Researchers at University of Cambridge programmed it to play a number of short musical phrases Scientists have been building and programming piano-playing robots for decades. But there’s something different about a new robotic hand that tickles the ivories with techniques usually reserved for humans. Rather than relying on a maze …

A study on 16 breeds through physical fitness and behavioural tests is underway How do you measure a chicken’s happiness? Is it in the way it runs for food? How much time it spends preening? To size up what might make chickens happy in their brief lives, researchers at the …

Street artist and social commentator Banksy has apparently popped up in Wales, leaving a new artwork on a garage in Port Talbot that refers the town’s air pollution. A video posted to his official Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon had close-ups of the piece. With the children’s song Little Snowflake …

The Centre has sought Parliament’s nod for an additional equity infusion of Rs. 2,345 crore for debt-laden Air India (AI) and a separate sum of Rs. 1,300 crore for a special purpose vehicle (SPV) which houses the national carrier’s debt and non-core assets. Special purpose vehicle The SPV, Air India …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday has announced a cap for funds raised via external commercial borrowing (ECB) at 6.5% of the country’s GDP. Based on GDP figures for March 31, 2018, ‘the soft limit works out to $160 billion,’ the central bank said in a statement. Outstanding …

The government has decided to set up an expert committee to look into all the taxation issues being faced by start-ups and angel investors, the CBDT said on Thursday. It added that “no coercive action or measures to recover the demands of completed assessment under income tax would be taken” …

As its trade war with the U.S. intensifies, China has started looking at India as a major market to sell its products and machinery. However, Indian companies want China to share its technology and even partner with them in its growth story rather than treating India purely as a market …

Blockchain technology may pose challenge to exchanges, depositories: SEBI The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to come up with a ‘sandbox’ policy to support development of financial technologies for the capital market, Chairman Ajay Tyagi said here on Thursday. Mr. Tyagi said he also felt that …

Drop in crude oil prices, U.S. Fed stance help currency to strengthen Softening crude oil prices helped the rupee to continue strengthening its momentum for the fourth straight session, appreciating 1% against the dollar. The rupee’s gain is also due to the dollar weakening against all major currencies, as there …

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena named a 30-member Cabinet on Thursday to end a crippling seven-week power struggle with his Prime Minister, but only after a final tussle over who should control the police. Mr. Sirisena reinstated Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on Sunday after the Supreme Court threw out …

When U.S. President Donald Trump started the new year by suspending billions of dollars of security aid to Pakistan, one theory was that it would scare the Pakistani military into cooperating better with its U.S. allies. The reality was that Pakistan already had a replacement sponsor lined up. Just two …

The Tripura government has said it will conduct a fresh survey on the literacy rate in the State. A survey conducted in 2014 had recorded 95% literacy rate in the State. This survey was conducted by the Indian Statistical Institute. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tripura-plans-fresh-literacy-survey/article25793634.ece

The government had announced a Rs. 2.11 lakh crore capitalisation plan in October 2017, of which Rs. 1.35 lakh was to be raised through recapitalisation bonds and the remaining was to be raised by the banks either through the market or the sale of non-core assets. So far, the banks …

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued safety guidelines for Isotretinoin, an oral drug, which is used in the treatment of severe acne. Drug Controller General Dr. S. Eswara Reddy has directed Drug Controllers of all the States and the Union Territories to monitor the sale, manufacture and …

Despite coming to power in 2014 on an anti-corruption plank, the NDA government has not only failed to set up the Lokpal during its tenure, but did not hold even a single meeting of the search committee to find a candidate for the anti-corruption ombudsman, according to the response to …

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued an order authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt “any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.” The agencies are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, …

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, commonly called the triple talaq Bill, will be taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha on December 27, as the government on Thursday agreed with the suggestion of Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge to do so. This …

The philosophy or ideals of an individual cannot be allowed to supersede the power of elected bodies to formulate policy. Courts cannot be a forum to transform the perspective of an individual into a mandatory policy of the government, the Supreme Court has said in a recent judgment. “Perspective of …

India on Thursday strongly rejected Pakistan’s claim of ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai and said the property belongs to it. “Pakistan has no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is government of India’s property and we are in the process of renovating it,” External …

The development of the indigenously-designed heavy artillery gun, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), has advanced to a stage where user-assisted trials of the gun are likely to start by June and the Army has begun finalising the Preliminary Specifications Qualitative Requirements (PSQR), a defence official said. “Two guns …