Month: January 2021

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut shared a workout video on Thursday, in which she gave a piece of motivational advice to her fans while acing up her fitness game.

The ‘Manikarnika’ actor took to Twitter on Thursday and shared a workout video with her Pilate’s instructor. Ranaut, while captioning the post explained that nothing in this world is more important than one’s own fitness, she wrote “Early morning fitness routine. Remember one thing in life jo fit hai woh hit hai, never compromise on your health, stay away from unhealthy habits and pessimistic people.”

She further added, “Stay in the company of great beings if you don’t find them physically find their books or teachings.”

In the video, Kangana can be seen training hard while doing Pilates.

Ever since the actor has returned from her hometown in Manali, she has been spending a good amount of time in Mumbai. Kangana has started preparations for her next film ‘Dhaakad’, which will be helmed by Razneesh Ghai and produced by Sohail Makhlai. (ANI)

Women farmers are harnessing their driving skills from Thursday at Singhu border for the tractor parade planned on January 26.

“We are learning to drive tractors so that we can prepare ourselves well for January 26, country’s Republic Day. Women are no less than men and we are here participating in every protest rallies along with men to showcase our unity and togetherness. The farm laws have to be repealed,” said 45-year old Harjit Kaur from Singhu border.

Farmers on Thursday took out a tractor rally at the Delhi borders to protest against the three new farm laws. This rally is a rehearsal for a more massive rally they have planned for January 26 if their demands are not met. Women also participated in the rallies in full spirit.

“This is our fight for livelihood. We won’t back out at any cost. A lot of women be it 90 years old, 70 years old or even 20 years old are taking part in the protests. Our spirits are high. This tractor march is more of a rehearsal for us, we will sit on driver’s seat on January 26 and begin the march,” said 70-year old Roopinder Kaur.

Even after more than a month of continued stalemate, farmers are leading their protests on Delhi borders so that the government repeals the three farm laws. They have at times stated that they will go back only and only if they receive a solution, otherwise they have ration to sustain for a longer period.

Hardayal Singh, 57, who is teaching the women to steer the tractors stated, “Our women who look after our household, when required can hold the steering too. They are no less than any male farmers protesting here. Moreover, they are tolerating much more than us. I will teach them wholeheartedly and prepare them for January 26.”

From today onwards the training for tractor parade, in particular, for women has commenced at the Singhu border. Interested women can learn here to harness their driving skills on a regular basis.

However, the exact number of women who will take out the parade is yet to be confirmed. They are likely to participate in the tractor parade on the Republic Day from across India.

The eight-round of talks between farmers and the government till date have remained inconclusive with scores of farmers sitting at various borders across Delhi as a mark of protest against the new farm laws. The next meeting between the farmers and the government is scheduled for January 8. (ANI)

The hiring activity in India has increased by 14 per cent in December 2020, stated Naukri JobSpeak Index on Thursday.

In November 2020 hiring activity witnessed a decline of 10 per cent as against December 2019.

Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com said, “2020 was a year of challenges and hiring across key industries bore the brunt of the pandemic. While hiring in AMJ’20 was down by 56 per cent compared to last year, subsequent quarters showed a steady recovery. Year-over-year hiring in OND’20 is down by only 18 per cent.”

“This improvement is led by sectors such as IT, BPO/ITES, medical and pharma. Key sectors like hospitality, travel, auto and retail are still bouncing back and the sequential numbers reassure us of robust recoveries in 2021. As we look forward to a brighter year ahead, the overall hiring sets in the right direction for the closing month,” added Goyal.

When it comes to sector-wise impact, the hospitality/travel sector has been hit the most with a 60 per cent decline in hiring followed by power/infrastructure/energy sector (39 per cent), retail (30 per cent), telecom/ISP (25 per cent) and accounting/taxation/finance (20 per cent) in December 2020 year-over-year.

According to Naukri JobSpeak Index, the medical/healthcare sector witnessed a positive growth of 11 per cent due to macro conditions. Further, the hiring trend in pharma/biotech sector remained less impacted with only 1 per cent fall. Similarly, the increased digitisation has helped industries like IT-software stay afloat with just 2 per cent plunge in hiring activity.

