences to its core Windows apps as well, all powered by OneDrive on the backend. The Photos app will create albums from all your devices, intelligently removing duplicates and burst photos. A revamped universal People app will collate your contacts, while the Music app is also receiving a universal overhaul. As rumored, Microsoft will add support for you to put your music collection in OneDrive within the next month or two, so you can listen to your tunes anywhere. Maps will also be receiving Cortana integration, and she'll be able to remember where you parked your car.

This is Spartan

Also new to Windows 10 is Spartan: A new, clean-looking, lightweight browser built around a new rendering engine. It won’t be available in the first Windows Insider builds, and it will only come to phones eventually, Belfiore said.

The Spartan browser includes a note-taking mode that lets you annotate a webpage, then share your marked-up, commented-on version with others using Windows 10’s native Share feature. There’s also a clipping tool so you can save portions of websites directly to OneNote
Spartan also doubles down on the mere act of reading on the Internet. The browser integrates an updated version of the stellar Reading Mode found in Windows 8’s Metro Internet Explorer app. Reading Mode strips all the ads and sidebar crud out of webpages, formatting articles so that they appear similar to a book. It’s a wonderful thing. Spartan also taps into the Windows Reading List app, so you can save articles to read later, synchronizing the list across multiple devices. Unlike the Reading List app in Windows 8, the one in Windows 10 will let you save content to read offline.

When can you get it?

Myerson also revealed some stats from the Windows 10 Technical Preview. Thus far, more than 1.7 million people have registered for the Windows Insider program, and they’ve installed Windows 10 on more than 3 million different PCs.

A fresh Windows 10 Preview build containing the newly announced features will hit PCs next week, with a Windows 10 build for phones becoming available after the Super Bowl.


ALL CREDITS:- http://www.pcworld.com

Football is not to blame for cricket's sledging issue

It is fashionable to blame one sport, the usual suspect, when bad behavior spreads across the spectrum, but the real villain is money

The phrase “we mustn’t become like football” is often muttered in other sports. Since the 1970s the national game has bristled at the depiction of “yob ball” as the dumping ground for rudeness, arrogance, contempt for match officials and now diving and feigning injury.

Guess what: the slogan flipped. “We do want to be like football,” cricket and rugby began to think. The growing emergency in rugby union over backchat and thespianism – and the constant bilge of sledging in cricket – prefigure the day when football can be led slobbering from its dungeon and make eye contact with other sports. 

Why do they suddenly want to “be like football” (the players, that is, not the administrators)? If people are throwing themselves over and disrespecting referees in rugby union the blame can hardly be laid at football’s door. To think a wing at Saracens or Wasps watches Manchester United’s Ashley Young impersonate a sniper victim and then auto-copies the crime in Premiership rugby is daft in every direction. 

Football does have its regular convulsions. But its willingness at least to talk about its problems gives it a head start on rugby and cricket, where the “hideous energy” (to quote Martin Crowe) of David Warner is supposedly turning the bat and ball game into a punch up waiting to happen.

Is a columnist allowed to argue in favour of a proper fight instead of the gargoyle taunting that passes for intensity and passion in modern cricket? Probably not, but an outbreak of hand-to-hand combat might bring us closer to a resolution.

In his piece on ESPNCricinfo, Crowe raised the spectre of an opponent sticking one on Warner at the forthcoming World Cup. An apocalypse from Crowe’s perspective strikes some of us as the shock the game might need to confront the sheer vacuity of abusive sledging. 

If you need Warner telling an Indian opponent “speak English” to sell your sport then you probably have a problem selling your sport. It heightens the drama only if you are easily excited by blockheads. Its defenders say cricket needs edge, needs hostility. So it does, but Warner and England’s sledgers are not it. They dilute the contest by dragging the focus away from bowler versus batsman to the kind of gobbing-off you see in the high street at kicking-out time. 

In the moral realm, football is engaged on countless fronts. Ched Evans, the Malky Mackay texts and Dave Whelan and his “chinks” are among the crossover controversies: the sort that make the Today programme. Beneath those is the hum of weekly fodder: diving, elbows, the crowding of referees, obnoxious chanting, managers slagging off referees, players getting themselves in trouble on Twitter. 

In all these areas football is the grizzled vet. Its face reveals a thousand battles. Its arm bears the imprints of Luis Suárez’s teeth. There is not an -ism you can surprise football with. And each time it is dragged out in front of the public by the scruff of the neck and ordered to apologise for its utter degradation. I know, because, like most reporters, I have dragged it out there myself. But let us not confuse Fifa corruption, scandalous ticket-price rises, money gushing into the pockets of agents and obscene weekly wages with the stuff rugby and cricket are now fretting about: individuals, or teams, violating the spirit of the game in ways with which governing bodies are only just starting to get to grips. 

Credit, here, to the Rugby Players’ Association, which has called a meeting with referees to discuss injury-feigning and backchat. This is a rare case of a union reporting itself to the authorities – holding out its hands to be cuffed – after an apparent dive by Yoann Huget of Toulouse against Bath prompted the RPA to admit its members have a problem. 

“It is pretty commonly rolled out that we are different to football because of the respect shown to referees and it would be a real shame if that was lost,” Christian Day, the RPA chairman, said. “The game is becoming more and more professional, and more and more competitive, and professional people will always look for the edge.” 

