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Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Oct 6 2018Loyola Medicine has launched a research program to study a new treatment approach for stroke and spinal cord injury patients that involves electrically stimulating nerves.The Kalmanovitz Central Nervous System Repair Research Program is funded by a $500,000 gift from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation. The program is directed by Loyola neurosurgeon Russ Nockels, MD, who has been treating and studying spinal cord injuries for 30 years.The goal of the research is to improve a patient’s ability to function and to develop a relatively inexpensive treatment that could be adapted worldwide. While such treatment isn’t expected to completely reverse the effects of a severe stroke or paralysis from spinal cord injury, it could improve the patient’s quality of life.”We’re trying to move the needle,” said Dr. Nockels, a professor in Loyola Medicine’s department of neurological surgery. “The generous donation from the Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation will enable us to accelerate our research, which ultimately could significantly improve the lives of stroke and spinal cord injury patients.”Related StoriesMeasuring blood protein levels in diabetic patients to predict risk of strokeInvestment in stroke prevention interventions is good for the futurePeople who worked long hours have higher risk of stroke, shows studyThe theory behind electrical stimulation treatment is based on the central nervous system’s ability to adapt to a stroke or spinal cord injury by changing its wiring and circuitry. (This ability is called “activity-dependent plasticity.”) A simple activity such as moving an arm or a leg can enhance plasticity and thus improve recovery from a spinal cord injury or stroke. Previously it was believed that function could not be restored following brain and spinal cord injuries. Damage to the central nervous system has been resistant to treatment efforts. However, with more research, such injuries eventually may be repairable.A preliminary Loyola study found that electrical stimulation appeared to enhance activity-dependent plasticity. Researchers confirmed that stimulation resulted in significantly greater functional recovery regarding spinal cord healing compared to when stimulation was not used.Following up on these promising results, Loyola researchers are developing a system that could be applied directly to patients. Such treatments would be offered during the critical first two weeks or so following the spinal cord injury. Once the electrical stimulation system is perfected, the Kalmanovitz Central Nervous System Repair Research Program would organize a multicenter trial to test it on newly injured spinal cord patients.Source: http://www.luhs.org/ read more

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Oct 12 2018Investing in affordable housing that offers supportive social services to senior citizens on Medicare has the potential to reduce hospital admissions and the amount of time needing inpatient hospital care by better managing chronic health conditions, according to a Rutgers study.The study was recently published in the journal Health Affairs.While prior research has shown that housing conditions affect health outcomes of the elderly, there is limited information about the effect support services – including physical and psychological assessments; counseling and advocacy; health education; wellness and physical activity and socialization programs; — have on the well-being of seniors and the costly hospital services for Medicare beneficiaries.Related StoriesDanbury Hospital launches ‘Healing Hugs’ for its most vulnerable patientsHave cancer, must travel: Patients left in lurch after hospital closesFeeling safe and good sleep at night matter most to sick kids in hospitalThe research was led by Michael Gusmano, an associate professor of health policy at Rutgers School of Public Health and member of the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. The study examined whether a program provided to elderly Medicare beneficiaries through a nonprofit, community-based group in Queens, New York, would reduce hospital use, including hospital discharges for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions that, if managed well, should not require admission to a hospital.According to Gusmano, research showed that discharge rates and length of hospital stays were lower in Medicare beneficiaries who lived in the housing environment that offered supportive social services, as compared to seniors in the same neighborhood living without these amenities. This suggests that continued investment into housing with supportive social services can reduce costly hospital stays and decrease spending for vulnerable older adults, he said.”These findings are consistent with the claim that housing programs of this sort help people stay healthy and, perhaps more importantly, help them receive health and social services that allow them to manage their chronic conditions,” said Gusmano. “By receiving timely and appropriate support in the community this vulnerable population may be able to avoid hospitalization or at least use it less often.”Source: https://news.rutgers.edu/elderly-housing-supportive-social-services-can-reduce-costly-hospital-use-rutgers-study-finds/20181010#.W7979ZNKg8Y read more

Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Dec 7 2018Multigene tests have been used in breast cancer treatment to assess the risk of metastasis for several years. A team at the Breast Cancer Center at the Technical University of Munich’s (TUM) Klinikum rechts der Isar has now presented results based on data collected in its routine clinical work. These results show that the multigene test used at the university hospital is indeed helpful in making more targeted use of chemotherapy treatments and thus improves prognosis of breast cancer patients.Since November 2011, the Gynecological Clinic at Klinikum rechts der Isar has used a multigene test for patients with early hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. Using tissue samples and other clinical indicators, the test helps to determine a patient’s risk of metastasis. “Based on the test results, which combine molecularbiological properties of the tumor along with the individual factors of tumor size and the presence of cancer in lymph nodes, doctors decide whether chemotherapy is recommended in addition to the surgical removal of the tumor followed by anti-hormone treatment,” explains Prof. Marion Kiechle, the Director of the Gynecological Clinic. “In case of a low metastasis risk, chemotherapy may place an unnecessary burden on the patient. But in case of a high risk, it may prevent tumors from relapsing later.”Related StoriesNew study to ease plight of patients with advanced cancerUsing machine learning algorithm to accurately diagnose breast cancerHow cell-free DNA can be targeted to prevent spread of tumorsAt the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in the USA, one of the world’s most important congresses in that field, Dr. Johannes Ettl, Head Physician of the Gyneco-Oncological Outpatient Clinic, Technical University of Munich, Germany has now presented the results of an independent study not commissioned by a test manufacturer of the test used at the Breast Center.373 patients testedFor the study, Dr. Ettl and his team tracked 373 breast cancer patients from the start of initial treatment and the related multigene test. The test indicated a low risk for 238 patients (63.8%) and a high risk for 135 (36.2%). After a median follow up of 3.5 years, the risk for disease recurrence was twice as high in the high-risk group as in the low-risk group. Similarly, high risk patients were at five-fold increased risk of developing metastases in other organs. The low-risk and high-risk patients who received chemotherapy in addition to anti-hormone tablets had three-year disease free survival rates of 96.6% and 96.3%, respectively. By contrast, for high-risk patients who did not receive chemotherapy despite the doctors’ recommendation based on the test results, the rate was only 91.5%.”Our health care study has delivered the first data from routine clinical practice indicating that the test does, in fact, provide useful input when deciding on chemotherapy,” says Prof. Kiechle. “Gene signature tests are important tools that help us to make more targeted use of chemotherapy treatments, both by limiting unnecessarily stressful treatments and avoiding the potentially serious consequences of rejecting chemotherapy in case of high metastasis risks.” Source:https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/detail/article/35125/ read more

