Prime Minister Modi spoke to those who got the Corona vaccine in Varanasi

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January 22, 2021

A stretch of road in Andrews Ganj in south Delhi will soon be named the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput as the area’s civic body has cleared a proposal for it, officials said on Thursday.

Sushant, who would have turned 35 on Thursday, was found dead at his Bandra residence in Mumbai on June 14 last year. His fans and admirers took to social media to remember the actor whose untimely demise was followed by a high-profile investigation.

SDMC’s Congress councillor Abhishek Dutt shared the proposal with civic body’s road naming and renaming committee in September 2020. “It was cleared by the SDMC House in its meeting yesterday,” an official was quoted as saying by PTI.

Abhishek Dutt sent a written proposal to the committee in which he mentioned that many people living in the area abutting Road No 8 hail from the state of Bihar. He claimed that ‘they demanded’ to name the stretch from South Delhi’s Andrews Ganj to Indira Camp as Sushant Singh Rajput Marg in his memory.

Dutt also went on to add that the decision of naming the road came in after a mutual consensus from all political parties including AAP and BJP.

Swann: Indian series is much difficult than Ashes

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Harshit

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January 22, 2021

Former English cricketer Graeme Swann believes that performance in Ashes should not be the yardstick for judging the England players. He said that the current England team must aspire beyond the Ashes as ‘Australia is not the best team in the world anymore’.

The former English spinner has said that beating India on their home soil will now be the benchmark and teams have to perform at their best in order to beat India anywhere in the world.

“England always saying ‘well the Ashes are coming up’. Bocks to that. If you want to be the best team in the world, let’s be the best team all over the planet, not just trying to beat Australia away. We have to move away from looking forward to the Ashes series. It’s a mentality ingrained in this country. Australia are not the best team in the world anymore. They used to be, by miles, and they were the benchmark to strive for,” Swann told The Sun.

“They’re not now, but we’re obsessed with this. I think beating India in India is a far higher thing to strive for right now. They’re virtually unbeatable in India since we beat them in 2012. Why isn’t that the whole thing? Why aren’t people saying ‘right, this is a chance to get this team with good players of spin, use their feet, change the whole way we face spin bowling, and then we can beat India’.”

Greame Swann was the part of England’s hostoric win against India in the Indian soil. England won the series by 2-1 with the heroics of Monty Panesar and Greame Swann.

Suswagatam Khushaamadeed: Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle to romance Pulkit Samrat

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January 22, 2021

Katrina Kaif’s sister and actor Isabelle has bagged her third Bollywood film and is all se to romance Pulkit Samrat in Suswagatam Khushaamadeed. The film is a social entertainer which promotes social harmony among people of different colour, cast and religion. While Pulkit essays the role of a Delhi boy Aman, Isabelle will be seen as Noor who resides in Agra.

Isabelle took to Instagram to share the first stills from her new project which shows her and Pulkit dressed in their traditional best attires. Sharing the picture, she wrote, “She wrote, “Namaste – Aadaab Ab hogi jaldi aapse mulaqaat! So excited to share with you guys the first look of Suswagatam Khushaamadeed.”

See the first look here:

Salman Khan also took to his Instagram handle and shared the photo. He wrote along, “Arre wah pullku n Isa .. u gus r looking amazing together in #SuswagatamKhushaamadeed .. congrats n all the best . God bless @isakaif @pulkitsamrat”

Meanwhile, talking about his chemistry with Isabelle, Pulkit said, “Ask Pulkit about their on-screen chemistry and he quips, “I must say that our chemistry is quite sensational. People on the set say that our team is a crackling one. Isabelle has brought fresh energy on the set. She’s extremely hard-working and has impressed everyone on the set. She is stunning and brings a streak of innocence to her character. She has left me mesmerized.”

Isabelle is yet to make her debut but has already bagged a number of projects in Bollywood. She was first signed for Kwatha opposite Aayush Sharma and also has a dance film with Sooraj Pancholi.

Dharmendra showers Mohammed Siraj with praises for playing match despite father’s death

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January 22, 2021

Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra has lavished India cricketer Mohammed Siraj with praises for playing against Australia in the recently culminated series. The actor commended the cricketer for putting his best foot forward on the ground despite his irreplaceable loss. Before the series against Australia started, Siraj has lost his father but didn’t return home as he wanted to be there for the team.

Taking to Twitter, Dharmendra shared a picture of Siraj and penned down an emotional message. “Siraj , Brave Heart son of India Love you …Naaz hai tujh par, dil par walid ki maut ka sdma liye tum watan ki Aan ke liye match khelte rahe ..aur ek unhoni jeet watan ke naam darj kar ke lote..Kal tujhe apne walid ki qabbr par dekh kar mun bhar aya . jannt naseeb ho unhein (I am so proud of you. You carrying the pain of your father’s death in your heart but played for the glory of the country and registered an unexpected victory before you came back. It made my heart heavy to see you at your father’s grave yesterday. May he be welcomed into heaven),” Dharmendra wrote in his letter.

Siraj , Brave Herat son of India Love you …Naaz hai tujh par, dil par walid ki maut ka sdma liye tum watan ki Aan ke liye match khelte rahe ..aur ek unhoni jeet watan ke naam darj kar ke lote..Kal tujhe apne walid ki qabbr par dekh kar mun bhar aya . jannt naseeb ho unhein 🙏 pic.twitter.com/O4zrkSg54F
— Dharmendra Deol (@aapkadharam) January 22, 2021

The letter came after a picture of Siraj praying at his father’s grave went viral on the internet. Reportedly, after flying back home from Australia, the cricketer visited his father’s grave before even going home.

Earlier, talking to ANI, Siraj had credited his family for all his success and added that it was his father’s dream for him to play in Australia.

“I played in Ranji, India A and IPL that helped me to play for India. My family gave me confidence which motived me. Mom used to say to stay back in Australia and fulfil dad’s dream. I think my career has just begun. I don’t want to relax now. I want to improve my performance,” Siraj told ANI.

Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijayabaskar receives Covaxin jab

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January 22, 2021

Amid the doubts surrounding Covaxin’s efficacy rate and safety, Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar voluntarily took vaccine shot at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here on Friday, in a bid to instill trust amongst the health workers to come forward and actively participate in vaccination drive. As of now, 6497 health workers have received the jab in the state.

“I got my covaxin shot! Thanks to the team @gmcrgggh for the seamless experience. Appeal everyone to do it when your turn comes. Let’s end #Covid19 together,” Vijayabaskar tweeted.

I will be taking the #Covidvaccine shot at 9 am @gmcrgggh. I am doing this as a doctor & member of IMA, to instill confidence among Health Care Workers. I request all to get vaccinated and safeguard themselves from #COVID19. #COVIDVaccination @MoHFW_INDIA @CMOTamilNadu @TNDME1
— Dr C Vijayabaskar (@Vijayabaskarofl) January 22, 2021

Earlier he took to Twitter to say, ‘I am doing this as a doctor and member of IMA, to instill confidence among Health Care Workers. I request all to get vaccinated and safeguard themselves from #COVID19.’

As per the government’s order, only health and frontline workers are expected to be inoculated in the first phase of the vaccine drive.

Earlier this week, state health secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan also took the vaccine shot on the second day of vaccination drive in Trichy. “Both COVID-19 vaccines are safe. I am happy how healthcare workers in the state are responding to vaccination,” ANI quoted him as saying.

India started its nationwide vaccination programme on January 16 with two approved vaccines Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Covishield by Serum Institute of India. Even as Covaxin has been approved by the DCGI, the apprehension around its safety still remains a topic of discussion as Bharat Biotech is yet to release phase 3 analysis of the vaccine which is mandatory for a vaccine to be approved for public use.

According to reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may get a COVID shot in the second phase of the inoculation campaign. The phase two of the pan India vaccination drive will include people above the age of 50 and those below the age of 50 with serious comorbidities.

CBI files case against Cambridge Analytica for data theft of Facebook users

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January 22, 2021

The Central Investigation Agency CBI has registered a case against the UK-based Cambridge Analytica. A case has been registered on 5.62 lakh Indian Facebook users for stealing data. CBI has also initiated action against another UK company, Global Science Research, in the same case. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the CBI will investigate the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data theft case.

In response to the CBI, the social media company has been told that Global Science Research illegally submitted data of 5.62 lakh Indian Facebook users and shared it with Cambridge Analytica. It is alleged that Cambridge Analytica used this data to influence the elections in India.

In fact, personal data of 5.62 lakh Indian Facebook users was stolen. Which was blamed on UK-based political consulting company Cambridge Analytica. A few days ago, when the matter caught fire, the government came into action. During that time Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad gave a statement in Parliament. Also, there was talk of a CBI investigation in the case. Now CBI has registered a case in the same case.

On April 3, 2018, the company stated that it did not have any Facebook data of Indians. Whereas Facebook told the Indian government on April 5, 2018 that Cambridge Analytica has taken Facebook data of about 5,62,455 Indians through the installed app. Now CBI has started investigation after registering a case in this matter.

In fact, the whistleblower named Christopher Wylie had revealed that Facebook users’ data was used to influence the election. Christopher was an employee of Cambridge Analytica. After this, the Ministry had sought clarifications from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica in the matter.

Covid update: India’s recoveries cross 1.02 crore

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January 22, 2021

India has logged in 14,545 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hour, increasing the overall tally to 1,06,25,428, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in its latest update.
For the past 15 days, the country has been maintained its low streak of recording below 20,000 daily new infections. With 163 more people suffering virus related deaths, the overall fatality toll has now reached to 1,53,032, the ministry added.

As per the Ministry’s data, 1,02,83,708 people have recovered so far and currently there are 1,88,688 active cases. The recovery rate stands at 96.75 per cent, while the fatality rate at 1.44 per cent.

About 84 per cent of the daily new cases are reported from eight states — Kerala, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

The nationwide inoculation drive began across the country on January 16, with approval of two Covid vaccines — Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Covishield by SII– in the country.

As many as 9,99,065 beneficiaries have received the Covid vaccine jabs so far, with 1,92,581 people inoculated on Thursday.

Here’s some more updates:

*Nearly 1.4 lakh health workers in Uttar Pradesh will get vaccinated in the second round of the Covid-19 vaccination drive, to be held on Friday.

* Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has started the supply of the second consignment containing over 25 lakh doses of ‘Covaxin’ vaccine to 22 cities across the country.

* The US has registered a record high of over 4,300 daily Covid-19 deaths as the new administration took office.

* The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 103 newly confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 94 locally transmitted and nine arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said on Friday.

* The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has announced the commencement of Covid-19 vaccines pre-order program for all African Union (AU) members.

Meanwhile, the total number of global coronavirus cases has topped 97.4 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.08 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Deepak Hooda banned from domestic season by BCA

By

Harshit

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January 22, 2021

Indian cricketer Deepak Hooda has stoked into controversy and he has been suspended by the Baroda Cricket Association for this entire domestic season. The decision came yesterday by the apex council the decision was opposed by some of the members but it stayed.

Hooda had shown his anger and walked out of the team on the eve of the Syed Mustaq Ali T20 Tournament after a rift with the captain Krunal Pandya.

“The apex council decided that Hooda won’t be considered to represent the Baroda team for the current domestic season. The decision was taken after considering reports from team manager and coach about the incident as well as communication with Hooda,” said Satyajit Gaekwad, chairman, BCA press and publicity committee.

BCA joint secretary, Parag Patel said, “Hooda did the wrong thing by walking out of the team without discussing his issues with the management. But banning him for the entire season was unnecessary. He could have been reprimanded for his act and then allowed to play.”

Deepak Hooda was appointed as the vice-captain of Baroda for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy for this season. He stepped out from the team’s hotel on January 9 and dashed off an official mail to BCA management and accused Krunal Pandya of abusing him during the practice sessions.

Google threatens to take back search engine available in Australia

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January 22, 2021

Google has threatened to stop making its search engine available in Australia if the federal government’s proposed mandatory media bargaining code becomes law in its current form.

Managing director Mel Silva on Friday told a senate inquiry that the landmark code “remains unworkable”, despite government attempts to placate the web giant in a December revision.

US tech giants have fought back, arguing the laws are onerous and would damage local access to services.

Australian PM Scott Morrison said lawmakers would not yield to “threats”.

The proposed news code would tie Google and Facebook to mediated negotiations with publishers over the value of news content, if no agreement could be reached first.

“If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia,” she said.

Last week it was revealed Google was testing removing news sites, including Guardian Australia, from search results for about 1% of its Australian users as the company continued to push against a code that would force it to negotiate with news outlets to pay for linking to news articles in search results.

But on Friday Google said it was prepared to go much further, and pull the entire search function from Australia.

“Withdrawing our services from Australia is the last thing that Google want to have happen, especially when there is another way forward.”

The tech giants face $10 million fines if they don’t follow the rules of the proposed code, designed to ensure they pay for news.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg introduced the underpinning bill to parliament in December, praising the “world-leading” code.

One of Google’s main concerns is that it would have to pay all registered news businesses for having results through the platform’s search engine.

The company doesn’t want this and is instead offering to have its “news showcase” feature included, which allows users to read some stories that are otherwise behind paywalls.

PM Modi to talk with vaccine jab beneficiaries via a video conference

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January 22, 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact to the beneficiaries of the Covid vaccination campaign and the vaccinees in Varanasi today. The PM will interact with the beneficiaries through video conferencing at 1:15 pm. Participants in the conversation will share their direct experiences about vaccination.

The Prime Minister is constantly in dialogue and discussion with scientists, political leaders, officials and other stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of the world’s largest vaccination campaign.

PMO sources said that the Prime Minister and other elected representatives will get the vaccine in the second phase to increase the confidence of people towards the vaccine. This vaccine will be given to priority group over 50 years.

