Latest news with #Windows98
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Indian Express
Scan documents, convert to PDF, and save with Google Drive under a minute: Here's how
From Aadhaar Card to notes, scanning documents is something most of us often do on our phones. While scanning documents on Android is quick and easy, most people still manually convert them to a PDF and upload them to Google Drive. Here's how you can do these things in under a minute. The next time you open Google Drive, your scanned document will be available as a PDF. Like all files on the cloud storage, you will now be able to share it with others or download it on another device. This method is really handy if you often deal with multiple physical documents, which need to be converted into PDF files and share with others, since it saves you the hassle of manually converting images into PDF and then uploading it on your Google Drive. If you don't use Google Drive that often and want to quickly scan documents to share them on WhatsApp, here's how to do so in easy to understand manner. Anurag Chawake is a Senior Sub-Editor at His fascination with technology and computers goes back to the days of Windows 98. Since then, he has been tinkering with various operating systems, mobile phones, and other things. Anurag usually writes on a wide range of topics including Android, gaming, and PC hardware among other things related to consumer tech. His Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn user name is antechx. ... Read More
Ya Libnan
24-03-2025
- Business
- Ya Libnan
Lebanon, ravaged by war, needs changes to unlock aid. That could be a tall order
Clearing debris in Beirut after a strike in October. The World Bank estimates that Lebanon needs a total of $11 billion for reconstruction after the war. Credit David Guttenfelder for The New York Times By Euan Ward On his first day in office, Lebanon's new finance minister, Yassine Jaber, sat at his desk reading a color-coded report on the dire state of the ministry's operations. Nearly everything was marked in alarming red. The computers were decades old — some still ran on Windows 98. Like much of the government, the ministry relied on mountains of paper records, allowing dysfunction and corruption to fester. 'Things cannot continue as they are,' he sighed. To fix how it's run, Lebanon needs money. But to attract money, it needs to fix how it's run: For years, it has failed to enact sweeping financial and governance overhauls required to unlock billions in international financial assistance that it has needed to address a debilitating economic crisis. Now, that support is even more critical after the devastating 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that has long held political sway in this tiny Mediterranean country. A fragile truce is holding, but large parts of Lebanon are in ruins. Hezbollah has been left battered and cannot pay for reconstruction. Lebanon's new government is able to afford 'frankly none' of the bill, Mr. Jaber said. Foreign donors hold the key to Lebanon's recovery, but to meet their demands, the state must do what it has never done before: Undertake painful economic and structural changes while confronting the thorny issue of Hezbollah's arms. 'The foreign aid is not just charity,' said Paul Salem, the vice president for international engagement at the Middle East Institute in Washington. 'They are not going to give billions and billions of dollars unless their position is respected.' The total damage and economic loss from the war is estimated to be $14 billion, and Lebanon needs $11 billion to rebuild, the World Bank said this month, making the conflict the country's most destructive since its long civil war ended in 1990. Lebanon's Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, who represents Speaker Nabih Berri in the cabinet, a key all of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia 'It's very important to move fast on reconstruction; people are sleeping in tents. You have a whole part of Lebanon paralyzed,' said Mr. Jaber, on that day in his office last month. 'Everything today is a priority.' The devastation has compounded the country's economic woes, which began in 2019 when its financial system collapsed under the burden of state debt. That triggered a sovereign default and prompted banks to impose informal capital controls, leaving many Lebanese people with their life savings frozen. Lebanon reached a draft funding deal with the International Monetary Fund in 2022 that was billed as a lifeline for the country, but it was conditioned on changes, including addressing the country's weak governance and restructuring its financial sector. The government failed to deliver, hindered by deadlock and vested interests of the country's political elite. 'Lebanon has to start by helping itself,' Mr. Jaber said. 