FB tells NYU to halt project that collects political ad data

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FB tells NYU to halt project that collects political ad data

Facebook has asked New York University to stop collecting data for a research project that aims to decipher political ad targeting on its platform.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Facebook claimed that the Ad Observatory which is a project at the university’s engineering school “scrapes data from political ads shown on Facebook”.

The social networking giant said the project is violating its terms of service.

The NYU Ad Observatory has recruited more than 6,500 volunteers to use a “specially-designed browser extension to collect data about the political ads Facebook shows them”.

Facebook said that “scraping tools, no matter how well-intentioned, are not a permissible means of collecting information from us.”

The social network has also sent a letter to the university, allegedly threatening further enforcement action if the project did not shut down and delete the data it has collected.

Earlier, the researchers at New York University discovered that Facebook is failing to label who paid for some election ads, including some on behalf of Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign, reports BuzzFeed News.

Laura Edelson, a researcher with the NYU project, was quoted as saying that the Joe Biden ads are what Facebook labels “paid partnerships,” more akin to sponsored posts with an influencer than a typical election ad.

“Those things have become a huge business right now, and they’re not made transparent in the Facebook Ads Library,” she said.

Edelson and her colleagues previously found that Facebook failed to identify and label 9.7 percent of ads for elections and issues placed between May 2018 and June 2019.

IPL: CSK struggle to find the right combination

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IPL: CSK struggle to find the right combination

Chennai Super Kings have been struggling to find the perfect combination this season, team coach Stephen Fleming admitted after the Chennai franchise suffered their heaviest defeat on Friday by losing to Mumbai Indians by 10 wickets.

The M.S. Dhoni-led team, desperately looking for a win to stay in contention for a play-offs spot, decided to ring in changes for Friday’s match including sending an out-of-touch and inexperienced Ruturaj Gaikwad to open against the potent new ball attack of Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.

“Our opening pair has been a bit mixed. The reason why Gaikwad is there is because of (Imran) Tahir. We’ve got a problem there because our spin bowling has been a little bit ineffective. When you have one of the world’s best spinners, you are keen to introduce him,” said Fleming pointing to the troubles the franchise has faced in fielding South African Imran Tahir as one of its four overseas players.

CSK’s batting has struggled with not much depth in Indian talent. This has forced CSK to put Sam Curran, Shane Watson, and Faf du Plessis in the top three, leaving one overseas spot to be fought among all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, paceman Josh Hazlewood, leg-spinner Imran Tahir and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.

Bravo, because of his all-around skill-sets, was the obvious option in the early phase. When he got injured, CSK brought in Hazlewood to strengthen their relatively weak pace attack.

On Friday, CSK decided to drop Watson to introduce Tahir which meant that Gaikwad had to be pushed in to open the innings.

“The advice to Gaikwad was to find his feet. (But) we had a bad batting day. Sums up the entire tournament. Everything we tried, it has been the exact opposite of it. Today was a great example of it.”

IPL: Our place in points table appropriate, says CSK coach Fleming

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IPL: Our place in points table appropriate, says CSK coach Fleming

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming said that there is a lot of hurt, disappointment, and frustration within the camp after the three-time IPL champions crashed to Mumbai Indians (MI) by 10 wickets on Friday.

Fleming added that the loss to Mumbai Indians was symptomatic of the entire season which has gone totally wrong. He added that CSK deserves the bottom place in the points table. The Chennai franchise is placed eighth with six points.

“There is a lot of hurt, disappointment, the frustration that goes along with a disappointing season. There were a lot of things tried but we just couldn’t put a game together,” said Fleming after the humiliating loss on Friday.

“We’ve had holes throughout, like losing a player before the start of the season to things like being one over short or losing a couple of wickets too many. That can happen to a team off the pace. We don’t have the numbers from individuals, therefore our place in the points table is probably appropriate.”

CSK were reduced to 24 for five in the power-play as MI seamers Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah ran riot. Boult picked three of those power-play wickets while Bumrah got two.

“We were pretty stunned, we had a terrible power-play, losing wickets so quickly and frequently. The game was almost over in the power-play itself. It was tough watching. They bowled well but we made them find ways of getting us out.”

IPL: Early swing makes captains Kohli, Pollard change plans

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IPL: Early swing makes captains Kohli, Pollard change plans

Wickets in the UAE is used for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 matches are supporting enough swing to force captains to make changes to their pre-match plans on the field of play itself.

As the tournament enters its business end, captains are now willing to go for pace bowlers who can exploit the early movement instead of saving them for the middle or late overs.

