Epic Games portrays itself as modern corporate Robin Hood: Apple

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Epic Games portrays itself as modern corporate Robin Hood: Apple

While Epic Games has blamed Apple for restricting its business on the App Store, the iPhone maker has hit back again, saying the arguments are “self-righteous” and “self-interested”, the media reported on Wednesday.

In its latest court filing, Apple said Epic has benefited from Apple’s promotion and developer tools, earning more than $600 million through the App Store.

“Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality, it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store,” it said in the filing.

Apple accused Epic Games of seeking a special deal before ultimately breaching its contract with the update, reports the BBC.

A US judge ruled late last month that Apple cannot delete the developer account of Epic Games that support the open and real-time 3D creation platform Unreal Engine but can keep the Fortnite game away from the App Store for violating its policies.

Apple, however, removed the account of Epic Games from its App Store. It pulled out the Fortnite Game earlier on August 13 for adding an in-app payment system in violation of the App Store rules.

In its court filing, Apple denied that its 30 percent commission was anti-competitive, saying it was Epic Games that violated its contract.

Meanwhile, Epic Games has made a fresh effort to get its popular Fortnite game back on the App Store by filing a motion that seeks a preliminary injunction against Apple.

Epic Games said in the motion that more than 116 million registered Fortnite players have accessed the game via Apple devices.

The game has a huge following of over 350 million monthly active players and is available on multiple platforms.

“Apple is a monopolist. It controls all app distribution on iOS. It controls all in-app payment processing for digital content on iOS. It unlawfully maintains these two monopolies by explicitly prohibiting any competitive entry in either market,” Epic Games said in the filing.

Epic Games argued it is “likely to suffer irreparable harm” in the absence of a preliminary injunction and that “the balance of harm tips sharply in Epic’s favor.”

Daily active users of the Fortnite game have plummeted more than 60 percent on Apple iOS devices since the ban.

Google introduces ‘Verified Calls’ to protect people from scammers

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Google introduces ‘Verified Calls’ to protect people from scammers

In a bid to make people safe from spam and scam calls, Google has announced a new feature named Verified Calls on its Phone app. It comes pre-loaded on several Android phones and will be available for download later this week on more Android devices in select countries, including India.

The ‘Verified Calls’ shows the caller’s name, logo, the reason for calling, and a verification symbol indicating that the business has been authenticated by Google.

“This is done in a secure way and Google doesn’t collect or store any personally identifiable information after verification,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Verified Calls is initially rolling out in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, and India, with more countries to come.

A 2019 report by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that phone calls were the number one way people reported being contacted by scammers.

While most people said they hung up on those calls, those who lost money reported a median loss of $1,000.

“We’ve been piloting Verified Calls for a few months, and the early results indicate that it improves the likelihood of someone answering a call,” Google said.

For instance, banks calling to alert a customer about a possible fraudulent transaction can increase answer rates by stating the call reason.

“We also have existing partners — including Neustar, Five9, Vonage, Aspect, Bandwidth, Prestus, Telecall, and JustCall — ready to help brands improve their answer rates by using Verified Calls,” Google said.

Oil sheen seen at the back of stricken VLCC New Diamond

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Oil sheen seen at the back of stricken VLCC New Diamond

The Indian Coast Guard has said oil sheen has been observed astern/backside of the very large crude carrier (VLCC) New Diamond that has been on fire for the past six days.

The Coast Guard said oil spill dispersants were sprayed by its Dornier aircraft to neutralize.

The ship is laden with about 300,000 tons of Kuwaiti crude oil for Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was bound to India’s Paradip Port in Odisha where the former has a large refinery.

On Tuesday, the Coast Guard said the vessel is trimmed by aft (backside of the ship dipped down into the water) by about three feet or by about one meter.

The Indian coastal security agency also said owing to the continued fire the accommodation superstructure has weakened while no significant list of the vessel was observed.

It is not known what other damage the vessel has suffered owing to continued fire for six days.

The 20-year-old VLCC, sailing under the Panama flag, reported fire on-Board on September 3 when it was about 37 nautical miles off the coast in Sri Lankan Exclusive Economic Zone.

Later the burning tanker was towed away to prevent drifting to shallow waters.

The New Diamond oil tanker departed from Mina Al Ahmadi, Kuwait on August 23 and was headed to India’s Paradip port.

The oil tanker was expected to reach Paradip in Odisha on September 5.

According to the Coast Guard, the vessel reported a major explosion in its engine room while it was on its way to Pradip.

