Washington (TIP): The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 168.7 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.52 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Friday, May 28, morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 169,623,439 and 3,525,023, respectively.
The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 33,999,680 and 607,726, respectively, according to the CSSE.
In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 27,547,705 cases.
The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are Brazil (16,342,162), France (5,635,629), Turkey (5,220,549), Russia (5,035,207), the UK (4,473,677), Italy (4,205,970), Germany (3,673,969), Spain (3,663,215), Argentina (3,663,176) and Colombia (3,319,193), the CSSE figures showed.
In terms of deaths, Brazil comes second with 456,753 fatalities.
Nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are India (318,821), Mexico (221,963), the UK (127,758), Italy (125,793), Russia (120,002) and France (109,165).
William Shakespeare hit global headlines on December 8 last year when he became the first man to have the jab to fight against the coronavirus at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire
An 81-year-old pensioner in the UK who made history when he became the first man in the world to have the COVID-19 vaccination has died of an unrelated illness, the British media reported on Tuesday, May 25. William Shakespeare hit global headlines on December 8 last year when he became the first man to have the jab to fight against the coronavirus at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire. Shakespeare received his first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the same hospital shortly after 91-year-old Margaret Keenan, who became the world’s first person to get the jab. Coventry councilor Jayne Innes, a friend of Shakespeare, said he had died on Thursday (May 20) and added the “best tribute to Bill is to have the jab”. Bill, as he was fondly known, passed away after a period of illness at the same hospital where he famously received his vaccine, CoventryLive reported. Shakespeare had worked at Rolls Royce and was a parish councilor.
Shakespeare had served his local community in Allesley for more than three decades and was an inpatient on the hospital’s frailty ward at the time of his first jab, said it had been “wonderful”.
NEW YORK (TIP): A woman in the US state of Massachusetts threw away her shot at USD 1 million, but as luck would it, she got a second chance at the fortune, thanks to an Indian-origin family who returned the discarded lottery ticket to their long-time customer, earning appreciation for their honesty. Lea Rose Fiega bought a Diamond Millions scratch-off ticket in March at Lucky Stop, a store owned by the Indian-origin family in Southwick, where she was a regular customer.
“I was in a hurry, on lunch break, and just scratched it real quick, and looked at it, and it didn’t look like a winner, so I handed it over to them to throw away,” Ms Fiega said on Monday, May 24.
But the ticket was not fully scratched off and it sat in a pile in the store for 10 days until Abhi Shah, son of the store owners, noticed the unfinished USD 30 ticket in the trash, the New York Post reported. Mr Abhi said the winning ticket was sold by his mother Aruna Shah to one of their regular customers.
“One evening, I was going through the tickets from the trash and [noticed] that she didn’t scratch the number. I scratched the number and it was USD 1 million underneath the ticket,” Mr Abhi was quoted as saying by the local TV station WWLP.
“I was a millionaire for a night,” he joked. Mr Abhi said he initially thought of buying a Tesla car, but later decided to return the winning ticket. “I mean I had USD 1 million in my hand and on the other hand I wanted to do something good,” he said.
The family said it was not an easy decision to return the ticket.
“We didn’t sleep two nights,” said Maunish Shah, owner of Lucky Spot.
“He called my mom, grandparents in India, they said, ‘Give it back, we don’t want that money,” Mr Maunish said.
The family then decided to return the ticket. Since the customer visited the store often, they knew where to find her.
The younger Shah came to find Fiega at work and told her his parents wanted to see her, according to the lottery winner.
“I said, ‘I’m working,” and he said, ‘no you have to come over’. So, I went over there and that’s when they told me. I was in total disbelief. I cried, I hugged them,” Fiega said.
The other customers of the store are not surprised that the Shahs did the right thing.
“They’re just purely good people. You can tell by just talking to them,” one customer was quoted as saying by WBZ TV, a CBS-owned-and-operated television station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts.
The family is now fielding congratulatory calls and interview requests from across the country.
“If I had kept that million, I wouldn’t have been this famous. So, I’m glad I gave it back,” Mr Abhi said.
SAN JOSE (TIP): A 36-year-old Indian-origin Sikh man was among eight people killed in the horrific rail yard shooting in San Jose, according to media reports on Thursday, May 27.
Taptejdeep Singh, born in India and raised in Union City, California, has left behind his wife, three-year-old son, one-year-old daughter, and a grieving Sikh community in the San Francisco Bay Area, which described him as a “helpful and caring” man, The Mercury News reported.
Co-workers at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) hailed Singh as a hero, saying he left the safety of an office room, where some colleagues were hiding, to help others escape the line of fire.
Samuel Cassidy, 57, a maintenance worker of the VTA, San Jose, on Wednesday gunned down eight of his co-workers and critically injured another in a one of the deadliest shootings in California state this year.
As police arrived at the scene, the killer died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Singh was a light rail operator at the VTA for nine years now. He worked at a separate building from where most of the other victims were found, giving the impression that Cassidy had selected his victims. Singh was fatally shot in the stairwell of a VTA building, the report said.
Singh’s brother-in-law, P.J. Bath, another light rail operator at the VTA, confirmed that the shooter and Singh were in different buildings initially but said nothing on the victims being pre-decided by the killer.
“He just happened to be in the way, I guess. He was always helpful to everyone and caring,” Bath said.
“We are in very deep grief,” Singh’s uncle Sakhwant Dhillon told the San Jose-based newspaper.
“He told people, ‘be careful, hide.’ He was running around the building to save others’ lives. He was a good person. He helped everybody,” Dhillon said.
Singh’s brother Bagga Singh said he was told that his brother had saved a lady when he “rushed down the stairway,” where he was eventually shot.
Singh may be considered a hero, but “he should have saved his life, too. We lost a good person,” Bagga said.
Emotional scenes were seen at the Red Cross Center in the city where families of the victims gathered after the incident was reported.
Singh’s family, including his father, hugged and cried.
The other victims of the shooting were identified as Paul Delacruz Megia (42), Adrian Balleza (29), Jose Dejesus Hernandez (35), Timothy Michael Romo (49), Michael Joseph Rudometkin (40), Abdolvahab Alaghmandan (63), and Lars Kepler Lane (63).
The motive behind the shooting is not yet clear. Minutes after the incident, a fire was reported at Cassidy’s home, about 13 kilometers from the VTA office.
The fire was extinguished in an hour-long operation. Police said a separate investigation is going on in the fire.
WASHINGTON (TIP): A US lawmaker has honored Indian-American electrical engineer Ravinder Singh Shergill who held several patents related to disk storage and helped create the USB specifications. Shergill died on April 22 aged 64. “Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Mr. Ravinder Singh Shergill. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time,” Congressman David Valadao said in his remarks at the House of Representatives earlier this week.
Born on September 12, 1956 in Punjab, Shergill migrated to the US for higher studies at the age of 17.
