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TRAI Explores Framework for Wide Deployment of Public Wi-Fi

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

TRAI Explores Framework for Wide Deployment of Public Wi-Fi

Telecom regulator TRAI has sought views on a model for deployment of public Wi-Fi hotspots, including reselling of service by venue owners, that can be scaled up for wider coverage and affordable broadband services.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said its consultation paper on model for nation-wide interoperable and scalable public Wi-Fi networks is “to explore the roles of different stakeholders in the Public Wi-Fi network value chain and build an ecosystem for promoting scalable and sustainable partnerships for large scale nation wide deployment.”

The regulator said that it is also exploring monetisation and sustainable business models for public Wi-Fi networks through the consultation process.

The regulator has identified lack of spectrum in the backend to connect Wi-Fi hotspots, stagnated growth of landline connections, authentication of Wi-Fi user, payment mechanism, infrastructure woes like availability of power among issues hindering proliferation of public Wi-Fi.

TRAI has proposed that various entities can be part of public Wi-Fi include malls, restaurant owners, mobile wallet firms, communities to reduce cost of operations and contribute through their expertise.
Among comments on various issues for public Wi-Fi growth, TRAI has sought view on “Whether reselling of bandwidth should be allowed to venue owners such as shop keepers through Wi-Fi at premise? In such a scenario please suggest the mechanism for security compliance.”

Last date for submitting comments on the paper is November 25.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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News Update

‘Post-truth’ declared word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Donald Trump

Oxford Dictionaries has declared “post-truth” as its 2016 international word of the year, reflecting what it called a “highly-charged” political 12 months.

It is defined as an adjective relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than emotional appeals.

Its selection follows June’s Brexit vote and the US presidential election.

Oxford Dictionaries’ Casper Grathwohl said post-truth could become “one of the defining words of our time”.

Post-truth, which has become associated with the phrase “post-truth politics”, was chosen ahead of other political terms, including “Brexiteer” and “alt-right”.

It was chosen from a shortlist selected to reflect the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological trends and events of 2016.

‘Distrust of facts’

Oxford Dictionaries says post-truth is thought to have been first used in 1992.

However, it says the frequency of its usage increased by 2,000% in 2016 compared with last year, coinciding with the EU referendum and the campaign for the White House in the US.

Mr Grathwohl said: “Fuelled by the rise of social media as a news source and a growing distrust of facts offered up by the establishment, post-truth as a concept has been finding its linguistic footing for some time,” he said.

“We first saw the frequency really spike this year in June with buzz over the Brexit vote and again in July when Donald Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination.

“Given that usage of the term hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, I wouldn’t be surprised if post-truth becomes one of the defining words of our time.”

Last year, Oxford Dictionaries chose a “pictograph” as its word of the year for the first time ever.

It said the “face with tears of joy emoji” best represented “the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015”.

The 2016 shortlist

  • Adulting – The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks
  • Alt-right – An ideological grouping associated with extreme conservative or reactionary viewpoints, characterized by a rejection of mainstream politics and by the use of online media to disseminate deliberately controversial content
  • Brexiteer – A person who is in favour of the UK withdrawing from the European Union
  • Chatbot – A computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet
  • Coulrophobia – Extreme or irrational fear of clowns
  • Glass cliff – Used with reference to a situation in which a woman or member of a minority group ascends to a leadership position in challenging circumstances where the risk of failure is high
  • Hygge – A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being, regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture
  • Latinx – A person of Latin American origin or descent, used as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina
  • Woke – Originally in African-American usage meaning alert to injustice in society, especially racism          [Source:- BBC]
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News Update

French tourists die snorkelling on Great Barrier Reef

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Two French tourists have died while snorkelling on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The pair were found unconscious in shallow water near Cairns in Far North Queensland at about 11:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday, police said.

The man and woman, both in their seventies, were among a group of 21 French holidaymakers, said tour operator Passions of Paradise.

