New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) Celebrated comedian-actor Raju Srivastava died on Wednesday after over 40 days of hospitalisation here, said his brother Dipoo Srivastava. He was 58.

Raju Srivastava suffered a heart attack on August 10 while working out at a hotel here. He was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and underwent angioplasty. Since then, he was on the ventilator and never gained consciousness.

“I got a call from the family about half-an-hour ago saying he is no more. It is really unfortunate news. He was fighting in the hospital for over 40 days,” Dipoo Srivastava told PTI.

Raju Srivastava was declared dead at 10.20 am, according to hospital sources.

A familiar face in the entertainment industry since the 1980s, the comedian tasted unparalleled success after participating in the first season of the reality stand-up comedy show “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge” (2005).

aju Srivastava had also featured in Hindi films such as “Maine Pyar Kiya”, “Baazigar”, the remake of “Bombay to Goa” and “Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya”.

He was the chairperson of the Film Development Council Uttar Pradesh. PTI

 New Delhi, (PTI) From production of ships and submarines to spare parts and weapons, the Indian Navy will be “completely” self-reliant by 2047, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar asserted on Tuesday.

At a defence conclave, he said there was much to learn from the Russia-Ukraine conflict which witnessed the use of new technologies, cyber space and all sorts of precision ammunition.

The conflict between the two countries has underscored the necessity of ‘Atmanirbharta’ (being self-reliant) to defend one’s country, he said.

“By 2047, we will have a complete indigenous Navy, whether it be ships, or submarines, aircraft, unmanned systems, weapons, the entire complex.

“We will be completely ‘Atmanirbhar’ Navy. That is what we are targeting,” Admiral Kumar said replying to questions at the India Defence Conclave 2022.

Asked if the supply chain of the Indian Navy was affected due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he said, “As of now, we are not hard pressed. We have adequate stock of spares. There has been no let up in our deployment of ships or aircraft today. We have taken steps to get help from our own industry.

Indian Navy had embarked on its “indianisation drive’ in 1961 when INS Ajay, the first small patrol boat, was indigenously made in india, he said.

“Since then, we have progressed a lot,” he added. PTI 

 New Delhi, (PTI) Korean star Lee Jung-jae, who recently won an Emmy for the hit series “Squid Game”, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Lee’s agency Artist Company announced on Monday night that the actor had tested COVID-19 positive after undergoing a routine PCR test upon his return to native South Korea from the US where he attended the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on September 13.

“In accordance with disease control protocol, actor Lee Jung Jae underwent PCR testing after he returned to Korea on September 18, and his test results came back positive,” the agency said in a statement as quoted by entertainment outlet Soompi.

Lee’s friend, business partner and “Hunt” co-star Jung Woo-sung and his “Squid Game” colleagues Park Hae-soo and Jung Ho-yeon, who took the same flight with him back to South Korea, have all tested negative for COVID-19.

The actor is self-isolating in accordance with the guidelines of government health authorities and has currently halted all of his scheduled activities.

“Our agency will adhere strictly to health authorities’ guidelines and do our utmost to help our actor focus entirely on his recovery, while considering his health our top priority,” the statement continued.

Lee charted history last week when he won the Emmy in the outstanding lead actor in a drama series category for his performance in “Squid Game” becoming the first Asian actor to achieve the feat.

“Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk also earned the Emmy for best drama series directing.

The Korean language survival drama, which premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2021, also collected two Primetime Creative Arts Emmys for Lee Yoo-mi (outstanding guest actress in a drama series) and for Chae Kyoung-sun, Gim En-jee and Kim Jeong-gun in outstanding production design for a narrative contemporary program category. 

 Kurmis on Tuesday blocked railway tracks in quite a lot of portions of japanese India not easy Scheduled Tribe (ST) standing and inclusion of Kurmali language within the 8th agenda of the Charter, affecting teach products and services in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. Agitators squatted on railway tracks at quite a lot of puts, resulting in cancellation, short-termination and diversion of a number of trains.

Teach products and services of South Jap Railway had been in part affected because of blockades at Kustaur and Nimdih stations in Adra department, Khemasuli and Bhanjpur stations in Kharagpur department and Aunlajori station in Chakradharpur department since 4 AM, a railway legit mentioned. The SER has cancelled 18 trains, diverted 13 and brief terminated or brief originated 11 different trains, he mentioned.

Some of the trains that had been cancelled are 12814/12813 Tatanagar-Howrah-Tatanagar Metal Categorical, 12021/12022 Howrah-Barbil-Howrah Janshatabdi Categorical, 22861 Howrah-Titlagarh-Kantabhanji Ispat Categorical, 13512/13511 Asansol-Tatanagar-Asansol Categorical, 18183 Tatanagar-Danapur Categorical and 18033/18034 Howrah-Ghatsila-Howrah Categorical, he mentioned. Owing to the agitation, the SER has diverted 13288 Rajendranagar-Durg Categorical, 18011 Howrah-Chakradharpur Categorical, 12262 Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Duronto Categorical, 12130 Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Categorical, 22905 Porbandar-Shalimar Categorical, 12801 Puri-New Delhi Categorical, 12809 Mumbai CSMT Howrah Mail.

Trains that had been diverted come with 15930 New Tinsukia-Tambaram Categorical, 18029 Mumbai LTT-Shalimar Categorical, 12833 Ahmedabad-Howrah Categorical, 12859 Mumbai CSMT-Howrah Categorical and 22823 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Categorical, the SER legit added. Agitators additionally blocked a countrywide freeway in Purulia, a state govt legit mentioned.

Because of the stir, Bangriposi-Bhubaneswar Superfast Categorical and Baripada-Shalimar Similipal Categorical remained halted at Bhanjpur for 3 hours, whilst the Tatanagar-Badampahar DEMU and Bangriposi-Rupsa DEMU remained halted at Anlajodi and Betnoti stations respectively. Then again, the agitation in Odisha used to be withdrawn after the native management confident the protesters that their grievances could be taken to the government on the absolute best stage.

BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Mahanta, who reached an agitation website online, mentioned, “I absolutely reinforce the call for…Leader Minister Naveen Patnaik has honoured Kurmis by means of sending a girl from the neighborhood to the Parliament. My participation within the stir isn’t political however reinforce to my neighborhood.” Primary Mahanta, one of the vital agitators, claimed that Kurmis had been a Specifically Prone Tribal Teams (PVTG), then referred to as Primitive Tribal Staff (PTG), previous to 1950 however had been got rid of from the ST record. Basant Mahanta, an recommend, alleged that the state govt has now not beneficial the inclusion of Kurmi neighborhood within the ST record in spite of the CM’s assurance.

Round 25 lakh Kurmis live in Odisha, basically in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Balasore, Jajpur and Sambalpur districts. The stir comes slightly two days after Patnaik wrote a letter to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda in search of the inclusion of 160 communities within the ST record.Patnaik, within the letter, claimed that since 1978 the Odisha govt has beneficial the inclusion of 160 communities of the state within the ST record however the suggestions have now not been authorised. The executive minister mentioned that those communities had been “sufferers of historic injustice” because of extend of their inclusion within the ST record.

Gujarati coming-of-age drama "Chhello Show" is India's official entry for the 95th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced on Tuesday.

Titled "Last Film Show" in English, the movie, directed by Pan Nalin, will release in theatres countrywide on October 14.

"'Chhello Show' is India's official entry for Oscars 2023," FFI Secretary General Supran Sen told PTI.

The film, which will represent the country in the best international feature film category at the Oscars, is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur's banner Roy Kapur Films, Jugaad Motion Pictures, Monsoon Films, Chhello Show LLP, and Marc Duale.

The story is inspired by Nalin's own memories of falling in love with movies as a child in rural Gujarat.

Set in a remote rural village of Saurashtra, the film follows the story of a nine-year-old boy who begins a lifelong love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace and spends a summer watching movies from the projection booth.

"Chhello Show", which features Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval and Paresh Mehta, had its world premiere as the opening film at the Tribeca Film Festival in June last year.

It won multiple awards during its festival run, including the Golden Spike at the 66th Valladolid Film Festival in Spain where it also enjoyed commercial success during its theatrical run.

Last year, Tamil drama "Koozhangal" ("Pebbles"), directed by filmmaker Vinothraj PS, was India's official entry at the Oscars but didn't make the shortlist.

The last Indian film that made it to the final five was Aamir Khan-led "Lagaan" in 2001

Cairo, (PTI) India and Egypt have signed an MoU to further boost bilateral defence cooperation and reached a consensus on enhancing joint exercises, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held wide-ranging discussions with his Egyptian counterpart General Mohamed Zaki.

Singh arrived here on Sunday on a three-day visit to the strategically important Arab country.

"Had an excellent meeting with Egypt’s Defence Minister, General Mohamed Zaki in Cairo. We had wide-ranging discussions on several initiatives to further expand bilateral Defence engagements," Singh tweeted along with some photos of the meeting on Monday.

During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defence ties and reached a consensus to enhance the conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency, the Defence Ministry said in a statement after the meeting on Monday.

The two Ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner.

They also exchanged views on regional security and acknowledged the contribution of India and Egypt to peace & stability in the world. Both sides expressed happiness at the intensified defence engagement and exchanges over the last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

Both the ministers agreed to consolidate and focus on enhancing the security and defence aspects of bilateral cooperation.

The signing of the MoU by the two defence ministers on cooperation in the field of defence was a milestone event during the visit, which will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest, the statement said.

"Signing of the MoU on Defence Cooperation adds new impetus and synergy to our relations," Singh tweeted.

Singh was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Ministry of Defence in Cairo, prior to the commencement of bilateral talks.

