Month: August 2020

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the BJP has a hold over WhatsApp and said the platform now needs the approval of the Central government to launch its payment services in India.

“America’s Time magazine exposes WhatsApp-BJP nexus: Used by 40 Cr Indians, WhatsApp also wants to be used for making payments for which Modi Govt’s approval is needed. Thus, BJP has a hold over WhatsApp,” Gandhi tweeted while citing a media report.

WhatsApp is owned by Facebook Inc.

Earlier on August 16, the former Congress chief had alleged that the BJP and the RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in the country.

He also alleged that they spread fake news and hatred through these social media platforms to influence the electorate.

“BJP & RSS control Facebook & Whatsapp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate. Finally, the American media has come out with the truth about Facebook,” he tweeted earlier citing a media report. (ANI)

Apple has terminated the account of Epic Games from its App store.

“We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store. We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases,” Tech Crunch quoted Apple in an official statement as saying.

“The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they have followed for the past decade until they created this situation. Epic has refused. Instead, they repeatedly submit Fortnite updates designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store,” it added.

Meanwhile, MacStories Managing Editor John Voorhees tweeted: “You missed your chance. Epic is off the App Store now. Also, this fight has gotten very petty. Today’s featured app? PUBG.”

Apple also said that Epic has been making support issues by directing frustrated users toward AppleCare. (ANI)

Coca-Cola will cut thousands of jobs and reduce the number of business units as it faces declining beverage sales in the coronavirus pandemic.

Coke said the job cuts will come in the form of voluntary and involuntary reductions, reported CNN.

It plans to first offer buyouts to 4,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and then offer a similar voluntary programme in other countries. The number of people who take the buyout will reduce the number of involuntary layoffs, the company said.

Coke did not say how many jobs could be lost in total but said global severance expenses could range from 350 million dollars to 550 million dollars.

As of December 31, 2019, Coke had 86,200 employees of which about 10,100 were located in the United States, said CNN on Friday (local time).

The company plans to reduce its number of operating units from their current total of 17 businesses in four geographies to nine operating units in those regions.

Coke is focusing on its most popular segments that include its main Coca-Cola line and products like sports drinks, coffees and teas. It also wants to expand in growing categories such as sparkling water and plant-based drinks.

Meanwhile, it has outlined plans to to kill more ‘zombie brands’ or those that are not growing. For instance, the company discontinued its Odwalla smoothie brand in July.

In Coca-Cola’s second quarter, which ended on June 26, the company saw sales drop 28 per cent to 7.2 billion dollars. (ANI)

On the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mumbai police will now provide protection to Rhea Chakraborty, one of the accused in Sushant Singh Rajput death case, whenever she commutes from her residence to DRDO guest house in the city, Mumbai Police official said here on Saturday.

At DRDO guest house, CBI is questioning people in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Some CBI officials who have come to Mumbai for probing the case are also staying at the guest house.

Chakraborty was questioned by CBI for the first time on Friday.

She had earlier requested Mumbai Police to provide protection to her and her family as she feels that “there is a threat” to her and her family’s lives.

On the social media platform, the actor also posted a video of her father being mobbed by media persons in their building compound and said the family needs to step out to cooperate with Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI and other authorities and the mob makes it difficult.

The 28-year-old actor went on to share that she had been provided with no help despite informing the local police station.

Meanwhile, a CBI team investigating Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case arrived at the DRDO guest house on Saturday for questioning people in the connection with the case. Two officials of Bandra Police also reached there.

Rajput’s friend Siddharth Pithani, Neeraj Singh, who was working as a cook at the actor’s residence and Keshav Bachner, who was a member of Rajput’s staff also arrived at the guest house on Saturday for questioning.

On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the CBI to investigate the case related to the actor’s death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate.The agency has registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others in connection with the actor’s death after the Centre accepted Bihar government’s recommendation to transfer the probe in the matter from Patna.The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor’s death case after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Rajput’s father KK Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.Rajput was found dead at his residence on June 14. (ANI)

The sudden feeling of panicking or tension when one is not in contact with their smartphone could be connected to general feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, a new study of young people in Portugal suggests.

The study, published in the most recent issue of the journal Computers in Human Behavior Reports, found that gender has no bearing on whether people will feel apprehensive or anxious without their phones. But people who feel that way tend to be more anxious and obsessive-compulsive in their day-to-day lives than other people, the study suggests.

“It is that fear, that panicky feeling, of ‘oh, no, I left my phone at home,'” said Ana-Paula Correia, one of the authors of the study, associate professor in the department of educational studies at The Ohio State University and director of Ohio State’s Center on Education and Training for Employment.

This study was based on Correia’s previous work, which created a questionnaire to evaluate individuals’ reliance on their smartphones and explored the term “nomophobia” — the fear of being away from one’s smartphone. (Nomophobia is not recognized as a diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association.)

For this study, researchers gave that questionnaire and another that evaluated psychopathological symptoms such as anxiety, obsession-compulsion, and feelings of inadequacy to 495 adults aged 18 to 24 in Portugal. Those adults reported using their phones for between four and seven hours a day, primarily for social networking applications.

The researchers found that the more participants used their smartphone each day, the more stress they reported feeling without their phone. A little more than half of the study participants were female; the study didn’t find a link between gender and feelings of nomophobia.

The researchers also found that the higher participants scored on obsession-compulsion, the more they feared being without their phone. Obsession-compulsion was measured by asking participants to rate how much they felt they had to “check and double-check what you do” and similar questions.

There is a difference between normal smartphone use that benefits a person’s life — say, video chatting with friends when you can’t be together in person or using it for work — and smartphone use that interferes with a person’s life. That kind of behaviour, Correia said, is more likely to cause anxiety when we are away from our phones.

And, the study’s results suggest that people experiencing tension might see their phones as a stress-management tool.

“This concept is about more than just the phone. People use it for other tasks, including social media, connecting, knowing what’s going on with their social media influencers. So being away from the phone or the phone has a low battery can sort of sever that connection and leave some people with feelings of agitation,” Correia said. (ANI)

The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2019 is India’s pick of the most gorgeous women, including fresh faces and young talent. These lovely ladies have found a spot on this list for their stunning looks, distinct personality and tons of talent.

The list of The Times 50 Most Desirable Women 2019 has been unveiled, and India has made its choice! The ranking is based on votes cast in an online poll (onwww.toi.in/mostdesirablewomen), along with an internal jury.

The list features women under 40 from various fields and industries across our country – from new faces who have made heads turn with their ravishing looks, great attitude, confidence, and talent, to those who have won a spot on this list for continuously being in the news for the right reasons.

Every year has seen a greater number of new faces joining the desirable league. These beautiful women with immense talent and potential are all set to take the world by storm.

Disha Patani is in the top spot this year. The actress, who made her Bollywood debut with MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), catapulted into the big league with the Salman Khan-starrer, Bharat, last year. She was recently seen in Baaghi 3 and Malang.

Joining her in the top 10 are, Suman Rao (Miss World 2019 – 2nd Runner-up and Miss World Asia 2019) at number 2, Katrina Kaif at number 3, Deepika Padukone at number 4, Vartika Singh (Miss Diva Universe 2019) at number 5. Kiara Advani, Shraddha Kapoor, Yami Gautam, Aditi Rao Hydari (Chennai Times Most Desirable Woman of 2019), and Jacqueline Fernandez take the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth place, respectively.

Some of the new entrants on this list include Shivani Jadhav (Femina Miss Grand India 2019), Tara Sutaria, Shefali Sood (Miss Diva Supranational 2019), Samantha Akkineni (Hyderabad Times Most Desirable Woman 2019), Shanvi Srivastava (Bangalore Times Most Desirable Woman of 2019), Shreya Shanker (Femina Miss India United Continents 2019), Nusrat Jahan (Calcutta Times Most Desirable Woman of 2019), TaapseePannu, Ananya Panday, Bhumi Pednekar, Saiee Manjrekar and Nehha Pendse Bayas (Maharashtra’s Most Desirable Woman for 2019), among others.

Here’s a quick chat with Disha Patani on winning the coveted title. Excerpts:

How does it feel to be India’s Most Desirable Woman of 2019?

I feel the audience is too kind. I am grateful for all the love that I’ve been receiving and it’s a beautiful feeling. It’s fun, but at heart, I am still the tomboy I used to be.

What do you think are the qualities that make you desirable?

I think my relatability is what resonates with the audience. It could be anything — being my own version of fashionable or maybe, staying fit. But, above everything, I am thankful for people’s love and the fact that they find me desirable.

Who would you credit for supporting and nurturing you to be the best version of yourself that we see today?

My mother and sister. They are two of the strongest women I know, and they have really helped me be the best version of myself. And then, the credit goes to my directors, filmmakers, my team, and most importantly, my audience. I am always driven to deliver my best to the audience, and their response keeps me motivated.

And, who according to you is the most desirable man in Bollywood?

Well, everyone has a desirable personality. But, I think Shah Rukh Khan leads the game, undoubtedly.

(ANI/Mediawire)

As per a new study, people taking a ‘caffeine-nap’ — drinking a coffee before taking a nap — showed marked improvements in both performance and alertness, indicating its potential to counteract sleep grogginess.

A simple coffee and a quick catnap could be the cure for staying alert on the nightshift as new research from the University of South Australia shows that this unlikely combination can improve attention and reduce sleep inertia.

In Australia, more than 1.4 million people are employed in shift work, with more than 200,000 regularly working night or evening shifts.

