FB, Instagram launch AR filters, GIFs, hashtags for Durga Puja

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FB, Instagram launch AR filters, GIFs, hashtags for Durga Puja

Facebook and Instagram on Tuesday launched several features and content programming to help make virtual Durga Puja celebrations as entertaining as possible in the country.

These features include AR filters and stickers to create fun and engaging Stories, Reels, Facebook posts, and programming on specific hashtags like #DurgaPujo2020, #ShubhoMahalaya, #FBDurgaPujo, #IGDurgaPujo.

“From capturing feelings and expressions to celebrating together, Facebook and its family of apps have always played an important role in bringing people together,” Manish Chopra, Director, and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India, said in a statement.

“As we gear up to celebrate Durga Pujo, we’re glad to enable the connections and expression between friends and families, innovatively, in more ways than one,” Chopra added.

According to the platform, the AR effect called ‘Pujaparikrama’ will allow people to virtually experience the Puja and pandal festive experience.

They have launched Durga Pujo GIFs which are easily searchable with the word ‘Pujo’, to make users Instagram Stories and Reels fun.

These are designed to capture the spirit of the puja from key days such as Saptami, Ashtami to key festive moments like ‘Dhanuchi Naach’ and ‘Sindur Khela’

And the new content programming includes: ‘Reely Phataphati Pujo – Puja specific content on Instagram’s new short-form video feature — Reels.

It will be available on the following hashtags – #DurgaPujoReel, #FeelItReelIt, #PujoFeelershaateyReel, #PujoReelChallenge, #DurgaPujo2020, #ShubhoMahalaya, #FBDurgaPujo, #IGDurgaPujo, and many more.

Handerson: van Dijk’s injury big blow for Liverpool

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Handerson: van Dijk’s injury big blow for Liverpool

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has admitted that the loss of Virgil van Dijk is a big blow for the Reds.

The Reds’ No.4 requires surgery on the knee injury he sustained during last Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and has stated in a post on social media that he is now focused fully on returning to fitness as soon as possible.

“Yeah, it’s a tough one. It’s a big blow for us. For him personally, obviously. But for us as a team, a massive blow,” Henderson told Liverpoolfc.com.

“I’m just gutted for him. So, it’s been a tough couple of days, I spoke to him yesterday. And yeah, it’s a difficult moment, but that’s when you need to be there for each other. I’ll be there as much as I possibly can for him, I’m sure the lads will do the same and his family certainly will help him through the journey he’ll go on,” he added.

Meanwhile, manager Jurgen Klopp has said they will do everything possible to support van Dijk throughout his rehabilitation period. Klopp has been in touch with van Dijk and reported that the Dutchman is feeling ‘OK’.

“It’s always the same, players love to be rather on their own at the moment and to deal in the first moment with it. I am long enough in the business to know that. I have injured myself, I had exactly the same injury if I’m right and it’s not then that you are then pretty chatty,” Klopp said.

“It all will start but we are in contact, of course, we are in contact. We are there for him, he knows that and we will wait for him like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail and will do, meanwhile, all that we can do to make it as easy for him as possible,” he added.

Sonalika in festive mood, as tractor demand expected to remain buoyant

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Sonalika in festive mood, as tractor demand expected to remain buoyant

Driven by the prevailing market sentiment, tractor major Sonalika is hopeful of healthy sales during the festive season.

Notably, the tractor segment has bucked the Covid-19 downtrend.

On its part, India’s largest tractor exporter — Sonalika — has registered an overall growth of 5 percent in Q1.

In June, the company reported a 55 percent growth, which increased to 71.7 percent in July and subsequently attained the highest ever rise in sales of 80 percent in August.

Last month, it sold 17,704 units with 51.4 percent domestic growth.

In a conversation with IANS, Raman Mittal, Executive Director, Sonalika Group said he expects the farmers’ sentiments to remain positive.

“The demand is expected to remain healthy, kindled by higher Kharif sowing and a good monsoon coupled with increasing preference of farmers towards mechanization,” Mittal said.

“The festive season is mostly the time when farmers are willing to spend more while looking for competitive deals, and thus we expect the growth trajectory to continue in the festive season.”

Accordingly, Mittal pointed out that Sonalika is prepared for the festive season as it contributes around 40-45 percent of the company’s overall annual volumes.

