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These Are The Cheapest Weekends to Travel in 2020

Loknath Das

Weekend trips are fun, but they can also wind up being pretty expensive. Hotwire recently took a look at historical booking data for hotels to determine when the most affordable weekends are to travel in 2020, and released a list of the most affordable weekends, hotel-wise, for each month. Actually surprising: some of those affordable hotel stays actually fall during holiday weekends. Here’s its list of predictions for the cheapest weekends to travel: •January 31 – February 2 (Groundhog Day) •February 28 – March 1 (Leap Day) •April 10-12 •May 8-10 (Mother’s Day) •June…

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Why the controversy over Huawei technology in UK networks?

Loknath Das

The White House believes China will use its platform in the UK to spy on Washington. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP As the UK government prepares to decide whether or not to allow Huawei to be involved in setting up a key portion of the nation’s infrastructure, US officials have issued a stark warning that allowing the Chinese firm a role would put transatlantic intelligence sharing at risk. Why are the Americans so concerned? To put it bluntly, the White House believes the Chinese state will use Huawei to help it spy. Officials in Washington believe…

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Technology in 2050: will it save humanity – or destroy us?

Loknath Das

 Composite: Guardian Design; Reuters; Getty Images/iStockphoto Futurism is a mug’s game: if you’re right, it seems banal; if you’re wrong, you look like the founder of IBM, Thomas Watson, when he declared in 1943 that there is room in the world “for maybe five computers”. David Adams knew these risks when he wrote about the future of technology in the Guardian in 2004 – even citing the very same prediction as an example of how they can go awry. And from our vantage point in 2020, Adams certainly did a better…

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8 Travel Trends To Expect In 2020

Loknath Das

Just as the destinations that we love to visit as avid travelers change from year to year, decade to decade, so do the travel trends that we partake in. Travel trends over recent years have included immersive travel, sustainable travel, multigenerational travel and skip-gen travel. While all of these have their merits, the travel landscape continues to evolve. empty, straight road heading towards new year 2020 – happy new year concept, GETTY In the upcoming year, we can expect different travel trends to pop up. For travel brands, including hotels,…

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Citroen partners with Axis Bank for auto finance in India

Loknath Das

New Delhi: French automaker Citroen on Wednesday has entered into a white-label arrangement with Axis Bank, as a preferred Banking partner, to introduce Citroen Finance in India. Citroen Finance will provide retail finance and mobility solutions including value added products to its customers and customised credit solutions to its dealers in India, the company said in a statement. Roland Bouchara, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Citroen India said, “This partnership with Axis Bank is in line with our commitment towards providing the best experience to our customers not only at our dealer showrooms but…

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Travel: Finding happiness in Salamanca and Toledo

Loknath Das

I have passed too many autumns to be excited about a toy train ride. Even during my childhood in Kolkata, I hardly ever jumped on a toy train because of two reasons. One, I had a better option: trams. Two, there was just one such train in Communist-ruled Kolkata. But in Toledo, a ride in the city’s tourist toy train from Plaza de Zocodover is the best way to see the medieval marvel that sits pretty on an undulating terrain like an umbrella food cover with the Tagus river wrapped…

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The Most Popular International Travel Destinations in All 50 States

Loknath Das

We all dream of hopping on a plane and jetting off to some picture-perfect destination. Sometimes it’s a warm beach with a cold drink, sometimes a historic city with hidden gems to discover. No matter where you dream of going, you’re likely not alone. Most people in America tend to travel to Mexico, Canada and Europe when they pull out their passports, according to data compiled by Orbitz. And while travel within the U.S. is still the most popular choice for Americans, Mel Dohmen, the senior brand manager for Orbitz, told Travel + Leisure that visits to Southeast…

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Kentucky police use new technology to nab suspects in hours instead of weeks as rapid DNA market takes off

Loknath Das

The Kentucky State Police started using a new DNA test in February that law enforcement officials say could completely revolutionize criminal investigations, analyzing the data in under two hours instead of days or weeks. Colorado-based ANDE Rapid DNA is offering its quick DNA testing to Kentucky state police for free as part of an ongoing pilot program. Kentucky is the first state to use ANDE’s technology for sexual assault cases and it’s getting a lot of notice from other states. ANDE Rapid DNA declined to provide its sales data, but…

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Out of Finance Ministry, Subhash Chandra Garg: No one in govt questioned overseas bonds

Loknath Das

S C Garg (right) takes charge as Power Secretary from A K Bhalla on Friday. (PIB/PTI Photo) Taking charge as Power Secretary, former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg Friday said “no one in the government” had opposed the idea of sovereign bond issuance during his tenure in the Finance Ministry. On Thursday, the day after he was moved out of the Finance Ministry, Garg said he had applied for voluntary retirement from the IAS with effect from October 31 — he was due to retire in October 2020. Gujarat-cadre officer Atanu…

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Piramal sells entire 10% stake in Shriram Transport for ₹2,300 crore

Loknath Das

New Delhi: Ajay Piramal-controlled Piramal Enterprises Ltd on Monday sold its entire stake of about 10% stake in commercial vehicle financier Shriram Transport Finance Co Ltd., citing a “broader strategy” to leverage opportunities for growth in its financial services business. As of 31 March, Piramal held 22.6 million shares in Shriram Transport, which specialises in financing second-hand trucks, representing a 9.96% stake. The stake sale will fetch Piramal approximately ₹2,300 crore, based on the closing price of the stock on Monday. “Earlier this year in April 2019, Piramal Enterprises Ltd. had announced…

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