If any rival player tries to sledge one of ours, the remaining 10 would only come hard at the opposition and that’s exactly what had happened with England during their 151-run defeat in the second Test, said India opener KL Rahul.

The on-field altercations started after Mark Wood dished out short-pitched stuff targeting Jasprit Bumrah’s head, resulting in an argument with England skipper Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson. Even rookie Ollie Robinson was having a go at the Indian batters.

However, the tables turned when England were bowled out for paltry 120 in their second innings with India captain Virat Kohli leading the battle of sledges.

“It showed how badly both teams wanted to win. That’s how Test cricket is played. We as a team are never shy to say a word or too,” player-of-the-match Rahul, who scored 129 in the first innings, said after the match.

“Someone comes after our player and rest of the 10 guys get pumped as well. That’s the kind of atmosphere and team bonding that we have. If you go after one of our guys that means you are going after whole team,” Rahul said.

He, in fact, made it clear that all the four fast bowlers were ready to give England a test of their own medicine.

“Bowlers were really keen to have a go and have a crack out there in the middle and give it their all in 60 overs. This is what people come to watch and it only speaks about how badly each team wants to win.”

He lauded Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami’s record 89-run ninth-wicket stand, which set up the game nicely for the bowlers to do the job inside 60 overs.

“Partnership between Bumrah and Shami was so so good and after they put up a fight like that, bowlers were waiting to have a crack at them. We knew after lunch the declaration is going to come.

“We knew each of them would have to bowl 10 or 12 overs. The pitch was behaving a bit up and down and opportunity like this to win a Test match always doesn’t come. We were all very keen and excited and to go out there and put out a performance like that was very special,” said Rahul, who has till now scored 244 runs in the series.

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I spent last week studying the 26,000 words of privacy terms published by eBay and Amazon, trying to extract some straight answers, and comparing them to the privacy terms of other online marketplaces such as Kogan and Catch (my full summary is here).

There’s bad news and good news.

The bad news is that none of the privacy terms analysed are good. Based on their published policies, there is no major online marketplace operating in Australia that sets a commendable standard for respecting consumers’ data privacy.

All the policies contain vague, confusing terms and give consumers no real choice about how their data are collected, used and disclosed when they shop on these websites. Online retailers that operate in both Australia and the European Union give their customers in the EU better privacy terms and defaults than us, because the EU has stronger privacy laws.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is currently collecting submissions as part of an inquiry into online marketplaces in Australia. You can have your say here by August 19.

The good news is that, as a first step, there is a clear and simple “anti-snooping” rule we could introduce to cut out one unfair and unnecessary, but very common, data practice.

Deep in the fine print of the privacy terms of all the above-named websites, you’ll find an unsettling term.

It says these retailers can obtain extra data about you from other companies, for example, data brokers, advertising companies, or suppliers from whom you have previously purchased.

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Read more: It’s time for third-party data brokers to emerge from the shadows

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eBay, for example, can take the data about you from a data broker and combine it with the data eBay already has about you, to form a detailed profile of your interests, purchases, behaviour and characteristics.

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Beginning Tuesday, WhatsApp users in India will be able to add Payments Backgrounds while sending money to friends and family through WhatsApp.

Designed in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), the payments feature on WhatsApp is an India-first, real-time payment system that enables transactions with over 227 banks.

Built for India, this new feature is relevant, exciting, and memorable as it helps people easily convey a feeling along with sending money.

“With Payments Backgrounds, our effort is to bring excitement to everyday payments through WhatsApp and enable our users to express themselves if they wish, through a range of emotive themes denoting celebrations, affection, warmth or fun. We believe that sending and receiving money is so much more than just a transaction,” said Mahatme, director of WhatsApp Payments.

Conversations involving payments are often imagined to be simply transactional.

WhatsApp has created this thematic range of artful expressions to complement sending payments on birthdays, holidays, or for gifts and travel.

The core idea of this feature update is to create a more personalised experience for the sender as well as the receiver by adding an element of expression when friends and family exchange money.

Whether it is friends splitting the bill after a meal, sending money to near and dear ones as a token of your love or gifting your sister on the occasion of Rakshabandhan, payment backgrounds make sending money personal and brings alive the story behind every payment, WhatsApp said.

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the second listed company and the first information technology (IT) company to cross the Rs 13 trillion market capitalisation (market-cap) as the stock hit a new high in intra-day trade on Tuesday.

Shares of TCS hit a new record high of Rs 3,520, up 1.4 per cent on the BSE in intra-day trade. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 0.09 per cent at 55,632 points at 11:21 am.

TCS’ stock, part of the Tata group of companies, was quoting higher for the ninth straight trading day. Thus far in the month of August, in 12 trading days, TCS has rallied 11 per cent, against a 6 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

A sharp rally in stock price helped TCS’ market-cap rise to Rs 13.02 trillion. Currently, with a market cap of Rs 13.01 trillion, TCS stands at the number two position in the overall market cap ranking. Reliance Industries, which has a market-cap of Rs 13.80 trillion, stands at the number one position, BSE data shows.

TCS is one of the leading IT service providers with a presence in BFSI, Communication, Manufacturing, Retail & Hi-Tech verticals. The company has posted consistent organic revenue growth and industry-leading margins (>25 per cent).

The company is a key beneficiary of multi-year growth (15-20 per cent) in digital technologies. An increase in outsourcing in Europe, vendor consolidation and deal pipeline will lead to revenue CAGR of 13 per cent over FY21-23E, analyst at ICICI Securities said in the June quarter result update. The brokerage further said industry-leading margins will continue and expects its margins to improve by 142 bps over FY21-23E.

“Strong order book along with execution capabilities and upward traction across the geography should support topline growth. Additionally, improved operating leverage and a healthy balance sheet should provide further growth visibility in the upcoming quarter,” Geojit Financial Services said in the result update.

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Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer has confirmed that he would be undergoing more knee surgeries and he will miss the upcoming US Open.

Federer was last seen playing in the Wimbledon, and after that, he also gave Tokyo Olympics a miss due to knee issues.

“I just wanted to give you a bit of an update on what’s been going on since Wimbledon. As you can imagine, it has not been simple. I have been doing a lot of checks with the doctors as well on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and Wimbledon. That’s just not the way to go forward, so unfortunately they told me for the medium to long term to feel better, I will need surgery. I decided to do it,” Federer said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

“I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and also out of the game for many months, so it’s going to be difficult of course in some ways, but at the same time I know it’s the right thing to do because I want to be healthy, I want to be running around later as well again and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form,” he added.

Further talking about his comeback, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said: “I am realistic, don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it. But I want to be healthy, I will go through the rehab process I think also with a goal while I’m still active, which I think is going to help me during this long period of time.”

Earlier, after losing to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2021, the Swiss tennis maestro had said: “I really do not know if that was the last time I will play Wimbledon.”

Hurkacz stunned 39-year-old Federer to storm into the semifinals of the tournament. Hurkacz defeated Federer 6-3, 7-6, 6-0 in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam here at the Centre Court.

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The market is flooded with low-cost Bluetooth earphones with collar bands these days. Such is their appeal that Realme had to go ahead and launch an ultra-low-cost brand, Dizo, so as not to miss out on the opportunity. With this new brand launch, Realme also upgraded its wireless earbuds. When the phone manufacturer launched its first iteration of buds, there were only a few competitors in the space. The stylish design and battery life ensured that Realme stayed ahead of the competition. The company’s new offering seems to build on the previous gains.

Design

One thing that Realme had going in its favour with the first earphones was design. It had made the buds lightweight and attractive. While the company has kept to the colour aspect, the design element has been revised. Personally, the earphones have been made to look bulkier. Even though they are still lightweight and ergonomically better than the previous model, the bulky design makes them stand out, and not in a good manner. The buttons are neatly placed on one side and are customizable — that’s a big plus. And, there is a USB-C charging port. The earphones also have a magnetic lock, which stops the music from playing.

Fit

The ergonomics of Realme earphones have certainly improved. The fit is much better than the previous model once you find the right eartip, but changing the eartip, as usual, remains an issue. It takes a lot of patience and perseverance to change the eartips. With the right ear tip, the earphones sit comfortably in your ears for hours and even during intense workouts.

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Smartphone brand OPPO on Monday announced that it has set up a camera innovation lab at its R&D centre in Hyderabad.

The lab is designed to develop localised features, camera solutions using AI and focus on developing imaging software for a better user experience.

The camera lab will focus on building new solutions to resolve issues such as night videography, different surrounding light and light temperatures, and more, the company said in a statement.

“With this lab set-up, while we work towards elevating the overall camera experience for our users, our focus is on localisation of global solutions and developing new solutions which can be globalised,” said Tasleem Arif, Vice President and Head, R&D OPPO India.

The lab will also lead innovation for other countries, including Middle East Asia, South Asia, Africa, Japan and Europe.

Further, the lab will also work towards developing solutions for video, still photography, and research on Full Dimension Fusion (FDF) Portrait Video System technology.

“With the state-of-the-art equipment, we will tune and generate much realistic dataset and provide advance quality imaging and video shooting experience,” said

Kaushal Prakash Sharma, Head, Camera Division, R&D OPPO India.

As of June 30, OPPO has applied for over 8,800 image patents worldwide and owns over 3,500 granted patents.

The company said that the lab is dedicated to testing phone cameras in different artificially set scenes and analysing data produced from those samples.

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It is the Nord season for Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. After introducing the OnePlus Nord CE (review), the core edition of its midrange smartphone, the company was quick to launch its successor too. Named the Nord 2, it is the first OnePlus smartphone powered by a MediaTek processor. It is also the first from OnePlus to come after the company’s integration with another Chinese smartphone maker OPPO. On paper, the Nord 2 5G seems to be a motley mix of OnePlus design and OPPO features. Is it a step forward in the right direction? Let’s find out:

Design

The Nord 2 looks similar to its predecessor but with a mix of OnePlus 9 series design elements for novelty. Therefore, the smartphone will look familiar and yet intriguing if you are upgrading from the Nord. Others are likely to appreciate the Nord 2 simply because the smartphone does not cut any corners with respect to design, build quality, and in-hand feel.

The Nord 2 comes in blue (review unit), grey and India-exclusive green colour variants. Like the OnePlus 9 series, OnePlus has treated each colour differently in terms of construction material and texture. The blue colour variant has glass cover with glossy finish on the back, while the grey variant has matte finish, and the green model has a textured PU leather coating. That said, the Nord 2 comes in limited colours but gives consumers a choice in the texture and material of the back cover.

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A NASA research facility in Ohio has been renamed after astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was born in the state and returned shortly after he became the first man to walk on the moon.

Ohio’s U.S. senators led the efforts to change the name of the NASA Plum Brook Station in Sandusky to the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility.

Republican Rob Portman said he raised the idea with Armstrong in 2012, shortly before Armstrong’s death, but he wasn’t comfortable with the attention it would bring.

It was never about him. It was about the mission, Portman said Wednesday at a ceremony marking the name change.

NASA and Armstrong’s family supported renaming the research center, Portman said.

Armstrong’s son, Mark Armstrong, said the early space missions showed people across the world that they could do things they could never imagine.

That is more empowering than any scientific advancement, he said. It’s more empowering than the transistor. It’s more empowering than the computer. Because it’s unlimited. And that’s what we have to remind people.

Armstrong was born just outside Wapakoneta in 1930, took flying lessons at a nearby airstrip and made his first solo flight at age 16. After the moon landing in 1969, he taught at the University of Cincinnati.

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By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A bipartisan trio of senators introduced a bill that would rein in app stores of companies they said exert too much market control, including Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google.

Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar teamed up with Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn to sponsor the bill, which would bar big app stores from requiring app providers to use their payment system. It would also prohibit them from punishing apps that offer different prices or conditions through another app store or payment system.

“I found this predatory abuse of Apple and Google so deeply offensive on so many levels,” Blumenthal said in an interview Wednesday. “Their power has reached a point where they are impacting the whole economy in stifling and strangling innovation.”

Blumenthal said he expected companion legislation in the House of Representatives “very soon.”

The stakes are high for Apple, whose App Store anchors its $53.8 billion services business as the smartphone market has matured.

Apple said its app store was “an unprecedented engine of economic growth and innovation, one that now supports more than 2.1 million jobs across all 50 states.”

Google declined to comment, but a spokeswoman cited previous company statements that Android devices often come preloaded with two or more app stores and that app sellers can allow downloads without using Google’s Play Store.

The bill won praise from Spotify, Epic and Tile. Tile, which makes tags to find lost objects, complained earlier this year about Apple launching a rival product.

A similar law revision has been introduced in South Korea. Google said last year it would enforce certain in-app payment methods there and receive 30% commission fees from non-game digital content.

Apple’s control over apps on its Store, and 15% to 30% commissions on digital sales have come under regulatory scrutiny. A federal judge is reviewing testimony to rule on an antitrust lawsuit by “Fortnite” creator Epic Games.

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