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Feb 8 2019A therapy derived from the eggs of parasitic worms helps to protect against one of chemotherapy’s debilitating side effects by significantly downregulating major proinflammatory pathways and reducing inflammation, indicates the first transcriptome-wide profiling of the bladder during ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.The experimental model study findings were published online Feb. 7, 2019, in Scientific Reports.With hemorrhagic cystitis, a condition that can be triggered by anti-cancer therapies like the chemotherapy drug ifosfamide and other oxazaphosphorines, the lining of the bladder becomes inflamed and begins to bleed. Existing treatments on the market carry their own side effects, and the leading therapy does not treat established hemorrhagic cystitis.Around the world, people can become exposed to parasitic Schistosoma eggs through contaminated freshwater. Once inside the body, the parasitic worms mate and produce eggs; these eggs are the trigger for symptoms like inflammation. To keep their human hosts alive, the parasitic worms tamp down excess inflammation by secreting a binding protein with anti-inflammatory properties.With that biological knowledge in mind, a research team led by Michael H. Hsieh, M.D., Ph.D., tested a single dose of IPSE, an Interleukin-4 inducing, Schistosoma parasite-derived anti-inflammatory molecule and found that it reduced inflammation, bleeding and urothelial sloughing that occurs with ifosfamide-related hemorrhagic cystitis.In this follow-up project, experimental models were treated with ifosfamide to learn more about IPSE’s protective powers.The preclinical models were given either saline or IPSE before the ifosfamide challenge. The bladders of the experimental models treated with ifosfamide had classic symptoms, including marked swelling (edema), dysregulated contraction, bleeding and urothelial sloughing. In contrast, experimental models “pre-treated” with IPSE were shielded from urothelial sloughing and inflammation, the study team found.Related StoriesUsing machine learning algorithm to accurately diagnose breast cancerResearchers identify gene mutations linked to leukemia in children with Down’s syndromeStudy reveals link between inflammatory diet and colorectal cancer riskTranscriptional profiling of the experimental models’ bladders found the IL-1-B TNFa-IL-6 proinflammatory cascade via NFkB and STAT3 pathways serving as the key driver of inflammation. Pretreatment with IPSE slashed the overexpression of Il-1b, Tnfa and Il6 by 50 percent. IPSE drove significant downregulation of major proinflammatory pathways, including the IL-1-B TNFa-IL-6 pathways, interferon signaling and reduced (but did not eliminate) oxidative stress.”Taken together, we have identified signatures of acute-phase inflammation and oxidative stress in ifosfamide-injured bladder, which are reversed by pretreatment with IPSE,” says Dr. Hsieh, a urologist at Children’s National Health System and the study’s senior author. “These preliminary findings reveal several pathways that could be therapeutically targeted to prevent ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis in humans.”When certain chemotherapy drugs are metabolized by the body, the toxin acrolein is produced and builds up in urine. 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate Na (MESNA) binds to acrolein to prevent urotoxicity. By contrast, IPSE targets inflammation at the source, reversing inflammatory changes that damage the bladder.”Our work demonstrates that there may be therapeutic potential for naturally occurring anti-inflammatory molecules, including pathogen-derived factors, as alternative or complementary therapies for ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis,” Dr. Hsieh adds. Source:https://childrensnational.org/ read more

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Mar 29 2019An experimental combination drug therapy attacking the DNA integrity of cancer cells is showing promise for a possible new cancer therapy in the future.Scientists at the University of Alberta used two drugs together to enhance DNA damage to human breast cancer cells in mice and reduce their capacity to repair themselves. By doing so, the researchers were able to dramatically shrink tumors and prevent metastasis in the mice.”Most cancers don’t kill patients because of the primary tumor. It’s nearly always the metastasis that kills,” said Armin Gamper, an assistant professor of oncology at the U of A.”Traditionally we find that the subset of cancer cells responsible for metastasis is especially resistant to treatment. But when we combined the two drugs, it made these cells as sensitive as the other cancer cells. This is something really new that has never been observed before.”Compared with normal cells, cancer cells have higher levels of DNA damage. The experimental treatment was designed to selectively kill cancer cells by targeting their DNA repair capability. With the treatment, the researchers found that cancer cells attempting to multiply with unrepaired DNA failed and died in the process. The team also found the treatment had few side-effects compared with cancer treatments such as traditional chemotherapy.Related StoriesTrends in colonoscopy rates not aligned with increase in early onset colorectal cancerUsing machine learning algorithm to accurately diagnose breast cancerCancer killing capability of lesser-known immune cells identified”The combination was very well tolerated,” said Gamper, also a member of the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta. “If we see that this works as well in patients as it does in mice, at one point it might, at least in some cases, replace the traditional chemotherapy because it seems to have far fewer side-effects.”The drugs used are already being tested in clinical trials, on their own or in combination with other treatments–but not together. According to the team, that will greatly speed the process of starting a new clinical trial combining the two.Gamper and his research team are partnering with Alberta Health Services clinicians at the Cross Cancer Institute in hopes of starting a phase one clinical trial to test how people tolerate the drug combination.In the meantime, the researchers are expanding their work to other types of cancer and also aim to identify biomarkers–biological indicators of which patients would most benefit from the new treatment. Doing so would allow them to tailor a precise cancer therapy to the individual patient.”The idea behind this combination was that it would target many different cancers, not just breast cancer,” explained Gamper. “So we would like to test it in others that we know have a high level of DNA damage to start with, like ovarian cancers, colon cancers and some other types of breast cancer. We’ll start with those first and then see later how it affects other cancers that don’t have such high DNA damage levels to start with.”Source: https://www.folio.ca/researchers-target-metastasis-in-fight-against-cancer/ read more

