Bug bounty platform HackerOne blocks payouts to Ukrainian hackers

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Bug bounty platform HackerOne blocks payouts to Ukrainian hackers

Ukrainian hackers and security researchers have claimed that leading bug bounty platform HackerOne has blocked their payouts running into thousands of dollars.

According to them, HackerOne is blocking payouts citing economic sanctions and export controls following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“If you are based in Ukraine, Russia, or Belarus, all communications and transactions (including swag shipping) have been paused for the time being,” according to an email from HackerOne that security researcher Vladimir Metnew tweeted late on Monday.

HackerOne told TechCrunch that bounty payouts will resume shortly.

“We actively support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and have no intention of restricting bounty payments to Ukrainian hackers. I’m truly sorry for the stress caused here, and am committed to getting things back up and running as quickly as possible,” the company was quoted as saying in the report.

In 2020, HackerOne paid out more than $107 million in bug bounty rewards to researchers.

Ukrainian security researcher Bob Diachenko tweeted that he had $3,000 in earnings since February currently withheld from his account.

“I am from Ukraine and Hackerone is not sending bounties here as well (they owe me like 3k USD since Feb). I guess they simply disabled payouts to the entire country, no matter if it is occupied or not,” he said.

Several hackers and researchers who are still in Ukraine reported their accounts being frozen or they could not withdraw funds.

Did Prabhas pull out of Maruthi’s movie?

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Did Prabhas pull out of Maruthi’s movie?

For a couple of days now, a few Telugu-based social media handles have been posting that Prabhas is not going to be a part of Maruthi’s much-anticipated venture.

Rumors about Prabhas’s next movie with Maruthi caused much confusion between the fans, earlier on Monday.

But, it is confirmed that Prabhas has not taken any decision regarding his withdrawal from the project. He will soon start prepping up for the movie under director Maruthi, which is reported to be a full-run comedy entertainer.

The movie will apparently have three female leads, one of which is to be essayed by ‘Uppena’ fame Krithi Shetty. Another female role is to be filled by Tamil actress Malavika Mohanan, while the third female lead position is still in talks.

Fans await an official confirmation from the makers of this movie. Prabhas, who has multiple projects ahead, will be seen in an uber-cool look for this movie, as reports suggest.

After the release of Prabhas’s much-awaited movie ‘Radhe Shyam’, rumors about his rejection of an upcoming movie emerged.

Prabhas’s fans, who are clearly disappointed with the kind of response ‘Radhe Shyam’ has been receiving, seem to be worried about his upcoming movies as well.

72% of Indian employers looking to hire apprentices in 2022: Report

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72% of Indian employers looking to hire apprentices in 2022: Report

About 72 per cent of Indian employers are keen to hire apprentices this fiscal year, according to a new report on Tuesday.

The Apprenticeship Outlook Report for H1 (January to June 2022) from TeamLease Skills University in Gujarat’s Vadodara is an in-depth analysis of apprentice appointment trends across 18 sectors and 14 cities.

The report stated that net apprenticeship outlook (NAO) has soared to 56 percent for the current half-year – an increase of 11 percent over the previous half-year.

While there is positive sentiment for apprentices is across sectors, employers across 10 sectors engineering (82 per cent), automobiles and ancillaries (74 per cent), and retail (70 per cent) have a more positive outlook to appoint apprentices.

Further, the report highlights that Chennai (75 percent), followed by Ahmedabad (72 percent) and Delhi (70 per cent) employers are planning to appoint more apprentices. The top profiles included data analytics executives (23 percent), production apprentices (20 percent), and maintenance technician-electrical (20 percent).

“When it comes to the adoption of apprenticeships in India, the last five years have been very rewarding. Employer sentiment has drastically improved on account of awareness and the reforms in the apprenticeship system, with more employers coming to the forefront and engaging more apprentices,” said Sumit Kumar, Vice President – NETAP, in a statement.

He added that India has the potential to reach 10 million apprentices in the coming decade if necessary actions are undertaken.

