CURRENT AFFAIRS : 5 OCTOBER 2020
COVID-19 NEWS
Around 40 to 50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine expected to be ready by July 2021: Dr. Harsh Vardhan: Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that around 40 to 50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be ready in the country for Immunization against COVID-19 by July next
year. He said, approximately 20 to 25 crore people comprising the high priority group, which is likely to include elderly, children, people with co-morbidities, professionals with higher exposure risk among others would be covered under the first phase of the Immunization programme. In his weekly address Sunday Samvaad, Dr. Harsh Vardhan shared the country’s way forward in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. He informed that the States and Union Territories have been given time upto end of this month to submit lists of priority population groups for receiving COVID-19 vaccine. Replying to a question during the 4th edition of his special discussion series
over COVID-19 related issues, Health Minister said that the government has formed high level committees under Health Ministry to understand the timeline of availability of the vaccines currently in phase -3 trials in the country. He informed that the government is also in discussion with the vaccine manufacturing companies to work out on the swift supply mechanism and vaccine storage facilities. Referring COVID-19 as a global challenge, Dr. Harsh Vardhan called for concerted efforts to find global solution to end the pandemic. He urged everyone to strictly adhere to the precautions and guidelines as advised by the Health Ministry from time to time.
Israel”s environment minister tests COVID-19 positive: Israel Environment Minister Gila Gamliel has tested positive for coronavirus as the country remains under lockdown while battling a second wave of infection. She was the fourth minister in Israel’s government to test positive for COVID-19 since March. The Israeli government imposed a nationwide lockdown on September 18 ahead of the Jewish High Holidays in an
effort to rein in an outbreak of the coronavirus. According to Health Ministry figures, Israel has recorded over 264,000 cases and almost 1,700 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
NATIONAL NEWS
National Shooter Shreyasi Singh joins BJP: National Shooter Shreyasi Singh today joined BJP. She was inducted in the party in the presence of Party General Secretaries Bhupender Yadav and Arun Singh. Shreyasi Singh is the daughter of former Union Minister Digvijay Singh.
PM Modi pays tributes to freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to revolutionary freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma on his birth anniversary today and said that the freedom fighter devoted his life towards India’s freedom and inspired many nationalists. Mr. Modi said the nation bows to the legendary nationalist on his Jayanti. He said, the country will always work hard to realise his vision for the nation. Shyamji Krishna Varma was born in 1857 and had set up a revolutionary centre in ‘India House’ at London. He propagated the cause of India’s independence through his writings in a publication journal called ‘The Indian Sociologist’.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan undergoes heart surgery in Delhi Hospital: Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) patron Ram Vilas Paswan underwent a heart surgery yesterday. Chirag Paswan, son of Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan and a prominent LJP leader had tweeted about the surgery. Mr. Paswan who is 74 years old and has been in active politics
for more than five decades was hospitalised few weeks ago. In his message, Chirag Paswan informed that his father underwent a heart surgery last evening, which forced him to cancel a party meeting and rush to his father’s side. He informed that if needed, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution will undergo another operation in a few weeks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders spoke to Chirag Paswan to enquire about the health of the veteran leader.
Army Chief, Foreign Secretary on two-day visit to Myanmar from today: Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Naravane and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will be on a two-day visit to Myanmar beginning today. During their visit, the delegation will call on the State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The visit will provide an opportunity to take stock of the existing bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. India-Myanmar relations are historic, multi-faceted and marked by mutual trust and respect. India attaches high priority to its relationship with Myanmar in accordance with its ‘Neighborhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies. In recent times, both sides have strengthened their cooperation in several areas, including connectivity and trade, development projects, energy, capacity building, defence and security and culture and people to people links.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal virtually inaugurates Phoolbagan Station of Kolkata’s East West Metro corridor: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal today virtually inaugurated the Phoolbagan Station of Kolkata’s
East West Metro corridor, and flagged off the first train from there to Salt Lake Sector-V. Mr Goyal also said the entire stretch of the corridor, connecting Sector-V and Howrah Maidan, is likely to be completed by December 2021. The minister said , by the end of next year, the entire
East West Corridor project of 16.55 km is expected to be completed. While inaugurating the extension of the line till Phoolbagan Station through the virtual mode, Mr Goyal said the project, which has suffered delays owing to several issues, has been fast-tracked since 2015 because of the personal intervention and monitoring by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
STATE NEWS
BJP CEC discusses name of candidates for upcoming Bihar assembly elections: The meeting of BJP Central Election Committee held in New Delhi today to discuss the name of candidates for upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President J P Nadda and other senior leaders have attended the meeting at party headquarters. Earlier in the day, Mr Nadda held a meeting of party leaders at his residence to discuss strategy for the polls.
