CPL 2020: St Lucia Zouks, Trinbago Knight Riders register thumping wins

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CPL 2020: St Lucia Zouks, Trinbago Knight Riders register thumping wins

St Lucia Zouks opened their account in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after a thumping win over champions Barbados Tridents in a rain-curtailed match.

On Thursday, Zouks defeated Barbados Tridents by seven wickets by (D/L) method at the Brian Lara Stadium.

Electing to bat, Tridents were at 131/7 in 18.1 overs when rain interrupted play and the umpires were forced to call it the end of the innings. Johnson Charles and skipper Jason Holder contributed with 35 and 27 runs respectively.

Zouks were then given a revised target of 47 runs in five overs which they chased down comfortably in 4.1 overs, thanks to Andre Fletcher’s unbeaten 16 off seven balls and Mohammad Nabi’s 15 runs in six balls. Rahkeem Cornwall also scored 14 off eight balls.

Nabi was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round performance (15 runs, 1/19 in 4 overs).

In the second game of the day, Trinbago Knight Riders defeated Jamaica Tallawahs by seven wickets.

Batting first, Tallawahs posted a below-par total of 135/8 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a 58-run knock from Glenn Phillips. Asif Ali (22) and Andre Russell (25) also made useful contributions in the middle-order.

Sunil Narine’s quickfire 53 runs off just 38 deliveries, and an unbeaten 49 from Colin Munro then helped Knight Riders chased down the total with utmost ease with 11 balls to spare.

Narine was named the Player of the Match.

Brief Scores: Barbados Tridents 131/7 (Johnson Charles 35; Roston Chase 2/8) lost to St Lucis Zouks 50/3 (Andre Fletcher 16*; Rashid Khan 2/24) by seven wickets (D/L) method.

Brief Scores: Jamaica Tallawahs 135/8 (Glenn Phillips 58; Jayden Seales 2/21) lost to Trinbago Knight Riders 136/3 (Sunil Narine 53; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/13) by seven wickets.

Raina never played for personal glory but India’s, says PM Modi

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Raina never played for personal glory but India’s, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid rich tribute to Suresh Raina, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, saying the former Indian batsman never played for personal glory but for the glory of the team and the country.

Like MS Dhoni, Raina too on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day, hanged his boots from international cricket via a social media post.

“On 15th August, you decided to make what would surely have been one of the toughest decisions of your life. I do not want to use the word ‘retirement’ because you are way too young and energetic to ‘retire’,” Prime Minister Modi said in a letter addressed to Raina.

“You are padding up for the next innings of your life, after an extremely fruitful inning on the cricket field,” he added in the letter he tweeted.

The 33-year-old expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister by tweeting back: “When we play, we give our blood & sweat for the nation. No better appreciation than being loved by the people of this country and even more by the country’s PM. Thank you Narendra Modiji for your words of appreciation & best wishes. I accept them with gratitude. Jai Hind!”

Raina represented India in 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20Is in an international career spanning 13 years.

“You have lived and breathed cricket. Your interest in the sport began early in life, in the by-lanes of Muradnagar, and subsequently found feet in the playgrounds of Lucknow,” said Prime Minister Modi.

“There on, what an eventful journey it has been, culminating in the most important honor of representing India – a country you love deeply – in all three forms of the game.

“Generations will remember you not only as a fine batsman but also as a very useful bowler who the captain could turn to when the situation demanded. Your fielding was exemplary and inspiring.

“Some of the best catches in recent international cricket have your distinctive imprint. It would take days to count just the number of runs you have saved by your alertness on the field,” he added.

Raina first made his international debut at the age of 18 and also led India in ODIs and T2OIs when he turned 23.

He is the youngest to lead an India men’s T20I side and was also a member of the side that played in India’s first-ever T20I. The southpaw is also the first Indian to score a century in the T20 World Cup.

“As a batsman, you especially distinguished yourself across all mediums and particularly in the newest form of the game, the T20 cricket. This is not an easy format. In tune with our times, it requires quick fixes in double-quick time. Again, your promptness and speed were assets for this form,” said the Prime Minister while praising Raina’s performance in the shortest format of the game.

