AAP sweeps Punjab, BJP to retain power in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur

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AAP sweeps Punjab, BJP to retain power in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur

The latest counting trend shows that the Aam Aadmi Party is heading for a landslide victory in Punjab assembly elections while the BJP is to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur with a comfortable margin, according to the Election Commission’s latest update at 5 p.m.

The AAP has won 73 seats and is leading in 19 others with a 42 percent vote share in Punjab, while the Congress has won 13 seats and is leading in five others with 22.92 percent votes. The BJP has won two seats with a vote percentage of 6.6. The Shiromani Akali Dal has won two seats and is leading in one with 18.4 percent votes. The Bahujan Samaj Party has won one seat with 1.78 percent while one independent candidate has also won the election in Punjab.

In Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP has won 25 seats in UP and is leading in 277 others with a 41.8 percent vote share whereas the Samajwadi Party has not won any seat so far but is leading in 115 seats with a 31.8 percent vote share.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal is leading only in seven seats with 3.14 percent votes whereas the BSP has won one seat and was leading in five others with 12.9 percent votes.

Till 5 p.m. in Uttarakhand, the BJP won 15 seats and is leading in 32 others with 44.3 percent vote share while the principal opposition party Congress has won four seats and is leading in only in 15 others with 37.97 percent vote share. The BSP is leading in two seats with a 4.86 percent vote share while two independents are also leading with a 3.51 percent vote share.

In Goa, the BJP has won 20 seats with 33.3 percent vote share, the Congress nine seats and is leading in two others with 23.49 percent vote share, Goa Forward Party won one seat with 1.84 percent votes, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) won two seats with 7.60 percent vote share and the independents have won three seats.

Similarly in Manipur, the BJP has won 15 seats and is leading in 14 others and is likely to retain power in the state whereas the Congress has won three seats and is leading in one. Janata Dal (U) has won five seats and leading in two others with 10.85 percent votes, the Kuki People’s Alliance has won one seat and is leading in one constituency, the Naga Peoples Front has won three seats and is leading now in two seats. The National People’s Party has won two seats and is leading in five others while the independents have won two seats and are leading in one constituency.

India’s GDP growth expected at 7.8% next fiscal: Crisil

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India’s GDP growth expected at 7.8% next fiscal: Crisil

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to come in at 7.8 percent in fiscal 2023, said rating agency Crisil.

According to the rating agency, any potential upside due to the early end of a mild third wave of Covid-19 infections will be offset by the ongoing geopolitical strife stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Currently, the geopolitical crisis is creating a dampening effect on global growth and pushing up oil and commodity prices.

The agency said that risks to growth are tilted to the downside.

“Spiking commodity prices, especially of crude oil, will have a bearing on India’s macros, including the current account deficit and inflation. These would create headwinds to growth. The good part is, the health of the financial sector is on the mend, with better capitalization, profitability, and asset quality,” said Amish Mehta, Managing Director & CEO, Crisil at ‘India Outlook, Fiscal 2023’ event.

“That, and enhanced public spending on infrastructure, private investments driven by the Production-Linked Incentive scheme, and a chunk of green capex should deliver some good-quality tailwinds.”

Besides, the rating agency said that average Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation, will stay firm at 5.4 percent next fiscal– if the price of crude oil averages $85-90 per barrel — and takes into account the excise duty cuts announced last year. However, it cited that upside risks will build if the geopolitical strife prolongs, keeping oil and commodity prices higher for longer.

When the price of crude oil averaged $110 per barrel between fiscals 2012 and 2014, inflation was in double digits. Furthermore, the agency pointed out that private consumption, which is the largest component of demand and has been the slowest to recover from the pandemic, will also face headwinds from high inflation.

“We believe the fiscal policy will need to be deployed more aggressively than envisaged in the Union Budget for next fiscal. This can be done by increasing allocation for employment-generating schemes and food subsidy, and cutting duty on petroleum products,” said Dharmakirti Joshi, Chief Economist, Crisil.

“This can be a relief bridge for those most affected by the pandemic till such time the virtuous cycle of investment-led growth plays out in the labor market, and private consumption demand becomes self-sustaining.”

Additionally, Crisil said that the ripple effects of higher commodity prices have been reflected strongly in the operating profitability of India Inc during past cycles.

This time around, it said that pass-throughs have been “good” and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda) margin is expected to sustain above 20 percent for the second year in a row for the top 700 corporates this fiscal.

