NATIONAL NEWS
Threat to human rights is highest in police stations, says CJI Ramana
Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Sunday said police stations pose the highest threat to human rights and dignity, which are ‘sacrosanct’. The threat to human rights and bodily integrity is the highest in police stations. Going by recent reports, even the privileged are not spared third-degree treatment, the Chief Justice said. Custodial torture and police atrocities still prevail despite constitutional guarantees, he said. Lack of effective legal representation at police stations is a huge detriment to arrested or detained persons. The first hours of arrest or detention often decide the fate of the case for the accused, the CJI said. The top judge was speaking at the release of National Legal Services Authority’s legal services app and vision statement at Vigyan Bhawan. The CJI had a word of advice for his fellow judges. Chief justice Ramana noted that if the judiciary wants to gain the trust of the poor and vulnerable, it has to assure the marginalised that it exists for them. If judiciary wants to garner the faith of the citizens, we have to make everyone feel assured that we exist for them. For the longest time, the vulnerable population has lived outside the system of justice, the CJI said. Lengthy, expensive formal processes followed by the courts dissuade the poor and the vulnerable. The judiciary’s toughest challenge today is to break these barriers, he said. If we want to remain as a society governed by the rule of law, it is imperative for us to bridge the gap of accessibility to justice between the highly privileged and the most vulnerable. For all times to come, we must remember that the realities of socio-economic diversity which prevail in our nation cannot ever be a reason for denial of rights. Let our past not determine our future. Chief Justice Ramana said the digital divide has not helped the cause of easy access to justice. Rural and remote areas suffer from lack of connectivity. Accessing justice in India is not merely an aspirational goal. We need to work hand in hand with various wings of the government to make it a practical reality. The Chief Justice said he has already written to the government about the urgent need to bridge the digital chasm on a priority basis. Let us dream of a future based on legal mobility, a future where equality is a reality. That is why the project ‘Access to Justice’ is an unending mission, CJI Ramana said.
Better protection with Covishield-Covaxin combination: ICMR
A combination of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines elicits better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Sunday. The Council released its findings, which suggest that immunisation with a combination of an adenovirus vector platform-based vaccine followed by an inactivated whole virus vaccine was not only safe but also elicited better immunogenicity. The immunisation program against Covid-19 in India started with two vaccines — AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1-nCov-19 (named Covishield in India) and inactivated whole virion BBV152 (Covaxin). A homologous prime-boost approach was followed. However, 18 individuals, under the national program, inadvertently received Covishield as the first jab and Covaxin as the second. In its study, the ICMR has compared the safety and immunogenicity profile of these persons against that of individuals receiving either Covishield or Covaxin. The pre-print report titled Serendipitous COVID-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime, has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice, the Council said. It, however, maintained that the findings have an important implication for the Covid-19 vaccination program wherein heterologous immunisation will pave the way for induction of improved and better protection against the variant strains of SARS-CoV-2. Such mixed regimens will also help to overcome the challenges of shortfall of particular vaccines and remove hesitancy around vaccines in people’s mind that could have genesis in programmatic ‘errors’ especially in settings where multiple Covid-19 vaccines are being used. However, to conclusively prove these findings, a multi-centre RCT needs to be carried out, the ICMR said. Previously, the World Health Organisation had warned against mixing of vaccines, saying there was very little information on the mix-and-match of vaccines. It advised against people mixing and matching vaccines from different manufacturers, calling it a dangerous trend since there was little data available about the health impact. The Council admitted that there were a few limitations to their study. The sample size was small and the participants were put under a short follow-up period of only 60-70 days after immunisation with the first dose, and baseline serological and immunological data of the participants not available, it said.
Tokyo Olympics declared closed; flag passed to Paris Mayor for 2024 Games
The Tokyo 2020 Games were declared closed by IOC chief Thomas Bach on Sunday, ending the most challenging Olympic journey after a year’s pandemic delay and threats of cancellation. Bach called them unprecedented Olympic Games as he addressed the 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium, which was bereft of fans as Japan battles to contain a record coronavirus outbreak. In these difficult times we are all living through, you give the world the most precious of gifts: hope, the International Olympic Committee president told athletes at the ceremony. And now I have to mark the end of this most challenging Olympic journey to Tokyo: I declare the Games of the 32nd Olympiad closed, he added. The Olympic flag was passed to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo for the 2024 Games at the Tokyo closing ceremony. Hidalgo waved the flag, decorated with the five Olympic rings, after she received it from IOC president Thomas Bach. It marked a low-key end to an extraordinary Olympics that have mostly played out in empty venues with only athletes, team officials and media present. Athletes have lived in strict biosecure conditions with social distancing at the Olympic Village and instructions to wear masks unless eating, sleeping, training or competing. Bach has described how the IOC considered cancelling the Olympics and claiming the costs on its insurance policy but said officials ploughed ahead with holding the Games for the athletes. Some were already speaking of ‘Ghost Games’, he told an IOC session earlier on Sunday. What we have seen here is that on the contrary the athletes have brought soul to the Olympic Games. On Sunday, the climax of the biggest sports event since the pandemic, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s marathon and the USA edged China at the top of the medals table. The United States scored victories in volleyball, track cycling and basketball to top the tally with 39 gold medals, just one ahead of China. The Olympics were plagued by low Japanese support as they went ahead with Tokyo and other regions under a state of emergency and with infections multiplying to new highs. But Japan’s record haul of 27 golds to finish third on the table has won hearts. Britain were fourth with 22 and the Russian Olympic Committee, the team for Russian athletes after their country was banned for systematic doping, were fifth with 20. Though the Olympic flag has been passed to 2024 hosts Paris, the Olympic circus will reconvene in just six months when Beijing, faced with boycott threats and a renewed coronavirus emergency, holds the Winter Games in February.
Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,19,66,463 with the death toll at 4,28,244. The Health Ministry on Sunday said the general public can obtain their certificate for COVID vaccination via WhatsApp by following three easy steps. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in his tweet said anyone who wants to download their vaccination certificate can send a WhatsApp message to a number and will receive the certificate at once. Revolutionising common man’s life using technology! Now get COVID19 vaccination certificate through MyGov Corona Helpdesk in 3 easy steps. Save contact number: +91 9013151515. Type & send ‘covid certificate’ on WhatsApp. Enter OTP. Get your certificate in seconds, the Health Minister’s office tweeted.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Taliban seizes three more provincial capitals in northern blitz The Taliban tightened the noose around northern Afghanistan on August 8, capturing three more provincial capitals as they take their fight to the cities after seizing much of the countryside in recent months. The insurgents have snatched up five provincial capitals in Afghanistan since August 6 in a lightning offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces. Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan in the north fell within hours of each other on August 8, lawmakers, security sources and residents in the cities confirmed. In Kunduz, one resident described the city as being enveloped in total chaos. After some fierce fighting, the mujahideen, with the grace of God, captured the capital of Kunduz, the Taliban said in a statement on August 8 afternoon. The mujahideen also captured Sar-e-Pul city, the government buildings and all the installations there. A Taliban flag flies in the main square of Kunduz city after fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces, in Kunduz on August 8, 2021. Taliban fighters took control of much of the capital of northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz Province, including the Governor’s office and police headquarters, a Provincial council member said. The insurgents said on Twitter on August 8 evening that they had also taken Taloqan, the capital of Takhar Province. Parwina Azimi, a women’s rights activist in Sar-e-Pul, told AFP by phone that government officials and the remaining forces had retreated to an Army barracks about 3 km from the city. The Taliban had the compound surrounded, said Mohammad Hussein Mujahidzada, a member of the provincial council. Taloqan was the next to go on August 8, with resident Zabihullah Hamidi telling AFP by phone that he saw security forces and officials leave the city in a convoy of vehicles. We retreated from the city this afternoon, after the government failed to send help, a security source told AFP. The city is unfortunately fully in Taliban hands. Kunduz is the most significant Taliban gain since the insurgents launched an offensive in May as foreign forces began the final stages of their withdrawal. It has been a perennial target for the Taliban, who briefly overran the city in 2015 and again in 2016 but never managed to hold it for long. The Ministry of Defence said government forces were fighting to retake key installations. The commando forces have launched a clearing operation. Some areas, including the national radio and TV buildings, have been cleared of the terrorist Taliban, it said. Spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said later that reinforcements, including special forces, had been deployed to Sar-e-Pul and Sheberghan. These cities that the Taliban want to capture will soon become their graveyards, he added. Kabul’s ability to hold the north may prove crucial to the government’s long-term survival. Northern Afghanistan has long been considered an anti-Taliban stronghold that saw some of the stiffest resistance to militant rule in the 1990s. The region remains home to several militias and is also a fertile recruiting ground for the country’s armed forces. The capture of Kunduz is quite significant because it will free up a large number of Taliban forces who might then be mobilised in other parts of the north, said Ibraheem Thurial, a consultant for International Crisis Group. Vivid footage of the fighting was posted on social media over the weekend, including what appeared to be large numbers of prisoners being freed from jails in captured cities. The Taliban frequently target prisons to release incarcerated fighters to replenish their ranks.
Myanmar protesters mark 1988 uprising anniversary.
Myanmar protesters on Sunday marked the anniversary of a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that brought Aung San Suu Kyi to prominence, with flash mobs and marches of defiance against the ruling junta. The country has been in turmoil since the generals launched their February putsch and subsequent crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 900 people, according to a local monitoring group. But protesters remain undeterred, taking to the streets daily in lightning quick rallies to demand the end to the State Administration Council as the junta’s so-called caretaker government has dubbed itself. On Sunday, flash mobs popped up across Yangon and second city Mandalay to commemorate the 1988 uprising a pro-democracy movement which the military violently quelled by opening fire on protesters and jailing thousands. Following the calls of an online campaign, red-clad protesters on Sunday flashed an eight-finger salute and carried banners that read Let’s return the old blood debt of 1988 in 2021. In 1988, our country sacrificed a lot – many people lost their lives. But the dictatorship is still alive, said Ko Sai Win, in Mandalay. It is like a black shadow on our country. The 1988 uprising heralded the rise of Ms. Suu Kyi, who had returned to Myanmar just before protests kicked off to care for her ailing mother.
