Today News Diary on 1 march 2021

1. Nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive to cover senior citizens & above 45 years with co-morbidities begins
2.PM Modi takes first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
3. Thousands in Haiti protest against President Jovenel Moise
4. ‘Track, Trace, Expel’: How China treated some foreign journalists in 2020
5. GST compensation shortfall released to States reaches Rs. 1.04 Lakh crore
6. 2nd ODI National Zone Cricket Championship League for the deaf begins
7. Undefeated professional boxing star Vijender Singh set for March 19 return
8. Chinese hackers target Indian vaccine makers SII, Bharat Biotech, says security firm

News in Detail

1. Nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive to cover senior citizens & above 45 years with co-morbidities begins

The nationwide COVID-19 Vaccination phase to cover senior citizens and people above 45 years with co-morbidities begins from Monday.

The registration for vaccination will open at 9 this morning at www.cowin.gov.in. Citizens will be able to register and book and appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the COWIN 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu. The vaccine will be administered free of cost at ten thousand government hospitals to these groups while the cost of the vaccine at around 20 thousand private Vaccination Centres will be borne by the people. Private Hospitals can charge up to 250 rupees per dose of COVID-19 vaccine during the Vaccination Drive.

  Union Health Ministry has said, the States has been given freedom to use all private hospitals empanelled under State Government Health Insurance Schemes as COVID Vaccination Centres. The states can also use health facilities of all PSUs and all government health facilities as COVID Vaccination Centres.

 2.PM Modi takes first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi took his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today, at AIIMS New Delhi.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Took my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at AIIMS. Remarkable how our doctors and scientists have worked in quick time to strengthen the global fight against COVID-19. I appeal to all those who are eligible to take the vaccine. Together, let us make India COVID-19 free!"

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi went to AIIMS without any route on the roads, thus choosing early morning to ensure no inconvenience to people. Sister P Niveda, from Puducherry, administered COVAXIN (Bharat BioTech) to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

3. Thousands in Haiti protest against President Jovenel Moise

Thousands of Haitians took to the streets of Port-au-Prince in Haiti on Sunday to demand an end to President Jovenel Moise's term in office, as a constitutional crisis escalates in the impoverished country.

Political turmoil has engulfed the volatile Caribbean nation amid a dispute between Moise's administration and the opposition over when the president's term is supposed to end.

Protesters called Moise a dictator supported by the United States, the OAS (Organization of American States), and other international organisations such as the United Nations. Protesters promised to continue fighting in the streets to remove Moise from power.

Haiti's opposition claims Moise should step down as his five-year term in office expired on Feb. 7 following 2015 elections, which were disputed and the result cancelled by the electoral council.

Moise rejects those claims, arguing he took power in February 2017 after winning fresh elections in 2016 and has pledged to step down next year.

Washington recently appeared to back Moise's timeline, with a State Department spokesperson saying a new leader should replace Moise in February 2022.

Tensions flared recently after Moise alleged there was an attempt to overthrow the government and 23 people were arrested, including a Supreme Court judge and a senior police official.

The United States has said it was "deeply concerned" about Haiti's fragile institutions, although it stopped short of chastising Moise after his government retired three Supreme Court judges who posed a threat to his leadership.

4. ‘Track, Trace, Expel’: How China treated some foreign journalists in 2020

Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) said in its annual report on Monday, working conditions for journalists continued to decline in China in 2020 with the government harassing, intimidating and expelling reporters from the country using all arms of state power. The club interviewed as many as 150 of 220 correspondent members representing news organisations from 30 countries and regions for the purpose of the report.

Titled “Trace, Trace, Expel: Reporting on China Amid a Pandemic”, the report said that for the third consecutive year, not a single correspondent said working conditions had improved. The report said, Beijing expelled the largest number of foreign journalists since the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 - at least 18 foreign journalists from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post were expelled in 2020.

It further said, “All arms of state power - including surveillance systems introduced to curb coronavirus - were used to harass and intimidate journalists, their Chinese colleagues, and those whom the foreign press sought to interview”. “Visas became a tit-for-tat fight, as the US government capped visa numbers for Chinese journalists in America, leading to the departure of scores of Chinese, many of whom worked for state media.”

