Author: Aditi Gautam

Shigella scare in Kerala: All you need to know about this bacterial infection

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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An 11-year-old boy died and many others were hospitalised with intestinal infection in Kerala’s Kozhikode, triggering panic in the district.

The infection has been caused by highly-contagious Shigella bacteria. However, the state’s health department said that situation is under control now and various preventive measures have been taken to deal with the infection.

All you need to know about Shigella bacterial infection:

Symptoms:

The symptoms of this intestinal infection caused by Shigella bacteria include diarrhoea, stomach pain, cramps, fever and vomiting. One of the main symptoms is traces of blood or mucus in the stool. The symptoms may take seven days to fully appear after exposure.

According to reports, children under 10 are most susceptible to contract the infection

Source of Infection:

Shigella usually spreads through food and water, which are contaminated to some extent by human excreta. The infection can also spread due to the consumption of stale food.

What Medical Experts Say

The infection is treatable by antibiotics and there is no vaccine to prevent the infection. Medical experts say sanitisation methods must be followed with proper waste management to prevent the infection/

Steps Taken by State Government

District health authorities have collected water and food samples for testing and organised several medical camps. Chlorination of wells in the region is also being done. The state government has asked people to maintain personal hygiene and drink boiled water.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

New coronavirus variant: Maharashtra announces night curfew till January 5

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Maharashtra government has imposed a curfew from 11 pm to 6 am in all municipal corporations till January 5 2021 with effect from December 22.

The decision has been taken in view of the emergence of new strains of coronavirus in the United Kingdom (UK).

An official statement said, “It has also been decided to put in institutional quarantine for 14 days those who arrive at the state’s airports from European and West Asian countries.”

Passengers coming to Maharashtra from other countries will be home quarantined, the statement added.

Earlier today, the government also announced a ban on all the flights originating from the UK to India from 23.59 pm on December 22.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has assured the citizens that the government was alert and there was no need to panic.

The British government has warned that the potent new strain of the virus was “out of control” and imposed a stringent new stay-at-home lockdown from Sunday.

(With agency inputs)

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Facebook removes ‘Kisan Ekta Morcha’ official page, restores it later after outrage

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A day after facing flak for removing the official page of ‘Kisan Mukti Morcha’, the social media giant Facebook on Monday released a statement, clarifying that it had taken down the page after its automated systems flagged the pages of ‘Kisan Ekta Morcha’ as “spam” following increased activity.

“As per our review, our automated systems found an increased activity on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/kisanektamorcha and flagged it as spam, which violates our Community Standards. We restored the page in less than three hours when we became aware of the context. The review showed that only the Facebook page was affected by the automated systems while the Instagram account remained unaffected,” Facebook said in a statement.

Facebook had taken down the ‘Kisan Ekta Morcha’ page on Sunday and the same was restored after a few hours following massive outrage on social media over the blocking of page.

The page is used page by farmers for updates on their protest against the Centre’s farm laws. The page has over 1,28,000 followers.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi border points seeking repeal of the new farm laws. They fear that the laws are intended to benefit corporates and will weaken the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system which offers them assured price from the government for their produce.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

SEBI has to approve scheme by FRL, Amazon objections not valid

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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SEBI has to approve the scheme submitted by Future Retail Limited (FRL) so long as the scheme is in compliance with statutory provisions of Companies act and other SEBI regulations.

Amazon’s objections is no longer relevant for approval of Scheme by SEBI is the takeaway from the Delhi High Court order today.

FRL Board Resolution approving Scheme and sale of business to Reliance is valid and in accordance with statutory provisions — not void as claimed by Amazon.

Amazon has violated FEMA and FDI Rules. The Shareholders agreements read together show Amazon has acquired “control” rights over FRL. In the absence of Government approvals this is contrary to FEMA and FDI Rules.

Amazon has committed Civil Wrong against FRL and Reliance which is actionable by both FRL and Reliance in case they suffer loss.

The Statutory authorities — SEBI are directed to take the decision on the applications/ objections in accordance with law.

In view of the above order, SEBI has to approve the Scheme submitted by FRL so long as the scheme is ion compliance with statutory provisions of companies act and other SEBI regulations. Amazon’s objections is no longer relevant for approval of Scheme by SEBI.

Disclosure: Network18, the parent company of CNBCTV18.com, is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India bans flights from UK till December 31 over new coronavirus strains

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India on Monday banned all flights from the United Kingdom (UK) till December 31 in the wake of the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus.

“Considering the prevailing situation in UK. Govt. of India has decided that all flights originating from UK to India to be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23.59 hours),” the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a tweet.

Considering the prevailing situation in UK. Govt. of India has decided that all flights originating from UK to India to be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23.59 hours).

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) December 21, 2020

The ban will start from 23.59 pm on December 22 and all passengers arriving from the UK before then will be tested on arrival at airports.

This came after a number of European nations among others banned flights from UK to prevent the spread of new variant of coronavirus.

Earlier today, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured the citizens that the government was alert and there was no need to panic.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also urged the Centre to ban all flights from the UK immediately.

New mutation of corona virus has emerged in UK, which is a super-spreader.

I urge central govt to ban all flights from UK immediately.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 21, 2020

The British government has warned that the potent new strain of the virus was “out of control” and imposed a stringent new stay-at-home lockdown from Sunday.

Britain has alerted the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the new variant identified this week appears to be accelerating the spread of COVID-19, saying it accounted for some 60 per cent of the capital’s cases.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Prashant Kishor makes bold prediction: Will quit Twitter if BJP crosses double digit in West Bengal

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday predicted a humiliating defeat for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal in 2021.

