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66 new cases take Covid-19 tally in Afghanistan to 906

(Pic courtesy: TOLO news)

New Delhi (NVI): Amid fears of lack of Covid-19 testing kits and other health supplies in Afghanistan, the country’s Ministry of Public Health today said that 66 new coronavirus cases have been reported, taking the total to 906, according to Afghan media reports.

The new cases were confirmed from 465 samples that were tested over the last 24 hours, the official spokesman of the Public Health Ministry was quoted as saying by Tolo news.

Out of the 66 positive cases, 26 cases were reported in Kabul, 15 in Kandahar, 6 in Balkh, 5 in Kunduz, 5 in Herat, 4 in Helmand, 3 in Laghman, 1 in Nangarhar and 1 from Kunar, he said.

45 coronavirus patients have fully recovered and were discharged from hospital yesterday, the official said, adding that the total number of recovered patients is now 99.

According to the Afghan ministry, the country’s laboratories have the capacity to conduct 600 tests a day.

The lockdown in Kabul was extended for another three weeks yesterday as part of Afghanistan’s attempts to slow the spread of the virus in the country.

8 positive Covid cases in Indian Army so far: COAS Gen Naravane  

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Army Chief General MM Naravane today confirmed that there are eight positive Covid-19 cases in the Indian army so far while asserting that the morale of soldiers is high despite the lockdown situation.

The COAS, who is on a two-day visit to J&K, was talking to a selected group of reporters in Kupwara today. “So far, we have only 8 positive cases in the entire Indian Army, of which 2 are doctors and 1 nursing assistant, 4 are responding well to treatment and we had one case in Ladakh, now he is fully cured and has joined duty,” he said.

The Army Chief arrived in the Union Territory yesterday to review the security situation in the Valley. He visited north Kashmir’s Kupwara district today to interact with soldiers guarding LoC and to take stock of the operational preparedness by the Army.

Over the past few weeks, tensions have gripped Kupwara district where earlier this month, five militants and as many soldiers of Special Forces Squad (SFS), including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed in a close fight.

Three civilians including a minor boy and a woman were killed in Chowkibal area of Kupwara on Sunday, in heavy shelling by Pakistani troops.

“Soldiers are doing an excelling job. I want to compliment them, not only those who are in J&K but those guarding northern borders and northeast also,” Gen Naravane said.

Talking about the recent infiltration bid, he said that earlier this month, a group infiltrated into this side and there was an encounter in which a JCO and four gallant soldiers were killed. “We were able to foil the infiltration attempt. The operation was conducted in very difficult conditions amid snowfall in the area. The route infiltrators had taken would not have been possible without the support of Pakistani army,” he said.

“It is very unfortunate that when India is fighting the pandemic and exporting medicines to other countries to fight Covid, Pakistan is exporting terror,” he added.

Meanwhile, Defence spokesperson in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that on the second day of his two-day visit to Kashmir, General Naravane continued to review the security situation along the line of control.

“The army chief accompanied by the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi and Srinagar-based 15 Corps Commander, Lt Gen BS Raju visited the formations and units, wherein the local Commanders briefed the Army chief on the existing security situation and the measures instituted so that infiltration bids by terrorists are foiled,” Colonel Kalia said.

He said that the army chief was briefed by the local Commanders on the situation on the Line of Control, cease fire violations, retaliations, counter infiltration operations and operational preparedness being maintained.

“During his interaction with the soldiers on snowclad heights, he was appreciative of the sharp vigil and alertness along the Line of Control and high morale of the troops,” Colonel Kalia said.

He said that the Army chief also asked the commanders to maintain strict vigil along the Line of Control and remain prepared to give a befitting reply to any misadventure from across and exhorted the soldiers to remain alert for any eventuality.

UK to operate 17 more flights to evacuate citizens stranded in India

New Delhi (NVI): The United Kingdom today announced that it will fly out over 4,000 more citizens stranded in India by 17 additional charter flights that have opened for bookings today.

The UK government had earlier announced 7 charter flights on April 5 and 12 additional flights on April 10.

The 17 additional flights will airlift British nationals from Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Goa and Mumbai, the British High Commission said in a statement here.

The additional flights will depart for London from Ahmedabad on April 20, 22, 24, 26, from Amritsar on April 21, 23, 25, 27, from Bangalore (via Ahmedabad) on April 23, from Delhi on April 21, 23, 25, 27, from Goa on April 20, 22, 24 and from Mumbai on April 26.

Tariq Ahmad, British Foreign Office Minister of State said, “We know this is a difficult time for British travellers and there is great demand for these flights. This is a huge and logistically-complex operation, and we are working tirelessly with the Indian Government and state authorities to help more British travellers get home.”

