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Chereographer and director Remo D’Souza suffers heart attack, admitted to ICU

By
Jyoti B
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Choreographer and director Remo D’Souza has suffered a heart attack and is currently admitted in the ICU Mumbai’s Kokilaben Hospital.

His wife Lizelle D’Souza told The Indian Express, “It was a blockage. Doctors have done an angiography. Next 24 hours are very important.”

Just a few hours ago, Remo had shared the poster of his music video ‘Dil Na Todunga’, that features Siddarth Gupta and Karishma Sharma on his Instagram handle. The music video will be releasing on December 13, 2020. Posting the update, he wrote ” Some hearts understand each other in silence, while some hearts break each other in silence. But sometimes all love makes you do, is promise that #dilnatodunga. #dilnatodunga teaser out now.”

He made his TV debut with the dance reality show Dance India Dance along with choreographer Terence Lewis and Geeta Kapoor as judges and mentors.

Remo has also directed Bollywood films like ABCD, Street Dancer 3D and Race 3 among others.

Dharmesh Yelande, dancer who has collaborated with D’Souza on many projects, meanwhile said that he was at the hospital to check in on D’Souza’s health and that he was doing better now.

Yelande was quoted in ETimes, saying, “Remo sir is fine now, he is doing well. He had to go through a surgery and everything is fine. We are not allowed inside but we are constantly in touch with his wife Lizelle D’Souza over calls.”

SII to only get emergency use nod after UK approves Covishield

By
Shivani Negi
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Serum Institute of India, which is currently manufacturing AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine developed in collaboration with Oxford, is expected to get approval for emergency use authorization as soon as UK drug regulator give it a go.

According to a TOI report, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is currently evaluating the data to determine the best dosage regimen for the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.

An official, as quoted by TOI, said that the regulatory approval in the UK will strengthen SII’s application which have sought emergency use of its vaccine candidate -Covishield — in India. The official further said that it is a sensitive matter as none of the countries have approved the vaccine yet. He said that the permission can only be granted once they ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

The regulatory approval in the UK is crucial to strengthen SII’s application seeking emergency use authorisation in India because the proposal here refres to trials being conducted in the UK and Brazil. Moreover, the vaccine is yet ot be approved in any country. It is a sensitive amtter and only once we are sure of the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of the vaccine, we can grant apporoval.

Covishield has shown different efficacy rates in different dose regimens. While two full doses regimen showed 62 per cent efficacy, half dose and full dose regimen turned out to be 90 per cent effective.

Apart from SII, Bharat Biotech and Pfizer have also applied for emergency use authorization of their vaccine candidates in the country.

Considering the overall situation, it is most likely that Pfizer may get approval as it has an efficacy rate of over 95 per cent. Moreover the vaccine has been approved by a number of countries including the UK, Bahrain and Canada.

On the other hand, Bharat Biotech is still conducting phase 3 trials and has only sought the permission on the basis of successful phase 1 and phase 2 trials.

Rich country will be back to normalcy by 2021: Bill Gates

By
Shivani Negi
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American philanthropist Bill Gates hass expressed confidence that the world will be back to normacly by 2022 following the covid-19 pandemic that has taken every country of the world by storm.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, the Microsoft co-founder said that the first half of 2022 will largely bring the end to the pandemic.

His statement came hours after Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced to provide monetary help of a further $250 million to develop the lifesaving tools to curb the covid-19 infection.

Acknowledging the significant progress on the vaccine front, Gates said that it’s very impressive that we have a vaccine in 12 months.

When asked if vaccine supply would be a hurdle that can be solved by the middle of 2022, Gates assured that other vaccine candidates would get regulatory approval by 2021 and it will then be only logistics approach to deliver the vaccines.

“I think we will raise the money and we’ll have the manufacturing capacity, and so that, you know, for the rich world in 2021 and for the world as a whole… in the first half of 2022, we should be able to get the vaccine coverage that largely brings this pandemic to an end,” Gates said.

However, Gates asserted that even as the vaccine candidates have prove safety, there is always a chance of reinfection and we have to be cautious and follw covid-19 guidelines until we get rid of this virus completely.

“We really need to get this virus eliminated, almost everywhere or else we have seen even in countries that have done a super good job – like Australia or Singapore or Hong Kong or South Korea – they always run a risk of re-infection. So they’ve had to restrict tourism and other travel, but by summer that will start to open up. They won’t be totally back to normal but sometime in the first half of 2022, I do think we will be able to say that we’re back to normal,” Gates said as per the report.

Asked if the next summer will see businesses reopen and kids back at school, Gates said that rich countries will have more vaccine coverage than other countries. So, the rich will be going mostly back to normal.

Congress skips new parliament building stone-laying ceremony

By
Shivani Negi
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The Congress on Thursday boycotted the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the new parliament building, slamming the Central government for conducting an event at a time when hundreds of thousand farmers protest outside the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the new building at the Parliament House Complex which is estimated to cost around Rs 921 crore.

Political leaders from all outfits, industrialists and foreign envoys were in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony. However, no one from congress attended the event even as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were both invited to the function.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh said that the ceremony envisions democracy and that the building is not built on the values and aspirations that represent 130 crore Indians.

“Dear PM, Parliament is not mortar and stones. It envisions democracy. It imbibes Constitution. It is economic-political-social equality. It is compassion and camaraderie. It is the aspirations of 130 crore Indians. What would a building built upon trampling of these values represent?” he tweeted.

“Mr Modi, history will also record that when the ‘Annadata’ (food grower) was fighting for his rights for 16 days on the streets, you were building a palace for yourself in the name of Central Vista. In democracy, power is not a means to fulfil your whims, but is a medium for public service and public welfare,” he said in another tweet in Hindi.

Meanwhile, Union Parliamentray Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi attacking Congress on Friday said that party’s boycott shows they want to continue British Lgeacy in India.

“The Congress wants to continue with the British Legacy. Like earlier, they used to table the annual Budget at 5 pm because the British used to do it,” he said.

Covid-19 update: 29,398 new cases take India’s tally to 97,96,770

By
Shivani Negi
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With 29,398 new covid-19 infections in last 24-hour, India’s overall tally rose to 97,96,770. The death toll now stands at 1,42,186 with 414 more people succumbing to the virus in last 24-hour, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Till now, 92,90,834 have recovered, and 37,528 in the last 24 hours. Currently, there are 3,63,749 active cases. As on date, the recovery rate stands at 94.84 per cent while the fatality rate stands at 1.45, the minister added.

A cumulative total of 15,07,59,726 samples have been tested to detect the covid-19 infection in the country. Of these, 9,22,959 tests were conducted on Thursday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka account for more than 72 per cent of cases in the county.

Here’re some more updates related to covid-19 pandemic:

*Singapore on Thursday approved Advanced MedTech Holdings’ COVID-19 kit for use in testing saliva from deep within the throat, the company said in a statement.

*South Korea continues to grapple with the worst surge as it reported new 689 infections in 24-hours bringing country’s total to 40,786.

*Telangana reported 612 new cases, 3 deaths and 502 recoveries, on December 10. Total cases in the state currently stand at 2,76,516, reported ANI.

*France reported 13,750 new cases, taking the total tally past 2.3 million. On the other hand, 292 new fatalities took the national toll to 56,940.

*The U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day total recorded by any country since the onset of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

*Talk show host and media personality Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday said that she had tested positive for the coronavirus.

“I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now,” she said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the overall covid-19 tally due to covid-19 has surpassed 69.4 million. Meanwhile, the total deaths have topped 1. 58 million.

TMC releases their report card ahead of next year assembly elections

By
Neha Kumari
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Keeping in mind the next year’s assembly elections in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday released a report card of the welfare policies of its government and developmental projects of the last 10 years.

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was present on the occasion of the release of ‘ten years of TMC report card-development’. He said that a large number of people have benefited from the schemes launched by the Mamta Banerjee government in the last decade.

Chatterjee said that the party leaders will take this report card to all the 294 assembly constituencies of the state and go among the people.

Chatterjee said that after the Trinamool came to power in 2011, the amount allocated for the education sector was increased from Rs 13,872 crore to Rs 37,069 crore.

During this time, other leaders also gave information about the government’s plans and the benefits made from it.