“At the age of 17, he immigrated to the United States and later graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He went on to work for National Semiconductor for more than three decades,” Valadao said. “As an engineer, Mr Shergill held patents involving disk storage and helped create the USB specifications. As a manager, he was admired and respected as a mentor to his colleagues. His story is truly an embodiment of the American dream,” he said.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables and connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply between computers, peripherals and other computers.
Valadao said Shergill had a great appreciation for America, but he never forgot his roots. “He was committed to bridging the Sikh and American communities together and was a founding member of the Sikh Youth of California and America. Shergill is remembered as a caring husband, father, and grandfather with a love for books, history, music, and film,” he said. Shergill is survived by his wife of 39 years, Grace Rosa; two daughters, one son and four grandchildren.
WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Indian-American trade expert Arun Venkataraman to a key position in his administration related to foreign commercial service.
Arun Venkataraman is the nominee for Director-General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, Department of Commerce, the White House said on Wednesday, May 26.
With over 20 years of experience in advising companies, international organizations, and the US government on international trade issues, Arun Venkataraman is currently the Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the department on trade and other international economic matters.
Before joining the Biden-Harris administration, he was a senior director at Visa, leading global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax, and sanctions.
Arun Venkataraman previously served as the trade and investment policy advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counselled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights, and US and foreign trade policies. As the first-ever Director of Policy at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration under President Barack Obama, Arun Venkataraman helped shape the US government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the country and in markets around the world, including China and India, the White House said.
While at the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), he led the development and implementation of the US-India trade policy as the Director for India, for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership.
Arun Venkataraman also served as the associate general counsel, representing the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in negotiations on international trade agreements.
Before joining the USTR, Arun Venkataraman was a legal officer at the WTO, advising the organization on a wide range of issues raised in appeals of trade disputes between countries. He began his career as a law clerk for Judge Jane A Restani at the US Court of International Trade. He holds a JD from the Columbia Law School, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a BA from Tufts University.
LONDON (TIP); UK Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled a new US-style digital visa regime at the country’s borders to measure immigration levels in and out of the country, according to UK media reports on Monday, May 24.
The senior Indian-origin Cabinet minister confirmed the so-called “sweeping changes” to the UK’s immigration policy to “streamline” how people come into the country on Monday, May 24.
The post-Brexit changes included the border being managed digitally, which the government says will be easier to navigate for businesses and allow for the first time to accurately count people in and out of the UK.
“Our new fully digital border willprovide the ability to count people in and out of the country, giving us control over who comes to the UK,” Patel was quoted as saying in the ‘Observer’.
“Our new approach will make it easier to identify potential threats before they reach the border. The British people will have confidence that the strongest controls are in place to keep them safe,” she said. The UK Home Office hopes to make entry to the UK fully digital by the end of 2025.
It means people wanting to come into the UK without a visa or immigration status will have to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), similar to the US system, with 30 million applications expected to be processed every year.
The British government has said that in the past 10 days, more than 140 foreign criminals have been removed from the UK, totaling more than 700 so far this year.
LONDON (TIP): Indian-origin Mumbai-born brothers David and Simon Reuben held on to their rank as the second richest in the UK with an estimated net worth of GBP 21.465 billion in the annual ‘Sunday Times Rich List’, topped by Russian-origin UK-US dual national Sir Leonard Blavatnik with an estimated fortune of GBP 23 billion.
In a preview to the rankings in ‘The Times’ on Friday, the Hinduja brothers – who had shared the second spot with the Reubens last year – slipped to third place with an estimated net worth of GBP 17 billion.
They are followed by British inventor-entrepreneur Sir James Dyson and family, who dropped from the top spot in 2020 to number four with a fortune estimated at GBP 16.3 billion.
In fifth place is steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal, who added GBP 7.899 billion to his fortunes over the past year to climb several spots from his 19th rank in 2020.
“He is spending nearly GBP 290 million on a pilot project to slash its [ArcelorMittal Group] carbon footprint, no small endeavor for a company that mined 58 million tons of iron ore and made 71.5 million tons of crude steel during 2020,” noted the listing for Rajasthan-born Mittal.
“The Mittals’ stake in the business is worth GBP 10.5 billion, up more than GBP 7.5 billion in a year. ‘The first quarter of this year has been our strongest in a decade,’ Aditya Mittal said this month. Aditya, 45, Lakshmi’s son, became chief executive of ArcelorMittal in February,” it adds.
The second richest Reubens have been found to have embarked on a buying spree during the pandemic, snapping up undervalued hotels and other properties.
“The Reubens have been buying US buildings to upmarket brands that are unlikely to be damaged by the pandemic, such as Tiffany, Armani and Alexander McQueen. There have also been significant investments in Mallorca and Spain, where the brothers plan to build hundreds of luxury retreats,” notes the Rich List.
The other Indian-origin entries in this year’s top five, Sri and Gopichand Hinduja, of the Hinduja Group of companies, are listed together in the ranking but a family rift has also been flagged in the wake of a legal battle that emerged last year.
“Cracks have appeared in the Hindujas’ business empire, which has interests ranging from van manufacturing and luxury hotels to banking and healthcare,” notes the report.
“London-based Sri Hinduja, 85, has become embroiled in a legal skirmish with his three brothers, Gopi (GP), 81, Geneva-based Prakash (PP), 75, and Ashok (AP), 70, who is based in Mumbai… Sri is claiming personal ownership of the Switzerland-based Hinduja Bank, which is overseen by his eldest daughter, Shanu, and her son Karam,” it notes.
In June last year, GP, PP and AP Hinduja had issued a joint statement to say that it is “very unfortunate” that the proceedings are taking place.
“They go against our Founder’s and family’s values and principles that have stood for many decades, especially, ‘everything belongs to everyone and nothing belongs to anyone”. We intend to defend the claim to uphold these dearly held family values,” they said at the time.
The annual listing identifies 171 billionaires in all, 24 more than in 2020. Their combined fortunes have risen to GBP 597.269 billion, up 22 per cent in 12 months despite the wider economic impact of the coronavirus.
The other Indian-origin billionaires within the top 100 in the UK include metals tycoon Anil Agarwal at No. 15 with GBP 9 billion; Sri Prakash Lohia at 36th with GBP 4.783 billion; Lord Swraj Paul and family at 82nd with GBP 2 billion; and Navin and Varsha Engineer at 96th with GBP 1.7 billion.
The Rich List’s authors say changes in lifestyle brought about by the pandemic also helped create big wealth gains for internet entrepreneurs and online fashion companies.
“The global pandemic created lucrative opportunities for many online retailers, social networking apps and computer games tycoons,” said Robert Watts, who compiled the Rich List.
“The fact many of the super-rich grew so much wealthier at a time when thousands of us have buried loved ones and millions of us worried for our livelihoods makes this a very unsettling boom.”
