‘Govt should use CBI, ED to check hoarding, not against political opponents’

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‘Govt should use CBI, ED to check hoarding, not against political opponents’

Criticizing the Central government, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said the Union government should use the central probe agencies like CBI and ED to control inflation and check to hoard, instead of using them against political opponents.

“The Central government is not doing anything to control inflation in the country. The prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas, and other essential commodities including life-saving medicines are increasing every day. The Union government is totally silent about the sufferings of the people because of this exorbitant price rise. The central probe agencies like CBI and ED should be used to check to hoard and control inflation instead of using them for harassing the opposition parties,” Banerjee told the mediapersons after chairing a meeting of the state’s task force for controlling the price of essential commodities, here at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.

She described the recent rise in the price of petrol and diesel as the BJP’s “return gift” victory — in the recent assembly polls, in four out of five states.

The Trinamool Congress chief also slammed the Central government for alleged denial of payment of Goods and Services Tax (GST) dues to the state governments, especially to0 the non-BJP-ruled states.

“Our government alone has around Rs 90,000 crore of GST dues from the Union government. If the GST dues are not paid over a long period of time, I doubt that in the coming days, many such state governments would not be able to pay the salaries to the state government employees,” she said.

Banerjee also said the Central government should waive off toll tax.

“The carriages carrying essential items should be kept out of the toll tax ambit since this tax is yet another reason for an exorbitant price rise for essential items,” the chief minister said.

Responding to Banerjee, West Bengal unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and party MP, Sukanta Majumdar wondered if the Central government has to take all the remedial measures, then “what is her government supposed to do?”

“These are all baseless demands,” he said.

The state BJP leadership has already said that the West Bengal government should reduce the state tax on oil to bring down the price of petrol and diesel.

IPL 2022: Lucknow win toss, opt to bowl against Delhi Capitals

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IPL 2022: Lucknow win toss, opt to bowl against Delhi Capitals

Lucknow Super Giants’ captain KL Rahul won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals in an IPL 2022 match at the DY Patil Stadium, here on Thursday.

Speaking at the toss, Rahul mentioned that Lucknow has brought in Krishnappa Gowtham in place of Manish Pandey for this match.

“We’ll bowl first. Can’t really think of a reason why but it’s a fresh wicket. We’d want to bowl well upfront and restrict them. One change – Manish misses out and Gowtham comes in,” said Lucknow skipper at the toss.

“Still early in the competition. Chat is about forgetting what happened, whether we win or lose, and putting our 100 percent going forward. Another opportunity to go out there and perform well as a team,” he added.

On the other hand, Delhi made three changes in their playing XI David Warner, Sarfaraz Khan, Anrich Nortje replaced Tim Seifert, Mandeep Singh, and Khaleel Ahmed respectively.

“We’d have bowled first as well because we haven’t played here before. Three changes for us — Warner comes in for Seifert, Nortje in for Khaleel, and Sarfaraz replaces Mandeep. He (Warner) is a big addition, such an experienced player and will add value for us,” said Delhi skipper Pant.

Playing XIs:

Lucknow Super Giants:

KL Rahul(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Evin Lewis, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, Krishnappa Gowtham, Andrew Tye, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan

Delhi Capitals:

Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Anrich Nortje

IPL 2022: The Pat Cummins carnage which no one saw coming, including Mumbai Indians

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IPL 2022: The Pat Cummins carnage which no one saw coming, including Mumbai Indians

‘It was good fun. The sentence coming from Pat Cummins in his video chat with team-mate Venkatesh Iyer after the completion of the Kolkata Knight Riders match against Mumbai Indians summed up his Wednesday night.

In a match where every batter was asked tough questions and Kolkata had entered the tense phase in their chase of 162, Cummins breezed his way to the joint-fastest fifty in the history of IPL and unleashed a carnage that no one saw coming, including Mumbai.

When Cummins walked in to bat ahead of Sunil Narine and after the fall of Andre Russell, nobody had the slightest idea that the match would change dramatically. Kolkata needed 61 off 41 balls and Iyer was at the crease, holding one end firm. Enter Cummins, playing his first IPL 2022 match after captaining Australia to a 1-0 series win over Pakistan and three days of quarantine.

With his right-arm pace, Cummins scalped two wickets but conceded 49 runs, 23 of which came in Mumbai’s final over. With the bat, he was off the mark straight away with a single punched through mid-off. On his second ball, he smashed Tymal Mills over a deep backward square leg fence for the first of his six maximums in the night. He followed it up by opening the face of the bat late to send the ball in the gap between backward point and short third man for four.

