How CCI order is also a breather for Zomato, Swiggy

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How CCI order is also a breather for Zomato, Swiggy

As the Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a thorough investigation into the conduct of online food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy, the detailed document has actually given a breather to the food delivery platforms, people close to the matter told IANS on Tuesday.

While the CCI has indeed directed a Director-General (DG) investigation, the order in some sense is a vindication for the food delivery companies since the CCI has not found concerns with issues around “bundling of services, their independence with respect to levy of commissions or the alleged imposition of unilateral clauses on restaurant partners”.

“A review of these issues may have impacted the sector significantly resulting in stifling competition in new-age markets. The CCI has, therefore, taken a very considered and pragmatic view,” said the people aware of the matter.

In regard to the bundling of services, the CCI notes that bundling per se doesn’t seem to raise any competition concerns and as such, the informant has not been able to substantiate its claim that bundling of delivery with order, in itself, has led to or has the likelihood to cause AAEC either between restaurants or between hyperlocal delivery service providers.

The consumer watchdog notes that due to price parity as a result of inter-platform competition, there exist price parity terms in the agreements/contracts between Zomato and restaurant partners (RPs) which do not allow such RPs to develop their own direct ordering channels or a competing platform by offering more competitive rates.

On the issue of the delayed payment cycle, imposition of one-sided clauses in the agreement, and charging of exorbitant commissions, the CCI prima facie concluded that these do not seem to have an effect on competition in the facts and circumstances of the present case, according to sources.

Following a complaint from the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), the CCI said that it is of the view that there exists a prima facie case with respect to some of the conduct of Zomato and Swiggy, “which requires an investigation by the Director-General (DG), to determine whether the conduct of platforms have resulted in contravention of the provisions”.

The NRAI represents over 50,000 restaurant operators across the country.

In a statement, the NRAI said that it is happy that the CCI saw merits in its submission which highlighted the restaurant industry’s concerns.

“The NRAI looks forward to a positive outcome of this investigation which will pave the way towards providing a level-playing field for all stakeholders in the ecosystem,” it said.

The NRAI had alleged that the commissions that are charged from restaurants are “unviable” and “are to the tune of 20 percent to 30 percent, which is extremely exorbitant”.

The CCI DG is expected to submit the report in 90 days.

Zomato on Tuesday said it will continue to work closely with the CCI to assist the fair market regulator with their investigation and explain to them why all of its business practices are in compliance with competition laws.

Twitter appoints Elon Musk to its board of directors

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Twitter appoints Elon Musk to its board of directors

In a significant development, Indian-origin Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on Tuesday announced that the company has appointed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to its board of directors.

Musk, who acquired a 9.2 percent share in the micro-blogging platform for nearly $3 billion, is limited from buying more than 15 percent of Twitter’s stock.

“I’m excited to share that we’re appointing @elonmusk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board,” Agrawal posted.

Musk replied to Agrawal: “Looking forward to working with Parag & Twitter board to make significant improvements to Twitter in coming months!”

According to a fresh filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Twitter said that Musk will serve as a Class II director until 2024.

This is a type of position that can be used as an anti-takeover measure.

“The Company will appoint Mr. Musk to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) to serve as a Class II director with a term expiring at the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders,” the filing read.

“For so long as Musk is serving on the Board and for 90 days thereafter, Musk will not, either alone or as a member of a group, become the beneficial owner of more than 14.9 percent of the Company’s common stock outstanding at such time, including for these purposes economic exposure through derivative securities, swaps, or hedging transactions,” the filing added.

Agrawal said that Musk is both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service “which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome, Elon!”

ARA FC defeat YWC 4-3, qualify for IWL 2022

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ARA FC defeat YWC 4-3, qualify for IWL 2022

ARA FC continued their winning streak in the Hero IWL Qualifiers by defeating YWC by 4-3 in the final encounter at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Tuesday. With this win, ARA FC qualified for the IWL which is set to be held in Bhubaneswar from April 15.

The side from Gujarat needed a win from the final match to secure the IWL berth. The result means that ARA FC maintains its winning streak in the qualifiers, having notched up nine points from three matches. Meanwhile, YWC did not amass any points in their last match having six points from three matches.

Shreya Oza’s early brace in the 9th and 16th minutes raised the tempo of the match, giving the upper hand to ARA FC. ARA FC continued to dominate the match but failed to make the most of their chances. In the 27th minute, however, a goal from Salam Rinaroy Devi from a distance rattled the bar and went in to break the deadlock for YWC as the half-time scoreline read 2-1 in favor of ARA FC.

YWC came out all guns blazing in the second half, and it was Hoineihat, who scored to put the side from Manipur on level terms in the 53rd minute.

It did not take ARA too long to reclaim their lead, as Anju netted a 68th-minute goal. The match came to a frantic end, as Remi Thokchom of YWC scored for her side before Kiran finally made it 4-3 for the Gujarat club in the dying minutes to ensure ARA’s victory and qualification to the IWL.