He claimed that BJP would struggle to even cross double digits in the election.

“For all the hype AMPLIFIED by a section of supportive media, in reality BJP will struggle to CROSS DOUBLE DIGITS in West Bengal,” he tweeted.

For all the hype AMPLIFIED by a section of supportive media, in reality BJP will struggle to CROSS DOUBLE DIGITS in #WestBengal

PS: Please save this tweet and if BJP does any better I must quit this space!

— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) December 21, 2020

Reacting to Kishor’s claim, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted, “With the ongoing BJP tsunami in Bengal, after forming the government we will see the country lose a poll strategist.”

भाजपा की बंगाल में जो सुनामी चल रही हैं, सरकार बनने के बाद इस देश को एक चुनाव रणनीतिकार खोना पड़ेगा।

— Kailash Vijayvargiya (@KailashOnline) December 21, 2020

“On Saturday, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Amit Shah asserted that BJP will form next government in the state with at least 200 out of 294 seats in the election.

Addressing a rally, Shah said, “the turnout of a sizeable number of people in the roadshow indicated that people of West Bengal are “angry” with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and want a change.”

Shah was in Kolkata on a weekend visit to take stock of his party’s affairs ahead of the elections.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee had roped in Kishor last year for her image makeover and prepare a battlefield for Assembly elections.
Kishor is known for as much for his canny political understanding, as he is for working with whichever party wants to seek his services.

After working on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP’s successful 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, he has worked for Nitish Kumar in 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, Amarinder Singh in 2017 Punjab Assembly elections and Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bring Rahul back chorus in Congress as Sonia Gandhi meets party leaders

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The chorus to bring back Rahul Gandhi as Congress chief has been growing louder even as the leadership crisis remains unresolved.

According to reports, several party leaders asked Rahul Gandhi to be reinstated as the party chief in a meeting chaired by interim chief Sonia Gandhi on Saturday at her residence in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Sonia assured the dissenting leaders who have been demanding an organisational overhaul, that the new party president will be elected taking along everyone’s opinion, reports added.

The leaders decided to hold a ‘Chintan Shivir’ to discuss the steps needed to strengthen the party.

In this crucial meeting, Rahul Gandhi said that he will accept whatever responsibility the party leaders assign him. Rahul’s statement is being seen as a nod to his comeback as the Congress president.

More such meetings will be organised to resolve the dispute among the party leaders.

Furthermore, Telangana Congress on Monday also wrote to Sonia Gandhi urging her to reinstate Rahul Gandhi as the party chief.

In the letter, Telangana Congress leaders asserted that only Rahul Gandhi can restore democracy in India.

The Gandhi scion had resigned after the Lok Sabha election results, taking responsibility for the debacle of Congress.

Several Congress leaders had accused Rahul of keeping self above the party and blamed his poor leadership skills for Congress’s humiliating defeat.

Sonia Gandhi took over as interim chief after Rahul’s resignation. Since then, Congress has been witnessing a phase of dissatisfaction among the party leaders over the leadership issue.

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3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India, China resume diplomatic talks, agree to continue work towards complete disengagement

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Resuming diplomatic talks on their military standoff, India and China on Friday agreed to continue working towards ensuring complete disengagement of troops in all friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. At the virtual talks, the two sides agreed that the next round of military dialogue should be held at an early date so that they can work towards an early and complete disengagement of troops in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The talks were held under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs. The MEA said the two sides reviewed the developments along the LAC since the last round of the WMCC talks held on September 30. The military standoff erupted in early May.

“The two sides agreed that based on the guidance provided by senior leaders and the agreements reached between the two Foreign Ministers and Special Representatives, they would continue to work towards ensuring complete disengagement in all friction points along the LAC in the Western sector at the earliest,” it said in a statement. “The two sides noted that the seventh and eighth rounds of senior commanders meetings held on October 12 and November 6 respectively had in-depth discussions in this regard and that these discussions had also contributed to ensuring stability on the ground,” the MEA said.

It said both sides agreed to maintain close consultations at the diplomatic and military level. “They agreed that the next round of senior commanders meeting should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards early and complete disengagement of troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, and fully restore peace and tranquillity,” it said.

The talks came a day after India hoped that further discussions between the two countries will help to achieve an agreement on a mutually acceptable solution for ensuring complete disengagement in all friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. India and China have held several rounds of diplomatic and military talks in the last few months to resolve the standoff.

Nearly 50,000 Indian Army troops are deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero conditions as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the standoff. China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials. MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday said the two sides continue to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels and these discussions have helped both sides to enhance understanding of each other’s positions.

“It is our expectation that the further discussions will help both sides to achieve an agreement on a mutually acceptable solution for ensuring complete disengagement in all friction points along the LAC in the Western sector and full restoration of peace and tranquillity as early as possible,” he said.

The eighth and last round of military talks had taken place on November 6 during which both sides broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Existing regime of MSP will continue, PM Narendra Modi assures farmers

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the existing regime of support price for the farm produce will continue even after the implementation of new farm laws.

In a virtual address to the farmers of Madhya Pradesh, Modi said, “The new agriculture laws have not come overnight but political parties, agriculture experts and progressive farmers have demanded them for a long time.”

As the ongoing protests by farmers entered day 23 today, the Prime Minister slammed the opposition for misleading farmers on the (Minimum Support Price) MSP and (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) APMCs

“Opposition parties, when in power, sat over the Swaminathan committee report for years, but the BJP-led government implemented its recommendations in the interest of farmers,” he said.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi border points seeking repeal of three farm bills that were passed in September.

Their prime concern is that the new farm laws will weaken the MSP system which offers them assured price from the government for their produce

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow