उत्तर प्रदेश प्रयागराज। महाकुंभ 2025 का मेला हिंदू धर्म में एक प्रमुख धार्मिक और सांस्कृतिक आयोजन होता है। इस साल इसका आयोजन प्रयागराज में 13 जनवरी से शुरू होकर 26 फरवरी तक चलेगा। धार्मिक मान्यताओं के अनुसार, इस पवित्र आयोजन के दौरान गंगा, यमुना और सरस्वती नदियों के संगम में स्नान करने से व्यक्ति को मोक्ष की प्राप्ति होती है और उसके सभी पाप धुल जाते हैं। भारत का सबसे प्रसिद्द मेला कुम्भ का मेला है यह आस्था का मेला है कुंभ मेले पर बन रहा है। ग्रहों का अद्भुत संयोग महाकुम्भ यह विश्व का सबसे प्रसिद्द मेला के रूप में जाना जाता है। यह मेला उतरप्रदेश के प्रयागराज में लगेगा ,जहां पर त्रिवेणी संगम स्थान है। महाकुम्भ हर 144 वर्ष के बाद यह आता है। आज का दिन से मेला आरंभ होगा। पूरे 44 दिन तक चलेगा स्नान दान के लिए पुण्य काल का समय है।

जानिए कैसे लगता है महाकुंभ का मेला

महाकुम्भ मेला,12 बार कुंभमेला लगता है। फिर एक बार महाकुम्भ लगता है, इस महाकुम्भ का आयोजन तिथि के अनुसार नही मनाया जाता है। यह मेला खगोलीय ग्रहों के चाल के अनुसार इसका दिन और तिथि का रखा जाता है। देवगुरु वृहस्पति और सूर्य की स्थति पर निर्भर करता है। ज्योतिष शास्त्र के अनुसार जब वृहस्पति वृष राशि में रहते है और शनि कुम्भ राशि में ,सूर्य मकर राशि हो तब महाकुम्भ लगता है मेले में स्नान दान का विशेष महत्व है। महाकुंभ में भारत के कई जगह से आए साधु संत सबसे पहले स्नान करते है फिर आम श्रद्धालु स्नान करते है।

कब से आरंभ होगा महाकुंभ

महाकुम्भ 2025 मेले का आरंभ आज यानि 13 जनवरी 2025 दिन सोमवार से हो चुका है जबकि इसका समापन 26 फरवरी 2025 यानि महाशिवरात्रि के दिन होगा।

जानिए क्या है विशेषता

इस बार महाकुंभ मेला 144 वर्ष के बाद एक शुभ संयोग में मनाया जायेगा। इस दिन का सम्बन्ध समुन्दर मंथन से भी माना जाता है। जिसके लिए देवता तथा दानव दोनों मिलकर अमृत के लिए संघर्ष किए थे उस अमृत का कुछ बूंद इन स्थान पर गिरी थी, जिसे इन स्थान पर स्नान करने से मोक्ष की प्राप्ति होती है। महाकुंभ के दिन ग्रहों की स्थति इस प्रकार है सूर्य चंद्रमा देवगुरु वृहस्पति और शनि अच्छे स्थति में है। समुंद्र मंथन के समय भी ग्रहों की ऐसी स्थति की गणना किया गया है।

महाकुम्भ पर पूर्णिमा के साथ कई शुभ संयोग

महाकुम्भ के दिन पौष का पूर्णिमा पड़ रहा है पूर्णिमा तिथि को स्नान दान करना तथा ब्राह्मण को भोजन करवाना बहुत ही शुभ होता है। इस दिन सुबह से रवि योग है, साथ में भद्रा का साया है, जो आम जीवन पर बहुत लाभकारी रहने वाला है।

महाकुम्भ पर इन राशि के लोगो को खुलेगा भाग्य

महाकुम्भ पर ग्रहों के शुभ संयोग से मेष ,वृष ,सिंह और मकर राशि को मिलेगा लाभ इसके भाग्य खुलेगे ज्योतिष शास्त्र के अनुसार इनका समय में बदलाव होगा और इनकी आर्थिक स्थिति बदल जाएगी। रुके हुए कार्य पूर्ण होगा ,नए परियोजना में बाधा उत्पन हुआ था पुनः कार्य आरंभ होगा,आर्थिक स्थति के अनुकूल रहेगा .नौकरी में उन्नति होगा, करियर में लाभ होगा।

महाकुंभ 2025 शाही स्नान की महत्वपूर्ण तिथियां

13 जनवरी (सोमवार)- स्नान, पौष पूर्णिमा
14 जनवरी (मंगलवार)- शाही स्नान, मकर सक्रांति
29 जनवरी (बुधवार)- शाही स्नान, मौनी अमावस्या
3 फरवरी (सोमवार)- शाही स्नान, बसंत पंचमी
12 फरवरी (बुधवार)- स्नान, माघी पूर्णिमा
26 फरवरी (बुधवार)- स्नान, महाशिवरात्रि

महाकुंभ में शाही स्नान की तिथियां

महाकुंभ के दौरान कुल तीन शाही स्नान होंगे, जिसमें से पहला शाही स्नान मकर संक्रांति के दिन, 14 जनवरी को होगा। दूसरा शाही स्नान 29 जनवरी को मौनी अमावस्या पर और तीसरा 3 फरवरी को बसंत पंचमी के दिन किया जाएगा। इसके अलावा माघी पूर्णिमा, पौष पूर्णिमा और महाशिवरात्रि के दिन भी कुंभ स्नान किया जाएगा, लेकिन इन्हें शाही स्नान नहीं माना जाता।

कंचन उजाला एक्सक्लूसिव में देखिए आज के शाही स्नान की कुछ तस्वीरें

Mahakumbh 2025: यूपी के प्रयागराज में आयोजित महाकुंभ मेले की भव्यता और आध्यात्मिकता दुनिया भर के लोगों को अपनी ओर आकर्षित कर रही है।भारतीय संस्कृति और परंपराओं से प्रभावित इटली के तीन दोस्त भी महाकुंभ का अनुभव करने प्रयागराज पहुंचे हैं। ये तीनों मेला परिसर में बने शिविरों में ठहरे हुए हैं और संन्यासी वस्त्र पहनकर पूरे मेले का भ्रमण कर रहे हैं। उनमें से एक युवक ने कहा कि उसे यहां आकर ऐसा लगता है जैसे वह अपने किसी पिछले जन्म में भारतीय रहा हो।

दोस्तों के साथ महाकुंभ घुमने आए हैं पीटरो

पीटरो ने बातचीत के दौरान बताया, “मैं योग का अभ्यास करता हूं और भारतीय संस्कृति के बारे में थोड़ी बहुत जानकारी रखता हूं। कुंभ मेला सनातन धर्म का सबसे भव्य आयोजन है। यह पहली बार है जब मैं कुंभ मेले में शामिल हुआ हूं। मेरे दोस्तों ने यहां आने की योजना बनाई थी, तो मैंने भी उनके साथ चलने का फैसला किया।”

दोस्तों में भारत आने की मिली प्रेरणा: स्टीफेनो

स्टीफेनो ने अपनी खुशी जाहिर करते हुए कहा, “मैं पहली बार कुंभ मेले का हिस्सा बना हूं। रूस में मेरे कुछ साधु मित्र हैं जिन्होंने मुझे कुंभ के बारे में बताया। वे भारत आकर नागा साधु बन चुके हैं, जिससे मुझे भी यहां आने की प्रेरणा मिली।” इटली के एमा महाकुंभ के आयोजन से काफी प्रभावित दिखाई दिए। एमा ने कहा, “मैं यहां पहली बार आया हूं। मैं योगा का शिक्षक हूं। कई भारतीय मेरे मित्र हैं। मुझे भारतीय संस्कृति पसंद है। मुझे लगता है कि इससे पहले के जन्म में मैं इंडियन था। भारत का संगीत, भजन, कीर्तन, सब कुछ मुझे काफी पसंद है। यहां महाकुंभ मेले की व्यवस्था काफी अच्छी हैं।”

कंचन उजाला नई दिल्ली। सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्रालय ने देश विरोधी प्रोपेगेंडा चलाने वाली यूट्यूब चैनलों पर सख्त एक्शन लिया है। मंत्रालय के मुताबिक खुफिया एजेंसियों से कॉर्डिनेशन के बाद 20 यूट्यूब चैनल और दो वेबसाइट को ब्लॉक करने का आदेश दिया है। ये सभी प्लेटफॉर्म भारत विरोधी दुष्प्रचार कर फर्जी खबरें फैला रहे थे। मंत्रालय ने सोमवार को दो आदेश जारी किए, जिनमें से एक में यूट्यूब को 20 चैनलों को ब्लॉक करने और दूसरे आदेश में दो न्यूज वेबसाइट को ब्लॉक करने का निर्देश दिया गया।

आपको बता दे कि खुफिया एजेंसियों तथा सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्रालय के बीच एक समन्वित प्रयास के तहत, सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्रालय ने सोमवार को इंटरनेट पर भारत विरोधी प्रचार और फर्जी खबरें फैलाने वाले 20 यूट्यूब चैनलों और 2 वेबसाइटों को ब्लॉक करने का आदेश दिया। मंत्रालय ने दो अलग-अलग आदेशों के माध्यम से –पहला, 20 यूट्यूब चैनलों के बारे में यूट्यूब को निर्देश देते हुए और दूसरा, 2 समाचार वेबसाइटों के बारे में दूरसंचार विभाग से अनुरोध करते हुए–कहा कि वे इंटरनेट सेवाप्रदाताओं को इन समाचार चैनलों / पोर्टलों को ब्लॉक करने का निर्देश दें।

ये चैनल एवं वेबसाइट पाकिस्तान से संचालित एक समन्वित दुष्प्रचार नेटवर्क से संबंधित हैं और भारत से संबंधित विभिन्न संवेदनशील विषयों के बारे में फर्जी खबरें फैला रहे हैं। इन चैनलों का उपयोग कश्मीर, भारतीय सेना, भारत में अल्पसंख्यक समुदायों, राम मंदिर, जनरल बिपिन रावत आदि जैसे विषयों पर समन्वित तरीके से विभाजनकारी सामग्री पोस्ट करने के लिए किया गया था।

