LONDON (TIP): Custodian of cricket laws, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), has decided to move the law relating to run-outs at non-striker’s end from its “unfair play” section besides completely banning the use of saliva to shine the ball in amendments to its 2022 code that will come into effect in October. Run-outs at non-striker’s end when batters back up too far have often triggered heated debates on the spirit of the game and several players like India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have advocated for it as a fair mode of dismissal. “Law 41.16 – running out the non-striker – has been moved from Law 41 (Unfair play) to Law 38 (Run out). The wording of the Law remains the same,” the MCC said in a media statement late on Tuesday. It was in 1948 when the dismissal first came to be known. Indian legend Vinoo Mankad ran out Australian wicketkeeper Bill Brown at the non-striker’s end after duly warning him for backing up too far. The Australian media dubbed it as ‘Mankading’, a name that stuck in popular parlance but was vehemently opposed by legends like Sunil Gavaskar for being “disrespectful” towards Mankad. The MCC also said that using saliva to shine the ball would be treated as an unfair practice.
Year: 2022
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Ravindra Jadeja is No. 1 Test all-rounder in world
Dubai (TIP)- India’s Ravindra Jadeja climbed to the top spot in the ICC Test rankings for all-rounders today after his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka in the opening Test in Mohali. “Ravindra Jadeja’s performance at India’s recent Test win against Sri Lanka in Mohali has catapulted him to the No. 1 position in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings,” the ICC said in a statement. His unbeaten 175 lifted him up to 17 places from 54th to 37th with the bat and he added nine wickets to move up to 17th with the ball. His all-round contribution was enough for him to regain the top all-rounder spot from Jason Holder, who had held the position since February 2021. Jadeja’s only previous time on top was in August 2017, when he spent a week at No. 1. Jadeja was named the Player of the Match for his show against Sri Lanka in Mohali, where India triumphed under three days by an innings and 222 runs. In the same list, Ravichandran Ashwin dropped a rung to third while Axar Patel was the next best Indian at 14th, after going down two positions. Patel did not play the Mohali Test due to an injury. Among the batters, Virat Kohli rose two spots to be fifth, followed by skipper Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant, who impressed with an explosive 96-run knock, entered the top-10 at 10th after gaining one spot. Australian Marnus Labuschagne occupied the top spot.
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Sindhu, Saina crash out of German Open
World championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the men’s singles quarterfinals but PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal crashed out of the women’s competition following second-round losses in the German Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Thursday. Srikanth, a former world no 1 and seeded eighth here, prevailed 21-16 21-23 21-18 over China’s Lu Guang Zu in a second round match. He will next face Olympic champion and top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, who beat France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-17 21-10 in another match.
The seventh seeded Sindhu, a 2019 World Champion, however, suffered a shock 14-21 21-15 14-21 loss against China’s Zhang Yi Man in 55 minutes in the women’s singles second round. Saina, who has been struggling with fitness issues, also proved no match against eighth seeded Thai Ratchanok Intanon, going down 10-21 15-21 in a lop-sided contest.
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IC-814 hijacker, who slit passenger’s throat, shot dead in Karachi
New Delhi (TIP)- Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, deadliest of the five hijackers of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi in 1999, was shot dead in Pakistan’s Karachi, government sources said. The Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist, who was living under a false identity “Zahid Akhund” for many years, was shot twice in the head by unidentified gunmen at point-blank range in Karachi’s Akhtar Colony on March 1. Mistry, code-named “doctor”, was reportedly the one who had stabbed and killed a 25-year-old Indian man who was one of the hostages. Mistry was the owner of Crescent Furniture located inside Akhtar Colony in Karachi. According to reports, Rauf Asgar had joined the funeral procession of Akhund in Karachi. Rauf is the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s operational chief and brother of the terrorist organisation’s founder Masood Azhar.
The IC-814 aircraft of Indian Airlines, with 179 passengers and 11 crew members on board, was hijacked by five terrorists from Nepal on December 24, 1999. The plane made a long arduous journey to Amritsar, Lahore and Dubai before making a strategic stop at Kandahar in Afghanistan which was then under the Taliban’s control.
The hijackers had executed one passenger, 25-year-old Rupin Katyal, and finally negotiated the release of dreaded Islamist terrorists Masood Azhar Alvi, Syed Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar from Indian jails on December 31, 1999, in exchange for the hostages.
The Kandahar hijacking was one of the most dramatic hostage crises the country has ever seen.
