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Ten days after AstraZeneca admitted side effects of its Covid vaccine in rare cases, the company has withdrawn the shots, renamed in 2021, from the global market. It has cited a “surplus of available updated vaccines” that target new variants of the virus as the reason for its decision. The vaccine major’s moves have generated negative sentiments bordering on panic, including among some people in India where AstraZeneca developed Covishield — the bulwark of the country’s fight against Covid. Such responses might not be surprising given that social media is the prime source of information for a sizable section and the means to distinguish science from pseudoscience are not always at hand. But knee-jerk reactions from other quarters have also not helped. Especially unfortunate are the politically loaded comments about Covishield during the Lok Sabha election campaigns.
Source – https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/astraze
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Indian Naval Ships visited Singapore from 06 – 09 May 24, aimed at undertaking bilateral engagements and discussing areas of mutual interest and cooperation, and reaffirming the commitment to enhance maritime security and stability in the region. This visit is part of the Operational Deployment of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet to the South China Sea.
The visit provided an opportunity for discussions on enhancing naval cooperation and interoperability between navies of both India and Singapore. A deck reception was hosted onboard INS, wherein personnel from both navies and the Indian diaspora in Singapore and also local diplomatic community had the opportunity to interact, furthering the bonds of friendship and mutual respect.
As part of the Indian Navy’s commitment to maritime education and outreach, local school children were invited to visit the Indian Ships. The children were given guided tours of the ships, where they learned about naval operations, India’s rich maritime history and heritage and also the importance of maritime security.
Source- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.as
