India has tripled it holding of U.S. treasuries during the past year and is now the 15th largest foreign holder of U.S. debt.Data from the US Treasury Department reveals that India now holds $38.2 billion in American debt instruments worth $38.2 billion as of March 2009, three times its holdings of $11.8 billion in March 2008. Although India’s holdings are a fraction of China’s, which has invested almost $768 billion in U.S. treasuries, it has experienced among the largest growth rate, moving up ten notches from 25th largest bond holder in 2008.FOREIGN HOLDINGS OF U. S. TREASURIES(Billions of Dollars) Country9-Mar8-Mar% GrowthChina 767.9490.657%Japan686.7597.415%Carib Bnkng Ctrs213.6108.797%Oil Exporters192150.727%Russia 138.442.4226%United Kingdom 128.2200.1-36%Brazil126.6149.1-15%Luxembourg106.189.818%Hong Kong78.960.530%Taiwan74.840.883%Switzerland 67.741.264%Germany 5542.131%Ireland 54.717.6211%Singapore 39.133.317%India 38.211.8224%Mexico 36.338.3-5%Korea 33.140.7-19%Turkey 30.228.75%France 27.11.51707%Norway 26.244.5-41%Thailand 2625.71%Israel 19.46.5198%Egypt 18.512.746%Netherlands 17.61517%Italy 16.611.150%Chile 15.59.760%Belgium 15.412.820%Sweden 12.513.2-5%Philippines 12.410.815%Canada 11.921.9-46%Colombia 11.26.767%Malaysia 10.69.215%All Other156.7120.730%Grand Total3265.22505.830%Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury Related Items
Ravi Shastri was appointed India’s head coach until 2019 World Cup in England on Tuesday. Shastri pipped other top contenders Virender Sehwag and Tom Moody to the post left vacant after Anil Kumble’s resignation in June.The Cricket Advisory Committee of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman also sprung a huge surprise and appointed former India captain Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan as batting and bowling consultants respectively, for India’s overseas tours. Kumble’s rumoured rift with India captain Virat Kohli was seen as the biggest reason for him stepping down as head coach of the national team. Kohli however, had denied of any tensions in the Indian camp before India began its campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy.During his one-year term Kumble turned out to be one of the most successful coaches with India excelling in all formats of the game, especially in Test cricket.But the recent turn of events last month had left a gaping hole in Indian cricket with Kumble’s departure.It was reported that the three-member CAC, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, who are tasked to find the new coach for the Indian cricket team, was willing to retain the legendary leg-spinner for the post.But reports were surfacing about Kohli’s alleged spat with Kumble regarding differences of opinion on selection matters. The BCCI by then had already invited applications for the position.Here is a timeline of the events from the very beginning when Kumble was appointed as head coach post last year:advertisementJune 23, 2016 – BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman appoints Anil Kumble as head coach on a one-year term, ahead of former Team India Director Ravi Shastri.March 25, 2017 – Kohli and Kumble reportedly have disagreements over who should replace the India captain in the playing XI for the deciding Test match against Australia in Dharamsala. Kumble went with chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, a decision which Kohli did not agree with.May 23, 2017 – India coach Anil Kumble, in his presentation to the BCCI, asks for batting coach Sanjay Bangar to also be appointed assistant coach and creates a slot for a bowling coach to feature in a structured support staff for Team India.May 25, 2017 – BCCI begins hunt to select the new head coach of the senior men’s team taking everyone by surprise although Kumble was assured of a direct entry for the process. The Indian board later clarified that it was a mere formality to ensure a fairness in the process.May 29, 2017 – Reports of a rift between head coach Anil Kumble and India captain Virat Kohli comes to light. Sources told India Today that the players are unhappy with the fact that there was no freedom in the dressing room and insisted that the coach does enjoy cordial relations with the players.June 1, 2017 – Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput and Dodda Ganesh among six candidates who applied for the role of the Indian cricket team’s head coach. Incumbent Anil Kumbe also reapplies.June 2, 2017 – Ramachandra Guha resigns from the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA), says superstar culture was still prevalent under the CoA.June 3, 2017 – India captain Virat Kohli denies rift with head coach Anil Kumble. “There are no problems within the team and people are just making things up. There are agreements and disagreements which is basic human nature,” Kohli said before India’s Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan.June 17, 2017 – BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee meets with Virat Kohli and decides that the issue should be further dealt with after the Champions Trophy.June 20, 2017 – Team India leaves for West Indies tour, Anil Kumble stays back. A BCCI source later confirms that Kumble has stayed back in London to attend the ICC meeting scheduled to be held in London and will later join the team in West Indies.June 20, 2017 – Later in the