1. 9 flights to deliver 56.5 lakh Covishield doses from Pune to 13 cities today
The delivery of the Covishield COVID-19 vaccines has begun in the country. The same was announced by the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri who said that Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir, and IndiGo will be flying 56.5 lakh doses of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield from Pune to 13 cities of India. These cities include Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Chandigarh.
2. Schools of Tamil Nadu to reopen for Classes 10 and 12 on January 19
The Tamil Nadu government has announced the reopening of all schools for classes 10 and 12 only from January 19. Adding more to this announcement, the Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami said that every classroom would hold only 25 students keeping in mind the social distancing norms. His statement also added that the state health department will be supplying vitamin and zinc tablets to students to boost their immunity.
3. Farmers thank SC for stay on farm laws, continue to demand complete repealing
The protesting farmers have thanked the Supreme Court of India for putting a stay on the i, implementation of new farm laws but have chosen to stay firm on their demand of repealing the three farm laws. A statement was issued by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint forum of farm unions, mentioning, “All the farmers’ organizations are unanimous in their decision that laws must be repealed.”
4. Centre moves the SC against farmers’ tractor rally scheduled to be held on Republic Day
Ahead of Republic Day, the Centre has moved the Supreme Court to stop the tractor rally scheduled to be held by the protesting farmers on January 26 (Republic Day) if the farm laws are not repealed. Citing law and order restrictions, the Centre stated that the “rally will create a serious law and order situation and will cause an embarrassment to the nation.”
5. Emergency declared in US capital by Trump ahead of Biden inauguration
Ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration which is to be conducted on January 20, US President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in the US’s capital, Washington DC. The order permits federal assistance to be extended through January 24 to aid efforts in US’s capital to respond to emergency conditions resulting from the inauguration. This comes after Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol.
6. 1st consignment of Covishield vaccines flown to Delhi by SpiceJet
Since the coronavirus vaccination drive is going to begin on January 16 in India, the first consignment of Covishield vaccines has left for Delhi from Pune today in the morning. The SpiceJet aircraft is carrying the consignment, and it consists of 34 boxes and weighs 1,088 kg, the airline informed.
7. A widow in Madhya Pradesh gang-raped and brutalized with rod, 4 arrested
A 48-year-old woman was raped and brutalized with a rod by four men in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district. All of them have been arrested, the police said. The incident took place when the woman was asleep in her tea joint that she operates along a highway. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery. Her condition is reported to be stable.
8. As privacy concerns around WhatsApp rise, Signal becomes the most downloaded app
After the users started criticizing WhatsApp’s ‘take it or leave it’ attitude over the updated privacy policy, many users shifted to using Signal, a messaging application. This made it the most downloaded app on Apple App. WhatsApp has asked its users to grant it rights to share user data with Facebook and Instagram as part of the new privacy terms.
9. China retrieves 10,000 Troops from Ladakh Theatre, officials report
In the midst of the ongoing border tensions between India and China, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has retrieved at least 10,000 troops from the inside areas of the Ladakh theatre, officials informed the Hindustan Times on 11 January. Nevertheless, China’s deployments on the frontline continue to remain the same, reported ANI and Hindustan Times. The official said that it was assumed that the withdrawal had more to do with the harsh weather conditions in the area.
10. Hong Kong crackdown likely to be intensified more by China after the mass arrest
After the arrest of more than 50 Democrats in Hong Kong Beijing plans to stifle any return of a populist challenge to Chinese rule and adopt more measures, reported two individuals with direct knowledge of China’s plans. Adding more to this, the individuals also highlighted the possibilities of the Hong Kong elections facing reforms to reduce the influence of Democrats.
