Twitter ‘mistakenly’ blocked accounts sharing info on Russian-Ukraine war

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Twitter ‘mistakenly’ blocked accounts sharing info on Russian-Ukraine war

After blocking several researchers’ accounts as Russia began a military strike against Ukraine on Thursday, Twitter has admitted it “mistakenly” removed a number of accounts sharing details about Russian military activity.

Several researchers sharing Russia-Ukraine information found their Twitter accounts “unexpectedly” suspended since late Wednesday.

Twitter’s Head of Site Integrity, Yoel Roth, said in a tweet that the company’s human moderation team made the mistake.

“A small number of human errors as part of our work to proactively address manipulated media resulted in these incorrect enforcements. We’re fixing the issue and reaching out directly to the affected folks,” he posted.

“We do not trigger automated enforcement based on report volume, ever, exactly because of how easily gamed that would be,” Roth added.

Earlier, Oliver Alexander, an analyst with open-source intelligence (OSINT), said: “I am back again after having been locked out twice in 24 hours. First time for a post debunking the “foiled sabotage/gas attack” and the second time for a post debunking the “Ukrainian attack into Russia”.

OSINT researcher Kyle Glen was also locked out of his account for 12 hours, according to tweets from Glen and a post shared by another OSINT organization.

Security analyst Oliver Alexander also claimed to have been locked out of his account twice in 24 hours, reports The Verge.

A Twitter thread compiled by Nick Waters, an analyst at the pioneering OSINT organization Bellingcat, listed more account suspensions.

In an earlier statement, a Twitter spokesperson said that action had been taken against these accounts in error and was not part of a coordinated campaign.

“We’re closely investigating — but mass reporting is not a factor here,” said Roth.

Siri gets new voice in iOS 15.4 beta

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Siri gets new voice in iOS 15.4 beta

Tech giant Apple has introduced a fifth ‘American’ voice for its Siri voice assistant in the latest beta of iOS 15.4.

Apple’s user-facing interface simply calls it “Voice 5,” but iOS developer Steve Moser reports that its filename refers to the new voice as “Quinn,” reports The Verge.

The voice has arrived a little under a year after Apple added its last two American Siri voices, and stopped defaulting to using a female-sounding voice.

An Axios report said the new voice sounds more gender-neutral than earlier Siri voices.

The tech giant confirmed to the publication that it was recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, though the company didn’t offer any further details on the voice actor’s identity.

Last year’s voices were recorded by Black actors as part of the company’s “long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Apple said at the time.

“We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more options to choose a voice that speaks to them,” Apple was quoted as saying by Axios.

“Millions of people around the world rely on Siri every day to help get things done, so we work to make the experience feel as personalized as possible,” it added.

Other new features included in iOS 15.4’s latest beta include a new anti-stalking privacy notice when setting up AirTags. An official release date for the software is yet to be announced, but it’s expected to be made widely available next month, the report said.

YSR Telangana Party celebrates registration by EC

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YSR Telangana Party celebrates registration by EC

YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) led by Y.S. Sharmila on Thursday celebrated as the Election Commission registered it as a political party.

The party cadres participated in the celebrations held at the party office and residence of the founder Sharmila in posh Jubilee Hills here.

Amid the playing of loud music and drum beats, several workers were seen dancing. There were also fireworks on the occasion.

Earlier, Sharmila cut a cake to celebrate the occasion along with her mother Y.S. Vijayamma, husband Anil Kumar, and some key party leaders.

Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy thanked the Election Commission for recognizing the party. She said her party would continue to work in a democratic manner to serve the people.

She tweeted that despite all the odds, the YSRTP will work for the people and will remain amidst people. She vowed the follow the path of her late father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of combined Andhra Pradesh.

The Election Commission has registered YSR Telangana Party as a political party under the Representation of the People Act.

Meanwhile, Sharmila voiced concern over the continuing suicides of farmers in Telangana and slammed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for doing nothing to prevent these. The YSRTP leader alleged that seven farmers have committed suicides in the state during the last two days due to debts.

She said KCR was talking of ‘Bangaru (golden) Bharat’ but has no concern for the farmers of Telangana who are ending their lives due to debt and other problems created by the wrong policies of the state government.

Sharmila was referring to the slogan given by Telangana Rashtra Samthi (TRS) chief, who is leading efforts to form a national front against BJP.

Sharmila floated YSRTP on July 8 last year and announced the party will strive to bring ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ in Telangana.

