Samsung unveils its most affordable Galaxy A42 5G smartphone

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Samsung unveils its most affordable Galaxy A42 5G smartphone

Samsung has unveiled an affordable Galaxy A42 5G smartphone for 349 pounds (about Rs 33,000), further strengthening its A-Series line-up and bringing 5G connectivity throughout the portfolio.

Featuring a multi-role Quad Camera, a long-lasting and fast-charging battery, and an immersive Infinity-U Display, it is packed with all the essential innovation consumers have come to expect with Galaxy A Series.

The Galaxy A42 5G will be available from November 6 in the UK and will be priced at 349 pounds. It offers 128GB of internal storage and 4GB RAM, along with MicroSD support up to 1TB.

“We’re excited to bring to market our latest 5G smartphone within the A-Series line-up. The Galaxy A42 5G delivers premium features and innovation, powered ready for super-fast 5G network connectivity,” James Kitto, Vice President of Sales, Samsung UK, and Ireland, said late on Monday.

The Galaxy A42 5G delivers hyper-fast streaming and downloading powered by 5G. It sports 6.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U Display and a fast-charging 5,000mAh battery.

The device is available in three colors — Prism Dot Black, Prism Dot White, and Prism Dot Grey.

The 48MP main camera, along with 8MP ultra-wide camera can take breath-taking landscape images while the 5MP macro camera and 5MP depth camera capture intricate details of close-up objects.

There is a 20MP selfie camera on the front.

iPhone 12 5G to outperform iPhone 11 despite delay: Report

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iPhone 12 5G to outperform iPhone 11 despite delay: Report

Apple iPhone 12 family sell-in is expected to be larger than the iPhone 11 last year despite launching a month later as there is significant pent-up demand from iOS subscribers putting off upgrades until these 5G devices launch, a new report said on Tuesday.

The Counterpoint Research ‘Market Outlook’ predicted that Apple’s October-December 2020 line-up sales will exceed the iPhone 11 family’s September-December sales by 1 percent.

This growth is despite a delayed launch in 2020 where Apple’s new line-up will see zero sales in September and also miss much of October sales.

Apple is set to announce its new line-up of iPhones on Tuesday and this will mark a significant moment in the rollout of 5G and will be an opportunity for Apple to have a large upgrade cycle.

In a virtual ‘Hi, Speed’ event, the Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to release four models of the iPhone 12 — the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.

“The options for display sizes and price points will help drive sales. Also benefitting Apple this smartphone refresh will be greater efforts by global mobile operators to upgrade the iOS installed base to 5G,” said Counterpoint Research Director Jeff Fieldhack.

In countries where 5G has begun to roll out, operators will have a significant monetary incentive to migrate LTE iOS subscribers to their near-empty 5G networks.

“Look for significant promotional offers, especially in 5G rollout countries. The US is likely to see its most competitive marketing wars in years, which will benefit Apple. European carriers will also see elevated levels of marketing. But China is not expected to be as aggressive,” he explained.

Apple has done a great job outperforming the global smartphone market.

During the Covid-19 low point in Q2 2020, Apple was helped by the timely launch of the iPhone SE, which created a new, low price point for iPhones at $399.

“It helped Apple get through the worst months of Covid-19 and its lockdown periods. In addition, the iPhone 11 has proved to have great longevity, still selling over one million devices per week on the brink of a refresh,” said Research Director Tom Kang.

The SE and iPhone 11 helped maintain momentum through Q3 as the general market remained negative.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 11 family launches saw large upgrades.

The iPhone 8 family and XR family saw lower upgrade levels as holding periods grew through these launch cycles, Counterpoint said.

Himachal CM tests positive for coronavirus

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Himachal CM tests positive for coronavirus

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has tested positive for coronavirus on Monday. His condition is stable.

“This morning he showed some symptoms of the virus and a test was conducted. He has been diagnosed positive and is under home quarantine,” the Chief Minister’s Office said.

“For the past one week, he had been in isolation at home after he came in contact with someone who later tested positive for coronavirus,” he added.

