Odisha’s Covid cases rise to 26,892, death toll at 147

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Odisha’s Covid cases rise to 26,892, death toll at 147

The number of COVID-19 cases in Odisha rose to 26,892 with the detection of 1,503 new infectees in the last 24 hours, informed the health department on Monday.

The death toll rose to 147 as seven more fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours.

Three deaths were reported from Ganjam, and one each from Cuttack, Khordha, Malkangiri and Sundargarh districts.

Out of 1,503 positive cases, 1,002 are from quarantine centers and 501 are local contact cases.

Hotspot Ganjam district reported highest 491 cases, followed by Khurda (223), Cuttack (136), 73 each from Kandhamal and Gajapati, Rayagada (68), Sundargarh (57), and Jajpur (51).

With this, the active cases in the state are now 9,919 while the recoveries stand at 16,792.

Pakistan troops again violates ceasefire on J&K LoC

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Pakistan troops again violates ceasefire on J&K LoC

Pakistan troops again indulged in unprovoked ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Monday, following which the Indian Army retaliated befittingly, an official said.

“Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation around 10.30 am today by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Mankote Sector of Poonch district. The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly,” Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Devender Anand said.

On July 25, the Pakistan troops had violated the LOC ceasefire for the 4th consecutive day in Poonch district.

Pakistan has been violating the ceasefire with impunity since the beginning of this year. So far, in 2020, more than 2,700 ceasefire violations have been reported, in which 21 civilians have been killed and 94 injured.

Hundreds of border villagers are living on the edge as Pakistan shelling and firing has been endangering their lives, homes, and cattle.

Modi greets Thackeray warmly on 60th birthday

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Modi greets Thackeray warmly on 60th birthday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on his 60th birthday.

In a warm message, Modi said: “Best wishes to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackerayji on his birthday. I pray for Uddhavji’s long and healthy life”.

The PM said that a birthday is a day to reminisce of the past, as well as chart a course for the future.

“I believe today will give you more strength to achieve the goals of the development of the state and the country,” said Modi.

Samsung launches affordable Galaxy M01 Core phone in India

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Samsung launches affordable Galaxy M01 Core phone in India

Samsung on Monday launched a new Android Go-packed affordable smartphone Galaxy M01 Core at a starting price of Rs 5,499 (1GB RAM+2GB) variant in India.

The 2GB RAM+32GB variant is priced at Rs 6,499 and will be available from July 29, said the company.

“Galaxy M01 Core has been designed to deliver value for money with best-in-class performance and stylish proposition, targeting users seeking best performance, experience, and price,” said Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

The smartphone features ‘Intelligent Inputs’ which includes Smart Paste and Suggest Notification features.

The ‘Suggest Notification’ feature warns users about low battery and allows them to open their running app or add other critical apps in Maximum Power Saving Mode for extended run time.

The ‘Smart Paste’ tool helps paste the relevant text like pasting the website URL on a web browser, mobile number on phone dialer and email ID in mail application – all extracted from the same message automatically.

Meanwhile, ‘Intelligent Photos’ detects similar or duplicate photos to keep the best photo while discarding other photos to free up space.

The smartphone houses a 5.3-inch HD+ display. The device comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera.

It also features Dark Mode – One UI based Dark Mode integration, which is easier on the eyes and helps in battery saving.

Galaxy M01 Core is powered by a quad-core MediaTek 6739 processor and packs in a 3000mAh battery for the usage of up to 11 hours.

Pine Labs appoints Nitish Asthana as President, COO

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Pine Labs appoints Nitish Asthana as President, COO

Leading merchant commerce platform Pine Labs on Monday announced the appointment of Nitish Asthana as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Currently helping process payments of more than $30 billion per year, Pine Labs serves more than 1.5 lakh merchants in 3,700 cities with over 4.5 lakh merchant touchpoints.

Asthana is tasked with accelerating the company’s efforts towards technology innovation and increasing digital payment acceptance among merchants across India and Southeast Asia, the company said in a statement.

“At Pine Labs, we are on a mission to re-define merchant payments and commerce and Asthana’s diverse knowledge and insights will play a pivotal role in accelerating innovation within the company and ensure operational excellence,” said B Amrish Rau, CEO, Pine Labs.

Rau replaced Vicky Bindra in March who, after a two-year successful stint as CEO, moved back to San Francisco.

With more than two decades of experience in senior executive roles across payments, fintech and finance areas, Asthana served as Managing Director, India and Sri Lanka for Fiserv, Inc. a global provider of financial services technology, before joining Pine Labs.

“With a spike in digital payments adoption post Covid-19, the environment is right to take innovative fintech products to the remotest corners of the country and accelerate the Digital India vision,” said Asthana.

Pine Labs recently invested in Fave, a leading fintech company in Southeast Asia.

Its key investors include Sequoia India, Mastercard, Actis Capital, Temasek, PayPal and Sofina.

No Raj assembly session as of now as Guv returns file again

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No Raj assembly session as of now as Guv returns file again

The stand-off between the Governor and Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan continues as Governor Kalraj Mishra on Monday returned the file sent by the state government which requested him to allow the special assembly session in the state.

This was the second time the state government had sent a file to the Governor to get approval on its proposal to call a special assembly session quoting COVID as reasons for discussion.

In the file sent back to the Department of Parliamentary Affairs of the Rajasthan government, the Raj Bhawan office has sought more information from the government, and eventually, there is nothing yet decided so far on convening the assembly session, confirmed officials.

Now the state government will have to provide the information sought by the Raj Bhawan and then only the process of calling the assembly session can start.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Congress, changing the last-minute strategy of protests under the ‘Save Democracy-Save Constitution’ campaign in Rajasthan, announced that the party will not be protesting outside Raj Bhawan in the state on Monday as proposed earlier, but the nationwide protest shall continue as per the earlier plan.

The Congress government in Rajasthan earlier requested the Governor to allow a special assembly session, however, the Governor did not permit for the same.

On Saturday late night, the Congress government had sent a revised note to the Governor seeking permission to call a special assembly session on July 31 to discuss coronavirus situation but not the floor test as the reason to call the session.

Meanwhile, Governor Kalraj Mishra met chief secretary Rajeev Swaroop and DGP Bhupendra Singh on Sunday in which the duo apprised him of the security measures being taken by the administration in view of protest which was planned in front of Governor’s House on Monday. He also raised his worry on the spike in COVID-19 cases and urged the officials to bring in a new strategy to tackle COVID, said a press note issued from Raj Bhawan on Sunday

1 in 3 smartphones sold in China was 5G in Q2, Huawei leadsa

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1 in 3 smartphones sold in China was 5G in Q2, Huawei leadsa

One-third of the total smartphone sales in China were 5G devices during the June quarter as Chinese operators as well as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) actively pushed 5G smartphones via lowering prices along with attractive 5G plans, according to a new report.

Overall smartphone sales in China declined 17 percent year-over-year in Q2 2020.

However, the sales increased 9 percent quarter on quarter indicating some signs of recovery.

Covid-19 has been mostly contained in China but the demand for smartphones is yet to recover to pre-COVID levels, said the report by Counterpoint Research.

“Despite a slowdown in the smartphone market in China, Chinese OEMs have picked up the pace in 5G developments that were hampered by Covid-19 disruptions in Q1 2020,” Ethan Qi, Senior Analyst, Counterpoint, said in a statement.

In Q2, 33 percent of smartphones sold were 5G enabled compared to just 16 percent in Q1.

“The proportion was even higher in June, where more than 40 percent of smartphones sold were 5G capable,” Qi added.

China’s 5G smartphone market is quite consolidated with HOVX (Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi) grabbing 96 percent of the market.

Huawei dominated 5G smartphone sales, accounting for 60 percent of the market.

High-end 5G smartphones are predominantly from Huawei, while Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo all have various offerings in the mid-tier.

Petrol, diesel price rise on hold again

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Petrol, diesel price rise on hold again

Consumers have been spared of any further hike in fuel prices with oil marketing companies deciding to keep the pump prices of both petrol and diesel unchanged on Monday.

For the last two days, diesel prices had maintained an upswing rise by 15 paise per liter, each on Saturday and Sunday.

Petrol prices, however, were unchanged for the 27th consecutive day across the four metros. It is priced at Rs 80.43 a liter in the national capital.

In Delhi, diesel continues to be priced at Rs 81.94 a liter. Still, it is now Rs 1.51 costlier than petrol in the city.

Similarly, diesel prices in Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata continue to remain at Rs 80.11, Rs 78.86, Rs 77.04 a liter respectively.

The unexpected rise in diesel prices despite slower demand has put the transport sector at a big disadvantage as rising fuel cost has further shrunk its margins. The price of diesel in the capital has also put automobile companies concerned about the prospect of the sale of diesel-run cars in the country’s largest car market.

The Oil companies resumed the dynamic pricing system for daily revision of the two auto fuels from June 7 after keeping the price unchanged for around 82 days during the lockdown. Since then, while petrol prices have risen by Rs 9.17 a liter, diesel prices have risen by Rs 12.55 a liter in the national capital.

Chandrababu to sponsor education of AP farmer’s daughters

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Chandrababu to sponsor education of AP farmer’s daughters

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has come forward to take care of the education of the two daughters of a farmer, whose plight moved actor Sonu Sood to gift a tractor to the family.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief said he spoke to Sonu Sood and applauded him for his inspiring effort to send a tractor to Nageswara Rao’s family in Chittoor district.

“Moved by the plight of the family, I have decided to take care of the education of the two daughters and help them pursue their dreams,” tweeted Naidu.

Sonu Sood replied to Naidu’s tweet, thanking him. “Thank you so much sir for all the encouraging words. Your kindness will inspire everyone to come forward and help the needy. Under your guidance, millions will find a way to achieve their dreams. Keep inspiring sir. I look forward to meeting you soon,” the actor wrote.

A tractor was delivered to the farmer’s family in Mahalrajuvari Palle village in Chittoor district on Sunday evening, hours after Sonu Sood promised to send the same.

The actor was moved after a video, which went viral on social media, showed the farmer’s two daughters pulling a plow to till the land as he could not afford to buy or even rent bullocks.

Sonu Sood, who has helped many migrant workers and poor during the lockdown, immediately offered to send a pair of bullocks to the farmer to plow the field. “Let the girls focus on their education,” he had tweeted.

He, however, tweeted Sunday morning that the family deserves a tractor and by evening the tractor reached the farmer’s house.

Veerathallu Nageswara Rao said he had to shut down his tea stall at Madanapalle in the same district due to COVID-19 induced lockdown. With hardly any money in hand, the family moved back to their native village to take up farming on their two-acre land.

With no money in hand to buy or rent bullocks, he used his daughters Vennela (class 12) and Chandana (class 10) to pull the plow through the field.

In the video, Nageswara Rao was seen holding the plow behind her daughters to soften the land while his wife Lalitha was spraying seeds.

Anand suffers 6th straight loss in Legends of Chess tournament

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Anand suffers 6th straight loss in Legends of Chess tournament

Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand lost 2-3 to Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in his latest encounter of the ongoing Legends of the Chess tournament, thus suffering his sixth straight-loss in the event.

Anand started the match with a 53-move draw but Nepomniachtchi went ahead by pulling off a 34-move win in the second game. The third game saw the players sign peace after 48 moves.

The Indian then came back strongly to win the fourth game in 42 moves and push the match into the Armageddon (a tie-breaker). However, Nepomniachtchi won the decisive tie-breaker in 41 moves.

The 50-year-old, who is making his maiden appearance on the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, had earlier lost to Peter Leko, Peter Svidler, Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, and Anish Giri.

The winner of this event will qualify for the $300,000 Grand Final scheduled from August 9 to 20.

Divya Dutta: Thanks to social media we are talking about domestic violence

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Divya Dutta: Thanks to social media we are talking about domestic violence

Actress Divya Dutta feels it is a good thing that we are at least openly talking about domestic violence against women now, thanks to social media, but says it is going to take many years to fully eradicate the social menace.

Divya had just starred in a short film titled “The Relationship Manager”, which addresses the issue of domestic violence. She says women should stop being silent over the matter, as has been happening for ages now.

“Domestic violence is one of the issues that we not only need to address, but also continue to talk about. It is embedded in the upbringing of every woman that they have to let to go, they have to adjust. For generations, women are told that to keep their marriage and children happy, they have to adjust to violence. At least, we are talking about it now thanks to social media. But I know that it will take many years to eradicate. Talking about it is a hope,” Divya told IANS.

The story of the film is set in the time of lockdown, where a wife becomes the target of the physical assault of her husband.

