India recorded as many as 9,436 new cases of Coronavirus in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.
India’s active caseload stands at 86,591, which accounts for a total of 0.19 per cent of total cases.
The recovery rate currently is at 98.62 per cent. As many as 9,999 recoveries were made in the last 24 hours, thereby taking the total recoveries to 4,37,93,787.
On the COVID-19 vaccination front, the government data informed that over 211.66 crore vaccine doses had been administered under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination started on January 16, 2021.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March 2022. So far, more than 4.02 Cr (4,02,51,855) adolescents have been administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Similarly, the COVID-19 precaution dose administration for the age group 18-59 years also started from 10 April 2022 onwards.
The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on June 21, 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of more vaccines, and advanced visibility of vaccine availability to States and Union Territories (UTs) for enabling better planning by them and streamlining of the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them with COVID-19 vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
The top investigation agency of Pakistan revealed that an amount of over PKR 787 million was deposited and then withdrawn from an undeclared account, allegedly maintained by the former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with a now-defunct bank.
The development comes after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) unearthed three hidden PTI accounts which were used to funnel huge amounts into Pakistan from abroad.
According to Pakistan’s local media outlet, these accounts were used for transferring funds from the Wootton Cricket Club.
Imran Khan’s party PTI is under the scanner in foreign funding controversy, a document obtained by the FIA from the defunct bank, reveals that the PTI had officially authorized four individuals to operate the account, Dawn reported.
The list of names includes Fariduddin Ahmed, who came to prominence after the release of the Pandora Papers regarding the offshore holdings and potential tax evasion by bigwigs, released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in October of last year, the Dawn reported.
In the disclosures, it emerged that two offshore companies, namely Hawk Field Limited and Lock Gate Investment, were registered in the name of Ahmed. Documents showed his address in Pakistan as 2-Zaman Park, Lahore; the residence of PTI chairman Imran Khan.
At the time, Imran Khan’s close aid Shahbaz Gill had denied Khan’s association with Ahmed, claiming that neither the PTI chief knew the man personally, nor had he ever met him.
Later, Ahmed also denied any link between Khan and his offshore companies but said that both he and Imran Khan had a shared Burki heritage, Dawn reported.
The investigation by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has found that many of the daily-need products Mumbaikars purchase online through unrecognised apps are duplicates.
The EOW has seized fake copyright items and edible products used as daily needs worth Rs five crore in the last eight months and arrested 61 people, officials said.
An EOW crime branch (CB) control unit official said 14 cases related to the copyright products and 11 cases regarding other duplicate products have been registered in Mumbai.
“The accused persons own shops and many of them sell products online. During the probe, we found that people in Mumbai are using online platforms to purchase daily-need products, but they should be aware that 99 per cent of these products purchased through unrecognised apps are fake and duplicate,” an EOW official said.
He said people fall prey as the rates of the merchandise available online are cheaper compared to genuine products.
“This year we have seized duplicate copyright products like floor cleaners, make-up items, branded shoes, iPhone mobile accessories, single-touch diabetic machine, salt, jeans etc. The duplicate consumable products include palm oil, paneer, milk, lubricants used in bikes, watches, e-cigarettes and other items,” the official added.
He advised people to go to nearby shops, malls, and departmental stores to purchase products after checking their expiry date and the company name.
“Such duplicate products and eatable items are not only causing losses to the government exchequer but are also hazardous to the health of people. We are keeping a close watch on such fake copyright sales and duplicate products, and will deal strictly with such people,” the official added.
When Dattatray Ware, a national award-winning teacher, was transferred to the government school at Jalindernagar, it had only 13 students on its rolls.
Months later, the number has crossed 80, thanks to the transformation he has brought about at this “ZP school” located in a remote area of Pune district.
It now has a well-equipped laboratory, a library, laptops and even Virtual Reality (VR) goggles among other educational aids.
Ware, a Zilla Parishad (ZP) teacher, rose to fame after he took charge of a school at Wablewadi in Shirur tehsil of Pune district in 2012.
He got the infrastructure upgraded and introduced novel teaching methods. The school began to offer even lessons in robotics and foreign languages.
