Sachin-Jigar on music centric films in Bollywood

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Sachin-Jigar on music centric films in Bollywood

Musical composer duo Sachin-Jigar is gung-ho about having films revolving around the subject of music in Hindi cinema.

Hollywood occasionally makes musicals — from “The Sound Of Music” to “Chicago” to “Pitch Perfect” and “High School Musical”. Don’t they want such music-centric films to be made in Bollywood?

“Yes, absolutely. More musicals need to come up and they need to be made in the right way because we have a lot of talent here — directors, scriptwriters, actors and composers who could very well deliver. I think we really need to take it forward and make musicals,” Jigar told IANS.

Sachin noted that Bollywood has previously tried a hand at making films based on singers such as “Abhimaan”, “Aashiqui 2” and “Rockstar”.

“A lot of films have been made about singers keeping music in the center, but I would love to see some more films — even more if there is a film about a music composer,” Sachin told IANS.

He added that he looks forward to a story that inspires good music.

“Honestly, music-centric or not, a story that inspires good music, and a director and a producer creating a team that believes in bringing fresh songs — I am looking forward to that,” Sachin said.

Worst spike of nearly 16K Covid cases, as Delhi overtakes TN

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Worst spike of nearly 16K Covid cases, as Delhi overtakes TN

India witnessed a spike of almost 16,000 fresh cases of the novel Coronavirus in the past 24 hours taking the total in the country to 4.5 lakh with 465 new deaths, data from the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry revealed on Wednesday.

India recorded the highest single-day spike of 15,968 new cases, as the total reached 4,56,183 so far. A spike of over 1,000 cases from Tuesday, when 14,933 new COVID-19 cases were reported.

According to the Health Ministry data, 14,476 people have died of COVID in the country.

A total of 1,35,663 more people have recovered than the number of active cases. There are currently 1,83,022 active and 2,58,685 recoveries. The number of patients recovering from COVID-19 continues to rise.

The recovery rate has further improved to almost 56.38 percent amongst the COVID-19 patients.

The number of government labs has been increased to 726 and private labs have increased to 266, summing up to a total of 992.

India conducted 21,51,95 Covid-19 tests on people in the last 24 hours.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state in the country with total cases at 1,39,010, including 6,531 deaths.

Delhi took over Tamil Nadu to become the state with the second-highest cases.

The national capital has 66,602 cases and 2,301 deaths followed by Tamil Nadu with 64,603 cases with 833 deaths.

States with more than 10,000 cases include Gujarat with 28,371 cases and 1,710 deaths, Uttar Pradesh (18,893), Rajasthan (15,627), Madhya Pradesh (12,261), West Bengal (14,728) and Haryana (11,520).

Apple iPhone sales down in China in May: Report

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Apple iPhone sales down in China in May: Report

After an initial rebound, the iPhone sales plummeted in China in May as Apple reopened retails stores in the country after the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to CNBC, Apple sold 3.6 million iPhones in China in May, down from 3.9 million in April.

That’s a 7.7 percent fall versus April, according to Shanghai-based CINNO Research, the report said on Tuesday.

However, spending on the App Store and other Services grew in May for Apple.

In April, Apple reported 71 percent of revenue growth in China during the preceding quarter.

With this, China overtook Europe to become Apple’s second-largest market only to the US.

The company also reported quarterly sales of the iPhone in China at 61 million units in the March quarter, exceeding sales in the US.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in May that China would be Apple’s largest market within two years and that the number of Apple stores in China would almost double to 40 within that time frame.

The Chine smartphone market underwent its highest decline in the January-March period due to the impact of coronavirus pandemic and Huawei was the only smartphone player that achieved positive growth (year-on-year).

Smartphone sales in China fell by 22 percent (YoY) and 24 percent (quarter-on-quarter) in Q1 2020, according to Counterpoint Research.

Apple and Huawei managed to increase market share from the same period last year, clearly out-performing the overall market in Q1 2020.

Over 9.2 mn Covid cases reported worldwide

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Over 9.2 mn Covid cases reported worldwide

The global number of COVID-19 cases has increased to over 9.2 million, while the toll surged across 476,900, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Wednesday morning, the total number of cases stood at 9,239,794, while the fatalities increased to 476,945, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

With 2,346,937 cases and 121,224 deaths, the US continues to lead both on infections and fatalities count, according to the CSSE.