“Women have to learn to deal with domestic violence than just take it in their stride, thinking ‘log kya kahenge’ (what will people say). Whenever they face domestic violence, instead of being silent they should speak their mind. As a society, instead of tagging it as taboo, we should be supportive,” added the actress.

“The Relationship Manager” is directed by Falguni Thakore and, according to Divya, the filmmaker strongly felt the need to open up about the issue.

“The relevance and the last leg of the story attracted me to come on board. No matter how aware we are about the cause, at times the victim needs that little nudge to take the first step, to stand against the issue,” said Divya.

Produced by Neeraj Pandey, the film also features Annup Sonii, Anupam Kher, Sana Khan, and Juhi Babbar.

Will realigning OnePlus, Vivo, OPPO work for China’s BBK Group in India?

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Will realigning OnePlus, Vivo, OPPO work for China’s BBK Group in India?

China-based behemoth the BBK group that owns brands like OnePlus, Vivo, OPPO, and Realme (not to forget iQOO) always had a clear market strategy and brand positioning in the fixed price segments for the India smartphone market.

Not anymore.

For the full calendar year 2019, the BBK Group dominated the Indian smartphone landscape with 37 percent share, compared to 28 percent of Xiaomi, according to Counterpoint Research data.

The market segmentation was crystal clear till then: OnePlus will fight the rivals in the premium space, Vivo and OPPO will take care of the mid-price segment and Realme would be the go-to-device in the affordable and low-price segment.

In 2020, the pre-defined territories are blurred and industry analysts see a clear deviation from the earlier India market strategy from the BBK Group.

OnePlus has entered the mid-price segment (taking on Vivo and OPPO) with ‘Nord,’ while Vivo and OPPO have arrived in the premium space with ‘X50’ and ‘Find X2’ series, respectively.

Realme has also entered the mid-price segment with X3 and X3 Pro devices in India.

The move to rearrange the pieces on the Indian smartphone chessboard appears to be the next big move from the BBK Group to disrupt the status quo, killing the saturation, gain more market share and create a Samsung-like player which has presence across smartphone price segments in India?

According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), in their initial, incremental market growth phase, the BBK Group-led brands focused on a clever market segmentation strategy, focused on building their own niche in specific price bands.

For the Indian consumers, these brands offered the best value, in terms of specs, design, and overall experience.

“What we are witnessing now is an exponential growth phase, where these brands are focused on turbo-charging their growth. Through new device offerings in new price segments, these smartphone brands are seeking to leverage their brand resilience in the Indian market,” Ram told IANS.

In Q2 2020, Vivo had 17 percent market share in India, OPPO 9 percent, and Realme 11 percent ((in terms of shipments).

OnePlus regained its top position in the premium market with its newly-launched OnePlus 8 series, which also comes with 5G capabilities, according to Counterpoint.

BBK today is collectively the world’s third-largest manufacturer, even bigger than Huawei in terms of volume.

Headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong, and founded by Duan Yongping, BBK started with consumer electronics such as TV sets, MP3 players, and digital cameras in the 1990s and then amplified its ambition into mobile phone production, rivaling Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi.

In India, OnePlus has created a strong buzz around its affordable premium ‘Nord’ series.

OnePlus ‘Nord’ comes at a starting price of Rs 24,999 for the base 6GB+64GB model. The 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB models will be available for Rs 27,999 and Rs 29,999, respectively.

“Very interestingly, with the OnePlus Nord, OnePlus has showcased that affordability does not necessarily involve cutting corners, or compromising on quality and specs,” Ram noted.

With a strong brand proposition, OnePlus ‘Nord’ will potentially create new market niches for the brand, he added.

The BBK India story is going strong in 2020 amid the supply disruptions and the Covid-19 lockdowns.

In a year of 5G-enabled and foldable devices, BBK is set to give more jitters to the established players in months to come.

However, the danger lies in the fact that this brand positioning may end up hampering the growth of one of its own products that have cemented their space in the differentiated price bands in the country.

Time will soon reveal the next season of the BBK India story.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad tests negative for Covid-19

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RJD chief Lalu Prasad tests negative for Covid-19

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, who is serving a sentence in the fodder scam, has tested negative for coronavirus, though his attendant has been found positive. The attendant has been quarantined.

According to sources at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, Prasad’s test result came on Sunday evening which was found negative. He has exhibited no symptoms of coronavirus.

Sources say that his sample will be re-examined after four-five days.

Dr. Umesh Prasad, who is in-charge of Prasad’s treatment at RIMS, said that it was decided to check his sample as a precautionary measure. He said at present no symptoms of Covid-19 have been detected in Prasad.

Lalu Prasad has been undergoing treatment for various ailments at RIMS from December 2018 after his conviction in a fodder scam case. His condition has been reported to be stable.

Prasad’s lawyer has applied for regular bail.

AR Rahman is a genius: Singer Hriday Gattani on ‘Dil Bechara’ experience

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AR Rahman is a genius: Singer Hriday Gattani on ‘Dil Bechara’ experience

Rising singer Hriday Gattani is currently making waves with his new song in the last film of Sushant Singh Rajput, which released on OTT over the weekend.

Friday has sung AR Rahman’s lilting composition “Main tumhara” with Jonita Gandhi in the late actor’s last film, “Dil Bechara”. Bringing alive the song, the singer recalls, was very challenging because he had to dive deep into his emotions. The full song is played at the end of the movie after Sushant’s on-screen character dies and captures the life he lived.

“‘Main tumhara’ was one of the first songs (Rahman) sir composed for the album. It is a very pivotal song to the film’s storyline and has a melancholic effect on the listener. Amitabh (Bhattacharya) sir came up with lyrics that did justice to the emotion, and I was asked to record a scratch (working version). Luckily (director) Mukesh (Chhabra) sir and Rahman sir really liked my voice and decided to retain it in the album,” Gattani told IANS.

Looking back at the process of making the song, he said: “With ‘Main tumhara’, it was very challenging but Rahman sir and Mukesh sir’s vision helped me dive deep into my emotions and try and deliver the song. While recording I did bring back some personal memories of longing to get the right tone. Rahman sir said ‘it needed a gentle and soft delivery with a lot of feels’ and that’s the brief I held on to while singing the song.”

Gattani has been mentored by the legendary musician AR Rahman. He says working with the maestro was a dream come true.

“Rahman sir is a genius and that makes it very challenging to keep up with him and his vision. But that’s what makes you push yourself and be the best version of yourself. He is very supportive and open to ideas from everyone around him. He makes us feel a part of the entire process and that has been such a huge help for me to grow as a musician and an individual too,” he said.

In “Dil Bechara”, Gattani has also lent vocals for a lighthearted song about friendship, “Maskhari”, with Sunidhi Chauhan.

“Dil Bechara” is the official remake of the 2014 Hollywood romantic drama “The Fault In Our Stars”, based on John Green’s popular novel of the same name.

Budding actress Sanjana Sanghi stars opposite Sushant in the film. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra is making his directorial debut with the film.

Telegram lets users adds profile videos, send 2GB files and more

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Telegram lets users adds profile videos, send 2GB files and more

WhatsApp’s closest rival Telegram has rolled out a substantial update, adding Profile Videos along with improved People Nearby features, unlimited file sharing with up to 2GB per file, and more.

With the new update, a user can change their profile picture into a profile video. The video will play when someone opens the user’s profile, and it is possible to choose a specific frame from the video to be displayed in chats, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Telegram is increasing the size limit for files shared on the app, from 1.5GB per file – the limit that had been in place since 2014 – to 2GB for any file type.

The update has also improved the People Nearby feature, which now also indicates the distance between the user and any detected contacts.

If a user getting too many messages from non-contacts, one can try the new switch in privacy and security settings to automatically archive and mute new chats from people not in contact.

Now, owners of large groups with over 500 members can now view detailed graphs about their activity and growth. Group stats also show a list of top members by a number of messages and average message length. In the future, the features will be available for groups with just 100 members.

In addition, Telegram Desktop now supports multiple accounts, similar to the mobile app, which has done so since 2017.

Hiding truth ‘anti-national’, bringing it out ‘patriotic’: Rahul

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Hiding truth ‘anti-national’, bringing it out ‘patriotic’: Rahul

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday sharpened his attack on the Modi government over the Chinese intrusions in Ladakh saying that “hiding the truth” and allowing China to occupy Indian land is “anti-national” and bringing it to people’s attention is “patriotic”.

“The Chinese have occupied Indian land. Hiding the truth and allowing them to take it is anti-national. Bringing it to people’s attention is patriotic,” Gandhi said in a tweet attaching his fourth video in the series.

