HDFC Bank cuts interest rates on loans by 20 bps

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HDFC Bank cuts interest rates on loans by 20 bps

The HDFC Bank has reduced the marginal cost of funds-based lending rates (MCLR) on loans across tenors by 20 basis points with immediate effect.

Following the reduction, MCLRs of the bank will range from 7.10 percent to 7.65 percent.

The bank’s overnight MCLR now stands reduced to 7.10 percent and its one-month MCLR is 7.15 percent. One-year MCLR will now be 7.45 percent, while three-year MCLR stands at 7.65 percent.

Banks review MCLR every month. Last month the HDFC Bank had reduced MCLR across tenors by 5 bps.

HK’s Lam denies being kept in dark over security law

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HK’s Lam denies being kept in dark over security law

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she was not kept in the dark as China imposed the national security law on the city, and central government officials had briefed her and sought her opinion on the legislation.

“The National People’s Congress Standing Committee has listened to opinions, including that of myself and the city’s government,” the South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper quoted Lam as saying while briefing reporters here.

The city’s chief believes that the remarks she made two weeks ago fuelled the misrepresentation of her relationship with Beijing over the drafting of the new law.

“I answered a question here, and (the reporter) assumed that I know nothing,” she said.

“I only answered that at the moment, ‘we have not seen the complete details of the proposed legislation’. This was used to suggest that I know nothing about the law, and have not seen any provision until the law was passed on June 30.

“This was really far from what I meant, and (those critics’) ability to imagine and exaggerate things really impressed me,” Lam added.

At the presser, she also said the police’s power was not expanded under a series of new implementation rules laid down by the government the day before.

Under the new rules, Hong Kong police can raid premises without a court warrant, order internet firms to remove content or seize relevant devices, and demand information from political groups operating outside the city.

But Lam said the law had been misrepresented as being draconian and undermining “one country, two systems”, the principle under which the city is governed reports the SCMP newspaper.

Rather than enlarging police power, the implementation rules were meant to limit such powers in law enforcement, Lam said.

Beijing drafted and passed the legislation last late month that targets acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison for the most serious offenses.

It came into effect on July 2.

The move came after months of social upheaval triggered by opposition to a now-withdrawn extradition bill but that morphed into wider demands, including universal suffrage.

Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly stressed the law targets only a minority of residents and that the freedoms of speech and assembly will be protected.

Happy Indian cricket got Dhoni because he is unbelievable: Ganguly

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Happy Indian cricket got Dhoni because he is unbelievable: Ganguly

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not only one of the best finishers in world cricket, but he is also a destructive top-order batsman too who should bat higher up, feels former India captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. Dhoni, regarded as one of India’s finest leaders, turned 39 on Tuesday. It was under Ganguly that the Ranchi wicketkeeper-batsman made his debut and went on to win all ICC trophies for India, the only captain to do so.

During a chat with India Test opener Mayank Agarwal which was shared by BCCI with hashtag #DadaOpensWithMayank, Agarwal asked him: “Your word got Mahi Bhai picked in the Indian team and the rest is history. Is that a myth or a reality?”

“That’s true but that’s my job, isn’t it. That’s every captain’s job…pick the best and make the best team possible,” Ganguly replied.

“You go by your instincts. You go by the faith of that player that he will deliver for you.

“I’m happy that Indian cricket got Mahendra Singh Dhoni because he is unbelievable.”

“One of the great finishers in the world said, Agarwal.

“One of the great players in world cricket. Not just a finisher, I think everyone talks about the way he finishes lower down the order…he batted at No. 3 when I was captain. He got 140 against Pakistan in Vizag. I always believe that he should bat up the order because he is so destructive,” Ganguly opined.

“You know the best player in the shorter format has the ability to hit boundaries at will. You look over a period of time, the history of one-day cricket…the best players can find the fence under pressure consistently and M.S. Dhoni was one of them,” he added.

Cricket fraternity thronged social media to extend birthday wishes for Dhoni who led India to an ICC 50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy in 2013. He even led India to the number one ranking in both Test and ODI formats.

Dhoni has been on a sabbatical ever since the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup where India lost to New Zealand. It’s been almost a year that he has been away from the cricket field, yet conversations about his return or future retirement have never died out in the time since and he still remains one of the most talked-about cricketers in the present era.

