Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has freed its two soldiers, who were among the 12 soldiers kidnapped in 2018, in an intelligence operation inside Pakistan's territory, Anadolu Agency reported.

'A successful operation was carried out last Tuesday night to rescue two kidnapped border guards who were taken as hostages by Jaish ul-Adl organisation two and a half years ago,' the IRGC was quoted as saying in an official statement on Wednesday.

The statement said the soldiers have been transferred back to Iran.

On October 16, 2018, Jaish ul-Adl organisation kidnapped 12 IRGC guards to Pakistani territory in the city of Merkava in Sistan and Baluchestan Province on the border between the two countries, Anadolu Agency stated.

Following this, the military officials formed a joint committee between two countries to free the guards.

While five of the 12 soldiers were released in November 2018, the Pakistani Army rescued four on March 21, 2019.

According to Anadolu, Jaish ul-Adl organisation, which Tehran has declared a terrorist organisation, is waging an armed struggle against the Iranian government, saying it defends the rights of Baloch Sunnis in Iran. -- ANI

The Allahabad high court on Thursday ordered no coercive action against Amazon Prime Video's India Originals head Aparna Purohit, facing a first information report for the alleged derogatory depiction of Hindu deities in web series Tandav.

A bench of Justice Sidharth granted a temporary reprieve to Purohit against the arrest while reserving its verdict on her anticipatory bail plea.

While reserving the ruling, the bench said no coercive action should be taken against Purohit till the pronouncement of the order.

While pleading for anticipatory bail for Purohit, her counsel submitted to the court that the web series was only a work of fiction and there was no intention of the applicant to outrage the religious feeling of any community.

A criminal case has been lodged against Purohit and the makers and actors of the web series, including its director Ali Abbas, producer Himanshu Krishna Mehra and writer Gaurav Solanki in Rabupura police station of Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar.

The FIR was lodged on January 19 on the complaint of Balbir Azad of Raunija village of Greater Noida area. In his complaint, Azad had alleged that the series depicted Uttar Pradesh and its police in a poor light.

It also said the series had deliberately denigrated Hindu gods and goddesses.

The complainant had also alleged that even the prime minister of India was also depicted as an anti-democratic individual in the web series which also carried deliberate remarks aimed at disturbing caste and communal amity.

It was also alleged that the makers of the series wanted to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the society to make money.   -- PTI

Days after Myanmar's powerful military seized power in a coup, India on Thursday said it was 'closely' monitoring developments in the neighbouring country.

"India and Myanmar are neighbours with close cultural and people-to-people ties, bolstered by trade, economic, security and defence related exchanges. We are, therefore, monitoring developments in that country closely," external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

At a media briefing, he said India is also engaged on the issue as a member of the UN Security Council.

Myanmar's military grabbed power in the coup against the civilian government and imposed a state of emergency after detaining Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) on Monday.

Following the coup, India expressed 'deep concern' and said the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld in the country.

"India has extended assistance to Myanmar in its fight against COVID-19 by providing medicines, test kits and vaccines," Srivastava said at the briefing.

"We remain committed to continuing our humanitarian support for the people in Myanmar in mitigating the health and economic impact of the pandemic," he added.

The Myanmarese military staged the coup amid its rising friction with the ruling NLD government over the results of the November 8 general election.

The NLD had registered a thumping victory in the polls.

However, the military had alleged discrepancies in the electoral process.

The democratic transition in Myanmar had taken place in 2011 after decades of military rule.   -- PTI

The government on Thursday termed as 'absolutely baseless narrative' the allegations that it rushed to certify that the COVID-19 vaccination was not the cause of death of 19 health workers, saying no evidence suggests such a link so far and all details of these fatalities will be made public after deliberations by experts.

The deaths have been reported since the nationwide inoculation drive was launched on January 16 with over three crore healthcare and frontline workers prioritised to get the jabs initially.

Responding to a query during a press conference, secretary in the health ministry Rajesh Bhushan said there is a very structured and robust system for adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) monitoring in India and information regarding the cause of death of 19 persons will be out in the public domain soon.

Vouching for the safety of vaccines being administered in India, Niti Aayog Member V K Paul said that no death has been attributed to vaccines yet.

"It is settled that these vaccines are safe. After giving 45 lakh doses, there are minimal side effects some times, like one person out of 1,150 persons got a side effect and no death has been attributed yet, proves that these vaccines are superbly safe and safest that can ever be devised," Paul said.

Elaborating on post-vaccination deaths, Bhushan said that state AEFI committees have deliberated on all 19 deaths and there is no evidence of them being caused due to vaccination but once the National AEFI Committee meets and deliberates, there will be clarity.

"There are 19 deaths of vaccinated people. Postmortem of all these deaths have been carried out by a board of three doctors. The state AEFI committees have deliberated on all these matters.

"There is no evidence of deaths caused due to the vaccination and once the National AEFI Committee meets and deliberates on this, the data will be shared on public domain," he said.

"There is a process which needs to be completed. So those who say that government has rushed to certify that there is no causality is absolutely baseless narrative," Bhushan said.

He said there is a very structured and robust system of AEFI monitoring in this country and added that it is being further strengthened.

