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The Economics Times Nov. 18, 2018 NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will soon undertake trials of the indigenously developed vaccine against Zika virus, cases of which have been reported in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.  The ICMR will undertake phase-II trial of the vaccine to establish the efficacy and safety of the vaccine along with its adverse effects, a senior official said.  Vaccines manufacturer, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, has developed a vaccine, which they claim will provide protection against infection caused by an Asian Zika virus strain as well as by the African Zika virus strain, the official said.  "The company had developed the vaccine around two years ago. At that time we did not have an outbreak of Zika in India as it was only restricted to Latin America.   "Zika virus is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito and also there is a breakout in some states. Vect

The Economics Times Nov 19, 2018 OPEC has lost what control of the oil market it ever had. The actions (or tweets) of three men — President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman — will determine the course of oil prices in 2019 and beyond. But of course they each want different things.  While OPEC struggles to find common purpose, the U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia dominate global supply. Together they produce more oil than the 15 members of OPEC. All three are pumping at record rates and each could raise output again next year, although they may not all choose to do so.  It was Saudi Arabia and Russia that led the push in June for the OPEC+ group to relax output restraints that had been in place since the start of 2017. Both subsequently jacked up production to record, or near record, levels. U.S. output soared unexpectedly at the same time, as companies pumping from the Permian Basin in Texas overcame pipeline bottlenecks to move their

The Wire November 17, 2018 Details of the Steps in the Decision-Making Process Leading to the Award of 36 Rafale Fighter Aircraft Order Order of Hon’ble Supreme Court Dated 10 October 2018. 1. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order has mentioned that “We would like to be apprised by the Government of the details of of the steps in the decision making process leading to the award of the order for the defence equipment in question ie. Rafale Jet-Fighters (36 in number)”. 2. It has also been mentioned in the Honb’le Supreme Court order that “we also make it clear that the steps in the decision making process that we would like to be apprised of would not cover the issue of pricing or the question of technical suitability of the equipment for purposes of the requirement of the Indian Air Force”. 3. The procurement process laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) has been completely followed for the procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft. Defence procurement proc

The Business Standard November 17, 2018 The United States will not back down from its trade dispute with China, and might even double its tariffs, unless Beijing bows to US demands, Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday. In a bluntly worded speech at an Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Papua New Guinea, Pence threw down the gauntlet to China on trade and security in the region. "We have taken decisive action to address our imbalance with China," Pence declared. "We put tariffs   on $250 billion in Chinese goods, and we could more than double that number." "The United States, though, will not change course until China changes its ways." The stark warning will likely be unwelcome news to financial markets which had hoped for a thaw in the Sino-U.S. dispute and perhaps even some sort of deal at a G20 meeting later this month in Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is not attending the APEC   meeting

The Hindu November 16, 2018 Crop sowing in the ongoing winter (rabi) season is lagging behind this year, with the acreage sown of most major crops lower than usual for this time of year. Overall, 21% less acreage has so far been sown, according to the data released by the  Agriculture  Ministry on Friday. Wheat, the major winter crop, has been sown on just 51 lakh hectares this year, as against the average 85 lakh hectares in the corresponding week over the last five years. That is a drop of almost 40%. However, compared to last year, the decrease is only 5%. The major States where wheat sowing is lagging behind include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, where the delay is partly due to the late harvesting of the kharif paddy crop. Rabi crops are sown from October, while harvest begins in March. While the sowing of pulses is higher than the five-year average, it is 18% lower than last year in the corresponding week. Farmers in Karnataka and Maharashtra, which have bee

The Hindu NOVEMBER 17, 2018 Former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed spoke to Narayan Lakshman in Male about his vision for this strategically critical nation. As the Indian Ocean nation of nearly 1,200 islands embarks on a new journey under President Ibrahim Solih on November 17, it looks to shake off the past five years of what Maldivians seem to regard as Beijing’s stifling embrace. Former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed played a key role in the Maldivian Democratic Party’s victory as a major player in the new coalition arrangement, and he will continue to shape his nation’s fortune as it moves closer to India. He spoke to Narayan Lakshman in Male about his vision for this strategically critical nation. Edited transcript: After two years of self-imposed exile from the Maldives it is good to see you return. How do you see the transition of power playing out in the days and weeks ahead? Unlike many other unity governments, or similar experiences that we hav