After the Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli had changed his plan immediately after Chris Morris’s first over against Kolkata Knight Riders on October 12 and gave the new ball to seamer Mohammed Siraj ahead of off-spinner Washington Sundar who had shared the new ball in earlier games, Mumbai Indians skipper Kieron Pollard did the same on Friday night.

Instead of bringing in a spinner as he had initially planned, Pollard brought in Jasprit Bumrah for the second over after seeing the swing Trent Boult was getting in the first over. Pollard had thought of pairing Boult with either a spinner or seamer Nathan Coulter-Nile.

“We didn’t want to use Jasprit (Bumrah) early but after getting that early wicket and seeing that over from Trent we decided to go for him and it worked for us. Rayudu has batted well against us in the last few games over a couple of years. The two bowlers executed and delivered on the plans,” said Pollard in a press conference after the match.

Pollard added, “We were thinking of Trent opening the bowling and then going for a spinner or Nathan (Coulter-Nile) but with a couple of balls swinging, getting an early wicket and Rayudu coming in, we had to go to our most experienced bowler and one of our better bowlers against their experienced batsman.”

Call of Duty: Mobile gets around 50mn pre-registered users in China

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Call of Duty: Mobile gets around 50mn pre-registered users in China

Popular battle royale shooter Call of Duty: Mobile is all set to launch in China on October 29 and now a new report claims that the game has received nearly 50 million pre-registered users in the country.

Licensed by Activision Blizzard and developed by Tencent, Call of Duty: Mobile was unavailable to the Chinese, it was blocked by the censor board for its violence, reports GizmoChaina.

The app will be available in the world’s biggest gaming market after Tencent removed the blood and gore aspect of the game.

Sensor Tower had earlier predicted in June that the game could surpass Tencent’s own PUBG Mobile to emerge as the world’s biggest mobile game after its China release.

Call of Duty: Mobile has proven popular worldwide since its October 2019 release. Within eight months, the shooter had racked up 250 million downloads. However, around 100 million of those installs were accumulated in its launch week.

Furthermore, Call of Duty: Mobile proved to be a big winner at The Game Awards 2019, as the shooter took home the Best Mobile Game accolade.

Call of Duty: Mobile generated close to $500 million in player spending in its first year, making it the 22nd most profitable mobile game in the world during that time.

Gulshan Devaiah on B’wood controversies: People are raising voice with insincerity

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Gulshan Devaiah on B’wood controversies: People are raising voice with insincerity

Actor Gulshan Devaiah feels recent controversies, related to allegations of Bollywood-drug trade nexus as well as nepotism charges, which have been surrounding the film fraternity, do not bother him.

“Without taking names, I want to say that the controversies and generalization that have defamed our film industry in the recent past do not bother me. What bothers me is the people who are raising their voices with a huge amount of insincerity. If you know that you are an influential voice of the film industry, will you not check your own words before uttering them? That is why I have difficulty trusting them. The audience that is observing the toxicity, should sit back and try to understand who is benefitting from these controversies? As an audience, are you?” said the actor.

Gulshan has managed to make his mark in the entertainment industry across mediums. He has impressed in films like “Shaitan”, “Hate Story”, “Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela”, and “A Death In The Gunj”, just as he has scored in web series like “Smoke” and “Asos”. His new film “Footfairy” releases on television.

In his upcoming film, Gulshan has worked with budding filmmaker Kanishk Varma. Asked if the actor-director equation changes depending on the experience of the director, Gulshan told IANS: “I do not friend with Dibakar (Banerjee) the way I am friend with Kanishk but then I have a different level of respect for Dibakar because of the excellent director he is. So when I worked with him in ‘Ghost Stories; it was a unique actor-director equation on set.”

“Who I collaborate with matters to me for sure. I would really love to work with Vasan (Bala) and Anurag (Kashyap) and not to, as well. We are good friends and there is a great comfort level. If I only work with my good friends and keep myself in that comfort zone all the time, I will stop pushing myself towards challenges and that will not help in my career growth,” he reasoned.

He explained his point further: “When I was working in ‘Commando 3’ I wasn’t friends with the director initially. Everyone was new to me — the director, actors, and crew members. Eventually, we got along really well. That is how we expand our professional lives. I think I would love to work with Vasan and Anurag but not in every film! Because our equation or bonding is not defined by the number of projects we do together,” explained the actor.

The actor made his debut with Anurag Kashyap’s 2011 release, “That Girl In Yellow Boots” and also appeared in the filmmaker’s 2015 co-production, “Hunterrr”. With Vasan Bala, he worked in “Peddlers” (2012) and “Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” (2018).

Gulshan’s latest, “Footfairy”, is an &pictures original film all set to hit television screens on October 24.

Income Tax Dept issues guidelines for filing tax returns

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Income Tax Dept issues guidelines for filing tax returns

The Income Tax Department has issued a lengthy instruction manual running into hundreds of pages for filling up the tax returns for the assessment year 2020-21.

The Income Tax Department has issued a detailed step by step reckoner for filing tax returns to be submitted under different heads.

These instructions are guidelines to help the taxpayers for filing the particulars in Income-tax Return Form-1 for the Assessment Year 2020-21 relating to the Financial Year 2019-2020.

This Return Form is to be used by an individual who is a resident other than not ordinarily resident, whose total income for the Assessment Year 2020-21 does not exceed Rs 50 lakh and who has income under the following heads: (a) Income from Salary/ Pension; or (b) Income from One House Property; or (c) Interest income and/ or family pension taxable under other sources.

Further, in a case where the income of another person like spouse, minor child, etc. is to be clubbed with the income of the assessee, this Return Form can be used only if the income being clubbed falls into the above income categories.

This Return Form should not be used by an individual who — (a) is a Director in a company; (b) has held any unlisted equity shares at any time during the previous year; (c) has an asset (including financial interest in any entity) located outside India; (d) has signing authority in any account located outside India; or (e) has income from any source outside India.

This return form also cannot be used by an individual who has any income of the following nature during the previous year:- (a) Profits and gains from business and professions; (b) Capital gains; (c) Income from more than one house property.

In addition, this form should not be used if Income under the head other sources which is of the following nature: (i) winnings from lottery; (ii) activity of owning and maintaining race horses; (iii) income taxable at special rates under section 115BBDA or section 115BBE; Income to be apportioned in accordance with provisions of section 5A; or (f) Agricultural income in excess of? 5,000.

Further, this return form also cannot be used by an individual who has any claims of loss/deductions/relief/tax credit, etc. of the following nature: (a) any brought forward loss or loss to be carried forward under the head ‘Income from house property’; (b) loss under the head ‘Income from other sources’; (c) any claim of relief under section 90 and/or section 91; (d) any claim of deduction under section 57, other than a deduction under clause (iia) thereof (relating to family pension); or (e) any claim of credit of tax deducted at source in the hands of any other person.

This will be an annexure-less Return Form No document (including TDS certificate) should be attached to this Return Form. All such documents enclosed with this Return Form will be detached and returned to the person filing the return.

The tax filers have to mandatorily report deposit of amount or aggregates of the amount exceeding Rs one crore in one or more current accounts; b) Incurred expenditure of an amount or aggregate of the amount exceeding Rs 2 lakh for travel to a foreign country for yourself or any other person; c) Incurred expenditure of amount or aggregate of an amount exceeding Rs 1 lakh on the consumption of electricity.

As per the instructions for filling out Form ITR-2, this Return Form is to be used by an individual or a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) who is not eligible to file Form ITR-1 (Sahaj) and who is not having any income under the head “Profits or gains of business or profession”.

This Return Form should not be used by an individual whose total income for the Assessment Year 2020-21 includes Income under the head “Profits or Gains of Business or Profession”.

Capital gains arising from the sale/transfer of different types of capital assets have been segregated. In case of Long Term/Short Term Capital Gain arising on sale of Immovable property, i.e, A1 and B1 where capital gains are required to be computed separately for each property, and Schedule CG – Capital Gains arising from sale/transfer of different types of capital assets have been segregated.

In case of long term capital gains (LTCG) arising on sale of equity shares in a company or unit of equity oriented fund or unit of business trust on which STT is paid, computation of capital gains should be made as per item No. B4 or item No. B7.

Separate computation of capital gains should be made for each scrip or units of mutual fund sold during the year as per Schedule 112A and 115AD(1)(b)(iii) proviso.

The net capital gains arising on the sale of individual scrips should be aggregated and will be auto-populated.

Thereafter, the tax shall be charged at a flat rate of 10 percent in Schedule SI on the aggregate LTCG, as reduced by Rs 1 lakh, for the purpose of tax computation.

Steady oil prices holds up any reversion in petrol diesel prices

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Steady oil prices holds up any reversion in petrol diesel prices

The pump prices of auto fuels petrol and diesel remained unchanged on Saturday as softer global crude and product prices prevented oil marketing companies from carrying out any revision in prices.

