Covid-19 update: With 45,576 fresh cases, India’s tally inches close to 90 lakh

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November 19, 2020

Problems for Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Jhund continue to mount as Supreme Court refused plea demanding to remove stay order on the release of the film.

A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India, comprising of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian dismissed the plea against the Telangana High Court order which had blocked the film’s screening over the allegations of copyright infringement.

The appeal was filed by producer of the film Super Cassettes Industries (T Series).

“The special leave petitions are dismissed. As a sequel to the above, pending interlocutory applications, if any, stand disposed of,” the bench said in its order.

Jhund is based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of NGO Slum Soccer. It was scheduled to release in May but it got postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic it got halted. The film is now surrounded by the copyright allegation initiated by Hyderabad-based Nandi Chinni Kumar, who has claimed that he had purchased the right to make a movie about the life of Akhilesh Paul.

Paul had also appeared on television shows such as Satyameva Jayate, hosted by Aamir Khan. Kumar has claimed that he approached Paul after watching the show to make his life story into a movie.

Kumar further said that amount of Rs 1.3 crore was agreed between the parties but now they are not adhering to the agreement.

On September 17, the Telangana court had put stay order on the release of the movie till the conclusion of the case which will at least take 6 months to resolve.

Meanwhile, Super Cassettes, has said that ‘Jhund’ is not about Akhilesh Paul but his coach, Vijay Barse.

“Jhund is inspired by and revolves around the real story of a football coach, Vijay Barse who spotted a group of slum children playing football. Spotting talent and potential in them, Mr. Barse took them under his wing and coached them. The film is ‘coach-centric’. The players in the team including its captain are secondary or incidental,” the petition stated.

‘I’d spent childhood reading Ramayana and Mahabharata’: Barack Obama in memoir

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November 19, 2020

Former US President and one of world’s most remarkable leaders, Barack Obama has candidly spoken about his life in his latest book ‘A Promised Land’.

In his book, Obama has extensively talked about India, mentioning how he always held a special place for the country. He said that he soent his childhood years in Indonesia listening to the epic Hindu tales of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

“Maybe it was its(India) sheer size, with one-sixth of the world’s population, an estimated two thousand distinct ethnic groups, and more than seven hundred languages spoken,” Obama wrote in his book ‘A Promised Land’.

Even though he hadn’t visited India until his presidential days, he was always fascinated by India’s rich culure and heritage. He also mentioned that his Indian and Pakitani friends have also palyed an important role in strengthning his love for eastern culture.

“Maybe it was because I’d spent part of my childhood in Indonesia listening to the epic Hindu tales of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, or because of my interest in eastern religions, or because of a group of Pakistani and Indian college friends who’d taught me to cook dahl and keema and turned me on to Bollywood movies,” Obama has written.

“A Promised Land” is a memoir of Obama’s journey of his first term in the White House which kick-started with 2008 election campaign and and ended at Abbottabd’s raid that led to the killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

Meanwhile, Obama has also included description of Indian leaders from political spectrum in his book, ‘The Promised Land’. His comment on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has garnered mix reviews in the country. Talking about Sonia Gandhi, he wrote that she chose Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India as he posed no threat to Rahul Gandhi.

“… More than one political observer believed that she’d (Sonia Gandhi) had chosen Singh precisely because as an elderly Sikh with no national political base, he posed no threat to her forty-year-old son, Rahul, whom she was grooming to take over the Congress Party,” wrote Obama.

Talking about Sonia Gandhi’s appearance, Obama added, “a striking woman in her sixties, dressed in a traditional sari, with dark, probing eyes and a quiet, regal presence”.

Image Credit: Google

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan gets I-T department notice

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November 19, 2020

The Income tax department has served a notice in connection with poll affidavits to former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Confirming the news on Wednesday, Chavan said, “I’ve received a notice from the Income Tax department,” adding that he would formally reply to the same, also noting that the notice asked him to remain present in person to submit relevant documents.

The 74-year-old Congress leader has been asked for a statement of assets for the last eight years.

