Assam Board cuts class 12 syllabus up to 30 per cent amid covid-19 pandemic

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September 24, 2020

Shocking news arrived from Gujrat early this morning, colossal fire broke out at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) gas processing plant. According to the initial information from the ground zero, three consecutive blasts shook the place at two terminals of ONGC plant in Surat at around 3.30am.

The fire caused by blast could be seen from very far distant places. The fire has been brought under control and the company deployed their teams to investigate, the company stated on Twitter account that there is no casualty or injury to any person.

“A fire breaks out at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plant in Surat. Fire tenders present at the spot. More details awaited,” ANI tweeted.

#WATCH Gujarat: A fire breaks out at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plant in Surat. Fire tenders present at the spot. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/6xPKHW5PrR
— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2020

“A fire was observed in the Hazira Gas processing plant in the morning today. Fire has been brought under control. There is no casualty or injury to any person: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC),” ANI said in another tweet.

A fire was observed in the Hazira Gas processing plant in the morning today. Fire has been brought under control. There is no casualty or injury to any person: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) https://t.co/B0rAliaVw1 pic.twitter.com/iyhKccdeEy
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2020

Reportedly the reason behind the blast and fire was a rupture in the 36-inch Uran-Mumbai gas pipeline. As a precaution all terminals have been closed so that a in depth investigation could be done.

Dr Dhaval Patel, Surat collector addressed the incident, “Around 3 am, 3 consecutive blasts took place at ONGC Hazira Plant which led to the fire. Firefighters present at spot. No casualty reported so far. The activity of depressurizing the pressurized gas system underway by ONGC officials,” he said.

NCB sends summons to Deepika, Sara, Rakul, Shraddha in Bollywood drug probe

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September 23, 2020

In a big development in the drugs-related case pertaining to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), probing the alleged Bollywood-drug nexus has summoned actresses Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh.

These are the most high-profile names to come up in a widening probe into allegations of drugs linked to the film industry, which emerged during the investigations into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14.

According to our sources, Shruti, Simone and Rakulpreet have been summoned for tomorrow, Deepika and Karishma for September 25, and Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor for Septemeber 26.

This comes after PTI reports from earlier today that the probe agency might summon Deepika Padukone soon if needed.

Kerala based fitness trainer sets URF Asian record for most push-up in 30 seconds

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September 23, 2020

Kerala fitness trainer, Vinodh M has cracked the URF Asian Record for maximum push-ups in 30 seconds. He did 55 push-ups in 30 seconds. Earlier the record was of 52 push-ups. He achieved this milestone on August 30.

Vinodh stated all of this came after regular practice and hard work. The young Kerala trainer has an aim to set-up his own gym in his home state Kerala. He is also aiming to win Mr. India and Mr. Asia titles and make best of whatever he has.

As of now after this Vinodh is eyeing to break the Guiness world record, which is 62 push-up in 30 seconds.

PM Narendra Modi visited 58 countries since 2015

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September 23, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 58 countries since 2015 and a total expenditure of Rs 517 crore was incurred on them, the government said on Tuesday.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan provided details of the prime minister’s visits abroad since 2015, including their outcome, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. “The total expenditure on these visits was Rs 517.82 crore,” he said.

The reply stated that the Prime Minister’s visits abroad have “enhanced understanding of India’s perspectives on bilateral, regional and global issues by other countries, and have strengthened our relations with them across a wide range of sectors including trade and investment, technology, maritime, space, defence collaboration and people to people contact. These in turn have contributed to India’s national development agenda to promote economic growth and well being of our people.”

Prime Minister Modi’s last trip was to Brazil in November 2019, where he attended the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit. While other visits that PM Modi took were multi-nation trips.

PM Modi made no visits in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RCB could miss Chris Morris for KXIP game as well: Mike Hesson

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September 23, 2020

Mike Hesson, Director of Cricket Operations for Royal Challengers Banaglore (RCB) raised concerns for the participation of South African all-rounder Chris Morris in the next match as well against the Kings XI Punjab which will take place on Thursday.

Hesson had stated that Morris is suffering from a side strain injury since past few days.

The experienced coach had said that “Morris’ absence changes the balance of the side as he is a ‘three in one’ cricketer.” The 45-year-old also believes that Chris Morris will be available for selection in the coming games.

RCB purchased Morris for Rs 10 crore, with an aim of giving depth to their batting and bowling departments.

