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Two lakh infants born with Congenital Heart Disease every year: Doctor

New Delhi (NVI): Around 2 lakh children are estimated to be born with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) every year in India, according to a senior doctor of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital.

CHD is considered to be a major contributor for infant and child mortality cases. Around 8 to 10 per 1,000 infants are born with CHD globally.

Around 20% of the newborns suffering from critical form CHD require intervention in the first month of their birth, otherwise this disease can prove fatal, says Doctor Prabhatha Rashmi, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery HOD of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital.

The cause of this heart disease is multi-factorial. Genetic factors play an important role and they can be syndromic or chromosomal. Consanguinity (ancestry) plays a role too. Environmental causes such as maternal infections like rubella, medications mothers’ take during their pregnancy for conditions like epilepsy, maternal diseases like diabetes and advanced age of parents.

Early detection of CHD and timely intervention is of paramount importance to tackle it. CHD can be detected during pregnancy through foetal echo.

A proper systematic clinical examination has a good sensitivity in picking up CHDs in newborns. A detailed cardiac ultrasound (echo) by a trained pediatric cardiologist forms the cornerstone of CHD diagnosis.

Prabhatha Rashmi said, “Various aspects have to be considered if we want to reduce this burden. A comprehensive approach towards maternal and child health care should be embraced. Frontline health workers should be trained to work at grass root levels to aid earlier detection of CHD and refer to tertiary centers for treatment. Certain preventive measures can be adopted such as appropriate pre-conception counselling & fetal echo screening. Screening of all newborns and infants for heart abnormalities, awareness building amongst the general public through social media and amongst physicians and pediatricians, are important steps.”

She also added that the government and charitable organisations should take the lead so that Paediatric Cardiac facilities can be accessed by the lower socioeconomic strata. More philanthropy and corporate social responsibility participation will help reduce this societal burden.

Panchayat polls in J&K from March 5

Mubashir Bukhari

Jammu (NVI): By-election to over 12,500 vacant panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir will be held from March 5 to March 20, Chief Electoral Officer Shailender Kumar said here today.

Addressing the media, he said polling will be held in eight phases.

He said that from now onwards, the Model Code of Conduct is enforced and it will be implementable in all the places where elections are being held.

The first phase of polling will take place on March 5, while the second phase is scheduled for March 7. The third, fourth and fifth phase of voting will take place on March 9, 12 and 14, respectively. The EC has scheduled sixth, seventh and eighth phases for March 16, 18 and 20.

“Panchayat elections for vacant posts of every block will be held using ballot boxes. It will be conducted in eight phases,” Kumar said.

“There will be eight phases of elections. For Jammu division, it is four phases and for Kashmir division, it is eight phases,” he said.

Kumar said that no request has been received over the conducting of polls in Ladakh Union Territory.

“Union Territory of Ladakh has not yet sent us a request for the conduct of elections so we have not included Ladakh. In any case, Ladakh is snow-bound and it is very cold out there. So, it is not feasible to have an election at this point in time,” he said

Panchayat elections were conducted in November-December 2018 for 4483 Panchayats with a Sarpanch for each Panchayat Halqa and 35029 Panches in Jammu and Kashmir. However, over 60 percent Panchayat seats are lying vacant in the new Union Territory.

Out of 20093 Panch and Sarpanch seats, only 6162 Panches and 1366 Sarpanches were elected in Kashmir. Around 12565 constituencies are lying vacant.

In Jammu, 15800 Panches and 2289 Sarpanches were elected where 166 seats are lying vacant. In Ladakh, 45 seats are lying vacant.

National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party had boycotted both Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls. While Panchayat polls were held on non-party basis, the ULB elections were held on party basis. Later elections for Block Development Council were also held in Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign diplomats reach Jammu

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI):  After meeting various delegations in Srinagar, including politicians, the group of 25 foreign diplomats today reached Jammu to have a meeting with Lieutenant Governor, GC Murmu. The diplomats are on a two-day visit.

This is the second batch of foreign diplomats visiting Jammu and Kashmir in the last one month. Earlier, a group of 15 diplomats visited in January.

The diplomats will also hold meetings with Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir, Justice Gita Mittal, district administration officials and civil society members of Jammu division.

Before flying to Jammu, the delegation was briefed by Army officials at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.They were also briefed by Chinar Corps Commander Lt General KJS Dhillon regarding the security situation in the valley.

The group comprises envoys from Afghanistan, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, the European Union, France, Germany, Republic of Guinea, Hungary, Italy and Kenya.

Envoys from Kyrgyztan, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Rwanda, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Uganda and Uzbekistan are also part of it.

On their arrival, the members of delegation were taken on a Shikara ride in the infamous Dal Lake.

This is the second batch of foreign envoys visiting the Union Territory in the last one month.

Drinks, not food, with added sugar promote weight gain: Research

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The effect of added sucrose in the diet on calorie intake and body weight appears to depend on whether it is in liquid or solid form, according to a new study.

Liquid sugar is the sugar you consume in liquid form from beverages like sugar-sweetened soda.

A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and China made these suggestions after giving mice added sugar in either their drink or their food for 8 weeks and then comparing them.

This research has been published in the journal Molecular Genetics and Metabolism.

John R, Professor of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Aberdeen and lead researcher of this study, said, “Beverages made with sugar have increased the number of people worldwide suffering from obesity. We have tried to find out by this research whether the type of food (solid or liquid) increases human weight gain.”

The mice were observed for a period of 8 weeks. The researchers monitored the mice’s body weight, body fat, calorie intake, and energy expenditure.

They also measured glucose and insulin response as a way to assess how close the animals might come to developing diabetes.

The results showed that the mice that had liquid sucrose in their drinking water consumed more calories, put on more weight, and increased their body fat.

The sugar in beverages is often highly concentrated and easy to consume in large amounts without feeling full.

Some examples of these drinks are fairly obvious, such as sodas and fruit punch. However, many other beverages are high in sugar as well.

Coronavirus: 2 Indian crew test positive on a Japanese cruise ship

Representational image
New Delhi (NVI):  Two Indian crew members have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus on the cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, reported in a tweet today.

More than 3,700 passengers and crew are stuck on the Diamond Princess ship that is essentially a floating quarantine zone. The ship was placed under quarantine on February 4, 2020, and it isn’t scheduled to be lifted until February 19.

“Many Indian crews & some Indian passengers are onboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined off Japan due to Coronavirus. We are closely following the developments,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Meanwhile, the death toll in China’s Hubei province from the outbreak leapt by a record 242 on Thursday to 1,310, with a sharp rise in confirmed cases after the adoption of a new methodology for diagnosis, health officials said.

The rise in the toll more than doubled the prior provincial daily record of 103 set on Monday, while the number of new cases soared by 14,840, taking the total number of infected people to 48,206 cases.

Mobile internet snapped over rumours about Geelani’s death

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesdays night snapped internet services in Kashmir over rumours relating to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s health.

The services were snapped late on Wednesday night after some social media posts claimed that the health of the 90-year-old has deteriorated.

But Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmed Khan termed the reports about death of Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani as baseless.

He said a team from SKIMS visited his home for health checkup. “I personally talked to his son also. He confirmed Geelani sahib is stable,” he said.

Meanwhile, security forces were deployed in vulnerable areas of the Valley.

In a late night development, the All Parties Hurriyet (Freedom) Conference released an ‘urgent’ statement from Muzaffarabad (Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir), saying that all Imams and people should gather at Eidgah, Srinagar, for the funeral in case Geelani breaths his last.

In a two-page statement, Hurriyet announced that Geelani (90) has recently expressed his wish to be buried at the Mazar-e-Shuhada, Eidgah, Srinagar.

Hurriyet, which has its office in Muzaffarabad and Islamabad, also appealed to the people of the Valley to be respectful to the leader and join the funeral (in case he is no more).

The written statement said that for the last few days, the chest infection of Geelani was not responding to the ongoing treatment.

“There are rumours in the Valley about Geelani’s health condition. Till late night, nothing adverse has been reported. We are taking stock of the situation,” said a senior officer of the Srinagar police.

