Author: Loknath Das

The family of a man from Ohio whose murder was recorded and posted on Facebook is suing the social networking site for negligence and wrongful death. Robert Godwin, 74, was shot dead apparently at random as he walked home from Easter lunch last April. Steve Stephens, who later shot himself dead, posted a video of the killing that drew millions of Facebook views. It led the website to launch a review of its procedures following criticism that it stayed on the site for hours. A ‘monster’ who ‘just snapped’ Zuckerberg addresses ‘Facebook killing’ Mr Godwin’s family say the lawsuit, which was…

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The Ministry of Education will on Friday this week, launch the first ever national dialogue on education quality and learning outcomes in Kenya. The dialogue will take place at a nairobi hotel. Education Policy makers, academicians, researchers, and development partners will, among other issues, discuss the state of education in Kenya, and in particular, quality in education and the expected learning outcomes for learners. The outgoing Cabinet Secretary for Education, Dr. Fred Matiang’i and the incoming Education Secretary, Dr. Amina Mohammed will give the opening address before formal launch of the discussions. The dialogue comes at the backdrop of reports…

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Libertarian economist Bryan Caplan didn’t strive for subtlety when he titled his new book The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money. As I wrote in a Remarks column in the print edition of Bloomberg Businessweek, the George Mason University professor makes a strong case that most of what people learn in high school and college is unnecessary and quickly forgotten. He says that only about a fifth of the value of an education is the increase in human capital. The rest is “signaling”—the degree itself puts you in line ahead of non-graduates, even if you learned…

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The Kilpady Lower Primary School in Mulki, in Mangaluru taluka, has only four students and one teacher. With such a small number of staff and students, this half-a-century-old Kannada medium school would have been shut down long ago. But it has not, thanks to daily wage labourers Vasudev Moolya and Laxmi and their class 2 daughter, Nishmitha. Their determination to educate their child despite difficult circumstances is an inspiration to us all. Representational Image only. Source: Wikimedia Commons To be clear, no student should have to take this much effort to reach their school. But the sad reality is that in…

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Apple Inc. executives, seeking to improve the performance of iPhone software after months of reported quality issues, have decided to delay some key features originally planned for this fall’s update, according to a person familiar with the matter. As part of an annual release of new iPhone models, Apple also usually rolls out a major iOS update each year. The current software version, iOS 11, added augmented-reality features, a file management app and business-user enhancements for the iPad. For iOS 12, Apple has been working on additions like a redesigned home screen app grid, a multiplayer mode for augmented reality games,…

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So you have a brilliant business idea — what’s next? How do you bring it to life by developing a compelling business plan that helps you get the funding you need to get the whole thing off the ground? This lifetime subscription to Bizplan Premium can help you break down the planning process, and create a professional looking statement that sells. Bizplan is an app that works as a centralized dashboard — it’s one place where you can work on your pitch, set quantitative and qualitative goals, track your progress and refine your vision. To help save time, it’s also full of drag-and-drop templates…

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Shutterstock For companies that deal in offering software — whether as an aggregator, a third-party seller of software products or the creators of the software itself — customer trust is crucial to establishing a successful and stable foundation. In an age where every successful product draws dozens of imitators in a matter of days or weeks, loss in customer trust can spell death for a software company, as consumers will simply migrate to a competitor product or even free open-source options. Many companies also make the mistake of building a successful product and a loyal base only to have a…

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Australia’s spy agencies were so concerned about the security and strategic risks posed by a plan for Chinese firm Huawei to build an internet cable linking the Solomon Islands to Sydney that the Turnbull government will now largely pay for the project itself. The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it has taken responsibility for the undersea fibreoptic cable, including paying for the bulk of the project – which will cost tens of millions of dollars – through the overseas aid program. The cable will provide fast and reliable internet to the small Pacific island nation, which now relies on satellites. The step…

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The Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Shiller has said bitcoin will not be a “permanent feature” of the financial world, as politicians indicated that a clampdown on cryptocurrencies was coming. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Shiller hailed bitcoin as a “really clever idea”. But although he was impressed with the technology behind it, he was concerned that it had “gone viral as a currency”. “I tend to think of bitcoin as an experiment. It is an interesting experiment, but it’s not a permanent feature of our lives,” said Shiller, who has previously warned that the bitcoin price could…

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Mumbai: L&T Financial Holdings Ltd (LTFHL) on Thursday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs384 crore during the October-December quarter, a 42% rise from Rs271 crore during the corresponding period a year ago. The rise in profit was led by an increase in total revenues which rose from Rs2,162 crore to Rs2,701 crore during the period. The company also said that its board will meet on 31 January to discuss fund raising plans. “Meeting of the board of LTFHL is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 to consider raising of funds inter alia by way of issuance of…

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