New navigation policy on anvil, IN-SPACe to be separate vertical: ISRO chief

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New navigation policy on anvil, IN-SPACe to be separate vertical: ISRO chief

The proposed Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), part of space sector reforms aimed at bringing in private sector participation, will be a separate vertical under the Department of Space (DOS), said ISRO Chairman K.Sivan on Thursday.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief also said a new Navigation Policy is also being proposed. Suitable changes in Remote Sensing Data Policy, as well as SATCOM policy, are also on the anvil as a part of aligning them to an open and inclusive space sector.

In an online address from Bengaluru, Sivan said the IN-SPACe as a separate vertical for permitting and regulating the activities of private industry in the space sector.

He said IN-SPACe will have its own directorates for technical, legal, safety and security, monitoring as well as activities promotion for assessing the private sector’s needs and further coordination of the activities.

As to its structure, Sivan said IN-SPACe will have a board and will have representatives from industry, academia, and the government.

On Wednesday the Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod for the setting up of IN-SPACe to promote private sector participation in the space sector while making ISRO focus on research and development (R&D) of new technologies, exploration missions, and human spaceflight program.

According to the government, IN-SPACe will also provide a level playing field for private companies to use Indian space infrastructure.

The entry of the private sector in the space sector in a bigger way will create large job opportunities and prevent brain drain, the government said.

Sivan said the major reform measure is to enable the private sector including academia to carry out end-to-end space activities viz, building of rockets and satellites, owning satellites, providing launch services, and providing space-based services on a commercial basis.

Till now ISRO was the end-to-end player in the Indian space sector. With the government’s decision to open up the space sector, the private sector can now play a larger role than being a component supplier, Sivan said.

Sivan also said ISRO will also share its technological expertise with the private parties.

According to Sivan, there was a need for a mechanism to allow the private sector to take into account the safety, security, and also provide the ease of doing business.

He said private sector players will apply to IN-SPACe and the latter will process the application and its decision is binding on ISRO.

While it will take about 3-6 months for IN-SPACe to be in place, the private sector can send their applications to DOS.

As regards NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a public sector unit under DOS, Sivan said its role is being re-defined to transform the approach of the supply-driven model to demand-driven model for space-based services.

Sivan said NSIL will be strengthened and empowered to off-load operational activities of ISRO in the areas of the launch vehicle and satellite production, launch services as well as space-based services.

The NSIL will execute these activities through industry consortiums.

Sivan said this move will allow ISRO to allocate more time and resources for R&D endeavors.

The ISRO will continue to carry out its present activities with greater emphasis on the development of advanced technology, missions, and capacity building besides supporting private endeavors in space sector.

Body of elderly man found hanging from tree in Bengal

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Body of elderly man found hanging from tree in Bengal

An elderly man’s body was found on Thursday hanging from a tree in Kolkata’s Mayo Road, police said.

On receiving information, police rushed to the spot and started an investigation into the matter to find out if it was a case of suicide or there was any foul play behind the incident.

The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.

According to police sources, the man hanged himself from the tree with a gamchha’ (traditional cotton towel).

“The body will be sent for the postmortem. An unnatural death (UD) case has been filed,” sources said.

Fire guts IT server room of BBK bank in Mumbai

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Fire guts IT server room of BBK bank in Mumbai

A fire broke out in the IT server room of Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait (BBK) branch located in the Jolly Maker II building at Nariman Point, here on Thursday, officials said.

According to the BMC Disaster Control, the blaze was reported at around 5.30 am from the foreign bank branch premises on the ground floor of the 14-floor building.

It was confined to the electric wiring, electric installation, office furniture, computers, UPS battery, office records, important documents, false ceiling, etc. in an area about 4000-sq.ft within the BBK branch.

There were no reports of any casualties or anybody trapped inside as informed by local eyewitnesses.

The conflagration was brought under control within a clue of hours and cooling operations are underway now, said the officials.

Jolly Maker II is located in the heart of Nariman Point, the country’s most prestigious business address in south Mumbai.

Shivin Narang: Topics of depression, mental health should be part of school syllabus

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Shivin Narang: Topics of depression, mental health should be part of school syllabus

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden demise has brought back the discussion on the importance of mental health. TV star Shivin Narang says topics of depression and mental health should be included in the school syllabus.

