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All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee on Sunday.

The decision was announced after several meetings between the higher leadership of the Congress party and Sidhu. The 57-year-old minister had also met Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, in the past few days.

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AICC President Sonia Gandhi appoints Navjot Singh Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect. <a href="https://t.co/c7ggMUSCts">pic.twitter.com/c7ggMUSCts</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1416790878832644102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
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These meetings between Congress leaders and Sidhu had sparked rumours about his re-entry in the party’s senior leadership.

Sidhu has earlier, too, served in Amarinder Singh’s cabinet but had resigned after his portfolio was changed in 2019, which upset the former cricketer. Since then, the two politicians have locked horns on several issues.

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Seeking guidance of Presidents of the illustrious Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee … Conversations with wise men, worth months of Education !! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 <a href="https://t.co/Tq5uqkbp6m">pic.twitter.com/Tq5uqkbp6m</a>
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Aiming to fix the fight between the two before the polls next year, Punjab in-charge, Harish Rawat, had been scheduling meetings with the two leaders in the past few days.

As per reports, while Sidhu has been awarded the new leadership role, Singh has decided to not meet Sidhu till he apologises for tweets in which he had criticised the Singh government. However, these reports have not been substantiated by party member.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee on Sunday.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) President, Sonia Gandhi, has appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee on Sunday. The decision was announced after several meetings between the higher leadership of the Congress party and Sidhu. The 57-year-old minister had also met Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, in the past few days. AICC President Sonia Gandhi appoints Navjot Singh Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/c7ggMUSCts — ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2021 × These meetings between Congress leaders and Sidhu had sparked rumours about his re-entry in the party’s senior leadership. Sidhu has earlier, too, served in Amarinder Singh’s cabinet but had resigned after his portfolio was changed in 2019, which upset the former cricketer. Since then, the two politicians have locked horns on several issues. Seeking guidance of Presidents of the illustrious Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee … Conversations with wise men, worth months of Education !! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Tq5uqkbp6m — Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) July 17, 2021 × Aiming to fix the fight between the two before the polls next year, Punjab in-charge, Harish Rawat, had been scheduling meetings with the two leaders in the past few days. As per reports, while Sidhu has been awarded the new leadership role, Singh has decided to not meet Sidhu till he apologises for tweets in which he had criticised the Singh government. However, these reports have not been substantiated by party member.

Sonia Gandhi appoints Navjot Singh Sidhu as Chief of Punjab Congress

At least 34 people were killed after several homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India's financial capital Mumbai, authorities said Sunday.

Rainwater also inundated a water purification complex, disrupting supply "in most of the parts of Mumbai", a megacity of 20 million people, civic authorities said.

A falling tree demolished a wall in the eastern suburb of Chembur during Sunday's early hours, burying nearby residents, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said.

Twenty-one bodies have been recovered from the rubble, it added late Sunday after wrapping up search operations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/fatal-flooding-ravage-western-europe-over-100-dead-and-hundreds-missing-398841">Also watch |</a>

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"In the adjacent house, I saw a small girl who was trapped in the debris. She was shouting 'save me, save me'," Firoz Khan, who was caught up in the downpour in Chembur, told AFP.

"Her body was trapped in the mud. Somehow, I managed to pull her out. She had injuries in her legs. I narrowly survived this collapse."

Another resident, Manda Gautam Pradhan, said she had seen "rocks and mud... gushing down the hill along with the rainwater".

In the suburb of Vikhroli in the city's northeast, 10 people were killed after a landslide hit five homes early Sunday, the NDRF added.

Three other people were killed in separate incidents caused by the deluge, the Times of India reported.

Mumbai has been hit by downpours since Saturday, with local transport services affected.

The city's civic body did not say when the water supply was expected to be restored, but advised residents to boil the liquid before using it.

The Indian Meteorological Department said early Sunday that "moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers" were forecast for the next two days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences and added that there would be financial compensation for victims' families.

Building collapses are common during India's June-September monsoon season, with old and rickety structures buckling under days of non-stop rain.

Last month, 12 people were killed when a building collapsed in a Mumbai slum.

And last September, 39 people died when a three-storey apartment block collapsed in Bhiwandi near the financial capital.

At least 34 people were killed after several homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India's financial capital Mumbai, authorities said Sunday.

At least 34 people were killed after several homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India's financial capital Mumbai, authorities said Sunday. Rainwater also inundated a water purification complex, disrupting supply "in most of the parts of Mumbai", a megacity of 20 million people, civic authorities said. A falling tree demolished a wall in the eastern suburb of Chembur during Sunday's early hours, burying nearby residents, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said. Twenty-one bodies have been recovered from the rubble, it added late Sunday after wrapping up search operations. Also watch | "In the adjacent house, I saw a small girl who was trapped in the debris. She was shouting 'save me, save me'," Firoz Khan, who was caught up in the downpour in Chembur, told AFP. "Her body was trapped in the mud. Somehow, I managed to pull her out. She had injuries in her legs. I narrowly survived this collapse." Another resident, Manda Gautam Pradhan, said she had seen "rocks and mud... gushing down the hill along with the rainwater". In the suburb of Vikhroli in the city's northeast, 10 people were killed after a landslide hit five homes early Sunday, the NDRF added. Three other people were killed in separate incidents caused by the deluge, the Times of India reported. Mumbai has been hit by downpours since Saturday, with local transport services affected. The city's civic body did not say when the water supply was expected to be restored, but advised residents to boil the liquid before using it. The Indian Meteorological Department said early Sunday that "moderate to heavy rain or thundershowers" were forecast for the next two days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences and added that there would be financial compensation for victims' families. Building collapses are common during India's June-September monsoon season, with old and rickety structures buckling under days of non-stop rain. Last month, 12 people were killed when a building collapsed in a Mumbai slum. And last September, 39 people died when a three-storey apartment block collapsed in Bhiwandi near the financial capital.

At least 34 killed in landslide, wall collapse in India monsoon rains

A 30-year-old engineer from India’s Maharashtra, Sanjal Gavande, is one of the engineers who helped build Jeff Bezos’ space rocket, New Shephard.

Gavande is a mechanical engineering graduate&nbsp;from the University of Mumbai. She shifted to the US in 2011 to pursue her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University.

"I am really happy that my childhood dream is about to come true. I am proud to be a part of Team&nbsp;Blue Origin," she told an Indian media house, Times of India.

Have a look |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/get-to-know-the-whos-who-of-blue-origins-first-crewed-flight-398848" hreflang="en">Get to know the who's who of Blue Origin's first crewed flight</a>

The girl from Maharashtra’s Kalyan city had applied for the position of space engineer at NASA but was rejected citing citizenship issues. However, she later joined Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin as a systems engineer at the beginning of April this year.

She has battled gender stereotypes in her community in India over her choice of profession. "People told us that she is a girl, so why has she opted for mechanical engineering? I also thought sometimes about whether she would be able to handle such hard work. She has now made us all proud. She had a dream of design aerospace rockets and she has achieved it," her mother told India Today.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/blue-origin-reveals-highest-bid-for-a-seat-on-its-first-human-spaceflight-386077">&nbsp;Blue Origin reveals highest bid for a seat on its first human spaceflight</a>

Before joining Blue Origin, Gavande worked with Mercury Marin for three years after her master’s degree and then joined Toyota Racing Development as a mechanical design engineer.

Jeff Bezos is set to fly off to space in the first crewed launch by Blue Origin. New Shephard’s launch will take place on July 20 at 8:00 am Central Time (1300 GMT). The blast will take place from a remote facility in the west Texas desert called Launch Site One, some 25 miles (40 kilometres) north of the nearest town, Van Horn.

A 30-year-old engineer from India’s Maharashtra, Sanjal Gavande, is one of the engineers who helped build Jeff Bezos’ space rocket, New Shephard. Gavande is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Mumbai.

A 30-year-old engineer from India’s Maharashtra, Sanjal Gavande, is one of the engineers who helped build Jeff Bezos’ space rocket, New Shephard. Gavande is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Mumbai. She shifted to the US in 2011 to pursue her master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University. "I am really happy that my childhood dream is about to come true. I am proud to be a part of Team Blue Origin," she told an Indian media house, Times of India. Have a look | Get to know the who's who of Blue Origin's first crewed flight The girl from Maharashtra’s Kalyan city had applied for the position of space engineer at NASA but was rejected citing citizenship issues. However, she later joined Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin as a systems engineer at the beginning of April this year. She has battled gender stereotypes in her community in India over her choice of profession. "People told us that she is a girl, so why has she opted for mechanical engineering? I also thought sometimes about whether she would be able to handle such hard work. She has now made us all proud. She had a dream of design aerospace rockets and she has achieved it," her mother told India Today. Also read | Blue Origin reveals highest bid for a seat on its first human spaceflight Before joining Blue Origin, Gavande worked with Mercury Marin for three years after her master’s degree and then joined Toyota Racing Development as a mechanical design engineer. Jeff Bezos is set to fly off to space in the first crewed launch by Blue Origin. New Shephard’s launch will take place on July 20 at 8:00 am Central Time (1300 GMT). The blast will take place from a remote facility in the west Texas desert called Launch Site One, some 25 miles (40 kilometres) north of the nearest town, Van Horn.

Maharashtra-born Sanjal Gavande part of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin team

Kanwar Yatra, a huge religious pilgrimage in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been cancelled due to Covid fears. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) took this decision a day after the government held talks with Kanwar Sanghs (organisations). The talks were initiated talks after a nudge from Supreme Court of India.

In Kanwar Yatra, Lord Shiva devotees from northern Indian states travel on foot or by other means to collect water from River Ganga at Haridwar in Uttarakhand state. It is then&nbsp;offered at Shiva temples in their areas.&nbsp;The pilgrimage was set to begin from July 25.&nbsp;

According to Uttar Pradesh government officials, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avnish Awasthi and Director General of Police Mukul Goel held discussions with the Kanwar Sanghs on the instructions of the Chief Minister.

Earlier on July 9, the Chief Minister had said that he would hold talks with the Kanwar Sanghs.&nbsp;

"The officers should try to take decisions like last year by communicating with the Kanwar Sangh at the local level. Last year too, after talks with the administration, the Kanwar Sangh had announced the suspension of the yatra," Adityanath said.

On Friday, Supreme Court of India had granted one last opportunity to UP government to reconsider its decision of holding "symbolic Kanwar Yatra" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The court had said that right to life of Indian citizens was paramount.

A Bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman gave an ultimatum to the Uttar Pradesh government to either "reconsider" its decision or the court will pass orders. Uttarakhand government has already decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delhi cancels Kanwar yatra as well

Delhi has followed UP and Uttarakhand on Sunday (July 18) to cancel&nbsp;Kanwar yatra this year due to Covid situation. Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has passed an order in this regard

"Whereas upcoming Kanwar Yatra-2021, will commence from July 25, 2021, and in spite of being banned/ suspended by Uttarakhand Government, there is an apprehension of gatherings/ congregations processions during Kanwar Yatra-2021, therefore, in view of persisting COVID-19 situation, it is decided that Kanwar Yatra-2021 should not be permitted in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus in the territory of NCT of Delhi," read the order.

Chaiperson of DDMA directed that no celebrations, processions, gatherings shall be allowed during the forthcoming Kanwar Yatra-2021 starting from July 25, 2021, in the national capital

Earlier, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments decided to call off the Kanwar Yatra in view of COVID-19.

(With inputs from agencies)

Kanwar Yatra, a huge religious pilgrimage in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been cancelled due to Covid fears. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) took this decision a day after the government held talks with Kanwar Sanghs (organisations).

Kanwar Yatra, a huge religious pilgrimage in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been cancelled due to Covid fears. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) took this decision a day after the government held talks with Kanwar Sanghs (organisations). The talks were initiated talks after a nudge from Supreme Court of India. In Kanwar Yatra, Lord Shiva devotees from northern Indian states travel on foot or by other means to collect water from River Ganga at Haridwar in Uttarakhand state. It is then offered at Shiva temples in their areas. The pilgrimage was set to begin from July 25. According to Uttar Pradesh government officials, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avnish Awasthi and Director General of Police Mukul Goel held discussions with the Kanwar Sanghs on the instructions of the Chief Minister. Earlier on July 9, the Chief Minister had said that he would hold talks with the Kanwar Sanghs. "The officers should try to take decisions like last year by communicating with the Kanwar Sangh at the local level. Last year too, after talks with the administration, the Kanwar Sangh had announced the suspension of the yatra," Adityanath said. On Friday, Supreme Court of India had granted one last opportunity to UP government to reconsider its decision of holding "symbolic Kanwar Yatra" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The court had said that right to life of Indian citizens was paramount. A Bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman gave an ultimatum to the Uttar Pradesh government to either "reconsider" its decision or the court will pass orders. Uttarakhand government has already decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Delhi cancels Kanwar yatra as well Delhi has followed UP and Uttarakhand on Sunday (July 18) to cancel Kanwar yatra this year due to Covid situation. Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has passed an order in this regard "Whereas upcoming Kanwar Yatra-2021, will commence from July 25, 2021, and in spite of being banned/ suspended by Uttarakhand Government, there is an apprehension of gatherings/ congregations processions during Kanwar Yatra-2021, therefore, in view of persisting COVID-19 situation, it is decided that Kanwar Yatra-2021 should not be permitted in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus in the territory of NCT of Delhi," read the order. Chaiperson of DDMA directed that no celebrations, processions, gatherings shall be allowed during the forthcoming Kanwar Yatra-2021 starting from July 25, 2021, in the national capital Earlier, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments decided to call off the Kanwar Yatra in view of COVID-19. (With inputs from agencies)

Annual mega religious pilgrimage in India cancelled due to Covid fears

At least 25 people died in three Mumbai suburbs when several houses collapsed after landslides triggered by heavy rain, local officials said on Sunday. 
 
