An elephant in a Netherlands zoo is allowed to keep her baby — despite the fact she attacked her previous newborn, resulting in life-threatening consequences. African elephant Duna, from the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, gave birth to a healthy male calf on Aug. 16. Duna had unexpectedly attacked her three-day-old calf in 2018. The injuries were so severe — a broken back — the calf was euthanized. After elephant bull Tusker came to the Ouwehands Zoo from Germany as part of an international breeding program, Duna became pregnant again in November 2019. The zoo’s goal is to keep the African…
Author: zenger.news
NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sainik Schools, which only admitted boys until now, will be open for admission to girl students. A Sainik School is a school designed to prepare students for enrollment into the National Defence Academy (NDA) or the Indian Naval Academy (INA). Sainik Schools as managed jointly by the Ministry of Defence’s Sainik School Society and state governments. “The government has decided that doors of every Sainik School will now be open for girl children,” said Modi in the customary prime ministerial address 75th Independence Day from Red Fort in New Delhi. Modi said that…
NEW YORK — Pfizer and BioNTech are making a strong case for the authorization of a third or booster dose of the companies’ Covid-19, for which they have submitted the phase I data of clinical trials evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of the dose. The data will also be submitted to the European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authorities in the coming weeks, Pfizer said in a statement released on Aug. 16. “Vaccination is our most effective means of preventing Covid-19 infection—especially severe disease and hospitalization—and its profound impact on protecting lives is indisputable,” Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer, Pfizer, said in the statement. …
NOIDA, India — India’s third-biggest software solutions company, HCL Technologies, announced on Aug. 17 that it had signed a five-year deal with German multinational chemical company Wacker Chemie. The deal is aimed at establishing a modernized digital workspace and improving quality-of-service delivery. Wacker Chemie operates as many as 26 production sites around the world. The 107-year-old multinational’s engagement with HCL is expected to lead to significant cost efficiencies through modernization, standardization, and automation. Information Technology major HCL said it would use Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled virtual assistants to drive efficiencies. “Germany is a key strategic market for HCL, and our engagement with Wacker…
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Emirati politician H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Aug. 15, announced the launch of the first edition of the Global Media Congress to be held in Abu Dhabi in November 2022. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company will organize the Global Media Congress in partnership with the Emirates News Agency from Nov. 15 to 17 in 2022. “United Arab Emirates [UAE] is a global host and an efficient platform for the entire media sector because of its integrated digital infrastructure,” the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs said. “It also has a…
NEW DELHI — The Indian Para-athlete contingent for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, alongside their families and management, interacted with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Aug. 17. India’s Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur, was also present. Modi lauded the para-athletes for their self-confidence and resolve. He credited their hard work and said he was hopeful after interacting with the para-athletes that India will create new history at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. “After talking with you all, I realized that India is going to make history at the Paralympics as well,” he said. “Covid-19 may have increased…
NEW DELHI — The Indian government on Aug. 17 announced tax refund rates for 8,555 products to enhance trade to international markets. As much as INR 12,454 crore ($1.67 billion) has been earmarked for refunds for the current fiscal year under the scheme known as Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products. “The Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products scheme is going to be a long-lasting scheme, and it is going to be a flagship scheme of the commerce ministry,” Indian commerce secretary B.V.R Subramanyam said. “It is also compliant to the World Trade Organization,” A total of…
WASHINGTON — A new study has indicated that different teaching strategies imposed by schools during the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in dramatic differences in when and how much students slept. The findings of the study titled “Changing school start times: impact on sleep in primary and secondary school students” are published in the journal “SLEEP.” Notably, students receiving online instruction without live classes or scheduled teacher interactions woke up the latest and slept the most. Students receiving in-person instruction in schools woke up the earliest and slept the least. Beginning in March 2020, as states and cities imposed lockdowns to prevent the…
NEW DELHI — Bollywood filmmaker Razneesh Ghai has praised and thanked actor Kangana Ranaut after wrapping up their upcoming action film “Dhaakad.” Ghai took to his social media handle to pen a special appreciation note for Ranaut, who plays the lead in the movie. Taking to his Instagram story, he shared a picture with Ranaut and thanked the National award-winning actor for believing in a debutant director like him. “Thank you so much Kangana for this incredible journey… and thank you for believing in a rookie director (sic),” he wrote. “You have outdone yourself in this movie. Shine on… your performance in this movie is…
NEW DELHI — American social media conglomerate Facebook issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s leading opposition political party, the Indian National Congress, on Aug. 17. The notice was under a complaint regarding a video posted on Instagram by Gandhi, where the parents’ identity of a minor victim of sexual assault had been disclosed. “According to National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Aug. 10, 2021, notice post you (Rahul Gandhi) uploaded through your Instagram account,” the notice said. “It is unlawful under section 74 of Juvenile Justice Act 2015, section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, and section…