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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will establish a Regional Academic Centre for Space at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Varanasi to facilitate short and long term projects at the institute. ISRO and the IIT BHU signed an agreement on Wednesday and the move can help propel the culture of research and development among students, the statement said. “Under this agreement, ISRO-IIT (BHU) will open the Regional Academic Center for Space (RAC-S) in the institute,” it said. Short-term projects for B-Tech and M-Tech students from the institute and associate institutes will also be included in this sequence. Long term Research and Development projects leading to the PhD programme will also be offered. Capacity building programmes like conferences, exhibitions and short courses will be organised to strengthen the knowledge base in the field,” the statement added. The agreement was signed by IIT(BHU) director Professor Pramod Kumar Jain on behalf of the institute and P V Ven

Alphabet’s Google this year moved to tighten control over its scientists’ papers by launching a “sensitive topics” review, and in at least three cases requested authors refrain from casting its technology in a negative light, according to internal communications and interviews with researchers involved in the work. Google’s new review procedure asks that researchers consult with legal, policy, and public relations teams before pursuing topics such as face and sentiment analysis and categorisations of race, gender or political affiliation, according to internal webpages explaining the policy. “Advances in technology and the growing complexity of our external environment are increasingly leading to situations where seemingly inoffensive projects raise ethical, reputational, regulatory or legal issues,” one of the pages for research staff stated. Reuters could not determine the date of the post, though three current employees said the policy began in June.

Samsung TV Plus, the Web content service for Samsung TV users, is reaching India and markets including Mexico, Sweden, and some additional European countries in 2021, the South Korean giant has announced. The service was launched in 2015 for limited access, but it has now been expanded to 12 countries and 742 channels. There are around 300 broadcast network partners for the Samsung TV Plus service that will bring free content to the company’s smart TV users. The list of countries where Samsung TV Plus is already live includes Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. It also recently expanded to Australia and Brazil. This brings the total of 12 countries where the service is live at present. Unlike platforms such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix that require a paid subscription, Samsung TV Plus is available for free to Samsung smart TV users. The service, which offers ad-supported content, comes pre-installed on Samsung smart TV models d

Silicon Valley is working behind the scenes to secure senior roles for tech allies in lesser-known but still vital parts of president-elect Joe Biden’s administration, even as the pushback against Big Tech from progressive groups and regulators grows. The Biden transition team has already stacked its agency review teams with more tech executives than tech critics. It has also added to its staff several officials from Big Tech companies, which emerged as top donors to the campaign. Now, executives and employees at tech companies such as Alphabet-owned Google , Amazon , Facebook , Microsoft are pushing to place candidates in senior roles at government agencies, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter. The agencies many of these executives are aiming for include the US Commerce Department, Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs – a key agency under the White House Office of Management & Budget which drafts

Apple Inc has temporarily shut all of its 53 stores in California because of a coronavirus outbreak and 16 stores in the United Kingdom following restrictions introduced by the government in London, a spokesman said on Saturday. The company said on Friday it was temporarily shutting some stores in California following a surge in COVID-19 cases, sending the iPhone maker’s shares down in trading after the bell. That announcement covered at least 12 stores. “Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas. We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement. Customers would still be able to pick up existing orders for the next few days, the spokesman said. The statement did not mention when Apple expects the stores to reopen. Coronavirus cases are increasing in the

An international team of scientists has collected the first possible radio signal from a planet beyond our solar system, emanating from an exoplanet system about 51 light-years away. Using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), a radio telescope in the Netherlands, the researchers uncovered emission bursts from the Tau Bootes star-system hosting a so-called hot Jupiter, a gaseous giant planet that is very close to its own sun. The team led by researchers from the Cornell University in the US also observed other potential exoplanetary radio-emission candidates in the constellation Cancer and Upsilon Andromedae systems. However, the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics found that only the Tau Bootes exoplanet system exhibited a significant radio signature, a unique potential window on the planet’s magnetic field. “We present one of the first hints of detecting an exoplanet in the radio realm,” said Cornell postdoctoral researcher Jake D. Turner. “The signal is from the T

Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch has been launched in India and is now available for pre-orders in the country. Xiaomi-backed Chinese company Huami has said that it will start the deliveries of its latest smartwatch from December 21. The smartwatch has already been launched in China as well as in various other European countries. The smartwatch comes with the company’s PAI health assessment system, and OxygenBeats AI Engine to check blood-oxygen saturation measurement. The company recently launched Amazfit GTS 2e and Amazfit GTR 2e smartwatches with 90 sports modes. Amazfit GTS 2 price and availability The Amazfit GTS 2 smartwatch is now available for pre-orders on Amazfit official website at a price of Rs 12,999. Those who pre-order the smartwatch will be getting a free strap worth Rs. 1,799. The deliveries will start from December 21, and the smartwatch will be available in Black colour as of now. It may be available in Desert Rose and Grey colours later. Amazfit GTS 2 specifications Already

India successfully launched its latest communication satellite CMS-01 on board its Polar rocket from the spaceport here on Thursday, the second and last launch this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ISRO’s trusted polar satellite launch vehicle, PSLV-C50, injected the satellite into the predefined orbit around 20 minutes after the lift-off from the second launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota. CMS-01 is the 42nd communication satellite of the space agency and it is envisaged for providing services in Extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum covering India, Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands.

