Samsung to offer up to Rs 50K festive discounts on lifestyle TVs

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Samsung to offer up to Rs 50K festive discounts on lifestyle TVs

Samsung is set to offer discounts worth up to Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000 on its premium range of TVs like The Serif during the Amazon Great Indian Festival and Flipkart Big Billion Days sales that begin next week, industry sources said on Friday.

The consumers are likely to get exciting cashback and exchange offers as well as low EMI options on both The Frame and The Serif lifestyle TVs during the festive season, sources told IANS.

Samsung’s ‘The Frame’ has been one of the most popular lifestyle TVs since its launch in the country.

In August during the Independence Day sale, ‘The Frame’ saw four times more sales as compared to the Republic Day sale this year.

In June, the South Korean tech giant launched a new online range of TVs, including the next edition of its Frame TV 2020.

The Frame 2020 TVs were made available in three sizes — 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch — for Rs 74,990, Rs 84,990 and Rs 1,39,990, respectively.

The Frame 2020 will come with a 10-year, no screen burn-in warranty, and one-year comprehensive warranty, and one-year additional warranty on the panel.

In the same month, Samsung launched a new portfolio of 2020 lifestyle televisions, The Serif and the 2020 QLED 8K TV line with premium features in the country.

The Serif came in three sizes — 43-inch, 49-inch and 55-inch — for Rs 83,900, Rs 1,16,900 and Rs 1,48,900, respectively.

“As part of our new 2020 lifestyle TV line-up, we are set to offer an unbelievably beautiful masterpiece in The Serif, which is designed to be more than just a television. It is a connoisseur’s delight, elevating the design of any living space,” Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India, had said.

Strict laws, collective response can curb influence operations: FB

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Strict laws, collective response can curb influence operations: FB

Admitting that influence operations on its apps are unlikely to disappear anytime soon, Facebook has said that tighter regulations along with a collective approach can be powerful tools to these deceptive campaigns.

Facebook has outlined recommendations to guide the development of regulation and legislation against these deceptive campaigns.

According to Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Security Policy at Facebook, the first and the foremost recommended regulation and legislation is around transparency in ads.

“Facebook will continue to increase transparency for contributions or expenditures for political advertising and work with industry and civil society experts to develop minimum disclosure frameworks, collaborative development of transparency best practices, and the sharing of lessons learned,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

Because influence operations manifest differently on different platforms and in their targeting of traditional media, “narrow definitions will likely leave loopholes that attackers can exploit”.

We need to “enable greater information sharing of influence operations’ threat signals among tech companies and between platforms, civil society and government while protecting the privacy of innocent users who may be swept up in these campaigns,” Facebook argued.

To deter violators, imposing economic, diplomatic, and/or criminal penalties on the people behind influence operations campaigns can work.

“Support media and digital literacy efforts to educate people and strengthen societal resilience,” Gleicher said.

Since 2016, technology companies, security researchers, journalists, and government agencies have made significant strides in understanding these threats and strengthening our collective defenses.

Facebook said that from taking down one network engaged in influence operations in 2017 to removing over 100 networks worldwide since then, including ahead of major democratic elections around the world, they have also made significant changes to how our platforms work.

The aim, the social network said, is “to make it harder for these networks to operate undetected, while increasing transparency for the public around political ads, Pages and state-controlled media”.

“If malicious actors coordinate off our platforms, we may not identify that collaboration.

“If they run campaigns that rely on independent websites and target journalists and traditional media, we and other technology companies will be limited to taking action on the components of such campaigns we see on our platforms,” Facebook said.

Facebook said there is a clear need for a strong collective response that imposes a higher cost on people behind influence operations in addition to making these deceptive campaigns less effective.

Microsoft, chip maker Arm to boost AI innovation for IoT devices

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Microsoft, chip maker Arm to boost AI innovation for IoT devices

SoftBank-owned UK chipmaker Arm has partnered with Microsoft to create Azure-based tools to enable developers to transfer data from Arm-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices to Azure Cloud.

The partnership will enable developers to easily target a broad range of Arm-based devices like intelligent computer-vision-enabled cameras, connected vehicles, AI gateways, and intelligent appliances.

