All for mom-in-law: Katrina had to ditch diet plans for paranthas at breakfast

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All for mom-in-law: Katrina had to ditch diet plans for paranthas at breakfast

Katrin Kaif has revealed her secret of the parathas in her diet, while her mother-in-law used to tell her always to have that food item but she has to refuse a diet.

On ‘The Kapil Sharma Show, when the host asked Katrina if her diet has changed after marriage especially being part of a Punjabi family. The ‘Namastey London’ actress told him that she was often asked to have a heavy diet but she refused because of her fitness regime.

She said: “Initially Mummy ji used to urge me a lot to have parathas and since I’m on a diet I couldn’t have it so I used to just have a bite. And, now that we have almost completed a year of our marriage, Mummy Ji now prepares sweet potatoes for me.”

Katrina is coming along with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan to promote her film “Phone Bhoot” and she told about her shooting experience and revealed some interesting anecdotes. She also talked about her life post her marriage.

‘The Kapil Sharma Show airs on Sony Entertainment Television.

TikTok becomes highest grossing social app globally

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TikTok becomes highest grossing social app globally

Chinese short-form video platform TikTok was on Thursday ranked among the top social media apps generating the highest revenue, building on its recent global success.

As per the data compiled by Finbold, in September, TikTok generated $2.5 million daily on Android and iPhone devices worldwide, excluding the iPad.

The value translates to an hourly revenue of about $104,000 and during the month of September, the social media platform recorded a cumulative revenue of $75.8 million.

Notably, TikTok recorded the highest revenue among social media platforms, with the value for Google Play Store standing at $35.14 million to emerge second overall behind the dating app Tinder, which had $37.58 million.

On the Apple App Store, TikTok’s revenue also emerged second at $40.66 million behind the gaming app Coin Master, which had $47.96 million.

Reportedly, the growth of TikTok has birthed a cultural economy containing influencers and marketing agencies dedicated to the platform, with the initiatives central to the app’s impressive revenue in a highly competitive social media scene.

Meanwhile, the other leading apps by revenue generated on Google Play include Honor of Kings ($24.05 million), Candy CrushSaga ($21.1 million), Puzzle & Dragons ($20.84 million), Disney+ ($19.01 million), Game for Peace ($17.87 million), Genshin Impact ($17.03 million), Monster Strike ($16.34 million), and Tencent Video ($15.43 million).

ARC kicks off new season with Regional Equestrian League

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ARC kicks off new season with Regional Equestrian League

Amateur Rider’s Club (ARC) kicks off the new season with the Regional Equestrian League (REL) 2022-23, to be conducted on October 29 and 30 at ARC, Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai.

The event will see participants from Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, and Rajasthan covering the western zone of the country. The event comprises show jumping and dressage competitions which will take place under the following participant categories: Young Rider-16 to 21 years, Junior -14 to 18 years, Children I – 12 to 14 years, and Children II -10 to 12 years.

The Regional Equestrian League (REL) is a national-level benchmark event for young and aspiring Indian equestrian athletes to compete and qualify for the Junior National Equestrian Championship (JNEC) and other national-level competitions.

ARC saw a tremendous response to the Asian games’ trials and National Equestrian Championship (NEC) earlier this year. The REL will act as a stepping stone for young Indian equestrian athletes to participate and showcase their talent. The event will enable wider participation and attention towards the sport across the country as well.

Shyam Mehta, President of the Amateur Rider’s Club, said, “With the beginning of the new season we are expecting a better response and participation in REL and upcoming competitions. REL will witness the quality and skilled-based action from many young athletes across the west zone of the country.”

ARC continues to adhere to strict Covid-19 protocols and guidelines issued by the authorities and governments for the safety of the players and organizers.

Sunny Leone learnt sign language for Vishnu Manchu-starrer ‘Ginna’

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Sunny Leone learnt sign language for Vishnu Manchu-starrer ‘Ginna’

For actress Sunny Leone, it was an uphill task to work in the Vishnu Manchu-starrer film ‘Ginna’. In addition to the language being unfamiliar to her, she essays a deaf and mute woman in the film. The actress put in a lot of hard work to lend authenticity to her part in the film and not make it look like a caricaturist depiction of disabilities on screen.

The empathic portrayal of the character was of prime importance for Sunny. She trained in sign language for a few weeks with an acting coach, before the film’s shoot began.

Revealing her process, Sunny said, “My coach and I sat and storyboarded the character’s graph. Along with the director and writer, we tried to understand the backstory. Then the real challenge of bringing a true-to-reality portrayal on screen. My coach helped me by providing several reading materials and videos for my understanding.”

