Category Archives: GENERAL

Apple unveils ‘Lockdown Mode’ to protect iPhone users from Pegasus spyware

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Apple has recently unveiled two initiatives to help protect users who may be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats, such as those from private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware.

Lockdown Mode — the first major capability of its kind, coming this fall with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura — is an extreme, optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security. Apple also shared details about the $10 million cybersecurity grant it announced last November to support civil society organizations that conduct mercenary spyware threat research and advocacy.

“Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market. Lockdown Mode is a groundbreaking capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest, most sophisticated attacks,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of Security Engineering and Architecture. “While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyberattacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are. That includes continuing to design defenses specifically for these users, as well as supporting researchers and organizations around the world doing critically important work in exposing mercenary companies that create these digital attacks.”

Lockdown Mode offers an extreme, optional level of security for the very few users who, because of who they are or what they do, may be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats, such as those from NSO Group and other private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware. Turning on Lockdown Mode in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura further hardens device defenses and strictly limits certain functionalities, sharply reducing the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware.

At launch, Lockdown Mode includes the following protections:

  • Messages: Most message attachment types other than images are blocked. Some features, like link previews, are disabled.
  • Web browsing: Certain complex web technologies, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode.
  • Apple services: Incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are blocked if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request.
  • Wired connections with a computer or accessory are blocked when iPhone is locked.
  • Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.

The Lockdown Mode capability further hardens device defenses and strictly limits certain functionalities, sharply reducing the attack surface that could potentially be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware.

Apple will continue to strengthen Lockdown Mode and add new protections to it over time. To invite feedback and collaboration from the security research community, Apple has also established a new category within the Apple Security Bounty program to reward researchers who find Lockdown Mode bypasses and help improve its protections. Bounties are doubled for qualifying findings in Lockdown Mode, up to a maximum of $2,000,000 — the highest maximum bounty payout in the industry.

Apple is also making a $10 million grant, in addition to any damages awarded from the lawsuit filed against NSO Group, to support organizations that investigate, expose, and prevent highly targeted cyberattacks, including those created by private companies developing state-sponsored mercenary spyware. The grant will be made to the Dignity and Justice Fund established and advised by the Ford Foundation — a private foundation dedicated to advancing equity worldwide — and designed to pool philanthropic resources to advance social justice globally. The Dignity and Justice Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity.

“The global spyware trade targets human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents; it facilitates violence, reinforces authoritarianism, and supports political repression,” said Lori McGlinchey, the Ford Foundation’s director of its Technology and Society program. “The Ford Foundation is proud to support this extraordinary initiative to bolster civil society research and advocacy to resist mercenary spyware. We must build on Apple’s commitment, and we invite companies and donors to join the Dignity and Justice Fund and bring additional resources to this collective fight.”

The Dignity and Justice Fund expects to make its first grants in late 2022 or early 2023, initially funding approaches to help expose mercenary spyware and protect potential targets that include:

  • Building organizational capacity and increasing field coordination of new and existing civil society cybersecurity research and advocacy groups.
  • Supporting the development of standardized forensic methods to detect and confirm spyware infiltration that meet evidentiary standards.
  • Enabling civil society to more effectively partner with device manufacturers, software developers, commercial security firms, and other relevant companies to identify and address vulnerabilities.
    Increasing awareness among investors, journalists, and policymakers about the global mercenary spyware industry.
  • Building the capacity of human rights defenders to identify and respond to spyware attacks, including security audits for organizations that face heightened threats to their networks.
  • The Dignity and Justice Fund’s grant-making strategy to research, track, and hold the enhanced cyber weapons trade accountable will be advised by an independent, global Technical Advisory Committee.

“There is now undeniable evidence from the research of the Citizen Lab and other organizations that the mercenary surveillance industry is facilitating the spread of authoritarian practices and massive human rights abuses worldwide,” said Ron Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto. “I applaud Apple for establishing this important grant, which will send a strong message and help nurture independent researchers and advocacy organizations holding mercenary spyware vendors accountable for the harms they are inflicting on innocent people.”

Crypto.com again fires hundreds of employees in 2nd round

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Crypto lending exchange Crypto.com has laid off more employees in the second round and this time, the firing of employees is worse than the previous job cut, as the global crypto meltdown gets deeper.

According to a Decrypt report, the latest round of job cuts has not been announced publicly. During the call, “leadership expressed they had no intention of going public. Top management is unlikely to make an announcement as, after the June layoffs, they claimed that everyone’s job was safe, and that no more layoffs will happen,” the report said, citing sources.

According to the report, the Singapore-based company this time fired people from critical products like exchange, app and wallet. “The company is hiding the fact that they’ve laid off more than 1,000 employees even though they officially announced laying off 260,” a Crypto.com employee had said on LinkedIn.

