martes, 16 de junio de 2020

LAC talks on, but Army told to act as per need | India News,The Indian Express

LAC talks on, but Army told to act as per need | India News,The Indian Express

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Dear Reader,

The Pandemic

  • Tamil Nadu declared an “intense lockdown” in four districts, including Chennai, for 12 days from June 19 to 30 to curb the surge in Covid cases.
  • ICMR has approved a new on-site diagnostic kit for containment zones and healthcare settings, which can produce rapid results without needing a laboratory and cost much less.
  • An estimated 1.7 billion people have at least one underlying health condition that could increase their risk of severe Covid-19 if infected.
  • The Karnataka government returned to a strategy of institutional quarantine for people arriving from high-prevalence states of Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
  • Many employees of private hospitals, banks and government in Mumbai were left fuming over confusion on who constituted essential service workers as they were turned away from accessing local trains. 




Big Story

The next round of talks with China over the LAC standoff will happen only after disengagement at three patrolling points. Until then, sources said, the Indian Army has been given "emergency powers" for troop deployment in eastern Ladakh as per needs and new situations. “We have to demonstrate our strength on the ground. Only then will they come to the talking table,” sources said.

From the Front Page

New Delhi has somewhat mellowed in its approach with Nepal over the border issue after the latter fast-tracked process to ratify its new map that includes territories in India. It is learnt that  feelers have been sent to the Oli government to pause the process and come to the table for talks. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too reached out to Nepal, saying the relationship between the two countries is of “roti aur beti.”

Two members of the Indian High Commission staff in Pakistan, who went “missing” for most of Monday, have “returned” after India summoned Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner and issued a demarche. While Pakistani news reports claimed that the two were involved in an “accident” and were arrested while attempting to flee, New Delhi views the incident as harassment of Indian officials.

The mortality rate in Mumbai currently is 3.7%, which is much higher than the national average of 2.8%. And it may now rise to 4.5% as at least 451 deaths of Covid-19 patients in Mumbai were not reported by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The municipal body has opted for staggered updating of data as  “reporting all deaths at once may trigger panic”. 






Beyond Covid-19

The Army has made it mandatory for all women officers, including those above 35 years of age, to undergo the Battle Physical Efficiency Test. The test includes a 5-km run, a 60-metre sprint, climbing vertical rope up to a certain height, traversing horizontal rope up to a certain distance and jumping 6-feet ditch. A woman officer questioned the intent behind this move: “Why has this been done only after the SC gave a favourable ruling for permanent commission to women officers?”

With the economic slowdown and the coronavirus-induced lockdown hitting demand, Tata Motors reported a loss of Rs 9,894 crore during the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2020, compared to a profit of Rs 1,117 crore in the corresponding year ago period.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta on India's lack of leadership in dealing with all things from Covid to China. "For a prime minister of six years standing, with a historic mandate, with no real opposition, to constantly play victim is either a sign of a deep insecurity that is incompatible with leadership, or a play act that contemptuously believes that inducing a little dose of self guilt in his constituents is a good way to prevent them from asking tough questions.”

There has been talk about IPL resuming with players, officials, broadcast staff isolated in bio-secure bubbles. As sports events resume around the world, we look at the new protocols in place.

And Finally…

With Rajya Sabha elections just three days away, the Congress leadership is trying to keep its flock of Rajasthan MLAs entertained at a five-star resort on Jaipur-Delhi highway. The tweets and photos trickling out of JW Marriott tell a story of what’s happening inside. And one picture of MoS for Health playing cricket has backfired.

Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G

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