The Courier Mail reported the pair suffered cardiac arrests.

The incident happened at Michaelmas Cay, a popular tourist spot about 40km (25 miles) northeast of Cairns.

“The two people indicated they had pre-existing medical conditions before they got in the water,” Col McKenzie, chief of the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators, told the BBC.

“The company actually had guides in the water swimming around the snorkellers making sure they were OK.”

GBR

The man was spotted in distress first, Mr McKenzie said. A lookout pulled him to the beach and tried to resuscitate him.

“Minutes afterward, the lookout who was working on the boat spotted somebody face down in the water, not moving. They swam over and pulled them onto the boat and commenced resuscitation.”

Passions of Paradise CEO Scotty Garden gave his sympathy to the pair’s family and friends.

He said the company would offer assistance to the other travellers.

“It is very stressful for our staff but their priority has been with helping the group,” he said in a statement.

Mr McKenzie said Passions of Paradise had taken more than 400,000 people to the reef since it began operating in 1989.

[Source:- BBC]

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News Update

Sweden re-opens probe into 1986 murder of PM Olof Palme

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Olof Palme (file picture)

Sweden is to re-open the investigation into the unsolved assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme 30 years ago, officials say.

Stockholm’s chief prosecutor, Krister Petersson, will head the new inquiry.

About 10,000 people were quizzed following Olof Palme’s murder in 1986; 134 people claimed to have shot him dead as he left a cinema with his wife.

The charismatic Social Democratic leader was left dying in a pool of blood on the pavement.

Mr Petersson faces a herculean task: the Palme files take up 250m (820ft) of shelving.

The killing of Olof Palme

The investigator previously probed the 2003 murder of Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh. He starts his new job in February, officials say.

Mr Petersson was quoted in the Swedish press as saying that his mission is to try and solve the murder and that he is optimistic of a breakthrough.

“I feel honoured and I accept the mission with a great amount of energy,” he said in a statement. “It is an interesting and important task.”

Mr Petersson also dealt with the trial of John Ausonius, who shot 11 immigrants in the 1990s – some of them using a laser sight, earning him the nickname of the “Laser Man”.

[Source:- BBC]

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News Update

Syria conflict: Assad hopes for ‘anti-terror ally’ in Trump

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Damage in Aleppo, 15 Nov

Syria’s leader has said he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will be an ally in fighting terrorism but remains “cautious in judging him”.

Bashar al-Assad said Mr Trump would be a “natural ally” if he fulfilled a campaign pledge to fight terrorism.

But he said it was “dubious” whether Mr Trump could “live up to his promises”.

Mr Trump had previously said it was “madness” to oppose both Syrian forces and IS militants, and that fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia.

Conflict continues to rage in Syria. Government aircraft on Tuesday bombed besieged rebel-held eastern districts of the city of Aleppo for the first time in three weeks, activists said.

More than 300,000 people have died since the Syrian civil conflict began in March 2011.

‘Very cautious’

Speaking to Portugal’s RTP state television, Mr Assad said: “We cannot tell anything about what he’s going to do, but if… he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be [an] ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russians, with the Iranians, with many other countries.”

Mr Assad said that Mr Trump’s pledge to focus the fight on Islamic State (IS) militants was “promising”, but added: “Can he deliver?”

“What about the countervailing forces within the administration, the mainstream media that were against him? How can he deal with it? That’s why for us it’s still dubious… That’s why we are very cautious in judging him.”

Current US policy is to strike against IS and other jihadists while supporting moderate rebels opposed to President Assad.

Mr Assad regards those groups as terrorists.

Some US media, including the New York Times, have suggested Mr Trump is likely to end aid for the rebels fighting Mr Assad because “we have no idea who these people are”.

He has said fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia and during the election campaign he had shown admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, fellow Republican John McCain lashed out at Mr Trump’s planned attempt to reset ties with Russia, saying the price would be the “butchery of the Syrian people”.

