China announces 'standardised' names in Arunachal

 Upping the ante, China has for the first time announced "standardised" official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh, days after it lodged strong protests with India over the Dalai Lama's visit to the frontier state.

The state media here said the move was aimed at reaffirming China's claim over the state. China claims the state as 'South Tibet'.

"China's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on April 14 that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of six places in 'South Tibet', which India calls 'Arunachal Pradesh', in accordance with the regulations of the central government," state-run Global Times reported today.

The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wo'gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoid ngarbo Ri, Mainquka, B mo La and Namkapub Ri.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war.

The two sides have so far held 19 rounds of talks with Special Representatives to resolve the boundary dispute.

China's move comes just days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which was seventh since he fled from Tibet through Tawang and sought refuge in India.

During the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader's Arunachal Pradesh visit, China had warned India that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests.

Commenting on the standardisation of the names of six places, Chinese experts said that it was a move to "reaffirm the country's territorial sovereignty to the disputed region", according to the daily.

"The standardisation came amid China's growing understanding and recognition of the geography in South Tibet.

Naming the places is a step to reaffirm China's territorial sovereignty to South Tibet," Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Beijing's Minzu University of China, was quoted as saying.

Xiong said that the legalisation of the regions' names is a part of the rule of law.

"These names have existed since ancient times, but had never been standardised before. Therefore, announcing the names is like a remediation," Guo Kefan, a research fellow at the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, said.

Standardising the names from the angles of culture and geography could serve as a reference or leverage when China and India negotiate border issues in future, Guo said.

"The South Tibet region is located alongside China's southwestern border and India's north-eastern border where Sino-Indian border disputes are cantered," the report said.

It claimed that India "abruptly announced that it was officially designating the region as 'Arunachal Pradesh' but the Chinese government has neither recognised India's occupation of the region, nor the legitimacy of the province".

During the Dalai Lama Arunachal Pradesh visit, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who accompanied the Tibetan spiritual leader, had asserted that that Arunachal Pradesh is "an inseparable part of India".

China had lodged a diplomatic protest with India over the visit and warned that it would have a negative impact on the efforts to resolve the border dispute.

After the nine-day visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had said that India should not use the Tibetan spiritual leader to undermine China's interests.

Food Security Mission crosses food grain production targets

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said that the National Food Security Mission has been successful as it has achieved the production targets of 42 million tonne of food grains

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said that the National Food Security Mission(NFSM) has been successful as it has and achieved the production targets and the production of 42 million tonne of food grains was achieved which was more than the target of the Mission.

Chairing the meeting of 12th General Council of the NFSM in New Delhi, the Minister was briefed by the concerned officers in detail through the presentations about the achievement and production targets till date under the Mission. National Food Security Mission was launched in 11th Five Year Plan during 2007-08 with the objective to increase food production to 20 million tonne by 2011-12 (rice, wheat and pulses respectively 10, 8 and 2 million tonne).

“The mission has been continued in 12th Five Year Plan with new targets of 25 million tonne additional food grain production, including 10 million tonne rice, 8 million tonne wheat, 4 million tonne pulses and 3 million tone coarse cereals,” Singh added.

During the 12th Five Year Plan, there are 5 components of National Food Security Mission which are Rice, Wheat, Pulses, Coarse Cereals and Commercial crops.

The meeting of Joint Hindi Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was organized today under the chairmanship of Singh.The Joint Hindi Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was constituted on 24 August 2016. It was the first meeting after the committee was constituted.

During the discussions, the members of the committee expressed their satisfaction about the use of official language Hindi in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and its departments. They emphasized that more and more official work should be performed in Hindi, the official language of the Union. Singh said, “ Most of policies/schemes as well as activities concerned with his Ministry relate to farmers and common man. Therefore, it is our duty that we should use Hindi as much as possible while implementing policies/schemes related to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.”

Samsung chief questioned behind closed doors in arrest warrant hearing

A South Korean judge questioned Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee behind closed doors on Wednesday to decide whether he should be arrested over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that led parliament to impeach President Park Geun-hye.

Lee, 48, in dark overcoat and purple necktie, did not answer questions from reporters on his way into the special prosecutor's office and then the Seoul Central District Court, where guards stopped journalists at the door.

A special prosecutor on Monday said it would seek a warrant to arrest the third-generation leader of the country's largest conglomerate on suspicion of bribery, embezzlement and perjury.

Lee, who has been the de facto leader of South Korea's biggest conglomerate since his father Lee Kun-hee was incapacitated by a 2014 heart attack, was questioned last week for 22 straight hours at the prosecutor's office in Seoul.