भारत विरोधी दुष्प्रचार अभियान के तौर-तरीकों में द नया पाकिस्तान ग्रुप (एनपीजी) शामिल है, जो पाकिस्तान से संचालित होता है औरजिसके पास यूट्यूब चैनलों का एक नेटवर्क है।इस दुष्प्रचार अभियान मेंकुछ अन्य वैसे यूट्यूब चैनल भी शामिल हैं, जो एनपीजी से संबंधित नहीं हैं। इस चैनलों का संयुक्त ग्राहक आधार 35 लाख से अधिक का था, और उनके वीडियो को 55 करोड़ से अधिक बार देखा गया था। नया पाकिस्तान समूह (एनपीजी) के कुछ यूट्यूब चैनल पाकिस्तानी समाचार चैनलों के एंकरों द्वारा संचालित किए जा रहे थे।

इन यूट्यूब चैनलों ने किसानों के प्रदर्शन, नागरिकता (संशोधन) अधिनियम से संबंधित प्रदर्शन जैसे मुद्दों पर भी सामग्री पोस्ट की थी और अल्पसंख्यकों को भारत सरकार के खिलाफ भड़काने की कोशिश की थी। इस बातकी भी आशंका थी कि इन यूट्यूब चैनलों का इस्तेमाल पांच राज्यों में होने वाले आगामी चुनावों की लोकतांत्रिक प्रक्रिया को कमजोर करने के उद्देश्य से सामग्री पोस्ट करने के लिए किया जाएगा।

सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्रालय ने भारत में सूचना से जुड़े स्पेस को सुरक्षित करने के उद्देश्य सेयह कार्रवाई की है और सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी (मध्यवर्ती दिशानिर्देश और डिजिटल मीडिया आचार संहिता) नियम, 2021 के नियम 16 ​​के तहत आपातकालीन शक्तियों का उपयोग किया है। मंत्रालय ने पाया कि अधिकांश सामग्री राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा के परिप्रेक्ष्य में संवेदनशील विषयों से संबंधित हैं और तथ्यात्मक रूप से गलत हैं। इन सामग्रियों को मुख्य रूप से पाकिस्तान से भारत के विरूद्ध एक समन्वित दुष्प्रचार नेटवर्क (जैसा कि नया पाकिस्तान समूह के मामले में) के रूप में पोस्ट किया जा रहा है। इसलिए, मंत्रालय ने आपात स्थिति में सामग्री को ब्लॉक करने के प्रावधानों के तहत कार्रवाई करना उपयुक्त समझा।

मंत्रालय ने मंगलवार को एक बयान में कहा, ‘चैनल और वेबसाइट पाकिस्तान से ऑपरेट होने वाले प्रोपेगेंडा नेटवर्क से संबंधित हैं और भारत से संबंधित विभिन्न संवेदनशील विषयों के बारे में फर्जी खबरें फैला रहे थे। इन चैनल का इस्तेमाल कश्मीर, भारतीय सेना, भारत में अल्पसंख्यक समुदायों, राम मंदिर, जनरल बिपिन रावत जैसे विषयों पर लगातार विभाजनकारी कंटेंट पोस्ट किया जा रहा था।

सरकार ने लिया सख्त एक्शन

सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्री अनुराग ठाकुर ने एक वीडियो मैसेज में कहा कि 20 यूट्यूब चैनलों और दो वेबसाइटों के खिलाफ कड़ी कार्रवाई की गई है, क्योंकि वे भारतीय कानूनों का उल्लंघन कर फर्जी समाचार और भारत विरोधी कंटेंट चलाकर भारत में भय और भ्रम का माहौल पैदा कर रहे थे। मंत्री ने कहा कि चैनल और वेबसाइट खिलाफ आईटी नियमों के तहत कार्रवाई की गई है, ताकि पाकिस्तान भारत के खिलाफ जो एजेंडा चलाता है उस पर रोक लगे।साथ ही ऐसी ताकतें भारत के खिलाफ काम न करें।

मंत्री ने अपने ट्वीट में भी कहा, ‘फर्जी खबरें और दुष्प्रचार फैलाकर भारत में अशांति फैलाने के मकसद से सीमा पार से हो रहीं गतिविधियों के खिलाफ हमने सख्त कार्रवाई की है.’ मंत्रालय के बयान में कहा गया है कि भारत विरोधी दुष्प्रचार में पाकिस्तान से संचालित नया पाकिस्तान समूह (एनपीजी) शामिल है, जिसके पास विभिन्न यूट्यूब चैनल का एक नेटवर्क है। इसमें कहा गया कि कुछ अन्य यूट्यूब चैनल भी हैं, जो एनपीजी से संबंधित नहीं हैं।

इन चैनलों पर हुआ एक्शन

सूचना और प्रसारण मंत्री ने कहा कि 20 यूट्यूब चैनलों में से 15 एनपीजी की ओर से चलाए जा रहे थे। जिन 20 यूट्यूब चैनलों को ब्लॉक करने का आदेश दिया गया है, उनमें द पंच लाइन, इंटरनेशनल वेब न्यूज, खालसा टीवी, द नेकेड ट्रुथ, 48 न्यूज, फिक्शनल, हिस्टोरिकल फैक्ट्स, पंजाब वायरल, नया पाकिस्तान ग्लोबल, कवर स्टोरी, गो ग्लोबल ईकॉमर्स, जुनैद हलीम ऑफिशियल, तैयब हनीफ, जैन अली ऑफिशियल, मोहसिन राजपूत ऑफिशियल कनीज फातिमा, सदफ दुर्रानी, ​​मियां इमरान अहमद और नजम उल हसन बाजवा शामिल हैं।

लखनऊ। इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट की लखनऊ पीठ ने हाथरस दुष्कर्म कांड को गंभीरता से लेते हुए स्वत: संज्ञान लिया है। कोर्ट ने गुरुवार को घटना पर चिंता व्यक्त करते हुए यूपी सरकार, शासन के शीर्ष अधिकारियों और हाथरस के डीएम व एसपी को नोटिस जारी किया है। कोर्ट ने पीड़िता के साथ हाथरस पुलिस के बर्बर, क्रूर और अमानवीय व्यवहार पर राज्य सरकार से भी प्रतिक्रिया मांगी है। पीठ इस मामले की सुनवाई 12 अक्टूबर को करेगी। न्यायमूर्ति राजन रॉय और न्यायमूर्ति जसप्रीत सिंह की पीठ इस मुद्दे को स्वत: संज्ञान लेते हुए यह आदेश दिया है। आपको बता दे कि , इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट की लखनऊ पीठ ने हाथरस की घटना पर बहुत सख्त निर्देश देते हुए हाथरस पुलिस और प्रशासन के कृत्य पर गंभीर चिंता व्यक्त की है। हाई कोर्ट ने इस घटना पर राज्य सरकार से भी प्रतिक्रिया मांगी है। इसके साथ ही प्रमुख सचिव गृह, डीजीपी, एडीजी कानून और व्यवस्था, हाथरस डीएम और एसपी को नोटिस जारी कर उन्हें अगली सुनवाई पर तलब किया गया है।

बता दें कि 14 सितंबर को उत्तर प्रदेश के हाथरस जिले के चंदपा थाना क्षेत्र के एक गांव में 19 वर्षीय लड़की के साथ क्रूरता की गई। इसके बाद पहले उसे अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम विश्वविद्यालय के जवाहरलाल नेहरू मेडिकल कॉलेज में भर्ती कराया गया और सोमवार को दिल्ली के सफदरजंग अस्पताल में शिफ्ट किया गया, जहां पर उसने मंगलवार को दम तोड़ दिया।

मुख्यमंत्री योगी आदित्यनाथ के निर्देश पर हाथरस दुष्कर्म मामले में सचिव गृह भगवान स्वरूप की अध्यक्षता में गठित तीन सदस्यीय एसआइटी जांच कर रही है। एसआइटी पुलिस भूमिका की भी जांच करेगी। एसआइटी में महिला अधिकारी एसपी पूनम भी शामिल हैं। हाथरस की घटना को लेकर खुद प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने मुख्यमंत्री से वार्ता कर दोषियों के विरुद्ध कठोर कार्रवाई किए जाने की बात कही थी।

>> फारेंसिक जांच में नहीं हुई दुष्कर्म की पुष्टि 

फारेंसिक लैब में हाथरस की युवती की स्लाइड और कपड़ों की जांच में दुष्कर्म की पुष्टि नहीं हुई है। एडीजी अजय आनंद ने गुरुवार को इसकी पुष्टि करते हुए कहा कि पुलिस इस मामले में आरोपितों के खिलाफ हत्या की धारा के तहत कार्रवाई करेगी। लैब ने रिपोर्ट हाथरस पुलिस को सौंप दी है। उन्होंने बताया कि स्लाइड के साथ युवती के कपड़े जांच के लिए आगरा फारेंसिक लैब भेजे गए थे। दस दिन में रिपोर्ट मांगी गई थी।

>> चीफ जस्टिस को भेजा था पत्र 

बता दें कि हाथरस दुष्कर्म मामले में इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट के चीफ जस्टिस को पत्र भेजकर इस समूचे घटनाक्रम की निष्पक्ष जांच कराने की मांग की गयी है। पत्र में विशेष जांच एजेंसी को जांच ट्रांसफर करने की भी मांग की गयी है। अधिवक्ता गौरव द्विवेदी ने मुख्य न्यायाधीश गोविंद माथुर को पत्र भेजकर उनसे प्रार्थना की है कि वह 14 सितंबर को हुए इस दुष्कर्म मामले का स्वत: संज्ञान लेकर युक्ति-युक्त निर्देश जारी करें। पत्र में अधिवक्ता ने लिखा है कि चार लोगों ने दुष्कर्म के बाद गला दबाकर मारने की कोशिश की थी। यह घटना प्रदेश की कानून व्यवस्था की खराब दशा को भी उजागर कर रही है। प्रदेश में कानून का शासन है, जनता के मन में ऐसा विश्वास पैदा करने के लिए आवश्यक है। इस दुष्कर्म मामले की जांच किसी निष्पक्ष एजेंसी से कराई जाए, ताकि समूचे घटना की सही जांच हो सके।

>> देर रात हुआ था मृतका का अंतिम संस्कार

बता दें कि मंगलवार को हाथरस की दलित युवती की इलाज के दौरान दिल्ली के एक अस्पातल में मौत हो गई थी। इसके बाद पुलिस की मौजूदगी में परिजन युवती का शव लेकर हाथरस पहुंचे। यहां पर देर रात में युवती का अंतिम संस्कार कर दिया गया। आरोप है कि परिजनों की गैरमौजूदगी में पुलिस का पहरा लगाकर रात में ही प्रशासन ने अंतिम संस्कार कर दिया। परिजनों को पीड़िता के शव को आखिरी बार घर तक ले जाने की इजाजत भी नहीं दी गई।

>> राहुल और प्रियंका को पुलिस ने हाथरस जाने से रोका

इस मामले को लेकर उत्तर प्रदेश की योगी सरकार विपक्ष के निशाने पर है। आज कांग्रेस के पूर्व अध्यक्ष राहुल गांधी, महासचिव प्रियंका गांधी और पार्टी के अन्य नेता पीड़ित परिवार से मिलने जा रहे थे, जिन्हें पुलिस ने रोक दिया। इस पर भी वे नहीं माने तो उन्हें हिरासत में ले लिया गया। इस दौरान राहुल गांधी ने आरोप लगाया कि पुलिस ने मारा है।

लखनऊ। उत्तर प्रदेश में योगी सरकार मान्यता प्राप्त पत्रकारों को हेल्थ इंश्योरेंस देने जा रही है। सरकार ने मान्यता प्राप्त पत्रकारों के लिए 5 लाख रुपये स्वास्थ्य बीमा देने की घोषणा की है। इसके अलावा कोरोना से मौत होने पर मान्यता प्राप्त पत्रकारों के परिवार को 10 लाख रुपये आर्थिक मदद दी जाएगी।

उत्तर प्रदेश के मुख्यमंत्री योगी आदित्यनाथ ने घोषणा की है कि यूपी में मान्यता प्राप्त पत्रकारों का 5 लाख रुपये तक स्वास्थ्य बीमा किया जाएगा। इस बीमा की रकम यूपी सरकार देगी। इसके अलावा अगर किसी भी मान्यता प्राप्त पत्रकार का कोरोना से निधन होगा तो उसके परिवार को दस लाख रुपये आर्थिक सहायता सरकार की तरफ से दी जाएगी।

पंडित दीन दयाल उपाध्याय सूचना परिसर का किया उदघाटन

मुख्यमंत्री ने यह घोषणा राजधानी में नवनिर्मित पंडित दीन दयाल उपाध्याय सूचना परिसर भवन के उद्घाटन के दौरान कीं। उन्होंने कहा कि सूचना विभाग शासन और प्रशासन के कार्यों को मीडिया तक पहुंचाने के लिए एक सेतु का काम करता है। किसी भी सरकार के कार्यों का आम जनमानस तक पहुंचाने का एक सशक्त माध्यम सूचना एवं जनसंपर्क कार्यालय होता है।

‘मीडिया की भूमिका को नकारा नहीं जा सकता’

शासन का काम योजनाएं बनाना होता है प्रशासन उसे विभिन्न माध्यमों से आम जन तक पहुंचाता है, लेकिन जनता, शासन और प्रशासन के बीच में एक महत्तवपूर्ण सेतु के रूप में मीडिया की भूमिका को नकारा नहीं जा सकता। उन्होंने कहा कि प्रदेश के मान्यता प्राप्त पत्रकारों को राज्य सरकार प्रतिवर्ष पांच लाख रुपये का स्वास्थ्य बीमा कवर देगी, इसके अलावा कोरोना वायरस संक्रमण से किसी पत्रकार की मृत्यु होने पर उसके परिजन को दस लाख रुपये की आर्थिक सहायता दे जाएगी।

यूपी सीएम ने कहा कि कोरोना काल में मीडियाकर्मी काम कर रहे है और पत्रकारों को पूरी सुरक्षा और जागरुकता के साथ काम करते हुए संक्रमण से बचना चाहिए।

रोज आ रहे 6 से 7 हजार कोरोना केस

कोरोना वायरस जैसी महामारी से जूझ रहे उत्तर प्रदेश के लिए राहत भरी खबर है। जहां बीते कई दिनों से रोजाना औसतन 6-7 हजार के बीच नए मामले सामने आ रहे थे, वहीं बुधवार को 24 घंटों के दौरान 4674 नए मरीज ही मिले हैं। मृतकों का आंकड़ा भी कम रहा है और 67 मरीजों की मौत हुई है। पिछले 24 घंटों के दौरान 4922 मरीज पूरी तरह संक्रमण से उबर चुके हैं।

नई दिल्ली। दो बार के विश्व कप विजेता और भारत के सबसे सफल कप्तानों में से एक महेंद सिंह धोनी ने 74वें स्वतंत्रता दिवस के दिन शनिवार को अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास लेने का एलान कर दिया। धोनी के संन्यास का एलान करने के कुछ देर बाद ही उनके साथी खिलाड़ी रहे सुरेश रैना ने भी अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास लेने की घोषणा कर दी। भारत के सबसे सफल विकेटकीपर बल्लेबाज धोनी ने इंस्टाग्राम पोस्ट पर यह एलान करते हुए कहा, “मेरे करियर में आप सबके प्यार और सहयोग का बहुत-बहुत शुक्रिया। आज शाम 7 बजकर 29 मिनट से आप मुझे रिटायर समझें।” धोनी टेस्ट क्रिकेट से पहले ही संन्यास ले चुके थे और पिछले साल इंग्लैंड में हुए वनडे विश्व कप के सेमीफाइनल में न्यूजीलैंड के हाथों भारत की हार के बाद उन्होंने कोई मैच नहीं खेला था। भारतीय क्रिकेट कंट्रोल बोर्ड (बीसीसीआई) के अध्यक्ष सौरभ गांगुली और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट परिषद (आईसीसी) ने धोनी को अपनी शुभकामनाएं दी हैं।

वही धोनी के आईपीएल के 13वें संस्करण में खेलने की उम्मीद है जिसके लिए वह रांची से चेन्नई पहुंच चुके हैं। चेन्नई में रविवार से चेन्नई सुपरकिंग्स का छह दिन कंडीशनिंग शिविर लगना है। तीन बार के आईपीएल विजेता धोनी चेन्नई टीम के कप्तान हैं। धोनी ने चेन्नई आने से पहले अपने गृहनगर रांची में कोरोना टेस्ट कराया था जिसकी रिपोर्ट नेगेटिव आने के बाद वह शुक्रवार को चेन्नई के लिए रवाना हुए थे।

2007 में अपनी कप्तानी में पहला टी-20 विश्व कप जीतने वाले धोनी ने भारत को 28 साल के लम्बे अंतराल के बाद 2011 में एकदिवसीय विश्व चैंपियन बनाया था। भारत ने उनकी कप्तानी में आईसीसी चैंपियंस ट्रॉफी भी जीती है और टीम इंडिया उनकी कप्तानी में टेस्ट रैंकिंग में नंबर एक भी बनी थी और 600 दिनों तक नंबर एक रही थी। वह आईसीसी की तीनों ट्रॉफी जीतने वाले एकमात्र कप्तान हैं।

इंग्लैंड में पिछले साल हुए वनडे विश्व कप के बाद से ही लगातार धोनी के संन्यास की अटकलें चलती रही थीं लेकिन धोनी ने इन अटकलों पर कभी प्रतिक्रिया व्यक्त नहीं की थी और इस मुद्दे पर लगातार खामोश रहे थे। पिछले महीने सात जुलाई को 39 वर्ष के हुए धोनी ने अपने संन्यास का एलान करने के लिए स्वतंत्रता दिवस का दिन चुना और इंस्टाग्राम पर पोस्ट डालकर सबको चौंका दिया। माही के नाम से मशहूर धोनी ने मार्च में अपनी टीम चेन्नई सुपर किंग्स के साथ आईपीएल की तैयारियां भी शुरू कर दी थीं लेकिन पहले लॉकडाउन के कारण चेन्नई ने अपना शिविर बंद किया और माही अपने गृहनगर रांची लौट गए थे। आईपीएल के अनिश्चितकाल के लिए स्थगित हो जाने के कारण धोनी के संन्यास को लगातार अटकलें लग रही हैं लेकिन धोनी ने इस मामले में गहन चुप्पी साध रखी थी। आईपीएल का 19 सितम्बर से 10 नवम्बर तक संयुक्त अरब अमीरात में आयोजन होना है और आईपीएल की तैयारियां शुरू होने से पहले ही धोनी ने एलान कर दिया कि अब से उन्हें रिटायर माना जाए। 23 वर्ष की आयु में भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम के लिये पदार्पण करने वाले धोनी आईसीसी की तीनों विश्व प्रतियोगिताएं जीतने वाले दुनिया के एकमात्र कप्तान हैं और भारतीय क्रिकेट को नयी ऊंचाइयों पर ले जाने का श्रेय उन्हें जाता है। धोनी ने 2014 में ऑस्ट्रेलिया दौरे में मेलबोर्न टेस्ट के बाद टेस्ट क्रिकेट से संन्यास ले लिया था और जनवरी 2017 में उन्होंने विराट कोहली को वनडे और टी-20 की कप्तानी सौंप दी थी।
दुनिया के सर्वश्रेष्ठ फिनिशर माने जाने वाले और खिलाड़ियों के दिमाग को पढ़कर उसे क्रिकेट के खेल में इस्तेमाल करने की अनोखी ताकत रखने वाले धोनी का जन्म 7 जुलाई 1981 को झारखंड (तब बिहार) के रांची में हुआ था। धोनी झारखंड से निकलकर टीम इंडिया में जगह बनाने वाले पहले खिलाड़ी थे।

