One of India’s top engineering schools has restricted Internet access in its boarding houses, saying addiction to surfing, gaming and blogging was affecting students’ performance, making them lonely and even suicidal.

Authorities at the best Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai said students had stopped socializing and many were late for morning classes or slept through them. “Now, a student doesn’t even know who lives two doors away from him because he is so busy on the Internet,” said Prakash Gopalan, dean of Student Affairs. “The old dormitory culture of companionship and socializing among students is gone. This is not healthy in our opinion.”

IIT-Mumbai, with about 5,000 students, is one of the seven IITs across India which are considered to be among the finest engineering schools in the world. They are also a talent pool for global technology giants. But their hard courses, tough competition and lonely campus lifestyle have taken an effect on students. Depressive and dysfunctional lifestyles are known to be common among IIT students, and at least nine have committed suicide in the past five years. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their boarding houses to help them in their studies, but many also use it to surf, chat, download movies and music, blog and for gaming.

“Starting Monday, Internet access will be banned between 11 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. at IIT-Mumbai’s 13 boarding buildings to encourage students to sleep early and to try and force them out of their shells.” Gopalan said. But the move has not gone down well with students who say they hate their lives being regulated. “Now they will say we need to listen to a lullaby (摇篮曲) to go to sleep.” said Rajiv, an electronics student.

Shopping online appeals to the young and the old, but it can also be annoying for there’re too many choices. For example, I need a toy car for my son’s birthday, when searching for one toy car, I’m overwhelmed by several dozens of choices. To scan customer reviews can help get a better sense of products when we can’t judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online recommendations before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can’t be trusted?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down (打击) on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.

“Our proposed rule on fake review s shows that we’re using all available means to attack deceptive (欺骗性的) advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.

What potentially causes people to worry is that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.

In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated (操控) review s of their products.

In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer King Flower to pay $ 4. 2 million to settle accusations that it blocked negative review s from being posted on its website — the first FIC action involving a company’s effort to hide negative reviews.

Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FIC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.

(A)

Ten Chinese students are demanding that Beijing Normal University Professor Yu Dan be away from her television show on CCTV­10. They argue that her on-­air explanations of Confucius's Analects(孔子《论语》) are “incorrect and misleading”.

Yu is known for explaining Confucius's Analects to a TV audience. But some complain that her explanations are unfaithful to Chinese tradition.

But Yu doesn't seem to worry about her critics, saying, “It's a matter of personal choice. Some like KFC, while others like McDonalds.”

(B)

“Stealing an online gamer's password might seem less harmful than credit card theft. It does keep the victim from wearing himself out all night playing. But it is not all that nice，” says 19-­year-­old Zhang Qiwen, in Shanghai.

Last August, Zhang accidentally downloaded a Trojan while playing Warcraft. The Trojan is a type of virus used by hackers to steal people's passwords. Overnight the Trojan transferred all the “gold” (game credits) from Zhang's private account to an unknown account. Zhang hopes the police will find and punish the thief, who can also pocket some cash since the stolen “gold” can go on sale online.

(C)

New England's largest indoor public garden has opened here in a historic park, and officials expect it to become a centre for learning about plants as well as a top attraction for visitors.

The glass­walled Roger Williams Park Botanical Centre, which opened on March 2, offers a tropical garden, an orchid garden, and a Mediterranean room with a collection of citrus trees. The centre also has two classrooms and will offer gardening classes provided by the University of Rhode Island.

Roger Williams Park, named for the city's 17th­century founder, also has a zoo. The park attracts more than 2 million visitors a year, and Providence Mayor said that he expects the new centre will attract more and more visitors to Providence.