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Showing posts from November, 2020

Assam to bring laws for transparency in marriage: Sarma on love jihad

  Himanta Sarma has said that Assam is considering to bring laws that will make it mandatory for both the bride and the groom to disclose information including the source of income and religion Amid the ongoing discourse on the issue of ‘Love Jihad’, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the state government is considering to bring laws that will make it mandatory for both the bride and the groom to disclose information including the source of income and religion. “One shouldn’t get married if there’s no transparency between husband-wife. Disclosure’s important-my religion, what I do for a living, what’s my income. I am not saying that, you should disclose not only your religion, you should also disclose your income and job,” Assam Minister Sarma told reporters. Talking on the issue of ‘Love Jihad’, the Minister said, “Our idea is not the so-called ‘ Love Jihad ‘. My idea is that you shouldn’t hide your identity, job or income. Assam is going to do something which...

Agitating farmers refuse to budge, say here for ‘decisive battle’

  Reject offer for talks, siege of Delhi continues The agitating farmers who have laid siege to Delhi rejected the central government’s offer for talks for the second time in two days. The protesting farmers said they have come to the national capital for a “decisive battle” and asserted that they will continue their agitation till their demands are met. “Our demands are non-negotiable,” said a farmer leader, adding that the ruling party “will have to pay a heavy price” if it did not heed their concerns. “We have come here to fight a decisive battle,” the farmer leader said. Gurnam Singh Chaduni, another farmer leader, added that around 31 cases have so far been registered against the protesters to “suppress” their agitation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had asked the farmers to shift to the Burari ground in New Delhi and had said the Centre was ready to hold discussions with them as soon as they moved to the designated place. Last night, Shah also had a meeting with Agriculture M...

Govt invites farmers for talks today; PM says they are being misinformed

  The Centre invited agitating farmer unions for talks on Dec 1, two days ahead of a scheduled meeting. At the same time, PM Modi said the protests are based on creating doubts through misinformation The Centre on Monday night invited agitating farmer unions for talks on December 1, two days ahead of a scheduled meeting, as their stir against the new agri-marketing laws appeared to intensify despite a strong defence of the legislation by the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who accused the opposition of playing tricks on farmers again through misinformation. The development came a day after the protesting farmers rejected the Centre’s offer to start talks as soon as they move to Burari and continued to stay put Singhu and Tikri borders of the national capital. “Keeping in view the cold and COVID-19, we have invited leaders of  farmer unions  for discussion much before the scheduled December 3 meeting,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told PTI and urge...

Moderna vaccine 100% effective in severe cases; to seek US, EU approval

  The primary analysis, which included 196 cases, found the vaccine was 94.1 per cent effective, in line with preliminary findings released earlier this month. Moderna Inc plans to request clearance for its coronavirus vaccine in the United States and Europe on Monday, after a new analysis showed the vaccine was highly effective in preventing Covid-19, with no serious safety problems. The primary analysis, which included 196 cases, found the vaccine was 94.1 per cent effective, in line with preliminary findings released earlier this month. None of the participants in the trial who’d received the vaccine developed severe Covid-19. All 30 severe cases observed in the study occurred in participants who received placebo shots, according to a company statement. The shares extended their gains to as much as 12 per cent before US markets opened, hitting a record of $142.85. They have risen more than sixfold since the year began. The new results put the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biote...

Iran passes bill to boost nuclear activity in wake of scientist’s killing

  The Iranian parliament has passed a bill aimed at revitalising the country’s nuclear activities in the wake of the assassination of Iranian nuclear physicist Fakhrizadeh The Iranian parliament has passed a bill, dubbed “The strategic measure for the removal of sanctions,” aimed at revitalizing the country’s nuclear activities in the wake of the assassination of Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, parliamentary committee spokesman Abolfazl Amouei has announced. The scientist, who also was the head of the Iranian Defense Ministry’s innovation center, died as a result of a gunmen attack on Friday in the town of Absard in the Tehran region. Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee discussed the “strategic measure for the removal of sanctions” bill on Sunday, approving three of its articles. “Discussing articles of the Strategic Action Plan for the lifting of sanctions was on the agenda. In today’s meeting, three articles of this plan were reviewed an...

