leash your dang dogs!

The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19 has led one team of researchers to find an improbable ally for their work: According to US and Belgian scientists, a four-year-old llama named Winter who lives in a secret location in Belgium could hold the key to a cure and help scientists find a treatment for COVID-19. The team — from The University of Texas at Austin, the National Institutes of Health and Ghent University in Belgium — reports their findings of a potential avenue for a coronavirus treatment involving llamas on May 5 in the journal Cell.

The membership of the UK's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has so far been kept secret, but a list of names will soon be published, the UK's chief scientific adviser has said

Permanently blocking middle seats and limiting the number of passengers per flight is a costly move for airlines and would increase ticket prices.

As of 6 May, the name of Assembly Members will change to Members of the Senedd.

How closely have you been paying attention to what's been going on during the past seven days?

World Champion PV Sindhu was on Wednesday unveiled as one of the ambassadors for Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s 'i am badminton' awareness campaign. The campaign provides a platform for players to express their love and respect for badminton by advocating and committing to clean and honest play. Sindhu, an Olympic silver medallist, said playing clean and honest is very important in any sport. "This message starts with one voice. If we as ambassadors can highlight this, then I think this will spread to more players," said the 24-year-old Indian.

"You are playing the sport for yourself. You need to be happy about it. You have to play it very clean and that is very important to me." It has been five years since BWF's Integrity Unit was formed and this time the campaign has been at the forefront of the governing body's efforts to communicate its approach towards integrity. Besides Sindhu, other ambassadors include Canada's Michelle Li, Chinese duo of Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong, England's Jack Shephard, Germany's Valeska Knoblauch, Hong Kong's Chan Ho Yuen and Germany's Marc Zwiebler, who is Athletes' Commission Chair. "It's hoped such a concerted effort will not only raise awareness across the entire badminton landscape but encourage players to be active participants in shaping the integrity of the sport," the BWF said in a release.

Former elite players who have fronted the campaign since 2016 include BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer, BWF Para Badminton Athletes' Commission Chair Richard Perot, and superstars such as Saina Nehwal, Viktor Axelsen, Hendra Setiawan, Christinna Pedersen, Chen Long, Misaki Matsutomo and Akaya Takahashi. "Every player has the right to compete in clean and fair sport. Match fixing, match manipulation and doping are contrary to the spirit of sport. As an ambassador, we all play an important role in safeguarding the future of badminton," Høyer said. "Our youth and Para badminton players are perceived to be at greater risk of match manipulation and doping due to their lack of exposure on the international circuit. "The idea of the 'i am badminton' campaign is for us as role models to share our experiences with these target groups so they have a heightened level of awareness on the importance of anti-match manipulation and anti-doping."

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Mali’s Traore out to make his own name

We're instantly intrigued by the images of coloured burgers topped with motifs from superhero fiction, posted by a new café in Kemps Corner whose opening we spotted while on an errand. We share the image with a friend, an avid comics fan, who aptly responds, "What the hell is that?" And that's the sort of bait it takes to convince someone from Central Mumbai to come to town.

The badges around the menu

We make a trip to the newly opened Pop Culture Cafe (PCC) on a Saturday afternoon. On entering the space we feel it is a true reflection of the city's real estate crunch. With keychains and baubles put up for sale, there are four high stools — good luck if you're vertically challenged like us — and a ledge that can accommodate about three people. If you plan on bringing a big group of friends and if you love them all, invite only one and let them breathe.

The menu includes pasta, pizza, burgers, shakes and waffles — all vegetarian and named after popular movies and TV shows.

Keychains available for sale

So, we pick the Hulk smaash pasta (Rs 250), the Hogwartz pizza (Rs 350), and a watermelon cooler (Rs 170). While we try to make conversation, the soundtrack of The Dark Knight by Hans Zimmer plays in the background. And even though we are fans, the vibe is a bit too weird. While we grumble about how there is no room for a quiet bite, let alone privacy, the food is literally handed over to us from the counter a few inches behind our backs.

Hulk smaash pasta

The cooler tastes more like a party punch with no trace of watermelon. One glance at the four-cheese pizza is enough to tell you it's unappetising; one bite, and you are convinced it is. You can only taste the mozarella and cheddar, and you'll be able to find a similar and tasteful variant at local food chains for a two-digit amount. Our last hope is the pasta. While we click a picture of the dish blended in pesto sauce with mozzarella sprinkles, the staff places a piggy bank shaped like the clenched fist of the Hulk next to it (resembling our fists at the moment). Our friend has the first go, and we nervously watch him drop his spoon in disappointment. It's bland, as is the presentation. He's kind to sum up the experience as average, but we sure as hell want our money back.