“They’ve removed the company directory so we can’t see the numbers go down. It’s not good for morale to see that 1/3 of the invitation list on your next meeting is disabled accounts,” the employee had mentioned.

In June, Crypto.com announced it’s laying off around 260 employees, or nearly 5 per cent of its workforce. Its CEO Kris Marszalek said the company’s approach is to stay focused on executing against its roadmap and optimising for profitability.

“That means making difficult and necessary decisions to ensure continued and sustainable growth for the long term by making targeted reductions of approximately 260 or 5 per cent of our corporate workforce,” he had announced.

Netaji Death Anniversary: Bring back remains from Japan, asks Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi

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On the death anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on August 18, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has written a letter to the Centre to bring back the remains of Netaji kept at the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo, Japan.
In her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said: “As we celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and pledge to take pride in our heritage as a part of the ‘Panchpran’, I am writing this letter to you in support of the request of Ms. Anita Bose Pfaff, daughter of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, to bring his last remains back to India.

Netaji’s statue at Renkoji temple in Tokyo where the remains of the Indian leader are preserved.

“It shall be our greatest honour to commemorate Netaji’s sacrifice and dedication towards independence of India by fulfilling his last wish of returning to the Indian soil.

“I request you to make a note of the request of Ms. Anita Bose Pfaff and expeditiously take all such diplomatic and other measures to bring Netaji home and duly acknowledge his insurmountable contributions in India’s freedom. struggle. This shall indeed be a true tribute to our forefathers who sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom.”

Netaji’s remains are kept at the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo.

CUET 4th Phase exam cancelled in 13 centres

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The first and second shift examinations of the fourth phase of the CUET (UG) entrance test held on Wednesday were cancelled for 13 centres, affecting 8,693 candidates due to technical reasons, said UGC.

The new date for the examinations is likely to be August 25, said UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar.

The examination was conducted for 1,45,885 candidates in two shifts on Wednesday but cancelled due to some unavoidable technical reasons in 13 centres.

Out of 1,45,885 candidates in both shifts, Uttar Pradesh had the maximum number of candidates (44033), followed by Delhi with 25,131 students. The examinations were conducted in one centre each in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, Goa, Leh, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Puducherry and Tripura.

The entrance test was conducted across 245 cities, which even included remote cities like Navsari, Itanagar, Barpeta, Nalbari, Araria, Arrah, Begusarai, Bettiah. , Bhabua, Buxar, Jammu, Samastipur, Bilaspur, Deoghar, Kargil, Leh, Morena, Behrampur, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sri Ganganagar, Ballia, Basti, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Mau, Sonbhadra, Srinagar (Uttarakhand).

Apart from Wednesday, the fourth phase of the CUET (UG) is also to be held on Thursday and Friday. Admit cards were issued to the candidates for these examinations last week. A total of 3.72 lakh candidates will appear for the exam in the fourth phase. So far around 6.31 lakh students have appeared for the CUET (UG) examinations.

The CUET (UG) admissions will be given to undergraduate courses in a total of 91 universities, including all central universities in the country. The first phase of CUET UG examinations started on July 15. These examinations will continue till August 30.

According to the UGC chairman, most of the candidates have been given cities of their choice. Despite this, there are about 11,000 candidates who could not be given the exam centre or city of their choice. Examinations of all such students have been scheduled for August 30.

The candidates who could not appear in Phase 2 examinations held on August 4, 5, and 6 either due to technical reasons or due to cancellation of the examination centre will be allowed to appear in examinations to be held from August 24 to 30. The admit cards of these students will be issued on August 20, said the UGC.

Rajamouli’s protege Ashwin Gangaraju to direct magnum opus ‘1770’

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Ashwin Gangaraju, who assisted S. S. Rajamouli in ‘Eega’ and ‘Baahubali’ and recently known for directing ‘Aakashvani’ is all set to direct the magnum opus ‘1770’, which will be based on Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Bengali novel ‘Anandamath’.

The producers of the film — Shhailendra Kumar, Sujayy Kuttiy, Krishna Kumar B and Suraj Sharma — released a motion poster of the film on Wednesday to mark 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’.

“This subject was a huge challenge for me, but with legendary V Vijayendra Prasad sir writing the adapted story and screenplay, I think what we have on paper is a blockbuster cinematic experience,” says director Ashwin Gangaraju.

This year also marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, the song that appeared first in Bankim Chandra’s novel ‘Anandamath’, which almost shook the roots of the British Empire.

India’s most celebrated storyteller V Vijayendra Prasad who penned the screenplay said, “I feel that Vande Mataram was a magical word. It was a mantra that was given by Maharishi Bankim Chandra for a nation to unite against tyranny and injustice. In 1770, we dealt with the story of unknown warriors who ignited the fire of the freedom movement.”

Shhailendra Kkumar from SS1 Entertainment collaborated with Suraj Sharma from PK Entertainment and former Zee Studio head Sujayy Kuttiy and producer Krishna Kumar B to make the film.

Producer Sujoyy Kuttiy, known for making historical sagas like ‘Manikarnika-The Queen of Jhansi’ and many other prestigious films under Zee Studios, collaborated in ‘1770’ because he could see the potential in the narrative.

The film will be made in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali. The team will lock the main lead before Dussehra, and by Diwali, they will announce the cast of the film. Ashwin along with his team has started researching the period and is trying to create a visual that is unique.

BKU, SKU to resume farmers’ protest in Lakhimpur Kheri today

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Both the Bhartiya Kisan Union-Tikait (BKU-Tikait) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) have announced that they will hold a 75-hour sit-in at Rajapur Krishi-Utpadan Mandi Samiti in Lakhimpur Kheri from Thursday to seek justice for those killed in October violence last year.

On Oct. 3, 2021, when protesters were walking on the road in Lakhimpur Kheri, they were hit and ran over from behind by a speeding SUV car and two other vehicles in a row. The protesters torched the vehicles and killed three of its occupants, while the driver of the third car fled the site. Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the violence that erupted soon after.

Their other demands include the withdrawal of cases registered against them during the stir against the Centre’s now-withdrawn farm laws, compensation to families of farmers who died during the year-long protest and legal guarantee for the minimum support price of crops.

Bhudev Sharma, national organisation secretary of BKU-Tikait, said the farmers would demand dismissal of Union minister of state for home Ajay Kumar Mishra ‘Teni’ in connection with Tikunia violence of October 3, 2021, in which his son Ashish Mishra is the key accused.

Other demands

He added their demands also included withdrawal of cases against the four farmers, who are in jail in connection with their alleged involvement in the Tikunia violence case. Already, farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and various other parts of Uttar Pradesh have started arriving in Lakhimpur to participate in the demonstration.

Apart from BKU national president Naresh Tikait and national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Singh Pal, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Yogendra Yadav and other leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will participate in the sit-in.

Here’s how coffee and cigarettes are complementary

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For some smokers, the first cigarette of the day is just not as satisfying without a cup of coffee. That could be more than just a morning habit: Chemical compounds in roasted coffee beans may help lighten the effects of morning nicotine cravings, University of Florida researchers have found.

In a cell-based study, the researchers identified two compounds in coffee that directly affect certain high-sensitivity nicotine receptors in the brain. In smokers, these brain receptors can be hypersensitive after a night of nicotine withdrawal.

The recently published findings have yet to be tested in humans but are an important step toward better understanding how coffee and cigarettes affect nicotine receptors in the brain, said Roger L. Papke, Ph.D., a pharmacology professor in the UF College of Medicine. Caffeine is coffee’s feel-good ingredient for most people but smokers may get another kind of boost.

“Many people like caffeine in the morning but there are other molecules in coffee that may explain why cigarette smokers want their coffee,” Papke said.

The researchers applied a dark-roasted coffee solution to cells that express a particular human nicotine receptor. An organic chemical compound in coffee may help restore the nicotine receptor dysfunction that leads to nicotine cravings in smokers, the researchers concluded.

The findings have led Papke to a broader hypothesis: One of the compounds in brewed coffee, known as n-MP, may help to quell morning nicotine cravings.

Papke said he was intrigued by the idea that nicotine-dependent smokers associate tobacco use with coffee in the morning and alcohol in the evening. While alcohol’s effect on nicotine receptors in the brain has been thoroughly researched, the receptors’ interaction with coffee has been studied less.

“Many people look for coffee in the morning because of the caffeine. But was the coffee doing anything else to smokers? We wanted to know if there were other things in coffee that were affecting the brain’s nicotine receptors,” Papke said.

Coffee increases consumer spending, says another study

However, a global research team said customers are prone to impulsive purchases after consuming coffee, tea, or soda at retail stores or car dealerships.

About 85% of Americans consume at least one caffeinated beverage every day with coffee being the primary source of caffeine, followed by tea and soda. Caffeine is also found in energy drinks, chocolate, and in many over the counter and prescription medications.

These researchers said, “Understanding how and why caffeine consumption influences spending is important since caffeine is one of the most powerful stimulants that is both legal and widely available.”

The study finds that drinking a caffeinated beverage before shopping leads to more items purchased at the store and increased spending. Their studies also show that the effect of caffeine is stronger for “high hedonic” products such as scented candles, fragrances, décor items, and massagers and weaker for “low hedonic” products such as notebooks, kitchen utensils, and storage baskets.