‘Rajanna Rajyam’ is a euphemism for the rule of Rajasekhara Reddy, who launched several pro-poor and welfare schemes when he was the Chief Minister of the combined state between 2004 and 2009.

Sharmila was earlier active in YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) floated in 2011 by her brother Jagan Mohan Reddy after resigning from the Congress party.

She admitted political differences with Jagan Mohan Reddy, who opposed her entry into Telangana politics.

LinkedIn may debut its own podcast network

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LinkedIn may debut its own podcast network

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is reportedly debuting a podcast network that features in-house shows from the LinkedIn News team as well as programs from leading industry figures.

The shows are geared toward a professional audience. They focus on areas including understanding technology, managing mental health, and explaining the hiring process, reports Engadget.

Reid Hoffman, the co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, will co-host a podcast about personal entrepreneurship called ‘The Start-Up of You’ that will premiere this spring.

The company said the LinkedIn Podcast Network is a pilot and builds on the success of Hello Monday, a podcast produced by LinkedIn News in which host Jessi Hempel delves into the evolving nature of work, the report said.

The podcast network ties into LinkedIn’s other products — such as newsletters, live events, videos, and posts — with the idea that hosts and audiences will be able to keep conversations going outside of the shows, it added.

Listeners will be able to check out the podcasts on LinkedIn directly if they follow the hosts and subscribe to their newsletters. The shows will also be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Cyber attacks: India among top 3 most-affected nations in Asia

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Cyber attacks: India among top 3 most-affected nations in Asia

Asia was the most-attacked region by cyber-criminals in 2021, accounting for one in four attacks globally, and India was among the top three nations that experienced the most server access and ransomware attacks in the region, a new report showed on Thursday.

Server access attacks (20 percent) and ransomware (11 percent) were the top two attack types on Asian organizations in 2021, followed closely by data theft (10 percent).

“Japan, Australia, and India were the most-attacked countries in Asia. The high percentage of server access attacks in Asia suggests that Asian organizations are adept at identifying attacks quickly before they escalate into more concerning attack types,” said researchers from IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence team.

Remote access trojans and adware tied for fourth place, at 9 percent of attacks.

In Asia, REvil made up 33 percent of ransomware attacks, and Bitlocker, Nefilim, MedusaLocker, and Ragnar Locker were significant players as well.

Vulnerability exploitation and phishing tied for the top infection vector at Asian organizations in 2021, both leading to 43 percent of attacks observed in the region.

Brute force (7 percent) and use of stolen credentials (7 percent) were also occasionally employed to gain initial access to networks.

In Asia, finance and insurance organizations were attacked most frequently, making up 30 percent of the incidents X-Force remediated, followed closely by manufacturing (29 percent) and then more distantly by professional and business services (13 percent) and transportation (10 percent).

“The high portion of server access attacks might point to Asian organizations’ ability to identify such attacks quickly before they escalated to more critical forms of attacks, said the IBM team.

Europe and North America followed closely behind, garnering 24 percent and 23 percent of attacks, respectively, and the Middle East and Africa and Latin America received 14 percent and 13 percent of attacks, respectively.

“Experiencing more ransomware attacks than any other industry, attackers wagered on the ripple effect that disruption on manufacturing organizations would cause their downstream supply chains to pressure them into paying the ransom,” the report stressed.

More than 10 K’taka students stranded in Ukraine, says CM Bommai

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More than 10 K’taka students stranded in Ukraine, says CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said that about 10 students from the state are stranded in Ukraine after Russia launched an all-out attack on the country.

“As many as 100 Indian citizens, students are stranded in Ukraine due to war. They got stranded while going to the airport. The flights have been suspended after the war broke out. Right now they are in two buses and we have learned that there are more than 10 students from Karnataka among them. We are getting information on their whereabouts,” he said.

“We are in touch with the Indian Embassy and our Chief Secretary is in touch with the foreign affairs secretary. The Embassy has been contacted and it has been learned that priority is given to their safety. We are doing everything for their safety and we are in touch with the central government also,” Bommai said further.

“I have been trying to get in touch with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is attending a meeting and as soon as possible, I will be speaking to him on the issue,” he stated.

Though many returned to India from Ukraine last week, some students wanted to leave the country at their convenience. This was supposed to be the last batch of arrival to India from Ukraine. “Today, they had almost reached the airport and then it (war) happened. We are in touch with the Indian embassy and they are in turn in touch with the students and working out measures to keep them safe. They have informed students about safety measures,” Bommai explained.