Source: NDTV
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India good at managing finances but global energy price rise will hurt it, says IMF MD
Washington (TIP)-India has been very good at managing its finances but the surge in global energy prices is going to have a negative impact on its economy, said Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. During a media roundtable on Thursday, March 10, on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its global impact, Gita Gopinath, who is the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, observed that the war had posed a challenge to economies around the world, including India. “India relies heavily on energy imports and the price is going up. That has implications on the purchasing power of Indian households. “If you’re looking at headline inflation numbers, inflation in India is close to around six per cent, which is the upper end of the inflation band for the Reserve Bank of India,” Gopinath said. This has implications on the monetary policy in the country and it is a challenge in many parts of the world, not just India, she said.
Source: PTI
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10 assembly election debacles in a row, Congress to get in a huddle ‘soon’
New Delhi (TIP)- The Congress has ended up on the losing side in nine of the 10 assembly elections held over the past two years — the only exception being Tamil Nadu where it was a junior partner of the DMK-led alliance that won.
It has lost at least five key young leaders in the recent past and has been reduced to ruling just two states on its own. Its inability to win elections has stoked defiance and dissent within the party hierarchy. The latest drubbing in the state elections comes just months before the Congress is set to elect a new president.
The party now faces two imminent dangers, said four leaders. “Its leadership space in the opposition quarters will come under stiff challenge from a parallel formation led by the TMC (Trinamool Congress) or the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) and within the party, the G23 ( the leaders who wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi in 2019 seeking an overhaul), will grow stronger,” said one, asking not to be named.
While the Congress is still grappling with how to take on the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it has ceded space to AAP in states such as Punjab. Former president Rahul Gandhi said the Congress “humbly accepts the people’s verdict” and added that it “will learn from this and keep working for the interests of the people of India”. The party also announced that a meeting of its working committee will be called soon to analyse the results.
This is not the first time the Congress failed to win a state in a series of assembly polls. Last year it lost in four of the five states where elections were held, but joined the ruling dispensation in Tamil Nadu as an ally of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala indicated foul play within party ranks. “All party leaders must seriously introspect and see if fight over positions, difference of opinion was so strong that it is cutting the tree (Congress) itself.”
He also blamed the anti-incumbency of four and a half years (Amarinder Singh’s tenure in Punjab) and said: “We offered the people of Punjab an alternative in the form of Charanjit Singh Channi, but could not overcome the four-and-a-half-year anti-incumbency sentiment.”
Source: HT
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Heart attack plus cardiac arrest survivors at higher risk of early death
The findings of a new study suggest that patients who survive a heart attack together with sudden cardiac arrest are at a higher risk of dying within six years following hospital discharge. This research was published in the ‘Journal of the American Heart Association’. A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly. Cardiac arrest can be fatal if not treated immediately. Most heart attacks do not lead to sudden cardiac arrest. But when sudden cardiac arrest occurs, heart attack is a common cause. The study draws on data from 13,444 patients collected between 2010 and 2017. It shows for the first time that patients who had heart attacks and then a sudden cardiac arrest were at a greater risk of developing further complications. Those who had a cardiac arrest at the time of their heart attack were twice as likely as those suffering heart attack alone to go on to develop abnormal heart rhythms known as ventricular arrhythmia (VA). Those with a cardiac arrest were also 36 per cent more likely to die on average within three years following discharge from hospital. The researchers suggest that this small subgroup of patients may benefit from additional treatments such an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) – a small device that treats people with abnormal heart rhythms – to see if it improves their long-term health outcomes. This is because in some cases heart attacks can lead to a condition called ventricular arrhythmia (VA) – a type of abnormal heartbeat where the heart begins beating faster before going into a spasm and stops pumping completely- which can cause sudden cardiac arrest. Dr Fu Siong Ng, senior author of the study and Clinical Senior Lecturer in Cardiac Electrophysiology at Imperial College London, said:
“Most patients who have heart attacks do not experience a cardiac arrest. However, our study has revealed that there are a small group of patients who do, and if they survive the initial cardiac arrest they are at increased of further complications and early death. This study has highlighted that we may need to look at how we treat these types of patients and our current guidelines may need to be updated. There is a case that in addition to the current treatments on offer to heart attack patients these patients may benefit from ICDs. However, we would need to carry out a clinical trial to validate this theory.”
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Covid mRNA vaccine doesn’t affect IVF success rates: Study
Covid-19 mRNA vaccines do not affect the ovarian response or pregnancy rates in IVF (In-vitro fertilisation) treatment, according to a study. A team of researchers from the Tel Aviv University in Israel found that in patients undergoing IVF treatments, ovarian response and pregnancy rates were similar with those that were vaccinated with the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine prior to IVF treatment, as compared to unvaccinated women. The study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal ‘Fertility and Sterility’ included a total of 400 patients, 200 vaccinated women and 200 age-matched unvaccinated women, undergoing IVF during January-April 2021.