“I think this is something that should be taught since the beginning, like from school onwards. I don’t remember being taught anything like this. It should be included in the syllabus since childhood, everything from the symptoms to how to cope with it,” Shivin said.

The “Beyhadh 2” actor also said that this is not something that is industry-centric and can happen to anyone. However, he asserted that people in the entertainment industry are more aware and accepting of it.

“The life of an actor is very unstable. Sometimes you are on the top and sometimes you need to struggle. But this is something we all know before entering the industry. As far as depression is concerned, it’s not just in the entertainment industry. Life is so fast now, especially because of the internet and social media, that we tend to forget ourselves. People make less conversation, meet less. Rather, we meet or talk digitally,” he said.

“Sometimes when you are alone, you feel empty. It happens with everyone. It’s not like that depression just happens to people in the entertainment industry. I feel wherever the job atmosphere is stressful, it can happen. But I think the people from the industry are still very open about it, they accept that they are suffering from depression et cetera, and they need to get it treated,” he added.

‘Grow with Google’ trains 50 million people in Asia Pacific

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‘Grow with Google’ trains 50 million people in Asia Pacific

The Grow with Google initiative has trained 50 million people in the Asia Pacific to date, empowering small businesses and job seekers who are facing uncertainty and looking for digital skills training to help them increase their economic potential, the company announced on Thursday.

Google said that it will continue to make ad credits available to small businesses in the Asia Pacific, as part of a broader, $340 million global commitment.

“We’ll keep adding new forms of support across all our tools and platforms. But where we believe we can make the biggest, most sustained impact is in digital skills,” said Scott Beaumont, President, Asia Pacific.

For example, Krishna Tassels, an ornamental tassels company led by a husband and wife from Bengaluru, has been able to weather the Covid-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic began to affect their operations, owners Raghu and Amita developed a new kind of lace that customers can stitch themselves, then uploaded YouTube tutorials to show them what to do, keeping sales up and building a sense of community at the same time.

“Every day, I hear more stories like this one, testifying to the resilience and ingenuity of family business owners across the region. We want to help them adjust and succeed as Asia’s economies reopen,” said Beaumont.

While its economic impacts have been widespread, Covid-19 has cast an especially harsh light on entrenched inequalities around the world—including in the Asia Pacific.

“Not everyone in the region has the same access to the opportunities the internet creates, and we’re determined to help change that,” said the company.

Google said it is focusing on three areas: Expanding direct support for small businesses, helping people get digital skills for economic recovery, and working to make the recovery inclusive.

Earlier this week, backed by funding from Google.org and support from ASEAN, The Asia Foundation announced a new grassroots program that will bring skills training to 200,000 people in marginalized communities across Southeast Asia.

New Facebook app to let you predict about world events

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New Facebook app to let you predict about world events

Facebook has announced to soon launch Forecast, an iOS app that will create a community around predictions related to world events including the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of the community can pose questions about the future, make predictions, and discuss and distill their knowledge into a single forecast. The app is currently in an invite-only beta version.

“We believe that a community built around predictions is not only a good way to surface crowdsourced wisdom, but may also help to encourage healthier online conversations across a broad range of topics,” Facebook said in a statement late Wednesday.

Part of Facebook’s internal R&D group called NPE Team, the iOS app is initially allowing people from the US and Canada to make predictions and participate in conversations.

However, all of the predictions and discussions will be publicly available on the Forecast website and shareable across platforms.

“We will invite people in the health, research, and academic communities to make predictions about the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the world around us,” said Facebook.

The forecast is a place to ask questions and uses in-app points to make predictions about the future.

All questions are submitted by the community and then moderated for clarity, using Facebook’s Community Standards.

Forecasters can discuss the reasoning behind their predictions, visit profiles to see each user’s predictions and opinions, and follow each other to get notified of new activities.

Forecasters can also see their own prediction track record over time and climb the leaderboard for individual topics.

India records worst spike of 17K Covid cases

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India records worst spike of 17K Covid cases

India witnessed the highest spike of almost 17,000 fresh COVID cases, with Maharashtra, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu contributing more than 62 percent of it in the past 24 hours taking the total in the country to 4.73 lakh, data from the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry revealed on Thursday.

A total of 16,922 new cases egged the tally to 4,73,105 so far as India continued to be the fourth worst-hit country by the pandemic. According to the Health Ministry data, in the last 24 hours, 418 new deaths were reported taking the total tally of fatalities to 14,894 in the country.

Over 1,000 cases more were recorded in 24 hours than what we saw on Wednesday when 15,968 new COVID-19 cases were reported.

Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu continued at the top contributing almost 62 percent of the total spike of the Covid-19 cases.

There are currently 1,86,514 active and 2,71,696 recoveries. The number of patients recovering from COVID-19 continues to rise. The recovery rate has further improved to almost 57.42 percent.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state in the country with total cases at 1,42,900, including 6,739 deaths. It recorded a spike of 3,890 fresh cases with 208 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Delhi has 70,390 cases and 2,365 deaths followed by Tamil Nadu with 67,468 cases with 866 deaths. Delhi witnessed the surge of 3,788 cases with 64 deaths and Tamil Nadu recorded 2,865 cases with 33 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

States with more than 10,000 cases include Gujarat with 28,943 cases and 1,735 deaths, Uttar Pradesh (19,557), Rajasthan (16,009), Madhya Pradesh (12,448), West Bengal (15,173), Haryana (12,010), Karnataka, (10,118), Andhra Pradesh (10,331) and Telangana (10,444) cases.

India conducted 2,07,871 Covid-19 tests on people in the last 24 hours. The number of government labs has been increased to 726 and private labs have increased to 266, summing up to a total of 992.

The overall number of global COVID-19 cases has topped 9.4 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 482,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

ITTF Ex Co to decide new date for World Team C’ships in July

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ITTF Ex Co to decide new date for World Team C’ships in July

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Committee will decide a new date for the rescheduled Busan World Team Table Tennis Championships at its next meeting on July 10.

The Busan World Team Championships were originally scheduled to open on March 22, and have already been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ITTF Executive Committee agreed with local organizers that the event would be postponed to the early months of 2021, as it would be unlikely that the majority of teams would be able to travel to South Korea in September 2020.

The Executive Committee will decide the exact date of the Championships at its next meeting on July 10.

As for the 2020 calendar, the ITTF is exploring the possibility of staging alternative events in case the staging of full open international events as planned is not possible due to the pandemic.

World table tennis’ governing body is looking into possible options for staging the 2021 World Singles Championships in the United States, but it will not be possible to host the Championships on original dates of June 17-26 2021, pending the final dates of the Busan event.

The ITTF will hold its Annual General Meeting on September 28 in an online format.

Congress holds cycle rallies in MP against fuel prices’ hikes

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Congress holds cycle rallies in MP against fuel prices’ hikes

Congress leaders and supporters on Wednesday took out cycle rallies in Bhopal and Indore to protest against the increase in fuel prices, including former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh who led the protest in state capital Bhopal.

Digvijaya Singh, elected to the Rajya Sabha on June 19, led his party leaders for a cycle march from the Roshanpura intersection to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s residence in Bhopal.

“Today, when the people are facing a grim crisis due to COVID-19 and inflation is rising and people are dying of hunger, the central government has increased the petrol and diesel prices for the 18th consecutive day.”

“As (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji says ‘people must look for opportunity in a disaster’. Even the corona disaster is an opportunity for the Centre to earn money,” he added.

At Indore, former Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari, MLAs Sanjay Shukla, and Vishal Patel, city Congress president Vinay Bakliwal along with other leaders and supporters pedaled from the Nehru statue at Madhumilan square to the Gandhi statue at Regal square and submitted memorandums to the President and Prime Minister through the Divisional Commissioner.

“The BJP had come to power by making claims of bringing down the inflation rate. Narendra Modi had said that he will bring the rate of dollar and rupee at par but instead he has leveled the prices of diesel and petrol,” Patwari said.

He said that people are already facing losses in business, and jobs are drying up, the economy has slowed down and people are harried. “By raising petrol and diesel prices by over Rs 8-11 in the last 18 days the government has placed an additional burden on the public,” Patwari claimed.

Bakliwal said that crude oil in the international market was priced about $45 per barrel but the government was unnecessarily increasing the prices. “Prices of fuel during the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government didn’t go beyond Rs 70 even while prices in the international market at that time were $135 per barrel.”

Himanta signals Manipur crisis averted, CM’s fate uncertain

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Himanta signals Manipur crisis averted, CM’s fate uncertain

BJP’s troubleshooter in the northeast, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had to step in once again as did the party’s ‘Super President’ Amit Shah, who despite relinquishing the top post early this year, was required to intervene in an attempt to save the troubled NPP-BJP government in Manipur.

However, after the crucial meeting in the national capital, Sarma, the North East Democratic Alliance chief tweeted that “both BJP and NPP will continue to work together for the development of Manipur”.

Not only Sarma and Shah were present but Conrad Sangma, who heads the NPP and is also the Meghalaya CM was also present in the meeting. NPP’s Manipur unit went rogue and threatened to join the Congress-led alliance if there is no change of Chief Minister in the state.

Manipur’s Deputy Chief Minister S. Jooykmar was also part of the meeting. Earlier on Tuesday evening, the 4 dissident NPP MLAs were flown to Delhi by Sangma and Sarma.

While Sarma claims that the two parties will continue to work together in Manipur, suggesting the problem is averted, it is, however, unclear whether it means that Chief Minister Biren Singh will be replaced or not. The 4 NPP MLAs earlier called it a “nonnegotiable” demand of theirs.

Just before the Rajya Sabha elections on June 17, 3 BJP MLAs resigned and joined the Congress. At the same time, four ministers of the ally National People’s Party also resigned due to resentment and withdrew support from the government.

Another independent along with a Trinamool Congress MLA too parted ways from the Biren Singh government. After the rebellion of a total of nine MLAs, the Biren Singh government came under threat. However, the BJP was successful in winning one seat in the Rajya Sabha elections held on June 19.

Earlier, Sarma was scrambled to Imphal on June 23 to salvage the situation. During his stay there, he tried to persuade the MLAs to meet Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma, who is also the National President of the NPP met the dissidents separately and along with Sarma at Imphal where the 4 agreed to listen to what the BJP high command had to say. This, even as BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav flew into Imphal. However, he reasoned that he went there to congratulate the newly elected BJP Rajya Sabha member from the state.

The rebels also met BJP President J.P. Nadda.

While, Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed to bring a “permanent solution” to the recurring political turmoil in Manipur, before he flew into the national capital, what remains unclear is how far that has been achieved and whether that has been achieved at the cost of a leadership change in the state of Manipur, something that the BJP has so far avoided.

So far the Biren Singh government has sounded defiant, thwarting efforts of the Congress which has been demanding a special session of the assembly to bring a no-confidence motion against his government.

Cong to protest against Chinese incursions, fuel price hike

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Cong to protest against Chinese incursions, fuel price hike

The Congress has decided to launch a series of mass protests opposing the unprecedented rise in the prices of petrol and diesel and Chinese incursions into Indian territory by paying homage to the martyrs of Ladakh.

K.C. Venugopal, General Secretary (Organisation) said, “On Friday, June 26, 2020, Congress party will pay homage to the martyrs of Ladakh by observing ‘Shaheedon Ko Salaam Divas’ across India.”

As per the party program, the Congress workers will sit at ‘Shaheed Smaraks’ or Martyrs Memorials in their respective locations. There will be no sloganeering and only silent protests will be held. The protesters will carry the national flag. The Congress workers will light lamps and candles as tribute to the martyrs between 11 a.m. and 12 noon on June 26.

“A massive online campaign named ‘Speak up for Our Jawans’ also will be held on the same day by posting live videos and posts on social media platforms,” said Venugopal.

On June 29, Congress workers will sit on a two-hour dharna from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at every district headquarters to protest against the unprecedented rise in the prices of petrol and diesel.

The Congress workers will carry banners and placards demanding rollback of the prices. The protesters will maintain all social distancing norms and wear protective masks during the agitation.

The party workers will submit a memorandum addressed to the President of India through the District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner in each district.

The party will also hold a massive online campaign ‘Speak-Up on Petroleum Price hike’. The leaders, party functionaries, and sympathizers will put up live videos of the protests.

The Pradesh Congress Committees will also organize protests at Taluka/Tehsil and Block level, in the week between June 30 and July 4.

Covid-19: Goa Churches to re-open on a note of caution

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Covid-19: Goa Churches to re-open on a note of caution

The top Catholic religious authority in Goa, Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao, on Wednesday, announced stringent rules while rolling out a formal protocol for re-opening of Churches in the state.

In a circular issued to all parishes in the state, Ferrao advised caution in the process of re-opening of Churches for religious services, laying down rules which include social distancing, availability of hand sanitizers, sanitization of Church premises and using non-contact thermometers to examine visitors.

“The priest in charge is to make sure that thorough cleanliness and disinfection of the sacred place and of the surrounding premises have been carried out and can be assured to be undertaken regularly. The place of worship is well ventilated. The seating arrangement with the physical distancing of six feet is marked out,” the advisory states.

“Hand sanitizers should be available for the use of the faithful. A contactless thermometer is in place to check the body temperature of those who enter. Holy water stoups or fonts are kept dry,” it further adds, requesting priests to keep volunteers ready to ensure the maintenance of social distancing and hygiene norms.

Churches located in containment or buffer zones identified by the state administration will however not be allowed to open.

To seek permission for re-opening of the Churches, which have been closed for public worship since the enforcement of the lockdown in March, the local parish priest would have to first write to the Archbishop.

“On receipt of the petition, the Diocesan Authority will send his delegate for an on-site inspection and will grant the requested permission only if he is satisfied that the church/chapel/shrine can in fact comply with all the requirements,” Ferrao says in his advisory.

“The places of worship should not be opened to the faithful before this permission is granted in writing. The time required to comply with the safety protocols may vary from place to place,” it also states.

Other Church-related activities such as meetings of allied groups, associations, community devotional practices, and retreats continue to remain suspended.

“Catechesis and faith-formation programs for children and adults that require them to gather are to be deferred till further instructions, Ferrao also said.

Around 26 percent of Goa’s 1.5 million population is Catholic.

Sayani Gupta on ‘Axone’: Choices I took were very risky

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Sayani Gupta on ‘Axone’: Choices I took were very risky

Actress Sayani Gupta says for the first time in her career she was extremely nervous about what people from the Northeast would say, when she signed her latest release, “Axone”.

A bittersweet comedy, the film is a satire that follows a bunch of northeastern youngsters in Delhi who, while attempting to organize a wedding party, find everything going wrong.

Sayani’s portrayal of a 23-year-old Nepali girl from Manipur in the film has been appreciated by the critics and the audience.

“The response has been seriously overwhelming. I am very happy that everyone has showered so much love and appreciation to the film also because it’s a small indie film. Not sounding pompous, but I am generally pretty detached to my projects after I am done shooting for them because you know what you have done. But for the first time, I was extremely nervous and anxious about what people from the northeast would say about ‘Axone’ and whether I was authentic or not,” the actress said.

“The choices I took were very risky and I didn’t want to play it safe. Hence, the chances of it not working were also high. But the unbelievable response that one has received from literally thousands of messages coming in, appreciating the work, and the film have been very validating. I am very grateful for each one of them for reaching out and telling me, what the film has done. Also, I am glad that a new set of audiences has seen my work, and tons of people have been messaging saying now they will watch my other work as well. There was a celebration around the film which is so heartening to witness! And I am also glad that critics have also given the film a lot of love,” she added.

The film helmed by Nicholas Kharkongor is currently streaming on Netflix.

Delhi Police rescues minor girl from Punjab, nabs kidnapper

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Delhi Police rescues minor girl from Punjab, nabs kidnapper

The Delhi Police have arrested a 20-year-old boy from Patiala for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor. The girl too has been rescued from the spot, officials said.

The accused has been identified as Brijesh who works as a laborer and does not have any criminal background.

According to the police, a missing complaint was filed by a woman regarding her daughter, following which a complaint under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code was registered and an investigation was taken up.

During the course of the investigation, it came to the notice of the police that Brijesh, who was staying with his brother in a flat in Narela, was also missing since the day the girl went missing.

The call details of the suspect showed his movement in Patiala in Punjab. Further probe revealed that one of the relatives of the suspect was staying in Patiala.

“A team was rushed to Patiala immediately. On the basis of technical surveillance and thorough search, the missing girl was finally traced in the house of the relative of the suspect in Patiala,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Outer North, Gaurav Sharma.

“The victim alleged sexual assault by the accused, following which we invoked Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” the DCP added.

Ankit Arora on shoots amid New Normal: Everyone will get used to it

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Ankit Arora on shoots amid New Normal: Everyone will get used to it

Actor Ankit Arora is eager to get back on the sets of “Alif Laila” as the show’s makers are gearing up to shoot new episodes after the lockdown.

“I think everyone who belongs to the media and entertainment industries is excited and eager to get back on sets after a really long break. But along with this enthusiasm, we all need to be alert and cautious for not only ourselves but for others too,” said Ankit, who plays an important role in the show.

“It is bound to take some time to settle with the new guidelines and adapt to the change. Eventually, everyone will get used to it. As actors, it is our responsibility to practice leading the conversation of being safe and sanitized. Some artists have a couple of people in their team, I’m sure they will be responsible and reduce these numbers, avoiding as much human intervention as possible,” he added.

Ankit has ensured maintaining a daily regime.

“I make sure I exercise daily as it helps me to stay alert, fresh, and focused. I have continued to keep my vocal cords in check and practice regularly,” he said.

Meanwhile, the lockdown, which began in March, gave him the opportunity to watch a lot of content and observe some great actors on-screen.

“I am a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan sir, and I watched many of his films during these months. After a long break like this, I feel rested and ready to go with a roar,” he said.

“Alif Laila” is aired on Dangal TV.

Hospital sealed for violating Covid-19 norms in Bhubaneswar

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Hospital sealed for violating Covid-19 norms in Bhubaneswar

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) sealed a private hospital, here on Wednesday, for violating Covid-19 guidelines. As of June 23, 27 positive cases have been detected from this hospital.

“Blue Wheel Hospital, Mancheswar, has been sealed by the BMC authority today (Wednesday) because of violation of the Covid-19 guidelines of Govt. As on 23/6/2020, 27 positive cases have been detected from this hospital,” the BMC tweeted.

The hospital had admitted a coronavirus patient, instead of shifting him to a dedicated Covid-19 facility, in violation of Covid-19 guidelines, the official said. A show-cause notice has also been issued to the hospital.

According to an official, 11 people were detected with Covid-19 infection in the hospital on Monday, 16 employees of the hospital tested positive on Wednesday. After the detection of positive cases, all the direct contacts are being quarantined and tested.

Premises of the facility has been sanitized to contain the spread. To reduce the chances of Covid-19 infection among frontline health and emergency workers, the BMC has started training its 2,800 sanitation workers.

The BMC aims to train all workers on safety aspects in a week.

Top German court rules against Facebook on user data collection

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Top German court rules against Facebook on user data collection

In a setback to Facebook, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice upheld the position of the country’s antitrust regulator and ruled that the social networking giant needs to have explicit consent from users while collecting data from its family of apps like Instagram and WhatsApp.

The top German court found that Facebook was using its dominant position in the market to collect user data.

“There are no serious doubts about Facebook’s dominant position in the German market for social networks or that Facebook is abusing this dominant position with the terms of use prohibited by the Cartel Office,” the court said in its ruling on Tuesday.

Germany’s competition regulator, the Federal Cartel Office, last year put restrictions on Facebook on data collection which led the social network to file an appeal. A lower court gave Facebook some relief when it ruled that it did not need to comply until a final court order comes out.

The ruling by the Federal Court of Justice on Tuesday ordered Facebook to comply with what the regulators asked in terms of its data collection practices while overruling the decision of the lower court.

“The lack of choice for Facebook users not only affects their personal autonomy and the protection of their right to informational self-determination, which is also protected by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),” the court said.

“Against the background of the high hurdles to change that exist for the users of the network (“lock-in effects”), it also represents an exploitation of the users that is relevant under antitrust law, because the competition is no longer effective due to Facebook’s dominant position.”

