Author: LokMarg

Actor Amber Heard broke down in tears on the witness stand on Thursday while testifying in the defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp claiming that he had sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle during a fight in Australia, shortly after the pair got married.

Recounting the ordeal, the “Aquaman” actress said that the fight in Australia — during filming of the fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” film in March 2015 — was prompted by Depp’s jealousy and her concern about his drug use, Variety reported.

She said Depp had repeatedly hit her, threw bottles at her and choked her against a refrigerator, before finally getting her on top of a countertop and penetrating her with a bottle.

“I remember just not wanting to move,” she said. She said she remembered thinking, “Please, God, I hope it’s not broken.”

Heard is defending herself in a $50 million defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia. Depp has sued his ex-wife Heard for writing an op-ed piece for the Washington Post in which she claimed that she was a victim of domestic abuse.

Depp has even argued that she has levelled allegations against him to advance her career.

His lawsuit alleges that he lost out on the sixth “Pirates of the Caribbean” film and other movie roles after Heard referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” in a December 2018 op-ed, the Variety reported.

Heard began her testimony on Wednesday afternoon, recounting how she first met Depp and fell in love with him. But she said she also discovered that Depp could become extremely jealous — especially when drunk or high — and fly into rages.

She told the jury about a flight on a private jet in May 2014, when she alleges that Depp slapped her and then kicked her to the floor. She also told the jury of other violent episodes, in Tokyo, and on Depp’s private island in the Bahamas. She said Depp could be verbally cruel, calling her a “whore,” a “slut” and a “fat ass,” Variety reported.

Depp has denied ever assaulting Heard. He already told the jury his own version of events surrounding the Australia fight, alleging that she severed his fingertip when she threw a bottle at him.

Heard has previously testified about these incidents during a trial in the United Kingdom, but the details of the alleged sexual assault were kept confidential in that proceeding.

In her testimony on Thursday, Heard also said she ended up with cuts on her arms and feet from the broken glass. She said, at one point, Depp had held a broken bottle to her jaw, and threatened to “carve up my face,”it added.

The couple met on the ‘Rum Diary’ set in 2011 and got married in 2015. However, the marriage was short-lived. They split in May 2016, and Heard accused the actor of sexual abuse. Depp denied the claims, and they settled their divorce in August 2016. (ANI)

The report of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) revealed that the total fertility rate of India has declined from 2.2 to 2.0 indicating the significant progress of population control measures.

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) which is measured as the average number of children per woman, has come down from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national level between NFHS-4 and 5.

There are only five states in India, which are above the replacement level of fertility of 2.1. including Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.91), Uttar Pradesh (2.35), and Jharkhand (2.26) Manipur (2.17).

The NFHS-5 survey work was conducted in around 6.37 lakh sample households from 707 districts (as on March, 2017) of the country from 28 States and 8 UTs, covering 7,24,115 women and 1,01,839 men to provide disaggregated estimates up to district level.

The Overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54 per cent to 67 per cent in the country.

“Use of modern methods of contraceptives has also increased in almost all States/UTs. Unmet needs for family planning have witnessed a significant decline from 13 per cent to 9 per cent. The unmet need for spacing, which remained a major issue in India in the past has come down to less than 10 per cent,” said an official statement.

The NHFS-5 also mentioned that institutional births have increased substantially from 79 per cent to 89 per cent in India. Even in rural areas around 87 per cent births are delivered in institutions and the same is 94 per cent in urban areas.

Institutional births increased by a maximum of 27 percentage points in Arunachal Pradesh, followed by over 10 percentage points in Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Over 91 per cent of districts have more than 70 per cent of births in the last 5 years that took place in health facilities.

As per the survey, the level of stunting among children under 5 years has marginally declined from 38 to 36 per cent for India in the last four years.

Stunting is higher among children in rural areas (37 per cent) than in urban areas (30 per cent) in 2019-21. Variation in stunting ranges from the lowest in Puducherry (20 per cent) and highest in Meghalaya (47 per cent).

A notable decrease in stunting was observed in Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim (7 percentage points each), Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh and Manipur (6 percentage points each), and Chandigarh and Bihar (5 percentage points each).

Compared with NFHS-4, the prevalence of overweight or obesity has increased in most States/UTs in NFHS-5. At the national level, it increases from 21 per cent to 24 per cent among women and 19 per cent to 23 per cent among men. More than a third of women in Kerala, A&N Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim, Manipur, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Punjab, Chandigarh and Lakshadweep (34-46 per cent) are overweight or obese.