With over 30 billion active IoT devices in the world with 400 percent growth over the past three years, the industry is moving incredibly fast.

“Arm’s leading silicon architecture combined with their broad ecosystem and commitment to optimizing developer experiences will enable this partnership to accelerate AI innovation for IoT devices, delivering better solutions and a better future for end-users,” said Moe Turabian, Vice President, General Manager-Azure Edge Devices.

In one of the biggest tech deals, the graphics giant NVIDIA in September announced it is acquiring Arm for $40 billion with an aim to create a premier computing company for the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

Microsoft is working closely with the silicon ecosystem to launch an Azure-Ready Silicon program.

“We are committed to helping foster innovation and diversity within the broader silicon and device ecosystems, and making it easy, fast, and cost-effective for our customers,” Microsoft said in a blog post on Thursday.

“Our collaboration with Arm to facilitate an end-to-end AI toolchain to simplify development is an important part of this strategy”.

Ram Vilas Paswan was efficient administrator, mass leader: Manmohan Singh

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Ram Vilas Paswan was efficient administrator, mass leader: Manmohan Singh

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday condoled the death of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan saying he was an efficient administrator who worked closely with him and was a mass leader with wide popularity.

In his condolence letter to Ram Vilas Paswan’s son, Chirag Paswan, who is an MP from Jamui in Bihar and is the current president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the former Prime Minister said, “I have learned with profound sorrow about the passing away of your beloved father. He was an important Dalit leader face in the Central government of many parties.”

Recalling his stint with Ram Vilas Paswan from 2004 to 2014 during the United Progressive Alliance 1 and 2 governments at the Centre, Manmohan Singh said, “I have very warm recollections of my association with him as a member of the UPA government which I led in 2004. The veteran socialist leader was also a very efficient administrator who worked very closely with me as a Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and also served as Minister in various ministries.”

The veteran Congress leader said Ram Vilas Paswan was a mass leader with wide popularity, which was evident from the fact that he won Parliament elections with a record majority from his constituency. Singh said, Paswan, was also a leader who was loved and respected by all irrespective of their political leniency.

“In his death, the country has lost one of its greatest Dalit and socialist leaders, who always stood for the cause of poor and downtrodden of the society,” he said.

The LJP founder breathed his last in a private hospital here, where he had been admitted for the last several days and also underwent heart surgery last weekend. His mortal remains were brought to his residence here at 12 Janpath, where President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several other dignitaries paid their last tributes.

Long queues of supporters of the LJP leader were witnessed outside his residence who had come to pay their last respects. His body will be flown to Patna later in the day, where it will be kept at the LJP’s Patna office on Saturday for the party supporters to pay their tributes. His body will be cremated with full state honors on Saturday in Patna.

The national flag was flown at half-mast in Delhi and the capitals of all the states and union territories as a mark of respect to Cabinet Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification in this regard on Thursday, saying that the flag would be flown at half-mast on the day and at the place where his funeral takes place.

IBM stock up 6% as it spins off new firm for Hybrid Cloud biz

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IBM stock up 6% as it spins off new firm for Hybrid Cloud biz

The 109-year-old IT giant IBM saw its stock rising six per cent as it announced to spin off its IT infrastructure unit into a new publicly-traded firm, temporarily called NewCo, by the end of 2021 which will focus on the $1 trillion Hybrid Cloud opportunity.

This creates two industry-leading companies at IBM, each with a strategic focus and flexibility to drive client and shareholder value.

The separation is expected to be achieved as a tax-free spin-off to the IBM shareholders.

“IBM is laser-focused on the $1 trillion hybrid-cloud opportunities. Client buying needs for application and infrastructure services are diverging, while adoption of our hybrid cloud platform is accelerating,” said Arvind Krishna, IBM CEO who took over from Ginni Rometty in April this year.

“Now is the right time to create two market-leading companies focused on what they do best,” Krishna said in a statement late on Thursday.

IBM will focus on its open hybrid cloud platform and AI capabilities.

NewCo will have greater agility to design, run, and modernize the infrastructure of the world’s most important organizations.

“Both companies will be on an improved growth trajectory with greater ability to partner and capture new opportunities — creating value for clients and shareholders,” said Krishna.

Shares of the company closed up nearly 6 percent

The new company will immediately be the world’s leading managed infrastructure services provider.

It has relationships with more than 4,600 technology-intensive, highly regulated clients in 115 countries, including more than 75 percent of the Fortune 100, a backlog of $60 billion, and more than twice the scale of its nearest competitor.

The new company will be entirely focused on managing and modernizing client-owned infrastructures, which is “a $500 billion market opportunity”.

“NewCo will also be able to partner fully across all cloud vendors, opening new avenues for growth, while maintaining a strong strategic partnership with IBM and continuing to serve existing and new clients”.

Following separation, the companies together are initially expected to pay a combined quarterly dividend that is no less than IBM’s re-spin dividend per share.

IBM also provided preliminary financial results for the third quarter that ended on September 30. The company expects to report revenue of $17.6 billion.

“We have positioned IBM for the new era of hybrid cloud,” said Ginni Rometty, IBM Executive Chairman.

“Our multi-year transformation created the foundation for the open hybrid cloud platform, which we then accelerated with the acquisition of Red Hat,” she added.

As two independent companies, IBM and NewCo will capitalize on their respective strengths.

“IBM will accelerate clients’ digital transformation journeys, and NewCo will accelerate clients’ infrastructure modernization efforts. This focus will result in greater value, increased innovation, and faster execution for our clients,” Rometty noted.

Google Assistant to now help users open, search Android apps

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Google Assistant to now help users open, search Android apps

Google has extended Assistant voice commands to Android apps and the users can now open and search their favorite apps with ‘Hey Google wake word and make everyday tasks within an app much easier.

Opening and searching within Android apps using “Hey Google” is now available to all Assistant-enabled Android phones.

“Starting today, you can try doing more using your voice with more than 30 of the top apps on Google Play available in English globally, with more apps coming,” Google said in a statement on Thursday.

Google recently released Android 11, the latest version of the operating system. It has now made six new Google features for Android available even on older versions.

With Google’s Phone app, your Android device will stop spam callers for good and it’ll tell you who’s calling and why.

The spam protection feature is now available to download for the first time on most Android devices running Android 9 or above.

The tech giant also announced the arrival of ‘sound notifications’ that flag important, inconvenient, or alarming noises around you when you have hearing loss or are even wearing headphones.

One can set up ‘sound notifications’ in the Live Transcribe app, and the phone will flash, vibrate and provide push notifications when it detects a fire alarm, a door-knocking, household appliance beeps, and more.

Built for people with cognitive disabilities and age-related conditions, the Action Blocks feature can now be used to communicate short phrases.

Action Blocks now incorporates thousands of Picture Communication Symbols from the US firm Tobii Dynavox, making it easier to use the Android app alongside existing speech therapy and special education materials.

Starting on Android phones in the US, the Google Play Movies & TV app is now being updated to Google TV.

“Google TV helps you discover what to watch with recommendations for movies and shows from across your streaming apps,” the company said.

Facebook unveils 3-month initiative to support small businesses

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Facebook unveils 3-month initiative to support small businesses

Facebook has launched a three-month initiative to provide free resources, education, and training to help small businesses, especially those owned by the people of color.

As part of the ‘Season of Support’ initiative, Facebook announced #BuyBlack Friday in the US — harnessing the energy of the year’s biggest retail day to celebrate and support Black-owned businesses and their communities.

“Black-owned businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic, closing at twice the rate of other small businesses,” said Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook.

“But we know that millions of people want to help. More than 3.5 million people on Facebook in the US have joined new groups created to support Black-owned businesses since March”.

Starting on October 30, Facebook will introduce features in its main app that encourage people to create posts supporting Black-owned businesses.

“We’ll be offering interested businesses a toolkit to get involved, so they can amplify #BuyBlack through their own channels,” Sandberg said in a statement on Thursday.

To help people #BuyBlack for the holidays, the social network will also introduce The Facebook #BuyBlack Friday Gift Guide later this month, which will showcase products from US Black-owned businesses across categories from beauty to home to fashion.

“Our Businesses Nearby tool will help people find local businesses, including those that have chosen to self-designate as Black-owned”.

