HC Barry O'Farrell: Lithium can Powering a new Australia-India Partnership
Australia and India both gain from the promise of expanding trade in lithium resources, said the Australian High Commissioner, Barry O’Farrell on Thursday. While speaking at a session of the Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce on ‘Lithium: Powering a New Australia-India Partnership’, he said both the countries stand to gain from the promise of expanding trade in lithium resources. “Lithium, and Li-ion and other technologies, will play a key role. Indeed, India’s ambitious renewable energy targets have led to an expansion of its clean energy commitments,” he said.
Lithium, incl. other critical minerals, will play a key role in helping meet 🇮🇳’s EV and energy ambitions. This offers significant commercial potential for 🇦🇺 and 🇮🇳 firms. Was pleased to speak on this and WA’s great relationship with 🇮🇳 at the @IndoAustChamber Virtual Summit. pic.twitter.com/ELIVZdfewR
O’Farrell added, “Lithium metal-based battery technologies will form the key component of the push for the rollout of EV and hybrid vehicle–and Australia and India both stand to gain from the promise of expanding trade in lithium resources. “As many of you are already aware, Australia is a reliable and cost-competitive supplier of resource and energy commodities. Australia is the world’s largest producer of lithium–and has the second-largest lithium reserves in the world. And, as a market leader in Mining Equipment, Technology, and Services (METS), our firms can contribute to the development of India’s own lithium resources,” he said. The Australian High Commissioner mentioned that India’s ambitious renewable energy targets have led to an expansion of its clean energy commitments, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambition to achieving 450-gigawatt renewable energy generation capacity by 2030, at the 4th India Energy Forum on 26 October last year.
“Australia’s resource endowment, and our mining capabilities and expertise, well place us to support Prime Minister Modi’s ambitions around the development of India’s new economy sectors,” he opined. He also said that there couldn’t be better timing for lithium-related trade and investment, in view of the need for both nations to diversify and strengthen the supply chain, and in recognition of India’s drive toward self-sufficiency and the remarkable growth of its new economy sectors.
In a bid to conduct the smooth implementation of a second dry run on the COVID-19 vaccination on Friday, Indian Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has directed all States/Union Territories to be vigilant against rumours and disinformation campaigns regarding the safety and efficacy of the approved COVID-19 vaccines. Vardhan chaired a high-level meeting with the entire health ministers of the states including UTs via video conferencing to review the preparedness for the nationwide mock drill on the COVID vaccination scheduled for Friday. The second nationwide mock drill on the COVID-19 vaccination will be held at three-session sites of 736 districts across 33 States/UTs. According to the Indian health ministry, the objective of the mock drill on COVID-19 vaccination is to simulate the actual vaccine administration event.
Watch Now! Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan holds a VC with Health Ministers of all States & UTs to review preparedness for nationwide dry run of administering #COVID19Vaccine to be conducted on Jan 8. @PMOIndia@MoHFW_INDIAhttps://t.co/5FBegk5Yns
There have been some rubbish and rumours being propagated on social media which are raising doubts in the mind of the public regarding the covid vaccine side-effects, Vardhan said. “These miscreants might derail the whole exercise, set the clock back by years.” Last week, the Drugs Controller General of India announced “restricted emergency use” for Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ and Serum Institute of India’s ‘Covishield’, which has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The Minister urged the State health authorities to work with the multiple stakeholders and the youth to spread the right information and dispel rumours and mistruths being spread about the COVID-19. “The dry run will also familiarise the state, district, block, and hospital-level officers on all aspects of COVID-19 roll out. This activity will help administrators in strengthening the linkages between planning, implementation and reporting mechanisms, identification of any residual challenges prior to the actual implementation and to provide confidence to the programme managers at all levels to carry out a smooth implementation of the vaccination drive,” said the health ministry in a statement.
Putting all hands on deck!
Held a resourceful VC with Health Ministers of States & UTs to review preparedness for the nationwide dry run of administering #COVID19vaccine to be conducted tomorrow.
Vardhan directed his state counterparts to ensure that the National Immunisation Day (NID) scheduled on Jan 17 should also be given due importance and non-COVID essential services are not adversely impacted. The Health Minister informed about the Co-WIN platform that will provide real-time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature, and individualised tracking of beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccine. “This platform will assist the program managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification, and for generating a digital certificate upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule. More than 78 lakh beneficiaries have been already registered on the platform,” he said. Meanwhile, the health minister reassured all his State counterparts that the country’s cold chain infrastructure has been sufficiently upgraded to ensure last-mile delivery and that adequate supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been provided. The earlier national mock drill on January 2 helped to iron out any glitches in the final execution and further refinement of the operational procedures. The feedback from most of the States/UTs was satisfactory conduct of the dry run.
