Source Report from India Today: The Moon is about to pull off one of nature's rare tricks and briefly blot out the Sun. On Wednesday, a total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of the Northern Hemisphere, turning daytime skies dark along a narrow path. For millions of people, it will be a chance to witness one of the rarest and most spectacular sights in the sky. But for those in India, there is rather disappointing news. The eclipse will not be visible from anywhere in the country. However, that does not make the event any less exciting, as it will be available to watch across the internet and mark a rare celestial event for the year. WHAT HAPPENS DURING A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE? A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, completely covering the Sun's bright disc for people within a narrow strip on Earth's surface. The Moon is much smaller than the Sun, but it can appear almost exactly the same size in our sky because it is also much closer to Earth. When the alignment is right, the Moon blocks the Sun and its shadow sweeps across Earth. For a few brief minutes, the normally hidden solar corona, which is the Sun's outer atmosphere, becomes visible around the dark Moon. A total solar eclipse captured from Greenland. (Photo: Nasa) This is one reason scientists value total eclipses, as the corona is difficult to observe directly because the Sun's bright surface normally overwhelms it. WHAT TIME IS THE ECLIPSE AND WHERE WILL IT BE VISIBLE? The path of totality will begin in northern Russia, cross Greenland and Iceland, and then move across northern Spain before reaching a small part of Portugal. A partial eclipse will be visible across much wider areas, including much of Europe, parts of North America and northwestern Africa. The event is particularly significant for Europe as it will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999. The total solar eclipse will begin on August 12, at 9:04 pm IST and will around 2:15 am in the early hours of August 13. At its maximum, expected around 11:16 pm IST, totality will last about 2 minutes 18 seconds along the eclipse's central path. Cities such as Reykjavik in Iceland and several locations in Spain will fall within the path of totality, although local viewing times will differ. India, however, is outside both the path of totality and the wider region where the partial eclipse can be seen. HOW TO WATCH TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE? For those outside the path of totality, the safest option is to watch a live broadcast from an observatory or space agency. Anyone viewing the partial phases directly must use proper solar-viewing glasses or a certified solar viewer. Keep in mind that ordinary sunglasses are not safe. Nasa has also warned against looking at the Sun through cameras, binoculars or telescopes unless they have specially designed solar filters fitted to the front of the equipment. For Indian skywatchers, therefore, the August 12 eclipse will be an event to experience remotely, but one that offers, nonetheless, a rare window into the workings of our nearest star. WHEN WILL TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BE VISIBLE IN INDIA? India will have to wait for a long time for a total solar eclipse. The next total solar eclipse visible from India will take place on March 20, 2034. It will cross a broad stretch of countries, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and parts of Africa, before continuing across Asia.-
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: HYDERABAD: BJP MP M Raghunandan Rao on Tuesday alleged a massive “solar scam” worth about `200 crore in Telangana under the Centre’s rooftop solar scheme and said he had lodged a formal complaint with Union minister for new and renewable energy Pralhad Joshi seeking a high-level probe. In a statement, Raghunandan Rao claimed the Congress government had “duped” people and misused Central subsidies meant for the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (earlier discussed as Har Ghar Bijli Mukth Yojana). He said the state had identified around 40,000 households for installation of 2 kW rooftop solar systems under the scheme, promising free electricity up to 200 units as per its election manifesto. “The Centre gives `30,000 subsidy per kW, meaning `60,000 for a 2-kW system. The tender for one house was awarded at `1.36 lakh, but the work was subcontracted at `86,000. How is `50,000 being siphoned off per house? This adds up to nearly `200 crore,” he alleged. Raghunandan Rao accused the state government of “diverting” Central funds and running a “sub-contracting racket,” while simultaneously projecting the scheme as a Congress achievement. “The manifesto promise was yours, but the money is from the centre. Yet you campaign as if you are funding it,” he said, demanding that the state either admit the irregularities or face a stoppage of central funds.