He suggested creating a framework for faster adoption and implementation of apprenticeships programs to further scale apprenticeships in India.

“A tripartite association between academic, industry, and youth will go a long way in boosting these programs. The recently launched degree embedded programmes by UGC are the game-changer in education which will address the youth employability, solve skill crisis and achieve the gross enrollment ratio objective,” Kumar said.

The report surveyed 871 employers to capture the appointment sentiment for the period HY (January to June) 2022.

K’taka High Court verdict on hijab unconstitutional: CFI

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K’taka High Court verdict on hijab unconstitutional: CFI

Campus Front of India (CFI) President Ataulla Punjalakatte on Friday termed Karnataka High Court’s dismissal of pro-hijab petitions as “against” the Constitution.

Rejecting the court’s verdict, Punjalakatte said: “We will continue to support the six girl students who are fighting for the right of hijab.”

It is left to those children whether to attend classes or refrain from it. Their parents must take a decision on this, he added.

After the hijab row came to the fore, the CFI had conducted a survey in 21 districts of the state. As many as 11,000 girls have been excluded from education, the CFI leader stated.

Quran says that women should cover their faces. Individual rights must be protected. The government should have a broad mindset. The policy of “Beti Bachao Beti Padao” has been reversed here, he maintained.

Meanwhile, as many as 35 students in Kembavi of the Yadgir district refused to remove the hijab and take exams. They were sent back.

Moulana Shafi Assadi, the President of Wakf Board, said that he is in discussions with community leaders. He questioned that the special bench of the High Court had a Muslim judge, in spite of that how can they come to the conclusion that the hijab is not an essential part of Islam?

He maintained that the court’s verdict is not acceptable and will be challenged in the Supreme Court.

Congress MLA Tanveer Sait stated that the verdict would create a rift among students and challenge integrity. One community has been targeted, the religious right is constitutional, he said.

Series of enactments of law on Triple talaq, religious conversion, and the cow slaughter will show that one community is targetted, he claimed.

Samsung Galaxy A33 leaked in full before March 17 launch

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Samsung Galaxy A33 leaked in full before March 17 launch

Samsung is set to launch its entry-level Galaxy smartphones on March 17 and the cheapest of the lot, Galaxy A33, will house a 6.4-inch 90Hz 1080p OLED display, a 5,000mAh battery, and four rear cameras.

It is likely to be priced at 379 euros in Europe, according to new leaks posted by Evan Blass and Appeals.

According to Apple, the Galaxy A33 will be powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1280, housing an octa-core CPU. There will be a 48MP camera, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP portrait lens at the rear end, along with a 13MP selfie camera.

Sporting an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, the phone will have an under-display fingerprint sensor, 6GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage without a charging brick in the box.

Samsung’s mid-low tier Galaxy A series is forecast to come in various new models — A73, A53, A33, and A23 — a product line the company earlier said would provide “cutting-edge innovations, services, and features at an accessible price”.

Galaxy A53 may sport a bigger 6.5-inch display with a higher 120Hz refresh rate, with the same Exynos 1280 processor as well as a quad-camera at the rear with a 64MP main camera, and a 32MP selfie sensor.

The Galaxy A73, which will be the most high-end among the A-series, is widely expected to come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 750G, a 6.7-inch screen, and a Super AMOLED display.

Samsung introduced the Galaxy A72 and A52 models at its ‘Galaxy Awesome Unpacked’ online event in March last year. It was the first time Samsung held a large-scale introduction event for Galaxy A devices.

The A-series, designed in part to deal with growing challenges from Chinese rivals in the mid-and low-end handset market, proved to be popular among price-conscious consumers.

Balakrishna, Mahesh Babu team up for Rajamouli’s next film

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Balakrishna, Mahesh Babu team up for Rajamouli’s next film

Nandamuri Balakrishna, who enthralled the Telugu TV audience with his perky hosting on ‘Unstoppable: With NBK’, is rumored to be a part of S.S. Rajamouli’s upcoming big-ticket project.

