Siddhant Chaturvedi shares memes on himself

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Siddhant Chaturvedi shares memes on himself

Bollywood actor Siddhant Chaturvedi obviously takes the idea of “laughing at yourself” quite seriously, going by his social media activity.

On Instagram stories, he has shared a bunch of memes made on himself.

The first meme read: “When you accidentally type “sunglass emoji, sunglass emoji, thinking emoji, sunglass emoji.”

The meme featured three of Siddhant’s pictures sporting sunglasses and one monochrome picture of him having a pensive look.

The second meme was on paintings.

“How I see my painting”, was written right next to Siddhant’s picture, where he has seen the painting and has “masterpiece” written on it.

The second half of the post had Anil Kapoor’s character Majnu Bhai’s painting from “Welcome”. In the film, Kapoor played a don with a misconception of being a great painter, and he creates a hilarious painting.

The meme uses Majnu bhai’s painting to describe how others perceive Siddhant’s artwork, saying: “How others see it”.

On the work front, Siddhant will soon be seen in Yash Raj Films’ “Bunty Aur Babli 2”. The film also features Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji in important roles. It is a sequel to the 2005 hit “Bunty Aur Babli”, which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji in lead roles.

He will also share screen space with actress Deepika Padukone and Ananya Pandey in Shakun Batra’s next.

AIBEA to name willful defaulters of Rs 1.4 trillion loans

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AIBEA to name willful defaulters of Rs 1.4 trillion loans

The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), a major union in the banking sector, will soon be releasing a list of about 2,400 willful bank loan defaulters with a total due of about 140,000 crores, said a top union official.

“As part of celebrating the 51st anniversary of bank nationalization on July 19, we will be releasing a list of willful bank loan defaulters. The list has about 2,400 borrowers who have borrowed Rs five crore and above from banks and declared as willful defaulters by the lenders,” C. H.Venkatachalam, General Secretary, told IANS.

According to him, the gross non-performing assets (NPA) of the banking sector until 2019 was Rs 739,541 crore.

Venkatachalam said apart from releasing the wilful defaulter’s list, the union will be holding programs like national Webinar on July 19 through AIBEA’s Facebook page; circulation of e-Leaflets/pamphlets in regional languages; display of posters at branches; mass petitions to Prime Minister and badge-wearing on July 20, 2020.

It was on July 19, 1969, 14 major private banks were nationalized by the Indian government, from when these banks started chartering a new path with social orientation, he said.

According to him, the number of bank branches has grown to 156,349 now from 8,200 in 1969. The priority sector lending is at 40 percent now as against zero percent prior to nationalization.

He also said the deposits and advances which were at Rs 5,000 crore and 3,500 crores in July 1969, have now grown to Rs 138.50 lakh crore and Rs 101.83 lakh crore respectively.

Eng vs WI: Root returns as hosts look to level series in Manchester

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Eng vs WI: Root returns as hosts look to level series in Manchester

England will look at their talismanic captain Joe Root for motivation when they take on West Indies in the second Test of #raisethebat series at Old Trafford in Manchester starting Thursday.

Root saw his team suffer a four-wicket defeat in the first Test from home as he had left the bio-secure bubble in Southampton to be with his wife in Sheffield for the birth of their second child.

The root is expected to return in place of Joe Denly, who was dismissed for low scores in both the innings in the first Test. Zak Crawley’s 76 in the second innings might just be enough for him to play the final two matches in the series.

Wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler didn’t do any favors to himself by scoring just 35 and 9 in two innings. Also, his dropped catch of Jermaine Blackwood proved to be costly as the batsman scored a masterful 95 to help Windies secure a famous win.

Head coach Chris Silverwood, meanwhile, threw his weight behind Buttler before the second Test so it remains unlikely that back-up stumper Ben Foakes will be needed for this clash.

“I’m not going to go down the road of putting Jos under pressure because I don’t think that will help him,’ Silverwood was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“First and foremost we want to give him the best chance to succeed but, yes, we have a very good gloveman here in Ben Foakes,” he added.

The other big decision for England to make will be in their bowling department. Veteran pacer Stuart Broad was left out of the first Test and let his feelings known on national TV. Mark Wood, who picked up two wickets in two innings in Southampton, might make way for Broad in this Test.

“I think Stuart handled himself very well during that interview, to be honest,” Silverwood said.

“What I did love about it, and subsequently the conversations I’ve had with him, is that passion. That drive is still there and to see that in someone who’s done as much in the game as he has, I find very exciting to be honest.

“And Stuart still has a big role to play within this team. I’ve made that very clear to him.”

As for West Indies, they will be riding high after their convincing win in the series opener. Skipper Jason Holder had referred to the victory as one of their best ever bit if the visitors manage to eke out a positive result in the second Test, that would surely trump it as West Indies needed a draw in the series to retain the Wisden Trophy.

Holder issued a rallying cry ahead of the second Test and also highlighted his own personal ambition going into the mouth-watering clash in Manchester.

“Taking six wickets in the first innings fulfilled a personal ambition for me because I have always wanted to take a five-for in England and dreamt about getting on the Lord’s honors board in this series,” Holder wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

“That’s not to be but my next big aim is to make a hundred in England,” the captain added.

Squads: England: Joe Root (C) Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Bracey, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone

West Indies squad: Jason Holder (C), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach

Weekend restrictions in UP till July 31

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Weekend restrictions in UP till July 31

 The weekend lockdowns in Uttar Pradesh will continue till July 31.

According to an official statement, the restrictions will begin from every Friday at 10 p.m and will continue till 5 a.m on Monday, across the state.

All urban markets, village markets, grain markets, and commercial establishments will remain closed during this period.

The weekly markets that are held on Saturdays and Sundays, will be held on other working days.

From Monday to Friday, shops will open between 9 a.m and 9 p.m and will ensure all safety protocols including sanitization and social distancing.

Industrial units, however, will be exempted from the weekend restrictions.

All flights and trains will operate normally and passengers will be allowed to move from airports and railway stations to their destinations during the weekends.

No restrictions will be imposed on the movement of goods carriers and eateries near petrol pumps will also be allowed to remain open.

On the weekends, the district administrations will undertake massive sanitization drives in public places.

Awareness about safety protocols will be made through public address systems.a

Shekhar Kapur: 99 per cent fans have not watched ‘Mr India’ on big screen

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Shekhar Kapur: 99 per cent fans have not watched ‘Mr India’ on big screen

Quality of content matters, and not the size of the screen, feels filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

“The fear is that films meant for the big screen will never be as effective on small screens like TV, Video or phone. 99 percent of the ardent fans of #MrIndia have never ever seen Mr. India on the big screen. And continue to enjoy it on smaller screens. It’s the content that matters!” tweeted Shekhar Kapur from his verified account on Wednesday.

The filmmaker’s opinion regarding the quality of content comes at a time when theatres across the country are closed owing to social distancing regulations amid the Covid-19 pandemic and many films, particularly small and medium budget productions, are opting for an OTT release.

Reacting to Kapur’s tweet, a user shared: “My daughter loves this movie and saying papa why I can’t be Mr. India to fight against China.”

Replying to this, the director of the Anil Kapoor-Sridevi career, which became a superhit on release in 1987, suggested: “I will send your daughter the secret of #mrindia secret formula to invisibility as she grows up.”

The filmmaker has earlier shared his opinion regarding the death of the “theatrical star system” in a tweet posted on Tuesday.

“Theatres are not going to open for at least a year. So all hype around first week business of 100+ crores is dead. So the theatrical Star System is dead. Stars will have to go to the existing OTT platform or stream films themselves through their own apps. Technology is quite simple,” he had written on his verified Twitter account.

Rashford to receive honorary doctorate from University of Manchester

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Rashford to receive honorary doctorate from University of Manchester

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is set to become the youngest ever recipient of an honorary degree from The University of Manchester, a recognition of his achievements as a footballer and as a passionate campaigner against child poverty.

The 22-year-old will follow in the footsteps of Manchester United legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton by receiving an honorary doctorate, the highest honor the university can bestow.

“It’s a proud day for myself and my family. When you look at the great names that have been awarded this doctorate in the past, it’s humbling,” Rashford was quoted as saying in a statement announcing the award by the club’s official website.

“We still have a long way to go in the fight to combat child poverty in this country but receiving recognition from your city means we are heading in the right direction and that means a lot. Thank you to The University of Manchester.”