Facebook in June pledged $200 million to support black-owned businesses and organizations in the US, along with several other initiatives to support black communities.

The commitment is part of a broader $1.1 billion investment by Facebook in Black and diverse suppliers and communities in the US.

“We’re also creating a new space in the Facebook app called Lift Black Voices and we’re building a more diverse and inclusive workforce so we can better support communities around the world,” Sandberg has said.

Facebook purges fake networks in US, Myanmar before Nov polls

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Facebook purges fake networks in US, Myanmar before Nov polls

Facebook has removed more malicious networks from its platform in October — especially in the US and Myanmar that face elections in November — and one such network has been linked to Rally Forge, a US marketing firm, working on behalf of Turning Point USA and Inclusive Conservation Group.

The social network removed 200 Facebook accounts, 55 Pages and 76 Instagram accounts part of this network for violating its policy against coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

“Rally Forge is now banned from Facebook. We are continuing to investigate all linked networks, and will take action as appropriate if we determine they are engaged in deceptive behavior,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Security Policy at Facebook said in a blog post on Thursday.

Many of these accounts used stock profile photos and posed as right-leaning individuals from across the US.

Most recently, the people behind this activity commented most frequently on Pages of the Washington Post, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and The New York Times.

This network showed some links to on-platform activity by Turning Point USA.

“This network appears to have started its operations in 2018 and continued through 2020. Its election-focused behavior began in 2018 in the run-up to the midterms, it then went largely dormant until June 2020,” Facebook informed.

More than half of the networks removed this month targeted domestic audiences in their countries and many of them were linked to groups and individuals associated with politically affiliated actors in the US, Myanmar, Russia, Nigeria, Philippines, and Azerbaijan.

Facing widespread criticism in Myanmar, Facebook said it has removed 17 Pages, 50 Facebook accounts and six Instagram accounts for violating its policy that originated in Myanmar.

These accounts often used stock female profile photos and photos of celebrities and social media influencers.

“The individuals behind this network posted primarily in Burmese about local news and current events including topics like military activities, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, local Covid-19 response, criticism of the National League for Democracy, a political party in Myanmar, and Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as a small number of anti-Rohingya posts,” Gleicher wrote.

“Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to members of the Myanmar military”.

Facing flak for failing to prevent hate speech from spreading on its platform in Myanmar, Facebook last month announced additional steps aimed at protecting the integrity of the November elections in the country.

The social network who had admitted that they have been “too slow” to prevent the spread of misinformation and hate speech in Myanmar said it will significantly reduce the distribution of content that its proactive detection technology identifies as likely hate speech.

US weekly jobless claims total 840,000

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US weekly jobless claims total 840,000

The weekly unemployment claims in the US totaled 840,000 last week, the lowest level since the coronavirus-induced shut down in March, according to the Labour Department.

The new figure, released by the Department on Thursday, was also lower from the upwardly revised 849,000 from a week earlier, reports CNBC News.

Since the US economy was shut down after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a pandemic, unemployment claims have remained above the 800,000 marks every week.

However, continuing claims again fell sharply, dropping by just over 1 million to 10.98 million, according to the Labour Department.

Continuing claims trail the headline weekly claims number by a week.

The insured unemployment rate also slid from 8.2 percent to 7.5 percent, its lowest since March 28.

Despite the persistently high level of jobless claims, a White House official said the economy continues on a clear recovery path.

“The economy is entering into a boom and growth looks great,” Joseph LaVorgna, an advisor to President Donald Trump and chief economist on the National Economic Council, told CNBC News on Thursday.

“If you look at most indicators, they are back above their pre-coronavirus readings,” he said.

There are still 25.5 million workers claiming some form of unemployment benefits.

First-time claimants under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program fell by 44,270 to 464,437 for the week of October 3.

1,853 students, staffers at 3 UK universities test Covid-19 positive

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1,853 students, staffers at 3 UK universities test Covid-19 positive

At least 1,853 additional students and staffers at three UK universities have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the institutions.

In a statement on Thursday, the Newcastle University said 1,003 students and 12 staff members were confirmed to have been infected this week, compared with the 94 positive cases on October 2, the BBC reported.

The varsity further said the “overwhelming majority” of cases were reported in social and residential settings and it was “confident” that appropriate measures were in place to protect everyone on campus.