Lok Janshakti Party to contest Bihar Assembly elections alone: Lok Janshakti Party, LJP has decided to fight Bihar Assembly elections alone. The party said, it will not contest the elections in alliance with Janata Dal (United) due to ideological differences. A decision in this regard was taken at party’s parliamentary board meeting chaired by LJP President Chirag Paswan in New Delhi. In a statement, the party said, it shares the strong
alliance with BJP at national level and it does not have difference with BJP. It added that after the announcement of result, LJP MLAs will form the government with BJP to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development initiative.
EC appoints Ex IRS officer Madhu Mahajan & B. R Balakrishnan as Special Expenditure Observers for Bihar Assembly Polls: Election Commission has appointed Ex IRS officer Ms. Madhu Mahajan and B. R Balakrishnan as Special Expenditure Observers for General Election to Legislative Assembly of Bihar, 2020. In a statement, the commission said, Special Expenditure Observers in consultation with the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar will be supervising and monitoring the work being done by the electoral machinery. They will ensure that stringent and effective enforcement action is undertaken based on intelligence inputs and complaints received through C-VIGIL, voter Helpline 1950 against all persons, entities trying to induce voters by distributing cash, liquor and freebies. Earlier, Madhu Mahajan was also appointed as Special Expenditure Observer for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka during Lok Sabha Election, 2019 and Maharashtra Assembly Election, 2019.
J&K LG Manoj Sinha dedicates Ashthal Bridge to public in Kulgam: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha during his visit to Panchayat Halqa Ashthal, Kulgam in connection with Back to Village-3 programme, dedicated Ashthal Bridge to the public. The Ashthal Bridge connects village Ashthal with adjoining areas while benefitting
about 10,000 souls residing in 13 habitations. The Lt Governor also laid the foundation stone for a Solid Waste Management plant. It is going to benefit 239 households. To maintain the high sanitation standards, atleast two dustbins in every panchayat are to be installed for solid and liquid waste management. The local inhabitants thanked the government for the Bridge as it fulfilled their long-pending demand for providing better connectivity to the village.
Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Dr Jitendra Singh releases Coffee Table Book on Discovering Heritage of Assam: Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh today released a Coffee Table Book on Discovering the Heritage of Assam, with foreword by Amitabh Bachchan and published by Penguin. The voluminous coffee table book with pictures and photographs presents an absorbing compilation of heritage, faith, beliefs and traditions of different ethnic tribes and subtribes living in the largest State of the North Eastern Region.
While releasing the book, Dr Singh congratulated its author IRS officer Padampani Bora who has over the years established himself as an accomplished author, specializing in the subjects reflecting diverse nuances of the North Eastern Region of India. Dr Jitendra Singh said, while mostly it is suggested that North East should be brought closer to the rest of India, very few understand that actually there is much more that in fact the rest of India can learn from the North East. He said, the book will help to understand the grand splendour and glory of the undiscovered facets of Assam. Dr Jitendra Singh suggested wide circulation of the Coffee Table Book and hoped that Bora’s creation will not only remain confined to the pages of the book but would also serve as cultural and heritage ambassador of the North East for the rest of the world.