Trump to add China’s top chipmaker, oil firm to defense blacklist: Sources

  The Trump administration is poised to add China’s top chipmaker SMIC and national offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies, a document and sources say WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration is poised to add China’s top chipmaker SMIC and national offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies, according to a document and sources, curbing their access to U.S. investors and escalating tensions with Beijing weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Reuters reported earlier this month that the Department of Defense (DOD) was planning to designate four more Chinese companies as owned or controlled by the Chinese military, bringing the number of Chinese companies affected to 35. A recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump would prevent  U.S. investors  from buying securities of the listed firms starting late next year. It was not immediately clear when t...

While US, Europe rebound, India yet to find firm ground as economy shrinks

  The new figures firmly ensconced India’s position among the world’s worst-performing major economies, despite expansive government spending designed to rescue the thousands of small businesses China has come roaring back from the devastation of Covid-19, and the United States, Europe and Japan are finding their feet. But the hundreds of millions of laborers and shopkeepers who keep India’s economy running still can’t find relief. India’s economy  shrank 7.5 percent in the three months that ended in September compared with a year earlier, government figures showed on Friday. The data reflects the deepening of India’s severest recession since at least 1996, when the country first began publishing its gross domestic product numbers. The new figures firmly ensconced India’s position among the world’s worst-performing major economies, despite expansive government spending designed to rescue the thousands of small businesses severely battered by its long, hastily imposed lockdown....

A ‘mission of the century’ as airlines prep for gargantuan vaccine supply

  Laid low by a Covid-19 outbreak that’s decimated passenger demand, airlines will be the workhorses of the attempt to eradicate it, hauling billions of vials to every corner of the globe In cooled warehouses on the fringes of Frankfurt airport, Deutsche Lufthansa AG is preparing its depleted fleet for the gargantuan task of airlifting millions of doses of the vaccines meant to end the global pandemic. Lufthansa, one of the world’s biggest cargo carriers, began planning in April in anticipation of the shots that Pfizer Inc. to Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc are developing in record time. A 20-member task force is at work devising how to fit more of the crucial payload onto the airline’s 15 Boeing Co. 777 and MD-11 freighters, along with hold space in a vast passenger fleet now flying at just 25% of capacity. “The question is how we scale it up,” said Thorsten Braun, who leads Lufthansa’s part in the global effort. Laid low by a Covid-19 outbreak that’s decimated passenger demand,...

Black Friday 2020: History, its connection with Christmas, Thanksgiving Day

  Black Friday marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Here’s all you need to know about Black Friday sale The Friday following Thanksgiving Day, a special day for shopping enthusiasts, is known by the informal name ‘Black Friday’. This day marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and sees massive sales at retail outlets and online shopping platforms around the world, but especially in the US. On this day, retail outlets around the world open early and offer products at discounted rates. The tradition of shopping for Christmas in the month of November or even earlier has been going on for decades. The term ‘Black Friday’, however, has become widely popular only in recent years, with retailers (and now etailers too) adopting the term and date to push their sales with attractive offers. Here’s all you need to know about Black Friday 2020 History of Black Friday The term was first used in New York about 145 years ago, according to official records. But  ...

‘Nukes are here to stay’: Kim unlikely to shift strategy after Biden win

  Kim Jong Un is one of the few world leaders who has yet to congratulate — or even acknowledge — the president-elect North Korea has greeted the last two U.S. presidents with tests of missiles or nuclear bombs within weeks of taking office. And experts see the same happening with Joe Biden, whom the regime has called “a rabid dog.” Kim Jong Un is one of the few world leaders who has yet to congratulate — or even acknowledge — the president-elect, particularly after Chinese President Xi Jinping did so on Wednesday. While it’s not unusual for North Korea to stay silent on the results of U.S. elections, Kim held unprecedented meetings with President Donald Trump that broke the mold of relations between the long-time adversaries. Ties now are poised to revert to the frostier days of the Obama administration, when the U.S. deployed “strategic patience” to avoid rewarding  North Korea  for provocations — a policy that stayed in place after Kim took power in 2011. For North Kor...

