Saturday, March 21, 2020

Save 25% Water in Every Wash with Whirlpool 5 Star-Rated Washing Machines


India’s leading consumer goods company, Whirlpool of India, constantly thrives to offer solutions that are meaningful and advanced while ensuring they are environmentally friendly. Their widest range of washing machines save 25%* water with every wash and comes with a 5-star energy rating which is in line with the company's philosophy of saving energy and water.

KG Singh, Vice President-Marketing, Whirlpool of India said, “Whirlpool is a brand that is not only trying to enable caregivers to take care of their families, we are also doing our bit to enable care for natural resources. Water scarcity is an unfortunate reality in India and being water efficient is not only a convenience but also our responsibility. In this light, we are happy to leverage our deep knowledge and global expertise to launch the widest range of 5 Star range of Semi-Automatic and Top Load Washing Machines that save 25%* water.”

The 5-star rating comes in top load fully automatic and semi-automatic variants, featuring over 100 different washing machine models starting from Rs.9000 onwards. Consumers expect washing machines to have the latest technology to give the best wash quality, but also have a positive impact on the environment.

Staying true to its testimony of caring for its community and environment, Whirlpool washing machines come with eco-friendly and energy efficient technologies like 6th Sense Technology, Hotmatic Technology and Eco Wash Cycle. These technologies ensure water is used less by recirculating and spraying on the clothes from 3 unique spray nozzles during wash and rinse.

On this World Water Day Whirlpool ensures we save water and energy while doing our laundry. Whirlpool washing machines - Ace XL and Bloomwash Pro have also been awarded with the prestigious iF Design Award, that celebrates outstanding performance with design excellence.

*Results based on internal lab tests conducted on select models when operating in eco move v. normal mode under standard test conditions and may vary depending on testing conditions

(considering the bucket size of 20Ltrs). 

WinZO Bring PUBG Mobile Online Tournaments in 10 Regional Languages for Indian Gamers


WinZO, the leading vernacular social gaming platform, has entered into a partnership with Tencent Games India to bring PUBG MOBILE tournaments on the platform. WinZO will be now conducting PUBG MOBILE’s free to enter e-sports tournaments with prizes over Rs.1 Crore per month.

WinZO crossed the 20 million install base mark in a record time of less than a year with 90% of its players playing from T2 to T5 cities of India. The platform has recorded more than 2 million bank accounts linked and is already clocking 200MM microtransactions per month. The average time spent is more than 55 minutes.

WinZO has deep penetration in the non-urban regions of Bharat (tier 3-5) 80% of the players are consuming the App in their own languages including Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri. With this WinZO has created a first-of-its-kind truly vernacular e-sports experience for the massively popular PUBG MOBILE. This will not only empower the gamers in Tier II to Tier V Indian cities to play the game but also make them acquainted with the rapidly emerging and prestigious e-sports leagues of the likes of ESL and Tencent’s own PUBG MOBILE global esports. This comes in after esports entered as an official category in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Mr Paavan Nanda, Cofounder, WinZO Games, said: “This is one more step towards our endeavour to be all and end all destinations for a holistic entertainment experience. Tencent India’s trust in WinZO is a testament to our unique vision and our distinctive strategy to develop a Netflix of Gaming. Together we aspire to bring the best gaming experience to the mobile first audience of Bharat.”

WinZO offers 70+ games on its platform; to name a few- PUBG MOBILE, Cricket, Carrom etc; in multiple format like 24*7 Tournaments, Real time multiplayer format, and the Versus mode. The ticket for most games varies from Free entry to Rs. 25/entry.  With over 80% of the users consuming the app in regional languages, WinZO stands apart from the rest of the competition. This is well reflected in its performance.

About WinZO Games

WinZO is India’s largest vernacular micro-transaction led social gaming platform backed by marquee investors such as Kalaari and Hike. It is Kalaari’s second-biggest bet in the gaming category after Dream11. WinZO hosts multiple games where users compete in real time in multiple fun and engaging games to win a prize pool. WinZO has popular games such as PUBG MOBILE, Carrom, Cricket, Fantasy League, and Trivia based games. WinZO partners with developers and studios from across the world. It aims to solve for an efficient and better monetization of Games in developing economies which experience high engagements but yield lower Average revenue per user (ARPU). 

Friday, March 20, 2020

Fanzart Launches the Sleep Mode Feature to Bring You A Fan that Adjusts to Individual Comfort


Fanzart, India’s leading creator of luxury fans has always been on the forefront of creating technology to address the problems of the market. With the launch of the Sleep Mode feature, Fanzart addresses the age-old problem of adjusting a fan’s speed all through the night. The Sleep Mode feature in some of its leading models, is designed to ensure that the user never has to toggle the controls of the fan to get just the right breeze at various times in one night. Fans with Sleep Mode alternate between higher and lower speeds, ensuring an even flow of air and a uniform comfortable breeze all through the night.

Speaking on the Sleep Mode feature, Anil Lala, Founder and Director, Fanzart says, “The Sleep Mode is a combination of technology and engineering to bring about a unique model. The blade angle of our fans is higher (placed at 8 to 12 degrees) thus ensuring more air is pushed into the room. With an alternating mode – that provides two minutes of breeze and a minute of relief - there is a balance in the coolness of the room. Combined with our Whisper Quiet Technology, you have a fan that is efficient, silent and which assures comfort all through the night”.

The Sleep Mode feature will work along with other unique Fanzart fan features such as the Summer-Winter (SW) feature which allow fans to work bi-directionally. It rotates anti-clockwise (giving breeze during summer season or when it’s hot) and clockwise (to give warm air circulation).When used in tandem with an air-conditioner they help circulate the cool air all through the room. With the Sleep Mode feature, SW can be used to give you relief from air conditioned air. A sleep timer ensures that users can time the fan to their convenience as well.

Fanzart has been at the forefront of creating fans to suit the specific needs of the Indian market. This feature is the latest to be added to their extensive portfolio of products.

About Fanzart

In the 8 years of its entry into the market, Fanzart has risen to prominence as a pioneer and leader in the luxury designer fans segment. With showrooms across the country, Fanzart is a name to reckon with in the luxury interior segment with its niche offerings. The products are also shipped internationally and have made a mark for themselves.

Discovery to Premiere Superstar Rajinikanth’s Historic TV Debut Show ‘Into The Wild With Bear Grylls’ on March 23


Discovery, India’s leading and most trusted real-life entertainment network, is all set to premiere  the much anticipated TV debut show of Superstar Rajinikanth ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls’ at 8:00 pm on March 23 across 12 Discovery channels including Discovery Channel, Discovery HD,  DTamil, Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD, TLC, TLC HD, Investigation Discovery, Investigation Discovery HD, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, and Discovery Kids.  The premiere on Discovery and Discovery HD will be available in 8 languages including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi and English.  Viewers can download newly launched streaming app Discovery Plus to get access to the episode at 6 AM on March 23, 2020.  Into The Wild with Bear Grylls is produced for Discovery Communications India by The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia.

The special episode, shot in Bandipur National Park, will see Superstar Rajinikanth in a never seen before avataar, on an adventure trip with Bear Grylls, doing stunts never done before, discussing wide variety of topics including intimate details about his personal life and issues close to his heart such as water conservation.

Select excerpts of the show: -

The TV debut with twists and turns

Superstar Rajinikanth waited 43 years before making his TV debut as part of this unscripted adventure show. Speaking about his life, Rajinikanth says, “Well, yes, actually, my whole life has been a miracle. It’s a miracle! Even consider this show for example, I never thought of this, not even in my dreams that one day I'll do a show like this for Discovery!”

The show has many challenging feats that the Superstar performs with great perseverance along with Bear, such as crossing a ravine while balancing off an iron bridge suspended 50 feet above a dried riverbed. Rajinikanth, who crosses the bridge with much élan is seen saying, “If anything goes wrong over here....it's just a rope after all. Moreover, the iron of that bridge it is extremely hot! I couldn't hold for long as it was hot so I had to move continuously. My God! It is really...yes! I did it!”

The intimate Rajinikanth

Shedding light on his journey as an actor who initially began his career as a bus conductor in Bangalore, the episode will feature Rajinikanth in a light that best humanizes him and depicts him the way he is in real life.

Explaining how he keeps himself grounded while being revered by the world, Rajnikanth, says, “Yeah, once you’ve acted, it’s finished, I forget Rajinikanth. I go back to Shivaji Rao. Yeah. That’s just work life for me. When somebody reminds me “you are Rajinikanth” then I'll be like, oh yes! I am Rajinikanth.”

