Month: August 2022

Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the eighth time at the Patna Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

This came a day after a huge political turmoil in the state, after which he broke the alliance of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and announced to form a new “Grand Alliance” which includes Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Opposition parties.
The oath ceremony was attended by RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and his wife Rajshri, former CM Rabri Devi and RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav at the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Patna.

Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav also took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

Seven parties including 164 MLAs along with independent MLA in our Mahagathbandhan, said Nitish Kumar at a joint presser with RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav after meeting Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan on Tuesday. (ANI)

Aamir Khan has time and again trended on Twitter for his past controversial remark. Recently, netizens again brutally trolled him on the micro-blogging site once again and went one step ahead by making the hashtag #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha go viral.

With Aamir’s film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ releasing on Thursday, the actor has been busy promoting it. The actor was in the national capital on Tuesday where he addressed the ‘Boycott’ trend on Twitter and responded by saying, “If I have hurt anyone by any means, I regret it. I don’t want to hurt anyone. If someone doesn’t want to watch the film, I’d respect their sentiment.
I’d, however, love for people to go watch the movie because it’s our labour of love. A lot of people have worked hard on this film, and I hope people like it,” added Aamir.

For the unversed, last month, some Twitter users started using the hashtag #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha, asking people to not watch the movie.

Some Twitter users went through the archives and dug up Aamir’s controversial “India’s growing intolerance” statement and circulated it on the micro-blogging site. Some of Kareena’s controversial statements from the past have also been surfacing online.

Talking about the controversial statement in question, in 2015, Aamir Khan said in an interview, “Our country is very tolerant, but there are people who spread ill-will”. His wife Kiran Rao also made headlines for saying that she considered leaving the country for the safety of their children.

Coming back to ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ promotions, during the media interaction, Aamir also revealed that he is very nervous about the film’s release and hasn’t gotten sleep in 48 hours. Aamir stated, “I am very nervous right now, it’s been 48 hours I have not slept. I am not joking; I am not able to sleep. My brain is in overdrive, so I read books or play chess and catan online. I will be able to sleep only after 11 August.”

On being asked, that what is he going to do after the release of the film on August 11, Aamir said, “I will finally sleep after 11, I think me and Advait (director of ‘Laal Singh Chadha’) will sleep peacefully and then when we wake up, the audience will tell us whether they liked the film or not. Will wake up and discover.”

Helmed by Advait Chandan, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is an official Hindi adaptation of the Academy Award-winning 1994 film ‘Forrest Gump’ which had Tom Hanks in the lead role. It is scheduled to release on August 11. Naga Chaitanya is also a part of the film. (ANI)

The Central government has approved Biological E’s Corbevax for restricted use in an emergency as a heterologous booster dose, official sources confirmed on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, ANI had reported that Corbevax booster for heterologous first has been approved by the Centre.

Last month the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) recommended Biological E’s CORBEVAX as a heterologous booster for adults above 18 yrs old.

On June 4, this year Biological E. Limited (BE), a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical and vaccines company announced that its CORBEVAX COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) as a heterologous booster dose after 6 months of administration of primary jabs of Covaxin or Covishield vaccines for restricted use in the emergency situation for the individuals aged 18 years and above.

“BE’s CORBEVAX is the first such vaccine in India to be approved as a heterologous COVID-19 booster. Recently, BE has furnished its clinical trials data to the DCGI who after a detailed evaluation and deliberations with the Subject Experts Committee, granted their approval for administering the Corbevax vaccine as a heterologous booster dose to people who have already taken two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin,” an official statement from BE read.

“BE’s clinical trial data showed that Corbevax booster dose provided significant enhancement in immune response and excellent safety profile required for an effective booster,” it added.

Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E. Limited, said, “We are very happy with this approval, which will address the need for COVID-19 booster doses in India. We have crossed yet-another milestone in our COVID-19 vaccination journey. This approval reflects that once again sustained world-class safety standards and high immunogenicity of Corbevax.”

“BE has conducted a multicentre Phase III placebo-controlled heterologous booster clinical trial in 416 subjects from 18 to 80 years of age who were previously vaccinated with two doses of either COVISHIELD or COVAXIN at least 6 months prior to the administration of Corbevax as a booster dose,” the statement read further.

“The booster dose of Corbevax increased the neutralizing antibody titers in the Covishield and Covaxin groups significantly when compared to the placebo,” it added.

So far, India’s Cumulative COVID-19 vaccination Coverage has exceeded 207.03 Crore (2,07,03,71,204) till 7 am on August 10. (ANI)

Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Bikram Singh Majithia in connection with a case registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in December 2021.

He is currently lodged in Patiala Central Jail.
Majithia was booked under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act, on the allegations of his alleged involvement in a drug racket in the state.

He surrendered on February 24 in the Mohali Court.

He had the Punjab abd Haryana High Court to seek regular bail in the case registered against him under NDPS Act in December 2021.

After a Mohali district court rejected his plea to quash an FIR against him he had approached the Supreme Court, which on May 11, refused to entertain the plea and asked him to instead approach the High Court. (ANI)

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday recovered approximately 25 to 30 kilograms of improvised explosive device (IED) near the Tahab Crossing on Circular road in the Union Territory’s Pulwama.

This major tragedy has been averted days before the 75th Independence Day of India.
“An IED weighing approx. 25 to 30 Kgs were recovered near Tahab Crossing on Circular road in Pulwama by the Police and Security Forces. A major tragedy has been averted by specific input generated by Pulwama Police”, said Vijay Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) also arrested a terrorist with Islamic State (ISIS) links from Mubarakpur in Azamgarh, who was planning an IED blast on Independence Day.

A case has been registered against Sabauddin in Lucknow under sections 121A, 122, 123 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act. (ANI)

The Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested a key accused in the sensational murder case of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu.

The accused had been identified as Gurwinder Singh alias Baba alias Raja from Tarn Taran Sahib in Punjab, said a press release on Tuesday.
Gurwinder’s two aides were also arrested. The two aides have been identified as Sandeep Singh alias Kala and Gurpreet Singh alias Randhawa, as per the statement.

The Police have also recovered one hand-grenade, one RDX-IED, two 30-bore pistols along with magazines and 13 live cartridges, 635 grams heroin, 100 grams opium, Rs 36.90 lakh drug money, and one Mitsubishi Lancer car from their possession.

The development came amid the ongoing decisive war against drugs and gangsters waged by the Punjab Police under the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to make Punjab a drug-free and crime-free state.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said that accused Gurwinder Singh alias Baba, who is proclaimed offender (PO) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), had played a pivotal role in the killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu by providing weapons to shooters. A probe revealed that Gurwinder Baba is a close associate of notorious gangsters Sukhpreet Singh alias Harry Chatha and Sukhmeetpal Singh alias Sukh Bikhariwal– a prime suspect in Balwinder Singh’s murder case, he said.

The preliminary investigations indicated that the recovered explosives and arms and ammunition were to be used to disrupt the peace and harmony and create a sense of terror in the state of Punjab on/around Independence Day, said the DGP.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ferozepur Range Jaskaran Singh, while addressing a press conference in the presence of SSP Tarn Taran Ranjit Singh Dhillon, said that following the reliable inputs that Gurwinder Baba along with his aide Sandeep was on the way to Khadoor Sahib, the Tarn Taran Police party had intercepted the white Lancer car in which both were travelling and managed to arrest them. Two pistols with loaded magazines, 635 grams of heroin, 100gram opium and Rs 3.90 lakh drug money were recovered from the car, he added.

The IGP said that, later, following the disclosures of Gurwinder Baba, the Police also recovered one hand grenade, one RDX-IED and drug money from the location pinpointed in the area of Police District Batala. Preliminary investigations suggest that the recovered explosives, arms, and drugs were smuggled via drones from Pakistan, he added.

Divulging more details, SSP Tarn Taran Ranjit Singh Dhillon said that the FIR no. 118 has been registered under sections 18, 21, 25, and 29 of the NDPS Act, sections 25(6) and 25(7) of the Arms Act, sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substance Act and sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act at Police Station Verowal.

He said that these arrests are likely to lead to further disclosures of cross-border smuggling modules. Further investigations are on, he added. (ANI)

Fans go crazy when Bollywood actor Salman Khan flaunts his six-pack abs in each of his movies.

On Tuesday, Salman dropped another shirtless picture on social media which is currently gathering all the eyeballs.
Taking to Instagram, the ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ actor shared the post, which he captioned, “Being Strong.”

In the picture, the ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ actor could be seen with an angry look, flaunting his ripped body and chiselled chest and his most famous six-pack abs inside of a gym.

Soon after he shared the post, fans swamped the comment section and dropped heart and fire emoticons.

“Baap Of BodyBuilding Salman Mera Bhai,” a fan commented.

Another fan wrote, “Wha wha wha icon off india.”

“Age koi bhi hoo. Tiger Ki body as it is always young. My inspiration for bodybuilding Salman Bhai Bodybuilding icon,” another fan commented.

Meanwhile, talking about the work front, Salman will be next seen in Sajid Nadiadwala’s action comedy film ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali’ alongside Pooja Hegde, Zaheer Iqbal and Bigg Boss contestant Shehnaaz Gill and Venkatesh Daggubati. Salman’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma was also a part of the film. However, he reportedly walked out of the film.

Apart from that, he will be also seen in Yash Raj Film’s upcoming action thriller film ‘Tiger 3’ alongside Katrina Kaif.

Reportedly, Salman will be having a cameo in Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming action film ‘Pathaan’, which is slated to release on January 25, 2023. (ANI)

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who first resigned and then staked claim to form the government again with new allies, called up Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to express gratitude for their support.

“Nitish Kumar has called Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to express his gratitude for supporting Mahagathbandhan and forming the government in Bihar,” Congress sources told ANI.
JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar is likely to take oath as Bihar’s chief minister again on Wednesday afternoon, according to a tweet by his new alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal.

“The swearing-in ceremony of Honorable Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister will be held tomorrow at 2 pm at Raj Bhavan,” the party said in a tweet from its official handle.

While the RJD tweet did not mention any names, it is widely expected that Nitish Kumar would be the chief minister while Tejashwi Yadav would become his deputy.

Today, Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar twice met Governor Phagu Chauhan, first to hand over his resignation as NDA chief minister and then after being elected leader of the RJD-led `Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) to stake claim for the top once again.

Kumar said he submitted a list of 164 MLAs to the governor who will decide when the oath-taking can take place. The effective strength of the state Assembly is 242 and the magic figure is 122.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday lashed out JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s decision to resign as the Chief Minister of Bihar and stake claim to form a government with Opposition parties in the state, saying that ‘Kumar has disrespected the mandate of Bihar’s people’. (ANI)