Aamir Khan on the importance of education in changing the future of India

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Aamir Khan has always been known for acting and producing films that have a strong social message. The actor talks about the importance of education in this speech of his, which was given at the Global Education and Leadership Foundation.

“I think what Gandhiji said is so true that be the change you want to see and I think that each one of us can at least change yourself and that itself is such a big force in changing the world,” says the actor.

“I think bulk of India’s population is youth today, and the youth in India is full of energy, full of love and full of positivity.”

“I think there is huge potential for all of us to be in this together to bring about this change. I pledge my commitment to this movement and I’ll be a part of it until we actually do achieve all the goals that we are set out to.”

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‘The best’: Gigi Hadid shares another nap-time selfie with daughter Khai  

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Gigi Hadid is loving this phase of being a mother to her daughter Khai. The supermodel has again shared a sweet selfie of herself and her daughter in one of her Instagram stories. In it, she can be seen holding the little one’s head as she naps. The text on the photo reads: “the best”, along with a heart emoji.

The 25-year-old welcomed Khai with her boyfriend, singer Zayn Malik in September 2020. Now six months old, we can see Khai’s head full of golden-brown hair, something that she may have taken after her mother, who herself was seen rocking her newly-dyed red hair.

Gigi Hadid, daughter Khai, nap time selfie, indian express news Photo: Instagram/@gigihadid

As always, Hadid refrained from showing her daughter’s face. In the past, when she and Malik have shared pictures, they have shown something obscure — like a hand, her head, fingers — but never the face. The couple may not feel comfortable showing her face to the world just yet, but fans are more than happy to be greeted with little glimpses of Khai, whose name has an Arabic origin, and translates to ‘the chosen one’, ‘royalty’ or ‘nobility’.

Recently, the model had also shared several instances from her daily life with the newborn, showing pictures of her playroom, how she chose her daughter’s nursery wall colour, among other such unseen things.

Last month, in an interview with Vogue, Hadid had talked about many things including her 14-hour long labor, and how she had Malik, her mother Yolanda, sister Bella, and a local midwife and her assistant by her side. Calling herself an “animal woman”, Hadid had said she “probably looked crazy” while giving birth.

“I know my mom and Zayn and Bella were proud of me, but at certain points I saw each of them in terror,” she was quoted as saying. “Afterward, Z and I looked at each other and were like, ‘We can have some time before we do that again’.”

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Priest found dead in temple in Agra

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Blood-soaked body of a priest was found in a temple in a forest in Agra, police said on Wednesday. An axe, which was allegedly used to kill the priest, was also found lying near the body in Pathwari temple on Mau road in Khandari area here, they said.

The deceased has been identified as Shivgiri, a native of Fatehpur Sikri’s Kheda Bhopur village, the police said.

Superintendent of Police (Agra City) Botre Rohan Pramod said the body was found by a local resident, Hoshiyar Singh, when he reached the temple to offer prayers. He informed the villagers and the police.

The axe that was allegedly used to kill the priest was found lying nearby. It had blood on it, the officer said.

The police suspect the priest was killed by someone under the influence of alcohol as they recovered a liquor bottle from the temple premises.

As the news about the priest’s murder spread, angry villagers gathered at the spot in large numbers. They said Shivgiri had been working as the temple priest for the last 30 years.

The villagers also alleged that the police never patrolled the forest area due to which it was frequented by drunkards and gamblers, and it’s possible that one of them may have killed the priest.

Investigation in the matter is underway, the police said.

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FIRs against ‘unknown people’ for raising permanent structures at farmers’ protest site

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Four days after farmers who have been protesting at the Tikri border for the last three months started raising brick and cement structures in the area, two FIRs have been registered against “unknown” people in Jhajjar for raising “permanent structures” and “illegal boring”.

The FIRs have been lodged at the Sadar Bahadurgarh police station and the City Bahadurgarh police station. The FIR at the former has been registered under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, and Section 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the basis of a complaint submitted by Siddharth Singh, Estate Officer of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), Bahadurgarh.

In his complaint to police, Singh has stated, “It has come to the notice of this office that some unknown persons are raising permanent structures on the HSVP Dividing Road of Sector 10-12, Bahadurgarh opposite Maruti Training School and RTA Office. It is also intimated that illegal boring has also been done by some unknown persons along the road…thereby causing damage to the Government Property. Therefore, it is requested to stop the illegal construction and are requested to lodge the FIR against these unknown persons.”