The Superstar with a purpose:

Through the episode, Rajinikanth fans will witness the charming superstar’s never-dying passion to spread awareness about the need to conserve water as he embraces the challenges of the wild. Speaking about the dire need to save the world from the issues faced due to the scarcity of water, the superstar says, “He who rules the water, rules the world.” He continues, “The current situation is heart wrenching. In the world there are 2.1 billion people suffering due to water scarcity.”

Rajinikanth’s friends join the adventure

Into the Wild with Bear Grylls is an interesting new format where Rajinikanth not only gets to take on the adventure with the ace explorer Grylls but also get goodwill messages from close friends. You will have to watch the show to know more about who the friends are and what transpires?

About Into The Wild With Bear Grylls

Into The Wild with Bear Grylls is an innovative new format inspired by Man Vs Wild, which is one of the most watched wilderness survival television series in the world. Into The Wild with Bear Grylls is produced for Discovery Communications India by The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia, where Bear Grylls, Delbert Shoopman and Deepak Dhar are Executive Producers.

COVID-19 Becomes Breeding Ground for Misinformation, Scams and Fake Cures


Last week, Tenable reported on the rise in malware and phishing attacks using the COVID-19 virus. Now, it has come to light that the global crisis has become a breeding ground for misinformation, scams and fake cures relevant to India. Satnam Narang, Principal Research Engineer, Tenable has conducted some research into the rise of these scams and what the public can do to ensure they don't fall victim.

His research looks into:
The different types of scams he's witnessed, including:
Scammers on Cash App
The spread of misinformation around COVID-19 which is becoming a growing problem
Scammers offering fake COVID-19 test kits
Fake messages from Government agencies, including scam texts alleged to be from the Australian government, offering advice on symptoms and when to get tested
Unsolicited phone call scams
Fake offers of emergency money for essentials
Working from home/job opportunity scams
Fake cures and misinformation circulating on platforms such as WhatsApp
How the public can avoid falling prey to these scams.
Commenting on this Satnam Narang, Principal Research Engineer at Tenable said, "With mounting fear and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, people will look for home remediesor take any information circulating on the internet as gospel. Scammers and peddlers of misinformation are seizing on this fear and uncertainty, as COVID-19 enables them to dupe unsuspecting individuals.

"In India and Australia amongst other countries, we've seen dissemination of misinformation, offers of fake COVID-19 test kits, fraudulent messages from government agencies along with non-scientific cures.

"To avoid falling prey to these scams, seek information from trusted sources, be sceptical of phone calls and text messages around COVID-19 and recognize that work-from-home job opportunities and free money offered on social media are most likely scams. If you feel unwell, consult your medical professional to get care, avoid forwarding messages on WhatsApp or other social media about so-called cures or news related to COVID-19."

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Range Rover and Anthony Joshua Celebrates Golden Jubilee for Luxury SUV with Uunique Snow Art

Highlights

* All-terrain innovator: This year the Range Rover will celebrate 50 years of innovation, after making its debut in 1970 and introducing a string of world-first technologies to the SUV sector

* Golden jubilee celebration: Snow artist Simon Beck created a unique ‘50 Years of Range Rover’ graphic inside the 260 m diameter steering pad at Land Rover’s cold weather test facility in Sweden

* Power of four: Refined, elegant and luxurious 4x4 family includes Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque models, reinforced by the range-topping SV line-up

* Star quality: World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua OBE experienced the thrill of ice driving in a quartet of the latest Range Rover SV models. Watch the film here:  https://youtu.be/-k4mkhK-6dU

* Find out more: To learn more about the latest line-up of connected, electrified and personalised Range Rover models, click here: www.landrover.com/

Land Rover has celebrated the Range Rover golden jubilee by creating a giant piece of sub-zero art at its cold weather test facility in Arjeplog, close to the Arctic circle in Sweden. The 260 m-wide artwork filled the centre of the steering pad at the test track where all future Land Rover models are put through their paces during development.

Land Rover’s Arjeplog facility uses a frozen lake to provide the perfect conditions for engineers to test and assess the latest models. Renowned snow artist Simon Beck created the 53 092 sq m anniversary logo by walking more than 45 000 steps across the powdery surface inside the steering pad, accompanied by a quartet of the latest Range Rover SV models.

Since 2014 the expert engineers, craftsmen and women at Special Vehicle Operations have been responsible for designing and producing the fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive Range Rover models in the luxury SUV’s 50-year history. The elevated luxury, performance and capability of the SV family represent the pinnacle of Range Rover development.

Arjeplog is also home to the Jaguar Land Rover Ice Academy, where customers experience the thrill of dynamic ice driving, under careful instruction from world-class driving experts. World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua OBE experienced the extreme conditions as part of the celebrations, where he learned the art of winter driving under the expert supervision of Academy instructors.

World heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, said: “I’m really looking forward to June because the Range Rover family will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of Britain’s finest exports and I’ll be defending my world title belts. I’ll be travelling to my fight with Kubrat Pulev in London on 20 June in my new personalised Range Rover SVAutobiography and I can’t think of a better way arrive. Nothing can match its combination of comfort and capability – I guess that’s what you get after five decades of experience.”

The luxurious Range Rover family will mark 50 years of pioneering innovation and peerless refinement in June, on the anniversary of the introduction of the two-door Range Rover in 1970. Since then, the Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar have expanded the family into a four-strong line-up of the world’s most desirable and advanced SUVs.

The original Range Rover was the four-wheel drive SUV that introduced anti-lock brakes, electronic Traction Control and Automatic Electronic Air Suspension while the 2012 Range Rover pioneered aluminium body architecture in large SUVs. In 2015 the Range Rover was the first vehicle to be fitted with Land Rover’s innovative All-Terrain Progress Control – now available across the Land Rover line-up.

Prof Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer, Land Rover, said: “Over five decades the Range Rover has evolved into the most desirable luxury SUV in the world. Its peerless combination of sophisticated design, refinement and capability has struck an emotional chord with customers all over the globe.”

The team of skilled engineers and designers at Land Rover SV have applied their unique expertise to a succession of Range Rover models and four examples were available in Arjeplog for Joshua to try, as he learned to circle the slippery 260 m diameter steering pad and negotiate the various ice tracks carved into the frozen lake, including:

* Range Rover SVAutobiography – Long-wheelbase pinnacle of the family is the most elegant and refined Range Rover ever, mixing airline-style Executive Seats and power-close rear doors with a choice of engines that includes an efficient Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) powertrain.
* Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic – Standard-wheelbase Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic combines heightened interior refinement with 422 kW Supercharged V8 pace for a compelling mix of driver-focused performance, sophisticated luxury and all-terrain capability.
* Range Rover Sport SVR – The biggest selling SV model to date and the fastest and most dynamic Range Rover ever produced. The latest 422 kW Range Rover Sport SVR can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.5 s and hit a top speed of 283 km/h.
* Range Rover Velar SVA Dynamic – The World Car Design of the Year 2018 re-engineered to deliver heightened comfort and performance, providing effortless grand touring in an understated yet purposeful package.

Medvarsity Donates an Online Certificate Course on COVID-19 in Partnership with FICCI and NATHEALTH


A record 8000 people earned their free certificate on Awareness and Management of Covid-19. This was achieved in less than 24 hours after its announcement on LinkedIn by Mr. Gerald Jaideep, CEO, Medvarsity.

As cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) continue to rise, social media had given rise to a large amount of content that was factually incorrect and sometimes dangerous. This free online course is designed by doctors to help individuals be better prepared for the disease and teaches them steps to manage their health and of those dear to them, thereby ensuring their safety during this pandemic. This 15-minute course on COVID-19 educates people about its mode of transmission, clinical presentation & diagnosis, preventive measures, and its management. The course was released in partnership with FICCI and NatHealth.

Dr. Sangita Reddy, President of FICCI quoted “Information is power, let's all arm ourselves with the information to prevent, contain, treat and ultimately find a cure. I congratulate Medvarsity on quickly putting together a high-quality program”.

Dr. H Sudarshan Ballal, President of NATHEALTH quoted “Public awareness and a united concerted effort by the public and private health care sectors is  the need of the hour . Support and cooperation of the citizens can help us contain this new novel viral epidemic. The online course on awareness of COVID19 is a welcome step that will help us contain the myths and panic around COVID19.  We at NATHEALTH, highly appreciate the steps being taken by Medvarsity and are happy to collaborate with them”.

