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Why do humans use ‘baby voice’ when we speak to pets?

August 12, 2026 (Conversation) You walk in a park. Children are playing, people are walking their dogs, and then you hear someone: “Who’s my little sweetie?” You turn around expecting to see a pram. But someone is sitting beside a dog, speaking in the same voice they would use with a baby. It’s not in your head. The way we speak to babies is very similar to the way we speak to our pets – and research confirms this. So why do we do this? And do pets even care? The useful features of baby-talk For pets and babies, we

New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse

DUBAI, Aug 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping on Tuesday as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim, with Tehran saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless ​Washington accepts its conditions. The attacks, in the Gulf of Oman leading to the strait and at the entrance to the Red Sea — both vital chokepoints for global oil supplies — come as ‌the war shows no signs of ending despite repeated assertions from U.S. President Donald Trump of a deal being imminent. Oil prices gained and global shares retreated

Stock markets decline in early trade amid rising crude oil prices

Mumbai, Aug 12 (PTI) Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty drifted lower in early trade on Wednesday as higher crude oil prices weighed on investors’ sentiment. The 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 35.99 points to 78,097.31 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty skidded 31.15 points to 24,444.55. Further in the trade, the BSE benchmark dropped 211.37 points to 77,953.66, and the Nifty traded 65.10 points down at 24,411.15. From the Sensex pack, Bharti Airtel, Mahindra & Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports, Titan and Bajaj Finance were among the major laggards. State Bank of India, Tech Mahindra, Axis Bank and Asian

Rupee falls 6 paise to 95.42 against US dollar in early trade

Rupee falls 6 paise to 95.42 against US dollar in early trade

Mumbai, Aug 12 (PTI) The rupee fell 6 paise to 95.42 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, weighed down by the sharp rise in Brent crude toward USD 90/bbl, as hopes of a quick US-Iran agreement and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz faded. Forex traders said the principal driver behind the rise in Brent crude prices is the uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz. Markets are increasingly sceptical about a quick US-Iran agreement, while reports of attacks on shipping have renewed concerns about physical supply, they said. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at

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