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Global Covid-19 cases climb to 28.6 million

New Delhi (NVI): More than 28.6 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus so far while the death toll has reached 9,18,000, according to the latest data by Johns Hopkins University.

2,86,50,588 total cases have been reported across the world, while the death toll rose to 9,18,796.

The United States has the maximum number of cases at 64,82,503 while the death toll has risen to 1,93,670, according to the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).

India is currently at the second spot with 47,54,356 cumulative cases and 78,586 deaths so far. Brazil is the third worst-hit country in the world now with 43,15,687 cases, followed by Russia (10,53,663), Peru (7,16,670), Colombia (7,02,088), Mexico (6,63,973) and South Africa (6,48,214).

In Spain, the number of cases has climbed to 566,326, while Argentina has recorded 5,46,481 cases so far. Chile has 432,666 cases and France’s tally has mounted to 4,02,811, as per the CSSE data.

France has reported its highest single-day rise in Covid-19 cases at 10,561. The country has topped over 10,000 cases for the first time.

Brazil has recorded 814 coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 33,523 fresh cases. The South American country has now reported 131,210 total deaths.

Brazil ranks third in the world after the US and India in terms of total coronavirus cases and is second only to the United States in terms of deaths.

-ARK

India’s Covid-19 tally crosses 47 lakh mark with 94,372 new cases

New Delhi (NVI): In yet another huge surge of 94,372 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, India’s Covid-19 tally crossed the 47 lakh mark, the Health Ministry said today.

With this, the overall tally has gone up to 47,54,356, as per the health ministry’s latest data. There are 9,73,175 active cases in the country now.

1,172 fresh deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll due to the deadly virus to 78,586. So far, 37,02,595 corona patients have been discharged.

Maharashtra remains the worst-hit states from the pandemic where total confirmed cases have gone up to 10,37,765. The state has reported over 22,000 Covid cases and 391 deaths since yesterday. 29,115 people have lost their lives in the states due to the virus so far.

Maharashtra is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. India is currently the second worst-affected country in the world after the US. It surpassed Brazil a few days ago in the number of cases.

India’s recovery rate now stands at 77.8 per cent, according to a Health Ministry statement yesterday.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) is ready to restart coronavirus vaccine trials – pending permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) – the manufacturer said in a statement yesterday.

The SII had suspended recruitment for Phase 2 and Phase 3 India trials of the Covishield vaccine – being developed by pharma giant AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford – after concerns over the health of a trial participant in the UK. British regulators directed the UK trials to be halted.

Meanwhile, the global coronavirus cases have reached 28.6 million, with 9,18,000 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

-ARK

J&K: CRPF jawan posted in Jammu kills wife, self, injures sister-in-law

Policeman
Representational Pic.

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A CRPF jawan posted in the Jammu region of J&K UT killed his wife, self and left his sister-in-law seriously injured after he entered into a verbal brawl with his family early this morning, officials said.

The CRPF jawan identified as CT/GD Madan Singh Chib, who was attached with Sector Headquarters in Jammu, entered into an argument with his wife and sister-in-law over some issue after which he fired at them with his service rifle and later shot himself dead.

“His wife died on the spot while his sister-in-law sustained injuries and was hospitalised. He himself was found dead in the room in a pool of blood,” a CRPF official posted at Sector Headquarters Jammu told NVI.

He said Chib’s sister-in-law sustained bullet injuries and has been shifted to hospital for treatment and is serious. “Eight-year-old daughter of the CRPF man was also present on the occasion, but she is safe,” the CRPF official said.

He said that an inquiry has been ordered to find out the actual reason that prompted the CRPF man to take the severe step.

-ARK

Soldier, two girls on the way to Delhi held at Srinagar airport

Srinagar
Srinagar airport

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Airport security at Srinagar International Airport today arrested a soldier along with two local girls from north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, when they were about to board a flight for New Delhi, officials said.