‘Telugu Indian Idol’ judge Thaman goes ga ga over 16-yr-old’s performance

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‘Telugu Indian Idol’ judge Thaman goes ga ga over 16-yr-old’s performance

The first edition of the ‘Telugu Indian Idol’ reality singing show is throwing up some pleasant surprises quite early in the day.

And it’s taken just a day for one talented contestant to leave not just the viewers, but even judge and renowned music composer S. Thaman in complete awe of her singing skills.

“I’ll tell A.R. (Rahman) to compose a song with this girl,” exclaimed Thaman. As ‘Telugu Indian Idol’ is set to premiere on February 25, the wait to find the region’s next singing sensation got a whole lot exciting.

It is 16-year-old Vaishnavi Kovvuri from Hyderabad who wowed Thaman by singing the hit song ‘Yadike’ from the film ‘Kadali’ in her audition. Striking all the right notes right from the word go, this terrific teenager was pitch-perfect as she looked her confident best. Along with the heartwarming praise that followed, Vaishnavi also ended up as the winner of the Golden Mic.

Sharing his thoughts on Vaishnavi’s performance, hit music composer and ‘Telugu Indian Idol’ judge Thaman said, “Some contestants just belong on the big stage. They have that sheer charisma and skill to hold your attention and leave you spellbound. I wasn’t expecting to see such a performance so soon, but that’s how talent can surprise you.

“I really hope that she goes a long way in this competition and look forward to seeing her make waves in the world of music. That said, there are many more Vaishnavi’s whose performances I can’t wait to see. If such is the caliber of artists right on the first day, the judges and viewers are in for a very melodious journey in the days to come.”

Hosted by popular playback singer Sreerama Chandra, the show streams Fridays and Saturdays on the Telugu OTT platform Aha.

Tendulkar to take legal action against use of his ‘morphed’ images in casino ads

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Tendulkar to take legal action against use of his ‘morphed’ images in casino ads

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has expressed shock over his allegedly morphed images being used to endorse a casino and said he will soon be taking legal action against the misuse of his image.

Tendulkar took to social media on Thursday to clarify that he had nothing to do with the advertisements of a casino doing the rounds on the social media, which has his picture.

“It has come to my notice that there are multiple ads being shown on social media platforms, with a morphed photo showing me endorsing a casino,” Tendulkar said a statement on his Twitter handles.

“I have never endorsed gambling, tobacco, or alcohol–directly or indirectly– in an individual capacity. It pains to see that my images are being used to mislead people,” Tendulkar, who has always maintained a spotless image, said in the statement.

The former India cricket captain, the most successful batter in international cricket, requested everyone to “remain vigilant about misleading images on social media”.

“While my legal team will be taking the required action, I felt it was important for me to share this information with everyone,” the legendary cricketer said in the statement.

SC agrees to BJP leaders’ plea seeking deployment of paramilitary forces in Bengal local polls

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SC agrees to BJP leaders’ plea seeking deployment of paramilitary forces in Bengal local polls

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea by the BJP leaders challenging the Calcutta High Court, which directed the state election commissioner to take a decision on the deployment of central paramilitary forces, after examining each of the 108 West Bengal municipalities going to polls on February 27.

Senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, appearing for BJP leaders Mousumi Roy and Pratap Banerjee, mentioned the plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana. He argued that the high court had left the decision on the state election commission (SEC).

The bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli, said: “We are now addressing the issue of governance. This is for the election commission to decide”.

Patwalia pressed for an urgent hearing in the matter on Friday as the polls are scheduled on Sunday. He pointed out that a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had heard the matter connected with Tripura municipal elections and passed orders on the deployment of central forces.

After hearing brief submissions, the bench agreed to list the matter on February 25.

The high court had noted the commissioner has to take a decision on the deployment of paramilitary forces and if he decides against it, then he will be personally liable to ensure violence-free and fair elections take place.

In December last year, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea by the BJP seeking a direction to the West Bengal government, state election panel, and other functionaries, to come up with an action plan, including deployment of sufficient central police forces, for free and fair municipal polls in Kolkata.

Budget can be effective means to bring change in agriculture: PM

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Budget can be effective means to bring change in agriculture: PM

Emphasizing that the agriculture budget allocation this year is much more than previous years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said it is aimed at the complete modernization of the sector and suggested seven pointers from the budget provisions.