evening, Anil Kumble steps down from his post as Team India head coach. It is reported that he turned down the offer given to him by BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee on Tuesday, which was Kumble’s last day as India head coach.June 24, 2017 – The BCCI extends the deadline to apply for the post of head coach till July 9, ensuring that a broader pool is available to choose from after Kumble’s acrimonious exit.June 28, 2017 – Former South African batsman Gary Kirsten told India Today he is not in a “position currently, to consider a full time post across all formats” after his name was linked as one of the possible choices for India’s next coach.advertisementJune 29, 2017 – The BCCI announces that Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will interview the candidates for India’s next head coach on June 10. Venkatesh Prasad applies.June 30, 2017 – Rahul Dravid steps down as Delhi Daredevils coach but gets an extension as India A and under-19 coach for the next two years.July 3, 2017 – Ravi Shastri formally applies for the position of Indian cricket team’s head coach, making him a front-runner for the high-profile job.July 4, 2017 – Former West Indies coach Phil Simmons formally submits his application to the BCCI.July 9, 2017 – Ten candidates shortlisted for India coach’s job. Six of them — Sehwag, Pybus, Rajput, Shastri, Simmons and Moody — called for interview by the Cricket Advisory Committee in Mumbai at 1pm IST on Monday, July 10.July 10, 2017 – Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman start the interview process in Mumbai at 1 pm IST on Monday.July 10, 2017 – CAC member Sourav Ganguly announces there would be no immediate announcement of the next India coach and the committee was in fact waiting to speak with skipper Virat Kohli.HIGH DRAMAJuly 11, 2017 – In a dramatic twist the Committee of Administrators asks the Board of Control for Cricket in India management to close out the selection process for Team India’s head coach on July 11.July 11, 2017 – CAC speaks to Virat Kohli and India Today first to break that Ravi Shastri appointed the coach till 2019 World Cup in England.July 11, 2017 – In another twist, BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary says that the Board was yet to give a nod to the appointment of the new coach. Wait for new India coach continues.July 11, 2017 – BCCI confirms appointment of Ravi Shastri as head coach. Zaheer Khan named bowling coach while Rahul Dravid was appointed as batting consultant for overseas Test tours.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Brown Ideye’s second-half header earned defending champion Olympiakos a 1-0 away win at Atromitos in the Greek league on Saturday.Olympiakos withstood Atromitos’ onslaught in the first half.Nearest league challengers Panathinaikos and AEK Athens can restore the gap to four points on Sunday, when Panathinaikos hosts Iraklis, and AEK travels to PAOK.Also, Larissa beat Panionios 2-0, and Xanthi and Kerkyra played to a scoreless draw.TweetPinShare0 Shares
MOSCOW (AP) — Spain and Portugal, the last two European champions, were drawn Friday to meet in the first round of the World Cup, one day after Russia opens the tournament in one of the easiest groups of the competition.The Russians will play their first match at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14 against Saudi Arabia — the only team ranked lower than the hosts. Egypt and Uruguay are also in Group A.Defending champion Germany will play first against Mexico in Group F and then face Sweden and South Korea. Five-time world champion Brazil is in Group E with Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.“None of us wanted an easy group,” Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa said. “If you’re playing the World Cup, you want to face the best. And if you want to reach the final, you have to play great matches.”Spain, which eliminated Portugal in the last 16 on the way to winning its first World Cup in 2010, will open against the European champions on June 15 in Sochi. Group B also includes Morocco and Iran.Brazilian soccer legend Pele, bottom second left, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, bottom right, and Vitaly Mutko, Russian Federation Deputy Prime Minister & Local Organising Committee Chairman, bottom second right, watch the 2018 soccer World Cup draw in the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)Iceland, the country with the smallest population of the 32 World Cup teams, was drawn with Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria in Group D. Another newcomer, Panama, will take on England, Tunisia and Belgium in Group G.Peru, the last of the 32 teams to qualify for Russia, is in Group C with 1998 champion France, Australia and Denmark.The only group without a former World Cup champion is Group H, which is made up of Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan.Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the draw ceremony at the Kremlin, seven years after landing the hosting rights. Putin urged fans to visit and enjoy his “big and multi-faceted” country, a rallying cry which follows concerns about racism and hooliganism.A view of the match schedule and groups during the 2018 soccer World Cup draw in the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday Dec. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)“We will do everything to make it a major sporting festival,” Putin said, looking forward to a World Cup of “friendship and fair play, values that do not change with time.”The Olympic doping scandal surrounding Russia hung over the final countdown to the draw. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who is the head of the World Cup organizing committee, defended himself against accusations that he helped to orchestrate state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.“Nowadays everyone is trying to make some kind of axis of evil out of us, just because we’re a great sporting power,” Mutko said.The International Olympic Committee executive board will decide on Tuesday whether to ban Russia from the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics.___ROB HARRIS, AP Global Soccer WriterAP Sports Writers Graham Dunbar and James Ellingworth contributed to this report.TweetPinShare0 Shares
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Crystal Palace launch bid for Everton striker Niasseby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveCrystal Palace have launched a bid for Everton striker Oumar Niasse.The Sun says Palace have made a £6.5million bid for Niasse.Eagles boss Roy Hodgson has turned to the 28-year-old Senegalese international after a loan deal for Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke fell through.Hodgson is desperate for another striker to boost his team’s fight for Premier League survival.And he believes Niasse can supply the goal power he needs while record signing Christian Benteke continues to recover from knee surgery.Everton boss Marco Silva will not stand in the way of a player who has not started a single Premier League game this season or scored since last May. TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
The Department of Natural Resources has created a Forest Biodiversity Science Advisory Committee to enhance the management of Nova Scotia’s Crown-owned woodlands. The committee includes experts on forest science, biodiversity, ecological planning and spatial modelling. “I’d like to thank all the members of this committee for agreeing to take on this important work,” said Natural Resources Minister Lloyd Hines. “I know their contributions will add tremendous value as we move forward in improving forest management in Nova Scotia.” During quarterly meetings, the members share knowledge and guidance as Nova Scotia moves to landscape scale management of Crown-owned lands. Only 35 per cent of all land in Nova Scotia is owned by the province. The rest is owned by private citizens, meaning most forest lands in the province are privately owned and managed. “The members of the new committee have very extensive and broad experience of biodiversity science,” said Sherman Boates, chair of the committee. “Their independent advice will improve government’s capacity to address complex biodiversity conservation and resource-use issues.” Establishing the committee was a recommendation of the South Panuke forest harvest review. An update on the department’s progress on the Panuke Lake recommendations is available at http://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Panuke .
The province is in the final stages of a negotiation with Dalhousie University for a long-term lease of land in Halifax’s south end. Dalhousie is planning to build an arena for university and community use on a 2.8 acre portion of land at 5846 South St. The land is currently in use as a parking lot. “We want to put the land to work for the community,” said Labi Kousoulis, Minister of Internal Services on behalf of Geoff MacLellan, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. “Dalhousie’s proposal is for an arena that will provide wide ranging benefits for students, varsity athletes as well as the broader community. It will provide a place for residents to be active and will serve as a community rink for local schools and school children.” The terms of the lease are still being finalized, however, the intention is that it would be for a nominal amount. A final agreement is conditional on Dalhousie getting all necessary municipal approvals and funds in place for the development. “The new arena will be a wonderful addition to our community, as it will address the ice needs of varsity competitive athletics, intramural and club recreation, in addition to serving broader community needs and post-secondary partnerships,” said Dalhousie President Richard Florizone. “We’re firmly committed to ongoing conversation with the community in the next stages of planning and fundraising for this project.” Public parking would continue to be offered on the site prior to and after the construction.
Madrid – The number of Moroccan nationals in Spain was estimated at 800,000 by the end of 2014, Spanish general secretary in charge of immigration and migration, Marina Del Corral Téllez said on Wednesday.Moroccans are thus the largest legally residing non-EU community in Spain, Del Corral Téllez said at a meeting of the immigration network in Spain.The Brits came second with 270,000 nationals, followed by Italians 200,000 and the Chinese 190,000, the Spanish official said, noting that Romanians came first in the ranking with 900,000 immigrants.According to the national statistics institute (INE), Spain’s population by July 2014 reached 46.5 million, including 4.538,503 foreigners.