Bollywood star and global icon Priyanka Chopra Jones was allegedly caught flouting COVID-19 lockdown rules in London. Miss Chopra is in the UK for the shooting of her upcoming film “Text For You.” Priyanka was snapped while visiting a salon owned by celebrity stylist Josh wood alongside her mother Dr. Madhu Chopra, and pet dog Dianna.
Priyanka Chopra insists she WAS following the rules after going for hair cut at Notting Hill salon for film shoot
Police arrived and pressed on the buzzer while Priyanka was inside peering through the letterbox
As per media reports, local citizens who are under strict lockdown for few months informed police, who were quick to react and attend the salon. Owner Josh Wood was given a ‘verbal warning’ however was left without a fine for this breach of COVID-19 protocol.
So Priyanka chopra is being clowned for taking an appointment at a hair salon that was "taking appointments" while a bunch of paparazzi click picture of her breaking law by stepping outside? #priyankachopra#london
As per Priyanka Chopra’s version, she needed her hair to be coloured for her next film, and salon was opened privately for the production with everyone present being tesed for coronavirus. The visit had been done following the DCMS guidelines for film production regulations.
London has allowed some activities including Film and Tv production in line with COVID-19 guidelines.
Australia, Jan 07 : Australia's Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne during a 3rd test cricket match between India and Australia, in Sydney on Thursday. (Photo Courtesy: ICC Twitter
Riding his luck, debutant Will Pucovski combined with Marnus Labuschagne to put Australia on top on the first day of the Pink Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
In the second session, 23.5 overs were bowled and Australia’s score reads 93/1. Pucovski and Labuschagne were unbeaten on 54 and 34 respectively when the umpires called for the tea break. While Pucovski did bring up a fifty on debut, he did get a few chances to help prolong his stay in the middle.
In the 21st over of the innings, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant dropped a regulation chance off the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin and India lost an opportunity to put the hosts in a spot of bother. The misery for Pant did not end there, as he dropped another catch off the bowling of Mohammad Siraj, and as a result, Pucovski got his second reprieve of the day. The opener kept riding his luck and after a couple of catching chances, he looked ready to get run out after a miscommunication with Labuschagne. But a poor throw from Jasprit Bumrah saved him again.
The second session also saw Indian pacers bowling on the shorter side, and as a result, Pucovski and Labuschagne had no problems in either leaving the ball or getting behind the line to defend it. Earlier, rain had forced an early lunch and David Warner’s wicket was the only gain for India after Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat at the historic SCG. Brief Scores: Australia 93/1 (Will Pucovski 54*, Marnus Labuschagne 34*, Mohammad Siraj 1-33)
New season of Manoj Bajpayee's 'The Family Man' to release on Feb 12
After announcing the second season of his much-loved Amazon Prime Video-based show ‘The Family Man’ as a New Year gift to fans, actor Manoj Bajpayee on Thursday announced that the fresh season of the show will premiere on February 12. The Padma Shri award-winning actor who is seen playing the role of a middle-class man serving as a world-class spy in the show made the announcement by sharing a teaser of the new season on Twitter.
The teaser sees Bajpayee seated on a chair as a board behind his back holds several photographs and the face of an individual which is formed by connecting several bits and pieces together of several other pictures. ‘The Family Man’ is an edgy, action-drama series, which tells the story of a middle-class man, Srikant Tiwari, who works for a special cell of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The series plots Srikant’s tight-rope walk as he struggles to strike a balance between his secretive low paying, high-pressure, high-stakes job and being a husband and father or a ‘family man.’
The new season of the show will see Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) and Sharib Hashmi (JK Talpade) taking on a bigger and deadlier mission. The series has been created and directed by Raj and DK and will see Bajpayee and Talpade reprising their roles along with Priya Mani and Sharad Kelkar. The series also marks the digital debut of southern superstar Samantha Akkineni in a never-seen-before avatar.
In 2018, of the 699 governing council roles across Australia’s 41 universities, 94% of the incumbents had Caucasian and British backgrounds. The top tiers of senior executives were 94% Caucasian and British in the background, as were 96% of vice-chancellors.
