No Fortnite for iPhone or iPad users: Epic Games

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No Fortnite for iPhone or iPad users: Epic Games

Epic Games has confirmed that the upcoming season of Fortnite will not be available to players on iPhones, iPads, or Mac due to the company’s legal battle with Apple.

Fortnite was removed from the Apple App Store on August 13 for adding an in-app payment system in violation of the App Store rules.

“Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices,” Epic Games said in a blog post on Wednesday.

“As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27”.

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

She decided that Apple will not be required to bring the banned Fortnite game back to the App Store.

Apple welcomed the decision on the removal of Fortnite game, saying “it’s ready to welcome Fortnite back if Epic Games decides to remove the direct payment option and return to the status quo”.

“We agree with Judge Gonzalez-Rogers that ‘the sensible way to proceed’ is for Epic to comply with the App Store guidelines and continue to operate while the case proceeds”.

Launched in 2017, Fortnite features a battle royale format where 100 players compete to survive as the last player standing on a remote island.

The popular game has amassed a huge following of 350 million players and is available on multiple platforms.

Delhi HC issues notice to Centre, Batra, Norman & Hockey India

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Delhi HC issues notice to Centre, Batra, Norman & Hockey India

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a response from the central government, Hockey India, and others over a petition filed by Olympic gold medalist Aslam Sher Khan challenging the appointment of Narendra Dhruv Batra and Elena Norman as Life Member and CEO respectively of the sport’s body.

A division bench of the high court presided by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan, issued notice to the central government, Hockey India, Batra and Norman seeking their response over the petition and slated the matter for further hearing on

The plea filed by a former hockey player — who was a part of the winning team that won the gold medal in the 1975 Hockey World Cup — has sought to quash certain articles of the Hockey India MOA whereby the posts of ‘Life Member’, ‘CEO’ and ‘Life President’ have been created, being in blatant contravention of the NSCI, Circular 1975 and 2001 Guidelines, as illegal and unsustainable.

The petition has also sought the appointment of an impartial administrator or ad-hoc committee of eminent sportspersons to administer the affairs and oversee the day-to-day functioning and working of the Respondent No. 2 until the MOA of the Respondent No. 2 is amended and fresh elections in accordance with the Model Election Guidelines under the NSCI is undertaken.

The plea stated that the said articles of the Hockey India MOA are in direct and blatant violations of the National Sports Code 2011 (NSCI), Circular 1975, 2011 Guidelines passed by the Central government.

“Consequently the appointment of the Respondent No. 3 (Narendra Batra) and Respondent No. 4 (Elena Norman) to such posts of ‘Life Member’ and ‘CEO’ respectively is per se illegal and unsustainable in law and ought to be quashed,” the plea said.

The petition filed through Vansh Dalmia stated that Batra as a permanent life member in Hockey India has a permanent seat in the General House/Congress of Hockey India with a right to vote in the AGM/Elections of the body in the capacity of an individual Life Member despite not elected by the members of the Hockey India.

“As per the NSCI, 2011 the voting Members of an NSF can only be the State/ Union territory members of the respective NSF and the appointment of the Respondent No. 3 with an unlimited seat in the General House/ Congress of Hockey India till his death, in perpetuity is manifestly illegal and in direct contravention of the principles of good governance enshrined under the NSCI, 2011,” the plea said further.

The petitioner also sought the court’s direction to Batra and Norman to render accounts of all gratification and financial benefits received by them from the Hockey India for holding the posts from the time of their appointments until date, and refund the same to the accounts of the sport’s body.

UAE’s probe spots Mars for first time

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UAE’s probe spots Mars for first time

The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars is reaching closer to its destination as it has now spotted the Red Planet.

Launched on July 19, the historic “Hope” probe which is UAE’s first-ever interplanetary mission is expected to reach the Red Planet in February next year.

“The Hope probe is officially 100 million km into its journey to the Red Planet,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE, wrote on Twitter.

“Mars, as demonstrated in the image captured by the probe’s star tracker, is ahead of us, leaving Saturn and Jupiter behind. The Hope probe is expected to arrive at Mars in February 2021.”

The spacecraft is now already one-fifth of the way through its journey, Space.com reported on Wednesday.

