The 10 fastest trains in the world

Not one to rest on its past achievements, China is working to develop faster high-speed trains. The country aims to enhance its rail safety and efficiency, according to a document released by the Ministry of Science and Technology earlier this week.




The CRH380A high-speed train is one of the four Chinese train series which have been designed for the new standard operating speed of 380 km/h (236 mph) on newly constructed Chinese high-speed main lines.




HSL 1, Belgium runs at a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). It is a Belgian High speed rail line from Brussels to LGV Nord.




Started in 1993, ETR 500 or Elettro Treno Rapido 500 is Italian high-speed train runs at a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).




Eurostar, UK that runs at 300 km/h (186 mph) connects London, Paris and Brussels.




Spain’s AVE Talgo-350 runs at 330 km/h (205 mph).




The THSR 700T is high-speed electric multiple unit trainset derived from the Japanese Shinkansen family for Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), Taiwan's high-speed rail line. It runs at 335.50 km/h or 208 mph.




KTX II or KTX-Sancheon is high speed train built in South Korea by Hyundai Rotem in the second half of the 2000s and operated by Korail since March 2009. It can reach speeds of up to 352.4 km/hour (218 mph).




The French-owned TGV Réseau (TGV-R)were built by Alstom between 1992 and 1996 and are based on the earlier TGV Atlantique. The train can run up to 380 km/hour (236.12 mph) speed.




The Shinkansen, also known as the "Bullet Train", is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. The test run of the train can reach the speed of 443 km/h (275 mph).

Transrapid or TR-09 is a German high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation and can hit a speed of 450 km/hour (270.3 mph).

(Information source for all slides: www.fastesttrain.org)

India tests Agni V missile capable of reaching China

India has successfully test-fired Agni-V, its first Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Agni-V is capable of reaching deep into Asia and Europe, a move that would bring the emerging power into a small club of nations with intercontinental defense capabilities. India has a no-first-use policy and says its nuclear weapons and missiles are for defensive purposes only. Here are 15 things to know about the missile:




#1 

With the launch of Agni-V, India will enter the exclusive Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile club of only the permanent members of the UN Security Council - China, Russia, France, the United States and the United Kingdom.

#2

The nuclear warhead-enabled Agni-V, with a range of more than 5,000 kilometers, will be India's longest-range missile.

#3

The surface-to-surface missile Agni-V that can carry a pay-load of 1 tonne is 17 m long, 2 m wide and weighs 50 tonnes. 

#4

The Agni V is designed to be the most advanced version of the indigenously built Agni series. Its 3 stages are powered by solid rocket propellants and can be transported by road. The first rocket engine of Agni-V lifts it a height of about 40 km; the second stage take it up to about 150 km, while the third stage propels it about 300 km above the planet. The missile can finally achieve a height of 800 km.

#5

With a development cost of over Rs 2,500 crore, the Agni-V is will have ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and guidance.

#6

The nuclear warhead-enabled Agni-V extends India's reach to the whole of Asia and Europe.

#7

The test will take place from the launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range. The three stage solid fuelled missile would be put into test for the first time with some advance and indigenous technology with the support of a canisterised mobile launcher.

#8

On the event of Agni-V test fire, countries like Indonesia, Australia, international air and maritime traffic in the test zone will be alerted well before the test as the missile will travel halfway across the Indian Ocean.

#9

The maiden test of India's indigenously developed nuclear capable 'Agni-V' ballistic missile will be held on Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast.

#10

The accuracy levels of Agni-V with better guidance and navigation systems, is far higher than Agni-I, Agni-II and Agni-III.

#11

The Agni-V missile has a 1,500-km longer range, as compared to the Agni-III which has a range of 3,500 km. Agni-V can blast enemy satellites in orbit and can also launch small satellites.

#12

The payload capacity of Agni-V has been reduced leading to an increase in its range.

#13

Agni-V will be ready for induction in the Indian armed forces in 2014-15.

#14

Agni-V can travel faster than a bullet, carrying a nuclear weapon of about 1,000 kg. It can be fired from a mobile platform, which could be anywhere in India.

#15

However, it can be launched only on the direct order of the prime minister of India.

Yahoo India launches cricket app for Windows Phone users

Yahoo India has launched a cricket app for Windows Phone users in India. The app, available for free on the Windows Marketplace allows users to follow live matches, and also keep a tab on the recent and upcoming ones.

The app offers live scores, detailed ball-by-ball commentary which can be filtered by wickets, 4s and 6s; an interactive score card which allows the user to browse through the batting line up, fall of wickets and a complete chronology of how a match progressed. On a non-match day, the app will connect the user to photo-galleries, latest news articles on the game, player and team profiles, as well as results of completed matches, and schedules of upcoming ones.

Developed at the R&D centre in Bangalore, this is the third cricket app released by Yahoo, following the earlier apps built for iPhone and Android. Yahoo claims that its Android app has seen 11,000 downloads within 10 days of launch.

Prev Editors PickNews Article YouTube Improves Audio Editing With New Interface and More Tracks

YouTube has updated the audio editing capabilities it offers users, with several important improvements including an extended library of more than 150,000 backing tracks.

Other improvements include a new interface (pictured above), the ability to mix music into your video at different volume levels (from “soft background” to “completely replace”), and a choice of featured tracks that makes it easy to find a song that fits with your video’s mood.

To try out these new features, go to Video Manager — Edit — Enhancements — Audio.

The new features will be available worldwide over the next day, and YouTube promises more improvement to 

BranchOut Hits 25 Million Users, Nabs doller 25M In Series C Funding

BranchOut is officially going for the big time. The company, which makes a professional social network that runs on top of Facebook, is announcing today it has closed on $25 million in new funding, bringing its total venture capital investment to $49 million. This latest batch of money, which serves as BranchOut's Series C round, was led by the Mayfield Fund with the participation of previous investors Accel Partners, Norwest Venture Partners and Redpoint Ventures.

The money will be used mainly for hiring more employees to add to BranchOut's current full-time staff of 45, founder and CEO Rick Marini said in an interview, which you can watch in full in the video embedded above. At less than two years old, BranchOut certainly seems to be on a fast track when it comes to funding. But according to Marini, the money is only following the company's very real growth. BranchOut now has more than 25 million registered users, more than half of which -- 13.5 million -- are active on the app each month.

To put those numbers into context, more than three new users are joining BranchOut every second. When BranchOut first debuted in July 2010, it was often characterized as a 'LinkedIn for Facebook' -- but it's becoming apparent that BranchOut is carving out a very clear identity of its own.