What are the risks of homogenous leadership?
When top leadership are strikingly WEIRD, the culture of their institutions is too. This reproduces curriculum, library systems, research and thought paradigms that are also WEIRD. This kind of sameness across universities has consequences.
Australian higher education has not been immune to tunnel vision. We see it in the discourse of “internationalisation” policy in Australian universities. There has been a lack of global vision in the construction of many university strategies.
The structural issues in Australia and Australian universities are entrenched, yet have been denied for decades, if not centuries. If we want Australian higher education to meet our aspirations and to prepare future generations, we need to confront this elephant in the room.
A deterioration of public trust in universities and expertise has forced many universities in the Western world to the brink of existential crises. WEIRD leaders are struggling to redefine what the purpose of the university should be.
Diverse leadership has many benefits
Diversity delivers a wide range of social, economic and policy benefits. Higher education needs diversity to continue to thrive, to open mindsets, to gain new viewpoints, to broaden paradigms and to widen ranges of solutions.
Research shows diverse groups outperform homogeneous groups in productivity and innovation over the long term. Universities need to play a long game too.
The pandemic is forcing Australian universities to transform. But if this transformation is to be successful, the voices of young people, women, Indigenous people, diasporas, and people of diverse abilities need to be heard across all levels. The sector needs to enable talents with all perspectives to co-create new insights and ideas to move forward.
Practical steps to diversify leadership
Beyond setting goals and informed targets, we can achieve a more diverse leadership with a few practical measures.
We can establish mentoring strategies and policies. These help ensure a more diverse range of people are in the leadership pipeline and have exposure to executive meetings.
We can create open and safe forums that promote dialogue about leadership issues. Universities need to have honest conversations about the complexities, challenges and barriers to achieving greater diversity in leadership. This includes being able to examine contested ideas such as decolonisation, quotas, and meritocracy within the university system.
We can engage young people and diverse groups using non-English media platforms to communicate key ideas to a wider and more diverse audience. This could shift attitudes toward the Anglophone-dominated status quo and create space for greater inclusion, both physically and intellectually.
The key to success will be empowering the “other” to advise leaders, become leaders and participate in problem-solving and decision-making.
We need to democratise workplaces through participation, to shift workplace relations and power dynamics. A mobilised and diverse university community could come up with more holistic, innovative and transformative solutions.
Diversity is integral to sustainability
More than ever, Australia’s higher education sector needs an intersectional lens, where leaders see the world through multiple perspectives and through the experiences of students and staff from different backgrounds.
Diversity in senior leadership is essential to give meaning to the assertion “we are all in it together” and to sustainable development. Acknowledging the interconnected nature of our society, universities need to reflect the ecology of knowledge that is integral to driving sustainable socio-cultural, environmental, economic and technological development.
Diverse leadership should be the norm as we imagine the “new normal”.
Condemning the violent situation that unfolded at the US Capitol in Washington, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning said the democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests and called for an orderly and peaceful transfer of power.
Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington DC. Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests.
“Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington DC. An orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests,” he tweeted.
A chaotic scene unfolded at the Capitol as supporters of President Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police.
Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison issued a statement on social media condemning the violence and called for a peaceful transfer of Government to the newly elected administration in the great American democratic tradition.
Very distressing scenes at the US Congress. We condemn these acts of violence and look forward to a peaceful transfer of Government to the newly elected administration in the great American democratic tradition.
US President Donald Trump’s supporters, who marched at the Capitol, reiterated his claims that the recently-concluded presidential election was ‘stolen’, and demanded their ‘voices be heard’. Several police officers sustained injuries, while one woman was confirmed dead after being shot in the chest.
The protesters managed to overpower the law enforcement officers and swarmed the House and Senate chambers, leading to the evacuation of several Congressional buildings. Several lawmakers slammed Trump for inciting violence, with some calling for his immediate impeachment and remo
Rain forced an early lunch on the first day of the third Test between India and Australia on Thursday here at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Mohammad Siraj sent the comeback man David Warner (5) back to the pavilion in just the fourth over of the innings and the hosts once again got off to a bad start in the ongoing series against India. But after this dismissal, Will Pucovski (14*) and Marnus Labuschagne (2*) ensured that the side does not suffer from hiccups in the first session.
The first session saw just 7.1 over being bowled and the persistent drizzle brought about an early call for lunch. Tim Paine-led Australia won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the third Test of the four-match series on Thursday here at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Rohit Sharma is finally back for the Indian side and he replaces Mayank Agarwal in the opening slot. Umesh Yadav, who was ruled out of the Test series after getting injured in the Boxing Day Test, has been replaced by Navdeep Saini in the playing XI. This will be the debut Test for Navdeep Saini. The pacer was handed the Blue cap from Jasprit Bumrah and as a result, Saini has become the 299th Test cricketer for India.
India got off to a perfect start as Mohammad Siraj dismissed David Warner (5) in the fourth over of the innings. Warner went for a drive, but he only managed to get an outside edge and a simple catch was given to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip. This is the first time in four years that Warner has been dismissed for less than 10 runs in a home Test. With Australia’s score at 21/1 in the eighth over, rain played spoilsport and the play had to be halted and as a result, early lunch was called.
It continues to rain in Sydney!
Australia 21/1 after 7.1 overs after early Lunch was taken. #TeamIndia
For India, Navdeep Saini is playing his first Test while Pucovski is playing his first Test for Australia. India playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini. Australia playing XI: David Warner, Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (c), Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. Brief Scores: Australia 21/1 (Will Pucovski 14*, David Warner 5, Mohammad Siraj 1-14).
Whether it’s purchasing power parity or the Happiness Index, global comparisons require benchmarking. Sport does this well with World Cups and the Olympics, or better still the single ranking familiar to tennis and golf aficionados.
The problem with universities is there are around a dozen rankings. Each is a variable mix of research, reputation and teaching metrics, leading to quite different and confusing results.
University rankings certainly have their critics, who point to the potential to mislead students and distort research priorities. Our newly developed Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities (ARTU) overcomes the flaws of singling outperformance in any one ranking.
This aggregated ranking helps to broaden the range of assessment — from research citations (frequency referred to in the academic literature) and impact, through to reputation, and qualitative as well as quantitative measures. It also helps address the inherent imperfections of any one of the individual ranking systems, when seen on their own.
The ARTU orders universities by cumulative performance over the mainstream scoring systems. Condensing the three most influential — the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE) and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) — gives a single broad overview of a university’s position.
How does Australia fare?
Australia now has 13 universities in the global top 200. That’s an increase from just eight two years ago.
Australia ranks fourth in the world in 2020, after the US, UK and Germany. Indeed per head of population, Australia is well ahead of these nations, and second behind the Netherlands for nations of more than 10 million.
This is no new entrant fluke, as Australia has seven universities in the top 100. That’s 7% of the best universities for 0.3% of the world’s population (or 1.6% of global GDP). Two Australian institutions, Monash and UNSW, are among the five that jumped more than 20 places within the top 100 between 2012 and 2020.
Asia on the rise
Although rankings are compiled annually, performance is a lagging indicator assessed over severalyears. For instance, research citations can be judged between five to 11 years later.
On the one hand, this should help cushion our pandemic-affected universities from precipitous falls over the next few years. On the other, it conspires against rapid rises up the global ladder.
This makes the ascendancy of East Asian universities, and in particular those from China, all the more remarkable. The top two Chinese universities now come in at 18th and 27th internationally, ahead of Australia’s lead, the University of Melbourne at 29th. The next four Chinese universities have risen more than 100 spots since 2012 to crack the top 75. This is especially impressive given that research is largely judged on English-language outputs.
Australia has fared well in this battle of the old versus new order. Long-established universities benefit from major endowments, philanthropy and long-run reputation. Australia’s universities in the top 200 have an average age of 78, compared to over two centuries for overseas unis in top 200.
China has this disadvantage too. But China does have the benefit of a booming economy, which drives top-down investment in cutting-edge technologies and academic excellence through STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) research at scale.
A measure of the value of international students
It can be argued that Australian universities thrived on the back of 28 years of growth, a desirable location, political stability and relatively open borders to knowledge-based entrants. But the standout contribution has been from international students. In absolute terms universities in Australia have the second-highest number after the US.
Simply put, the margin between international and domestic student income covers the indirect costs of strategic investment in research, teaching, and other areas. Australian universities need to raise around an additional dollar in support and infrastructure spending for every dollar won in grant income. And all this while fulfilling the core mission of educating local students, with 43% of 25-to-34-year-olds now having a bachelor degree, up from 34% in 2010.
