News Digest: Weekly cases up 79% as Covid hits more states

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, April 11, 2023
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Weekly cases up 79% as Covid hits more states India logged a 79% increase in Covid-19 cases in the week ending Sunday with a tally of over 36,000, the highest weekly count in nearly seven months, as infections began spreading in states where cases were relatively few till the previous week. Covid deaths continued to be low although the toll was inching up. India recorded 68 fatalities during the week (April 3 to 9), up from 41 in previous week. SC appoints panel to supervise verification of advocates' degrees Can't measure loss of kid's life in terms of money alone: HC More India News»

		Science
		New policy will push for private investment; DPIIT to issue FDI norms: Isro chief AI better than humans at key heart test: Study Skyroot successfully conducts long duration endurance test of Dhawan-II cryogenic engine More Science News»

		Technology
		How Apple is planning to improve immersive audio experience on AirPods Apple has been granted a new patent titled “Measurement of Virtual Listening Environment” that could offer a more immersive experience in upcoming AirPods. This patent will adjust earphone acoustics based on different environments like in a classroom, on the grass, on a train, or in a living room, by using microphones, sensors and a sound processing chip. Google Chrome gets support for WebGPU: What it means for users Google has added support for WebGPU in the latest beta for Chrome. The coming version of the browser, Chrome 113, will have WebGPU activated as a default API, allowing web applications to use the PC's graphics card to its full potential. According to Google, the first release of WebGPU will be compatible with ChromeOS, macOS, and Windows. WhatsApp may soon allow iPhone users to share status updates on Facebook Stories Meta-owned instant messaging service WhatsApp is reportedly working on an optional feature that will allow users to sync their status updates with Facebook Stories while staying in the app. Users can control sharing automatic updates, and the feature is expected to arrive in a future update of the app. WhatsApp is currently developing this feature. More Technology News»

		Business
		Flyer hits 2 air hostesses, AI flight to London returns to IGIA L&T Mutual Fund ceases to exist as mutual fund: Sebi L&T Mutual Fund ceases to exist as a mutual fund, capital markets regulator Sebi said on Monday. This comes after L&T Mutual Fund Trustee Ltd had informed Sebi that it wanted to surrender the registration granted to L&T Mutual Fund (L&T MF) by the markets regulator pursuant to the approval of change in control of L&T Investment Management Ltd and merger of schemes of L&T MF with HSBC Mutual Fund. Mutual funds invest Rs 1.82 lakh crore in equities in FY23 Indian mutual funds invested Rs 1.82 lakh crore in equities for 2022-23, demonstrating a bullish outlook largely due to interest from retail investors and market valuation corrections. Financial services held the largest allocation in mutual fund portfolios followed by IT, capital goods, auto, and healthcare. In contrast, debt funds saw outflows of over Rs 40,600 crore, primarily due to the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy tightening. More Business News»

		Sports
		IPL: Nicholas Pooran 19-ball 62 helps Lucknow pull off a heist Power-hitters Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis fired scintillating half-centuries as Lucknow Super Giants pulled off a heist, winning a last-ball thriller against Royal Challengers Bangalore by a solitary wicket. It was the second miraculous chase of this IPL season after Kolkata Knight Riders' heroics on Sunday as Lucknow chased down a mammoth 213 target on the final ball of the match. IPL 2023: Shastri makes huge prediction about Gill Records are meant to be broken but one record that looks unconquered in the IPL is Virat Kohli's 973 runs in a single season. The former RCB skipper achieved the unachievable in 16 matches in the 2016 edition. IPL 2023: Pooran smashes fastest fifty of the season Lucknow Super Giants batter Nicholas Pooran shifted the momentum of the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore with his whirlwind knock as he blasted a 15-ball half-century to own the record of the fastest fifty of the IPL 2023. More Sports News»

		Education
		GPSC 2023 final answer key released at gpsc.gujarat.gov.in, download here The Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) has released the final answer key for the Gujarat Administrative Service, Class-1, Gujarat Civil Services, Class-1 & Class-2 & Gujarat Municipal Chief Officer Service, Class-2 Class-1 and Class-2 on its official website. The GPSC Prelims 2023 was conducted in January 2023. The GPSC Prelims Result 2023 is expected soon. Assam PAT 2023 Registration begins at dte.assam.gov.in, application link here The DTE Assam has started the online applications for Assam Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) 2023 from April 10, which will be continued till May 05, 2023. Candidates who are interested in the entrance test can apply through the official website of DTE Assam. Read more to find out the eligibility, application link and other details. Tips to Crack IELTS Exam in 15 Days The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test is a requisite for students and professionals who wish to study, work or migrate to an English-speaking country. It consists of four sections: reading, writing, speaking and listening. There are two types of IELTS exams, Academic and General, and both require ample revision to succeed. More Education News»

		Environment
		Climate change adding 50 homers a year in MLB, study says Climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences, a new study found. Ozone-depleting CFCs hit record despite ban: Study Their power to dissolve the ozone layer shielding Earth from the Sun prompted a worldwide ban, but scientists on Monday revealed that some human-made chlorofluorocarbons have reached record levels, boosting climate-changing emissions. Eco-friendly goods defy downward trade trend: United Nations Environmentally friendly products like electric cars and wind turbines have bucked the current downward trend in overall global trade, continuing to show strong growth, the United Nations said Thursday. More Environment News»

		World
		Bomb targeting Pakistani police in SW kills 4, wounds 18 A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle in volatile southwestern Pakistan on Monday killed at least four people and wounded 18 others, mostly civilian pedestrians, a government spokesperson said. The attack happened in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, said Babar Yousafzai, a spokesman for the provincial government. He said the dead included two police and two civilians. President Biden says he will run again in 2024: Report US President Joe Biden said on Monday he plans to run for reelection in 2024 but was not prepared to announce it yet. "I plan on running ... but we're not prepared to announce it yet," Biden said in an interview with NBC's "Today" show before the White House Easter Egg Roll. 'Ruler of a Gulf nation cautioned me of Gen Bajwa's conspiracy to oust my government': Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan A year after his ouster as the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan on Monday said that he was cautioned by the ruler of a Gulf nation last year that the then Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was conspiring to topple his government. On Sunday, Khan, who is the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), issued a white paper on the one-year performance of the PML-N-led coalition and termed it the worst in the country's history. More World News»

		Environment
		Climate change adding 50 homers a year in MLB, study says Climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences, a new study found. Ozone-depleting CFCs hit record despite ban: Study Their power to dissolve the ozone layer shielding Earth from the Sun prompted a worldwide ban, but scientists on Monday revealed that some human-made chlorofluorocarbons have reached record levels, boosting climate-changing emissions. Eco-friendly goods defy downward trade trend: United Nations Environmentally friendly products like electric cars and wind turbines have bucked the current downward trend in overall global trade, continuing to show strong growth, the United Nations said Thursday. More Environment News»

		Hyderabad
		Constable hit over rash driving row in Hyderabad A constable of Vikarabad district, who came to the city to write an exam for sub-inspector post, was attacked by three men following an argument over rash driving. The constable suffered injuries and missed the written test. Hyderabad: No trace of bag with 9 SSC answer scripts Though it is over a week after a postal bag containing SSC (Class X) answer scripts of nine students went missing, postal and police personnel are yet to trace it. SSC leak: Eatala Rajender deposes, BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay cites lost phone Huzurabad MLA Eatala Rajender appeared before Warangal police on Monday in connection with the SSC exam question paper leak case, while BJP state president Bandi Sanjay was absent as he sent his response to police notice through his advocate. Sanjay told police that he had lost his cellphone and a case was registered in Karimnagar commissionerate. More Hyderabad News»

		Chandigarh
		Chandigarh MC plans to spend Rs 20 crore on 35 roads The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has identified 35 roads in different areas of the city for recarpeting at a cost of around Rs 20 crore. Covid area in GMCH-32 reopens, 1 admitted he Covid designated area of GMCH 32 has been reopened with one patient admitted in the hospital. The designated area is in block A. Doctors said that the area was open till the end of January this year. Sukhna Lake turns to rainwater harvesting for recharge For keeping Sukhna Lake rich with water round the year, a rainwater harvesting system is being developed to recharge it. More Chandigarh News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat exports see MIXED FORTUNES amid global slowdown For industries in Gujarat, the financial year 2022-23 was challenging, especially on the export front. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the global economy has hit demand worldwide.​ Two injured in gas pipeline fire in Gujarat Two persons were injured in a fire that broke out in a gas pipeline after it was damaged by a bulldozer in Gujarat's Bilimora town on Sunday, an official said. Maximum temperature crosses 40°Celsius in Gujarat On Sunday, the maximum temperature for the first time this summer crossed 40 degrees celsius at 40.2°C; it was 1.4 degrees higher than normal. More Ahmedabad News»

		Chennai
		Former CEO Naresh Gupta passes away Former chief electoral officer (CEO) Naresh Gupta on Monday passed away at the age of 72 after prolonged illness. He was treated at a private hospital for chest ailment. Rs 750 CSK match ticket goes for Rs 5,000 in black market in Chennai Tickets priced at 750 are being sold in the black market for 5,000 or more for Wednesday's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) match at M A Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk. Only 40% of the tickets for IPL games in Chennai are on sale and the demand is huge. Online tickets sold out in no time on Sunday. Many who stood overnight in long queues outside Chepauk to buy tickets from the counters are now selling them at exorbitant prices. When TOI contacted a couple of touts, they demanded 4,000 to 5,500 per ticket. Tickets in black are openly on sale on social media sites. Finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan flags financial code violations by Raj Bhavan Finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Monday alleged that the Raj Bhavan and the governor's office had indulged in financial code violations and obtained clearances for expenditure from the previous AIADMK government. More Chennai News»

		Bangalore
		Friends concoct tale of cash stuck in RBI, cheat man of Rs 40 lakh in Bengaluru A 61-year-old retired railway employee from Solapur, Maharashtra, was duped of Rs 40 lakh by six persons - including three of his friends - who fraudulently claimed that one of them had received Rs 65,000 crore in RBI from an overseas account and they would pay him a commission of 1% if he helped them pay taxes to get the money released. Karnataka HC: No 'disability favour' in bail plea Being a handicapped person would not by itself act as a favourable factor while considering the bail request of an accused, the high court observed while rejecting the petition filed by a person accused of murdering two senior citizens for gain. Agniveer test from April 17-26 in Karnataka The ministry of defence (MoD) on Monday said the online Common Entrance Examination (CEE) for Agniveer recruitment for successfully registered candidates of Karnataka will be conducted from April 17 to 26, with April 22 and 23 being holidays. More Bangalore News»

		Bangalore
		Friends concoct tale of cash stuck in RBI, cheat man of Rs 40 lakh in Bengaluru A 61-year-old retired railway employee from Solapur, Maharashtra, was duped of Rs 40 lakh by six persons - including three of his friends - who fraudulently claimed that one of them had received Rs 65,000 crore in RBI from an overseas account and they would pay him a commission of 1% if he helped them pay taxes to get the money released. Karnataka HC: No 'disability favour' in bail plea Being a handicapped person would not by itself act as a favourable factor while considering the bail request of an accused, the high court observed while rejecting the petition filed by a person accused of murdering two senior citizens for gain. Agniveer test from April 17-26 in Karnataka The ministry of defence (MoD) on Monday said the online Common Entrance Examination (CEE) for Agniveer recruitment for successfully registered candidates of Karnataka will be conducted from April 17 to 26, with April 22 and 23 being holidays. More Bangalore News»

		Mumbai
		156 days on, BA students still to get 5th semester results Candidates who took the fifth semester arts exam in October are still awaiting their results. The 156-day wait has not been easy on BA students who have no clarity on where they stand and how they must prepare for the final exam. Arnala to Australia: 53 held at fake call centre by sea A ground-plus-two storey resort-cum-farmhouse near Rajodi beach in Virar (west) turned out to be a call centre where young men and women from different states had been employed to carry out phishing scams by targeting victims in Australia. Thirteen women and 40 men, including resort owner, Mayur Patole, were arrested on Saturday during a raid carried out on the fake call centre by officials of Arnala police station. 'Student says rift small, couldn't lead to suicide' The police said Armaan Khatri, 19, arrested on charges of abetting the suicide of IIT-B classmate Darshan Solanki, 18, has not opened up during interrogation. Khatri has admitted to a rift but not to the extent that Solanki could have taken the drastic step. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Hospitals conduct drills to check Covid readiness as Delhi reports 484 fresh cases Amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitals in the city on Monday conducted drills to assess their preparedness to tackle the virus. The exercise, which is part of a two-day nationwide drive, will continue on Tuesday. Flyer hits 2 air hostesses, AI flight to London returns to Delhi airport Unruly flyer Jaskirat Singh who tried to open a door of a Delhi-London Air India and then allegedly hit two air hostesses on Monday, was booked for voluntarily causing hurt; performing an act endangering life or personal safety of others; using words, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman; assaulting or using criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and Aircraft Rules Delhi HC upholds gutka and pan masala ban, sets aside single-judge order Delhi High Court on Monday upheld the state government's notifications prohibiting manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of scented/flavoured tobacco, pan masala, gutka and similar products in the national capital. More Delhi News»

