Klas Molin, Sweden's envoy to India,&nbsp;has said that his country "congratulates" India for being the pharmacy of the world, and appreciated how production and rollout of Covid-19 vaccines&nbsp;is taking&nbsp;place in India and&nbsp;how it is helping its neighbours.

Speaking to WION Principal Diplomatic Correspondent&nbsp;Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal, Klas talked about the recent India- Sweden virtual summit and explained that both have "very active partnership".

The two countries held a virtual summit last week, making&nbsp;Sweden the second Nordic country with which Indian PM Narendra Modi has held such a summit, after last year's India-Denmark virtual summit.&nbsp;

Modi had gone to&nbsp;Sweden in 2018 on a bilateral visit as well as for the first India-Nordic summit. The second India-Nordic summit is expected to take place later this year in Denmark.

On recent allegations of a Swedish company being involved in bribes in India, the envoy said, "these issues are taken very seriously by the Swedish govt as well as the Indian govt, am sure relevant authorities will look at this". Swedish news channel SVT reported on Tuesday that Swedish truck maker Scania had allegedly paid bribes to win contracts in India.

&nbsp;

<h2>Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal: How was the India Sweden virtual summit? The key outcomes?</h2>

Klas Molin: The virtual summit is the latest of five interactions between our Prime Ministers in recent years. They had a good working relationship, during the Covid times. This is the mode they have to follow, which is virtual. It was a good opportunity to run through what is a very active partnership. They have a joint action plan together and also an innovation partnership. This summit really gave a wonderful opportunity to run through the priorities, which remain the same. We have very strong cooperation in trade and investment, various kinds of research on health, a number of key issues like climate change is another area that they discussed. Sweden has decided to join the International Solar Alliance. Our Prime Ministers are partners in lead IT group, which is a leadership group on Industrial transition, which is looking at new production methods down line in industries that have been key emitters. These are some examples.

&nbsp;

<h2>Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal: How are both countries cooperating to deal with Covid crisis, particularly the vaccines?</h2>

Klas Molin: We had interaction with our health ministers over the year and we had a number of other interactions of experts from both sides. We have a health MoU, in effect over a decade. Our minister for health and social affairs was here two years ago with a big delegation. Under the MoU, one of the keys that was discussed and highlighted last Friday was a health hub that has been created at AIIMS, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This is the latest manifestation of cooperation. Of course, Covid is an obvious discussion point at this time and I believe and it's fair to say, Sweden is congratulating India for the work it is doing in so many areas including being the pharmacy to the world in producing vaccines. It's true, AstraZeneca is here in a big way, cooperating with the Serum Institute in Pune. We are watching both the production and rollout of vaccines for vaccination in India, also internationally efforts under Covax, and also bilaterally, what India is doing to help its neighbours. Ghana was the first country that received Indian vaccines under the Covax. So very impressive and this was recognised.

&nbsp;

<h2>Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal: How has the progress been on the innovation dialogue that was announced in 2018?</h2>

Klas Molin: We have an innovation partnership, it's part of the joint action plan, but it's also a standalone partnership. So we have excellent cooperation between our research foundations, our funding agencies. The PM of Sweden is personally very engaged in innovation. He chairs the national innovation council himself. When the state visit took place in late 2019 here in India, the King and Queen came, we also had the first innovation dialogue. The PM and King of Sweden jointly inaugurated the first dialogue. It is a way to learn from each other and also have our agencies, ministries but not least both the private sector, research and academia involved in innovation. It is a collective effort for everything that is going on and is an innovation partnership for a sustainable future. It needs to be sustainable in terms of climate and also in job creation, which is always an important factor for India, Sweden and globally.

<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

<h2>Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal: Was Myanmar discussed during the virtual summit?</h2>

Klas Molin: The Prime ministers expressed concerns, definite and strong concerns over recent developments in last month as the new Parliament was about to take their seats, the govt was overtaken by military authorities. It is particularly troubling, given the last 10 years of democratic change, the opportunities, the free elections for 2015, the elections in Nov 2020, that had given an increasing clear majority for a party and civilian rule. The leaders acknowledged how serious they view it and how important is for the international community to step in and denounce the development.

