Women’s World Cup: White Ferns head coach steps down after team’s debacle

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Women’s World Cup: White Ferns head coach steps down after team’s debacle

The New Zealand women’s team head coach Bob Carter has stepped down following his side’s poor performance in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup, with the home team unable to make it to the semifinals of the tournament.

The Sophie Devine-led White Ferns finished their league assignments in sixth place with just three wins from seven games, while Australia, South Africa, England, and the West Indies made it to the semifinal knockout phase.

Carter had been the White Ferns coach for the past two-and-a-half years and will now return to his role as High-Performance Coach with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), a report in sen.com.au said on Monday.

The 61-year-old former First-Class cricketer said the World Cup showing on home soil was disappointing, but added that the team had improved since the time he took over.

“We are moving ahead. If it hadn’t been for two or three results (including) that incredible game against England, we’d be looking forward to a semifinal. I think we’re still close but there’s been no joy. They are a great bunch to work with. It’s not really about me.

“It’s about what we were trying to achieve over that period of time with the White Ferns. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the White Ferns. I’ve formed some special bonds through this journey and I look forward to continuing working with our female and male cricketers in my High-Performance role,” said Carter.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also confirmed that Carter’s contract was over. “Thanks, Bob. Coach, Bob Carter, confirmed today his contract has finished with the WHITE FERNS and he will return to his role as High-Performance Coach with NZC,” said New Zealand Cricket.

Former New Zealand opening batter Craig Cumming had said recently that the White Ferns were “simply not good enough” to compete with the best in the world.

“We’re not quite as good as some of the other teams. Look at that list of the teams that are here, we aren’t in the top four, unfortunately. We’re not good enough to be in the top four and we’ve just go to accept that. We’ve got a find a way in the future to get there,” Cumming had said.

New bug hits Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge browsers

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New bug hits Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge browsers

Google has started asking users on Windows, macOS, and Linux to update Chrome builds to version 99.0.4844.84, after finding a new vulnerability.

The company has highlighted that the exploit is being utilized in the wild and Google is aware of it.

“We will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third-party library that other projects similarly depend on, but haven’t yet fixed,” the firm said in a statement.

The update is available for Chrome via version 99.0.4844.84 on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

One can head over to the three-dot button on the top-right of Chrome and navigate to Help > About Google Chrome to trigger the update.

“We would also like to thank all security researchers that worked with us during the development cycle to prevent security bugs from ever reaching the stable channel,” the company noted.

Meanwhile, Microsoft issued its own notice saying the issue was fixed in Edge version 99.0.1150.55 released the same day.

In its first big security update for the new year, Google rolled out 37 fixes for Windows, Mac, and Linux and one of which was rated critical.

According to Google, 22 types of security fixes have been given in the latest Chrome browser, which works to increase user privacy.

It also recently updated the Chrome stable channel to 96.0.4664.93 for Windows, Mac, and Linux, which is available for all users.

India logs 1,270 new Covid cases, 31 deaths

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India logs 1,270 new Covid cases, 31 deaths

In the last 24 hours, India logged 1,270 new Covid-19 cases and 31 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

The new fatalities increased the overall death toll to 5,21,035.

Due to a continuous downward trend, India’s active caseload has further declined to 15,859, accounting for 0.04 percent of the country’s total positive cases.

At least 1,567 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, which took the cumulative figure to 4,24,83,829.

India’s recovery rate currently stood at 98.75 percent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,32,389 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the total to more than 78.73 crore.

In the wake of a sustained fall, the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.26 percent, while the daily positivity rate stood at 0.29 percent.

As of Monday morning, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 183.26 crores. This has been achieved through 2,17,89,216 sessions.

IPL: Rohit disappointed but says this is not the end for Mumbai Indians

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IPL: Rohit disappointed but says this is not the end for Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma said he was disappointed with the defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opening game against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Brabourne Stadium here, but added that it was “not the end” of the five-time champions’ campaign in the tournament.

