Facebook, Instagram to study if algorithms promoting racial bias

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Facebook, Instagram to study if algorithms promoting racial bias

Alarmed at the growing hateful content on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram are building teams to look into and act upon racial bias in its algorithms that may be discriminatory in their approach.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the social network will study the AI and ML-driven neural networks to know whether they too promote racial bias.

“The racial justice movement is a moment of real significance for our company. Any bias in our systems and policies runs counter to providing a platform for everyone to express themselves”, Vishal Shah, Instagram’s VP of Product, said in a statement.

Instagram will create an “equity team” that will look into the algorithms and harassment policy enforcement while Facebook will also establish a similar team.

“While we’re always working to create a more equitable experience, we are setting up additional efforts to continue this progress,” Shah was quoted as saying in the report on Wednesday.

The details will be out about the teams in the coming months.

The move comes in the wake of the #StopHateforProfit campaign that has begun hurting Facebook financially as over 400 advertisers have pulled out or paused advertising on its platforms.

The civil rights groups leaders in the US were left disappointed after meeting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg this month over their concerns related to the spread of hateful content on their platforms.

Sandberg, Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives met online racial justice group Color of Change, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and others who started the #StopHateforProfit campaign in June.

Several top-notch brands like Disney, Coca Cola, Adidas, Walgreens and Starbucks have pulled their ads from the social network. Microsoft has suspended its advertising on Facebook and Instagram through August.

Facebook has reiterated that it has “more work to do” on curbing hate speech.

Sally Carman on getting engaged amid pandemic

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Sally Carman on getting engaged amid pandemic

Actress Sally Carman feels getting engaged amid the Covid-19 pandemic was a complete surprise package.

In an interview with My Weekly magazine, Sally spoke about how she got engaged to her “Coronation Street” co-star Joe Duttine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“I got engaged during the lockdown, which was a complete surprise. Joe took me and his kids for a walk. He was talking about the Coiners, who used to hide forged coins in the dry stone walls, and told us to see if we could find any. I was totally oblivious and found the engagement ring hidden in the wall. It was really beautiful,” she recalled.

In March, Sally took to her Instagram account and shared the news about her engagement among fans.

She had posted a picture of her ring with the pair drinking champagne, and captioned: “So this happened…#yes”

Facebook Messenger introduces App Lock, new privacy controls

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Facebook Messenger introduces App Lock, new privacy controls

Facebook has introduced new privacy features like App Lock in Messenger that will help users prevent others from accessing their private messages.

App Lock adds another layer of security to private messages. The optional feature gives users “confidence to know that if a friend or a family member needs to borrow your phone, they won’t be able to access your chats”.

“Privacy is at the heart of Messenger – where you can be yourself with the people who matter most to you, whether that’s through a message, video chat, call, or a Messenger Room,” said Jay Sullivan, Director of Product Management, Messenger Privacy and Safety.

App Lock, present in the new Privacy settings section, will use the device’s privacy settings like fingerprint or face authentication to unlock the Messenger app.

“Your touch or face ID is not transmitted to or stored by Facebook. The feature is available today on iPhone and iPad and will come to Android in the next few months,” Sullivan said in a statement on Wednesday.

Facebook said it is also working on new controls so Messenger users can decide who can message or call them directly, who goes to their requests folder, and who can’t message or call them at all.

This will be similar to the message controls on Instagram.

“We’re also exploring more ways to protect your privacy and safety when someone you don’t know sends you a message,” said Facebook.

The social network will test a feature similar to what exists on Instagram and WhatsApp that blurs images in the message requests folder.

This will give Messenger users the choice to view an image from someone they may not know before replying to the message or blocking or reporting the account.

There are over 1.3 billion Messenger users globally and Messenger is expected to grow to 2.4 billion users by 2021.

Inter Milan held by Fiorentina in Serie A

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Inter Milan held by Fiorentina in Serie A

Inter Milan was utterly dominant at the San Siro but was unable to break down a stubborn Fiorentina defense, and the resulting 0-0 draw meant Juventus moved a step closer to their ninth consecutive Scudetto in the ongoing Serie A.

With Romelu Lukaku back from injury, Inter coach Antonio Conte on Wednesday preferred Alexis Sanchez over Lautaro Martinez to partner the Belgian, while Christian Eriksen returned to the starting line-up, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Nerazzurri used their aggression and tempo to press high from the beginning.

