Author: Samikhsya Bureau

The West Bengal Government will set up a Blockchain Centre in collaboration with the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).

The State Information Technology & Electronics (IT&E) Department will be heading the project.

A senior official of the department announced this on the sidelines of the two-day Global Blockchain Congress that kicked off at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.

The centre of excellence is likely to come up by the end of this financial year (2018-19).

It will be imparting advice and training in blockchain technology to all stakeholders.

Almost 50 per cent of the banks are expected to use this disruptive technology by 2020 and there is a huge transformation expected to take place in the non-financial sector as well within next few years.

Naturally, the official said, blockchain is expected to create a significant impact in the job market.(UNI)

(UNI) The supreme court will not let the Trump administration begin enforcing a ban on asylum for immigrants, who illegally cross the US-Mexico border, a key component of policies meant to make it harder for immigrants to enter and stay in the United States.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined his four more liberal colleagues on Friday in ruling against the administration in the very case in which US President Donald Trump had derided the ‘Obama judge’, who first blocked the asylum policy, a report in ABC news stated.

Government’s decision having no plan denying of having any plan for pay hike beyond 7^th Pay Commission for central government employees, the news has come as damper for the employees  of  the Central government  In fact the employees have been demanding a hike in their minimum pay but the demand has not gone well with the Central government as stated by the Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan.

(UNI) Terming as ‘shameful’ and ‘poisonous’ the resolution passed in the Delhi Assembly calling for withdrawing Bharat Ratna given to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress on Saturday demanded an apology from the ruling Aam Aadmi party in Delhi.
In a tweet, AICC spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said, ”AAP party has yet again proved that it is a party with zero ethics&zero values. A party that is just a cheap copy of BJP cannot should not be taken seriously. What they have initiated through that resolution in the Delhi Assembly is shameful, poisonous & they should apologise for it.”

It happened in Mumbai local train when a visually challenged girl was being molested on board by a man. Unperturbed the girl, trained in self defense caught the wrist of the accused so hard till he was forced to be on his knees in pain. She was traveling with her father and she did held her down tight till the police took over.

One MLA from Andhra Pradesh, Chintamaneni Prabhakar angry for not given a free toll entry abandoned his car at the toll plaza premises, took a state-run bus and went back home. This happened when the toll staff refused free entry at the toll as is customary for the MPs and MLAs pass without paying toll fee.

According to a recent notification ten Central agencies have been given the license by which any subscriber or service provider or any person in-charge of the computer sources will be bound to extend all facilities and technical help to the above agencies for assigned purposes. Failing which the offence can invite seven years imprisonment and fine.

It was all in smoke when the delivery boy of Mumbai’s ESIC’s Kamgar Hospital noticed the fire, abandoned his bike and requested the firemen if he can join them. He dared the thick smoke-filled fourth floor alone and brought the ladder and rescued ten people out from there.

Luck that does not come on the way of few. It was 16 year old cricketer Prayas Barman who was priced at Rs.1.5 crore at a bidding by the RCB on Tuesday. Prayas from Bengal made his debut playing for his state in September claiming 11 wickets in nine Vijay Hazare Trophy giving away an average runs of 4.45 per over.

At last the Jammu & kashmir state came under the president’s rule after a gap of 22 years. The situation was reportedly a consequence of several issues including threat to the social equilibrium which had gone off track after the BJP withdrew support to Mehbooba Mufti-led government bringing the state under Governor’s rule in last June.It came after the governor’s proposal approved by the Centre.

(UNI) There are “expectations” from India and China to lead Asia and usher in an Asian Century, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said here.

“As our relations are deepening and our regional and international role evolving, there are expectations from our two countries to lead Asia and usher in an ‘Asian Century’,” Ms Swaraj said in her special message to the Third India-China Think-Tank Forum.

The Forum was set up following an MoU between India and China during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to that country in 2015. The idea of the forum is to explore contentious issues and new areas of cooperation between the two countries.

UNI) BJP chief Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are set to join Hindu right wing organisations, including RSS and Dharm Acharyas, at Rajkot for brainstorming session on Ram Mandir and other socio-political issues.

“BJP chief Shah will address the Dharm Acharyas at Arsha Vidya Mandir in Rajkot,” a party source said here.

“The Dharm Acharya Sabhas are regular features. All religious and socio political issues are discussed,” RSS leader in Gujarat Vijay Thakkar said.