Despite Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 81 and 41 runs from Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians failed to defend 177, with Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav’s knocks helping Delhi Capitals win the match by four wickets with 10 balls to spare.

Sharma conceded that the players made some mistakes on the field, upsetting Mumbai Indians’ plans.

“We always come prepared, whether it’s the first game or last game, we want to try and win every game. But we made some mistakes on the field which didn’t go according to plans. Those things can happen. We just need to keep it tight within the group. Disappointed, but it’s not the end,” said Sharma.

Mumbai Indians Murugan Ashwin, Tymal Mills, and Basil Thampi all struck at different times but Delhi Capitals managed to chase down the target after a 75-run partnership between Axar and Yadav.

“I thought it (177) was a good score. It didn’t look like that kind of a pitch where you could get 170-plus at the start. But we played really well in the middle and finished off really well as well. It was a good score on the board, it’s just that we didn’t bowl according to the plans,” Sharma said.

Spinner Murugan Ashwin, who made a memorable debut for MI ending with figures of 2/14 in his four overs, said that wrist spinners like him and Delhi Capitals’ Kuldeep Yadav could be a force to reckon with on the Brabourne pitch. Kuldeep registered figures of 3/18, and Murugan Ashwin felt they both did pretty much the same thing on the pitch.

“Both I and Kuldeep had a good game, wrist spinners, with our variations, we can do a lot off the wicket. Both of us hit the right lengths, bowled the right speeds, it’s a good wicket to bat and the lines were important, we had to be precise to put the batters on the backfoot and force them to do something,” he said.

Murugan also felt that only minor tweaks were needed for Mumbai Indians to hit winning ways.

“As a bowling unit, we were looking very good out there. We need to address a few things like closing out the overs. We gave away a few more boundary balls than we’d have liked but we will regroup and come back stronger,” said Murugan.

“I don’t think we succumbed to pressure, we have experienced bowlers, it’s just about finishing off games. We will come back.”

He also acknowledged good innings from Ishan Kishan.

“Ishan was very good, he took it till the end, that was a good, responsible innings from him. He was batting well in the nets and practice games, so I’m happy for him,” said Murugan.

Mumbai Indians will take on the Rajasthan Royals on April 2 at the DY Patil Stadium.

Global Covid caseload tops 480.8 mn

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Global Covid caseload tops 480.8 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 480.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.12 million and vaccinations to over 10.87 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Monday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 480,897,085 and 6,123,409, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 10,870,749,502.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 79,954,418 and 976,702, according to the CSSE.

India accounts for the second-highest caseload at 43,019,453.

The other countries with over 10 million cases are Brazil (29,849,740) France (25,216,913), the UK (20,848,913), Germany (19,492,672), Russia (17,504,537), Turkey (14,800,677), Italy (14,364,723), South Korea (12,003,054) and Spain (11,451,676), the CSSE figures showed.

The nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Brazil (659,159), India (521,004), Russia (360,021), Mexico (322,735), Peru (212,128), the UK (165,046), Italy (158,782), Indonesia (154,570), France (142,705), Iran (139,865), Colombia (139,573), Argentina (127,909), Germany (127,599), Poland (114,828), Ukraine (112,459) and Spain (102,392).

Rajini congratulates Seenu Ramasamy for ‘Maa Manithan’

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Rajini congratulates Seenu Ramasamy for ‘Maa Manithan’

National Award-winning director Seenu Ramasamy on Saturday disclosed that superstar Rajinikanth, after watching his upcoming film ‘Maa Manithan’, had congratulated him wholeheartedly.

Taking to Twitter, Seenu Ramasamy said, “I did not disclose that you (referring to Rajinikanth) had watched ‘Maa Manithan’ in January and had called me up over the phone to congratulate me for my film.

“Had I disclosed then that you had called, they would have said that I was doing it to sell my film.

“The very fact that you watched the film was a blessing. That was enough for us.”

The director also went on to disclose that now the film had been sold and that its release date too had been finalised.