It not only helped her crack the psyche of the character better but also gave her a peek into the minds of people who don’t have the luxury of voice and words.”

She further mentioned, “Rehearsal was key. So before every important scene, I rehearsed for an hour. Expressing through the eyes was a key facet of nailing the character. I also learned sign language which was important to flesh out the character further. I would also like to thank Venkat Kona without which the same would not be possible”.

On the work front, the actress just completed the shoot of ‘Splitsvilla’ in Goa last week.

YouTube announces certification programme for health-related channels

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YouTube announces certification programme for health-related channels

Video streaming platform YouTube announced on Thursday that it will certify channels of licensed health professionals like doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, and healthcare information providers who produce health-related content.

Health creators in the US can apply at health. youtube starting October 27, and the company will continue to expand availability to other markets and additional medical specialties in the future, said YouTube in a blog post.

With this, people will be able to identify videos from authoritative sources and health content shelves that highlight videos from such sources when searching for health topics, so that people can more easily navigate and evaluate health information online.

While these features were initially available to a select group of institutions such as educational institutions, public health departments, hospitals, and government entities, the company is now expanding the program and inviting US-based health creators to apply.

To be eligible, applicants must provide proof of their license, follow best practices for sharing health information as outlined by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, the National Academy of Medicine, and the World Health Organisation, and have an active YouTube channel, it added.

All the channels that have applied will be reviewed against these guidelines, and the license of the applying healthcare professional will be verified.

After this process, eligible channels will be given a health source information panel that identifies them as licensed healthcare professionals, and their videos will appear in relevant search results.

T20 World Cup: Win over Netherlands was a near-perfect one for India, says Rohit Sharma

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T20 World Cup: Win over Netherlands was a near-perfect one for India, says Rohit Sharma

India captain Rohit Sharma was one pleased man after the thumping 56-run win over Netherlands in their Super 12 match of the Men’s T20 World Cup, calling the victory at Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday “a near-perfect win” despite having a slow start in the first ten overs with the bat, where only four boundaries were hit.

“When you’re expected to win, the pressure is a lot more. This was a near-perfect game for us. Won’t say we were in a spot of bother at the start, the wicket was on the slower side and we couldn’t play our shots right at the start.”

“Yes, we played a little slow at the start but that was the conversation between me and Virat, we had to wait on that surface to play the big shots. With the ball, we were clinical,” said Rohit in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Half-centuries from Rohit (53), Virat Kohli (62 not out), and Suryakumar Yadav (51 not out) helped India post a challenging 179/2. In reply, the bowlers produced a top-class performance to restrict the Netherlands to 123/9, propelling India to go on top of the Group 2 points table.

“I thought it was a clinical win. Looking at the way they have qualified for the Super 12s, credit to them. We however always looked to what we can do with ourselves, not bothering about the opposition. To be honest, this was a near-perfect win,” added Rohit.

Though Rohit made 53 off 35 balls, cutting loose after a scratchy start, he admitted to not being happy with his efforts with the bat. “Not too happy with my fifty, but what’s important is getting runs – doesn’t matter if they are good-looking runs or ugly runs. At the end of the day, it is about keeping the confidence up.”

Rohit signed off by saying India will now move on to their next match, against South Africa at Perth on Sunday. “Luckily for us, we had a few days to get over that special win (over Pakistan in Melbourne). As soon as the game got over, we came to Sydney and regrouped. We have to move on now, and the focus was on this game where we wanted to come out and get those two points.”

Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards admitted that India getting a score as daunting as 179/2 had made things tricky for his batters to have a chance of chasing down. “The way those two batters (Suryakumar and Kohli) played in the end and took them to 180, it was always going to be tricky. We bowled reasonably well but if you don’t get the wickets and with the batting order they have, it was always going to be tough to restrict them.”

Edwards also relished the experience of playing in front of a noisy crowd of 36, 426 people. “Definitely the noisiest (atmosphere), some of the chants that were going around made it difficult to speak to the players sometimes, but it was an awesome experience.”

Edwards concluded by saying his side needs to be spot-on with their plans against big teams. “We came here to win and put on a good performance, but against these sorts of sides you have to be on the money or they make you pay. It gets bigger and better, doesn’t it? Looking forward to it (the Pakistan game) and hopefully we can put up a better performance.”

Shah inaugurates, lays foundation of projects worth Rs 6,600cr

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Shah inaugurates, lays foundation of projects worth Rs 6,600cr

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of four projects costing more than Rs 6,600 crore at a program here.

Besides, he also laid the foundation stone of the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor Project costing about Rs 5,618 crore, and inaugurated Rail Coach Refurbishment Factory at Barhi in Sonipat district costing Rs 590 crore.

The Union Home Minister also inaugurated the country’s first longest elevated railway track built in Rohtak at a cost of Rs 315.40 crore.

Along with this, the Haryana Police residence complex at Bhondsi built at the cost of Rs 106 crore was also inaugurated by Shah. About 576 police families will be able to live in the police residential complex.

After inaugurating various schemes and laying the foundation stone, the Home Minister said all these development projects are Deepawali gifts from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of Haryana.

Earlier, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar and state BJP president O.P. Dhankhar felicitated Shah by presenting flower garlands and a shawl.

Along with this, the Union Minister of Railways and Communications, Ashwini Vaishnav, also received a warm welcome as he was also presented with a shawl.

Later addressing the gathering, Shah greatly appreciated the work of the Haryana government and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He congratulated the people of Haryana on the successful completion of 8 years of the Haryana government.

“Manohar Lal has completed his tenure of eight years in a very successful manner. In these eight years, he has ensured the holistic development of the state. The Haryana government under the leadership of Chief Minister Manohar Lal has done commendable work in transforming Haryana in these eight years. After a long time, since independence, Haryana has got such an honest and dedicated Chief Minister,” said Shah.

“If we recall the previous regime, corruption and lawlessness used to be the main issues but since the time Manohar Lal led government has taken the charge, not only the corruption and lawlessness have ended but the state has also progressed swiftly on the path of development to bring Haryana to the top,” said the Union Home Minister.

He said that Khattar has taken care of all sections.

While comparing the working style of the Manohar Lal government with the previous governments, Shah said that the tenure of our government in these eight years will always have an upper hand over the 50-year rule of previous governments.

During this, the Union Home Minister also mentioned the achievements of the Haryana government achieved in the last 8 years and congratulated his entire team including the Chief Minister.

Power-packed ‘Yashoda’ trailer shows Samantha playing a surrogate mother

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Power-packed ‘Yashoda’ trailer shows Samantha playing a surrogate mother

Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who has impressed everyone with her killer moves in the song ‘Oo Antava’, will be essaying the titular character of a surrogate mother in her upcoming film ‘Yashoda’.

The trailer of the film was unveiled on Thursday by some of the biggest names in the Indian entertainment industry such as Varun Dhawan in Hindi, Vijay Deverakonda in Telugu, Dulquer Salmaan in Malayalam, Suriya in Tamil, and Rakshit Shetty in Kannada.

The trailer promises a sleek thriller with Samantha doing complete justice to her part as she fights, chases, and never backs down in her fight in the film as the narrative unfolds the secrets of a serious medical crime with courage.

Apart from the action sequences of Samantha, the little romance between Unni Mukundan and Sam shows there’s a lovable track between them while Varalaxmi looks badass with negative shades on a lighter note.

Commenting on the occasion of the trailer launch, producer Sivalenka Krishna Prasad said in a statement, “I thank Vijay Deverakonda, Suriya, Rakshit Shetty, Dulquer Salman, and Varun Dhawan for launching the Trailer. It received a phenomenal response in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam. It went instantly viral and trending on YouTube already.”

Shot in Tamil and Telugu, Yashoda will be dubbed and released in additional three languages – Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam, making the widest pan-India release for a female-led film, also marking Samantha’s first Hindi theatrical release.

The producer further mentioned, “Everyone’s heaping praise on Samantha’s performance, Manisharma’s BGM, and the concept. Although we revealed the core plot of the story, the audience will be thrilled with the scenes and sequences in theatres. Leaving no stone unturned in the making and promotions under Sridevi Movies, we’re releasing this seat-edge thriller worldwide in 5 languages on November 11”.

In addition, the film also stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan, Rao Ramesh, Murali Sharma, Sampath Raj, Shatru, Madhurima, Kalpika Ganesh, Divya Sripada and Priyanka Sharmawith a strong technical crew onboard.

Directed by Hari and Harish, ‘Yashoda’ has been produced under the banner of Sridevi Movies. The film is set to release theatrically on November 11, 2022.

PKL 9: Haryana Steelers look to begin Pune leg with win over Paltan

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PKL 9: Haryana Steelers look to begin Pune leg with win over Paltan

Fresh from their win over the Telugu Titans earlier this week, Haryana Steelers bounced back from a string of defeats, and the JSW Sports-owned franchise is determined to begin the new leg, set to get underway in Pune, with a win over home team Puneri Paltan, at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, in Balewadi.

In the ten matches in which these sides have faced each other over the years, the Steelers have won four, while Pune has won six. Haryana defender Mohit Nandal said past results count for little, as his side gear up for the second phase of the competition.

“Every team in this League is different from the other and even the players change every season. Hence, previous records do not play a role at all. The team that performs better on the night will win the match and we are focused on going out there and doing our best,” Mohit said ahead of the encounter of the Pro Kabaddi season nine.

Mohit, who is a right cover in the Steelers roster, has had a stellar campaign so far, with his pairing alongside Jaideep bringing the Steelers away from some tricky situations. The addition of Iranian defender Amirhossein Bastami has further given a major boost to the Steelers’ defensive unit in PKL 9.

“Jaideep and I train together and we often continue to discuss our strategies in our free time as well. Even during matches, we clearly communicate among ourselves which proves helpful to the team. I’m happy about this partnership, and I hope we can contribute to the team going ahead,” Mohit said.

“Amirhossein is strong and quick and he has been working really hard in the training as well. He listens well to the instructions and the plans that Coach Manpreet Singh discusses with us. We feel blessed to have him in our defensive unit,” he added.

Up against Haryana on Friday is the Paltan’s in-form raider Aslam Inamdar who has already notched up 68 points in just seven games so far this season. Inamdar is currently placed fifth on the list of top-scoring raiders. Ahead of the encounter, Mohit gave a brief glimpse of how Steelers would be planning to tackle the threat posed by the Maharashtrian raider.

“Aslam is a good player, but we have strong defenders in our team. We have already spoken a lot about our strategy for keeping him at bay during our training sessions before this game. We feel we are prepared to counter him and hope that as a unit we can do our best to reduce his influence on the game,” Mohit said.

BYJU’s takes Rs 300 cr loan from subsidiary Aakash for ‘principal business activities’

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BYJU’s takes Rs 300 cr loan from subsidiary Aakash for ‘principal business activities’

Edtech major BYJU is taking an unsecured loan of Rs 300 crore from its subsidiary Aakash Educational Services, which it acquired for more than $950 million, to bolster its “principal business activities”.

The company told IANS in a statement that Rs 300 crore loan from Aakash is, in effect, an advance against the marketing activities and campaigns that BYJU has been running for Aakash.

“In order to benefit from the economies of scale, BYJU’S buys media spots in bulk for all its group companies. This is a strategy that has yielded really positive results for both the group and Aakash,” a company spokesperson said.

BYJU’S Aakash has grown more than 100 per cent since its acquisition last year.

“The loan is only for ‘principal business activities that a subsidiary and the parent company can give or receive loans. In this case, the principal business activity is marketing for the core business of BYJU’S Aakash on which the group has already spent and is now being reimbursed,” the company spokesperson explained.

Last month, the tech major paid the remaining dues of nearly Rs 1,983 crore (over $245 million) to global VC firm Blackstone in the acquisition of Aakash Educational Services.

According to BYJU’s financial report FY21, “as per the terms of the agreement for the acquisition of Aakash Educational Services, consideration to the extent of Rs 1,983 crore was due to be paid by the company to the sellers in June 2022. This has been deferred to September 23, 2022”.

Blackstone has a nearly 38 per cent stake in Aakash and BYJU has paid nearly 75 per cent of the Aakash acquisition amount.

BYJU’S last week raised $250 million from its existing investors in a fresh round of funding, consolidating all its K10 India subsidiaries into one unit to leverage their synergies.

Aakash Education and Great Learning, respectively into test-prep and upskilling, will continue to operate as stand-alone independent units.

Only handful of restaurants desire to delist from DineOut, clarifies Swiggy

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Only handful of restaurants desire to delist from DineOut, clarifies Swiggy

As reports surfaced that hundreds of high-end restaurants with multiple outlets in Delhi-NCR have delisted from Swiggy Dineout amid deep discounting concerns, the food aggregator said that only a handful of restaurant partners have expressed their desire to delist from the platform.

Most of those cafes and restaurants have also delisted themselves from other online food delivery platforms like Zomato.

Sources told Media that only 20 brands with nearly 400 outlets have been delisted from Swiggy Dineout, and one of those brands even has nearly 250 dining outlets alone.

Your Story publication earlier reported, quoting from the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) sources, that at least 400 brands and more than 900 dining outlets across 13 cities in the country have sent delisting notices to Swiggy in the last two weeks.

A Swiggy spokesperson told Media that Swiggy Dineout works with over 15,000 restaurant partners on the platform in over 20 cities and continuously engages with them to improve its offering and make this partnership viable for everyone.

“Restaurant partners on Swiggy Dineout have complete liberty to decide on how much discount they wish to offer to customers through their listing on the app,” the spokesperson said.

“Thousands of partners continue to join us each month and list on Swiggy Dineout and only a handful of restaurant partners have expressed their desire to delist from the platform. We continue to engage with restaurant partners and NRAI representatives to revisit their choices,” the food delivery platform told Media.

An online food delivery platform May announced it has acquired Dineout, a dining-out and restaurant tech platform, for an undisclosed sum. According to sources, it was a $120 million deal.

Founded in 2012 by Ankit Mehrotra, Nikhil Bakshi, Sahil Jain, and Vivek Kapoor, Dineout helps people discover the best restaurants, make table reservations, and enjoy discounts and privileges across select restaurants.

NRAI has said that Dineout’s deep discounting techniques disrupt the core dine-in business of the restaurants and “popularise a dangerous culture of discounting that will be irreversible”.

Amazon issues ‘Dog Awareness’ message after US driver dies in dog attack

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Amazon issues ‘Dog Awareness’ message after US driver dies in dog attack

E-commerce giant Amazon has issued a “Dog Awareness” message following the death of an Amazon driver in a dog attack in Missouri asking its workers to be alert if a dog approaches while making a delivery.

According to Engadget, following Tuesday’s incident, Vice News reported that some drivers received a “Dog Awareness” message. As part of the advisory, dogs are referred to as “our four-legged customers” and “Fido,” in an attempt to downplay the risks some dogs can pose to delivery workers.

“We want to help ensure you aren’t surprised by our four-legged customers when on the route, so be sure to check the Amazon Delivery App for the paw print icon in the ‘Delivery Notes’ indicating you should be aware of a dog at this stop,'” Amazon advisory reportedly stated.

“If we know ‘Fido’ is nearby, we’ll add the paw print to give you a heads up. As always, contact the customer to help you with the pet, or ‘Driver Support’ in the delivery App if you can’t reach the customer,” it added.

Meanwhile, some workers accused the company of sending an ill-timed, tone-deaf message in light of the incident.

In response to Engadget’s request for clarification, Amazon did not immediately respond to whether the advisory was sent in response to the attack or drafted afterward, according to a report.

The company told Vice News on Tuesday that it is working with police to investigate the death, the report added.

T20 World Cup: Finch confident in his game despite struggling to play big shots against Sri Lanka

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T20 World Cup: Finch confident in his game despite struggling to play big shots against Sri Lanka

With hosts and defending champions Australia facing Ashes rivals England in a must-win clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup here on Friday, pressure has increased on their skipper Aaron Finch as he struggled to get going against Sri Lanka.

The right-handed opener struggled during Australia’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Sunday, failing to get going on a hard and fast-paced surface in Perth. He managed an unbeaten on a rather sedate 31 off 42 as Marcus Stoinis’ pyrotechnics took the Aussies home.

However, Finch said he was not worried by his struggle to give the ball a mighty heave as he goes about his job after the home team’s chances of qualifying for the knockout round improved following England’s defeat to Ireland on Wednesday.

“I think it’s an anomaly in my career. It’s just one of those days. I hit a really nice pull straight to the fielder, and then an off drive in the same over, straight to the field. I felt I was playing quite well… probably went into my shell a little bit and looked to just get off rather than hitting good strong shots out to a field, out to a deep man. I was trying to get off a strike in the ring, which is never, it’s never easy when you’re facing a world-class spinner like (Maheesh) Theekshana,” said Finch in the pre-match press conference ahead of Friday’s clash with England.

“That’s probably what I will change next time. I think I was probably one or two boundaries away from being back to a runner ball and it probably looks a little bit different there,” he said.

He added that another reason for going slow was that he did not want to expose his middle order to the attack too early with the ball zipping around a bit.

“We identified early in the game or in our power play when the ball was zipping around a bit that we didn’t want to try over-attack and expose the middle order too early because then you risk going two or three down in the power play. And then it’s a struggle to get the game back into a position where you can get home a little bit more comfortable.

“So it’s just that middle part. I think straight after the 10-over timeout, (indiscernible), so a lot of dot balls there. But I still feel like I’m playing pretty well,” he said.

Asked whether the match against England makes it a perfect scenario for him to produce a big one on the big stage, Finch said he was still confident in his game.