The Chief Minister is in home isolation as a precautionary measure since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s day-long visit to inaugurate the Atal Tunnel beneath the Rohtang Pass in Kullu district on October 3.

Samsung offers festive discounts on TVs, digital appliances

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Samsung offers festive discounts on TVs, digital appliances

South Korean tech giant Samsung on Monday announced mega deals on a wide range of its TVs and digital appliances during the much awaited Flipkart’s Big Billion Days and Amazon’s Great Indian Festival.

Adding joy to the festive season, these exciting offers across product categories come with strong discounts, assured gifts such as the Galaxy Note10 Lite, attractive finance schemes, exchange offers and EMIs as low as Rs 805, along with cashback of up to Rs 2,000.

“We are committed to enhance the festive spirit through our special offers on our exciting range of televisions and home appliances, in partnership with Flipkart and Amazon,” Piyush Kunnapallil, Director – Online Business, Consumer Electronics, Samsung India, said in a statement.

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale starts October 16 while the Amazon Great Indian Festival starts October 17.

During this period, Samsung’s lifestyle TV ‘The Frame’ will be available on Flipkart at Rs 72,990, Rs 81,990 and Rs 1,29,990 for 50-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch models, respectively.

The Serif that goes beyond the traditional concept of a TV will be offered at Rs 64,990, Rs 84,990, Rs 99,990 on Amazon for 43-inch, 49-inch, and 55-inch models, respectively.

Consumers can also avail attractive 24-month EMIs, exchange offers and cash back up to Rs 2,000, the company said.

On purchase of Samsung’s flagship ‘SpaceMax Family Hu’ refrigerators on Flipkart, consumers will get a Galaxy Note10 Lite worth Rs 37,999 free along with cashback of up to 10 per cent.

‘Samsung’s Curd Maestro’ refrigerators (244L) will be available at Rs 25,990 after a discount of Rs 5,000 with easy EMI options starting as low as Rs 2,166.

The company also said that the recently launched 7 kg model of Samsung Washer Dryers will be available for Rs 38,990 after a discount of Rs 6,600.

According to the company, consumers planning to buy 1.5 Ton 5 star or 3 star models of ‘Samsung Convertible Inverter ACs’ can get it at a special price of Rs 31,990 and Rs 27,990 on Flipkart with easy EMIs of Rs 1,333 and Rs 1,166, respectively.

American economists share 2020 Nobel Prize in Economics

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American economists share 2020 Nobel Prize in Economics

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economics was on Monday awarded to American economists, Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson “for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats”.

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Wilson has awarded this year’s Prize in Economic Sciences as he “showed why rational bidders tend to place bids below their own best estimate of the common value: they are worried about the winner’s curse – that is, about paying too much and losing out”.

Meanwhile, Milgrom “formulated a more general theory of auctions that not only allows common values, but also private values that vary from bidder to bidder”.

Milgrom and Wilson are both from Stanford University.

“This year’s Laureates in Economic Sciences started out with fundamental theory and later used their results in practical applications, which have spread globally. Their discoveries are of great benefit to society,” says Peter Fredriksson, chair of the Prize Committee.

Quick Heal announces salary increments from October

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Quick Heal announces salary increments from October

After hiring over 150 new employees during the pandemic-related lockdown, home-grown cybersecurity solutions company Quick Heal Technologies Ltd. on Monday said it is moving for an annual increment for its employees in October.

Quick Heal said it will continue hiring and training fresh minds, creating a considerable talent pool of highly skilled professionals, as it diversifies its enterprise product portfolio under the “Seqrite” umbrella.

Additionally, the company has tied-up with various educational institutions and created various long-term and short-term courses on cybersecurity through its education division, Quick Heal Academy.

“We believe that there is no better time than this to continue to invest in our talented employees and support and incentivise them for the hard work and dedication they bring to the table,” Reetu Raina, Chief Human Resources Officer, Quick Heal Technologies Limited, said in a statement.

“We are fortunate enough to be able to take this crucial step given our strong balance sheet and robust business model.”

Quick Heal said it also offered performance-linked incentives (PLIs) to deserving employees in May.