Watermelon cooler

Even though the place might appeal to the die-hard fan, it doesn't do justice to its price point. And it is also situated in a building that houses a popular coffee chain, a brewery and a Neapolitan restaurant. If you happen to get lost in the narrow alleyways in search of PCC and land up at any one of these, you can thank your stars.

Coloured burgers 

AT Pop Culture Cafe, Kwality House, Kemps Corner.
TIME 12 pm to 11 pm
CALL 8452928428

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Pop Culture Cafe didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

illustration/RAVI JADHAV

There are many reasons to feel ambivalent about having family members as Facebook friends. One of them is almost certainly the fact that they are constantly outing your childhood pet names with alacrity, calling you Pappu, Bobby, Guddu, Noni, Chintu, Tumpa, Monu and so on in public, as if you are the chillar party in a family wedding.

While my immediate family members have been trained in this matter, those in my extended family have failed me hazaar times. "Very nice article, beta (insert pet name)" they will say. I heartlessly and instantly delete these comments. You might say this is draconian. I could just ask them not to. Anyone who has tried this will know it is useless. First, they will be wounded and utter filmi dialogue like "I am sorry I have done something improper. I won't darken your Facebook wall again." A few days later they will comment on your profile picture, "looking very nice (insert pet name)."

Why does this bother us so much? After all, it is the most natural thing to give silly names to people we love. Diminutives, nonsense words, private jokes, comical qualities that fill us with affection all make up the galaxy of nicknames. We don't seem to care when names our friends called us in youth emerge. It is the family pet name, yaniki ghar ka naam, that seems to mortify us.

Perhaps it is just the strangeness of being returned to childhood states that some don't like, a reminder of a time when we were taken less seriously and had little autonomy.

Maybe it is something about having the private emerge in the public, without our consent that makes us feel vulnerable. This may seem strange in times when privacies are constantly shared online, but it reveals how public privacies might be as much a construction as public selves. Perhaps there is an uncertainty, hovering on the edge of shame, about that private 'home' identity. Pet names are a reminder of the time before we learned to see our family as part of social hierarchies of caste and class, language and provinciality. For most, in a society as hierarchical as ours, the transition from childhood to adulthood is also one of painful realisation of difference, about our tastes and habits not always aligned to the social norms of upward mobility. A reminder of the first time someone mocked us for something unfashionable about our families.

This discomfort is far more prevalent among English speaking Indians, because it also exposes a certain sub-Englishness in our Englishness, the kitsch elements of families' aspirational cosmopolitanism. The careful facades dissolve as we build as adults suddenly seem like glass houses. Our insecurities that we will never really fit in, never be cool enough swirl up to the surface. We may develop ironic, even affectionate distance from many parts of the past, but the pet name is too earnest for that.

Only two types of people are not embarrassed by their pet names. Royal family types who go by Bubbles and Toffee and other names from P G Wodehouse, reeking of English aristocracy wannabe-ness. That tells us much about the casual confidence of class and caste. The other, are people supremely self-confident and secure about being loved. They are happy to be everyone's children, always, lucky things.

Paromita Vohra is an award-winning Mumbai-based filmmaker, writer and curator working with fiction and non-fiction. Reach her at www.parodevipictures.com

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In times when Mumbaikars are criticised for not turning up to vote, many people in the North constituency could not vote because their names were missing from the electoral list. All of them have been voting in many elections, even from the same polling booths.

Gyanchand Somani, a 61-year-old Gorai resident, was frustrated after running around from one polling station to another, to find his and his wife's name in the voters' list. "This is not the first time I am voting. And my address has also not changed. How is it possible that my name is not in the list?" questioned Somani.

Bharat Desai's name was also missing

Bharat Desai, a 71-year-old resident of Eksar was also shocked to find that his name was not in the list. "I have been living on D N Mhatre Road for so many years and have always voted from St Rocks' school poll station," said Desai.

Nityanand Nair, who was born and brought up in LIC Colony in Borivali west had the same story to tell. "My entire family is missing from the list whereas we have been voting regularly," said Nair.

Disha Shah, a first time voter, also could not vote as her name was missing

A 22-year-old Babhai resident, Disha Shah, who was excited to vote for the first time was also disappointed. "My family members names were there, but mine was missing," she said.

Initially Mitali Sarvankar, a 21-year-old Kandivali resident was disappointed that her name was not in the list, but she managed to find it. "I found my name in Oxford Public School's list, thanks to the helpdesks set-up by different political parties," said Mitali who excitedly showed her inked finger.