Fiorentina risked an own goal just five minutes into the game before keeper Pietro Terracciano performed a double save to deny Inter.

Lukaku almost found the net in the 18th minute but saw his header smack the woodwork.

The home side was then forced to make the change as Stefan de Vrij limped off and was replaced by Andrea Ranocchia.

Antonio Candreva volleyed in from Ashley Young’s cross straight after the break, but it was correctly flagged offside.

Sanchez went closer in the 52nd minute, but his low strike was denied by the upright.

The draw dropped Inter to third place with 73 points, with second-placed Atalanta sitting six points behind Juventus who have a game in hand, meaning the Old Lady just needs one more win to secure the Serie A title with three matches remaining.

Elsewhere, Bruno Peres bagged a hat-trick as Roma surged to a 6-1 win over already-relegated SPAL.

Parma ended their seven-game winless run by defeating Napoli 2-1, with all three goals coming from the penalty spot.

In Wednesday’s other Serie A matches, Lecce condemned Brescia to Serie B next season with a 3-1 victory, Sampdoria suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Genoa, and Torino shared the spoils with Hellas Verona after a 1-1 draw.

Dashboard to help Commonwealth nations tackle coronavirus

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Dashboard to help Commonwealth nations tackle coronavirus

A COVID-19 dashboard has been launched by the Commonwealth Secretariat to help member countries make vital decisions during the ongoing crisis.

The Commonwealth COVID-19 Dashboard is now live and offering crucial data and analysis to help equip governments and health workers with the information they need to tackle the pandemic and its devastating impacts.

Powered by cutting-edge technology and algorithms, the dashboard analyses and compares the latest data on national, regional, and Pan-Commonwealth levels using information from a range of internationally respected sources such as the World Health Organisation.

To ensure that the data can be used as effectively as possible, it presents all of this information using seven-day rolling averages, doubling times, and daily percentage changes in cases and fatalities, for each of the 54 Commonwealth countries, including India.

According to the Commonwealth COVID-19 Dashboard, the total number of people across the Commonwealth who have tested positive so far stands at 2,601,364 with 98,046 deaths.

The dashboard also reveals the number of confirmed cases and deaths is rising most sharply in Commonwealth countries in the Asia region.

Commenting on the dashboard, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “This innovative tool will help health workers, governments and officials make the right decisions at the right time using the right information.

“We all must recognize that this crisis is far from over, while the virus is subsiding in some countries it is, unfortunately, increasing in others. Its impact on people’s health, livelihoods, and general wellbeing and on the economies of countries and regions around the world continues to be devastating.

“Having access to robust, reliable, and up-to-date information, presented using clear and easy to understand graphics, make the dashboard a valuable tool for those seeking to limit these impacts.”

Other dashboard features include a Trend Analysis Tool comparing current and historical data for multiple countries.

Meanwhile, a Commonwealth COVID-19 Analysis page illustrates the pandemic’s ongoing effects on key social, economic, and environmental indicators.

This includes data from a recent United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, which shows the impact of the virus on the tourism sector — a key slice of many Commonwealth economies.

Tahir Raj Bhasin decodes his Bollywood gameplan

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Tahir Raj Bhasin decodes his Bollywood gameplan

Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin made his Bollywood debut six years ago, and since then has consciously tried to do diverse roles across a myriad of genres.

Tahir, who made his debut as the villain of the 2014 release, “Mardaani”, has since then tried various other shades in films like “Force 2”, “Manto” and “Chhichhore”.

In the upcoming “83”, he gives reprising a real-life icon a shot. He plays the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar in the Kabir Khan film, about India’s first-ever World Cup win in 1983.

Recalling his Bollywood journey so far, Tahir told IANS: “It has been a massive roller coaster. There has been an adrenaline rush and a lot of learning on the way, and I have been fortunate to work with incredible directors like Pradeep Sarkar, Nitesh Tiwary, Nandita Das, and Kabir Khan. They are great minds.”

The actor says he purposely chose to branch out to a variety of roles and genres.

“It has been a conscious decision on my part to explore parts and that sort of comes across in the work that has been done. ‘Mardaani’, for instance, was an all-out crime drama, ‘Force 2’ and espionage thriller, ‘Manto’ was a period biopic, and ’83’ is a sports biopic, while ‘Chhichorre’ was a college fun film. ‘Loop Lapeta’, the upcoming film is a heist romantic film,” Tahir announced.