Source:Tokyo University of ScienceJournal reference:Yamato, T. et al. (2019) Single crossover-mediated targeted nucleotide substitution and knock-in strategies with CRISPR/Cas9 system in the rice blast fungus. Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43913-0. Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)May 24 2019CRISPR/Cas9 is now a household name associated with genetic engineering studies. Through cutting-edge research described in their paper published in Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from Tokyo University of Science, Meiji University, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, led by Dr Takayuki Arazoe and Prof Shigeru Kuwata, has recently established a series of novel strategies to increase the efficiency of targeted gene disruption and new gene “introduction” using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in the rice blast fungus Pyricularia (Magnaporthe) oryzae. These strategies include quicker (single-step) gene introduction, use of small homologous sequences, and bypassing of certain prerequisite host DNA “patterns” and host component modification.The team led by Dr Arazoe and Prof Kuwata has devised simple and quick techniques for gene editing (target gene disruption, sequence substitution, and re-introduction of desired genes) using CRISPR/Cas9 in the rice blast fungus Pyricularia (Magnaporthe) oryzae, a type of filamentous fungus. Spurred on by encouraging results, the researchers surmise, “Plants and their pathogens are still coevolving in nature. Exploiting the mutation mechanisms of model pathogenic fungi as a genome editing technique might lead to the development of further novel techniques in genetic engineering.”The working component of the CRISPR/Cas9 system binds to the target gene region (DNA) and causes a site-specific double-stranded break (DSB) in the DNA. Effective binding of this component requires a certain “motif” or “pattern” called the protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), which follows downstream of the target gene region.Most genome editing techniques require DSBs induced at the target site, which trigger DNA “repair” pathways in the host. Homologous recombination (HR) is a mechanism for repair of DSBs, and it is useful because it adds complementary sequences. However, the underlying methodology is laborious, and its efficiency conventionally depends on external factors such as the host properties as well as PAMs. HR can be divided into two pathways: “noncrossover” (gene conversion) and “crossover” type. Crossover-type repairs are known to occur in cells that undergo meiosis. However, the understanding of their role in cells that undergo mitosis is limited, and such information on filamentous fungi is virtually unavailable. It is this gap in knowledge that the researchers were looking to address.In their study, the researchers first created a vector (gene delivery system) based on CRISPR/Cas9 to confirm crossover-type HR in the recipient gene region in the rice blast fungus.Then, to check gene targeting or “sequence substitution,” they created a “mutant” vector, optimized for single crossover-type HR, for targeted disruption of the host gene that encodes scytalone dehydratase (SDH), a protein involved in melanin formation. This vector was introduced into the vector containing the gene for hygromycin B phosphotransferase (hph), which confers resistance to the antibiotic hygromycin B. The researchers speculated that the single crossover-type HR would insert the entire vector along with hph into the target site. The mutants with disrupted SDH gene would be identified as white colonies (owing to loss of melanin) on a medium containing hygromycin B. The researchers found that the number of hygromycin B-resistant white colonies dramatically increased by using the CRISPR/Cas9 vector, which means that the CRISPR/Cas9 system is effective in inducing single crossover-type HR. The greatest benefit of this technique is that it needs extremely short homologous sequences (100 base pairs; which is really small in molecular biology).Related StoriesResearchers discover gene linked to healthy aging in wormsNew gene-editing protocol allows perfect mutation-effect matchingGene modulation goes wireless hacking the “boss gene”The researchers also used a similar strategy to check whether gene introduction (or “knock in”) is possible via single crossover-type HR using a CRISPR/Cas9 vector. They used the green-fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, which is widely used as a “reporter” gene to make host cells glow fluorescent green when inserted into their genome. They speculated that single crossover HR would result in introduction of GFP into the recipient sequence. Indeed, they found that use of the CRISPR/Cas9 vector gave rise to green fluorescent colonies on hygromycin medium. These findings show that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for efficient “one-step” gene knock-in.This research points towards a surprising fact that, perhaps, PAMs are not all that necessary for CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in fungi. Hailing the success of the research, the team states, “We have found that filamentous fungi have unique genomic characteristics, wherein crossovers are frequently induced, even in somatic cells, by cleaving the target DNA. We used these characteristics to disrupt the target DNA and to introduce “reporter” genes. We also succeeded in increasing the efficiency and speed of the knock-in, using a single-step process. This technology overcomes the restriction posed by PAMs–which is one of the biggest disadvantages of the CRISPR/Cas9 system–and enables more flexible genome editing, which has been difficult in previous studies on filamentous fungi.”Finally, when asked about the broader applications of this research, Dr Arazoe and Prof Kuwata eloquently state: Rice blast fungus is an important pathogen that causes destructive disease of rice, which is the staple food of the country. The CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing technique developed in our study can speed up molecular biological research on this pathogen, ultimately contributing to stable food supply and plant-based food safety. Also, this technique is applicable to other filamentous fungi widely used in industry–especially in the bioprocessing, food, and fermentation industries.” read more

Facebook has expressed outrage over the misuse of its data as Cambridge Analytica, the British firm at the centre of a major scandal rocking the social media giant Meanwhile, Britain’s information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, said she is pursuing a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica’s servers. She has also asked Facebook to cease its own audit of Cambridge Analytica’s data use.Denham said the prime allegation against Cambridge Analytica is that it acquired personal data in an unauthorized way, adding that data protection laws require services like Facebook to have strong safeguards against misuse of data.Leading Democrats in the U.S. Senate also called on Zuckerberg to testify. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Facebook’s latest privacy scandal a “danger signal.” She wants Zuckerberg’s assurances that Facebook is prepared to take the lead on measures to protect user privacy—or Congress may step in.Kogan’s work involved modeling human behavior through social media. In collaboration with Cambridge Analytica, he developed a Facebook-based personality survey called “This Is Your Digital Life” and paid about 200,000 people to take part. As a result, participants unknowingly gave the researchers access to the profiles of their Facebook friends, allowing them to collect data from millions more users.Kogan said Cambridge Analytica approached him to gather Facebook data and provided the legal advice that this was “appropriate.””One of the great mistakes I did here was I just didn’t ask enough questions,” he said. “I had never done a commercial project; I didn’t really have any reason to doubt their sincerity. That’s certainly something I strongly regret now.”He said the firm paid some $800,000 for the work, but it went to participants in the survey.”My motivation was to get a dataset I could do research on; I have never profited from this in any way personally,” he said. Alexandr Kogan, a psychology researcher at Cambridge University, told the BBC that both Facebook and Cambridge Analytica have tried to place the blame on him for violating the social media platform’s terms of service, even though Cambridge Analytica ensured him that everything he did was legal.”My view is that I’m being basically used as a scapegoat by both Facebook and Cambridge Analytica,” he said. “Honestly, we thought we were acting perfectly appropriately, we thought we were doing something that was really normal.”Authorities in Britain and the United States are investigating the alleged improper use of Facebook data by Cambridge Analytica, a U.K.-based political research firm. Facebook shares have dropped 9.2 percent, lopping more than $50 billion off the company’s market value, since the revelations were first published, raising questions about whether social media sites are violating users’ privacy.The head of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Nix, was suspended Tuesday after Britain’s Channel 4 News broadcast hidden camera footage of him suggesting the company could use young women to catch opposition politicians in compromising positions. Footage also showed Nix bragging about the firm’s pivotal role in the Trump campaign.Nix said Cambridge Analytica handled “all the data, all the analytics, all the targeting” for the Trump campaign, and used emails with a “self-destruct timer” to make the firm’s role more difficult to trace.”There’s no evidence, there’s no paper trail, there’s nothing,” he said.In a statement, Cambridge Analytica’s board said Nix’s comments “do not represent the values or operations of the firm, and his suspension reflects the seriousness with which we view this violation.”Facebook itself is drawing criticism from politicians on both sides of the Atlantic for its alleged failure to protect users’ privacy.On Tuesday, the chairman of the U.K. parliament’s media committee, Damian Collins, said his group has repeatedly asked Facebook how it uses data, but company officials “have been misleading to the committee.”The committee summoned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify. Facebook sidestepped questions on whether Zuckerberg would appear, saying instead that the company is currently focused on conducting its own reviews. Explore further Citation: Academic says he’s being scapegoated in Facebook data case (Update) (2018, March 21) retrieved 18 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-03-app-scapegoat-facebook-row.html An academic who developed the app used by Cambridge Analytica to harvest data from millions of Facebook users said Wednesday that he had no idea his work would be used in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and that he’s being scapegoated in the fallout from the affair. © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Cambridge Analytica: firm at the heart of Facebook scandal This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. read more