But coronavirus has laid bare the Achilles heel in this business model. Closed borders and geopolitical shifts have delivered a major blow to cross-subsidization, as well as to international collaboration so crucial for team-based research addressing the world’s grand challenges.
Vaccines now offer some light at the end of the tunnel, but it will be many years before the world resembles its former self, if ever. Trust in science and an R&D-led economy argue for a major role for universities in the recovery from COVID-19. But the only certainty is uncertainty.
So expect considerable volatility in higher education. How well our universities stack up will depend in part on how international competitors fare, and in particular their relative economies and resourcefulness. Australia looks well positioned here, but will need to weather the threats posed by contraction, domestic constraints and a challenging business model.
Rankings are not perfect. They do not assess all aspects of the mission of Australian universities and are rightly subject to criticism, often from institutions not doing so well. But rankings are the best surrogate measure of global standing that we have and they are here to stay, whether we like them or loathe them.
As the aggregate scoreboard for top universities around the globe, ARTU is well placed to track the shake-up from COVID-19 as it plays out in our universities over the next five to ten years.
In a big move, the microblogging site Twitter on Wednesday (local time) decided to lock US President Donald Trump’s account in wake of the violent situation at the US Capitol in Washington. Citing violation of its Civic Integrity Policy, Twitter said that it had required the removal of at least three of Trump’s tweets that were posted earlier regarding the situation in Washington, adding that his account will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these tweets.
As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM
And for the first time, the microblogging site Twitter on Wednesday (local time) officially removed several tweets from US President Donald Trump, where he spoke on the violent protests at the US Capitol. One of the deleted tweets was a video where Trump addressed his supporters, telling them to ‘go home’ while reiterating allegations of voter fraud, while another deleted tweet had him saying Vice President Mike Pence lacked the “courage” to do what was necessary. The removal comes after Facebook and YouTube removed Trump’s video to supporters, and amid calls by the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP for Trump’s social media accounts to be suspended outright, reported CNN. In a tweet, Facebook’s VP of integrity Guy Rosen called this ‘an emergency situation’, and said that the video contributes to the risk of ongoing violence.
We've assessed two policy violations against President Trump's Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time.
“This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence,” tweeted Rosen. In the one-minute video on Twitter, Trump said: “I know you are pained, I know you are hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. That was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We’ve to have law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.” “This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play in the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace,” he added.
I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!
The tweet was immediately flagged by the microblogging site as the claim of election fraud was disputed. Twitter also restricted the post from being liked, retweeted or replied to, due to a risk of stoking violence. Trump later tweeted: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”. This tweet was also deleted.
A chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police-reported The Hill. Rioters overpowered police and broke into the Capitol to protest as a joint session of Congress convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. The incident led to several condemnations of Trump for inciting the riots, with some calling for his immediate impeachment and removal.
Despite the extremely chaotic situation at the US Capitol on Wednesday following violent protests by supporters of President Donald Trump, lawmakers in both parties and chambers said that Congress will continue the work of certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory in the evening. “I have faced violent hatred before. I was not deterred then, and I will not be deterred now. Tonight, Congress will continue the business of certifying the electoral college votes,” House Majority Whip James Clyburn said in a tweet. In the upper chamber, Senator Kevin Cramer said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is also telling senators to expect the process to continue Wednesday night, reported The Hill.
States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!
“We’re going to finish tonight. Everyone is committed to staying whatever it takes to get our job done,” said Senator Joe Manchin. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed the decision, describing what happened at the Capitol as “a shameful assault” on democracy. “Today’s shameful assault on our democracy — anointed at the highest level of government — must not deter us from our responsibility to the Constitution. Tonight, we will move forward with the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election,” she tweeted.
We’re 30 mins past curfew and police are working to move back protesters even further from the US Capitol. Some protesters put up the barricades, which were there originally to keep them out, to block the police. pic.twitter.com/9F08vYilZS
A chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police reported The Hill. Rioters overpowered police and broke into the Capitol to protest as a joint session of Congress convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. The incident led to several condemnations of Trump for inciting the riots, with some calling for his immediate impeachment and removal.
CNN reported that the Sergeant-at-Arms later announced that the US Capitol building was secure, as the National Guard was called in to disperse the rioters. The development comes as scores of Republicans had pledged to challenge the Electoral College’s vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday.
Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif on Wednesday shared a power-packed video of her leg workout session, inspiring her fans to workout in order to stay fit. The ‘Namaste London’ star hopped on to Instagram and shared a video in which the actor is seen concentrating on her workout session in the gym.
Holding dumbbells in hands, the ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ star was seen dressed in a black T-shirt and matching shorts, which she paired with pink sports shoes. Of late, the ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ star has been quite active on social media and keeps on updating her fans on her activities by posting pictures and videos. Earlier, Kaif treated her fans with some refreshing pictures of herself as she spent the first day of the year with her sister Isabelle Kaif.
COVID-19 vaccines of Serum Institue of India and Bharat Biotech have been granted permission for restricted use in emergency situation, said Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday.
“After adequate examination, CDSCO has decided to accept the recommendations of the Expert Committee and accordingly, vaccines of M/s Serum and M/s Bharat Biotech are being approved for restricted use in emergency situation and permission is being granted to M/s Cadila Healthcare for the conduct of the Phase III clinical trial,” said VG Somani, DCGI, during a media briefing today.
“We’ll never approve anything if there is slightest of safety concern. The vaccines are 100 per cent safe. Some side effects like mild fever, pain, and allergy are common for every vaccine. It (people may get impotent) is absolute rubbish,” he added. The SEC of Standard Drug Organisation met on 1st and 2nd Jan and made recommendations in respect of proposal of restricted emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccine of SII, according to DCGI.
COVID-19 vaccine administration dry run is being conducted, at a health care centre in Chennai on Saturday.
SII Pune has submitted safety immunogenicity and efficacy data generated on 23,745 participants aged more than or equal to 18 years or older from overseas clinical studies, he added. The overall vaccine efficacy was found to be 70.42 per cent. Further SII was granted permission to conduct phase 2/phase 3 clinical trial on 1,600 participants within the country, according to DCGI. “The firm also submitted the interim safety and immunogenicity data generated from this trial and the data was found comparable from the data from overseas clinical studies,” said Somani.
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan visiting the GTB Hospital, Shahdara for reviewing the preparedness of Dry Run of Administering the COVID-19 vaccine, in New Delhi on Saturday.
“After detailed deliberations, SEC has recommended for grant of permission for restricted use in an emergency situation subject to certain regulatory conditions. The clinical trial ongoing the country by the firm will continue,” he added. Bharat Biotech has developed a vaccine named covaxin in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, from where they received the virus seed strains. This vaccine is developed on the Vero cell platform, which has a well-established track record of safety and efficacy in the country and globally.
Indin Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the country as Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use approval to Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech for their COVID-19 vaccines.
A decisive turning point to strengthen a spirited fight!
DCGI granting approval to vaccines of @SerumInstIndia and @BharatBiotech accelerates the road to a healthier and COVID-free nation.
Congratulations India.
Congratulations to our hardworking scientists and innovators.
The firm has generated safety and immunogenicity data in various animal species such as mice, rats, rabbits, Syrian hamster, and also conducted challenge studies on non-human primates (Rhesus macaques) and hamsters. All these data have been shared by the firm with CDSCO. Phase I and Phase II clinical trials were conducted in approx.800 subjects and the results have demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and provides a robust immune response. The Phase III efficacy trial was initiated in India in 25,800 volunteers and to date, 22,500 participants have been vaccinated across the country and the vaccine has been found to be safe as per the data available to date. The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has reviewed the data on safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine and recommended for grant of permission for restricted use in an emergency situation in the public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, to have more options for vaccinations, especially in case of infection by mutant strains. The clinical trial ongoing within the country by the firm will continue, according to DCGI. Accordingly, the firm has sought permission to conduct a Phase-III clinical trial in 26,000 Indian participants, which has been recommended by the Subject Expert Committee. M/s Serum and M/s Bharat Biotech vaccines have to be administered in two doses. All the three vaccines have to be stored at 2-8° C, said DCGI.
Shrutika Mane, 20 years student of Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences (Advanced) at the University of Adelaide has been announced as the Raj SuriMiss India Australia 2020 winner.
Born in the UK and brought up in India and Australia, Shrutika has a unique understanding of people and cultures from across the globe. In addition to English, Shrutika can speak Hindi and Marathi. A National Award-winning debater, aspiring actor and dancer, and selected TEDx speaker all by the age of 20.