Confirming an FIR had been registered, Inspector Sunil Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of the Sadar Bahadurgarh police station said, “An FIR has been lodged regarding the matter at our police station, and a similar one has been registered at the City Bahadurgarh police station as well. We are conducting investigations into the case under our jurisdiction, no arrests have been made yet.”

The FIR at the City Bahadurgarh police station, meanwhile, has been registered under Section 8B of the National Highway Act, and Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC on the basis of a complaint submitted by Manish Kumar, HR Manager at the Rohad toll plaza.

In his complaint, he has similarly alleged that some “unknown people are putting a bore well” near “chainage number 33650” on “National Highway 9 (Delhi-Rohtak) Bahadurgarh bypass”, “which is illegal”. He has sought that the the “encroachment” be removed.

It was on Saturday that farmers had started erecting pucca structures at both Tikri and Singhu borders. Although two FIRs had been registered regarding the structures at Singhu border in Sonipat on Saturday itself, the FIRs in Jhajjar were registered only on Tuesday.

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LPG price hike figures in Rajya Sabha

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The steep hike in domestic cooking gas price figured in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with a CPI(M) MP saying it has put an intolerable burden on the common people already suffering from general price rise.

Raising the issue through a zero-hour mention, Jharna Das Baidya said subsidised and non-subsidised LPG prices were raised by a steep Rs 125 per cylinder in four installments since February.

This together with a cut in fuel subsidy has put an “intolerable burden on people already suffering from price rise,” she said.

Calling the price hike “unjustified”, she said free cooking gas connections given to eight crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana have been rendered meaningless because of the hike in cost.

Vivek Tankha of the Congress sought the government’s intervention to bring down the high cost of a drug used to treat infants suffering from a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

An estimated 2,500 children in India suffer from some degree of SMA disease, which can be treated by a drug manufactured in the US, he said, adding the final cost of the drug comes to Rs 23 crore after adding Rs 7 crore of import duty.

While the prime minister had waived the import tax for treatment of one child recently, the government should completely withdraw the duty and bargain and get a better price from the manufacturer, he said.

Also, states and the Centre should have revolving funds to help children suffering from SMA, he said, adding CSR funds of corporates should also be used for the purpose.

AD Singh of the RJD raised the issue of the Bihar government allocating 290 acres of “highly fertile” land for handling waste from coal from state-owned NTPC’s Baurani plant in the state.

He said infertile land is available adjacent to the plant but the state government has opted to give highly fertile land 5 km away from the plant.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for fertile land not being used for industrial projects, he demanded that the matter be taken up with the state government.

While Muzibulla Khan of the BJD demanded Bharat Ratna for Biju Patnaik, Vishambhar Prasad Nishad of the Samajwadi Party (SP) wanted the nation’s top civilian honours to be conferred on Ram Manohar Lohia.

Amee Yajnik of the Congress raised the issue of public safety of women and girls in rural areas, Sukhram Singh Yadav (SP) wanted setting up of a separate fund to meet the development needs of the villages MPs adopt under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, Mahesh Poddar (BJP) raised the issue of permanent houses for construction workers and Fauzia Khan (NCP) sought developing Sai Baba’s birthplace of Pathri in Parbhani district of Maharashtra as a tourist destination.

KTS Tulsi (Congress) expressed concern over controversial statements made by people holding high offices.

“Reprehensive crime of rape is justified” by statements such as “boys will be boys”, he said.

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UP: Tigress carcass found, search launched after ‘cubs spotted’, says forest officer

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A day after the carcass of a five-year-old tigress was found in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, a search was launched on Tuesday to trace four of its cubs that “were possibly spotted by a forest official”.

District Forest Officer (Pilibhit Tiger Reserve) Naveen Khandelwal said the search was initiated after an official suspected that he might have spotted the cubs.

“One of our staff members said he saw some tiger cubs from a distance. But there is a possibility that they were cats. So, as a precautionary measure, we have launched an intensive search for the cubs. Till now, we have not found any traces, but the search will continue for another day or two,” said Khandelwal.