The results showed no effect of Covid-19 mRNA vaccine on oocyte yield during hormonal stimulation or on pregnancy rates during IVF treatments. The study did not support concerns that the vaccine might affect fertility treatment outcomes were not supported, said researchers. “The theoretical concept of the supposed similarity between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the syncytin protein that is speculated to take part in the fertilisation process and the formation of the placenta, has led to the assumption that the vaccine might induce an immune response which would affect implantation and pregnancy,” said researchers, including Alon Kedem from the varsity’s Shamir Medical Centre, in the study. “Our results demonstrate similar oocyte yields and fertilisation rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated women,” Kedem added. The researchers said taking into account the potential harm of the infection itself on fertility, the already proven worse pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women with Covid-19 infection, and the higher risk of infection among unvaccinated pregnant women, it seems reasonable to reduce infection risk through vaccination.
“We recommend considering Covid-19 vaccination prior to commencing IVF treatments in order to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy,” Kedem said. Preliminary reports on vaccine safety in pregnant women found similar miscarriage rates among vaccinated women as compared to historical data from the literature.
Source: IANS
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Just 1 glass of wine a day can age your brain by 2 years, says study
Just a glass of wine or even a pint of beer a day carries significant risk as it can cause changes to the brain equivalent to ageing two years, researchers have found. It is already known that people who drink heavily have alterations in brain structure and size that are associated with cognitive impairments. However, a team from the University of Pennsylvania found that even light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reductions in overall brain volume. The link grew stronger the greater the level of alcohol consumption, the researchers showed. Going from two to three alcohol units at the same age was like aging three and a half years. The team reported their findings in the journal Nature Communications. “There is some evidence that the effect of drinking on the brain is exponential,” said co-corresponding author Remi Daviet, who was at Penn during the study, and now at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“So, one additional drink in a day could have more of an impact than any of the previous drinks that day. That means that cutting back on that final drink of the night might have a big effect in terms of brain ageing.” In other words, Gideon Nave, Penn’s Wharton School: “The people who can benefit the most from drinking less are the people who are already drinking the most.” The researchers looked at brain MRIs from more than 36,000 adults. When the researchers grouped the participants by average-consumption levels, a small but apparent pattern emerged: The gray and white matter volume that might otherwise be predicted by the individual’s other characteristics was reduced. Going from zero to one alcohol unit didn’t make much of a difference in brain volume, but going from one to two or two to three units a day was associated with reductions in both gray and white matter.
Even removing the heavy drinkers from the analyses, the associations remained. The lower brain volume was not localised to any one brain region, the scientists found. And while the researchers underscore that their study looked only at correlations, they say the findings may prompt drinkers to reconsider how much they imbibe.
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Unwind and pamper your skin after a long day
Ice therapy: Rubbing an ice cube on your skin increases blood circulation, immediately reviving it and giving it a healthy glow. Run a couple of ice cubes all over your face for an instantly fresh look.
Hydrating Sheet masks: Sheet masks have been in the trend for the longest time. Not only do they come in a huge variety, but you can pick a different one every time to target different skin problems. Apart from giving a much-needed boost to the skin, sheet masks are also very hydrating and can make your skin fresh in an instant.
Use day cream: When oxygen levels drop in the skin, it can lead to dullness, uneven skin tone, and dark spots. With its oxygen boost and micro-circulation complex, day cream for oily skin enhances oxygen supply in the skin cells to give it a revived glow. The unique non-oily formulation of the Oxygen Boost Day Cream is developed by leading dermatologists and helps to rejuvenate skin by removing dullness and pigmentation. It is suitable for all skin types and provides a healthy, radiant glow.
Facial massage: A massage not just relaxes your mind and body, but also does wonders for the skin. Indulging in a facial massage is great as it improves circulation, making the skin look healthy and fresh. A regular facial massage will also make the skin firm while diminishing fine lines and puffiness.
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Gujiya
Ingredients
Refined flour – 4 cup, Ghee – 1/2 cup, Cold Water to mix
For the Filling: Khoya – 200gms, Sugar – 1 cup, Green Cardamom – 1 tsp, powdered, Almonds – 1 tsp, finely chopped, Ghee for deep frying
Method
– To make the dough, mix ghee and flour in a bowl. Add water and knead well to a stiff dough.Keep aside for 60 minutes. Saute the khoya till slightly fried and keep aside to cool.
– Add sugar, cardamom and almonds to the cooled khoya and mix well. Make balls of the dough and roll them into thick rounds. Place a tsp of the filling and fold. Seal the edges with wet fingers.
– Heat ghee in a pan over medium flame. Fry the gunjiyas till golden brown on all sides. Remove and serve.
