Technical

There are three crore orphaned children in India, but only 3,500 to 4,000 children are available for adoption in a year and some 30,000 prospective parents have to wait for three years to bring home a child. Taking note of this discrepancy, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud observed recently: "Why are they (Central Adoption Resource Authority) stalling adoptions? Why is CARA not doing it? Hundreds of children are awaiting adoption in the hope of a better life." The remarks were made when the Supreme Court was hearing two petitions flagging gaps that were delaying adoptions and making the entire process a sham. The practical difficulties of adoption were also highlighted in the court, with one of the judges bringing out the humane and human aspect and cost to the society. CARA, a statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, functions as the central body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country ...

Powerful solar storms are expected to hit the Earth on Friday (December 1), according to a forecasting model developed by the US-based agency NOAA. Caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME), they will generate geomagnetic waves that are likely to impact radio, GPS, and satellite communication, space weather physicist Tamitha Skov said on X (formerly Twitter). NOAA has officially categorised the storms as G2 (having moderate intensity), but Ms Skov said they can be as powerful as G3-class storms. The solar storms were released by a CME that occurred on November 27, according to NOAA. They could also combine to form a 'cannibal' CME, sparking an even stronger geomagnetic storm. The biggest CME was caused by an M-class flare on Wednesday. Solar flares are caused when large loops of plasma on the sun's surface'snap' like an elastic band, firing electromagnetic particles into space. A Direct Hit! The impressive #solarstorm launched in the Earth-strike zone has been mo...

Katrina Kaif turned cheerleader for her husband Vicky Kaushal at the screening of Sam Bahadur on Wednesday night. A day after, the Tiger 3 star, in her review of the film, praised husband Vicky for his "flawless" performance. On Thursday, Katrina Kaif shared a poster from Sam Bahadur alongside a moving note for her husband, who plays Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in the film. She began her note by praising director Meghna Gulzar as she wrote, "Maghna Gulzar, such a poetic beautiful classic film, was transported to another era .. you can see your passion to telling his story and attention to detail in every shot." She then went on to review her husband Vicky Kaushal's performance and wrote, "And SAM !!!!…..GRACE, HEROISM , GRIT. What a performance, flawless, I'm just astounded , you are too inspiring , true to your craft in the most brilliant integral way , was so proud to watch you shine your way across the screen . I've seen you this last year po...

Actor and television host Kapil Sharma was not happy with his recent IndiGo flight experience. The comedian took to social media to express his frustration with the airline, highlighting a considerable delay and a surprising excuse that the pilot was stuck in traffic.He voiced his discontent with the delayed departure and expressed concern about the airline's reliability. Mr Sharma wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Dear IndiGo, first you made us wait in the bus for 50 minutes, and now your team is saying pilot is stuck in traffic. What? Really ? We were supposed to take off by 8 pm and it's 9:20. Still, there is no pilot in the cockpit. Do you think these 180 passengers will fly in Indigo again? Never #indigo 6E 5149 #shameless." Dear @IndiGo6E first you made us wait in the bus for 50 minz, and now your team is saying pilot is stuck in traffic, what ? Really ? we supposed to take off by 8 pm n it's 9:20, still there is no pilot in cockpit, do you think t...

Samsung's FE series has always been a fan favourite since the first Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was released with almost flagship-level specs and a price that sits right between the highest-end A Series smartphone and the entry-level S Series smartphone. This year, Samsung launched two FE devices, the refreshed S21 FE with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 and the new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with Exynos 2200 SoC and a lot of the features that might make the smartphone look like a flagship on paper. Does the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S23 FE deliver on the brand's promise when they introduced the first ‘Fan Edition' smartphone, and should you buy it at a starting price of Rs. 59,999? Let's find out in this detailed Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE price in India I've been using the base variant for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the Mint colour option, which is priced at Rs. 59,999. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a...

The marginally high voter turnout in the Rajasthan assembly election is being claimed as a victory by both the BJP and the ruling Congress. While the BJP believes it's a sign of change, the Congress considers it popular support for its welfare schemes. The final voting percentage for 199 assembly seats in Rajasthan stood at 75.45 per cent (including postal ballots). The highest polling was recorded at Jaisalmer's Pokhran with an 88.23 per cent turnout and the lowest in the Ahore assembly seat at 61.24 per cent. More women (74.72 per cent) voted than men (74.53 per cent) this time. Rajasthan voted on November 25. The results on December 3 will decide whether the Congress retains power, defying the state's tradition of voting out the incumbent, or the BJP topples the Ashok Gehlot government.  In the last assembly election in 2018, Rajasthan recorded a voter turnout of 74.72 per cent (including postal ballots). This year's voting is 0.73 per cent more than the last time. ...

