NATIONAL NEWS
A) Excess deaths in Karnataka nearly six times official COVID-19 tally.
The number of excess deaths registered by the Civil Registration System (CRS) in Karnataka ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit (from April 2020 to May 2021), was 1,67,788, which is 5.8 times the official reported figure of 29,090 deaths for the same period, a data analysis from The Hindu has revealed. This high number was largely due to the deaths registered in April 2021 (46,000) and May 2021 (77,000 and still being reconciled). In this period, which coincided with the second COVID-19 wave, the excess deaths were around 53,728, compared to the registered COVID-19 tally of 16,523, leading to an undercount factor of 3.25. The overall COVID-19 tally in Karnataka as of June 19 is 33,763. Excess deaths in Karnataka were calculated based on the month-wise number of deaths registered by the Civil Registration System (provisional figures) from January 2015 to May 2021, which were accessed. The undercount factor (5.8) and excess deaths for Karnataka (1,67,788) were comparable and similar to that of Tamil Nadu (6.2 and 1,51,408 respectively). For 2021 alone, the undercount factors for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were 4.7 and 6.5, which is much lower than those for Madhya Pradesh (42) and Andhra Pradesh (34) respectively. It also accessed the corresponding CRS figures for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike-BBMP (the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area). The CRS registered 40,264 and 75,441 deaths (till May) in 2020 and 2021 respectively in the area, which accounted for 31,029 estimated excess deaths, compared to the baseline mortality of the pre-pandemic period (2015-2019). With officials of the Statistics Department tight lipped after oral gag orders from seniors, COVID-19 specific death reporting from districts has become inaccessible in the Karnataka. Though officially denied, the reconciliation exercise is underway in several districts and indicates a much higher toll than reported earlier. For example, last week, the official COVID-19 death toll in Mysuru, which was counted at 1,910, was revised to 3,300 after reconciliation.
B) Congress demands court-monitored probe into Ayodhya land deal.
The Congress on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over alleged corrutption in the purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram Temple Trust, and urged the Supreme Court to ‘fulfil’ its duty of getting the matter probed under its supervision. Addressing a virtual press conference, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala alleged that a local BJP leader in Ayodhya, Deep Narayan, brought 890 sq. metres of land for ₹20 lakh in February and sold it to the Temple Trust for a whopping ₹2.5 crore, making a profit of 1,250% in only 79 days. He said the funds collected in the name of Lord Ram is being ‘looted’ by BJP leaders in Ayodhya and wondered why Mr. Modi hasn’t spoken out or the top court taken note of it. The Congress, however, reiterated that it favoured the speedy construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya to fulfil the aspirations of millions of devotees of Lord Ram. Lord Ram’s temple is being constructed as per the orders of the Supreme Court. Is it not the responsibility of the Supreme Court and its judges and the Prime Minister who formed the Trust, to find out the truth and investigate this. Shouldn’t the Supreme Court take cognisance of the matter? The Supreme Court should discharge its duty hold an audit of the entire transactions under its monitoring and punish the culprits, Mr. Surjewala told reporters when asked if the party would move the court. Earlier, on June 14, the Congress had demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into a land ‘scam,’ alleging that a plot of land that was purchased for ₹2 crore was sold for ₹18.5 crore to the Trust within five minutes. The party had cited the land deed registered on March 18 this year to argue its case for a court-monitored probe. Posing five questions to Mr Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr Surjewala asked, What is the reason that Modi-Adityanath ji are completely silent on taking action against the sinners who openly looted funds for the construction of the Ram temple? President of Ram Mandir Construction Trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, has publicly stated that he is not being consulted about the affairs of the Trust for last one year nor is any transparency being followed. Even Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has openly come out and spoken against irregularities in affairs of the Trust. Who is, then, accountable? asked the Congress leader.
C) Most infections in second wave in Tamil Nadu were due to Delta variant: study.
