The Philippines government has claimed that around 220 Chinese boats have been spotted at a reef in the South China Sea waters controlled by Manila. It urged China to recall the boats saying the presence of the vessels violated Manila’s maritime rights by encroaching into the Philippines’ sovereign territory.
According to the Philippines coast guard, the boats are believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel. The boats were spotted on March 7 at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef. In a strong-worded statement, Philippines Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana warned of appropriate actions not limited to filing diplomatic protests if the boats were not withdrawn. It called on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats.
The Philippine military spokesman Marine Major General Edgard Arevalo said that it had conducted air and maritime patrols in the South China Sea to further validate the incursion report. A Philippine cross-government task force said yesterday that the vessels’ presence in the area raises concern about overfishing and the destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safe navigation.
Day: March 22, 2021
Over 4 crore 50 lakh 65 thousand doses of Covid vaccine administered to beneficiaries in country so far
Over four crore 50 lakh 65 thousand doses of Covid vaccine have been administered to the beneficiaries in the country so far. Union Health Ministry said that more than four lakh 62 thousand doses were given to the beneficiaries in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the country’s COVID-19 recovery rate reached 95.75 per cent with the total recovery of more than 21 thousand patients in the last 24 hours.
The Ministry said over one crore 11 lakh patients have already been recovered from this disease. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is over three lakh 34 thousand which comprises only 2.87 per cent of the total positive cases. A total number of 46 thousand 951 new cases have been reported in the country in the past 24 hours taking the cumulative positive cases to over one crore 16 lakh.
The Health Ministry said, 212 deaths have been reported during the last 24 hour taking the toll to one lakh 59 thousand 967 across the country. The Indian Council of Medical Research said that various laboratories have conducted more than 8 lakh 80 thousand tests of corona virus samples during the last 24 hours and more than 23 crore 44 lakh tests have been conducted in the country so far.
Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia wins All England Badminton C’ships Men’s title; Nozomi Okuhara clinches Women’s title
Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia has won the All England Badminton Championships men’s title as he defeated Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the summit clash.
The 22-year-old defeated Axelsen 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 in the summit clash which lasted for one hour and 14 minutes. With this win, Malaysia’s title drought came to an end and it is after four years, that someone from the country has managed to win the All England Open. Lee Chong Wei had last won the All England Open for Malaysia in 2017. Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara won the women’s title as she defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-16 in the finals.
Night curfew to be imposed in eight cities of Rajasthan from today
The Rajasthan government has decided to impose night curfew in 8 cities starting tonight to contain the recent spike in the number of Covid cases. Night curfew will be imposed in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Sagwara and Kushalgarh from 11 in the night to 5 in the morning. Markets will remain closed in all the urban bodies of the state after 10 pm today. The decision was taken in a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
The government has also made it mandatory for people visiting the state to carry an RT-PCR COVID negative report not older than 72 hours from March 25. Those without a negative test report will have to remain in quarantine for 15 days. The system of mini-containment zones will also be implemented again. Wherever there are more than five positive cases, that cluster or apartment will be declared as a contention zone. Curbs have also been imposed on maximum attendance at weddings and funerals.
A maximum of 200 people will be allowed to attend a wedding ceremony and only 20 people can attend a funeral. Primary schools in the state will remain closed till further orders. In the classes above primary and in colleges, educational activities will be conducted with the COVID-19 protocol. Not more than 50 per cent of the students should be present in the class at a time.
More than 67.5 lakh people brought back from around the world under Vande Bharat Mission
Government has said that more than 67.5 lakh people have been brought back from around the world under the Vande Bharat mission so far. India commenced one of the world’s largest evacuation operations from 7th May last year to bring back stranded Indians from abroad. Initially, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express played a key role in the operations.
Afterwards, other air carriers were allowed to take part in the programme. Besides, aerial evacuation, ships were also used to bring back Indian citizens. In a tweet, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said, Vande Bharat is not just a mission that brought back stranded and distressed citizens but it is also a Mission of hope and happiness.
