UiTV Connect

  Nepal on Monday launched a digital visa system to replace its 45-year-old hand-written visa regime. Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel inaugurated the new system under which visas are produced digitally from the integrated information system of the Department of Immigration, the Xinhua news agency reported. According to a statement by the Department of Immigration, key features of the digital visa system include hologram and water mark as security features and QR code in visa sticker with details of the visa enabling authorities to determine whether the visa is authentic with the help of QR code readers. The department said that as the digital system generates visas, their details cannot be tempered. Likewise, the software system itself will generate visa numbers and three visas can be accommodated on a single page of passport. "With the new system, the security and management of visas is expected to be strengthened," the department said. "Cur

  ICC match referee Phil Whitticase -- who officiated in the three-match T20I series between England and Sri Lanka which concluded on June 26 with the hosts winning 3-0 -- has tested positive for Covid-19. Whitticase, along with seven other officials, will not officiate in the three match ODI series beginning at Chester-le-Street, Durham on Tuesday. The England and Wales Cricket (ECB) Board said in a statement on Sunday that, "Following a PCR test administered on Friday 25 June at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, The England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that ICC Match Referee Phil Whitticase has tested positive for Covid-19. Whitticase, who was officiating during the three-match Vitality IT20 Series between England and Sri Lanka, is well and is asymptomatic. "He will now observe a period of 10-days of self-isolation from 25 June, in accordance with the UK Government's protocol on quarantine," ECB stated. "Seven other members from the match officials and anti

    Shamita Shetty welcomed the weekend with a happy dance. She took to Instagram on Saturday and posted a boomerang video clip of her dancing joyfully. "When u#you realise it's Saturday #saturdayvibes #saturday #fun #weekend #love #instadaily," she wrote with the clip. Shamita is seen dressed aptly for the weekend in a light-yellow floral off-shoulder short dress. Her hair is tied in two buns and butterfly earrings add to the weekend vibe. The actress will soon be seen in the upcoming film "The Tenant". Read More:   https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/sharara-girl-shamity-shetty-sets-weekend-mood

  Actress Vedika Bhandari , who recently played Tara in the nine-episode drama series "Indori Ishq", says her parents were her biggest strength when she decided to take up acting after giving up chartered accountancy. The actress has earlier been part of shows like "Sanjivani", "Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki", besides the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer "Dream Girl". "My mother used to take me to auditions when I was a kid. Although I did a few assignments back then, I decided to focus on completing my basic education before taking a deeper plunge into this profession at a later date," she told IANS. "The thought evaporated from my mind as I grew up but when I started pursuing chartered accountancy, I gradually felt that my calling was to perform as an actress. I was clearing levels in my studies but my heart was beating for something else," she added. "I finally spoke to my parents about it and they readily let me chase my dreams. I tr

  Actress Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram on Thursday to post a picture with her horse, whom she calls Lightening. In the picture, the actress is seen looking candidly at her brown horse on a paddock field early in the morning. She is dressed in riding attire with helmet, black polo neck T-shirt, breeches, pants and black gloves, with long boots and sunglasses completing the look. She shared her thoughts on the affection between humans and animals and how animals unconditionally continue giving love to humans. "You may give your all to humans to win their affection but one small little mistake they will change their mind about you but once an animal gives you his/her heart it's with you always... This morning with my lovely Lightening," she wrote. Kangana's upcoming line-up includes "Thalaivi", "Dhaakad" and "Tejas". She recently announced she would be playing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a film titled "Emergency". R

   George Clooney, Mindy Kaling , Don Cheadle, Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington are among several Hollywood personalities who will come together to co-found a film school for underserved communities next year. The institution, named Roybal School of Film and Television Production, will provide academic as well as practical lessons, and access to Hollywood stalwarts and professionals, besides an internship initiative, according to variety.com. "Our aim is to better reflect the diversity of our country. That means starting early. It means creating high school programs that teach young people about cameras, and editing and visual effects and sound and all the career opportunities that this industry has to offer. It means internships that lead to well-paying careers. It means understanding that we're all in this together," Clooney said in a statement, reported the website. Others associated with the initiative include actor Grant Heslov, producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner,

   Social networking companies like Facebook and YouTube do not want to help Bangladesh if citizens are engaged in spreading militancy or misinformation, terming those as 'free speech', but comes to the aid in case of serious propaganda against the state or specific people and sometimes regarding terrorism, Mustafa Jabbar, Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, said on Friday. Jabbar said that a draft law has already been prepared as the Digital Security Act is not sufficient to address these issues, saying, "They have all of our information but we cannot take any action against them. A new law of Bangladesh is underway to address the issues with social networking companies." He added that as cybercrime is on the rise, the use of technology needs to be increased in crime detection in every police station across the country. Jabbar also said that the families need to further emphasise on raising awareness about cybercrime. In a programme on the ten

  India are among the 22 teams out of 24 teams that have advanced to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifiers final round, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Wednesday. Following the conclusion of the preliminary joint qualifiers Round 2, 13 teams, including AFC Asian Cup 2023 host China and FIFA World Cup 2022 host and reigning Asian champions Qatar have sealed their places for the main competition scheduled to take place from June 16-July 16, 2023. Therefore, three of the lowest ranked second-placed teams, all eight third and fourth-placed teams across Groups A to H, as well as three best fifth-placed teams -- 22 teams in total -- have qualified for the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifiers final round. The remaining four participating teams, ranked 36 to 39, will compete in the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifiers play-offs, which will be played over two legs on September 7 and October 12, with the draw to be held on June 24. The four teams are: Indonesia, Camb

