Once again a shooting took the lives of innocent schoolchildren. This time in a small, rural town in Texas. On May 24, a reported 21 people--19 students and two teachers--were killed in a shooting by an 18-year-old local high school student at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. It's the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 when 26 people, mostly 6- and 7-year-olds, were killed. As of Tuesday, there have been at least 213 mass shootings in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive . A mass shooting is defined as one in which four or more people were injured or killed, not including the shooter. You may be wondering what you can do to help. From donating a portion of profits to charitable organizations to encouraging employees and customers to call local officials to spur gun reform and address mental illness, here are some suggestions. Support the victims and victims' families in Uvalde If you're in the San Antonio area, … [Read more...] about 6 Ways You Can Take Action in the Wake of the Tragic Texas School Shooting
Stock market lessons for high school students
Delhi High Court split ruling: Marital rape still not a crime in India
India is one of only 32 countries in the world, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Libya, where marital rape is still not considered a crime. (Illustration: eShe) In another setback for Indian women, the safeguard for a husband against a rape charge by his wife remained intact in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after a two-judge bench in the Delhi High Court gave a split ruling on May 11, 2022, while hearing a case against marital rape. The bench, comprising Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice C. Hari Shankar, gave opposing rulings. The former deemed the law unconstitutional and “steeped in patriarchy and misogyny” whereas the latter felt that removing the law would hurt marriage as an institution. The question arises: what kind of an institution demands subjugation of one partner and allows cruelty and inhumanity by the other? And can such an ‘institution’ be the bedrock of a modern democratic society? “'My body, my right’ is an integral part of the right to personal liberty … [Read more...] about Delhi High Court split ruling: Marital rape still not a crime in India
Stocks end lower over gloomy outlook on inflation
A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi closing at 2,612.45 points on Thursday, down 4.77 points, or 0.18 percent, from the previous trading day. [NEWS1] Stocks ended lower Thursday over the gloomy outlook on inflation and concerns over aggressive monetary tightening. The won fell against the dollar. The Kospi lost 4.77 points, or 0.18 percent, to close at 2,612.45. Trading volume was light at 583.60 million shares worth 8.48 trillion won ($6.69 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 422 to 395. Institutional investors sold a net 155.8 billion won, while retail and foreign investors bought a net 95.6 billion won and 37.8 billion won worth of shares each. The index opened higher, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, as the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes of the early May meeting indicated some flexibility in its rate hike plans. But the market turned lower, after the Bank of Korea (BOK) raised the base interest rate by a quarter … [Read more...] about Stocks end lower over gloomy outlook on inflation
Most Asian stocks rise after Fed minutes; China growth woes hit currencies
- A + A BENGALURU (May 26): Most emerging market stocks in Asia eked out gains on Thursday (May 26) on signs that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) could pause policy tightening later in the year, while regional currencies took a hit from concerns over slowing growth in China. Shares in Singapore led the region's markets higher with a gain of 0.8%, while stocks in Taiwan and India lost 0.8% and 0.6% respectively, and were the biggest losers. Minutes from the Fed's meeting this month showed the faith that the policymakers had in the strength of the US economy, helping lift the mood on Wall Street overnight. But the sentiment was more cautious in Asia which faces risks of capital outflows due to interest rate hikes by global central banks to tame decades-high inflation. The region's currencies were broadly lower, with the Chinese yuan weakening the most with a 0.7% slide as investors digested comments from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's in a rare nationwide meeting. … [Read more...] about Most Asian stocks rise after Fed minutes; China growth woes hit currencies
Global LNG markets brace for unknowns ahead of winter
- A + A DAEGU, South Korea (May 26): Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyers and sellers are bracing for more uncertainty over Russian supplies and a murky demand outlook from Europe and top importer China in the run-up to peak winter season, industry executives said. Western sanctions on Russia due to the Ukraine invasion have sparked fears of disruption of Russian gas supply to Europe, sending global gas prices to all-time highs earlier this year and raising energy security concerns. Moscow calls its action a special military operation. In addition to unpredictable weather, it remains unclear whether there will be further cuts in Russian supplies to Europe, the executives said. Also uncertain is whether Europe can build new LNG import infrastructure in time to replace massive Russian volumes, they added. One more question is when China will lift COVID restrictions, which have slashed imports in the first five months of this year. "We have massive uncertainty … [Read more...] about Global LNG markets brace for unknowns ahead of winter
Storyboard18 | Bookstrapping: The Ambuja Story – How a Group of Ordinary Men Created an Extraordinary Company
