Lockdown 5.0 not really a lockdown: New MHA rules allow nearly all to reopen | Full guidelines
The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued new guidelines for the fifth phase of lockdown which is slated to begin from Monday, June 1. According to the new guidelines, all activities outside containment zones have been allowed to resume in a phased manner from June 1. The guidelines will come into effect from June 1 and will be effective till June 30. The current phase of re-opening, 'Unlock 1', will have an economic focus.........Read more
‘Vehicles carrying school children to be exempt from odd-even rule,’ says CM Arvind Kejriwal
The odd-even scheme will be implemented from 4th November to 15th November. Vehicles carrying school children will be exempt from the rule. The scheme will also include vehicles coming from other states.........Read more
TikTok will not feature any paid election-related ads on its platform, says VP
Chinese video app TikTok said on Thursday it would not allow paid political ads on its platform as they do not fit into the experience it aims to provide to millions of its users. Created by Beijing Bytedance Technology Co, TikTok allows users to create and share short videos with special effects, and is hugely popular in Southeast Asia, including India. "We will not allow paid ads that promote or oppose a candidate, current leader, political party or group, or issue at the federal, state, or local level – including election-related ads, advocacy ads, or issue ads," Blake Chandlee, vice president of TikTok's Global Business Solutions said in a blog post. Reuters TikTok hit the 500 million mark in monthly active users globally, according to a report in July by the South China Morning Post. With the presence of celebrities like Ariana Grande and Katy Perry, the platform is a hit among teenagers and post-millennials.........Read more
No gloom, doom situation for the economy: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das
Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das said everything is not doomed and gloomy about the economy and companies should look at opportunities and stop being proponents of gloom and doom. Reviving economic growth remains his top priority and urged bankers to pass on the interest rate cuts to borrowers at a faster pace. He said more banks should come forward to link the repo linked loans so that monetary transmission is faster, which will further help in reviving the consumption in the economy. While steps to reboot growth will continue to be discussed, stability of the financial sector must also be kept in focus, Das added. He also said that financial stability should be seen as the ability of the financial sector to facilitate efficient allocation of economic resources and assessing, managing and pricing risk appropriately. The RBI is monitoring the top 50 NBFCs and the regulator or the government will not let any NBFC fail, he added.........Read more
India has 20 health workers for 10,000 people, study finds
India has 20.6 health workers per 10,000 people, a study based on National Sample Survey Organisation reveals. While it is less than the World health Organisation’s minimum threshold of 22.8, the numbers have increased from 19 health workers per 10000 people in 2012. ........Read more
Kerala government's glaring omission led to flood tragedy: Ex-CM
Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the tragedy caused due to heavy rains and floods in the state was due to the present state government's glaring omission of not being able to foresee things.........Read more
Teams touring India to play practice matches against Afghanistan: BCCI
BCCI acting secretary, Amitabh Choudhary announced that all international teams touring India will now play one practice match against Afghanistan. The move is set to constantly provide high-quality exposure to the budding cricketing nation.........Read more
Cobrapost: Sting claims media houses open to ‘paid Hindutva content’, firms call it misleading
Web portal Cobrapost released 49 videos of senior officials of 27 media organisations purportedly talking to an undercover reporter regarding a proposal to promote “Hindutva” politics and content criticising leaders of political parties including the Congress, BSP, SP and the JD(S) in return for money.........Read more
Supreme Court orders status quo on Jat quota in Haryana
The Supreme Court today ordered status quo on the operation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict, which upheld the constitutional validity of the law providing ten percent reservation to Jat and five other communities in Haryana, till further orders.........Read more
Partnership summit: AP bags investment of Rs 2.19 lakh crore
The MoU signed in various sectors include- Natural Gas, communications, aerospace & defence, textiles, energy, food processing, health, IT electronics and other sectors. This takes the total number of MoUs signed by Andhra Pradesh in the two days of the Summit to 364 with potential investments of Rs2,18,814 crore and creating employment for 3,84,662 people.........Read more
Modi government considering plan to lift cap on foreign investment in supermarkets
A meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi may decide on a proposal to allow 100 per cent investment by retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores and Carrefour if they agree to sell locally made products and invest at least $100 million, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. ........Read more