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Thandai
Ingredients
– Sugar – 3/4 cup, Full Cream Milk – 1/2 cup, Almonds – 2tsp, Poppy Seeds – 1/4 tblsp,Saunf – 1/4 tblsp, Pistachios – 1 tsp, Watermelon Seeds – 1/2 tblsp, dried, Cardamom Powder – 1/4 tsp, White Peppercorns – 1/2 tsp, Fresh or Dried Rose Petals – 2 tblsp, Saffron Strands – few
Method
– Soak the almonds, poppy seeds, saunf, melon seeds and pistachios in water for a 30 minutes. Grind to a fine paste and keep aside.Boil the milk over medium flame.
– Add the saffron strands and mix well.
– Add the sugar and stir until fully melted.
– Grind the rose petals and peppercorns to a fine powder.
– Add to the milk along with cardamom powder.
– Mix well and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
– Add the ground paste and mix well.
– Remove and chill for atleast 2 to 3 hours.
– Just before serving, garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios.
– Serve chilled.
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How to prevent and reverse premature greying of hair
Blame it on erratic lifestyle habits or hormonal imbalances, premature greying of hair has become increasingly common these days. While many believe that grey hair is permanent and there’s nothing one can do about it, that may not really be the case!
By following certain hair care habits and including some herbs in your diet, you can reverse premature greying of hair effectively, according to ayurvedic expert Dr Dixa Bhavsar. She recently talked about three herbs that she suggested one must consume and apply topically for luscious black locks.
Amla
An antidote for a host of illnesses, amla is proven to have great benefits for skin and hair. “Eating one fruit a day during the season is the best practice not only to treat premature greying of hair, but also correct metabolism and eliminate toxin. It is also one of the best rejuvenation medicines,” Dr Bhavsar said.
Further, she suggested massaging the scalp with coconut oil processed with fresh amla juice. You can also consume amla in the form of fresh juice daily. “Amla powder is an excellent addition to hair masks,” she added.
Curry leaves
The expert shared a simple DIY hair oil using curry leaves. “Take 1-2 cups of coconut oil or any other oil of your choice and a handful of curry leaves. Bring them to a boil until the leaves darken and the oil too. Let it cool down a bit and transfer the mixture into a glass container,” she explained.
Apply this oil by sectioning your hair, from the root to the tip, especially on the scalp. Let it sit overnight and shampoo it the next day using a mild shampoo.
Bhringaraj
Also known as the ‘king of hair’, bhringaraj is one of the best natural remedies for premature grey hair treatment, according to Dr Bhavsar. “It corrects metabolism and starts the process of restoring the natural colour of the hair. It can be added to hair packs to retain colour, reduce hair loss and promote hair growth.”
Further, you can also apply bhringaraj paste on the scalp, leave it for half an hour and then wash the hair or massage the scalp with bhringaraj oil before shampooing with herbal shampoo, twice a week, she suggested.
The expert listed a few simple tips to prevent premature greying of hair.
– Oiling your hair is very important. Do it twice a week.
– Consume sweet, bitter and astringent food items. Avoid excessive spicy, salty, fried, fermented, stale, caffeinated drinks and non-vegetarian food items.
– Instil 2 drops of cow’s ghee in both nostrils at night before sleep.
– Amla is best for grey hair. Consume it regularly, especially during the winter season.
– Sleeping early is equally important. The better the quality of your sleep, the better the quality of your hair. Try to be in bed by 10 pm.
– Coconut oil is commonly used for its cooling properties. You may use it along with
– Aloe vera gel – Mix the gel with coconut oil and apply it to hair.
– Amla (Indian gooseberry) powder – Heat 2 tsp of amla powder in 3 tbsp of coconut oil until it becomes black. Apply on your hair after the mix cools down a bit.
– Curry leaves – Heat a handful of curry leaves with coconut oil till it turns black. Cool and apply on the scalp. You may also consume curry leaves as part of your diet. It contains multivitamins and irons that help prevent greying.
– Include curry leaves, sesame seeds, amla, bitter gourd, and cow ghee in your diet.
– Don’t wash your hair with hot water.
Source: The Indian Express
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UPI123Pay: RBI launches new UPI service for feature phones
Mumbai (TIP)- RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday, March 8, launched a new service, which will enable over 40 crore feature phone users to undertake digital payments in a secure way. The service christened UPI (unified payments interface) ‘123PAY’ is a three-step method to initiate and execute services for users which will work on simple phones which do not have an internet connection. Das said, as of now, the multifaceted features of UPI are mostly available only on smartphones, which excludes people from the lower rung of the society from an economic perspective, especially in the rural areas, from accessing the popular service, even though the smartphone prices are going down. He said, the UPI volumes have touched to Rs 76 lakh crore in FY22 so far, as against Rs 41 lakh crore in FY21, and added that the day is not far when the overall volumes will touch Rs 100 lakh crore.
