The Evening Wrap: Moderna says its vaccine is highly effective in adolescents

The Hindu Newsletter - The biggest news stories from today [logo] The Evening Wrap Tuesday | 25 May, 2021 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in adolescents The possibility of children returning to normal life in the U.S. became stronger on Tuesday with vaccine manufacturer [Moderna announcing that its Covid-19 vaccine mRNA-1273 is 100% effective in preventing symptomatic infections in 12-17 year olds after two doses](. The company said that it would approach the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to extend the use of its vaccine to this age group, in early June. Two thirds of the 3,732 individuals aged 12-17 received two doses of the vaccine in Moderna’s latest clinical study. None of them developed serious Covid-19 (equivalent to 100% efficacy) while four developed Covid-19 in the placebo group, the company said. [ U.S. biotech firm Moderna said on May 25, 2021 that trials had shown its COVID-19 vaccine is ] A single dose of the vaccine resulted in 93% efficacy based on the case definition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is modified, given the lower overall rate of infections in adolescents. The teenagers in the study will be monitored for a year after their second dose, the New York Times reported. “We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 was highly effective at preventing Covid-19 in adolescents,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said. Some have criticised the U.S. for vaccinating children – who are less susceptible to serious Covid-19 infections -- while more vulnerable adult populations in countries across the world, including India, are yet to be vaccinated. The Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine was recently approved for emergency use in 12-15 years. Pfizer and Moderna are in the process of conducting vaccine trials on children in the 6 months to 11 years group. [underlineimg] Don’t mix Trinamool leaders’ personal liberty with CBI office ‘siege’: SC tells Centre The [Supreme Court on Tuesday refused]( to let the CBI use West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “siege” of and “dharna” at the premier investigating agency’s premises as a pretext for curbing the personal liberty of four TMC leaders arrested in the Narada sting tapes case, forcing the CBI to drop its appeal for their custody. A Bench of Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai said the agency was free to separately proceed against Banerjee, her Law Minister Moloy Ghatak and other TMC leaders for allegedly barging into its offices on May 17. But it would not allow their alleged actions hurt the rights of the accused, presently under house arrest. “Take it that we do not appreciate dharnas and all… But if some Chief Minister or Law Minister takes law into their hands, should the accused suffer? We do not like to mix the issue of liberty of citizens with whatever illegal acts of politicians… We will not do that,” Justice Gavai addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI. Mehta replied, “But they [CM] were doing it from them [accused]”. Justice Gavai observed, “So, therefore, you proceed against the (CM, Law Minister) for attempting to take the law into their hands… … You have yourself quoted Lord Denning’s ‘Be ye never so high, the law is above you’.” Mehta said, “I used to believe in that”. “Well, we still believe in it!” both Justices Saran and Gavai said in unison. The law officer said the incident suggested a larger malaise in the State. The role of the investigating agency was “reduced to nothing”. “This is an extraordinary situation. There was a complete collapse of rule of law, and this is happening repeatedly… CBI offices with the arrested four men was in a state of siege on May 17. Unruly mobs pelted stones. Officers could not step out to produce the accused before the magistrate... If these facts cannot move My Lords’ conscience, there is nothing more I can say,” he expressed his disappointment. The Bench, which refrained from commenting on the merits of the case, reacted to this by pointing out that a five-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court was already “examining every factor regarding the case” following a split verdict on the question of bail. When the CBI argued that the four accused would influence witnesses in the “comforts” of their house arrest, the Bench replied there were “two sets of accused in this case”. “One set is those against whom charge sheet has been filed. The other set is those against whom charge sheet has not been filed. Now, tell us, who of the two is more influential?” Justice Gavai asked. [underlineimg] CBI chief selection: In dissent note, Adhir Ranjan questions conduct of DoPT The conduct of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has been “obnoxious” during the selection process of a new CBI director and the meeting of the selection panel should be deferred, [Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said in a dissent note]( that was submitted to the high-powered selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana is the other member of the committee that decides on the appointment of the CBI chief. Objecting to the manner in which DoPT -- the nodal ministry for all important positions in the Central institutions -- had short-listed 16 names out of a list of 109 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at the ‘eleventh hour,’ Chowdhury batted for cancelling the Monday meeting. However, as the CBI didn’t have a full-time director since February, the panel decided to go ahead with the meeting. The 16 names, whose dossiers were sent to the committee members on the day of the meeting, included present chief of the Border Security Force (BSF) Rakesh Asthana [Gujarat cadre:1984 batch] and the National Investigation Agency chief YC Modi [Assam-Meghalaya:1984 batch], both considered as favourite officers of the ruling dispensation. However, as The Hindu reported on Monday, they were excluded, as the CJI insisted on sticking to a rule that said a candidate should have six months or more for retirement. Chowdhury, too, is learnt to have strongly argued against these officials. The committee eventually short-listed three officers -- VSK Kaumudi [Andhra Pradesh:86 batch], Kumar Rajesh Chandra [Bihar:85 batch] and Subodh Kumar Jaiswal [Maharashtra:85 batch] -- from among whom one will be appointed as the new CBI chief. In his dissent note, Chowdhury cited the Supreme Court judgement in the Anjali Bharadwaj versus Union of India case concerning the appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and argued for absolute transparency in the selection procedure of the CBI chief. “The DoPT has no statutory backing to pick and forward only select names to the Selection Committee. Moreover, it seems, the DoPT, which is directly under the control of the Central Government, is deliberately trying to sabotage the purpose of this High Powered Selection Committee. The above conduct of the DoPT is most objectionable,” he said in his dissent note. [underlineimg] As new IT rules come into force on May 26, Facebook says it 'aims to comply' Social media giant Facebook on Tuesday said it aimed to comply with the provisions of India’s new IT rules of intermediaries, which [come into effect]( on Wednesday. The U.S.