PERTH (TIP): Punjabi is all set to be taught in public schools of Western Australia. As per the WA government statement, development of Punjabi curriculum for WA schools will commence this year and syllabuses will be developed for pre-primary to Year 12.
Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery said a Punjabi curriculum will be developed and made available to Western Australian schools. “Punjabi will be fully developed in Western Australia by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority for pre-primary to Year 12 students,” she stated.
Curriculum writers will develop syllabuses and support materials for schools.
In Western Australia, languages education becomes compulsory from Year 3. The pre-primary to Year 10 syllabuses will be available to schools from 2024.
It is anticipated that the Year 11 courses will be available to students in 2024, with the first ATAR Course Examination to be set in 2025. This follows the announcement in 2021 of the development of syllabuses for Hindi, Korean and Tamil, which will be introduced to schools next year.
“With more than 190 languages spoken throughout Western Australia, linguistic diversity is a great strength of our State and provides a range of social, cultural and economic benefits,” said Sue Ellery.
“It is also important that we develop courses that suit the needs of our young people.
“Last year, the WA Government led the state’s largest ever business delegation to India amid a broader strengthening of our engagement with the country. I am pleased to see the ongoing expansion of languages curriculum for WA students, and the development of Punjabi curriculum is particularly fitting given it could support students in key future employment opportunities,” she stated.
WHITEHORSE (TIP): Indian-origin cabinet minister Ranj Pillai is set to be sworn in as the tenth Premier of the Canadian province of Yukon. He will be the second Premier of Indian descent to take oath after Ujjal Dosanjh who became the Premier of Canada’s British Columbia province between 2000 and 2001.
A deputy in Premier Sandy Silver’s government, Pillai was elected as the leader of the Yukon Liberal Party unopposed. “I am honored and humbled to be acclaimed as the leader of the Yukon Liberal Party. We have so much to be proud of and I’m very excited for what the future of the Yukon holds,” Pillai said in his campaign statement. “I am committed to working hard, seeking common ground, acting strategically and to fiercely defending the interests of the Yukon. I look forward to serving all Yukoners as our dedicated team continues to make this territory one of the best places to call home,” he added.
Pillai, who hails from Kerala, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as MLA for Porter Creek South in November 2016 and was inducted into the Cabinet as Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Economic Development.
AUCKLAND (TIP): A gas station owned by an Indian-origin businessman was attacked by unknown assailants in New Zealand, a media report has said, in yet another instance of violence against small-scale businesses in the country. The gas station on Kaurilands Road owned by Kanna Sharma in Auckland was ram-raided by robbers in the early hours on Thursday, a police statement said. Around 2.20 am, the store was rammed through the front door at least three times, shattering the glass and damaging the front grille, media reported. The thieves stole cigarettes, vapes, and many other products from Sharma’s shop, the report said. Sharma said it’s the third such attack on his business, it said. “It’s a nightmare,” Sharma told the media.
“This is the third time I’ve been ram-raided, and I’m shattered. My family is shattered. It’s hard to believe a place like New Zealand can be such a nightmare,” he added.
New Zealand has seen an uptick in the cases of violence against small-scale businesses in recent times. A 34-year-old Indian-origin dairy shop worker, Janak Patel, was murdered in Sandringham in November last year.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): An Indian American aerospace industry expert has been appointed as NASA’s new chief technologist to serve as principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson on technology policy and programs at the space agency’s headquarters here.
In his position, AC Charania will align NASA’s agencywide technology investments with mission needs across six mission directorates and oversee technology collaboration with other federal agencies, the private sector, and external stakeholders, NASA said in a statement on Monday.
The position works within NASA’s Office for Technology, Policy, and Strategy.
“Technology plays a vital role in every NASA mission. Making sure that we’re pursuing the best policy objectives allows this agency to continue to serve as a global leader in innovation,” Bhavya Lal, NASA associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy, was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Charania is an experienced leader in managing large, rapidly shifting technology portfolios. I am eager for him to apply his knowledge and enthusiasm at NASA,” Lal said. Lal served as acting chief technologist prior to the appointment of Charania, whose first day working at NASA Headquarters was January 3.
“The rate of advancement we seek in the 21st century is dependent upon selecting and maturing a portfolio of technologies into systems to execute our missions,” Charania said in the statement.
“With this in mind, there are incredible opportunities in partnerships within and outside of NASA. I now look forward to the opportunity to work with the entire community to increase the rate of space and aviation progress,” he added. Prior to joining NASA, he served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm that works to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation.
His previous experience also includes working at Blue Origin to mature its lunar permanence strategy, Blue Moon lunar lander program, and multiple technology initiatives with NASA.
Charania has also worked in strategy and business development for the Virgin Galactic (now Virgin Orbit) LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle program. Charania led the formation of the Fast Forward industry group focused on high-speed point-to-point transportation, was a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, and served on the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Commercial Advisory Board, according to the release. He received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s in economics from Emory University.
MCKINNEY, TX (TIP): An Indian American man in Texas faces capital murder charges for allegedly stabbing his nine-year-old son to death, police said. Subramanian Ponnazhakan, 39, of McKinney, is in police custody at a hospital for “self-inflicted wounds” and his bail has been set at $1 million, the McKinney Police Department said in a statement on Sunday, January 8. Police said they got a call from a neighbor last week who said that a woman had found her son “unconscious and bleeding” inside a home near Highway 380 and Custer Road. When officers entered the house “forcefully”, they found the woman’s husband in the act of inflicting self-harm with a knife. The boy, who was found with multiple stab wounds in the garage, was pronounced dead on the spot. Police said that further investigations are on in the case. “We continue to keep the child’s mother and their entire family in our thoughts and prayers during this unspeakably difficult time,” a McKinney Police Department spokeswoman said.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): An Indian American body has welcomed the nomination of lawyer diplomat Richard Verma for Deputy Secretary of State, a top diplomatic position in the State Department.