They said that a soldier who is part of Army’s 13RR posted at Ajas in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, identified as Ashok Kumar, son of Rajinder Pal of Baghpath, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested along with two local girls at Srinagar airport when they were about to board a Delhi-bound Spice Jet flight at 4.45 pm.

An Army official said that an inquiry has been ordered to find out how the two girls came in contact with the solider and why they were trying to fly to Delhi.

“The soldier had obtained permission for leave and left the base to join his family,” the official said, adding that it is against the protocol to take any civilian along. “A court of inquiry has been ordered,” he said.

A senior police officer said that airport security found suspicious behaviour among girls after which their identities were checked and when solider was asked why he was taking girls to Delhi, he failed to give any solid reason. “This prompted the airport security to arrest the trio,” he said, adding that families of girls too were in a shock to know that their daughters were travelling to Delhi without their permission. “We are investigating the matter,” the police officer said.

The three are being questioned about the motive behind the trip to Delhi, official said.

The official further added that the arrested soldier will be handed over to the concerned unit where his questioning will take place. “The girls have been handed over to their families, but they will be questioned as to why they were trying to move out of J&K,” he said.

-CHK

J&K witnesses highest ever single-day spike of 1,698 COVID-19 cases, tally 52,410

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today reported the highest ever single-day spike of 1,698 cases of Covid-19 pandemic, including 135 travelers, taking the total number of positive cases to 52,410 in the Union Territory.

Today’s spike is the highest ever since the outbreak of pandemic in March this year.

Officials said that among 1,698 new cases, 860 belong to Kashmir division while 838 are from Jammu division, adding that the total number of positive cases in Kashmir division have reached 35,897 including 27,492 recoveries while the total number of positive cases in Jammu division have reached 16,513 including 7,793 recoveries and 143 deaths.

The officials said that total number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 16,261 comprising 7,684 from Kashmir division and 8,577 from Jammu division.

With 596 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in the Union Territory has reached 35,285 which is 67.32 per cent of the total cases, which was over 78 per cent a few days ago.

Notably, this is the first time since covid-19 outbreak in the UT that active cases have reached over 16,000 in J&K.

“Cases tested positive in J&K include 255 from Srinagar, 123 from Budgam, 82 from Baramulla, 50 from Pulwama, 45 from Anantnag, 108 from Kupwara, 82 from Bandipora, 10 from Kulgam, 45 from Ganderbal  and 69 from Shopian in Kashmir division while as 838 from Jammu division include 250 from Jammu, 103 from Udhampur, 83 from Rajouri , 42 from Kuthua, 58 from Samba, 93 from Poonch, 31 from Ramban, 67 from Doda, 33 from Reasi and 78 from Kishtiwar,” officials disclosed.

As per officials figures, 11,489 positive cases including 248 deaths and 9,329 recoveries are from Srinagar, 3,580 including 70 deaths and 2,284 recoveries are from Budgam, 3,399 including 2,414 recoveries and 112 deaths are from Baramulla, 3,119 including 2,620 recoveries and 60 deaths are from Pulwama, 2,848 including 53 deaths and 2,119 recoveries are from Anantnag, 2,784 including 1,788 recoveries and 56 deaths are from Kupwara, 2,710 cases including 1,886 and 28 deaths are from Bandipora, 2,069 including 1,903 recoveries and 40 deaths are from Kulgam, 2,025 including 1,461 recoveries and 25 deaths are from Ganderbal and 1,865 including 1,688 recoveries and 29 deaths are from Ganderbal.

In Jammu division, 7,947 including 2,604 recoveries and 85 deaths are from Jammu district, 1,398 including 815 recoveries and 4 deaths are from Udhampur, 1,364 including 825 recoveries and 15 deaths are from Rajouri, 1,285 including 870 recoveries and 15 deaths are from Kathua, 1037 including 620 recoveries and 08 deaths are from Samba, 489 including 400 recoveries and 06 deaths are from Poonch, 503 including 653 recoveries and 01 death is from Ramban, 481 including 394 recoveries and 09 deaths are from Doda, 570 including 355 recoveries and 03 deaths are from Reasi and 565 including 354 recoveries and 01 death are from Kishtwar.

