A network of spiking neurons demonstrated

IIT Bombay team has designed the first spiking neuro-synaptic core on 45 nanometre silicon-on-insulator technology

Using the phenomenon of quantum tunnelling, IIT Bombay researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, a spiking neuron network that is highly compact and shows potential for brain-scale implementation. The research, published in the journal  IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, demonstrates the use of a 36-member network of spiking neurons in a speech recognition module.

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IPL media rights: Star India bags TV rights; Viacom18 digital rights

At the end of intense bidding over three days through e-auction, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced the winning bidders.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has fetched a total revenue of ₹48,390 crore through Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) media rights.

At the end of intense bidding over three days through e-auction, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced on Tuesday evening the winning bidders.

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Centre clears ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment of youth in armed forces for four years

‘Agniveers’ can apply for regular employment after four years, may get priority for jobs in other govt. departments

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday announced the “Agnipath” scheme, as approved by the Union Cabinet, for recruitment of youth in the armed forces for four years. The process of recruitment will commence in 90 days with a planned intake of about 46,000 young men and women this year. This will be the only form of recruitment of soldiers into the three defence services hereon.

Mr. Singh said the scheme was aimed at strengthening national security and also for providing an opportunity to the youth to serve in the armed forces. Recruits under the scheme will be known as “Agniveers”. After completing their four-year service, they can apply for regular employment in the armed forces. They may be given priority over others for various jobs in other government departments.

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India’s newest recorded snail named after Western Ghats

The Haploptychius sahyadriensis is endemic to the Vishalgad Conservation Reserve in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district

The Western Ghats of Maharashtra have yielded a carnivorous land snail new to the world of science.

The Haploptychius sahyadriensis, recorded from the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, is the third member of the genus Haploptychius. The other two – H. andamanicus and H. pfeifferi – were recorded in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the 1860s.

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IMF Managing Director Appoints Krishna Srinivasan as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today her intention to appoint Krishna Srinivasan as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department (APD). Mr. Srinivasan’s appointment as APD Director becomes effective on June 22, 2022. He will succeed Changyong Rhee, whose retirement from the Fund was announced on March 23, 2022.

Mr. Srinivasan, an Indian national, has more than 27 years of Fund experience, starting in the Economist Program in 1994. He is currently a Deputy Director in APD, where he oversees the department’s surveillance work on a number of large and systemically important countries such as China and Korea, and smaller states in the Pacific such as Fiji and Vanuatu. He also oversees APD’s work on key ASEAN countries, namely Malaysia and Singapore, as well-advanced economies, including Australia and New Zealand. During the Global Financial Crisis, while in the Research Department (RES), Mr. Srinivasan led the Fund’s work on the G20 including the preparation of analytical notes for the meetings of the G20 Ministers and Leaders.

“Krishna is a highly regarded member of our Fund family and has made many important and innovative contributions to our mission throughout his career at the Fund. His appointment to the Director position is a culmination of his superior record of leadership across a wide range of departments, including African Department (AFR), European Department (EUR), Monetary and Capital Market Department (MCM), RES, Strategy, Policy and Review Department (SPR), and West Hemisphere Department (WHD). This range of work and experiences is reflective of his career during which he has worked on the full spectrum of the Fund’s membership from low-income countries, to emerging markets, and advanced economies,” said Ms. Georgieva.

Prior to joining the Fund, Mr. Srinivasan was an Assistant Professor of Economics and International Finance at Indiana-Purdue University and a consultant at the World Bank in DC and the Center for Policy Research and Planning Commission in New Delhi. His wide research on Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and on climate and other economic and development issues has appeared in books, academic journals, and media publications.

Mr. Srinivasan holds a PhD (Honors) in Economics from Indiana University, a Master’s in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s (Honors) in Economics from the University of Delhi.

imf.org

Jeevan and Balaji win Challenger title

Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan beat Vladyslav Manafov and Oleg Prihodko of Ukraine 7-6(6), 6-4 in the doubles final of the €67,960 Challenger tennis tournament in Bratislava.

It was the first Challenger title together as a pair for Balaji and Jeevan. Balaji has eight Challenger doubles titles, while Jeevan has won 10 Challenger titles apart from the tour title with Rohan Bopanna.

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Hyderabad: Coin Museum inaugurated; free entry from June 8 to 13

The Saifabad Mint, which dates back to 1903 and excelled in producing coins, notes, stamps, and other engineering goods, is a source of pride for the Deccan heritage.

The Coin Museum at the city’s Mint Compound at Lakdikapul was inaugurated on Tuesday, with the collection displaying a wide range of currency notes, coinage collections, and old handheld tools used to make coins, and other materials like counterweights.

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Defence ties: India hands over 12 guard boats to Vietnam

On Wednesday, Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart, Gen. Phan Van Giang, agreed for early finalisation of the $ 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday handed over 12 high-speed guard boats to Vietnam during his visit to Hong Ha Shipyard in Hai Phong. The boats have been constructed under the India’s $ 100 million Defence Line of Credit to Vietnam.

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Kodagu Origin Doctor To Head American Academy Of Audiology

Having studied at AIISH Mysuru, Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda becomes the first Indian-American to occupy the top post.

Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda is a Professor (Adjunct) at Texas Tech Health Sciences and Chief Audiology Officer at National Hearing and Balance centres in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With more than 30 years of experience, he is now the President-Elect of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and he will have a three-year term from October 1, 2022.

Hailing from Kodagu and coming from a humble background, he did his B.Sc. in Speech and Hearing from the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH – 1970 batch), then under the University of Mysore. By becoming the first person of colour to head AAA, Dr. Bopanna has become a role model for many.

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Guterres appoints ex-diplomat of India Amandeep Sing Gill as technology envoy

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday appointed former Indian diplomat Amandeep Singh Gill as his envoy on technology to coordinate programmes for international digital cooperation.

Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced the appointment calling Gill a “thought leader on digital technology”.

Gill, who graduated from the Panjab University in Chandigarh in BTech in electronics, has a doctorate in nuclear learning in multilateral forums from the King’s College in London.

According to the UN, the envoy on technology “coordinates the implementation of the Secretary-General’s roadmap on digital cooperation and will advance work towards the global digital compact proposed in the common agenda, in close consultation with the member states, technology industry, private companies, civil society, and other stakeholders”.

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