In December, the White House in a statement said that Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate 54-year-old Verma to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. If confirmed by the US Senate, Verma, also a former US ambassador to India, would be the highest-ranking Indian American in the State Department.
“This nomination is yet another historic addition by President Biden in his campaign pledge to diversify the current administration,” Indian American Impact Fund said in a statement. Verma’s historic opportunity to join the State Department is the culmination of his long and illustrious career in public service.
“We at Indian American Impact are thrilled to witness and potentially welcome the historic confirmation of yet another visionary South Asian leader,” said Neil Makhija, executive director of Indian American Impact Fund.
HOUSTON (TIP): Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris County judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the US. Singh was born and raised in Houston and now lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children. She was sworn in as a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4 in Texas on Friday, January 6. Singh’s father immigrated to the US in the early 1970s. A trial lawyer for 20 years, she has been involved in numerous civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.
“It means a lot to me because I represent H-town (a nickname of Houston) the most, so for it to be us, I’m happy for it,” she said at the oath ceremony.
Indian American Judge Ravi Sandill, the state’s first South Asian judge, presided over the ceremony, which took place in a packed courtroom. “It’s a really big moment for the Sikh community,” Sandill said.
“When they see someone of color, someone a little different, they know that possibility is available to them. Manpreet is not only an ambassador for Sikhs, but she’s an ambassador for all women of color,” he said.
There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US, with 20,000 Sikhs living in the Houston area.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said: “It was a proud day for the Sikh Community, but also a proud day for all people of Color who see the Diversity of the City of Houston in the Diversity of the Court”.
ATLANTA (TIP): An Indian American doctor has agreed to pay approximately $1,850,000 for allegedly billing the government for cataract surgeries and diagnostic tests that were not medically required.
Aarti D. Pandya and her Pandya Practice Group violated the False Claims Act by also performing and billing for tests that were incomplete or of worthless value, and office visits that did not provide the level of service claimed.
“Physicians who perform procedures and tests without a legitimate medical need place profits ahead of patients and subject those patients to unnecessary risk,” told US Attorney Ryan K Buchanan in a statement released on Monday. “This settlement represents our office’s commitment to ensuring accountability for physicians who subject patients to unwarranted medical care and waste taxpayer funds,” Buchanan said.
From January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2016, Pandya knowingly submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs for medically unnecessary cataract extraction surgeries and YAG laser capsulotomies, according to a Justice Department release.
The prosecution alleged that Pandya performed these procedures on patients that did not qualify for the procedure under accepted standards of medical practice and, in some cases, caused injury to her patients.
Additionally, it accused Pandya of falsely diagnosing patients with glaucoma to justify unnecessary diagnostic testing and treatment that was billed to Medicare.
The prosecution also said that many of the diagnostic tests that Pandya ordered were not properly performed, were performed on a broken machine, or were not interpreted in the medical record, as required by Medicare.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) imposed in 2019 a payment suspension on the Pandya Practice Group that precluded it from receiving any reimbursement from Medicare for Part B claims.
As part of the settlement of the government’s claims in this case, the Pandya Practice Group agreed to forfeit the suspension amount to the government. The payment suspension will also be lifted as part of the settlement.
To protect federal healthcare programs and beneficiaries going forward, Pandya and the Pandya Practice Group have entered into a detailed, multi-year Integrity Agreement and Conditional Exclusion Release (IA) with the Office of Inspector General. “We must assure patients and taxpayers that healthcare is dictated by clinical needs, not fiscal greed,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This settlement should serve as a reminder that the FBI will not tolerate healthcare providers who engage in schemes that defraud the industry and put innocent patients at risk.”
PANIPAT (TIP): Indian American academic Prof Sheila Sen Jasanoff Holberg Awardee, 2022, along with Prof Jay H. Jasanoff and social science students Alan Jasanoff and Hilton Simmet from Harvard University USA, joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday, January 6 morning.
The yatra resumed from the Sanoli-Panipat Road in Haryana.
A public meeting will also be addressed by Rahul Gandhi in Panipat. Thousands of people welcomed the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in the Panipat district of Haryana with fireworks. Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra on Thursday, January 5 completed its Uttar Pradesh leg and re-entered the state of Haryana.
Talking to ANI about the Yatra, Congress leader Selja Kumari said, “Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, we will walk from the border to Panipat. We will have a massive rally, where Rahul Gandhi will address the public. There is a lot of enthusiasm in the people of Haryana, as they look up to Rahul Gandhi for their future. Taking inspiration from Rahul Gandhi, Congress will work hard in Haryana,” she added.
Launching a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress leader said, “BJP is anxious because what started as a ‘Yatra’ has now become a ‘Jan Aandolan’.
