The Rupee turned weak by two paise to 66.95 against US Dollar in early trade on Wednesday at the foreign exchange market after the American currency gained ground following a spurt in demand from importers.

Forex dealers said, the US Dollar's gains against some currencies overseas following upbeat remarks on the US economy by Federal Reserve Chief Janet Yellen and a lower opening in the domestic equity market put the Rupee on the back foot.

On Tuesday, the Rupee had recovered by 9 paise to end at 66.93 on fresh selling of Dollars by banks and exporters amid weakness in American currency in the overseas market.

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell by 69.39 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 28.269.92 in early trade on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old musician whose real name is Abel Tesfaye sparked rumours that he was dating the 24-year-old songstress last month. They are reportedly getting even closer, reports eonline.com.

"They are falling for each other. He has told Selena how much he cares for her," said a source, adding that the couple enjoys each other's company.

"They have a crazy connection. Selena feels really confident. Abel is proud to have Selena by his side," the source added.

The Kill em with kindness hitmaker has also introduced the vocalist to her friends and vice versa.

However, Gomez, who played the role of Alex Russo in the series Wizards of Waverly Place, has yet to bring The Weeknd home to meet her family, and neither has he.

They have been talking "every day" since they were spotted locking lips earlier this year and have a "sexy and flirty relationship".

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday denied a plea seeking more time for All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) General Secretary VK Sasikala to surrender.

“SC refuses to entertain a plea of VK Sasikala seeking time to surrender for serving jail term in disproportionate assets (DA) case,” media reports stated.

“We do not intend to pass any order on this,” the apex court said, adding, “We are not going to change anything in the judgement”.

“Sasikala wanted some time to surrender to manage her affairs before going to jail”, Sasikala’s advocate KTS Tulsi said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday has convicted Sasikala in the disproportionate assets case. The court banned her from contesting elections for 10 years and awarded a four-year jail term.

Sasikala, who was elected General Secretary of AIADMK following the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, was elected leader of the legislature party on February 5.

NASA said its Spitzer space telescope has detected unusual heartbeat-like vibrations in the outer shell of a star called HAT-P-2.

A closely orbiting planet, called HAT-P-2b, might be causing these vibrations each time it gets close to the star in its orbit, according to the scientists.

"We have discovered the first example of a planet that seems to be causing a heartbeat-like behaviour in its host star," said Julien de Wit, postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

The star's pulsations, detailed in Astrophysical Journal Letters, are the most subtle variations of light from any source that Spitzer has ever measured.

A similar effect had been observed in binary systems called "heartbeat stars" in the past, but never before between a star and a planet.

Weighing in at about eight times the mass of Jupiter, HAT-P-2b is a relatively massive planet.

It's a "hot Jupiter," meaning an exoplanet that is extremely warm and orbits its star tightly.

But this hot Jupiter is tiny in relation to its host star, which is about 100 times more massive.

That size difference makes the pulsation effect all the more unusual.

"It's remarkable that this relatively small planet seems to affect the whole star in a way that we can see from far away," Heather Knutson, Assistant Professor at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, said.
 

As many as seven cricketers, including Indian pacer Ishant Sharma, have their base price as Rs.2 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) players' auction to be held on February 20 in Bengaluru, it was announced on Tuesday. A total of 351 players will go under the hammer.

Others in the highest base price bracket are Englishmen Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Chris Woakes; Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins; and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, IPL's website said.

A maximum of 76 players, including 28 overseas, can be bought at the auction.

Stokes, Morgan and Woakes were crucial members of the English team which lost the 2016 World Twenty20 final to the West Indies.

Mathews featured in Kolkata Knight riders, now-disbanded Pune Warriors India and Delhi Daredevils in the history of IPL. While playing Pune and Delhi, the all-rounder had been auctioned for more than Rs.5 crore.

It will be interesting to see how the franchisees react when the name of Johnson will come. The left-armer has retired from international cricket and even though, he has enough IPL experience, Rs.2 crore is seen as too high.

Ishant, who played for Rising Pune Supergiants, will also look to prove that he can be good enough in the shorter formats as well.

Among the players, who are in the Rs.1.5 crore bracket, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, English wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow and West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder can be interesting picks for the franchises.

New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, English bowling all-rounder Chris Joran and Irfan Pathan will also be on focus.

As many as seven cricketers, including Indian pacer Ishant Sharma, have their base price as Rs.2 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) players' auction to be held on February 20 in Bengaluru, it was announced on Tuesday. A total of 351 players will go under the hammer.

