'Bolo' app won't send children's data to us: Google

Agencies
March 7, 2019

New Delhi, Mar 7: Joining the race to grab the attention of young children, Google on Wednesday launched the beta version of its "Bolo" app to help primary grade children improve Hindi and English reading skills, while ensuring that the app do not send out data on children.

"Nothing is ever sent to Google through the app," Nitin Kashyap, Product Manager, Google India, told IANS, adding the app is meant for just 10-15 minutes of daily use.

Because the app works offline, there is less chance of children getting distracted and start doing something else online, he said.

"But should children get access to the phone or not is one area where we would not like to take a position. It's a personal decision that every parent should make for their child," Kashyap said.

The Bolo app is first-of-its-kind for Google as it has not launched an app targeting primary grade children anywhere else in the world.

The announcement comes barely a week after the operators of Chinese video social networking app TikTok agreed to pay $5.7 million (nearly Rs 40 crore) to settle the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations that the company illegally collected personal information on children.

Google is, however, not the only company that is trying to make children familiar with the digital world.

Social media giant Facebook has "Messenger Kids", a video calling and messaging app aimed at those under 13 years of age.

While the app is available only in a few countries, over 100 child health experts last year urged Facebook to halt it, saying the "younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts".

Facebook did not discard Messenger Kids, but it decided not to build a new app called "LOL" to let children share and post humorous meme content, according to a report in CNET last month.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs never let his kids use iPads at home. "We limit how much technology our kids use at home," Jobs had told The New York Times.

Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates, in an interview to the Mirror had said he set strict rules for how his three kids grew up "in a home that forbade cell phones until age 14, banned cell phone use at the dinner table, and set limits on how close to bedtime kids could use their phones".

Google, however, said it has been piloting Bolo with over 900 children in 200 villages in UP with the help of ASER Centre, a research and assessment unit of the Pratham Education Foundation.

With the app, 64 per cent of children showed an improvement in reading proficiency in just three months, it added.

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News Network
February 21,2020

London, Feb 21: Scientists have discovered a new species of land snail, and have named it Craspedotropis Greta Thunberg in honour of the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg for her efforts to raise awareness about climate change.

According to the study, published in the Biodiversity Data Journal, the newly discovered species belongs to the so-called caenogastropods -- a group of land snails known to be sensitive to drought, temperature extremes, and forest degradation.

The scientists, including evolutionary ecologist Menno Schilthuizen from Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, said the snails were found very close to the research field station at Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in Brunei.

They added that the snails were discovered at the foot of a steep hill-slope, next to a river bank, foraging at night on the green leaves of understorey plants.

The effort aided by amateur scientist J.P. Lim, who found the first individual of the snail said, "Naming this snail after Greta Thunberg is our way of acknowledging that her generation will be responsible for fixing problems that they did not create."

"And it's a promise that people from all generations will join her to help," Lim said.

The researchers said they approached Thunberg who said that she would be "delighted" to have this species named after her.

The study work including, fieldwork, morphological study, and classification of identified specimen was carried out in a field centre with basic equipment and no internet access, the scientists said.

According to the study, the work was done by untrained ‘citizen scientists’ guided by experts, on a 10-day taxon expedition.

"While we are aware that this way of working has its limitations in terms of the quality of the output (for example, we were unable to perform dissections or to do extensive literature searches), the benefits include rapid species discovery and on-site processing of materials," the researchers wrote in the study.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 28: Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday alleged that BJP is trying to destabilise the Congress government in Rajasthan.

"It is the duty of the Governor to act according to the decision of the state cabinet. But he is acting like a central government puppet," he said at a protest organised here by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

He said the Congress is protesting across the country to save democracy and save the constitution.

"We are not fighting through violence. We are protesting peacefully. The Constitution has given the right to protest in a democratic system," he said.

He accused the BJP of "being disrespectful" to the Constitution.

"Governments must walk within the framework of the Constitution. The Constitution gives everyone rights and duties. BJP destabilises elected governments and buys our legislators by horse-trading by spending crores of money. The same thing happened in Karnataka as well," he alleged.

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Agencies
July 11,2020

Citing the current dismal aviation scenario, Air India is terminating the services of trainee cabin crew and cabin crew by withdrawing the offer of employment of those who were under training.

As per sources, the new crew and trainee pilots might reduce contracts from five years to one year. Sources said Air India is terminating 1,200 crew and employees who are more than 55-yr-old including 190 trainee pilots.

In a letter reviewed by IANS, Air India has informed an applicant who had been selected as cabin crew in August 2019 subject to successful completion of training.

"On behalf of Air India we would like to thank you for the interest shown by you in joining our organization. However, in view of the current aviation scenario, it would not be possible for Air India to impart any further training to you for engaging your services," the company said.

"In view of the above reasons, which are beyond the control of the company, it has been decided to discontinue your training arrangements and dispense with the offer of engagement with immediate effect. The bank guarantee furnished by you at the time of joining is returned herewith," Air India told the cabin crew.

"Once again on behalf of Air India we thank you for your cooperation and trust that you will appreciate the circumstances under which we are constrained to discontinue the training arrangements," the carrier said.

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