Selja Kumari alleged that the industries in Panipat were in bad shape. “We should have been top in export, but we are not,” she said. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra which started from Kanyakumari last year.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Photo credit: apollotheater.org)
By Mabel Pais
Event Date: January 15, 2023
Event Time: 3:00 PM EST
Location: Apollo’s Historic Theater, 253 West 125th Street New York, NY
Tickets: Tickets are free, but RSVP is required
UPTOWN HALL: MLK- BLUEPRINT FOR THE CULTURE
PRESENTED BY WNYC & THE APOLLO
The 17th annual Apollo Uptown Hall MLK celebration focuses on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s as the template for modern social and civil justice movements. This year is a celebration of young people impacting society through activism, engagement, and a commitment to justice.
The Apollo has a decades-long tradition of serving as a convener for local community residents as well as people from across New York City. That tradition continues as the Apollo partners with WNYC in its annual celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his enduring legacy on the culture. WNYC’s ‘Notes from America’ host, Kai Wright moderates the first hour of this year’s celebration followed by music, spoken word and other forms of creative expressions with WQXR’s Terrance McKnight. Learn more at apollotheater.org/event/uptown-hall-mlk-blueprint-for-the-culture
Following the in-person program, Celebrate MLK’s National Day of Service with an inspiring panel on the Apollo Digital Stage featuring a discussion on the pivotal role of young voices affecting change within their communities, curated by the Apollo Young Producers.
APOLLO YOUNG PRODUCERS PRESENTS: YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS
Apollo Young Producers – left to right: Tania Maree Giordani, Natalie Hernandez, Luis Jonathan Hernandez, Deja Foxx. (Photo credit: apollotheater.org)
Event Date: January 15, 2023
Event Time: 5:00 PM EST
Location: Apollo Digital Stage
Tickets: Free, but RSVP is required
A Virtual Event
PANEL DISCUSSION
Watch the Apollo Digital Stage, a virtual event celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Day of Service. Curated by the Apollo Young Producers, a dynamic group of alumni from the Apollo’s high school and college programs, this inspiring panel discussion highlights emerging activists and community leaders as they tackle gun violence, reproductive rights, and the need for holistic community care. Explore how young people can harness their unique talents to affect change and better serve their communities. Meet them on the Apollo Digital Stage to share resources, find support, and discuss experiences with the leaders of tomorrow.
‘MLK: Young Changemakers’ is a continuation of the Apollo’s 2022-2023 season, ‘The Next Movement,’ an exploration of what’s new, now and next in music, dance, art and ideas.
FEATURING PANELISTS
Luis Jonathan Hernandez, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Youth Over Guns
Deja Foxx, Activist, Founder of GenZ Girl Gang, Co-Founder El Rio RHAP
Tania Maree Giordani, Founder and Director at NourishNYC
Natalie Hernandez, Moderator
To learn more about each “changemaker” panelist, visit apollotheater.org/event/apollo-young-producers-presents-young-changemakers-2023/
HOW TO WATCH
Apollo Digital Stage
Facebook
Youtube
HEALTH SAFETY PROTOCOLS
For the safety of the artists, audiences and staff, face coverings are optional but encouraged for all attendees while inside the theater. For more information about the Apollo’s COVID safety policies, visit apollotheater.org/covid-19.
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JCC WELCOMES YOU TO NEW YEAR FITNESS FAIR
By Mabel Pais
Fitness Class. (Photo credit/JCC)
WHEN: Sunday, January 8, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
WHAT: Hundreds of New Yorkers will kick off the new year with 20+ free fitness and wellness classes, offered in person and online, including Yoga for Bone Health, Dance Fitness, Nia Rockin’ New Year’s Jam, Self Defense, Tai Chi & Qi Gong, Zentangle, a salsa dance soiree and wine tasting to close the day, and more.
BENEFITS:
In addition to the day-long festivities, the JCC will offer a discount to Health Club membership for those who register during the event, along with discounts on personal training and massage. “We are delighted to welcome the community through our doors for this special annual event,” said Melissa Donovan, Chief Operating Officer, Health & Wellness of MMJCCM. “It’s vitally important that people have opportunities to connect with caring communities, vibrant programs, and evidence-based information on their wellness journey. The new year is a moment of reboot for many people, resolutions or not, and we love sharing a sampling of the wonderful classes and expertise that you can expect from the JCC year-round.”
PRE-REGISTRATION:
To pre-register and for more information, visit mmjccm.org/newyears.
WHO: Hundreds of New Yorkers who want to start the new year with a focus on getting and staying fit and healthy.
HEALTH SAFETY PROTOCOLS
For updated health safety protocols, visit mmjccm.org/about/policies-practices#covid
THE MARLENE MEYERSON JCC MANHATTAN (MMJCCM):
Together with its community, the MMJCCM creates opportunities for people to connect, grow, and learn within an ever-changing landscape. Located on 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the JCC is a vibrant non-profit community center on the Upper West Side. It also presents a robust slate of virtual programming, serving an even wider community. The JCC serves over 55,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants’ minds, bodies, and spirits. Throughout COVID-19, the JCC has pivoted to meet the community online, exceeding 102,000 registrations to over 3,000 virtual classes and programs in the earliest part of the pandemic. Since its inception, the JCC has been committed to serving the community by offering programs, classes, and events that extend beyond neighborhood boundaries, reaching people at all stages of their lives. Learn more at mmjccm.org
(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, Health & Wellness, The Arts and Entertainment, Cuisine and Spirituality)
Ganesha says, you will be capable to purchase brand-new items this week, and because of your goodness and personality, you will certainly accomplish. You’ll be able to confirm that the prior decisions you chose were wise ones instead of mistakes. You can achieve it no matter what you decide. Your spouse will highlight your talents and shortcomings this week in regardto your love relationship, bringing out the finest in you. Create a personalized gift for them. You will be experiencing migraines on the medical front but ignoring them might be harmful.
Taurus
Ganesha says,this week, you’ll have the want to accomplish many goals, and everything you do is going to be accomplished. You’ll be capable of maintaining your attention on all areas of your existence and finish each project on time. Keep your composure, and achievement will come quickly. Bring your partner to a place they like for personal outings. This is a great time to prolong the discussion because you wish to offer them anything else but are reluctant to. On the healthcare side, be careful while selecting a snooze pattern since you might get cervical soreness.
Gemini
Ganesha saysyour day is going to be anything less than a joyful surprise. Due to your involvement in philanthropy and efforts this week, you will feel joyful and thrilled. You’ll succeed one day because of your good personality. This week, your action of kindness has the potential to change people ‘s fortunes. The love life this week will require persistence. It’s possible that your spouse won’t support all of your decisions. We shall discuss with seniors on your wedded relationship. Your general well-being will be superb. You should stick to your exercise routine.
Cancer
Ganesha says,your actions from previously will dictate how you behave now. You will be prepared to put everything into anything you decide to do. This week, you’re learning to set aside your prior mistakes. This week, you’ll respect oneself. Ensure you don’t make rash decisions when it pertains to romance. A subsequent period of peace may be disturbed by your partner’s slight unease over your connection. On the domestic level, this week will be a strong and consistent day. The wellbeing of the aged will be affected by climate variations. You’ll have such a good day all around.
Leo
Ganesha says,Kindness and happiness are in plenty this week. You will have a day of advantages this week. You won’t be carrying any weights this week. It’s going to be a good day this week. The company will run well this week, and all will proceed as planned. Your dating relationship will become chaotic. You’ll really have to communicate easily with your friend. This week, you might not agree with everybody in your household, but all will turn out for the best in the finish. You won’t need to worry concerning your wellness, it will be fine.
Virgo
Ganesha says,you will evaluate a bunch of data this week, either good or bad, as this is the initial journey to a new start. Take little steps as opposed to a massive leap. You will experience nice and happy at the end of the day. This week, your partner could surprise you with something truly lovely, and you’ll be thrilled to be a share of it. Your house sides of the line’ judicial issues affecting household land or assets will be resolved by day’s end. This week, you’ll need to drive and stroll carefully due to the chance you’ll have a minor accident.
Libra
Ganesha says, this week, you’ll notice a favorable change in your view of life. You’ll view your situation with renewed eyes this week and from a more positive angle. You’ll feel revitalized, eager to step outside of your own range this week and advance in every facet of your existence. You might impress your partner romantically by taking an unusual action for them. Take exceptional management of your wellness now and throughout this week. Keep clear from peaks this week.
Scorpio
Ganesha says,you’ll address the issues with your work this week. It’s essential. You get the opportunity this week to accept all that is wrong with your circumstances and not allow it to influence your decision. You’ll sharpen and bolster your assessment skills this week. The best time to propose marriage to your partner and to heighten their desire to you is this week. Jupiter is going to be on your team. You should start exercising Pilates and relaxation this week since they will assist you in a number of approaches and help you define your objectives.
Sagittarius
Ganesha says,This week, you’ll priorities your needs and your work. This week, you’ll be capable to learn what motivates you and nourishes your cognitive powers. You’ll improve your professional productivity by focusing on the aspects of your career that are right ahead of you. Try to strengthen your bond with your mate this week. This week, interpersonal difficulties will face newlywed couples. It’s possible that you’ve been engaging in demanding activities for a while to maintain your physique in condition, and as a consequence, you’re currently dealing with shoulder discomfort. It might be wise to take a rest this week.
Capricorn
Ganesha says,you will master the skill of choosing the greatest options this week. You will get more from your connections, and you will see a shift in your relationships with your relatives as well. Each of these will aid in creating a fresh outlook in preparation for a fresh beginning. You will go outside with your buddy to a peaceful area and talk about your upcoming ambitions there. Your psychological state this week may suffer as a result of how literally and strictly you are treating matters. Maintain your composure and pay attention to the moment. If you are uncomfortable preceding bed, you will get migraines.
Aquarius
Ganesha says,you’ll be in charge of oneself this week. You’ll be ready to speak your mind loudly and plainly this week. You will have a day of extreme patience this week. Without any reluctance or inconveniences, you will receive what you want in its entirety. You will blatantly request what you want this week. On the emotional side, there’s a possibility that you’ll be capable of making a wonderful proposal to anyone you genuinely admire. Regarding your wellness, you’re going to mentally examine oneself. Visit a beautiful setting and look for peace there.
Pisces
Ganesha says,you’ll be capable of finishing chores that you’ve been intending to do for a while. This week, you will get rid of negative influences from your existence and encounter like-minded people. You will get attraction and great luck on this day, but you’ll also learn priceless truths. Your beloved will be going through a happy time in their relationship. This week, Jupiter will favor couples, enabling them to plan for a kid as well as buy a nice home or additional luxuries. You should watch what you eat since food poisoning could happen. For a normal checkup, contact a physician, and don’t take things carelessly.
Ganesha says today is predicted to bring both financial success and good health. Entrepreneurs will put their money into more lucrative projects. Through social events and travel, promising contacts will develop. Despite your irregular behavior with her, your spouse will be quite accommodating and offer you her whole love and affection. Although it won’t last long, a crush inside the group will temporarily lift your mood. A distant relative’s unexpected assistance will greatly advance your professional standing.
January 10
Ganesha says your opportunities to realize your dreams may be plentiful on this day. You would put a great priority on taking a vacation to a faraway place. You’ll make new connections and successful alliances throughout this time as well. There will be long-expected financial gains. Your financial position will be significantly better than anticipated due to speculation and unanticipated gains. While your spouse would provide you with love and support and listen to your worries, you might find that your kids take advantage of your generosity and let you down.
January 11
Ganesha says you might observe the development of fresh concepts and schemes. Your ability to generate more money and forge significant connections will both increase thanks to Day. In spite of acting very possessively and erratically, a spouse will show love and concern. By the end, it’s possible that you’ll take a trip, ideally to a far-off place. Your confidence will increase when you receive support from your superiors and coworkers. Some people will benefit financially from assignments abroad.
January 12
Ganesha says providing you take advantage of the options being presented to you, you will experience good financial advantages. You’ll become popular and gain favors thanks to your extroverted nature and charisma. Your spouse and kids will take good care of you, but they can be very demanding at times. Some people are about to get married, while others will find romance to help them stay in the appropriate frame of mind and mood. There will be calm at home with family members offering all available assistance and cooperation.
January 13
Ganesha says this time, don’t be reluctant to carry out your new plans. If you can seize the appropriate opportunities, fame and money will be at your door. Gains from speculation are also highly plausible. There will be ideal life partners for those looking for marriage relationships. Despite the long hours you might put in at work, your health will improve. You will form new connections and attachments that will open up doors for you.
January 14
Ganesha says the day can have a lot of fresh surprises and benefits for you. This time, your long-held desires are probably going to come true. Your financial situation will improve, and your confidence will increase, if you find new sources of income. Legal matters are likely to take much longer than anticipated and prove to be quite expensive. Children will excel in their chosen vocations and show you support and understanding. Work-related travel is advantageous and extremely gratifying.
January 15
Ganesha says your confidence will increase as business prospers and you make money. The legal issues that have been weighing on your mind will be resolved to your satisfaction. The family’s elders and young ones will need a lot of your focus. You may worry and worry about your spouse’s health. Near the end of the year, athletes and artists can anticipate some renown. For some, promotions and pay raises are likely. A tight relationship could get strained due to unimportant matters.
Sania Mirza, India’s former doubles world number one, said she will call time on her career aged 36 after next month’s Dubai Tennis Championships, after her 2022 retirement plans were delayed due to injury. Mirza, regarded as her country’s greatest women’s tennis player, has won six Grand Slam doubles titles and will compete in her final major this month at the Australian Open, where she bagged the women’s doubles crown in 2016. “I was going to stop right after the WTA Finals because we were going to make the WTA Finals, but I tore my tendon in my elbow right before U.S. Open, so I had to pull out of everything,” Mirza told the WTA Tour’s website in an interview published on Friday. Mirza, who has been dealing with a lingering calf injury, had planned to retire at the end of the 2022 season but an elbow injury in August ruled her out of the U.S. Open. “Honestly, the person that I am, I like to do things on my own terms. So I don’t want to be forced out by injury. So I’ve been training,” she added.
Mirza became the first Indian to win a WTA singles title, when she won her hometown Hyderabad event in 2005. She broke into the top 30 by 2007 and reached her career-high ranking of world number 27.
After being plagued by a recurring, career-threatening wrist injury, Mirza forged a doubles partnership with Swiss great Martina Hingis. The self-styled “Santina” team won 14 titles, including Wimbledon and the U.S. and Australian Opens.
Pune (TIP)- Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel struck blistering fifties in a stunning 91-run stand, albeit in a losing cause as Sri Lanka tightened the screws in the nick of time to beat India by 16 runs in the second T20I and level the three-match series 1-1 here on Thursday, January 5. Skipper Dasun Shanaka made a rear-guard unbeaten 56 off 22 balls, while wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis hit a 31-ball 52 to power Sri Lanka to an imposing 206 for 6.
India had a nightmarish start to their chase slumping to 57 for 5 before Axar (65 off 31) and Surya (51 off 36) raised hopes of an improbable win with a scintillating sixth-wicket stand.
The task became tough once Surya departed in the 16th over, but Axar and Shivam Mavi (26 off 15) shared quick 41 runs to bring down the equation to 21 off the last over.
But Axar’s dismissal in the third ball of the final over was the last nail in the coffin for India.
Chasing the total, India lost openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill in the second over to Kasun Rajitha.
If that was not enough debutant Rahul Tripathi sneaked one to Kusal Mendis off Dilshan Madhushanaka in the next over before skipper Hardik Pandya departed an over later as India slumped to 34 for 4 in 4.4 overs. Surya and Deepak Hooda tried to stabilise the innings with a hard-fought 23-run partnership but with the asking rate creeping up, the latter departed in search of a big shot, caught by Dhananjaya de Silva off Hasarnaga de Silva as India lost half of their side for 57. Surya and Axar tried to up the ante with a sensational 91-run sixth-wicket partnership off just 40 balls to keep India afloat after a forgettable start. Axar was particularly severe on off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana, clobbering the bowler for a four and six over long-on in the 13th over.
