# CBSE, CISCE exam cancelled

• The class xii examinations of the central board of secondary education have been cancelled, following a review meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

• This decision has been taken in view of the uncertain conditions due to covid-19 and the feedback obtained from various stakeholders.

• CBSE will take steps to compile the results of class xii students as per a well defined objective criteria in a time bound manner.

• CBSE is yet to announce its alternative assessment method.

# Monsoon update

• The Indian meteorological department (IMD) expects more rain in the monsoon months of june-september than its April estimate.

• On tuesday, it said monsoon rain would be 101% of the long period average (LPA) of 88 cm.

• The agency also said in its update that rainfall in the northeast would likely see a 5% shortfall whereas over central India, which constitutes the core rainfed agricultural region, there would be a 6% increase over the usual for the monsoon.

# Vaccination procurement

• Days after Kerela CM Pinarayi Vijayan urged the chief ministers to come together to persuade the centre to procure and distribute covid-19 vaccines free for whole nation, Odisha and Jharkhand have also called for centralised procurement.

• Both underline the fact that vaccine manufacturers outside India are unwilling to deal directly with the states.

# Tracking orphans

• Bal Swaraj, an online tracking portal of a national child rights body, shows details of nearly 10,000 children in the country in immediate need of care and production.

• They include children aged between 0 and 17 orphaned or abandoned during the covid-19 pandemic since march 2020.

• The National Commission for protection of child rights (NCPCR) informed the supreme court that these children ran a high risk of being pushed into trafficking and flesh trade.

# US spying cases

• France, Germany and other european countries demanded answers on monday following reports the US spied on its allies using Danish underwater cables.

• This spying case has been published in an investigative report published by Danish public broadcaster Danmarks radio (DR).

• France and Germany has demanded an explanation from USA and Denmark on this report.