According to the United’s official website, Rashford wrote an open letter to Members of Parliament about his personal experiences of using foodbanks and that influenced a change in government policy, enabling children who have free school meals in term-time to continue receiving them during the summer.

In addition, his collaboration with poverty and food waste charity, FareShare, led to 20 million pounds being raised in financial and food donations and 3.9 million meals being distributed to vulnerable people every week during the COVID-19 crisis.

Contract staff at Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital on indefinite strike

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Contract staff at Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital on indefinite strike

Over 700 contract staff, including nurses, sanitary and security workers, of government-run Gandhi Hospital here went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday, demanding regularisation of services and salary hikes.

The strike impacted the outpatient services and caused severe inconvenience to patients at the hospital, designated the Centre of Excellence for COVID care wherein critical cases are treated.

The indefinite strike began after four days of protest by the contract employees to press for their demands.

The contractual nursing staff was the first to raise their voice. Over 200 nurses have been demanding a hike in salaries and regularisation of services.

The protesting nurses say that their demand is justified as they are risking their lives to render services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five contract nurses were recently found infected with coronavirus while discharging their duties.

Many nurses say they were appointed on a contract basis in 2007 and are still paid Rs 17,000 per month while those appointed in 2018 were drawing salaries of over Rs 25,000.

Representatives of the protesting nurses had met Health Minister Eatala Rajender on Sunday but the talks failed to end the deadlock.

Sanitary and security staff working on a contract basis also joined the nurses in the protest, demanding a hike in wages.

Gandhi Hospital has seen a series of protests by different sections of the employees over the last three months.

Junior doctors had also staged a protest on two occasions against attacks by the relatives of COVID patients.

Twitter, NDRF launch dedicated search for disaster relief in India

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Twitter, NDRF launch dedicated search for disaster relief in India

Twitter on Wednesday announced a partnership with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in India to expand its efforts towards handling disaster situations, with launching a dedicated search prompt to help people stay updated with the latest information around disaster relief and preparedness efforts.

Every time someone searches for certain keywords associated with disaster relief, a prompt will direct them to the relevant information and sources of help available on Twitter.

This is an expansion of Twitter’s #ThereIsHelp prompt, which was specifically put in place for the public to find clear, credible information focusing on disaster preparedness and emergencies

The search prompt will be available on iOS, Android, and on mobile.twitter.com in India, in both English and Hindi languages.

“Through the launch of this search prompt and our collaboration with Twitter, we are optimistic about bringing authentic and credible information to the fore to promote open public communication, in times when it is needed the most,” SN Pradhan, Director General, NDRF, said in a statement.

The feature will be reviewed at regular intervals by the Twitter team to ensure that all related keywords generate the proactive search prompt.

“The dedicated search prompt will ensure there is uninterrupted access to relevant and authoritative information, such as important updates on critical transit and utility outages, efforts to oversee crowd management and establish direct access between the affected areas and the rescue teams,” said Mahima Kaul, Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia, Twitter.

Some of the search keywords include #cyclone, #DisasterRelief, #earthquake, #flood, #floods, #heavyrainfall, #hurricane, #Landslides, #NDMA, #NDRF, #rain, #rainfall, #SDRF, #storm, #thunderstorm and #tsunami.

The search prompt will also generate a list of government agencies working towards disaster response and relief in India, so people looking for support can identify and establish contact with credible authorities.

Visa appoints Sujai Raina as Vice President for India operations

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Visa appoints Sujai Raina as Vice President for India operations

Payments technology major Visa on Wednesday announced the appointment of Sujai Raina as Vice President and Head of Business Development for India.

Joining Visa’s leadership team in the region, Raina will contribute to Visa’s business strategy formulation and drive profitability and performance of clients and of Visa’s business in India, a company statement said.

Prior to joining Visa, he was Head of Cards & Payments at Commercial Bank of Dubai, one of the largest banks in the UAE. He has worked with leading local and multinational organizations including Citibank, HDFC Bank, Aegon Life Insurance, and Mashreq.

“We are confident that his experience and insights across geographies will help us further strengthen and grow our client base and relationships as we bring to market products and solutions to contribute to India’s digital payment ecosystem,” Visa’s Group Country Manager, India & South Asia, T.R. Ramachandran said.

Sujai Raina said: “I am very excited to join Visa at a time when India is at a point of inflection in its journey towards becoming a less-cash society. I am looking forward to forging and strengthening partnerships with clients and taking our propositions to businesses and end consumers alike.”

Cong blames Nitish for coronavirus spread in Bihar

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Cong blames Nitish for coronavirus spread in Bihar

The Bihar Congress on Wednesday flayed the Nitish Kumar-led government for the exponential increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the state.

However, the Bihar government claims that prompt treatment is being provided to the patients following necessary rules and laws.

Senior Congress leader and former Youth Congress President Lallan Kumar alleged on Wednesday that Nitish Kumar holds meetings apparently to fight Covid-19, but actually he is eyeing the upcoming Assembly polls.

Quoting the World Health Organization (WHO), Lallan Kumar said that those infected by coronavirus should be kept in quarantine centers. If infected people are being isolated at home, then the family and those in the vicinity are at greater risk, Kumar said.

Kumar alleged that the health system in Bihar was the worst among all the states in the country, adding that the medicine for common diseases was rarely available at the health centers in the state.

The government, he suggested, should build a quarantine center in the Bihar Museum building in Patna so that all corona-infected people can be safely housed there and protected.

He said the Covid-19 infection cannot be controlled only by imposing ‘lockdown’ but it needs to be strictly followed.

Security flaw found in Windows DNS, Microsoft releases patch

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Security flaw found in Windows DNS, Microsoft releases patch

Microsoft has released a patch after researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point identified a critical security flaw in Windows DNS, the implementation of domain name system (DNS) services provided by Microsoft in Windows operating systems.

Check Point researchers said that the vulnerability had been in Microsoft code for more than 17 years.

Microsoft on Tuesday warned all customers to apply Windows updates to address this vulnerability as soon as possible.

This is because the vulnerability in Windows DNS Server has been classified as a “wormable” vulnerability which has the potential to spread via malware between vulnerable computers without user interaction.

“Windows DNS Server is a core networking component. While this vulnerability is not currently known to be used in active attacks, it is essential that customers apply Windows updates to address this vulnerability as soon as possible,” Mechele?Gruhn,?Principal Security PM Manager,? Microsoft Security Response Center,? said in a blog post.

“Today we released an update for CVE-2020-1350, a Critical Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Windows DNS Server that is classified as a ‘wormable’ vulnerability and has a CVSS base score of 10.0,” Gruhn said, adding that non-Microsoft DNS Servers are not affected.

Sagi Tzadik, a vulnerability researcher at Check Point, discovered a security flaw that would enable a hacker to craft malicious DNS queries to the Windows DNS server, and achieve arbitrary code execution that could lead to the breach of the entire infrastructure.

The critical vulnerability, named Sigurd by Check Point researchers, affects Windows server versions from 2003-2019.

DNS often referred to as the “phonebook of the Internet”, is part of the global Internet infrastructure that translates the familiar website names that we all use, into the strings of numbers that computers need in order to find that website, or send an email.

It’s the “address book” of the internet.

On May 19, Check Point Research responsibly disclosed its findings to Microsoft.

Microsoft acknowledged the security flaw issued a patch (CVE-2020-1350) on Tuesday.

“A DNS server breach is a very serious thing. Most of the time, it puts the attacker just one inch away from breaching the entire organization. There are only a handful of these vulnerability types ever released,” Omri Herscovici, Check Point’s Vulnerability Research Team Leader, said in a statement.

“Every organization, big or small using Microsoft infrastructure is a major security risk if left unpatched. The risk would be a complete breach of the entire corporate network,” Herscovici said.

“This vulnerability has been in Microsoft code for more than 17 years; so if we found it, it is not impossible to assume that someone else already found it as well,” Herscovici added.

Skill, reskill and upskill: PM’s job mantra amid corona crisis

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Skill, reskill and upskill: PM’s job mantra amid corona crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the mantra to remain relevant during the coronavirus pandemic in the country is to ‘skill, reskill and upskill’.

“Many ask me that in today’s fast-changing business and market, they do not understand how to remain relevant. In this time of corona, this question has become even more pertinent. I give only one answer: The only mantra to stay relevant is a skill, reskill and upskill,” he said in a video message.