&nbsp;

<h2>Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal: Any update on the India Nordic summit?</h2>

Klas Molin: The first summit happened in Stockholm, back-to-back with PM Modi's visit in April and we were very happy and honored to host that. I think it is a very useful way of combining, I mean the Nordic countries have a long history of cooperation, we are neighbours, cousins and similar, both when it comes to many of the policy issues. Also, the focus of our economies, being sustainable, being green and very heavily into information and technology. If I may speak for India, it is very clearly a useful way of meeting several leaders who happen to be similar in focus. We of course are independent countries, some of us members of the EU, some are outside, but in one stop you get chance to meet five heads of government&nbsp;and you can set out ways of cooperation which are similar to bilateral aims, but also have multiplying effects. When it comes to population, fairly humble, but economic output and interest in cooperating with India is huge and benefit for us&nbsp;and for India is definitely there, and that is why PM and Indian government&nbsp;see it in interest to approach us in the group, combined with bilateral relations.

&nbsp;

<h2>Sidhant&nbsp;Sibal: Reports have emerged in Swedish media on a Swedish company being allegedly involved in paying bribes in India. Any reaction?</h2>

Klas Molin: I haven't seen it, I have seen the headlines. I think it's a news story, if there is anything to allegations that are being made, sure relevant authorities will be looking into this. But naturally, these issues are taken very seriously by the Swedish govt as well as the Indian govt, am sure relevant authorities will look at this and we will see what they have to say if there is anything to say. &nbsp;

Klas Molin, Sweden's envoy to India, has said that his country "congratulates" India for being the pharmacy of the world, and appreciated how production and rollout of Covid-19 vaccines is taking place in India and how it is helping its neighbours.

Klas Molin, Sweden's envoy to India, has said that his country "congratulates" India for being the pharmacy of the world, and appreciated how production and rollout of Covid-19 vaccines is taking place in India and how it is helping its neighbours. Speaking to WION Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Klas talked about the recent India- Sweden virtual summit and explained that both have "very active partnership". The two countries held a virtual summit last week, making Sweden the second Nordic country with which Indian PM Narendra Modi has held such a summit, after last year's India-Denmark virtual summit. Modi had gone to Sweden in 2018 on a bilateral visit as well as for the first India-Nordic summit. The second India-Nordic summit is expected to take place later this year in Denmark. On recent allegations of a Swedish company being involved in bribes in India, the envoy said, "these issues are taken very seriously by the Swedish govt as well as the Indian govt, am sure relevant authorities will look at this". Swedish news channel SVT reported on Tuesday that Swedish truck maker Scania had allegedly paid bribes to win contracts in India. Sidhant Sibal: How was the India Sweden virtual summit? The key outcomes? Klas Molin: The virtual summit is the latest of five interactions between our Prime Ministers in recent years. They had a good working relationship, during the Covid times. This is the mode they have to follow, which is virtual. It was a good opportunity to run through what is a very active partnership. They have a joint action plan together and also an innovation partnership. This summit really gave a wonderful opportunity to run through the priorities, which remain the same. We have very strong cooperation in trade and investment, various kinds of research on health, a number of key issues like climate change is another area that they discussed. Sweden has decided to join the International Solar Alliance. Our Prime Ministers are partners in lead IT group, which is a leadership group on Industrial transition, which is looking at new production methods down line in industries that have been key emitters. These are some examples. Sidhant Sibal: How are both countries cooperating to deal with Covid crisis, particularly the vaccines? Klas Molin: We had interaction with our health ministers over the year and we had a number of other interactions of experts from both sides. We have a health MoU, in effect over a decade. Our minister for health and social affairs was here two years ago with a big delegation. Under the MoU, one of the keys that was discussed and highlighted last Friday was a health hub that has been created at AIIMS, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This is the latest manifestation of cooperation. Of course, Covid is an obvious discussion point at this time and I believe and it's fair to say, Sweden is congratulating India for the work it is doing in so many areas including being the pharmacy to the world in producing vaccines. It's true, AstraZeneca is here in a big way, cooperating with the Serum Institute in Pune. We are watching both the production and rollout of vaccines for vaccination in India, also internationally efforts under Covax, and also bilaterally, what India is doing to help its neighbours. Ghana was the first country that received Indian vaccines under the Covax. So very impressive and this was recognised. Sidhant Sibal: How has the progress been on the innovation dialogue that was announced in 2018? Klas Molin: We have an innovation partnership, it's part of the joint action plan, but it's also a standalone partnership. So we have excellent cooperation between our research foundations, our funding agencies. The PM of Sweden is personally very engaged in innovation. He chairs the national innovation council himself. When the state visit took place in late 2019 here in India, the King and Queen came, we also had the first innovation dialogue. The PM and King of Sweden jointly inaugurated the first dialogue. It is a way to learn from each other and also have our agencies, ministries but not least both the private sector, research and academia involved in innovation. It is a collective effort for everything that is going on and is an innovation partnership for a sustainable future. It needs to be sustainable in terms of climate and also in job creation, which is always an important factor for India, Sweden and globally. Sidhant Sibal: Was Myanmar discussed during the virtual summit? Klas Molin: The Prime ministers expressed concerns, definite and strong concerns over recent developments in last month as the new Parliament was about to take their seats, the govt was overtaken by military authorities. It is particularly troubling, given the last 10 years of democratic change, the opportunities, the free elections for 2015, the elections in Nov 2020, that had given an increasing clear majority for a party and civilian rule. The leaders acknowledged how serious they view it and how important is for the international community to step in and denounce the development. Sidhant Sibal: Any update on the India Nordic summit? Klas Molin: The first summit happened in Stockholm, back-to-back with PM Modi's visit in April and we were very happy and honored to host that. I think it is a very useful way of combining, I mean the Nordic countries have a long history of cooperation, we are neighbours, cousins and similar, both when it comes to many of the policy issues. Also, the focus of our economies, being sustainable, being green and very heavily into information and technology. If I may speak for India, it is very clearly a useful way of meeting several leaders who happen to be similar in focus. We of course are independent countries, some of us members of the EU, some are outside, but in one stop you get chance to meet five heads of government and you can set out ways of cooperation which are similar to bilateral aims, but also have multiplying effects. When it comes to population, fairly humble, but economic output and interest in cooperating with India is huge and benefit for us and for India is definitely there, and that is why PM and Indian government see it in interest to approach us in the group, combined with bilateral relations. Sidhant Sibal: Reports have emerged in Swedish media on a Swedish company being allegedly involved in paying bribes in India. Any reaction? Klas Molin: I haven't seen it, I have seen the headlines. I think it's a news story, if there is anything to allegations that are being made, sure relevant authorities will be looking into this. But naturally, these issues are taken very seriously by the Swedish govt as well as the Indian govt, am sure relevant authorities will look at this and we will see what they have to say if there is anything to say.