The Hope probe successfully completed its first trajectory correction maneuver earlier this month.

“This marks the first firing of the probe’s six Delta-V thrusters, for course correction that will see the probe directly targeting Mars’ capture orbit,” the official Twitter handle of the mission said on August 17.

The spacecraft is expected to carry out nearly half a dozen such trajectory correction maneuvers to reach Mars.

According to the mission statement, the Hope probe which is officially called the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) is designed to orbit Mars and study the dynamics in the Martian atmosphere on a global scale, and on both diurnal and seasonal timescales.

Using three scientific instruments on board the spacecraft, EMM will provide a set of measurements fundamental to a better understanding of circulation and weather in the Martian lower and middle atmosphere.

It aims to reveal many of the Red Planet’s secrets, which could assist in setting up a human outpost on the planet in the future.

Start from zero in IPL: Coach’s ‘guru mantra’ for Yashasvi

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Start from zero in IPL: Coach’s ‘guru mantra’ for Yashasvi

Rajasthan Royals have begun their training in the UAE after the period of their self-quarantine got over. Just a day before, young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, who will be making his IPL debut this year, called up his childhood coach for some ‘guru mantra’ ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

Speaking to IANS, Jwala Singh, coach of Yashasvi, said his trainee spoke to him on Wednesday night where the former advised the young cricketer to start from scratch.

“We had a long chat. He is a young boy who will be playing IPL for the first time. I have always believed in his caliber. He told me that during his quarantine, he did some yoga and routine exercises to keep himself mentally and physically fit.

“I told him that this is his new journey and he will have to prove his worth to everybody. The long wait of no cricket is getting over for him. I said ‘you will have to start from zero now. You didn’t play cricket for the past six-seven months. You know cricket but you have to get back your confidence ahead of the mega league. You will meet the world’s best cricketers and you must learn from them. Follow all the (COVID-19) protocols and stay safe’,” Jwala said.

From selling panipuri to becoming the ‘Player of the Tournament’ at the 2020 U-19 World Cup, Yashasvi has come a long way. Impressed by his extraordinary batting skills, the 18-year-old talent was picked up at the IPL auction by Royals for Rs 2.4 crores.

Before the lockdown, Yashasvi had been oozing with confidence after playing some brilliant cricket last year. He was eager to extend his brilliant form in the IPL, said Jwala.

“Everybody was waiting for IPL to start. People around the world are eagerly waiting to see the action. With just a few days left, I just wish it is held successfully. Yashasvi lives with me in Mumbai as his family is in Uttar Pradesh. During the lockdown, he used to keep telling me how excited he is to play in the IPL. I wish Yashasvi performs well in IPL-13,” Jwala added.

IPL 2020 starts from September 19 and will run till November 10.

Bhumi Pednekar: Women are not supposed to be whitewashed in cinema

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Actress Bhumi Pednekar says female characters are whitewashed on screen and there is a need to change that notion because she believes women have superpowers.

“We need to change the depiction of genders. We need to change how we show women and men. Women are not supposed to be whitewashed — we have desires, we have ambition, we have physical needs and emotions, and we have the capacity to balance. I believe women have superpowers. I think we need to see a lot more of that in our cinema,” Bhumi said.

She added that there has to be a change also in the way men are shown on screen.

“Similarly, we must alter the way men are shown in films. We put so much pressure on the male gender, telling them that they are supposed to be strong, that they can’t cry, can’t show emotion. That is so wrong. This narrative — ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’ or ‘a man doesn’t hurt’– needs to change,” she said.

Bhumi says cinema has a huge impact on its audience and it can be used to change the mindset of people in the most positive way.

“I also believe we need to stop objectifying women and there needs to be a lot more inclusivity in films, including the LGBTQIA+ community. I know change is in the air. I just wish we could accelerate it. Like, I just watched ‘Super Deluxe’ and I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” she said.

Bhumi says there is great work happening in cinema. “I feel lucky to be part of the Hindi film industry at this point,” she added.

Ravi Dubey: I’m least productive when I am on social media

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Ravi Dubey: I’m least productive when I am on social media

Actor Ravi Dubey is not a big fan of social media platforms. According to him, his productivity is reduced when he devotes too much his time to the internet.