All schools in Delhi to remain closed till 31st October due to coronavirus pandemic: All schools in Delhi will remain closed till 31st October due to the coronavirus pandemic. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia informed the media about the decision this afternoon. The Delhi government had earlier ordered schools in the National Capital to remain closed till 5th October. Online classes which have become the norm in recent weeks and months with the need for social distancing have been allowed to continue. The centre had, in its announcement of the
fifth phase of easing of Covid restrictions, allowed state and union territories to decide on reopening of schools, colleges and other educational institutions in a graded manner after 15th of this month.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Chinese company seeks co-financing for COVID 19 vaccine trial in Bangladesh: The Chinese vaccine company Sinovac Biotech has sought co-financing from Bangladesh for phase-3 clinical trial of its COVID 19 vaccine. The company was given permission to carry out the phase-3 human trial about a month back by the government. Responding to an unconfirmed report about the Chinese company asking for co-financing for a vaccine trial, the Health Division Secretary of the government of Bangladesh Abdul Mannan confirmed to the official news agency BSS on Sunday that Sinovac Biotech Ltd has sent a letter to the government seeking co-financing for COVID 19 vaccine trial. He said that the company had not asked for co-financing by the Bangladesh government when it obtained the approval to
carry out the trial. The Chinese company had originally put up the proposal to Bangladesh through the Dhaka based International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR’B). Government granted final clearance for the clinical trial on August 27. An official of the ICDDR’B told BSS that it is now entirely up to the government to decide if they will agree
to the co-financing proposal as there was no mention of it in the original proposal of the Chinese company. Under the agreement before the co-financing was sought, Bangladesh would have got one lakh vaccines for free. It would also have got priority to purchase adequate quantum
of vaccines from the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to limit his East Asia visit to Japan only: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will limit his East Asia visit to Japan only which was earlier planned from 4th to 8th October and also included South Korea and Mongolia. As per the State department, Pompeo would leave for Japan today but would not go to Mongolia and South
Korea as originally planned. Following the hospitalisation of US President Donald Trump with Covid-19, Mr Pompeo will be returning to Washington on 6th October after consultations with his Japanese counterpart and a wider meeting with foreign ministers of India and Australia. The visit assumes importance as Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has very recently
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to limit his East Asia visit to Japan only: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will limit his East Asia visit to Japan only which was earlier planned from 4th to 8th October and also included South Korea and Mongolia. As per the State department, Pompeo would leave for Japan today but would not go to Mongolia and South
Korea as originally planned. Following the hospitalisation of US President Donald Trump with Covid-19, Mr Pompeo will be returning to Washington on 6th October after consultations with his Japanese counterpart and a wider meeting with foreign ministers of India and Australia. The visit assumes importance as Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has very recently
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to limit his East Asia visit to Japan only: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will limit his East Asia visit to Japan only which was earlier planned from 4th to 8th October and also included South Korea and Mongolia. As per the State department, Pompeo would leave for Japan today but would not go to Mongolia and South
Korea as originally planned. Following the hospitalisation of US President Donald Trump with Covid-19, Mr Pompeo will be returning to Washington on 6th October after consultations with his Japanese counterpart and a wider meeting with foreign ministers of India and Australia. The visit assumes importance as Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has very recently taken office and U.S. ties with Beijing are at their worst in decades in the face of the coronavirus which has now infected President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania. The visit is important to strengthen ties with regional allies on issues in the Indo-Pacific region, from China’s dealings with the coronavirus to trade issues, new national security legislation in Hong Kong, tensions in the South China Sea, and the alleged repression of religious and ethnic minorities. In a statement, the state department said, Pompeo’s visits to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Seoul, South Korea have been cancelled and rescheduled for later in October.