Acting British High Commissioner to India, Jan Thompson also said in a statement, “There will be 17 more charter flights next week to take British travellers back to the UK – on top of the 21 flights announced previously. We are working around the clock to arrange additional flights from locations where we know large numbers are still stranded and are extremely grateful for the support we are receiving from the Government of India and local authorities.”

This will take the total number of British nationals brought back on these flights to a total of 9,000.

Those who are most vulnerable will be prioritised for seats on these flights the Foreign Office said, adding this will bring the total number of chartered flights run by the UK Government from India to 38.

J&K: Rs 127 cr spent on accommodating ‘Darbar Move’ staff

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A whopping amount of Rs 127 crore was spent on the accommodation of ‘Darbar Move’ employees in the past two years alone, according to an affidavit submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir government before the High Court of Union Territory.

‘Darbar Move’ is an age-old practice started by the Dogra Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872, under which the seat of power, involving almost all departments, shifts to Jammu for six months during winter and remains stationed in Kashmir for six months of summer.

The affidavit has been submitted yesterday by the J&K’s Estate’s Department which is responsible for providing accommodation to the Civil Secretariat employees whenever there is ‘Darbar Move’.

As per the affidavit, a copy of which is with the NVI, the Estates Department has disclosed that Rs 127 crore was spent for providing accommodation to the Darbar Move employees during 2018-19 and 2019-20.

“Rs 41.32 crore and Rs 23.57 crore were spent for providing accommodation to employees in Srinagar and Jammu, respectively, during 2018-19,” states the affidavit, submitted before the High Court.

“In 2019-20, Rs 41.61 crore were spent for providing accommodation to the employees in Srinagar and Rs 20.53 crore in Jammu respectively,” it stated.

The expenditure incurred by the Estates Department includes the hiring of private hotels, private houses and JK Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) huts, transportation charges, maintenance charges and hiring of seasonal laborers.

The Estates Department has also revealed that 307 private houses were hired in Srinagar and 151 in Jammu during 2018-19. In 2019-20, 80 private houses were hired in Srinagar and 69 in Jammu.

The details were submitted by the Estates department on the directions of the High Court. The court had sought details of expenditure incurred on accommodation of Darbar Move employees in its previous hearing.

The High Court had sought details of expenditure on a plea seeking postponement of Darbar Move this time from Jammu to Srinagar in view of the outbreak of deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus cases cross 7,200 in Pakistan

COVID-19: Pakistan imposes mini-lockdown in Islamabad

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has reached 7,261, while 137 people have died of the disease so far, according to Geo news.

No new cases of recovery were reported in the last 24 hours. So far, around 1,648 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the virus in the country, including people from Sindh and Punjab province.

Nearly half of the total confirmed cases are from Punjab province alone, at 3,301.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, the Sindh province has reported 2,217 cases while Balochistan has 305 cases so far. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has 993 cases, Islamabad 154, Gilgit Baltistan 245 and 46 in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In addition to this, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the country’s lead agency, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic to take measures to cope up with the deadly disease during the upcoming holy month of Ramzan as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country crossed 7,000.

NCOC was formed to take unanimous decision on all issues related to the coronavirus. It became operational earlier this month.

Apache makes emergency landing in Pb

New Delhi (NVI): An Indian Air Force Apache helicopter made an emergency landing at a field in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur after developing a technical fault today, IAF said.

“On 17 Apr 20, an Apache helicopter of the IAF got airborne from Pathankot airbase. The helicopter, after approx 1 hr of flying had indications of a critical failure and carried out a safe landing west of Indora, Punjab,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.

IAF said that the captain of the aircraft took correct and prompt actions to recover the helicopter safely. “All crew onboard the helicopter are safe and there has been no damage to any property,” it added.

The aircraft will be recovered after necessary rectification, it said.

Bangladesh enforces heavy restrictions; COVID-19 cases top 1,800

New Delhi (NVI): Bangladesh has announced heavy restrictions on the movement of people to prevent further transmission of coronavirus, hours after recording the highest number of cases and fatalities in a day, according to United News of Bangladesh.

The country has reported highest deaths in last 24 hours, as 15 more people died of the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 75.

A total of 266 people were also tested positive, taking the number of such cases in the country to 1,838.

Government figures show coronavirus has affected 44 districts out of 64 in the country. Dhaka, the capital city, recorded the maximum number of cases, 608, followed by Narayanganj with 255 confirmed cases.

Prime Miniter Sheikh Hasina’s government has unveiled a number of stimulus packages to tackle the possible effect of the outbreak and announced giving ration cards to five million people – 10 million in total.

Meanwhile, 57 Bangladeshi nationals, who got stuck in India due to coronavirus lockdown, returned home through Benapole check-post under a special arrangement yesterday.