With this, Petrol prices have now been unchanged for 32 days at a stretch while diesel prices were the same for the 22 consecutive days.

The price of petrol in the national capital stood at Rs 81.06 per liter. In Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, the fuel was sold for Rs 87.74, Rs 84.14, and Rs 82.59 per liter, respectively.

Diesel prices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata continue to be at Rs 70.46, Rs 76.86, Rs 75.95, and Rs 73.99, respectively.

Oil sector experts said that with global oil prices under pressure from slowing demand in the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic sweeping several western countries, the crude prices could fall in the coming days. If this holds on for a week or so, there could be positive gains for auto fuel consumers in India by way of a fall in the retail price of petrol and diesel.

Global crude prices are holding close to $42 a barrel now. It has been hovering between $40-42 a barrel for over a month now. But with lower oil demand and rising inventory, there is fear among oil-producing companies that crude prices may start falling again.

UP CM extends ‘Ashtami’ and ‘Navami’ greetings

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UP CM extends ‘Ashtami’ and ‘Navami’ greetings

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday extended greetings to the people on the auspicious occasion of Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami in Sharadiya Navratris. He said the festival was known for celebrating women’s power and respect for girls.

The Chief Minister said goddess ‘Adi Shakti’ had several infinite forms and primarily existed in nine forms as goddess Navdurga, showering her compassion on the whole universe. On the occasion of Navratri, these nine forms of the Goddess are worshiped with full devotion, he said.

The worship of Maa Durga during Navratris is a symbol of Sanatan Dharma’s tradition of respect for women, the CM added.

Devotees all over the country perform ‘Kanya Pujan’ on Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami.

He also appealed to the people to strictly follow the Covid-19 protocols and social distancing norms during celebrations on the occasion.

“Goddess Mahagauri (eighth avatar of goddess Durga), the goddess of grandeur, pomp, peace, and prosperity, blesses all her devotees with Ashta Siddhis (eight yogic accomplishments) and nine treasures according to the Hindu scriptures. May everyone be blessed in the new year with the blessings of the mother goddess. Hail goddess Mahagauri!” he added.

Will protest till Guv nod to TN students’ reservation Bill: DMK

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Will protest till Guv nod to TN students’ reservation Bill: DMK

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin on Saturday said his party will continue to protest till Governor Banwarilal Purohit gave assent to a Bill to ensure reservation for government school students in medical college admissions in Tamil Nadu.

Leading a massive DMK protest to demand assent to the Bill sent to the Governor nearly 40 days ago, Stalin said the party after returning to power will seek all legal recourses to get the state exemption from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy on preferential basis to the students of the Government Schools Bill, 2020 providing 7.5 percent reservation for government school students was passed by the Assembly on September 15.

Condemning the ruling AIADMK government, Stalin questioned why Chief Minister K Palaniswami was not urging Purohit to give his nod to the Bill.

Stalin said that if Palaniswami did not ask the Governor to cut the delay, the DMK will question him.

Stalin, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said that two Bills seeking exemption from NEET were passed unanimously in the Assembly in 2017 and sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for assent. However, the Bills were sent back to Tamil Nadu seven months later. This matter came to public notice 23 months later due to a court case, Stalin alleged.

He said the NEET results have been declared and counselling should start soon.

Stalin claimed that the NEET was mired in confusion as there have been instances of proxies writing the exams, and in declaration of results.

“If the Governor gives his nod to the Bill, 300 students from government schools will get admission in medical colleges or else only eight students will get admissions,” the DMK leader said.

On Thursday, Stalin had said that his party will hold a massive protest outside the Raj Bhavan after he received a reply to his letter from Purohit.

Purohit maintained that he needed three to four weeks to arrive at a decision on the Bill for 7.5 percent horizontal reservation in medical college admissions to those who had studied in government schools in Tamil Nadu.

Gujarat was first state to adopt policy for solar power: Modi

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Gujarat was first state to adopt policy for solar power: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated three projects in Gujarat including the Kisan Sarvodaya Scheme, under which the farmers will get electricity during the day for the irrigation purpose and said that Gujarat was the first state to adopt a policy for solar power generation.

Besides Kisan Suryoday Scheme, Modi also inaugurated the Paediatric Heart Hospital attached with the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre & Mobile App for telecardiology at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and the Ropeway at Girnar via video conferencing.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, “After Sujlam Suflam and Sauni scheme, this Suryodaya scheme will benefit farmers. It will give maximum benefit to farmers.”

