Sauk rapids parade 2018

Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's spending on research and development (R&D) has seen rapid growth during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), and its total expenditure on R&D in 2020 is projected to reach 2.4 trillion yuan (about 372 billion U.S. dollars). So announced Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang, on Friday. China's spending on basic research in 2020 has nearly doubled that of 2015 and will likely exceed 150 billion yuan in 2020. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), spending on basic research achieved an overall growth rate of 16.9 percent, Wang said. The contribution rate of scientific and technological progress is projected to reach 60 percent in 2020, and the proportion of the scientifically literate Chinese population has surpassed 10 percent. China's ranking in the Global Innovation Index, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, went from 29th in 2015 to 14th in 2020, Wang ... » Learn More about China’s R&D spending sees rapid growth: official

'Investigating agencies are not acting as independent authorities; they have stopped being neutral.' IMAGE: Protesters at Bhima Koregaon near Pune in Maharashtra. Photograph: PTI Photo Senior counsel and advocate of the Bombay high court and Supreme Court of India, Mihir Desai is advising lawyers representing the 13 accused in a case that has charged them with hatching a conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi The charge of hatching this conspiracy -- known infamously as the Bhima Koregaon case -- has been pressed by the National Investigation Agency, and the Pune police before the NIA in 2018, against Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut, Sudha Bharadwaj, Professor Shoma Sen, Surendra Gadling, Rona Jacob Wilson, Professor Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap, Anand Teltumbde and Professor Hanybabu Tarayil is based on a piece of electronic evidence, a typed letter, ... » Learn More about ‘Democracy in India is being killed very fast’

'The Dalits have always asserted themselves, but there has never been any gain for Dalits.' bandh successful.' bandh has become a success.' IMAGE: A scene from the January 3 bandh in Mumbai. Photograph: Sahil Salvi Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar , founder of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh -- and, more importantly, Dr B R Ambedkar 's grandson -- minces no words as he takes on the Maharashtra government. Ambedkar tells Rediff.com 's Prasanna D Zore about the RSS concerns about the January 1 attack on Dalits in Bhima Koregaon and how he hopes to create a coalition of forces to offer an alternative to the BJP and Congress. What has the Dalit movement achieved from the Maharashtra bandh you called on January 3? This bandh was supported not just by the Dalits who were attacked during the January 1 celebrations at Bhima Koregaon. A large number of smaller OBCs ( other backward classes ) too joined in the bandh and that is the reason why it was so ... » Learn More about Why Maharashtra

'Today, Dalits can become IAS officers, doctors, IPS, MLAs, MPs and even the President due to the Constitution.' IMAGE: Bhim Army Sena members stop a train during the Bharat Bandh call given by Dalit organisations against the alleged dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act in Patna, April 2, 2018. Photograph: PTI Photo On Monday, April 2, north India witnessed violence during the Bharat Bandh protests which were called by Dalit organisations to protest against the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Already under pressure, the Narendra D Modi government faced internal rebellion when one of its own, Savitri Bai Phule -- the Bharatiya Janata Party MP who represents Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich Lok Sabha constituency -- accused the BJP of not doing enough to defend the rights of Dalits in the country. "I am not opposing the Government of India. I am only saying give respect to Dalits," an anguished Phule tells Rediff.com 's Syed ... » Learn More about The BJP’s Dalit MP who wants Modi to walk the talk

'The Constitution, which talks about democracy and equality, is something that will be applied in this country, and not Manusmriti in which the RSS believes.' IMAGE: Dalits protest during the Maharashtra bandh on Wednesday, January 3, in Dharavi, Mumbai. Photograph: Sahil Salvi As violence in Pune spread to other parts of Maharashtra on Tuesday, January 2, the Pune police said it had received a complaint against Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and student leader Umar Khalid for 'provocative' speeches at an event in Pune on December 31. Mevani and Khalid had attended the Elgar Parishad, an event organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon, at Shaniwar Wada in Pune. Khalid, who left Pune a day before violence broke out, spoke to Rediff.com 's Syed Firdaus Ashraf about Dalit politics in India. Tell us about the meeting you attended in Pune on December 31. The meeting was about the celebration of the battle of Bhima Koregaon in ... » Learn More about ‘BJP hasn’t given up its Brahminical vision for India’