“Looking at the same, our channel partners have already stocked up for the upcoming festive season and have facilitated easy financing options,” he said.

According to Mittal, tractor demand has picked up momentum on account of higher ‘Minimum Support Price’ as well as bountiful monsoons and bumper sowing of summer crops.

“Alongside, rains have also made a surprising revisit in various parts of the country that has set up a decent ground for healthy agriculture activities later this year as well as instill confidence in farmers to aim at increased farm output,” he cited.

In terms of production, Sonalika’s manufacturing was not impacted significantly due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

The company makes majority of components that go into the manufacturing of a tractor at its facility in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.

“In fact, we had reached 80 percent utilization in the fourth week of May itself and have been operating at an optimum level,” Mittal said.

On-farm mechanization, he said the pandemic triggered lockdown has further fuelled Indian farmer’s progress towards farm mechanization.

“Farm mechanization penetration in India stands at an average of 45 percent for the entire crop cycle,” he said.

“The lockdowns due to the pandemic led to a huge movement of labor towards their respective native lands and thus farmers faced a lot of labor shortage across regions. I would say the pandemic has further fuelled this trend.”

‘False news’: Sindhu rubbishes reports of rift with family, coach Gopichand

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‘False news’: Sindhu rubbishes reports of rift with family, coach Gopichand

Reigning world champion PV Sindhu on Tuesday insisted that there is no rift within her family, adding that she has traveled to London to work on her “nutrition and recovery needs”.

In a social media post, the 25-year-old also said she has no problem with national coach Pullela Gopichand or the facilities available at his academy in Hyderabad where the national camp is currently underway.

“I came to London a few days back to work on my nutrition and recovery needs with GSSI. In fact, I have come here with the consent of my parents and absolutely they were no family rifts in this regard (sic.),” said Sindhu in the statement which she released on her social media handles.

“Why will I have problems/issues with my parents who have sacrificed their lives for my sake? Mine is a very close-knitted family and they will always support me. I am in touch with my family members every day. Also, I do not have any issues with my coach Mr. Gopichand or the training facilities at the academy,” she added.

Her statement comes after media reports suggested that she had traveled to England amid tensions in her family. The Olympic silver medallist further threatened legal proceedings against those “spreading false news”.

Earlier, Sindhu had posted an image with Rebecca Randell of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. “Happy to be in England and working with GSSI over the next few weeks on my nutrition and recovery with Rebecca Randell. Three months to Asia tour and this is the best chance to work on things and improve!!” she had said in her caption.

Delhi CM announces Rs 15 cr for flood-hit Telangana, KCR grateful

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Delhi CM announces Rs 15 cr for flood-hit Telangana, KCR grateful

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced Rs 15 crore financial assistance to flood-hit Telangana.

According to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office, Kejriwal announced the aid for relief and rehabilitation work in the areas affected by heavy rain and flash floods.

Kejriwal said Delhi state would stand by Telangana during this natural calamity.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao thanked Arvind Kejriwal on behalf of the people of his state for announcing the financial assistance. Rao spoke to Kejriwal over the phone.

KCR also spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami over the phone and thanked him for extending financial help to Telangana.

Palaniswami conveyed in a letter to KCR on Monday that he has ordered an immediate contribution of Rs 10 crore from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund as a token of the support and solidarity of the government and people of Tamil Nadu with the people of Telangana.

He said the Tamil Nadu government will also be sending blankets and mats to the affected families.

The Telangana CM has also urged industrialists, traders, business establishments, and others to extend their help to the people who have suffered due to heavy rain and floods. He asked them to donate generously to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Heavy rain and floods in Telangana since October 13 have claimed 70 lives including 33 in Greater Hyderabad and caused a loss of over Rs 5,000 crore.

Tesla reduces warranty period on used cars

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Tesla reduces warranty period on used cars

Electric-car maker Tesla has reportedly slashed the warranty on its four-year used cars to just one year. The company has not given any explanation for the change.

According to Electrek, the automaker previously offered a two- to a four-year warranty on used Model S and X vehicles, but now only offers a warranty of one year or 10,000 miles over the original policy.

Tesla China website is also now adjusting the additional warranty period for used cars to one year or 20,000 km. The new warranty terms are significantly less beneficial to consumers buying used EVs directly from Tesla.