Earlier in the day, Guwahati City FC and Golazo FC played out a goalless draw at the Ambedkar Stadium, taking their respective points tallies to one each. Both sides were out of contention for Hero IWL qualification prior to this game.

PM, Sonia pay tributes to Jagjivan Ram

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PM, Sonia pay tributes to Jagjivan Ram

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday paid tributes to freedom fighter and Dalit icon Babu Jagjivan Ram on the occasion of his 115th birth anniversary.

Paying tributes to the former deputy Prime Minister, Modi posted on Twitter: “Tributes to Babu Jagjivan Ram Ji on his birth anniversary. Our nation will always remember his remarkable contribution be it during the freedom movement or after Independence. He was widely admired for his administrative skills and concern for the poor.”

The Prime Minister also posted an old picture in which he is seen offering tributes to Jagjivan Ram along with former finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi also led the grand old party in paying tributes to Jagjivan Ram.

He had quit the Congress because of differences and joined the Janata Party alliance.

‘Lock Upp’: Azma Fallah calls Mandana Karimi a ‘flop heroine’

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‘Lock Upp’: Azma Fallah calls Mandana Karimi a ‘flop heroine’

‘Lock Upp’ contestants Azma Fallah and Mandana Karimi got into a heated argument with each other during a task. In fact, Azma called Mandana a ‘flop heroine’.

It all started when Mandana was resting and Azma poured water on her. An agitated Mandana retorted: “Who do you think you are?” Azma responded: “It’s me, Azma” She also added: “Isliye there ex-husband ne choda.” (That is why your ex-husband left you)

Furthermore, during a cooking task, both blocks were given equal amounts of ingredients from which they have to make a dish, and the block that wins will have an advantage in the weekly task.

Meanwhile, Payal and Zeeshan Khan had a verbal spat and Zeeshan asked Kaaranvir to step in, “Kaaranvir Bhai, bolo Kuch!”(Say something “Kaaranvir) to which Payal got angry and said, “Wo show ka leader Nahi hai!” (He is not the leader of the show). She also goes on to call Zeeshan “Namak Haram”.

Payal was so upset that she yelled a lot at Mandana and even called her ‘uneducated’.

Kaaranvir was attempting to act as a mediator to appease everyone and reach a solution. In retaliation, Payal is labeled a ‘bimbo’ by Zeeshan during the task.

Azma, Zeeshan, and Ali also had a fight during the task where Zeeshan constantly called Azma a ‘fraudster’. Eventually, biryani is cooked on the left block, and Kesari biryani is prepared on the right block. The right block finally won the task.

‘Lock Upp’ streams on ALTBalaji and MX Player.

I-League: Fernandes, Mendigutxia on target as NEROCA edge past Kenkre FC

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I-League: Fernandes, Mendigutxia on target as NEROCA edge past Kenkre FC

Sweden Fernandes and Sergio Mendigutxia Iglesias were on target for NEROCA FC as they defeated Kenkre 2-1 in the Hero I-League here on Tuesday.

With this, NEROCA has moved up to fourth place in the Hero I-League standings with their fourth victory of the season. Meanwhile, it was Kenkre’s seventh defeat of the season.

NEROCA and Kenkre kick-started the first match of the day with high intensity as they looked to control the ball in the midfield early in the game. A couple of chances were created inside 10 minutes, including Dhananjoy Singh’s efforts to set the ball for Mendigutxia in the ninth minute through a cross from the left side.

NEROCA thoroughly dominated their bottom-placed opponents and looked like favorites to break the deadlock with their high pressing and tackles. They were almost awarded for their efforts as Sweden Fernandes came close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute. The ball was set up by Mendi after receiving a left-side cross from Khaiminthang. However, Sweden failed to connect with the header.

Two minutes later, Khaiminthang almost found the back of the net but Tenzin Samdup denied him the goal by outstretching his foot and after that, it was just a matter of time before NEROCA score the opening goal, through Sweden Fernandes as the winger netted an outstanding goal after beating the goalie at the near post.

Kenkre created the first chance of the match in the 42nd minute through Ranjeet Singh Pandre after NEROCA defenders fumbled but the striker was not able to put it past the goal line. Three minutes were added at the end of first-half regulation time and it was all Kenkre needed to level the contest, courtesy of Pandre’s perfect finish in the 45th minute.

Following Mendigutxia’s goal, the game gathered pace as Kenkre players were not ready to bow down without a fight. Khaiminthang made two back-to-back attempts in the 63rd minute but his efforts went in vain as he failed in penetrating Tenzin’s wall.

Mendi looked to double his side’s league in the 68th minute but his strike went over the bar. Kenkre players upped the ante as they frustrated their opponents with their precise stroke play.

