Friday, 24 February 2023

Rising Heat Across India Raises Alarm On Another Energy Crunch

High temperatures across parts of India have pushed electricity demand to near-record levels in recent weeks, triggering worries about yet another summer squeeze on power supply.

Peak demand for electricity touched 211 gigawatts in January, close to an all-time high last summer when heavy industry roared back from pandemic curbs and the population contended with sweltering conditions that saw a 122-year-old heat record breached.

Temperatures have been as much as 11C above normal in some regions in the past week and prompted the India Meteorological Department to advise farmers to check wheat and other crops for signs of heat stress.

The unusually early onset of hotter weather - and forecasts that power consumption will rise as irrigation pumps and air conditioners are cranked up - is fueling concern that the nation's energy network will come under new strain, after two successive years of disruptions.

Power stations that use imported coal have already been ordered to operate at full capacity for three months during the summer season to help avoid blackouts, and to ease the pressure on domestic coal supplies. Electricity demand could set a new high of 229 gigawatts in April, according to the power ministry.

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"The way temperature is rising - it's quite unusual in February - the situation is becoming a matter of concern for us," according to Bhanwar Singh Bhati, power minister in Rajasthan, where power supplies are already being rationed to homes and farmers. "The electricity demand may rise 20% to 30% compared to last summer. There's no other option than to cut power supply."

Rajasthan is a hub of solar energy, yet can struggle to ensure adequate power supplies during summer months if there are delays receiving coal from mines in other regions.

Coal accounts for more than 70% of electricity generation in India, and stockpiles at power stations are currently well below a target of 45 million tons that the government asked to be met by the end of March.

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To be sure, current elevated temperatures aren't necessarily a signal of extreme weather in March to May, according to Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of meteorology at the India Meteorological Department. "It is natural to be excited if you get temperatures like this in the month of February," he said.

India's ability to meet its summer power needs will also be largely determined by efforts to ensure sufficient coal is being mined and transported, said Pratap Keshari Deb, energy minister of Odisha, one of the nation's top producers of the fuel.

If coal supplies are ensured, "everything falls in place," he said.



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This Is How Nagaland Minister Thanked PM Modi For Praising Him

Nagaland Minister Temjen Imna Along has expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for acknowledging his efforts and liking his social media prowess. The minister tweeted in Hindi, which, when translated to English, reads as "Guruji spoke, I feel blessed."

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his party leader, Temjen Imna Along, saying his views represent the real Northeast to the world.

PM Modi was addressing a rally in Nagaland, Mr Along's home state, as elections are being held in Northeast. The Nagaland BJP chief is known for his amazing sense of humour and funny posts on social media. He constantly keeps his fans and followers updated with important life advice, his personal life, and the beauty of his state.

Speaking about Mr. Along, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Dimapur, "The things our state BJP president Temna Imna says resonate across the country.They thoroughly enjoy it" amid thunderous applause from the crowd.

"He represents Nagaland and the entire Northeast beautifully on digital platform. I too always try to look at all his posts," the Prime Minister added.

The Nagaland minister tweeted that he is delighted that "guruji" is in the state just hours before the start of PM Modi's speech. The tweet featured a photo of him smiling while donning a BJP scarf.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that the BJP-led NDA government's top priority is Nagaland's peace, progress, and prosperity.

The Prime Minister said during his first election rally in Nagaland's Agri Expo Center Ground in Dimapur that a large number of cadres from various militant outfits surrendered and joined the mainstream to ensure peace in Nagaland.

"The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act" has already been withdrawn from many parts of Nagaland. The government has been taking steps so that AFSPA is not required in the future in the state," Modi said.

He said that during the past nine years, violent incidents have been reduced by 75 percent, facilitating the speedy development of the state.

Saying that Nagaland's inter-state border problems with the neighbouring states are being resolved, the Prime Minister said that infrastructure development and the welfare of all people are the priorities of the BJP-led NDA government.

Coming down hard on the Congress, Modi stated that during the Congress regime, family welfare was prioritized, which is why the people of the northeast punished them by not voting.

(With inputs from agencies)



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Boney Kapoor Shares His "First Picture" With Sridevi

Another day, another throwback picture from Boney Kapoor's album. Of course, it features his late wife, Sridevi. But there is something special about his latest upload. Any guesses? It is his first photo with the actress. In the black and white frame, the two are smiling as they pose for the camera. It was clicked in 1984. Boney Kapoor, in the caption, wrote, “My first picture …… 1984.” FYI: This image also made its way to the recently released Netflix docu-series The Romantics, which celebrates the legacy of Yash Chopra and the impact the filmmaker has had on Hindi cinema in the last five decades.

Now take a look at Boney Kapoor's “first picture” with Sridevi. Fans have flooded the comments section with red hearts and fire emojis. 

Sridevi died in February 2018, in Dubai, where she was attending a family wedding. She was 54. The veteran actress featured in several hits like Lamhe, Chandni, Mr India, Judaai, Khuda Gawah, Nagina and Sadma. To mark Sridevi's 5th death anniversary, Boney Kapoor picked a gorgeous picture of the actress and wrote, “You left us 5 years back… Your love and memories will keep us going and will remain with us forever.” Sanjay Kapoor was among the first to drop a comment under the post. He shared a red heart emoji.” 

In a follow-up post, Boney Kapoor added that Sridevi is “Watching us.”

Now, look at the “last picture” Sridevi posed for. It was shared by Boney Kapoor on Instagram. The actress, in the pic, is seen sharing the frame with their daughter Khushi Kapoor, Boney Kapoor's sister Reena Kapoor and some guests.

Earlier this month, Boney Kapoor announced that the publishing rights for  Sridevi's biography, Sridevi: The Life of a Legend,  has been acquired by Westland Books. The book will be written by Dhiraj Kumar. Boney Kapoor said, “ Dhiraj Kumar is someone she [Sridevi] considered family. He is a researcher, writer and columnist. We are happy that he is writing a book that befits her extraordinary life.”

Remembering his wife, Boney Kapoor added,  “Sridevi was a force of nature. She was the happiest when she shared her art on screen with her fans but she was also a fiercely private person.”

Sridevi and Boney Kapoor got married in 1996. The couple welcomed Janhvi Kapoor on March 6 in 1997. Khushi Kapoor was born in November 2000.



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On Camera, Witness In UP MLA Murder Case Shot Dead, 2 Guards Injured

A witness in the murder case of an MLA in Uttar Pradesh was shot dead in Prayagraj today. The attack was caught on multiple CCTV cameras.

Umesh Pal, a key witness in the murder case of Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal in 2005, was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was getting out of the backseat of a Hyundai Creta SUV in Prayagraj.

CCTV footage shows Umesh Pal and one of his two police bodyguards getting out of the SUV when suddenly a man came from behind and shot him. The police said some other men used crude bombs during the assault, which exploded in a cloud of smoke, leading to panic and chaos on the road with people running to safety. Many abandoned their vehicles and ran towards shops.

Umesh Pal's bodyguard tried to catch the attacker, but he too was shot. The second bodyguard also caught a bullet.

Umesh Pal, who appeared to be injured, ran towards an alley with the attacker in pursuit while his bodyguards lay injured on the road. The attacker shot him there for a final time before fleeing.

Atiq Ahmed, a don and former Lok Sabha MP serving time in a Gujarat jail, is an accused in the 2005 murder case.

Umesh Pal was taken to a local hospital, where he died during treatment, the police said.

The condition of one of the bodyguards is critical and he has been put on ventilator, while doctors are performing a surgery on the other, the police said.

"The incident happened  right outside Umesh Pal's home. So far it has been confirmed that two bombs were thrown and he was fired at by a small firearm," Prayagraj police chief Ramit Sharma told reporters.

A murder case has been filed.

"We have formed eight teams to investigate every aspect of the incident and arrest those behind the attack," Mr Sharma said.



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PV Sindhu Parts Ways With Badminton Coach Park Tae Sang

PV Sindhu's coach Park Tae Sang has parted ways with the Indian badminton star. Park joined hands with Sindhu in 2019. Under Park Tae-Sang, Sindhu won three BWF World Tour tiles – the Syed Modi International, Swiss Open and Singapore Open. She also won the women's singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham and the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and then a gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. 

Park took responsibility of Sindhu's recent poor form. 

"Hello, it's been a while since I said hello. I came back to Hyderabad a few days ago. And I want to say thank you to everyone who worried about my father. To be honest, my father's condition is not good yet. So I felt heavy walking back to India," Park Tae Sang wrote in an Instagram post.

"And I'd like to talk about my relationship with @pvsindhu1 , which many people have asked about. She has made disappointing moves in all recent matches, and as a coach, I feel responsible. So she wanted a change and said she would find a new coach. I decided to respect and follow her decision. I'm sorry that I can't be with her until the next Olympics, but now I'm going to support her from afar. I will remember every moment with her. I would like to thank everyone who has been supporting and encouraging me."

Two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu recounted her journey to becoming badminton world champion in 2019 and said that she was waiting for the moment for more than five years. Sindhu won the bronze medal in the 2013 and 2014 editions of the World Championships while in 2017 and 2018, the Indian shuttler was defeated in the final on both occasions. However, in 2019, she finally won the tournament after comprehensively defeating Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the summit clash.

"It's a really big thing. Being a world champion is...it's after Olympics are what I feel. I won it in 2019. For me it was a different memory altogether because I was waiting for it for five years. I had two bronze, two silver and I wanted that gold desperately. It is definitely one of the biggest tournaments out there after Olympics," Sindhu said in an exclusive interview with NDTV.



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Heartbreaking Video Shows Baby Langur Weeping After Mother's Tragic Death

Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda on Friday shared a heartbreaking video of a baby langur weeping while holding on to its dead mother. Sharing the short clip on Twitter, Mr Nanda wrote that the incident took place in Assam. The video showed a golden baby langur sobbing uncontrollably over the lifeless body of its mother after she was killed by a speeding vehicle. 

"This will haunt me for a long long time. A Golden langur was assassinated on the road in Assam. The baby is still in its arm not knowing what has befallen him. I am informed that all steps are being taken to save the baby," Mr Nanda wrote in the caption of the post. 

Watch the video below: 

In the clip, the baby langur is seen weeping, clutching its mother's face and trying to wake her up but to no avail. The two animals are also seen surrounded by several people. 

Internet users were quick to react to the video. While some expressed their condolence over the tragic accident, others expressed anger. 

"This is so sad! Why can't we care for the co-inhabitants of our planet? Poor Baby!" wrote one user. "Can't bear to watch..... hope the baby recovers from the trauma," said another. 

Viral Video| Pakistan University Students Celebrating 'Bollywood Day' Sparks Debate Online

A third user said, "O God! My heart is breaking when I see this accident and the plight of the baby langur. One has to drive carefully keeping other's safety also in mind," while a fourth commented, "Be it be a clear road,it doesn't give the right to anyone to overspeed. Moreover, while we drive, we should always be careful and speed should be moderate."

"Saddest thing!! Brutal! Can't bear to watch. Prayers for the baby to recover from this tragedy," wrote another user. "This is very tragic and heart-wrenching," expressed another. 

Mr Nanda's video has accumulated more than 37,000 views and over 1,500 likes. 



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Thursday, 23 February 2023

Google Employees To Now Share Desks As Part Of Cost-Cutting Measures

In order to increase "real estate efficiency," Google is requesting its employees to share desks and switch days with one another from the next quarter, as per a report in Fortune. This will enable the staff to have a "partner", a move which is seen to maximise space at some of the largest Google offices. 

The new desk-sharing model will apply to some of Google Cloud's largest locations in the United States - Kirkland, Washington, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Sunnyvale, California. The outlet further said that some buildings of the tech giant will also be vacated. This comes as the company reduces its real estate footprint as part of a broader cost-cutting measure.

In order to share one desk among several employees, Google has encouraged staff to rotate their work days, such as Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. On days without an allocated desk, employees are allowed to visit the office, but they must sit in an "overflow drop-in space", the Fortune report further stated.

As per the internal document accessed by CNBC, "Through the matching process, they will agree on a basic desk setup and establish norms with their desk partner and teams to ensure a positive experience in the new shared environment."

Also Read: 7 People Fired By Google Come Together To Form New Company

Internally, the new seating arrangement has been dubbed "Cloud Office Evolution," or "CLOE," and is described as "combining the best of pre-pandemic collaboration with the flexibility" of hybrid work. The company added that the arrangement is permanent, citing the staff's return to office patterns after Covid-19.

A Google spokesperson told CNBC, "Since returning to the office, we've run pilots and conducted surveys with Cloud employees to explore different hybrid work models and help shape the best experience. Our data show Cloud Googlers value guaranteed in-person collaboration when they are in the office, as well as the option to work from home a few days each week."

The spokesperson further said, "With this feedback, we've developed our new rotational model, combining the best of pre-pandemic collaboration with the flexibility and focus we've all come to appreciate from remote work, while also allowing us to use our spaces more efficiently."

The document further mentions that "neighbourhoods" will be made up of 200 to 300 employees and "partners" from a variety of functions to ensure that desk sharing runs smoothly. It noted that each "neighbourhood" will have a Vice President or Director who will be in-charge of dividing and allocating the space. The company is also planning to bring a booking cap for conference rooms to ensure that people are sitting at their desk and not "camping out". 



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