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After India, China too snubs Trump on mediation offer

Trump signs bill to stop Chinese interference in selection of next Dalai Lama

New Delhi (NVI): Two days after asserting that the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India was “controllable”, China on Friday said the two neighbouring countries are “capable of properly resolving” issues between them and rejected the offer of mediation from US President Donald Trump.

The snub by China came hours after Trump repeated, for the second time, his offer of mediation, while saying that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not in a “good mood” over the military face-off with China on the LAC in Ladakh.

Trump also said during a media conference in Washington that he had spoken to Modi, a claim denied by the Indian side, which said the two leaders had not spoken in the recent past and that their last conversation was on April 4 regarding the supply of hydroxychloroquine medicine for coronavirus.

Significantly, the Chinese snub to Trump came a day after India indirectly rebuffed the US President for his offer of “mediation” or “arbitration”. India’s External Affairs Ministry said New Delhi and Beijing have established diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve peacefully any issues that may arise between them and those are being used.

The militaries of India and China have been in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation for over last three weeks at 4 places along the LAC. It started after Chinese side objected to construction of a road by India on its side of the LAC. Since then the military build-up has been going on, prompting Trump to speak on it.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, while responding to a question on Trump’s offer, said on Friday that Beijing and New Delhi did not want any “intervention” from a third party to resolve the military face-off.

Addressing the media, Zhao said, “Between China and India, we have existing border-related mechanisms and communication channels…. We are capable of properly resolving the issues between us through dialogue and consultation. We do not need the intervention of the third party.”

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastav said on Friday that Indian troops have taken a very responsible approach towards border management and strictly follow the procedures laid out in various bilateral agreements and protocols with China to resolve any issue that may arise in the border area.

At the same time, he said India is committed to ensuring protection of its sovereignty.

India has maintained that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is hindering normal patrolling by its troops along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim and rubbished Beijing’s claim of trespass.

Earlier, two days back, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the situation on the LAC was stable and “controllable”, in an apparent attempt to allay fears about armed escalation.

PM pays tribute to Veerendra Kumar

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of Rajya Sabha member MP Veerendra Kumar, saying he believed in giving a voice to the poor and the underprivileged.

Veerendra Kumar a former union minister passed way on Thursday at a private hospital following cardiac arrest at the age of 84.

Taking to twitter, PM Modi wrote, “Anguished by the passing away of Rajya Sabha MP Shri M.P. Veerendra Kumar Ji. He distinguished himself as an effective legislator and Parliamentarian.”

“He believed in giving voice to the poor and underprivileged. Condolences to his family and well wishers. Om Shanti,” the prime minister added.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also expressed his grief over the demise of Rajya Sabha member, “Deeply saddened by the demise of Shri M.P. Veerendra kumar, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and former union minister,” Naidu tweeted.

“He was a multifaceted personality. The veteran leader was also an accomplished journalist and a prolific writer,” he added.

Veerendra Kumar was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1987 and to the Lok Sabha twice.

WHO prescribes ways for healthy, green recovery from COVID-19

New Delhi (NVI): In order to recover post COVID-19 and to reduce the risk of future epidemics, there is a need to preserve and protect the environment and to go further upstream than mere detection and control outbreak of these diseases, the World Health Organization said.

Economies are a product of healthy human societies, which in turn rely on the natural environment – the original source of all clean air, water, and food. Human pressures, from deforestation, to intensive and polluting agricultural practices, to unsafe management and consumption of wildlife, undermine these services.

Several of the countries that were earliest and hardest hit by COVID-19, such as Italy and Spain, and those that were most successful in controlling the disease, such as South Korea and New Zealand, have put green development alongside health at the heart of their COVID-19 recovery strategies

WHO further laid down several more ways for a healthy recovery which includes investment  in essential services – varying from water and sanitation to clean energy in healthcare facilities.

It stated, it is essential that health care facilities be equipped with water and sanitation services, including the soap and water that constitutes the most basic intervention to cut transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other infections, access to reliable energy that is necessary to safely carry out most medical procedures, and occupational protection for health workers.

Furthermore, investment in healthier environments for health protection, environmental regulation, and ensuring that health systems are climate resilient, is both an essential guardrail against future disaster, and offers some of the best returns for society.

Currently, over seven million people a year die from exposure to air pollution – 1 in 8 of all deaths. Over 90 per cent of people breathe outdoor air with pollution levels exceeding WHO air quality guideline values.

Energy infrastructure decisions for factoring in the full economic and social consequences in the public health interest, will tend to favour renewable energy sources, leading to cleaner environments and healthier people.

WHO also prescribes the need to promote healthy and sustainable food systems. Diseases caused by either lack of access to food, or consumption of unhealthy, high calorie diets, are now the single largest cause of global ill health.

There is a need for a rapid transition to healthy, nutritious and sustainable diets.

In addition to this, most of the largest cities in the world, such as Milan, Paris and London, have reacted to COVID-19 crisis by pedestrianizing streets and massively expanding cycle lanes – enabling “physically distant” transport during the crisis, and enhancing economic activity and quality of life afterwards.

This brings major health benefits through reducing air pollution, road traffic injuries and reducing over three million annual deaths due to physical inactivity.

The COVID-19 crisis has shown that people will support even difficult policies if decision-making is transparent and has the clear aim of protecting health, families and livelihoods.

41 million in US lost jobs since COVID-19 hit

New Delhi (NVI): More than 41 million Americans have lost their jobs since the virus outbreak intensified in mid-March, according to reports.

According to the US Department of Labor, 2.1 million more people have applied for US unemployment benefits last week, despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country.

The overall number of Americans currently drawing jobless benefits dropped for the first time since the crisis began, from 25 million to 21 million.

As per reports in the US media, for the first-time applications for unemployment have fallen for eight straight weeks, as states gradually reopen restaurants and businesses.

The US unemployment rate was 14.7 per cent in April, a level not seen since the Depression, and many economists expect it will be near 20 per cent in May.

The economists also said many of the jobs lost are never coming back, and double-digit unemployment could persist through 2021.

With over 1,01,000 deaths due to COVID-19 and the total number of cases surging past 1.7 million in the United States, the pandemic situation has led to a large number of people filing unemployment claims.

Railways appeal to people with comorbidities, pregnant women to avoid travel

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): Union Ministry of Railway today appealed to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women, senior citizens and children below the age of 10 to travel in Shramik Express trains only when it is essential.

The appeal comes after several deaths were reported on these special trains.

Railway Minister, Piyush Goyal, took to twitter in this regard and stated, “I appeal to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women & those above 65 years & below 10 years of age to travel only when necessary in Shramik Trains. Railway Parivaar is committed to ensuring safety of all passengers. #SafeRailways”

The railways have been running Shramik special trains on a daily basis throughout the country to ensure that migrants can travel back to their homes since May 1.

“It has been observed that some people who are availing this service have pre-existing medical conditions which aggravates the risk they face during the COVID-19 pandemic. A few unfortunate cases of deaths related to pre-existing medical conditions while travelling have happened,” Railways Ministry stated.

Earlier on Thursday, Supreme Court ordered that train or bus fare will not be charged from migrant workers and the railway fare will be shared by the states.

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): Coronavirus cases in India continue to surge with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat being the worst affected states in the country.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases in India has reached 1,65,799 while a total of 4,706 deaths have been reported so far, according to Union Health Ministry tally.

Maharashtra tops the country with the maximum number of coronavirus cases and has reported nearly 60,000 confirmed cases so far.

The first confirmed coronavirus case in India was reported in the state of Kerala on January 30. Since then, the virus has tightened its grip across the country.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 33

Andhra Pradesh- 3,251

Arunachal Pradesh- 3

Assam- 856

Bihar- 3,296

Chandigarh- 288

Chhattisgarh- 399

Dadar Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 16,281

Gujarat- 15,562

Goa- 69

Haryana– 1,504

Himachal Pradesh- 276

Jammu and Kashmir- 2,036

Jharkhand- 469

Karnataka- 2,533

Kerala- 1,088

Ladakh- 73

Madhya Pradesh- 7,453

Maharashtra- 59,546

Manipur- 55

Meghalaya- 21

Mizoram- 1

Nagaland- 18

Odisha- 1,660

Puducherry- 51

Punjab- 2,158

Rajasthan- 8,067

Sikkim- 1

Tamil Nadu- 19,372

Telangana- 2,256

Tripura- 242

Uttarakhand- 500

Uttar Pradesh- 7,170

West Bengal – 4,536

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andhra Pradesh- 59

Assam- 4

Bihar- 15

Chandigarh- 4

Delhi- 316

Gujarat- 960

Haryana- 19

Himachal Pradesh- 5

Jammu and Kashmir- 27

Jharkhand- 4

Karnataka- 47

Kerala- 7

Madhya Pradesh- 321

Maharashtra- 1,982

Meghalaya- 1

Odisha- 7

Puducherry- 1

Punjab- 40

Rajasthan- 180

Tamil Nadu- 145

Telangana- 67

Uttar Pradesh- 197

Uttarakhand- 4

West Bengal- 295

A total of 71,106 people have been cured or discharged from hospitals in India. There are around 89,987 active cases currently, according to the Health Ministry.

Coronavirus cases exceed 5.8 million worldwide

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): More than 5.8 million cases of coronavirus have been confirmed around the world, while at least 3,59,000 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, more than 2.4 million have recovered or have been cured of the deadly contagion.

In the US, nearly 21,760 new cases of coronavirus and 1,174 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the number of total coronavirus cases in the country to more than 1.7 million and 1,01,616 deaths.

Furthermore, the infection rate in Brazil is accelerating, and some experts believe that the toll could quintuple by August.

So far, Brazil has reported 4,38,238 cases of coronavirus with 26,754 fatalities.

In another development, Spain, Turkey, France, Britain and Brazil all announced today plans to at least partially lift lockdowns and resume businesses.

European governments have moved to halt the use of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients.

India’s COVID cases reach 1.65 lakh; death toll 4,706

New Delhi (NVI): At least 7,466 new cases of coronavirus and 175 deaths have been reported in India in the last 24 hours.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India now stands at 1,65,799, with 4,706 deaths due to the pandemic, Union Health Ministry said.

In worst-hit Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases climbed to 59,546 followed by Tamil Nadu with 19, 372 cases, and Gujarat with 15,562 cases.

Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of fatalities at 1,982, followed by 960 in Gujarat and 321in Madhya Pradesh.

The coronavirus cases in Delhi have increased to 16,281 with 316 deaths reported so far, health ministry data shows.

The other worst affected states are Rajasthan (8,067), Madhya Pradesh (7,453), and Uttar Pradesh (7,170).

So far, 71,106 patients have been cured of the virus or discharged.

In addition, India has moved to the ninth position in the list of worst-affected countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, as per the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

Meanwhile, Centre has been engaged discussion with state governments over the possible extension of lockdown even as the COVID-19 cases in the country have crossed 1.65 lakh-mark.

Millions take #RedDotChallenge to break silence on menstrual hygiene

The Instagram campaign is in collaboration with digital influencer, Diipa Khosla’s Post for Change initiative using social media for social change.

New Delhi (NVI): ‘Menstrual Hygiene Day’ is observed on May 28 every year to recognise the importance of menstrual health and hygiene issues and bring to attention the difficulties faced by adolescent girls.

The theme for 2020 is ‘Periods in Pandemic’ and it aims to highlight that lack of access to hygienic products for managing periods can become more challenging during the lockdown.

Periods are a normal biological process that does not stop for pandemics, cyclones or lockdowns. Every month, millions of girls face a cycle of pain and shame when their periods arrive. They are often isolated, stigmatized, and are unable to manage their periods with dignity. The culture of silence surrounding menstruation within families prevents girls from getting information on how to manage their periods.

Poor menstrual hygiene leaves them vulnerable to risks of contracting urinary tract infections, and anemia because of ill-advised dietary restrictions. The COVID 19 pandemic has further compounded these issues.

UNICEF Indian has brought back the #RedDotChallenge this year, for ensuring all girls manage their periods safely and with dignity despite the pandemic situation, with a campaign that has reached over 3.2 million in a week.

UNICEF India Representative, Dr Yasmin Ali Haque said, “The culture of silence around menstruation has become even more evident in the COVID pandemic. Millions of women and girls from economically disadvantaged sections of the society are finding it difficult to manage their periods safely, hygienically and with dignity. Many are without work, stranded away from home with little access to menstrual hygiene products. Breaking the silence, raising awareness and changing negative social norms is more important now than ever before. UNICEF, with its partners is helping break this silence.”

UNICEF India and digital influencer Diipa Khosla’s ‘Post for Change’ have teamed up with India’s biggest influencers to make an even stronger stand for Menstrual Hygiene, this year.

The Instagram campaign is in collaboration with Khosla’s Post for Change initiative using social media for social change. The week-long #RedDotChallenge campaign culminating on 28 May reached 3.2 million through UNICEF social media. With many more celebrities and influencers taking the challenge, it is expected to have a potential reach of over 190 million. UNICEF National Youth Ambassador, Hima Das, celebrities Manushi Chillar and Dia Mirza, as well as Aditi Rao Hydari, Diana Penty, Neeru Bajwa and young adults demonstrated their support. Digital influencers such as Sejal Kumar, Meghna Kaur, Aashna Shroff and many others also supported the issue.

Emphasizing the importance of breaking the silence, UNICEF National Youth Ambassador, Hima Das posted ‘A culture of silence and stigma still accompanies the normal biological process of periods.  Join me in taking the #RedDotChallenge with @UNICEFIndia to break the silence and dispel myths because #MenstruationMatters.’

UNICEF is also collaborating with partners and state governments to focus attention on the importance of menstrual health and hygiene as part of the pandemic response. In Maharashtra, UNICEF supported the distribution of 200,000 sanitary pads in urban slums of Mumbai to adolescent girls and sex workers and reached 2.5 million people in urban slums with messages and support around safe sanitation practices and hygiene.

Under Rajasthan’s menstrual hygiene scheme, one million swachhagrahis, teachers and SHG members are being trained by the government on MHM messaging. Just as notably, the Jharkhand government has issued an advisory announcing a free sanitary pad distribution initiative for the next three months, effective immediately, for school-going adolescent girls between 10-19 years across the state

According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, only 48 per cent of rural women were using hygienic menstrual products, compared to 78 per cent in urban areas. Even with higher coverage in urban areas, it doesn’t tell the full story about deep gaps in access in slums and especially now with migrant populations on the move due to the pandemic.

Engaged with China to peacefully resolve border issue: India on Trump’s mediation offer

New Delhi (NVI): A day after US President Donald Trump made an offer to mediate on the border dispute between India and China, New Delhi today said that it is already engaged with Beijing to resolve the matter.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava, while addressing a virtual press briefing today said, “The two sides have established mechanisms both at military and diplomatic levels to resolve situations which may arise in border areas peacefully, through dialogue. We continue to remain engaged through these channels.”

“Our troops have taken a very responsible approach towards border management and strictly follow the procedures laid out in various bilateral agreements and protocols with China to resolve any issue that may arise in the border area,” he added.

Shrivastava said that at the same time, India remains firm in its resolve to ensure its sovereignty and national security.

The MEA spokesperson further said that India is committed to the objective of maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas with China and “our armed troops scrupulously follow the consensus reached by our leaders and the guidelines provided”.

Amid the tense border standoff between India and China, US President Donald Trump had yesterday said that he was “ready, willing and able to mediate” between the two countries.

MEA’s statement on the issue also comes a day after China said that the situation at Line of Actual Control (LAC) is “overall stable and controllable”.

As India and China hold their respective grounds over Ladakh standoff, the Chinese Ministry yesterday played down the tense situation along LAC, saying that the situation was controllable and the two sides were in touch with each other at different levels.

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