India’s rapid urbanisation has been proceeding apace for decades, but policy solutions have been shots in the dark. For the thousands who come to the cities every day, cheap housing in slums is often the springboard to better lives. However, studies show that these migrants often get stuck in a …
Read More »Daily Archives: August 20, 2018
Reality check
Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat’s view that it is not possible to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies soon is a realistic assessment of the humongous task ahead of the Election Commission before it can embark on such an ambitious venture. Mr. Rawat has, in …
Read More »A long campaign
With Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his main challenger Prabowo Subianto announcing their running mates for the April 2019 election, the stage is set for an extended campaign. These will be the fourth direct presidential elections since the end in 1998 of the three-decade-long military-backed dictatorship of Suharto. Both candidates …
Read More »Why context matters
There is a well-thought-out reason for naming the community, faith, or gender of a victim for certain stories in The Hindu . Some readers, especially students, have written to us asking why some headlines mention the words “Dalit”, “Muslim”, and “Dalit woman” in the case of violent acts, while others …
Read More »A chronicle of collaboration
The emergence of a raging controversy around a Carnatic singer who recently announced a concert dedicated to Christian songs is an issue to ponder over. He was hounded — subjected to abuse on the phone and on social media — till he cancelled the programme. Another group of eminent artistes …
Read More »Always a peacemaker
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Pakistan policy was an open book. He wanted improved relations with Pakistan without sacrificing India’s interest. He wanted the people of the two countries to live in amity and friendship as good neighbours. Vajpayee had been pragmatic in respect of his Pakistan policy. On a visit to …
Read More »Sovereignty and sensitivity
In the larger scheme of things, highway markers — the reflective stickers on railings that guide traffic on Bhutan’s steep mountain roads — should not be a big issue. But when the Border Roads Organisation, which helps build Bhutanese roads under Project Dantak, decided in July to make those markers …
Read More »This AI system could make lip sync dubbing accurate
Dodgy lip sync dubbing could soon become a thing of the past as researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence-based system that can edit the facial expressions of actors to accurately match dubbed voices. The AI system, called Deep Video Portraits, can also be used to correct gaze and head pose …
Read More »Trapped beetle may unlock pollination secrets
Scientists have discovered a beetle trapped in amber that dates back to 99 million years, a finding that may help better understand the relationship between ancient flowering plants and pollinators. A group of unusual evergreen gymnosperms, known as cycads, may have been the first insect-pollinated plants. A study published in …
Read More »A glimpse of automated future
Robots that can diagnose diseases, play badminton and wow audiences with their musical skills are among the machines China hopes could revolutionise its economy, with visitors to a Beijing exhibition offered a glimpse of an automated future. The popular stars of this year’s World Robot Conference, which ended on Sunday, …
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