BLOG FROM RAKESH KUMAR JHA

The unmanned Hayabusa 2, named after a falcon, began leaving Ryugu last week, but it is still sending images back to Earth. A Japanese space probe is heading home from an asteroid 250 million km (155 million miles) from Earth after collecting sub-surface samples that could help scientists seeking the origins of life, Japan's space agency said on Monday. Asteroids are believed to have formed at the dawn of the solar system and scientists say the asteroid, called Ryugu , may contain organic matter that may have contributed to life on Earth. If the return trip is completed successfully, that will be the first time samples from beneath an asteroid's surface have been brought back to Earth, a spokeswoman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration |Agency , or JAXA, said. The unmanned Hayabusa2 , named after a falcon, began leaving Ryugu last week, but it is still sending images back to Earth. Those observations will be wrapped up on Monday or Tuesday before its main engine

Security researchers were able to earn a total of $120,000 (roughly Rs. 86,21,600) by exploiting Google Chrome. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Apple's Safari have been successfully hacked by hackers participating in network security contest Tianfu Cup. The two-day event, which is China's version of Pwn2Own, brought a list of security researchers from the country to test the vulnerabilities hidden within various popular apps, including Chrome, Edge, and Safari as well as Office 365 and Adobe PDF Reader. The event concluded on Sunday with team 360Vulcan emerged as the leader. The security researchers behind the team 360Vulcan managed to exploit Microsoft Edge among other distinct targets. The team 360 Vulcan won a total bounty of $382,500 (roughly Rs. 2,74,80,000) for hacking Adobe PDF Reader , Microsoft Edge ,Office 365, VMWare Workstation, and qemu+Ubuntu. There were a total of three successful exploits targeting Edge browser that emerged at the Tianfu Cup event.

A screenshot of the information shared with CERT-IN by WhatsApp was circulated by government sources. Soon after tech giant WhatsApp got into a face off with the Indian government claiming its officials met the Indian government in the last five months, government sources say the information provided was "pure technical jargon". Government sources also say that Whatsapp had given information to CERT-IN, a government agency in May, but without any mention of Pegasus    or the extent of the breach. It also insists, that the information shared was only about a technical vulnerability and had nothing to do with the fact that privacy of Indian users had been compromised. To back its claim, a screenshot of the information shared with CERT-IN by WhatsApp was circulated by government sources. Earlier, highly-placed official sources indicated a war with the messaging platform, alleging that the whole controversy may be a ploy by the messaging company to build pressure o

WhatsApp may soon let you block chat screenshots WhatsApp's platform is evolving at a rapid rate. Every day we get to hear about a new feature that is likely to make it to the app in the coming days. We already know that the Facebook-owned social messaging app is actively working on introducing the dark mode on to its Android app. We also know that the company us working on updating its audio picker tool and its picture-in-picture mode. And now the word is that WhatsApp is working on a new feature that would allow users to block chat screenshots. Last month WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp is working on an authentication feature for Android that would allow users to natively lock the app using their smartphone's fingerprint sensor. Now, a fresh report by the blog suggests that the company is planning to add a functionality to the feature that would block users from taking screenshots in the chats when the feature is enabled. To put it simply, if you have enabled the

W ith  the  Lok  Sa bha general elections just around the corner it's time to make sure your voting details are in   order, and your n ame is on the vote r list for  2019. After all, you want your vote to matter if you're trying to change things? So here's how you can register and check all your registration details and voter ID status conveniently online. How to check your name in voter list If you're previously registered to vote, you need to visit  https://electoralsearch.in/  to see if your name is registered on the electoral rolls. If your name appears in the list, you are eligible to vote, otherwise you need to register. How can I apply for voter ID online? If you're registering online for the first time you'll need a scanned version of a passport-sized photo, age proof (like your birth certificate or PAN card), and address proof. To apply, first visit the website of the National Voter's Service Portal  here . Click on the optio

Amendment on cards to restrict banks from dragging a person to court in case the cheque bounces All of us are familiar with cheque. It’s not merely a piece of paper, but is recognised as an instrument of credibility in the banking system. Even as use of cheques with the advent of digital age has continuously been declining, this piece of paper still enjoys status of a reliable payment system for businesses as well as consumers worldwide. The way it has survived in the modern banking system makes us believe that the cheque is going to remain in the system for more times to come. Till then, this piece of paper will continue to be an instrument of credibility. The parties involved in a financial transaction through cheque are governed by certain rules to uphold its image as instrument of credibility. The first and foremost thing is that a cheque should not bounce once issued by a drawer in favour of a payee. This means, the accountholder who issues a cheque must have sufficient ba

Unified Payments Interface, which made transactions and transfers of money so much easier for us, will now come at a cost. Soon, P2P and UPI funds transfers will be chargeable by some banks and it won’t take long for other banks to implement this rule. UPI transactions were, up until now the only mode of transfers which were free of charge, but this sudden decision is sure to make a dent in the ease of the much-loved mode of online transactions. These charges will be applicable from May 1, 2019. Kotak Mahindra Bank is the first one in line and has announced that charges will be applicable on UPI payments. After the first 30 transactions in a month, Kotak plans to levy a charge on each P2P and UPI transactions, and this includes the transfer of money using the bank account number and IFSC (Indian Financial System Code). Rohit Rao, who is Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Chief Communication Officer said, “While we continue to offer the first 30 P2P UPI transactions per month at no cost,

TRAI New DTH Rules, Channel List, Price and Plans: The new rules for DTH and cable operators by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) come into effect on February 1 The new rules for DTH and cable operators by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) come into effect on February 1, with January 31 being the new deadline for customers to choose the channels for which they wish to pay. The premise is that these new DTH rules will make your cable television bill lower, at least from what it used to be. Here are three things to keep in mind about the new DTH, cable operator rules by TRAI. February 1, 2019 is when the new DTH packs come into play TRAI’s notice issued on December 28, revised the deadline to January 31. The earlier deadline for migration was December 29, 2018. The notification reads, “Provided further that all distributors of television channels shall offer and obtain the option for subscription of new packs, plans or bouquets from the subscribers in compli