Matthew Hayden to do commentary for online cricket game WCC

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Matthew Hayden to do commentary for online cricket game WCC

With the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent cancellation of all cricket matches, former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden will now aim to bring fans closer to actual cricket by lending his voice to the online gaming world as a commentator on the World Cricket Championship (WCC).

Hayden will offer English commentary with his familiar banter bringing life into the virtual game. He will join former India opener Aakash Chopra who recently came on board as a Hindi commentator to cater to 110 million players.

“Any gamification of a real sport can be a very creative and a liberating space. I loved the freedom that I got in the commentary box of the virtual cricketing world,” said Hayden.

The former Australian opener believes that amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, online sports becomes all the more relevant and entertaining as everyone is staying at home and no live cricket action is taking place.

“Since there are no live cricket matches, this is a way that I can be involved and still communicate with the cricket audience through WCC. Games like these provide a space for people to enjoy themselves and relax, which is important during COVID-19 lockdown.

When asked about the difference of commentating in a live match as compared to doing the same for an online game,” Hayden said: “The game has surely given me a lot of freedom to put my own spin to the commentary script of 1500 words that I was provided with.”

“I never felt like I was commentating on virtual cricket as the commentary included everything from weather conditions, to the size of grounds, different grounds around the world.

“It was almost like doing commentary for a live game. I generated energy in my voice creatively with variation in my voice and patterns in my voice. It was fun to bring to life a situation, maybe a big 6 or an out for the game, as if for a real match,” he added.

P R Rajendran, MD and CEO, Nextwave Multimedia and creator of WCC, said: “With no actual cricket games taking place currently, we hope to fill the gap with commentators like Matthew Hayden and Aakash Chopra to build familiarity and comfort on the game enabling people to come as close to actual cricket as possible.

 

Facebook agrees to pay $52 million to traumatised content moderators

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Facebook agrees to pay $52 million to traumatised content moderators

Facebook has agreed to pay $52 million to third-party content moderators who developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues as they scanned scores of disturbing images of rape, murder and suicide to curb those on the platform.

According to a report in The Verge, in a preliminary settlement in San Mateo Superior Court, the social networking giant agreed to pay damages to 11,250 US-based moderators and provide more counseling to them.

Facebook hired several firms like Accenture, Cognizant, Genpact and ProUnlimited to help it moderate and remove harmful content in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election and Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

As per the compensation, each moderator will receive a minimum of $1,000 and will be eligible for additional compensation if they are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or related conditions.

Anyone who is diagnosed with a mental health condition is eligible for an additional $1,500, and people who are diagnosed with PTSD and depression may be eligible for up to $6,000.

“We are so pleased that Facebook worked with us to create an unprecedented programme to help people performing work that was unimaginable even a few years ago,” Steve Williams, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement late Tuesday.

In 2018, Selena Scola who was a former content moderator at Facebook sued the company alleging that moderators who face mental trauma after reviewing distressing images on the platform are not being properly protected by the social networking giant.

Scola sued Facebook for allegedly ‘ignoring its duty’ to protect moderators who deal with mental trauma after seeing disturbing imagery and were “bombarded” with thousands of videos, images and livestreamed broadcasts of child sexual abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, suicide and murder.

Last year, several moderators told The Verge that they had been diagnosed with PTSD after working for Facebook.

Facebook had more than 30,000 employees working on safety and security — about half of whom were content moderators.

Cognizant later announced that it would quit eave the content moderation business and shut down its sites earlier this year. The company also developed “the next generation of wellness practices” for affected content moderators.

“In addition to payment for treatment, moderators with a qualifying diagnosis will be eligible to submit evidence of other injuries they suffered for their time at Facebook and could receive up to $50,000 in damages,” said the report.

South Korea registers largest drop in employment since 1999

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South Korea registers largest drop in employment since 1999

South Korea registered the largest year-on-year drop in the number of employed people in the country since 1999 due to the effects of the coronavirus epidemic, according to government data published Wednesday.

The number of people in employment in April stood at 26.56 million, which is 476,000 fewer than in the same month the previous year and the biggest drop since February 1999, when the country was absorbing the effects of the so-called Asian financial crisis, Efe news reported.