In just six years the agriculture budget has increased manifold and agriculture loans for farmers have also increased by two and half times in the last seven years, the Prime Minister said, and added that the preparation for multiple schemes that have been discussed during this budget need preparation, for which the month of March can be utilized and then, “start rolling out right from day one in the new financial year.”

If all this is done properly, the budget will not just be a numbers game but, in reality, can be an effective means to bring about change in life, change in agriculture,” he said while addressing a webinar on the positive impact of Union Budget 2022 in the Agriculture sector.

The seven important pointers from the budget that Modi mentioned started with the provision for natural farming along the Ganga banks on both sides up to five kms, including a push for herbal, medicinal plants and also for horticulture; infusion of modern technology for improving agriculture and horticulture practices; focus on Mission Oil Palm and encouragement to other oil seeds too for lessen the import burden on edible oil and incorporating new schemes under PM Gati Shakti for transportation of agriculture goods.

The other three-pointers were how agri-waste management will be better organized, how waste to energy solutions will not just help bringdown carbon emissions but also increase farmers’ income; the regular bank-like facilities that the farmers will get from across 1.5 lakh post offices across India and, last but not the least, the need for changes to be brought in for investment in agri-research along with skill development, human resources development, etc., in the education sector.

Recounting the work done by his government in previous years, Modi recalled how three years ago the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi was started, and it has benefitted almost 11 crore farmers, most of them small farmers, till date, and Rs 1.7 lakh crore has been disbursed till now under the scheme. He also talked about how his government has brought in smartness in all things related to agriculture, ‘Beej Se Bazar Tak’ (from seed stage to market stage) by improving the systems over the last seven years.

The Prime Minister also appealed to the private sector to invest in the agriculture sector and described the multiple opportunities. For instance, soil health cards are prepared by the government and there can be private labs everywhere where the farmer can get his soil tested and work on fertilizers accordingly. “We need a vast network of soil testing labs just as today we have pathology labs for human health,” he said.

Modi also recounted achievements such as micro-irrigation, which is a medium to bring down input cost and improve production and something which also helps the cause of the environment. “Saving water in today’s times is a service to mankind. More crop per drop is our motto. This field too has immense possibilities,” he appealed to the private sector.

Ethanol blending, agri-startups, agri-waste management, logistics, transport of agriculture produce, food processing, drones for agriculture, and farm equipment on rent are some of the fields that the Prime Minister pointed out wherein private investors, especially young entrepreneurs can enter to benefit from immense potentialities.

Using ‘Nagin’ drill, Samantha’s trainer assesses her mobility

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Using ‘Nagin’ drill, Samantha’s trainer assesses her mobility

South diva Samantha Ruth Prabhu, a fitness enthusiast, seems to be the happiest when she is hard at work. During a recent workout session, the ‘Rangasthalam’ actress was assessed for her body mobility by her trainer.

Samantha, who took to her Instagram, posted the video of her being tested for her mobility, wrote, “My trainer is crazier than yours”.

What Samantha’s trainer Junaid Shaikh calls the ‘Nagin Mobility Drill’, has the actress trying hard to dodge the stick as the trainer moves it all over her body. The super-fit actress is seen easily giving the test, as she performs the drill.

Samantha is one of the most hardworking actresses, who always motivate her fans to stay fit, with her videos from the gym.

Samantha’s last appearance on the screen was in the Allu Arjun-starrer ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, as she had performed for a special number ‘Oo Antava’. With multiple movies in the pipeline, Samantha also doesn’t miss working out and traveling, which she mentions as her stress-busters.

Samantha will be seen as Queen Shakuntala in her upcoming mythology-based movie ‘Shakuntalam’, while her Tamil movie ‘Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal’ is in the making.

NZ v IND: Smriti, Harmanpreet, Mithali score fifties, India win 5th ODI, avoid whitewash

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NZ v IND: Smriti, Harmanpreet, Mithali score fifties, India win 5th ODI, avoid whitewash

Half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Mithali Raj helped India avoid a series whitewash by registering a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the fifth and final ODI here on Thursday.

Mandhana (71 from 84 deliveries) and Harmanpreet (63 from 66) helped pace India’s run chase and Mithali (54 not out from 66) provided the finishing touches, as the visitors successfully chased down New Zealand’s handy total of 251/9 with four overs remaining.