Mitali Sarvankar found her name thanks to a helpdesk

Ganesh Mandals help

In areas such as Borivali and Kandivali, Ganesh Mandals, Senior Citizen's groups etc helped voters find their names in the lists and where they had to go to vote. "Though we are registered as Ganesh Mandals, we are all friends from this locality and hold several other activities. Setting up a helpdesk is part of our work," said Deepak Thorat, president of the Shree Siddhivinayak Navatarun Mitra Mandal.

Vijay Kate and his friends, all senior citizens also set up helpdesks. "So many people are frustrated with their names missing from voters' list. There have been instances when two family members' names are there and others are missing," said Kate.

Local restaurants pitch in

Several local restaurants had put up stalls to give out coupons of 10 per cent discount to voters. Many voters made it a point to stop by to pick them up.

Also Read: Elections 2019 in Mumbai: Voters, poll officials confused over ban on mobile phones

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The 'glamourless' north east Parliamentary constituency saw a lot of drama on voting day since morning. Comprising six assembly constituencies, it saw 55.35 per cent voter turnout. In 2014 the constituency had registered a 51.70 per cent turnout. Of this Ghatkopar east topped the list with 60.30 per cent followed by Mulund at 60.10 per cent, Vikhroli at 59.03 per cent, Bhandup west at 57 per cent, Ghatkopar west at 53.81 per cent and Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar at 44.02 per cent.

'Polling centre goes missing'

The day started with voters at Bhandup east complaining of an entire polling centre gone missing and alleged that it had been shifted two km away without prior notice. Citizens said they realised it only after reaching the spot and did not know what to do.

Bhandup resident Chandra Sreenivasan alleged that it was a ploy to discourage voters. "I wanted to vote. I fought with the election officer on duty and said that such tricks would not put off voters if they intended to do that. We have been voting at the same BMC garden every time and this time when we got the election slip, it had the same address but when we reached the spot, there was nothing there. A few locals then told us that it had been shifted near the old Bhandup phatak which is about 2 km away from the location," she told mid-day.

"The old and ill will not travel 2 km to an unknown spot, but I did not give up. I took an auto and went all the way there and fired the election staff on duty. When I questioned them, they said that they had just received a message in the morning to report here," she added. Election officials, however, said that it was decided to shift the polling centre from the garden to a building and a notice had been put up in the garden, though Sreenivasan said there were no notices.

Candidate posters put up

The BJP's secretary Vivekanand Gupta said they had reported a complaint against the NCP candidate after they found a banner with his photograph within 100 metres of the polling booth in Bhandup. He requested the EC to direct police officials to remove it immediately.

Faulty EVMs

Several complaints of faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) came to the fore during voting throughout the day, delaying the processes from 45 minutes to one hour. At some centres, there were issues with the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slip as it was not visible after voting and in some cases there was an error displayed. At booth 93 at Sharon English School in Mulund the voting had to stopped after the EVM developed a snag and an engineer had to be summoned to fix it. Voting restarted after 45 minutes.

Also Read: Elections 2019 in Mumbai: Voters, poll officials confused over ban on mobile phones

Candidate's switch disabled

An independent candidate, Anil Hebbar said his name was disabled on EVMs, and after his complaint the machines were replaced. "At booth 155/272 in Mulund, button no 14 next to my name was disabled. The officer in-charge discovered it before polling started and changed the ballot unit leading to a delay of 1 hr and 15 min," he said.

Voted, but not inked

A voter, Reena Verghese, alleged that she cast her vote in booth 243 at St Pius School in Mulund west, but her finger was not inked. She went again inside the booth to get the mark on her finger when she realised this.

Sr citizen's name missing

Kalawati Tambe, 86, missed out on voting as her name was missing from the electoral list. A resident of Kannamwar Nagar building 14, all her neighbours' names were on the list but her's did not figure. She said she came to vote though she was in her hometown for past few days. She complained that she had to climb onto the first floor, her legs were paining and she was very unhappy that she could not vote.

Jugaad chairs

At many places the election commission had put up jugaad chairs tied to sticks like a palkhi to carry senior citizens to upper floors in buildings where there were no lifts. "They showed videos of all those fancy automatic chairs, but they assembled such jugaad plastic chairs," Harkishan Rai, a senior citizen said. The rule of not allowing mobile phones was also leniently followed with cops telling voters that they could carry phones, but requested them to switch them off.

55.35pc

The voter turnout in North East

Also Read: Elections 2019 in Mumbai: Physically challenged, elderly, get little help at polling stations

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You gasped on hearing that Reliance Industries Limited has slashed the salary of its employees. You feel this will have all companies, including yours, to follow suit, for they will think India's numero uno business house must know the strategy of surviving the Coronavirus-induced lockdown and its aftermath. Soon, EMI, the abbreviation of equated monthly instalment, would swim before your eyes, just the way your head would when your solar plexus was socked in high school.

You binged on loans to own at the same time the house you live in, the four-wheeler you drive around, and the latest model of mobile phones and laptops your family members use. These are yours as long as you pay the EMIs, which you committed to because you assumed your income will rise every year. On hearing about Reliance's decision, you totted up your EMIs to figure out at what percentage cut in your salary you would not fail to pay them. You decided to reduce certain types of expenditure, such as not dining out as frequently as you did.

You are anxious, even scared of the future, you accept.

In reality, though, you have been subliminally anxious ever since India turned into an EMI nation post-liberalisation. You have handled the stress of paying your EMIs by exchanging the pleasures of consumption for submissiveness at office. You have endured your nasty boss because you have an EMI to pay, precisely also why you have not opposed unethical practices at office. You were tempted to quit at times, but you did not because your EMI overload implied you could not do without a salary for even a month, the minimum time required to get another job. A submissive middle class has turned the EMI nation into a reactionary one, evident from our politics.

You are not an exception. I spoke to a loan manager of a leading private bank, who services 1,000 clients. On average, these borrowers have an EMI commitment of R60,000 to R70,000 on home loans. Of his clients, 60 per cent live in hypothecated houses, the remaining in rented accommodation even as they pay EMIs on houses still under construction. Surely, their monthly income must be three times their EMI? "No," the loan manager said. "At least 30 per cent of them will default on payment."

Economic boom is a function of consumption on credit. With salary-cuts and paucity of jobs, credit and consumption shrink and, therefore, also the economy. Yes, you have been caught on the wrong side of history. A 2015 survey of the Pew Charitable Trusts in America showed that the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) and Baby Boomers (1946-1964) were more likely than the Generation X (1965-1980) and Millennials (1981-1997) to say that debts enhanced their life. Why?

The Pew report explained, "They experienced the Great Recession [beginning 2007-08] acutely. Millennials came of age during the period and saw that high levels of debt took a toll on households' immediate financial security and prevented them from saving enough for later, and Gen Xers endured the loss of housing wealth and other consequences of the recession at higher rates than many other Americans."

In different cultures, epochal events, as the recession was to Americans, influence consumers differently. Leo Burnett's managing director, Dheeraj Sinha, wrote a remarkable paper in 2014 – Three Generations, One Big Market: A New Segmentation of India – in which he said the Indian market comprises the Partition generation, the Transition Generation, and the No-Strings Generation. These, roughly, are the Indian equivalents of Baby Boomers, the Gen X and Millennials.

The Partition Generation experienced the epochal event of India's division and Independence, but their hopes of an upswing in life were dashed. This had them pine for stability and security, of living within their means. They eschewed debts. For the Transition Generation, liberalisation was the epochal event. Negotiating between tradition and modernity, they did not think enjoyment was a sin. Yet they also taught themselves to fly "high with feet on the ground." Their high EMIs, in today's gloom, will likely have them think that their parents were wise to have lived within their means.

The No-Strings Generation, born in affluence, finds stability a yawn, divides life and work between what is boring and not boring, and prefers to manipulate the system than rebel against it. Sinha said to me that he expects the No-Strings dudes to continue borrowing for a phone or laptop, even to buy a motorcycle, than take an Uber post-lockdown, post-COVID-19 to evade the contagion.

There is always a possibility that COVID-19 could turn out to be an epochal event and alter the mindset of No-Strings and Transition Generations, both saddled with high EMIs. They will have no choice but to believe, like Ernest Hemingway's protagonist in the Old Man and the Sea, that "man can be destroyed but never defeated." They will undoubtedly struggle and discover, perhaps, a new way of living – and borrowing and spending."

The writer is a senior journalist

Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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Rishab Shah

Rishab Shah of Cathedral and John Connon School (Fort) bagged gold in the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA)-organised inter-school under-16 boys chess tournament at Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Sion yesterday.

Rishab, who won two bronze in the under-14 rapid and blitz formats in the Western Asia Youth Championships which concluded in Sri Lanka last week, finished with 8.5 points from 9 rounds. Sarvesh Kumar of Podar International School (Powai) and Vedant Panesar of Lady of Ratanbai and Sir Mathuradas Vissanji Academy (Andheri) won silver and bronze respectively.

Rishab, 14, wants to become a Grandmaster (the highest title a chess player can attain) and idolises India chess great Viswanathan Anand.

TV stars Smriti Khanna and Gautam Gupta have named their newborn daughter Anayka. On Tuesday, Smriti took to Instagram and shared the "first family picture", also revealing her baby's name. "Anayka...#family#FirstFamilyPic#DaddysGirl," she wrote on Instagram. Smriti and her husband Gautam welcomed their first child on April 15. The couple met on the sets of the TV show "Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi".

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Anayka ❤ï¸ÂðŸ§¿ #family #FirstFamilyPic #DaddysGirl

A post shared by Smriti Khanna (@smriti_khanna) onMay 5, 2020 at 5:26am PDT

A few days ago, Smriti posted her before and after childbirth pictures on social media, leaving everyone stunned with the loss of her pregnancy weight so quickly. "Amazed at what the human body can do!! 1st pic was taken one week before I gave birth. Second pic, a week after I gave birth. My inbox is flooded with questions from new moms and moms-to-be. I'll try and make a video soon answering all of them. Thank you for so much love and blessings for our little one #postpartum#postpartumtransformation#newmom #mombod," she had shared.

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A migrant couple from Rajasthan's Alwar, who got stranded in Tripura, have named their newborn boy 'Lockdown'. The couple Sanjay Bauri and his wife Manju Bauri sell plastic wares and keep travelling to various states to earn money. They visit Tripura for six months every year to sell cheap plastic wares. The government officials suggested to name him 'lockdown' as he was born on April 13 during the lockdown.

"The baby is fine. We are getting food from the administration. He is fine. As he was born during the lockdown, we have decided to name him lockdown," the father of the newborn told ANI. "The government is helping us a lot and taking care of our child. They also ensured the safe delivery of my son. But we would be happier if we return to back to Rajasthan as soon as possible," Manju said.

Besides them, 13 other migrant families are living there in Badharghat.

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A 26-year-old IT professional from a reputed firm here allegedly hanged himself after naming two colleagues in his suicide note, police said on Friday. Chetan Jayale, who was working in Hinjawadi IT Park, hanged himself at his rented accommodation on Wednesday, an official said.

"We have recovered a suicide note in which he has named two of his senior managers and alleged that he was subjected to mental harassment by them and that is why he was taking this step," a Chaturshringi police station official said.

"On Wednesday, while his room mates went to work, Jayale, who had taken an off from office, remained at home. He then hanged himself," he said. A case has been registered against the two persons named in Jayale's suicide note, he added. "While one official is in UK, the other is working here," he added.

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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif';">Four Indian Counter Intelligence Agents are given a mission to move an elusive terrorist Tariq from United States to India. At the pick-up location, they find a mysterious woman Salma, whom they take to a safe house for Interrogation. Do the four Indian agents get the terrorist Tariq with help of Salma or will they fail India again? </span>

Kal Penn who played Irrfan’s son in The Namesake can’t get over the loss. “Irrfan was such an incredible artist. What a loss. It was magical. He was so gracious and giving as an artist and a person.”

Not many know about Irrfan’s wicked sense of humour. Says Kal, “He could be so funny! He had a wonderful sense of humor and I remember his approach to the craft being particularly warm.”

Kal recalls Irrfan as an actor sheared of vanity. “He was friendly. Friendly and down to earth. There was never any attitude with Irrfan, he was so comfortable in his own skin and so fully and truly embodied his character when the cameras were rolling.”

But what according to Kal really made Irrfan special was the way he embraced silences. “I've never worked with an artist who communicates so beautifully without needing to speak. When we would shoot scenes for The Namesake, so often, Irrfan would play beat after story beat with intimacy and in silence that made me immediately at ease and in the moment.”

Kal Penn learnt a lot from watching Irrfan not only while they worked together but also when they didn’t work together. “I learned a lot from working with Irrfan but also from watching him work across different mediums, different languages, and different continents. I will always admire his work more broadly, and to have had that kind of range is so remarkable.”

Kal will remember Irran as an actor who at once no one and everyone. “He was such a commensurate artist whose performances are simultaneously intimate and reflect the humanity in each of us.”

Also Read: 5 Years Of Piku: Deepika Padukone bids farewell to Irrfan Khan with an unseen picture

India's star footballer Sunil Chhetri has gone out of his way in order to help a fan who approached him online in order to get a free Netflix account.

Not only did Sunil Chhetri give the fan a Netflix subscription but also handed him a personally signed jersey.. This was after this fan had asked Sunil Chhetri to share his Netflix ID and password during coronavirus pandemic. The fan also stated that the football captain could change the password after the lockdown is done.

Taking to Twitter, Sunil Chhetri posted a screenshot of a message he received on Facebook and wrote: "Jersey X Autograph on a picture X Reply to the post X Video wishing the neighbour's son's pet dog X. Here's someone who has priorities straight and it's really making me want to consider the demand."