Sachin Sawant, the chief spokesperson of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee said, said the BJP government at the centre was targeting Congress leaders. “This is the game-plan. This practice of issuing notices is not surprising. It has been in use for the past six years.”

In September, Pawar was served a notice in connection with his poll affidavits submitted to the Election Commission.

Centre yet to provide 250 ICU beds to Delhi, says AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj

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November 19, 2020

The Centre, as promised, is yet to provide 250 ICU beds to hospitals in Delhi amid a sharp surge in covid-`9 cases in Delhi.

Launching an attack at centre, Aam Aadmi party(AAP)spokesperson, Saurabh Bhardwaj, in a press conference said that BJP has time to bring out promotional campaign, ,but couldn’t comply with the Delhi government’s request to increase the number of ICU beds in the city even as people continue to die.

“The Centre is yet to provide 250 ICU beds for the citizens of Delhi. You will have ample time to put up posters, but please comply with the promises you make to us,” he said.

He further said that more than Delhi, patients admitted in city’s hospitals are from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

“We are happy to provide them with quality healthcare but this shows the utter failure of (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath and (Haryana Chief Minister) Manohar Lal Khattar,” he said.

Earlier, on Sunday, Home Minister Amit Shah had reviewed Delhi’s covid-19 situation with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and had discussed Delhi infrastrucrure like extra ICU beds and oxygen cylinders and more staff.

“The Centre has assured that 750 ICU beds will be made available at the DRDO center. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted daily to be increased to over 1 lakh,” Kejriwal had said.

There is also a plan to increase the number of tests conducted from the current 60,000 a day to 1 lakh, he had added.

“Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to add 250 ICU beds to its already existing 250 ICU beds and also to create 35 BiPAP (Bilevel positive airway pressure) beds in the next 3-4 days at Covid hospital near Delhi airport,” the MHA tweeted on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, almost doubling up the number of cases from Monday, Delhi reported 6,396 cases of covid-19 on Tuesday. The city’s covid-19 tally stood at 495,598 while the death toll have reached 7,812 as of Tuesday.

Image Credit: Google

Wriddhiman Saha back in Nets ahead of Australian series starter

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November 18, 2020

Indian Test wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha started his practice with the Team India in Australia on the nets on Wednesday. Although there is no information about his fitness yet, BCCI has posted a video on his Twitter, in which Saha is seen playing shots with team support staff.

In this video posted on Twitter, BCCI said, “Look, who is batting on the nets today. Wriddhiman. Team India.”

Look who is batting in the nets today. Hello @Wriddhipops! 💪 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/GEzLKcSdVF
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 18, 2020

The BCCI said last week that a decision will be taken later on Saha’s fitness. Saha has been selected in the Indian team for the four-match Test series to be held in Australia. The Indian team is currently in a two-week quarantine. The Indian team started training from November 14 after all the players tested negative for COVID-19

England to tour Pakistan after 16 years

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November 18, 2020

England cricket team will tour Pakistan in October next year for the two-match T20 International series for the first time in 16 years. Pakistan toured England despite the growing outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

These two matches to be held on October 14 and 15 in Karachi and also be part of preparations for the 2021 T20 World Cup. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) both confirmed the tour on Wednesday, saying it would be before the T20 World Cup in India.

The PCB invited England to visit Pakistan in January next year, but the ECB was forced to change the tour time due to the unavailability of top players and matters related to expenses. PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said, “I am happy to confirm that England will visit Pakistan in October 2021 to play two T20 internationals.”

Meanwhile, Moeen Ali also expressed his view on the tour and said it’s a massive move from ECB to come back in Pakistan.

“Yes, it’s massive,” said Moeen, who has played in the Pakistan Super League this year. “Having been there not so long ago, it was an amazing experience to play the PSL there and I’m sure Pakistan have gone all out to host that. We can’t wait to go there in the future. It’s a massive moment for cricket going forward. I think it’s right we go back after such a long time for the game itself and for Pakistan and cricket in the country,” said Moeen Ali.

UP government Engineer booked for child pornography

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November 18, 2020

A government engineer in U.P has been arrested by the CBI for child abuse and child-pornography.

The Delhi unit of the CBI has arrested Ram Bhavan who worked with the irrigation department and has been sexually abusing children for over a period of 10 years.

On the arrest, Superintendent of Police Ankit Mittal on Wednesday said, “An eight-member CBI team had been camping in the district since November 2, but the police were not aware of the matter it was probing. The CBI team had repeatedly questioned the junior engineer and his driver.”

According to the CBI, the accused has also been selling pornographic videos of minors over the dark web.

Pfizer says its vaccine found to be 95% effective in late-stage trials

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November 18, 2020

The drug maker Pfizer said on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine was 95 percent effective and had no serious side effects — the first set of complete results from a late-stage vaccine trial as Covid-19 cases skyrocket around the globe.

The company said it was planning to seek approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorisation “within days”. Pfizer is developing the vaccine with biotechnology company BioNTech.

The study reached 170 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the vaccine candidate BNT162b2 demonstrating 95 per cent efficacy beginning 28 days after the first dose, Pfizer said.

The vaccine also appeared to prevent severe disease in volunteers. There were 10 cases of severe cases of COVID-19 observed in the phase three trial, with nine of the cases occurring in the placebo group, the companies said. There were also no “serious” safety concerns, they said, with most adverse events resolving shortly after vaccination.

The company’s shares jumped 3% in premarket trading.

The final analysis evaluated 170 confirmed COVID-19 infections among the late-stage trial’s more than 43,000 participants. The companies said 162 cases of COVID-19 were observed in the placebo group versus eight cases observed in the group that received its two-dose vaccine. That resulted in an estimated vaccine efficacy of 95%, they said.

Hyderabad’s last Nizam’s grandson files FIR against three other Kins

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November 18, 2020

One of the grandsons of Hyderabad’s last Nizam, Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, has lodged an FIR on a few other Nizam’s kins by alleging that they have used false documents to lay claim over the 35 million pounds of Nizam’s Fund lying in a UK bank.

Najaf Ali Khan met the Hyderabad Police Commissioner and filed a complaint yesterday along with the supporting documents of his claims. He also sought police protection alleging that he and his family have been continuously receiving threats to their lives.

This is perhaps the first time that an heir of the former ruler of Hyderabad sought security.

Gaurav Verma steps down as Zomato’s chief management officer

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November 18, 2020

Zomato’s chief marketing officer, Gaurav Verma, has stepped down from his post. The information was shared by Verma through a Linkedin update.

“An epic adventure over the last couple of years. A super steep learning curve with some amazing highs. Met some of the brightest, committed and creative people along the way. Was a moment of pride to be up on the Z website as ‘one of the folks you might work with’. Will always be cheering on from the side! Super excited about the next journey.. but more about that shortly,” Verma wrote.

Verma has had an illustrious career in the field of marketing. Before associating with Zomato in 2019, he has explored his expertise with some of the biggest firms of the country including Tata Tea Ltd, IMC India and ITC Foods. He has also worked with PepsiCo for over 9 years.

He is yet to announce his next assignment.

MS Dhoni’s CSK is the most tweeted about team of IPL 2020

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November 18, 2020

Even as Chennai Super Kings failed in delivering their best performance in the 13th edition of Indian Premier League, their popularity showed no signs of decline. CSK, which finished the tournament at the second last position in the points table in IPL 2020, were the most tweeted about team this season.

The 60-match tournament, which held in UAE this year amid the covid-19 surge in India, started on September 19 and ended on November 10.

As cricket fanatics could not witness the magic of the popular league in the stadium this year, they took to social medias to express their enthusiasm, calling it the only good thing about 2020.

Twitter, out of all the social media platforms, witnessed the most engagements with IPL matches trending every day.