Due to Covid 19, the 2020 Miss India Australia winner and the 7 finalists were selected via online auditions and interview process on the basis of their overall personality and talent performances with real casting experience and group training and mentoring session by Australian Indian talent mentor Raj Suri.
Miss India Australia 2020 will officially represent Australia in the 29th Miss India Australia Worldwide 2021 week at The Lalit Hotel, Mumbai, India in October 2021 (subject to covid restrictions at the time). The grand finale is on Sunday, 3 October 2021 in the same hotel in Mumbai.
Indian entertainment industry professionals are expected to attend including many Bollywood celebrities.
Also representing at the same time will be the 4th Mrs India Worldwide 2020.
The Mrs India Worldwide Australia 2020 was taken out by Mrs Anumeha Tomar, 29 years old post graduate in management and a working professional and content creator from Melbourne.
The 7 Miss India Australia 2020 Finalists, represented from around Australia are: RABIA Gill (NSW), RADHE Bavada – (NSW) AMANDA Shalau (NSW), NANSITA Charan (NSW), SHRUTIKA Mane (SA ), RADHIKA Botre (NSW), KIRTHI Dodla (VIC)
The Miss India Australia 2020 finalists showcased their talent ranging from dancing and public speaking.
The Miss India Australia 2020 titles announced are:
SHRUTIKA MANE – Miss India Australia 2020
RADHE BAVADA – Miss India Australia 2020 Photogenic and Best Talent
RABIA GILL – Miss India Australia 2020 Professional
AMANDA SHALAU – Miss India Australia 2020 – Social Impact
RADHIKA BOTRE – Miss India Australia 2020 Popular Choice
NANSITA CHARAN – Miss India Australia 2020 – Best Student
KIRTHI DODLA – Miss India Australia 2020 International Student (impact)
The Miss India Australia 2020 Winner will be trained, mentored by Sydney based image and personal development mentor Raj Suri and will be exclusively represented via Raj Suri associate talent office globally with the media firm, Karigar Australia.
Founded in 2001 by photographer/media/film producer Raj Suri, the Original Miss India Australia is the first ever-national talent search in Australia for women of Indian origin, affiliated to the Miss India Worldwide which will be celebrating its 29th year in 2021 represented by over 20 countries. “Miss India Australia embraces the best of Australian and Indian culture presenting a unique opportunity for Australian women to engage with and celebrate rich heritage with contemporary Australian identity. Miss India Australia does not follow a minimum height or weight criteria in women. It truly celebrates the “real woman” – the Indian Australian diversity.
The Miss India Australia by Raj Suri is now evolved into the platform of choice for the young culturally aware Australian women especially to make inroads into the Indian Films (Bollywood), Fashion industries and most importantly to cultivate role models to inspire diverse young women of Indian original in Australia and across the globe.
Over the years below are some of the known Miss India Australia WINNERS and Finalists in the Indian Australian Film and TV and Modelling Industries:
There are many other former Miss India Australia finalists and or subtitle winners who are pursuing successful careers in varied fields and professions and continue to inspire Indian Australian women from all walks of life.
Australia, Dec 28 (ANI): India's Umesh Yadav leaves the field injured during day three of the Second Test match between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on Monday. (Photo Courtesy: BCCI Twitter/ ANI Photo)
India fast bowler T Natarajan has been added to the Test squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia. The left-arm pacer has replaced Umesh Yadav, who sustained a strain in his left calf muscle on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named T Natarajan as Yadav’s replacement. Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Shardul Thakur was added to the Test squad as Mohd. Shami’s replacement after the senior fast bowler suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm. Both Shami and Umesh Yadav will head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further rehabilitation of their injuries,” the BCCI said in an official statement.
NEWS: T Natarajan to replace Umesh Yadav in India’s Test squad. #TeamIndia#AUSvIND
Earlier Indian media reported that Natarajan was the likely replacement for Umesh. “With limited options available, the team management can ask for Natarajan to be added to the squad,” the sources in the know of developments in the Indian camp had said.
Umesh left for India on Wednesday night and will now look to get fit in time for the home series against England.
Congratulations to @y_umesh on the birth of a baby girl today.
Team India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan.
Cricket Australia on Wednesday informed that the hosts will train in Melbourne on January 2 and 3 before moving to Sydney on January 4. India will also arrive in Sydney on the same day. The third Test between both teams will begin on January 7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground
