Alaska reports adverse reaction from Pfizer vaccine in health worker

The patient experienced an anaphylactic reaction and was taken to the emergency room.

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‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal

Then-HHS science adviser Paul Alexander called for millions of Americans to be infected as means of fighting Covid-19.

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U.S. could get additional Pfizer vaccine doses by summer

Officials “are engaged in active negotiations” with Pfizer to boost the U.S. supply, HHS Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Wednesday morning.

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Karnataka govt reports highlight labour violations at Wistron’s iPhone factory

Labour

The report said that the company increased overtime work hours for employees without informing the Labour Department.

TNM Staff

PTI/Representation Photo

The Karnataka Labour Department, which compiled a preliminary report regarding the incident of vandalism at Wistron’s iPhone manufacturer in Karnataka’s Kolar has found several violations of labour rights including discrepancies in paying contract workers and non-payment of salaries for overtime work of the housekeeping staff. The report was compiled after hundreds of workers at Wistron’s plant vandalised property alleging that their grievances were stonewalled, TNM had earlier reported. In another preliminary report submitted by the Department of Factories Boilers and Industrial Safety dated December 13, the officials who inspected the plant and interviewed Wistron’s officials and the employment contractors have stated that the company had increased overtime work hours for employees without informing the Labour Department. “There has been a difference in the payment paid to the contract workers, with the number of days present shown in the salary statement, which had been brought to the knowledge of the HR and the contractors,” the department’s report stated. It said that this difference in pay was not credited along with the salary for the month of November 2020. “The salary of the housekeeping contract workers are not paid till date, and are required to work for 12 hours a day for six days a week, and are being paid the same salary which they were being paid when they were working for 8 hours a day,” the report stated. "Fault in the attendance system to correctly capture the attendance of the workers has not been addressed though it has continued for the past two months. The practices in place with regard to payment of wages and overtime work, are not in line with the provisions of law. There is a wide gap between the practices in the factory to the statutory stipulations under the law pertaining to the period of work,” the department’s report said.   Read: Wistron iPhone plant violence: Workers say months of pent-up anger behind outburst The report also stated that permission was not taken from the Karnataka Labour Department prior to hiring 13,500 workers in the factory from the department. Wistron allegedly was constructing huge buildings and other facilities without obtaining the department’s permission for the extension of the factory building. In a report to Principal Secretary to the Industries Department Gaurav Gupta, the Labour Department said that the company employed people through employment agencies without checking whether they suited the role. “We have also observed that without detailing the criteria, the company hired them as contract employees. It was also observed that the 1,343 permanent employees enjoyed more benefits than the contract employees, leading to the discord,” the Labour Department’s report to the Principal Secretary said. Employees that TNM spoke to alleged that it wasn’t the first time they approached Wistron’s HR Department and the employment contracting agencies in the last six months individually and collectively. They alleged that each time they were told the outstanding salary amounts would be deposited into their accounts the following month. However, the delays never really stopped.

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Karnataka HC allows Amnesty India to withdraw Rs 60 lakh from frozen bank accounts

Court

The court allowed the withdrawal as the organisation had petitioned the court seeking it to unfreeze the bank accounts to make salary and statutory payments.

TNM Staff

PTI/Representation Photo

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday allowed Amnesty International India to withdraw Rs 60 lakh from five bank accounts to pay salaries of their employees, among other things. The High Court’s order comes after the Enforcement Directorate in September this year froze Amnesty International India’s bank accounts after it began a probe into alleged money laundering activities of the international Non-governmental Organisation (NGO). In October this year, the Indians for Amnesty International Trust approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to unfreeze its bank accounts as it had to utilise the funds to pay salaries, statutory payments and bear “other running expenses”. The single-judge bench of Justice PS Dinesh Kumar partly allowed the petitioner’s request and allowed it to withdraw only Rs 60 lakh, mainly for paying salaries.  On December 10, the Karnataka High Court had reserved its order and had asked the Enforcement Directorate to “strike a balance and close the matter”. Amnesty’s legal counsel Ravivarma Kumar informed the court that the organisation is “interested in working for human rights” and that the ED had not provided any information for the seizure of its bank accounts. He also argued that the ED had not taken the matter to the adjudication authority within 30 days of freezing the bank accounts.  "This is a very serious matter. Repeatedly we are being harassed. We are only interested in working for human rights." He had added that "Seizure has taken place and no reasons have been recorded and no order is passed and within 30 days matter is not taken before the adjudicating authority as prescribed. Therefore, it is ultra vires of section 17 (1) (A) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” Live Law quoted Ravivarma Kumar as saying.  Following the freezing of its bank accounts in September this year, Amnesty had announced that it would stop its operations in India. The petition filed by Amnesty in the High Court stated that it is a charitable trust and does not receive any donations from “foreign sources” and hence is not covered under Prevention of Money laundering Act.  In December 2018, the ED wrote a letter to the Union Home Secretary, declaring that Amnesty International India had violated norms under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). It had said that after preliminary investigation, it had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct further investigation. The CBI registered an FIR against Amnesty and others, under various sections of the FCRA in 2019. The ED summoned Avinash Kumar, Executive Director of Amnesty International (India), in August this year for questioning. In its plea with the High Court, Amnesty stated that it had offered complete cooperation to the investigation agencies in connection with the probe. 

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Losses from Wistron violence drastically downgraded from Rs 437 cr to Rs 52 cr. Here's why

Violence

A senior official with the Industries Department confirmed to TNM that the loss was based on an improper assessment.

Haripriya Suresh

Wistron Corp significantly pared down its projected losses from the violence at its Narasapura plant on Tuesday, bringing it down from Rs 437 crore to Rs 26-52 crore. In its police complaint in Kolar, Wistron had put its losses at Rs 437 crore, which is New Taiwan dollar (NTD) 1.67 billion. However, in a filing with the Taiwanese stock exchange on Tuesday, Wistron said its preliminary estimates were NTD 100 to 200 million (Rs 26,13,43,509.70 - Rs 52,26,87,019.40) “Regarding the damage to our Narasapura facility in India, the company is assessing the extent of the damages in various areas of the facility’s campus. Unlike earlier reports stated, the violence did not cause any material damage to major manufacturing equipment and warehouses, with preliminary estimates of damages in the range of NTD 100 to 200 million,” Wistron said in its filing.  “Wistron is co-working with related government authorities and police officials regarding investigation of this incident as well as negotiating with Insurance companies,” it added.  Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing (India) Ltd chief executive TD Prashant in a complaint to the police on Sunday said that expensive office equipment, mobile phones and assembly equipment valued at Rs 437 crore. In the complaint, he stated that office equipment, mobile phones, production machinery and related gadgets worth Rs 412.5 crore was lost. Infrastructure worth Rs 10 crore, Rs 60 lakh worth cars and golf carts, smartphones and other gadgets worth Rs 1.5 crore were among those which suffered damage, stolen or lost. A senior official with the Industries Department confirmed to TNM that the loss was based on an improper assessment.  But what caused the drastic turnaround of reducing the quantum of loss caused by the violence? Here are the possible reasons:  Apple investigation:  Wistron assembles the iPhone 7 in Bengaluru and the Kolar facility assembles the latest version of the iPhone SE. Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron were the top three suppliers of Apple devices in India.  Apple has a strict supplier code of conduct and follows up on any reports of violations. In November, Apple Inc had suspended new business with Pegatron after labour violations were reported. In 2019, it interviewed more than 52,000 supplier employees as part of its supplier assessments. Apple, in its supplier code of conduct, states that suppliers must meet all legal requirements relating to wages and benefits, including paying accurate wages in a timely manner. “In addition, the use of wage deductions as a form of disciplinary measure is prohibited. All use of temporary and outsourced labour shall be within the limits of the local law," it adds. Wistron, like Pegatron, could also stand to lose out on its business with Apple.  "Apple is dedicated to ensuring everyone in our supply chain is treated with dignity and respect. We have teams on the ground and immediately launched a detailed investigation at Wistron's Narasapura facility in India. We are also dispatching additional Apple team members and auditors to the facility," Apple said in a statement. The state government and insurance The state government dispatched teams to the site, and at least one of these teams, sources said, accepted the company’s initial assessment of its losses at Rs 437 crore. It is important to note that Wistron is one of the largest investments in Karnataka, and it has been on the side of the company and has been sending a message that it is still a viable investment destination.  However, sources added that Wistron’s insurers did not agree with the assessment, and argued it to be far lesser. Wistron is currently facing an enquiry from the labour department over allegations of non-payment of wages. Moreover, a report submitted by three officers of the Director of Companies on December 13 says that there was a difference in the payment that the company did to contractors and the company has agreed to rectify it. It also added that the housekeeping staff were not paid and that contract employees were paid only by the 12th of every month. With inputs from PTI

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Bengaluru engineering student allegedly sexually assaults classmate at party, arrested

Crime

The police arrested the 22-year-old from his residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on Wednesday.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

The Bengaluru Police on Wednesday arrested a 22-year-old engineering college student for allegedly sexually assaulting his classmate at a house party. The Rajarajeshwari Nagar police arrested Tushar for allegedly sexually assaulting his classmate after a house party at his residence in the city. On the evening of December 9, Tushar allegedly invited three of his friends — two men and one woman to his house in RR Nagar’s Ideal Homes Layout. The woman, who is also 22-years old, reached his residence after her lab class.  “He had asked us to bring alcohol. We bought our own alcohol,” the woman said in her complaint. The woman, a resident of a paying guest, said that she informed Tushar that she would head back to her place after the party. The party is said to have concluded at around 1 am. “I was booking a cab but Tushar told me it is not safe to go home at this time of the night and asked me to stay back,” she said in her complaint. While two other men slept in the living room, Tushar and the woman slept in his bedroom.  At around 3.30 am, she woke up to Tushar allegedly touching her inappropriately. She said that she pushed him away and demanded that he stop. “He did not stop. He came onto me forcefully and touched me inappropriately while restraining my arms,” the woman said in her complaint on December 10.  She broke free of his hold on her and ran out of the apartment, she said. “I called one of my friends, who came and picked me up,” she added. On the morning of December 10, she filed a complaint with the Rajarajeshwari Nagar Police. While the police went to arrest Tushar on the afternoon of December 10, he was allegedly not at home.  “He came back to his house today (Wednesday) and we arrested him,” the police said. Tushar has been booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

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