It was not just Theekshana, Hasaranga de Silva too had to bear the brunt of Axar’s aggression as the left-hander smacked the bowler for a hat-trick of sixes in the 14th over. Axar brought up his maiden fifty off just 20 balls with a six of Karunaratne over long-off. Surya followed suit, registering another fine fifty with a six off over square-leg off Madhushanaka. The duo raised hopes of a famous victory but it was not to be as the visitors pulled the strings just in time to level the series. Earlier, it was a disastrous performance from the Indian bowlers after electing to field as the Lankan batters went hammer and tongs from the onset. Barring Axar (2/24 from his 4 overs), all other Indian bowlers went for runs. Even though speedster Umar Malik (3/48) picked up three wickets, he too was taken to the cleaners, while last match’s hero Mavi (0/53) looked a pale shadow of himself.
Arshdeep Singh conceded 19 runs of the second over, which included two back-to-back no balls that yielded 17 runs.
Adelaide (TIP)- Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 at the Adelaide International on Friday, January 6, to set up a semifinal with Daniil Medvedev. The combined ATP-WTA event is a warmup for this year’s Australian Open, which the top-seeded Djokovic missed last year after being barred from the country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. “Early on he was a better player. He was dictating,” said 35-year-old Serb Djokovic after improving to 8-0 against his Canadian opponent.
“(Then) I started finding my serve and my groove on the court.”
The 21-time Grand Slam winner, who is preparing for a shot at a 10th Australian Open title, will face third-seeded Medvedev on Saturday. “I don’t think there’s going to be too many short points tomorrow unless we both serve well,” Djokovic said. “Normally when you play Daniil, you have to be ready to go the distance, physically, mentally, game-wise.”
Medvedev, the runner-up last year to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open, defeated fellow Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-3 on Friday.
“It’s never easy to play your compatriot,” Medvedev said. “I’m happy that I managed to really raise my level, especially in the end of both sets, and really happy to be through to the semis.”
New Delhi (TIP)- Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) chief Sahdev Yadav had made a sensational claim to this correspondent during the National Games last October, when he said a lot of weightlifters don’t join national camps in order to dope-up before domestic tournaments. Yadav’s statement has been substantiated as K Sanjita Chanu, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist — and winner of silver behind Mirabai Chanu in the 49kg category at the National Games — has been provisionally suspended for a doping offence. Sanjita’s sample was taken on September 30, the day she lifted a total of 187kg to finish second. Both her ‘A’ and ‘B’ samples have shown the presence of Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid that is in the specified list of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list.
Sanjita, who will now have to appear before the anti-doping disciplinary panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency, can get a four-year suspension for this offence. If found guilty, she stands to lose her National Games silver. Previously, Sanjita was erroneously banned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in June 2018 after her samples taken during the 2017 World Championships showed the presence of testosterone. Sanjita had claimed a ‘conspiracy’ behind that offence and was given the all-clear by the IWF in January 2019, through a letter by its legal counsel Dr Eva Nyirfa. Source: TNS
New Delhi (TIP)- The Indian services sector growth touched a six-month high in December, supported by a robust intake of new work and favourable market conditions, a monthly survey said on January 4.
The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Services PMI Business Activity Index rose from 56.4 in November to 58.5 in December, highlighting the strongest rate of expansion since mid-2022. For the 17th straight month, the headline figure was above the neutral 50 threshold. In Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) parlance, a print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction. “December saw a welcome expansion in Indian services activity, underscoring the resilience of demand as 2022 came to an end,” said Pollyanna De Lima, Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Lima noted that “as we head into 2023, companies signalled strong optimism towards the outlook for output. Around 31 per cent of panellists forecast growth, while only 2 per cent anticipate a contraction.” Meanwhile, in December, more jobs were created and companies remained strongly upbeat towards the year ahead outlook for business activity.
“Positive sentiment and ongoing growth of new business continued to support job creation, but there were areas where capacities were reportedly adequate to cope with current requirements,” Lima said. On the inflation front, input costs at services companies rose further, with companies mentioning wage pressures and higher prices for energy, food and transportation.
“Inflation trends were mixed, as input prices rose at a faster pace and the upturn in charges moderated. On the expense front, services firms reported pressure from energy, food, staff and transportation costs,” Lima said.
Meanwhile, the S&P Global India Composite PMI Output Index — which measures combined services and manufacturing output — rose from 56.7 in November to 59.4 in December.
“Aggregate sales rose sharply and at the fastest pace since August, boosted by quicker expansions at goods producers and services companies,” the survey said. Source: PTI
Seattle (TIP)- Amazon plans to cut more than 18,000 jobs, the largest number in the firm’s history, as it battles to save costs. The online giant, which employs 1.5 million people globally, did not say which countries the job cuts would hit, but said they would include Europe. Most of the job losses will come from its consumer retail business and its human resources division.
Boss Andy Jassy cited the “uncertain economy” for the cuts, saying it had “hired rapidly over several years.” “We don’t take these decisions lightly or underestimate how much they might affect the lives of those who are impacted,” he said in a memo to staff.
He said the announcement had been brought forward due to one of the firm’s employees leaking the cuts externally. “Companies that last a long time go through different phases. They’re not in heavy people expansion mode every year,” he added.
Reacting to the announcement, one Amazon Fresh store worker told the BBC: “We’re not allowed to speak about it, even to each other. “I’d like to keep my job, obviously,” the employee said. But they were aware that there are a number of vacancies at the moment in the UK and if this job was axed, they would simply apply for another. Amazon has seen sales slow after business boomed during the pandemic when customers at home spent a lot online.
Washington (TIP)- The U.S. economy added jobs at a solid clip in December, pushing the unemployment rate back to a pre-pandemic low of 3.5 per cent as the labour market remains tight, but Federal Reserve officials could draw some solace from a moderation in wage gains. Still, the U.S. central bank’s fight against inflation is far from being won. The Labor Department’s closely watched employment report on Friday also showed household employment increasing by a whopping 717,000 jobs last month. Recent declines in household employment had fanned speculation that nonfarm payrolls, the main measure of employment gains, were overstating job growth.
The labour market has remained strong, despite the Fed embarking last March on its fastest interest rate-hiking since the 1980s. It is underpinning the economy by sustaining consumer spending. But the economy’s resilience raises the risk the Fed could lift its target interest rate above the 5.1 per cent peak the central bank projected last month and keep it there for a while.
“The labour market remains resilient but is losing pep and worker shortages remain intense,” said Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto. “While wage growth has moderated, it’s still far from consistent with price stability. Don’t look for the Fed to ratchet down its hawkish talk or slow the pace of rate hikes on February 1.”
Nonfarm payrolls increased 223,000 last month. Data for November was revised lower to show 256,000 jobs added instead of 263,000 as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls increasing by 200,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 130,000 to 350,000.The economy added 4.5 million jobs in 2022, with employment gains averaging 375,000 per month.
Employment gains last month were led by the leisure and hospitality industry, which added 67,000 jobs. Restaurants and bars as well as amusement parks, gambling and recreation places accounted for the bulk of the increase in hiring.
Leisure and hospitality payrolls remain 932,000 below their pre-pandemic level. Healthcare industry employment increased by 55,000 jobs. Construction payrolls rose 28,000, despite the house market collapsing under the weight of higher borrowing costs. Manufacturing employment rose 8,000. There were also gains in transportation and warehousing payrolls as well as retail.
Government employment rose 3,000, though a strike by 36,000 university employees in California hurt state government education payrolls which fell 24,000. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3 per cent after increasing 0.4 per cent in the prior month. That lowered the year-on-year increase in wages to 4.6 per cent from 4.8 per cent in November. Wages growth could pick up in January as several states raise their minimum wage and most workers across the country get cost of living adjustments.
Elon Muskhas announced that new navigation features will arrive on Twitter in the New Year, as he aims to rejig the whole experience to make the platform faster. “Twitter navigation coming in January that allows swiping to the side to switch between recommended & followed tweets, trends, topics, etc,” he said in a tweet. “Until then, tap the star icon on the upper right of the home screen to switch,” he added. Musk said that it is good to switch back and forth. “As we improve Twitter AI, recommended tweets, lists and topics will become awesome,” he noted. On swiping across Lists on Twitter, Musk said that that will also happen. A user asked him if they can also sort people they follow by categories. Musk was yet to reply to that. As promised by the Twitter CEO, the “view counts for tweets” feature has become a hit among users. Twitter has also updated the list of features for its Blue service, which mentioned that subscribers paying for the $8 per month service will now get “prioritised rankings in conversations.” The Blue subscribers can also upload videos up to 60 minutes long from around the web at 1080p resolution and 2GB in file size. Earlier, Twitter Blue subscribers were only able to upload 10-minute-long videos on the platform at 1080p resolution with a file size limit of 512MB.
Google’s Waze app adds new feature that warns about dangerous roads. Google-owned Waze app has added a new feature that notifies users of dangerous nearby roads based on traffic data while trying not to overwhelm them with alerts.
When using this new beta version of Waze, nearby high-risk roads are coloured red on the map, however, this may not be the case for roads that the user frequently travels on, reports The Verge, citing sources. The feature also only displays one pop-up notification about the dangerous roads around the driver, possibly to keep caution from becoming anxious.
Countries that have access to the beta release of the app, will get a pop-up that states—“using reports from drivers and your route, you may see alerts for ‘History of crashes’ on some roads,” said the report.
After successfully launching one satellite every week in 2022, Elon Musk’s SpaceX is in no mood of taking any breaks. The Aerospace company has launched 114 satellites in the first mission of 2023 crossing the milestone of the 200th successful launch in its space exploration history. The Transporter mission was the sixth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission for the company, which lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. SpaceX used its Falcon-9 rocket to launch the satellites into Low Earth Orbit and said that this was the fifteenth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 stage booster.
“Falcon 9 carried 114 spacecraft to orbit that was set to deploy across 82 deployments, 78 of which have been confirmed. Teams are continuing to review data for the remaining payloads, though it may take customers some time to provide additional information on the status of their payloads,” SpaceX said in a statement. Among the 114 satellites, about three dozen were Earth-observing satellites, which are the size of a loaf of bread. These satellites are built and operated by the San Francisco-based company Planet. While the company launched 114 satellites, it still lags behind its own record of lifting off 143 satellites to space in a single mission.
The first launch of the year comes on the back of 61 successful launches in 2022. Apart from launching satellites and cargo, SpaceX also launched astronauts to the International Space Station and successfully returned them after completion of their six-month-long mission, showing its capability in transporting crew and cargo into zero gravity.
SpaceX now aims to conduct the first orbital launch of Starship in 2023 alongside other big missions that include the Polaris Program, a first-of-its-kind effort to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities. The program will consist of up to three human spaceflight missions.