The Elon Musk-owned company also recently canceled its seven-calendar-day, no-questions-asked, full-refund return policy.

New buyers wishing to return a Tesla vehicle will now have to go through the customer service department, and it’s unclear what types of situations may warrant a full or even partial refund after purchase.

Earlier this month, the company announced that it had delivered 1,39,300 vehicles during the third quarter, smashing its previous record for deliveries, of 1,12,000 cars. It was the third consecutive quarter of better-than-expected delivery numbers from Tesla.

PM Modi to address nation at 6 p.m. on Tuesday

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PM Modi to address nation at 6 p.m. on Tuesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he will be sharing a message with the country at 6 p.m. on Tuesday where he is expected to make an important announcement. There is a possibility that he might inform the people about the ongoing war against the corona pandemic.

Modi tweeted, “I will address the nation with a message at 6 pm today. I will share a message with my countrymen and urge the people to join me.” The PM might speak to the people on issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During his address, the Prime Minister might appeal to the people to remain cautious about the coronavirus ahead of the upcoming festivals.

Replacing Karthik with Morgan as KKR captain not a right move: Agarkar

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Replacing Karthik with Morgan as KKR captain not a right move: Agarkar

Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar feels replacing Dinesh Karthik with Eoin Morgan as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders was a very strange and wrong move.

Ahead of their match against Mumbai Indians on October 16 in the ongoing IPL, Karthik stepped down as KKR skipper and handed over the reins to World Cup-winning England captain Morgan. Karthik had taken the decision with a “view to focus on his batting and contributing more to the team’s cause”.

“I don’t think replacing Dinesh Karthik after seven games when you’re sitting fourth in the table is the right move in my opinion. It does add to the disruption of the team and you could see the way they performed against Mumbai Indians, even though it was a tough game,” said Agarkar while speaking on Star Sports’ show ‘Fan week’.

KKR lost the match against the defending champions as the Rohit Sharma-led side rode on an unbeaten 78 from Quinton de Kock to chase down 149 with eight wickets in hand.

“I don’t think it was the right move. You make plans with a certain captain through the course of the year and in spite of sitting fourth on the table, it was a very strange move for me,” Agarkar added.

However, KKR came back with an improved performance in their next match against SunRisers Hyderabad, winning the nail-biting encounter in the Super Over last Sunday.

The team is currently sitting at the fourth spot with 10 points from nine matches and is slated to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday.

Air pollution may up risk of neurological disorders: Study

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Air pollution may up risk of neurological disorders: Study

New research adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution is significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias.

For the study, published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, the research team analyzed the link between fine particulate (PM2.5) pollution and neurodegenerative diseases in the US.

Particulate matter (PM2.5) — tiny airborne particles smaller than 1/10,000 of an inch in diameter — comes from various combustion-related sources including industrial emissions, transportation, wildfires, and chemical reactions of pollutants in the atmosphere.

The researchers leveraged an unparalleled amount of data compared to any previous study of air pollution and neurological disorders.

“Our study builds on the small but emerging evidence base indicating that long-term PM2.5 exposures are linked to an increased risk of neurological health deterioration, even at PM2.5 concentrations well below the current national standards,” said study author Xiao Wu from the Harvard University in the US.

During the study, the research team looked at 17 years’ worth (2000-2016) of hospital admissions data from 63,038,019 Medicare recipients in the US and linked these with estimated PM2.5 concentrations by zip code.

Taking into account potential confounding factors like socioeconomic status, they found that, for every five micrograms per cubic meter of air (mg/m3) increase in annual PM2.5 concentrations, there was a 13 percent increased risk for first-time hospital admissions both for Parkinson’s disease and for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

This risk remained elevated even below supposedly safe levels of PM2.5 exposure, which, according to current US Environmental Protection Agency standards, is an annual average of 12 ig/m3 or less.

Women, white people, and urban populations were particularly susceptible, the study found.

“Our study shows that the current standards are not protecting the aging American population enough, highlighting the need for stricter standards and policies that help further reduce PM2.5 concentrations and improve air quality overall,” the authors wrote.

Deepti Naval undergoes angioplasty at Mohali hospital

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Deepti Naval undergoes angioplasty at Mohali hospital

Actor Deepti Naval, who suffered a heart attack in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, underwent angioplasty at the Fortis hospital in Mohali early Tuesday and her condition was stable, doctors said.