Progress was made on “all fronts” that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had identified before the conference, Robert Orr, the Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Planning and Policy Coordination, told reporters at UN Headquarters.“The fact that there was a hunger for a deal and a recognition of the stakes showed that governments have come to grips with the fact that their negotiation suffered a blow in the previous year and it was their responsibility to get it back on track,” said Mr. Orr.Agreement was reached on anchoring climate change mitigation commitments of all countries into the formal process of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).“We now will have a system for receiving those commitments for monitoring, reporting and verifying those commitments,” Mr. Orr said. “There will be a process that will be quite transparent,” he said.A deal was also struck on deforestation and land use, a development that is expected to “unlock capital” for forest conservation efforts because close to a one-fifth of the accumulation of harmful greenhouse gases has been blamed on deforestation. “This agreement framework will have concrete impact on the ground,” Mr. Orr said.On climate change financing, progress was made on the “fast-track financing” which will require developed countries to raise $30 billion over a three-year period to help poor countries cope with the consequences of climate change.“The agreement in Cancún is important in that it establishes a mechanism to register and track these [financing] commitments,” Mr. Orr said.Delegates also reached agreement on the proposed longer-term “green climate fund” and endorsed the report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, which concluded that while challenging, the goal of raising $100 billion annually by 2020 is feasible. Details on the fund’s set-up have still to be worked out.On the future of the Kyoto Protocol, an addition to the Convention that contains legally binding measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and whose first commitment period is due to expire in 2012, the Secretary-General’s call for a compromise was accepted with delegates agreeing to ensure that there was no gap. Negotiations on the second commitment phase of the Protocol will continue.Cancun 14 December 2010The outcome of last week’s United Nations climate change conference in Cancún, Mexico, has put the negotiation process back on track, a UN official said today, outlining some of the key agreements reached at the meeting.
This increased funding will provide vital additional mine clearance capacity in Mannar and Vavuniya, two critical mine-affected provinces. It will allow many families to return to their land, re-establish their lives and enhance income-earning opportunities. Australia has been one of the largest contributors to demining in Sri Lanka, contributing AUD 20 million (around LKR 2 billion) since 2009. (Colombo Gazette) Australia is to increase support for humanitarian demining efforts in Sri Lanka, the Australian High Commission in Colombo said today.Australia will provide AUD 1 million (more than 124 million LKR) in assistance over the next two years through a partnership with the Mine Action Group (MAG) and Sri Lankan organisation Devlon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH).
Robin Ireland, the… E-cigarettes are hotly debated by health experts, with some viewing them as an effective quit smoking device while others are concerned that they have become a popular accessory for young people. Leading academics and public health experts have been subjected to “coordinated” campaigns of abuse – including death threats – on social media, after raising concerns about vaping. Some professors said they were left feeling afraid to speak out on the matter after coming under sustained attacks online. In some cases, prominent academics have been sent pictures of nooses with accompanying messages saying “your days are numbered”, while elsewhere their children have been threatened.
A woman has been left fighting for her life after a car ploughed into a tent in the middle of the night at a Welsh campsite.Two men have been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol, they remain in custody.North Wales Police said four adults, two women and two men, were injured when a car drove into a tent around 2:00am yesterday (MON) morning. One woman remains in a critical condition after being taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, near Bangor, but the other three have been discharged, police said. They said the event was “terrifying” for other campers who “should have felt safe in their tents”. The ages of the four victims and two men arrested have not been released. The incident occurred at Rhyd y Galen campsite, near Caernarfon, north Wales, on the edge of Snowdonia national park. Last night well-wishes posted support for the injured campers. Andy Manser posted to the Rhyd y Galen Facebook page: “All our thoughts are with the family and friends of the people injured this morning. God bless.”Detective Chief Inspector Sion Williams said: “This was a terrifying event for people who should have felt safe in their tents. “North Wales Police are supporting those involved and our thoughts are with the family of the woman who has been seriously injured.”I would like to thank those members of the public who have helped us, but if anyone has not been spoken to yet and has any information which could assist, then please contact us.”Our Roads Policing Unit is working with detectives to establish exactly what happened.”North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines were sent to the scene after a car was driven into two tents.One casualty was left trapped and was freed by police before being taken to hospital. 