• माही के जीवन से जुड़े संघर्ष

एक निम्न मध्यमवर्गी परिवार में जन्मे धोनी को बचपन से क्रिकेट के बजाय फुटबॉल खेलना पसंद था। धोनी को फुटबॉल टीम में एक गोलकीपर के तौर पर खेलते देख उस समय के उनके कोच ने उन्हें क्रिकेट में एक विकेटकीपर के तौर पर खेलने की सलाह दी। यहीं से माही का खेल बदला। बिहार के लिये रणजी खेलने के बाद उन्हें रेलवे की तरफ से भी खेलने का मौका मिला। रेलवे ने उनके शानदार खेल को देखते हुए नौकरी ऑफर की। धोनी ने परिवार की जिम्मेदारियों का निर्वाह करने के लिये बंगाल के खड़गपुर रेलवे स्टेशन पर टिकट कलेक्टर की नौकरी स्वीकार कर ली। लेकिन धोनी की किस्मत में ‘क्रिकेट का बादशाह’ बनना लिखा था, अंततः एक दिन वह नौकरी छोड़कर वापस खेल के मैदान की ओर लौट आए। धोनी का यह फैसला उनके जीवन का सबसे बड़ा टर्निंग पॉइंट साबित हुआ। इसके बाद धोनी को जिम्‍बाब्‍वे और केन्‍या के दौरे पर इंडिया ए टीम में पहली बार जगह मिली। धोनी ने इस अवसर का भरपूर फायदा उठाया और सात मैचों में 362 रन बनाए। धोनी ने इस दौरान विकेटकीपिंग में भी हाथ अजमाते हुए सात कैच लपके और चार स्‍टंपिंग भी की। उस समय टीम इंडिया को एक ऐसे विकेटकीपर की तलाश थी जो निचले क्रम में बल्लेबाजी भी कर सके। धोनी के इस प्रदर्शन ने तत्कालीन कप्तान सौरभ गांगुली को आकर्षित किया और इस तरह वर्ष 2004 में धोनी को अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट खेलने का मौका मिला। बंगलादेश के खिलाफ अपना पहला अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मैच खेलने वाले धोनी शुरुआती मैचों में कुछ खास कमाल नहीं दिखा पाये लेकिन टीम प्रबंधन ने उन पर भरोसा दिखाते हुए पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ अगली सीरीज में फिर मौका दिया। उन्होंने विशाखापत्‍तनम में पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ खेले गये अपने करियर के पांचवे मैच में 123 गेंदों पर 148 रन की विस्फोटक पारी खेली और इस पारी ने धोनी के करियर को एक झटके में आसमान पर पहुंचा दिया। उन दिनों धोनी की बल्लेबाजी और उनके लंबे बाल भी देश-दुनिया में चर्चा का विषय रहे। उस समय उनके हेयर स्टाइल के दीवाने पाकिस्तान के तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति परवेज मुशर्रफ़ भी थे। उन्होंने एक सम्मान समारोह में धोनी के बालों की खुल कर चर्चा की। तीन साल के भीतर धोनी को टी-20 और वनडे का कप्तान नियुक्त कर दिया गया। उन्होंने अपनी कप्तानी में 2007 में दक्षिण अफ्रीका में हुए टी-20 विश्वकप टूर्नामेंट को जीत कर अपनी काबिलियत का लोहा मनवाया। इसके बाद धोनी को 2008 में टेस्ट कप्तानी सौंपी गई। इसके बाद उनकी कप्तानी में टीम ने ऑस्ट्रेलिया, न्यूजीलैंड और इंग्लैंड के खिलाफ सीरीज में जीत हासिल की और दिसंबर 2009 में पहली बार भारत टेस्ट क्रिकेट इतिहास में नंबर-1 रैंकिंग पर काबिज हुआ। इसके बाद वर्ष 2011 विश्वकप के फाइनल में उन्होंने श्रीलंका के खिलाफ नाबाद 91 रनों की ऐतिहासिक पारी खेलकर भारत को 28 वर्षों बाद विश्व कप खिताब दिलाया। फाइनल में धोनी के लगाये ऐतिहासिक विजयी छक्के की तारीफ केवल उनके प्रशंसको ने ही नहीं बल्कि कई क्रिकेट दिग्गजों ने भी की। उनकी तारीफ में भारत के क्रिकेट दिग्गज सुनील गावस्कर ने कहा था, “मैं मरने से पहले विश्वकप फाइनल 2011 में धोनी का आखिरी छक्का देखना चाहूंगा।” उन्होंने वर्ष 2013 में इंग्लैंड को उसके मैदान पर हराकर आईसीसी चैम्पियंस ट्रॉफी भी जीती। माही का करियर 16 साल तक चला। धोनी ने भारत के लिए अब तक सबसे अधिक 200 वनडे में कप्तानी की है जिसमें टीम को 110 मैचों में जीत हासिल हुई है। उन्होंने 350 वनडे मैचों में 50.57 के औसत से 10773 रन बनाए, जिसमें 10शतक और 73 अर्धशतक शामिल हैं। इस दौरान उन्होंने विकेट के पीछे 444 शिकार किये हैं। उन्होंने वनडे में 229 छक्के मारे हैं जो एक भारतीय रिकॉर्ड है। धोनी ने 90 टेस्ट मैचों में 38.09 के औसत से 4876 रन बनाए जिसमें 6 शतक और 33 अर्धशतक शामिल हैं। टेस्ट मैचों में उन्होंने विकेट के पीछे 294 शिकार किए। उनका आखिरी वनडे माही का 350वां वनडे था जिसमें उन्होंने न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ 72 गेंदों में 50 रन बनाये थे और मामूली अंतर से रन आउट हुए थे। यह उनकी आखिरी अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पारी थी। उन्होंने अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट में विकेट के पीछे कुल 829 शिकार किये जिसमें 634 कैच और 195 स्टंपिंग शामिल हैं। माही ने अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट के अलावा आईपीएल में कुछ ऐसे रिकॉर्ड बनाये हैं जिन्हें तोड़ना किसी भी खिलाड़ी के लिए बेहद कठिन होगा। वह आईपीएल में सबसे ज्यादा नौ बार फाइनल खेलने वाले अकेले खिलाड़ी हैं। इस दौरान उन्होंने अपनी टीम चेन्नई सुपर किंग्स को तीन बार खिताबी जीत दर्ज करायी। महेंद्र सिंह धोनी के 15 अगस्त को संन्यास लेने की घोषणा के बाद भारतीय क्रिकेटर और चेन्नई सुपर किंग्स में उनके साथी खिलाड़ी सुरेश रैना ने भी अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट से संन्यास लेने की घोषणा कर दी। बाएं हाथ के बल्लेबाज रैना ने सोशल मीडिया के जरिए अपने संन्यास की घोषणा की है। धोनी के संन्यास के एलान के तुरंत बाद ही रैना ने अपने सोशल मीडिया पोस्ट पर लिखा कि वह भी धोनी की इस यात्रा में शामिल हो रहे है। रैना ने अपने इंस्टाग्राम अकाउंट पर एक तस्वीर शेयर की है और इस तस्वीर के साथ उन्होंने लिखा, “माही आपके साथ खेलना अच्छा था। पूरे दिल से, गर्व के साथ, मैं आपकी इस यात्रा में शामिल होना चाहता हूं। थैंक यू इंडिया। जय हिन्द।” रैना भारतीय टीम से लंबे समय से बाहर चल रहे थे। उन्‍होंने 17 जुलाई 2018 को इंग्‍लैंड के खिलाफ लीड्स में खेले गए एकदिवसीय मैच के बाद से कोई अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मैच नहीं खेला था। उनका जन्म 27 नवंबर 1986 को उत्तर प्रदेश के गाजियाबाद जिले के मुरादनगर में हुआ था। भारत के सर्वश्रेष्‍ठ क्षेत्ररक्षकों में से एक माने जाने वाले रैना ने 30 जुलाई 2005 को श्रीलंका के खिलाफ एकदिवसीय मैच से अपने अंतर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट की शुरुआत की थी।

उन्होंने भारतीय टीम के लिए 18 टेस्ट मैचों में 26.48 के औसत से 768 रन रन बनाए जिसमें एक शतक और सात अर्धशतक शामिल हैं। रैना ने 226 एकदिवसीय मैच में 35.31 के औसत से 5615 रन बनाए हैं और इस प्रारूप में उनके नाम पांच शतक और 36 अर्धशतक दर्ज हैं। रैना ने 78 टी-20 मैचों में एक शतक और पांच अर्धशतकों की मदद तथा 29.16 के औसत से 1605 रन बनाए हैं। रैना पहले भारतीय खिलाड़ी है जिन्होंने तीनो फार्मेट में शतक लगाया है। उनके नाम आईपीएल में सबसे अधिक रन बनाने और मैच खेलने का रिकार्ड दर्ज है। चेन्नई सुपरकिंग्स के सबसे लोकप्रिय खिलाड़ियों में से एक रैना टी-20 विश्व कप 2007, विश्वकप 2011 और चैंपियंस ट्रॉफी 2013 जीतने वाली भारतीय टीम का अहम हिस्सा रहे थे।

विश्व कप विजेता टीम के रहे कप्तान

महेंद्र सिंह धोनी विकेटकीपर बल्लेबाज के तौर पर जाने जाते हैं। माही सबसे सफल भारतीय विकेटकीपर भी हैं। उन्होंने टेस्ट में 294, वनडे में 444 और टी-20 में 91 शिकार अपने नाम किए हैं। इसके अलावा अपनी कप्तानी में धोनी ने भारत को क्रिकेट में साल 2011 में फिर से विश्व विजेता भी बनाया था। इसके अलावा 2007 में धोनी की कप्तानी में ही टीम इंडिया ने टी20 विश्वकप अपने नाम किया था।

चेन्नई सुपर किंग्स के लिए खेलेंगे दोनों क्रिकेटर

बता दें कि अधिकतर लोगों को इस बात का अंदाजा था कि महेंद्र सिंह धोनी किसी भी वक्त क्रिकेट से रिटायरमेंट ले सकते हैं। मगर किसी ने ये नहीं सोचा था कि सुरेश रैना भी धोनी के साथ ही रिटायरमेंट ले लेंगे। हालांकि दोनों खिलाड़ी आगामी आइपीएल टुर्नामेंट में एक साथ चेन्नई सुपर किंग्स टीम के लिए खेलते नजर आएंगे। बता दें कि, अंतराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर भी कई बार ऐसे मौके रहे हैं जब दोनों खिलाड़ी ने एक साथ टीम की डूबती नैया को पार लगाया और मैच जिताऊ साझेदारी की। दोनों ही खिलाड़ियों को क्रिकेट प्रशंसक काफी मिस करेंगे।

Paris, France:The longest “blood moon” eclipse of this century will coincide with Mars’ closest approach in 15 years, on Friday to offer skygazers a thrilling astronomical double bill.

Viewers will require no protective eye gear to observe the spectacle — unlike when watching solar eclipse.

“All you have to do is… go outside!” the Royal Astronomical Society in London advises.

For about half the world, the moon will be partly or fully in Earth’s shadow from 1714 to 2328 GMT — six hours and 14 minutes in all.

The period of complete eclipse — known as “totality”, when the moon appears darkest — will last from 1930 to 2113 GMT.

“In totality the eclipse will last for 103 minutes, making it the longest eclipse of the 21st century.” the Royal Astronomical Society said.

At the same time, Mars will hover near the moon in the night sky, easily visible with the naked eye.

Our neighbouring planet will appear unusually large and bright, a mere 57.7 million kilometres (35.9 million miles) from Earth on its elliptical orbit around the sun.