In the report card, TMC said that Mamata Banerjee’s government has worked towards social welfare of all communities and also ensured social equality. The report described several programs of the government, such as – Food Partner, Health Partner, Cast Certificates, Sikshashree, Jai Johar, Taposili Bandhu, Kanyashree, Rupashree, Ekashree, MGNREGS and Krishak Bandhu. The party has told how these schemes have played an important role in social development in the state.

Pfizer vaccine causes allergy reaction

By
Neha Kumari
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In the UK, Pfizer’s corona virus vaccine has worsened the health of two people. Soon after, the National Health Service has to issue a warning. The matter has come up within 24 hours of the onset of corona virus vaccination, therefore, the concern of the British Government has also increased. The two people who have been exposed to the side effects of the vaccine are health workers by profession. Pfizer has also sought permission from the government for vaccination in India. In such a situation, the government is closely monitoring all such matters.

Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has reported that both of them have had an allergic reaction due to the vaccine. In such a situation, the British Department of Health issued a warning that such people who are allergic to any medicine, food or vaccine should not get Pfizer’s Corona vaccine vaccine. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the UK has advised all 50 NHS trusts to take precaution against anyone who is allergic.

On Tuesday, the introduction of the Corona vaccine began on a large scale in the United Kingdom. After taking Coronavirus Vaccine here, so far 2 people have allergy, cough, fever and breathing problems. The United Kingdom Health Department has said that the Corona virus vaccine has been approved only after testing at every level, only 2 people have had allergic problems so far.

Professor Stephen Povish, the NHS’s medical director in England, said that as is common for any new vaccine, the MHRA suggested as a precaution that people suffering from an allergic reaction in the past do not have this vaccine. Due to ‘anaphylaxis reaction’, problems like skin rash, nausea, vomiting, difficulty in breathing can be revealed.

Britain’s medicines regulator issued a warning on Wednesday about the Corona vaccine. The regulator said that people with allergies to drugs, foods or vaccines should not take Pfizer Biontech Kovid-19 vaccine supplements.

Space X starship rocket blasts during a test launch

By
Neha Kumari
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Elon Musk’s dream of going to the planet Mars has come as a shock to American well-known industrialist and owner of the spacex company. The starship rocket of Spacex exploded off the coast of Texas on Wednesday during a test launch. The company hoped that this powerful rocket would take it to the planet Mars in the future. At the same time, even after this explosion, SpaceX has described it as a grand test and congratulated the entire team of starships.

Tesla car owner Elon Musk wrote a few minutes after the flight, tweeting, ‘Muggle planet, we are coming. However, he later said that the rocket was landing very fast, due to which it exploded. Allen recalled the successful portion of the rocket, stating that the starship rocket took takeoff and changed its position during the flight, as well as landing it for landing.

Elon Musk tweeted, saying, “We got all the data we needed.” Congratulations to the SpaceX team ‘. According to media reports, on Wednesday, the rocket took off at the right time and went straight upwards during which another rocket engine started. It is being told that after about 4 minutes and 45 seconds of flight, the third engine of the rocket was started and the rocket moved gracefully to its expected position.

On Wednesday, the starship took off at the right time and went straight upwards with the first and second engines starting. After 4 minutes and 45 seconds of flight, the third engine of the rocket was started and the rocket moved towards its desired position. The engine was restarted before landing to slow the ship’s speed. However, he crashed and fell to the ground.

Know latest updates on Fuel price hike and their tax

By
Neha Kumari
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Increasing oil prices have messed up the budget of consumers. In the last 18 days, petrol price has become expensive by about 4 percent and diesel by 5 percent. High taxes on oil have added fuel to the fire. Positive news on the Covid-19 vaccine front is expected to bring the economy back on track. This has led to a rise in international crude oil prices.

State oil companies started raising oil prices from November 20 after several days of silence. Since then, petrol in Delhi has become expensive by Rs 2.65 and diesel by Rs 3.41. On Tuesday, the price of petrol in Mumbai reached Rs 90.34 and the price of diesel reached Rs 80.51 per liter. The rise in international crude oil prices has led to an increase in oil prices domestically.

Indeed, positive news on the corona virus epidemic vaccine is expected to return to the economy soon. As a result, international crude oil prices have risen. Petrol and diesel prices change every day at six in the morning. For several days, the price of oil remained stable in the country, but from November 20, the trend in oil prices continued.

Shloka and Akash Ambani became proud parents of a baby boy today in Mumbai

By
Jyoti B
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December 2020 marks a special milestone for the Ambani family with the arrival of Mukesh and Nita Ambani’s very first grandchild. Akash Ambani and wife Shloka Ambani are now parents to a baby boy, spokesperson of the Ambani family said today.

“Nita and Mukesh Ambani are delighted to become grandparents for the first time, as they welcomed the great grandson of Dhirubhai and Kokilaben Ambani,” the statement said.

“Both mother and son are doing well. The new arrival has brought immense joy to the entire Mehta and Ambani families,” the statement added.

Shloka (Mehta) and Akash were married at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai on March 9, 2019, with the who’s who from the world of business, politics, Bollywood, cricket along with international celebs coming to bless the young couple.

Neetu Kapoor confirms testing positive for covid-19, says ‘I’m feeling better’

By
Shivani Negi
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While the rumours of Neetu Kapoor testing positive for covid-19 have been making rounds for quite some time now, the actress on Thursday confirmed that she has indeed tested positive for covid-19. Taking to Instagram, she said that she is self quantine and is taking medications as per her doctor’s advice.

In a statement, Neetu said, “Earlier this week I tested positive for Covid- 19. All safety measures are being followed and I am thankful to the authorities for all their help and quick response. I am in self-quarantine, taking medication on my doctor’s advice and feeling better. I am so grateful for all your love and support! Please stay safe, wear a mask, keep safe distance. Take care.”

Neetu was shooting in Chandigarh for her upcoming film Jugg Jugg Jeeyo when she tested positive for the viral infection. Besides her, actors Varun Dhawan, Maniesh Paul and director Raj Mehta also tested positive for covid-19. Other co-stars including Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor and Prajakta Koli had tested negative for the virus.

Earlier, Varun had shared the news of him testing positive and had asked everyone to be safe while mentioning he could have been more cautious. “So as I returned to work in the pandemic era I have contracted #covid_19 All precautions were taken by the production but still nothing is certain in life especially not covid-19. So please be extra careful I believe I could have been more careful. I see the get well soon messages and my spirits are high taking each day at a time. thank u,” he wrote.

While Neetu returned to work for the first time in years , Varun still awaits the release of his films which got halted in the wake of covid-19 pandemic.

Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech’s covid-19 vaccine

By
Shivani Negi
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Canada health officials on Wednesday approved the covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE. The authorisation came a day after the United Kingdom, which became the first country to approve Pfizer’s vaccine, started vaccinating its residents.

The nation’s order for approval of the vaccine followed a very pattern similar to U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorizations.

“Canadians can feel confident that the review process was rigorous and that we have strong monitoring systems in place,” Health Canada said in a statement announcing the authorisation.

“The approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality,” it added. Health Canada is still in talks with officials and doses would not be shipped to the country until officials approve.

“Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will closely monitor the safety of the vaccine once it is on the market and will not hesitate to take action if any safety concerns are identified,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said that the nation will start vaccination drive before the end of December. He had added that the most vulnerable populations will be the first to administer the first doses.

Canada has ordered 20 million doses of vaccine which will be enough to inoculate 10 million people since it’s a two dose vaccine. Meanwhile, Canada also has contract with six other companies to deliver covid-19 vaccine in the country.

Canda, which has a population of 38 million, is currently witnessing spike in number of cases in the wake of winter wave.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the country has witnessed at least 435,600 confirmed cases and more than 12,900 deaths related to covid-19, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, Pfizer has been approved by Bahrain and is yet to be approved in India and the United States. In the study analysis, the vaccine has proven an efficacy rate of 95 per cent.

YouTube to delete videos that claim fraud in US elections

By
Jyoti B
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YouTube said it will start deleting videos that mislead people about the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, a move that could include future postings from President Donald Trump.

Online platforms have been under pressure to police misinformation about the election on their sites.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc’s Google, was widely seen as taking a more hands-off approach than Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc, which started labeling content with election misinformation. YouTube labels all election-related videos.