He said the works in the power sector will work wonders for farmers of Gujarat in the coming years.

He also highlighted that Gujarat was the first state in the country which brought policies for solar power usage. “When the Patan solar power plant was set up in Gujarat, no one has imagined that India will show the world the mantra of one sun-one world-one grid,” he said.

“Today India is among the top countries in the production of Solar power generation. It has reached on 5th spot and is moving forward at a rapid pace,” Modi said.

Highlighting the benefits of the Kisan Suryodaya Scheme, Prime Minister said, “Farmers will get the power since morning till 9 p.m., and they will get three-phase electricity.”

He also said that the Gujarat government will lay 3,500 km of new circuit lines in the next few years in the state. “And I have been informed that in 1,000 villages, most of which are in tribal areas will be benefitted in the coming days,” Modi said.

The recently completed ropeway on Mount Girnar near Junagadh city of Saurashtra region covers a distance of 2.13 kilometers from the foot to the peak where the temple of Maa Amba is situated.

1,273 new corona cases in Telangana, 1,708 more recoveries

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1,273 new corona cases in Telangana, 1,708 more recoveries

Telangana registered 1,273 new coronavirus cases, increasing the state’s total tally to 2.3 lakh, even as 1,708 more patients recovered from the virus.

Of the 2.3 lakh cases, active cases total 19,937 in Telangana.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas logged the highest 227 new cases in the past 24 hours, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri district (104), Rangareddy (102), Nalgonda (76), Khammam (75), Bhadradri Kothagudem (69), Karimnagar (55), Warangal Urban (51), Siddipet (41), Rajanna Sircilla (32), Suryapet (31), Nizamabad (30) and others.

Only five more people succumbed to the virus in the last one day, increasing the state’s COVID death toll to 1,303.

The total recoveries in the southern state are 2.09 lakh — a recovery rate of an impressive 90.77 percent.

In the past 24 hours, Telangana tested 35,280 more samples, taking the total to 40.5 lakh.

The state has tested 1.08 lakh samples per million population, a majority conducted in government hospitals.

As many as 70 percent or 1.61 lakh cases are asymptomatic and the remaining 30 percent or 69,082 symptomatic.

EU environment ministers partially agree on proposed climate law

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EU environment ministers partially agree on proposed climate law

European environment ministers have reached an agreement on a partial general approach to the proposed climate law, it was announced.

“I am pleased to announce that today we were able to reach agreement among member states on large parts of the European climate law proposal. It is important that we make as much progress as possible on this key piece of legislation,” Xinhua news agency quoted German Federal Minister for the Environment Svenja Schulze as saying in a statement on Friday.

The agreement was reached during an in-person meeting held in Luxembourg.

After intense discussion, the ministers agreed that the European Union (EU)-wide 2050 climate-neutrality objective should be pursued by all member states collectively.

It meanwhile stressed the importance of promoting both fairness and solidarity among member states and cost-effectiveness in achieving the climate neutrality objective.

While hailing the progress as a milestone, Schulze said the agreement does not yet specify an updated 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target, and the European Council has announced that it will return to the matter at its December meeting.

“Of course, we have to recognize that some member states will achieve climate neutrality earlier than others,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice president of the European Commission in charge of the European Green Deal.

The EU’s climate chief said the new proposals to be put forward next year will contain appropriate elements to support member states in implementing and achieving the targets.

The European Commission plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared with the 1990 levels, and the European Parliament backs a more ambitious one that will see a 60 percent reduction.

“I stand ready to support negotiations with the European Parliament. Our shared goal under the #EUGreenDeal remains a safe, healthy, and sustainable future for all of us,” Timmermans tweeted after the meeting.

Indian Ocean pay tribute to Covid heroes in new anthem

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Indian Ocean pay tribute to Covid heroes in new anthem

The rock band Indian Ocean has paid tribute to Covid-19 heroes through the anthem of the upcoming TV show, Bharat Ke Mahaveer.

With lyrics, “Manzilain hum khud Aaj kehne lageen, dil mein hai house, jeetegi zindagi”, the anthem video features some of India’s Covid-19 heroes along with hosts Dia Mirza and Sonu Sood. The anthem was launched on the United Nations’ 75th anniversary on Saturday.

“We believe that it is important to bring out the positive stories amidst the prevailing negativity. That is precisely why we associated with ‘Bharat Ke Mahaveer’ to create the anthem. It highlights the message that if we all come together, with good intentions and our collective efforts, we can and we will overcome this difficult situation,” the band said in a joint statement.

“It feels great to see that people stepped up during such difficult times to help those in need and we saw many examples of such stories around us. The ‘Bharat Ke Mahaveer’ anthem is a salute to all such heroes and we have tried to do justice to these inspiring stories through our music,” they added.

Talking of the anthem, Dia added: “It speaks of hope, solidarity, unity, and brotherhood. During these difficult and trying times, this message is exactly what India and the world need.”

“Bharat Ke Mahaveer” is a three-part series and will bring 12 stories as representative of the spirit of solidarity in the country. It will commence with phase one in November on the Discovery channel, and Discovery Plus app.

Kapil Dev flashes double thumbs up sign after angioplasty

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Kapil Dev flashes double thumbs up sign after angioplasty

India’s first World Cup-winning cricket captain Kapil Dev is well on road to recovery after a successful emergency coronary angioplasty, and this is evident from a photo in which the legendary all-rounder is seen flashing a double thumbs-up sign from his hospital bed.

In the photo, 61-year-old Kapil’s daughter Amiya is also seen sitting on a chair beside his hospital bed smiling while he is posing for the camera. Kapil, according to a bulletin from Fortis-Escorts Heart Institute Hospital in south Delhi on Friday, was in the Intensive Care Unit and would be discharged in a couple of days.

The ‘Haryana Hurricane’, as Kapil is often called, himself tweeted late on Friday night to express his gratitude to his fans and friends. “Thank you all for all the love and concern. I am overwhelmed with good wishes and well on the road to recovery,” he wrote.

West Indian fast bowling great Courtney Walsh, who broke Kapil’s world Test record of 434 wickets in March 2000, reacted to the Indian legend’s tweet. “All the best master dev speedy recovery champ,” wrote Walsh, followed by a folded hands emoticon.

Kapil was operated upon on Thursday-Friday night after he complained of acute chest pain.

That Kapil was in great spirits was also evident from a message he wrote on Friday on a WhatsApp group exclusively for the members of the 1983 World Cup-winning team.

“Hi everyone. I’m in good spirits and doing well. On the way to a speedy recovery. Can’t wait to return to my golf game. You guys are my family. Thank you,” Kapil wrote in reply to the wishes of his former India team-mates who did the unthinkable by winning the World Cup against all odds in England.

Kapil was admitted to the Fortis-Escorts Heart Institute Hospital in south Delhi at around 1 a.m. on Thursday-Friday, and Dr. Atul Mathur, Director of Cardiology Department successfully performed an emergency coronary angioplasty.

Angioplasty is a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery.

Apart from the world Test wickets record that Kapil held for over six years, until March 2000, his other big achievement was to lead in limited-overs cricket minnows India to World Cup triumph in 1983.

In an illustrious international career that ran from 1978 to 1994, Kapil captured 434 wickets and scored 5,248 runs in 131 Tests, and bagged 253 wickets, and made 3,783 runs in 225 ODIs. He was best known for his potent outswinger that accounted for many batting stalwarts.

As captain, Kapil also led India to triumph in the four-nation Rothmans Cup in Sharjah in 1985.

Kapil has won almost all the top sports and civil awards in India and also abroad. In 1979-80, the Indian government conferred on him the Arjuna Award, the Padma Shri in 1982, and the Padma Bhushan in 1991.

The International Cricket Council inducted him in its Hall of Fame in 2010 while the Board of Control for Cricket in India honored him with its highest accolade, the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award, in 2013.

Wisden considered the final word on cricket, picked him among its Five Cricketers of the Year in its 1983 almanac, and in 2002 it chose him as the Indian Cricketer of the 20th Century in a one-off award.

Young Souls and Phoenix Point to arrive at Stadia next year

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Young Souls and Phoenix Point to arrive at Stadia next year

Google has announced two more games, Young Souls and Phoenix Point are coming to its Stadia Cloud gaming service users, next year.

Young Souls and Phoenix Point join a host of other new game announcements for Stadia like Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and ARK: Survival Evolved, reports 9To5Google.

Phoenix Point, developed by Snapshot Games, led by X-COM creator Julian Gollop. Will be landing on Google Stadia sometime in Q1 2021.

Phoenix Point puts the player in the midst of a desperate fight to take back the earth from a mutating, alien menace.

Featuring turn-based, tactical combat, and resource management on a global scale, Phoenix Point offers endless replayability and a brutal challenge.

Young Souls, first revealed in 2018, is now an exclusive First on Stadia timed game, scheduled to be released next year at some point.

