sambalpur l sunday l january 23, 2022 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city EDITION influential zen monk and peace activist passes away Thich Nhat Hanh, whose reach within Buddhism is seen as second only to the Dalai Lama, died at the age of 95 Nominated for nobel by martin luther king In the early 1960s, the Vietnamese monk travelled to the US, where he taught at Columbia and Princeton. In 1966, he met civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr and called him a ‘Bodhisattva’. The monk’s efforts to promote reconciliation between communist North Vietnam and the US-backed South impressed King and he nominated Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize ■ >100 books helped spread meditation in the west ■ Barred from home due to his call for peace, the monk spent more than three decades in France. During his stay in the West, Nhat Hanh set up meditation retreats around the world Allowed into Vietnam in 2005, ties again soured after he called for an end to the communist government’s control over religion written by the monk, most of them on meditation and finding inner peace CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Odisha reduces Covid isolation to seven days E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar The Odisha government on Saturday reduced the isolation norms to seven days if a Covid patient has no fever for three consecutive days. Updating on the Covid situation in the State, Director of Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra said a Covid patient’s isolation period will be considered as complete if there is no fever for three days. However, the patient has to self-monitor the health condition for another week, he said. “A positive person had the potential to infect others during the incubation period of 10 days in the first and second waves of the pandemic which is why people were asked to remain in isolation for 14 days. As per latest studies, the transmission period of the virus has come down to five-six days now. Accordingly, the isolation has been reduced to a week,” Dr Mishra told mediapersons. He advised patients to immediately consult doctors in case of recurrent fever after five-six days. There is no need to use antibiotics and unnecessary drugs if there are no symptoms, he added. Meanwhile, the fresh cases and TPR in Odisha dropped to 8,845 and 12.8 per cent (pc) respectively from the high of 11,607 and 16.7 pc recorded on January 19. The caseload has come down in the hotspot districts, including Khurda, which topped the chart with 2,528 new cases, followed by 1,001 cases from Sundargarh, 628 from Cuttack, 290 from Balasore, 239 from Kalahandi, 232 from Balangir and 221 from Rayagada. Some districts like Nuapada, Sonepur and Koraput, however, saw a rise in cases as the infection spread to interior pockets. These districts recorded more than 200 cases each. The active cases stood at 76,806 after recovery of 11,344 patients. Seven more patients, aged 47 to 65 years, succumbed to the disease taking the cumulative death toll to 8,514. Four among them were women. The deceased included two persons with no comorbidity . As per a recent study by SBI research group, Odisha is among six states where the rural share in new Covid cases was higher compared to urban localities. The rural share of new cases in the State was 61 pc against 39 pc in urban areas. EC extends ban on road shows till Jan 31 Some curbs eased; physical meetings with 500-people cap allowed from Jan 28 for Phase 1 and Feb 1 for Phase 2 K u m a r V i k r a m @ New Delhi The Election Commission on Saturday extended the ban on physical rallies and road shows till January 31 but gave some relaxation for physical public meetings of political parties and contesting candidates for Phase 1 of the Assembly elections from January 28 and Phase 2 from February 1. The commission also increased the limit of five persons for doorto-door campaigning to 10. The decision to extend the ban was taken following a review meeting that the EC had with the Union health secretary and chief secretaries, chief electoral officers and the health secretaries of the five poll-bound states. After taking into consideration the inputs and ground reports from these officers, the commission deliberated on requirements of the campaign period for Phases 1 and 2 where the candidate lists will be finalised on January 27 and January 31 respectively . The commission decided to allow physical public meetings in designated open spaces with a maximum of 500 persons or 50% of the capacity of the ground or the prescribed limit set by state disaster management authorities, whichever is fewer. The EC has also allowed video vans for publicity with the usual Covid restrictions at designated open spaces. Political parties and contesting candidates shall ensure compliance with Covid-appropriate behaviour and guidelines and the model code of conduct on all occasions during the activities connected with elections, the poll panel said. It shall be the responsibility of the concerned officer to identify and notify the desig- A day after hinting that she is the party’s CM face in UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra makes a U-turn. “I said that in irritation because you all were asking the same question again and again” Akhilesh Yadav makes official decision to contest from family stronghold of Karhal, promises 22 lakh IT jobs for youth Amit Shah begins door-to-door campaigning from Kairana, where there was an alleged exodus of Hindus before 2017. Meanwhile, the JD(U) decides to go solo in UP Devil in the details With the BCCI closing the registration for IPL 2022, a look at some of the key points about the upcoming mega auction.. 