Brazil comes in second place with 1,145,906 infections and 52,645 deaths.

In terms of cases, Russia ranks third (598,878), followed by India (440,215), the UK (307,682), Peru (260,810), Chile (250,767), Spain (246,752), Italy (238,833), Iran (209,970), France (197,804), Germany (192,480), Turkey (190,165), Mexico (191,410), Pakistan (185,034), Saudi Arabia (164,144), Bangladesh (119,198), Canada (103,767) and South Africa (106,108), the CSSE figures showed.

Countries with over 10,000 deaths are the UK (43,011), Italy (34,675), France (29,723), Spain (28,325), Mexico (23,377) and India (14,011).

Michael Emerson on his love for villains

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Michael Emerson on his love for villains

Actor Michael Emerson says he likes to make his villainous characters calm, quiet, and friendly.

“I have played a lot of villains in my day. So, the problem for me is to think, ‘Okay, which of my villain tools am I going to employ in the playing of this role’. But I will do what I usually do, which is trying to make them calm and quiet and friendly, with just a little something wrong,” Emerson said.

He is seen in the series “Evil”, where he plays the antagonist character Dr. Leland Townsend, an expert in the occult who is obsessed with encouraging others to commit evil acts.

Talking about the show, he said: “It is an odd couple mystery show pitting science against religion in the quest to determine whether demons are actually active in the lives of humans.”

Asked if “Evil” will resonate with the viewers, the Emmy Award-winning actor said: “I think that the clash of science and religion is topical and people are interested in it. And then you add the supernatural elements of our show, and of course, there’s a lot of good scares, a lot of good scream moments in the show. I think it’s a good balance of thoughtfulness and entertainment.”

The show is aired in India on Zee Café.

Lavanya shares her ‘yoga glow’

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Lavanya shares her ‘yoga glow’

South actress Lavanya Tripathi has shared her post-yoga glow after a few Surya namaskars.

Lavanya took to Instagram Stories, where she shared a photograph of herself and wrote: “Yoga glow after doing 12 Surya namaskars 2 days each.”

She even shared a post requesting all to not stop wearing masks now that the lockdown has been eased.

Lavanya, who shot to fame in with her performance in her debut film “Andala Rakshasi” in 2012, took to Instagram, where she shared a photograph of herself lounging on a sofa. She is dressed in a white T-shirt, printed long skirt and a mask.

“Please don’t stop wearing masks just because lockdown is at ease, you might be bored of the corona, but the corona isn’t,” Lavanya captioned the image.

She even used hashtags like #maskitup and #vocalforlocalindia.

Actor Allu Sirish commented: “Haha, caption on point!”

Lavanya made a name for herself with films like “Doosukeltha”, “Bramman” and “Bhale Bhale Magadivoy”, “Srirastu Subhamastu”, “Yuddham Sharanam” and “Antariksham 9000 KMPH” among many others.

The actress will next be seen in Telugu film, “A1 Express”, co-starring Sundeep Kishan. The film, which is reportedly a remake of the 2019 Tamil film “Natpe Thunai”, is directed by Dennis Jeevan Kanukolanu.

TMC suspends panchayat member over distribution of cyclone relief funds

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TMC suspends panchayat member over distribution of cyclone relief funds

A panchayat samity member in West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district was suspended from Trinamool Congress after he apologized in public on Tuesday in front of hundreds of angry villagers over the disbursement of relief to the Amphan-affected.

At Mathurapur village, angry villagers held Swapan Kumar Ghatu and questioned him on cyclone relief funds in the presence of police and block development officials.

That allegedly accepted his ‘mistake’ and publicly sought forgiveness by pulling his ears. According to district Trinamool Congress sources, the panchayat samity member has been suspended from the party for an indefinite period.

Meanwhile, the district administration has initiated the process to scrutinize the list of Amphan-affected villagers eligible for relief. The district administration will also review the list of those who have already received aid from the state for cyclonic disaster.

“If necessary, we will ask for a refund from villagers who were not affected by the cyclonic storm,” sources said.

Knew of Ganguly & Dravid’s ability before their debut, says Cork

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Knew of Ganguly & Dravid’s ability before their debut, says Cork

Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid were superb timers of the ball and their ability was known even before they famously made their Test debut at Lord’s, according to former England all-rounder Dominic Cork.

“Both Ganguly and Dravid were seriously talented batsmen and up there with the best that have played the game,” Cork told Sportskeeda.