"We have a total of 8,563 AEFIs which have been captured in our digital system. We have done vaccination in lakhs. So what percentage is this? 0.18 per cent only.

"There have been so far 34 cases hospitalisation which is 0.0007 per cent of people immunised," Bhushan said.   -- PTI

India on Thursday said authorities in China have given clearance for crew change for 16 stranded Indian sailors on board a cargo vessel that has been on an anchorage near the Chinese port of Caofeidian since September.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, at a media briefing, said he was hopeful that the crew change can be effected at the earliest.

"After sustained follow up by our embassy in Beijing, the Chinese central authorities have conveyed their clearance to the local foreign office in Tangshan and port authorities for the transfer of crew of MV Anastasia," he said.

Srivastava said this information has also been shared with the shipping company concerned.

"The shipping company's agent, we understand, has submitted a request to the local port authorities and is coordinating with them on the modalities for crew change at Caofeidian port.

"We hope the crew change can now be effected at the earliest," he said.

M V Anastasia has been on the anchorage near Caofeidian port since September 20.

Another cargo vessel, MV Jag Anand, with 23 Indian sailors, was also on the anchorage near Jingtang port in Hebei province of China since June 13.

Last month, China allowed the ship to go for the crew change.

Citing coronavirus-related restrictions, Chinese authorities had not allowed the ships to either dock or go for a crew change.   -- PTI

The ceremony will take place every Saturday (except on government holidays), it said.

"On every Saturday, a maximum 100 people will be allowed to witness the ceremony with prior booking," said the statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Booking can be made online by visiting the website https://presidentofindia.nic.in or https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in/, it said.

The ceremony can be witnessed from  February 6, 2021, to March 14, 2021, between 0940 hrs and 1040 hrs, from March 15, 2021, to November 13, 2021, between 0740 hrs and 0840 hrs, and from November 14, 2021, to March 13, 2022, between 0940 hrs and 1040 hrs, the statement said.

A day after having been booked by the Maharastra police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of people with his remarks at Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune, former AMU student Sharjeel Usmani was slapped with the charge of sedition by Lucknow police.

The case against Usmani was lodged at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on Wednesday night on the complaint of a  Lucknow resident Anurag Singh, police said on Thursday.

Singh has alleged in his complaint that Usmani used provocative words and language in his speech at Elgar Parishad conclave on January 30 in Pune with an aim to trigger hatred and anger against the UP government and promoting enmity among various religious communities.

On Singh's complaint, a first information report has been lodged against Usmani under sections 124A, 153 A and 505 (1) (B) of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly committing sedition, promoting communal hatred and making statements aimed at alarming people and inciting them to commit offences against the state, a senior police official said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Pune police had booked Usmani under section 153 A for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups of people on the ground religion etc.

A day after the registration of the FIR against Usmani in Pune, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had on Wednesday said the former AMU student leader would be arrested from whichever state he is in.

He had said the police booked Usmani, an Uttar Pradesh resident, for his 'offensive remarks' after conducting a probe into the video clippings of the January 30 conclave in Pune.

During the conclave, writer-activist Arundhati Roy, Justice (Retd) B G Kolse Patil and former IPS officer S M Mushrif were also among those who addressed the gathering.

Three years ago, several Left-leaning activists were arrested by police for alleged Naxal links following the December 31, 2017, Elgar Parishad conclave and the caste violence at Pune's Koregaon-Bhima war memorial the next day.   -- PTI

Over 97 per cent of 5.12 lakh people surveyed after being inoculated against COVID-19 have expressed satisfaction with the vaccination process, the health ministry said on Thursday.

The government is taking feedback from vaccinated people since January 17 through its mobile app CoWIN and has got responses from 5,12,128 people out of the 37 lakh it had approached for feedback on the immunisation process, secretary in the ministry Rajesh Bhushan told a press conference.

The nationwide inoculation drive was launched on January 16 with over three crore healthcare and frontline workers prioritised to get the jabs initially.

Bhushan said, "On January 17, we started taking feedback on CoWIN application through the Rapid Assessment System (RAS) from those users who have been vaccinated."

"Ninety-seven per cent people are satisfied with overall vaccination experience. This data is based on feedback from 5,12,128 people.

"Out of 37 lakh people to whom we sent the SMSes and followed up with outbound calls, a size of 5,12,128 people actually replied. They have been analysed," he said.

Through the system, beneficiaries were asked four questions in a personalised message, a day after COVID-19 vaccine was administered to them, Bhushan said.

"Once the user confirms receiving the vaccination, questions are asked. If no reply is received, an outbound call is made to them through the system asking for feedback," he said.

Out of the total feedbacks received, 97.38 per cent expressed satisfaction with the overall process of vaccination and 97.41 confirmed that proper social distancing was maintained at immunisation sites, Bhushan said.

He said that 98.43 per cent confirmed that they were informed about the process of vaccination and that it was given properly, 88.95 per cent people said they were informed about adverse event following immunisation and 97.13 per cent confirmed that they were asked to wait for 30 minutes for monitoring after they were vaccinated.

As per the government, 1,239 private hospitals and 5,912 public facilities are being used as COVID-19 immunisation sites in the country.   -- PTI

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday dubbed the support of some foreign celebrities to the protesting farmers as an attempt to destabilise the country and said that the Indian democracy doesn't need foreign certificate.

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and several people from the international community had come out in support of the farmers protesting against the Centre's new agriculture laws.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said it is democratic to protest but it is wrong for foreigners to interfere in India's internal affairs.

"India's democracy does not need any foreign certificate. If they (international personalities) try to weaken the country, we will not tolerate it. The country is standing united against these foreign powers and has the mettle to not let them succeed in their purpose," he said.

He also asked Opposition parties especially the Congress to introspect and understand that they will only exist if India remains strong.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said this is not defiance; this is persisting with an agenda of which Thunberg is a part.

"They have no stand to interfere on a legislation passed by the Indian Parliament. This is a larger design meant to destabilise India," he said.

Talking about a tool kit tweeted by Thunberg in support of farmers' protest, Bhatia said it was a 'school kit of anarchy'.

"They (foreign personalities) have nothing to do with these laws; they just want to create a situation of anarchy and trouble in the country," he added.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders for over two months against the laws.  -- PTI

As the farmers continue their agitation against farm laws at various borders of the national capital, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday informed that three-hour-long 'chakka jam' on February 6 will not take in Delhi.

Speaking to reporters at the Ghazipur border protest site, he said farmers would provide food and water to the people who will be stuck due to 'chakka jam'.

"There will be a three-hour-long 'chakka jam' on February 6. It won't take place in Delhi but everywhere outside Delhi. The people that will be stuck in it will be given food and water. We will tell them what is the Govt doing with us," Tikait said.

When asked to comment on nails fixed near barricades at the Ghazipur border (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border), Tikait said, "We were growing crops there and they (government) fixed nails."

Responding to comments by the international celebrities on farmers' protests in India, he said that there is no harm in 'Hollywood artists supporting farmers' movement'.

"There is no harm in Hollywood artists supporting farmers' movement, I don't know them personally, but they are supporting without any expectation," he said.   -- ANI

Ever since the lockdown was announced last year, Isha started various programmes to assist people living in rural areas, a release said. 

The relief activities included providing food, medical equipment, face shields and sanitisers to the needy as well as frontline workers.  Earlier too, his two paintings totally fetched Rs 9.24 crore and the funds were also donated for Covid-19 relief works, the release added. 

He represented the Malappuram constituency in Kerala in the House.           

"Speaker Om Birla has accepted the resignation of Kunhalikutty, an MP from Kerala, with effect from February 3," said Meenakshi Lekhi, who was presiding over the House, on Thursday.

Though Lekhi did not give any reason for his resignation, there is speculation Kunhalikutty might contest the upcoming elections in Kerala. 

UPDATE: The Delhi Police today filed a first information report against the creators of toolkit, which was shared by Greta Thunberg in her tweets on farmers' protest, but haven't named her in the FIR.

Earlier, it was reported that Delhi Police has filed an FIR against Thunberg.

"We haven't named anybody in the FIR, it's only against the creators of toolkit which is a matter of investigation and Delhi Police will be investigating that case," Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police (CP), Delhi Police, said during a press conference, when asked if the police has named Thunberg in the FIR.

"Sections in the FIR are 124 A IPC-spreading disaffection against Govt of India, it's regarding sedition, 153 A-promoting hatred amongst various communities on social/cultural/religious grounds, same is 153 & 120 B for criminal conspiracy to give shape to such a plan," Ranjan said.

Earlier, it was reported that the Delhi Police has booked Thunberg over her tweets on farmers' protest.

Reacting to the reports, the teen climate campaigner tweeted that she 'still' stood with farmers and 'no amount of threats would change that'.

Thunberg's tweets in support of the protests near Delhi against farm laws are among many posts that have drawn international attention over the past two days to the farmers' agitation that began late-November.   -- with ANI inputs

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Nana Patole, tipped to be the next chief of the state unit of the Congress, resigned from his post on Thursday.

Legislature sources said Patole handed over his resignation to deputy speaker Narhari Zhirwal.

Patole, the MLA from Sakoli in Bhandara district, is likely to replace revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat as state Congress president soon, according to party sources.

The Congress shares power with the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra.

A delegation of Congress ministers, headed by Thorat, had recently met the party leadership in Delhi.

The budget session of the state legislature is to begin from March 1.   -- PTI

On the chakka jaam: "There'll be a three-hour-long 'chakka jaam' on 6th Feb. It won't take place in Delhi but everywhere outside Delhi. The people that will be stuck in it will be given food and water. We will tell them what is the Govt doing with us."

The teen climate campaigner, unfazed, tweeted that she "still" stood with farmers and "no amount of threats" would change that.

Greta Thunberg's tweets in support of the protests near Delhi against farm laws are among many posts that have drawn international attention over the past two days to the farmers' agitation that began late-November.

While the name of Boris Johnson appears in his capacity as a west London Conservative Party member of Parliament, Downing Street had categorically denied that the UK Prime Minister had signed the petition. The House of Commons further clarified on Thursday that while it is possible to view signatures on its petitions website by individual parliamentary constituencies, and the data also gives the name of the constituency MP, the data does not show whether individual MPs have signed it. 