“I feel every day that I have to disconnect from the social media world. Jaise ek Sharabi ko sharab ki aadat lag jaati hai waise hi ab yeh social media ki kharab aadat lag chuki hai (I am addicted to social media just as an alcoholic is addicted to booze).”

“Also, I feel I am least productive when I am on social media. The social media time reduces my productivity. I am trying to spend less time on social media now. I have the intention to completely disconnect from the social media world, but it’s become a necessary evil now,” Ravi told IANS.

Ravi recently penned a poem titled “Aankde”, which highlights the industry’s obsession with box office numbers. During the lockdown, he also featured in Badshah and Payal Dev’s song “Toxic” along with his wife, actress Sargun Mehta.

Speaking of lockdown, Ravi shared that he spent his time at home watching late legendary director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films.

“From ‘Musafir’ and ‘Anand’ to ‘Gudi’ and ‘Bawarchi’, I have watched almost each and every film of Hrishikesh Mukherjee during the lockdown. His films made me realise the simplicity of moviemaking. Watching such great content enhances your creativity and thinking,” he added.

UP changes quarantine rules for travellers

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UP changes quarantine rules for travellers

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has waived the seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine under certain conditions for international travelers coming to the state for more than seven days.

It has also relaxed the Covid-19 protocol for Indians traveling to other states for work for up to five days.

According to Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad, “Earlier, anyone coming to the state from abroad for more than a week had to be quarantined for 14 days — seven days under institutional and remaining under the home.

“However, under the revised protocol, pregnant women, people visiting the state in case of a death in the family, those suffering from serious medical conditions and parents whose children are below 10 years of age, can avail full 14 days of home quarantine.”

Prasad said travelers could also seek exemption from institutional quarantine by submitting negative reports of the RT-PCR test on arrival. “This test should have been conducted within 96 hours prior to the journey.

“The report should be uploaded on the portal for consideration and the passenger should also submit a declaration on the authenticity of the report and would be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise. The test report could also be produced on arrival at the point of entry in India,” he said.

“Any symptomatic person will be isolated immediately and tested. Also, those under quarantine will have to immediately report to the district CMO in case they develop any symptom,” Prasad added.

As for the domestic travelers, earlier, persons coming to Uttar Pradesh after inter-state travel had to remain under home-quarantine on their return, but now asymptomatic returnees would not be required to stay in isolation.

“People found to be symptomatic will have to stay in home isolation and undergo Covid-19 testing as per protocol. If found positive, they will have to be admitted to the hospital,” he added.

Sydney FC chases historic 5th Grand Final title in A-League

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Sydney FC chases historic 5th Grand Final title in A-League

Sydney FC is on track to become Australia’s most successful football club ever, after beating Perth Glory 2-0 to progress to a second consecutive Grand Final against Melbourne City on Sunday.

The Sky Blues will be chasing not only a second straight Grand Final win but also the chance to become the first team ever to claim five titles in 43-years of Australian national league football, reports Xinhua news agency.

Wednesday’s match was an important confidence boost for the reigning champs, who did all the damage necessary within the first 28 minutes.

While the home team dominated most of the pitch early on, it was a goal-line mistake that cemented the victory and left Perth keeper Liam Reddy red-faced.

After conceding a deflection to Milos Ninkovic just four minutes before, Reddy fumbled a pass from one of his teammates which was quickly pounced on by Sydney’s Adam Le Fondre and slotted past the stunned goalie.

While Perth rallied following half-time they were unable to recover from Sydney’s devastating first-half blitz, which coach Steve Corica described as a return to form since the season was disrupted mid-way by COVID-19.

“It was probably the best we’ve played all season and maybe we could have been a little further ahead by half time,” Corica said. “I’m very pleased to be in another Grand Final and very happy for the boys.”

Melbourne City also booked their place in the final match of the season with a 2-0 victory against Western United, entering their first-ever Grand Final as underdogs against a vastly more experienced Sky Blues.

Sony opens invite-only registration for PlayStation 5

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Sony opens invite-only registration for PlayStation 5

Sony has opened invite-only online registration for customers to be one of the first to pre-order the upcoming PlayStation 5 console directly from the company.

