Delhi schools asked to furnish details of Covid+ students

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has sought data from schools about the number of Covid-affected students and employees in their institutes in the Capital, ahead of a key meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) this week, which is, among others, expected to discuss the return of the mask mandate in the city.

Schools said the DoE circulated a Google document on Sunday, asking officials to enter the details regarding the infections in their institutes. School heads said that the move was presumably to gather details about Covid trends in schools before imposing any guidelines or protocols on educational institutes. Officials from DoE did not respond to queries seeking clarity on the reasons behind the data collection exercise.

Sudha Acharya, chairperson of the National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC), a consortium of over 120 Delhi schools, welcomed the data collection. “The Delhi government is presumably collecting data from us so that they can get understand the overall situation before the DDMA meeting on Wednesday. It is a good step because this will help them understand the Covid trends and accordingly take appropriate decisions,” said Acharya, the principal of ITL Public Dwarka.

Awadhesh Kumar Jha, principal of Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini Sector 8, said that while Covid data had been sought from the school last night, it was not known if the data collection exercise would be undertaken daily. “We were asked to provide details about the number of Covid-affected students and we have already done that. We are yet to receive instructions if this will be a daily exercise,” said Jha.

Following the emergence of Covid cases from private schools in the Capital last week, the DoE, in an advisory last Thursday, said that specific wings of the school or the whole school could be closed if a Covid-19 case emerged on campus. The advisory also laid stressed on the need for mask compliance, distancing and other mitigation measures. “If any Covid case is noticed or reported to the school authority, the same must be intimated to the DoE immediately and the concerned wing of the school or the school as a whole, as the case may be, must be closed down for time being,” said the advisory issued by the DoE’s private school branch.

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Chennai-Based IT Firm Gifts Cars To 100 Employees

A Chennai-based IT firm on Monday gifted as many as 100 cars to its employees for their constant support and unparalleled contributions to the company's success and growth.

Ideas2IT, an IT firm has gifted Maruti Suzuki cars to 100 employees.

"We are gifting 100 cars to 100 of our employees who have been a part of us for more than 10 years. We have a strength of 500 employees. Our concept is to return the wealth we have received, to the employees," said Hari Subramanian, Marketing Head, Ideas2IT.

Murali Vivekanandan, Founder and Chairman, Ideas2IT said that the employees have made a lot of efforts for improving the company and the company is not giving cars to them, they have earned it with their hard work.

"Seven-eight years ago we promised that when we get lefty goals we will share our wealth. Awarding these cars is just the first step. We plan to roll out more such initiatives in the near future," added Mr Vivekanandan.

"It is always great to receive gifts from the organization; on every occasion, the company shares its happiness with gifts like gold coins, iPhones. Car is a very big thing for us," said Prasath, an employee, who received the gift from the company.

This comes days after another Chennai-based software-as-a-service company (SaaS) Kissflow gifted luxury BMW cars to its five senior executives, each worth about ₹ 1 crore, as a gift.

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India's ties with Russia developed when…: Top US diplomat at 2+2

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed understanding of India's position on the Ukraine war while cautioning allies and partners against the increase in Russian energy purchases. Addressing a joint media briefing after the conclusion of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between defence and foreign ministers of India and the US, Blinken said that New Delhi's relationship with Moscow developed over decades when the US was not able to be a partner of the South Asian country

"India's relationship with Russia was developed over decades at a time when the United States was not able to be a partner to India," Blinken told reporters.

He, however, added that "times have changed" and the US is now “able and willing to be a partner of choice with India across virtually every realm: commerce, technology, education and security.”

"And that was very much the nature of the conversation that we had today."

On the issue of oil purchases from Russia and sanctions, the top American diplomat noted that "there are carve-outs for energy purchases."

"Of course, we're encouraging countries not to purchase additional energy supplies from Russia. Every country is differently situated, has different needs, requirements, but we're looking to allies and partners not to increase their purchases of Russian energy,” he said.

When asked whether Washington was considering imposing sanctions on India over procuring S-400 air defence systems, Blinken called on all nations not to have major weapons transactions with Russia, particularly in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

"We have not yet made a determination regarding potential sanctions or potential waivers under the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) law."

India is a major buyer of several Russian-made weapons, including tanks and missile systems, and has signed deals, including the purchase of Russia's S-400 air defence system. India has refused to join the Western sanctions against Russia and maintained that its defence procurements are guided by a policy of strategic autonomy.

Amid the ongoing debate over energy purchases from Russia, external affairs minister S Jaishankar highlighted that India's "purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon.”

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OnePlus Nord 2T renders reveal complete design, including unique rear camera layout

 

OnePlus Nord 2T renders have leaked again after we exclusively shared a live image of the rear camera module a few days ago. The complete design of the OnePlus Nord 2T has now been revealed via renders, which lines up perfectly with the render that we shared last month. The news comes from onsitego in collaboration with industry insider Yogesh Brar. 