33 `72 cr Retained /drafted DECKED UP Netaji Birth Place Museum illuminated with colourful lights on the eve of Subhas Bose jayanti in Cuttack on Saturday | Express 11 killed in 2 road mishaps Towering inferno at Balasore and Sonepur kills six in Mumbai E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e With the existing 8 teams retaining 27 players, and the two new teams drafting three each, as many as 1214 players have expressed an interest in taking part at the auctions. Punjab Kings is the team to retain the least number of players, two, and will go into the auction with C72 crores in their purse. @ Mumbai E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ B a l a s o r e / S o ne p u r As many as 11 persons were killed and 17 others injured, several critically in two sep, arate road accidents at Soro and Sonepur within the last 24 hours. Six persons were killed and 12 others injured, eight critically, after a coal-laden truck hit a passenger bus on NH-16 at Bidu Chowk within Soro police limits of Balasore district on Saturday afternoon. The bus was on its way to Bhubaneswar when the speeding truck rammed into it from behind. The bus skidded under the impact and overturned on the roadside. Local police along with fire personnel rushed to the spot and started rescue operations. Among the deceased, four including two minors have been identified so far. They are Bijaylaxmi Priyadarshani(10), Chandrai Hembram (37), Sandeep Bagal (23) from Mayurbhanj and Sangita Murmu(14) from Balasore. Soro IIC Sujata Khamari said the injured have been admitted to FM Medical College and Hospital. A case has been b a tt l e g r o u n d u . p. Rescue operations underway at the accident site in Soro | Express registered and the bus seized. Vehicles were stranded on both sides of the accident site on the busy highway for hours till the rescue operations were over and the bus was removed from the road. Earlier, in another accident at Sonepur, five persons, including a father-daughter duo, were killed and as many injured when their SUV collided with a truck on Mahanadi bridge in the wee hours of Saturday . The deceased were identified as Ashish Pandia and his daughter Siddhi Pandia, along with Pramod Pandia, Trayambak Meher and Subham Pandia from Nimna and Panchamahala villages under Ullunda block of the district. Sources said, around 10 persons were retur ning home after attending a marriage function at Kaudiamunda village when their vehicle rammed into a paddy-laden truck at around 1 am. The injured were rescued from the mangled SUV with the help of gas cutters and rushed to Sonepur district headquarters hospital. They were later shifted to VIMSAR, Burla as their condition deteriorated. Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced `2 lakh ex-gratia compensation for next of the kin of the deceased in both the accidents. He directed officials to ensure best of treatment to the injured. The early morning calm at Tardeo in central Mumbai was shattered around 7 am following a massive fire at an upscale 20-storey building that left six people dead and 29 injured on Saturday . According to fire brigade officials, a fault in the air-conditioning unit of a flat caused the blaze, which quickly engulfed the 18th floor of Kamala Building, perhaps due to the strong sea breeze. Thirteen fire engines and seven jumbo tankers had to be rushed to douse the fire. Residents of the building said they heard a loud sound followed by black smoke and recalled a frenzy among them to get to safety “We heard a big . noise and rushed outside. There was smoke coming out of some floors above us. We immediately rushed downstairs and came into the open area,” a resident said. Nanda Chavan, a relative of an injured person, said the hospitals asked them to deposit money first before admitting the victims. “They even asked for Covid-19 RT-PCR tests. That consumed a lot of time while admitting the injured people,” she added. 318 Smoke billows out from the 18th floor of Kamla Building on Saturday | PTI Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said he has asked for a report in the next 15 days. It was alleged that some additions and alterations were being carried out. RTI activist Anil Galgali claimed the BMC’s fire brigade department does not carry out fire audits of buildings. “I had sought fire audit reports on 1 January 2018, but they are yet to furnish the details,” he said. PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and said ex gratia of `2 lakh each would be provided to the family of the deceased from the PMNRF. Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray went to the site and said the state would give a compensation of `5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives. As many as 318 overseas players have registered for the auction, with the highest of 59 players from Australia, followed by South Africa (48) and West Indies (41). A maximum of 60 overseas players could get picked in the auction, with 10 players already retained and drafted by the teams. Big names David Warner, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plesis, Dwayne Bravo, Trent Boult & Pat Cummins are top draws. nated spaces in advance for the aforesaid purposes, the commission added. The poll panel also reviewed the vaccination status and action plan for expeditiously completing inoculation for first, second and booster doses for eligible persons among polling personnel. CEC Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, accompanied by the secretary general and concerned deputy election commissioners, participated in the review meeting. express read US asks kin of embassy staff in Kiev to evacuate Washington: The State Department on Saturday ordered evacuation of families of US embassy personnel in Ukraine as soon as Monday, according to reports. The US is expected to issued guidance next week encouraging American civilians to begin leaving Ukraine on commercial flights | P9 Scientists flag concerns on Omicron sub-variant Paris: With more than 400 cases in Britain and the new sub-variant being detected in some 40 other countries, scientists are keeping a close watch on the latest version, dubbed BA.2. Though the subvariant spreads rapidly, experts say that it is too early to conclude that the sub-variant is more virulent | P12 No doctor death yet in Covid third wave: IMA New Delhi: Hundreds of doctors have been infected in the third Covid-19 wave propelled by the Omicron variant. There has been no deaths, according to the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The second Covid-19 wave last year had claimed the lives of 700 doctors| P7 NATIONWIDE Jan 21 Recoveries Deaths Jab-o-meter Take your shot Missing out Ben Stokes, Chris Gayle, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Mitchell Starc, and Sam Curran are among the overseas stars who have opted p11 out citing various reasons.  WITH THIS ISSU E Jan 22 Fresh cases 3,47,254 3,37,704 2,51,777 2,42,676 703 488 January 21 58,37,209 doses January 22 61,62,171 doses Total doses: 1,61,81,65,913 odisha Jan 21 Jan 22 Fresh cases 9,833 8,845 Recoveries Deaths 10,390 11,344 06 07 Cryptoman Rises PLUS 12 PAGES B it c o i n c r a s h g a n d h i ’ s f a v o u r ite h y m n Cryptos shed over $1 tn in market cap ‘Abide with me’ dropped from Beating Retreat U m a K a nn a n @ Benglauru Cryptocurrency prices, which have been falling ever since Russia’s central bank proposed a ban on crypto trading, touched a new low on Saturday with Bitcoin tumbling to $36,000 levels, a drop of over 17% from last week. In the past 24 hours alone, Bitcoin has shed over 8.5%. Ethereum, the second largest crypto, also dropped 12% in 24 hours. Other altcoins such as BNB, ADA and SOL too tanked. In all, the cryptocurrency market cap has shrunk a whopping $1.3 trillion. On Thursday, Russia’s central bank had called for a ban on cryptos citing threats of citizens’ well-being and also financial stability. The move created considerable concern among investors as Russia is one of the world’s largest crypto adopters. However, major players such as CoinDCX, India’s largest cryptocur- rency exchange, are unfazed as they believe the current meltdown won’t have a longterm impact on the crypto market. They point out the sector has weathered bans, restrictions and regulatory scrutiny in the past as well. Not just cryptos, most other markets are down this week, points out Sathvik Vishwanath, co-founder and CEO of Unocoin. He attributes the fall to the Covid pandemic, among other things. Bitcoin was trading at $35,486 on Saturday . E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The hymn Abide with me, which endeared itself to Mahatma Gandhi and has been a part of the Beating Retreat ceremony since 1950, will not be played this year. All the tunes in this year’s list are of Indian origin, according to a brochure released by the Ar my on Saturday . Abide with me has been replaced by the popular patriotic song Ae mere watan ke logon, written by Kavi Pradeep to commemorate the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in the 1962 India-China war. In 2020 too, there were reports that the tune would be dropped but no such decision was taken. The soothing hymn was written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1861 and it was set to tune by William Henry Monk. The retreat tune will continue to be Sare jahan se accha. Twitterati react- ed sharply to the news. “Gandhi ji’s favourite hymn dropped from Beating Retreat. There is no end to the hate,” said one. “New India, No Amar Jyothi, no Abide With Me during the Beating Re t re at . S i cko ’s B J P, ” C o n g r e s s leader Ajoy Kumar tweeted. The move to drop the hymn comes days after the decision to merge the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate with the eternal flame of the National War Memorial. A total of 44 buglers, 16 trumpeters and 75 drummers from six bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force and central armed police forces will be performing at this year’s ceremony . Beating Retreat is a centuries-old military tradition of troops disengaging from battle at sunset. As soon as the buglers sounded the retreat, the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield.