Committed to Indian market, says Toyota Kirloskar Motor

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Committed to Indian market, says Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Premium automobile manufacturer Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to India as being an integral part of the company’s global strategy.

“We need to protect the jobs we have created and we will do everything possible to achieve this,” the company said in a statement.

“Over our two decades of operations in India, we have worked tirelessly to build a strong competitive local supplier eco-system and develop strong capable human resources. Our first step is to ensure full capacity utilization of what we have created and this will take time.”

The company’s statement comes after a report cited that future investments by the automaker might stop given the high tax incidence in India.

“In wake of the slowdown that has been exaggerated by the Covid-19 impact, the auto industry has been requesting the Government for support to sustain industry through a viable tax structure,” the statement said.

“We remain confident that the government will do everything possible to support the industry and employment. We recognize the strong proactive efforts being made by the Government to support various sectors of the economy and appreciate the fact that it is open to examining this issue despite the current challenging revenue situation.”

The company had started production in 1999 and has 6,500 employees. It has two plants and manufacturers Innova, Fortuner, Yaris, and Camry Hybrid in India.

It imports Vellfire.

Facebook India grants Rs 32cr to help 3,000 small businesses

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Facebook India grants Rs 32cr to help 3,000 small businesses

Facebook India on Tuesday announced a grant of $4.3 million (Rs 32 crore) for more than 3,000 small businesses in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

The grant, which includes both cash and ad credits with cash constituting a larger share, is part of a $100 million global grant for small businesses Facebook announced in March this year as the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread globally.

“The grant program is open to small businesses from all industries and verticals, and businesses do not need to have a Facebook family of apps presence in order to apply. They are also free to do what they wish to do with this grant,” Ajit Mohan, MD, and VP, Facebook India, said in a statement.

Facebook and Instagram also launched capabilities for businesses to drive the discovery and sale of Gift Cards.

“Gift cards will help small businesses reach more potential customers online. They will also help small businesses to get cash flow when they need it the most, and even when physical stores might be shut,” Mohan said.

Configuring gift cards on Facebook and Instagram is free for businesses.

Facebook also released India’s findings of the ‘State of Small Business Report’, an ongoing research collaboration between Facebook, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank to survey SMBs globally, including India, in the context of Covid-19.

According to the survey, more than a third of operational SMBs on Facebook India expect cash flow to be a challenge in the next few months.

Nearly 41 percent of operational SMBs on Facebook India reported that at least a quarter of their sales are made digitally.

More than half of operational SMBs on Facebook India also said they feel optimistic about the future of their business.

According to Facebook, 180 million small businesses globally use the Facebook family of apps to reach potential customers and build their business.

It means, for every 45 people in the world, there is a small business presence on the Facebook family of apps.

“The 60 million small businesses in India are a key growth driver for the economy, fueling innovation and disruptive business models,” Mohan noted.

The social media giant in April announced to pour in Rs 43,574 crore for a 9.99 percent slice in Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)-led Jio Platforms, underlining its commitment to India and especially small businesses.

How ByteDance bypassed US ban, kept Tiktok secret sauce safe

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How ByteDance bypassed US ban, kept Tiktok secret sauce safe

The most valuable asset for ByteDance is the intellectual property (IP) within TikTok and the China-based company has successfully offloaded geopolitics while keeping its secret codes safe by choosing Cloud major Oracle as its trusted tech partner.

The algorithmic models at the core of TikTok for content recommendations are continuously refined over a huge data set that will continue to grow.

In an effort to show some transparency, ByteDance recently unveiled details of how these algorithms work.

“This is a massive competitive moat for ByteDance, and this partnership excludes this item. The company must exclude it because the Chinese government updated its regulated catalog for technology export on August 30, and ByteDance cannot sell the core TikTok IP without permission,” Jeff Pollard, VP, Principal Analyst, said in a Forrester paper on Tuesday.

That makes a deal with some degree of oversight by a US company friendly with the intel community tolerable if it means continued operations in the US market.

“So, as a short-term measure to avoid the forthcoming ban, this partnership makes a great deal of sense, but it doesn’t necessarily end the saga of where TikTok eventually lands,” added a Forrester team of analysts in the paper.

The confirmation by Oracle to become a trusted tech partner of ByteDance came on Monday, a day after Microsoft, which was among the frontrunners to seal a deal for TikTok’s US operations, revealed that its bid was rejected by ByteDance.

“The announcement is murky at the moment, but the particulars indicate that Oracle and ByteDance will enter into a technology partnership to host the US operations of TikTok. This allows TikTok to escape planned shutdowns and gives the US government some degree of oversight into the operations of TikTok,” Forrester explained.

The deal is important for Oracle that is frustrated at being behind the global top four hyperscalers in public cloud revenue (behind Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and Google Cloud) and has been vying with IBM to grow its cloud in two dimensions at once: expand its penetration in the traditional enterprise and prove its cloud platform’s scalability and “hip factor” with well-known brands such as Zoom.