Khaiminthang took a late attempt in the 88th minute but his shot deflects for a corner. Five minutes were added in the end but it was not enough to change the scoreline of the match.

IPL 2022: From Ayush Badoni to Vaibhav Arora, these newbies have shown spark this season

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IPL 2022: From Ayush Badoni to Vaibhav Arora, these newbies have shown spark this season

Like every season of the IPL since its inception, the ongoing fifteenth edition of the cash-rich league has also thrown up some young exciting names, who have shown their spark with dream debuts for their respective franchises.

This year IPL has become a ten-team affair, which means that now there are more opportunities for youngsters to showcase their talent and the likes of Ayush Badoni, Abhinav Manohar, Tilak Verma, Vaibhav Arora, Jitesh Sharma, and Akash Deep have already shown the glimpses of what they are capable of.

Though only 12 matches have been played till now in the ongoing season, these players have become valuable assets for their franchise and it seems that they will be given a long rope for sure. These youngsters have lit up the league with their impactful performance, proving that IPL indeed is a platform where “talent meets opportunity”.

With 12 matches of IPL 2022 done and dusted, the Interviewer takes a look at the list of youngsters who have impressed the league so far.

Ayush Badoni (LSG):

The 22-year-old Badoni is representing Lucknow Super Giants and played his first IPL game in a clash with Gujarat Titans. In his debut match, the batter fired an unbelievable 41-ball 54 and shocked the cricket fraternity.

The youngster, who was bought by LSG at his base price of Rs 20 lakh, again showed nerves of steel in a massive run-chase against Chennai Super Kings, handing his team their first-ever IPL win.

With his unique ability to play shots all around the ground, Badoni certainly has a bright future ahead of him, not just for LSG, but also for the Indian cricket team. Coming from a middle-class family, Badoni is a ward of the Sonnet Club, a premier academy in Delhi, which under the peerless late coach Tarak Sinha, had blossomed to produce over a dozen India cricketers.

However, Badoni did not get too many opportunities to play for Delhi in domestic cricket. He owes the opportunity to Gautam Gambhir, the mentor of Super Giants.

“I did not get too many chances for Delhi. Gautam bhaiya backed me a lot. He asked him to play my natural game. He assured me that I will not just get a one-odd game but will have sufficient opportunities to prove myself. His advice helped me place my natural game,” Badoni had after his dream debut.

Tilak Varma (MI):

Mumbai Indians are known for unearthing raw talent and nurturing them and it seems they have become successful in unearthing yet another gem in Varma after Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

The 19-year old has scored 83 runs in two matches so far, and while the franchise hasn’t won a single game yet, his form has been promising and earning praise from netizens and experts. These are still early days in his career and in IPL 2022, but the batter has already shown glimpses of versatility against both pace and spin.

Varma, who had faced financial difficulties in the past, recently opened up about his struggling days and said his only aim is to get a house for his parents.

“Mumbai Indians has been a very big franchise and my favorite franchise. They have worked with me on my power-hitting and my bowling. They have boosted my confidence by asking me to play freely. They have legends like Sachin [Tendulkar], Rohit [Sharma] Bhai, Polly [Kieron Pollard], and [Jasprit] Bumrah as well. Thanks to Mumbai Indians for backing me up from the start of my career,” Varma said.

Vaibhav Arora (PBKS):

The 24-year-old Arora is another budding talent who has impressed everyone with his performance. Making his IPL debut with Punjab Kings, the pacer rattled the Chennai Super Kings camp as he dismissed opener Robin Uthappa in his first over and, in the next round, accounted for Moeen Ali.

The right-arm pacer plays for Himachal Pradesh in Indian domestic cricket. Though he was picked by KKR Rs 20 lakh in the IPL 2021 auction, he made his debut for PBKS, who bought him for Rs 2 crore.

At one stage, Arora thought of quitting cricket owing to his financial turmoil and constant rejections, but things took a U-turn when he was noticed on Ranji’s debut when he finished with figures of 9/105 against Saurashtra. His debut for Himachal at Dharamshala was memorable because, during the match, he went past rock-solid Cheteshwar Pujara’s defense and the middle stump went for a cartwheel.

Abhinav Manohar (GT):

Known for his six-hitting ability, Manohar gave a good account of himself to Gujarat Titans fans in the debut game itself, after smacking a few big hits in the last overs and helping his side chase the target.

He had grabbed eyeballs after Gujarat Titans spent Rs 2.6 crore in the mega auction to acquire his services, and judging by the early signs he’s proving to be worth every penny. Abhinav, who plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket, shot to fame with his exploits in the Karnataka Premier League and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicketkeeper-batter:

Jitesh Sharma (PBKS):

On his IPL debut, the wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh emerged as one of the key players in the Punjab franchise’s 54-run win against the Chennai Super Kings at Brabourne on April 3. The 28-year-old cricketer first scored a 17-ball 26 with three sixes in his team’s 180/8 and then took two catches — including that of Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 23 — as PBKS bundled out CSK for 126 in 18 overs.

Jitesh broke into the Vidarbha senior side in the 2013-14 season on the back of strong performances in the 2012-13 Cooch Behar Trophy, where he scored 537 runs in 12 innings with two centuries and a fifty. He made his List A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2013-14 and for the first two seasons played only limited-overs matches for Vidarbha, batting mostly in the top order.

Elon Musk gets fierce competition as Amazon enters space internet biz

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Elon Musk gets fierce competition as Amazon enters space internet biz

Elon Musk is set to get fierce competition in the affordable satellite-based internet market as Amazon on Tuesday announced the biggest rocket deal in the commercial space industry’s history, signing a pact with three rocket companies for up to 83 launches under its Project Kuiper internet satellites.

The tech giant signed contracts for launches with United Launch Alliance (ULA), Arianespace, and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The contracts total up to 83 launches over a five-year period, providing capacity for Amazon to deploy the majority of its 3,236-satellite constellation.

“Project Kuiper will provide fast, affordable broadband to tens of millions of customers in unserved and underserved communities around the world,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President for Amazon Devices & Services.

“We still have lots of work ahead, but the team has continued to hit milestone after milestone across every aspect of our satellite system,” he said in a statement.

Like Musk’s Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband to a wide range of customers, including individual households, schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies, disaster relief operations, mobile operators, and other organizations working in places without reliable internet connectivity.

Amazon is designing and developing the entire system in-house, combining a constellation of advanced LEO satellites with small, affordable customer terminals and a secure, resilient ground-based communications network.

There are now more than 1,000 people at Amazon working on Project Kuiper.

The company said that Project Kuiper will leverage Amazon’s global logistics and operations footprint, as well as Amazon Web Services (AWS) networking and infrastructure, to serve a diverse, global customer base.

“Securing launch capacity from multiple providers has been a key part of our strategy from day one,” said Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Technology for Project Kuiper at Amazon.

“These large, heavy-lift rockets also mean we can deploy more of our constellation with fewer launches, helping simplify our launch and deployment schedule,” Badyal added.

In addition, Amazon is working with Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space), a Switzerland-headquartered space technology provider, to build low-cost, scalable satellite dispensers that will help deploy the Project Kuiper constellation.

Amazon has signed an agreement with Blue Origin to secure 12 launches using the New Glenn rocket, with options for up to 15 additional launches.

Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn, Blue Origin, said that the New Glenn’s seven-meter fairing offers unprecedented mass and volume capabilities, providing Project Kuiper maximum launch flexibility.

Project Kuiper plans to launch two prototype missions later this year on ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket.

Amazon will invest over $10 billion in its satellite internet network.

Meanwhile, Starlink has already launched more than 2,000 satellites since 2019, and many more will go up in the near future.

SpaceX has permission to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites and has applied for approval for up to 30,000 more.

Rishabh Pant recalls Australia Test series playing with an injury

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Rishabh Pant recalls Australia Test series playing with an injury

Remembering the 2021 Test series with Australia, Delhi Capitals’ (DC) captain Rishabh Pant shared how he was at the lowest point of his life, having been dropped from two formats and facing criticisms over his performance.

“I wasn’t talking to anyone, not even family or friends. I needed my own space. I just wanted to give my 200 percent each and every day,” the wicketkeeper-batter who joined the Delhi Capitals in 2016, spoke to Jemimah Rodrigues on ‘Dream Big story’.

Pant, who replaced an injured Shreyas Iyer at the helm in the UAE leg of the IPL 2021 spoke about the tough blows he has had to face on and off the field. He describes how he had to prove himself and live up to the accolades of being the second-highest scorer for India when he previously played in Australia.

“I was just telling myself, there’s no choice but to do it. I had to make India win,” he said.

But it was a series of back-to-back blows for Pant. After sitting out of the first practice match due to a bad neck, he suffered an unbearable bruised elbow while batting on day three of the fourth Test. With stalwart players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazelwood, Pant was under tremendous pressure to perform and was unsure if he would be able to salvage the situation while fighting the pain.

But he went on to play a key role in India’s historic win against Australia in the fourth Test, which was the latter’s first loss at the Gabba in 32 years.

Further talking about battling crowd whispers and criticisms to hear them cheer him on, Rishabh said, “There was nothing else for me to focus on but my game”.

After beginning the season with a victory over Mumbai Indians, Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals will take on Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai on April 7.

Govt blocks 22 YouTube channels for spreading disinformation

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Govt blocks 22 YouTube channels for spreading disinformation

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday blocked 22 YouTube channels, including 18 Indians for spreading disinformation related to the country’s national security, foreign relations, and public order. The ministry also blocked three Twitter accounts, one Facebook account, and one new website.

