MODI THANKS KAMALA HARRIS AFTER US COVID VACCINE ASSURANCE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday spoke to the United States Vice President Kamala Harris and expressed his appreciation for the assurance of Covid vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing.

“Spoke to VP Kamala Harris a short while ago. I deeply appreciate the assurance of vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing. I also thanked her for all the support and solidarity from the US govt, businesses and Indian diaspora,” Modi tweeted.

During the call, Kamala Harris conveyed that the United States will begin sharing vaccines with India, along with other countries by end of June. The two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen the health supply chain between the US and India, including in the area of vaccine manufacturing, a statement from PMO said.

SLOWER FALL IN CASES IN SOUTH THAN IN NORTH

The second wave of Covid-19 is steadily declining across the country, but the fall in cases has been much sharper in northern and central India, than in the south and Maharashtra.

India reported 1.31 lakh fresh cases on Thursday. Nearly 70% of these cases were reported from Maharashtra and the southern region alone.

The share of Maharashtra and the south in national cases has been creeping up over the past month. On May 27, the share stood at 66.5%.

In comparison, on May 6, the day India recorded its highest single-day case count of 4,14,554, Maharashtra and south together made up 50% of the number (208,104).

A crude comparison of Thursday's case count with that of May 6 reveals while Maharashtra and south have together seen a 56% decline in cases the national count has gone down by over 68%.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 16,31,427

New Cases in last 24 hours: 1,31,328

Recovered in last 24 hours: 2,05,911

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -77,289

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 2,706 (3,40,719)

Daily Tests (Wednesday): 37,25,318

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 3.6%

Most Affected States:

(S. No. / State / No. of Active Cases / New Cases in last 24 Hrs / Deaths in Last 24 Hrs)

1          Karnataka         2,86,798           /           18,324  /           514

2          Tamil Nadu       2,80,426           /           24,405  /           460

3          Maharashtra     2,04,974           /           15,229  /           643

4          Kerala              1,84,644           /           18,853  /           153

5          Andhra Pradesh            1,38,912           /           11,421  /           81

6          Odisha             74,989  /           8,839    /           42

7          West Bengal     61,780  /           8,811    /           108

8          Assam              50,534  /           4,309    /           46

9          Telangana        32,579  /           2,261    /           18

10        Jammu and Kashmir     30,657  /           1,801    /           29

11        Chhattisgarh     29,378  /           1,619    /           22

12        Punjab              28,673  /           2,144    /           92

13        Rajasthan         27,408  /           1,258    /           44

14        Uttar Pradesh   25,546  /           1,220    /           108

15        Gujarat 24,404  /           1,207    /           17

16        Uttarakhand      22,530  /           589       /           38

17        Madhya Pradesh           14,186  /           846       /           50

18        Haryana           12,688  /           980       /           71

19        Bihar                11,430  /           1,106    /           28

20        Himachal Pradesh         11,057  /           995       /           23

21        Puducherry       10,015  /           815       /           16

22        Goa                  9,700    /           572       /           17

23        Manipur            8,863    /           621       /           10

24        Delhi                8,748    /           487       /           45

25        Jharkhand        7,307    /           NA       /           NA

26        Tripura 6,495    /           677       /           9

27        Meghalaya        6,352    /           552       /           9

28        Nagaland          4,711    /           168       /           5

29        Sikkim              4,184    /           289       /           3

30        Arunachal Pradesh        3,843    /           364       /           1

31        Mizoram           3,235    /           225       /           2

32        Lakshadweep    1,355    /           144       /           35

33        Chandigarh       1,135    /           111       /           1

OUR POSITION NOT NEW, ABSTAINED ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS ALSO: INDIA AFTER PALESTINE EXPRESSES CONCERN

The Ministry of External Affairs Thursday clarified that India’s position to abstain at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) during the resolution to probe Gaza violence is not new and that the country has abstained on previous occasions also.

This was in response to a complaint raised by the foreign minister of the Palestinian National Authority that New Delhi’s abstention at the UNHRC “stifles the important work of… advancing human rights for all peoples, including those of the Palestinian people”.