“Nothing is hipper than TikTok at the moment, and TikTok has 100 million monthly active users in the US, putting a checkmark by both of Oracle’s goals,” Pollard noted.

This also gives Oracle access to a (small) monetization stream that its hyper-scale competitors all possess: owned advertising inventory.

This partnership may finally open this avenue up to Oracle, who has traditionally operated in the advertising technology side of the equation.

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison has a long history of working with the US government “specifically the intelligence community,” said the paper.

Oracle’s first customer was the CIA, and the company is named after a CIA project Ellison and co-founders worked on prior to starting the company.

“Based on the ambiguity in the current deal, it’s unclear exactly what degree of insight this will provide — and it appears Oracle gains little control over TikTok — but the links between the US government and Oracle certainly make the deal more likely to pass through White House review, which is required before the partnership is authorized,” the Forrester team emphasized in the paper.

If Oracle takes over US TikTok platform development, it will be the death knell for US TikTok as Oracle alone cannot cultivate and innovate the TikTok platform to keep up with the demands of its young, impatient, and finicky users.

According to the market intelligence and research firm, Oracle should allow the US TikTok team to operate independently if it wants to maintain and grow its user base — much like Microsoft did when it acquired LinkedIn in 2016 and left its team alone so the social network could stay relevant.

“But the US app could ultimately evolve and diverge from the ByteDance version of the app, which is not unprecedented: The WeChat app within China’s firewall is different and more robust than the WeChat app version outside China”.

Chris Evans uses nude photo leak to exhort voter turnout in US polls

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Chris Evans uses nude photo leak to exhort voter turnout in US polls

Captain America star Chris Evans wants to turn his accidental explicit photo leak incident into a public service announcement.

Evans took to Twitter to break his silence after accidentally sharing his private photo, and used it as an opportunity to boost voter turnout for the upcoming US presidential election.

“Now that I have your attention…. VOTE Nov 3rd!!!” the 39-year-old star wrote on Twitter, his first comment since he shared a photograph of his manhood on Instagram on Saturday.

Evans became a trending topic on Saturday when he accidentally shared the picture on Instagram Story. He was quick to delete it.

The explicit photo leak sparked a Twitter frenzy, with the actor’s name trending for several days on the social media platform.

Evans’ younger brother, Scott Evans, joked about his brother’s social media gaffe while Mark Ruffalo and Chrissy Teigen tried to comfort the actor over the blunder.

“@ChrisEvans Bro, while Trump is in office there is NOTHING you could possibly do to embarrass yourself. See… silver lining,” joked Ruffalo.

At the moment, Evans is rumored to be dating actress Lily James. He previously dated actress Jenny Slate.

‘Mr Bean’ at 30: Childish, anarchic behaviour always funny, says Rowan Atkinson

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‘Mr Bean’ at 30: Childish, anarchic behaviour always funny, says Rowan Atkinson

The popular Rowan Atkinson-starred series, Mr. Bean, has completed a 30-year run. The English comedian star said he always believed that the show had a very good chance of being successful and long-running, partly because the character is essentially a child in a man’s body.

“I always believed that ‘Mr. Bean’ had a very good chance of being successful and having longevity, partly because the comedy is mainly visual and partly because Mr. Bean is essentially a child in a man’s body. Across all races and cultures, the behavior of children tends to be the same and so is easily identified and laughed at,” Atkinson said.

What makes “Mr. Bean” relevant today, 30 years on? “His childish, anarchic behavior will always be funny,” Atkinson replied.

Talking about his fondest memories from filming “Mr. Bean”, Atkinson said that he found filming the show “stressful.”

“I’m sorry to say that I find all filming stressful but ‘Mr. Bean’ especially so, because of the burden of responsibility I feel to make it funny. Of course, you have support from other excellent actors but whether the jokes work or not tends to be down to me. And that’s stressful,” the 65-year-old actor reasoned.

He added: “However, I enjoy it when it’s over! I enjoy whatever success we have. If an audience finds it funny, then it’s been worth it.”

Were there any moments when Atkinson wanted Mr. Bean to speak? “Often, which is why he speaks a lot in the first Mr. Bean movie (‘Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie’, released in 1997). We felt that he had to talk more so that we could tell the story. He talks more in the latest cartoon episodes. I find the way he talks funny,” he said.

Raina’s absence will leave a big gap in CSK: Albie Morkel

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Raina’s absence will leave a big gap in CSK: Albie Morkel

Former South Africa all-rounder Albie Morkel feels Suresh Raina’s absence in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) will leave a massive gap in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team and that the franchise would have to make changes in batting order to get their balance right for the tournament starting on Saturday.

Raina, who has played 193 games for CSK, accumulating more than 5,000 runs, last month opted out of IPL due to “personal reasons”. He had traveled with the team to the United Arab Emirates but has since returned to India in a controversial manner.

“He (Raina) has been a run machine for them and electric in the field, so [his absence] will leave a massive gap,” Morkel told IANS in an exclusive interview. “They (CSK) will probably have to make a few changes now to cover for him and get the balance of the team right.”