Xbox Live update makes co-op live streams a reality
Xbox Live keeps adding and updating features in response to its multiplayer community. Last year, the service added support for "clubs" along with improved friend-finding options. According to Xbox Live's Major Nelson, Live users will get a host of new tweaks today as Microsoft's gaming division adds quite a few new features to its console and mobile apps, including custom Gamerpics, the ability to stream your games with up to two friends and a way to tie a single controller to your login to make it easier to sign in and play. ........Read more
Chennaiyin FC appoint Englishman John Gregory as head coach
Chennaiyin FC today appointed former Aston Villa manager John Gregory as their head coach, replacing Italian Marco Materazzi. The 63-year-old Gregory has over four decades of experience as a player and coach with six appearances as ‘full international’ for the England national team.........Read more
Egypt to ban burqa in public places, govt institutions, drafts bill
The Egyptian Parliament is drafting a law banning women from wearing the niqab veil. The ban will apply to wearing the clothing in public places and government institutions. MP Amna Nosseir said that wearing the veil is not a requirement of Islam and in fact has non-Islamic origins.........Read more
Dolby Labs is using biosensors to learn how we’re reacting to movies and shows
The myriad ways in which video and audio impact our brains and bodies have long been studied by academia. But that research isn’t only taking place in university labs: at Dolby Laboratories, the company has been conducting its own internal research into how media can trigger reactions in human beings.........Read more
Refugees who sheltered Snowden now live in fear
Three asylum seeker families who sheltered US whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013 say they are living in fear because of reports that Sri Lankan police officials have been in Hong Kong trying to search for them.........Read more
Tata Motors joins hands with Microsoft to focus on connected car tech
As per the deal, the Indian auto major will leverage Microsoft's connected vehicle technologies that bring together artificial intelligence (AI), advanced machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities on the global hyper-scale Azure cloud. This will help to create a personalised, smart and safer driving experience for driver.........Read more
Ola CFO Rajiv Bansal quits, Pallav Singh to be interim replacement
Ride-hailing service Ola’s chief financial officer (CFO) and former Infosys veteran Rajiv Bansal has resigned. Ola has named operations head Pallav Singh as its interim CFO. Bansal’s departure, though abrupt, does not come as a complete surprise internally, according to the people mentioned above. Over the course of the past 12 months or so since Bansal joined Ola, the SoftBank-backed unicorn start-up has struggled to attract new investors who have been willing to pump money into the cab hailing firm at its preferred valuation. Ola last raised funds at a peak valuation of $5 billion.........Read more
Toyota C-HR likely to be launched in India in 2018
The Toyota C-HR crossover is built on Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA). The front is mostly closed and pretty aerodynamic with just a large air dam open at the bottom. Unlike most crossovers we have in the market today, the C-HR also goes aggressive on the sides with a very noticeable curve and a sloping roofline and an oddly placed door with what appears to be a ridiculously placed door handle.........Read more
Sona Group sells entire stake in Sona Koyo to Japanese partner
Indian auto components maker Sona Group has agreed to sell its entire 25.12% equity holding in its flagship Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd (SKSSL) to JTEKT Corp. for about Rs419.28 crore, ending its 32-years old relationship with the Japanese partner.........Read more
We’ve been grinding up plants to eat for over 10,000 years
10,000 years ago, early humans were doing more than just gathering plants. They were putting them in pots. Not to grow indoors—the ubiquitous office ficus wouldn’t be around for thousands of years—but to grind up, cook, and eat.........Read more
India vs England, Wankhede Test: First Instance of no Mumbai Cricketer Playing on Home Ground
For the first time since India played its first ever Test here in 1933, no Mumbai player could make it to the playing eleven of a Test played in the nursery of the country's cricket on Thursday.........Read more
Chimpanzees recognize each other’s butts the way we recognize faces
For chimpanzees, it’s all about the butt. You won’t find a female chimp going "My eyes are up here," as it turns out that chimps often tell each other apart based on their behinds. Their brains...........Read more
China: Japanese military jets using 'dangerous' tactics
Japanese military aircraft are increasingly engaging in dangerous intercepts of Chinese planes, putting the safety of Chinese fliers at risk and damaging bilateral relations, China's Defense Ministry said Thursday.........Read more
Why does our planet experience an ice age every 100,000 years?
Experts from Cardiff University have offered up an explanation as to why our planet began to move in and out of ice ages every 100,000 years.........Read more
Ronnie Screwvalas Upgrad Acquires Pyoopil Education Technologies
Ronnie Screwvala’s edtech platform UpGrad has acqui-hired Delhi-based SaaS platform Pyoopil Education Technologies. The development comes in line with UpGrad’s plans to enter in the $1 Bn+ corporate training segment of India, as per an official statement.........Read more
India's GDP growth remains strong at 7.7 for 2016-17 : World Bank
In India, GDP growth will remain strong at 7.6 percent in 2016 and 7.7 percent in 2017, supported by expectations of a rebound in agriculture, civil service pay reforms supporting consumption, increasingly positive contributions from exports and a recovery of private investment in the medium term. ........Read more
Five IS jihadi suspects arrested in Spain, Belgium, Germany
MADRID: Police in Spain, Belgium and Germany on Wednesday arrested five people suspected of forming a cell that spread propaganda and sought to recruit militant...........Read more
Here Are Six People Who Shouldn't Have Their Hands On Nuclear Weapons
A story on six global leaders or army generals who are idiot enough to start a nuclear war provided they have them.........Read more
Family planning in India means only women doing planning, figures show
Of the total 41,41,502 sterilisations done in India in 2015-16 under government programmes, 40,61,462 were tubectomies. In 2014-15, out of a total 40,30,409 sterilisations, 39,52,043 were tubectomies and, in 2013-14, the corresponding numbers were 43,03,568 and 42,13,172.........Read more
Sun Pharma signs deal to develop dengue vaccine
India’s largest pharmaceutical company, Sun Pharma, has signed a deal with the Delhi unit of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) to develop a dengue vaccine, mu........Read more
Javadekar bats for doubling intake in IIMs
Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday asked the Directors and Chairmen of 20 Indian Institutes of Management to submit plans for expansion of their intake capacity from 10,000 to 20,000 students.........Read more
Sebi's largest property fire sale crosses the first hurdle
After luxury cars, come the endless swathes of land. On Saturday, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) concluded the first step in the largest organised sale of real estate in the country. The window for expression of interest (EOI) to bid for thousands of properties owned by banned realty/investment firm PACL (formerly Pearl Agrotech) closed at 10 am with hundreds of bidders logging in. ........Read more
Most medical tests avoidable, finds study
Though it would seem prudent to rush for an annual health check-up in a country where every third adult has hypertension, an assessment of 25 health packages offered by eight clinics and hospitals in Mumbai showed that most tests don't really have a bearing on the overall health of an individual.........Read more
Infosys may revise lower its guidance yet again this fiscal on Brexit impact, BFSI challenges
Infosys may slash its revenue guidance for the second time this fiscal, stung by “risks” like challenges in the banking and financial services sector and cancellation of projects. The reasons for these risks include Britain's decision to exit the EU. However, in the short term, the Bengaluru-based company remains confident of a “better” second quarter …........Read more
This Mumbai Man Gave Versova Beach A Makeover By Cleaning It Of 2.9 Million Kilos Of Garbage
The Versova Residents' Volunteers (VRV) has been trying to clean the Versova beach for some months now. As the founder of VRV, Afroz Shah, tells HuffPost India, residents and municipal workers picked up some 24,000 kg of garbage from the beach on Sunday, which was the 48th consecutive Sunday of the cleanup.........Read more
Cops involved in 50% cases of rights violation of sexual minority: report
In nearly half of the cases of human rights violations against sexual and gender minorities in four countries of South Asia police are "found" to have been "involved", a report has claimed.........Read more
Not just cows, even elephants eat the rubbish you leave behind