“You want to produce every game. And I don’t think — no one can try any harder. That’s the thing, everyone’s, both teams, all the teams that are here, everyone tries as hard as they can to perform on the day.

“And I still feel confident in my game, 100 percent. It doesn’t get much bigger than MCG, with a full house. I think it’s sold out, with a lot on the line.

“It will be a great occasion and hopefully the weather clears up and we can have a great game,” Finch added.

61% Indians wary of revealing salary to co-workers, friends: LinkedIn

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61% Indians wary of revealing salary to co-workers, friends: LinkedIn

Sharing salary information is considered taboo in India, and 61 percent of professionals are more comfortable sharing their payment details with family members rather than with co-workers or friends, a LinkedIn report said on Thursday.

Just one in 10 professionals said they would discuss their salaries with coworkers they trust (13 percent) and peers they trust in other companies (9 percent).

According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index, India’s overall workforce confidence has dwindled slightly.

“This is due to a volatile perception towards jobs, finances, and career progress in these times of global uncertainty,” said the report.

Despite a dip in overall confidence, India’s workforce remains optimistic about navigating these challenges as seven in 10 professionals say they are confident about reaching the next level in their field, their work experience, and education, and chances of their income increasing.

“Professionals are still not comfortable having conversations about pay in the workplace,” said Nirajita Banerjee, India Managing Editor, LinkedIn News.

Family and friends remain India’s closest confidantes when it comes to sharing the size of their paychecks.

However, “the current generation of young professionals are more willing to share pay information with their coworkers and industry peers as compared to other generations”, Banerjee noted.

In fact, Gen Z professionals are found most likely to share their pay across their whole network as compared to any other age group.

Around 72 percent of Gen Z and 64 percent of millennials in India say they are comfortable sharing their payment information with family members, while 43 percent of Gen Z and 30 percent of millennials are also willing to confide in their close friends.

“Gen Z is keen to influence change and eager to lead these conversations in the workplace, Banerjee added.

About 45 percent of professionals in India say pay discussions among peers are discouraged at their workplace.

Further, 36 percent of professionals in India also say they feel anxious about sharing their payment information with anyone.

Meta logs another revenue decline amid concerns over metaverse plans

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Meta logs another revenue decline amid concerns over metaverse plans

Meta (formerly Facebook) has posted another quarterly revenue decline as investors begin to lose faith in its loss-making, billion-dollars metaverse dream.

In the third quarter (Q3), Meta’s revenue declined 4 percent year over year to hit $27.7 billion. The company posted a net income of $4.395 billion, down from $9.194 billion year over year.

This decline is owing to Meta’s huge losses in Reality Labs, Meta’s virtual reality division, which lost $3.672 billion in Q3.

“There’s still a long road ahead to build the next computing platform. But we’re clearly doing leading work here. This is a massive undertaking and it’s often going to take a few versions of each product before they become mainstream,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call late on Wednesday.

Meta CFO David Wehner, however, said that some of the revenue declines is due to inflation.

In Q2 2022, the company’s revenue was $28.82 billion, a one percent decrease from $29.07 billion in the second quarter of 2021.

Facebook now has 1.98 billion daily active users and 2.96 billion monthly active users.

The company, which is busy reducing its workforce, has a headcount of 87,314 as of September 30, an increase of 28 percent year-over-year.

Meta investors have called on the company to reduce its workforce by at least 20 percent and stop making investments in the metaverse.

In a sharp criticism of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Altimeter Capital Chair and CEO Brad Gerstner said that the social network needs to reduce headcounts and stop spending too much on metaverse to get its “mojo back”.

At Meta, the number of employees is up over three times, from 25,000 to 85,000 employees in just the last four years.

“After all, why not hire more people and invest in more things when the cost of capital was near zero and growth seemed unlimited?” Gerstner asked Zuckerberg.

The company expects fourth-quarter 2022 total revenue to be in the range of $30-32.5 billion.

T20 World Cup: A lot more at stake for England and Australia in Friday’s game after Ireland’s win

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T20 World Cup: A lot more at stake for England and Australia in Friday’s game after Ireland’s win

Ireland’s win over England after Australia’s defeat to New Zealand and the abandonment of Afghanistan’s clash with the Black Caps has left the Super League Group 1 wide open in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

That makes Friday’s key clash between defending champions Australia and their arch-rivals England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) even more crucial for both teams as they need to win this match to brighten their chances of making it to the knockout stage.

England skipper Jos Buttler agreed that his team’s defeat to Ireland has opened up the Group.

“Yeah, the group is wide open. There are plenty of things that could happen, whether it’s due to weather or teams beating each other. But we have to dust ourselves down and get back to playing better cricket,” Buttler said during a post-match press conference after his team’s debacle against Ireland on Wednesday.

A dominant Ireland sprung a huge upset with a five-wicket victory over 2010 champions England by five runs via the DLS method in a Group 1 match in the Super 12 stage at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

After Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie (62 off 47 balls) and Lorcan Tucker (34 off 27 balls) strung an 82-run stand to help the side post a competitive 157 all out in 19.2 overs, pacer Joshua Little took out Jos Buttler and Alex Hales to reduce England to 24/2 in four overs, setting the base for a famous victory as England could manage only 105/5 in 14.3 overs.

After that rain arrived and gave Ireland their first two points in Super 12, leaving Group 1 wide open. It also makes England’s next match, against arch-rivals Australia, a must-win affair in order to remain alive in the race for a spot in the semifinals.

“Yeah, it is open. I think the teams beating each other with the weather around, we don’t know exactly how things are going to pan out. Again, that just makes it probably more disappointing with today actually, the fact that we had everything in our favor in terms of winning the toss. So we knew exactly what was required of us. To not take advantage of that certainly hurts,” Buttler said.

Buttler agreed that Wednesday’s results have made Friday’s match between England and Australia bigger than it already was, turning it into a virtual eliminator where the loser is probably out of the tournament.

“Yeah, of course. That’s what World Cup cricket is about. Of course, we wanted to be going into that game having won 2 games from 2, but at some point in this tournament, the way it’s set up, you’re in must-win games the majority of the time. Of course, Friday is already a big occasion playing Australia at the MCG, and it takes on that extra bit now with both teams having lost one game,” said Buttler.

Buttler said the defeat against Ireland were “hurting” for his team and could further damage their chances if they fail to pull themselves up against Australia.

“We’ve made a mistake here and that’s put even more pressure on us in a tough group,” Buttler lamented. “If you needed a game to get up for, then England-Australia at the MCG is certainly one of those.”

After Wednesday’s results, New Zealand leads Group 1 with three points from a win and a no result. Sri Lanka, England, Ireland, and Australia are all on two points but are placed in this order from second to fifth. Sri Lanka is second with a higher Net Run Rate of 0.45 while England (0.239), Ireland (-1.169), and Australia (-1.555) are placed in this order.

This leaves the team that loses in Friday’s England and Australia clash in a further precarious position unless there are further no-results or surprises like Sri Lanka and Ireland winning all their remaining matches.

It has put Australia’s fate back in their hands though Aaron Finch’s side will only breathe easily after winning Friday’s clash with a big margin to also improve their NRR.

However, there is still one unknown factor in the mix — the weather. Australia is in the midst of a La Nina event and more washouts or shortened games are a certainty, which could add more intrigue to the already boiling pot.

With the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method coming into play in more matches, it only increases the chances of less-fancied sides pulling off upsets.

Australia and England can’t take things for granted in this situation and neither can New Zealand and Sri Lanka, even though they seem in a good position as of now.

Rishab Shetty responds to Rajini: You inspire me to do more local stories

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Rishab Shetty responds to Rajini: You inspire me to do more local stories

The unit of director Rishab Shetty’s Kannada film ‘Kantara’ is on cloud nine after Tamil superstar Rajinikanth called up the core team to congratulate them for having made a movie that he described as a ‘masterpiece’.

Responding to Rajinikanth’s tweet, director and actor Rishab Shetty said, “Dear Rajinikanth sir! You are the biggest Superstar in India and I have been your fan since childhood. Your appreciation is my dream come true. You inspire me to do more local stories and inspire our audiences everywhere. Thank you, sir.”

The film’s producer Vijay Kiragandur also responded to Rajinikanth’s tweet, saying: “This is precious. We have been blessed by Rajinikanth Sir. God has been kind. And we feel privileged that we could bring ‘Kantara’ to light. This has left an indelible mark surely and I’ll treasure this moment.”

Karthik Gowda, the executive producer of Hombale Films, the firm that produced the film, tweeted, “Thrilled to have received a call from superstar Rajinikanth sir after he watched ‘Kantara’ yesterday. His heartfelt appreciation for the film has made us all emotional and full of gratitude.”

Priyanka Chopra shares Diwali pics with Nick Jonas, Malti Marie

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Priyanka Chopra shares Diwali pics with Nick Jonas, Malti Marie

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas celebrated a very special Diwali with her husband Nick Jonas and their daughter, Malti Marie, whom the couple welcomed early this year.

