Vaccine We have always stated that overseas supply of vaccines from India would depend on vaccine availability and our domestic vaccination programme, MEA Spokesperson Bagchi said. IANS Image For Representation India on June 24 said its stand on COVID-19 vaccine exports has been that it will depend on its domestic needs. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that right now, the priority remains utilising made-in-India jabs for its own inoculation drive. The assertion

Bureaucracy The Union government had recently approved the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, titled 'Mission Karmayogi'. PTI Image credit: Infosys Former Infosys Chief Executive Officer (CEO) SD Shibu Lal was on Wednesday appointed chairperson of a three-member task force formed to help the government in bringing major bureaucratic reforms through its ambitious Mission Karmayogi. Besides Lal, who is founder of ShikshaLokam and founder and ex-CEO of Infosys Limite

IT Rules This is the first time that mainstream media outlets have contested the new IT Rules and this is one of the many petitions filed against the new IT Rules in various High Courts of the country. Sanyukta Dharmadhikari Image for representation Thirteen media outlets in India under the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) have moved the Madras High Court against the new IT Rules, asking that the court declare the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Et

Lakshadweep In the letter, the collective pointed out that LDAR is against the recommendations of Justice Raveendran Committee set up by the Supreme Court in 2015. TNM Staff Photo : Soumya Sarkar A collective of scientists and citizens who have worked in various institutions in the Lakshadweep Islands have released a statement saying that the proposed Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation of 2021 (LDAR), is highly problematic as it would harm ecology, livelihood and culture of the islands

Controversy Multiple diaspora Tamil groups have written to Kollywood urging the industry to stop showing the victims of genocide in a bad light. IANS Stepping up their campaign against the Amazon Prime web series 'The Family Man 2, the members of the Eelam Tamil diaspora have urged the Tamil film industry to stop showing the victims of genocide in bad light. The controversial hit series has come under fire from Tamil organisations for the 'negative' portrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils. The Australia

Controversy Asghar Ali, who shot Avni in Maharashtra's Yavatmal in 2018, said that the facts relating to the killing have been twisted in the movie. IANS Image: nawabshafathalikhan.com Shooter Asghar Ali Khan is contemplating legal action against makers of movie Sherni, starring Vidya Balan, for, what he called, wisting of facts relating to the killing of tigress Avni. Not satisfied with the reply received from the film makers to the legal notice sent a fortnight ago, he is planning the ne

Death Antivirus software creator John McAfee, 75, was found dead in his prison cell in Barcelona. Signs point to death by suicide, according to the Catalan Justice Department. DW Facebook Anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee was found dead Wednesday in his prison cell in Spain. He faced extradition to the US to answer charges of tax evasion. McAfee was arrested at Barcelona airport last October trying to board a flight to Istanbul. Since then, the British-born computer programmer had bee

Controversy The meeting was chaired by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on the agenda of vaccine development for COVID-19 and genetic sequencing of coronavirus and its variants. PTI Image: PTI A parliamentary panel meeting on the issue of vaccine development witnessed high drama on Wednesday as several BJP MPs walked out of it asserting that this is not the appropriate time to discuss the vaccine policy, sources said. Scientific Advisor to the government K Vijaya Raghavan, Direction General of Indian C

Politics The Puducherry cabinet will now be a six-member ministry with four from the AINRC, including the Chief Minister, and two from the BJP. PTI After more than 40 days of suspense, the cabinet formation in Puducherry finally took shape on Wednesday with Chief Minister N Rangasamy submitting a list of members to be included in his ministry, including two BJP MLAs, to Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. The list has been sent to the Union Home Ministry for its approval and that the ca

Federalism As easy as it is to blame successive Union governments for being bullies, it is equally, if not more, important that state governments block and repel centralisation. Tara Krishnaswamy COVID-19 has shone light on one of Indias darkest corners that we stoutly refuse to examine the lack of coordination between the governments in India. Nationally relevant policies, be they vaccine procurement, pricing and disbursal, oxygen manufacturing and inter-state supply, GST rates for COVID care

Coronavirus Madhya Pradesh administered a whopping 17,44,657 doses on June 21, but then the numbers fell to 4,842 doses on June 22. TNM Staff Representative image India administered a record-breaking 88 lakh vaccine doses on June 21, on the first day that the governments revised vaccine policy in which it is procuring 75% of the vaccines and sending them to states as per need came into force. While the Union government aimed at keeping up this rate, a day later, however, the number dipped from

Finance As on date, the agency has attached total assets worth Rs 18,170.02 crore in these two bank fraud cases, the ED said. PTI About 40 per cent of the money lost by banks in the PNB scam and the fraud linked to fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya's defunct Kingfisher Airlines has been realised by way of sale of shares seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday. It said the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT), on behalf of an SBI-led cons

Aviation The discount would be given on base fare and only limited inventory is available under this offer, a statement from IndiGo said. TNM Staff The airline carrier IndiGo has announced in a statement that it will be giving a 10 percent discount from Wednesday, June 23, onwards to all passengers who have taken at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The discount will be offered on the base fare of the flight ticket and only a limited inventory is available under this offer, the airline's state

Coronavirus The Delta Plus variant has been found in 22 cases in three states Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala the Health Ministry has said. TNM Staff Representative image The Delta Plus variant of the novel coronavirus has been notified as a Variant of Concern (VOC) in India, the Union Health Ministry said in a release on Tuesday evening. The Union Health Ministry issued a statement that there have been 22 cases of Delta Plus detected in India and the government has alerted the states w

Coronavirus White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci said the variant, which was first identified in India, now makes up more than 20% of all new cases in the US, a significant increase from nearly 10% two weeks ago. PTI NIAD The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the greatest threat to America's attempt to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has warned.Speaking at a White House briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday, Fauci sa

COVID-19 Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the Delta Plus is a variant of interest but it is still not classified as a variant of concern. TNM Staff Image for Representation 22 cases of the Delta Plus' variant of the coronavirus have been detected in the country so far, the Health Ministry told the media on Tuesday. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that 16 of these cases are in two districts of Maharashtra Jalgaon and Ratnagiri and the rest are in Kerala and Madhya Prad

Court The 41-year-old woman, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, pleaded guilty to 28 charges and has received the longest jail term meted out in Singapore in a domestic worker abuse case. PTI An Indian-origin Singaporean woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing and abusing her domestic worker over 14 months of employment, according to a media report on Tuesday. Gaiyathiri Murugayan pleaded guilty to 28 charges, including culpable homicide, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by starvation, vo

Crime Visuals put out on social media showed the man, who did not have the mandatory RT-PCR test, being dragged out by CISF officials present at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport. TNM Staff Twitter A Mumbai-bound passenger created ruckus at Terminal Three of Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI) after he was barred from boarding the flight as he did not have a mandatory RT-PCR report which is required for travelling by air. According to IGI Airport police, the incident occurred on Monday, June 21

Court The orders that have been stayed include the removal of beef and chicken from the midday meal scheme and the decision to close all the dairy farms in the island. TNM Staff PTI photo In some relief for residents of the union territory of Lakshadweep Islands who have been protesting against Administrator Praful Patel and his reforms, the Kerala High Court on June 22 issued an interim stay on two of the orders given by him. One pertained to closing down of dairy farms, and the other to taking

covid-19 The helpline is available in Kannada, Hindi, Odia and English, and provides verified information in real time. Vibha B Madhava image for representation India has recorded over 2.9 crore COVID-19 cases, with a total of over 3.8 lakh fatalities since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. During this time, several questions have arisen in the minds of citizens, such as the laws around lockdown, pandemic management and vaccination, among others. To assist in tackling such legal issues, B

Police In 2006, the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh v Union of India issued seven directions to ensure police accountability and effectuate police reforms in India. However, most states are yet to enforce these directions. Aditya Ranjan This week marks a year since the brutal killing of P Jayaraj and J Bennix in police custody. On 19 June 2020, in Sathankulam, Tamil Nadu, the police arrested the pair for violating lockdown regulations. Following the arrest, the father and son were allegedly sexua

Agriculture The initiative by the Indian Railways aims to help farmers transport fruits, vegetables and other perishable agricultural products to markets across the country. Vibha B Madhava Twitter The Kisan Rail, a special train carrying 250 tonnes of mango grown in the Kolar region of Karnataka, reached New Delhis Adarsh Nagar railway station on June 21. Kisan Rail Services is an initiative to help farmers to benefit from the swift transport of fruits, vegetables and other perishable agricultu

Transporation Bus drivers, conductors and transportation workers who are waiting for the second dose worry that they are being put at risk. Bharathi SP Sanjana Deshpande Many arterial roads in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka witnessed buses plying back again on the previously empty streets putting an end to several days of complete lockdown imposed by the state governments to curb the spread of coronavirus. The transport services started a skeleton operation to facilitate essential transportat

Coronavirus As oximeters have become a household item during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to have a device that works correctly. Dr Chinnadurai R IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION, PICXY.COM/JO7GTZ The oximeter, once a rarely heard name and used only in hospitals, has now become a household item since the COVID-19 pandemic began. To safeguard patients from deteriorating health, doctors suggest monitoring oxygen saturation levels frequently. With the increasing number of oximeter devices availab

Coronavirus NITI Aayog (Health) member VK Paul told several media outlets on Monday that Phase 3 data was submitted to DCGI over the weekend. TNM Staff Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has submitted data from Phase 3 clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). NITI Aayog (Health) member VK Paul told several media outlets on Monday that Phase 3 data was submitted to DCGI over the weekend. It is my understanding that Phase 3 data has already been

Controversy The new notice to Maneesh Maheshwari was sent late on Monday evening after he offered to join the investigation through video conference. PTI Picxy The Ghaziabad police on Monday warned the Twitter India managing director that his failure to report to it and join its investigation on June 24 in the case of the circulation of a communally sensitive video on its platform would amount to a hindrance in its probe, entailing legal consequences. In a second notice sent to Twitter India MD

Education Both the educational boards filed affidavits before the Supreme Court stating that they have amended their respective evaluation scheme to assess Class 12 students. PTI The CBSE and CISCE boards have told the Supreme Court that Class 12 board examination results would be declared by July 31 and the students, desirous of taking up the board examination physically of CBSE can do so between August 15 to September 15, subject to conducive pandemic situation. The CISCE said its students can