Students who are isolating or in quarantine were entitled to a ‘help package’ including access to mental health support, food vouchers, and help with laundry, it added.

Meanwhile, Northumbria University reported 619 new cases.

Last week, it had said that 770 people had contracted the virus since mid-September.

The university added that it was “continuing to make extensive efforts” to provide support for its self-isolating students with online concierge services or food parcels delivered by staff and the students’ union, the BBC reported.

Due to the cases spike, both Newcastle and Northumbria have moved the majority of the teaching online.

Meanwhile, Durham University also confirmed 219 new cases in students in the past week.

Students living at two of its 17 colleges have been asked to remain on campus and to only attend activities managed by the university for the next seven days.

First batch of 18 players confirmed for The Hundred

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First batch of 18 players confirmed for The Hundred

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday confirmed the names of the first 18 players to take part in The Hundred, with England batsman Ollie Pope one of the first players to move teams.

Pope will be heading to Cardiff to play for Welsh Fire, where he will be joined by England bowler Katie George – one of eight women’s players whose decision to roll over their 2020 contract offer has been confirmed.

While many of the men’s teams have retained the same Test players that were due to play for them this year before the inaugural year of the competition was postponed due to Covid-19, two England stars – Pope and Rory Burns – are on the move. Burns will cross London to join Oval Invincibles.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Welsh Fire. The side had a really strong squad lined up and I’m sure they’ll be working hard to retain some of the star names and further strengthen the side in the upcoming draft,” Pope said.

“We have all experienced a year none of us could have predicted but The Hundred promises to be a hugely exciting competition next year and I can’t wait to take part,” he added.

The first eight women’s players to have rolled over their contracts have been unveiled, including six England players and two West Indian superstars.

“The Hundred is hugely important to the ongoing growth of the women’s game, from both a performance and profile perspective. As a player, I am hugely excited to get to play with and against some of the best cricketers in the world, and I’m sure the fans will get even more excited as more names are confirmed over the next few months,” said Katie.

The announcement marks the start of a three-month men’s retention window meaning until the end of January, the eight men’s teams will be able to retain players from their original 2020 squad for the 2021 season. A men’s draft will be held in early 2021 to select the remaining players.

Sanjay Patel, Managing Director for The Hundred, said, “This is a really exciting moment for The Hundred to see where the England men’s test central contract players will be playing next year and to announce the first wave of re-signed players for the women’s teams.”

“Over the next few months we will see world-class players and massive names from around the world committing to The Hundred and we can’t wait to launch the competition in 2021,” he added.

Confirmed players for The Hundred:

Birmingham Phoenix – Amy Jones, Dom Sibley and Chris Woakes

London Spirit – Zak Crawley and Deandra Dottin

Manchester Originals – Jos Buttler and Kate Cross

Northern Superchargers – Ben Stokes and Lauren Winfield-Hill

Oval Invincibles – Rory Burns, Sam Curran, and Fran Wilson

Southern Brave – Jofra Archer and Stafanie Taylor

Trent Rockets – Joe Root and Nat Sciver

Welsh Fire – Katie George and Ollie Pope

Pant ‘major asset’ for DC, has vastly improved his game: Lara

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Pant ‘major asset’ for DC, has vastly improved his game: Lara

Rishabh Pant has vastly improved his batting and he is a major asset for the Delhi Capitals, says legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara.

Pant has been in good form in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 171 runs in the five matches he has played so far.

“I think he is a major asset for the Delhi Capitals, but today he has also vastly improved his game. I am talking about his batting and the improvements he made in that department,” said Lara while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Live.

“On what is immediately noticeable is his propensity to try and get everything to the leg-side. Also, look at his run-scoring chart and that’s quite a proof of that fascination he has with the on-side. I think he has come to the realization that this is not working and he went away and worked on improving his off-side play,” he added.

According to Lara, Pant has worked on improving his off-side play which in turn has helped him to score runs in all parts of the ground.

“Now he has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground. His scoring charts are looking impressive, and yes, more worry for the bowlers,” said the former West Indies captain.