Here is a list of the top 10 rich in the UK.
Rich List 2021 top 10
Rank Name Worth
1 Sir Leonard Blavatnik £23bn
2 David and Simon Reuben £21.465bn
3 Sri and Gopi Hinduja and family £17bn
4 Sir James Dyson and family £16.3bn
5 Lakshmi Mittal and family £14.68bn
6 Alisher Usmanov £13.406bn
7 Kirsten and Jorn Rausing £13bn
8 Roman Abramovich £12.101bn
9 Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho £12.013bn
10 Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family £11bn
LONDON (TIP): An Indian-origin Human Sciences student from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford has been declared the winner at the end of a Student Union (SU) byelection. Anvee Bhutani, Co-Chair Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE) at Oxford SU and President of the Oxford India Society, was in the fray for the byelection for the 2021-22 academic year, which attracted a record turnout.
She was declared the winner on Thursday, May 2nd night.
According to the ‘Cherwell’ student newspaper, Anvee Bhutani had used her manifesto to detail priorities of campaigning for the implementation of the Oxford living wage, delinking welfare services and disciplinary action, and diversifying the curriculum.
“Use suggestions from student campaigns to work with initiatives like the Oxford and Colonialism hub to push for a more diverse curriculum,” reads her winning manifesto.
“Lobby for more funding towards existing mental health support programs including for graduate students; work towards more access and lower wait times for university counselling services,” it notes.
According to the student newspaper, the voting had the highest-ever turnout for a byelection and has also beaten the overall turnout for several past annual leadership elections as 2,506 people turned out to vote, a 146 per cent increase from the last byelection in 2019.
The leadership contest also had the highest number of candidates ever in an Oxford SU President election, with 11 students running for the spot.
The byelection followed the resignation of Indian student Rashmi Samant, who was forced to step down soon after her election to the post in February amid a row over her past social media posts.
AUCKLAND (TIP): An Indian-origin man—who also owns a place in Auckland—has been sued by the developer and asked to pay NZ$ 315,000 (over 1 crore in Indian rupees) for constructing his house “in the wrong place”.
Deepak Lal has built his home right on the neighbor’s boundary. The one-meter difference between the boundary of his and his neighbor’s house has become a nightmare for Deepak.
The mistake was reportedly committed by the builder, but still, Deepak has to clear the payment for faulty construction.
Back in 2020, Deepak had contacted ‘Pinnacle Homes’ constructions to design and build his home in the Papakura area in Auckland of New Zealand’s North Island.
According to nzherald.co.nz, despite the work completing in mid-2020, the finishing work on the three-bedroom house came to a halt in August after the construction company called to tell him about the boundary mix-up. Deepak’s three-bedroom home is located right on the boundary of his neighboring property.
That property is owned by the company C94 Development. The company wants Deepak to move his little house or pay $315,000 in damages, reported nzherald.co.nz.
The situation has become a “nightmare” for Lal.
“I wake up in the middle of the night and think ‘how am I going to solve this?”, said Lal.
According to Deepak, the Auckland Council approved the building consent for the house. Lal’s lawyer Matt Taylor said that the issue has arisen as a “result of an error made at the design stage.”
Message from the Festival Director, Aseem Chhabra:
“The Covid-19 situation in India is heartbreaking and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their loved ones.” said Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Festival Director. “But we made a promise to our audience in the United States and elsewhere. The show must go on. We present the best of Indian cinema from 2020 and 2021.”
“NYIFF’s mission is to provide filmmakers, actors and industry professionals a platform to showcase their work, as well as foster an environment where filmmakers exchange ideas and interact with discerning and diverse audiences, journalists and aficionados,” – Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Director
“The caliber of films on the 2021 lineup includes notable works by award-winning filmmakers, which aim to capture stories that have a truly profound message about our world today. These films have received exceptional praise from critics and audiences around the globe.” – Suman Gollamudi, IAAC Exec. Director
THE NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL (NYIFF)
CELEBRATES BIRTH ANNIVERSARIES OF INDIA’S ICONSM GANDHI, S RAY & SC BOSE
58 FILMS, 15 LANGUAGES, Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS
VIRTUAL EVENT, JUNE 4-13, 2021
AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), North America’s oldest and most prestigious annual film festival, features cinema from India and the Indian Diaspora. The festival runs June 4-13, 2021. Films are available for pre-order.
NYIFF celebrates its 21st year of independent, art house, alternate cinema from India and brings this rich collection of films to audiences in the U.S. and North America. Some films will also stream globally. Twenty-four-hour online support will be provided by MovieSaints to ensure audiences across three continents have a seamless experience throughout the duration of the festival.
Presented virtually for the second year in a row, the festival features 58 screenings (23 narrative features, 8 documentary features and 27 short films). The lineup will include worldwide, globally outside of India, the U.S. and NY premieres. Screenings will be followed by post-screening discussions with the filmmakers and acclaimed personalities from the film industry. The films cover 15 languages spoken in India: Assamese, Bengali, English, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. All films have English subtitles.
“This year, we will feature films in 15 languages spoken in India: Assamese, Bengali, English, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. All films will have English subtitles,” Aseem Chhabra said.
Films screened at NYIFF 2020 won six National Awards, the most prominent film awards ceremony in India. This year, NYIFF 2021 is delighted to bring to the audience National Awards-winning films:
“Khisa” for “Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director”
“Sonsi” for “Best Cinematography Non-Feature Film”
“Biryaani” which received “Special Mention”
Each of these films along with the complete collection of NYIFF-recognized titles will be available for viewing starting June 4, 2021 at nyiff.us and nyiff.moviesaints.com
TICKETS
Ticket prices (in local currencies, except India) differ for Feature Films (narrative and documentaries) and for Shorts. Individual tickets and discount packages are available. For more information, visit nyiff.us/ticket
Watch the trailer: youtu.be/UjWdNtov6U8
OPENING FILM
“Where is Pinki” / Pinki Elli (Kannada) l dir. Prithvi Konanur
A hard-hitting social commentary on contemporary Indian society and female identity.
“Where Is Pinki,” the social thriller praised at the IFF in Goa, is a complex tale of everyday people. Bindu and Girish, whose eight-month-old baby goes missing, becomes a frantic effort of search that forces the couple to confront strange places, people and situations that require each of them to reconcile their past, present and future. The entire film was shot using a handheld camera.
CENTERPIECE 1
“Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless” (English), dir. Ramesh Sharma
“Ahimsa” (Photo / Courtesy NYIFF)
“Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless,” by award-winning filmmaker, Ramesh Sharma. On October 2, 2019, the world commemorated the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This inspired the filmmaker to revisit the icon’s life and philosophy that still endures today. Shot in India, South Africa, the U.S. and Europe, the film tracks the influence of Gandhi’s non-violence approach on world leaders from Martin Luther King Jr. to the late Congressman John Lewis, Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. With new voices joining the global dialogue about injustice and systemic racism and the resurgence of nationalism in cities like Hong Kong, the documentary has been hailed as a timely reminder about non-violence movement.