“We found the tigress dead on Monday. A post-mortem examination has been conducted. Till now, the findings reveal no unnatural injuries, ruling out the possibility of poaching. We suspect that the tigress died during a fight with another tiger, or due to some disease,” said Khandelwal. DM Pilibhit, Pulkit Khare, said the post-mortem examination of the tigress was done at Indian Veterinary Research Institute.

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‘Farmers’ agitation is very strong, has a deeper connect with rural people,’ says Jayant Chaudhary

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For former MP and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) vice-president Jayant Chaudhary tells The Indian Express that the ongoing farmers’ protest at Delhi borders against the three farm laws has come as a godsend opportunity for the revival of his party, which was numerically been reduced to zero in the UP Assembly and Lok Sabha in the aftermath of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

Since February 5, the 42 -year-old graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science has addressed over 25 kisan mahapanchayats not only in west UP villages, but also in towns in the eastern parts of the state. Here are the excerpts of the interview:

The farmers are on the streets for over the last three months and the government is yet to resolve the issue. How do you see the present impasse as compared to other agitations, including students’ unrest in JNU and anti-CAA protest?

I think that the agrarian crisis is logically a very big issue (as compared to the other issues faced by the government so far). It must be discussed, debated and should become the prime focus of the government and also for the Opposition parties. Apart from the general agrarian distress, which had been a feature of the Indian polity of the last few decades, the present government’s obstinacy in introducing the so-called agricultural reform laws has further added fuel to the fire. This agitation is very strong and has a deeper connect with the people in the hinterland.

We have to understand that unlike any other political constituency such as the students or unemployed people or other sections of the society, the farmers have very deep roots in the society and they are a very influential vote bank also.

For the RLD, the farmers’ movement on Dehli borders has come as a political panacea for the party, which was reduced to a non-entity in the Parliament and also in the UP Assembly where its lone MLA had deserted it in 2017. Do you think that your efforts will reap dividends?

I completely agree as I can see jubilation among our cadres (after the farmers’ movement started) and the protest having an impact. Our workers are sensing that the political ground is shifting. In the last few elections, the voters had other issues in mind as they had thought that whichever government comes to power, governance for them will be equal with respect to farmers and agrarian policies. No one had estimated that such a massive earthquake will come in this form, in which the government has proceeded in changing the farm laws.

The UP Assembly elections are still far, as they are scheduled next year. Will the farmers’ movement bring about the desired political result for the non-BJP parties by 2022?

Now, everyone has been forced to rethink as a result of which a shift in the voters’ mind has also happened. The farmers’ issue is being debated in the mainstream and media, and has become the main thrust of the politics. In that sense, I think that RLD is definitely going to gain from this shift in voters’ mind.

Do you agree that the Muzaffarnagar riots have dealt a major political blow to your support base in western UP? But with things changing, will RLD gain from the farmers’ movement?

Humare bas me woh Hindu-Muslim aur woh jhagde nahi hai (The RLD cannot be a part of the differences between Hindus and Muslims). That is not the pitch on which we can bat. But now things are changing. The RLD or earlier the Lok Dal (formed by the late prime minister and his grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh) had a very wide support base, which went way beyond caste, communalism and regions. Now, regaining that support base cannot happen overnight… Farmers from all over the country are now putting up Chaudhary saheb’s (Charan Singh) stickers, posters and images of the farmers’ movement have revived. I am happy that at least the today’s youth in our country, whether they are with the RLD or not, are remembering Chaudhary Charan Singh and are identifying with him.

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Harry had arranged for flowers to be laid on Princess Diana’s grave for Mother’s Day

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Even though the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, does not live in the UK anymore, and has even snapped association with the royal firm, he still fondly thinks of his mother and remembers her in his own sweet manner.

On the occasion of Mother’s Day in the UK on March 14, he had arranged for flowers to be laid on the grave of the late Princess of Wales, as a tribute. According to a report in The Independent, a spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed this.

Princess Diana — who had died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, at the age of 36 only — was laid to rest in Northampton, in the grounds of her family’s home, Althorp House, the outlet mentions. The grave is located “on a tiny island in the middle of a lake”, and is visited by thousands of her fans every year, as well as her sons William and Harry.

