IPL 2022: Can Bumrah, Suryakumar replace Rohit as Mumbai Indians captain?

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Mumbai Indian captain Rohit Sharma is going through a bad phase in IPL 2022. Neither his bat is talking loudly, nor is there any special shine in his captaincy that was seen during the previous editions of the tournament.

After eight losses in as many matches, speculations are rife in certain sections of the media that Rohit Sharma might be included in the long list of captains who were replaced by their teams in the mid-way of an IPL season. The changing of captain could turn the fortunes for the five-time champion team in the IPL 2022, who are all but out of contention for the playoffs.

The likes of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (who hasn’t taken many wickets), wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan (off-color), or middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav could replace Sharma as a captain of Mumbai.

Bumrah who served as a vice-captain for the Indian team in the South Africa ODI series and in Tests against Sri Lanka, has been a consistent wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians. In the 2020 edition, Bumrah scalped 27 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 6.73, which helped MI to win their fifth title. But in IPL 2022, Bumrah has picked just five wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 7.54. Moreover, Bumrah hasn’t got the required support from other bowlers to take Mumbai to victory.

The in-form batter Suryakumar Yadav could be the other one who can replace Rohit Sharma as a Mumbai Indians captain. In his six innings, Yadav has scored 239 runs at an average of 47.80, with a strike rate of 151.26. With a terrific performance, he is expected to be a strong captaincy contender for Mumbai Indians.

The most expensive pick in the IPL 2022 mega auction with INR 15.5 crores, Ishan Kishan has not been at his best form but he is a captaincy prospect for the Mumbai Indians due to his prolific batting and wicket-keeping abilities apart from being India’s captain in 2016 Men’s U19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

Although Mumbai Indians’ coach Mahela Jayawardene said that there is no problem with Rohit’s batting, when the leader of the team is not able to perform well, it can have a bad effect on the morale of the entire unit. Jayawardene came in support of the beleaguered Rohit Sharma, saying he is in a good frame of mind.

“I don’t see any problem with Rohit’s batting. Yes, overall batting has been a concern for us, especially on good wickets where we have batted under par. This is a senior group that understands the conditions and performed in the past. We need to keep pushing and if we need to make those changes we will do that I need to review this and have a chat with the rest of the coaches as well and make some plans,” said Jayawardene when asked about potential changes in the batting mix after a 36-run thrashing at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium.

However, the ‘review’ in captaincy for Mumbai, coming after eight straight losses, might not be enough to revive the fortunes of the five-time champions, who are now staring at an early exit from the tournament after failing to open their account on the points table.

Mahela Jayawardene backs Ben Stokes to be a “brilliant” Test captain for England

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Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena has backed England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes to be a “brilliant” Test captain in their quest to improve performances in red-ball cricket.

Jayawardene added that former Test skipper Joe Root will now thrive more like a batter without the added leadership responsibility.

Since the time Root resigned as the captain of England’s Test team, Stokes has been widely tipped to be his successor with a formal announcement expected in the coming days. If Stokes takes over as Test captain, his first assignment will be the three-match home series against New Zealand in June followed by the postponed fifth Test against India at Edgbaston.

“I think he (Stokes) will be a brilliant captain. He has been around for a while and shown again and again that he is a brilliant competitor and he is a different beast altogether when he is on the field. England hasn’t seen an all-rounder captaining their Test team for a long time and I think he is the ideal candidate. Having his type of character (as captain) might create a culture which they have had with white-ball cricket recently, but now need to find that same kind of culture with red ball cricket,” said Jayawardene in a recent episode of ‘The ICC Review’ show.

With the burden of captaincy lifted from Root’s shoulder after England had won just one Test in the last 17 matches, Jayawardene expects him to flourish more with the bat in hand. “Joe has been batting incredibly the last three or four years and he will continue to flourish, there is no doubt about that.”

“I think he felt it was the best chance for everyone (relinquishing the captaincy) and I think he is going to benefit from that as he can just concentrate on his batting. Knowing the competitor he is, he would have been disappointed that he had to make that call (stand down), but in the long run, I think he will definitely benefit from that.”

Jayawardene signed off by saying having veteran pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad for England’s upcoming home summer is a must while they should explore seamers who are best suited to perform in a way tours. Anderson and Broad were surprise omissions from England’s Test trip to West Indies, where they lost the series 1-0.