CENTERPIECE 2
“WOMB: Women of my Billion” (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu), dir. Ajitesh Sharma, features Srishti Bakshi
“WOMB” (Photo / Courtesy NYIFF)
“WOMB: Women of My Billion” is a heart-wrenching and heart-warming narrative of the plight, dreams, rights and fight against all forms of violence, that unify the women of today’s India. The film sees through the lens of a UN Women Champion of Change and Commonwealth Points of Light award winner and activist, Srishti Bakshi, at the fore of her on-foot journey of 3800km over 240 days, from Kanyakumari (South India) to Kashmir (North India) in 2018. The film stands as a crucial testament to the crisis which has only aggravated in these unprecedented times of COVID.
CLOSING FILM
“….like ‘Pather Panchali’ in the age of AirBnb and TikTok, “Fire in the Mountains” empathetically dramatizes the struggles that locals face in a place where tourists come to play.”- IndieWire
“Fire in the Mountains” (Hindi), dir. Ajitpal Singh
“Fire in the Mountains,” the debut narrative film from writer-director Ajitpal Singh, tells the striking tale of Chandra and her husband, Dharam, who run an inn that hovers high above the only road in a small Himalayan village. The terrain poses a problem for the family, who must transport their son, Prakash, down the mountain in his wheelchair for doctors and school. The film is a searing portrait of the power dynamics at play between tradition and modernity.
For the complete lineup of films and more information, visit nyiff.us
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ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANCELEBRATIONS
By Mabel Pais
From FTH – CTAAF: Animation Shorts
“Crazy Talented Asians & Friends: An Evening of Animation Shorts,” showcasing a wide range of animated short films by Asian and Asian American artists, returns on Saturday, May 29 at 6:00 PM (ET), Flushing Town Hall (FTH) to celebrate APA Heritage Month. The films present a wide range of stories and experiences, as diverse as the APA community itself, through masterful storytelling, art direction, animation, production, and sound design. There will be a live Q&A with artists following the screenings. To learn more and RSVP, visit flushingtownhall.org/crazy-talented-asians-friends-animation-shorts
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From NJPAC –
PORTRAITS: Asian-American Allyship
Asian American Performers (Photo / Courtesy NJPAC)
Through song and poetry, through jazz and modern dance, Asian Americans and their allies in the struggle for social justice confront the history of racism in America and summon the unity necessary to move us all forward. Hear their call for justice, see their passion for the fight for equality, and witness their vision of a more inclusive future. For more information and tune in, visit njpac.org/event/portraits-asian-american-allyship-through-the-arts
(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)
You will earn a lot of respect and appreciation from a new prospect and all of your colleagues today. The stars are really making you be the best you can be today. You’ll be really happy today, thinking about the deal you closed today. You need to work on not being overwhelmed by the work so much so that you cannot plan a way out of it. Your confidence will rescue you in all the difficult circumstances today.
June 1
You have been on a downward spiral for quite a while now so today will be a big relief. Your competitors will give you a break today and you will be able to enjoy solitary bliss today. You will be very motivated today as your luck will push you to do a lot of work. Being able to fulfill today’s task might increase your self-confidence today which will last much longer than just a day. You will go through emotional changes within you which will affect your behavior with your partner today, but nothing will go significantly wrong in your relationship, today.
June 2
Your business will require more employees and more dedication which is a good thing as it means that your business is growing to new heights; you need to stay focused and not get lost in the fame and fortune today. You will have a very positive day today. You will get what you’re trying to accomplish today. Today could bring you some financial gain in your business. Deals that have been pending are likely to get settled today as well. You will see yourself growing in all perspectives. Although luck is on your side you will have to work hard throughout the day today.
June 3
Luck will provide you with a lot of positive outcomes that you deserve today. If you do not let the stress and anxiety of the busy life get to you, you will have the best day today. You’re enjoying your time with your partner so much today that you won’t have any negative feeling about moving forward whatsoever. Taking professional help rather than neglecting the issues that you have been having for a while now is the only way your health will improve today. Make it an immediate priority. You should remain extra cautious and careful about any ill-health symptoms you experience today. Make sure to consult a doctor if you feel sick today.
June 4
Your love life will be better than it’s ever been. If you have been trying to get a specific someone’s attention for a while now, luck will be with you today. Live in the moment and try not to rush things. Your partner may have a good attitude towards you which will lead to solutions of misunderstandings. You need to work on calming your negative thoughts today especially regarding your relationship. A lot of unexpected obstacles will also arise due to silly mistakes of your employees hence today your temper will be tested as well. Being angry at your employees will ruin the work even more hence no matter how hard it.
June 5
Your day will start with the rotation of Saturn bringing you mental peace as well as a lot of prosperity but will end with a little bit of workload. Income from unexpected sources is likely to find its way to you today. Your health will be pretty stagnant and will only keep getting better from today onwards, now is the time to work hard towards achieving your health goals. Nurture the love and care you receive today and the people you receive them from.
June 6
Today is just a relatively easy day for you as you work with your team with ease and also have a lot of fun at work today. Your work life will be the most positive part of your day. A very productive day is on its way for you today. You will have a lot of work to do, which you will thoroughly enjoy. You tend to stop working on your health if you get busy at work, which is one practice you need to change. Make time for your health every day. If you try to accommodate some health care routines like exercise or yoga and start eating more nutritious foods, you will feel even better.
You will look at the world with a unique new insight this week. You will notice that if you look out for the little good things that keep happening throughout this week you won’t be bothered by all the negativity you face this week. Your business will make you really happy this week. This week you have the time to improve yourself and work on the things you’ve been meaning to do to improve your skillet. Updating your knowledge during this time will help you a lot in the future. Trust the timing and practice patience. Do not waste this week worrying about the lack of new opportunities.
Taurus :
You will need to focus on eating healthier and exercising more often now. New habits have to be incorporated into your lifestyle, especially if you are not feeling motivated to work out this week. It’s imperative to take care of your eating, drinking. Stay cautious about anything and everything you consume. Your health seems to be gradually regressing without you noticing it this week hence you need to be extra careful this week regarding everything that you do this week.
Gemini :
As you notice that your well being improves over the past few days, challenges and changes arrive in your relationships. It’s nothing that you can’t handle if you chose to remain calm and peaceful. Focus on being kind caring and gentle and make way for a very long-lasting relationship. Relaxation methods are very important for you to do this week. You can keep things smooth by keeping control over your eating habits. Hence, avoid any kind of stress, your health is totally in your hands and you will need to make this weekend count by making the correct choices.
Cancer :
Everything will work out quite well for you this week. You will enjoy it a lot this week because you have been working hard the past couple of days. Make sure you take time out to have fun this week. You will be pampered a lot by your partner this week. You feel appreciated for your efforts. You won’t face any major problems in your love life this week end it will only keep getting better. Do not rush into things and take the next step. Your business will require more employees and more dedication which is a good thing as it means that your business is growing to new heights; you need to stay focused and not get lost in the fame and fortune this week.
Leo :
You need to focus on being healthy and leave behind your bad and irregular eating habits. Your body is getting tired quickly because of the food that you eat. If you are not responsible this weekand take the necessary steps, be ready for ill health in the near future.Remember to slowly increase the amount of exercise you get, and to introduce new activities gently. Try to adjust your eating habits by making small changes. You will have to adopt a practical and sensible approach to handle business matters. Otherwise, you will be stuck wasting a lot of time worrying about how people perceive you.
Virgo :
Expect some arguments with colleagues who are jealous of you due to the fame you gain this week. It is because you have been oversharing in the past, you need to focus more on your work and not on the people who drag you down in life, at the same time you need to be extremely careful about the information you publicly share at yourworkplace as it might be used against you to pull you down from the position that you are currently at. You will need to push through these people by making a conscious effort to not let them ruin your week.
Libra:
Your partner is very likely to be away at work for the most part this week which works out perfectly for you. Although this week is not a very loving and affectionate kind of week. Your partner will be very supportive of you whether it’s your health or your business. They will take care of things that bother you and this will facilitate a lot of thoughts in your mind about moving forward with this relationship. If you’re single, an exciting new potential partner could have your senses activated. If you’re currently involved, recent events may have created such a powerful bond between you and your partner that at this point you may think it’ll never end. Consider what led up to this feeling and discern ways to continually re-create it.
Scorpio:
This week you will feel elated and happy because the stars are perfectly aligned when it comes to your mental and physical well-being. This could be taken positively or negatively by you because if you see the good part about this week, it would be that you won’t face any negative events or outcomes this week but you won’t experience any excessive gains or extraordinary events that give you an adrenaline rush hence this week is a calm week for you which you can enjoy if you’re able to control your constant need to compare yourself with those around you and feel insecure about your future.
Sagittarius:
You will experience a great amount of luck and love this week. This is a fun-filled week for you. As you spend your time in new adventures and exploring new places throughout the week. You will have a great time with your loved one this week. You will get to know each other better and it will bring you more closely to each other. You will feel extremely happy this week. Your happiness is due to a successful accomplishment of your partner. Now that they have achieved what you wanted this week the time for both of you to relax.
Capricorn :
You will be annoyed with the lack of attention and support you are getting from your partner. Your love life will feel very upset earlier this week. But as the days go by you and your partner are likely to get along much better and understand each other by the end of the week. You will be a force to reckon with this week when it comes to work. Your leadership skills will help you move past any hurdles without much effort. This will be a good week to retrospect and think about your progress.Don’t forget to continue with your hard work and efforts you need not spend the whole week sulking just because you feel a little insecure. Take rest breaks when you feel they’re needed and continue with your work otherwise.
Aquarius :
This week is a very beautiful week for you. You seem to be going on a positive streak this week. Relish the positive energy you have been experiencing and use it to be as productive as you can be. If you want to start a new venture now is the perfect time. You will feel at a very safe place in your relationship this week and it will progressively get better. Although things will go way too fast for you this week, it will all feel like a fairytale for you. Your health will not bother you this week; at the same time, you should try to maintain this state for a long time. If you try to accommodate some health care routines like exercise or yoga and start eating more nutrients foods,you will feel even better.
Pisces :
Your love life will be better than it’s ever been this week. If you have been trying to get a specific someone’s attention for a while now, luck will be your cupid this week. Live in the moment and try not to rush things. You have ample amount of time. Your partner may have a good attitude towards you which will lead to solutions of misunderstandings this week. You will do your best when it comes to your love life and show your patient approach to maintain a tranquil life this week. Things will be easier for you this week as your luck will be lending you strength and creating a niche of favorable opportunities for you. These opportunities will take your life far and you will realize that this week itself.
It was supposed to be an IPL that would fetch BCCI bigger sponsorships than ever before, beating the virulence of the virus and the pessimism surrounding it. In 2020, when IPL went to the UAE, the cricket board had lost title sponsors Vivo, filled the slot with value halved, barely retained three official partners and had to make do with an approximate sponsorship of R400 crore. This year, Vivo was back, BCCI had five official partners and was expected to make a record R700 crore plus from sponsorships. Add the massive R3,270 crore annual broadcast deal and this was to be a bumper IPL despite the pandemic.
But with the virus creeping inside the IPL bio-bubble and the season postponed midway, there is a fear now that almost half of the R4,000 crore BCCI would have made may never come into its kitty. The franchises that share 40 % of these proceeds will take a proportionate hit, and player salaries will be halved.
Unless the Indian board finds an alternative window this year. “We will take a call later if we can find a window to complete IPL,” is all its chairman Brijesh Patel said, a day after the league was put off after more positives.
Finding another three weeks to complete the league in a year India hosts the T20 World Cup would be much tougher. With boards still figuring out ways to stage cricket by creating bio-bubbles, IPL had emerged the most lucrative property for players looking to make up losses from the absence of cricket. Once the T20 World Cup was postponed, every cricket board made way.
London (TIP): Chelsea’s decision to fire a club legend suddenly doesn’t seem so callous after all. While Frank Lampard’s name has hardly been forgotten by the Chelsea fans — there were chants outside Stamford Bridge before kickoff last evening — new manager Thomas Tuchel is quickly creating his own legacy after leading the London club into the Champions League final against Manchester City.
Chelsea made record 13-time European Cup champions Real Madrid look ordinary as goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount sealed a 2-0 victory that ousted Madrid 3-1 on aggregate. Perhaps the stragglers leaving the bars near Stamford Bridge could hear the roar Tuchel let out on the field inside the empty stadium long after his players had departed the field. “I am very grateful to have this opportunity,” said Tuchel.
Man United book place in Europa League final despite defeat to Roma
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reached a major final as Manchester United manager for the first time after a 3-2 defeat to AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico was enough to earn his side an 8-5 aggregate win in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, May 6.
United will face Villarreal in the final in Gdansk on May 26 after the Spaniards beat Arsenal 2-1 on aggregate.
Solskjaer had lost his last four semi-finals during his Old Trafford reign and despite Thursday’s defeat in Rome, the Norwegian’s side progressed comfortably thanks to last week’s commanding 6-2 first leg win.
“It’s a great achievement to get to the final. We didn’t win the game and that’s disappointing but we did the hard work in the first leg,” United captain Harry Maguire told BT Sport.
“We started the game a bit edgy. It was end-to-end like basketball and we gave them too many chances in second half. Now we’ve got to go to the final and win it.”
Edinson Cavani fired home a powerful finish after 39 minutes to open the scoring, but Roma found the net twice in the space of three second-half minutes through Edin Dzeko and Bryan Cristante to turn the game on its head.