Facebook Inc accused rival Apple Inc of engaging in anticompetitive practices on Wednesday, firing another shot in a months-long standoff between the two tech giants over Apple’s planned privacy changes for iOS14. “Apple is behaving anti-competitively by using their control of the App Store to benefit their bottom line at the expense of creators and small businesses. Full stop,” Facebook Vice President for Ads and Business Products Dan Levy told reporters. In response, Apple said its new rules will not require Facebook to change its “approach to tracking users and creating targeted advertising” but instead requires Facebook to give users on Apple devices a choice of whether to opt in to those practices. “We believe that this is a simple matter of standing up for our users. Users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites — and they should have the choice to allow that or not,” Apple said in a statement.

Infinix Smart HD 2021 smartphone has been launched in India and it will be available from December 24 via Flipkart. The price and some of the specifications of the smartphone were previously listed on a dedicated page on the e-commerce platform. The smartphone comes equipped with dual LED flash, a fingerprint sensor, and 5,000mAh battery. Infinix Smart HD 2021 comes in a single RAM and storage configuration and is launched in three colour options. Separately, Infinix also launched Snokor A10 soundbar with four 2.5-inch all-frequency speakers. The soundbar will also be available for purchase via Flipkart starting December 18. Infinix Smart HD 2021 price in India, availability Infinix Smart HD 2021 is priced at Rs. 5,999 for the sole 2GB + 32GB storage model, as per the dedicated Flipkart page. It will be up for grabs starting 12pm (noon) on December 24 on the e-commerce platform. The phone will be offered in Topaz Blue, Quartz Green, and Obsidian Black colour options. Infinix Smart HD 2

OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 series smartphones can be purchased at discounted prices as a part of the company’s ‘7th Anniversary Sale’ on Thursday, December 17, OnePlus has announced. The discounts and offers can be availed on the OnePlus India website as well as the OnePlus Store app. There are special offers for those who visit the OnePlus offline stores on December 17. Apart from smartphones, the company is also offering discounts on power banks, audio products, and TVs. Discounts on OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8 series Customers can purchase the OnePlus 8T and the OnePlus 8 Series smartphones on Amazon.in and avail up to Rs 2,000 and Rs. 3,000 instant discount with HDFC Bank card transactions, respectively. OnePlus says that customers can also avail 10 percent discount on select OnePlus audio products on Amazon.in and Flipkart on December 17 and December 18. Discounts and offers on OnePlus.in and OnePlus Store app OnePlus says that customers can avail up to Rs. 2,000 instant discount with

Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet unit Google may have to alter their business practices in Europe or face stiff fines between 6-10% under new draft European Union (EU) rules to be announced on Tuesday. The rules are the most stringent attempt by the 27-country bloc to rein in the US tech giants’ power that control troves of data and online platforms on which thousands of companies and millions of Europeans rely on. They also mark the European Commission’s frustration with its antitrust cases against the tech giants, notably Google, which critics say did not address the problem. Regulatory scrutiny has been growing worldwide of tech giants and their power. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton will present the rules, a bid not just to rein in tech giants but also to prevent the emergence of anti-competitive dominant companies.

Electronic Arts said it had reached an agreement to buy Codemasters in a deal worth $1.2 billion (roughly Rs. 8,800 crores), trumping an earlier agreement between the British company and rival Take-Two Interactive. Shares in London-listed Codemasters surged 18.7 percent to GBP 6.37 (roughly Rs. 600) by 08:45 GMT (2:15pm IST) above the GBP 6.04 (roughly Rs. 580) per share offered to the company’s shareholders by EA . UK-based Codemasters, known for its Formula One games for Playstation 4, said it considered the new offer to be superior to Take-Two’s cash-and-stock buyout offer of GBP 4.85 (roughly Rs. 470) per share.

A US appeals court on Monday will hear arguments in the Trump administration’s appeal of a judge’s order that blocked a ban on Chinese-owned TikTok from domestic app stores. US District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington on September 27 blocked the Commerce Department order hours before it was to prohibit new downloads of the short video-sharing app. The ban would have required Apple and Alphabet’s Google to remove the app from their stores, preventing new users from downloading it or existing users downloading updated versions. It would not have stopped existing users from accessing the app on their devices. The appeals panel consists of Judges Judith Rogers, Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins. All three were nominated by previous Democratic presidents. Arguments are scheduled to begin at 9:30am EST (8:00pm IST) and last 20 minutes.

The subsidiary of the German luxury sports car manufacturer, Porsche Digital, has built a new artificial intelligence system for detecting noise during vehicle component tests. Called ‘Sounce’, this digital assistant from Porsche Digital has been designed to improve the development and production of components in the automotive industry. This Software-as-a-Service (Saas) solution has been designed and developed by the Industry Solutions division of Porsche Digital along with the development department of Porsche AG. Porsche Digital is responsible for operating the technology. This new technology uses deep learning methods for detecting noise reliably and precisely, particularly during endurance tests. Moreover, the assistant also makes error documentation more accurate and further simplifying root cause analysis. Additionally, this method takes the strain off development engineers, who normally have to be personally present throughout such tests. Acoustics testing based on artificial i

Google is facing an outage for some users in India and several other countries as most of its services and apps have gone down. Google Contacts, Docs, Drive, Gmail, YouTube, and more are currently not working, prompting messages of error in India and more countries, including in Europe and the US. It should be noted that YouTube and other services are working fine if you open them in incognito mode. YouTube recently faced a major outage for a couple of hours in early last month, and it appears that the video streaming platform is again the most hit in the outage. According to Downdetector, YouTube appears to have faced the brunt of the outage, with over 24,000 cases reported as of 5:42pm IST. Gmail, on the other hand, shows over 11,000 cases reported as of the same time. Google Drive and Google website shows over 400 and 15,000 reports, respectively, on Downdetector. Upon opening the YouTube homepage, it simply shows a ‘something went wrong’ message. YouTube tweeted that the service is

The telecoms infrastructure business spun out by Britain’s Vodafone is ready to join the dealmaking fray in Europe, but even with its existing asset base sees a decade of promising growth ahead, its CEO told Reuters. Vantage Towers, which owns 68,000 masts across nine European countries, is eyeing a spring listing in Frankfurt that would arm CEO Vivek Badrinath with the firepower to pay for takeovers with its own shares. In an interview, Mr Badrinath said his primary focus would be to strengthen Vantage’s position in its existing markets. But the former Orange executive suggested a tie-up with the leading French operator would also make sense. Europe lagged the United States by 20 years in reshaping its industry to split infrastructure from mobile operators, with just 42 per cent of its towers run by specialist companies compared to 90 per cent in the United States.”There is 10 years of growth ahead,” Mr Badrinath said. “So it’s a good time to build, structure, strengthen and invest.”V

iPhone users on iOS 14 or later are complaining about not getting notifications for texts, iMessages, and even WhatsApp messages in some cases. The problem doesn’t seem to be with a single application or a particular generation of iPhone models. Complaints posted by the affected users on online platforms, including on the Apple Community forums, suggest that the notification issues are impacting almost all iPhone models compatible with iOS 14. Several users have complained on Apple Community forums that they aren’t getting notifications for new text messages and iMessages after updating their iPhones to iOS 14. The issue doesn’t seem to be affecting the delivery of new messages, but only notifications. Both pop-up notifications and the red badge that keeps a count of the unread messages seem to be failing for some users, reported The Verge. The glitch is apparently not just limited to text messages or iMessages as some users are not even getting notifications for third-party apps inclu

Nowadays, Data Science is the most trendy expression in the innovation world. It is a significant advance toward how PCs can learn. Everyday advancement in innovation and the age of gigantic measures of information have prompted the appeal for Data Scientists across the globe. The significance of social affairs and gathering information is vital as it empowers associations to decide and hence impact the patterns in a specific industry. Data  Science encases numerous advancement advances like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Deep Learning to give some examples. The advancement and mechanical improvements in information science have expanded their effect across each industry. The article underneath talks about the extension and openings for work in the field of Data Science. Here are some significant enterprises with an appeal for data researchers. Online business Online business and retail are probably the most applicable ventures that require information

·         Organised a comprehensive session on “Technology & Safety Features of Two & Three Wheelers” New Delhi, December 11, 2020:  The tri lecture series on Active & Passive Vehicular Safety Standards conducted by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) concluded today with a lecture on “ Technology & Safety Features of Two & Three Wheelers ”. The lecture series emphasized on creating a sustainable road safety roadmap with due emphasis on engineering, education, enforcement and emergency care through technological breakthroughs and policy implementation. The automotive sector, over the years, has made significant investments in embracing new game-changing safety features and technologies. Added to this, despite the safety measures being set by the government for two and three-wheelers many of them being India unique, the real life application witness a challenge in adoption at ground zero. All participants consensually agreed to the fact that sensiti