CURRENT AFFAIRS
19 November 2020
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) NPR-Census: Registrar General of India says it is being finalized.
The office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) has said the schedule or the questionnaire of the National Population Register (NPR) is being finalized and the information about the expected date of first phase of Census 2021 is not available. The RGI response came in reply to a question filed by The Hindu under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking information on the expected date of the first phase of Census 2021, and an update of the NPR that was earlier scheduled to begin April 1, 2020. The exercise was postponed indefinitely until further orders on March 25 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NPR update and the first phase of Census-House listing & Housing Census were to be conducted simultaneously from April-September. Even though the twin exercise was to be rolled out first in Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area on April 1, the RGI said in the RTI reply on November 17 that the schedule of NPR is being finalized. As many as 13 States and Union Territories have opposed the update of the NPR due to its link with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). According to the Citizenship Rules framed in 2003, the NPR is the first step towards compilation of the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or NRC. Some States such as West Bengal and Rajasthan have objected to additional questions to be asked in the fresh NPR such as date and place of birth of father and mother, last place of residence and mother tongue.
B) Army completes building extreme weather habitat for troops in eastern Ladakh.
As India and China continue deliberations on a proposed disengagement and de-escalation plan to end the stand-off in eastern Ladakh, the Army has completed building extreme weather habitat for thousands of additional troops to remain deployed through the harsh winter. In order to ensure the operational efficiency of the troops deployed in winters, the Army has completed the establishment of habitat facilities for all the troops deployed in the sector. Apart from the smart camps with integrated facilities, which have been built over the years, additional state of the art habitat with integrated arrangements for electricity, water, heating facilities, health and hygiene have been recently created, an Army source said on 18 November.
C) Extreme weather habitat set up by Army for troops in Eastern Ladakh.
The troops in the front line were accommodated in heated tents as per tactical considerations of their deployment, the source said. The construction was completed by mid-October. Adequate civil infrastructure had also been identified to cater for any emergent requirements. The altitude in Ladakh where troops are deployed ranges from 14,000-18,000 feet and the area experiences up to 40 feet of snowfall from December onwards. Coupled with the wind chill factor, the temperatures dip down to minus 30-40 degrees, disrupting road access to the areas. The Army has deployed thousands of additional troops and equipment in eastern Ladakh and along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since the stand-off began in early May. The Army recently procured 15,000 extreme weather clothing from the U.S. under the bilateral logistics pact, Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA), for the additional troops deployed in Ladakh. The order was placed in early July and the deliveries have been completed, a second source said. Last week, Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane said that there was no shortage whatsoever of any kind with respect to extreme weather clothing and equipment for the troops deployed in Ladakh. The equipment normally catered to a certain number of troops at any point of time. They had to go in for certain emergency procurements for the additional troops due to the ongoing situation.
D) Maharashtra agrees to treat Varavara Rao at Nanavati Hospital for 15 days.
After a nudge from the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra government on 18 November agreed to shift 81-year-old activist-poet Varavara Rao from Taloja Central jail hospital to Nanavati Hospital for 15 days for medical examination and treatment. A Division Bench of justices S.S. Shinde and Madhav Jamdar conducted a physical hearing during vacation, terming it an urgent matter. After senior advocate Indira Jaisingh, appearing for Rao, listed out the medical ailments he was suffering from and said that he needed to be treated for the same, the court insisted that Chief Public Prosecutor Deepak Thakare take instructions on the same. Thakare informed the court that State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has agreed to shift Rao to Nanavati Hospital for 15 days as a special case and not as a precedent. While dictating the order, the court also gave permission for family members to visit Rao and directed all medical reports to be submitted in court. The matter will now be heard on December 3. The order came despite strong objections from Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Singh argued that government-run hospitals were well-equipped to treat Rao and if this was allowed, all prisoners would seek special treatment. He said Rao could be shifted to J.J. Hospital. However, Jaisingh interrupted and said the last time he was admitted to J.J. Hospital, he was found in a pool of urine. She added that Nanavati Hospital was the choice of the State government, as he was admitted there initially.
E) ICMR warns against indiscriminate use of plasma therapy.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has warned against indiscriminate use of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) for treating Covid-19. On 18 November, it released its report of an open-label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID trial) conducted across 39 public and private hospitals on the use of CPT in management of cases with moderate infection. The report concluded that the therapy did not lead to a reduction in progression to severe COVID or all-cause mortality in the group that received CPT as compared to the group that did not receive CPT. Benefits of CPT in improving the clinical outcomes, reducing severity of disease, and duration of hospitalisation and mortality in patients were dependent on the concentration of specific antibodies in convalescent plasma that could neutralise the effects of SARS-CoV-2, the ICMR said. It stated that CPT could be used with specific criteria, including that a potential donor, be it men or women who had never been pregnant, could give plasma after 14 days of symptom resolution (testing negative is not necessary). A potential recipient should be in the early stage of Covid-19 (3-7 days from the onset of symptoms, but not later than 10 days) and should show no IgG antibody against Covid-19 by appropriate test. PLACID is the world’s largest pragmatic trial on CPT conducted in 464 moderately ill-confirmed affected adults in a real-world setting, wherein no benefit of use of CPT could be established, the ICMR said. CPT involves the use of plasma from people who have recovered from the infection to aid the immune response of those still fighting it.
F) Shillong Times editor resigns from Editor’s Guild in protest.
