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Silkyara tunnel rescue operation may take more time than expected, as the US-made auger machine used for cutting horizontally through the debris has broken down. The focus now is on vertical and manual drilling. «It will take time,» NDMA member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain told the media, briefing on the progress of the operation to bring out the workers trapped in the tunnel. Everything has to be done with utmost care, he said. Vertical drilling may start in the «next 24 to 36 hours» as machines are being placed on a platform on top of the tunnel, he said.

Artificial intelligence employed by the U.S. military has piloted pint-sized surveillance drones in special operations forces' missions and helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. It tracks soldiers' fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance and helps keep tabs on rivals in space. Now, the Pentagon is intent on fielding multiple thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. The ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to «galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many,» Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August.

India, South Africa and Egypt have told the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that the informal discussions on dispute settlement reforms — initiated and led by the US last year — are not a substitute for multilateral talks and favour the participation of the resource-rich delegations. In a submission to WTO on Friday, they said such a process has resulted in «differential access of delegations to the evolving text and discussions». Informal discussions do not allow for virtual participation of capital-based officials, which hinders the involvement of the developing and the least developed countries (LDCs), they said. «The drafting process deviates substantially from the accepted practice at the WTO,» the three countries said, adding that the «format and pace of the discussions have made it challenging» for most developing countries to effectively participate, consult with capitals, present their views, submit comprehensive proposals and review the progress. WTO's informal talks on dispute settlement reforms began in April 2022. «More developing countries should join hands and raise their voice against this informal process as well as other issues, otherwise the outcome may not be in their interest,» said Abhijit Das, an expert on WTO issues. The three nations pointed out that the informal meetings often overlap with formal WTO meetings and negotiations, the composition of the drafting groups has not been made public, members cannot submit their own textual submissions on any aspect that is of importance to them, and the allocation of topics and responsibilities in the drafting groups is done by the volunteer convenor. This lack of record-keeping creates information asymmetry and has resulted in differential access

Real Madrid have already reached the round of 16 and they will be in a comfortable position when they meet Napoli in UEFA Champions League. But they will be at the top of the league table if they win or draw the match. The 14-time Champions League winners have all the four matches they have played and they will be the favorites when they take on Napoli at the Bernabeu. On the other hand, Napoli are ranked fourth in Serie A, though they have managed to get some good results in Europe. The next match is crucial for them as they have not yet qualified for the knockout rounds. They could accomplish if if they emerge victorious in Madrid.

Congress leader who is a well-known legal expert, also pointed out that the BJP-led central government has not conducted a census as it should have in 2021, and may defer the decadal exercise till after the general elections next year. His statement came days after Bihar conducted a caste survey and recommended 65 per cent reservation for the deprived sections.

BSE Sensex logged its third successive weekly gain, supported by auto and pharma sectors. On the stock-specific front, Munjal Auto, Summit Securities, Talbros Auto, 63 Moons Tech, Tata Investment, GE Power India, PCBL, Titagarh Railsystems, DCX Systems, Railtel Corporation of India, Jindal Stainless, SpiceJet, MSP Steel & Power, Texmaco Rail, and others are among the smallcaps that logged a double-digit rise in their share prices last week. Markets consolidated in a narrow range and ended marginally higher, taking a breather after the recent surge.

Former union finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said that a caste survey was necessary before deciding on any reservation benefits and it should be conducted by the central government along with the census. In an interview to PTI, the Congress leader who is a well-known legal expert, also pointed out that the BJP-led central government has not conducted a census as it should have in 2021, and may defer the decadal exercise till after the general elections next year.

La Liga match on Sunday. Real Madrid has 32 points from 13 matches and is at the second place. Cadiz has 10 points from 12 games and is reeling at 16th place. The La Liga soccer game between Real Madrid and Cádiz will be played at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Sunday, November 26. The kick off is scheduled at 12.30 pm (ET) and 9.30 am (PT). In the US, Real Madrid vs Cádiz soccer game will be live telecast on ESPN+. The live streaming of the game will be available on fubo TV. fubo TV is available on a free trail basis. Real Madrid's match against Cadiz is likely to be a smooth affair for Galacticos as experts predict 3-1 victory for Carlo Ancelotti's side. Madrid visits 16th-place Cadiz on Sunday needing to find replacements for forward Vinícius Júnior and multi-use midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. Vinícius tore a leg muscle in his left leg during Brazil's 2-1 loss at Colombia on Friday. That should sideline the player who was key to Madrid winning its 14th European Cup two seasons ago for several weeks. Vinícius' injury leaves Carlo Ancelotti without one of his top scorers after Karim Benzema left in the offseason for Saudi Arabia. Newcomer Jude Bellingham has so far picked up the scoring load with a league-high 10 goals and 13 goals in all competitions. The 23-year-old Vinícius has chipped in with six goals overall. Vinícius' absence could open the door for Joselu to start alongside Rodrygo in attack, and perhaps lead to more minutes for Luka Modric or Brahim Díaz. The 38-year-old Modric has become a second-half substitute for Ancelotti this season after being a career starter.

compliance and strengthen investor protection in Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Sebi on Saturday said all the fresh investments made by an AIF after September 2024 should be held in demat form. Approving amendment to AIF rules, Sebi said that some exceptions have been provided.

Spare," hit the shelves, offering an intimate look into his life, relationships, and struggles within the royal family. Now, royal experts speculate about the possibility of a sequel, as Christopher Andersen, author of «The King,» suggests that Prince Harry has more stories to tell. With the potential for additional revelations and a looming possibility of Meghan Markle's memoir, the royal saga seems far from over.

Social Stock Exchange, markets regulator Sebi on Saturday announced that it has reduced the minimum issue size to Rs 50 lakh from Rs 1 crore in case of public issuance of Zero Coupon Zero Principal Instruments (ZCZP). It has also cut the minimum application size in case of public issuance of ZCZP by NPOs on SSE from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10,000, thereby enabling wider participation of subscribers including retail. At the end of a board meeting, Sebi said it has also permitted NPOs to disclose past social impact report in the fundraising document as per their existing practice subject to disclosure of key parameters such as number of beneficiaries, cost per beneficiary and administrative overhead. «More entities (NPOs) to be made eligible for registration and fundraising through issuance and listing of ZCZP on SSE by permitting entities registered under section 10(23C) and 10(46) of the Income Tax Act, 1961,» Sebi said. The regulator has also approved creation of a regulatory framework for the facilitation of Small & Medium REITs, with an asset value of at least Rs 50 crore vis-à-vis minimum asset value of Rs 500 crore for existing REITs. «SM REITs shall have the ability to create separate scheme(s) for owning real estate assets through special purpose vehicle(s) constituted as companies,» it said, while also approving a regulatory framework, in accordance with IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks, for Index Providers which license ‘Significant Indices’. To facilitate ease of compliance and strengthen protection of interest of investors in Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), Sebi said any fresh investment made by an AIF, beyond September 2024, shall be held in dematerialised form.

Porto will take on Barcelona in the Champions League gameweek 5 in a match that is crucial for both of them and a win or a loss can decide their future in the tournament. A win for Xavi Hernandez's men would secure a place in the round of 16 for them. But if they lose this game, they would be obliged to win their last game to advance in the tournament. Earlier, they lost to Shakhtar last time out and are now tied to the Portuguese with 9 points after Os Dragoes defeated Antwerp at home.

PSG are ranked second with six points on the Champions League table, followed by AC Milan with five, and Newcastle with four points. Newcastle are at the bottom of the table. If PSG beat Newcastle at Parc des Princes, and I Rossoneri lose to Dortmund, Luis Enrique’s men will advance to the knockout stages. But if Newcastle win the match, everything will be decided in the very last game. Only two games are left in the Champions League group stage and everything is to be decided in Group F, known as the group of death.

IPO investors would have lost Rs 1,300 crore as interest, says Zerodha Founder and CEO Nithin Kamath. «After a long time, we have had massive activity in the IPO market, with Rs 2.6 lakh crore blocked in bank accounts for IPOs worth Rs 7,600 crore. If this was 2003, it would take 16 working days (or ~1 month), and the entire money would have moved to investment bankers and cost investors (an interest forego) at least 0.5% (assuming 6% pa) or Rs 1300 crores,» Kamath tweeted. As the regulatory regime evolved with time, the T+16 timeline was reduced to T+12, T+6 and then to T+3. «Now, the money never leaves the bank account until allotment.

₹378 crore worth of Indian equities and the total inflow stands at ₹13,673 crore as of November 24, taking into account debt, hybrid, debt-VRR, and equities, according to National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) data. FPIs were net buyers till November 15, but reversed the selling trend and invested on November 15 and 16. During August, September October and till November 15, FPIs cumulatively sold stocks for ₹83,422 crore through the exchanges.

Silkyara tunnel may take time with the auger machine facing repeated troubles and the focus is now on vertical drilling to bring out the 41 trapped workers. Briefing the media on the progress of rescue operations, NDMA member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said that «it will take time» to bring out the trapped workers as everything has to be done with utmost care. The focus is now on vertical drilling and the operations may start in the «next 24 to 36 hours» as machines are being placed on a platform on top of the tunnel, the member said.

There is a strong possibility that you get a kind of a Santa Claus rally, even in the Indian markets and then it tapers off by Feb-end as the elections are announced, says Ajay Bagga, Market Expert. Edited excerpts. How do you see India placed at this point in time as there are a couple of triggers ahead for us, especially the election? With respect to the global setup, China specifically, given the mysterious pneumonia outbreak, do you believe that it could be a concern for India as well? We are a neighbouring country. What is the growth outlook for China that you are holding at this point? China can slow down further from this year.

Stock market vs mutual funds: In the name of diversification, a stock market investor end up adding huge number of stocks in one's equity portfolio, which more look like a mini mutual fund instead of a stock portfolio. So, it is very important for an investor to keep limited number of stocks in one's portfolio and gain subastantially with rise in price of portfolio stocks. According to investment experts, one should have fair allocation of amount against each stocks while making one's stock portfolio.

After her interaction with Virender this morning, Sunita said, «Today we talked about 10 minutes… He did not eat this morning. He told me that he does not want to eat… We are very anxious now. He looked very stressed and impatient.

Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet has become ubiquitous, reshaping the way we work, learn, and connect socially. However, recent scientific studies have raised alarms about the potential adverse effects of prolonged use of these tools on our mental and physical well-being. A study published in Nature, conducted by researchers from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, delves into the impact of virtual meetings on the human brain and heart.

Nifty chose to remain in a defined range; the trading range got narrower and the Nifty oscillated in the 204.65-point range while defending the most immediate support of the 20-week MA. The benchmark index closed with net weekly gains of just 62.90 points (+0.32%). Although some intraday spikes of volatility were observed, India VIX declined by 4.21% to 11.33 on a weekly basis. While no major technical event/development took place over the past five sessions, the point of focus remains the 20-week MA which is acting as the most immediate short-term support for the Nifty.