Most of the infections during the second wave of COVID-19 in the State were due to the Delta variant, a study has shown. A preliminary report of findings of samples collected from those infected with COVID-19 infection has revealed that the Delta variant (B 1.617.2) is the most common virus circulating in the State. The second most common is the Alpha (1.1.7) variant. The Directorate of Public Health (DPH), on Sunday, released the details of a study of whole genome sequencing of the virus it had carried out. According to the DPH, 1,159 samples were collected from district surveillance units and sentinel sites from December 2020 to May 2021, and brought to the State Public Health Laboratory in the city for preliminary screening followed by referral to InSTEM, Bengaluru. The samples were classified under eight categories, including community clusters; family clusters; reinfection cases; vaccination breakthrough cases; children up to 12 years; young adults with severe lung involvement; deceased without any co-morbidities; and international travellers. As on date the results of 554 samples had been received and that of 605 samples are awaited, according to Public Health Director T.S. Selvavinayagam. Delta variant was observed in 386 (70%) of the 554 samples and 47 samples (8.5%) had Alpha variant (B.1.1.7). The delta variant was found predominantly among adolescents (aged over 12 years) and adults, accounting for 81%; and 19% of children also had the variant. The delta variant was noticed in community clusters (30%) and family clusters (23%). Among the 554 samples 94 were from children aged up to 12 years and among them 73 (76%) had the delta variant. As many as 66 were vaccine breakthrough cases and among them 55 exhibited delta variant, Dr. Selvavinayagam said.
D) Tamil Nadu extends lockdown, fresh relaxations announced.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday announced fresh relaxations in 27 districts, even as the government extended the COVID-19 lockdown till 6 am on June 28. In Chennai and neighbouring districts such as Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, (categorised as Type-III districts) passengers would be allowed to travel in taxies, cabs and auto-rickshaws without e-registration. Excluding the driver, only three passengers in taxies and only two in case of autos would be allowed. The government allowed intra and inter-district public bus services within Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts (categorised as Type-III districts) but only with 50% of the seating capacity. Chennai Metro would be allowed to operate by following the SOP but only with 50% of the seating capacity, an official release said. However, in the case of 23 other districts categorised as Type-II districts, passengers would be allowed to travel on taxies, cabs and auto-rickshaws but only with e-registration. Groceries, vegetable stores and meat stalls would be allowed to operate between 6 am and 7 pm. Shops selling flowers and fruits on pavements would also be allowed during this time. Eateries, restaurants and bakeries would be allowed but only for parcelled food between 6 am and 9 pm. Food delivery services would also be allowed to operate during this time period. All e-commerce companies would be allowed to serve their customers between 6 am and 9 pm.
E) Rigorously implement public health, social measures: WHO.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised countries in the South-East Asia region to scale up and rigorously implement public health and social measures, along with efforts to accelerate vaccination for COVID-19, to prevent another surge, as more countries confirmed prevalence of highly transmissible variants of concern. We need to continuously strengthen our efforts to test, trace and isolate. Societal interventions such as physical distancing, hand hygiene and proper wearing of masks need to be stringently implemented. These measures should be in full force and for longer periods in areas reporting more transmissible variants of concerns, said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia. The release added that the public health and social measures were part of a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions, both individual and societal, and were cost-effective measures to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and save lives. In addition to personal protective measures, cleaning, disinfection, ventilation, surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine are recommended. Physical distancing measures include limiting the size of gatherings, maintaining distance in public or workplaces, restrictions in domestic movement, and international travel-related measures. These measures are critical for preventing infections, reducing transmission and saving lives, Dr. Khetrapal Singh said. Even as countries scale up vaccination against COVID-19, they need to implement public health and social measures in tailored and agile way, she said.
F) Students fear Central Universities Common Entrance Test may favour those with prior coaching.
A group of students who have just completed Class12 are objecting to the proposal to use a common entrance test for admission to all Central universities, including those such as Delhi University which have used only Class 12 board marks as the criteria so far. The students, who hail from different parts of the country, have written to the Education Ministry and the DU authorities, warning that such a move will favour richer students who have had access to coaching classes or are already preparing for standardised tests such as JEE or NEET. The National Testing Agency is yet to take a final decision on the scope or the date for the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) this year. The test’s multiple choice question papers cover language, general awareness, mathematical aptitude and analytical skills, as well as domain knowledge in the candidate’s chosen subjects. Delhi University aspirants were entirely focused towards boards preparation. Since an entrance exam will contain aptitude part, many will face problems dealing with it as it entirely varies from what one has learnt in 10+2, said one common letter sent by students to the DU Vice-Chancellor, noting that science students may not be prepared for the general knowledge section, while arts and commerce stream students may need time to prepare for the logical reasoning and quantitative ability sections. Also, the students who were already preparing for professional degree courses would find it easier as they were already preparing for such a test since grade 11, it said, noting that lakhs of students do not have the resources to suddenly access online paid coaching classes at this stage. The students also noted that students looking to change streams would find it hard to attempt the subject-specific papers.
