ISRO Successfully Launches RISAT-2B Surveillance Satellite, can pierce cloud cover

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on May 22, 2019 scripted history by successfully launching the  RISAT-2B Earth Observation Satellite that would enhance the country’s surveillance capabilities among others. This launch of the PSLV also marked the third launch in 2019. The other two were the PSLV-C45/EMISAT mission, on April 1, and the PSLV-C44, on January 24.   

“RISAT-2B” (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B), launched from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The mission has a life of 5 years, will be used in the fields of agriculture, forestry and disaster management support.

 Important points:

• It would replace the RISAT-2, which was successfully launched in 2009.
• RISAT-2B is the third satellite in the series. The first, RISAT- 2 was launched in 2009 followed by RISAT-1 , a microwave remote sensing satellite, on April 26, 2012 from Sriharikota.
• The 615 kg satellite was launched into space on-board the PSLV-C 46. It was the 48th flight of PSLV.
• RISAT-2B, meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, was released into the orbit around 15 minutes after the lift-off.
• It was the 72nd launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota and also marked the 36th launch from the first launch pad.

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‘Game of Thrones’ hits record 19.3 million views for Finale episode

Despite fan backlash, the final episode of “Game of Thrones” sets new record in terms of rating. Almost 19.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the series finale on May 19, 2019. The finale episode “The Iron Throne” broke the record of last week’s episode “The Bells”. “The Bells” had 18.4 millions viewers.

The record was previously held for a short time by the season’s penultimate episode, which drew in 12.48 million viewers when first aired and a total of 18.4 million during its first night.

According to HBO, the average viewers per episode for Game of Thrones is 44.2 million including delayed viewing. The eighth and the last season of “Game of Thrones,” premiered in 2011, had high viewership.

Each year “Game of Thrones” has seen its audience grow, a rarity for television shows. Typically, a series will lose viewership over the course of a run. The first six seasons all contained 10 episodes, season seven was comprised of only 7 and season eight had only 6.

One of the finale plot points that stuck with most people was that Bran Stark, aka Bran the Broken, became king of the six kingdoms, with his sister Sansa taking lead of the seventh kingdom, the North.

The previous HBO series finale with the most viewers was “The Sopranos,” with 11.9 million viewers, though that was in 2007, before streaming and other digital services took off. 

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Mumbai Indians clinch the IPL-2019 title after defeating Chennai Super Kings

Mumbai Indians clinch the IPL-2019 title after defeating Chennai Super Kings

Mumbai Indians (MI) won the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) after defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 1 run in a nail-biter to clinch their fourth IPL title on May 12, 2019. The final match was played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

With this Rohit Sharma became the most successful captain in the history of Indian Premier League after leading Mumbai Indians to their record 4th title.

Important Points:

• Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by 1 run in a nerve-wracking last-ball thriller.
• MI are now the first team to win the Indian Premier League 4 times while defending champions CSK were left true a few close chances.
• Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar and Lasith Malinga play starring roles as Rohit Sharma's men defend moderate total by one run.
• Rohit Sharma became the only player to win 5 IPL titles. Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu are 2nd on the list with 4th titles each.
• Rohit won his first title with Deccan Chargers in 2009. In 2013, Rohit won his first title as captain when he led Mumbai Indians to their first title. After that, he repeated the feat in 2015, 2017 and 2019 and maintained a perfect record in the IPL final.
• Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at an on-field umpiring decision during the IPL 2019 final.
• Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai Indian team coach collects the winners' award from the BCCI treasurer.
• The umpires Nigel Llong, Nitin Menon, Ian Gould, Nandan and match referee Javagal Srinath collect mementos.

There were plenty of awards to be given away after 48 match days and 60 matches. Here are the list of Awards IPL-2019:

• Player of the Match in the Final: Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah (2 for 14) became the Man of the Match.
• Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell (KKR), became the Most Valuable Player with 510 runs, 11 wickets.
• Fairplay Trophy: Sunrisers Hyderabad win the award for Fair Play Trophy.
• Orange Cap: David Warner (SRH), wins the Orange Cap for scoring 692 runs at an average of 69.

• Purple Cap: Imran Tahir (CSK), collects the Purple Cap with 26 wickets. Imran Tahir, who became the oldest player to feature in an IPL final, is only the 2nd spinner after Pragyan Ojha to win the Purple Cap.
• Fastest Fifty of the Season: Hardik Pandya (MI)
• Emerging Player Award: Shubhman Gill (KKR) became the Emerging Player of IPL 2019.
• Perfect Catch of the Season: Kieron Pollard (MI) gets the award for the season's best catch.
• Super Striker of the Season: Andre Russell (KKR), wins the award for best strike-rate of 204.81.
• Stylish Player of the Season: KL Rahul (KXIP) became the Stylish Player of the IPL-2019.  
• Game Changer of the Season: Rahul Chahar (MI).
• Best Ground and Pitch at IPL 2019: Punjab Cricket Association and Hyderabad Cricket Association win the award for best ground and pitch at IPL 2019. They will share Rs. 25 lac.

(All the award winners were given a cheque of Rs 10 lakh each)

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Loksabha Elections 2019: 60.21% voter turnout in Delhi

Loksabha Elections 2019: 60.21% voter turnout in Delhi

The National Capital Territory of Delhi logged 60.21 per cent voting in phase 6 of Lok Sabha elections 2019.

