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Top BJP leaders to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday said its top leaders will attend the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi as Gujarat chief minister on December 26.




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Modi has arrived. But is India ready?

Modi has arrived. Probably the country is not yet ready. Modi knows it. If Modi destroys the existing political consensus he will have to quickly replace it with another, notes M R Venkatesh.




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57 criminals, 134 crorepatis in 2012 Guj assembly

There are 57 members with criminal background, one with even charges of rape, and 134 crorepatis (74 per cent) in the newly-elected Gujarat assembly, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms, a non-political group aiming at governmental and electoral reforms. Vicky Nanjappa reports.




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DIY Drones Take on Silicon Valley

Amateur drone makers are sending their do-it-yourself creations up into the skies of Silicon Valley. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports from San Francisco on the stunning footage they're capturing.




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Why Doesn't Facebook Have a Dislike Button?

Supporters of a "dislike" button, which Facebook does not have, say the culture of Facebook has become too nice. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports from San Francisco on what some creative contrarions are doing to game the Facebook system to "get" a dislike button.




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Today's Apps: Joke Or Real Deal?

Its getting tougher to tell the difference between a joke and a real app in Silicon Valley. Some apps which begin as spoofs, like "Jotly", are getting serious attention, as WSJ's Andy Jordan finds out.




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Hidden Message In London Eye

The iconic London Eye has been turned into a social media "mood ring" for the Olympics games, portraying in a light show the mood of the British people during the games, as interpreted through data analysis of Tweets. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports from London.




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Casual Fridays Go Formal

To be hip at Silicon Valley startups these days, one must leave the flip flops and hoodies at home and dress up on Fridays. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports from San Francisco on the "anti-Casual Friday" that's come to be known as "Formal Friday."




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"The Bay Lights" Transforms San Francisco Skyline

"The Bay Lights" light installation, inspired by the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, is officially unveiled March 5. Here's a preview of what it will look like, and a conversation the artist, Leo Villareal.




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How to Pick the Right Chat App for Your Next Event

Should you Zoom or FaceTime? How about a Houseparty? Amid social distancing, in-person events have been replaced by pixels on a screen. WSJ's Nicole Nguyen offers tips for navigating the new video-chat reality. Photo: FaceTime




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Motion Sick? This Tech Company Thinks It Might Have a Solution

If you’ve read a book in a car, you probably know what motion sickness feels like. WSJ’s Tim Higgins visits Massachusetts-based ClearMotion, which is betting its suspension technology could provide a solution as we move closer towards a future with driverless cars. Photo: Max Esposito/WSJ




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Laptop Webcam Showdown: MacBook Air? Dell XPS? They’re Pretty Bad

In our coronavirus-tainted world, we’re realizing that we depend a lot on our laptop webcams… and they’re not good. WSJ’s Joanna Stern compared the new MacBook Air to the Dell XPS 13, Google’s Pixelbook Go and Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 3.




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Can’t Unlock Your iPhone’s Face ID with a Mask On? There’s a Mask For That

The coronavirus pandemic means we must wear masks. It also means unlocking an iPhone with Face ID is a challenge. WSJ’s Joanna Stern tracked down a woman who created a mask to get around it.




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Dying Alone From Coronavirus: A Family's Last Goodbye

Keiko Neutz, 87, died of Covid-19 in March. Her family wasn't able to be by her side, so they said goodbye through a series of video chats. Photos: Neutz family




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Coronavirus Update: Small-Business Aid Deal, Americans Fear Early Restriction Lift

The Treasury and Democrats say they are close on a new rescue deal for small businesses, debate over lockdowns ramps up as the U.S. coronavirus death toll tops 40,000, and what to expect from earnings this week. WSJ’s Jason Bellini has the latest on the pandemic. Photo: David Poller/Zuma Press




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'Congress candidate has promised us employment'

A voter discusses the chances in the Sawaimadhopur Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan where Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla, who led the Gujjar agitation last year, is the BJP candidate.