According to the company, there will be a “limited quantity of PS5 consoles available for pre-order” this holiday season.

The invitation program is a chance for existing PlayStation customers to get their shot at being able to order the upcoming console.

“There will be a limited quantity of PS5 consoles available for pre-order, so we will be inviting some of our existing consumers to be one of the first to pre-order one from PlayStation,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Pre-order reservations will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis, so once you get an invite via email, we encourage you to follow instructions and act fast,” he added.

Each invitation will have limits on just a single console pre-order per customer, along with two of the new DualSense controllers and other PS5 accessories.

Additionally, one will need a US address to ship the PlayStation 5. It is currently unclear if pre-order registrations will open up for other regions in the near future.

Sony is also increasing production of the PS5 to 10 million units by the end of this year due to the increased demand for gaming amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The PS5 will feature a custom eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU clocked at 3.5GHz and a custom GPU based on AMD’s rDNA 2 architecture hardware that promises 10.28 teraflops and 36 compute units clocked at 2.23GHz.

It will also have 16GB of GDDR6 RAM and a custom 825GB SSD.

The PS5 will also feature 4K Blu-ray drive and will still support discs, but those games will still require installation to the internal SSD.

‘Covid-19 spread among Australian healthcare workers unacceptable’

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‘Covid-19 spread among Australian healthcare workers unacceptable’

Australia’s Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Paul Kelly said that the spread of the novel coronavirus among the country’s healthcare workers was “unacceptable”.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Kelly said that the federal government was seeking the “best expert advice” on how to protect workers in “high-risk settings” from the virus, reports Xinhua news agency.

“It’s unacceptable that so many people have been infected,” he told reporters.

“We need to really understand that’s why the case and what else can we be doing as a nation to protect our healthcare workers, our aged care workers, our disability workers who are on that frontline of caring for people with Covid-19, and therefore at higher risk.”

At the peak of Victoria’s second wave of infections earlier in August, healthcare workers accounted for about 11 percent of the state’s active cases.

Kelly said that it was “absolutely fundamental” that health authorities identify the “main risk factor” responsible for the infections.

“And an important finding of this particular work is that 70 to 80 percent were in healthcare settings,” he said.

“People should be able to go to work and feel safe from harm, and that’s a really important component.”

His comments came about a week after the Australian Medical Association (AMA) criticized the government for providing healthcare workers with “ill-fitting” face masks.

At 75K, India now has worst single day Covid spike in the world

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At 75K, India now has worst single day Covid spike in the world

India on Thursday witnessed the worst-ever single-day spike of 75,760 COVID cases that has ever been recorded by any country. It pushed the national tally to 33,07,749 while the toll breached the 60,000 marks with 1,017 more fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Out of the total 33,07,749 cases, 7,25,991 are active cases; 25,23,771 people have recovered from the deadly virus while a total of 60,472 have died due to the pandemic, the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said.

With 56,013 recoveries in a day, the recovery rate stood at 76.24 percent while the fatality rate was 1.83 percent.

Maharashtra continued to be the worst-hit with a total of 7,18,711 cases and 23,089 deaths. Tamil Nadu is at the second spot with 3,97,261 cases and 6,839 deaths. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar followed.

According to the fresh data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 9,24,988 samples were tested in the last 24 hours with the total number of samples tested so far-reaching 3,85,76,510.

A total of 1,550 laboratories are conducting Covid-19 tests across the country. Out of these total labs, 993 are government labs while 557 are private.

A total of 795 laboratories conduct Real-Time RT PCR for Covid-19 while the TrueNat Test for Covid-19 is being conducted by 637 labs. The CBNAAT Test is being carried out by 118 labs across the nation.

On the global front, India still remains a third worst-hit nation, while the US and Brazil lead with a total of 58,21,602 and 37,17,156 cases, respectively. The total number of cases across the globe has reached 2,41,76,836 while the total fatalities have reached 8,25,696.

N.Korean hackers carrying out global ATM heist: US

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N.Korean hackers carrying out global ATM heist: US

Hackers tied to the North Korean government are attacking ATMs globally to fund the cash-strapped country to keep up with its nuclear weapons program, four US federal agencies have warned.