China, the report added, used the pandemic to control journalists. New surveillance systems and strict controls on movement, implemented for public health reasons, were used to limit foreign journalists, it said. “On many occasions, correspondents were forced to abandon reporting trips after being told to leave or be quarantined on the spot,” the report added.

Visa restrictions were also used to put pressure on reporting with at least 13 correspondents given press credentials valid for six months or less. Foreign reporters are usually granted one-year visas to be renewed annually.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin dismissed it as “not based on facts”. He said, China always welcomes media and journalists from all countries to cover news in accordance with the laws and regulations. However, we oppose ideological bias against China and fake news in the name of press freedom, he said.

The Chinese government doesn’t recognize the FCCC and routinely dismisses it’s annual reports on working conditions of journalists in the country. The report said more eyes than ever are trained on China, a rising power whose influence can be felt in every corner of the globe. “China is also slated to host the Winter Olympics in early 2022 – only a year from now. At such a moment, the FCCC urges Chinese authorities to allow foreign journalists to do their jobs - reporting on this extraordinary country.”

5. GST compensation shortfall released to States reaches Rs. 1.04 Lakh crore

The Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure has on Friday, released the 18th weekly instalment of Rs. 4,000 crore to the States to meet the GST compensation shortfall.

Out of this, an amount of Rs. 3,677.74 crore has been released to 23 States and an amount of Rs. 322.26 crore has been released to the 3 Union Territories (UT) with Legislative Assembly (Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir & Puducherry) who are members of the GST Council. The remaining 5 States, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim do not have a gap in revenue on account of GST implementation.

Till now, 94 percent of the total estimated GST compensation shortfall has been released to the States & UTs with Legislative Assembly. Out of this, an amount of Rs. 95,138.08 crore has been released to the States and an amount of Rs. 8,861.92 crore has been released to the 3 UTs with Legislative Assembly.

The Government of India had set up a special borrowing window in October, 2020 to meet the estimated shortfall of Rs. 1.10 Lakh crore in revenue arising on account of implementation of GST. The borrowings are being done through this window by the Government of India on behalf of the States and UTs. 18 rounds of borrowings have been completed so far starting from 23rd October, 2020.

Under the special window, the Government of India has been borrowing in Government Stock with tenor of 3 years and 5 years. The borrowing made under each tenor is equally divided among all the States as per their GST compensation shortfall.

The amount released this week was the 18th instalment of such funds provided to the States. The amount has been borrowed this week at an interest rate of 4.7924%. So far, an amount of Rs. 1,04,000 crore has been borrowed by the Central Government through the special borrowing window at an weighted average interest rate of 4.8236%.

In addition to providing funds through the special borrowing window to meet the shortfall in revenue on account of GST implementation, the Government of India has also granted additional borrowing permission equivalent to 0.50 % of Gross States Domestic Product (GSDP) to the states choosing Option-I to meet GST compensation shortfall to help them in mobilising additional financial resources. All the States have given their preference for Option-I. Permission for borrowing the entire additional amount of Rs.1,06,830 crore (0.50 % of GSDP) has been granted to 28 States under this provision.

6. 2nd ODI National Zone Cricket Championship League for the deaf begins

The Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) affiliated & recognized by the Deaf International Cricket Council (DICC) are the organizers for this tournament.  The 50-over tournament will witness deaf cricketing talent from across the country competing for the championship title. Besides the silverware after victory, the tournament will also be of extreme importance to the players as their performance during this tournament will also get them a chance to be part of the Deaf ICC World Cup 2022.

The tournament will also hand over a handsome prize money for various categories of awards. The ‘Champion Winner’ team will get a cash reward of INR 1,00,001 while the ‘Runner-up’ team will be given a cash prize of INR 50,001. There are additional prizes for The Man of the Series, the Best Bowler, best Batsmenof the series and the Man of the Match for every match.

On this occasion, Sumit Jain, President – Indian Deaf Cricket Association, said “The wait for this tournament is over and we are really excited to be hosting this tournament. This will be the best platform for all cricketing talent in India to come and showcase themselves. This tournament will definitely encourage the Indian players and give them confidence to play at the International level.”