The demand for professionals in banking/insurance, pharma/biotech/medical and IT software observed a positive growth of 14 per cent, 14 per cent and 6 per cent respectively in December 2020 year-over-year.

On the contrary, recruitment for professionals in sales/BD, HR/admin, marketing/advertising and accounts/finance saw a decline of 24 per cent, 22 per cent, 18 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

Hiring for professionals in ticketing/travel/airlines, hotel/restaurant and teaching/education witnessed a steep decline of 73 per cent, 66 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.

On city-wise analysis, metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi/NCR and Kolkata witnessed a decline in hiring trends by 25 per cent, 18 per cent and 13 per cent respectively in December 2020 as against December 2019.

IT hubs like Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad demonstrated a plunge in hiring activity just by 1 per cent, 2 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

Among tier-II cities, Chandigarh and Jaipur recorded a positive growth of 8 per cent and 2 per cent respectively. On the other hand, Ahmedabad and Vadodara were highly impacted with a decline of 26 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. (ANI)

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has filed a police complaint against actor Sonu Sood and his wife for allegedly converting a six-storey residential building in Mumbai’s Juhu area into a hotel without the civic body’s permission.

The alleged unauthorised developments and additions have been made in a Shakti Sagar residential building in the Juhu area of the metropolis.

The complaint was filed at the Juhu police station under the Maharashtra Region and Town Planning Act (MRTP Act) on January 4.

As per the complaint issued by the BMC, Sood was first served a notice on October 27, 2020, and the deadline to respond to that ended on November 26 the same year.

“Therefore, the land was again inspected on January 4 and it was found that the accused had not complied with the requisitions and the said notice and was continuing to carry out the unauthorised development even after the notice was served on them,” the complaint read.

The BMC was, therefore, compelled to send a written complaint against Sonu Sood, asking the police to file an FIR against the actor immediately.

The said complaint has been signed by Mandar Wakankat who is a Junior Engineer with the Building and Factory Department of BMC at the K West Ward. (ANI)

By Reena Bhardwaj

As an unprecedented and violent situation unfolded at the US Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, several of US President Donald Trump’s supporters reiterated his claims that the recently-concluded presidential election was ‘stolen’, and demanded their ‘voices to be heard’.

Many of the president’s supporters called for their votes to be counted, demanding that the election results, already certified by the US Electoral College in favour of President-elect Joe Biden, be overturned.

Speaking to ANI, Laurie Spencer, a pro-Trump demonstrator said, “I am here because Michigan’s election was stolen and everyone is here to protest peacefully that our voices need to be heard and our votes need to count. I think we are all just standing up for our rights as Americans, the freedom to do everything we are allowed to do.”

Another Trump supporter, Mark from Washington claimed that the people were angry because their voices had been stolen and they were cheated out of a rightful president.

“The people are very angry. They are angry because their voices have been stolen, they have been cheated out of a rightful president and they are going to install someone who does not deserve to be president,” he told ANI.

Mark also called Biden a ‘corrupt, crooked’ politician.

“What you are saying here is people wanting their vote to count and wanting the right president, the rightful election to be in power, and that is President Trump,” he added.

He also remarked that the Capitol police started pushing the protesters back as it was getting late and they were getting concerned about danger and injuries to the people.

Meanwhile, another staunch Trump supporter, Ted Alexander, lamented the ‘crumbling of virtues of the nation’, and slammed the ‘dishonesty and biasedness’ of the mainstream press in the US.

“We know that our right to a free and fair election has been stolen and we can take a loss, we just want a fair election, and we believe that the swing states, the 6 states that are in question, should have another election. But they broke rules, their state rules, they broke our constitutional rules, they did fraud by machines and they did typical hand fraud. Everyone knows it,” he said.

He also mentioned that it was heartbreaking to see many Republican Senators just looked away from the issue.

A chaotic scene unfolded at the Capitol as supporters of President Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police. Several police officers sustained injuries, while one woman was confirmed dead after being shot in the chest.

The protesters managed to overpower the law enforcement officers and swarmed the House and Senate chambers, leading to the evacuation of several Congressional buildings.