Police say one woman has been left critically ill and terrified campers fled their tents at the Rhyd y Galen campsite.Credit: WALES NEWS SERVICE Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
Orica, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems, has announced the successful production trials of the premium WebGenTM 100 wireless electronic blasting system. WebGenTM 100, “signals a step-change in in-hole initiation and decisive step on the path towards full automation of drill and blast operations in the future.”The system provides for groups of in-hole primers to be wirelessly initiated by a firing command that communicates through rock, water and air. This removes constraints often imposed by the requirement of a physical connection to each primer in a blast. Orica Chief Commercial Officer, Angus Melbourne described the technology as being a game-changer for the industry, saying: “WebGenTM is a world first technology, and that is something we are very proud of. The WebGenTM 100 wireless blasting system not only improves safety, by removing people from harm’s way; it improves productivity, by removing the constraints imposed by wired connections and importantly, is a critical pre-cursor to automating the charging process. The entire industry is moving rapidly towards an automated future and the introduction of WebGen™ signifies that we, Orica, are serious about being a big part of this automated future.”Two production trials have been executed recently to validate and prove the benefits of the technology. The first production blast took place at the Glencore operated Ernest Henry Mine (EHM), a large Sub Level Cave (SLC) operation in North West Queensland, Australia.During the trial, 30 rings were pre-charged with WebGenTM well in advance of the cave and then initiated from Mine Control on the surface. WebGenTM eliminated the need for mine site personnel to work near the brow to hook up the blasts, and also demonstrated that lost brows would not remain a production risk. The system was easily integrated into their current method of operation with no misfires or production delays.In a second production blasting trial at Goldcorp’s Musselwhite Mine in Northern Ontario, Canada, five temporary rib pillars were pre-charged using Orica’s WebGenTM primers. The main body of the ore panel was blasted and extracted first while the temporary rib pillars held back the waste rock backfill. The inaccessible ore pillars were then blasted. The introduction of this technology delivered reduced dilution, increased truck fill factors and improved overall productivity.During July, the WebGen™ system obtained Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL3) certification, through TÜV Rheinland, a global leader in independent inspection, safety testing and certification services. A SIL 3 component running continuously is classified as having a safety critical failure less than 1 in 100 billion devices, this is the highest level that can be practically achieved for a commercial blasting product.Orica is now working to produce a wireless primer specifically for surface mining applications that will deliver greater flexibility to the open cut mining sector in coming years. This is a critical first step towards full automation of the drill and blast process across the underground and surface mining sectors, a long-term goal shared by both the mining industry and Orica.
Yesterday, Square Enix announced the next entry in the Dragon Quest series of games. It is called Dragon Quest X Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku and surprised everyone by being a game that requires an online connection to play.Although not an MMO, DQIX is a game that encourages you to go online, form groups, and explore the world together. It also looks as though that online exploration will come with a monthly charge.Now there’s another surprise we are finding a little hard to believe. Square Enix isn’t just developing this game for the Wii and Wii U as stated yesterday. Another version is also in the works for the Famicom, otherwise known as the NES in the West.This long dead 8-bit platform is sure to have a few followers still, but nowhere near enough to warrant a new release. So what’s the deal here? Is this a joke or is Square Enix seriously considering the NES as a worthy platform for a new game in 2012, some 29 years after its original hardware launch?If this is true, and that has yet to be confirmed officially by Square Enix, it could be a very clever marketing move and additional revenue stream. DQX will have some features that work on the 3DS, but not a full working game. At the same time Nintendo has started releasing NES games through the eShop. Could it be Square Enix plans to release a NES version of DQX in the 3DS eShop?Fans of the series would certainly jump at the chance to play a Dragon Quest title with 8-bit graphics. You can sign me up right now. If it was priced correctly then there’s potential for it to generate some serious revenue.The one question that remains is whether Nintendo would allow such a release. The company is emulating and re-releasing old NES games on the 3DS, but would it allow the emulation of a new one?Read more at Andriasang
The Valve Index is for PC gamers who use Steam VR…and you may not need all its parts. Sarah Tew/CNET There are plenty of PC-connected VR headsets, and most of them work the same way: a set of full-motion controllers, a bulky head display that has a long thick cord going to your PC. Maybe it has extra room sensors you need to set up. Maybe it doesn’t. The Valve Index is not much different from other PC VR headsets in that regard (see also: Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, or Microsoft’s VR offerings). It’s not wireless, it doesn’t have eye tracking, and it hasn’t reinvented a way to not be a bulky, cabled headset.But it is probably one of the best PC VR headsets of the moment, and its wild new controllers feel like the future.And yet I recently had a realization I never thought of the first time I tried the hardware weeks ago: this doesn’t feel like a new system. That’s because you don’t need to buy all of it if you’re already someone who owns an HTC Vive.Now that the Valve Index is available (although current shipping times put new orders into mid-September), here’s my guide on how to consider whether to buy it — or which part of it.
All the stuff in the Valve Index $999 package (you don’t need the sensor boxes if you already own a Vive). Scott Stein/CNET Welcome to the modular VR world of SteamI mean, of course, Valve Index is a new VR system. Index is a new head-mounted display, there are new controllers, and there’s a $1,000 box that includes all of this along with little boxes to mount in your room to track your movements.But what’s cool about the Index is it’s all made on the same Steam VR platform that the HTC Vive uses. You could mix and match Vive hardware and Valve Index hardware. This is, in a way, an HTC Vive 2.HTC isn’t making the Valve Index, to be clear. Vive still exists, and Valve Index will exist alongside it. But you can mix and match Vive and Valve Index hardware, both of which use Steam VR. Which means, if you already own a Vive, and you’re Valve Index-curious, you may want to just buy the Index’s super-cool new controllers instead, spend $279, and consider that your upgrade.Take a look at Valve’s different piecemeal part offerings for yourself. 
It felt a little tight-fitting over my glasses. Sarah Tew/CNET Index headset: Excellent video and audio, but…The Valve Index’s headset does look great, optically. The LCD resolution is sharp (1,440×1,600, same as the Vive Pro and Oculus Rift S, but lower-res than the HP Reverb), and the extra field of view (about 130 degrees) reduces the VR scuba-goggles feel. A faster 120Hz frame rate makes things feel even smoother-moving and more present (there’s an experimental 144Hz mode in Steam VR, but I haven’t felt the need). The hovering pull-down speakers on the sides deliver booming, crisp sound. In that sense, it’s a head-mounted display that feels really good.However, the Valve Index lacks a few things. It’s not wireless, which means you need a cable tether. The Index’s streamlined cable setup skips the clunkier breakout box on the Vive, but it’s still a big cable (it needs DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.0 on your PC, plus a power outlet to power the headset).The Index also lacks eye tracking, a technology that should greatly impact control and graphics quality in future VR. Eye tracking isn’t really in non-enterprise VR yet (the Vive Pro Eye has eye tracking but only for enterprise use, and it costs a fortune). But still, it’s a missing feature.The Index doesn’t do self-contained room tracking, either. The Oculus Rift S and Microsoft’s VR headsets like the HP Reverb use cameras in the headset, and that’s it. The Valve Index still needs little light-emitting boxes to be installed in the room you’re in. It’s the same tech, basically, that the original 2016 Vive used. The 2.0 version of these sensor boxes can enable a large room to turn into a holodeck, and the tracking is really good — but it’s extra gear you need to set up.Finally, like most VR headsets, even though the resolution’s good, it’s not “retina-level.” Meaning, you can still see pixels. I’ve only ever seen one retina-level VR headset, and it costs $6,000. Someday, it’ll arrive to all headsets. Again, just a reminder that the Index isn’t the uber-headset.
These are excellent controllers. Not many games take advantage of the wild finger tracking yet. Sarah Tew/CNET The controllers are great upgrades, but app support variesThe Valve Index controllers, as I’ve said, feel like the overdue sequel to the original Vive VR controllers. They’re great, they feel comfy and can track all your fingers like magic gloves. They can register force when you squeeze them. They feel like the future of VR input.They also have some nice extras that the Vive controllers lack, like buttons and analog sticks. That makes them serve as more-capable game controllers, much like the Oculus Touch controllers.It’s great that these controllers can work with all the games and apps that support Vive’s controllers, so there’s a deep library to tap into. They can be your Vive replacement controllers, easily.But that being said, only a handful of games take advantage of the Index controllers’ unique qualities right now. A list, if you’re curious:Space JunkiesMuseum of Other Realities#SkiJumpGarden of the SeaVacation SimulatorFujiiTrover Saves the UniverseAperture Hand LabsShadow Legend VRVRChatOnwardPavlov VRArizona SunshineSpace Pirate TrainerFruit Ninja VRSuperHot VRHot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand GrenadesPokerStars VRVanishing RealmsCosmic TripNeos VRAccounting+Job SimulatorTilt BrushJet IslandDuck SeasonWindlands 2MossEcho GrottoBlade & SorceryBigscreen BetaClimbeyBeat SaberCompoundAnd, even in that list, some games don’t really do much with the extra finger tracking. The brilliant Aperture Hand Lab is a great demo app that shows what experiences could do when designed with these controllers in mind. But how many games and apps will bother to do that?