'How do you do that? By starting to show real action.' Mr. Jaber spoke with The New York Times the day after Lebanon's new government received a vote of confidence that has sidelined Hezbollah politically. Mr. Jaber, now one of the country's most powerful figures, holds the reins to public spending and is responsible for reconstruction efforts and securing foreign aid Hezbollah's patron, Iran is now largely unwilling to help in reconstruction because of its own crises, analysts said. The group has been further isolated by the collapse of another ally, the Assad regime in neighboring Syria. As a result, Hezbollah — so powerful before the war that it was widely considered a state within a state — cannot finance reconstruction, Mr. Jaber said. 'It's a different era,' he said. Lebanon has so far secured a pledge of $250 million in reconstruction aid from the World Bank, said Mr. Jaber, an initial loan that is part of a broader $1 billion fund to be provided by donor countries, but amounting to only 2 percent of what the World Bank says the country needs. Some experts question how quickly the government can make systemic changes. President Joseph Aoun has said that he hopes the foreign aid can come 'step by step' as new policies are implemented. Adding to the uncertainty, international assistance may depend on more than just a financial overhaul. Under the terms of the truce deal that ended the war in November, Hezbollah must also disarm — a task that could risk violence between Hezbollah's largely Shiite supporters and domestic opponents. Experts said that the United States and Gulf Arab countries consider disarmament a prerequisite for large-scale assistance. the war in November, Hezbollah must also disarm — a task that could risk violence between Hezbollah's largely Shiite supporters and domestic opponents. Experts said that the United States and Gulf Arab countries consider disarmament a prerequisite for large-scale assistance. The Lebanese government has promised to bring all weapons under the state's control, but it remains unclear how exactly it will achieve that, and if so, when. Mr. Jaber did not comment on disarming Hezbollah but noted that the group was an established political party with popular support and that its political role was not a point of contention. Hezbollah remains a potent military force, and some Lebanese officials have ruled out forcibly disarming it, hinting at a negotiated settlement. Earlier this month, the group's leader, Naim Qassem, implicitly rejected the idea that the 'resistance' would lay down its weapons. The government is 'being bombarded by both demands: painful economic and financial reforms, and strangling Hezbollah's finances and presence,' said Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. But, without funding first, 'you are pushing a government and a president, with no juice, to meet the most challenging goals.' Hezbollah officials have insisted that reconstruction must not be linked to overhaul demands, fearing a loss of support if the rebuilding process is drawn out, experts said. Nearly 100,000 people are displaced in Lebanon, according to the United Nations, the vast majority of them from Hezbollah's heartlands in the south. 'Reform will take a hell of a long time,' Mr. Hage Ali said. Seeking to reassure Hezbollah's supporters, Mr. Qassem, the group's leader, has promised compensation for each affected household of between $12,000 and $14,000, intended to cover rent costs and replace furniture. But the process has been marred by delays. With Hezbollah largely sidelined, a flurry of diplomatic efforts are underway to reassure foreign donors. Lebanese officials met this month with an I.M.F. delegation in Beirut, which Mr. Jaber said aimed to restart negotiations over the organization's long-awaited rescue package. A top European Union official said last month that Brussels would monitor the talks to assess whether Europe could offer its own financial aid. An immediate priority, Mr. Jaber said, is appointing a central bank governor who can set about reviving the country's banking sector. Lebanon has failed to name a successor since Riad Salameh stepped down from the role in 2023, facing accusations that he ran the world's largest Ponzi scheme for overseeing a strategy that required ever more borrowing to pay creditors. Lebanon's new leaders have also promised an external audit of all public institutions, part of a broader pledge to crack down on the corruption that has long plagued the country. Mr. Jaber said he was hopeful but acknowledged the uncertainty ahead. 'Where there is a will, there is a way,' he said. The government faces a test 'on the issue of their will.' The New York Times
New York Times
24-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Lebanon, Ravaged by War, Needs Changes to Unlock Aid. That Could Be a Tall Order.
