PORT BLAIR: The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not report any fresh COVID-19 case in the last two days, a health department official said on Tuesday.

The coronavirus tally in the union territory remained at 5,009, while 4,938 patients have recovered from the disease so far, he said.

Sixty-two people have died so far due to the contagion, the official said.

The union territory now has nine active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in South Andaman district.

The other two districts North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar are now COVID-19 free as both have no active coronavirus case at present.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has conducted 2,48,562 sample tests for COVID-19 so far, and the positivity rate stands at 2.02 per cent, he added.

Strict COVID-19 protocols are being followed in the islands with wearing of masks made mandatory by the administration as a large number of tourists are flocking to the archipelago.

Official sources said any person arriving by flight or reaching by ship from Kolkata or Chennai is mandatorily required to show a negative coronavirus report.

A total of 4,047 health care and frontline workers have received COVID-19 vaccine in the union territory till Monday, the official said.

At least 182 health care workers have received the second dose of the vaccine, the official added.

PUDUCHERRY: Plunging the V Narayanasamy government into a deep crisis, another Congress MLA A John Kumar has tendered his resignation to Puducherry Speaker VP Sivakolunthu on Tuesday morning. 

With this, both Congress-led government and the Opposition have equal strength of 14 in the legislative assembly that has 28 members at present including the three nominated MLAs. 

The Congress numbers have reduced to 10, while its ally DMK has three MLAs and one Independent. 

Meanwhile, Opposition NR Congress has seven, AIADMK four and BJP has three nominated MLAs.

Kamraj Nagar MLA John Kumar had already met with BJP in-charge Nirmal Kumar Surana recently and had also held discussions with senior BJP leaders in Delhi.

It may be noted that John Kumar who won the 2016 Assembly elections from Nellithope Assembly constituency vacated the seat for Chief minister V Narayanasamy to contest and win the seat.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday called the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi in the toolkit document case an unprecedented attack on democracy.

The 21-year-old activist was arrested on Saturday from Bengaluru for being allegedly involved in sharing the “toolkit” related to the farmer’s protest on social media.

Arrest of 21 yr old Disha Ravi is an unprecedented attack on Democracy. Supporting our farmers is not a crime, Kejriwal tweeted.

Ravi, a graduate in Bachelor of Business Administration from a private college in Bengaluru, is also one of the founding members of a group named ‘Fridays For Future India’.

The toolkit has been cited by some critics as a “proof” of her conspiracy to fuel protests in India

Farmer unions grouping Samyukta Kisan Morcha, former environment minister Jairam Ramesh and activists from across the country on

Sunday criticised the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi.

‘I WILL WIN HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE WHO HATE ME’

Indore: Days after his release from jail in a case against him for allegedly insulting Hindu deities, stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has said that it is never his intention to hurt anyone’s feelings through his jokes.

Stating that the “herd mentality of fighting on the internet” as well as “someone’s politics” can ruin a person’s life, Faruqui said he had to suffer for something which he had not done.

Faruqui, 32, who was arrested on January 1 in connection with the case and was in Indore Central Jail since January 2, was released from the prison late night on February 6, a day after he was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court.

In a YouTube video of over 10 minutes posted late night on Saturday, the comedian said, “How can I hurt someone’s feelings? How can I cause heart pain? I apologise four times even if I bump into someone by mistake.”

“It can never be my intention to hurt someone’s feelings through my jokes,” he said.

He said that the internet debates over worthless topics, abuses and hatred being spread there should stop.

“Why have we forgotten that the internet is for entertainment and information?” he asked.

“Shall we only keep on fighting on the internet? Anyone can fall prey to this herd mentality, politics. I did not fall prey to it. But I was bruised for something which I had not done,” he said.

Someone’s politics and herd mentality can ruin a person’s life, he added.

An artist works hard to entertain people, the comedian said, adding that art and entertainment have always united the people.

“Some people are spreading hatred online. But why are we making them celebrities? You have to decide whether you want to spread love or hatred on the internet?

“I can’t give up comedy, I am alive because of it. I will win the hearts of the people who hate me. For this, I have to work harder. Every artist does not get this challenge.

I have got it and will win their hearts,” he added.

Faruqui and four others were arrested on January 1 following a complaint by a BJP MLA’s son that objectionable remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were passed during a comedy show at a cafe in Indore on New Year’s Day.

New Delhi, Feb 14: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the deadline for implementation of FASTag would not be extended further, and the vehicle owners should immediately adopt the e-payment facilty.

The government said it has made FASTags mandatory from February 15 midnight and any vehicle not fitted with it will be charged double the toll at electronic toll plazas across the country.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in a statement said it has decided that all lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways shall be declared as ‘FASTag lane of the fee plaza’ from midnight of 15th/16th February 2021.

“Therefore, as per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category,” the statement said.

The ministry has clarified that this has been done to further promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption, and provide for a seamless passage through the fee plazas.

The ministry had mandated fitment of FASTag in M&N categories of motor vehicles with effect from January 1, 2021.

Category M’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers. And Category N’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying goods, which may also carry persons in addition to goods.

COURT SENDS 21-YEAR-OLD CLIMATE ACTIVIST TO 5-DAY CUSTODY

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Sunday sent a 21-year-old climate activist to five days police custody in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest.

Disha Ravi, arrested by a Cyber Cell team of the Delhi Police from Bengaluru on Saturday, was produced before a court here and police sought her seven days’ custody.

The police said her custody was required to probe an alleged larger conspiracy against the government of India and to ascertain her alleged role relating to the Khalistan movement.

During the hearing, Ravi broke down inside the courtroom and told the judge that she had edited only two lines and that she wanted to support the farmers’ protest.

Duty Magistrate Dev Saroha allowed the Delhi Police to quiz Ravi for five days.

While seeking her custody, the police told the court that the activist had allegedly edited the “toolkit” on February 3 and many other people are involved in the matter.

It also informed the court that they have recovered the mobile phone of the activist.

A “toolkit” is a document created to explain any issue. It also provides information on what one needs to do to address the issue. This might include information about petitions, details about protests and mass movements.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had asked Google and some social media giants to provide information about email id, URLs and certain social media accounts related to the creators of the “toolkit” shared by Thunberg and others on Twitter in connection with the farmers’ protest.

The Cyber Cell had lodged an FIR against “pro-Khalistan” creators of the “toolkit” for waging a “social, cultural and economic war against the government of India”.

The case against unnamed persons was registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The “toolkit” was aimed at spreading disaffection and ill-will against the government of India and creating disharmony among various social, religious and cultural groups, the police had claimed.

Sivasagar (Assam): Accusing the BJP and RSS of dividing Assam, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that his party will protect every principle of the Assam Accord and will never implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act if voted to power in the state.

Addressing his first public rally in Assam ahead of the assembly elections due in March-April, Gandhi said that the state needs its “own chief minister” who will listen to the voice of the people and not one who listens only to Nagpur and Delhi.

“The Assam Accord has brought peace and it is the protector of the state. I and my party workers will protect each principle of the Accord. There will not be a single deviation from it,” he said.

Gandhi said illegal immigration is an issue in Assam and exuded confidence that the people of the state have the capability to resolve the issue through dialogue.

Alleging that BJP and RSS are trying to divide the state on the issue of Assam Accord, he said, “If Assam is divided, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be affected, but the people of Assam and the rest of India will be affected.”

Talking about the controversial CAA, the senior Congress leader said that if his party comes to power in the state, the law will not be implemented under any circumstance.

All party leaders, including Gandhi, were seen wearing ‘Gamocha’ (Assamese scarf), where symbolically the CAA word was crossed, giving a message against the controversial law.

Gandhi said Assam needs a chief minister from their “own people” who will listen to their issues and try to resolve them.

