India rocks free sms

Naga Sadhus (Hindu holy men) take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges River on the day of Shahi Snan (royal bath) during the ongoing religious Kumbh Mela festival, in Haridwar on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) NEW DELHI — Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked on Monday to take a holy bath in India’s Ganges river, even as the nation racked up the world’s highest tally of new daily coronavirus infections . With 168,912 new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new infections globally, although the figure is still well below the U.S. peak of nearly 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8. In the northern city of Haridwar, nearly a million devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges, a river many Hindus consider holy, to participate in the months-long ‘Kumbh Mela’ or pitcher festival. “The crowd here is surging…the police are continuously appealing to people to maintain social distancing,” police official Sanjay Gunjyal told Reuters at the site. By ... » Learn More about India’s daily coronavirus infections are world’s highest but crowds gather for festival

Ipoh City Council (MBI) has plans to complete distributing about 23,000 free rubbish bins to residents by the end of the year. Mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said the bins would be distributed in stages to allow ratepayers to properly discard their rubbish. The city council, he added, would distribute 8,000 bins in the city this year while Majuperak Utilities Management Sdn Bhd would give out about 10,700 units in Meru. “Majuperak Utilities Management has also given out about 5,000 bins to Manjoi folk. “We are distributing 1,150 bins to the people here in Bandar Baru Putra,” he told reporters after the presentation ceremony. Majuperak Utilities Management was appointed by Perak government to implement waste management services in Meru Raya in December last year. The company’s service includes providing wheeled rubbish bins installed with RFID chips to residents in the area. Rumaizi said he hoped people would place their rubbish bags in bins instead of leaving them out in the ... » Learn More about Council to give out free rubbish bins to residents

PRESS RELEASE The Thiager and its sister company Tadoo , have announced they will enter a strategic partnership with the Bangkok-based fintech company, Masii. Having joined forces with Masii, The Thaiger aims to provide its 6 million-plus monthly users with exclusive deals and packages such as the Thailand re-entry package , comprising of the Certificate of Entry (COE), Covid-19 Travel Insurance and a Covid-19 Test. Sapir Matmon, of Tadoo, says “This tie-up will allow us to provide our readers with all-inclusive packages specifically designed to make the whole process of coming back to Thailand as simple as possible. And by booking through us, all service fees will be waived – a saving of more than 1,000 Baht. We’re confident you won’t find a better price in the market right now.” “We can provide everything you need to enter Thailand hassle-free and within 12 hours, which is the fastest in the market.” Says Maxwell Meyer , CEO of Masii. ... » Learn More about The Thaiger joins forces with Masii to bring you hassle-free Thailand re-entry packages and much more

SINGAPORE - Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam gave his take on several issues during a virtual dialogue at the Singapore Tech Forum on Thursday (Nov 19). The forum, a global industry and networking even in its third year running, is organised by the Singapore Global Network - a division of the Economic Development Board - and the Government Technology Agency (GovTech). Economic reconfiguration and China Contrary to what some might think, globalisation is not on the decline. Instead, what the global economy is seeing is a reconfiguration as a result of China's evolution, said Mr Tharman. He noted that the biggest trend was the evolution of the Chinese economy. “It is getting larger. (China is) having a much larger middle class consuming a lot more. (They) are having much more capabilities domestically, able to produce within China what was previously imported, and that might give the impression of some waning of globalisation. "But actually, it's the same story - it's ... » Learn More about Resilient hubs key for companies seeking stability amidst Covid-19: SM Tharman

SIX years ago, a group of six friends decided to start a charity foundation to feed the poor. They started off with helping old folks homes, associations and temples by preparing 1,000 food packs and rice for distribution twice a year. “We received plenty of support from the community to help the needy. “We also worked with corporations, asking them to invite their staff and family members to experience doing charity work, ” said Datuk Derrick Hooi, a representative of Persatuan Kebajikan Enam Sahabat (Six League) based in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur. “During the first year, we supplied 200 food packs and essential items and after that, we capped it at 1,000.” He said it was only last year that the non-governmental organisation (NGO) was registered as Six League, as it had operated on an ad hoc basis prior to that with no official name. “We did not really think about registering as an NGO because it was too troublesome to appoint a chairman and execute other formalities. ... » Learn More about League of do-gooders

CAIRO: For Ramadan this year, Magdy Hafez has been longing to reclaim a cherished ritual: Performing the nighttime group prayers called taraweeh at the mosque once again. Last year, the coronavirus upended the 68-year-old Egyptian’s routine of going to the mosque to perform those prayers, traditional during Islam’s holiest month. The pandemic had disrupted Islamic worship the world over, including in Egypt where mosques were closed to worshippers last Ramadan. “I have been going to the mosque for 40 years so it was definitely a very, very, difficult thing,” he said. “But our religion orders us to protect one another.” Still, “It’s a whole other feeling, and the spirituality in Ramadan is like nothing else.” Egypt has since allowed most mosques to reopen for Friday communal prayers and for this Ramadan it will let them hold taraweeh, also with precautions, including shortening its duration. Ramadan, which begins this week, comes as much of the world has been hit by an ... » Learn More about Muslims navigate restrictions in the second Ramadan amid COVID-19 pandemic

NEW DELHI: An expert panel of India's drugs regulator has recommended emergency use approval for Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, two sources said on Monday (Apr 12), which could make it the nation's third to be approved as infections surge again. India overtook Brazil to become the nation with the second highest number of infections worldwide after the United States, as it battles a massive second wave, having given about 105 million doses among a population of 1.4 billion. The panel of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) recommended the authorisation, said two people familiar with the matter, who sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to media. READ: India overtakes Brazil as world's second worst-hit country by COVID-19 Most panel recommendations are generally accepted by the regulator's chief. Neither Dr Reddy's Laboratories, which markets the vaccine in India, nor the drugs regulator, responded immediately to Reuters' requests ... » Learn More about Indian panel gives emergency approval for Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine: Sources

Brothers91/Getty Images via ETX Daily Up Streaming platforms often boast of having created sophisticated algorithms, which line up with the musical tastes of each user. No matter whether they like folk music, rock or even drill and “ethereal.” However, these recommendation systems are far from perfect, as highlighted by a recent study led by Christine Bauer from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Xavier Serra and Andres Ferraro from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain. These researchers found that recommendation algorithms neglect songs performed by female artists and promote the generation of playlists dominated by their male counterparts. Before coming to these conclusions, the researchers combed through the listening habits of 330,000 users over nine years. It turns out that only a quarter of the artists they used to listen to were women. But what is the reason for this apparent lack of interest in female musicians? The answer: the algorithms. Indeed, the researchers ... » Learn More about Does your playlist only contain tracks by male artists? Blame the algorithms

More and more Spotify users listen to podcasts on the streaming platform. Image: GaudiLab/IStock.com via AFP Relaxnews Spotify announced that 21% of its active users (free or premium) listened to podcasts during the second quarter of the year. Podcast consultations grew by 5 points in only 6 months. Isolation linked to lockdowns implemented due to the covid-19 pandemic may explain this surge on the audio streaming platform. While they had to stay home for several months, internet users had more time to look for new types of content, especially new kinds of podcasts. Spotify also put its new content in the spotlight on its platform, highlighting its educational, informative and entertaining podcasts. This may have also contributed to augmenting its podcast listening base compared to its musical audience. In May 2020, 15% of worldwide users acknowledged listening to more podcasts than before lockdown. Over 31% of US users, mostly Millennials, also contributed to this increase. ... » Learn More about 1 Spotify user out of 5 listens to podcasts

You will soon be able to try your luck in the ‘Big Brother’ program through a new video game, designed by 9th Impact. Image: courtesy of Big Brother Game via AFP Relaxnews Philippines, Brazil, Canada, France, Tanzania, Uganda, Russia… After having been exported all over the world, the “Big Brother” franchise is now heading into the virtual realm as a video game adaptation is on the horizon. “Big Brother: The Game” offers gamers from all over the world the chance to become one of the contestants of the famous isolation-themed reality show, and win a mysterious grand prize. According to British developer 9th Impact, video game enthusiasts will be able to choose whether to activate the “Spectator” or “Housemate” game mode to play “Big Brother: The Game”. In the latter case, gamers will be able to get a glimpse of community life and will be faced with several strategic choices to avoid being eliminated by the other candidates. While “Big Brother: The Game” will be available for ... » Learn More about 20 years after debut, reality TV program ‘Big Brother’ is getting a video game