The unemployment rate in the country rose 0.2 percent compared to April 2019, to stand at 4.2 percent, according to data published today by Statistics Korea.

In turn, the coronavirus has also hit the number of people with temporary contracts, for which 800,000 fewer were registered in April compared to last year.

By sector, wholesalers and retailers registered a year-on-year drop of 123,000 jobs, while in hospitality the cut was 212,000 jobs.

In contrast, the number of hires in the agricultural and fisheries sector grew by 73,000, and in the health and social welfare sector by 77,000.

Also in April, the number of economically inactive people rose by 5.1 percent to 16.99 million – the biggest hike since June 2000.

The workforce participation rate – the percentage of those aged 15 or older who are either employed or actively looking for work – also fell 1.6 percentage points to 62 percent, the data showed.

Although there has been no strict lockdown in South Korea, in April the authorities urged residents to maintain social distancing, which has affected consumption and corporate capital investment.

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki called the April data “grave” and said that the number of layoffs could continue to increase in the coming months, reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

“Given grim outlooks on the global economy and uncertainties in virus containment situations, it is difficult to predict how long the dark tunnel of job markets will last,” Hong said.

Hong said that the government is preparing a third extra budget designed to achieve the creation of some 550,000 new jobs.

Technology must be used for society upliftment: Former ISRO chief

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Technology must be used for society upliftment: Former ISRO chief

Former Chairman of ISRO and eminent scientist G. Madhavan Nair said that technology must be used for the upliftment of society.

Speaking at a webinar jointly organized by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Tamil Nadu chapter and Chennai based think tank Center for Policy and Development Studies, Nair said that India has advanced manifold in technology and added that the nuclear testing conducted at Pokhran on May 11, 1998, was a milestone in the country’s technological advancement.

“The country has gone ahead in agriculture production following the advancement of technology. The whole of India was connected to television following the development of satellite technology. Former President and prominent scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was the guiding force behind the SLV launch,” said Nair, who lives in the state capital.

The senior scientist said that the recent studies in the disaster management and weather forecasting has helped the country to wade off several natural calamities.

National convenor of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, R. Sundaram said that India has turned the Covid-19 pandemic into an opportunity.

“Indian cities like Tirupur, Jalandhar and other towns have turned into major hubs for making PPE kits and N95 masks and the country has reached, a stage that it can export these products,” said Sundaram.

Instagram now lets you delete troll comments in bulk

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Instagram now lets you delete troll comments in bulk

Instagram has announced that it is rolling out new major changes including the ability to delete offensive comments in bulk, to keep the platform a more positive place for users.

“We are launching a new feature to help people manage multiple unwanted interactions at once. We know it can feel overwhelming to manage a rush of negative comments, so we’ve been testing the ability to delete comments in bulk, as well as block or restrict multiple accounts that post negative comments,” the company said in a statement late Tuesday.

To enable the feature on iOS, tap on a comment and then the dotted icon in the top right corner. Select Manage Comments and choose up to 25 comments to delete at once and then tap ‘More Options’ to block or restrict accounts in bulk.

To block or restrict accounts on Android, press and hold on a comment, tap the dotted icon and select Block or Restrict.

Users are also getting the ability to control who can tag or mention them in a post, comment, caption, or story.

“You can choose whether you want everyone, only people you follow or no one to be able to tag or mention you in a comment, caption or Story,” the company added.

Instagram is also testing pinned comments which will allow users to literally pin comments to the top of a post.

This feature gives people a way to set the tone for their account and engage with their community by pinning a select number of comments to the top of their comments thread.

Filmmaker Sahirr Sethhi: Every story is a quest

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Filmmaker Sahirr Sethhi: Every story is a quest

Young filmmaker Sahirr Sethhi, director of the short film “Zoya”, which addresses the importance of tiger conservation, says that watching the big cat in the wild is a privilege.

“I remember my experience of seeing a tiger in the wild for the first time. It was just six feet away from me. It was so majestic that I was captivated! I started reading about how tigers are facing difficulties due to hunting and poaching, how their numbers are depleting et cetera. I just felt the urge of telling the story, not as the work of a storyteller, but telling a story with a deep sense of resonance,” Sahirr told IANS.

The director added: “It is never the same when we see a tiger in a photograph or on the big screen as opposed to seeing it in reality. Trust me, it will be a privilege for the next generation to see a tiger in the wild, and will only be possible if we do our bit to protect and preserve the tiger. In the film, the protagonist, Dr. Rajeev Kapoor (played by Rajesh Tailang) is working every single day to preserve the tiger and for that privilege of watching them in the wild.”

“Zoya” was shot in 2015 and the film has travelled to several festivals internationally.

Sharing the insight into the script, Sahirr said: “For me, every story is a quest. Every character embarks on a quest. The story of Zoya is not just the story of a conservationist looking for a missing tiger. It is also his internal quest that is philosophical. So, there is a strong subtextual pattern between his internal and external quest.”

Why did he choose to tell the story in fiction instead of a documentary? “Film is a visceral art form that captures your imagination and evokes a certain emotion that engages all our sense. A documentary would have not created that impact. Also, my aim is to create awareness without treating it like one. The narrative has to convey a feeling. That is why I chose fiction,” he said.

The short film features Rajesh Tailang, Manjot Singh and Geeta Agrawal Sharma.

According to the director, both Rajesh and Manjot were apt for the story.

“Mr Tailang has an ability to create empathy and evoke emotions in a very sublime manner. His face conveys something that is very interesting. At the same time he could be a stoical persona with great depth of emotion. That duality was required for the character,” he said.

While on Manjot, he added: “When I met Manjot in 2015, he had an innocent face and his screen presence brings a smile on your face. He looks very likable on screen. Of course he is a very talented actor. He quite easily conveys a humanistic empathy. Empathy is the keyword for the story that we intend to tell,” shared Sahirr.

The film “Zoya” is available on MUBI India app.

Lakshmi Manchu: Interesting time awaits cinema post pandemic

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Lakshmi Manchu: Interesting time awaits cinema post pandemic

Lakshmi Manchu feels if the novel coronavirus is here to stay, so is the thriving culture of cinema. The Telugu actress says the ongoing pandemic will bring a lot of logistical changes, and it will be interesting to witness the evolution of showbiz post pandemic.

“It is definitely going to be an interesting time for cinema-going forward,” Lakshmi told IANS when asked about the future of cinema post-Covid-19.

“Lots of logistical changes will need to be made but we all know the cinema cannot leave people’s lives. The virus is here to stay. We need to adapt and change our lifestyle and how we perceive things going further. No more crafts services for a while,” she added.

Coronavirus pandemic has led to a massive slowdown of the economies, bringing the entertainment industry worldwide to a standstill. There’s no clarity about when normalcy will set in, or if the world will have to embrace the new reality of social distancing and virtual hangout sessions.

But Lakshmi isn’t anxious about the uncertainty.

“Actually for the first time I’m not anxious. Now you know nothing is in your control. It has truly taught me to be in the moment in many ways. We all have to learn a new way of life and how fabulous is that. How many of us will get this opportunity. What we are going through is pretty wild,” she said.

The daughter of veteran actor Mohan Babu is spending her lockdown with her family.

“This is the first time since college to have spent so much time with them,” she said, who mentions that staying with parents “feels like a resort”.

“Family is someone you don’t choose to like but have to love. Over the years of bickering.. you know what I mean..But I realise I have a beautiful loving caring family. A family that lives by morals and ethics. It is so nice to see how we perceive life and how close we really are,” added the actress.

Amid the lockdown, the actress has come out with “Locked Up With Lakshmi Manchu”. In the show, she interacts with people from different walks of life, including film and political personalities, live on her Instagram.

Talking about the series, she said: “I was generally having a conversation with a friend of mine who suggested I should do lives with people I know around the world. One thing led to another and this whole series came together. I couldn’t be happier that I could entertain my fans and myself through this quarantine. I am so glad that I could reach out to so many people around the world and connect with what’s going on right now.”