“He is now very well balanced and he is looking to score in key areas that he is not accustomed to scoring – over extra cover, over point, in front of the point and his balance and his weight is staying there, he is not falling over to the off-side to create shots on the leg side. That is a vast improvement that he has made, which obviously going to help his all-round batting. I believe, this young lad has a long-long way to go,” he added.

Delhi Capitals, sitting pretty at the second spot in the points table, will on Friday evening take on Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah.

Eight special trains to run between Telangana, Andhra

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Eight special trains to run between Telangana, Andhra

The South Central Railway (SCR) on Thursday announced that it will operate eight more special trains connecting various destinations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad, Lingampalli-Kakinada Town-Lingampalli, Tirupati-Visakhapatnam-Tirupati, and Secunderabad-Shalimar-Secunderabad trains will facilitate the movement of passengers between the two Telugu states.

The SCR said the trains will be operated from October 13. The Secunderabad-Shalimar weekly special train will depart Secunderabad at 5.40 hrs on every Tuesday with effect from October 13 and arrive at Shalimar at 9.05 hrs the next day.

In the return direction, it will depart Shalimar at 16.05 hrs on every Wednesday with effect from October 14 and arrive at Secunderabad at 18.30 hrs the next day.

Enroute, these special trains will stop at Warangal, Rayanapadu, Rajahmundry, Samalkot, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam Rd, Berhampur, Khurda Rd, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Kharagpur, and Santragachi stations in both the directions.

The Tirupati-Visakhapatnam tri-weekly special train will depart Tirupati at 21.50 hrs on every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday with effect from October 14 and arrive at Visakhapatnam at 11.00 hrs the next day.

In the return direction, the train will depart Visakhapatnam at 22.25 hrs on every Thursday, Saturday, and Monday with effect from October 15 and arrive at Tirupati at 11.35 hrs the next day.

The Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam weekly special train will depart Secunderabad at 17.50 hrs on every Saturday with effect from October 17 and arrive at Visakhapatnam at 06.50 hrs the next day.

In the return direction, the train will depart at Visakhapatnam at 18.55 hrs on every Sunday with effect from October 18 and arrive at Secunderabad at 7.40 hrs the next day.

The Kakinada Town-Lingampalli tri-weekly express will depart Kakinada Town at 20-10 hrs every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday with effect from October 25 and arrive at Lingampalli at 7.30 hrs the next day.

In the return direction, the express will depart Lingampalli at 19.55 hrs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with effect from October 26 and arrive at Kakinada Town at 7.15 hrs the next day.

Bigg Boss 14: Sara Gurpal ‘will go mad’ if she gets film with Salman Khan

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Bigg Boss 14: Sara Gurpal ‘will go mad’ if she gets film with Salman Khan

Bigg Boss 14 housemate Sara Gurpal confesses she is a big fan of show host and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. In fact, she hints at the extreme outcome if she ever gets work in a film with Salman.

“If I ever do a movie with Salman Khan, then I will go mad,” Sara told IANS.

Punjabi singer Sara is proud of the work she has done back home. She says getting a break on a huge national platform as “Bigg Boss” is all thanks to her work in the Punjabi entertainment industry.

“It is because of Punjab I am where I am today. So, that will always be number one. People know me because I have worked in Punjab. ‘Bigg Boss’ happened because of that work,” she said.

Sara, however, has her plans in place after her stint in Punjab and on “Bigg Boss”.

“The third step is expected. I have never worked in Mumbai. I had once shot in Madh Island but I have never worked here. But there is always away. If I get something after this (Bigg Boss), then of course, definitely (I will work in Mumbai). Who doesn’t want to say, ‘I tried for Bollywood’?” she said.

“I have done a lot of work in Punjab, but here (Mumbai) there is an ocean (of work). You are like a fish in the sea and there you are a fish in the pond,” she explained.

Agra’s Covid recovery rate nears 90% even

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Agra’s Covid recovery rate nears 90% even

The Covid-19 recovery rate in Agra has improved to 88.29 percent, even as 60 fresh positive cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the health department said on Friday.

The sample collection has also gone up to 2,09,785. Health department officials said the total tally now was 6,170. So far 5,509 patients had been discharged after recovery. The number of active cases stands at 532. The total number of deaths from Covid-19 is 129.