On his first day in office, Lebanon's new finance minister, Yassine Jaber, sat at his desk reading a color-coded report on the dire state of the ministry's operations. Nearly everything was marked in alarming red. The computers were decades old — some still ran on Windows 98. Like much of the government, the ministry relied on mountains of paper records, allowing dysfunction and corruption to fester. 'Things cannot continue as they are,' he sighed. To fix how it's run, Lebanon needs money. But to attract money, it needs to fix how it's run: For years, it has failed to enact sweeping financial and governance overhauls required to unlock billions in international financial assistance that it has needed to address a debilitating economic crisis. Now, that support is even more critical after the devastating 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that has long held political sway in this tiny Mediterranean country. A fragile truce is holding, but large parts of Lebanon are in ruins. Hezbollah has been left battered and cannot pay for reconstruction. Lebanon's new government is able to afford 'frankly none' of the bill, Mr. Jaber said. Foreign donors hold the key to Lebanon's recovery, but to meet their demands, the state must do what it has never done before: Undertake painful economic and structural changes, while confronting the thorny issue of Hezbollah's arms. 'The foreign aid is not just charity,' said Paul Salem, the vice president for international engagement at the Middle East Institute in Washington. 'They are not going to give billions and billions of dollars unless their position is respected.' The total damage and economic loss from the war is estimated to be $14 billion, and Lebanon needs $11 billion to rebuild, the World Bank said this month, making the conflict the country's most destructive since its long civil war ended in 1990. 'It's very important to move fast on reconstruction; people are sleeping in tents. You have a whole part of Lebanon paralyzed,' said Mr. Jaber on that day in his office last month. 'Everything today is a priority.' The devastation has compounded the country's economic woes, which began in 2019 when its financial system collapsed under the burden of state debt. That triggered a sovereign default and prompted banks to impose informal capital controls, leaving many Lebanese people with their life savings frozen. Lebanon reached a draft funding deal with the International Monetary Fund in 2022 that was billed as a lifeline for the country, but it was conditioned on changes, including addressing the country's weak governance and restructuring its financial sector. The government failed to deliver, hindered by deadlock and vested interests of the country's political elite. 'Lebanon has to start by helping itself,' Mr. Jaber said. 'How do you do that? By starting to show real action.' Mr. Jaber spoke with The New York Times the day after Lebanon's new government received a vote of confidence that has sidelined Hezbollah politically. Mr. Jaber, now one of the country's most powerful figures, holds the reins to public spending and is responsible for reconstruction efforts and securing foreign aid. Hezbollah's patron, Iran, contributed heavily to reconstruction after their the group's last major conflict with Israel in 2006, but is now largely unwilling because of its own crises, analysts said. The group has been further isolated by the collapse of another ally, the Assad regime in neighboring Syria. As a result, Hezbollah — so powerful before the war that it was widely considered a state within a state — cannot finance reconstruction, Mr. Jaber said. 'It's a different era,' he said. Lebanon has so far secured a pledge of $250 million in reconstruction aid from the World Bank, said Mr. Jaber, an initial loan that is part of a broader $1 billion fund to be provided by donor countries, but amounting to only 2 percent of what the World Bank says the country needs. Some experts question how quickly the government can make systemic changes. President Joseph Aoun has said that he hopes the foreign aid can come 'step by step' as new policies are implemented. Adding to the uncertainty, international assistance may depend on more than just a financial overhaul. Under the terms of the truce deal that ended the war in November, Hezbollah must also disarm — a task that could risk violence between Hezbollah's largely Shiite supporters and domestic opponents. Experts said that the United States and Gulf Arab countries consider disarmament a prerequisite for large-scale assistance. The Lebanese government has promised to bring all weapons under the state's control, but it remains unclear how exactly it will achieve that, and if so, when. Mr. Jaber did not comment on disarming Hezbollah, but noted that the group was an established political party with popular support and that its political role was not a point of contention. Hezbollah remains a potent military force, and some Lebanese officials have ruled out forcibly disarming it, hinting at a negotiated settlement. Earlier this month, the group's leader, Naim Qassem, implicitly rejected the idea that the 'resistance' would lay down its weapons. The government is 'being bombarded by both demands: painful economic and financial reforms, and strangling Hezbollah's finances and presence,' said Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. But, without funding first, 'you are pushing a government and a president, with no juice, to meet the most challenging goals.' Hezbollah officials have insisted that reconstruction must not be linked to overhaul demands, fearing a loss of support if the rebuilding process is drawn out, experts said. Nearly 100,000 people are displaced in Lebanon, according to the United Nations, the vast majority of them from Hezbollah's heartlands in the south. 'Reform will take a hell of a long time,' Mr. Hage Ali said. Seeking to reassure Hezbollah's supporters, Mr. Qassem, the group's leader, has promised compensation for each affected household of between $12,000 and $14,000, intended to cover rent costs and replace furniture. But the process has been marred by delays. With Hezbollah largely sidelined, a flurry of diplomatic efforts are underway to reassure foreign donors. Lebanese officials met this month with an I.M.F. delegation in Beirut, which Mr. Jaber said aimed to restart negotiations over the organization's long-awaited rescue package. A top European Union official said last month that Brussels would monitor the talks to assess whether Europe could offer its own financial aid. An immediate priority, Mr. Jaber said, is appointing a central bank governor who can set about reviving the country's banking sector. Lebanon has failed to name a successor since Riad Salameh stepped down from the role in 2023, facing accusations that he ran the world's largest Ponzi scheme for overseeing a strategy that required ever more borrowing to pay creditors. Lebanon's new leaders have also promised an external audit of all public institutions, part of a broader pledge to crack down on the corruption that has long plagued the country. Mr. Jaber said he was hopeful but acknowledged the uncertainty ahead. 'Where there is a will, there is a way,' he said. The government faces a test 'on the issue of their will.'
New York Times
12-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Is Manchester United's data department ‘last century' – and how should it change?
When Patrick Dorgu's €30million move from Lecce was finally confirmed last month, there was something different about Manchester United's usually formulaic announcement of a new signing. This time, the official club statement came with a sprinkling of statistics. United's new left wing-back had 'won the second-most ground duels' and 'attempted the fourth most take-ons of any defender' in Serie A, it noted. Advertisement In August, there was a similar line included when United announced the arrival of Manuel Ugarte, who had 'averaged the second highest number of tackles per 90 minutes in Europe's major leagues' over the previous two seasons. These were small and largely inconsequential additions to the stock template, but after years of being accused of impulse-buying in the transfer market, here was United at least attempting to demonstrate their evidence-based decision-making, backed up by data. After all, that is what Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS counterparts promised upon taking charge of operations at Old Trafford last year. As a result, all aspects of United's day-to-day business, on and off the pitch, have since been scrutinised behind closed doors. One department was given a rather public dressing down, however. During an interview with United We Stand in December, while broadly labelling the modern-day United 'mediocre' and saying the club has 'drifted for a long period of time', Ratcliffe threw the club's data analysis into the spotlight. 'We must have the best recruitment in the world. Data analysis comes alongside recruitment,' Ratcliffe said. 'It doesn't really exist here. We're still in the last century on data analysis.' It is no secret that United were relatively late to football's data revolution and are playing catch-up. It is a gross over-exaggeration to effectively suggest United's data operations could run on Windows 98. 'Last century' was a rhetorical flourish rather than a fair reflection of reality, although it left no doubt as to Ratcliffe's opinion. But there was an important bit of context missing: the remarks came with United's data department in a state of flux, only a few months after the departure of director of data science Dominic Jordan. United are yet to replace Jordan, who practically built their approach to data science from scratch over his two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford and achieved much progress along the way, but whose exit left the department in need of new direction and leadership when there was still important work to be done. United announced Jordan's appointment as their data chief in October 2021, although he only started work the following spring. He was not just United's first director of data science, but their first data-specific hire of any kind, almost a decade later than the Premier League's pace-setters in the field. Advertisement The role was Jordan's first in football, having joined from N Brown Group, a Manchester-based online retailer, where he was director of data science and analytics. Jordan had also spent eight years as chief data scientist at transportation analytics firm Inrix. Upon his appointment, football director John Murtough said United made 'extensive' use of data in areas including analysis and recruitment, but added the club was seeking to 'strengthen our existing capabilities, and build new ones, as part of a more integrated approach'. Sources with knowledge of United's setup at the time, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, like others in this article, say it is correct that data was used across the club, particularly in the sports science department developed while Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge back in 2007. Data science, however, is said to have played little role in decision-making at the highest level. Important calls were often made by United's key decision-makers in isolation, meaning there were none of the formal decision-making processes that are necessary to incorporate sophisticated data analysis of the standard carried out at other Premier League clubs. United did not hold any subscriptions with private data providers, such as Statsbomb and Opta's Stats Perform, which supply metrics and location events for every on-ball action such as shots, passes and tackles that form the bedrock of any data department's work. Once the department was finally set up, United went about assessing data providers and establishing ways to put those resources to use. One of the department's earliest assignments was to assess managerial candidates to replace Ralf Rangnick during his interim spell in charge. Erik ten Hag was the unanimous choice according to the numbers and that analysis was used to support Murtough's decision to appoint him. Advertisement A multi-year plan was put in place to get the department up to speed. This included the introduction of a squad strategy process, where data-derived insights were delivered to Murtough and other key decision-makers to identify weaknesses within the first-team group and inform future transfer planning. Buy-in at the executive level was critical and came through Murtough, and there was an appreciation among the hierarchy that building the department would require time and investment. United made a further four data appointments over the course of the following year. Chris Shumba joined as head of data operations, following Jordan from N Brown, and Andrew Davies was hired as a data scientist specialising in machine learning. Shumba and Davies' work has predominantly focused on data engineering, which involves cleaning the raw data and building the models, systems and processes United had gone without. Others in the department liaise with coaching, performance and recruitment staff on the key insights and takeaways gathered from their analysis. Alex Kleyn joined from Southampton, where he was lead data scientist having worked at Norwich City, and Max Adema arrived as a data scientist from StatsBomb. A partnership was struck with United's shirt sleeve sponsor, IT services company DXC Technology, to assist with the department's data engineering work. In December, United posted a video on their official website highlighting the collaboration. DXC published a report detailing how the company has helped to build a 'distinctive architecture tailored for player data' at United, which has involved 'implementing a data strategy, cloud infrastructure, data ingestion framework and data processing framework'. Yet despite the added manpower on top of those four permanent appointments, United's data team is still considered small in comparison to the Premier League's standard-bearers. Advertisement Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford are able to rely upon the entire gambling research companies set up by their owners — Tony Bloom's Starlizard and Matthew Benham's SmartOdds respectively. At Carrington, Liverpool and Manchester City are viewed as benchmarks for success. Arguments to expand United's department have been made internally, but there have been no permanent data appointments since the summer of 2023. Club sources say more resources were part of the strategy that has been under review since Jordan's departure. The size of the department and scale of the task at hand has made it necessary to prioritise some aspects of the club's operations over others. Much of United's early work has focused on recruitment, as is often the case with clubs starting out with data, as it was felt that data methods could have the greatest immediate benefit in the transfer market. United had an internal scouting database called TrackerMan, a bank of scouting reports collected from the club's global army of talent-spotters. Although impressive in its breadth and depth of coverage due to the sprawling network of scouts, players in the system were identified through more traditional scouting methods, with reports based on impressions from watching games rather than underlying numbers. United's data unit began building statistical models that would help identify talent through the data supplied by providers and thereby not rely solely on scouts. Targets are assessed using an internal data recruitment platform and each of United's three January signings — Dorgu, teenage centre-back Ayden Heaven and left-back Diego Leon, who has joined on a pre-contract basis — were supported by the data department. Internally, however, it has been questioned whether this work has had a tangible impact in the transfer market and on the pitch over the past two-and-a-half years. United have still often spent lavishly on high-profile names, at times out of desperation and at short notice, while several of Ten Hag's signings were former players of his. Advertisement Others argue that data's value has been in prevention, with more sophisticated analysis narrowing the focus of executives and persuading them to avoid potential targets who would have proven to be mistakes. One area of contention has been United's use of tracking data: a branch of football data which goes beyond on-ball events and captures a fuller picture of what happens across the pitch, literally tracking every player's position, movement and actions at a rate of 25 frames per second. United have access to tracking data from the league-wide field provided to all Premier League clubs by data company Second Spectrum and use it in internal assessments of their players and opponents. Tracking data has only recently been used for recruitment purposes, however, and the club are now beginning to devise the more complex, sophisticated models required to derive the most value from tracking data. United are late to the party. A 2023 report by consultancy Left Field found that two-thirds of 27 leading clubs surveyed subscribed to private tracking data provider SkillCorner, although only six acquired data at its most granular and therefore insightful level. That delay was a deliberate choice. Those familiar with the thinking believe that expending time, energy and resources on building infrastructure to use tracking data before doing the basics right did not make good business sense. Instead, work on event data models that could influence decision-making immediately was the priority. Aside from recruitment, data science has been incorporated into other aspects of United's football operations, helping to inform performance analysis, player availability within the medical department, and the attempts to comply with financial fair play rules. But there is an acknowledgement that plenty of work remains to be done to fully integrate data across the club and that it could be better incorporated into almost every branch of United's football operations. Advertisement One criticism is the lack of a sleek, bespoke data platform that would allow other departments to access insights easily. Such a platform exists at INEOS-owned Nice, with its absence at United noted upon the arrival of Ratcliffe and the new hierarchy. It is something the club hopes to set up in future. Yet some argue that the key to club-wide data integration, and to any successful data department, is stability, which has been in short supply at Old Trafford over the past year. United are operating without a designated sporting director and, though champions of data science, those occupying the role during INEOS' first year in charge were not especially empowered in the first place. Murtough departed last April, but the writing was on the wall long before that, with the pursuit of his successor Dan Ashworth playing out publicly months in advance. Ashworth then only officially began work in July and left less than five months later, but not before proposing that United outsource the data analysis of potential replacements for Ten Hag. That lack of stability extends to the dugout. Different managers have different relationships with data and therefore bring different demands. Ten Hag is said to have taken a keen interest in data, requesting as much information as possible and often wanting it immediately after the final whistle, although he could be selective in what insights he chose to pay attention to. Ruben Amorim, by contrast, has United's data analysts feed information through his assistants, who then filter key messages back to the head coach. In his first few months in charge, Amorim has taken a particular interest in the squad's physical data, as he hinted he would while in conversation with Gary Neville during an interview for Sky Sports on his unveiling. 'We have to be better athletes,' he said. 'That is something we can acknowledge when we see the data. To press high, what is the average metres that you have run at high speed, to sprint etc. You have all the data so you already know your goal is to reach that (level).' Advertisement All that chopping and changing in key roles is hardly ideal, but crucially, there has been instability at the top of United's data department. Following Jordan's departure at the end of July, deputy football director Andy O'Boyle became the point of contact for data on an interim basis until his exit only a couple of months later. Without a permanent leadership figure in place, the department has been supported by Richard Hawkins, director of football insights and innovation, who was head of physical performance. Hawkins was the driving force behind a partnership between United and Manchester Metropolitan University's Institute of Sport, which has seen Ph.D. students work alongside the club's data scientists on research and innovation projects and feed into the department's work. After 17 years at United, he is a well-regarded figure and well-connected across the football department. But for United to keep building on the work of the past two-and-a-half years, and to avoid falling any further behind some of their rivals, clear leadership and direction from the top is required more than anything else. Before Christmas, an all-staff email announced that Gary Hemingway would become involved in the football data analysis, as well as working on the Old Trafford stadium project. Hemingway is group projects director at INEOS and a longstanding Ratcliffe lieutenant who has experience of working with data systems within the petrochemicals industry. He is not Jordan's replacement. Rather, his role is to review how United's data department could be improved and where it will sit in the sporting structure, which is still in flux following Ashworth's exit. Hemingway will also look at how any future investment in the department could be used. Despite the climate of cost-cutting and retrenchment at Old Trafford, there is said to be an understanding among INEOS and United's leadership of data science's importance and the need to improve the club's capabilities. Advertisement 'These things don't happen overnight. You can't just flick a light switch and sort out recruitment. It's all about people and we need to find the right people,' Ratcliffe added after those 'last century' remarks to United We Stand. And despite his criticism of United's late arrival to the world of data, Ratcliffe's words strike right at the heart of the issue the club faced before his arrival and still faces now, a year later. United are playing catch up at this cutting edge of the football industry and, despite making progress, there are no quick fixes. GO DEEPER A year of INEOS at Manchester United: Ruthless cost-cutting, hiring and an FA Cup