7. Undefeated professional boxing star Vijender Singh set for March 19 return

Undefeated professional boxing star Vijender Singh is set to make his return to the ring on March 19 and this time he will be exchanging fists in Vegas-style boxing on the Majestic Pride Casino Ship in Goa.

The first-of-its-kind fight will be held on the rooftop deck of the Majestic Pride Casino Ship – who have been roped in as the venue partner. 

The Majestic Pride is a lively ship docked in the Mandovi River in Panaji, Goa that takes the freshness of gaming and the exhilaration of entertainment to a whole new level. The ship also offers some stunning view of horizon of the golden land and the turquoise river.

The bout goes beyond the traditional norms of a regular professional match and offers viewers the glitz and glamour of Vegas-style boxing event. The announcement of Vijender’s opponent will be made soon.

Commenting on his fight Vijender Singh said: “I am really excited to return to the ring. It excites me more to have my fight set-up on a ship. It is something that has never happened before in India and I am glad to be part of this unique professional match. I am pumped up and eager as ever to enter the ring again and have been training hard to keep myself fit for the bout.”

IOS has been instrumental in bringing professional boxing in India and has successfully conducted four fights, including two in New Delhi, one in Mumbai and Jaipur each. Now, Neerav Tomar, promoter IOS Boxing Promotions, plans to deliver a unique sporting event for boxing fans in the country.

On Vijender’s upcoming bout, Neerav said, “This will be a great opportunity for the Indian fans to witness a unique sporting event being organised locally. This whole year gave us ample time to invest our thoughts on doing something different this time and increasing the level of professional boxing in India. A boxing match on a ship is the perfect amalgamation of the intensity of boxing and razzmatazz of the entertaining casino. We hope all the fans watching or present at the venue will thoroughly enjoy the event.”

8. Chinese hackers target Indian vaccine makers SII, Bharat Biotech, says security firm

Rivals China and India have both sold or gifted COVID-19 shots to many countries. India produces more than 60% of all vaccines sold in the world.
A Chinese state-backed hacking group has in recent weeks targeted the IT systems of two Indian vaccine makers whose coronavirus shots are being used in the country’s immunisation campaign, cyber intelligence firm Cyfirma told Reuters.

Rivals China and India have both sold or gifted COVID-19 shots to many countries. India produces more than 60% of all vaccines sold in the world.

Goldman Sachs-backed Cyfirma, based in Singapore and Tokyo, said Chinese hacking group APT10, also known as Stone Panda, had identified gaps and vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure and supply chain software of Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine maker.

“The real motivation here is actually exfiltrating intellectual property and getting competitive advantage over Indian pharmaceutical companies,” said Cyfirma Chief Executive Kumar Ritesh, formerly a top cyber official with British foreign intelligence agency MI6.

He said APT10 was actively targeting SII, which is making the AstraZeneca vaccine for many countries and will soon start bulk-manufacturing Novavax shots.

“In the case of Serum Institute, they have found a number of their public servers running weak web servers, these are vulnerable web servers,” Ritesh said, referring to the hackers.

“They have spoken about weak web application, they are also talking about weak content-management system. It’s quite alarming.”

China’s foreign ministry did not reply to a request for comment. But responding to a question on whether Chinese hackers had a role in attacking India’s power grid which caused a blackout in Mumbai last year, the ministry said it was a staunch defender of cyber security.

“China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyber attacks,” its embassy in New Delhi said on Twitter, quoting the foreign ministry. “Speculation and fabrication have no role to play on the issue of cyber attacks.”

SII and Bharat Biotech declined to comment. The office of the director-general of the state-run Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) said the matter had been handed to its operations director, S.S. Sarma.

Sarma told Reuters CERT was a “legal agency and we can’t confirm this thing to media”.

Cyfirma said in a statement it had informed CERT authorities and that they had acknowledged the threat.

Synopsis

National

Telangana adds 116 fresh COVID-19 cases

Hyderabad: Telangana recorded 116 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 2,98,923, while no fresh fatality has been reported and the death toll stood at 1,634.

