Mahesh Babu urges fans to avoid social gatherings on his birthday

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Mahesh Babu urges fans to avoid social gatherings on his birthday

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has urged his fans to avoid any kind of social gathering on his birthday on August 9, keeping in mind the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The actor turns 44 on Sunday.

“A kind request to my dear fans. I feel blessed and thankful to have all of you. I truly appreciate all the good deeds you do to make my special day worth remembering. since we are battling a global pandemic this year, safety is indispensable. I request all my fans to avoid any social gatherings on my birthday. Please stay safe,” the actor posted from his verified Twitter account on Friday, two days ahead of his birthday.

Amid the lockdown, Mahesh has been spending quality time with his family, going by the pictures and videos he shares on social media.

Fondly called the Prince of Tollywood, Mahesh will next be seen in “Major”. He will also be producing the film inspired by 26/11 martyr, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. The film stars Adivi Sesh in the title role.

“Major” is inspired by the life of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the NSG commando who lost his life in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai. The bilingual film is being shot in Telugu and Hindi. “Major” is set to release later this year.

Play ShareChat videos in WhatsApp soon on iOS, Android (Ld)

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Play ShareChat videos in WhatsApp soon on iOS, Android (Ld)

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature to allow ShareChat users to play videos within its main app via the picture-in-picture (PIP) mode.

Spotted first by WABetaInfo that tracks WhatsApp updates in Beta versions, the support for the ShareChat video service is now available in the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS and Android.

“Latest updates officially support the possibility to play videos shared on ShareChat within WhatsApp,” the website said on Thursday.

Once you tap the play icon on a ShareChat video, WhatsApp will begin to reproduce the video in the picture-in-picture mode.

The functionality will be available on both WhatsApp for iOS and Android.

“To be sure to be on a compatible version, you should install the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.20.81.3 and WhatsApp beta for Android 2.20.197.7”.

The home-grown regional language social media app ShareChat has a user base of over 140 million monthly active users spread across the country and available in 15 languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri and Urdu.

The Bengaluru-based regional language social platform has become so popular that even Twitter came on board when the four-year-old company raised $100 million in its Series D round of funding last year.

ShareChat said last month that its short video sharing platform Moj has crossed 50 million downloads from Google Play Store in just about a week since the beta version of the TikTok rival was released.

Sushant’s first scene in his debut TV show shared by Ekta Kapoor

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Sushant’s first scene in his debut TV show shared by Ekta Kapoor

On Friday, producer Ekta Kapoor shared the first scene that late actor Sushant Singh Rajput ever shot, for his debut TV show and long before Bollywood stardom beckoned.

Sushant made his acting debut in the Ekta-produced television soap “Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil” in 2008. Taking to Instagram, Ekta posted a video clip of Sushant’s introductory scene in the show.

Sushant played Preet Singh Juneja in the TV series. In his dramatic entry sequence, we see Sushant as Preet helping Harshad Chopda as Prem Juneja, who is injured in the scene, win a football match.

“Lots of people were asking me about Sushant’s first scene… this was the first scene we shot with him. This was his first scene on Television which went on-air in a show called ‘Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil’,” wrote Ekta with her video post.

“He was the second lead in that show, but we knew he was meant for greater things and he went and did just that. Lots of love, peace, and prayers for this beautiful, beautiful piece of light and shining soul,” Ekta added.

After making his debut with “Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil”, Sushant bagged the lead role in Ekta’s hit show “Pavitra Rishta”. His role of Manav Deshmukh made him a household name, and Sushant had never looked back.

He made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with Abhishek Kapoor’s “Kai Po Che”, which released in 2013. His best-recalled film roles are in “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story”, “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”, Shudh Desi Romance”, and “Chhichhore”.

He was last seen in “Dil Bechara”, which released about a month after his June 14 demise. The film released digitally owing to the ongoing lockdown.

Samsung dethrones Xiaomi as overall mobile phone leader in India

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Samsung dethrones Xiaomi as overall mobile phone leader in India

South Korean major Samsung has dethroned Xiaomi to lead the overall mobile phone market in India in the second quarter of this year, a new report said on Friday.

Samsung led the overall mobile phone market with a market share of 24 percent, followed by Xiaomi and Vivo, said IDC India.

The mid-premium segment ($300 and less than $500) with a share of 4.8 percent declined YoY by (48.4 percent) with top models such as Samsung’s Galaxy A51 and A71, Vivo’s V19, Apple’s iPhone SE (2020), and the OnePlus 7T.

In the smartphone segment only, Samsung surpassed Vivo for the second slot despite a strong YoY decline of (-48.5 percent) in the second quarter to 4.8 million units.

The Galaxy M21 was among the nation’s top five shipped models and most of its online-exclusive Galaxy M series was opened to offline channels, though at higher prices.

Samsung stood in second place in the online channel with a share of 22.8 percent and was the leader in the offline channel with a 29.1 percent share in 2Q20.

The brand also partnered with Benow and Facebook, enabling offline retailers to start sales using digital platforms, thus adhering to social distancing norms, said the IDC report.

Four out of the top five models in the second quarter were Xiaomi models, namely the Redmi Note 8A Dual, Note 8, Note 9 Pro, and Redmi 8, accounting for 21.8 percent share.

Xiaomi launched its Mi Commerce solution to create an omnichannel experience for partners but also continued its dominance in the online channel with a 42.3% share in 2Q20, said the IDC.

Amid security alert, visitors entry banned at airports from Aug 12

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Amid security alert, visitors entry banned at airports from Aug 12

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has sounded a security alert for airports and other civil aviation installations ahead of Independence Day celebrations, following continuous threat perception received from central security agencies.

BCAS issued an advisory to the states, airports, airlines, CISF, Airports Authority of India (AAI) to enhance the existing security measures at all civil aviation installations like airports, airstrips, airfields, Air Force stations, helipads, flying schools, and aviation training institutes.

The entry of visitors to the airports and sale of visitors entry tickets will be banned with effect from August 12 to August 25.

The advisory comes in the wake of the continuous threat to the civil aviation sector received from central security agencies. The stepped-up security is to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during Independence Day celebrations.

BCAS has prescribed measures that need to be followed by all the stakeholders including servicing of CCTVs at all airports, strict monitoring through drones, paragliders, hot air balloons, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

In addition, it has sought strengthening of anti-terrorism and anti-sabotage measures, placement of quick response teams (QRT) at all airports and rehearsals, and intensive vehicle and passenger checks at the airport terminals.

Compulsory Secondary Ladder Point Checking (CSLPC) of all the flights at the airports has been mandated in addition to enhanced surveillance of installations, ground handling staff, and cargo terminals.

There will be an enhanced screening of passengers including a 100 percent pat-down search at the pre-embarkation security checkpoint.

There will be enhanced random checks at the entry of the terminal building including using dog squads. No vehicles will remain parked in front of the terminal building and increased surveillance in parking areas of airports.

The catering being uplifted from the caterers will be also under more scrutiny with thorough checks of the vehicles and the attendants. Strict monitoring of non-scheduled flight operations including air ambulance will also be undertaken.

Bale decided not to play against Man City, says Zidane

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Bale decided not to play against Man City, says Zidane

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has dismissed claims that winger Gareth Bale was axed from the squad to face Manchester City in the second leg of Round of 16 clashes in the UEFA Champions League.

Bale was earlier left out of Real’s final LaLiga clash as well. He cut an awkward figure after Real’s 34th league win and speculations have been rife about his future at Santiago Bernabeu.

Zidane, however, revealed that Bale wasn’t axed from the squad to face City as the Welshman decided against making the trip to Manchester.

“I will explain because many things are said,” Zidane told reporters in a news conference as per Goal.com.

“We have a relationship of respect between player and coach, that is clear. The only thing I can say is that he has decided not to play, and the rest is between him and me.”

Bale has hardly played for the Spanish giants this year and has been linked with a move back to the Premier League and even China.

Over the years, he has been an important part of the Real side that won four Champions League titles in five years, famously scoring an overhead kick to give his team the lead against Liverpool in the final of the 2017/18 season.

He has scored a total of 16 times playing for Real Madrid in the Champions League and is the first substitute to have scored twice in the final of the tournament.

Rhea appeared in ED at appointed time: Actress’s lawyer

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Rhea appeared in ED at appointed time: Actress’s lawyer

Actress Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen who duly met with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at the appointed time, her lawyer observed on Friday.

Rhea arrived at the ED office to be questioned over financial dealings and investment into properties, pertaining to the investigation into the death of her late boyfriend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The directorate is questioning her about financial transactions from Sushant’s bank account over the last one year.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to alleged “suspicious transactions” worth Rs 15 crore from the late actor’s account.

“Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen. In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone the attendance is rejected. She has appeared in the ED at the appointed time and date,” said the actress’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Show Chakraborty at 11.50 am for the questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

This comes after the directorate rejected Rhea’s request for deferring her questioning earlier in the day.

“Rhea Chakraborty has requested a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing,” her lawyer had said previously.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear next week Rhea’s plea seeking transfer of the Bihar Police probe to Mumbai Police.

Last month, it was revealed that Sushant’s father KK Singh has filed an FIR in Patna, accusing Rhea, her father Indrajit Chakraborty, mother Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chakraborty, house manager Samuel Miranda and business manager Shruti Modi of abetment to suicide, fraud and holding Sushant hostage.

Sushant was found hanging on June 14 at his Bandra apartment. The post mortem report has stated the actor committed suicide. CBI has currently taken over the investigation into the death.

Goa to start administering Remdesivir to Covid-19 patients

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Goa to start administering Remdesivir to Covid-19 patients

Goa’s Health Ministry on Friday received 1,008 vials of Remdesivir from pharma major Cipla. Remdesivir is an anti-viral drug that is administered to Covid-19 patients and results in faster recovery, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.

“This anti-viral drug will be beneficial in suppressing the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Uncontrollable viral replication is often responsible for tissue damage and deaths in patients infected with the virus,” Rane said in a statement.

The minister also said that the anti-viral drug will be administered to moderately and severely-ill patients suffering from COVID-19 and would help to suppress the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2.

“The drug will help in faster recovery of COVID-19 patients. Introduction of Remdesivir in the COVID-19 treatment protocol will also help us reduce COVID-19 deaths associated with co-morbidity,” Rane said.

Goa is currently witnessing a sustained spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. The state has recorded 7,614 coronavirus cases in all, out of which 2,095 are active. 66 people have died after contracting the deadly infection.

Will eat grass but will raise budget of Pakistan Army, says Akhtar

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Will eat grass but will raise budget of Pakistan Army, says Akhtar

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar once again has spoken about things outside of cricket and this time he had something to say about the budget of the Pakistan Army.

He feels that the annual budget of the armed forces should be increased significantly and for that civilians like him are even ready to make the necessary sacrifices. Akhtar also urged the chief of armed forces to work together with the civilians.

“If Allah ever gives me the authority, I will eat grass myself but I will increase the budget of the army,” Akhtar said in an interview with ARY News.

“I will ask my army chief to sit with me and make decisions. If the budget is 20 percent, I will make it 60 percent. If we insult each other, the loss is ours only,” he added.

This isn’t the first time when Akhtar has said something with respect to the armed forces. Earlier, the speedster claimed that he had turned down a 175,000-pound county contract with Nottinghamshire to fight the 1999 war against India in Kargil.

“People hardly know about this story. I had a 175,000-pound contract with Nottingham. Then in 2002, I had another big contract. I left both when Kargil happened,” Akhtar said.

“I stood on the outskirts of Lahore. A general asked me what I’m doing there. I said war is about to start and we’ll die together.

“I left county (cricket) twice like this and the counties were shocked. I wasn’t concerned about that. I called up my friends in Kashmir and told them I am ready to fight,” he added.

Shweta’s post as Rhea appears before ED: Be careful who you mess with

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Shweta’s post as Rhea appears before ED: Be careful who you mess with

Shweta Singh Kirti, sister of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has shared a cryptic social media post on Friday when his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai.

“Someone said be careful who you mess with because you don’t know who protects them in the spiritual world,” reads Shweta’s post on her verified Facebook account, along with a painting of Lord Shiva.

“Har Har Mahadev #justiceforsushantsinghrajput #godiswithus #Warriors4SSR #JusticeForSushantSinghRajput #jaijaishivshambhu,” Shweta added along with her post.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to “suspicious transactions” worth Rs 15 crore allegedly carried out from the late actor’s account.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Show Chakraborty at 11.50 a.m. for questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Yogi to review pandemic situation in western UP

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Yogi to review pandemic situation in western UP

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has embarked on a three-district tour of western Uttar Pradesh to review the Covid-19 situation in view of the increasing number of cases of the Coronavirus.

He will review the pandemic situation in Bareilly, Meerut and Saharanpur divisions, and visit Bareilly, Saharanpur, and Noida on Friday and Saturday.

Adityanath took a review meeting on the entire situation in the state on Friday before leaving for his tour.

According to the official spokesman, the chief minister will behold a meeting with officials in Bareilly on Friday evening, and inaugurate a Covid-19 care hospital in Noida on Saturday. He will then proceed to Saharanpur for a meeting.

Adityanath will return to the state capital on Saturday evening.

New education policy foundation of 21st century ‘new India’: PM

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New education policy foundation of 21st century ‘new India’: PM

The new National Education Policy (NEP) is the foundation of a ‘new India’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, adding that the policy will help close the gap between education and research.

The Union Cabinet had recently cleared the NEP proposing sweeping changes in school and higher education. It is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country.

Addressing a conclave on transformational reforms in higher education under the National Education Policy’, Modi said, “The New Education Policy is the foundation of the 21st century ‘new India’. It will give youth the education and skills they need and will help close the gap between education and research.”

Emphasizing on the need for critical thinking, Modi said that the current education system focuses on ‘what to think’ but the new policy will focus on ‘how to think’.

“There were no major changes in the education system in the past few years. It had caused a herd mentality in our society, instead of curiosity and imagination,” he pointed out.

The Prime Minister also said that there is a need to lay emphasis on “inquiry-based, discovery-based, and analysis-based ways” to help children learn better.

“With changing times, a new global system has risen, and hence it was essential for India to change its education system accordingly. Creating a 5+3+3+4 curriculum and replacing the 10+2 structure was a step in this direction,” the Prime Minister added.

Alluding to the mother tongue as a mode of teaching, he said that there is a need to make students global citizens, but at the same time, they should also be connected to their roots.

“We have recommended teaching in mother tongue till at least class 5. The learning power of students is bound to improve if the language they speak in and the language in which lessons are taught are the same.”

The Prime Minister also said that it is a matter of happiness that no section of the country has stated that the policy has any bias. “The National Education Policy is being discussed across the nation today. People from different fields and ideologies are giving their views and reviewing the policy. It is a healthy debate.”

WHO warns ‘vaccine nationalism’ not good for world

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WHO warns ‘vaccine nationalism’ not good for world

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned against vaccine nationalism, cautioning rich nations that if they keep treatments to themselves they cannot expect to remain safe if poor countries remain exposed.

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, it would be in the interest of wealthier nations to help every country protect itself against the disease.

Ghebreyesus said that vaccine nationalism is not good, it will not help the world, the Guardian reported.

“For the world to recover faster, it has to recover together, because it’s a globalized world: the economies are intertwined. Part of the world or a few countries cannot be a safe haven and recover,” Ghebreyesus told the Aspen Security Forum in the US, via video-link from the WHO’s headquarters in Geneva.

He also said that Covid-19 could be less when those countries who have the funding committed to this

According to the report, several countries are racing to find a vaccine for coronavirus, which has killed more than 7,00,000 people globally.

The WHO chief also said that the Covid-19 pandemic can not be defeated in a divided world and hoped that the US will “reconsider its position” on its decision to withdraw from the world body.

OnePlus smartphones users can now play PUBG at 90 fps

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OnePlus smartphones users can now play PUBG at 90 fps

OnePlus has announced a partnership with PUBG Mobile to bring exclusive early access support for 90 frames per second (fps) in the game support to its smartphones.

The new setting is available on select OnePlus phones, including OnePlus 8 series, OnePlus 7T series, and OnePlus 7 Pro.

“OnePlus is very close with our community of tech enthusiasts, so we know that mobile gamers are looking for a more immersive and smoother experience,” Pete Lau, Founder, and CEO of OnePlus said in a statement.

Users worldwide (except Mainland China, Japan, and Korea) will be able to exclusively access the 90fps option till September 6.

To enjoy games at 90fps, the user needs to change the refresh rate of the device by clicking on Settings, Display, and Screen Refresh Rate.

Open PUBG Mobile, click on the Settings button on the bottom right corner and finally click on the Graphics tab and select ’90 fps’.

Earlier, OnePlus also partnered with Epic Games to customize the Fortnite gaming experience on OnePlus smartphones with 90Hz displays.

Apple again dominates India premium smartphone market in Q2: IDC

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Apple again dominates India premium smartphone market in Q2: IDC

Riding on the success of its iPhone 11 and iPhone XR devices, Apple once again dominated the India premium smartphone market with 48.8 percent market share in the lockdown-hit June quarter, the IDC India said on Friday.

Shipments in the premium ($500 and above) segment declined by (-35.4 percent) in the second quarter (YoY) but Apple maintained its lead, followed by Samsung and OnePlus.

The iPhone 11 and iPhone XR together accounted for 28 percent shipments in this segment in Q2, said the IDC report.

The mid-premium segment of ($300-$500) with a share of 4.8 percent declined YoY by 48.4 percent, with top models such as Samsung’s Galaxy A51 and A71, Vivo’s V19, Apple’s iPhone SE (2020) and the OnePlus 7T.

According to Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India, Apple should continue to focus more on the $700-$850 (Rs 50,000-Rs 61,000) segment.

“That is the sweet spot for iPhones in India with added attractive offers for making the new model lineup a little more affordable, however, continuing to focus on older-generation portfolios for volume growth,” she told IANS.

In the first quarter, Apple dominated the premium ($500 and above) segment with a market share of 62.7 percent.

The ($700 and less than $1,000) segment registered a high growth as well, as shipments doubled YoY, with the iPhone 11 accounting for 68 percent of shipments in this price segment.

Apple has started manufacturing its highest-selling model iPhone 11 in India which is a significant boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Currently, iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are being assembled by Foxconn at its Chennai manufacturing plant while iPhone 7 is being assembled by Wistron in Bengaluru.

Original iPhone SE and iPhone 6s were assembled by Wistron but those were discontinued in 2019.

Apple is also reportedly planning to assemble its new iPhone SE in India.

The iPhone maker has already asked one of its suppliers in China to start shipping components for the iPhone SE 2020 to its manufacturing partner Wistron in India.

Blood test may point to patients at higher risk for Covid-19 death

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Blood test may point to patients at higher risk for Covid-19 death

Five biomarkers, medical indicators found in the blood, associated with higher odds of clinical deterioration and death in Covid-19 patients, say researchers.

The study, published in the journal Future Medicine, will help physicians better predict outcomes for Covid-19 patients.

“When we first started treating Covid-19 patients, we watched them get better or get worse, but we didn’t know why,” said study co-author Juan Reyes from the George Washington University (GW) in the US.

“Some initial studies had come out of China showing certain biomarkers were associated with bad outcomes. There was a desire to see if that was true for our patients here in the US,” Reyes added.

For the findings, the research team evaluated 299 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 admitted to GW Hospital between March 12 and May 9, 2020.

Of these patients, 200 had all five biomarkers being evaluated – IL-6, D-dimer, CRP, LDH, and ferritin.

Elevated levels of these biomarkers were associated with inflammation and bleeding disorder, showing an independent increased risk for ICU admission, invasive ventilatory support, and death.

The researchers found that the highest odds of death occurred when the LDH level was greater than 1200 units/l and a D-dimer level was greater than 3 µg/ml.

“We hope these biomarkers help physicians determine how aggressively they need to treat patients, whether a patient should be discharged, and how to monitor patients who are going home, among other clinical decisions,” said study first author Shant Ayanian.

Currently, physicians determine risk for Covid-19 deterioration and death based on age and certain underlying medical conditions, like having an immunocompromised state, obesity, and heart disease.

Performing a simple blood test for patients admitted to the emergency department, then also making decisions based on biomarkers present, may further aid point-of-care clinical decision making.

The research team will continue to analyze this data to help physicians make more informed decisions for patients, as well as help hospitals that may need to stratify resources.

A digital play on lives during lockdown

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A digital play on lives during lockdown

A digital theatre play featuring ten diverse monologues written by nine established playwrights, ‘One on One – Unlocked’, is all set to premiere online next week. It features some of India’s finest actors including Rajit Kapur and Aahana Kumra.

The lockdown has affected us in different ways – introspective, illuminating, irritating, igniting, isolating. Nine gifted playwrights – Abhishek Majumdar, Adhir Bhat, Akarsh Khurana, Anu Menon, Ashok Mishra, Hussain Dalal, Purva Naresh, Raghav Dutt, Rahul da Cunha – write of their experiences, their perspectives of the 150 days of solitude, if not physically, certainly in the mind.

Through the monologues, the audience will meet a range of characters — an exasperated Hawaldar, an isolated hipster, a young actress trapped in her flat, an outspoken hospital intern, a philosophical alcoholic, a young working woman forging new friendships, an anxious mother, a wayward boy forced to stay back in a madrasa, a compounder in a quarantine center, a spunky cable TV repairman. These stories vary from hilarious to heart-warming, from eureka moments to experiential thoughts.

The play is by Paytm Insider’s new theatre initiative, Front & Centre, which brings a taste of theatre through digital experiences. It is produced by Rage Productions.

The play has been directed by some of the best in the business – Akarsh Khurana, Anand Tiwari, Gurleen Judge, Nadir Khan, Rajit Kapur, Shikha Talsania, Sukant Goel and Q. The talented cast includes Aahana Kumra, Anu Menon, Gagan Dev Riar, Hussain Dalal, Joy Fernandes, Neil Bhoopalam, Raghav Dutt, Rajit Kapur, Seema Biswas, Veronica Gautam.

According to Rahul da Cunha, Rage Productions, the play combines theatre, technology, a theme like COVID, and twenty-two stalwart playwrights, actors, and directors all creating stories in a lockdown – a period that has been both isolating and inspirational.

Tickets priced at Rs 499 are available on the platform.

India smartphone market set to recover in festive season: IDC

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India smartphone market set to recover in festive season: IDC

After a steep decline of over 50 percent in Q2, the India smartphone market is set for a gradual recovery in the second half as the country enters the festive season, the IDC India said on Friday.

The online channel registered a high market share of 44.8 percent in June quarter but declined 39.9 percent (YoY) in unit terms due to lockdown restrictions on the delivery of electronics as well as severely limited stock for most of the quarter.

“The surge in demand is expected to continue throughout the first half of 3Q20 (third quarter) as well, requiring a steady supply of devices in the market,” said Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India.

IDC expects the market to show signs of recovery in the second half of the year, as the country approaches the festive quarter, with the majority of the consumers looking to buy low-end and mid-range devices.

However, this will be dependent on brand marketing and channel initiatives, especially by eTailers during the festive sales.

“Brand initiatives around multi or hybrid channel strategies will also play a key role as offline partners and brands will be looking for pockets of growth in these crucial next few months,” explained Singh.

Overall, the June quarter saw a sharp year-over-year decline of (-50.6 percent) in the second quarter to 18.2 million units, as the country remained under lockdown through the first half of the quarter.

Many offline channel partners adopted new ways of marketing by reaching out to consumers through social media platforms, WhatsApp, references, etc., for doorstep demos and deliveries, as well as accepting contactless payments.

“However, these initiatives were limited to big and medium-size retail outlets in metros and Tier 1/2 cities, and was not able to arrest the steep annual decline of -56.8 percent for the offline channel,” said Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

The average selling price of smartphones remained flat at $161 in the second quarter in the country. The sub-$200 segment reached a high of 84 percent share due to dampening consumer sentiment.

Xiaomi continued to lead with total shipments of 5.4 million in despite falling (-48.7 percent) YoY.

Samsung surpassed Vivo for the second slot despite a strong YoY decline of (-48.5 percent) in 2Q20 to 4.8 million units.

Vivo slipped to the third position, with shipments of 3.2 million units, declining by (-42.9 percent), said the IDC report.

adidas launches fresh home kit of Man Utd for 2020/21 season

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adidas launches fresh home kit of Man Utd for 2020/21 season

adidas has launched a fresh new 2020/21 season home kit of Manchester United, Indias most-followed football club.

The “Manchester United DNA” has been a focus for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team, and the home jersey for the forthcoming season aims to encapsulate the DNA of the club, using the threads of the club crest itself to produce a subtly patterned base fabric.

Inigo Turner, Design Director at Adidas, said: “For this season, the design team at Adidas researched the values and iconography that connect athletes and fans, and looked to fuse these with modernity and innovation, to create something that connects the people and stands for unity.”

“We pretty quickly landed on the crest as it is the representation of the heart and passion of the club, it is symbolic and iconic across the world. It is significant as the first component added to each design, and one that makes up the threads of the shirt design for the 2020/21 season,” he added.

Taking influence from the intricacies of the yarn-stitched application onto the shirt, a fine graphic print provides a unique pattern and detailing onto a color-block background. The name of the club is also engineered into the print, visible through the use of different red tones.

The jersey will be available at adidas online store www.shop.adidas.co.in & select retail stores at Rs 4,999.

Apple iPhone 12 camera lens supplier facing quality issues: Report

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Apple iPhone 12 camera lens supplier facing quality issues: Report

Apple is expected to launch four new iPhones under the iPhone 12 series and now a new report suggests that one of the camera lens suppliers for the upcoming non-Pro iPhone 12 models is facing quality issues.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Genius Electronic Optical has discovered issues with cracking coatings on the wide-angle camera lens destined for the lower-end 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 models. The problem appeared during high-temperature/high-humidity (HTHH) testing, reports MacRumors.

However, the issue would not impact the launch or shipping schedule of the upcoming iPhone as Apple’s other main suppliers are expected to make up the difference.

“We believe that in the uncertain timetable for Genius to solve the quality problem of film cracking, Apple will give priority to purchasing Largan’s low-end wide-angle lens at least in the initial supply stage to ensure that the two aluminum-framed iPhone 12 can be as scheduled,” the report quoted Kuo as saying.

The upcoming iPhone 12 series is expected to include two premium variants.

iPhone 12 Pro will come in 6.1-inch or 6.7-inch sizes and may feature a high refresh-rate 120Hz ProMotion display, as presently seen on iPad Pro.

The rear camera module on the device will house four sensors with a LiDAR scanner which was introduced in the recently launched Apple iPad Pro.

All four iPhone models are expected to feature OLED displays and 5G support.

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