Citation: Senators are concerned about competition should T-Mobile’s deal for Sprint go through (2018, June 29) retrieved 18 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-06-senators-competition-t-mobile-sprint.html Sprint, T-Mobile have to sell $26.5B deal to antitrust cops (Update) This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. ©2018 Bloomberg News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Explore further T-Mobile’s proposed purchase of wireless rival Sprint came under scrutiny Wednesday by U.S. senators who acknowledged possible benefits –– like next-generation service but also emphasized the need for competition among mobile phone-service providers. Top executives from both companies said the merger would give the combined company an edge in the race to offer a fifth generation network, known as 5G.Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said she’s concerned about a deal that would cut the number of nationwide mobile providers from four to three and has the potential to raise prices.”Explain how you’re going to pay for this,” Klobuchar said. “I can’t help but think it’s going to mean higher prices in some way.”She also pointed out that while companies “often promise millions, sometimes billions of dollars in efficiencies and cost savings,” the question is whether consumers will see the promised lower prices or improved quality when the deal has been completed and there are fewer carriers to choose from.Sen, Mike Lee, the Utah Republican who chairs the Senate’s antitrust committee, said consumers have “a strong interest in ensuring that competition continues.”Lee pointed out that Sprint opposed AT&T’s failed bid to buy T-Mobile in 2011, arguing that the cost savings the companies claimed wouldn’t materialize. He pressed Sprint’s executive chairman, Marcelo Claure, on what is different about the Sprint-T-Mobile deal. Claure said T-Mobile’s pursuit of Sprint was “completely the opposite” because rather than allowing AT&T to get bigger, the combination would establish a stronger rival to AT&T.The hearing put more public scrutiny on the $26.5 billion deal, which is under review by antitrust officials. Senators don’t vote directly on such deals, but do play a role in appointing agency officials who vet deals.Most of the panel’s members didn’t attend the hearing.The transaction requires approval from the Justice Department, the Federal Communications Commission and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which reviews acquisitions of American businesses by foreign buyers. Sprint is owned by Japan’s SoftBank Group.Under President Barack Obama, both the Justice Department and the FCC opposed combining the two companies, taking the position that competition would be hindered.President Donald Trump’s FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, has said he remains open about the number of major companies in the U.S. mobile market, while the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, Makan Delrahim, said there’s no “magical number” for the number of competitors.T-Mobile CEO John Legere told the Senate committee that the acquisition would lower prices and give the combined company a leg up in the race to deliver 5G.”We’ll make sure America wins the global 5G race,” Legere said at the hearing. read more