The Union Health Ministry said on Thursday that the number of vaccinated health workers had risen to 999,065 by 6 pm. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that this dialogue is to ensure the world’s largest immunization campaign smoothly after continuous dialogue and discussion with the Prime Minister, scientists, political leaders, officials and other stakeholders.

Karnataka: fierce explosion in shivamogga, 8 people dead, PM Modi expressed grief

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January 22, 2021

Karnataka Explosion – A big accident happened in Shivamogga, Karnataka last night. There was a lot of damage to homes due to a blast here, while a total of 8 people have been confirmed dead in this accident so far. According to the police, the blast was caused by dynamite, although a full investigation is still being done on it. Police say that so far two bodies have been recovered.

According to the local police, the place where this accident happened is about 5 km from Shivamogga city. A loud voice was heard around ten and a half on Thursday night. After which the local people complained, as well as on social media, the locals mentioned this blast.

According to the information, this accident occurred around 10:20 pm on Thursday night. People felt a big earthquake once. People ran away from homes. After receiving the information, the police reached the spot and laid siege to the blast and informed the bombing squad.

PM Narendra Modi has also expressed grief over this incident. He said – It was very sad to hear of Shivamogga incident. Condolences to bereaved families. I Pray to God to heal the wounded soon. The state government is providing all possible help to the affected.

District Collector of Shivamogga KB Shivkumar said, “Initial investigations have so far found that there were explosives in the car parked here. It is being ascertained why he was brought here. So far we have recovered 2 bodies. It is being circulated publicly that 10-15 people have died in the blast, but this is not substantiated by any facts. The police have started investigations, they have made little progress. We have also enlisted the help of the bomb disposal squad, so that they can come here and technically help us why the incident happened. The blast occurred around 10:20 pm last night. “

CM BS Yeddyurappa tweeted, “High level inquiry has been ordered into this unfortunate incident and strict action will be taken against the culprits”.

Bhawana Kanth, the first woman fighter pilot to attend the Republic Day parade

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January 22, 2021

Bhawana Kanth will be the first female fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day parade. She was also awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the hands of President Ram Nath Kovind last year.

This year will be the part of the tableau to be carried out in the Republic Day parade, whose theme is Make in India.

28-year-old Bhawana Kanth is one of the three women in the Indian Air Force fighter pilot team. She joined the Air Force in 2016 along with Avni Chaturvedi and Mohana Singh. Hailing from Darbhanga, Bihar, Kanth was born in Begusarai and did her schooling from Barauni Refinery DAV Public and did engineering from BMS College, Bengaluru. She wanted to become a pilot since childhood. In the year 2018, she made history by flying solo fighter aircraft. During this time she fly fighter aircraft (MiG-21) for 30 minutes. She became the second female pilot of the Indian Air Force to do so. Earlier, the flying officer Avni Chaturvedi did this by flying the MiG-21 Baijan aircraft alone.

Bhawana expressed her happiness that she has been watching the parade of Republic Day celebrations on TV since childhood. But this time, she is getting a chance to participate in this parade himself. Bhawana said that it is a matter of pride for her to attend the Republic Day Parade. She is busy preparing for this and she sincerely hopes that she will live up to the expectations of the people. Bhawana said that she wants to fly the other aircraft along with Rafale and Sukhoi in the Republic Day Parade.

Bhawana Kant wants to fly the rest of the plane along with Rafal and Sukhoi in the Republic Day Parade. The vintage aircraft Dakota will also be included in the parade at the Republic Day celebrations celebrated this year. In the 1971 war, Dakota had assumed a big responsibility. Bangladesh Army will also take part in the Republic Day Parade. This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the victory over Pakistan.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has congratulated Bhawana Kanth for this achievement. He tweeted and wrote, ‘Bhawana is going to be the first female fighter pilot to participate in the Republic Day Parade. This is a proud moment for the whole country ‘.

Bhawana is currently posted at an airbase in Rajasthan, where she flies a MiG-21 Bison fighter plane. On the occasion of International Women’s Day in the year 2020, President Ramnath Kovind honored Bhavna with the Nari Shakti Puraskar.

Baghdad: Islamic State said it was behind double suicide bombing

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January 22, 2021

The Islamic State (IS) group has said it was behind a double suicide bombing in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday that killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 100.

The target had been Shia Muslims, a statement from the Sunni Islamist militant group’s Amaq news agency said.

Suicide attacks, once an almost daily occurrence in the Iraqi capital, have halted in recent years since Islamic State fighters were defeated in 2017, part of an overall improvement in security that has brought normal life back to Baghdad.

“Daesh terrorist groups might be standing behind the attacks,” Civil Defence chief Major General Kadhim Salman told reporters, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The rare suicide bombing hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood was splattered on the pavement of the busy market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the disarray in the aftermath.

President Joe Biden signs executive orders to address Covid-19 challenges

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