du Plessis currently holds Orange Cap, Rabada gets Purple Cap

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du Plessis currently holds Orange Cap, Rabada gets Purple Cap

Hard-hitting batsman Faf du Plessis of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) speedster Kagiso Rabada hold the Orange and Purple Caps respectively at the end of Friday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match between the two teams here.

These running caps are presented to the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker, and keep changing hands throughout the duration of the tournament.

South African du Plessis has so far scored 173 runs in three games for the CSK and sits at the top of the charts in the list of leading run-scorers. Against Delhi on Friday, the former Proteas skipper scored 43 runs from 35 balls but was unable to find support from his teammates as his team lost the match by 44 runs.

KXIP captain KL Rahul (153 runs in two games) and his teammate and opener Mayank Agarwal (115 runs in two games) are the next top scorers at present.

In the bowlers’ list, Rabada has scalped five wickets in two matches and was instrumental in both wins for the Shreyas Iyer-led side. Against CSK, he started off with a brilliant over and then went on to finish the match by removing both MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in the final over.

CSK pacer Sam Curran (five wickets in three games) and KXIP speedster Mohammad Shami (four wickets in two games) are the next two top wicket-takers.

After their comprehensive win over CSK on Friday, DC stands at the top of the points table with four points, having won both their first two games so far. KXIP are second while Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals are third and fourth. Although all three teams have two points each, their net run rates determine their positions.

On Saturday, Kolkata Knight Riders will face SunRisers Hyderabad at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Japan determined to host Olympics next year, says PM Yoshihide Suga

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Japan determined to host Olympics next year, says PM Yoshihide Suga

Japan is determined to host the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games in 2021 to prove that humanity has defeated the Covid-19 pandemic, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said.

“In the summer of next year, Japan is determined to host the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as proof that humanity has defeated the pandemic,” Suga told the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

“I will continue to spare no effort in order to welcome you to Games that are safe and secure,” he added in a pre-recorded message.

Originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 this year, the Tokyo Olympics was in March postponed to 2021 due to the outbreak of coronavirus. It is now set to be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has meanwhile stated that even though the availability of Covid-19 vaccines or rapid testing may not be a solution to conduct postponed Tokyo Olympics, they would be of great help in organizing the event next year.

“They will not be the silver bullet but they can greatly facilitate the organization of the games,” Bach had said earlier this month when asked about vaccines at a news conference after an IOC Board meeting.

The Tokyo Olympic organizers have announced several “simplification” changes for next year’s postponed games, though with few large-scale cost savings.

Twitter beefs up security for internal tools from potential misuse

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Twitter beefs up security for internal tools from potential misuse

To further secure its internal tools from potential misuse after the massive crypto hack in July, Twitter has rolled out phishing-resistant security keys, requiring its team to use them when authenticating to systems around the world.

The move, the company said, is to help reduce the risk of unauthorized third-party gaining access to Twitter internal systems using compromised employee credentials.

The July 15 hack resulted in Twitter profiles for celebrities, executives, and public figures sending out tweets advertising a bitcoin scam.

Twitter then admitted that the hackers “targeted a small number of employees through a phone spear-phishing attack,” that “relies on a significant and concerted attempt to mislead certain employees and exploit human vulnerabilities to gain access to our internal systems.”

The micro-blogging platform said this week that it has beefed up its access management processes and authentication systems.

“To further secure our internal tools from potential misuse, we have been strengthening the rigorous checks that team members with access must undergo. This also helps reduce the potential for an unauthorized person to get access to our systems,” Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal said.

He said that internal detection and monitoring tools “are constantly being improved, even since the July incident, to include things like expanding our detection and response efforts to include suspicious authentication and access activity”.

In addition to requiring security and privacy and data protection training for all newly hired Twitter employees, the company has introduced new courses and increased the frequency and availability of existing courses for all employees.

“For example, we introduced two new mandatory training sessions for people who have access to non-public information. These training make clear the dos and don’ts when accessing this information and ensure employees understand how to protect themselves when they are online so they can better avoid becoming phishing targets for attackers,” Agrawal explained.

