Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India conducts Road Safety Awareness Campaign in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh

Vidisha,19th May 2023 Re-emphasizing the need to build a culture of safe riding habits in India, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) took forward its National Road Safety Awareness Campaign in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh.

Road Safety is a global priority for Honda. Through this three-day camp at Government Girls College in Vidisha, HMSI spread awareness on safe riding practices to more than 2500 college students and staff members. HMSI’s road safety instructors utilized age-appropriate road safety learning programs to enhance the retention of road safety awareness among all.

Speaking on HMSI’s commitment towards building a collision-free India, Mr. Vinay Dhingra – Senior Director, HR, Admin, IT & Corporate Affairs, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, “Road safety education is essential for developing a road safety mindset. HMSI has been conducting a Road safety awareness campaign to develop more responsible road users across the country. With this campaign, we aim to cultivate the right road safety habits amongst the new and upcoming riders as well as help them in understanding the importance of using the roads safely.”

HMSI’s National Road Safety Awareness program made learning fun yet scientific through:

1. SCIENTIFICALLY DEVISED LEARNING MODULE: Honda’s skilled instructors set the foundation with theory sessions on road signs & markings, driver’s duties on road, riding gear & posture explanation and safe riding etiquettes.

2. PRACTICAL LEARNING: A special training activity on Honda’s virtual riding simulator was executed for all to experience over 100 possible dangers on road before actual riding.

3. INTERACTIVE SESSION: Participants were given danger prediction training known as Kiken Yosoku Training (KYT) which helps in enhancing rider/driver’s sensitivity to danger and ensures safe driving behaviour on roads.

4. EXISTING DRIVERS HONING RIDING SKILLS: Students & school staff members who are already existing riders tested & honed their riding skills through slow riding activities and riding on narrow planks.

5. LEARNING IN A FUN WAY: To ensure that the young students could learn more about road safety, Honda also conducted fun educational activities like road safety games and quizzes on daily basis.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s CSR Commitment towards Road Safety:

For Honda globally, road safety comes first. As announced in April 2021, “Honda will strive for zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050”. Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility (CSR), HMSI has been promoting road safety in India since its start in 2001. Working towards the realization of Honda’s global safety vision, today HMSI’s road safety awareness initiative has already spread to more than 50 lac Indians. Its team of skilled safety instructors conducts daily programs at its 10 adopted traffic parks across India and 6 Safety Driving Education Centers (SDEC).

Not only this, all of HMSI’s 1000+ dealerships across India spread road safety awareness. HMSI’s proprietary virtual riding simulator increases the risk-prediction ability of riders; while new customers too are given predelivery safety advice (PDSA) before they start riding at every dealership across India.

Additionally, to ensure that learning does not stop in the new normal, HMSI started the digital road safety education initiative – Honda Road Safety E-Gurukul. Since its start in May’20, this initiative has sensitized more than 8 Lac Indians on the importance of being aware & responsible road users.

BPCL Partners with Aspen Technology Inc. to Revolutionize Crude Oil Sourcing and Real-Time Optimization

Mumbai,19th May 2023 – BPCL, a leading player in the energy industry, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Aspen Technology Inc., USA. This partnership aims to integrate Aspen Tech’s process simulation solution with BPCL’s BPMARRK® software, enabling the generation of complete assay data within a fraction of the time it would traditionally take using laboratory methods. Assay, a comprehensive chemical analysis of crude oil, plays a vital role in predicting the volume and quality of refined products resulting from refining processes.

The groundbreaking BPMARRK® technology predicts a detailed Crude Oil Assay for any unknown crude oil within an impressive timeframe of 2 to 5 minutes, utilizing just four physical parameters as input. By providing comprehensive crude characteristics, the tool empowers refiners to anticipate the volume and quality of refined products with utmost accuracy.

During the MOU signing event, BPCL also unveiled K Model®, an innovative web-based software that enables swift and precise prediction of crude oil blend compatibility and optimization for any number of crude oils within minutes. K Model® empowers refiners to select the most suitable crude oil blend based on economics, availability, and processing feasibility in real-time. This allows for simultaneous evaluation of multiple blend options, enabling optimal decision-making.

Mr. Sanjay Khanna, Director (Refineries), BPCL, delivered a remote address to the attending audience. In his speech, he stated that, “Refiners often process mix of crude oils, for which accurate assay is not available on real-time basis. Variations in crude quality as well as lack of reliable crude assay information makes the task of real-time optimization extremely challenging if not impossible. BPMARRK® generates the entire assay within one hour as compared to several weeks through conventional laboratory methods, and it predicts detailed Crude Oil Assay with more than 500 data information of any unknown crude oil within 2-5 minutes making it extremely useful for real-time applications.”

Further, Dr. Ravi Kumar V., Head (R&D), BPCL said, “BPMARRK® will benefit our community of users with faster and more accurate decision-making for the characterization of crudes and maximize the refinery profitability.”

Sunil Patil, Senior Director, Solution Consulting at AspenTech, said: “AspenTech is pleased to expand its long-standing partnership with BPCL to ensure operational excellence and generate sustainability advances from more informed feedstock selections and value additions to its accurate processing in crude distillation units. In addition, the integrated solution will enable real-time decisions in response to changing operating conditions.”

Combining the power of BPMARRK® with Aspen Technology’s digital twin models, this collaboration is set to revolutionize crude oil sourcing and real-time optimization. The integrated solution can be seamlessly implemented in any refinery configuration, empowering real-time applications across the industry.

K Model® – another major initiative from BPCL – brings unique capabilities in predicting crude oil blend compatibility, thereby significantly impacting profit margins for refiners dealing with large crude mix parcels. Refiners processing mix parcels comprising 4 to 10 crude oils from different sources will find K Model® indispensable, as it allows for the selection of crude mix parcels with more constituents, ultimately increasing overall profitability.

BPCL remains committed to adopting cutting-edge technology solutions to enhance refinery operations, ensuring optimal performance, profitability, and environmental responsibility. The integration of K Model® and BPMARRK® digital twin models in Aspen online interfaces marks a transformative milestone in crude oil sourcing and real-time optimization.

Ahead of EORS, Myntra launches ‘My Stylist’, a pioneering ‘AI-based personal style assistant

Bengaluru, 19th May 2023: Myntra, India’s leading destination for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, has introduced a revolutionary feature on the platform, called ‘My Stylist’, an AI powered end-to-end automated personal style guide for its customers. This unique concept is set to revolutionize shopping for fashion and lifestyle at large, with the digital style assistant recommending the right outfits and suggesting a complete look to the users. Ahead of the 18th edition of the highly-anticipated End of Reason Sale (EORS), its biannual fashion event, Myntra is all set to cater to the outfit styling aspirations of shoppers like never before and taking fashion to the next level with this next-gen product discovery and purchasing feature.

‘My Stylist’ has been created to tackle the daunting task of putting together the perfect outfit. Styling requires a deep understanding of a broad range of properties including colour, shape, pattern and fabric, along with awareness of current fashion trends and an individual’s style preferences, to be able to get that perfect outfit. ‘My Stylist’ fulfills these requirements of customers in a way that is scalable, automated, customisable and in real-time. ‘My Stylist’ utilizes Artificial Intelligence to offer customers complete shoppable outfit recommendations based on four different factors: uploaded images from their offline wardrobes, their purchase history on the app, browsing history on the app, and what’s currently trending on the platform, thus giving instant access to styling options and enhancing their shopping experience, making it visual, fun and instantly gratifying.

The pioneering product has been developed in-house and will be unique to the platform, while also being a one-of-its-kind offering at this scale in the Indian e-commerce fashion ecosystem. The feature throws recommendations from ~4.5 lakh styles from the fashion and lifestyle categories currently, which includes all topwear, bottomwear, footwear and accessories. Since the launch of the feature, ‘My Stylist’ has witnessed good adoption. It is currently the highest used feature on the floating action button or ‘M-Explore’ on the homepage of the app, with a high engagement rate and click through rate (CTR) of over 65%. The company expects nearly ~80% of its customers to engage with recommendations from ‘My Stylist’ feature on trial by the end of this year.

How customers can use ‘My Stylist’

For customers who have shopped before on Myntra, My Stylist helps them find and shop for a complete look based on any apparel product they bought recently on the app, recently browsed products, or popular outfits on the platform based on which outfits are generating maximum engagement from users. For new customers, the feature also enables them to upload images of any product from their offline wardrobe, and get pairing ideas. New and existing users can also play around with the feature by taking a picture or uploading an image from their phone gallery of any offline product from their wardrobe and checking out pairing ideas to complete an outfit. The feature lets users ‘shop the entire look’ at the click of a button.

The Tech Behind My Stylist

Myntra’s in-house artificial intelligence (AI) technology, machine learning (ML) models and computer vision algorithms, along with expertise of subject matter experts in curation and styling, is used to power My Stylist’s ‘Fashion Object Detection’, ‘Image Search’, and ‘Outfit Recommendations’ features. These aspects use an AI algorithm that taps into the platform’s catalogue data via deep convolutional neural networks and is also trained using a Bi-LTSM model that expands dataset from Myntra’s catalogue, which enables the feature to handle a high-volume of requests.

Introducing the ‘My Stylist’ feature, Raghu Krishnananda, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Myntra, said, “ The launch of ‘My Stylist’ takes our commitment of democratising fashion using technology, a notch higher! Powered by machine learning and AI-based technology, this first-of-its-kind innovation at scale in the fashion space in India, is poised to further take the customers’ shopping experience to the next level by recommending looks with an understanding of fashion. Our team of experts has worked tirelessly to ensure that this feature is user-friendly, and intuitive, and from what we have gathered since the launch, we are confident that our customers all across will love to have access to this expert stylist at their fingertips through the much loved Myntra app.”