The decision to reopen the schools from October 15 has been postponed to October 20.

A delegation of the Association of Progressive Schools of Agra (APSA) met the District Magistrate of Agra P.N. Singh to discuss the modalities. The meeting decided to review the situation on October 20 and if all went well the Board classes (for seniors) could start from October 26.

The administration is in no mood to hurry up and take risks. The publicity campaign to sensitize the population has been stepped up from Thursday. Testing at half a dozen new centers and mobile vans to test the government officials in their offices, has already started, giving good results.

The S.N. Medical College has streamlined its OPD procedures, opting for online registration. The private nursing homes have also begun offering medical services to COVID patients.

At least half a dozen NGOs were distributing masks in busy public places and markets. Smriti’s Dr. Niharika Malhotra led a team of volunteers to educate people and offer them free masks at various locations. “The people are now slowly learning the benefits of social distancing and wearing masks when out of their homes,” a volunteer at the Rainbow hospital said.

The tourism sector, though, has shown some encouraging trends, as the number of visitors to the monuments has shown improvement. More than 2,000 tourists visited the Taj Mahal on Thursday.

SC terms ex-IAF officer dangerous for country, denies bail in spying case

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SC terms ex-IAF officer dangerous for country, denies bail in spying case

The Supreme Court has termed a former Indian Air Force officer facing trial under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) “dangerous for the country” and denied him bail.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian declined to entertain a plea filed by Ranjith K.K. against a Delhi High Court order.

Ranjith is facing trial for allegedly sharing sensitive information with suspects considered a front for Pakistan’s intelligence service.

The bench said, “You are a danger to the entire nation. You remain where you are.”

Ranjith’s lawyer contended before the bench that his client has not seen his mother in Kerala for five years, as he has been in jail under the OSA. To which the bench replied, “You should have thought about all this before you did it.”

The top court said: “The special leave petition is dismissed. Pending application(s), if any, shall also stand disposed of.”

Ranjith had earlier urged the high court to grant him bail, saying he was a young man at the time of his arrest and the only charge framed against him was under a section, which has maximum punishment for 14 years.

He had joined the IAF as a leading aircraftman.

In its order, the high court had noted that according to the FIR and the order by which the charge was framed against him, the petitioner is accused of having passed on sensitive data to persons who were intending to threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

The police had alleged that he was honey-trapped and afterward shared sensitive information with Pakistan’s secret service.

While denying bail, the high court also took into account that various documents have been recovered, which included WhatsApp chat history, map of the Air Force base, etc.

Global Covid-19 cases top 36.4mn: Johns Hopkins

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Global Covid-19 cases top 36.4mn: Johns Hopkins

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 36.4 million, while the deaths have soared to more than 1,060,860, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Friday morning, the total number of cases stood at 36,435,290 and the fatalities increased to 1,060,869, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 7,603,746 and 212,716, respectively, according to the CSSE.

India comes in second place in terms of cases at 6,835,655, while the country’s death toll soared to 105,526.

The other top 15 countries with the maximum amount of cases are Brazil (5,028,444), Russia (1,253,603), Colombia (886,179), Argentina (856,369), Spain (848,324), Peru (835,662), Mexico (804,488), France (711,704), South Africa (686,891), the UK (564,502), Iran (488,236), Chile (476,016), Iraq (394,566), Bangladesh (374,592), and Italy (338,398), the CSSE figures showed.

Brazil currently accounts for the second-highest number of fatalities at 148,957.

The countries with a death toll above 10,000 are Mexico (83,096), the UK (42,682), Italy (36,083), Peru (33,009), Spain (32,688), France (32,539), Iran (27,888), Colombia (27,180), Argentina (22,710), Russia (21,939), South Africa (17,408), Chile (13,167), Ecuador (12,141), Indonesia (11,580) and Belgium (10,108).

DUSU to deploy 500 volunteers to assist during DU’s admission process

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DUSU to deploy 500 volunteers to assist during DU’s admission process

Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) will provide a force of 500 student volunteers for the smooth flow of admissions at the University of Delhi (DU), which is set to begin from October 12. DUSU president Akshat Dahiya said that the student’s union has decided to form a cell of student volunteers who would assist with the administration in the process of upcoming admissions of the first-year students.