In his interview, Mr Assad again condemned the current US policy, saying: “They think that they are the police of the world. They think they are the judge of the world. They’re not.”

He also called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “sick person” and a “megalomaniac… out of touch with reality”.

Turkey has carried out operations in Syria to back rebels opposing Mr Assad.

‘Hospital hit’

Meanwhile, conflict has resumed in Aleppo after a three-week lull by government forces and their Russian allies to allow civilians and rebels to leave.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that at least five people had been killed as a number of areas were hit.

Map showing control of Aleppo, Syria on 15 November 2016

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network, also reported that a missile hit the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province, and that Russian warplanes had targeted the towns of Ariha, Ihsim, Khan Sheikhoun and Tal Nabi Ayoub.

The LCC also said there had been air strikes on several locations in Aleppo province on Tuesday, including one that damaged a hospital in Awaijel.

US state department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau condemned the renewed air strikes, adding that “Russia again has backed the Assad regime in their ruthless war against the Syrian people”.

She said reported attacks on hospitals and a mobile clinic in Syria would be a violation of international law.

[Source:- BBC]

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News Update

‘Ahok’: Police name Jakarta governor as blasphemy suspect

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama speaks while campaigning for the upcoming election for governor in Jakarta, Indonesia November 15, 2016

Indonesian police have named Jakarta’s governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, as a suspect in a blasphemy investigation.

Popularly known as “Ahok”, he is accused of insulting the Koran while campaigning in governorship elections.

Mr Purnama is a Christian from the Chinese ethnic minority and the first non-Muslim to lead the city.

The case has prompted fears of a rise in tensions in the largely Muslim country.

The naming of Mr Purnama as a suspect means prosecutors can bring him to trial. If found guilty he faces up to five years in prison.

Police said they would not detain the governor despite calls for his arrest from Islamist groups, but barred him from leaving the country during the investigation. They also recommended that the case be tried in an open court.

He has not been barred from the February governorship election, in which he is seeking a second term.

Mr Purnama told reporters: “This is not the end, there will be a court process which we hope will be open. We will still take part in the election.”

Controversial comments

In a September speech Mr Purnama said Islamic groups who were using a Koranic verse to discourage support for him were deceiving voters. The verse is interpreted by some as prohibiting Muslims from living under the leadership of a non-Muslim.

Islamic groups said he had criticised the Koran and lodged complaints with the police. Mr Purnama later apologised.

Earlier this month, at least 100,000 people took part in a protest led by a hardline Muslim group in Jakarta calling for his resignation and prosecution.

The movement against Mr Purnama has taken on anti-Chinese overtones. Police said that ahead of the protest there were “provocative statements and images” on social media which called for violent action against Mr Purnama.

However, Mr Purnama remains popular for his hardline stance against corruption and reformist policies.

He was appointed governor of Jakarta after his predecessor, Joko Widodo, became president.

In 1998, a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment led to mobs looting and burning Chinese-owned shops and houses.

Ethnic Chinese make up about 1% of Indonesia’s population of 250 million people.

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

More than 1,000 schools found to be ‘spying’ on children’s internet use

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Nicky-Morgan-internet-use.jpg

More than 1,000 UK schools are using software that “forces” staff to spy on pupils as they work on their computers, privacy campaigners have warned.

The programme can be used by schools to monitor pupils’ internet activities, but also access their web history, block certain websites and monitor what they are typing.

The technology aims to protect children from grooming and stop them from accessing adult websites, the Daily Mail reported.

In some cases, however, schools have installed the programme without making families aware, prompting concerns that the extreme level of monitoring and filtering online content may go “too far”.

Figures obtained by civil liberties group Big Brother Watch show that of 1,420 secondary schools in England and Wales which provided data, 1,000 admitted to using the spying software.

The schools have spent some £2.5m on the software, and installed it on a total of 832,386 computers, laptops and mobile devices.