“Having them in for the England summer is a must. At home with the Dukes ball there are no better and more experienced bowlers than Jimmy and Stuart … away from home is where the questions do arise. England have lots of guys familiar with Dukes conditions, but they go away from home and struggle against the Kookaburra (ball) so they do need to find the right personnel for the right conditions.”

Potentially hazardous giant asteroid to zoom past Earth on Thursday: NASA

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A potentially hazardous giant asteroid is set to zoom past Earth at a 37,400 km/h speed on Thursday, according to NASA.

The asteroid, named 418135 (2008 AG33), has an estimated diameter between 350 to 780 metres, revealed by NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

NASA defines any space object that comes within 193 million km of Earth as a “near-Earth object” (NEO) and any fast-moving object within 7.5 million km as “potentially hazardous”.

According to the Centre, as they orbit the Sun, the NEOs can occasionally approach close to Earth. However, it explained that a “close” passage astronomically can be very far away in human terms: millions or even tens of millions of kilometers.

Asteroid 418135 is thus expected to skim past our planet without any risk of impact, Live Science reported.

At its closest point, the asteroid, traveling at more than 30 times the speed of sound, will come within about 3.2 million kilometres of Earth, which is roughly eight times the average distance between Earth and the Moon.

Asteroid 418135 was first discovered on January 12, 2008, by asteroid surveyors at the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter observatory in Arizona and last zipped past Earth on March 1, 2015, according to CNEOS.

The asteroid swings by our planet roughly every seven years, with the next close flyby predicted to come on May 25, 2029.

But it may not be the biggest space rock to hurtle past Earth. Another asteroid, named 467460 (2006 JF42) is touted to be the biggest so far to zoom past Earth, the report said.

The space rock has an estimated diameter between 380 to 860 metres and will be traveling at roughly 40,700 km/h when it passes Earth on May 9.

Several space agencies are already working on ways to possibly deflect asteroids flying straight at Earth.

Last November, NASA launched a spacecraft as a part of its Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, which plans to redirect a non-hazardous asteroid by ramming it off course.

China is also in the early planning stages of an asteroid-redirect mission. By slamming 23 Long March 5 rockets into the asteroid Bennu, the country says it would be able to divert the space rock from a potentially catastrophic impact with Earth, the report said.

Mostbet App India Review

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Mostbet App India Review

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Mostbet App India Review

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Vignesh Shivan thanks cast, crew ahead of ‘Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal’ release

Director Vignesh Shivan has thanked the cast and crew of his romantic comedy ‘Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal’ on the eve of the film’s release worldwide on Friday.

Taking to social media, Vignesh Shivan wrote a post to first thank his three lead actors – Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara, and Samantha.

He said, “‘Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal’ from tomorrow! Wanted this film to come to theatres only to see you all enjoy the super skills of actor Vijay Sethupathi as Rambo! The always amazing #Nayanthara my thangam as Kanmani and the sparkling Samantha as Khatija!

“I would like to thank these actors for making my life so easy in making this film !! The energy on sets when all of them were there is something I will miss !! The moments! This experience will stay with me for a long time!”

He then went on to thank his assistant director’s team.

He said, “My team! Starting from Senthil anna the best set of Assistant Directors I’ve ever had! .. Thank you guys for giving your best! Your 100 percent! Staying together through thick & thin. It’s a team that always sets the mood for any work! You guys were so good to me! Thank you forever.”

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IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya is thriving on being senior player, leader; exudes calmness, says Swann

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In the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gujarat Titans have turned out to be the surprise package. Many had felt that Gujarat hadn’t got a decent side after the mega auction ended. But to everyone’s surprise, Gujarat has been a force to reckon with, winning six of their seven matches and sitting pretty on top of the points table.

One of the big factors for Gujarat’s success has been the performance of Hardik Pandya as captain and player. With the bat, he is the leading run-getter for the side while batting at three and four, scoring 295 runs at an average of 73.75 and strike rate of 136.6. With his right-arm pace, he has picked four wickets at an economy rate of 7.6. As a captain, Pandya has marshaled his side into becoming a winning force.

