Day: January 17, 2021

17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

Surge in dating apps in Tier-II cities, but skew against women

WHEN NIHARIKA Singh first used dating app Bumble in her hometown of Lucknow in 2018, she found that after a few swipes, there were no more potential partners. But after she got stuck at home following the lockdown last year, the 24-year-old found a whole new crop of men on such apps, many of them back at home like her. “They would send me non-stop offers,” she said, after deleting the apps in December. “I don’t think I’ll use the apps in Lucknow ever again. I found that here, men were too psychologically desperate to meet — that was not the case in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore. The experience difference between a girl and a guy is huge, especially here. I am suffering from a problem of abundance.” Across India, dating app executives have noted an unexpected Covid effect: the gr...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Science

Researchers find how cancer can be killed by body’s own immune system – Times of India

WASHINGTON: A new way to help the body's immune system get past that deception and destroy cancer, has been found by a University of Missouri researcher. "Normally, your body's immune cells are constantly on patrol to identify and destroy foreign entities in the body," said Yves Chabu, an assistant professor in the Division of Biological Sciences. "Normal cells put up a 'don't-eat-me' molecular flag that is recognized by immune cells, thereby preventing the destruction of normal tissues. But some cancers have also developed the ability to mimic normal cells and produce this 'don't eat me' signal. As a consequence, the immune system fails to recognise cancer as a defective tissue and leaves it alone, which is bad news for the patient," added Chabu. Immunotherapies are cancer drugs that e...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

In latest fightback for India, Chennai flair and Palghar grit

The further these Indian cricketers are pushed to the ropes, the stronger they bounce back. On Day 3 of the fourth Test, the series level at 1-1, India slipped and staggered to 186 for six but rallied spectacularly to finish their first innings at 336. At the heart of their latest feat was the unflustered seventh-wicket stand of 123 runs between Washington Sundar, a 21-year-old debutant, and Shardul Thakur, a 29-year-old one-Test tailender, that limited Australia’s lead to 33. At stumps, the home team were 21 for no loss and a game that seemed to be swaying towards Australia now hung in balance. For India, Sunday was important because late-order flourishes, of late, had become a rarity — the last time a seventh-wicket pair got a century-partnership abroad was in 2018. In Br...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Travel

UV sanitisers, apps: Kota opens to students today

Ultra-violet lighting for sanitisation in classrooms, pathways and seats marked with stickers to ensure social distancing, an Aarogya Setu-like app to monitor positive cases within coaching centres, plush studio apartments for students to ensure they don’t need to step out, and a new 31-bed hospital with an ambulance on call. Nearly 10 months after the pandemic forced Kota’s Rs 3,000-crore coaching industry to shut down, and prompted an overnight digital switch, the Rajasthan town is preparing to open its doors to students again on Monday, following a major overhaul in the last fortnight. On January 6, the Ashok Gehlot government decided to reopen schools, colleges and coaching centres in light of the dip in Covid-19 cases in the state. Kota District Collector Ujjawal Ratho...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Entertainment

Kangana Ranaut reveals the most awful thing about being an actor according to her – Times of India

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is quite active on Twitter and often makes headlines for her strong worded statements. This time the actress voiced her opinion concerning the most awful thing about being an actor. Speaking of which Kangana wrote, “Apart from nepotism and movie mafia most awful thing about being an actor is night shifts”. Apart from nepotism and movie mafia most awful thing about being an actor is night shifts.When sun rises you sleep,… https://t.co/4tZAueGhJH— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) 1610903193000 She also added, “When sun rises you sleep, body clock and food cycle goes for a toss. First few nights I feel loss of appetite and disoriented. Hmmmm waiting for my body to adapt, what’s the news on twitter?” The actress has recently clocked 3 million followe...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

Vaccines off to smooth start, cross 2-lakh mark; dip in active cases

Of the 2,24,301 beneficiaries from the priority group who received their doses by the end of two days of the nationwide vaccination programme against Covid-19, only 447 reported adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. Of the 447, only three required hospitalisation, with two of them being discharged. On Sunday, only 553 sessions were conducted across the country, with 17,072 beneficiaries being vaccinated, the ministry said. Spelling out details of the AEFI cases reported after the first two days, Dr Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, “Most AEFI reported in the country are minor: fever, headache, and nausea; only three of them required hospitalisation… One has been discharged fro...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

To spur growth & jobs, booster for construction and low-cost housing

The upcoming Budget is expected to give a special focus to construction development and affordable housing as increased activity in these areas provide a higher boost to overall demand in the economy because of their forward and backward linkages. Sources said the government plans further liberalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations for the construction development sector while a higher allocation is expected towards a credit-linked subsidy scheme for affordable housing. One factor behind the exodus of migrants from cities during the pandemic was their lack of access to safe, affordable housing in urban clusters. Significantly, as part of the pandemic slowdown stimulus, several state governments provided various concessions in stamp duty and other charges ...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

Boris Johnson invites PM Modi to G7 in June, says will visit India before summit

Almost a fortnight after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed “regret” that he would not be able to visit India as Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations in view of the pandemic, he has invited the Indian Prime Minister to the UK for the G7 summit in June this year. Johnson, who had extended an invitation to Modi during a phone call last year, also reiterated his plan to visit India ahead of the G7 summit. The proposed summit will be the first in-person G-7 summit in almost two years, as it will be held in the English region of Cornwall from June 11 to 13. Besides India, Australia and South Korea have also been invited as guest countries as a testament to UK’s commitment to ensuring multilateral institutions better...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

Kremlin critic Navalny lands in Russia, flying home despite arrest threat – Times of India

MOSCOW: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny flew home to Russia on Sunday despite Russian authorities' stated desire to arrest him and potentially jail him for years, his plane from Berlin landing at a different Moscow airport from the one it was meant to fly to. It was the first time Navalny has been back home since he was poisoned last summer. His plane was diverted to another Moscow airport at the last minute in an apparent effort by authorities to thwart journalists and supporters greeting him. His plane had been meant to arrive at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, but landed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport instead. The flight was operated by Russian airline Pobeda, owned by state-controlled Aeroflot. Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic critics, was flown to Berlin...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Entertainment

Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff keep it stylish as they get spotted together in the city – Times of India

Rumoured couple Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani were spotted in the city twinning in blue. While Disha looked drop dead gorgeous adorning a denim shirt, Tiger looked uber cool in a navy blue outfit. Both the stars were also seen wearing masks for the coronavirus protection. Have a look : Earlier, Disha took to her Instagram handle to share a video of herself grooving to the beats of Tiger Shroff’s latest single Casanova. The actress looked beautiful dancing her heart out to the catchy beats. Have a look : On the work front, Tiger was last seen in 'Baaghi 3' with Shraddha Kapoor. Disha had a special song in the film. Shroff will be seen in 'Heropanti 2' with Tara Sutaria. The film will be released on July 16, 2021. Speaking about Disha, she will be seen in 'Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bh...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

Employees’ Pension Scheme: Centre plea against Kerala HC’s 2018 order in SC today

The Supreme Court will take up Monday the Centre’s plea challenging the 2018 judgment of Kerala High Court that set aside amendments made to Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995, fixing the maximum pensionable salary at Rs 15,000 per month. A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit will also consider on Monday a review petition by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation against the Supreme Court order rejecting its appeal against the 2018 high court verdict. The Centre’s appeal said “with the striking down of the amendments, the very survival of EPS is in jeopardy” and that a study of the impact of the impugned judgment “shows that as against the total corpus of EPS of approximately Rs 3.77 lakh crores, the total liability in terms of the impugned judgement stands at more than Rs...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Ozil confirms Fenerbahce move in Turkish TV interview | Football News – Times of India

ISTANBUL: Mesut Ozil confirmed on Sunday that he was leaving Arsenal for Turkish team Fenerbahce after being frozen out for months at the Gunners. "I'm very happy, very excited. God has given me the chance to wear the Fenerbahce shirt. I will wear it with pride and give everything for the team," Ozil said in an interview with Turkish television channel NTV. Former Germany forward Ozil said that he would be travelling to Istanbul with his family on Sunday evening, bringing to an end a seven-and-a-half year relationship with Arsenal that turned sour under current coach Mikel Arteta. The 32-year-old has not played for the Premier League team since March 2020 and his reported deal on a weekly salary of £350,000 ($475,000) was set to expire at the end of the current season. However he claime...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Gaming

Tathagata Roy files complaint against actor Saayoni Ghosh for Shivling pic on Twitter

Former governor of Tripura Tathagata Roy has filed a police complaint against actor Saayoni Ghosh for allegedly hurting his religious sentiments. The complaint was registered at Rabindra Sarobar police station on Saturday. Police said they were looking into the complaint. Roy, who was also governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, posted a picture of the complaint on his Twitter profile. According to sources, the complaint is related to an image shared from Ghosh’s Twitter handle in 2015, showing a Shivling used for an AIDS awareness advertisement. “The enclosed picture has seriously insulted my religious belief which is an offense under section 295A of Indian Penal Code,” read a portion of Roy’s letter. Terming the tweet “obnoxious”, Ghosh was quick to apologise sayi...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Gaming

After MLAs got jabs, BJP describes TMC as ‘vaccine thieves’