Several lawmakers slammed Trump for inciting violence, with some calling for his immediate impeachment and removal. (ANI)

After announcing the second season of his much-loved Amazon Prime Video-based show ‘The Family Man’ as a New Year gift to fans, actor Manoj Bajpayee on Thursday announced that the fresh season of the show will premiere on February 12.

The Padma Shri award-winning actor who is seen playing the role of a middle-class man serving as a world-class spy in the show, made the announcement by sharing a teaser of the new season on Twitter.

The teaser sees Bajpayee seated on a chair as a board behind his back holds several photographs and the face of an individual which is formed by connecting several bits and pieces together of several other pictures.

“Chehre ke peeche chehra, raaz hai ismein gehra. (A face over another, holds a deep secret).#TheFamilyManOnPrime on 12th Feb @PrimeVideoIN,” Bajpayee tweeted along with the teaser.

‘The Family Man’ is an edgy, action-drama series, which tells the story of a middle-class man, Srikant Tiwari, who works for a special cell of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The series plots Srikant’s tight-rope walk as he struggles to strike a balance between his secretive low paying, high-pressure, high-stakes job and being a husband and father or a ‘family man.’

The new season of the show will see Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) and Sharib Hashmi (JK Talpade) taking on a bigger and deadlier mission.

The series has been created and directed by Raj and DK and will see Bajpayee and Talpade reprising their roles along with Priya Mani and Sharad Kelkar.

The series also marks the digital debut of southern superstar Samantha Akkineni in a never-seen-before avatar. (ANI)

World leaders and top diplomats condemned the US Capitol riots with some pressing President Donald Trump to call off the violence.

Earlier, Trump supporters on Wednesday (local time) breached the Capitol while a woman was shot dead when a protest spiraled out of control.

It interrupted Congress’s count of electoral votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Biden is due to assume the presidency later this month on January 20.

The rioting took place after Trump told protestors to repeat his false claim that he won the US election in November.

Leaders around the world reacted with concern online, describing the chaotic scenes as ‘shocking’ and ‘disgraceful’, reported CNN.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, “Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington DC. Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests.”

“Canadians are deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy in the United States, our closest ally and neighbour,” tweeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld — and it will be.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the “very distressing” scenes of violence, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tweeted, “What is happening is wrong. Democracy — the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully should never be undone by a mob.”

Several leaders held the US President personally responsible for the upset and its resolution. “What we are now seeing from Washington is a completely unacceptable attack on democracy in the United States. President Trump is responsible for stopping this. Scary pictures, and amazing that this is the United States,” wrote Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

“President Trump and several members of Congress bear substantial responsibility for developments,” tweeted Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. “The democratic election process must be respected.”

“The United States stands for democracy around the world,” wrote UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Twitter. “The US Congress is a temple of democracy. To witness tonight’s scenes in #WashingtonDC is a shock,” said President of the European Council Charles Michel.

“Shocking & deeply sad scenes in Washington DC — we must call this out for what it is: a deliberate assault on Democracy by a sitting President & his supporters, attempting to overturn a free & fair election! The world is watching! We hope for the restoration of calm,” said Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney.

And Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed Trump directly. “Horrible images from Washington DC Dear Donald Trump, recognise Joe Biden as the next president today.”

Many, including top diplomats and leaders in Iceland, France, Austria, Poland, Ecuador, Colombia and Scotland among others, reminded the US of its role as a model of democracy in the world and expressed disbelief at the breach of the US Capitol — the first time that the building had been overrun since a British attack during the War of 1812, according to Samuel Holliday, director of scholarship and operations with the US Capitol Historical Society, reported CNN.

“This is not America,” wrote European Union High Representative Josep Borrell, who described the mob’s actions as “an unseen assault on US democracy, its institutions and the rule of law.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Americans to respect the outcome of the November election — a call echoed by European Parliament President David Sassoli, who added, “We are certain the US will ensure that the rules of democracy are protected.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also wrote, “I believe in the strength of US institutions and democracy. A peaceful transition of power is at the core. Joe Biden won the election.”