In the video titled ‘Tough questions on China’, the Congress MP from Kerala’s Wayanad said, “As an Indian, my number one priority is the nation and its people.”

Firing a salvo at the government, Gandhi said, “How do you react to people who say your questions to the Prime Minister on China, weaken India?”

The Congress leader said, “Now, it is pretty clear that the Chinese have entered our territory. This disturbs me. It frankly makes my blood boil. How can some other nation just come into our territory?”

He said, “now if you as a politician want me to keep quiet and lie to my people when I’m absolutely convinced I have seen the satellite photos.”

“I speak to the ex-army people. If you want me to lie that the Chinese have not entered this country I’m not gonna lie. I simply will not do it. I don’t care if my whole career goes to hell. I’m not going to lie,” the Congress leader said attacking the government over the military face-off with China in eastern Ladakh’s Galway valley.

He said, “I think the people who are lying about Chinese entering our country are the people that are not nationalistic.”

“I think the people who are lying and who are saying the Chinese are not in India, they are the people who are not patriotic. So frankly, I don’t care if it costs me politically. I don’t care if I have no political career at all after that,” he said.

He also said, “but, I’m going to say the truth as far as Indian territory is concerned”.

During the all-party meeting, the Prime Minister had said that China has not entered into India’s land. On July 17, Gandhi released his first video and questioned the government’s foreign policy.

He slammed the Modi government over the face-off with China in Ladakh. He said China chose this time to intrude in our land as India’s foreign policy, economy, and relationship with neighboring countries are disrupted.

In his second video released on July 20, the Congress leader said Modi fabricated a “fake” strongman image to come to power and now his biggest strength is “India’s biggest weakness”.

On July 23, in his third video, the Congress leader attacked the Prime Minister over the India-China border face-off saying he is 100 percent focused on building his own image and “one man’s image is not a substitute for a national vision”.

Goat ‘arrested’ for not wearing mask in UP

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Goat ‘arrested’ for not wearing mask in UP

In a bizarre incident, the Kanpur police ‘arrested’ a goat that was roaming in the Beconganj area here ‘without wearing a mask’.

The incident took place over the weekend and the Beconganj police picked up the goat and took it to the police station in a jeep.

When the owner of the goat learned that the police had taken it away, he rushed to the police station.

He pleaded with the cops and the police finally let him take back his goat but warned him not to allow the animal to roam on the road.

Circle officer, Anwarganj police station, Saifuddin Beg, however, said that the police had found a youth without a mask, taking the goat along.

“When he saw the police, he ran away leaving the goat behind so the policemen brought the goat to the police station. Later, we handed over the goat to its owner,” he said.

One of the policemen who had brought the goat admitted that they found a lockdown violation because the goat was without a mask.

“People are now making their dogs wear a mask so why not a goat?” he asked.

The police apparently changed its version after it became the butt of jokes on social media.

Honor eyes India laptop market with MagicBook 15 under Rs 50K

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Honor eyes India laptop market with MagicBook 15 under Rs 50K

Honor India President Charles Peng said on Monday that the company is geared up to enter the India laptop market on July 31 with MagicBook 15 that will be priced under Rs 50,000 to define productivity as more and more people work from home.

Armed to give some competition to Xiaomi’s recently-launched Mi Notebook 14, the Honor MagicBook 15 offers a password-free login and comes with a two-in-one fingerprint power button, for effortlessly unlocking the device with just a tap.

“We are excited to enter a new category in the Indian market with our most popular laptop MagicBook 15 under the Rs 50,000 category. Currently, we are going to import them from China but in the future, we will manufacture them in India,” Peng told IANS.

The Honor executive said they are entering the laptop segment after “examining the market as well as customers’ feedback”.

Honor sells several notebooks under its MagicBook brand, including MagicBook 14, MagicBook 15, and MacBook Pro.

The company recently launched two variants of Honor MagicBook 15 in China.

Equipped with a Type-C charger, MagicBook 15 supports fast-charging capability and claims a 53 percent charge in just half an hour.

Honor MagicBook 15 offers an upgraded version with multi-screen collaboration capability.

“With Magic-link 2.0, users can transfer images, videos, and documents between Honor laptop and Honor phone instantly. Users can also share Honor phone screens on the laptop, and drag, drop, and edit files using the same keyboard and mouse,” said Peng.

The notebook market in India currently is around six-seven million unit sales per year — 50 percent consumer notebooks and 50 percent commercial notebooks.

Consumer notebook accounts for around 3.3 million to 3.6 million units and one of the most popular segments is thin and lightweight devices and this is where Honor is aiming to make a great impact with MagicBook 15.

Peng said that privacy protection is a cornerstone of the product design at the company.

“The pop-up webcam is discreetly hidden underneath the camera button on the keyboard, serving as a unique privacy safeguard. Users can simply tap on the button to make the webcam pop up when they want to use it. MagicBook 15 runs Microsoft Windows 10 Home, covering all the privacy concerns from a software viewpoint,” Peng told IANS.

The company is also looking forward to launching Honor 9A and Honor 9S smartphones in India for under Rs 10,000 on July 31.

27 new corona cases in Agra, 35 in Mathura

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27 new corona cases in Agra, 35 in Mathura

Twenty-seven more novel coronavirus cases were reported in Agra in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the active cases in the district to 197, health officials said on Monday.

Mathura district reported 35 new cases, Mainpuri 11, Etah nine, Kasganj eight, and Firozabad six cases in the last 24 hours.

Health officials said the death toll in Agra remains 97. Of the total 1,652 cases reported so far in the district, 1,352 have recovered.

The number of containment zones has gone up to 102 compared with 52 in early July.

The facility of rapid antigen tests has been extended to all areas. Of the 4,700 tests done, only 14 were found corona positive on Sunday. As many as 74 health teams surveyed 4,664 households and checked 19,412 persons for their health status.

The district administration has been making efforts to contain the infection, but the number of new cases has not gone down in July. Luckily, the mortality rate has been under check, while the recovery rate continues to remain above 80 percent.

Doctors at the SN Medical College, led by its Principal Dr. Sanjay Kala, who was called from Kanpur, have been doing exceptional work, successfully treating critical patients on ventilators.

“Usually private hospitals refer patients in a serious condition to the college’s hospital, which has highly specialized infrastructure and competent practitioners, who do their best to save precious lives,” a junior doctor at the emergency ward said.

A private medical practitioner, Dr. Harendra Gupta, said health facilities in the city have been streamlined and COVID Warriors are now better placed to handle the situation.

The IMA members too are actively involved in strategizing and providing valuable inputs to the district task force. IMA Secretary Dr. Sanjay Chaturvedi said: “Tele-medicine consultations and use of social media have helped in a big way.”

Senior advocate Vivek Sarabhoy, who runs COVID Agra Help Group, said the organization’s volunteers have been providing not only food, ration, and medicines but helping with blood plasma donations whenever required.

Meanwhile, the first Covid-19 patient who received plasma therapy at the SN Medical College has fully recovered and returned home.

The 55-hour weekend lockdown imposed in Agra ended in the early hours on Monday, bringing the hustle and bustle back to the markets.

Google working on smart tattoos that turn skin into living touchpad

TB Team
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Google working on smart tattoos that turn skin into living touchpad

Google is working on smart tattoos that, when applied to the skin, will transform the human body into a living touchpad via embedded sensors.

Part of Google Research, the wearable project is called “SkinMarks” that uses rub-on tattoos.

The project is an effort to create the next generation of wearable technology devices, the CNET reported citing white papers and demo videos,

Here’s how the technology works.

The sensor-driven tattoos are applied to a part of the body.

The sensors can then be triggered by traditional touch or swipe gestures as we perform on smartphones.

There are a few gestures that are more specific to working on the skin’s surface.

“You could squeeze the area around the tattoo or bend your fingers or limbs to activate the sensors”.

The researchers at Saarland University in Germany wrote in a white paper that the benefit of using skin as an interface “is tapping into the fine motor skills that human beings naturally have”.

The project is partly funded through Google Faculty Research Awards.

Interacting with your own skin and limbs also means you can do it without looking.

The tattoos are made by screen printing conductive ink onto tattoo paper.

Some of the prototype tattoos include cartoon drawings or light-up displays.

“Through a vastly reduced tattoo thickness and increased stretchability, a ‘SkinMark’ is sufficiently thin and flexible to conform to irregular geometry, like flexure lines and protruding bones,” the researchers wrote.

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