Women’s T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet, Jemimah efforts in vain as Australia reach final with a five-run win

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Women’s T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet, Jemimah efforts in vain as Australia reach final with a five-run win

A spirited counterattack from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues went in vain as Australia entered their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup final with a five-run win over India in the first semifinal at Newlands Cricket Ground on Thursday.

After Australia’s big players stepped up to make 172/4, India’s top three aggregated only 15 runs among themselves. Harmanpreet and Jemimah rose to the occasion by making 52 and 43 respectively while spearheading the chase with a brilliant 69-run standoff of 41 balls.

But the duo falling in 4.2 overs post the ten-over mark meant India could never recover from it and ended up at 167/8 in 20 overs, falling so close yet so far, yet again. India would also look at their sloppy fielding efforts and dropping two crucial chances apart from conceding 61 runs in the last five overs.

In chasing 173, India didn’t have a great start in the first four overs. Shafali Verma has trapped lbw while trying to flick off Megan Schutt. Smriti Mandhana was rapped on pads in front of stumps while going for a cut-off Ashleigh Gardner. A horrible mix-up saw Yastika Bhatia run out cheaply, leaving India at 28/3.

But Jemimah looked in great touch from the word go, nailing the pull and drive off Ashleigh. Harmanpreet, on the other hand, began with a classy cover drive off Ellyse Perry. With an emphasis to cut down the dot-balls, something which has been a problem area for India, Harmanpreet, and Jemimah showed the intent to rotate the strike and looked to get a run off almost every ball.

Harmanpreet went on to smack Jess Jonassen hard over long-on for six and then used Megan’s pace to paddle over the keeper for four more. Post bringing fifty of the partnership, Jemimah enthralled everyone with a brace of fours coming through dazzling inside-out drives over extra cover off Georgia Wareham.

After kickstarting the second half of the chase with a gorgeous cover drive off Darcie Brown, Jemimah fell while trying to ramp a short ball over Alyssa Healy’s head and gave a thin edge behind to the keeper. Harmanpreet then got a reprieve at 37 when Alyssa dropped the catch while stretching to her right side.

That helped as Harmanpreet beautifully sliced Tahlia McGrath over backward point for four and then cut, and swept off Georgia to get back-to-back boundaries, the second of which got her fifty in the 15th over. But in the same over, Harmanpreet was unfortunately run-out for 52 when her bat got stuck while trying to reach the crease.

Darcie struck in the 17th over when she had Richa Ghosh holing out to deep mid-wicket. Deepti Sharma pulled wide of mid-wicket off Ashleigh while Sneh Rana brought out a slog-sweep in the gap between deep square leg and deep midwicket off Megan.

With 20 needed off the last two overs, Ellyse Perry produced a full-length dive to save a boundary and gave away just two runs off Sneh’s batting in a crunch situation. Jess Jonassen then closed the over by having Sneh clean bowled. Ashleigh defended 16 off the final over as Deepti’s boundary on the last ball wasn’t sufficient to avoid a loss for India.

Brief scores: Australia 172/4 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 53, Meg Lanning 49 not out; Shikha Pandey 2-32, Deepti Sharma 1-30) beat India 167/8 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 52, Jemimah Rodrigues 43; Darcie Brown 2-18, Ashleigh Gardner 2-37) by five runs

Bengaluru Open: Nagal goes down fighting; Anirudh-Prashanth, Kadhe-Neuchrist in doubles semis

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Bengaluru Open: Nagal goes down fighting; Anirudh-Prashanth, Kadhe-Neuchrist in doubles semis

Sumit Nagal fought bravely but went down 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Max Purcell in a thrilling pre-quarterfinals of the Bengaluru Open 2023 at the KSLTA Stadium here on Thursday.

However, the Indian camp had a reason to smile as the doubles pair of Anirudh Chandrasekhar and N. Prashanth reached the semifinals, overcoming Benjamin Lock of Zimbabwe and Australia’s Akira Santillan 3-6, 6-4, 12-10.

Later, Arjun Kadhe also entered the doubles semifinals in the company of Austria’s Max Neuchrist. The duo beat 7-5, 6-3 win over Frederico Silva and Dimitar Kuzmanov.

The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) is organizing the prestigious ATP Challenger event at the KSLTA Stadium in Bengaluru.

Nagal, who had to fight through a tough three-setter against Nam Hoang Ly in the previous round, started off brightly winning the first set 6-4. The Indian was solid in all facets of the game and did not lose a single point on his second serve.

Purcell looked shaky and could win only 33 percent of his second serve points but the Australian harnessed his assets to better effect in the second set. Purcell, the defending Wimbledon doubles champion, upped his game a notch higher and used his booming serve to earn some quick points.

He affected a break in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead and then bagged the second set 6-3 with an easy hold.

The third set also offered a similar pattern as both players held their serves until the 6th game. Purcell, though, looked more sorted of the two as the Aussie combined his big serves with equally powerful ground shots.

Purcell made the crucial break in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead and then held his serve to stretch the lead to 5-3. Under pressure to stay in the match, Nagal fought hard in the ninth game but Purcell clinched the break and sealed the game, set and match in his favour.

Meanwhile, No. 5 seed Luca Nardi and Dimitar Kuzmanov also made their way into the Last-8 with contrasting wins. While Nardi fought hard against Jason Jung during his 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 victory, Kuzmanov thrashed Alibek Kachmazov 6-3, 6-4.

India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan and his Italian partner Francesco Maestrelli crashed out in the quarterfinals following a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to the top-seeded Australian duo of Purcell and Marc Polmans.

Results:

Singles (Round of 16): Max Purcell beat Sumit Nagal 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; 5-Luca Nardi beat Jason Jung 7-5, 5-7, 6-2; 8-Dimitar Kuzmanov beat Alibek Kachmazov 6-3, 6-4; 2-James Duckworth beat Giovanni Perricard 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles (Quarterfinals): Anirudh Chandrasekhar-N Prashanth beat Benjamin Lock-Akira Santillan 3-6, 6-4, 12-10; Arjun Kadhe-Max Neuchrist beat Frederico Silva-Dimitar Kuzmanov 7-5, 6-3; Yunseong Chung-Yu Hsiou Hsu beat Nicolas de Alboran-Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6(6), 6-2; 1-Max Purcell-Marc Polmans beat Ramkumar Ramanathan-Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-4.

British Sikh MP accused of undermining sexual abuse victims: Report

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British Sikh MP accused of undermining sexual abuse victims: Report

Labor supporters have complained to the party about British Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill after she sent a series of WhatsApp messages on a group undermining allegations of sexual abuse within gurdwaras.

According to the messages seen by The Guardian, Gill says those calling Sikh temples unsafe are using “very dangerous language” and urges them to tender a written apology to gurdwaras.

“I was very surprised by her comments, as there are genuine concerns with safeguarding at UK gurdwaras,” Nav Johal, a Labour councilor who was on the group to which Gill sent the messages, told The Guardian.

“Her messages were even more surprising given Gill (a former social worker) comes from a child protection background,” Johal added.

The flare-up over the WhatsApp messages happened after UK charity and victim support service Sikh Women’s Aid (SWA), which surveyed 839 Sikh women in Britain, found that close to two-thirds of them had experienced domestic abuse.

Some of the respondents said that they had been abused by faith leaders as the report went on to warn about the lack of protection offered by gurdwaras, The Guardian said.

The SWA had said in its report that it “has advocated for several cases where sexual abuse and misconduct were alleged to have taken place or exacerbated in Gurdwara and faith settings”.

After the publication of the report, an angry Gill posted a series of messages on the WhatsApp group, Sikhs in Labour. “Where are your Evidence guru gears (Gurdwaras) not safe??? This is outrageous you should apologize to the Sikh community,” she wrote in one of the messages shared by The Guardian.

“Calling guru gears unsafe is very dangerous language. Please submit a written apology to guru gears,” she added.

Gill also said in one of her messages that alleged victims of rape at one particular gurdwara had been in consensual relationships with their accused attacker.

Finance Minister meets EU Commissioner, discusses G20 agenda items

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Finance Minister meets EU Commissioner, discusses G20 agenda items

Amid hectic parleys with her counterparts of G20 nations on the eve of the two-day Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting, which commences in Bengaluru from Friday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday met European Union Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni.

Both leaders discussed the agenda items under G20’s India Presidency. They further deliberated on global economic issues, including India’s G20 priorities of global debt vulnerabilities, climate finance, and global health.

Both leaders also exchanged views on global food and fertilizer insecurity. Gentiloni expressed support for India’s G20 Presidency agenda.

The two-day FMCBG meeting is set to begin on Friday and would be presided over by Sitharaman and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

This malware steals social media credentials under ChatGPT app disguise

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This malware steals social media credentials under ChatGPT app disguise

A team of researchers has identified a new and ongoing malware campaign that capitalizes on the increasing popularity of the ChatGPT AI chatbot, a new report said on Thursday.

According to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, cybercriminals are distributing the malware via Facebook communities, offering a fake desktop version of ChatGPT.

“This campaign targeting ChatGPT is a prime example of how attackers leverage social engineering techniques to exploit users’ trust in popular brands and services. It is important for users to understand that, just because a service appears to be legitimate, it doesn’t mean that it is,” said Darya Ivanova, a security expert at Kaspersky.

Other than the bot, users are infected with the Fobo Trojan, which steals sensitive data such as Facebook, TikTok, and Google account credentials and personal and corporate financial information.

When users click on the link in the post, they are directed to a well-designed website that looks almost identical to the official ChatGPT website, said the report.

The website then directs users to download a purported ChatGPT version for Windows, which is actually an archive containing an executable file.

The installation process then begins but abruptly ends with an error message stating that the program could not be installed.

In fact, the installation of the program proceeds without the users’ knowledge and a new stealer Trojan, Trojan-PSW.Win64.Fobo is installed on the user’s computer, according to the report.

This Trojan is intended to steal information about saved accounts from browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave.

As part of the attack, the Trojan steals login credentials and attempts to obtain additional information, such as the amount of advertising money and the current balance of the business accounts.

The attackers are going after the global market. Users in Africa, Asia, Europe, and America have been targeted by the fraudulent “desktop client” for ChatGPT, the report mentioned.

WhatsApp is working on feature to let users edit messages on iOS beta

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WhatsApp is working on feature to let users edit messages on iOS beta

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp is reportedly still working on a feature that will allow users to edit messages on the platform, in iOS beta.

The new feature will give users up to 15 minutes to edit their messages to fix any mistake or include any additional information to the original message, reports WABetaInfo.

This feature is currently under development and is not ready to be released to beta testers.

The report further mentioned that the company might also bring a feature in a future update of the application, which will allow users to edit media captions.

In November last year, it was reported that the messaging platform was working on this feature, for iOS beta.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, WhatsApp was reportedly working on a feature that will allow users to send photos with high quality in iOS beta.

The new option will preserve the image dimensions, but light compression will still be applied to the picture.

JLo celebrates twins Max, Emme’s 15th birthday, posts video featuring Ben Affleck

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JLo celebrates twins Max, Emme’s 15th birthday, posts video featuring Ben Affleck

Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez is celebrating her twins’ birthdays and giving fans a look into their lives with their stepdad Ben Affleck.

The songstress, 53, shared an Instagram video filled with special family moments to mark Max and Emme’s 15th birthday, reports People magazine.

“Happy birthday to my beautiful, brilliant coconuts,” she wrote in the caption, using the nickname she has for the twins, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony. “I am so proud of you both in every single way. You bring so much joy and happiness to my heart and soul. I love you beyond forever HAPPY BIRTHDAY #Twins.”

The video features glimpses into their 15 years as Taylor Swift’s 2008 single, ‘Fifteen’, plays in the background.

As per People, some of the more recent moments featured in the video include behind-the-scenes shots from Emme’s involvement in her mom’s 2020 Super Bowl performance and a family photo showing the newly blended family around a dinner table.

Lopez also highlighted a candid moment where Affleck, 50, holds Max in his arms as he lies asleep during a car ride.

The couple, who were married in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony in July, has made their children an important part of their relationship.

95% WhatsApp users in India bombarded with pesky messages daily

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95% WhatsApp users in India bombarded with pesky messages daily

A massive 95 percent of WhatsApp users surveyed in India indicate that they get one or more pesky messages each day and 41 percent of those even get four or more such messages on a daily basis, a report showed on Thursday.

About 76 percent said they see such unsolicited messages on WhatsApp based on their conversations with WhatsApp business accounts and Facebook and Instagram activities.

WhatsApp users in India indicate most pesky messages come from someone selling financial services, real estate, offering jobs and earning opportunities, healthcare, and pathology services, according to the report by the online community platform LocalCircles.

In 2021, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched a probe into whether WhatsApp was in a position to compromise quality in terms of protection of individualized data.

WhatsApp users in India have been raising issues about unsolicited commercial communication on the platform for years.

The latest data shows that only 5 percent of those surveyed are spared this harassment, but 54 percent get 1-3 spam or promotional messages every day.

Experts assume that many WhatsApp users in India do not avail the options of blocking, muting or archiving users and chats or lack awareness.

“In some cases, spammers create groups of users and send pesky messages to them as it enables them to send such messages to a larger number of WhatsApp users at one go,” said the report.

With the new WhatsApp privacy policy, the users expected to see relevant advertising based on business chats on Facebook/Instagram but not exactly on WhatsApp, and that too in the form of pesky messages.

“This is something that WhatsApp must investigate and if this is a result of organized advertising or partnership with brands, the users must be informed,” said the report.

Tamil actor Vishal averts major mishap on ‘Mark Antony’ sets

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Tamil actor Vishal averts major mishap on ‘Mark Antony’ sets

Tamil actor Vishal had a miraculous escape from a near-death situation during the shooting of his movie ‘Mark Antony’.

It happened when a truck on the sets lost stability and advanced toward the actor and his co-actors. The huge truck was on the brink of crashing into the place where the actors, including Vishal, were stationed. Fortunately, each one of them escaped unscathed.

According to the plan, the truck was to hit a wall and then stop, but the wall collapsed and the truck apparently lost control and advanced toward the area where the artists were stationed.

Vishal said in his tweet: “Just saved my life in a matter of few seconds and a few inches, thanks to the Almighty. Numb after this incident. Back on my feet and back to the shoot.”

The movie directed by Adhik Ravichandran has SJ Surya playing a stellar role, the details of which are still under wraps. The internationally renowned stunt director Peter Hein, together with Dhilip Subbarayan, Kamal Kannan, and Ravi Varma, is doing the action scenes.

Other than Vishal and SJ Surya, the cast comprises Abhinaya, Ritu Varma, and Sunil Varma.

Ram Charan, NTR Jr face-off for Critics Choice Super Awards

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Ram Charan, NTR Jr face-off for Critics Choice Super Awards

S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ has garnered three nominations for the third annual Critics Choice Super Awards, which honor superhero, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and action movies and TV/OTT series, reports ‘Variety’. The winners will be announced on March 16.

‘RRR’ is not only on the shortlist for the best action movie in the company of ‘Bullet Train’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ and ‘The Woman King’, but the two lead stars of the period action drama, Ram Charan and Junior NTR are in the race for best actor in an action movie, along with Nicolas Cage (‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’), Tom Cruise (‘Top Gun: Maverick’) and Brad Pitt (‘Bullet Train’), notes ‘Variety’.

Warner Bros ‘The Batman’ leads the film nominees with six nods, including best superhero movie, as many as three individual best actor in a superhero movie mentions for Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, and Paul Dano, (and the latter also picking up a second nom for best villain in a movie). Zoe Kravitz landed a nom for best actress in a superhero movie for her portrayal of Catwoman.

Other favorites of the Critics Choice Association, according to ‘Variety’, included some Oscar nominees such as ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.

In the television categories, four series tied for the most moms with four apiece — Paramount+’s ‘Evil’, HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’, Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Boys’ and FX’s ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.

Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka attend wedding of Jitendra Singh’s daughter in Alwar

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Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka attend wedding of Jitendra Singh’s daughter in Alwar

Hundreds of members of erstwhile royal families and prominent politicians including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as well as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, attended the wedding celebrations of former Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s daughter in Alwar.

Jitendra Singh’s daughter Manavika got married to Avijit Singh, a member of the former royal family of Pali, on Wednesday night.

In view of the ceremony, police security was increased outside the Circuit House, helipad and the wedding venue Phool Bagh.

Prominent guests from India and abroad reached Alwar for the royal wedding.

A helipad was prepared at Kendriya Vidyalaya. A large number of policemen were deployed from here to Phool Bagh. Most of the hotels in the city were booked for the wedding.

Preparations for the wedding were made at Phool Bagh Palace, also the residence of Jitendra Singh. The procession of Avijit Singh reached Alwar on Tuesday.

The erstwhile royal family members who attended the marriage were from Nepal, Tripura, Nabha (Patiala), Rajkot (Gujarat), Datia (Madhya Pradesh), Pathankot (Punjab), Jodhpur, Karauli, Dholpur, Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh), Jaisalmer, Kishangarh (Ajmer).

While Raje arrived at 12 noon on Wednesday to attend the wedding ceremony. Priyanka Gandhi reached with her entire family at around 4.30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Gehlot reached at around 6 p.m. He was accompanied by several MLAs and leaders including Assembly Speaker C.P. Joshi, Cabinet Ministers Tikaram Julie, and Shakuntala Yadav.

7.2-magnitude earthquake hits Tajikistan

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7.2-magnitude earthquake hits Tajikistan

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Tajikistan on Thursday and was also strongly felt in China’s Xinjiang region.

An official in the region told Xinhua news agency that the earthquake across the border was felt strongly, but no immediate reports of casualties and losses have been received yet.

Currently, power supply and communication in Kashgar are normal.

Many counties and cities in Kashgar and nearby areas are within the 300-km radius of the epicenter.

An earthquake occurred at 8.37 a.m., according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC).

The epicenter was monitored at 37.98 degrees north latitude and 73.29 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 km, according to the CENC.

Amazon closes $3.9 bn acquisition of healthcare provider One Medical

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Amazon closes $3.9 bn acquisition of healthcare provider One Medical

Amazon has closed its $3.9 billion acquisition of primary healthcare organization One Medical, as the e-commerce giant steps up efforts to reinvent healthcare in the digital and virtual era. The acquisition was originally announced in July last year.

One Medical combines in-person care in inviting offices across the country with digital health and virtual care services, making it easier for patients to schedule appointments, renew prescriptions, access up-to-date health records, and advance health outcomes.

“For a limited time, One Medical is offering annual memberships at the discounted price of $144 for the first year (regularly $199 per year), the equivalent of $12 per month, to new customers,” Amazon said in a blog post.

One Medical went public in 2020 and was backed by Google and others as a startup.

“One Medical has set the bar for what a quality, convenient, and affordable primary care experience should be like. We’re inspired by their human-centered, technology-forward approach and excited to help them continue to grow and serve more patients,” said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services.

Amazon acquired One Medical for $18 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $3.9 billion, including One Medical’s net debt.

“We now set our sights on delivering even further positive impacts for consumers, employers, care teams, and health networks, as we join Amazon with its long-term orientation, history of invention, and passion for reimagining a better future,” said Amir Dan Rubin, CEO of One Medical.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that customers want and deserve better, and that’s what One Medical has been working and innovating on for more than a decade.

“Together, we believe we can make the health care experience easier, faster, more personal, and more convenient for everyone,” he said.

Mainly dry weather with clear sky likely in J&K

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Mainly dry weather with clear sky likely in J&K

Weather was mainly clear in Jammu and Kashmir during the last 24 hours as the Met Department said on Thursday that the weather is likely to remain the same.

“Mainly clear weather is expected in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours,” a Department official said.

Srinagar had 0.6, Pahalgam minus 4.4, and Gulmarg minus 3.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature.

In the Ladakh region, Kargil had minus 12.6 and Leh minus 9.6 as the minimum temperature.

Jammu had 10.1, Katra 10.6, Batote 6.4, Banihal 6.8, and Bhaderwah 2.2 as the minimum temperature.

Google fixes Gmail sync issue affecting Outlook users

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Google fixes Gmail sync issue affecting Outlook users

Google on Thursday said that it has fixed the Gmail sync issue it was having with Microsoft servers when using Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), which most likely affected Outlook users.

“The Gmail sync issue with Microsoft servers when using IMAP is now resolved. Thank you for your patience while we resolved the problem,” the company said on its status page.

According to Google, because of the outage, that started on Wednesday, users were not able to sync new messages while accessing Outlook or Hotmail email accounts on the Gmail application across all device platforms.

On Wednesday, the company said that its engineering team was working in partnership with the Microsoft team to investigate the email sync issue via IMAP.

“Update: Microsoft team has acknowledged that other large mail providers beyond Gmail are also not able to sync with Microsoft’s IMAP server. They are working on the issue,” it added.

Taking to Twitter, several users reported the issue.

One user asked: “My outlook email has been down since the middle of the night last night. I have seen a few tweets regarding this but not many. Is anyone else having issues with no emails at all from Microsoft outlook???”

Another queried: “Is anyone else having problems with #gmail accounts and #Outlook?”

Big guns return: Australia name 16-player squad for India ODI series

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Big guns return: Australia name 16-player squad for India ODI series

Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh return to Australian colors for the One-Day International series against India next month. Australia will play India in Mumbai (March 17), Vizag (March 19), and Chennai (March 22) for the ODIs.

Maxwell (broken leg) and Marsh (ankle) have been included in the 16-player squad for the three ODI games which follow the Test Series.

Victorian Maxwell returned to play last week with games in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition and Marsh Sheffield Shield for Victoria while Marsh is expected to play the next two Marsh Cup matches for Western Australia before heading to India.

Jhye Richardson also makes a return to the Australian team having recovered from a hamstring strain that ruled him out of the BBL finals.

Chair of Selectors George Bailey said: “With the World Cup just over seven months away, these matches in India are an important step in our preparation. Glenn, Mitchell, and Jhye are all important players in what we think the squad might look like come October.”

Josh Hazlewood has not been named in the squad to fully overcome an Achilles injury as he prepares for a potential World Test Championship final and the Ashes in England.

“It would be great for Josh to be part of this series but we have taken a conservative view ahead of a very important winter in England of which he will be an integral part,” Bailey said.

Australian squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Instagram co-founders’ new AI-powered news app ‘Artifact’ now open to all

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Instagram co-founders’ new AI-powered news app ‘Artifact’ now open to all
Artifact, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered personalized news feed application by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, is now available to everyone, along with new features.
Now, anyone can download and use the new application and no waitlist or phone number is required, the Artifact team wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. The application is available for both iOS and Android users.
With the new version of the application, users can connect their contacts and see articles that are popular in their network.
“By connecting your contacts, you’ll start seeing articles with a special badge when they’ve been read by at least several of your contacts,” the team said.
Moreover, the company also added another tool to help users visualize reading history.
After reading 10 articles, users will be able to see statistics on what they read the most from their profile.
Users will see a thumbs-down icon on every article page so that they can tell the company “why you don’t like an article or publisher and take action to see fewer articles like it or less from that publisher”.
Users can also add a phone number from their “Profile” which will save their preferences and history.
“Adding a phone number allows you to log in across devices or regain access if you get a new phone,” the team explained. The app’s waitlist was opened to the public last month.

Goa CM welcomes Mhadei PRAWAH, opposition terms it ‘farce’

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Goa CM welcomes Mhadei PRAWAH, opposition terms it ‘farce’

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has welcomed the union cabinet’s decision to approve the creation of Mhadei PRAWAH (Mhadei Water Authority). However, the opposition called it a gimmick to divert attention.

“I thank the Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving the establishment of the PRAWAH in the cabinet meeting. This has been one of our primary demands and we wholeheartedly welcome the decision,” Sawant said.

Sawant said that the establishment of the authority will help in preventing the illegal diversion of water. “It also reaffirms the fact that the Centre will not allow any injustice on Goa,” he said.

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had tweeted “PM Sh. @narendramodi led cabinet today has approved the creation of Mahadayi PRAWAH. This will enable the compliance and implementation of the award & decisions of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal.”

“It will also aid in building mutual trust and understanding among party states Goa, Karnataka & Maharashtra thereby ensuring the right use of water resources of this region for its overall development.”Shekhawat further said.

However, Congress Goa chief Amit Patkar reacting to the new development said that it is a move of the BJP to give all powers to authority controlled by the central government.

“With the creation of Mhadei PRAWAH Authority, this BJP government is only willing to give all powers and control to an Authority controlled by the Central government, where every Goan will suffer and they will sell and destroy our state sitting in Delhi,” Patkar said.

“By this move, the Goa government has accepted that there will be an illegal diversion of Mhadei and the setting up of Authority is a farce only meant to deviate, Goans who are trying to stop the diversion,” Patkar said.

Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said that while Karnataka is diverting water from Mhadei, the central government is diverting attention. “Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is complicit in both. No Mhadei Water Authority will distract us from our non-negotiable demand. Government should withdraw permission given to the Detailed Project Report of Karnataka. All else you do is a smokescreen designed to buy time and delay justice to Goa,” Sardesai said.

Ever since Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the Centre has cleared the much-disputed Kalasa-Banduri dam project in his state, people have started holding public meetings against the Central government’s decision.

Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the Kalasa-Banduri dam project across the water of the Mhadei river at a central tribunal.

Mhadei originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji. While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa.

Karnataka plans to construct dams on the river, aimed at diverting the water into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.

Pentagon releases selfie taken by US pilot of Chinese spy balloon

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Pentagon releases selfie taken by US pilot of Chinese spy balloon

The US Department of Defense (DOD) has released a selfie image taken by an American pilot which shows the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down earlier this month.

The selfie, taken by the pilot of a U-2 spy plane, shows the shadow of the aircraft on the balloon and a clear image of the latter’s payload as it crossed across the continental US, Media reported.

The suspected spy balloon, which was first spotted by the US on January 28, was shot down on February 4 by an American F-22 fighter jet.

The officials waited until the “strange object” was safely over water before shooting it down.

The balloon was retrieved off the coast of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on February 5.

A senior State Department official said earlier this month that fly-bys “revealed that the high-altitude balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations”.

The image, which was released on Wednesday and was taken the day before the balloon the shot down, has reportedly “gained legendary status” inside the Pentagon, reports the BBC.

The balloon was said to be hovering at 60,000 fee in the air. U-2 spy planes routinely fly at altitudes over 70,000 feet, according to the Air Force.

The single-seater reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, nicknamed the Dragon Lady, were previously flown by the CIA.

Pilots are required to wear full-pressure suits similar to those worn by astronauts.

Recovery efforts for the balloon’s scattered remnants in the Atlantic Ocean ended on February 17.

Pieces of the debris were transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Virginia to be studied for further, reports Media.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a briefing on Wednesday that the payload of the balloon had been recovered.

1 terrorist killed in Pakistan: Military

TB Team
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1 terrorist killed in Pakistan: Military

One terrorist was killed by security forces during an exchange of fire in northwest Pakistan, a military statement said.

The incident happened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, according to the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations.

It was reported that the killed terrorist remained involved in terrorist activities against security forces and civilians.

“Locals of the area appreciated the response and expressed their full support to eliminating the menace of terrorism,” said the statement.

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