LIVE: Govt allows import of 20 lakh MT each of crude soybean, sunflower oil

This is for a period of 2 years at nil rate of customs duty and Agricultural Infrastructure and Development Cess

9:41 AM

Hong Kong ‘unlikely’ to scrap hotel quarantine before July

Hong Kong will probably keep mandatory hotel quarantine requirements for incoming travelers until at least the end of June, its outgoing leader said, despite business leaders’ growing calls to join the rest of the world in opening up.

 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday at a regular press briefing that a “significant amount” of the city’s daily infections still came from imported cases. Considering new variants were emerging globally, the financial hub still had to be extremely careful in loosening restrictions on border controls, Lam added.

 

“It’s very unlikely that during my term there would be more relaxations on the border controls,” she said. “In other words, we will still have the hotel quarantine. We will still require vaccination before a passenger can board a plane to Hong Kong and we will still impose the test and hold, whether at the airport or at a hotel, for a PCR test, in order to keep Hong Kong safe.”

 

9:28 AM

There is 'systematic attack' on institutions that allow India to speak, alleges Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that there is a "systematic attack" on the institutions that allow India to speak and as the conversation is being stamped out, the "deep state" is entering those spaces and redefining the way that conversation is happening in the country.

 

During an event entitled ‘India at 75' at Corpus Christi College at the prestigious Cambridge University on Monday evening, Gandhi spoke on a broad range of subjects from Hindu nationalism, the Gandhi family's role within the Congress party and efforts to mobilise the people of the country as he fielded questions from a largely Indian student base.

 

9:08 AM

Quad set to launch maritime security initiative to track 'dark shipping' in Indo-Pacific

Quad leaders at the Tokyo summit are set to launch a range of initiatives, including a maritime security partnership, that will allow the member countries to monitor illegal fishing, track "dark shipping" and other tactical-level activities.

 

"The benefit of this maritime initiative will allow tracking of dark shipping and other tactical-level activities, such as rendezvous at sea, as well as improve partners' ability to respond to climate and humanitarian events and to protect their fisheries, which are vital to many Indo-Pacific economies," said the White House in a media statement on the sidelines of Quad Summit.

 

Notably, "dark ships" are vessels with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) - a transponder system - switched off so as not to be detectable. This crucial maritime pact between the Quad member countries will enhance the security apparatus of the Indo-Pacific region.

9:07 AM

Summary of MoHFW data (May 24)

Active cases: 14,841 (Net increase: 9)

Deaths: 524,490 (Net increase: 31)

Cured: 42,600,737 (Net increase: 1,635)

Total cases: 43,140,068 (Net increase: 1,675)

Total vaccination: 1,923,845,615 (Increase over previous day: 881,668)

 

 

9:01 AM

Pfizer says Covid shot 80% effective in young kids

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have said that preliminary clinical data showed their three-dose Covid-19 vaccine regimen was 80 per cent effective for children aged between 6 months to 5-years-old at preventing illness during the Omicron wave.

The vaccine was found to elicit a strong immune response following a third dose, and was well tolerated by the kids with a majority of the side effects mild to moderate, Xinhua news agency quoted the companies as saying on Monday.

The safety data for the Pfizer vaccine is based on 1,678 children under age 5 who received a third shot at least two months after the second dose when Omicron was the main variant in circulation.

8:58 AM

Covid-19 pandemic is 'far from over', reiterates WHO chief Tedros

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated here that the Covid-19 pandemic "is far from over".

"... the pandemic is far from over. And even as we continue to fight it, we face the task of restoring essential health services, with 90 per cent of member states reporting disruption to one or more essential health services," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

Addressing the 75th World Health Assembly, Ghebreyesus said the Covid-19 pandemic had demonstrated why the world needed the WHO, Xinhua news agency reported.

8:48 AM

Global Covid caseload tops 526 mn, deaths surge to more than 6.27 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 526 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.27 million and vaccinations to over 11.44 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 526,061,225 and 6,278,344, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered increased to 11,445,649,266.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 83,390,587 and 1,002,376, respectively, according to the CSSE.

India accounts for the second highest caseload at 43,138,393.

8:46 AM

Quad is 'not just a passing fad, we mean business': Biden at Quad summit in Japan

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that Quad is "not just a passing fad but it means business," asserting that the four leaders of the grouping are here to get things done for the region and that he is proud of what they are building together.

Addressing the second in-person meeting between Quad leaders, Biden attacked Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, saying it is trying to extinguish a culture.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australia's newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the second in-person meeting of Quad leaders here during which they exchanged views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues of mutual interest.

8:30 AM

Australia's Albanese says goals aligned with Quad, wants to discuss climate change

New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said his goals were aligned with the priorities of the Quad grouping of countries, telling the leaders of the United States, India and Japan that he wanted to also discuss climate change.

 

Albanese, the leader of Australia's Labor Party who was sworn in as his country's 31st prime minister a day earlier, also said the Quad stood together for a "free and open Indo-Pacific".

 

The informal grouping of countries, led by Washington, was set up as a potential bulwark against China's increasing political, commercial and military activity in the Indo-Pacific.

8:24 AM

Allahabad HC to get 10 more permanent judges

The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the proposal for the appointment of ten additional judges of the Allahabad High Court as permanent judges.

 

According to the official statement, Justices Sanjay Kumar Pachori, Subhash Chandra Sharma, Subhash Chand (Presently working in Jharkhand High Court on transfer), Saroj Yadav, Mohd. Aslam, Anil Kumar Ojha, Sadhna Rani (Thakur), Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi, Ajai Tyagi, and Ajai Kumar Srivastava-I, have been approved for permanent judges of the Allahabad High Court.

8:23 AM

Quad moving ahead with a constructive agenda for Indo-Pacific: PM Modi

The mutual trust and determination among the Quad member countries is giving new energy to democratic forces and encouraging a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Tuesday at the second in-person summit of the four-nation grouping.

 

The prime minister said Quad is moving ahead with a constructive agenda for the Indo-Pacific which will further strengthen its image of a "force for good".

 

Modi made the remarks in presence of US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and newly elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

 

8:01 AM

Global food crisis may worsen by Russia blocking Ukraine from exporting its grains: Joe Biden

Putin is just trying to extinguish a culture. This is more than just a European issue, it's a global issue. Global food crisis may worsen by Russia blocking Ukraine from exporting its grains. As long as Russia continues the war, US will work with its partners: US President Biden

8:00 AM

Despite coronavirus, we've increased our coordination for vaccine delivery: PM Modi

Despite the adverse situation of coronavirus, we've increased our coordination for vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response, economic cooperation and other areas. It has ensured peace, prosperity and stability in Indo-Pacific: PM at Quad Leaders' Summit

7:58 AM

US will be a strong, steady and enduring partner in Indo-Pacific: US Pres Joe Biden

US will be a strong, steady and enduring partner in Indo-Pacific. We are Indo-Pacific powers. As long as Russia continues the war, we are going to be partners and lead a global response. We stay together for the shared values and vision we have: US Pres Joe Biden at Quad Leaders'meet

7:57 AM

We have a lot of work to keep this region peaceful and stable: US President Joe Biden

The Quad has a lot of work ahead of us. We have a lot of work to keep this region peaceful & stable, tacking this pandemic and next and addressing the climate crisis: US President Joe Biden at Quad Leaders'meet