In addition, it said revenue growth in most sectors has been driven by prices this fiscal.

The pace is significantly above fiscal 2019 (pre-pandemic period), especially in the exports and commodity-linked sectors. “While both volume and value growth is above pre-pandemic levels in the exports sectors, prices have driven a higher proportion of recovery in the metals sector,” the agency added.

Apple’s Studio Display may work with Windows

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Apple’s Studio Display may work with Windows

Tech giant, Apple’s website says that its new 27-inch, 5K Studio Display is compatible with a wide range of Macs and even some iPads, but the company has mentioned that it should also work fine when plugged into a Windows PC.

According to The Verge, there are a few caveats, of course, but if your PC is capable of outputting to it, the Studio Display should act like any normal monitor with a built-in webcam and speakers.

The webcam’s Windows compatibility has been a bit in question; Apple’s website states that “Studio Display camera features and firmware updates require connection to a Mac”.

While that language is unclear, Apple spokesperson Alex Bender told The Verge that the Studio Display’s built-in 12MP camera should work as a normal USB webcam when you are using a PC.

However, he did confirm that features like Center Stage won’t be available. That’s the case for other macOS-specific features too, like Spatial Audio or “Hey Siri” functionality, despite the fact that the monitor has a built-in iPhone chip.

While it seems theoretically possible that you could AirPlay music or summon Siri while the Studio Display’s plugged into a Windows computer (like you could if you had a HomePod sitting next to your PC), Apple suggested that kind of functionality is limited to the Mac.

And if that ever changes, you will have to borrow a Mac to update the display to support it, the report said.

Chief ministerial candidates of all parties face defeat in Uttarakhand

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Chief ministerial candidates of all parties face defeat in Uttarakhand

The chief ministerial candidates of the BJP, Congress, and AAP faced defeat in the Uttarakhand Assembly polls.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost to Congress candidate Bhuvan Chand Kapri in the Khatima constituency.

Kapdi bagged 52 percent (44,479) votes while Dhami secured 37,425 votes.

In the Lalkuan constituency, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat lost to BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht by 14,000 votes.

Bisht won 53 percent votes securing 44,851 against Harish Rawat’s 28,251.

Congress rebel candidate Sandhya Dalakoti is said to be one of the reasons for Harish Rawat’s defeat. Earlier, the grand old party had given the ticket to Sandhya Dalakoti from Lalkuan but later fielded Harish Rawat from the seat. Annoyed over the change, Sandhya Dalakoti contested as an independent candidate. The rebel Congress candidate dented Harish Rawat’s poll prospects.

This is a second big defeat for Harish Rawat. In the earlier polls, Harish Rawat had contested from Haridwar and Kichha and lost both the seats.

In the Gangotri seat, AAP chief ministerial candidate Ajay Kothiyal got 5,998 votes and lost to the BJP’s Suresh Chandra Chauhan who secured 28,667 votes.

Voting for the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly was held on February 14.

Results of 5 states will have positive impact in K’taka: Bommai

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Results of 5 states will have positive impact in K’taka: Bommai

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said the election results in the five states will have a positive impact in Karnataka.

Bommai added that he is also confident of continuing the poll performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka as well by ensuring victory in the 2023 Assembly elections.

Speaking to the media, he said the poll victory in four states will inspire and empower BJP workers with more vigor.

“Our (BJP) government will now focus on implementing programs given in the Budget and win the confidence of people to register a resounding victory in the state,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Karnataka in April and he will be launching all the state programmes for the people, Bommai said.

The election results have given positive feedback to the people and the party, the Chief Minister added.

The BJP has won the mandate in four states to form the government, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where the people have voted for a double-engine government, he said.

“I congratulate the people of all five states. I also congratulate our leaders — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Ministers of the concerned states,” he added.

“The policy and programs of Modi are in favor of the poor, farmers and women. The people have appreciated the management of Covid-19 and the empowerment of the economy. The opposition has been left decimated.”

“Our party leaders have pledged to be involved in more development work. The results have shown that Modi is the only leader with a connection with the people throughout the country,” Bommai said.

Uber Eats brings new bill splitting feature

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Uber Eats brings new bill splitting feature

In a bid to make it easier for users to split bills, Uber Eats is adding a new group order and bill splitting feature on its app.

The company said that with a new suite of Uber Eats Group Ordering features, everyone can get what they want straight to their doorstep, effortlessly.

