Month: January 2021

Sharing glimpses of her New Year vacation from Ranthambore National Park on Sunday, Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone urged her fans to ‘take that much-needed break’ to spend time with family.

The ‘Padmavat’ star rang in 2021 at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan along with her husband Ranveer Singh and other family members. She took to Instagram on Sunday and shared videos and pictures from her trip, with the caption, “What my New Years looked like… #ranthambore #rajasthan.”

In the comments section, Deepika also penned down a note for her fans. She wrote, “An observation or compliment i receive most often from my family and friends closest to me is how I haven’t changed one bit personally despite everything I have achieved professionally. Little do they know what a huge role they have to play in it!”

Further, she added, “For me, uninterrupted quality time with family and friends is absolutely essential.”

“It keeps me grounded and rooted. It’s a reminder of where I’ve come from and everything it has taken me to get to where I am. So take that much needed break…,” concluded Deepika.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Deepika Padukone had deleted all her social media posts and launched her audio diary.

On the work front, Deepika Padukone will be seen in Shakun Batra’s directorial unnamed film co-starring Ananya Panday and Sidhant Chaturvedi. Besides that, she will also be seen with her husband and Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh in their upcoming sports flick ’83’. (ANI)

The United States has called for the release of an Uyghur Muslim doctor who has been sentenced to 20 years of jail in China because of activism of her family members.

The daughter of Gulshan Abbas told a briefing organised with the bipartisan US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) that their family had recently learned that her mother received the sentence in March last year on terrorism-related charges after disappearing in September 2018, Al Jazeera reported.

Gulshan Abbas is the sister of activist Rushan Abbas, who has been quite vocal about the Chinese Communist Party’s atrocities against Muslim minorities in China.

Meanwhile, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Abbas was sentenced for the crimes of joining a “terrorist” organisation, helping terrorist activities and “assembling a crowd to disrupt social order”.

“We urge certain politicians in the United States to respect facts and stop fabricating lies and smearing China,” the spokesman, Wang Wenbin, told a news conference.

The daughter, Ziba Murat, called the charges “preposterous”. Gulshan’s sister, Rushan Abbas, said the charges are the consequence of activism by her and her brother, Rishat Abbas, both of whom are based in the US.

“We have committed to working to defend our people’s rights and advocate for justice, and now our sister is denied justice as a punishment,” Rushan said.

Taking to Twitter, US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, Robert Destro, said Gulshan Abbas must be released.

“Her forcible disappearance, detainment and harsh sentencing by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is evidence of a family suffering the consequences of speaking out against a government that has no respect for human rights,” he said.

Ziba Murat said she could not reveal the source of the information on the sentencing to protect their identity. “We only learned that she is sentenced to 20 years, and we’re trying to get more information.”

“My mom is a medical professional, non-political, kind person who has spent her life helping people,” she said, adding that her mother was in fragile health and suffered from multiple conditions, including high blood pressure.

The CECC chairman, Democratic Representative James McGovern, called the punishment of an innocent family member in what he said was an attempt to silence free expression “morally reprehensible”.

He said it was just part of a “mass persecution” of Uighurs in China that has involved the detention of as many as 1.8 million people in internment camps, forced labour and other abuses.

According to credible reports, more than one million people, are or have been, detained in what is being called ‘political re-education’ centres, in the largest mass incarceration of an ethnic minority population in the world today.

The internment camp system in the XUAR is expanding, with more than 380 suspected detention facilities having been newly built or expanded since 2017, and at least 61 detention sites newly constructed or expanded between July 2019 and July 2020. (ANI)

As India gears up for the world’s largest vaccination programme, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare addressed apprehensions expressed by the public regarding the COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness, safety and availability, among others.

In a video issued by the Health Ministry, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) answered commonly asked questions regarding the dosage of the vaccine saying that two doses of the vaccine will have to be taken 28 days apart and protective levels of antibodies generally would develop two weeks after the second dose.

He further informed that after all doses of the vaccine are administered, a QR-code based certificate will also be sent to the mobile number of the beneficiary and recommended that after vaccination, patients should take rest for at least 30 minutes.

“If you feel any symptoms, any discomfort, please contact the nearest authorities like ANM, ASHA workers so that they can attend to the problem,” Dr Guleria said, urging people to continue following COVID appropriate behaviours including wearing of masks and social distancing.

The AIIMS Director also cautioned that the different COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable, and people should complete their entire schedule of vaccination by one type.

Regarding vaccination of persons who actively had COVID-19, he recommended that they defer vaccination for at least 14 days after symptoms are resolved.

“We do not know how effective the vaccine will be when one is already having active infection so for this reason, I believe that active and symptomatic individuals should defer vaccination for at least 14 days after symptoms are resolved,” he said, adding that they may increase the risk of spreading the infection to others at the vaccination site.

He further said that those who had recovered should also receive the complete schedule of the COVID-19 vaccine to help in a better immune response against the disease.

“It is very important that individuals who have one or more comorbid conditions like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, etc, take the vaccine because they are actually high-risk groups. Their medicines will not interfere with the vaccine efficacy,” he added.

He also said that some degree of common side effects like mild fever, pain at the side, body aches, will likely be seen in some individuals. “States have been asked to start making arrangements to deal with any COVID-19 related side effects,” Guleria added.

Responding to a question, “Will the COVID-19 vaccine be given to everyone simultaneously?” Dr Guleria said that it would depend on its availability and the government had selected priority groups who will be vaccinated based on risk factors.

“The first group will include healthcare and frontline workers, followed by persons over the age of 50 and persons under 50 with comorbidities. This will be done to avoid any inconvenience in registration and vaccination of beneficiaries,” he said.

The eligible beneficiaries will be informed through their registered mobile numbers regarding the Health Facility where the vaccine will be provided and the scheduled time.

He advised that although taking the vaccine was voluntary, people should take the complete vaccine to protect themselves and near and dear ones.

Dr Guleria further addressed apprehensions about the safety of the vaccine considering that it was tested and introduced in a short span of time, saying, “Safety is the most important factor and all standard precautions have been followed in the past for the approval of the vaccine,” adding that the vaccine in India would be as effective as those developed by other countries.

Registration of beneficiaries would be mandatory for vaccination.

Documents required for registration of a beneficiary include driving license, Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of the Ministry of Labour, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card, Official identity cards issued by MPs/MLAs/MLCs, PAN card, Passbooks issued by Banks/Post Office, Passport, Pension documents, Service ID cards issued by the Central or State government and public limited companies or Voter ID cards.

The document used for registration will have to be produced at the time of vaccination.

“Following online registration, beneficiaries will receive SMS on their registered mobile number on the due date, place and time of vaccination,” Dr Guleria said, adding that after the completion of the vaccine, the beneficiary will receive an SMS on their registered mobile number.

Regarding India’s capabilities to transport and store the COVID-19 vaccines at the appropriate temperatures, he said that the programme mechanisms are being strengthened and geared up to cater to the county’s population.

Earlier today, the COVID-19 vaccines of Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech were granted permission for restricted use in an emergency situation, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) said.

“After adequate examination, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has decided to accept the recommendations of the Expert Committee and accordingly, vaccines of M/s Serum and M/s Bharat Biotech are being approved for restricted use in emergency situation and permission is being granted to M/s Cadila Healthcare for conduct of the Phase III clinical trial,” said VG Somani, DCGI, during a media briefing today. (ANI)

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary on Sunday expressed hope that a solution will be found out of talks with farmer unions on Monday and their agitation against three agriculture laws may end as well.

Speaking to ANI, the minister accused the Congress and some other Opposition of adding fuel to fire in the agitation which has been going on for over a month at different borders of the national capital.

“The Narendra Modi government takes the decision in the interest of farmers and stands with them in their problems. Rahul Gandhi is doing politics (on these laws) and is provoking farmers. Why does he forget that he did not go to meet Anna Hazare in 2011 during his government and the way he forced Baba Ramdev to run away from a protest site? These people are talking about justice and injustice. Narendra Modi government stands with farmers to resolve their issues,” Choudhary told ANI.

“We are talking to farmers who are protesting. We are hopeful that there will be a positive result out of talks which will be held tomorrow. Seven round of talks were held in a peaceful atmosphere. Congress, AAP and Communists are adding fuel to fire. They will not succeed. We hope that their issues will be resolved in discussions tomorrow and protest too may end tomorrow,” he said.

Attacking Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi who said over 50 farmers lost their lives due to the government’s “harsh attitude” towards the protests, Choudhary said: “In Congress manifesto, they said they will bring these laws once they come to power. We did the same. These laws give freedom to farmers.”

Farmers have been agitating at the gates of the national capital since November 26 against the recently enacted three farm laws — 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.

The next round of talks will take place on January 4. (ANI)

As the festival of Pongal approaches, bull trainers in Madurai have started to gear up for Jallikattu, the traditional but highly controversial bull-taming sport for which tamers spend months raising bulls.

After the Tamil Nadu government granted permission to hold the sport with certain restrictions last week, the event is set to be held in Madurai and surrounding villages from January 15 to 17.

One of the most popular sites for the sport is the Alanganallur village in Madurai which often receives tourists from all over the world.

The process of registration for the bull will begin 10 days in advance, with medical check-up for both the bulls and Jallikattu cattle players.

Bulls are trained through an intensive process called ‘mann kuthal’, where bulls develop their skills by digging their horns in the wet earth.

Bull trainer Nivathan and his family have been raising five Jallikattu bulls, especially for the festival.

“I take the bulls out to train twice a day, one in the morning, and one in the evening. The festival will be held next week,” Nivathan said.

As per the government’s directive, the number of players cannot be more than 150 at an event and COVID-19 negative certificates have been made mandatory for players. The number of spectators has also been restricted to 50 per cent of the gathering.

The Supreme Court (SC) in 2014 had banned Jallikattu after a plea was filed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The state government, however, insisted that Jallikattu was a crucial part of the state’s culture and identity. The ban was later lifted in January 2017 with an amendment to the law after massive protests in Chennai. (ANI)

In a move to expand the power of its Central Military Commission (CMC), China has amended its National Defence Law from January 1 to mobilise military and civilian resources in defence of the ‘national interest’ at home and abroad.

These revisions weaken the role of the State Council in formulating military policy and hands decision making power to the CMC. For the first time, ‘disruption’ and protection of ‘development interests’ have been added to the legislation as grounds for mobilisation and deployment of armed forces, according to South China Morning Post.

The amendments were passed by the National People’s Congress on December 26, after two years of deliberation. Three articles were removed, more than 50 were amended, while there were six additions.

The legislation also specifically focuses on the need for building a nationwide coordination mechanism for the mobilisation of state-owned and private enterprises to take part in research into new defence technologies covering conventional weapons, as well as the domains of cybersecurity, space and electromagnetics.

Several analysts have opined that the amendments are aimed to strengthen the military leadership under Chinese President Xi Jinping, and providing it with the means to respond to the accelerating confrontations between China and the US, according to South China Morning Post.

Deng Yuwen, a former deputy editor of the Communist Party publication Study Times, said the amendments aimed to legalise and formally apply the “special” nature of China’s political and defence system when dealing with situations that could harm the regime at home and abroad.

The changes show that regime had gained the confidence to legitimise its long-standing principle that the party ‘commands the gun’ and strengthen its ‘absolute leadership’ over-armed and reserved forces, said Chen Daoyin, an independent political commentator.

“The move to include ‘development interests’ as a reason for armed mobilisation and war in the law would provide legal grounds for the country to launch war in the legitimate name of defending national development interests,” Chen said.

Zeng Zhiping, a military law expert at Soochow University, said that the State Council has become a mere implementing agency to provide support to the military, adding that this change was a big contrast with developed countries like Germany, Israel and France, where armed forces come under civilian leadership.

Taipei-based military expert Chi Le-yi said the amendments highlighting the use of armed forces to suppress national disruption would be used to target independence-leaning forces in Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its territory, reported South China Morning Post.

For decades, the Chinese government has claimed authority over Taiwan. Though Taiwan is not recognised by the UN, its government maintains a relationship with the US and does not accept the Chinese authority.

“The law revision is also a symbolic battle call by the party to warn all Chinese people to be combat-ready for a nationwide defence mobilisation, which the party has never done since [it came to power] in 1949,” said Chi. (ANI)

A study conducted by researchers from the Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull has claimed that among all seafood; mussels, oysters, and scallops hold the highest level of microplastic due to contamination of water bodies.

This research was conducted in order to investigate the levels of microplastic contamination globally in fish and shellfish, the researchers observed more than fifty studies between the years 2014 and 2020.

Scientists are still trying to understand the health implications for humans consuming fish and shellfish contaminated with these tiny particles of waste plastic, which finds its way into waterways and oceans through waste mismanagement.

Study author, Evangelos Danopoulos, a postgraduate student at Hull York Medical School said: “No-one yet fully understands the full impact of microplastics on the human body, but early evidence from other studies suggests they do cause harm.

“A critical step in understanding the full impact on human consumption is in first fully establishing what levels of microplastics humans are ingesting. We can start to do this by looking at how much seafood and fish is eaten and measuring the number of MPs in these creatures.”

The study shows microplastic content was 0-10.5 microplastics per gram (MPs/g) in molluscs, 0.1-8.6 MPs/g in crustaceans, 0-2.9 MPs/g in fish.

The latest consumption data in the research shows China, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the US are amongst the largest consumers of molluscs, followed by Europe and the UK.

Molluscs collected off the coasts of Asia were the most heavily contaminated with researchers suggesting that these areas are more heavily polluted by plastic.

Evangelos Danopoulos added: “Microplastics have been found in various parts of organisms such as the intestines and the liver. Seafood species like oysters, mussels, and scallops are consumed whole whereas in larger fish and mammals only parts are consumed.

Therefore, understanding the microplastic contamination of specific body parts, and their consumption by humans, is key.”

Plastic waste generated worldwide is expected to triple to 155-265 million metric tonnes per year by 2060. Once the plastic finds its way into oceans, lakes, and rivers it has the potential to end up as microplastic inside shellfish, fish, and marine mammals.

The research points to the need to standardise methods of measuring microplastic contamination so that different measurements can be more readily compared. Researchers said more data is needed from different parts of the world to understand how the issue varies between different oceans, seas, and waterways. (ANI)