Much of the focus on this year’s IPL will be on MS Dhoni as it would be the first time he would take the field after the ICC World Cup in England where India reached the semi-finals. Dhoni has been on a sabbatical since then and on August 15, he announced retirement from international cricket.

Morkel showered praise on Dhoni. “I enjoyed my time at CSK the most. We had six very successful years, but apart from that the group of players really got along. Dhoni was the cornerstone of our success. He is someone who leads by example,” he said. “He is obviously very skillful in what he does, but also has the ability to stay calm under immense pressure. Other players reach their ‘breaking points’ before him. He knows that and takes full advantage of that.”

On South African cricket, the 39-year-old player said that Dean Elgar should lead the Proteas in Test cricket while wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock continues with his leadership duties in the limited-overs format. de Kock, 27, had replaced Faf du Plessis as ODI skipper in January this year. Later, it was announced that de Kock would not be elevated to Test captaincy.

“South Africa doesn’t have many experienced leaders in the set-up. Aiden Markram has been earmarked for the future, but needs to find stability in his game,” said Morkel who has played one Test, 58 ODIs, and 50 T20Is for the Proteas. “My pick would be Elgar. He is a gutsy and established player and has a good cricket brain. He is a perfect guy to guide us through this tough time.”

Am ready to unleash special deliveries in IPL T20: Kuldeep

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Am ready to unleash special deliveries in IPL T20: Kuldeep

Unfazed by the pressure of expectations after an underwhelming IPL show last season, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav says he is ready to unleash a few new tricks with the ball tailored for the T20 format when the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting on September 19.

Statistically, IPL 2019 was the spinner’s worst IPL season, when he picked just four wickets in nine games at a poor economy rate of 8.66. This led to him getting dropped by KKR for the business end of the competition. The team finished fifth and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Kuldeep last played a T20 game for India in January against Sri Lanka in Indore. The 25-year old bowler from Uttar Pradesh was part of India’s ODI side which played New Zealand in Hamilton on February 5, before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill.

“I have worked on a few deliveries especially for the T20 format. It will be there for all to see during the IPL,” Kuldeep revealed to IANS in an exclusive interview from Abu Dhabi.

Kuldeep said that his chances of success would be enhanced by helpful conditions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coupled with his seamless acclimatization to the sultry conditions in India.

“These conditions suit me. It is very hot here. When I was at home, it was the same… hot and humid. So, I did not feel the heat that much here,” he said. “From that point of view, I am happy. If you talk about the wicket, I am happy as we expect spin-friendly wickets. So, I can get a lot of advantage here.”

Asked about the takeaways from a forgettable IPL season, Kuldeep said he does not rush things anymore and is more willing to accept failure which in the long run helps in becoming a better player.

“You need to plan every time. The experience is very important. At the same time, you always get time to do a certain thing. You should not rush it. There are chances of mistakes if you rush things. Cricket is such a game where you cannot do well all the time. You have to face failure. Only then you become a good player,” he said.

“This experience is something I will learn from, what happened to me last time in the IPL. It happens to everybody. The struggle is a part of the game. It should not be hyped in such a manner that affects performance. People will talk. A player should not be judged on that basis. You rarely get to see the effort put in. It works sometimes and doesn’t at certain times,” said Kuldeep, who burst onto the limelight with a four-for against Australia in Dharamsala on debut in 2017.

As an established regular India player, Kuldeep is looked up to in the KKR ranks to deliver the goods.

Is there the pressure of expectation? “I don’t take it as pressure. Yes, there are expectations from the fans, family, and team. You always want to live up to that. I don’t have pressure but I do want to meet the expectations and take the team forward,” said Kuldeep who by now has played six Tests, 60 ODIs, and 21 T20s.

“As a senior player, you always want to perform and fans also expect the same. So, you do feel nervous maybe, but I don’t take it as pressure,” he emphasized.

Kangana on Jaya Bachchan reaction: Would you say the same if your daughter was beaten, drugged, molested?

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Kangana on Jaya Bachchan reaction: Would you say the same if your daughter was beaten, drugged, molested?

Actress Kangana Ranaut has criticized Samajwadi Party MP and actress Jaya Bachchan for her remarks against people who are trying to tarnish the image of the film industry and questioned whether her stance would change if her children were involved.

“Jayaji would you say the same thing if in my place it was your daughter Shweta beaten, drugged, and molested as a teenager, would you say the same thing if Abhishek complained about bullying and harassment constantly and found hanging one day? Show compassion for us also,” Kangana said.

In the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Jaya Bachchan demanded the government to provide protection and put a ban on the unending bashing being faced by members of the film industry.

“Some of the people who have got name and fame has said it is ‘gutter’,” she said, without naming the individuals but added they should not defame the industry.

“It is the film industry that gave name and fame to many people. There is a continuous process to defame the industry for the things done by a handful, she added. Previously, Kangana had called the film industry a “gutter” and alleged that 99 percent of the people who work in it have been exposed to drugs.

