The travails of the rupee have dominated newspaper headlines over the last fortnight. Its value has fallen precipitously against the dollar, and is now hovering around the 72 level; it was just under 64 at the beginning of the year. There is now intense debate in the media on whether …
Read More »Daily Archives: September 11, 2018
Opinion
The one who reached out to China In the evolution of India-China ties, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s contribution was seminal India-China relations have come a long way from the period of enmity and bitterness that followed the 1962 war. True, they have not returned to the cheery days of Hindi Chini …
Read More »New device may help treat dizziness
It analysed bone conduction sounds Scientists have developed a new vibrating device that is placed behind a patient’s ear to diagnose dizziness, and offers significant advantages over the current tests. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden developed the testing device using bone conduction sounds. Issues with balancing Hearing …
Read More »Robots with computer vision can pick objects
The system visualises an object’s 3D shape Robots of the future could be useful in homes and offices, thanks to MIT scientists who have developed an advanced computer vision that enables machines to inspect random objects and accomplish specific tasks. Breakthroughs in computer vision have enabled robots to make basic …
Read More »‘Hunger stones’ tell Elbe’s centuries-old tale of drought
The boulder, which was embedded deep in river, has reappeared in the Czech Republic after a dry spell Once an ominous harbinger of hard times and even famine due to critically low water levels, a massive “hunger stone” embedded deep in the Elbe River has reappeared in the Czech Republic …
Read More »‘Smiling may not mean you’re happy’
Smiling does not necessarily indicate that a person is happy, according to a study. It is widely believed that smiling means we are happy, and it usually occurs when we are engaging with another person or group of people. Researchers from the University of Sussex, U.K., show this is not …
Read More »Seven countries at risk of exchange rate crises: Nomura
Seven countries, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Turkey, are at risk of exchange rate crises as investors re-assess their risks following the contagion in Argentina and Turkey, a new index by Nomura says. According to the global financial services major, emerging markets are under pressure as investors reassess the risks …
Read More »Global trade war sends stocks into a free fall
Sensex drops 500 points intraday A combination of global and domestic factors affected investor sentiment on Monday with the benchmark indices registering their biggest single-day fall in almost six months. While renewed concerns over an escalation of trade war between the U.S. and China pulled down global markets, the domestic …
Read More »India may overtake China in farmed shrimp production
‘Many producers planning to expand capacity’ India is set gain the top slot in farmed shrimp production, overtaking China in 2019-20, said Ravi Kumar Yellanki, president, Society of Aquaculture Professionals. “We have already overtaken China in shrimp exports last year but are on par with regard to farmed shrimp production. …
Read More »Google wants more time to meet data storage norms
‘Pichai sought two more months for Google Pay to comply’ Technology giant Google has sought two more months from the Indian government to comply with RBI guidelines mandating storing of data by digital payment services providers locally. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in April this year, had directed payment …
Read More »RBI intervenes as rupee breaches 72.5 to dollar
Currency among worst performers in emerging markets; widening current account deficit weighs, more rate hikes may be on the cards The rupee breached 72.5 a dollar on Monday and touched all-time low of 72.67 intraday as the current account deficit widened to five- year high in the first quarter of …
Read More »India is asking for a trade deal due to our tough policies: Trump
‘They wouldn’t talk about that with previous administrations’ India has asked for a trade deal with the U.S. due to his tough policies, President Donald Trump told his supporters. Addressing a rally in South Dakota on Friday, he said countries have learned to respect the U.S. now. “India called us …
Read More »U.S. to close Palestine mission in Washington
Trump seeks to force an ‘ultimate deal’ The United States has decided to close the Palestinian mission in Washington in the latest move against them by President Donald Trump, a Palestinian official said on Monday, denouncing it as a “dangerous escalation”. The closure comes as Mr. Trump seeks to force …
Read More »CPEC to consider Pak. social sector priorities
‘We will prioritise livelihood projects and extend them to western Pakistan’ China and Pakistan are looking afresh at projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in tune with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s focus on development of social infrastructure. “China will give more assistance on a priority basis to such areas …
Read More »Sergei Skripal was a little fish, but had a big enemy
The lives of the former spy and Putin, two former intelligence agents from the Soviet-era, intersected at key points Sergei V. Skripal was a little fish. This is how British officials now describe Mr. Skripal, a Russian intelligence officer they recruited as a spy in the mid-1990s. When the Russians …
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