'Why did they attack us? What was our fault?' bandobast .' IMAGE: It wasn't only Mumbai that witnessed violent clashes on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Aurangabad too saw violent protests in which public property was set on fire. Photograph: PTI Photo Parts of Mumbai came to a near standstill on Tuesday, January 2 after Dalits blocked roads in several areas, forced shops to shut down and attacked a journalist from a television news channel. The violence came after a woman died at an event on Monday, January 1, to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon in Pune district. Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar has called a Maharashtra bandh on Wednesday, January 3, to protest the state government's failure to stop Monday's violence. Ambedkar, Dr B R Ambedkar's grandson, tells Rediff.com 's Syed Firdaus Ashraf that stones were pelted on the Dalits over a 45 kilometre stretch in Pune district as the police stood mute ... » Learn More about Why Prakash Ambedkar has called a Maharashtra

Islamabad: At a time when Pakistan’s progress on countering terror-financing and money laundering is being scrutinised at the Plenary meeting of the global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a report has highlighted that Pakistan has suffered losses worth billions due to being placed in the FATF`s grey list thrice since 2008. The findings were shared in a research paper published by an independent think tank named Tabadlab, titled "Bearing the cost of global politics, the impact of FATF grey-listing on Pakistan’s economy". The research paper revealed that "grey-listing event spanned from 2008 to 2019, which may have been one of the reasons why Pakistan’s cumulative GDP losses towered up to at least USD 38 billion". "Data suggested that Pakistan’s removal from the grey list of the FATF has at times led to revival of the economy, as evident from an increase in the level of GDP for the years 2017 and 2018," argued the author of the research paper. "A ... » Learn More about FATF grey-listing: Do you know how badly it has impacted Pakistan’s economy?

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea filed by a Madhya Pradesh district judge challenging the disciplinary proceedings initiated by the MP High Court over the sexual harassment allegations made by a junior judicial officer against him. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde granted him the liberty to appear before the inquiry. The judge sought quashing of disciplinary proceedings against him following the sexual harassment complaint by junior judicial officer. "You are walking on a very thin ice you can fall any time. You may have a chance in the inquiry they conduct you may acquitted. But as matters stand now, you are convicted. Sexual harassment allegations cannot be brushed under the carpet like this," the bench told senior advocate R Balasubramanium appearing for the judge and granted him liberty to withdraw the case here with liberty to participate in the inquiry. Earlier, the Bench had expressed its disinclination to quash the ... » Learn More about Cannot allow sexual harassment cases to be swept under the carpet: Supreme Court

Sharat Bache Gowda, independent MLA from Hoskote constituency in Bengaluru Rural district, has announced his outside support to the Congress. He is going to be an associate member of the Congress in the Legislative Assembly. The MLA, son of former Minister and BJP MP B.N. Bache Gowda, gave a letter to Congress Legislature Party Leader Siddaramaiah, in the presence of KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council S.R. Patil and other party leaders on Thursday. Since Mr. Sharat Bache Gowda is an independent MLA he cannot join the Congress. However, he can extend support to the party. But his supporters can join the Congress, Mr .Shivakumar said. Mr. Shivakumar extended the party’s support to the Independent MLA in his constituency. Mr. Sharat Bache Gowda had met Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, last week in Bengaluru and expressed his desire to support the Congress. Mr. Sharat Bache Gowda won the ... » Learn More about Sharat Bache Gowda extends outside support to Congress

petrol prices which have touched a record high . The stress on petrol has been high lately as prices in certain parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have breached the Rs 100-mark. The fuel prices are determined by various factors like taxes, import duty and dealer commission. For example, a litre of petrol in Mumbai will cost you Rs 97.34 (as on February 26) while diesel is not far behind with Rs 88.44 for a litre (as on February 26), but we are here to tell you few genuine methods to optimize your purse in these challenging times. 1. Timely servicing: This should be your first and foremost response in a situation where the fuel prices turn unpredictable. If you haven’t serviced your vehicle recently, then immediately take a trip to your authorized service centre and try to get your vehicle tuned to offer optimum fuel efficiency . The only challenge you will face here is that you won’t be the only one lining up outside the garage at least at this point in time. ... » Learn More about Fuel price on record high, ways to optimize savings