There are an estimated 40 crore mobile phone users who possess feature phones. At present, UPI services are available for such users through the USSD-based services, but the same has been found to be cumbersome and all the mobile operators do not allow such services, Deputy Governor T Rabi Shankar said. Feature phone users will now be able to undertake a host of transactions based on four technology alternatives. They include calling an IVR (interactive voice response) number, app functionality in feature phones, missed call-based approach and also proximity sound-based payments, the RBI said.
Such users can initiate payments to friends and family, pay utility bills, recharge the FAST Tags of their vehicles, pay mobile bills and also allow users to check account balances, it said, adding customers will also be able to link bank accounts, set or change UPI PINs.
A 24×7 helpline for digital payments was also launched by Das on Tuesday, which has also been set up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The helpline christened ‘Digisaathi’ will assist the callers/users with all their queries on digital payments via website and chatbot.
Services can be accessed via four alternatives:
– An IVR (interactive voice response) system thats users can call to make a transaction.
– A mobile phone app (for simpler phones) in which all transactions available on a UPI app on smartphone will be offered, except for the feature to scan and pay.
– Missed call-based approach in which users can send a missed call to initiate transactions.
– Proximity sound-based payments.
– Users can visit www.digisaathi.info or call on 14431 and 1800 891 3333 from their phones for their queries on digital payments and grievances.
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Apple Unveils 5G Versions of iPad Air, Low-End iPhone SE
Apple Inc. introduced 5G versions of its low-end iPhone SE and iPad Air tablet, as well as a redesigned Mac desktop computer and a new processor, kicking off what’s likely to be its biggest year yet for new product releases. Apple unveiled the devices during a virtual event Tuesday that it called “Peek performance.” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook also announced plans to bring Major League Baseball games to the company’s TV+ streaming service.
The presentation included a new Apple chip named M1 Ultra that the company called the most powerful personal-computer chip ever. The product is part of Apple’s yearslong shift away from using Intel Corp. processors in favor of its own components.
The new desktop computer, called the Mac Studio, features the M1 Ultra chip and is aimed at app developers, photo editors and video creators. Apple also unveiled a separate monitor.
Apple shares gained less than 1% to $160.50 at 1:32 p.m. in New York. They have fallen about 10% this year, in line with a broader slump.
Source: Bloomberg
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Ukraine war to sully clothes sales from Levi to Ralph Lauren
Levi Strauss and Ralph Lauren are among U.S. apparel brands likely to be worst hit by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which is again clogging supply chains in Europe where they derive at least a quarter of sales, Wall Street analysts say. American clothes firms’ European businesses were just recovering from two years of pandemic restrictions. But war-related Western sanctions on Moscow, airspace bans and shipping route changes have put new squeezes on East-West supply chains. “Cargo checks are now one of the biggest disruptions to shippers, making sure they are not breaking sanctions at ports in the EU (European Union) and the UK,” said Jane Hali, CEO of investment research firm Jane Hali & Associates. “Europe is definitely going to feel the brunt of the economic damage … which will impact consumer sentiment and consumer wallets,” CFRA Research analyst Zachary Warring said on the fallout for apparel retailers. Source: Reuters
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India and US to collaborate on building resilient supply chains: USTR report
Washington (TIP)-As part of its efforts to address the global supply chain crisis, the Joe Biden administration plans “to collaborate with India on building resilient supply chains and promote a transparent rules-based trading system for market economies and democracies,” the US Trade Representative has told Congress. In its 2021 Annual Report to Congress, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said the United States and India share a dynamic and important trade and investment relationship. In 2021, the United States and India re-launched the United States–India Trade Policy Forum (TPF), which had not met since 2017. When the first wave of COVID-19 hit the world, it caught most businesses off-guard as it disrupted supply chains, especially from China, on an unprecedented scale. Countries like the US and India have highlighted the importance of having a resilient supply chain network that is more robust and diverse. In 2022, USTR will look to the TPF to tackle issues that include the relationship between trade, labour, and the environment, it said. In November 2021, the two countries re-launched the United States–India Trade Policy Forum (TPF), which is the principal bilateral forum for discussing trade and investment issues affecting the two countries. During the TPF meeting, the United States and India had exchanged views on a broad range of trade concerns and issued a joint statement that highlighted the resolution of certain specific trade concerns and identified areas for future engagement through the TPF technical-level working groups on agricultural goods, non-agricultural goods, services and investment and intellectual property.
Source: PTI
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European gas futures surge 30% as Russia threatens to cut flows
European gas futures jumped as much as 32% after Russia threatened to cut natural gas supplies to Europe via the existing Nord Stream pipeline. In a further deterioration relations between Moscow and the European Union, Russia threatened to halt gas flowing along the pipeline to Germany. The warning is part of Russia’s response to international sanctions imposed on the country following its invasion of Ukraine. No decision has been taken yet, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Gas prices surged after climbing as much as 79% on Monday in the most volatile trading conditions markets in Europe have ever seen. Nord Stream, the biggest route for Russia’s gas supplies to Europe, shipped 59 billion cubic meters of gas last year — around 40% of the nation’s exports to the continent. Europe’s reliance on Russian energy has been a key factor in efforts by the continent’s leaders to agree on how to respond to the invasion of Ukraine. Last month, Berlin shelved the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, and European Union officials say they’re working on a plan that could cut the bloc’s import needs from Russia by almost 80% this year. Novak, who is also in charge of energy affairs, said Russia has information about possible action being planned against the Ukrainian gas transport system, according to Interfax news agency.
Source: Bloomberg
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Beefing up its cybersecurity, Google buys Mandiant for $5.4 billion
Google is fortifying its cloud services with a $5.4 billion acquisition of the cyber security firm Mandiant, the companies announced on Tuesday, March 8. The acquisition is the first of many that analysts foresee in the cyber security sector following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Analysts and government officials have said they expect a wave of cyberattacks from Russia and others as geopolitical tensions rise. “In a massive growth backdrop for cyber security and further tailwinds seen during this Ukraine invasion from Russia bad actors/nation state attacks, we believe today’s deal is the tip of the iceberg to a massive phase of consolidation potentially ahead for the cloud space,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote Tuesday.
Google, a subsidiary of Mountain View, California-based Alphabet Inc., will pay $23 per Mandiant share in all-cash deal expected to close this year. The price represents a 57% premium on Mandiant’s share price in early February, when speculation about a deal between the companies first surfaced.
Mandiant, based in Reston, Virginia, and its 5,300 employees will join Google Cloud as soon as the transaction closes.“The Mandiant brand is synonymous with unmatched insights for organizations seeking to keep themselves secure in a constantly changing environment,” said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. “This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world.”
Technology research and advisory firm Gartner estimates that total spending for worldwide information security and risk management reached $155 billion last year and is forecast to grow another 10% this year, to more than $170 billion.
Even before the war, stock analysts have been predicting growth of as much as 20% in the cyber security sector.
Russia has long been accused of disrupting other governments and businesses via online attacks and Western officials have warned that Russia could launch more cyberattacks against Ukraine and its allies.
Just one week before last month’s invasion, the US blamed Russia for a series of cyberattacks that knocked the websites of the Ukrainian army, the defense ministry and major banks offline.
Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration’s deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, said there was no intelligence indicating that the U.S. would be targeted by a cyberattack, but that remained a concern, giving that the banking system does not have the “cyber resilience” that it should. Source: AP
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Google tests darker ‘dark mode’ for its Android app
Tech giant Google is testing a darker dark mode for its Android search app, media reports say. The new shade still is not the same as the one presented in Google’s test of a pitch-black dark mode on desktops last month, reports The Verge.
Rather, the one spotted in the mobile app is darker than the usual dark gray but still lighter than pitch black. The new dark mode in Google’s mobile app could be more attractive for devices with OLED displays looking to save battery life, or who just prefer to use dark mode more, the report said. Android Police said that the new shade is available Google’s latest 13.8 beta in the Google Play Store which you can get via APKMirror, an archive that allows Android users to download items not readily available on their device, or go the official route by joining the beta test group. After Google confirmed that it was testing dark mode on desktops last year, the company confirmed a wide rollout of dark mode for Google Search in February for its desktop users, the report said.
Though users can access the app’s new colour shade on their own, a wider release could take months to get to more people officially.
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Android 12L coming to Samsung, Lenovo and Microsoft devices, says Google
Google has announced that it will bring the Android 12L operating system to Samsung, Lenovo and Microsoft devices later this year. The new OS brings changes to the home screen, lock screen, notification shade, device set-up screens and settings. The changes are largely designed to give users more information on the screen.
“Today we are introducing 12L, an update to Android 12 with features that will make tablets and foldables simpler and easier to use,” said Google’s VP of engineering for Android, Andrei Popescu. “We will continue to build more features and functionalities to help you make the most of your larger screen devices in Android 13 and beyond,” Popescu added.
The company recently announced Android 12L, a version of Android 12 optimised for tablets, foldables, and ChromeOS devices.
In addition to Android 12L, Google also announced new features in OS and Play for developers to better support these devices, reports TechCrunch. These include updates to its Material Design guidance for large-screen devices, but also updates to Jetpack Compose to make it easier to build for these machines and to ensure that apps can more easily adapt to various screen orientations and sizes.
On Android, YouTube Music users can now share songs with Snapchat
Snapchat sharing for YouTube Music was enabled on iOS in October and now a new report has claimed that it is available on Android.
The first indication that YouTube Music might be able to share songs to Instagram and Snapchat emerged in November of 2020, reports 9To5Google. When you open the share sheet in YouTube Music for Android and tap Snapchat, you will be able to send whatever you are listening to on Snapchat. The artwork for the album, the artist’s name, the app logo, and a link to listen to the music are all included.
Snapchat has also started rolling out a new feature to let users share their real-time location for 15 minutes or a few hours with friends.
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NASA studies 50-year-old lunar sample to prepare for return to Moon’s surface
Scientists at NASA are tapping into one of the last unopened Apollo-era lunar samples to learn more about the Moon and prepare for a return to its surface. NASA’s Artemis mission aims to bring back cold and sealed samples from near the lunar South Pole. The sample is being opened at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and studied by the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis Program (ANGSA) — a science team which aims to learn more about the sample and the lunar surface in advance of the upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon’s South Pole. “Understanding the geologic history and evolution of the Moon samples at the Apollo landing sites will help us prepare for the types of samples that may be encountered during Artemis,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement. When Apollo astronauts returned with these samples around 50 years ago, NASA had the foresight to keep some of them unopened and pristine. The ANGSA 73001 sample is part of an Apollo 17 drive tube sample collected by astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt in December 1972. The astronauts hammered a pair of connected 1.5-by-14-inch tubes into the lunar surface to collect segments of rocks and soil from a landslide deposit in the Moon’s Taurus-Littrow Valley.
Source: IANS
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Amalaki Ekadashi
Phalguna Shukla Paksha Ekadashi is known as Amalaki Ekadashi. Amalaki Ekadashi falls between Maha Shivaratri and Holi. Currently it is observed in month of February or March in English calendar. Parana means breaking the fast. Ekadashi Parana is done after sunrise on next day of Ekadashi fast. It is necessary to do Parana within Dwadashi Tithi unless Dwadashi is over before sunrise. Not doing Parana within Dwadashi is similar to an offence. This year, Amalaki Ekadashi falls on March 14 Monday.
Parana should not be done during Hari Vasara. One should wait for Hari Vasara to get over before breaking the fast. Hari Vasara is first one fourth duration of Dwadashi Tithi. The most preferred time to break the fast is Pratahkal. One should avoid breaking the fast during Madhyahna. If due to some reasons one is not able to break the fast during Pratahkal then one should do it after Madhyahna.
At times Ekadashi fasting is suggested on two consecutive days. It is advised that Smartha with family should observe fasting on first day only. The alternate Ekadashi fasting, which is the second one, is suggested for Sanyasis, widows and for those who want Moksha. When alternate Ekadashi fasting is suggested for Smartha it coincides with Vaishnava Ekadashi fasting day.
Ekadashi fasting on both days is suggested for staunch devotees who seek for love and affection of Lord Vishnu.
Significance of Amalaki Ekadashi
Amalaki Ekadashi is a sacred fasting day for Hindus. It is believed that by observing this Ekadashi, the person reaches to the abode of lord Vishnu, ‘Vaikunth’. The rituals and significance of Amalaki ekadashi is mentioned in the ‘Brahmanda Purana’ and was also narrated by Saint ‘Valmiki’. There are innumerable stories and folk tales in the Hindu Puranas that speak of the greatness of the Amalaki Ekadashi fast. This day is known to be very auspicious and is marked with special ritual and prayers. Even the day after Amalaki Ekadashi, recognized as ‘Govinda Dwadashi’ is believed to be highly fortunate.
The day of Amalaki Ekadashi is considered more significant owing to its relation to other Hindu festivals. This ekadashi falls between Maha Shivratri and Holi. The worshipping of amla tree on this day is a symbolic representation of the elaborate Hinduism practice. During this occasion, Goddess Lakshmi is also worshipped as She is known to be an omnipresent deity. It is also a widespread belief that Lord Krishna with His consort, Goddess Radha also resides near the tree. Devotees worship amla tree to gain good health and wealth.
Legend
According to one of the inscriptions, King Chitrasena along with his followers had observed the fast on Amlaki Ekadashi. During one of his hunting experiences, the king got captured by a group of demons. However, they were successfully destroyed after a divine power emerged from the body of King Chitrasena. After getting back the consciousness, the king learned that it was because of the Amalaki Ekadashi Vrat that he got protected.
Celebration and Rituals
After bathing in the river, devotees visit the temple of Lord Vishnu. They offer a pot filled with water, as well as a fine canopy, sandalwood, roli, flowers, diyas and aromatic incense to Amla tree. Brahmins are served with meals beneath the Amalaki tree. Most devotees observe a fast on this day and also perform all-night vigil, fasting, and worship Lord Vishnu Some devotees observe a partial fast, abstaining from food made of rice and grains.
– On the day of Amalaki Ekadashi, the devotees wake up at sunrise and get over with their morning rituals. They then worship Lord Vishnu and the sacred amla tree. A ‘sankalp’ is taken with sesame seeds and coins with the motive to attain moksha after death. After worshipping Lord Vishnu, the devotees pray to the Amalaka tree. They offer water, sandalwood, roli, chawal, flowers and incense sticks to the sacred tree. Following this the devotees offer food to a Brahmin, underneath the Amalaki tree. If the amla tree is unavailable, then the sacred Tulsi tree can be worshipped.
– On this day, the devotees observe a strict fast all day long and only food made from amla can be eaten. Some devotees also observe partial fast by simply avoiding food made from grains and rice. The observer of this vrat should also listen to the Amalaki Ekadashi vrat katha after finishing the puja rituals.
– The devotees stay awake all night on the day of Amalaki Ekadashi and chant the bhajans and rhymes in the name of Lord Vishnu.
Know why the Amla tree is worshipped
– Devotees of Lord Vishnu who observe Ekadashi fast believe that Amla tree is sacred. According to legends, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Damodara or Krishna and Radha are said to reside near the tree.
– The berries of the Amla tree are known for their great medicinal value and is widely used in Ayurvedic preparations. Amla tops the list of superfoods today as it is rich in Vitamin C, which boosts immunity. People who worship the Amala tree also prepare food items out of Amla on this day.
– People who observe Amalaki Ekadashi usually wake up early and take a bath before sunrise. Devotees of Lord Vishnu fast on Ekadashi to seek his blessings. A strict fast is an important part of Ekadashi and people eat the next day only after sunrise. Grains and cereals are not allowed during Ekadashi fast but many who are working have fruits and juices in the afternoon.
– People read the Ekadashi Vrat Katha around an Amla tree and offer coconut and flowers. After the puja, Ekadashi aarti is performed.
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Germans offer up 300,000 private homes for refugees from Ukraine
Berlin (TIP): Germans have offered up 300,000 private homes to house refugees from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country, Germany’s interior ministry said on March 10. The ministry is cooperating with the non-profit gut.org AG and home rental company AirbnbInc’s non-profit arm Airbnb.org to assign refugees to housing offers, it said on March 10. More than 2.3 million people have fled from Ukraine since the invasion, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Most are women and children, as able-bodied men have been ordered by the Kyiv government to stay home to fight. As of Wednesday, just over 80,000 Ukrainian refugees had been registered in Germany, with more arriving every day. Many of them arrive in Berlin by train or bus, which has prompted the German capital to set up temporary accommodation at its shuttered Tegel airport to house up to 3,000 people. From there, refugees would be distributed to longer-term homes, in Berlin or elsewhere in Germany.
Reuters
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Russia rejects Ukraine charge of genocide as invasion enters third week
Lviv (TIP): Russia’s war in Ukraine entered the third week on March 10 with none of its stated objectives reached despite thousands of people killed, more than two million made refugees, and thousands forced to cower in besieged cities under relentless bombardment.
Ukraine said Russia was carrying out “genocide” by bombing a children’s hospital in the city of Mariupol. Russia said the reports were “fake news” as the building was a former maternity hospital that had long been taken over by troops.
Moscow’s stated objectives of crushing the Ukrainian military and ousting the pro-West elected government of President VolodymyrZelenskyy remained out of reach, with Zelenskyy unshaken and Western military aid pouring across the Polish and Romanian borders. The UK Defence Ministry said on Thursday that a large Russian column northwest of Kyiv had made little progress in over a week and was suffering continued losses. It added that as casualties mount, Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to draw from across the armed forces to replace the losses.
Putin has said the advance by his forces in Ukraine was going according to plan and to schedule. Russia calls its incursion a “special operation” to disarm its neighbour and dislodge leaders it calls “neo-Nazis.”
Western-led sanctions designed to cut the Russian economy and government from international financial markets were also beginning to bite, with the Russian share market and rouble plunging and ordinary Russians rushing to hoard cash.
‘Hospital bombed’
Zelenskyy accused Russia of carrying out “genocide” after Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft bombed a children’s hospital on Wednesday, burying patients in rubble despite a ceasefire deal for people to flee Mariupol.
“What kind of country is this, the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals, is afraid of maternity hospitals, and destroys them?” Zelenskyy said in a televised address late on Wednesday.
The attack, which authorities said injured women in labour and left children in the wreckage, underscored U.S. warnings that the biggest assault on a European state since 1945 could become increasingly attritional after Russia’s early failures.