Exclusive: Sweden congratulates India for being the pharmacy of the world

More than 90% of Americans think the United States could have its first woman president within a decade, a poll has showed, as Vice-President Kamala Harris is increasingly tipped as a favourite for the Democratic Party nomination in 2024.

A&nbsp;Gallup&nbsp;poll conducted in 74 countries showed Americans were the most likely to say they thought a woman could lead their nation by 2030.

The majority of respondents in only three countries - Mauritania, Belarus and Sri Lanka - said they did not expect to see a woman leader in the years ahead, found the poll conducted from 2019 to 2020 and released for International Women's Day.

Women serve as heads of state or government in only 22 countries and 119 nations have never had a woman leader, UN Women data showed in January, while on average women hold just over a quarter of seats in parliaments worldwide.

But Harris's election as the first female U.S. vice president last year was a significant boost for efforts to boost women's political representation and help young women see themselves in top jobs, according to campaigners.

"We all believe (Harris) is going to run for president again very, very soon," said Sara Guillermo, executive director of California-based young women's political leadership organisation IGNITE, describing Harris's election as a "huge cultural shift".

"That is really huge, not just for the little girls of the world but for the little boys, to be able to fully understand that both genders can serve in the highest leadership role," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a video call.

Harris, 56, who also made history by becoming the first Black American and first Asian American to win the second highest U.S. office, is seen as an obvious contender for her party's 2024 candidacy should Biden, 78, decide not to run.

Monday's poll findings follow a warning last week that despite recent high-profile appointments of women globally, wider progress towards equality in political representation and other key areas is faltering.

A report by the Equal Measures 2030 partnership found half of the 129 countries it examined were lagging behind a target to reach gender equality by 2030 in five key areas including ministerial roles and workplace equity laws.

Progress is "limping along" globally but "rapid change on gender equality is possible", said Alison Holder, director of the organisation, which assesses progress on an ambitious set of global goals against inequality set by world leaders in 2015.

More than 90% of Americans think the United States could have its first woman president within a decade, a poll has showed, as Vice-President Kamala Harris is increasingly tipped as a favourite for the Democratic Party nomination in 2024.

More than 90% of Americans think the United States could have its first woman president within a decade, a poll has showed, as Vice-President Kamala Harris is increasingly tipped as a favourite for the Democratic Party nomination in 2024. A Gallup poll conducted in 74 countries showed Americans were the most likely to say they thought a woman could lead their nation by 2030. The majority of respondents in only three countries - Mauritania, Belarus and Sri Lanka - said they did not expect to see a woman leader in the years ahead, found the poll conducted from 2019 to 2020 and released for International Women's Day. Women serve as heads of state or government in only 22 countries and 119 nations have never had a woman leader, UN Women data showed in January, while on average women hold just over a quarter of seats in parliaments worldwide. But Harris's election as the first female U.S. vice president last year was a significant boost for efforts to boost women's political representation and help young women see themselves in top jobs, according to campaigners. "We all believe (Harris) is going to run for president again very, very soon," said Sara Guillermo, executive director of California-based young women's political leadership organisation IGNITE, describing Harris's election as a "huge cultural shift". "That is really huge, not just for the little girls of the world but for the little boys, to be able to fully understand that both genders can serve in the highest leadership role," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a video call. Harris, 56, who also made history by becoming the first Black American and first Asian American to win the second highest U.S. office, is seen as an obvious contender for her party's 2024 candidacy should Biden, 78, decide not to run. Monday's poll findings follow a warning last week that despite recent high-profile appointments of women globally, wider progress towards equality in political representation and other key areas is faltering. A report by the Equal Measures 2030 partnership found half of the 129 countries it examined were lagging behind a target to reach gender equality by 2030 in five key areas including ministerial roles and workplace equity laws. Progress is "limping along" globally but "rapid change on gender equality is possible", said Alison Holder, director of the organisation, which assesses progress on an ambitious set of global goals against inequality set by world leaders in 2015.

Madam President? 90% of Americans expect to see a woman at White House by 2030

India has reacted sharply to the meeting of UK MPs on India's farm laws and press freedom, expressing its "deep regret" and describing it as a "one-sided discussion" than a "balanced debate".

The meeting&nbsp;took place in the Westminster hall of the British House of Commons in&nbsp;response to an e-petition campaign.

"False assertions - without substantiation or facts - were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions," the Indian high commission said in a statement.

What was raised are the remit of well-established independent democratic institutions&nbsp;in India, it said, while expressing concern over "comments...made to mislead the British Indian community, raising doubts about treatment of minorities in India, alleged human rights violations in ‘Kashmir’ etc."

This is not the first time such developments have happened. In the past also, Westminster hall has seen discussion on the matter.

The statement by the mission said that "normally (it would) refrain from commenting on an internal discussion involving a small group of parliamentarians in a limited quorum", but when "aspersions are cast on India by anyone, irrespective of their claims of friendship and love for India or domestic political compulsions, there is a need to set the record straight."

During the discussion,&nbsp;UK govt's Minister of State for Asia, Nigel Adams, had come in strong support of New Delhi, saying, "India's agriculture reforms are India's internal matter."

He said, "Our officials from British High commission in India have monitored and reported back on the protests in response to the agriculture reform laws...we are also aware that government has met with farmers union on several union, but these talks remain inconclusive and ongoing"

"Understandably, these events have caused alarm and uncertainty for many British people who have family ties to farming community in India...Agriculture policy is domestic matter for Indian government."

India and UK have seen high level engagement, with UK PM Boris Johnson set to visit India and Indian PM Narendra Modi set to attend&nbsp;the G7 summit hosted by Britain later this year.&nbsp;

The discussion saw several MPs speaking against India, which included&nbsp;Pakistan-origin lawmaker Khalid Mahmood and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. Dhesi said, "imagine our collective pain when we see scenes of tear gas and water cannon and brute force being used against farmers".

Jeremy Corbyn, who was the leader of the opposition Labor party till last year, highlighted the "unprecedented nature" of protests, which is the biggest ever "industrial dispute".

Conservative party lawmaker Bob Blackman, in a separate statement said, "farming laws have been the process of 20 years of negotiations covering many different Indian governments, and it's quite clear, new farming laws will benefit small farmers and low income farmers".

India has reacted sharply to the meeting of UK MPs on India's farm laws and press freedom, expressing its "deep regret" and describing it as a "one-sided discussion" than a "balanced debate".