In 2016, Ware won a national award for exemplary teacher, but five years later he faced allegations of financial misdemeanours and misuse of position and was suspended.
The suspension was revoked in February this year, but he was transferred to Jalindernagar, a hamlet in Khed tehsil.
The primary school there was in dilapidated condition. There were only 13 children and one teacher, he said.
The school did not even have a proper approach road.
“I was shocked and disheartened by the way I had been suspended. But when I joined this school, I decided to turn it around,” he said.
Ware consulted headmaster Sandip Mhasudge about his plans. Until Ware joined, Mhasudge was the sole teacher.
“We then spoke to the locals and sought their participation in the revamp of the school. They knew about our work at the Wablewadi school, so they showed enthusiasm. We then decided to work on sprucing up the school with infrastructural changes and at the same time, started working on bringing about a qualitative change in students,” Ware said.
The roof which was leaking was replaced with attractive polythene sheets. Drab Shahabadi tiles of the floor were replaced by marble tiles and the construction of compound wall also started with the help of government funds.
They set themselves the target of finishing the physical revamp in 100 days and utilized the summer holidays.
“During this period, the parents of all 13 students were persuaded to send them to school daily. We worked on their academic preparation, started using laptops, introduced VR goggles and the Scratch software to teach them animation,” he said.
They also introduced basic French and Japanese language lessons to inculcate interest in foreign languages among students.
Soon, word spread about the Jalindernagar ZP school.
“By the time we opened the school for the new academic year in June, more than 150 students were seeking admission,” Ware said.
They had to reject the applications of half of them as the schools where they were already enrolled would have been closed down due to exodus, he said.
“I had been disheartened after the episode that had led to my suspension in 2021. People in the area began to say `If you did good, you will meet Ware’s Guruji’s fate,’” he said.
Teachers of primary schools are traditionally addressed as `Guruji’ in Maharashtra.
But block education officer Jeevan Kokane encouraged him in his new innings at Jalindernagar, Ware said.
Mhasudge, his colleague, said the school was on the verge of shutting down in 2018 for want of students.
“When I came here, there were only three students. I increased the number to 13 by appealing to brick kiln workers to send their kids to the school,” he said.
“We were happy when Ware Guruji was transferred here. The school is benefitting immensely from his experience,” he said.
Kokane also praised the efforts of Ware and Mhasugde.
“I visited the school and saw the change. The enrollment which was 13 in January has now increased to around 100. Ware Guruji with the help of some NGOs and social organizations brought things like VR goggles, laptops and television sets and tried to change the face of the school. We have now sent a proposal to start Class 5 there,” he said.
Amit Gawade, a member of the school coordination committee, said people’s attitude towards the ZP school has changed.
“Now, people are ready to extend help to develop the school further. Students have improved… At the Independence Day program, students delivered speeches impromptu without taking any help,” he added.
Bhanudas Zodage, a villager whose daughter studies in Class 1, said students now want to go to school even when it’s a holiday.
The US Defense Department has started sending the shipment of weapons to Ukraine by sea, according to The Washington Post citing US defense officials.
Ships are able to transport large quantities of cargo, despite being slower than aircraft, which could allow Kyiv to build up a bigger weapons arsenal, the newspaper said on Saturday (local time).
The Pentagon started sending weapons to Ukraine by sea “a few weeks” after Russia started its special military operation at the end of February, but maritime shipping has been broadened significantly this spring, US defense officials told The Washington Post.
“Once we started to provide them howitzers, we knew that we were going to need more ammunition,” said Army Col.
Steven Putthoff, the deputy director of operations at US Transportation Command. “So, we could plan ahead a little bit more, and then we could start to use more sealift to provide that support and to get it there sometimes even ahead of the request,” he said, as quoted by The Washington Post.
The US Defence Department had earlier announced that it would provide a new USD 775 million in additional military assistance to Ukraine, including HIMARS missiles, artillery, and mine-clearing systems.
Earlier this week, the United States announced a new USD 2.98 billion package of military aid for Ukraine, which includes six additional National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which finances the US defense industry to boost production of certain weapons.
