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Nepal COVID-19 tally stands at 16,649

New Delhi (NVI): Nepal reported 118 new cases of coronavirus today, taking the national tally to 16,649, according to local media reports.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Population said, of the newly infected, four persons are from Province 1; 20 from Province 2; 51 from Bagmati Province.

Likewise, 13 cases are from Gandaki Province; 12 from Province 5; 15 from Karnali Province; and three from Sudurpaschim Province.

Currently, there are 192 active cases of infection in Province 1; 2,044 active cases in Province 2; 457 cases in Bagmati Province; 871 cases in Gandaki Province; 1,675 cases in Province 5; 400 cases in Karnali Province; and 2,964 cases in Sudurpaschim Province.

In the past 24 hours, 120 people achieved recovery and were discharged form the hospitals, taking the tally of recovery cases to 8,011, the ministry said.

As of today, coronavirus has spread to 77 districts of Nepal. While six districts have no active cases of coronavirus infection.

Those districts are Dhankuta, Bhojpur, Solukhumbu, Mustang, Manang, and Humla districts. Meanwhile, six districts — Mahottari, Rautahat, Palpa, Achham, Kailali, and Bajura — have over 500 cases of infection.

Meanwhile, 35 people died from the pandemic in Nepal as no coronavirus related death was reported today in the country.

-RJV

COVID-19 death toll crosses 5,000-mark in Pakistan

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus death toll in Pakistan crossed the 5,000-mark today after 75 new fatalities were recorded, taking the total number of deaths to 5,058.

Meanwhile, 3,359 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 2,43,599.

Furthermore, Sindh became the first province of the country where the number of coronavirus patients crossed the 100,000-mark.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh reported 1,00,900 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 85,261 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 29,406 cases, Balochistan is at 11,099, Gilgit-Baltistan at 1,619, Islamabad at 13,829 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 1,485 cases so far, according to media reports.

A total of 149,092 patients have recovered from the disease so far in the country.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar has said that people adopted standard operating procedures and precautionary measures due to which the number of coronavirus cases have decreased to great extent, according to media reports.

-CHK

ICSE class 10, ISC class 12 results declared by CISCE board

(File/Representational image)

New Delhi (NVI): The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) has released results for class 10th and 12th students today.

A total of 2,07,902 had appeared for ICSE class 10 examinations this year. Meanwhile, as many as 88,409 students had sat for ISC class 12 examination.

At least 99.34 percent students were qualified in ICSE 2020 examinations. The overall pass percentage of ISC result 2020 recorded at 96.84 percent.

Notably, CICSE board will not publish merit list for class 10, 12 exams this year in view of exceptional circumstances, board secretary Gerry Arathoon said.

The ICSE class 10 and ISC class 12 board examinations were disrupted due to coronavirus outbreak in the country. The schools were shut since the last week of March.

The CICSE later cancelled the pending examinations that were scheduled to be held between July to July 15.

However, CISCE last week announced an alternate assessment scheme for class 10 and class 12 students.

The candidates will be assessed based on the best three percentage marks obtained in subjects for which board exams have been conducted. The board will also take into account the internal assessment as well as project work.

-CHK

J&K expert committee on poplar trees says fluff can’t be a virus carrier

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): In a breather for the people of Kashmir, an expert committee has concluded that the fluff produced by female Russian Poplar trees in the Valley, doesn’t carry Covid-19 virus.

The announcement in this regard has been made in a report prepared by the panel of experts on various subjects that include trees and respiratory medicine. The report has highlighted that it was unlikely that the fluff produced by the poplar trees would carry Covid-19 as the droplet size falls on the ground immediately when one sneezes or coughs.

“The COVID-19 spreads through droplets and its transmission can occur by direct contact with infected persons and indirect contact with surfaces in the immediate environment or objects used on the infected persons. Hence, it is unlikely that the fluff of poplar trees can carry the COVID-19 virus as it is not airborne and the droplet size allows the droplet to fall immediately on the ground,” reads the report of the panel constituted by the J&K High Court, after a petition was filed before it seeking ban and felling of Rusian poplar trees.

The petitioner had cited that growing fluff produced by the poplar trees in the months of May and June in Kashmir, may pose a great risk and threat to the elderly, children and others as it may become a potential carrier of Covid-19 virus.

The committee, headed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Mohit Gera was constituted on April 15 and comprises seven experts on different subjects. It studied the impact from pollen and fluff from poplar trees on human and desirability of felling these trees.

The poplar trees are being cultivated in Kashmir and Ladakh for wood production. According to Forest Survey of India assessment, the estimated turnover of poplar based industrial sector in rural and urban areas of Kashmir is almost Rs 600 crore annually.

The committee also stated that there is no linkage between the allergies/asthma with the pollen or fluff of poplar trees which is also supported by scientific reports available on the subject.

“However, the fluff (cottony seed) acts as a vector for dissemination of various substances present in the atmosphere during this season such as spores of bacteria, fungi, dust particles and pollen of other flowering plants growing in the area,” the report further states.

The committee has come up with a series of recommendations for management of poplar trees in Kashmir. It has recommended phasing out of female poplar trees planted by government departments in vicinity of sensitive places like hospitals, schools, market places within Srinagar Municipal Corporation or other similar cities/towns in the Valley as a precautionary measure.

-ARK

India’s COVID-19 recovery rate improves further, touches 62.42%

New Delhi (NVI): While India’s coronavirus cases continue to rise, the Covid-19 recovery rate in the country shows promise and now stands at over 62 percent, with more than 19,000 cases of recovery recorded since yesterday, according to Health Ministry.

The cumulative figure of recovered cases among COVID-19 patients stands at 4,95,515 today. There are a total of 2,76,882 active cases in the country and all are under medical supervision.

The improvement in recovery rate is the result of combination of preemptive, proactive and graded steps taken by the Centre in collaboration with the State and UT governments.

Aggressive testing that ensures early detection of patients, home isolation for the mild/pre-symptomatic patients, effective clinical management of the severe cases through adequate hospital infrastructure which helps in timely triaging of the cases, ramped up hospital infrastructure in the country and regular and seamless coordination between the governments have together resulted in the continuously rising recovery rate in the country.

As of today, the country has 1,218 dedicated COVID hospitals, 2,705 Dedicated COVID Healthcare Centres and 10,301 COVID Care Centres.

As the country as a whole witnesses an encouraging upward trend in the Recovery Rate, there are as many as 18 States/UTs including – Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Delhi etc – with recovery rate more than the national average.

In addition to this, the fatality rate has declined to 2.72 percent. This is lower than the fatality rates observed in many other countries in the world.

The focus of COVID-19 management in the country has been to keep the fatalities low. With the support and guidance of the Centre, the States/UTs have taken many steps in this regard like mapping of the communities to focus on the high risk group like the elderly/aged and population with co-morbidities, and providing special care to them.

There is a focus on improvement of quality of medical care of COVID patients. The country-wide strong network of ASHAs and ANMs along with Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres have helped in effective surveillance and contact tracing of the cases, including the lakhs of migrants and returnees. As a result, there are 30 States/UTs which have a fatality rate lower than the national average.

-CHK

Rajnath dials S Korean Def minister

File

New Delhi (NVI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today had a telephonic conversation with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-Doo as the two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.

The two Defence Ministers also had discussions on issues pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Rajnath informed Jeong Kyeong-Doo on India’s contribution to international efforts against COVID-19 and discussed areas of mutual cooperation in the global fight against the pandemic. The two ministers agreed to work together to deal with the complex challenges posed by this pandemic, MoD said.

During the conversation, the ministers also reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and expressed commitment to further promote defence cooperation engagements between the Armed Forces.

“It was also agreed to take forward the agreements in the field of defence industry and defence technology cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry stated in a release.

Views on the regional developments of shared security interests were also shared during the telephonic call, it added.

-ARK

Bolivia’s President tests positive for coronavirus

Jeanine Anez

New Delhi (NVI): Bolivia’s interim President Jeanine Anez today said that she has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the third Latin American leader to be infected in recent weeks.

Taking to Twitter, Anez wrote, “I’ve tested positive for COVID-19, I’m fine, I will work from isolation.”

She also shared a video on Twitter in which she is saying that she would remain in quarantine for 14 days before taking another test.

The Bolivian government confirmed that at least seven ministers, including its health minister, had tested positive and were undergoing treatment, as per foreign media reports.

Anez has also become the second South American President in a matter of days to contract Covid-19, after Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro announced his positive result on Tuesday.

Another high-ranking Latin American government official to contract the virus is Venezuela’s Constitutional Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.

In addition to this, four members of Anez’s cabinet had tested positive in recent days, while Senate President Eva Copa went into self-isolation on Wednesday.

The Bolivian leader’s illness comes with the country gearing up for a general election in less than two months, despite being in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bolivia is due to hold general elections on September 6. The elections were originally planned for May but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bolivia, a country of 11 million people, has recorded almost 43,000 coronavirus infections and more than 1,500 deaths. The government expects that there would be 1,30,000 cases by the time the election comes around.

-RJV

US sanctions Chinese officials for human rights abuse in Xinjiang

Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump (File pic)

New Delhi (NVI): The US sanctioned a top member of China’s Communist Party along with three other senior officials and a Chinese entity involved in systematic human rights abuses of Muslim minorities and ethnic Kazakhs in China’s western province of Xinjiang.

“The United States is committed to using the full breadth of its financial powers to hold human rights abusers accountable in Xinjiang and across the world,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, according to a release by US Department of Treasury.

The Trump administration has likened China’s mass detention of more than 1 million Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang to the worst human rights abuses since the 1930s, when 6 million European Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

The sanctions against Chinese officials were levied under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which was passed in 2016 and gives the United States the ability to impose human rights penalties on foreign officials.

The targets of the sanctions included Chen Quanguo — a member of China’s 25-member ruling Politburo and party secretary of the Xinjiang region.

Other officials penalized include Zhu Hailun, a former deputy party secretary for the region; Wang Mingshan, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau; and Huo Liujun, a former party secretary of the bureau. The bureau also faces sanctions.

The Treasury Department’s statement on Thursday cited the public security bureau’s use of “repressive tactics,” including “mass detentions and surveillance” against the region’s Uighur population.

Since at least late 2016, repressive tactics have been used by the XPSB against the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority groups in the region, including mass detentions and surveillance.

Targets of People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) surveillance are often detained and reportedly subjected to various methods of torture and “political reeducation.” According to press reporting, since at least 2017, more than one million Muslims have been held in these camps.

“The entity and officials are being designated for their connection to serious human rights abuse against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, which reportedly include mass arbitrary detention and severe physical abuse, among other serious abuses targeting Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim population indigenous to Xinjiang, and other ethnic minorities in the region,” according to the statement.

-CHK

PM inaugurates Asia’s largest solar power plant in MP’s Rewa

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated to the nation 750-megawatt solar power plant, largest in Asia, through video conference. During the virtual launch, PM Modi said the Ultra Mega Solar Power project in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa will not only help the state but the entire world as a secure foundation for a clean environment.

In his address, the prime minister said that India is emerging as the most attractive global market for clean energy. The solar project will reduce emissions equivalent to approximately 15 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide every year, as per the government.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the Rewa project will make the entire region a major hub for pure and clean energy in this decade. The Prime Minister praised the effort in that it will also supply power to the Delhi Metro, along with the entire region surrounding Rewa.

He said very soon Madhya Pradesh would be the main centre of Solar Energy in India, as such major projects are in progress in Neemuch, Shajapur, Chattarpur and Omkareshwar.


“The biggest beneficiaries of this would be the poor, the middle class, the tribals, the farmers of Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

Describing the solar energy as ‘Sure, Pure and Secure’, the prime minister said it would be a major medium for providing the energy needs of an aspirational India in the 21st Century.

Terming such Solar Energy projects are a true representation of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), PM said: “As India is moving towards new peaks of development, its energy, electricity needs are also increasing. At such a time, being self-reliant for electricity is very crucial for Inida.

The Rewa project comprises three solar generating units of 250 MW each located on a 500 hectare plot of land situated inside a Solar Park (total area 1500 hectare).

The Solar Park was developed by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), a joint venture company of Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a Central Public Sector Undertaking.

-ARK

Vikas Dubey shot dead in encounter

Vikas Dubey

New Delhi (NVI): Gangster Vikas Dubey, arrested for killing 8 policemen in Kanpur, was shot dead by the police this morning after he tried to escape following an accident, while being brought to Uttar Pradesh from Ujjain.

Special Task Force (STF) officials said that an encounter took place when Vikas Dubey, arrested for killing eight policemen on July 3, tried to escape when the vehicle, he was being carried in, overturned early in the morning.

As per the reports, Vikas Dubey attempted to flee after the car overturned, police tried to make him surrender during which he fired back at them. He was injured in retaliatory firing by police and was later declared dead in the hospital.

The wanted gangster was accused of killing 8 policemen in Kanpur’s Bikru village last week.

Vikas Dubey, who was on the run for nearly a week after the incident, was held in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. He got arrested in a dramatic manner from a temple complex yesterday.

-RJV

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