		Delhi
		Hospitals conduct drills to check Covid readiness as Delhi reports 484 fresh cases Amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitals in the city on Monday conducted drills to assess their preparedness to tackle the virus. The exercise, which is part of a two-day nationwide drive, will continue on Tuesday. Flyer hits 2 air hostesses, AI flight to London returns to Delhi airport Unruly flyer Jaskirat Singh who tried to open a door of a Delhi-London Air India and then allegedly hit two air hostesses on Monday, was booked for voluntarily causing hurt; performing an act endangering life or personal safety of others; using words, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman; assaulting or using criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and Aircraft Rules Delhi HC upholds gutka and pan masala ban, sets aside single-judge order Delhi High Court on Monday upheld the state government's notifications prohibiting manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of scented/flavoured tobacco, pan masala, gutka and similar products in the national capital. More Delhi News»

		Delhi
		Hospitals conduct drills to check Covid readiness as Delhi reports 484 fresh cases Amid a recent surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitals in the city on Monday conducted drills to assess their preparedness to tackle the virus. The exercise, which is part of a two-day nationwide drive, will continue on Tuesday. Flyer hits 2 air hostesses, AI flight to London returns to Delhi airport Unruly flyer Jaskirat Singh who tried to open a door of a Delhi-London Air India and then allegedly hit two air hostesses on Monday, was booked for voluntarily causing hurt; performing an act endangering life or personal safety of others; using words, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman; assaulting or using criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and Aircraft Rules Delhi HC upholds gutka and pan masala ban, sets aside single-judge order Delhi High Court on Monday upheld the state government's notifications prohibiting manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of scented/flavoured tobacco, pan masala, gutka and similar products in the national capital. More Delhi News»

		Allahabad
		Allahabad HC refuses to quash case against man for post against Lord Shiva Dismissing a petition filed by one Asif of Aligarh district, Justice JJ Munir further observed, “These offences cannot be permitted to flourish in society by adopting a soft-pedalling approach at the cost of widespread damage to the community.” After arrest of bro-in-law,lens on role of Atiq's sister Following the arrest of jailed mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad’s brother-in-law Akhlaq Ahmad, on charges of giving shelter and economic assistance to one of the assailants of Umesh Pal and two of his police gunners from Meerut police, police have begun probing the role of Akhlaq’s wife Ayesha Noori ( Atiq Ahmad’s sister) and his daughters in the case. Sea water can be used for power generation, suggests MNNIT team n an important finding which can save huge quantity of fresh water from being used in power generation plants within the country and across the world, a team of scientists, led by Prof Ravi Prakash from department of Mechanical Engineering of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), have suggested to use sea water instead of river water. More Allahabad News»

		Bhopal
		Padma awardee Jodhaiyabai gets Rs 1.5 lakh for pucca home This 84-year-old tribal woman from Lodha village in Umaria district was sitting in her kacha home built under a Mohua tree in the last week of January this year when she learnt that her name figured in the Padma Awardees's list. Biker assaults cops, gathers mob of 100 to threaten them An unidentified helmet-less biker allegedly misbehaved and assaulted a traffic police team at a checkpoint in Hanumanganj locality on Sunday. In a movie-like style, the accused then called close to 100 people to pressure the traffic cops. Body parts of missing trader found in drain in Jabalpur A 31-year-old share trader, who was missing for 52 days, has been found murdered with body cut into pieces using a saw machine, filled in a sack and thrown into a drain in Jabalpur. The police have recovered eight decomposed body parts from the drain, while two pieces are still missing. The investigators are yet to establish the motive behind the murder. More Bhopal News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Odisha Postal dept seeks CBI probe into fake certificate scam "A letter has been written to the CBI to take up the investigation since the crime syndicate seems to have spread to multiple states," a spokesperson of the postal department said. The office of chief postmaster general has written to the CBI SP here. Congress fields Tarun Pandey for Jharsuguda bypoll in Odisha Tarun, who was never associated with active politics in Jharsuguda, admitted it will be a huge challenge for him. “I am a debutant and know it will be a tough task for me as I did not hold any post nor portfolio of the party in Jharsuguda. But I am not new in politics. I have been taking part in party activities in the area. People in Jharsuguda know me as my father won the seat thrice (1980, 1985 and 1995),” Tarun said. Boundary wall of varsity collapses More Bhubaneswar News»

		Unsubscribe | To manage your newsletter subscription settings, click here	Other Newsletters from TOI : Breaking News | Top Headlines | Tech | Entertainment | Movie Reviews | Life & Style