Facebook, however, said that Tuesday’s decision relates to the preliminary proceedings on the court’s stay order.

“The main proceedings, before the Court of Appeals, are ongoing and we will continue to defend our position that there is no antitrust abuse. There will be no immediate changes for people or businesses who use our products and services in Germany,” Facebook was quoted as saying in a statement by Axios.

Nani is busy with the period drama ‘Shyam Singarai’

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Nani is busy with the period drama ‘Shyam Singarai’

The Natural Star of Tollywood, Nani is busy with the period drama ‘Shyam Singarai’ directed by Rahul Sankrityan of ‘Taxiwala’. It is said that the content has been shaped up well. The makers of the film- Sitara Entertainments are now planning it as a Pan India film with its universal content.

Nani who liked the subject a lot wanted to make it big in his career and thus the star is said to have been working hard on his physique and he is adamant to look different in the film.

As per the latest news it is said that this special film needs three actresses in the lead role. Sai Pallavi is said to be the main lead and the makers have approached Rashmika Mandanna, the happening beauty to play a role that comes in the flashback episodes. The actress is said to have said ‘no’ to star in this film as she is adamant to play single heroine roles as per the demand.

On the film front, Rashmika has ‘Pushpa’ with Allu Arjun and few other projects in her hand and her planning is great to become the numero uno actress of this generation!

Kerala records 152 Covid cases, highest on a single day

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Kerala records 152 Covid cases, highest on a single day

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the state recorded 152 coronavirus positive cases in the last 24 hours, which is highest ever on a single day so far.

“Of this, 98 people came from abroad, 46 were those who came from within the country and there were eight local infections. At present there are 1,691 positive patients, while in all 3,603 got this disease”, said Vijayan.

Vijayan said starting Thursday all those arriving from the Middle East have to follow new guidelines and if anyone has a COVID negative certificate it should not be beyond 72 hours of departure.

“Those arriving from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have to wear PPE kit besides N95 mask, face shield, and gloves. Those coming from UAE have to carry the certificate (the facility is available for testing there) while those from Qatar should have green status on the App which is valid in their country. Those from Bahrain and Oman should have N95 masks, face shields, and gloves,” said Vijayan.

He said once they land at the airports in Kerala, all will have to abide by the health protocols that are in place.

“Those who do not come with a valid COVID negative certificate will have to undergo a rapid antibody test at the airport and those who are positive should then undergo either an RT-PCR or TrueNat test and whatever be the result, they will have to undergo 14 days quarantine. Those with any symptoms will be sent to hospitals. Any violation of quarantine would be dealt with strongly by enforcing the provisions in the Disaster Management Act,” added Vijayan.

Why is UP’s Covid death rate so high if cases not rising: Priyanka

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Why is UP’s Covid death rate so high if cases not rising: Priyanka

Hours after UP’s ruling BJP warned her of “action”, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday continued her attack on the Yogi Adityanath government, asking if the cases of coronavirus were not increasing in the state, then why is its mortality rate is so high.

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi, who is the in-charge for the eastern Uttar Pradesh said: “Out of 15 districts with the highest death rate, four districts are of Uttar Pradesh. In Jhansi, one out of 10 Covid-19 patients is dying, in Meerut, one out 11 COVID patients is dying, one out of 14 patients in Agra and Etah is dying. If the number of Covid-19 patients is not increasing, then why the death rate is still high.”

She also attached two pictures that showed the top 15 districts in India with the highest mortality rate and in another image the highest mortality rate in 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Her remarks came a day after she rued the death of 28 Covid-19 patients in UP’s Agra within 48 hours of admission into hospital.

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya warned Priyanka Gandhi of ‘action’ if she continues to resort to cheap politics and does not respond to a notice served by the Agra District Magistrate for posting wrong figures of COVID deaths.

“The Congress General Secretary is resorting to cheap politics since Covid-19 cases started emerging in UP. The claim of deaths made by her in Agra due to Covid-19 is false. The district administration has served her notice and if she fails to reply then we will take action,” he said.

He said that earlier, Congress indulged in “bus politics” and when their state party president Ajay Lallu was sent to jail, Priyanka Gandhi did not even bother to meet him.

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