Dhoni has played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is for India, amassing over 17,000 international runs.

Speculations about his retirement from all forms of international cricket have been on ever since the 2019 World Cup. But Dhoni has still not made any such announcement. However, one thing is for certain, whenever he hangs his boots, it will be a day when the entire country will have tears in their eyes, just like when Sachin Tendulkar drew curtains on his 24-year-old long career in Mumbai.

Now, Mumbai overtakes China in corona deaths and cases

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Now, Mumbai overtakes China in corona deaths and cases

In yet another disturbing development, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Mumbai has now outstripped China, where the pandemic reared its head in late 2019, according to the official data here on Tuesday.

The country’s commercial capital, Mumbai currently has 4,938 COVID-19 deaths and 85,724 cases, while China has a total of 4,634 fatalities and 83,565 patients, and stands 22nd on the Worldometer.

China has slid to single-digit new cases daily — or less than the new infectees recorded in Dharavi every day — though with a series of stringent measures implemented by the state and civic governments, this Asia’s largest slum has now clawed out of the worry-zone.

In comparison to China, Mumbai city has been recording new patients in excess of 1,100 every day since July 1.

The development came a day after Maharashtra with 211,987 cases zoomed past Turkey (205,758 cases), which currently ranks 14 on the Worldometer.

On June 4, Maharashtra had shot past Germany (198,064) and South Africa (205,721), both currently ranked at 16 and 15 respectively on the Worldometer.

Last month, the state had whizzed past two major affected countries like Canada and France in terms of total patients, besides recording more daily cases than the UK.

Maharashtra’s latest Covid-19 tally is 9,026 deaths and 211,987 patients, including 87,681 active cases, but with a mortality rate of 4.26 percent and an encouraging recovery rate of 54.37.

In a silver lining, of the 36 districts in the state, only two — Bhandara and Chandrapur — have recorded zero fatality, though they have 78 and 69 Covid-19 patients, respectively, while Gadchiroli, Hingoli, and Wardha have only one death each till date.

Ola joins PhonePe to boost its digital payments experience

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Ola joins PhonePe to boost its digital payments experience

Ride-hailing major Ola on Monday announced its strategic partnership with PhonePe to enhance its digital payments experience for its customers.

Ola users can now access experience on the Ola app. Currently, the feature has been rolled out on Android and will be available on iOS soon.

“As PhonePe continues to drive digital payment adoption across the country, we are excited to partner with them to drive this seismic change that will enable us to move a step closer to becoming a Digital India,” Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson at Ola, said in a statement.

This partnership will also enable PhonePe to offer its services to millions of customers on the Ola platform.

“We are excited to partner with Ola, India’s leading mobile services provider, to enable a seamless and convenient payment experience for our customers,” added Ankit Gaur, Director, Business Development at PhonePe.

As part of an introductory offer, customers can avail up to Rs 200 in cash back on the first two rides when paid using PhonePe, said Ola.

Schools partially re-open in Sri Lanka

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Schools partially re-open in Sri Lanka

Schools across Sri Lanka have partially re-opened after being shut for nearly three months, as the spread of COVID-19 has been put under control in the island nation, it was reported on Tuesday.

According to the Education Ministry, schools re-opened on Monday for grades 13, 11 and 5, leading to nearly 800,000 students returning back to school across the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

Strict health guidelines were followed as students were subjected to temperature checks, frequent washing of hands, and wearing face masks.

Chairs and desks were kept one meter apart in each classroom and students were informed to speak to each other from a distance.

The Education Ministry said that under the third phase, schools would re-open for grades 10 and 12 students on July 20, and under the fourth stage from July 27, schools would re-open for the rest except for grades 1 and 2.

All sports activities and tests however have been canceled until further notice, the Ministry said.

Sri Lanka has so far reported 2,078 positive COVID-19 patients but has seen an over 90 percent recovery rate with 1,917 patients out of the total detected been successfully treated and discharged.

Active patients are now down to 161, official statistics from the Health Ministry showed.

The deaths stood at 11.

Capital Colombo resumed economic operations at the end of May after being shut for nearly two months to prevent a further spread of the virus, and since then the country has seen the gradual re-opening of several sectors.

Bajaj Finance’s AUM under moratorium falls to 15.5% in June

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Bajaj Finance’s AUM under moratorium falls to 15.5% in June

Assets under management (AUM) of Bajaj Finance under moratorium has reduced from 27 percent as of April 30 to 15.5 percent as of June 30.

In a regulatory filing, the company further said that it may consider additional accelerated provisioning for COVID-19 in the first quarter of FY 2020-21 to further strengthen its balance sheet.

Its total AUM stood at around Rs 1.38 lakh crore as of June 30, 2020, as compared to Rs 1.28 lakh crore as of June 30, 2019.

“The company continues to remain well-capitalized with capital adequacy ratio (CRAR) of approximately 26.4 percent as of 30 June 2020,” it said.

Its consolidated liquidity surplus was around Rs 17,600 crore as of June-end. “The company’s liquidity position remains very strong,” the filing said.

Shares of Bajaj Finance surged on Tuesday. At 12.37 p.m., they were trading on the BSE at Rs 3,230.15, higher by Rs 121.10 or 3.90 percent from its previous close.

Vikas Dubey case: The curious case of a letter

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Vikas Dubey case: The curious case of a letter

The case of a letter, purportedly written by slain circle officer Devendra Mishra (who was killed in an ambush by gangster Vikas Dubey on Friday) apparently exposed the nexus between suspended police officer Vinay Tiwari and the gangster, and it is getting curious by the hour.

The letter was released on social media, allegedly by an IPS officer, and it did not bear the number or the date that is mandatory for all official letters.

The IPS officer, later, even sought an inquiry into the letter.

None of the officials, till late on Monday, agreed to comment on the veracity of the letter though IG Kanpur Mohit Agarwal said that he would probe the matter.

On Monday night itself, it was said that the letter is not traceable and efforts would be made to locate it.

The letter, if found and verified, could prove to be damning evidence against policemen who helped the criminal and even tipped him off about the raid which led to the killing of eight police personnel.

The undated letter was reportedly written three months ago by Devendra Kumar Mishra, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who was shot dead in the ambush by Vikas Dubey and his men. He had addressed it to the then Kanpur SSP Anant Deo Tiwari.

Tiwari is now DIG STF and is probing the Kanpur incident.

The officer had complained in it about policemen helping the gangster, especially Vinay Tiwari, the police officer in charge of the Chaubeypur police station, who is now under suspension.

Mishra had reportedly accused Vinay Tiwari of helping the criminal and shielding him against any possible police action. The letter called for strict action against the police officer.

SSP Kanpur Dinesh Kumar Prabhu, said: “I am aware that such a letter is viral on social media. The preliminary search was conducted at the DSP’s office and the offices of the Kanpur SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) dispatch and receiving section. So far there are no records of this letter and we have found no file. But we are looking at it with more details.”

Meanwhile, an audio clip of a conversation between the slain DSP and the then SSP is also going viral in which Mishra can be heard complaining to the then SSP about Vinay Tiwari.

Anant Deo Tiwari takes Vinay Tiwari on a conference call and can be heard pulling him up for not reporting to the circle officer-Devendra Mishra.

Mishra led a team of 50 policemen from three police stations in a raid to arrest Vikas Dubey in an attempt to murder case. Dubey is charged in 60 cases including murder, kidnapping, extortion and rioting.

When the policemen approached the village early on Friday, they were fired upon from rooftops.

Vikas Dubey was allegedly alerted to the raid by policemen and was ready with an armed gang to attack the police. Four policemen have been suspended on suspicion of links with the criminal after call records of more than 100 policemen were scanned after the killing.

Four days after the ambush, Vikas Dubey has still not been arrested by the UP police. On Monday, the bounty on him was raised to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Three more persons in the Bikru village where the ambush took place were arrested late on Monday night.

Meanwhile, the entire Chaubeypur police station which is under suspicion has been taken off duty and 10 policemen from other police stations have been posted there.

Lucknow range IG Laxmi Singh reached Kanpur on Tuesday and will investigate the role of police personnel in the case and also.

Anindita Bose opens up on working in web series ‘Mafia’

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Anindita Bose opens up on working in web series ‘Mafia’

Bengali actress Anindita Bose, who plays a pivotal in the upcoming web series “Mafia”, says a big reason why she was enthused to take up the show is that she has loved playing the game Mafia since she was a college kid.

“I have been playing Mafia since my college days. So, it holds a sense of nostalgia, takes me to those happy days. When the story was narrated to me by (creators) Rohan Ghose) and Arista (Sen), it really intrigued me. That apart, this is the first time I have got a chance to be part of a physiological thriller,” Anindita told IANS.

About the show, she lets on: “It is a mystery drama that turns into a physiological thriller, and it involves six friends. As the story of each character is unveiled, another game begins.”

“Mafia” also features Namit Das, Tanmay Dhanania, Isha M. Saha, and Madhurima Roy in pivotal roles.

Is it tough for an actor to stand out amid an ensemble cast? “Standing out or being overshadowing is never my point of concentration. I prefer to be part of the process in the group. For instance, ‘Mafia’ is a show about six friends. My character Neha has to be part of the group, the sync between all the characters has to be there not only in the script but also in my performance. So the idea was never to outshine my co-actors,” she replied.

She added: “What was challenging for me, though, was the fact that Neha is quite transparent in the beginning. She is the most black-and-white character among the others, who are all quite grey. For the audience, grey is sexy! For a performer, making such a character engaging is a challenge! That kept me on my toes.”

The show streams on Zee5 on July 10, and is directed by Birsa Dasgupta.

SL extends voting time for parliamentary polls

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SL extends voting time for parliamentary polls

The Sri Lankan Elections Commission (EC) has increased the voting time for the upcoming parliamentary polls by an hour, it was reported on Tuesday.

In a statement on Monday, the Commission said the revised polling time will now be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Daily Financial Times newspaper reported.

The statement did not mention the reason for the extension but it was likely that the decision was made to give the public enough time to vote while adhering to social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sri Lanka is set to hold its parliamentary elections on August 5, after they were postponed twice due to restrictions linked to the pandemic.

The elections were initially set to be held on April 25, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had dissolved Parliament in March following his landslide victory in the November 2019 presidential polls.

The date was shifted to June 20 after lockdown measures were announced in mid-March.

The elections are set to be held under strict health protocols with campaign meetings limited to a maximum of 100 people, while the Elections Commission has recommended using the print and electronic media for campaign purposes and cutting down physical meetings to avoid exposure to the virus.

The Commission has also limited house-to-house campaigns to a maximum of three people.

Rajapaksa was sworn-in as President after an easy victory in November 16, 2019, polls on the back of an agenda focused on national security.

Soon after, he appointed his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister and dissolved the opposition-majority Parliament.

The President’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party has to win the majority in the house in order to secure the government’s full control in the semi-presidential representative democracy.

Scindia’s PA tests Covid positive, has long contact trail

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Scindia’s PA tests Covid positive, has long contact trail

Anil Mishra, the personal assistant to BJP Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, has tested positive.

He has been accompanying Scindia throughout his tours post-corona infection.

His contact trail is longer than that of Scindia. He has been in touch with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Mishra was present during Scindia’s meetings with the MLAs and the swearing-in ceremony of the MP ministry on July 2.

BJP sources say there is concern over the possible list of people who will be put in isolation to check the spread of the virus.

Odisha records worst 1-day surge, tally crosses 10,000 mark

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Odisha records worst 1-day surge, tally crosses 10,000 mark

Odisha has reported the highest surge of 571 COVID-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 10,097 cases, said the state health department on Tuesday.

Out of the new cases, 403 cases were reported from the quarantine centers and 168 were the local contacts.

Ganjam district reported the highest 273 positive cases.

The active cases stand at 3,557 while 6,486 persons have recovered so far.

Four deaths were reported from Ganjam and Cuttack districts taking the total toll to 42 in the state.

Three of the patients had comorbidities and all four were male. These include a 70-year-old from the Ganjam district, who was also suffering from Diabetes, a 48-year-old from Cuttack was a Chronic Liver patient, and had Diabetes also, a 60-year-old patient from the Ganjam district was also suffering from Diabetes, and a 53-year-old from the same district succumbed to the disease.

Other than COVID-19 deaths, two positive patients from Cuttack and Mayurbhanj districts died from cancer, the department informed.

BJP central leadership to decide MP portfolio allocation

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BJP central leadership to decide MP portfolio allocation

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet in Madhya Pradesh has been expanded, but the issue of portfolio distribution is still unresolved. Now, it has been learned that it is the central BJP leadership which will decide who gets what in Madhya Pradesh.

It has been five days since the Chouhan cabinet was expanded, but the exercise of portfolio distribution is still going on. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has been shuttling between Bhopal and Delhi for quite some time, met all the top leaders in Delhi for two days and discussed the distribution of portfolios with the central leadership.

On July 2, a total of 28 new ministers were inducted in the council of ministers, including 12 from Jyotiraditya Scindia’s camp. Of the 22 Congress MLAs who resigned from the Congress to join the BJP, 14 are now ministers.

Sources have said that Scindia has been demanding independent charge for the ministers of state and has put forth a proposal to the central BJP leadership to allot plum portfolios to his loyalists.

Sources also added that if the party agrees to Scindia’s demand, no minister will have two portfolios as there are only 34 departments in the state.

A meeting was held on Monday night between Madhya Pradesh BJP in-charge Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Scindia amidst the ongoing race for allocation of portfolios. The two leaders also believed to have discussed the strategy for the by-elections for 24 assembly seats to be held soon.

Sahasrabuddhe said that a meeting with Scindia was held at his residence to discuss by-elections and other political issues of the state.

BJP sources said that the Chief Minister has submitted a list of possible portfolios of ministers to BJP President J.P. Nadda. The list will be discussed between Nadda and General Secretary (Organization) B.L. Santhosh and only then a final decision is likely to be taken. The announcement of portfolios of ministers is expected anytime by late Tuesday evening.

Sources say that the Scindia camp has been insisting on getting departments like Rural Development, Panchayats, Women and Child Development, Irrigation, Home, Transport, Public Relations, and Food Supply. The party is considering these demands.

The BJP government was formed in March after toppling the Kamal Nath government with 22 of the Congress MLAs breaking away along with Scindia to support the BJP. Out of the 22 MLAs, who have to seek re-election now, 14 have been made ministers. Now the churning is going on for the portfolio distribution.

Google Plus officially gone, rebranded as Currents

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Google Plus officially gone, rebranded as Currents

Google has officially shut down its social networking platform Google Plus and it has rebranded the apps on both Google Play Store as well as Apple App Store to Google Currents.

The Currents rebrand started back in April of 2019 when Google Plus was shut down for consumers and the search engine giant started to delete consumer accounts on Plus and it launched Currents in beta shortly after.

The existing plus.google.com URLs will continue to function and automatically redirect to currents.google.com, creating a seamless migration, reports 9to5Google.

According to the Google Play Store listing page, the app is described as a place where people will be able to connect with their colleagues, exchange documents, interact with like-minded people who have similar interests.

The Currents app is very similar to the Google Plus app it replaces. The UI is mostly unchanged and many of Google+’s features are still present. There are a few new business features for content moderation and administrative privileges.

“Currents are available for G Suite customers only. Check with your G Suite IT Administrator to learn more,” adds the description.

Tackling COVID-19: Housing society preparedness in emergencies

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Tackling COVID-19: Housing society preparedness in emergencies

India has witnessed a significant rise in the number of COVID-19 cases within the last few weeks; and while most citizens have grown used to working from home, medical emergencies can strike anytime.

It is important that housing societies and resident welfare associations (RWAs) be equipped to handle COVID-19 cases amongst its residents, for a short period of time, till medical aid is made available and the patient is hospitalized, says Dr. Rahul Pandit, Director-Critical Care, Fortis Hospital, Mulund.

The average time to get to a hospital bed is now a few hours. In such cases, if a patient requires oxygen support then the precious time may be lost while making hospitalization-related arrangements.

Hence, society members, housing societies, and resident welfare associations should maintain a contingency plan that bridges the gap for patients, i.e. for a few hours, until the patient is hospitalized.

Dr. Pandit suggests the following contingency measures.

An emergency holding medical area should be created at the society’s clubhouse/office/gymnasium; this designated area must have an attached bathroom and must function as an isolation area.

Have a simple mattress and pillow placed where the person could lie down

Arrange for a Pulse Oximeter to measure blood oxygen saturation of the patient

Arrange for an Oxygen Concentrator machine (which can be rented) to give up to five liters per minute of oxygen to the patient. Don’t get oxygen cylinders, they should be strictly reserved for hospitals.

Arrange for hand sanitizer, a box of gloves, N95 masks, normal masks, and an infrared thermometer.

How to maintain this designated in-house facility?

The area should be sanitized and cleaned every two days (if not occupied)

In case of an emergency, the person in charge of the management of this designated area should be contacted immediately; other residents should be alerted to avoid any panic

A single committee (of 4-5 persons) should ideally be formed for the management of this holding area. Two people from the committee should be the point of contact for residents to request the use of the holding area. These members should first enter the holding area, wear an N95 mask and gloves, then call the suspect or confirmed resident to the designated area, the patient must himself or herself be wearing a simple cloth mask. Keep a distance of at least 2 meters from the patient all times and do not touch your face, eyes or mouth.

Measure the patient’s temperature with the infrared thermometer, by the no-touch technique. If the patient is able to help herself, then instruct the patient to measure oxygen saturation, if they need assistance then ideally the patient’s family member should step-in; he or she should wear an N95 mask, gloves, and help measure oxygen saturation. If the saturation is below 95 percent then committee members should instruct and guide the patient or the family member to start an oxygen concentrator and apply Oxygen Cannula or mask to the patient and keep flow at 4-5Lit/min.

Keep measuring Oxygen Saturation every 15 minutes and keep a note of all measurements on a simple notepad.

The two committee members should ensure that no other resident or person visits the holding area, to avoid unnecessary exposure. The other two members of the committee and ideally someone from the family, should seek medical assistance and arrange a hospital visit for the patient.

Once the patient is successfully moved to a hospital, the area should be sanitized as per the government standards. The area is only ready to use again once it is sanitized.

The idea behind this is, if any resident of a society showcases any symptoms of COVID19 and is short of breath, then he or she can be shifted at this allocated area, where temperature and oxygen saturation is monitored. If oxygen saturation is low, below 95 percent, supplemental oxygen can be administered to the patient via a nasal cannula or oxygen mask at 4-5Lit/Min using the oxygen concentrator.

This, however, is only a stop-gap arrangement until a hospital bed is arranged. This is by no means a solution to stay there for more than a few hours, but simply a place to get basic care and oxygen until a hospital bed is arranged.

Last but not the least, do not stigmatize patients who have symptoms of, or have tested positive for COVID-19; this is a treatable infection, and ostracization of people only adds to the family’s woes. Also, celebrate those who have beaten the infection, Dr Pandit concludes.

Over 150 international films at Mumbai Queer Film festival

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Over 150 international films at Mumbai Queer Film festival

The 11th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is going virtual this year due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The festival is coming up with a full slate of 157 films from 42 countries.

Tipped as South Asia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, it is the first Indian film festival to come up with a slate of new programs for this year.

The slate of films includes 30 films from India, as well as films from countries like Belarus, Iran, Iceland, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Tunisia, etc.

“We are extremely delighted to launch the registration for the KASHISH 2020 Virtual with a full slate of films as well as panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, etc, almost replicating the ground event. Only this year not only Mumbaikars but people across India and the world can participate in the festival and enjoy amazing LGBTQIA+ films, discussions and performances!”, said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.

“We are thrilled by almost 95 percent of the filmmakers whose films were selected to screen at the ground festival, agreeing to screen with us at our online festival. We are overwhelmed by the response from the filmmakers, and we are really glad to reach their films out to the world. This speaks a lot about their trust and support towards the festival”, said Saagar Gupta, Director, Programming.

The registrations to attend the festival is now open and details can be viewed at the festival website http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/attend/ along with information about the film line-up. There are early-bird full-festival passes at a modest price in India and outside India. The early-bird offer will be open for a week.

Pravin Tambe signed by TKR, set to become 1st Indian to play in CPL

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Pravin Tambe signed by TKR, set to become 1st Indian to play in CPL

Wrist spinner Pravin Tambe is set to become the first Indian to play in the Caribbean Premier League as he has been signed by Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) — the franchise co-owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan — for the upcoming edition of the tournament.

The 48-year-old has played for Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Lions, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Tambe was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2020 IPL season but was later disqualified by IPL’s Governing Council for featuring in the T10 League in the UAE.

Meanwhile, TKR has also brought back Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed who was part of their Championship winning team in 2018. They have signed New Zealand wicketkeeper Tim Seifert and Zimbabwean batsman Sikandar Raza.

The draft for the tournament, scheduled to take place from August 18 to September 10, was carried out remotely and the six teams have successfully filled out their rosters with both the Caribbean and overseas players with Rashid Khan, Marcus Stoinis, Ross Taylor, Tambe, and Carlos Brathwaite all being signed up.

ONE Championship, Microsoft partner to reinvent digital fan experience

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ONE Championship, Microsoft partner to reinvent digital fan experience

Largest global sports media property ONE Championship (ONE) and Microsoft has announced a strategic partnership to harness the Cloud, including Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, to transform digital fan experiences and enhance collaboration for employees.

One will further enhance its over-the-top platform by leveraging Azure to accelerate its world-class streaming services and personalized content offers for fans around the world.

AI-powered recommendation engines and analytics on fan behavior and viewing habits will allow ONE to better engage fans across all touchpoints and provide them with reimagined, tailor-made experiences, Microsoft said in a statement on Monday.

“We’re looking forward to working with ONE to help accelerate its digital transformation for the benefit of millions of sports fans around the world,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP, and president, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing & Operations.

Through Azure AI, machine learning, and data analytics, ONE will expand its core data capabilities and transform its direct-to-consumer digital experiences.

To further delight fans, ONE will provide them with unique sets of data and statistics to better understand the strength of a kick or a punch, helping them enjoy a more immersive experience when watching live events.

Chatri Sityodtong, chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, added: “ONE Championship is a global leader in live sports, and through the Microsoft cloud, we can accelerate our capabilities and digital presence.”

ONE and Microsoft will also leverage the Global Sports Innovation Centre (GSIC), a collaborative initiative between private, public, and academic partners powered by Microsoft, to support innovation in the sports industry around the world.

Paul Weller does not want to go back to normal life

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Paul Weller does not want to go back to normal life

Veteran singer Paul Weller is loving his lockdown life.

In an interview with The Times magazine, Weller spoke about his life amid the COVID pandemic, and why he does not want life to go back to “normal”, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“Hasn’t that be nice? Haven’t you noticed all the things you don’t really need and don’t really miss? I love clothes, which is no surprise to anyone, and I thought I’d be tearing my hair out with not being allowed to go shopping. Instead, I’ve been thinking, ‘I’ve got enough clothes, so I’ll do with the ones I have. If nothing else the last few months have given us time to assess and reflect on what’s really important. We’ve seen new working methods spent more time with our families, see how nature can repair itself without us being around. I kind of hope we don’t go back to normal,” said Weller.

He also urged people to maintain a balance in their lives.

“I was in America in January and just seeing the size of the people, man . . . they’re slowly killing themselves. It made me sad, to be honest with you. They are being marketed to eat more, supersize everything, have as much Coca-Cola as they can. It is like the systematic destruction of your own people. Excess doesn’t make us happy. Poverty doesn’t make us happy either, but there has to be a middle ground. Look at how much waste there is in the West. Now is the time to make the changes,” the 62-year-old singer concluded.

Well-known Iraqi political expert shot dead

TB Team
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Well-known Iraqi political expert shot dead

Hisham al-Hashimi, a well-known Iraqi political and security expert, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the capital Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

The incident took place on Monday in Zaiyouna district when the gunmen on two motorcycles opened fire at al-Hashimi’s car near his house, the source told Xinhua news agency.

Al-Hashimi was shot more than 20 times and was transferred to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the source said.

The attackers managed to flee before the arrival of security forces.

Al-Hashimi, who specialized in the affairs of the Sunni and Shia armed groups, is known for his support for the anti-government protests that broke out last October and his strong criticism of armed groups and militias.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi held an outlawed militant group responsible for the assassination and pledged to pursue the killers.

“We pledge to pursue the killers to bring them to justice, and we will not allow the assassinations to return to Iraq to undermine security and stability,” al-Kadhimi was quoted as saying in a statement following the incident.

The Iraqi leader described al-Hashimi as an opinion-maker and a supportive voice for the Iraqi forces during the war against the Islamic State (IS) terror group, according to the statement.

The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after the Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017, but sporadic attacks occurred in the war-ravaged country.

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