Kangana tweeted: “Like a famous choreographer once said “rape kiya toh kya hua roti toh di na” is that what you implying? There are no proper HR departments in production houses where women can complain, no safety or insurances for those who risk their lives every day,no 8 hours shift regulations.”

“This mentality that gareeb ko roti mila toh that’s enough need to change,gareeb ko roti ke saath samman aur payaar bhi chahiye, I have a full list of reforms I want from centre government for workers and junior artists,some day if I meet honourable Prime Minister I will discuss,” the actress added.

Kangana continued: “As and when I get time to meet authorities I will share the detailed list of reforms I have prepared for labourers in the film industry across India so that young leading Indians can fight for similar reforms for their underprivileged friends in their own respective fields.”

Well-balanced KKR need consistency to win 3rd IPL title

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Well-balanced KKR need consistency to win 3rd IPL title

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to the make the most of an efficient leadership group coupled with world-class performers in their bid to bounce back after the two-time champions flattered to deceive last season, crashing out of the play-off zone for the first time since 2015.

As part of the preparations for the 13th edition, beginning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 19, KKR snapped up star Australian seamer Pat Cummins for a record Rs.15.5 crore, the most expensive overseas purchase in the history of the IPL. But it was the signing of England’s ODI World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan that further added to their arsenal, not only for the left-hander’s batting exploits but also his skills as a leader, besides captain Dinesh Karthik.

Karthik was not at his best donning the skipper’s hat last time as the team finished fifth. The wicketkeeper-batsman’s decisions were frowned upon by sceptics and the team suffered from inconsistency.

KKR’s chief mentor David Hussey said at a recent media interaction from Abu Dhabi that Morgan would be a great ally to Karthik and his calm demeanor can help the team win matches. “He is a World Cup-winning captain. He has captained England for a long time — classy player. He will be a great ally for Dinesh Karthik,” former Australia and KKR batsman Hussey said.

“Maybe fielding in the ring and talking to the bowlers while our captain’s behind the stumps, keeping wickets. He is also a very cool calm and collected person so…he will be very handy in the middle order controlling things with our captain as well.”

Batting wise, KKR were over-reliant on Andre Russell with the big-hitting West Indies all-rounder scoring 510 runs in 13 innings despite batting lower down the order, something which was not to his liking.

This time the middle order will get the much-needed support from Morgan besides Karthik and Nitish Rana. The hugely talented Shubman Gill will be expected to open the batting along with Sunil Narine who had a strike-rate of 150-plus last time opening the batting. For firepower, there is dashing England opener Tom Banton who can bat anywhere as seen in the England-Australia T20 series recently.

KKR’s bowling was abysmal last season with Russell topping the list of wicket-takers with 11 scalps. The spin trio comprising Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, and Piyush Chawla failed miserably, though the West Indian had found some form at the back end of the league stage and finished with 10 wickets in 12 games with an economy rate of 7.82.

Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, and Harry Gurney were expected to be the X-factor but could not produce the spark as they were treated with disdain by the opponent batters.

In contrast, young Sandeep Warrier, who was a late replacement of injured seamer Kamlesh Nagarkoti, impressed with his control and accuracy with the new ball in the three games he played.

This time, KKR will have Cummins to bank on, besides a much improved Ferguson and the likes of Warrier and Prasidh Krishna for backup. KKR will also have the services of USA fast bowler Ali Khan who has replaced Gurney.

Strengths:

KKR’s strength will be the balance in all departments. From a leadership point of view, Morgan and Cummins will be there to assist Karthik. There are firepower and talent across the batting and bowling arsenal and on a given day, KKR has match-winners who can blow any opposition away.

Weaknesses:

KKR can tread an inconsistent path and at times their decision making leaves much to be desired. Karthik drew flak for his leadership last season and although he has Morgan by his side, the seasoned campaigner would do well to be more flexible this time and cut the coat according to the cloth. The spinners floundered last time and if the same happens this season, there could be pressure on Cummins and Co. to deliver in warm conditions where they need to manage their workload.

Squad:

Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (captain, wicket-keeper), Ali Khan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Praveen Tambe, Nikhil Naik (wicket-keeper)

Coaching staff:

Brendon Mccullum (head coach), Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach), Kyle Mills (bowling coach), David Hussey (mentor), Omkar Salvi (assistant bowling coach), James Foster (fielding coach), Chris Donaldson (strength and conditioning coach), Kamlesh Jain (head physiotherapist)

Google to launch Pixel 5, new Chromecast on Sep 30

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Google to launch Pixel 5, new Chromecast on Sep 30

Google is prepared to launch the Pixel 5 smartphone, a Chromecast, and a smart speaker during its annual hardware event on September 30.

The Pixel 5 was officially announced during the launch of the Pixel 4a.

According to a report in GizmoChina, the virtual event titled ‘Launch Night In’ would be streamed live.

The Pixel 5 phone is likely to be made available first in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.

Recent Pixel 5 renders revealed a punch-hole selfie camera at the top left and a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. It also showed a dual-rear camera setup.

According to market rumors, the company could price it $799 onwards.