“So, I have tried very intentionally to diversify as much as I can, to keep it interesting for myself as well as for others,” he declared.

Rajeev Khandelwal on resuming shoot: We are adjusting to the new normal

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Rajeev Khandelwal on resuming shoot: We are adjusting to the new normal

Actor Rajeev Khandelwal admits shooting in the time of pandemic is difficult, but he hopes that with time we will all be accustomed to the new normal.

Rajeev, who has started shooting for his upcoming web series “Naxalbari”, said: “We have started shooting for ‘Naxalbari’ here in Goa, and we are doing as much as we can to follow precautionary measures on the set. It is always a great feeling to be back after a hiatus, and meet and work with fellow crew members.”

He added: “The world has changed and we are very quickly adjusting to the new normal. We are among the few web series units that have started shooting, and we hope to achieve success despite the challenging and little hostile circumstances.”

“Naxalbari” is an eight-episode story of Red uprising. It is a race against time for a cop named Raghav (played by Rajeev Khandelwal), who is up against the odds, to save the day.

About his character in the show, Rajeev said: “You need to embody that character because it has such intensity. Sturdiness is a natural ask for it, and wearing a mustache is something I have done for the first time. The bigger challenge is balancing sophistication with the right intensity. It has to be effortless. All in all, it is going to be a huge task for director Partho Mitra. The most interesting part of shooting right now is the action scenes in the dense jungles, in the rain with muck and slush all around. From dawn to dusk, it is a completely new experience.”

The show also features Tina Datta, Sreejita Dey, Satyadeep Mishra, Shakti Anand, and Aamir Ali, and is slated to release on Zee5.

Another 1,000-plus new cases sends Guj Covid tally above 51K

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Another 1,000-plus new cases sends Guj Covid tally above 51K

Gujarat, for the second day running, recorded over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases, taking its tally to 51,485 on Wednesday, while the death toll rose to 2,229.

Gujarat has witnessed nearly 19,000 cases in July so far, with a daily average of over 850 cases.

Of the 1,020 new cases, Surat, the new corona hotspot, accounted for a fourth, with 256 cases, while Ahmedabad had 195 and Vadodara was third with 80 cases.

Rajkot reported 55 cases, Bhavnagar 38, Gandhinagar 31, Junagadh 30, Bharuch and Dahod with 27 each, Mehsana 24, Gir-Somnath and Kutch with 21 each, Surendranagar 20, Banaskantha and Patan with 19 each, Mahisagar 18, Amreli and Navsari with 16 each, Jamnagar 15, Kheda and Narmada with 14 each, Botad nine, Morbi, Sabarkantha and Valsad with eight each, Anand, Chhota Udepur and Panchmahals with seven each, Tapi five and Aravalli with four cases.

Of the 28 new deaths reported on Wednesday, a bulk – 19 – were in Surat, three in Ahmedabad, two in Junagadh, and one in each Vadodara, Mahesana, Botad and Dahod.

Of the total 2,229 deaths, Ahmedabad accounts for 1,566, while 313 have died in Surat, 62 in Vadodara, 37 in Gandhinagar, 24 in Aravalli, 21 in Patan, 18 in Bhavnagar, 17 in Rajkot, 16 each in Panchmahals and Banaskantha, 15 in Mehsana, 14 in Kheda, 13 in Anand and 11 in Bharuch.

Gujarat’s mortality rate has come down a bit to 4.32 percent but is still one of the highest in the country.

The health authorities have so far conducted 5,76,706 RT-PCR tests, while a total of 837 patients were discharged on Wednesday, taking the total to 37,240.

The state has 12,016 active cases, out of which 78 critical patients are still on a ventilator.

There are 3,33,496 people quarantined in the state – 3,31,569 at home and 1,927 in government facilities.

US stocks rise in volatile trading

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US stocks rise in volatile trading

US stocks ended the volatile session higher as investors digested a slew of latest earnings reports.

On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 165.44 points, or 0.62 percent, to 27,005.84. The S&P 500 rose 18.72 points, or 0.57 percent, to 3,276.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 25.76 points, or 0.24 percent, to 10,706.13, Xinhua news agency reported.

Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed higher with utilities up 1.53 percent, leading the gainers. Energy slid 1.34 percent, the worst-performing group.

US-listed Chinese companies traded roughly lower, with all the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P US Listed China 50 index ending the day on a downbeat note.

On the earnings side, United Airlines shares dipped more than 4 percent after the company reported a net loss of US $1.6 billion in the second quarter and an 87 percent year-over-year revenue slump due to the coronavirus impact.

Shares of Microsoft finished up 1.44 percent. The US tech giant reported quarterly results after Wednesday’s close, with earnings of US $1.46 per share and a 13 percent increase in revenue to the US $38 billion.

The market gains were somewhat capped as investors remain cautious amid the surging coronavirus cases in the United States.

“It is too early to declare that the new bull market has arrived, as the United States and the world are by no means out-of-the-woods on the pandemic or the economic downturn,” Mitch Zacks, CEO at Zacks Investment Management, said in a note on Wednesday.

Researchers develop new tools to rapidly test Covid-19 antibodies

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Researchers develop new tools to rapidly test Covid-19 antibodies

Researchers have developed new tools to rapidly test the ability of antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The approach, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), will help researchers understand whether patients are susceptible to reinfection by Covid-19 and assess the effectiveness of experimental vaccines, as well as develop antibody-based therapies against the disease.

People infected with Covid-19 produce neutralizing antibodies that prevent the virus from infecting cells by binding to the spike protein on the virus’s surface.

Early studies have suggested that the strength of this antibody response varies greatly between patients, and it remains unknown how long any such neutralizing antibodies persist in the blood to provide protection against reinfection.

“Whether elicited by natural infection or vaccination or administered as a convalescent plasma or in recombinant form, neutralizing antibodies will likely be crucial for curtailing the global burden of Covid-19 disease,” said study researcher Paul D Bieniasz from the Rockefeller University in the US.

“For this reason, the availability of rapid, convenient, and accurate assays that measure neutralizing antibody activity is crucial for evaluating naturally acquired or artificially induced immunity against Covid-19,” Bieniasz added.

According to the study, the research team developed a number of safer, surrogate viruses that can be used in place of Covid-19 to test the neutralizing activity of antibodies targeting the coronavirus spike protein.

The surrogate viruses are versions of either the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein instead of their own surface proteins.

Some of these surrogate viruses are unable to replicate, making them even safer to use in the laboratory.

Moreover, the viruses are engineered to generate fluorescent or luminescent infected cells, making it easy for researchers to track infection and measure how well this process is blocked by potential neutralizing antibodies.

The researchers tested the ability of convalescent patient plasma samples and purified antibodies to block the entry of the surrogate viruses into human cells grown in the laboratory.

“Each of the surrogate virus-based assays generated quantitative measurements of neutralizing activity that correlated well with neutralization measured using authentic SARS-CoV-2,” said study author Theodora Hatziioannou.

“We think that these surrogate viruses and assays will be of significant use in curtailing the Covid-19 pandemic,” the researchers concluded.

Odisha CM seeks SII’s help for early Covid vaccination

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Odisha CM seeks SII’s help for early Covid vaccination

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday spoke to Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), and sought his cooperation to keep Odisha as a priority for early Covid-19 vaccination.

Through video-conferencing, both discussed on the progress of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Chief Minister expressed happiness that the Serum Institute has partnered with Oxford University to develop the Covid-19 vaccine.

He also congratulated the recent promising results published in Lancet on the corona vaccine.

The Chief Minister sought his cooperation to keep Odisha as a priority for vaccination once necessary clearances are obtained.

He said that the state government will be in touch with Serum Institute for this purpose.

The Chief Minister also applauded the philanthropic activities carried out by Poonawalla and the foresight in tying up with various research institutions across the globe to develop a vaccine for Covid-19.

Poonawalla appreciated the Chief Minister for getting in touch with Serum Institute for knowing about the progress of the vaccine and the results published in Lancet.

He said that the Oxford University vaccine has shown promising results in the first phase trial.

In India, the next phase trial will start in mid-August and the vaccine will be ready by October-November this year, he added.

He further said Serum Institute and state government can be in touch with each other and carry forward the collaboration once the vaccines are cleared and ready.