“A meeting was held with the admission committee of the university where we offered our support to the committee,” he said.

Dahiya told IANS that the volunteers would undergo a mock training before being deployed in the admission cell. “We have started training the volunteers, and a mock would be conducted for them on Friday and Saturday where they will be guided how to assist the prospective students and members of the admission committee,” he explained.

“Our numbers and email-IDs will flash on the university’s website, and prospective students could contact us directly as well if they get stuck in the process,” Dahiya added.

Meanwhile, the student union has also requested the administration to extend the last date of uploading the mark sheet and ensure the conduction of a proper webinar for the students for the error-free process.

For the first time, the admission process at the university is entirely online this year after the situation arose from the COVID-19 led pandemic.

Karnataka leaders mourn Ram Vilas Paswan’s death

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Karnataka leaders mourn Ram Vilas Paswan’s death

Condoling the demise of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Karnataka leaders including Chief Minister, B. S. Yediyurappa, former Prime Minister, H. D. Deve Gowda, Leader of the Opposition, Siddaramaiah, and others remembered him as a leader who was a voice of the voiceless.

Union Minister and veteran leader Ram Vilas Paswan (74), who founded the Lok Janshakti Party, had undergone heart surgery at a hospital in Delhi a few days ago and died on Thursday evening.

Terming his cabinet colleague’s death as a great personal loss, former Prime Minister, H. D. Deve Gowda tweeted that “I am deeply saddened by the demise of Union Minister and 8-term MP Shri. Ram Vilas Paswan ji. He was very dear to me and had worked as the Railways Minister in my cabinet. Losing a very senior leader like him is a great loss for our country.”

While chief minister, B. S. Yeddyurappa said in his statement that he was deeply anguished by the passing away of the veteran leader. “Shri Ram Vilas Paswan Ji will be remembered as a leader who gave voice to the poor, underprivileged, and marginalized. My heartfelt condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti.”

Congress legislative party leader Siddaramaiah in a tweet stated that saddened by the demise of Union Minister Shri. Ram Vilas Paswan. “He was one of the finest leaders of our country and his work speaks for his commitment. My deepest condolences to his family members and well-wishers,” the tweet further read.

Expressing grief, Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel Asiad that Paswan had been in active politics for more than five decades and was a senior Dalit leader.

Condoling Paswan’s death JD(S) leader and former chief minister H. D. Kumaraswamy asserted he was the voice of the underprivileged.

Karl Urban: ‘The Boys’ makes poignant social commentary

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Karl Urban: ‘The Boys’ makes poignant social commentary

Actor Karl Urban feels his superhero satire series, The Boys, holds a mirror to realities of the current society and says the web show makes poignant social commentary.

“According to me, the show makes very poignant social commentary, from corporate greed to the manipulation of the media to the corrupt nature of some celebrities,” Urban told IANS in an interview.

“It also explores contemporary issues like Black Lives Matter and racism. It seems to me (that it is) a very timely reminder of the dangers of Right-wing ideology, especially now at a time where Right-wing ideology seems to be growing, and that’s got to be a major concern,” he added.

Developed by Eric Kripke, the superhero satire “The Boys” is an irreverent take on what happens when superheroes — who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as Gods — abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. The show gives a spin to a positive narrative of superhero stories and shows the fight between good and bad in a new light.

Talking about his character of Billy Butcher, Urban said: “Billy Butcher is a fun character to play. He is one of those characters who live life on the edge. He does things that many of us wish we could do. He is cheeky and very dangerous. So, I have a lot of fun playing the character.”

Asked if he relates to the causes Billy is fighting for, Urban said: “Most definitely. Ultimately, he is seeking justice. The lesson for Butcher is that he must pursue justice, not revenge. Because revenge is a very dangerous obsession and that’s one instinct that Butcher must learn to conquer.”

The series is available on Amazon Prime Video. The intense season two of “The Boys” will culminate with the finale being streamed on October 9. With the second season coming to an end, Urban is tightlipped about the future of the hit show.

“I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you. It’s not up to me. That’s really a question for the showrunner, Eric Kripke,” he said when asked about the future of Billy.

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