Tiger 3 minted ₹ 2.60 crore (all languages) on day 16 at the domestic box office, as per a Sacnilk report. The total collection of the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif film stands at ₹ 273.8 crore. Tiger 3 , directed by Maneesh Sharma, witnessed a jump in its collection figures for day 15. The film made ₹ 6.75 crore, the report added. The third instalment of the Tiger franchise opened to theatres on November 12 (Diwali day). In the spy-thriller, Salman and Katrina reprise their roles as Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger and Zoya . Emraan Hashmi is also part of the project.    Tiger 3 has become “the highest-grossing Diwali release in the history of the Indian cinemas.” The film has collected ₹ 447 crore (worldwide). The makers, Yash Raj Films, have announced the super hit news on Instagram. Along with the poster, the makers wrote, “Catch the high-octane action unfolding in cinemas now. Watch Tiger 3 at your nearest big screen in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. Book your tickets.” ...

Amazon.com on Tuesday announced a new artificial intelligence chip for its cloud computing service as competition with Microsoft to dominate the market for artificial intelligence heats up. At a conference in Las Vegas, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Chief Executive Adam Selipsky announced Trainium2, the second generation of chip designed for training AI systems. Selipsky said the new version is four times as fast as its predecessor while being twice as energy efficient. The AWS move comes weeks after Microsoft announced its own AI chip called Maia. The Trainium2 chip will also compete against AI chips from Alphabet 's Google , which has offered its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to its cloud computing customers since 2018. Selipsky said that AWS will start offering the new training chips next year. The proliferation of custom chips comes amid a scramble to find the computing power to develop technologies such as large language models that form the basis of services similar to Chat...

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth who had befriended her on social media and his three friends in a car in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, police said on Monday. Police have invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act since the victim is a Dalit, an official said, adding that nobody has been arrested so far. The incident occurred on November 21 but a complaint was lodged four days later as the girl kept mum because she was threatened by the accused against disclosing the incident, an official said. Additional Superintendent of Police Niranjan Sharma said the girl and her family lodged a complaint. "The girl became friends with a youth on Facebook last year. On November 21, her male friend took her to a deserted forest area in a car where he and his three friends raped her and also threatened to kill her," he said. A case was registered under sections 376 (Punishment for rape), and 377 (unnatural act) among ...

Mumbai Indians announced their list of retained and released players on Sunday. While Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David and Jasprit Bumrah were among the star players that were retained by the side, the likes of Jofra Archer, Tristan Stubbs and Chris Jordan were released by them. It is interesting to note that Mumbai traded Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore while they roped in Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans. Mumbai Indians had earlier traded West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd from Lucknow Super Giants. IPL had released a media advisory to announce Shepherd's trade for a fee of Rs 50 lakh which read, "Romario Shepherd has been traded to Mumbai Indians (MI) from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) trading window ahead of the IPL 2024. Shepherd, who has played 4 IPL matches, representing LSG and Sunrisers Hyderabad, was traded to MI for his existing fee of INR 50 Lakh." It is worth noting that Mumbai Indians...

Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra on Sunday said that the final draft of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA is expected to be ready by March 30 next year. The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, while addressing a gathering of the Matua community at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district, asserted that nobody can snatch citizenship rights from Matuas, who had fled religious persecution in Bangladesh. "The process to roll out CAA has gained momentum in the last couple of years... some issues are being sorted out. Nobody can snatch citizenship rights from the Matuas. By March next year, the final draft of the CAA is expected to be ready for coming into force," he said, sharing dais with local BJP MP and Union minister Santanu Thakur. The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan entering India before December 31, 2014. Reacting to the claim, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP San...

People of India are trendsetters and trailblazers when it comes to innovation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday and welcomed the world to invest in the country. PM Modi's remarks came in response to a post on X which called India an ancient civilisation that is simultaneously like a startup country. "I love your optimism and will add- the people of India are trendsetters and trailblazers when it comes to innovation," PM Modi said on X, formerly Twitter. I love your optimism and will add- the people of India are trendsetters and trailblazers when it comes to innovation. We welcome the world to invest in our nation. India won't disappoint. https://t.co/1OYtST7YX4 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 26, 2023 "We welcome the world to invest in our nation. India won't disappoint," the prime minister said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News...