Others in the highest base price bracket are Englishmen Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Chris Woakes; Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins; and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, IPL's website said.

A maximum of 76 players, including 28 overseas, can be bought at the auction.

Stokes, Morgan and Woakes were crucial members of the English team which lost the 2016 World Twenty20 final to the West Indies.

Mathews featured in Kolkata Knight riders, now-disbanded Pune Warriors India and Delhi Daredevils in the history of IPL. While playing Pune and Delhi, the all-rounder had been auctioned for more than Rs.5 crore.

It will be interesting to see how the franchisees react when the name of Johnson will come. The left-armer has retired from international cricket and even though, he has enough IPL experience, Rs.2 crore is seen as too high.

Ishant, who played for Rising Pune Supergiants, will also look to prove that he can be good enough in the shorter formats as well.

Among the players, who are in the Rs.1.5 crore bracket, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, English wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow and West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder can be interesting picks for the franchises.

New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson, English bowling all-rounder Chris Joran and Irfan Pathan will also be on focus.

Authorities on Wednesday deployed heavy security forces here and other parts of the Kashmir Valley to prevent a separatist called protest march, police said.

Separatists called for a march to Kulgam district where four militants and two civilians were killed during a gunfight between militants and the security forces on Monday.

Two army soldiers were also killed in the gunfight.

According to police, no restrictions were imposed here.

"We have made adequate deployment of security forces here and in south Kashmir areas to maintain law and order in the valley," a senior police official said.

At least 17 persons, including nine militants, six soldiers and two civilians, were killed since Monday in three different gunfights in the valley.

According to intelligence agencies, the spurt in violence is attributed to 2016 infiltration from across the border and joining of militant ranks by educated local youth.

Jammu and Kashmir police chief S.P. Vaid said the security forces were fully alert to meet all challenges and separatist efforts to repeat 2016's unrest would not succeed.

Meanwhile, public and private transports, shops and other business establishments functioned normally here.

Life in south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian was adversely affected because of the tension following the separatist call to march.

Authorities on Wednesday deployed heavy security forces here and other parts of the Kashmir Valley to prevent a separatist called protest march, police said.

Separatists called for a march to Kulgam district where four militants and two civilians were killed during a gunfight between militants and the security forces on Monday.

Two army soldiers were also killed in the gunfight.

According to police, no restrictions were imposed here.

"We have made adequate deployment of security forces here and in south Kashmir areas to maintain law and order in the valley," a senior police official said.

At least 17 persons, including nine militants, six soldiers and two civilians, were killed since Monday in three different gunfights in the valley.

According to intelligence agencies, the spurt in violence is attributed to 2016 infiltration from across the border and joining of militant ranks by educated local youth.

Jammu and Kashmir police chief S.P. Vaid said the security forces were fully alert to meet all challenges and separatist efforts to repeat 2016's unrest would not succeed.

Meanwhile, public and private transports, shops and other business establishments functioned normally here.

Life in south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Anantnag and Shopian was adversely affected because of the tension following the separatist call to march.

A new form of ransomware can take over control of a simulated water treatment plant to shut valves, increase the amount of chlorine added to water, and display false readings.

Developed by cybersecurity researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the simulated attack was designed to highlight vulnerabilities in the control systems used to operate industrial facilities such as manufacturing plants, water and waste water treatment facilities.

"We are expecting ransomware to go one step farther, beyond the customer data to compromise the control systems themselves. That could allow attackers to hold hostage critical systems such as water treatment plants and manufacturing facilities," said David Formby from Georgia Institute of Technology.

During their research, cybersecurity experts were able to simulate a hacker who had gained access to simulated water treatment facility holding it hostage by threatening to dump large amounts of chlorine into the water unless the operator pays a ransom.

No real ransomware attacks have so far been reported on the process control components of industrial control systems, but these attacks have become a significant problem for patient data in hospitals and customer data in businesses. 

"Attackers gain access to these systems and encrypt the data, demanding a ransom to provide the encryption key that allows the data to be used again," researchers said.

According to Formby, ransomware generated an estimated $200 million for attackers during the first quarter of 2016.

"Many control systems assume that once you have access to the network, that you are authorised to make changes to the control systems. They may have very weak password policies and security policies that could let intruders take control of pumps, valves and other key components of the industrial control system," Formby said. 