It was India’s only victory of the five-match ODI series, with New Zealand claiming a 4-1 series triumph ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup next month, according to a report on ICC’s official website.

With skipper Sophie Devine (34) and in-form batter Amelia Kerr (66) scoring with ease early in proceedings, it looked like the Kiwis were on track to set India an even larger target for victory.

But India’s spinners helped put the clamps on the hosts during the middle overs, with Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/61), Deepti Sharma (2/42), and Sneh Rana (2/40) picking up six wickets between them to ensure the home side could only scramble past 250 in their final over.

Smriti got on top of the New Zealand bowlers early in the reply, putting the loss of fellow opener Shafali Verma (9) behind her to ensure India stayed well inside the required run rate.

When Smriti fell in the 29th over it provided New Zealand a glimmer of hope, but Harmanpreet steadied the ship with an excellent knock

Continue

Google drops Covid-19 vaccine requirement for US office workers

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Google drops Covid-19 vaccine requirement for US office workers

In a major update to Covid-19 protocols, Google will no longer mandate vaccines as a condition of employment for US workers.

“Based on current conditions in the Bay Area, we’re pleased that our employees who choose to come in now have the ability to access more onsite spaces and services to work and connect with colleagues,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to CNET.

“We are giving employees who welcome the chance to come into the office the option to do that wherever we safely can, while allowing those who aren’t ready to keep working from home.”

Google will give access to employees to fitness centres, restore shuttle service and it will also open its informal spaces.

In addition, the US-based search engine giant is lifting a policy that required anyone entering a Google facility, even vaccinated staffers, to have a negative Covid-19 molecular test.

Google first announced a US vaccine mandate for in-office employees amid the spread of the Delta variant.

Back in December, the company said it would wait until 2022 to make a decision on return-to-office plans. Google said working from the office remains voluntary and 30 percent of its Bay Area “Googlers” have returned to onsite work.

Twitter blocks several researchers amid Russia-Ukraine war

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Twitter blocks several researchers amid Russia-Ukraine war

As Russia began a military strike against Ukraine on Thursday, reports surfaced that Twitter blocked several accounts of researchers sharing footage and other information about the Russian invasion.

Several researchers sharing Russia-Ukraine information found their Twitter accounts unexpectedly suspended.

“I am back again after having been locked out twice in 24 hours. First time for a post debunking the “foiled sabotage/gas attack” and the second time for a post debunking the “Ukrainian attack into Russia,” said Oliver Alexander, analysts with open-source intelligence (OSINT),

“@Twitter needs to do something against these locks now,” he posted on Twitter.

OSINT researcher Kyle Glen was also locked out of his account for 12 hours, according to tweets from Glen and a post shared by another OSINT organization.

Security analyst Oliver Alexander also claimed to have been locked out of his account twice in 24 hours, reports The Verge.

Twitter thread compiled by Nick Waters, an analyst at the pioneering OSINT organization Bellingcat, listed more account suspensions.

In a statement, a Twitter spokesperson said that action had been taken against these accounts in error and was not part of a coordinated campaign.

“We’re expeditiously reviewing these actions and have already proactively reinstated access to a number of affected accounts. The claims that the errors were a coordinated bot campaign or the result of mass reporting is inaccurate,” the company spokesperson added.

Researchers raised concerns that the account suspension could have been part of a mass reporting campaign intended to disable OSINT accounts during a Russian invasion.

“What really worries me the most (and IMO was demonstrated today) is that any Russian invasion will almost certainly include some form of mass reporting in order to disable smaller OSINT accounts,” said OSINTtechnical.

PHDCCI sees India’s FY22 GDP growth in 9.3-9.7% range

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PHDCCI sees India’s FY22 GDP growth in 9.3-9.7% range

Industry body Ph.D. Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has projected India’s FY22 GDP growth at 9.3-9.7 percent.

The industry body’s rationale behind the estimated GDP growth for the fiscal year came on the back of “supportive government policies, the decelerating impact of Coronavirus and continued improvement in key economic and business indicators”, Pradeep Multani, President, PHDCCI, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Leading economic and business indicators such as Sensex, merchandise exports, and services exports have shown a noteworthy improvement in Q3FY22 as compared to Q3FY21, Multani said.

For Q3FY22, GDP growth is expected to be in the range of 6.1-6.5 percent, the statement said.

The official figure for the quarter is expected to be declared by the National Statistical Office on February 28.