The Election Commission on Saturday issued a notice to ruling BRS working president and IT Minister K T Rama Rao for allegedly visiting a government institution here and using the platform for political activities and sought a reply from him by Sunday afternoon. The EC in its notice said it had received a complaint from Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, wherein it was alleged that Rama Rao, a star campaigner for BRS visited the office of 'T-works' and interacted with a large number of youth employed in the office on November 20. The Commission obtained a factual report on the matter from the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Referring to the provisions of MCC that the ministers shall not combine their official visit with electioneering work and shall not also make use of official machinery or personnel, the Commission in its notice observed that, Rama Rao, is not only a contesting candidate in the upcoming assembly election but also a start campaigner of the BRS. ...

Rahul Dravid and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) top brass engaged in an in-depth talk about the possibilities surrounding his role as head coach with the board inclined to hand over the reins of the team to a new person keeping the T20 World Cup 2024 in mind. The person that board has in mind is VVS Laxman , the NCA Director. Dravid's two-year contract as India's head coach ended with the recent World Cup final in which Rohit Sharma 's band suffered a heart-breaking six-wicket defeat to Australia. Since then, Dravid's future as the back-room helmsman of the Indian cricket team has been constantly debated. "Rahul and the BCCI had a talk about where things stand now. We will respect the decision taken by him. The general feeling is that with the T20 World Cup about 7-8 months away, there is time for a new coach to come in and build a team and set a process. He (Dravid) is quite aware of that," a BCCI official close to the development told PT...

The armed wing of Hamas said it had decided to delay Saturday's scheduled second round of hostage releases until Israel committed to allowing aid trucks to enter northern Gaza. Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades said the hostage releases would be delayed if Israel did not adhere to the agreed terms for the release of Palestinian prisoners. There was no immediate Israeli response to the statement. Earlier an Israeli military spokesperson had told France's BFM television station that, barring last-minute changes, 13 Israeli hostages were expected to be freed. He said 39 Palestinian prisoners would be released in return. Under the truce deal between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, a total of 50 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted on weapon charges and violent offences, over four days. In the first exchange on Friday, 13 Israeli women and children - out of around 240 hostages captured by Hamas fighters on a killing spree in southe...

The Chennai Police have filed a case against a TV journalist of News Tamil 24x7 and others for their alleged involvement in the sexual harassment of women at a bar in the early hours of Monday. Reports said the women leaving the bar were not only filmed without consent but also subjected to abuse and obscene comments. The footage, telecast by several TV channels, sparked outrage on social media. The charges include sexual harassment, explicit sexual behaviour, wrongful restraint, unlawful assembly, singing obscene songs, and intent to insult a woman's modesty. The police said they are investigating the matter. The incident highlighted the need for strict action against any form of harassment and the responsible use of media platforms. Investigators said trouble started when five members who were denied entry at a private bar after the bar timing ended created a ruckus. Many customers were reportedly watching the world cup cricket final match and the subsequent programmes since...

The Supreme Court on Friday raised tough questions against petitioners in the case linked to a report by a George Soros-funded group that targeted the Adani Group. "Why must we take foreign reports as the truth? We are not rejecting the report, but we need proof. So what proof do you have against the Adani Group?" Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told the petitioner's lawyer Prashant Bhushan. "A publication's work can't be treated as a gospel of truth," Chief Justice Chandrachud said. The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), funded by billionaire George Soros, had alleged insider trading in the Adani Group via two foreign investors. The Adani Group has called them "recycled allegations" and another concerted bid by Soros-funded interests supported by a section of the foreign media to revive the "meritless Hindenburg report". Experts speak to NDTV on the development: "The Supreme Court very rightly poi...

In the second such setback in two days, drilling at the Uttarakhand tunnel where 41 labourers are trapped had to be stopped on Friday evening after the auger machine encountered a metallic object. The blades of the machine had hit a pipe on Thursday evening and drilling had resumed after 24 hours, only to be stopped again. Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, senior officials had said only 10-12 metres of drilling was left for the rescuers to reach the trapped construction workers and that ground penetrating radar had revealed that there were likely to be no major metal obstacles for the next five metres. "They (a team of ground penetrating experts) could not say this with 100% accuracy but what they are expecting is that there is no continuous metal object, like girders, pipes and metal plates, in the next 5.4 metres. They have pointed out some other hurdles, but this is good news," Uttarakhand Secretary Neeraj Khairwal, who is the nodal officer for the rescue...