As per the daily information bulletin, 5,15,897 people in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while 42,414 people have been kept under home quarantine besides that 16,261 persons are in isolation.

According to the bulletin, 4,03,268 people have completed surveillance period and 53,090 people are under home surveillance. So far, results of 12,03,799 samples have been made available.

-CHK

558 mammal species could go extinct by 2100 as second wave of extinction underway

Some of the Rhinoceros species have already gone extinct while the others also remain endangered.

New Delhi (NVI): By 2100, the number of mammal species going extinct globally is likely to reach 558 if conservation efforts are not stepped up, researchers have predicted.

For all the mammal species that have gone extinct so far, humans are almost entirely to be blamed, said the study published in the journal Science Advances.

“On the basis of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)-based scenario, we predict 558 mammal species’ extinctions globally by the year 2100,” the study authors wrote.

“We are losing biodiversity every year, and with every extinct species and population, we lose unique evolutionary history,” they added.

The current diversity of mammals consists of approximately 5,700 extant species. At least 351 mammal species have gone extinct over the past 126,000 years.

Out of them, 80 are known from historical reports since the year 1500, while all others are only known from fossil or zooarcheological records.

For the study, Tobias Andermann from University of Gothenburg in Sweden and his colleagues applied mathematical procedures that apply probabilities to statistical problems to the fossil records to estimate how mammalian extinction rates have changed over the past 126,000 years, inferring specific times of rate increases.

Based on current trends, the researchers predicted for the near future a rate of escalation of “unprecedented magnitude.” According to these models, the extinctions that have occurred in the past centuries only represent the “tip of the iceberg”, compared to the looming extinctions of the next decades.

However, the study authors noted that despite the high level of current threat, there is still a window of opportunity to prevent many species’ extinctions by improving conservation efforts.

-CHK

TeM module busted in J&K’s Poonch, 2 held

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Security forces today busted a Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen terrorist outfit by arresting two Over Ground Workers (OGW), from whose possession a huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered, in Mendhara area of Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A police spokesman said that based on a specific input, joint operation, comprising Army and police, was launched to intercept the couriers of arms, ammunition and explosives along with other subversive material.

“Security forces were deputed to intercept the couriers of these material along with the arms, ammunitions, explosives and other material to be used in subversive activities. The material was supposed to be carried from forward area to hinterland,” the police spokesman said.

He said that as of now two accused have been apprehended and arms and ammunition has been recovered from them. “In this connection, an FIR under relevant sections of Unlawful Activity Prevention Act has been registered at Mendher police station,” the spokesman said.

He further added that arms and ammunition recovered from the two Over Ground Workers of TeM outfit, include Chinese pistol – three Pistol magazines, six pistol rounds, 70 hand grenades, 11 Wireless sets, 01 IED, 01 Battery, 02 Flags, 02 Mobile phones, 01 Charger, 01 Pen drive, 01 and other related materials for Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

“Further interrogations have been going on in this case .The consignment was sent from across the LoC,” the statement said.

-CHK

Women journalists unite against digital abuse in Pakistan  

Shaheena Shaheen (Image credits: Twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Female journalists in Pakistan are regularly subjected to gender-based threats and attacks that stifle their ability to commit to truthful and accurate reporting. These attacks range from “gender based and sexualized abuse, discrediting, targeting and persecution”.

In order to address these issues, more than 150 Pakistani women journalists released a statement detailing the gender-based attacks that are increasingly impacting their safety and ability to work.

The statement titled ‘Together Against Digital Abuse’, also puts forward a list of demands to Pakistan’s ruling political party to set the region on a path of justice for female journalists.

In this regard, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) stands with the female media workers of Pakistan and urges its government to take the lead on initiating meaningful change.

The attacks on women often emerge in full force when a female journalist reports on an issue that is critical of any political party and have resulted in abusive and defaming campaigns.