Tech giant Apple’s tracking application and service ‘Find My’ has helped to locate a stolen car of a man in Texas in the US. Police were able to arrest four men who stole Dawayne Arrington’s car by tracking them via AirPods, reports AppleInsider. Arrington opened the Find My application after realising that his car was stolen. According to the report, he noticed that his “AirPods taken in the theft were apparently stationary at a travel stop on Interstate 35.” He then travelled to the truck stop and found five people in an SUV, and called the police for assistance. Members of the group then woke up and ran away from the SUV, however, San Antonio Police arrested four of them but the fifth one drove away in the SUV. “The arrest led to Arrington getting back his AirPods, with police also recovering his stolen car located elsewhere,” the report said. Meanwhile, last month, the ‘Find My’ feature had helped find a woman who fell 200 feet down a hill, following a car crash in the US state of California. The victim had likely been in her crashed car overnight after leaving a family gathering.
A neuroscience study where participants were asked to identify U.S. presidents has found that to recognize a famous voice, human brains use the same center that lights up when the speaker’s face is presented. The new study, published last week in the Journal of Neurophysiology, suggests that voice and face recognition are linked even more intimately than previously thought. It offers an intriguing possibility that visual and auditory information relevant to identifying someone feeds into a common brain centre, allowing for more robust, well-rounded recognition by integrating separate modes of sensation.
“From behavioral research, we know that people can identify a familiar voice faster and more accurately when they can associate it with the speaker’s face, but we never had a good explanation of why that happens,” said senior author Taylor Abel, M.D., associate professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
“In the visual cortex, specifically in the part that typically processes faces, we also see electrical activity in response to famous people’s voices, highlighting how deeply the two systems are interlinked.” Even though the interplay between the auditory and the visual brain processing systems has been widely acknowledged and investigated by various teams of neuroscientists all over the world, those systems were traditionally thought to be structurally and spatially distinct.
Until recently, few studies attempted to directly measure activity from the brain centre—the primary role of which is to consolidate and process visual information—to determine whether this centre is also engaged when participants are exposed to famous voice stimuli.
Researchers at Pitt had a unique opportunity to study that interaction in patients with epilepsy who, as part of their medical care, were temporarily implanted with electrodes measuring brain activity to determine the source of their seizures.
We are frequently told to “take a load off” when things get too much, but when it comes to bone maintenance, doing the opposite can be beneficial. Some important processes for how physical strain induces bone formation have been uncovered by Japanese researchers.
Researchers from the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute have shown that load affects the expression of the peptide osteocrin (OSTN), which increases when load is applied and decreases when it is reduced, in a study that was published in the journal ‘Cell Reports’. Bones and skeletal muscles are strengthened by the load associated with exercise, preventing bone and muscle atrophy, and maintaining bone and muscle strength is important for maintaining physical activity. The growth of long bones, such as the femur and tibia, is a very complex process controlled by genetic and environmental factors, such as exercise and gravity.
“Not much is known about how mechanical force initiates biochemical signals to control bone growth,” says lead author of the study Haruko Watanabe-Takano. “We investigated how load is related to the metabolic balance adjustment of bone maintenance.” Bone is maintained by the balanced activities of two types of cells – osteoblasts, which make bone, and osteoclasts, which break down bone – and is thought to be made in response load demand.
Specifically, the team investigated the expression of OSTN, a peptide produced by osteoblasts, in mice. OSTN is critical to the regulation of bone growth, as well as physical endurance.
The researchers found that OSTN was very strongly expressed in bones such as the tibia, radius, and ulna, and in the region where the load was applied. Additionally, they showed that OSTN was secreted by the periosteal osteoblasts in these bones. The periosteum is a membrane found on the outer surface of bones, except at the joints of long bones, and is involved in bone remodeling and production, especially during growth.
From the beneficial parsley to the healing vitamin C-rich fruits, nature has provided us a basket-full of home remedies to treat irregular and late monthly cycle. Here’s a list of some of the most effective natural ways you can induce your periods (when it’s irregular).
Parsley
Parsley has been traditionally used for inducing menstruation for centuries. Apiol and myristicin, two substances contained in parsley, stimulate contractions of the uterus, which results in the inducing effect of your monthly cycle.
Cumin
Cumin seeds, also known as jeera in Hindi, belong to the same family as parsley and also have a similar effect.
Carom seeds (Ajwain)
A concoction of carom seeds and jaggery will help in inducing periods besides relieving menstrual cramps. You can boil 1 tsp carom seeds with 1 tsp jaggery in 1 glass of water and consume it empty stomach in the morning.
Papayas
It’s the most effective home remedy available to prepone periods. Raw papaya stimulates contractions in the uterus and can help in inducing periods. The carotene present in papaya stimulates the estrogen hormone thereby inducing early period.
Ginger
Ginger tea is one of the most powerful emmenagogue (herbs with magical properties that stimulates menstrual flow, resulting in promotion of menstruation), but unlike parsley it can have some side effects, like acidity. For extremely delayed periods, a combination of parsley and ginger tea is recommended. Ginger is thought to increase the heat around the uterus, thus promoting contraction.
Coriander seeds
Coriander seeds are said to be the most effective home remedy for irregular periods because of its emmenagogue properties. You can boil 1 tsp. of coriander with 2 cups of water and wait until the water reduces to just one cup. Use a strainer to remove the seeds and drink the concoction thrice a day for a couple of days before your monthly period.
Fennel seeds (Saunf)
Fennel seeds, also known as saunf in Hindi, can be boiled in water to make a fragrant tea that should be consumed every morning on an empty stomach in order to regulate your period and have a healthy flow. You can mix 2 tsp of fennel seeds in a glass of water and leave it overnight. Strain the water and drink it in the morning.
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