One North Korean hacking team has attempted to steal nearly $2 billion from ATMs in more than three dozen countries.

The hackers are “trying to rob banks across the globe by draining ATMs and initiating fraudulent money transfers”, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The campaign includes so-called spear-phishing attacks “which use fraudulent email to infect a computer or persuade the victim to reveal a password or other information, and social engineering schemes”.

“Since February, North Korea has resumed targeting banks in multiple countries to initiate fraudulent international money transfers and ATM cashouts,” according to the joint alert issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Treasury Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Cyber Command.

“Equally concerning, these malicious actors have manipulated and, at times, rendered inoperable, critical computer systems at banks and other financial institutions.”

The agencies issued the joint technical alert about the ongoing ATM cash-out scheme by North Korean government cyber actors – referred to as “FASTCash 2.0: North Korea’s BeagleBoyz Robbing Banks”.

The alert provided important, new details about the resumption of a North Korean cyber-enabled bank robbery scheme targeting banks in multiple countries to initiate fraudulent international money transfers and ATM cashouts.

“North Korean cyber actors have demonstrated an imaginative knack for adjusting their tactics to exploit the financial sector as well as any other sector through illicit cyber operations,” said Bryan Ware, Assistant Director of Cybersecurity, CISA.

Matt Gorham, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, added: “As we work together across the US government, we constantly look for opportunities to mitigate our cyber adversaries’ ability to do us harm, just as we are doing today with the release of this advisory.”

North Korea uses cyber-enabled tactics and techniques to steal currency, which it would otherwise be denied under international sanctions.

“The Cyber National Mission Force is laser-focused on the away game- we understand what our adversaries are doing, and we share this information with our partners to take action against them,” said Brig Gen Joe Hartman, Cyber National Mission Force Commander.

HDFC Bank to boost digital customer experiences with Adobe

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HDFC Bank to boost digital customer experiences with Adobe

In a bid to enhance digital experiences for its customers, HDFC Bank on Thursday announced a partnership with Adobe.

The Adobe Experience Cloud solutions will enable HDFC Bank to deliver zero-touch, personalized digital experiences to existing as well as new customers.

“The association with Adobe comes at a time when digital has become an all-important bridge between customers and businesses. The pandemic and lockdown have given further impetus on our efforts to leverage digital platforms to offer a personalized experience to our customers,” said Parag Rao, Country Head–Payments, Consumer Finance, Digital Banking and Marketing, HDFC Bank.

The customers can use any device of choice to do an array of end-to-end transactions, open an account digitally without visiting a branch, apply for loans digitally from home, and manage investments without any physical interface.

“We are excited to partner with HDFC Bank in their transformation journey towards digital banking, and are confident that Adobe Experience Cloud solutions will go a long way in helping them deliver personalized and seamless experiences for end-customers,” said Nitin Singhal, India Head, Digital Experience Business, Adobe.

HDFC Bank has already curated digital journeys for customers with innovative offerings like 10-second personal loans, Zip Drive, and Zip Ride for four and two-wheeler loans, Insta Account, and more.

Existing solutions like Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target will help the bank derive insights and deepen personalized services to customers.

Platforms like Data Management Platform in Adobe Audience Manager will help HDFC Bank develop a deeper understanding of customers, the company said.

Jeff Bezos 1st person ever to be worth over $200 billion

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Jeff Bezos 1st person ever to be worth over $200 billion

Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos have become the first person ever whose net worth soared over $200 billion, according to Forbes and Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The net worth of the world’s richest person went up by $4.9 billion after Amazon stock edged up two percent as of Wednesday afternoon, Forbes reported.

Bezos also owns aerospace company Blue Origin, the Washington Post, and other private investments.

However, his nearly 11 percent stake in Amazon makes up over 90 percent of his massive fortune.

The e-commerce giant saw a huge spike in demands for its services amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of 2020, Amazon stock is up nearly 80 percent, said the Forbes report, adding that Bezos’ net worth on January 1 was roughly $115 billion.

While Forbes said that Bezos became worth $204.6 billion at 1.50 pm EDT on Wednesday, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index currently puts his net worth at $202 billion.

The person who is closest to Bezos now is Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates who is currently worth $116.1 billion, according to Forbes, while the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put his net worth at $124 billion.

Kevin Mayer quits as TikTok CEO amid political turmoil

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Kevin Mayer quits as TikTok CEO amid political turmoil

In a significant development, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has quit the company amid the ongoing dispute with the Donald Trump administration and sale talks in the US and the India ban.

Less than six months into the job, Mayer announced his departure in an internal email seen first by the Financial Times on Thursday.

The report said that TikTok’s general manager Vanessa Pappas will take over as an interim CEO.

“We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge.

“We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well.”

Mayer’s departure comes as TikTok has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order banning any US transactions with its parent company ByteDance.

Mayer said in the internal letter: “In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for”.

“Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company”.

Mayer joined TikTok in May, leaving his position as head of direct-to-consumer content at Disney where he oversaw the launch of Disney Plus.

Nearly 100 million Americans turn to TikTok for entertainment, inspiration, and connection and countless creators rely on its platform to express their creativity, reach broad audiences, and generate income.

President Trump filed an executive order on August 6, prohibiting ByteDance from doing any transaction in the US for 45 days.

Trump issued another executive order on August 14, giving ByteDance an option to divest its TikTok business in the US within 90 days.

TikTok has filed the lawsuit against the first executive order.

“The executive order seeks to ban TikTok purportedly because of the speculative possibility that the application could be manipulated by the Chinese government,” TikTok said in its lawsuit.

Canon camera users can back up to Google Photos over Wi-Fi

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Canon camera users can back up to Google Photos over Wi-Fi

Google has announced that Canon camera users will be able to upload the photos captured directly to Google Photos via Wi-Fi in original quality.

In addition to a compatible Canon camera and the image. canon app, a user also needs a Google One membership to use this feature.

“With the latest version of the image. canon app and a compatible Canon camera, you can choose to automatically transfer original quality photos to Google Photos, eliminating the hassle of using your computer or phone to back them up,” Ben Greenwood, Product Manager, Google Photos said in a statement on Thursday.

Google is offering Canon users one month of Google One free, providing access to up to 100GB of cloud storage, as well as other member benefits, such as premium support from Google experts and family sharing.

Canon launched its own version of a cloud backup service, image.canon, last year that allows Canon cameras to seamlessly back up photos over Wi-Fi.

From ‘image.canon’, users have the option of automatically transferring their images and videos to other places, such as Google Drive or YouTube, and now Google Photos has been added to that list.

Google not in race to buy TikTok: Sundar Pichai

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Google not in race to buy TikTok: Sundar Pichai

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai has denied his company is in the race to acquire the Chinese short-video making app TikTok.

On the latest episode of podcast ‘Pivot Schooled Live’, the Recode’s Kara Swisher and New York University Professor Scott Galloway asked Pichai whether the company is interested in acquiring TikTok.

“We are not,” Pichai replied, adding that the ByteDance-owned app does pay for using Google Cloud services.

TikTok which has 100 million users in the US has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order banning any US transactions with its parent company ByteDance.

President Trump filed an executive order on August 6, prohibiting ByteDance from doing any transaction in the US for 45 days.

Trump issued another executive order on August 14, giving ByteDance an option to divest its TikTok business in the US within 90 days.

TikTok has filed the lawsuit against the first executive order. Saying that it strongly disagrees with the Trump administration’s position that TikTok is a national security threat, the company alleged that the “US administration failed to follow due process”.

On the podcast, Pichai said that TikTok is growing amid the pandemic like several other tech companies out there.

“There are the companies which have emerged very strongly in these times. The big companies are doing very well but I do see a lot of emerging companies,” Pichai said.

He said that today, there are more choices for information than ever before.

“It feels like there’s a lot coming at us and, you know, you’re worried about innovating, you’re worried about making sure you’re on the cutting edge of things, you worry about the next generation,” Pichai added.

Chelsea complete Ben Chilwell signing from Leicester City

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Chelsea complete Ben Chilwell signing from Leicester City

England international Ben Chilwell has signed a five-year deal with Chelsea, joining the club from Leicester City.