The first information about the vessel fire was received at the Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai.

A Coast Guard official had earlier told IANS that the ship’s fuel is on fire.

The ship apparently had about 1,700 tons of fuel when it caught fire.

12 Covid-19 patients discharged in Chinese mainland

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12 Covid-19 patients discharged in Chinese mainland

The National Health Commission said on Wednesday that 12 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery in the Chinese mainland on Tuesday.

There were 165 patients still being treated, including two in severe conditions, the commission said, Xinhua reported.

Altogether 80,347 patients had been cured and discharged from hospitals by Tuesday, the report said.

As of Tuesday, a total of 85,146 confirmed Covid-19 cases had been reported on the mainland, among whom 4,634 died of the disease.

St Lucia Zouks to face Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2020 final

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St Lucia Zouks to face Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2020 final

St Lucia Zouks will face unstoppable Trinbago Knight Riders in Thursday’s final of the ongoing Caribbean Premier League after they skittled perennial finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors for the second-lowest team total in CPL history and blazed to victory in just 27 balls to complete one of the most dominant performances in T20 history.

On Tuesday, Zouks bundled out Warriors for a mere 55 in just 13.4 overs at the Brian Lara Stadium in their semi-final contest. For Warriors, only Chandrapaul Hemraj could stay a little at the crease as he top-scored with 25 runs, followed by 11 runs each from Nicholas Pooran and Chris Green. For Zouks, Scott Kuggeleijn, Zahir Khan, Roston Chase, and Mark Deyal picked two wickets each.

Zouks then chased down the target riding on unbeaten knocks of 32 and 19 from openers Rahkeem Cornwall and Deyal in just 4.3 overs to book their maiden CPL final berth.

In the other semi-final clash, Knight Riders defeated Jamaica Tallawahs by nine wickets to leave themselves one win away from completing the first perfect season in CPL history.

Knight Riders first restricted Tallawahs to 107/7 in their allotted 20 overs and then chased down the target in just 15 overs, riding on brilliant knocks of 54* and 44* from Lendl Simmons and Tion Webster.

Brief scores: St Lucia Zouks 56/0 (Cornwall 32*) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 55 all out (Hemraj 25; Deyal 2/2) by 10 wickets.

Brief scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 111/1 (Simmons 54*; Mujeeb 1/18) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 107/7 (Bonner 41; Hosein 3/14) by 9 wickets.

Vikas Krishan gets nod to train in US till November 30

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Vikas Krishan gets nod to train in US till November 30

Olympic-bound boxer Vikas Krishan’s request to train in the United States as part of his preparations for the Tokyo Games has been approved by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Vikas will be traveling to the US later this week along with his coach Ron Simms Jr. and they will train at the Alexandria Boxing Club in Virginia till November 30.

In a statement, SAI has said that the foreign exposure was recommended by Indian Boxing High-Performance Director Santiago Nieva.

Vikas, who is a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), has been approved financial assistance of Rs 17.5 lakh for the duration of the visit, the SAI statement further read.

Speaking about his training in the US, Nieva said, “It will be a very good experience for Vikas. He’s been in the national team for so many years and for him, it is a good time for him to go and do a little bit different.”

“After he comes back, we will focus on the camps and different tournaments for the Olympic-style boxing ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.”

Earlier, the 28-year-old Haryana lad had told IANS: “My aim is to win Olympic gold, and for that, I am ready to put my life in danger.”

“Flights are on now and I will travel with full precaution so that I can concentrate on my training rather than getting infected and sitting in some hotel room somewhere (in quarantine).”

The Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist will be making his third Olympic appearance in Tokyo next year. He will also be the most experienced among the five men who have made the cut so far for the prestigious quadrennial event.

2 suspected terrorists arrested from Jammu-Srinagar Highway

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2 suspected terrorists arrested from Jammu-Srinagar Highway

A large number of arms and ammunition was recovered after security forces arrested two suspected terrorists near the Jawahar tunnel in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.

The arrests were made on Tuesday night.

The operation was carried out jointly by the police and the army. The weapons were recovered from a truck coming from Jammu.

“Two suspects arrested in a joint operation near Jawahar Tunnel, Kulgam at midnight yesterday based on J&K police inputs,” the army said.

The recovered weapons included one AK-47 rifle with two magazines, one M4 US carbine with three magazines, and six Chinese pistols with 12 magazines.