Sam Altman 's return as OpenAI's chief executive will strengthen his grip on the startup and may leave the ChatGPT creator with fewer checks on his power as the company introduces technology that could upend industries, corporate governance experts and analysts said. OpenAI is bringing Altman back just days after his ouster as well as installing a revamped board that could bring sharper scrutiny to the startup at the heart of the AI boom, but strong support from investors including Microsoft may give Altman more leeway to commercialize the technology.  "Sam's return may put an end to the turmoil on the surface, but there may continue to be deep governance issues," said Mak Yuen Teen, director of the centre for investor protection at the National University of Singapore Business School. "Altman seems awfully powerful and it is unclear that any board would be able to oversee him. The danger is the board becomes a rubber stamp," he said. OpenAI's...

India started the T20I series against Australia in some style as they notched a two-wicket win on Thursday. There was no shortage of thrill in the match. Courtesy Josh Inglis ' 110, Australia notched a huge total of 208/3 in 20 overs. In reply, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan hit half-centuries as India cruised towards the target. However, both got out and it was left to Rinku Singh to take India over the line as India needed seven runs off six balls.  More drama ensued as India lost the wickets of  Axar Patel , Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh in the last over by Sean Abbott to go eight down. With India needing one off one ball, Rinku Singh hit a huge six to take India to win. However, the six was not counted and there was confusion over India's final score. The umpires then adjudged the delivery as no-ball. Since it was a no-ball, and India had got the required one run and had already won by its courtesy. Hence, the six was not counted. India ended on 209/8 in 19.5 ove...

Sahar Awwad is seated between her two nephews. Together, they are among the few survivors of an extended Gaza family of which at least 80 members have been killed in nearly seven weeks of Israeli bombardment. The entire family had fled first to a hospital in Khan Yunis, then to a school, which was initially transformed into a camp for the displaced then a clinic, in Rafah near the border with Egypt, the southernmost point of the besieged enclave. Only 35 kilometres (20 miles) separated them from their former home in Gaza City, but the journey took them a week. Last Friday, a strike hit their home in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. "More than 80 family members died. The Awwad family was wiped out," Awwad told AFP. "The survivors rushed to extract the dead and wounded from the debris and Israel struck a second time," she said. "We could only bury those whose bodies had been sent flying all the way to the neighbours' homes" by the force o...

The Chennai police has filed an FIR against Tamil film actor Mansoor Ali Khan for his alleged distasteful and derogatory comments on southern star Trisha. The All Women Police Station at Thousand lights has booked him for sexual harassment and intent to outrage modesty of a woman. The action comes in the wake of a complaint by the National Women's Commission. Asked if he A police officer told NDTV "We would first send him a notice". In a recent media interaction that went viral, Mansoor Ali Khan expressed disappointment at the absence of bedroom scenes, a staple in his villainous roles, in the blockbuster film Leo , directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, starring leading actress Trisha. His remarks have sparked outrage, particularly from Trisha herself, who, on X (earlier known as Twitter), condemned his comments as sexist and misogynistic. Trisha tweeted, "I will never share screen space with Mansoor Ali Khan. His remarks are not just disappointing but reflect a mindset th...

Former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi slammed Team India following their ODI World Cup 2023 loss against Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Speaking live on a Pakistan-based TV channel, Samaa TV, Afridi said that overconfidence led to Rohit Sharma's side's downfall in the tournament. He also said that after winning 10 matches in the tournament, overconfidence was too much in the team. "Jab aap continue game jeete ja rahe ho toh overconfidence bhi zyada ho jati hai. Toh woh cheez aapko marwah deti hai (When you have won all the games continuously, the 'overconfidence' is too much. So, this could lead to their downfall)," Afridi told on Samaa TV. Coming to the match, India bundled out on a score of 240 in 50 overs. On a tough batting surface, skipper Rohit Sharma (47 in 31 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes), Virat Kohli (54 in 63 balls, with four boundaries) and KL Rahul (66 in 107 balls, with one four) posted important knoc...

A car exploded at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the US and Canada at Niagara falls, the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation said. #FBI Buffalo statement on investigation at the Rainbow Bridge: pic.twitter.com/jRaGLL8sU8 — FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) November 22, 2023 The FBI Buffalo is coordinating with local, state and Federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident. "The situation is very fluid, that's all we can say at this time," FBI Buffalo tweeted. The car exploded at the Rainbow Bridge crossing and the vehicle was up in flames with black plume of smoke soaring into the sky. Several cars were parked in the area but were not damaged due to the explosion.  It is still unknown what triggered such a massive explosion at the border crossing. Governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, said she has been "briefed on the incident on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls and we are closely monitoring the situation." I...