FRIDAY 10.04.2020 NEW DELHI NEW DELHI n Vol. XCVI No. 86 n Price ₹2.50 n 2 Pages. www.hindustantimes.com/ht-school n [email protected] IN THE NEWS NEW DELHI : Leveraging the power of Smart Tech— 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 — can help India create an efficient crisis management system which can ensure minimal impact due to any man-made or natural crisis, a new report from market research firm techARC said on Wednesday. These technologies can help create an automated end-to-end supply chain for consumers with minimal failure chances, said the report. “No one can afford to pause a country. There are technologies like 5G, IoT and Industry 4.0 available which can be blended to create a crisis management system, ensuring function- ing of several services and supply of prod- ucts in such extraordinary times,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder and chief ana- lyst, techARC. Such a roadmap can ensure continuity of essential economic and governance activities without putting the lives of people at risk, said the report titled Leveraging Smart Tech for Crisis Management: India’s Roadmap. IANS Smart Tech can help manage major crises Dear Reader, Hindustan Times is coming to you in this new avatar at a time when our normal lives and activities have been dis- rupted by the challenge posed by the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19). You have been reading the HT School Edition in your classrooms. Now, with schools closed and a lockdown in place, we have created this specially curated e-paper to cater to your varied interests and your appetite for knowledge. A special feature of this new e-paper will be the “You” sec- tion, dedicated to your experiences during the lockdown, and how you’re spending these unusual days. Apart from the contributions from students, insights from teachers and principals will also be featured in these columns. As you engage with this special edition, we request you to keep sharing your views on it. Let us know what you like and what you don’t, and what else you would like to read. Your feedback will help us fine-tune this offering so that it better reflects exactly what you want. We at HT believe that the readers of today are the leaders of tomorrow. So let us begin this journey together. WASHINGTON : Suddenly, it’s no longer the ‘Wuhan virus.’ The United States and China have reached a truce in a vitriolic feud over the coronavirus pandemic, with the two powers each seeing at least a tactical interest in cooling down. President Donald Trump, hardly known for the delicacy of his word choi- ces, has dropped his provocative term ‘Chinese virus’ and held back from criti- cising Beijing’s response since a tele- phone call, on March 26 US time, with his counterpart Xi Jinping and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — who so insisted on saying ‘Wuhan virus’ that the Group of Seven foreign ministers could not issue a joint statement — has been talking of cooperation. “We know that this is a global pan- demic, and this is the time for every coun- try to work together to resolve that,” Pom- peo told reporters on Tuesday when asked about China. Beijing infuriated the United States last month when a foreign ministry spokesman spread a conspiracy theory that US troops brought the virus to Wuhan. Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to Washington, struck a highly different tone in an op-ed in The New York Times in which he spoke of his affection for Ameri- cans and promised China would do “what- ever it can to support the United States.” “True cooperation requires transparency and real actions, not just rhetoric,” she said. AFP ’Wuhan virus’ no more: US, China in truce n Dogs are not vulnerable to Covid-19, according to a study AFP NEW DELHI : An interactive dustbin for con- tactless waste collection and disposal has been developed. This can be installed in hospitals and medical centres dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic leading to a safer environment for front-line work- ers. The dustbin, called Ally, follows voice commands and moves on the predefined paths autonomously Dustbin for contactless collection invented inside a controlled environment, said the researchers. The three-feet-tall and 1.5-feet-wide smart container performs contactless collection by opening its flap automatically, they said. The researchers explained that a sen- sory system checks the current status, or level of the dustbin, and initiates the dis- posal procedure once it is filled up to a pre- defined threshold. Ally can move to the disposal centre autonomously, dispose the waste and get ready on its own for reuse, according to the researchers. The researchers have used Raspberry Pi , a credit-card sized small computer -- and Atmega 2560, a low-power microcon- troller, in the dustbin. PTI n The 3-feet-tall and 1.5-feet-wide smart container performs contactless collection by opening its flap automatically REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE n 5G, Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 can help create an automated end-to-end supply chain for