We’ve previously shed light on the device’s specifications, launch date, and pricing. The Nord 2T isn’t the only Nord phone in the pipeline, as OnePlus is reportedly gearing up to launch OnePlus Nord CE 2 lite and the OnePlus Nord 3 alongside a couple of other OnePlus 10-series smartphones. The former has recently made headlines with a Realme 9 Pro+-like design.

The renders reveal a design that we saw via previous renders. The OnePlus Nord 2T has a unique camera layout at the rear that sports a massive primary camera alongside a circular cutout that houses two sensors flaunted asymmetrically. The rear panel is curved from the edges and we see the OnePlus branding in the centre.

The OnePlus Nord 2T’s display has thin bezels and a punch-hole front camera cutout on the top left corner of the screen. The handset houses a power button coupled with alter slider on the right side and a volume rocker on the left. The phone comes in two colour options – Black and Blue.

OnePlus Nord 2T specifications

The OnePlus Nord 2T is a 6.43-inch phone whose AMOLED panel supports Full HD+ 2400×1080 resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. A MediaTek Dimensity 1300 processor paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage power the OnePlus Nord 2T. The device packs a 4,500mAh battery with an 80W SuperVOOC fast charging support. OnePlus Nord 2T runs Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 out of the box.

Moving to the optics, the triple camera setup of the OnePlus Nord 2T features a 50MP primary camera with OIS, which is paired with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP Monochrome sensor. A 32MP camera on the front takes care of selfie needs.

OnePlus Nord 2T is tipped to debut in April and could be priced between Rs 30,000-40,000. 

"Don't Touch The Body. It May Be Mined": Killings In Ukraine's Bucha

A rope tied around his feet and a charred hole in his forehead, a dead man lies in scrub by a railroad track on the outskirts of the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

The haunting figure, his flesh a sallow yellow as if a waxwork, lies surrounded by brown fallen leaves. Just meters (yards) away, the corpse of another victim lies in the undergrowth.

"Don't touch the body. It may be mined," said a policeman, who pointed out the spot where the corpse lay but asked not to be identified by name.

Bucha, 37 km (23 miles) northwest of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian troops for more than a month following the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

When the Russian forces pulled back last week, they left behind civilian dead on Bucha's streets, inside buildings and buried in shallow graves.

Local officials say more than 300 people were killed by Russian forces in Bucha alone, and around 50 of them were executed.

The policeman said residents of Bucha had buried another five corpses under an unmarked earth mound that Reuters passed nearby. Reuters could not immediately verify his account.

Since reaching Bucha on Sunday, Reuters has witnessed the remains of at least five victims who were shot through the head. One had his hands tied behind his back.

The man Reuters saw on Wednesday, wearing blue jeans and a black winter jacket, lay 100 meters from a small cemetery. Reuters was unable to identify the man or determine who had killed him.

Witnesses in the town - which has been badly shelled; its facades gouged and blackened - have recounted details of what they said were several other extra-judicial killings at the hands of Russians. Reuters has been unable to verify their accounts independently.

Ukraine's government has accused Russia of genocide and war crimes. The Kremlin dismisses the allegations as propaganda and says its forces are not targeting civilians.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council on Tuesday that accusations of abuse were lies. He said that while Bucha was under Russian control "not a single civilian suffered from any kind of violence."

On Sunday, Russia's defence ministry issued a statement saying that all photographs and videos published by the Ukrainian authorities alleging "crimes" by Russian troops in Bucha were a "provocation."

Chechen Soldier

In another incident nearby, through a small wood, builder Eduard Karpenko recounted how he saw one of his neighbours marched off to be shot by a Russian soldier.

He said the victim, Oleksandr Yeremich, was a 43-year-old member of the Territorial Defense Forces, the military reserves of the Ukrainian armed forces. Karpenko showed Reuters a copy of the man's passport but the news agency was unable to verify independently other details of his account.

Karpenko said the man was marched away from near his home by a soldier that two watching Russian troops said came from Chechnya, a region in southern Russia that has deployed forces to Ukraine to support Russia.

The soldier marched the man out of sight, to the end of a wooden fence flanking the wood, and then four shots rang out, Karpenko said.

"They led him to the end of the gate and shot him, with the last shot to the head," Karpenko said, holding his arms aloft as if being marched away.

Two men alongside Karpenko, who declined to be identified, confirmed they also saw Yeremich led away and heard the shots.

Karpenko said he and the two men had waited as ordered by the Russian soldiers until nightfall before venturing out to recover the body.

"We covered him in a blanket, then with another, and dragged him to the grave. There was so much blood," said Karpenko.

He said the body was buried nearby in a garden, the spot marked with a long wooden stake and a metal frame shaped like a coffin, which was seen by Reuters.

Karpenko and the two other men dangled a baseball cap on a branch at the site where they said the shooting took place.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, said in a statement on Feb. 26 that Chechen forces would be fighting in Ukraine as part of Russia's "special military operation" to demilitarize the country. Reuters was unable to determine if they operated in Bucha. 

China Cyber Attack On Power Grid Near Ladakh Between Aug-March: Report

 Chinese state-sponsored hackers targeted Indian electricity distribution centres near Ladakh over the last eight months, a report by private intelligence firm Recorded Future said on Wednesday, in a new potential flashpoint following a protracted military standoff between the two countries in the region.

''In recent months, we observed likely network intrusions targeting at least seven Indian State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and electricity dispatch within these respective states. Notably, this targeting has been geographically concentrated, with the identified SLDCs located in North India, in proximity to the disputed India-China border in Ladakh," the group said.

The attacks took place between August last year and March, sources said. The investigation found the data passing in and out of Indian Load Despatch Centres to the Chinese state-sponsored command and control servers spread across the world, they said.

"In addition to the targeting of power grid assets, we also identified the compromise of a national emergency response system and the Indian subsidiary of a multinational logistics company by the same threat activity group," Recorded Future said.

The group said they alerted the government of their findings before publishing the report. The government is yet to respond to a request for comment.

According to the intelligence firm, considered to be among the world's largest with a specialisation in identifying threats from state-sponsored hackers, the Chinese attackers were trying to gather information surrounding critical infrastructure systems.

''Given the continued targeting of State and Regional Load Despatch Centres in India over the past 18 months, first from RedEcho and now in this latest TAG-38 activity, this targeting is likely a long-term strategic priority for select Chinese state-sponsored threat actors active within India," it said.

''The prolonged targeting of Indian power grid assets by Chinese state-linked groups offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities. We believe this targeting is instead likely intended to enable information gathering surrounding critical infrastructure systems or is pre-positioning for future activity," it added.

''The objective for intrusions may include gaining an increased understanding into these complex systems in order to facilitate capability development for future use or gaining sufficient access across the system in preparation for future contingency operations," Recorded Future said.

High profile cyber-attacks have been growing around the world. Last year millions of people on the US east coast were affected by a ransomware attack on a major gas pipeline while a large swathe of Australia was moments away from losing power after a key energy network was hit.

The group said in February last year, it had reported the compromise of 10 distinct Indian power sector organisations, including four of the five Regional Load Despatch Centres (RLDC), two ports, a large generation operator, and other operational assets.

''Recorded Future continues to track Chinese state-sponsored activity groups targeting a wide variety of sectors globally... However, the coordinated effort to target Indian power grid assets in recent years is notably distinct from our perspective and, given the continued heightened tension and border disputes between the two countries, we believe is a cause for concern," it said.

India and China have long disputed their vast 3,500-km-long frontier and fought a brief border war in Arunachal Pradesh in 1962.

Tensions flared in 2020 after a lethal high-altitude skirmish in the far-northern region of Ladakh, which saw hand-to-hand combat between troops in the contested Galwan Valley.

Since then, multiple rounds of talks have had limited success in de-escalating tensions and both sides have reinforced the region with additional military hardware and thousands of extra soldiers.

Since then, multiple rounds of talks have had limited success in de-escalating tensions and both sides have reinforced the region with additional military hardware and thousands of extra soldiers.

Last month, India said ties with China could not be normal until their troops pulled back from each other, but Beijing struck a conciliatory note during a meeting of their foreign ministers in New Delhi.

GPUIL to start trading on stock exchanges from Wednesday

Equity shares of GMR Power and Urban Infra Ltd, the non-airport business company of the GMR Group, will start trading on BSE and NSE from Wednesday onwards.

"The scrip will trade under the script ID GMRP&UI," the company said in a statement.

GMR Power and Urban Infra Limited (GPUIL) is the new entity into which the non-airport businesses of GMR Group have been demerged. Post the demerger, GIL (GMR Infrastructure Limited) has emerged as the India's first pure-play airports' company and has been trading ex-demerger since January 12, 2022.

"GPUIL now has some of the best-in-class infrastructure assets in India, which include state-of-the-art power plants and renewable energy assets, highways, and special investment regions," it said.

The firm has a balanced mix in its energy generation portfolio - 4.8 GW of power generation capacity, of which 2.8 GW is commissioned.

The company operates two solar power plants at Patan in Gujarat and at Rajam in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. It also has two wind-based power plants of 1.25 MW at Tirupur in Tamil Nadu and 2.1 MW at Kutch district in Gujarat. While 180 MW Bajoli Holi run-of-the-river hydropower project is nearing completion, 1,425 MW of hydroelectric power projects are under-development stage.

GPUIL's transportation division has four operating highway assets spanning over 350 kilometres. It is developing a 1,680-acre multi-product Special Investment Region (SIR) at Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu.

The firm through its subsidiary, GMR Coal Resources Pte Ltd, Singapore, owns 30 per cent equity stake in PT Golden Energy Mines Tbk (PT GEMS) in Indonesia. PT GEMS owns and operates five coal mining concession areas in Indonesia, having coal resources of approximately 2.9 billion tonnes and reserves of approximately 1.32 billion tonnes.

The EPC business is working on the design and construction of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor project of DFCCI (Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India).

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