One of the many ironies of modern living is that while technology is bringing people closer, the sense of loneliness is growing. That’s because a text message can never replace a hug, and virtual Siri a real friend. ​

L'affaire Papon reveals the dark underbelly of talent hunts on TV

There is one big message from the recent by-elections that comes ringing in from Bihar. It has tactical implications for the politics that will unfold in the run-up to 2019: hypothetically, if there are any plans afoot to “finish off” another politician (perhaps someone from a neighbouring state) by sending her or him to jail or encircling her or him in corruption and income tax cases, it will only be counter-productive and may end up evoking sympathy for that individual.

On the Neta app, which describes itself as “Leaders ka report card”, users can also share their opinion in the form of video reviews and comments, tag their MLA and conduct polls, with the most active users being highlighted in a separate section called ‘star citizens’

When conditions are warm and moist, such as those near a sweating body, the fabric allows heat to pass through. When conditions become cooler and drier, the fabric reduces the heat that escapes, researchers said.

Where Bollywood showed two flowers as a metaphor for a kiss and sanskaari censor boards snipped smooches even from a James Bond film, homegrown streaming platforms such as MX Player, AltBalaji, Vikram Bhatt’s VB On the Web, Ullu and hoichoi are churning out potboilers on couple-swapping, threesomes, friends with benefits, same-sex relationships and bondage.

In today's world if the diamond is over one carat in size it will usually come with a certificate from the laboratory specifying the inclusions, color and size. The carat itself is made of one hundred particular parts called points. While it is possible to estimate the weight of a mounted diamond, the lab uses ultrasensitive scales to achieve an exact weight, measured 3 decimal places, although the third decimal place is not usually mentioned at the retail level.

In an effort to produce biofuel from a variety of elephant grass, Monsanto Co of Creve Coeur and Mendel Biotechnology Inc are joining hands. According to the two companies, Monsanto will lend its crop-testing, breeding and seed-production expertise to the Bioenergy Seeds & Feedstocks unit of Mendel, based in Hayward, California.

The Indian government on Tuesday released the report from a Committee that studied the impact of futures trading on agricultural commodity prices. The Committee under chairmanship of Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission was appointed on 2nd March, 2007.

World food prices have been rising since 2000, but this sped up slightly in 2007, then sharply in early 2008. High prices have hit the urban poor especially hard, and led to food shortages, riots and demonstrations worldwide. IRRI is part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, a network of international agricultural research institutes started in the 1960s.

And she has blamed the 'growing Indian and Chinese appetite in contributing to the global food crisis'. The US Secretary of State is technically correct since both the countries dominate the world food consumption. But analysts feel she is morally and socially wrong.

Last year, India's food consumption increased almost 5 per cent considering that it had 7 plus GDP growth. India consumes more edible oil than any other country in the world. Most of the staple diet of many countries are soybeans, maize, rice, wheat etc. Many readers have complained that Rice's statement was taken out of context to sensationalize. Here is what happened.

According to reports, the world's biggest energy group announced a first-quarter record profit of $10.9 billion but its oil production fell almost 10 per cent in the first three months of the year. Moreover, its refining profits also slumped. Reports said that the company's broader market rallied, but Exxon shares fell 3.6 per cent to $89.70.

In a recent call to Filipinos, president Arroyo said they should boil rice with sweet potatoes or they should go for cheaper cereals to avoid going hungry as rice prices soared to record levels. "This is a once-a-millennium global crisis. We have an action plan," Arroyo said, noting that residents of the central island of Cebu are already using cheap sweet potatoes to beat the crisis.

According to USDA estimates, the US accounted for an average of 11.5 percent of world exports of rice for calendar years 2004 through 2007 and is projected at 12.7 percent for 2008. US exports will increase to 3.5 million metric tons while world total exports decline to 27.5 MMT. The largest rice exporter is Thailand at 9.0 MMT for 2007/08, 32.7 percent of world exports, down 0.5 MMT from 2006/07 and up from 7.3 MMT in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

Speaking to reporters in Madrid, he said ''The pressure is to suspend a few more food articles, If rightly or wrongly people perceive that commodities- futures trading is contributing to a speculation-driven rise in prices, then in a democracy you will have to heed that voice''.

Appointed only last Oct, Maria Antonieta Alva is increasingly seen as a central figure in Prez Martin Vizcarra's cabinet, part of a rising generation of new leaders in Peru, and spends a great deal of time explaining public policy to public. Everyone calls the 35-year-old finance minister, Toni, who is steering an ambitious recovery package during the pandemic.

Virgin Atlantic will cut over 3,000 jobs -- around a third of staff -- as the coronavirus pandemic grounds planes worldwide, the British carrier part-owned by tycoon Richard Branson announced on Tuesday.

An Amazon worker at a warehouse in New York where employees called for greater coronavirus safety measures has died of Covid-19. Amazon has become a lifeline for consumers facing lockdowns and restrictions around the world, and the company is in the process of adding some 175,000 new employees to cope with the surging demand.

A majority of H-1B employers, including major American technology firms like Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft, use the programme to pay migrant workers well below market wages, a new report has claimed. 60 per cent of H-1B positions certified by the US Department of Labor are assigned wage levels well below the local median wage for the occupation, the report found.

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Tuesday it was in discussions with chemical and drug manufacturers to produce its experimental COVID-19 drug remdesivir for Europe, Asia and the developing world through at least 2022.

French drugmaker Sanofi SA said it plans to enroll thousands of subjects globally for trials of an experimental vaccine for the coronavirus it is developing with GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and that it has started to discuss advanced purchases with several countries. Sanofi teamed with British rival GSK to come up with a candidate it hopes will be ready next year.

Iraq has yet to inform its regular oil buyers of cuts to its exports, suggesting it is struggling to fully implement an Opec deal with Russia and other producers on a record supply cut, traders and industry sources said. Smaller producers such as Nigeria and Angola could also hurt the Opec+ group's efforts to cut output by 9.7 million barrels per day from May 1.

Tesla chief Elon Musk said that he was "selling almost all physical possessions" and would no longer own a home and would devote himself to Mars and Earth.

Uber will cut about 3,700 full-time jobs and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will forgo his base salary for the remainder of the year, the company said on Wednesday, as the Covid-19 pandemic decimates its ride-hailing business. Layoffs included its customer support and recruiting teams and expect to incur about $20 million in costs for severance and related charges.

In a major development, the Trump administration has urged a federal district court not to block an Obama-era rule allowing certain categories of spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the United States. This move, for now, provides a breather to the estimated one lakh plus Indian-spouses of H-1B workers who hold an employment authorisation document.

The economic catastrophe caused by the viral outbreak likely sent the US unemployment rate in April to its highest level since the Great Depression and caused a record-shattering loss of jobs. The unemployment rate likely jumped to at least 16% — from just 4.4% in March — and employers cut a stunning 21 million or more jobs in April.

British aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce signalled on Thursday it expects to cut some of its workforce to respond to the slump in the global aerospace market, saying it would inform affected employees before the end of this month.

Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst US economic catastrophe in decades. Roughly 33.5 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the coronavirus forced companies to close their doors and slash their workforces.

The heir to the Samsung empire bowed in apology on Wednesday for company misconduct including a controversial plan for him to ascend to the leadership of the world's largest smartphone maker.

Facebook Inc said on Friday it would allow its workers who are able to work remotely to do so until the end of the year as the coronavirus pandemic forces governments to extend stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the disease. The social media giant also expects most offices to stay closed until July 6, according to a company spokesperson.

The labor department's closely watched monthly employment report on Friday also showed the unemployment rate surging to 14.7% last month, shattering the post-World War II record of 10.8% touched in November 1982. It strengthened analysts' views of a slow recovery from the recession caused by lockdowns imposed by states and local governments in mid-March to curb the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.

Lufthansa Group on Friday announced that Lufthansa, Eurowings and SWISS will be starting June offer monthly restart schedules to significantly more destinations in Germany and Europe than in the past few weeks. The repatriation schedules will end on May 31.

Mobile phone applications that trace the new coronavirus could help decide whether business travelers and vacation-goers get to meet clients or visit their favorite beaches this summer. But politics and disagreement over what system to use threatens to thwart that solution.