The statement comes after the murder of female journalist Shaheena Shaheen, who was the second victim of gender-based killings of female journalists in Pakistan in 10 months with Urooj Iqbal also being murdered by her husband earlier this year.

So severe and prevalent is the abuse that women in the media “refrain from sharing information”, and “giving opinion or actively engaging online,” the statement said.

This is a culture of self-censorship that is rife among Pakistan’s female journalists and is an obstruction of the public’s right to information and the journalists’ right to free speech. The group of journalist also listed a few demands to the government and all political parties for concrete codes of conduct for the social media teams of political parties, investigations into authorities and officials for whom there is evidence of abuse, and a new commitment against digital violence from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency

The PFUJ Secretary General, Rana Muhammad Azeem said, “The PFUJ strongly believes in gender equality and freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, the PFUJ urges the government and media organizations to create an environment that is conducive to female journalists working without fear of possible backlash just because of their gender.”

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also stated, “No journalist should have to fear a backlash for truthful reporting solely because they are female. Pakistan is gravely limiting its press freedom and ability to provide accurate information by not acting in the protection of its women journalists. The IFJ stands with these women and echoes the need for clear codes of conduct for public institutions that act in the best interest of women in the media industry.”

-CHK

Terrorism, maritime issues, coronavirus discussed in 27th ASEAN regional forum

V Muraleedharan (Source: Twitter/MOS_MEA)

New Delhi (NVI): Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan today participated in the meeting of the foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and shared views on COVID-19 pandemic, maritime security and counter terrorism.

The 27th ARF Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) held under the Chairmanship of Vietnam, exchanged views on international and regional issues, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

During the virtual meeting, Muraleedharan presented India’s perspectives on the Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative, the threat of terrorism, maritime issues in the context of UNCLOS framework and cooperation for collective response for COVID-19 pandemic.

The ARF Ministers adopted three statements, namely – enhancing cooperation to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks; treatment of children recruited by or associated with terrorist groups; cooperation in the field of security of and in the use of ICTs in the context of international security, the statement read.

India will co-chair workshops on International Ship and Port facility Security Code (ISPS Code) and on Implementing United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other international instruments, under the ARF activities approved for 2020-21, it added.

-RJV

Jaguar reserve under threat from Brazil wildfires

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The wildfires raging in the Brazil’s Pantanal, the biggest tropical wetlands, are threatening a nature reserve known as the home to the world’s largest jaguar population.

The firefighters, ranchers, scientists, environmentalists and local residents are banding together to try to hold back the blazes and save the jaguars, as per the Brazilian authorities.

These fires are burning in a region known as the Pantanal, which is considered one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Pantanal is also home to thousands of other plant and animal species, including 159 mammals, toucans, caiman, giant otters and giant anteaters. The jaguars are concentrated in a state park called Encontro das Aguas, or Meeting of Waters.

Nearly, 200 of them have already been killed, injured, or displaced due to the fires, according to Panthera, a big cat conservation group.

In recent days, fires reached the park after scorching more than 8,900 square miles of land across wetland, which starts at the southern end of the Amazon forest and stretches over parts of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, according to the reports.

However, the region is used to fires during the dry season, but those who work in the Pantanal say extreme drought, combined with heat and wind, have created a fire situation.

Juliana Camargo, head of the wildlife conservation group AMPARA Animal, said in a statement, “Very few animals survive. The ones that do often suffer very severe effects. They’re burned to the bone, they often have to be euthanized, or die of hunger and thirst.”

The worst part is when the people on the ground fighting the fires tell us, there’s nothing we can do, everything is going to burn. The only hope is for it to rain, but that’s not expected until November, Camargo added.

Lt Col Sheila Sebalhos, a spokeswoman for the firefighters, said that there is no sign of a break in the weather.

The forecast isn’t good, spent weeks in the fire zone, the state capital of Cuiaba, she said, adding that, high speeds of those winds that change direction many times throughout the day are favoring the rapid spread of fire.

“Winds were blamed for carrying sparks into Encontro das Aguas and igniting the fires that affected the jaguars,” Sebalhos added.

-RJV

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