Cork was part of the England attack that was at the receiving end as the two debutants dominated them in the 1996 Test at Lord’s. While Dravid scored 96, Ganguly became the first Indian batsman to score a century on Test debut at the historic ground.

“Even before the Lord’s game, I had in fact bowled to them when they were part of the India ‘A’ side and I was touring with the England ‘A’ team. Ganguly and Dravid batted wonderfully during the ‘A’ games as well,” he said.

“Both of them were superb timers of the ball. Dravid, who was later known as the ‘Wall’ was just tight and compact, in the Michael Atherton mold. Ganguly was all flourish and timing as well elegant in the middle,” the 48-year-old added.

The pair saved India from falling to a small total in their innings and the visitors eventually put up 429 in reply to England’s 344. The match eventually ended in a draw but is famous for setting up the careers of Ganguly and Dravid, both of whom would go on to be recognized as two of the greatest batsmen of all time and also captained India.

One more death, 141 new Covid cases in Kerala

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One more death, 141 new Covid cases in Kerala

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said one more Covid-19 patient had passed away, taking the total death toll to 22 in the southern state even as 141 more positive cases were detected.

“These 141 new cases include 79 who came from abroad and 52 returnees from within the country. Nine are local infectees and one health professional. The total positive cases now are 1,620,” said Vijayan.

He pointed out that 1,50,196 people were under observation in homes, corona care centers, and in hospitals in Kerala.

“By now, 1.92 lakh corona samples have been tested by various methods and more testing would be done. To date, 3,451 positive cases were registered in the state,” added Vijayan.

He said that if people failed to adhere to COVID-19 norms, strict lockdown guidelines will have to be made.

The Kerala CM was however non-committal on Kerala diaspora requiring a COVID-negative certificate starting from Friday while returning from the Middle East countries.

“Discussions are on with the Centre and we will inform people about the outcome very soon,” said Vijayan.

Among the new fatalities was a 68-year-old Kollam resident who had arrived from Delhi by train to Kochi on June 10. On June 17, the developing corona symptoms and was moved to the local hospital. After he tested corona positive, he was shifted to the Medical College Hospital where he passed away on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K. Sreekumar said that restrictions will be imposed in two main city markets and malls for 10 days, wherein only 50 percent of the shops will reopen on every alternate day.

Galwan valley clash part of larger design of China: Punjab CM

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Galwan valley clash part of larger design of China: Punjab CM

Terming the Galway valley clash as part of a larger design on the part of China, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said India should not make the mistake of dismissing the incident as a patrol clash but should take a firm stand against any Chinese incursions into Indian territory.

The amount of build-up in the Galway valley showed that the Chinese were working on a plan, said Amarinder, adding that India could not afford to lose even an inch of its land in the area, which is of huge strategic importance for both sides.

“We have all seen clashes in our time, with Pakistan and even with Chinese, and this is definitely not a patrol clash,” he stressed.

Referring to the map of the area, the Chief Minister said the Chinese had reached right halfway through to the Siachen Glacier after Pakistan ceded the northern part of Shaksgam Valley in PoK in 1963.

Beyond that there is an area that in any case belongs to China, he explained, adding that “there is a little gap between the glacier and the Aksai Chin area, which is the Daulat Beg Oldi gap, which they are trying to close.”

“We have to take a strong position, and we should be clear that if we lose even an inch of land we must hold them responsible,” he said at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) virtual meeting convened by the party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi, with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi among the participants.

The Chief Minister also cornered the Centre over its failure to support the state in its fight against Covid-19, pointing out that all that Punjab had received so far from the Centre was its own Rs 2,800 crore for January to March and just a few other grants.

He said GST dues for April to June were still pending.

Despite repeated pleas and memorandums, no help was forthcoming from the Centre to the state for tackling the COVID crisis, he said, adding that the government of India was not giving even the state’s own share.

The state had not received a single paisa of the Rs 20 lakh crore package announced by the Prime Minister, he said, noting that with the estimated shortfall of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 crore this year, and the rest going into the COVID war, the situation for Punjab was bad.

His government was forced to manage on its own to create resources for fighting COVID, said Amarinder, adding he was sure other states were in the same unfortunate position.

“Nobody is listening to us,” he lamented, adding he had to put aside Rs 35 crore to arrange for 500 trains to send 5.63 lakh migrants back to their homes.

The Chief Minister said with 2.33 lakh of the total 2.52 lakh industries in Punjab now reopening, migrants were now also coming back to the state.

His government, he said, was trying its best to get the industry back on track with all possible facilities and easing of norms, but the units were currently working at 40 percent capacity and would take some months to return to their full strength.

A total of 17 lakh local and migrant workers were engaged in industries currently, with more joining the farmers in the paddy operations, he said, adding that many farmers from Punjab had personally gone to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to get the migrant laborers back.

Of the state’s 13.50 lakh migrant laborers, only 5.63 lakh had gone back while the rest had stayed back, he said, adding that while jobs were now available for them, food was still a problem.

What puts some people at risk of a serious Covid-19 outcome?

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What puts some people at risk of a serious Covid-19 outcome?

While knowledge about how Covid-19 impacts different populations are still evolving, research so far has revealed that certain factors like age, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, genetic factors, and even blood type can influence the severity of the outcome.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes appear to be at greater risk for developing more serious complications from Covid-19 illness.

In fact, in the US, 8 out of 10 deaths reported have been in adults 65 years old and older, according to the CDC.

The American Heart Association also warned that those with conditions that affect the cardiovascular system, such as heart disease and hypertension, are at greater risk of worse outcome due to Covid-19 complications than those with no preexisting conditions, Live Science reported.

A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases said that obesity in Covid-19 patients younger than 60 years is a risk factor for the hospital admission.

Another study published as a preprint online in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, also found that obesity, especially in men, significantly increases the risk of developing severe pneumonia in Covid-19 patients.

However, it is not clear why obesity can increase the risk of severe outcomes, although it is generally believed that higher body mass index could be a risk factor for severe infection.

A study even found that people with blood group ‘A’ may be more prone to Covid-19 infection while those with blood type ‘O’ have a lower risk of contracting the virus.

For the study, researchers led by Wang Xinghuan with the Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University looked at blood group patterns of more than 2,000 infected patients in Wuhan and Shenzhen.

Scientists believe that certain genetic factors can also influence the risk of the severe outcomes.

As reported by Live Science, while certain combinations of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes that train immune cells to recognize germs may safeguard people against Covid-19, other combinations may make them more vulnerable, according to a study published in the Journal of Virology.

India trusts Modi; China now a bigger enemy; country wants revenge

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India trusts Modi; China now a bigger enemy; country wants revenge

India overwhelmingly trusts Prime Minister Narendra Modi to handle China, which is now a bigger enemy than Pakistan, and the country thirsts for revenge against the attack on Indian soldiers in Ladakh on June 15, according to the latest IANS CVoter Snap Poll.

The poll, conducted just days after the incidents in Ladakh, gives a very sharp barometer of the country’s mood. Modi enjoys a high level of trust, but the fundamental change is now that China is considered a bigger enemy than Pakistan.

Former Defence Minister George Fernandes had flagged the China threat many a time, but at that point of time, it had not become a dominant national discourse.

However, the country wants retribution against China and is seeking suitable revenge but does not feel that suitable steps have been taken against China. Not just Opposition voters, but even BJP voters want a suitable reply to China and the public mood is against normalizing business or trade ties with China.

Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director, CVoter International, said, “The question has gone beyond trustworthiness. The nation supports PM Modi but there is a fundamental shift that now China is seen as a bigger enemy. However, the public mood wants a befitting reply to China.”

Modi enjoys an overwhelming trust quotient in the IANS CVoter Snap Poll on national security measures with almost 89 percent of respondents reposing trust in him.

China is now clearly problem number 1 for India. As per the snap poll, 68.3 percent say China is a bigger problem for India than Pakistan, while only 31.7 percent see Pakistan as a bigger threat.

The public is still waiting for retribution against China. More than 60 percent feel that China has not got a befitting reply and a minority of 39.8 percent feel that the Indian government has given a suitable reply.

The trust in the government is higher than the Opposition parties. As much as 73.6 percent trust is the government more than the Opposition parties on matters of national security, while only 16.7 percent trust the Opposition parties more.

There has been an ongoing spat between the government/BJP and the Congress on the escalation on the China border.

The snap poll had a question on whether as a protest to China, the common people of India will stop buying Chinese products, i.e., mobile phones, TV, electronics that are made in China. The answer is that 68.2 percent of people said they will boycott Chinese goods but a sizeable number of 31.8 percent said nothing of this sort will happen and people will continue to buy Chinese goods.