He added that the Mission has let Indian people know that they will not be left behind by the government even in the most testing times. A total of 8,587 people returned to India on Saturday under the Vande Bharat Mission.
Today is last day for withdrawal of candidature for assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry
Today is the last day for withdrawal of candidature for assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The single-phase polling will be held in these states and Union Territories on 6th April. Today is also the last date for withdrawal of candidature for the third phase of assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam. While assembly elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases, Assam will witness three phase polling.
Campaigning has intensified in all poll bound states and Union Territories. In Assam, the star campaigners of various political parties are criss crossing the state to woo the voters. Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister, Amit Shah will hold a series of election rallies in Assam today. BJP President, JP Nadda is also likely to hold rallies in Dibrugarh, Zorhat and Biswanath today.
Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is likely to visit Puducherry for campaigning. He is expected to hold the road show. In Puducherry, 382 nominations were found valid after scrutiny. In Tamil Nadu, a total of 4469 nominations were found valid, while 2700 were rejected following scrutiny. The final list of candidates for 234 assembly constituencies will be released today.
PM Modi to launch Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign on World Water Day today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually launch Jal Shakti Abhiyan : Catch the Rain campaign on the occasion of World Water Day today. The theme of the campaign is ‘Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls’. In the presence of the Prime Minister, the signing of historic Memorandum of Agreement between the Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project will also take place. This is the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.
This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers. It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hactare, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 Mega Watt of hydropower. The Project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.
It will pave the way for more interlinking of river projects to ensure that scarcity of water does not become an inhibitor for development in the country. The campaign will be undertaken across the country in both rural and urban areas. It will be implemented from today till 30th November – the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country. It will be launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation at grass-root level through people’s participation.
The campaign is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to the climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater. After the event, Gram Sabhas will be held in all Gram Panchayats of each district, except in the poll bound states to discuss issues related to water and water conservation. Gram Sabhas will also take Jal Shapath for water conservation.
GEORGE ELIOT
English Victorian novelist George Eliot was born in rural Warwickshire. Her real name was Mary Ann Evans. George Eliot was her pen name. When her mother died, she left school to help run her father’s household. When her father died in 1849, she moved to London to pursue a career in journalism.
In 1850 she published a review for the Westminster Review and later in 1851 she became assistant editor of the Westminster Review. while in London she met many well-known people, henry Lewis was one of them. She fell in love with henry Lewis, a drama critic and author. Later they both decided to live together, their relationship caused a scandal because Lewis was already married to Agnes Jervis. Lewis encouraged her to write.
She published her first collection of short stories in 1858. After one year Her book Adam Bede was published. But in 1878 Lewis died. Later in 1880, she married John Walter cross who was a banker, but due to a throat infection, she died the same year.
Notable works
The Mill on the Floss (1860)
Silas Marner (1861)
Romola (1862–1863)
Middlemarch (1871–72)
Felix Holt (1866)
Daniel Deronda (1876)
Scenes of Clerical Life (1858)
Adam Bede (1859)
The Spanish Gypsy
JOHN KEATS
John Keats was born on October 31, 1795, in London, was an English romantic poet. he published fifty-four novels. He was the oldest of four children. His father was a livery-stable keeper. When he died Keats was only eight years old. After six years his mother also died.
Keats was a licensed apothecary but he never practiced his profession. Keats published his first volume of poem( poems by John Keats), in 1817. In the same year his Endymion, a four thousand line erotic romance novel got published.in
July 1820 he published his third volume of poetry (Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of st. Angnes, and other poems).
Keats is also famous for his letters, His famous letters include; To Charles Cowden Clarke, To George and Thomas Keats, To Charles Cowden Clarke“, ”To Benjamin Robert Haydon.
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art is one of his best poems, this poem written three year before his death.
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—
Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—
No—yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.
JAMES JOYCE’S MOST BEAUTIFUL QUOTES
James Joyce is one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. He is known for his unique and complex writing.