‘Undekhi’ season 2 to be bigger and better, says director Ashish R. Shukla

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‘Undekhi’ season 2 to be bigger and better, says director Ashish R. Shukla

The web series Undekhi has emerged a surprise hit upon release only a few weeks ago, and the makers have confirmed its second season will be bigger, better, and have more surprises.

Based on true incidents of crime and set against the backdrop of a high-profile wedding, “Undekhi” has a nerve-wracking chase, inter-family politics, and a display of power and more.

Talking about “Undekhi” season 2, director Ashish R. Shukla said: “Yes, it’s obvious because the show had a cliffhanger and lot many acts of revenge are remaining so yes it has to happen. The process has been started and the creator of the show is working on the script.”

“We’ll go on floors as the script gets finalized. It surely feels like people have a huge expectation from us and the show. The second season will be bigger, better, and will have more surprises,” he added.

For now, he is enjoying positive feedback that the show has been garnering.

“They are disappointed with some deaths and connecting with the show very personally, and it’s rewarding. We assure them that because of their love we are working harder on the next season and it will make them love the show even more,” said the director.

The first season features actors like Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Harsh Chhaya.

Kerala CM trying to destroy proof in gold case: Cong leader

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Kerala CM trying to destroy proof in gold case: Cong leader

A Congress leader in Kerala on Wednesday wondered why Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was blaming the party for his own political problems regarding coronavirus and gold smuggling case and accused him of trying to destroy evidence in the gold racket.

“Do not know what has happened to him. It’s understandable that he has come a cropper on two counts; all the applause that his government got for tackling Covid-19 has disappeared after he admitted to a community spread in two coastal hamlets here. Then came the gold smuggling case, in which eight government officials are under the scanner. Fail to understand what have we done in the corona spread and the gold case,” Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala told the media.

“We now hear the Chief Secretary has ordered on July 13 that all CCTVs at the state Secretariat will be changed after a lightning strike. No one knows when the lighting struck. We have to caution the NIA that Vijayan is trying his best to destroy all evidence by getting changed all the CCTVs that have captured lots of things, which they don’t want to come out,” claimed Chennithala.

Chennithala said those under the cloud in the gold smuggling case include IAS officer M. Sivasankar (since suspended), Swapna Suresh, Assembly Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan, State Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel and his personal assistant and security officer.

He said more information has surfaced on numerous appointments made through the back door by Vijayan via state-run agency KINFRA, which had entrusted the task to an agency named Mint.

“None has a clue about Mint and its locus standi in the matter. We now demand the Chief Secretary release a list of all appointments made through Mint. Vijayan is now attacking us because we are asking him hard questions. He knows that he has been a big failure in governing the state and that can be seen from how Covid-19 is spreading,” the Congress leader remarked.

Lok Sabha member and RSP leader N.K. Premachandran demanded the removal of Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra who allegedly was doing everything possible to mar the ongoing probe in the gold smuggling case.

“Vijayan will go down as the most corrupt Chief Minister the state has seen,” said former Minister and RSP leader Shibu Baby John.

Ransomware attacks up in India as firms turn digital: Report

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Ransomware attacks up in India as firms turn digital: Report

Ransomware-related cyber attacks on the Indian enterprises saw a 4 percent rise in the first three months of the year, and the increase has been enabled by operators offering ransomware as a service (RaaS) to cyber attackers.

The report from Global cybersecurity major K7 Computing also found that Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad recorded the highest rate of infections amongst Tier-I cities.

Guwahati, Jaipur, and Jammu had the highest infection rate of 38 percent each, followed by Patna at 35 percent among Tier-II cities.

“These attacks were designed to exploit user trust and scam people for financial gain. Threat actors have continued to exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems, application software, and firmware in this quarter,” said the report.

Zoom and Microsoft Teams were the most at risk. Apart from this, hackers have also taken advantage of salient weaknesses in Windows, Android, iOS, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Malware in the form of ransomware, Remote Access Trojans (RATs), and Banking Trojans have been on the rise during the quarter.
“Cyber attackers have been shifting their aim towards the enterprise market, exploiting the lack of cybersecurity awareness amongst start-ups and SMEs,” said J Kesavardhanan, Founder & CEO of K7 Computing.

“We are also witnessing an increase in phishing attacks due to the panic caused by COVID-19 and offices transitioning their workforce from centralized secure hubs to remote workstations at home”.

