Ahead of UP Assembly session, 20 staffers test corona positive

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With just two days left for the Monsoon Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly to begin, 20 Assembly staff members, including security personnel, have tested positive for Covid-19.

Speaker Hriday Narain Dikshit confirmed that about 300 Assembly and other government staffers had been tested and 20 were found COVID positive.

The reports of other staffers were yet to come in and the number of COVID positive persons could go up further.

“Those who have tested positive include an officer of the under-secretary rank. We are waiting for the final test reports as about 300 staffers, who will be deployed to perform various works/assignments during the Monsoon Session, have been tested,” said an official of the Assembly Secretariat.

The Speaker has asked all Legislators to get themselves tested for the virus before they attend the Assembly session.

The Speaker said, “We are informing all members about the places in the Vidhayak Nivas or a point close to them that will have the facility for testing from Wednesday. The testing facility will also be available in the Vidhan Bhawan complex.”

Asked whether the test will be mandatory for members, Dikshit said: “We will arrange the facility for Covid-19 tests for all members.”

Although senior officers of the Assembly Secretariat refused to comment on the issue, a large number of positive cases have raised serious concerns about the health of those to be deployed for work during the brief Monsoon Session.

Shahrukh Prakash, Samajwadi Party MLC has written to the Vidhan Parishad Chairman saying that all senior citizens in the House should be allowed to participate in the session virtually. However, his suggestion has been turned down.

Meanwhile, on August 20, the Assembly will be adjourned after mourning the deaths of its sitting members — cabinet ministers Kamal Rani Varun and Chetan Chauhan — who died after being admitted to hospitals for treatment of Covid-19.

The state government proposes to carry out Legislative Business in the remaining two days, tabling ordinances that have been promulgated after the last session and the bills to replace them.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has a sanctioned strength of 403 members. As seven seats are vacant, the effective strength of the Assembly has come down to 396 members. When constituted in 2017, the Assembly had nearly half of its members in less than 50-year age group.

Ten ministers and ruling party members, leader of opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary and other Samajwadi Party members have undergone treatment for Covid-19.

The Assembly and Council Secretariats are taking all safety precautions. In both the Houses the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ lobbies, along with viewers’ galleries, will be used to ensure a vacant seat between two members to follow social distancing during the session.

The Assembly has decided to install ultraviolet filters in the air-conditioning system. Automatic sanitizer dispensers have been installed at the entry gates. The security personnel has been given infrared thermometers to scan members who are being asked to wear masks in the House. A mask will be gifted to members who reach the House without wearing one.

Italian Open to start from September 14, health rules set

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Organizers of the Italian Open tennis tournament have formally announced that the tournament will take place from September 14, with strict COVID-19 protocols in place. The final will take place on September 21.

The new dates are more than four months later than its normal spot on the calendar, reports Xinhua news agency.

The move was widely anticipated after the Madrid Open was canceled because of fears related to the pandemic. The Italian event will now precede the French Open by two weeks instead of one.

The Italian Open, which is held on clay courts, is a key tune-up event before the clay-court French Open.

In a Monday statement to media, sponsors, and other stakeholders, the Italian Open’s main sponsor said the event will be held with COVID-19 protocols in place, including those for social distancing in locker rooms and periodic disinfecting common areas.

The Italian Open normally takes place during the second week in May, but the pandemic required the professional tennis calendar to be reshuffled, with several events suspended or reduced in scope.

The Italian Open plans to return to its normal spot on the calendar in 2021, assuming the pandemic is no longer a threat, with a May 9 start date already set.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal and the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova respectively won the men’s and women’s championships last year. Nadal went on to win the French Open later in May.

Microsoft 365 apps to end Internet Explorer support next year

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Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer support Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) by August 17 next year, the company has announced as it pushes people to install revamped Chromium-based Edge browser.

Beginning November 30 this year, Microsoft Teams web app will no longer support IE 11 and the remaining Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer support IE 11 from August 2021.

After the above dates, customers will have a degraded experience or will be unable to connect to Microsoft 365 apps and services on IE 11.

“Customers have been using IE 11 since 2013 when the online environment was much less sophisticated than the landscape today,” Microsoft said in a blog post on Monday.

“Since then, open web standards and newer browsers — like the new Microsoft Edge — have enabled better, more innovative online experiences”.

Microsoft launched Edge five years ago after its once-dominant Internet Explorer lost its appeal as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox took over the browser space.