Of the 1,000 schools questioned, one in six were able to provide details of acceptable use policies, with just 26 able to give information about the type of software and how it was used.

 Of the schools contacted, 123 did not give any further detail beyond stating that students may be monitored when using technology in school.

In its report, Big Brother Watch said that schools often consider buying the software in order to keep pupils safe online, or to protect them from potential radicalisation.

But, campaigners added: “We are concerned that the use of technology which allows real time monitoring is placing teachers unwittingly in the position of being Big Brother.

“Forcing staff to oversee their pupils’ every digital move represents a fundamental shift from the traditional method of overseeing pupils by engaging with them from the front of the class.

“Schools currently offer little explanation about the use of the software in their acceptable use policies.

“Pupils and parents, who have to sign such policies to say they agree to the use of the software, are therefore left completely in the dark.”

The understanding that teachers are able to “spy” on pupil activity comes amid wider concerns raised over pupil data protection issues in schools.

Big Brother Watch urged that use of the software in conjunction with school CCTV and biometric systems risks “normalising” children to surveillance.

Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Computer monitoring software is used in schools to safeguard the welfare of children and young people by ensuring that they are not exposed to damaging online material.

“There is no secrecy about the use of this sort of software in schools. Pupils are very much aware of rules about computer use and most schools have policies which are available to parents.”

[Source:- independent.co.uk]

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Education

Councils must be allowed to intervene in suspected illegal schools, government adviser warns

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

child-studying.jpg

Councils must be granted powers to intervene in suspected illegal schools in order to protect vulnerable children, a government adviser has said.

Alan Wood, who is tasked with reviewing the future of local government in education from next year, said radical changes were needed in order to safeguard pupils outside mainstream schools who could be learning in unsafe environments.

Speaking to TES, he said the issue of illegal schools, as well as unregistered schools, was one that was “growing and will not go away unless it’s dealt with”.

He also suggested that new arrangements allowing individual councils to investigate each school could be brought in to help tackle illegal practices more efficiently.

“I certainly don’t think we can continue on without clear guidance as to how local authorities can ascertain what’s happening to children,” he said.

At present, parents can say they are “home educating” a child and are under no obligation to give any further details, or “comply with any of the questions of work or where the education takes place”.

Mr Wood’s call for change follows comments from outgoing Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw that it was “bizarre” that local authorities had no powers to find out what is happening to children not in school.

 Sir Michael said he feared people were “lining their pockets” looking after vulnerable and excluded children outside of authority.

Ofsted has repeatedly warned of the growing numbers of children being taught in illegal schools, which they say pose risks such as unsafe and unhygienic premises.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL teaching union, said that academisation meant more children fell through the cracks into illegal schools. “How can local authorities take responsibility for all children if they can’t get the numbers excluded from academies?” she said.

The Local Government Association has called for councils to be handed powers to enter people’s homes if they decide to home educate their children.

Last year Ofsted inspectors investigated 162 suspected illegal schools, 32 of which were run by charities or businesses.

It is believed there are many more illegal schools that remain undiscovered, however, and the schools watchdog has estimated there are 1,000 boys currently being taught in unregistered ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools.

A DfE spokesperson said: “Unregistered schools are illegal and unsafe. We have given Ofsted additional resources to root them out and take action through the courts.

“Where children are being put at risk or not receiving a suitable education, local authorities and police have clear powers to intervene.”

[Source:- independent.co.uk]

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Education

Majority of headteachers say parents have abused their school and staff online

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

pp-facebook-news-getty.jpg

School headteachers are being subject to online abuse from parents, new research reveals, with one in two admitting to being a direct victim of cyberbullying over the past year.

A survey of more than 1,100 school leaders found more than half – 56 per cent – had seen negative or offensive comments on social media from parents.

Staff in mainstream schools reported personal insults, grievances and potentially libellous remarks among the types of comments they face on a regular basis on sites like Facebook.

According to The Key – an organisation providing leadership support to schools – issues were more prevalent within primary school communities, with more than half saying they’ve had to deal with parents’ negative posts on social media, compared to 46 per cent of secondary school leaders.

One primary headteacher said: “Social media is a massive concern for schools to deal with. Negative and inaccurate comments that would never be said face-to-face are often posted by parents online, and most of the time the school is unaware of these.”

Another pointed out that most cyber incidents take place outside of school, making it difficult to police or control.

Fergal Roche, CEO of The Key, said of the findings: “Social media is becoming a more and more prominent and influential part of everyday life, and schools are having to adapt quickly to the many new challenges, and opportunities, it brings.

 “Inaccurate or offensive comments are not only upsetting for those individuals involved, but at a time when schools are increasingly having to market themselves to attract pupils and staff, such public and negative remarks can have a detrimental impact on their reputation.”

Mr Roche added: “Schools take complaints seriously, and have formal processes to ensure that any issues are resolved quickly and with pupils’ interests at the fore.

“Nevertheless, it’s important that schools recognise the potential risks of social media.”

It was vital, he added, to build “strong, two-way relationships” with parents and carers, so that grievances could be aired and dealt with constructively.

Researchers involved in the survey recommend that teachers avoid retaliation when faced with online abuse, or becoming personally involved in the incident.

A number of schools cover the use of social media within their code of conduct for parents, highlighting that parents should not discuss school business in any public forum.

In June this year, top academy school boss Sir John Townsley, head of the seven-school Gorse Academies Trust, threatened to sue parents who compared him to an evil “dictator” in a post on Facebook.

Speaking to The Key, one headteacher, who has seen the rewards of using social media as a way to engage with parents, said: “Social media has been an overwhelming force for good in our school. We use it to broadcast all the exciting activities that are going on in a moment-to-moment way – meaning parents are able to connect with school activities far more easily than in the past.

“Parents think that it has contributed to a feel-good atmosphere throughout the school and report that they enjoy having something they can ask children about when they get home.”

[Source:- independent.co.uk]

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Education

Online bullying counselling on increase, says Childline

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Child sitting on stairs (posed by model)

The number of children and young people needing counselling about online bullying has increased by 88% over five years, according to a helpline.

The NSPCC’s Childline service said it counselled more than 4,500 children in the past year compared to about 2,400 in 2011-12.

The total number suffering online abuse is thought to be far higher.

Some children as young as seven told Childline how they were tormented, abused and scared to go to school.

The charity said online trolls caused misery and humiliation for thousands of children.

‘Wreck lives’

Childline’s president Dame Esther Rantzen said the figures should be a wake-up call.

“Bullying can wreck young people’s lives, especially now that the bullies don’t stop at the school gates,” she said.

“Cyber-bullying can follow them home until it becomes a persecution they cannot escape.

“It is imperative that adults, parents and teachers, intervene to protect them, because we have learned over the years from Childline callers that bullying does not stop on its own, left alone it gets worse.

“Schools must take this problem seriously, and above all children must ask for help.”

The report is being released at the start of Anti-Bullying Week which is coordinated by the Anti Bullying Alliance.

The group is working with parents, schools and other organisations to help combat the problem.

‘Hurts so much’

One young person who contacted Childline said: “It might sound like not much of a problem but there’s a group of people I play with online and they told me to kill myself. I won’t kill myself but it upsets me.

“My parents don’t realise how upset it’s making me and they tell me to stand up for myself or just not play anymore but they don’t know how hard that is.

“I don’t know why they have suddenly started picking on me but it hurts so much.”

Advice given by young people on dealing with bullying includes:

  • Tell an adult you can trust
  • Keep a diary of what the bullies do including dates and descriptions
  • Write a letter to your headteacher
  • Don’t react, show the bullies you don’t care and they will often lose interest                                                                    [Source:- BBC]
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