Declare mucormycosis an epidemic: Centre to States
The Union government has
asked the States to declare
mucormycosis, the fungal
infection being reported in
COVID19 patients, an epidemic.
In a letter to the States,
Health and Family Welfare
Ministry Joint Secretary Lav
Agarwal said declaring the
black fungus infection seen
in COVID19 patients an epidemic would lead to health
facilities screening for it and
reporting all such cases to
the government.
China completes Tibet highway
China has completed the construction of a strategically significant highway through the
world’s deepest canyon in Tibet along the Brahmaputra river, enabling greater access to
remote areas along the disputed border with Arunachal Pradesh in India.
The highway, official media
in China reported this week,
took seven years to complete
and passes through the Grand
Canyon of the Yarlung Zangbo
river, as the Brahmaputra is
called in Tibet. This is the “second significant passageway”
to Medog county that borders
Arunachal, the official Xinhua
news agency reported, directly
connecting the Pad township
in Nyingchi to Baibung in Medog county.
Jaishankar may meet U.S. vaccine makers
As the government gears up
to tackle the growing vaccine shortage, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is
expected to travel to the U.S.
next week to discuss procurement with American
companies. Mr. Jaishankar is
expected to meet U.S. officials and executives from
Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson in Washington and New York, sources
told The Hindu.
- Israel unleashed another wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Thursday, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several, and Hamas fired more rockets, even as expectations rose that a ceasefire could be coming.
Sri Lanka Parliament passes Bill on Chinabacked Port City
The Sri Lankan Parliament
on Thursday passed a controversial Bill on laws governing the Chinabacked Colombo Port City, with a majority
of 149 legislators — in the 225
member House — voting in its
favour.
The development comes
after the Supreme Court suggested certain amendments,
following over a dozen petitions challenging the Bill that
political opposition and civil
society groups said “directly
affected” Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. The government accepted the amendments,
preempting the requirement for a twothirds majority or a referendum for passage of certain clauses, as per
the apex court’s
determination.
The $1.4billion Colombo
Port City was launched in
2014 during the previous
term of the Rajapaksa government, when Chinese
President Xi Jinping visited
the island nation. The mega
infrastructure project is currently being built on land reclaimed alongside Colombo’s
iconic sea front, while environmentalists and fisher folk
opposed the move. The Ranil
Wickremesinghe –Maithripala Siripala administration too
went ahead with the project,
vowing to develop it as a financial hub. Following their
return to power in November
2019, the Rajapaksa administration sought to expedite
construction work as well as
a legal framework for what
promises to be a tax haven
for foreign investors.
World’s largest iceberg breaks
off from Antarctica, says ESA
A huge ice block has broken
off from western Antarctica
into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg in
the world and earning the
name A-76.
The iceberg, measuring around 170 km long and 25 km wide, with an area of 4,320 sq km is now floating in the Weddell Sea.
It joins previous world’s
largest title holder A23-A —
approximately 3,880 sq. km.
in size —which has remained
in the same area since 1986.
A-76 was originally spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and the calving
- Another Italian Cup
for Juventus
- Mbappe stars as PSG
retains French Cup
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