Yoga awareness campaign of the Ministry of Ayush with the help of human size Yoga mascots in the run up to the International Day of Yoga, at Metro Walk Mall, Rohini, in New Delhi on June 10, 2017.(PIB Photo)

Caffeine also impacted the types of items bought at the stores. The group that took in caffeine bought more hedonic (enjoyable/fun) items such as scented candles and fragrances. However, there was very little difference between the two groups with regard to utilitarian purchases such as utensils and storage baskets. Also, the effects of caffeine on spending hold for those who drink a little over two cups of coffee (or less) daily and is weakened for heavy coffee drinkers.

“Overall, retailers can benefit financially if shoppers consume caffeine before or during shopping and that the effects are stronger for high hedonic products. This is important for retailers to factor in to determine the proportion of hedonic products in their stores. Policy makers may also want to inform consumers about the potential effects of caffeine on spending,” conclude the researchers.

 

 

Sri Lanka former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to return home on Aug 24

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It’s back to normal in Sri Lanka as former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country following protests against economic crisis in July is all set to return on August 24. Sri Lanka is still facing unprecedented economic crisis.

This was confirmed by former Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Rajapaksa’s cousin Udayanga Weeratunga, who said that the former President would return to the country.

“Gotabaya should return to the country and people will welcome him but he would not continue in politics as he is not suitable,” Weeratunga, who was critical of the role of Gotabaya as a President, told media.

After protesters stormed President’s house on July 9, Gotabaya left the palace and later fled to the Maldives and then to the Singapore. He later entered Thailand last week. However, no country was ready to provide asylum, nor any request thereof was made, according to local reports.

The Thailand government is the latest to deny reports that Rajapaksa had sought asylum there. The Thailand Foreign Ministry said it received a request from Rajapaksa to visit the country but no request for asylum was made.

“Thailand saw no problem with Rajapaksa entering on a diplomatic passport, which would allow him to stay 90 days,” Thailand Foreign Ministry had stated.

Festive Season: Fixed Deposit rates hiked by banks

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As festive season is approaching, all Indian banks from State Bank of India to Kotak Mahindra Bank, have raised their fixed deposit rates by 15 to 50 basis points.

Bulk deposit rates have been increased by 25-50 basis points for a period of one year and more than one year deposit rates have gone up to 75-125 basis points.

The hike in deposit rates is in line with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 50 basis points hike in repo rate in the month of August. Accordingly, banks have also increased their FD rates, just as the festive season begins.

The largest state-owned bank, State Bank of India, increased its deposit rate by 15 basis points on FDs maturing between 180 days and 210 days from 4.40 per cent to 4.55 per cent.

Indian Overseas Bank increased deposit rates by 10 basis points for 444 days and three years and above periods for the retail term deposits.

Indian Bank and Punjab National Bank have hiked their deposit rates by 5-15 basis points, while the private HDFC Bank has increased interest rates by around 15 basis points on fixed deposits greater than Rs 5 crore in August.

ICICI Bank increased interest rates on fixed deposits of Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore in August.

Kotak Mahindra Bank has also increased rates by 15 basis points for select tenures for deposits up to Rs 2 crore, CareEdge data showed.

“Going forward, banks are expected to raise deposit rates for boosting deposits to support this rising credit offtake given that liquidity is narrowing in the banking system,” said Sanjay Agarwal, Senior Director, CareEdge.

India’s Chief Justice N.V. Ramana visits UAE, focuses on extradition ties

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 Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, who is on his maiden visit to the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday held talks with the UAE Justice Minister and the head of the Emirates Supreme Court.

The discussion was focused on the Indian expatriates in the Gulf country and for closer judicial cooperation between the two nations.

CJI Ramana, accompanied by Indian Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir and Supreme Court Justice Hima Kohli, held a meeting with UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Federal Supreme Court President Mohd Hamad Al Badi, and Supreme Court Judge Abdul Rahman Al Balushi on issues concerning Indian expatriates.

Addressing a felicitation function organised by the Indian community in the UAE at the India Social and Cultural Centre, Abu Dhabi, he said: “Today we discussed some issues which are bothering the Law Minister and the Ambassador.”

“There are around 175 people whose extradition orders are pending and when the Ambassador brought it to notice, we represented it to the UAE Law Ministry to look into this and try to expedite these extradition orders.

“There is 105 transfer of sentence orders and that too will be expedited. One more request was for access to visit Indians in prisons. These are humanitarian issues which we need to take care of,” he said.

“After this, there was the matter of judgments regarding the workmen who were terminated and those verdicts not being implemented. They said they will review the numbers given every six months,” he added.

“In family courts, we’ve seen legislation made by the UAE government to protect traditional laws of Indians who are non-Muslims so that they can follow their laws. They have agreed for this and it seems they have created some courts,” he said.

One of the difficulties, he said, is that there are not enough interpreters. “They’ll say they’ll take care so people who don’t understand Arabic can use interpreters.

“The UAE Minister has promised the issues will be taken care of. I appreciate the Ambassador’s hard work and sincerity,” the CJI said.

He said that India and the UAE share strong friendly ties and that the two nations have signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

“One of the major reasons for strong ties between the two nations is that Indians constitute one of the strongest ethnic groups. Nearly 3.5 million Indians are living here comprising 30 per cent of the total population. Indians have contributed to the development of the UAE over the years,” he added.

CJI Ramana also said that suggestions could be made to the organisations like the Indian Culture Centre to think of creating a legal assistance centre to help those in need of legal assistance in India.

Neighbourhood First: 5 Sailing boats of Indian Navy visit Sri Lanka

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Tightening naval ties between India and Sri Lanka, five sailing vessels of the Indian Navy are now visiting the island nation.

“Continuing Indian Navy’s endeavour to build ‘Bridges of Friendship’, indigenous sailing vessels Mhadei, Tarini, Bulbul, Kadalpura and Hariyal visit the South Indian island from March 10-19 with the aims to provide ocean sailing training and experience to the Sri Lanka Navy,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.

“The vessels were in Trincomalee from 10 March 2022 to 13 March 2022 and embarked
fourteen officers including two lady officers of Sri Lanka Navy for ocean sailing experience in Colombo. Dedicated training was also imparted to the embarking officers by an Indian Navy Officer during harbour phase,” the statement added.

The senior officer of the Indian Navy Sailing team, Commodore B.R. Singh, called on COMEAST, Rear Admiral Jayantha Kularatne, at Trincomalee and Deputy Chief of Staff, COMWEST, Rear Admiral A.U.C. De Silva at Colombo, it said.

“The ocean-sailing experience provided by Indian Navy is expected to encourage keen enthusiasm amongst the Sri Lanka Navy Officers for this adventure sport.”

Earlier India’s INSV Madhei circumnavigated the globe in a solo endeavour by Commander Dilip Donde in 2010 and undertook non-stop solo expedition in 2012 by Lt Commander Abhilash Tomy. In another India naval endeavour INSV Tarini as part of Navika Sagar Parikrama, a six women officer team, had successfully circumnavigated the globe in 2019.

To promote the interest towards sailing and adventure sports among Sri Lanka Navy, Indian Navy’s Western Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Sameer Saxena, had earlier handed over state of the art sailing gears on behalf of the Indian Navy to Sri Lanka Navy’s Director General Operations, Rear Admiral P.S. Mahawithana, at a ceremony onboard INS Chennai on March 12.

“The recent engagements amongst the two Navies have cemented the deep rooted bonds of
friendship and seamless interoperability. The arrival of Indian Navy ships is symbolic of close defence cooperation and togetherness shared amongst the two countries in line with India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy,” the HC statement added.

India offers help to mediate to end Russia-Ukraine war

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India, which has maintained good relations with both Russia and Ukraine, offered help to “engage” in diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine following the UN concerns for the lives of millions of people.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “emphasized that there is no option but the path of dialogue and diplomacy”, said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti on Thursday.

“We stand ready to continue to engage on these objectives in the Security Council, as well as with the parties, in the coming days,” he said.

Modi has already spoken to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, urging both the leader to direct talks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelentsky expressed positivism on the outcome of talks being held in Belarus and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the talks were “close to an agreement”.

Zelenskyy

Taking note of the outcome in bilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia, Tirumurti said, “We reiterate our call for immediate cessation of hostilities across Ukraine.”

He said, “We continue to underline the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states… The humanitarian situation has worsened, particularly in the conflict zones.”

He said that humanitarian assistance should not be politicised and said that India has already sent over 90 tonnes of relief supplies to Ukraine and its neighbours since March 1. “We are in the process of identifying other such requirements and sending further supplies in the coming days,” he said.

So far, 726 people have been killed, 52 of them children, and most of the casualties resulted from the use of explosive weapons with wide impact in residential areas. However, the actual number is likely much higher.

Attacks on hospitals

“Life-saving medicine we need now is peace,” World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said outlining the health catastrophe in Ukraine. He said that WHO has verified 43 attacks on health care facilities, with 12 people killed and 34 injured, including health workers.

“Attacks on health care are a violation of international humanitarian law – anytime, anywhere,” he said. He said that UN convoys with humanitarian supplies have not been able to reach several areas.

Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzia denied the accusations that Russia is attacking places like medical facilities or a theatre sheltering people or a mosque. “We note with regret that Ukraine has always was a pawn in the struggle against Russia and remains such a pawn still,” he said.

He said that Russia will not press for a vote on a resolution it had introduced to counter a resolution proposed by France and Mexico on facilitating humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.

Russia was calling for an emergency session of the Security Council on Friday on its complaints of what it said were bio-weapon labs in Ukraine.

World Court ICJ orders Russia to stop war immediately; Is it binding?

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The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial body in the world, on Wednesday ordered Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine, though its orders are not mandatory for defying member nations.

In a vote of 13-2, the decision was to ask the Russian Federation to quickly suspend military operations it started on February 24. “The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on Feb 24, 2022 in the territory of Ukraine,” the judges said as quoted by Reuters.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the outcome at the world court and said, “Ukraine gained a complete victory in its case against Russia at the ICJ. The ICJ ordered to immediately stop the invasion. The order is binding under international law. Russia must comply immediately. Ignoring the order will isolate Russia even further”.

On 26 February, Ukraine filed an application against Russia concerning “a dispute” on the interpretation, application and fulfilment of the Genocide Convention. Ukraine contended that having falsely claimed acts of genocide against the people of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, Russia declared and implemented a “special military operation” to prevent and punish the purported acts.

The ICJ asked Russia to immediately suspend its attacks and cease all military operations as they were based on Moscow’s stated purpose of preventing or punishing Ukraine for committing genocide.

The Court also noted that Russia had decided not to participate in oral proceedings and later, presented a document setting out its position that in this case, the Court lacks jurisdiction and requested it to “refrain from indicating provisional measures and to remove the case from its list.”

Meeting conditions

In delivering the ruling, President of the Court Joan Donoghue of the United States, outlined that the necessary conditions were met to give the ICJ the authority to indicate provisional measures, namely that the rights asserted by Ukraine are plausible and the condition of urgency was met in that acts causing irreparable prejudice can “occur at any moment.”

“Indeed, any military operation, in particular one on the scale carried out by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, inevitably causes loss of life, mental and bodily harm, and damage to property and to the environment,” said the ICJ President.

On behalf of the world court, she continued, “the civilian population affected by the present conflict is extremely vulnerable,” adding that Russia’s aggression has resulted in “numerous civilian deaths and injuries…significant material damage, including the destruction of buildings and infrastructure”.

“Attacks are ongoing and are creating increasingly difficult living conditions for the civilian population. Many persons have no access to the most basic foodstuffs, potable water, electricity, essential medicines or heating. A very large number of people are attempting to flee from the most affected cities under extremely insecure conditions,” she explained.

The judges were unanimous in their order that both parties refrain from any action that might “aggravate or extend the dispute…or make it more difficult to resolve.”

 

Massive power shutdown in Tokyo as 7.3M earthquake jolts region violently (Videos)

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More than 2 million homes in Tokyo went without electricity as a powerful 7.3M earthquake jolted the Tokyo region. The quake shook large parts of eastern Japan, including the capital, where buildings were seen swayed violently during the earth quake. At least two people were killed and dozens more were injured, according to Kyodo News.

As power was snapped by the TEPCO, East Japan Railway Co. suspended most of its train services. The utility service company — Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant where the cooling systems failed after the 2011 disaster, said workers found no abnormalities at the site, which was in the process of being decommissioned.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake hit at 11:36 p.m. at a depth of 60 km below the sea. The epicentre was located off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat.

The northern Japan witnessed a deadly 9.0 quake and tsunami 11 years ago on March 11 that caused nuclear plant meltdowns in Fukushima.

The state-owned NHK TV reported some incidents of fire and damage to buildings and falling rocks in Iitate town in Fukushima. Several residents captured the shaking inside homes and posted them on social media as seen below:

 

 

55% of Indians spend 3 sleepless nights a week; Here are some solutions

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Due to the Covid pandemic and two years of continuous stay at home has changed the bioclocks of many Indians and several households are experiencing the impact now to readjust to the rigours of daily commute to the office and schools.

In a survey conducted by ResMed, 81 percent in India cited poor sleeping habits. “We conducted this survey to investigate the importance of a good night’s sleep and its impact on one’s wellbeing,” said Carlos Montiel, ResMed’s Vice President of Latin America and South Asia.

“The findings show that people struggle to sleep at night and are interested in learning more about their sleep habits and sleep quality,” said Montiel.

Here are some findings:

* 72 percent of respondents said insufficient sleep had worsened their emotional state of mind.

* Indians are ready to correct sleeping habits.

* About 81% agree that bad sleeping habits can affect quality of life.

* 34 percent were also aware that snoring was a sign of a poor night’s sleep, resulting in 51 percent of respondents using sleep trackers to keep records of sleep patterns and 35 percent expressing interest in keeping track of their health during sleep.

Despite these sleep challenges, only 21 percent of those polled sought help from a general practitioner or a healthcare specialist.

Furthermore, 59 percent believe that snoring is a sign of a good night’s sleep, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness about sleep health.

Many people are also unaware that the symptoms they experience while sleeping could be indicators of a sleep disorder such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Mood changes such as irritability or depression, morning headaches, and excessive daytime sleepiness are the top three symptoms cited by both males and females.

 

Despite this, 32 percent of those polled said they had never heard of OSA.

Over 80 percent of adults worldwide with sleep apnea are undiagnosed and unaware of their condition. Common signs and symptoms of OSA include excess weight, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Here are solutions to avoid sleeplessness:

  1. Wake up at the regular time: Though it’s tempting to sleep late on weekends, especially if you have had poor sleep during the week, you should get up at the same time every day to train your body to wake consistently at the same time.
  2. Eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes: The effects of caffeine in coffee last for 24 hours and it could be affecting your sleep. Even alcohol and cigarettes keep the brain disoriented, so avoid them.
  3. Reduce day-time naps: Napping is good during the day but limit them to a few minutes and possibly not more than twice a day to maintain a regular sleep pattern. Napping can affect the quality of sleep at night.
  4. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can improve sleep quality but don’t do it before going to bed as it can act as a stimulant. Give at least 3 hours of time to go to bed after exercise.
  5. Bedtime activities: Limit your bedtime only for sleeping and having sex. Never indulge in readings, texting, making phone calls. or listening to music continuously.
  6. Don’t eat or drink: Eating or drinking just before sleep activates the digestive system and hence keeps you up for longer hours. Further, drinking a lot of fluids prior to bed puts pressure on your bladder requiring frequent visits to the washroom and disturbing your sleep.

 

Indian-origin volunteers in Ukraine help out refugees

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In a move to help out the refugees from Ukraine,  an international cadre of volunteers are working round the clock to help those who are in Poland and a handful of them are Indian-origin people who are focusing on providing vegetarian food for those needed most.

A volunteer Yogi Trivedi was one among them who is based in Rzeszow in Poland who is helping out refugees in welcoming them at the border and guiding them to settle in camps. He is one of those who can cook vegetarian food, which provides great relief for many.

The Indian-origin volunteers under the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) are about 25 who are drawn from nearby European nations such as Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Poland. In addition, some of them have reached from the US and UK as well.

They have helped the Indian students initially who are being evacuated by the Indian government and now they are serving those who need any help. So far, more than2.5 million Ukrain refugees are there in neighbouring countries.

The team wearing yellow vests with a sketch of the Akshardham temple in Gujarat are helping refugees of all nationalities at three border points, Budomierz, Korczowa and Medyka now.

Trivedi, a teacher at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, among the five from the US joined them via the BAPS Instagram page and they are providing the refugees with essentials like warm clothes, gloves, sanitary supplies and hot meals.

“If you’ve been travelling for seven to nine days, from across the country, you’ve been walking. Often the lines at the crossings can lead back to two to four kilometres at different checkpoints and they can take up several hours to cross,” he said explaining the trauma these refugees face while fleeing Ukraine.

“When you come over to the Polish side, if there’s someone there to smile, give you a helping hand, carry your luggage, help you carry your kids, help you get settled, even if it’s for the first five, seven minutes, you could see the immense sort of stress and trauma melting away from their face,” he noted.

Ukrainian refugees show resilience and humility. “Despite all the difficulties they had, they were willing to keep on going and do it all for their children’s sake, and for their country’s sake,” he said.

Pakistan raises accidental missile issue at UN; China, US support direct talks

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Despite India’s clarification, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi chose to complain to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on what he said was the “blatant violation of Pakistans airspace by the ‘accidental’ firing of a missile by India on March 9”, reports said.

India’s Defence Ministry had given clarification that in the course of routine maintenance on March 9, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile that landed inside the territory of Pakistan.

However, Pakistan said “multiple shortcomings and technical lapses of a serious nature in India’s management of strategic weapons” was “irresponsible conduct” and needed to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council. Islamabad also insisted on a joint probe of the incident.

Meanwhile, the US and China have urged India and Pakistan to hold direct talks for reducing tensions as both are nuclear-armed nations. “We continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern,” a US State Department official said on Monday, though Washington said it sees no wrong intention behind the mishap.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said, “We called on relevant countries to have dialogue and communication as soon as possible and launch a thorough investigation into this incident,” spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.

 

5 Indian students killed in Ontario Highway accident, Jaishankar condoles

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India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Monday mourned the demise of five Indian students who were killed in a road accident near Toronto, Canada.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “Deeply mourn the passing away of five Indian students in Canada. Condolences to their families. Pray for the recovery of those injured.”

The accident occurred on a highway when the passenger van carrying the students collided with a tractor-trailer on early Saturday morning, leaving five Indian students killed.  The van was travelling on Canada’s Highway 401 between Belleville and Trenton.

External affairs minister Dr s. Jaishankar. (MEA Photo)

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have identified them as Jaspinder Singh, 21, Karanpal Singh, 22, Mohit Chouhan, 23, Pawan Kumar, 23, and Harpreet Singh, 24.

