For consumers, the speakers are being used instead of radio or television for on-demand news “What’s the news?” has become a familiar refrain for consumers with smart speakers, opening up a new channel for publishers but also raising concerns about the growing influence of tech platforms in media. Devices such …

State-owned Union Bank of India has decided to quit the Antwerp diamond hub in Belgium as the branch did not generate expected business, a senior bank official said. The Finance Ministry had advised all the public sector banks to review their overseas business and close branches that are not profitable …

‘External sources key to fall in rupee’ The measures announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday to address widening current account deficit and attract inflows to stabilise the currency may not yield result immediately and the rupee could be under further pressure. The steps were primarily aimed at easing …

Spending on elections, other populist measures to blame, says ICRA Funding of farm loan waivers, poll-related spending and other populist measures are likely to ensure that States are set to miss their fiscal consolidation targets budgeted at the beginning of the year, says a report. “Given the factors such as …

Israel is set to raze down Khan al-Ahmar, isolating West Bank from East Jerusalem For the anxious Palestinian residents of Khan al-Ahmar, there’s little left to do but wait. After the West Bank hamlet lost its last legal protection against demolition late last week, Israeli forces could swoop in any …

A total of 2.37 million people have been evacuated in Guangdong province Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into mainland China late on Sunday after leaving a trail of destruction in Hong Kong and Macau and killing at least 59 people in the northern Philippines. The world’s biggest storm this year felled trees …

Says it was the Kukis who started conflict The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) has termed as baseless the “accusation” by the Kuki tribal group that it was responsible for ethnic cleansing in Manipur more than two decades ago. The Kuki-Naga conflict in the 1990s …

Aims for early Chandrayaan-2 mission The late-night dark skies at Sriharikota lit up in bright orange hues as the PSLV-C42 lifted off and vanished into the thick black clouds, carrying two satellites from the United Kingdom – NovaSAR and S1-4 from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space …

On the heels of a Twitter exchange, the IT-BPO major has let go of a discriminating employee Information technology company Tech Mahindra has, on the back of a former employee’s sustained Twitter campaign, sacked a senior company official in charge of the training and diversity portfolio. The move came following …

Govt. told to renew passport of petitioner The Delhi High Court has held that denial of passport or its non-renewal affects the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, while directing the government to renew immediately the passport of a man whose residential status in Canada was in jeopardy due to …