As China's Birth Rate Falls, Students Given Off To "Fall In Love": Report

Political advisors to the government have made many recommendations to increase the birth rate, as population concerns in China have already reached a high point. Now, several colleges are also coming up with a unique plan to support the national concern.

Nine colleges in China are giving students a week off to "fall in love" in April.

According to NBC News, the Mianyang Flying Vocational College, one of nine colleges run by the Fan Mei Education Group, first announced the spring break on March 21, which has a specific focus on romance. The time off, which lasts from April 1 to April 7, encourages students to "learn to love nature, love life, and enjoy love through enjoying the spring break."

"I hope that students can go to see the green water and green mountains and feel the breath of spring. This will not only broaden students' horizons and cultivate their sentiments, but also enrich and deepen the teaching content in the classroom," Liang Guohui, deputy dean of Mianyang Flying Vocational College, said in a statement.

Homework for students includes writing diaries, keeping track of personal development, and making travel videos.

This effort is an attempt to serve the purpose of finding ways to boost the birth rate.

The government has come up with more than 20 recommendations to boost birth rates, though experts say the best they can do is slow the population's decline.

China dug itself into a demographic hole largely through its one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015. Authorities raised the limit to three in 2021, but even during stay-at-home COVID times, couples have been reluctant to have babies.

Young people cite high childcare and education costs, low incomes, a feeble social safety net, and gender inequalities as discouraging factors.

The proposals to boost the birth rate, made at the annual meeting of China's People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) this month, range from subsidies for families raising their first child, rather than just the second and third, to expanding free public education and improving access to fertility treatments.

Experts took the sheer number of proposals as a positive sign that China was treating its ageing and declining demographics with urgency, after data showed the population shrinking for the first time in six decades last year.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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AI Images Showing Mark Zuckerberg Walking The Ramp Take Internet By Storm

Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is generally seen in a regular attire of t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers; it's a little different to see him wearing a designer Louis Vuitton outfit and also walking on the ramp. But the artificial technology has made it possible, causing a lot of confusion among internet users because the images appear very real.

It would be challenging to distinguish the fake images produced by AI from real ones since they are so uncannily realistic. Zuckerberg can be seen maintaining the flawless expression that models frequently sport during the rampwalk.

Mark Zuckerberg doing rounds on the runway, pure fashionista.

💬Prompt in alt https://t.co/GQB0nXRzHs pic.twitter.com/xYE3zkaGAm

— Linus (●ᴗ●) (@LinusEkenstam) March 29, 2023

It's not the first time artificial intelligence (AI) images have swept the internet. Many of the expert artists who have employed this technology have produced sometimes unimaginable images.

A few days ago, AI enthusiast Jyo John Mulloor posted a series of images showing Game of Thrones characters, including Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, and many others, in royal Indian attire.

"If George R. R. Martin has hired an Indian costume designer for Game of Thrones," the caption of the post read.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jyo John Mulloor (@jyo_john_mulloor)

In the caption, Mr. Mulloor revealed that he created the pictures using an AI application called Midjourney.

Mr. Mulloor had posted a series of images showing famous people, including Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Mother Teresa, and Elvis Presley, taking a selfie.

"Upon retrieving my old hard drive, I discovered a treasure trove of selfies sent to me by friends from the past," the artist wrote in the caption of the post.

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A post shared by Jyo John Mulloor (@jyo_john_mulloor)

Apart from the aforementioned names, the pictures also featured Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, former US President Abraham Lincoln, scientist Albert Einstein, Jamaican singer Bob Marley, and Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, among others.

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Pak's Inflation At 50-Year High, 20 Killed In Stampede For Food In 10 Days

Pakistan's year-on-year inflation hit 35.37 percent in March -- the highest in nearly five decades -- as the government scrambled to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions to unlock a desperately needed bailout.

Month-on-month inflation was 3.72 percent, according to government data released Saturday, while the average inflation rate for the past year was 27.26 percent.

Years of financial mismanagement and political instability have pushed Pakistan's economy to the brink of collapse, exacerbated by a global energy crisis and devastating floods that submerged a third of the country in 2022.

The country needs billions of dollars of financing to service existing debt, while foreign exchange reserves have dwindled and the rupee is in freefall.

Poor Pakistanis are feeling the brunt of the economic turmoil, and at least 20 people have been killed since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in crowd crushes at food distribution centres.

"The way inflation is rising, I believe a famine-like situation has been simmering," said Shahida Wizarat, a Karachi-based analyst.

At least 12 people were killed Friday in a crowd crush in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi at a factory distributing Ramadan alms.

The South Asian nation -- home to more than 220 million -- is deep in debt and must enact tough tax reforms and push up utility prices if it hopes to unlock another tranche of a $6.5 billion IMF bailout and avoid defaulting.

Inflation is expected to stay at "elevated" levels, the finance ministry said, "owing to market frictions caused by relative demand and supply gap of essential items, exchange rate depreciation and recent upward adjustment of administered prices of petrol and diesel."

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Bad News For Kohli's RCB! Star All-Rounder To Miss Part Of IPL 2023 Season

Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener against Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar said that Sri Lankan all-rounder will be available for the side only after April 9 due to his international cricket commitments. RCB will take on MI in their IPL 2023 campaign opener on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. "Wanindu Hasaranga will be unavailable for us till the ninth of this month," said Bangar in the pre-match press conference. Hasaranga was the leading wicket-taker for RCB last season and was the second-highest wicket-taker overall with 26 scalps in 16 matches at an average of 16.53 and an economy rate of 7.54. His best bowling figures in the last season were 5/18.

England pacer Reece Topley will be a like-for-like replacement for Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, who will be missing out on the first half of the league due to an achilles injury, said the coach.

"We sort of anticipated it (Hazlewood missing IPL games) and it was factored in the auction and pre-auction meetings. Reece Topley provides a like-to-like replacement for him. I am sure that his left-arm bowling will add to the strength of our bowling," said Bangar.

On the status of Rajat Patidar, who is also expected to miss the first half of IPL due to a heel injury, Bangar said that the batter is undergoing treatment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and the franchise is awaiting clarification from him.

The coach also added that star Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who recently made his return to cricket in the ODI series against Australia after a leg injury sustained last year, has been cleared to play by Cricket Australia (CA) and will play on Sunday.

Bangar revealed that the franchise wanted to sign New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell during the auction last year, but had to sign Will Jacks, an England all-rounder due to the auction sequence. The all-rounder is now in the team as a replacement for an injured Jacks."

"Bracewell is a versatile player. He can bat at the top and lower down the order. We will be looking to make the best use of him," added Bangar.

On playing at the home ground of M Chinnaswammy Stadium after a gap of over three years, Bangar said, "Boys are excited. The build-up was very nice. We had this RCB Unbox event and also the Hall of Fame event that the team management did. The response to these events was nice and it gave goosebumps to the new boys who have not experienced the atmosphere at the Chinnaswammy Stadium. Hope fans will continue providing the energy like they do always."

Last year, RCB qualified for playoffs and lost to Rajasthan Royals in qualifier 2 by seven wickets.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Squad strength: 25 players (overseas 8)

Players bought during IPL 2023 auction - Reece Topley (Rs 1.9 crore), Himanshu Sharma (Rs 20 lakh), Will Jacks (Rs 3.2 crore), Manoj Bhandage (Rs 20 lakh), Rajan Kumar (Rs 70 lakh), Avinash Singh (Rs 60 lakh).

Players retained - Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep.

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Ashok Gehlot's "Cops Should Ask Amit Shah" Retort To "Frame Modi" Comment

Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has dared Home Minister Amit Shah to name the officers of a central agency who the BJP leader alleged had put pressure on him to frame his party colleague and the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in a fake encounter case.

Mr Gehlot said if the Delhi Police can ask Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to give details of women in Jammu and Kashmir who have alleged sexual harassment, the same cops can surely ask Mr Shah to give the names of the officers who wanted him to frame Narendra Modi before he became Prime Minister in 2014.

During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Mr Gandhi had alleged  "women were still being sexually assaulted" in the Union Territory. After the yatra ended and 45 days later, a Delhi Police team knocked on Mr Gandhi's doors thrice in five days, which the Congress termed unprecedented harassment. The Congress alleged the cops won't do any such thing if BJP leaders gave controversial comments at public events.

"What did the women tell Rahul Gandhi in Kashmir? That they have been abused, harassed. And what happened after that - Delhi police arrived at Rahul Gandhi's door. Rahul said he will respond to the cops' notice, but the police again arrived at his home," Mr Gehlot told NDTV.

"So will the Delhi police also send a notice to Amit Shah for saying that the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) was putting pressure on him to frame Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an alleged fake encounter case in Gujarat when he was being questioned by the probe agency during the Congress-led UPA government. That's why I am asking, will the Delhi Police question Amit Shah like they questioned Rahul Gandhi? I think they should," Mr Gehlot said.