A brand new Nest-branded Google Home speaker will also be announced during the event.

Google teased a new Nest Home speaker in July, by releasing an image and a video of the device.

Parliamentary panel for abolishing tax on LTCG from investments in startups

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Parliamentary panel for abolishing tax on LTCG from investments in startups

The Standing Committee on Finance (2019-20) has recommended to the Centre to abolish tax on Long Term Capital Gains for all investments in startups which are made through collective investment vehicles (CIVs) such as angel funds, alternate investment funds (AIF), and investment LLPs.

The committee in its report on “Financing The Startup Ecosystem” said the tax should be removed at least for the next two years to encourage investments amid the pandemic.

“The Committee would like to strongly recommend that tax on Long Term Capital Gains be abolished for all investments in startup companies (as designated by DPIIT) which are made through collective investment vehicles (CIVs) such as angel funds, AIFs, and investment LLPs,” it said.

It suggested that after this 2 year period, the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) may be applied to collective investment vehicles (CIV) so that revenue neutrality is maintained.

Investments by CIVs are transparently done and have to be done at fair market value, the Standing Committee said, adding that it is easy to calculate the STT associated with these investments.

“This can be done in lieu of imposing LTCG on these CIVs and to make the taxation system fairer, less cumbersome, and transparent. This will also ensure that investments in unlisted securities are on par with investments in listed securities,” it said.

It has also recommended that there should be no punishing of domestic risk capital at any level, as the current tax disparity is proving advantageous to foreign capital through low tax jurisdictions and low taxes for fund management services.

As per the panel, such a move will establish a level playing field for domestic investments in comparison to foreign investments and domestic listed in comparison to unlisted securities.

The committee recommended that to encourage domestic investments in unlisted debt and equity securities, once the pandemic period concessions are lifted, CIV capital gains should always be taxed at the same rate as listed securities.

20% increase in people with heart complications amid Covid: Report

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20% increase in people with heart complications amid Covid: Report

There has been a 20 percent rise in patients suffering from advanced cardiac complications as they are not visiting hospitals due to the fear of contracting Covid-19, a report by a city hospital revealed on Tuesday.

The report from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi showed that patients with cardiac ailments have been postponing their hospital visits for their routine medical examination ever since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

According to the data, several factors have contributed to an upsurge in patients suffering from heart attacks during the lockdown.

Primarily, lack of activity increased the consumption of tobacco and alcohol and decreased doctor consultations along with self-medication amongst other reasons.

“Unlike previous years, this year we have seen a remarkable decline in people with cardiac ailments voluntarily planning their elective cardiac procedures and also following schedules of their routine checkups,” Mukesh Goel, Senior Consultant, Cardio-Thoracic & Vascular Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said in a statement.

The hospital said that Covid-19 though a highly contagious infection has a mortality rate of only 2 percent worldwide, that too in cases confirmed with RT-PCR or Rapid Antigen test.

“If we take into account the results of serosurvey, mortality might be only 0.15 percent. While the death rate in an untreated heart-related ailment is more than 30 percent,” the hospital said.

According to Apollo, recently a 72-year-old woman from Faridabad suffered a massive heart attack leading to rupture of the heart wall after ignoring acute heartburn for over 12 hours.

Owing to the fear of visiting a hospital and contracting COVID- 19, she decided to continue with that state of health in spite of suffering from discomfort in her chest.

Her condition deteriorated within hours and after suffering throughout the night she was referred to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals by a local doctor.

In another similar case, senior cardiologists from the hospital successfully performed a complicated surgery on a 59-year-old man with a Left Ventricular Aneurysm (a major heart attack.)

The patient had been suffering from heart-related ailments for the past six months and was delaying his treatment owing to the fear of COVID.

“It is, therefore, important to emphasize that heart patients must not ignore any deterioration in symptoms or delay medical attention to avoid any further health complications,” the doctors wrote.

Samsung announces titanium model of Galaxy Watch3

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Samsung announces titanium model of Galaxy Watch3

Samsung on Tuesday announced the titanium model of Galaxy Watch3 featuring premium materials and a signature rotating bezel.

The watch will be available from September 18. At the launch, it will come in a 45mm Bluetooth variant in mystic black.

“Providing a holistic and luxurious design, a premium metal strap will be included in the box. The strap comes in Mystic Black to complement the body of the smartwatch and features a texture that matches the look and feel of the titanium model,” the company said in a statement.

In terms of specifications, the Galaxy Watch3 Titanium boasts all the features of Galaxy Watch3, packaged in a premium design.

The watch runs Tizen-based Wearable OS 5.5. Under the hood, it is packed with advanced health monitoring features, including blood pressure and ECG monitoring2.

It also comes with other fitness and wellness capabilities – including blood oxygen (SPO2) tracking, 3 home training programmes, and sleep management.

It features a 1.4-inch (360×360 pixels) circular Super AMOLED display on the 45mm variant with the same resolution that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX.

The smartwatch is powered by the dual-core Exynos 9110 CPU, Mali-T720 GPU, and packs 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.