As the mix of energy sources feeding power-hungry homes, businesses and industry comes to incorporate more renewables like wind and solar, society faces a reckoning with where to turn when wind and sunshine die down. What will it take for greener sources not only to join fossil fuels on the American power grid, but eventually to displace them? Utilities are starting to invest in big batteries instead of building new power plants This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. In February 2019, Los Angeles announced plans to phase out three natural gas power plants by 2029 and to replace them with a combination of renewable energy and battery storage. A few months earlier, the California utility Pacific Gas & Electric won regulatory approval for similar plans. It hoped to replace a trio of natural gas plants with industrial scale battery storage systems, including a 730 megawatt-hour project to be designed and built by electric car company Tesla Motors. For comparison, the two small plants slated for retirement in PG&E’s plan can generate up to 47.6 megawatts of electricity when needed, while a larger natural gas plant in the project can produce up to 606 megawatts.The idea behind both plans is that the capricious nature of energy from sunshine and wind creates a problem for operators who need to match the amount of energy supply at all times to the amount of demand. Storage technologies including batteries offer a way to maintain the supply-demand balance by drawing electricity from the grid when renewables are abundant and sending it back when demand picks up or renewables’ output falls short.Both the Los Angeles and PG&E plans have some unusual factors. But even so, they may offer glimpses of a future in which large-scale battery storage helps ease the way for the kind of energy mix that growing numbers of states demand. California mandated last year that all of its electricity come from zero-emission sources by 2045. And clean electricity legislation is on the table this year in states including Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, and Washington state. In California, regulators are also requiring PG&E and the two other investor-owned utilities to procure at least 1.3 gigawatts of energy storage capacity for the state’s grid by 2020.Yet batteries face significant hurdles if they are to help renewables displace fossil fuels. Here, Simona Onori, an assistant professor of energy resources engineering in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth), and Frank Wolak, who directs the Freeman Spogli Institute’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, discuss some of the promises and pitfalls of deploying batteries for grid storage, as well as viable alternatives. Provided by Stanford University The Scattergood Generating Station in El Segundo, California, is one of three natural gas power plants that Los Angeles plans to replace with a combination of renewable energy and battery storage in the coming decade. Credit: iStock Explore further From a performance standpoint, which types of batteries are best suited to the job of providing energy storage for the grid?Simona Onori: Compared to other battery technologies, lithium-ion batteries are lightweight and compact with high storage capacity for their size. They’re more resilient to damage from excessive discharging and extreme temperatures, they have a longer useful life and they can cycle more times without significant loss of capacity. Lithium-ion energy storage systems require little maintenance and few replacement parts and the batteries have a modular structure that lends itself to large-scale applications on the grid.Looking ahead, improvements in redox or flow batteries are making them an increasingly promising option for stationary applications. An electrical energy storage technology known as supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors may also provide high benefits for the grid, especially if used in a hybrid configuration with other devices like lithium-ion batteries. With this setup, supercapacitors would be used to regulate frequency, thanks to their fast response times, while batteries would provide energy when demand peaks. The feasibility of this solution hasn’t been fully explored yet, but it’s something we’re researching in our lab.How much is known about how lithium-ion batteries will endure the stress and demands of storage for the grid?Onori: The performance and useful life of any battery will strictly depend on how the battery is used. The more a battery is stressed – under extreme temperatures, for example – the worse it will perform and the shorter its life will be. They need a robust battery management system that keeps them operating within their temperature sweet spot.Battery stress factors are usually summarized in what we call a duty cycle. We have very solid knowledge about duty cycles in cars, but not much is known about battery duty cycles for the grid, mostly due to the lack of field data. As more and more batteries are used in grid applications, more data will be collected that can eventually help to build accurate models.What are the most viable alternatives to batteries when it comes to storing energy for the grid?Frank Wolak: Historically, the most cost-effective form of grid-scale storage has been a pumped storage hydroelectric facility, where water is pumped uphill when prices are low and then run downhill through a turbine to produce electricity when prices are high.Concerns from environmental groups and a lack of reliable revenue sources have prevented new pumped storage units from being developed at many attractive sites in California. In addition, because pumped storage relies on certain geographic features, such as reservoirs that are close in distance but far apart in elevation, it cannot necessarily be located where it might be most helpful to maintaining a reliable supply of electricity.Can battery storage offer a cheaper alternative to gas-fired power plants?Wolak: Investments in storage have a steep hill to climb relative to existing natural gas-fired generation units, which often produce electricity at a market price that is above the marginal cost of production of the generation unit, which provides net revenues to recover the fixed cost of these generation units.The economics of storage might change in the future in favor of batteries, but the best hope for storage in the near term is a high price of greenhouse gas emissions which makes it more expensive to operate natural gas plants when renewable energy is not available.Energy storage isn’t the only way to deal with dips in renewable energy production. What are some promising alternatives?Wolak: We could shift energy use to periods with significant renewable energy production. In the standard form of these programs, participants decide how much electricity to consume each hour based on retail prices that vary along with the hourly wholesale price.In California, it’s more common for providers to sell demand reductions. Under these schemes, if participants are able to reduce their demand below a certain baseline, a utility will pay them for that reduction at the same rate as if they were supplying additional energy. Citation: The dollars and sense of big batteries on the grid (2019, March 13) retrieved 17 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-03-dollars-big-batteries-grid.html read more

For such pro-United commentary, Channel 7 and struggling with some basic pronunciation. #MUTOUR- Neil Sherwin (@neilsherwin) July 17, 2019Hint to Channel 7: Eric Bailly is not pronounced how it is spelt. #MUFCvLUFC #MUTOUR- The Football Sack (@TheFootballSack) July 17, 2019Channel 7 commentary bingo:-Leeds are a big club-This doesn’t feel like a friendly-I’d love to see Leeds in the premier league-James is going to be a special player-Any reference to Lukaku transfers- Leeds glory years- The Australian connection#MUNLEE #LeedsUnited- Miller (@mmiller003) July 17, 2019-Paul Pogba breathes(Bash on the channel 7 commentary): “TERRIFIC ATHLETICISM WHAT A WORLD CLASS TALENT”- Jasprit Bumrahs bowling action (@miketheshark_1) July 17, 2019Did @Channel7 just claim that there are ’60-70 matches in the Championship for Leeds to play?? 😂😂 #MUFCvLUFC #mufctour- Russ Gibbs (@RussGibbs10) July 17, 2019@TheWorldGame why can’t SBS have the rights to comment the Man U/ Leeds game. @Channel7 commentary is embarrassing.@TheWorldGame is the home for watching football in Australia.- Andrew Glasson (@AndrewGlasson3) July 17, 2019To make matters worse for the free-to-air broadcaster, who hasn’t covered the round ball game for a few years, they then mistakenly confirmed Red Devils keeper David de Gea has re-signed with the club – much to the surprise of journalists watching on in the press box.Channel 7’s commentary team just claimed De Gea has signed a new contract. Cue 15 English journalists shooting each other bemused sideways glances in the media box, as they know very well no such deal has been announced.#MUFCvLUFC #MUTOUR- The Football Sack (@TheFootballSack) July 17, 2019David Basheer just said on commentary that De Gea has penned a new deal at United. Bemused looks in the media box, first we’ve heard of it being confirmed 🤷🏻‍♂️ #MUTOUR- Neil Sherwin (@neilsherwin) July 17, 2019While the TV coverage left something to be desired, the Red Devils impressed in the first 45 minutes against Leeds, scoring twice without reply against their old rivals.Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford both on target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side after they beat Glory 2-0 on Saturday. After being slammed for their coverage of Manchester United’s first pre-season match against Perth Glory, Channel Seven have shown few signs of improvement in the Red Devils second clash with Leeds United. Led by David Basheer and former Glory player Stan Lazaridis, Channel Seven’s coverage caused plenty of football fans to cringe online. While the action on and off the pitch was surpassing what was dished out at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, the broadcaster’s woes continued on Wednesday, with their commentary team particularly struggling. read more

