POWERLESS: Northern Grid Fails Again in India

India's northern and eastern power grids fails, leaving about half the country without power.





For a second day running the Northern power grid collapsed today leaving the national capital in the dark but this time the Eastern power grid also buckled.

The national capital went black today with passengers aboard the Metro services having to patiently wait in the trains until electricity supply resumed. Train services across states in the north and east were badly hit.

Yesterday seven states stopped receiving electricity early in the morning as the Northern power grid collapsed and was restored only after a few hours. Today the Northern power grid collapsed around 1.07 pm and the Eastern power grid collapsed soon after.

CNN-IBN reported that the fault could take five to six hours to resolve.

2.09pm: It has now been confirmed that 12 states have been affected by the grid collapses. Meanwhile a statement from the power ministry has said that essential services be restored in the next two hours. This would translate to power for hospitals, VVIP areas, trains etc. There is still no word on when power to homes and offices will be restored.

As many as 300 trains in North India alone have been affected by the collapse of the Northern and Eastern grids, with many more trains likely to have been impacted in the Eastern states.


The CPRO Northern Railways, Neeraj Sharma, speaking to CNN-IBN, said they will try to run some trains and make alternative arrangements like diesel power. The Delhi and Kolkata Metros are also not running.

The reason for the grid failures in the North and East have reportedly been caused because frequency has dipped below the optimal level. However officials have been unable to identify exactly where the fault has occurred., so it will take more time for them to get the grids back up and running. Meanwhile officials have said that Delhi’s VVIP areas will receive 100 MW of emergency power.

The World’s First 3D-Printed Gun

Hobbyist builds working assault rifle using 3D printer

It hasn't blown to pieces yet

Hobbyists have used 3D printers to make guitars, copy house keys, and bring robot dinosaurs to life, but a firearms enthusiast who goes by the handle "Have Blue" has taken this emerging technology into a new realm by assembling a working rifle from 3D-printed parts.

Specifically, ExtremeTech reports, Have Blue used 3D CAD files to print the lower receiver part of an AR-15 class assault rifle – the style of gun the US military has called an M16. The lower receiver is sometimes referred to as the "body" of the weapon, which houses the trigger assembly, the magazine, and the safety selector.

The lower receiver of a factory-produced AR-15 is usually made of metal, typically stamped aluminum. Have Blue made his out of the standard ABS plastic used by low-end 3D printers. He then combined it with off-the-shelf, metal AR-15 parts to complete the weapon.

The next step was to actually fire it. Have Blue started by chambering the gun for .22 caliber pistol rounds, a relatively low-powered ammunition. After firing 200 rounds, he announced to an online AR-15 forum that it "runs great!"

He then re-assembled the weapon to use .223 caliber rifle ammunition and tried again. "No, it did not blow up into a bazillion tiny plastic shards and maim me for life," he said, but the combination of the homemade and off-the-shelf parts wasn't working all that well, causing the gun to jam. Try, try again.

It's 3D-printed plastic, but it works, and it has no license or serial number. (Source: Haveblue.org)

Where this all gets interesting is in the potential legal ramifications of what Have Blue has done. It is legal in most US states to purchase AR-15 style rifles, provided the purchaser is licensed, which involves a background check.

It is difficult to get around the license requirements by purchasing the gun in pieces and assembling it yourself, because at least one piece – the lower receiver – carries a serial number and must always be purchased from a federally licensed arms dealer.

Without the lower receiver, the gun can't fire, so under US law the lower receiver essentially is the gun. The other components are less closely regulated and can be purchased online or from unlicensed dealers.
But Have Blue didn't buy his lower receiver from anyone. He made it himself. Using his method, potentially anyone could assemble a completed rifle from mail-order parts without any government licensing or registration at all.

It may not look like much, but the gun won't fire without it. (Source: Thingiverse.com)

It's not entirely as simple as that, though. First, although Have Blue says he used between $30 and $50 worth of plastic to print the gun, 3D printers that can output items the size of the AR-15 lower receiver are still expensive. But their cost is declining.

Second, a 3D printer cannot print ammunition. But given that accused Aurora, Colorado shooter James Holmes was found to have stockpiled some 6,000 rounds of ammo that he purchased online, the prospect of individuals being able to assemble working, unlicensed weapons using 3D printing technology should give regulators in the US and abroad some pause.

Saudi Woman Will Wear Hijab in Judo Competition

Olympics gives go-ahead after judo teen's dad insists

Saudi officials have won the go-ahead from the International Olympic Committee allowing a female athlete to wear a hijab in the judo competition.

Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani, 16, had signed an agreement with Saudi officials that she would only compete if she could wear "correct and approved" clothing that adheres to "Islamic principals," said a spokesman.

Her father told a Saudi newspaper that he would not let his daughter compete without a hijab, reports CNN.

It's not entirely clear how the teen feels about wearing the scarf.

A spokesman for Judo International said just last week that she would "fight according to the principle and spirit of judo, so without a hijab."

Olympics officials decided to allow Shaherkani to wear the scarf after Saudi managers threatened to withdraw their female athletes, the first to ever compete at the Games for the nation.

CBI Names 9 in Tuirial Project Chargesheet

Aizawl, Jul 31 : The CBI has named nine people in its chargesheet in the alleged compensation scam in Tuirial hydel project in Mizoram.

Sources said the premier investigation agency filed a chargesheet against nine people, including relatives of former Chief Minister Zoramthanga and officials, a few months back and the court has conducted a hearing in this regard.

Following a PIL filed by anti-corruption watchdog SOSA (Society for Social Action), Gauhati High Court in April 2010 ordered into the alleged compensation scam. The CBI investigation revealed that compensation to the tune of Rs 20,046,475 was paid to fictitious landowners.

There were 352 compensation claimants including the fictitious landowners. As many as 241 witnesses were interviewed during the investigation and about 110 documents were submitted to the court.

The Japanese government-funded 60 Tuirial hydropower project at Bilkhawtlir village in north Mizoram was abandoned in 2003 after a group of landowners in Bilkhawtlir claimed high rates of compensation for the land that the state government wished to acquire for the power plant.

The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) and the Japanese Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund Bank, which was funding the project, objected to this.

The controversy over the payment of an "inflated amount of money" compelled Neepco to suspend the construction of the plant.

The then Mizo National Front ministry had been branded as the main culprit behind the compensation row that suspended the project as former chief minister Zoramthanga's relatives figured prominently among those who received compensations.

When Lal Thanhawla, who had laid the foundation stone during his previous tenure on September 12, 2007, came back in power, he took initiatives to revive the abandoned project.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had last year revised the project cost of the 60 MW Tuirial Hydro Electric Project (THEP) to Rs 913 crore due to delay in resumption of work.

The hydel project, designed to generate 60 MW of power 12 per cent of which would be shared by the state, is expected to be completed by 2014. The project envisaged the construction of a 77-metre-high earthen dam across Tuirial, a tributary of the Barak.

A surface power station on the left bank of the river at the toe of this dam would be constructed at Bilkhawthlir for generation of 60MW of power at 45 per cent load factor.

Nzanbeni Kithan is Miss Dimapur 2012

Dimapur, July 31 : Displaying an apt blend of beauty and brains, Nzanbeni Kithan was crowned Miss Dimapur 2012 here recently, prevailing over twelve other models who were vying for the top spot.

"I believe in myself. I am a very confident girl and one day I will be very successful," Kithan said after bagging the title.

Kithan wants to encourage youth to achieve their dreams.

Asenle, who finished as the first runners up, too shared her future plans.

"I see myself as a successful fashion designer and a model one day," she said.

In the inaugural session, models introduced themselves to the audience and talked about their interests and reasons for choosing to make their careers in the fashion industry.

The event was aimed at promoting the fashion industry in Nagaland and attracting youth to take it up as a profession.

All the participants said they wanted to be successful models and represent the country at international events.

India & Bangladesh To Meet On Tipaimukh Dam

Silchar, July 31 : India has told Bangladesh that it is now ready for a bilateral meeting of experts from both the countries on Tipaimukh dam for two days in New Delhi from August 27.

According to a senior official of the Central Water Commission in Shillong, the members of this expert group, to be drawn from both the nations, have already been constituted.

He said the group members are experts in hydrology and river engineering.

A few officials of the flood control and water resources departments will also figure as delegates.

The discussion will focus on arriving at a consensus on the construction of the 162-foot dam on the Barak.

The Rs 7,600-crore Tipai-mukh dam project, meant to control the recurring floods in the Barak Valley districts under south Assam and to generate 1,500MW hydel power, has run into various problems.

A number of the NGOs and scientists of the Northeast, particularly in Manipur and Assam’s Cachar district, and Bangladesh are opposing the project.

The Opposition party in Bangladesh, the BNP, headed by the former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, organised a big motor rally in Sylhet district on December 1 last year in protest against the proposed construction of this project.