Editor of The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim on Tuesday resigned from membership of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) in protest against what she described as the organisation’s complete silence on the recent High Court ruling, which refused to quash an FIR against her and held her guilty of creating communal disharmony through a Facebook post. The veteran journalist, who is known for her principled stand on many issues, including the rights of marginalised voices across the North East, said the Guild was silent about her case, while it condemned the arrest of non-member Arnab Goswami, whose arrest was not even on grounds of journalistic pursuits.
On November 10, a single judge Bench of the Meghalaya High Court found Mukhim guilty of creating communal disharmony, a crime under Section 153 of the CrPC, and refused to quash an FIR filed by the Lawsohtun Dorbar Shnong (a traditional institution).
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Pfizer ends vaccine trial with 95% efficacy, to seek emergency-use authorization.
Pfizer Inc said on 18 November that final results from the late-stage trial of its Covid-19 vaccine showed it was 95% effective, and since it had the required two-months of safety data, it would apply for emergency U.S. authorization within days. The drugmaker said efficacy of the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech SE, was consistent across age and ethnicity demographics, and that there were no major side effects, a sign that the immunization could be employed broadly around the world. Efficacy in adults over 65 years, who are at particular risk from the virus, was over 94%. The final analysis comes just one week after initial results from the trial showed the vaccine was more than 90% effective. Moderna Inc on Monday released preliminary data for its vaccine, showing similar effectiveness.
B) Will return to nuclear deal if U.S. sanctions are lifted: Iran.
Iran will automatically return to its nuclear commitments if U.S. President-elect Joe Biden lifts sanctions imposed over the past two years, its Foreign Minister said on 18 November. Tehran’s return to its commitments can be done automatically and needs no conditions or even negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif said in comments published in the state-run Iran daily. Decades old U.S.-Iranian tensions escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed, then reinforced, crippling sanctions. While Mr. Trump has sought to maximize pressure on Iran and isolate it globally, Mr. Biden has proposed to offer the Islamic republic a credible path back to diplomacy. Mr. Zarif argued that America is obligated to implement Resolution 2231 as a member of the United Nations and its Security Council, pointing to the UNSC re solution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal. If it does carry out this resolution and sanctions are lifted, and there are no obstacles to Iran’s economic activities, then Iran will carry out its obligations under the deal, he said. Iran has since May 2019 gradually suspended most of its key obligations under the agreement. Mr. Zarif described Mr. Biden as a foreign affairs veteran whom he has known for 30 years. Once in the White House, Mr. Biden could lift all of these sanctions with three executive orders, he said.
C) U.K’s Labour denies key post to Jeremy Corbyn.
The leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour party on Wednesday refused to readmit his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn to its parliamentary ranks, intensifying a row over anti-Semitism. Keir Starmer was elected leader in April, taking over from Mr. Corbyn after his thumping election defeat to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives last December. Mr. Starmer has vowed to root out anti-Semitism in the party that opponents alleged went unchecked and flourished under Mr. Corbyn. But six months into the job, the row shows no sign of abating. Last month, a report by the U.K.’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found Labour under Mr. Corbyn had broken the law in its inexcusable handling of anti-Semitism complaints. Mr. Corbyn had refused to accept all its findings. That prompted his immediate suspension pending an internal investigation, and the whip was withdrawn, meaning he could not sit with other Labour MPs in the House of Commons. But his party membership was restored on Tuesday by a party disciplinary panel. Mr. Starmer nevertheless said he was not prepared to allow the socialist campaigner back into Labour’s parliamentary ranks.
SPORTS NEWS
A) Mendonca earns his second GM norm. Young Indian International Master Leon Luke Mendonca won a GM chess tournament in Hungary, with a to spare, to chse in the coveted Grandnuster. The 14 year old from Goa triumphed in First Saturday GM November 2020 event in Budapest on Monday to earn his second norms. He needs one more to earn the GM title. Mendonca finished with 7.5 points and clinched the tide with a round to spare. He remainedd unbeaten and recorded victories over two GMs. He had six wins and three draws in the nine round championship. In October , Mendonca had won the Rigochess International Chess Festival GM tournament in Hungary to earn his maiden GM norm. the norm with a round to spare, he said from Budapest. In the opening round, Mendonca drew against higher-rated GM Plat Vojtech of the Czech Republic (Elo 2562). In the next, Mendonca beat Hungarian GM Fogarasi Tibor, which the Indian rated as his best victory in the tournament. Mendoca has been away from home for nine months, along with father Lyndon, playing events in Europe. Mendonca doesn’t seem to be in a hurry together back to India as he is eyeing his final GM norm.
B) Ishaan starts bowling full tilt at NCA.
India’s senior-most fast bowler Ishant Sharma on Wednesday bowled full tilt at the National Cricket Academy with an aim to get fit for lndia’s four match Test series in Australia, starting December 17. Ishant was ruled out of the Indian Premier League after playing just one game for Delhi Capitals against Sunrisers Hyderabad as a left internal oblique muscle tear ended his campaign prematurely. Ishant has been at the NCA doing his extensive rehabilitation work under the watchful eyes of director Rahul Dravid and head physio Ashish Kaushik. On Wednesday, ESPNCricinfo on its twitter handle, posted a minute-long clip of the 32-yeardd bowling from his full run-up. Dravid and chief selector Sunil Joshi watched Ishant bowl. He was mainly bowling single stump With NCA coaching staff like Paras Mhambrey and Mansur Khan also in attendance. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, in a recent interview to PTI, had said that they are expecting Ishant to fit before the first Test in Adelaide.