The recent image of hungry elephants rummaging in a garbage heap near Gudalur in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu struck a raw nerve among conservationists. However, it was not the first such case spotted. In March 2016, Kerala forest officials found 50 plastic bags and a couple of cigarette lighters in the digestive tract of a dead elephant in the Malayatoor forest. It had eaten plastic waste left behind by tourists.........Read more
Yes, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil also stars Shah Rukh: Karan Johar confirms
After days of unconfirmed speculation, Karan has finally confirmed he has directed Shah Rukh Khan in a scene.........Read more
This School In Jharkhand Is Using The Power Of Regional Language To Make Education Fun
With the new literature, children are making remarkable progress in their reading and comprehension skills.........Read more
The Return Of Manisha Koirala? I Was Always Here, She Says
"Well this movie has an interesting script. This is not my second innings. I was always here. And I am around, but yes I will do one film in a year," said Manisha Koirala........Read more
Reliance Jio would be making average revenue of Rs. 300 per user, Morgan Stanley Research said in a report.........Read more
HRD ministry-appointed panel says no one responsible for Vemula's death
The one-man panel headed by former judge Ashok Kumar Roopanwal also recommended ways to improve the grievances redressal system at UoH.........Read more
GMR eyes Greece, likely to bid for Heraklion Airport
GMR Infrastructure Ltd, which operates two of India’s busiest airports in Delhi and Hyderabad, is likely to bid for the development of Heraklion International Airport in Greece.........Read more
Jaisha tests positive for H1N1
O.P. Jaisha has tested positive for Influenza ‘A’ H1N1, two days after her training partner Sudha Singh was found to be suffering from the same illness. The two had returned from the Olympic Games........Read more
India Has 12 Million Married Children Under Age Ten
Nearly 12 million Indian children were married before the age of 10 years, 84% of them Hindu and 11% Muslim.........Read more
No compromise with those indulging in violence in Kashmir: Jaitley
As unrest continues in Kashmir, the central government today outlined its priorities, asserting that there will be no compromise with those indulging in violence even efforts will be made for development of the state which was........Read more
Government plans star rating for new passenger cars
The progrmme is proposed to be implemented initially on voluntary basis by car manufacturers which rate the safety performance of the car mainly in offset frontal crash, slide impact crash, child safety requirements and pedestrian safety requirements, anti-skid brakers and seat belt reminder.........Read more
Home ministry orders security audit of airports, plans random check of luggage at entrance
Facing threat of terror attacks, the home ministry has ordered security audit of nearly 100 civil airports and decided to bring all such facilities under CISF cover gradually. It has also planned random checking of incoming air travellers at the entrance of airports.........Read more
Silva century gives Sri Lanka 288-run lead
Kaushal Silva turned around his disappointing series to score 115 on the fourth day in Colombo, where Sri Lanka's lead had grown to 288 by stumps........Read more
Mahindra investing in future of mobility; including driverless tractors
Mahindra group is investing in the future of mobility with intentions to play a pioneering role in the development of driverless tractors and commercial vehicles, its Chairman Anand Mahindra today said.........Read more
Rio Olympics 2016: Boxer Manoj Kumar's marvelous performance boosts Indian contingent's hopes
Haryana lad Manoj Kumar in the 64kg welter weight category made a huge difference for the Indian contingent by defeating two times Olympic bronze medalist Evaldas Petrauskas of Lithuania.........Read more
How the political battle on GST was won
NDA split the opposition and reached out directly to the Congress leadership, while Narendra Modi personally made overtures to non-Congress chief ministers........Read more
How sound are the stressed asset ventures of banks?
RBI has no objections with banks setting up ARCs but bilateral deals are a strict no-no........Read more
IIT-B space crunch: Research students told to vacate hostel for freshers
The institute has asked 350 post-doctoral fellows and Research Associates (RAs) to vacate their rooms to make space for the new batch of students who will join the institute this academic year........Read more
Doping row: Wrestler Parveen Rana to replace Narsingh Yadav in Rio
Parveen Rana will be India’s replacement in the 74kg freestyle category for Narsingh Yadav at the Rio Games........Read more
Appointing Anil Kumble As Team India Coach Is a Great Move: Courtney Walsh
Former West Indies captain Courtney Walsh hailed the BCCI decision of appointing Anil Kumble as the chief coach terming the leg-spinner as someone who has........Read more
Pakistan chief selector Inzamam not happy with Cook's comments on fixing-tainted Amir
Pakistan chief selector Inzamam not happy with Cook's comments on fixing-tainted Amir - Inzamam said he saw Cook's statement as a move to put Amir under pressure since he was a real threat to England.........Read more
Watch: AIB's hilarious take on adulthood is scarily accurate
AIB has come up with a hilarious and scarily accurate answer in a video which describes the typical life of a young adult in today's times.........Read more
Arrest, detain wilful defaulters, Income Tax department tells officers
Challenged by increasing cases of defaulters who smartly evade paying due taxes, the Income Tax department has asked its officers not to shy away from invoking the rare provisions of arrest, detention and auctioning of attached assets of the accused.........Read more
10 Rules Of Success By Elon Musk
Elon Musk is the founder, CEO and CTO of SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company. He is also the co-founder of Tesla Motors, SolarCity, OpenAI, Zip2 and Pa...........Read more
Here’s what it’s really like to be a single woman in India
The ‘India Exclusion Report’ looks at the lives of separated, divorced and abandoned women.........Read more
Anil Kumble in the race for India cricket coach
The search for India’s cricket coach has taken an interesting turn as it has been reliably learnt that Anil Kumble has applied for the post. Incidentally, the BCCI’s press release on Sunday merely sta........Read more
Aavin takes the solar route to process milk
Aavin has been using solar power systems to heat water in all dairies in Chennai. Similarly, 100 of Aavin’s 299 bulk milk coolers in the State are using solar water heaters for cleaning the systems. T........Read more
Varun needs to win over BJP top brass to secure UP CM candidature
Varun Gandhi may have fared well in pre-poll surveys, but it is unlikely that the party leadership will oblige him by projecting him as the leader in UP.........Read more
Delhi court awards life imprisonment to 5 for gang-raping Danish woman
Five men were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for gang-raping a 52-year-old Danish woman at knife-point near the New Delhi railway station two years ago. The sixth accused had died in February this year and proceedings against him were abated.........Read more
Kidney racket: AAP govt sets up 5-member probe panel, seeks report within 15 days
Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government today set up a five-member panel to investigate the kidney racket busted at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi and asked it to submit its report within 15 days.........Read more
The dark and dirty side of liberalisation
In encouraging the pursuit of profit, economic liberalisation has tended to turn a blind eye to the devastation caused to our air, forests and rivers........Read more
Seal Bangla border on war-footing: Sarbananda Sonowal tells BSF
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the BSF to remove all challenges coming in the way of ensuring a secured border at the earliest.........Read more
India set to discuss sale of BrahMos to Vietnam - Times of India
Vietnam has been keen on acquiring the conventional precision-strike missiles, which fly almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, for several years now.........Read more
Complaint against Rakesh Roshan for 'stealing' Krrish 3 story
A city-based novelist has accused 'Krrish 3' director-producer Rakesh Roshan of........Read more
China apprehensive of Cook's plans for India: Chinese media
As Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke of plans to expand manufacturing operations in India, China apprehends that it could lead to possible exodus of Apple production chain and loss of tens of thousands of jobs, Chinese state-run media said.........Read more
JioMoney Wallet silently launched on App Store and Play Store – Tech2
JioMoney Wallet entered the digital wallet space with silent launch of apps on smartphone application stores.........Read more