Responding to a question on the Palestinian foreign minister writing to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on the issue, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a similar letter has been written to all countries who abstained.

“Palestine wrote similar letters to all countries who abstained. The position that we took is not a new position. And we have abstained on previous occasions. I think that explains our position quite clearly and addresses these questions,” the spokesperson stated during a media briefing.

India was among 14 countries that abstained at the UNHRC on a resolution proposing to set up a Commission of Inquiry into violations around the Israeli action in Gaza, and the “systematic” abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel. Twenty-four members voted in favour, while nine against the resolution that was adopted in Geneva on May 27.

MEA SAYS DISENGAGEMENT ALONG LAC ‘REMAINS UNFINISHED’

The Ministry of External Affairs Thursday said the disengagement process between Indian and Chinese troops is still unfinished, almost a year after clashes at the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh claimed the lives of 20 Indian personnel.

“The process of disengagement remains unfinished. The two sides have agreed that in the interim, they would maintain stability on the ground and avoid any new incidents,” Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, said at a media briefing Thursday.

“It is our expectation therefore that neither side should do anything that is not in keeping with these understandings,” he added.

Bagchi further said that “early completion of disengagement in the remaining areas could lead to de-escalation of forces in Eastern Ladakh, which would hopefully lead to full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas and enable overall progress in the bilateral relationship”.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

ISRAEL’S OPPN FORMS UNLIKELY ALLIANCE TO OUST NETANYAHU

After four elections in two years and now unsettled by a recent war and civil unrest, Israelis awoke on Thursday to the possibility that they might have a govt — and that the longest-serving leader in their history might have been ousted. Late Wednesday, an improbable assemblage of political parties agreed to form a coalition govt. Should the parliament approve the arrangement, Benjamin Netanyahu’s singular reign as prime minister will come to an end, at least for now, and a fragile, painfully cobbled together alliance will assume power. But Netanyahu signalled that he would not go down without a struggle, calling on lawmakers to oppose “this dangerous left-wing govt.” While he appeared to have few avenues to hang onto power, Netanyahu’s career has been marked by a keen instinct for political survival.

Under the last-minute agreement by a coalition of opposition parties, Naftali Bennett, who opposes a Palestinian state and is a standard-bearer for religious nationalists, will serve as PM until 2023. Should the new govt hold together that long, the deal then calls for him to be replaced by Yair Lapid, a centrist considered a standard-bearer for secular Israelis. Lapid would serve the remaining two years.

The strange-bedfellows nature of that arrangement mirrors the agreement that brought it about, an alliance among eight political parties from a diverse array of ideologies, from the left to the far right. The coalition has a razor-thin majority of 61 votes in parliament.

FIRE-STRICKEN X-PRESS PEARL SINKS. NO OIL POLLUTION, SAYS OPERATOR

Chemical-laden feeder containership X-Press Pearl, which has been burning for almost two weeks off Sri Lanka’s coast, sank yesterday and touched the sea bottom, the Indian Coast Guard informed.

“The ship’s aft portion is sitting on the seabed at a depth of about 21 meters, and the forward section continues to settle down slowly.  Salvors remain on scene to deal with any possible debris supported by the Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, who have oil spill response capabilities on standby,” Singapore-based X-Press Feeders, operator of the ship, said.

Based on the latest updates, there has been no oil spill detected from the ship.

The ship’s cargo poses a major threat of environmental pollution to the area, as the vessel was carrying 1,486 containers with 25 tons of Nitric Acid, several other chemicals, and cosmetics.

Debris and charred containers which have fallen overboard the stricken vessel have been washing ashore for days triggering massive clean-up operations.

THE REST

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184 EMINENT CITIZENS TO OPPN: HELP INDIA BRACE FOR THIRD WAVE

In an unprecedented move, 184 eminent Indians today wrote an open letter to ‘progressive’ Opposition parties, seeking their help in preparing India for the third Covid wave.

“While we would have ideally liked the Govt of India to take the lead in forming a task force that could have implemented suggestions, experience of the past few years has proved that it is very unlikely to do so. The bitter reality is that, like during the freedom struggle, Indians today face an uncaring and extractive govt. … In this extraordinary situation, it is incumbent on all progressive political parties to work together, and with those conscientious Indians who are helping their fellow citizens. India is thirsty for a compassionate, consensual and cooperative leadership that truly works towards furthering people’s needs and aspirations. Hope you will rise to the occasion,” wrote signatories, among them former Governor Rajmohan Gandhi, historian Irfan Habib, ex- Chief Economic adviser Kaushik Basu, academician Mridula Mukherjee and activist Harsh Mander.

30 CR DOSES OF UNDER-TRIAL VAX ORDERED

India on Thursday placed its first advance order of 300 million doses of an unapproved, yet to be licensed, Covid-19 vaccine being produced by Hyderabad-based Biological E.

The Union Health Ministry announced that it had finalised arrangements with Biological-E to reserve 30 crore vaccine doses.

“These vaccine doses will be manufactured and stockpiled by Biological-E from August to December 2021. For this purpose, the Union Ministry of Health would be making an advance payment of Rs 1,500 crore to Biological-E,” the govt said a day after the Supreme Court questioned its weak vaccine policy that had left several people uncovered and in the lurch.

The vaccine by Biological-E is currently undergoing Phase-3 clinical trial after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

The advance order for an unapproved vaccine shows that the govt wants to set its vaccine plan right after making the strategic mistake of not pre-booking supplies when various vaccine candidates were in advance stages of development.

SC QUASHES SEDITION CASE AGAINST VINOD DUA

The Supreme Court Thursday quashed the sedition case registered last year against journalist Vinod Dua in Shimla. The case was filed against Dua by a local BJP leader in Himachal Pradesh over his YouTube show.

On the issue of protection of freedom of speech and expression of media personnel, it said, “Every journalist is entitled to protection under the Kedar Nath Singh judgment (the famous verdict of 1962 on the scope and ambit of offence of sedition in the IPC).” While upholding validity of section 124A (sedition) of the IPC, the top court in 1962 had ruled the sedition charges could not be invoked against a citizen for criticism of govt actions as it would be in conformity with the freedom of speech and expression.

The complainant had claimed that Dua made bizarre allegations on his 15-minute YouTube show on March 30 last year. The complainant had alleged that the journalist accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using “deaths and terror attacks” to get votes.

The court however rejected Dua’s plea for a direction to the Centre and states to set up a committee to examine the charges levelled in an FIR against any journalist with 10 years’ experience. Dua had pleaded that a journalist should be arrested only when the committee was satisfied that the charges required arrest.

DEATHS DURING TAUKTAE: 3 EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF ONGC SUSPENDED PENDING INQUIRY

Three executive directors of ONGC were suspended on Wednesday as part of an ongoing high-level enquiry into the chain of incidents at Bombay High during Cyclone Tauktae that led to the death of 86 workers in the Arabian Sea and endangered the lives of hundreds more.

The suspension of the three officials has not gone down well with ONGC officers, who expressed their resentment in a strongly worded letter to the chairman and managing director of ONGC.

An excerpt from the letter states, “The fact is that there were 22 barges working ONGC during that period and 19 of them adhered to ONGC weather advisory but the three barges belonging to M/s AFCONS did not. M/s AFCONS failed to adhere to the requirements of Marine Operations manual, bridging documents, warnings issued by ONGC. They also gave false information to ONGC that they have taken adequate precaution as per ONGC’s advisory. It is not a co-incidence that all three barges belong to M/s AFCONS because this company time and again has violated safety and human rights norms and has scant respect for ONGC’s safe practices…”

‘RAMDEV’S STATEMENTS ON ALLOPATHY FALL WITHIN PARAMETERS OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH’

Refusing to pass any interim injunction against Yoga guru Ramdev, the Delhi High Court on Thursday said his statements against allopathy come within the parameters of right to freedom of speech and expression. The court listed the matter for hearing on July 13.

Justice C Hari Shankar said the allopathic profession is not so fragile that the doctor’s body will rush to the court. “You people should be interested in finding out ways to beat the pandemic, proceeding in interest of public health, rather than taking up court time and having litigations,” the court told the Delhi Medical Association (DMA), the Delhi chapter of IMA.

“There is a right to air an opinion or to voice an opinion. Sometimes the opinion is, maybe, voiced in a terminology which may appear to be very offensive. Some people may be more vitriolic than others in the manner in which they express what they want to say. Someone may be more temperate. Someone may be more intemperate,” it added.

WHATSAPP PUSHING PRIVACY POLICY BEFORE DATA LAW COMES: CENTRE TO DELHI HC

The Centre on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that WhatsApp is trying to get “trick consent” from its users for the messaging platform’s updated privacy policy to ensure that the existing user base is made to accept the terms and conditions before the Personal Data Protection Bill becomes a law.

“It is submitted that millions of WhatsApp existing users — those who have not accepted the updated 2021 privacy policy — are being bombarded with notifications on every day basis,” the govt said.

In response, a WhatsApp spokesperson said they have already responded to the govt and assured them that privacy of users remains its highest priority. “As a reminder, the recent update does not change the privacy of people’s personal messages. Its purpose is to provide additional information about how people can interact with businesses if they choose to do.”

WhatsApp, in a written reply before the court, has stated that many interest-based applications and websites collect information similar to or in many instances much broader than those mentioned in its 2021 policy. It has also said that if its policy is stopped, it would not only undermine the users’ freedom to contract with a private party but also “disrupt the industry” which provides a wide variety of important services.

10-MAN INDIA LOSE 0-1 TO QATAR IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING ROUND MATCH

A 10-man India defended creditably well as they suffered a 0-1 defeat to Asian champions Qatar in their World Cup qualifying round match in Doha on Thursday.

Abdel Aziz scored in the 33rd minute in a match completely dominated by the Qataris. The two sides had played out a goal-less draw in their first leg match in September 2019.

Group toppers Qatar, who are yet to lose a match, had waves of attacks with their eight to nine players in the Indian half for most of the time. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had to pull off a series of saves to keep the margin of loss small.

India, however, played with 10 men from the 17th minute onwards after defender Rahul Bheke was red carded after a second booking. He had earlier received a yellow card in the ninth minute.

A winless India remained in fourth spot in Group E with three points from six matches.

FRENCH OPEN: NOW ASH BARTY RETIRES HURT; WOMEN’S DRAW WIDE OPEN

World No.1 Ash Barty retired from her second round match at the French Open today with an injury, leaving the women’s draw at the claycourt Grand Slam without its top two seeds following Naomi Osaka’s earlier withdrawal.

Second seed Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, pulled out after her first round following a row over her decision to boycott post-match media duties citing mental health concerns.

Australia’s Barty, who lifted her maiden Major at the Roland Garros in 2019, was trailing 6-1 2-2 against Poland’s Magda Linette when she decided she could no longer continue, having started the match with taping on her left thigh.

Romanian world No. 3 Simona Halep, the 2018 champion in Paris, also pulled out from this year’s tournament due to a leg injury, meaning fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is the highest surviving seed this week.

In men’s singles, Roger Federer lost his trademark cool but found some vintage tennis as he beat Marin Cilic 6-2 2-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to move into the third round. The 39-year-old Swiss lost the second set after a heated debate with the chair umpire over the time he was taking to towel down before Cilic served knocked him out of his stride.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice. - Bob Marley

OFF TRACK

Deep within a forest a little turtle began to climb a tree. After hours of effort he reached the top, jumped into the air waving his front legs and crashed to the ground.

After recovering, he slowly climbed the tree again, jumped, and fell to the ground. The turtle tried again and again while a couple of birds sitting on a branch watched his sad efforts.

Finally, the female bird turned to her mate.  "Dear," she chirped, "I think it's time to tell him he's adopted."