A partial path traversal vulnerability was noticed in the Zoom client and vulnerability in Microsoft Teams allowed cybercriminals to use a malicious GIF to sweep up the user’s data and take over an organization’s Teams accounts.

Two new vulnerabilities were detected in Microsoft’s Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, said the report.

“Modern ransomware operators have transformed themselves into businesses and are extremely focused on their targets and attacking strategies,” it added.

Modern RaaS solutions come with high-end tools like a dashboard to display attack status in real-time, customer helpline, and more said the report.

Banking sector woes impacting growth: CEA

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Banking sector woes impacting growth: CEA

India’s banking sector woes have impacted investments and growth, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Krishnamurthy V Subramanian said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Ficci’s 17th Annual Capital Market Conference ‘CAPAM2020′, he said the sector faced two problems of “scale and quality”.

The CEA elaborated that these problems are major factors for slow growth.

According to Subramanian, NPAs and risk aversion have impacted investment, which has in turn hit growth and eventually lowered consumption.

Besides, he pointed out the need to focus on bringing scale to the banking sector.

He asserted that India needs large banks.

The CEA cited that India lags behind “spectacularly” in terms of large banks, as it only has one bank in the top 100, while China has 18 such financial institutions.

Furthermore, he said that the quality of large borrowers is not very good and that banks should first check the financial status of the borrowers before lending.

Apart from the sector’s woes, he said banks are investing more than lending.

Citing last year’s data, he said that credit was given during that time period, similarly, during the lockdown phase, low credit was given except for the aECLGS scheme for MSMEs’.

Additionally, he said India cannot become a big economy with the current scale of the banking sector.

The theme of the conference is aAtmanirbhar Bharat: Role of Capital Market’.

Mamata condemns UP journalist killing

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Mamata condemns UP journalist killing

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday condemned the killing of Uttar Pradesh journalist Vikram Joshi who was shot by assailants in Ghaziabad near Delhi on Monday night in front of his two daughters. Joshi died this morning at a hospital.

“My heartfelt condolences to the family of Vikram Joshi, a fearless journalist who passed away today. He was shot in UP for filing an FIR to book his niece’s molesters,” the West Bengal CM tweeted.

CCTV footage also showed the journalist lying on the road wounded and one of his daughters weeping and screaming for help.

Banerjee, in her tweet, said that an atmosphere of fear has been created in the country.

“Voices being muzzled. Media not spared. Shocking,” she said.

Shekhar Kapur wants to dedicate ‘Paani’ to Sushant

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Shekhar Kapur wants to dedicate ‘Paani’ to Sushant

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur wants late actor Sushant Singh Rajput to be remembered forever through a work of his that he has always considered very special.

Kapur is hopeful that someday his ambitious film “Paani” will be made, and when that happens he would like to dedicate the film to Sushant’s memory. The filmmaker had signed the late actor as the male lead for the film, but it got shelved.

“If you want to journey with the Gods or your creativity, you have to walk each step in devotion. In humility. God willing #Paani will get made one day. If it does, I will dedicate it to Sushant. But it has to be made with partners that walk in humility, not in arrogance,” Kapur tweeted on Wednesday.

The cryptic last line of his tweet seems like a hint at the fact that “Paani” got shelved owing to Kapur’s creative differences with Aditya Chopra, chairman of the mighty Yash Raj Films, a production house that was producing the film.

Reacting to Kapur’s tweet, netizens encouraged the filmmaker to complete the film and suggested him to get it crowd-funded instead of depending on a producer.

“Dear Shekhar Sir, why not use crowdfunding as an alternative? Will be a tight slap on the production houses and those who thought they run the show,” commented a user.

“Shekhar, there are many well-educated people in India and overseas who’d love to support your most ambitious project if dedicated to #SushantSinghRajput. Idea: What if the budget for this entire movie were raised via crowdfunding? Screw big producers. It’s doable – think abt it,” suggested another user.

“But it should have been made with Sushant when he was alive. Now it is useless. Dedicating him the movie which wasted so much time of his career is utterly useless. A film so connected to Sush, and if he won’t be there in it, then no one will watch it,” announced a fan of the late actor.

Sushant Singh Rajput, who had been signed to play the film’s lead, passed away in Mumbai last month. He was found hanging at his residence on June 14. Postmortem report stated that the actor committed suicide. Mumbai Police is still investigating the death.

