North East - The Purbottar

01 Jul

Nepal prime minister KP Oli admitted to hospital

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Kathmandu: Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli was on Wednesday hospitalised in Sahid Gangalal National Heart Center in Kathmandu after he complained of chest pain. His press advisor Surya Thapa tweeted on social media that the hospitalisation was a part of his regular health check-ups. Of late, in Nepal, there has been an increasing demand for Oli to step down. Oli had earlier called for a Cabinet meeting after leaders of ruling Nepal Communist Party demanded his resignation on Tuesday. The senior leaders, including co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, asked the prime minister to step…

01 Jul

CBI books Sanjay Bhandari, Samsung Engineering for ‘corruption’ in contract for OPAL project in Dahej.

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The CBI has booked purported arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari for allegedly receiving about USD 50 lakh from Korean company Samsung Engineering Co Ltd to influence officials in granting a contract for a DFCU project of OPAL at Dahej in Gujarat, officials said Wednesday. The probe agency has also named the then Senior Manager of Samsung Engineering Co Ltd (SECL) Hong Namkoong, UK-based Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd and Bhandari's UAE-based company Santech International FZC besides unidentified officials of ONGC and its special vehicle ONGC Petro Additions Ltd (OPAL) for alleged corruption, they said. Bhandari who is being probed in a number…

01 Jul

Delhi under control, says Arvind Kejriwal

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New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the COVID-19 situation has been brought under control for now with the "combined efforts" of Delhi government, Centre and other organisations, but cautioned people against any lapse in social and personal behaviour that may again lead to a rise in cases. Addressing an online media briefing, the chief minister said that the situation is not as "terrible" as predicted one month ago, asserting that at present, the number of active coronavirus cases has been decreasing instead of increasing. He said the Central government's website had projected a total of one lakh…

01 Jul

Parents from different states move Supreme Court

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A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court by the parents of children from different States seeking declaration of moratorium or deferment of payment of school fees during the COVID-19 induced lockdown. The plea also seeks direction to Centre and all the States for directing all the private unaided/aided schools to only charge the proportionate fees based on actual expenditure towards the conduct of the online virtual classes and no other fees from the students since 1 April till the commencement of physical classes. "The Petitioners belonging to different states of the country have come together being constrained to…

01 Jul

US lends support in India vs China

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The United States on Wednesday stepped in to stall a United Nations Security Council statement pushed hard by Xi Jinping’s China on this week’s Karachi terror attack in light of New Delhi’s reservations over the Imran Khan government’s efforts to politicise the attack at Pakistan Stock Exchange. The UNSC routinely condemns such acts of terror. But the statement on the Karachi terror strike got complicated after Islamabad attempted to pin the blame on New Delhi. Pakistan foreign minister Makdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi had blamed the attacks on India on Tuesday. His boss Imran Khan echoed him in the National Assembly…

01 Jul

India to ban Chinese companies from highway projects, says Nitin Gadkari amid India-China standoff.

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India will not allow Chinese companies to participate in highway projects, including those through joint ventures, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday amid border standoff with China.Gadakri also said the government will ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in various sectors like Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Amid escalating tensions, the government on Monday banned 59 apps, mostly having Chinese links, citing threats to national security. "We will not give permission to joint ventures that have Chinese partners for road construction. We have taken a firm stand that if they (Chinese companies) come via joint venture in…

01 Jul

Six killed, 17 injured in boiler blast at NLC power plant in Tamil Nadu.

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Six workers died and 17 others suffered injuries in a blast in thermal power station (TPS) II of NLC India Limited at Neyveli in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The blast happened in unit 5 of TPS II around 9.55am.The injured workers were given first aid at NLCIL general hospital and were later referred to a private hospital in Chennai for advanced treatment. Eleven of the 17 injured are said to be in a critical condition. The accident took place at the fifth unit of the Centre-run thermal power station-II (210 MW x 7) when workers were in the process of…

01 Jul

Health Workers Need Vaccination

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Doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, non-medical workers engaged in the Covid-19 response and vulnerable people in the general population would be prioritised for early vaccination, the PMO said after a review meeting on Covid-19 vaccines chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi during the meeting enunciated four guiding principles for the nationwide rollout of any vaccines that emerge against Covid-19 including the prioritising of healthcare workers and vulnerable groups and making vaccines available to “anyone anywhere” without imposing any domicile restrictions. The company plans to launch the trials in July and expects results of the assessment by October. If promising, the…

01 Jul

Plasma Bank to be Set up in Guwahati by Next Week, Says Health Minister Sarma

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Addressing a press conference, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state has already installed plasma separator in Gauhati Medical College and the plasma treatment can start by next week. “We have decided to set up a Plasma Bank in Guwahati in next 4-5 days. We have already installed plasma separator in Gauhati Medical College. I think by next week we will be able to start Plasma treatment,” Sarma said. He said that he had talked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on this matter on Tuesday. “As per Central government’s assessment, the COVID-19 situation in Guwahati is…

01 Jul

TikTok CEO’s Message To India Employees After Government Blocks App

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Delhi: The CEO of TikTok has written a letter to employees in India of the Chinese video-sharing app that was among 59 apps banned by the Indian government, amid a huge economic backlash against China following the June 15 clashes in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley in which 20 soldiers laid down their lives for India. "At TikTok, our efforts are guided by our commitment to democratizing the internet. To a large extent, we believe we have been successful in this effort… However, we stay resolved and committed to our mission, and are working with stakeholders to address their concerns. TikTok continues…