Brasilia, Feb 28,2021: Brazil registered 1,386 deaths from the Novel Coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 254,221, the Ministry of Health reported.
A total of 61,602 new cases were reported, bringing the national tally to 10,517,232, according to the ministry.
Brazil has the second largest number of deaths from the coronavirus, following the United States, and the third largest number of cases, after the United States and India.
As of Friday, 6.4 million Brazilians have received at least one dose of vaccine against Covid-19, while 1.8 million people have received both doses.
New Delhi, Feb 28,2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for making India the next global hub for manufacturing and sourcing of toys by attracting investments in the sector and promoting exports.
Mr Modi made the statement while virtually inaugurating the four-day India Toy Fair 2021 here.
Addressing more than 1,000 exhibitors, the Prime Minister called for bringing out the hidden potential of the toy industry in India and to create an identity for it as a big part of the campaign for AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
‘This first toy fair is not just a business or economic event. This program is a link to strengthen the country’s age-old culture of sports and cheer,’ he said, adding that the event is a platform where one can discuss all the aspects of the industry and exchange ideas.
Research on toys has been going since the era of Indus Valley civilization, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, he said.
Mr Modi appealed to the country’s toy manufacturers to make toys that are better for both ecology and psychology! He asked them to make toys using things that can be recycled and less plastic.
Realising the importance of toys in the overall development of children, he said the Government has taken effective steps and brought changes through the New National Education Policy.
‘We can take the world back towards eco-friendly toys, through our software engineers computer games can bring the stories of India to the world’, he said. But despite all this, today India’s share in the $ 100 billion global toy market is very small. 85 per cent of the toys in the country are sourced from abroad, ‘ he stated. He stressed the need to change this situation.
Efforts are being made to strengthen the possibilities of toy tourism, the PM said. Toyathon-2021 was also organised to promote Indian sports based toys and more than 7000 ideas were brainstormed.
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani also participated in the event.
New York [US], February 27,2021: The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously passed a resolution calling on all member states to support a “sustained humanitarian pause” to local conflicts, in order to allow for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) , February 27,2021: The Odisha government on Friday approved the proposal of the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes to conduct a survey of the social and education condition of people belonging to the backward classes in the state.
“In exercise of power conferred by the sub section of 1 (a) of Section 9 of OSCBC (Amendment Act 2020, the government of Odisha have been pleased to approve the proposal of Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes to conduct a survey of social and education condition of people belonging to the backward classes in Odisha,” read a notification issued by the state government.
Puducherry, Feb 26.2021: After a gap of 30 years, President’s Rule was imposed in the Union Territory for the seventh time.
Subsequent to the fall of the V Narayanasamy-led Congress government in Puducherry, owing to the resignation of five Congress legislators and disqualification of a member, Narayansamy government was reduced to a minority and lost the confidence vote on the floor of the house on February 22.
Washington [US], February 25,2021: President Joe Biden aims to secure a seat for the United States on the United Nations Human Rights Council almost three years after the Trump administration left the world body, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday.
“Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defence of democracy and the protection of human rights,” Blinken said in a statement.
“Today, the administration took an important step in that direction by announcing the US intent to seek election to a seat on the UN Human Rights Council starting in January 2022,” Blinken said.
While recognising the challenges faced at the Council, Blinken said, “We acknowledge challenges at the Council as well, including unacceptable bias against Israel and membership rules that allow countries with atrocious human rights records to occupy seats they do not merit. However, improving the Council and advancing its critical work is best done with a seat at the table.”
Blinken added that rejoining the council and working with allies would “ensure that this important body lives up to its purpose.”
“We seek to return to the Human Rights Council to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies and partners to ensure that this important body lives up to its purpose. We do so with determination to listen, learn, and work toward a world in which human rights are universally respected,” he further said.
Earlier this month, Joe Biden had ordered the State Department to immediately re-engage with the Human Rights Council as an observer.
Dallas [US], February 25,2021: Postmenopausal women who ate high levels of plant protein had lower risks of premature death, cardiovascular disease, and dementia-related death compared with women who ate fewer plant proteins, according to new research.
The research was published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access journal of the American Heart Association.
Previous research has shown an association between diets high in red meat and cardiovascular disease risk, yet the data is sparse and inconclusive about specific types of proteins, the study authors say.
In this study, researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 postmenopausal women (ages 50 to 79) who participated in the national Women’s Health Initiative study between 1993 and 1998; they were followed through February 2017. At the time they enrolled in the study, participants completed questionnaires about their diet detailing how often they ate eggs, dairy, poultry, red meat, fish/shellfish and plant proteins such as tofu, nuts, beans and peas. During the study period, a total of 25,976 deaths occurred (6,993 deaths from cardiovascular disease; 7,516 deaths from cancer; and 2,734 deaths from dementia).
Researchers noted the levels and types of protein women reported consuming, divided them into groups to compare who ate the least and who ate the most of each protein. The median percent intake of total energy from animal protein in this population was 7.5 per cent in the lowest quintile and 16.0% in the highest quintile. The median percent intake of total energy from plant protein in this population was 3.5% in the lowest quintile and 6.8% in the highest quintile.
New Delhi, Feb 25,2021: Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said that people aged over 60 and those above 45 years with co-morbidities will be inoculated at 10,000 government and over 20,000 private vaccination centres from March 1.
The Minister apprised that the proposal was approved at a meeting of the Union Cabinet which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
People will receive the COVID vaccine jab free of cost at government centres.