India has told China that it’s firm on a pullback across eastern Ladakh and not just from Pangong Lake. On the farmers’ protest front, the Delhi Police has allowed the January 26 tractor rally with 37 conditions.
Meanwhile, the latest serosurvey results show every second person in Delhi has had Covid-19, in signs of herd immunity. In world news, US President Joe Biden is likely to drop Donald Trump’s military transgender ban. And air pollution is behind increased pregnancy loss risks in India, South Asia, reveals a study.
INDIA FIRM ON PULLBACK ACROSS EASTERN LADAKH, SAYS DISENGAGEMENT CAN’T BE LIMITED TO PANGONG LAKE
India made its stand clear during the ninth Corps Commander-level talks that a complete resolution will only be possible if the Chinese de-induct their troops and weapons systems from multiple locations across eastern Ladakh and not limit the disengagement to Pangong Lake, sources said.
The Pangong Lake has been the focus of the tussle over the last nine months as the standoff continues in eastern Ladakh with heavy deployments from both sides. Sources said while the discussions were “fruitful”, it was conveyed that all other pending issues need to be resolved.
DELHI POLICE ALLOWS JAN 26 TRACTOR RALLY AFTER FARM LEADERS AGREE ON 37 CONDITIONS
The Delhi Police has given its NOC to the January 26 tractor rally after farm leaders agreed on 37 conditions
“Farmers could have chosen any other day instead of January 26. Conducting the rally peacefully without any accident would be the concern for farmers as well as police,” said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held at Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence over the security arrangements for the tractor rally. The meeting was attended by the home secretary, the Delhi Police commissioner, the IB chief and other officials.
EVERY SECOND PERSON IN DELHI HAS HAD COVID, SIGNS OF HERD IMMUNITY IN FIFTH SEROSURVEY
According to the fifth and the largest serosurvey, every second person in Delhi was likely infected by Covid-19 and then got cured.
In a serosurvey, samples of blood are collected from the person’s body and then the medical team tests whether antibodies have been formed against coronavirus in the blood or not.
The preliminary trend of the serosurvey has revealed that 60 per cent of people in one particular district have been found to have Covid-19 antibodies. Whereas in other districts, more than 50 per cent of people were found to have antibodies.
Delhi has a population of more than 2 crore people.
The high prevalence of coronavirus antibodies indicates that the capital may have reached the stage of herd immunity.
US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN LIKELY TO DROP DONALD TRUMP’S MILITARY TRANSGENDER BAN
US President Joe Biden is set to issue an executive order to reverse a Pentagon policy that largely bars transgender individuals from joining the military, dumping a ban ordered by President Donald Trump in a tweet during his first year in office, a person briefed on the decision tells The Associated Press.
Joe Biden has been widely expected to overturn the Trump policy in his early days in office.
The White House could announce the move as early as Monday, according to the person briefed on the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order.
AIR POLLUTION BEHIND INCREASED RISK OF PREGNANCY LOSS IN INDIA, SOUTH ASIA: STUDY
Poor air quality has been linked to a considerable proportion of pregnancy loss in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal reveals.
The study found that exposure to PM 2.5 particles that exceeded India’s air quality standard of 40 µg/m3 led to an estimated 349,681 pregnancy losses per year in South Asia, which is the most populous region in the world. This accounts for 7 per cent of annual pregnancy loss in the region from 2000-2016.