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the 19 remaining states and Union territories to declare cancer a "notifiable disease" to ensure early detection and proper care of patients. The top court's direction came after it was informed that 17 of the 36 states and UTs have so far notified cancer as a "notified disease" in light of the recommendations made in a parliamentary standing committee report. The court had, on December 12 last year, issued notices and sought responses from the Centre and all the states and UTs on a public interest litigation (PIL) matter filed by renowned doctor Anurag Srivastava, seeking a direction to declare cancer a "notifiable disease" across the country to ensure early detection and proper care of patients. On Tuesday, a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the Centre as to why it is not issuing "some mandatory guidelines for all states/UTs", saying there should be uniform policy. Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik, appearing in the court for the Centre, said health is a state subject."Moreover, 17 states have notified the disease," the law officer said."We direct remaining states/UTs to consider the above-stated recommendations and take appropriate decisions. Compliance affidavits have to be filed," the CJI said. In his plea, Srivastava has highlighted the failure on the part of the Union health ministry and the states to declare cancer a notifiable disease across India."Issue an appropriate writ... nature of mandamus against the Respondent No.1 (Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) to notify cancer as a notified disease for ensuring uniform and mandatory reporting of cancer cases in India," the plea says."The continued non-notification of cancer, despite its alarming and escalating burden in India, amounts to a grave abdication of the State's constitutional duty under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, as it denies uniform treatment to similarly-situated citizens and undermines their fundamental right to health and a life with dignity," it has said. Besides the Centre and all the states, Srivastava, the former head of the Department of Surgical Disciplines at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has made the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research a party to the PIL. The plea says the absence of mandatory reporting has led to fragmented data, poor surveillance and a "policy paralysis" in addressing India's growing cancer epidemic. The petition has urged the bench to direct authorities to declare cancer a notifiable disease nationwide and establish a unified, real-time digital cancer registry akin to the CoWIN platform launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plea says although health is primarily a state subject under the Constitution, both the Centre and the states hold concurrent authority to notify diseases. This duality, the plea submits, has resulted in a "legal vacuum", wherein some states have notified cancer while many others have not and this has led to severe inconsistencies in reporting and early detection. According to the petition, the absence of uniform notification has created stark disparities in cancer surveillance, resulting in delayed diagnosis, higher treatment costs and poor patient outcomes. It says patients in many states are frequently diagnosed only at advanced stages, where curative treatment becomes "difficult, expensive or impossible". The PIL highlights major deficiencies in the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) operated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The registry currently covers only about 10 per cent of the country's population, with rural coverage as low as 1 per cent."Adding to this crisis is the growing menace of unscientific and unverified alternative cancer treatments, such as the widely-circulated claim of Gomutra (cow urine) as a cure for cancer."An RTI filed before the Rashtriya Ayurveda Sansthan revealed that no scientific research has ever established Gomutra as an effective therapy for cancer. Yet, due to lack of regulation and public awareness, patients continue to fall prey to such misleading claims, resulting in delayed treatment and preventable deaths," the plea has said. This reflects an urgent need for the government to issue a clear policy statement distinguishing scientifically-validated therapies from untested claims, ensuring that only evidence-based treatments, modern or traditional, are permitted to be practised or promoted in India, it has added."In the above circumstances, it is most respectfully prayed that this Hon'ble court may graciously be pleased to issue appropriate writs, orders or directions in the nature of mandamus directing the respondent authorities to take immediate, coordinated and legally-enforceable measures for strengthening the national response to cancer," the plea has said. It has sought a direction to establish a centralised, real-time digital cancer registry...
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: For many people, bedtime is meant to bring rest and recovery. But for those living with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), the night often begins with an overwhelming urge to move their legs, making it difficult to relax or fall asleep. What may seem like a minor inconvenience is, in reality, a neurological condition that can significantly disrupt sleep, affect mental well-being, and reduce productivity during the day. Despite its impact, RLS remains widely under-recognised. Many individuals dismiss the symptoms as simple muscle fatigue, ageing, or poor circulation, delaying medical evaluation until the condition begins to interfere with daily life. RLS Goes Undiagnosed According to Dr. Praveen Gupta, Chairman, Marengo Asia International Institute of Neuro and Spine (MAIINS), Marengo Asia Hospitals, the biggest challenge is that the condition is frequently mistaken for common physical discomforts. “Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is often underestimated because many people mistake it for simple muscle fatigue, poor circulation, or an age-related discomfort. In reality, it is a neurological disorder that can significantly affect sleep and overall well-being," he says. Dr. Gupta explains that the hallmark symptom is an irresistible urge to move the legs, often accompanied by sensations such as tingling, crawling, aching, or pulling. These symptoms usually worsen during periods of rest, particularly in the evening or at night, and are temporarily relieved by movement. Dr. Harish Chafle, Senior Consultant Chest Physician, Bronchoscopist, Intensivist and Sleep Disorders Specialist at Gleneagles Hospitals, Parel, Mumbai, echoes this concern. He notes that because symptoms improve after walking or stretching, many people ignore them for months or even years. “Many people think the uncomfortable sensation in their legs is simply due to tiredness, ageing, muscle cramps, or poor circulation, so they don't seek medical help. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is actually a neurological condition that commonly appears during the evening or at night when the body is at rest,” he explains. Sleepless Nights Woes While RLS primarily affects sleep, experts warn that the consequences extend well beyond bedtime. Repeated sleep disruption can lead to excessive daytime fatigue, poor concentration, mood disturbances, and declining work performance. Dr. Gupta warns that untreated RLS can have long-term consequences. “Chronic sleep disruption caused by RLS can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired concentration, reduced work performance, mood disturbances, anxiety, and even depression. Over time, poor sleep may also increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic health problems,” he says. Dr. Chafle says that poor sleep doesn't just make you feel tired the next day it affects almost every aspect of health. “When RLS goes untreated, people may struggle with persistent sleep deprivation, daytime fatigue, poor memory, reduced concentration, irritability, anxiety, and even depression. Over time, it can affect work performance, relationships, and overall quality of life,” he says. In some cases, prolonged sleep deprivation associated with untreated RLS may also contribute to a higher risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Seek Medical Help Sleep specialists recommend that people should not ignore persistent nighttime leg discomfort, especially if symptoms occur several times a week or interfere with sleep. Dr. Gupta advises seeking medical evaluation if symptoms become frequent, disrupt sleep, or cause persistent daytime fatigue and poor concentration. He also notes that RLS may be linked to conditions such as iron deficiency, chronic kidney disease, pregnancy, or certain medications, making timely diagnosis especially important. Early diagnosis can help identify underlying causes that may be treatable. It's important to consult a doctor. Early diagnosis is essential because RLS can sometimes be linked to iron deficiency, kidney disease, pregnancy, or certain medications, and treating the underlying cause can significantly improve symptoms. Treatment & Lifestyle Changes Doctors say RLS is a manageable condition when diagnosed early. Treatment typically begins by identifying and correcting underlying causes, particularly iron deficiency where present. Lifestyle measures also play a crucial role. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, engaging in moderate physical activity, stretching before bedtime, and practising good sleep hygiene can all help reduce symptoms. For patients with moderate to severe RLS, neurologists or sleep specialists may prescribe medications that effectively control symptoms and improve sleep quality. “With the right combination of medical treatment and lifestyle changes, most patients experience better sleep, improved daytime functioning, and a substantially enhanced quality of life,” says Dr. Gupta. Persistent nighttime leg discomfort is not something...
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's helicopter on Tuesday made an emergency landing at Kolaghat in Purba Medinipur district due to inclement weather conditions, officials said. The CM had left by helicopter for Keshpur from Dumdum, but the pilot decided in favour of landing at an open ground in Kolaghat as a precaution, they said. The CM was on his way to Keshpur to attend a programme to pay respect to freedom fighter Khudiram Bose. Adhikari started by road on the way to the scheduled venue at Keshpur in Paschim Medinipur district, they said.
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: Paris: Suddenly, the world is plunged into an eerie, violet darkness. The temperature drops. Birds and other animals, bewildered by unforeseen night, start behaving strangely. Stars and planets appear in the sky next to the blotted-out Sun. It is this awe-inspiring experience that will draw people from all over the world to northern Spain next week in the hope of witnessing a total solar eclipse. "It feels like it's the end of the world... you're changed forever if you see one," said Elizabeth Warning, one of four self-described "eclichasers" who spoke to AFP ahead of the August 12 event. However, with devastating fires still raging in some areas of Spain where the eclipse will be visible, the 51-year-old TV researcher may cancel her plans to travel from Sydney, Australia. "It's very sad," Warning said. But as an Australian well-versed with the threat of bushfires, she said her heart went out to people in Spain mourning "lost houses and lost loved ones". Some people travel across the world to see total solar eclipsesShe is just one member of a small but growing community who plan holidays around seeing total solar eclipses, which take place every year or two. Witnessing these remarkable events often requires intricate and expensive travel plans. However the total eclipse in Spain -- the first visible in mainland Europe this century -- is an easier trip than some in the past. 