News Headlines on 6 February 2021

1. Aakashvani Sangeet Sammelan will henceforth be called Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan

2. India's COVID-19 recovery rate improves to 97.19%

3. Jammu and Kashmir govt restores 4G mobile Internet service

4. Chinese vessels enter Senkaku waters for first time with power to fire

5. Protests in Myanmar against Military government, nationwide internet shutdown reported

6. Myanmar military bans Twitter and Instagram

7. Ankita, Pavana and Anurag Kaler rewrite National marks on first day at NJAC

8. Paper-based sensors developed by IIT Madras can detect Antimicrobial Resistance and related pollutants easily

Synopsis

National

Chakka jam: Dellhi put under heavy security blanket; 10 metro stations closed briefly

New Delhi: The three-hour-long nationwide 'chakka jam' by protesting farmers was held amid tight security, even as there was no such event in the national capital which was turned into a fortress with heavy security deployment by the Delhi Police, paramilitary and reserve forces personnel to prevent any untoward situation.

Security upped at Delhi borders as farmers set to hold 'chakka jam'

New Delhi: The Delhi Police intensified security at all border points of the city as thousands of personnel including paramilitary forces have been deployed to deal with any situation emerging out of the nationwide 'chakka jam' being held by the farmers protesting the Centre's new agri laws, officials said.

Over 1L people vaccinated so far in Delhi, frontline workers also get jabs on Saturday

New Delhi: The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 till date in Delhi has crossed the one lakh-mark and the majority of them are healthcare workers, officials said.

Govt shouldn't have put Lata, Sachin's reputation at stake: Raj

MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said the Union government should not have exposed Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar to social media trolling by involving them in its campaign to counter tweets by foreign celebrities in support of ongoing farmers'' stir.

11,713 new cases take India's coronavirus tally to 1,08,14,304

New Delhi: India''s COVID-19 infection tally climbed to 1,08,14,304 with 11,713 new cases in a day, while 1,05,10,796 people have recuperated so far pushing the national recovery rate to 97.19 per cent, according to Union Health Ministry.

Delhi's minimum temperature increases slightly

Delhi''s minimum temperature increased slightly to 7.4 degrees Celsius and is likely to remain within comfortable levels for the next three to four days, the India Meteorological Department said.

AAP announces candidates for municipal corporation by-elections

The AAP has announced candidates for the upcoming municipal corporation by-elections to six seats which will be held on February 28.

For third day in a row no new COVID-19 case in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh did not report any fresh COVID-19 case for the last three days, a senior health department official said on Saturday.

International

Trump impeachment trial confronts memories of Capitol siege

Washington: The impeachment trial of Donald Trump is more than an effort to convict the former president of inciting an insurrection. It''s a chance for a public accounting and remembrance of the worst attack on the US Capitol in 200 years.

China gives approval for broader use of Sinovac vaccine

This story has corrected the spelling of the formal name of the Sinovac vaccine to CoronaVac. ) Taipei, China has given broader approval for the domestic-made Sinovac coronavirus vaccine, expanding those who can receive it beyond the high-risk and priority groups already allowed under an emergency clearance.

Owner of legendary actor Dilip Kumar's ancestral house in Pak refuses to sell it at govt rate

The owner of legendary actor Dilip Kumar''s ancestral house in Pakistan''s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has refused to sell it at a rate fixed by the government, saying he would demand Rs 25 crore for the prime location property which is severely undervalued by the authorities.

Turkish president takes action at protest-rocked university

Turkey''s president has ordered the establishment of two new departments in the country''s most prestigious university, which has been rocked by weeks of demonstrations protesting his appointment of a new rector with government links.

Myanmar junta shuts Twitter and Instagram to curb protests

Military authorities in charge of Myanmar broadened a ban on social media following this week''s coup and shut Twitter and Instagram, as residents in the biggest city again banged pots and plastic bottles to show their opposition to the army takeover. In addition to Facebook and related apps, the military government on Friday ordered communications operators and internet service providers to cut access to Twitter and Instagram. The statement said that some people are trying to use both platforms to spread fake news.

UAE drastically cut funding for Palestinian refugees in 2020

The United Arab Emirates drastically reduced its funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in 2020, the year it signed a US-brokered normalisation accord with Israel that was heavily criticized by the Palestinian Authority.

