NATIONAL NEWS
96 countries have agreed to mutual acceptance of COVID vaccination certificates, says Health Minister; Covaxin in U.K.’s approved list from November 22
Ninety six countries have agreed to mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates with India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. TheThe government continues to be in communication with the rest of the world so that beneficiaries of the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination programme are accepted and recognised, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes, Mandaviya said in a statement. At present, 96 countries have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and also those who recognise Indian vaccination certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield/WHO-approved/nationally approved Covid vaccines, Mandaviya stated. Consecutively, persons travelling from these countries are provided certain relaxations as enunciated in the Union Health Ministry’s guidelines on international arrivals issued on October 20, 2021. For those who wish to travel abroad, the international travel vaccination certificate can also be downloaded from the CoWIN portal, the ministry said. Meanwhile, the U.K. Government has said that India’s Covaxin will be added to its list of approved COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers from November 22, meaning that those inoculated with the Bharat Biotech-manufactured jab will not have to self-isolate after arrival in England.
Rafale scam trail ends at PM’s door, says Congress
The Congress party on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government of covering up corruption in the Rafale scam and shying away from registering an FIR even 36 months after evidence emerged on middleman Sushen Gupta’s role in the deal. Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Pawan Khera said the government is busy burying the black melting pot of corruption, kickbacks and collusion. And in doing so, it has undermined national security, jeopardised the interests of Indian armed forces, and caused a loss to the exchequer of ₹41,000 crore, he added. French investigative journal Mediapart in fresh revelations had exposed how middleman Gupta got hold of confidential documents belonging to the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) in 2015 from the Ministry of Defence. The documents detailed the stance of Indian negotiators during the final lap of negotiation and in particular how they calculated the price of the aircraft. This gave a clear advantage to Dassault Aviation (Rafale), Khera claimed, citing the Mediapart report. The corruption can be tracked to PM Modi’s doorstep, the Congress leader said. The evidence in this case had first came up on October 4, 2018 when two former Union ministers of the BJP — Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha — submitted a file to then CBI Director Alok Verma. On October 11 the attorney general of Mauritius also sent documents about the middleman Gupta, the Congress spokesperson said. The Congress leader also alleged that on Prime Minister Modi’s directions the anti-corruption clauses — no bribery, no gift, no influence, no commission, no middlemen — was removed. Were the anti-corruption clauses deleted to escape responsibility from bribery and commission to be paid in the Rafale deal? Why was the deletion of anti-corruption clauses approved by the Prime Minister and the Modi government in September 2016, despite the Defence Ministry’s insistence upon including it in the inter-governmental agreement in July 2015, Khera asked.
BJP demands Rahul’s response on fresh ‘revelation’ by Mediapart
Reacting to a French media report that commissions were paid between 2007 and 2012 for securing the Rafale deal with India, the BJP on Tuesday said the INC (Indian National Congress) should be renamed as I Need Commission and alleged that the failed negotiations for the aircraft took place when the Congress was in power and they failed because of the latter’s dissatisfaction with the ‘cut’. At a press meet at the BJP headquarters, spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the Congress, especially its former president Rahul Gandhi, who has been alleging corruption in the purchase of the fighter aircraft by the Modi Government, of spreading canard, disinformation and lies. Patra also sought Gandhi’s response to the fresh revelation by French investigative portal Mediapart. Thirteen India Specific Enhancements to the Rafale fighter jet were demanded by the Indian Air Force. Mediapart has claimed that bogus invoices were used that enabled the French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation to pay at least €7.5 million in secret commissions to a middleman to help it secure the Rafale deal with India. According to its investigation, the Dassault Aviation paid the kickbacks to the intermediary in Mauritius between 2007 and 2012, putting it in the time frame when the Congress-led UPA was in power. The Supreme Court and the CAG have already gone into the contents of the Rafale deal signed by the Modi Government and found nothing wrong in it, Patra said. He said Gandhi had made the alleged corruption in the purchase a big election issue during the 2019 polls but it failed to make any impact. The BJP retained power with a bigger majority, he said.
Punjab Cabinet accepts resignation of Attorney General Deol
The Punjab Cabinet has accepted the resignation of Attorney General A P S Deol and the post left vacant by him will be filled by Wednesday, said Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Chandigarh. State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has been pushing for the replacement of Attorney General Deol, who had represented former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in cases related to the 2015 desecration incidents and police firing on protesters. Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Channi said the AG had resigned a few days ago. The Cabinet today accepted it (resignation), said Channi, adding that it would be sent to the State Governor. Tomorrow, the new AG will be appointed, said Channi.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China capable of blockading its key harbours, says Taiwan.
China’s armed forces are capable of blockading Taiwan’s key harbours and airports, the island’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, offering its latest assessment of what it describes as a grave military threat posed by its giant neighbour. China has never renounced the use of force to bring democratic Taiwan under its control and has been ramping up military activity around the island, including repeatedly flying war planes into Taiwan’s air defence zone. Taiwan’s defence ministry, in a report it issues every two years, said China had launched what it called gray-zone warfare, citing 554 intrusions by Chinese war planes into its south western theatre of air defence identification zone between September last year and the end of August. MilitaryMilitary analysts say the tactic is aimed at subduing Taiwan through exhaustion. AtAt the same time, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is aiming to complete the modernisation of its forces by 2035 to obtain superiority in possible operations against Taiwan and viable capabilities to deny foreign forces, posing a grave challenge to our national security, the Taiwan Ministry said. AtAt present, the PLA is capable of performing local joint blockade against our critical harbours, airports, and outbound flight routes, to cut off our air and sea lines of communication and impact the flow of our military supplies and logistic resources, the ministry said.
Japan confirms season’s 1st Avian Flu outbreak
Japan on November 10, 2021, confirmed Avian Flu outbreak at a chicken farm in Akita prefecture, Northeastern Japan. The season’s first Avian Influenza outbreak was confirmed through genetic testing at a chicken farm in Yokote. 1,43,000 birds on that farm will be culled. The Akita prefectural government has banned the delivery of chickens or eggs from farms within 10 kms of the chicken farm in Yokote. It has asked the Self-Defense Force to resolve the issue. PM Fumio Kishida has also called the Farm Ministry and governmental agencies to take preventive measures. On November 9, a veterinarian reported to local health authorities about the increasing number of chickens dying at a farm in Yokote. After a simple test of 13 chickens from the farm showed 12 chickens positive for Avian Flu.