“We know that Uber Eats consumers love bringing people together. We also know that they don’t like the financial responsibility of ordering for everyone. We get it. Now, for the first time ever on a delivery app, anyone can create a group and allow individuals to order from the same restaurant and pay for whatever they would like,” the company said in a statement.

“Once everyone has placed their individual orders, those orders are added to the group cart for you (the host) to checkout. Then sit back and relax. All of the food for the group will arrive at the same time, so you can enjoy your meals together!” it added.

Once a user has created a group order, they can set a checkout deadline that works best for their crew.

“Deadlines can be set up to seven days in advance, so everyone has plenty of time to get their order in,” the company said.

‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’ bats for women’s safety:Review

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‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’ bats for women’s safety:Review

Director: Pandiraj

Cast: Suriya, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Sathyaraj, Saranya Ponvannan, Vinay Rai, Pugazh and M.S. Baskar

Director Pandiraj’s ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’ is an out-and-out commercial entertainer that advocates strong measures for the safety of women.

The film is unlike any of the earlier projects of Pandiraj, who is known for his light-hearted, feel-good films. ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’ is an intense film that shines the light on a really serious social issue that has ruined several families.

The story is about two villages — Vada Naadu and Then Naadu. The region for a long has had a practice of Vada Naadu men taking brides from families in Then Naadu and Then Naadu bridegrooms taking brides from Vada Naadu.

Certain festivals and practices put in place by the elders of the region facilitate a proper grievance redressal and support system for the brides who get married to men from outside their village. However, the relationship between the elders of both villages turns sour following the death of a married woman from Then Naadu.

To add to this, one of the prominent leaders of the Then Naadu side commits suicide along with his wife and daughter under mysterious circumstances.

Aadhirayar (Sathyaraj), one of the village elders of Then Naadu, and his lawyer son Kannabiran (Suriya) stand for the well-being of the brides from the village. Needless to say, Kannabiran enjoys a good reputation among the people of his village. However, it also makes him lock horns with Inba (Vinay Rai), a vicious and wealthy leader from Vada Naadu who has friends in powerful places.

One day, Kannabiran gets a call from a young girl who sounds desperate. She seeks his help and wants to talk to him in person. However, before she has a chance to meet him, she is killed and her death is made to look like an accident caused by her own carelessness.

Eventually, Kannabiran realizes that the girl was being blackmailed and that the issue she was trying to alert him to was no ordinary problem. He also discovers that it is a highly trained and remorseless gang that is behind her death and that scores of other women and their families are in their clutches, shuddering in fear for their dignity. How he rescues the women from the clutches of this gang is what the film is all about…

The positives first. The film attempts to create awareness among audiences on how society has got its priorities misplaced while assigning blame for crimes. It stresses on the point that it is the perpetrators of a crime who have to be shamed and not the victims. A dialogue that Aadhini (Priyanka Arul Mohan) delivers in the film in this regard stands out. I am not reproducing it here for fear of ruining the suspense element.

Next, the film does not just showcase problems but also shows solutions. The innovative and refreshing manner in which Suriya responds to a threat posed by Inba (Vinay Rai) in the film is worth appreciation. That again wins a brownie point for the director.

One other heartening fact is that the heroine of the film, Priyanka Arul Mohan, has a really central role to play in the plot. In fact, the story begins to gain pace only after her character gets involved in the issue.

D. Imman’s music and Ratnavelu’s camera are big pluses for the film.

Now, coming to the negatives.

Several sequences in the first half of the film appear to be either exaggerated or artificial. Surprisingly, realism takes a backseat, which is kind of unusual in a Pandiraj film, and that deals a powerful blow to the overall impact made by the film.

The story lacks pace almost all through the first half. It is only in the second half that the plot picks up steam.

It’s evident that the makers of the film want to please the women audiences.

Therefore, they seem to have gone out of their way to glorify women all through the film. From festivals that are observed to celebrate the birth of a girl child to explaining about a practice that facilitates a proper grievance redressal and support system to women, the film is only about glorifying women so much so that there is not a single negative female character in the film. In other words, all the villains in the film are men, and all the victims, are women.

Suriya comes up with a neat performance in ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’ as does Priyanka Arul Mohan. Both impress. Sathyaraj and Saranya Ponvannan, both known for having delivered several exceptional performances before, strangely don’t seem to fit in and their portions lack realism.

Vinay Rai as the villain is just brilliant. As the harbinger of evil, he just rules. One other person who does a commendable job is Devadarshini as Anjumani. Blessed with a gift for timing, Devadarshini is just outstanding when it comes to comedy sequences.

In all, ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’ has a strong and commendable message to deliver but the manner in which it is communicated isn’t impressive enough!

Humbly accept people’s verdict: Rahul

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Humbly accept people’s verdict: Rahul

After the Congress’ dismal performance in the Assembly elections in five states, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he accepted the people’s verdict and congratulated the winning parties.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted in the afternoon: “Humbly accept the people’s verdict. Best wishes to those who have won the mandate. My gratitude to all Congress workers and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. We will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India.”

Despite Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi putting in their best efforts, the Congress was wiped out in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, failed to wrest power in Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur. The party failed to beat the BJP, which retained power despite the anti-incumbency factor.

The Congress headquarters wore a deserted look as celebrations erupted at the BJP headquarters in the national capital after the trends indicated a thumping victory for the saffron party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

BJP’s party activists could be seen dancing, bursting crackers, and congratulating each other.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP national president J.P. Nadda are likely to reach the party headquarters late in the evening and thank the people.

Game streaming platform Loco raises Rs 330 cr in funding

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Game streaming platform Loco raises Rs 330 cr in funding

Game streaming platform Loco on Thursday announced that it has secured a Rs 330 crore ($42 million) investment led by Hashed, with participation from Makers Fund, Catamaran Ventures, and Korea Investment Partners.

The platform said that the new investment will cement Loco’s current leadership position in-game streaming and further accelerate the company’s streaming technology and content initiatives. With its new fundraise, Loco will continue investing in the development of the Indian gaming ecosystem and nurturing the Indian gaming community.

“We started Loco with a mission to democratize gaming and this investment will help us make significant progress towards our end goal,” Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh, Founders of Loco, said in a statement.

“Today, we are the platform where gamers go from being newbies to becoming gaming superstars. We are the campfire for the gaming community — from beginners to the best, they are all here on Loco,” they added.

Loco has been a pioneer in the live game streaming and esports sector in India, paving the way for gaming to go from a niche hobby to the mainstream national interest.

The ‘Made in India’ platform has built highly engaged communities across various games including BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile, Clash of Clans, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), and Valorant. Moreover, the platform’s focus on mobile gaming communities helps it serve those communities in ways that desktop-focused platforms have not been able to do.

Stalin urges Jaishankar to secure release of Indian fishermen

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Stalin urges Jaishankar to secure release of Indian fishermen

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday sought External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s personal intervention to secure the release of Indian fishermen arrested by the Indonesian and Seychelles authorities.

Stalin in a letter to Jaishankar citing reports said five fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu and Kerala were apprehended by the Indonesian air and sea police for allegedly entering Indonesian waters and were taken to Ditpolairud Pier, Aceh, Indonesia, for legal proceedings.

The fishermen had gone fishing on February 17 in an Andaman registered fishing vessel.

Stalin said that according to fishermen associations, 33 fishermen and three mechanized fishing boats had left from Cochin harbor on February 22.

On March 7, the fishermen were apprehended by the Seychelles authorities for allegedly entering Seychelles waters.

Amazon turns off Prime Video in Russia, halts product shipments to country

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Amazon turns off Prime Video in Russia, halts product shipments to country

Amazon has joined the growing number of businesses suspending commercial activities in Russia in the wake of the country’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

The e-commerce giant said in a statement that it is cutting off access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, given “the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine.” Amazon said it also has ceased shipment of retail products to customers in Russia and Belarus and said it will no longer be taking orders from Russian customers for its video game “New World,” the only game the company sells directly in the country, reports variety.com.

In addition, the company will no longer be accepting new Russia- or Belarus-based customers for its AWS cloud computing services, nor will merchants in those countries be accepted as Amazon third-party sellers.

“As a reminder, unlike some other U.S. technology providers, Amazon and AWS have no data centers, infrastructure, or offices in Russia, and we have a long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government,” the Seattle-based company said in a statement released March 8.

According to Amazon, it has continued to partner with several non-governmental organizations to support “the immense humanitarian needs in the region.” The company said it donated $5 million to support people affected by the war and it has continued to match employees’ donations; to date, more than 10,000 Amazon employees have donated to the effort.

According to Amazon’s homepages, “tens of thousands of customers around the world” have also made donations to benefit Save the Children and the Red Cross on the ground in Ukraine, according to the company.

Tinder users can now run in-app background checks on their matches

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Tinder users can now run in-app background checks on their matches

Dating app Tinder has announced that its users in the US can now run background checks in-app to screen their matches for possible violent or harmful past behavior.

The company said that Garbo’s new online background check platform will be made available to the general public in the US and will also be launched to Tinder members via Tinder’s Safety Center.

According to The Verge, the searches will return results that Garbo said are “relevant to the user’s safety” and will exclude some information such as drug possession and loitering.

The searches also won’t include personally identifiable information like addresses and phone numbers.

As per Tinder, each user will have access to two free background check searches; after that, they will pay $2.50 plus a small processing fee per transaction that will directly fund Garbo’s operations and other fees associated with the searches.

Users can perform background checks by pressing on the blue shield in the app, then going to the Safety Center, where they will select the Garbo article, which will then direct them to Garbo’s website.

At first, users will only need to put in a match’s first name and phone number, but if it doesn’t yield results, users can put in more information, such as their match’s age.

The company also noted that a lack of history on a Garbo background check does not guarantee that a user is safe and urged users to follow its safety tips for meetings with new people.

Match Group also announced Wednesday that it is partnering with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to give users the ability to live chat with trained advocates.

The feature is designed for users who are “seeking more information about healthy relationships and relationship abuse”, according to the company.

Great to be part of FIH Hockey Pro League, says defender Nikki Pradhan

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Great to be part of FIH Hockey Pro League, says defender Nikki Pradhan

With the Indian Women’s Hockey Team playing their maiden FIH Hockey Pro League this year, double Olympian and experienced defender Nikki Pradhan highlighted that the team is pleased with the opportunity of playing top teams of the world, almost every weekend.

The team began their campaign in the FIH Pro League with two big wins against Asian nemesis China in Muscat, Oman. They have built on this performance with a win and a loss against Spain who is ranked No.6 in the world.

“We are really excited to be playing in the Pro League for the first time and this was probably the best thing that could happen to us this year where we play the World Cup and the Asian Games, both very important events for us and these matches against top teams of the world will hold us in good stead,” stated Nikki who became the first woman hockey player from Jharkhand to represent India at the Olympic Games in Rio, 2016.

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team will next take on World No. 5 Germany in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Germany, who arrived earlier this week.

“Germany is a very good side and them losing against Belgium in their opening matches will only make them more determined to win against us which is why we don’t want to take them lightly. We played them last year before we went for the Olympics and we understand their game and temperament. They are a tough opponent and these matches against Germany will be quite physical. But we are ready for the challenge,” she said.

Talking about working under Chief Coach Janneke Schopman, who also played as a defender in her hay days with the Dutch National team, Nikki said the details their new Coach highlights make the player’s task easier.

“Janneke gets into the smallest details which could make a big difference in our individual performance. We use a lot of video analysis, not just of our opponents, but also of our own individual performance and she takes us through the plus and minus of how we performed. Since, she herself has played at the highest level as a defender, she brings in great expertise. I feel there are still some gaps we need to work on in our defence and we are trying to improve in each match,” she said.

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team will be next seen in action when they take on Germany in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on March 12 and 13.

Russian shelling in Kharkiv kills 4 people

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Russian shelling in Kharkiv kills 4 people

Ukraine’s State Emergency Services (SES) on Thursday said that heavy Russian shelling in Kharkiv led to the deaths of four people, including two children, while a shopping mall in the center of the country’s second city was destroyed.

According to the SES update posted on Facebook, the Russian forces carried out shelling and aerial bombardment in residential areas of Kharkiv and the region’s villages on Wednesday night.

In one of the shelling incidents, a house in the village of Slobozhanske was hit, where the two women and two children were killed, while a five-year-old girl was injured.

SES units were continuing search operations for more possible victims trapped in the debris, said the update.

At 10.46 p.m., the SES received a message about the fire and destruction of the Nikolsky shopping mall located in the center of Kharkiv.

Three rescue services were dispatched to the scene and the fire, about 100 sq. meters in size, was finally contained at about 3 a.m. on Thursday.

The SES confirmed that there were no victims.

Due to the heavy shelling, rescuers answered more than 30 calls to extinguish fires and clear the rubble of destroyed buildings.

In total, more than 40 units of fire and rescue equipment and about 200 SES personnel were involved, reports the online Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper.

