More than $8bn (£6.5bn) are pledged to help develop a vaccine and fund research into treatments.

Remembering the maverick blind campaigners who walked to London a century ago to demand equality.

Wanda Cooper says her son, Ahmaud Arbery, was "hunted down like an animal and killed".

The coronavirus crisis is having a huge impact on young people with existing mental health conditions.

The CEO of Methodist Homes says a secure supply chain from government would mean avoiding inflated prices.

A car factory worker turned cafe owner explains how coronavirus is affecting his business dream.

FIFA.com ​spoke to the disconsolate yet proud Mahdi Javid after Iran were defeated 4-3 by Russia in the semi-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup.

To lift the FIFA Futsal World Cup, teams must successfully negotiate seven matches, as Russia and Argentina – the Colombia 2016 finalists who will lock horns on Saturday – know all too well. Prior to that decisive duel, FIFA.com posed seven questions to the coaches of the two surviving teams. 

Former Team India batsman VVS Laxman shared his views on how playing for CSK will keep MS Dhoni going on Star Sports 1 show Cricket Connected: “I think, playing for CSK will keep him going because he’s supremely fit and age is just a number, and especially when someone like MS Dhoni is not only physically fit, but mentally very astute as a captain as a leader he enjoys leading the CSK franchise. He's been very successful doing that and as far as Dhoni’s cricket is concerned, I'm sure you're looking forward to watch him play in the IPL. Not only this IPL, he will probably play in the next couple of IPLs, and then we will take a call about his future as a cricketer. But I think MS Dhoni will be very clear, as far as his plans are concerned, I'm sure he must have communicated that with Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri immediately after the 2019 World Cup in England. The new selection committee will have to sit down with MS Dhoni and understand his future, as far as Indian cricket is concerned. But MS Dhoni will continue to play for CSK and do well for CSK.”

VVS Laxman also went on to share his views about Virat Kohli’s intensity while playing and said, “I really admire the intensity Virat Kohli brings to the game because when he started off in 2010-11 against the West Indies in which I played with him, you could see that he was taking his game to the next level, with every season he just kept on getting better. I was really worried about whether this intensity would fade out eventually because before each and every match, even in his warm- ups his high intensity was visible and I thought that will burn-out, but not even in a single over ever did we see him losing the intensity which is commendable.”

Former opening batsman Gautam Gambhir also spoke about the future of MS Dhoni: “If the IPL does not happen this year, then it will become very difficult for MS Dhoni to make a comeback. On what basis can he be selected since he’s not been playing for the last one or one and a half year. The apt replacement for Dhoni could be KL Rahul. Ever since he has donned the ’keeper’s gloves in white-ball cricket, I’ve seen his performance, both batting and ’keeping. Obviously his keeping is not as good as Dhoni’s, but if you are looking at T20 cricket, Rahul’s a utility player, can keep and bat at No. 3 or 4. If the IPL does not happen, then MS Dhoni’s chances for a comeback look dim. Ultimately, you are representing India, so whoever dishes out the best performance and can win the match for India should play for the team. As far as his retirement plans go by, that’s his personal choice.”

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Former World no.1 badminton player Kidambi Srikanth has said that he was not happy with the unexpected break from the sport activities due to the lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Srikanth last played at the All England Championships in March, where he lost to China's Chen Long in the first round. "I am not really happy with this forced break. We, as players, usually would like a break from the regular stretch of tournaments, training and then playing tournaments again," Srikanth said in his column on Hindustan Times.

"Having said that, this is not exactly the kind of break we want to take. You do not want to be in a position where you cannot even train. Hence, this period is really very frustrating as neither can you go out, train or pretty much do anything." Srikanth said that most of his time went in sleeping and he spends about 15 minutes every day working out.

"With so much time available and nothing much to do, I have been sleeping mostly; that is where most of my time goes. I sleep for 12 to 14 hours every day, after which there is little time left anyway," he said.

Srikanth had been in the middle of a race against time to seal qualification to the Tokyo Olympics when the coronavirus pandemic exploded on a global scale. It ultimately led to an unprecedented postponement of the Olympics itself to 2021.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson recently said that one cannot copy MS Dhoni and that the former India skipper can only be appreciated for whatever he has achieved in international cricket.

The official Instagram handle of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings shared a video in which Samson can be seen talking about Dhoni.

 

 

 

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@imsanjusamson VC: @ruphas #WhistlePodu

A post shared by Chennai Super Kings (@chennaiipl) onMay 4, 2020 at 4:00am PDT

"MS Dhoni is a hero, he is a hero for everyone, he has spent so many years in international cricket, he has given us many memories, everyone will be inspired with what he has achieved in international cricket, a guy coming from Jharkhand and then going on to become the most successful Indian captain, he has achieved everything, I feel emotional and connected whenever I talk about MS Dhoni," Samson said in the video posted by Chennai Super Kings.

"You cannot copy MS Dhoni, you just have to look at him and clap your hands. I shared the dressing room with him when I was 19 years old, we were on a tour to England, after that I did not play for India for the next five years," he added.

In the video, the 25-year-old Samson also said that he once had a dream featuring MS Dhoni. The young wicket-keeper then revealed how that dream was fulfilled.

"I really had a dream that Mahi bhai was the captain of the team and he was changing the field. I was standing in the slips and he shouted Sanju go there, this is the dream I had, after some days the news came in that he has stepped down as the captain, and I thought how will my dream come true now," Samson said.

"But after a few days we played a pratice match against England at Mumbai, and Dhoni was the captain in the match and he indeed changed my fielding position, my dream came true, I need to tell this to Mahi bhai that my dream was fulfilled," he added.

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup. Dhoni had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches in the high-profile game.

This year, Dhoni did not find a place for himself in the BCCI's centrally contracted players list.

The board had released the list of central contract list of players for the period from October 2019 to September 2020.

Dhoni is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy).

Under his leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket.

IPL 2020 was slated to begin from March 29, but the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

We spotted a new eatery in the busy commercial hub of Sector 17, Vashi, and the signboard got our attention immediately — Nothing But Chicken, it boldly announced, Now Open. Mental note to self — must check this place out. Soon enough, we find ourselves at the new eatery one afternoon. With just four high chairs, the place is more a take-away, but we choose to have our working lunch at Nothing But Chicken (NBC).

The décor is cheery and functional with doodles of smiling hens giving us company. We also note signage about the restaurant being Halal & ISO 22000 compliant, and most importantly for us, that the meat is fresh, not frozen.

Chicken seekh kabab

Chicken all the way
At the entrance, NBC sports a huge refrigerated display that has raw, pre-cut and in some cases, pre-marinated chicken portions. You can choose from a variety of sausages — jalapeno and cheese, cocktail, classic salami to name a few — or you could buy pre-marinated chicken, grill it yourself and enjoy it in the comfort of your home. Options include chimichuri, peri-peri, Greek yogurt and pepper, cheesy garlic breast among others.

The second display counter has all the ready-to-eat goodies — you can choose from a variety of sandwiches and salads or simply opt for a pilaf or chicken vada pow, desi burger, chicken seekh pow or chicken kheema pow. We order the chicken vada pow (`65), grilled chicken wrap (`105), two pieces of galouti seekh kabab (`34), three pieces of classic seekh kabab (`48), tandoori tangdi (`102) and chicken mayo roll (`105). We realise much later that they billed us for a classic salad (`82), which we were not served. When we point it out to the staff the following day, they are polite and refund the amount and the applicable taxes, too.

Chicken vada pow

Back to our chicken encounter. The order is served one item at a time, heated in front of us in a microwave oven. The presentation is fuss-free and practical. The wrap, kababs and tandoori tangdi are so hot, they are steaming right to the very last bite.

Vada pav vs burger
We are informed that the lone difference between a chicken vada pow and a desi burger is the flavour and spices of the patty.

Tandoori tangdi

The former comes served with a chicken patty in a brown bread pav with cheese dip and schezwan sauce. It is tasty, but since the dish is named after the popular Mumbai snack, we would have preferred the traditional chutneys to go with it. That, we feel, could have been the differentiating element between the desi burger and the chicken vada pow. The patty is mildly spiced and despite being reheated, hasn’t become tough. This, in fact, is true for everything we order.

The tandoori tangdi is well marinated with the classic smoky taste, cooked just right so it is tender. The chicken mayo roll is too bland and sour for our taste. The galouti seekh kabab and the classic seekh kabab taste different, in a good way — the chicken in both offerings is tender and flavourful.

The interiors

The grilled chicken wrap is a whole wheat roti with a masala chicken filling. It has the right balance of spice and is quite filling. By now, we need something to quench our thirst; NBC stocks regular soft drinks and we wash down our meal with a couple of fresh fruit juices on offer. With its reasonably priced, no-frills menu, NBC is ideal for a quick, VFM meal, or to help you cut down your chicken preparation time at home. With courteous staff, they seem to have their act in order. However, given their location, they are likely to face stiff competition from their F&B neighbours.

Time 9 am to 11.30 pm
At Sector 17, Shiv Center, Next to Arneja Corner, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
Call 8828812200

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HEAD: More than just a women’s football club  

Neighbours of yesteryear actor Anita Raaj and her husband Sunil Hingorani have alleged that the couple had been entertaining guests at their Pali Hill home on Monday despite the lockdown. High drama ensued at the posh Bandra address when cops landed at the actor's doorstep following the neighbours' complaint.

A source says, "Ever since the lockdown was announced, the society has barred entry for outsiders. So, the neighbours were surprised at the steady stream of visitors at her flat and expressed concern about the threat it posed to their health. On Monday, when it was noticed that they were entertaining guests, the local cops were informed."

The situation apparently took a turn for the worse after the cops left the premises. In a video that is in possession of mid-day, it can be seen that Raaj and her husband had a heated argument with the security guard in the lobby. "They wanted to know who had complained about them to the cops. At one point, they asked the guard if he had informed the neighbours about the visitors," adds the source.

When mid-day reached out to Raaj, she offered a different version of events. "Since my husband is a doctor, one of his friends had come home for a medical emergency. His wife came with him for assistance. My husband couldn't refuse him on humanitarian grounds. After checking the situation, the cops apologised for the false complaint that was lodged with them and left immediately."

The actor, best remembered for films like Prem Geet (1981) and Naukar Biwi Ka (1983), and currently seen on television in Chhoti Sardaarni, asserted that she would not compromise the safety of others. "I won't behave irrationally by hosting a party in the current scenario."

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Since we all are locked indoors for over a month now and cannot do anything about it, all we can do is stalk Instagram and Twitter profiles of Bollywood celebrities and chat with them when they are online. Right from Shah Rukh Khan to Shahid Kapoor, all of them have chatted with fans and now was the turn of Ileana D'Cruz. The one question that stood out was by a fan who asked the actress how to take care of his girlfriend during her period.

It was a tricky question but the actor's reply was in the form of a meme that rightly captured the many moods of a woman during this time. And the conversation didn't end here but proceeded a little further.

The fan then wrote to the actress - "Help me to handle such situations all with my fiancé.... I don't want to hurt her in this times." (sic) D'Cruz replied - "Approach with caution. Be prepared to either be giving her an insane amount of cuddles or to not be anywhere near her vicinity. If she starts to growl, throw chocolate at her. And run away." (sic)

Have a look right here:

All the men, take notes, please!

On the work front, D'Cruz was last seen in Pagalpanti and now will be seen with Abhishek Bachchan in the drama, The Big Bull, that's out for release on October 25.

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The whole world is currently locked down and maintaining social distance from their friends and even families. However, Alia Bhatt seems to be feeling very homesick and that's perhaps the reason why she recently visited her parents Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan. And this news was confirmed by the filmmaker himself to Mumbai Mirror.

Talking about it, he said, "We met a few days ago-she lives a few buildings away and it's a protected space. So, she just walked across with mask and gloves on and sat at a distance so she wouldn't endanger her parents. It warms the heart to see her fulfill the social role of a responsible young child and to see your children teach you what you taught them in their childhood."

Alia even shared a throwback picture with her father a few weeks ago and it was indeed a heartwarming one. In case you missed it, have a look right here again:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Stay home &... go through old pictures when you're missing your daddy💗 #throwbackthursday #stayhomestaysafe

A post shared by Alia Bhatt ☀️ (@aliaabhatt) onMar 26, 2020 at 2:32am PDT

On the work front, Mahesh Bhatt returns to direction after 22 years with Sadak 2 that stars Alia, Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Gulshan Grover. The film is slated to release on July 10!

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Sushmita Sen and Rohman Shawl are truly couple goals! From celebrating important days together to performing yoga, the duo is inseparable. Their love for working out and fitness is evident through their social media posts. As the lockdown continues, Sushmita and Rohman have been sharing some couple yoga poses on social media, and leaving fans in awe of their chemistry.

Take a look at Sushmita Sen and Rohman Shawl's yoga poses right away!

In this one, Sushmita wrote, "#garbhasana. All grown up & yet nothing beats the comfort of the fetus pose!! Nothing calms the mind faster than going back to the source!! besides, @rohmanshawl attempting this with me is #adorable we wish you calm & all the love in the world!! #yourturn I love you guys!!!"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47) onApr 22, 2020 at 9:44am PDT

In the next post, Sushmita Sen shared a series of poses which spoke about power, health and mental strength. "Tough times don't last...Tough people do!! #truethat Staying committed to life is powerful...for life ALWAYS finds a way!!! We will all need to be of service at some point, it's wise to stay mentally strong & physically healthy against all odds, to be of help when life beckons!! sending love & healing energies to the world!!! #staysafe #proactive #breathe #discipline #highspirits [sic]," wrote the actress.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47) onApr 1, 2020 at 8:38am PDT

It's not just lockdown that has left the duo performing yoga together. Sushmita and Rohman have always been fitness enthusiasts, and they have been educating their fans about the advantages of yoga. Sharing a video, in 2019, Sushmita wrote, "There can be strength, form, flexibility, balance...& yet this is impossible to do without trust!! You lucky man @rohmanshawl I bend backwards for you...literally!! I know you got me, poetic as always Rooh meri! [sic]"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47) onSep 12, 2019 at 2:34pm PDT

Sushmita Sen and Rohman have been spreading positivity through their fun posts, and they're truly inspiring. Rohman and Sushmita are currently locked down together. Sush is also busy with her upcoming web-series Aarya that will be premiering soon.

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Sara Ali Khan is clearly having a gala time at home while being quarantined. We all saw her throwback video where she could be seen dancing her heart out. She also spreading some laughter through her Instagram video in which she was seen playing the classic Knock Knock joke with her brother Ibrahim Ali Khan. Now, the actress is back with the funny game and we can't stop our laughter.

Sharing the video, she wrote, "For now, we all live under a rock. All of us- the nerd, the jock. In the meantime Ibrahim and sister you can mock. While we do our favourite Knock Knock. #knockout (sic)."

 

 

 

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For now, we all live under a rock 🏡 All of us- the nerd ðŸ¤Â“the jock âš½ï¸Â In the meantime Ibrahim and sister you can mock 👫🙊🙈 While we do our favourite Knock Knock🐣🤷‍♀ï¸ÂðŸšªðŸ‘ŠðŸ»ðŸ‘ŠðŸ» #knockout

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onApr 24, 2020 at 6:01am PDT

She had shared a throwback video of herself playing the game with Ibrahim and had shared it on Instagram. She wrote- "Throwback to when you could... this was followed by a string of emojis. And continuing, she wrote- "But for now stay home stay safe and don't go knocking (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Throwback to when you could... 👊🏻👊🏻🚪😹👏🏻🐣🐥 But for now #stayhome #staysafe and don’t go knocking🚫❌‼ï¸Â

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onApr 8, 2020 at 6:28am PDT

Speaking of Sara, she had been on a photo-sharing spree during her lockdown period. Recently, she shared a fantastic and funny throwback picture with Ibrahim and mother Amrita Singh. In the picture, we can see two versions of the family, the old and the new, and rightly captioning the picture, the actress wrote- "The evolution of the meaning of #SundayFunday (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onApr 19, 2020 at 2:41am PDT

The actress also shared another video with her family where they all could be seen playing 'Who's More Likely To'.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

The only thing that we can always agree on is Singh is King 👑 💪🏻👳🏽‍♂ï¸ÂðŸ‘©‍👧‍👦🙉🙈🐵

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onApr 16, 2020 at 11:53am PDT

On the work front, Sara was last seen romancing with Kartik Aaryan in Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal. She will be next seen opposite Varun Dhawan in Coolie No 1. The film is a remake of the 1995-hit of the same name. The film is directed by David Dhawan, who directed the original movie. Sara will be seen playing a double role in Aanand L Rai's next Atrangi Re and will be seen romancing both Akshay and Dhanush.

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"Writing a book is no joke," starts off Divya Dutta, whose last published work, Me and Ma, hit the stands in 2017. Trying to meet her publisher's deadline, the actor has already begun work on her next book amidst the lockdown.

The actor agrees that it takes up most of her time. "I think people liked my nostalgic journey [in Me and Ma] and it's beautiful to express what you feel and find a connect with the readers," says Dutta, as she makes writing her priority. She reveals that being in the film industry for almost two decades has provided fodder for her book. "I am writing a memoir on the film industry. It will chronicle my journey in cinema, but I wouldn't call it a biography," says the actor as she explains that the earlier book was also a chapter of her life, but through the eyes of her mother. "This is going to be different from what I have written or shared before," says Dutta of the yet-untitled book.

Dutta's next, Sheer Qorma, is a story on the LGBTQAI+ community. She credits her impulsive nature for her choice of films. "I am called a risk-taker because I am impulsive about my choices. I go by my intuition when I get a script. The story of Sheer Qorma moved me as it talks about acceptance by the people you love unconditionally," says the actor, adding Fire (1996) was ahead of its time.

"I hope this film will help normalise something that we make an issue out of."

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Major Kaustubh Rane, who was killed in the Gurez sector of Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir on August 4 during an operation to foil an infiltration bid, was bid a tearful adieu by mourners today. Major Rane was laid to rest with full military honours at a crematorium in Mira Road township in the district around 12.30 pm.

Scores of mourners thronged Rane's house in Shital Nagar area in Mira Road in the morning to catch the last glimpse of the martyred army man. The funeral procession started from his residence around 9.30 am. His body, kept in a casket draped in tricolour, was carried in a flower-bedecked truck to the crematorium. At a few junctions on the way, flowers were showered on the vehicle carrying the mortal remains.

When the procession reached the crematorium two hours later, chaos prevailed for some time due to a huge rush of mourners. People even climbed trees and stood on terraces of neighbouring buildings as well as on the compound wall of the crematorium to witness the funeral.

Rane's family members had to appeal to the people to maintain peace. When the family members placed floral wreaths on his body, mourners shouted slogans like 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Major Kaustubh Rane Amar Rahe'. His wife Kanika, who carried their two-and-a-half-year-old son Agastya in her arms, was inconsolable. Before the martyr's father lit the funeral pyre, a 21-gun salute was given. Apart from local politicians, Army officers, including Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) of South Western Command, were present on the occasion.

Major Rane and three soldiers were killed while foiling an infiltration bid in north Kashmir's Gurez sector. At least two militants were gunned down in the operation.

(With inputs from PTI)

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A 64-year-old woman sustained serious injuries on Monday morning when a part of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roof collapsed in BDD chawl number 18-A in Dadar's Naigaon area. The victim identified as Chanchala Londe and her family were asleep when a huge part of the roof fell on her at around 4.30 am in the night.

Pic courtesy/ Suraj Ojha

Londe's son Vijay Londe told mid-day," This is not the first incident when something collapsed from the building. Several incidents have occurred before in other buildings this, however, this has happened for the first time in our home. My son was in the same room and immediately alerted other family members residing in other flats. We then rushed my mother to KEM hospital."

When asked the victim about the incident, she stated that a huge block of cement fell on her head and she was shocked to hear the loud noise followed by blood trickling down from her scalp. The doctors from KEM suggested for an X-ray and after a few medical check-ups, Londe was allowed to go home with 12 stitches. After the incident, PWD sent a few men at around 9:30 am to repair the RCC roof.

"I do not know when the redevelopment will start. We did not oppose to government plans but we do have certain demands and expectations from the government. Since they have been ignoring these demands, our redevelopment has been delayed and this is how such incidents take place at BDD colonies," Londe added.

Also Read: CST foot overbridge collapse: Victims yet to receive any official letter of compensation

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What is the principle of recycling? You begin with raw material, create something out of it, bring it back to its original state and start over. "So, in a way it's like coming full circle; you start at one point and return to it," says multidisciplinary artist Sajid Wajid Shaikh about the theme of his paintings for Full Circle, an exhibition at the Kala Ghoda gallery, ARTISANS'.

A collaboration between Shaikh and Indigene, a sustainable fashion label, it will also feature re-purposed fabric from past seasons into a new collection of garments, accessories and stationery. The exhibition opens today and a walkthrough with the artists — Shaikh, and Ruchi Tripathi and Jaya Bhatt, founders of the label and textile design graduates from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi — has been scheduled for this evening.

Sajid Wajid Shaikh's artworks for the exhibition feature drawings in loops

"The conversation began a year ago," says Shaikh, who has employed reused garbage and found objects he's stumbled upon as his medium in the past, before moving on to drawing-based work. "I started developing these drawings as loops, letting the subconscious take over. So, in a way, the drawing unfolds before the artist's eyes," he explains, referring to surrealist automatism. The paintings have been done in the medium of ink on translucent paper. For the exhibition, they will be juxtaposed with re-purposed fabrics from the label.

The idea of loops was further substantiated when Shaikh read iconic poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's Rashmirathi. "In it, when Duryodhan tries to bind Krishna, he tells him, "Sab janm mujh hi se paate hain, fir laut mujh hi mein aate hain [All are born from me, and all return to me]. This applies to nature too," he shares.

FROM Today till March 30, 11 am to 7 pm; walkthrough today, 6.30 pm
AT ARTISANS', 52 – 56, Dr VB Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda.
CALL 9820145397

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Telecommunications service provider Ericsson on Thursday introduced a new category of radio products called Street Macro in India to enable a smooth evolution from 4G to 5G.

Street Macro is a new site type that addresses the need for operators to grow in cities with limited available radio locations.

The company also launched new radio products that support "Massive MIMO" technology to simplify use for wider 5G adoption.

"Operators today are looking at ways and means to increase network capacity, especially in urban areas. Ericsson's Street Macro adds a new layer in the network layer to boost capacity enabling service providers to cater to the growing demands of data users," Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India, told reporters here.

According to Ericsson's new economic study of enhanced mobile broadband, evolution to 5G will enable 10 times lower cost per gigabyte than current 4G networks.

To help operators capture growth opportunities presented by new 5G use cases, Ericsson has expanded its 5G Core System offering with new capabilities to support 5G New Radio (NR) standard and also enhanced its Distributed Cloud solution.

The announcement came on the sidelines of Ericsson's annual technology roadshow in India, where the company recreated a "Do Zone" to showcase the highlights from Mobile World Congress 2018.

To date Ericsson has signed 39 memorandums of understanding with service providers for trials, the company said.

The BMC has claimed to be monsoon-ready this year, but it’s highly unlikely that the city roads will be pothole-free. File Pic

I like waiting for the BMC to issue proclamations of all kinds based on whatever mystical tests it uses instead of science. It will tell us when the rains are expected, for instance, then promptly issue a new date 24 hours before the original one, citing fresh new information that has probably been sent to its meteorologists via WhatsApp. It will talk about how much water will be collected in our lakes and rivers, then revise that figure every three weeks depending on what percentage of water cuts it can announce for free publicity. I suspect a lot of BMC employees spend their days simply dreaming up new statements to issue, because doing this is a lot easier than completing any actual work.

The good news is, it claims to be monsoon-ready this year. Yes, it claimed to be monsoon-ready last year, too, and the year before, and the decade before, but why should that stop it from issuing a new press release about how it is definitely monsoon-ready this year? If it doesn't issue these statements, how is it supposed to justify the thousands of crores that are poured into our streets and mysteriously vanish before touching the asphalt?

This year's statement says that only 522 roads continue to remain dug up in the city. This presumably does not include the street outside your home or mine, or any street you pass over the next week, because finding a street that isn't dug up in Mumbai is almost like finding proof that our ministers have actually been to school. Apparently, completing road repair and renovation work in the city is definitely the target, which isn't surprising because it has been the target since man first set foot on the Moon. I assume this doesn't include the roads that have been torn apart for the Metro, of course, because the chances of them being smooth and pothole-free in your lifetime or mine are a billion to one.

The Andheri-SEEPZ line of the Metro runs just outside Andheri station towards Versova. The street it tore up and demolished over a decade ago has yet to recover. It has turned into an unofficial market, with commuters now long used to the idea of going around in a wide circle in order to hit SV Road. One can't help, but use that as a benchmark when thinking about what the city will look like when the current Metro projects are finally complete, a century from now.

Our civic body - I use those words loosely, of course - has reportedly prepared a plan of completing work on 1,106 roads in several categories during the financial year 2018-19, with roads classifieds into categories of project roads, priority 2 and priority 3 roads. This must have taken them a few months, because everyone knows how important the task of naming plans or renaming roads is, and how these discussions can go on late into the afternoon. Project roads are easy to spot because they exist in various states of disrepair all around us, but it's hard to figure out the difference between priority 2 and priority 3 roads. In a city that is home to millions of commuters an hour, one would assume all roads are a priority, but that is clearly not the case.

Project roads are also supposed to undergo complete reconstruction, which is BMC-speak for 'we are going to tear them down and start again, and use your taxes to do it a few more times'. The statement didn't just talk about the future though; it also claimed that work on 879 roads was completed by the end of April. Chew on that when you dislocate your shoulder in a rickshaw on your next trip.

I'm pretty sure the fault lies with us. We are the ones who prevent the BMC from focusing on more important things like memorial plaques and compel it to waste valuable time and money on insignificant issues like pothole-free, monsoon-ready roads. If you care about your city and respect the BMC, you should do the right thing and avoid the roads. Work online instead of at an office, chat with friends and relatives via video calls, and educate your children with the help of YouTube videos. Don't use roads until the pesky monsoons are over. Stay at home instead.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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A day after this paper published a report about a couple who has been left in limbo because a financial institute has misplaced their Sale Deed or Sale of Agreement papers, there have been a few readers who have written in claiming that they experienced a similar situation. They, too, had a harrowing story to tell.

According to our report, an Andheri couple who had taken a loan from a financial institution years ago to buy a home and were paying it off over years, finished paying their loan. They asked the institute to return their documents and that is when they learnt that the Sale of Agreement has been misplaced. Their nightmare began, but it has been months the paper has not been found and they have subsequently been unable to sell a home on the outskirts of the city because buyers are wary of buying a home without the original Sale Deed.

Finance institutes cannot afford to misplace such important documents. Institutes might have misplaced the documents while shifting or the file has been lost when being transferred from one centre to another.

If this happens, and from the responses we learn that this is unfortunately not very rare, it is the organisation's responsibility to give the affected a way out. There has to be a redressal mechanism. If the true copy of the document does not work for certain people, the institute has to step in and provide them a solution.

They need to be held liable and accountable. You cannot expect the affected people, who are already suffering considerably and have also spent time and money, to do all this on their own. Those who have erred cannot wash their hands off the matter. They need to be there with the people, whose papers they have irresponsibly, though inadvertently, misplaced, right till the bitter end.

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If you're sharp-eyed about rivets, you'll know that dust gathers on the top half, but not on the bottom. Pic Courtesy/CY Gopinath

In the house where i lived in Andheri Lokhandwala, I'd wipe a finger along the window sill in the morning, and a layer of dust would come away. The domestic help would wipe it clean every morning; 24 hours later, it would be grimy again.

But it was 1982, we were children then and had simple theories about things. Mine was that with so much crazy construction going on in Lokhandwala Complex, well, what would you expect if not clouds of dust? And thus, dust became another little thing we stopped questioning in Bombay. And then Bombay became Mumbai. But the dust remained dust.

I wouldn't be writing this today if I hadn't moved to Bangkok, on work first, but finally just to live. And the questions began coming. Bangkok and Mumbai are very similar, both urban, crowded and sleepless world cities with local life and culture richly woven into cosmopolitan sensibilities. Question 1 was why Bangkok didn't have swarms of flies despite being the world's street food capital. I wrote about that in this column on April 17.

The second question was why my window sills never got dusty in Bangkok — or more accurately, why nothing ever got dusty in Bangkok. After a hard day's toil, you could wash your hands clean without creating rivulets of grime.

I began paying special attention to public places where you'd normally expect dust. For example, on the outside of pedestrian overpasses across busy streets, large hexagonal rivets hold down steel barriers left and right of the walkway. If you're sharp-eyed about rivets, you'll know that dust gathers on the top half, but not on the bottom.

So I began checking Bangkok's outside rivets: they sparkled like freshly painted. And not because it had rained either. Next, I checked those ugly black nests of telephone and electricity cables that hang between lamp posts — another place where dust, cobwebs and pigeon s**t build up. In Bangkok, they were spotless. A week later, I saw several old women in municipal uniform with mops and swabs whose job apparently was to specifically clean dust and grime from all hard-to-reach places. Such as rivets on the outside.

I checked out one of Bangkok's many construction sites, which process the same materials as any Indian site — gravel, cement, bricks, concrete mixers. But miracle of miracles, no dust, thanks to the simplest of strategies. One worker on the site has just a single, simple task all day: he stands with a hose pipe watering the grounds every 15 minutes. Damp dust doesn't fly.

ON MY NEXT VISIT to Mumbai, I became a student of dust. Building construction sites are not the only dust devils. Major culprits are the mounds of debris that lie where utility companies have dug up the earth to lay cables. Since their job is not road cleaning, they leave the debris where it is when they're done.

By the time the department for debris-removal has slowly moved its creaky bones, passing winds have stirred the dirt and dust and blown it everywhere. The debris-removers finally come, but they do not fix the road, since that it is the roadworks department's job.

Meanwhile, more winds blow more dust around. In most cases, the roadworks people never show up. Mumbai has looked like a war zone as long as I've lived there, a bit like Aleppo after some barrel bombs.

And then I noticed another little dust-maker: the cute zig-zag paving tiles that give many Mumbai crossroads a faux European look. With just some basic geometry, you'd have seen the glaring mismatch between the kerb and the pavestones. The kerb is a straight edge, while the paisley tiles are curved.

When a curved object meets a straight one, gaps are guaranteed. A good road maker would know what to do about those gaps. He'd pack them tight with concrete cement, and they'd be gap-free when it dried. But Mumbai's heritage is of roads with beautiful tiles that are abandoned inches before they touch the pavement. Those are the tiles that go loose first, exposing dusty road. One by one, the rest follow.

Soon, the happy roadmaker has to be re-hired to repair his own work. Meanwhile, more and more dust flies around as more and more tiles come loose. I ASKED A ROADMAKER why his work was so shoddy. He shrugged and said, "It's how the system works. To win the contract, I have to pay someone in the municipality first, almost one-third of the amount. But after that, I don't have enough money left to deliver the job as I promised once I deduct the bribe and my profit. So I have to cut something somewhere. We just leaves the edges incomplete." And voila! Another cloud of dust.

Here, viewed from there. C Y Gopinath, in Bangkok, throws unique light and shadows on Mumbai, the city that raised him. You can reach him at cygopi@gmail.com Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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Redoing your office interiors? Try out some of the must-have elements in office spaces like the right furniture, adding nature to the surroundings and activity based settings. Ishan Thacker, Associate Director, Vector Projects (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Amit Ramani, Founder and CEO of Awfis Space Solutions list some recommendations.

1. The right furniture: This plays a pivotal role in any kind of work space setting. Offices need to invest in the right kind of furniture to increase their employees' efficiency. Opt for something that has high functionality over ordinary designs. Adjustable desks and chairs can be a good choice; multipurpose furniture can also be added to save space. Another new entrant in the space is reconfigurable furniture that can be customized as per need. It provides both the required flexibility as well as privacy.

2. Go back to nature: Add in a little nature to your premises with biophilic designs. The latest trend in the office space, the presence of plants and other natural elements can add positivity within the environment and improve the air quality.

3. Activity-based settings: It is exciting to be at a workplace that engages you with diverse group of people and gives you the opportunity to network and collaborate. Flexible workstations, new age cabins, activity-based settings including comfortable couches and beanbags, breakout zones, meeting lounges and pods are some of the attractions in an office that provide a natural crossroad for employees to meet and share ideas, thereby enhancing their motivation levels and productivity.

4. Ergonomic lighting: Our cortisol level drops significantly under artificial and poor lighting conditions and dimly lit workplaces strain the eyes, causing headache and drowsiness. This can lead to poor productivity. Natural light is the best. Daylight that filters through the space not only affects employee well-being but also boosts the energy and mood level. Consider making the best use of natural light and swap the florescent bulbs with personal lamps, string lighting, and soft coloured bulbs to keep your employees alert and attentive.

5. Aesthetic appeal: Everything from layout, to furniture and even artwork is subject to appeal in a workplace. The idea is to create a transcendental experience for the user and to design a warm casual space that works as an incubator for ideas. Materials like wood and metal bring warmth and rustic feel to the space. Keeping in mind the fact that the office workspaces today are dynamic in nature and are witnessing rapid changes, the workplace style should be bold, industrial and vibrant with new age materials, technology and decluttered design vocabulary.

6. Technology: A modern office space is incomplete without the right technology. Integrated systems, fast-speed internet connections and latest hardware and software are things your office must have to appeal to the incoming tech-savvy generations. Not only that, office can also invest in mobile devices or rather agile settings to help one switch easily from one place as to another. The new workforce prefers more flexibility which will in turn result in enhanced productivity.

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