National News

New Delhi: There is need for increased monitoring and precaution measures to ward off H3N2 but no cause for panic yet, say experts as India confirms its first two deaths due to the influenza virus.

In Karnataka, 82-year-old Hire Gowda. a diabetic who suffered from hypertension, died due to the H3N2 seasonal influenza subtype on March 1. Another death, that of a 56-year-old lung cancer patient, was reported from Haryana.

From January 2 to March 5, 451 cases of the H3N2 have been reported in the country, according to data shared by the ministry on Friday. It also said it is keeping a close watch on the situation and cases are expected to decline from month end.

NEW DELHI: ‘Maa’, a micro-site on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official website, that pays tribute to the memory of his mother and celebrates the unwavering spirit of motherhood has been launched.

Heeraba Modi, mother of Prime Minister Modi, passed away on December 30, 2022.

Condolences and heartfelt sympathies poured in from around the world following her passing away.

The microsite ‘Maa’, which is dedicated to Heeraba, celebrates the unwavering spirit of motherhood and pays tribute to her memory, officials said.

The website captures the love and unbreakable bond shared between a mother and her son.

The microsite carries videos and selected quotes of Heeraba that convey the teachings she imparted to her children.

The site also features Prime Minister Modi’s special blog, which he wrote for his mother as she approached her 100th year.

There is also an audio version of the blog narrated in Hindi.

Heeraba Modi’s life and journey are captured in four sections of the website life in public domain, nation remembers, the world condoles and celebrating motherhood.

In the section ‘life in public domain’, photographs and videos illustrate the humble and simple life of Heeraba. This section also contains quotes from various blogs and interviews with PM Modi on his mother as well as public artwork celebrating their bond.

Under the ‘nation remembers’ section, one can find thoughtful condolence messages sent out in her memory.

The ‘world condoles’ section carries a collection of tweets from several prominent world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau, expressing their condolences to PM Modi on the passing away of Heeraba.

The ‘celebrating motherhood’ is a unique page dedicated to creating and sending personalised e-cards for mothers.

Cards bearing PM Modi’s signature can be customised with his quotes for his mother. People can choose any template and can add a special personalised message on the cards.

The microsite appears on PM Modi’s official website, https://www.narendramodi.in/, as well as on his personal app, the Narendra Modi App.

NEW DELHI: Digital payments platform PhonePe has achieved an annualised total payment value run rate of USD 1 trillion, or Rs 84 lakh crore, mainly on account of its lead in UPI transactions, the company said on Saturday.

The company claims to have digitised over 35 million offline merchants spread across tier 2, 3, 4 cities and beyond, covering 99 per cent pin codes in the country.

“We are delighted to reach the USD 1-trillion annualised TPV run rate. We look forward to turbo-charging the next wave of growth for UPI payments in India with offerings like ‘UPI lite’, ‘UPI international’ and ‘credit on UPI’ to enable greater financial inclusion for Indians,” PhonePe head of consumer business Sonika Chandra said in a statement.

The company said that the growth is backed by its leadership in the UPI space where it holds over 50 per cent market share by value.

“The company has also received an in-principle approval for its PA (payment aggregator) licence from the RBI,” the statement said.

PhonePe is making significant investments in new businesses like insurance and wealth management, while also enabling the next wave of growth for UPI payments in the country, the statement said.

NEW DELHI: Three persons, including a juvenile, were apprehended after a video surfaced on social media showing a group of men allegedly harassing and groping a Japanese woman on Holi, police said on Saturday.

The video showed a group of men smearing colour on a foreigner, who seemed uncomfortable. It also showed one of the men smashing an egg on her head. She can be heard saying “bye bye” in the video.

According to the police, the video is of Holi (celebrated on March 8) and was shot in an area of Paharganj here.

The girl in the video is a Japanese tourist who was staying at Paharganj and departed to Bangladesh on Friday, they added.

The girl has not made any complaint, neither called Delhi Police nor her country’s embassy as confirmed by the embassy official in response to an e-mail, a senior police officer said.

Police on Friday had said they have taken the notice of the video and were verifying whether it is of a recent incident or an old one.

People seen in the video have been identified. Three persons, including one juvenile, have been apprehended and questioned. They have confessed their involvement in the incident as seen in the video. They all are residents of a nearby area of Paharganj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said.

The girl tweeted from her Twitter handle that she has reached Bangladesh and was fit mentally and physically.

Police said action has been initiated against the accused under the Delhi Police Act. However, further legal action will be decided on merits and in accordance with the complaint by the girl, if any, they added.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal had said she was issuing a notice to Delhi Police to examine the video and arrest the perpetrators.

“Very disturbing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour!” Maliwal tweeted on Friday.

The National Commission for Women too took the notice of the video and asked Delhi Police to register an FIR in the matter.

“@NCWIndia has taken cognizance. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @CPDelhi to immediately file FIR in the matter. NCW has also sought a fair and time-bound investigation in the matter. A detailed report must be apprised to the commission,” the NCW tweeted.

NEW DELHI: As many as 23 surgical blades, drugs, smartphones and a SIM card were recovered from an inmate in Tihar jail, prison officials said on Friday.

On noticing some suspicious movement of some inmates on Thursday around 6.40 am, the staff of Central Jail number 3, Tihar intercepted them and carried out checking, a senior official said.

They recovered a packet containing 23 surgical blades, drugs, two smartphones and a SIM card among other things were recovered from the possession of one inmate, officials said.

It was revealed that the packet was thrown inside the jail over the walls of an adjoining prison. The inmate who threw the packet has been identified, they said.

The matter has been reported to the police for further investigation, they said.

NEW DELHI: At least six YouTube channels allegedly promoting pro-Khalistan sentiments have been blocked at the instance of the government, a senior official said on Friday.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said six to eight YouTube channels, operating from foreign countries, have been blocked over the past 10 days. He said the channels with content in Punjabi language were trying to foment trouble in the border state.

The government action came in the wake of supporters of radical preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh storming a police station in Ajnala with swords and guns to demand the release of one of their aides.

Singh was last year anointed head of ‘Waris Punjab De’, which was founded by actor and activist late Deep Sidhu, at an event held at Moga’s Rode, the native village of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Another senior official said YouTube has been taking action on the government’s requests to block channels within 48 hours.

The official said that the government has also asked YouTube to use artificial intelligence and algorithms to identify and block objectionable content automatically.

However, in the Indian context, YouTube was facing problems as content was being uploaded in regional languages and the systems were in place to screen content in the English language.