India has reacted sharply to the meeting of UK MPs on India's farm laws and press freedom, expressing its "deep regret" and describing it as a "one-sided discussion" than a "balanced debate". The meeting took place in the Westminster hall of the British House of Commons in response to an e-petition campaign. "False assertions - without substantiation or facts - were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions," the Indian high commission said in a statement. What was raised are the remit of well-established independent democratic institutions in India, it said, while expressing concern over "comments...made to mislead the British Indian community, raising doubts about treatment of minorities in India, alleged human rights violations in ‘Kashmir’ etc." This is not the first time such developments have happened. In the past also, Westminster hall has seen discussion on the matter. The statement by the mission said that "normally (it would) refrain from commenting on an internal discussion involving a small group of parliamentarians in a limited quorum", but when "aspersions are cast on India by anyone, irrespective of their claims of friendship and love for India or domestic political compulsions, there is a need to set the record straight." During the discussion, UK govt's Minister of State for Asia, Nigel Adams, had come in strong support of New Delhi, saying, "India's agriculture reforms are India's internal matter." He said, "Our officials from British High commission in India have monitored and reported back on the protests in response to the agriculture reform laws...we are also aware that government has met with farmers union on several union, but these talks remain inconclusive and ongoing" "Understandably, these events have caused alarm and uncertainty for many British people who have family ties to farming community in India...Agriculture policy is domestic matter for Indian government." India and UK have seen high level engagement, with UK PM Boris Johnson set to visit India and Indian PM Narendra Modi set to attend the G7 summit hosted by Britain later this year. The discussion saw several MPs speaking against India, which included Pakistan-origin lawmaker Khalid Mahmood and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. Dhesi said, "imagine our collective pain when we see scenes of tear gas and water cannon and brute force being used against farmers". Jeremy Corbyn, who was the leader of the opposition Labor party till last year, highlighted the "unprecedented nature" of protests, which is the biggest ever "industrial dispute". Conservative party lawmaker Bob Blackman, in a separate statement said, "farming laws have been the process of 20 years of negotiations covering many different Indian governments, and it's quite clear, new farming laws will benefit small farmers and low income farmers".

'One-sided discussion': India regrets UK House of Commons meeting on farm laws

In a new twist to the acrimonious confidence vote, Pakistan opposition has alleged that two Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) were locked up in a container for four hours to pressurise them to vote in favour of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The explosive claim was made in a press conference by&nbsp;Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who alleged that the government took the help of intelligence agencies to secure the vote of confidence for Khan.

Maryam, the daughter of PMN-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,&nbsp;said that government lawmakers were "in touch" with her party.

She alleged that the spy agencies had "made people disappear" on behalf of the prime minister ahead of Saturday's trust vote, Dawn newspaper reported.

Khan decided to take a vote of confidence after finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost the Senate election, leading to calls by the Opposition for the prime minister's resignation.

The trust vote taken by Khan "has no legal, constitutional, political or moral value", Maryam Nawaz said.

"It has come to our personal knowledge that two MNAs who were not ready to vote for [the prime minister] until the last moment were taken to the compound of an institution in Golra (near Islamabad), kept locked up in a container there for four hours and were forced by personnel of agencies to vote in favour of Imran Khan," she said.

"The way you used Pakistan's secret agencies for your benefit is very shameful. Is this all agencies in Pakistan are left for? Will their role from now on be to throw their institution into politics in order to protect a man who is being rejected by the people?" she said.

She pointed that Prime Minister Khan knew he would "lose badly" if the agencies hadn't helped him, Dawn reported.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 opposition parties, has announced a long march in Islamabad on March 26.

&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

In a new twist to the acrimonious confidence vote, Pakistan opposition has alleged that two Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) were locked up in a container for four hours to pressurise them to vote in favour of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In a new twist to the acrimonious confidence vote, Pakistan opposition has alleged that two Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) were locked up in a container for four hours to pressurise them to vote in favour of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The explosive claim was made in a press conference by Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who alleged that the government took the help of intelligence agencies to secure the vote of confidence for Khan. Maryam, the daughter of PMN-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said that government lawmakers were "in touch" with her party. She alleged that the spy agencies had "made people disappear" on behalf of the prime minister ahead of Saturday's trust vote, Dawn newspaper reported. Khan decided to take a vote of confidence after finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost the Senate election, leading to calls by the Opposition for the prime minister's resignation. The trust vote taken by Khan "has no legal, constitutional, political or moral value", Maryam Nawaz said. "It has come to our personal knowledge that two MNAs who were not ready to vote for [the prime minister] until the last moment were taken to the compound of an institution in Golra (near Islamabad), kept locked up in a container there for four hours and were forced by personnel of agencies to vote in favour of Imran Khan," she said. "The way you used Pakistan's secret agencies for your benefit is very shameful. Is this all agencies in Pakistan are left for? Will their role from now on be to throw their institution into politics in order to protect a man who is being rejected by the people?" she said. She pointed that Prime Minister Khan knew he would "lose badly" if the agencies hadn't helped him, Dawn reported. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 opposition parties, has announced a long march in Islamabad on March 26. (With inputs from agencies)

Pak lawmakers were kept in containers during confidence vote, alleges opposition

More than three years after the massive social media-led #MeToo movement on sexual misconduct, which started in Hollywood and swept all walks of life across the world, much remains to be done in addressing the problem.

Are women's complaints of sexual harassment at workplace being addressed?

An index created by Equileap, a women's workplace equality organisation, showed that most big firms are failing to address sexual harassment at work.