By targeting specific Twitter employees in July, the hackers were able to gain access to internal Twitter tools and targeted 130 Twitter accounts, tweeted from 45 of them, accessed the DMs of 36 accounts, and downloaded the Twitter data of seven.

In addition to existing security training courses, Twitter said it has also enhanced training content on secure coding, threat modeling, privacy impact assessments, and privacy by design.

“We are continuing to invest more in the teams, technology, and resources to support this critical work,” it added.

Apple’s smallest iPhone may be called iPhone 12 Mini

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Apple’s smallest iPhone may be called iPhone 12 Mini

Apple is expected to launch four new iPhones next month and a new report has claimed that one model with a 5.4-inch display may be called the iPhone 12 Mini.

According to a photo depicting alleged stickers from unreleased Silicone iPhone cases originating from Apple’s international distribution center in Ireland, one of the iPhone is likely to be called iPhone 12 Mini.

The photo shows three expected sizes of iPhone 12, with the 5.4-inch model being the “iPhone 12 mini,” the 6.7-inch model being the “iPhone 12 Pro Max,” and the two 6.1-inch models being the “iPhone 12 / iPhone 12 Pro,” reports MacRumors.

According to the report, the iPhone 12 mini would be the first iPhone with the “mini” moniker, which has been seen on the iPad mini, Mac mini, and iPod mini.

At 5.4-inches, the iPhone 12 mini would be smaller than the iPhone 11 Pro, which is a 5.8-inch device.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly gearing up to hold a special event on October 13 to launch the much-awaited iPhone 12 series.

All four iPhone models are expected to feature OLED displays and 5G support.

The upcoming iPhone 12 could cost somewhere between $699 to $749 while the iPhone 12 Max could be priced around $799-849.

The Pro and Pro Max models are expected to be priced between $1,100 to $1,200.

Google announces new measures for safe, inclusive workplace

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Google announces new measures for safe, inclusive workplace

In another bid to build a more equitable and respectful workplace, Google has announced new measures that include new care programs for employees who report concerns and making arbitration optional for Google employees.

The company said it is setting up a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council to advise on and oversee these efforts that will report to the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Board (LDCC) on a quarterly basis on the company’s progress.

“We’re building on our current practice of prohibiting severance for anyone terminated for any form of misconduct, and expanding the prohibition to anyone who is the subject of a pending investigation for sexual misconduct or retaliation,” Eileen Naughton, VP, People Operations, said in a statement on Friday.

Google managers will receive guidance instructing them on how misconduct should impact an employee’s performance evaluation, compensation decisions, and promotion outcomes.

“If there are allegations against any executives, a specialist team will be assigned and the results of any case will be reported to the Board’s Audit Committee,” Naughton said.

Other changes include making arbitration optional for all employees, temporary staff, vendors, and independent contractors for individual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation disputes with Alphabet, as well as following the new Alphabet model for executive investigations.

“We’ll ensure that $310 million in funding goes toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs focused on increasing access to computer science education and careers; continuing to build a more representative workforce; fostering a respectful, equitable and inclusive workplace culture; and helping businesses from underrepresented groups to succeed in the digital economy and tech industry,” Google said.

Together, Sundar Pichai, the DEI Advisory Council, and the Board will uphold “Alphabet’s unwavering commitment to prohibit and respond effectively to complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace”.

“Recent years have involved a lot of introspection and work to make sure we’re providing a safe and inclusive workplace for every employee,” Naughton noted.

In late 2018, Alphabet’s Board responded to employee concerns by overseeing a comprehensive review of policies and practices related to sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and retaliation.

An independent committee of the Board also reviewed claims raised by shareholders in early 2019 about past workplace misconduct issues, the company informed.

Twitter fixes bug that may have compromised developers’ accounts

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Twitter fixes bug that may have compromised developers’ accounts

Twitter has alerted developers of a bug it discovered and fixed that may have compromised their accounts.

