NATIONAL NEWS
A) Centre raises alert on delta plus variant
The Union Health Ministry has warned States that the delta plus variant, which is currently a variant of concern, has increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, and potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response. Directing the States to initiate more focused and stringent measures to contain the virus spread, the Ministry has now also instructed that adequate number of samples from positive persons have to be sent to the designated labs so that clinical epidemiological correlations can be established. The Ministry in its written communication has advised immediate containment measures which must be put in place in districts and clusters, where the variant has been detected, including preventing crowds and intermingling of people. It has also advocated for widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis, said a Ministry official. The Ministry has written to Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh where some districts have this variant, he said. Doctors across India have also cautioned against any relaxation in adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour. Archana Dhawan Bajaj, director, Nurture IVF said that the delta variant has been labeled as ‘Variant of Concern’ by World Health Organisation (WHO) for multiple reasons. The delta variant is more resistant to medication, treatment, and vaccination. Therefore, people who have been vaccinated can still be affected by this variant and can go on to get the clinical illness. Neutralising antibodies against this variant post-vaccination seem to be nearly five times lower in people who have already been vaccinated than the other variants, she said.
B) Delhi oxygen controversy: AIIMS chief clarifies it was only an interim report.
Amid controversy over a report on Delhi’s oxygen needs submitted by a Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by him, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria on Saturday said it is an interim one and oxygen requirements are dynamic and change from day to day. In the report, the five-member sub group headed by Guleria had said that Delhi’s oxygen needs were exaggerated by four times during the second Covid-19 wave. It is an interim report. The oxygen needs are dynamic and change from day to day. The matter is subjudice, AIIMS chief told PTI. Following the report, the BJP had on Friday accused the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation of criminal negligence, while the AAP government in turn charged the saffron party with cooking up such a report. On Saturday, Kejriwal sought to move on from the controversy and called for everyone to work together to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen in the next Covid-19 wave. May we work now if your fight over oxygen is finished? Let us together make a system so no one faces shortage of oxygen in the third wave, Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
C) Will push for delimitation and Statehood first, polls later, says Omar Abdullah
National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his party will keep stressing and pushing for delimitation first, Statehood second, and elections later. Not delimitation-election-statehood but delimitation-statehood-election. If you have to conduct an election, return the statehood first. Whenever and wherever we get a chance, we will keep stressing on this, Abdullah said, in an interview to a few journalists at his residence in Srinagar, after the Abdullahs returned from Delhi where they met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24. Referring to senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s remarks made during the meeting with the PM, Abdullah said, Before Prime Minister’s address, Azad expressed the view on behalf of all of us and said that this timeline (delimitation-election-statehood) is not acceptable to us. Keeping his cards close to his chest on the participation of the three NC members of Parliament in the Delimitation Commission, Abdullah said, Dr. (Farooq Abdullah) Sahib is to take the view as and when necessary. There has been no fresh approach from the Delimitation Commission. As and when Commission makes an approach, Dr. Sahib will take the view. We will convey our stand to the Commission. He said all the Gupkar alliance members made it clear that they don’t accept August 5, 2019 decisions. We will continue to fight peacefully, constitutionally, legally and politically to undo the August 5 decision. We don’t want to betray people. If we tell people that we are seeking reversal of August 5 from Modi Sahib, it would be a betrayal? he added. The former chief minister made it clear that the struggle to restore J&K’s special status is a long one. It took BJP 70 years to fulfill its agenda. If it takes us 70 weeks or 70 months, or whatever time it takes, we will not retract from our mission, Abdullah said. He said the Prime Minister listened to the stand of the members of the Gupkar alliance. We conveyed to him that people are unhappy, he said. Abdullah said only two leaders, Azad and Muzaffar Hussian Baigh, referred to Article 370 as subjudice and therefore beyond discussion during the meeting with the PM. When the BJP could talk about the Ram temple despite it being before the court (then), why can’t we talk about Article 370? It is a subject of discussion. It was a subject in the DDC polls. We will continue to agitate the matter, he said.
D) CJI says former SC judge’s letter about ‘testing times’ became roadmap for his tenure
Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana has said that a letter from a former Supreme Court judge at the time of his appointment as top judge, asking him to act with courage in these testing days, became the roadmap for his tenure. I feel that this message is indeed the roadmap for my journey as the Chief Justice of India. I shall treasure this message forever, Chief Justice Ramana said of the letter from former Supreme Court judge Justice R.V. Raveendran. The Chief Justice was speaking on Saturday at the virtual launch of Anomalies in Law and Justice, a book authored by Justice Raveendran. Chief Justice Ramana read out Justice Raveendran’s letter, which said, These are difficult days. Challenging days. Testing days. Being a Chief Justice requires courage to act, commitment to the cause of justice, concern for the common man, tact to deal with and obtain the cooperation of the brother judges in addition to the qualities expected of a judge. You possess all of them in abundance. Let the almighty lead you to a purposeful, meaningful and successful tenure. Chief Justice Ramana referred to Justice Raveendran’s rise to the top court from a humble background, with no family pedigree in the profession. The CJI is also a first-generation lawyer. Chief Justice Ramana took a leaf from Justice Raveendran’s legacy in the Supreme Court. He never tried, or made an attempt, to project himself as the saviour of the judicial process. He continued to be humble and believed that the office which he held did not exist for himself… He believed in the dictum, as Lord Denning said, ‘that the best judge is one who is less known and seen in the media’, Chief Justice Ramana said.
E) Activists seek 50 more days of work under MGNREGA
More than 2 lakh rural households have already completed their guaranteed 100 days of employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme within the first three months of the financial year, according to the scheme’s database. This is higher than seen at the same time last year, indicating even higher demand for work than 2020-21’s unprecedented levels. Given the high rates of rural job loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic, activists belonging to the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, asking for an additional 50 days of work to be provided under the scheme, with funding allocated from the disaster management budget. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of non-skilled employment for every rural household each year, and proved a lifeline for migrant workers and families hit by the Covid-19 lockdown last summer. In acknowledgement of the disaster, the Centre increased MGNREGA funding by ₹40,000 crore for 2020-21. However, funding is back to pre-COVID levels this year, with the Centre arguing that there has been no nationwide lockdown, and there have been lower levels of reverse migration. Workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme. Photo used for representation purpose only. However, the MGNREGA database shows that this year’s demand may be even higher than last year’s. As on June 26, 2.17 lakh rural households have already completed their 100-day quota and will not be able to seek any more work from MGNREGA this year. Last year, The Hindu had reported in the first week of July that 1.4 lakh households had completed their 100-day quota within the first quarter. (During early April 2020, most MGNREGA worksites were shut down across the country, resulting in low levels of work provided.) Throughout 2020-21, an unprecedented 72 lakh households completed 100 days of work. If the trend of the first quarter continues, this year will see an even higher number of families who run out of work under the scheme. In its letter to the PM, the Morcha pointed out that the Rural Development Ministry already has the power to notify 50 days of additional work for households in areas hit by drought or any other natural calamity. The Covid-19 pandemic is a severe calamity and has caused massive disruptions in the lives of the poor and each individual is impacted by it. The current situation demands that each NREGA worker can access additional employment for at least 50 days, said the letter, suggesting that a supplementary budget can be allocated from the National Disaster Relief Fund. It also called for wages to be tripled in accordance with Pay Commission recommendations and that MGNREGA workers infected by Covid-19 get a one-time monetary compensation as well.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Colombia President says his chopper was hit by gunfire.
President Ivan Duque said the helicopter he was flying in on Friday near the border with Venezuela was hit by gunfire in the first attack against a Colombian head of state in nearly 20 years. No one was injured, and authorities did not say which side of the border the shots came from. Colombia regularly accuses Venezuela of harbouring Colombian rebels on its territory. It is a cowardly attack, where you can see bullet holes in the presidential aircraft, Mr. Duque said in a statement. Mr. Duque said he was flying with the Defence and Interior Ministers and the Governor of Norte de Santander province, which borders Venezuela, when the helicopter was attacked. Photos released by the President’s office showed the tail and main blade had been hit. Mr. Duque said the aircraft’s safety features prevented a lethal attack. I have given very clear instructions to the entire security team to go after those who shot at the aircraft, he said. The U.S ., European Union and UN mission in Colombia all condemned the attack. The presidential delegation had left the town of Sardinata and was headed to the border city of Cucuta when they came under fire. Mr. Duque had attended an event in the Catatumbo region, one of the main coca-growing areas of the country.
B) Hong Kong police chief calls for fake news law.
Hong Kong’s new police chief called for a fake news law on Saturday and blamed the media for plunging trust in his officers in the politically polarised finance hub. His call comes as authorities carry out a sweeping crackdown on dissent and just days after outspoken newspaper Apple Daily was forced to fold following the freezing of its accounts under a tough new national security law. Surveys show the police have been the least popular disciplinary service in the city since Hong Kong was rocked by pro-democracy protests in 2019, during which allegations of police brutality emerged. Police chief Raymond Siu said much of the blame lay with the media. I understand that there are residents who are still hostile against us. In this regard, I told my colleagues that many of these torn relationships and hostility against the police are due to fake news, Mr. Siu said. There is no legal definition of fake news at the moment, but if there is any legislation that could help us bring these people to justice, as law enforcers, we absolutely welcome it, he added. Three former police officers were on Friday promoted to key positions in government.