Netflix India's Twitter handle took note of this message from Chhetri and went on to reply: "While we on that topic, could we also get your autograph on a picture?"

In the true spirit of a barter, how about you guys hand the kid a two-month subscription and I'll send a signed shirt and a picture your way? Do we have a deal? https://t.co/Ub0WaMcutg

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 3, 2020

Sunil Chhetri then proposed a 'barter' deal and asked for a two-month free subscription for the fan in return for an autographed jersey from him.

He wrote: "In the true spirit of a barter, how about you guys hand the kid a two-month subscription and I will send a signed shirt and a picture your way? Do we have a deal?"

In reply, Netflix India's Twitter handle posted: "How about we send him both the jersey and a subscription card? Let's make his day."

To this, Chhetri replied: "Sounds great guys, now that we've got this figured out. Subscription for the kid, Shirt for the kid, Shirt for you guys."

The boy had earlier sent a Twitter post to Sunil Chhetri. Take a look at the shared post by the footballer.

Jersey ❌
Autograph on a picture ❌
Reply to the post ❌
Video wishing the neighbour's son's pet dog ❌

Here's someone who has priorities straight and it's really making me want to consider the demand. 😂 pic.twitter.com/OdBGrS7g5v

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 2, 2020

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Chhetri had announced that the members of the Indian team had come together and 'put on table a sum that has been sent to the PM-Cares Fund' to help in the fight against coronavirus.

Inputs from IANS

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Tennis stars like Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Naomi Osaka, Kei Nishikori and others will participate in a virtual charity tennis tournament. IMG is the company coordinating the tournament titled "Stay at Home Slam" and it will be streamed on Sunday on Facebook Gaming and on the tennis Facebook page of IMG. Two-person teams will compete using the Mario Tennis Aces game on Nintendo Switch.

Competitors will play the video game from their homes across the country, and each will receive $25,000 donated to the charity of their choice, with the winner of the tournament receiving an additional $1 million in donation. "I am proud our IMG tennis clients came together so quickly to support a multitude of great causes," said Max Eisenbud, SVP of tennis clients at IMG as per the official website. "It is a testament to the people we work with across all our divisions that we were able to bring this to life in such a short amount of time."

"It's been incredible to see the creative ways athletes are using social media to support people during this difficult time," said Evan Shugerman, Facebook Athlete Partnerships Lead. "We're excited to be partnering with IMG to contribute to those efforts, which will bring some of the world's top athletes together on Facebook for an entertaining and impactful competition."

Legendary tennis player John McEnroe and popular YouTube personality iJustine (Justine Ezarik) will be commentating the matches.

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World No. 2 tennis star Rafael Nadal's wife Maria Francisca Perello has revealed that the media often misreport her name and date of birth.

Mrs Nadal indicated that Mery is her real name. Also, her birthday is not on July 7.

Mery has always stayed away from the media glare, but remains in the news for being Rafael's better half.

In a recent interview to Spanish daily La Vanguardia, she said: "Well, nobody around me calls me Xisca. And my birthday is soon, I will surely spend it in confinement. But it is not in July. There is still a little time left…" she was quoted as saying by essentiallysports.com website.

When asked about her interest in sports, she replied: "I exercise a lot, but always just for myself. Never seriously. I have played volleyball, done gymnastics, fitness and lately running. On vacation, I sometimes play paddle tennis with Rafael."

Mery, who is in self-isolation with Rafael in Mallorca, added: "We are confined like everyone else. We were very clear from Day One to train at home. We do rubber bands, push-ups, circuit…at least one hour a day in my case."

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recalled a hilarious incident which ended up with his former teammate Mohammed Kaif getting a new nickname. The Master Blaster was referring to an incident that took place recently in the first match of Road Safety Series against West Indies XI.

Tendulkar stated that Kaif was giving his all in the field despite being 39 and that prompted others to caution him that it is the first match of the tournament and there is still a long way to go.

"We had to tell Kaif to be cautious. We nicknamed him 'bhai sahab, bhai sahab, thoda sambhalke.' It's the first match of the tournament and there are a lot of matches to be played," Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on 100 MB YouTube channel.

"What if you pull a hamstring or something. It (diving and fielding quickly) comes naturally to him. He thinks if you are fit, you continue doing those things. He was a really fit guy. He was an outstanding fielder in team," he added.

Kaif was regarded as one of the finest fielders ever to don the iconic blue jersey. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, marshalled the cover-point area with great aplomb in an era where fielding wasn't Team India's strongest suit.

Despite his incredible fielding skills, Kaif is fondly remembered by almost every Indian cricket fan for his Man of the Match performance in the Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord's in 2002.

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Veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor on Friday claimed the top honour on the final day of the 2020 New Zealand Cricket Awards, winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the third time while Tim Southee was named Test Player of the Year. The virtual ceremony also saw Canterbury umpire Kim Cotton's meteoric rise through the officiating ranks recognised with the GJ Gardner Homes New Zealand Cricket Umpire of the Year award. Taylor had a great season, he helped guide the Blackcaps to a second successive ICC Cricket World Cup Final. He surpassed Stephen Fleming's all-time Test runs scoring record for New Zealand and became the first cricketer to play 100 international games in each of the three formats.

The 36-year-old was once again the glue in the top-order, amassing 1,389 runs across the three formats in a season in which he played in all but one of the Blackcaps' 32 internationals, from England to Sri Lanka, Australia and at home. Taylor reflected on the influence of the late Martin Crowe who was instrumental in developing the right hander's Test technique and helping him to set his goals. "I'm sure he would be proud of this. Marty was able to pass on a lot of his experience and wisdom which has played a massive part in my career," Taylor said.

"It was always something that he always pushed me to do (break records). I think he would probably be surprised at how well I have done. But I've been fortunate to be helped by a lot of people over the years and I guess when you win awards like this it's nice to be able to thank them," he added. On the other hand, Southee claimed 40 wickets from eight Tests, including 14 in the two-Test wins against India, in Wellington and Christchurch.

In the four Tests, the Kiwis won during the judging period, he took 25 wickets at an average of 16.40.

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Wasim Akram has claimed that "some people" still use his name to "promote" themselves, a reference to ex-opener Aamir Sohail who has blamed the pace great for Pakistan not winning the World Cup since 1992. "Whenever I hear these negative things about myself I feel very sad that it has been 17 years since I retired but even today they are some people using my name to promote themselves," Akram said on a web show. Wasim said even he could say a lot of negative things about others but refrained from doing so.

"I can also make negative comments about these people but what purpose will it serve. That is why I keep quiet. I just think about the respect and love I have earned from the people over the years and even 17 years after retirement," he said. Sohail, who is also a former Pakistan captain, has claimed that Akram's job as captain in the 1996 and 19999 World Cup and as a senor player in the 2003 edition was to ensure that Pakistan never repeated their 1992 title-winning feat.

"It's very simple. Put the 1992 World Cup to one side and talk about the 1996 World Cup. In 1995, Ramiz Raja was captain. Saleem Malik was the captain before that, he was very successful and if he could have spent one more year as captain then Wasim would not have been leading the side," Sohail was quoted as saying by Dawn. "If you look at what happened till 2003, there was this persistence before every World Cup to remove the captain and put Wasim Akram in that role...Look, the biggest contribution by Wasim Akram for Pakistan cricket was making sure Pakistan does not win a World Cup after 92," he added.

Former Pakistan pacer Ata ur Rehman and former PCB chiefs, Khalid Mahmood and Lt General (retd) Tauqir Zia, have also mentioned Akram's name while discussing the match-fixing allegations of the 90s and the Justice Malik Qayyum report.

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The Treasury Department has ordered President Donald Trump's name to be printed on all stimulus checks being sent to millions of Americans struggling financially because of coronavirus. The unprecedented decision announced by the Treasury Department on late Monday, states that when recipients open the USD 1,200 paper checks, which the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, "President Donald J. Trump" will appear on the left side of the payment, The Washington Post reported.

It will be the first time when a president's name appears on an IRS disbursement, whether a routine refund or one of the handful of checks the government has issued to taxpayers in recent decades either to stimulate a down economy or share the dividends of a strong one. The checks are the centerpiece of the US government's USD 2 trillion stimulus economic relief package to stave of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The package was passed by a bipartisan vote in Congress and signed by the President.

The Post reported that the decision is another sign of the president's effort to cast his response to the pandemic in political terms. Three administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that Trump had privately suggested to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, to formally sign the checks. However, the president is not an authorised signer for legal disbursements by the US Treasury. It is standard practice for a civil servant to sign checks issued by the Treasury Department to ensure that government payments are nonpartisan, the media reported.

Computer code must be changed to include the president's name and the system must be tested, these officials said. "Any last-minute request like this will create a downstream snarl that will result in a delay," said Chad Hooper, a quality-control manager who serves as national president of the IRS's Professional Managers Association. A Treasury Department spokeswoman, meanwhile, denied any delay and said the plan all along was to issue the checks next week.