Producer R K Suresh, who is releasing the film, tweeted in Tamil, “Crores of thanks to ‘Maa Manithan’ Rajinikanth for appreciating our film ‘Maa Manithan’.”

Actor Raghav Tiwari recalls his modelling days

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Actor Raghav Tiwari recalls his modelling days

Actor Raghav Tiwari, who was seen playing a protagonist Aditya in his acting debut show ‘Hamari Wali Good News’, is in his hometown Jaipur to host a fashion show.

The actor remembers his modeling days and says: “Fashion Industry has always been very fascinating, glamorous and glittery. But it has its own merits and demerits. In my initial days, I started my career as a model. Though I was not tall enough to be a ramp model but I use to get a hell of a lot of print projects. Modeling grooms your personality and improves the way you carry yourself and gives you a confidence boost.”

Raghav feels modeling is taxing.

He says: “Modelling as a job is very taxing. When I started working as a newbie print model, I use to get at least 100 to 150 changes with not an average pay which was inhuman. Even for ramp models, it’s very taxing to maintain a certain lean physique and walk for different shows. Modeling is very competitive plus age restricted too.”

He says at the time there is not much scope left for people pursuing modeling.

“I also feel that a few years ago there was a wave of models getting recognition and fame. Veterans like John Abraham, Muzamil Ibrahim, Dino Morea, Arjun Rampal among others are at the top. But now we hardly get to know about upcoming models. So, I believe we have hell of lot of talented people in the Modeling stream too and they deserve the push in the industry,” he concludes.

Imran ‘thanks’ Opposition for boosting his party’s popularity

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Imran ‘thanks’ Opposition for boosting his party’s popularity

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has “thanked” the Opposition bigwigs — Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman — for moving a no-confidence motion against him, saying it helped his party regain popularity, Express Tribune reported.

“Our estranged party workers have returned to [PTI] after seeing their [opposition leaders’] real faces… Nations fall when they stop differentiating between good and evil,” Khan said while addressing a public gathering in Punjab’s Kamalia district on Saturday.

Calling PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif a “boot polisher” and “Cherry Blossom”, the premier said that Sharif knows that if his government stays in power, he would be put behind bars due to corruption charges, Express Tribune reported.

He also lashed out at former premier and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, saying he had introduced horse-trading in the country’s politics.

“If he [Nawaz] returns to Pakistan, he will first attack the judiciary… He is making attempts to create rifts among the judges and he will never allow an independent judiciary to function,” Khan said.

He added that Nawaz, who has been living in London since 2019 for medical treatment, will also “target” the military after coming to power because “he wants to control all institutions” to protect himself from accountability, the report said.

Khan said political leaders with offshore assets can never pursue independent foreign policy, fearing that their wealth could be seized.

“I don’t want to strain a country’s relations with any other country but there is a difference between ‘boot polishing’ and maintaining balanced ties,” he said while referring to the Opposition’s criticism of his remarks against EU diplomats.

Mining resumes in one of India’s oldest coal mines after 2 years

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Mining resumes in one of India’s oldest coal mines after 2 years

The coal mining operations in Assam’s Tikka Coalfield, one of the oldest coal mines in India, under the North Eastern Coalfields (NEC), resumed after two years on Saturday by Union Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was also present on the occasion. Mining operations at Tikak Coalfield in Tinsukia district were halted in 2020 due to the non-availability of land for the overburden dump, and certain environmental issues and clearances.

The NEC, a unit of Coal India Limited (CIL), currently operates in Tikak colliery in Margherita with two opencast projects — Tikak OCP and Tikak Extension OCP with a combined coal production capacity of four lakh tonne per annum.

The NEC will also start producing coal from its Tirap OCP from the upcoming fiscal 2022-23 aiming to produce 10 lakh tonnes of coal from 2023-24 fiscal.

Resuming the coal mining operations, Joshi said that it is a very important step towards the development of the northeastern region.

“The coal quality of NEC is superior and it is in high demand by several of India’s domestic industries,” he said.

The Union Minister said that increased production in the mines would generate more revenues for the Assam government, more employment for the people, and also support small business activities, while catering to the energy demand.

Speaking on the occasion, Assam CM Sarma said with the resumption of mining operations at the Tikak Colliery, the state government has fulfilled yet another promise made to the people in the state assembly elections last year.

Sarma said the Assam government is committed to maintaining a balance between development and the environment.

“While operationalizing Tikak Colliery, we have ensured that mining activities continue in sync with nature. Our government has extended all co-operation to Coal India Ltd in resolving environmental and all other issues that stalled the functioning of the North Eastern Coalfields,” the Chief Minister said.

CIL Chairman Pramod Agrawal, Assam’s Minister of Mines and Minerals Jogen Mohan, and Margherita MLA Bhaskar Sarma among others were present on the occasion.

An official statement said that Coal India accounts for over 80 percent of India’s coal production.

The company has produced 606.06 million tonnes of coal in the current fiscal till March 25, with the company’s coal production up by 5 percent, relative to the same period of the last fiscal.

The company’s coal off-take till date is 649.65 million tonnes, up by 15 percent in comparison to the same period of the last fiscal.

This is also the record coal off-take by the company in any financial year, the statement said.

Instagram account verification fraudsters held

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Instagram account verification fraudsters held

Two persons were arrested by the police for duping people on the pretext of verifying their Instagram accounts, a police officer said on Saturday.

According to social networking service Instagram, a verified badge is a Blue Tick that appears next to an Instagram account’s name in search, and on the profile.

It means that Instagram has confirmed that an account is the authentic presence of the public figure, celebrity, or brand it represents.

The official said a woman lodged a complaint at Cyber Police Station, Dwarka alleging that her son was cheated by unknown fraudsters of Rs 14,400.

She stated that her 15-year-old son got a mobile number for verifying his Instagram account. When her son contacted that number the caller asked him to deposit Rs 6,000 through UPI.

Afterward, her son was again forced to deposit Rs 5,700 as his account was blocked. The third time, the fraudsters demanded Rs 2,700 more for a further course of action.

As the complainant’s son realized that he had been cheated, he demanded his money back, however, the alleged persons refused to pay the amount and blocked him.

Accordingly, based on this complaint, the police registered a case under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and took up the investigation.

During investigation beneficiary details of alleged fraudulent transactions were obtained from PhonePe, UPI, and Kotak Mahindra bank.

On the basis of technical analysis, a police team conducted a raid in Pitampura and Rohini area and apprehended one accused Shivam Dev (19), a first year BA student, and on his instance, the second accused Shubham Kumar (21), who is said to be mastermind of the scam was also nabbed.

During interrogation, both the accused disclosed that they used to look for Instagram users whose accounts were not verified.

Thereafter, they sent them messages through different IDs for verifying their accounts.

Whenever any user showed interest, they demanded money through UPI and once the money was received, they used it to block the senders.

Odisha: BJD heading towards landslide victory in urban polls

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Odisha: BJD heading towards landslide victory in urban polls

Like the recently concluded panchayat election, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is heading towards a landslide victory in the urban election for which counting was underway on Saturday.

The counting of votes of 105 municipalities/notified area councils (NACs) and three municipal corporations of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur started at 8 a.m., and till evening, the final result had not been declared by the State Election Commission.

As per the latest trend for the post of chairman/mayor, the BJD candidates are leading in 76 urban local bodies (ULBs), followed by BJP which is leading in 16, Congress in 7, and independent candidates in nine.

The BJD mayor candidates are leading with a comfortable margin in all three municipal corporations — Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur.

Thanking the people for re-imposing faith in his party, BJD President Naveen Patnaik, in a tweet, said, “Thank all the people of #Odisha for the overwhelming support in #OdishaMunicipalElection. The win is a reflection of the outpouring of love for @bjd_odisha and the untiring effort of thousands of party workers. #OdishaLovesBJD”

He also congratulated all winning BJD candidates and appreciated the hardwork of party workers.

IPL 2022: KKR win toss, opt to bowl against CSK in season opener

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IPL 2022: KKR win toss, opt to bowl against CSK in season opener

Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match of the IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium, here on Saturday.

Iyer was picked by KKR during the mega IPL auction and he is playing as well as leading the franchise for the first time. Apart from him, Ajinkya Rahane, Sam Billings also made their KKR debut in the season opener.

“We will bowl first. I am super excited. It is a great honor to don this jersey. The players who have been playing for this unit have been doing well. The track seems to be a better and the dew will come in later and make it better,” said the KKR captain at the toss.

“We are going in with three overseas players – Billings, Narine, and Russell. Three of us got caps today. Myself, Billings, and Rahane,” he added.

On the other hand, the newly appointed CSK captain Jadeja mentioned that he is excited about the new role and his team is going with four overseas players in this match.

“Big shoes to fill in. Happy and excited about the new role. We are going with four foreign players. Conway, Bravo, Milne, and Santner are our foreign players,” said Jadeja.

Playing XI:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy

Chennai Super Kings:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja(c), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w), Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande

Haryana to hold Latin American, Caribbean regions summit

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Haryana to hold Latin American, Caribbean regions summit

The Foreign Cooperation Department of the Haryana government will be organizing the Haryana-Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Regions Meet on Sunday at the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi along with officials from the state and Central governments will attend the event.

An official spokesperson said the meeting would certainly play a vital role towards taking the state’s vision forward of transforming Haryana through a go global approach with participation from 11 countries from LAC regions — Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Colombia, Cuba, Trinidad, and Tobago and Guyana.

Delegates from both regions would discuss the potential for collaboration in the field of agriculture, skill development, education, information technology, agro-based food processing, dairy, sports, cultural exchange, mutual interest, and several other sectors.

Earlier, the Foreign Cooperation Department organized the Haryana-Africa Conclave Series I with the participation of ambassadors and senior embassy officials from 12 African nations — Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, Nigeria, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Ghana.

IndiGo to launch 100 domestic flights from Sunday onwards

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IndiGo to launch 100 domestic flights from Sunday onwards

Airline major IndiGo will launch 100 flights connecting key domestic metro cities and regional centers, starting from March 27, 2022.

Accordingly, the airline will introduce flights on 20 exclusive routes effectively on March 27, 2022.

Besides, it will commence Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) route from Prayagraj-Lucknow on the same day.

Furthermore, it plans to re-commence 16 exclusive flights.

According to Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo: “These new and recommenced routes will not only enhance our domestic connectivity across regions but also cater to the city-specific travel demand.”

“Reinforcing inter and intra-regional connections between north, east, south, and west, these flights will also promote trade and tourism across the regions. We will continue to offer new routes as per the travel demand in various sectors.”

At present, IndiGo has a fleet of over 275 aircraft.

The airline operates over 1,500 daily flights connecting 73 domestic and 24 international destinations.

Aadhi, Nikki Galrani announce their engagement

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Aadhi, Nikki Galrani announce their engagement

Actress Nikki Galrani and actor Aadhi have announced that they have got engaged to each other in the presence of friends and family members.

Taking to Instagram, both actors put out a series of pictures from their engagement ceremony which took place on Thursday.

The engagement ceremony was a closed affair with only close family members and friends attending it.

Aadhi said, “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. We found each other a couple of years ago & it’s official now. 24.3.2022 This day was really special to us. We got engaged in the presence of both our families. Seeking all your love & blessings as we take on this new journey together.”

Nikki Galrani too posted the same message on her timeline on Instagram.

Both actors have been seeing each other for quite some time and have worked together in at least a couple of films including ‘Maragadha Naanayam’ and ‘Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakha’.

Congratulatory messages and wishes began pouring in as soon as the couple announced their engagement.

Rakul Preet Singh on ‘Attack’: We are all prepared for films like this

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Rakul Preet Singh on ‘Attack’: We are all prepared for films like this

John Abraham-starrer ‘Attack’ is all about a cybertronic humanoid super-soldier developed to combat terrorism. The film’s actress Rakul Preet Singh agrees that it is different but the audiences are prepared for new films like this.