Considered as the senior most Hurriyat leader, Geelani was previously a member of Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir but later on founded his own party by the name of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

Global carbon dioxide emissions flatlined in 2019: Report

New Delhi (NVI) Despite widespread expectations of another increase, global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions stopped growing in 2019, International Energy Agency report said.

According to IEA data, after two years of growth, global emissions were unchanged at 33 gigatonnes in 2019 even as the world economy expanded by 2.9%. This was primarily due to declining emissions from electricity generation in advanced economies, thanks to the expanding role of renewable sources (mainly wind and solar), fuel switching from coal to natural gas, and higher nuclear power generation.

“Other factors included milder weather in several countries, and slower economic growth in some emerging markets, IEA report said in a statement.

While commenting IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol said “we now need to work hard to make sure that 2019 is remembered as a definitive peak in global emissions, not just another pause in growth.”

“We have the energy technologies to do this, and we have to make use of them all. The IEA is building a grand coalition focused on reducing emissions – encompassing governments, companies, investors and everyone with a genuine commitment to tackling our climate challenge,” he added.

A significant decrease in emissions in advanced economies in 2019 offset continued growth elsewhere.

The United States recorded the largest emissions decline on a country basis, with a fall of 140 million tonnes, or 2.9%. US emissions are now down by almost 1 gigatonne from their peak in 2000.

Emissions in the European Union fell by 160 million tonnes, or 5%, in 2019 driven by reductions in the power sector.

Natural gas produced more electricity than coal for the first time ever, meanwhile wind-powered electricity nearly caught up with coal-fired electricity.

Japan’s emissions fell by 45 million tonnes, or around 4%, the fastest pace of decline since 2009, as output from recently restarted nuclear reactors increased.

Emissions in the rest of the world grew by close to 400 million tonnes in 2019, with almost 80% of the increase coming from countries in Asia where coal-fired power generation continued to rise.

Across advanced economies, emissions from the power sector declined to levels last seen in the late 1980s, when electricity demand was one-third lower than today.

Coal-fired power generation in advanced economies declined by nearly 15% as a result of growth in renewables, coal-to-gas switching, a rise in nuclear power and weaker electricity demand.

Dr Birol also said that this welcome halt in emissions growth is grounds for optimism that we can tackle the climate challenge this decade.

“It is evidence that clean energy transitions are underway – and it’s also a signal that we have the opportunity to meaningfully move the needle on emissions through more ambitious policies and investments,” he added.

Temperature rises in plains

(Pic courtesy: SkymetWeather)

New Delhi (NVI): Northern plains today saw a marginal rise in the minimum temperature due to change in wind patterns.

Umaria in Madhya Pradesh is the coldest cities in the plains where the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.3 degrees celsius, according to Skymet weather.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa and Shahjahanpur, the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.4 degrees celsius.

Apart from this, Banda in Uttar Pradesh and Churu in Rajasthan recorded minimum temperature at  8.0  and 8.2 degree celsius respectively.

Angul in Odisha and Hisar in Haryana both recorded minimum temperature at 9.0 degrees celsius.

Cooch Behar in West Bengal recorded minimum temperature at 9.1 degree celsius.

Fursatganj in UttarPradesh and Malanjkhand in Madhya Pradesh both shivered at 9.2 degrees celsius.

According to the Skymet weather, this change in the wind pattern can be attributed to the Western Disturbance (WD) which is over Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Delhi and NCR region also saw a slight increase in minimum temperature to 12.3 degrees celsius from 8.3 degrees celsius recorded yesterday.

The maximum temperature today is expected to be around 25.0 degrees celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD said that some isolated parts of Odisha will also witness cold wave conditions during next 24 hours.

The weatherman has forecast that in Northwest India there will be a rise in temperature by 2 to 4 degrees celsius during next 24 hours, in East India there will be a gradual rise in temperature by 2 to 3 degrees celsius from today.

“No significant change is expected over West and Central India during next 24 hours,” weatherman said.

“No significant change is expected over rest of the country,” it added.

“The shallow to moderate fog is also expected over East India during next 2 days,” it further added.

The overall air quality in the national capital today is in “poor” category.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 269 which falls in the “poor” category.

Politicians, youth activists, students, journalists meet foreign envoys

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): Various delegations, including politicians, youth activists, students, journalists and women activists today met foreign envoys who are visiting Kashmir for assessment of the situation in the aftermath of abolition of Article 370.