She suffered the first heart attack on Sunday and was brought to the hospital in a cardiac care ambulance late Monday.

Her condition was stable and will likely be discharged soon, a doctor told IANS.

The actress had been staying at her cottage in Manali for quite some time.

Samsung enjoys highest loyalty, Lava top Indian brand: CMR

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Samsung enjoys highest loyalty, Lava top Indian brand: CMR

Samsung is the most preferred smartphone brand for one in every three mobile phone users in India and it enjoys a very high loyalty of 47 percent among its existing and potential users, while Lava has emerged as the most preferred Indian brand, said a survey by CyberMedia Research on Tuesday.

Amid anti-China sentiment in India due to border tensions, Lava is favored by around 48 percent of potential consumers seeking alternatives among Indian brands, primarily for its “Made in India” R&D and design competencies and the emotional bond that the brand brings, said the CMR “Insights On the Go Survey.”

Nearly, one in every two users is seeking alternatives to Chinese smartphone brands, showed the survey which aimed to capture the extent of prevailing market sentiments around border skirmishes amongst consumers and retailers alike.

The nationwide survey showed that the extent of anti-China sentiment is relatively higher in tier-2 cities, compared to tier-1.

“Indian smartphone users have predominantly been using Chinese smartphones. In Q2 2020, the cumulative market share of Chinese brands fell to 73 percent, akin to the levels last seen in Q3 2019,” Amit Sharma, Analyst -Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said in a statement.

“In addition to Covid-19 and consequent supply-side challenges, the anti-China sentiment also emerged as a key factor. Our consumer study paints a sharp picture of the prevailing anti-China sentiment on the ground, especially in tier-1 and 2 cities.”

Amongst retailers, one in every four has experienced anti-China sentiment in the market. Due to the anti-China sentiment, retailers’ preference for Chinese brands has also gone down.

One in every five retailers faces difficulties in convincing customers to buy a Chinese phone, said the survey, adding that this trend is more pronounced in tier-2 cities.

On the other hand, three in every seven retailers feel that dispute with China would not have any impact on their selling of Chinese phones.

“The broad takeaway from the study is that there exists a chasm between those who feel angry and seek alternatives to their Chinese phones, and, those who remain unaffected by current sentiments,” said Satya Mohanty, Head- Industry Consulting Group, CMR.

“Amongst consumers and retailers who are passionate about the prevailing national themes, the clear alternatives under consideration include global brands such as Samsung and Nokia, and homegrown brands, such as Lava.”

Aleem Dar among match officials for Pak-Zim series

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Aleem Dar among match officials for Pak-Zim series

Aleem Dar has been assigned on-field duties in five of the six upcoming white-ball matches between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, which will be played from October 30 to November 10. The three 50-over World Cup Super League matches will be played in Rawalpindi, while Lahore will host the three 20-over fixtures.

Aleem will stand in all the three ODIs as well as the first and third T20I, while he will be the third umpire for the second T20I, stated the Pakistan Cricket Board in a media release.

The ICC has appointed Javed Malik, a member of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, as a match referee for the series.

As per the ICC’s interim playing regulations, Aleem and Javed will be the ICC-appointed match officials. The PCB has appointed umpires Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob, Rashid Riaz, and Shozab Raza for the series.

When Ahsan Raza will walk out to officiate the second T20I, he will become the first umpire to complete a half-century of T20Is. Aleem is second on the list with 46 matches, while Shozab Raza shares the fourth spot with South Africa’s Shaun George with 36 matches.

The ODIs will be played on October 30, November 1, and 3 while the T20Is will be played on November 7,8 and 10.

1,486 new Covid cases, 7 deaths in Telangana

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1,486 new Covid cases, 7 deaths in Telangana

Telangana on Tuesday reported 1,486 new Covid cases, while seven more people succumbed to the infection.

The state’s Covid tally rose to 2,24,545. The fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 1,282.

The fatality rate remains at 0.57 percent against the national average of 1.5 percent.

Officials said the percentage of deaths due to Covid-19 was 44.96 while the remaining 55.04 had comorbidities.

The state continued to see more recoveries than the new infections. The Health officials said 1,891 people recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative recoveries to 2,02,577.