So far, a total of 544 people have so far returned from India since April 6 and they were kept in 14-quarantine at Benapole Community centre and Gazir Dargah in Jashore.

Lockdown 2.0: Quick review of activities allowed after Apr 20

New Delhi (NVI): With an extended nationwide lockdown in place till May 3, the Government has allowed some activities from April 20 onwards.

As per the guidelines, the Government has permitted certain activities after April 20, giving relaxation to agriculture, e-commerce and select industrial activities.

Lockdown 2 guidelines were released a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the lockdown till May 3 in order to curb the coronavirus spread.

Here are some activities that will be allowed from April 20:

Movement of persons:

1) Private vehicles only for emergency services like medical care and essential commodities.

2) 1 driver and 1 passenger in the backseat for 4-wheelers; and only drivers for 2-wheelers.

Supply of essential goods:

1) Local stores, e-Commerce platforms – with no restrictions on timing.

2) Kirana and ration shops; fruits and vegetables; dairy booths; poultry and meat.

Commercial and private establishments

1) IT sector (up to 50 per cent strength)

2) e-Commerce companies; courier services

3) Electricians, IT repairs, plumbers, motor mechanics and carpenters.

However, this relaxation will not be applicable in the containment zones identified within the COVID-19 hotspots.

J&K: 2 terrorists involved in attack on police party killed in Kishtwar encounter

Jammu (NVI): Two terrorists, who were apparently involved in an attack on a police party four days ago, were killed in an encounter with forces in Dachan area of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir today, police said.

The two terrorists, identified as Bashrat Hussain and Ashiq Hussain, were killed in an encounter between Kishtwar police and 17 RR at Dachhan of Kishtiwar district, as part of a joint operation launched by Police, Army and CRPF after the Monday attack on a police party that killed an SPO while leaving another injured, they said.

SPO Pashid Iqbal had died after being attacked with axes by Ashiq and Basharat while another SPO- Vishal Singh was injured and admitted to a hospital.

“Two #terrorists killed in an encounter in #Dachan area of #Kishtwar. #Police #Army and #CRPF forces were deployed in the difficult terrain on a tip off. Two #weapons have been recovered from the killed #terrorists,” IGP Jammu said in a tweet.

On Monday, Basharat Hussain and Ashiq Hussain, both residents of Tander village in Dachhan attacked the SPOs, while they were on patrolling duty at the upper area of Tander, Jammu police had said.

After the incident, police parties had rushed to the spot and chases attackers through jungles and mountainous terrain. “They were reinforced with additional police parties and local Army unit,” the J&K police said in a tweet.

One of the attackers- Ashiq Hussain was involved in a rape case and was out on bail 20 days back in the wake of the spread of coronavirus, police had said. He was charged under section 376 of IPC and was detained in district jail Kishtwar.

“The attacker Ashiq Hussain S/O Bashrat Ahmed R/O village Tander Dachhan was involved in case FIR No 06/2018 U/S 363,376 RPC of P/S Dachhan. He went out on bail 20 days back,” IGP Jammu had said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Police also retweeted IGP Jammu’s tweet today, saying: “With this two ongoing operations concluded today with elimination of two terrorists each in Shopian and Kishtwar encounters and a total of Four terrorists. Equal number of weapons recovered.”

Coronavirus claims 5th life in J&K

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A 70-year-old COVID-19 positive patient, who was admitted to a Srinagar hospital, breathed his last this afternoon. With this, Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT) has recorded its fifth death due to the pandemic.

The medical superintendent at Jehlum Valley College Hospital Bemina, also known as SKIMS hospital Bemina, Dr Shafia Deva told NVI that a 70-year-old patient from Arampora village in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district succumbed to the disease in the afternoon. He was admitted to the hospital 10 days ago, she added.

“The condition of elderly man deteriorated this afternoon after which he succumbed,” she said. The doctor said that at present, 95 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment at the JVC hospital.

The deceased man, as per doctors, had a travel history from Saudi Arabia where he performed Umrah. He was tested in the first week of April and his results came positive.

Earlier, the deadly virus had claimed four lives including a woman. On April 8, a 61-year-old lady from Udhampur died at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. On April 7, a 54-year-old man from Bandipora died at SMHS hospital Srinagar.

On March 29, a 50-year-old man from Tangmarg, Baramulla district died at Chest Diseases Hospital, Srinagar. Coronavirus claimed first life on March 25, when a 65-year-old Tableeghi Jamaat preacher of Srinagar died in the Chest & Diseases Hospital.

An official said a proper protocol will be followed while carrying out the last rites of the latest victim. As per the guidelines set by the Ministry of Home Affairs, kissing, hugging and the burial bath of the person who dies of COVID-19 has been banned. As per guidelines, a few persons, who are close relatives of the deceased are allowed to participate in the funeral ceremony and take part in the burial.

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