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Eco/Invest/Demography

India records 16,488 new COVID-19 cases, 113 deaths

The active case count has further increased to 1,59,590, which comprises 1.44 per cent of the total infections, the data stated.For the first time, a coronavirus-linked death has been reported in Lakshadweep. The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths were caused due to comorbidities.
The nationwide Covid-19 vaccination to healthcare workers and frontline workers crossed 1.34 crores coverage on Friday, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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India tightens regulatory grip on Facebook, WhatsApp with new rules

India is the largest market by user numbers for both Facebook and WhatsApp.

The new rules issued by the government, called the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, will be legally enforceable.

They will require big social media companies to set up a grievance redressal mechanism and within three months appoint new executives to coordinate with law enforcement.

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India says virus variants not behind upsurge in cases

A top government health official confirmed the long-time presence of two mutants – N440K and E484Q – in those two states as well as elsewhere in the country and abroad. Authorities have also found the UK variant in 187 people in India, the South African one in six and one case of the Brazilian mutation.

“There is no reason today for us to believe, on the basis of scientific information, that these are responsible for the upsurge of the outbreak,” Vinod Kumar Paul, who heads a government committee on vaccines, told a news conference.

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India detects over 24,000 mutations in 7,000 variants of Covid

“Till now, no correlation has been established between the variants and the rise in the number of cases reported in a few states. It is still under investigation,” he said.

“More than 2 lakh mutations in the virus have been recorded globally. But did all the mutations incite a rise in cases? The mutations are a natural process of evolution in a pathogen. It is relevant only if it induces a change in the trend of disease spread,” Singh explained.

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Lloyd’s insurer Brit says it will not insure Adani coal mine

Twenty-six Lloyd’s syndicates have now said they will not insure the mine, according to action group Insure Our Future.

Adani has begun construction at Carmichael together with an associated rail project, with plans to start producing 10 million tonnes of coal per year from 2021.

The coal industry is in the spotlight for its higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than crude oil.

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