The Indian Weekender

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14 INDIA Friday, October 02, 2020 The Indian Weekender India: Coronavirus cases Confirmed: 6,310,267 Deaths: 98,708 Recovered: 5,270,007 NEWS in BRIEF In UP’s last budget before polls, funds for development will be a major challenge As the Uttar Pradesh government begins the process of preparing the budget for 2021-2022, a major challenge of providing funds for development schemes and other important public works stares the authorities in the face. Adding to the challenge will be the new schemes and populist announcements that chief minister Adityanath may like to make in his government’s last annual budget before the state goes to polls early in 2022. “Yes, the state’s budget for 2021-2022 will be a major challenge. The UP government will have to be realistic about the size of the budget this time in view of resource constraints. It should also mark its priorities as this will be the last budget before the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh,” said Yashvir Tyagi, former professor of economics, Lucknow University. Adityanath may also opt for presenting a supplementary budget or a mini-poll budget later to make populist announcements as was done by his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav a few months before the 2017 polls. India can now take defence assets on lease India can take defence assets on lease as and when required and operate without owning thereby, substituting huge initial capital outlays, the Defence Ministry said while releasing the new defence acquisition procedure. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh unveiled a new Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 in New Delhi on Monday which took a year to frame after taking all stakeholders on board, including Indian and foreign industries as well as think tanks. It has five new categories and the policy pertaining to leasing has been included for the first time. On what all can be leased, Director General (Acquisition) Apurva Chandra said, "There is no such list and it would be on a case to case basis." He also said that leasing is a new category introduced to enable operating of assets without owning thereby, substitute huge initial capital outlays. S Jaishankar: ‘Joint efforts to combat human trafficking need of the hour’ External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a virtual meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen, in New Delhi. India said that joint efforts to combat human trafficking are the need of the hour, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen through virtual mode. Ties between the two countries had been strained since December last year as the CAA and NRC issues took centre stage. Jaishankar said, “Sincere efforts have also been made by both sides to develop greater coordination between our border guarding forces through mechanisms like joint patrolling and exchange of real time information. I strongly feel that joint efforts to combat human trafficking are the need of the hour. Our border guarding force has been particularly sensitized on this important issue.” India successfully test-fires BrahMos missile India successfully test-fired an extended- range supersonic cruise missile BrahMos with an indigenous booster from a test facility off the Odisha coast. The missile was launched around 10.30 am from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore district, sources said. An Indo-Russian joint venture, BrahMos missile has a strike range of about 400 km. "Congratulate @DRDO_India on the successful test-firing of an extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. The missile with an indigenous booster will further strengthen India's defence capability," tweeted Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It is the second time that the extended-range version of BrahMos has been test-fired. BrahMos missile was originally built with a range of 290 km. International flights to remain suspended till Oct 31 The Central government extended the suspension of scheduled commercial international flight operations to and from India till October 31. "This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," an official statement said. "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis," it added. Passenger air services were suspended on March 25 due to the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of Covid-19. Domestic flight services, however, resumed from May 25. 88m in India may have been exposed to Sars-Cov2: Sero survey One in every 15 individuals, or 6.6%, of people above the age of 10 years in India, have been exposed to Sars-Cov2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19), till August, according to the findings of Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) second national sero survey released on Tuesday. If extrapolated across the country’s population, this would mean that nearly 88 million people may have been silently exposed to the virus. The second iteration of ICMR’s national sero survey covered 29,082 individuals and was conducted between August 17 and September 22, in the same 700 villages and wards from 70 districts in 21 states that were covered in the first survey. The first countrywide sero survey (conducted between May 11 and June 4) showed overall infection prevalence to be 0.73%. All other parameters about the two surveys were similar except for the targeted age bracket — in the first phase population selected was 18 years and above, and in the second phase samples were included from 10 years and above. “We changed the age group in the second survey from 18 years to 10 years and above because infection was also seen in younger population. Sero survey gives us virus exposure prevalence, but you may or may not have developed the disease,” said Dr Balram Bhargava, director general, ICMR. About 3ml-5ml of blood sample was collected to study the presence of IgG antibodies against Sars-Cov2 virus. IgG antibodies are the longer lasting antibodies that help determine a past infection. “How much time in the past is a work in progress but these develop about 2-3 weeks after having contracted the infection and approximately stay for about 2-3 months,” said Dr Bhargava. Hathras gang-rape brings spotlight back on crime against women As the pyre for the body of the Hathras gangrape victim was set alight amid heavy police presence in her hometown, a young journalist was seen arguing with a policeman. As the confrontation between the journalist and the policeman reaches its peak, the background fire, which was dimly lit in the mobile video, too blazed high at midnight. Back in Delhi, various political parties and activists staged a protest trying to march towards UP Bhawan in the capital. At least 150 protesters were detained by Delhi Police. Not just on the roads, the cry for justice could be heard on various social media platforms as well where prominent personalities raised their voice against injustice. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra switched from Hindi to English several tmes while tweeting on the Hathras case. "I was on the phone with the Hathras victim's father when he was informed that his daughter had passed away. I heard him cry out in despair," she tweeted. In a series of tweets and a video message, she was seen asking questions from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and on the role of the state police. As the comparisons were drawn, the brutality of the gang-rape was US hails India partnership as crucial for global recovery from Covid-19 The US hailed its partnership with India on protective equipment and medical supplies during the "desperate" early days of the Covid-19 pandemic as the "clearest example" of positive global collaboration rising from one of its "most important partnerships in the world". The current US outlook frames India as a crucial partner for bouncing back from the pandemic's deadly blow. "India has been an important partner for the United States since the early days of the pandemic "Was naive to think that tough laws & capital punishment can deter rapists. Unless India reforms its medieval mindset towards compared to the Nirbhaya case, the horrific incident of December 16, 2012 which evoked nationwide outrage. Visuals of protesters being dragged into police vans looked like a replica of what happened after Nirbhaya's death. Not just politicians and activists, several film stars and cricketers also raised questions on women's security after condemning the Hathras incident. "Angry & Frustrated! Such brutality in Hathras gangrape. When will this stop? Our laws and their enforcement must be so strict that the mere thought of punishment makes rapists shudder with fear! Hang the culprits. Raise ur voice to safeguard daughters and sistersits the least we can do," Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar tweeted. Cricketer Virat Kohli also demanded justice for the victim and called the incident beyond cruelty. "What happened in Hathras is women, nothing will change." when countries were desperate for factual information about the virus and searching for personal protective equipment and other medical supplies," a senior US State Department Official said during a background briefing on the 'US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership'. "Looking forward to the next six months and beyond. We know that our continued close cooperation with India will be an important part of the global recovery from the pandemic," the US official said. "The US-India "collaborative inhumane and goes beyond cruelty. Hope the culprits of this heinous crime will be brought to justice," Virat tweeted. In November 2019, the gangrape and murder of a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Shamshabad, Telangana, sparked outrage across India. All four accused were shot dead by police after they allegedly tried to flee. "Was naive to think that tough laws & capital punishment can deter rapists. Nirbhaya & Hathras have shattered this belief. Unless India reforms its medieval mindset towards women, nothing will change. "This will require action & leadership, not cliches & partisanship," former Union Minister Milind Deora said in a tweet. Despite strict laws and an example that how Nirbhaya's gangrape convicts were hanged, Delhi saw 908 rape cases till August 15 this year. In 2019, the rape cases reported during the same period were 1,402. approach on therapeutics" is being underlined as an "excellent example" of positive global impact. "American company, Gilead has granted voluntary nonexclusive licensing agreements to Indian pharmaceutical companies to produce a generic form of remdesivir," according to the State Department official. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the UN General Assembly last week, pledged to help the world produce and deliver potential coronavirus vaccines.
The Indian Weekender Friday, October 02, 2020 WORLD 15 Covid-19: New global test will give results 'in minutes' A test that can diagnose Covid-19 in minutes will dramatically expand the capacity to detect cases in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. The $5 test could transform tracking of Covid-19 in less wealthy countries, which have shortages of healthcare workers and laboratories, the BBC reported on Monday. A deal with manufacturers will provide 120 million tests over six months. The WHO's head called it a major milestone. Lengthy gaps between taking a test and receiving a result have hampered many countries' attempts to control the spread of coronavirus. In some countries with high infection rates, including India and Mexico, experts have said that low testing rates are disguising the true spread of their outbreaks. The "new, highly portable and easy-to-use test" will provide results in 15-30 minutes instead of hours or days, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Monday. Drugs manufacturers Abbott and SD Biosensor have agreed with the charitable Bill and Melinda Gates Trump drags India into US presidential debate, twice US President Donald Trump on Tuesday alleged India, Russia and China might not be reporting correct Covid-19 toll figures as he sought to defend his own handling of the public health crisis at his first debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden. The president also brought up the three countries in an exchange with Biden over climate change, saying India, Russia and China “send up real dirt into the air”. Trump has frequently brought up Covid-19 testing in India to claim the United States was doing a far better job of it, and attributing more testing to the higher toll. And he had previously alleged China was concealing the true magnitude of its Covid-19 crisis. But this was probably the first time he had alleged under-reporting by India. “You don’t know how many died in China. You don’t know how many people died in Russia. You don’t know how many people died in India,” he said, adding, “They don’t exactly give a straight count, just so you understand.” Of the more than 1 million killed worldwide by the pandemic, over 200,000 were in the United States, 97,497 in India, 20,456 in Russia and 4,739 in China, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s Covid-19 tracker. Questions have been raised before Foundation to produce 120 million of the tests, Tedros explained. The deal covers 133 countries, including many in Latin America which is currently the region hardest-hit by the pandemic in terms of fatality and infection rates. "This is a vital addition to their testing capacity and especially important in areas of high transmission," Tedros added. "This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have laboratory facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out tests," he said. about China’s figures that seemed to be dramatically low for a country where the epidemic started last December. It has serious credibility issues in this regard also because it did not tell the world early enough that the virus can have human-tohumsn transmission and that it can be transmitted by asymptomatic people. Trump has attacked India and China before in the context of climate change. In fact, he pulled the United States out of the Paris Accord falsely claiming it gave India and China a sweeter deal. He has repeated that claim several times since, always without any proof or truth. UK at 'critical moment' with coronavirus: PM Boris Johnson The prime minister told a No 10 briefing the UK was at a "critical moment" and the rising number of cases and deaths shows "why our plan is so essential". He said he would "not hesitate" to impose further restrictions if needed. Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said: "We don't have this under control at the moment." "There's no cause for complacency here at all," he added. It comes as the latest UK coronavirus figures showed there have been a further 7,108 cases and another 71 deaths. Last week, Mr Johnson introduced restrictions including a 10pm closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants in England, with similar announcements in Scotland and Wales, and a 15-person limit on weddings. Since then, further local lockdowns have come into force, including in north-east England, where households are banned from mixing indoors. At the press conference at Downing Street, Mr Johnson also said the nation could face the winter "with confidence" because it was now better prepared than in March. The preparations include being on track for 500,000 tests a day by the end of October, 2,000 beds in seven Nightingale hospitals and a four-month supply of protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gowns and visors. He said they had trebled the number of ventilators in the NHS to 31,500 in the last six months. There were 312 Covid-19 patients in mechanical ventilator beds as of Tuesday, the government said, and 2,252 in hospital, as reported. 'Will the second wave be less severe?' It is now clear the second wave is here. Infections, hospital cases and deaths are all rising. But what happens next is the big unknown. The doomsday scenario of a doubling of cases every week that was put forward last week is not materialising. The increase in hospital admissions is even more gradual - and the total numbers being admitted are more than 10 times lower than they were at the peak. It points to a slower, less severe wave this time round. But it is still early days. We are just at the start of the autumn and winter period when respiratory viruses circulate more. World: Coronavirus cases Confirmed: 34,153,075 Deaths: 1,018,732 Recovered: 25,424,847 NEWS in BRIEF 'Arrivals to Aus from Covid-19 safe nations could quarantine at home' Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday that people arriving in the country from "Covid-19 safe" nation could be allowed to quarantine at home, than at a hotel. Since late March, international arrivals to Australia were to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine at their port of entry, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said in a news report. Addressing the media, the Prime Minister said that the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), the government health advisory body, was currently mulling the move to allow people coming in from "safe" countries to quarantine at home. "I think home quarantine can play a role in the future and it's something that is being considered by the AHPPC, particularly as we move beyond the phase we're in now. "(As) we do look to have our borders open up at some point to safe locations, whether it be New Zealand or parts of the Pacific, or places like South Korea or Japan, or countries that have had a much higher rate of success, then there are opportunities to look at those alternative methods," the ABC news report quoted Morrison as saying. NASA targets Halloween for next manned SpaceX mission NASA and SpaceX now are targeting October 31 for the launch of the agency's SpaceX Crew-1 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. The US space agency had earlier targeted October 23 for the launch of the mission which comes after the SpaceX Demo-2 test flight which flew astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the space station. The new target date which falls on Halloween will deconflict the Crew-1 launch and arrival from upcoming Soyuz launch and landing operations, NASA said on Monday. While a Soyuz capsule launch is scheduled for October 14, a Soyuz departure from space station is set to take place on October 21. NASA said the additional time is needed to ensure closure of all open work, both on the ground and aboard the station, ahead of the Crew-1 arrival. The Crew-1 mission will take astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker of NASA and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the station on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. After 493 days, Belgium gets new PM After a wait of 493 days since the last federal election, Belgium got its new Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Wednesday. De Croo is set to lead the country's 7-party Vivaldi coalition of Flemish and Francophone socialists, liberals and greens. De Croo will spearhead the Vivaldi coalition in steering the country through the aftershocks of the pandemic, and is set to face fierce pushback from the Flemish opposition parties, sidelined from the incoming administration despite making big gains in the election, reported Brussels Times. The choice of De Croo follows calls for the country's new Prime Minister to be a Dutch-speaker, since the last PM to lead a full-fledged government, Charles Michel, was Francophone. As De Croo's fellow government formator, the Francophone socialist Paul Magnette, who leads the largest party within the Vivaldi coalition, was also tipped for premiership. Two-thirds of US voters don't expect winner on election night Two-thirds or 66 per cent of the US voters do not expect the result of the November 3 election to be declared on the same night, according to a new poll. The Politico/Morning Consult poll released on Monday showed that only 20 per cent believed the winner will be declared on November 3 itself. Also, 19 per cent said they think the election will be resolved within a week, while and 26 per cent others said it will be between two and seven days after the polls close, the poll showed. An additional 21 per cent of voters believe the period of uncertainty will stretch past one week. A majority of voters or 53 per cent in the Politico/Morning Consult poll said they were either very or somewhat concerned that President Donald Trump would prematurely declare victory for the election. One-third of respondents expressed the same concerns about his rival, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Meanwhile, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed Biden ahead of Trump nationally by a margin of 51 per cent to 43 per cent.
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