Mr. Gerald Jaideep, CEO, Medvarsity Online Ltd. while talking about this initiative quoted “During these risky times, as leader in healthcare EdTech, we decided to dedicate this online course on COVID-19 to all who want to know more about the disease and how to manage it. I thank everyone who is contributing to our initiative by completing this course. I thank FICCI and NATHEALTH for supporting us by partnering in this initiative. ”

Awareness and management are the keys to the safety of people. However, there are very few authentic sources of information such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People are bound to consume information from a lot of sources, especially due to the panic situation. That is one of the primary reasons Medvarsity took this initiative to educate people.

Trend Micro Named a Leader in Enterprise Detection and Response by Top Independent Research Firm


Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has been recognized as a “leader” in The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Detection and Response, Q1 2020.

In their 14-criteria evaluation of enterprise detection and response (EDR) providers, Forrester evaluated 12 security vendors in three distinct areas: current offering, strategy, and market presence. Trend Micro earned the highest possible score in the “endpoint telemetry” and “security analytics” criteria (under the current offering category), the “product vision” and “performance” criteria (under the strategy category) and “enterprise clients” and “product line revenue” criteria (under the market presence category).

According to a Ponemon Institute study, 68% of organizations were victims of endpoint attacks in 2019 and the average cost per endpoint breach increased to $9 million. Threat actors continue to evolve as technology evolves and there is a clear need for improved protection against cyberthreats. This protection requires solutions that can extend detection and response capabilities to additional security layers in order to offer greater visibility of suspicious activity.

For example, with phishing being the single most effective way for an adversary to target an organization, Trend Micro has integrated detection and response across endpoints and email to produce more insightful investigations. With the leading attack source covered, analysts can trace a root cause analysis back to email to identify all impacted parties, contain the threat, and stop the spread.

Trend Micro goes beyond endpoint by implementing cross-layer detection and response (XDR) across endpoint, email, cloud workloads and network to remove constraints on enterprise security teams and offer a consolidated view of attack paths across security layers. As a result, Trend Micro’s EDR capabilities are part of a more robust Trend Micro XDR platform offering.

“Our XDR solution enables visibility and analysis that is otherwise difficult or impossible to achieve,” said Steve Quane, executive vice president, Trend Micro. “We believe that this recognition as a leader in EDR emphasizes the importance of simplifying and accelerating threat detection and response, the benefits of our XDR offering and our vision to provide our customers with the most complete solution.”

Forrester recognized Trend Micro’s offering in multiple areas including:

“Trend Micro has a forward-thinking approach and is an excellent choice for organizations wanting to centralize reporting and detection with XDR but have less capacity for proactively performing threat hunting.”
“Trend Micro delivers XDR functionality that can be impactful today.”
“Client references universally appreciate the customer engagement they get from Trend Micro.”
“One feature of [Trend Micro’s] EDR product that is particularly thoughtful is the highlighting of noteworthy objects when doing a root-cause analysis. These objects provide hints for pivoting threat hunts to identify where else in the environment an adversary may have been.”

Trend Micro received the highest possible score for the following criteria:

Endpoint telemetry
Security analytics
Product Vision
Performance
Enterprise clients [in market presence category]
Product line revenue

Indian-Origin-Businessman Vivek Salgaocar Joins World Economic Forum's Celebrated Forum of Young Global Leaders


Thirty-three-year-old Indian-origin businessman, Mr.  Vivek Salgaocar has joined the coveted list of Forum of Young Global Leaders Class of 2020. Despite being part of a large, family-owned conglomerate with a rich heritage in several industries, Salgaocar is creating his own legacy by actively working towards, and supporting the creation and commercialisation of innovative technologies for the mining and natural resources industries in a sustainable and socially responsible way.

Forum of Young Global Leaders Class of 2020 was started in 2004 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab. Alongside Salgaocar, 113 other activists, academics, and political leaders from 51 countries also join the list. Some of this years inductees include the Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, Captain of the World Cup winning US Women’s Soccer team and gender rights activist Megan Rapinoe, and the Kristo Co-Founder and CEO of peer-to-peer money transfer business TransferWise.

Speaking on the news of joining the forum, Mr Salgaocar, Director, Vimson Group, said "It's a tremendous honour to be included among such an illustrious global community of young leaders. The group reflects a confluence of industry, policy, and advocacy that will go a long way in making the world a more liveable place" Vimson Group is a family-owned enterprise with interests in mineral resources, real estate and financial services. The group is also actively involved in community initiatives in healthcare and sports. “The program will greatly aid my quest to improve operating efficiencies through innovation in what’s often seen as a traditional industry with low technological penetration,” he added.

Mr Salgaocar will join the new class in a five-year programme, from March 2020. The programme will have executive education courses, expeditions and opportunities to engage experienced people. The Forum of Young Global Leaders has over the years grown into membership of more than 1,300 members and alumni. The YGL program has been aligned with the World Economic Forum’s mission to spur public-private cooperation to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest. The forum now represents more than 100 nationalities. It firmly believe that the urgent problems of contemporary times present an opportunity to forge a better future across sectors, generations and borders.

Tech titan Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba, Mr Jimmy Wales, founder of online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio have been earlier honoured by the Forum. Other notable alumni includes Nobel Prize winner in economics, Dr Michael Kremer and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Binge-Watch All Seasons of the Much-Loved Sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Amongst Many Other New Titles

This week Amazon Prime Video brings a slew of titles, set to keep Prime Members entertained with the latest, exciting titles across genres, to binge-watch on a device of their choice.

Sheldon Cooper fans are in for a treat! While you can already trace this genius’ childhood experiences with weekly new episodes of Young Sheldon, all seasons of The Big Bang Theory will now be available on Amazon Prime Video starting March 20!

This week, match your steps to some of the finest dancers of Indian cinema including Prabhudeva, Varun Dhawan, Nora Fathehi and Shraddha Kapoor, as Amazon Prime Video marks the digital premiere of Street Dancer 3D, soon after its theatrical release.

Prime members can also stream some of the latest regional blockbusters, including Telugu political satire film Amma Rajyam Lo Kadappa Biddalu, Malgudi Days (Kannada) starring Arjun Kapikad, Vidya Murthy, Vijay Raghavendra and Malayalam thriller Anveshanam starring Jayasurya and Shruthi Ramachandran, shortly after their theatrical release.

Don’t forget to watch the latest crime thriller Blow The Man Down, this Friday.  Blow The Man Down is an American Drama directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy.

The sequel to 2009 hit film and cult classic Zombieland, the hilarious Zombieland: Double Tap, is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

HIGHLIGHTS

Street Dancer 3D

Street Dancer 3 (3D) is a coming-of-age story based on the lives of street dancers in India. This includes an ensemble cast of Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor in prominent roles followed by Nora Fatehi, Aparshakti Khurana, Raghav Juyal, Dharmesh, and dance master Prabhudeva among others. It is written and directed by Remo D`Souza.

Amma Rajyam Lo Kadappa Biddalu (Telugu)

Andhra Pradesh faces turmoil as elections roll around the corner and various political leaders fight against each other and vie for the CM’s seat.

Malgudi Days (Kannada)

A 65-year-old celebrated writer Lakshminarayana Malgudi announces his retirement. On his post-retirement run to complete a few pending things, he happens to meet a young girl named Prakruthi who becomes a part of his journey.

Anveshanam (Malayalam)

Aravind is informed that something unexpected has happened to his family and has to reach the hospital immediately. What awaits him comes as a shock as he is soon sucked into a miasma of questions that he has to fight to find the answers.

The Big Bang Theory (Season 1-12)

A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.

Zombieland: Double Tap (Pay 1)

Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

Blow The Man Down

Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly attempt to cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To conceal their crime, the sisters must go deep into the criminal underbelly of their hometown, uncovering the town's darkest secrets.

ABOUT AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Prime Video is a premium streaming service that offers Prime members a collection of award winning Amazon Original series, thousands of movies and TV shows—all with the ease of finding what they love to watch in one place.  Find out more at PrimeVideo.com.

* Included with Prime Video:  These new tittle will join hundreds of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood, including Indian produced Amazon Original series such as The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, and award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Original series including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel available for unlimited streaming as part of a Prime membership. Prime Video includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

* Instant Access: Members can watch anywhere, anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV and several gaming devices. Prime membership is also available to Airtel and Vodafone customers on post-paid plans. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost.

* Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

* Included with Prime: Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost to a Prime membership for just ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly, new customers can find out more at  www.amazon.in/prime and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

Telegram Launches Discussion Button, a Group Chat Extension for Unlimited Participants on Channels

Telegram messenger has always proven itself way ahead than the other messaging applications in the market when it comes to the user experience. The capability of adding unlimited participants on a Channel and up to 200 million members in a Group are not the only unique features but there is much more to learn about the platform.

Telegram has come up with a Discussion Button available on the Channels where the admins can enable to provide a whole new chat section associated to the specific channel. Usually, it has been observed that official Channels created by the companies, or organisations are the chat restricted ones where only the admins have right to post the latest updates and company related news. No other participants in the channels can actively write, or post some information from their side.

In such cases, if a specific person would like to add his opinion on a particular ongoing topic running on the platform, they have a way to initiate a discussion on a separate extended group chat attached to the channel. All the messages automatically get re-posted in this chat group once you send a message to the main channel. The concerned authorities can also pickup feedback and queries coming from their users posting on the group chat, and can act accordingly.

This feature additionally allows the participants to interact among themselves, which creates an active buzz around the latest updates provided by the company, and helps to generate pro-active conversations around it. Even if there is a misguided, or wrong information floating around the internet, and your set of audiences are curiously discussing about the same, admins can jump into the group chat conversations to provide the accurate information with higher authenticity.

Steps to create a Discussion Chat Group attached to your closed channel
1. Admin needs to click on the Top right corner button of a channel
2. Tap on Manage Channel
3. Select Discussion followed by a button named as Add a Group
4.  Tap on Create a Group
5. Insert desirable Name for your associated group chat forum

COVID 19: List of Coronavirus Test Centres Across Indian States, UTs


One does not simply walk into a coronavirus testing centre. There is protocol and there is only a limited set of labs that have been authorised for the job. The Indian Council for Medical has says only patients with a certain travel history or those in contact with infected persons need to be tested. When? Where? How? Here’s the breakdown

Who needs to be tested for coronavirus?
According to the Department of Health Research, the disease COVID-19 is primarily reported in individuals with a travel history to affected countries or those who are in close contact with infected individuals. In India, there is no community transmission yet. Hence, not everyone needs to be tested.

How to get tested for coronavirus (COVID-19)
As per the government’s health protocol, if you have had direct or close physical contact with a laboratory confirmed case or if you have a history of travel within the last 14 days to high risk COVID-19 infected countries, you will have to be home quarantined for 14 days. Only if you show symptoms during this time will a laboratory test be conducted. If these samples test positive, you will be administered further tests and be hospitalised. If they don’t, you’re fine.

Every state has a small number of sample collection labs. This is where your throat swab + nasal swab will be taken. These will be sent up to testing labs, who will then send it to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for final tests.

Here’s a list of state-wise list of Coronavirus testing centres and laboratories across India:

ANDHRA PRADESH
Testing centres

Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati
Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
GMC, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Sample collection labs

Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada
Rajeev Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Kadapa
Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada
Guntur Medical College, Guntur

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR
Testing centres

Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar

ASSAM
Testing centres

Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati
Regional Medical Research Center, Dibrugarh
Sample collection labs

Silchar Medical College, Silchar
Jorhat Medical College, Jorhat
Tezpur Medical College, Tezpur
Fakhruddin Medical College, Barpeta

BIHAR
Testing centres

Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna 
Sample collection labs

 Patna Medical College, Patna
 Darbhanga Medical College, Darbhanga
 S K Medical College, Muzaffarpur

CHANDIGARH
Testing centres

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh 
Sample collection labs

Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh

CHHATTISGARH
Testing centres

All India Institute Medical Sciences, Raipur
Sample collection labs

Late Sri BaliramKashyap Memorial Govt. Medical College,  Jagdalpur

DELHI – NCR
Testing centres

All India Institute Medical Sciences, Delhi
National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi
Sample collection labs

Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi

GUJARAT
Testing centres

BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad
M.P.Shah Government Medical College, Jamnagar
Sample collection labs

Government Medical College, Surat  1
GMC, Bhavnagar
PDU GMC, Rajkot
Government Medical College & SSG Hospital, Vadodara

HARYANA
Testing centres

Pt. B.D. Sharma Post Graduate Inst. of Med. Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana
BPS Govt Medical College, Sonipat

HIMACHAL PRADESH
Testing centres

Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Dr.Rajendra Prasad Govt. Med. College, Kangra, Tanda, Himachal Pradesh

JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Testing centres

Sher‐e‐ Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar 
Government Medical College, Jammu
Sample collection labs

Government Medical College, Srinagar

JHARKHAND
Testing centres

MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur
Sample collection labs

Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi

KARNATAKA
Testing centres

Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, Bangalore
National Institute of Virology Field Unit Bangalore
Mysore Medical College & Research Institute, Mysore
Hassan Inst. of Med. Sciences, Hassan, Karnataka
Shimoga Inst. of Med. Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka
Sample collection labs

Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Science, Bellary
Gulbarga Institute Of Medical Sciences, Gulbarga

KERALA
Testing centres

National Institute of Virology Field Unit, Kerala
Govt. Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala
Sample collection labs

Government Medical College, Thrissur

LADAKH
Sample collection labs

Sonam Namgyal Memorial Hospital, Leh

MADHYA PRADESH
Testing centres

All India Institute Medical Sciences, Bhopal
National Institute of Research in Tribal Health (NIRTH), Jabalpur
Sample collection labs

Bundelkhand Medical College, Sagar
MGM Medical College, Indore
Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior
S.S Medical College, Rewa

MEGHALAYA
Testing centres

NEIGRI of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, Meghalaya

MAHARASHTRA

Testing centres

Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur
Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Mumbai
Sample collection labs

Government Medical College, Miraj, Sangli
Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital , Mumbai
Government Medical college, Nagpur
Government Medical College, Aurangabad 
V. M. Government Medical College, Solapur 
Shri Bhausaheb Hire Government Medical College, Dhule
Government Medical College and Hospital & Superspeciality  Hospital, Akola

MANIPUR
Testing centres

J N Inst. of Med. Sciences Hospital, Imphal‐East, Manipur
Sample collection labs

Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal

ODISHA
Testing centres

Regional Medical Research Center, Bhubaneswar 
Sample collection labs

SCB Medical College, Cuttack

PUDUCHERRY
Testing centres

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry
Sample collection labs

Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Puducherry

PUNJAB
Testing centres

Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab
Government Medical College, Amritsar

RAJASTHAN
Testing centres

Sawai Man Singh, Jaipur
Dr. S.N Medical College, Jodhpur
Jhalawar Medical College, Jhalawar, Rajasthan
SP Med. College, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Sample collection labs

RNT Medical College, Udaipur
AIIMS, Jodhpur

TAMIL NADU
Testing centres

King’s Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research, Chennai
Government Medical College, Theni
Sample collection labs

Madurai Medical College, Madurai
Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem
Government Medical College, Thiruvarur
Government Medical College, Villupuram
Tirunelveli Medical College, Tirunelveli
Coimbatore Medical College, Coimbatore
Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

TRIPURA
Testing centres

Government Medical College, Agartala

TELANGANA
Testing centres

Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad
Sample collection labs

Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad
Kakatiya Medical College, Nizampura, Warangal

UTTAR PRADESH
Testing centres

King’s George Medical University, Lucknow
Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh

UTTARAKHAND
Testing centres

Government Medical College, Haldwani
Sample collection labs

AIIMS, Rishikesh
Doon Government Medical College, Dehradun

WEST BENGAL
Testing centres

National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata
IPGMER, Kolkata
Sample collection labs

Murshidabad Medical College & Hospital, Murshidabad,  Berhampur, West Bengal
Midnapore Medical College & Hospital, Midnapore
North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling
Malda Medical College, Malda
RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata

POCO Announces a Four-Day Open Sale for POCO X2 on Flipkart


POCO, now an independent smartphone brand, has announced a special four-day open sale for POCO X2. As part of the much-awaited Flipkart Big Shopping Days, the open sale will run from 19th March until 22nd March, 2020. POCO X2 will be available in three variants of 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB in three colour variants - Matrix Purple, Atlantis Blue and Phoenix Red.

Highest-rated Android smartphone on Flipkart

POCO X2 was recently recognised as the highest-rated Android smartphone on Flipkart (for smartphones with over 10K user ratings). It achieved 4.6 rating points (out of 5) with more than 25,000 user ratings as of 18th March, 2020.

Manmohan Chandolu, General Manager, POCO India, commenting on the open sale said, “The enthusiasm that we have seen since POCO X2’s launch in February this year has been humbling. POCO X2’s user rating score of 4.6 points on Flipkart is evidence of this tremendous love and support from our users across the country. To all POCO fans who have been waiting to experience POCO X2, we bring to you a big treat through the four days special open sale. We hope that all our efforts receive the same kind of appreciation that it has got till now.”

POCO X2 is equipped with a display powered by the RealityFlow 120Hz engine -- a category-first. It has a 20:9 tall-body design wrapped around a 3D curved glass body, which enables a large cinematic screen experience of 16.94 cm (6.67 inch). It is also the first smartphone in India to feature the Sony IMX686 camera sensor that can elevate the photography experience of users.

Product images: POCO X2

Availability

POCO X2 is available in 6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB storage variants for INR 15,999, INR 16,999 and INR 19,999 respectively in the three colour variants (Matrix Purple, Atlantis Blue and Phoenix Red) via Flipkart, with an additional instant discount of INR 1,500 on SBI credit card and EMI transactions.

About POCO

POCO is an independent brand born out of Xiaomi in India. Its first product, POCO F1 was launched in August 2018, and since January 2020, POCO has become an independent entity. POCO F1 was India's No.1 smartphone in the ‘above INR 15,000 price segment’ in the online smartphone market as per third party statistics. Currently, POCO has an independent product and marketing team, and shares resources from Xiaomi in terms of supply chain, logistics, manufacturing and after sales.

POCO is a consumer technology brand, based on the philosophy of 'Everything you need and nothing you don't' with a key focus on its POCO fans’ requirements. It's built on relentless pursuit of technology which its fans truly need, thus democratizing decision making and continuous product updates to ensure relevance.

Bentley Systems’ SVP Alan Kiraly Elected to the Board of MIMOSA

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twin cloud services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, announced that Alan Kiraly, Bentley’s SVP for asset and network performance, has been elected to the board of MIMOSA, the not-for-profit industry trade association dedicated to developing and encouraging the adoption of open standards for physical asset lifecycle management.

At the same time, Bentley announced the availability of AssetWise Enterprise Interoperability Services that help extend the connected data environment to the entire enterprise, enabling seamless access to multiple data sources and third-party systems, and delivering a common view of asset information as part of a digital twin’s asset information. These services provide generic, broad interoperability based on MIMOSA CCOM BOD standards and specific connectors for INFOR, Oracle EAM, Microsoft Dynamics, Esri ArcGIS, and IBM Maximo, as well as certified integration with SAP.

Alan Johnson, president of MIMOSA, said, “Bentley has been a constant and consistent supporter of MIMOSA and our supplier-neutral approach to interoperability. They have worked pragmatically with us to ensure the software vendors can deliver on our mission, and I am delighted with the commitment Bentley is showing to both supporting our OIIE (Open Industrial Interoperability Ecosystem) OGI (Oil and Gas Interoperability) Pilot and with Alan Kiraly joining the board.”

Alan Kiraly, senior vice president, Bentley Systems, said, “Bentley has always been a leader in driving forward interoperability between systems and supporting open, industry-driven standards. Interoperability provides a huge benefit to our users, and I am extremely proud of what my team has been able to deliver to date with AssetWise Enterprise Interoperability. I look forward to working with MIMOSA to accelerate the adoption of open, industry standards and enable our users to lower their total cost of ownership.”

L&T Technology Services and IIT-Kanpur Sign MoU to Set Up CoE Dedicated to Cybersecurity



L&T Technology Services Limited (BSE: 540115, NSE: LTTS), India’s leading pure-play engineering services company, signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur to collaborate on research in industrial and infrastructure cybersecurity.

The MoU was signed by Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of LTTS, Dr. Keshab Panda and Deputy Director at IIT-Kanpur and Padmashri Awardee, Professor Manindra Agarwal in the premises of IIT-Kanpur.

According to the MoU, LTTS and IIT-Kanpur will together set-up a Center of Excellence (CoE) in the IIT-Kanpur campus and conduct research in the areas of Honeypot (network-attached system set up to entrap cyberattacks and study hacking attempts), intrusion detection systems, malware analysis, blockchain, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing and provide cybersecurity awareness and training programs. The MoU will also give LTTS access to IIT-Kanpur’s cutting-edge testbed for critical infrastructure.

The CoE will be a part of IIT-Kanpur’s C3i Center, a Government of India-funded one-of-a-kind cybersecurity research center, which was developed to work on solutions and technologies to protect India’s Strategic and Critical Utility Infrastructure.

Dr. Keshab Panda, CEO & Managing Director, L&T Technology Services said, “LTTS is a leader in end-to-end cybersecurity solutions with a range of assets spread over several domains which cater to a global clientele. Our expertise across security analysis, vulnerability assessments, design security architecture and security requirements has been further strengthened by our partnership with many of the world’s prestigious educational institutions. LTTS’ partnership with IIT-Kanpur will open a new chapter in defense and industrial cybersecurity and pave the way for the creation of safe, secure and smart solutions for India’s industrial sector”.

Prof. Sandeep K. Shukla, Joint Coordinator of the C3i Center and Head of the Computer Science & Engineering Department at IIT-Kanpur said, “Cyberattacks across the globe have affected millions of IT and OT systems over the past few years leading to operational downtime, logistic failures, and production cycle disruption. LTTS’ deep-rooted and proven technological expertise combined with the cyber security research expertise of C3i Center will help counter such cyberattacks. LTT boasts of a well-rounded portfolio comprising of - Automotive Cybersecurity Consulting, Threat Modeling, Continuous Threat Monitoring & Security Updates Patching among others. C3i Center has been in the forefront of vulnerability assessment and penetration testing with more than 8 CVEs published, building and utilizing industrial scale cyber security test-bed for OT, Honeypots, malware analysis and intrusion detection research. This partnership will strengthen the security ecosystem in the country. The company’s large pool of experienced architects and engineers along with IIT’s research talent will have the capability to change the current cybersecurity landscape.”

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Kinara Capital Launches HerVikas Business Loans for Women; Commits to Disburse Rs. 100 Crores in FY20-21


Kinara Capital, a fast-growing fintech for MSMEs, today announced HerVikas business loans to accelerate financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs in India. In the coming fiscal year, Kinara Capital has committed to disbursing Rs.100 crores in HerVikas small business loans to women entrepreneurs.

HerVikas aims to encourage women entrepreneurship with an upfront discount provided on business loans without property collateral. Of the nearly 58 million businesses in India, about 8 million are run by women entrepreneurs. Timely access to capital is one of the major struggles for women entrepreneurs seeking to grow their business.

Hardika Shah, Founder & CEO of Kinara Capital, said, “Less than 14% of all businesses in India are owned by women, and the number of women entrepreneurs has been declining over the last decade. Empowering women entrepreneurs uplifts local economies and creates new jobs in communities. That’s why we are committing Rs. 100 crores to boost women entrepreneurs’ progress, her vikas!”

Any woman entrepreneur who applies for a loan from Kinara Capital in the range of Rs. 2-25 lakhs shall be eligible to an upfront 1% processing fee deduction. This concession will be offered across all currently existing loan products, such as Working Capital, Asset Purchase, Bill Discounting, Line of Credit, and Supply Chain Financing.

HerVikas is available in the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and UT Puducherry, where Kinara Capital is currently operational with 110 branches.