In NFHS-5, more than three-fourths (77 per cent) of children aged 12-23 months were fully immunized, compared with 62 per cent in NFHS-4 as the full vaccination coverage among children ranges from 57 per cent in Nagaland to 95 per cent in DNH and DD. Odisha (91 per cent), Tamil Nadu (89 per cent), and West Bengal (88 per cent) also have shown relatively higher immunization coverage.

Interestingly, NFHS-5 data showed an overall improvement in SDG indicators in all States/UTs. The extent to which married women usually participate in three household decisions (about health care for themselves; making major household purchases; visiting their family or relatives) indicates that their participation in decision making is high, ranging from 80 per cent in Ladakh to 99 per cent in Nagaland and Mizoram. Rural (77 per cent) and urban (81 per cent) differences are found to be marginal.

The prevalence of women having bank or savings accounts that they use has increased from 53 to 79 per cent in the last 4 years.

NFHS-5 also mentions an increase in usage of clean cooking fuel (44 per cent to 59 per cent) and improved sanitation facilities (49 per cent to 70 per cent), including a hand-washing facility with soap and water (60 per cent to 78 per cent) have improved considerably.

There has been a substantial increase in the proportion of households using improved sanitation facilities, which could be attributed to the Swatch Bharat Mission programme. (ANI)

A petition has been filed before the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the Maharashtra government and Mumbai police to register an FIR against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray under the charges of sedition and creating nuisance in connection with his May 1 Aurangabad rally.

The petition was filed by a Pune-based activist, Hemant Patil and is likely to be mentioned for an urgent hearing today.

In his petition, Patil who also heads an NGO said that Thackeray organised a rally on May 1 in Aurangabad in which he spoke against NCP chief Sharad Pawar which may cause unrest among the party workers leading to disruption of peace in the state. He sought the registration of a case of sedition against the MNS chief.

Notably, Thackeray, during his rally on May 1, had charged the NCP chief of “dividing Maharashtra in caste politics” and also added that Pawar is an atheist.

Following his speech, the Aurangabad police registered an FIR against the MNS chief after seeing the viral videos of his rally.

Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray had reiterated his ultimatum to remove the loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, failing which they would play Hanuman Chalisa with double volume compared to Azaan from May 4.

“Today is the first day of Maharashtra (Maharashtra Day). I will not listen from the fourth day from now. Wherever we will see a loudspeaker, we will also chant Hanuman Chalisa in front of the loudspeaker in double volume,” Thackeray had said while addressing a gathering at Sanskrutik Mandal Maidan in Aurangabad.

Mumbai Police seized loudspeakers from the MNS office and detain the party’s Chandivali unit chief Mahendra Bhanushali and others on Tuesday.

The loudspeakers row started when the MNS chief on April 12, when gave an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government seeking the removal of loudspeakers from mosques within May 3, failing which, he warned, MNS workers will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers. (ANI)

As the doors of the Kedarnath Temple opened on Friday morning, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with his wife Geeta Dhami offered prayers.

On the occasion of the opening of the doors of Kedarnath Dham, one of the country’s 12 Jyotirlingas, thousands of devotees were present. The doors of the temple opened following years old traditional ritual of Vedic chanting. The temple has been decked with 15 quintals of flowers. The portals of the temple closed for winter for six months on November 6 last year.

Located on the bank of the Mandakini river, Kedarnath Temple is the of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as ‘Char Dham’ which also include Yamunotri, Gangotri and Badrinath. Built in the eighth century AD by Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya, Kedarnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The annual Chardham Yatra began on May 3 on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in the Uttarkashi district. Portals of Badrinath Temple will open on May 8.

Earlier this month, the state government capped the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dhams. A total of 15,000 pilgrims will be allowed daily at Badrinath, 12,000 at Kedarnath, 7,000 at Gangotri and 4,000 at Yamunotri. This arrangement has been made for 45 days.

This year, it is not mandatory for pilgrims to carry a negative COVID-19 test report or vaccination certificate.

Char Dhams draw lakhs of tourists and devotees every year from across the country and abroad. (ANI)

India reported 3,545 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours with a daily case positivity rate of 0.76 per cent, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

Due to the recovery of 3,549 COVID patients during this period, the active cases in the country declined from 19,719 on Thursday to 19,688 today which accounts for 0.05 per cent of the total number of cases.
The total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic rose to 4,25,51,248. The recovery rate is 98.74 per cent.

As many as 27 patients lost their lives in the last 24 hours taking the death toll in the country to 5,24,002.

The weekly positivity rate currently stands at 0.79 per cent.

India conducted 83.98 crore COVID tests in the last 24 hours. A total of 4,65,918 COVID samples have been tested in the country so far.

As far as the vaccination is concerned, 16,59,843 fresh COVID vaccines were jabbed during this period. The total number of vaccine doses administered under the nationwide vaccination drive rises to 1,89,81,52,695. (ANI)

The shooting of Tamannaah Bhatia-starrer ‘Babli Bouncer’ has been completed.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who has helmed the project, took to Instagram on Thursday and announced the wrap of the film.

“It’s a wrap #BabliBouncer. 3 months, 42 days. Great memories, lovely camaraderie, fabulous team-work, Super fun. A big thanks to all my actors, technicians and everyone who has contributed from the inception till the finish,” he wrote.

Alongside the note, he dropped a video, in which the whole team can be seen cheering and hooting.

‘Babli Bouncer’ is touted as a coming-of-age feel-good story with a slice-of-life comedic tone set in the real ‘bouncer town’ of North India – Asola Fatepur.

Fox Star Studios and Junglee Pictures have produced the drama, which also features Saurabh Shukla, Abhishek Bajaj and Sahil Vaid in pivotal roles. (ANI)

By Shalini Bhardwaj

After the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that India had 4.7 million “excess” COVID deaths, the country questioned the modelling methodology used by the organisation and said it is disappointed with its ”one-size-fits-all” approach.

According to the WHO report, more than 4.7 million people in India are thought to have died because of COVID-19.

Lashing out for projecting excess mortality estimates, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog, speaking to ANI said, “Unfortunately, in spite of our emphatic writing, rational communication at the ministerial level, they have chosen to use the number that is based on modelling assumptions– one size fits all kind of assumptions.”

Dr Paul said that India has been telling WHO that the country does not agree with the methodology followed by India.

“We understand that this report has covered what they label as excess mortality, in the year spanning COVID19. India has been telling WHO via diplomatic channels with data that we don’t agree with the methodology followed for us,” he added.

However, Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava said, “Once we have this systematic data, we do not need to rely on modelling, extrapolations and taking press reports and utilising them for putting into a modelling exercise.”

All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi Director Randeep Guleria objected to the WHO’s approach and gave three reasons for it.

“I have objections and I will give three reasons for that. India has a very robust system of birth and death registration which has been going on for decades. We know it works very well and that data is available,” said Guleria.

AIIMS Director further said that data should be used to see the number of excess deaths that happened during this time and excess deaths that could be attributable to COVID and WHO didn’t use that data.

“Secondly– data that WHO used is more on hearsay evidence– what’s there in media or unconfirmed sources. That data is questionable. Modelling on that data isn’t the correct and scientifically right thing to do, especially, when you have data that is more robust,” he said.

Giving the last reason Dr Guleria said India has been very liberal in offering compensation for people who died of COVID, that is, there is a very open manner.

“So, even if there were excessive deaths that were COVID related, they would have been recorded because people would have come forward, and their relatives would have come forward for compensation. This has not been the case as far as the numbers that WHO is predicting,” said AIIMS Director.

Further speaking on WHO’s claim on COVID deaths in India, he said that India needs to present the data which is scientific and more on an evidence basis.

“So, the prediction seems to be way beyond what actual numbers are and is based on data that is not substantiated. That is why I think that this is something which we, as a country, should object to and we need to present our data which is scientific and more on evidence basis,” he added.

In a press briefing on Thursday organised by World Health Organisation (WHO) said that India had 4.7 million “excess” COVID deaths, 10 times more than the official figure. The technical officer at the department of data and analytics William Msemburi said, “The reported Covid-19 number is 481,000 and the estimated excess is 4.74 million. So 481,000 reported COVID-19 numbers and then an excess mean of 4.7 million. The uncertainty around that is 3.3 million to 6.5 million. So, those are the estimated numbers for India.” (ANI)

Hyderabad’s Saroornagar police arrested two relatives of Ashrin Sulthana alias Pallavi for their involvement in the murder of Billipuram Nagaraju on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Syed Mobin Ahmed, brother of Ashrin Sulthana and Mohammed Masood Ahmed.
Both the accused were arrested on Thursday and are being produced before the Hon’ble Court for judicial custody, stated the Saroornagar police.

“Case registered under IPC Section 302, SC/ST Act. The probe is to be concluded soon. We’ll apply at fast track court so that its trial is concluded soon, and accused are punished. The deceased’s family will be provided with monetary benefits, job”, said DCP of LB Nagar.

A newlywed couple riding a bike was attacked with an iron rod and stabbed on Wednesday at 9 pm resulting in the man being killed on the spot at Panjala Anil Kumar Colony of Saroornagar in Hyderabad.

According to police, both the accused developed grudge against the deceased, as he had married the sister of the accused Syed Mobin Ahmed.

“The deceased Billipuram Nagaraju, who belongs to SC-Mala Community, and Ashrin Sulthana of the Muslim community were in love for more than five years. They were classmates from school and both studied in the same school and college. She is the sister of the accused Syed Mobin Ahmed. Sensing that his sister was in love with the deceased, Mobin had warned her. On 30.01.2022 she came out of her house situated at IDPL Colony, Balanagar leaving her mobile phone in her house itself. On the next day Nagaraju and Ashrin Sulthana got married at Arya Samaj in Old City, Hyderabad”, read the police statement.

“The accused hatched a plan to kill Nagaraju. One month ago, the accused tried to locate the deceased but failed to identify his location. Again, on 4-05-2022, the accused started searching the location of the deceased and initially they found him at Maruthi showroom, Malakapet. But it was not convenient there to assault the deceased. Then, they followed the deceased on their scooter and found the deceased at Panjala Anil Kumar colony, Saroornagar”, said the police.

“They stopped Nagaraju while he and his wife Ashrin Sulthana were on their bike. Mobin pushed him and after he fell, they started beating him with an iron rod on his head indiscriminately. Mobin then gave the iron rod to Masood Ahmed. Mobin then took a knife that was carried with him and started stabbing. Thus both the accused brutally murdered Nagaraju by beating him with a centering iron rod and stabbing him with a knife. After confirming his death, they fled”, said police.

The deceased’s wife Ashrin Sulthana said, “Syed Mobin Ahmed and five other people were there when the incident happened. I only recognized my brother and I don’t know the others.”

“We had a love marriage and he was my classmate since Class 10. I liked Nagaraju a lot. He even told my mother that he will convert his religion and will marry me but my mother didn’t listen. I know Nagaraju for 11 years”, she added.

“Nagaraju was beaten by five members at the signal. I begged everyone to let us go. Why did the public come now? He was killed in front of everyone, can’t the world see? At the signal, I requested people for help. If I would have died I wouldn’t have felt sad. I tried to save Nagaraju by covering him. But there were five other people pushing me away from him and other people were beating him. Nagaraju was wearing a helmet but despite that, they injured his skull.

The ACP LB Nagar along with his team apprehended Syed Mobin and Masood Ahmed within hours and seized the centering iron rod and knife used in the crime. (ANI)

The National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts the Common Universities Entrance Test (CUET), has decided to extend the last date for application submission for CUET 2022 up to May 22.

“We are extending the last date for application submission for Common University Entrance Test (CUET) up to 22-05-2022. We hope that this will provide additional opportunity to the students to apply for CUET. Wish you all good luck. More details at https://cuet.samarth.ac.in”, stated the NTA on Thursday.

Earlier the CUET 2022 application’s last date was May 6. Application of the CUET began on April 6.

Last date for fee payment of CUET exam is May 22, 2022 till 11.50 pm.

The CUET registration form 2022 is available on the official website– cuet.samarth.ac.in.

The CUET-qualified candidates will be able to register for admission to undergraduate courses in central universities across the country. The CUET UG exam for the academic session 2022-23 will be held in computer-based mode. Candidates will be required to select any four cities of their choice while filling out the application form. Applicants will be allotted the exam center according to their selected preferences.

The National Testing Agency will conduct the CUET 2022 in 13 languages including English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. The entrance test will be held in 547 cities within India and in 13 cities outside India.

“CUET (UG) -2022 will provide a single-window opportunity to students seeking admission to the Central Universities across the country under various Undergraduate programmes,” reads the official statement. (ANI)