G) Concern over new IT rules highly misplaced, India tells Human Rights Council.
The new IT rules of India were framed after extensive consultation with stakeholders and are meant to protect the rights of online users, India has conveyed to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The statement came soon after experts at the U.N. said the Rules are not in line with international human rights principles. India maintains the concerns of the experts are highly misplaced. The Rules are designed to empower ordinary users of social media. The victims of abuse at social media platforms shall have a forum for redressal of their grievances, said a special ‘brief’ that the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva had sent to the HRC on the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The ‘brief’ said both the Houses of Parliament ‘repeatedly’ asked the government of India to ‘strengthen’ the legal framework to hold online platforms accountable under Indian laws. Three Special Rapporteurs of the U.N. had on June 11 expressed serious concerns about the Rules and said they amount to infringement of a wide range of human rights. On the traceability of the first originator of the information, it may be noted that the Rules seek only limited information. Only when a message already in public circulation is giving rise to violence, impinging on the unity and integrity of India, depicting a woman in a bad light, or sexual abuse of a child and when no other intrusive options are working, only then the significant social media intermediary will be required to disclose as to who started the message. The issue has drawn attention in view of the continued differences between the government and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The differences with online social media platforms have added to India’s continued problems with Internet which was shutdown repeatedly over the last three years in Kashmir after the dilution of Article 370 in August 2019, and in other parts of the country like Assam and Delhi following protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). However, India last week signed on the open societies statement at the G7 alongside other guest countries like South Africa and South Korea. The statement criticised rising authoritarianism, disinformation and politically motivated Internet shutdowns. Official sources clarified that the Indian concerns were accommodated in the statement. The statement indicated India’s commitment to protect digital civic-space and respect for human rights and international law.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Jordan’ coup plot’: two suspects plead not guilty.
Two officials accused of helping Jordan’s Prince Hamzah try to overthrow his half-brother King Abdullah II have pleaded not guilty, one of their lawyers said on Monday as the trial began. Former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who also holds Saudi nationality, and a former special envoy to Riyadh, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, are charged with attempting to destabilise the kingdom’s security, according to court documents. The trial began behind closed doors at the State Security Court and will continue on Tuesday, an official said. According to state television, the court heard two out of a total of six witnesses-four military personnel and two civilians. Mr. Awadallah’s lawyer Mohammad Afif said the defendants both pleaded not guilty. Prince Hamzah, who is accused of attempting to overthrow the King and of seeking help from Saudi Arabia to do so, is not facing trial. Prince Hamzah, 41, was determined to satisfy his personal ambition to rule, in violation of the constitution and Hashemite (Jordanian ruling family) custom, according to an indictment. To succeed, he sought to exploit the concerns and problems of the population and to arouse sedition and frustration in society, it added.
Taliban, Afghan forces clash near Kunduz city.
The Taliban and Afghan forces clashed on Monday on the outskirts of the strategic northern city of Kunduz, with the insurgents claiming to have captured three districts in the region in a week. The Taliban have launched major offensives targeting government forces since early May when the U.S. military began its final troop withdrawal, and claim to have seized more than 50 of the country’s 421 districts. Many of their claims are disputed by the government, and independent verification is difficult. The Taliban fighters are at the gates of the city and they are fighting Afghan forces, said Amruddin Wali, a Kunduz provincial council member. He said the insurgents have also taken up positions on highways that connect Kunduz city to neighbouring provinces. On Monday, the Taliban claimed they had captured the Imam Sahib district of the province, the third to be taken in a week. Kunduz police spokesman Inamuddin Rahmani confirmed the fighting, and said his forces had killed about 50 Taliban fighters in the past 24 hours. The Taliban have repeatedly attempted to capture the city, located not far from Tajikistan border. The insurgents briefly held Kunduz twice before – in September 2015, and again a year late