The Valve Index controllers have analog sticks and buttons and a trackpad, a big improvement on Vive’s older controllers. Sarah Tew/CNET Not the same wireless freedom as Oculus QuestThis is a totally unfair comparison… but the $399 Oculus Quest, all self-contained and wireless, not needing any PC at all, was a more surprising experience to me than Valve Index. I love the Quest’s easy-on, instant-start satisfaction. Admittedly, it’s a totally different proposition: it’s using a mobile chip and has a limited closed-off curated library of games. It’s not as powerful as Valve Index.Again, sorry for the comparison. But I want VR to become more effortless and wire-free, easy to be immersed in. Valve Index isn’t that. You need a PC. You need those sensor boxes in your room. There’s a long, thick cable. It is, however, an improved set of hardware that the Steam VR platform needed, and those Index controllers are really great. I just don’t know, at this point, whether it’s worth your money to dive in. Computers Gaming Post a comment 0 Tags Share your voice Steam Valve Virtual Reality HTC
Quasars, or quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) are extremely luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) containing supermassive cetral black holes with accretion disks. Their redshifts are measured from the strong spectral lines that dominate their visible and ultraviolet spectra. All observed quasar spectra have redshifts between 0.056 and 7.54.Astronomers are especially interested in finding new high-redshift quasars as they are the most luminous and most distant compact objects in the observable universe. Spectra of such QSOs can be used to estimate the mass of supermassive black holes that constrain the evolution and formation models of quasars. Therefore, high-redshift quasars could serve as a powerful tool to probe the early universe.Recently, a team of astronomers led by Szymon Kozłowski of Warsaw University Observatory in Poland has conducted a search for high-redshift quasars in Magellanic Clouds. They analyzed the images from OGLE-IV survey and mid-infrared data collected by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which resulted in the detection of 33 quasar candidates.From these candidates, the researchers spectroscopically observed the two most variable ones. Follow-up spectroscopic observations confirmed that these two objects are indeed high-redshift QSOs.”We report the discovery of two high-z quasars, OGLE J015531−752807 at a redshift z = 5.09 and OGLE J005907−645016 at a redshift of z = 4.98,” the astronomers wrote in the paper.OGLE J015531−752807 has an absolute magnitude in the near-infrared I-band of –27.82 mag, and is the most distant and variable object identified in the OGLE survey to date. When it comes to OGLE J005907−645016, it has an absolute magnitude in the I-band of –28.73 mag. According to the study, the two newly found QSOs have variability amplitude of around 0.4 mag at the rest-frame wavelength of about 1300̊A. This is much larger than in other quasars (less than 0.15 mag) at the same rest-frame wavelength but lower redshifts (between 2.0 and 4.0).The researchers noted that these values may indicate that an increased variability amplitude exists in the population of high-redshift quasars. However, they added that a larger sample of high-redshift QSOs with a at least decade long light curves is needed to verify this assumption. The list of such objects can be expanded by studying other quasar candidates reported in the paper, or by future observations using the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) in Chile, which is expected to become operational in the coming years.”This variability issue can be resolved by studying variability of a larger AGN sample at z ≈ 5. This is entirely possible now, because we also provide a list of 31 AGN candidates at z ≈ 5, where all of them have nearly a decade long light curves from OGLE. A sample of high-z AGN with a decade-long light curves will be also increased by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, providing light curves for sources 3–4 mag fainter than OGLE,” the astronomers concluded. More information: Szymon Kozłowski et al. Discovery of two quasars at z=5 from the OGLE Survey. arXiv:1810.08622 [astro-ph.GA]. arxiv.org/abs/1810.08622 Astronomers report the finding of two new high-redshift quasars using imagery from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). The newly found quasars, designated OGLE J015531−752807 and OGLE J005907−645016, have redshifts of 5.09 and 4.98 respectively. The discovery is detailed in a paper published October 19 on arXiv.org. © 2018 Science X Network Two bright high-redshift quasars discovered The original OGLE-IV I-band light curves of OGLE J015531−752807 (top; gray points) and OGLE J005907−645016 (bottom; gray). Credit: Kozłowski et al., 2018. Explore further Citation: Two high-redshift quasars discovered using OGLE (2018, October 30) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-10-high-redshift-quasars-ogle.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
An 11-year-old artist has been sharing their anti-Trump cartoons on Instagram, and they are incredible.The artist, who describes themselves as an “eleven year old resister” on their profile, has been sharing “caricatures of your favorite and least favorite political figures”. eTN Chatroom for Readers (join us) Winter Olympics 2018: Fox News pulls column complaining about gay and black athletesEmbarrassing number of gay and ethnic minorities at OlympicsMike Pence insists his anti-gay record is ‘fake news’ in response to Olympic figure skaterPINK NEWS- The talented youngster puts some of the more esteemed political commentators in Washington to shame as his witty drawings take aim at Trump’s moral compass, as well as his health.(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)The 45th president’s relationship with vice president Mike Pence is also pulled into question, as the cartoon suggests that Pence is looking after him as if he were a baby.(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)Alongside the images, the artist writes encapsulating comments on current affairs such as the controversial tax plan and Trump’s opposition to NFL players taking a knee as part of the black lives matter movement.(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)They wrote: “Trump and the GOP are evil. They’ve never considered that other people matter too. This raises taxes for the lower and the middle class. “It mostly benefits the top one percent, which the majority of Americans aren’t in. Trump just picked this so he pays a lot less taxes than he already does. I wonder if it ever occurred to these people that humans besides them exist?”As well as domestic politics, international politics are at the heart of the witty comics which illustrate Trump’s current relationship with North Korea and Russia in a terrifyingly accurate manner.(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)“Trump’s brilliant foreign policy strategies.”(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)“Putin plays him like a fiddle…”(Photo by anti.trump.cartoons/Instagram)“How Trump sees the world.”The artists now has over 11 thousand followers, and many people can’t believe how young they are.“Lots of material to work with! Humor is going to help us get through this. Thank you for sharing your gifts!! Big fan here,” one follower wrote.Another said: “Are you really just 11? Because you are way smarter than that.”“So proud to witness your intelligence. what an honor….love all of your work,” a third added.Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading…
in Data, Government, Origination, Secondary Market, Servicing Agents & Brokers Attorneys & Title Companies Investors Lenders & Servicers Movers & Shakers Processing Service Providers 2013-01-29 Krista Franks Brock January 29, 2013 424 Views New,Mortgage Industry Veteran Joins STRATMOR Group as Practice Manager
Share The “”STRATMOR Group,””:http://www.stratmorgroup.com/ a Georgia-based consulting firm for the mortgage industry with more than 250 clients, announced Monday it is bringing Lisa Springer, an industry veteran with more than 20 years’ experience, on board to serve in the role of practice manager. [IMAGE]In her new role, Springer will work to introduce best practices in all aspects of STRATMOR’s business. She will help STRATMOR enhance its service offerings and its “”intellectual expertise.””Additionally, Springer’s new role involves expanding STRATMOR’s customer awareness. [COLUMN_BREAK]””We are confident that her efforts will allow us to maintain the integrity and boutique nature of our firm while creating a strong foundation for our future growth,”” said Matt Lind, managing director at STRATMOR Group. Prior to joining STRATMOR, Springer “”was instrumental in building several professional services and technology companies that still serve the mortgage space, enabling them to become leaders in their fields of expertise,”” Lind said. Springer left her role as EVP of sales at “”Motivity Solutions,””:http://www.motivitysolutions.com/ a business intelligence provider, which she helped build from a small startup in 2009. She also served as EVP of sales for another financial and technology firm, where she developed sales strategies and directed sales teams. Springer graduated magna cum laude from Regis University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration at Regis University, where she also received the John S. Brennon award in business administration. “”I have high aspirations and confidence that our team will continue to provide the industry with valuable, relevant peer data, executive workshops to ensure that decision makers understand how to optimize this information, actionable execution strategies, and recommendations to maximize mortgage company shareholder value,”” Springer said.