Most of the previous security packages for Ukraine were presidential drawdown packages that sent weapons and equipment from the US national defense stockpile. However, the United States does not have NASAMS in stock that are immediately available for Ukraine.
With Noida twin towers all set to be demolished today, it’s time to take a look at the story from their rise to imminent fall, ahead of the implosion scheduled at 2.30 pm.
The towers, taller than Qutub Minar in the national capital, include Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys), which are part of the Emerald Court, were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction following which a long legal battle was fought in the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court of India which culminated in favour of the Residents Welfare Association.
The Inception: The story began after a plot was allotted to Supertech Ltd in 2004 by the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) for the development of a housing society which came to be known as Emerald Court. In 2005, the building plan for the construction of 14 towers with 10 floors each for a housing society was approved by the Authority according to the New Okhla Industrial Development Area Building Regulations and Directions 1986.
Supertech was given permission to construct 14 towers with 10 storeys each. However, the restriction on the maximum height was imposed to be 37 metres. As per the original plan, 14 towers with 10 storeys each and a shopping complex along with a garden area constituted the project.
In June 2006, the company received additional land for the construction with the terms being the same. The plan was revised. According to the new plan, two more towers had to come up, in which the garden was scrapped.
In 2009, the final plan was the construction of two towers Apex and Ceyane with 40 floors each while the plan was yet to be approved. The Destruction: In 2011, the Residents Welfare Association filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court. It was alleged that the UP Apartment Owners Act, 2010 was breached during the construction of the towers.
The homeowners claimed that the two towers had less than 16 metres of distance between them which was in violation of the law. The original space designated for the garden in the original plan was allegedly used to erect the twin towers.
In 2012, the Authority approved the new plan proposed in 2009, ahead of the commencement of hearing in the Allahabad High Court.
In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court delivered the judgment in favour of the RWA while also passing an order to demolish the twin towers.
It asked Supertech to demolish the towers at its own expense and also refund the money of the homebuyers along with 14 per cent interest. In May 2014, the Noida Authority and Supertech moved the Supreme Court stating that the construction of the twin towers were according to the regulations.
In August 2021, however, the Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Allahabad High Court and ordered to demolish the towers while also stating that the construction had been made in violation of the regulations.
The Supreme Court has said that the date of demolition may be confirmed as August 28, with a “bandwidth of seven days” between August 29 to September 4, to take into account any marginal delay on account of technical reasons or weather conditions.
The twin towers will finally be demolished today. However, the health impact of the resulting dust on residents will be minimal as experts overseeing the demolition will take steps to control the impact.
Dr Mrinal Sircar, Head Pulmonology and Critical Care, Fortis Noida said, “When you demolish a big structure like that, there will be dust and there would be some smoke because you are using explosives. So, the direction of the air matters. The direction of the wind should also be taken into consideration. Demolishing like this or rather an explosion happening in the open air is much safer than say underground mines.”
“The dust and gases will get diluted in the air and will get dispersed. The experts who are involved in such big demolitions will take care of all these things,” Dr Sircar added.
As part of the evacuation of Afghan refugees, a plane carrying 324 people from Pakistan landed in Winnipeg, the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba.
The flight consist of interpreters and others who had worked with the Canadian forces and allied institutions, Khaama Press reported citing the Canadian Immigration Service.
Following the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban, the federal government committed to resettling 40,000 Afghans in Canada. This charter is a part of that commitment.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) figures, 17,655 Afghan citizens have been relocated to Canada since the evacuation process began.
This process is still ongoing, and this department says that efforts are being made to relocate thousands more.
Through a humanitarian effort and a special immigration program for Afghans who supported the government, about 17,600 Afghans have been welcomed to Canada thus far, according to Khaama Press.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15, 2021. Since then, Afghanistan has seen the world’s “worst” humanitarian crisis, with millions of people struggling to get food on the table while losing basic rights for women and girls.
Taliban have imposed policies severely restricting basic rights–particularly those of women and girls.
The group decrees prohibit women from travelling unless accompanied by a male relative and require women’s faces to be covered in public–including women TV newscasters.
