Author: News Desk

Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced charges against software company SolarWinds (run by Indian-origin CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna) and its chief information security officer, Timothy G. Brown, for fraud and internal control failures relating to allegedly known cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities. The complaint alleged that from at least its October 2018 initial public offering through at least its December 2020 announcement that it was the target of a massive, nearly two-year long cyberattack, dubbed ‘SUNBURST’, SolarWinds and Brown defrauded investors by overstating the company’s cybersecurity practices and understating or failing to disclose known risks.“We…

Colombo, Nov 1 (IANS) Sri Lanka on Wednesday launched its new population and housing census, which is an exercise done once in 10 years, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.The PMD said the census was initiated at the Presidential Secretariat which was listed as the first building to be recorded, reports Xinhua news agency.”A remarkable feature of this year’s census is the incorporation of tablet computers, alongside traditional printed documents for data collection,” the PMD said.The population and housing census is a vital source of data for shaping national policies, public administration and understanding demographics, ethnic distribution and other social…

Islamabad, Nov 1 (IANS) Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will on Thursday sit across the table to conduct the first review of the $3 billion Stand-by-Arrangement (SBA) and Islamabad is confident that it would sail through the review with approval as it has met all the fiscal targets.Sources in the Finance Ministry expressed optimism about the successful completion of the first review (July to September) under the SBA, adding that the the government realises the importance of the arrangement and the necessity to compliance of all requirements of the IMF.In July, Pakistan and the IMF had reached the…

United Nations, Nov 1 (IANS) The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali has completed its accelerated withdrawal from three camps in the eastern Kidal region, a spokesman said.The operation was carried out despite deteriorating security challenges, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The mission known as MINUSMA now turns its attention for the region to the administrative transfer of the camps to civilian authorities, reports Xinhua news agency.”The last convoy left the city of Kidal today (Tuesday), ending MINUSMA’s presence in the region,” Dujarric said. “Unfortunately, the convoy hit two improvised explosive devices since departing. There have…

Helsinki, Nov 1 (IANS) Finland and the US have wrapped up final talks on a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), the Foreign Ministry in Helsinki announced.The agreement will be published until its passing by the Finnish parliament, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying late Tuesday.According to Finnish media, parliamentary passing is not expected before the end of 2023.The Finnish parliamentary constitutional committee will decide whether the agreement can be passed by a simple majority or by a two-thirds majority.The agreement will define the rights and duties of US forces when training or otherwise stationed in Finland, while complementing…

Rome, Nov 1 (IANS) Italy has narrowly missed entering a technical recession in the third quarter (Q3) of this year, according to official data.The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) said its preliminary estimate for economic growth in the period between July and September was virtually unchanged compared to the previous three-month period, as well as compared to the same quarter in 2022, reports Xinhua news agency.The Italian economy has now expanded in only one of the last four economic quarters.However, it also avoided a technical recession, which is defined by contraction in several consecutive quarters.The economy contracted by 0.4…

Washington, Nov 1 (IANS) During a phone call, US President Joe Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah II discussed the latest developments in Gaza and their commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in the besieged enclave and the resumption of essential services, the White House said in a statement.While speaking to the monarch on Tuesday, Biden also “reiteratedthe importance of protecting civilian lives and respecting international humanitarian law,as Israel defends its citizens and combats terrorism”, the statement added.The two leaders also agreed that it was “critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced…

New York, Nov 1 (IANS) A 30 year-old man, who beat an elderly Sikh man to death while calling him “turban man” during a road rage incident in New York City, has been charged with manslaughter as a hate crime.Gilbert Augustin also faces charges including assault as a hate crime and unlicensed driving in connection with the death of 66-year-old Jasmer Singh, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Tuesday.While the police was treating Singh’s death as a road rage case earlier, Singh’s family pushed for hate crime charges to be filed against Augustin.Singh was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical…

Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday ahead of a keenly awaited policy decision from the Federal Reserve later in the day while European markets were slightly higher.Indian government’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections climbed 13 per cent year-on-year in October (up 5.71% MoM) to Rs 1.72 lakh crore, second-highest revenue collection ever, he said.India’s manufacturing activity fell to an eight-month low in October, with new orders rising at their slowest pace in a year, a private survey showed.The India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index stood at 55.5 in October, compared with 57.5 in September, he added.Nifty Reality was the sector…

Thapar’s remark was largely aimed at fellow judge Anupam Mittal, founder of Shadi.com, who had lately claimed that he had been working long hours — possibly up to 70 hours per week for years.”Halloween shenanigans are always fun, kiddos & me made these goodies, @AnupamMittal if we listen to you & other experts about working 70 hours/week (plus horrendous commute time) will we ever find time for family, creating precious memories & most importantly for mental health?,” she wrote on X.Thapar’s comments also come after Infosys founder Narayana Murthy urged Indian youth to work 70 hours a week in order…