“Chris Morris unfortunately picked up a slight side strain a few days ago, he would have played a huge role through the middle and death overs, his batting would have had a huge impact as well,” Hesson said in a video posted by on RCB’s Twitter handle

“This does change the balance of our side, he is a three in one cricketer, he is not easy to replace and as a result, we had to change the structure of our side

“Hopefully, Chris will come into consideration for selection in a game or two, we will continue to monitor him,” he added

Virat Kohli is an aggressive captain and catches every one’s attention: Aaron Finch

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September 23, 2020

Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Aaron Finch has said that he won’t have to play against the RCB captain Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League and praised his captain after the side registered a cracking victory against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Australian star batsman Finch started their campaign on a winning note. The Australian limited-overs captain scored 29 runs in his first game for the Bangalore based franchise.

When Finch was asked about playing along with Virat Kohli, Finch said the Virat’s aggressive captaincy and body language is something that catches the attention very easily at first instance.

“I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for the way that he goes about his game. He’s very aggressive on the field with his captaincy and his body language is fantastic.

“Playing against him is a great challenge because you know you have to be 100% committed and on all the time. And playing with him is great having him in the same team.

“I haven’t played too much against him and but he’s had the better of us whenever I have, so it’s great to have him on my side this time,” Finch said in a press conference.
RCb is the 8th franchise that Finch is playing for which is the most for any player in the history of the IPL.

Finch started his IPL career with Rajasthan Royals in 2010, later on, he went on representing Delhi Capitals, Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, and Kings XI Punjab. Royal Challengers Bangalore is his seventh franchise.

Sushant was the only consumer of drugs: Rhea Chakraborty

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September 23, 2020

Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty have moved the Bombay High Court, seeking a bail. Their lawyer Satish Maneshinde said that the bail application will be heard tomorrow.

Rhea’s requests second time for bail after being two weeks in Mumbai jail, she has alleged that the Narcotics Control Bureau at the instance of three central agencies that specialize in “investigations of international ramifications” got nothing to prove her wrong. She also stated that Sushant Singh Rajput “took advantage of those closest to him to sustain his drug habit”.

Rhea was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on September 8 for her alleged involvement in a drug case linked to Sushant’s death. Before this, she was remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the NCB has called in Sushant’s former manager Shruti Modi and talent manager Jaya Saha for more questioning. Sources say NCB is likely to arrest Jaya Saha in connection with the drug cartel case.

Rhea Chakraborty had clearly stated in her bail plea that “Sushant Singh Rajput was the only consumer of drugs and that he was directing his staff members to procure his drugs”. She also said, “if the late actor was alive today, he would have been charged for the consumption of small quantities, which is a bailable offense having punishment of a term of imprisonment up to one year.”

The anti-drugs agency has widened its investigations to Bollywood’s drug links. Ten drug peddlers have also been arrested by the NCB who allegedly supplied drugs to various Bollywood celebrities.

Veteran actress Ashalata dies of covid-19 at 79

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September 23, 2020

Veteran Marathi actor Ashalata Wabgaonkar succumbed to covid-19 in Satara on Tuesday morning. She was 79.

She had resumed shooting for her Marathi TV serial Aai Majhi Kalubai after the Bombay High Court quashed the state government’s directive that prevented any cast or crew members above 65 years at sets.

Wabgaonkar along with 22 crew members of the production team had tested positive for the coronavirus last week. Following which, she was admitted to Pratibha hospital where she was hospitalised for last seven days. She was put on her a ventilator but could not fight the virus due to her old age.

Satara Collector Shekhar Singh said that Aai Majhi Kalubai’s team had contacted them to resume shoot last month after government eased the shooting guidelines. “They were shooting at one or two locations. Based on the Union government’s guidelines for resuming shooting, we gave them necessary permissions and asked them to follow social distancing norms,” Singh said.

Ashalata in her notable career starred in a number of Hindi films including Apne Paraye, for which she nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actress at Filmfare Awards, Woh Saath Din, Namak Halaal, Yaadon Ki Kasam, and Shaukeen among others.

In the Marathi cinema, she is known for her performances in films like Umbartha, Navri Mile Navryala, and Vahinichi Maya among others.

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, Union Minister Prakash Javedkar, actor Anil Kapoor offered condolences on the passing away of the veteran actress.

