Namibia suspends all domestic flights

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Namibia has temporarily suspended all domestic flights for 18 days amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, it was announced.

In a statement on Wednesday, flag carrier Air Namibia said the suspension of regional flights, which came into effect on Wednesday, will be extended until September 20, and Frankfurt flights until September 30, in line with the reopening of international borders, reports Xinhua news agency

“The latest development is in alignment with Namibia’s travel restrictions as stipulated in Stage 3 regulations, aimed at curbing the further spread of COVID-19,” the airline’s corporate communications officer Twaku Kayofa said.

Air Namibia has introduced flexible rebooking options for travelers who need to change their travel dates.

Kaya said for domestic flights, all tickets purchased on or before Wednesday will be offered one free change to a new travel date until October 31.

To date, Namibia has recorded a total number of 3,406 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths.

UP put on high alert for Independence Day

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Uttar Pradesh has been put on high alert, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.

Senior police officials in the rank of Additional Director General (ADG) and Inspector General (IG) will camp in sensitive districts and additional police force will be deployed in public places.

The police spokesman said that the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border has been sealed and vigil has been stepped in districts bordering Nepal.

Prashant Kumar, ADG (Law and order) said that all district police chiefs have been asked to increase patrolling and checking in sensitive areas under their jurisdiction.

“Traffic restrictions would be implemented in the bordering Delhi and NCR from Thursday and will continue till August 15 midnight,” he added.

The district police chiefs have also been instructed by the DGP headquarters to conduct security drills and carry out checks at the bus stations, railway stations, and district borders.

The ADG further said that all district police chiefs and the two police commissioners have been directed to closely monitor social networking websites, especially after the Bengaluru incident.

Senior officials have been directed to continue camping in districts around Ayodhya.

While ADG Ashutosh Pandey will camp in Amethi, ADG Ashok Kumar will be in Gonda, ADG Ram Kumar in Bahraich, IG Vijay Bhushan in Barabanki, IG Vijay Prakash in Sultanpur, IG A. K. Rai in Basti, IG Piyush Media in Ambedkar Nagar, DIG Chandra Prakash in Maharajganj, and DIG R. K. Bharadwaj Siddhartha Nagar.

COVID-19: Bolivia eyes October return for football

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The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) has outlined plans to restart the country’s top football division in October following months of inactivity because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the FBF said the Apertura league season could resume on October 21 or October 25 under strict bio-safety guidelines and without fans, reports Xinhua news agency.

“It will be based on and will be subject to the country’s health situation,” the entity added.

The first division was suspended on March 16, less than a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

La Paz-based The Strongest led the 14-team standings when the competition was halted with 21 points from 12 matches, ahead of second-placed Always Ready on goals scored.

Bolivia has more than 95,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 3,800 deaths, according to official figures.

Twitter launches new API to help developers build top features

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Twitter has unveiled a new Application Programming Interface (API) to help businesses, academics and third-party developers build and launch new features faster.

The new Twitter “API v2” offers third-party developers early-stage access to features like “conversation threading, poll results in Tweets, pinned Tweets on profiles, spam filtering, and a more powerful stream filtering and search query language.”

There’s also access to a real-time tweet stream, rather than forcing third parties to wait before serving new tweets, reports The Verge.

The API v2 is the first complete rebuild of Twitter’s API since 2012.

The new API system puts different products on the same platform, each with different access levels.

Researchers use Twitter’s API for several purposes, from gauging flood levels from tweets to tracking the spread of online hate speech.

According to Twitter’s Alyssa Reese, “we want developers to get moon-eyed when they talk about our documentation.

“Our aim is to be a company that other developer platforms reference when they are looking for inspiration (and we know we have a way to go).”

The earlier Twitter’s API was split into three platforms: standard (free), premium (self-serve paid), and enterprise (custom paid).

The new API replaces these tiers with “product tracks” in a single platform, with these products then split into the different tiers of access, the report said.

7 Great Exercises to Ease Depression

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Exercise to help depression is something a mentally sick person needs to think of. Several forms of best exercises to help depression can be tried out.

Exercise is good to uplift depression. It releases endorphins that in turn lead to happiness. Physically active feel very excited and are enthusiastic. Exercise does reduce stress and helps better sleep at night. Exercises to help with depression need to be followed religious to feel better.

In other words, exercise stimulates the release of many of the brain chemicals that happen to be low in low supply when someone is fighting depression.. It is important to exercises to cure depression.

Depression or anxiety can restrict a person’s movements and for this exercise does help to improve physical movements. It all needs motivation and this helps to overcome depression.

Exercise does help prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on depression, anxiety and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety.

The links between depression, anxiety and exercise are not entirely clear, but working out and other forms of physical activity can definitely ease symptoms of depression or anxiety and make one feel better. Exercise may also help keep depression and anxiety from coming back once one is feeling better.

1.Set Off That Runner’s High

Aerobic and cardio exercises do help in getting rid of depressive mood. About 20 to 30 minutes daily exercise helps. Endorphins in the brain get released due to sustained physical activity. A sense of well-being prevails.

2.Build Muscles

Boosting one’s strength as well as boosting one’s happiness helps improving depression levels.

Strength training is good. It is mastery over control. It requires full attention as well as concentration. Best exercises to help depression is no doubt building muscles via workouts at gyms.

3.Become a Yogi

Taking yoga class twice a week for about two months does help decrease depression and anxiety symptoms.

Judging by eastern traditions yoga has a wonderful antidepressant effect as it improves flexibility. It promotes mindfulness, which breaks up repetitive negative thoughts; increases strength; makes a person aware of one’s breathing; improves balance; and is meditative.

4. Try Tai Chi

Similar to yoga, this slow, gentle movements of tai chi helps one to feel better and not suffer from depression. It helps in major depressive disorder.

5.Get Your Walk On

Walking is a good aerobic exercise and lifts mood. Depressed people feel better.

Sedentary life needs to be avoided as activity promotes well-being.

6.Break a Sweat for Depression Relief

A trip to the gym helps. Exercise cures depression. Endorphins boosting workouts generate happiness.

Physically active people feel better on the whole and are full of enthusiasm. Sleep improves at night. Exercise stimulates the release of several brain chemicals which reduce depression.

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7.Go Outside

It is good to do outdoor activities as one feels healthier. A person can be involved in gardening, throwing a ball around with one’s kids, or washing the car does help one to feel active. Sunlight boosts mood and stimulates serotonin levels.

Conclusion

It is good to move the body and go in for regular exercise in order to feel good. Depression can be got rid of via healthy exercises as well. Energy levels go up due to exercise and one feels fit. Overall performance levels also improve and one becomes more mindful and concentration improves. Best exercises to help depression are several.

Regular exercise can boost mood if suffering from depression. It is especially useful for people with mild to moderate depression.

Exercise need to be enjoyed and this is so as one needs to get motivated to do so.

Facts About the Corona virus Outbreak

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Corona virus in India is spreading rapidly, similar to other countries across the world. Types of Corona virus need to be tackled. Corona virus treatment is being investigated.

Covid -19 known as corona virus is rapidly spreading. Many are falling a prey to it. What is there to know about this rapidly spreading virus?. COVID-19 is changing rapidly

The number of people infected by the disease does continue to change every day. While the impact of the disease doe vary by location, there are now more confirmed cases of people with COVID-19 across the world.

COVID-19 happens to be the first pandemic that is known to be caused by the emergence of a new corona virus—novel influenza viruses.

 Strict measures are critical for slowing the spread of the disease

Public health efforts have been trying to “flatten the curve.” Flattening the curve implies fewer patients during that period, and hospitals would indeed be better able to manage the demands of patients who are sick with COVID-19 and other illnesses.

One needs to take care of oneself in order to prevent a person from getting the flu. Sneezing, touch door knobs are risk factors. Washing hands prior to eating and touching the face, and after going to the bathroom are good measures to adopt.

Following preventive measure need to be considered:

• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Dry them thoroughly with an air dryer or clean towel. If soap is not available make use of a sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

• Stay home if one is sick.

• Avoid touching nose, eyes, and mouth. Make use of a tissue to cover a cough or sneeze, then dispose of it in the trash.

• Use a household wipe or spray to disinfect doorknobs, light switches, desks, keyboards, sinks, toilets, cell phones, and other objects and surfaces that are frequently touched.

• Create a household plan of action in case someone in the house gets sick with COVID-19.

• Plan visits with friends and family outdoors if possible and maintain social distance if meeting indoors.

• If moving out in public, use a cloth face covering to wear over the nose and mouth, tissues, and a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if possible. Avoid those people who do not wearing cloth face coverings. Always wear a face mask in public settings where other social distancing measures are indeed difficult to maintain.

 Experts are working rapidly to find solutions

Widely available testing is important in understanding the transmission of the disease. Coronavirus in india is also a health issue that is causing much worry to the public.

A number of existing medicines are being suggested as potential investigational therapies for COVID-19.

Coronavirus symptoms

• Fever or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• New loss of taste or smell

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

Conclusion

Most people do tend to suffer from mild illness and can also recover at home without medical care. It is important to seek medical attention immediately if a person. Usually, warning signs, do include difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or ability to arouse, or bluish lips or face.

Efforts are on to find vaccines as part of Coronavirus treatment. Studies do show that some people have no symptoms or have symptoms so mild (like loss of smell) they may go undetected. Even those who eventually develop symptoms can indeed transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. In fact, the more people interact with each other, the more closely a person interacts with them, and the longer the interaction, the higher the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. Types of coronavirus have to be tackled.

4 Homemade Toothache Remedies That Are Safe For Kids

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Toothache can be painful and even children find it difficult to cope up with. Homemade toothache remedies are for emergency toothache even among children suffering from toothache.

Toothaches can be painful and difficult to cope up with. This is so in the case of kids. It is possible to make use of safe homemade toothache remedies, that provide much relief until it is possible to make a visit to the pediatric dentist. Homemade toothache remedies are very good even for toothache among children

Toothaches are not scheduled, quite similar to most emergencies, they do happen at the worst of time like when pharmacies that carry toothache remedies for kids are closed, or when the dentist is unavailable, or in case one happens to be far from home on vacation. By having a cupboard full of a convenient grocery store one has easy access to recipe. Home remedy for toothache in child is an useful solution to toothache among children.

Common Causes of Toothaches in Children

Kids do suffer from occasional pains while growing up but one must not suffer from dental pain. It is a serious issue and must not be ignored or delay relief from pain. Prior to choosing homemade toothache remedies that are best for children, it is important to check their mouth for signs of these common pain causes:

• Cavities, caused by tooth decay and easily corrected with fillings

• Inflammation, signified by red, swollen gums

• Enamel erosion which is caused by bacteria or acid which exposes the pulp of the tooth

• Bruxism, also referred to as tooth grinding.

• Periodontitis, a gum infection that causes gums to recede and also may lead to tooth loss

• Sinus Pressure, the child may have headaches or indeed complain of a “full” feeling head

Pain Relief, But Not a Cure

There are a few things a person needs to understand about homemade toothache remedies. These kitchen “cures” are rather purely for pain relief and do nothing in order to address the underlying cause of the pain. While that may be fine in the case of minor irritation or jaw soreness it does resolve on its own, it happens to be a temporary solution for more severe issues; it is important to contact the dentist in case the child is suffering from lingering tooth or mouth pain.

The child’s dentist can indeed identify potential long-term complications. They are also able to provide fillings, orthodontia, and needed care in order to help a child’s still developing mouth as well as teeth grow properly. While the low cost of homemade toothache remedies are quite useful, relying on them for too long risks further damage to the child’s mouth.

It is important to remember every child is different, and some children are sensitive to certain ingredients which include such remedies.

  1. Cold compress or ice packA cold compress or an ice pack can help ease dental pain, especially if a toothache is on account of an injury or swollen gums.

2. Saltwater mouthwash

Rinsing the mouth with warm salt water does help to loosen debris lodged in cavities or between teeth. It can also reduce swelling, boost healing, as well as relieve a sore throat.

3. Painkillers

Over-the-counter medication, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, do provide temporary pain relief for a toothache.

Aspirin should not be given to children who are under 16 years old.

4. Garlic

Garlic  has  indeed been widely used for medicinal purposes throughout history. It  does contain a compound referred to as allicin, which accounts for its powerful antibacterial properties.

A fresh clove of garlic needs to be crushed and then mixed with a little salt, and the mixture applied to the affected tooth.

Home remedies are good for emergency toothache.

6 Simple Yoga Poses to Increase Height

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Yoga for height increase for child is something all parents would love to know more about. Yoga to increase height is practiced by many. Growing tall does matter.

Human height is more genetic and also depends upon non-genetic factors such as environmental conditions as well as nutrition.
Yoga is done for holistic well-being since time immemorial. It also increases height. Yoga for height increase for child can be practiced.

1. Tadasana

The exercise involves stretching the body muscles from head to toe. This generates posture pressure in all body parts which does facilitate the production of the growth hormone.

Stand erect on the floor with one’s legs, waist and neck aligned in a straight line. Keep both the feet together, hands on the sides and palm facing the thighs.

While inhaling, raise both of the arms together in the upward direction, parallel to each other.

Slowly lift the heels and stand on the toes. Stretch the body upward as far as possible. Keep the legs and arms straight.

  1. Vriksh Asana

The tree  pose  helps  increase height. When the leg is folded and placed over the other thigh, the entire weight is taken by the second leg. This  does help in strengthening one’s muscles. Further, when the neck is flexed upwards, the pituitary gland (responsible for producing the growth hormone) does  get  activated.

Stand with feet together on the floor. Keep the hands at the side and breathe normally.

Stand up firmly on the left leg and fold the right leg at one’s knees. Bring the sole of the right foot on the inner thighs.

Balance on the left foot and raise both arms over the head, elbows unbent and join the palms together.

Hold this posture with the entire body stretched for a few seconds while breathing gently. Repeat the procedure with the opposite leg.

3. Sarvang Asana and Head stand

Together referred to as Shirshasana, both the poses does involve inversion against gravity. This exerts direct pressure on the pituitary gland.

Lie flat on the back in shavasana with one’s palms facing downward.

Slowly lift the legs, buttock and back so that one come up high on the shoulders, support the back with hands.

Keep straightening the legs as well as spine. The weight should be supported on one’s shoulders and upper arms.

If any strain is felt in the neck come out of the posture. Stay in the posture 15 to 30 seconds.

4. Ustra Asana

This is also referred to as Camel Pose. It involves the backward bending of one’s neck which triggers the master (pituitary) gland. People who suffer from fluctuating blood pressure or who have back injuries need to avoid this pose.

Sit in vajrasana (kneel on the yoga mat). Stand on the knees as while inhaling. Draw in the tail bone towards the pub, as if being pulled from the navel.

Keep the back arched and arms straight, sliding the palms over one’s feet.

Stay in this posture for a few seconds, breathing normally.
Breathe out and slowly come back to the initial pose.

5. Paschimotan Asana

This pose exerts pressure on the back thigh muscles and the neck region. This particular asana should not be done by people suffering from slip disc or sciatica.

Sit on the ground and stretch the legs like a stick.

While exhaling, bend forward and hold the toes with one’s hand.
Keeping the back straight, try to rest the head on one’s knees.

Avoid bending the knees and keep breath normally.

6. Ujjayi Pranayama

Rightly referred to as the victorious breath, breathing the right way does send direct vibrations to the concerned gland and also help bring positive changes to one’s physical ecosystem.

Find a comfortable sitting or lying position.

Listen to the latest songs.
Make sure that you are breathing in and out through the nose while keeping the mouth shut.

The inhalations and exhalations need to be long and deep.

Conclusion

It is accepted that yoga to increase height is practiced by many. Yoga for height increase for child is appreciated by parents who are keen that their child should grow tall.

Sushant fans troll Sadak 2 trailer, with apologies to Sanjay Dutt

The trailer of the upcoming Mahesh Bhatt directorial, Sadak 2, was released on Wednesday morning and within a few hours, the number of dislikes on the video widely surpassed the number of likes on it. Interestingly, many netizens are trolling the trailer with apologies to Sanjay Dutt, cast member of the film who has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Mahesh Bhatt’s film stars his daughters Pooja and Alia Bhatt along with Aditya Roy Kapur, youngest brother for bigwig producer Siddharth Roy Kapur. The film has been drawing ire on social media as a shining instance of Bollywood nepotism, since shortly after Sushant Sing Rajput’s death.

Many netizens are also upset over Mahesh Bhatt’s alleged links with Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, who has been charged in an FIR by the late actor’s father KK Singh, with abetment to suicide among other allegations.

The trailer released by Fox Star Hindi on their YouTube channel had drawn 66k likes and 748k dislikes at the time of publishing this story. Similarly, on the YouTube channel of Disney Plus Hotstar VIP, which is scheduled to premiere the film, the figures stood at 29k likes and 144k dislikes.

In July, the Nepometer an app created by Sushant Singh Rajput’s family had rated “Sadak 2” as 98 percent nepotistic. Fans of the late Bollywood actor have been actively campaigning on social media for the past few weeks urging everyone to boycott “Sadak 2”.

On Wednesday, Sushant’s fans rejoiced the trailer of the film getting more dislikes than likes. Memes celebrating the same flooded Twitter and Facebook throughout the day.

“Mahesh Bhatt’s Sadak 2 trailer out, please make it the most disliked video ever in Bollywood History,” posted a fan on a Facebook page titled “We want justice for SSR” which currently has 113K members.

“The Guy Who Used To Talk And Claim About Other People Being In Depression. Today The Same Person Would Be Going Into A Far Worse Condition Than That And The Reason Is We The Public Of India Who Showed Our Dislike Towards Mahesh Bhatt. We Have Done It. Sadak 2 Is The Most Disliked Trailer. Way To Go People” posted another member of “We want justice for SSR”.

Similar messages flooded Twitter as the hashtag #Sadak2trailer kept trending.

“Trailer is out …. Don’t watch it just give it a bigggggg dislike and make it the most disliked trailer…#SCGiveJusticeToSSR
#sadak2trailer” tweeted a user.

“Wow #Sadak2Trailer Has More Dislikes Than Likes, Well Done India,” shared another user.

“The moment of truth #Sadak2trailer will create history by becoming the world’s most disliked trailer ever. Do become part of this wonderful dislike family,” posted another user.

However, even though netizens targeted the Bhatt family, they showed their sympathy towards the lead actor of the film, Sanjay Dutt who has just been diagnosed with lung cancer.

“#Sadak2Trailer sorry @duttsanjay Ji. We know you are going through a rough patch but please understand, we cannot like and watch films of @MaheshNBhatt and his family members. He has a hand in murdering talented actors like Sushant and we Indians cannot tolerate that,” tweeted a fan of Sushant.

1,897 new corona cases in Telangana

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In one of the highest daily jumps in coronavirus infections, Telangana reported 1,897 new cases that increased its total tally to 84,544 while nine more fatalities during the last 24 hours took its death toll to 654, officials said on Wednesday.

A spike in the number of new cases in Greater Hyderabad and surrounding districts led to the jump in daily count while the virus spread slowed down in other districts.

The state capital saw 479 new cases during the last 24 hours ending 8 pm on Tuesday. It had reported 338 of the 1,896 new cases the previous day.

Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddy bordering Greater Hyderabad reported 172 and 162 cases respectively. Sangareddy, another district that shares borders with the state capital, reported 107 new infections.

Thus, Hyderabad and surrounding districts together accounted for nearly 50 percent of the new positive cases.

After a sudden spike in new infections a day earlier, several districts reported a slowdown. Karimnagar, for instance, saw 64 new cases as against 121 a day earlier. The numbers came down from 95 to 87 in Warangal Urban, 85 to 38 in Jogulamba Gadwal, 71 to 48 in Kamareddy and 60 to 44 in Bhadradri Kothagudem.

According to the media bulletin released by the Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, the new cases were reported from all 33 districts.

The corona fatality rate in the state stands at 0.77 percent as against the national average of 1.99 percent. Officials said 53.87 percent of the deceased had comorbidities.

A total of 39 testing laboratories and 323 rapid antigen testing centers conducted a record of 22,972 tests against the state’s target of 5,600. The World Health Organisation (WHO) benchmark is 140 tests per million per day.

Test results of 1,221 samples were awaited. The state has so far conducted 6,65,847 tests.

Officials said 1,920 COVID-19 patients recovered during the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative recoveries to 61,294.

The state further improved its recovery rate to 72.49 percent as against the national average of 69.79 percent.

The active cases now total 22,596, including 15,534 who are in-home or institutional isolation. More than 84 percent of those in home isolation are asymptomatic.

Data showed that 65.9 percent of corona positive cases were in the age group of 21-50. Those above 51 years account for 24.4 percent of the patients. A little above 10 percent were aged below 20.

Officials said 65.10 percent of corona positive patients were males and the remaining females.

According to the media bulletin, out of 20,396 beds in government-run hospitals, 17,782 beds were vacant.

While 116 private hospitals treating COVID-19 patients have a total of 7,775 beds, 3,327 of them were vacant.

LinkedIn sells SlideShare to digital library leader Scribd

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Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has announced to sell SlideShare, the hosting platform for presentations and other professional content to US-based e-book and audiobook subscription service Scribd for an undisclosed sum.

LinkedIn acquired SlideShare in 2012, and Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016.

“On September 24, Scribd will begin operating the Slideshare business, its 100 million users, along with its presentation upload and hosting tools, and tremendous archive of presentations and documents,” LinkedIn said in a statement on Tuesday.

Scribd’s premium subscription service offers over 1,000,000 professionally published ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, sheet music, and magazines, alongside over 100 million documents uploaded from its community.

“Our acquisition of SlideShare is a major step towards creating the world’s largest digital library,” Scribd CEO and co-founder Trip Adler said in a statement.

“Scribd has accumulated a unique collection of user-generated and professional content that we make available to our readers via personalized recommendations, and the addition of presentations from the SlideShare community advances our vision”.

With the acquisition of SlideShare, Scribd will add over 40 million presentations to the Scribd reading ecosystem.

NASA satellite finds 66 new exoplanets, 2,100 more ‘candidates’

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During its two-year-long primary mission, NASA’s planet-hunter TESS has found 66 new exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, as well as nearly 2,100 candidates astronomers are working to confirm, the US space agency has said.

TESS, short for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, scanned about 75 percent of the starry sky during its primary mission that ended on July 4, NASA said on Tuesday.

“TESS is producing a torrent of high-quality observations providing valuable data across a wide range of science topics,” said Patricia Boyd, the project scientist for TESS at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“As it enters its extended mission, TESS is already a roaring success.”

TESS monitors 24-by-96-degree strips of the sky called sectors for about a month using its four cameras.

The mission spent its first year observing 13 sectors comprising the southern sky and then spent another year imaging the northern sky.

Now in its extended mission, TESS has turned around to resume surveying the south, NASA said.

The extended mission for TESS will be completed in September 2022.

After spending a year imaging the southern sky, TESS will take another 15 months to collect additional observations in the north and to survey areas along the ecliptic — the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun — that the satellite has not yet imaged.

Among the mission’s newest planetary discoveries are its first Earth-size world, named TOI 700 d, which is located in the habitable zone of its star, the range of distances where conditions could be just right to allow liquid water on the surface.

TESS revealed a newly minted planet around the young star AU Microscopii and found a Neptune-size world orbiting two suns.

In addition to its planetary discoveries, TESS has observed the outburst of a comet in our solar system, as well as numerous exploding stars.

Even more remarkable, TESS watched as a black hole in a distant galaxy shredded a Sun-like star, NASA said.

Covid cases haven’t yet peaked or even plateaued: AIIMS Dir

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All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria, one of India’s leading medical experts, has asserted that the coronavirus cases in the country have not yet hit their peak or even plateaued.

The remarks come at a time when the infections are racing ahead with the country adding at least a lakh new cases every two days. It has logged more than 23 lakh cases and over 46,000 deaths so far since the first case on January 30.

“These are trying times. It has tested the resilience of the nation. We have not reached the peak or started plateauing as far as cases are concerned,” Guleria, who is also the part of a core team monitoring the pandemic, said.

Shedding light on the vaccine development, he said that India has an advantage because it makes almost 60 percent of the world’s vaccines.

“We have the capacity to manufacture a large number of vaccines and that is the commitment that the government and manufacturers have given — that we will be able to upscale our manufacturing capacity not only for our own country but for the entire world,” he added.

Three vaccine candidates are in different stages of human clinical trials in India — one developed by the University of Oxford by Pune’s Serum Institute of India, the other inactivated virus vaccine by Bharat biotech, and the third DNA vaccine by Zydus Cadila.

The country’s top pulmonologist further said that vaccine development has moved so rapidly because of the collaborative work between various countries. “What the pandemic has shown is the resilience that the world has and the way researchers, manufactures, and industries can come together to overcome any hardship we face as a planet.”

Guleria, however, advised caution with regards to the Russian vaccine, being touted as the world’s first coronavirus vaccine. Elaborating on the safety aspect, he said that the issue would be just to make sure that the vaccine is “safe and efficacious”.

“Any vaccine that is tried in a large number of people who are elderly or have comorbidities, safety is the most important thing and should, of course, be efficacious in terms of what degree of protection does it give and how long the protection lasts,” the AIIMS Director said.

The comments come in the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement about the approval of the coronavirus vaccine for public use. It is, however, marred by controversies and is yet to complete the final trials.

You’re strong & will see this tough phase through: Yuvraj to Sanjay Dutt

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Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has sent across a heartfelt message to Sanjay Dutt after it was revealed that the Bollywood superstar has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

According to reports, Dutt is expected to fly out to the USA soon for treatment. Yuvraj, whose fight against the disease is well-documented, sent a message to Dutt during these troubled times.

“You are, have, and always will be a fighter, Sanjay Dutt. I know the pain it causes but I also know you are strong and will see this tough phase through. My prayers and best wishes for your speedy recovery,” Yuvraj wrote on Twitter.

Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, as the news spread that the 61-year-old actor may have cancer, Dutt had taken to social media to urge his well-wishers not to worry or speculate.

“Hi friends, I am taking a short break from work for some medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon,” he tweeted on his verified handle.

Dutt’s health came into focus last Saturday evening when he was rushed to hospital in Mumbai after complaining of chest discomfort and breathlessness. The actor was subsequently discharged from the hospital.

Sushant’s brother sends legal notice to Raut, seeks apology

Late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s BJP MLA brother Niraj Kumar Babloo has sent a legal notice to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and sought an apology within 48 hours over his alleged offensive comments on Sushant relations with his father K.K. Singh.

Failing the apology will invite legal action, Babloo has warned Raut.

The MLA’s counsel Virendra Kumar Jha said that the notice has been sent to the Sena leader through email, wherein objections have been raised over the latter’s remarks and a public apology has been sought.

“Raut has told the media that Sushan’t father had married twice, which was the reason the Bollywood actor was unhappy with K.K. Singh. This is completely untrue and baseless. People have been hurt due by this insinuation,” the council said.

Niraj Kumar said that earlier too, he had warned of a defamation suit against the Sena leader over his remarks. “If Raut does not apologize publicly within 48 hours, we will file the case,” the BJP leader said.

In the legal notice, Niraj Kumar has said that whatever Raut had said on the issue was baseless and nothing of the sort had happened. Raut was accused of giving the statement under political duress or that he had been misled by someone into doing so.

“Hence, you are given a chance to express regret or apologize without delay as anyone can commit a mistake,” the notice read.

Lawyer Ujjwal Nikam invokes jurisdiction issue in SSR case

Renowned criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam on Wednesday slammed the Bihar Police in the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput case, saying its allegations against Mumbai Police are ‘regrettable’ since the case is out of its jurisdiction.

“The Bihar Police contentions that the Mumbai Police did nothing in the case are regrettable and demoralizing. The case can be investigated only where the crime has taken place,” Nikam told IANS.

He stated that it was “wrong” to say the Mumbai Police was keeping quiet all this time or not doing anything in investigating the case.

Nikam reiterated that separate probes by the two police forces would result in confusion, but since the case is beyond the jurisdiction of the Bihar Police, it cannot recommend a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The ace criminal lawyer’s comments came in the Sushant case which has put the Mumbai and Bihar police in direct confrontation for the past few days.

Sushant was found dead in his Bandra flat on June 14, opening up a Pandora’s Box encompassing Bollywood personalities, allegations of financial misdoings, questions over the case jurisdiction, and a political row with demands by the state Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party to hand over the case to CBI.

Opposing the move to transfer the case to the CBI, the Maharashtra government has said several times that the Mumbai Police were doing a good job, probing it from all possible angles, but it would abide by the Supreme Court verdict in the matter.

Samsung’s brand value estimated at $57.3bn, highest in South Korea

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The brand value of Samsung Electronics Co. is estimated at near $57.3 billion, the largest among South Korean companies, according to a new report.

The South Korean tech titan was followed by Hyundai Motor in the top Korean brand rankings, according to a brand consulting firm Interbrand, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.

South Korea’s No. 1 automaker’s brand value was estimated at 15.7 trillion won, up 4.8 percent from a year ago.

Compared to this, Samsung’s brand value reached 67.7 trillion won this year, up to two percent from a year ago, said the report.

Hyundai’s sister company, Kia Motors, came in third at 7.1 trillion won, while the country’s leading web portal operator Naver was fourth at 6.1 trillion won.

The top four companies accounted for 63 percent of the total brand value of the top 50 companies in South Korea, Interbrand said.

The country’s largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom, was fifth on the list, followed by Samsung Life Insurance, KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, LG Electronics and SK Hynix.

Kakao, which runs South Korea’s top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, saw the sharpest hike in its brand value this year, according to Interbrand.

Kakao’s brand value was estimated at 1.6 trillion won, up 46.6 percent from a year ago, said the report.

England’s shortened domestic season to conclude with Blast Finals Day

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday confirmed that this summers shortened domestic season will culminate with T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston on October 3.

Following much uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s cricket in England has also received a shot in the arm with their 50-over domestic event — Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy — taking place from August 29 to September 26. Just three days after that, the men’s four-day tournament, Bob Willis Trophy, will come to a close.

The T20 Blast will begin on August 27 with defending champions Essex Eagles taking on Middlesex at the Cloudfm County Ground in Chelmsford.

ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison, said: “After a challenging few months it’s really exciting that we can look forward to three domestic finals at the end of the summer. It promises to be a thrilling climax to the season, and something members, fans and everyone involved in the game can look forward to.

“The fact we’ve been able to get so much domestic cricket played this summer owes to the collaborative efforts of the county network and their willingness to find a way to get the game on in the safest way possible for all involved. There will be many more challenges ahead, but the unity and spirit shown during this summer have been a tribute to the county network as we work together to grow our sport,” he added.

The T20 Blast has been regionalized into the same three groups used in the Bob Willis Trophy with each county set to play 10 group-stage matches behind closed doors. The quarter-finals will all be played on October 1.

Eng vs Pak: Stokes-less hosts look to clinch series in Southampton (Preview)

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England will be eager to register back-to-back series wins on home soil when they take on Pakistan in the second Test of the ongoing three-match series at the Ageas Bowl starting Thursday.

The hosts lead the series 1-0 following their thrilling three-wicket win in the first Test in Manchester. The stunning comeback victory has firmly put the momentum in their corner going into the Southampton Test.

For England, the one concern will be the absence of talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has flown to New Zealand for family reasons. Although he didn’t have the best of games in Manchester, his mere presence lifts the whole squad and that would be sorely missed by Joe Root and his troops.

“We now have to complete the job without Ben Stokes. He is someone we would miss even if he was unable to bowl or hit a ball. He has such an impact in the changing room beyond what he does in the middle,” England pacer Jofra Archer wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

“If you are going into battle, Stokes is the person you want right next to you. He would never run away from a challenge, but family is so important and he has to be in New Zealand right now,” he added.

Stokes’ absence means veteran fast-bowler James Anderson might get another crack in the series, who recently had to dismiss retirement rumors following an indifferent outing in the first Test.

“It’s been a frustrating week for me personally,” Anderson told reporters via videoconference. “I’ve not bowled very well and felt out of rhythm. For the first time in probably 10 years, I got a little bit emotional on the field.

“I got a bit frustrated and let it get to me a little bit. It reminded me of when I first started playing, when you get frustrated and a little bit angry, you try and bowl quicker and quicker and it doesn’t help,” he added.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will have to shake off the disappointment of losing the first match from winning position when they take to the field in Southampton.

While former greats have called for Pakistan to tinker with their squad, head coach cum chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq pointed towards the fact they controlled most of the match in Manchester and lost following just one bad day.

“We are feeling frustrated, just as the fans are, after the Old Trafford Test match but this is how cricket is. There are very small margins between victory and defeat and it’s easy to curse yourself when you’ve lost,” Misbah wrote in his blog for PCB’s official website.

“But, we should remember that we were right on top until pretty much the last session of the game and we played very good cricket. Sure, we need to improve 10 to 15 percent and deal with pressure situations a little better but we shouldn’t be mentally down.

“There is a disappointment, of course, but we must not keep that feeling in our minds otherwise it will be difficult to come back but the team believes we can fight back,” he added.

Squads:

England: Joe Root (C), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Bracey, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach

Pakistan: Azhar Ali (C), Babar Azam, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Imam ul Haq, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah.

Mozilla Firefox lays off 250 employees, shuts Taiwan operations

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Popular browser Mozilla Firefox has announced to lay off 250 employees and shut its operations in Taiwan.

The Mountain View (California)-based company said that going forward, it will be smaller.

“This is a time of change for the internet and for Mozilla. Today, we announced a significant restructuring of Mozilla Corporation. This will strengthen our ability to build and invest in products and services that will give people alternatives to conventional Big Tech,” Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Sadly, the changes also include a significant reduction in our workforce by approximately 250 people. These are individuals of exceptionally professional and personal caliber who have made outstanding contributions to who we are today,” he added.

According to media reports, the company laid off nearly 70 people in January which were pre-COVID times.

The CEO acknowledged that the economic conditions resulting from the global pandemic have significantly impacted its revenue.

Baker said those losing their jobs will get severance pay.

Mozilla is the maker of open-source browser Firefox.

In October 2018, Mozilla started testing a VPN subscription service that was made available to only a small group of users who were allowed to subscribe through Firefox, paying $10 per month for access to ProtonVPN.

“Mozilla is a technical powerhouse of the internet activist movement. And we must stay that way. We must provide leadership, test out products, and draw businesses into areas that aren’t traditional web technology,” Baker said.

“The internet is the platform now with ubiquitous web technologies built into it, but vast new areas are developing (like Wasmtime and the Bytecode Alliance vision of nano processes)”.