His message came on the occasion of ‘World Youth Skills Day’, which also marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of ‘Skill India Mission’, a pet project of the Prime Minister that was launched to make India’s youths job-ready.

Making a strong pitch for Indians to be more skilled and connecting it to self- reliance, the Prime Minister asserted: “Skill is unique — it makes you different from others. It’s a treasure nobody can take away. It’s self-reliance that not only makes one employable but self-employable.”

Modi said that over 5 crore people have been skilled in the last five years.

Stressing the need for skilling to address the concern on jobs, Modi said: “Millions of skilled people are needed in several sectors in today’s burgeoning businesses, especially in the health sector.”

“This corona crisis has changed the nature of jobs, along with world culture. The ever-changing technology has also created an impact on it.”

However, the Prime Minister cautioned, knowledge is different from skill.

“A lot of people are confused about knowledge and skill. Such people can read or watch how to ride a bicycle in books or videos — this is knowledge. But actually riding a bicycle is a skill. Knowledge may help, but skill is the actual ability to do things,” he explained.

He added that if the gap between knowledge and skill is bridged, entrepreneurship is encouraged, which has been the goal of his government.

Universal testing may help reduce Covid-19 infection: JHU study

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Universal testing may help reduce Covid-19 infection: JHU study

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) have stressed that universal testing may help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes Covid-19.

According to estimates in an article published in The New York Times, although only 10 percent of Covid-19 cases in the US have occurred in long-term care facilities, they are responsible for 42 percent of deaths caused by the disease.

However, a team of infectious disease experts at JHU believes the actual number of Covid-19 infections nationally in long-term care facilities may be much higher because healthcare providers are missing asymptomatic cases.

This discrepancy may make it more difficult to reduce or prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the very susceptible population living in these centers, the researchers warned in a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

“More testing resources are urgently needed to identify the true burden of Covid-19 in long-term care facilities so that we can be more successful in curbing infection and mortality in one of the disease’s major hot spots,” said study senior author Morgan Katz from the JHU.

In their study, the researchers performed “universal testing” for SARS-CoV-2 among all 893 men and women at 11 long-term care facilities in Maryland, US.

Previously, only residents who showed symptoms of Covid-19 had been “target tested” by the local health departments.

Among the 893 universally tested, 354 people — nearly 40 percent — were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, compared to 153 (17 percent) identified in earlier target testing based on symptoms.

The universal screening, therefore, raised the number of Covid-19 cases among the residents in the state’s long-term care facilities from 153 to 507 (57 percent), a 231 percent increase. Of those who tested positive, the researchers reported that 281 (55 percent) were asymptomatic.

“These results underscore the importance of universal testing, as symptom-based approaches may miss a substantial number of cases in long-term care facilities,” said study lead author Benjamin Bigelow.

“Unrecognised asymptomatic cases among residents can severely hinder preventive strategies and increase the risk of the virus dangerously spreading,” Bigelow added.

Pakistan can beat England if they play sensibly, says Ramiz Raja

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Pakistan can beat England if they play sensibly, says Ramiz Raja

Former captain Ramiz Raja believes Pakistan will feel confident of their chances in England after watching West Indies get the better of the hosts in the first Test of the ongoing three-match series in Southampton.

Jason Holder’s troops beat England by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series. Raja feels this England team is lacking in the batting department and can be put under pressure during their forthcoming series against Pakistan.

“Pakistan will feel confident after watching the West Indies’ performance (in the first Test). They will be feeling this England team can be defeated. Their batting doesn’t seem strong, however, the return of Joe Root will definitely help them,” Ramiz said during a fan interaction on his YouTube channel ‘Ramiz Speaks’.

“But I still feel this England batting line-up is capable of making mistakes. They have a world-class all-rounder in Ben Stokes in their ranks but rest can be put under pressure.”

Pakistan is scheduled to take on England in a series comprising three Tests and as many T20Is after the completion of the West Indies series.

The matches will be played behind closed doors as a precautionary measure against coronavirus pandemic. Raja feels the absence of a vocal English crowd will be advantageous for Pakistan.

“There won’t be any home crowd advantage for them. During crunch moments, support for the home team is very important. Pakistan now knows that if they play sensibly in England they can beat them,” Raja said.

The first Test between the two teams will be played in Manchester starting August 5 while the final two Tests are scheduled to be played in Southampton from August 13 and August 21 respectively.

The three T20Is, meanwhile, will be played at a single venue in Manchester on August 28, August 30, and September 1 respectively.

Digvijaya slams Scindia for joining ‘enemies’

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Digvijaya slams Scindia for joining ‘enemies’

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on erstwhile party colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia for joining hands with the BJP which he dubbed as ‘enemy’.

Speaking to reporters in Shivpuri, Digvijaya said that the BJP had ensured Scindia’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, yet he shook hands with the same party.

During the tour here, Digvijaya faced opposition from BJP workers in Renaud as they raised slogans against him and tried to stop his convoy while on way to Khod village where he had gone to condole the death of Professor APS Chauhan.

Maruti Suzuki to recall 134,885 units of WagonR, Baleno

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Maruti Suzuki to recall 134,885 units of WagonR, Baleno

Automobile major Maruti Suzuki India will recall a total of 134,885 vehicles of hatchback WagonR and sedan Baleno for a possible fuel pump issue.

“Maruti Suzuki India Limited today proactively announced to voluntarily undertake a recall for WagonR (1 liter) manufactured between November 15, 2018, and October 15, 2019, and Baleno (petrol) manufactured between January 8, 2019, and November 4, 2019,” the company said in a statement.

“The recall will cover 134,885 vehicles of both these models.”

According to the company, it will inspect 56,663 units of WagonR and 78,222 units of Baleno for a possible issue with the fuel pump.

“Faulty part will be replaced free of cost,” the statement said.

“Owners of the vehicles under this recall campaign will be contacted by Maruti Suzuki authorized dealers in due course of time.”

Believe I can compete at the biggest of stages, says Bichu Devi

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Believe I can compete at the biggest of stages, says Bichu Devi

Goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam, who has spent a considerable amount of time at senior national camps since November last year, has expressed that she has been fortunate to learn key aspects of the game from senior players – Savita and Rajani Etimarpu.

With a silver medal at the 3rd Youth Olympic Games (Buenos Aires) in 2018 and being named the goalkeeper of the tournament at the 4 Nations Junior Women Invitational Tournament (Dublin) in 2019, Bichu has shown her mettle to perform for her team on the big stage.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my practice sessions at the various senior national camps in Bengaluru. I am very lucky to be guided by our senior goalkeepers Savita and Rajani Etimarpu,” said the 19-year-old.

“I have picked up many things from their work ethic and learned new techniques that I have incorporated in my game. Savita and Rajani are always there to help me and I always ask them if I have any doubts about my game,” said Bichu.

Bichu is yet to make her senior international debut but has experienced a very successful junior career. The goalkeeper expressed that being part of the silver medal-winning team at the 3rd Youth Olympic Games in 2018 is the best moment of her career so far.

“The dream is definitely to play for India one day. However, I have experienced great heights in my junior career. I have gained a lot of confidence after being part of the silver medal-winning team at the 3rd Youth Olympic Games in 2018. It’s certainly the highest point of my career so far.

“I believe that I can compete at the biggest of stages and contribute to my team’s victories in any tournament. For now, I am happy to be part of the senior national camps. I am sure senior Indian team opportunities will be presented to me in the near future. And whenever I get the chance, I will be certainly ready to give my best on the pitch,” said the 19-year-old.

She further said that the special goalkeeping camp conducted by Dutch goalkeeping expert Martijn Drijver in July last year, helped her improve her skills significantly.

“It was amazing to learn from Martijn Drijver during the special goalkeeping gamp last year. We worked on specific goalkeeping skills which have had a great impact on the development of me as a goalkeeper.

“Just by being around the senior players, I have had an opportunity to learn from the very best and imbibe how they train and prepare for matches,” said the goalkeeper.

Sanjay Dutt’s alma mater restrained from receiving fees

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Sanjay Dutt’s alma mater restrained from receiving fees

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has restrained the prestigious Lawrence School at Sanawar in Kasauli hills, which boasts of alumni like Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, from receiving additional fees for holding virtual classes owing to the pandemic.

A Division Bench of Justices Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Joytsna Rewal Dua directed the state Education Secretary and the school headmaster to file a reply or instructions before the next date of hearing on July 20.

In a one page order on Tuesday, the court restrained the school from receiving the balance amount of fee of Rs 170,800.

The court passed the order on the petition of Deepak Gupta, who moved the court on July 7. His son is in Class 8 of the boarding school located in Solan district.

“Sending the child to the boarding is a big decision which is always taken by the parents for the betterment of a child’s future so that he could become physically and mentally strong,” the petitioner said.

He said the school demanded a total fee of Rs 636,200 in January as it was payable in two installments. The first installment was of Rs 401,700 and was paid before February 15.

The second installment of Rs 2,34,500 was to be paid on or before July 15.

He said the school opened on February 15 and the child was taken to the home on March 17 due to the pandemic.

The petitioner said the state higher education on May 27 directed the private schools not to charge any fee, except tuition fees, and the tuition fee could not be collected on a quarterly basis.

Nearly 140 parents sent a digitally signed representation requesting the school for waiving the school fee.

Ignoring the parents’ request, the school on July 3 demanded Rs 1,70,800, instead of Rs 2,34,500 from the parents, reducing the fee merely to 11 percent (Rs 63,700).

The school started the online classes on April 6, comprising four sections of 120 students in one go compared to regular classes of 20 to 30 students.

Moreover, the petition says, there are no extracurricular activities along with no board and lodging facilities extended to the students amid the lockdown.

The residential Lawrence School also boasts of alumni like Punjab’s former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Samsung launches 2020 line-up of ‘Sound Devices’ in India

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Samsung launches 2020 line-up of ‘Sound Devices’ in India

South Korean tech giant Samsung on Wednesday launched a fresh line-up of 2020 Sound Devices in India with party speakers, Sound Tower, and premium Soundbars with Atmos technology.

These devices have been tuned at the Samsung Audio Lab in Valencia, California to give balanced and room-filling sound said the company.

Sound Tower will be available in two variants. The MX-T70 is priced at Rs 42,990 while the MX-T50 is available for Rs 29,990.

Q Series Soundbars come in four models – HW-Q950T priced at Rs 1,39,990, HW-Q900T at Rs 1,03,990, HW-Q800T at Rs 53,990 and HW-Q60T at Rs 35,990.

The 2020 Sound Device line-up would be available on Samsung’s official online store, Samsung Shop, and select Samsung Smart Plazas from July 16, the company said in a statement.

Consumers can also avail cashback of up to 10 percent on the new sound devices through their ICICI Bank and Federal Bank Debit and Credit Cards.

T Series Soundbars come in seven models – HW-T650 priced at Rs 35,990, HW-T550 at Rs 25,990, HW-T450 at Rs 19,990, HW-T420 at Rs 16,990 and HW-T400 at Rs 10,990.
HW-T45E for Rs 19,990 will be available only on Amazon while HW-T42E priced at Rs 16,990 will be available on Flipkart, said the company.

Sound Tower comes with 1,500-watt output, built-in woofer, and bi-directional sound. The new and premium Q Series Soundbar comes with Samsung’s signature Q-Symphony technology.
This technology plays surround sound from TV and Soundbar simultaneously, creating incredible audio synergy.
The built-in Alexa voice service allows users to easily control music and more.

The T Series Soundbar aims to amplify the TV viewing experience. It includes 3D surround sound, anchored by a dedicated built-in center speaker that helps project audio content crisply and clearly.

The Wireless Subwoofer customizes the movie watching experience by elevating the TV sound with powerful bass.

Chris Pratt on what he loves and hates about his superhero gear as Star-Lord

TB Team
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Chris Pratt on what he loves and hates about his superhero gear as Star-Lord

Actor Chris Pratt, who played Star-Lord in superhero films like “Avengers: Infinity War”, says he loved the long jacket that his character wore.

“You know I really love my long jacket and when I get to wear that long jacket it’s really cool. It’s leather, it moves, and the first time I ever wore it was the first time I ever felt like I was the character. So, that jacket is good but my least favorite is the helmet,” he said.

“When I put on that helmet they bolted on my head, there is wind and there is rain. I can’t breathe and I can’t see it. There is supposed to be some device inside that has the director’s voice going through but it’s killing me with feedback, and I don’t say the damn thing, I’ll act through the helmet. I hate the helmet but I love the jacket,” he added, about working in “Avengers: Infinity War”, which will air on Star Movies.

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