Protesting farmers stationed near Panipat, will leave for Delhi today

  The farmers heading towards Delhi as part of ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march have halted near the Panipat toll plaza at the National Highway and will depart for Delhi in the morning of November 27 The farmers heading towards Delhi as part of ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march, against the centre’s recently passed farm laws, have halted near the Panipat toll plaza at the National Highway and will depart for Delhi in the morning of November 27. Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the farmers who broke barricades in some places in Haryana. After the night halt at Panipat, the protesting farmers will resume the march the next morning. Amandeep, a farmer, while speaking to ANI said: “The main demand is that they should listen to us. They have brought farm laws and still, they are not hearing us. If the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Arhtiyas system (middlemen or service providers) are removed then what will the farmers do?” While the government said the three laws will do away wi...

YES Bank money-laundering case: ED arrests Cox & Kings promoter Kerkar

  The Enforcement Directorate will produce Kerkar in the Mumbai sessions court on Friday The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Cox & Kings (CKL) promoter Ajay Ajit Peter Kerkar in connection with the YES Bank money-laundering case. The beleaguered tour and travels company, one of the top borrowers of the private lender, owes Rs 5,500 crore to a clutch of banks and non-banking financial institutions. The move follows a series of arrests of CKG executives, including that of erstwhile chief financial officer (CFO) Anil Khandelwal and internal auditor Naresh Jain, in the case. Confirming the development, an ED official said Kerkar would be produced in the Mumbai sessions court on Friday and his custody for at least five days will be sought for interrogation. The CKG group and its promoter came under the ED scanner when the agency started investigating the books of  YES Bank  and its top borrowers. During the probe, the ED came across lenders’ enquiry again...

Rishi Sunak allocates funds for UK’s Counter Terrorism Operations Centre

  UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced to set aside millions of pounds to establish a world-leading Counter Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) based in London UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced to set aside millions of pounds to establish a world-leading Counter Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) based in London. As part of a Spending Review for the next year’s budgetary plans tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the finance minister said he would allocate an additional 400 million pound to help recruit 20,000 more police officers by 2023, with 6,000 new officers in 2021-22; 63 million pound to tackle economic crime; and 337 million pound extra funding for the criminal justice system, which will include the new CTOC — expected to be fully operational within five years. “Our police and intelligence agencies do an extraordinary job every day to protect us all from terrorist activity,  Rishi Sunak  said. “Bringing these partners together to form a world-leading operati...

Changes in Delhi Metro services in wake of farmer movement ‘Dilli Chalo’

  The services of Delhi Metro will be affected on Thursday due to the farmers’ movement The services of Delhi Metro will be affected on Thursday due to the farmers’ movement. Farmer organisations from different parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab have called for ‘Dilli chalo’ march on November 26 against the new farm laws. Hence, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has issued an advisory as a precautionary measure. According to the DMRC, the  Delhi Metro  services will be disrupted at some selected station across all its lines till 2 p.m. This will cause inconvenience at the stations touching borders. Actually, the step has taken on the request of the Delhi Police to avoid rush in wake of farmers’ rally and Covid-19 pandemic. Various farmer outfits are creating pressure on the Central government to roll back the three new agriculture laws. The farmers have formed an united front for the purpose. According to the information, the movement h...

Israelis pay respects to victims of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, demand justice

  Israelis are holding ceremonies to pay respects to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, demanding that the perpetrators of the carnage be brought to justice Israelis are holding ceremonies to pay respects to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, demanding that the perpetrators of the carnage be brought to justice and condemning “Pakistan-sponsored terrorism”. Israelis, and Indian students and caregivers paid respects to the victims in Jerusalem, Rehovot and Tel Aviv on Wednesday and ceremonies are planned in Beersheva and Eilat on Thursday. A virtual ceremony on Zoom is also planned for Thursday at 8 PM Israel time (11:30 PM IST). Hundreds have registered to take part in the event. “Israel opposes every country that provides financial and logistical support to terrorists. Peaceful countries should come together to boycott diplomatically and financially those countries that support terrorism. This will help deter acts of terror,” Isaac Solomon from the souther...