Enter Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best in the final five overs business in T20 cricket, also someone who was taken for four sixes by Cummins two IPL seasons ago. Cummins swatted his fifth ball for a clean hit over long-on followed by squeezing a boundary off a Bumrah wide yorker past a diving short third man.

With Cummins getting an early flourish, there were jitters around whether Kolkata would go all the way home or not. But Cummins, up against his Australia team-mate, left-arm pacer Daniel Sams, blew all those doubts away in whirlwind fashion.

“I was trying to hit big sixes, trying to think really clearly: If it’s in my area, I am going to go for it, if it’s not in my area, I’ll just try and take a single,” was the clear-cut explanation if needed from Cummins over how he stunned Sams, Mumbai, and people watching the match in the world. When a batter is in full cry mode, no one can stop the onslaught, leaving the bowler with limited options to surprise the batter with.

A straight six-over-long-on marked the start of the Cummins carnage. Sams tried for a yorker but it turned into a full toss and Cummins heaved over wide of long-on. Sams went for the slower one but Cummins whacked over a deep square leg for another maximum. A change to short ball didn’t work wonders for Sams as the ball was pulled by Cummins over fine leg.

Here, Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma gets into shock while the crowd at MCA Pune starts to get overly excited. A high full toss resulted in a no ball though long-off caught it brilliantly and the free hit was pulled to the deep square leg fence as Cummins reached his half-century off 14 balls, standing equal with KL Rahul for fastest IPL fifty.

Cummins then signed off from the carnage, unconquered at 56 off 15 balls with a jaw-dropping strike rate of 373.33 by dispatching the last ball of the 16th over for a six over the sightscreen. His sixth maximum of the night sealed an improbable Kolkata win which looked distant when the Australia Test captain came at the crease.

IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians did not have a Plan B, says Graeme Swann

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IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians did not have a Plan B, says Graeme Swann

Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann believes that Mumbai Indians did not have a plan B when bowling to Kolkata Knight Riders’ Pat Cummins in match 14 of IPL 2022 at MCA Stadium in Pune.

Mumbai seemed to have the upper hand when Andre Russell got out to leave Kolkata at 101/5. But Cummins changed the fortune of the match as he slammed six sixes and four fours in his whirlwind knock of an unbeaten 56 off just 15 balls. Cummins also slammed 35 runs off Australia team-mate Daniel Sams’ 16th over as he equaled KL Rahul’s record for fastest IPL fifty in 14 balls.

“Tymal Mills bowled at an excellent pace. (Jasprit) Bumrah bowled well. They all bowled well. But in T20, it just needs one bit of brilliance… or a ten-minute brilliance to change the game. It’s probably the worst thing that could happen to Mumbai,” Swann was quoted as saying by cricket.com.

At the same time, Swann was completely surprised that Mumbai lost a match from a near-victory situation. “They’ve lost a game, they should’ve won. I’m surprised as anyone that it was taken away from them in such a quick time. It’s hard to bowl to someone who batted as Cummins did. But it seems as if though, they did not have a Plan B.”

Earlier, with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav sparkled with a 36-ball 52 as Mumbai reached 161/4 in 20 overs. He was also aided by young Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 22-ball 38 and Kieron Pollard providing finishing fireworks with a five-ball 22. It was Yadav’s first match after recovering from a hairline fracture in their thumb.

Swann was impressed by the finishing job done by Mumbai to take 76 runs off the last five overs. “The way they rescued it was brilliant. They looked like they were way below par. It was great to see SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) back again, but they need some massive hits. Who else, but Kieron Pollard to do it!”

Mumbai also handed a debut to South Africa’s young batter Dewald Brevis, who finished the U19 Men’s World Cup as the highest run-getter. Brevis it two fours and as many sixes in a cameo of 29 off 19 balls. What stood out for Swann was his approach at the crease.

“Even though he got 29, this is was the most impressive debuts I’ve seen. Dewald Brevis, on his second ball, just smacked it over the top. This is not how a youngster’s supposed to play (chuckles). You have to respect the bowlers – leave a couple, keep your eye in and slowly go through the gears. I was so excited by his knock and was gutted seeing a new superstar get out.”

Korea Open: Sindhu, Srikanth storm into quarters; Lakshya, Bansod crash out

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Korea Open: Sindhu, Srikanth storm into quarters; Lakshya, Bansod crash out

Top Indian Shuttlers — PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth — advanced to the quarter-finals but Lakshya Sen and Malvika Bansod crashed out after losing their second-round matches at the Korea Open Badminton Championships 2022 at the Palma Stadium, here on Thursday.