TikTok ban won’t affect employees salary payment, US says in filing

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TikTok ban won’t affect employees salary payment, US says in filing

An executive order issued by the Donald Trump administration last month that prohibits any US transaction with TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, would not affect paycheques of the employees, the government said in a court filing.

The executive order issued on August 6, apparently to protect “national security”, bars any transaction with ByteDance by any person after 45 days.

Worried that the order would affect their livelihood, the employee sued the Trump administration.

TikTok also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration as it accused the US authorities of stripping the rights of the company without any evidence to justify the extreme action and issuing the order without any due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment while banning the company with no notice or opportunity to be heard.

In a filing in Northern California District Court, the administration said that it has sent assurances to TikTok employee Patrick Ryan, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, that the order would not affect paycheques or other benefits that the employees receive, CNET reported on Monday.

“The Department of Commerce can state that it does not intend to implement or enforce Executive Order 13942 in a manner which would prohibit the payment of wages and/or salaries to Plaintiff or any other employee or contractor of TikTok,” the filing stated.

Doing their jobs would not amount to violating the order, the filing said.

Another executive order, also issued in August, ordered TikTok to divest its US operations by September 20 or face a ban.

Cloud major Oracle on Monday confirmed a deal with ByteDance to serve as the “trusted technology provider.”

TikTok also said that it had submitted a proposal to the US administration to resolve its “security concerns”, Xinhua reported.

“We can confirm that we’ve submitted a proposal to the Treasury Department which we believe would resolve the Administration’s security concerns,” the company said in a statement, adding this step would help to continue the company’s operation in the future.

“This proposal would enable us to continue supporting our community of 100 million people in the U.S. who love TikTok for connection and entertainment, and the hundreds of thousands of small business owners and creators who rely upon TikTok to grow their livelihoods and build meaningful careers,” the statement read.

Covid experience has made me mentally tougher to face any situation: Manpreet

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Covid experience has made me mentally tougher to face any situation: Manpreet

Indian men’s hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh, who was tested positive for Covid-19 along with five other players last month, has revealed that it was not easy for him, especially mentally, to spend the time in hospital and subsequently going through isolation at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) facility.

“I have not done anything for a month and that’s a long time in a sportsperson’s career, especially when every day is about improving and being the best,” said Manpreet.

But Manpreet and five other players who tested positive for the Covid-19 feel fortunate to have a support system that constantly monitored their well-being.

“To be honest, initially when the results came out, we were slightly stressed. But Hockey India officials, particularly the CEO (Elena Norman), was quick to assure us of all the support and told us not to worry about hockey or how this will impact our future in the sport. She emphasized that we need to get better first and that Hockey India along with SAI would ensure the best treatment and rehab.

“This was reassuring and true to their words, we received best facilities in the hospital with SAI sending us healthy food every day for the five days that we were in the hospital and constantly checked with the medical team there of our well-being,” said Manpreet.

The captain emphasized that during the isolation in SAI for two weeks, they were checked on every day by Hockey India officials to know if there were any shortfalls. “Hockey India officials would check on us almost every day if the food being provided is good if our tele-treatment was done regularly if we are monitoring our oxygen levels regularly and so on.

“Coaching staff and teammates too would check on us through video calls. These things really helped us remain upbeat. Though it did sting a little to know all our teammates were back on the pitch while we were still in isolation, I feel this experience has made me mentally tougher to face any situation,” he admitted.

The players on completing the isolation were put through general tests after which the doctors expressed they were fit to resume activities.

“We underwent a general check-up after two weeks of isolation. We got ECG, blood test and chest X-ray was done and only after the doctor gave us a go-ahead, we have begun very basic activities from last week.

“While SAI is putting together a post-recovery action plan to ensure a smooth return to sports activities, the chief coach engages in a one-on-one pep talk with us that gives us the confidence of returning to old form soon,” Manpreet said.

Looking back at the past five months which involved over two months of staying indoors at SAI and the subsequent six-week break before returning to Bengaluru again, Manpreet said as players they are fortunate to receive the best care.

“From my personal experience, I can say we were very fortunate to get the best care. All through the lockdown, good coordination between Hockey India and SAI ensured players’ best interest was given top priority. Our fitness was maintained throughout with a good indoor workout regime planned by the support staff.

“We were given a break just when we were starting to feel mentally fatigued and had begun missing our families. When we came back, the authorities ensured we were all tested, provided the best care and a secure bio bubble was formed on the campus to keep us from getting exposed to the virus.

“The SOP to return to sports activities was made well in advance by Hockey India and approved in time by SAI so that our Olympic preparation is not hampered and we would have enough time to return to old form before competitions begin. It is overwhelming to receive this kind of support and we are determined to make all their efforts worthwhile by performing well,” stated the skipper.

Delhi police destroy over 16K quarter bottles of illicit liquor

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Delhi police destroy over 16K quarter bottles of illicit liquor

Continuing its crackdown on illegal liquor sales in the national capital, the Delhi police have destroyed 16,262 quarter bottles of country-made illicit liquor, seized in various Excise department raids in South district.

The liquor bottles were crushed using a JCB in an open area, following an order from the Excise department.

During its crackdown, the police arrested a bootlegger on Sunday and seized 1,100 quarters of illicit liquor from him in the Tigri police station area in South Delhi.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he was residing in a rented house and worked as a daily wage laborer. On inquiry, the house owner was found to be a bad character of the area involved in more than 20 cases under the Excise Act.

Earlier on September 12, two bootleggers were arrested in two separate incidents and around 2,030 quarters of illicit liquor in 41 cartons were seized. Police also seized two vehicles from their possession.

“During interrogation, one of the accused disclosed that he was transporting illicit liquor to one of the suppliers in Delhi. He further disclosed that he was getting Rs 20,000 each month,” said a senior police officer.

southeast Delhi police also launched a crackdown on illicit liquor on September 13 and confiscated 624 quarters of illicit liquor with the arrest of three bootleggers in three separate raids — Badarpur, New Friends Colony, and Okhla Industrial Area.

On September 12, in Dwarka, 95 quarters of illicit liquor were seized in Chhawla and one accused was nabbed.

“On the same night, in Baba Haridas Nagar ERV staff intercepted a car and arrested the driver after the recovery of 44 cartons of country-made illicit liquor from the vehicle,” police added.

Focus shifted from governance in Bihar in the past, says Modi

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Focus shifted from governance in Bihar in the past, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of seven projects in Bihar and said that focus had shifted from governance to other things in the state in the past.

“In the early days after Independence, Bihar was led by big and visionary leaders who also tried their best to remove the distortions caused by slavery. Then came a period when — instead of building basic facilities in Bihar and providing modern amenities to the people — the priorities and commitments completely changed. The result was that the focus shifted away from governance in the state,” the Prime Minister said in an apparent dig at the Rashtriya Janata Dal, without naming it.

“In Bihar, work can be done now at such a fast pace; the work will get completed after it is kick-started, which could not be imagined 15 years ago,” he remarked.

He stressed on urbanization and proper facilities in urban areas to help the state achieve the dream of ‘Atmanirbhar Bihar’. He said that gone were the days when a few metro cities enjoyed better amenities.

Of the seven projects, four are of water supply, two of sewage treatment, and one of riverfront development. The total cost of these projects is Rs 541 crore.

Modi said that cities situated along the Ganges will have sewage treatment plants to help preserve the river. He inaugurated a sewage treatment plant built under the Namami Gange program at Beur and Karmalichak in the Patna Municipal Corporation area.

The Prime Minister said that the country was in the process of developing many ‘Ganga Grams’, of which Bihar too was a beneficiary. He also inaugurated water supply projects built under the AMRUT Mission in Siwan Municipal Council and Chapra Municipal Corporation jurisdictions.

He pointed out that riverfront development helped boost tourism, adding that 130 ‘ghats’ are already being developed.

“One such riverfront has already been completed in Patna and another will follow in Muzaffarpur,” he added.

He also highlighted that ‘Project Dolphin’ will help the Gangetic dolphins, particularly those found in Bihar.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad were among the dignitaries who joined in at the virtual inauguration of the projects.

In his trademark concluding remarks, the Prime Minister cautioned people to be proactive about basic COVID-19 protocols like wearing face masks and maintenance of a safe distance from each other.

Racism exists but we have to stop it: Neymar

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Racism exists but we have to stop it: Neymar

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker Neymar has said he could not leave the field without responding to Alvaro Gonzalez after claiming the officials ignored his accusations of racism against the Marseille defender.

Neymar was one of five players sent off on Sunday as Marseille clinched their first victory against PSG in nine years after Andre Villas-Boas’ side beat PSG 1-0 in a game that will be remembered for aggressive fouls and a late brawl.

The Brazilian was sent off for slapping Gonzalez in injury-time, who he accused of racism as he left the field and also on social media following the match.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, Neymar has now said he “acted like a fool” to earn a red card but said that it is important that those in power reflect on the role of racism in sport.

“Yesterday I revolted. I was punished with red because I wanted to hit someone who offended me,” Neymar said.

“I thought I could not leave without doing something because I realized that those in charge would not do anything, did not notice or ignored the fact. During the game, I wanted to answer as always: playing football. The facts showed that I did not succeed. I revolted…

“In our sport, aggressions, insults, swearing are part of the game, of the dispute. You can’t be affectionate. I understand this guy partly, all are part of the game, but racism and intolerance are unacceptable.

“I am black, son of black, grandson and great-grandson of black also. I am proud and do not see myself as different from anyone. Yesterday, I wanted those in charge of the game (referees, assistants) to position themselves impartially and to understand that there is no longer such a place for a prejudiced attitude.

“Reflecting and seeing all the manifestation of what happened, I am saddened by the feeling of hatred that we can provoke when, in the heat of the moment, we snap.

“Should I have ignored it? I don’t know yet… Today, with a cool head, I say yes, but in due course, my companions and I asked the referees for help and we were ignored. That’s the point!

“We who are involved in entertainment need to reflect. The action led to a reaction and got where it did. I accept my punishment because I should have followed the path of clean football. I hope, on the other hand, that the offender will also be punished.

“Racism exists. It exists, but we have to stop it. No more. Enough!

“The guy was a fool. I also acted like a fool for letting me get involved in that… I still have the privilege of keeping my head up today, but we all need to reflect that not all black and white people are in the same condition.

“The damage from the confrontation can be disastrous to both sides. Whether you are black or white, I don’t want to and we shouldn’t mix subjects. Skin color we don’t choose. Before God, we are all equal.

“Now, yesterday, I lost in the game and I lacked wisdom. Being in the center of this situation or ignoring a racist act will not help. I know. But pacifying this ‘anti-racism’ movement is our obligation so that the less privileged will naturally receive their defense.

“We will meet again and it will be my way: playing football. Stay in peace! Stay in Peace! You know what you said… I know what I did. More love in the world.”

However, Gonzalez has denied Neymar’s allegations. “There is no place for racism. A clean career and with many team-mates and friends on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes you have to learn how to lose and accept it on the field. Incredible three points today, Allez l’OM thank you, family,” he wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, PSG also threw their support behind Neymar. In a statement on Monday, PSG urged the French league’s governing body (LFP) to investigate the matter.

“Paris St Germain strongly supports Neymar Jr who reported being subjected to racist abuse by an opposing player,” the club said.

“The club restates that there is no place for racism in society, in football or in our lives and calls on everyone to speak out against all forms of racism throughout the world.

“Paris St Germain looks forward to the LFP’s Disciplinary Commission to investigate and ascertain the facts, and the club remains at the LFP’s disposal for any assistance required,” it added.

PSG have lost each of their first two Ligue 1 matches and will face Metz on Wednesday.

Facebook’s ‘Oculus Quest 2’ revealed in promo videos

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Facebook’s ‘Oculus Quest 2’ revealed in promo videos

A pair of promotional videos have revealed Facebook’s ‘Oculus Quest 2’ VR headset after being uploaded to the social media’s marketing hub, before the company’s big announcement this week.

According to the videos, the headset will be smaller and lighter and comes with a soft-touch fabric rather than a hard plastic strap as before.

The standalone headset which doesn’t require external sensors or processing hardware will play all original Quest games. It can also display VR games running on a Windows PC via the Oculus Link just like the original headset.

The Quest 2 would be significantly more powerful with Qualcomm’s VR-oriented Snapdragon XR2 processor instead of Snapdragon 835.

It would come with 6 GB of RAM, up from 4 GB, and 256 GB of storage for games and other apps rather than 128 GB.

The Quest 2 should be the highest-resolution Oculus headset yet with 2K per eye and 50 percent more pixels than before. Facebook didn’t reveal the refresh rate, though rumors have pointed to 90 Hz rather than 72 Hz with the Quest.

In terms of pricing, the original Oculus Quest starts at just under $400. Potential customers have to wait and see if Facebook has similar pricing for its next Oculus Quest.

With the Facebook Connect developer conference scheduled to start on September 16, it is likely that an official announcement is not too far.

Time to prioritise Venus, says NASA chief after surprise finding

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Time to prioritise Venus, says NASA chief after surprise finding

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has called for prioritizing Venus after astronomers detected signs of alien life in the atmosphere of the planet.

Venus has so far not been a significant part of the search for life because of its extreme temperatures, atmospheric composition, and other factors.

In a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Monday, scientists said they detected a gas called “phosphine” in the atmosphere of Venus which could indicate the presence of life in the clouds of the planet.

“Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a by-product of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth,” Bridenstine said in a tweet on Monday.

“About 10 years ago NASA discovered microbial life at 120,000 ft in Earth’s upper atmosphere. It’s time to prioritize Venus,” he added.

Although the high clouds of Venus have temperatures up to a pleasant 30 degrees Celsius, they are incredibly acidic — around 90 percent sulphuric acid — posing major issues for any microbes trying to survive there.

But doing an analysis of the source of “phosphine” detected in the atmosphere of Venus, the scientists ruled out non-biological sources, meaning that something alive could be the source.

The team, which included researchers from the UK, US, and Japan, believes their discovery is significant because they can rule out many alternative ways to make phosphine, but they acknowledged that confirming the presence of “life” needs a lot more work.

NASA, which was not involved in this research, has an extensive astrobiology program that searches for life in many different ways across the solar system and beyond.

“Over the past two decades, we’ve made new discoveries that collectively imply a significant increase of the likelihood to find life elsewhere,” NASA said in a statement after the surprising finding.

As with an increasing number of planetary bodies, Venus is proving to be an exciting place of discovery, it added.

Two of the next four candidate missions for NASA’s Discovery Programme are focused on Venus, as is Europe’s EnVision mission, in which NASA is a partner.

“Venus also is a planetary destination we can reach with smaller missions,” NASA said.

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