IPL 13: Governing Council meeting on Sunday

TB Team
-
0
IPL 13: Governing Council meeting on Sunday

The all-important Governing Council meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to take place on Sunday. IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel had already informed IANS that the meeting would take place this week and the notice has now been sent to the GC members.

Speaking to IANS, an official of the IPL GC confirmed that the meeting will be held on August 2. “We have been informed that the IPL GC will take place on Sunday and all matters related to the organization of the 13th edition of the IPL will be discussed in the meeting,” the official said.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Monday that they have received the official Letter of Intent from the BCCI to host the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“We have received the (official) letter and now wait on the decision from the Indian Government which will ink the final deal,” said Mubashshir Usmani, Emirates Cricket Board Secretary-General, in a press release.

While the board waits for a notice from BCCI that the Indian Government has approved to move the IPL from India (to the UAE), Usmani stated both boards have fully mobilized and have instigated discussions with the relevant authorities, including their respective internal working-committees, in preparation of hosting the tournament (touted as starting September 19 with the final proposed for November 8) in a safe, protected environment.

Earlier, speaking to IANS, Patel had said that the September 19 to November 8 window had been blocked for the hosting of the league. “We have had a discussion and we are looking at the September 19 to November 8 window for this edition of the league. We have informed the franchise about the same,” he said.

The window could see some discussion as the England and Australia players will be engaging in a series in the UK till September 15 and that could mean them missing the first few games of their respective franchises. But Patel said it shouldn’t be an issue and these things are set to be discussed in the Governing Council meeting.

“Shouldn’t be a problem. The England-Australia series ends on September 15. So, we should have them flying indirectly to Dubai. We will discuss the final matters in the governing council meeting next week,” he said.

Shivraj Waichal: Web series ‘Idiot Box’ brings alive various emotions

TB Team
-
0
Shivraj Waichal: Web series ‘Idiot Box’ brings alive various emotions

Actor Shivraj Waichal says he entered the industry with an aim to experience and experiment with different genres.

He added that his new series “Idiot Box” gave him a chance to do both.

“This series brings alive various emotions on screen and encapsulates everything that we grew up enjoying on television,” Shivraj said.

“There is friendship, love, drama, and all the hacks one would possibly try in order to win over his ex. I entered the industry wanting to experience it all, experiment with different genres, and this series made my dream come true in five episodes! You will have to watch it to know what I mean,” he added.

From spies to getting into a surprise heist and fighting with his former girlfriend’s fiance, the Marathi web series depicts all the mushy things that Aakash (essayed by Shivraj) does, to win the love of his life back. In the show, he is seen on a quest to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend.

Directed by Jeet Ashok and Virajas Kulkarni, the MX Exclusive series also stars Shivani Rangoli, Spruha Joshi, Abhijeet Khandkekar, Pushkar Jog, Sanskruti Balgude, Akshay Tanksale, Pravin Tarde, Mrinal Kulkarni, Sunil Barve, and Aashay Kulkarni. The show is dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Ban on PUBG to remain in Pakistan

TB Team
-
0
Ban on PUBG to remain in Pakistan

The Pakistan Telecom­munication Autho­rity (PTA) has said that the ban on PlayerUnknown’s Battle Ground (PUBG) will remain in the country in the interest of public order, it was reported on Tuesday.

Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared PTA’s move to temporarily suspend the online game void and directed the authority to immediately lift the ban, Dawn news reported.

However, the PTA said PUBG would remain blocked in Pakistan.

In a statement issued on Monday, the PTA said it had issued a detailed order explaining the reasons why it had blocked the online game in accordance with the provisions of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.

“The PTA provided an opportunity of hearing to concerned parties including PUBG’s lawyers. PTA has also approached PUBG management to inform about a suitable framework to address key concerns,” it added.

The PTA said it had come across various studies, papers, and reports regarding the impact of internet games, specifically PUBG, on the mental as well as physical health of the players, reports Dawn news.

Besides violence and addiction, the authority said PUBG made people less productive.

The academic performance of students was affected as gaming sessions tend to last longer, and a child, who is addicted to gaming, tends to get irritated at the smallest of things or if parents interfere in something, it added.

A joke should be taken as a joke: Anubhav Singh Bassi

TB Team
-
0
A joke should be taken as a joke: Anubhav Singh Bassi

Stand-up comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi says the art form of comedy is ever-evolving with more people entering the arena, bringing fresh content and audience with them. He also says that a joke should be taken as one, and we need to come to a place of mutual acceptance.

Bassi, who has over 18 lakh subscribers on YouTube, may not have many show clips on his channel, but what makes him an internet sensation is the viewership he enjoys. The Indian comedian had a whopping 38 lakh views on a comedy video based on cheating in exams. Success with an audience, he says, depends heavily on how much they relate to your content.

“I try to create something either nostalgic or relatable or it’s a lived experience or a story they’ve heard. They start imagining and it hits them. The relatability factor works best,” he told IANSlife in an interview. Asked a question on the audience finding certain content-sensitive, he says: “I think comedy is influenced by life and evolves with the times we live in. So, we have a diverse spectrum of artists and audience, I believe there is something for everyone. Some people are sensitive about particular kinds of content, it’s true, but it’s okay. Every artist has an audience. This will get resolved as the art form progresses and evolves in India.”

Speaking on comedy and politics being increasingly intertwined, Bassi believes: “It’s hardly a trend, a joke should be taken as one and we need to come to a place of mutual acceptance. The purpose is only to entertain people.”

The law school graduate has much content culled out and spun from his personal experience of hostel life. Between law school and being a stand-up comedian, he says things have panned out pretty well. The entrepreneur and one time UPSC aspirant, says he’s happily ended up with stand-up.

On more and more people wanting to get into comedy he asserts, “I think it’s really far and far. I get texts on Instagram saying people want to try their hands on stand-up comedy. It’s really good that more and more people are giving recognition to the art form. The fresh audience would mean our content reaches far and wide.”

The period of lockdown and no live shows has brought the whole industry to a standstill, with only a handful attempting to do script-writing or online performances. This, however, has not been the case with Bassi. “I tried to write many things, but for a comedian whose art form is basically live, it’s difficult to write content and think whether it’s funny. Till the time you’re not performing it in front of an audience, you cannot determine that. Another thing is, when we did live shows before as comedians, we did not record those shows. We recorded only those sets which we knew we had to release on YouTube or somewhere else. I will try to record as many shows as possible from now onward because if anything like happens again, I must have few videos to release.”

Is he expecting a strong recovery? “I expect a strong bounce-back when it opens, people will step out and buy tickets out of frustration of being home. Plus, many people have saved money on entertainment.”

Most Indians aim to somehow retain jobs to remain confident: LinkedIn

TB Team
-
0
Most Indians aim to somehow retain jobs to remain confident: LinkedIn

There has been a modest rise in the overall confidence among professionals in India as retaining a job has itself become a strong booster for many in these tough times, LinkedIn said on Tuesday.

Based on the survey responses of 1,303 professionals in India, the LinkedIn ‘Workforce Confidence Index’ revealed rising optimism towards job security as businesses slowly reopened last month in the country.

“Many people are willing to take up to 50 percent cut in their salaries for an assured job. This means that whoever retains a job today, clearly knows that his/her role matters to the organization even in the new reality,” explained HR expert Prabir Jha.

The findings showed that about two in three professionals will increase their time spent searching for (66 percent) and applying to (64 percent) jobs in the next two weeks.

The active job seekers aim to upskill today for a safer tomorrow as 68 percent said they will increase their time spent on online learning to harbor long-term job security and career progression.

However, only one in four senior professionals said they would increase their time spent on searching for jobs in comparison to almost half (45 percent) of the junior workforce.

The showed that only 16 percent of decision makers would increase the number of jobs they apply to when compared to 48 percent of the junior workforce.

“More experienced workers may have savings to support them in the long run,” said Jha, explaining why senior professionals are not as inclined towards increasing their time spent on searching for jobs.

WHO expert calls for quick response to COVID-19 resurgence

TB Team
-
0
WHO expert calls for quick response to COVID-19 resurgence

Governments should react quickly and communicate transparently to ensure small numbers of COVID-19 cases and clusters don’t “reignite sustained and efficient community transmission”, said a senior expert of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, made the appeal on Monday when talking about the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases worldwide, reports Xinhua news agency.

Countries such as Japan and Australia that have had contained the virus are experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Japan has reported 4,740 newly confirmed cases to WHO in the past seven days.

“When the measures to suppress the virus are lifted, the virus returns,” Ryan noted.

Some of the resurgences have started from long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, others were happening in places like nightclubs, where people come together and spend a prolonged period of time, said Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of the WHO Health Emergencies Program.

Meanwhile, Ryan said that in order to efficiently control the resurgence, countries need to have “consistent, clear, sustained interventions,” and to get the interventions down to the community level.

It is equally important that governments be “honest and trustful” and “communicate reality on the ground” to the public.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the overall number of global coronavirus cases stood at 16,407,310 as of Tuesday morning, while the deaths have increased to 652,459.

The US accounted for the world’s highest number of infections and fatalities at 4,287,974 and 148,009, respectively.

Brazil came in second place with 2,442,375 infections and 87,618 deaths.

Over Rs 100 cr to aid Covid-19 war

TB Team
-
0
Over Rs 100 cr to aid Covid-19 war

Crowdfunding platform Ketto India has managed to raise funds totaling Rs 109 crore during the pandemic to help and support more than 3 lakh people in various capacities.

The platform helps individuals, NGOs, and brands to raise money for medical, social, creative, and personal causes.

Among the campaigns initiated on Ketto was the ever-famous Rambo Circus crew who required funds to sustain themselves. Fashion Designer, Vikram Phadnis had taken a step to help raise funds in feeding the stray dogs in Mumbai. The Indian Women Hockey Team set up a fundraiser to help the migrant families who are in distress. The Dalit community workers’ residing in Dharavi were helped by fashion label, The Chamar Studio. Even the family of a famous Pani Puri vendor in South Mumbai who succumbed to COVID was supported by a fund.

Kunal Kapoor, Bollywood actor and co-founder of Ketto.org, said: “It is gratifying that Ketto is inspiring individuals to raise funds on the platform and some of the causes have been really close to our heart. A campaign such as ‘Milkar for Mumbai’ has ensured food security for the most vulnerable, ‘The Khaki Project’ has supported the police force with safety essentials. The Community Kitchen project for migrant workers has also received tremendous love and support from the people”.

Varun Sheth, Co-founder Ketto.org said: “We are hiring aggressively pan India during this pandemic as we have seen a huge growth of individuals and NGOs using our platform to raise funds for their causes, we believe with a larger team, the quality of experience and support will go up tremendously.”

Anand registers first win at Legends of Chess tournament

TB Team
-
0
Anand registers first win at Legends of Chess tournament

Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand finally ended his losing streak as he got the better of Israel’s Boris Gelfand in the ongoing Legends of a Chess tournament. After losing the first six matches in a row, Anand got back to winning ways, beating Gelfand 2.5-0.5.

Anand needed just 45 moves to win the first round while he closed down the second round in 49 moves. The third ended in a draw.

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.

Meanwhile, Carlsen continued his hot-streak and recorded his seventh win in a row. He beat Russia’s Peter Svidler 2.5-1.5.

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 semifinals, 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.

Yes Bank shares plunge below FPO price

TB Team
-
0
Yes Bank shares plunge below FPO price

The slump in Yes Bank’s shares continued on Tuesday with its stock price falling below the further public offering (FPO) price of Rs 12.

During the initial trade, its share price on the BSE declined nearly 10 percent to Rs 11.10.

It has, however, recovered somewhat, and around 11.05 a.m., it was trading at Rs 11.40 lower by 7.32 percent from its previous close.

The bank recently raised Rs 15,000 crore through an FPO with a floor price of Rs 12 per share. Since then, Yes Bank shares have been on a downward trend.

The bank is scheduled to announce its first-quarter earnings later in the day.

1,215 new Covid cases push Odisha’s tally over 28K

TB Team
-
0
1,215 new Covid cases push Odisha’s tally over 28K

The Covid-19 cases in Odisha rose to 28,107 with 1,215 new cases in the last 24 hours, informed the health department on Tuesday.

The state reported more than 1,000 Covid-19 cases for the seventh consecutive day.

Seven persons including a child died of the viral infection in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 154 in the state.

Three fatalities were reported from Ganjam, two from Rayagada and one from Cuttack district and a child died in Bhubaneswar.

The 5-year old male child of Bhubaneswar was also suffering from Cerebral Palsy with a seizure disorder, said the department.

Out of new positive cases, 753 were reported from quarantine centers and 462 are local contacts.

Ganjam district leads the positive tally with 332 cases, followed by Khurda (312), Gajapati (89), Keonjhar (77), Koraput (73), Cuttack (60), Jagatsinghpur (47), Balasore (29), and Rayagada (24).

The active cases stood at 10,545 and recoveries at 17,373.

Eventual dream is to play for India & win Olympic medal: Ishika Chaudhary

TB Team
-
0
Eventual dream is to play for India & win Olympic medal: Ishika Chaudhary

Midfielder Ishika Chaudhary, who is considered by many as the backbone of the Indian junior women’s hockey team, has said that she’s ready to take the next step forward but puts winning the Asia Cup with the junior team on the number one spot on her priority list.

The midfielder, who started playing the sport at the age of 11, has graduated from the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and is one of the brightest prospects in the Indian team.

Her journey from being an academy player to turning into one of the mainstays of the junior team has been smooth, but the youngster credits her development to her coaches and family.

“When I first started off, I didn’t really know how the initial years of my hockey career would pan out, but I think my coaches and my family really helped along the way. As a young player, you always want to get the right advice and learn from the best, and I’m so happy to have so many great people around me. You can see that in the journey that I’ve had so far,” said Ishika.

The journey that the 20-year-old spoke about was starting to play hockey in 2011, and then within two years, making it to Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy’s junior team which took part in the 3rd Hockey India Junior National Championship 2013 held in Ranchi.

Ishika was part of a team that bagged the silver medal and her meteoric rise started off from there. The next few years saw her become an integral part of the junior and sub-junior teams and win the gold medal at the 4th Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championship 2014 in Pune, bronze medal at the 6th Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championship 2016 in Rohtak.

“I feel it was a really nice break for me to have started off at such a great academy where we have a very good environment for hockey. It made sure that I could participate in top national tournaments and also excel at the same time,” expressed Ishika.

It was in 2016 when she was selected to be a part of the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy’s senior team which ended up winning the Bronze Medal at the 6th Hockey India Senior National Championship 2016 held in Bengaluru.

“When I look back, I think that selection for the senior nationals was one of the turning points in my career. It paved the way for my junior India call-up and I am so happy that I have been able to perform well for my country since making my junior team debut in 2017 at the Australian Hockey League (Women),” said Ishika, who was a silver medalist at the 3rd Youth Olympic Games 2018.

Ishika’s CV now boasts of her part of the team that won the Cantor Fitzgerald U21 4-Nations Tournament 2019 held in Ireland and the 3-Nations Tournament 2019 held in Australia, as well as the runners up at the 6-Nations Invitational Tournament 2018 held in Belgium, but the midfielder has already set her sight on a new target.

“Like any other youngster, my eventual dream is to play for India and win a lot of trophies, including medals at the Olympic Games. But at the same time, I am also focused on my immediate goal which is to win the 8th Junior Women’s Asia Cup and secure our berth at the 2021 Junior Women’s World Cup. I think securing that win would be a great reflection of how much we have developed as a team,” said the youngster.

UP MLA fears threat to life by mining mafia lord

TB Team
-
0
UP MLA fears threat to life by mining mafia lord

Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Yogesh Dhama has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Director-General of state Police claiming he has been facing a threat to his life from notorious gangster Sunil Rathi, who is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail in connection with the murder of another gangster Munna Bajrangi.

Dharma said the gangster openly threatened him when he came for a hearing of the Munna Bajrangi case at a Baghpat court.

“He holds me responsible for stopping his illegal mining activities in the region. Two of my acquaintances have been killed by his men in the last month which proves that there is a real threat to my life,” he said.

The MLA claimed that Rathi was much more notorious that slain gangster Vikas Dubey who was the main accused in the killing of eight policemen earlier this month in Kanpur.

Baghpat Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anit Kumar said, “Dharma has not approached us and we are providing him security as per protocol.

The ASP said the feud started when the local MLA complained against Rathi’s illegal mining business. “He was doing it through his front man Manish Chauhan, who had a license for sand mining but he was extracting more than the permissible limit. When the MLA raised the issue, the district administration canceled his license and a fine of Rs 4 crore was imposed on him.”

On July 7, Rathi’s men had shot dead Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Deshpal Khokar, who is said to have objected to the passage of trucks carrying sand from his village.

“We have arrested two of Rathi’s sharpshooters in connection with the case after an encounter on Sunday,” the ASP added.

Rathi’s men also allegedly killed history-sheeter Paramveer Tugana, who is said to be close to Yogesh Dharma.

Rathi, who had killed gangster Munna Bajrangi inside Baghpat jail in July 2018, is presently lodged in the Tihar facility.

Realme to empower Covid-hit Indian masses with more budget phones

TB Team
-
0
Realme to empower Covid-hit Indian masses with more budget phones

The COVID-hit masses aim to spend less and be more price-conscious in India and Realms product strategy is deeply optimized for providing entry-level as well as affordable smartphones to them in days to come, Madhav Sheth, Vice President, Realme and CEO, Realme India said on Tuesday.

The purchasing capacity will be more towards budget and mid-range smartphones.

“That is why we launched real-time Narzo series and realme 6i, targeting this segment and redefined our C series. There will be more C series phones launching soon with a different price point from C11,” Sheth told IANS.

The brand launched budget phone Realme C11 with 5000mAh battery and MediaTek Helio G35 processor for Rs 7,499 this month.

“We will focus on providing affordable options at different price segments, without compromising on quality and ownership experience,” Sheth added.

Realme has reached 40 million users globally and 25 million users in India.

It offers four main series: C series under Rs 10,000 segment; ‘Number’ series in Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 price range; X series which goes above Rs 20,000 and the new Narzo series for the youth.

“Overall, C and Number series contribute 86 percent of our sales. The newly launched C11 sold 150,000 units within 2 minutes. C series has made its mark and we are close to a big milestone and plan to announce that figure once it is reached,” informed Sheth.

The company last week introduced its newest 6 series member Realme 6i at a starting price of Rs 12,999 for 4GB+64GB variant in India.

In 2019, realme 5i popularised quad-camera at an affordable price.

“Similarly, realme 6i is bringing a 90hz display and G90 gaming processor to performance seekers and multi-taskers. It would again stand out as one of the most popular smartphone models under Rs 15,000 in India,” said Sheth.

Although the supply chains were disrupted due to the pandemic, Realme managed to revamp 80 percent of its production capabilities and is trying to meet the demands of the customers in the market.

“We will launch new smartphones for the upcoming Diwali season and are confident they will be one of the best Diwali gifts for our fans,” said the Realme India executive.

Realme also has some big news to announce at the ‘IFA20′ annual conference in Germany in September.

“Realme has been doing exceptionally well in the European market. We have some major announcements lined up for the IFA in September,” Sheth told IANS.

Google Pixel 4a likely to be unveiled on August 3

TB Team
-
0
Google Pixel 4a likely to be unveiled on August 3

Google is reportedly planning to launch Pixel 4a, the next series smartphone, on August 3, according to reports.

Tipster John Prosser, who also predicted the correct launch date of the iPhone SE, tweeted that the Google Pixel 4a launch date is going to be August 3.

“Finally happy to give a final update on Pixel 4a. The last date I gave you (provided in the tweet below) is the launch day. Pixel 4 August 3. 100 percent, the only question is do you care anymore? Or have they pushed this off too much,” Prosser said.

The phone was earlier set to be unveiled during Google I/O 2020, the company’s annual developers conference, but the event was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it is unclear whether the search engine giant will hold an online launch event for the Pixel 4a or not.

In terms of specifications, the device is likely to pack in the Snapdragon 730 chipset, which will be backed by 6GB of RAM, and 64GB non-expandable internal storage.

The device is expected to feature a 5.81-inch display, FHD+ with 1080 by 2,340-pixel resolution at 443 PPI. It is also worth noting that the screen appears to have a 60Hz refresh rate – not 90Hz.

The phone has been tipped to start selling at $399.

Kidnapping incidents rising in UP, Priyanka writes to CM

TB Team
-
0
Kidnapping incidents rising in UP, Priyanka writes to CM

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, asserting that the law and order in the state are in shambles due to increase in in the kidnapping incidents. She, in her letter, also raised the issue of alleged kidnapping of businessman Vikram Tyagi from Ghaziabad.

In the letter, Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the party’s general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, said, “Kidnapping incidents are increasing in Uttar Pradesh. Law and order situation is deteriorating. Please set in place the law and order situation. The public is worried.”

The Congress leader sought the UP CM’s attention to the issue of an alleged kidnapping incident in Ghaziabad, where a man named Vikram Tyagi is missing for the last month.

“The family members doubt that he has been kidnapped. Despite repeated requests, no proper action has been taken by the police. A few days ago, a party member went to meet them. They are worried,” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also requested the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to lend a helping hand to the family and also strictly direct the police officers to do the same.

Collaborate to help sports sectors recover: Commonwealth ministers

TB Team
-
0
Collaborate to help sports sectors recover: Commonwealth ministers

The Commonwealth’s ministers have emphasized that collaboration is vital to the recovery of their respective sports sectors which have suffered a crushing blow from measures taken to stem the spread of COVID-19.

They have also agreed on solutions to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on their sports sectors, which could experience recession several times worse than the average sector of any economy.

This was the recurring theme as Sports Ministers from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific met at a landmark forum on the impact of the pandemic on their respective sports sectors, the Commonwealth Secretariat said on Monday.

India’s Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju was among the attendees.

The participating countries spoke about the deep health and economic scars left by the closure of community sports, gyms and exercise facilities, the decimation of the local and international sporting calendars, and the loss of revenue from broadcast and sponsorship deals.

According to a recent Commonwealth study, while the overall economy of the 54 member countries would contract on an average by 3.2 percent in 2020, the contribution of the sports sectors to the GDP could drop by well over 20 percent in several nations.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “Our countries are shouldering many very heavy burdens as a result of the pandemic.

“Among these, necessary restrictions affecting the sports sector make much of its future uncertain and prevent it from making its much-needed contributions to physical well-being, mental health, and economic activity.

“So, it was really encouraging to see how Sports Ministers in our member-countries are responding to the effects of COVID-19 with powerful and imaginative initiatives. Return-to-play toolkits, grants for community clubs and virtual programs to help people of all ages to be physically active were among the examples shared at the forum.”

Resources such as the new Commonwealth Moves program was shared with ministers to support efforts to get more people active while complying with the rules imposed to tackle the pandemic.

The online tool is tailored to tackle the ongoing ‘pandemic’ of immobility, exacerbated by COVID-19 disruptions. It includes activities for all demographics, including young people, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

Forum participants expressed strong support for the Secretariat’s initiatives. This includes its program on measuring sport’s contribution to the sustainable development goals and its recent online course on designing effective policies and programs.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture, and Heritage, Amina Mohamed, chaired the forum. She said: “This forum was timely and critical for many governments still working very hard to fight the devastating pandemic that ambushed the globe early this year.

“The forum confirmed an unmistakable desire among the Commonwealth Sports Ministers to collaborate, share solutions and pool their collective knowledge aided by the Commonwealth Secretariat, including a newly-developed pool of resources, carefully crafted to support countries resuscitate sports sectors choked by COVID-19, and ensure that we re-build healthier, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies and populations.”

The ministers at the forum presented how they are responding to the current challenges and planning the safe and staged return to sports.

These range from guidelines for cross-border competitions and provisions of economic support for grass-roots clubs to invest in the e-sport sector and helplines to address abuse in sport.

In a statement released after the forum, the ministers agreed that future policies, programs, and competitions should integrate delivery modifications and virus suppression measures and that the sector should be a focus of recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Kerala Gold smuggling: Hyd NIA officer leads Sivasankar’s questioning

TB Team
-
0
Kerala Gold smuggling: Hyd NIA officer leads Sivasankar’s questioning

The NIA on Tuesday continued questioning suspended senior IAS officer M. Sivasankar, in the gold smuggling case. A woman IPS officer from the NIA has arrived from Hyderabad to lead the questioning while other officers will be linked online from various offices.

This is the third time in the past five days that he has been quizzed. On Monday, after questioning him for nine hours, Sivasankar was served a notice to appear before them on Tuesday again.

The NIA had questioned Sivasankar in Thiruvananthapuram for five hours on July 23 and served him notice to appear at its Kochi office for further questioning on Monday. After Monday’s exercise, he stayed the night at a hotel near the NIA office and around 10 a.m. arrived at the NIA premises as the questioning resumed.

Sivasankar was a former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Information Technology Secretary before he was removed from the post after the racket was bust.

This case has rocked Kerala all this month and has caused a huge dent to the image of Vijayan, who continues to maintain that this was a private affair concerning Sivasankar and his office has nothing to do with it.

But, the social media is abuzz with activity on the position he took against his predecessor Oommen Chandy when con-woman Saritha Nair was arrested for cheating investors in the solar panel case.

Vijayan is being reminded of his speeches on the need for a Chief Minister to maintain a clean image in public life during Chandy’s time. His then rhetoric “has no moral right to continue in the post”, is making the rounds on social media.

The gold smuggling case first surfaced when P.S. Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the Customs on July 5 when he was allegedly was facilitating the smuggling of 30 kg gold in diplomatic baggage from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram.

The case became murkier when the name of Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE Consulate and later employed with the IT Department, came to light. Her links with Sivasankar came up later during the investigation.

Another accused, Sandip Nair of Kochi, was arrested on a charge of direct involvement in the smuggling.

The Customs had first quizzed Sivasankar for nine hours after the case surfaced and they arrested Sarith. Swapna and Sandip were arrested by the NIA from Bengaluru. Sivasankar has maintained all through that his relations with Swapna were personal and not linked to their activities.

Xiaomi patents smartphone with slot for TWS wireless earbuds

TB Team
-
0
Xiaomi patents smartphone with slot for TWS wireless earbuds

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has patented a new smartphone that shows a handset with built-in wireless earphones (TWS).

The patent was first spotted by LetsGoDigital and has been published in China’s patent office called CNIPA.

However, Xiaomi appears to have applied for the patent on January 19 this year.

The patent shows the smartphone will be capable of housing a pair of truly wireless earphones, similar to the compartment for ‘S Pen’ on the Samsung Galaxy Note series.

According to the report, earphones will be connected via Bluetooth, and a noise-cancellation feature is also expected.

Recently, the company patented a new smartphone with an all-around screen like Mi Alpha with a single 108MP camera.

The patent was filed by Xiaomi in January but the documentation, as well as images, were published recently.

In terms of design, the main display flows over the edges of the device and even loops around to reach the back panel.

On the back, there is a second display that starts just millimeters from where the front one ends.

Covid-19 casts gloom over festival season in Braj Bhoomi

TB Team
-
0
Covid-19 casts gloom over festival season in Braj Bhoomi

An air of despair and gloom has badly affected the festival spirit in Sri Krishna-land, Braj Bhoomi, which in normal times used to attract millions of pilgrims in the holy months of Sawan-Bhadon.

The annual Mudiya Poonau festival which is held for five days in Goverdhan had to be canceled. The temples in Vrindavan, Mathura, Gokul, Barsana are all shut.

Once the narrow lanes of Vrindavan used to reverberate to chants of Radhey Radhey, but today there is an eerie silence. The crowded streets are deserted. Locals are home-confined, scared to stir out. Even the monkeys look askance, wondering where the ‘Bhakts’ had disappeared.

It is a sad spectacle, totally unprecedented. How long this phase will last, no one knows, lamented Jagan Nath Poddar, convener of Friends of Vrindavan.

The Yamuna banks are no longer crowded with pilgrims. The Braj Yatras, (150 km covering all the shrines associated with Sri Krishna-Radha) which used to attract devotees from all over India, Gujarat in particular, have been canceled, resulting in loss of income to the local Pandas.

The Teej festival, the Rakshabandhan, the daily Hindolas, Sri Krishan Janamasthmi, Radhaashtmi, attract millions of devotees to the temples in Braj Bhoomi, but the locals are despondent as visitors are not permitted to enter the temples.

Almost daily Mathura has been reporting Covid-19 cases in double figures, 29 reported on Monday evening.

The situation is hardly better in Agra which has seen a spurt of fresh cases. In the last 24 hours 25 new cases were reported, taking the total tally to 1,677. The number of active cases was 205. So far 1,375 patients had recovered.

Health department teams continue to survey homes in hotspots. The SN Medical College which runs the COVID hospital is experimenting with history books of all patients.

Principal Sanjay Kala said these 50-page books will give the whole history of the patient, and record all relevant details to facilitate treatment in a systematic manner.

The neighboring districts of Mainpuri reported 17, Kasganj 12, Firozabad 10, Etah 22 cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.

Equity indices in green; IT, metal stocks rise

TB Team
-
0
Equity indices in green; IT, metal stocks rise

The key Indian equity indices traded in the green on Tuesday with healthy buying in IT and metal stocks.

Selling activity in banking and consumer durables stocks, however, capped gains on the indices.

The indices have come down from the day’s highs. The BSE Sensex has touched an intra-day high of 38,240.54 points.

At 10.26 a.m., it was trading at 38,099.67, higher by 164.94 points or 0.43 percent from the previous close of 37,934.73.

It opened at 38,052.18 and has touched an intra-day low of 37,998.13 so far.

The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange was trading at 11,177.60, higher by 45.80 points or 0.41 percent from the previous close.

The major gainers on the Sensex so far were Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra, and TCS. The top losers so far were ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and Titan Company.

1...1,5671,5681,569...2,190Page 1,568 of 2,190