Current Affairs in Short: 30 March 2021

Delhi government restricts gatherings at weddings, funerals

•The Delhi Government on March 27, 2021 announced restrictions on the gathering of people at weddings and funerals in the wake of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the national capital. 
•A maximum of 50 percent of the hall capacity will be allowed in closed spaces with a ceiling of 100 persons.
In open spaces, the numbers will be allowed keeping in mind the size of the ground with a maximum ceiling of 200 people.
•This would be subject to strict observance of wearing of face masks, maintenance of social distancing and provision of hand sanitizers/ handwash and thermal screening. 
•In case of funerals or last rites-related gatherings, a maximum of 50 people will be allowed subject to strict observance of wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing. The provision of thermal scanning and use of hand sanitizers has also been made mandatory. 

10 more Rafales to join Indian Air Force in one month

•Ten new Rafale fighter jets are expected to join the Indian Air Force in one month, taking IAF's Rafale fleet from 11 to 21. Currently, 11 Rafale jets are in operation with IAF's 17 Squadron, which is based in Ambala. 
•Three Rafales are expected to arrive in India in the next 2-3 days and 7-8 more will fly over in the second half of next month. The Rafale jets will be flying over directly from France to India with midair refueling support by a friendly Air Force. The UAE's Air Force had provided the support last time. 
•These new additions are expected to greatly boost IAF's capabilities. A second squadron is expected to be formed to fly the new Rafales. 
•The Rafale aircraft had begun joining the Indian Air Force in July 2020. They were operationalised by the Air Force in the shortest time possible and were deployed along the LoC amid India's border stand-off with China. 

Maharashtra prepares for lockdown?

•Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reportedly instructed senior officials in the State Health Department and COVID-19 task force to prepare for a lockdown as people continue to violate COVID-19 protocols amid a sudden spike in coronavirus cases in the state. 
•The Chief Minister notified the same during a meeting of the senior officials of the state's health department and the state government's COVID-19 task force.
•The Chief Minister was informed during the meeting that the way the number of cases is increasing on a daily basis, Maharashtra may soon face a scarcity of beds for COVID-19 patients. The officials also informed that the rising number of COVID-19 deaths is also alarming. 
•The Chief Minister also observed during the meeting that people are not taking the COVID guidelines seriously and that is why serious steps, similar to a lockdown, need to be considered.
•Maharashtra reported 31,643 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 27,45,518 in the state. This includes 23,53,307 recoveries and 54,283 deaths.

Ever Given ship blocking Suez Canal freed

•The Ever Given container ship, which was blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week, was finally freed on March 29, 2021. 
•It took almost six days to finally free the 400-meter long vessel, which is slightly larger than the Empire State Building in New York. It was stuck in the Suez Canal since March 23rd, halting crucial trade. 
•The task was completed using a combination of dredgers and dozens of tug boats and high tides. More than 1 million cubic feet of sand and mud were removed from around the stuck ship. 
•Despite the ship finally clearing the crucial passageway, there are still over 400 ships waiting to get through. There is a huge backlog of ships waiting to get through that have live animals and goods like coffee, toilet paper and furniture on board. 
•The Suez Canal is a vital trade artery connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

India sends 1,00,000 doses of Covaxin to Paraguay

Paraguay on March 29, 2021 received a shipment consisting of 1,00,000 doses of India's indigenously developed Covaxin vaccine. The Paraguay Health Ministry thanked India for its support. 
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to announce the arrival of the 'Made in India' vaccines in the south American country. He tweeted saying, "Never too far for friendship."
Under its vaccine Maitri initiative, India has been supplying coronavirus vaccines to countries around the world. So far, India has provided vaccines to 75 countries. 
According to the External Affairs Ministry, India has provided over 638.81 lakh doses of vaccines to countries. 

Brazilian foreign minister steps down after criticism over vaccine shortage

•Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has resigned after rising criticism over a diplomatic failure to secure coronavirus vaccines as the country is grappling with supply shortages.
•The minister had reportedly notified his staff about the decision and sent a letter of resignation to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. 
•The Minister said that he does not want to create problems for the government. There has been no official confirmation yet.
•Brazil is currently facing the biggest crisis since the start of the pandemic with an all-time high of 3,650 deaths and 100,158 infections. The nation is only second to the US in terms of COVID-19 cases and fatalities with 12.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 312,000 deaths.