The Angikar Bangladesh Foundation, spearheaded by some leading civil engineers in that country, has also opposed this project.

The chief director of the NGO, Muhammad Hilaluddin, recently called upon like-minded environmentalists and river specialists of both the countries to join their hands in opposing the project.

The meeting is aimed at dispelling doubts on the project, the CWC official added.

The opposition of a large number of Bangladeshis against the Tipaimukh project is mainly based on the “wrong and ill-conceived ideas emanating from the fears of the desertification of the Meghna valley under Sylhet division”.

Hence, the experts of both the nations should clarify the benefits to accrue from this project, he added.

Official sources here said the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC), a public sector undertaking, has bagged the contract in a joint venture with its subsidiary named Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam, to commission the Tipaimukh project in seven years after its construction gets off the ground. An agreement in this connection was inked in Imphal on October 22 last year.

Assam CM Gogoi Ignored Warnings On Impending Riots

By Kaushik Deka

Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Assam 

Sinlung is in possession of an exclusive document which shows that Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi ignored warning of a possible riot in Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) areas in the state.

On July 7, the president of the Kokrajhar unit of Congress had sent an urgent fax to Gogoi, requesting him to send CRPF forces to the region as he feared that riots could break out any moment in the state. But the chief minister did not respond to the mail.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Y.L. Karna had also submitted a report to Gogoi warning him of an impending riot after he visited Kokrajhar on July 7 to inquire into the incident of killing of minority students in the district a day before.

Interestingly, on July 27, the chief minister had put the blame on the central government for the delay in sending army to the riot-affected areas.

The very next day when reporters asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his reaction to Gogoi's allegation, the CM grabbed the microphone and said he hadn't said this.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the Bodo-Muslim violence has reached 71. Meanwhile, home minister P. Chidambaram is set to visit the violence-hit areas of the state for two days beginning today (Monday) and review the security situation and relief and rehabilitation measures.

Chidambaram, who has been monitoring the Assam situation ever since clashes between Bodos and immigrant minorities broke out, will hold meetings with top civil and police officers and take stock of the law and order situation in the four riot-hit districts Kokrajhar, Chirang, Dhubri and Bongaigaon.

The home minister is expected to visit a few relief camps and review the relief and rehabilitation steps taken for those who lost their kin and suffered losses during the violence. Chidambaram is likely to hold separate meetings with state governor J.B. Patnaik, the chief minister and his council of ministers.

source: dailymail

Finally, A Bronze For India

Sinlung Says: Its a shame that whole of India is waiting for a bronze, a country with more than a billion in population. It says a lot about the people, let alone sports.

Boxers Vijender Singh and his childhood friend Jai Bhagwan made their way to round 16 with convincing victories at the London Olympics.

Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images

Bronze medallist Gagan Narang of India poses with the bronze medal won in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Shooting final final on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Royal Artillery Barracks on July 30, 2012 in London, England.

London, July 30 — India's rifle shooter Gagan Narang clinched the bronze medal in the men's 10-metre air rifle event of the 2012 London Olympics while his illustrious compatriot and defending champion Abhinav Bindra failed to qualify for the final round at Royal Artillery Barracks here Monday.
The gold went to Romanian Alin George Moldoveanu with a total score of 702.1 (599 qualifying, 103.1 final) and Italian Niccolo Campriani bagged the silver with 701.5 (599 qualifying, 102.5 final).
Narang, who is participating in his third Games, had a total score of 701.1 (598 qualifying, 103.1 final). Going into the final round, Narang was third.
In the final round, Narang had a series of 10.7, 9.7, 10.6, 10.7, 10.4, 10.6, 9.9, 9.5, 10.3 and 10.7 to give India its first medal from the London Games.
It was the third time in row that Indian shooters had won medals at the Olympics. Double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the silver in 2004, Bindra gave India a historic gold in Beijing, and now Narang has bagged a bronze in London.
Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist, failed to qualify as he shot 594 to finish 16th out of 47 contestants.
In the qualifying round, Narang, who missed the final round in Beijing Games on a countback, was in his elements. The 29-year-old Hyderabadi shot perfect series of 100 in all the rounds except the third when he scored 98. He also shot 53 inner 10s.
Bindra had just two series of perfect 100 in the third and the fourth round. He shot 99s in the first, second and fifth and faltered in the sixth, when he shot 97. The top eight shooters qualified for the final round. Former Olympic champion and Beijing Games silver medallist Zhu Qinan of China also failed to qualify for the final round.