Coronavirus cases at US homes for elderly and infirm

Coronavirus cases have dropped at US nursing homes and other long-term care facilities over the past few weeks, offering a glimmer of hope that health officials attribute to the start of vaccinations, an easing of the post-holiday surge and better prevention, among other reasons.

UN chief: UN will seek to unite world, reverse Myanmar coup

United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged that the United Nations will do everything it can to unite the international community and create conditions for the military coup in Myanmar to be reversed.

Business

Sitharaman extends cash benefit to Assam tea workers

Guwahati: Ahead of the assembly polls in Assam, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman distributed Rs 3,000 each to 7.47 lakh tea garden workers in the state, totalling Rs 224 crore.

Centre imposing cess, surcharges to deny states : Mitra

West Bengal Finance minister Amit Mitra Saturday said the Centre is on a spree to impose cess and surcharges to deny the states from getting their share of revenues.

Chimes Aviation Academy enters into pact with IndiGo for cadet pilot programme

Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA) has inked an agreement with the country''s largest airline IndiGo for cadet pilot programme, which will commence from March this year.

Nabard disburses Rs 16,500 crore under RIDF in first 10 months of FY21

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on Saturday said it has sanctioned Rs 30,200 crore and disbursed Rs 16,500 crore for various rural infrastructure projects across the country under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) in the first 10 months of the current financial year. The RIDF, which was set up in 1995, is a dedicated fund to create social assets in rural India.

Punjab & Sind Bank loss zooms to Rs 2,375 cr in Q3 as provisions spike

Punjab & Sind Bank on Saturday said its net loss in December quarter 2020-21 spiralled to Rs 2,375.53 crore on higher provisions for bad loans.

Legal

Persons in illegal occupation of panchayat land cannot claim regularisation as matter of right: SC

New Delhi: Persons in illegal occupation of government or panchayat land cannot claim regularisation as a matter of right, the Supreme Court has said.

MP:Four women studnets get 5-year jail in ragging suicide case

Probably in a first such verdict in Madhya Pradesh, a court in Bhopal has handed five-year imprisonment to four women students of a private pharmacy college for abetting suicide of another student in a 2013 ragging case.

Man sentenced to life imprisonment for raping minor girl in UP

A court in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced a young man to life imprisonment for raping a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, police said on Saturday.

UP court orders police to file FIR against man accused of raping girl

Following the directives of a court here, police have registered a case against a 30-year-old man for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl, officials said on Saturday.

SC judge hails PM as 'popular, vibrant and visionary leader'

SupremeCourt justice M R Shah on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "our most popular, loved, vibrant and visionary leader".

Entertainment

Manoj Bajpayee begins filming for his next 'Despatch'

Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee commenced shooting for his next feature, "Despatch".

Legendary talent, mighty force: Hollywood remembers Christopher Plummer

Hollywood celebrities, including the "Knives Out" team of actor Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and filmmaker Rian Johnson, have paid tributes to veteran star Christopher Plummer who died on Friday.

Stephen King's 'Rita Hayworth' out as standalone book

Acclaimed author Stephen King''s "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption", a tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape which was the basis for Oscar-nominated "The Shawshank Redemption", is now available for the first time as a standalone book.

Mira Sorvino boards Starz's horror comedy pilot 'Shining Vale'

Oscar winner Mira Sorvino will feature alongside Courtney Cox and Greg Kinnear in Starz''s new horror comedy pilot "Shining Vale".

HBO to release four-part docuseries on Woody Allen allegations

HBO has announced a documentary on filmmaker Woody Allen that will look into the story behind the sexual abuse allegations against him involving his daughter Dylan Farrow.

Sports

India undergoes painful Root canal, as Ben stokes the fire

Chennai: Skipper Joe Root continued to torment the Indian spinners with a majestic double century that placed England in a commanding position and scuttled home team''s chances of enforcing a favourable result in the first Test.

Neymar sick, misses PSG training ahead of Marseille game

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar missed training because of gastroenteritis and his fitness will be assessed later in the day ahead of Sunday''s trip to face bitter rival Marseille, the club said Saturday.

Pakistan leads by 200 against South Africa in 2nd test

The lower order increased Pakistan''s lead to 200 runs against South Africa on the third day of the second and final test on Saturday.

Half the England batsmen can't ever play spin like Joe Root does, feels Stokes

A great strokemaker himself, star all-rounder Ben Stokes is in awe of Joe Root''s ability to play spin bowling, saying on Saturday that half of England team''s batsmen can''t tackle the tweakers like their captain does.

Win will be perfect way to round of Root's "special" Test: Stokes

Chennai: Joe Root is one of the best batsman in the world, an incredible athlete and above all an inspirational captain, is how England vice-captain Ben Stokes described his skipper on the momentous occasion of his 100th Test match.

Bayern leaves for Club World Cup after beating Hertha 1-0

Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty but a deflected effort from Kingsley Coman helped Bayern Munich eke out a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Friday.

Glazer resistance to protests at Man U has faded fans' fight

Protests against his family''s ownership of Manchester United have long bemused Joel Glazer.

Osaka, Azarenka withdraw from Australian Open tuneups

Former Australian Open champions Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka withdrawn from tuneup tournaments Saturday, two days before the year''s first tennis major begins at Melbourne Park.

News in Details

1. Aakashvani Sangeet Sammelan will henceforth be called Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan

The prestigious Akashvani Music Festival, will henceforth be named after Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar made this announcement at a  Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Centenary Commemorative function organized in Pune today. All India Radio, besides its regular music broadcasts, has endeared itself to its classical music listeners by organizing the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan, in which prominent artistes from across the country perform.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Javadekar said "Doordarshan and All India Radio have opened the doors of huge musical treasure of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi to the general public. These recordings are now available on YouTube and the Ministry of I&B is making efforts to reach them to larger audience across the country.

"Music has many forms and it has power to motivate us.  Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal could function for 67 years without break because of the blessings of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Pandit ji was dear to one and all. The way he performed for shows in foreign countries similarly he performed for people of all the strata of life", reminisced Javadekar on this occasion.

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was conferred the Bharat Ratna award in 2009, during the tenure of Atal Behari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was born on 4 February 1922 at Gadag, then part of Dharwad district of Karnataka. Pune was his Karmabhoomi where he attained fame as a pre-eminent exponent of the Khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music - bhajans and abhangs.

2. India's COVID-19 recovery rate improves to 97.19%

More than 54 lakh 16 thousand frontline health workers have been administered Covid-19 vaccines in the country so far.

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has informed that a total number of four lakh 57 thousand 404 people have been inoculated with Covid-19 doses in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the country's COVID-19 recovery rate reached 97.19 per cent with the total recovery of more than 14 thousand four hundred 88 patients within 24 hours. The Ministry said, more than one crore five lakh patients have already been recovered from this disease. Active cases of Covid-19 are on a continuous declining trajectory in the country.

According to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, there are one lakh 48 thousand 590 active cases in the country which comprises only 1.37 per cent of the total positive cases. A total number of 11 thousand 713 new cases have been reported in the country in the past 24 hours taking the cumulative positive cases to over one crore eight lakh. The Health Ministry said, 95 deaths have been reported within 24 hours taking the toll to over one lakh 54 thousand across the country.

The Indian Council of Medical Research said that various laboratories have conducted more than seven lakh 40 thousand tests of corona virus samples in the last 24 hours. More than 20 crore tests have been done in the country so far.

3. Jammu and Kashmir govt restores 4G mobile Internet service

The Jammu and Kashmir government has restored 4G mobile Internet service in the entire Union Territory. The announcement was made by government spokesperson Rohit Kansal in a tweet. The 4G internet services remained curtailed in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019 after the central government revoked Article 370 of the Constitution and split the state into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The low-speed or 2G Internet service on mobile phones was restored on 25th of January, 2020. The high-speed mobile data service was restored in Ganderbal and Udhampur districts on 16th August 2020 on a trial basis, as part of calibrated easing of restrictions. However, the ban continued on the high-speed Internet in the rest of the Union territory with the authorities citing misuse of the Internet by the terrorists.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has also ordered revocation of restrictions on the fixed landline internet connectivity. An order issued by the Principal Secretary (Home) said that the pre-paid SIM card holder shall be given access to internet connectivity only after verification as per norms applicable to postpaid connections.

4. Chinese vessels enter Senkaku waters for first time with power to fire

Chinese Coast Guard vessels on Saturday entered the waters around the Japanese administered and China claimed Senkaku islands for the first time since China passed a new law earlier this month that allows its coast guard to use military force in waters the country claims.

