Srinagar: The Haj Committee of India (HCOI) Monday said that the 100 per cent amount paid so far will be refunded to the pilgrims who desire to cancel their pilgrimage this year amid uncertainty over Haj 2020.
According to an order issued by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maqsood Ahmad Khan, a copy of which lies with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads that “with reference to the communication received from Saudi authorities vide Note Verbale No 209/41/1063 dated 13th March, 2020 regarding forthcoming Haj 1441(2020) conveying to temporarily halt the preparations for Haj 2020. As only few weeks are left for the preparatory work in India, for Haj 2020, yet Saudi authorities have not communicated any further development regarding Haj 2020.”
The orders further reads that in view of the several enquiries received and concerns were expressed over uncertainty over Haj 2020, it has been decided by the Haj Committee of India that, those pilgrims who desire to cancel their Haj joumey this year, their 100% amount paid so far will be refunded without any deductions,
“Pilgrims who desire to cancel their Haj journey this year are requested to fill up the cancellation form available on the Haj committee website (copy enclosed) and email to ceo [email protected] along with copy of Bank passbook/Cancelled Cheque,” The order reads –(KNO)
Bald men may be at higher risk of suffering from severe Covid-19 symptoms, emerging evidence suggests.
The link is so strong that some researchers are suggesting baldness should be considered a risk factor called the “Gabrin sign”, after the first US physician to die of Covid-19 in the United States, Dr Frank Gabrin, who was bald.
The lead author of the key study behind the association, Professor Carlos Wambier of Brown University, told The Telegraph: “We really think that baldness is a perfect predictor of severity.”
Data since the beginning of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in January has shown that men are more likely to die after getting coronavirus. In the UK, a report this week from Public Health England found that working-age males were twice as likely as females to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
Until recently, scientists have been at a loss at why this might be, pointing to factors such as lifestyle, smoking, and immune system differences between the sexes. But increasingly they believe it could be because androgens – male sex hormones like testosterone – may play a part not only in hair loss, but also in boosting the ability of coronavirus to attack cells.
Ruobing Su/Business Inside
This raises the possibility that treatments suppressing these hormones, such as those used for baldness as well as diseases like prostate cancer, could be used to slow the virus down, giving patients time to fight it off.
“We think androgens or male hormones are definitely the gateway for the virus to enter our cells,” said Professor Wambier.
As well as the trial being discussed using baldness drugs in the US, a separate trial has been launched by Matthew Rettig, an oncologist at UC Los Angeles, in 200 veterans in Los Angeles, Seattle and New York, using prostate cancer drugs.
The trials follow two small studies in Spain led by Professor Wambier, which found that a disproportionately high number of men with male pattern baldness were admitted to hospital with Covid-19.
In one study, 79 per cent of the men suffering with Covid-19 in three Madrid hospitals were bald. The study of 122 patients, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, followed an earlier piece of work among 41 patients in Spanish hospitals, which found 71 per cent were bald. The background rate of baldness in white men of a similar age to the patients studied is between 31-53 per cent. A similar correlation was found in the study among the smaller numbers of women with hair loss linked to androgens.
Other scientists said that more work needed to be done, but were excited by the potential link.
“Everybody is chasing a link between androgens …and the outcome of Covid-19,” Howard Soule, executive vice president at the Prostate Cancer Foundation, told Science Magazine.
Prostate cancer specialists are familiar with the role androgens can play in disease because in the prostate, the hormones stimulate an enzyme that boosts cancerous growth. In April, researchers published a paper in the journal Cell which showed that the enzyme TMPRSS2 is also involved in coronavirus infections.
To infect a cell, coronaviruses – including the novel SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19 – use what is called a ‘spike’ protein that binds to the cell’s membrane, a process that is activated by an enzyme. In this case, it appears that TMPRSS2 may be that enzyme.
Scientists do not yet know if the enzyme responds in the same way to androgens in the lungs as it does in the prostate, but other evidence appears to support the potential link.
A study from Veneto, Italy, of 9,280 patients found that men with prostate cancer who were on androgen-deprivation therapy – drugs that cut testosterone levels – were only a quarter as likely to contract Covid-19 as men with the disease who were on other treatments.
Karen Stalbow, Head of Policy at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “There have been several recent pieces of research which indicate there may be a link between male hormones and increased risk of Covid-19. This has led some researchers to investigate whether hormone therapies commonly used to treat prostate cancer, such as enzalutamide, could reduce this risk.
“However, most of the research so far has been in the lab, and there is conflicting evidence over whether the hormone therapies have the same impact in the lungs as they would in prostate cells. There are now several clinical studies starting which hope to address these issues, but much more evidence is needed before we can know whether these hormone therapies would be an effective treatment for Covid-19.” – The Telegraph
New Delhi: The civil services preliminary examination 2020, postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held on October 4, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced on Friday.
It said the personality test of the candidates selected through the last year’s civil services preliminary and main examinations will resume from July 20.
This year’s preliminary test was originally scheduled to be held on May 31, but was deferred due to the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said the announcement of fresh date for the civil services preliminary exam would allay apprehensions in some quarters of it being cancelled.
“It would also allay apprehension from the minds of some quarters who thought that they would become overage by the next year in case the exam was postponed. Candidates need not worry. The examination will be held as per the UPSC’s schedule,” he told PTI.
The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages prelims, main and interview — by the UPSC to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.
Lakhs of aspirants take the examination every year to be part of the country’s coveted civil services.
The decision on announcement of fresh date was taken in a meeting held by the Commission to review the prevailing situation due to COVID-19 lockdown.
“Taking note of the opening of lockdown and progressive relaxations being announced by the Central government and various states, the Commission decided to issue a revised schedule of examination/recruitment tests,” the UPSC said in a statement.
According to the revised calendar, the civil services preliminary examination 2020 will be held on October 4 (Sunday). The main examination 2020 will begin from January 8, 2021 (Friday) for five days, it said.
“The dates of notification, commencement and duration of examinations/recruitment tests are liable to alteration, if the circumstances so warrant,” the Commission said.
Personality tests for civil services (main) examination, 2019, for remaining candidates are being resumed from July 20, it said, adding “candidates will be informed individually.”
A common examination for both NDA& NA Exam (I) and NDA&NA Exam (II), 2020 will be held on September 6, 2020, the UPSC said.
The recruitment test for the posts of Enforcement Officer/Accounts Officer in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), earlier scheduled to be held on October 4, 2020, has been deferred, it said.
“New date for conduct of this recruitment test will be published on the website of the Commission at the time of issue of calendar of examinations/recruitment tests for 2021,” the Commission added.
India now has the seventh highest number of cases in the world after the United States, Brazil, Russia, United Kingdom, Spain and Italy
The deadly novel coronavirus has claimed 6,348 lives in the country, 273 coronavirus patients died in last 24 hours
The coronavirus pandemic in India touched another new peak. The states witnessed the biggest jump in COVID-19 count with 9,851 new cases in last 24 hours. The fatalities from COVID-19 infection increased to 273 on Thursday — the highest number of deaths in a single day.
The total number of coronavirus cases in India stood at 226,770. The deadly novel coronavirus claimed 6,348 lives so far.
Maharashtra continued to add the most number of coronavirus cases in a day. The state confirmed 2,933 coronavirus cases on Thursday. The fatalities from the coronavirus infection in Maharashtra were on a steady rise. The state confirmed 2,710 deaths since outbreak, the highest in India.
Delhi saw an explosion of coronavirus cases in this week. With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi crossed 25,000-mark. The coronavirus fatalities in the state rose to 650.
The coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu continued to surged. The state’s COVID-19 tally rose to 27,256 after over 1,200 people had tested positive for the disease.
Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday advised the Delhi government to ramp up testing, surveillance, contact tracing and stringent containment and perimeter control. “As all districts of union territory of Delhi are now affected by COVID-19, the rising cases, high positivity rates and low testing levels in many districts are worrisome,” he said.
India now has the seventh highest number of cases in the world after the United States, Brazil, Russia, United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. However, the health ministry earlier said that India’s vast population should be taken into account while discussing COVID-19 cases in the country.
Indian Council of Medical Research scientist Nivedita Gupta earlier said, “We are very far away from the peak. Our preventive measures to curtail the disease are very effective and we are better positioned in comparison with other countries.”