The ratings for former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who has been at the forefront of attacking Modi, are not good. As much as 61.3 percent said they do not trust Rahul Gandhi at all on matters of national security while the remaining almost 39 percent said they trust him.

Hours after announcement, Ramdev told to stop Corona ‘medicine’ ads

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Hours after announcement, Ramdev told to stop Corona ‘medicine’ ads

Hours after yoga guru Ramdev came out with a “medicine” for Covid-19, the Centre has asked his Patanjali Ayurved Ltd to stop advertising or publicizing its claims till the issue is “duly examined”.

Taking cognizance of media reports, the Ayush Ministry said that “facts of the claim and details of the stated scientific study are not known to the Ministry”.

It also said that the government has informed the company that such advertisements of drugs including ayurvedic medicines are regulated under the provisions of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Rules thereunder and the directives issued by the Central Government in the wake of COVID outbreak.

On Tuesday, Ramdev launched Patanjali’s Coronil tablet, which he claims is a cure for Covid-19. Patanjali claims those administered the medicine were fully cured and none died. Ramdev even said that 69 percent of them recovered within 3 days.

The Ayush Ministry also reminded Patanjali of a gazette notification, issued on April 21, asserting what are the requirements and manner of research studies on Covid-19.

A Ministry statement said: “In order to make this Ministry aware of the facts of the aforesaid news and verify the claims, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd has been asked to provide at the earliest details of the name and composition of the medicines being claimed for COVID treatment; site(s)/hospital(s), where the research study was conducted for Covid-19; protocol, sample size, Institutional Ethics Committee clearance, CTRI registration and results in data of the study (ies) and stop advertising/publicizing such claims till the issue is duly examined.”

Earlier, Balkrishna, Ramdev’s close aide, and MD of Patanjali Ayurved said: “We appointed a team of scientists after COVID-19 outbreak” and that Patanjali conducted a clinical case study on hundreds of positive patients.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has also asked the Uttarakhand government’s licensing authority to provide copies of license and product approval details of the ayurvedic medicines which the yoga guru claimed, treats Covid-19, a global pandemic that has the world worried.

Pak violates ceasefire on LoC in J&K’s Kupwara

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Pak violates ceasefire on LoC in J&K’s Kupwara

Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Defense sources said Pakistan initiated the unprovoked ceasefire violation on the LoC in the Machal sector of Kupwara district by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars.

“Indian Army is retaliating befittingly”, sources said.

Pakistan has been violating the bilateral ceasefire on the LoC in J&K with impunity during the last one month.

This has caused serious hardships to hundreds of border residents whose lives and livelihood are threatened by shells raining from across the LoC.

Jaffer appointed Uttarakhand coach, wants to develop winning culture

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Jaffer appointed Uttarakhand coach, wants to develop winning culture

Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer has been appointed as the new head coach of the Uttarakhand Ranji team for the upcoming domestic season.

Confirming his appointment to IANS, Jaffer on Tuesday said: “Yes, I have been appointed the head coach of the Uttarakhand for a period of one year.”

Jaffer had called an end to his 24-year career as a professional cricketer on March 7 earlier this year. A veteran of 260 first-class games, Jaffer also played 31 Test matches and two ODIs for India. Having started off with Mumbai, the opener had moved to Vidarbha before the 2015-16 season.

Playing for Vidarbha, while Jaffer became the first player to play in 150 Ranji Trophy games in 2019, he also had a brilliant run in the 2018-19 season, scoring 1037 runs at an average of 69.13 with four hundred and the highest score of 206.

“I am very happy and excited as this will be my first stint as head coach of a team,” said the domestic stalwart.

“I will try and make a difference out there in the lives and careers of the players. I would make sure that the team and the players improve.

“According to my, winning is everything. So, I will try and bring that winning culture within the team so that they can perform better in the upcoming seasons,” he added.

There’s growing uncertainty over the start of the domestic season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 42-year-old seems optimistic about seeing some domestic cricket action this year.

“I don’t think it will start on time but I am sure it will start at some point. No one can really predict the time frame at this moment.

“But I am hopeful we will see domestic cricket taking place this year,” he said.

Samsung to bring The Serif TV range to India next week from Rs 85K

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Samsung to bring The Serif TV range to India next week from Rs 85K

Samsung Electronics is all set to launch its premium The Serif TV range in India next week at a starting price of around Rs 85,000.

