Umpire wears an earpiece connected to iPhone and relays the call upon receiving it from a computer system “Robot umpires” have arrived. The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes on Wednesday night at its All-Star Game. Plate umpire …
Read More »Monthly Archives: July 2019
Ancient harp strums a new tune
Semsemia, which is made of beechwood with steel strings, has Pharaonic roots When Mohamed Ghaly’s workshop was reduced to rubble in February, he could never imagine that a new cultural centre dedicated to an instrument with Pharaonic roots would thrive just months later. The semsemia, similar to a harp and …
Read More »Warming threatens Greenland’s archaeological sites, says study
Changes in soil characteristics affect organic elements, ruins of Viking settlements In Greenland, climate change isn’t just a danger to ecosystems but also a threat to history, as global warming is affecting archeological remains, according to a study. There are more than 1,80,000 archaeological sites across the Arctic, some dating …
Read More »‘Lower fiscal deficit will allow private sector to borrow more’
Finance Secretary Garg acknowledges liquidity concerns Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg on Friday defended the government’s decision to bring the fiscal deficit down to 3.3% this year, saying this would free up additional resources for the private sector to borrow and invest. He also acknowledged the industry’s concerns that payments …
Read More »Gangwal wants Centre to intervene in IndiGo mess, says won’t rest till it’s fixed
Bhatia group calls it a misinformation campaign, terms allegations ‘hot air’ Rakesh Gangwal, the co-founder of IndiGo, in a boardroom battle with partner Rahul Bhatia, has vowed to continue to raise the issue of lack of corporate governance at InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. (IGAL), the company that runs India’s biggest airline, …
Read More »CEA for balanced tapping into domestic, foreign savings
Cautions against over-reliance on foreign currency debt Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian on Friday sought to caution against a more-thannecessary reliance on foreign savings as a trigger for accelerating economic growth through more investments. “If we have to invest for triggering a virtuous cycle, we need to tap into savings… …
Read More »Centre has no discretion in allocating disaster relief: FM
‘Contribution to States on basis of Finance panel’s formula’ The government has no discretion in deciding the quantum of support each State gets for disaster relief, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha, adding that the contribution is set by a formula according to the recommendations of the Finance …
Read More »Infosys raises revenue outlook; deal wins spur Q1 revenue
Tech bellwether’s digital transformation business records 42% growth; net profit grows 5.2% to Rs. 3,802 crore Tech bellwether Infosys has posted ‘encouraging’ first quarter revenue numbers on the back of strong deal wins and robust growth in its digital transformation business. Buoyed by these, the company has revised its revenue …
Read More »U.S. will consider ‘301 probe’ on India, says trade official
The U.S. will consider a “301 investigation”, a probe employed as a precursor to tariffs and other trade measures against a country, against India if the trade issues between the two countries are not resolved quickly, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jeffrey Gerrish said on Thursday. Mr. Gerrish also said …
Read More »Russia’s top missile system has many buyers
The Russian Army began using the S-400 missile defence systems, designed to intercept and shoot down any threat from the sky, in 2007. According to its producer, the state-owned Almaz-Antey company, it has a range of 400 km and can be deployed within just five minutes. It consists of several …
Read More »China to impose sanctions on U.S. firms for Taiwan arms sale
$2.2 billion deal violates international law, says Beijing China on Friday said it would impose sanctions on U.S. companies involved in a potential arms sale worth $2.2 billion to self-ruled Taiwan — a move that has infuriated Beijing. “The U.S. arms sale to Taiwan has severely violated the basic norms …
Read More »South China Sea agreement should be binding: Vietnamese envoy
China-U.S. confrontation has made the situation more “complex and unpredictable”, he says[Or]Code under negotiation between ASEAN and China should be binding, he says SCS agreement should be binding, says envoy The China-U.S. confrontation has made the situation in the South China Sea (SCS) more “complex and unpredictable,” said Vietnamese envoy …
Read More »No discriminatory decision will be taken while preparing RIIN: Nagaland govt
RIIN won’t discriminate: Nagaland government The Nagaland government has said it will not take any decision that is discriminatory or goes against the interest of people or any community while preparing the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN). The government assured the people that it would not take any …
Read More »Central Universities Bill passed by LS
Central university and tribal university proposed in Andhra Pradesh Central Universities Bill passed by Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, with Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, who introduced the Bill, stating that preparations were on for filling vacancies in the next …
Read More »Pak. asks India to pull back its fighter jets
Pakistan has told India that it will not open its airspace for commercial flights until New Delhi removes its fighter jets from forward bases, Pakistan’s Aviation Secretary Shahrukh Nusrat has informed a parliamentary committee. And for the fifth time, it extended the ban till July 26, its civil aviation authority …
Read More »India, U.S. teams hold talks on trade ties
Enhanced engagement discussed Commerce Ministry officials on Friday met trade officials from the U.S. and discussed ways to improve trade relations been the two countries. “A delegation led by Assistant United States Trade Representative (AUSTR) Christopher Wilson visited India on July 11-12 to explore potential for enhanced bilateral trade and …
Read More »India again abstains at UN vote, draws criticism
Stand in spite of SC scrapping Sec. 377 India on Friday abstained at the vote for extending the mandate of an important UN official who reports on violence and discrimination against sexual minorities. India’s abstention at the resolution for term-renewal of the independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity …
Read More »Govt. in a spot over Bill seeking quota in RS
YSR Congress MP stages walkout The government on Friday was caught in an embarrassing position as the entire Opposition backed YSR Congress MP Vijaya Sai Reddy’s private member’s Bill seeking reservations for the Other Backward Classes in the Rajya Sabha and the Assemblies on the lines of the reservations available …
Read More »Poetry in Muslim ‘dialect’ kicks up a storm in Assam
It allegedly portrays the Assamese as xenophobic A group of people accused of portraying the Assamese as xenophobic through poetry, in a dialect associated with Bengal-origin Muslims, has asserted that controversy was being manufactured at a time when the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was being updated in Assam. On …
Read More »Health, sanitation should be focus areas: Modi
PM interacts with BJP women MPs As part of a series of interactions with BJP MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with more than 30 of the 41 women MPs of the party at his residence, and urged them to focus on health, sanitation and eradicating malnutrition. Sources …
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