Vivo patents a new smartband with curved display: Report

TB Team
-
0
Vivo patents a new smartband with curved display: Report

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has patented a smart band with a curved display and a heart rate sensor.

The patent, which appeared on CNIPA (China’s Intellectual Property Administration) on Wednesday, seems to have been applied by Vivo on April 13, reports GizmoChina.

According to the report, looking at the patent images, the new Vivo smart band resembles similar offerings from both Xiaomi and Realme. The dial, however, differs slightly with rounded corners on a rectangular frame.

The top of the device also appears to have a cutout for a speaker, while the display is curved over the edges.

The straps follow a conventional design, but with one notable inclusion. One of the sides of the strap can be detached from the band revealing a charger strip.

Vivo recently patented a new smartphone design that features a full-screen display and rotating bottom panel.

Apart from a rotating bottom panel, the rest of the smartphone looks identical to normal Android devices. The front houses a punch-hole camera module at the top center. Volume buttons are located on the right edge and the power button is on the left.

Sushant case: Congress, BJP demand CBI probe

TB Team
-
0
Sushant case: Congress, BJP demand CBI probe

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress demanded a CBI probe into the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case on Wednesday, a day after late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s father, K. K. Singh, filed an FIR at Rajiv Nagar police station here.

BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said Sushant Singh Rajput was a ‘brilliant’, ‘talented’, and ‘intellectual’ actor. His suspicious death has hurt his fan across the world.

He said, “We support the actor’s family for filing the case, we are with them. All important people from all walks of life have demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.”

He further said, “There should be a CBI investigation in Sushant case, so that ‘Bihar’s son’ can get justice. Bollywood’s mafia, Hawala, anti-national and criminal alliances could come to the fore.”

Meanwhile, Congress has also reiterated the demand for the CBI investigation into the matter. Lalan Kumar, former president of Bihar Pradesh Youth Congress, said on the basis of the FIR filed by Sushan’s father in Rajiv Nagar, it can be said that many ‘secrets’ are hidden in his death. His fans should get answers to these questions.

He said that the investigation of this case should be done by the CBI so that the reality of the case can be revealed to everyone.

Kumar had earlier written to the Governor requesting a CBI inquiry.

Earlier, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Chirag Paswan also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the phone. Paswan said that the Bihar and Maharashtra Police are seriously investigating the case, but it is better to hand over the investigation to the CBI to solve the suicide scandal.

Sushant had allegedly committed suicide on June 14 at his flat in Mumbai’s Bandra. Sushant’s father has lodged a case in Patna on June 25 against Sushant’s friend Riya and her family under various sections of the IPC.

Narayani river submerges houses, people repose faith in Lord Shiva

TB Team
-
0
Narayani river submerges houses, people repose faith in Lord Shiva

The surging waters in nearly 12 districts of the northern part of Bihar have submerged many houses. This year the Kosi river, which has wreaked havoc in Bihar, has not yet reached its most turbulent form.

However, the Gandak river, which is also known as Narayani, has devastated areas in Gopalganj and Champaran districts. People’s homes have been destroyed yet they have faith in Lord Shiva.

Houses and people’s belongings have been submerged by the overflowing Narayani. People did not want to leave their homes and go to relief camps, but to save their lives they had to take shelter in the higher reaches or relief camps set up by the government.

The Gandak’s water has wreaked havoc in the Sadar, Kuchaikote, Manjha, Barauli, Sidhwalia, and Baikunthpur blocks of Gopalganj. The villagers in these blocks have migrated to other areas. The pain of leaving their homes is writ large on their faces but they have not lost faith in Lord Shiva (‘Narayan’).

Sushma, who is staying in a high school converted into a flood relief camp in Manikpur village along with her family, says that she and her husband did not want to leave their home but the locals brought them here.

She says, “Narayani river has submerged everything. Now I trust only Lord Shiva. If God has given us birth, he will make the arrangements for food.”

Gopalganj district magistrate Arshad Aziz said nearly 14 panchayats in the district are completely submerged while 37 panchayats are partially affected. He said 1.78 lakh people have been badly hit by the floods.

The condition of Pyarepur village is worse. The village is completely submerged. People have taken shelter in relief camps. Keshwar, who lives in Pyarepur, is living in a roadside tent with his family. They say no assistance has been provided by the state government. Community kitchens are open but children are not getting adequate food.

They say, “Everything is destroyed. Water entered the house and submerged everything. A kutcha house was built there, whether it will have to be built again, God only knows.”

The Gopalganj district magistrate says nearly 1.33 lakh people have been evacuated from the flood-affected areas. He said that relief and rescue operations are still on. As many as 13 relief camps and 112 community kitchens are functional in the district which house more than 5,100 people.

Air India goes for hiring as employees protest LWP policy

TB Team
-
0
Air India goes for hiring as employees protest LWP policy

Adding insult to injury of employees as they protest what they call “a draconian” Leave Without Pay (LWP) policy going up to five years, Air India is on a recruitment drive to hire new people.

Air India Express has put out an advertisement to hire in the finance and medical services department. The general principle is that if a company is laying off people and sending them on long leave without pay, then it does not hire fresh personnel.

In the advertisement, Air India Express has invited applications from Indian citizens (wherever domiciled) for the posts on a fixed-term contract basis.

The positions in the medical services department include Chief Medical Officer and Senior Assistant, Medical.

The positions open for hiring in the Finance Department include Deputy Chief of Finance, Manager-Finance, and Deputy Manager-Finance.

Interested and eligible candidates have been asked to submit their applications within 15 days of this advertisement.

This will add fuel to the fire as employees across the board from pilots to service engineers are protesting pay cuts and Leave Without Pay in Air India. The company is also on the block for privatization.

Air India has justified the cut in allowances of existing employees by citing the precarious financial position due to COVID 19.

Air India said in a tweet: “There has been no reduction in the Basic pay, DA, and HRA of any category of employees. The rationalization of allowances had to be implemented on account of the difficult financial condition of the airline that was exacerbated by COVID-19.”

The pilots have questioned this claim and said that this is a devious plan to ensure a minuscule pay cut for senior AI officials. Basic Pay, HRA, and DA constitute 80 percent of Gross Pay for senior AI officials.

“By ‘rationalizing’ the allowances only, pilots and cabin crew are hit worst as it forms 80 percent of our gross pay. Doesn’t the difficult financial condition of the airline warrant a contribution from the management too based on their actual cost to the company or just flying crew alone?” the pilots said in the letter.

Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) have accused Air India of spreading “deliberate misinformation on social media” and questioned the “duplicitous” tweets by Air India calling them “misleading”.

“Air India has recently posted some duplicitous tweets that are misleading the general public”, the pilot’s associations said.

“Recent decisions of the Air India Board regarding rationalization of staff cost were reviewed in a meeting at @MoCA_goi this evening. The meeting reiterated that unlike other carriers which have laid off a large number of their employees, no employee of Air India will be laid off,” said the Air India tweet.

To this, the pilots responded in a letter to Aruna Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, Air India, “A lay off means settlement of arrears, gratuity, PF and retrenchment compensation by law. Management is trying to dodge this by introducing Compulsory Leave without Pay for up to 5 years to send employees on exile.”

Covid-19 virus has been circulating in bats for decades: Study

TB Team
-
0
Covid-19 virus has been circulating in bats for decades: Study

An international team of researchers has discovered that the lineage that gave rise to the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, has been circulating in bats for decades and likely includes other viruses with the ability to infect humans.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, have implications for the prevention of future pandemics stemming from this lineage.

“Coronaviruses have genetic material that is highly recombinant, meaning different regions of the virus’s genome can be derived from multiple sources,” said study researcher Maciej Boni from Penn State University in the US.

“This has made it difficult to reconstruct SARS-CoV-2’s origins. You have to identify all the regions that have been recombining and trace their histories. To do that, we put together a diverse team with expertise in recombination, phylogenetic dating, virus sampling, and molecular and viral evolution,” Boni added.

The team used three different bioinformatic approaches to identify and remove the recombinant regions within the Covid-19 virus genome.

Next, they reconstructed phylogenetic histories for the non-recombinant regions and compared them to each other to see which specific viruses have been involved in recombination events in the past.

They were able to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships between the Covid-19 virus and its closest known bat and pangolin viruses.

The researchers found that the lineage of viruses to which the Covid-19 virus belongs diverged from other bat viruses about 40-70 years ago.

Importantly, although SARS-CoV-2 is genetically similar (about 96 percent) to the RaTG13 coronavirus, which was sampled from a Rhinolophus affinis horseshoe bat in 2013 in Yunnan province, China, the team found that it diverged from RaTG13 a relatively long time ago, in 1969.

“The ability to estimate divergence times after disentangling recombination histories, which is something we developed in this collaboration, may lead to insights into the origins of many different viral pathogens,” said study researcher Philippe Lemey.

The team found that one of the older traits that SARS-CoV-2 shares with its relatives is the receptor-binding domain (RBD) located on the Spike protein, which enables the virus to recognize and bind to receptors on the surfaces of human cells.

“This means that other viruses that are capable of infecting humans are circulating in horseshoe bats in China,” said study researcher David L Robertson from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

The team concluded that preventing future pandemics will require better sampling within wild bats and the implementation of human disease surveillance systems that are able to identify novel pathogens in humans and respond in real-time.

Hetero launches Favivir to treat mild to moderate Covid symptoms

TB Team
-
0
Hetero launches Favivir to treat mild to moderate Covid symptoms

Hetero, one of India’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies and the world’s largest producer of antiretroviral drugs, on Wednesday announced the launch of generic Favipiravir in India under the brand name Favivir for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

Hetero’s Favivir (Favipiravir 200 mg) is priced at Rs 59 per tablet and is marketed and distributed by Hetero Healthcare Limited. The product is available from Wednesday at all retail medical outlets and hospital pharmacies across the country and will be sold only on prescription.

Hetero has been granted the manufacturing and marketing approval for Favipiravir from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Favivir is the second drug developed by Hetero after Covifor (Remdesivir) used in the treatment of COVID. It is an oral antiviral medication that has demonstrated positive clinical outcomes.

Favivir improves treatment accessibility to a significant amount of COVID-19 patient population, which usually sustains mild to moderate symptoms, the company said in a statement.

Backed by strong vertical integration capabilities, the drug is being manufactured at Hetero’s world-class formulation facility in India, which has been approved by stringent global regulatory authorities such as USFDA and the EU, among others.

Bank of India board mulls raising funds on August 3

TB Team
-
0
Bank of India board mulls raising funds on August 3

Bank of India on Wednesday said that its Board of Directors will consider raising funds through several options including the further issue of equity shares and bonds at its meeting on August 3.

Shares of the bank surged after the announcement. At 12.05 p.m., its shares on the BSE were trading at Rs 47.20, higher by 3.17 percent from the previous close.

“The Board of Directors of the Bank of India would be considering at their meeting proposed on August 3, 2020, the proposal of raising funds including by way of a further issue of equity shares, bonds, etc. through various modes which may include the issue of equity shares through a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP) at an appropriate time subject to receipt of applicable regulatory and/or statutory approvals including approval from shareholders of the bank,” the bank said in a regulatory filing.

Several banks, both private and public, are looking at raising funds of late.

Bank of India’s board is also scheduled to consider and approve its unaudited (reviewed) financial results for the quarter ended June 30 in its meeting next week.

Raj Guv again returns proposal for Assembly session

TB Team
-
0
Raj Guv again returns proposal for Assembly session

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday returned a state government proposal to call a special Assembly session, for the third time.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called the rejection a ‘love letter’, even as the former extended an olive branch to the rebel Congress MLAs.

Officials said that the Governor raised objections over the rising cases of COVID-19 in Rajasthan and again inquired how social distancing could be maintained in the Assembly during the special session.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot rushed to meet Mishra soon after he received the information on the return of the proposal.

Addressing a function at the Congress state unit office here, Gehlot said a “prem Patra” or love letter had come from the Rajasthan Governor. “I am going to meet him to ask what he wants,” Gehlot said at the party office before the meeting.

This is the second time he has referred to the Governor’s rejection as a love letter. Earlier, he had said the words while addressing Congress MLAs camping at the Fairmont Hotel.

Gehlot claimed a conspiracy to topple his government but asserted that the party stood strong in the face of a political onslaught.

Going soft on the dissidents, he said that those who had “cheated” the Congress in the past can return to the party fold and apologize to party chief Sonia Gandhi.

“For the first time in 70 years, a Governor has raised such questions. Can you understand where the country is going?” he commented.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a PCC function where new party unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara assumed the charge.

After the first two proposals sent by the Rajasthan government were rejected, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sent a third petition to the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday to convene the Assembly session.

Chenab Bridge: A bridge of hope and challenges

TB Team
-
0
Chenab Bridge: A bridge of hope and challenges

Kashmir inaccessibility was a wake-up call for Indias then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. When he returned to New Delhi after visiting Kargil in July 1999, he remarked, “We have not attacked any country in our fifty years of independence, but we have been attacked several times and lost our land…. We are determined not to lose our land in the future.” Preparations for a rail link in the Kashmir Valley began immediately.

In 2002, the Indian government broke ground on the railway, which it hoped will one day connect Baramulla, Kashmir’s northernmost city, to New Delhi. But despite being prioritized by Vajpayee as a “project of national importance,” construction on this strategic undertaking was plagued by setbacks.

For example, in 2009, a protracted dispute over gradients broke out between two private companies that had been commissioned to work on separate sections of the line.

But the biggest delay by far has been due to the plan’s most ambitious feature, the Chenab Bridge — a mile-long crossing made of blast-proof steel designed to withstand both earthquakes and explosives. When completed, it will be the loftiest railway span in the world, stretching across the Chenab River at a height greater than that of the Eiffel Tower. Scheduled to be completed in 2009, the bridge is the only section of the railway which is still unfinished. The latest target date in the summer of next year. But delays, nevertheless, have persisted.

There was also the threat of terrorism that had to be factored in. To be sure, there has been apprehension from day one that the signature Chenab bridge, just 60 km from the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, could be a potential target for terrorists. Even the possibility of aerial attacks had to be considered.

In securing the bridge, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) played its part. Under DRDO’s advice, the bridge has been so designed that even if one of the 17 piers supporting it is blown up, the bridge will not collapse. The deck of the bridge can withstand a heavy TNT blast.

According to the plan, a ring of aerial security will also be provided to safeguard the bridge. In addition, an online monitoring and warning system will be installed on the bridge to protect the passengers and train in critical conditions.

Unsurprisingly, after becoming the head of government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought reports to understand the cause of repeated delays.

Following this investigation, Modi paid a one-day visit to J&K. In July 2014, while inaugurating the railway’s latest link, connecting Katra to Udhampur, Modi declared: “Our aim is to win over the hearts and minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir through development, soon Kashmir will be prosperous and peaceful. The new rail link will speed up the process of development in the state.”

“The journey started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be continued…,” Modi stressed, describing the railway as a gift not just for the people of Jammu and Kashmir but for the whole of India.

Understanding its critical role, Modi directed officials to progress on the Chenab Bridge without any delay. The Chenab Bridge is being constructed between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of J&K, India. When completed, it will span 1,315 meters and the deck will be 359 meters above the water level, making it the highest rail bridge in the world.

Modi added that the construction of the Chenab bridge is the most challenging task of the whole Kashmir Rail link project. But at the same time, after the completion of the bridge, it will be recognized globally as an engineering marvel.

The bridge can bear wind speeds of up to 260 km per hour and a minus-20-degree centigrade temperature. Over 5,462 tonnes of steel will be placed high over the river-bed.

The most daunting challenge the engineers face is the wide gorge of the Chenab River. With its headwaters high up in the Himalayan mountain range, the river carves a deep gash that leaves its elevation more than 1,000 feet below the level of the rail line.

The engineers decided that the only bridge-type suitable for the location would be a massive steel arch — the highest-ever built for a railway at 1,056 feet from deck to water. Only an arch is capable of handling the weight of a 300-ton locomotive along with thousand tons of passenger cars. With a length of 1,532 feet (467 meters), the main span will rank among the world’s 10 longest arches.

There have been some false starts as well. In September of 2008, it was announced that the Chenab Railway Bridge has been canceled despite the completion of the approach viaducts in 2007. Difficult geological conditions on the steep slopes supporting the arch foundations were cited as the reason as well as the development of a lower, more direct route through tunnels. In 2013 this decision was reversed with the bridge being constructed as originally planned.

“This is the most challenging project in the 150-year-long history of the Indian Railways. The highest railway bridge in the world, that will connect Kashmir with the rest of India through the rail line will be completed by December 2021,” Sanjay Gupta, Chairman of Konkan Railway said in a statement.

According to the Ministry of Railways, the deadline for the completion of the railway project has been moved ahead from June 2022 to December 2021.

Whenever the Chenab Railway Bridge is finally completed, it will be more than just another bridge but a prestigious symbol of how far India and its railway engineers have come since the country’s first mile of railway track became operational more than 150 years ago.

For the people of Kashmir, the railway will provide a magnificent opportunity of integrating with the rest of India for exciting opportunities provided by one of the most rapidly advancing and dynamic economies of the world. In turn, the rest of India will be further enriched by the permeation of Kashmir’s magnificent cultural heritage.

Ashley Roberts wants to learn Italian to hang out with Harry Styles

TB Team
-
0
Ashley Roberts wants to learn Italian to hang out with Harry Styles

Singer Ashley Roberts finds One Direction star Harry Styles cute.

In an interaction with The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, Ashley praised Harry a lot, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“He (Harry Styles) properly has a ‘Boogie Nights’ mustache going on and I have to say, what I love about Harry is he’s just so adventurous with his looks. He tries different things and I’m a fan of that. I think he looks cute, I’m for it,” she said.

Ashley now wants to improve her own Italian language skills to impress Harry, who recently revealed he has been learning the language.

She added: “I know a little bit but not much. I need to up my game so I can hang out with Harry.”

88% workers in India prefer work from home: Survey

TB Team
-
0
88% workers in India prefer work from home: Survey

At least 88 percent of the Indian workers prefer to have the flexibility of working from home, (WFH), while 69 percent believe their productivity has increased while working remotely, a new survey revealed on Wednesday.

The survey conducted by expense, travel, and invoice management solutions provider SAP Concur, also shows that merely 11 percent of Indian organizations have embraced end-to-end digital finance and administrative processes.

Across India, 36 percent of mid-large sized companies are still using manual processes for submitting business expenses, the study said.

According to the survey, manual processes in expense management, and the resulting inefficiencies may be causing India estimated productivity losses of $2.25 billion per year.

“Bringing in digital transformation for expense claims or invoice processing can have a huge multiplier effect on business and cost control and at the same time provide the operational agility needed for business continuity,” Mankiran Chowhan, Managing Director–Indian Subcontinent, SAP Concur, said in a statement.

The study also found that current expense management systems’ support for modern payment methods is inadequate.

According to the data, more than a third (39 percent) of respondents said they want their expense management software to integrate with external apps to enable added functionality like reimbursement of payments made through super apps (umbrella apps containing other apps).

While 76 percent of employees in India said their organizations provide subsidies or completely pay for a mobile plan, broadband internet, and IT peripherals, 22 percent Indian employees want their organizations to pay for all expenses needed for a productive working environment at home, the report said.

The survey also revealed that 79 percent of Indian employees strongly link their overall finance and administrative experience and their overall satisfaction of working for their organizations.

Will always remember taking Tendulkar’s wicket: Rajat Bhatia hangs boot

TB Team
-
0
Will always remember taking Tendulkar’s wicket: Rajat Bhatia hangs boot

Domestic veteran Rajat Bhatia on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, thus bringing an end to a career that spanned over 20 years.

“Yes, I made the decision to retire from all forms of cricket in the morning. I have sent a mail to the BCCI and to DDCA as well,” Bhatia confirmed to IANS.

The all-rounder played 112 first-class games in which he scored 6,482 runs and took 137 wickets. He was part of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy title win in 2008 and had played a brilliant knock of unbeaten 139 in the final against Uttar Pradesh. In List A cricket, he played 119 matches, scoring 3038 runs and scalping 93 wickets.

The all-rounder’s last appearance in representative cricket came in Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League where he played four List A games for Mohammedan Sporting Club in 2018-19.

“I was supposed to retire from the game in September 2019 because I was not playing domestic cricket last year. But I thought I could still wait as I was playing as a professional in Bangladesh. But then things changed there and I got to know that they will not take any professionals,” said Bhatia.

“So, I thought this is the best time to take retirement because it’s a special day for me as it’s my daughter’s birthday. Hence, I decided why not take this decision on a day which I can remember,” he added.

The Delhi-born cricketer turned out for his home franchise – Delhi Daredevils – for three seasons in the Indian Premier League, but his best returns came under Gautam Gambhir-led Kolkata Knight Riders. The 40-year-old was twice part of the title-winning sides – in 2008 with the Rajasthan Royals and 2012 with the Kolkata Knight Riders. In all, he played 146 T20 games, scoring 1251 runs and picking up 111 wickets.

The domestic veteran featured in every single season from the inaugural IPL until the 2017 edition. However, he could never make it to the national team.

“As an individual, I will always remember taking Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket three times in the IPL,” said Bhatia when asked to pick one special moment from his career which stands out for him.

When quipped about his future plans, Bhatia said: “I am already a biomechanic specialist in training. I was doing the course for the last three years.”

“I invested in this kind of thing because it’s a specified kind of training which, I think, one should be doing because it is related to all kinds of sport. And I want to give back to cricket through this.”

Bhatia further said that although he doesn’t want to become a coach, he would like to offer tips to budding cricketers if an opportunity knocks at his door.

Moderna’s Covid vax shows great result in monkeys

TB Team
-
0
Moderna’s Covid vax shows great result in monkeys

The pharmaceutical company Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, which is currently in clinical trials, has shown successful results in monkeys.

Two doses of an experimental vaccine known as mRNA-1273 induced robust immune responses and rapidly controlled the Covid-19 in the upper and lower airways of Monkeys exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported.

In this study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, three groups of eight rhesus macaques (monkeys) received two injections of 10 or 100 micrograms of mRNA-1273 or a placebo.

Injections were spaced 28 days apart. Vaccinated monkeys produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies directed at the surface spike protein used by SARS-CoV-2 to attach to and enter cells.

“Notably, animals receiving the 10-micrograms or 100-micrograms dose vaccine candidate produced neutralizing antibodies in the blood at levels well above those found in people who recovered from Covid-19,” the researchers wrote.

The experimental vaccine also induced Th1 T-cell responses but not Th2 responses, they added.

According to the study, induction of Th2 responses has been associated with a phenomenon called vaccine-associated enhancement of respiratory disease (VAERD).

Vaccine-induced Th1 responses have not been associated with VAERD for other respiratory diseases.

In addition, the experimental vaccine-induced T follicular helper T-cell responses that may have contributed to the robust antibody response.

Four weeks after the second injection, all the monkeys were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 via both the nose and the lungs.

Remarkably, after two days, no replicating virus was detectable in the lungs of seven out of eight of the monkeys in both vaccinated groups, while all eight placebo-injected animals continued to have to replicate the virus in the lung.

Moreover, none of the eight monkeys vaccinated with 100 micrograms of mRNA-1273 had detectable virus in their noses two days after virus exposure.

This is the first time an experimental Covid-19 vaccine tested in nonhuman primates has been shown to produce such rapid viral control in the upper airway, the investigators noted.

“A Covid-19 vaccine that reduces viral replication in the lungs would limit disease in the individual while reducing shedding in the upper airway would potentially lessen the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and consequently reduce the spread of disease,” they added.

Meanwhile, Moderna has also begun a phase-3 clinical trial to evaluate the mRNA-1273 vaccine, designed to protect against the Covid-19 virus, which includes 30,000 participants the US clinical research sites, who do not have Covid-19.

Help pours in for Hyderabad woman techie selling vegetables

TB Team
-
0
Help pours in for Hyderabad woman techie selling vegetables

Help is pouring in for a woman techie forced to sell vegetables to make both ends meet after losing her job in a multinational company due to the nationwide lockdown enforced in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has offered a job to Unadadi Sharada while the Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA) has also come forward to help after learning about her story.

“My official met her. The interview is done. Job letter already sent,” tweeted Sonu Sood in response after a Twitter user drew his attention to her plight.

Sharada said she was happy to receive the call from Sonu Sood. She did not reveal the nature of the job offered but said she would take a call after consulting her family members.

Sonu Sood has been helping hundreds of people in distress, especially the stuck migrant workers, and even helping provide employment to those rendered jobless.

The 26-year-old woman has been selling vegetables in Srinagar Colony in Hyderabad for the last few days.

Unadadi Sharada, who was employed in an American information technology services company before she lost her job, said she did not believe in “false prestige” and hence started selling vegetables to support her family.

Her day starts at 4 am as she goes to the wholesale market to buy vegetables which she ferries to her roadside shop for sale. She feels that there is no shame in what she is doing.

After all, she pointed out, it was by selling vegetables that her parents gave her and three other siblings the best of education. Venkatesh and Saramma, who had migrated to Hyderabad from Warangal district over two decades ago, are proud of their daughter.

The couple sold vegetables and worked as laborers to make a living and educate all their children — three daughters and a son.

Their eldest daughter is an Assistant Professor at a private engineering college. Sharada is their second daughter, who after her B. Tech in Computer Sciences got a job in a Gurugram company in 2016 but came back to Hyderabad in 2018 to join another firm.

After the lockdown began, the company informed her that they will not be able to pay even half of her salary. Her parents were sad over the turn of events but she decided not to sit at home and wait.

“It did not take long for me to decide what I should do in this situation. I decided to support myself and the family by selling vegetables,” she said.

Sharada’s younger sister works in the administrative section of a hospital while her brother is also into selling vegetables.

TITA, an industry body of software professionals, has come forward to help. TITA Global President Sundeep Kumar Mukthala will meet her soon with a job proposal.

She has also received job offers from other quarters, including start-ups. “I have not yet made up my mind. I will discuss with the family members and take up a job which I find most suitable,” said Sharada.

Yogi ‘furious’ as 3rd kidnapping victim found dead

TB Team
-
0
Yogi ‘furious’ as 3rd kidnapping victim found dead

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is said to be infuriated by the increasing number of kidnapping and murder cases in the state.

According to official sources, the Chief Minister has now asked officers to “show results or face the music”. This comes after another case of kidnapping and murder case was reported from Kanpur Dehat on Tuesday. A string of similar cases has been reported from Kanpur and Gorakhpur as well.

Adityanath has also said that strict actions will be taken against the accused who will be booked under the National Security Act (NSA) that empowers the concerned government to keep a suspect in jail for 12 months without any charge.

State DGP H.C. Awasthi, late on Tuesday night, also issued an advisory for all police personnel and asked them to deal with complaints of kidnappings promptly and with seriousness.

The developments come after another man was allegedly abducted and killed in Kanpur Dehat on Tuesday. His body was found in a well.

The victim Brajesh Pal was allegedly abducted from Bhognipur on July 16 and his body was found in Devrahat area of Kanakheda village on Tuesday evening.

Pal used to work as a manager at a toll plaza on the Kanpur-Jhansi highway. On July 16, he had gone to work at the toll plaza and stayed there till midnight. He later decided to sleep in the toll plaza premises.

In the morning, when the security staff arrived at the toll plaza, they found it locked from inside and a search was launched for Pal. When his cousin dialed his phone, a stranger received the call and demanded Rs 20 lakh in ransom.

Soon after receiving the call from kidnappers, Pal’s family reached the police station with the audio clip.

On Tuesday, police arrested one of Pal’s acquaintances who led the team to the well where the victim’s body was found.

The family has alleged lapses in the investigation done by the police which led to the victim’s death.

SP Anurag Vats said that the police had acted promptly in the matter and had arrested one of the accused who led them to the place where the body had been dumped.

The family alleged that the victim’s cousins were taken to the police station and were allegedly beaten up. One of the cousin’s hand was fractured, the family alleged, and another one also sustained injuries.

The Chief Minister has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to Brajesh Pal’s family.

It is noteworthy that a lab technician, Sanjeet Yadav, from Kanpur was kidnapped on June 22 and his abductors had demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakh for his release. An FIR was registered at Barra police station.

Sanjeet Yadav’s family alleged that they managed to arrange Rs 30 lakh on the insistence of the Kanpur police and left the bag with the money on the railway track on July 13, as directed by the kidnappers.

The police remained a silent spectator and Sanjeet was not released.

Later, after the arrest of five accused, it was revealed that Sanjeet had been murdered on June 26/27 and his body was thrown in the Pandu River. The body is yet to be recovered.

The state government has suspended four police personnel, including IPS officer Aparna Gupta, for laxity in the probe into the kidnapping and murder of the Kanpur lab technician.

In another such case, a class 6 student in Gorakhpur was kidnapped and killed within hours of his abduction even as the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore.

The body of the 14-year-old boy was recovered from a jungle area near a canal here on Monday evening.

The 14-year-old boy was the son of a grocery and ‘paan’ shop owner.

Meanwhile, the opposition has been mounting a blistering attack on the Yogi government on its failure to control the crime graph.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, through a series of tweets, said that the law and order situation is deteriorating.

“At this time, it is the responsibility of the police and administration to take action in such matters with promptness and efficiency,” she added.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said, “There is no fear of police in minds of criminals and encounter policy of the state government has failed.”

Yet another defeat for Viswanathan Anand in Legends of Chess tournament

TB Team
-
0
Yet another defeat for Viswanathan Anand in Legends of Chess tournament

Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand suffered his seventh defeat in the ongoing Legends of Chess tournament as he went down 0.5-2.5 to world No.3 Ding Liren.

Anand, who came into Tuesday’s game against the Chinese after ending his six-match losing streak, lost the first game in just 22 moves. The second game ended in a 47-move draw in the second. However, Liren sealed victory in the third game with black pieces in 41 moves.

After losing the first six matches in a row, Anand had on Monday got back to winning ways, beating Israel’s Boris Gelfand 2.5-0.5.

The 50-year-old, who is making his maiden appearance on the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, had earlier lost to Ian Nepomniachtchi, Peter Leko, Peter Svidler, Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, and Anish Giri.

Legends of Chess pits Carlsen, Ding Liren, Nepomniachtchi, and Giri, semifinalists at the Chessable Masters which is also a part of the Magnus Carlsen Tour, against six legends aged 40-52, who have been at the top of world chess at various points in their career.

Following the conclusion of the 10-player round-robin league, the top-four will move into the semi-finals, which are currently scheduled to be played from July 31-August 2. The final will be played from August 3-5.

The winner of this event will qualify for the $300,000 Grand Final scheduled from August 9 to 20.

Hybrid new normal of work brings new challenges: Microsoft

TB Team
-
0
Hybrid new normal of work brings new challenges: Microsoft

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to transform our daily lives, the Asia-Pacific region has accelerated an increase in overall technology adoption, realizing a hybrid new normal of work that comes with its own set of challenges, Microsoft said on Wednesday.

Microsoft, with research from TechRepublic Premium, looked into the impact the pandemic has had on the region’s legacy work styles and business operations.

Microsoft found that while organizations have prioritised technology adoption to enable remote working environments and overall business transformation, the change was not driven through technology alone.

According to Joe Sweeney, IBRS Advisor and Future of Work Expert, one common response among people in their jobs is to “work harder and not switch off.”

Those who have started working from home are fielding calls from their bosses late into the evening, underlining the need to redraw boundaries for out-of-hours contact.

Organizations will need to reassess how performance is measured. Collaboration tools can measure activity but not the value that an individual has brought to the organization.

Organizations are now finding that it is the “introverts” that are delivering while working from home, while the “star player” extroverts are no longer the center of attention.

The research found that nearly half (47 percent) of people working from home reported managing at-home distractions as a challenge.

“Organisations, as well as managers and teammates, should do their part to not only help employees create a distraction-free environment but also be more flexible in the delivery of work and empathize with people’s challenges of working from home,” said the research paper.

As technology becomes a growing staple for employees, training will need to go hand-in-hand to unlock the full potential of hardware and software.

“As different parts of the world were hit by Covid-19, life and work were changed overnight for everyone,” said Kady Dundas, Head of Marketing, Microsoft Teams.