YouTube said “enough states have certified their election results to determine a president-elect”.

Democrats have criticised YouTube for not doing enough to take down fake news and conspiracy theories on the platform.

Mr Trump and senior Republicans have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that the election was “rigged”. Trump’s lawyers have failed to provide evidence of this.

YouTube said in a blog post Wednesday that its efforts would apply to content posted as of today, given that enough states have certified their election results to determine a president-elect.

“We will start removing any piece of content uploaded today (or anytime after) that misleads people by alleging that widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election,” YouTube said. “We enforce our policies regardless of speaker,” a spokesperson added.

“For example, we will remove videos claiming that a Presidential candidate won the election due to widespread software glitches or counting errors,” the company said in the blog post. “We will begin enforcing this policy today, and will ramp up in the weeks to come.”

PM Modi laid foundation stone for new Parliament building today

By
Jyoti B
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PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the New Parliament building on December 10 with a ‘bhoomi pujan’ for the project which is to be completed by 2022. 

To Sanskrit chants by six priests from the Sringeri Mutt in Karnataka, the PM performed rituals around a holy pyre organized beneath a flower-decked marquee.

Pujaris from the Sringeri Math Karnataka did the rituals for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ at the new Parliament building site. However, no construction can immediately begin as various pleas against the project are pending before the Supreme Court.

Around 200 dignitaries, including Union Ministers, MPs, foreign envoys and religious leaders attended the function that was webcast live.  Ratan Tata, whose Tata Projects has the contract for the new parliament building, was also present.

Speaking on the occasion, the PM said the new Parliament building would exemplify ‘co-existence of the new and the old’ and would be a witness to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

“In the old building, the work to fulfil the necessities of the nation was done. In the new building, the ambitions of India of the 21st century will be realised,” said Modi.

New Parliament building:

In the new building, the Lok Sabha chamber will have 888 seats while there will be 384 seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Currently, the strength of Lok Sabha is 543 and that of Rajya Sabha 245.

During a joint session, the new Lok Sabha chamber will be able to accommodate 1224 members. The new building will not have a Central Hall.

The building, which is going to come up in an area of 64,500 sq m at a cost of Rs 971 crore, will be earthquake-resistant, and adaptable to the most modern digital technology.

It will incorporate indigenous architecture from different parts of the country, and showcase cultural diversity.

Bharat Biotech says Covaxin will be available in the first quarter of 2021

By
Shivani Negi
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Bharat Biotech has said that its vaccine against novel coronavirus, Covaxin, will be available in the first quarter of next year. In a statement on Wednesday, Suchitra Ella, joint managing director of Bharat Biotech said that their covid-19 vaccine will focus on safety and efficacy.

“With safety and efficacy data, Covaxin will be available in the first quarter of next year to the categories and the first responders according to the plan that govt of India is embarking upon for phased vaccination,” Ella told ANI.

Bharat Biotech has partnered with Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) and National Institute of Virology(NIV) to develop an indigenous vaccine against the covid-19 infection that has claimed over 1,32,000 lives in the country.

The Hyderabad pharmaceutical company also joined the list of drug makers, including Serum Institute of India and Pfizer, in seeking emergency use authorisation of its vaccine candidate from Drug Controller General of India(DCGI).

Meanwhile, a team of 64 foreign envoys on Wednesday had visited leading biotech companies to monitor covid-19 vaccine development in India.

Meanwhile, Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has asked for more data and from Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech on their covid-19 vaccine candidates.

Bharat Biotech was recently under the public scrutiny when Haryana minister Anil Vij, who had administered Covaxin on November 20, tested positive for the infection a fortnight later.

The company later released an elaborated statement saying the minister had only administered a single dose while covaxin is a two-dose vaccine.

Notably, unlike other vaccine frontrunners, Bharat Biotech is yet to announce efficacy rate of its covid-19 vaccine.

Covaxin is still undergoing phase-3 trials among 25,000 volunteers at more than 30 sites in the country. In its application seeking emergency use authorisation, Bharat Biotech has cited promising phase 1 and 2 results of its vaccine candidate.

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