During the promotion of the film in Noida, Rakul talked about working in the film, which has a new concept.

“The experience was great and I would just like to add that we are all prepared for films like this. We have been watching these ‘Spiderman’ movies, we have been watching all sorts of action films. We lap it up we love them but because we haven’t seen anything in our own country we think we are not ready for it but if India was not ready there wouldn’t have been such a huge market for international films.”

She added: “So I think my whole experience became more special because I was ready to take that risk and plunge into a genre and say ‘Made in India’ something that is international level and not been seen or done before. That is what ‘Attack’ is.”

‘Attack’ is directed by Lakshya Raj Anand. It is based on a story by John Abraham, who stars in the film alongside Jacqueline Fernandez and Rakul. The film is scheduled to be released on April 1.

PM praises Indian Embassy in Doha for arranging unique yoga session

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PM praises Indian Embassy in Doha for arranging unique yoga session

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday applauded the efforts of the Indian Embassy in Doha for bringing together people from most nationalities for a yoga session that led to a Guinness World Record (GWR).

“Yoga is uniting the world in pursuit of good health and wellness. A great effort by @IndEmbDoha (Indian Embassy in Doha) of bringing together people from several nations for practicing Yoga,” Modi tweeted in response to a tweet by the Indian Embassy in Doha, which posted photos of the GWR record event.

“A proud and historic moment for Indian Community and Qatar as we make it to Guinness World Record after Indian Sports Centre successfully conducted yoga lesson for 114 nationalities at @aspirezone (sic),” the Embassy’s tweet read on Friday.

The accompanying photos in the tweet also displayed the Guinness World Record certificate that read: “Certificate: The most nationalities in a yoga lesson was achieved by Indian Sports Centre (Qatar), under the aegis of Embassy of India (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar, on March 25, 2022.”

The event was held at Aspire Zone Foundation that boasts one of the world’s finest sports venues.

IPL 2022: Crowds curtailed, but the spirit fizzier than ever

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IPL 2022: Crowds curtailed, but the spirit fizzier than ever

The much-awaited sports breather – Indian Premier League 2022 – which starts in Mumbai on Saturday will be a truncated affair as far as the cheering crowds go, yet it promises to be bubbling with enthusiasm as never before.

For, the pleased organizers say, that despite the Covid-19 restrictions, all the tickets for all matches are practically sold-out and the venues shall proudly sport the ‘Housefull’ signs.

The IPL-2022 will be kickstarted at the dazzling opening match between the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings versus Kolkata Knight Riders, at Wankhede Stadium.

In an unprecedented development in its 15-year history, this year, 95 percent of the IPL tourneys shall be held in Mumbai, Thane, and Pune (Maharashtra), and the rest in Ahmedabad (Gujarat).

The matches shall be held at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium (capacity 20,000, the smallest venue), Wankhede Stadium (33,000), D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Thane (55,000, the biggest venue), and the MCA Stadium of Pune (capacity 37,000).

With the total strength of these four stadia coming to about 145,000, only 25 percent – or around 36,000 – cricket-crazy fans are all set to clap and whistle or boo and hoot, at their favorite or not-so-favored teams and players at these venues over the next fun-filled nine weeks of IPL-2022 schedule.

An MCA office-bearer said that considering Maharashtra — the worst-hit in the past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic – has just emerged into the ‘green zone’, strict Covid protocols shall be implemented at all venues hosting the events.

“There shall be random temperature checks of the visitors, face-masks will be compulsory, sanitizers available at suitable locations, crowds shall be controlled by the police and our own security, cleanliness and other hygiene measures will be enforced, etc,” said the office-bearer, requesting anonymity.

In Mumbai, the biggest venue for several matches, there were certain security concerns of alleged terror threats, but these were dismissed by the Mumbai Police, sending a wave of relief among the organizers.

There was a minor incident of an IPL team bus being vandalized by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists here last week, sparking fresh worries.

However, the Mumbai Police quickly rushed in, nabbed at least 5 MNS men, beefed up security at the deluxe hotels where the cricket legends are staying, and also at the two stadia, besides Thane and Pune, as a precaution.

Given the congested localities of south Mumbai where the Brabourne Stadium and Wankhede Stadium are situated, the Mumbai Police, in coordination with the organizers and Traffic Police, have deployed special arrangements to ensure there are no vehicular snarls at least 500 meters from the venue, before and after the matches.

However, traffic concerns are not serious at the D.Y. Patil Stadium of Thane and Pune’s MCA Stadium, though there will be normal restrictions on the entry-exit for all vehicles.

Of the total 74 matches to be played between March 26 and May 29, 20 shall be played at Wankhede Stadium, 16 at Brabourne Stadium, 19 at the D.Y. Patil stadium, and 15 at MCA Stadium in Pune.

Besides, the two Qualifiers, one Eliminator and the Grand Finale shall be fought out on the pitches in Ahmedabad in the last week of May.

Signal’s active users in Ukraine nearly tripled in past 3 weeks

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Signal’s active users in Ukraine nearly tripled in past 3 weeks

Adoption of encrypted messaging apps Telegram and Signal reached new heights in Ukraine after Russia launched its invasion on February 24, with installs collectively climbing 197 percent when compared to earlier in the year.

In the period from February 24 to March 20, Telegram and Signal collectively saw 1.7 million installs from across Ukraine’s App Store and Google Play, up 197 percent from 573,000 in the immediately preceding January 30 to February 23 period prior to the invasion, reports Sensor Tower.

Comparing the same two periods, the apps also experienced growth among Russian devices at a more modest rate, with installs climbing 33 percent to 3.2 million from 2.4 million.

Although Telegram saw more installs in both Ukraine and Russia, Signal led in terms of growth.

In Ukraine, Signal’s downloads surged 1,075 percent to 787,000 between February 24 and March 20 from 67,000 in the prior period; in Russia, the app experienced 286 percent growth to 425,000 — up from 110,000.

Comparing the same two periods of time, Telegram’s installs climbed 89 percent in Ukraine while experiencing 17 percent growth in Russia.

Although Telegram saw more installs in both Ukraine and Russia, Signal led in terms of growth.

In Ukraine, Signal’s downloads surged 1,075 percent to 787,000 between February 24 and March 20 from 67,000 in the prior period.

In Russia, the app experienced 286 percent growth to 425,000 — up from 110,000.

Comparing the same two periods of time, Telegram’s installs climbed 89 percent in Ukraine while experiencing a 17 percent growth in Russia.

Mahesh Babu congratulates ‘RRR’ team; Calls the film ‘Epic’

TB Team
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Mahesh Babu congratulates ‘RRR’ team; Calls the film ‘Epic’

Congratulating the team of director S.S. Rajamouli’s magnum opus ‘RRR’ for making a film that was ‘epic’, Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu on Saturday said the “scale, grandeur, visuals, music and emotions” of the film were “unimaginable, breathtaking and simply stunning.”

Taking to Twitter to register his thoughts on the just-released film, which has already gone on to emerge as India’s biggest blockbuster, Mahesh Babu, said, “There are films and then there are SS Rajamouli films! ‘RRR’ E.P.I.C!! The scale, grandeur visuals, music & emotions are unimaginable, breathtaking, and simply stunning!

“Junior NTR and Ram Charan grow beyond their stardom and come out with performances which are out of this world!! The law of gravity didn’t seem to exist in the ‘Natu-Natu’ song! They were literally flying!!

“Hats off to the entire team of ‘RRR’ for executing this mammoth project!! So so proud! Congratulations.”

‘RRR’, which features Junior NTR and Ram Charan in the lead, was released on Friday in theatres worldwide. The film, which has come in for rave reviews, has smashed all box office records on Day 1 and has now emerged as the number one opener of Indian cinema.

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