Month: May 2022

India on Wednesday supplied nearly 40,000 MT of petrol to Sri Lanka to help ease the fuel shortage in the country, which is reeling under a severe economic and energy crisis.

The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka took to its Twitter handle to make the announcement of the consignment.

“Delivering on #India’s commitment to the people of #SriLanka, close to 40,000 MT of petrol reached #Colombo today. With this has received around 440,000 MT of various types of fuel from More to follow!!!” tweeted India High Commission in Sri Lanka.

With this, India has so far delivered 440,000 MT of various types of fuels to the island country in several consignments.

Earlier, on Sunday, Ceylon Petroleum Private Bowser Owners Association (CPPBOA) warned of fresh fuel shortage from Monday due to the recent anti-government strikes in the country that had resulted in the suspension of fuel transport operations.

Presently, Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well. (ANI)

Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen, on Wednesday, shared a click featuring her and megastar Salman Khan from Arpita Khan-Aayush Sharma’s star-studded Eid bash.

She took to her Instagram handle and posted the picture in which a smiling Sushmita could be seen posing with Salman, as she held his shoulder.

In the caption, she wrote, “I hope you all celebrated Eid with your loved ones…well wishers…and in the company of goodness!!! I know I did @beingsalmankhan. Allah swt aapki saari jaayaz duaaiye qubool karein.”

“My love and respect to all at home!!! I love you guys sooooooo soooooo much!!! #eidmubarak #duas #love #health #family #friends #goodness #happiness,” added Sushmita.

Last night, Sushmita had arrived at the Eid bash looking marvellous in pink as she with her daughter Renee. Other celebs who were in attendance included Karisma Kapoor, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, among others. (ANI)

Hours after announcing that ‘Koffee With Karan’ will not be returning, filmmaker Karan Johar has clarified that his popular talk show “will not be returning on TV,” instead the new season will stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

Karan took to his Instagram handle and shared a statement that read, “Koffee with Karan will not be returning … on TV! Because every great story needs a good twist, I’m delighted to announce that season 7 of Koffee With Karan will stream exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar!”

“The biggest movie stars from across India will return to the couch to spill the beans while drinking some koffee. There will be games, there will be rumours put to rest – and there will be conversations that go deep, about love, loss and everything we’ve all been through over the last few years. Koffee With Karan, ‘streaming’ soon, only on Disney+ Hotstar. Toodles!” it continued.

Earlier today, Karan had shared a statement on social media stating that after a run of six seasons, ‘Koffee With Karan’ will not be returning and the run-time has ended. But as it turns out it was obviously a prank.

The seventh edition of ‘Koffee with Karan’ will start shooting on May 7, 2022. (ANI)

Amid the ongoing loudspeaker row in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday termed May 4 a ‘black day for Hindus’ and alleged that the BJP is ‘using’ Raj Thackeray to create fissures among Hindus in the state.

“BJP is behind the loudspeaker row in Maharashtra. They’re using Raj Thackeray to create fissures among Hindus in the state”. said Sanjay Raut. According to him, Hindus and temples are suffering because of the loudspeaker controversy.

“SC decision is the same for all. Now our temples also have to bear the brunt of it. It’s a black day for us Hindus that people couldn’t hear Aartis because of BJP’s politics in cahoots with Raj Thackeray”, said Sanjay Raut.

“It’s just not about loudspeakers in mosques, in Maharashtra, ‘Aartis’ are being conducted early morning and people often hear them through loudspeakers as not all of them can enter temple premises, but that can’t happen today, which’s unfortunate”, added Raut.

Raut while speaking to ANI said, “Bal Thackeray and Veer Savarkar are the ones who taught Hindutva to the country. Shiv Sena’s school of Hindutva is original.”

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said that playing Hanuman Chalisa outside mosques will continue till the time the government acts and address the issue in accordance with the Supreme Court guidelines on loudspeakers.

“As far as I know, there are over 1,140 mosques in Mumbai. Out of these, 135 mosques played azaan at 5 am violating the guidelines. We want peace in the state. I want to ask the police you are taking action only against our workers. My point is that all illegal loudspeakers should be removed from mosques, until they are removed we will continue our agitation,” Raj Thackeray said addressing a press briefing here.

The MNS chief further said: “It’s not only about mosques, there are several temples where illegal loudspeakers are running. I have already made it clear that it’s (illegal loudspeakers) not a religious issue but a social issue.”

Maharashtra Home Department earlier today said that are a total of 1,140 mosques, out of which 135 went against the Supreme Court orders and used loudspeakers before 6 am today.

“I have to see what Supreme Court is doing if the government is not following its order,” Raj Thackeray added.

The loudspeakers row started when the MNS chief on April 12 gave an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, failing which, he warned, MNS workers will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers.

A case was filed against Raj Thackeray on Tuesday when he appealed to people to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers in the areas where loudspeakers are used for ‘Azaan’ from today. (ANI)

After sizzling under the severe heatwave for the past few weeks, parts of Delhi on Wednesday evening received rainfall providing much-needed relief to the people from the unrelenting heat.

The India Meteorological Department has further predicted thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with a speed of 30 to 40 Km per hour in adjoining areas of a few places of Delhi, NCR areas, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
“Thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with speed of 30-40 Km/h would occur over & adjoining areas of most places of Delhi ( ), NCR ( Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Manesar) Kaithal, Narwana, Karnal, Rajaund, Assandh, Jind, Panipat, Gohana, Gannaur, Meham, Sonipat, Rohtak, Kharkhoda, Bhiwani, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Sohana, Rewari, Palwal, Nuh, Hodal (Haryana) Deoband, Nazibabad, Shamli, Kandhla, Bijnaur, Khatauli, Sakoti Tanda, Hastinapur, Chandpur, Bagpat, Billari, Milak, Chandausi, Bareilly, Badayun, Meerut, Modinagar, Hapur (U.P.) Bhiwari (Rajasthan) during next 2 hours,” IMD said in a tweet.

However, the monsoon will commence by May 15 as per the latest predictions by the weather office.

Parts of the country have been reeling under intense heatwaves for the past few weeks with temperatures soaring high with average maximum temperatures reaching 35.9 and 37.78 degrees Celsius in the northwest and central India respectively. Both the regions of the country experienced the hottest April in 122 years.

The intense heatwave in the past few weeks across several parts of northwest and central India has led to increased power demand.

Earlier on Monday, the IMD had issued a yellow warning for Northwest India due to a Western Disturbance, soon after the heatwave spell subsided across the country. It also predicted thunderstorm activity over Northwest and East India till May 4 and over Northeast India till May 3. (ANI)

Actor Kangana Ranaut, on Wednesday, treated the audience to her scintillating performance in the teaser of ‘She’s on Fire’ song from her upcoming film ‘Dhaakad’.

The song has been composed and written by rapper Badshah and sung by him and Nikita Gandhi.
In the teaser clip, Kangana is seen grooving to the catchy tunes of the track.

Sharing her experience shooting for the song, Kangana said, “I had a blast shooting for the song as I love the way Badshah composes them. They are full of life and the tempo gets you grooving. She’s On Fire showcases Agent’s Agni’s power, how she is on this mission and how nothing can stop her from achieving her goal.”

Badshah, too, spoke about the making of the ‘Fire’ track.

“The brief for the song was to compose a tune which would be catchy but would also capture the essence of the film and reflect the spirit of its main characters. The title of the song is based on Agent Agni and the way she powers through her mission in the film. Rampal plays the menacing antagonist and the song pits the two of them against each another,” he shared.

Helmed by Razneesh Ghai, ‘Dhaakad’ also stars Arjun Rampal and Divya Dutta. It will hit the theatres on May 20. (ANI)

In a significant move to bring critical research and development capabilities under one roof, pharmaceutical company Pfizer has set up a global drug development centre at the IIT Madras Research Park in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai.
The centre’s capabilities will include the development of both, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms (FDFs) of differentiated products such as complex/value-added formulations, controlled-release dosage forms, device-combination products, lyophilized injections, powder-fill products, and ready-to-use formulations. It will develop and support products in global markets and Pfizer’s manufacturing centres worldwide.

“Pfizer’s drug development centre in the IIT Madras Research Park is a positive opportunity to establish truly one of the most advanced laboratories that Pfizer is setting up for R&D in the aforementioned disciplines anywhere in Chennai and in the world,” said S Sridhar, Country Manager, Pfizer India.

“We are confident that it will allow for synergistic co-development of cutting-edge API and FDF processes under the same roof. The world-class scientific, technology and innovation-driven Research Park campus provide an ideal setting for our work. We are hopeful that the proximity to IIT Madras and other technology Research Park start-ups will also improve academia and industry partnerships and encourage greater collaboration to drive innovation,” he added.

Pfizer has invested USD 20 million (INR 150+ crore) in the 61,000 sq ft research and technology centre at the IIT Madras Research Park. While this centre will be a part of a network of 12 global centres set up worldwide, it is the first and only one at present being set up by Pfizer in Asia.

Speaking at the launch, S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India said there is a growing need for pharma companies to provide innovative solutions that address the new challenges that healthcare providers and patients are facing.

“This new centre by Pfizer in Chennai is a step in that direction. Such efforts to strengthen and expand global work through this centre will allow for knowledge sharing that we hope will improve patient outcomes in the years to come. It will also allow Pfizer to leverage and showcase the large talent pool in India as well as the best-in-class infrastructure available at the IIT Madras Research Park,” Aparna said.

“We are confident that this research centre would be aligned with our larger national objective to improve the availability, affordability and access to drugs throughout the world from India by building on the convergence with digital solutions available here, and leveraging academic collaborations,” she added.

The centre integrates two essential functions under the export-oriented undertaking of Pfizer: Pharmaceutical Sciences (PharmSci) and Global Technology and Engineering (GT&E) Center of Excellence.

PharmSci is dedicated to the development of anti-infectives, oncolytics, sterile injectables, anaesthesia products, CNS products, and uniquely differentiated hospital products. GT&E pioneers next-generation API process and manufacturing technology to supply medicines to patients around the globe.

“We are pleased to welcome the Pfizer global drug development centre to IIT Madras Research Park. We believe that the proximity of Pfizer to IITM, scientists and students, the Tech corridor, and other leading industry start-ups will foster greater collaboration between industry and academia. We are also sure that the academicians at IITM will benefit from having access to Pfizer’s center,” said Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IITM Research Park.

This 61,000 sq ft facility employs 250+ scientists and professionals from a range of scientific disciplines including Formulation Scientists and Pharmacists, Analytical Scientists with expertise in process, analytical and formulation medicinal sciences, Life Science specialists such as Microbiologists and Biotechnologists, Chemical Engineers, Data Scientists, and Program Managers. (ANI)