Telangana Assembly seeks award for PV, AIMIM boycotts proceedings

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Telangana Assembly seeks award for PV, AIMIM boycotts proceedings

The Telangana Assembly took up and passed a resolution on Tuesday to urge the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna posthumously on former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, even as the AIMIM boycotted legislative proceedings.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a friendly party of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), said in a brief statement that it decided to boycott Tuesday’s proceedings in the Telangana Assembly and the Legislative Council as it “cannot support the resolution and discussion on the centenary celebrations related to Rao”.

AIMIM’s floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi and six other members stayed away from the Assembly when the House discussed and passed the resolution moved by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, urging the Centre to confer the country’s highest civilian award on late Narasimha Rao.

AIMIM’s both Legislative Council members also did not participate in the proceedings.

The unanimously passed resolution also demanded that the Centre install Narasimha Rao’s statue and portrait in Parliament and rename the Central University of Hyderabad as PV Narasimha Rao Central University.

Several Muslim groups in Telangana have been opposing the birth centenary celebrations of Narasimha Rao on the ground that the Muslims could never forget the fact that it was during his rule that the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya was demolished. The state government’s move to pass the resolution for the Bharat Ratna to the former PM further angered them.

In February 2005, AIMIM had refused to support a condolence motion in the Assembly of then undivided Andhra Pradesh to pay tributes to Narasimha Rao, who died on December 23, 2004.

The party legislators led by floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi had then walked out of the Assembly after the motion was moved.

It was perhaps the first time in the parliamentary history of India that a party had refused to endorse a condolence motion to pay tributes to a former Prime Minister.

“We cannot, or even history will not forget the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6 in 1992, which was caused due to his political inaction,” Akbaruddin Owaisi had then said.

Now, Maharashtra to probe drug links of Kangana Ranaut

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Now, Maharashtra to probe drug links of Kangana Ranaut

In the ongoing Kangana Ranaut versus the state of Maharashtra war, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday ordered a probe into the actress’ alleged statements that she consumed drugs.

“In an interview, Adhyayan Suman, the son of Shekhar Suman, who had a relationship with her, had made certain statements that Kangana Ranaut used to take drugs. The Mumbai Police will investigate this matter,” Deshmukh informed media persons here Tuesday afternoon.

He also made a similar statement in the Maharashtra Assembly following questions by two Legislators, Pratap Sarnaik and Sunil Prabhu.

“In the Assembly, I have replied that she had relations with Adhyayan Suman, who said in an interview that she (Kangana) took drugs and also forced him to do so. Mumbai Police will look into all this in detail,” Deshmukh added.

The assurance came a day after Congress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant demanded a probe into Ranaut’s purported confessions to consuming drugs, and urged the government to find out her ‘drug links’ and who was supplying the narcotics to her.

On Monday, Sarnaik had demanded that the Assembly take up a unanimous resolution to take action against Ranaut for tarnishing the image of Mumbai and Maharashtra through her series of statements in the past few days.

He also said that while Ranaut had accused film personalities of consuming drugs, some actors have also alleged that she herself was on drugs.

Ranaut, who is currently in her home state, Himachal Pradesh, is expected to return to Mumbai on Wednesday.

SSR case: Go back to the original charges, says Pritish Nandy

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SSR case: Go back to the original charges, says Pritish Nandy

There have been many dramatic developments in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Even as the focus shifts to drug menace in Bollywood, producer Pritish Nandy says if people want to find out what killed the actor, they should go back to the original charges.

Meanwhile, Sushant’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, appeared before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday for the third consecutive day. Rhea is being questioned by NCB as part of the investigating agency’s ongoing probe into a possible drug angle in Sushant’s death.

The actress has all along claimed she is innocent.

Nandy tweeted on Tuesday: “All charges against Rhea have failed. Murder? No evidence. Abetment to murder? She wasn’t there. Stealing Rs 15 crore? Sushant never got the money. What remains is drugs. None found on her. She’s ready for a test. Who was it for? Obvious, na?#justiceforSushant #JusticeForRhea.”

“If you really want to find out what killed Sushant, go back to the original charges. Harassment, humiliation in public, bullying. There are people in Bollywood who constantly ridiculed him. In this @kangna_official is right. You cannot survive Bollywood with a fragile mind,” he tweeted.

Sushant was found dead at his home in Mumbai on June 14. Initially, it was assumed that it was a case of suicide and he was said to be battling depression. His death also brought back focus on nepotism and favouritism in Bollywood, which was pointed out by actress Kangana Ranaut.

