The Indian Weekender, 26 March 2021

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14 INDIA Friday, March 26, 2021 The Indian Weekender NEWS in BRIEF India at forefront of initiatives to prevent noncommunicable diseases: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is at the "forefront" of initiatives that seek to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCD). Modi's remarks came after the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) commended India's remarkable progress in reducing premature mortality from NCD. Expressing gratitude to UNITAR, the Prime Minister said in a tweet, "India is at the forefront of initiatives that seek to prevent non-communicable diseases and further wellness. Grateful to UNITAR for their kind words. Together, we all have to make our planet healthier". The UNITAR also sought India's cooperation in promoting lessons of the National Multisectoral Action Plan (NMAP) for prevention and control of common NCDs. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also tweeted on the subject. Bagchi wrote, "Long strides towards tackling non-communicable diseases (NCD). UNITAR commends India's remarkable progress to reduce pre-mature mortality from NCDs and seeks cooperation with Government of India to promote lessons learned from implementation of the NMAP for Prevention and Control of Common NCDs." ISRO demonstrates free space quantum communication Indian space agency has successfully demonstrated free-space Quantum Communication over a distance of 300 metre with several technologies developed within the country. "For the first time in the country, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully demonstrated free-space Quantum Communication over a distance of 300 metre," ISRO said. According to ISRO, a number of key technologies were developed indigenously to accomplish this major feat, which included the use of indigenously developed NAVIC receiver for time synchronization between the transmitter and receiver modules, and gimbal mechanism systems instead of bulky large-aperture telescopes for optical alignment. The demonstration has included live video conferencing using quantum-key-encrypted signals. This is a major milestone achievement for unconditionally secured satellite data communication using quantum technologies, ISRO said. India, US agree to re-establish Homeland Security Dialogue discontinued by Trump The Biden administration has announced the re-establishment of the Homeland Security Dialogue with India that was discontinued by the previous Trump dispensation. This comes a day after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke with India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and expressed his desire to further strengthen the partnership between India and his department. “Mayorkas and Sandhu agreed to re-establish the US-India Homeland Security Dialogue and to discuss important issues such as cybersecurity, emerging technology and addressing violent extremism,” according to a readout of the meeting issued. It is rare for the department to issue a readout of the secretary’s meeting with a foreign envoy. “During their discussion, they highlighted the positive engagement that has already taken place during the Biden Administration, including with the Quad, which addressed concrete commitments to cooperate on COVID-19, climate actions, and cybersecurity,” said the readout. After two-year pause, Indus water talks take off between India, Pakistan The Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan met for the first time in over two years in New Delhi on Tuesday in a bid to resolve a host of outstanding issues under the Indus Waters Treaty, including Pakistan’s objections to the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab river. Pradeep Kumar Saxena, Commissioner (Indus), is leading the Indian delegation, while the Pakistan side is being led by Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah, the country’s Commissioner for Indus Waters. While no official statement has been issued regarding the meeting, which began at 10 am and continued till 5 pm, an official said both sides “presented their views to each other”. The meeting is being seen as a positive step after both countries agreed to the LoC ceasefire last month. India is building the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project on river Marusudar, a tributary of the Chenab. The project is located in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir. The second project, Lower Kalnai, is being developed on the Chenab river. CORONAVIRUS: 'Double mutant' Covid variant found in India A new "double mutant" variant of the coronavirus has been detected from samples collected in India. Officials are checking if the variant, where two mutations come together in the same virus, may be more infectious or less affected by vaccines. Some 10,787 samples from 18 Indian states also showed up 771 cases of known variants - 736 of the UK, 34 of the South African and one Are double mutants a be effective, though sometimes less Brazilian. so when compared to the original Officials say the variants are not worry? viruses they were designed against. linked to a spike in cases in India. A "double mutant virus" - it's a Scientists are confident that if needed, India reported 47,262 cases and scary phrase. Breaking it down, the existing vaccines can be modified to 275 deaths on Wednesday - the words suggests that Indian scientists target new mutations. have discovered two significant sharpest daily rise this year. The Indian government denies mutations - or changes - in different The Indian SARS-CoV-2 that the rise in cases is linked to the locations in a single variant of Consortium on Genomics mutations. the virus. (INSACOG), a group of 10 national "Though VOCs [variants of That is not so surprising. Viruses laboratories under India's health concern] and a new double mutant mutate all the time but the questions ministry, carried out genomic variant have been found in India, that need answering are: does the these have not been detected in sequencing on the latest samples. presence of this double mutation numbers sufficient to either establish Genomic sequencing is a testing change how the virus behaves? Will a direct relationship or explain the process to map the entire genetic this variant be more infectious now, rapid increase in cases in some code of an organism - in this case, or cause more severe disease? And states," the health ministry said. the virus. importantly, will current vaccines The recent report comes after several experts had asked the government to step up genome sequencing efforts. "We need to constantly monitor and make sure none of the variants of concern are spreading in the population. The