Day After Tractor Rally Violence, 2 Farmer Unions Pull Out of Protest
In a sign that could signal a division among former unions protesting against the Centre's contentious agri laws, Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan's VM Singh today said it is pulling out from the protests. Bhartiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) has also withdrawn. "We can't carry forward a protest with someone whose direction is something else. So, I wish them the best but VM Singh and Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan are withdrawing from this protest right away","he said. "The protest will continue until we get MSP guarantee but the protest will not go on in this form with me. We have not come here to get people martyred or beaten up." Read More
Huge Relief for Spouses of H1B Workers as Biden Withdraws Trump-era Plan to Kill H4 Work Permits
In a huge win for spouses of workers on H1B visas in the US, the Joe Biden administration withdrew Donald Trump era plan to kill H4 work permits. The latest development brings to an end years of effort by the Donald Trump administration to rescind an Obama era regulation that allowed a certain subset of spouses of H1B visa holders to work in the US. From the time the skewering of the H4 work permit (called the EAD) began in Fall 2017, the proposed rule has been published seven times for ongoing review, keeping the H4 community on cliff-edge. Read More
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Bombay High Court's controversial order acquitting an accused, which had stated 'skin-to-skin' contact necessary to be classified as sexual assault under the POCSO Act. Attorney General KK Venugopal said the order would set a dangerous precedent. The Bombay High Court had recently modified a sessions court order that held a man guilty of a minor's sexual assault, ruling that groping a child without "skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent" does not amount to the offence under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Read More
Covaxin Has Ability to Neutralise UK Strain of Coronavirus, Says Bharat Biotech
Days after US pharmaceutical giant Moderna claimed that its Covid-19 vaccine protects against the two new mutant strains of the coronavirus, Bharat Biotech has claimed Covaxin, too, has been found effective against the UK variant of the virus, which is said to be 70 per cent more infectious than the Wuhan strain and is more lethal. "Covaxin effectively neutralises UK variants of SARS-CoV-2 reducing the possibility of mutant virus escape," tweeted Bharat Biotech on Tuesday, along with a link to its research paper. Read More
Sourav Ganguly's Vital Parameters Stable, Says Apollo Hospital
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was on Wednesday hospitalised again with discomfort in the chest, less than a month after he underwent angioplasty here. The 48-year-old, who underwent angioplasty earlier this month after he was diagnosed with three blocked coronary arteries, felt "dizzy and slight discomfort in the chest". In a statement, the Apollo Hospital said, "Sourav Ganguly has come for a checkup of his cardiac condition. There is no change in his parameters since his last hospitalization & his vital parameters are stable." Read More
Tandav FIRs: Supreme Court Says Freedom of Speech Not Absolute
The Supreme Court on Wednesday orally observed that freedom of speech is not absolute during its hearing on pleas seeking stay on FIRs against actors and producers of Tandav web series on Amazon Prime. Also, the Supreme Court issued notice on plea of 'Tandav' makers and actor to club several FIRs registered against them across the country. Read More