United had goalkeeper David de Gea to thank for not going further behind as the Spaniard produced a string of superb saves.
Vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech will donate doses to inoculate athletes and officials preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC said on Thursday, May 6.
Delivery of doses is set to begin this month to give Olympic delegations time to be fully vaccinated with a second shot before arriving in Tokyo for the games, which open on July 23.
It’s the second major vaccination deal for the International Olympic Committee. An agreement was announced in March between the IOC and Olympic officials in China to buy and distribute Chinese vaccines ahead of the Tokyo Games and next year’s Beijing Winter Games.
The new Pfizer offer gives the IOC greater coverage worldwide ahead of Tokyo with most countries yet to authorize emergency use of Chinese vaccines.
“We are inviting the athletes and participating delegations of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games to lead by example and accept the vaccine where and when possible,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.
Indian archers to miss Swiss World Cup
India’s Olympic-bound archers will not get to compete in the Stage 2 World Cup in Lausanne as their short-term visa application has been rejected by the Switzerland Embassy.
India has been battling a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced many countries to ban travellers from India.
The Indian archers will now directly compete in the Stage 3 World Cup in Paris which will be the last Olympic qualification event for the Indian women’s recurve team. The seven-day competition will begin on June 23.
“Swiss Embassy did not allow any short-term visa and we had little time for the Stage 2 World Cup (May 17-23). Our focus is solely on the Paris World Cup now,” Archery Association of India secretary general Pramod Chandurkar told PTI.
India so far have men’s team and women’s individual berths for Tokyo. The national federation may also seek a relaxation in the 10-day quarantine rule for its archers when they reach Paris. “We are mulling to write to the French federation to allow the archers to travel at least for practice during the 10-day quarantine,” he said.
Chandurkar further said that the federation would also send the compound team to Paris. The team had missed out on World Cup Stage 1 following their head coach’s “false positive report”.
Karnataka is majestically bestowed with the lush green Western Ghats and the lovely white sandy beaches. At places both wonders meet and present the visitors with gorgeous and serene spots tailor made just for your retreat. Coastal Karnataka comprises of regions like Karavali and Udupi.
Mangalore
Start your Coastal Karnataka trip in Mangalore because this is where you will probably arrive by flight or train. Mangalore is one of the best places to visit in Coastal Karnataka because of its rich history, culture, Mangalorean cuisine and stunning beaches.
There are some unique temples that you can visit in Mangalore. Kudroli Gokarnatha Temple is one of them. Built in 1912, this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and hosts the colorful Mangaluru Dasara every year. There are several smaller temples in the complex, all adorned in gold and silver. This makes the temple a wonderful Coastal Karnataka destination.
You can also visit the Mangaladevi Temple, explore Sammilan Shetty’s Butterfly Park, and relive some history at Sultan’s Battery when in Mangalore.
Udupi
The next stop on our coastal Karnataka adventure trip was the city of Udupi. Home to many iconic South Indian temples, Udupi is sometimes referred to as the temple city. Therefore, you cannot miss visiting one when you are here. Take a tour of Udupi Sri Krishna Temple which is thronged by thousands of tourists every year for a sneak peek at the baby boy idol of Lord Krishna [Balakrishna]. There are many interesting legends surrounding the temple including one of the Balakrishna statue turning around on its own to be viewed by Krishna’s lesser-privileged devotees.
Malpe Beach
When in Udupi, do not forget to spend some time at one of Udupi’s most gorgeous beaches – the Malpe Beach. Located only about 6kms from Udupi, Malpe beach coupled with St. Mary’s Island makes for an amazing one-day getaway from Udupi or Mangalore.
There are tons of things to do at Malpe beach. If you are feeling adventurous, indulge in parasailing, jet-skiing, and banana boat rides. If not, just lounge in the sun and soak in the colors of the place. Try some tasty sea food at Fisherman’s Bay Beach Cafe right by the sea. And watch a traditional Yakshagana performance in an open-air amphitheater to end your day.
St. Mary’s Island
Right next to the Malpe beach, only a 15-minute ferry ride away, is the unique St. Mary’s Island. This island is also called the Coconut Island or Thonsepar and makes for an offbeat getaway from the mainland.
What is interesting about St. Mary’s Island is the fact that it was formed when Madagascar rifted away from India more than 88 million years ago. The rift gave rise to columnar basalt rocks that are hexagonal in shape. They give the island a distinctive character today.
You will get some amazing views of the sea from here apart from walking on soft white sand and treading through millions of sea shells. 1-2 hours on the island is sufficient for you to completely explore the place. Plastic bags and bottles are not allowed on the island – so make sure you don’t carry any.
Varanga
As you travel up north from Udupi, you can take a slight detour to get to the sleepy hamlet of Varanga. Here, you can visit one of the most picturesque Jain temples in the world.
The Jain temple, also called Kere Basadi, is located in the middle of a beautiful lake. You can reach the temple only on a small boat that can accommodate around 10 people at a time.
It was a 5 minute boat journey from land to the temple. Yet, this was one of the most beautiful journeys in my entire Coastal Karnataka trip.
Baindur
Baindur (or Byndoor) is yet another idyllic town facing the sea. The white sand beaches, lush green hills, and plethora of water sports make Baindur one of the best places to visit in Coastal Karnataka. Also, one of the most offbeat ones.
Sepnd a couple of days at Baindur and enjoy the unspoiled beaches in the region. For example, book a stay at the pristine Sai Vishram Beach Resort, indulge in surfing or banana boat rides, ride an airboat through the Maravanthe backwaters, or simply sip a drink under a thatched cabana and watch the world go by!
Varuthini Ekadashi, also known as Baruthani Ekadashi, holds great significance and importance for Hindus. On the day of Varuthini Ekadashi, devotees worship and offer prayers to Lord Vamana, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to the North Indian Purnimant calendar, Varuthini Ekadashi is observed during Krishna Paksha of Vaishakha month and, according to the South Indian Amavasyant calendar, Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month. However, both North Indians and South Indians observe it on the same day. According to the Gregorian calendar, the day falls in the month of April or May. Read on to find out more about Varuthini Ekadashi. This year, Varuthini Ekadashi Vrat will be observed on May 7.
Puja vidhi
Vaishnava Varuthini Ekadashi is dedicated to Lord Vamana – the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On this day, devotees worshipped Lord Vishnu with dhoop, sandalwood paste, fruits, incense sticks, and flowers in order to evoke the deity.
The fasting begins from the day of Dashami tithi and is broken on Dwadashi tithi after praying to Lord Vishnu. It is believed that any person who devotedly observes fast on this day can change their bad luck and attain prosperity, abundance and good luck in their lives.
By performing various acts of donations and charities on this particular day, the devotees get blessed with the divine blessings of their ancestors and the deities.
