Quad leaders demand end to support for terrorism, unveil new areas of cooperation

WASHINGTON, Sep 25: The leaders of the Quad nations -- the US, Australia, Japan and India -- have denounced the use of terrorist proxies and demanded an end to support for terrorism, while introducing new areas of cooperation, especially in technology.

A joint statement adopted by Primes Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Scott Morrison of Australia and Yoshihide Suga of Japan and US President Joe Biden after their summit on Friday, said: "We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasise the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks."

That segment of the statement applies to Pakistan, even though it was not named, and another, without mentioning China directed attention to its aggressive actions in the region, from the Himalayas to the Pacific Ocean. "Together, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the IndoPacific and beyond. We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity of states," the leaders said.

Their joint statement did not, however, put forward any specific joint defence or security measures.

It instead said: "We also recognise that our shared futures will be written in the IndoPacific, and we will redouble our efforts to ensure that the Quad is a force for regional peace, stability, security, and prosperity."

To bring a measure of permanence to what has been an informal group, the four agreed to hold annual summits and meetings of Foreign Ministers in addition to regular sessions of senior officials.

The leaders said that they would coordinate diplomatic, economic, and human-rights policies towards Afghanistan and deepen counter-terrorism and humanitarian cooperation.

Most of the defined actions proposed by the Quad leaders are about cooperation and helping themselves and others in the region.

Taking on the current challenge of the pandemic foremost, the declaration said: "Our partnership on Covid-19 response and relief marks an historic new focus for the Quad."

They welcomed New Delhi's resumption of vaccine exports and the Indian company Biological E producing at least one billion safe and effective Covid jabs by the end of 2022, financed in part through Quad investments.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the vaccine would be the Johnson & Johnson type, which requires only one shot.

Japan will provide finance for the distribution of the vaccines and Australia will buy jabs for distribution in the Southeast Asia region and also pay for their delivery, according to the declaration.

The leaders said that they "will also strengthen our Science and Technology cooperation" in clinical trials and genomic surveillance to bring a quick end to the pandemic and also "conduct a joint pandemic-preparedness tabletop or exercise" next year.

They committed themselves to fight climate change by working towards zero net emissions by 2050 and increase their commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The leaders also agreed to pursue the deployment of clean-hydrogen technology, which is one of Modi's initiatives.

Several of the new initiatives are in technology, which had risks posed by China in the background. "We are mapping the supply chain of critical technologies and materials, including semiconductors, and affirm our positive commitment to resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains of critical technologies," the leader said in the joint statement. "We are monitoring trends in the critical and emerging technologies of the future, beginning with biotechnology, and identifying related opportunities for cooperation."

They said that they have established cooperation on critical and emerging technologies "to ensure the way in which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used is shaped by our shared values and respect for universal human rights".

With the co-sponsorship of the major companies, they announced 100 Quad Fellowships in STEM subjects for graduate students, the declaration said.

The Quad was also launching programmes in cybersecurity and in space.

They also said that they were launching a new Quad infrastructure partnership that will map the region's infrastructure needs, and coordinate on regional needs and opportunities, the declaration added.

By Arul Louis

Google celebrates its 23rd birthday with animated doodle

NEW DELHI, Sep 27: Search giant Google on Monday created an animated cake doodle on its homepage while celebrating its 23rd birthday.

The doodle features a cake with '23' written on top of it. Also, a birthday candle substituting for 'L' in "Google. "Every day, there are billions of searches on Google in more than 150 languages around the globe, and while much has changed from the early days of Google, from its first server housed in a cabinet built out of toy blocks to its servers now being housed in more than 20 data centers globally, its mission of making the world's information accessible to everyone remains the same," Google wrote in a bio accompanying the Doodle.

Google was found back in 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The search engine was born as a research project by its founders who were doing research at Stanford University, California.

The domain of google.com was registered on September 15, 1995. On September 4, 1998, Page and Brin registered Google as a company.

In the year 1996, Both Page and Brin named their search engine BackRub before calling it Google.

The search engine got the name Google from the mathematical term "googol" which refers to one followed by 100 zeroes.

Present CEO Sundar Pichai took over Google's leadership on October 24, 2015. Over the years, Google has expanded its services.

FB paid billions extra to spare Zuck in Cambridge Analytica probe

NEW DELHI, Sep 22: Facebook conditioned its $5 billion payment to the US Federal Trade Commission to resolve the Cambridge Analytica data leak probe on the agency dropping plans to sue Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, shareholders allege in a lawsuit, Politico reported.

In suits made public Tuesday, two groups of shareholders claimed that members of Facebook's board allowed the company to overpay on its fine in order to protect Zuckerberg, the company's founder and largest shareholder. The complaints, which cite internal discussions among Facebook's board members, were filed in Delaware Court of Chancery last month. "Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and other Facebook directors agreed to authorize a multi-billion settlement with the FTC as an express quid pro quo to protect Zuckerberg from being named in the FTC's complaint, made subject to personal liability, or even required to sit for a deposition,”one of the suits alleged, as per the report.

The lawsuits show that Facebook has still yet to move beyond the Cambridge Analytica scandal, even as antitrust, alleged privacy failures and other problems plague the company. The Senate Commerce Committee said last week that it was opening a probe into how the company downplayed its own research on how Facebook's photo-sharing app Instagram worsens mental health and body image issues for teens, the report said.

In February 2019, the FTC sent Facebook's lawyers a draft complaint that named both the company and Zuckerberg personally as a defendant, the shareholders said. The FTC also said in court that Facebook's fine would have been closer to $106 million, but the company agreed to the $5billion penalty to avoid having Zuckerberg or Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg deposed and any liability for the CEO, the suit alleged. "The Board has never provided a serious check on Zuckerberg's unfettered authority," one set of shareholders said. "Instead, it has enabled him, defended him, and paid billions of dollars from Facebook's corporate coffers to make his problems go away."

They also alleged that Zuckerberg and Sandberg both declined to be interviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm hired to audit Facebook's privacy compliance as part of a 2012 settlement with the FTC, allowed other managers to provide untrue statements about the company's practices and never provided the board with copies of PwC's audits, the report added.

World's largest Imax screen to open in Germany ahead of 'No Time to Die'

LOS ANGELES, Sep 28: The world’s biggest Imax screen is all set to open its gates on Thursday in Germany, kicking off with the premiere of the latest James Bond film 'No Time to Die'.

The screen, located at the Traumaplast Multiplex in Leonberg, is wider than a Boeing 737 airliner at nearly 70 feet high and around 125 feet across. It was so large it had to be painted by a specifically designed robotic arm, reports variety.com.

The theatre housing it seats 574, and features Imax with Laser technology and Imax's 12-channel sound technology with new side and overhead channels for greater range and precision. "The IMAX at Traumpalast redefines the ‘big screen'," said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax.

Gelfond added: "With Lochmann Filmtheaterbetriebe, we've created an unforgettable moviegoing experience where fans can truly immersive themselves in the world's biggest blockbusters on the world's largest screen. As we continue to grow in Germany and open new iconic locations around the world, the Imax at Traumpalast will become an exciting flagship location at a critical time for fans seeking premium, differentiated experiences."

Marius and Heinz Lochman said: "Audiences in Germany and beyond will travel far and wide to see the Imax at Traumpalast, from its enormous screen and incredible audio to the luxurious seating and other exciting amenities the theatre has to offer. We're proud to partner with Imax on this new, record-breaking location and can't wait to start letting fans in the door."

Director Cary Fukunaga shot 'No Time to Die' with Imax's 15/70mm film cameras, making it the first Bond entry to make use of them.

The movie is specifically formatted for Imax theatres and features 40 minutes of Imax exclusive expanded aspect ratio.

The new theatre is Imax's eighth in Germany.

Mate G’Day

Getting married in Australia

NEW SECURITY PAPER FOR ALL STATE REGISTRIES

Certificates issued by Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages in all Australian states and territories are now printed on new security paper. The new paper includes state-of-the-art features to keep these important identity documents secure and help protect Australians from identity crime.

Life event certificates are often the primary means for Australians to prove their identity or manage estates in the event of a death. Every day, Australians use these documents to open bank accounts, access services, obtain passports or drivers licences, enrol their children in school or kindergarten, and more.

Identity documents are highly valuable to identity thieves and fraudsters, who may seek to copy, forge or tamper with them. An estimated 25 per cent of Australians have been a victim of identity crime, costing billions of dollars each year. Identity crime can take years to recover from, both financially and personally.

The new security features include see through register, anti-copy screen trapping, security pattern, microtext – positive / negative, split colour rainbow, Unique serial number, UV invisible fluorescence, UV visible fluorescence and UV rainbow.

The beautiful new paper design features eucalyptus leaves, which are found across Australia. The branches represent a family tree that grows with every birth and union, and traces our personal history.

The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria has led the development of the new paper, which will be used by all other state and territory registries. The paper will also be produced in Victoria, contributing to the Australian economy. The previous security paper was produced in the UK and had been in use since 2009.