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Harnaaz Sandhu of India crowned Miss Universe 2021

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Andrea Meza, a former Miss Universe from Mexico who won the title in 2020, crowned Sandhu. Harnaaz Sandhu, an actor and model, was crowned Miss Universe 2021, defeating candidates from 79 nations to win the title for the first time in 21 years. Since Lara Dutta won the title in 2000, this is the first time India has won Miss Universe. Sandhu moved from the initial pool of 80 candidates to the top 16, then to the top 10, top 5, and top 3, before winning the competition. https://twitter.com/MissUniverse/status/1470215294652145664 Sandhu was crowned by Andrea Meza, a former Miss Universe from Mexico who won the title in 2020. Harnaaz Sandhu becomes third Bollywood actress to achieve the feat Based in Chandigarh, the 21-year-old Harnaaz made history by becoming only the third Indian to win the prestigious title after Bollywood stars  Sushmita Sen  and Lara Dutta, who won the honour in 1994 and 2000, respectively. https://twitter.com/MissUniverse/status/1470237682324361217 Nadia Ferreira

Flying car to take off from Hyundai stables by 2030

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Korean car maker Hyundai want its flying car concept to take flight in a few years’ time Automotive technology is all set to take flight. We have been hearing about such concepts and innovations that had been in the works for quite long, but none of these had materialised. Now we have hope flying out of the Hyundai stables, and going by what we get to garner, we might be able to watch and even travel in a flying car made by the automotive major. The Korean car company will have its wheels off the ground when it would bring to the fore its first ever commercial car that would fly. This would happen in a few years’ time – the company says it would make it happen in 2028. Hyundai showed off flying car concept in 2020 As we all know Hyundai had been serious about its flying venture all the while. Looking back at its earlier announcement of the reveal of a concept, we should give the company credit for showing us the first concept flying vehicle, which it had christened as S-A1, during th

Patients suffer as J-K government fails to control pricing in private hospitals

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Patients have frequently complained about private hospitals taking advantage of them due to a lack of regulations The Lieutenant Governor led government in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir has failed to control prices in private hospitals, with owners charging patients according to their own preferences. In September 2018, a group led by the Director of Health Services Kashmir had filed a report for rate control of private hospitals. However, due to opposition from private hospitals, the government has so far failed to carry out any such exercise. A senior Health Department official, who didn’t wish to be named, said the prices of private hospitals outside the UT are being checked and regulated consistently. “However, there is no oversight of private hospitals, particularly in the Valley," the official said. Patients accuse private hospitals of fleecing Patients have regularly complained about being fleeced by private hospitals since there are no regulations. “We had to pay Rs 48,000

Weavers in Nadia's Shantipur and Phulia left at the mercy of God

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Most of the weavers who come from Assam and other districts in Bengal could not join work in Nadia's Phulia due to COVID-19 The majority of handlooms in Phulia are collecting dust for days now. Perhaps, the last fine piece of Tant saree is now being woven, endangering a 500-year-old weaving tradition in West Bengal’s Nadia district. After partition and Bangladesh riots, many weavers from present-day Bangladesh crossed borders and settled down and set up looms in the small towns of Shantipur, Phulia and many more in the Nadia district. Gradually, both Shantipur and Phulia became the hub of cotton (handloom) Tant sarees. But now, the demand of these weavers is slowly fading away who were once famous for their bold-red, yellow and deep-blue sarees with their decorative borders and pallus, and often with small butis (leaf-like motifs) on them. The Covid and lockdown, to arrest the speed of the spread, has affected these weavers even more. Both Covid and power loom are the cause of di

Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters go on a ‘silent strike’

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Several artworks and graphics were displayed to support the silent strike. The nationwide shutdown, according to reports, was a success Protesters in Myanmar staged a countrywide ‘silent strike’ on Friday, shutting down shops and emptying the streets in their latest attempt to oppose the coup. Many cities' streets were vacant, and Yangon, Myanmar's largest metropolis, had few automobiles. Pictures in the local media also showed deserted streets in Mawlamyine, in the southeast, and in towns in the northern Sagaing area. Myanmar’s nationwide shutdown described as a success To support the silent strike, several artworks and visuals were shown. According to reports, the countrywide  shutdown  was a success. On Friday, protest organizers asked for silent strikes from 10 AM to 4 PM, but nearly everything shut down early in the day. At 4 PM (local time), the sound of mass clapping signalled the conclusion of the strike in various Yangon neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, the  US embassy  in

GHI 2021 data is doubtful as it was based on telephonic surveys: Smriti Irani

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Union Minister Smriti Irani said that GHI 2021 is a flawed and irrelevant report as a chunk of their data was collected from international organisations that did not have access to the current data The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, has denied all claims in the recently released Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report in the Parliament. In response to the concerns about India’s poor ranking in GHI 2021 report in the Rajya Sabha, Irani has expressed doubts over the accuracy of the survey. She said that the report was based on a telephonic survey. Smriti Irani also questioned the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations while answering a question raised by Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar. The MP had asked about the issues like child stunting, undernourishment, and child under-five mortality in the country, stated in the Global Hunger Index Report. According to the report prepared by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, India scored 27.5 and is

Nicaragua severs diplomatic relations with Taiwan

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Nicaragua has become the ninth country to terminate diplomatic ties with Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016 On Thursday, Nicaragua's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that it will sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and stop to have any contact or formal interaction. The ministry also reaffirmed in an official statement that there is only ‘one China’ and that Taiwan is an inalienable component of Chinese territory. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by announcing the termination of diplomatic relations with Nicaragua, stating that Taiwan remains ‘unbowed’. According to reports, Taiwan now has official recognition from 14 nations as a result of Nicaragua's action. Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, Nicaragua has become the ninth country to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nicaragua and China re-establish diplomatic relations Nicaragua and China re-established diplomatic ties on Friday, a day after the Central American repu