Since industrial control systems have not been targeted by ransomware, they lack strong security protocols, and their vulnerabilities may not be well understood by their operators.

"There are common misconceptions about what is connected to the internet. Operators may believe their systems are air-gapped and that there's no way to access the controllers, but these systems are often connected in some way," Formby said in a paper that was presented at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

As other ransomware targets become more difficult, researchers believe attackers may turn to easier targets in the industrial control systems.

"In addition to improving password security and limiting connections, operators of these devices need to install intrusion monitoring systems to alert them if attackers are in the process control networks," said Raheem Beyah, Professor at Motorola Foundation.

A new form of ransomware can take over control of a simulated water treatment plant to shut valves, increase the amount of chlorine added to water, and display false readings.

Developed by cybersecurity researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the simulated attack was designed to highlight vulnerabilities in the control systems used to operate industrial facilities such as manufacturing plants, water and waste water treatment facilities.

"We are expecting ransomware to go one step farther, beyond the customer data to compromise the control systems themselves. That could allow attackers to hold hostage critical systems such as water treatment plants and manufacturing facilities," said David Formby from Georgia Institute of Technology.

During their research, cybersecurity experts were able to simulate a hacker who had gained access to simulated water treatment facility holding it hostage by threatening to dump large amounts of chlorine into the water unless the operator pays a ransom.

No real ransomware attacks have so far been reported on the process control components of industrial control systems, but these attacks have become a significant problem for patient data in hospitals and customer data in businesses. 

"Attackers gain access to these systems and encrypt the data, demanding a ransom to provide the encryption key that allows the data to be used again," researchers said.

According to Formby, ransomware generated an estimated $200 million for attackers during the first quarter of 2016.

"Many control systems assume that once you have access to the network, that you are authorised to make changes to the control systems. They may have very weak password policies and security policies that could let intruders take control of pumps, valves and other key components of the industrial control system," Formby said. 

Since industrial control systems have not been targeted by ransomware, they lack strong security protocols, and their vulnerabilities may not be well understood by their operators.

"There are common misconceptions about what is connected to the internet. Operators may believe their systems are air-gapped and that there's no way to access the controllers, but these systems are often connected in some way," Formby said in a paper that was presented at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

As other ransomware targets become more difficult, researchers believe attackers may turn to easier targets in the industrial control systems.

"In addition to improving password security and limiting connections, operators of these devices need to install intrusion monitoring systems to alert them if attackers are in the process control networks," said Raheem Beyah, Professor at Motorola Foundation.

Actress Scarlett Johansson says her Avengers character Black Widow is "right" for a standalone movie.

The 32-year-old actress stars as Natasha Romanoff and her superhero alter-ego in the Marvel Comics ensemble movie franchise and has already had a word with Marvel boss Kevin Feige about the possibility of giving the character her own film, reported Female First.

"I've talked to Kevin Feige about it. We're creatively really compatible. I think we both agree that the character is right for a standalone, it's just a case of timing at this point for both Marvel and myself," Johansson said.

But the actress feels Marvel's "really huge roster" of planned projects could make it difficult for them to plan a Black Widow movie.

"Marvel has a really huge roster. They're looking four years ahead. I also have a lot of things that I want to do. If I did it, I would dedicate myself completely to making it amazing. It would have to be the best version that movie could possibly be. Otherwise, I would never do it," she said.

Actress Scarlett Johansson says her Avengers character Black Widow is "right" for a standalone movie.

The 32-year-old actress stars as Natasha Romanoff and her superhero alter-ego in the Marvel Comics ensemble movie franchise and has already had a word with Marvel boss Kevin Feige about the possibility of giving the character her own film, reported Female First.

"I've talked to Kevin Feige about it. We're creatively really compatible. I think we both agree that the character is right for a standalone, it's just a case of timing at this point for both Marvel and myself," Johansson said.

But the actress feels Marvel's "really huge roster" of planned projects could make it difficult for them to plan a Black Widow movie.

"Marvel has a really huge roster. They're looking four years ahead. I also have a lot of things that I want to do. If I did it, I would dedicate myself completely to making it amazing. It would have to be the best version that movie could possibly be. Otherwise, I would never do it," she said.

Offering couples more reasons to celebrate love on this Valentine's Day — and beyond, a new study has found that married people face less psychological stress than unmarried individuals.

