23 die in Norway after receiving Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

OSLO: Twenty-three people died in Norway within days of receiving their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine with 13 of those deaths apparently related to the side effects of the shots, New York Post reported citing the health officials. All 13 were nursing home patients and at least 80 years old. Common reactions to the vaccine, including fever and nausea, "may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients," New York Post quoted Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, as saying in a statement on Friday....more

Over 1.91 Lakh Vaccinated on Day 1 in India

NEW DELHI: The first COVID-19 vaccine shots in India were given on Saturday to nearly two lakh frontline healthcare and sanitary workers as Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled out the world's largest inoculation drive against the pandemic that has caused 1,52,093 deaths and upended millions of lives in the country. As Modi asserted that the two vaccines being deployed will ensure a decisive victory for India against the coronavirus, the Union Health Ministry said no case of post-inoculation hospitalisation has been reported so far and the vaccination drive was successful. Sanitation workers were the first to get the jabs in Delhi and some states....more

US House Impeaches President Donald Trump

By Deepak Arora

WASHINGTON D.C.: The US House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached President Donald Trump for a second time -- just days before he is to leave office. 222 Democrats and 10 Republicans voted in favour of the impeachment motion and 197 Republicans voted against it. At least 217 votes were required to impeach the President. Four Republicans did not vote. Trump is the only President to be impeached twice in the history of the United States. Trump has been impeached for inciting last week's attack by his supporters on the US Capitol as Congress certified Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory....more

Farmers, Govt talks 'Fail 120%': Leader

NEW DELHI: The ninth round of discussion between farmers demanding repeal of the three agriculture laws and the centre -- held days after the Supreme Court stayed their enactment "until further orders" -- ended today with no progress towards ending the stalemate. "It was a 120 per cent failure. We suggested that the government remove the changes made to the Essential Commodities Act instead of scrapping it altogether. But the Agriculture Minister has not said anything on this," farmer leader Dr Darshanpal said....more

Indian Govt Should Revoke Farmers’ Act

By Rajendar Dichpally

NEW YORK: The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, commonly known as Farmers’ Act, permits intra-state and inter-state trade of farmers’ produce beyond the physical premises of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets and other markets notified under the state APMC Acts. The rationale given for this Act is that it will facilitate better prices to the farmers through increased competition from private sector like superstores - Amazon or anybody by promoting barrier free inter-state & intra-state trade, and online trading, of agricultural goods. This Act eliminates market fee or cess on farmers, traders, electronic trading platforms outside the APMC area....more

US Unveils Plan To Counter China With India's Rise

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration declassified its strategy to ensure continued dominance over China, which focuses on accelerating India's rise as a counterweight to Beijing and the ability to defend Taiwan against an attack. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien on Tuesday announced the publication of the document, titled "United States Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific."...more

The U.S. Struggle Proves That Democracy Is Priceless

By Daniel Twining

WASHINGTON: Autocrats around the world reveled in the mayhem that broke out in the U.S. Capitol on January 6: an incompetently governed United States, at odds with itself, would surely be at pains to assert its leadership of a free and open international order. On closer inspection, however, authoritarians have little to celebrate. The events in the United States demonstrated that democracies are self-correcting and resilient because they vest power in institutions, not in rulers. Rather than yield to the political violence of a fringe minority, representative institutions upheld the will of a majority of American voters. The failure to subvert constitutional order in the United States, the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, and the coming transfer of power from Republicans to Democrats in both the White House and the Senate on January 20 demonstrate not that democratic institutions are worthless but that they are priceless—and that they in fact sharpen U.S. strategic competitiveness. The foreign policy implications of the United States’ democratic renewal should make authoritarians abroad less confident than nervous....more

Elon Musk's Tesla opens India entity

BENGALURU: Billionaire Elon Musk-led Tesla has registered a subsidiary company in India, as the Cupertino-headquartered electric vehicle (EV) maker eyes a slice of the largely untapped domestic sustainable automobile market. According to a Registrar of Companies (RoC) filing, the new entity Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited is registered in Bengaluru, Karnataka and is classified as a subsidiary of a foreign company. It has also registered its office in Lavelle Road, a business district in the southern city, with paid-up capital of ₹1 lakh and an authorised capital of ₹15 lakh, according to the filing....more

Congress MP Questions Covaxin Rollout

NEW DELHI: The controversy around Covaxin, one of the two anti-COVID-19 vaccines India will deploy to fight back the pandemic, refuses to die even as the Indian government goes full-steam ahead with the mass inoculation programme. As Bharat Biotech's product was carried to Delhi and 10 other cities this morning, the Congress party sounded another note of caution citing the Centre's supposed flip-flop on its administration....more

North Korea Unveils New Submarine-launched Missiles

SEOUL: North Korea displayed what appeared to be a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at a parade on Thursday night, state media reported, capping more than a week of political meetings with a show of military might. Clad in a leather coat and fur hat, leader Kim Jong Un smiled and waved as he oversaw the parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square, photos by state media showed. The parade featured rows of marching soldiers, as well as a range of military hardware including tanks and rocket launchers....more

WHO Team Arrives In Wuhan For Controversial Coronavirus Origin Probe

WUHAN: A team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived in Wuhan Thursday to probe the origins of the coronavirus more than a year after it emerged, although two members were barred from boarding a flight in Singapore after testing positive for virus antibodies. The international team of 13 scientists landed for their much-delayed mission, met by Chinese officials in hazmat suits and given throat swabs on arrival, and were whisked to a hotel where they must complete a two-week quarantine before starting their work....more

Qatar unveils 4th stadium for FIFA World Cup

DOHA: The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan which hosted the 48th Amir Cup final on Qatar National Day became the fourth fully operational FIFA World Cup 2022™ tournament venue to be inaugurated. India's biggest construction firm, Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T), along with Qatari contractor, Al Balagh Trading & Contracting have built the architectural marvel....more

Tom Hanks, Lady Gaga, JLo In Star-Studded Biden Inauguration

WASHINGTON: Pop superstar Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem during Joe Biden's swearing-in as US president on January 20, with Jennifer Lopez also performing at the largely virtual event, it was announced Thursday. The two music icons will headline an inauguration like no other, with security stepped up in Washington against threats by extremist supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump after they attacked the US Capitol last week in a bid to overturn the results of the election....more

Most hospitalised COVID-19 patients have at least one symptom 6 months after falling ill: Study

BEIJING: More than three quarters of Covid-19 patients hospitalised for treatment have at least one ongoing symptom six months after initially becoming unwell, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. The research looked at the long-term effects of the novel coronavirus infection in 1,733 patients first diagnosed in Wuhan, China between January and May followed to June and September....more

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