Sindhu, seventh in the badminton world rankings, defeated world No 26 Aya Ohori from Japan 21-15, 21-10 in the second round of her women’s singles event. This was her 12th win over her Japanese opponent in as many matches.

The Indian badminton ace began the match tentatively but kept her nose ahead with an 11-9 lead at the break. She then changed gears to pocket the first game with ease. The second game saw Ohori put up a much better fight against Sindhu initially. Trailing 10-9, the former world champion snatched the momentum with 10 straight points and sailed into the quarter-finals of the BWF Super 500 event.

In the last eight, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will face Thailand’s world No 11 Busanan Ongbamrungphan, whom the Indian defeated in the Swiss Open final last month.

In the men’s singles, World Championship silver medallist Srikanth beat Israel’s Misha Zilberman 21-18, 21-6.

Former world No 1 Srikanth had to work hard in the first game but eventually managed to win it. However, the Indian shifted gears in the second game, surging to a massive 12-0 lead before Misha Zilberman could open his account. Srikanth shrugged off the challenge effortlessly to wrap up the match in 33 minutes to set up a clash with local hope and former world no 1 Son Wan-ho.

However, India’s highest-ranked men’s singles player Lakshya Sen lost to world No 24 Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia 20-22, 9-21.

In the first meeting between the two shuttlers, Sen began well in an evenly-contested first game. The Indian ranked No 9, however, failed to capitalize on the game point to concede a 1-0 lead. The second game was one-way traffic. Lakshya committed a series of unforced errors to go down in just 33 minutes.

This is the first time this year that Sen, a world championships bronze medallist, will return empty-handed from a BWF World Tour event. Since clinching the India Open title in January, Lakshya Sen had won silver at both the German Open and All England Open, which included wins against the likes of Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No 3 Anders Antonsen.

The World No. seven pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Singapore’s Hee Yong Kai Terry and Loh Kean Hean 21-15, 21-19 in 36 minutes to also advance to the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles event.

Meanwhile, unseeded Malvika Bansod went down to world No 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong 8-21, 14-21 in the second round of women’s singles.

Earlier in the day, India’s challenge in mixed doubles ended with BS Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa’s loss to Ou Xuan Yi and Huang Y Q of China. The Indian pair put up a strong fight but lost steam in the third game to go down 20-22, 21-18, 14-21.

Mohamad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan were declared winners after the Indian men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila retired after just eight minutes into the first game. Ahsan-Setiawan was leading 8-5 and they advanced to the quarter-finals after the retirement of their opponent.

Apple restores opposition app to App Store in Russia

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Apple restores opposition app to App Store in Russia

Tech giant Apple has reportedly resumed allowing Russians to download an app run by supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny after criticism that it was acceding to unreasonable government demands for censorship.

As reported by The Washington Post last month, law enforcement agents had repeatedly threatened the top Apple and Google officials in Russia with arrest in September unless they removed Navalny’s “Smart Voting” app, which included more than a thousand endorsements of candidates for seats in Russia’s legislature.

Those demands came as voting was about to begin, and both companies complied. Google later reinstated the app for Android phones soon after the election, while Apple did not.

And, that changed this week, according to independent researchers and Navalny’s chief of staff, Leonid Volkov.

Apple spokesmen declined to comment on the decision. The reversal comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and outside companies, many of which have withdrawn from the market or curtailed activities there since Russia invaded Ukraine, the report said.

But civil liberties groups and American officials are pushing the other way, arguing that Apple and other tech companies provide ordinary Russians with the means to find independent news sources and to connect to activists and non-profit organizations opposed to the war in Ukraine.

Apps are an especially critical form of communication in Russia now because the country’s censorship apparatus has not been able to block or modify content flowing from installed apps to users’ phones.

US reinvigorating trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan to promote security

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US reinvigorating trilateral cooperation with S. Korea, Japan to promote security

The US seeks to ensure peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region partly by reinvigorating its trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said.

On Wednesday, Sherman also highlighted the importance of the Indo-Pacific region, noting it is home to more than half of the global population and over 60 percent of the global economy.

“The US is a proud Indo-Pacific nation. Our future is entwined more closely with the Indo-Pacific than with any other part of the world,” the deputy secretary said in a House Foreign Services Committee hearing on restoring American leadership in the Indo-Pacific, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Our vision — a vision we share with our Allies and partners across the region — is to ensure the Indo-Pacific remains free and open and becomes more interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient,” she added.

To this end, the US is working to strengthen its alliances and partnerships with other countries in the region, she noted.