Married individuals had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who never married or were previously married, showed the study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Prolonged stress is associated with increased levels of cortisol which can interfere with the body's ability to regulate inflammation, which in turn promotes the development and progression of many diseases.

"It is exciting to discover a physiological pathway that may explain how relationships influence health and disease," said one of the researchers Brian Chin from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US.

Over three non-consecutive days, the researchers collected saliva samples from 572 healthy adults aged 21-55. Multiple samples were taken during each 24-hour period and tested for cortisol.

The results showed that the married participants had lower cortisol levels than the never-married or previously-married people across the three day period. 

The researchers also compared each person's daily cortisol rhythm — typically, cortisol levels peak when a person wakes up and decline during the day. 

Those who were married showed a faster decline, a pattern that has been associated with less heart disease, and longer survival among cancer patients.

"These data provide important insight into the way in which our intimate social relationships can get under the skin to influence our health," co-author Sheldon Cohen, Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, noted.

Offering couples more reasons to celebrate love on this Valentine's Day — and beyond, a new study has found that married people face less psychological stress than unmarried individuals.

Married individuals had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who never married or were previously married, showed the study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Prolonged stress is associated with increased levels of cortisol which can interfere with the body's ability to regulate inflammation, which in turn promotes the development and progression of many diseases.

"It is exciting to discover a physiological pathway that may explain how relationships influence health and disease," said one of the researchers Brian Chin from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US.

Over three non-consecutive days, the researchers collected saliva samples from 572 healthy adults aged 21-55. Multiple samples were taken during each 24-hour period and tested for cortisol.

The results showed that the married participants had lower cortisol levels than the never-married or previously-married people across the three day period. 

The researchers also compared each person's daily cortisol rhythm — typically, cortisol levels peak when a person wakes up and decline during the day. 

Those who were married showed a faster decline, a pattern that has been associated with less heart disease, and longer survival among cancer patients.

"These data provide important insight into the way in which our intimate social relationships can get under the skin to influence our health," co-author Sheldon Cohen, Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, noted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated ISRO for the successful launch of 104 satellites at one go and said it was a proud moment for the nation.

"Congratulations to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) for the successful launch of PSLV-C37 and Cartosat satellite together with 103 nano satellites," Modi tweeted.

"This remarkable feat by ISRO is yet another proud moment for our space scientific community and the nation. India salutes our scientists," the Prime Minister said.

The Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Wednesday morning lifted off successfully with a record 104 satellites, including the country's earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series.

The co-passenger satellites comprise 101 nano satellites, one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the UAE and 96 from the US, as well as two nano satellites from India.

"Spoke to the Secretary of Department of Space and congratulated him and the entire team of scientists on (Wednesday's) exceptional achievement," Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated ISRO for the successful launch of 104 satellites at one go and said it was a proud moment for the nation.

"Congratulations to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) for the successful launch of PSLV-C37 and Cartosat satellite together with 103 nano satellites," Modi tweeted.

"This remarkable feat by ISRO is yet another proud moment for our space scientific community and the nation. India salutes our scientists," the Prime Minister said.

The Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Wednesday morning lifted off successfully with a record 104 satellites, including the country's earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series.

The co-passenger satellites comprise 101 nano satellites, one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the UAE and 96 from the US, as well as two nano satellites from India.

"Spoke to the Secretary of Department of Space and congratulated him and the entire team of scientists on (Wednesday's) exceptional achievement," Modi said.

Data breaches are becoming more pervasive and damaging and are now affecting every department within an organisation — leaving a lingering, if not lasting, imprint on an enterprise, a new report said on Tuesday.

The report by the US wireless communications service provider Verizon found that humans were still at fault in data breaches and cybersecurity incidents, fulfilling the roles of threat actors, targeted victims and incident response stakeholders.

"In working with victim organisations, we find that breaches touch every part of an organisation up to and including its board of directors," Bryan Sartin, Executive Director, the RISK Team at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, said in a statement. 

"Companies need to be prepared to handle data breaches before they actually happen in order to recover as quickly as possible. Otherwise, breaches can lead to enterprise-wide damage that can have devastating and long-lasting consequences," Sartin added. 

The "Data Breach Digest" by Verizon is designed to help businesses and government understand how to identify signs of a data breach, important sources of evidence and ways to quickly investigate, contain and recover from a breach.

The report also found that there is a finite set of scenarios that occur with data breaches but many permutations occur within each, leading to an expansive range of damage that can be observed in the aftermath of a data breach.