6 states continue to record spike in Covid cases: Centre
The observations from the Union health ministry come a day after the country reported the largest single-day increase in new Covid-19 infections in two months. These six collectively accounted for 84.7% of the 18,711 new daily cases reported on Saturday — the highest single-day increase in cases since January 6. It is followed by Kerala, the second worst-hit region with 1.07 million cases, which reported 2,100 new infections and Punjab, which reported 1,051 new cases on Sunday. The Centre, meanwhile, deputed high-level teams comprising at least three public health experts to two states – Maharashtra and Punjab – in order to assist local governments in surveillance, control and containment measures. Also, covering the entire vulnerable population fast will take us ahead of the virus,” said Dr Giridhara R Babu, professor and head, life-course epidemiology, Indian Institute of Public Health.
Source:Hindustan Times
March 07, 2021 19:52 UTC
French billionaire politician Olivier Dassault killed in helicopter crash
Mr. Dassault, 69, was the eldest son of French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group builds the Rafale warplanes and owns Le Figaro newspaperConservative billionaire politician Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter. Mr. Dassault, 69, was the eldest son of French billionaire industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group builds the Rafale warplanes and owns Le Figaro newspaper. A lawmaker for the conservative Les Republicains party since 2002, Mr. Dassault was considered the 361st richest man in the world alongside his two brothers and sister. He stepped down from his role on the board of Dassault due to his political role to avoid any conflict of interest. Olivier, seen as the favourite of founder Marcel, was once considered favoured to succeed Serge at the head of the family holding, but that role went to former Dassault Aviation CEO Charles Edelstenne.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 19:52 UTC
Premier League | Manchester United snap Manchester City's winning streak at 21 games with derby triumph
A landmark win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men has almost certainly come too late to reignite the Premier League title raceManchester United ended Manchester City's English top-flight record winning streak of 21 games in all competitions with a 2-0 derby win at the Etihad on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes's early penalty and Luke Shaw's first Premier League goal for three years moved United back into second place, 11 points adrift of runaway leaders City. A landmark win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men has almost certainly come too late to reignite the Premier League title race. But just a third win in nine league games takes United back above Leicester and opens up an eight-point cushion in the battle to secure a top-four finish. City had not even trailed in a Premier League match for 20 games stretching back to their last defeat to Tottenham in November.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 19:43 UTC
Government laying red carpet for business houses, says Jayant
‘Dividing people’Invoking the poetry of Sahir Ludhianvi, Mr. Chaudhary once again urged farmers to damage the political prospects of the ruling party in all the upcoming elections. “The three farm laws will act as the last nail in the coffin of farmers,” Mr. Chaudhary remarked. “But here a cult is being created around the PM that whoever criticises him is called anti-national. Has the PM become bigger than the country,” Mr. Chaudhary asked. The RLD leader urged the youth to put the symbols of farmers in social media.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 19:41 UTC
Opportunity for budding artists to showcase their talent at ‘Futurescapes’
‘Futurescapes’ painting competition to be held for studentsBudding artists will get a huge canvas to showcase their talent soon, with The Hindu Young World and JSW Paints conducting ‘Futurescapes’, a painting competition for students from classes 3 to 12. The topics for the competition for the sub-junior (classes 3 to 5) category are ‘dream home’, ‘family picnic’, and ‘my favourite animal’. For the junior category (classes 6 to 8), the topics are ‘favourite festival’, ‘fun with family’, and ‘wildlife safari’. The themes for the senior category (classes 9 to 12) are ‘colours of India’, ‘family vacation’, and ‘clean and green India’. Details requiredA unique registration number will be generated after the upload is completed.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 19:30 UTC
Naidu making baseless allegations against YSRCP leaders, says Botcha
‘TDP was involved in large-scale corruption in TIDCO housing’Minister for Municipal Administration Botcha Satyanarayana has said that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu made baseless allegations against the YSR Congress Party leaders during his election campaign in the city. Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the Minister alleged that under the leadership of Mr. Naidu, the TDP leaders had looted public money and grabbed government lands. The Minister claimed that Visakhapatnam was developed during the reign of former Chief Minister Y.S. Chief Minister Y.S. He alleged that the TDP government was responsible for the delay in execution of the Vizag Metro.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 19:30 UTC
After V-Guard success, Chittilappilly now set to launch an NBFC
It was the right call—today, electrical appliances maker V-Guard Industries is one of Kerala’s largest business empires. Chittilappilly said that the key intent behind the NBFC is to work closely with small-scale industries and traders in his home state Kerala meet their daily funding requirements. “It will be a small NBFC, which will give low-ticket loans in an organized way to small-scale industries and self-help groups. Chittilappilly started V-Guard in 1977 from a humble background, with an initial capital of ₹1 lakh that he borrowed from his father. Despite meeting these parameters, getting a small loan even from a bank or NBFC is tough even now.
Source:Mint
March 07, 2021 19:30 UTC
Atletico title pursuit stalled at home by late Real Madrid equalizer
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, left, celebrates scoring his side's 1-1 equalizer during the Spanish La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. (AP Photo)Atlético Madrid conceded late to Real Madrid to draw 1-1 on Sunday and leave the league leaders at greater risk of being caught in their pursuit of the Spanish title. Madrid, coming off a disappointing home draw against Real Sociedad, had won three in a row against Atlético in all competitions. Suárez found the far corner with the outside of his right foot while facing Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois inside the area after a pass from Marcos Llorente. Atlético lost 1-0 to Chelsea in its first leg in the European competition.
Source:Indian Express
March 07, 2021 19:29 UTC
Sri Lankan Catholics mark ‘Black Sunday’
More than 260 people, including 171 from the two Catholic churches, were killed in the attacks on April 21, 2019. Sri Lankan Roman Catholics attended Mass dressed in black on Sunday, with prayers and protests calling for justice for those killed in coordinated suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday two years ago. Church bells tolled and prayers were chanted at 8:45 a.m., the time when bombs were detonated almost simultaneously at two Roman Catholic churches and a Protestant church during Easter services on April 21, 2019. More than 260 people, including 171 from the two Catholic churches, were killed in the attacks, which were blamed on two local Islamic extremist groups that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said the inquiry commission’s report had concentrated more on the failures of the then-government in preventing the attacks despite early warnings, rather than finding out the handlers of the groups accused of carrying out the bombings.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 18:56 UTC
Palarivattom flyover reopened for traffic
No official inauguration as the model code is in forceThe four-lane Palarivattom flyover, which was rebuilt by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in a record time of five months and 10 days, was opened for traffic on Sunday evening. TensionSoon after the flyover was opened, there was tension when LDF and BJP activists converged near the structure, bearing flags. Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had credited workers who braved rain and shine to complete the reconstruction ahead of schedule in his Facebook page. The State government decided to rebuild the flyover, as it would ensure 100-year life span for the structure. Meanwhile, a probe by the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) is under way into irregularities in the construction of the original structure which cost ₹47.70 crore.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 18:53 UTC
Govt plan to take over mine auctions faces opposition from a few states
Except coal, states are allowed to auction other mines in consultation with the central ministry. With the change in law, the government aims at increasing production, especially from the captive coal mines. There are 194 captive coal blocks in India that were auctioned between 1993 and 2011, and which have coal reserves of 44 billion tonnes. “This (market sale) will help to increase coal production from captive mines, coal availability in the market leading to reduction in import. Another amendment proposed is to empower the Centre to auction mines that states have failed to auction.
Source:Hindustan Times
March 07, 2021 18:51 UTC
Rising crude brings an unlikely relief to RBI on forex intervention
A rise in global crude oil prices usually brings with it a host of problems for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Ergo, the central bank is loath to see rising oil prices and it should be. However, there is an unlikely benefit from rising crude oil prices in the present context. One of the reasons that the central bank may have slowed down its intervention could be the narrowing of the current account surplus. The widening of the trade deficit in recent months shows that the current account surplus is on its way down.
Source:Mint
March 07, 2021 18:45 UTC
Early summer, lack of rain spark fires
SNPP collects forest fires at 375 metres resolution so even small fires are picked up. There could be many factors contributing to increased forest fires — one of them is fuel load. The FSI’s data shows forest fires started spiking from January this year peaking dramatically in March. In February, Odisha recorded 83% rain deficiency, Uttarakhand 71%, West Madhya Pradesh 68%, and Telangana 74%, among others. “Generally, when there is a dry period for a long time and temperatures are high, forest fires increase.
Source:Hindustan Times
March 07, 2021 18:40 UTC
Flipkart stares at a dent in valuations as it toys with SPAC route for listing
News reports just six months ago had said Flipkart is eyeing an IPO (initial public offering) at a valuation of $45-50 billion. In some cases, using the SPAC route may result in slightly lower valuations. However, in a SPAC listing, there are no conventional road shows by the bankers, which makes the process of price discovery challenging (because of covid, road shows have been tough)." Meanwhile, a Reuters report has said that a traditional stock market listing is much more likely for Flipkart as compared to a SPAC listing. Either way, the company may need to settle for slightly lower valuations now, given the recent correction in tech stocks.
Source:Mint
March 07, 2021 18:33 UTC
Now, an expanded horizon of surveillance
An explainerThis form of surveillance, which enables citizens to “watch over” one another is called lateral surveillance. Also read | Cyber crime volunteers plan fraught with dangers: Internet Freedom FoundationWhile surveillance of any kind shows an imbalance of power between the person who surveils, and the one under surveillance, lateral surveillance specifically ensures that the imbalance of power no longer exists. Also read | No blanket permission given to any agency on surveillance: CentreThe scope of lateral surveillance was greatly expanded during the pandemic lockdown, both with and without the introduction of technology. State-sponsored lateral surveillance is harmful as it creates a culture of ‘hate’, ‘fear’ and ‘constant suspicion’ against an ‘enemy’. However, this not only substantially increases surveillance but also promotes lateral surveillance.
Source:The Hindu
March 07, 2021 18:33 UTC