Rajamouli’s next, which will feature superstar Mahesh Babu as the main lead, will apparently have Balakrishna in an extended cameo. While the other details are not mentioned, it is said that Balakrishna will have a screen-time of nearly 40 minutes in this yet-to-be-announced movie.

While there is no formal confirmation on the same, Balakrishna and Mahesh Babu’s fans have been excited for the makers to make this news official.

The movie which will have K.L. Narayana as producer will be launched in the coming months, while sources also report it will have an ensemble cast.

For now, Balakrishna and Mahesh Babu are busy with their respective movies. Balakrishna’s movie under Gopichand Mallineni is in the making, while Mahesh Babu’s ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ is gearing up for its release this summer.

Microsoft’s AI tech helps blind kids to make friends, build confidence

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Microsoft’s AI tech helps blind kids to make friends, build confidence

Tech giant Microsoft has developed a novel Artificial Intelligence-based technology that helps blind children and young people better understand their immediate social environment, interact with peers and gain confidence more easily.

For children born blind, social interaction can be particularly challenging as they have difficulty aiming their voices at the person they’re talking to. As a result, they struggle with engaging and making friends with their peers, which can be frustrating for the child and for their support network of family members and teachers who want to help.

Called PeopleLens, the project helps blind children to make friends; and for teachers and parents, it’s a way for these children and young people to develop competence and confidence in social interaction.

PeopleLens is a head-worn device that reads aloud in spatialised audio the names of known individuals when the learner looks at them. It means the sound is coming from the direction of the person, assisting the learner in understanding both the relative position and distance of their peers.

“The PeopleLens helps learners build a People Map, a mental map of those around them needed to effectively signal communicative intent,” Cecily Morrison, Principal Research Manager, at Microsoft’s Research Lab in Cambridge, along with other authors, wrote in a blog post.

“The technology, in turn, indicates to the learner’s peers when the peers have been seen and can interact – a replacement for the eye contact that usually initiates the interaction between people,” Morrison added.

PeopleLens is a sophisticated AI prototype system that works on augmented reality glasses tethered to a phone. The system can recognize only those faces that have been registered in the system. To register, people must take several photographs of themselves with the phone attached to the PeopleLens.

The system then receives images and processes them with computer vision algorithms to continuously locate, identify, track, and capture the gaze directions of people in the vicinity.

Further, the system also employs a series of sounds to assist the wearer in placing people in the surrounding space: a percussive bump indicates when their gaze has crossed a person up to 10 meters away. The bump is followed by the person’s name if the person is registered in the system, is within 4 meters of the wearer, and both the person’s ears can be detected.

The functions of the PeopleLens system include experiencing features such as recognizing a person in front of the wearer, attention notifications from the direction of those who look at the wearer, the ability to follow someone, and an orientation guide to help wearers find people and faces.

While PeopleLens is not yet commercially available, Microsoft is recruiting learners in the UK aged 5 to 11 who have the support of a teacher to explore the technology as part of a multistage research study. For the study, led by the University of Bristol, learners will be asked to use the PeopleLens for a three-month period beginning in September 2022.

Telangana to pay for education of students returned from Ukraine

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Telangana to pay for education of students returned from Ukraine

The Telangana government will bear the educational expenses of over 700 students brought back from war-torn Ukraine to enable them to complete their medical education in India, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced on Tuesday.

He told the Assembly that the state government will write to the Centre to give permission to 740 students who returned from Ukraine to complete their MBBS course.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said the students were studying medicine in various universities in Ukraine and the war has forced them to discontinue the education and return home.

He said that since the students face an uncertain future due to the current situation in Ukraine, the state government is ready to bear the expenses to help them complete the MBBS.

His announcement came while he was replying to the debate on the Appropriation Bill.

He said over 20,000 Indian students were stranded in Ukraine. They had gone there to study medicine as there were no opportunities for them in India.

“To study MBBS in India, it was costing them over Rs 1 crore and since they could not afford this they went to Ukraine where they had to pay Rs 20-25 lakh,” he said.

In another major announcement, KCR declared that 7,000 field assistants working for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) will be taken back. The field assistants were removed after they went on strike. The CM advised them not to go on strike again.