Lead researcher, Dr Stephanie Centofanti from UniSA Online and the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at UniSA says the finding could help counteract the kind of sleep inertia that is experienced by many shift workers.

“Shift workers are often chronically sleep-deprived because they have disrupted and irregular sleep patterns. As a result, they commonly use a range of strategies to try to boost their alertness while on the nightshift, and these can include taking power naps and drinking coffee – yet it’s important to understand that there are disadvantages for both,” Dr Centofanti said.

“Many workers nap during a night shift because they get so tired. But the downside is that they can experience ‘sleep inertia’ – that grogginess you have just after you wake up – and this can impair their performance and mood for up to an hour after their nap,” the researcher added.

Dr Centofanti explained: “Caffeine is also used by many people to stay awake and alert. But again, if you have too much coffee it can harm your overall sleep and health. And, if you use it to perk you up after a nap, it can take a good 20-30 minutes to kick in, so there’s a significant time delay before you feel the desired effect.

According to the researcher, ‘caffeine-nap’ (or ‘caff-nap’) is a “win-win” as shift workers can gain the benefits of a 20-30-minute nap then the perk of the caffeine when they wake. It’s a win-win.”

The small pilot study tested the impact of 200 mg of caffeine (equivalent to 1-2 regular cups of coffee) consumed by participants just before a 3.30 am 30-minute nap, comparing results with a group that took a placebo.

Dr Centofanti says this shows a promising fatigue countermeasure for shift workers. She says the next move is to test the new finding on more people. (ANI)

The reconsideration petition which has been filed in Supreme Court seeking deferment of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) exams, has been divided into four parts, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said on Friday.

Addressing a Joint press conference here with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, TMC leader Derek O’Brien and Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant, Singhvi said, “We have divided the reconsideration petition into four parts: – Safety and Health, Reasonableness, Those balanced ways in which you can provide both the objectives of health as well as education and Policy rules on which you will be able to do it.”

He said that figures of student who will be taking the exams can increase this to 25 lakh and it is unfortunate that COVID-19 data is going simultaneously with 60,000 deaths.

“If I talk about the figures which can increase this year, it is of 25 lakh people. In which there are 16 lakh students for NEET and 9 lakh for JEE. about 25 lakh students. It is unfortunate that the corona data is also going on simultaneously with 33 lakh cases and 60,000 deaths,” he said.

Emphasising over the health of the students in the time of coronavirus, Singhvi said there are only 660 institutes for JEE. 1400 or 1500 people per centre has been divided for about nine lakh people. A little better for NEET which has around 450 people per center.

“On the one hand you talk of social distance and on the other side such density where there will be 1500 and 450 students at one center, is there no contradiction? Has anyone considered this?” Singhvi further asked.

Earlier in the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that if the government takes any decision regarding the future of students, it should take it with their concurrence.

On Thursday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had said that the safety and future of the students were the topmost priority with regard to holding the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.He had added that several steps including the increase in the number of exam centres had been taken.The National Testing Agency (NTA) is scheduled to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2020 [NEET] on September 13 and Joint Entrance Examination Main [JEE] on September 1-6. (ANI)

As China continued its military exercises in the South China Sea, the US Department of Defence once again slammed Beijing for violating “commitments under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.”

According to an official statement by the Defence Department, China’s military exercises over the disputed territories in the South China Sea “further destabilise the situation” in the region.

“The Department of Defense is concerned about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) recent decision to conduct military exercises, including the firing of ballistic missiles, around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 23-29,” according to an official statement by the Defence Department.

It further read, “Conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to easing tensions and maintaining stability. The PRC’s actions, including missile tests, further destabilise the situation in the South China Sea. Such exercises also violate PRC’s commitments under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea to avoid activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, and call into question its motivations with ongoing negotiations for a Code of Conduct between China and ASEAN.”

“The PRC’s actions stand in contrast to its pledge to not militarise the South China Sea and are in contrast to the United States’ vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in which all nations, large and small, are secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms,” the department added.

The US issued this statement after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday drove away a US warship that trespassed into China’s territorial waters in the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, near an ongoing Chinese military exercise zone that reportedly featured live-fire anti-ship ballistic missile launches, according to Global Times report.

On Wednesday, China had fired two missiles including an “aircraft-carrier killer” into the South China Sea as an act of “warning” to the United States after a US spy plane allegedly intruded into its army’s no-fly airspace, a source close to the Chinese military told the South China Morning Post.

This military exercise is the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbours in the South China Sea, according to the US Defence Department.

Even as the international community continues to slam China for its continuous violation of international law, Senior Colonel Li Huamin, a spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command was quoted as saying, “China has undisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters in the region, and the command troops are always on high alert to resolutely protect national sovereignty and safeguard peace and stability in the region of the South China Sea.” (ANI)