Now, with Gujarat set to face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, former England off-spinner Graeme Swann feels that Pandya is thriving on being a senior player and leader of the side while showing calmness. Pandya is entering the match against Hyderabad on the back of a hat-trick of fifties, including a fifty against the same opposition.

“Hardik’s great. He’s calm, he’s cool and is doing a really great job. Captaincy brings out the best in some people and the worst in others either performance-wise or character flaws. With Hardik, it’s brought out the best in him,” Swann was quoted as saying by cricket.com.

“He’s someone, who thrives on being the senior player, the leader and he exudes calmness His team are helping him out. As a leader, if your team isn’t performing and winning your games, everyone will say you’re rubbish. Look at Jadeja, I think he is a good captain but CSK aren’t winning games,” added Swann.

Wednesday’s match between the two teams promises to be a showdown between two strong bowling attacks, especially in terms of pace bowling. Swann feels that Hyderabad’s bowling attack has got the upper hand over Gujarat due to the presence of left-arm pacer Marco Jansen and tearaway pacer Umran Malik.

“On the way to the ground, I’m genuinely excited to watch SRH bowl. Not only have they got 8 foot 15 Jansen bowling good pace left-arm, but Umran Malik, has brought to the IPL something that we have not seen for a few years. A fresh fast bowler, out-and-out pace.”

“Dale Steyn had said to him, ‘I don’t want you to worry about line and length, get the seam up, bowl as quick as you can. That’s your strongest suit.’ But he’s got good control, he’s got good areas and he is rapid. I love that. For me to say that straight away, Sunrisers over Gujarat, show how good they are. Gujarat’s bowling has been phenomenal. On paper, they (Sunrisers) are the best bowling unit.”

IPL 2022: SRH v GT will be a cracker of a contest in the clash of bowling-heavy sides, says Nick Knight

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Former England cricketer Nick Knight is looking forward to the IPL match between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad as it will be a contest between two quality bowling sides.

This season, the IPL is getting more exciting as both the sides are looking in menacing touch courtesy of their sensational bowling attack and Knight expects it to be a cracker of a contest when the two teams step in the middle for the return fixture in today’s match.

“The batting units of both the teams are operating okay when you feel like the bowlers are going to dominate (the game). The other thing you would look at will be the toss, Kane Williamson has won 7 tosses in a row and if wins this time around as well then he’ll decide to bowl first understandably,” Knight said on Cricket Live on Star Sports.

“If Hardik Pandya wins the toss, well then it will be a defining moment. So let’s see how it plays out but either way, it should be a cracking game. The game is a better game when there’s pace and a good bowling unit involved,” he said.

Former India cricketer Piyush Chawla also agreed with Nick Knight and claimed we will witness a good game of cricket as two bowling powerhouses lock horns.

“As Nick mentioned, it’s going to be a good game because both the teams are not heavily dependent on their batting. They rely heavily on their bowling. When you’re dependent on your bowling, you always have some fun out there,” Chawla said.

Mohammad Kaif praised T. Natarajan’s form and how he has developed bowling skills over the period. He further spoke on how he can be a challenge to batsmen in the game.

“Natarajan is a big challenge for Hardik Pandya because he discovered 2-3 types of new bowling making the ball swing inside as well as outside. He is yorker king for sure but Natarajan looks different this year with the changes and new things that he has discovered. It is also necessary to change because if you keep doing the same thing the batsman will start predicting you. He didn’t bowl yorker this time but he made the ball swing from the front and clean bowled Gaikwad. It will be a great battle between Hardik Pandya and Natarajan because both the players are in form,” Kaif said in the Game Plan episode on Star Sports.

IPL 2022, Rohit strikes in style supporting the mission to ‘End Plastic Waste’

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Rohit Sharma surprised the world as he walked onto the pitch in a pair of customized Adidas shoes. The brand has been an advocate of ending plastic waste in the oceans for many years now.

Echoing this thought the Indian Cricket Team Captain, Rohit Sharma was spotted wearing spikes with the ‘End Plastic Waste’ message in Mumbai Indians’ match on 24th April.

Designed by Aaquib Wani with inputs from Rohit himself, the shoe emphasizes saving our oceans, through an interesting piece of shoe art that showcases a whale along with red sea corals and plants. The country’s ace cricketer will continue to don these shoes through the remainder of the IPL season to promote his goal of Ending Plastic Waste.

With this initiative, Rohit takes the field to bat for a cause- for every run he scores Adidas India will pick up 10 plastic bottles from the beaches of Mumbai. The move promoted through exquisite ocean-artwork on the shoe carries forward the message of ‘Together Impossible is Nothing’.

This is not the first time we have seen Rohit walk onto the field like a man on a mission with his “Save the Rhinos” message from last year’s IPL creating a lot of talk. All eyes will be on Rohit to see what shoe he wears in the next game now!!

Supporting the cause, Rohit went out on Instagram, promoting the initiative.

‘KGF 2’ production house to launch Puneeth Rajkumar’s nephew Yuvarajkumar

Yuvarajkumar, grandson of Kannada film legend, late Rajkumar, and nephew of late star Puneeth Rajkumar, is making a grand debut in the Kannada film industry.

‘KGF: Chapter 2’ production house Hombale Films has made an announcement on Wednesday and released the first look of the actor which is loved by audiences.

Yuvarajkumar is the son of Kannada veteran actor Raghavendra Rajkumar. Yuvarajkumar has prepared well for his launch and he caught the attention after the release of the teaser of ‘Yuva Ranadheera Kanteerava’ in November 2020. The project is yet to take off.

The director of super hit movies ‘Rajakumara’ and ‘Yuvaratna’ Santhosh Anand Ram is directing the movie.

Yuvarajkumar’s aunt Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar stated, “Wishing you all the success that you richly deserve. The legacy continues”.

NASA’s SpaceX crew-4 mission enroute to ISS with 3 NASA & 1 ESA astronaut

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SpaceX on Wednesday for the fourth time launched an international crew of four astronauts from NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) on a science expedition to the International Space Station (ISS).

SpaceX first carried out a crew rotation mission for NASA in 2020.

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, were launched to the orbiting lab aboard a new Crew Dragon spacecraft a little after 3:52 a.m. EDT (1:22 pm IST) on Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Crew-4 chose to name their flight “Freedom” to celebrate a fundamental human right and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit.

“Freedom takes flight! Three @NASA_Astronauts and one @ESA astronaut lifted off from @NASAKennedy aboard the @SpaceX Dragon Freedom,” NASA wrote on Twitter.

The agency added that the Crew4 is expected to reach the ISS “about 15.5 hours from now”.

During their time at the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-4 astronauts will conduct over 200 science experiments in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit life on Earth, said NASA, in a statement.

Experiments include studies on the aging of immune systems, organic material concrete alternatives, and cardiorespiratory effects during and after long-duration exposure to microgravity.

The Crew-4 astronauts are scheduled to conduct a pair of spacewalks to continue preparing the station for new solar arrays that will increase the station’s total available power supply.

They are expected to return to Earth in the fall of 2022, NASA said.

Director Arun Matheswaran on why he chose to cast Keerthy Suresh in ‘Saani Kaayidham’

Director Arun Matheswaran says that he chose to cast Keerthy Suresh in the lead role of his eagerly-awaited film ‘Saani Kaayidham’ after watching her performance in ‘Mahanati’.

The director, who is back with ‘Saani Kaayidham’ after surprising everyone with a firecracker of a debut film called ‘Rocky’, says, “I watched ‘Mahanati’ and loved Keerthy Suresh’s performance in the film. So, I had her in my mind for ‘Saani Kaayidham’.

“Moreover, the role she plays in my film is one such character that she hasn’t done before. So, I thought she would be the right choice, who brings in a breath of fresh air with some wildness. She was the first choice and I am glad she came onboard.”

Not only did the director take a leap of faith with his leading lady, he also was quite confident about who he wanted to cast as her brother. Veteran director Selvaraghavan, who is also the elder brother of actor Dhanush, has played that role in the film.

Says Arun, “Selva Sir is a big name in the industry and a well-known director. I thought it would be a wild option to cast him.”

Revealing his thoughts while approaching the director to act in ‘Saani Kaayidham’, Arun says, “Siddharth (creative producer) is close friends with Selva sir. So, it was easy to approach him. Everyone had their apprehensions since he hasn’t acted in any film before nor was he interested. But I just wanted to give it a shot, so I met him and narrated the story and he loved it.”

Continuing about his experience of directing a director, Arun adds, “I saw him as a director and was sceptical if he would give suggestions or if we would go into an awkward zone where we wouldn’t understand each other, but nothing of that sort happened. He trusted me completely.”

Produced under the banner of Screen Scene Media Entertainment, ‘Saani Kaayidham’ will premiere worldwide exclusively on Prime Video on 6 May. The film will also be available as ‘Chinni’ in Telugu and as ‘Saani Kaayidham’ in Malayalam.

IPL 2022: Bangar backs Kohli to put in “better performance” for future matches

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In Royal Challengers Bangalore’s match against Rajasthan Royals at Pune, Virat Kohli had escaped being dismissed thrice in the opening over. A flick off Trent Boult fell short of square leg. Another flick went for four and got another boundary through an inner edge.

Two more edges and three-dot balls later, Kohli tried a pull off Prasidh Krishna, only for the edge to be caught by Riyan Parag running in from a backward point. Kohli’s last five IPL 2022 innings tally read as — 9 (10), 0 (1), 0 (1), 12 (14), and 1 (3). The now-often seen wry smile appeared again on Kohli’s face as he walked off and didn’t even wait for the umpire to give him out.

After Bangalore faced its second successive defeat by 29 runs, head coach Sanjay Bangar insisted that the star batter has the gumption to come out of his lean run and put in a “better performance” in future matches of the ongoing tournament.

“Regarding Kohli’s form, he’s a great cricketer. He’s experienced these highs and lows many times before. I’ve observed him from close quarters. He has the spirit and he’ll emerge from this run of low scores in the last two-three games. In the coming crucial games, he’ll help us win,” said Bangar in the post-match virtual press conference.

Bangar, who had also served as India’s batting coach, revealed that there was nothing different about the chats he’s had with Kohli in the practice sessions. “We aren’t talking about anything different (in nets), to be honest. The way he prepares, he always puts himself out of his comfort zone and prepares and that’s his specialty.”

He further expressed confidence in Kohli’s mental strength to find a way of breaking his lean patch. “This is why he (Kohli) can emerge from tough situations and his attitude is very commendable. Yes, he’s had a low run of scores in the last two to three matches. But he is so mentally strong, he’ll be able to put in a better performance in upcoming crucial matches.”

Earlier, skipper Faf du Plessis also backed Kohli to get back to form in the upcoming matches despite continued poor showings. “We discussed it after the previous match, thinking of ways of trying to get the best out of Virat. Great players go through things like this and great characters have to find a way to get through it.”

Asked about the logic in getting Kohli to open in place of an off-color Anuj Rawat, du Plessis explained, “Our thinking was to get him into the game straight away so he doesn’t sit on the side and almost think too much about the game. He’s a fantastic cricketer. We still back him that he will turn it around and it’s just the case of getting a good start and feeling one or two balls hit the middle of the bat. It’s a game of confidence, so hopefully, that will be around the corner for us too.”

Bangalore is currently in fifth place in the points table, with 10 points from nine matches. Their next match will be against Gujarat Titans on April 30 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Ajay Devgn-starrer ‘Naam’ set to release this summer

Anees Bazmee’s upcoming psychological and action thriller titled ‘Naam’ starring Ajay Devgn is all set to release this summer.

The makers are eyeing May-July for the release of the film. It is in talks for either a theatrical or an OTT release.

‘Naam’ is a psychological thriller in which a person loses his memory and embarks on a journey to find his identity. The film has been shot in Switzerland and Mumbai.

The film marks Bazmee’s fourth collaboration with Ajay after ‘Hulchul’, ‘Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha’, and ‘Deewangee’.

It has now been acquired by Gujarat-based real estate mogul and Bollywood producer Anil Roongta and will be released under the banner of Roongta Entertainment.

Roongta on ‘Naam’ says, “Naam is truly special for me because it also marks the fourth collaboration of the superhit jodi of Ajay and Anees post ‘Deewangee’, ‘Pyaar toh hona hi tha’ and ‘Hulchul’. Ajay is fantastic to work with, he puts a lot into playing any character yet always looks effortless on screen!”

On the work front, Ajay Devgn is currently promoting ‘Runway 34’.

YouTube Shorts hits 30 bn daily views: Sundar Pichai

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TikTok rival YouTube Shorts is now averaging over 30 billion daily views — four times as much as a year ago, as short-form content is witnessing huge adoption across the globe, including India.

According to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, viewers are watching over 700 million hours of YouTube content on television every day.

“Just as YouTube evolved from desktop to mobile, and that created huge opportunities, we are excited about the new opportunities we see now. Short-form video is one,” he said during the company’s earnings call late on Tuesday.

YouTube Shorts has been rolled out to over 100 countries and is helping creators monetize their short-term videos.

“The first step is our $100 million YouTube Shorts Fund, which is now available in over 100 countries globally,” said Philipp Schindler, Senior Vice President, and Chief Business Officer.

“Over 40 percent of creators who will receive payment from the Shorts Funds in 2021 weren’t in the YouTube Partner Programme, just as an interesting number,” he informed.

Google is currently testing ads on Shorts with products like app install and video action campaigns and is encouraged by the early results.

“We are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of mobile creators here on YouTube and are very actively working on what monetization could look like in the future,” the company said.

In the first quarter, Going added new capabilities to video editing, and “we are continuing to invest in making Shorts a fantastic experience for creators and viewers alike,” said Pichai.

In the year ahead, “we will give YouTube’s connected TV viewers new smartphone control navigation and interactivity features, allowing people to comment and share content they are watching on television directly from their devices,” Pichai informed.

PM condoles loss of lives in Thanjavur

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given affliction for lives lost in a mishap in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.

Twolacks rupees help for died families and 50,000 for the injured persons from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund has bee announced by Narendra Modi.

Stating Prime Narendra Modi, PMO tweeted. “Very offended by the mishap in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. My Thinkings are with the deprived families in this hour of grief. I hope that the damaged recover soon”.

“Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF could be given to the kindred who have lost their lives owing to the mishap in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The damaged would be given Rs 50,000,” The PMO added.

Eleven persons has electrocuted and nearly 15 members were injured becuase of the top of the car which was there of Appar Madam/Mutt touched the up above power cable in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu.

As per the police information, mischance took place in alimedu village when the car touched the overhead power cable, killed 11 and injuring 15.

The top of the car touched the power line, which was about 30 ft high, at a road turning just before reaching its destination. District officials rushed to the spot to carry out rescue efforts.

Alphabet’s profit slides over $1 bn as Search & Cloud biz grow in Q1

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Google parent company Alphabet’s net profit dropped to $16.4 billion compared to last year’s $17.9 billion in the first quarter of this year, as its Search and Cloud businesses saw great momentum.

Alphabet registered $68 billion in revenue for Q1 2022, a 23 percent increase year-over-year.

The company’s Search revenue reached $39 billion while its overall advertising business, including Search, YouTube, and ad networks pulled in $54 billion in the first quarter alone.

“Q1 saw strong growth in Search and Cloud, in particular, which are both helping people and businesses as the digital transformation continues,” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, said in a statement late on Tuesday.

He said that the company will keep investing in great products and services, and “creating opportunities for partners and local communities around the world”.

Alphabet had registered a record-breaking 2021 with annual revenue of $257 billion.

YouTube advertising revenue was also up, reaching $6.86 billion, but grew slower at 20 percent as compared to 30 percent in the same period.

“We continue to support our community of creators, advertisers, and viewers. With over 2 billion monthly signed-in users, we are well-positioned to do this,” said Pichai over an earnings call with analysts.

The company saw its Q1 Cloud revenue grow 44 percent (on-year) with continued strong performance across Google Cloud Platform and Workspace.

Study shows Mars had less water than previously thought

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Mars, which was once known to contain a massive body of water, may have less water, suggests new research.

According to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the Red Planet faced a collision with a huge astral entity around four billion years ago.

The collision known as Late Heavy Bombardment refers to a period where it is believed that a disproportionately large number of asteroids collided with Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Many meteors and meteorites impacted Mars resulting in a large number of massive impact craters on the surface of the Red Planet. The event is also believed to have created its northern lowland – so large it’s visible from space – where a significant tract of Martian land appears to be literally sliced off.

This basin is also believed to have once contained a massive body of water.

“Mars used to have a lot of water and it still has ice likely before this collision,” said Mohammad Afzal Shadab, a CSEM graduate student at the Oden Institute at the varsity.

Shadab’s team developed a very simple mathematical formula for predicting just how high that groundwater table would have been.

“Using curvilinear coordinates transformation and groundwater flow dynamics, we developed analytic solutions for a steady unconfined groundwater aquifer beneath the southern highlands of Noachian Mars (four billion years ago),” Shadab said.

They also used the models to explore self-consistent combinations of recharge (rainfall or precipitation) and hydraulic conductivities.

“We found that all the previously published estimates for recharge rates are orders of magnitude off from what early Mars could accommodate,” he added.

Interestingly, the more “complex” mathematical model was able to produce simpler analyses than previous simulations. “Simple is the wrong word to use. I would say more elegant,” he added.

“And 3D simulations on a complicated geometry with craters and putative shorelines show the same behavior.”

So northern Mars is headless. But it also has very deep holes – an area known as the northern lowlands. There are also southern highlands – where higher, more mountainous ground dominates the landscape.

Shadab and the research team made a model for a hypothetical ocean in the northern lowlands that are connected, or “recharged,” by a groundwater aquifer across the whole southern highlands.

IPL 2022: No time to dwell in past, says DC’s Rovman Powell ahead of their clash with KKR

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Delhi Capitals’ power-hitter Rovman Powell on Tuesday stated that his side has now got no time to think about mistakes in the past matches and instead should focus on future encounters to have a chance of qualifying for the IPL 2022 playoffs.

At the halfway mark in IPL 2022, Delhi Capitals are currently in seventh place in the points table, with just three wins from seven matches. In their last match against Rajasthan Royals, Delhi fell short by 15 runs where the no-ball drama in the final over of the chase became a huge talking point which resulted in captain Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Shardul Thakur and assistant coach Pravin Amre (one-match ban) copping huge fines.

“It is something we have to put behind us very fast. We have a lot of games coming up, and we have no time to dwell in the past. You know, we have to always look to the future because some important games are coming up. Important games for us to win to qualify for the next round of the competition. We have no time to sit and think about what happened in the past,” said Powell in a release by the franchise.

Powell, who smashed three sixes in the first three balls of the dramatic final over off left-arm pacer Obed McCoy en route to a 15-ball 36 which almost got Delhi home in a chase of 223, admitted that he too was hoping for the no-ball to be called by the on-field umpires in the final over.

“To be honest, I was pretty confident (at hitting six sixes in an over). After I got the first two, I was like what can happen from here, and then I got the next one. I was just hoping that it was a no-ball, but the umpire’s decision is final, and we as cricketers take that and move on.”

The knock of 36 from Powell, 28, was a much-needed one for the Jamaican who had been out of sorts in the tournament till the match against Rajasthan came.

“It felt good. I’ve been searching for that for the last few games, and it’s finally good to see a few come out in the middle. It’s just for me to take the confidence from that game leading up to the rest of the matches, and just transfer it to the next phase of the competition.”

With Delhi set to face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 28, Powell signed off by expressing that the time is ripe for Delhi to make big jumps in the points table to reach their goals in IPL 2022.

“It’s some important games. We are at seventh in the table, and that is a good place to be at this point of the competition. It’s just for us now to continue to climb the ladder and hopefully will reach our goal, which is the top four. Once we qualify for the top four, then we have a shot at winning the 2022 IPL.”

Short-video platform Moj to help creators earn Rs 3,500 cr by 2025

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ShareChat-owned short video platform Moj on Tuesday announced that it plans to facilitate creator earnings worth Rs 3,500 crore (over $450 million) through the ‘Moj For Creators’ program.

The company said that this program is Moj’s flagship creator initiative that builds a path for accelerated growth for Moj creators at different stages in their journey.

“Our creators are the heart and soul of Moj, and it has been our constant endeavor to encourage them and celebrate their talent. We acknowledge the value and potential of Indian creators, and ‘Moj For Creators’ represents our commitment to their success,” Ankush Sachdeva, CEO and Cofounder, ShareChat and Moj.

“Our investment will provide equal opportunity to every creator and help to not only fully discover their talent but also help them monetize it. By 2025, we envision having over one million superstar creators on Moj through this program and, at the same time, create India’s widest range of most engaging multi-lingual short video content,” Sachdeva added.

The programme includes grooming through preliminary and advanced genre-based training courses, mentorship, spotlight program, boot camps, influencer townhalls, one-on-one coaching, and in-depth workshops on industry trends.