Narotam Sekhsaria is chairman of ACC Ltd, Ambuja Cements Ltd, and Ambuja Cement Foundation. He also manages the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation, a philanthropic funding agency. Learn from anyone, anywhere, anytime. The Ambuja Story is a book written by an industrialist whose memory is sharp as a tack. The detailing of episodes and anecdotes is astoundingly vivid! The book is a window to a lively mind and a resilient life, lived with a glass of fine whiskey. And it is really funny in parts; for instance, Narotam Sekhsaria’s grandfather was one of the donors to the school that he attended. So gran used an arbitrary age criterion to enroll him at the age of 5 in class 5! What a shortcut! Also read: Veterans Unpacked | Narotam Sekhsaria: I would be on top of AI and data mining today Perhaps this is one of the ‘earthiest’ books you will read. Let me explain - there is a ‘son of the soil’ flavour that is peppered all over the book. Tradition is upheld not for its own sake, … [Read more...] about Storyboard18 | Bookstrapping: The Ambuja Story – How a Group of Ordinary Men Created an Extraordinary Company
Book excerpt: ‘Startup Compass: How Iconic Entrepreneurs Got It Right’ by Ujwal Kalra, Shobhit Shubhankar, IIM Ahmedabad
Freshworks founder and CEO Girish Mathrubootham. (File image) Riding the wave of macro trends Girish Mathrubootham started the cloud-based customer engagement company Freshworks on the back of deep immersion in the enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecosystem. Girish had joined software development company Zoho in 2001 as an engineer. Nine years later, he was the vice president of product development in the company. During the time he spent at Zoho, he built wide-ranging expertise in the development of enterprise information technology service systems. He had been building IT helpdesk systems, which enabled enterprise clients to offer technical support to their customers since 2004. He understood the enterprise IT service management market inside out. He had also had a ringside view to cloud-computing developments taking place within Zoho. This placed him really well to tap into opportunities created by global developments in this sector. In the middle of 2010, he … [Read more...] about Book excerpt: ‘Startup Compass: How Iconic Entrepreneurs Got It Right’ by Ujwal Kalra, Shobhit Shubhankar, IIM Ahmedabad
Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, celebrates a culture of research in Humanities and Social Sciences
Whenever we hear the word research, our mind instantly moves towards science and starts picturing machines, chemicals and scientists. But have you ever wondered what research in Humanities and the Social Sciences entails? In addition, we have all heard institutions use words like multi-disciplinary and research-focused, but what do these really mean? To better understand the importance of research in Humanities and Social Sciences, we caught up with Dr. Rajat Kathuria, Dean, School of Humanities & Social Sciences (SHSS) at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR. In this interview, Dr. Kathuria talks about the University’s unique undergraduate programs, what goes into the making of truly modern education, and why research is so critical to nation building. He also sheds light on what it takes to chart one's way to a successful career in the humanities, while also creating real world solutions and impacts that make the world a better place. Walk us through what makes the curriculum … [Read more...] about Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, celebrates a culture of research in Humanities and Social Sciences
Bigger food crisis can be averted If Asia remembers not to panic
- A + A (May 26): The world’s food problem is already severe as prices jump and protectionism flares but there’s a good chance governments can stop it from getting way worse if they heed a lesson from the crisis in 2008 — don’t panic. With a gauge of global prices already at a record following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a spate of nations have moved to curb exports in crops from wheat and sugar to cooking oils, exacerbating security risks for the rest of the world. Bad weather is a concern, too. Still, while wheat, corn and soy have soared, rice, a staple for more than three billion people, has so far been more stable. If nations do not panic or start hoarding, they can stop the current crisis from becoming a rerun of the one in 2008, when rice prices soared to put the region’s food security at serious risk, according to Harvard University Professor Emeritus Peter Timmer, who’s studied food security for decades. “The 2008 lesson is: Do not spook the market,” … [Read more...] about Bigger food crisis can be averted If Asia remembers not to panic
Davos: Germany seeks “multipolar” world amid climate protest
DAVOS, Switzerland — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hopes Friday for global cooperation on climate change, hunger and war, while dozens of climate activists demonstrated in the Swiss town of Davos as a meeting of global elites ended with many words but little concrete action to solve the world’s most pressing crises. The German leader ratcheted up his criticism of Moscow’s military onslaught in Ukraine during a speech on the last day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to return to a world order in which the strongest dictate what is right, in which freedom, sovereignty and self-determination are not.” Voicing hopes for countries to work together on shared crises, Scholz said today’s world is no longer bipolar as it was during the Cold War era — when United States and the Soviet Union dominated geopolitics. “If some want to take us back to the past of nationalism, imperialism and war, our answer is ‘not with us.’ … [Read more...] about Davos: Germany seeks “multipolar” world amid climate protest