India has called the remarks by foreign leaders and organisations on protests by farmers as 'ill-informed' and 'unwarranted', asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country. 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi issued a statement on Wednesday to highlight that the Parliament of India had passed "reformist legislation" for the agricultural sector, which "a very small section of farmers" have some reservations about and therefore the laws have been kept on hold while talks are held. 

Emphasising that the protests must be seen in the context of India's democratic ethos and polity, the MEA in its statement said some vested interest groups have tried to mobilise international support against the country. 

"Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. "The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible," the MEA statement said following some high-profile celebrities tweeting over the agitation by farmers. 

In London, a UK government spokesperson said, "Media freedom is vital for the protection of human rights and journalists all around the world must be free to do their job and to hold authorities to account without fear of arrest or violence." -- PTI

Twitter was abuzz on Wednesday night as notable former and current India cricketers including legendary Sachin Tendulkar and captain Virat Kohli took to Twitter to voice their opinion on the ongoing farmers' protests.

Kohli was trolled for his statement, calling for staying united during the hours of disagreements and said farmers are an integral part of our country.

"Let us all stay united in this hour of disagreements. Farmers are an integral part of our country and I'm sure an amicable solution will be found between all parties to bring about peace and move forward together," Kohli posted.

To ascertain the exact cause of death of the pigeons in the Narol area, two carcass samples were sent to a Bhopal laboratory for testing for avian influenza, said Dr Rajendra Patel, Assistant Director, animal husbandry department, Ahmedabad district. 

"Around 190 pigeons were found dead in the Narol area of the city during the last two days in a suspected case of bird flu. We have discarded the carcasses as per protocols and sanitised the area. 

"We have sent two samples to a Bhopal-based laboratory for confirmation (of bird flu)," said Patel. Bird flu cases were first reported in Gujarat on January 8 when samples of some dead birds, found near a dam in Junagadh district, later tested positive for avian influenza. Later, bird flu cases were also reported from Surat, Vadodara and Valsad districts, where samples of dead crows returned positive tests for the virus. Bird flu is a highly infectious and severe respiratory disease in birds caused by the influenza virus. PTI

He said the heap of waste at Ghazipur will also be cleaned soon to create energy. "We have started the Gobar Dhan scheme. Cow dung, agriculture waste, city waste, forest waste, the carbon in biomass, everything will be converted into energy. In a few days, the heap of waste at Ghazipur will be cleaned up. The energy that we will make from that we are going to give additional income of Rs 1 lakh crore in the accounts of farmers. Income of farmers will double from that," Pradhan said while speaking during a discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's address. 

He said the government has come up with a scheme to procure ethanol worth Rs 20,000 crore which will help increase farmer's income. "We have made a scheme for buying 325 crore litre ethanol in 2020-21. We have started buying that will cost Rs 20,000 crore. This will be 8.5 per cent of requirement. In the coming days we will take it to 20 per cent," Pradhan said. 

 Attacking the Congress for not bringing a law on minimum support price (MSP) of crops despite being in power for long and yet questioning the present government on this issue, he asserted that the Modi government after coming to power in 2014 has substantially increased the procurement of foodgrains at MSP.

The duo's support comes after American pop star Rihanna, shared a news article highlighting the Indian government's crackdown on the protest after it turned violent on January 26 in Delhi. 

"Happy to share that I've donated USD 10,000 to provide medical assistance to the farmers in need in India to help save lives during these times. I hope we can prevent any additional life from being lost. #FarmersProtest" Juju tweeted. 

 Kuzma, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, also shared the same article Rihanna had posted. "Should be talking about this! #FarmersProtest," the 25-year-old tweeted. 

 Former NBA player Baron Davies also took to Twitter to highlight the farmers' protest, urging people to spread awareness about the issue. "Are we going to address what's happening in India ? Let my good people free !! Unfair to those who struggle, the farmers provide a way of living and they need to have a right to a way of life. "Join me and let's bring awareness. #FarmersProtest," he tweeted. 

Rihanna started the global chorus of support for India's farmers on Tuesday. "Why aren't we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest," she had tweeted. Soon several international celebrities including teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and US Vice President Kamala Harris' niece Meena Harris too came out in support of the farmers' protest.

The first delivery will be by March 2024. In the first year, there will be delivery of two aircraft which will be ramped up to 16. Total supply time, post first delivery is 6 years," Madhavan said at a press conference in Bengaluru.

"We faced issues due to lockdown in the first two quarters. The first quarter was completely washed out. But till the third quarter, we recovered. So financially or otherwise, we will reach the target set for the year, as per pre-Covid times," he added.

This comes after a contract to manufacture 83 LCA Tejas fighters was handed over to the HAL by the Defence Ministry at the Aero India 2021 in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Arup Chatterjee, one of the directors of HAL, informed about a "high altitude pseudo satellite" being developed by the HAL, along with a start-up company.

"We are developing a high altitude pseudo satellite with start-up company, it is futuristic. No country in the world has developed it yet. It will be solar energised and a big asset flying around 70,000 ft for 2-3 months unmanned taking information," said Chatterjee. -- ANI

Farmer unions have said that they will block the highways in protest against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and against three farm laws.

"Now, the protest at all the borders of Delhi is very much political and it is clearly visible that this has become political propaganda," BKS General Seceratery Badri Narayan Choudhary told ANI.

"Earlier the Canadian political leaders supported the farmers' protests, then British leaders and now celebrities from other countries. It proves that this is propaganda against India and they will damage the peace and harmony of the country," he said.

Condemning the violent incidents that happened on January 26 in the national capital, Choudhary said that it cannot be acceptable to any patriot.

The BKS has also expressed concern that some anti-social elements may participate in the February 6 protest. "We need to be careful as it can damage the peace and harmony of our country," he added.

"Many other countries have had a head start of almost 65 days. India launched the countrywide COVID19 vaccination drive on January 16, 2021. The number of beneficiaries being vaccinated every day has also shown a progressive increase," the Ministry said.

In the last 24 hours, 3,10,604 people were vaccinated across 8,041 sessions. 84,617 sessions have been conducted so far. 54.87 per cent of the total beneficiaries vaccinated against COVID-19, so far, are from seven States.

India's Covid-19 active caseload has dropped to 1.55 lakh (1,55,025) and comprises just 1.44 per cent of the total infections.

"The day-on-day change in number of active cases over the past few weeks depicts the consistent decline in the active cases," it said.

The Ministry said that India's daily positivity rate is 1.82 per cent, as of today and has maintained the daily positivity rate below 2 per cent in last few weeks (19 days). -- ANI

"This is a story of a woman protagonist who longs to belong but dares not conform, who is moving through her life in a city that almost becomes her companion. 

"From the sidewalks, parks, and bridges to the pool and the train station that leads her to her grieving mother after her father's untimely death, she moves through the city, one season after another. Until one day, her perspective changes and the life, as she knows it, is transformed," the publisher said in a statement. 

Lahiri expressed her gratitude to Penguin for publishing her book. "I am so grateful to Meru Gokhale and to all at Penguin Random House India for following me on my creative journey and publishing this new novel, born from my love of a new language," the author of "Interpreter of Maladies" said. PTI

The study, backed by 7 million pound of government funding, will determine the effects of using different vaccines for the first and second dose for example, using Oxford University/AstraZeneca's vaccine for the first dose, followed by Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine for the second. It is being run by the National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium (NISEC) across eight National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) supported sites and also gather immunological evidence on different intervals between the first and second dose for a mixed-vaccine regimen against control groups when the same vaccine is used for both doses. 

"This is a hugely important clinical trial that will provide us with more vital evidence on the safety of these vaccines when used in different ways," said Nadhim Zahawi, Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment. "Nothing will be approved for use more widely than the study, or as part of our vaccine deployment programme, until researchers and the regulator are absolutely confident the approach is safe and effective. This is another great step forward for British science, expertise and innovation, backed by government funding -- and I look forward to seeing what it produces," he said. 

The 13-month study will monitor the impact of the different dosing regimens on patients' immune responses, which have the potential to be higher or lower than from the same dose regimen. Initial findings are expected to be released later in the year.

When tried to access the two tweets, a message appears, reading, "This Tweet is no longer available because it violated the Twitter Rules." 

In one of the tweets, the actor had talked about "eradication" of "cancer" from the country. This is not the first time that Twitter has taken action against Ranaut. 

The actor's handle was last month briefly suspended after she posted a tweet in reference to the controversy surrounding Amazon Prime Video series "Tandav". 

In the tweet, the actor had used the phrase "time to take their heads off", which was reported by many users as offensive. Ranaut has been actively posting on Twitter since Tuesday when international pop star Rihanna came out in support of the farmers' agitations. 

The actor also went after actor Taapsee Pannu for her tweets but was criticised for her language. Responding to the flurry of tweets from prominent celebrities from Bollywood and sports following Rihanna's tweet, Pannu on Thursday said, "If one tweet rattles your unity, one joke rattles your faith or one show rattles your religious belief then it's you who has to work on strengthening your value system not become propaganda teacher' for others." 

It was enough to tick off Ranaut who called Pannu "a sasta copy (cheap duplicate) and also dragged the actor's mother in the conversation. Ranaut was the first to slam Rihanna for her post, calling her a "fool" and protesting farmers "terrorists". She was also embroiled in a second Twitter spat with Diljit Dosanjh, who released a track appreciating Rihanna. PTI

India's largest public sector bank had posted a net profit of Rs 5,583 crore in Q3 FY20. On a quarterly basis, the profit after tax grew by 13.6 per cent from Rs 4,574 crore reported in the September quarter (Q2 FY21).SBI registered an operating profit of Rs 17,333 crore in Q3 FY21 as compared to Rs 16,460 crore in Q2 FY21, marking an increase of 5.3 per cent sequentially. On a year-on-year basis, the operating profit came down by 4.8 per cent.

"Excluding the one-off interest income and other income during Q3 FY20, the year-on-year growth in net profit and operating profit would be 133.78 per cent and 26.23 per cent respectively," it said in regulatory filings at stock exchanges.

