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Ancient food stall unearthed in Pompeii

A fast-food eatery at Pompeii has been excavated, revealing dishes that were popular for the citizens of the ancient Roman city. Two years after it was first partly unearthed, archaeologists began to excavate the interior of the shop this October. Last week, they found food and drink residue that is expected to provide fresh clues about the ancient population’s culinary tastes.

The front of the counter was decorated with brightly coloured frescoes, some depicting animals that were part of the ingredients in the food sold, such as a chicken and two ducks hanging upside down. “This is an extraordinary find. It’s the first time we are excavating an entire termopolium,” Massimo Ossana, director of the Pompeii archaeological park was quoted saying in a report.

The research team also found remains of pigs, goats, snails and fish in one earthernware pot. Some of the ingredients were found to be cooked together rather than alone.

Plant and animal specialists are still analyzing remains from the site, with its counter frescoed with a figure of an undersea nymph astride a horse. Images of two upside-down mallards and a rooster, whose plumage was painted with the typical vivid color known as Pompeiian red, also brightened the eatery and likely served to advertise the menu.

Osanna also noted that the food stall seems to have been closed in a hurry and abandoned by its owners.

Pompeii is a town to southeast of Naples which is believed to be home to nearly 13,000 people before it was burnt to ash after a deadly volcanic eruption. Archaeologists started uncovering the buried town near 1750, and as of now about two-thirds of the town has been uncovered.

Andhra Pradesh: Police Constable carries elderly pilgrim for 6 km

Sheikh Arshad, a police constable from Andhra Pradesh is winning hearts online after he carried an elderly woman for 6 km on his back while she was struggling to get medical aid after she fainted on her way to Tirumala hills. Arshad however felt that there was nothing great in what he did and that he thought of his mother and wanted to help her. “There’s nothing great in what I did. It was just my duty, and service to Lord Venkateswara,”, he was quoted saying in a report.

Arshad has been appreciated by Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang, and Kadapa District Superintendent of Police (DSP) KKN Anburajan, and many others for his kind act. The DGP said it was “an inspirational act reflecting his devotion to duty”.

She got timely medical assistance in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district. This wonderful act of humanity that possibly saved her life. The 58-year-old woman, who had high blood pressure and an ankle weakened from surgery, lost consciousness while walking the 18-km-long steep pathway that leads to Andhra Pradesh’s famous Tirumala Temple.

After six kilometres, a car from a former MLA reached the nearest motorable road and took the woman to a hospital. The policeman was appreciated widely, including by top Andhra Pradesh police officer Gautam Sawang, for his sense of duty.

Kamal Haasan party’s general secretary A Arunachalam quits and joins BJP

In a huge setback for actor turned politician and leader of Makkal Needhi Maiam, Kamal Haasan, his party’s general secretary A Arunachalam on Friday (25 December) resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Arunachalam, an active office-bearer of the MNM and an important figure in Tamil Nadu politics had been associated with Haasan led MNM from the beginning in 2018 and his exit from MNM comes as a setback to Kamal’s party with the state gearing up for elections.  

According to Arunachalam, his reason for leaving MNM was his disagreement over farm sector reforms as he had supported the three farm sector reform legislation introduced by PM Modi. He joined the BJP on Friday in the presence of Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.

He felt it was necessary to quit MNM because of Haasan’s stand against the laws which, the former emphasized, are beneficial to the farmers. He also said that MNM’s claim as a centrist party had also changed.

Arunachalam stated that he had reasoned with Hassan regarding these laws and had asked to look beyond party politics because of the government initiative aimed at helping farmers, however, the party still decided to oppose the farm laws, he added.

“Heads will be chopped”: BJP’s CT Ravi warns PFI for laying siege to the office of BJP MP Kateel

BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi on December 26 warned the Popular Front of India (PFI) that their “heads and tails will have to be chopped off” if they continue with their wild run.

He said that PFI received illicit money worth hundreds of crores of rupees to organise the anti-CAA protests, and that the Enforcement Directorate was investigating the matter. “India is not your playground to conduct terrorist and anarchic activities. Investigations will go on to find the sources of all the money coming from overseas to fund terrorism in the country”, he added.

Ravi was speaking to reporters after the incident where members of the PFI had laid siege to the office of BJP State President and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.

PFI is an extremist Islamic organisation, which is often accused for its alleged involvement in terrorist and anti-social activities by various national agencies. Earlier this year, the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Assam had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking a ban on the outfit.

Navy Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt becomes first woman to command US aircraft carrier

Navy Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt became the first woman to command a US Navy aircraft carrier and has been assigned to take command on the USS Abraham Lincoln this summer. Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt is one of six officers recommended to command a nuclear-powered carrier in fiscal 2022. Also selected for the job were Capts. Colin Day, David Duff, Brent Gaut, David-Tavis Pollard and Craig Sicola.

“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to be selected,” Bauernschmidt said in a statement. “I love leading sailors and I take that responsibility extremely seriously.”

Bauernschmidt previously served as the USS Lincoln’s executive officer — another first for a woman — from 2016-2019. After leaving the Lincoln, Bauernschmidt served as the commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock USS San Diego, a command she left in October. In 2016 Bauernschmidt was the first woman to serve as executive officer of a nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Bauernschmidt’s 1994 USNA graduating class was the first whose women were allowed to serve aboard combatant ships and aircraft. A native of Milwaukee, Wisc., she earned her naval aviator wings in 1996, according to her biography. She has tallied more than 3,000 flight hours in naval aircraft.

USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego earlier this year, and she is currently pier side for the long period of routine maintenance and training between carrier deployments.

China’s CRRC Yongji Electric Ltd kicked out from bidding process to manufacture Vande Bharat trains

In a blow to China, the Indian Railways has dismissed a joint bid of Beijing based CRRC Yongji Electric Ltd and India’s Pioneer Fil-Med Ltd for the 1,800 crores worth manufacturing of 44 Vande Bharat trainsets,Times of India reports.

As per the law, companies that have beneficial ownership in countries sharing land borders with India are mandated to get registered before they participate in public procurement contracts.

Though CRRC-Pioneer Electric India had applied for the same and had even submitted their bids earlier this year, the continuing standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) attracted criticism, leading to the tender getting cancelled on “technical ground”.

To ensure such situation do not accor again the ministry altered the conditions for tender and fixed a minimum local content of 75 per cent to convert it into an indigenous tender.

Eventually offers made by BHEL and Medha Servo Drives are the only one that fulfils the criteria.

J&K: 4G ban extended till Jan 8; Udhampur and Ganderbal exempted

The Jammu and Kashmir administration issued an order on Friday extending the ban on 4G services in Jammu and Kashmir till January 8.

The restriction on high-speed internet services has been in place since August 5, 2019 due to security reasons. This was when the Union Government had scrapped Articles 370 and 35A, and Jammu and Kashmir transitioned from a State to a Union Territory on October 31 of last year.

Earlier, the ban on 4G services was to end after December 25. However, the new order by the administration has extended the ban, except in the districts of Udhampur and Ganderbal, which have been exempted from any internet speed-related restrictions.

The recent order indicated the possibility of a large number of terrorists infiltrating from across the border and said that curbs on high-speed internet has blocked their attempts to do so.

Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) patriarch and People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) chief Farooq Abdullah requested the Centre to restore 4G services immediately. He added that the people of Kashmir — especially students and business people — were suffering due to the curbs on internet-speed. “When the Prime Minister is talking about 5G, we do not even have 4G. This should be restored as quickly as possible,” he said.

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet approves ‘anti-Love Jihad’ Bill; to be tabled in Assembly

In what is being seen as a big move by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the MP cabinet has okayed the “Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020” on December 26. This was done in a special cabinet meet chaired by CM Chouhan.

Under this new bill, forced conversion of a minor, woman or a person from Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, would draw a minimum jail term of 2 to 10 years with a minimum penalty of ₹50,000.

“Under the new Bill, forcing religious conversion on someone will attract 1-5 yrs of imprisonment and a minimum Rs 25,000 fine,” said Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra.

When passed in the Assembly and approved by the governor, Madhya Pradesh would become the third BJP-ruled state to implement laws against “love jihad”, after Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel promulgated the law in November three days after the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. Himachal Pradesh this week implemented acts against conversions by force, inducement or through marriages solemnised for the sole purpose of adopting a new religion. Although the bill had been passed by the Assembly last year, only recently had it received the governor’s assent.

Skill Ministry and Tata launch first batch of Indian Institute of Skills

With the vision of propelling India to the forefront of skill development and job creation under Skill India Mission and to provide an impetus to Skill India programme through private sector participation, the first batch of trainings at the Tata-Indian Institute of Skills, Mumbaiwas launchedat a virtual eventtoday by Dr. MahendraNathPandey, Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The institute is a joint initiative between Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India and Tata Indian Institute of Skills. Formal agreement for setting up institute has been signed between MSDE and TATA IIS on 11th November, 2020.

The first batch at TATA-Indian Institute of Skills will commence training with two courses in Factory Automation, with duration ranging from1 to 4 weeks, depending upon the pre-qualification profile of the trainee.The institute will also offer scholarships to the first 100 students along with attractive fee options during this initial launch phase.  An early bird scholarship scheme of 75% has also been announced for the first 100 students/trainees.

Speaking at the launchevent,Dr. MahendraNathPandey, Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurshipsaid, “With an aim to provide high-quality technical and vocational learning across various sectors, the foundation for state-of-the-art infrastructure was laid last year and today with the launch of its first set of coursesat IIS Mumbai, I can proudly say that we are inching closer to achieve the vision of our Honorable Prime Minister, Shri NarendraModi of making India the ‘Skill Capital of the World’. Following the footsteps of other prominent centers of education in the country, IIS Mumbai will be instrumental in imparting world-class training to help build a future ready workforce.I extend my gratitude towards the Government of Maharashtra and Tata Group for extending support towards Skill India Mission and I am hopeful that this collaboration will transform the state’s youth from job seekers to job creators.”

The Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Maharashtra, Shri Nawab Malik also graced the occasion with his presence and expressed maximum support on behalf of the Maharashtra Government in making this initiative a grand success for the country.

The institute envisages partnerships with multiple private organizations who are leaders in their respective fields, two of which are currently in place, with FESTO, a global leader in industrial automation and SMC Corporation, Japan, world’s largest manufacturer of pneumatic components, for trainings.The two courses launched today will focus on Factory Automation, envisaged to be the foundation for future courses and Smart Manufacturing (Industry 4.0) technology and applications, to prepare youth for emerging job roles of the next five years and beyond. The courses will be offered at Tata-IIS interim campus at the National Skills Training Institute (NSTI), Chembur.  The institute’s permanent campus, currently under construction in the campus of National Skill Trainers’ Institute (NSTI), Mumbai, is likely to be operational by 2022, and will have a capacity of over 5,000 trainings per year.

Mr. Girish Krishnamurthy, Director, Tata IIS, said, “This is a key development in India’s journey to provide skilling and job-readiness to its youth. The institute aspires to become a beacon to other institutions of its kind in the years to come.”

The primary goal behind setting up the institute is to create industry-ready workforce as per the evolving demands of the national and global markets. It aspires to be one of the most premier training institutions in the country and will be equipped withworld-class vocational training facilities. The institute plans to provide trainings in highly specialized areas such as defense, oil & gas, aerospace, and other emerging businesses to meet industry demands.

Training and learning at Tata-IIS Mumbai will be driven through strong industry connect in both public and private sectors. Equipped with modern training methodologies leveraging digital and augmented learning platforms, the institute will also focus on apprenticeship-embedded courses and offering higher order qualifications in conjunction with other universities.

RBI Cautions against unauthorised Digital Lending Platforms/Mobile Apps

In a statement issued today, RBI has cautioned that legitimate public lending activities can be undertaken by Banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) registered with RBI and other entities who are regulated by the State Governments under statutory provisions, such as the money lending acts of the concerned states. Members of public are hereby cautioned not to fall prey to such unscrupulous activities and verify the antecedents of the company/ firm offering loans online or through mobile apps. Moreover, consumers should never share copies of KYC documents with unidentified persons, unverified/unauthorised Apps. One should report such Apps/Bank Account information associated with the Apps to concerned law enforcement agencies or use Sachet portal  to file an on-line complaint.

There have been reports about individuals/small businesses falling prey to growing number of unauthorised digital lending platforms/Mobile Apps on promises of getting loans in quick and hassle-free manner. These reports also refer to excessive rates of interest and additional hidden charges being demanded from borrowers; adoption of unacceptable and high-handed recovery methods; and misuse of agreements to access data on the mobile phones of the borrowers.

Reserve Bank has also mandated that digital lending platforms which are used on behalf of Banks and NBFCs should disclose name of the Bank(s) or NBFC(s) upfront to the customers. The names and addresses of the NBFCs registered with the Reserve Bank can be accessed here and the portal for filing complaints against the entities regulated by the RBI can be accessed through https://cms.rbi.org.in.

(Published form PIB)