Microsoft joins India's ONDC WHAT HAS HAPPENED? US firm Microsoft has become the first big tech company to join the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), A government-backed project which is aimed at enabling small merchants and mom-and-pop stores in parts of the country to access processes and technologies that are typically deployed by large e commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart. The software giant intends to introduce social e-commerce - group buying experience in the Indian market, Which would include a shopping app for Indian consumers along with their social circle, harnessing the ONDC network to discover the best pricing among retailers and sellers. WHAT IS OPEN NETWORK FOR DIGITAL COMMERECE ? It is an initiative aimed at promoting open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks. ONDC is to be based on open-sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols inde...
25-ton Chinese Rocket Debris to fall on Earth WHAT HAS HAPPENED ? Scientists say there’s an outside chance that debris from a massive, spent Chinese booster rocket will not entirely burn up on reentering Earth’s atmosphere and could rain down on populated areas in the coming days. And it’s not the first time Chinese space junk has raised public safety concerns. WHAT IS THIS DEBRIS ? China delivered a second module to its manned but still under construction Tiangong space station over the weekend. But, while the mission was considered a success and smaller parts of the cargo spacecraft have already largely burned up in the atmosphere, A 25-ton booster rocket is currently in a decaying, uncontrolled orbit, and scientists expect it to fall back to Earth in a matter of days. WHERE WILL IT FALL ? The Aerospace Corporation, which tracks space junk through its Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris S...