Olive Ridley mass nesting likely on Odisha's Gahirmatha Beach within fortnight: Official

Kendrapara (Odisha), Mar 1Despite the erosion of Gahirmatha Beach in Odisha''s Kendrapara district, wildlife officials are optimistic about the convergence of lakhs of Olive Ridley turtles on the nesting ground for mass nesting any time within a fortnight.

International

Moon: South Korea, Japan must look to future to improve ties

Seoul: South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday that his government is eager for talks with Japan to improve relations following years of bitter feuding over historical grievances, adding that those unresolved issues should not stand in the way of developing future-oriented ties.

First US J&J vaccine doses shipping Sunday night

Nearly 4 million doses of the newest COVID-19 vaccine will be shipped Sunday night, and will begin to be delivered to states for injections starting on Tuesday.

Asian shares rise on hopes for US stimulus package

Asian shares rose Monday on hopes for President Joe Biden''s stimulus package and bargain-hunting after sell offs last week.

Trump indicates to run for 2024; says we've gone from 'America first to America last' in 1 month

In his first public speech since leaving office, former US president Donald Trump has called for Republican Party unity while indicating that he might launch a third presidential bid in 2024 even as he slammed the Biden administration, claiming that the country has gone from America First to America Last" in just one month.

Thai marchers link their democracy cause to Myanmar protests

A new faction of Thailand''s pro-democracy movement staged a protest march Sunday, linking their cause with that of demonstrators in Myanmar battling that neighboring country''s coup-installed military government.

Entertainment

Posthumous Golden Globe win for Chadwick Boseman

Los Angeles: Chadwick Boseman was posthumously honoured with a Golden Golden for his performance as the strong-willed trumpet player Levee who marches to his own beat in the musical period drama "Ma Rainey''s Black Bottom", the actor''s swansong.

'Minari' wins best foreign film Golden Globe after being deemed ineligible for best picture nod

"Minari", a semi-autobiographical drama about a family of Korean immigrants trying to realise their American dream in the 1980s, has won the best foreign film Golden Globe following a controversy around the its classification that led the movie to be overlooked in the best picture race.

John Boyega wins best supporting actor for 'Small Axe'

Actor John Boyega won his first Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a television supporting role for his work in Steve McQueen''s acclaimed anthology series "Small Axe".

Stories can change people: Jane Fonda calls for representation in Cecil B DeMille Award speech

Art has not just walked in step with history but has led the way, said Hollywood veteran Jane Fonda, who emphasised the need for more diversity in the entertainment industry during her acceptance speech for the Cecil B DeMille Award at the 2021 Golden Globes.

Daniel Kaluuya wins first Golden Globe, actor's speech marred by technical glitch

Actor Daniel Kaluuya has bagged his maiden Golden Globe award for his impassioned performance as the Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in "Judas and the Black Messiah".

Sports

Another winning chase: Afridi, Wiese lead Lahore to victory

Karachi: Shaheen Afridi''''s ferocious pace and David Wiese''''s late charge spurred Lahore Qalandars to a six-wicket win over defending champion Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.

Branden Grace closes eagle-birdie to win Puerto Rico Open

Branden Grace closed eagle-birdie to win the Puerto Rico Open, an emotional triumph following his father''s January death after a month-long fight with the coronavirus.

Madrid looks to stay close to Atl tico in Spain

Defending champion Real Madrid hopes to move back within three points of Spanish league leader Atl tico Madrid with a win at home over fifth-place Real Sociedad. Atl tico will have a game in hand over Madrid when they meet at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium next Sunday. Madrid has won five consecutive matches in all competitions, including a 1-0 win at Atalanta in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Draw at Chelsea shows why Man U'S title bid has fallen away

An unexpected but burgeoning title challenge for Manchester United has fallen apart in just a few weeks.

Liverpool beats Sheffield United 2-0 to end EPL losing run

Liverpool halted a run of four defeats in the Premier League as it ended a miserable February with a 2-0 win over last-place Sheffield United.

Lukaku scores after 32 seconds as Inter beats Genoa 3-0

Romelu Lukaku scored after just 32 seconds and helped to set up two goals as league leader Inter Milan beat Genoa 3-0 in Serie A.