For the first time, 18 Indian YouTube news channels were blocked under IT Rules, 2021.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said, “Utilizing the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021, has issued orders on 04.04.2022 for blocking of twenty-two (22) YouTube-based news channels, three (3) Twitter accounts, one (1) Facebook account, and one (1) news website.”

“The blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crores, and were used to spread fake news, and coordinated disinformation over social media on subjects sensitive from the perspective of national security, India’s foreign relations, and public order,” the ministry said.

This is the first time action has been taken against the Indian YouTube based news publishers since the notification of the IT Rules, 2021 in February last year.

Through the recent blocking order, 18 Indian and four (4) Pakistan-based YouTube news channels have been blocked.

Analysis of contents shows that multiple YouTube channels were used to post fake news on various subjects such as the Indian Armed Forces, Jammu, Kashmir, etc.

“The content ordered to be blocked also included certain anti-India content posted from multiple social media accounts operated in a coordinated manner from Pakistan,” it said.

The ministry claimed that it was observed that a significant amount of false content published by these Indian YouTube-based channels related to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, and aimed at jeopardizing India’s foreign relations with other countries.

“The blocked Indian YouTube channels were using templates and logos of certain TV news channels, including images of their news anchors to mislead the viewers to believe that the news was authentic,” the ministry said.

With this action, since December 2021, the Ministry has issued directions for blocking 78 YouTube-based news channels and several other social media accounts on grounds related to national security, sovereignty, the integrity of India, public order, etc.

“The Government of India remains committed to ensuring an authentic, trustworthy, and safe online news media environment, and thwarting any attempts at undermining India’s sovereignty and integrity, national security, foreign relations, and public order,” the ministry added.

Richa Chadha weighs in on weight loss!

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Richa Chadha weighs in on weight loss!

Bollywood actress Richa Chadha stunned everyone with her recent weight loss pictures that she shared on her social media.

Following the buzz, she spoke about her journey of weight loss and how more than anything weight loss was a means to achieve healthy living for her.

Taking to her Instagram, Richa had posted three images from her photoshoot as she wrote in the caption, “I love doing photo shoots where the photographer and I have a friendship, (like in this case), a worldview in common, love for music, art… while shooting this particular one I felt like I was playing a character. Distinct from the films I do… but interesting still… we did some very Disturbia feel stills also which will post later.”

Thanking her team behind the photoshoot, she added in the caption, “Thanks @ashishchawlaphotography @nehasinghmakeupofficial @bikanta PS – healthy weight loss means you don’t lose muscle, like in my case the gluteus maximus is intact.”

Talking about the reason behind the weight loss, Richa said, “For me, weight loss was never something about wanting to shed kilos. It was about a healthier choice for me, myself, and my body. I think I chose a path of wellness combined with the right approach to fitness and that is what I wanted to focus on and that is what has given me the results.”

“I think above all one has to keep in mind to keep sane, make wise choices and respect your body. You have to know and evaluate what works best for you, fitness isn’t an approach of one size fits all, and one shouldn’t follow someone else’s fitness blindly and should alter what works for them. Everybody is different. The diet that works for you, may not work for someone else. It helped me not to work out till I sorted out my immunity, stress, and gut health”, she added.

Richa is currently shooting for ‘Fukrey 3’ and will soon start shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Heera Mandi’, followed by season 2 of ‘The Great Indian Murder’.

Akhil Rabindra registers double podium finish at European GT4

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Akhil Rabindra registers double podium finish at European GT4

Akhil Rabindra, the 25-year-old Aston Martin Driver Academy product, has started his 2022 calendar on a positive note by securing a double podium finish in the season opener round of the European GT4 Series in Italy with his new team, Racing Spirit of Leman.

According to information received here, Akhil, the only Asian to be racing at the European GT4 Championship this year, and his teammate Tom Canning finished both the races of Round 1 at the Imola Circuit, Italy, grabbing a P3 position in the Silver Cup category.

Akhil’s Journey at the Imola circuit started on a positive note after he finished 4th overall in qualifying race 2. Thereafter, Akhil and Canning made an impressive start to Race 1, as the 19th pair earned a P3 finish in the Silver Cup Race 1 after gaining a place due to the disqualification of the 13th pair of P Chovet and J Scheier for a technical infringement.

In Race 2 Akhil and Canning again grabbed a P3 finish in the Silver Cup with their Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.

A happy Akhil commented post the podium celebrations, “It has been a good start to the 2022 season. I am in a new team this year and have a new teammate who is doing a great job and I look forward to carrying forward this momentum to the next race in France.”

Akhil will now move on to France, for Round 2 of the GT 4 European Series at the Paul Richard circuit from June 3-5.

US anti-trust bill seeks to tame Big Tech, India needs to learn

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US anti-trust bill seeks to tame Big Tech, India needs to learn

As pressure mounts on Big Tech to sanitize their platforms and stop scraping users’ data, India needs to learn from the US antitrust bill called the American Innovation and Choice Online Act which has now been endorsed by the Department of Justice (DoJ).

In January this year, the Senate Judiciary Committee in the US approved the key antitrust reform that would ban Big Tech from favoring their own services and products over those of their rivals.

The bill, spearheaded by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), was introduced after reports surfaced that a number of tech companies, including Apple, were guilty of engaging in “deeply disturbing” anti-competitive behaviour.

If enacted, the bill would give federal antitrust agencies the authority to issue civil penalties and injunctions against so-called “covered platforms”, according to bipartisanpolicy.org.

The biggest tech companies — Apple, Amazon, Facebook-owner Meta, and Alphabet’s Google (it is still unclear if Microsoft would qualify) — would be barred from behavior like biasing search results in their favor, limiting rivals’ access to platform data, and using non-public data from customers to compete against them.

Tech giants are worried about the new antitrust legislation and reports earlier surfaced that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai have been personally “calling and meeting with Senators,” urging them to oppose the mooted legislation.

The current draft is limited to online platforms with at least 50 million monthly active users (or 100,000 business users), annual market capitalization, or US net sales exceeding $550 billion.

“The bill causes some very significant security concerns… We’re requiring companies to take down protections that are in place today, and instead, allow hackers and those looking to steal personal data to access the devices,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who voted for the bill.

According to the latest reports, the DOJ has now thrown its weight behind the bill, arguing that it would enhance its ability to challenge anti-competitive behavior.

However, industry groups and critics opposed to this legislation argue the bill is vague, overly broad, and will hurt consumers.

In India, the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s (JPC) report on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was finally tabled in both houses of the Parliament on December 16, 2021, after two years of deliberations.

However, over the last few months, the Data Protection Bill and the JPC’s recommendations have been criticized by the industry in light of their potential adverse impact on the ease/cost of doing business in India.

Concerns have now been raised on the impact of increased compliances on India’s domestic start-up ecosystem, overall global competitiveness, and FDI.

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on March 31 released the ‘2022 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE Report), reviewing significant foreign barriers to American exports of goods and services, foreign direct investment (FDI), and electronic commerce (e-commerce) in key export markets for the country.

The NTE report identifies a range of important challenges and priorities to guide the Biden administration’s trade policy and also raises serious concerns over the proposed and promulgated restrictive data policies in India and cites them as ‘Digital Trade Barriers.

Given the importance of India-US digital trade, it is a serious setback to the attempts by the Commerce Ministry to get a trade deal going with Washington.

World No. 2 Medvedev could be banned from playing in Wimbledon this year: Report

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World No. 2 Medvedev could be banned from playing in Wimbledon this year: Report

Wimbledon could ban Russian tennis player and current world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev from competing in the tournament this year over fears that a win could “boost (President) Vladimir Putin’s regime amid the invasion of Ukraine,” according to a report in mirror.co.uk.

While Russian players are allowed to compete without flags or anthems in the wake of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the report said that the All England Club could likely impose stricter measures on Russian tennis players, including Medvedev.

The report added that the All England Club had been advised that its independent tournament status means it “could implement a ban on Russian players that fail to condemn the actions of Putin — and not face legal repercussions”.

As with other tournaments on the tour, including the three other majors, which have remained neutral “due to fears they could be taken to court”, Wimbledon can take stricter measures as the tournament “possesses a different status”, report added.

A spokesperson for the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) appears to have confirmed the Championships may ask Russian athletes to go a step further and maybe sign a form condemning Putin’s action in order to compete at Wimbledon, according to the report.

“Private member clubs have more freedom as to who to allow in or not, so they wouldn’t be subject to the same discrimination laws as the tours,” the spokesman was quoted as saying in the report on Monday evening.

“If you are running the main tennis tour, you have the freedom to ban players — if they have been found guilty of match-fixing or doping, for instance — but you have to be able to show that this course of action is reasonable.

“In this instance, if the tours took strong action, Russian players could argue that they are being prevented from making a living through no fault of their own. That is not so much of an issue for Wimbledon, however,” the spokesman said.

The AELTC will likely release their policy next month before the deadline for the entries ends, said the report. “It would allow impacted players to know what is expected of them if they hope to play at the grass-court grand slam,” added the report.

UK sports minister Nigel Huddleston recently declared that Putin must not be allowed to take political advantage of any Russian athletes and their achievements in Britain, according to the report.

He has suggested that “Medvedev and Belarusian world No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka should only be allowed to participate in major sporting events in the UK as long as they sign a form denouncing Putin and his actions”.

“We wish to get assurance in a written declaration that they are not receiving money from Putin, Russia or Belarus (and) that they will not be making supportive comments of Putin, Russia or Belarus,” Huddleston said.

CMs of Telugu states pay tributes to Jagjivan Ram

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CMs of Telugu states pay tributes to Jagjivan Ram

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday paid tributes to former Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram on his 115 birth anniversary.

Chandrasekhar Rao recalled the services rendered by former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the weaker sections Babu Jagjivan Ram who fought for India’s Independence, casteless society, and equality in the country.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said that the Telangana government is striving hard to root out the socio-economic disparities encountered by the Dalit Community in the state. Taking inspiration from Jagjivan Ram, the state government has launched the prestigious Dalit Bandhu scheme to uplift the poorer sections economically.

The CM said that the slew of Dalit empowerment programs launched by the state government gave a boost to the self-confidence and socio-economic self-respect of the Dalit communities.

Jagan Mohan Reddy also paid rich tributes to Jagjivan Ram. He said the late leader had dedicated his life for the people.

The Chief Minister said Jagjivan Ram’s services as a Parliamentarian and Deputy Prime Minister will always be remembered.

In both the Telugu states, different programs were organized to pay tributes to Jagjivan Ram.

Ministers garlanded the statue of the late leader and recalled his services to the nation.

Telangana’s Minister for tribal welfare Satyavati Rathod paid tributes to Jagjivan Ram by garlanding his statue at Mahabubabad.

Minister for panchayat raj E. Dayakar Rao offered floral tributes at the statue of Jagjivan Ram in Jangaon. He said that the Telangana government is working with inspiration from B.R. Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram.

Sri Lankan ruling party loses majority in Parliament

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Sri Lankan ruling party loses majority in Parliament

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ruling party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Tuesday lost its majority in Parliament as 42 MPs announced they would sit independently.

Among the 42 MPs, 14 are from Sri Lanka Freedom Party, 10 belong to constituent parties of the government, and 12 are SLPP MPs, among others, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ruling SLPP-led alliance won 146 seats in the 225-member Parliament in the 2020 general election.

Tuesday’s development comes amid an ongoing turmoil in the island nation due to the country’s worst-ever economic crisis, triggering widespread anti-government protests.

On Monday night, Rajapaksa had said that he will not resign but was ready to hand over the government to whichever party holds 113 seats in Parliament.

On Monday, he held back-to-back political meetings amidst public protests throughout the nation, calling on the President and government to resign, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former Defence Secretary in his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government, played a crucial role to end the 26-year-long war against Tamil rebel Tigers.

In the 2019 Presidential election, he was elected President with a sweeping 2/3 majority with over 6.9 million votes.

Lack of dollar reserves and depreciation forced an economic crisis to lead to severe shortages of fuel, LPG, electricity, and essential food, and people are demanding Rajapaksa give up power immediately.

Netcore Cloud expands ties with AWS to boost digital experiences for B2C brands

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Netcore Cloud expands ties with AWS to boost digital experiences for B2C brands

In a bid to enhance digital experiences for B2C Brands, customer engagement and Communications Platform as a service (CPaaS) company Netcore Cloud on Tuesday announced a multi-year pact with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for its cloud service offerings.

This agreement will enable Netcore Cloud to build modular systems based on demand, manage hyper-scaling, and lower equipment and maintenance costs.

It will also offer Netcore Cloud’s global customer-base access to software and platforms from the AWS ecosystem, skilled support for services, and the benefits of global infrastructure, the company said in a statement.

“This collaboration allows us to cater to different geolocation customer demands efficiently. AWS will help us reach clients across geographies seamlessly and meet their expectations regarding data localization, security, and compliance,” said Kalpit Jain, Group CEO, Netcore Cloud.

“Moving workloads to the cloud will enable us to seize new market opportunities quickly, enhance security and address the needs of the customers better,” Jain added.

Currently working with AWS in a hybrid model, Netcore Cloud will migrate more workloads to reduce its dependency on private clouds.

The company aims to achieve high uptime using AWS services across multiple geographies resulting in a better customer experience.

“Netcore is transforming the way brands use data through various phases of the customer lifecycle, using AWS to accelerate its innovations,” said Tim Barnes, Director of Worldwide Solutions for Advertising & Marketing Technology at AWS.

“By taking advantage of AWS’s global infrastructure footprint in the cloud and its broad selection of cloud-based analytics and machine learning services, Netcore engineering teams can reduce development time and deliver new customer experience solutions to its global customer base more quickly,” he added.

“Through this collaboration with AWS, Netcore will be able to accelerate the pace of its cloud migration as well as the implementation of its Cloud-first strategy,” said Praveen Sridhar, Head of ISV segment, AISPL.

The agreement will further enhance Netcore Cloud’s digital-first marketing offerings by optimizing the user experience with search optimization, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning.

In addition, the collaboration will allow Netcore Cloud access to the AWS Partner Network (APN) and the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) Programme helping Netcore Cloud drive successful customer engagements with AWS.

The partnership also provides opportunities for collaboration with AWS business and Marketing teams and ensures technical support for co-selling with AWS, according to the company.

Putin signs decree on retaliatory visa measures against citizens from ‘unfriendly countries’

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Putin signs decree on retaliatory visa measures against citizens from ‘unfriendly countries’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree introducing visa restrictions for citizens from “unfriendly countries”, the Kremlin said.

It added that the decision was made in retaliation to “hostile measures” taken by the European Union (EU) against Russia’s warn in Ukraine, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the decree, Russia will partially suspend its simplified visa agreements with EU member countries along with Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

The Kremlin said that the decree also ordered the Foreign Ministry to impose individual entry restrictions on foreigners and stateless persons who commit hostile acts against Russia, its citizens, or legal entities.

Sonia accuses BJP of misusing probe agencies to target opposition

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Sonia accuses BJP of misusing probe agencies to target opposition

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP of playing divisive politics and misusing probe agencies to target the opposition parties.

She was speaking at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting.

“The divisive and polarising agenda of the ruling party and its leaders has now become a regular feature of the political discourse in state after state.”

She said history — not just ancient but also contemporary — is being mischievously distorted and facts are maliciously invented to add fuel to the agenda. It is for everyone to stand up and confront these forces of “hate and prejudice”.

“We will not allow them to damage the bonds of amity and harmony that have sustained and enriched our diverse society for centuries,” she added.

The veteran leader accused the ruling establishment of continuously targeting the opposition, its leaders, and workers. The full might of the state machinery is unleashed against them.

“Maximum governance to those in power clearly means spreading maximum fear and intimidation. Such blatant threats and tactics will neither frighten nor silence us nor cow us down.” She said.

Sonia alleged that the MSMEs are in the most precarious condition. There is no sign whatsoever that the commitments made to the farmers are going to be fulfilled in any significant manner. Prices of cooking gas and oil, petrol, diesel, fertilizers and other essential commodities have risen to an unbearable limit — and continue to rise.

“A few days back, our party launched a nationwide Mehngai-mukt Bharat campaign in which many of you took part. This must be sustained.”

She praised the Congress-led UPA government’s National Food Security Act and MGNREGA and alleged that though the minister concerned has denied it, inordinately delayed wage payments, however, continue to be a serious issue.

“In spite of repeated attempts, we have been unable to get the Government to agree to a discussion on the situation on our borders, a discussion that could only have deepened the sense of collective resolve. The value of non-alignment as a foundational principle of the nation’s foreign policy that was criticized so much has now, I am glad to note, been rediscovered even though it may not be acknowledged as such,” she added.

She expressed concern about the future of the thousands of students who have been evacuated from Ukraine. She charged the government with diluting the labor laws at a time of growing unemployment and livelihood insecurity. Interest rates on employee provident fund accumulations have been reduced considerably.

“Public sector enterprises, the one important avenue for employment of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are being sold off under the fancy name “asset monetization”. This will be another disaster as demonetization turned out to be,” she said.

Root deluding himself by talking about positives in West Indies series: Alastair Cook

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Root deluding himself by talking about positives in West Indies series: Alastair Cook

Former England opening batter Alastair Cook feels Test skipper Joe Root and interim coach Paul Collingwood are deluding themselves by talking about the positives in the team’s recent 0-1 away defeat to the West Indies in the three-match series.

Following two draws, England — already reeling under the criticism of a 0-4 Ashes thrashing in Australia — lost the third and final Test at St George’s, Grenada by 10 wickets with the tourists scoring 204 and 120 in the two innings.

Cook, a veteran of 161 Tests and nearly 12,500 runs in the longest format of the game, said he was a “bit bored” of Root speaking about the positives after the series loss in the Caribbean.

While Root had said in the wake of the defeat that there were “many good things” for his side, Collingwood — who replaced Chris Silverwood as interim coach following the Ashes debacle — said he was surprised people were questioning Root’s position as captain.

“I am a bit bored with all the positive chat because I don’t think it was a sense of reality in that changing room,” Cook was quoted as saying by dailymail.co.uk on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what’s being said behind closed doors but I’m struggling to see as many positives as they are. And is that slightly deluded? The word’s been put out there,” the former England skipper opined.

Cook also felt that pace-bowling stalwarts, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, who was omitted from the Test series in the West Indies following the Ashes drubbing, deserved fitting Test send-offs, although he added that neither was looking at retirement yet.

“They’re right up there with the best bowlers ever to play the game. Hopefully, they do get that chance but tell that to Jimmy and he’ll say, ‘I’m not thinking about retiring, I’m still playing until I’m 75’.

“He’s thinking, ‘I want to get back in that Test side and prove they shouldn’t have left me out. But if you’re talking about deserving a send-off, of course, they deserve it. It makes it an interesting summer, doesn’t it?” said Cook.

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