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What you can’t measure properly, you can’t manage properly


Shripad Dharmadhikary critiques the recently released NITI Aayog’s report on Composite Water Management Index.




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The way we measure hate crimes is simply bogus


Safety and criminality in society must be assessed directly from the people themselves. The government is deluding itself and citizens by conflating law enforcement statistics with crime data, writes Tara Krishnaswamy.




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Unheard and unknown they lead


Issues that affect underprivileged women have not got enough attention in the mainstream feminist movements in India. Yet the women from rural areas and from lower classes and castes have been leading struggles for their rights, says Navya P. K.




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Ahmedabad's TP schemes: Lessons for equity


Land pooling has helped steer development in Ahmedabad more equitably than in many other Indian cities, but with some limitations and challenges still to be overcome. A World Resources Institute report provides insight.




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From mandis to markets : Will this round be any better?


The second attempt of the NDA government to create a market for farmers' produce may not fare much better than the first one, for the same reason - it fails to address the asymmetry of power between the farmers and buyers, writes Kannan Kasturi.




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Regulations delayed are regulations denied


Efforts to rein in massive emissions of pollutants, and to reduce volumes of water consumed by coal-based thermal power plants have been thwarted by endless delays in implementing the regulations that were to take effect last year. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.




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Will the SS Code ensure universal social security?


The government proposes to replace a number of laws protecting the social security of workers with a single Code. But could its vast scope itself make it vulnerable to the details in fine print?




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Himachal power project under scrutiny


Kanchi Kohli reports from the public meetings on a Hydro Electric Project that involves diverting a river tributary near Manali in Himachal Pradesh.




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Hydro-power guidelines flawed


Recent guidelines from the Ministry of Power encourage private sector participation in the development of large hydro projects. But there is little attention paid to past failures, or the possibility that many of those will recur in new projects too, notes Himanshu Thakkar.




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Green, yes, but risky too


The central government has just announced that it plans to "dope" petrol with 5% of ethanol, a biofuel made from sugar cane, from November 1. However, this also poses some problems; cars, not people, will be responsible for most of the increase in global grain consumption this year, writes Darryl D'Monte.




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Nuclear safety: A poor record


Although as yet in India, there has not been a severe accident leading to core meltdown or large radiation exposures to the public, on measures of occupational exposure to workers, and compliance with standards for accident prevention, Indian nuclear plants perform poorly, writes Ashwin Kumar.




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What ails nuclear safety?


In-depth field studies in nuclear power plants worldwide have shown that they have common features that are essential for reliable operation. DAE's operations do not exhibit these characteristics. Instead, secrecy invoked in the name of national interest is the norm, leading to avoidable risks, writes Ashwin Kumar.




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Pricing carbon correctly


Under the Kyoto Protocol, it is possible for developed countries to simply buy off the cost of their pollution from less developed economies that do not put out their permitted quota of harmful substances into the atmosphere. This mechanism is fraught with both moral and practical difficulties, writes Darryl D'Monte.




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Old conflict resurfaces at Athirappilly falls


Kerala's electricity board is preparing to build the seventh dam across the 144-kilometers-long Chalakudy river. The fate of the picturesque Athirappilly waterfalls hangs in the balance, with locals battling against the project. Sudhirendar Sharma has more.




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France eyes India through environment lens


Lagging its northern European neighbours in environmentalism, France is seeking to reposition its strengths in nuclear energy and hydroelectricity, and aid agency is using its grants to help other countries reduce their carbon footprints. Darryl D'Monte reports.




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CDM and hydro-power


Most hydropower projects don't need the Clean Development Mechanism credits to be built. But a gross mockery is being made of the basic principles and understanding of the Kyoto Protocol, with no real cuts in emissions. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.




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Need to strengthen climate diplomacy


India is well on its way to a low-carbon economic future, but its global image suffers because we lack the public discourse to bolster our argument, unlike China and the Western countries, writes Darryl D'Monte.