-headquartered firm added that it continued to discuss the issues related to the new guidelines with the government. Replying to a query on its readiness to comply with the new guideline, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We aim to comply with the provisions of the IT rules and continue to discuss a few of the issues which need more engagement with the government.” The three-month deadline for social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to comply with new, stricter rules for intermediaries ends on Tuesday even as at least five industry bodies, including the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the US-India Business Council (USIBC), have written to the government for up to a one-year compliance window, particularly in the view of the pandemic. The Centre on February 25 notified the ‘The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021’, which make it mandatory for platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram to aid in identifying the “originator” of “unlawful” messages, while also requiring social media networks to take down such messages within a specific time frame, set up grievance redressal mechanisms, as well as assist government agencies in investigation. The “significant social media intermediaries” were given three months for compliance. [underlineimg] Assembly polls prove BJP juggernaut is stoppable: Pinarayi Vijayan The recently concluded Assembly elections in various States have [busted the myth that the BJP juggernaut is unstoppable](, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said in an interview with The Hindu. After he led the Left Democratic Front (LDF) back to power for a second consecutive term in Kerala, Vijayan said the electoral victory of the LDF in Kerala and the ascension to power of the DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu had buoyed the prospects of a national alternative to the BJP at the Centre. “So certainly, alternatives will emerge,” he said. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is part of the DMK- led alliance in Tamil Nadu. “In that sense, we are allies. Both States have often cooperated on a host of issues. I am sure we will continue to do so,” he said. Read the full interview [here]( [underlineimg] Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi goes missing: Antiguan media Fugitive diamantaire [Mehul Choksi is understood to have gone missing in Antigua and Barbuda]( with the police launching a manhunt to trace him since Sunday, local media outlets reported. “Antiguanewsroom”, a local media outlet, quoted Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney on Tuesday as saying that the police are “following up on the whereabouts of Indian businessman Mehul Choksi”, who is “rumoured” to be missing. The media reports say Choksi, who had taken citizenship of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, was seen driving in the southern area of the island on Sunday. Later, his vehicle was found but there was no trace of Choksi, the reports said. [ ] Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted for allegedly siphoning off ₹13,500 crore of public money from the state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), using letters of undertaking. While Modi is in a London prison after repeated denial of bail and is contesting extradition to India, Choksi had taken the citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 using the Citizenship by Investment programme, before fleeing India in the first week of January 2018. The scam came to light subsequently. Both are facing a CBI probe. Since Choksi already has [an Interpol Red Notice pending against him](, he can be detained in any of the Interpol member countries and deported to India. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 2,71,09,865 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 3,10,153. [underlineimg] In Brief The Goa government on Tuesday [challenged in the Bombay High Court]( the [acquittal by a Sessions court of Tehelka magazine founder-editor Tarun Tejpal]( in a sexual assault case. On May 21, a Sessions court in Goa had acquitted Tejpal of the charge of sexually assaulting a former woman colleague inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in the state in 2013. Goa Advocate General Devidas Pangam said the State government has challenged the order before the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court. He said the HC is yet to assign the date for hearing the appeal. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his American counterpart Antony Blinken will discuss Covid-19 relief, multilateralism, and the Quad during the Minister’s visit to Washington this week, [according to the U.S. State Department](. Jaishankar is on a visit to New York and Washington DC from May 24 to 27. [underlineimg] Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [[A Covid-19 Containment zone at Pandhillapalli Village of Chinthakani Mandal of Khammam district of Telangana. File] When COVID-19 goes to the villages: challenges of managing the pandemic in rural areas | The Hindu In Focus Podcast]( [[ In this Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 file photo, a super blue blood moon rises behind the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. ] Super Blood Moon, partial lunar eclipse to be visible on May 26]( [[Dr. Dhanya. R.S. who won a patent for her technology to reduce impact of collisions during accidents. ] Thrissur dentist’s life saving device wins patent]( [[Facebook also said in took action on more than 25 million pieces of hate speech content between January and March this year.] India remains among top requesters of Facebook’s user data]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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