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Farooq Abdullah attends his first Parliament session after Article 370 abrogation

Farooq Abdullah
File Photo: Dr Farooq Abdullah

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): National Conference president and the former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah today attended the Lok Sabha for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year.

Abdullah, who arrived in New Delhi yesterday, turned up at the Parliament this morning after a gap of more than one year.

The veteran politician, who was welcomed by different leaders of Opposition in the House, will remain in focus during the ongoing session since he remained in detention during the last two sessions.

The leader may express his views towards the restoration of Article 370, which was abolished by the BJP-led Central Government last year, as per political observers.

Abdullah’s National Conference party is also part of a six-party alliance, including PDP and PC, which has pledged to strive for the restoration of J&K’s special position and statehood.

It is worthwhile to mention that Abdullah was among more than 40 mainstream leaders, including former CMs, who were detained by the Centre hours before it abrogated Article 370 on August 56 last year.

In September last year, he was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) when a petition challenging his detention came up for hearing in the Supreme Court.

According to his PSA dossier prepared by J&K administration, Abdullah has tremendous potential for creating an environment of public disorder within Srinagar district and other parts of the Valley.

He was also accused of fanning the emotions of the masses against the Indian Government and instigating the public with statements against the unity and integrity of India.

“On the 11th birth anniversary of his father at Naseembagh Hazratbal, in December 2016…triggered controversy by making explicit overtures towards separatist conglomerate namely Hurriyat Conference by stating that they should unite with his party for the cause of Kashmir,” the dossier read.

In March this year, the J&K administration revoked his detention under PSA and set him free.

-ARK

Yoshihide Suga set to be Japan’s next Prime Minister

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

New Delhi (NVI): Yoshihide Suga is all set to become Japan’s Prime Minister after he was elected to lead the ruling party following the resignation of Shinzo Abe.

Liberal Democratic party (LDP) MPs from both houses of parliament and representatives from prefectural party chapters voted overwhelmingly for Suga, with the Abe loyalist emerging from the poll with 377 of the 534 votes, well ahead of Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, with 89 votes, and Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence minister, with 68.

Suga is almost certain to be made Prime Minister after the LDP-controlled lower and upper houses vote on his appointment on Wednesday.

Taking over mid-term, Suga is expected to stay in post until elections due in September 2021.

As chief cabinet secretary for almost eight years, Suga has acted as the administration’s de facto second-in-command, batting away tricky questions at twice-daily press briefings, advising Abe on policy and reining in Japan’s recalcitrant bureaucracy.

The 71-year-old son of a strawberry farmer in rural northern Japan quickly emerged as the favourite to replace Abe, who announced his resignation last month on health grounds, after securing the support of major LDP factions.

Despite his low-key image as Abe’s right-hand man, Suga is actually known for his iron-fist approach to getting jobs done as a policy coordinator and influencing bureaucrats by using the centralised power of the prime minister’s office.

Suga’s most urgent task will be to sustain a recent fall in daily coronavirus cases while attempting to steer the world’s third-biggest economy out of a prolonged recession, worsened by the pandemic.

In addition to the coronavirus and the economic fallout, Suga stands to inherit several other challenges, including China, which continues its assertive actions in the East China Sea. He also will have to decide what to do with the Tokyo Olympics, which were pushed back to next summer due to the coronavirus.

-CHK

Dining at restaurants linked with higher Covid-19 transmission: CDC study

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): As restaurants attempt to keep their kitchens open amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study has linked a possible higher risk of virus transmission to dining out than other community activities.

The study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined data from adults at 11 health care facilities across the nation who tested positive for COVID-19 and compared that with a control group of adults without virus infection.

“We found that close contact with persons with known COVID-19 or going to locations that offer on-site eating and drinking options were associated with COVID-19 positivity,” researchers said in a statement.

“Adults with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results were approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than were those with negative test results,” they added.

During this investigation, participants with and without COVID-19 reported similar community exposures, with the exception of going to locations with on-site eating and drinking options.

In addition to this, the researchers asked questions from participants about wearing masks and various activities in the community, including whether they recently dined at a restaurant, hung out a bar or went to a gym.

According to the study, the data collected by researchers shows that 42 per cent of the adults who tested positive reported having close contact with at least one person known to have COVID-19, compared with 14 per cent of those who tested negative.