Czech Republic PM”s party wins big in regional ballot amid pandemic: The senior party in the Czech Republic’s coalition government dominated the country’s regional elections and is ahead in the first round of voting for Parliament’s upper house, according to results released yesterday. The Czech Statistics Office said that with ballots from almost 100% of polling stations counted, the ANO (YES) movement led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis won 10 of the 13 regions contested during voting on Friday and Saturday. The result was a sign of a stable support for ANO, which won nine regions in 2016. ANO also has the most candidates advancing to the runoffs for 27 seats in the 81-seat Senate. The elections were the first held in
the Czech Republic during the coronavirus pandemic. Face masks were required at voting places. Quarantined voters had the option of casting ballots from vehicles at temporary polling stations across the country. Those who were unable to use a car or venture out could ask a special electoral committee to send a ballot box to their homes.
Sri Lanka imposes an indefinite curfew on two western provincial towns to contain spread of COVID-19: Sri Lanka today imposed an indefinite curfew on two western provincial towns to contain the
spread of Covid19 following the detection of a community case after a gap of nearly six months, officials said. The island nation has so far recorded 3,395 cases and 13 fatalities. An indefinite curfew has been imposed on Divulapitiya and Minwangoda towns in the suburbs of Colombo after a COVID-19 positive patient was detected today, Army Commander and COVID-19 prevention task force head Shavendra Silva said. The island nation was under a continuous lockdown since March 20.
SPORTS
IPL: CSK 81/0 against Kings XI Punjab; Mumbai Indians best Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs: In IPL Cricket, chasing the victory target, Chennai Super Kings were 81 for none in eight overs against Kings Eleven Punjab in Dubai when reports last came in. Opting to bat, Punjab posted 178 for four wickets in 20 overs riding on Skipper KL Rahul’s 63 off 52 balls and Pooran 33 off 17 balls.For Chennai Shardul Thakur 2 for 39, Piyush Chawla 1 for 22 and Jadeja 1for 30 were the wicket-takers. In another fixture in Sharjah, Mumbai Indians defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs in Sharjah. Opting to bat, Mumbai made 208 for 5 in stipulated 20 overs. Skipper
Rohit Sharma got out early. Quinton de Kock with 67 runs off 39 balls, Ishan Kishan with 31 off 23 balls, Hardik Pandya with 28 off 19 balls and Surya Kumar Yadav with 27 off 18 balls made valuable contribution for Mumbai. For Hyderabad, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul picked up two wickets each. Chasing the 209-run target, Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to 174 for 7 at the end of 20 overs. Skipper David Warner scored 60 off 44 balls. Manish Pandey with 30 off 19 balls and Jonny Bairstow with 25 off 15 balls made valuable contribution for Hyderabad.
French Open: Rafael Nadal beats Sebastian Korda to enter Men’s Singles QFs: In Tennis, Rafael Nadal defeated American qualifer Sebastian Korda 6-1 6-1 6-2 to enter the French Open Men’s Singles quarter-finals today and close in on a record-extending 13th title at Roland Garros. Nadal will next face the 19-year-old Jannik Sinner, who defeated US Open
runner-up Alexander Zverev.
Novak Djokovic advances to fourth round at French Open: In Tennis, world number one Novak Djokovic beat Daniel Elahi Galan and reached the French Open fourth round. The Serb, bidding for his 18th Grand Slam title, beat the Colombian qualifier 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic will face 15th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia for a place in the quarter- 11 finals. It is the 11th consecutive year that Djokovic has reached the last 16. Aiming for a second French Open title, Djokovic barely looked troubled against the world number 153. Meanwhile Czech seventh seed Petra Kvitova overcame a slow start to beat Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez and reach the fourth round. Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova trailed 5-1 in the opening set but stormed back to win 7-5, 6-3 against the impressive 18-year-old. She will face China’s Zhang Shuai for a place in the quarter-finals. Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin advanced with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Romanian qualifier Irina Bara.
Visnu Shivaraj Pandian wins gold in 10 meter air rifle event of International Online Shooting Championship: India’s Visnu Shivaraj Pandian won the 10m air rifle event at the fifth edition of the International
Online Shooting Championship yesterday. The 16-year-old Visnu shot 251.4 to win the title by a clear margin of two points. The second place was won by world no. 27 Etienne Germond of France while Olympic quota winner Martin Strempfl of Austria took the third place.
