The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), an arm of the Jal Shakti Ministry that deals with the, has forwarded to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) a proposal to undertake clinical trials and examine if Ganga water can be used to treat() patients.The proposal was made by a collective of activists involved in the clean-up of the river as well as in the litany of litigation surrounding it. The thrust of the proposal is that research for over a century – and most recently an investigation by the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute, Nagpur – had found...…The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), an arm of the Jal Shakti Ministry that deals with the, has forwarded to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) a proposal to undertake clinical trials and examine if Ganga water can be used to treat() patients.The proposal was made by a collective of activists involved in the clean-up of the river as well as in the litany of litigation surrounding it. The thrust of the proposal is that research for over a century – and most recently an investigation by the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute, Nagpur – had found...WW…

  India registered its highest surge inand deaths on Tuesday with 3,875 cases and 194 deaths in the past 24 hours.The total number of cases nationwide stands at 46,711 with 1,583 deaths. India has 31,967 active cases currently. “So far, a total of 13,160 people have been cured. This takes ourto 27.41%,” thesaid at the daily press briefing.Explaining the rise in cases, Joint Secretary in the Ministry Lav Agarwal said, “We persuaded certain States, which were not updating regularly to release their backlog, which has resulted in a spike in numbers.”He added that as this is the highest...…  India registered its highest surge inand deaths on Tuesday with 3,875 cases and 194 deaths in the past 24 hours.The total number of cases nationwide stands at 46,711 with 1,583 deaths. India has 31,967 active cases currently. “So far, a total of 13,160 people have been cured. This takes ourto 27.41%,” thesaid at the daily press briefing.Explaining the rise in cases, Joint Secretary in the Ministry Lav Agarwal said, “We persuaded certain States, which were not updating regularly to release their backlog, which has resulted in a spike in numbers.”He added that as this is the highest...WW…

Singapore's population has shrunk for the first time since 2003 as travel curbs and job losses brought about by thepandemic have pushedAlso read:The overall population dropped by about 18,000 people, or 0.3%, to 5.69 million, according to an annual population report. A sharp drop in foreigners, down 2% to 1.64 million, as well as a marginal fall in permanent residents, outweighed a modest rise in citizens, some of whomas the pandemic spread globally.“These trends were largely due to COVID-19 related challenges, brought about by weak demand and travel restrictions,” the report said, citing...…Singapore's population has shrunk for the first time since 2003 as travel curbs and job losses brought about by thepandemic have pushedAlso read:The overall population dropped by about 18,000 people, or 0.3%, to 5.69 million, according to an annual population report. A sharp drop in foreigners, down 2% to 1.64 million, as well as a marginal fall in permanent residents, outweighed a modest rise in citizens, some of whomas the pandemic spread globally.“These trends were largely due to COVID-19 related challenges, brought about by weak demand and travel restrictions,” the report said, citing...WW…

The 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections were just around the corner. Arjun Sharma*, a student in Mumbai, was looking for some quick money when a friend approached him with a lucrative offer. The job required Sharma to create several seemingly authentic Twitter accounts.“I created profiles and made them look real. For instance, to act as a cricket lover, I would make cricket-related posts and use a relevant profile picture,” he says. Within weeks, he was handling some 15 accounts he had created. He worked with a few other people. “A guy gave us fodder for daily posts,” he says. The accounts...…The 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections were just around the corner. Arjun Sharma*, a student in Mumbai, was looking for some quick money when a friend approached him with a lucrative offer. The job required Sharma to create several seemingly authentic Twitter accounts.“I created profiles and made them look real. For instance, to act as a cricket lover, I would make cricket-related posts and use a relevant profile picture,” he says. Within weeks, he was handling some 15 accounts he had created. He worked with a few other people. “A guy gave us fodder for daily posts,” he says. The accounts...WW…

Antagonisms between Indian and Chinese troops high in the Himalayas are taking a dire toll on traditional goat herds that supply the world’s finest, most expensive cashmere.This week, a deadly brawl between Indian and Chinese soldiers caused the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley, an achingly beautiful landscape that is part of a border region that has been disputed for decades because of its strategic importance as the world’s highest landing ground.The months-long military standoff between the Asian giants is hurting local communities due to the loss of tens of...…Antagonisms between Indian and Chinese troops high in the Himalayas are taking a dire toll on traditional goat herds that supply the world’s finest, most expensive cashmere.This week, a deadly brawl between Indian and Chinese soldiers caused the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley, an achingly beautiful landscape that is part of a border region that has been disputed for decades because of its strategic importance as the world’s highest landing ground.The months-long military standoff between the Asian giants is hurting local communities due to the loss of tens of...WW…