Singh on Monday also called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the two leaders discussed bilateral military-to-military cooperation, with the latter emphasising that there is a need for both countries to exchange expertise and best practices in countering the threat of terrorism. PTI 

A selection-cum-search panel headed by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has shortlisted three names for the post of AIIMS director which will be placed before the Institute Body, the top decision-making body of the institute, on March 29.

Once approved by the Institute Body, the names will be sent to the Appoints Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by the prime minister, for final assent.

The three names shortlisted are Dr Nikhil Tandon, head of the department of endocrinology at AIIMS, Dr Rajesh Malhotra, chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre and the head of the department of orthopaedics and Dr Pramod Garg, a professor in the gastroenterology department at the institute.

Apart from Rajesh Bhushan, the four-member search-cum-selection committee tasked with shortlisting names for the AIIMS director's post include Secretary of Department of Biotechnology Rajesh S Gokhale, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government K Vijay Raghavan, and Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh.

They held a meeting on Tuesday and shortlisted three names. "These three names will now be placed before the Institute Body of AIIMS on March 29 for approval before being sent to the ACC headed by the prime minister for final approval," said an official source.

The tenure of New Delhi AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, which was set to end on March 24, was extended by three months. He was appointed to the post on March 28, 2017. "He will complete his tenure on 24.03.2022. President, AIIMS, is pleased to extend his tenure with effect from March 25, 2022, by three months or by the time a new director is appointed, whichever is earlier," an office memorandum by the hospital on March 22 said.

Around 32 candidates had applied for the post of director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. They included 13 doctors from AIIMS as well as ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava.

Noida, (PTI) A portion of a housing society’s boundary wall collapsed here on Tuesday morning, killing four people and injuring eight, police said. All 12 who had been buried under the rubble at Jal Vayu Vihar in Sector 21 around 10 am were labourers.

Multiple JCBs were deployed to clear the debris of the collapsed stretch of wall that was located adjacent to a drain, officials said as police and fire department personnel swing into action for immediate rescue and relief measures.

 “A total of 12 labourers were pulled out of the rubble. Four of them died while others suffered injuries in the episode,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Ashutosh Dwivedi told PTI.

Police Commissioner Alok Singh, Joint Commissioner Love Kumar and Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari were among those who reached the spot.

 Fire Service officials, including its chief Arun Kumar Singh, were also there to oversee relief measures officials said. 

 New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said he will look into the allegations that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was deplaned from a Delhi-bound flight at the Frankfurt airport as he was “drunk”.

The minister asserted that it was important to verify the facts.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday alleged that Mann was deplaned from a Lufthansa flight at the Frankfurt airport because he was in an inebriated state.

Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa sought an inquiry into the matter and shot off a letter to Scindia.

“This was an incident on international soil. We will have to make sure that we verify the facts. It is up to Lufthansa airline to provide the data. Based on the request that has been sent to me, I will certainly look into it,” Scindia told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has dismissed the Opposition’s charge as baseless and bogus.

Mann returned from his eight-day trip from Germany on Monday where he had gone to attract investments. PTI

"Loss and damage" due to climate change will be a major topic for discussion at the 27th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Egypt in November, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday.

Addressing an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry here, he said the maximum impact of the climate crisis is being borne by the countries which have no role in global warming.

"Loss and damage will be a major topic for discussion at COP27 at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt in November this year," he said.  The social and financial impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided are referred to as 'loss and damage'.

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), "loss and damage" is a term used in UN climate negotiations to refer to the consequences of climate change that go beyond what people can adapt to, or when options exist but a community doesn't have the resources to access or utilise them.

Loss and damage are generally understood to result from both extreme weather events like cyclones, droughts and heatwaves, and slow-onset changes - such as sea level rise, desertification, glacial retreat, land degradation, ocean acidification and salinization. In some cases, damages may permanently alter some places; for example, rising seas encroaching on low-lying islands, or drought shrinking freshwater resources and turning once-productive farmland into barren land.

Yadav said India is one the few countries which have achieved the target set under the Paris Agreement with regard to increasing the use of non-fossil fuels.

"We have achieved our target nine years before schedule," he said.

India had committed to achieving 40% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030. The country has achieved this target in NovembeThe minister said India has updated its nationally determined contributions in keeping with the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in Glasgow.

According to the updated NDC, India now stands committed to reducing emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030, from 2005 level, and achieving about 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

To further a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, 'LIFE' - 'Lifestyle for Environment' as a key to combating climate change" has been added to India's NDC.

"We are not against consumption, but it should be mindful, not mindless utilisation -- not only with respect to energy but also the utilisation of land and biodiversity. We need to maintain an ecological balance," he said.

India updated its NDCs because it does not want to be part of the problem but the solution, Yadav said.

He said that the developed countries, which have 17% of the world's population, account for 60% of the global carbon emissions.

"Whereas, India is home to 17% of the world's population and is responsible for only 4% of the global carbon emissions. This is because of our sustainable lifestyle," Yadav said.r 2021 itself.