The Japan Coast Guard said in a statement, it had sent vessels to the area to protect the fishing ships while repeatedly urging the Chinese ships to leave the area. Two other Chinese government ships were spotted in the so-called contiguous zone just outside the territorial waters, it added. The Chinese government ships had left the territorial waters, joining the two other vessels in the contiguous zone after around 8 hours, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

Local media reported, China has ramped up the number of operations its coast guard and other government vessels conduct around the Senkakus in recent times. During an online Japan-China meeting on maritime issues on Wednesday, Tokyo expressed "strong concern" over the new law, which also authorizes the Chinese coast guard to seize foreign ships entering waters claimed by Beijing. China's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had insisted in the bilateral meeting that the law is perfectly in line with international law and practice.

In addition to its claim to the Senkakus, China has maritime sovereignty disputes with several Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea. New U.S. President Joe Biden, in phone talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga late last month, reiterated Washington's "unwavering commitment" to protecting the Senkakus under the two countries' longtime security treaty.

China’s new coast guard law has stoked concern in Japan. The islets sit in rich fishing waters of the East China Sea and are believed to be home to vast mineral and gas deposits. The Japan Coast Guard, meanwhile, is bound by strict regulations governing the use of weapons under law, which bans it from conducting military activities.

Hoteliers, businesspersons, and those connected with education have welcomed the decision, saying it will help the economic recovery and advance the democratisation of education through technology.

5. Protests in Myanmar against Military government, nationwide internet shutdown reported

The largest city of Myanmar Yangon reported protests against the military government on Saturday. The protestors chanted slogans against the government and called for the victory of democracy. They also called for the release of the detained leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi and others.

The government made attempts to stop mobilisation of people by shutting down the internet. The  largest telecom operator of Myanmar Telenor has said in a press release around Saturday afternoon time that Myanmar Ministry of transport and Communication  have ordered a temporary nationwide shutdown of the data network service. Voice and SMS services remain open.The internet blockage tracking website NetBlocks reported that around 10 a.m. local time, Myanmar was in the midst of nation scale internet blackout.

Myanmar civil society organisations have called the telecom networks to defy the government directive on internet shut down.

The protest on Saturday is the first time people have come out on the streets against the military government which ousted the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

The opposition to the military takeover in the country has been growing in the last few days after it took control of the country on Feb. 1. University teachers in the largest city of the country Yangon demonstrated in support of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi by displaying the three finger salute and sporting the red ribbon. Similar protests were reported from other regions like the Kachin state and Sittwe in Rakhine province. Earlier, residents had protested by banging pots and honking cars against the military government.

6. Myanmar military bans Twitter and Instagram

The Myanmar military widened its restriction on the internet as it ordered a ban on Twitter and Instagram in the country on Friday.

The largest mobile operator of the country Telnor reported that the military has ordered it to shut down Twitter and Instagram till further orders. Earlier, the military had ordered a temporary shut down of Facebook till February 7. The internet shutdown tracking website NetBlocks also reported that twitter is being restricted in Myanmar on multiple network providers.

The opposition to the military takeover in the country has been growing ever since it took over power and detained the leader of the civilian government Aung San Suu Kyi and others on February 1. University teachers in the largest city of the country Yangon demonstrated in support of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi by displaying the three finger salute and wearing the red ribbon, reports the BBC. Similar protests were reported from other regions like the Kachin state and Sittwe in Rakhine province. Earlier, residents of Yangon and some other cities in Myanmar had protested by banging pots and honking cars against the military government. However, the situation has remained largely peaceful in the country.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) which was the ruling party before its leader Aung San Suu Kyi was deposed by the military on Feb 1, has issued a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the UN. Arguing that the Nov. 8 elections last year were fair, it called upon the UN not to recognise the military government and put pressure on it to release all the detainees including Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other political activists.

The newly elected leaders of the Myanmar parliament held a ‘rebel’  parliament to replicate the parliamentary session which was scheduled to begin on February 1. They released a statement on Friday calling the military government as illegitimate, and urged the UN and the international community only to recognise the government led by President Win Myint.

Meanwhile, 23 parties including the military supported Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and others announced that they will cooperate with the Myanmar military Tatmadaw.