Reliable sources told IANS on Tuesday that The Serif TV that comes with 4K QLED technology, would offer AirPlay 2 compatibility, enabling users to play videos and music or share photos from their Apple devices to the TV.

It will also allow users to take voice control one step further with voice assistants like Alexa and Bixby directly integrated into the TV, said sources.

The Serif has been designed by the French designer duo brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and gives a new dimension to the way people watch TV and how it fits into luxury spaces.

With a unique unibody design in the shape of the letter ‘I’, The Serif makes for a stunning addition to one’s living space.

Serif TV
Serif TV

The latest lifestyle TV from Samsung is the only TV that comes inbuilt with NFC technology and can seamlessly connect to smartphones to stream music and other content.

One just has to place the phone on top of the TV.

The South Korean tech giant last week launched a new online range of TVs, the next edition of its Frame TV 2020, and 10 new Smart TV models in India.

The Frame 2020 TVs are available in three sizes – 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch – for Rs 74,990, Rs 84,990 and Rs 1,39,990, respectively.

Germany slaughterhouse COVID-19 outbreak sparks fresh lockdown

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Germany slaughterhouse COVID-19 outbreak sparks fresh lockdown

German authorities were re-introducing local lockdown measures after a fresh coronavirus outbreak was reported at a slaughterhouse in North Rhine-Westphalia state, the media reported on Tuesday.

More than 1,300 employees of Tonnie’s meatpacking plant have now tested positive for the virus, reports the BBC.

On Tuesday, North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Armin Laschet said restrictions will return in the Gotersloh district, where the plant is located and is home to about 360,000 people.

It is the first return of containment measures since Germany began lifting its COVID-19 lockdown in May.

Laschet said the lockdown would last until June 30, and described the move as a “preventative measure”.

The premier described the outbreak linked to the nearby Tonnies meatpacking plant as the “biggest infection incident” in the country.

“We have decided that further measures are necessary,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Bars, museums, cinemas, and gyms have been ordered to close, along with social distancing measures back in force.

There will also be a mandatory quarantine for all employees of the affected plant. Extra police will be deployed to enforce the measures, accompanied by translators to speak to migrant workers.

Germany was widely praised for its response to the pandemic but there are concerns infections are rising again.

Lothar Wieler, head of the nation’s public health body the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), told reporters on Tuesday the country was at risk of a second wave of infections but said he was optimistic they could prevent it.

Currently, the reproduction rate, the R number which indicates how many people one infected person can pass the virus to, in Germany is estimated at 2.76.

The R number must be below one for infection rates to fall.

As of Tuesday, Germany reported a total of 191,768 COVID-19 cases, with 8,909 deaths.

China occupies Nepal village, land; Deafening silence from Oli govt

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China occupies Nepal village, land; Deafening silence from Oli govt

China has occupied a village of Nepal and allegedly removed the boundary pillars to legitimize its annexation, top government sources said on Tuesday. It has also been learned that China has gradually made inroads into several Nepalese territories with an ulterior aim to seize complete control.

The latest in the line is Rui village in Gorkha district, which is now in total control of China. “In a massive departure from its diplomatic stand of non-interference, the Chinese have completely occupied Rui Village and the residents comprising around 72 houses are fighting for their original identity. This also shows how Nepal’s current regime has surrendered to China and is now making anti-India statements and resorting to anti-India activities,” top sources told IANS.

Apart from Rui village, China has also occupied strategic lands at 11 places across Nepal. Around 36 hectares of land in four districts of Nepal, which border China, have been illegally occupied by China, but so far Nepalese government is tightlipped about it. The occupation of Rui village has been done systematically by China in the last two years.

Since the village figures in the map of Nepal and is part of the Himalayan nation, the residents have always been associated with the country’s identity. But the Nepal government, at the behest of China, is more engaged in creating artificial disputes with India over boundaries and three villages that belong to India.

Nepal has recently come out with a new map that claims parts of Indian territory in the Pithoragarh district. India has rejected this new map of Nepal saying it is not based on historical facts or evidence. The new political map of the country features parts of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura areas which are in Indian territory.

The new political map was authenticated by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari last week. The India-Nepal relationship came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal immediately protested, saying the road violated the status quo of the region, which it described as “unresolved”.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava had said the amendment amounts to “artificial enlargement of claims that are not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable”. Last year, sources said, Nepal government realized China had been annexing their land however they preferred to remain silent.

“Even after realizing that China’s aggressive nationalism and military expansionism are a reality, the policies fashioned by hardline Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders, Nepal communist government prefers to remain silent,” said the sources. Nepal has found that China has already occupied six hectares of land near the Bhagdare Khola (River) area and four hectares near Karnali River in Humla district.

They also found that China has illegally occupied two hectares near Sinjen Khola (river) and one hectare of Bhurjuk Khola (River) in Rasuwa district. It has also captured land adjacent to Lamde Khola and three hectares near Jambu Khola in Rasuwa district. China has also illegally occupied seven hectares of land in Kharane Khola and four hectares near Bhote Koshi of Sandhu Pal Chok district in Nepal, three hectares of Samsung Khola, two hectares near Kam Khola, and four hectares of land from Arun river bed in Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal.

The term Khola means river in the local Nepali language. But, instead of objecting to Chinese illegal occupation and growing infiltration into the Nepalese boundaries, the KP Sharma Oli government is looking to unnecessarily interfere in India’s sovereignty. Besides the new map, Oli’s government is obstructing the dam repair work at Gandak Barrage that threatens flooding in Bihar during the monsoon.

This provocative move, sources said, is being done by Nepal at China’s behest which has crippled the world by spreading contagious coronavirus and is aggressively pursuing its expansionist policy. “Nepal’s domestic policy appears to be ruled by China. The Oli government is escalating the tension between the two countries on issues that have earlier never figured in the India-Nepal bilateral relationship. Occupation of its villages by China and now Nepal’s provocative gesture in Bihar that shares 700 km international border with Nepal, makes it evident that Oli’s government is being ruled by Beijing,” top sources said.

Natasa Stankovic yearns for ‘vitamin sea’

TB Team
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Natasa Stankovic yearns for ‘vitamin sea’

Serbian dancer-actress Natasa Stankovic says she needs a good dose of “vitamin sea”.

In an Instagram photo, she has shared, Natasa lies on the beach in a black bikini.

“All I need is a good dose of vitamin sea,” captioned Natasa, who is expecting her first child with her fiancé and Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Natasa, who made her Bollywood debut with a dance number in the 2013 film “Satyagraha” and was later seen in films like “Action Jackson” (2014) and “Fukrey Returns” (2017), recently shared a beautiful surprise she received from Pandya.

He presented her two big bouquets of roses, with a mushy note to boot.

On the career front, Natasa also appeared in season eight of “Bigg Boss”, and was seen in the video of rapper Badshah’s blockbuster track “DJ Waley Babu”.

Chennai worst-hit by cyber attacks in India: Report

TB Team
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Chennai worst-hit by cyber attacks in India: Report

Chennai recorded the highest number of cyberattacks in the country during the January-March quarter of this year as threat actors targeted the city with a variety of attacks aimed at exploiting user trust and enterprise vulnerabilities, said a report on Tuesday.

The infection rate in Chennai stood at 42 percent during the quarter, followed by Patna at 38 percent and Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kolkata at 35 percent each, said the “Cyber Threat Monitor Report” by home-grown cybersecurity company K7 Computing.

Threat actors continued to exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software and operating systems in this quarter.

Windows XP and Windows 7 were the most at risk as Microsoft has stopped providing updates and patches to these versions.

The report revealed that attacks by rootkits like Curveball, Remote Code Execution, phishing attacks based on Covid-19 trends, and DOS (denial-of-service) attacks were popular.

Complex USB attacks also saw an increase — popular among these were crypto-mining malware.

“We are seeing an increasing trend of threat actors targeting enterprises with complex viruses, Trojans, and even ransomware,” J Kesavardhanan, founder and CEO of K7 Computing, said in a statement.

“On an individual level, the current risks facing users are fake apps, Covid-19 apps infected with malware, and phishing attacks. The most worrying of all is the new trend of many advanced threat actors offering malware as a service to cybercriminals.”

The research found that among tier-1 cities, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kolkata recorded the highest rate of infections, while among the tier-2 cities, Patna registered the highest infection rate at 38 percent followed by Guwahati, Jammu, and Bhubaneswar.

These attacks were designed to exploit user trust and scam people for financial gains.

However, the report found that there was an eight percent decrease in the overall rate of cyberattacks in the country during the January-March in comparison to the previous quarter.

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