Young Souls is a journey between two worlds, each one full of experiences and encounters that will shape the character and fate of our heroes.

Google also announced that Ubisoft is adding new games to Stadia, including adventures within the worlds of Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Ghost Recon, and Assassin’s Creed.

Ubisoft is a French video game company headquartered in Montreuil with several development studios across the world.

Stadia users will be able to play the upcoming titles the moment they launch. There will be no waiting time for downloads and installs.

Men produce more Covid antibodies than women: Study

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Men produce more Covid antibodies than women: Study

On average, men produce more Covid-19 antibodies than women, say, Portuguese researchers, adding that, 90 percent of the patients have detectable antibodies up to seven months post contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The results, published in the European Journal of Immunology, also show that age is not a confounding factor in levels of antibodies produced, but disease severity is.

“Our immune system recognizes the virus SARS-CoV-2 as harmful and produces antibodies in response to it, which helps to fight the virus,” said study author Marc Veldhoen from Medicina Molecular Joao Lobo Antunes in Portugal.

For the findings, the research team set up an in-house sensitive specific and versatile Covid-19 serology test.

They started to monitor the antibody levels of over 300 Covid-19 hospital patients and healthcare workers, and over 200 post-Covid-19 volunteers.

The results of this six months cross-sectional study show a classic pattern with a rapid increase of antibody levels within the first three weeks after Covid-19 symptoms and, as expected, a reduction to intermediate levels thereafter.

“In this early response phase, on average men produce more antibodies than women, but levels equilibrate during the resolution phase and are similar between the sexes in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection,” Veldhoen said.

In the acute phase of the immune response, the team observed higher antibody levels in patients with more severe disease.

Also, the results show that age is not a confounding factor for the production of antibodies, as no significant differences were observed between age groups.

Globally, 90 percent of participants have detectable antibodies up to seven months post contracting Covid-19.

Next, the research team evaluated the function of these antibodies, i.e. their neutralizing activity against the virus SARS-CoV-2.

Also, the research team analyzed the neutralizing capacity of the antibodies produced by the patients and volunteers.

“Our work provides detailed information for the assays used, facilitating further and longitudinal analysis of protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2,” Veldhoen said.

Importantly, it highlights a continued level of circulating neutralizing antibodies in most people with confirmed SARS-CoV-2.

Important to pick wickets early: Boult

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Important to pick wickets early: Boult

Mumbai Indians’ pace bowler Trent Boult, who took four for 18 in his four-over spell to lead his team to an emphatic win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK), said he went into Friday’s game with a clear mind.

Boult was being interviewed by Bumrah in a video put up by IPLT20.com.

Bumrah asked Boult about the mindset before going into the bowl, considering that the Sharjah ground is small and there is dew.

“There have been some big scores in Sharjah. I was just looking to be as clear as I could. We do a lot of planning and scouting on certain players, like when they like to hit the ball. It has been a good day,” said Boult after picking the man of the match award.

Mumbai Indians restricted CSK to just 114/9 in their 20 overs.

Boult said it is important to pick wickets early in the T20 format.

“It was nice to pick some wickets from both ends, we all know how important early wickets in the format are. Some days we don’t get that happening. But, obviously, it was nice to get the team off to a good start,” he added.

While Boult picked four, Bumrah took two for 25. Together, they reduced CSK to 24 for five in the first six overs of power-play.

India, US likely to ink strategic info sharing pact during 2+2 meet

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The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), a breakthrough pact for sharing important strategic information, is likely to be signed during the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between the top foreign affairs and defense officials of India and the US next week, a senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration has hinted.

“We’ve made significant progress towards concluding the last foundational defense enabling agreement, the BECA,” the official told reporters on Friday ahead of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mike Esper’s visit to India for the 2+2 meeting.

“This agreement will allow for expanded geospatial information sharing between our armed forces.

“We are also seeking to expand secure communication capabilities between our respective militaries as well as between our foreign and defense ministries, and that too figures prominently on what we’re trying to accomplish in the information-sharing space,” the official said on the basis of anonymity.

In preparation for it on the Indian side, the cabinet approved the BECA, which had been submitted by the Defence Ministry on Wednesday.

BECA will enable sharing geospatial intelligence and information on maps and satellite images for defense and also have applications in times of disaster to organize relief.

India will be represented by Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the 2+2, which will be held a week before the November 3 US presidential election.

The official said that the US would welcome greater Indian participation in Southeast Asia through a presence in the South China Sea, but also through security cooperation and development investments.

“We’ve had an ongoing dialogue with the Indians about increased cooperation in Southeast Asia writ large, not simply the South China Sea, and we encourage their involvement.

“Given China’s increasingly aggressive behavior across the Indo-Pacific from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, it’s more important than ever that we work with like-minded partners such as India,” the official said.

Asked if the US election outcome could impact the cooperation between New Delhi and Washington on countering China, the official said: “I fully expect, have no reason to believe that in the event of there being a new administration following the upcoming elections here in the US that the policy with regard to India would change. I think both parties are largely aligned on their interest in supporting and deepening the partnership.”

The official said that Washington was “covering the situation in the Himalayas closely, and understandably. And we certainly want to ensure that the situation doesn’t escalate”.

“Certainly we are providing support, whether through defense sales, exercises an as well as information sharing… These are all areas where we cooperate with the Indians on, and not just as it relates to the tensions in the Himalayas.”

The official said that while Washington is working to enhance maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region India’s invitation to Australia to join next month’s Malabar naval exercise with Japan and the US “signals not only a strategic convergence between the Quadrilateral partners but a recognition that regional security requires strengthening allies and partnerships and working multilateral on issues of mutual concern”.

Asked about its future, the official said that the Quad — made up of India, the US, Japan, and Australia — is not a formal alliance with reciprocal obligation among its participants and does not seek members, but “there are many different dimensions in which it can grow and expand, and more… All activities are on the table and meetings among officials in different places and at different levels and with different subject matter focus”.

“So I think all of us are open to additional cooperation, coordination, and common activity. And I expect that the next year will see even more alignment of activities among the four countries in the Quad, and hopefully those that will bring in other like-minded nations as well.”

Asked about the Trump administration’s restrictions on student H1-B professional visas that are heavily impacting Indians, the official said the measures were not directed against New Delhi.

“Our current visa policy is based on US interests in protecting some, the American homeland and respect for American immigration law. None of the current restrictions have anything to do with any specific country, and many of them have a lot to do with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“So I think we would be looking to see some changes in global travel patterns and easing of pandemic restrictions globally before we would see a really substantial change in any of our visa and immigration policies at the moment,” he added.

In dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and health issues, the official said: “Joint efforts to develop and produce Covid-19 vaccines have taken off at a remarkable pace. More than half a dozen American companies and institutions are working on vaccine research with Indian partners like the Serum Institute of India.

“We know that going forward, working closely with India and its robust research and pharmaceutical sectors will be critical to finding and implementing a cure for infectious diseases.”

Data is fuel, 5G fabric for digital transformation: Michael Dell

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Data is fuel, 5G fabric for digital transformation: Michael Dell

Reiterating that technology has never been more central than it is in the pandemic times, Dell Technologies chairman and CEO Michael Dell have said digital transformation is like a machine with data as its fuel and 5G as its digital fabric.

Announcing the new Project Apex as-a-service offering, Michael Dell said that as we talk about the digital transformation, “my hope is that we are also seeing a human transformation with more kindness, generosity, and empathy”.

“We’ve needed all of that because, in the last eight months, we’ve also revealed hard truths, some hard to watch, and hard to live through, as the fault lines of our society are laid bare, in access to healthcare, to education, to opportunity, and to justice,” he said during the company’s virtual conference this week.

“We are going to need all of that kindness and generosity and empathy going forward to help bridge these divides and make good on the promise of a brighter future”.

In a bid to help customers and partners on their digital transformation journey in the pandemic times, Dell Technologies announced a Cloud Console that will provide customers a single interface to manage multi-cloud, on-premise, and edge deployments.

The Cloud Console is part of a new ‘Project Apex’ as-a-service strategy that aims to simplify how customers access Dell’s capabilities across storage, servers, networking, hyper-converged infrastructure, PCs, and architectural offerings.

“We are committed to delivering all of our products and solutions as a service in an effort we’re calling Project Apex; so you can consume solutions, any way you want, pay-as-you-use, pay-as-you-go or subscription,” the Dell Technologies CEO said during the opening keynote.

Directionally, Project Apex will be Dell Technologies’ North Star. The new Dell Storage as a Service is an on-premises portfolio of scalable and elastic storage resources that will be available first in the US in the first half of next year.

In a nutshell, Dell’s flexible on-demand pricing, multi-cloud management, and similar plans will be built into ‘Project Apex’.

“As everything in the physical world becomes intelligent and connected, the amount and relevance of data will continue to explode. The data era is here and to win organizations need to accelerate the digital transformation,” Michael Dell emphasized.

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