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 The Telegraph 26.11.2020 Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Wednesday acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about  preliminary results of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine . A statement describing the error came days after the company and the university described the shots as "highly effective" and made no mention of why some study participants   did not receive as much vaccine   in the first of two shots as expected. In a surprise finding, the group of volunteers that got a lower dose  seemed to be much better protected  than the volunteers who got two full doses. In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be  90 per cent effective . In the group that got two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62 per cent effective. Combined, the drugmakers said the vaccine appeared to be 70 per cent effective, but the way in which the results were arrived at and reported by the compan...

 Indian Express Christopher Jaffrelot, Vijay Ganesh R S 23.11.2020 With India-China relations hitting its lowest point since the 1962 war, border infrastructure has come under intense scrutiny. The construction of several dams along the Yarlung (Brahmaputra) river on the Chinese side has been a repeated cause for concern for Indian officials and the local people, whose livelihoods and security depend on the river.      The Brahmaputra is a perennial river, with several peculiar characteristics due to its geography and prevailing climatic conditions. Inhabitants along the river have to deal with two floods annually, one caused by the melting of the Himalayan snow in summer and the other due to the monsoon flows. The frequency of these floods have increased and are devastating due to climate change and its impact on high and low flows. These pose a concern for the population and food security in the lower riparian states of India and Bangladesh. The river is in itself ...

 NDTV Arvind Gunasekhar 26.11.2020 New Delhi:  The central probe agency CBI has registered a case of corruption and cheating against the directors of a Delhi-based company for defrauding 12 banks to the tune of ₹ 1,200 crore. However, it is feared that the accused may have fled the country. Sources said that the company's directors were not traceable when the CBI conducted searches on Wednesday. According to sources, while the CBI is taking necessary steps to extradite the accused, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has also issued non-bailable warrants against the directors of Amira Pure Foods Pvt Ltd. A creditor had moved the NCLT for insolvency proceedings. The liquidator appointed in this case, Akash Shinghal, told NDTV that the directors of this firm are "not cooperating with the proceedings and their whereabouts are unknown". The accused have been identified as Karan A Channa, his wife Anita Diang, Aparna Puri, Rajesh Arora and Jawahar Kapoor. The consort...

Mint  Gopika Gopakumar 26.11.2020 Mumbai: Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said the Indian economy has seen stronger-than-expected pickup in recovery after the sharp contraction in the first quarter. Das, however, said the downside risks to growth continue due to the recent surge in covid-19 cases. “After witnessing a sharp contraction in GDP by 23.9% in Q1:2020- 21 and a multi-speed normalisation of activity in Q2, the Indian economy has exhibited stronger than expected pick up in momentum of recovery. Even as the growth outlook has improved, downside risks to growth continue due to recent surge in infections in advanced economies and parts of India," the governor said while speaking at a foreign exchange dealers’ conference. Das also warned about the sustainability of demand after festivals and a possible reassessment of market expectations surrounding the vaccine. He also reiterated that the central bank’s monetary policy guidance remains accommodative...

 The Telegraph 26.11.2020 The central government should change its position and support the Indian airlines and other aviation stakeholders in the face of the Covid-19 crisis, a top official of global airlines body IATA said on Wednesday.  The Indian carriers have laid off employees, cut salaries and posted significant losses during the last few quarters as coronavirus-induced travel restrictions have drastically impacted the aviation sector.  “The Indian government has not come forward in support of airlines and we do urge them to change that position and to assist the airlines and airports and other aviation stakeholders,” Conrad Clifford, IATA regional vice-president for the Asia Pacific region, said.  “This is something we continue to encourage and urge the Indian government to do,” he said at a virtual press meet. The Indian airlines have sought an interest-free credit line of at least $1.5 billion for the sector, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had t...

The Print  Shruti Srivastava  26.11.2020 Tariffs will be eliminated on at least 92% of traded goods among the 15 nations that signed the RCEP. Meanwhile, some of India’s top 10 exports will face erosion in market share. New Delhi:  India’s key manufacturing exports may lose market share to a China-backed Asian trade bloc, from which Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked away last year to protect the interests of local farmers and industry. Some of India’s  top 10 exports  such as engineering goods, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and electronics face erosion in market share on account of lower tariffs that members of the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership enjoy for trading among themselves, according to economists. To put things in perspective, engineering products alone account for a quarter of the nation’s merchandise exports. “In sectors where India is somewhat contributing to the global supply chain, RCEP would prove to be disadvantageous,” Amit...

 Money Control 26.11.2020 Ten terrorists of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai. At least 166 people, including six Americans and nine terrorists, were killed and over 300 others were injured in the attacks which began on November 26, 2008. Asserting that it stands with India and remains resolute in the fight against terrorism, the US said it is committed to hold the perpetrators of the heinous 26/11 terror attacks accountable to ensure justice for the victims. November 26 marks the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. "Through the Rewards for Justice programme, we seek to ensure that all those responsible for this heinous attack face justice," US State Department deputy spokesman Cale Brown said on Wednesday. "On the 12th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, the US reaffirms its commitment to holding the perpetrators accountable and ensuring justice for the victim...

The Telegraph Dated 02.12.2020 China on Wednesday frowned upon India’s repeated use of “national security” to ban Chinese apps and called for rectification of “discriminatory practices violating WTO rules’’. Responding to media queries for a Chinese reaction to India’s decision on Tuesday to ban another set of apps with links to China, the spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy here, Ji Rong, said: “We firmly oppose the Indian side’s repeated use of ‘national security’ as an excuse to prohibit some mobile applications with Chinese background.’’ The ministry of electronics & information technology (MEITY) had banned 43 mobile apps on Tuesday, taking the list of such apps banned since June to 220 as part of a series of measures New Delhi is taking as retaliation to China violating India’s territorial sovereignty.  New Delhi’s contention is that it cannot be business as usual given the prevailing situation along the line of actual control in eastern Ladakh where the face-off is into ...