Covaxin has run into fresh trouble and although there is nothing yet to doubt the efficacy of the vaccine, it could certainly have done without it. Lakshadweep has decided to raise the sedition charge against criticism and the RBI’s foreign reserves are doing very well. A popular entertainment company has been forced to let go of 200 employees.
CORONAVIRUS NEWS
No Emergency USE: Bharat Biotech failed to get a nod from FDA for Covaxin due to insufficient information. It has been asked to pursue full approval instead, which would be a much longer process. In addition, Covid task force head Dr V K Paul has said that the vaccine’s phase-3 results would be published in 7-8 days. Earlier, the company had said the results would be published in July.
Commitment: G7 leaders commit to contribute 1bn vaccines to poor countries. The US and G7 are looking to reallocate $100bn meant for the IMF to Covid fight. France backs India’s demand to lift restrictions on vaccine materials.
Scrap it: FDA tells Johnson and Johnson that 60 million doses of its single-dose vaccine could not be used as the factory they were made failed standards.
Scrap that: UK parliamentarians feel that a “Covid Passport”, which will be used to screen Euro 2020 fans, will be discriminatory.
Probe it: There is an allegation that Co-WIN data had been put up for sale on the Dark Web. The government has now ordered a probe. Although there is no confirmation on this, sources told IE that the “issue had been handled”.
INDIA NEWS
Jumper: Mukul Roy and son Subhranshu return to the TMC from the BJP.
Let Italy Decide: Supreme Court says Italian courts will decide the fate of the two marines who killed Indian fishermen.
Lakshadweep: Sedition charge against filmmaker Aisha Sultana for showing dissent against the administrator.
Flagship: UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was termed a “life saver” by the Gujarat govt over helping accommodate migrants.
Speculation: NCP’s Sharad Pawar meets ace strategist Prashant Kishor for three hours. Although Pawar played down the meeting and Kishor had earlier said he had quit, there is talk of an opposition alliance in 2024.
Just Do Your Job: Allahabad high court ordered police to protect a couple from their parents. It says that the girl’s conversion to Islam was of no relevance. UP has an anti-conversion law, also called “love jihad” law.
Here to Serve: Twitter said it served notices to cartoonists, retired IAS officers and fact checkers after it was served requests from unnamed law enforcement agencies. Govt, however, said it had served no such notice.
WORLD NEWS
Moby Dick-esque: A man in the US was swallowed by a humpback whale and then spit out. He survived. Here’s his story.
Spymaster: Donald Trump secretly got phone data on two Democrat lawmakers by issuing a subpoena to Apple, which complied with them. The company later said it was a “mistake”. Dept of Justice will now investigate.
Interview or ‘Threat’view?: Israel’s outgoing spy chief Yossi Cohen, in an interview, details Mossad’s actions against Iran, including the killing of its top nuclear scientist. The interview comes even as the Knessets votes on the government on Sunday.
Country in Protest: Spain is witnessing nationwide protests against domestic violence after a girl’s body was found. Her father allegedly killed her and dumped her in the sea.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Probing: Competition commission of India will look into selling practices followed by Amazon and Flipkart. Complaints alleged that the businesses preferred their own subsidiaries.
Forex Growth: RBI says its move to buy dollars when inflows were high has swelled its foreign reserves (forex) to over $600bn, enough to meet 16 months of import. India is now fifth largest in terms of forex.
ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Stop That!: Scientists have asked Norway to not go ahead with a plan to capture minke whales and subject them to sounds in an effort to learn more about underwater noise pollution.
“I’m more than disappointed, I’m worried about the consequences. We need to make sure we reverse the trends, not maintain the trends. It’s now clear we are coming to a point of no return.”
António Guterres, UN secretary general on Climate Change.
Pic: Cancillería Argentina/Wikimedia Commons
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