On the brighter side, 109,462 people recovered from the disease. While the number of active coronavirus cases in India increased to 110,960. Over 48% of the total coronavirus cases were cured so far.
The central government on Thursday announced new rules for allowing shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and places of worship to open gradually following the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. The guidelines include measures like staggering visitors to malls, disposable menu and 50% seating capacity at eateries and restaurants. All the establishments that come under containment zones, however, will however remain closed. Starting from Monday, India will take another step towards “unlocking” the country and economic activities that had come to a standstill due to pandemic.
Coronavirus treatment:
India approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir for emergency use in treating COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir is the first drug to show improvement in coronavirus patients in formal clinical trials.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced it will be resuming clinical trials of the controversial anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to evaluate whether it can be used to prevent and treat COVID-19. WHO in May suspended trials after a study published in a medical journal The Lancet suggested that the drug could increase the risk of death among patients suffering from the novel coronavirus. The prominent medical journal on Thursday retracted a study.
Students across India post photos of stirs on social media
Members of over 190 student organisations as well as activists and individuals from across the country held protests on Wednesday to highlight the “repression of anti-CAA activists and democratic voices of dissent”, and uploaded photos of their stir on social media.
Protesters were asked to gather in small groups in their locality while maintaining social distance to register their protest, and then post images on social media with the hashtag #SabYaadRakhaJaega and #FreeAntiCAAProtesters, to present a unified voice at a time when physical protests are banned.
Policemen outside Delhi University on Wednesday. Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed at the Delhi University Arts Faculty to ensure that nobody gathered to protest. Delhi Police alerted all district DCPs to be vigilant and stop any protest in their area. The intelligence unit of Delhi Police has also been instructed to gather information about any protests to be organised. “Police deployment was increased at DU campus and South East district after a call of protest was made. It was a peaceful day,” said a police officer.
The protesters condemned the arrest of Jamia students Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider, Asif Iqbal Tanha; JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita along with activists Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Shifa Ur-Rahman and other Muslim youth.
More arrests
“Many activists have been booked under the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as a means of punishing widespread protests against CAA-NRC. It is clear that the spate of arrests are far from over and new names of democratic activists are likely to be added to this already long list,” the organisers of the protest said.
They added that many politicians who were openly advocating violence against peaceful protesters have gotten away scot-free.
They protesters demanded the release of all activists of the anti-CAA movement and arrest of the “real culprits of the Delhi pogrom”.
Demands were also made to scrap the CAA-NRC-NPR along with the UAPA.
Lieutenant-Generals to aim at return to pre-May 5 positions.
The first-ever talks between Indian and Chinese Lieutenant-Generals over the weekend to ease the tension on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) will focus on eastern Ladakh with the aim of moving back to the earlier positions, sources said on Thursday.
“The focus of the talks will be on the Galwan area, Pangong Tso and Gogra. The agenda will focus on the recent use of force, getting back to the positions before May 5 and subsequent de-induction of troops by China,” defence sources said.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Leh-headquartered 14 Corps will lead the Indian delegation at the talks to be held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side. The delegation would also include officers of the rank of Major-General and Brigadier of that area and a translator.
These are the first-ever talks at the level of Lieutenant-Generals, which shows how critical the discussions are, an official said.
Pangong Tso is an important focus area as Chinese troops have taken positions in large numbers at the Finger 4 area. India holds one-third of the 135 km boomerang-shaped lake. India has always held areas in Finger 4, while it claims areas so far as Finger 8.
Major scuffles have broken out in this area in the past and on May 5, which were acknowledged by the Army. There was at least one more major scuffle later in this area, the sources said.
Galwan has never been an area of contention, and sources said this would be strongly conveyed to the Chinese delegation. India and China have identified 23 “disputed and sensitive” areas along the LAC and both Galwan in Ladakh and Naku La in Sikkim do not figure on the list.
In the month-long stand-off at several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and Sikkim, Chinese troops have moved in large numbers into Indian territory at points in Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra in Ladakh and Naku La in Sikkim, besides the massive build-up on its side.
Coronavirus cases in India saw a record single-day jump of 9,304 cases on Thursday, pushing the total tally to 2,16,919, while the death toll climbed to 6,075 with 260 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry.
India stood seventh among the nations worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic after the US, Brazil, Russia, the UK, Spain and Italy.
The Health Ministry said the number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 1,06,737, while 1,04,106 people have recovered and one patient has migrated. “Thus, around 47.99 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior official said.
Of the 260 deaths reported since Wednesday morning, 122 were in Maharashtra, 50 in Delhi, 30 in Gujarat, 11 in Tamil Nadu, 10 in West Bengal, seven each in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, six in Rajasthan, four in Andhra Pradesh and one each in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab and Uttarakhand.
Maharashtra has reported the maximum 2,587 fatalities till date, followed by Gujarat with 1,122 deaths, Madhya Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh: A 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a neighbour at pistol-point when she was alone in her house in Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Thursday.
Charthawal police station SHO Sube Singh said a case has been registered based on a complaint filed by the woman’s father and the accused arrested.
The woman has been sent for medical examination.
According to a complaint filed by the woman’s father, the accused entered into their house on Wednesday when her daughter was alone and raped her at pistol-point.
Mumbai: Veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, known for his relatable, light as souffl brand of cinema with films such as “Rajnigandha” and Chitchor , died on Thursday following age related health issues. He was 93.
Chatterjee, who is survived by his daughters Sonali Bhattacharya and Rupali Guha, died in his sleep at his Santacruz residence.
“He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the morning. He hadn’t been keeping well for quite a while due to old age problems and died at his residence. It’s a great loss for the film industry,” Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), told PTI.
The last rites of the filmmaker, who blazed a middle-of-the-road trail in the 1970s and 1980s, will be performed at the Santacruz crematorium, Pandit said.
Many people in the film industry and outside condoled the death of the director, who placed the middle class and its everyday joys and struggles at the centre of his cinematic world.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Saddened at the demise of legendary film director and screenwriter Basu Chatterjee. He gave us gems like ‘Chhoti Si Baat’, ‘Chitchor’, ‘Rajanigandha’, ‘Byomkesh Bakshi’, ‘Rajni’ among others. Condolences to his family, friends, fans & the entire film fraternity.”
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta said Chatterjee leaves behind a great legacy of cinema gems.
“Basu Chatterjee moves on. For me very few see the lighter side of life like he did. All his films have a smirk on their faces. I’m a big fan. and I have ‘Kahaani 2’ to prove it,” said Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh said.
Chatterjee began as a cartoonist in a tabloid but changed his career path after assisting Basu Bhattacharya in the Raj Kapoor-Waheeda Rehman starrer Teesri Kasam .
The two Basus along with Hrishikesh Mukherjee formed the Hindi cinema triumvirate whose ethos lay firmly in the middle class and its day-to-day struggles at a time when most of Bollywood was focused on larger-than-life stories of angst and tragedy led by Amitabh Bachchan.
Actors like Vidya Sinha, Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab were the stars that were favoured by Chatterjee to tell aspiring stories of the middle class.
His cinema was progressive for the times, unhurried and a slice of everyday life — about conversations over cups of chai and romances blossoming in public buses, trains and office buildings.
Some of his best known works are “Us Paar”, “Chitchor”, “Piya Ka Ghar”, “Khatta Meetha” and “Baton Baton Mein”.
The filmmaker passed away less than a week after the death of lyricist Yogesh Gaur, who penned many popular songs in Chatterjee’s films, including Rajinigandha Phool Tumhare and Na Jaane Kyun . Gaur died on May 29.
Raipur: A case was registered against an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer on Wednesday in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champ district for allegedly raping a 33-year-old woman by threatening to dismiss her husband from the service, police said.
Accused Janak Prasad Pathak is former collector of Janjgir-Champa district and currently Director of Land Records. He has not been arrested yet, said a senior police official.
The woman alleged in her complaint to Janjgir-Champa Superintendent of Police Parul Mathur that on May 15 this year, the officer, then collector of the district, sexually exploited her on the collectorate premises after threatening to sack her husband, a government employee.
The accused also sent obscene messages to her, she said, and provided screenshots of the messages from her mobile phone to police, said the senior police official.
Case was registered against Pathak under IPC sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 B(word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), the official said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Pathak, who was transferred from Jangir-Champa on May26, could not be contacted for his comment on the allegations.