About Kinara Capital

Kinara Capital disrupted small business lending in India by providing No Property Collateral loans within a week. By combining technology with doorstep customer service, Kinara Capital drives financial inclusion of MSMEs with fast and flexible loans up to Rs. 25 lakhs. Founder & CEO Hardika Shah has built a globally recognized fintech with a women-majority leadership and management team. Kinara Capital has disbursed over Rs. 1700 crores across 50,000 loans that has led to income generation, new job creation, and job sustenance. Recognized for its pioneering efforts in SME lending, Kinara Capital was conferred the Gold award as Bank of the Year-Asia 2019 by the IFC and the World Bank. Kinara Capital is qualified as a Systemically Important NBFC by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Headquartered in Bangalore, Kinara Capital has 110 branches across six states in India.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Launches Leadership Edition Innova Crysta

Highlights

* Pioneering the MPV segment in India for the last 15 years, the Innova has gained trust of over 9,00,000 customers since its launch in 2005
* Available with a 2.4L Diesel (BS6) engine mated to a 5 speed Manual Transmission, 7 seater configuration
^ The Leadership edition is attractively priced at Rs. 21,21,000 ex-showroom (Prices will be same across the country at ex-showroom level except in Kerala)

As a pioneer of the Indian MPV segment, Toyota Kirloskar Motor today fortified its position by launching the Limited Edition of its flagship MPV, Innova Crysta. Termed as Leadership Edition, the refreshed Innova Crysta has been introduced to commemorate 15 years of undisputed leadership of Innova in India and keeping in mind the ever-evolving customer needs and requirements, while promising to upkeep Toyota's legendary promise of delivering ever-better cars designed to enthrall customers. The enhanced Innova Crysta is a seamless union of spectacular design and unparalleled performance, promising a superior driving experience.

Launched in 2016, the Innova Crysta has been the undisputed leader in the MPV segment known for its luxurious features, comfort, safety and powerful performance. The enhanced Leadership Edition is a blend of effortless power and luxury, perfectly coupled with tasteful features crafted carefully. Available in exciting dual-tone exterior color - combination of White Pearl Crystal Shine with Attitude Black, and Wildfire Red with Attitude Black, the Leadership Edition of Innova Crysta is a true reflection of Innova’s unprecedented level of magnificence.

True to its unshakable reputation, the Leadership Edition of Innova Crysta is a result of careful craftsmanship that promises uncompromising performance, creating a new benchmark in performance and design coupled with luxury and class.

Commenting on the latest offering, Mr. Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Service, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Innova Crysta became a household name in India for its phenomenal comfort, grandeur design and unmatched safety features. Thanks to our valued customers, it has been a runaway market leader in the MPV segment with over 50% segment share in the month of February 2020. Listening to our customers’ voice and continuously striving to offer ever better cars and services, we believe the Leadership Edition of Innova Crysta comes at an opportune time, enhancing the overall experience for our customers with an upgraded offering.

At Toyota, we pay utmost importance to customer’s evolving needs and always thrive to deliver a better, safer and smarter product. With the Leadership Edition of Innova Crysta, we are confident that our customers will enjoy this improved version which offers a host of exciting features tailored to meet the taste and preferences of our customers” he added.

The Innova often referred to as the segment creator, has maintained a leadership position since its launch in India way back in 2005, continuing to be the most preferred MPVs in the country. Toyota Kirloskar Motor continues to strive hard to bring a range of vehicles that lead the way in creating a world class driving experience.

LEAD Launches LEAD School@Home to Ensure Continued Learning in View of COVID-19


LEAD School, an integrated academic excellence system, with six owned and over 800 partner schools across India, will initiate LEAD School@Home program from Monday, March 16 to ensure continuity in learning for all its students. The measure has been taken in the wake of schools closures due to incidences of COVID-19 in the country.

With school closures in Delhi and Bengaluru and other state governments contemplating the same, the live online schooling is estimated to benefit over 3 lakh students in the coming days.

Under its program, LEAD School will conduct live online sessions for the unfinished portions of the curriculum. Given the integrated curriculum offered by LEAD School that combines technology and curriculum, a student from any class will essentially be able to pick up the lesson or chapter from where it was last taught in school before closure. This will help students pick up quickly and prepare for their exams without spending any extra time in redoing the entire lesson or unit.

Sumeet Mehta, Co-founder and CEO, LEAD School said, “We believe that continuity and integration of learning is vital to our goal of imparting quality education to our children. While schools may have to consider closing due to outbreak of COVID-19, LEAD School is supporting all its partner schools to ensure that students do not stop learning. Our integrated system allows us to know the unfinished units in each grade across all our schools and helps us serve up the modules as required online for course completion before exams.”

Additionally, students who are unable to attend live sessions will also have access to recorded sessions, which can be viewed as per their convenience.  The LEAD School Parent App will provide students with the homework and assessments to ensure that no part of learning is missed out until their schools resume.

Simplilearn Offers Over 100 hours of Learning for Free To Tech Professionals Across India

Simplilearn, a global EdTech company and the world’s leading digital skills training provider, today announced that they are offering 13 comprehensive foundational programs for Free on their Android mobile app (bit.ly/simplicertified), which has over 1,00,000 learners (coming soon on iOS). These programs offer over 100 hours of learning, covering the latest industry-relevant categories and provide the ease of access via smartphone, making it a convenient on-the-go learning solution. On successful completion, learners also receive a digital certificate for each program.

The free programs being offered span across AI and Machine Learning, Big Data, Data Science & Business Intelligence, Cyber Security, Project Management, and Digital Marketing. Each program consists of a comprehensive foundational learning plan which follows Simplilearn’s unique learning structure, providing learners with expertly-crafted content.

Speaking about the initiative, Krishna Kumar, CEO & Founder, Simplilearn said, “With the rapid development and adoption of new technologies, it is today a necessity for professionals to upskill and stay ahead of the curve. By introducing free foundational programs on the Simplilearn mobile app, our aim is to support professionals and job aspirants who are seeking self-skilling tools, thereby providing access to quality learning and supporting career growth. Currently, Data Analytics, Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence are the top 3 programs witnessing maximum enrollments.” He further added, “Also keeping in mind the ongoing situation with professionals staying away from workplaces, this is an ideal opportunity to effectively utilize time and get introduced to new tech skills that are popular and job-relevant”

Having been named the eighth-most influential education brand in the world by LinkedIn, Simplilearn has already helped more than a million professionals across 150 countries to upskill and prepare for the digital future. The company has maintained its leadership position in the space of digital skilling solutions for learners, corporates, and enterprises. 

Beat the Heat Up to 60% Faster with the All-New Range of 3D Cool Inverter Air Conditioners from Whirlpool

Whirlpool of India, a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s leading home appliance company, launches the latest range of 3D Cool Inverter Air Conditioners. Designed to offer Every Day Care for its consumers, the Air Conditioners are equipped with 3D Cool Technology that ensures up to 60% faster cooling even in the peak of summer heat of 50 degrees. Aiding ease of usage, it can be operated via Google Home and Wifi, also equipped with 8-in-1 Intelli-convert modes and In-Built Air Purifier.

Announcing the launch, Mr. KG Singh, Vice President-Marketing, Whirlpool of India said, “Our products reflect forward thinking in design, technology and utility with an underlying care for our consumers. The new air conditioners come with comprehensive offerings including the revolutionary 3D cool technology, smart Google & Wifi connections and overall aesthetic appeal connecting consumers to the future of cooling.”

The all new 3D Cool AC offers the following features and benefits for Every Day, Care of the customers–

Care for Comfort

3D Cool Technology- The unique 3-air-intake vents in the air conditioner help in faster removal of hot air from the room. The revolutionary technology helps with up to 60% faster cooling even in extreme temperatures of up to 50 degrees and ensures uniform cooling with the up to 12m of air throw.

Care for Convenience

Google Voice and Wi-fi enabled- Control how your AC works, switch it on, set the swing and change the temperature, all with your voice through Google Home. Additionally, connect a smartphone to the AC through a Wi-fi network and control your cooling through the Whirlpool App.
Intelli-Convert with 8-in-1 Modes- Takes care of everyone every day, in a different way with the Intelli-convert~ with 8-in-1 modes. Switch between different modes with the touch of a button.
Sleep Convert: Young mode, Adult mode, Child mode, Elderly mode
Comfort Convert: Normal mode, IntelliComfort mode (as per to the RealFeel temperature)
Capacity Convert: 2 capacity modes

Care for Environment

PuraFresh Technology- Dust and allergens present inside your room may lead to respiratory problems. Whirlpool 3D Cool Inverter ACs with PuraFresh Technology not only cools, but also purifies the air from dust particles and PM 0.3# pollutants. Also, the inbuilt electronic filter only needs regular cleaning and no replacement like the conventional filters.

IntelliSense Technology- Advanced inverter technology adapts to the cooling needs while reducing energy usage and keeping power consumption low. Smart energy management gives lifetime savings up to INR 65,000 on the electricity bill. R-32 refrigerant in Whirlpool ACs means lesser emission of greenhouse gases and exceptional energy efficient system. R-32 also has zero impact on the ozone layer, therefore its friendly to the environment.

Availability: https://www.whirlpoolindia.com/

ServiceNow Releases Four Emergency Response Apps to Help Customers Navigate COVID-19 Crisis Management Globally

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, today announced a customer care plan to support its public and private sector customers globally in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of this effort, the company has announced four new community apps to help its customers, including government agencies and enterprises, manage complex emergency response workflows. These apps are now available at servicenow.com/crisisresponse for customers to access free of charge through September 30, 2020.

“In this battle to flatten the COVID-19 curve, none of us is as smart as all of us,” said Bill McDermott, president and CEO of ServiceNow. “These ServiceNow applications will enable emergency outreach, self-reporting and exposure management, which are precisely what organisations need to do right now to help people get through this crisis.” 

“We are particularly proud to partner with Washington State’s Department of Health to make an emergency operations app, which they developed on the Now Platform, available to all government agencies fighting this pandemic. This is all about sharing best practices, which is why we’ll do everything we can to get the Washington State app in use everywhere,” McDermott continued.

Emergency Response Operations app for government agencies

Washington State’s Department of Health, a ServiceNow customer, initially created the the Emergency Response Operations app on the Now Platform to manage their own response to COVID-19. Working with ServiceNow, the Department of Health is making the app available to all government entities globally at no charge.

“As the epicenter for COVID-19 in the U.S., the State of Washington’s agencies, emergency responders and public health professionals had to rapidly assemble an incident management structure to lead outbreak response and mitigate the spread and impact,” said Jennifer McNamara, Chief Information Officer, Washington State Department of Health.

“Leveraging ServiceNow’s Now Platform, we were able to digitise processes that allowed us to quickly resource critical Incident Management Team positions. This automated a manual and labor-intensive process that was fraught with errors while also providing real-time visibility into resource allocations. Improved accountability will allow us to secure the maximum federal reimbursement for incident expenditures. We are building on the success of this phase with automation of the other Incident Management Functions such as resource demobilisation, planning, logistics, and finance.”

“Given the complexity and importance of community within this crisis, we believe it’s our duty to share our approach and the application we were able to quickly develop on the Now Platform. That’s why we have worked with ServiceNow to make our application freely available to other governmental entities. By digitising these processes, responding to an emergency does not have to create an emergency to coordinate,” McNamara concluded.

Customer care plan

ServiceNow has launched a customer care plan to support its customers as they focus on maintaining business operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes a commitment to maintaining virtually 100% uptime for ServiceNow instances; and launching a Now Community forum where customers and partners can interact with other customers, as well as an Apps Suggestions portal, where customers and partners can provide their ideas for COVID-19 related apps or features.

In addition to the State of Washington’s Emergency Response Operations app, ServiceNow has developed and introduced three, free of charge community apps to benefit all customers. The additional apps include:

* Emergency Outreach: during a crisis, this workflow leverages the Now Platform to help companies connect with employees to assess the impact. Employers can reach out by email to provide information and safety measures and request a response to confirm if employees are safe and where they are located. Employers can also leverage the ServiceNow Now Mobile App to send push notifications to employees via mobile to get response.

* Emergency Self Report: this workflow helps an employee notify their employer that they are self-quarantined and when the employee will return to work, and provides workflow support for the employer.

* Emergency Exposure Management: when a company becomes aware that its employee is diagnosed with an illness, this workflow helps the employer identify other people who might have been exposed based on the employee’s meetings history and job location.

More information about ServiceNow’s customer care plan, including accessing the community apps, can be found at servicenow.com/crisisresponse.

Customer support

As a global company, ServiceNow has critical business functions, including technical support and cloud operations, distributed in regions around the world. This model will help ensure consistent, world-class customer support and service levels for its customers.

is committed to maintaining virtually 100% uptime for ServiceNow instances to ensure that customers have all of the capabilities available to them to continue their operations. ServiceNow maintains an Advanced High Availability Architecture with the ability to run a customer's production application from a pair of data centres located in geographically different regions.

ServiceNow's business continuity plan covers the ability for our cloud operations and technical support teams to work remotely in a safe and secure manner so they can continue to serve the company’s customers. All remote access happens using secure connections and multifactor authentication.

ServiceNow’s Knowledge 2020 customer event goes digital

In order to protect the health and safety of its customers, partners and extended community, ServiceNow’s Knowledge 2020 event will become a digital community experience. This digital event, which starts on May 5, replaces the in-person event scheduled May 3-7 in Orlando, FL. The Knowledge 2020 digital experience will showcase all the ways to unlock productivity through modern digital workflows, highlight the latest customer and platform innovations, and inspire the ServiceNow community to continue to create great experiences and unlock productivity for businesses.

Protecting our employees

ServiceNow has taken action to maximise the well-being and safety of its 10,000-plus global employees, office staff and communities. As part of its efforts, the company:

* Has asked all employees globally to work from home, effective March 11th, in an effort to encourage social distancing;

* Is continuing to compensate all full-time and part-time workers, contractors and support staff during this work-from-home period; and

* Is requiring that employees avoid business travel unless it’s deemed business-critical, and is within their own country.

Community giving

Across ServiceNow’s global community, we recognise that healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 are in need of support. These workers are in need of supplies, such as masks, protection suits, goggles and medical testing equipment, as well as basic necessities, such as food, lodging, training and support. ServiceNow is making donations to the International Medical Corps and the CDC Foundation totaling $100,000 to support these efforts.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Good samaritan: Police Appreciates OYO’s Law-Abiding Indian Corporate Stance


OYO Hotels and Homes, one of the world’s leading hotel chains today revealed that it has been maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance and compliance across the country and has been frequently assisting the law enforcement authorities in their investigations, as part of its duties towards being a good corporate citizen.

Recently, the Bengaluru city police appreciated the efforts of the company for providing timely information regarding the travel details of a suspect, on receipt of relevant legal request under section 91 crpc that helped in nabbing the alleged criminal.

With over 18000 hotels across 400+ cities in India SA, the company places safety and security of its guests above all else and has built a dedicated Emergency Responses Assistance team to respond to any emergencies on the ground. The company maintains a strong record of cooperation with law enforcement authorities towards ensuring that all neighbourhoods where it operates, become increasingly safer and secure.

Over the past year, pursuant to receipt of requests under 91 crpc for any information that can assist the police, the company has prioritised mobilising the necessary support and in turn, received appreciation from many police departments across the country, including but not limited to Dwarka, Palwal, Vasant Vihar in Delhi and Biddhannagar in West Bengal.

Speaking on the matter, Rakesh Prusti, General Counsel (Global), said, “Safety of our guests and strengthening a culture of compliance is critical to OYO. As a law abiding corporate citizen, we are committed to engaging with all stakeholders of civil society towards creating a culture of safety and cooperation. Safety is a shared responsibility and we are happy to provide assistance to law enforcement as and when required.”

The company encourages a culture of compliance and as a law-abiding corporate citizen, is committed to being the eyes and ears of the local police. 

Kodak HD LED TV Launches India’s Most Affordable Dolby Vision Android Certified 4K TVs

India’s leading manufacturer of TVs and electronics, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd. (SPPL), today announced the launch of Kodak CA Series, its first ever range of Android TVs on Flipkart, India’s home-grown e-commerce marketplace to cater to the growing demand for smart televisions in the country.

SPPL, which is Kodak’s brand licensee in India, has expanded its range of smart televisions in India by launching Android powered televisions. These bezel-less TVs are equipped with impressive array of features such as Dolby Vision, 4k HDR10, Android 9.0 interface, Dolby Digital plus with DTS TruSurround, multiple connectivity options with USB 3.0, HDMI ARC/CEC and Bluetooth v.5.0 (latest version) with user friendly remote. The remote has dedicated hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play Store that will bring unlimited entertainment at your fingertips. It is also equipped with Google Assistant for smooth navigation.

SPPL is the only brand licensee in India that has partnered with Google, to make in India.

According to Acumen Research and consulting, the global android TV market size is expected to reach around $231 Billion by 2026 with a CAGR of around 20% during the forecast period of 2019-2026. The growing integration and extension of multi-media coverage is a natural progression for android TV.