“America’s network of alliances and partnerships is one of our greatest strengths. That is why we are prioritizing strengthening our collaboration in a variety of forums,” said Sherman. “We elevated the Quad, created AUKUS, appointed a Special Presidential Envoy to lead our COFA negotiations with the Freely Associated States, and reinvigorated trilateral diplomacy with Japan and the Republic of Korea.”

Sherman underscored growing threats to peace and security in the region.

“Threats to our security are evolving, and our security approach must evolve with them. We are strengthening and deepening our five treaty alliances and other vital partnerships across the Indo-Pacific and working to enhance our capabilities,” she said.

The remarks come after North Korea fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile in over four years on March 24.

Pyongyang has also conducted 11 other rounds of missile launches this year, including seven rounds in January alone that marked the largest number of missile launches in a single month.

Sherman underscored the need to take “strong action” against North Korea’s missile provocations.

“The transition team for President-elect Yoon of South Korea is here, and this is very much up in part of their discussions with everyone with whom they have met, which is to ensure that we take some strong action to let the North know that they can’t just keep doing this without any consequences, that we take actions that show we have a credible deterrence against any attack by North Korea,” she said, referring to the US-South Korea policy consultation delegation sent by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol.

Sherman met the seven-member South Korean delegation on Monday.

The deputy secretary expressed hopes that the US-South Korea alliance will be further strengthened under South Korea’s incoming administration when asked.

“I think that President-elect Yoon in South Korea will be a terrific partner and ally of the US,” she said.

Yoon is set to take office on May 10.

IPL 2022: “Match-winner” Ravindra Jadeja has lot to prove as CSK captain

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IPL 2022: “Match-winner” Ravindra Jadeja has lot to prove as CSK captain

When Ravindra Jadeja took over the reins of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from MS Dhoni, everyone was keen to see how the star all-rounder would shoulder new responsibility and the three defeats in the first three matches is not an ideal start to his captaincy as well as to the campaign of the defending champions in the IPL 2022.

Ahead of the beginning of the season, MS Dhoni, who led the CSK since the first season of the tournament in 2008, announced his decision to step down from the leadership position, and Jadeja was chosen as his successor.

The decision was understandable because of two primary reasons. Firstly, Jadeja was CSK’s first retention ahead of the auction and secondly, he is definitely the second biggest star in that lineup after Dhoni. However, there were some apprehensions or curiosity to see Jadeja “the captain” because the all-rounder doesn’t have the experience of leading a side even in domestic cricket.

Yes, there have been many inexperienced captains in the IPL in the past but all of them took their good time making their mark in the world’s most competitive league. And, it’s never easy to fill the big shoes of someone like legendary MS Dhoni in the captaincy.

However, the bigger concern is that CSK is losing their all-around ability of Jadeja in search of his leadership skill. The team has collectively failed to deliver in the first three matches but the individual performance of Ravindra is also very far from his best. The cricketer has scored 26, 17, and 0, in his three innings with the bat while getting just one wicket in the tournament so far with the ball, which one doesn’t expect from Jadeja, who has been phenomenal in the last two years in international cricket.

It’s very early to say but the left-hander has looked under tremendous pressure in the field. Yes, there are some like like Dhoni in the CSK camp to guide him but Jadeja certainly needs some more time to settle down as a captain. Jadeja (CSK), Hardik Pandya (GT), Faf du Plessis (RCB), and Mayank Agarwal (PBKS) are the four captains, who are leading an IPL side for the very first time. Among all of them, only the CSK skipper hasn’t been able to find success at this stage of IPL 2022.

But, nobody can doubt the skill of Jadeja and his ability to make a roaring comeback but he will need the support of his veteran teammates.

“One win can change things. It will get us momentum. We are in search of that win,” said an optimistic Jadeja after three defeats in this edition of the IPL.

The tournament history points out that a team has won the IPL multiple trophies with even worse beginnings. So the problem for the CSK, admittedly, is not as much about the start to the campaign as much their starts to each game. There seems to be an inherent fault line in their front line.

Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been the bulwark of their successful campaigns in the past – more so in 2021 – when the two would rip into the opposition upfront, with ball and bat respectively. With one absent due to an injury and the other woefully out of form, the defending champions’ PowerPlay performances have been rendered feeble in the first three games.

The CSK skipper also admitted that the meek starts were not helping the team’s cause.

“Yes, I think that is correct. “It is always important to get early wickets in power play. As a bowling unit, you want two-three wickets. We are definitely missing Deepak and his early breakthroughs,” he said.

In 15 games last season, Chahar claimed 14 wickets and, more significantly, 10 of them had come in the first six overs of the game. The team is missing the swing, pace, and penetration in the early overs of the bowler, whom it had bought this year for Rs 14 crore. He has been unavailable with a hamstring injury and it is uncertain when he would be back.