During the lockdown, it digitally onboarded over 150 employees across domains, including R&D and security labs.

Abu Dhabi T10 league to be played from Jan 28 to Feb 6

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Abu Dhabi T10 league to be played from Jan 28 to Feb 6

The fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League will take place from January 28 to February 6 next year in which eight teams will fight for the championship title at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, it was announced on Monday.

Shaji Ul Mulk, founder and chairman of T10 Sports Management, said, “In the past three years, since launching the T10 League in Sharjah Cricket Stadium in 2017, the T10 League has come of age and has been accepted as the fastest-growing and the most popular cricket format.

“The T10 League is now one of the most sought after international cricket leagues with such popularity that Abu Dhabi decided to host it for five years with major government bodies joining hands to embrace and support the tournament,” he added.

Meanwhile, Haroon Lorgat, former CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has been appointed as director for strategy and development by T10 Sports Management to spearhead growth and development of the ten-over format cricket worldwide.

In his new role, Lorgat will advise Mulk on growth strategies for T10 cricket. He will also develop, profile and promote the Abu Dhabi T10 League worldwide with the aim of having multiple T10 leagues in viable countries. He will connect with key stakeholders to promote the league and work with them to develop T10 cricket around the world.

“I am glad that Haroon Lorgat has accepted the challenge. He will engage with relevant authorities and stakeholders to create multiple T10 League properties in both Full and Associate Member countries where cricket is a popular game. With him on board, we will chart an exciting development program worldwide to popularise the game of cricket with this exciting new format,” Mulk said.

Lorgat served as the ICC CEO for four years from 2008 to 2012.

After his term at the ICC, he assisted Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and then the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a consultant. In July 2013, he was appointed Chief Executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA) and has been lauded for restoring the reputation of CSA after a difficult period.

Accepting the new role, Lorgat said, “I witnessed T10 cricket for the first time last year and was amazed by its appeal and potential for advancement. The impressive growth of the Abu Dhabi T10 League has attracted global attention and it is now ready for expansion worldwide. I am delighted to join Abu Dhabi T10 and to play a part in growing the league and T10 cricket around the world.”

“I will be keen to work closely with the ICC and Member countries to promote the game and build on the foundation laid by Mr Shaji Ul Mulk and his team,” he added.

The 2019 edition, which was won by Dwayne Bravo-led Maratha Arabians, saw an incredible 124,000 fans descend on Zayed Cricket Stadium across the 10 days of high-octane tournament play, and confirming a record sports spectator audience for events in the UAE.

Big B apologises to fans outside Jalsa on his birthday

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Big B apologises to fans outside Jalsa on his birthday

A day after his birthday, Amitabh Bachchan apologised to fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him outside his bungalow Jalsa carrying banners in their hands.

The veteran actor, who turned 78 on Sunday, took to his blog early on Monday to say sorry to his fans for not being able to meet them, saying he is not allowed to step up out.

“There is apology today for the few that came bu Jalsa .. and they that bannered the street .. my thanks to them and their efforts but I am just not allowed to step out .. and the care is mandatory .. so apologies ..”

“I work tomorrow early .. and then back to the responding of those that have wished and taken trouble of gift .. aahhhh .. this is so overwhelming,” Bachchan wrote in a blog post.

Along with the post, the actor also shared a photograph of himself clicked on the sets of the ongoing season 12 od the television quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati” season 12.

Kangana on Ira Khan’s depression: ‘Difficult for broken families children’

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Kangana on Ira Khan’s depression: ‘Difficult for broken families children’

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Monday reacted to the news of Ira Khan has been battling depression.

Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira had opened up on her tryst with clinical depression on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on Saturday. Reacting to Ira’s confession, Kangana tweeted from her verified account on Monday

“At 16 I was facing physical assault, was single handedly taking care of my sister who was burnt with acid and also facing media wrath, there can be many reasons for depression but it’s generally difficult for broken families children, traditional family system is very important,” wrote Kangana.

On Saturday, Ira had shared a video on her verified Instagram account where she spoke about being “clinically depressed” for over four years.