Moreover, the Taliban dismantled the system to respond to gender-based violence, created new barriers to women accessing health care, blocked women’s aid workers from doing their jobs, and attacked women’s rights protesters.
The Taliban has also detained women and girls for minor violations of discriminatory rules and contributed to a surge in child, early and forced marriage rates in Afghanistan.
Several rights groups have called out the Taliban to implement major policy changes and measures to uphold the rights of women and girls.
The Taliban had previously promised an inclusive society and equality during their first press conference after the takeover of Afghanistan, however, their actions reflect a different picture.
There are restrictions on movement, education and freedom of expression of women posing a threat to their survival.
According to locals, the Taliban has prevented women from using smartphones, and the Women’s Affairs Ministry often extorts money for providing essential protection.
Around 80 per cent of women working in the media have lost their jobs, it said adding that almost 18 million women in the country are struggling for health, education and social rights.
As the world witnesses a catastrophic energy crisis with the ongoing war in Ukraine, Talibani officials said that they are close to striking a deal with Moscow over the import of Russian oil and gas, media reports said.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a newsletter published on Friday, August 26, that their delegation’s visit to Moscow included talks about attracting Russian investors to Afghanistan and reaching an agreement for the purchase of oil and gas from Russia, reported Khaama Press.
This comes as Russian and Afghan banks are under sanctions from western nations. In view of this situation, Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, has stated that it is likely that the payments will go through a third country. However, he refrained to comment whether as to which country will facilitate the deal.
Moreover, as per the Talibani Minister, Azizi, who was quoted in the newsletter, the technical elements of the agreement have not yet been finalized and a team is still in Moscow to finalize them
The trade between Russia and Afghanistan faced blows as the duo are under sanctions. The process of transporting oil from Moscow to Kabul has proven to be rather difficult, as per the media portal.
Kazakhstan takes lead in making Central Asia nuclear weapon-free zone 10
The Indian Coast Guard Director-General Virender Singh Pathania on Saturday said that the presence of his force ensures that there is no influx of people from Sri Lanka amidst the crisis in the island country.
“Our presence ensures that there is no influx. So that is our basic role is to ensure deterrence, and if they still land up in shallow water channels then we just provide humanitarian assistance and then hand it over. With the ongoing situation, patrol is taking place and We have the hovercrafts which are typical to the Coast Guard mandate, these hovercrafts can even be deployed at short notice they have good speeds and they can be flown both over the sea and land. These are the best instruments and we have them,” Pathania told agencies.
He also lauded the Indian Coast Guard’s effort in rescuing 32 Bangladesh fishermen and said the increase in presence in the sea has reduced the time to respond to a distress call.
Further adding, “I have said that over a period of time we have been empowered so much I’ve got so many units, so my (ICG) presence at Sea has increased and my response time is reduced, but the ship cited them stranded on some of the wrecks of a boat which was broken, some were floating around and we picked them up and this was in three different occasions where the total number amounted to 32,” he said.
Indian Coast Guard presence ensures there is no influx from Sri Lanka 12
The Indian Coast Guard Director-General Virender Singh Pathania on Saturday said that the presence of his force ensures that there is no influx of people from Sri Lanka amidst the crisis in the island country.
“Our presence ensures that there is no influx. So that is our basic role is to ensure deterrence, and if they still land up in shallow water channels then we just provide humanitarian assistance and then hand it over. With the ongoing situation, patrol is taking place and We have the hovercrafts which are typical to the Coast Guard mandate, these hovercrafts can even be deployed at short notice they have good speeds and they can be flown both over the sea and land. These are the best instruments and we have them,” Pathania told agencies.
He also lauded the Indian Coast Guard’s effort in rescuing 32 Bangladesh fishermen and said the increase in presence in the sea has reduced the time to respond to a distress call.
Further adding, “I have said that over a period of time we have been empowered so much I’ve got so many units, so my (ICG) presence at Sea has increased and my response time is reduced, but the ship cited them stranded on some of the wrecks of a boat which was broken, some were floating around and we picked them up and this was in three different occasions where the total number amounted to 32,” he said.
