The Subcontinent: 4 January 2021
The Subcontinent: 4 January 2021
India bars Vaccine Maker from Export
Farmers Protest Toll: 4 More Deaths
Islamabad: Exchange of words and a 22-year old is shot by cops
Nepal: 10 Women changing the face of tech
What to Expect in 2021? 50 Big Bollywood Releases in 2021
1. India bars COVID Vaccine Maker from Export
A day after India approved two vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin (Link), there has been a spate of developments. Here is a snapshot
No Export from India for a few months
India has barred the vaccine maker (Serum Institute of India, SII) from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine export for a few months. This was one of the conditions before granting authorization; the Company CEO told the Associated Press.
Cost
Initial cost for the government: ₹ 200 ($2.74) / dose
Market price: ₹ 1000 ($13.68) / dose
Number of doses Ready
50 million (Hindustan Times)
Delivery in 10 Days
SII can deliver doses within 7-10 days after signing of the purchase order (HT).
Private Hospitals can get it by March
Private hospitals can get the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by March (Times of India)
Criticism of Approval to Covaxin
India’s approval of Covaxin has been criticized because efficacy data was not released, according to the story by Reuters. Covaxin is one of the two vaccines approved yesterday (the other being Covishield).
The English daily, The Hindu, also had a story on experts raising questions about the hasty approval granted to Covaxin.
Meanwhile, Covaxin is also being sought internationally, with an AFP story quoting the Brazilian association of private health clinics stating that they were negotiating for its purchase.
2. Farmers Protest Toll: 4 More Deaths
Four protesting farmers died at Tikri and Kundli (Singhu) border on Saturday/Sunday. (Hindustan Times)
At Tikri Border
(i) 18-year-old Jashanpreet Singh of Punjab died of ‘heart attack’
(ii) Jagbir Singh, 65, of Jind (Haryana) died due to biting cold
At Kundli-Singhu Border
Kulbir Singh, 52 of Gangana village in Sonepat (Haryana)was found dead in his tent
Shamsher Singh, 45, of Lithra village (Sangrur, Punjab) suffered a heart attack
Conflicting Reports on Total Deaths
There are conflicting reports about the total number of deaths.
The Hindustan Times quoted police records to say that ten (10) have died at Tikri border, while nine (9) have died at the Kundli-Singhu border, adding up to 19 deaths. On the other hand, farmer leaders claimed that 46 had died so far. A story in The Tribune put the total toll at 50 (The Tribune).
3. Pakistan: The Bizarre Killing of a 22-year old by Cops
Nadeem Younis Satti, a 22-year old student and son of a Rawalpindi-based trader, was killed when five Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) reportedly fired 17 bullets at him on the Kashmir Highway in Islamabad.
The reason? A heated argument between the student and cops a day before the incident.
Cops Arrested
The five cops were arrested (The Dawn). The initial police claim was that the cops were acting on a tip-off about a robbery attempt (The News), which has been countered by Satti’s family. The arrested cops have been remanded to three days of judicial custody.
Reaction
Crucially, the government quickly swung into action with Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, PM’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari, and State Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi (92 News) reaching out.
Previously: Naqeebullah Mehsud, Sahiwal, Hayat Baloch
2018: In January 2018, the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi led to protests in Pakistan (Daily Times). An inquiry found Naqeebullah to be innocent and the encounter to be fake (Dawn).
2019: In January 2019, the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department killed four persons in Sahiwal, including a grocery store owner, his wife, their 13-year old daughter, and a friend who was driving the car (News 18). They were shot in front of their minor children while the family was traveling for a wedding.
2020: In August 2020, a student Hayat Baloch was killed in Turbat (Balochistan) by the Frontier Corps (Tribune).
4. Nepal: 10 Women Changing the Face of Technology
Kathmandu Post has profiled ten (10) women who are changing the face of technology in Nepal. This includes women working on myriad topics like the Nepali Speech Synthesizer, AI, an online platform for teaching children, innovation startups, community health, and so on. Read the story in the Kathmandu Post.
5. What to Expect in 2021? 50 big Bollywood releases in 2021
83, Bell Bottom, Laal Singh Chaddha, Radhe, Sooryavanshi, and others.
Read More in The Indian Express.
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