'Adrenaline rush' Ryan Milligan, a solar physicist at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, has travelled for 12 different eclipses, to places as far-ranging as Siberia, Chile and the Faroe Islands. "A total eclipse is not something you see, it's something you experience," he told AFP. One eclipse-chaser called a total solar eclipse 'breathtaking' "The temperature drops, the light and the shadows are all in the wrong place, the colours are muted, there's a 360 degree sunset, the animals go to sleep -- these things you cannot convey to people through a picture or a video or a news article," Milligan said. "It's that adrenaline rush of trying to experience all that within a few minutes that pushes us literally to go to the ends of the Earth." Then once the brief thrill is over, the chasers start planning for their next hit. "It's a very expensive, very odd addiction," Warning said with a laugh. Lucie Green went all the way to Antarctica in 2021, only to be thwarted by that common enemy of eclipse chasers: clouds. "I've got about a two-thirds success rate," said the solar physicist at University College London. Sometimes it works out. Warning described how the "the clouds parted" at the last second in the Faroe Islands in 2015, allowing her to see an eclipse that people just hundreds of metres away missed. Milligan was one of those who saw only clouds. Planes can be a good vantage point"I was distraught... not least because they told me I would have seen it if I'd stayed in my hotel," he said. Because they are travelling to the same place at the same time, members of this small community often meet up. For example, while driving in the extremely remote northwest Australia to see an eclipse in 2019, Green said she bumped into Milligan. 'Breathtaking' For next week's eclipse, Jenny Winker, a 60-year-old retiree in St Paul, Minnesota, is travelling to northern Spain with nine other family members. "If you've never seen a total eclipse, it is breathtaking," she said. While watching smoke from wildfires in Canada drift over Minnesota, Winker said she has also been monitoring the Spanish fires. Green explained that because the eclipse will occur just before sunset, particles from the fires could create a more "hazy" or "fuzzy" view. Some chasers are already planning for a total eclipse next year that will be the longest humans will be able to see until 2114. In Luxor, home to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, the totality -- when the Moon fully covers the Sun -- will last six minutes and 22 seconds
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: TIRUPATI: The Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) has connected 50,000 rooftop solar systems installed at SC and ST households to the electricity grid, becoming the first of the state’s three power distribution companies to reach the milestone. Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, APSPDCL is installing rooftop solar systems at 2.07 lakh SC and ST households across nine districts, with a planned capacity of 415 MW. The programme covers Tirupati, Chittoor, Annamayya, Kadapa, Sri Sathya Sai, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur and Nellore districts. According to data under the Utility Led Aggregation (ULA) on the ministry of new and renewable energy portal, solar systems with a total capacity of 203.95 MW have been installed at 1.01 lakh households so far. APSPDCL has set the end of August as the deadline for completing the remaining installations. The process begins with obtaining consent from eligible consumers, followed by installation of the rooftop systems, inspection and connection to the electricity grid. Once connected, the systems enable beneficiary households to generate solar power and supply the electricity produced to the grid. APSPDCL is working with solar agencies and field staff to complete the installations and connectivity within the stipulated period. APSPDCL CMD Siva Sankar Lotheti congratulated discom officials, staff and solar agencies involved in achieving the 50,000 grid connectivity milestone. He said field teams and agencies had worked together to complete the consent, installation, inspection and connectivity processes and directed them to complete the pending installations by the end of August. “Eligible SC and ST families are being provided an opportunity to install rooftop solar systems on their houses and supply the power generated to the grid, helping promote the use of renewable energy,” the CMD said. He added that the PM Surya Ghar scheme targets rooftop solar systems on 1 crore houses, with AP ranking fourth nationally in installations.
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Source Report from Deccan Chronicle: Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues' stint in The Hundred 2026 was cut short due to a hamstring injury, but she played an important role in helping Southern Brave qualify for the playoffs, with two Player of the Match performances. Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Follow the Blues', Jemimah Rodrigues opened up about her experience of playing in The Hundred 2026, while also looking ahead to India's tour of South Africa and the ICC Women's Champions Trophy 2027 early next year. Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Follow the Blues', Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues shared her thoughts on her experience of playing in The Hundred 2026:“This year was really challenging. It was about adapting to different pitches and different conditions. Compared to all the previous years, I think the pitches this year were quite tricky, slightly on the slower side. So, adapting to that and changing your game accordingly was key, because we haven't seen too many big scores this year. I think most of the games had scores around 120-130. But I think it was a great challenge. Even though it’s a 100-ball game, you still have to adapt to the conditions and figure out what a good, challenging score is. Even while chasing down a target, you’ve got to be really calculative about taking your risks. So, I think that has been my biggest learning, and yeah, it was great to get that experience.”On Team India’s multi-format tour of South Africa later this year:“It’s going to be a really exciting series for sure. Both teams have been doing really well. We’ve had a lot of rivalry lately and played a lot of matches against South Africa. I think it’s going to be great, with two of the top teams in the world facing each other in South Africa. It’s going to be a great challenge, and we’re really looking forward to it.”On the inaugural ICC Women's Champions Trophy in 2027:“We’ve tasted success once, and we know what it feels like to be at the top. The more you taste it, the more you want to be there. So, I think our team is working towards that, and yes, the Champions Trophy is going to be very special. It’s happening for the first time ever in women’s cricket, and I’ll be a part of it for the first time as well, so it’ll be pretty special, and I’m really looking forward to it. I think mindset-wise, nothing changes. At the end of the day, it’s about the team and how to make the team win, and that always stays.”
