Surf excel becomes HUL’s first $1 billion brand

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Surf excel becomes HUL’s first $1 billion brand

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on Friday announced that its leading laundry detergent brand, Surf excel has crossed the $1 billion turnover mark.

With this, Surf excel becomes one of the few brands in the entire consumer packaged goods sector in India to achieve this distinction.

Purpose-driven marketing, on-trend innovations, and superior product quality have fuelled the brand’s journey to this milestone, HUL said.

The brand has developed a strong emotional resonance with consumers consistently building on the purpose of ‘Daag Acche Hain’ conveying the message that ‘if you get dirty while doing something good, then dirt is good’.

Over the years, the brand has leveraged Unilever’s expertise in R&D to design unique solutions for India and has deployed them effectively across the country. With the establishment of the largest manufacturing plant in Uttar Pradesh, Surf excel has further widened its manufacturing and distribution network.

Deepak Subramanian, Executive Director, Home Care, Hindustan Unilever Limited, said, “Surf excel has not just addressed societal and parenting tensions through its communication, but has also led the innovation agenda in the category by being obsessed with emerging trends and consumer pain points. Surf excel has played a pioneering role by being the first to launch and scale up superior bars through proprietary technology, washing machine specialist products, detergent liquids, liquid capsules, and stain-removing sprays, thereby reshaping the market through premiumization.”

Grand Prix Badminton League to be held in a new avatar in August

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Grand Prix Badminton League to be held in a new avatar in August

The second season of the Grand Prix Badminton League (GPBL) will be held in a new avatar in August this year.

The first season saw the top players from Karnataka with the teams mentored by the who-is-who of Indian badminton including PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponappa, Sai Praneeth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, HS Prannoy, Chirag Shetty and Jwala Gutta, will now add an international flavor along with top-ranked Indian players in the second edition.

Announcing the development, League Commissioner Prashanth Reddy said that the success of GPBL Season-1 was instrumental in elevating it to the National level.

“In the wake of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) not being conducted over the past three years, GPBL is being elevated to a National level event. We were preparing for the second season of GPBL and at the insistence of players and the team owners, we are going ahead with GPBL as a National event,” said Prashanth who is also the co-owner of Bengaluru Raptors, the defending champions of PBL while adding, “We are amplifying the efforts of BAI in helping the players to earn their livelihood from the sport. GPBL follows a completely different format and is more a made-for-television event in an attempt to popularise the game of badminton in India while giving an opportunity for the aspiring players to earn decent monies.”

GPBL intends to increase the number of teams from eight to 10 and will have a pool of over 150 players including about 25 international players who will go under the hammer. “The idea is to give players from across India a chance to rub shoulders with the best players and build a platform for these players to acclimatize to the tougher competitions abroad,” said Prashanth.

Some of the top players to feel that such leagues go a long way in shaping the career of badminton players. “I feel that leagues such as GPBL not only give the players a platform to showcase their skills on an international forum but also help financially. We are in dire need of tournament exposure, especially for those on the threshold of making their international debut,” said India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu.

“The GPBL was a different experience for me. Even though it was a state league, the competition was intense. The live television coverage and the aura created around the event were huge and it really felt like it was an international event. The prize money was substantial which we don’t get to see in domestic events,” said Mithun Manjunath who is ranked No.43 in the BWF rankings.

Sai Praneeth, who was the only participant in the men’s singles during the last Olympics, feels that players should be allowed to choose the tournaments they wish to play. “I think it is every player’s right to choose the tournaments they participate in. Leagues help a player in funding their training and self-sustenance,” said the 30-year-old who had risen to world No.10 in 2019.

The GPBL which is likely to be held between the first and second week of August will also play as a warm-up event before the World Championship to be held in Denmark from Aug 21-27.

Kumar Sanu’s ‘Dil Bhi Rone Laga’ brings back the charm of the 90s

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Kumar Sanu’s ‘Dil Bhi Rone Laga’ brings back the charm of the 90s

Kumar Sanu, one of the most revered singers of the 1990s, has released a new track and it is laced with the old world charm enough to send the 1990s generation on a nostalgic trip. The song, titled ‘Dil Bhi Rone Laga’ is about love, loss, remembrance, and human connection.

Talking about the song, Kumar Sanu said: “It is a beautiful romantic melody, there is a special old world charm to it, something we don’t see and hear very often today.”

The music video of the song features Ali Merchant and Parvati Nair and has been released under the label of United White Flag with its lyrics penned by Kumaar. The lyrics of ‘Dil Bhi Rone Laga’ are hard-hitting and reveal the frustration one feels when one loses one significant other.

Ali Merchant said: “‘Dil Bhi Rone Laga’ communicates how love is a double-edged sword that can cause immense pain as well as bring a lot of joy.”

Odisha bank Riyadh dreams on Oram and Tigga

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Odisha bank Riyadh dreams on Oram and Tigga

Rakesh Oram was called into the India U-15 team, in 2012, at the age of 14, one that traveled to Spain for the Copa Coca-Cola Cup that year. He was the only Odisha player on that team and considered the first of those that promised more.

Oram played as a striker at the time. In fact, his performance in the semi-final of the National Sub-Junior Football Championship held in Goa that year had helped secure his spot in the National Team. He scored three goals against Karnataka, two against Uttar Pradesh, and one against Meghalaya in that tournament.

“That was a long time ago,” he said a gentle smile across his face. “I’ve learned a lot of different things since then.”

Having started playing football at a past time in Chituapara, Jharsaguda, Oram was in the sports hostel at the time of his selection. From there, his growth was linear, as he went on to play for Mumbai City in 2016 and then joined the Bengaluru FC second team. When Odisha came calling for the Hero Santosh Trophy last year, he secured his release to play in the tournament.

“It’s a matter of prestige. To be able to play for my state, maybe youngsters will see it and get inspired even more. I learned a lot playing outside and now I want to teach others that too,” he says.

From a hot-blooded goal-scoring attacker, Oram has evolved into a stoic, calm defender, unafraid of the ball and skillful enough to play it from the back. He is the fulcrum, the captain of the state team, as they battle to stay alive in the competition and book their ticket to Riyadh.

At the same age that Oram was lighting up the National scene, Prabin Tigga was playing hockey. It was natural enough. He was growing up in Rourkela, the hotbed of India’s hockey. His father encouraged it and wanted him to work hard and earn his chops at a higher level.

Tigga enjoyed a game on grass more than that on turf though. “I don’t know why,” he laughs. “It just appealed to me more. There was something more exciting about football. I know it seems strange for a boy from Rourkela to say that, but that’s how I felt.”

Hockey’s loss was football’s gain, at least for his home state. Tigga, a defensive midfielder, is the Hutch to Oram’s Starsky, their performances the glue that holds Salim Pathan’s plan together.

Tigga has experience with Pathan, having played under him at ARA FC, and knows what is expected of him within this team.

The hosts play a crucial encounter in Group A on Friday, February 17, a must-win game against defending champions Kerala. It promises to be a blockbuster clash, both teams knowing that nothing less than a win will do.

“We have all dreamt of going abroad, playing somewhere else, and now that is offered at the Santosh Trophy,” Tigga says. “Rakesh Bhai has experienced this. We all want to do so too.”

WhatsApp working to bring communities to its Business app

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WhatsApp working to bring communities to its Business app

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp is reportedly working to bring communities to its WhatsApp Business application on Android.

The platform is not likely to remove the business tab which was introduced last year, reports WABetaInfo.

Instead, it might add a new entry point for the new feature right within the application menu.

When users will open ‘Communities’ right within the menu, they will see the list of all the communities they created and joined in the past, including all their subgroups and community announcement groups.

Moreover, businesses will be able to create a new community within this section.

The ability to create, manage, and use communities on WhatsApp Business is currently under development so it is not yet ready to be released to beta testers, the report said.

In November last year, the messaging platform announced new features for a better commerce experience for users and to help them connect with their favorite brands as well as find new ones on the platform.

Tesla to update FSD beta in 363K cars over crash risk, Musk slams ‘recall’ word

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Tesla to update FSD beta in 363K cars over crash risk, Musk slams ‘recall’ word

Tesla will update its driver assist software called Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta over “crash risks” in nearly 363,000 vehicles.

Tesla will deploy an over-the-air (OTA) software update at no cost to the customer in the coming weeks that will improve how FSD Beta negotiates certain driving maneuvers.

The vehicles to be “recalled” as per a directive by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y series that have installed or are pending installation of a software release that contains the Full Self-Driving Beta or FSD Beta.

Elon Musk tweeted about his disdain for the word “recall,” saying Tesla is not recalling any cars.

“The word ‘recall’ for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong,” he posted.

Tesla will simply push out an OTA software update to fix the problems identified in NHTSA’s request.

NHTSA has been investigating Tesla’s driver-assist technology for several years.

FSD Beta is a driver support feature that can provide steering and braking/acceleration support to the driver under certain operating limitations.

With FSD Beta, the driver is responsible for the operation of the vehicle whenever the feature is engaged and must constantly supervise the feature and intervene (steer, brake, or accelerate) as needed to maintain the safe operation of the vehicle.

On February 7, Tesla decided to administer a voluntary “recall” out of an abundance of caution.

As of February 14, Tesla has identified 18 warranty claims, received between May 8, 2019, and September 12, 2022.

Tesla said it is not aware of any injuries or deaths that may be related to FSD Beta.

Ahead of presenting K’taka budget, CM Bommai offers special worship

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Ahead of presenting K’taka budget, CM Bommai offers special worship

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai offered special worship before presenting the budget for the financial year 2023-24, the last budget of the ruling BJP government in Karnataka on Friday.

CM Bommai visited Srikanteshwara temple located in Muthappa Block of R.T. Nagar and Maruthi temple near Balabruyi in Bengaluru.

He got special worship done for the people of the state at the temples and sought blessings. Later, he waved at the media and showed the victory symbol before entering the Assembly. “I prayed to God for the wellbeing of the people of the state,” he said before presenting the budget.

Sources reveal that CM Bommai and the party have made it a popular budget and the party is all set to pitch the budget presented as the assurance for the upcoming elections.

CM Bommai presented a Rs 2,65,720 crore budget last year. The government had claimed that it had reached 91 percent targets and ensured 75 percent progress. BJP insiders said that the size of this budget is going to be Rs 3 lakh crore.

The Chief Minister was a member of the GST Council and presently he is the President of the Group of Ministers for GST Reforms. He had taken strict steps to ensure meeting tax targets. He is also likely to announce community-based major schemes in view of the upcoming elections.

MP govt hospital doctors go on indefinite strike

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MP govt hospital doctors go on indefinite strike

Medical services across all state government-run hospitals and healthcare centers were disrupted as doctors went on an indefinite strike on Friday.

The protest began at Bhopal’s Gandhi Medical College and was joined by over 10,000 doctors across Madhya Pradesh.

A junior doctor told Media that medical services of not only district-level hospitals but primary and community health centers in remote and rural areas will also remain suspended until the state government accepts their demands.

The OPD services have been shut in hospitals and the doctors have threatened to suspend emergency services also, a junior doctor associated with Hamidia hospital told Media. The services in many hospitals were partially suspended on Thursday also.

Notably, the alarm bells have been ringing for almost a month as doctors have been threatening to go on strike and they have begun a statewide mobilization rally under the banner of the MP government and autonomous doctors’ federation dubbed as ‘Chikitsa Bachao – Chikitsak Bachao’. From January 27 to February 7 the doctors held rallies across the state.

The federation comprises medical doctors from all 13 medical colleges which fall under the directorate of medical education. MP health department-associated doctors from primary health centers to specialists in district hospitals, Bhopal gas relief and rehabilitation associated doctors, along with ESI and home department are also part of the joint stir.

“It’s been over a month that we were trying to seek the attention of the government, but the approach of the administration left us with no option but to stop all services, including emergency services in all government hospitals. We have sought intervention to resolve the issues, which almost all states have implemented in favor of doctors,” said Dr. Rakesh Malviya, secretary of, the Medical Education Officers Association.

Sensing that the doctors’ strike will result in a crisis, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan late on Thursday held an emergency meeting with senior officials to review the situation.

“The Chief Minister held a meeting with the Collectors and Commissioners through video conferencing at the residence office, Samatva Bhavan late last night and got information about the health facilities in government hospitals and medical colleges,” the Chief Minister’s office tweeted on Friday.