The state’s recovery rate jumped to 90.21 percent as against the national average of 88.6 percent.

Of the new cases registered during the last 24 hours, Greater Hyderabad accounted for 235 cases.

Rangareddy district recorded the second-highest number of cases at 112 followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (102), Bhadradri Kothagudem (98), Khammam (89), Nalgonda (82), Karimnagar (69), and Warangal Urban (54).

The active cases now stand at 20,686, including 17,208 in home/institutional isolation.

Out of 2,24,545 total positive cases so far, 70 percent (1,57,181) were asymptomatic while the remaining 30 percent (67,364) were symptomatic.

During the last 24 hours, 42,299 tests were conducted. Of this 40,765 samples were tested in the government-run laboratories and 1,534 in private.

According to a media bulletin from the office of the director of public health and family welfare, of the total samples, 18,611 were primary and 5,075 were secondary.

With this, the cumulative number of samples tested have gone up to 38,98,829.

Eighteen government-run laboratories, 46 private laboratories, and 1,076 Rapid Antigen test centers are conducting the tests.

The samples tested per million population ratio rose further to 1,04,750. The daily testing target for the state is 5,600 per day as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) benchmark of 140 per million per day.

The data shows that 63.9 percent of those tested positive so far is in the age group of 21-50 years while 22.91 are above 51 years of age. Those below 20 years are 13.18 percent.

Officials said 60.64 percent of those tested positive were male, while the remaining 39.37 percent were female.

The data also shows most of the beds in the government and private hospitals treating Covid patients are vacant.

We can still improve our fielding, says RR’s Buttler

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We can still improve our fielding, says RR’s Buttler

Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler has called upon his team to improve their fielding in the upcoming matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I think we could still improve our fielding. We gave 10 or 15 away in the field,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said in a video posted on the Rajasthan Royals Twitter handle after their win over Chennai Super Kings.

On Monday, Rajasthan secured a comfortable seven-wicket win against CSK and kept their chances afloat of making it to the playoffs. Buttler (70*) played a decisive hand and Steve Smith (30*) the support act as Royals chased down the 126-run target with more than two overs to spare.

“It was a much-needed win. I think it was a pretty good performance with the ball. Jofra (Archer) has been fantastic and Shreyas (Gopal) and Rahul (Tewatia) were also brilliant,” Buttler said.

Rajasthan currently has eight points from 10 games and are placed at the fifth spot. They will next face SunRisers Hyderabad on Thursday.

Cong revs up for ‘tractor yatras’ to counter BJP on farm laws

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Cong revs up for ‘tractor yatras’ to counter BJP on farm laws

The opposition Congress plans to hold ‘tractor rallies’ across the country in November in line with Rahul Gandhi’s similar endeavor in Punjab and Haryana earlier this month in order to counter the BJP’s efforts to drum up support for the three central farm laws.

The Congress leadership has asked its state units to prepare for the tractor rallies proposed to be held in the first fortnight of next month.

In his letter to the Pradesh Congress Committees, party General Secretary KC Venugopal said:” To continue our fight, the PCCs are requested to take out ‘tractor yatras’ in their respective states in which all state office-bearers apart from members of Parliament and MLAs along with Congress affairs in charges will participate.

“The occasion should be utilized to demolish the farmers’ yatra undertaken by the BJP and galvanize public opinion against the three central farm laws,” the Rajya Sabha MP added.

Rahul Gandhi had led the Congress’ first ‘tractor rally’ on October 4 from Badhni Kalan town in the Moga district of Punjab. During his three-day visit to the state as part of the ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’, his rallies covered Moga, Ludhiana, Sangrur, and Patiala districts in the Malwa region. On October 6, the ‘tractor rally’ entered Haryana through the Pehowa border.

The Congress said it had also chalked out a strategy to corner the Modi government on key issues of economic policy, farmers, and women’s safety in the coming weeks.

The Congress said that the party’s future course of action has been decided on what it called the “anti-farmers, anti-women, anti-labor and anti-poor policies and actions” of the BJP-led central government and the state governments.

BJP leaders had held ‘Kisan Dhanyawaad Yatra’ while riding a convoy of tractors that passed through villages in Jagadhri block of Yamunanagar district in Haryana a few days ago, apart from holding ‘tractor pujas’ and rallies earlier this month.

MLB World Series to be aired on Star Sports across India

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MLB World Series to be aired on Star Sports across India

Major League Baseball (MLB) and Star Sports on Tuesday announced a new multi-year broadcast agreement to air the games of 2020 and 2021 World Series live across India.

In addition to now holding the exclusive pay TV rights to the Fall Classic, Star Sports will also broadcast new baseball content created specifically for Indian audiences on a weekly basis. The broadcast agreement includes rights to regular-season games in 2021. With this agreement, the 2020 World Series will be broadcast worldwide across 220 countries and territories, by 75 media partners in 15 languages.

“Star Sports is a sports broadcasting leader not only in India but throughout Asia,” said Dominick Balsamo, MLB Senior Vice President, Global Media. “As we continue to develop the sport and work to grow MLB fandom in India, there is no better partner than Star Sports to showcase the athleticism, intensity, and drama that will be on display at the World Series.”

The three shows scheduled to run on Star during the 2021 season are MLB Weekly, MLB Extra, and MLB’s Best.

“We are excited to have baseball in our bouquet of international sports. The live telecast of World Series is a great opportunity for us to present this dynamic sport to the discerning premium audience of Star Sports Select,” said a Star Sports spokesperson.

Now, a DDLJ special emoji on Twitter

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Now, a DDLJ special emoji on Twitter

The all-time blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) turned 25 on Tuesday, and a special emoji has been launched on Twitter to celebrate the milestone Bollywood film.

The emoji by Twitter India is of a cowbell, which became a token of the protagonists’ romance in the storyline of the film, and continues to be associated with the film.

Released on October 20, 1995, the Aditya Chopra directorial, which starred Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, tells the love story of Raj (SRK) and Simran (Kajol), who live in the UK. The film kicked off the trend of NRI romances on the Bollywood screen and also reorganized romance in Hindi cinema forever.

On Tuesday, Shah Rukh and Kajol also changed their Twitter names and display pictures to reflect their characters in the film.

“We are excited to celebrate one of the most iconic Indian romances, DDLJ, with the movie’s innumerable fans on the service. With the new custom #DDLJ25 emoji, we hope to light up timelines with Tweets about this classic,” said Cheryl-Ann Couto on behalf of the microblogging site.

DDLJ went on to become the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema. It ran for over 20 years in Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir theatre.

Apart from Shah Rukh and Kajol, late actor Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, and Parmeet Sethi also left an indelible mark with stellar performances. Beyond fresh storytelling, characterization, and performances, the film is also remembered to this day for the songs Jatin-Lalit composed.

Meanwhile, SRK has shared that “DDLJ” helped him “cement my place and brought me fame in a way that I didn’t think it would”.

“As for perception, I always felt that I can play more unconventional roles because of my looks, but ‘DDLJ’ has believed that and I still struggle to make that one macho unconventional kick-a** character which suits me, or so I thought. But it been a struggle to not be considered romantic and sweet for the last 25 years — a struggle, I guess, I am happy to lose,” Shah Rukh quipped.

IBM reports revenue declines for 3 consecutive quarters

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IBM reports revenue declines for 3 consecutive quarters

Reporting sales declines for three straight quarters, IBM has posted $17.6 billion in revenue in the third quarter of this year, compared to $18 billion for the same period last year.

The company’s shares fell 2.7 percent in extended trading on Monday after third-quarter results were announced.

However, its Cloud and cognitive software revenue rose seven percent in the quarter.

For the third quarter, total cloud revenue reached $6 billion, an increase of 19 percent.

“The strong performance of our cloud business, led by Red Hat, underscores the growing client adoption of our open hybrid cloud platform,” IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement.

IBM acquired enterprise software company Red Hat last year for $34 billion.

Red Hat revenue for the quarter increased 17 percent, said IBM which earlier this month announced that it will separate its managed infrastructure services unit of its global technology services division into a new public company.

“Separating the managed infrastructure services business creates a market-leading standalone company and further sharpens our focus on IBM’s open hybrid cloud platform and AI capabilities,” the IBM CEO said.

“This will accelerate our growth strategy and better position IBM to seize the $1 trillion hybrid-cloud opportunities,” he added.

The company’s third-quarter results showed that global business services which include consulting, application management, and global process services posted revenues of $4 billion, down five percent driven by declines in application management and consulting.

Its global technology services revenues hit $6.5 billion, down four percent, the company said.

“In the third quarter we continued to deliver strong gross profit margin expansion, generated solid free cash flow and maintained a sound capital structure with ample liquidity,” said James Kavanaugh, IBM Senior Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer.

“We have the necessary financial flexibility to increase our investments in hybrid cloud and AI technology innovation and skills while remaining committed to our long-standing dividend policy.”

Kidney disease linked to higher death risk for Covid-19 patients: Study

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Kidney disease linked to higher death risk for Covid-19 patients: Study

Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found that there is a much higher risk of mortality faced by Covid-19 patients in intensive care, who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) or those who develop new (acute) kidney injury (AKI).

CKD is a type of kidney disease in which kidney function declines over a period of months to years, and is more common in older people.

AKI is an abrupt loss of kidney function that takes place over seven days or less and can have several causes, including the damage and inflammation caused by the Covid-19 virus itself.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive analysis of outcomes in critically unwell Covid-19 patients in the UK with kidney failure, particularly in patients with pre-existing chronic kidney disease,” said study author Sanooj Soni from Imperial College London in the UK.

For the study, published in the journal Anaesthesia, the research team examined the association between AKI and CKD with clinical outcomes in 372 patients with Covid-19 admitted to four regional intensive care units (ICUs) in the UK.

The average age of the patients was around 60 years, and 72 percent of them were male.

A total of 216 (58 percent) patients had some form of kidney impairment (45 percent developed AKI during their ICU stay, while 13 percent had pre-existing CKD), while 42 percent had no CKD or AKI.

The patients who developed AKI had no history of serious kidney disease before their ICU admission, suggesting that the AKI was directly related to their Covid-19 infection.

The authors found that patients with no kidney injury or disease had a mortality of 21 percent.

Those with new-onset AKI caused by the Covid-19 virus had a mortality of 48 percent, whilst for those with pre-existing CKD (Stages 1-4) mortality was 50 percent.

In those patients with end-stage kidney failure (CKD stage 5), where they already required regular out-patient dialysis, mortality was 47 percent.

Mortality was greatest in those patients with kidney transplants, with six out of seven patients (86 percent) dying, highlighting that these patients are an extremely vulnerable group.

The investigators also examined the rates of renal replacement therapy, a form of hospital dialysis, due to Covid-19 in these ICU patients with kidney injury.

Out of 216 patients with any form of kidney impairment, 56 percent of patients requiring renal replacement therapy, the researchers said.

The authors noted that mortality in patients with end-stage kidney failure and on dialysis, who normally have worse outcomes in many other diseases, was similar to that in patients with less severe kidney disease and Covid-19 associated AKI.

This finding may suggest that such patients benefit equally from ICU admission and thus the threshold for admission should be calibrated accordingly in any future Covid-19 surge.

“Our data demonstrate that kidney disease and failure in critically ill patients with Covid-19 are common, and associated with high mortality,” the authors noted.

PUMA, Mumbai City FC sign long-term strategic partnership

TB Team
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PUMA, Mumbai City FC sign long-term strategic partnership

Global sports brand PUMA on Tuesday announced a strategic long-term partnership with Indian Super League (ISL) club Mumbai City FC. Under the terms of the deal, PUMA will become the official kit partner of the club, starting the 2020-21 football season.

“We are excited to welcome Mumbai City FC into the PUMA Family. They are a fantastic team, with many promising talents who are committed to writing a new chapter in Indian football,” Abhishek Ganguly, General Manager, PUMA India, and Southeast Asia said as per a media release.

“It’s also great to see City Football Group’s global experience and expertise support transformative benefits for the club. We are looking forward to supporting their collective ambitions as they strive for continued success on the pitch in the upcoming season,” he added.

With an aim to identify and develop footballing talent in India, PUMA and Mumbai City FC will continue to prioritize grassroots programs and youth initiatives that will give children early exposure to the world of football, the release stated.

Bimal Parekh, co-owner of Mumbai City FC, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with PUMA who share Mumbai City FC’s ambitions to push boundaries within our industries and support the communities in which we operate. This coming season is set to be a very exciting one for our club and we look forward to having PUMA at the heart of it.”

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