Atlanta (Reuters) – Dozens of beachgoers and lifeguards battled to help a pod of pilot whales back into deeper waters after coming too close to the shore of the U.S. state of Georgia earlier this week, although authorities said that three of the animals had died. Around 50 short-finned pilot whales were spotted in the shallow waters off St. Simons Island on Tuesday, the Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in a statement. Nine pilot whales – a species of oceanic dolphin that grows 7 metres long and can weigh up to 3 tonnes – stranded themselves in the surf and while rescuers where able to push six back into deeper water, three perished, the DNR said. Onlookers captured the impromptu rescue on videos that have since drawn hundreds of thousands of views online. The footage showed several glossy black pilot whales flailing in knee-high water surrounded by small groups of people trying to push them away from the shallows. Officials checked beaches and marshes along the island’s coast by helicopter and did not spot anymore stranded whales, the DNR said. Clay George, a biologist with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, told the New York Times that “something when wrong” for the creatures, which normally swim 100 miles (160 km) offshore. “We’re cautiously optimistic that the group dodged a bullet and that they’re now on their way to deeper water,” Clay was cited as saying. More than 100 pilot whales died in a mass stranding in New Zealand last year. It is not known why whales sometimes beach themselves. But the whales travel together in pods and are known to follow a leader, as well as gather around an injured or distressed whale, officials said. Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. read more

The Centre is planning to launch broadband services readiness index of states based on parameters like infrastructure, approval processes and utilisation of high speed Internet.“According to a study by ICRIER (a research firm), $100 billion investment will have seven-fold multiplier effect on Gross Domestic Product (GDP). There is a need of a national mission to make this happen. We are going to launch broadband readiness index for states which will be vital for investments,” Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said.She said that the Ministry of Electronics and IT has also shown interest in states readiness index and want to expand it further.The telecom ministry will hold first workshop on implementation of the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) which envisages USD 100 billion investment in telecom sector by 2022, broadband connectivity at 50 megabit per second speed to every citizen, telecom connectivity at every corner of India and creating 40 lakh jobs.“This is first preparatory national workshop on implementation of NDCP in which 25 states have confirmed to participate. Here we will launch National Broadband Mission to achieve objective of broadband for all,” Sundararajan said.Industry leaders and associations will discuss at the NDCP workshop issues they are facing in states especially in rolling out telecom infrastructure which in turn impact investments. “We want to ensure that 5G is not limited to urban areas. It should reach rural areas. For this, we have to work with states to ensure that there is 100 per cent penetration of optical fibre cables. Without massive OFC penetration, 5G services will not expand. States have to provide smooth right of way permissions,” Sundararajan said.5G networks are said to provide broadband speed of 1 Gbps. Theoretically, a high definition 2-hour video can be downloaded in 5 seconds at this speed.The telecom secretary said there is a need to increase mobile tower base by three times and OFC rollout by four-folds to achieve ‘broadband for all’ target under the National Broadband Mission.“We have to roll out wifi services in rural and urban areas. To deliver benefit of NDCP to people and create jobs, states have to come forward. We will do comparative evaluation of all states and highlight best policies for other states to adopt it,” Sundararajan said. The telecom ministry has floated tender to roll out 10 lakh wifi hotspot across all 2.5 lakh village panchayats. At present, 1.21 lakh panchayats are ready with broadband services infrastructure. The DoT has awarded task to roll out wifi services in 62,0000 panchayats to Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) and is working with ITI for setting up wifi hotpsots in other panchayats.“Broadband services have been started in all panchayats covered under Phase 1. Now we are looking at utilisation of broadband where states need to come forward and identify institutions like school, police stations etc that are to be connected with wifi,” Sundararajan said.She said states have to ensure that there is enough electronic equipment available at their institutions to start using BharatNet broadband network for various services like tele-medicine, e-health, e-education etc. “DoT is working to create state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure in next four years and we want states to draw a road map to start using it. At the workshop, we will work on yearly targets that states need to achieve,” Sundararajan said.She said the telecom ministry will discuss with states usage of broadband for development at aspirational districts, enhancing connectivity in Naxal-affected areas, north eastern states and islands. SHARE SHARE EMAIL COMMENT SHARE She said that the Ministry of Electronics and IT has also shown interest in states readiness index and want to expand it further. Aruna Sundararajan, Telecom Secretary   –  File photo COMMENTS Published on December 16, 2018 read more

SHARE NRIs COMMENTS Attracts 30% of total investments in the last four fiscal Mantralaya, Maharashtra’s seat of power. (file photo)   –  THE HINDU  Goa (with ₹2.85 crore), Madhya Pradesh (₹1.02 crore), Daman & Diu (₹1 crore), Chhattisgarh (₹0.13 crore) and Punjab (₹0.05 crore) are at the bottom of the chart of NRI investment flows.Earlier, the Ministry had informed the Rajya Sabha that the extant FDI policy provides some special dispensations for investments made by NRIs, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCIs) under Schedule 4 of FEMA (Transfer or Issue of Security by Persons Resident Outside India). Regulations on non-repatriation basis is deemed to be domestic investment on par with the investments made by residents.The special dispensation of NRIs is also available to companies, trusts and partnership firms, which are incorporated outside India and are owned and controlled by NRIs.The dispensations are provided with a view to encourage investments from NRIs resulting into larger FDI inflows across the country. COMMENT Published on foreign direct investment May 02, 2019  Maharashtra has emerged as the favourite destination for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) by NRIs in the last four financial years (2014-15- 2017-18) attracting ₹1,454 crore, which is 30 per cent of the total NRI investments of ₹4,820 crore in the country. Kerala and Gujarat received ₹902 crore and ₹515 crore respectively during the same period.The Ministry of Commerce and Industry data presented to the Lok Sabha in February shows that the three States together received 60 per cent of investments in this category.“The Government has put in place a liberal and transparent policy, wherein most of the sectors are open to FDI under the automatic route. The Government reviews the FDI policy on an ongoing basis and makes significant changes from time to time, to ensure that India remains attractive and investor-friendly destination. FDI policy is an enabling policy which is uniformly applicable in the country” the Ministry said. SHARE SHARE EMAIL Maharashtra read more

According to medical history, clinical expression and relevant examination can be assisted diagnose. Differentiate diagnoseShanghai Long Feng forum Precaution Slight neurosis patient can seek advice from seasonable cure through psychology, and can achieve recovery. And the mental division that the madman must turn to concern a hospital, adopt medicaments control and psychotherapy. 1. has count of red blood cell of proportion of hematic convention, make water convention, make water (the examination such as nitrogen of albumen of blame of specific volume of cell of quantity of RBC) , haemoglobin, blood, blood and urea. 2. system examination is neurological nondestructive is killed, damage place, limits, property and degree. Go when necessary cerebral ministry CT and MRI examination. Diagnose Should faint with the god delirious speech, muddleheaded not language differentiate. Consciousness is absentminded to breathe out can answer, but give an irrelevant answer, force of memory, computation is poor. Spirit is not centered or consciousness is not clear about. Cure Examination . 2. deliriumThe patient appears irritating, incoherent, directional ability disappears, illusory, appear a few involuntary movements. 3. be addicted to sleepsThe patient is in sleep greatly, those who breathe out can wake, speech ambiguous or give an irrelevant answer. 4. insensibleClinical according to its serious degree cent is 3 class: ① spends gently insensible: Patient consciousness is lost, mix by force to light call all do not have reaction, without own campaign, all sorts of reflex exist (if pupil is reflexed, corneal reflex, deglutition reflex) aching stimulation can appear painful expression and defense motion. Temperature, breath, pulse, blood pressure does not have apparent change. Spend in ② insensible: To the outside all sorts of stimulation all do not have reaction, without own campaign, miotic or expand, unresponsive to light, corneal reflex drops, muscle is flabby, to intense stimulation can defence reflexes a movement, breath and pulse all have wave motion, relieve oneself retention or incontinent. ③ is deep insensible: Pupil expands, smoothForum of baby of new Shanghai noble Reflection, corneal reflex all disappears, breath is irregular, blood pressure drops, temperature is reduced, relieve oneself is incontinent. Bring about the reason with not clear mind to differ, precautionary method is different also, basically have the following sides: 1. improves work environment. Smoke of 2. avoid wine, give up. 3. drink second contact should prevent tall grease food to cause cholesterol heighten, want to assimilate necessary nutrient substance again, be like protein, inorganic salt kind, amino1000 beautiful nets of Shanghai make friend Acid reachs a variety of vitamins, especially C of vitamin B1, B2 and B6, vitamin and dimensionForum of Shanghai noble baby Crude element E. 4. maintains spirit happy benefit reachs mental health at sickness treatment. 5. has been arrangedNew love Shanghai is opposite with the city touch forum The life and study, maintain as extensive as the society contact. 6. undertakes check-up, as soon as possible treats body disease regularly, want to take seriously already to him body, cannot notice overly again or worry. 7. often outdoors activity, have the body actively take exercise. read more

World 17 Jun 2019 India says UAE assures supply of oil, LPG despite tanker attacks Corporate News 16 May 2019 Gas Malaysia Q1 profit climbs 2.4% Tags / Keywords: Oil & Gas Related News Corporate News 27 Jun 2019 Malaysia closer to opening up natural gas market Related News KUALA LUMPUR: Gas Malaysia Bhd has announced that the average natural gas tariff after surcharge for the non-power sector in Peninsular Malaysia will increase 5.3% to RM34.66 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) from July 15- Dec 30 this year. The revision, following a surcharge of RM1.92/MMBtu, applies to all tariff categories under the Gas Cost Pass-Through (GCPT) mechanism.In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, it said the average base tariff is set at RM32.74 MMBtu from RM32.69 MMBtu currently. Gas Malaysia also clarified that the tariff revision is not applicable to sales of natural gas for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplied in gas cylinders or in bulk supply. “While the tariff revision has no material impact on Gas Malaysia’s business operations, it is expected to contribute positively towards the company for the financial year 2019,” it said. — Bernama {{category}} {{time}} {{title}} read more

Next India Today Web Desk New DelhiJuly 12, 2019UPDATED: July 12, 2019 16:21 IST Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy (right) and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah (left). (Photo: PTI)It has been nearly a week since a political pandemonium struck Karnataka and threatened the survival of the HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government. The battle for Karnataka is being fought on three fronts — in Bengaluru, Mumbai and in the national capital New Delhi.On one hand Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy claims his house is in order and that his government faces no threat, while on the other, 16 MLAs from his own party and the Congress remain unmoved on their stand – no ghar wapasi (homecoming) to camp Congress-JD(S). To add to Kumaraswamy’s worries, the lone KJKP MLA and one Independent who were supporting his government too have withdrawn their support.WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN KARNATAKA?Simply put, the chaos in Karnataka is about power. Will the ones currently in power retain it or will someone else attain it, is the question that everyone is wondering aloud.The latest news from Karnataka is that 16 MLAs of the ruling parties (13 of Congress and three of JD (S)) have tendered their resignations as MLAs. If their resignations are accepted, the HD Kumaraswamy government’s majority in the state assembly will become questionable and the government will have to win a trust vote – a task which will not be easy in the prevailing circumstances.To make matters worse for the Congress-JD (S) government, KJKP MLA R Shankar, who was a minister, along with an Independent candidate have withdrawn support to the government. Thus the government’s tally in the state assembly will be reduced by 18 if the Speaker accepts all resignations.Hectic parlays are on within the Congress and JD (S) as its leaders try to survive this challenge. Meanwhile, the BJP too has upped the ante as it senses a chance of ousting the present government and form its own.The BJP has been claiming it has nothing to with the mass resignation in Congress and JD (S). It has however been mounting pressure on the Speaker for not accepting the resignations and has also been attacking the Congress after Congress leader DK Shivakumar tore resignation letters of some Congress MLAs inside the Speaker’s office.The Congress and JD (S) have alleged that the present crisis is the BJP’s brainchild.WHY DID THE MATTER REACH SUPREME COURT?On Tuesday, Speaker KR Ramesh examined the 11 resignations that were submitted to his office last Saturday. He confirmed that between Saturday and Tuesday, two more resignations had been submitted, taking the total number to 13.The Speaker said after examining the resignations, he found that eight of them were not in proper order. His office thus returned their resignations and asked the MLAs to send them in prescribed form if they still wanted to resign.For the remaining five MLAs whose resignations were found to be in order, the Speaker asked them to meet him in person to discuss their resignations.Speaker KR Ramesh also wrote to the Governor saying none of these MLAs met him.Unhappy with the Speaker’s decision, the rebel MLAs decided to move the Supreme Court to challenge his decision of rejecting their resignations.WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SUPREME COURT?While the battle for Karnataka is mainly being fought in state capital Bengaluru, the national capital too has become abuzz as the Karanataka crisis has reached the Supreme Court.The rebel JD (S)-Congress MLAs have moved the Supreme Court to challenge Speaker KR Ramesh’s decision where he rejected some resignations. Hearing the pleas, the Supreme Court on Friday said status quo should be maintained in Karnataka till Tuesday when it will hear the case again. The Supreme Court said the Speaker should not take any decision until Tuesday.So, at the moment the Congress-JD (S) government is in power in Karnataka. None of the 16 resignations are effective until Tuesday and the government has a majority.Will this status change on Tuesday? That is something that will be answered only on Tuesday.Meanwhile, on Thursday the Supreme Court asked the rebel MLAs to meet the Speaker and also said the Speaker must decide on the resignations by midnight. In response, the Speaker’s counsel pleaded the court that he would need more time to decide on the matter and that he cannot work at “lightning speed”.The counsel for the rebel MLAs have also demanded that the Speaker must face contempt action as he failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to decide on the MLAs’ resignations.BUT WHY IS MUMBAI INVOLVED?Good question. Mumbai ideally has nothing much to do with the power struggle in Karnataka.The only reason why the city has become one of the theatres of action in the battle for Karnataka is that the rebel MLAs are camping in a posh Mumbai hotel.After tendering their resignations on Saturday and meeting Governor Vajubhai Vala, the rebel MLAs reached Mumbai in a chartered flight. Since then they have been in Mumbai, reportedly to ensure that the Congress-JD (S) leaders are unable to “influence” and “intimidate” them.The chartered flight on which these MLAs flew to Mumbai is owned by a company related to BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar.On Wednesday, Congress’s troubleshooter and state minister DK Shivakumar reached Mumbai in a special flight. He wanted to enter the hotel where the rebel MLAs are staying.Reason for his visit?Well, he said he is in Mumbai just to have coffee with his friends (the rebel MLAs). Not for politics.While Shivakumar said he flew from Bengaluru to Mumbai to have coffee with his “friends”, the visit’s unsaid purpose was clearly to try and convince the MLAs to withdraw their resignations.To placate and lure them, all Congress ministers in Karnataka have resigned so that the MLAs can be adequately accommodated.But this attempt seems to have failed.Apprehending Shivakumar’s visit, the rebel MLAs wrote to Mumbai Police and requested security cover saying they feel “threatened”. The MLAs requested Mumbai Police that DK Shivakumar should be prevented from entering their hotel and meet them. We don’t want to meet him, they said bluntly.When Shivakumar reached the hotel, police were in position to prevent his planned meeting.The hotel too cancelled his reservation citing emergency circumstances.WHAT IS THE GENESIS OF KARNATAKA’S POLITICAL DRAMA?For this, we need to travel back to 2018.In the 2018 Karnataka state assembly election, no party was able to attain majority on its own. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single-largest party with 105 MLAs in the 225-member assembly but fell short of the majority.During the campaign, the BJP, JD (S) and the Congress had fought and campaigned against each other. But following the election results, the Congress and JD (S) stitched a post-poll alliance and formed the government in Karnataka with HD Kumaraswamy of the JD (S) as chief minister.The BJP thus missed the chance to return to power in Karnataka by a whisker. In fact, even in 2018, the government in Karnataka was formed after much political drama and even saw a midnight hearing in the Supreme Court.The drama was such that BJP’s chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa earned the not-so-good record of becoming the chief minister with the shortest term ever. After the assembly election results were announced, the Governor invited the BJP to form government on the ground that it is the single largest party.Yeddyurappa was sworn in but the Supreme Court made it clear that he can’t appoint any minister, nominate the lone Anglo-Indian nominated MLA nor take any decision before proving his majority on the floor of the state assembly.When the assembly met to vote, Yeddyurappa resigned even before the motion for trust vote was taken up. This was because the BJP had failed to secure the numbers needed to cross the majority mark.Since then, Karnataka has been ruled by a coalition government of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). In the past one year, stability is one aspect that has remained conspicuously absent in the government in Karnataka. Controversies and instability have hampered the functioning of the HD Kumaraswamy government putting it always on the brink of a collapse.As for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it remains ever vigilant to pounce and grab the slightest opportunity to try form its government.ALSO READ | SC asks Speaker not to take decision on rebels resignation till TuesdayFor the latest World Cup news, live scores and fixtures for World Cup 2019, log on to indiatoday.in/sports. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for World Cup news, scores and updates.Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from Post your comment Do You Like This Story? Awesome! Now share the story Too bad. Tell us what you didn’t like in the comments Posted byMukesh Rawat Tags :Follow Karnataka crisisFollow Congress JD(S)Follow HD KumaraswamyFollow congress Your complete Q&A guide to Karnataka crisis: How it started, who stands where, what next and moreKarnataka crisis: 16 MLAs from the Congress and JD(S) have resigned and remain unmoved on their stand that they won’t withdraw their resignations. This has threatened survival of the one-year-old HD Kumaraswamy govt.advertisement read more

India Today Web Desk New DelhiJuly 12, 2019UPDATED: July 12, 2019 19:40 IST Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Nalluri Srinivas Rao was kidnapped on Monday. (Photo: ANI)Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Nalluri Srinivas Rao who was kidnapped by the Maoists was found dead on Friday. The body of the TRS leader was found in Puttapadu village of Sukma District in Chhattisgarh. Nalluri Srinivas Rao was kidnapped on Monday.According to the reports, 45-year-old Nalluri Srinivas Rao was abducted from Kothur village in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district in Telangana around midnight.The cause of the TRS leader’s death is yet to be ascertained by the police.”His body was found in Errampadu, a small hamlet in Chhattisgarh. There was an injury on his head. We have to ascertain how he died. Only after an inquest can we exactly say how he died and whether it is a bullet injury or head injury,” Rajesh Chandra, Additional Superintendent of Police Bhadrachalam, said.He said a team was on its way to the neighbouring state to complete the formalities and bring the body back.Rao’s wife, Durga, had earlier told news channels that around 10-15 unidentified people, some of them carrying weapons and sticks, had dragged her husband out of their house even as she and her son pleaded with them.She said they beat up all of them. “When we tried to stop them, they also pointed a gun at me. We were not allowed to step out of our house,” PTI quoted Durga as saying.Also Read | Samajwadi Party leader shot dead in Greater NoidaAlso Read | Shivpal Yadav-led Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party leader found dead in AmethiAlso Watch | Smriti Irani lends shoulder to mortal remains of close aide who was shot dead in AmethiFor the latest World Cup news, live scores and fixtures for World Cup 2019, log on to indiatoday.in/sports. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for World Cup news, scores and updates.Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from Post your comment Do You Like This Story? Awesome! Now share the story Too bad. Tell us what you didn’t like in the comments Posted byChanchal Chauhan TRS leader kidnapped by Maoists 3 days ago found dead in ChhattisgarhThe body of the TRS leader was found in Puttapadu village of Sukma District in Chhattisgarh. Nalluri Srinivas Rao was kidnapped on Monday.advertisement Next read more