Category: National

The United States on Friday announced $174 million financial assistance to 64 countries including $2.9 million to India to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The Hindu

This is in addition to the $100 million aid announced by the U.S. in February.

The U.S. State Department said it is providing $2.9 million to help the Indian government prepare laboratory systems, activate case finding and event-based surveillance, and support technical experts for response and preparedness, and more.

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South Korea reports 146 new coronavirus cases

South Korea reported 146 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest number in a week, its disease control agency said on Saturday, with the country suffering a rise in imported cases from Europe and the United States during recent days.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) did not say how many of Friday’s new cases were imported as it was still investigating.

(Except headlines, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A man from Kasaragod in Kerala is said to be one of the three terrorists who stormed a gurdwara in Kabul on March 25 and killed around 25 Sikh worshippers, a senior government official told The Hindu.

The Hindu

The official said at least three terrorists of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) had attacked the gurdwara. All were killed by Afghan security forces. “We know that at least one of them is an Indian, and the identity of the other two is being ascertained,” the official said.

The attacker was identified as Abu Khalid Al-Hindi by Al Naba, the ISKP’s propaganda wing. The magazine published a photograph of the Indian attacker. The other aliases used for him were Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Khalid.

The official said the person was identified as Mohsin from Thrikaripur in Kasaragod. He was 29 years old and a school dropout. His family has moved to Kannur. He left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) more than two years ago.

Mohsin’s family did not file police complaint

His family had never reported this to the police, a senior government official told The Hindu.

“His family never reported to the police or filed any complaint… They claim he was not in touch with them all these years… We are ascertaining the entire chain of events,” the official said.

The official said the attacker’s movement to Afghanistan was not clear yet. “We know that he left home more than two years ago under the pretext that he was going to the UAE. After that, when and how he reached Afghanistan to join the ISKP [Islamic State in Khorasan Province] is not known. The investigation is on,” the official said. There is no police case registered against Mohsin yet.

At least two officials confirmed that he was not part of the group of 21 men and women from Kerala that had left India in 2016 in batches to join the ISKP. Mainly comprising defectors from the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), the ISKP came into existence in 2015.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Azim Premji, MD and Founder of Wipro Limited donated a humongous amount of INR 50,000 crores to the charity which sums his total value of the philanthropic donation to INR 1,45, 000 crores or 21 billion dollars. 

Jagran Josh

While the world is disturbed with the coronavirus pandemic, a positive piece of news is all we need. Amidst the chaos of coronavirus, Azim Premji, MD and Founder of Wipro Limited donated a humongous amount of INR 50,000 crores to the charity.

Azim Premji is known for giving donations to help the less fortunate section to receive a good education. He has already committed 34% shares of his company to philanthropy. His recent donation of INR 50,000 crores sums his total value of the philanthropic donation to INR 1,45, 000 crores or 21 billion dollars – amongst the largest in the world. After making this humongous donation, Azim Premji is trending on twitter today.

Azim Premji Foundation released a statement: “The Foundation’s extensive fieldwork in education has been in some of the most disadvantaged parts of India, to help contribute to the improvement of quality and equity of the public (government) schooling system. All this work has been in close partnership with various State Governments. Currently, this fieldwork is spread across Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh, along with some work in the north-eastern states of India.’’

Azim Premji Foundation

Azim Premji Foundation was created in 2000 and is a non-profit foundation. The Foundation has focused on improving education in India, leading to the establishment of the Azim Premji University a decade after its founding. The aim of the Azim Premji University is to change the public education system rather than creating islands of excellence.

In 2014, Azim Premji Foundation started supporting not-for-profits by providing multi-year grants. Since then, the foundation has supported over 150 plus organizations pan India. 

Azim Premji signed ‘The Giving Pledge’ 

Azim Premji, India’s second richest man was the first Indian to sign ‘The Giving Pledge’ started by American billionaires, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to commit at least 50% of their fortune to philanthropic work. Premji gave away shares worth almost $7.6 billion as donations. 

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

All international commercial passenger flights will remain suspended till April 14, aviation regulator DGCA announced on Thursday, amid a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

GK News Network

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 19 had announced that no international commercial passenger flight operations will take place in India from 1.30 am on March 23 to 5.30 am on March 29.

“In continuation of circular-II dated 19.3.2020 issued on the subject cited-above, it has been decided that all scheduled international commercial passenger services shall remain closed till 1830 hrs GMT (0000 hrs of Indian Standard Time) of April 14, 2020,” the aviation regulator said.

“However, this restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA,” it said.

The government suspended domestic passenger flight operations from midnight on March 24.

There are 649 coronavirus positive cases in the country and 13 people have died due to it till now, according to the Union health ministry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a complete lockdown across the country for 21 days from Tuesday midnight, asserting that this is necessary for a decisive battle against the coronavirus.

SpiceJet’s special flight from Delhi to taThe aircraft used, will be thoroughly cleaned and fumigated upon its return to Delhi, and the airline said it will follow all the protocols for its crew members

The Hindu

SpiceJet on Thursday said it will operate a special flight from Delhi to Jodhpur on Friday to ferry 142 Indians evacuated from Iran to a government quarantine facility there.

The airline, in a press statement said, it will deploy its Boeing 737 aircraft for the service, which is being operated on the request of the government. The passengers will be reaching New Delhi on a Mahan Air flight.

The SpiceJet flight will take off from New Delhi at 1.40 a.m. and land in Jodhpur at 2.55 a.m. on Friday.

The Indian Army has set up one of its quarantine facilities in Jodhpur for Indians returning from abroad.

“The aircraft will be thoroughly cleaned and fumigated upon its return to Delhi and SpiceJet will follow all the protocols for its crew members,” the airline said.

This is the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 that the government has pressed a private carrier into service for medical evacuation. All previous flights have been carried out by the national carrier, Air India. Several airlines, including IndiGo and GoAir, have offered the government their services to evacuate passengers as well as for transporting medical supplies and equipment.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

ET Bureau

New Delhi: Each citizen should try to help nine poor families during the 21 days of lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said and likened the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic to the legendary Kurukshetra war that lasted 18 days. “Our effort is to win the war against Corona in 21 days,” Modi said on Wednesday.

“The Mahabharata was won in 18 days. The war against Coronavirus will take 21 days. At present, the problem period is 21 days. But if virus spread does not stop, it will incalculable damage,” the PM said in avideo-address to people of Varanasi, his constituency, reiterating his advice to stay home for the next 21 days. He said people should “answer Corona with karuna (compassion)” towards the poor and the needy. “For the next 21days, whoever has the capability, please help nine poor families, daily. There cannot be any bigger service during Navratra. Also, take care of animals around you,” the PM said. He also said the government had forged a partnership with WhatsApp and set up a helpdesk to share authentic information on Covid-19 and shared a helpline number: 9013151515 Modi reiterated that staying indoors and maintaining social distancing of 1-1.5 metres, if out for emergencies, were the ‘only solutions’ to fight Covid-19.

“Many people have wrong notions and have accepted solutions which they find easy and convenient. Please understand the truth – the disease does not discriminate between rich and poor. Even those who take good care of their health can be impacted by the (novel) coronavirus (SARSCoV-2). Also, there are people who do listen and see everything but do not implement it (social distancing). They are careless and do not exercise caution,” Modi said.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)