Taking about the partnership with Google, Mr. Avneet Singh Marwah, Director and CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd, a Kodak brand licensee said, “It gives us immense pleasure to announce the launch of our official android televisions in partnership with Google. Our aim is to reach every household in the country, and we are committed to achieve the goal with our strong channel network and competitive pricing. In the past 4 years, Kodak HD LED TVs have witnessed a phenomenal growth. This year, we are targeting to achieve 8% share in the Indian television market”

“As a homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart has a deep understanding of its consumers who are looking for the best-in class technology and smart product solutions. We are pleased to bring Kodak's first ever range of Android TVs in India to millions of Flipkart consumers. With our industry-first affordability payment constructs such as Debit Card EMI, Buy Now Pay Later etc., we will help take the Kodak brand to the deepest corners of the country,” Hari Kumar, Senior Director – Large Appliances, Flipkart.

“Kodak is pleased to have completed four years with SPPL and excited to add android technology to the Smart Tv space with this valuable licensee.” Clara Fort, VP- Global Brand Licensing

SPPL is targeting to launch new TV models throughout the year. In 2020, SPPL is targeting a turnover of 700 cr for FY 2020-21. With the launch of official android televisions, SPPL aims to witness 100% growth in volume sales in 2020 as compared to 60 % growth in 2019. The current market share of Kodak HD LED TVs in Indian television market is 4%

About SPPL:

SPPL is a manufacturing concern established in 1990 with its Head Office in Noida. Its initial business was plastic injection moulding which then graduated to manufacturing of CRT TV’s and to LED TV’s on date. We were one of the largest manufacturers of CRT TV cabinets in the 90’s and early 00’s. Today we are one of India’s foremost OEM’s in CRT and LED Television. We have 3 manufacturing plants in India located in Noida, Una and Jammu. We have employee strength of over 1000 across India and are expanding as we grow. For additional information on Kodak TV India, visit us at www.kodaktv.in, follow us on Twitter @kodaktvindia, or like us on Facebook at Kodak TV India.

About Kodak:

Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. We provide – directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies – hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. With our world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives. For additional information on Kodak, visit us at kodak.com, follow us on Twitter @KodakPrint, or like us on Facebook at Kodak.

Xiaomi launches 10000mAh Mi Wireless Power Bank in India Priced at Rs 2,499 on Flipkart

Xiaomi, India’s number one smartphone and smart TV brand, today expanded its portfolio of Mi Power Banks and launched its first wireless power bank. 10000mAh Mi Wireless Power Bank provides reliability and convenience to use wireless charging on the go.10000mAh Mi Wireless Power Bank is certified by Qi enabling seamless compatibility through its magnetic inductive technology. The power bank provides a 10W wireless charging speed with all Qi compatible devices.

Designed to be the most reliable travel companion, Mi Wireless Power Bank comes with two way 18W fast charging on both USB Type A output port and USB Type C input port. It also enables simultaneous charge on two mobile devices. Mi 10000mAH Wireless Power Bank uses high-quality lithium polymer batteries that ensure longevity and higher standard of safety. The power bank also comes with a non-skid wireless charging surface/pad.

Mi 10000mAh Wireless Power Bank features best in class 12 layers of circuit chip protection across voltage, temperature, current and electrostatic anomalies.

Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer, Xiaomi India said, ““We are very excited to launch our very first wireless power bank in India. Today, as the world and our consumers become more aware of possibilities of wireless technologies, we believe that a wireless power bank is a perfect example of the convenience it can offer. Wireless technology not only promises a tangle free experience but also unlocks the potential of what mobility and ease of use can actually mean in the future. We hope that our 10000mAh Mi Wireless Power Bank is that innovation that everyone can enjoy.”

Availability

Mi 10000mAh Wireless Power Bank is priced at INR 2,499 and will be available in Black colour. It will be available on sale starting 16 March 12 noon across Mi.com, Mi Homes and Mi Studios. 

Singapore Airlines Offers Fee Waiver and Flexible Re-booking for all Customers


Singapore Airlines is waiving all rebooking fees for tickets issued on or before 15 March 2020, for travel up to 31 May 2020, with immediate effect. Customers can cancel their existing flight itineraries, retain the value of their tickets and rebook their travel at a later date, when they are able to firm up their new travel plans. The new flight itinerary should be completed by 31 March 2021. 

This new policy will allow customers the flexibility to defer their travel plans and applies to all bookings for travel up to 31 May 2020. All rebooking fees will be waived, although a fare difference may apply for the new itinerary.

SIA will continue to review its waiver policy and retains the flexibility to extend the cut-off date of 31 May 2020 as it assesses the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on global air travel in the coming weeks. For all new SIA and SilkAir tickets issued from now to 31 March 2020, SIA will also waive change fees.

Customers may contact us through our online form. Customers who booked their tickets directly through Singapore Airlines may also contact their local Singapore Airlines reservations teams. Customers who booked their tickets through travel agencies are advised to contact their agents for assistance.

Due to the high volume of incoming requests, we seek our customers’ understanding that it may take longer than usual for our service agents to respond. Customers are encouraged to only contact us if their flight is departing in next 72 hours in order for our agents to focus on and assist those with urgent flight changes. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Updates on Covid-19 travel restrictions and waiver policy can be found on the Singapore Airlines website.

As Fitness Becomes Mainstream in India, Airtel to Power Youth-First Digital Platform for Fitness Content


Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest integrated telco, has acquired a strategic stake in Spectacom Global Pvt Ltd (“Spectacom”) under the Airtel Start-up Accelerator Program, which focuses on supporting growth of early stage Indian start-ups.

Spectacom, which has been conceptualised to produce path breaking digital content that allows people across languages, geographies and fitness levels to connect with each other and explore innovative health & fitness training programmes, is the brainchild of Adnan Adeeb and Zeba Zaidi, the creators of the highly popular Devils Circuit military-style obstacle races.

Spectacom will also carry the exclusive digital rights for the promotion of all content for brand Devils Circuit, including the new seasons of its popular shows – The College Frenzy & The Corporate Challenge.

A digitally connected world is witnessing increased awareness around Health & Fitness, with a growing tribe of young Indians taking up physically demanding X sports such as obstacle racing. Devils Circuit, which pioneered obstacle racing in India, has already built a community of two million followers. It is India’s largest sports property of its kind with presence in eight cities. And given India’s vast young population of appx. 600 mn under the age of 25 years, there is a massive opportunity to make available Health & Fitness based platforms that connect fitness enthusiasts deeper and wider across the country.

Airtel will work closely with Spectacom to help increase awareness and adoption of its cutting age Health & Fitness platform and encourage individuals to overcome mental barriers and achieve their full potential.  Spectacom will cater to India’s growing interest in staying fitter and healthier by creating training and nutrition videos along with live extreme sporting events.

Airtel will help Spectacom to deliver this exciting exclusive digital content through its platforms Airtel Xstream and Wynk Music directly into the homes and smartphones of hundreds of millions of Indians. This deep digital distribution reach will allow Airtel customers, including youth in small towns and villages, to discover this high octane content and make the fitness movement a part of the mainstream.

Says Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel: “We believe that X Sports, which are all about fitness, aligns beautifully with our brand. Thanks to the deep penetration of mobile internet in India, the potential to grow the adoption of Devils Circuit style X Sports amongst India’s youth is immense. This also fits into Airtel’s strong focus on connecting with the youth and providing them digital platforms to fulfil their aspirations. We look forward to collaborating with Spectacom on this exciting journey.”     

Adnan Adeeb, co-founder, Spectacom, echoed this thought and added that “As India is becoming a younger nation, it is also becoming a fitter one. Through our collaboration with Airtel, we aim at not just reaching millions with bespoke offerings around Health & Fitness but also give the fitness enthusiasts from around the country, a platform to shine! We have always believed that the real hero is the ordinary guy who overcomes   extraordinary challenges and this will be reflected in all our offerings. We are very excited at partnering with Airtel and look forward to bringing innovative content to life”

Spectacom is the second company to join the Airtel Start-up Accelerator Program. It allows start-ups to leverage Airtel’s robust ecosystem, including its core strengths in data, distribution, networks and payments. This includes access to a vast online and offline distribution network that touches 300m+ customers, deep market understanding and platform of global strategic partners. Further, start-ups also get access to advisory services from Airtel’s executive team.

Devils Circuit is now India’s biggest X sports platform with two million strong community, including young people from smaller towns who are breaking barriers and taking up X Sports professionally and participating in international competitions. Apart from international participants from over 16 countries, the editions also include army pros, blade runners, and even cancer survivors.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed home broadband, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G, 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 418 million customers across its operations at the end of December 2019. 

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