Mr Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP general secretary Ram Madhav are expected among others to participate at the meeting.

The two-day meet got underway on Thursday.

(UNI) US Defense Secretary James Mattis has resigned after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of US troops from Syria, citing irreconcilable policy differences in a move that took Washington by surprise.
“Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defence, whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position,” Mattis wrote in his letter to the President.
Indeed, Mattis’ resignation letter amounts to a rebuke of several of Trump’s foreign policy views, with the outgoing defence secretary touting the importance of US alliances and of being “unambiguous” in approaching adversaries such as Russia and China. It is devoid of any praise for the President.

(UNI)Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez has refused to speculate about his future beyond this season, saying he is focused only on performing well for Bayern Munich.
Rodriguez has struggled for form and fitness since joining the German club on a two-year loan deal from Real Madrid in July 2017.
“My present is with Bayern Munich, I have a contract with them until June,” Rodriguez told reporters here on Thursday. “I’m fine there, I’m calm. In June we will see what happens but right now I am only thinking about Bayern.”
Rodriguez said he is recovering steadily from a knee ligament injury and hopes to return to full fitness early in 2019.
He denied reports of a rift between the players and coach Niko Kovac following the team’s unimpressive start to the season.
Bayern Munich are currently third in the Bundesliga standings, six points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund approaching the season’s midway point.
“Bayern has a healthy squad that is good [together], and there is no issue at all with Kovac,” the playmaker added.

Botafogo have announced the signing of former Brazil international goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri for the 2019 season.
Cavalieri joins the two-time Brazilian Serie A champions as a free agent, having been without a club since parting ways with Crystal Place in June.
“Welcome to Botafogo, Diego Cavalieri. Here we are known for having great goalkeepers,” the Rio de Janeiro side said in a social media post.
Botafogo will be the sixth club of Cavalieri’s 17-year professional career.
The 36-year-old, who has been capped three times for Brazil’s national team, has also represented Palmeiras, Liverpool, Cesena, Fluminense and Crystal Palace.
Botafogo finished the 2018 Brazilian top flight season in ninth place, 29 points behind champions Palmeiras

(UNI) An India-China Film Festival will be held here from December 22 to 24 during the first India-China High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges .
To be organized at Siri Fort Auditorium by the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the film festival is part of efforts to strengthen people-to-people connect and deepen cultural understanding between the two countries.
A total of seven films including four Chinese and three Indian Films will be screened during the Festival, which will open with ‘CZ12’ , also known as ‘Chinese Zodiac’.
The list of Indian films to be screened includes ‘Dangal’ (Hindi), ‘Maacher Jhol’ (Bengali) and ‘Ventilator’ (Marathi).
All the films will carry English subtitles.
The entry for the Festival has been kept free of charge

(UNI) Eight-year-old Niya George from Hyderabad has been adjudged the National winner of the Global soft toy drawing competition conducted by the IKEA, the Swedish home furnishing retailer, which opened its first store in the country at Hyderabad in August this year.

The competition encouraged children (aged up to 12 years) to draw their dream toy on paper and have an once-in-a-lifetime chance for it to be turned into a real toy, IKEA said in a release here on Friday.
Out of 15 entries were selected from each country, the final 6 international winning drawings to eventually become a part of the limited edition – 2019
SAGOSKATT collection – a range of soft toys designed by kids, for the kids.
As part of IKEA’s global Let’s Play For Change campaign, it donates 100 percent of SAGOSKATT turnover to support children’s rights to play and develop.

(UNI) Wi-Fi services have been provided at 715 railway stations till date, while the services are proposed to be provided on 5,734 railway stations.

RailTel Corporation of India Limited (RCIL), a Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Railways has entered into an agreement with M/s. Mahataa Information India Private Limited (M/s. MIIPL), an Indian subsidiary of Google Inc. for providing free Wi-Fi at 438 A1 and A category stations, official sources said here.

(UNI) The BJP leadership has tasked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to pursue further talks with the aggrieved LJP leaders Ram Vilas Paswan and his lawmaker son Chirag and JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to end the deadlock in seat adjustment talks in NDA for 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

The development comes after two-hour long meeting between father-don duo and BJP chief Amit Shah on Thursday evening.

LJP chief and Union Food Minister Mr Paswan is known as ‘bellwether’ in coalition politics and has operated smartly to ensure cabinet berth for himself under all Prime Ministers since 1996.