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Source Report from Times of India: Elon Musk has been extremely critical of ChatGPT maker OpenAI for deviating from its mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity and taking a profit-making path. He has advocated that artificial intelligence (AI) should be accessible for all, and he has now announced that his AI startup xAI will open source Grok chatbot this week.“This week, @xAI will open source Grok,” Musk said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In simpler words, open-sourcing a software, like a chatbot, means that the software projects are redistributable as all source code is accessible by everyone. One of the advantages of having open source software is that it provides flexibility to an enterprise to have multiple ways of fixing a problem rather than waiting for an internal team to provide a solution.“OpenAI is a lie”Meanwhile, a user suggested that OpenAI should do the same.“OpenAI should do the same if they are ‘open’ that is,” the user said. Musk replied, “OpenAI is a lie.”— elonmusk (@elonmusk) Musk wants AI technology to be open-source Musk had floated the idea of open-sourcing AI during a podcast in November last year. In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Musk suggested that he likes the idea of open-source AI. “I am generally in favour of open sourcing, like biassed towards open sourcing,” he said. His comments came soon after his AI company called xAI released Grok, its chatbot, which reportedly took four months to build. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was quick to take a dig at this and shared a post in which he built Grok with a single prompt on GPT Builder."GPTs can save a lot of effort:” he said.— sama (@sama) Musk, obviously didn't like the jab and replied with a long-ish message saying “GPT-4 is about as funny as a screendoor on a submarine.” — elonmusk (@elonmusk)
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Source Report from Times of India: PayPal founder Peter Thiel contradicted the well-known business lesson that being the first mover in a sector has its own advantage and suggested that it is highly overrated and a trap. Because first-movers can become unseated by a new entrant and he supported his theory by citing how Microsoft remained the last operating system for a long time, Google the last search engine for a long time and neither first mover. Thiel presented this idea on several occasions: in his speeches and books, and said, 'First mover advantage is a trap; it's much better to be the last mover'. While starting early might generate temporary buzz, it rarely creates lasting value, he believes. What actually matters in business is not who enters the arena first, but who stays there last. In Thiel's view, the ultimate goal of any ambitious startup is not to be a pioneer, but to become the last mover in its category -- the company that makes the final major breakthrough and secures an unassailable monopoly for decades to come. What is first-mover advantage? The conventional wisdom in Silicon Valley has long celebrated the first-mover advantage. Business schools and startup incubators frequently teach that getting to a market first allows a company to capture brand recognition, secure early customers, and set the standards for an entire industry. Thiel rejects this premise as a dangerous distraction. Being first, he points out, often means absorbing massive research and development costs, educating a skeptical consumer base, and making critical strategic mistakes that later competitors can analyze and avoid for free. A first mover clears the path, but a fast follower with a better business model usually captures the rewards. To illustrate this point, Thiel points to the history of the technology industry, which is littered with the forgotten remains of first movers. Netscape was the first modern web browser, but Internet Explorer and Google Chrome eventually wiped it out. Myspace and Friendster were the first major social networks, but Facebook displaced them entirely. AltaVista and Yahoo were the early leaders in web search, but Google redefined the category with a far superior algorithm. In each case, the first mover did the hard labor of proving that a market existed, only to be overtaken by a later entrant that executed better, scaled faster, and built a vastly superior product. Thiel argues that a company's true economic value resides entirely in its future cash flows. If a startup generates impressive revenues for five years but gets disrupted and erased by a competitor in year six, its long-term value is remarkably low. Conversely, if a company can achieve dominance and maintain it for twenty or thirty years without being displaced, its value becomes almost immeasurable. This is why being the last mover is so critical. A last mover enters a market, makes the definitive technical or operational leap, builds deep competitive moats, and permanently shuts out future competitors. How to be a last-mover? Thiel outlines a specific, step-by-step framework that runs counter to standard growth strategies. First, startups should avoid targeting massive, broadly defined markets from day one. When a founder claims they are going to capture just one percent of a hundred-billion-dollar market, Thiel sees a major red flag. Large markets mean fierce competition, slim profit margins, and constant price wars that burn through capital. Instead, a startup should aim to dominate a very small, tightly defined niche where it can quickly capture eighty or ninety percent market share. PayPal did not start by trying to revolutionize global payments for everyone. It focused exclusively on a tiny subset of users: high-volume power sellers on eBay who desperately needed a faster way to process payments. By solving that specific problem better than anyone else, PayPal captured that small niche completely. Only after dominating eBay payments did the company expand into broader financial services. Similarly, Facebook did not launch as a global network for billions of people. It launched exclusively for Harvard undergraduate students. Once Mark Zuckerberg achieved near-total adoption within that single campus, he expanded to other Ivy League schools, then to all universities, and finally to the general public. Second, to ensure that no latecomer can displace you once you dominate a niche, Thiel emphasizes the need to build durable economic moats. The most powerful of these is proprietary technology. A company's core technology must be at least ten times better than its closest substitute to create a true last-mover advantage. An improvement of ten percent or twenty percent is easily copied or bypassed, but a tenfold improvement makes the competition obsolete. Google’s early search algorithm was not just slightly better than Yahoo’s; it was orders of magnitude faster and more accurate, making it nearly impossible for users to switch back. Ultimately, Thiel’s philosophy on the last mover is a challenge to how founders think about competition and innovation. Being first might gain headlines, but being last builds an empire. The real winners in business are not the speed demons who sprint out of the gate, but the strategists who design a product so complete, so dominant, and so hard to replicate that no one ever needs to build a better version again. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
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Source Report from Times of India: Hundreds of people across the UK are scrambling to get certified solar eclipse glasses ahead of Wednesday evening’s partial solar eclipse, with stocks selling out at shops and online stores. Long queues have been reported in London, Exeter, Wales and Kent, with some shoppers waiting for hours to secure the protective eyewear, The Sun reported. Several retailers have also reported their stocks disappearing within minutes. Long queues as eclipse glasses sell outAt the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, customers were seen lining up for eclipse glasses, with only about 100 sets reportedly available. The Royal Observatory Greenwich is also hosting a sold-out eclipse event on Wednesday. In Wrexham, Wales, hundreds of people reportedly began queuing outside a shop from 7am, three hours before it opened. The store had stocked around 700 pairs over the previous week and a half. In Kent, cars reportedly lined the street outside Poppin’s Cozy Coffee Room in Leysdown from 6.30am, with all 95 pairs of glasses selling out within minutes. Toy retailer Howley’s Toymasters in Dorset, meanwhile, sent staff on a more than 150-mile trip to the Midlands to collect 10,000 pairs after its stocks sold out rapidly. Experts warn against ordinary sunglassesWith certified eclipse glasses becoming difficult to find, eye specialists have warned people against using ordinary sunglasses, multiple pairs of sunglasses or unverified eclipse glasses. Experts say only purpose-built glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 safety standard should be used to look directly at the Sun. Looking directly at the Sun, even briefly, can cause retinal damage. The damage may not be immediately noticeable because the retina does not have pain receptors, with symptoms potentially appearing hours later. These can include blurred vision, a dark or blind spot in central vision, distorted vision, reduced colour perception and increased sensitivity to light. Eclipse to cover over 90% of SunThe partial solar eclipse on August 12 is expected to be visible across the UK from around 6.15pm, with the maximum eclipse occurring at roughly 7.05pm to 7.15pm. More than 90 per cent of the Sun will be obscured by the Moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm, making it the biggest solar eclipse visible from the UK since 1999. Experts have requested people who cannot obtain certified glasses to watch the event indirectly, including through live broadcasts or safe projection methods. Those using cameras, binoculars or telescopes have also been advised to ensure that proper approved solar filters are fitted before viewing the Sun. Perseid meteor shower adds to sky showThe celestial spectacle will be followed by another treat for stargazers, as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of August 12-13. The meteor shower occurs as Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Tiny particles enter the atmosphere at around 60 kilometres per second, burning up and creating brief streaks of light commonly known as shooting stars. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.