The highest polling was registered in North East Delhi at 63.45 per cent, followed by Chandni Chowk with 62.69% and East Delhi with 61.95%.

The turnout in other constituencies was West Delhi 60.64 per cent, New Delhi 56.47 per cent, South Delhi 57.3 per cent and North West Delhi 58.99 per cent.

A turnout of 60.21 per cent was recorded in elections for Delhi's seven parliamentary constituencies on May 12,  2019, down from 65% in 2014. Instances of EVM glitches and missing voter names reported from various areas. Former cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi's name was also missing from the voters list.

No effect of Ramazan:

Despite the intense heat and Ramzan, when Muslims observe a total fast, coincided with the polling in Delhi but did not seem to deter voters in the city. However, as the day progressed, people came out to cast their votes and numbers started increasing in the evening.

Delhi’s Senior citizens were elated to exercise their franchise despite the intense heat. Delhi's oldest voter, 111-year old Bachan Singh cast his vote at a polling booth in West Delhi's Tilak Nagar.

Delih CM Arvind Kejriwal voted with his wife after urging voters to reject "hatred", Rahul Gandhi, after casting his ballot in the New Delhi constituency. While, President Ram Nath Kovind, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Minister Sheila Dikshit, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, his sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi were among the other prominent figures who voted in the sixth and penultimate round of the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

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Sri Lanka’s performance analyst Sanath Jayasundara Charged Under ICC Anti-Corruption Code

Sri Lanka’s performance analyst Sanath Jayasundara Charged Under ICC Anti-Corruption Code

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on May 11, 2019 has charged Sri Lankan performance analyst Sanath Jayasundara with two counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

According to an ICC media release, Jayasundara has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect. He has 14 days to respond to the charges.

The Charges are:

Former Sri Lanka national team analyst Jayasundara, who was employed at the SLC Brain Center, was charged under Article 2.1.3 for offering a bribe or other reward to the Sri Lankan sports minister to contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of an international match

or (in the alternative)

Under Article 2.1.1 for contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of an international match.

He was also charged under Article 2.4.7 for obstructing or delaying an ACU investigation into possible corrupt conduct under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

Jayasundara was sent compulsory leave in January by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on alleged corruption charges.

He was employed at SLC for more than 15 years including a long tenure as the national team’s video analyst before he was assigned to the SLC Brain Center at R. Premadasa Stadium.

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Salman Khan to opt for surrogacy to become a dad???

Guys! Bollywood Superstar and the most eligible bachelor of Bollywood, Salman Khan never fails to surprise his fans and he might do just that yet again. After Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Tussar Kapoor and other Bollywood Celebs now Superstar Salman Khan might opt for surrogacy. 

Yes, you read that right!

While rumours surrounding his love life are common now, this is the first time something about him planning to become a father has popped up.

Salman Khan is asked often about his wedding plans, it seems is all set to welcome a new member in his family. According to sources, as there is  no marriage plans yet, he has decided to go the surrogacy way.

Everyone knows how much actor Salman Khan is fond of kids and never leaves a chance to spend time with his nephews. Salman had said earlier that if ever he decides to get married, it would only be to have kids. Salman is very close to his family and makes it a point to spend time with them.

Surrogacy is not new to Bollywood celebrities as personalities like Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor among others opted for it and are proud parents to adorable kids.

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Redmi Note 7 Pro

Redmi Note 7 Pro

Redmi Note 7 Pro was launched globally in New Delhi, India on 28 February, 2019. It is an improved version of the Redmi Note 7 from Redmi, the sub-brand of Xiaomi. It comes in four ranges like-

Neptune Blue 6GB+128GB ( ₹16,999);
Nebula Red 4 GB + 64 GB (₹13,999);
Neptune Blue 4 GB + 64 GB (₹13,999);
Space Black 4GB+64GB (₹13,999)

Key Specifications:

• 13MP AI Selfie camera; AI Beautify; AI Portrait mode with single lens; AI Face unlock; 
• Powerful 4000mAh high-capacity battery ; 
• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 675 processor ; 
• Supports Qualcomm®️ Quick Charge™️4 ;

• 16cm (6.3) FHD+ Dot Notch Display ; 
• Corning® ️Gorilla® ️Glass 5 ; 
• Type-C charging port ; 
• 48MP + 5MP AI Dual rear camera

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Google “Pixel 3a” & “Pixel 3a XL”

Google Pixel series Phone “Pixel 3a” & “Pixel 3a XL” Release Date, Price and Key Specs.

Google has brought its Pixel camera features to the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. These are expected to be launched in India on May 15, 2019. The Pixel 3a starts at Rs. 39, 999, while the Pixel 3a XL starts at Rs. 44, 499. It’s available at Flipkart. 

Pixel 3a Key specifications:

• Full-screen 5.6″ display/142.2 mm display
• Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie
• Rear camera: 12.2 MP dual-pixel
• Front camera: 8 MP
• Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 670 ; Adreno 615
• RAM : 4 GB LPDDR4x ; 64 GB storage
• 3000 mAh battery
  

Pixel 3a XL Key specifications:

• Full-screen 6.0″ display/152.4 mm display
• Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie
• Rear camera: 12.2 MP dual-pixel
• Front camera: 8 MP
• Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 670 ; Adreno 615
• RAM : 4 GB LPDDR4x ; 64 GB storage
• 3700 mAh battery

(Prices & date may vary)

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