Rescuers were seen digging up the ground to retrieve bodies, local television showed, and authorities said more victims could be trapped inside the debris. Rescuers were also shown carrying the injured on makeshift stretchers. 
 
Within the last 24 hours authorities have so far reported 11 incidents of houses or walls collapsing in the Mumbai area, officials said. 
 
In one neighbourhood, about half a dozen shacks located at the base of a hill collapsed on top of each other, officials said. 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences in a tweet and announced aid for the victims. 
 
Several areas in the city were flooded after heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours and suburban train services were disrupted, crippling India's financial capital. 
 
Mumbai and the coast of India's industrial Maharashtra state are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next four days, the weather department said on Sunday. 
 
Torrential rain, especially during India's July-September monsoon, often triggers the collapse of buildings, especially older or illegally built structures.

At least 25 people died in three Mumbai suburbs when several houses collapsed after landslides triggered by heavy rain, local officials said on Sunday. Rescuers were seen digging up the ground to retrieve bodies, local television showed, and authorities said more victims could be trapped inside the debris.

At least 25 people died in three Mumbai suburbs when several houses collapsed after landslides triggered by heavy rain, local officials said on Sunday. Rescuers were seen digging up the ground to retrieve bodies, local television showed, and authorities said more victims could be trapped inside the debris. Rescuers were also shown carrying the injured on makeshift stretchers. Within the last 24 hours authorities have so far reported 11 incidents of houses or walls collapsing in the Mumbai area, officials said. In one neighbourhood, about half a dozen shacks located at the base of a hill collapsed on top of each other, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences in a tweet and announced aid for the victims. Several areas in the city were flooded after heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours and suburban train services were disrupted, crippling India's financial capital. Mumbai and the coast of India's industrial Maharashtra state are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next four days, the weather department said on Sunday. Torrential rain, especially during India's July-September monsoon, often triggers the collapse of buildings, especially older or illegally built structures.

Landslides kill at least 25 in Mumbai after heavy rains

Taliban has said that it has sent a&nbsp;'message'&nbsp;to international terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that the soil of Afghanistan will not be used against&nbsp;'any other country'.&nbsp; Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, the Taliban's&nbsp;spokesman for International Media Suhail Shaheen has said that they&nbsp;'don’t have any ties with'&nbsp;the&nbsp;two&nbsp;Pakistan-based terror groups.&nbsp;

Last week, Afghan President Ghani said intelligence estimates indicate the influx of over&nbsp;10,000&nbsp;Jihadi fighters from Pakistan and other places in the past month. This even as the Taliban is making rapid territorial gains.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On protection of major infrastructure projects, Shaheen said that the group has a policy of protecting&nbsp;'national projects like dams'. India has constructed major infrastructure projects in the country like India Afghanistan Friendship dam in western Herat province.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal: Are Taliban and India talking?&nbsp;Having some kind of engagement at any level. Any back-channel communication between the&nbsp;two, if yes, how?&nbsp;

Suhail Shaheen: I can’t confirm reports about the Indian delegation meeting with IEA seniors. It has not happened.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal: Has Taliban cut ties with UN listed terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)?&nbsp;

Suhail Shaheen: We have clearly sent a message to all that we are not allowing anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any other country. We don’t have any ties with them. About India, it is essential for them to remain impartial in the Afghan issue and not to support a moribund regime that is killing its own people day and night by drones, airplanes&nbsp;strikes, and weapons received from foreign countries.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India's development projects, capacity building projects. Can you assure them they will be protected? Recently,&nbsp;16 security personnel were killed in a Taliban attack near the Salma dam in Herat?&nbsp;

Suhail Shaheen: Protection of national projects like dams is an IEA or Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan policy. We have announced this policy more than once. However, Indian military hardware assistance&nbsp;to&nbsp;Kabul,&nbsp;which ultimately end&nbsp;up in&nbsp;killing innocent Afghan people,&nbsp;is hostility&nbsp;towards&nbsp;the Afghan people. This&nbsp;is bad for&nbsp;India’s image in the eyes of the Afghan people and&nbsp;makes&nbsp;a hostile perception. It is for them to review their position.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal: India has been saying gains of the last 20 years, like women's rights, minority rights, rights of Hindus, Sikhs should not be impacted? How do you see that, plus, will the rights of minorities be protected? or will they have to flee home to take refuge in India?&nbsp;A large number have already come to India.&nbsp;

Suhail Shaheen: We are committed to the rights of minorities in Afghanistan and they have equal rights like other Afghans. Similarly, we admit all basic rights of women including access to education and work in the light of our Islamic rules. Moreover, there is no security issue for any Afghan citizen intending to lead a normal life in the country.&nbsp;

Sidhant Sibal:&nbsp; How&nbsp;do you see the current situation in Afghanistan with violence being increased by Taliban fighters? Do you plan to create an Islamic emirate in the country?&nbsp;

Suhail Shaheen: Talks are underway in Doha currently. We hope to reach a peaceful solution through talks and form an Afghan inclusive Islamic government where all Afghans&nbsp;can&nbsp;participate.&nbsp;

Taliban has said that it has sent a 'message' to international terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that the soil of Afghanistan will not be used against 'any other country'.

Taliban has said that it has sent a 'message' to international terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that the soil of Afghanistan will not be used against 'any other country'. Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, the Taliban's spokesman for International Media Suhail Shaheen has said that they 'don’t have any ties with' the two Pakistan-based terror groups. Last week, Afghan President Ghani said intelligence estimates indicate the influx of over 10,000 Jihadi fighters from Pakistan and other places in the past month. This even as the Taliban is making rapid territorial gains. On protection of major infrastructure projects, Shaheen said that the group has a policy of protecting 'national projects like dams'. India has constructed major infrastructure projects in the country like India Afghanistan Friendship dam in western Herat province. Sidhant Sibal: Are Taliban and India talking? Having some kind of engagement at any level. Any back-channel communication between the two, if yes, how? Suhail Shaheen: I can’t confirm reports about the Indian delegation meeting with IEA seniors. It has not happened. Sidhant Sibal: Has Taliban cut ties with UN listed terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)? Suhail Shaheen: We have clearly sent a message to all that we are not allowing anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any other country. We don’t have any ties with them. About India, it is essential for them to remain impartial in the Afghan issue and not to support a moribund regime that is killing its own people day and night by drones, airplanes strikes, and weapons received from foreign countries. Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India's development projects, capacity building projects. Can you assure them they will be protected? Recently, 16 security personnel were killed in a Taliban attack near the Salma dam in Herat? Suhail Shaheen: Protection of national projects like dams is an IEA or Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan policy. We have announced this policy more than once. However, Indian military hardware assistance to Kabul, which ultimately end up in killing innocent Afghan people, is hostility towards the Afghan people. This is bad for India’s image in the eyes of the Afghan people and makes a hostile perception. It is for them to review their position. Sidhant Sibal: India has been saying gains of the last 20 years, like women's rights, minority rights, rights of Hindus, Sikhs should not be impacted? How do you see that, plus, will the rights of minorities be protected? or will they have to flee home to take refuge in India? A large number have already come to India. Suhail Shaheen: We are committed to the rights of minorities in Afghanistan and they have equal rights like other Afghans. Similarly, we admit all basic rights of women including access to education and work in the light of our Islamic rules. Moreover, there is no security issue for any Afghan citizen intending to lead a normal life in the country. Sidhant Sibal: How do you see the current situation in Afghanistan with violence being increased by Taliban fighters? Do you plan to create an Islamic emirate in the country? Suhail Shaheen: Talks are underway in Doha currently. We hope to reach a peaceful solution through talks and form an Afghan inclusive Islamic government where all Afghans can participate.

Exclusive: Taliban says it doesn't have ties with Pak-based terror groups like LeT, JeM 

On Saturday, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/twitter">Twitter</a> was abuzz with tweets about PCA Act, with numerous netizens from the Indian subcontinent tweeting with the hashtag #NoMore50.&nbsp;

With more than 9,100 tweets the keywords PCA Act remained on the trending list. Reportedly this Twitter storm was generated by animal activists of India with a singular motive.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/shraddha-kapoor-urges-fans-to-sign-petition-for-strict-actions-against-animal-cruelty-303019">Shraddha Kapoor urges fans to sign petition for strict actions against animal cruelty</a>

The social media storm was pushing for an amendment to the decades-old Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in the upcoming monsoon session of parliament.&nbsp;

Among the Indian celebrities who offered their support to this cause were John Abraham, Kiara Advani, Jacqueline Fernandes and Disha Patani.

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PCA Act was enacted in 1960 but has not been amended ever since. Animals have suffered for far too long because of weak laws. Heinous crimes need to be made non-bailable. <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> ji <a href="https://twitter.com/PRupala?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PRupala</a> ji pls amend &amp; strengthen PCA Act in this monsoon session of parliament <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoMore50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoMore50</a>
— John Abraham (@TheJohnAbraham) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJohnAbraham/status/1416377675556425737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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PCA Act

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act dates back to 1960. The law which commenced in the year 1974 stipulates punishment and/or fine for a multitude of animal cruelties, but animal activists describe the punishments as ‘meagre’ at best.&nbsp;According to this draconian law, the highest fine for a first-time offender is limited to merely fifty rupees.

In an effort to condemn heinous cruelty to animals, animal activists using #NoMore50 seek&nbsp;the amendment of this law.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/police-in-southern-india-arrest-eight-juveniles-for-burning-puppies-alive-2947">Police in southern India arrest eight juveniles for burning puppies alive</a>

Almost all of the Nine thousand&nbsp;tweets were addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding stronger penalties for animal cruelty.&nbsp;

In February of this year, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying had proposed some amendments to the sixty-year-old law.

However, despite the proposal's introduction, no action was taken during that&nbsp;session of the legislature. Therefore, in order to push for the passage of these amendments, animal activists are mobilising just before another session of parliament starts.

Past Amendments

To date, no amendments have been made to the law.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indian-police-arrest-students-who-allegedly-threw-dog-off-roof-1951">Indian police arrest students who allegedly threw dog off roof</a>

According to a previous statement by Chinny Krishna, former Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) vice-chairman, in the year 2011, a draft Animal Welfare bill was framed by AWBI and submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (now, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change).

However, no action was taken by the government.

What are the proposed Changes?

Previously, the penalty for any untoward act of cruelty attracted fines ranging from Rs 10 up to Rs 50. This includes beating, kicking, torturing, starving, overloading, overriding, and mutilations done to an animal.

Replacing that, as per&nbsp;the proposed draft, if an act of an individual or an organization causes an animal to die, they could face a penalty of up to 75,000 rupees or triple the cost of the animal.

Why is it needed?

India has witnessed many horrendous cases of animal abuse in the past few years.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/elephant-killed-after-being-fed-with-pineapple-stuffed-with-crackers-303011">Elephant killed after being fed with pineapple stuffed with crackers</a>

Internet is full of cases of animal cruelty ranging from killing and mutilating animals on social media platforms for likes and views to targeting animals for revenge over petty fights between humans.

The most egregious and heartbreaking case of animal cruelty is from Kerela, where a pregnant elephant was fed firecrackers in a pineapple, which exploded in her mouth, killing her as well as the baby inside.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/she-was-harmless-from-sunil-chhetri-to-rohit-sharma-sports-fraternity-reacts-to-the-cruel-killing-of-pregnant-elephant-in-kerala-303225">'She was harmless' - From Sunil Chhetri to Rohit Sharma: Sports fraternity reacts to the cruel killing of pregnant elephant in Kerala</a>

On Saturday, Twitter was abuzz with tweets about PCA Act, with numerous netizens from the Indian subcontinent tweeting with the hashtag #NoMore50. With more than 9,100 tweets the keywords PCA Act remained on the trending list.

On Saturday, Twitter was abuzz with tweets about PCA Act, with numerous netizens from the Indian subcontinent tweeting with the hashtag #NoMore50. With more than 9,100 tweets the keywords PCA Act remained on the trending list. Reportedly this Twitter storm was generated by animal activists of India with a singular motive. Also read | Shraddha Kapoor urges fans to sign petition for strict actions against animal cruelty The social media storm was pushing for an amendment to the decades-old Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in the upcoming monsoon session of parliament. Among the Indian celebrities who offered their support to this cause were John Abraham, Kiara Advani, Jacqueline Fernandes and Disha Patani. PCA Act was enacted in 1960 but has not been amended ever since. Animals have suffered for far too long because of weak laws. Heinous crimes need to be made non-bailable. @narendramodi ji @PRupala ji pls amend & strengthen PCA Act in this monsoon session of parliament #NoMore50 — John Abraham (@TheJohnAbraham) July 17, 2021 × PCA Act The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act dates back to 1960. The law which commenced in the year 1974 stipulates punishment and/or fine for a multitude of animal cruelties, but animal activists describe the punishments as ‘meagre’ at best. According to this draconian law, the highest fine for a first-time offender is limited to merely fifty rupees. In an effort to condemn heinous cruelty to animals, animal activists using #NoMore50 seek the amendment of this law. Also read | Police in southern India arrest eight juveniles for burning puppies alive Almost all of the Nine thousand tweets were addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding stronger penalties for animal cruelty. In February of this year, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying had proposed some amendments to the sixty-year-old law. However, despite the proposal's introduction, no action was taken during that session of the legislature. Therefore, in order to push for the passage of these amendments, animal activists are mobilising just before another session of parliament starts. Past Amendments To date, no amendments have been made to the law. Also read | Indian police arrest students who allegedly threw dog off roof According to a previous statement by Chinny Krishna, former Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) vice-chairman, in the year 2011, a draft Animal Welfare bill was framed by AWBI and submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (now, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change). However, no action was taken by the government. What are the proposed Changes? Previously, the penalty for any untoward act of cruelty attracted fines ranging from Rs 10 up to Rs 50. This includes beating, kicking, torturing, starving, overloading, overriding, and mutilations done to an animal. Replacing that, as per the proposed draft, if an act of an individual or an organization causes an animal to die, they could face a penalty of up to 75,000 rupees or triple the cost of the animal. Why is it needed? India has witnessed many horrendous cases of animal abuse in the past few years. Also read | Elephant killed after being fed with pineapple stuffed with crackers Internet is full of cases of animal cruelty ranging from killing and mutilating animals on social media platforms for likes and views to targeting animals for revenge over petty fights between humans. The most egregious and heartbreaking case of animal cruelty is from Kerela, where a pregnant elephant was fed firecrackers in a pineapple, which exploded in her mouth, killing her as well as the baby inside. Also read | 'She was harmless' - From Sunil Chhetri to Rohit Sharma: Sports fraternity reacts to the cruel killing of pregnant elephant in Kerala

Explainer: What is PCA Act and why is it trending on Twitter

WhatsApp blocked more than two million users in India in just one month for violating its rules, the US company disclosed in its first compliance report under India's controversial new social media rules.

Most of the users were blocked for spam message abuses. The Facebook-owned firm has put a limit on mass-forward messaging in a bid to counter misinformation.

India implemented new rules in May to regulate social media companies, forcing them to disclose each month their efforts to police their platforms.

"We maintain advanced capabilities to identify these accounts sending a high or abnormal rate of messages and banned two million accounts in India alone from May 15 to June 15 attempting this kind of abuse," WhatsApp said in its report released late Thursday.

The company said its "top focus" remains on preventing the spread of harmful and unwanted messages.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-tests-function-to-allow-users-to-log-in-without-linking-to-smartphones-398468">Also read |&nbsp;WhatsApp tests function to allow users to log in without linking to smartphones</a>

WhatsApp has more than 400 million users in India, one of its top markets, but has often found itself facing criticism over the spread of misinformation.

Dozens of people were lynched in India in 2018 following rumours spread on WhatsApp about gangs stealing children.

The incidents prompted the messaging app to introduce a limit on bulk forward messaging in India.

WhatsApp and some Indian media firms have sought to challenge the new social media rules in court. Critics say the government is seeking to crush dissent but the government says it is attempting to make social media safer.

Under the rules, social media platforms have to share details of the "first originator" of posts deemed to undermine India's sovereignty, state security or public order.

WhatsApp says the rules violate India's privacy laws.

WhatsApp blocked more than two million users in India in just one month for violating its rules, the US company disclosed in its first compliance report under India's controversial new social media rules.

WhatsApp blocked more than two million users in India in just one month for violating its rules, the US company disclosed in its first compliance report under India's controversial new social media rules. Most of the users were blocked for spam message abuses. The Facebook-owned firm has put a limit on mass-forward messaging in a bid to counter misinformation. India implemented new rules in May to regulate social media companies, forcing them to disclose each month their efforts to police their platforms. "We maintain advanced capabilities to identify these accounts sending a high or abnormal rate of messages and banned two million accounts in India alone from May 15 to June 15 attempting this kind of abuse," WhatsApp said in its report released late Thursday. The company said its "top focus" remains on preventing the spread of harmful and unwanted messages. Also read | WhatsApp tests function to allow users to log in without linking to smartphones WhatsApp has more than 400 million users in India, one of its top markets, but has often found itself facing criticism over the spread of misinformation. Dozens of people were lynched in India in 2018 following rumours spread on WhatsApp about gangs stealing children. The incidents prompted the messaging app to introduce a limit on bulk forward messaging in India. WhatsApp and some Indian media firms have sought to challenge the new social media rules in court. Critics say the government is seeking to crush dissent but the government says it is attempting to make social media safer. Under the rules, social media platforms have to share details of the "first originator" of posts deemed to undermine India's sovereignty, state security or public order. WhatsApp says the rules violate India's privacy laws.

WhatsApp blocks 2 million Indian users over messaging violations

Expressing regret over the&nbsp;38-year-old&nbsp;Reuters&nbsp;journalist’s death in Kandahar,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid&nbsp;said,&nbsp;“We are not aware during&nbsp;whose&nbsp;firing the journalist was killed. We do not know how he died."&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Any journalist entering the war zone should inform us. We will take proper care of that particular individual," the Taliban’s spokesperson told&nbsp;CNN-News18 on Friday.&nbsp;

Pulitzer Prize-winning&nbsp;photojournalist&nbsp;Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday&nbsp;during clashes between&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;fighters and&nbsp;Afghanistan’s&nbsp;security&nbsp;forces&nbsp;near a border crossing with Pakistan, Reuters cited an Afghan commander as saying.&nbsp;

“We are sorry for Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui’s death. We regret that journalists are entering war zone without an intimation to us," Mujahid added.&nbsp;

The Afghan Ambassador to India, Farid&nbsp;Mamundzay, confirmed the news of his death on Friday.&nbsp;

The photojournalist was killed in a Taliban strike when he was on a reporting trip along with Afghan security personnel.&nbsp;

"Deeply disturbed by the sad news of the killing of a friend, Danish&nbsp;Seddiqi&nbsp;in Kandahar last night. The Indian Journalist &amp; winner of Pulitzer Prize was embedded with Afghan security forces. I met him two weeks ago before his departure to Kabul. Condolences to his family &amp; Reuters, " tweeted Farid&nbsp;Mamundzay.&nbsp;

In 2018, Siddiqui and his colleague Adnan Abidi became the first Indians to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for their coverage of the Rohingya refugee crisis.&nbsp;

Siddiqui had been regularly posting photographs from Afghanistan on social media as the Taliban is rapidly gaining territory at a time when the US and its allies are retreating.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On July 13, he last posted a Twitter thread with photos reporting what he was seeing there.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Expressing regret over the 38-year-old Reuters journalist’s death in Kandahar, the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said, “We are not aware during whose firing the journalist was killed.

Expressing regret over the 38-year-old Reuters journalist’s death in Kandahar, the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said, “We are not aware during whose firing the journalist was killed. We do not know how he died." “Any journalist entering the war zone should inform us. We will take proper care of that particular individual," the Taliban’s spokesperson told CNN-News18 on Friday. Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday during clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghanistan’s security forces near a border crossing with Pakistan, Reuters cited an Afghan commander as saying. “We are sorry for Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui’s death. We regret that journalists are entering war zone without an intimation to us," Mujahid added. The Afghan Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, confirmed the news of his death on Friday. The photojournalist was killed in a Taliban strike when he was on a reporting trip along with Afghan security personnel. "Deeply disturbed by the sad news of the killing of a friend, Danish Seddiqi in Kandahar last night. The Indian Journalist & winner of Pulitzer Prize was embedded with Afghan security forces. I met him two weeks ago before his departure to Kabul. Condolences to his family & Reuters, " tweeted Farid Mamundzay. In 2018, Siddiqui and his colleague Adnan Abidi became the first Indians to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for their coverage of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Siddiqui had been regularly posting photographs from Afghanistan on social media as the Taliban is rapidly gaining territory at a time when the US and its allies are retreating. On July 13, he last posted a Twitter thread with photos reporting what he was seeing there. (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban deny role in Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui’s death: Report 

The Indian Space Research Organisation&nbsp;(ISRO) has got back on track after the impact of the pandemic. The state-run space agency is gearing up for two upcoming launches, one in August and another in September.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre&nbsp;(SDSC) website, the GSLV launch is scheduled for August and PSLV is scheduled for September. However, the dates have not been specified&nbsp;as&nbsp;yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The GSLV rocket would be carrying India’s GISAT-1, an earth observation satellite that is meant to be placed in Geostationary orbit&nbsp;(36,000 kms from earth). This orbit is typically meant for communication satellites that have to cover a large swathe of land.

A satellite in geostationary orbit would be in sync with the rotation cycle of the earth&nbsp;(24 hours) and it would appear to be stationary when seen from the earth, thus giving it the name. It is said that three aptly positioned Geostationary satellites can cover pretty much the all of Earth.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/isro-moves-one-step-ahead-in-converting-cargo-carrier-gslv-rocket-into-human-carrier-398249">ISRO moves one step ahead in converting ‘cargo-carrier’ GSLV rocket into human-carrier</a>

According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near&nbsp;real-time imaging of large region of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow,&nbsp;glaciers and oceanography.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Asked&nbsp;over&nbsp;report&nbsp;of&nbsp;a news agency regarding the GISAT-1 launch being scheduled for 5:43&nbsp;am on August 12, Dr Sivan told WION that&nbsp;August 12 was more of an internal deadline and not an official launch date. He also added that activities for the launch have started and are underway.&nbsp;

The PSLV rocket, which is&nbsp;scheduled for September launch,&nbsp;is expected to carry a satellite dubbed as EOS-4 or Earth Observation Satellite 4.&nbsp;

The GSLV and PSLV launches would be India’s second and third launched for the year, respectively. It was in February that a PSLV,&nbsp;on a commercial flight,&nbsp;launched Amazonia-1, a Brazilian Earth Observation Satellite and 18 smaller satellites.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/gisat-1-indias-eye-in-the-sky-likely-to-be-launched-in-august-says-isro-chairman-dr-k-sivan-398427">GISAT-1: India’s 'Eye in the Sky’ likely to be launched in August, says ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan</a>

During the downtime owing to pandemic lockdowns across India, ISRO had been contributing to the nation’s COVID-19 fight. ISRO had ramped up manufacturing of liquid oxygen&nbsp;(cryogenic rocket fuel) to support hospitals.

ISRO centers also had repurposed their gas storage tanks to store liquid oxygen, thus using them as large depots to support the medical requirements. The&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;had also developed various models of indigenous, low-cost medical ventilators. These models were then handed over to Indian industry for mass manufacture.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ISRO is also working on conducting human-rating tests on its heavy lifter rocket,&nbsp;the GSLV Mk 3. Repeated tests of the rocket’s various&nbsp;engines, which are&nbsp;solid fueled, liquid fueled and cryogenic,&nbsp;are being done to ensure that the rocket,&nbsp;which ferries satellites can be reliable enough to carry Indian astronauts to low Earth orbit.&nbsp;Gaganyaan&nbsp;or Human Spaceflight&nbsp;programme&nbsp;is India’s most ambitious mission yet.&nbsp;

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got back on track after the impact of the pandemic. The state-run space agency is gearing up for two upcoming launches, one in August and another in September.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got back on track after the impact of the pandemic. The state-run space agency is gearing up for two upcoming launches, one in August and another in September. According to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) website, the GSLV launch is scheduled for August and PSLV is scheduled for September. However, the dates have not been specified as yet. The GSLV rocket would be carrying India’s GISAT-1, an earth observation satellite that is meant to be placed in Geostationary orbit (36,000 kms from earth). This orbit is typically meant for communication satellites that have to cover a large swathe of land. A satellite in geostationary orbit would be in sync with the rotation cycle of the earth (24 hours) and it would appear to be stationary when seen from the earth, thus giving it the name. It is said that three aptly positioned Geostationary satellites can cover pretty much the all of Earth. Also Read | ISRO moves one step ahead in converting ‘cargo-carrier’ GSLV rocket into human-carrier According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near real-time imaging of large region of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow, glaciers and oceanography. Asked over report of a news agency regarding the GISAT-1 launch being scheduled for 5:43 am on August 12, Dr Sivan told WION that August 12 was more of an internal deadline and not an official launch date. He also added that activities for the launch have started and are underway. The PSLV rocket, which is scheduled for September launch, is expected to carry a satellite dubbed as EOS-4 or Earth Observation Satellite 4. The GSLV and PSLV launches would be India’s second and third launched for the year, respectively. It was in February that a PSLV, on a commercial flight, launched Amazonia-1, a Brazilian Earth Observation Satellite and 18 smaller satellites. Also Read | GISAT-1: India’s 'Eye in the Sky’ likely to be launched in August, says ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan During the downtime owing to pandemic lockdowns across India, ISRO had been contributing to the nation’s COVID-19 fight. ISRO had ramped up manufacturing of liquid oxygen (cryogenic rocket fuel) to support hospitals. ISRO centers also had repurposed their gas storage tanks to store liquid oxygen, thus using them as large depots to support the medical requirements. The organisation had also developed various models of indigenous, low-cost medical ventilators. These models were then handed over to Indian industry for mass manufacture. ISRO is also working on conducting human-rating tests on its heavy lifter rocket, the GSLV Mk 3. Repeated tests of the rocket’s various engines, which are solid fueled, liquid fueled and cryogenic, are being done to ensure that the rocket, which ferries satellites can be reliable enough to carry Indian astronauts to low Earth orbit. Gaganyaan or Human Spaceflight programme is India’s most ambitious mission yet.

Indian space agency ISRO gearing up for two launches: GSLV Mk2-GISAT in August, PSLV in September  

In the Kashmir Valley, J&K government is planning to revive river transport. Three bus boats have been brought from New Zealand to ply on river Jhelum in Srinagar.

India: Jhelum water transport set to make a comeback

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Kashi is emerging as one of the biggest medical hubs of Purvanchal, with facilities being made available for the treatment of those diseases for which people had to go to Delhi and Mumbai earlier.

Addressing the inauguration of various development projects worth over Rs 1500 crores in Varanasi, PM Modi started his speech with the chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'&nbsp;and 'Har Har Mahadev'&nbsp;said, "Kashi is becoming one of the largest medical hubs of Purvanchal.&nbsp;Today facilities are being made available in Kashi too for diseases for the treatment of which one had to go to Delhi and Mumbai earlier."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/vaccines-are-best-defence-against-preventing-covid-19-death-icmr-tn-police-study-397493">Vaccines are best defence against preventing COVID-19 death: ICMR-TN police study</a>

The Prime Minister stated that Uttar Pradesh is witnessing unprecedented improvement in medical infrastructure.

"The infrastructure related to cleanliness and health is being prepared in UP. Today, UP is witnessing unprecedented improvement in medical infrastructure, be it health centres in villages, medical colleges, AIIMS," said PM Modi.

He further said that at present, the work of building about 550 oxygen plants is going on in full swing across Uttar Pradesh. Today 14 oxygen plants have also been dedicated here in Banaras, he added.

PM Modi said that various projects inaugurated today shall add to the existing medical infrastructure of Kashi, adding that new hospitals related to the medicine of women and children have been established in the city.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/hyderabad-elderly-couple-and-their-mission-to-save-lives-397392">Hyderabad elderly couple and their mission to save lives</a>

He further said that 100 beds have been added in the Banaras Hindu University and 50 beds in the district hospital.

"Today some more links are being added to the medical infrastructure of Kashi. Today Kashi is getting new hospitals related to the medicine of women and children. Out of this, 100 beds capacity is being added in BHU and 50 beds in the district hospital," said the Prime Minister.

He stated that Kashi has shown that it doesn't stop or get tired even in difficult times. Stating that the past few months have been very difficult for the entire mankind, PM Modi said that the entire Uttar Pradesh, including Kashi, faced the mutating and dangerous form of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> with all its might.

PM Modi said, "The past few months have been very difficult for all of us. The changed and dangerous form of the coronavirus attacked with full force. But UP, including Kashi, faced such a big crisis with full potential."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-zydus-cadila-covid-vaccine-may-get-approval-says-report-397682">India: Zydus Cadila Covid vaccine may get approval, says report</a>

He also lauded UP for conducting the maximum number of tests and vaccinating the largest number of people in the country.

The PM also appreciated Uttar Pradesh's COVID management efforts.

The key projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister today include multi-level parking at Godaulia, Ro-Ro Vessels for tourism development and a three-lane flyover bridge on the Varanasi-Ghazipur Highway.

The Prime Minister was felicitated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his arrival at BHU ground in Varanasi.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/deeply-committed-to-people-of-india-twitter-to-indian-parliamentary-panel-398044">Deeply committed to people of India: Twitter to Indian parliamentary panel</a>

"Under PM Modi's governance, Kashi has made a new identity in country and world. New Kashi is reaching new heights in development. This smart Kashi has become a model for the country and the world. PM Modi`s vision and inspiration are pushing people to new heights," said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while addressing the inauguration program.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Kashi is emerging as one of the biggest medical hubs of Purvanchal, with facilities being made available for the treatment of those diseases for which people had to go to Delhi and Mumbai earlier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Kashi is emerging as one of the biggest medical hubs of Purvanchal, with facilities being made available for the treatment of those diseases for which people had to go to Delhi and Mumbai earlier. Addressing the inauguration of various development projects worth over Rs 1500 crores in Varanasi, PM Modi started his speech with the chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Har Har Mahadev' said, "Kashi is becoming one of the largest medical hubs of Purvanchal. Today facilities are being made available in Kashi too for diseases for the treatment of which one had to go to Delhi and Mumbai earlier." Also read | Vaccines are best defence against preventing COVID-19 death: ICMR-TN police study The Prime Minister stated that Uttar Pradesh is witnessing unprecedented improvement in medical infrastructure. "The infrastructure related to cleanliness and health is being prepared in UP. Today, UP is witnessing unprecedented improvement in medical infrastructure, be it health centres in villages, medical colleges, AIIMS," said PM Modi. He further said that at present, the work of building about 550 oxygen plants is going on in full swing across Uttar Pradesh. Today 14 oxygen plants have also been dedicated here in Banaras, he added. PM Modi said that various projects inaugurated today shall add to the existing medical infrastructure of Kashi, adding that new hospitals related to the medicine of women and children have been established in the city. Also read | Hyderabad elderly couple and their mission to save lives He further said that 100 beds have been added in the Banaras Hindu University and 50 beds in the district hospital. "Today some more links are being added to the medical infrastructure of Kashi. Today Kashi is getting new hospitals related to the medicine of women and children. Out of this, 100 beds capacity is being added in BHU and 50 beds in the district hospital," said the Prime Minister. He stated that Kashi has shown that it doesn't stop or get tired even in difficult times. Stating that the past few months have been very difficult for the entire mankind, PM Modi said that the entire Uttar Pradesh, including Kashi, faced the mutating and dangerous form of coronavirus with all its might. PM Modi said, "The past few months have been very difficult for all of us. The changed and dangerous form of the coronavirus attacked with full force. But UP, including Kashi, faced such a big crisis with full potential." Also read | India: Zydus Cadila Covid vaccine may get approval, says report He also lauded UP for conducting the maximum number of tests and vaccinating the largest number of people in the country. The PM also appreciated Uttar Pradesh's COVID management efforts. The key projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister today include multi-level parking at Godaulia, Ro-Ro Vessels for tourism development and a three-lane flyover bridge on the Varanasi-Ghazipur Highway. The Prime Minister was felicitated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his arrival at BHU ground in Varanasi. Also read | Deeply committed to people of India: Twitter to Indian parliamentary panel "Under PM Modi's governance, Kashi has made a new identity in country and world. New Kashi is reaching new heights in development. This smart Kashi has become a model for the country and the world. PM Modi`s vision and inspiration are pushing people to new heights," said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister while addressing the inauguration program.

Kashi emerging as one of biggest medical hubs of Purvanchal: PM Modi

Concerned over the "enormous misuse"&nbsp;of the colonial era penal law on sedition, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre why it was not repealing the provision used by the British to 'silence'&nbsp;people like Mahatma Gandhi and to suppress the freedom movement.

Agreeing to examine the pleas filed by Editors Guild of India and a former major general, challenging the constitutionality of section 124A (sedition) in the IPC, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said its main concern was the "misuse of law" and issued the notice to the Centre.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-will-make-sedition-law-even-more-stringent-rajnath-singh-209977">BJP will make sedition law even more stringent: Rajnath Singh</a>

The non-bailable provision makes any speech or expression that "brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India" a criminal offence punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

"Mr Attorney (General), we want to ask some questions. This is the colonial-era law and the same law was used by the British to suppress the freedom movement. It was used by the British to silence Mahatma Gandhi, Gokhale and others."

"Is it still necessary to keep this in statute even after 75 years of independence?",&nbsp;asked the bench which also comprised Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy.

Observing that the provision on sedition has been put to "enormous misuse", it also referred to alarming misuse of Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act even after the top court set it aside long back and observed: "It can be compared to a carpenter, asked to cut wood, cut the entire forest."

"A factionist can invoke these types of (penal) provisions to implicate the other group of people,"&nbsp;the CJI said, adding that if a particular party or people do not want to hear a voice, they will use this law to implicate others.

The bench wondered at the continuance of the sedition law in the statute book for the last 75 years and said: "We do not know why the government is not taking a decision. Your government has been getting rid of stale laws."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/will-make-sedition-law-more-stringent-rajnath-singh-219016">Will make sedition law more stringent: Rajnath Singh</a>

The bench said that it was not blaming any state or government, but unfortunately, the executing agency misuses these laws and "there is no accountability"

In a hearing, conducted through video-conferencing, the bench said that if a police officer in a remote village wanted to fix a person then he can easily do so by using such provisions.

Moreover, said the bench, there was a very low percentage of convictions in sedition cases and these are the issues which are needed to be decided.

The CJI, on being told that another bench headed Justice U U Lalit has been hearing a similar plea which has been fixed for further consideration on July 27, said he would take a call on posting of the matters and notify the date of hearing.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, who was asked to assist the bench in dealing with the case, defended the provision and said it be allowed to remain in the statute book and the court may lay down guidelines to curb the misuse.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the Editors Guild of India, said that a separate plea has been filed by the journalists' body challenging the validity of Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC and that plea can also be tagged along with the present one.

He said that besides challenging the validity, the Guild has also sought framing of guidelines to curb misuse.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-power-on-earth-can-restore-article-370-bjp-tells-mehbooba-mufti-337597">'No power on earth' can restore Article 370: BJP tells Mehbooba Mufti</a>

The bench was hearing the fresh plea by a former army officer, Major-General S G Vombatkere (Retd), challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 124 A (sedition) of the IPC on grounds that it causes a "chilling effect" on speech and is an unreasonable restriction on free expression, a fundamental right.

The bench, referring to the credentials of Vombatkere, said that he gave his entire life to the country and his motive in the filing of the case cannot be questioned.

The former Army officer challenged the constitutional validity of the sedition law on the ground that it causes a "chilling effect" on speech and is an unreasonable restriction on free expression, a fundamental right.

His plea said Section 124-A is wholly unconstitutional and should be "unequivocally and unambiguously struck down".

"The petitioner contends that a statute criminalising expression based on unconstitutionally vague definitions of 'disaffection towards Government' etc. Is an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right to free expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and causes constitutionally impermissible 'Chilling Effect' on speech," the plea said.

The petition said there is a need to take into account the "march of the times and the development of the law" before dealing with Section 124-A.

Earlier, a separate bench had sought a response from the Centre on the plea challenging the validity of sedition law, filed by two journalists, Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla, working in Manipur and Chhattisgarh respectively.&nbsp;

Concerned over the "enormous misuse" of the colonial era penal law on sedition, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre why it was not repealing the provision used by the British to 'silence' people like Mahatma Gandhi and to suppress the freedom movement.

Concerned over the "enormous misuse" of the colonial era penal law on sedition, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre why it was not repealing the provision used by the British to 'silence' people like Mahatma Gandhi and to suppress the freedom movement. Agreeing to examine the pleas filed by Editors Guild of India and a former major general, challenging the constitutionality of section 124A (sedition) in the IPC, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said its main concern was the "misuse of law" and issued the notice to the Centre. Also read | BJP will make sedition law even more stringent: Rajnath Singh The non-bailable provision makes any speech or expression that "brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India" a criminal offence punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. "Mr Attorney (General), we want to ask some questions. This is the colonial-era law and the same law was used by the British to suppress the freedom movement. It was used by the British to silence Mahatma Gandhi, Gokhale and others." "Is it still necessary to keep this in statute even after 75 years of independence?", asked the bench which also comprised Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy. Observing that the provision on sedition has been put to "enormous misuse", it also referred to alarming misuse of Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act even after the top court set it aside long back and observed: "It can be compared to a carpenter, asked to cut wood, cut the entire forest." "A factionist can invoke these types of (penal) provisions to implicate the other group of people," the CJI said, adding that if a particular party or people do not want to hear a voice, they will use this law to implicate others. The bench wondered at the continuance of the sedition law in the statute book for the last 75 years and said: "We do not know why the government is not taking a decision. Your government has been getting rid of stale laws." Also read | Will make sedition law more stringent: Rajnath Singh The bench said that it was not blaming any state or government, but unfortunately, the executing agency misuses these laws and "there is no accountability" In a hearing, conducted through video-conferencing, the bench said that if a police officer in a remote village wanted to fix a person then he can easily do so by using such provisions. Moreover, said the bench, there was a very low percentage of convictions in sedition cases and these are the issues which are needed to be decided. The CJI, on being told that another bench headed Justice U U Lalit has been hearing a similar plea which has been fixed for further consideration on July 27, said he would take a call on posting of the matters and notify the date of hearing. Attorney General KK Venugopal, who was asked to assist the bench in dealing with the case, defended the provision and said it be allowed to remain in the statute book and the court may lay down guidelines to curb the misuse. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the Editors Guild of India, said that a separate plea has been filed by the journalists' body challenging the validity of Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC and that plea can also be tagged along with the present one. He said that besides challenging the validity, the Guild has also sought framing of guidelines to curb misuse. Also read | 'No power on earth' can restore Article 370: BJP tells Mehbooba Mufti The bench was hearing the fresh plea by a former army officer, Major-General S G Vombatkere (Retd), challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 124 A (sedition) of the IPC on grounds that it causes a "chilling effect" on speech and is an unreasonable restriction on free expression, a fundamental right. The bench, referring to the credentials of Vombatkere, said that he gave his entire life to the country and his motive in the filing of the case cannot be questioned. The former Army officer challenged the constitutional validity of the sedition law on the ground that it causes a "chilling effect" on speech and is an unreasonable restriction on free expression, a fundamental right. His plea said Section 124-A is wholly unconstitutional and should be "unequivocally and unambiguously struck down". "The petitioner contends that a statute criminalising expression based on unconstitutionally vague definitions of 'disaffection towards Government' etc. Is an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right to free expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and causes constitutionally impermissible 'Chilling Effect' on speech," the plea said. The petition said there is a need to take into account the "march of the times and the development of the law" before dealing with Section 124-A. Earlier, a separate bench had sought a response from the Centre on the plea challenging the validity of sedition law, filed by two journalists, Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla, working in Manipur and Chhattisgarh respectively.

Why aren't you repealing British era sedition law used against Gandhi, SC asks Centre

While hearing a plea based case on Friday, a&nbsp;division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh observed, “It would be a disaster if vaccines are administered without trials that too in case of children.”

Tia Gupta, a minor, had filed a PIL seeking immediate vaccination for minors between 12 and 17 years of age.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-govt-issues-guidelines-on-covid-19-in-children-says-remdesivir-not-recommended-390531">Indian govt issues guidelines on COVID-19 in children, says Remdesivir not recommended</a>

Based on this plea, an affidavit was submitted by the Centre which said that a government policy will be developed and children will be vaccinated once experts approve.

The Centre notified the High Court that clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines for children under 18 years of age are in progress and nearing completion.

Kailash Vasudev, appearing for the petitioner, argued that a specific timeline should be established for the completion of vaccine trials for children.

In response to which court officials warned that the case would be dismissed if the petitioner made such submissions. They added&nbsp;a timeline for the research was not possible.

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The Centre informed the Delhi High Court that Zydus Cadila's COVID-19 vaccine may be available soon for children in the 12 to 18 year age group.

They added that while the trial of Zydus Cadila for children between the ages of 12 and 18 has been concluded, it is still subject to statutory approvals.

Earlier this month, the Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical firm sought emergency use approval for ZyCoV-D. World's first Plasmid DNA vaccine, it is administered in three doses.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/need-to-step-up-measures-for-well-being-protection-of-children-during-covid-19-second-wave-sc-judge-383754">Need to step up measures for well-being, protection of children during COVID-19 second wave: SC judge</a>

However, India's drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), is yet to approve the emergency use authorisation.&nbsp;

In addition, the affidavit claimed that vaccination is of the highest priority at the Center and that all endeavours are being made to reach 100 per cent vaccination in the shortest time possible while taking into account the availability of vaccine doses.

(With inputs from Agencies)

While hearing a plea based case on Friday, a division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh observed, “It would be a disaster if vaccines are administered without trials that too in case of children.

While hearing a plea based case on Friday, a division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh observed, “It would be a disaster if vaccines are administered without trials that too in case of children.” Tia Gupta, a minor, had filed a PIL seeking immediate vaccination for minors between 12 and 17 years of age. Also read | Indian govt issues guidelines on COVID-19 in children, says Remdesivir not recommended Based on this plea, an affidavit was submitted by the Centre which said that a government policy will be developed and children will be vaccinated once experts approve. The Centre notified the High Court that clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines for children under 18 years of age are in progress and nearing completion. Kailash Vasudev, appearing for the petitioner, argued that a specific timeline should be established for the completion of vaccine trials for children. In response to which court officials warned that the case would be dismissed if the petitioner made such submissions. They added a timeline for the research was not possible. Also read | AstraZeneca vaccine to be tested on children to test efficacy The Centre informed the Delhi High Court that Zydus Cadila's COVID-19 vaccine may be available soon for children in the 12 to 18 year age group. They added that while the trial of Zydus Cadila for children between the ages of 12 and 18 has been concluded, it is still subject to statutory approvals. Earlier this month, the Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical firm sought emergency use approval for ZyCoV-D. World's first Plasmid DNA vaccine, it is administered in three doses. Also read | Need to step up measures for well-being, protection of children during COVID-19 second wave: SC judge However, India's drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), is yet to approve the emergency use authorisation. In addition, the affidavit claimed that vaccination is of the highest priority at the Center and that all endeavours are being made to reach 100 per cent vaccination in the shortest time possible while taking into account the availability of vaccine doses. (With inputs from Agencies)

Vaccinating children without clinical trials can be disastrous: Delhi HC

All sentiments, including religion, are subservient to the Right to Life, the Supreme Court said on Friday and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to inform by July 19 whether it would reconsider its decision to hold a "symbolic"&nbsp;Kanwar Yatra.

"One thing is clear; we cannot allow the Uttar Pradesh government to hold 100 per cent physical Kanwar Yatra in view of Covid. We are all citizens of India. This suo motu case is taken as Article 21 applies to all of us. It is to safeguard all of us", the top court said.

The Centre told the top court that the state governments must not permit any kind of Kanwar yatra&nbsp;in view of the pandemic and arrangements should be made for water from the Ganges to be available through tankers at designated places.

The Uttarakhand government earlier this week cancelled the annual ritual that sees thousands of Shiva devotees called 'kanwariyas' travel mostly on foot to collect water from the Ganges and bring it back to their villages.

Uttar Pradesh is going ahead with a pared-down 'symbolic'&nbsp;version.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai said the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution is paramount and asked the Uttar Pradesh government whether it was willing to reconsider its decision to hold a yatra at all.

The apex court's direction came after the Uttar Pradesh government told the bench it has decided after relevant discussions to hold a 'symbolic'&nbsp;Kanwar Yatra with appropriate Covid restrictions.

"Total ban on the yatra will be inappropriate," senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the court.

He said they have filed an affidavit stating that a symbolic yatra would be held with the minimum presence of devotees and also keeping in mind religious sentiments.

The top court after perusing the affidavit of the UP government which explained how 'symbolic' Kanwar Yatra will take place in the state, noted that it has pointed out to Vaidyanathan that given the Covid pandemic and the fear that looms over all the citizens of India of a third wave of the pandemic whether the authorities would be in a position to reconsider holding or the allowing, for compelling religious reasons, of this yatra in physical form at all.

It noted in its order that Vaidyanathan responded positively to the court's suggestion and asked for time to come out with an additional affidavit by July 19, to apprise this Court as to whether there can be a reconsideration of holding the physical 'Kanwar yatra' at all.

On July 14, the top court took suo motu cognisance of media reports on the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to allow the yatra amid the Covid pandemic and sought responses from the state as well as the Centre "given the disparate political voices" on the matter.

The top court had said it was a 'little disturbed'&nbsp;to read that Uttar Pradesh has chosen to continue with the 'Kanwar Yatra', while Uttarakhand had decided against it.

All sentiments, including religion, are subservient to the Right to Life, the Supreme Court said on Friday and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to inform by July 19 whether it would reconsider its decision to hold a "symbolic" Kanwar Yatra.

All sentiments, including religion, are subservient to the Right to Life, the Supreme Court said on Friday and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to inform by July 19 whether it would reconsider its decision to hold a "symbolic" Kanwar Yatra. "One thing is clear; we cannot allow the Uttar Pradesh government to hold 100 per cent physical Kanwar Yatra in view of Covid. We are all citizens of India. This suo motu case is taken as Article 21 applies to all of us. It is to safeguard all of us", the top court said. The Centre told the top court that the state governments must not permit any kind of Kanwar yatra in view of the pandemic and arrangements should be made for water from the Ganges to be available through tankers at designated places. The Uttarakhand government earlier this week cancelled the annual ritual that sees thousands of Shiva devotees called 'kanwariyas' travel mostly on foot to collect water from the Ganges and bring it back to their villages. Uttar Pradesh is going ahead with a pared-down 'symbolic' version. A bench of Justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai said the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution is paramount and asked the Uttar Pradesh government whether it was willing to reconsider its decision to hold a yatra at all. The apex court's direction came after the Uttar Pradesh government told the bench it has decided after relevant discussions to hold a 'symbolic' Kanwar Yatra with appropriate Covid restrictions. "Total ban on the yatra will be inappropriate," senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the court. He said they have filed an affidavit stating that a symbolic yatra would be held with the minimum presence of devotees and also keeping in mind religious sentiments. The top court after perusing the affidavit of the UP government which explained how 'symbolic' Kanwar Yatra will take place in the state, noted that it has pointed out to Vaidyanathan that given the Covid pandemic and the fear that looms over all the citizens of India of a third wave of the pandemic whether the authorities would be in a position to reconsider holding or the allowing, for compelling religious reasons, of this yatra in physical form at all. It noted in its order that Vaidyanathan responded positively to the court's suggestion and asked for time to come out with an additional affidavit by July 19, to apprise this Court as to whether there can be a reconsideration of holding the physical 'Kanwar yatra' at all. On July 14, the top court took suo motu cognisance of media reports on the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to allow the yatra amid the Covid pandemic and sought responses from the state as well as the Centre "given the disparate political voices" on the matter. The top court had said it was a 'little disturbed' to read that Uttar Pradesh has chosen to continue with the 'Kanwar Yatra', while Uttarakhand had decided against it.

Supreme Court asks UP to reconsider Kanwar Yatra decision

Ocugen Inc., Bharat Biotech's partner for the USA and Canada for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</a> Covaxin has initiated a rolling submission to Health Canada for the jab, the US company said in a regulatory filing.

The move follows the release by Bharat Biotech of Phase 3 clinical trial results, which demonstrated efficacy and safety in nearly 25,800 adults, it said on Thursday.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/bharat-biotech-announces-covaxins-efficacy-rate-after-final-stage-trials-395623/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Often referred to as a rolling review, this allows Health Canada to start its review right away, as information continues to come in, to accelerate the overall review process.

Ocugen initiated the rolling submission through its affiliate, Vaccigen, Ltd.

Health Canada will make a decision upon review of the evidence submitted that supports its safety, efficacy and quality.

The rolling submission process was recommended and accepted under the Minister of Health's Interim Order Respecting the Importation, Sale and Advertising of Drugs for Use in Relation to COVID-19 and transitioned to a new drug, Ocugen said.

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"We thank Health Canada for their upcoming review of Covaxin and look forward to working with them so that we can offer the possibility of another safe and effective option to be used in their fight against COVID-19 and its Delta variant," Dr Shankar Musunuri, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ocugen said.

Covaxin was developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Institute of Virology (NIV)

Ocugen Inc., Bharat Biotech's partner for the USA and Canada for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin has initiated a rolling submission to Health Canada for the jab, the US company said in a regulatory filing.

Ocugen Inc., Bharat Biotech's partner for the USA and Canada for COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin has initiated a rolling submission to Health Canada for the jab, the US company said in a regulatory filing. The move follows the release by Bharat Biotech of Phase 3 clinical trial results, which demonstrated efficacy and safety in nearly 25,800 adults, it said on Thursday. Often referred to as a rolling review, this allows Health Canada to start its review right away, as information continues to come in, to accelerate the overall review process. Ocugen initiated the rolling submission through its affiliate, Vaccigen, Ltd. Health Canada will make a decision upon review of the evidence submitted that supports its safety, efficacy and quality. The rolling submission process was recommended and accepted under the Minister of Health's Interim Order Respecting the Importation, Sale and Advertising of Drugs for Use in Relation to COVID-19 and transitioned to a new drug, Ocugen said. "We thank Health Canada for their upcoming review of Covaxin and look forward to working with them so that we can offer the possibility of another safe and effective option to be used in their fight against COVID-19 and its Delta variant," Dr Shankar Musunuri, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ocugen said. Covaxin was developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Institute of Virology (NIV)

Bharat Biotech's partner seeks approval for India-made Covaxin in Canada

India has raised the killing of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extending condolences. Danish died during clashes in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province. The district has seen increased violence as the Taliban gained control in Kandahar.

India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said,"We condemn the killing of Indian Photo Journalist Danish Siddiqui while he was on a reporting assignment in Kandahar in Afghanistan yesterday. I extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family."

The Indian envoy to Kabul Rudrendra Tandon is in touch with Afghan authorities to bring back his mortal remains. The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi is keeping his family informed about the developments.

The Indian foreign secretary's remark came during a debate on “Protection of Civilians in armed conflict: Preserving humanitarian space" at the top UN body. He also extended condolences to the families of the 99 humanitarian workers who were reported to have been killed over the last year and he strongly condemned attacks against humanitarian personnel.

He called for "ensuring accountability" for "serious violations of international humanitarian law" which he pointed "remains one of the key challenges before us". On the issue of terrorism, he highlighted,"that it "further compounds the twin problems of violence against humanitarian personnel and lack of accountability" and "access to new and emerging technologies has enhanced the capacities of terrorist groups to obstruct humanitarian action, including safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian agencies".

The foreign secretary is on a visit to New York for UNSC consultations ahead of India's presidency of the body next month. He had also addressed the body yesterday on the Libya debate.

During Friday's debate, he said, "sanctioning individuals and entities perpetrating serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel, is an effective tool for the Council to check and cease violations" but these "measures should have wider regional and international support, in the absence of which, there may be further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis and shrinking of the humanitarian space".

India has raised the killing of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extending condolences. Danish died during clashes in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.

India has raised the killing of Indian journalist Danish Siddiqui at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) extending condolences. Danish died during clashes in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province. The district has seen increased violence as the Taliban gained control in Kandahar. India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said,"We condemn the killing of Indian Photo Journalist Danish Siddiqui while he was on a reporting assignment in Kandahar in Afghanistan yesterday. I extend our sincerest condolences to his bereaved family." The Indian envoy to Kabul Rudrendra Tandon is in touch with Afghan authorities to bring back his mortal remains. The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi is keeping his family informed about the developments. The Indian foreign secretary's remark came during a debate on “Protection of Civilians in armed conflict: Preserving humanitarian space" at the top UN body. He also extended condolences to the families of the 99 humanitarian workers who were reported to have been killed over the last year and he strongly condemned attacks against humanitarian personnel. He called for "ensuring accountability" for "serious violations of international humanitarian law" which he pointed "remains one of the key challenges before us". On the issue of terrorism, he highlighted,"that it "further compounds the twin problems of violence against humanitarian personnel and lack of accountability" and "access to new and emerging technologies has enhanced the capacities of terrorist groups to obstruct humanitarian action, including safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian agencies". The foreign secretary is on a visit to New York for UNSC consultations ahead of India's presidency of the body next month. He had also addressed the body yesterday on the Libya debate. During Friday's debate, he said, "sanctioning individuals and entities perpetrating serious violations of international humanitarian law, especially attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel, is an effective tool for the Council to check and cease violations" but these "measures should have wider regional and international support, in the absence of which, there may be further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis and shrinking of the humanitarian space".

India condemns killing of Danish Siddiqui at UNSC

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the Alamdar Colony, Danmar region of Srinagar, in Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp;

Kashmir Police IG Vijay Kumar said that the terrorists were locals and belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba. "Two local terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed," IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar told news agency ANI.

Terrorists and security personnel engaged in a gunfight on Friday morning after a joint police-army squad cordoned off the area and conducted a search operation based on specific information about the presence of terrorists.

As security forces closed in on the location where terrorists were hiding, they were met with a barrage of fire, which sparked the confrontation.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the Alamdar Colony, Danmar region of Srinagar, in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir Police IG Vijay Kumar said that the terrorists were locals and belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the Alamdar Colony, Danmar region of Srinagar, in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir Police IG Vijay Kumar said that the terrorists were locals and belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba. "Two local terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed," IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar told news agency ANI. Terrorists and security personnel engaged in a gunfight on Friday morning after a joint police-army squad cordoned off the area and conducted a search operation based on specific information about the presence of terrorists. As security forces closed in on the location where terrorists were hiding, they were met with a barrage of fire, which sparked the confrontation. (With inputs from agencies)

Jammu and Kashmir: Two LeT terrorists killed in encounter with security forces

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working towards launching India’s GISAT-1, an Earth Observation satellite, in August, Dr&nbsp;K&nbsp;Sivan, Chairman ISRO, told WION.

This will be the state-run space agency’s second launch of 2021, after Brazilian Amazonia-1 was injected into orbit by a PSLV rocket in February, on a commercial basis.

GISAT-1 will be launched by India’s medium-lift capability rocket, the GSLV Mk2.&nbsp;

Queried on reports by a news agency regarding the launch being scheduled for 5:43 am on August 12th, Dr. Sivan told WION that, August 12th was more of an internal deadline and not an official launch date.

He also added that activities for the launch have started and are underway. He confirmed that the formal launch date and time would be revealed later.&nbsp;

Since the pandemic started spreading in India in early 2020, the space agency’s activities have been delayed, owing to travel restrictions and lockdowns.

It is noteworthy that ISRO has centers spread across various states in the country, whereas launch activity requires critical teams of engineers and scientists from these centers to converge at the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on the East Coast.&nbsp;

With the second wave of the pandemic having come under control and lockdowns relaxed across major states in India, industries too have resumed activities. Indian industry plays a major role in carrying out manufacturing and fabrication processes for rocket parts, fuel and components for ISRO.&nbsp;

According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near-realtime imaging of large regions of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events, and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow &amp; glaciers, and oceanography.&nbsp;

Conventionally, such earth-observation satellites are placed in low-earth orbit (between 500 and 2000kms), to ensure high resolution imagery and better capabilities.

However, it is pertinent to note that ISRO’s latest agile earth-observation satellite is to be placed 36,000kms away from the earth’s surface, Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

GEO orbit is generally meant for communication satellites that are required to relay signals across a vast landmass. Being placed in a 36,000km circular orbit would also mean that the 2268kg GISAT-1 is beyond the range of anti-satellite missiles.

WION had earlier reported that, despite GISAT’s placement in a far-away 36,000km orbit, it can use different types of imaging technologies to provide constant monitoring of a region of interest/calamity/weather pattern.

This is unlike low earth orbit satellites, which can make a pass only once every 110 minutes or so to click pictures and collect data.

If a cyclone or similar rapidly-changing weather pattern is being continually monitored by GISAT-1, then the satellites in low earth orbit can also be tasked with getting higher resolution imagery from a relatively closer range.&nbsp;

GISAT, was originally meant to be launched in March 2020, but the launch was called off for technical reasons.

After the pandemic-related delays, the launch was scheduled for March 2021, when it was further delayed due to some technical issues with the satellite.

During the second wave of the pandemic in India, ISRO suspended its launch activities, but the agency contributed to the COVID-19 fight by ramping up production of liquid oxygen (for hospitals), re-purposing its storage tanks for oxygen, developing low-cost ventilators, etc.&nbsp;

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working towards launching India’s GISAT-1, an Earth Observation satellite, in August, Dr K Sivan, Chairman ISRO, told WION.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working towards launching India’s GISAT-1, an Earth Observation satellite, in August, Dr K Sivan, Chairman ISRO, told WION. This will be the state-run space agency’s second launch of 2021, after Brazilian Amazonia-1 was injected into orbit by a PSLV rocket in February, on a commercial basis. GISAT-1 will be launched by India’s medium-lift capability rocket, the GSLV Mk2. Queried on reports by a news agency regarding the launch being scheduled for 5:43 am on August 12th, Dr. Sivan told WION that, August 12th was more of an internal deadline and not an official launch date. He also added that activities for the launch have started and are underway. He confirmed that the formal launch date and time would be revealed later. Since the pandemic started spreading in India in early 2020, the space agency’s activities have been delayed, owing to travel restrictions and lockdowns. It is noteworthy that ISRO has centers spread across various states in the country, whereas launch activity requires critical teams of engineers and scientists from these centers to converge at the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on the East Coast. With the second wave of the pandemic having come under control and lockdowns relaxed across major states in India, industries too have resumed activities. Indian industry plays a major role in carrying out manufacturing and fabrication processes for rocket parts, fuel and components for ISRO. According to ISRO, GISAT-1 is meant to provide near-realtime imaging of large regions of interest at frequent intervals, quick monitoring of natural disasters, episodic events, and also obtain spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow & glaciers, and oceanography. Conventionally, such earth-observation satellites are placed in low-earth orbit (between 500 and 2000kms), to ensure high resolution imagery and better capabilities. However, it is pertinent to note that ISRO’s latest agile earth-observation satellite is to be placed 36,000kms away from the earth’s surface, Geostationary Orbit (GEO). GEO orbit is generally meant for communication satellites that are required to relay signals across a vast landmass. Being placed in a 36,000km circular orbit would also mean that the 2268kg GISAT-1 is beyond the range of anti-satellite missiles. WION had earlier reported that, despite GISAT’s placement in a far-away 36,000km orbit, it can use different types of imaging technologies to provide constant monitoring of a region of interest/calamity/weather pattern. This is unlike low earth orbit satellites, which can make a pass only once every 110 minutes or so to click pictures and collect data. If a cyclone or similar rapidly-changing weather pattern is being continually monitored by GISAT-1, then the satellites in low earth orbit can also be tasked with getting higher resolution imagery from a relatively closer range. GISAT, was originally meant to be launched in March 2020, but the launch was called off for technical reasons. After the pandemic-related delays, the launch was scheduled for March 2021, when it was further delayed due to some technical issues with the satellite. During the second wave of the pandemic in India, ISRO suspended its launch activities, but the agency contributed to the COVID-19 fight by ramping up production of liquid oxygen (for hospitals), re-purposing its storage tanks for oxygen, developing low-cost ventilators, etc.

GISAT-1: India’s 'Eye in the Sky’ likely to be launched in August, says ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan

During a White House press event on Thursday, Indian-American US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy revealed that the coronavirus has claimed the lives of ten members of his family.

Murthy spoke openly about his own experience during the pandemic at the briefing, which he attended to encourage Americans to get their shots in the face of low vaccination rates.&nbsp;

"On a personal note, it's painful for me to know that nearly every death we are seeing now from COVID-19 could have been prevented. I say that as someone who has lost 10 family members to COVID-19 and who wishes every day that they had had the opportunity to get vaccinated," Dr Murthy said.

"I see that also as a concerned father of two young children who aren't yet eligible for the vaccine, but I know that our kids are depending on all of us to get vaccinated to shield them from this virus," he added.

Dr Murthy, who is serving in the position for the second time, said this at a White House briefing, emphasising the importance of individuals getting vaccinated against the deadly virus.&nbsp;

"We must confront misinformation as a nation. Every one of us has the power and the responsibility to make a difference in this fight. Lives are depending on it," said the top American doctor.

"But we are not out of the woods yet. Millions of Americans are still not protected against COVID-19, and we are seeing more infections among those who are unvaccinated," he said.

"Health misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information about health, according to the best evidence at the time. And while it often appears innocuous on social media apps and retail sites or search engines, the truth is that misinformation takes away our freedom to make informed decisions about our health and the health of our loved ones," said Vivek Murthy. 
&nbsp; 
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, health misinformation has led people to resist wearing masks in high-risk settings. It’s led them to turn down proven treatments and to choose not to get vaccinated. This has led to avoidable illnesses and death. Simply put, health [mis]information has cost us lives."

(With inputs from agencies)

During a White House press event on Thursday, Indian-American US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy revealed that the coronavirus has claimed the lives of ten members of his family.

During a White House press event on Thursday, Indian-American US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy revealed that the coronavirus has claimed the lives of ten members of his family. Murthy spoke openly about his own experience during the pandemic at the briefing, which he attended to encourage Americans to get their shots in the face of low vaccination rates. "On a personal note, it's painful for me to know that nearly every death we are seeing now from COVID-19 could have been prevented. I say that as someone who has lost 10 family members to COVID-19 and who wishes every day that they had had the opportunity to get vaccinated," Dr Murthy said. "I see that also as a concerned father of two young children who aren't yet eligible for the vaccine, but I know that our kids are depending on all of us to get vaccinated to shield them from this virus," he added. Dr Murthy, who is serving in the position for the second time, said this at a White House briefing, emphasising the importance of individuals getting vaccinated against the deadly virus. "We must confront misinformation as a nation. Every one of us has the power and the responsibility to make a difference in this fight. Lives are depending on it," said the top American doctor. "But we are not out of the woods yet. Millions of Americans are still not protected against COVID-19, and we are seeing more infections among those who are unvaccinated," he said. "Health misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information about health, according to the best evidence at the time. And while it often appears innocuous on social media apps and retail sites or search engines, the truth is that misinformation takes away our freedom to make informed decisions about our health and the health of our loved ones," said Vivek Murthy. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, health misinformation has led people to resist wearing masks in high-risk settings. It’s led them to turn down proven treatments and to choose not to get vaccinated. This has led to avoidable illnesses and death. Simply put, health [mis]information has cost us lives." (With inputs from agencies)

I have lost 10 family members to COVID-19, reveals Indian-American US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

India's external affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar has slammed Pakistan, China at the Uzbekistan connectivity summit pointing to the various deficiencies in the connectivity plans professed by Islamabad and Beijing.

The connectivity summit or the&nbsp;“Central and South Asia: Connectivity” in Tashkent has seen the participation of regional heads of state and foreign ministers including Afghan President Ghani, Pakistan PM Imran Khan, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, Chinese FM Wang Yi.

Without taking Pakistan's name, EAM said, "The real issues are of mindsets, not of disputes. Blocking connectivity in practice while professing support in principle benefits no one." Earlier at the same meet, Pakistani PM Imran Khan mentioned the "Kashmir dispute" holding India, Pakistan hostage to the larger connectivity in the region.&nbsp;

EAM said, "A one-sided view of trade rights and obligations can never work. No serious connectivity can ever be a one-way street." Remember, Pakistan had in the past has not given India Most Favoured Nation status under WTO rules for trade. While India had given the status, it withdrew it after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which it lost 40 CRPF personnel. Islamabad also continues to hinder land connectivity between India and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

On Chinese connectivity plans, EAM said, "Respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most basic principles of international relations." Remember China Pakistan economic corridor, the mega connectivity project that connects Gwadar port in restive Balochistan province to China's Xinjiang passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir(POK). New Delhi has raised the matter with China many times, but the latter has been dismissive about the concerns.&nbsp;

Jaishankar highlighted, that Connectivity "must be based on economic viability and financial responsibility" and&nbsp;"should promote economic activity and not create debt burdens". Chinese connectivity projects from Sri Lanka to Central Asia have been known to create a lot of debt burden and economic crisis for the host country.&nbsp;

India also highlighted Chabahar port in Iran, in which it has majorly invested. EAM said port, "provides a secure, viable and unhindered access to the sea for Central Asian countries" and "Its efficacy is now clearly proven". India has proposed that Chabahar port should be included in the INSTC or International North-South Transport Corridor that connects Mumbai with Moscow.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India's external affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar has slammed Pakistan, China at the Uzbekistan connectivity summit pointing to the various deficiencies in the connectivity plans professed by Islamabad and Beijing.

India's external affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar has slammed Pakistan, China at the Uzbekistan connectivity summit pointing to the various deficiencies in the connectivity plans professed by Islamabad and Beijing. The connectivity summit or the “Central and South Asia: Connectivity” in Tashkent has seen the participation of regional heads of state and foreign ministers including Afghan President Ghani, Pakistan PM Imran Khan, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, Chinese FM Wang Yi. Without taking Pakistan's name, EAM said, "The real issues are of mindsets, not of disputes. Blocking connectivity in practice while professing support in principle benefits no one." Earlier at the same meet, Pakistani PM Imran Khan mentioned the "Kashmir dispute" holding India, Pakistan hostage to the larger connectivity in the region. EAM said, "A one-sided view of trade rights and obligations can never work. No serious connectivity can ever be a one-way street." Remember, Pakistan had in the past has not given India Most Favoured Nation status under WTO rules for trade. While India had given the status, it withdrew it after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which it lost 40 CRPF personnel. Islamabad also continues to hinder land connectivity between India and Afghanistan. On Chinese connectivity plans, EAM said, "Respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity are the most basic principles of international relations." Remember China Pakistan economic corridor, the mega connectivity project that connects Gwadar port in restive Balochistan province to China's Xinjiang passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir(POK). New Delhi has raised the matter with China many times, but the latter has been dismissive about the concerns. Jaishankar highlighted, that Connectivity "must be based on economic viability and financial responsibility" and "should promote economic activity and not create debt burdens". Chinese connectivity projects from Sri Lanka to Central Asia have been known to create a lot of debt burden and economic crisis for the host country. India also highlighted Chabahar port in Iran, in which it has majorly invested. EAM said port, "provides a secure, viable and unhindered access to the sea for Central Asian countries" and "Its efficacy is now clearly proven". India has proposed that Chabahar port should be included in the INSTC or International North-South Transport Corridor that connects Mumbai with Moscow.

EAM Jaishankar slams Pakistan, China at Uzbekistan connectivity summit

A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on variants responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 has revealed that the major strain responsible for the breakthrough is the Delta variant.

As per the WHO classification, the Delta variant has been designated as a variant of concern due to increased transmission and higher immune evasion, whereas the other two sublineages of B.1.617 namely B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.3 with E484Q are grouped in VUI[25].

"B.1.617 variant and its lineage B.1.617.2 were primarily responsible for the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra state. Delta (B.1.617.2) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) was detected among 60 per cent of the clinical specimens of the COVID-19 cases collected from Maharashtra during January and February 2021." according to the study.

"The rapid rise in the daily infection was observed in India with the dominance of Delta variant which accounted for &gt;99 per cent of all sequenced genomes in April 2021," it further stated.

Talking about the infections after vaccination, the study said, "The present study revealed the infection among breakthrough cases predominantly occurred through Delta variant indicating its high community transmission during this period followed by Alpha and Kappa variants. In our study, 67 cases (9.8 per cent) required hospitalisation and fatality was observed in only three cases (0.4 per cent)."

This clearly suggests that vaccination reduces the severity of disease, hospitalization and mortality, said the study. Therefore, enhancing the vaccination drive and immunizing the populations quickly would be the most important strategy to prevent further deadly waves of the COVID-19 and would reduce the burden on the health care system, it added.

The study is a preprint and it was approved by the Institutional Human Ethics Committee of ICMR-NIV, Pune.

It was conducted with intramural funding for 'Molecular epidemiological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in different regions of India' of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi provided to ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.

A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on variants responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 has revealed that the major strain responsible for the breakthrough is the Delta variant.

A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on variants responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 has revealed that the major strain responsible for the breakthrough is the Delta variant. As per the WHO classification, the Delta variant has been designated as a variant of concern due to increased transmission and higher immune evasion, whereas the other two sublineages of B.1.617 namely B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.3 with E484Q are grouped in VUI[25]. "B.1.617 variant and its lineage B.1.617.2 were primarily responsible for the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra state. Delta (B.1.617.2) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) was detected among 60 per cent of the clinical specimens of the COVID-19 cases collected from Maharashtra during January and February 2021." according to the study. "The rapid rise in the daily infection was observed in India with the dominance of Delta variant which accounted for >99 per cent of all sequenced genomes in April 2021," it further stated. Talking about the infections after vaccination, the study said, "The present study revealed the infection among breakthrough cases predominantly occurred through Delta variant indicating its high community transmission during this period followed by Alpha and Kappa variants. In our study, 67 cases (9.8 per cent) required hospitalisation and fatality was observed in only three cases (0.4 per cent)." This clearly suggests that vaccination reduces the severity of disease, hospitalization and mortality, said the study. Therefore, enhancing the vaccination drive and immunizing the populations quickly would be the most important strategy to prevent further deadly waves of the COVID-19 and would reduce the burden on the health care system, it added. The study is a preprint and it was approved by the Institutional Human Ethics Committee of ICMR-NIV, Pune. It was conducted with intramural funding for 'Molecular epidemiological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in different regions of India' of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi provided to ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune.

Delta major variant responsible for infections during second wave of COVID in India: ICMR study

The much sought-after Indian talent is now getting attracted towards Canada in large numbers, away from the United States because of its outdated H-1B visa policy, immigration and policy experts have told US lawmakers.

This is mainly because of the per-country quota on issuing employment-based green card or permanent residency, the experts said on Tuesday, urging the Congress to act fast to prevent the Indian talent from moving to Canada from the United States.

Without Congressional action, the total backlog for all three employment-based categories for Indians would increase from an estimated 9,15,497 individuals currently to an estimated 21,95,795 individuals by fiscal 2030, executive director of National Foundation for American Policy Stuart Anderson said.

"We should let that number sink in: Within a decade, more than 2 million people will be waiting in line for years or even decades for employment-based green cards," he submitted in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee-Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Testifying before the panel on "Oh, Canada! How Outdated US Immigration Policies Push Top Talent to Other Countries,” Anderson said that highly skilled foreign nationals, including international students, are choosing Canada over America.

"This has happened in response to how difficult it is to work in the United States in H-1B status or gain permanent residence, and the comparative ease of international students and foreign nationals working in temporary status and then acquiring permanent residence in Canada," he said.

The number of international students from India enrolled in graduate-level computer science and engineering at US universities declined by more than 25 per cent between 2016-17 and 2018-19 academic years, according to an analysis of US government data by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).

To place the significance of the decline in context, international students represent approximately 75 per cent of the full-time graduate students at US universities in computer science, and in the 2016-17 academic year, two-thirds of the international students at the graduate level in computer science at US universities were from India.

At the same time fewer Indian students were coming to America, the number of Indian students attending Canadian universities rose from 76,075 in 2016 to 1,72,625 in 2018, an increase of 127 per cent, according to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, he said.

"In sum, Canada''s immigration policies are much better than America''s for facilitating the entry of talented individuals. Congress established America''s policies in 1990, before smartphones, e-commerce, social media, cloud computing and the daily use of the internet exploded the demand for high-skilled technical labor. The world has changed since 1990. U.S. immigration policy has not,” Anderson said.

The Canadian government has made it increasingly easy for employers to attract and retain talent. On the other hand, numerical restrictions on high-skilled temporary visas block the vast majority of foreign-born applicants from working in America in a given year, Anderson said.

In March 2021, employers filed 3,08,613 H-1B registrations for cap selection for FY 2022 for only 85,000 H-1B petitions. "That means over 72% of H-1B registrations for high-skilled foreign nationals were rejected even before an adjudicator evaluated the application,” he said.

Jennifer Young, CEO, Technology Councils of North America, said that fast-growing Canadian companies are permitted to hire highly-skilled foreign talent, or people with skillsets most commonly found among H-1B applicants in the United States, in as little as four weeks, pre-pandemic. By comparison, the United States immigration system is paper-based, causing nearly all applicants significant delays in processing, she said.

Young said that a former colleague of her, Ketaki Desai, and her husband were both educated in the United States, on student visas. They were fortunate to obtain H-1B status upon graduation and were strong contributors to the US economy. After 18 years and realising their path to permanent residency was looking very bleak, they left the United States for Toronto, Canada. They bought a house and are actively recruiting and helping individuals leave the US workforce and join them in Canada, she told the lawmakers.

“With more than 1,00,000 H-1B cap submissions denied annually, the United States has turned away millions of qualified, highly-skilled, and often US-educated individuals who are going to other countries to contribute to their economy,” Young said, noting that the matter of raising or eliminating H-1B visa and per country immigrant visa caps have often fallen victim to incorporation into an overall immigration reform bill.

Sudip Parikh, CEO and Executive Publisher, Science Journals, American Association for the Advancement of Science, told lawmakers that it is critical that US immigration policies reflect a 21st century approach in the same way that the Congress is now working on legislation to advance research and innovation in critical technologies to compete with China.

Parikh urged the Congress to expand dual intent visas to include foreign student visas (e.g., F-1 visas) to allow them the option to apply for permanent residency and adjust post-graduation immigration law to ease entry to work for skilled graduates.

"Some organisations have recommended proposals to ''staple a green card'' to international students graduating with a diploma in specific, targeted fields of study to meet US demands,” he said, urging the Congress to continue to exempt higher education and research institutions from the H-1B visa caps.

The much sought-after Indian talent is now getting attracted towards Canada in large numbers, away from the United States because of its outdated H-1B visa policy, immigration and policy experts have told US lawmakers.

The much sought-after Indian talent is now getting attracted towards Canada in large numbers, away from the United States because of its outdated H-1B visa policy, immigration and policy experts have told US lawmakers. This is mainly because of the per-country quota on issuing employment-based green card or permanent residency, the experts said on Tuesday, urging the Congress to act fast to prevent the Indian talent from moving to Canada from the United States. Without Congressional action, the total backlog for all three employment-based categories for Indians would increase from an estimated 9,15,497 individuals currently to an estimated 21,95,795 individuals by fiscal 2030, executive director of National Foundation for American Policy Stuart Anderson said. "We should let that number sink in: Within a decade, more than 2 million people will be waiting in line for years or even decades for employment-based green cards," he submitted in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee-Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. Testifying before the panel on "Oh, Canada! How Outdated US Immigration Policies Push Top Talent to Other Countries,” Anderson said that highly skilled foreign nationals, including international students, are choosing Canada over America. "This has happened in response to how difficult it is to work in the United States in H-1B status or gain permanent residence, and the comparative ease of international students and foreign nationals working in temporary status and then acquiring permanent residence in Canada," he said. The number of international students from India enrolled in graduate-level computer science and engineering at US universities declined by more than 25 per cent between 2016-17 and 2018-19 academic years, according to an analysis of US government data by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). To place the significance of the decline in context, international students represent approximately 75 per cent of the full-time graduate students at US universities in computer science, and in the 2016-17 academic year, two-thirds of the international students at the graduate level in computer science at US universities were from India. At the same time fewer Indian students were coming to America, the number of Indian students attending Canadian universities rose from 76,075 in 2016 to 1,72,625 in 2018, an increase of 127 per cent, according to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, he said. "In sum, Canada''s immigration policies are much better than America''s for facilitating the entry of talented individuals. Congress established America''s policies in 1990, before smartphones, e-commerce, social media, cloud computing and the daily use of the internet exploded the demand for high-skilled technical labor. The world has changed since 1990. U.S. immigration policy has not,” Anderson said. The Canadian government has made it increasingly easy for employers to attract and retain talent. On the other hand, numerical restrictions on high-skilled temporary visas block the vast majority of foreign-born applicants from working in America in a given year, Anderson said. In March 2021, employers filed 3,08,613 H-1B registrations for cap selection for FY 2022 for only 85,000 H-1B petitions. "That means over 72% of H-1B registrations for high-skilled foreign nationals were rejected even before an adjudicator evaluated the application,” he said. Jennifer Young, CEO, Technology Councils of North America, said that fast-growing Canadian companies are permitted to hire highly-skilled foreign talent, or people with skillsets most commonly found among H-1B applicants in the United States, in as little as four weeks, pre-pandemic. By comparison, the United States immigration system is paper-based, causing nearly all applicants significant delays in processing, she said. Young said that a former colleague of her, Ketaki Desai, and her husband were both educated in the United States, on student visas. They were fortunate to obtain H-1B status upon graduation and were strong contributors to the US economy. After 18 years and realising their path to permanent residency was looking very bleak, they left the United States for Toronto, Canada. They bought a house and are actively recruiting and helping individuals leave the US workforce and join them in Canada, she told the lawmakers. “With more than 1,00,000 H-1B cap submissions denied annually, the United States has turned away millions of qualified, highly-skilled, and often US-educated individuals who are going to other countries to contribute to their economy,” Young said, noting that the matter of raising or eliminating H-1B visa and per country immigrant visa caps have often fallen victim to incorporation into an overall immigration reform bill. Sudip Parikh, CEO and Executive Publisher, Science Journals, American Association for the Advancement of Science, told lawmakers that it is critical that US immigration policies reflect a 21st century approach in the same way that the Congress is now working on legislation to advance research and innovation in critical technologies to compete with China. Parikh urged the Congress to expand dual intent visas to include foreign student visas (e.g., F-1 visas) to allow them the option to apply for permanent residency and adjust post-graduation immigration law to ease entry to work for skilled graduates. "Some organisations have recommended proposals to ''staple a green card'' to international students graduating with a diploma in specific, targeted fields of study to meet US demands,” he said, urging the Congress to continue to exempt higher education and research institutions from the H-1B visa caps.

Brain drain: Indian talent moving to Canada due to outdated H1B visa policy, US lawmakers told

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said a cluster of the Zika virus infection has been identified within a three-kilometre radius of Anayara locality in Thiruvananthapuram.

Speaking to media persons after a meeting with officials on the Zika Virus situation in the state, George said that activities against the disease, like fogging for mosquitoes, would be intensified in the affected areas. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/zika-virus-cases-reported-in-kerala-symptoms-prevention-and-treatment-396887">Also read | Zika virus cases reported in Kerala: Symptoms, prevention and treatment</a> 
 
"We have developed a micro plan and have decided to intensify the rector control activities, and also do fogging. Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation has intensified activities and the district administration will also be part of it and coordinating all the departments. They will do fogging for the next 7 days," the minister said.

"A control room has started functioning from the DMO office which will opearte round the clock. People can contact the control room regarding information or doubts about the Zika Virus," she said.

The total number of cases of the Zika Virus in the state has gone up to 23.The first case of the virus was confirmed in Kerala on July 9.A high alert has been flagged in all districts regarding the mosquito-borne virus.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said a cluster of the Zika virus infection has been identified within a three-kilometre radius of Anayara locality in Thiruvananthapuram.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said a cluster of the Zika virus infection has been identified within a three-kilometre radius of Anayara locality in Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking to media persons after a meeting with officials on the Zika Virus situation in the state, George said that activities against the disease, like fogging for mosquitoes, would be intensified in the affected areas. Also read | Zika virus cases reported in Kerala: Symptoms, prevention and treatment "We have developed a micro plan and have decided to intensify the rector control activities, and also do fogging. Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation has intensified activities and the district administration will also be part of it and coordinating all the departments. They will do fogging for the next 7 days," the minister said. "A control room has started functioning from the DMO office which will opearte round the clock. People can contact the control room regarding information or doubts about the Zika Virus," she said. The total number of cases of the Zika Virus in the state has gone up to 23.The first case of the virus was confirmed in Kerala on July 9.A high alert has been flagged in all districts regarding the mosquito-borne virus.

Zika virus cluster identified in south Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram

India's central bank has banned global payments giant&nbsp;Mastercard&nbsp;from adding new customers starting next week, in an escalation of a long-standing dispute on local data storage rules.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) found&nbsp;Mastercard&nbsp;to be in violation of its April 2018 circular that directed all payments data be stored exclusively in India, allowing the regulator "unfettered supervisory access" to transaction details.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gravitas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gravitas</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RBI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RBI</a> has banned <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mastercard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mastercard</a> for violating data-storage laws. When does the ban kick in? Which banks does it impact? Will it impact existing customers too? Will domestic card companies benefit from this decision? <a href="https://twitter.com/palkisu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@palkisu</a> answers all your questions <a href="https://t.co/Ttrm187wC4">pic.twitter.com/Ttrm187wC4</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1415733046192472068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Global payments service providers like&nbsp;Mastercard, Visa and American Express have lobbied against data localisation, citing increased costs.

"Notwithstanding (the) lapse of considerable time and adequate opportunities being given, the entity (Mastercard) has been found to be non-compliant with the directions of Storage Payment System Data," the RBI said in a notification.

Mastercard&nbsp;will be indefinitely blocked from issuing debit, credit or prepaid cards to customers in India from July 22.

The move comes less than three months after India's central bank barred American Express and Diners Club International, owned by Discover Financial Services, from issuing new cards due to similar violations.

But unlike American Express, which is a relatively small player in India, companies such as&nbsp;Mastercard&nbsp;and Visa have partnered with many Indian banks that offer cards using the US&nbsp;firms' payments network.

In 2019,&nbsp;Mastercard&nbsp;said it was "bullish on India", announcing $1 billion in investment over the next five years, in addition to its earlier investment of $1 billion from 2014-2019.

The RBI's decision will not impact existing customers of&nbsp;Mastercard, and the company should advise all card issuing banks in India to comply with the order, the RBI added.

The RBI directive in 2018 sparked an aggressive lobbying effort from US&nbsp;companies, which said the rules would increase their infrastructure costs and hit their global fraud detection platforms, but the central bank did not relent.

Global payments card companies have faced increasing competition from India's United Payments Interface (UPI) transactions that offer card-less and cashless payment options using phone numbers and QR codes.

A record 2.8 billion UPI transactions worth some 5.5 trillion rupees ($73.8 billion) took place in June.

(With inputs from agencies)

India's central bank has banned global payments giant Mastercard from adding new customers starting next week, in an escalation of a long-standing dispute on local data storage rules.

India's central bank has banned global payments giant Mastercard from adding new customers starting next week, in an escalation of a long-standing dispute on local data storage rules. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) found Mastercard to be in violation of its April 2018 circular that directed all payments data be stored exclusively in India, allowing the regulator "unfettered supervisory access" to transaction details. #Gravitas | #RBI has banned #Mastercard for violating data-storage laws. When does the ban kick in? Which banks does it impact? Will it impact existing customers too? Will domestic card companies benefit from this decision? @palkisu answers all your questions pic.twitter.com/Ttrm187wC4 — WION (@WIONews) July 15, 2021 × Global payments service providers like Mastercard, Visa and American Express have lobbied against data localisation, citing increased costs. "Notwithstanding (the) lapse of considerable time and adequate opportunities being given, the entity (Mastercard) has been found to be non-compliant with the directions of Storage Payment System Data," the RBI said in a notification. Mastercard will be indefinitely blocked from issuing debit, credit or prepaid cards to customers in India from July 22. The move comes less than three months after India's central bank barred American Express and Diners Club International, owned by Discover Financial Services, from issuing new cards due to similar violations. But unlike American Express, which is a relatively small player in India, companies such as Mastercard and Visa have partnered with many Indian banks that offer cards using the US firms' payments network. In 2019, Mastercard said it was "bullish on India", announcing $1 billion in investment over the next five years, in addition to its earlier investment of $1 billion from 2014-2019. The RBI's decision will not impact existing customers of Mastercard, and the company should advise all card issuing banks in India to comply with the order, the RBI added. The RBI directive in 2018 sparked an aggressive lobbying effort from US companies, which said the rules would increase their infrastructure costs and hit their global fraud detection platforms, but the central bank did not relent. Global payments card companies have faced increasing competition from India's United Payments Interface (UPI) transactions that offer card-less and cashless payment options using phone numbers and QR codes. A record 2.8 billion UPI transactions worth some 5.5 trillion rupees ($73.8 billion) took place in June. (With inputs from agencies)

Why did India ban Mastercard from issuing new cards?

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla extended support to Libya's national unity government with New Delhi willing to provide "capacity building and training assistance in mutually identified areas."

After years of instability, Libya's National Unity government was formed in March this year and has been charged with the conduct of elections on December 24, 2021.

Speaking at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Shringla said, "elections need to be held as planned on 24 December 2021 in a free and fair manner. In order to achieve this, it is vital that the constitutional basis for conducting elections is agreed upon early"

He stressed on an "inclusive and comprehensive national reconciliation process" and hoped that all the "parties concerned would engage sincerely in this endeavour."

The elections would be a critical step in international efforts to bring stability to&nbsp;Libya, which has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.

A U.N.-led peace process brought a ceasefire last summer after fighting between rival factions paused and then a unity government was formed.

The ceasefire pact called for the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and other forces from the country within 90 days, and a number of confidence-building measures including prisoners exchange.

FS said that the ceasefire agreement "need to be respected" but "unfortunately, these provisions, in particular, those related to the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries, continue to be violated". &nbsp;

He also highlighted that," arms embargo continues to be blatantly violated" and "there needs to be a serious discussion within" UNSC for measures "to ensure that the decisions of the Council on withdrawal of foreign forces are implemented" for "sustainable peace and stability" in the North African country.

India's envoy to United Nations TS Tirumurti is the chair of the UNSC's Libya sanctions committee. As the chair, it monitors the implementation of the sanctions measures. Measures such as arms embargo, travel ban, assets Freeze, and business restrictions for listed terror groups based in the country.

At the meet, Shringla said, "We must ensure that terrorist groups and affiliated entities are not allowed to operate unchallenged in Libya" and expressed concern over the activity of the Islamic State in the country. He pointed out that,"Libya has become a logistics platform for Al Qaida affiliates in Mali. This is a matter of grave concern due to the potential cascading effect it could have throughout the Sahel region".

India has had close and friendly relations with Libay but with the fall of country's ruler for decades Mu'ammar Gaddafi, the country has been in a precarious situation. In April 2016 Indian Govt banned all travel of Indian nationals to the country irrespective of the purpose.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla extended support to Libya's national unity government with New Delhi willing to provide "capacity building and training assistance in mutually identified areas.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla extended support to Libya's national unity government with New Delhi willing to provide "capacity building and training assistance in mutually identified areas." After years of instability, Libya's National Unity government was formed in March this year and has been charged with the conduct of elections on December 24, 2021. Speaking at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Shringla said, "elections need to be held as planned on 24 December 2021 in a free and fair manner. In order to achieve this, it is vital that the constitutional basis for conducting elections is agreed upon early" He stressed on an "inclusive and comprehensive national reconciliation process" and hoped that all the "parties concerned would engage sincerely in this endeavour." The elections would be a critical step in international efforts to bring stability to Libya, which has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. A U.N.-led peace process brought a ceasefire last summer after fighting between rival factions paused and then a unity government was formed. The ceasefire pact called for the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and other forces from the country within 90 days, and a number of confidence-building measures including prisoners exchange. FS said that the ceasefire agreement "need to be respected" but "unfortunately, these provisions, in particular, those related to the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries, continue to be violated". He also highlighted that," arms embargo continues to be blatantly violated" and "there needs to be a serious discussion within" UNSC for measures "to ensure that the decisions of the Council on withdrawal of foreign forces are implemented" for "sustainable peace and stability" in the North African country. India's envoy to United Nations TS Tirumurti is the chair of the UNSC's Libya sanctions committee. As the chair, it monitors the implementation of the sanctions measures. Measures such as arms embargo, travel ban, assets Freeze, and business restrictions for listed terror groups based in the country. At the meet, Shringla said, "We must ensure that terrorist groups and affiliated entities are not allowed to operate unchallenged in Libya" and expressed concern over the activity of the Islamic State in the country. He pointed out that,"Libya has become a logistics platform for Al Qaida affiliates in Mali. This is a matter of grave concern due to the potential cascading effect it could have throughout the Sahel region". India has had close and friendly relations with Libay but with the fall of country's ruler for decades Mu'ammar Gaddafi, the country has been in a precarious situation. In April 2016 Indian Govt banned all travel of Indian nationals to the country irrespective of the purpose.

India's Foreign Secretary Shringla extends support to Libya's unity govt at UNSC

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