A day after a few Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in Purba Bardhaman district, including MLAs Rabindranath Chatterjee and Subhash Mondal, received Covid-19 vaccine shots, the BJP on Sunday continued to lash out at the ruling party. In response, the TMC accused the Centre of not supplying enough vaccine doses to Bengal. Targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted, “First, they stole ration meant for the poor, then they stole money meant for post-Amphan reconstruction, now they are snatching away priority Covid vaccines sent by Modi government for frontline health workers! Only Pishi’s party has this rare distinction.” Former state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the saffron party last month, labelled the TMC a party of “T...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Gaming

Jitendra Rebel Tiwari loses party’s West Burdwan chief post, Rajib skips Howrah rally

The Trinamool Congress, which on Sunday made some organisational changes in its state and district units, removed Jitendra Tiwari from the post of the party’s West Burdwan district unit president. Tiwari, the former administrator of Asansol Municipal Corporation, had recently voiced discontent over the running of the civic board and had resigned from the party only to rejoin days later. Tiwari, who had vowed to work for TMC chief Mamata Banerjee after a meeting with the party leadership in the last week of December, has been replaced by Apurba Mukhopadhyay as the TMC district president. “As an MLA and an ordinary worker, I will continue to serve my organisation. I am a member and trusted soldier of Mamata Banerjee. What else do I need?” Tiwari said after he was removed from...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Gaming

Cong, Left Front to finalise seat-sharing deal by Jan: Adhir Chowdhury

The Congress and the CPM-led Left Front are likely to hammer out a seat sharing agreement by the end of this month. Senior leaders of both parties on Sunday held discussions on seat sharing and poll-related preparations ahead of the state Assembly elections due in April-May. Sources said the Congress was eyeing to contest 130 of 294 seats — a proposal rejected by the Left Front. On the other hand, the Left wants to set aside 100 to 110 seats for the Congress. “Our discussions will continue in the days to come. We want to finalise the seat sharing by the end of this month. It is a continuous process, and it takes time,” said Congress president Adhir Chowdhury. In 2016, the two parties had a pre-poll alliance and bagged 76 of the 294 Assembly seats. Left Front chairman Bi...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Politics

Parliamentary panel on IT summons Facebook and Twitter officials on Jan 21 | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology (IT) has summoned officials of social media companies Facebook and Twitter on January 21 in connection with the prevention of misuse of social media. According to Lok Sabha Secretariat notice, the agenda of the next sittings of the panel will be "Evidence of representatives of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and to hear the views of the representatives of Facebook and Twitter on the subject 'Safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space." The sitting will be held from 4pm onwards on January 21. The 31-member parliamentary standing committee on IT is headed by Shashi Tharoor, Lok Sabha...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Toss up between Ranji and Vijay Hazare; NZ to tour before T20 World Cup | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Indian cricket board (BCCI) will be conducting either Ranji Trophy or the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament this season. On Sunday evening, the BCCI apex council had a virtual meeting where it was decided that the board could host only one more senior men’s domestic tournament. A call will be taken in the coming week. "The board is keen to host the Ranji Trophy. There’s no time to organize both the tournaments. A decision will be taken in a few days' time," a senior BCCI official told TOI on Sunday. TOI has learnt that the state units are more keen on playing the Vijay Hazare tournament. The BCCI will maintain existing bubbles used for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. However, the knockout phase of the Mushtaq Ali tournament will be played in Ahmedabad so that the r...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Gaming

Nurses across MCD hospitals continue strike

At a time when health workers across the capital are being vaccinated against Covid-19, nurses at civic body hospitals have been on strike for over a week over non-payment of salary for the last 4-5 months. Nurses at Hindu Rao hospital and Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine have been protesting since January 7, while nurses at Kasturba hospital have been on strike for the last three days. Nurses at Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital are likely to join from Monday, said Indu Jamwal, convenor of the Federation of  MCD Unions. The North MCD employs at least 1,500 nursing officers, who have also joined the strike as their salaries have been delayed. Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said on Saturday that as corporation employees were on strike, it wouldn’t be advisabl...

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17Jan By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Travel

Delhi: 40% of students who fail class IX dropping out

In the last few years, the pass percentage of students in class IX at Delhi’s government schools has hovered between 50% to 60%, and a large percentage of students who are not able to pass at this level are dropping out of school. On the last day of an education conference held by the Delhi government, this was recognised as one of its greatest challenges. A deep dive into those who could not pass class IX in 2018-19 throws up a number of findings. Out of a total of 2,71,400 students, 42% could not pass. Alarmingly, 40% of those who did not pass dropped out of school. At the conclusion of the seven-day international education conference deliberating on contemporary challenges in schooling, the Delhi government narrowed down on the gaps that it will have to deal with “in mis...

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