Cyclone Nivar crosses TN, Puducherry, felling trees, disrupting power

  The very severe cyclonic storm Nivar, crossed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast late night and early Thursday morning with an estimated wind speed of 120-130 kmph, said the IMD The very severe cyclonic storm Nivar, crossed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast late night and early Thursday morning with an estimated wind speed of 120-130 kmph, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). On its way the cyclone uprooted several trees and power lines in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore, Marakkanam and in Puducherry. Power supply in several areas was disrupted. The concerned administration was removing the fallen trees. In Puducherry also the power supply was disrupted. Puducherry Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy told a news channel that power supply will be restored in a phased manner on Thursday itself. He said, a lot of trees have fallen due to the  Cyclone Nivar  and rain in continuing. Narayanasamy said low lying areas were inundated and work was on to drain the water. Fallen tr...

Biden transition, coronavirus vaccine hopes keep gold near four-month low

  Spot gold eased 0.2% to $1,803.51 per ounce by 0327 GMT. On Tuesday, it had hit its lowest level since July 17 at $1,800.01   (Reuters) - Gold languished near a four-month low on Wednesday as appetite for riskier assets remained buoyed by the formal start of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's transition to the White House and hopes a COVID-19 vaccine would be ready soon. Spot gold eased 0.2% to $1,803.51 per ounce by 0327 GMT. On Tuesday, it had hit its lowest level since July 17 at $1,800.01. U.S. gold futures dipped 0.1% to $1,803.20. "We are moving into a new phase in gold as vaccine developments are changing the regime of pandemic-caused disruptions and headwinds to growth that gold markets were pricing in," said Lachlan Shaw, National Australia Bank's head of commodity research. "If U.S. real long yields range trade around current levels, it's difficult to see gold breaking out and then sustaining a strong rally towards $1,900 and $2,000." U.S. Pres...

Very severe cyclonic storm Nivar to cross coast around midnight: IMD

  Severe cyclonic storm Nivar is expected to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts around midnight or early hours of Thursday as a very severe cyclonic storm     Severe cyclonic storm Nivar is expected to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts around midnight or early hours of Thursday as a very severe cyclonic storm, India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. Moving at a speed of about 7kmph over the past six hours, the severe cyclonic storm Nivar lay centred about 290km east-southeast of Cuddalore, about 300km east-southeast of Puducherry and 350km south-southeast of Chennai, the weather department said. Over the next 12 hours,  Cyclone Nivar  is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm. Nivar is likely to move northwestwards and cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts between Mamallapuram and Karaikal around Puducherry during the intervening night of November 25 and 26 as a very severe cyclonic storm. The wind speed when Nivar crosses the...

Work from home revolution has one major beneficiary in India; working women

  A third of India's technology services labor force comprises women, already a better gender ratio than most other industries in the country   The coronavirus pandemic has hit women worldwide with job losses and closures of childcare centers. Yet a surprising bright spot is emerging: India’s $200 billion technology services industry, where new rules are expected to provide female workers with a broad swath of flexible work arrangements and fresh employment opportunities. On the outskirts of New Delhi, Teena Likhari, 45, quit her job running operations for the Indian back office of a Silicon Valley company in 2018 because of a family medical emergency. Looking to rejoin this year, she expected a market stunted by lockdowns. Instead, the pandemic had made  work-from-home  mainstream in her industry, which had long shunned the practice. Not only did the operations manager quickly land a job with Indian outsourcer WNS Global Services, but working from her home in the ci...

Ahmed Patel: The troubleshooter's departure leaves the Congress poorer

  It may sound like a cliche but Ahmed Patel leaves a void in the party that no one can fill Ahmed Patel, Treasurer of the Indian National Congress, MP, a close aide to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, died today at 71. He leaves behind a void that no one can fill. This may sound like a cliché. But there are few in the party today who are capable of being a bridge over troubled waters that Patel proved to be, time and again. Ahmed Patel  was just 30 when he became an MP in 1977. The Congress had been wiped out elsewhere but Gujarat had saved the day, sending a handful of MPs to the Lok Sabha. He was elected from his native Bharuch district, a region that still swears by him though it may not elect him anymore (the BJP has retained four out of five assembly seats in the parliamentary constituency for the last two decades). When Indira Gandhi was assassinated and Rajiv came to power in 1984 with a 400 plus majority in the Lok Sabha, Patel, ...

What is Cyclone Nivar, logic behind the name and things you need to know

  Extremely heavy rains and strong winds are expected in the next three days in Tamil Nadu and Poducherry   Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are on high alert with Cyclone Nivar expected to make landfall on November 25 afternoon between Karaikal and Mamallapuram. While rains are expected in southern Andhra Pradesh, a deep depression is brewing over the Bay of Bengal and is most likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday and cross the coast on Wednesday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is currently 440 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 470 km southeast of Chennai, according to the latest IMD bulletin. The  Cyclone Nivar  is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours and into a severe cyclonic storm in the subsequent 12 hours with a speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph. Extremely heavy rains and strong winds are expected in the next three days. The state governments...

Maharashtra makes Covid-19 test must for passengers coming from 4 states

  Mumbai airport has a facility to test 3,000 to 5,000 persons daily   After several rounds of deliberations on ways to control the spread of Covid-19, the Maharashtra government on Monday imposed restrictions on all air and rail passengers arriving from Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Goa. Passengers travelling from these states — which have seen a significant surge in cases — will have to obtain a negative RT-PCR test report before starting. While the state government was initially contemplating a reduction or suspension in flights and train services between Delhi and Mumbai, it has opted for mandatory RT-PCR testing for arriving passengers instead. Airline and travel sector executives said the move would discourage people from travelling and adversely impact demand. Mumbai-Delhi is the busiest air route in the country with around 50 flights and over 6,000 passengers daily. The new operating procedure was issued by Maharashtra chief secretary Sanjay Kumar on Monday and will c...

Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shows positive results, up to 90% efficacy

  Data from global trials to be submitted to the Indian regulator by the end of December     The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine candidate has shown positive results in an interim analysis of clinical trials in the UK and Brazil, with a vaccine efficacy of up to 90 per cent in different dosing regimens. Data from the global trials would be submitted to the Indian regulator by the end of December, and Serum Institute of India (SII), AstraZeneca’s manufacturing partner here, would submit the interim data from the Indian arm by then, sources said. “It is up to the Indian regulator to decide which dosage form it would approve for the Indian population. Data from all the dosage forms will be presented before the regulator,” a source said. The recruitment for the 1,600-volunteer Indian arm of the Covishield vaccine trial is over and the trial is in the last leg. The regimen, with one half dose followed by a full dose after a month, has shown 90 per cent efficacy. This would enable m...

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro review: Great screen, cameras and efficacy, but bulky

  Priced at Rs 39,999, the Mi 10T Pro is one smartphone that seems to offer sheer value-for-money, at least on paper. Is it as good in actual use? Let’s find out Xiaomi restricted itself to budget and mid-range smartphones in India’s price conscious market for a long time. This year, however, the Chinese electronics maker took the leap and launched its premier smartphones in India. Fresh in the line-up is the Mi 10T Pro, which epitomises the company’s efforts in display technology and imaging. Priced at Rs 39,999, the Mi 10T Pro is one of the smartphones that seems to offer sheer value-for-money, at least on paper. Is it as good in real life usage? Let’s find out: Mi 10T Pro: Design The Mi 10T Pro is huge, bulky and heavy. Look elsewhere if you need a compact smartphone because this one is a brick not meant for single hand operations. The smartphone boasts premium glass-metal construction with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and back, and on the rear camera module. Though t...