Awaz the voice

  New Delhi The center on Tuesday issued a set of fresh national guidelines to tackle the threat from the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 that has emerged in many parts of the world and asked the States to ramp up testing as the new variant does not escape the standard detection procedure of RTPCR and RAT. The meeting was chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushantates and attended by Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, and senior bureaucrats from the ministry of health, ICMR, Ministry of external affairs, Bureau of Immigration (BOI), State Airport Public Health Officials, and representatives of the States and union territories. In the end, the government has said that from Tuesday-Wednesday midnight all international travelers coming from “at risk’ countries would have to undergo testing on entering India. The government issued the following guidelines: Make the testing of travelers coming from countries where Omicron variant of the Covid-19 is prevalent compulsory. Undert

New Delhi Continuing the global trend, the Indian origin Parag Agarwal has been appointed the new CEO of Twitter with its maverick founder Jack Dorsey calling it quits. This has added to the list of global technology companies Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM, Palo Alto Networks being headed by the Indians. Dorsey ended the long-standing speculation about him as @Jack, Dorsey's handle for 18 years, suddenly said on Monday: "not sure anyone has heard but," and attached a one-page version of why he is quitting and who succeeds him. Indian-American Parag Agarwal, Twitter @paraga, is the new CEO, with immediate effect, Dorsey announced. Agarwal who has with Twitter for 10 years is from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Mumbai, and IIT Mumbai. He did his doctoral degree from Stanford. Dorsey's note attacked the concept of "founder-led". The construct sets companies up for failure, he said. Dorsey, 45, was serving as both the CEO of Twitter and Square, his digital payments company

Geneva The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. This came after the WHO held a meeting to discuss the newly-identified COVID-19 variant. The World Health Organization on Friday alarmed the siren among countries after a new variant of COVID-19 has been classified in South Africa, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said in a statement. "The recently discovered variant of coronavirus B.1.1.529 is of concern. It has more mutations than science knows about other alarming variants. The WHO has assessed this new variant as worrisome," the statement said. "Existing coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against the new COVID-19 variant, the statement added. The FOPH also informed that the new variant is more transmissible than the "delta" strain, which previously became globally dominant. This variant has been labelled as B.1.1.529 by scient

New Delhi 26/11 marks the 13 year anniversary of the deadly Mumbai attacks. Amongst many who lost their lives is one Ankur Chawla. The below description is a memoir in his own words. "No matter what you do subsequently in life, there's always one incident that defines you. For me, it was 26/11. The day began like any other working day, although, ironically, it was my off day. I was at the iconic Harbour Bar of Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace. It was my first job, so I didn't really mind being called to work on my off day. It was a dream job for a greenhorn who had come from Delhi to Mumbai with stars in his eyes, all set to make a mark as a young hospitality professional with the potential to rise to the top. The day was moving slowly and I was chit-chatting with one of the regulars, talking about the lifestyle of the city's rich and famous set. Suddenly, we heard a loud popping sound, as if the cork of a bottle of vintage champagne had been released accidentally. I was

New Delhi   More than the mesmerizing scenic splendor of Kashmir, the family of Ghanshyam Bhai of Surat, Gujarat, has returned with an abiding memory of Kashmir’s people being honest and righteous. After all, two poor pony wallahs not only returned the family’s lost gold and bejeweled bracelet but also traveled 70 kilometers to return it to them.  It happened on November 22 when Ghanshyam Bhai’s family was in Pahalgam. They rode ponies and walked in the beautiful Aaru Valley for the day. After returning to Srinagar, they suddenly realized that the younger son’s gold bracelet worth Rs 5 lakh that he wore on his arm was missing.   The Surat family presumed the bracelet must have fallen in Pahalgam and gave up all hope of retrieving it. After making a thorough search of their luggage and hotel rooms, the family decided to just take a chance of finding it. Ghanshyam Bhai thought even if someone had found it he is unlikely to return it.   However, Affroz Ahmed Mir and, Rafique, the pony own

Rajouri   Mithali Sharma, a girl from the Sunderbani area of Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir has won a gold medal at the International Dance competition held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Mithali said, "I was selected in school for the trials. I won the district and national championships. The competition was quite tough. It was between four countries, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Bhutan. I was positive about this competition from the beginning. I am so proud that I have represented my country." "My father is my inspiration. He was an army officer who died in an encounter 11 years ago. He must be proud of me. I have appeared for my NEET exam, in counseling when I get the college, I will do MBBS. Along with my studies, I will continue my dance," she added. Anju Sharma, Mithali's mother, said, "This is a dream of all the parents that their children become successful. Mithali was very close to her father. He is her inspiration. She truly works hard. I am very happy now. I want

Shahtaj Begum Khan/Pune Hussain Bohra of Pune, Maharashtra has won Rs 50 lakh by answering 14 questions and not taking a chance with the last one – that could have got him Rs one crore – in the 13th season of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' where the quizmaster is Superstar Amitabh Bacchan.    Hussain decided against risking losing what he had earned and opted to quit the game when he didn’t know the answer to a question that could have won him Rs one crore in case he replied correctly. Hussain did not regret his decision.   Had he taken any risk, - as it turned out later – he would have lost big money and his Rs 50 lakh would have come down to Rs 3.3 lakh. After he quit the game as per the rules of KBC, and because the answer they were thinking was wrong. Since the fifteenth question had landed him in trouble and by the time he reached this point, all four of his lifelines had been exhausted, he could not take any help.   The question was, "Which of the eight Hazari peaks has the

Islamabad The Pakistan Parliament, in a joint sitting on Wednesday, passed a bill that will give Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav the right to appeal against his conviction. The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2020, was moved by Law Minister Farogh Nasim. It was passed with a majority vote, Dawn reported. Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April 2017. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its judgment on July 17, 2019, observed that Pakistan was under an obligation to provide by means of its own choosing effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav. The ICJ had ruled that Pakistan was in breach of its international obligations because of the failure to provide consular access to Jadhav. Pakistan claims that Jadhav was arrested from Balochistan in 2016 on charges of espionage. India has rejected Pakistan's allegations and said he was kidnapped from t

Chennai For the first time in its space exploration mission, an evasive measure was carried out recently to avoid the collision between Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter and US' Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) LRA were predicted to come very close to each other on October 20, 2021 near the Lunar North pole. Calculations by ISRO and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) showed that the radial separation between the two spacecraft would be less than 100 m and the closest approach distance would be only about three km on October 20, 2021 at 11.15 am Indian time. ISRO and NASA agreed that the situation warranted a collision avoidance manoeuvre and as per the mutual agreement between the two agencies Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter was moved away on Oct 18, 2021 ensuring a sufficiently large radial separation at the next closest conjunction between t

Nadapuram (Kozhikode) Ahamed Kunhamed Kutty and his wife Zaina Ahmed of Nadapuram in Kozhikode are parents of six daughters and feel blessed to see all of them having come up and some on the way of it as doctors. The super blessing is that the husbands of four of their married daughters, Fathima, Hajra, Ayesha, and Faiza, are also doctors. When Zaina Ahamed gave birth to six daughters, she has her husband didn’t despair or feel wronged. They celebrated and thanked Almighty for the blessings. Being a progressive person, Ahamed envisioned a bright future for his daughters. Four of the couple’s daughters, Fathima Ahamed 39, Hajra Ahamed 33, Ayesha Ahamed 30, and Faiza Ahamed are already practising doctors. The youger ones, Raihana Ahamed, 23 is studying in the final year of her MBBS course in Chennai and Ameera Ahamed, 19, is in first year of her MBBS course in Mangalore. The couple’s doctor daughters Fathima, Hajra, Ayesha, and Faiza, are married to doctors namely, Dr Rishad Rasheed, Dr

  Bhopal Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and dedicated to the nation the redeveloped Rani Kamlapati Railway Station in Bhopal on Monday. The Prime Minister is in Bhopal on the occasion of 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas', celebrated on the birth anniversary of the tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda. Rani Kamlapati Railway Station is the first world-class model station in the country and has all the facilities that are available at international airports. It has been developed under a public-private partnership and built by a private company. The total cost of the station project is around Rs 450 crore. To control the crowd, separate entry and exit gates are there. Escalators and lifts have been installed at the station to reach the platform. A seating arrangement of 700 to 1,100 passengers has been made in the open concourse. For information about the movement of trains, display boards with different languages have been installed throughout the station. The station will also b

New Delhi The Delhi government has told the Supreme Court that it is ready to take steps like complete lockdown to control the local emission, which would help in bringing down the air pollution in the national capital, but added that it will have only a limited impact. In an affidavit, the Delhi government said: "GNCTD is ready to take steps like complete lockdown to control local emissions. However, such a step would be meaningful if it is implemented across the NCR areas in neighbouring states. Given Delhi's compact size, a lockdown would have limited impact on the air quality regime". The government said this issue would need to be addressed at the level of airshed involving NCR areas. The Delhi government, listing the steps taken so far, said no physical classes would be held in schools this week and the government officials would work from home, and private offices have also been advised to allow work-from-home for their employees. "All construction and demolit

  Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has released iCloud for Windows 13 with some notable updates. The latest update brings support for ProRes video as well as ProRAW photos. It also now supports strong password generation with the iCloud Passwords app, reports MacRumors. Now, all participants of an iCloud Drive shared file or folder are now also able to add or remove people. Users can download or update to iCloud for Windows 13 on the Microsoft Store or through the Apple Support website now. To recall, Apple released the new iCloud Keychain password manager app back in August, allowing Windows users to access their iCloud Keychain passwords. iCloud for Windows allows Apple users to sync a number of things from iCloud to their Windows laptop or desktop, including iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Passwords and more. Apple is also launching a new digital legacy programme where its users can choose up to five people who can access the iCloud data after their demise. The Digital Legacy programme

  Mumbai After Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, the upcoming episode of the second season of 'Into The Wild with Bear Grylls' will have Vicky Kaushal as the special guest. The actor opens up about overcoming his deep-sea water phobia and going on expedition in the Indian Ocean with famed adventurer Bear Grylls. He says: "It was a wonderful experience going on this survival expedition with the world-famous adventurer Bear Grylls. If it wasn't for him, I would have not been able to defeat my fear of swimming in this vast ocean. This journey also marks an incredibly significant chapter in my life as I was able to overcome and conquer one of my many fears." He adds how Bear helped him to overcome his fear while facing number of challenges from crocodiles, sharks and snakes including the uncertain tides and weather. "The thought of being in the middle of an ocean and not having a floor beneath you is not easy, but Bear's constant motivation and determination has he

New Delhi Malala Yusufzai, nobel laureate, who was shot in her head by terrorists in her home in Swat Valley of Pakistan for promoting girls’ education and had been living in the UK since, has got married. She announced her wedding on social media. “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead,” Malala wrote on instagram and Facebook and posted beautiful pictures of the Nikah ceremony. Her husband is a man of Pakistani origin. Malala wrote: Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead. 📸: @malinfezehai pic.twitter.com/SNRgm3ufWP — Malala (@Malala) November 9, 2021 Malala was s

Srinagar Srinagar has become the sixth Indian city to be included in the UNESCO Creative City Network (UCCN) under the Crafts and Folk Arts Category. So far, only five Indian cities – Jaipur (Crafts and Folk Arts), Varanasi (Creative city of Music), and Chennai (Creative city of Music) has figured in this list, Mumbai (films), and Hyderabad (Gastronomy). The announcement has sent a thrill of joy in Kashmir as it means Kashmir’s arts and crafts getting a new recognition under the UNESCO tag. The UNESCO creative city network involves seven creative fields arts and folk art, media, film, literature, design, gastronomy and Media arts. The nomination for Srinagar as Creative city was first filed by Srinagar in year 2019 and that year Hyderabad for Gastronomy and Mumbai for Film were chosen that year. Chief Executive Officer, Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project, JKERA, Dr Abid Rashid Shah, said that process of nomination of Srinagar under the UNESCO Creative City Network was undertaken and fu

  Sheikh Mohammed Yunus/Hyderabad   A young man who lost his hands in an accident is today one of the most admired ‘ chaiwalahs'  in the city of Nawabs.   He is Mohammad Sajid and his brew – he offers a variety – is so popular that the locals have started calling it ‘Sulemani Chai’ and have given its maker the nickname of “Sajid Sulemani.”   Mohammad Sajid’s life is not perfect as he had to struggle with the trauma and physical disability of losing both his hands yet he is an example of the triumph of the human spirit.   A resident of Rain Basera locality of the city, Sajid, is the sole bread earner for his family.   Sajid making tea   Earlier he worked in a bookbinding shop along with his late father Mohammad Yusuf. The family was lived in relative poverty and yet a young man learning a skill was the hope for all.    However, as luck would have it, seven years ago while working on the binding machine, Sajid’s hands were caught in the machine.   The doctors amputated his one hand f