While defending champions Mumbai Indians took the trophy home for the fifth time, it was Chennai Super Kings’ fans who painted Twitter yellow as they showered #yellove expecting #whistlepodu moves from their team.

After CSK, Virat Kohli led RCB were the most tweeted about team this IPL season, followed by Mumbai Indians, SunRisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals.

IPL also attracts a lot of reactions from players all around the globe. This year, maestro Sachin Tendulkar was avidly active on Twitter. One of his tweets praising the fielding effort by Kings XI Punjab’s Nicholas Pooran against Rajasthan Royals during match number nine of IPL 2020.

“This is the best save I have seen in my life. Simply incredible!!” Tendulkar had tweeted. The tweet had garnered over 23,000 retweets on the social media platform.

The IPL 13 opener between two most successful teams of the tournament, CSK and MI, was the most tweeted about match of the season. It was followed by #MIvSRH (on October 4) and #MIvDC (the double Super Over match played on October 18).

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli has emerged as the most tweeted about player in the tournament.

CBI cannot exercise jurisdiction over state without consent

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November 18, 2020

The Supreme Court told, the CBI cannot exercise jurisdiction over a state unless the concerned State gives consent for the same.

It also said that section 6 of the DSPE Act which lays down the same guidelines is in tune with the federal character of the Constitution.

A Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and BR Gavai reiterated the settled law in this regard holding that Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (DSPE Act) mandates consent of State for CBI to exercise its powers over the State and the same is in consonance with the federal character of the Constitution.

“Though Section 5 enables the Central Government to extend the powers and jurisdiction of Members of the DSPE beyond the Union Territories to a State, the same is not permissible unless a State grants its consent for such an extension within the area of State concerned under Section 6 of the DSPE Act. Obviously, the provisions are in tune with the federal character of the Constitution, which has been held to be one of the basic structures of the Constitution,” the judgment said.

Shekhar Suman demands an apology from people who accused him of using Sushant’s death to get a foothold in Bihar elections

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November 18, 2020

Actor Shekhar Suman, who garnered limelight with his justice forum for Sushant Singh Rajput, has now demanded apology from people who accused him of using late actor’s death for his own benefits.

The actor was earlier accused by a section of netizens for using late actor’s death to promote himself in the Bihar Election 2020. Now that the elections are done with, the actor has said he was never interested in them and people who maligned him when he tried to stand for his beliefs now owe him an apology.

The accusations came after the actor met leader Tejashwi Yadav and even insisted on meeting Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to demand a CBI probe into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput who hailed from Bihar.

Shekhar took to Twitter to share his thoughts. “When I met Tejashwi Yadav in connection with Sushant in Patna,a lot of ppl accused me of having political ambitions.The Bihar elections have come n gone and I cldnt care a fig about it.Wd these creeps who accused me now come forward and say sorry to me,” he said.

When I met Tejashwi Yadav in connection with Sushant in Patna,a lot of ppl accused me of having political ambitions.The Bihar elections have come n gone and I cldnt care a fig about it.Wd these creeps who accused me now come forward and say sorry to me.
— Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) November 17, 2020

“If you fight for a problem you are doing it for publicity,if you don’t you are a self-centered,coward and a selfish guy. One has to think a million times before taking a stand. There ain’t always a motive behind what you do,” he further added.

If you fight for a problem you are doing it for publicity,if you don't you are a self-centered,coward and a selfish https://t.co/ANiSd9uF8G has to think a million times before taking a stand.There ain't always a motive behind what you do.
— Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) November 17, 2020

Following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, Shekhar Suman had invented a justice forum which demanded everyone to come under the same umbrella to urge for a fair investigation in the death case of the late actor.

Earlier, after meeting Tejashwi Yadav in June, Shekhar Suman had clarified that he did not have taste of politics. “I’ve no taste for politics,no inclination,no aptitude,no temperament.if given the choice i wdn’t like to touch it with a ten feet barge pole.ppl are trying hard to stop me from going ahead with #justiceforSushantforum by insinuating ive political ambitions,” he said.

Former Goa Governor Mridula Sinha passes away

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