“I am delighted to be joining Chelsea at this very exciting time for the club. I’m looking forward to being a part of this young, dynamic squad led by Frank Lampard as we challenge for honors next season. I can’t wait to get started and hopefully it won’t be long before we’re playing in front of the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge,” Chilwell said in a statement.

Chilwell is one of the most established and promising full-backs in the Premier League having made over 120 appearances for Leicester City since his debut as an 18-year-old back in October 2015. He has played a total of 99 times in the Premier League, claiming nine assists and four goals. He featured in the Champions League for the first time in 2016/17 as Leicester topped their group before going out in the quarter-finals to Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: ‘We are very pleased to have completed our third addition to our exciting squad for the coming season. Ben brings plenty of top-level experience playing in the Premier League, Champions League, and at the international level, despite his young age.

‘We are confident Ben will adapt very quickly to being a Chelsea player and with the fixture program for 2020/21 especially busy, he is a fantastic addition to the squad needed to challenge for honors.’

Chilwell represented England at every age group from the Under-18s up before making his senior debut for Gareth Southgate’s side in a friendly held in Leicester against Switzerland in September 2018.

He made his first start a month later in a Nations League goalless draw in Croatia and has 11 caps in total for the Three Lions to date.

Harry Gurney to miss IPL, T20 Blast due to shoulder injury

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Harry Gurney to miss IPL, T20 Blast due to shoulder injury

Left-arm Nottinghamshire fast bowler Harry Gurney has been ruled out of the 2020 T20 Blast competition with a shoulder injury and will also miss the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) edition. Gurney, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, is scheduled to undergo an operation next month.

The left-arm confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he would not be traveling to the UAE to join KKR for this season’s IPL which is slated to start from September 19.

“Having gone through the same frustrations as everyone this year in waiting for cricket to restart, I’m devastated to have to miss the Blast,” he said in a statement available on the Nottinghamshire Cricket website.

“Some of the proudest moments in my career have been with Notts, and nothing quite compares to being out on the field at Trent Bridge competing for trophies with some of my best mates. To have that taken away for a year is tough.

“I have a huge amount of faith in the squad of players and in their ability to go deep in the tournament. I’ll be cheering them on for sure, and will be there with a word of advice or tactical input whenever it’s needed,” he added.

He represented KKR last season, picking up seven wickets in eight games.

“Harry would improve any T20 side in the world, so it’s a blow to lose him for this year’s tournament,” said head coach Peter Moores.

“With the experience and expertise he’s gained from a global white-ball career, he’s become a real leader in our limited-overs dressing room.

“What I always say in these situations is that – whilst we are all gutted for Harry – it does provide someone else with an opportunity and that can be exciting.

“There are a number of talented bowlers in our squad who are looking to take their next steps forward in the white-ball game – and there are some experienced men, like Luke Fletcher and Jake Ball, who will be very keen to take on extra responsibility,” he added.

Osaka pulls out of Western & Southern Open semis to protest racial injustice

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Osaka pulls out of Western & Southern Open semis to protest racial injustice

Rising tennis star Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from her semi-final clash at the Western & Southern Open to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake and other victims of police brutality.

No.4 seed Osaka on Wednesday defeated No.12 Anett Kontaveit 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory to enter the semifinal where she was slated to face Elise Mertens on Thursday afternoon.

“Hello, as many of you are aware I was scheduled to play my semi-finals match tomorrow,” Osaka wrote in a statement on her social media accounts. “However, before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman, I feel as though there are many more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis.

“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction. Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach. I’m exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I’m extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again. When will it ever be enough?” she added.

The National Basketball Association’s Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic also boycotted their playoff game on Wednesday afternoon following the shooting of Blake by police in Kenosha, near to Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the ATP, WTA, and USTA acknowledged the day’s historic events and postponed all play at the tournament until Friday.

“As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States. The USTA, ATP Tour, and WTA have decided to recognize this moment in time by pausing tournament play at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday, August 27. Play will resume on Friday, August 28.”

However, it remains unclear if Osaka will still compete in the tournament, which was originally scheduled to conclude on Friday.

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