In an email sent to developers, the micro-blogging platform said the bug was discovered where information about your Twitter developer apps may have been stored in your browser’s cache when you visited developer.twitter.com

“While we currently have no evidence that your developer app keys and tokens were compromised, we want to make sure you are aware of what happened and what you can do to keep your apps and account secure,” read the email posted on Twitter by Dave Gershgorn, senior writer for Medium’s OneZero.

The developer.twitter.com website is the portal where developers manage their Twitter apps and attached API (Application programming interface) keys.

“If someone who used the same computer after you in that temporary timeframe knew how to access a browser’s cache, and knew what to look for, it is possible they could have accessed the keys and tokens that you viewed,” Twitter said.

“Depending on what pages you visited and what information you looked at, this could have included your app’s consumer API keys, as well as the user access token and secret for your own Twitter account,” it added.

Twitter fixed the issue by changing what content gets cached when users access the developer.twitter.com portal.

Google to block election ads after US presidential polls

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Google has said it will temporarily restrict all advertisers from running political ads following the US presidential elections on its platform.

In an email to advertisers accessed by Axios on Friday, the company the new rule will not only apply to ads about the presidential election but also state and local contests.

“The policy, which is intended to block all ads related to the election, will apply to all ads running through Google’s ad-serving platforms, including Google Ads, DV360, YouTube, and AdX Authorized Buyer,” the email read.

The restriction could last a week or more, according to a Google spokesperson.

Big Tech platforms are under tremendous pressure to address misinformation on their platforms before the presidential election that falls on November 3.

The Google ban will target ads that are explicitly election-related.

Google considers any ad an election-related ad if it mentions a current state or federal officeholder or candidate, political party, or ballot measure.

The company also said there will be delays in the ad approval process.

Google told advertisers they should expect up to 48 hours for ad creative approvals, “and we will not be able to expedite requests during that time given the volume.”

Not only Google, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said earlier this month that the platform will not accept new political ads in the week before the November 3 US presidential elections.

Facebook said that it will remove posts that claim that people will get Covid-19 if they take part in voting.

A link to authoritative information about coronavirus will be provided to posts that might use Covid-19 to discourage voting, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook said it will attach an informational label to content that seeks to delegitimize the outcome of the elections or discuss the legitimacy of voting methods.

Social media firms like Twitter and Pinterest have already banned political ads on the platform.

Facebook faced a lot of scrutiny from lawmakers in the US after it did not take enough measures to check attempts of foreign actors to interfere in the 2016 US presidential elections.

World Table Tennis announces 2021 event ‘Hubs’

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World Table Tennis announces 2021 event ‘Hubs’

World Table Tennis (WTT) has announced the first half of the 2021 WTT calendar, including three separate “Hubs” to be staged in the Middle East, China, and Europe.

According to the calendar, the first Hub will be staged between March 17 and April 3 next year in the Middle East, followed by those in China from April 13 to May 16 and in Europe from May 27 to June 20.

“The Hubs will showcase the new WTT event structure and the China Hub will feature the very first Grand Smash, the top tier in professional table tennis,” WTT said in a statement on Friday.

It said that the proposed Hub format would create the best possible environment for WTT events to be held, ensure better logistics for meeting Covid-19 health and safety guidelines, and a manageable travel schedule for players.

Following the three Hubs, the WTT calendar will take a break to accommodate the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games to be held between July 23 and August 8. After the Olympic Games, the WTT hopes to return to a modified calendar of events.

The WTT Champions Series will also see players battling for prize money and ranking points in their attempt to reach the WTT Cup Finals.

“2021 is a landmark year for the sport and we remain committed to offering our fans, both old and new, the opportunity to watch world-class table tennis that is refreshed, re-energized, and redefined,” said Stephen Duckitt, WTT Event Strategy Director.

The WTT event structure features Grand Smash, WTT Cup Finals, WTT Champions, WTT Star Contender, and WTT Contender.

I-League Qualifier: Strongly believe in my team, says Garhwal FC skipper

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I-League Qualifier: Strongly believe in my team, says Garhwal FC skipper

With 14 points in seven matches, Garhwal FC stood atop the 2nd Division League last season and their captain Bala Alhassan Dahir is confident about the team’s chances in the I-League Qualifier 2020, which will see the side from Delhi face off against four other teams – Mohammedan SC, Bhawanipore FC, ARA FC, and FC Bengaluru United – for a direct place in the I-League 2020-21.

“I strongly believe in our team and in our coach. The way we have been training, we can get what we want in this tournament. We have to make the most of the capabilities of our team. We are confident of qualifying,” Bala told www.i-league.org

The veteran midfielder, who hails from Nigeria, had played in all of his team’s matches in last season’s 2nd Division League.

“We are working very hard in our preparation. We are more or less the same team from last season. Since we resumed training, the coach has worked hard on our fitness and the boys are getting in shape. The team is shaping up well and preparing for the fight,” he quipped.

With the team consisting of a number of young players, Bala spoke about his responsibility of “motivating” the boys and instilling a sense of confidence in them, while focussing on the team’s “understanding”.

“As captain, I motivate and push the boys. This club is like my home and I firmly believe in my boys. They are young players but it is not much different from the others. It is the understanding in the team that matters most and I feel we understand each other well. We are ready to go there and fight. It’s a great chance and we can’t afford to miss it!” he said.

Garhwal FC kick-off their qualifying campaign against Kolkata-based side Mohammedan SC at the Kalyani Stadium on October 8 and according to Bala, the team’s discipline will help the unit rise to the occasion on the pitch.

“One of the most important things in football is discipline. The boys are extremely disciplined, ready to learn, and ready to improve. Having played in Kolkata before, I encourage the boys to not be tense about facing teams like Mohammedan Sporting and Bhawanipore FC and tell them that there is no difference between them and us. I know that once the day comes, we can come together and do well,” he said.

Apple waives App Store fee for FB online events till Dec 31

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Apple waives App Store fee for FB online events till Dec 31

Apple has temporarily waived its customary 30 percent App Store fee on in-app purchases for paid online events by small businesses on Facebook.

The social networking giant said on Friday that online event fees will be processed through Facebook Pay without Apple collecting its 30 percent cut, reports TechCrunch.

It means that small businesses will receive all of the earnings from their online events.

This Apple waiver will last until December 31 and will not apply to game creators.

Facebook last month launched a new ability for businesses, creators, educators, and media publishers to earn money from online events on its platform.

Facebook Page owners can now create an online event, set a price, promote the event, collect a payment, and host the event, all in one place.

Facebook Pages in 20 countries around the world that meet the company’s partner monetization policies can start charging for online events, making it easier for millions of people and small businesses to make money on the social network.

The company said that to support small businesses and creators, it will not collect any fees from paid online events for at least the next year.

Despite Apple reversing its decision, Facebook appeared not very happy.

“This is a difficult time for small businesses and creators, which is why we are not collecting any fees from paid online events while communities remain closed for the pandemic,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

“Apple has agreed to provide a brief, three-month respite after which struggling businesses will have to, yet again, pay Apple the full 30% App Store tax”.

Apple said in a statement that the App Store provides a great business opportunity for all developers, who use it to reach half a billion visitors each week across 175 countries.

“To ensure every developer can create and grow a successful business, Apple maintains a clear, consistent set of guidelines that apply equally to everyone”.

Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the iPhone maker needs to be scrutinized.

In an interview with Axios, Zuckerberg said that people should be looking into the “unilateral control” that Apple has over “what gets on phones, in terms of apps.”

Facebook recently acknowledged that Apple’s upcoming iOS 14 may lead to an over 50 percent decline in its Audience Network advertising business.

Following this, Apple postponed the full enforcement of privacy practices in the iOS 14 software release.

Apple had also rejected the Facebook Gaming app on the App Store, as it was a direct threat to the Livestream gaming service Apple Arcade.

According to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, the company managed to launch an iOS version of its gaming app after it was “forced to make a concession to bring it to the App Store”.

Badminton 2020 season to be completed in January 2021: BWF

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Badminton 2020 season to be completed in January 2021: BWF

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced the Asian leg of the adjusted World Tour 2020 will take place in Bangkok in January next year, which means the 2020 season will now end in 2021.

The BWF on Friday said that due to challenges in securing all logistical arrangements for players and participants, staging the Asian leg in November as originally planned, was no longer a viable option.

It further said that Thailand had been selected as the host, following a feasibility study by BWF, Badminton Association of Thailand in collaboration with the Government of Thailand, to ensure all parties can provide a safe Covid-19 framework to stage the three tournaments. It will feature two Super 1,000 Asia Open, culminating with the World Tour Finals.

BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen and its secretary-general Thomas Lund said in a joint letter that pushing back the tournament would affect the world rankings and next season’s BWF Tournament calendar but it was the best option.

“From the start, we emphasized we would only see a return to international badminton if it was safe and logistically possible to do so. Therefore, for the past six months, we have been 100 percent dedicated to preparing for the safe return to international badminton,” they said.

Earlier this month, the world governing body of badminton announced the postponement of the 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup finals to 2021 after a number of participating teams withdrew over the coronavirus outbreak.

Telangana CM condoles death of Balasubrahmanyam

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Telangana CM condoles death of Balasubrahmanyam

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday expressed deep shock over the death of well-known playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam.

The Chief Minister, in his condolence message, said Balu, as SPB is affectionately called by his fans, won fans all over the country with thousands of melodious songs.

Rao said it was unfortunate that despite the best efforts put in by the doctors and other medical staff to save Balu’s life, it did not work. He said the void created by his death could never be filled.

The Chief Minister praised the contributions made by Balu as a playback singer, composer, actor in the world of cinema. He conveyed his condolence to members of the bereaved family.

Balasubrahmanyam passed away in a Chennai hospital on Friday after almost two months of treatment.

His voice will remain etched in hearts: Sports fraternity on SPB’s death

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His voice will remain etched in hearts: Sports fraternity on SPB’s death

The sports fraternity has expressed grief at the passing away of famous playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam.

Balasubrahmanyam, popularly known as SPB or Balu in the movie world, died on Friday afternoon in a Chennai hospital where he was being treated for Covid-19 since last month.

“Extremely saddened to hear about the demise of #SPBalasubramanyam garu. My deepest condolences to his family. His voice will always remain etched in our hearts. Om Shanti!” tweeted VVS Laxman.

“One of the greatest singers of all time, #SPBalasubramaniam sir’s soulful voice will remain in our hearts forever! He is irreplaceable. Condolences to his family & loved ones,” said Gautam Gambhir.

“One of my favorite artists breathed his last today and that’s the best way to describe you SPB sir, (an ARTIST). You were one of the best and most versatile singers in the history of Indian cinema. That’s the world will always remember you,” Dinesh Karthik said on the micro-blogging website.

“It will remain a lifelong unfulfilled dream of mine. But now you’ve moved on to a better place. May his soul rest in peace. I wish his family and friends and all his million fans like me all the strength to get through this,” he added.

“Omg!!! This year just gets worse by the day! #SPBalasubramaniam #RIP” tweeted Ravichandran Ashwin.

Anil Kumble tweeted: “Shattered to hear about the passing of SPB sir. A legend of Indian cinema. His songs will reverberate forever. His friendship, love for the game, and our Chennai meetings will be cherished forever. My heartfelt condolences to Sudhakar, Sailaja, Charan, and the rest of family and fans.”

“Sad to learn about the demise of singing maestro S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. He leaves behind a huge void. Strength to his family and fans. Om Shanti” tweeted PT Usha.

“Really sad to hear about the passing away of such a great yet simple person. He was my first sponsor! He sponsored our team Chennai Colts in the national team championship in 1983. One of the nicest persons I have met. His music gave us such joy #RIPSPB,” tweeted Vishwanathan Anand.

The 74-year-old recorded over 40,000 songs in 16 languages over five decades and was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2001.

HK’s daily Covid-19 cases remain in single digit

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HK’s daily Covid-19 cases remain in single digit

The number of single-day coronavirus cases in Hong Kong has remained under 10 for five days in a row, local health authorities said on Friday.

Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection reported two new cases on Friday, which took the overall case tally to 5,058, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority, 160 patients are still hospitalized, including 12 in critical condition.

The third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong has been easing, with normal public services fully resumed and most of the premises including restaurants and places of public entertainment reopened after meeting the epidemic prevention requirements.

Hong Kong Disneyland and Hong Kong Ocean Park also reopened respectively on Friday and September 18 after temporary closures due to the pandemic.

Karnataka CM, others mourn demise of Balasubrahmanyam

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Karnataka CM, others mourn demise of Balasubrahmanyam

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and scores of others on Friday mourned the death of legendary playback singer SP Balasubrahmanayam in Chennai earlier in the day.

“SP (Balasubrahmanyam) gained immense popularity through hundreds of songs in multiple languages. His achievements in music composition, action, and anchoring musical programmes are noteworthy,” Yediyurappa said in a statement here.

State Congress President DK Shivakumar, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader, and state’s former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, and scores of Kannada film industry’s stars, producers, directors, singers, and musicians also mourned Balasubrahmanyam’s death and paid rich tributes to him.

“Shattered to hear about the passing of SPB sir. A legend of Indian cinema. His songs will reverberate forever. His friendship, love for the game, and our Chennai meetings will be cherished forever. My condolences to Sudakar, Sailaja, Charan, and the rest of his family,” tweeted ace cricketer Anil Kumble.

Balasubrahmanyam, 74, died at a private hospital in Chennai of COVID-19 after battling for life for over a month.

Noting that Balasubrahmanyan had sung over 40,000 songs in as many as 10 languages, including Hindi and all south Indian languages (Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam), Yediyurappa said the renowned singer had a special bonding with Kannada and Kannadigas.

“The government of India honored Balasubrahmanyam with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2011 for his outstanding contribution to the music industry. His songs will remain forever in the hearts of music lovers across the country,” said the Chief Minister.

Yediyurappa also conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family and lakhs of fans of the singer the world over.

Online grocery to become $18bn industry in India by 2024: Report

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Online grocery to become $18bn industry in India by 2024: Report

As companies from Reliance to Amazon put their top dollar in serving daily grocery at your doorstep, a new report said on Friday that online grocery is going to be the next battleground for growth, expanding to over $18 billion by 2024.

According to a joint report by a joint initiative by Bengaluru-based market consulting firm RedSeer and Bigbasket (Brand Intelligence), driven by the significant rise in organic adoption during Covid-19, grocery has been on a surge with clocking 1.7 times in gross merchandise value (GMV) in June this year as compared to January.

The online grocery will remain steady for the rest of the year to reach more than $3 billion, the report mentioned.

“The industry has seen more than 70 percent ARR (annual recurring revenue) jumps in the last quarter across categories. This brings the opportunity to serve a larger set of customers and some challenges with it,” said Hari Menon, co-founder, and CEO of BigBasket.

The report found that demand for comfort foods like noodles and cookies, immunity boosters like lemon, and hygiene products like sanitizers picked up after the pandemic while essentials remained strong.

Snacks and branded foods grew by 5 percent quarterly pre-COVID, however, growth jumped to 75 percent in the June quarter.

Within snacks and branded foods, biscuits and cookies were the largest sub-category and grew the most in Q2.

Beverages grew by 2 percent quarterly pre-COVID, however, growth jumped to 50 percent in Q2.

“Personal Care grew by 5 percent quarterly pre-COVID but jumped to 24 percent in Q2 due to COVID.

“We have observed that traditional brands which pivoted quickly to be digitally ready brands have seen 2x+ jump in sales compared to offline brands. We are excited to have this opportunity to serve the ecosystem,” said Anil Kumar, founder, and CEO of consulting firm RedSeer.

Home utilities grew by 6 percent quarterly pre-COVID but jumped to 11 percent in Q2.

Within home utilities, detergents and dishwasher were the largest sub-category but grew the least in the last quarter.

According to the report, home utilities were not severely affected by the pandemic.

Dean Jones was my friend for 35 years, will miss him: Kapil Dev

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Dean Jones was my friend for 35 years, will miss him: Kapil Dev

No foreign cricketer has visited India as many times as former Australian batting mainstay Dean Jones – more than 100 times – such was his connection with this country, said legendary Kapil Dev, while recalling his “35-year long association” with one of his closest friends who passed away on Thursday.

Jones, 59, collapsed and died following a cardiac arrest in a Mumbai hotel where he was staying during an assignment with the official broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was his usual jovial self on Thursday morning, but by the afternoon, he was gone. His fellow Australian Brett Lee tried to revive him, but could not.

“Deano was quite a dear friend of mine and I was shocked to hear the news of his passing away. I feel quite sad and sorry for his family. You are going to miss him, but his family is going to suffer the most. I knew him for about 35 years,” Kapil, who first played against Jones during the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia, told IANS.

“He was a great cricketer and one of the best athletes. He was a master at running between the wickets. He was also a great commentator and had a wonderful sense of humor,” said the 1983 World Cup-winning captain.

Kapil also pointed out that because of his close connection with Jones individually and also because of the Aussie’s professional work in India, he visited this country many times.

“No other foreign cricketer has perhaps traveled to India as many times as Deano. He would have visited India more than 100 times. But now he is gone; he was not even 60 years old. Even Malcolm Marshall passed away quite young [aged 41 years 200 days in November 1999],” he rued.

Kapil bowled to Jones in 20 ODI winnings and dismissed him four times – twice bowled and as many times had him caught – and in 15 Test innings, the Indian ‘Sultan of Swing’ got him out twice.

One more reason for Jones to love India was that he scored his first Test century – it was actually a fabulous double century in the testing conditions of Madras – in India in September 1986. It was only his third Test and fifth winnings. After his eight-and-a-half hours innings in hot and humid conditions, during which he got dehydrated and vomited, he was taken to a hospital and was put on a saline drip. The Test at the Chepauk ended in a tie, only the second such result to date.

“A day that changed my life forever,” Jones tweeted on September 19, on the 34th anniversary of the tied Test. Another tweet read: “This Test was the renaissance for Australian cricket. It was our Mt Everest moment. Under AB [Allan Border] we started to believe that we can compete against the best. Great friendships started with the Indians. Our journey had just begun!”

After his retirement, Jones started working with Indian TV channels and broadcasters. Somewhere along the line, he was nicknamed ‘Professor Deano’ and he named his Twitter to handle @ProfDeano.

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar recalled once playing alongside Jones. “He was a very nice and jovial person. I was shocked when I heard this news. Of course, we played against each other, representing India and Australia. We also played together once. It was one of the three matches played before the main five-day game between the Marylebone Cricket Club and the Rest of the World XI at Lord’s, London. In that World XI-Gloucestershire game in Bristol, Deano and I had a 200-odd-run partnership. I scored 171 and he scored 70-odd in that match,” Vengsarkar told IANS.

Jones was working for the official broadcaster of the IPL and was staying in Mumbai.

Goa CM thanks Javadekar for sanctioning 100 e-buses

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Goa CM thanks Javadekar for sanctioning 100 e-buses

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday thanked Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar for sanctioning 100 electric buses, which would be added to the fleet of the state road transport corporation.

“On behalf of people of Goa, I thank Shri @PrakashJavdekar Ji for sanctioning 100 electric buses for Kadamba Transport Corporation. This will mark the beginning of KTC’s transformation towards greener transportation, improving operational efficiency & reducing carbon footprint,” Sawant tweeted.

Earlier, Javadekar had tweeted: “100 electric buses have been sanctioned for Goa’s Kadamba Transport Corporation. These environment-friendly e-buses for the intercity services of Goa would help protect the environment as well as improve mobility. @DrPramodPSawant @goacm @PIB_Panaji @BJP4Goa @DDNewsPanaji #FAME.”

The buses have been sanctioned under the Central government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme, which was initiated in 2015 to promote the manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to ensure sustainable growth of the same.

Aus researchers to begin human trials of DNA Covid-19 vaccine

TB Team
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Aus researchers to begin human trials of DNA Covid-19 vaccine

A research team led by the University of Sydney in Australia will start human trials of a Covid-19 DNA vaccine, the varsity announced on Friday.

The gene-based vaccine, developed by Australian biotech company Technovalia and its international vaccine partner BioNet, has been proved safe and effective in preclinical studies, reports Xinhua news agency.

With the support from the Australian government, associate professor Nicholas Wood from the University of Sydney will lead the clinical evaluation of the vaccine candidate for the first time in humans.

“This phase 1 trial will be the first DNA-based Covid-19 vaccine trial in Australia,” Wood said.

The trial will involve up to 150 healthy participants aged 18 to 75 years old in New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia to assess the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of different doses of the vaccine.

“If the trial indicates the vaccine to be safe, then larger phase 2 trials are planned,” Wood said.

Different from many others, the DNA vaccine will be delivered via a needle-free system.

“The delivery is via a needle-free device which penetrates the skin with a jet spray,” Wood said.

“This is designed to make sure the DNA vaccine gets inside the cells to encourage good uptake by the immune system.”

Wood said he expected the trial would officially kick off in November.

Cooked carrots can trigger allergic reactions: Study

TB Team
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Cooked carrots can trigger allergic reactions: Study

The consumption of raw carrots triggers allergic reactions in many people. Contrary to popular belief, cooked carrots can also have this effect, warn researchers.

“The results of our research clearly suggest that sufferers who are sensitive to the carrot allergen should generally avoid eating carrots,” said study author Birgitta Wöhrl from the University of Bayreuth in Germany.

Heating carrots does not destroy or only incompletely destroys the protein structures that can cause allergic reactions.

According to the researchers, the risk of allergy patients developing an allergic reaction arises not only when eating freshly cooked carrots or canned carrots.

It also arises when carrot extract is added to food.

The carrot’s allergen, Dau c 1, assumes a structure that is harmless to allergy sufferers when highly heated.

However, as soon as the temperature drops, it largely regains its natural structure, the study, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, reported.

The natural carrot allergen Dau c 1 is actually a mixture of several, structurally very similar proteins.

These so-called isoallergens were produced individually in the laboratory in bacteria.

Both the protein mixture of the natural Dau c 1 and the individual isoallergens were examined at temperatures up to 95 degrees Celsius to see how their structures change upon increasing and decreasing the temperature.

This analysis showed that the natural mixture and almost all isoallergens are still capable of causing allergies after cooling down to 25 degrees Celsius.

Despite the previous heating, antibodies present in the organism of allergy patients will still trigger allergic reactions.

Although in some cases this effect is less pronounced than before heating, it is generally maintained.

The tests clearly showed that the structural stability of the carrot allergen does not depend on temperature alone. Acidity, as expressed by the pH value, is also important.

Of particular interest is pH value 3, which typically prevails in the stomach after food intake.

At this level of acidity and at normal room temperature, at least some epitopes can continue to exist despite previous heating.

Epitopes are those molecular substructures by which the immune system of allergy sufferers recognizes the respective allergen, allowing an allergic reaction to occur.

This is the first time that the Dau c 1 isoallergens have been subjected to such an extensive series of tests.

“The separate examination of the structurally similar molecules was particularly important to us in order to determine which of the isoallergens trigger immune reactions under the tested conditions,” the researchers wrote.

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