“I look forward to working with him as the next President of the USA,” she added. (ANI)

The US Capitol building has been put in lockdown and multiple congressional buildings have been evacuated following increasingly violent protests by supporters of President Donald Trump as the Congress began the debate on certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

According to CNN, shortly after 1 pm ET (11:30 pm IST), pro-Trump protesters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the US Capitol Building, chanting ‘USA! USA!’ and waving American flags, as well as flags reading ‘Don’t Tread on Me.’

A crowd of Trump supporters estimated to be in the thousands travelled to Washington on Wednesday to pressure lawmakers and Vice President Pence to overturn the results of the election. Pence noted earlier in the day that he does not have the power to object to electors, reported The Hill.

The US Capitol was breached during a tense situation with demonstrators, according to Capitol police officers.

“Due to an INTERNAL threat in the building, take shelter in the nearest office and stay quiet,” said the police.

Protesters could be seen pushing against metal fences, and police using the fences to push protesters back, while other officers reached over the top to club people trying to cross their lines.

In some instances, law enforcement officers were seen deploying pepper spray, while the use of flash bangs and tear gas was also witnessed, reported CNN.

Fox News reported citing a congressional source that the Cannon House Office Building and Madison Library of Congress Building were briefly evacuated because of a bomb threat after several suspicious packages were reportedly found in the area.

The US Capitol complex has been placed on lockdown. An announcement played that said in the US Capitol said to “move away from windows and doors” and “no one can leave or enter”, although people were allowed to move about inside the building.

Buildings being evacuated included the Library of Congress’s Madison Building across from the Capitol as well as the Cannon House office building. In an alert sent to Hill staffers, police ordered occupants of the Madison building to “move in a safe manner to the exists” and “close doors behind you but do not lock”, reported The Hill.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser also announced a citywide curfew till 6 am ET, Thursday, following the violent protests.

“Today, I’m ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7,” she announced on Twitter.

Meanwhile, the Electoral College certification vote has been paused following the breach of the Capitol building by protesters, and Vice President Pence was taken from the Senate chamber.

Reacting to the protests, Trump urged the protesters to support Capitol police and stay peaceful.

“Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!” he tweeted.

Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy also took to Twitter to urge the protesters to remain peaceful.

“Thank you to Capitol Police for protecting the People’s House. Protesters have a Constitutionally-protected right to be heard, but I urge them to remain peaceful,” McCarthy tweeted.

Representative Adam Kinsinger, a Republican, called the breach of the Capitol building a “coup attempt”

The development comes as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the Electoral College’s vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday.

Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol.

President-elect Biden’s inauguration is scheduled for January 20. (ANI)

By Sahil Pandey

Several young non-resident Indians (NRI) have joined farmers at the Singhu border to extend support to the ongoing demonstration against agricultural laws by offering their services.

Manpreet Singh, an Austria-based automobile businessman, came directly from Delhi airport to the protest site at Singhu border with his luggage to participate in the farmers’ agitation.

“I came directly from Austria to India, when I was in Europe then I used to watch the news about the farmers’ protest and then I decided to reach Delhi and head towards Dharna site,” Singh told ANI here.

Singh, who hails from the Jalandhar district, added that the movement of this magnitude has never been witnessed before and it is the duty of every citizen to stand with the farmers.

Another NRI Jitender Pal Singh from Mohali, who is an IT professional living in New Zealand for the past 8 years, said that he has been supporting farmers from the first day of their movement.

“I am supporting farmers from the first day of their agitation i.e. September 25. I am also a member of the discipline committee. I will continue to give my service to this protest until the 3 farm laws are not repealed,” he asserted.

The farmers are continuing their protests after the talks between them and the Centre remained inconclusive on January 4. They are pushing the government to repeal the farm laws while the government is suggesting only amendments to them.

Earlier in the day, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said those farmer unions, which are protesting against the farm laws, will understand the idea behind bringing laws for reforms in the agricultural sector and actively arrive at a solution after discussion.”The government of India is committed to the welfare of farmers. We meet those who are supporting the laws and those opposing them. I am sure that farmer unions who are agitating will understand the idea behind agriculture laws and they will think about the welfare of farmers and actively arrive at a solution by a positive discussion,” Tomar told reporters here.

With concerns that farm laws would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national capital for over a month against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. (ANI)