  An IndiGo flight's tyre burst while it was attempting to land at Hubballi in Karnataka, the airline said on Tuesday. The 6E 7979 aircraft, an ATR, was operating from Kerala's Kannur. Confirming the incident, the airline said in a statement, "IndiGo ATR 6E 7979 from Kannur to Hubli reported a tyre burst at Hubballi upon arrival on Monday evening." The aircraft, however, landed safely at around 8.35 p.m. on Monday with seven passengers and four crew members. "All passengers and crew are safe. The aircraft is currently undergoing maintenance checks at Hubballi," the IndiGo statement read. The airport director of Hubballi, Pramod Kumar Thakur, told reporters that all the passengers were safely deboarded and the runway was cleared for operations at 2.20 am. "It was the last flight of the day, hence the airport remained unaffected. All our operations were normal on Tuesday," he said. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/indigo-flights-tyr

  Spain dominated for 90 minutes in their Euro 2020 opener against Sweden but were unable to turn possession and chances into goals as their match ended in a goalless draw on Monday night. The Spanish controlled with over 80 percent of possession and had 17 shots on the goal, but were unable to get the ball past a solid Robin Olsen as their forwards misfired. Spain coach Luis Enrique started with 18-year-old midfielder Pedri, who became the youngest player ever to represent Spain in the finals stage of a tournament. Midfielder Koke also started while Alvaro Morata was preferred to Gerard Moreno in attack, Xinhua reports. The Spanish dominated the first half, pinning the Swedes back in their own half. Dani Olmo's header after 16 minutes was denied by Olsen. Koke fired wide, failing to hit the target in the 24th minute. The ball dropped for him in the Swedish area but he failed to keep his shot down. The best chance came Morata's way in the 38th minute after Marcus Danielson'

  New Zealand opener Tom Latham has said that captain Kane Williamson and wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling are recovering well and is confident the duo will be available for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India from June 18 at the Hampshire Bowl. "They are recovering reasonably well. It was important for them to get a bit of rest and be fully fit heading into the next week, so I am sure they will go through the fitness testing protocol over the next day or two in order for them to be ready to go for the next week. Fingers crossed. We will have a fully fit squad," said Latham, who stood in place of Williamson in the second Test against England at Birmingham which the Kiwis won. New Zealand defeated England in the second Test by eight wickets on Sunday to clinch their first Test series win in England since 1999. They managed to do it with a side that missed many frontline players. Apart from Williamson and Watling, the Kiwis missed pace bowlers Tim Southee and

  Actor Owen Wilson explains the timeline of the new series "Loki", saying it started from where "Avengers: Endgame" ends. The Kate Herron directorial based on Marvel Comics stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino among others. Explaining the timeline, Wilson said: "We're right where it ends off in 'Avengers: Endgame'. That is where we're taking Loki out. And now, he's going to be sort of a fish out of water, but much more than that. It would almost be like waking from a dream or a nightmare. All of a sudden you find yourself in this reality that you have no context for. And so, part of Mobius' job is explaining to him what exactly is happening and what this new reality is." "Loki" streams in English on Disney+ Hotstar Premium and in Hindi on Disney+ Hotstar VIP where it will also release in Tamil and Telugu. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/owen-wilson-explains-timeline-loki

A top court in the US has agreed to hear a case seeking to block a civil rights lawsuit filed by three Muslim men, accusing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for conducting surveillance on them after the 9/11 attacks. The US Supreme Court will hear the appeal filed by the FBI against a lower court's 2019 ruling, which led to various claims made by the three Muslim men, taking the case into litigation. As per details, the 2011 lawsuit accuses the FBI of infiltrating mainstream mosques in Southern California and targeting Muslim Americans for surveillance. The lawsuit accused the agency of engaging in religious discrimination in violation of the US Constitution's First Amendment by targeting Muslims, as well as violating the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. The petitioners of the lawsuit include Yassir Fazaga, an imam at the Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Veijo, Ali Uddin Malik, who attended the Islamic Centre of Irvine, and

    England county Worcestershire have replaced Sandeep Lamichhane with New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi for 2021 T20 Blast after the Nepal leggie could not get his United Kingdom visa in time. "Because of passport and visa issues Sandeep was already going to miss at least the first four games and probably more," said Worcestershire chairman Paul Pridgeon while naming Sodhi as his replacement. The 20-year-old Nepal bowler, however, has got the visa according to espncricinfo.com and will be available for The Hundred which begins on July 21. He is contracted to play for The Oval Invincibles in the tournament and will feature in the first match. The 20-year-old Lamichhane had been trying to get a visa for some time and tweeted his frustration at the delay last month. "Any leads in @VFSGlobal Nepal? It's been more than a month since I applied for my UK visa to participate in #T20Blast & #TheHundred. My flight day is approaching and every time I call the office to g

  US researchers have started a clinical trial to test what happens when adults who have been fully vaccinated with one type of Covid-19 vaccine receive booster doses of a different Covid-19 vaccine. The trial aims to determine the safety and immunogenicity of mixed boosted regimens, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Xinhua reported. The trial will include about 150 adults who have been fully vaccinated with one of the three approved Covid-19 vaccines in the United States, the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. Each vaccine group will enroll about 25 people aged 18 to 55 years, and about 25 people aged 56 years and older. Twelve to 20 weeks following their initial vaccination regimen, participants will receive a single booster dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine as part of the trial. People who have not received Covid-19 vaccine are also eligible to enroll in the trial in a separate cohort. These volunteers will initially receive the two-dose Mo