Ira is Aamir’s daughter from his first marriage with Reena Dutta. She has a brother, Junaid.

Pandemic? Small-town India set to drive record festive sales

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Pandemic? Small-town India set to drive record festive sales

While the ongoing pandemic has left crores of Indians in deep financial trouble who are struggling to make ends meet, the aspirational Bharat — riding on the pent-up demand and discretionary income — is all set to embark on a record online festive sale journey that begins this week.

E-commerce marketplaces Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal are ready with festive discounts and mega offers that will begin raining on the consumers from October 16 and those five-six days are set to defy the pandemic-induced economic distress that has engulfed the masses, according to industry experts.

Driven by the small-town India, the festive sales are looking to break earlier records. According to Bengaluru-based management consulting firm RedSeer, the forthcoming festive season sale is projected to generate a gross merchandise value (GMV) of $7 billion — a massive 84 per cent growth compared to $3.8 billion in GMV sales in the same period last year.

Based on the expected strong festive sales performance, ecommerce is anticipated to grow and reach $38 billion in sales in CY20, up 40 per cent year-on-year.

As experts debate the impact of the pandemic in small-town India, RedSeer said in its annual ‘Online Festive Sales 2020 Forecast’ report that this year’s festive season sale will see more than half of the orders coming from tier-2 towns and cities with 45 to 50 million users.

According to Prabhu Ram, Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, the festive season sales will be driven by two broad consumers’ cohorts.

“On the one hand, premium buyers will seek to engage in impulsive shopping to make-up for the lost time. On the other hand, there will be the value buyers, including many first-time ecommerce shoppers from aspirational bharat,” Ram told IANS.

Over 1 lakh Amazon-enabled local shops, kiranas and neighbourhood stores across India will serve customers in the upcoming festive season on the e-commerce platform.

More than 20,000 offline retailers, kiranas and local shops from “Local Shops on Amazon” programme will participate in the “Great Indian Festival” sales for the first time, that starts from October 17.

“This festive season we are focused on helping our sellers and other MSME partners grow their business and bounce back from the recent challenges,” said Manish Tiwary, VP, Amazon India.

More than 6.5 lakh sellers are ready to offer crores of products on Amazon.in and customers can shop from over 4 crore products from small and medium businesses (SMBs) and products from over 20,000 local shops across 100 cities.

Flipkart is not far behind. It will unveil over 200 special edition products in partnership with more than 100 leading brands during its ‘Big Billion Days’ sale that begins from Otcober 16.

The ecommerce marketplace has also on-boarded over 50,000 kiranas to bring festive cheer to consumers across 850 cities.

Called ‘Kum Mein Dum,’ the Snapdeal sale selection is built around the choices indicated by more than 1.25 lakh participants across 92 cities.

Snapdeal said it worked closely with manufacturers to bring products for its customers at prices lower than last year, adding over 10,000 sellers in the last three months to increase its inventory of value-priced merchandise.

According to industry reports, the festive season shopping is going to witness huge demand from consumers with over 45-50 million shoppers coming online.

“The focus of eCommerce platforms will be to drive accessibility, availability and affordability for consumers in tier II, III and beyond (including smaller towns), with the intent of driving sales,” Ram emphasized.

According to RedSeer, the 2020 e-commerce festive period is set to witness 1.8 times more shipments compared to last year’s festive period.

“Covid has enabled massive growth in new shoppers as consumers now more than ever prefer to shop in a manner that is convenient, safe and hygienic and the e-commerce space meets these requirements. Consumers show positive sentiments to purchase during this (festive sale) period,” it said.

According to Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart Group, this festive event continues to focus on Flipkart’s commitment to provide value for consumers, opportunities for growth for MSMEs and sellers, and “employment generation through e-commerce”.

“Emerging from the throes of the pandemic, all the indicators point to a bigger than usual sales during the festive season. This may seem definitely at odd with the overall economic scenario, low consumer confidence and curtailed discretionary spending,” Ram told IANS.

Soaring veggie prices dampen festive spirit

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Soaring veggie prices dampen festive spirit

Even as the festive season of Navratri is around the corner, the rising prices of vegetables are giving a headache to the common man. Prices of all vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes and onions are touching the sky and there seems to be no hope of a respite any time soon.

Vegetable traders say that due to heavy rains during the last phase of this monsoon season, the arrival of vegetables in the market has been at a low due to the crops being affected.

In New Delhi’s Azadpur mandi, the wholesale price of potatoes has soared from Rs 16 to Rs 51 per kg in the last one week. The wholesale price of onions has reduced marginally but their retail price remains unchanged. The wholesale price of onions varies between Rs 12.5 and Rs 35 per kg while their retail price is between Rs 45 and Rs 60 per kg.

Tomato prices had decreased marginally a few days ago but now they have again risen. The wholesale price of tomatos varies from Rs 6 to Rs 42 per kg while the retail price is between Rs 60 to Rs 70 per kg.

Vegetable seller Balveer from Greater Noida said as the arrival of vegetables in the wholesale mandis is quite less and the prices are high they too sell the vegetables at high prices.

Chambers of Azadpur Fruits and Vegetables Association President M. R. Kriplani says that the prices of fruits and vegetables are high due to the supply being less than the demand.

Traders say the festival of Navratri is round the corner during which the majority of people in North India do not eat non-vegetarian food so the demand for vegetables increases. But there is no hope of an early improvement in the arrival of vegetables in the mandis and, therefore, there is no scope of the vegetable prices coming down.

The retail rates per kg of vegetables in the Delhi-NCR region on October 12 were: Potatoes (Rs 45-55), onions (Rs 45-60), tomatoes (Rs 60-70), cauliflower(Rs 120-150), cabbage (Rs 70-80), gourd/ghee (Rs 60), Luffa (Rs 60), Okra (Rs60), cucumber (Rs 50-60), pumpkin (Rs50), brinjal (Rs 60), capsicum (Rs 120-150), spinach (Rs 60), bitter gourd (Rs 80), parwal (Rs 80), raw papaya (Rs 50), raw bananas (Rs 50), tinda (Rs 100), kundru (Rs 60) and peas (Rs 200).

IPL: KKR express surprise over Sunil Narine warning

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IPL: KKR express surprise over Sunil Narine warning

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday expressed surprise over off-spinner Sunil Narine being reported for suspect bowling action in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Narine was reported by the match officials during KKR’s match against Kings XI Punjab which they won by two runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium last Saturday.

“This came as a surprise to the franchise and Mr. Narine, considering he has played over 115 games in the IPL since 2012 and as many as 68 games since 2015, when he was last reported during the IPL season for a suspect action before being subsequently cleared completely by SRASSC, an ICC accredited facility,” the franchise said in a statement.

“Furthermore, he was playing his sixth game this season, with no concerns expressed formally or informally by the match officials so far,” the statement added.

The 32-year-old was reported for suspect action back in 2014 too while playing for KKR during the now-scrapped Champions League T20 tournament.

However, the franchise have said they are respectful of the process that the IPL has put in place to have Narine’s action reviewed, and are working closely with the league in the matter.

“We are hopeful that there would be an appropriate resolution quickly. We appreciate the cooperation being extended by the IPL in expediting this matter,” the statement read.

As of now, Narine is allowed to bowl in the league. However, if he is reported for the second time in the tournament, he will be suspended from the IPL until cleared by the BCCI Suspect Bowling Action Committee. However, there is no Suspect Bowling Action Committee in place as of now.

Sony launches new full-frame mirrorless camera in India

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Sony launches new full-frame mirrorless camera in India

Sony on Monday announced Alpha 7S full-frame mirrorless camera series with ‘Alpha 7S III’ for Rs 3,34,990 in India.

The camera features a brand new 12.1MP back-illuminated full-frame image sensor with ultra-high ‘s’ series sensitivity and over 15 stop wide dynamic range, video-recording capabilities including 4K 120pi and 10-bit 4:2:2 colour depth, the company said in a statement.