In Kharkiv, rescuers, volunteers, and utility service workers are clearing the rubble from destroyed residential and office buildings.

As Akhilesh fails again, criticism likely to mount against his team

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As Akhilesh fails again, criticism likely to mount against his team

As the incumbent BJP was moving towards a thumping majority in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party even though managing to better its tally from the previous election, has failed to reach the magic mark. The failure could bring focus upon the team on which Akhilesh Yadav was relying for feedback and action.

Criticism will mount on the Akhilesh team comprising leaders like Udayveer Singh, Rajendra Chaudhary, Abhishek Mishra, Naresh Uttam Patel, and others for giving wrong ground reports. It was based on these reports that tickets were distributed. After the failure, it is likely to be said that the party distributed the wrong tickets which led to the defeat of many seats which the SP could have won. On some seats, the SP leader fielded new candidates and the old-timers either worked against the party candidate or contested from other parties which led to the defeat of the official nominee.

For having a wide and effective media coverage, the team led by Ashish Yadav was deciding on the coverage. It, however, relied on National News Channels and in those interviews Akhilesh Yadav was asked hard questions, which led to a dent in his image. The media narrative could not be set up in favor of the Samajwadi Party despite drawing huge crowds in elections. The media narrative could have been built up in favor if a good media strategy was drawn, and better preparation during the interviews could have led to good perceptions.

The party insiders blame the wrong strategy, ticket distribution, and last-minute entrants from the BJP for the loss in the elections.

The former Chief Minister over-relied on its non-political team and ignored the party leaders in the ticket distribution in the state. He could not match Mulayam Singh Yadav’s strategy and could not establish a team of second-rung leaders like his father did with Janeshwar Mishra, Reoti Raman Singh, Mata Prasad Pandey, Beni Prasad Verma, and Mohan Singh.

In the three elections, which Akhilesh Yadav fought in 2017, 2019, and 2022 he experimented and failed. In 2017, he allied with the Congress and was reduced to less than 50 seats, then in 2019 his alliance with the BSP failed, and in 2022 inducting BJP rebels and giving tickets to the new leaders have not paid well, said sources.

Twitter tests changes to make image descriptions easier to access

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Twitter tests changes to make image descriptions easier to access

Micro-blogging site Twitter has announced that it is testing new accessibility features to make alt text descriptions significantly more useful and prominent for everyone on the platform.

With the change, images that have descriptions will be given a badge that says “alt” and clicking on that badge will show the description.

The change has been a long time coming, but that’s not necessarily a surprise — Twitter didn’t have a dedicated accessibility team until 2020, reports The Verge.

According to Twitter, around 3 percent of users will get to try out the new features for a month, and it will roll out globally at the beginning of April.

Until then, it seemed like most people still will not have access to alt text descriptions unless they’re using a screen reader or are willing to jump through a lot of hoops.

As Twitter noted at the end of its thread, users have waited a while for this functionality. Image descriptions were introduced in 2016, but they haven’t been particularly prominent on the platform — it’s relatively easy to miss the button that lets you add one.

That may be because of how Twitter handled accessibility features in the past, the report said.

Up until late 2020, employees had to volunteer to work on them alongside their regular jobs, and there wasn’t a team dedicated to making Twitter easier to use for those who needed it most. Since the team’s creation, Twitter has added live captions to voice tweets and videos, it added.

Here’s why Prabhas has thanked Big B, Prithviraj, Shiva Rajkumar and S.S. Rajamouli

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Here’s why Prabhas has thanked Big B, Prithviraj, Shiva Rajkumar and S.S. Rajamouli

As his film ‘Radhe Shyam’ is all set to hit the screens on Friday, star Prabhas has thanked
renowned personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shiva Rajkumar, and S.S. Rajamouli for lending their “glorious” voices to the movie.

Amitabh, Prithviraj, Rajkumar, and Rajamouli have voiced the film in different languages.

Taking to Instagram, Prabhas wrote: “We are honored to have Amitabh Bachchan sir, Shiva Rajkumar sir, Prithviraj Sukumaran sir, S.S. Rajamouli sir lending their glorious voice to our film #RadheShyam. Expressing my gratitude for making this film even more special for us as well as the audience. Thank you so much.”

Written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, ‘Radhe Shyam’ is a period romantic drama, which revolves around the story of Vikramaditya, a palmist who is conflicted between destiny and his love for Prerana, played by Pooja Hegde.