The net profit for 9M FY21 at Rs 13,960 crore increased by 28 per cent year-on-year as against Rs 10,907 crore in 9M FY20.SBI said its net interest income for Q3 FY21 increased by 2.27 per cent sequentially and 3.75 per cent year-on-year. The domestic NIM for the quarter at 3.34 per cent remained stable sequentially. -- ANI

No reaction was immediately available from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its government in Delhi. The AAP government had decided on Wednesday to withdraw the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses on special hire to various departments, including those being used by security personnel, with immediate effect, officials had said. 

Criticising the move, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh tweeted, "Delhi Govt under @ArvindKejriwal withdraws DTC buses given to police & paramilitary forces for bandobust duty. Delhiites will suffer for the Punjab aspirations of @AamAadmiParty. Anarchists indeed." 

This shows how the Kejriwal government is trying to spread "anarchy" by taking back buses from police at a time when they are busy dealing with security issues amid protests at the city's border points, alleged Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta. 

"Delhi Police has always been a victim of cheap politics of Anarchist CM @arvindkejriwal. For their political interests, @aamaadmiparty has blamed Delhi Police for every act of violence in the city be it Jamia, JNU, Delhi Riots or Farmers protest violence," Gupta charged in a tweet. BJP MPs Ramesh Bidhuri, Parvesh Verma, Manoj Tiwari and Gautam Gambhir also reacted sharply to the decision taken by the Delhi government. Bidhuri in a tweet said Delhi Police should also withdraw security provided to the Delhi Chief Minister. 

"It's unfortunate that Kejriwal has taken back buses to deploy police and paramilitary forces for law and order (duty). Delhi Police should immediately withdraw his security because the buses were meant for law and order and security of people in Delhi," Bidhuri said. -- PTI

"When there was United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the health budget was not utilised fully. Congress-led UPA's 5-year budget was Rs 1.75 trillion while NDA one-year health budget is Rs 2.23 trillion, there is a 137 per cent increase from last year," said Scindia in the Rajya Sabha.

Responding to the opposition parties' criticism over the central government's vaccination drive, he said: "When the country is battling COVID, the opposition is busy pointing fingers. First, they questioned lockdown and then the unlock phase. Despite Congress MP Anand Sharma appreciating lockdown measures in his report, the party alleges vaccine politics."

The farmers' issues dominated the agenda of the opposition parties during the Upper House proceedings as leaders like Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha and Janata Dal (Secular) MP HD Devegowda asked the government to resolve the matter with protesting farmers.Rajya Sabha meets for five hours daily in accordance with COVID-19 protocols in place. - ANI

Read the report here

While Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, the Novavax is being produced by US-based Novavax Inc. 

"Today we are pleased to announce the conclusion of a long-term supply agreement with the Serum Institute of India for COVID-19 vaccines, to access two vaccine products through technology transfer from ASTRAZENECA and NOVAVAX, the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. Fore added that UNICEF, along with its procurement partners including Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), will have access to up to 1.1 billion doses of vaccines for around 100 countries, for approximately USD 3 a dose for the low- and lower middle-income countries. This is great value for COVAX donors and a strong demonstration of one of the fundamental principles of COVAX - that by pooling our resources we can negotiate in bulk for the best possible deals," she said.

She added that as these supply agreements are concluded, UNICEF will continue to make public relevant details of the agreements, subject to the consent of the suppliers. "Likewise, we look forward to working with SII to distribute these vaccines to countries, subject to the approval of the vaccine by World Health Organisation. Key workers and other vulnerable people in 145 countries should receive COVID-19 vaccines in the first half of this year, under the joint UN-led COVAX initiative for fair access to coronavirus-beating jabs."

 UNICEF, which plays a key role in immunisation campaigns worldwide - welcomed the development, describing COVAX as the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever mounted. "We must get this right, Fore said. Our country offices will support governments as they move forward with this first wave to ensure that they are ready to receive the vaccines that require ultra-cold chain (storage)," she said.

"Next R-Day parade will be on Central Vista Avenue. It'll be a symbol of Modern India. Some don't understand its importance, some don't want country to progress. They were questioning COVID vaccine too but as all can see, we had a phenomenal rollout," Puri said. 

"MEA's statement reads 'The Parliament of India, after a full debate and discussion, passed reformist legislation relating to the agricultural sector.' That is a travesty of the truth," the Congress leader said.

On Wednesday, the MEA issued a statement to counter the tweets by international celebrities including singer Rihanna, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and others who extended their support in solidarity with the agitating farmers.

"The record of the Rajya Sabha and the video record will show that there was not a full discussion, microphones of some MPs were muted, and a call for division (that is a vote) was summarily rejected. If MEA distorts the truth on a matter where there is a record, who will believe MEA's other statements?" asked Chidambaram while tagging the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

At a press conference on Wednesday, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said that the reputation of India "has taken a massive hit". "Our biggest strength, you can call it soft power, has been shattered by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). That is their mindset," he alleged.

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. -- ANI

The family of the farmer, Navneet Singh, lives in in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district.