“Alpha 7S III combines the classic S series sensitivity with a feature set, performance level and user experience that is simply unmatched in the industry today at any price segment,” said Mukesh Srivastava, Digital Imaging Head at Sony India.

The camera comes with a new heat-dissipating mechanism, dual-slot relay recording, enabling over one-hour of 4K 60p movie shooting until battery ends, a new autofocus system and a touch-screen interface and side flip LCD screen.

The new CMOS image sensor and BIONZ XR image processing engine in the Alpha 7S III aims to delivers legendary S-series sensitivity with significantly enhanced colour reproduction and texture renderings for improved overall image quality.

In addition, real-time tracking and real-time eye AF are available in Alpha 7S III to maintain constant focus on the intended subject.

Sony said its advanced real-time eye AF improves detection performance by 30 per cent over the previous system, thanks to the new image-processing engine.

It ensures accurate, reliable detection, even when the subject’s face looks away. Real-time eye AF is automatically initiated when an eye is detected.

The new Alpha 7S III camera will be available from October 15.

IIT-M develops sustainable anti-bacterial food wrapper

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IIT-M develops sustainable anti-bacterial food wrapper

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Monday said its researchers have developed a sustainable antimicrobial wrapping material that can prevent packaged food contamination by bacteria as well as reduce the plastic waste generated in the environment when disposing off the wrappers.

According to the team, this biodegradable food wrapper has an in-built anti-bacterial compound and is safe for consumption.

“We have developed a biodegradable wrapping material with in-built antibacterial activity to prevent bacterial growth in stored food,” study author Mukesh Doble from the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, said in a statement.

“The antibacterial compound should be safe for consumption as it is approved by the authorities and does not cause any toxicity,” Doble added.

The films developed by IIT team were made with polymeric blends containing starch, polyvinyl alcohol, cyclic beta glycans (CBG).

The composition was optimised to achieve the best film with a smooth texture, flexibility, uniform thickness and good clarity. The polymers used are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The antibacterial agent selected is also approved by the food authority for consumption and includes eugenol, chlorogenic acid, betanin, curcumin and gallic acid, among others.

These compounds are used regularly in Indian food and are known to possess antibacterial, antioxidant and many other beneficial bioactivities.

The compound is either immobilised on the surface or coated or mixed with polymer before preparation.

“The wrapping material we have developed also degrades at various environmental conditions with the rate of degradation varying from 4 to 98 per cent in 21 days,” Doble said.

“The wrapping material degraded rapidly in moist conditions when compared to dry ones. Hence, our wrapper is eco-friendly and can play a major role in plastic waste reduction,” Doble explained.

“Our antibacterial coated polymer wrapper was used for wrapping paneer, meat and chicken and its performance was tested,” said Puja Kumari, research scholar, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

Samples were placed in 4 degree Celsius and 30 degree Celsius for 10 days and tested for the effect of the coating on reducing the bacterial growth with respect to the uncoated wrapper.

“Our study found that 99.999 per cent reduction in the bacterial colonies was observed in food samples wrapped with our antibacterial wrap and stored at 30 degree Celsius for 10 days when compared with a plain wrapper,” Kumari added.

Moms facing mild to high levels of Covid-19 anxiety, insomnia: Study

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Moms facing mild to high levels of Covid-19 anxiety, insomnia: Study

In a major study, researchers have found that many mothers are experiencing an increase in insomnia severity and mild-to-high levels of acute Covid-19 anxiety and insomnia.

“In the study, we addressed consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and home confinement on maternal anxiety, insomnia, as well as reports of sleep problems among children,” said study author Liat Tikotzky from Ben-Gurion University in Israel.

The results, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, indicated that maternal clinical insomnia during Covid-19 more than doubled to 23 per cent during the pandemic, compared with only 11 per cent before the pandemic.

Approximately 80 per cent of mothers also reported mild to high levels of current Covid-19 anxiety.

In the study, mothers were asked to complete a self-reporting questionnaire with reference to two time points: (a) retrospectively one to two months before the Covid-19 outbreak in Israel, and (b) during home confinement.

The researchers then computed a score representing the mother’s perception of change in her sleep quality.

“We further observed that mothers who reported an increase in insomnia symptoms had significantly higher levels of acute Covid-19 anxiety than mothers who reported no change in insomnia symptoms,” the authors wrote.

Moreover, the researchers found that about 30 per cent of mothers reported a negative change in their child’s sleep quality and a decrease in sleep duration.

However, it is important to note that the majority of mothers reported no change in their child’s sleep quality, duration, arrangement, and their perception of child’s sleep as problematic, the researchers said.

Moreover, 12 per cent of mothers even reported a positive change in their child’s sleep quality, and 25 per cent reported an increase in sleep duration.

Finally, the researchers observed that mothers who reported higher scores of insomnia were also more likely to report that their children had poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration.

This is consistent with previous studies demonstrating significant links between maternal and child sleep quality during normal times.

The findings emphasize the importance of further exploring familial resiliency factors that may explain the different patterns of responses in children’s and mothers’ sleep during times of crises.

Special interest-free festival advance of Rs 10K for govt employees

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Special interest-free festival advance of Rs 10K for govt employees

Coming festive season government employees will receive interest-free advance of Rs 10,000 each that will help generate demand worth Rs 8,000 in the Covid affected economy. Employees will get pre-loaded Rupay Card of the advance value, which they would have to spend by March 31, 2021.

The amount spent would be recoverable in 10 instalments. The bank charges for the issue of card will be borne by the government.

With a view to boost consumer demand and revive the economy which has been subdued amid the pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced a slew of measures to stimulate expenditure by the public.

As per the minister, the scheme would ensure digital mode of payment, resulting in tax revenue and encouraging honest businesses. But unlike the LTC scheme, consumers would be free to spend the amount on items of their choice irrespective of GST applicability.

Festival advance along with other similar advances were abolished on the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission. Prior to this, non-gazetted central government employees used to get Rs 4,500 as festival advance.

With the latest proposal, the festival advance to government employees (both gazetted and non-gazetted) will be for festivals up to March 31, 2021.

The Centre, is likely to disburse Rs 4,000 crore towards the advances.

If implemented by all state governments too, another Rs 8,000 crore is likely to be disbursed, with the current assumption that 50 per cent states would adopt the scheme and the states’ expenditure estimate would be at Rs 4,000 crore.

This scheme would not result in any permanent increase in government expenditure and as it advances will be recovered.

The move is likely to generate additional consumer demand of Rs 8,000 crore.

Walmart, Flipkart Group make fresh investment in Ninjacart

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Walmart, Flipkart Group make fresh investment in Ninjacart

Walmart and the Flipkart Group on Monday announced a fresh round of investment in Ninjacart, a Bengaluru-headquartered supply chain platform that sources fresh produce directly from farmers and quickly delivers them to retailers and businesses.

This follows the investment made by Walmart and the Flipkart Group in December 2019, as the companies continue to focus on ensuring access to high quality fresh produce for consumers and retailers.

This second round of funding comes at a time when Flipkart is focusing on growing its Supermart (grocery) and Flipkart Quick (hyperlocal business).

“The e-grocery market in India has seen tremendous growth over the past several months as people have increasingly taken to ordering groceries and fresh produce online,” Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart Group, said in a statement.

“At the Flipkart Group, we are focused on ensuring that we continue to work towards developing new and innovative ways to meet our customers’ needs in this space through the growth of Supermart and the recent launch of Flipkart Quick.”

In the coming months, Ninjacart will use the capital to expand to new markets and build new offerings and supply chains for emerging customer segments, while continuing to innovate on the supply chain to make it more efficient, reliable, and profitable.

The transaction is expected to close by the end October, Walmart and the Flipkart Group said, without disclosing the financial details.

“The fresh set of investments from Walmart and the Flipkart Group takes us one step closer to our vision of making food safe and accessible for the billion people and changing the way food reaches our plate,” said Thirukumaran Nagarajan, CEO & Co-founder of Ninjacart.

Launched in 2015, Ninjacart had earlier raised money from top funds such as Tiger Global, Accel, Tanglin, Steadview, Syngenta, Nandan Nilekani and Qualcomm, among other prominent investors.

SL reports 60 new Covid-19 cases from cluster

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SL reports 60 new Covid-19 cases from cluster

Sri Lanka’s overall Covid-19 caseload has increased to 4,749 after the number of patients associated with the Divulapitiya cluster rose to 1,307 with 60 new infections, the Ministry of Health said.

Among the 60 cases found positive from the cluster, 48 are from the staff of the Brandix of the garment manufacturing factory, reports the Colombo Page.

According to the Epidemiology Unit, 1,429 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals.

the death toll currently stands at 13, while 3,307 patients including the Chinese tourist, who was the first Covid-19 case detected in the country in January, have fully recovered and discharged from hospitals.

A total of 328,504 PCR tests were conducted from February 18 to October 10.

Sethupathi will nail my bowling expressions in ‘800’, says Muralitharan

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Sethupathi will nail my bowling expressions in ‘800’, says Muralitharan

Vijay Sethupathi is a very talented actor and will nail the bowling expressions in my biopic ‘800’, says former Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan.

“800”, a fast-paced and funny biopic, is touted to be a moving portrayal of Muralitharan — one of cricket’s most brilliant and divisive characters. The film will be shot in Sri Lanka, UK, Australia, and India. The shoot is slated to start at the beginning of 2021 and is set to release at the end of next year.

“Once the script was ready, we thought the best fit for this movie is non-other than Vijay Sethupathi,” said Muralitharan while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live.

“I think he is a very talented actor and he will nail the bowling expressions. I trust Vijay completely as he is one of the greatest actors and I have complete faith that he’ll definitely do wonders for the film.”

Speaking about Muralitharan, Sethupathi said, “It’s really nice to listen to his story and spend time with Murali sir. He is like a stamp, he makes a mark wherever he goes with his charming character and personality.”

“I love his real life because fans have seen him in matches on the field, but very few have got a chance to know Murli sir’s personality off the field. He’s very adorable and lovable. He’s such a beautiful person and his story needs to be told,” he added.

The film will be made primarily in the Tamil language. However, owing to Muralitharan and Sethupathi’s popularity, the film will also be dubbed in all South Indian languages as well as Hindi, Bengali, and Sinhalese. An international version with English subtitles is also being planned.

Muralitharan is the only cricketer to have taken 800 wickets in Test cricket. Besides, he also picked up 534 and 13 wickets respectively in 350 ODIs and 12 T20Is.

Top Pak LeT man Saif-ul-lah killed in Kashmir encounter

TB Team
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Top Pak LeT man Saif-ul-lah killed in Kashmir encounter

Top Pakistani Lashkar e Taiba militant Saif-ul-lah, involved in a number of fatal attacks on the Central Reserve Police Force troopers, was killed along with one more terrorist, in an encounter in Srinagar on Monday.

The gunfight at Rambagh between terrorists and security forces began as a cordoned off operation in the area was launched. The search operation was on the basis of specific information about the presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the terrorist hide-out, heavy firing was initiated by the ultras. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar DG Police Dilbag Singh said that Saif-ul-lah was a Pakistani terrorist who was involved in three major terror attacks on the security forces in the past.

“He was involved in an attack on a CRPF party in Budgam in which CRPF Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) was martyred. In a second attack at Kandizal, two CRPF men were killed and three others were injured and a third attack at Kandizal carried out on a convoy which was repulsed,” he said.

He said so far this year security forces have conducted 75 anti-terrorist operations in which 180 terrorists have been killed. And 138 terrorists and their associates have been arrested during this year.

“It is a record in operational achievements, compared to last years’ the number of terrorists killed is much more,” he said.

He said a total of 19 policemen, 21 CRPF troopers, and 15 soldiers have been killed in action during this year.

He said during 2020 Srinagar city has seen eight encounters so far during which 18 terrorists have been eliminated.

“Lashkar and other outfits have been trying to find a foothold in the city but due to the intelligence network whenever they have been able to find a foothold in the city, the troops have been able to locate them and take care of them,” he said.

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