With eye on Tokyo Olympics, SAI extends contracts of 32 foreign coaches

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With eye on Tokyo Olympics, SAI extends contracts of 32 foreign coaches

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has extended the contract of 32 foreign coaches in 11 disciplines till September 30, 2021. The contracts of many coaches were slated to end in September this year.

SAI said that the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, can retain continuity in their training with the same coaches.

Speaking about the decision, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “The postponement of Tokyo Olympics by a year makes it imperative that the same coaches be retained so that athletes are not disadvantaged in any way.”

“A new coach takes time to understand an athlete and the athlete needs time to understand the training process of a coach. We don’t have that kind of time now.”

Rijiju had earlier announced that coaches, both Indian and foreign, will be hired for at least four years or one Olympic cycle to ensure continuity in training. The four-year contract will be handed out with an eye on the 2024 and 2028 Olympics.

The interim extension of one year until 2021 is an immediate step to ensure athletes have the same coaches until the Tokyo Olympics. The further extension of the contract for four years will be decided on the basis of the performance of the coach and recommendation from the respective National Sports Federations.

The contracts, though for four years, will be reviewed annually and extended on the basis of a coach’s overall performance, indicated by the performance of athletes in major international events.

Religious hatred should end: Rajini on Kanda Shasti controversy

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Religious hatred should end: Rajini on Kanda Shasti controversy

Asserting that religious hatred should be eradicated, superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday thanked the Tamil Nadu government for taking prompt action against people out to denigrate Hindu god Murugan and prayer to seek his blessings.

In a tweet, Rajinikanth said: “At least hereafter, religious hatred and blasphemy is eradicated. It should be eradicated. All religions are acceptable… Kandhannukku Arohara.”

As per Hindu scriptures, Lord Murugan is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.

Rajinikanth — who earlier had said he would pursue spiritual politics — conveyed his appreciation to the AIADMK government in the state for its prompt action against those who denigrated Kanda Shasti Kavacham and hurt crores of Tamil people and also in removing the offending videos.

YouTube channel Karuppar Koottam had aired a video that allegedly denigrated Lord Murugan and the prayer Kanda Shasti Kavacham sung by devotees to seek his blessings.

Police have arrested Sentil Vasan and Sundara Natarajan, who was associated with the controversial YouTube channel, on a complaint from the state BJP.

While the BJP held a protest against Karuppar Koottam, DMK and its allies are maintaining a studied silence on the issue. Many were waiting for Rajinikanth’s reaction, citing his movie ‘Padayappa’ that refers to Lord Murugan.

IPL: Have no reason not to go if everything gets ticked off, says Maxwell

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IPL: Have no reason not to go if everything gets ticked off, says Maxwell

Big-hitting Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell has said he has no reason not to travel for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) if everything gets ticked off.

The postponement of the men’s T20 World Cup, originally slated to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has paved the way for IPL to take place this year. The BCCI is planning to stage the tournament from September 26 to November 8 in UAE.

“Any time you have a home World Cup, you are certainly looking forward to it. We felt like we had been building towards it as a T20 side,” Maxwell was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.

“You wait and see (with the IPL), waiting on the judgments of other people, what you can and can’t do with travel and quarantine times and all that, if everything gets ticked off there, I have no real reason not to go.

“The overseas guys get a hell of a kick playing in it, some of the best players in the world rubbing shoulders, similar to a World Cup, but on a smaller scale. If everything gets ticked off I would love to be available for it,” said Maxwell who will turn out for Kings XI Punjab in the cash-rich league.

The all-rounder has been recalled to a 26-man Australian preliminary squad for a proposed six-match tour of England.

“To be home was a bit of a luxury at this time of the year. I’ve actually had a great time, freshened up the batteries and the mind as well,” he said.

“I was always mentally getting myself ready for this time of year when there would potentially be cricket back on.

“I haven’t been thinking about where we are going to end or who we are going to be playing. It was about getting my game ready, my body ready, and making sure I was ready for any series.”

Australia’s proposed limited-overs series in England, which will consist of three T20Is and as many ODIs, will reportedly begin on September 4.

According to a report in Daily Telegraph, the planned fixtures would see Australia play T20Is on September 4, 6, and 8, and ODIs on September 10, 12, and 15. The Australia team is expected to reach the UK via a private flight.

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