“Deepak is our main bowler and we are hoping he will be here as soon as possible. Because it is very important to take wickets with new balls. His return will make the bowling unit stronger,” the captain said.

While agreeing that a forceful performance was important in batting PowerPlay, Jadeja, would rather not put the 25-year-old opener under pressure. Notably, Gaikwad is coming off a wrist injury for which he had spent a lot of time at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before the start of the IPL.

“As far as Rutu is concerned, we don’t want to put pressure on him. We want to give him time to prepare enough. We want to back him, keep him in a good frame of mind.”

In their upcoming match, CSK will lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on April 9 and the Ravindra Jadeja-led side will be keen to register a win and bring their IPL 2022 campaign back on track.

Instagram ‘slashes’ payouts to creators by 70% on Reels

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Instagram ‘slashes’ payouts to creators by 70% on Reels

Meta-owned Instagram has reportedly slashed creators’ payout by as much as 70 percent while increasing target metrics for monetization for them on the platform.

According to The Financial Times, their payments are down as much as 70 percent per view and videos need millions more views for creators to get paid.

Creators said that changes in the Instagram payout system have not been explained by the social network.

One creator told the Financial Times that their personalized threshold for “getting paid up to $35,000 had gone from 58 million views to 359 million views”.

Meta said in a statement late on Wednesday that the company was testing Reels bonuses on Instagram and Facebook, which may cause payouts to “fluctuate” as pricing models are refined.

Instagram announced the ‘Reels Play Bonus Programme’ in July last year, offering financial rewards to creators who post on Reels, Instagram’s TikTok-style short-form video clone.

To attract more content creators, the photo-sharing platform Instagram reportedly started paying bonuses of up to $10,000 to those who post videos on Reels.

The company claimed that bonuses will become more personalized in the future.

Other social networks like TikTok and Snapchat have introduced similar programs to keep creators on their platforms.

Ram Charan comes to aid of Jr NTR when journo asks him a tough question

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Ram Charan comes to aid of Jr NTR when journo asks him a tough question

Ram Charan, who was quizzed about overshadowing Jr NTR in ‘RRR’, stated that it was false to say that he had a bigger role in the movie.

Telugu superstars Ram Charan and Jr NTR, who attended the ‘RRR’ success bash in Mumbai, were at a media interaction. During the interaction, NTR was quizzed by a journalist, who asked an uncomfortable question.

“Ram Charan grabs all the accolades for ‘RRR’. How do you feel?”, NTR was asked. Ram Charan, who took over, immediately replied, “There is nothing like that. I feel like he was dominating me in a few scenes. We both excelled beautifully”.

Some of NTR’s fans are upset over his role being given lesser prominence, while the actor himself has been vocal that his role is the best of his whole career.

‘RRR’, starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, has had a glorious run at the box office ever since the film was released in theatres on March 25.

Krafton bans over 66K BGMI accounts for cheating

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Krafton bans over 66K BGMI accounts for cheating

PUBG developer Krafton has banned 66,233 Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) accounts for cheating during the week ending April 3.

The BGMI maker also published a list containing the names of all the accounts that have been shut out from its platform, reports GizmoChina.

Krafton had seemingly ramped up its crackdown on accounts using unauthorized third-party programs in the BGMI game.

The company said it will continue to implement strong sanctions and strategies that will help to eradicate the use of illegal programs in the game. It hopes to maintain a pleasant gaming environment for its teeming gamers.

Krafton also provided the list of all accounts banned from the game last week. This is not the first time that Krafton will be shutting out thousands of accounts from BGMI.

Overall, Krafton has banned a total of 122,766 accounts from BGMI since March 6 and 569,420 in 2022, the report said.

The accounts ban began last year to prevent illegal programs from being used on the platform, it added.

The bans previously did not target devices but now, both the account and device are shut out simultaneously.

Uber to add train, bus, flight bookings in UK

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Uber to add train, bus, flight bookings in UK

Ride-hailing platform Uber is adding trains, buses, planes, and car rentals to its UK app this year.

The move is part of a pilot that could be expanded to other countries at a later date if it goes well, reports CNBC.

While Uber will not provide these travel services itself, it will allow users to book them through its app following software integrations with platforms that sell tickets.

The tech giant, which may take a cut on each booking, said it plans to announce various partners in the coming months.

Uber said the integrations will help to boost app usage among its users in the UK, who also have the choice of using apps like Bolt and Free Now.

The UK is one of Uber’s largest markets outside the US.

Jamie Heywood, Uber’s boss in the UK, said in a statement that Uber hopes to become “a one-stop-shop for all your travel needs”.

“You have been able to book rides, bikes, boat services, and scooters on the Uber app for a number of years, so adding trains and coaches is a natural progression,” he said.

IPL 2022: We didn’t bat and bowl properly, says Rohit Sharma

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IPL 2022: We didn’t bat and bowl properly, says Rohit Sharma

After losing the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has lamented his teammates for ordinary display in the batting and bowling departments.

“We didn’t bat properly till the second half of the innings. Then, in the last few overs, the batters went after the bowlers and posted a reasonably good total in the end. Even in the bowling department, we lost the way after the 15th over. The bowlers conceded a lot of runs in the end,” Sharma said after the match.

MI fell to a third consecutive loss in the IPL 2022 after a five-wicket defeat to KKR. Venkatesh Iyer’s half-century and Pat Cummins’ 14-ball fifty took KKR past the line and skipper Rohit Sharma gave credit where it was due.

“Never expected him (Pat Cummins) to come and play like that so credit to him. The pitch got better and better to bat as the game went on. It was holding up initially,” Sharma said.

However, the Mumbai Indians captain praised the batters for getting 76 runs in the last five overs – courtesy of Suryakumar Yadav’s fifty, Tilak Varma’s useful 38 not out, and Kieron Pollard’s 22 off five balls – on a tough pitch.

“Overall it was a good pitch. With the bat we did not start well, in the last 4-5 overs to get more than 70 runs was a great effort from the batting unit,” he said.

However, he did admit it was a tough loss to take, considering MI’s position in the match.

“We did not bowl according to the plan. We had the game till the 15th over, but then Cummins was brilliant. Whenever you have runs on the board, we always have the upper hand. We had them 5-down, it was just a matter of the wicket of Venky or Pat, they also had Sunil (Narine) who could smash them. This will be hard to digest, the way it turned out in the last few overs. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” he stated.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene addressed the post-match press conference and talked about how MI planned well to get the maximum out of the last few overs in the batting innings.
“We knew that KKR had a strategy of bowling their spinners at the back end too and Surya was key to taking them on. The wicket was tough initially, there was some steep bounce. We were a bit behind but we got to a par score with those big overs at the end and were in the game,” Jayawardene said.

There have been three defeats on the trot now and Mahela wanted the team to get that elusive first win soon.

“It’s always tough with a start like this. We had a chance in all three games but were not able to close it off which is a concern. It’s a long tournament but we need to make sure we get a win and get into some good habits. Anything can happen, especially with 10 teams, and make sure we are in it midway through the season,” he told MI’s official website.

“The young guys like Tilak have been fantastic, Brevis in his first game did well. We just need to work with them and think about the combinations we have to play,” the coach concluded.

Covid infection may increase serious blood clot risk up to 6 months: Study

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Covid infection may increase serious blood clot risk up to 6 months: Study

People infected with Covid-19 are at an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis — a blood clot in the leg — up to three months, pulmonary embolism — a blood clot in the lung — up to six months, and a bleeding event for up to two months, finds a study.

The findings, published by The BMJ, also showed a higher risk of events in patients with underlying conditions, and those with more severe Covid.

Researchers from Umea University in Sweden said these results support measures to prevent thrombotic events (thromboprophylaxis), especially for high-risk patients, and strengthen the importance of vaccination against covid-19.

It is well known that Covid increases the risk of serious blood clots (known as venous thromboembolism or VTE), but less evidence exists on the length of time this risk is increased, if risk changes during the pandemic waves, and whether Covid also increases the risk of major bleeding.

To address these uncertainties, researchers set out to measure the risk of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and bleeding after covid-19.

For the study, the team identified more than one million people with confirmed Covid infection between February 1, 2020, and May 25, 2021, and matched them with more than four million people who had not had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result.

The researchers found a five-fold increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis, a 33-fold increase in the risk of pulmonary embolism, and an almost two-fold increase in the risk of bleeding in the 30 days after infection.

Risks were the highest in patients with more severe Covid and during the first pandemic wave compared with the second and third waves, which the researchers say could be explained by improvements in treatment and vaccine coverage in older patients after the first wave.

Even among mild, non-hospitalized Covid patients, the researchers found increased risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. No increased risk of bleeding was found in mild cases, but a noticeable increase was observed in more severe cases.

“This is an observational study, so the researchers cannot establish the cause,” researchers said.

“Our findings arguably support thromboprophylaxis to avoid thrombotic events, especially for high-risk patients, and strengthen the importance of vaccination against covid-19,” they said.

Xiaomi India gets key ISO certification on distributor selection for offline distribution

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Xiaomi India gets key ISO certification on distributor selection for offline distribution

Leading smartphone and TV brand Xiaomi India on Thursday said it has received the key ‘ISO 9001:2015’ certification for their distributor selection and onboarding process for offline distribution.

Through this step, the brand aims to reinforce its position as the leading player in the industry with more than 350 distribution partners spread across over 270 cities in India.

An end-to-end digital exercise, the process involved a seven-layer evaluation technique for onboarding a distribution partner, along with a 5-I framework that focuses on intent, investment, infrastructure, involvement, and influence, the company said in a statement.

“With customer-centricity, service quality, and partner delight being key determinants of success, we have set high standards for ourselves, and the industry is evolving and maturing our operating processes,” said Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operations Officer, Xiaomi India.

“We are proud to have institutionalized best-in-class processes for our Offline Distribution partner selection, onboarding, and network management and thus, awarded ‘ISO 9001:2005′ certification,” he added.

Having started as an online brand in 2017, Xiaomi India today has the single largest offline exclusive brand presence in the country.

“In line with our ‘Grow with Mi’ initiative, this industry-first achievement highlights our commitment to providing equal opportunity to first-time entrants and aspiring entrepreneurs,” said Muralikrishnan.

The certification process and assessment were conducted by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in testing, inspection, certification, and technical assistance with a worldwide presence across 140 countries.

Xiaomi India said it underwent a rigorous evaluation process which included an assessment of quality management, system development, documentation review, pre-audit, initial assessment, verification of records, etc.

“Xiaomi India will continue to review and improve their quality management systems and policies with the intent to provide high-quality and consistent service to consumers and partners,” it added.

The company’s market share in terms of smartphone shipments ranked no 3 globally in the third quarter of 2021.

The company has also established the world’s leading consumer AIoT (AI+IoT) platform, more than 400 million smart devices connected to its platform as of September 30, 2021, excluding smartphones and laptops.

With 1,033 fresh Covid cases, India sees marginal decline

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With 1,033 fresh Covid cases, India sees marginal decline

India recorded 1,033 cases fresh cases in a span of 24 hours, a marginal decline against the previous day’s count of 1,086, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday.

In the same period, 43 Covid related fatalities have occurred across the country, taking the death toll to 5,21,530.

Following a continuous downward trend, the country’s active caseload has declined to 11,639. Active cases now constitute 0.03 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

A total of 1,222 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the pandemic is now at 4,24,98,789. Consequently, the country’s recovery rate stands at 98.76 percent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,82,039 tests were conducted across the country. India has so far conducted over 79.25 crore cumulative tests.

There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily positivity rates too. The weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 0.22 percent, however, the daily positivity rate is also reported to be 0.21 percent.

On the vaccination front, COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 185.20 crores as per provisional reports till 7 a.m. on Thursday morning. This has been achieved through 2,22,20,478 sessions.

Over 2.04 crore adolescents have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since the beginning of the vaccination drive for this age bracket.

More than 15.92 crore balance and unutilized Covid vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered.

Twitter ‘tampering’ with public record by wiping embedded deleted tweets

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Twitter ‘tampering’ with public record by wiping embedded deleted tweets

The developer and open internet communities have slammed a Twitter change that is wiping embedded deleted tweets, available on third-party websites, from the public domain.

Earlier, a deleted tweet embedded in a web page would still display the text content of a tweet.

Now that text is showing only a blank box, leaving the open web community worried as it is like “tampering with the public record”, reports TechCrunch.

IndieWeb developer and former Google Developer Advocate Kevin Marks said that “with all the fuss about Twitter’s promised edit button, and how they might design it, we’re missing a disturbing development as “Twitter is using its embedded javascript to edit other people’s sites”.

According to him, Twitter is altering web pages with deleted embedded tweets by hiding the text with JavaScript.

Marks cited former US President Donald Trump’s since-deleted tweets as an example of content in the public interest that should remain available.

Until recently, if the tweet or account had been deleted, then Twitter would leave the “blockquote alone, so the embedded text would still show, but without Twitter’s validation”.

“This was by design so that the act of quoting would still work,” Mark said in a blog.

Twitter Senior Product Manager Eleanor Harding replied to Marsk, saying Twitter is seeking to “better respect when people have chosen to delete their Tweets” with the change.

“Very soon it’ll have better messaging that explains why the content is no longer available,” she replied in a tweet.

According to Andy Baio, who created the virtual event platform Skittish, the Twitter change is “a huge problem for preserving the historical record”.

