Shami Chakrabarti, a prominent Indian-origin human rights activist was on Wednesday named by British Prime Minister David Cameron among six independent experts who will form a panel to examine British media practices in the wake of the raging phone-hacking scandal. Chakrabarti, 42, is a barrister and director of the London-based human rights group Liberty. The panel of independen
In a view to target tech-savvy youth in India, cellphone-maker HTC Corporation, along with the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices, Tata DOCOMO, on Wednesday launched its new version of smart phone, HTC ChaCha that features a dedicated Facebook button. The smart phone version is priced at Rs 15,990. "At HTC, we always strive to take mobility experience to newer levels and add multi
The Pentagon is asking scientists to figure out how to detect and counter propaganda on social media networks in the aftermath of Arab uprisings driven by Twitter and Facebook. The US military`s high-tech research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has put out a request for experts to look at "a new science of social networks" that would attempt
Under pressure from the Finance Ministry to auction broadband spectrum at the earliest, the Department of Telecom on Wednesday said it was working on the same, but did not specify any timeline to invite bids. "They have asked us to expedite the process and we are certainly working on all the aspects involved... We will have to decide the timing of the auction because we will
In an effort to streamline revenue of the Department of Post (DoP) and to make it more competitive, the telecom ministry plans to corporatise its operations by tying up with private retailers, banks and educational institutions. By corporatising over 1.5 lakh post offices across the country, the Ministry is expecting to improve the quality of services, increase profitability and
Outside the classroom a hot summer day beckons, but fourth-grade teacher Yeon Eun-jung`s students are glued to their tablet PCs as they watch an animated boy and a girl squabble about whether water becomes heavier when frozen. The small scene in this rural town is part of something big: South Korea is taking a USD 2 billion gamble that its students are ready to ditch paper textbo
In a move that will benefit 18 lakh ex-servicemen, the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) has launched new software that will allow easy access to pension details and assist in grievance redressal. "The software will facilitate issuance of corrigendum pension payment orders. This will address their demand for corrigendum pension payment order following the recomme
In the face of an outcry over so-called "naked" body scans at airports, US authorities on Wednesday announced plans for a new scanning system that eliminates "passenger-specific images." Transportation Security Administration Administrator John Pistole said the agency would begin installing new software on its scanners "designed to enhance privacy."&
The Google Earth application could be effectively used to track down illegal mining activity in Goa, a noted environmentalist said on Wednesday. "You get all the mines very clearly on Google Earth software. Everybody can see and find out how many of them are illegal," Madhav Gadgil told a convention at Dona Paula in Panaji. Regional Plan 2021, a futuristi
The Centre has decided to connect 2.5 lakh panchayats of the country with optical fibre cable-based high capacity broadband and top government officials on Wednesday discussed the issues involved in implementing the programme. "We had a detailed meeting with Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, and discussed the pla
The Taliban in Afghanistan insisted on Wednesday that their leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was alive, saying a text message and Internet posting announcing his death were fake. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that the early morning announcement about Mullah Omar was the result of a hack. "He is overseeing operations in the country,&q
British actor Hugh Grant and his former girlfriend, socialite Jemima Khan, obtained a court order today requiring police to hand over evidence indicating their phones may have been hacked. High Court judge Geoffrey Vos ruled that it was "expedient and proper" that they be able to see information seized in 2006 by police from Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator employ
Two Nigerians have been sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a local court in Malappuram in a cyber-crime case. The two had cheated a doctor in the district of Rs 30 lakh about two years ago. Johnson Nwanonyi (32) and Michel obiorahmuozboa (34), both hailing from Anambra state in Nigeria, were sentenced under sections 420 (cheating)-5 years, and 468(forgery)-5 years a
The Centre has decided to connect 2.5 lakh panchayats of the country with optical fibre cable-based high capacity broadband and top government officials on Wednesday discussed the issues involved in implementing the programme. "We had a detailed meeting with Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, and discussed the pla
Properly designed broadband can add 1-2 two per cent to gross domestic product of India, adviser to Prime Minister Sam Pitroda said on Wednesday. "If we properly design broadband...I can assure you that we can add one to two per cent to our GDP," Sam Pitroda, adviser to the PM on public information, infrastructure and innovation, said at an IETE event organised to grant
As many as 7 per cent of account holders in the country are using the Internet for banking transactions, while branch banking has fallen by a full 15 percentage points, according to a report by global management consultancy McKinsey & Company. "Use of the Internet for banking has seen a massive rise in the 2010-11 survey, taking the overall number of bank consumers who u
Uttarakhand government has decided to make available the information regarding Chardham yatra online. Senior officials under the chairmanship of state Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar on Wednesday deliberated on making the information regarding the yatra online. It has been decided that a monitoring committee will be formed that will keep an eye on arrangements made for the yatra. T
Google said it is shutting down its Labs website for creations-in-progress in order to better focus its resources and energy. Google Labs was an online playground where people could dabble with early versions of new services or products being worked on by engineers at the Internet powerhouse. Pulling the plug on Labs is part of a strategy by Google chief executive Larry Page to &
As many as 10 Indian IT companies are set to exhibit their wares at the India Pavilion during the 2011 Internet Show being held in Abu Dhabi in September, indicating the growing interest of Indian companies in the Middle East region, it has been revealed. The Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), India`s largest electronics and IT trade facilitation bo
C P Joshi, the union minister for road transport and highways on Wednesday released the “national register” and “national transport portal” at a function organized by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) in the Capital. He also unveiled the SCOSTA Compliant unified design of Smart card based driving licenses (DLs) and registration certifica