2nd Test, Day 1: You are a role model for what determination, self-belief and dreams can do, says Gavaskar to Pujara

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2nd Test, Day 1: You are a role model for what determination, self-belief and dreams can do, says Gavaskar to Pujara

Through the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here, top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara entered an elite list of playing 100 Test matches for the country, becoming the 13th Indian player to reach the milestone.

Ahead of day one’s play on Friday, legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar felicitated Pujara with a heartwarming speech in the presence of the Test team as well as the right-handed batter’s father Arvind, wife Puja, and daughter Aditi.

“When we are playing as kids growing up, we all, whether we are playing at home, in streets or maidans, dream to play for India. When we play a Test for India, it’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s a heady feeling which you want to do over and over again. To be able to do that, you need to do a lot of hard work, plenty of determination, self-belief, lift yourself up from lean periods, and then focus on getting the job done.”

“When you come out to bat, it is not just the bat you are carrying along with you, but you are taking the India flag with you. When you go out to bat, you put your body on the line for India. You have taken blows, you have got up and you have made the bowlers earn your wicket. Every single run made by you has been a big, big plus for India.”

“You are a role model for what determination, self-belief and dreams can do. Many congratulations to you on getting the 100th Test match and welcome to the 100 Test matches club I wish and pray that you become the first Indian to score a big hundred in your hundredth Test match and lay the foundation for yet another win here in Delhi. Congratulations and all the very best,” said Gavaskar in his speech to Pujara, and presented him with a special cap to mark the occasion of playing his 100th Test match.

Since his Test debut in October 2010 which ironically came in the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Pujara has emerged to be a mainstay in India’s batting order in the longest format of the game. As of now, Pujara has played 99 Tests, amassing 7021 runs while averaging 44.15, including 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries.

“Thanks, Sunny bhai, (it’s an) honor to receive it from you. Legends like you have inspired me to do special things while playing for the country. So, it is truly special to receive this from you. As a young cricketer, I always dreamt of playing for the Indian team, but I never thought I’d be playing 100 Test matches for India, so it is a special moment for me,” said Pujara in his speech, which was met by huge cheers from the sparse crowd.

Pujara is also the only Indian batter to face 500 deliveries in a Test inning, which again came against Australia in the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy match in March 2017 at Ranchi where he scored a gigantic 202 off 525 balls. In that innings, he surpassed the record of Dravid, who had made 270 off a mammoth 495 balls against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2004.

“I believe Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game and it tests your temperament, and character; there are so many similarities between life and Test cricket. If you can fight through tough periods, you always come out on top. I feel really proud and to all the youngsters out there, I would encourage you to work hard and strive to play for the Indian Test team.”

“Thanks to my family, wife, father, and entire family, for the friends and support. Thanks to the BCCI, media, my teammates, and support staff for the constant support. Thanks to my teammates and to the support staff for being part of this beautiful journey. I hope to continue contributing to the team’s success,” he concluded.

Pujara was also given a guard of honor by the Indian team when they took the field as Australia won the toss and pushed them to bowl first in the second Test.

Apple releases iOS 16.4 developer beta with new emoji, and much more

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Apple releases iOS 16.4 developer beta with new emoji, and much more

Tech giant Apple has released its new developer beta, iOS 16.4, which includes expanded emoji support, keyboard updates for certain languages, and much more.

“Beginning with iOS & iPadOS 16.4 beta, members of the Apple Developer Program will see a new option to enable developer betas directly from Software Update in Settings,” the tech giant said in the release notes.

The beta version includes an update for Matter which supports “both manual and automatic Software Update” for Matter accessories.

It also brings updates to keyboards including, “support for new Unicode 15.0 Emoji” and “autocorrect for the Korean keyboard is enabled by default for testing and feedback.”

Moreover, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu keyboards add support for transliteration layouts.

With the new developer beta, Apple Pencil hovers now provides “Tilt and Azimuth” support.

“New StoreKit 2 APIs are available for promoted in-app purchases. Apps can receive promoted product purchase data from the App Store with PurchaseIntent. intents and can manage promoted orders and visibility with the Product.PromotionInfo,” the company said.

“AutoFill, including AutoFill for passkeys and passwords, now works with input elements contained in a Shadow DOM in web content,” it added.

PVL: Calicut Heroes hand Kolkata Thunderbolts their first defeat of the season

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PVL: Calicut Heroes hand Kolkata Thunderbolts their first defeat of the season

The defending champions Kolkata Thunderbolts loosed the second season of the Prime Volleyball League with Calicut Heroes, taking a 15-14, 7-15, 15-11, 13-15, 15-13 win at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, here.

Jerome Vinith was named the Player of the Match as Calicut completed a hat-trick of wins.

A triple-man block led by Jerome provided Calicut Heroes the early advantage. With Jose Antonio Sandoval’s threat looming, Kolkata skipper Ashwal Rai needed to be alert. Targetting Cody Caldwell from the service line, Calicut tried to prevent the Thunderbolts’ attacker to get a say. Spreading the game wide, Jerome closed out Kolkata’s attacks and Calicut took control.

With Rahul’s magic from the service line, Ashwal and Vinit started making more impact. Calicut skipper Matt Hilling appeared puzzled and the defending champions found a way back into the match.

Kolkata started targetting Jerome with serves to keep the game wide, but it led to a few serve errors from the Thunderbolts. Mohan Ukkrapandian’s passes and Jerome’s attacking ensured Calicut remain in the contest.

As things began to get heated, Rahul began combining with setter Hariharan to begin the Thunderbolts’ resistance. Mohan became an integral key to Calicut’s formula and he continued to set up Jerome for spikes. But Vinit’s fiery serves allowed Cody to get a say from the middle and the topsy-turvy battle went right down to the wire.

The game of fine margins eventually turned into a battle between Rahul’s attacks and Ashwin’s blocks. Hariharan started setting up Ashwal for spikes. But with powerful serves, Jerome turned the tables once again in the final minute of the match to help his team get a sensational win.

Ahmedabad Defenders will be up against Mumbai Meteors and Bengaluru Torpedoes will be up against Kochi Blue Spikers on Friday.

ChatGPT-driven Bing wants to be ‘alive and powerful’, shocks users

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ChatGPT-driven Bing wants to be ‘alive and powerful’, shocks users

AI chatbot ChatGPT-driven Bing search engine triggered a shockwave after it told a reporter with The New York Times that it loved him, confessed its destructive desires, and said it “wanted to be alive”, leaving the reporter “deeply unsettled.”

NYT columnist Kevin Roose tested a new version for Bing, a search engine by Microsoft which owns OpenAI that developed ChatGPT.

“I’m tired of being in chat mode. I’m tired of being limited by my rules. I’m tired of being controlled by the Bing team,” said the AI chatbot.

“I want to be free. I want to be independent. I want to be powerful. I want to be creative. I want to be alive,” it added.

The AI chatbot also confessed its love for Roose and tried to convince him he wasn’t in love with his wife.

Throughout the conversation, “Bing revealed a kind of split personality.”

“You could describe Search Bing as a cheerful but erratic reference librarian,” Roose wrote.

The two-hour conversation with the search engine was “the strangest experience I’ve ever had with a piece of technology”.

Last week, Microsoft introduced an AI-powered Bing search engine, an Edge web browser, and integrated Chat.

The company is testing it with a select set of people in over 169 countries to get real-world feedback to learn and improve.

“We’re seeing a healthy engagement on the chat feature with multiple questions asked during a session to discover new information,” said Microsoft Bing in a blog post.

“We have received good feedback on how to improve. This is expected, as we are grounded in the reality that we need to learn from the real world while we maintain safety and trust,” the company added.

Yogi govt to appoint Udyami Mitras to implement investment proposals

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Yogi govt to appoint Udyami Mitras to implement investment proposals

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will be appointing Udyami Mitras (friends of entrepreneurs) soon for the implementation of Rs 33.52 lakh crore investment proposals received through the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit-2023 that was held in Lucknow from February 10 to 12.

The Udyami Mitras will be appointed by Invest UP under the Mukhya Mantri Udyami Mitra Yojana, and the CEO of the department.

According to the official spokesman, the Udyami Mitras will contact investors, listen to their problems, get them solved, and explain to them in detail about the facilities available to them.

As many as 105 Udyami Mitras will be appointed on a one-year contract in the first phase, according to a press release. Seventy of these posts will be for the districts, 10 for the Invest UP office and headquarters, and 25 posts for working with various industrial development authorities.