fact that it is not happening now doesn't mean it will not happen in the future. And we have to make sure that we get the evidence early enough," Dr Jameel told the India's two approved vaccines — AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech — are effective BBC's Soutik Biswas earlier this against the UK and Brazilian variants month. India became the fifth country in still work well against it? the world to sequence the genome of Scientists will now be busy doing the novel coronavirus after isolating the detective work needed to find out it from some of the first cases the answers. Officials say because recorded in January last year. The genetic code of the virus works like its instruction manual. Mutations in viruses are common but most of them are insignificant and do not cause any change in its ability to transmit or cause serious infection. But some mutations, like the ones in the UK or South Africa variant lineages, can make the virus more infectious and in some cases even deadlier. Virologist Shahid Jameel explained that a "double mutation in key areas of the virus's spike protein may increase these risks and allow the virus to escape the immune system". The spike protein is the part of the virus that it uses to penetrate human cells. The government said that an analysis of the samples collected from India's western Maharashtra state showed "an increase in the fraction of samples with the E484Q and L452R mutations" compared with December last year. "Such [double] mutations confer immune escape and increased infectivity," the health ministry said in a statement. Dr Jameel added that "there may be a separate lineage developing in India with the L452R and E484Q mutations coming together". India reported more than 47,000 new infections over the previous 24-hour period, the highest since early November the proportion of tests that have come back with this double mutation is currently low, there is currently nothing to suggest this is behind the current surge in cases. What is clear is that this double mutation, as different as it sounds, requires the same public health response. Increased testing, tracking of close contacts, the prompt isolation of cases, as well as masks and social distancing will all help. Reducing the pressure on India's over-burdened healthcare system is key. In terms of vaccines - so far, for many variants of concern around the world they have been shown to More than 11.7 million cases and 160,000 deaths later, efforts are continuing to identify mutations. The latest surge - which began this month - comes during what some experts have called a "delicate phase" for India - the healthcare system is already exhausted from a year-long battle against the coronavirus. States have already begun reintroducing restrictions, including curfews and intermittent lockdowns. Two major cities, Delhi and Mumbai, have also ordered randomised rapid tests at airports, railway stations and crowded areas such as shopping malls.
The Indian Weekender Friday, March 26, 2021 WORLD 15 NEWS in BRIEF Qantas says vaccines will be required to fly The boss of Australian airline Qantas says governments are going to insist on vaccines for international travellers. Coronavirus vaccines are seen as crucial to reviving an industry that saw worldwide passenger numbers fall 75.6% last year. Chief executive Alan Joyce told the BBC many governments are talking about vaccination as "a condition of entry". Even if they weren't, he thought the airline should enforce its own policy. He believes that would justify changing the terms and conditions on which tickets are booked. Joyce thinks passengers would be willing to accept the change. The lack of passengers means that in the last six months of 2020 Qantas lost 800m US dollars. That compares with a profit of $596m in the same period of 2019. It's also meant 8,500 job cuts from a pre-pandemic staff of about 29,000. And thousands of others are on furlough, with the Australian government paying their wages. Other international carriers have seen similar reversals in US trial confirms Astra-Zeneca is 79% effective at stopping symptomatic COVID and 100% effective at preventing people from falling seriously ill Results from the long-awaited US trial of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID vaccine are out and confirm that the shot is both safe and highly effective. The BBC reports that more than 32,000 volunteers took part, mostly in America, but also in Chile and Peru. The vaccine is 79% effective at stopping symptomatic COVID disease and 100% effective at preventing people from falling seriously ill. And there are no safety issues regarding blood clots. The US trial should further reassure some EU countries that recently paused rollout of the vaccine amid concerns about a possible link. Some are already starting to use it again now that Europe's medicines regulator has completed its review and has also concluded the vaccine is safe and effective. Fiji has rolled out the first phase of Astra-Zeneca and health officials are now awaiting more batches of the doses under the COVAX facility. Data from this new trial - run by experts at Columbia University and the University of Rochester in collaboration with AstraZeneca - may also prove useful in reassuring people about how well the vaccine works to protect the elderly against COVID-19 illness. Several countries initially would not authorise the use of the vaccine in adults over 65 years, citing lack of evidence. Around a fifth of the volunteers in this trial were over 65 and the vaccine - given as two doses, four weeks apart - provided as much protection to them as to younger age groups. Professor Sarah Gilbert, co-designer of the vaccine, said in many different countries and across age groups, the vaccine is providing a high level of protection against COVID-19 and they hope this will lead to even more widespread use of the vaccine in the global attempts to bring the pandemic to an end. Professor Gilbert says there are always cases of people falling ill after receiving a vaccine, particularly when very large numbers are receiving a jab, but that does not mean that the vaccine is responsible for the problems. She says it is really important that they get the chance to protect people as quickly as possible, and this Astra-Zeneca vaccine will save lives. their fortunes. Aviation is vital to the global economy. The International Air Transport Association estimates that it supports 1.8 trillion US dollars in global economic activity. But government restrictions and fears of catching coronavirus have led to an unprecedented fall in passenger numbers in an industry that carried 4.5 billion people in 2019. Covid: Rich states 'block' vaccine plans for developing nations Wealthy countries - including the UK - are blocking proposals to help developing nations increase their vaccine manufacturing capabilities. Several poorer countries have asked the World Health Organization to help them. But richer nations are pushing back on provisions in international law that would enable them to achieve this. This is according to a leaked copy of the negotiating text of a WHO resolution on the issue. Among those richer nations are the UK, the US, as well as the European Union. "Where we could have language in there that would make it easier for countries to produce more vaccines and more medicines within their country, it would include initiatives that would finance and facilitate that. The UK is on the opposite side of the argument of trying to remove those kinds of progressive proposals from the text," says Diarmaid McDonald, from Just Treatment, a patient group for fair access to medicines. A spokesperson for the UK government says "a global pandemic requires a global solution and the UK is leading from the front, driving forward efforts to ensure equitable access around the world to Covid vaccines and treatments". NASA set to fly a mini helicopter on Mars In a first, the Perseverance rover on Mars is set to deploy a minihelicopter named Ingenuity that will fly and explore the Red Planet. After dropping the debris shield, Perseverance will spend next couple of days following the Ingenuity's flight zone on Mars. "Away goes the debris shield, and here's our first look at the helicopter. It's stowed sideways, folded up and locked in place, so there's some reverse origami to do before I can set it down. First though, I'll be off to the designated "helipad," a couple days' drive from here," the rover team said in a tweet on Monday. NASA expects the first test flight of the four-pound, four-blade rotorcraft to come "no earlier than the first week of April". The teams operating Ingenuity and NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover have chosen the flight zone where the helicopter will attempt the first powered, controlled flights on another planet. Perseverance – with Ingenuity attached to its belly – landed in Jezero Crater on February 18. Ingenuity is a technology demonstration with a limited test flight duration of up to 31 days (30 Mars days, or sols). "The rover will deploy the helicopter and provide environmental monitoring and imaging support. It also hosts Ingenuity's base station, enabling communication with mission controllers on Earth," according to NASA. NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is the first aircraft humanity has sent to another planet to attempt powered, controlled flight. If its experimental flight test program succeeds, the data returned could benefit future explorations of the Red Planet – including those by astronauts – by adding the aerial dimension, which is not available today. Biden considers executive actions on guns, calls on Congress to pass weapons ban U .S. President Joe Biden urged Congress to swiftly pass gun control laws and may take action on his own to stop mass violence, the White House said on Tuesday, a day after the second deadly mass shooting in a week. The Democrat called on the Senate to approve two bills passed by the House of Representatives on March 11 that would broaden background checks on gun buyers. He also called for a ban on assault-style weapons. “I don’t need to wait another minute - let alone an hour - to take common-sense steps that will save the lives in the future, and I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Biden is “considering a range” of executive actions to try to stop gun violence. Such actions do not require the approval of Congress. Britain toughens its post-Brexit asylum system Britain will introduce new rules for those seeking asylum, making it more difficult for refugees entering illegally to stay in the country in what interior minister Priti Patel called a firm but fair system. Since Britain completed its exit from the European Union at the end of last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been keen to set out a new independent vision for the country, unveiling new policies on defence, foreign affairs to immigration. In what the government calls the biggest overhaul of the asylum system in decades, the “New Plan for Immigration” sets out a plan to resettle refugees at urgent risk more quickly while making it more difficult for those arriving illegally. Iceland volcano remains hazardous after eruption near Reykjavík Volcanic activity has "somewhat decreased" in the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland, southwest of the capital Reykjavík, where a volcano erupted Friday night, the the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) announced Saturday. The current eruption is "small" with the "volcanic activity" having "decreased somewhat" in the area, the agency said on Twitter. The eruptive fissure is approximately 500-700 meters long according to the IMO with the lava area spanning less than one square kilometer. Despite this reduction in activity, the lava flows still pose a "local hazard," the IMO said. "Gas pollution is not expected to cause much discomfort for people except close up to the source of the eruption," a further tweet added. The IMO is continuing to monitor the gas emissions following Friday's spectacular eruption which caused authorities to direct citizens away from the major Reykjanesbraut highway. Covid: France and Poland increase lockdown measures as infections surge France and Poland have reintroduced partial lockdowns as both countries battle a sharp rise in Covid infections in recent weeks. Some 21 million people in 16 areas of France, including the capital Paris, are affected as the country fears a third wave. In Poland, non-essential shops, hotels, cultural and sporting facilities are now closed for three weeks. The country has the highest new daily rates of Covid cases since November. Coronavirus cases are also rising exponentially in Germany, with Chancellor Angela Merkel warning it is likely that the country will now need to apply an "emergency brake" and re-impose lockdown measures. The vaccine rollout across the European Union has been hindered by delayed deliveries, as well as the suspension in several countries of the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, over fears of possible side effects. Meanwhile demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions have affected several European cities. In Amsterdam, police fired water cannon to clear protesters from Museum Square, a frequent venue for unauthorised demonstrations.
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The Indian Weekender, 26 March 2021

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