“We know that we have about 200 million meeting participants each day, which equates to 4.1 billion minutes of meetings. Those data points show the tremendous movement to remote work,” Dundas added.

To cultivate the future workplace, organizations in the region would need to accelerate the process of developing policies enabling individuals to break away from the standard 9 to 5 hours, setting reasonable expectations around availability and relooking performance indicators.

“Business leaders must refresh their focus on policies that enable the upkeep of robust security strategies and effective collaboration. As lockdowns continue to ease across the region, the next step will be a renewed focus on policy during this hybrid new normal of work,” said Microsoft.

Broad had a spring in his step & was out there on mission: Tendulkar

TB Team
-
0
Broad had a spring in his step & was out there on mission: Tendulkar

Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has heaped praise on England pacer Stuart Broad who has entered the elite 500-wickets club in Test cricket.

Broad reached the 500-wicket milestone when he got the wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite on the final day of the third Test against the West Indies in Manchester which England won by 269 runs to win the Wisden Trophy. Broad ended the series as the highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps, despite not playing in the first Test in Southampton.

“Congratulations to England on their emphatic series win. And like I said earlier, Stuart Broad had a spring in his step and was out there on a mission. Congratulations also to him on picking his 500th Test wicket. Terrific achievement!” Tendulkar said in a tweet.

The 34-year-old on Tuesday became the second Englishman to scalp 500 Test wickets after partner-in-crime James Anderson, who had also achieved the feat against West Indies in 2017 at the Lord’s. Interestingly, Brathwaite was Anderson’s 500th scalp as well.

Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan is currently the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket with 800 scalps. He is followed by Shane Warne (708), Anil Kumble (619), and James Anderson (589), Glenn McGrath (563), Courtney Walsh (519) and Broad (501).

Ayodhya put on high alert following terror threat

TB Team
-
0
Ayodhya put on high alert following terror threat

With central intelligence agencies alerting the state police about possible attempts by terror groups to disrupt and sabotage the ‘bhumi puja’ ceremony of Ram temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ayodhya next week, all law enforcing agencies in Uttar Pradesh have been put on high alert.

Details of intel note shared with the state government say that an attempt is likely to be made by Pakistan’s ISI backed terror organization to carry out an attack on August 5. The ISI has ordered the top leadership of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-i-Mohammed to launch an attack.

The terror strike could even be a lone wolf kind of attack or a strike in a crowded place. Based on human intelligence and electronic intercepts, it is suspected that a small group of terrorists can infiltrate the country.

According to official sources, security arrangements will be at an all-time high for the ‘bhumi puja’ ceremony which, incidentally, coincides with the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. The security alert will remain in place till August 15, Independence Day.

Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several top BJP leaders including L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, and many other leaders of the RSS are also expected to be present in the program which will also be marked by the presence of top industrialists and bureaucrats from the country.

The area from the Saket Mahavidyalaya, where the Prime Minister chopper will land, to the Ram Janmabhoomi site, has already been cordoned off and residents of Ramkot locality have been issued passes for commuting.

Regular security drills are being carried out and door-to-door checking is also being done.

A senior official in Ayodhya said that security personnel will be deployed on all rooftops and drone cameras will monitor the movement in this area.

Verification of all hotels, lodges, guesthouses is underway and the entry points to the holy city are being sealed.

‘Aarya’ actress Priyasha Bhardwaj is hooked to web series format

TB Team
-
0
‘Aarya’ actress Priyasha Bhardwaj is hooked to web series format

Actress Priyasha Bhardwaj is gradually making a mark in the web series space and is sure loving the format.

Priyasha, who has worked in shows like “Aarya”, “Kaafir” and the upcoming “Mirzapur 2”, told IANS: “I love the web series format. It allows an actor the bandwidth to play around and explore deeper since individual characters get more screen time as against in films.”

“My first ever project was a series where I played a very small character — that of an ICU nurse in an episode of ‘Made In Heaven’. It was an inconsequential character with two lines (dialogues), but I still tried to give the character a backstory and an intention, since I didn’t have the crutch of good dialogues. And when it was pack-up for me and I was saying my goodbyes, director Nitya Mehra said, ‘You’re really good you know!’ I smiled but my subtext was ‘I’m so glad you noticed’,” she recalled.

After auditioning for several films and web series, she was signed on for the web series “Kaafir”, starring Dia Mirza, last year.

“I essayed the role of a journalist, Naina Balsara, who played a key role in taking the story forward. I still yearned to play a part where I can show a character graph or arc, play a character very different from myself. Luckily last year, I did two such characters — Soundarya in ‘Aarya’ and Jamuna in ‘Mirzapur 2’,” she said.

Priyasha hopes to work in films as well. “But there definitely is something more inviting about the web series format,” she said.

1...1,5651,5661,567...2,190Page 1,566 of 2,190