“We have a rare and interesting conjunction of phenomena,” Pascal Descamps, an astronomer with the Paris Observatory, told reporters.

“We should have a coppery red tint on the moon with Mars the ‘Red Planet’ just next to it, very bright and with a slight orange hue itself.”

Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere will be best-placed to enjoy the spectacle, especially those in southern Africa, Australia, India and Madagascar, though it will also be partly visible in Europe and South America.

“If you want a close-up view of the moon as it turns red, a pair of binoculars is helpful,” Royal Astronomical Society said.

A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and sun, blocking out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow.

The moon travels to a similar position every month, but the tilt of its orbit means it normally passes above or below the Earth’s shadow — so most months we have a full moon without an eclipse.

When the three celestial bodies are perfectly lined up, however, the Earth’s atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun while refracting or bending red light onto the moon, usually giving it a rosy blush.

This is what gives the phenomenon the name “blood moon”, though Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland said the colour can vary greatly.

It depends partly on “how cloudy or transparent those parts of the Earth’s atmosphere are which enable sunlight to reach the moon”, he told AFP.

“During a very dark eclipse the moon may be almost invisible.

“Less dark eclipses may show the moon as dark grey or brown… as rust-coloured, brick-red, or, if very bright, copper-red or orange.”

The long duration of this eclipse is partly due to the fact that the moon will make a near-central passage through Earth’s umbra — the darkest, most central part of the shadow.

Our constant companion will also be at the farthest point on its orbit from Earth, making its movement across the sky slower from our perspective, thus spending longer in the dark.

NASA, meanwhile, has called out social media hoaxers claiming that Mars will appear as big as the moon during the eclipse.

“If that were true, we’d be in big trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our moon!” the NASA website states.

Mars will more likely appear as a very bright star.

“All eclipses are spectacular,” the Royal Astronomical Society’s Robert Massey said.

“In the middle of a lunar eclipse it can look as if a red planet has taken up residence near the Earth — they are both eerie and beautiful and I’ll certainly be looking out for it!”

Tokyo, Japan: Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai came back to earth last month but is still dreaming of space, especially after the discovery of an underground lake brought mankind one step closer to unravelling the mystery of life on Mars.

“I was so excited about the news,” the 41-year-old doctor told AFP in an interview on Friday, calling it “a major discovery that inspires dreams”.

International astronomers announced Wednesday they had detected the largest body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet, a breakthrough that may hold clues to whether life has ever formed on Mars — or even exists today.

Kanai, who spent 168 days on the International Space Station, is firmly convinced that we’re not alone in the universe and there is life out there.

“I believe there is,” he said. “In the vast universe, anything could be possible.”

“I have high hopes that finding extraterrestrial life forms could open a new page in learning.”

The soft-spoken spaceman, nicknamed “Nemo” for his background as a diving medical officer in Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, blasted into space for the first time in December.

– Growing pains –
Following in the footsteps of other media-savvy astronauts, Kanai tweeted about his stay at the space station in Japanese.

But his social media foray came with some growing pains: he was forced to apologise and issue a correction after mistakenly claiming he had grown by nine centimetres just weeks after he arrived.

When a colleague suggested the growth was unlikely, despite the fact that astronauts’ spines do extend in the zero-gravity environment of space, Norishige had himself remeasured.

It turned out a mix-up over centimetres and inches was to blame, and he said Friday that he had in fact grown by just two to three centimetres during his stay.

He has been shrinking since he arrived back on Earth on June 3, but is still one centimetre taller, he said.

“It’s interesting to see how long it will take to get back to my original height.”

Kanai, whose Twitter profile depicts him in cartoon form with a broad grin, concedes he wasn’t always the likeliest candidate to join Japan’s space agency JAXA, though he is now the agency’s youngest astronaut.

He was a “reserved, cautious” boy, rather than adventurous.

“I was a granny’s boy,” he said. “When she was sewing, we did it together. I had a rather ‘girlie’ childhood.”

But one of the skills he picked up as a child turned out to have a surprising application during the strict JAXA screening process.

In the final selection stage, 10 candidates spend a week in a capsule performing various tasks including folding paper cranes, which the agency says tests patience and steadiness under stress.

Luckily Kanai was a dab hand at origami from his childhood.

– Space for all –
“I don’t know if it gave me an advantage… but I knew how to do it. I’m dexterous and like to do repetitive small tasks. That task was easy for me,” he said.

Even as he spoke, he deftly folded a piece of origami paper into a crane, without so much as leaning on a table for support.

He so enjoyed making small cranes that he folded more than 100 of them in the test capsule.

While Kanai now belongs to an elite group of astronaut alumni, he is eager to see space become more accessible.

“I think space is not only for astronauts and space-related corporations but is for everyone,” he said.

“I welcome the idea of ‘enjoyable’ space or interesting ideas of private companies to use space.”

He doesn’t yet know if he’ll be chosen for new missions, and admits that he had mixed emotions as he headed back to Earth last month.

“I felt sorry that it was ending. But I was also happy that I was finally going back to Japan, because six months is a long time.

“I had complex, half-happy, half-sad feelings.”​

A slew of features have been introduced this year in the smartphone arena. As a result, many smartphone OEMs have also adopted these features in their recent offerings. What came afterwards from these manufacturers are premium smartphone products donning an entirely new look inspired much by a bezel-less experience. These smartphones more or less also sport a dual camera, impressive firepower and a notch display. If not this, another category of smartphones focusses solely on providing the maximum features in a budget as low as possible.

Here is a look at some of the most impressive smartphones that have made their way to the market in the year 2018 across all price ranges.

(Above Rs 40k)

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Samsung flagship for this year borrowed heavily from its predecessor in terms of looks, though that was one aspect that Samsung was not even looking to improve upon with the Galaxy S9. And why would it? The Infinity display that the company is deploying on its flagships since last year is one of the best displays on a smartphone to date, even more so than a notched display in every way. Additionally, the company did manage to concise the Galaxy S9 even more, retaining the old display size in a shorter form factor this time.

Apart from the looks and the stunning display, the Galaxy S9 comes with almost everything one could ask for. The latest processor, ample memory offering, a commendable photographic capability and Samsung’s own plethora of apps easily make the Galaxy S9 one of the most interesting smartphones launched this year.

Oppo Find X

While all the other smartphones might sound similar in terms of design and what lies under the hood, Oppo has recently come up with a flagship device that has a distinct feature to boast of. This basically refers to a movable slider in the smartphone that houses the front as well as the back camera. The result is a completely bezel-less display at the front, even skipping the notch to house any sensor or camera. Despite the front camera being hidden behind the screen, the Oppo Find X manages to offer face recognition support to its users.

What lies under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with an 8GB RAM, a 256GB storage and impressive camera specifications.

Huawei P20 Pro

Huawei took the world by storm with its this year’s flagship smartphone launch. Huawei P20 Pro, introduced by the company as the world’s first smartphone with a Leica triple camera setup, aced on every front as soon as it was launched. It scored a DxO Mark rating of more than any other smartphone camera till the time and was no less than any other flagship when it came to its performance.

While everything ranging from its design to the display quality and the power oozed of a premium appeal, the highlight was definitely the camera on this one, that came with on-point and sharp colours, perfect brightness and utmost detailing.

Apple iPhone 8 Product Red

Apple came up with a version of its iPhone 8 this year that apart from offering a unique look to its bearer, also contributed to a cause. The Apple iPhone 8 Product Red was launched back in April, a part of Apple’s 11-year-old partnership with (RED) to support HIV/AIDS programs that provide counselling, testing, and medicine that prevents the transmission of HIV from a mother to her unborn child.

When you buy (PRODUCT)RED, Apple sends a contribution to the Global Fund. The Global Fund uses 100% of this money to finance HIV/AIDS programs. The contribution helps people affected by HIV in Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya, and Zambia.

That said and done, what does the iPhone 8 Product Red have in store for its user? An A11 Bionic chip with Neural engine and an embedded M11 motion coprocessor to power it, a 4.7-inch Retina HD display and all that you get on a regular iPhone 8.

Nokia 8 Sirocco

HMD Global, the home of Nokia mobiles introduced its flagship smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February this year. The Nokia 8 Sirocco, as the device is called, comes as the fine example of how the beloved Nokia brand’s flagship should look like. It dons a handy form factor with a flagship charm of a glass body, a curved display and Carl-Zeiss optics. While it certainly does not look like the solid Nokia phones the world is used to seeing, Nokia claims that the device has been carved out of a single piece of stainless steel that guarantees its strength.

Under the hood, the Nokia 8 Sirocco comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor along with a 128GB storage and the latest Android Oreo operating system (with regular updates from Google). It also boasts of a 12MP + 13MP dual camera setup that is built with optics from Carl-Zeiss.

(Rs 30k-Rs 40k)

OnePlus 6

With all those flagship smartphones out there, this company was always touted to come up with flagship killer devices. The primary reason for this is the competitive firepower on the OnePlus devices and in a budget far less than what the other flagship demand. Building on the same, OnePlus introduced its OnePlus 6 back in May this year and as expected, the device boasted of top-of-the-line specifications, complete with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC.

What’s more, the OnePlus 6 also came as a testimony that the company listens to its users’ demands. Examples of these can be seen in the rearrangement of the slider key on the OnePlus 6, a vertical placement of the dual camera setup and that too at the centre of its back and the inclusion of the 3.5mm headphone jack. The OnePlus 6 also comes with a trending notch design which was still very debated around the globe at the time of its launch. As a result, OnePlus soon introduced an option in its software to let the users hide the notch in case they did not like it.

Honor 10

Huawei sub-brand Honor also came up with its flagship smartphone this year in the form of the Honor 10. As a direct competitor to the OnePlus 6, the Honor 10 comes with its own perks which were mostly built in-house by the company. These include a Huawei Kirin 970 processor, a 5.8-inch Full HD+ display, the latest Android Oreo 8.1 Oreo and a 16MP + 24MP dual camera setup. Honor 10 also promised big on the design front, with a notch display and a glass back.

Asus Zenfone 5Z

Another contender in the near-30K range, the Zenfone 5Z was introduced recently by the company as its flagship smartphone. What followed was a head-to-head comparison of the Asus Zenfone 5Z and the OnePlus 6, which certainly did not see the Asus device backing down in any way. Simply because it came with an equally competent firepower, just as good optics and a simple yet elegant design. One up for the smartphone was the price in comparison with the OnePlus 6 as it offered all of these features at a slightly lower price tag.