Raina was part of the World Cup-winning team in 2011 when India defeated Sri Lanka in the summit clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He had played a crucial role in India’s successful campaign in the tournament and Prime Minister Modi recalled his valuable performance in the quarterfinals against Australia.

“India can never forget your inspiring role during the 2011 World Cup, especially during the later matches. I saw you live in action at the Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, during the quarterfinal against Australia. Your anchoring innings had a big role to play in our team’s victory,” he said.

“I can confidently say that most fans will miss seeing your elegant cover drives, one which I was lucky to witness live that day.

The Prime Minister further praised the left-handed batsman for his fighting spirit which he believes is deeply motivating for the youngsters

“Sportspersons are admired not only for their conduct on the field but also off the field. Your fighting spirit can motivate many youngsters,” stated Prime Minister Modi.

“During your cricketing career, you sometimes faced setbacks including injuries but every time you overcame these challenges, thanks to your tenacity. At the same time, Suresh Raina will always be synonymous with team spirit.

“You played not for personal glory but for the glory of your team and the glory of India. Your enthusiasm on the field was infectious, and we could all witness that you would be among the first and most animated players to celebrate the fall of the opposing team’s wicket,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi, towards the end in his letter, also praised Raina for his efforts towards women empowerment and Swachh Bharat and wished him luck for his second innings beyond cricket.

“Your care and compassion towards society are visible in your numerous community service efforts. You have passionately supported efforts towards women empowerment, Swachh Bharat, and helping the needy,” said the Prime Minister.

“I am glad you are attached to India’s cultural roots and proud of deepening youth’s connect with our glorious ethos as well as value systems. I am confident you will have an equally fruitful and successful inning in whatever you wish to pursue in the times to come.

“I do hope you will use this opportunity to spend even more quality time with Priyanka, Gracia, and Rio.

“Thank you for doing whatever you can to make India a leader in sports and constantly inspiring young minds,” he signed off.

Pixel Buds adds bass control, real-time audio translation

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Pixel Buds adds bass control, real-time audio translation

Google has announced new features for its Pixel Buds which includes bass boost, sharing detection, new translate transcription features, Attention Alerts and a new Find My Device feature.

“You can enhance your bass directly in the Pixel Buds settings, and if you decide to share one of your earbuds with someone, you no longer have to sacrifice your volume preferences thanks to sharing detection,” Tricia Fu, Product Manager Google said in a statement.

The bass boost would let users adjust the intensity of the bass from the Pixel Buds settings.

Sharing detection would allow users to share an earbud with a friend who will be able to control the volume “without changing the volume on the earbud still in your ear”.

The Buds’ distinctive translation feature now has a transcription mode that feeds translations directly to the user’s ear as they arrive, making it easier to follow along with a conversation.

It is now available for French, German, Italian, and Spanish users translating English.

Attention alerts is a new experimental feature that will automatically lower the volume of music when the Buds hear a triggering sound like a crying baby, barking dog, or emergency vehicle sirens.

The Pixel Buds will now support Find My Device.

Google’s Find My Device will be able to show the map of the last location the Buds were connected to an Android device.

One can also turn Buds off using Google Assistant.

In addition, Pixel Buds will be available in more colors like Oh So Orange, Quite Mint, and Almost Black.

Pixel Buds are available through the Google Store and retailers for $179 in the US.

India’s Covid tally crosses 29L-mark, toll nears 55K

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India’s Covid tally crosses 29L-mark, toll nears 55K

With 68,898 new Coronavirus infections in 24 hours, India tally mounted to 2,905,823 on Friday, while the death toll climbed to 54,849 with 983 more fatalities, said the Health Ministry.

Out of the total cases, recoveries have crossed the 20 lakh-mark and surged to 21,58,946 with 62,282 more people recuperating in the past 24 hours, taking the recovery rate to nearly 74.30 percent. The actual caseload of the country is the active cases, which currently stands at 6,92,028.

India’s journey to over 29 lakh cases has taken over 200 days since the emergence of the first case on January 30. On July 17, the country logged 10 lakh cases, which then doubled to 20 lakh in 20 days on August 7 and added more than nine lakh cases in just 14 days.

Notably, the case fatality rate, which is the proportion of people who die from the disease among individuals diagnosed, has dropped to 1.89 percent, the Ministry said. As many as 8,05,985 samples were tested on Thursday.

India, with the third-highest number of Coronavirus cases in the world, has eight states where the number of cases is higher than one lakh each and account for 77.87 percent of the total cases. It includes Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with a total of 6,43,289 cases and 21,359 deaths; followed by Tamil Nadu with 3,61,435 cases and 6,239 deaths. It is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar.

On the global front, India continues to be the third worst-hit after the US with 55,73,501 cases and 1,73,114 deaths, followed by Brazil with 35,01,975 infections and 1,12,304 deaths.

Facebook submits comments on data portability to US trade panel

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Facebook submits comments on data portability to US trade panel

Facebook on Friday submitted official comments to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ahead of its September 22 public workshop “to examine the potential benefits and challenges to consumers and competition raised by data portability”.

After months of negotiations, Facebook reached an agreement with the FTC in July last year that provides a comprehensive new framework for protecting people’s privacy and the information.

In reaching this settlement, it agreed to pay a $5 billion penalty — multiple times what any previous company has paid the FTC — in order to resolve allegations that it violated users’ privacy in the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving 87 million users.

“We are pleased to see the FTC devoting a full workshop to data portability, and we look forward to participating. We believe data portability can give people control and choice, while also fostering innovation,” the company said in a statement on Friday.

Last year, Facebook published a white paper that explores the privacy questions as it builds a new generation of data portability tools.

“Since then, we’ve had conversations with stakeholders around the world to get feedback about what data should be portable and how to ensure that we protect privacy when enabling data transfers,” Facebook said.

In parallel, said the social network, it will continue to develop products that take into account the feedback it has received, like “a portability tool that allows people to transfer their Facebook photos and videos to other services”.

“We encourage the FTC to examine portability in practice… so that companies implementing data portability have the clear rules and certainty necessary to build privacy-protective products that enhance people’s choice and control online,” it added.

Facebook also paid $100 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that alleged that the social network should have had better processes in place to ensure disclosure to investors of data abuse like what occurred with Cambridge Analytica.

Epic Games to host Fortnite tournament after App Store ban

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Epic Games to host Fortnite tournament after App Store ban

Soon after Apple removed the popular video game Fortnite from its App Store for allegedly violating in-app payment guidelines, Epic Games has announced a free Fortnite tournament on August 23 where players can compete to win anti-Apple prizes.

“All of your friends. Fabulous prizes. And one bad apple. We’re dropping the #FreeFortnite Cup on August 23,” the company said in a tweet.

Players who compete in the tournament will win an in-game skin of the evil-looking apple featured in Epic’s “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” video, a “Free Fortnite” hat, and even non-iOS gaming hardware, including an Alienware laptop, a Galaxy Tab S7, and OnePlus 8 phone, a PlayStation 4 Pro, an Xbox One X or a Nintendo Switch.

Epic also reminded iOS players that they won’t be able to play the next season of Fortnite and also suggested iOS players migrate to other platforms where Fortnite is available before the next season begins.

“If you are left behind on iOS after the Chapter 2 – Season 4 launch, the party continues on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, GeForce Now, and through both the Epic Games App at epicgames.com and the Samsung Galaxy Store. Join the fight against @AppStore on social with #FreeFortnite,” the company said.

In addition, Epic also launched a campaign against Apple, releasing a “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” video mocking Apple’s famous “1984” ad, and promoting the hashtag #FreeFortnite.

Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the tech giant is threatening to terminate its developer account by August 28 which would cut the company off from iOS and macOS development tools.

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.

Data of 235mn Instagram, YouTube, TikTok users exposed: Report

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Data of 235mn Instagram, YouTube, TikTok users exposed: Report

At least 235 million users of Facebook-owned Instagram, China-based TikTok, and Google-owned YouTube have been hit by a massive data leak and their personal profiles were up for grabs on the Dark Web.

According to security researchers from the pro-consumer website Comparitech, an unsecured database was behind this data breach.

“The data was spread across several datasets and the most significant being two coming in at just under 100 million each and containing profile records apparently scraped from Instagram,” reports Forbes, quoting the security researchers.

The third-largest was a dataset of some 42 million TikTok users, followed by nearly 4 million YouTube user profiles.

One in five records contained either a telephone number or email address of the users, along with profile name, full real name, profile photo, account description and a number of followers and likes, etc.

“The information would probably be most valuable to spammers and cybercriminals running phishing campaigns,” said Paul Bischoff, editor at Comparitech.

“Even though the data is publicly accessible, the fact that it was leaked in aggregate as a well-structured database makes it much more valuable than each profile would be in isolation,” Bischoff said in the report on Thursday.

According to the researchers, the leaked data points to a company called Deep Social banned by both Facebook and Instagram in 2018 after scraping user profile data.

“Scraping people’s information from Instagram is a clear violation of our policies. We revoked Deep Social’s access to our platform in June 2018 and sent a legal notice prohibiting any further data collection,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.

According to Comparitech, data marketing company, Social Data later shut the unsecured database after it was reported to them.

“Social Data has denied any connection between itself and Deep Social,” according to the Comparitech report.

Earlier this month, a hacker group known as ShinyHunters flooded a hacker forum with 386 million user records stolen from 18 companies.

According to BleepingComputer, ShinyHunters began uploading the databases to a forum where anyone can download them free of charge. Of the databases released since July 21, nine of them were already disclosed in some manner in the past.

Australia name women’s squad for T20I, ODI series against NZ

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Australia name women’s squad for T20I, ODI series against NZ

Cricket Australia on Friday announced the 18-player women’s squad for the T20I and ODI series against New Zealand slated to be played in September.

The two sides will play three ODIs and three T20Is, with the coveted Rose Bowl Trophy up for grabs during the ODI series. Australia is the current holder of the Rose Bowl having defeated the White Ferns 3-0 in their last encounter in 2019.

Speedster Tayla Vlaeminck was unavailable for selection while Ellyse Perry has been named subject to fitness.

National Selector Shawn Flegler said: “We’ve selected a slightly larger squad than usual because of a number of COVID-related considerations and, with no matches leading in, players have been picked on performances both for Australia and Australia A over the last 12-to-24 months.”

“Tayla has had a slight setback in her return from the foot injury she suffered ahead of the T20 World Cup which means she’ll miss this series as well as this season’s rebel WBBL tournament.

“Our initial plans were to get her back for the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand but now that’s been postponed we’ll take a conservative approach with her and give her as much time as she needs to get her body right without the pressure of a timeframe.

“Ellyse is progressing well from a significant hamstring injury and we want to give her every chance to be available for selection, so we’ll continue to monitor her progress over the coming weeks.

“The door has really opened for players like Maitlan (Brown), who joins the squad for the first time, and fellow fast-bowler Belinda (Vakarewa) who has previously represented Australia.

“Belinda only just missed out on T20 World Cup selection while Maitlan has impressed through her time in the national performance squad and Australia A.

“New Zealand always presents a great challenge and this series will be no different. While nothing is guaranteed in the current climate it’s pleasing to be able to prepare for a series like this and thanks must go to all the people working behind the scenes to make it possible,” Flegler added.

The schedule for the series has matches in both New South Wales and Queensland but given the current COVID-19 situation changes may be required, said Cricket Australia.

Squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry (subject to fitness), Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa.

Ex-Trump adviser charged with fraud over Mexico wall funds

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Ex-Trump adviser charged with fraud over Mexico wall funds

Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser, was charged with defrauding donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the country’s border with Mexico.

On Thursday, Bannon and three others, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea, were indicted for their roles in connection with the online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall”, which raised more than $25 million, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York.

Bannon received more than $1 million, at least some of which he used to cover personal expenses, it alleged.

“As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction,” Xinhua news agency quoted US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss as saying in the statement.

Bannon was arrested on Thursday morning on a 150-foot yacht called the Lady May in Connecticut by agents from the US Postal Inspection Service, which investigates fraud cases.

The yacht is owned by Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, according to US media reports.

The other three defendants were also arrested on Thursday morning.

Later in a New York court, Bannon entered a not guilty plea.

Responding to his arrest, President Trump said he felt “very badly” about it, the BBC reported.

He also said he had had no involvement with “We Build the Wall”.

“I said, ‘This is for government; this isn’t for private people’ – and it sounded to me like showboating and I think I let my opinion be very strongly stated at the time,” he said.

Bannon, who has been released on bail, was a key architect of Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory.

His right-wing anti-immigration ideology fuelled Trump’s “America First” campaign.

Bannon is the sixth former senior aide to Trump to face criminal charges after former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, veteran political operator Roger Stone, former lawyer Michael Cohen, former deputy campaign manager Rick Gates, and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Michael Pena opens up about his love for horror

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Michael Pena opens up about his love for horror

Actor Michael Pena says horror films are like roller coaster rides, adding that he is a big fan of the genre.

Pena recalled falling in love with horror flicks as a child. “When I was a kid and I was younger, my mom used to take us to a theatre where we would pay two dollars and then be able to see multiple movies. We’d watch (legendary Mexican comedian) Cantinflas and then immediately afterward it would be followed by an American movie. There would be a complete 180 of what we expected to see. I watched all these horror movies — ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’, ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘The Shining’, ‘The Exorcist’, they were so scary,” he said.

“But it was safe to me like you wanted to be scared, you wanted to feel that same scare. It was like riding a roller coaster because for all intents and purposes, roller coasters are really safe and so when you are on a roller coaster, you know you are going to go really fast, but at the same time it’s locked down and it gives you that extra safety net to experience something like this,” he added.

It is a reason Pena enjoyed working in the horror film, “Fantasy Island”.

“When I read the initial draft, it had a bunch of different storylines, so from the get-go, I knew that it was going to have multiple fantasies. I think it also gives you a break when you are diving into someone else’s fantasy. It gives you a little time to breathe,” he said.

“As for the film, I mean I really liked what he did to be honest; I saw that on ‘Truth or Dare’. You kind of want a little bit of everything, a bit of humor, even if it’s dark, so that you can pace it up a bit and have breaks, or else it’s kind of unrelenting,” Pena added about the film, which airs in India on August 30 on &flix and Zee Cafe.

Mohammad Nabi appointed member of Afghanistan Cricket Board

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Mohammad Nabi appointed member of Afghanistan Cricket Board

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been appointed as a member of the country’s cricket board. Nabi is still an active international cricketer and is currently playing in the ongoing edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The 35-year-old is among four new members who have replaced the outgoing members of Afghanistan Cricket Board’s nine-member panel.

“Following recommendations by ACB chairman Farhan Yusefzai, and subsequently approved by Patron in-chief, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, four new board members were introduced today to the Afghanistan Cricket Board replacing four former members,” ACB said in a statement on Thursday.

The other three board members are Hasina Safi, Rohullah Khanzada, and Haroon Mir.

“The members who were replaced include Minister for Urban Development and Land Mohammad Jawad Paikar; former Deputy Minister of Industries and Commerce Kamela Siddiqui, former Minister for Transport Hamid Tahmasi and former Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Shukrullah Atif Mashal,” ACB statement added.

Nabi, after playing three Tests for Afghanistan, retired from the longest format of the game in September last year after the one-off Test against Bangladesh. He has also played 124 ODIs and 78 T20Is.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Hockey player Surender Kumar readmitted to hospital due to VT

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Hockey player Surender Kumar readmitted to hospital due to VT

Indian men’s hockey team defender Surender Kumar, who along with five other hockey players had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, has been readmitted to the hospital due to Venous Thrombosis (VT).

Surender along with five other India players — skipper Manpreet Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Varun Kumar, goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak, and striker Mandeep Singh — were discharged on Monday from SS Sparsh Multispeciality hospital in Bengaluru after recovering from COVID-19.

However, Surender was readmitted to the hospital on Thursday evening after a blood clot was formed in his arm, Sports Authority of India (SAI) said in a statement.

“Due to VT, he has formed a blood clot in the right upper limb and has thus been admitted to hospital for the period of two to three days during which treatment and medication would be given for recovery from VT,” SAI said.

“SAI officials had a conference call with the treating doctor who has informed that the condition of Surender Kumar is stable and there is no cause for concern at present,” it added.

The other five players, who had also tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently in quarantine, have been advised not to take up strenuous activities while in recovery.

VT is seen in several cases of COVID-19 as complications while they are in the recovery phase. The possibility of VT will increase with an increase in strenuous physical exercise during the recovery period.

The remaining players of the Indian hockey teams, both men and women, have resumed sporting activities from Wednesday.

Google testing new licensing tools with news publishers

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Google testing new licensing tools with news publishers

Google that recently announced a new licensing programme to pay publishers for high-quality content is currently working closely with 10 different news outlets from Germany and Brazil on an early access programme.

In late June, the tech giant launched a licensing programme to pay for quality content from publishers for an upcoming news experience.

Google said before it expands licensing to more publishers in more countries, it is currently working alongside its publisher partners in select countries.

“Publishers taking part in this early access program include international brands as well as local household staples. These partners are helping us test features and gather feedback ahead of a full launch later this year,” Brad Bender, VP Product Management, News, said in a statement on Thursday.

Participating publishers are testing publisher tools, evaluating technical integrations, and ensuring different templates enhance the ways they bring stories to their readers.

“We’re also discussing paywall integrations, where Google would pay for free access to allow readers to read articles on a publisher’s site. This will help paywalled publishers grow their audience and deepen their relationship with readers,” Bender said.

Google said it is sending users to news sites 24 billion times every month, providing an opportunity for publishers to grow their audiences and show Google users ads or offers for subscriptions.

The new licensing programme will help participating publishers monetize their content through an enhanced storytelling experience that lets people go deeper into more complex stories, stay informed, and be exposed to a world of different issues and interests.

To date, the Google News Initiative (GNI) has provided $39.5 million in funding to more than 5,600 publishers in 115 countries who are facing financial hardship as a result of the economic and advertising downturn in the pandemic.

It has also launched a free training program for small-to-medium sized news publishers that would be available first in Europe and will roll out to more regions in the coming months.

US FDA halts approval for plasma therapy to treat Covid: Report

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US FDA halts approval for plasma therapy to treat Covid: Report

Blood plasma therapy that is being touted as the final resort to treat Covid-19 has not convinced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as it has put the emergency use authorization for blood plasma to treat the deadly respiratory disease on hold, the media reported.

According to a report in The New York Times on Thursday, the FDA approval for plasma therapy is on hold and “more data is under review and the approval could still be issued in the near future, according to H. Clifford Lane, the clinical director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases”.

According to the report, senior federal health officials said data supporting the plasma therapy was too weak.

Plasma donated by people who’ve survived Covid-19 has high levels of antibodies and is considered safe.

The proposed emergency approval was based on the history of plasma’s use in treating other diseases, animal research, and a number of plasma studies, “including a federal government-financed Mayo Clinic research that’s tested plasma in more than 66,000 COVID-19 patients and is the largest such study in the US”.

However, top health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert have cautioned that available data wasn’t strong enough to support emergency approval.
The US FDA was yet to comment on the report.

Plasma is the pale liquid that remains after red and white cells are removed from the blood.

The convalescent plasma therapy has gained much traction in several countries including in India, where several lives have been saved with the therapy.

In an ongoing study of more than 300 Covid-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma therapy in the US, researchers suggest that the treatment is safe and effective.

The study, published in the American Journal of Pathology, tracked 350 severely ill Covid-19 patients admitted to the Houston Methodist’s system of eight hospitals from March 28 through July 6.

“Our studies to date show the treatment is safe and, in a promising number of patients, effective,” said study author James M Musser from the Houston Methodist in the US.

“While convalescent plasma therapy remains experimental and we have more research to do and data to collect, we now have more evidence than ever that this century-old plasma therapy has merit, is safe and can help reduce the death rate from this virus,” Musser added.

Top news publishers join fight against ‘Apple tax’

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Top news publishers join fight against ‘Apple tax’

Top media trade body Digital Content Next that includes newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post has joined the fight against Apple for its unfair and allegedly anti-competitive App Store policies.

News publishers have joined the companies and app developers like Fortnite game owner Epic Games that has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the tech giant is threatening to terminate its developer account by August 28 which would cut the company off from iOS and macOS development tools.

The letter, first spotted by The Wall Street Journal, asks Apple CEO Tim Cook what would be necessary to negotiate a deal similar to the one it granted Amazon in 2016 for its Prime video app.

“We would like to know what conditions our members — high-quality digital content companies — would need to meet in order to qualify for the arrangement Amazon is receiving for its Amazon Prime Video app in the Apple App Store,” read the letter by Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next that includes newspapers and several magazines, broadcasters and websites.

The deal “granted Amazon a more generous 85-15 percent revenue share with Apple for in-app subscriptions of Prime Video,” reports The Verge.

Apple generally charges a 30 percent cut of all in-app purchases. The “Apple tax,” as it’s called, is also the focus of a European Union antitrust investigation.

“Nearly all of DCN’s members offer apps in the Apple App Store and, as noted above, many offer subscription-based access to a wide variety of content. The terms of Apple’s unique marketplace greatly impact the ability to continue to invest in high-quality, trusted news and entertainment particularly in competition with other larger firms,” the letter further read.

According to Epic Games, Apple has sent the notice about the account termination after the antitrust feud between the two companies exploded.

“Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic that on Friday, August 28 Apple will terminate all our developer accounts and cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools. We are asking the court to stop this retaliation,” the company tweeted earlier this week.

According to Apple, Epic Games has grown into a multi-billion dollar business that reached millions of iOS customers around the world.

“Upon further review of the activity associated with your Apple Developer Program membership, we have identified several violations of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Therefore, your Apple Developer Program account will be terminated if the violations set forth below are not cured within 14 days,” Apple said in a letter to Epic, which is also included in the court filing.

Kamala Harris creates buzz on social media with ‘chithi’ reference

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Kamala Harris creates buzz on social media with ‘chithi’ reference

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ speech at the party’s National Convention has created a buzz on social media, mainly among the Indian-American and Tamilian community as she used the word ‘chithi’ which means aunty in Tamil while stressing on the importance of a family.

Harris made the remark on Wednesday night during her Vice Presidential acceptance speech, while she spoke about the importance of family support in shaping an individual.

“She raised us to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage. She taught us to put family first. The family you are born into and the family you choose,” Harris said while talking about her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

“Family is my uncles, my aunts, and my chithis,” she said while explaining what family meant to her.

“That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me,” said Harris, who made history by becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to be nominated to any important party’s presidential ticket.

Her speech soon went viral on social media, taking the Indian netizens by surprise. Many people also referred to Google to find the meaning of “chithi”.

Let’s have a look at some of the reactions of netizens.

“I literally have tears in my eyes. @KamalaHarris just said ‘chithis’ which means auntie. My heart is so full right now,” said Chennai-born American author and model Padma Lakshmi.

“Millions of Americans are googling ‘chithi,’ so next time someone @ me that Kamala Harris isn’t proud of her Indian heritage,” a twitterati posted.

Another said: “Kamala Harris used chithi in her DNCC speech, Tamilians RISE UP!!!!!!”

“Brb crying when @KamalaHarris just said ‘Chithi’,” wrote another user.

Global Covid-19 cases top 22.5mn: Johns Hopkins

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Global Covid-19 cases top 22.5mn: Johns Hopkins

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has topped 22.5 million, while the deaths have increased to over 792,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Friday morning, the total number of cases stood at 22,593,363 and the fatalities rose to 792,396, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

The US accounted for the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 5,573,501 and 173,114, respectively, according to the CSSE.

Brazil came in second place with 3,501,975 infections and 112,304 deaths.

In terms of cases, India ranks third (2,836,925), and is followed by Russia (939,833), South Africa (599,940), Peru (558,420), Mexico (543,806), Colombia (502,178), Chile (391,849), Spain (377,906), Iran (352,558), the UK (324,196), Argentina (320,884), Saudi Arabia (303,973), Pakistan (290,958), Bangladesh (287,959), France (256,534), Italy (256,118), Turkey (254,520), Germany (231,292), Iraq (192,797), Philippines (178,022), Indonesia (147,211), Canada (125,625), Qatar (116,224), Ecuador (105,508), Bolivia (105,050), Kazakhstan (103,815) and Ukraine (100,810), the CSSE figures showed.

The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are the Mexico (59,106), India (53,866), UK (41,489), Italy (35,418), France (30,434), Spain (28,797), Peru (26,834), Iran (20,264), Russia (16,058), Colombia (15,979), South Africa (12,618) and Chile (10,671).

Most Japanese companies want Olympics cancelled or postponed again: Survey

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Most Japanese companies want Olympics cancelled or postponed again: Survey

A recent poll shows that more than half of Japanese companies want the Tokyo Olympic Games to be canceled or postponed again.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency said on Thursday that in the online survey by Tokyo Shoko Research covering 12,857 companies, 27.8 percent want the Tokyo Games to be canceled while 25.8 percent said the sporting event should be postponed again.

That means a combined 53.6 percent of the responding firms are against holding the games from July 23 to August 8, 2021, writes Xinhua news agency.

The survey, which was conducted between July 28 and August 11, shows that 46.2 percent want the games to go ahead in some way — 22.5 percent are in favor of holding the Olympics as planned, 18.4 percent want it to be held but with fewer spectators and 5.3 percent without any spectators.

Japan is suffering a second wave of COVID-19 infections, with new confirmed cases increased by 1178 in the country and 339 in Tokyo.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko is urging residents to take thorough precautions in every aspect of daily life.

Tokyo 2020 organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori has said that the delayed Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled from July 24 to August 9 this year, could not be held next year if COVID-19 pandemic continues as it is. He also said that the games will have to be canceled if it could not be held next year.

The organizers will start discussing concrete countermeasures against COVID-19 this autumn onwards with the Japanese government and Tokyo Metropolitan government.

Colombia approves football restart post COVID-19 hiatus

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Colombia approves football restart post COVID-19 hiatus

Colombia’s professional football competitions have been authorized to restart after more than five months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Health Minister Fernando Ruiz confirmed the decision in a tweet late Thursday, without specifying a date for the return of the national men’s and women’s leagues, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I have just signed the administrative act that authorizes the start of … training and football competition with the signatures of the interior and sports ministers,” Ruiz said.

Clubs have been allowed to train in small groups under strict biosafety protocols since July but officials have until now been loath to discuss the restart of competitions amid surging COVID-19 cases.

Colombia has the world’s eighth-highest number of coronavirus infections, with more than 513,000 confirmed cases. Over 16,000 people have died from the virus in the country, according to health ministry figures.

Biden accepts Democratic Party’s presidential nomination

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Biden accepts Democratic Party’s presidential nomination

Former US Vice President Joe Biden has formally accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to take on incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 3 election.

His acceptance came during a speech on the last day of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, which also marked 33 years since he made his first bid for the White House, reports ABC News.

“It’s with great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America,” he said.

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