Despite the #MeToo campaign that began in October, 2017 that sparked a wider debate around harassment, pay and representation, 51% of companies assessed for the index did not publish an anti-sexual harassment policy last year, said Equileap. However, this is an improvement on 58% recorded in 2019.

The data was drawn from 3,702 firms in 23 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Australia.

 
Workplace harassment has been one of the reasons that keeps women from achieving their careers.

According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency in the US, 60% women in the country reported sexual harassment.

Data from Hong Kong City University found 80% of women in China having reported harrasent at some stage of their career.

The situation in India

A ComplyKaro Services analysis of annual reports from BSE 100 companies revealed a 14% rise in sexual harassment complaints in financial year 2019-20 alone.

In India, 95 per cent of women working in the informal sector finds it difficult to access legal mechanisms to report sexual harassment at the workplace.

And because the #MeToo was a social-media led movement, it had little effect in remote and rural areas of the country.

More than three years after the massive social media-led #MeToo movement on sexual misconduct, which started in Hollywood and swept all walks of life across the world, much remains to be done in addressing the problem.

More than three years after the massive social media-led #MeToo movement on sexual misconduct, which started in Hollywood and swept all walks of life across the world, much remains to be done in addressing the problem. Are women's complaints of sexual harassment at workplace being addressed? An index created by Equileap, a women's workplace equality organisation, showed that most big firms are failing to address sexual harassment at work. Despite the #MeToo campaign that began in October, 2017 that sparked a wider debate around harassment, pay and representation, 51% of companies assessed for the index did not publish an anti-sexual harassment policy last year, said Equileap. However, this is an improvement on 58% recorded in 2019. The data was drawn from 3,702 firms in 23 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Australia. Workplace harassment has been one of the reasons that keeps women from achieving their careers. According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency in the US, 60% women in the country reported sexual harassment. Data from Hong Kong City University found 80% of women in China having reported harrasent at some stage of their career. The situation in India A ComplyKaro Services analysis of annual reports from BSE 100 companies revealed a 14% rise in sexual harassment complaints in financial year 2019-20 alone. In India, 95 per cent of women working in the informal sector finds it difficult to access legal mechanisms to report sexual harassment at the workplace. And because the #MeToo was a social-media led movement, it had little effect in remote and rural areas of the country.

International Women's Day: Sexual harassment policies in global companies leave much to be desired

India has supplied 464.29 lakh made-in-India Covid vaccines to 47 countries as of Thursday, an outreach that has won genuine goodwill for New Delhi in many parts of the world.

Of these vaccine doses, 71.25 lakh were supplied as gift, and 393.04 lakh commercially.&nbsp;The countries that have got India's vaccines both developed and developing countries, from Africa to the Caribbean to ASEAN and in the neighborhood.

On Wednesday, India-made vaccines reached Canada, with the country getting 500,000. The Pune-based Serum Institute of India will be sending 1.5 million more doses of&nbsp;Covishield vaccine.&nbsp;In a tweet, India's envoy to Canada Ajay Bisaria said, "India is proud to support Canada’s vaccination programme as a strategic partner."

&nbsp;

One of India's significant outreach efforts has been to CARICOM, or Caribbean countries such as Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, St&nbsp;Kitts &amp; Nevis, St&nbsp;Vincent &amp; Grenadines, and Antigua &amp; Barbuda.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Lauding India's generosity,&nbsp;Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said,&nbsp;"PM Narendra Modi has demonstrated perhaps the most significant of benevolence, kindness and certainly of empathy" that "we would have seen in the recent times, compared to any act of any other leader globally".

"I have to admit that this is easily one of the most notable acts of benevolence that we have seen in the last 100 years," he added.

Other Caribbean leaders also thanked India, with&nbsp;Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley tweeting, "PM Modi @narendramodi made it possible for more than 40K persons in Barbados and tens of thousands elsewhere, to receive their 1st dose of COVISHIELD via #VaccineMaitri before receiving his. A genuine demonstration of generosity. Thank you and we wish you continued good health."

Caribbean countries included a special thanks to India in a resolution adopted by the Organisation of American States (OAS) - a group of 34 countries including the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

&nbsp;

At a time of vaccine nationalism,&nbsp;CARICOM's envoy to the OAS permanent council, Ambassador Ronald Sanders said, "India has demonstrated that it is a caring nation and is an example to the world in international cooperation at a time of global crisis. Further, India has not sought to extract any conditions for its generosity to countries that have no vaccines. India will be remembered by the Caribbean with great gratitude."

Indian High Commissioner accredited to the CARICOM Secretariat Dr KJ Srinivasa explained&nbsp;that the statement seems to echo the general sentiments of the CARICOM region. He told WION, "India’s role as the first responder during crises and as the “pharmacy of the world” are now recognised throughout the region and this #VaccineMaitri will go a long way in further consolidating India’s role as a world leader."

&nbsp;

Eleven countries have got India-made vaccines under the COVAX facility. Ten of them are from&nbsp;Africa-- Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan and one from ASEAN--Cambodia.

All of India's neighbors, barring Pakistan, have been supplied with vaccines by New Delhi. In fact, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Bangladesh began their vaccination drive using India-made vaccines.

Last week, when Afghanistan started its vaccination drive with healthcare workers and members of the Afghan military, President Ashraf&nbsp;Ghani said,&nbsp;"India, the world's largest democracy and the largest producer of&nbsp;vaccines, not only provided the house of Parliament of Afghanistan and the dams that are the pride of this country, but also partners with us in terms of securing our lives and livelihood."

India had started its mega domestic vaccination in January and since then more than 1.66 crore vaccine doses have been administered.

India has supplied 464.29 lakh made-in-India Covid vaccines to 47 countries as of Thursday, an outreach that has won genuine goodwill for New Delhi in many parts of the world.

India has supplied 464.29 lakh made-in-India Covid vaccines to 47 countries as of Thursday, an outreach that has won genuine goodwill for New Delhi in many parts of the world. Of these vaccine doses, 71.25 lakh were supplied as gift, and 393.04 lakh commercially. The countries that have got India's vaccines both developed and developing countries, from Africa to the Caribbean to ASEAN and in the neighborhood. On Wednesday, India-made vaccines reached Canada, with the country getting 500,000. The Pune-based Serum Institute of India will be sending 1.5 million more doses of Covishield vaccine. In a tweet, India's envoy to Canada Ajay Bisaria said, "India is proud to support Canada’s vaccination programme as a strategic partner." One of India's significant outreach efforts has been to CARICOM, or Caribbean countries such as Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent & Grenadines, and Antigua & Barbuda. Lauding India's generosity, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said, "PM Narendra Modi has demonstrated perhaps the most significant of benevolence, kindness and certainly of empathy" that "we would have seen in the recent times, compared to any act of any other leader globally". "I have to admit that this is easily one of the most notable acts of benevolence that we have seen in the last 100 years," he added. Other Caribbean leaders also thanked India, with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley tweeting, "PM Modi @narendramodi made it possible for more than 40K persons in Barbados and tens of thousands elsewhere, to receive their 1st dose of COVISHIELD via #VaccineMaitri before receiving his. A genuine demonstration of generosity. Thank you and we wish you continued good health." Caribbean countries included a special thanks to India in a resolution adopted by the Organisation of American States (OAS) - a group of 34 countries including the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. At a time of vaccine nationalism, CARICOM's envoy to the OAS permanent council, Ambassador Ronald Sanders said, "India has demonstrated that it is a caring nation and is an example to the world in international cooperation at a time of global crisis. Further, India has not sought to extract any conditions for its generosity to countries that have no vaccines. India will be remembered by the Caribbean with great gratitude." Indian High Commissioner accredited to the CARICOM Secretariat Dr KJ Srinivasa explained that the statement seems to echo the general sentiments of the CARICOM region. He told WION, "India’s role as the first responder during crises and as the “pharmacy of the world” are now recognised throughout the region and this #VaccineMaitri will go a long way in further consolidating India’s role as a world leader." Eleven countries have got India-made vaccines under the COVAX facility. Ten of them are from Africa-- Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan and one from ASEAN--Cambodia. All of India's neighbors, barring Pakistan, have been supplied with vaccines by New Delhi. In fact, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Bangladesh began their vaccination drive using India-made vaccines. Last week, when Afghanistan started its vaccination drive with healthcare workers and members of the Afghan military, President Ashraf Ghani said, "India, the world's largest democracy and the largest producer of vaccines, not only provided the house of Parliament of Afghanistan and the dams that are the pride of this country, but also partners with us in terms of securing our lives and livelihood." India had started its mega domestic vaccination in January and since then more than 1.66 crore vaccine doses have been administered.

India sends Covid vaccines to 47 countries; Canada gets 500,000

There are a whopping 329 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021, the third-highest ever, according to the organiser of the prestigious award. 
The candidates include 234 individuals and 95 organisations, The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Monday.

This year's number is up from 317 in 2020. &nbsp;The current record of 376 candidates was reached in 2016.

Any persons who are qualified to nominate can submit candidates. They include&nbsp;members of national assemblies and national governments, members of The International Court of Justice, university professors, directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes, and persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the past.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is composed of five members appointed by the Storting (Norwegian parliament). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, not in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Economics Prize are awarded.

According to media reports, this year's nominees include the World Health Organization; Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya; Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny; the Black Lives Matter movement; former White House adviser Jared Kushner and his deputy Avi Berkowitz, who negotiated peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries.

World Food Programme, a United Nations Agency, won the Peace Nobel in 2020.

(With agency inputs) 
&nbsp;

There are a whopping 329 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021, the third-highest ever, according to the organiser of the prestigious award. The candidates include 234 individuals and 95 organisations, The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Monday.

There are a whopping 329 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021, the third-highest ever, according to the organiser of the prestigious award. The candidates include 234 individuals and 95 organisations, The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Monday. This year's number is up from 317 in 2020. The current record of 376 candidates was reached in 2016. Any persons who are qualified to nominate can submit candidates. They include members of national assemblies and national governments, members of The International Court of Justice, university professors, directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes, and persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the past. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is composed of five members appointed by the Storting (Norwegian parliament). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, not in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Economics Prize are awarded. According to media reports, this year's nominees include the World Health Organization; Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya; Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny; the Black Lives Matter movement; former White House adviser Jared Kushner and his deputy Avi Berkowitz, who negotiated peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries. World Food Programme, a United Nations Agency, won the Peace Nobel in 2020. (With agency inputs)

This year's Nobel Peace Prize candidates are third highest ever

Many people opposed to vaccination, or anti-vaxxers,&nbsp;find their audience in social media, but now Twitter is deploying human monitors to crack down on disinformation as Covid-19 shots are being rolled out across the world.

The microblogging platform will label&nbsp;tweets that include misleading information about coronavirus vaccines.

Twitter said it has started using human reviewers to assess whether tweets violate its policy against COVID vaccine misinformation. Eventually, the work will be done by a combination of humans and automation, it said.

It will be using a "strike system" to eventually remove accounts that repeatedly violate its rules.

"Through the use of the strike system, we hope to educate people on why certain content breaks our rules so they have the opportunity to further consider their behaviour and their impact on the public conversation," Twitter said in a blog post on Monday.

"We believe the strike system will help to educate the public on our policies and further reduce the spread of potentially harmful and misleading information on Twitter, particularly for repeated moderate and high-severity violations of our rules,"&nbsp;the company said.

Twitter had already banned some COVID-related misinformation in December, including falsehoods about how the virus spreads, whether masks are effective and the risk of infection and death.

People with one violation or strike&nbsp;will see no action. Two strikes will lead to an account being locked for 12 hours. Five or more will get a user permanently banned from Twitter, but users can appeal against the removal.

There is still a great amount of vaccine scepticism in various countries. In Ukraine, for instance,&nbsp;medical facilities reportedly threw&nbsp;out some unused coronavirus vaccines after doctors didn't show up for their inoculation appointments.&nbsp;

(With agency inputs)

Many people opposed to vaccination, or anti-vaxxers, find their audience in social media, but now Twitter is deploying human monitors to crack down on disinformation as Covid-19 shots are being rolled out across the world.

Many people opposed to vaccination, or anti-vaxxers, find their audience in social media, but now Twitter is deploying human monitors to crack down on disinformation as Covid-19 shots are being rolled out across the world. The microblogging platform will label tweets that include misleading information about coronavirus vaccines. Twitter said it has started using human reviewers to assess whether tweets violate its policy against COVID vaccine misinformation. Eventually, the work will be done by a combination of humans and automation, it said. It will be using a "strike system" to eventually remove accounts that repeatedly violate its rules. "Through the use of the strike system, we hope to educate people on why certain content breaks our rules so they have the opportunity to further consider their behaviour and their impact on the public conversation," Twitter said in a blog post on Monday. "We believe the strike system will help to educate the public on our policies and further reduce the spread of potentially harmful and misleading information on Twitter, particularly for repeated moderate and high-severity violations of our rules," the company said. Twitter had already banned some COVID-related misinformation in December, including falsehoods about how the virus spreads, whether masks are effective and the risk of infection and death. People with one violation or strike will see no action. Two strikes will lead to an account being locked for 12 hours. Five or more will get a user permanently banned from Twitter, but users can appeal against the removal. There is still a great amount of vaccine scepticism in various countries. In Ukraine, for instance, medical facilities reportedly threw out some unused coronavirus vaccines after doctors didn't show up for their inoculation appointments. (With agency inputs)

Twitter deploys human monitors to strike down coronavirus vaccine misinformation

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