Bernie Sanders says unlikely to run for US President again

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Bernie Sanders says unlikely to run for US President again

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has said that it’s “very, very unlikely” that he will run for US President again.

“I think the likelihood is very, very slim at that,” Sanders said during a Washington Post Live event on Monday.

“I think next time around you’ll see another progressive carrying the banner,” he added. “I think it’s very, very unlikely that I’ll ever be running for President again.”

The 78-year-old progressive made the comments several weeks after he ended his second presidential campaign, making former Vice President Joe Biden, a 77-year-old moderate political veteran, the presumptive Democratic nominee, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sanders expressed hope that Biden if elected, will look to the progressive wings of the Democratic Party for some cabinet picks.

“I hope very much that Joe will take a hard look at some of the leading progressives in this country … what you need to bring into the Cabinet is not only people who have the progressive ideology but people who have the experience of interacting with working-class people who understand that now is the time to tell the billionaire class and 1 percent that this economy is going to change,” the Senator said.

Sanders first ran for President in the 2016 race but was defeated by Hillary Clinton in the Democratic nominating process.

Czech football season to resume at the end of May

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Czech football season to resume at the end of May

Football matches will start again in the Czech Republic at the end of May after over two months of forced closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the League Football Association (LFA) has announced.

Teams voted Tuesday to extend the league competition beyond June 30, which is the typical end of the football season, reports Xinhua news agency.

The first competition will be the 23rd round of Czech First League which will take place between Teplice and Liberec on May 23, according to local media reports.

The Second League will start in the week after May 25 and can expect playoffs during July, the league association said.

Matches will be played without spectators based on the guidelines of public health officials, according to the release by the association.

Mexico in talks with US, Canada to coordinate response to COVID-19

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Mexico in talks with US, Canada to coordinate response to COVID-19

Mexico has been in talks with the US and Canada to address common challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foreign Ministry has said.

“The dialogue has allowed the three countries to identify shared challenges and best practices to deal with the pandemic,” said the Ministry in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the weekly calls between Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs Julian Ventura and his US and Canadian counterparts, Stephen Biegun and Marta Morgan, have enabled the three countries to strengthen coordination for the repatriation of nationals from other parts of the world, monitor channels for the delivery of essential medical supplies, and supervise border management, Xinhua news agency reported.

The trilateral exchange is part of the ongoing dialogue on issues such as economic and health cooperation, and transportation of people and essential goods, it said, adding that Mexico will continue to promote regional cooperation through institutional mechanisms.

Mexico declared a national health emergency at the end of March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the country has, to date, registered 36,327 cases and 3,573 deaths.

72% tech graduates looking out for jobs in India: Survey

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72% tech graduates looking out for jobs in India: Survey

About 72 percent of India’s fresh tech graduates and working professionals, representing almost equal numbers of men and women, are currently looking out for jobs even as the country remains under extended lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said a survey on Tuesday.

Nearly 25 percent of the working engineers who were planning to switch their jobs are currently stuck as the pandemic has affected the hiring process in organizations across the country, said the survey by IP-driven incubation lab BridgeLabz Solutions.

The survey also revealed that nearly 85 percent of the total respondents, engineers and tech graduates are learning new technologies relevant to the jobs they seek.

“An obvious impact of the pandemic-led lockdown can be seen in the employment space. Today, fresh tech graduates and experienced professionals are equally facing the challenges arising out of the demand for newer skill sets in the industry,” Narayan Mahadevan, Founder, BridgeLabz, said in a statement.

“Viewing the current market situation and the inevitable competition in the near future, it will be only wise to strive to improve your learning curve. However, it is good to see that a majority of candidates are utilising this period to enhance their knowledge and accentuate their portfolios to succeed in the impending competition,” Mahadevan said.

The survey involved over 1,500 fresh tech graduates and working professionals during the lockdown.

The findings reinstate the need for enhancing industry-relevant skills that could better the job prospects of engineering candidates.

Taapsee’s new pic says she’s ‘waiting for lockdown to get over’

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Taapsee’s new pic says she’s ‘waiting for lockdown to get over’

Actress Taapsee Pannu has shared a photograph from the set of “Manmarziyaan” on Instagram.

In the picture, Taapsee is seen teaming up a patiala with a grey sweatshirt.

“The night shoots I hate but the sequences I like. The interval sequence of manmarziyaan n I knew this is gonna make a lot of hearts break. Atleast the ones who have loved n lost. Right now this picture is more apt for “waiting for the lockdown to get over be like,” Taapsee captioned the image.

The actress essayed the free-spirited Rumi in the Anurag Kashyap film, which also featured Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan.

Taapsee's new pic says she's 'waiting for lockdown to get over'

She also shared a photograph of herself from another film, where she is seen sporting bruises on her face.

“Picture u send to your mom to scare the sh*t out of her! Lol, This one was created with make-up while shooting for a fight sequence. After shooting for so many films where I sport a bruise I think now I can make one myself. I wish I knew it decades back so won’t have to cook up random stories to skip waking up early morning for school,” she captioned.

She will next be seen in “Haseen Dillruba”, “Rashmi Rocket” and “Shabaash Mithu” in the coming months.

Not only employees, employers too feeling nervous: Leading psychiatrists

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Not only employees, employers too feeling nervous: Leading psychiatrists

Emerging from weeks of strict lockdown, the level of anxiety seems to be crossing an all-time high amid lingering fear of contagion of coronavirus, feel leading psychiatrists of the country.

One major concern is job anxiety where people fear losing employment, as the economy takes a dip during a complete shutdown of businesses, says Sandeep Vohra, a renowned neuropsychiatrist presently dealing with cases related to ‘Covid induced anxiety’.

“Cases of anxiety and nervousness leading to panic have doubled. Much of the cases stem from job anxiety or loss in business. Both the employees and the employers are feeling nervous,” said R. Chandra, a psychiatrist associated with several top private hospitals in Delhi-NCR.

Sanjay Gupta (name changed) works with a software giant in Gurugram. The 44-year-old techie is one among the scores of executives who have got major salary cuts this month.

Initially nervous, Gupta is now suffering from panic attacks. Gupta fears that he might lose his job, making it difficult to run his home. Gupta is now being treated by a Greater Kailash based psychiatrist through telemedicine.

The situation is more serious at government hospitals. “Our OPDs have started. But even at the emergency (ward), cases of anxiety, depression have increased by 30 to 40 percent,” a top psychiatrist at the Central government run Safdarjung Hospital told IANS.

Almost all psychiatrists believe that coronavirus has caused a mass emotional turmoil, and once the lockdown is lifted, there would be more cases of mental health than any other disease.

In fact, such a massive impact of the virus was unexpected and its effect in the near future remains uncertain. “People who are sensitive and emotional may fall prey to bouts of anxiety. Similarly those who were already suffering from depression or acute anxiety are facing more difficulty in adjusting to the present scenario,” said Sandeep Vohra while citing an example, “There is a 45-year-old lady, having a bit of anxiety. In due course of time, her condition worsened so much (due to fear of coronavirus) that I had to put her on medicines.”

Cases of panic disorders have also increased. In many cases people fear that they have contracted Covid-19 or might get infected if they come in contact with any stranger.

“Recently, a patient arrived at my clinic who complained of contracting coronavirus, though he had no symptoms at all. In a day this patient went five times to a leading South Delhi hospital to get himself tested for Covid-19. Though he felt short of breath, it was due to nervousness. The number of such patients is increasing… and we have no option but to prescribe medicines to calm them,” said T.P. Jindal, who has been practicing for almost 40 years in East Delhi.

It is not only the employees, the employers too are feeling nervous in the season of lockdown. Disrupted supply chains, crippled transport services, closure of institutes, shutting down of markets and complete stoppage of import-exports have affected all businesses across all verticals.

Businessmen, fearing losses, are also queuing up at the clinics. “Everyone has to get mentally prepared for the new normal. Everyone should have a plan B. If one sector (of business) doesn’t seem to revive, they should think about other alternatives,” said Vohra, who had few words of advice: “Do not follow news about Covid-19 on channels all the time. Do not surf news on WhatsApp and other mediums. Excess of such stories would disturb the mind. Instead, watch some comedy. Do Yoga. Keep fit. And be positive.”

Google Pixel 4a launch delayed again

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Google Pixel 4a launch delayed again

Google Pixel 4a was earlier expected to launch on May 22 but now, according to new carrier documents, the launch date has been delayed until June.

Internal documents obtained from Vodafone Germany state that the carrier might start selling the device on June 5, reports Android Police.

This new June 5 launch date for the Pixel 4a happens to be two days after Google’s ‘Android 11: The Beta Launch Show’.

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 be holding an online launch event for the Pixel 4a or it will be directly hit the retail stores with an online launch event.

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 of non-expandable internal storage.

The device is expected to feature a 5.81-inch display is, 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.

The Megastar clarified the reasons on her exit

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The Megastar clarified the reasons on her exit

The sudden exit of heroine Trisha from the Chiranjeevi Koratala Siva film ‘Aacharya’ made sensational news then. Later the Corona affect made the shootings stalled in all the Film Industries across the World due to lockdown.

Later, The Megastar clarified the reasons on her exit saying that it was not the creative differences cited by Trisha that made her quit the project but the frequent clash of dates with yet another big film ‘Ponniyan Selvan’ which Trisha is part of.

The film is directed by genius Mani Ratnam so obviously she chose that film before ours. Moreover, no one knows how a film gets completed in Tollywood said the Megastar clearing all the rumours of hefty pay cheque for Trisha as silly!

Now the latest grapevine in Tollywood says that Trisha may soon share screen with Mega Star Chiranjeevi in any of the films in his line up. It is evident Chiru has films with young director Sujith, who remaking Lucifer, Bobby who is all set remake Vedalam which has good scope for actress and thus Trisha may star in the Vedalam remake directed by Bobby. Let’s see if the news comes into reality!

The movie with Chiranjeevi can boost the career of Trisha who is on a slow down mode after cult hit ’96’. The ageless beauty too want to cash in her chance with Mega Star!

Vijay has wrapped his dubbing part

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Vijay has wrapped his dubbing part

The governments of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are giving permissions to the filmmakers to resume the post production formalities in the state itself.

After getting the nod from the government, several Tamil films are working round the clock to finish dubbing and sound mixing works. One such film is Vijay’s much awaited, Master.

As per the latest update Vijay has wrapped his dubbing part and Vijay Sethupathi, who did the main antagonist role in the film is about to start his dubbing part this week itself.

Earlier, popular actress Raveena dubbed for Malavika Mohan’s role in this highly anticipated film. Directer Lokesh Kanagaraj is speeding the pending works to keep the film ready for release.

Two persons Died in Road Accident

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Two persons Died in Road Accident

Two persons, including a brother and sister were killed and two others injured in a car accident on Monday morning. As per reports the victims were travelling in a car, when the driver hit a stationery truck parked on the road at Koshta village of Ranasthalam mandal in Srikakulam district in the wee hours of Monday. It appeared that the car driver who was driving at a high speed, was trying to overtake a lorry and crashed into the truck unaware that it was stationery.

The deceased were identified as Madiya Dillishwar Rao (22) and Madiya Vasantha (20) who belonged to Chinna Narayanapuram of Mandasa mandal. The driver Murthy and Kusuma (8) were severely injured in the accident and Kusuma’s condition is stated to be critical.According to police, Dillishwar Rao and Vasantha were reportedly returning from their uncle’s home to their native place along with their uncle’s daughter Kusuma in the car.

After reaching Koshta near Ranasthalam mandal, the speeding car hit a stationary truck parked without any warning lights on the road. The duo who were in the back seats of the car were killed on the spot. The injured driver and girl were rushed to RIMS hospital in Srikakulam in an ambulance. Family members were informed about the accident and the bodies were taken to the RIMS hospital for autopsy. A case has been registered and the investigation is underway, police said. Meanwhile pall of gloom descended over the accident in Chinna Narayanapuram where the deceased belonged.