He also announced that 4,000 employees working for the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) will be given salaries at par with the government employees.

KCR announced that Government Order (GO) 111 will be revoked after receiving the report of the experts’ committee.

He said the GO, which imposes certain restrictions on constructions on around 1.32 lakh acres in catchment areas of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs in Hyderabad, has become redundant as the water from the two reservoirs is no longer being used for drinking purposes. He pointed out that water is being pumped from projects on Krishna and Godavari rivers to meet the drinking water needs of the city and surroundings.

KCR said the government will take all necessary steps to ensure that there is no haphazard development in 1.32 lakh acres with the revocation of GO 111.

The GO was issued in 1996 for the protection of two reservoirs.

Actress Pranitha urges people to watch ‘The Kashmir Files’

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Actress Pranitha urges people to watch ‘The Kashmir Files’

Well-known south Indian actress Pranitha Subhash on Tuesday urged her followers on social media to watch ‘The Kashmir Files’, which is based on the true stories of Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to leave their homeland.

On Instagram, the actress, who is best known in Tamil cinema for her performance in the Karthi-starrer ‘Saguni’, said, “This had to be a post. ‘Kashmir files’ is a must watch for every Indian citizen to learn the heart-wrenching truth of what the Kashmiri pandits went through 30 years ago. My husband and I were left teary-eyed at the end of the movie. Please do watch if you haven’t already.”

Pranitha is not the only actress to have urged the masses to watch the film. Already, actress Yami Gautam too had urged people to watch the film.

Yami, in a tweet on Monday, had said, “Being married to a Kashmiri Pandit, I know first hand of the atrocities that this peace-loving community has gone through. But a majority of the nation is still unaware. It took us 32 years and a film to get to know the truth. Please watch and support ‘The Kashmir Files’.

“Huge respect to Anupam P Kher sir, Vivek Agnihotri, and the entire team.”

Rajamouli kept inquiring about well-being of his ‘RRR’ crew in Ukraine

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Rajamouli kept inquiring about well-being of his ‘RRR’ crew in Ukraine

S.S. Rajamouli, who is ready to witness the release of his mammoth project ‘RRR’, has said that he is worried about his crew who worked on the ‘RRR’ shoot in Ukraine.

Rajamouli had a media interaction in Hyderabad earlier on Tuesday. On being quizzed about how he felt about the Ukraine war, the director responded that he has been worried.

Rajamouli, who had shot for his movie ‘RRR’ in the war-torn country, had expressed that he has been shattered with the consequences the country has been facing due to the war.

“We were there to shoot some important scenes for ‘RRR’. It is a beautiful country and at the time of the shoot, I had no idea about these issues. Only after I came back, did I now understand the seriousness,” Rajamouli answered.

“I kept on inquiring about the well-being of the people who had worked for ‘RRR’ while we shot there in Ukraine. Some of them are fine, and some, I need to still get in touch with,” the ‘Simhadri’ director said.

Rajamouli, who seems to be confident of the magnum opus’ success, talked about several other topics, as he revealed why he had cast Ram Charan and Jr NTR for the lead roles. He also spoke on how the movie only got bigger from the time it was announced.

Aroosa Khan talks about her rigorous prep for ‘Saare Bolo Bewafa’

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Aroosa Khan talks about her rigorous prep for ‘Saare Bolo Bewafa’

Debutante Aroosa Khan has been hugely appreciated for her performance in the popular chartbuster ‘Saare Bolo Bewafa’ from the upcoming film ‘Bachchhan Paandey’.

Aroosa plays a pivotal role in ‘Bachchhan Paandey’, taking the narrative ahead. Aroosa reveals her rigorous prep process for the song.

She said: “I am truly flattered with the response coming my way. Firstly, ‘Saare Bolo Bewafa’ was not an easy song to perform considering the high-on-energy dance steps. Secondly, I was wondering if I would be able to match up to the choreographer and Akshay sir’s expectations since it’s an energetic dance number.”

Aroosa ensured to leave no stone unturned making the song look appealing on screen.

“Since it was my first song opposite superstar Akshay Kumar, I wanted to give my best and trained for it rigorously for over a month till the time I was confident enough to shoot it,” she reveals.

The big-ticket release proved to be a double whammy for Aroosa.

She added: “Interestingly, the day I signed my debut film ‘Bachchhan Paandey’ is the day when I had received my law degree. I am grateful to Sajid sir (Nadiadwala) for giving me the opportunity to be a part of a big-scale masala entertainer like ‘Bachchhan Paandey’ and a special thank you to director Farhad Samji, Ganesh masterji, and Mukesh Chhabra for making me a part of the film. I had a whale of a time working with a stellar cast like Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Kriti Sanon, and Arshad Warsi. I couldn’t have asked for more,” she concludes.

Directed by Farhad Samji, ‘Bachchhan Paandey’ also stars a talented ensemble star cast including Kriti Sanon, Arshad Warsi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra, Abhimanyu Singh, and Jacqueline Fernandez.

The film, produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, is all set to arrive in cinemas on March 18.

China conveys willingness to provide military, financial aid to Russia

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China conveys willingness to provide military, financial aid to Russia

The US has information suggesting China has expressed willingness to provide Russia with requested military and financial assistance as part of its war on Ukraine, CNN quoted a Western official and an American diplomat as saying.

It is not yet clear whether China intends to provide Russia with that assistance, US officials familiar with the intelligence told in an interview.

But during an intense, seven-hour meeting in Rome, a top aide to President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping of “potential implications and consequences” for China should support for Russia be forthcoming, a senior administration official said.

The series of events underscored the growing concern among American officials at the budding partnership between Moscow and Beijing as Biden works to isolate and punish Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.

While officials have said the Chinese President was alarmed at what has taken place since Russia invaded, there is little to indicate China is prepared to cut off its support entirely, CNN reported.

That leaves open a troubling possibility for American officials — that China may help prolong a bloody conflict that is increasingly killing civilians, while also cementing an authoritarian alliance in direct competition with the US, the report said.

In a diplomatic cable, the US relayed to its allies in Europe and Asia that China had conveyed a willingness to assist Russia, which has asked for military support.

The cable did not state definitively that assistance had been provided.

One official also said the US warned in the cable that China would likely deny it was willing to provide assistance.

Amazon is bringing us to our knees, we’re broke: Future Retail to SC

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Amazon is bringing us to our knees, we’re broke: Future Retail to SC

The Future Retail counsel on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that his client is broke and Amazon has driven the firm to its knees after Amazon’s counsel submitted that talks between the parties to settle legal disputes have failed and Reliance is taking over Future’s shops.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing Future Retail, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana that nothing has been transferred and the rent for the shops has not been paid for over two years. “We had no money, which is what we’ve been telling all forums. Landlords are terminating our leases,” said Salve.

He also said that Amazon was bringing them to their knees and they were broke.

Salve’s response came following submissions from senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, representing Amazon, that Reliance is taking over Future Retail stores, despite the highest court direction that no assets will be transferred. “It’s been recorded, and during the pendency, the orders have been flouted…,” said Subramanium.

At the outset, Amazon counsel informed the top court that efforts at resolving a long-running dispute between his client and Future Retail, have failed. “The efforts did not work and the conversation is over. Nothing is happening,” said Subramanium.

The counsel for both parties agreed on resuming arbitration proceedings at the tribunal, which have been put on hold by the Delhi High Court.

Salve added one can talk about the glory and grandeur of things, “but when we’re broke, we’re broke”. He said the shops’ takeover started 15 days ago. “We have no control. Reliance is taking action despite the ongoing litigation. Reliance is taking over. We can’t do anything,” said Salve.

He further added that not one store has been surrendered and Reliance took away the boards as they’re entitled to, all our assets are where they are. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Future Coupons, reiterated “the shops are there! What’s the point of saying it’s been taken over?”