1. Your battles inspired me-not the obvious battles but those that were fought and won behind your forehead.
2. I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am what I established yesterday or some previous day.
3. First we feel. Then we fall
4. One by one they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.
5. Moments of their secret life together burst like stars upon his memory.
6. The object of the artist is the creation of the beautiful. What the beautiful is is another question.
7. There’s no friends like the old friends.
8. Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother’s love is not.
9. All things are inconstant except the faith in the soul, which changes all things and fills their inconstancy with light.
10. Absence, the highest form of presence.
JAMES JOYCE
James Joyce was born into a middle-class, catholic family on February 2, 1882, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the oldest of ten children who survived childhood.
After he completed his graduation in 1902, he went to Paris to study medicine, but he soon abandoned his study. He returns to Dublin when he received a telegram saying that his mother is deathly ill. After his mother’s died, he started teaching and writing book reviews.
In 1904 he met Nora Barnacle, who later became his wife. His first published book was chamber music( a collection of poetry). It took him 10 years to write Dubliners(a short story collection book), which was published in 1914.
On his 40th birthday, his famous novel Ulysses was published. The book is famous for its use of the stream of consciousness technique.
Joyce’s final book, Finnegans Wake was published in 1939, and like his other novels, it’s also considered puzzling because the book is written in several languages at once. Innovative use of symbolism, attention to language, and the use of interior monologue make him a great writer.
Some of his major works include Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man(It is a semi-autobiographical novel ), Exiles,(It is the only play by James Joyce, Ulysses, Finnegan’s Wake.
10 GREAT QUOTES BY JOHN KEATS
John Keats was an English Romantic poet.
1. Touch has a memory.
2. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
3. Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.
4. I have been astonished that men could die martyrs
for their religion–
I have shuddered at it
I shudder no more.
I could be martyred for my religion.
love is my religion and I could die for that.
I could die for you.
My creed is love and you are its only tenet.
5. Imagination is a monastery, and I am a monk.
6. We read fine things but never feel them to the full until we have gone the same steps as the author.
7. Don’t be discouraged by failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterward carefully avoid.
8. Poetry should be great and unobtrusive, a thing which enters into one’s soul, and does not startle it or amaze it with itself, but with its subject.
9. Life is divine chaos. It’s messy, and it’s supposed to be that way.
10. Poetry should..should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thought, and almost a remembrance.
PUBLIUS VERGILIUS MARO
“There are twin gates of sleep. one, theysay is called the gate of horn and it offers easy passage to all true shades. The other glistens with ivory, radiant, flawless, but through it the dead send false dreams up toward the sky. And here Anchises, his vision told in full, escorts his son and sibyl both and shows them out now through the ivory gate”. -Virgilius
Publius Vergilius Maro was a roman poet, best known for his three major works- the Burcolics, the georgics, and the Aeneid. His first major work was eclogues, the poems in eclogues focus on the daily life of shepherd and shepherdesses. Eclogues is also called the Bucolics.
Virgil spent seven years writing the Georgics, it is considered one of his best poems. Aeneid is still regarded as a literary masterpiece, he spent eleven years working on Aeneid but he died before completing it. Aeneid is published two years after his death.
The gates of hell are open night and day;
Smooth the descent, and easy in the way;
But to return, and view the cheerful skies;
In this the task and mighty labor lies;
-Virgilus, the Aeneid
CHARLES DICKENS
British novelist, journalist, editor, and illustrator Charles dickens is best known for his classic novels such as Oliver twist, a Christmas carol, a tale of two cities, and great expectations.
He was one of the most influential writers of his time. Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in England. His father was sent to prison for debt, at that time Charles was 12 years old, because of this he was forced to leave school and work in a boot polish factory. When his father pays off his debt, dickens was permitted to go back to school.
At fifteen he had to drop out of school to contribute to his family’s income. From 1830 he worked as a parliamentary and newspaper reporter, afterward, he began to write short stories .
Dickens first public story was “A Dinner at Poplar Walk”.in April 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth and in the same year dickens started publishing the posthumous papers of the Pickwick Club, from that point on there was no looking back for dickens.
On June 9, 1870, after suffering a stroke he died at his home. His main profession was a novelist, but he continued his journalistic work until the end of his life.
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