"We've come to know that a farmer Navneetji who came from Canada and was participating in protest peacefully, was shot at by police and lost his life, during the tractor rally. Priyanka Gandhiji will meet his family at his residence in Rampur today, "Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kr Lallu said, earlier in the day.

Rahul Gandhi did not accompany Priyanka due to the ongoing Parliament session in New Delhi.

The Congress Party has been continuously supporting the farmers' movement against the government's new agricultural laws and have demanded their repeal.

On Republic Day, farm unions were given permission to hold a tractor yatra but a group of farmers broke through police barricades and entered the ITO area clashed with police.

The police say that Navneet Singh died in the clash after his tractor overturned after ramming into a barricade. Delhi Police had released CCTV footage showing the farmer's tractor overturning after ramming into barricades at ITO.

A government resolution (GR), issued on Monday, said a three-member committee headed by state chief secretary has been set up to examine whether foreign trips of bureaucrats are necessary. It said the officials who wish to go on study tours abroad or attend international workshops should explain how their visits will be beneficial for the state. 

According to the GR, foreign travels will be restricted to "three trips a year for not more than 15 days collectively". Proposals for foreign tours that cannot be avoided should be taken up for consideration, the GR said. It said visits for bilateral trade pacts, commerce and industrial agreements with international institutions and regular exchange programmes will also require sanction of the central government. 

According to the guidelines, secretaries of the departments concerned have been given the responsibility of certifying how a foreign tour will be beneficial for the state, and ensure there is no conflict of interest by officials going on such trips. PTI

Asia's biggest Aero show began on Wednesday after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the event.

But four months later, India's coronavirus numbers have plummeted. Late last month, on Jan. 26, the country's Health Ministry confirmed a record low of about 9,100 new daily cases '" in a country of nearly 1.4 billion people. It was India's lowest daily tally in eight months. On Monday, India confirmed about 11,000 cases.

Read the report here. 

A group of freedom fighters participating in the non-cooperation movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1922 were fired upon by police, leading to death of many of them. In retaliation, protestors attacked and set fire to the Chauri Chaura police station, killing many of its occupants. Gandhi had called off the movement due to the violence

"Sasikala is coming to Tamil Nadu on February 7 after completing quarantine in Bengaluru. Jayalalithaa's true supporters are waiting for her arrival," said Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader TTV Dhinakaran.

Elections are scheduled to take place for the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly in April-May this year. BJP president JP Nadda said that the party will fight the forthcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu in alliance with the ruling AIADMK and other like-minded parties.

Sasikala was discharged on January 31 from Bengaluru's Victoria hospital where she was undergoing COVID-19 treatment. She is undergoing quarantine since then.

She was officially released from judicial custody on January 27 after completing her four-year prison sentence in the disproportionate assets case.

In 2019, the Income Tax Department had attached properties worth Rs 1,600 crores belonging to the former AIADMK leader under the provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act. -- ANI

He stayed at the Great Eastern Hotel from October 31 to November 14... Gandhi had no friends in Calcutta. He wanted to meet Sir Surendranath Banerjee to get him interested in South African affairs. He met Banerjee at the Indian Association Hall, and he told Gandhi, "I am afraid people will not take interest in your work. As you know, our difficulties here are by no means few. But you must try...' The editors of Amrita Bazar Patrika and Bangabasi '" leading Bengali newspapers '" whom Gandhi met did not take interest in the South African problems. But the Calcutta-based English dailies, The Statesman and The Englishman, showed interest and published his interviews."

Read the column by PT Nair here.

Infection with the strain was found in a man who recently arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport from Africa.

"Currently, the Varese Hospital is evaluating the first case of the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2 observed in Italy," the service said.

The biological material will soon be sent for verification to the Italian National Institute of Health. -- ANI

"We are here so that we can discuss this issue (farmers' protest) in Parliament, Speaker is not letting us raise the issue. Now all the parties will give details of what is happening here," said Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, present at the border.

Before heading towards the protest sites at the Delhi border, Kaur told ANI that around eight to ten parties will visit the border to meet farmers today.

"Internet, water and electricity connection have been disrupted there. In case, an accident occurs there even an ambulance won't be able to reach. We are not being given time in the Parliament to raise farmers' issue. We felt there is a need to visit the border to analyse the situation there and then talk to Lok Sabha Speaker about it," she added.

Other opposition leaders who visited the Ghazipur border include Saugata Roy, Supriya Sule, Kanimozhi.Meanwhile, nails that were fixed near barricades at the Ghazipur border are being removed.

The Delhi Police recently cemented nails near barricades at Ghazipur (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh) and Tikri (Delhi-Haryana) borders.Also, police have heavily barricaded the Ghazipur border. Barbed wire and cement barricades have been planted on the roads to restrict the movement of the farmers. -- ANI

BJP chief JP Nadda has directed the party's top leadership to address pressers and public outreach programmes across the country.

The Cabinet ministers and rest of the ministers of state and independence charge and national general secretaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party will be touring cities allocated to them on February 6 and February 7.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be in Mumbai to explain the positives of the Budget whereas Union Minister for Road and Transport Nitin Gadkari will be in Nagpur. Jitendra Singh will be in Jammu to talk about the budget.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will address the press and a gathering in Bhopal whereas Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani will be stationed in Guwahati, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been given charge of Goa. Piyush Goyal will spread awareness about the budget in Lucknow and Dharmendra Pradhan will be in Hyderabad.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi will be in Bengaluru.Of BJP's national general secretaries Dilip Saikia will do pravas in Imphal, Bhupendra Yadav will tour Ahmedabad and CT Ravi will be in Belgaum, Tarun Chugh will be in Ladakh and Arun Singh in Jaipur.Apart from this, all MPs and MLAs and state office bearers and post holders too would conduct such programs in their respective areas and constituencies.

On February 1, Sitharaman had briefed all the ministers and spokespersons on budget and how to counter the opposition's criticism of it. (ANI)

Capt Zaman, the son of a humble chicken seller from Bihar, travelled a long way from poverty to fulfil the collective dreams of his family. 

Archana Masih/Rediff.com salutes his incomparable story. Read it here

The 30-share BSE index was trading 140.79 points or 0.28 per cent lower at 50,114.96. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 31.30 points or 0.21 per cent to 14,758.65.

IndusInd Bank the top loser in the Sensex pack, fell around 2.50 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Asian Paints, Tech Mahindra, L&T and HCL Tech. On the other hand, ONGC, M&M, Bajaj Auto, NTPC, Maruti, ITC and Bajaj Finance were among the gainers. 

In the previous session, the 30-share BSE benchmark ended at 50,255.75, up 458.03 points or 0.92 per cent and the broader NSE Nifty had surged 142.10 points or 0.97 per cent to its fresh closing record of 14,789.95. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 2,520.92 crore on a net basis on Wednesday, as per exchange data.

"Secondly, don't forget, she is General Aung San's daughter who was the founder of the Burmese army.

"On the Rohingya issue she is completely with popular public opinion in Myanmar. On all these points, she's on the same ground as with the military," Gautam Mukhopadhaya, India's former ambassador to Myanmar, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih. Read the interview here.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi issued a statement on Wednesday to highlight that the Parliament of India had passed "reformist legislation" for the agricultural sector, which "a very small section of farmers" have some reservations about and therefore the laws have been kept on hold while talks are held.

Total cases: 1,07,90,183 Total discharges: 1,04,80,455 Death toll: 1,54,703 Active cases: 1,55,025 Total Vaccination: 44,49,552.

Delhi Traffic Police says: Ghazipur border is closed. Traffic is diverted from Noida link road on NH 24, NH 9. Traffic is heavy on Murga mandi and Ghazipur R/A, Road no. 56, Vikas marg, IP Extension, NH 24. Please commute from other borders.

Singhu, Piau Maniyari, Saboli, Auchandi borders are closed. Lampur, Safiabad, Singhu school and Palla toll tax borders are open. Follow an alternate route. Traffic is heavy and diverted from NH 44. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH 44.

The Delhi Police has sent a notice to social activist Yogita Bhayana over her Twitter posts on the Republic Day violence in the national capital, asking her to appear for questioning, officials said.

Responding to the development, Bhayana accused the Delhi Police of "suppressing" her voice, and said her only "crime" was that she had been supporting the farmers protesting against three Central agricultural laws.

The notice has been sent to Bhayana asking her to appear before the police in a case registered under Indian Penal Code sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 505(1)(b) (circulating statement, rumour that may induce somebody to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility).

In a tweet in Hindi, Bhayana said, "The Delhi Police has registered an FIR against me. My crime is that I have been supporting the farmers in their protest. The Delhi Police wants to suppress my voice."

On January 30, the Delhi Police had filed a case against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, The Caravan magazine and others for allegedly misleading public regarding the death of a protester at ITO during a tractor parade by farmers on January 26 which had turned violent.

Priyanka Gandhi to visit farmer who died during Republic Day tractor rally.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will meet the family of late Navreet Singh, who reportedly died in an accident during the tractor rally taken out in the national capital on Republic Day.

The United States came out in support of India's new farm laws, saying it welcomes steps that would "improve the efficiency" of Indian markets and attract greater private sector investment.

Reacting on the ongoing farm protests in India, a State Department spokesperson said that Washington recognises that "peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy", adding that differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue. 

"We recognise that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy, and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same," the spokesperson said.

"We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue. In general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India's markets and attract greater private sector investment," the spokesperson added.

Farmers have been protesting on the borders of Delhi since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Russian-made Coronavirus vaccine Sputnik -- peer-reviewed by the Lancet Medical Journal -- is undergoing trials in India and could be available for use soon. 

"I believe the vaccine should be available in India from March- April," said Deepak Sapra, the chief of API and pharma services at Dr Reddy's Laboratories, which is manufacturing the vaccine. 

Currently two vaccines -- Serum Institute's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin -- are being administered to three crore health workers and frontline workers like the police and sanitation workers.

The efficacy of Sputnik, according to interim results from the Lancet study, was 91.6 per cent.

"There is an agreement with our partners in Russia for the manufacture of 125 million people doses, which translates to 250 million vaccine doses," said Deepak Sapra of Dr Reddy's Labs. This will be sufficient for 12.5 crore people.