AP government has shifted all passengers to quarantine centres

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AP government has shifted all passengers to quarantine centres

Around 889 people of Andhra Pradesh, who were stranded in Chennai have reached Srikakulam railway station on Tuesday in ‘Shramik Special’ trains that are being operated by Indian Railways. The AP government has shifted all of them to quarantine centres.

Out of the 889 people, 685 are fishermen and the rest 204 are migrant workers, who were struck in Chennai due to ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.

All the passengers will be medically screened following protocol and then they will be sent to quarantine centres in the state. They will be sent back to their homes once they test negative for COVID-19 after completing their quarantine period of 14 days.

The state government has also arranged 30 special buses for shifting all the 889 people to quarantine centres.

The Indian Railways is running Shramik Special trains to transport migrant workers and others who are stranded at different places due to COVID-19 imposed lockdown. In a similar way, the Central government is bringing back stranded Indians from other countries as part of a mega evacuation programme “Vande Bharat”.

So far, 70,756 COVID-19 cases have been reported in India while 22,454 have been recovered and discharged from hospital, according to the Union Ministry. Andhra Pradesh reported 2,018 coronavirus cases till now and 975 have recovered from the killer virus.

COVID-19: Diamond League cancels London meeting

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COVID-19: Diamond League cancels London meeting

British Athletics on Tuesday announced that the Diamond League London meeting has been canceled in the wake of coronavirus pandemic that has hit the entire world. The Games were scheduled to take place at the London Stadium on July 4-5.

“We are hugely disappointed to confirm the cancellation of one of the flagship events of the global athletics calendar,” UK Athletics chief Joanna Coates was quoted as saying by athleticsweekly.com.

“But we must place the safety of the entire athletics family at the forefront of every decision we make during these unprecedented times and ensure we are following government advice.”

The Diamond League has also announced that no events will take place in July and the first half of August looking at the risks involved and the 2020 season will be extended to October.

“Diamond League today announces a shortened, provisional calendar for late summer and autumn 2020. Several events will be re-scheduled, others canceled as organizers continue to adapt the season in the face of the coronavirus crisis,” a statement on their website read.

“The provisional calendar will see a number of Wanda Diamond League meetings go ahead as a one-off, exhibition events, while others will be staged as adapted Diamond League meetings.

“There will be no events in July and the first half of August (other than National Championships where possible), and the season will instead be extended into October,” it added.

TTD has lost Rs 400 crore of revenue

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TTD has lost Rs 400 crore of revenue

Due to the pandemic and prolonged lockdown, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) revealed that the trust has lost Rs 400 crore of revenue. The world’s richest shrine is closed for over 50 days in the wake of COVID-19 spread in the country. Anywhere from 1 lakh to 3 lakh people visit the temple daily but due to lockdown, there are no devotees form two months, leading its revenue hit the rock bottom.

The trust says that it does not have sufficient money to pay salaries to its staff or to meet the daily expenses. It is said that the trust has spent more than Rs 300 crore in paying salaries, and pensions. However, it is now looking for a solution “without having to touch” its eight tonnes of gold reserve and Rs 14,000 crore fixed deposits.

With the trust’s monthly income stands somewhere around Rs 200 crore before lockdown, ‘TTD is committed to paying salaries and pensions and has a set of other fixed expenses which it has to incur irrespective of its revenues hitting rock bottom. TTD has a fixed annual expenditure of nearly Rs 2,500 crore under different heads.” – said TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy.

The news has raised a few questions among netizens asking where are the funds that the temple earned all these years, expressing their shock and disbelief. While some argued that state government should be held responsible and verify what happened to the last two-decades’ funds. On the other hand, a few others said that the charge sheet of TTD, which is controlled by govt. clearly tells that they indeed lack money.

It is learned that despite no pilgrims, the daily rituals and festivals are performed as per the prescribed agamas. For the financial year 2020-21, the Tirumala Tirupati temple trust has decided on an annual budget of Rs 3,309.89 crore. After the closing of the temple due to the lockdown, the trust has suffered an estimated loss in hundi collections alone of Rs 150-175 crore.

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