Twitter has announced that it is working to allow users to edit their tweets after posting them to fix typos and errors.

The micro-blogging platform said Twitter plans to begin testing the feature with Twitter Blue subscribers in “the coming months.”

The news came as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acquired a 9.2 percent stake for $3 billion in the company.

Mahesh Babu believes he need not act in Hindi movies

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Mahesh Babu believes he need not act in Hindi movies

Telugu star Mahesh Babu, who will next be seen in ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’, was present at a public event in Hyderabad on Thursday.

On being quizzed about Mahesh’s Bollywood entry, he expressed that he has no intention to do a movie, at least in the near future.

Mahesh Babu said, “There is no need to do direct Hindi movies. Because, Telugu movies are being watched by people across the country, there is no need that I act in Hindi movies in specific.”

Mahesh says that he is committed to doing films in Telugu and his film with Rajamouli will be his first pan-India release. Despite being chased by Bollywood for years, Mahesh has never made a Hindi film.

Mahesh-starrer Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ will release on May 12. Directed by Parasuram Petla, the movie is billed to be a commercial drama.

Champions League: Real Madrid stun Chelsea with 3-1 win

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Champions League: Real Madrid stun Chelsea with 3-1 win

Real Madrid has one foot in the door of the UEFA Champions League semifinal after Karim Benzema, with a stunning hat-trick, bullied Chelsea 3-1 here on Thursday.

Benzema opened the scoring in the 21st minute as he got a great cross from Vinicius and headed it into the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge.

Three minutes later he did it again as this time it was Luka Modric with a super service to Benzema who again managed to head the ball into the net to double Real Madrid’s lead.

In the 30th minute it was Militao again off a Toni Kroos corner but this time his header went right into the hands of Mendy. Chelsea reduced Madrid’s lead to one as Kai Havertz in the 40th minute was able to head one in past Courtois.

Kai Havertz dragged Chelsea back into the contest from nowhere before half-time, but the luckless Edouard Mendy gifted Benzema his hat-trick goal with an undersold pass.

A minute into the second-half Real Madrid regained its two-goal lead as Benzema was able to intercept a weak pass from Mendy the keeper who was out of his net and managed to shoot the ball into the empty cage.

The prolific striker moved his competition goal return to 13 in just seven matches. Benzema took his season’s tally to 37 goals in 36 matches for Real, handing his side a major chance of making the semifinals in their bid to land a 14th Champions League title.

The final whistle blew after five minutes of added time and Real Madrid had pulled off an impressive win on the road thanks to another hat-trick from their star striker Karim Benzema.

After watching his side fall to a 3-1 defeat in the Champions League, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel reflected on a below-par performance from his side.

“It is a heavy loss. It was one of the worst first halves that I saw from us here at Stamford Bridge. At this kind of level you cannot play like this individually or as a team,” Tuchel told Chelsea official website.

“From all of us, we were by far not good enough; we were not doing what we are used to doing. The first half was so far from any standards that we set ourselves,” he said.

Tuchel pinpointed a lack of precision in the pass and strength in the tackle as reasons behind the difficult first half, while chances spurned after the break also proved costly.

The return leg is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 12 in Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu where Real Madrid will look to book their spot in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.

Champions League: Villarreal win quarterfinal first-leg thriller 1-0 against Bayern Munich

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Champions League: Villarreal win quarterfinal first-leg thriller 1-0 against Bayern Munich

Villarreal claimed a 1-0 lead at home against Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarterfinal first-leg tie here on Wednesday.

Arnaut Danjuma’s eighth-minute goal gave the Spanish Europa League champions the win and Unai Emery’s men were unlucky not to take an even greater league to Munich next week.

Danjuma opened the scoring in the eighth minute when he was in the right place to get a touch on Dani Parejo’s effort to direct the ball past Manuel Neuer.

Villarreal was looking confident and looking to take the game to Bayern, who had plenty of the ball, but didn’t seem to have much idea what to do with it, reports Xinhua.

Coquelin thought he had doubled Villarreal’s lead four minutes before the break when his cross from the left beat Neuer and floated into the far corner of the net, but the goal was ruled out because striker Gerard Moreno was offside in the buildup.

Things didn’t improve for Bayern in the second half with Moreno intercepting a poor pass from Neuer and sliding the ball just wide from 40 meters while at the other end, Pau Torres got ahead on the ball to deflect Coman’s goalbound effort.

Moreno then hit the post from 20-meters as the game remained wide open, with Bayern looking to attack, while Villarreal tried to take advantage of the spaces they left on the break.

There were no further goals and the tie will be decided next Tuesday (IST) in Germany.

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