Among the twenty-four Ekadasis of the year, Varuthini Ekadashi is considered as the most efficacious, as it confers amazing benefits to the devotees who observe fast on this day.
Significance
The greatness and glories of Vaishnava Varuthini Ekadashi finds mention in several religious scriptures like ‘Bhavishya Purana’ in the form of conversation between Sri Krishna and King Yudhisthira, the eldest of Pandavas. Various Maharajas observed this sacred fast and obtained uncountable benefits. The merits of the Vaishnava Varuthini Ekadashi outpowers all kinds of charities including ‘Kanyadaan’ that is believed to be most pious of all the ‘daans’. The word ‘Varuthini’ in Hindi signifies ‘protected or armoured’ and hence by observing a religious vrat on Vaishnava Varuthini Ekadashi a person will be shielded from all the evils and misfortunes and in the end gain good fortune.
Rituals
Fasting on Vaishnava Varuthini Ekadashi is believed to be highly rewarding for Hare Krishna followers. The rituals start right from the previous day ‘dashami’ and the observer of this vrat eat selective meal once before sunset. Eating on bell metal plates is also not allowed on this day. This is done to make sure no traces of food are left in the stomach on the ekadashi day.
On ekadashi, devotees do not eat anything or even take a sip of water all day. However if someone cannot keep a strict vrat, partial fasting or even fasting from morning till sunset is also allowed. While keeping the fast, the person should not sleep during the daytime and stay away from sinful thoughts and actions. It is popular belief that one who stays awake all night chanting religious hymns on ekadashi will gain freedom from all their sins.
Ekadashi is meant for spiritual attainment and therefore the day is spent chanting mantras or singing bhajans in praise of Lord Vishnu. Devotees worship Lord Vamana, the fifth incarnation of Sri Hari Vishnu, on this day and make several offerings to their beloved deity. It is also important to visit temples of Lord Vishnu in the evening and witness the celebrations of the day.
Vaishnava Varuthini Ekadashi vrat is broken next day on ‘dwadashi’ (12th day) after praying to Lord Vishnu and offering food and money to some respectful Brahmins.
Varuthini Ekadashi Vrat
Devotees observing Varuthini Ekadashi vrat are recommended to fast from sunrise in Ekadashi to sunrise in Dwadashi. Since a complete fast is recommended, one can start fasting from the previous day’s sunset to ensure that no undigested food remains in the stomach. Observing Varuthini Ekadashi vratis not just abstaining food. One should not indulge in gambling, lying, criticizing others, violence, sports, and sexual activity. The devotee on vrat should not succumb to sleep, anger and greed too. Thus, by resisting the feelings and temptations, vrat purifies the mind, body, and soul. Certain activities such as shaving, smearing oil on the body, etc. are also prohibited on Varuthini Ekadashi.
Parana or breaking the fast should be done on the next day (Dwadashi) after the sunrise. It is necessary to do Parana on the next day unless Dwadashi is over before sunrise. Also, one should take care not to do Parana on Hari Vasara period, which is the first quarter of the Dwadashi tithi. Pratahkal is considered as the most auspicious time to break the fast while breaking the fast in Madhyahna is not recommended. So, if one couldn’t do Parana in Pratahkal, then he/she should do it after Madhyahna.
Two types of Ekadashi Vrats are recommended; one for Smarthas, those with family, and the other for Sanyasis and Moksha seekers. While a one-day fast is recommended for Smarthas or normal devotees, alternate fasting or a two-day fast is suggested for Sanyasis and Moksha seekers.
Though full fasting is recommended on Varuthini Ekadashi, those who can’t bear it due to health issues can observe a partial fast by eating once, at midday, or in the evening. In that case, a devotee should avoid non-veg food (meat, fish, egg, etc.), beverages (tea, coffee, cola, and other energy drinks), mushrooms, grains, onion, peas, beans, black gram, spinach, betel nut, paan, red lentil, honey, sesame seeds, mustard, asafoetida, cloves, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, tulsi, tamarind, custard, salt, baking soda, baking powder, etc.
Eating in bell metal utensils and eating from other houses are also prohibited. The devotee can choose to eat the Havishyanna food offered to Yajna on the previous day. It is said that even those who are not observing the vrat should avoid consuming grains, pulses, and non-vegetarian foods on Ekadashi.
Fasting Procedure
– A complete fast is recommended. So, a devotee can start fasting from the previous day’s sunset to avoid any undigested food remaining in the stomach.
– On Ekadashi day, the devotee should wake up before sunrise, take a bath and worship Lord Vishnu.
– Visiting a Vishnu temple, chanting prayers, and reciting Vishnu Sahasranamaor Bhagavad Gita will intensify the spiritual drive.
– Breaking the fast or Parana should be done on the next day (Dwadasi) after taking a bath and worshiping Lord Vishnu. It should be done in the Parana time, which varies with each Dwadasi.
– Parana or breaking the fast shouldn’t be done during Hari Vasaraperiod, the first quarter of Dwadashi.
– The most auspicious time for Parana is Pratahkal. If the devotee couldn’t do it duringPratahkal, then he/she should do it after Madhyahna.
SpaceX achieved the first successful touchdown of its prototype Starship rocket during the latest test flight of the next-generation launch vehicle in south Texas on Wednesday, May 5, after four previous landing attempts ended in explosions.
The feat marked a key milestone for the private rocket company of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk in its development of a resusable heavy-lift launch vehicle to eventually carry astronauts and large cargo payloads to the moon and Mars.
The Starship SN15 blasted off from the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, along the Gulf Coast and reached its planned maximum altitude of 10 kilometers (6 miles), then hovered momentarily before flying nose-down under aerodynamic control back toward Earth.
Maneuvering itself back into vertical position under rocket thrust as it approached the ground, the 16-story, three-engine vehicle descended to a gentle touchdown on its landing gear.
“We are down, the Starship has landed,” SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker said during live commentary for the flight.
A video feed of the landing showed flames continuing to burn at the base of the rocket after the engines cut off, but an automated fire-suppression system trained a steady stream of water onto the landing pad, eventually extinguishing the blaze.
The flight came on the 60th anniversary of the first spaceflight by an American astronaut – Alan Shepard’s launch on a 15-minute suborbital mission atop NASA’s Mercury-Redstone rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Musk declared success on Twitter, posting a terse message in the understated parlance of spaceflight: “Starship landing nominal!”
Four previous test flights of Starship prototypes – SN8 in December, SN9 in February and SN10 and SN11 in March – all blasted off successfully but blew to pieces.
Google Photos, which currently offers unlimited free storage for “high quality” photos for all users, will only offer 15GB of free storage space for new photos and videos starting next month.
However, this change doesn’t apply to those who own a Pixel 2 or later, XDA Developers reported.
Pixel users will continue to get unlimited free “high quality” photo backups on Google Photos. However, those who don’t own a Pixel phone will have to get a Google One subscription, which starts at $1.99 per month ($19.99 per year) for 100GB.