“Remote control can operate a TV but not a CM. The current CM listens to Nagpur and Delhi. If Assam gets a CM like this again, it will not benefit the people. The youths need a CM who will give jobs to them,” he said.

Taking a dig at the prime minister, the Union home minister and “businessmen close to them”, Gandhi said, “I have devised a new slogan for Assam — Hum do, humare do; Assam ke liye humare aur do, aur sab kuch loot lo.”

He alleged that natural resources and PSUs in the state are being “sold off” to two leading businessmen of the country.

Gandhi also accused the Modi government of “looting” public money during the COVID-19 pandemic and waiving huge amounts of loans of his “two businessmen friends”.

He said that the Congress government under the leadership of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had brought peace to Assam by ending the era of violence.

 SINDHU. L

Smartphone addiction sometimes colloquial known as “monopobia” ( fear of being without a mobile phone) is often fueled by an Internet. Cellphone are constantly being improved by expanding upon their functionalies which is turn increase the likelihood of overuse and addition . According to the PEW research center, 67% of smartphone users have admitted to checking their phone for calls or messages when their phone didn’t vibrate or ring. Using phones and tablets in the dark can speed up blindness…  Researchers from the University of Toledo say long periods of time exposed to blue light, the kind phones, tablets and televisions give off, can damage vision and generate poisonous molecules in the eyes light -sensitive cells. It is bad to sleep near your phone. It can seriously mess up your sleep!  Smart phones emit high school level of radiation which can cause disfunction or unbalance to your biological clock. In this way, sleeping next to your phone could actually lead to more nightmare because your cardiac rhythm could be thrown for a loop. You might just be addicted smartphone use physically affects your brain. Regions in the brain known as grey matter showed changes in size and shape for people with social media addiction. 

  unwelcome resident of the digital world in which most media outlets work The value of interactive and digital reporting is very clear when it comes to breaking news and current affairs. Ask most journalists about features, however, and the response is likely to get a little more hazy. The fact is, most long-form journalists are still working out how (or even if) new and online platforms will contribute to and improve their stories.The complexities of digital journalism can be broken down into the following features:1. Losing profoundnessWe always think first of GIFs, videos and lists when we think of online content. The general assumption (although not strictly precise) is that most online readers are not interested in long reads, preferring something short, easily digestible and quickly exchanged instead.As a consequence, the knee-jerk reactions of many media outlets is to push their authors to keep their story word counts to a minimum and play up photos. Most journalists, however, see this as a “dumping down” of their work, for a few extra clicks, sacrificing depth, insight and good writing.2. Re-learning the instruments of trade The most basic instrument that journalists work with is the written word. In particular, long-standing journalists rely on both their investigative skills and their language proficiency to tell their stories.Then, being ordered to do what you do can be more than a little disconcerting, but with a completely different collection of resources. It’s a huge, scary leap to learn that sometimes a video, a picture, or even a photo can work better than your words.3. More than just window dressing, creating multimedia Many journalists (and their editors) grudgingly pay lip service to the concept of going digital without making full use of the online platform’s potential. It is good to embed a YouTube video or a picture slideshow, but digital journalism should be about making the digital elements an integral part of the post, another component of the story that is told in a way that can not be printed, rather than an afterthought.4. Mastering professional skills There is no way around the fact that it takes a certain amount of technological ability to integrate digital elements into feature writing. In their own online and social media sites, some may already use these skills, and others may find them reasonably easy to pick up. However, many journalists struggle to learn the different digital instruments they need to use, especially with the pace at which technology continues to evolve.5. Attitude -AttitudeMost journalists regard digital media as something that they have not signed up for. Writing is their field; they don’t make videos, podcasts and interactive maps. They also see time spent on this “online stuff” away from their real work as time spent.The problem is that these interactive elements are not seen as an extension of their writing, a way of bringing the story to the reader a different dimension. In several ways, a journalist who says, “This is not my job” is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to the online evolution of journalism.