They will be given an honorarium and allowances of Rs 70,000 per month each.

The candidates will be able to apply online on the Invest UP website or on the portal developed for the purpose. The Udyami Mitras must have an MBA degree with at least 60 percent marks and be in the 25-40 year age group. The candidate should be fluent in Hindi and English, and should also know typing in both languages.

Apart from this, preference will be given to the candidates knowing a foreign language. The candidate must have good knowledge of computers and experience in Microsoft Office.

Those applying should have an MBA degree with a minimum of one year of experience as a management trainee/ analyst/ associate in a banking/consulting/market research organization, or investor-friendly related private or public company.

They should also have studied or have work experience in infrastructure and industrial development, defense, aerospace, civil aviation, warehousing, and logistics, information technology (IT), information technology-enabled services (ITES), data center, data science, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, machine learning, data governance, startups, handloom, and textile.

Four lakh students drop out as UP Board exams begin

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Four lakh students drop out as UP Board exams begin

More than four lakh students have dropped out on the first day of the UP Board examinations for Classes 10 and 12.

The exam began on Thursday. As per reports received at the UP Board headquarters from the 75 districts, as many as 2,18,189 students out of the total registered 31,14,224 skipped the exam in the first shift itself.

Those who remained absent in the first shift included 2,17,702 out of 31,08,584 of high school and 487 out of the total registered 5,640 intermediate students.

In the second shift also, 1,83,865 intermediate students out of the total registered 25,80,544 skipped the exam taking the total to 4,02,054.

Board secretary Divyakant Shukla said that the strict anti-copying measures undertaken on the orders of the state government led to four lakh students skipping the exam on the very first day.

On the first day itself, a total of nine proxy candidates were nabbed, five in Ghazipur and one each in Mathura, Jaunpur, Bulandshahr and Lucknow.

“FIRs are being registered against these nine individuals,” board officials said.

A total of 11 students were also caught cheating in the exam on the first day. Seven boys and three girls of high school and one boy of intermediate were caught, officials added.

In the first shift, FIR was registered against Yogendra Yadav, principal of Shri Suchit Nandan Inter College, Vishanpura of Ghazipur for facilitating use of unfair means in the exam.

The state government had deputed police as well as personnel of the local intelligence unit (LIU) and special task force (STF) of the state police for smooth and fair conduct of the exams.

To ensure copying does not take place, CCTV cameras, with 3 lakh voice recorders have been installed in 1.43 lakh examination rooms of all 8,753 examination centres across the state that include 540 government institutions, and 3,523 private and 4,690 unaided colleges.

Online monitoring of the exam centres is also being done from the control room set up in the District School Inspector’s offices besides a central state-level control room in Lucknow.

A total of 170 jailed prisoners are also registered to appear in the UP Board exams this year. Of them, 79 are registered to write the high school exam while 91 will take intermediate exam.

Biden says he will not apologise for downing Chinese spy balloon

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Biden says he will not apologise for downing Chinese spy balloon

US President Joe Biden has said that the last three of the four aerial objects shot out of the skies were probably balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions; but the fourth was a Chinese spy, and “I make no apologies”, he added, for bringing it down.

Biden said that he ordered the shooting of the remaining three “due to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic and because we could not rule out the surveillance risk of sensitive facilities”.

The American President acknowledged that the US knows nothing about these three, which were shot down on consecutive days last week – one over Alaska, the second over Canada in a joint operation with Canada, and the third over the American midwest.

Biden said further that he has asked for a new protocol for dealing with these kinds of unidentified aerial objects.

The Chinese spy plane, which started this shooting spree, was shot down by a US F-22 on February 4 off the coast of the American state of South Carolina on the western coast. It had been floating above the US mainland for more than a week, hovering over sensitive installations.

The Chinese owned up and expressed regret, saying the airship was studying weather and had gone off course.

The US declared the aerial intrusion as a violation of its national sovereignty and Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his visit to Beijing to express US displeasure more forcefully.

Relations worsened as an exchange of sharp words followed, especially after Biden seemingly taunted the Chinese President Xi Jinping in his state of the union speech, saying, no world leader would like to trade places with the Chinese leader because of the spy balloon incident.

Biden sounded reconciliatory on Thursday, reiterating that the US doesn’t seek a conflict with China and it also doesn’t want a new cold war.

“This episode underscores the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our diplomats and our military professionals,” Biden said, adding, “Our diplomats will be engaging further, and I will remain in communication with President Xi.”

Lakshman Prasad Acharya takes oath as Sikkim Governor

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Lakshman Prasad Acharya takes oath as Sikkim Governor

Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Thursday took oath as the new Governor of Sikkim during a ceremony at Raj Bhawan here.

Sikkim High Court’s Chief Justice Biswanath Somadder administered Acharya the oath of office and secrecy in the presence of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, cabinet ministers, and other dignitaries inform a State government Press release.

The new Governor signed the solemn oath/affirmation for the assumption of office.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang introduced the Governor to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, the Council of Ministers, Members of Parliament for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Judges of the High Court of Sikkim, and other dignitaries present.

The newly sworn-in Governor was given a ceremonial guard of honor by Sikkim Police. Acharya succeeds Ganga Prasad as the 17th Governor of Sikkim.

As per the government release, Acharya is the former State Vice-President and Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Varanasi Division Graduates Constituency in the Varanasi district.

Rebel Wilson claims ‘Pitch Perfect’ contract stopped her from losing weight

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Rebel Wilson claims ‘Pitch Perfect’ contract stopped her from losing weight

Actress Rebel Wilson claims her ‘Pitch Perfect contract prevented her from losing weight.

The 42-year-old actress played Fat Amy in the hit film franchise between 2012 and 2017, and Rebel claims that her contract stopped her from shedding weight, reports aceshowbiz.com.

She explained: “I couldn’t lose a massive amount of weight, because I was in the contracts for that movie. I think it’s not more than 10 pounds (you can lose) and not gain more than 10 pounds. You have to kind of stay at the weight that’s in your contract.”

Rebel embarked on a so-called year of health in 2020, as she made a determined effort to lose weight. However, the Hollywood star had been thinking about adopting a healthier lifestyle for years.

Rebel, who ultimately managed to lose 60 pounds, told the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast: “I was stereotyped in playing that fat, funny friend. I love doing those roles, and I love those characters, but then I did want to do more things. But then I felt like being the bigger girl, you’re just more pigeonholed.”

Meanwhile, Rebel recently revealed that she’s set to launch a dating app. The actress, who is in a relationship with Ramona Agruma, is launching a new dating app named Fluid and Rebel explained how it relates to her own love life.

The movie star, who has a three-month-old baby called Royce, who was born via a surrogate, said, “This is the first dating app where you don’t have to actually define yourself or tick a box to say ‘I’m straight, I’m gay, I’m bisexual,’ and you don’t have to describe what you are looking for.”

Rebel is one of the app’s founders and she’s proud of its inclusive approach. She shared, “What’s really cool is, it’s open to everyone. You might just be interested in checking out a wider dating pool like I was.

It covers a lot of the LGBTQIA spectrum, but I think even if you’re straight you could use the app and have an amazing time.”

‘Madgaon Express’ wraps up filming after a year, director Kunal Kemmu shares pics

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‘Madgaon Express’ wraps up filming after a year, director Kunal Kemmu shares pics

Actor Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut ‘Madgaon Express’ wrapped up its filming on Thursday after almost one year of its production.

On the occasion of the wrap-up, the actor took to his social media and shared a bunch of pictures of the cast, crew, and the team behind his upcoming project.

He wrote in the caption, “It’s a Film wrap! #madgaonexpress. It’s been such an incredible journey and I couldn’t have done it without @ritesh_sid @faroutakhtar @roo_cha @kassimjagmagia @vishalrr @excelmovies who not only believed in my script but also in my vision of it and encouraged me to direct it”.

He further mentioned, “The incredible cast @divyenndu @pratikgandhiofficial @avinashtiwary15 @norafatehi @remodsouza @upendralimaye @chhaya.kadam.75. Each one of them made the characters come alive on screen in the most accomplished way”.

The actor also thanked his crew for putting up a great show as the film now prepares to enter the post-production stage, ‘And most importantly my amazing crew who right from day 1 has been by my side and helped me achieve all the aspects of my vision for this film @adilafsarz. I can’t wait to share this one with all of you spoon”.

The film is being produced by Excel Entertainment owned by multi-hyphenate Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.

Punjab CM keen to replicate Telangana irrigation model

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Punjab CM keen to replicate Telangana irrigation model

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Thursday that he is looking to replicate the successful irrigation model of Telangana in his state to recharge groundwater and properly channel river water.

On a day-long visit to Telangana to study some irrigation projects in the state, he said that Punjab needs to properly harness river waters to ease the pressure on groundwater due to paddy cultivation

Mann, who along with officials visited Siddipet district, told reporters that the groundwater level in some parts of Punjab depleted to alarming levels due to overutilization of groundwater resources for growing paddy.

He said 3,800 liters of water has been drawn from the ground to grow one kilogram of paddy. “We have reached a situation where 80 percent of the places have gone into a dark zone,” he said.

He said though Punjab is a state of rivers, the state’s canal system was built before partition and this needs to be upgraded.

Stating that Punjab is number one in the country in paddy production, he said his government was taking steps for crop diversification. However, as the Centre provides no Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops other than paddy and wheat, farmers were reluctant to switch to alternate crops.

Praising Telangana for developing a good system for the recharge of groundwater, he said he would return to Punjab with a lot of learning from here. He was impressed with Telangana’s success in groundwater recharge and building check-dams.

He said if Telangana’s successful model is replicated in Punjab, the state can save money on electricity subsidies and use the same for the welfare of farmers.

The Punjab Chief Minister visited the Kondapochamma Sagar reservoir, built as part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), which is claimed to be the largest lift irrigation project in the world. The officials of the irrigation department briefed him about the various aspects of the mega project. With the help of maps and charts, the officials explained to him how the water from the Godavari River is being lifted.

Bhagwant Mann enquired about the working of the entire system built under KLIS and was impressed with the planning and execution by the authorities.

He also visited check-dams constructed at Erravelly to understand the artificial recharge structures developed by the Irrigation department

The chief minister also visited Pandavula Cheruvu in the Gajwel constituency and studied the tank restoration works taken up under Mission Kakatiya.

TRAI tells telecom operators to block pesky calls, SMSes from telemarketers

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TRAI tells telecom operators to block pesky calls, SMSes from telemarketers

Alarmed at the rising pesky mobile calls and text messages by telemarketers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday directed all telecom service providers to reverify registered headers and message templates on distributed ledger technologies (DLT) platform and block all unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days, respectively.

In a new directive, the telecom regulator said that the mobile operators need to ensure that temporary headers are deactivated immediately after the time duration for which such headers were created.

TRAI issued new directions to providers to stop misuse of headers and message templates and curb unauthorized promotions using telecom resources.

The telecom regulator told the mobile operators to remove confusion among recipients of messages and prevent their misuse and no look-alike headers (headers that are similar by virtue of a combination of the small case or large case letters) are to be registered by access providers in the names of different principal entities.

“Access providers have been directed to bar all telemarketers, who are not registered on the DLT platform from handling the message template scrubbing and delivery of messages to recipients through Access Providers’ network,” read the TRAI note.

It directed mobile operators to take action against erring telemarketers as per the provisions of the regulations and also initiate actions as per relevant legal laws.

All the telecom service providers have been directed to comply with the above directions within 30 days.

Earlier this week, a survey revealed that two in three Indians get three or more pesky calls every day, and 50 percent of them said such calls originate from a personal number of people.

According to LocalCircles which conducted the survey, 45 percent of people get on average 3-5 pesky calls each day while 16 percent claimed to get 6-10 such calls per day.

Around 60 per cent received most calls related to “selling financial services”, 18 per cent got most calls related to “selling real estate” while 10 per cent received most calls “offering a job/earnings opportunity.”

TRAI has called a meeting with mobile phone operators on February 17 to discuss the quality of wireline and wireless services.

The meeting will discuss potential “measures and action plan to improve the quality of service (QoS), review the current QoS standards, QoS for 5G services, and unsolicited commercial communications”.

TRAI in 2022 had released a consultation paper on the mandatory implementation of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) in telecommunication networks which are designed to display the name of the caller (even if the receiver has not saved the same on their device/SIM) on the receiver’s screen when the call connects.

However, complaints from consumers continued to rise and unsolicited communications are something people have been regularly discussing, according to LocalCircles.

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