Salve added: “We can’t do anything. What do we do? We haven’t signed anywhere. In fact, Mr. Biyani went and protested.”

Another counsel for Amazon said, “So suddenly they are saying there’s no money so the shops are taken over? Look at the conduct.”

The bench said, “Proceedings are going on and everything is happening. We’re getting a feeling that by adjourning matter, we’re being lenient.” Subramanium said: “Let us go back to the tribunal…80 percent shops surrendered to Reliance.”

After a detailed hearing, the top court allowed Amazon to file an application in the matter and scheduled the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.

The top court was hearing Amazon’s challenge against Delhi High Court’s order to stay further in arbitration proceedings with the Future Group before the Singapore Arbitration Tribunal.

Future Retail Ltd (FRL) entered into a Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail to sell its business, which has been objected to by the US-based e-commerce giant Amazon.

‘Ethara Jenda’ anthem from ‘RRR’ keeps up with the buzz

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‘Ethara Jenda’ anthem from ‘RRR’ keeps up with the buzz

The makers of ‘RRR’ released the ‘RRR Celebration Anthem’ on Monday. The song which has the lyrics ‘Ethara Jenda’ in Telugu, features Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, and Jr NTR.

With the patriotic theme, the song is designed in such a way that all the great leaders, freedom fighters are given tributes for their sacrifices.

The various avatars of the lead actors surprise the fans, and the music complements the theme, which is a tribute to the freedom fighters.

The lyrics penned by Ramajogayya Sastry are so meaningful, while the song is composed by MM Keeravaani and sung by Vishal Mishra, Prudhvi Chandra, MM Keeravaani, Sahithi Chaganti, and Harika Narayan.

Though everything related to the song is in perfect position, ‘Ethara Jenda’ isn’t as impactful as the other songs released from the movie. While ‘Naatu Naatu’ had become a sensational hit, most of the other musicals have a mediocre impact among the listeners.

‘RRR’ is slated for a worldwide release in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, and Tamil on March 25.

Friendlies crucial to preparations for AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers: Stimac

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Friendlies crucial to preparations for AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers: Stimac

India’s men’s football team head coach Igor Stimac said on Tuesday that his boys were viewing the friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus later this month as extremely crucial to gauge where the side stands ahead of the AFC Asian Cup final round qualifiers in June.

The India players are currently in Pune preparing for the friendlies on March 23 and 26, respectively in Manama.

“We are happy that in such circumstances, we can get together again. We are looking ahead to the friendlies. The last two years haven’t been easy, and life has been hard. But this is no time to complain, and we are looking ahead,” Stimac said.

“We are playing Bahrain and Belarus, and they are better-ranked sides than us. But whatever the rankings are, you need to do it on the pitch. Bahrain will show us where we stand. We will give chances to some young players who have played well in the ISL (Indian Super League) this season to see how much we can use them for the qualifiers in June,” he added.

“We look to perform well in the forthcoming two matches. We need to make sure that we zero down on the best combination for the qualifiers in June,” said Stimac.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stressed the two friendly matches present a ‘great opportunity’.

“This is a great opportunity against good teams. We are not in any position to take things lightly in the June qualifiers — be it Cambodia, Afghanistan or Hong Kong,” he said.

Speaking on the non-availability of striker Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet said, “We need to take it as a challenge. We need to learn to play when he isn’t there. We cannot be too dependent — this is a team sport after all. He has been phenomenal for us and surely, it’s a huge miss.”

Referring to the ongoing camp, Stimac said that the team is having special sessions with the goalkeepers.

“The goalkeepers have been inconsistent this season. I already spoke to Gurpreet and he is aware that the season has not gone well. But Gurpreet is one of the best goalkeepers in Asia, and I am confident of him, and all of them. We are already into the training process,” the coach said.

Stimac also made a mention of Roshan Singh and VP Suhair, who have impressed him. “Roshan has been very consistent and has been playing without fear. He has been making great crosses with inch-perfect precision. That’s something which we need. We need those wide players who are capable enough to cover the line,” he said.

“At the same time, VP Suhair has been extremely hard working. Individually, he is a responsible player, and both on and off the ball he has been brilliant. He is one of the players who fall back defensively, and someone who can also put the ball in the net,” the coach said.

“Someone who has also been wonderful this season is Sahal. He has got the creativity, that touch, and understands football.”

US astronaut will return to Earth on Russian spacecraft: NASA

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US astronaut will return to Earth on Russian spacecraft: NASA

Despite geopolitical tensions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has affected space cooperation between the US and Russia, an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts will return to Earth together as planned earlier, NASA has said.

NASA’s Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov have long been scheduled to come home from the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on March 30.

“I can tell you for sure: Mark is coming home on that Soyuz,” Joel Montalbano, the manager of NASA’s ISS program, said during a news conference on Monday.

“We are in communication with our Russian colleagues; there’s no fuzz on that.”

Montalbano added that the March 30 event will proceed like other Soyuz returns, and the astronauts Vande Hei, Dubrov, and Shkaplerov will touch down on the steppes of Kazakhstan, Space.com reported.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, has spurred the US and other nations to impose new economic sanctions on Russia.

Russia and its federal space agency, Roscosmos, have decried those sanctions and pulled out of several longstanding partnerships in response.

Roscosmos announced late last month that it was halting launches of Russian-built Soyuz rockets from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. And in early March, the agency said it would no longer sell Russian rocket engines to American companies.

The moves led to some speculation that the ISS program, in which Russia is a key partner, may be in trouble as well. But Montalbano said that the orbiting lab is operating as usual despite the issues on the ground, the report said.

“We’re not seeing any impacts [from] what’s going on around us,” he said. “We’re aware of what’s going on, but we are able to do our job to continue operations.”

He also said that the invasion has not compromised morale or professionalism among the seven astronauts — four Americans, two Russians, and one German — currently living on the station.

“They continue to operate, you know, above all this work, and there’s really no tension with the team,” Montalbano said. “They’ve been trained to do a job, and they’re up there doing that job.”

He also stressed that the International Space Station and its various systems were designed to be highly interdependent, so it wouldn’t be easy to replace the jobs done by a key partner, should one choose to leave, the report said.

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket to make public debut on Thursday

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NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket to make public debut on Thursday

NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket will make its public debut on March 17, the US space agency officials said.

The mega-rocket Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft will be rolled out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday in a 12-hour journey.

“Roll out of the integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is slated for March 17,” the agency said in a statement.

“The rollout involves a 4-mile journey between the Vehicle Assembly Building and the launch pad, expected to take between six and 12 hours,” it added.

At the pad, NASA said it will conduct a final pre-launch test known as a wet dress rehearsal, which includes loading the SLS propellant tanks and conducting a launch countdown.

It “will be the final major test for the Artemis 1 mission and will ensure the rocket, spacecraft, ground equipment, and launch team are ‘go’ for launch”, NASA said.

The debut is a much-anticipated development for a launch system that’s been beset by delays and a mounting price tag.

Earlier scheduled for launch in February, NASA’s much-awaited ‘Artemis 1’ mission has been delayed until March. While the space agency has not yet announced a confirmed date, it is also reviewing launch opportunities in April and May.

‘Artemis 1’ will be the first of NASA’s Artemis missions, which the agency plans will eventually land humans back on the moon as part of a long-term goal for a sustainable lunar presence. This will be the first time that NASA or anyone else will send humans to the moon’s surface since the agency’s last Apollo mission in 1972.

This first mission will be uncrewed and will see the Orion spacecraft go far past the moon before returning to Earth and testing the technology that will one day soon carry humans.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone on the way to Mars.

Allu Arjun visits Bhansali’s office: Collaboration on the cards?

TB Team
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Allu Arjun visits Bhansali’s office: Collaboration on the cards?

Allu Arjun was spotted at Bollywood’s famous filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office on Monday.

After pictures from Bhansali’s office hit the Internet, talks regarding the duo’s possible collaboration emerged.

Allu Arjun, who has been basking in the glorious success of his maiden pan-India movie ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, had flown down to Mumbai earlier.