Since the beginning, Trump has repeatedly called the legislation "a Trump administration initiative" and placed himself singularly at the center of what the government is doing to help Americans during the coronavirus response. About 150 million Americans and others are expected to receive the one-time payment. The first wave of recipients includes mainly people who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and gave the IRS their direct-deposit information.

Under the stimulus plan, single filers earning up to USD 75,000 a year will receive a payment of USD 1,200. Married couples earning up to USD 150,000 a year will receive a payment of USD 2,400. Parents will receive an additional USD 500 for each child under 17, the media reported.

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New approach developed by Queen Mary University of London researchers can create materials with remarkable precision and order that look and behave like dental enamel.

In the cells forming tooth enamel, excessive fluoride exposure was found to alter calcium signaling, mitochondrial function, and gene expression, stated

The linking of patient health records by as much as 8 percent, which equals to 2 billion health records, could be improved by standardizing last names and address information, reveals a new study.

The Tuxon, a modern boutique hotel in the heart of Tucson, has joined Marriott International's coveted Design Hotels™ portfolio, an exclusive collection of hotels celebrated for their individuality, thoughtful design, and unique, discoverable pleasures. The new hotel, the first-ever Design Hotels™ property in Arizona, will debut in Summer 2020. Guests of The Tuxon will also have access to Marriott International's unrivaled loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy. The Tuxon joins the Design Hotels™ network of the world's most sophisticated hospitality brands with properties that span a wide variety of fascinating locales - from world capitals and mountaintops to off-the-beaten-path escapes. As a Design Hotels™ destination, The Tuxon will tap into an engaged community of travelers who seek original, inspiring experiences in new and intriguing places. Each year, more than 400 hotels apply to become members of the Design Hotels™ portfolio. Only five percent are approved, and the chosen few are r...

In today's market name badges are available in varying types from which the organizations can choose the one that perfectly meets their requirement. Generally these badges are made using three basic...

Amitabh Bachchan 'Happy Birthday' post giving a bizarre algorithm gets trolled by the fans. Check out here.

IP Addresses in Suriname decreased to 49087 IP in the first quarter of 2017 from 50539 IP in the fourth quarter of 2016. IP Addresses in Suriname averaged 27238.69 IP from 2007 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 51066 IP in the third quarter of 2016 and a record low of 5299 IP in the third quarter of 2007. This page includes a chart with historical data for SurinameIP Addresses.

Precipitation in Suriname increased to 142.17 mm in December from 55.17 mm in November of 2015. Precipitation in Suriname averaged 198.23 mm from 1901 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 669.79 mm in April of 1907 and a record low of 16.12 mm in November of 1932. This page includes a chart with historical data for Suriname Average Precipitation.

Temperature in Suriname decreased to 26.67 celsius in December from 27.53 celsius in November of 2015. Temperature in Suriname averaged 26.17 celsius from 1824 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 28.59 celsius in November of 2012 and a record low of 23.40 celsius in January of 1890. This page includes a chart with historical data for Suriname Average Temperature.

Suriname scored 3.71 points out of 7 on the 2016-2017 Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum. Competitiveness Index in Suriname averaged 3.70 Points from 2012 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 3.75 Points in 2014 and a record low of 3.67 Points in 2013. Competitiveness Index in Suriname is reported by the World Economic Forum. The most recent 2014-2015 edition of Global Competitiveness Report assesses 144 economies. The report is made up of over 110 variables, of which two thirds come from the Executive Opinion Survey representing the sample of business leaders, and one third comes from publicly available sources such as the United Nations. The variables are organized into twelve pillars with the most important including: institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic framework, health and primary education and higher education and training. The GCI score varies between 1 and 7 scale, higher average score means higher degree of competitiveness. This page provides the latest reported value for - Suriname Competitiveness Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Suriname is the 110 most competitive nation in the world out of 138 countries ranked in the 2016-2017 edition of the Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum. Competitiveness Rank in Suriname averaged 110.50 from 2012 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 114 in 2013 and a record low of 106 in 2014. Competitiveness Rank in Suriname is reported by the World Economic Forum. The most recent 2014-2015 edition of Global Competitiveness Report assesses 144 economies and indicates their position relative to the other countries and territories in the index. This page provides the latest reported value for - Suriname Competitiveness Rank - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Gross Domestic Product per capita in Suriname was last recorded at 8048.60 US dollars in 2018. The GDP per Capita in Suriname is equivalent to 64 percent of the world's average. GDP per capita in Suriname averaged 6324.35 USD from 1960 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 8930.60 USD in 2013 and a record low of 3335 USD in 1960. The GDP per capita is obtained by dividing the country’s gross domestic product, adjusted by inflation, by the total population. This page provides - Suriname GDP per capita - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.