Mumbai Police had originally closed the case saying it is a case of suicide. Following an FIR lodged by Sushant’s father KK Singh in Patna on July 25, the investigation has subsequently been taken over by the CBI.

Dillon du Preez appointed SA women’s team assistant coach

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Dillon du Preez appointed SA women’s team assistant coach

Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday that Dillon du Preez has been appointed as the assistant coach of South Africa women’s team for the next three years. He will work under head coach Hilton Moreeng.

The all-rounder, who retired in 2017, played 92 first-class, 134 List A and 86 T20 matches with over 600 wickets and 4,500 runs to his name.

“We would like to welcome Dillon to the Momentum Proteas set-up,” Moreeng said. “He is a young coach with vast experience of playing the game and his all-round skill will no doubt benefit the girls.

“I am confident that alongside our staff and another recent appointment Dinesha Devnarain (the first full-time Women’s Under-19 coach) our coaching setup can help take the women’s game to a new level,” he added.

Speaking following his appointment, du Preez said: “I am really honored. I have been relishing such an opportunity and can’t wait to get going.

“A lot has been going on behind the scenes for a little while and obviously with the break (Covid-19) I’ve had to wait a little while before formally joining the team, but now it’s finally come and I’m really excited and can’t wait to get going with Hilton and the rest of the girls,” he added.

There is currently no international cricket being played by South Africa due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The South Africa women’s team was due to travel to the West Indies and England in recent months, but those tours were postponed because of the virus.

Aus PM urges state to accelerate easing of Covid-19 curbs

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Aus PM urges state to accelerate easing of Covid-19 curbs

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged the government of Victoria, the country’s worst-hit state due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to accelerate its plan to ease restrictions imposed to contain the virus.

Morrison told reporters on Monday that he wants Victoria to reopen more quickly than what was set out in a roadmap released by Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Under the plan, the current stage-four lockdown in Melbourne will be extended until September 27.

Restrictions will then be slowly eased over a period of two months if the number of new cases continues to decline.

“The plan that was outlined yesterday, I hope, is a worst-case scenario,” Morrison said.

“I see it as a starting point in terms of how this issue will be managed in the weeks and months ahead in Victoria.”

Morrison said that the plan could be accelerated if Victoria replicated the “gold standard” of contact tracing in New South Wales (NSW).

“I think the Victorian government has done a lot of work over the last four weeks, of necessity, clearly as well, to ensure that those systems have been significantly improved,” he said.

“But I think there is a lot to learn from what’s happening in NSW, because they have, frankly, had the largest risks to deal with, and they have demonstrated the best capacity to deal with them and keep their state open at the same time.”

Australia has so far reported a total of 26,322 coronavirus cases, of which Victoria accounted for 19,574 infections.

The country’s death toll stood at 762.

Lewis Hamilton launches Extreme E team

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Lewis Hamilton launches Extreme E team

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has launched a team to compete in next year’s inaugural Extreme E racing series.

The move marks Hamilton’s first foray into team management, with his squad’s X44 name referencing the number he has carried on his Mercedes F1 car since 2014, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, Hamilton will not drive or be involved in the day-to-day running of the outfit as he is all but certain to remain in F1 with Mercedes for 2021 and beyond.

“It’s an exciting new project and it will be fun to have a different role from being the driver,” said Hamilton.

The all-electric Extreme E series aims to highlight the impact of climate change, help rebuild affected communities, and promote the use of E-vehicles.

Likened to an electric version of the famous Dakar Rally, the 2021 season will take place across five locations that are under threat from climate issues, with teams to run male and female driver pairings.

“What is most appealing is that Extreme E will be not only raising awareness of some of the most critical environmental issues but also working with local charitable organizations to leave a long-lasting legacy of change,” added Hamilton. “It means so much to me that I can use my love of racing, together with my love for our planet, to have a positive impact.”

Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag added: “We are thrilled to welcome Lewis Hamilton and his X44 team to Extreme E. Like us, Lewis is hugely passionate about motorsport, but also shares our belief that we can use sport to highlight subjects which are vital to the world, such as climate change and equality.”

“Lewis is one of the most successful drivers of all time, and we’re all excited to see how his X44 team performs on and off the race track under his incredible guidance.”

Despite the disruption to global sport caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Agag told media in April that the series was still on track to begin as planned in Lac Rose, Senegal in January 2021.