After the ‘Arya’ actor was spotted at Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office, the meeting has turned many heads, as a possible collaboration is anticipated.

If Sanjay Leela Bhansali will direct Allu Arjun for his next, the latter would have a big advantage, as he is already enjoying his growing stardom in the Hindi belt.

Well, it is up to the duo, to make an official announcement regarding the same, if there is a movie on the cards.

On the other hand, Allu Arjun will also start working out for a slight transformation, as he needs to prep for the upcoming shooting schedule for Sukumar’s ‘Pushpa: The Rule’.

Priyanka to take stock of poll debacle in UP

TB Team
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Priyanka to take stock of poll debacle in UP

Amid a call for leadership change in the party, Congress General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has called a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday to find out the reasons for the defeat.

The Congress could only get just over 2 percent votes and two seats in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

The meeting has been called in Delhi which will be attended by the office-bearers and important leaders of the party.

Congress has faced a massive loss in all the five states though Priyanka tried hard to make the party relevant but could not get the support of the people.

The Congress Working Committee on Sunday reposed faith in interim party chief Sonia Gandhi after its marathon meeting to discuss the outcome of the Assembly polls and authorised her to undertake “necessary and comprehensive” organizational changes.

Party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the CWC endorsed the holding of a ‘Chintan Shivir’ (brainstorming session).

“The recent Assembly election results of five states are a cause of serious concern for the Indian National Congress. The party accepts that due to shortcomings in our strategy, we could not effectively expose the misrule of the BJP state governments in four states and overcome the anti-incumbency in the state of Punjab in the short time after effecting a change of leadership,” said the CWC resolution.

It said that the Congress “represents the hopes of millions of Indians against political authoritarianism prevailing in the country today and the party is fully conscious of its immense responsibility.”

The resolution said that “humbly accepting the electoral verdict of the latest round of Assembly elections, the Congress party assures its workers and the people of India that it will continue to remain a vigilant and vibrant opposition. The Congress Party will be fully prepared to face the electoral challenges in the election-going states in 2022 and 2023 as well as in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

“The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress President to lead from the front, address the organizational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organizational changes in order to take on the political challenges.”

US restaurant chain sues Google for directing customers away

TB Team
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US restaurant chain sues Google for directing customers away

A restaurant group in the US has sued Google for directing customers to unauthorized Google-branded food ordering web pages rather than sending them to the restaurant’s own website.

The Florida-based restaurant group called Left Field Holdings, which runs Lime Fresh Mexican Grill franchises, alleged in the lawsuit that Google employs “bait-and-switch” tactics by placing its “Order Online” button at the top of restaurants’ profile panels on the search engine, reports Ars Technica.

The large blue button redirects users to a food.google.com page where they can select items from a restaurant’s menu and then place an order through a variety of food delivery companies like GrubHub, DoorDash, or Seamless — and not through the restaurant itself.

These services take a commission from participating restaurants — as high as 15 to 30 percent in many cases.

“Google never bothered to obtain permission from the restaurants to sell their products online,” the lawsuit read.

“Google purposefully designed its websites to appear to the user to be offered, sponsored, and approved by the restaurant, when they are not — a tactic, no doubt, employed by Google to increase orders and clicks.”

In a statement to Ars Technica, Google said late on Monday it would defend against the lawsuit.

“Our goal is to connect customers with restaurants they want to order food from and make it easier for them to do it through the ‘Order Online’ button,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“We do not receive any compensation for orders or integrations with this feature,” the company added.

When users click the “Order Online” button, they’re directed to a page that contains links to food delivery companies, complete with their logos.

“The restaurant’s own site gets a link as well, though it’s a small, generic ‘website’ button. In some cases, Google provides an interface for assembling an order, complete with prices and descriptions of the menu items,” according to the report.

“Google’s ‘Order Online’ button leads to an unauthorized online storefront — one owned and controlled by Google — wherein consumers can place orders for the restaurant’s products, all under the restaurant’s trade name,” the lawsuit read.

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