The company, last year in November, announced that it would no longer offer unlimited free storage for “high quality” photos on Google Photos starting June 1, 2020.
The company had revealed that it would limit free storage on Google Photos to 15GB and users would have to pay for a monthly Google One subscription for any additional storage.
Since photos and videos uploaded to Google Photos before the deadline won’t count towards the new 15GB limit, users should probably upload all their precious memories right away and avoid paying for the Google One subscription, the report said.
In the desert just north of Las Vegas, a long white metal tube sits at the base of the mountains, promising to one day revolutionise travel. That is where Virgin Hyperloop, whose partners include Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, is developing the technology for passenger pods that will hurtle at speeds of up to 750 miles an hour (1,200 kph) through almost air-free vacuum tunnels using magnetic levitation. “It will feel like an aircraft at take-off and once you’re at speed,” said co-founder and Chief Executive Josh Giegel, who gave Reuters an exclusive tour of the pod used in its November test run, where it was propelled along a 500 meter (1,640 ft) tunnel.
“You won’t even have turbulence because our system is basically completely able to react to all that turbulence. Think noise-canceling but bump-canceling, if you will.”Off-white materials and a back mirror make the pod seem bigger and more “inviting” for new users, Giegel said.
“This pod was really the embodiment of ‘How do we take something that’s an idea and make it into something that’s a reality for us to sit in?’ Giegel said.The pods will seat 28 passengers and could be customised for long and short distances, and for freight.
While it is still at an early stage, Giegel predicts commercial operations as early as 2027. It could be the first form of transport in 100 years to revolutionise travel, just like cars, trains and planes did, Giegel said.
New Delhi (TIP): Amid rumours around PUBG’s comeback in India, South Korean video game developer Krafton on Thursday, May 6, confirmed the return of its much-anticipated game for the Indian users.
The company of its social media accounts and its websites mentioned that the game is coming soon in India. However, the game will not release as PUBG Mobile India but as Battlegrounds Mobile India.
“With privacy and data security being a top priority, Krafton will be working with partners, to ensure data protection and security, at each stage,” the video game developed said in a statement.
“This will ensure privacy rights are respected, and all data collection and storage will be in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in India and for players here,” it added.
According to the company, the game will offer a world-class multiplayer gaming experience on mobile.
Battlegrounds Mobile India will release with exclusive in-game events like outfits and features and will have its own esports ecosystem with tournaments and leagues.
The game will launch as a free-to-play experience on mobile devices.
Twitter rival Koo has launched its ‘Talk to Type’ feature for Indian languages and said it is the first social media platform to roll out such capability. The move would enable and empower those users who feel uncomfortable using the keyboard. “Anybody who wants to share their thoughts can now do so easily without having to type. They can speak their thoughts out loud and the words will show up magically on the screen. All at the click of a button and without using a keyboard,” the company said in a statement. This will happen in all the Indian languages Koo is currently available in, and will be the “easiest way to share thoughts with people in a native Indian language”. “Koo is the first social media platform in the world that is using this ‘Talk to Type’ feature, that too in Indian regional languages, apart from English. This will enable regional language creation in the easiest way possible for millions of Koo users,” the statement said.
Cascade Investment, the holding company created by Bill Gates, transferred stock in two of Mexico’s largest companies to Melinda French Gates, bringing the total amount she’s received in the past few days to more than $2 billion. Cascade moved stock worth more than $500 million in Coca-Cola Femsa and Grupo Televisa to her control, according to regulatory filings dated May 3, the same day the Gateses announced they were ending their 27-year marriage. Cascade shifted about $1.8 billion of shares in Canadian National Railway Co. and AutoNation Inc. this week to French Gates, Bloomberg reported.
Their separation is expected to involve a wealth transfer on a scale that’s only been seen in a few other divorces, though few details have yet emerged. It could also have ramifications for one of the most important philanthropic organizations on the planet. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given away more than $50 billion to support health care, education, gender equality and efforts to combat climate change.
US spending may spur modest rate hike: Yellen
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said interest rates may have to rise modestly to prevent the U.S. economy from overheating due to higher levels of government spending.
“It may be that interest rates will have to rise somewhat to make sure our economy doesn’t overheat,” Yellen said in an interview with the Atlantic recorded Monday that was broadcast on the web on Tuesday. “It could cause some very modest increases in interest rates.” Stocks extended their losses on Tuesday and the dollar briefly touched session highs after Yellen’s remarks.
Yellen’s comments come amid a debate on whether President Joe Biden’s raft of proposed and enacted government spending could spur a surge in price pressures. Administration officials have consistently argued that there’s little concern about a damaging inflation acceleration, given the tools policy makers have to head off such an outcome.
New Delhi (TIP): India is likely to breach its fiscal deficit target in the financial year to March 2022 mainly due to revenue shortfall, Fitch Solutions said Friday, May 7.
The government is targeting a deficit between revenue it earns and what it spends at 6.8 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in FY22 (April 2021 to March 2022). “We at Fitch Solutions forecast the Indian central government deficit to come in at 8.3 per cent of GDP in FY22,” it said.
“Revenue shortfall remains the main driver of our wider deficit view, as we expect the government to maintain its spending targets.”
Fitch Solutions had previously projected a fiscal deficit of 8 per cent.
“The main driver of our deficit forecast revision is a downward revision to our outlook for revenues, given that the flare-up in Covid-19 cases in India and containment measures in place will hamper India’s economic recovery, which will have a negative impact on fiscal revenues,” it said.
Central government expenditure is likely to be around the project of Rs 34.8 lakh crore as it looks to maintain its high pandemic-period spending so as to bolster pace of economic recovery.
Against this, revenue are likely to come in at Rs 16.5 lakh crore, down from government estimate of Rs 17.8 lakh crore on the back of an impaired outlook for India’s economic recovery in FY22 as a result of the ongoing health crisis.
It did not expect the government to significantly expand spending beyond what has been budgeted.
Based on the FY22 Union Budget, key spending areas planned for were infrastructure (transport, urban development, and power), healthcare, agriculture, and rural development.
“However, given the flare-up in Covid-19 infections in India, which has since overwhelmed the Indian healthcare system, we expect there to be reallocation of spending in favour of healthcare spending this fiscal year,” Fitch Solutions said adding healthcare spending is projected to be Rs 74,600 crore, 2.1 per cent of total planned FY22 expenditures, and this will likely come in higher than projected.
Another area expected to see increased spending is on the rural employment scheme – Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) scheme.
“During the Union Budget announcement in February, it had appeared as though India had managed to contain its domestic Covid-19 outbreak and that economic activity was turning a corner on to higher growth. We believe that this was what prompted the government to slash funding for the MGNREG scheme from Rs 1.1 lakh crore in FY21 to Rs 73,000 crore in FY22.
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