Going ahead, the pace of economic activity is expected to remain strong on the back of various structural reforms undertaken by the Centre over the past two years, Multani added.

Giving context to the FY23 Budget, Multani said the Centre “looks into the future while keeping a close eye on the ground”.

“The Budget is a step forward towards the vision of creating an Aatmanirbhar Bharat and reflects consistency in government’s approach in making India a modern, developed, and inclusive nation,” Multani said.

Zuckerberg shows bot that builds virtual worlds with voice commands

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Zuckerberg shows bot that builds virtual worlds with voice commands

Amid the metaverse buzz, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has demonstrated a new artificial intelligence (AI) system that can help people build virtual worlds with just voice commands.

Called “BuilderBot,” the tool is an “exploratory concept” that shows AI’s potential for creating new worlds in the metaverse, Zuckerberg said in a video late on Wednesday.

He tells the bot, “let’s go to a park.”

The bot then creates a 3D landscape of a park with green grass and trees.

Zuckerberg then says, “actually, let’s go to the beach,” and the tool replaces the virtual park with a new one with sand and water.

He then points to a specific area of the water and says “let’s add an island over there,” and then the bot creates one.
The ‘BuilderBot’ uses voice commands to create 3D environments and place them onto the landscape.

“As we build for the metaverse, we’ll continue to break ground in areas like self-supervised learning and building the world’s most powerful AI supercomputer to drive the future of AI research breakthroughs,” Meta said in a statement.

A new tool fueling creativity in the metaverse — ‘BuilderBot enables people to generate or import things into a virtual world just by using voice commands, the company added.

Meta is also working on Universal Speech Translator, an AI system that provides instantaneous speech-to-speech translation across all languages, even those that are mostly spoken.

“Project CAIRaoke is a new approach to AI that powers chatbots and assistants. With this technology, people could one day have more fluid conversations with their virtual assistants,” Meta added.

Hijab row surfaces in B’luru, Sikh girl asked to remove turban

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Hijab row surfaces in B’luru, Sikh girl asked to remove turban

Amid crisis related to wearing of hijab in classrooms, an Amritdhari (baptized) Sikh girl was asked to remove her turban in the reputed Mount Carmel PU College here in accordance with the February 10 High Court’s interim order. Some parents of the college also complained of being targeted after their daughters were asked to remove the hijab.

The authorities are now crossing their fingers over the turn of events on Thursday, as the sensitive issue could spread more to other colleges as well in the state capital.

Though colleges across the state witnessed widespread agitations, protests regarding denial of permission to attend classes with hijab, the agitations so far had not touched Bengaluru in a major way. The Special Bench of the High Court has made it clear on Wednesday that no religious symbols are allowed in the classrooms in PU as well as graduation colleges until the matter is disposed of.

Parents of college students who were asked to remove hijab by the authorities have demanded that the order of the High Court must be implemented equally to all students. The problem started when G. Sriram, deputy director of PU Education, who was inspecting the college during practical exams on Monday, directed two students to remove their hijab as per the court order. This led to outrage among the students and more students strongly protested against it.

The college authorities conducted a series of meetings and asked the students to follow orders, demanding that they should be treated equally. Though the college authorities successfully convinced the majority of the students, a few insisted that if they were to remove hijab, others should also not be allowed to wear any religious symbols.

Meanwhile, the college authorities of Mount Carmel PU College asked a Sikh girl student to remove her turban to follow the High Court order. The authorities also mailed about it to her father. The girl was asked to remove her turban on February 16, but she did not agree. However, after G. Sriram, deputy director of PU Education visited the college and asked students not to wear hijab, they demanded that others who were wearing religious symbols too should not be allowed.

The school authorities informed the father of the Sikh girl about the situation and her family informed the college that she would not take off her turban and they would seek a legal opinion on the issue. The education department maintains that the High Court interim order does not talk about turbans.

Premier League: Liverpool thrash Leeds to move to within 3 points of Man City

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Premier League: Liverpool thrash Leeds to move to within 3 points of Man City

The 2019-20 winners Liverpool narrowed the gap with Premier League leaders Manchester City to just three points after a thumping 6-0 win at home to Leeds United.

Two penalties from Mohamed Salah and a close-range finish from Joel Matip put Liverpool 3-0 up at the break against a rival that, as usual, looked lively in attack and vulnerable in defense.

Sadio Mane netted a fourth for Liverpool in the 80th minute after Salah and Jordan Henderson combined to give the Senegalese forward an open goal on Wednesday night.

There was still time for two more goals, as Mane netted his second and Liverpool’s fifth in the 90th minute from close range. Virgil van Dijk then added a sixth with a powerful header from a corner as his side sounded out a warning to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, reports Xinhua.

The city is at the top of the table with 63 points from 26 matches with Liverpool now moving to 60 off 26. Chelsea is placed third with 50 points but has a match to play.

Meanwhile, in other matches on the night, Watford coach Roy Hodgson had an unhappy reunion with his former club as Crystal Palace won 4-1 at Vicarage Road to deepen Watford’s relegation worries.

Although Moussa Sissoko quickly canceled out Jean-Phillipe Matete’s 15th-minute opener for the visitors, Conor Gallagher continued his excellent form with a 42nd-minute effort to restore Palace’s lead and two late goals from Wilfried Zaha gave the final score a sheen that flattered the visitors.

Burnley gave their survival hopes a huge boost at the expense of Tottenham’s European ambitions, thanks to Ben Mee’s powerful header which gave them a 1-0 win at home to Antonio Conte’s side.

The win is only Burnley’s third of the season but their second in two games leaves them just two points behind Newcastle United and Everton and three behind Leeds, who have played two more games.

Call of Duty: Mobile shoots past $1.5bn in lifetime player spending

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Call of Duty: Mobile shoots past $1.5bn in lifetime player spending

Call of Duty: Mobile from Activision, in partnership with Tencent’s Timi Studios, has surpassed $1.5 billion in global lifetime player spending across the App Store and Google Play following its official launch in October 2019.

According to Sensor Tower, revenue in 2021 represented the title’s best full-year performance to date, with players spending up 45 percent year-over-year. Sales were boosted by the launch of the shooter in China in December 2020, with the title picking up $104.5 million on that country’s App Store alone last year.

Call of Duty: Mobile ranked as the number 14 revenue-generating mobile title globally in 2021, making it the number 3 mobile shooter behind Garena Free Fire from Garena at number 2 and PUBG Mobile-including its China localization, Game For Peace-from Tencent at number 1.

Since Call of Duty: Mobile’s release, the shooter genre as a whole has continued to grow, with player spending rising by 50 percent y/y in 2020 to $5.7 billion, followed by a further 10.5 percent increase y/y in 2021 to $6.3 billion.

The US ranks as Call of Duty: Mobile’s top country for worldwide revenue to date, with the title generating more than $647 million in the country or approximately 43 percent of total player spending. Japan ranks number 2 for revenue, while China rounds out the top three.

Nearly 29 months since it officially launched globally, Call of Duty: Mobile has become one of the world’s top revenue-generating mobile titles. Its success, along with that of PUBG Mobile, has taken the shooter genre to new heights on mobile, with the category ranking as the number 5 genre for global player spending in 2021.

Samantha is a technician’s delight: ‘Shakuntalam’ designer Neeta Lulla

TB Team
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Samantha is a technician’s delight: ‘Shakuntalam’ designer Neeta Lulla

Costume designer Neeta Lulla, who worked for Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Shakuntalam’ reveals that Samantha was one of the most inspiring actresses she has worked with.

As the celebrity costume designer shared her experience working for the upcoming epic love saga, said that Samantha has ‘transformed’ herself into the world of ‘Shakuntalam’ as well.

“Samantha totally nailed the character of Shakuntala holistically. From carrying the look, the performance, and watching her on the set, has transformed even me. I was engulfed in the era of Shakuntala and Dushyant”, Neeta Lulla said.

Neeta also mentions that Samantha was apprehensive about how she would pull off a queen’s look. “She is a technician’s delight. Such an obedient and wonderful person who appreciates the efforts put in, and works doubly hard”, Neeta explains.

“I am amazed at the scope of her versatility on character portrayal”, Neeta said, “It was never Samantha on set but only Shakuntala”.

Days after the first look poster of Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Shakuntala’ look came out, ace designer Neeta Lulla’s customized jewelry is in the discussion.

As Samantha sported an angelic look with customized floral accessories which were designed by Neeta Lulla, her look has become one of the most discussed topics.

‘Shakuntalam’ marks the first pan-India movie for Samantha, who reprises the queen in the mythological drama. Directed by Guna Sekhar, the movie will release soon.

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