Harry’s tribute to his mother comes almost a week after his and Meghan Markle’s explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey, in which they had detailed their harrowing experience during their time as senior royals in the UK, and their decision to leave the same.

Among other things, Harry had talked about his fears — of how his family was being treated by the tabloids — that of “history repeating itself”, alluding to what had happened to his mother post her divorce, when she was no longer ‘royal’ and did not enjoy the same security.

“You know, for me, I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side because I can’t begin to imagine what it must’ve been like for [my mother] going through this process by herself all those years ago,” he had said in the interview, adding that he thought his mother would have been “very sad” and “very angry” at the circumstances created for him and his wife, Meghan.

It was earlier reported that Prince William’s three children — George, Charlotte and Louis — too, had made sweet cards for their ‘Granny Diana’ on the occasion of Mother’s Day, remembering the iconic global personality for their father, the Duke of Cambridge, even though the kids have never met her.

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Deepika Padukone evokes old world charm in this one-shoulder dress

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Recently, Alia Bhatt rang in her 28th birthday with a bash that was attended by several Bollywood celebrities. Among them, was Deepika Padukone who was seen in an off-white outfit from the label Proenza Schouler. The one-shoulder fitted dress complemented her svelte frame rather well.

Styled by her regular stylist Shaleena Nathani, the look was completed with filled-in eyebrows, smokey eyes and her short hairdo parted at the center.

Check out the pictures here.

Prior to this, the Padmaavat actor was spotted in a mustard top from the label ALC which was paired with flared jeans. She kept the look neat and completed it with hair tied in a bun and accessorised with a black sling bag from Louis Vuitton.

The actor’s fixation with white is well-known, and over the years she has expressed her love for the colour on multiple occasion. Here are some instances.

Everything said and done, her short hairdo really adds a nice spark to her looks.

What do you think of her look?



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Kerala Covid-19 wrap: State records 1,970 new cases and 15 deaths; toll reaches 4,422

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Kerala recorded 1,970 new cases of Covid-19 and 15 deaths on Tuesday. The active caseload amounted to 26,127 as the death toll rose to 4,422.

Ernakulam recorded the highest number of cases (238) on Tuesday, followed by Kozhikode (237) and Kottayam (217).

In the last 24 hours, a passenger from South Africa tested positive for Covid-19. This took the total number of passengers infected with Covid-19 from UK, South Africa and Brazil to 104. Among them, 91 patients have recovered.

The test positivity rate stood at 3.23%, with 60,974 samples being tested in the last 24 hours. 70 people who tested positive on Tuesday had come from outside the state.

A total of 1,742 people were infected through primary or secondary contact with a Covid-positive patient. The source of 145 cases could not be found.

A total of 13 health workers tested positive on Tuesday. 2,884 patients have recovered from the infection and tested negative.

Second dose vaccine for frontline workers in Idukki

Frontline workers who had taken their first dose vaccine between February 12 and 20 will receive their second doses on March 18, 19 and 20. They must take their second dose from the centre where they had taken their previous dose.

The vaccinations are conducted on simultaneous days to avoid wastage of doses. A total of 2,555 people had taken their first dose already.

Thodupuzha also started its free vaccination camp for senior citizens starting from Tuesday morning. This camp will be held at Idukki Medical College and Kattapana Tribal Higher Secondary School.

These camps that will follow all Covid protocols will receive more vaccines and data entry operators.

Manjeri witnesses one year of Covid-19 fight

Malappuram’s Manjeri district has been fighting the virus for a year now. Even before the virus had reached the town, the health authorities had begun their fight to prevent it.

Isolation wards were made ready by January 24. After that, the health workers were given the necessary training to deal with the infected patients, as per reports.

As health workers got busy, they turned the Manjeri Medical College completely into a Covid treatment hospital.

Karnataka makes RT-PCR certificate mandatory for people from Kerala

As Covid cases are rising in Karnataka, the state has made it mandatory for those entering from Kerala and Maharashtra to carry negative RT-PCR certificates. The certificate should not be older than 72 hours.

The checking at borders have also become strict.

People from Kerala staying in hotels, dormitories or resorts must also present a negative RT-PCR certificate. The state has also requested students from Kerala to refrain from traveling frequently, as per reports.

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