The Centre’s mobile app, Aarogya Setu, developed for trackingpatients, has become the world’s fastest app to reach 50 million downloads in just 13 days, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Wednesday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi in hisappealed to people to download the app.  Also read: “Telephone took 75 years to reach 50 million users, radio 38 yrs, television 13 yrs, Internet 4 yrs, Facebook 19 months, Pokemon Go 19 days. AarogyaSetu, India’s app to fight COVID-19 has reached 50 mn users in just 13 days-fastest ever globally for an App,” Mr. Kant said in his tweet.The application...…The Centre’s mobile app, Aarogya Setu, developed for trackingpatients, has become the world’s fastest app to reach 50 million downloads in just 13 days, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Wednesday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi in hisappealed to people to download the app.  Also read: “Telephone took 75 years to reach 50 million users, radio 38 yrs, television 13 yrs, Internet 4 yrs, Facebook 19 months, Pokemon Go 19 days. AarogyaSetu, India’s app to fight COVID-19 has reached 50 mn users in just 13 days-fastest ever globally for an App,” Mr. Kant said in his tweet.The application...WW…

The June 15 clash at Galwan Valley, which claimed 20 Indian soldiers in the worst violence since 1967, has left the entire border architecture, carefully built by India and China to maintain peace, in the heap of history, says Gautam Bambawale, former Indian Ambassador to China and Pakistan. India’s relations with China have reached a inflection point that will require a fundamental reassessment of its China policy.Edited excerpts:I never expected such a thing to happen. And the reason why I didn’t expect such a thing to happen is because ever since 1993, when India and China signed the...…The June 15 clash at Galwan Valley, which claimed 20 Indian soldiers in the worst violence since 1967, has left the entire border architecture, carefully built by India and China to maintain peace, in the heap of history, says Gautam Bambawale, former Indian Ambassador to China and Pakistan. India’s relations with China have reached a inflection point that will require a fundamental reassessment of its China policy.Edited excerpts:I never expected such a thing to happen. And the reason why I didn’t expect such a thing to happen is because ever since 1993, when India and China signed the...WW…

The armed forces are said to have been given a free hand to assess the situation on the ground along the(LAC) and take appropriate action as required in case of anyfrom the other side, a defence source on Sunday. This was conveyed during a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with the Chief of Defence Staff and the three Service Chiefs.Also read:“The situation along the LAC and preparedness of the armed forces was reviewed at the meeting. Forces have a free hand to assess the situation and to take action as required. While we don’t want escalation but if it happens by the other...…The armed forces are said to have been given a free hand to assess the situation on the ground along the(LAC) and take appropriate action as required in case of anyfrom the other side, a defence source on Sunday. This was conveyed during a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with the Chief of Defence Staff and the three Service Chiefs.Also read:“The situation along the LAC and preparedness of the armed forces was reviewed at the meeting. Forces have a free hand to assess the situation and to take action as required. While we don’t want escalation but if it happens by the other...WW…

Fifty terrorists, including several top commanders of Jaish-e-Mohmmad (JeM) and Lashker-e-Tioba (LeT), were killed in counter terrorism operations by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this year so far, officials said on Friday. Also read:Seventeen security forces personnel lost their lives while fighting the terrorists in the union territory, they said. Also read:The militants also killed nine civilians in the last four months, the officials said. Giving details, a senior official told PTI that the slain terrorists included, LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen.He said of the 50 terrorists killed...…Fifty terrorists, including several top commanders of Jaish-e-Mohmmad (JeM) and Lashker-e-Tioba (LeT), were killed in counter terrorism operations by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this year so far, officials said on Friday. Also read:Seventeen security forces personnel lost their lives while fighting the terrorists in the union territory, they said. Also read:The militants also killed nine civilians in the last four months, the officials said. Giving details, a senior official told PTI that the slain terrorists included, LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen.He said of the 50 terrorists killed...WW…

In the global war against the, emerging economies, many belonging to BRICS, have reached out to other countries humbled by the pandemic. India has reinforced its credentials as a rapidly emerging pharmacy of the world. As the world’s largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, India has recently exported the drug not only to SAARC countries and to its “extended neighbourhood” in the Gulf, but also to Russia, Brazil, Israel and the U.S. This has set the stage for India to forge an inclusive BRICS-driven pharma alliance, which could also actively explore the production of vaccines.|Despite...…In the global war against the, emerging economies, many belonging to BRICS, have reached out to other countries humbled by the pandemic. India has reinforced its credentials as a rapidly emerging pharmacy of the world. As the world’s largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, India has recently exported the drug not only to SAARC countries and to its “extended neighbourhood” in the Gulf, but also to Russia, Brazil, Israel and the U.S. This has set the stage for India to forge an inclusive BRICS-driven pharma alliance, which could also actively explore the production of vaccines.|Despite...WW…