Make Justice For Sushant a people’s movement, urges Shweta Singh Kirti

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Make Justice For Sushant a people’s movement, urges Shweta Singh Kirti

Shweta Singh Kirti, sister of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has urged everyone to make Justice For Sushant a movement of the people.

Shweta took to Instagram, where she shared a posted a picture where half of Sushant’s face is photoshopped onto half the face of Lord Shiva.

She captioned the image: “Put up Billboards and flyers in front of your home, in your car. Split into groups and have peaceful car rallies and tag me. Let’s make it into People’s Movement! We will not stop till justice is served! Let the power of God be with us!”

Shweta then used hashtags such as #UnitedForSSRJustice, #Billboards4SSR, #SatyagrahForSSR, #GlobalPrayers4SSR, #GodIsWithUs#HarHarMahadev, and #JaiShivShambu.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the death.

Senior BJP leader in MP joins Congress

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Senior BJP leader in MP joins Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party received a jolt in the Gwalior-Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday with senior party leader Satish Singh Sikarwar, who contested the last assembly polls from the region, joining the Congress along with hundreds of supporters.

Sikarwar on Tuesday reached Bhopal with hundreds of supporters from Gwalior to join the Congress in the presence of former Chief Minister and Congress state president Kamal Nath. Many senior leaders, including the Congress organization in-charge Chandra Prabhash Shekhar and former minister Ramnivas Rawat, were also present.

Sikarwar contested the last election as a BJP candidate from Gwalior east and was defeated by Congress candidate Munnalal Goyal.

Goyal left the Congress with former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and joined the BJP and resigned from the membership of the state Legislative Assembly. The BJP is likely to pick Goyal as a candidate in the upcoming by-elections. With Sikarwar joining the Congress, speculation is rife that the Congress can make Sikarwar a candidate from Gwalior east.

Amitabh Bachchan returns to KBC set

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Amitabh Bachchan returns to KBC set

Amitabh Bachchan is back shooting for Kaun Banega Crorepati season 12 amid the pandemic, after recovering from Covid-19. He took to Instagram and Twitter to share photos from the KBC 12 set.

Sporting formals, Big B is seen clapping in one of the photos. In the other, he sits on his chair as host of the popular TV quiz show.

“T 3652 – 20 years; 12th season; KBC: Kaun Banega Crorepati, Begins,” he posted on Monday night.

Actor Maniesh Paul commented: “Sir, Zabardast.”

Actress Mouni Roy left heart and clapping hands emojis in the comments section.

Actress Aahana Kumra wrote: “All the best Sir! It will be glorious! ”

Fans are also thrilled about his return to the show.

“Happyyy news and Best Wishes to You and the entire team of #KBC12. Setback ka jawaab Comeback Se..!!! Waiting eagerly for you to come visit us every week night once again,” one wrote.

Another one wrote: “Looking forward to yet another exciting journey of KBC with you.”

He even took to his blog and shared the experience of returning to a set.

“It has begun the trial and the expectations of the hot seat contestant and his glorious attempts to bring a change .. to COMBACK from a SETBACK,” wrote Bachchan.

He found the challenges different this time.

“The environment filled with a quiet acceptance of the prevailing circumstances and conditioning but the sincerity of moving ahead despite the spirit, the resolve and the determination to bring continuity, to bring back the loss in gain and to strive for a victorious beginning,” he wrote.

Asha Bhosle celebrates 87th birthday with family

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Asha Bhosle celebrates 87th birthday with family

Veteran singer Asha Bhosle celebrated her 87th birthday on Tuesday with family at her home in Lonavala.

Bhosle’s granddaughter Zanai had a surprise in store for the iconic singer. She organized a fresh cream fruit cake and also put in spread a menu of the singer’s favourite Japanese and Chinese cuisine despite lockdown.

“Both the kids are very talented. Zanai sings and I see myself as a child in her,” said Bhosle, who is in Lonavala with her son Anand, daughter-in-law Anuja, and grandchildren Zanai and Ranjai.

The octogenarian shared that she has a lot to look forward to in her journey from 87 to 88.

“After listening to over 3,000 voices for my talent show #AshaKiAsha, I have a very difficult task in hand to choose the best. Young talents from across the globe have sent their recordings. Some of them are very poor and live in harsh conditions, but are truly God-gifted with divine voices.

“It will not be an easy task to select one. But this is my chance to share my 70 years of experience with youngsters and give back to music what I got. And I am grateful to God every single day for that.”

She revealed that she wants to work to generate employment for the women in Lonavala.

