Hindustan Times News | 21st March 2022 | 8 AM

HT Daily News Wrap

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are likely to see heavy rain amid alert over Cyclone Asani, The gap between two doses of Covishield could be reduced to 8-16 weeks from 12-16 weeks now, Akshay Kumar has revealed the most difficult part of shooting for Bachchhan Paandey & other top news in this bulletin.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are likely to see heavy rain amid alert over Cyclone Asani, which is set to form over the Andaman Sea on Monday. This is the first cyclone this year that has put rescue teams on alert. However, no landfall point is mentioned. Strong winds with speed reaching 55-65 km per hour are likely to cause damage and disruption apart from rain. There is ‘no question’ of surrendering Mariupol, Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk has said, responding to Russia’s ‘offer’ to Ukrainian troops defending the strategic port city to lay down arms and exit via humanitarian corridors. “There can be no talks about surrender and laying down weapons,” Vereshchuk said, dismissing Russia’s statement as ‘manipulation.’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, will hold a virtual summit today where they will review the progress on various initiatives under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The first India-Australia virtual summit was held on June 4, 2020, when the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The gap between two doses of Covishield could be reduced to 8-16 weeks from 12-16 weeks now if the health ministry accepts the recommendations of its expert panel on immunisation. The government in May last year had increased the gap between the two doses of the most used Covid-19 vaccine in the country from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks on the recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), which on Sunday recommended reducing the interval. Actor Akshay Kumar has revealed the most difficult part of shooting for his recently released film, Bachchhan Paandey. In a media interaction, he said that the lens he had to wear in the film, to complete his character, made his vision blurry. He said that he shot for the film with just the silhouette visible in front of him. The Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL 2022 campaign on March 29 when the side takes on the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MCA Stadium in Pune. The tournament begins on March 26 with a blockbuster opening game between Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders. The 2022 edition of the tournament will showcase new-look franchises, thanks to the mega auction which preceded the season in February.