The researchers collected data from the participants about close contact, within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more, with a person with known COVID-19, workplace exposures, mask-wearing behavior, and community activities in the last 14 days before they started experiencing symptoms.

They also found that 71 per cent of the adults with COVID-19 and 74 per cent of those who tested negative reported always using a face covering while in public.

The study, however, showed that eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

“Efforts to reduce possible exposures where mask use and social distancing are difficult to maintain, such as when eating and drinking, should be considered to protect customers, employees and communities and slow the spread of COVID-19,” the researchers noted in the study.

Furthermore, the study also pointed out that many reported cases tied to restaurants have been linked to air circulation.

“Direction, ventilation, and intensity of airflow might affect virus transmission, even if social distancing measures and mask use are implemented according to current guidance,” they added.

-RJV

Hope Parliament will send message that entire nation standing with soldiers: PM

New Delhi (NVI): In his customary remarks before the starting of the Monsoon session of Parliament today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he hopes that both the houses of parliament will give a strong message that the entire country is standing with the soldiers who are guarding the borders despite a challenging terrain and weather.

In a clear reference to the Indian troops deployed at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, PM said he hopes that all members of the parliament will send an encouraging message to the soldiers. PM’s remarks were aimed at boosting the morale of the Indian soldiers deployed at LAC, amid an escalating border row with China.

“Today the brave soldiers of our army are on the borders. They are defending the borders with great courage and high spirits, in the difficult terrains. And the rains are going to begin in a few days. Just like the faith with which they are standing, determined to protect the motherland, these Houses and all the members of the House too will send out a message in a unanimous voice, spirit and resolve – the country stands in support of the Indian army through the Houses and the Members of Parliament.”

“The entire House stands with the brave soldiers of the country with one voice; I believe that this House and all the honorable members too will give out a very strong message,” PM said in his address at the parliament premises.

The border tussle between India and China is also expected to be raised by the Parliament in the truncated 18-day monsoon session. This is the first parliament session to be held after the pandemic outbreak.

The Centre is also expected to make a statement on the tense situation at LAC in both houses. Tensions have erupted at the de-facto border between the two countries since May and were further escalated in June after the deadly clashes between the troops from both sides at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. An undeclared number of Chinese PLA troops also lost their lives in the blood face-off.

China again resorted to brazen violations of the border agreements and protocols when it made an attempt to change the status quo on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake along the LAC in August end but it was thwarted by the Indian Army.

That was followed by another “provocative action” along the LAC, just a day after the transgression at Pangong, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation. That attempt too was thwarted by the alert Indian troops.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met in Moscow on the sidelines of SCO summit last week. The two sides reached an agreement on the five points during talks.

Meanwhile, the 18-day monsoon session will be marked by staggered sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, distancing between MPs in the house, working weekends and limited visitors. Proper seating arrangements have been made as per Covid-19 protocols, apart from other safety measures.

PM Modi in his address also said that “we cannot drop our guards” until there is a vaccine. “…we cannot afford any laxity in our approach unless there is a medicine. We are hoping that the vaccines should come up from any corner of the world as soon as possible, our scientists become successful in this direction as soon as possible and we can succeed in getting everyone out of this crisis,” he said.

In his opening remarks, PM said that this parliament session is being held under special circumstances. “There is a corona pandemic on one hand while our obligation towards fulfilling our duties on the other; and all the MPs have chosen the path of duty. I congratulate and thank all the MPs for this initiative,” he said.

-ARK

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India has reached 48,46,428, after 92,071 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The country’s death toll has gone up to 79,722 after 1,136 new fatalities were reported in the country during this period.

In worst-hit Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases climbed to 10,60,308, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 5,67,213 cases, and Tamil Nadu with 5,02,759 cases.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 3,546

Andhra Pradesh- 5,67,123

Arunachal Pradesh- 6,121

Assam- 1,41,763

Bihar- 1,58,285

Chandigarh- 7,991

Chhattisgarh- 63,991

Dadra Nagar Haveli & Diu – 2,745

Delhi- 2,18,304

Gujarat- 1,13,500

Goa- 24,592

Haryana– 93,641

Himachal Pradesh- 9,555

Jammu and Kashmir- 54,096

Jharkhand- 61,474

Karnataka- 4,59,445

Kerala- 1,08,278

Ladakh- 3,345

Madhya Pradesh- 88,247

Maharashtra- 10,60,308

Manipur- 7,875

Meghalaya- 3,724

Mizoram- 1,428

Nagaland- 5,083

Odisha- 1,50,807

Puducherry- 19,833

Punjab- 79,679

Rajasthan- 1,02,408

Sikkim- 2,086

Tamil Nadu- 5,02,759

Telangana- 1,58,513

Tripura- 19,165

Uttarakhand- 31,973

Uttar Pradesh- 3,12,036

West Bengal– 2,02,708

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 51

Andhra Pradesh- 4,912

Arunachal Pradesh- 10

Assam- 469

Bihar- 822

Chandigarh- 93

Chhattisgarh- 555

Dadra and Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 4,744

Goa- 290

Gujarat- 3,210

Haryana- 975

Himachal Pradesh- 77

Jammu and Kashmir- 878

Jharkhand- 555

Karnataka- 7,265

Kerala- 439

Ladakh- 4

Madhya Pradesh- 1,762

Maharashtra- 29,531

Manipur- 46

Meghalaya- 26

Nagaland- 10

Odisha- 626

Puducherry- 385

Punjab- 2,356

Rajasthan- 1,236

Sikkim- 14

Tamil Nadu- 8,381

Telangana- 975

Tripura- 200

Uttarakhand- 414

Uttar Pradesh- 4,429

West Bengal- 3,945

However, a total of 37,80,107 people have been cured or discharged. Total active cases stand at 9,86,598.

-CHK

Covid-19 recovery rate improves further in India, mounts to 78%

COVID-19
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): India’s coronavirus recoveries have reached nearly 38 lakh and stands at 37,80,107, pushing the recovery rate to 78.00 per cent and crossed another milestone in the country, the Union Health Ministry said.

In an official statement, the ministry said that, “On a continuous upward trajectory, the recovery rate has touched 78.00 per cent reflecting the increasing number of high recoveries per day.”

“77,512 patients have been discharged in the last 24 hours. With this, the total recovered cases stands at 37,80,107, ” it added.

Meanwhile, the gap between recovered cases and active cases is consistently increasing. This has touched nearly 28 lakh (27,93,509). While the total number of active cases in the country stands at 9,86,598 as on date, the ministry said.

The ministry further stated, more than 60 per cent of the active cases are concentrated in 5 States viz Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

“These states are also reporting 60 per cent of the total recovered cases,” it added.

In last 24 hours, 92,071 new cases have been reported in the country. Maharashtra continues to contribute a high number, it has reported more than 22,000 new cases in this period of time. Likewise, Andhra Pradesh has also contributed more than 9,800 new cases.

Nearly 60 per cent of the total cases are being contributed by five States which are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, the ministry informed.

The country logged 1,136 deaths in the past 24 hours, the ministry said, adding that, of the new deaths, nearly 53 per cent are concentrated in three States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh. These are followed by Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.

“More than 36 per cent of deaths reported yesterday are from Maharashtra,” it said.

India is currently in the second place in terms of coronavirus cases at 48,46,428, while the country’s death toll stood at 79,722 as per the last bulletin by the Health Ministry.

-RJV

Israel announces 3-week nationwide lockdown as COVID cases spike

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

New Delhi (NVI): Israel has announced a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus after a second-wave of new cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Israel, which has a population of about nine million, has reported more than 3,000 new cases a day in recent weeks.

During the country’s second lockdown, which comes during the Jewish high-holiday season, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis.

Schools and shopping malls will be closed but supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open. The public sector will operate with fewer staff, but non-governmental offices and businesses will not have to close, as long as they do not accept customers, according to media reports.

Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people and no more than 20 people outdoors.

“I know those measures will exact a heavy price on us all,” Netanyahu said in a televised address. “This is not the kind of holiday we are used to. And we certainly won’t be able to celebrate with our extended families.”

The Finance Ministry said the lockdown will cost the economy, which slipped into a recession in the wake of the virus, an estimated 6.5 billion shekels (US$1.88 billion).

So far, the country has seen 1,108 deaths from Covid-19 and more than 1,53,000 confirmed infections, according to Johns Hopkins University tally.

-CHK

US highlights abuses perpetrated against minorities by China’s Communist Party

Uyghurs
Uyghur Muslims of China-occupied East Turkistan (Xinjiang) protesting against genocide. File Pic

New Delhi (NVI): The United States administration has released a new web page that highlights the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Communist Party of China (CCP) against the Uyghur Muslims and members of the other minority communities in China.

The US State Department released a detailed account of the Chinese human right violations against the minority Muslims.

Releasing a dedicated web page to highlight the human right abuses, the Donald Trump administration said that they are committed to leading the global fight against these egregious human rights abuses.

The web page accounts the targeted campaign unleashed by the Communist Party of China against Uyghur women, men, and children, and members of other Turkic Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, China.

Uyghurs are a Turkish-Muslims ethnic group living in Xinjiang, the largest and most western of China’s administrative regions surrounded by Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The state department also accused China of carrying out human rights abuses against these minorities that include coercive population control methods, forced labour, arbitrary detention in internment camps, torture, physical and sexual abuse, mass surveillance, family separation, and repression of cultural and religious expression.

“In recent years, these egregious abuses have increased through government policies under the pretext and justification of fighting the ‘three evils of ethnic separatism, religious extremism, and violent terrorism’,” the web page reads.

The US State Department also alleged that the CCP was perpetrating a sustained campaign of forced sterilization, forced abortion, and involuntary implantation of birth control.

It added that the documented evidence of such practices in Xinjiang demonstrated CCP’s utter disregard for the sanctity of human life and basic human dignity.

It was pointed out that since 2017, the CCP has increased its campaign of brutal repression of Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minority groups and have detained members of these groups based on spurious “birth policy violations”.

“The CCP’s use of forced labour to target members of ethnic and religious minority communities is not confined to the Xinjiang region and is increasingly taking place throughout China through the CCP government-facilitated arrangements with private-sector manufacturers,” the document stated.

In addition to this, the Donald Trump administration also pointed out that CCP is among the worst violators of religious freedom in the world as it has displayed a blatant disregard for religious freedom and exercises extreme hostility to members of all religious faiths, including Protestants, Catholics, Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong.

More than one million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and members of other minority Muslim groups have been arbitrarily detained in internment camps since April 2017, the document added.

In practice, the CCP targets everyday expression of Islamic belief such as owning a Quran, praying, avoiding alcohol or tobacco, fasting during Ramadan, as well as secular aspects of non-Chinese culture such as Uyghur language and Uyghur music.

-CHK

PM, Shah extend greetings on Hindi Diwas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, extended greetings to people and lauded those who contribute towards the progress of Hindi language.

“Best wishes to everyone on Hindi Diwas. My heartiest congratulations to all the linguists who contributed to the development of Hindi (language) on this occasion,” PM Modi tweeted in Hindi.

Meanwhile, extending wishes on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to the people to use the Hindi language along with their mother tongue.

“A country is identified by its border and geography, but its biggest identity is its language. The various languages and dialects of India are its strength as well as a symbol of its unity. In India, which is full of cultural and linguistic diversity, ‘Hindi’ has been working to unify the whole country for centuries,” Shah tweeted in Hindi.

“Hindi is an unbreakable part of India’s culture. During Independence struggle, the Hindi language was one of the biggest medium to unite people,” he added.

Modi government’s new National Education Policy will help the development of Hindi and other languages as well, Shah asserted.

On September 14, 1949, the Hindi language was first adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the official language of the Republic of India. Later, the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950 decided that Hindi will be used as an official language of India.

Hindi is spoken as a native language by 258 million people and is acknowledged as the fourth most spoken language in the world.

 

-RJV

Coronavirus cases near 29 million worldwide; death toll tops 9.22 lakh

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): More than 28.9 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and more than 922,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. About 19.5 million people have recovered.

In the US, the number of coronavirus infections have surpassed 6.5 million while the number of fatalities is nearing 2 lakh in the country.

Brazil’s coronavirus cases climbed past 4.75 million while the number of deaths have exceeded 1,31,000.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the country will reinstate a strict new countrywide lockdown this week amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

South Korea reported at least 109 COVID-19 cases – the 12th straight day that infections stayed below 200.

Germany has reported that the country’s COVID-19 cases have gone up by 927 to 2,60,355.

Victoria, the second-most populous state in Australia and the epicentre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, has reported 35 new cases – the lowest daily rise in three months.

China’s National Health Commission has reported 10 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s confirmed cases to 85,194.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that coronavirus restrictions across the country will be lifted on September 21, except in its biggest city of Auckland which is the epicentre of a second wave of infections.

The World Health Organization has reported a record-breaking number of coronavirus cases worldwide, with at least 307,930 cases confirmed in just one day.

-CHK

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