नाटक और फ़िल्मों में अपने अभिनय से बहुत मशहूर अभिनेत्री आशालता वाबगावकर जी के स्वर्गवास की ख़बर सुनके मुझे बहुत दुख हुआ. हमने उनको दीनानाथ प्रतिष्ठान के पुरस्कार से सम्मानित भी किया था. हमारे और उनके बहुत अच्छे सम्बंध थे.ईश्वर उनकी आत्मा को शांति प्रदान करे.
— Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) September 22, 2020

ज्येष्ठ अभिनेत्री श्रीमती #आशालता वाबगावकर यांच्या दुःखद निधनामुळे मराठी-हिंदी रंगभूमी व चित्रपटसृष्टीचे मोठे नुकसान झाले आहे.
आपल्या सहज,संवेदनशील व अष्टपैलू अभिनयाने त्यांनी रसिकांच्या मनावर वेगळीच छाप उमटवली.त्यांना संगीताची देखील उत्तम जाण होती. माझी भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली!
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) September 22, 2020

Had the honour of working with Ashalata Ji in Woh 7 Din, a truly talented actress. My heartfelt prayers & condolences to the family 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/j1AyHLoLXo
— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) September 22, 2020

Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Birth Anniversary

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September 23, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to legendary Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar on his birth anniversary, saying his timeless poems will continue to inspire all citizens.

“Humble tributes to ‘Rashtra Kavi’ Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Ji on his birth anniversary. His timeless poems will continue to inspire not only literature-lovers but all countrymen,” Modi tweeted in Hindi.

RamdhariSingh was an Indian Hindi poet, essayist, patriot and academic, who is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets.

He remerged as a poet of rebellion as a consequence of his nationalist poetry written in the days before Indian independence. His poetry exuded veer rasa, and he has been hailed as a Rashtrakavi (“national poet”) on account of his inspiring patriotic compositions.

He was a regular poet of Hindi Kavi sammelan on those days and is hailed to be as popular and connected to poetry lovers for Hindi speakers as Pushkin for Russians.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has also paid tributes to Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’ on his birth anniversary.

In a tweet, Mr Javadekar said, his unique creations will always inspire people.

Here are some quotes by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar:

Covid-19 vaccine to have efficacy between 50-100%: ICMR

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September 23, 2020

India registered nearly 83,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, which took the overall case count in the country past the 56-lakh mark.

According to the health ministry, the number of total recoveries remained more than the number of new infections for the fifth consecutive day. Total recoveries in the country are now more than 45 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to 80.86%.

With several vaccines at the human trials stage Meanwhile, Dr. Balram Bhargava, the director general of Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had stated that no vaccines for respiratory diseases has 100% efficacy and the ones who have efficacy between 50% to 100% can only be accepted.

“All the vaccines for respiratory viruses are not 100% effective. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that there are three things key for a vaccine: safety (how safe it is for human use), immunogenicity (whether it is able to provoke body’s immune response) and its efficacy (how effective it is against the virus),” said director general, ICMR, Dr Balram Bhargava.

“And WHO says even if we get 50% efficacy that is more than acceptable. So for respiratory viruses we will never get a vaccine with 100% efficacy. We are obviously aiming at 100% efficacy but we may get anywhere between 50 to 100%,” he added.

The comment comes a day after drug regulator, Central Drugs and Standard Control Organization, issued a draft guidance note for COVID-19 vaccines that suggested researchers may not necessarily look for the preventive capacity of a candidate, and settled or one that protects a person from developing severe infection.

Ayushmann Khurrana makes it to Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list

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September 23, 2020

Ayushmann Khurrana has added another feather to his cap as he became the only Indian actor to feature in the Time magazine list of 100 most influential people this year.

Ayushmann has been named in the Influential Artists category, which also includes Oscar-winning Korean film Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, “Fleabag” maker and actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan. The list also includes op music superstars Selena Gomez, J. Balvin, Halsey, The Weekend and Jennifer Hudson.

He wrote on Instagram, “TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world is out, I’m honored to be a part of this group: time.com/time100 @TIME #TIME100.”

View this post on Instagram

TIME's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world is out, I'm honored to be a part of this group: time.com/time100 @TIME #TIME100

A post shared by Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk) on Sep 22, 2020 at 7:13pm PDT

“I’m truly humbled with the recognition that TIME has bestowed on me. As an artiste, I have only looked to contribute towards bringing a positive change in society through cinema and this moment is a huge validation of my belief system and my journey. I have always believed that cinema has the power to bring about change by triggering the right conversations among people and society. Hopefully, through my content choices, I have been able to contribute towards my country and countrymen,” the national award winner actor said in a statement.

The essay for the Time magzine on Ayushamnn has been written by Deepika Padukone. Appreciating the actor’s film choices in the magazine, she wrote “I remember Ayushmann Khurrana vividly from his debut film, Vicky Donor. He had, of course, been a part of the entertainment industry in various other ways for several years before that, but the reason you and I talk about him today is because of the impact he has been able to create through memorable films and iconic characters. Where male protagonist roles often fall into the trap of stereotypical masculinity, Ayushmann has successfully and convincingly transformed into characters who challenge those very stereotypes.”

Apart from Ayushmann, Professor Ravindra Gupta – for his work on HIV/AIDS treatment, Sundar Pichai – the Indian-born chief of Google, Bilkis – the 82-year-old who became one of the faces of the Shaheen Bagh protest is under Icons and PM Modi are listed in TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list

KKR vs MI Dream11 Team Prediction: IPL 2020 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians Fantasy cricket tips

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September 23, 2020

Kolkata Knight Rider will play their first game of this season against the Mumbai Indians at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST.

Mumbai Indians have lost their opening game against the Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets. Mumbai Indians were completely failed to seal the crucial moments in the first game against the CSK. They have roped in Chris Lynn into their side who was out of the 11 in the previous game against Chennai. The Rohit-led side is likely to go unchanged in this match as well and they will trust in their core to move forward in the tournament.

Moving on Kolkata Knight Rider side, they roped Eoin Morgan into their side and he is likely to take the Number 3 spot in the team. Sunil Narine is all set to take up the opening slot yet again but his inclusion in the opening position could create trouble for the team balance. Shubhman Gill and Rahul Tripathy should take up the opening slot for KKR in the initial phase of the tournament.

DNP India Dream11 for Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians

Quinton de Kock (captain), Nitish Rana (vice-captain), Dinesh Karthik, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Sunil Narine, Krunal Pandya, Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Trent Boult, Pat Cummins

Probable XI for both the sides

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary/Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile/James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

SQUADS

Kolkata Knigh Riders: Dinesh Karthik (captain and wk), Andre Russell, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarti, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, M Siddharth, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rahul Chahar, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Jayant Yadav, Aditya Tare (wk), Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Kieron Pollard, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Mohsin Khan

Congress lists 3 demands to end boycott of Rajya Sabha

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September 23, 2020

Highlights:

A number of opposition parties led by Congress walked out of both houses

They also requested to revoke the suspension of eight members

The MPs were suspended over chaos, “unruly behaviour” in Rajya Sabha

Speaking about the decision to walk out, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad declared that until the suspension of the eight MPs is revoked, and their three demands to strengthen the minimum support price (MSP) structure are not met, his party will not participate in any further proceedings.

Azad made pointed demands on Tuesday morning. He said that a Bill should be brought in to prevent private players from procuring food grains below the MSP set by the government on the basis of the formula recommended by the M.S. Swaminathan Committee report. He also demanded that the government or the Food Corporation of India (FCI) should ensure that crops are procured from the farmers at the fixed MSP.

The suspended members continued their sit-in on the lawns of the parliament complex till about 11.30 AM after spending the night there in protest. They were suspended over chaos and “unruly behaviour” in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday when two controversial farm bills were passed.

The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman is at the heart of the protests; the no-confidence motion against him was rejected yesterday by Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.

Meanwhile, the government said it will consider revoking the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members only after they apologise for their behaviour in the Upper House, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported.

Among the parties that boycotted the proceedings of the House included the Congress, which was the among the first to walk out, followed by members of the CPI-M, CPI, TMC, NCP, SP, Shiv Sena, RJD, DMK, TRS and AAP (in RS).

Till late night, the protesting MPs raised slogans and sang songs. The MPs spent the night on the lawns of Parliament complex before joining other opposition leaders to walk to President Ram Nath Kovind’s official residence to bring his attention to the issue.

In the morning, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh met the suspended MPs and offered them tea. However, the protesting lawmakers reportedly refused to have tea with him.

Facebook removes 150 Chinese accounts posting about US presidential election

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