# Vaccine shortage

• States are complaining about shortage of vaccines.

• Most vaccination centres in different states are running below capacity and vaccine stock is left for less than 4 days.

• Union health minister Harsh vardhan on thursday tweeted that 13.5 crore doses were available, of which 9.5 crore had been administered until friday.

• Almost 4 crore vaccine is in stock or in pipeline, i.e vaccine stock is available for 10-15 days.

# US naval exercise

• India on friday protested the US decision to conduct a patrol in the Indian exclusive economic zone in the western Indian ocean.

• US navy announced that its ship, USS John paul jones, had carried out freedom of navigation operation in the Indian EEZ.

• US is not a signatory of united nations convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS) as US consider EEZ as illegal.

# Italian marine case

• The supreme court on friday said it would order the closure of criminal proceedings against the two italian marines accused of killing fisherman off the coast of kerela.

• The case will only be closed if italy pays 10 crore rupees as compensation.

• Central as well as kerela government had requested the SC to shutdown the case.

# Bhutan-China dialogue

• Bhutan and china have agreed to set up the next round of much delayed boundary talks between them.

• This is the 25th round of the boundary talks machanism.

• It is the first time since, the doklam stand off  in 2017 that the talks has resumed.

# Tax collections

• India’s net direct tax collections for the pandemic hit financial year grew by almost 5% year on year to 9.45 lakh crore.

• It has exceeded the revised estimates of 9.05 lakh crore presented in the union budget.

• Tax experts said that the vivad se vishwas scheme to settle pending tax disputes also helped bolster the collections.