He has denied wrongdoing.

Park, 64, was impeached last month by parliament over the influence-peddling scandal, a decision that if upheld by the Constitutional Court will see her become the country's first democratically-elected leader forced from office early.

Park, who remains in office but stripped of her powers while the court decides her fate, has denied wrongdoing.

The judge may not announce his decision until after midnight, a court official told Reuters on Tuesday. Prosecution officials were still deciding where to hold Lee as he awaits his fate.

The special prosecutor has accused Lee of paying bribes totalling 43 billion won ($36.70 million) to organisations linked to Choi Soon-sil, a friend of the president who is at the centre of the scandal, to secure the 2015 merger of two affiliates and cement his control of the family business.

Earlier this week, the special prosecutor indicted the chairman of the National Pension Service (NPS), the world's third-largest pension fund, on charges of abuse of power and giving false testimony.

NPS chairman Moon Hyung-pyo was arrested in December after acknowledging ordering it to support the controversial $8 billion merger in 2015 of the two Samsung Group affiliates while heading the health ministry, which oversees the NPS.

On Tuesday, the special prosecutor's office said it did not seek arrest warrants for three other Samsung Group executives that also underwent questioning, in order to minimise the impact on Samsung business.

The group's flagship, Samsung Electronics, is the world's biggest maker of smartphones, flatscreen TVs and memory chips.

All north Indian cities fail to meet air quality standards, report finds

Not a single city in northern India meets international air quality standards, according to a Greenpeace report that estimates air pollution kills more than 1 million Indians each year and takes 3% off the country’s GDP.

The report released this week also shows that levels of the most dangerous airborne pollutants grew by 13% in India between 2010 and 2015 but fell at least 15% over the same period in China, the US and Europe.

It adds to a growing body of research showing the problem of toxic air is not limited only to the Indian capital, Delhi, but afflicts almost all the country’s large cities, particularly in the north.

Air quality data gathered for 2015 from state pollution control boards and under freedom of information laws showed “there are virtually no places in India complying with World Health Organisation and national ambient air quality (NAAQ) standards, and most cities are critically polluted”, the report said.

“Except for a few places in southern India which complied with NAAQ standards, the entire country is experiencing a public health crisis due to high air pollution levels.”

The report added that “deaths due to air pollution are only a fraction less than the number of deaths caused by tobacco usage”, citing the Lancet’s global burden of disease study, which shows about 3,283 Indians die each day due to exposure to outdoor air pollution.

In all of the 20 cities monitored in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the level of PM10 – airborne pollutants such as dust, mould and chemical droplets less than 10 micrometers in diameter – exceeded international limits by at least 100%.

Ghaziabad, an Uttar Pradesh city that borders Delhi, exceeded the limits by more than 400%, the report showed.
But the PM10 limits were also exceeded in cities where the problem is less publicised, such as Hyderabad, Pune and Thane, where pollution density was about twice the safe level.

Cities in the south-western state of Karnataka generally enjoyed good air quality, with 12 of the 21 places with monitoring stations, including Mangalore and Mysore, recording PM10 levels well below the safe annual average limit of 60 micrograms.

Delhi’s average level of PM2.5, the smallest and most harmful pollutants, was 128 micrograms in 2015 compared with 81 micrograms in Beijing that year.

Poor air quality is the result of several factors including road dust, open fires, vehicle exhaust fumes, industrial emissions and the burning of crop residue.

This week, Delhi’s high court directed administrators in Punjab, an agricultural northern state where crop burning each October sends torrents of smog billowing across north India, to cease the practice from this year.

“We are of the view that the air quality of Delhi and nearby states is already deteriorating day by day and has attained alarming proportions,” the court said on Thursday.

India’s supreme court has also banned fireworks from Delhi after last year’s Diwali festival caused levels of some pollutants to reach 42 times the safe limit and forced the closure of schools, construction sites and a coal-fired power station.

Indian tailor confesses to sexually assaulting hundreds of schoolgirls

A tailor in India has confessed to abducting, molesting and raping hundreds of schoolgirls over the last decade, said Delhi police, uncovering what may be one of the biggest serial paedophile cases in the country in recent times.

Sunil Rastogi, a 38-year-old married man with five children, was arrested by police investigating the sexual assault of three girls aged nine and 10 in the east of the Indian capital.

“This criminal, Sunil Rastogi, is from Rudrapur in Uttar Pradesh, and is a tailor by profession,” Omvir Singh Bishoi, East Delhi’s deputy commissioner of police, told a news conference. “During interrogation he told us that at least once a week he would come from Rudrapur and, in order to satisfy his paedophile lust, he would target girls between the ages of seven and ten years old.”

Rastogi was charged with rape, aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a minor, and criminal intimidation, in the three cases, said police, and is also being investigated for related paedophile crimes.

Police said Rastogi could not remember the exact number of girls he had sexually assaulted since 2004, but said it could be “hundreds”.

Wearing a red, white and green striped sweater and a red balaclava covering his face, Rastogi was paraded in front of the media. “I used to take them (the girls) to a secluded area,” he said as he stood handcuffed to a policeman. “I don’t know why I did it. I liked it.”

Child sex abuse is widespread in India, but is largely considered taboo in its conservative society and ignored within families, say activists, who say victims are often afraid to come forward for fear of being blamed for the abuse.

There were more than 94,000 crimes committed against children in 2015, says the National Crime Records Bureau, with almost 40% of cases being sex offences such as rape, molestation and sexual harassment.
Police said they began investigating Rastogi in December after receiving a complaint of a 10-year-old girl who had escaped attempted rape in Delhi’s New Ashok Nagar area. Two similar complaints from other girls in the same area were received on 10 January, said police, and after scouring through hours of CCTV footage of the area, and using sketches and photographs to identify him, Rastogi was arrested.

He has been sent to judicial custody for two weeks, said police, and an investigation team will look into other sexual assault cases in Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Activists and politicians questioned how Rastogi managed to abuse so many girls and evade arrest for over 10 years, despite having served jail time for a previous sexual offence in 2006.

Swati Maliwal, Head of Delhi’s National Commission for Women, said the case was “horrifying”. “This serial rapist shud get death 4 raping 500 little girls over 13 years. His case shud be heard urgently in fast track mode,” tweeted Maliwal.
(From The guardian)

There's bad news for Modi's digital push as card use slows and cash makes a comeback

Business for payment companies that operate card acceptance infrastructure at merchant outlets saw almost a 30% jump in transactions after the withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 denomination notes from circulation, but the last weeks of December and early January, with cash creeping back into the system, the rise in cashless transactions is tapering off, industry executives said.

“There has been a slowdown in the rate of growth of card based transactions over the last few weeks, but the gr ..
The major reason for the slowdown is that cash is coming back into the system and the Reserve Bank of India printing more 500 denomination notes has increased liquidity.

The people using cards for almost every transaction no matter how small in November and early December have now switched over to cash, payment industry executives said.

“We have seen that small value payments which were being done through card after demonetisation are shifting back to cash with change against Rs 2,000 not being such a major problem anymore," said Kapoor. “This was something that we had expected will happen and we are confident that the market will continue to grow.”

While there has been a decline in small card purchases, another trend is that in smaller towns and cities where card payments jumped significantly post demonetisation, transaction values have shrunk.

“In cities anyway card payments were around 40% which increased to almost 80% post demonetisation but in smaller towns and villages the figure was less than 15% which jumped to around 30%, we can see the pressure being created from the remaining 70% that was cash even during those two months,” said Rajeev Aggarwal, chief executive of Innoviti Payment Solutions, which works with 50,000 merchants installing PoS terminals for banks like HDFC Bank, State Bank of India and Axis Bank.
(The economic times)

ఢిల్లీ భూముల పందేరం

ఆకలితో ఉన్న‌వాడికి తిండి పెట్టాలంటే ఎన్నో ఆంక్ష‌లు. ఇళ్లు లేని నిరుపేద‌ల‌కు ఇళ్ల స్ధలాలు ఇవ్వాలంటే ఎన్నో అడ్డుగోడ‌లు. గ‌ద్దెనెక్కిన పెద్ద‌ల‌కు క‌నీసం పేద‌వాడి ప‌ట్ల క‌నిక‌రం కూడా కాన‌రాదు. అదే విదేశీ కంపెనీలకు, కార్పొరేట్లకు, ప్ర‌జాధ‌నంతో తెగ‌బ‌లిసిన వారికి, సొంత మనుషులకు మాత్రం భూములు అప్పనంగా అందిస్తారు. అవ‌స‌రం అయితే చట్టాలను సైతం తుంగలో తొక్కుతారు. దుర‌దృష్టం ఏంటంటే వీరే అవినీతి గురించి, పాల‌న‌లో స్వ‌చ్ఛ‌త గురించి గంట‌ల‌కు గంట‌లు ఉప‌న్యాసాలు ఇస్తారు. కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ ఇలాంటి విధానాల్లో డాక్ట‌రేట్ పొందింది. కాక‌మ్మ క‌బుర్ల‌తో అధికారంలోకి వ‌చ్చిన మోడీ నేతృత్వంలోని బీజేపీ ఇప్పుడు కాంగ్రెస్ అనుస‌రించిన ప‌ద్ద‌తుల‌నే కొన‌సాగిస్తోంది.

హిందూత్వ సంస్ధలకు, వ్యక్తులకు ఢిల్లీ లోని విలువైన భూములు పందేరం పెడుతోంది మోదీ స‌ర్కారు. వాజ్ పేయి హయాంలోని ఎన్టీఏ ప్రభుత్వం కూడా ఇదే ప‌ద్ద‌తులు అనుస‌రించింది. మోడీ స‌ర్కారు కూడా సేమ్ టు సేమ్ అవే ప‌ద్ద‌తులు, అదే త‌ర‌హా అవినీతిని కొనసాగిస్తోంది. అవినీతి, నల్ల ధనంలపై పోరాటం అని చెబుతున్న క‌బుర్లు ఆచ‌ర‌ణ‌లో క‌నిపించ‌డంలేదు. భూముల పందేరం ద్వారా అవినీతికి, నల్ల ఆస్తులు కూడబెట్టేందుకు మోడీ ప్రభుత్వం సహకరిస్తోంది. కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వ కేబినెట్టే స్వయంగా ఈ నిర్వాకానికి పూనుకోవడం ఇందుకు నిద‌ర్శ‌నం. వాజ్ పేయి హయాంలో వివిధ హిందుత్వ సంస్ధలకు కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ఢిల్లీ లోని ప్రధాన భూములను కట్టబెట్టింది. త‌ర్వాత అధికారంలోకి వ‌చ్చిన యుపీఏ ప్రభుత్వం ఆ కేటాయింపులను రద్దు చేసింది. మోడీ ప్రభుత్వ కేబినెట్ రద్దు చేసిన కేటాయింపులను పునరుద్ధరిస్తూ ఇటీవల నిర్ణయం తీసుకుంది.

హిందుత్వ భావాలను, సనాతన హిందూ ధర్మాలను ప్రచారం చేసే 26 మితవాద సంస్ధలకు భూ కేటాయింపులు పునరుద్ధరిస్తూ మోడీ కేబినెట్ నిర్ణయం తీసుకుందని ద ఎకనమిక్ టైమ్స్ పత్రిక తెలిపింది. వాజ్ పేయి ప్రభుత్వం హిందుత్వ, సనాతన సంస్ధలకు మొత్తం 225 చోట్ల భూములు కేటాయించింది. ఇవన్నీ నగరం లోని ప్రధాన సెంటర్లలో ఉన్నవే. రియల్ ఎస్టేట్ భాషలో చెప్పాలంటే ప్రైమ్ ల్యాండ్స్. ఈ కేటాయింపులపైన విచారణ చేసేందుకు యుపీఏ ప్రభుత్వం ఓ కమిటీ వేసింది. వాటిలో 125 కేటాయింపులు ప్రభుత్వ, రాజకీయ ప్రచారంలో నిమగ్నం అయి ఉన్న సంస్ధలు. అందువల్ల కమిటీ వాటి జోలికి వెళ్లలేకపోయింది. మిగిలిన 100 కేటాయింపులు రాజకీయ ప్రయోజనాల నిమిత్తం జరిపిన కేటాయింపులుగా గుర్తించి వాటిలో 32 కేటాయింపుల్ని రద్దు చేసింది.            

ఈ 32 కేటాయింపుల రద్దు జాబితా ఆమోదం కోసం సంవ‌త్స‌రాల‌పాటు పట్టణాభివృద్ధి శాఖ, అటార్నీ జనరల్ కార్యాలయంల మధ్య చక్కర్లు కొట్టింది. చివరకు 29 కేటాయింపులు పున‌రుద్ద‌రించ‌లేదు. ఈ కేటాయింపులు పొందిన 26  సంస్ధలు ఢిల్లీ హైకోర్టుకు వెళ్లాయి. కోర్టు స్టే ఇచ్చింది. మిగిలిన 3 సంస్ధలు ప్లాట్లు వెనక్కి ఇచ్చేసాయి. మోడీ ప్రభుత్వం అధికారం చేపట్టాక ఈ కేటాయింపుల పైన మరో ద్వి సభ్య క‌మిటీని వేసింది. గ‌త‌ప్రభుత్వ సిఫారసులను ఈ కమిటీ వెంటనే రద్దు చేసింది. స్తంభింపజేసిన కేటాయింపులను అర్జంటుగా పునరుద్ధరించింది. మూడు సంస్ధలు కోర్టుకు వెళ్లకుండా తమకు కేటాయించిన ప్లాట్లను వెనక్కి ఇచ్చాయి గదా, వాటిని కూడా తిరిగి సంస్ధలకు ఇచ్చేయాలని బీజేపీ కమిటీ సిఫారసు చేసింది.

ఎకనమిక్ టైమ్స్ పత్రిక ప్రకారం ఈ సంస్ధల ప్లాట్లు అన్నీ దీన్ దయాళ్ మార్గ్ రోడ్ లోనే ఉన్నాయి. నరేంద్ర మోడీ ప్రభుత్వం ఆదుకున్న ఈ సంస్ధలు ప్రధానంగా ఆర్ఎస్ఎస్ తో గానీ, బీజేపీ తో గానీ, ఏబీవీపీ కి గానీ చెందినవే. మిగిలినవి హిందూ ఆధ్యాత్మిక ప్రచారాన్ని చేసేవి. నివసించేందుకు కాసింత జాగా లేని పేదలకు ఇదే తరహాలో భూములు ఇవ్వాలంటే ఇదే ప్రభుత్వాలకు సవా లక్షా చట్టాలు అడ్డం వస్తాయి. పేదల భూములు, నివాసాలు లాక్కోవడానికి కూడా ఈ చట్టాలు ప్రభుత్వాలకు అక్కరకు వస్తాయి. భూములు లాక్కునే చట్టాలు ధనిక వర్గాలకు పాలకుల తైనాతీలకు వర్తించవు. అలాగే భూములు పందేరం పెట్టే చట్టాలు సామాన్య ప్రజలకు ఎప్పటికీ అక్కరకు రావు. సామాన్యులకు సంబంధించినంతవరకు కాంగ్రెస్, బీజేపీ లు రెండూ ఒకటే.  

Mulayam postpones Jan 5 national convention of SP

 Amidst the ongoing feud in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, the convention called by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav here on January 5 was today postponed.

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on January 5 has been postponed for now.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav yesterday.

The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

Shivpal in another tweet asked party workers to concentrate on their respective constituencies and work hard to win the elections.

Meanwhile, senior SP leaders from both sides (Akhilesh and Mulayam camps) are likely to visit the Election Commission in New Delhi today to put forth their case.

Party sources said Mulayam may not visit Delhi as he is indisposed.

The Samajwadi Party yesterday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.

Sensex begins 2017 on negative note, down 132 points

Stock markets opened on a subdued note on the first trading day of 2017, with the benchmark BSE Sensex falling over 132 points in early trade on profit-booking after recent gains.

The 30-share index, which had gained 415.78 points in the previous two sessions, fell 132.37 points, or 0.50 per cent, to 26,494.09 in early trade today.

Stocks of FMCG, teck, IT and auto were major losers, dragging the key indices down.

Bucking the trend were stocks of realty companies, which were in demand after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 31 announced that loans of up to Rs 9 lakh taken in the new year under the new scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will receive interest subvention of 4 per cent and loan of up to Rs 12 lakh will get a 3 per cent interest waiver.

Shares of Unitech, DLF Ltd, HDIL, Oberoi Realty, Sobha Ltd, Godrej Properties, Indiabulls Real Estate and Omaxe Ltd trading in positive zone with gains of up to 5 per cent.

The broad-based NSE Nifty was down 44.80 points, or 0.54 per cent, to 8,141.

Brokers said that profit-booking in stocks that logged gains recently, and absence of cues from other global markets which are closed today, left an impact on the markets.

The good, the bad, and the dirty

How happy is your husband with his sex life? How happy are you? What turns him on the most about you? Is he the best sex of your life? Are you, his? We asked these questions (and much racier ones) in our new survey all about married sex. How does your sex life compare to what's going on in bedrooms across the country? We can't stop talking about the results!

A healthy sex life is a must
For both men and women a healthy, happy sexual relationship is crucial: Overall, 93 percent of respondents agreed on the importance of a good sex life. By the sexes, more than half of men reported it is extremely important, compared to 40 percent of women reported it is very important.

We're having predictable sex
More than 50 percent of women and 68 percent of men described their sex life as predictable, very predictable or extremely predictable. Men rated sex position as the most predictable (54 percent) aspect of their sex lives, while women chose location (67 percent). Close runners up for both men and women are duration (49% of women; 43% of men), foreplay (45% of women; 43% of men), time of day (43% of women; 46% of men) and technique (47% of women; 42% of men).

But it's not so bad—we're still happy!
While married sex may be predictable—that doesn't mean couples aren't happy with their under-the-sheets action. Especially husbands: 80 percent of men reported being very happy or happy with their sex life, compared to 60 percent of women.

Men think we're happier than what we are
While 79 percent of men think their wives are happy or very happy with their sex lives, only 60 percent of women say they actually are. Women, on the other hand, sell themselves short: 55 percent think their husbands are satisfied, while 77 percent of men rate themselves as happy or very happy.

Sex is better after marriage ... but not after kids
While over a third of men say their sex life got better after marriage, a third of women say their sex life was better before and a quarter say there's been no change. However—the sexes agree (52 percent of women; 49 percent of men) that they had hotter sex before they had kids. More than a third of men and nearly a third of women report that there have been no changes post-children, while 8 percent of women and 22 percent of men say sex actually got better after kids!

Yes, we're in the mood
We want sex—right now! Or at least, men do: 35 percent of men are currently in the mood to have sex, which is significantly higher than women (11 percent). Another 55 percent of men were in the mood within the last 7 days—and that's when women catch up: 43 percent of women were in the mood within the last week.

Men flirt more
While about 3 out of 10 married persons have sext/emailed sexy messages or watched online porn together —it's men who tech-flirt more with their partners. Men not only sext more (32 percent vs. 20 percent), email flirty dirties more (36 percent vs. 18 percent)—but they are almost three times (27 percent vs. 11 percent) more likely to leave a sexy voicemail and over two times (18 percent vs. 17 percent) more likely to Facebook a sexy note.

Men + women are turned on by love
What gets us going? For both sexes—it's love! Fifty-nine percent of women and half of men surveyed report feelings of love for their partner turns them on. However, it's true that men are mostly visual and women lust after the sentiments: 49 percent of women report their partner saying nice things to them as a fire starter, while men prefer the dirty talk (46 percent) over their partner complimenting them (28 percent). The biggest turn on for men, though? Sexy clothes (51 percent).

How many partners have we had?
A quarter of men have slept with 6-10 people, while over 30 percent of women have slept with 2-5 people. However, a fifth of men and women report only sleeping with one another!

We both have sex out of obligation
Fifty-seven percent of women and 39 percent of men report having sex out of obligation at least sometimes —but it's the guys who initiate action more often. Over half of men surveyed report they initiate sex all of the time or most of the time. Around a third of women and men report they initiate sex equally.

Every husband's wish list
The most popular desires on husbands' sex wish list? That their partner would initiate sex more often (42 percent), have more oral sex (41 percent) and have anal sex (30 percent). Other top lusts include saying sexy things (28 percent), more foreplay (27 percent) and that their wife would orgasm easier (29 percent).

Every wife's wish list
If women could have their partner do more of something in bed—it'd be foreplay (35 percent). Women also want their husbands to say more loving and sexy things (32 percent; 21 percent), last longer (28 percent) and have more oral sex (22 percent).

What turns us off
Both women (49 percent) and men (37 percent) say stress causes them to lose their desire for sex more than anything else. Other top distractors include exhaustion for women (46 percent) and having an argument with their spouse for men (29 percent). A third of women and a fifth of men say lack of romance is a factor, too.

Men check up on their partner more
1 in 5 of men and women surveyed admitted to cheating on their spouse—but men cheat more (28 percent vs. 13 percent) However, men are less trusting: 34 percent have checked their wife's phone sometimes or often for evidence of cheating, compared to 20 percent of women.

Men, watch out for your wife's ex-boyfriend
Men are significantly more likely to have an affair if they would have zero chance of getting caught (32 percent vs. 13 percent of women). Who would it be with? Women say an old flame (39 percent), while men say a hot celeb (21 percent) or a friend's spouse (20 percent).

50 shades of hotter sex
Looks like Christian and Anastasia are rubbing off in bedrooms across America—a fifth of men and women surveyed read Fifty Shades of Grey and of those who read it, 65 percent said their sex life did change as a result. In fact, men report a bigger change under the covers than women: 87 percent vs. 34 percent. How exactly? They had more foreplay (39 percent), had more sex (38 percent), bought sexy lingerie (38 percent), talked more about desires and fantasies (34 percent) and introduced more sex toys into the bedroom (34 percent).

Men watch more porn than we think they do
42 percent of women say their spouse never watches online porn, while only 21 percent of men report never watching online porn. Men are also more likely to admit to just watching online porn alone (75 percent vs. 33 percent women).

Men marry the best sex
When it comes to picking a partner for life, men are more likely to marry the girl with the hottest moves: 68 percent of men said they married the best sex of their life, compared to 45 percent of women

Study Claims To Reveal The Ideal Number Of Sex Partners You Should Have

Every time one of these studies comes out, or an expert chimes in with their two cents, I always hope for the conclusion to be “As many people as you possibly can. Fuck for fun. Fuck for sport. Fuck for our ancestors who can’t fuck anymore. Just keep pluggin’, baby!” But that’s never the outcome. And this study is no different. Primarily because it asked the WRONG question about sex. More on that after you see the results.

Per Independent:

Ten is the ideal number of lovers to have had for both men and women, researchers have claimed.

More than 1,000 people took part in the online survey for Britain’s biggest extra-marital dating site IllicitEncouters.com, being asked how many lovers they would want a new partner to have had.

Between eight and 12 was the most popular answer, chosen by 38 per cent of women and 37 per cent of men.

You see, what they have concluded is the ideal number of partners we want the person we are having sex with to have had, NOT the ideal number we want. There is a big difference there. Of course no one wants to have sex with some chick who’s fucked all 53 guys on an NFL roster, so naturally this number is going to be substantially lower than our own hopes and dreams.

The study even concluded that…

Any number above 20 was considered a turn-off, chosen by 3 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men.

Yeah, dipshits, it is a turn-off to know that about a person, but is a guy who has slept with 100 chicks turned-off by his own actions? I highly doubt it. Unless, of course, he’s acquired an STD or a one-night-stand child. Then, and only THEN, is when he will start to regret his past transgressions. But until that happens, his ideal number of sex partners will remain infinity

Arvind Kejriwal demands white paper on demonetisation

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday demanded a “white paper” and an independent inquiry on demonetisation, dubbing it as the “scam of all scams” even as he claimed that the reputation of Prime Minister’s Office has been tarnished globally under Narendra Modi. Terming Modi’s new year eve speech a “sham”, Kejriwal sought responses from the Prime Minister and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the amount of money deposited and the eventual gain out of the 50-day-exercise that was announced on November 8. “Demonetisation is the biggest scam of independent India and is entirely guided by politics and corruption. The scam of all scams.

“We demand that an independent inquiry be conducted and a white paper be released on the what was gained and lost due to demonetisation,” Kejriwal told a press conference at his residence here.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Kejriwal has been one of the staunchest critics of the currency ban measure since the beginning. The AAP chief has been addressing rallies across the country on the issue and has also levelled allegations of personal corruption against Modi. “PM has become a subject of ridicule internationally. Big economists of the world are talking ill about the whole exercise. Dr Manmohan Singh commanded respect internationally but Modi has destroyed the reputation of PM’s office,” Kejriwal said.

Referring to Modi’s December 31 address to the nation, Kejriwal said it was hollow as he did not speak about the gains and losses arising out of the shock currency move. The schemes could have been announced even without enforcing any such measure, he said.

Taking on the stated objectives of the measure, Kejriwal said that Modi had said it will achieve four objectives-reduce corruption, curb black money, reduce terrorism and circulation of fake currency. It has neither managed to curb black money nor reduce terrorism or circulation of fake currency as fake Rs 2,000 notes are available in the market. It has not yielded any tangible benefits and has instead led to a spike in corruption, Kejriwal said.

“Around 100 people have lost their lives. People’s houses have been ruined. Paytm has been the biggest beneficiary of demonetisation. What did we achieve? BJP had informed its rich friends about the measure.

“It is a matter of inquiry whether bribe was taken for leaking prior information about demonetisation or was it shared for free. BJP has been running the racket of exchanging notes,” he said.

“Modi is talking about a cashless economy. First of all he should make BJP cashless that is accepting donations in cash. There’s a list of 648 people who have Swiss bank accounts. PM should have announced that these people will be arrested,” he said

State Bank of India cuts lending rate by 90 bps across maturities

State Bank of India, the country's biggest lender by assets, said on Sunday it had cut its lending rates by 90 basis points for maturities ranging from overnight to three-year tenures, after experiencing a surge in deposits.

After the move, its so-called overnight marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) fell to 7.75 percent from 8.65 percent, while three-year loan rates will now be 8.15 percent from 9.05 percent previously.

Lending rates were also cut across other maturities effective Sunday.

Banks have received an estimated 14.9 trillion rupees ($219.30 billion) in old 500, and 1,000 rupees notes from depositors since the government in Nov. 8 unexpectedly banned the banknotes in a bid to fight counterfeiting and bring unaccounted cash to the economy.

That had raised expectations banks would have room to cut lending rates, which is seen as vital to increase credit growth and spark a revival in private investments.

Although India's gross domestic product grew 7.3 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, the fastest pace of growth among large economies, much of that has been led by consumer demand.

Lower lending rates will be welcome by the Reserve Bank of India, which has cut the policy rate by 175 bps since the start of 2015 but has felt banks were being too slow in cutting their lending rates.

The SBI move also comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday admonished banks to "keep the poor, the lower middle class, and the middle class at the focus of their activities," and to act with the "public interest" in mind.

Modi's comments were made in a special New Year's eve speech in which he defended his ban on higher value cash notes and announced a slew of incentives including channelling more credit to the poor and the middle class.

Is TDP Trying To Stop Khaidi Pre-Release Function?

Some TDP leaders are working overtime to file cases and raise objections to Khaidi’s pre-release function at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada, which is slated for January 4.

They want to ensure that the function is postponed if not completely stalled. So, Chiru’s Man Friday Ganta Srinivasa Rao swung into action and is talking to TDP leaders who are trying to get Khaidi show postponed. He is trying to convince them not to obstruct Chiru’s show. But, Balayya fans seem determined.

If they do not agree, mega camp is reportedly thinking of shifting the programme from Vijayawada to Guntur. But then, will all this not lead to a major caste war in AP’s real political capital Vijayawada and will it not have a ripple effect on caste tension-ridden Andhra Pradesh? Vangaveeti has already left one cast group quite sullen.

Will Satakarni add fuel to the fire?

Now, Priyanka Chopra to present a Golden Globe award

After her stunning appearances at the Oscars and Emmys this year, Priyanka Chopra will make her debut at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2017. The Bollywood actress will be one of the presenters at the upcoming 74th edition of the gala.

Priyanka who is earning applause for her work internationally courtesy her American show "Quantico" and will be making her Hollywood debut with "Baywatch" next year - has joined previously announced presenters Anna Kendrick and Steve Carell.

Her name was announced via a post on the official Twitter account of the Golden Globe Awards, which read: "We're also pleased to announce Timothy Olyphant, Justin Theroux, and Priyanka Chopra as presenters for the 74th Golden Globe Awards."

The actress didn't share any information about presenting the award at the upcoming gala, but re-tweeted the post. Other details about the category and along with which star will she present the award has not be announced yet.

Golden Globe Awards recognises excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. And the 74th edition of the award gala, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will be held on January 8 next year.

Priyanka has joined a long list of presenters which include names like Drew Barrymore, Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Goldie Hawn, Nicole Kidman, Diego Luna, Sienna Miller and Mandy Moore.

Other names are: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Timothy Olyphant, Chris Pine, Eddie Redmayne, Sylvester Stallone, Justin Theroux, Milo Ventimiglia, Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon.

This year, the "Bajirao Mastani" actress made her presence felt at the red carpets of the award galas on the foreign shores with her fashion and style quotient. She has found mentions in leading international portals' best-dressed lists too.

At present, the actress is on a break from her international ventures and spending some time with her family in India. Priyanka is also going through scripts and deciding her next Bollywood projects. She has said that her goal is to do two Bollywood films in 2017. 

Mahesh Babu announces his line-up for 2017

Superstar Mahesh Babu, who is currently busy working on A.R. Murugadoss's yet-untitled Telugu-Tamil bilingual, on the occasion of New Year's Day announced his line-up of films for the calendar year.

Calling it the most exciting phase of his career, Mahesh wrote on his Twitter page: "Working with director Siva Koratala for Mahesh 24, with Vamshi Paidipally for Mahesh 25 and Mahesh 26 with Trivikram."

With Koratala Siva, it will be Mahesh's second film after the blockbuster "Srimanthudu", and it will be his third film with Trivikram after "Athadu" and "Khaleja".

Mahesh and Vamshi will be teaming up for the first time.

He wrote that he is really looking forward to the release of his film with Murugadoss.

"My dream of working with super cool director Murugadoss has finally come true," he added.

Currently on a holiday with his family in Europe, Mahesh will join the sets of his ongoing project from January 7.