The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built — a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers — blasted off Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analysed for evidence of ancient life. NASA’s Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into the morning sky in the world’s third and final Mars launch of the summer. China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last week, but all three missions should reach the red planet in February after a journey of seven months…
Author: Our Correspondent
Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that India cannot rely on herd immunity as a strategic option against Covid-19. Addressing a press conference, a Health Ministry official said that herd immunity was not an option for a country as populous as India. “Herd immunity is an indirect protection from a disease. This saves a population from a disease. But it develops when a vaccine is developed or when a population has already suffered and recovered from it. Herd immunity in India is not an option,” Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health said, adding that India can hope to achieve herd…
On August 1, 2019, the act of pronouncing instant triple talaq in Islam became an illegal practice in India. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 made instant triple talaq pronounced in any form — spoken, written or via electronic means — illegal and void. Punishment for the husband pronouncing triple talaq includes up to three years in prison. One year on, the Ministry of Minority Affairs will be commemorating the historic passage of this law on Friday. It comes a day before Eid-ul-Adha on August 1. On Friday, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Women and…
Congress princess Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has finally vacated the government allocated bungalow at 35, Lodhi Estate in Delhi’s posh Lutyens area. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1288756760610631681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1288756760610631681%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.opindia.com%2F2020%2F07%2Fpriyanka-gandhi-finally-vacates-the-govt-allocated-bungalow-a-day-before-the-last-date%2F Priyanka was earlier asked to vacate the said bungalow by August 1 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It was stated that she was no longer eligible to live in a government allocated bungalow after losing the SPG security cover. After the notice, though Congress leaders had tried a lot to create a political outrage over the issue, Priyanka had stated that she will abide by the orders. She has been living there since 1997. She…
Female artisans of Varanasi have sent wooden rakhis for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the soldiers at Galwan Valley. The rakhis have been handed over to the Prime Minister’s parliamentary office in Varanasi. The craftswomen, Shalini, Vandana, Reeta, Pushpa and Sitam have also sent a letter to Modi, requesting him to ensure that the rakhis reach the soldiers at Galwan valley. The gift packets also include wooden lacquerware and toys. Geographical Indication (GI) expert, Rajni Kant, who helped the women make the wooden rakhis, said that they started making them around a week back. “This is our humble tribute and…
Days ahead of the bhoomi pujan ceremony for the construction of Ram Mandir, an Ayodhya priest and at least 15 police personnel deployed at the temple site have reportedly tested positive for novel coronavirus. The priest Pradeep Das, as per a Hindustan Times report, was likely to be part of the ceremony on 5 August which will be attended by various dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath among others. Given the threat of spread of the COVID-19 disease, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust has already appealed to Ram bhakts (devotees…
Sonu Sood is celebrating his 47th birthday today. Birthday wishes having been pouring in for the actor on social media. Right from politicians and his industry friends to fans, everyone extended their warm wishes to the actor who is being hailed as a real-life hero for his relentless efforts to help migrants amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. https://twitter.com/capt_amarinder/status/1288723666251837440?s=20 Union Minister Smriti Irani also took to Instagram to wish her friend Sonu Soon on his special day. Must we add, her birthday wish is simply hilarious. She posted a black and white photo of Sonu on her Instagram stories. “Happy ka…
he Supreme Court today dismissed a PIL filed requesting for a CBI probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The court asked Alka Priya, the lawyer who filed the plea to let the police do their job instead. The lawyer further added that Sushant Singh Rajput had done a lot of work for children by facilitating their training at NASA, and therefore, his death needs to be looked at. To which, Chief Justice S Bodbe said that that has nothing to do with if he was good or bad person. Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on June 14. There’s…
The soil and water from Sangam — the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati — will reach Ayodhya on Thursday (30 July) for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Ram temple in Ayodhya on 5 August. The soil and water were handed over to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders amidst chanting of mantras on Wednesday. A three-member delegation of the VHP is taking the sacred soil and water to Ayodhya. Soil from the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur has also been sent to Ayodhya for ‘bhoomi pujan’. According to the VHP spokesman Ashwani Mishra in Prayagraj, “A group of VHP leaders including…
Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave a nod to India’s new National Education Policy 2020, which provides for major reforms in higher education, increased focus on non-academic skills and increased inclusion through language diversity and course fluidity. Making the announcement, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “Cabinet under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given approval to new education policy for the 21st century. It is important, as for 34 years there were no changes in the education policy.” The Cabinet has also approved a proposal to rename the Ministry of Human Resource Development as the Ministry of Education. The NEP 2020, which…