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Going upstream on the Energy Road


How does one go about saving energy during construction or in the lifetime of a building when we live in it? A lot of this has to do with your being sensitized to this concept of 'embodied energy', writes Chandrashekar Hariharan.




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The bills we pay, and the ones we don't


Our personal choices directly impact the pressure on managing infrastructure support that we all need for energy, water, and waste management, writes Chandrashekar Hariharan.




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Nuclear Liability Bill: Who bears the brunt?


The nuclear liability bill by capping the liability arising out of a nuclear incident appears to be an effort to protect the nuclear industry at the cost of the fundamental rights of the citizens writes Mathew Prasad Idiculla.




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Energy efficiency is inevitable


Policy makers have understood the importance of producing energy, but have been much slower to promote measures for energy efficiency. This has to change, writes Girish Sant.




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Singrauli singed by coal and power


In the energy heartland of India, countless projects have wreaked havoc on the environment and displaced people extensively, sometimes more than once. With more projects planned, the future is just as bleak. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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The people's energy


When nuclear companies are unwilling to stake their financial health on the safety of a reactor, how can the Government ask local residents to risk their lives, ask M V Ramana and Suvrat Raju.




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Kudamkulam: Ready to produce power?


Will the Kudankulam nuclear power plant finally become operational this month as assured by the Prime Minister? Krithika Ramalingam takes an in-depth look at the long history of delays and conflicts that has plagued the project since its inception.




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Ministries turn a blind eye to impact of small hydel projects


Both the Ministry of Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Environment and Forests appear loath to pay attention to the potential environmental impact of small hydel power projects in the country. Parineeta Dandekar underlines the shortcomings in the official stance towards such projects.




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Ash everywhere; in your food and water, too?


Fly ash, the residue from coal used in thermal power plants, is not only a headache for plant operators; its use in agriculture and other sectors violates environmental sanctity and poses a serious risk to human health. Shripad Dharmadhikary studies a new CEA report to bring us more.




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Breaking the myth behind Coastal Thermal Power Plants


It is often believed that coal-based power plants near the coast, by virtue of their proximity to the sea, do not create any pressure on water resources. Shripad Dharmadhikary’s visit to Krishnapattanam in Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu exposes the fallacy in that.




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Sikkim’s 2400-crore hydro-power scam that no one’s talking of!


The Sikkim government’s irregular allocation of hydropower projects to a New Delhi-based power producer and the eventual turn of events have cost the state more than Rs 2400 crore, according to a CAG report. Soumik Dutta reports on the details of the case and other related discrepancies that have surfaced since.




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Making power supply data a tool for progress


Pune-based NGO Prayas Energy’s ESMI programme provides easily comprehensible data on the extent and quality of power supply in regions across the country, which can be used to demand accountability as well as enable social research. Manasi Mathkar reports.




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How badly designed and unsafe


The 30th and 5th anniversaries this year of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents respectively are the right occasions to examine India’s record in this sector, writes Darryl D’Monte.




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Moving beyond symbols


The question before us women is whether Pratibha Patil's imminent election as President has any meaning for us, whether it will make any difference to women in India, and whether we should welcome such a symbolic gesture on the part of the ruling alliance, writes Kalpana Sharma.




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Many more Mayawatis


They cannot compete with Mayawati, or Jayalalitha or Sonia Gandhi. But the new breed of women politicians springing up in India's small towns will become a political force to reckon with in the years to come, writes Kalpana Sharma.




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Through the eyes of women filmmakers


"Women, Media and Transformations" was the leitmotif of a festival of documentary and short films for South Asian women filmmakers that concluded in Calcutta earlier this month. Shoma Chatterji was there and writes that the films offered a wide spectrum of subjects from ethnographic investigation to introspective, abstract journeys.




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Should films have statutory warnings on violence against women?


A 90-second video put together by a group of women activists demands a pop-up statutory warning on screen every time a woman is assaulted or abused. Shoma Chatterji critiques the video, raising several questions over its content as well as the stance that it takes.