The newly constituted Union Election Commission (UEC) announced on Friday that it has started the investigation in the voter fraud in the 2020 general election. The UEC has ordered that the accreditation of the newly elected MPs have been rescinded for the investigation period.

The official website of the Myanmar military announced that the name of the President's Office is changed into the Office of State Administration Council, and that of the Union Government Office into the Office of State Administration Council Officer.

7. Ankita, Pavana and Anurag Kaler rewrite National marks on first day at NJAC

Uttarakhand’s Ankita Dhyani announced her arrival as a middle- and long-distance runner of immense potential by breaking Sunita Rani’s National U20 Record in the women’s 5000m on the opening day of the 36th National Junior Athletics Championships at the Sarusajai Stadium today.

Having clocked 16:37.90 in winning the 5000m  Federation Cup Junior U20 Athletics Championships in Bhopal on January 26, 18-year-old Ankita Dhyani improved her time to 16:21.19 to improve the National Record from 16:21.59 that Sunita Rani had set in the Summer Universiade at the Stadio Cibali in Catania, Italy on August 26, 1997.

Earlier, Pavana Nagaraj (Karnataka) and Mohur Mukherjee (West Bengal) battled intensely at the High Jump pit while Anurag Singh Kaler (Uttar Pradesh) and Nikhlesh (Haryana) locked horns at the Shot Put circle to rewrite U16 National Records.

Pavana Nagaraj claimed gold with a National U16 Record with a clearance of 1.73m, edging out Mohur Mukherjee before Anurag Singh Kaler, a 11th standard student from Kafurpur in Amroha district, dominated the Shot Put competition by lowering the National Record twice with his first two attempts over 19.23m and 20.16m.

Pavana’s success on her third and final attempt at 1.73m helped her edge out the North 24 Parganas girl. Mohur Mukherjee cleared 1.69m and 1.71m on her first attempts while Pavana needed two tries to equal the National mark of 1.69m. The pair was not even born when the National U16 Record was pegged at 1.69m by Kavya Muthanna (Karnataka) in Kollam in 2003.

Daughter of National Record holder Sahana Kumari, Pavana Nagaraj drew from the reserves of her energy to clear the 1.73m to claim total ownership of the National U16 Record, but she has to thank Mohur Mukherjee, one year ger junior, for offering her stiff competition just as she had done in the under-14 category in the last edition in Guntur in 2019. 

Vivek Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) won the boys under-18 Javelin Throw gold comfortably with a 72.83 effort on his last try. Each of his four legal throws sailed past the 70m mark. In the battle for silver, Utsav Tanwar  (Rajasthan) came up with a best throw of 67.75m on his final attempt to edge past Uttar Pradesh’s Izhar Ahmad by a mere 2cm.

As many as 1637 boys and girls in four age groups are competing in 145 events in the five-day National Junior Athletics Championships Coming from 32 States and Union Territories, they are together making the event the country’s single largest sporting event since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year.

8. Paper-based sensors developed by IIT Madras can detect Antimicrobial Resistance and related pollutants easily

Scientists have developed a paper-based sensor that can detect antimicrobials or antibiotics that have an inhibitory effect on bacteria in water bodies by a see and tell mechanism.

As the world is tackling the effects of one pandemic, the scientific community has warned that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) could be the next big pandemic, and this would involve a battle with several pathogens.

Water bodies are the major source for the dissemination and transfer of AMR. Periodic monitoring of antimicrobials and antibiotic-resistant genes is the key to assess the current situation of AMR in India. In these conditions, low cost and field-deployable sensors to detect antimicrobials in water bodies could be a viable tool for environmental surveillance.

 The novel strategy for low-cost fabrication of the robust Laser Printed- Microfluidics Paper-Based Analytical Sensors developed by IIT Madras will help detecting antimicrobials easily in the parts per million range. It will also help understand the relationship between AMR and AMR triggering pollutants and assist policymakers in framing solutions to tackle grand societal AMR challenge.

 Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India- Water Technology Initiative in bilateral collaboration with UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under Indo UK Water Quality Research Programme, has supported IIT Madras to develop the sensors. The novel strategy of combining adsorption based pre-concentration using reagents that undergo a measurable color change enabled parts per billion level detection of antimicrobials. The process utilizes the easily available laser printer and hence offers tremendous potential for large scale sensor fabrication. It could enable community-driven microfluidics and facilitate mass surveillance.