NASA to get over $24 bn in new US budget bill for 2022

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NASA to get over $24 bn in new US budget bill for 2022

NASA will get over $24 billion for space missions for the fiscal year 2022 if the US Congress is able to pass a newly-devised omnibus spending bill.

The funding package allocates a total of $1.5 trillion throughout the government. The funds are about $760 million less than what US President Joe Biden had requested last year, Space.com reported. In the US, the fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30.

However, this is still about $700 million more than NASA received in the fiscal year 2021.

According to SpaceNews, both science and space technology have been allocated about $300 million less in the omnibus bill than in the Biden administration’s 2022 budget request.

But the funding for NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) program, which is working to put astronauts on the moon by 2026 with the help of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, stays the same at $1.195 billion.

In May 2021, NASA had made its formal budget request for this fiscal year to Congress.

“The Biden administration is proving that science is back,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was quoted as saying then to reporters.

Noting that it was the best budget NASA had ever sought for science programs, Nelson had said: “This will help NASA address the climate crisis and advance robotic missions to pave the way for humans to explore the Moon and Mars.”

NASA had asked for $7.9 billion for its science programs, including a host of robotic missions to explore the Solar System, the James Webb Space Telescope, and new Earth Observation missions, Ars Technica reported.

Congress will provide $7.6 billion of this, with the biggest difference in Earth Science. NASA sought $2.25 billion for these programs, and Congress will provide $2.06 billion, although this would still be the largest amount NASA has ever spent studying our planet, the report said.

The bill requires the US space agency to submit a report, within 30 days of the bill’s approval, outlining how the agency plans to maintain safety, competition, and redundancy in the HLS program.

Further, Congress also fully funded the space agency’s request of $101 million for “Commercial LEO Development,” which will support the development of commercial space stations.

This area of the budget may get more scrutiny in the coming months, with questions arising about the stability of the International Space Station partnership between NASA and Russia, the report said.

The budget is expected to be passed by President Biden next week.

Instagram shuts down Boomerang, Hyperlapse standalone apps

TB Team
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Instagram shuts down Boomerang, Hyperlapse standalone apps

Shortly after dropping support for the IGTV application, Instagram has removed its standalone Boomerang as well as Hyperlapse apps from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

“We have removed support for the standalone Boomerang and Hyperlapse apps to better focus our efforts on the main app,” Instagram spokesperson Christine Pai said in a statement to The Verge.

“Boomerang is still supported in-app in Stories, and Layout remains a standalone app in the Store. We’ll continue working on new ways for people to be creative and have fun on Instagram.”

Boomerang from Instagram launched back in 2014 and allowed users to create mini videos from a burst of 10 shots.

With 301 million lifetime global downloads, Boomerang was a famous app and people were still downloading the app at the time of its removal.

Unveiled in 2014, Hyperlapse let users make professional-looking time-lapse videos and, perhaps more importantly, offered impressive video stabilization. Meanwhile, Instagram is introducing automatic captions to videos in the feed. They will be enabled by default for creators, too.

Auto-generated captions will initially be available in “select” languages, but Instagram hopes to expand them to more languages and countries.

The AI behind the captions won’t be flawless. Instagram expects the quality to “continue to improve” as the AI learns, however.

The addition should improve accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, who will have more choices for spoken-word video.

Producers won’t have to manually add captions themselves. However, Instagram also noted that this should help people who simply prefer to watch videos with the sound off.

‘Tiger 3’ director’s vision is to set new benchmark for franchise

TB Team
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‘Tiger 3’ director’s vision is to set new benchmark for franchise

Director Maneesh Sharma says when he was given the reign of the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer Tiger 3′, he had one vision — to set a new benchmark for the high-octane actioner.

The director says, “When I was handed over the reins of Tiger 3, I had one singular vision – to take this massively popular and beloved franchise to a level that would set a new benchmark.”

“With the launch announcement, we wanted the personalities of the much-loved Jodi (couple) of Tiger and Zoya to shine through and I think that’s what’s made the announcement such a hit with fans. Having whetted their appetite, I can only say that the actual movie is something that will be well worth the wait.”

The film is slated to release on April 21, 2023.

‘Tiger 3’ is the third installment in the ‘Tiger’ franchise directed by Maneesh Sharma.

The first installment ‘Ek Tha Tiger directed by Kabir Khan released in 2012. The second ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ was released in 2017 and was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

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