During their interactions, they articulated demands ranging from release of politicians to restoration of internet.

BJP spokesperson Khalid Jehangir, who was among the delegates,urged the envoys to suggest to the central government releasing of mainstream politicians, including three former Chief Ministers, to win hearts of people.

“Government of India knows sufferings of people of Jammu and Kashmir at administrative level. The more the Centre shows administration skills, the more wounds of people will get healed.  Further, I pressed for immediate release of the detained leaders including Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti if there are no charges of corruption against them. Politicians also enjoy human rights,” he said.

 

Politicians including ex- congress leaders Shoiab Lone and Usman Majeed also met the visiting delegation and raised the concerns in the backdrop of abrogation of Article 370 which granted special status to the erstwhile state.

 

Youth activist from Baramulla, Tauseef Raina said he was flanked by other activists from his district who raised the issue of damage to people’s property due to ceasefire violation and promotion of the state a tourist destination.

 

“We told them to promote Kashmir handicrafts and tourism internationally. We urged the envoys that they should perform the role of bringing India and Pakistan on table for talks,” he said.

 

Activists from Pahari and Gujjar community also met the envoys and raised called for the implementation of Forest Conservation Act.

 

The envoys also had an interaction with a media delegation, who spoke about the continuing blockade of the broadband services in the valley. A delegation of students also met the visiting envoys.

 

Earlier the diplomats were scheduled to visit Baramulla to meet the apple growers and farmers but it could not happen because of “bad weather”.

 

Diplomats from 25 nations – including some from the European Union – reached Srinagar on Wednesday morning to assess ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir after abolition of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two union territories.

 

The group includes envoys from heads of missions from European nations like France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands and Bulgaria, central Asian countries including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Envoys from Canada, New Zealand, Poland and African countries like Uganda, Namibia and Rwanda and Latin American countries of Guinea, Dominican Republic and Mexico were also part of the delegation.

BIMSTEC exercise held on Odisha beach

Bhubaneswar (NVI): BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise on flood rescue was inaugurated today by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai at the Ramachandi Beach in Odisha’s Puri district.

Delegates & rescue teams of 5 member nations namely- India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka & Myanmar, of BIMSTEC group participated in the event.

Nityanand Rai launched this field training exercise in line with the three day ‘BIMSTEC DMEx-2020’ event which is being organized in Bhubaneswar.

Highlighting the historicity and diverse cultural heritage sites in the BIMSTEC region, Nityanand said that this exercise will provide a platform for member states to evaluate existing capabilities, share best emergency response practices, improve existing emergency preparedness and strengthen regional response mechanism and also to conduct risk assessment in the context of cultural heritage sites at the time of disaster.

He said this exercise will help in sharing best practices and expertise, consolidating the disaster response, coordination and cooperation among BIMSTEC countries during disasters.

In order to bring in a feel of real disaster scenario, “simulated exercise sites including villages & Heritage Site (Konark Sun Temple)” were set up at Ramachandi Beach in Puri to depict flooded localities and houses due to the flood disaster.

Large number of simulated dummy structures including multi-storied buildings and houses were erected in inundated condition with marooned people & livestock at the exercise site to reflect the real disaster scenario.

A scenario of flood disaster caused by cyclone followed by heavy rainfall was created.

A large number of people were presumed to be stranded within the simulated villages and also the cyclone adversely affected a cultural heritage site.

A heli-borne rescue operation was carried out to demonstrate the coordination among various stakeholders to deal with emergency situation. Relief activities such as providing medical care to the needy, distribution of food packets etc.

For this Exercise, a Communication Centre, Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), Base of Operation, Medical Camp, Facilitation Centre, Media Enclave etc. were established by the NDRF as per the International Search & Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) guidelines for familiarization & exercise purpose.

This Joint Field Training Exercise was conducted under the leadership of Satya Narayan Pradhan, Director General, NDRF.

International observers from ICCROM, INSARAG, UNDP also attended the exercise. It was witnessed by representatives from Senior Officials of MHA, MEA, NDMA, NDRF, State representatives & other senior dignitaries.

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