Roadmap for ‘My Stylist’

The feature currently covers the fashion and lifestyle segments, with plans in the pipeline to include other categories including beauty and an increased number of styles as well. Myntra also plans to include elements like ‘Your Digital Wardrobe’ and ‘Save the Look’, along with additional customizable user options, which consider factors like trends, age, gender, body type, and personal style, in subsequent phases.

Users can access ‘My Stylist’ via a floating action button on Myntra’s homepage, with banners and picture-in-picture videos informing them about the same.

CDRI hosts Youth Delegation from Brazil and Latin American countries under G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group to promote Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

New Delhi: A 35-member team from Brazil and other Latin American countries visited the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) under a G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group initiative ‘Troika Youth for Disaster Risk Reduction & Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’. The delegation included Ms Daniela de Rogatis, Founder of Legado and the Head of the Delegation; Ms Mrinalini Shrivastava, Director (G20), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA); and Dr Sushma Guleria, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).

CDRI shared its youth-centric initiatives, which are playing a pivotal role in promoting disaster resilient infrastructure. These initiatives include the Fellowship Programme, which facilitates transformative, actionable, and scalable solutions for real-world issues of DRI; the IRAX initiative, which aims to develop a global network of academic institutions promoting resilient infrastructure; and the Young Professionals Programme, which recognizes the importance of investing in youth as vital stakeholders for a more resilient future.

CDRI also shared insights on its other ongoing projects in Power, Transport, Telecom, Health and Urban infrastructure sectors, and the programme for SIDS – Infrastructure for Resilient Island States.

“The unprecedented challenges posed by climate uncertainties and increasing frequency and impact of disasters make it imperative for countries to work collaboratively. As part of our mandate to ensure a more resilient future, CDRI is focused on youth initiatives that can facilitate shaping a robust and resilient future,” said Mr. Amit Prothi, Director General, CDRI.

To showcase sustainable and resilient infrastructure practices in large infrastructure projects, the Delegation also visited the flagship Regional Rapid Transit System project, connecting Delhi and Meerut on May 16, being built by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a joint venture between Govt. of India and the states of the NCR region.

Prime Minister Modi has spearheaded the formation of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), which focuses on resilient infrastructure that can withstand and recover from the impacts of natural disasters. CDRI aims to promote research, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building for disaster resilient infrastructure. Through CDRI, Prime Minister Modi has emphasized the importance of planning and implementing sustainable and resilient infrastructure at the ongoing G20 Summit in India.

Check Point Research discovers malicious firmware implant Horse Shell targeting popular TP-Link routers

New Delhi, 18th, May 2023- Check Point Research (CPR) has been monitoring a series of targeted cyberattacks on European foreign affairs entities, which have been linked to the Chinese state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group named “Camaro Dragon” by CPR.

In a recent blog post, Check Point Research shared their comprehensive analysis of Camaro Dragon’s attacks, revealing a malicious firmware implant tailored for the popular TP-Link routers. Named “Horse Shell”, the custom backdoor provides attackers with full control of the infected devices and allows the threat actor to anonymize their activities and access compromised networks.

Highlights :

Check Point Research discovered and analyzed a custom TP-Link firmware image affiliated with the Chinese state-sponsored actor “Camaro Dragon”.
The firmware image contained several malicious components, including a custom MIPS32 ELF implant dubbed “Horse Shell”. In addition to the implant, a passive backdoor providing attackers with a shell to infected devices was found.
“Horse Shell”, the main implant inserted into the modified firmware by the attackers, provides the attacker with 3 main functionalities:

•  Remote shell
•  File transfer
•  SOCKS tunneling

The deployment method of the firmware images is still unclear, as well as its usage and involvement in actual intrusions.
Not only TP-Link

The discovery of the firmware-agnostic nature of the implanted components indicates that a wide range of devices and vendors may be at risk. Check Point Research has emphasized the importance of updating and securing network devices against potential threats.

Protection

Through their ongoing investigation, Check Point Research aims to provide a better understanding of the techniques and tactics utilized by the Camaro Dragon APT group and contribute to improving the security posture of organizations and individuals alike.

To protect against similar attacks, Check Point Research recommends network protections, such as monitoring traffic with unique and hard-coded headers, regularly updating device firmware and software, and changing default login credentials on internet-connected devices.

Quote: Itay Cohen, Research Lead in Check Point Research:

“The ‘Horse Shell’ router implant is an intricate piece of malicious firmware that showcases the advanced capabilities of the Chinese state-sponsored attackers. Through analyzing this implant, we can gain valuable insights into the tactics and techniques used by these attackers, which can ultimately contribute to better understanding and defending against similar threats in the future.

The firmware-agnostic nature of the implanted components suggests that a wide range of devices and vendors could potentially be at risk. It is crucial for organizations and individuals to maintain vigilance by updating their network devices regularly and implementing strong security measures to combat such advanced threats.”