Month: November 2021

** Tamil Nadu teenager Vinisha Umashankar makes a clarion call at COP26

Young people have every reason to be angry with leaders who have failed to deliver, Ms. Umashankar said.

As a child, Vinisha Umashankar, a Class 10 student, used to walk with her mother and a bag full of washed and dried clothes to get them ironed from a couple who ran a mobile ironing cart in her street in Tiruvannamalai town in northern Tamil Nadu.

She saw how her clothes were ironed with charcoal-filled cast-iron boxes by the couple, sweating as they worked in the heat. She returned, not just with her ironed clothes, but with an intent to make their lives better and the world around her cleaner.

** WHO panel finally recommends EUL status for Covaxin

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG), an independent advisory committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has recommended Emergency Use Listing (EUL) status for Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, sources in the know of the development said.

The WHO is in the process of evaluating Covaxin’s clinical trial data for use of EUL.

** Days after losing mother to lung infection, Akash punches his way to World Championship medal

National champion, who entered the semifinal of the 54kg category, beat Yoel Finol, the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medalist, to advance.

On Tuesday, Akash Kumar became only the seventh Indian boxer to win a medal at the World Championships. The 21-year-old did so in his debut senior tournament, dominating an Olympic medalist to enter the 54 kg semifinals in Belgrade. His relatives back home in Paluwas, Haryana though felt no nerves watching, only bittersweet joy afterwards.

** Ganga most visited pilgrim site in world, attracts over 2 crore people every year, says Union Minister

Union Tourism and Culture Minister G.Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said Ganga is the most visited pilgrim site in the world and over 2 crore people come to pay their respect every year to it.

“Hinduism teaches that Ganga is not just a river for bathing, it is a sacred river that is why cleaning it is our prime responsibility. People should make it a custom to keep Ganga clean,” he said at the Ganga Utsav.

** Elon Musk’s satellite company planning to provide internet service in Indian villages

The SpaceX’s satellite broadband arm aims to start broadband service in India from December 2022, with 2 lakh active terminals.

** Faizabad Junction railway station renamed as Ayodhya Cantt: Railways

It is notified for the information of the general public that the name of Faizabad (FD) Railway Station in Lucknow Division of Northern Railway has been changed to Ayodhya Cantt (station code: AYC) with immediate effect, Northern Railway PRO Dipak Kumar said here on Tuesday.

** Indian-origin Hollywood actor Kal Penn comes out as gay; engaged to longtime boyfriend

Actor and comedian Kal Penn has come out as gay and has also stated that he is engaged to his partner Josh. The couple has been together for 11 years and is planning on a grand wedding soon.

Penn, known for his role portraying Lawrence Kutner on the hit television program House, as well as the character Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar film series, shared his story during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning programme on which he was promoting his new memoir, “You Can’t Be Serious”

** Rice Mela ends, over 150 varieties displayed

Did you know that Kattuyanam is the oldest rice variety in the world? It is over 2,400 years old. The red rice variety’s name is a combination of two words — Kattu or Kadu which means forest and Yanai meaning elephant. The plant can grow up to seven feet tall, and even an elephant can hide in the crops. 

It is rich in antioxidants, controls blood sugar, is good for skin and normalises bowel movement. Around 150 such indigenous rice varieties were on display at the Rice Mela organised by Thanal Trust, an environment NGO and Organic Bazar at Jawahar Nagar.