Priyanka took to her Instagram to share pictures of her Diwali celebrations. She wrote in the caption: “Love, peace, and prosperity to all. From a heart truly laden with gratitude, I wish you all a Happy Diwali. Sorry, I’m a little late but decided to stay in the moment just a little bit longer. Om Namah Shivay. From ours to yours. Love and light. PS: missed u @siddharthchopra89”

In the pictures, the star couple can be seen posing with their daughter and Priyanka’s mother, Madhu Chopra.

Priyanka and Nick welcomed their daughter via surrogacy this year. Announcing the arrival of their baby, the star couple shared a statement in January. The statement read: “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate. We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as we focus on our family. Thank you so much.”

Since then, the couple has been mindful of their daughter’s pictures coming out on the Internet and have always concealed her face with emojis.

Samantha’s ‘Yashoda’ trailer to be unveiled by Varun Dhawan, Suriya, Vijay Deverakonda

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Samantha’s ‘Yashoda’ trailer to be unveiled by Varun Dhawan, Suriya, Vijay Deverakonda

The trailer of Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s first Hindi theatrical release ‘Yashoda’ will be launched by Vijay Deverakonda in Telugu, Suriya in Tamil, Rakshit Shetty in Kannada, Dulquer Salman in Malayalam, and Varun Dhawan in Hindi.

After the teaser release and a sneak peek announcing the launch date of the trailer, the anticipation for Thursday’s trailer reveal is at an all-time high. Earlier the makers of the film dropped the teaser introducing the audience to the world of ‘Yashoda’ leaving everyone intrigued with the dark and thrilling backdrop of a pregnant woman fighting against all odds.

Samantha, who plays the titular role in ‘Yashoda’, gained prominence with her work in the second season of the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer streaming show ‘The Family Man, she then turned into a national sensation with the blockbuster success of her song ‘Oo Antava’ from ‘Pushpa: The Rise’.

Releasing in 5 languages – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi – ‘Yashoda’ also stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Unni Mukundan playing crucial roles with a strong technical crew onboard.

Directed by Hari and Harish, ‘Yashoda’ is produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad under the banner of Sridevi Movies and is set to release on November 11, 2022.

Walmart reportedly raising up to $3 bn for Flipkart to expand India biz

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Walmart reportedly raising up to $3 bn for Flipkart to expand India biz

Walmart is stately coming up with 3$ for its e-commerce giant Flipkart to further expand its operations in the country.

With new funds, Flipkart’s valuation is set to soar to more than $40 billion, giving a fillip to the Indian funding scene which is going through a harsh winter.

Flipkart Group in July last year raised $3.6 billion to grow and advance the digital commerce ecosystem in India. The investment valued the group at $37.6 billion post the money then.

According to media reports, Walmart may bring strategic investors into Flipkart via this fundraising.

The move, according to close sources, is to keep Flipkart ahead in the e-commerce race as online shopping surges with every festive season in the country.

Reached for a reaction, a Flipkart spokesperson told IANS that “We do not comment on speculation”. Walmart declined to comment.

The last fundraiser demonstrated significant interest from global investors, including sovereign funds, private equity, and crossovers in addition to Walmart. It was led by financial investors GIC, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Walmart, along with investments from sovereign funds DisruptAD, Qatar Investment Authority, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, and marquee investors Tencent, Willoughby Capital, Antara Capital, Franklin Templeton, and Tiger Global.

“This investment by leading global investors reflects the promise of digital commerce in India and their belief in Flipkart’s capabilities to maximize this potential for all stakeholders,” Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Chief Executive Officer, of Flipkart Group, had said in July last year.

“The quality of the investor group and valuation is further confirmation of global confidence in Flipkart and its mission to transform commerce in India,” Judith McKenna, President, and CEO – of Walmart International, had said.

Bengaluru-based Redseer Strategy Consultants had predicted $11.8 billion worth of gross merchandise value (GMV) during the entire festive month up to Diwali. E-commerce marketplaces usually hold up to three sales leading up to the festival of lights.

The online retail platforms in India clocked $5.7 billion (about Rs 40,000 crore) worth of festive sales between September 22 to 30, a robust 27 percent (year-on-year) growth.

Mobile phones continue to lead the market with a 41 percent contribution in gross merchandise value (GMV) and nearly 56,000 mobile handsets were sold every hour, according to the report by Redseer.

Flipkart Group (Flipkart, Myntra, and Shopsy) continued to lead the market with a 62 percent market share in GMV.

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