(Below Rs 20k)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Xiaomi came up with its best selling smartphone in India in the form of a stepped-up variant of its Redmi Note series successor. The Redmi Note 5 Pro was revolutionary in many ways with its launch, offering almost every known feature at the time in a budget. Many budget smartphones followed soon after offering all these features too, including face recognition, dual camera setup and more but Xiaomi managed to do it first and that reflected upon the sale figures of the device.

As for its under-the-hood power, the Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, a 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage (starting variant),a whopping 4000 mAh battery and an impressive 12MP+5MP dual camera setup.

Moto G6

Motorola recently unveiled the successor to its Moto G series with the Moto G6. The new budget smartphone by the company promises to offer a larger display area, a multi-functional fingerprint sensor as well as an expandable storage of up to 256GB. The smartphone retails at almost the same price as the Redmi Note 5 Pro and competes directly with it with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC, 3D glass back, type-C connectivity and a 16-megapixel selfie camera.

Solar Eclipse 2018 The World is gearing up for a partial Solar Eclipse or Surya Grahan which will take place on Friday(July 13th). Unlike the last solar eclipse, which was visible in many parts of the world, the partial solar eclipse will be visible in Southern Australia, New Zealand and North Antarctica.

What is partial Solar Eclipse?
Unlike a total solar eclipse, a partial eclipse does not entirely block sun’s light. The Surya Grahan occurs when the moon comes between the Sun and the Earth, but Moon only covers the Sun’s disk partially.

Why is this Solar Eclipse important?
There is much interest around the Solar Eclipse 2018 this time as it falls on Friday the 13th. Surya Grahan or Solar Eclipse on Friday the 13th is unusual as its considered bad luck.

Precautions for watching Solar Eclipse?

In order to watch partial Solar Eclipse, people shall wear proper glasses or use x-ray sheets.

Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp messaging platform on Tuesday published advertisements in key Indian newspapers to tackle the spread of misinformation, its first such effort to combat a flurry of fake messages that prompted mob lynchings. Beatings and deaths triggered by false incendiary messages in India, WhatsApp’s biggest market with more than 200 million users, caused a public relations nightmare, sparking calls from authorities for immediate action.

“Together we can fight false information,” read full-page advertisements in some top English language-newspapers, part of a series that will also feature in regional-language dailies. It urged users to check information before sharing it and cautioned them about the spread of fake news.

“We are starting an education campaign in India on how to spot fake news and rumours,” a WhatsApp spokesman said in a statement.

“Our first step is placing newspaper advertisements in English and Hindi and several other languages. We will build on these efforts.”

During the week, it aims to publish similar advertisements in regional dailies across India, from the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in the west to the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh in the north, it added.

WhatsApp has previously said it is tweaking features and giving users controls in its effort to rein in false messages. It is also testing the labelling of messages to show users when a message received is just a forward, rather than one created by the sender.

“We are not sure if they should be called computers or not. It’s more of a matter of opinion whether they have the minimum functionality required,” said David Blaauw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, who led the development of the new system.

Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in the US have come out with the world’s smallest “computer” — a device measuring just 0.3 mm to a side, completely dwarfed by a grain of rice. Unlike traditional desktops that retain their program and data with or without a power back-up, these new microdevices lose all prior programming and data as soon as they are switched off, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We are not sure if they should be called computers or not. It’s more of a matter of opinion whether they have the minimum functionality required,” said David Blaauw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, who led the development of the new system.

In addition to the RAM and photovoltaics, the new micro-computing device — Michigan Micro Mote — has processors and wireless transmitters and receivers. As the Motes are too small to have conventional radio antennae, they receive and transmit data with visible light. A base station provides light for power and programming, and it receives the data.

Donald Trump’s drive for dominance in space is just an extension of his quest for dominance on Earth, but the US president’s announcement smacks of wishful thinking and Hollywood inspired megalomania, says Dennis Etler, an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs.

Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday after Trump ordered the establishment of a sixth branch of the military – a “space force.”

“It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space,” Trump said at the White House before a meeting of his National Space Council.

He said that the American dominance of space would bolster the country’s national security and the economy with the creation of new jobs.

“We are going to have the Air Force and we’re going to have the ‘Space Force.’ Separate but equal,” he said later. “It is going to be something. So important.”

Professor Etler said, “Trump’s proposed ‘Space Force’ is nothing new. It’s been proposed before and has not passed muster. Both the armed services and Congress have previously rejected the idea. So why is Trump pushing it once again, and what now? His rational is very telling.  According to news reports he said, ‘We must have American dominance in space,’ prior to a meeting of his National Space Council. Trump’s drive for dominance in space is just an extension of his quest for dominance on Earth.”

“All of Trump’s actions, no matter how contradictory they may seem, are devoted to seeking global dominance and hegemony. His trade wars against China, the EU, Canada and Mexico, etc. have that objective in mind. His rapprochement with North Korea as well as his scuttling of the Iran nuke deal, although seemingly at odds with one another, are actually in pursuit of the same goal, America Uber Alles. It should be no surprise that the US under Trump wants to expand its quest to dominate Space as well,” he added.

“The problem is the US abandoned the ‘space race’ decades ago. One of the few benign endeavors of the US government over the decades has been the exploration of the solar system by NASA’s planetary probes. These missions have generated a wealth of scientific data that allow for a better understanding of the Earth as well,” he stated.

Trump pushes for US as ‘space cop’

“With the abandonment of the Space Shuttle program however the US is now totally dependent on Russia in order to place humans into near Earth orbit. While plans are afoot to re-launch a manned US space capability it is still on the drawing board and not a single voyage has yet been scheduled or attempted. In addition, the International Space Station (ISS) is quickly approaching it due date and will be decommissioned by the mid 2020s,” the analyst said.

“In this regard, the US has embargoed the participation of Chinese taikonauts on the ISS, fearful of alleged Chinese ‘IP theft.’ This racist fear-mongering redounded to the benefit of China as it spurred them on to develop their own manned space program and space station construction,” he continued.

“And there’s the rub. China and Russia have declared that they will co-operate in developing a joint space program. Given Russia’s decade long experience with manned space flight and China’s burgeoning technological expertise and deep pockets, a Sino-Russian condominium in space from which the US is excluded is Washington’s worst nightmare,” the commentator said.

“As Trump states, the proposed ‘Space Force’ will ‘implement a state-of-the-art framework for space traffic management.’ That is another way of saying that the US has ambitions of being a ‘space cop’ dictating to China and Russia what activities they can and cannot conduct in orbit,” he said.

“It is a pipe-dream to imagine that the US could ever be successful in fulfilling such a mission. With $21 trillion of debt, dissension within the ranks of the armed forces and an unproven set of new manned space vehicles Trump’s proposal smacks of wishful thinking and Hollywood inspired megalomania,” Etler said.

Shanghai: China launched a relay satellite early on Monday designed to establish a communication link between earth and a planned lunar probe that will explore the dark side of the moon, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Citing the China National Space Administration, Xinhua said the satellite was launched at 5:28 a.m. (2128 GMT Sunday) on a Long March-4C rocket from the Xichang launch centre in the southwest of the country.

China aims to catch up with Russia and the United States to become a major space power by 2030. It is planning to launch construction of its own manned space station next year.

However, while China has insisted its ambitions are purely peaceful, the U.S. Defense Department has accused it of pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations from using space-based assets during a crisis.

India’s Aadhaar technology does not pose any privacy issue and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded the World Bank to take this approach to other countries as it is worth emulating, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said. The 62-year-old multi-billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist said Nandan Nilekani, Infosys founder who is considered as the chief architect of Aadhaar, was consulting and helping the World Bank on the project. Asked if India’s Aadhaar technology is worth emulating by other countries, he replied, “Yes”. “The benefits of that (basic ID — Aadhaar) are very high,”.

More than a billion people in India have enrolled in Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric ID system. “Yes, countries should adopt that approach because the quality of governance has a lot to do with how quickly countries are able to grow their economy and empower their people,” Gates said in response to a question. “We have funded the World Bank to take this Aadhaar approach to other countries,” he said.

It is believed that several countries, including some from India’s neighbourhood, have approached New Delhi for assistance in this matter. “Aadhaar in itself doesn’t pose any privacy issue because it’s just a bio ID verification scheme,” Gates, the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said when asked about the concerns about privacy issues raised by certain quarters in India.

“The individual applications that use Aadhaar, you have to look and see what’s been stored and who has access to that information. And so, application by application, you have to make sure that’s well managed. In the case of the financial bank account I think it’s handled very well,” he said. “(It uses) Aadhar to set up the accounts so that you can both get your cell phone and get your bank account,” he added.

Observing that Aadhaar was started before Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into office, Gates said that it was very much to his credit that he was willing to embrace it. “I’m both good friend and an admirer of Nandan Nilekani and some of the initiatives of digitisation efforts that can help with education that can help with governance,” he said.

In his lecture on ‘Technology for Transformation’ organised by NITI Aayog on November 2016, Gates had said that Aadhaar is something that had never been done by any government before, not even in a rich country.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number for Indians, based on their biometric and demographic data. The data is collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), a statutory authority established in January 2009 by the Government of India.

A Transformers-style, humanoid robot that can shapeshift into a sports car in about 60 seconds was unveiled in Japan on Wednesday. The “J-deite RIDE” robot is the brainchild of Kenji Ishida, CEO of Brave Robotics and a fan of anime movies featuring robots that could transform or combine with each other.

“I grew up believing that robots had to be capable of such things, which became my motivation to develop this robot,” Ishida told Reuters Television. The blue and white robot is 3.7-metres (12 feet) tall and can carry two passengers as it transforms into a car or humanoid form.

Some people may view the robot as an “expensive toy”, but it was intended to inspire others, Ishida said. The RIDE was co-developed with Asratec, a robot consulting firm, and amusement ride manufacturer Sansei Technologies.

Image: Reuters

Image: Reuters

Image: Reuters

Image: Reuters

Image: Reuters

In a similar happening, another Japanese engineer had earlier built a 28-feet long humanoid robot. Japanese engineer Masaaki Nagumo had always dreamed of suiting up as a robot from “Mobile Suit Gundam”, his favourite animation series growing up. He went on to make it a reality by creating a giant humanoid inspired by the science fiction franchise. Developed at Sakakibara Kikai, a maker of farming machinery, LW-Mononofu is an 8.5-metre (28-feet) tall, two-legged robot weighing in at more than 7 tonnes. It contains a cockpit with monitors and levers for the pilot to control the robot’s arms and legs.

Tampa: In a move that shocked lunar scientists, NASA has cancelled the only robotic vehicle under development to explore the surface of the Moon, despite President Donald Trump’s vow to return people there.

Scientists working on the Resource Prospector (RP) mission, a robotic rover that had been in development for about a decade to explore a polar region of the Moon, expressed astonishment at the decision.

It would have been the first US lunar lander since Apollo 17 in 1972, and the first ever US robotic rover on the surface of the Moon.

RP was intended to be the first mission to mine the surface of the Moon, in search of volatile compounds like hydrogen, oxygen and water.

NASA responded with a statement posted online on Friday which said some of the instruments aboard RP would be flown on future missions.

“NASA is developing an exploration strategy to meet the agency’s expanded lunar exploration goals,” said the statement.

“Consistent with this strategy, NASA is planning a series of progressive robotic missions to the lunar surface.”

It did not specifically refer to any plans to cancel RP, but said the space agency is seeking “to evolve progressively larger landers leading to an eventual human lander capability,” as part of a broader strategy to return people to the Moon for long-term exploration.

“As part of this expanded campaign, selected instruments from Resource Prospector will be landed and flown on the Moon,” it said.

Bridenstine, who was confirmed this week as the new head of NASA, insisted on Twitter that the US space agency is “committed to lunar exploration.”

“Resource Prospector instruments will go forward in an expanded lunar surface campaign. More landers. More science. More exploration. More prospectors. More commercial partners,” he wrote.

In December 2017, Trump formally directed NASA to focus its efforts on returning people to the Moon as a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars.

HMD Global will be launching two smartphones in its Nokia X-series on April 27. According to earlier leaks, the launch date was out for the new X series smartphones.

New leaks reveal the specifications and render of one of the phones that will be launched – the Nokia X6. It looks very similar to the Nokia 7 Plus and has an iPhone X like display. Chinese website Weibo states that the Nokia X6 will come with a 5.8-inch full-HD+ (1080×2280 pixels) display. The display will also have an aspect ratio of 19:9.

There will also be two processors that will be used on the Nokia X6 depending on markets. One will be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC and the other will be a MediaTek P60 processor.There will also be two storage variants — 4GB RAM, 64GB inbuilt storage and 6GB RAM, 128GB inbuilt storage.

Like many Nokia phones of 2018, the Nokia X6 is expected to sport a dual-camera setup with Carl Zeiss lens. The dual-camera set up will consist of a 12-megapixel sensor. The Nokia X6 will run on stock android 8.1 Oreo and there will be a fingerprint sensor as well. Nokia X6 will be a smartphone that’s expected to be priced under Rs 20,000 for both the variants.

New Delhi, Apr 22 – Forget horoscope, now a device can assist you in match making!

The genius behind this invention is a German man based in Australia.

The device, which has been launched in India recently by a matrimonial website called IITIIMShaadi.com, is based on the technology of a lie-detector.

Delhi resident, Taksh Gupta, who is the founder of IITIIMShaadi.com and published author of two novels told UNI that this was the first time something like this is coming to India.

“There will be an app to go along with the device which will analyse your galvanic skin responses and help you choose the correct life partner,” he said.

Mr Gupta, an MBA, told UNI that this device was developed and patented by a neuroscience professor, Nicholas Hamelin, from Australia.

“Nowhere else in the world this machine or a similar technology is being used for match-making decisions, he claimed.

An interesting thing to note is the device’s launch in India, where match-making has traditionally been dependent upon matching of horoscopes, something that is subject to varying degrees of believability.
People have different levels of faith on different priests and their techniques. This device is something that is constant, consistent and purely science-based. The role of this device comes in after you have already filtered out on a conscious basis ie assuming a girl is looking for a guy and has 20 profiles she likes.

After filtering on parameters that she wishes to use, she consciously shortlists final four guys, who all look similar to her in terms of preference. This is where the device comes in handy. By reading what she subconsciously thinks is the right choice for her, which is done by measuring different skin responses that arise in stimuli to picture of each guy, the device will guide her choose the most suitable life partner. In one line, this device tells you what your heart really wants.

Mr Gupta, CEO-founder of the website IITIIMShaadi.com said anybody can buy this machine and help them choose a life-partner for them.

This device requires a 15-20 days training period, in which the machine and its algorithms learn about your different emotional responses, so that the device learns how you feel when you are right and how you feel when you are wrong. When the time comes to make a match-making decision, the device measures your inner intuition and compares it to your right and wrong emotional response.

“If the choice you made is close to your emotional response when you are correct, then the match is suggested for you and vice-versa. You can also choose to see live readings of your skin responses which comes like a graph on a ECG machine. There is a lot of fraud, scam, cheating that goes in the Indian matrimonial industry. It is good to see a device that has been patented in Australia, proving that the technology works. This little device may just change the face of Indian matrimonial industry, Mr Gupta added.

A controversial suicide pod that enables its occupant to kill themselves at a press of a button went on display at Amsterdam funeral show on Saturday. Called the “Sarco”, short for sarcophagus, the 3D-printed machine invented by Australian euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke and Dutch designer Alexander Bannink comes with a detachable coffin, mounted on a stand that contains a nitrogen canister.

“The person who wants to die presses the button and the capsule is filled with nitrogen. He or she will feel a bit dizzy but will then rapidly lose consciousness and die,” said Nitschke, who has been dubbed “Dr Death” for his work to legalise euthanasia.

The “Sarco” is a device “to provide people with a death when they wish to die,” Nitschke told AFP. The inventors put a model of the device on display, together with a set of virtual reality glasses to give visitors a true-to-life experience of what it would be like to sit in the pod, before ultimately pressing the button.

Nitschke said he aimed to build the first fully-functioning pod before the end of the year. After that, the design will be put online as an open-source document for people to download.

“That means that anybody who wants to build the machine can download the plans and 3D-print their own device,” Nitschke said.

Asked about the controversy surrounding euthanasia and legal hurdles, Nitschke said: “In many countries suicide is not against the law, only assisting a person to commit suicide is. This is a situation where one person chooses to press a button… rather than for instance standing in front of a train.”

“I believe it’s a fundamental human right (to choose when to die). It’s not just some medical privilege for the very sick. If you’ve got the precious gift of life, you should be able to give that gift away at the time of your choosing,” Nitschke said.

Thousands of visitors flocked to the annual Amsterdam Funeral Expo at the city’s famous Westerkerk, where all the latest trends in death, such as biodegradable coffins and a hot-rod funeral hearse were on display. But the “Sarco” drew large crowds, many of them morbidly curious to try out the device’s chair and virtual reality glasses.

“It was really an experience and a strange thing to see. But very pretty and calm. You see the moon, you see the sea. It’s very calm,” said Piet Verstraaten, 52, from the eastern Dutch city of Venray.

Others, however, were not impressed.

“Well, I think it’s quite silly. It’s stupid. I don’t get it. I’m not interested in a real ‘Sarco’. No,” said 52-year-old Rob Bruntink.

Blockchain technology is all the rage these days in the technology world. Just in case you have never heard of this before, Blockchain is what powers the crypto-currencies, like the Bitcoin. While Bitcoin has been a hotly debated topic around the globe, its widespread popularity has largely been because of its involvement with money. But in case you think that Bitcoin is in itself a revolutionary technology, you are wrong on many levels. Primarily because it is not Bitcoin that translates into a ‘path-breaking technology’ but Blockchain. In essence, Bitcoin is a very small, but an important application of the Blockchain technology. Bitcoin IS NOT Blockchain.

So what is Blockchain? In very simple terms, blockchain is a ‘distributed ledger’ or a ‘distributed record’ that is used to keep a track of information transfer between points. Consider a monetary transaction between person A and person B. In the banking system prevalent today, it is the bank that keeps the transaction record between the two people. Now consider that an entire network of people has a record, containing all the transaction history amongst these two people (in an encrypted form of course). This shows the ‘distributed’ element of the blockchain.

Stephen Hawking may have left behind clues to detect other universes in the cosmos besides our own in a final research paper submitted just weeks before his death earlier this week, a media report said today.

One of the world’s best-known scientists, who died peacefully at his home in Cambridge aged 76 on March 14, set out the maths needed for a space probe to find experimental evidence for the existence of a “multiverse”. The paper sets out to prove the idea that our cosmos is only one of many universes, reports ‘The Sunday Times’.

“This was Stephen: to boldly go where Star Trek fears to tread. He has often been nominated for the Nobel and should have won it. Now he never can,” Thomas Hertog, professor of theoretical physics at KU Leuven University in Belgium who co-authored the paper, told the newspaper.

The latest flagship Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will officially go on sale in India on March 16, the same day of the global launch. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ costs Rs 57,900 and Rs 64,900 respectively for the 64GB internal storage variants. The 256GB variants of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is priced at Rs 65,900 and Rs 72,900 respectively. The smartphones will be available in three colours—Midnight Black, Coral Blue and Lilac Purple at select retail stores and online exclusively on Samsung’s official online store Samsung Shop and Flipkart.

Here are the offers you need to know before buying the new flagships:

1) Cahsbacks 

Paytm Mall- Users can get a cashback of Rs 6,000 when they purchase the device by scanning the Paytm Mall QR code at select retail stores.

HDFC- Buyers can alternatively get a cashback of Rs 6,000 if Galaxy S9 and S9+ are purchased using ‘No Cost EMI’ on HDFC Bank debit and credit cards. They will also be eligible for the cashback when making a full payment using HDFC Credit Cards or by paying through HDFC CD Loan.

2) Exchange offer

Under the Samsung Upgrade program, loyal Samsung Galaxy users will be eligible to get additional Rs 6,000 bonus over the regular exchange price when they upgrade to Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+. Flipkart is also offering up to Rs 18,000 discount on exchange of old phones.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9 Plus First Impressions Review: Best Android Phones of 2018?

3) Data plans

Airtel – Galaxy S9 and S9+ users can avail a ‘Double Data’ offer on Airtel’s Infinity Postpaid plans. With Infinity 499, users get 80 GB of data, unlimited calling, and a one year Amazon Prime membership worth Rs 999. With Infinity 799, users get 120GB of data, unlimited calling, a one year Amazon Prime membership and one free child connection. Both plans also offer free subscription to Airtel TV and Wynk Music. A special Prepaid Pack of Rs 199 with 1.4GB data/day and unlimited calling for 28 days is also being offered.

Reliance Jio- Galaxy S9 and S9+ users on Jio get an exclusive offer of 1 Terabyte of high speed 4G data with unlimited voice & SMS for one year worth Rs 15,000 at Rs 4,999. The users can now enjoy uninterrupted digital services without any daily data usage limit. Additionally, users are entitled to complimentary Jio Prime Membership as a part of this offer.

Vodafone- Galaxy S9 & S9+ users, who are new or existing customers of Vodafone, will get free subscription to Netflix for a year on Vodafone Red plans starting Rs 999 till April 30, 2018. Also, prepaid users who recharge with Rs 199 get unlimited voice and 1.4GB/day and an additional 10GB free data every month for their next 10 recharges.

You know that the world has lost a pool of immense knowledge when the CEO of Google, arguably the biggest technology company around the globe today, tweets this. Not only Sundar Pichai but the entire community of science and the world, in general, is moaning the recent demise of one of the most iconic scientists and on many fronts, the best theoretical physicist who ever lived – Stephen William Hawking.

Despite the grandeur of his knowledge being evident on a global scale, Stephen Hawking was never awarded a Nobel Prize for his contributions. A debatable topic to this date, the counter reason has always been one, a majority of Hawking’s biggest findings have never been tested. This again can be accredited to the lack of technology of our time to prove his theories and the fact that he was a ‘theoretical’ physicist, backing his theories with the probability quotient of other theories.

Take the example of his quantum analysis of black holes. The world-renowned scientist had been wrong time and again in his assumptions. Once when he disregarded the theory of Jacob Bekensteinabout the entropy of a black hole being analogous to the surface area of a black hole’s event horizon. Then again in 1981 when Hawking’s theory, that information was lost in a black hole, was disproved by an American theoretical physicist named Leonard Susskind. A famous debate amongst the scientific community that later resulted in Leonard publishing a book titled The Black Hole War and John Preskillwinning an encyclopedia of his choice from Hawking as a part of a bet.

This does not undermine Hawking’s own findings by any means though. Stumbling across possible explanations and correcting his own theories through others’ contradictions, Hawking provided the greatest insight of a black hole that humankind has known to date. For this, he combined Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity with Quantum theory, a feat that wasn’t thought possible before.

An even more thought-provoking theory of Hawking is his take on the origin of the universe. Along with Jim Hartle, the cosmologist went on to describe time as just like any other direction in space under extreme conditions, hinting that nothing existed before its origin and that questioning the beginning of the universe is meaningless.

Though his theory on the origin of the universe sheds little light on ‘how’ it all started, it does offer some key takeaways. It explains how space, and even time, are not ever-lasting entities, that time itself originated with the big bang and it comes to an end in a black hole, and that the beginning of the universe might just have been like the formation of the bubble, a bubble that grew to a size beyond the point of recollapse and has been expanding ever since.

Hawking might not have been right with each and every theory of his. Some of his findings have been questioned time and again, some have been proved wrong, some might be proved wrong in the future. But that is largely the whole essence of science. Trial and error have been a part and parcel of science since the time of its origins and with this perspective, Hawking’s contribution through his theories have made an ever-lasting impact on our understanding of the universe. To sum it up in Hawking’s own words:

“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.”

As long as humans use his learnings to seek more answers, his legacy lives on.

After receiving a good response to its QLED TV series in India within a month of its launch in 2017, Samsung will bring the newly-launched 4K QLED line-up to the country in the second quarter this year. Samsung Electronics unveiled its flagship QLED (Quantum dot Light Emitting Diode) TVs — including the 85-inch, 8K Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered TV – at an event here on Wednesday.

Samsung’s flagship televisions — for which the price is yet to be announced — will be available globally later in March and will arrive in India May-end. According to the senior company executives, the Indian market is prepared to embrace the new line-up because the 40 inches and above, is the fastest growing segment in the TV business in the country where Samsung has strongly maintained its leadership.

Samsung registered 30 percent share in the overall TV category and 50 percent market share in the premium TV category in India in 2017. “With world-class technology and customer-centric innovations, we are confident about further consolidating our leadership in this segment,” the company executives told IANS. Samsung today has two factories, five R&D centres and a design ce”Our QLED technology makes it possible to give consumers a detailed experience in the same space even on super large screens,” he added.

In 2017, the QLED series witnessed an overwhelming pre-booking response in India within a month of the launch, and the surprising trend was that 40 percent of these bookings came from non-metros, the company said. Samsung is growing aggressively with an increased focus on tier-II cities in the country. For 12 years, the South Korean giant has been the global leader in the TV industry.

In 2017, Samsung revolutionised the TV viewing experience with world’s most advanced QLED technology and captured imagination with “The FRAME” — a customisable TV that can blend into any room like a photo frame hanging on the wall. QLED TVs come with four global first innovations. They achieve 100 percent colour volume, has the HDR 2000 functionality that brings out hidden details, sports an almost “invisible” cable and “One Remote Control” that offers an intuitive experience.

In addition, Samsung’s latest “Smart View App” allows users to seamlessly share content from their smartphone to the TV. With the in-built intelligence platform “Bixby,” you can use voice commands to ask for your favourite movies or songs.ntre in India, employing over 70,000 people.

According to Dave Das, Senior Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Electronics America, 2018 is all about immersive experience. “The consumers want bigger screen to truly enjoy the content they love, from action to sports. However, while screens are getting bigger, living rooms remain the same,” Das told the gathering.

Apple is aiming to expand the benefits of an awareness programme, launched in India and China last year to encourage women workers to focus on personal health, to over 1 million women by 2020, the technology giant said on Thursday. In 2017, Apple introduced the special health programme for women with suppliers in India and China. The programme focuses on women because they have an outsized impact on their families and communities and because women are often underserved.

“Beyond ensuring a safe and healthy workplace, we believe that all employees in our supply chain should have the opportunity to learn more about personal wellness and preventive healthcare,” Apple said in its 12th annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report.

“We believe that everyone making Apple products deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and we’re proud that almost 15 million people understand their workplace rights as a result of the work we’ve done over the years. We’re going further with health education programmes and new opportunities for advancement at our suppliers,” Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO, said in a blogpost.

“A new preventive healthcare curriculum is encouraging women to focus on their personal health, and hopefully share that knowledge with their families and communities.
“Our goal is to reach one million women by 2020. We know our work is never done and we’re committed to raising the bar every year across our supply chain,” he said. In the programme, participants learn about nutritional, maternal, and preventive healthcare and are encouraged to share what they learn with their coworkers, families and friends.

“Our goal is to enable women in factories to take charge of their personal health and well-being by becoming well-informed of risks specific to women. The programme also encourages them to take a leadership role by sharing their new health awareness with their colleagues, friends, and community,” the report said.

After a slew of launches in the early months of 2018, Xiaomi seems to be set for the unveiling of another of its products in India and this time, the company has hinted at a ‘compact powerhouse’ in the form of a smartphone. In a tweet recently, Xiaomi’s Global VP and Managing Director of Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar Jain stated that the company will be launching a ‘slim, sleek and compact’ smartphone on March 14. The tweet also mentions that the device will be a ‘true super powerhouse’.

Speculations suggest that the upcoming smartphone will be the successor to Xiaomi’s Redmi 4 and as we can guess, will be named the Redmi 5. The phone has been launched in China earlier and is yet to make its appearance in the Indian market.

As for its specifications, the Redmi 5 by Xiaomi sports a 5.7-inch HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and is powered by a Snapdragon 450 SoC. As per speculations, the Redmi 5 might be available in two memory variants, a 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage option and another 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage variant. Following Xiaomi’s trend of launching its successive smartphones at a competitive price, the Redmi 5 is expected to be launched at a price of Rs 7,000. It is expected to be available for purchase after March 20.

Just last month, the company had launched two new smartphones in India, namely the Redmi Note 5 and the Note 5 Pro. Alongside, Xiaomi also introduced its Mi TV in India for the first time ever.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Three days before Cboe Global Markets Inc., one of the world’s biggest regulated exchanges, debuts futures on the cryptocurrency, it had one of its wildest sessions ever. On Coinbase Inc.’s GDAX exchange, prices zoomed up to almost $20,000 from $16,000 in only about 90 minutes — then crashed back down. The largest digital currency is still up more than 16-fold this year.

Coinbase, one of the largest U.S. online exchanges used by investors, temporarily crashed and continued to suffer from service delays. Trezor, a wallet service, tweeted that it’s having “minor issues” with its servers, while Bitfinex, the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, said on Twitter that it has been under a denial of service attack for several days and that it recently got worse.

The entrance of Cboe and CME is a watershed for bitcoin because many professional investors have been unwilling to do business on the unregulated platforms where bitcoin currently trades. Cboe and CME are regulated, potentially assuaging those concerns.

Some big traders had just warned about the impending introduction. On Wednesday, the Futures Industry Association — a group of major banks, brokers, and traders — said the contracts were rushed without enough consideration of the risks.

The group outlined their concerns in an open letter, questioning whether the exchanges would be able to adequately police market manipulation for bitcoin futures. FIA added that the exchanges didn’t get enough industry feedback on margin levels, trading limits, stress tests, and clearing for the products before bringing them to market.

Cboe worked with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to design and improve its contracts and “committed to continuing to work closely with the CFTC to monitor trading and foster the growth of a transparent, liquid and fair bitcoin futures market,” according to a statement from the company.

Other trading experts have sounded alarmed bells on the possibility of manipulation. The thinking goes that because cryptocurrency markets aren’t policed by a central regulator, cheaters could fly under the radar if they try to move the price of bitcoin on exchanges with scant volume.

Great things in business are never done by one person.

Steve Jobs Apple co-founder

The CFTC “has strong anti-manipulation rules for futures, but those won’t necessarily protect investors if the bitcoin cash markets are manipulated,” said Ty Gellasch, executive director of the Healthy Markets Association, an investor advocacy group.

Cloe’s contracts will be based on the price of bitcoin on the Gemini Exchange. CME is using four exchanges, including the Coinbase GDAX market where prices proved so volatile Thursday.

Both Cboe and CME have curbs in place to calm price swings. Cboe halts trading for two minutes if prices rise or fall 10 percent.

The futures appear to be getting a high-profile endorsement. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts for certain clients when the derivatives go live in coming days, according to a person with knowledge of the firm’s plans.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest firms helping clients buy and sell futures contracts, will act in an agency capacity and won’t serve as a market-maker or build inventory in the derivatives, said the person, who asked not to be identified talking about the plans. The decision to clear client trades will be made on a case-by-case basis, the person said.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

At Coinbase on Thursday, bitcoin was almost $3,000 pricier than the levels seen on other markets, a record high, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.