Alex Azar’s remarks come as three vaccine candidates have entered late-stage Phase 3 clinical trials.
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(With PTI Inputs)
Thursday, September 3, 2020
K'taka Cabinet considering deferring BBMP polls, increasing wards in Bengaluru to 225
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy said a joint select committee of the legislature is looking into the BBMP bill.
With the Bengaluru civic body polls around the corner, the Karnataka cabinet on Thursday discussed increasing the number of wards under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) from 198 to 225. It also discussed seeking permission from the High Court, about postponing the polls, in case the ward delimitation has to happen. "We have discussed increasing the number of wards under BBMP, we will have a separate meeting for it. According to a thinking it has to be 225 wards from 198 wards now," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy said. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, he said a joint select committee of the legislature is looking into the BBMP bill that the government had placed before the assembly, and so the matter will be raised at the committee meeting and accordingly a decision taken. "But, the government's thinking is the number of wards should be increased, for about 40,000-42,000 population there should be a ward," he said. "If the ward delimitation has to happen we will have to seek permission from the court to postpone the elections for some time, as the term (of current BBMP council) ends later this month, we will have approach court before that." To a question, whether areas under BBMP will be increased while increasing the number of wards, the minister said, more areas will get added and more parts of Bengaluru will be considered. The number of zones will increase from current 8 to 15. "All these things will be discussed at the joint select committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow," he added. The BJP government at the last moment during the assembly session in March had introduced The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Bill that promises a 5-year mayoral term, area sabhas, among other reforms. It was subsequently referred to the Joint Select Committee headed by BJP MLA S Raghu. Pointing out that question hour has been cancelled for the upcoming Parliament session, Madhuswamy said,what has to be done in the state assembly, it will be discussed at the business advisory committee meeting. Amid opposition's criticism to the government's plans to introduce about 30 bills during the coming assembly session , he said there are about 18-20 ordinance replacement bills for this session and there is a plan to introduce another 8-10 bills. This will be discussed at the business advisory committee meeting on the first day of the session and bills will be introduced after taking everyone into confidence, he said. Monsoon session of the legislature will be held from September 21 to 30.
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Kannada filmstar Ragini Dwivedi seeks time to appear before cops in drug case
Citing a very short notice, Ragini on Twitter said she is committed to appear before the CCB on Monday morning.
Sandalwood actor Ragini Dwivedi who was summoned by the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru in connection with a drug use case failed to appear before the police on Thursday. The actor was summoned in wake of the Kannada film industry being linked to wide-scale drug abuse. In a series of tweets, Ragini, on Thursday, claimed innocence and said that she will appear before the police on Monday. She said her lawyers had appeared before the police and explained her situation because of which she could not appear before the CCB on Thursday. I am grateful for all the concern expressed by the public about a notice I received https://t.co/yHsBpREC1M I received it at a very short notice,I was unable to appear today before the CCB police.However out of respect for the process of the law ( contd ) —Ragini Dwivedi (@raginidwivedi24) September 3, 2020 She said, “I am grateful for all the concern expressed by the public about a notice I received yesterday. As I received it at a very short notice,I was unable to appear today before the CCB police.However out of respect for the process of the law ( contd )” She added, “My advocates have presented themselves before the police, have explained my difficulty in not being able to appear today and have sought time. I am committed to appear on Monday morning before the police.” My advocates have presented themselves before the police, have explained my difficulty in not being able to appear today and have sought time. I am committed to appear on Monday morning before the police.( contd ) — Ragini Dwivedi (@raginidwivedi24) September 3, 2020 She claimed that she has nothing to hide but will “humbly participate in any questioning”. “I consider it my duty as a citizen to humbly participate in any questioning that the police might have. I have nothing to hide and have no connection with any unlawful activity which is being probed by the CCB police. Once again I express my gratitude to concern,” her tweet read. The allegation of drug use in the Kannada film circles had come up with the authorities arresting an international drug racket, including a kingin identified as Anikha, on August 21. Police and the Narcotics Control Bureau have said that during interrogation Anikha have dropped many big names of the Sandalwood industry who were allegedly part of her clientele. Ragini was summoned along with a friend, a government employee, after filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh had reportedly told the CCB about Ragini’s involvement.
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KSRTC extends special Onam bus services to Kerala and back to Karnataka
The buses will ply towards various Kerala districts from Bengaluru and Mysuru.
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The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation on Thursday said they are extending the operation of special services to Kerala and back which were introduced during the occasion of Onam festival. The special interstate services had started operating from August 24 from Bengaluru and Mysuru to various places in Kerala. The KSRTC on Thursday said that for the convenience of the travelling public the special services will be extended up to September 8. The operation of buses to Kerala state from Bengaluru and Mysuru will end on September 7 and from Kerala back to Karnataka on September 8. The services will be operated on these routes- from Bengaluru to Kannur, Ernakulam, Kasaragod, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Vadakara and back to Bengaluru from these places. Buses will operate from Mysuru to Thiruvananthapuram, Emakulam and Kottayam and back to Mysuru from these places. The KSRTC said that travellers from Karnataka to Kerala have to adhere to Kerala state government's orders. This will include mandatorily registering in the Covid Jagratha Portal of Kerala Govt. https://ift.tt/2QRjBmQ a ‘Proof of registration’ has to be shown to KSRTC officials before boarding the bus. Otherwise boarding will be denied. It is further mandatory for all passengers to wear masks. Passengers can book tickets in advance online through www.ksrtc.in or through franchisee advance reservation counters. Like the KSRTC, the Kerala Road Transport Corporation (Kerala RTC) had also resumed interstate bus service to Karnataka for the first time since the COVID-19 induced lockdowns were put in place. Kerala Minister for Transport AK Saseendran had earlier announced that bus services will resume between Kerala and Karnataka (Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kodagu, Sulia among other places) from August 25 to September 6 Similar services were introduced from Kerala to neighbouring Tamil Nadu as well.
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25-yr-old Karnataka handloom cooperative Charaka society closes, hundreds lose work
Charaka's godown is now filled with more than 87,000 metres of naturally dyed handloom fabric and garments and Rs 16 lakh worth of garments. .
The 25-year-old Charaka Society, which supports hundreds of handloom weavers in Heggodu village of Karnataka's Shivamogga district, was declared insolvent on August 28, bringing its activities to a halt. Charaka cited the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for the development. "Due to the market crisis created by COVID-19, cash inflows stopped, our bank account was choked, so we were declared as insolvent on August 28. Charaka stopped weaving-related activities as we cannot offer to produce more handloom products,” the Charaka Women’s Multipurpose Industrial Co-operative Society said in a statement. Charaka's godown is now filled with more than 87,000 metres of naturally-dyed handloom fabric and Rs 16 lakh worth of garments. In the past few months, Charaka said that 800 weavers and artisans in six districts in Karnataka are dependent on them and they have been able to help 250 workers in finding work in Shivamogga district. "We are making all efforts to continue supporting 250 rural poor by providing mud work, construction, lake rejuvenation and folk painting work in these hard times," Charaka's statement added. The Charaka Women’s Multipurpose Industrial Co-operative Society was started in 1994 by theatre personality Prasanna Heggodu, with the aim of creating environment-friendly local employment. Prasanna, who at the time was a dramatist and activist, was teaching at Ninaasam, a theatre school in Heggodu set up by Magsaysay awardee KV Subbanna. The collective has since expanded from working out of a small shelter in Heggodu to housing a production facility employing 700 people, most of whom are women. Charaka produced over 30,000 metres of naturally-dyed handloom fabric every month before the pandemic hit this year. Charaka has written two letters — on August 20 and August 31 — to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa requesting payment for services rendered. “We are receiving an outpouring of support from people who are willing to buy our fabric. But we want the state government to pay the amount which is due to the Charaka Society for various projects undertaken over the last 12 years," said Abhilash CA of the Grama Seva Sangha, an organisation affiliated to Charaka. He says that the amount due to the Charaka Society is close to Rs 97 lakh and that the funds for many projects undertaken was held up in district textile boards. Abhilash adds that Charaka took up several government projects but except for two projects funded by the central government, they have not been paid for projects sanctioned by successive governments in the state. Charaka has stopped its handloom weaving activities due to a lack of demand in the last few months. The Society says it supports weavers in northern Karnataka and others in Shivamogga and Chamarajanagara. Around 400 outsourced weavers in the districts of Bagalkot, Yadgir, Bijapur, Gadag and Koppal, as well as 150 weavers in Shivamogga and Chamarajanagar have stopped work, the society said. A group of people, led by Charaka's founder Prasanna Heggodu, took up lake rejuvenation work at the Virupaksha lake near the Charaka Ashram campus. The work was done by members of Charaka as an alternative to weaving. Apart from producing handloom goods, Charaka also has a distribution network called the Desi Trust, which has shops in various parts of Karnataka, including in Bengaluru. It has been reporting profits for years including in 2019-20.
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Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Karnataka postpones medical exams
With BDS and MBBS exams postponed, pharma students have now demanded their exams be postponed too.
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Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in Karnataka has decided to postpone the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) examinations which were scheduled to be held from September 9. Earlier this week, the university had similarly postponed the final year examinations for BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) exams as well in the wake of requests from students on grounds of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now both BDS and MBBS exams will be held on October 13, said a circular issued by the Registrar (Evaluation) Dr KB Linge Gowda. With the MBBS and BDS exams deferred, now pharmacy students have also demanded that their exams be also cancelled. Many students had demanded that the exams be postponed not only because of the continuing rise in daily COVID-19 cases but also many of them who had returned home do not have means to come back to the institution. Bapukan Ahmed, a student who had returned to his hometown in Assam and studies in a private pharma college (Dr HLT College of Pharmacy) in Ramanagara appealed that the exams be postponed until regular train services are restored. The decision came in wake of sustained demonstration by the students and unions including the Congress’ National Student Union of India (NSUI) and the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) Abhaya, state treasurer of AIDSO said that they have also sent a memorandum to the university administration to conduct exams only based on the offline classes. She said, “We have come to know that many students were unable to follow online classes and degrees like MBBS and BDS can’t be taught online. Conducting exams based on online classes only will not only hamper their academic performance but also affect their career prospects.” She added, “We urge the government to take notice of this and ensure that revision classes are held by the colleges on part of the curriculum that has been taught in online mode only.”
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Poisoning of Russia Opposition Leader Navalny provokes international outrage
Leaders from around the world have expressed condemnation over news that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was the target of an assassination attempt.
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In a short and forceful statement to reporters on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "It is certain that Alexei Navalny is the victim of a crime. He was meant to be silenced and I condemn this in the strongest possible terms, on behalf of the German government." Merkel said toxicology tests proved conclusively that the long-time critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin had been poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War and not known to exist outside today's Russian military. Within minutes of the announcement, world leaders chimed in to strongly condemn the heinous act. World leaders react British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the use of a chemical weapon "outrageous," saying, "The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr. Navalny." It’s outrageous that a chemical weapon was used against Alexey Navalny. We have seen first-hand the deadly consequences of Novichok in the UK. The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny – we will work with international partners to ensure justice is done. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 2, 2020 US National Security Council Spokesman John Ullyot tweeted: "The United States is deeply troubled by the results released today. Alexei Navalny's poisoning is completely reprehensible. US National Security Council Spokesman John Ullyot tweeted: "The United States is deeply troubled by the results released today. Alexei Navalny's poisoning is completely reprehensible," adding, "The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents." (2 of 3) “We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities. — NSC (@WHNSC) September 2, 2020 French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: "I want to condemn in the strongest terms the shocking and irresponsible use of such an agent." Le Drian noted that the use of Novichok violated international laws banning chemical weapons. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz called for an international investigation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "This is a despicable and cowardly act — once again. Perpetrators need to be brought to justice." I was informed by Chancellor Merkel that Russian opposition leader Navalny was attacked with a nerve agent, in his own country. This is a despicable and cowardly act - once again. Perpetrators need to be brought to justice. — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 2, 2020 EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the bloc condemned the poisoning "in the strongest possible terms," adding, "The use of chemical weapons under any circumstances is completely unacceptable and a breach of international law." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the use of a military-grade nerve agent, "This is shocking, and I utterly condemn it." In a tweet, Stoltenberg said: "We will be consulting with Germany and all Allies on the implications of these findings. NATO regards any use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security." Germany announced Alexey Navalny was victim of a Novichok attack. I utterly condemn the use of a military-grade nerve agent, which makes it even more urgent that Russia conducts full & transparent investigation. We’ll consult with Germany & all #NATO Allies on the implications. — Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) September 2, 2020 Russia seeks to deflect blame on Germany Russian authorities, however, largely refrained from comment, preferring instead to accuse Germany of not sharing findings with Russian law enforcement. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian authorities are "ready and interested in full cooperation and exchange of information." Peskov also reiterated the claim that Russian doctors had not found any poisonous substances in Navalny's system. Read more: Opinion: The Skripal poisoning's smoking gun Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova took to Russian state television to condemn Germany, saying that Berlin was "making public statements without providing any facts whatsoever.
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(The article has been republished from DW. You can read the original article here.)
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