The company said new Microsoft 365 features will not be available or certain features may cease to work when accessing the app or service via IE 11.

“While we know this change will be difficult for some customers, we believe that customers will get the most out of Microsoft 365 when using the new Microsoft Edge,” the tech giant said.

The company also announced it would end support for the Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop app on March 9, 2021.

After March 9, the Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop app will not receive new security updates.

“Apps and sites created for Microsoft Edge Legacy will continue to work in the new Microsoft Edge, but if a compatibility issue does arise, we have our App Assure promise to provide support,” said Microsoft.

Barcelona sack Setien & announce ‘restructuring’ of first team

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FC Barcelona has sacked coach Quique Setien following last week’s 2-8 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.

The club confirmed the decision in a communique issued on Monday following an emergency directors’ meeting that was called in the wake of the crushing defeat.

“The board of directors has agreed that Quique Setien is no longer the first-team coach. This is the first decision within a wider restructuring of the first-team which will be agreed between the current technical secretary and the new coach, who will be announced in the coming days,” confirmed the FC Barcelona website.

Setien had joined Barca as a coach on January 13 this year. During his seven months in charge, the Cantabrian coached the first team in 25 matches: 19 in the league, three in the Champions League and three in the Copa del Rey. The breakdown of his results was 16 wins, four draws, and five defeats.

Barca was knocked out of the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao in February and Friday’s humiliation against Bayern means the club ends the season without a trophy for the first time in 12 years.

Former Barcelona defender Ronald Koeman, who is currently the coach of the Dutch national team, is the favorite to replace Setien.

Inter crush Shakhtar to reach Europa League final

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Two goals each from Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku helped Inter Milan secure a 5-0 victory over an uninspired Shakhtar Donetsk in their UEFA Europa League semifinal in Dusseldorf.

Inter will face Sevilla in Friday’s final in Cologne, as Shakhtar were never able to threaten Antonio Conte’s men over 90 minutes on Monday evening, reports Xinhua news agency.

Shakhtar tried to assume control from the start and to implement their offensively-minded strategy, though Inter’s defense managed to neutralize all attacks.

20 minutes into the game, the Italians also increased their attacking efforts and opened the scoring with their first chance as Nicolo Barella’s cross into the box found Martinez, who nodded home the opener.

Shakhtar struggled to create opportunities as they were unable to bypass Inter’s defenders. Goalscoring chances remained at a premium as only Marcos Antonio unleashed a shot on target just before the break.

After the restart, Inter started where they left off as they kept all their men behind the ball, but once they forced a turnover they overran Shakhtar’s defense.

However, Shakhtar almost restored parity out of thin air, but Junior Moraes’ header missed the target at the hour mark.

Shakhtar’s promising chance was an awakening call for the Italians, as they doubled their advantage only moments later when Marcelo Brozovic’s corner allowed Danilo d’Ambrosio to make it 2-0.

Inter gained momentum and tripled their advantage in the 74th minute through Martinez, whose 18-meter hammer sealed his brace and put the result beyond doubt.

Shakhtar was unable to put up resistance whereas Inter were not done with scoring, as Martinez set up for Lukaku, who tapped home for 4-0 four minutes later.

Things went from bad to worse for Shakhtar in the closing period after Lukaku wrapped up his brace to round off the win.

Nidhhi Agerwal’s productive lockdown: Yoga, fitness and detox

Actress Nidhhi Agerwal says she has been extra careful about staying fit through the lockdown months.

“It’s been a productive lockdown for me. I have learnt a lot of fitness-related things. I started doing yoga, and have done some detoxing too. I feel all these things have helped me develop beautiful changes in my body,” Nidhhi told IANS.

Nidhhi, who turned 27 on Monday, says it felt great to be able to spend the whole day on her birthday with family, for a change.

“I stayed at home, cut cakes, and spent quality time with family members. Spending quality time with my closed ones is always on my wish list. I also want to open a charitable organization,” she added, sharing her birthday wish list.

Nidhhi, who is best known for “Munna Michael” and “iSmart Shankar”, has four films coming up.

8 Best Solutions to Beat Bedwetting

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Bedwetting causes are many and parents need to deal with them. They need to train their child so that she or she does not wet the bed at night while asleep.

Wetting the bed can be an embarrassing among kids and is very common. Bedwetting tends to occur in families and is more common among boys than girls. There are several bed-wetting causes which can be taken care of.