Mr Shah yesterday at the 'News 18 Rising India' programme alleged the CBI had put pressure on him to frame PM Modi in a fake encounter case in Gujarat back when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. The Home Minister was replying to a question on the opposition's allegations that central agencies have been sent to harass them frequently with false cases.

"The CBI put pressure on me to frame Modi ji (when he was Gujarat Chief Minister) in a fake encounter case during the Congress government," Mr Shah said.

The BJP has also often cited alleged misuse of central agencies when the Congress was in power.

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US Chipmaker Micron's Products to Be Examined in China for Cybersecurity Risks

China's cyberspace regulator will conduct a cybersecurity review of products sold in the country by US memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology, the regulator said on Friday.

The move, which comes amid a spat over chip technology between Washington and Beijing, is aimed at protecting the security of the supply chain for critical information infrastructure, prevent hidden risks and safeguard national security, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a brief statement.

It gave no other details, including which Micron products it was reviewing.

The United States has imposed a series of export controls on chipmaking technology to China for fear it could be used to produce chips for applications such as artificial intelligence which could be used by China's military, and blacklisted a number of China's largest chip firms, including Micron rival Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd.

Micron, one of the world's largest memory chip makers, did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The company's shares fell 3 percent on Friday.

"Punitive actions against Micron could suggest a broader shift in Chinese policy with other US vendors with large Chinese exposure now potentially at risk of similar actions," Wedbush Securities analyst Matthew Bryson said.

On Friday, Japan announced it would align its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips. The Netherlands, which makes advanced lithography equipment critical for the manufacture of advanced chips, made a similar announcement earlier this month.

Weak consumer demand has roiled the memory chip market, which is dominated by South Korea's Samsung Electronics.

Micron derives around 10 percent of its revenue from China, but it was not clear if the review would affect the company's sales to non-Chinese customers in the country.

The larger chunk of the company's products flowing into China are being purchased by non-Chinese firms for use in products manufactured in the country, according to analysts.

Micron has offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as a chip packaging facility in the city of Xian. In early 2022, the company announced it would shut its DRAM design operations in Shanghai.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a hefty price tag compared to the company's 2022 flagship model. How does it fare against other high-end phones launched in 2023? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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Watch: Tamannah Bhatia, Arijit Singh Light Up IPL 2023 Opening Ceremony

Star singer Arijit Singh and well-known actress Tamannah Bhatia thrilled fans with their performances at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opening ceremony at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. The crowd was left spellbound as Arijit performed blockbusters like "Ae Wataan" from the film "Raazi", "Lehda Do" from the movie "83" and "Kesariya" from "Brahmastra". Tamannah also joined the show with a thrilling performance on songs like "Tum Tum" and "Oo Antava" from "Pushpa: The Rise". Rashmika Mandanna was the other star attraction of the event.

𝘿𝙖𝙯𝙯𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧!@tamannaahspeaks sets the stage on 🔥🔥 with her entertaining performance in the #TATAIPL 2023 opening ceremony! pic.twitter.com/w9aNgo3x9C

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2023

Defending champions Gujarat Titans will take on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of IPL 2023. The match will be a battle between two generations of Indian cricket. At one side will be CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who took Indian cricket to new heights of success in the late 2000s to early 2010s by clinching the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup (2007), ICC Cricket World Cup (2011) and ICC Champions Trophy (2013) and became the only skipper to win three major titles.

𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨!

How about that for a performance to kick off the proceedings 🎶🎶@arijitsingh begins the #TATAIPL 2023 Opening Ceremony in some style 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/1ro3KWMUSW

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2023

Dhoni replicated this success in IPL, leading the team to the title on four occasions. On the other side is GT skipper Hardik Pandya, who was pushed into superstardom after leading GT to the title in their debut season. Pandya has also led India to some wins at the international level in the shorter format and is making a case for himself as a future white-ball skipper.

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans will be facing a huge weight of expectations after clinching the title in their debut season. To prove that their title win was not a fluke, they would have to start this season well against the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings.

Gujarat Titans squad: Abhinav Manohar, Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya(c), Rahul Tewatia, Matthew Wade(w), Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Srikar Bharat, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Urvil Patel, Vijay Shankar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Odean Smith, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma and Pradeep Sangwan.

Chennai Super Kings squad: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwaine Pretorius, Deepak Chahar, Simarjeet Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Bhagath Varma, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki and Akash Singh.

(With ANI inputs)

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