They were pronounced dead on the scene. Two injured students were rushed to hospital with serious injuries. The victims were students in colleges in Montreal and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

OPP Constable Maggie Pickett said: “It’s a tragedy. Nobody wants to respond to that call for service, but we’re there, we’re working.” There are over 200,000 Indian students currently studying in colleges in Canada.

Bahubali fame, actor Prabhas donates Rs 1 crore for AP flood victims

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Bahubali fame Prabhas has donated Rs 1 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which is almost four times that of other actors in the Telugu film industry. The Bahubali actor came forward to donate the money to help relief measures being undertaken in the state after the recent devastating floods.

Earlier, Prabhas had donated Rs 4.5 crore to help the needy during Covid-19 pandemic and now surpassed individual contributions made by the film fraternity in the state. Last week, top Telugu actors Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR, Allu Arjun, and others have donated ranging between Rs. 20 to Rs. 25 lakhs for flood relief measures in the state.

Prabhas

The recent floods in Andhra Pradesh left the coastal district of Nellore, besides Tirupati and Chittoor affecting thousands of people, who have lost their homes, got displaced and farmers suffered heavy losses losing their crops during the season.

In the wake of the damage, several Telugu artists stepped in to help the people by donating Rs 25 lakh each to the AP Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which will help in the restoration of the flood-damaged districts.

On the work front, Prabhas’s upcoming film ‘Radhe Shyam’ is all set to hit the marquee on January 14. His current project with ‘KGF’ fame Prashanth Neel for their upcoming movie ‘Salaar’ is wrapping up soon and Om Raut’s ‘Adipurush’ is under production now.

Desalination: Making seawater drinkable in minutes possible now

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A research team in KICT, led by Dr. Yunchul Woo, has developed co-axial electrospun nanofiber membranes fabricated by an alternative nano-technology, which is electrospinning. This new desalination technology shows it has the potential to help solve the world’s freshwater shortage.
The developed technology can prevent wetting issues and also improve the long-term stability in membrane distillation process. A three-dimensional hierarchical structure should be formed by the nanofibers in the membranes for higher surface roughness and hence better hydrophobicity.
IMAGE: SCHEMATIC OF CO-AXIAL ELECTROSPINNING DEVICE. view more 

CREDIT: ELSEVIER

According to the World Health Organization, about 785 million people around the world lack a clean source of drinking water. Despite the vast amount of water on Earth, most of it is seawater and freshwater accounts for only about 2.5% of the total. One of the ways to provide clean drinking water is to desalinate seawater. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) has announced the development of a stable performance electrospun nanofiber membrane to turn seawater into drinking water by membrane distillation process.

Membrane wetting is the most challenging issue in membrane distillation. If a membrane exhibits wetting during membrane distillation operation, the membrane must be replaced. Progressive membrane wetting has been especially observed for long-term operations. If a membrane gets fully wetted, the membrane leads to inefficient membrane distillation performance, as the feed flow through the membrane leading to low-quality permeate.

The co-axial electrospinning technique is one of the most favorable and simple options to fabricate membranes with three-dimensional hierarchical structures. Dr. Woo’s research team used poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) as the core and silica aerogel mixed with a low concentration of the polymer as the sheath to produce a co-axial composite membrane and obtain a superhydrophobic membrane surface. In fact, silica aerogel exhibited a much lower thermal conductivity compared with that of conventional polymers, which led to increased water vapor flux during the membrane distillation process due to a reduction of conductive heat losses.

Most of the studies using electrospun nanofiber membranes in membrane distillation applications operated for less than 50 hours although they exhibited a high water vapor flux performance. On the contrary, Dr. Woo’s research team applied the membrane distillation process using the fabricated co-axial electrospun nanofiber membrane for 30 days, which is 1 month.

The co-axial electrospun nanofiber membrane performed a 99.99% salt rejection for 1 month. Based on the results, the membrane operated well without wetting and fouling issues, due to its low sliding angle and thermal conductivity properties. Temperature polarization is one of the significant drawbacks in membrane distillation. It can decrease water vapor flux performance during membrane distillation operation due to conductive heat losses. The membrane is suitable for long-term membrane distillation applications as it possesses several important characteristics such as, low sliding angle, low thermal conductivity, avoiding temperature polarization, and reduced wetting and fouling problems whilst maintaining super-saturated high water vapor flux performance.

Dr. Woo’s research team noted that it is more important to have a stable process than a high water vapor flux performance in a commercially available membrane distillation process. Dr. Woo said that “the co-axial electrospun nanofiber membrane have strong potential for the treatment of seawater solutions without suffering from wetting issues and may be the appropriate membrane for pilot-scale and real-scale membrane distillation applications.”