Banish the Blame

Getting angry with the child for bed wetting will aggravate the condition. The problem will get worse. It is not easy to stop a child from bed wetting. It is better not to make a big issue of it. This also helps to answer the question how to stop bed wetting at age 7?

Consult Pediatrician

Inform the pediatrician about the bedwetting for him or her to keep a track of the child’s progress and offer suggestions for controlling it. If one’s child is older than 5, or if the bedwetting starts abruptly, it is better to discuss with the doctor about possible causes — for instance, urinary tract infections, diabetes, or even stress — and other possible reasons and medical solutions. It is important to realize that in most cases there is a physical reason for bedwetting.

Create an Incentives Chart

Try to add on a positive incentive, which can work on a subconscious level, in order to help the child to avoid bedwetting. For example, preparing a grid chart or using a calendar, and give the child a sticker (like a shiny star or a happy face) every night keeps his or her dry. When he or she earns ten stickers (which might take longer for some kids, so patience is required and to continue to encourage them), he or she gets a small toy or a special treat, such as a lollipop.

Check for Constipation

Constipation happens to be a common cause for bladder problems. When the rectum, located just behind the bladder, is filled up with large or hard poop, there is more pressure on the bladder. This does cause bladder instability, which, in turn, can lead to nighttime (or even daytime) accidents. In case, one notices that the child is not having a daily bowel movement or if his stool is typically hard, increase his or her fluid as well as fiber intake. Apple juice, fruits, vegetables, as well as whole grains are indeed good options to help ease constipation and for proper functioning again.

Consider Specific Medications

Medication is also a good option, but it has does have side effects. For instance, desmopressin, which does reduces urine production, that cause headaches, facial flushing, nausea, and, in rare cases, severe water retention. Some medicines tend to control the symptoms rather than cure bedwetting.

Purchase a Moisture Alarm

A moisture alarm does wake up the child the second he or she wets the bed. The interruption in sleep can in fact condition the brain to control the bladder better and thus help prevent accidents. Bed-wetting causes are indeed manifold and of much concern to parents.

Invest in a Waterproof Mattress

Parents can purchase a waterproof mattress cover or pad and pillow cases. Lay fresh pajamas for a quick change in the middle of the night. If the child sleeps through the night in a wet bed, then it is possible to ask him or her to help change the sheets in the morning By doing so, it helps him or her to take responsibility for the bedwetting. Even if the child is not wetting the bed on purpose, he or she is still aware of his accidents when he wakes up.

Encourage Bathroom Trips Before Their Bedtime as well as Yours

Do make sure the child goes to the bathroom before her bedtime. Once the child empties the bladder, there is lesser chance of urinating at night. It is also better to limit the fluid intake a few hours before bedtime.

Conclusion

Thus the question How to stop bed wetting at age 7 is well answered by such solutions.

7 Relationship Secrets That Truly Work

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Relationships have to be maintained and relationship goals need to be set up. It is interesting to know about secrets to a long-lasting relationship in order to improve marital ties.

Relationships are not all that easy to maintain. It would be interesting to know the secrets to a healthy relationship. It is necessary to work towards a successful relationship. What are the secrets to a long-lasting relationship? There are several ways to maintain a healthy relationship.

1. Accept conflict as normal.

Perfection is difficult to attain in a relationship. Disagreements will be there. Unless severe problems arise such as unfaithfulness, abuse, addictions, legal problems, or violence and it is better to keep up with a relationship. One needs to overcome a rough patch. Trust and commitment need to be deepened.

2. Grow yourself up emotionally.

Most people are subject to dysfunctional behaviors that are destructive to themselves as well as others. Some of the most common ones are defensiveness, poor communication skills, and lacking emotional intelligence. It is good to know one’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Give each other space.

Even people who happen to be in loving relationships do need time for themselves. Couples do spend time away from each other, working on their own goals, spending time with their friends as well as hobbies, and just about doing their own thing. Relationship goals can be set up.

4. Develop an “I’m awesome” attitude.

It is important to know one’s self-worth. Far too many people do focus on their self-worth first and then on the success of the relationship. But yet how a person feels about oneself should not have anything to do with one’s relationship status, nor the whims and moods of one’s partner. Self-esteem should be kept up at all cost. Relationship goals do matter.

5. Take care of one own needs.

One is an adult, not a child, so it is better to call the shots. Need a nap? Take it. Want a ice cream? Have it. Want to go to the movies? Enjoy. In partnership, it is possible to ask the other person to help a person to meet the needs. But similar to oneself, others have their own needs and problems. They may say no and this is not a rejection. It is rather a chance to be self-reliant or reach out to one’s community (i.e., friends or family) for help. It is better to know more people rather than rely on a single person.

6. Communicate boundaries.

More relationships die on account of remaining silent rather than violence. Does a person bite one’s tongue when upset? Does the person turn away from bad behavior? Is there a tendency to nag rather than enforcing consequences? All these issues matter for a smooth channel of communication.

7. Never reward bad behavior.

Bad behavior must not be excused. It is necessary to draw a line in respect to a partner’s bad behavior. If the offended person continues to spend time with them, laugh, have sex, and otherwise pretend that everything s alright, thus offering positive reinforcement they do not need to change. Some ground rules need to be set. Efforts should e made by the offender to change his or her behavior.

Relationships can be like old shoes—we stay in them even when they are no longer functional because they are comfortable. But comfort is rarely an indication of a life well-lived.

Conclusion

Relationships have to be worked upon. Partners need to ensure that each one does not encroach too much one the space of the other. It is important to maintain self-esteem and not to compromise on it.

97 percent of Income Tax work force feeling left out

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The employee associations of Income Tax have said that the restructuring carried out in the Department to implement the Faceless Assessment Scheme is making 97 percent of the workforce feeling left out.

The Joint Council of Action (JCA) comprising Income Tax Employees Federation and Income Tax Gazetted Officers Association have written to the Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) seeking to highlight the disruption to the employees caused by the restructuring of the department.

“However, had the department taken us into confidence before bringing the said announcements, the feeling of being left out would not have been there among the 97 percent of the workforce of the Department whom we represent,” the JCA said.

“We are also certain that the CBDT, as has been the case in the past, would ensure that no employee is made redundant in the process, and existing vacancies would be filled up with due promotions and recruitment”.

The JCA has pointed out that the restructuring exercise if not implemented in a thoughtful manner may result in massive displacement of manpower from one station to the other.

These associations have told the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) that “Any ill-conceived diversion of posts may lead to an exodus of posts and thereafter displacement of employees and their families, particularly in mofussil charges”.

Further, any large scale diversion of posts and consequent transfers of promotee officers and officials among different states under the jurisdiction of one Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax charge may result in complex problems including children’s education, unmanageable operational difficulties in the residual charges, the employees pointed out.

They have pointed out that the circular for restructuring was received on August 14 and suggestions have been asked for by August 17 when there were a national holiday and Sunday in the intervening period.

Moreover, the suggestions have not been discussed either with the local or central JCA, who are the major stakeholders.

They have asked the CBDT Chairman to direct all Principal Chief Commissioners to take into confidence the local JCA before they take any decision on the diversion of posts to the newly created NeAC and ReAC charges in their respective regions.

They have also sought an urgent meeting between the CBDT and JCA to discuss “these revolutionary changes” and hoped that they can be resolved “so that any extreme step won’t be required to be taken”.

Aligarh boy is suspect in Chinese hawala racket

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When a team of officials belonging to different government agencies reached Peepal village in Khair area in Aligarh on Friday to meet one Rahul, they were shocked, to put it rather mildly.

Seeing Rahul’s house, reportedly a director in two Chinese firms and shareholders in two others, the team went back after making polite inquiries from the family, mainly his father Shyam Sunder and mother.

The officials spoke to Rahul on the phone and he told them that he has been working in Gurugram in a motor vehicle parts’ firm for the past one year.

He said that one person offered him another part-time job at an office, located in DLF Cyber City, and he readily agreed.

Rahul told the team that the person, Saggu, had taken his Aadhar and PAN card when he joined the job.

The documents were apparently used without his consent in a recent money laundering racket that has been unearthed in Delhi.

Since Sunday afternoon, Rahul’s mobile phone has been switched off and his father is also untraceable.

According to sources, Rahul’s family owns 12 bighas of land and agriculture is their only source of income.

Family members, who are now unwilling to speak to the media, are ‘shocked’ that their son is allegedly a millionaire.

“We cannot believe that Rahul could be involved in anything like this. His house is dilapidated and there are no signs of such money coming in,” said a neighbor who refused to be identified.

Meanwhile, in its probe into a hawala racket being run by Chinese entities, income tax officials have found that a suspect, Lou Sang, had changed his identity to Charlie Pang, an Indian national.

He held an Indian passport and even an Aadhaar card and was married to a girl from Manipur. He got the passport issued from Manipur.

The I-T department, last week, had busted a hawala racket perpetrated by a few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates. The initial probe revealed that one Lou Sang was representing many Chinese firms for hawala operations in India. It was found that Sang operated over 40 bank accounts, created by various dummy entities, which received advances of thousands of crores from shell companies.

Department officials have also raided bank employees and premises of several Chinese companies, suspecting the scam to be well over Rs 1,000 crore.

The accused, who has been running this hawala racket for the past three years, kept on changing his addresses frequently. Earlier, he used to stay in the Dwarka area of Delhi but his current address changed to DLF.

Mozilla, Google extend Firefox search agreement: Report

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Mozilla has extended its agreement with Google to keep it as the default search engine within the Firefox browser for another three years, ZDNet reported.

Although an official announcement on the deal is expected only in November, Mozilla confirmed the report.

“Mozilla’s search partnership with Google is ongoing, with Google as the default search provider in the Firefox browser in many places around the world,” the organization was quoted as saying in a statement.

“We’ve recently extended the partnership, and the relationship isn’t changing,” it added.

The estimated worth of the deal is between $400-$450 million per year, said the report.

The report came after Mozilla last week announced its plans to lay off 250 people as part of its restructuring plan.

“Economic conditions resulting from the global pandemic have significantly impacted our revenue. As a result, our pre-COVID plan was no longer workable,” Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker said in a blog post.

The announcement led many to worry about the future of the organization.

However, the ZDNet report said that the organization is financially sound even as it plans to make crucial changes in its core businesses.

“Over the longer run, our goal is to build new experiences that people love and want, that have better values and better characteristics inside those products,” Baker said in the blog post, announcing the changes.

Fire doused on 6th floor of Parliament Annexe building

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Seven fire tenders were rushed to the Parliament Annexe building here on Monday after a fire broke out on the sixth floor.

The fire was soon brought under control and a short-circuit is believed to be the cause of the incident. The fire department said that further investigation is on.

“A call was received at 7.30 a.m., and it is suspected the fire started following a short-circuit. The fire has been brought under control,” Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services said.

The fire broke out in room number six on the sixth floor and the damage is confined to that room only, said the fire department. Further investigation was on.

Sharad Pawar tests Covid-negative, goes in isolation

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Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar has tested negative for Covid-19, an aide said here on Monday.

The 79-year-old NCP patriarch had undergone a test last week at Breach Candy Hospital after a couple of his security personnel and some aides had tested positive.

Though Pawar had not come in contact with any of them, as a precaution, he has gone into self-isolation for at least four days cutting off all public contact, the aide, requesting anonymity, told IANS.

It was not clear if any other Pawar family members or other NCP leaders and ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders who are in regular contact with each other have undergone similar tests.

To date, around half-a-dozen state ministers have been infected, besides independent MP from Amravati Navneet Kaur-Rana and her husband Ravi Rana.

Still remember the way Dhoni walked out to bat in 2011 WC final: Mandhana

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Star Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana on Monday heaped praise on “inspirational” MS Dhoni, who recently bid adieu to international cricket.

“I still remember the way Dhoni sir walked out to bat in the 2011 World Cup final. The confidence on his face was something which I got inspired,” Mandhana said in a video uploaded on BCCI’s official Twitter handle.

Though all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was the linchpin of India’s success in the 2011 World Cup, it was Dhoni who rose to the occasion during the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Chasing Sri Lanka’s 275 for victory, India had the worst possible start, losing Virender Sehwag off the second ball and Sachin Tendulkar when the score was just 32. Dhoni, who was not in the best of form in the World Cup, surprised everyone by promoting himself ahead of in-form Yuvraj.

But Gautam Gambhir and skipper Dhoni steadied the ship with a 109-run fourth-wicket partnership and then his unbeaten 54-run partnership with Yuvraj (21) helped India clinch a six-wicket win as Dhoni wrapped it up with a straight six off pacer Nuwan Kulasekara.

“I am sure he has inspired everyone around him to be a better cricketer, a leader, and most importantly a better human being. Thank you for your contribution Dhoni sir,” Mandhana added.

Dhoni, last Saturday evening, announced his retirement from international cricket via an Instagram post.

The 39-year-old from Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, played a whopping number of 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20I matches. He was the first and is still the only captain to date to have won all three ICC Trophies.

Dhoni holds the record for most international matches as captain (332). Unarguably the quickest man behind the wicket, Dhoni affected a staggering 829 dismissals behind the stumps.

Star Indian batswoman Smriti Mandhana

Richa Chadha: Need of hour is systemic shift in how we perceive nature

Actress Richa Chadha believes that little acts of kindness go a long way. She feels the need of the hour is a systemic shift in how people perceive nature.

Last month, the actress and her fiance Ali sent out 1000s of PPE masks to frontline workers. Now, and environmentalist, Dr R.K Nair, has planted 650 saplings in the names of Richa and Ali at Pulwama Shahid Vann, Umbergaon Gujarat, as a thank you gesture for their charity gesture.

“To say that we need to step up to protect the environment in the face of the pandemic is truly underplaying it. Dr Nair’s gesture touched our hearts because he gave us hope that each of us are capable of creating great changes. The need of the hour is a systemic shift in how we perceive nature,” said Richa.

“There’s a pre-existent symbiotic equation that must be respected. The capability of being a hero is in each of us and Dr Nair’s gestures makes us want to be better people and do more for the world around us,” she added.

Ali pointed out that he doesn’t like talking about achievements but “Dr R.K. Nair’s thank you message to Richa and me truly melted my heart”.

“I know the number is not a huge pathbreaking number of trees but for me, it’s a big step forward personally because during this lockdown, I have realised the power of good and the power of reach. And without ignoring the power of hunger and helplessness. The solution for all lies in our own hands, fortunately and unfortunately,” he added.

Lung transported from Pune to Hyderabad in one hour saves life

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A patient at a hospital in Hyderabad received a lung from a brain dead donor in Pune, as different authorities came together to ensure the organ’s transportation within one hour.

A Green corridor was arranged by different departments in both cities for faster transport of the organ on Sunday. A patient suffering from terminal lung disease and undergoing treatment at KIMS Heart and Lung Transplant Institute here was the recipient of the organ. He had registered his name under the Jeevandan scheme of the Telangana government.

The family of a young person, who was declared brain dead at a private hospital on Sunday, came forward to donate the organ while Zonal Transplant Coordination Center (ZTCC) Pune ensured that the organ reached Hyderabad in time for the transplant.

Dr. Swarnalatha, who is In-charge of Jeevandan, Telangana guided and supported the cause, while Arthi Gokhle, Central Coordinator ZTCC Pune ensured that it happened without any obstacles.

The lung was brought by a chartered flight from Pune to Hyderabad. Traffic police of both the cities arranged the green corridor and the Airports Authority of India also came forward to help this noble cause.

Finally, KIMS Heart and Lung Transplant Institute, Hyderabad received the lung by the evening without any delay from the city which is 560 km away, within one hour, and transplanted the same to the needy patient.

At a time when even smaller health issues are a big deal in Covid-19 pandemic times, the authorities showed that even though things like lung transplantation can happen if there is a strong will.

Before the transportation and transplant, the authorities took all precautions. Doctors at KIMS said the transplant was done after the donor tested negative for Coronavirus.

28 new corona cases in Agra, situation in Mathura ‘grim’

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Despite the weekend lockdown and safety measures by the district administration, 28 fresh Covid-19 cases have been reported in Agra in the last 24 hours.

The district health department has reported 103 deaths so far. The COVID tally now stands at 2,318, with 323 active cases and 1,892 recoveries. There are 155 containment zones in the district.

Health department officials explain the spurt due to a higher number of samples being tested on a daily basis. However, people do not seem satisfied with this explanation.

“But they are unable to explain why the containment zones are going up and why despite all kinds of restrictions, the infection spread is not being checked,” said Shravan Kumar Singh, a local resident.

Despite measures being taken to contain Covid-19, doctors in Agra say there is no early relief in sight. “The only long-term strategy is to learn to live with the enemy observing the rules of the games,” said activist Naresh Paras.

In neighboring Mathura, in the past 48 hours, around 100 cases have been reported. Locals said the situation was grim, as a large number of cases were not being reported.

“Due to fear and social stigma, people are hiding and resorting to self-treatment,” said a local, who did not wish to be named. Meanwhile, some patients were discharged after recovering from the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Mainpuri reported 45 cases in the past 24 hours followed by Firozabad (34), Utah (19), and Kasganj (10).

Samsung Galaxy Watch3 gets ECG functionality in the US

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Samsung has activated the ECG (electrocardiogram) functionality on the newly-launched Galaxy Watch3 in the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the requested ECG certification and the news was shared directly to the users with a firmware update.

Along with the ECG monitoring, the new update will also bring the VO2 Max measurement feature.

Through this functionality, one can find out the maximum amount of oxygen consumption during training or resting, reports GSMArena.

Users need to download and install the Samsung Health Monitor app on the watch and the paired smartphone to use ECG.

The ECG feature uses advanced sensor technology on the Galaxy Watch3, and will enable users to measure and analyze their heart rhythm for irregularities indicating Atrial Fibrillation (AFib).

To measure the ECG, a user just needs to open the app and place his smartwatch arm on a flat surface, and then place his fingertip of the other hand on the top button of the smartwatch for about 30 seconds.

Taking on Apple Watch that is currently the best health wearable in the market, the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy Watch3 offers blood oxygen (SpO2) and fall detection tools and would include blood pressure (BP) monitoring and ECG readings in markets where these features have been authorized.

The blood oxygen feature would measure and track oxygen saturation over time, for fitness and wellness purposes.

The Galaxy Watch3 by Samsung runs on Tizen-based Wearable OS 5.5.

It features a 1.2-inch (360×360 pixels) circular Super AMOLED display on the 41mm variant and a 1.4-inch display on the 45mm variant with the same resolution that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX.

The smartwatch is powered by the dual-core Exynos 9110 CPU, Mali-T720 GPU, and packs 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.

Australia’s news media bargaining code will hurt users: Google

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In a scathing attack on the Australian government’s move to increase the bargaining power of media organizations overpayment for the inclusion of news in its services, Google on Monday termed the proposed changes unfair, while warning users that the new regulation will affect Google Search and YouTube.

Google even warned Australians that the proposed “News Media Bargaining Code” could even lead to their data being handed over to big news businesses.

“The proposed changes are not fair and they mean that Google Search results and YouTube will be worse for you,” Google Australia Managing Director Mel Silva said in an “Open letter to Australians”.

Google alleged that “the law is set up to give big media companies special treatment and to encourage them to make enormous and unreasonable demands” that would put the company’s free services at risk.

On April 20, the Australian Government announced it had directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to develop a mandatory code of conduct to address bargaining power imbalances between Australian news media businesses and each of Google and Facebook.

The ACCC released a draft code for public consultation on 31.

The draft code would allow news media businesses to bargain individually or collectively with Google and Facebook overpayment for the inclusion of news on their services.

“The law would force us to give an unfair advantage to one group of businesses — news media businesses — over everyone else who has a website, YouTube channel or small business,” Silva said in the open letter.

“News media businesses alone would be given information that would help them artificially inflate their ranking over everyone else, even when someone else provides a better result,” she added.

Google said it is going to do everything it possibly can to get this proposal changed.

Liquor outlets to be opened in Chennai from Tuesday

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The Tamil Nadu state government has decided to reopen retail liquor shops in Chennai from Tuesday onwards after a gap of several months.

Liquor retail is a state monopoly run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation or popularly known as Tasmac.

According to the government, the liquor shops will function between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and only 500 tokens will be issued daily.

Customers will have to wear masks and maintain social distance.

Liquor shops had reopened across the state, except Chennai, on May 7 after 45 days.

The shops in Chennai remained closed as the city had the highest per day coronavirus infection rate.

But over a period of time, the per day infection rate has come down to about 1,000-1,200.

There are over 5,300 Tasmac liquor outlets in the state contributing about Rs 30,000 crore of tax revenue to the state exchequer.

Major opposition parties in the state have strongly criticized the government’s decision to open the liquor outlets.

During the May 7 exercise, however, the social distance was not maintained and there was a large crowd before the shops risking the spread of coronavirus.

The Madras High Court on May 8 ordered closure of the shops as its conditions for opening up of the shops were not followed but allowed online sales.

On May 15, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s order.

Later in June, the apex court said it cannot lay down norms as to the liquor sale modalities to Tasmac like door delivery and online sale.

The court allowed the state government to devise its own norms for liquor sales.