There – he said it. Rugby is not copying football. It is reading from the script that says: the bigger the rewards, the lower people will stoop to grab them. Mendacity in football is not some virus that passes from sport to sport, through TV screens. There is far more scrutiny, for example, of diving and off-the-ball violence in football than there is of cheating in rugby at the breakdown or in rucks. 

As for Warner, the king sledger: Aussie Dave has been told by James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, to “stop looking for trouble”. David Richardson, the International Cricket Council chief executive, went further, tracing the upsurge to the most recent Ashes series. “Over the last three or four months, you have seen 12 ICC code of conduct charges laid against people for exactly that – disrespectful behaviour on the field,” he said. 

Fining Warner 50 per cent of his match fee is not going to change his self-image as a renegade whose unpleasantness denotes a refusal to “back down”. Please save us from the loudmouth who thinks loudmouthery is a badge of toughness. Maybe they all want to be like football, deep down, because they want its money. Football is not the source of everyone’s infections. 

ALL CREDITS :- http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Apache CEO's Abrupt Exit Could Start A Wave Of Oil Company Deals

Apache Corp. has been in restructuring mode a long time. But today brought arguably the biggest restructuring yet — the sudden and immediate departure of longtime CEO Steven Farris. Considering the work Apache has been doing to clean itself up and focus on core operations, a Farris exit has the potential to pave the way for a long-awaited spinoff of Apache’s international operations or even an outright sale.

His replacement is John Christmann, 48, who has been leading Apache’s efforts to develop the company’s core asset: 6 million net acres of unconventional oil-rich acreage across North America. The keystone of that is 1.7 million acres in the Permian basin of west Texas, where Apache has doubled its output since 2010 to 160,000 barrels per day.

These assets may not look so great after oil prices have fallen 60% (WTI closed at $46.39 today). But they represent the future of Apache. Apache last year booked 900 million barrels of proven reserves under its Permian acreage. Only Exxon Mobil , Chevron and Occidental Petroleum have bigger positions there.

Houston-based Apache, prodded on by activist investors like Jana Partners, has been working to focus its company around onshore North America after a series of questionable international ventures caused the company to lag far behind its peers like Anadarko Petroleum and EOG Resources. Since a 2012 decision to pare itself down, Apache has sold off its Gulf of Mexico shelf fields (for $3.7 billion), a third of its assets in Egypt ($3 billion), stakes in LNG projects ($2.75 billion), stakes in the deepwater Lucius and Heidelberg fields and 11 other Gulf of Mexico exploration blocks ($1.4 billion), its entire Argentina portfolio ($800 million), dry gas fields in western Canada ($300 million).

In 2009 Apache got 184,000 barrels of oil (and equivalent gas) per day from onshore North America. That has since doubled to 360,000 boepd, out of roughly 760,000 total boepd. Last fall CEO Farris explained to investors that the plan was to spin off Apache’s international assets as a separate company.

Apache won’t comment on Farris’ departure, the timetable of a spin-off, or rumors around Houston that a deal to sell the whole company has been all but worked out. Already new CEO Christmann has set up a satellite office in San Antonio to lead unconventional drilling efforts. At just 48 years old Christmann is young for a big oil company CEO.

So what would a potential acquirer get? First off, they’d get a deal relative to what Apache was worth 6 months ago, before shares fell 40%. Having closed Tuesday at $60.16 per share, down 2.97%, Apache’s market capitalization is $23.5 billion. Add in roughly $10 billion in long-term debt plus a modest premium and an acquirer would be looking at a bill for around $38 billion.

Whether that’s a lot or a little really depends on oil prices. Over the past five years (before the bust) Apache has averaged pre-tax income of about $5.5 billion and net income of about $2 billion a year. Unlike a great many more high-profile shale drillers (i.e. Chesapeake Energy and Continental Resources), Apache has a history of generating free cash flow.

Exxon, Chevron or Occidental could swallow Apache outright and consolidate mightily in the Permian basin. Occidental is unlikely, as it’s just emerged from the spin off of its California oil fields into publicly traded California Resources Corporation (NYSE:CRC). Exxon, for its part, is still far from having convinced investors that its 2010 acquisition of XTO Energy for $40 billion was a good idea. Chevron doesn’t need any acquisitions, as it is already building out lots of organic growth, and also has a very low cost basis on its legacy acreage in west Texas. Even so Chevron does make the most sense as an acquirer. It’s the operator of those two LNG projects (Kitimat, B.C. and Wheatstone in Australia) that Apache sold out of. It’s also already has a big position in Argentina, so wasn’t interested in that, or any of the stuff Apache sold in the Gulf of Mexico. Chevron does operate several fields in the North Sea and so could consolidate Apache’s operations there.

Among other giants, Royal Dutch Shell is an unlikely buyer considering the trouble it has already had making a go of it in America’s shale plays. BP is out of the question as it’s still seeking to spin out its own U.S. onshore business. ConocoPhillips is a possibility, as the company already has a broad and deep portfolio across the United States including about 1.1 million Permian acres.

We could also see a merger of near-equals between Apache and EOG Resources, which is as big in the south Texas Eagle Ford as Apache is in the Permian. This would create a real Texas powerhouse.

It’s all just idle speculation, of course. But lots of pieces have already been in motion at Apache, and with Farris out of the way, it’s very possible that there’s even bigger moves yet to come. That likelihood might make it worthwhile for the brave investor to take a flyer on Apache shares as an alternative to other Permian-leveraged operators like Pioneer Natural Resources or Concho Resources.

A wave of consolidation is likely in the wake of oil’s plunge. It could all start here.

CREDITS:- www.forbes.com