consumers with minimal chances of failure REUTERS NEW YORK: Dogs are not vulnerable to Cov- id-19, according to a study published on Wednesday. The study, published on the website of the journal Science, found that dogs, chickens, pigs and ducks are not likely to catch the virus, unlike felines. The study was aimed at identifying which animals are vulnerable to the virus so they can be used to test experimental vaccines to fight the pandemic. Except for a few reported infections in cats and dogs, there has not been strong evidence that pets can be carriers. The study, based on research in China, found cats and ferrets highly susceptible to the virus when researchers tried to infect them by introducing viral particles via the nose. They also found cats can infect each other via respiratory droplets. Anti- body tests showed dogs were less likely to catch the virus, while inoculated pigs, chickens, and ducks were not found to have any strain of the virus. The World Health Organization is examining the role of pets in the health crisis. REUTERS Dogs, chickens, ducks unlikely to catch Covid-19 Bonn, Germany Newa Khanda, Jammu and Kashmir WISE WORDS » Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement. HENRY FORD With all sporting events suspended, and most training centres and national camps shut, what are ath- letes doing with their forced leisure time? Everyday a top athlete will talk about her or his experience of dealing with the Covid-19 pan- demic. This is Sania Mirza, India’s six-time Grand Slam winner and former doubles world No. 1 tennis player, who returned to the profes- sional tour in January this year after a two-year maternity break. After helping India seal a historic Fed Cup World Group play-off spot in Dubai earlier this month, the 33-year-old made a quick dash to play at the WTA Indians Wells in California, only for the tournament to be called off. Mirza then returned home to Hyderabad and decided to self-isolate herself. I flew from Dubai on the morning of March 8 and managed to reach Indian Wells around 20 hours later. And about an hour later, the tour- nament got cancelled. I think it was probably at that moment when the impact of this outbreak hit me. We were already hearing about stuff happening around the world but it wasn’t as close to home as I thought; I thought that it was more of a beast in Asia or east Asia at that point. But then it was spreading like fire. So when the Indian Wells got cancelled, I think that’s when every- body was in a bit of a shock and thought, ‘Okay, this is actually real now’. That’s when it felt a bit scary, to be honest. My dad (Imran Mirza) and I then returned home to Hyderabad. We had an experience while coming back as well. We were sup- posed to fly back home one day ear- lier from Los Angeles, but five min- utes after we got on to our flight, there was an accident before we started taxiing. Something went wrong with the plane’s engine, so we all had to off-load. Our flight got cancelled and we had to fly out the next day. The decision to self-isolate our- selves at home came instinctively, because there was no way my dad and I wanted to take any chances. We were screened after we landed at the Hyderabad airport and went through the normal testing proce- dures. We had to fill out a few forms mentioning our travel history, details, etc. Then we made the decision to self-isolate, even though at that point I don’t think it was manda- tory. But I’m glad that we did. It’s an unexpected break for everybody. Tennis seems a bit irrelevant with everything that is going on. We should just be healthy, thankful if we are and grateful for the fact that we are all safe in our homes. It also gives you a chance to enjoy the little things that you probably don’t usually do because you are so caught up in the worldly things. I get to spend a lot of time at home, and not live out of a suitcase for a change. And of course, thank God for Netflix and movies! I’m taking it one day at a time. But I am training and working on my fitness everyday. Luckily I have a tennis court in my house, so I’m able to get some work done. I haven’t been practising as such; just training and working out to be healthy and just feeling good. Izhaan (Sania’s son) and I are together most of the time. He trav- els with me (on the Tour), anyway. So for me, us spending time together was something that was never in question. I get to spend quality time at home with family and do those small things that actu- ally matter; appreciate the little things that we have and be grateful for them. (As told to Rutvick Mehta) llOFF THE SPORTS ARENA l ’Am spending time with family, doing things that matter’ n Sania Mirza GETTY SPRING GREETS COVID-HIT WORLD Spring is here in all its glory. Various flowers in countless colours are brightening up the world. The ravaging Covid-19 has failed to dim the glory of nature’s comeback during this glorious season. The only difference is that the crowds that usually gather to enjoy the refreshing sight of blossoms are missing this year. Mughal Gardens, Rashtrapati Bhavan Bonn, Germany PHOTOS: REUTERS, AFP & WASEEM ANDRABI/HT,