“I want to help these women stand on their own feet. It has not been easy for the common man during corona, and it has not been easy for the poor women from here, whom I have seen during the epidemic. I want to do something concrete for them.”

Looking back, Asha Bhosle has no regrets.

“I am happy I have lived and loved. I have lived an honest life. I am happy that I stood on my own feet as a 10-year-old singing my first song. Today at 87, I am still singing and standing on my own feet. And I have a beautiful family and an even larger fan-family. What more could I ask for.”

Manchester United wish East Bengal luck for expected ISL entry

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Manchester United wish East Bengal luck for expected ISL entry

English football giants Manchester United have congratulated East Bengal on their centenary celebrations and also expressed happiness over the club’s expected entry into the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL).

East Bengal recently announced that they had sold a majority stake to city-based Shree Cement and would now appeal to the ISL organizers in a bid to make a dramatic late entry into the country’s top-tier club competition.

The red-and-gold brigade’s new investors, Shree Cement Limited, are slated to pick up the bid proposal for a spot in the ISL in the name of ‘Shree Cement Foundation’, a new company it has registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

“We would like to hereby congratulate East Bengal Football Club and the millions of East Bengal Fans for its centenary year celebrations. We are well aware of the rich history of your club and its colorful journey since the 1st of August 1920,” United tour director Christoffer Komen wrote in the letter, addressed to East Bengal club general secretary Kalyan Majumder.

The letter has been uploaded on the club’s official Facebook page.

“We are also happy to know that all the efforts will be made to see East Bengal figuring in this season’s Indian Super League and we hereby send our best wishes for your new journey,” the letter stated.

Manchester United had planned for a pre-season tour to India this season and accordingly a four-member delegation from the Red Devils headed by the director of football Allan Dawson had met the East Bengal officials and West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas in November last year.

An exhibition match against East Bengal was on the cards before the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to all plans.

“We must also thank you for the wonderful experience we had during our recent site visit to your club at Kolkata, India,” United’s letter to East Bengal mentioned.

Prof Govind Swarup was an ‘exceptional scientist’: PM

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Prof Govind Swarup was an ‘exceptional scientist’: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the demise of Prof. Govind Swarup, describing him as “an exceptional scientist”.

“His pioneering works in radio astronomy have attained global commendation. Anguished by his passing,” tweeted Modi, giving a glimpse of Prof. Swarup’s brilliant scientific career.

Globally acclaimed for his pioneering contributions in radio-astronomy, Prof. Swarup passed away in the Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, late on Monday. He was 91, ailing for some time, and breathed his last in the hospital, said a close family friend.

Prof Swarup is survived by his wife Bina, son Vipin and daughter Anju, both settled in the US.

He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1973 and the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1972, among many national and international honors and awards.

His last rites were performed in Pune late on Monday, a family friend told IANS, but declined to be identified.

India’s tour of Australia 2020: Warne wants Boxing Day Test at MCG

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India’s tour of Australia 2020: Warne wants Boxing Day Test at MCG

Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne has requested the country’s cricket board to keep the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as the venue for the Boxing Day Test against India scheduled to be played towards the end of the year despite an increase in coronavirus cases in the state of Victoria.

Cricket Australia is likely to announce the schedule for India’s tour of Australia, which includes the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, this week and there are fears that the iconic MCG may lose the Boxing Day Test.

“Cricket is the 2nd biggest sport in the world behind soccer(fact) & the biggest day on the Aust sporting calendar is the Boxing Day test. We must try & do everything possible to keep it at the MCG this year. FYI- The Melb Cup & the AFL GF are the next biggest events in Aust! (sic),” Warne said in a tweet.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the Adelaide Oval is prepared to host back-to-back Tests, including a day-night match as well as the Boxing Day against India in case the MCG is not available.

“We didn’t think it was acceptable to have the team return from a high-risk overseas location and then take part in normal training activities outside of quarantine, before flying out to another state to play games.” Mark McGowan, the Premier of the WA state government, was quoted as saying in the report.

“There were just too many risks in the model put forward by Cricket Australia. We need to remain vigilant and do the right thing by all Western Australians and not take unnecessary chances.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has requested Cricket Australia to allow their players to train during the quarantine period inside the bio-bubble, but in Perth that won’t be possible.

“We acknowledge the WA government has a firm position on quarantine and border arrangements,” a CA spokesperson said.

“The Australian men’s team will not be quarantining in Perth upon their return from the UK,” he added.

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