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  • Saudi-led coalition air strikes hit rebel-held Yemen capital Sanaa

    The military operation targeted the “storage, assembly and installation sites” of ballistic missiles and drones across territory held by the Huthi rebels, the coalition said.

    The Huthi-run Al-Masirah television reported at least 19 air strikes on a number of targets in Sanaa, including military bases and a military academy.

    AFP

    The Saudi-led military coalition on Monday carried out multiple air strikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa in retaliation for missile strikes on Riyadh. Residents in Sanaa reported multiple explosions after the bombing raids began, in a new escalation despite UN calls for a ceasefire to protect Yemeni civilians from the coronavirus pandemic.

    The military operation targeted the “storage, assembly and installation sites” of ballistic missiles and drones across territory held by the Huthi rebels, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The Huthi-run Al-Masirah television reported at least 19 air strikes on a number of targets in Sanaa, including military bases and a military academy.

    Global ceasefire

    The operation comes after Saudi air defences intercepted Huthi ballistic missiles over Riyadh and the border city of Jizan late Saturday. The attacks left two civilians wounded in Riyadh, which is under a 15-hour per day curfew to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to Saudi State media. It was the first major assault on Saudi Arabia since the Huthi rebels offered last September to halt attacks on the kingdom after devastating twin strikes on Saudi oil installations.

    Fighting has also escalated between the Huthis and Riyadh-backed Yemeni troops around the strategic northern districts of Al-Jawf and Marib. The rebels stormed a key governmental military camp in Al-Jawf after heavy clashes on Monday, according to Yemeni military sources. The escalation comes despite a show of support on Thursday by all of Yemen’s warring parties for a UN call for a ceasefire as the Arab world’s poorest country remains vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government and the Huthi rebels had all welcomed an appeal from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for an “immediate global ceasefire” to help avert disaster for vulnerable people in conflict zones.

    Broken healthcare system

    On Sunday, UN special envoy Martin Griffiths reiterated the call for an immediate cessation of hostilities to help avert the “potentially disastrous consequences” of the coronavirus outbreak. Yemen’s broken healthcare system has so far recorded no case of the COVID-19 illness, but aid groups have warned that when it does hit, the impact will be catastrophic.

    The country is already gripped by what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia is also scrambling to limit the spread of the disease at home. The kingdom’s health ministry has reported 1,453 coronavirus infections and eight deaths from the illness so far.

  • Coronavirus | Five members of U.S. Congress test positive

    An estimated 230 House members returned to Washington to pass the $2.2 trillion Economic Relief Bill despite the health risks of travelling and gathering at the Capitol.

    Reuters

    Six members of the U.S. Congress have announced that they have contracted the novel coronavirus, and more than 30 others are or were self-quarantining in hopes of limiting the spread of the pandemic.

    Now that Congress has passed a $2.2 trillion Economic Relief Bill, and President Donald Trump has signed it into law, neither the House of Representatives nor Senate is now due back in Washington before April 20 at the earliest. An estimated 230 House members returned to Washington to pass the relief package on Friday, despite the health risks of travelling and gathering at the Capitol, after Republican Representative Thomas Massie said he would block an effort to pass it without at least half of the House’s 430 members present.

    Who has the virus?


    Representative Mike Kelly, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said on Friday he had tested positive for the coronavirus at a drive-through testing site. Mr. Kelly said in a statement he had started experiencing mild flu-like symptoms, and his doctor ordered the coronavirus test. Representative Joe Cunningham, a Democrat from South Carolina, said on Friday he had tested positive for the coronavirus, although his symptoms had already begun to improve. Mr. Cunningham had been in self-quarantine since March 19 after learning he had been in contact with another member of Congress who had tested positive.

    Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, said on March 22 that he had tested positive and was in quarantine. He said he was asymptomatic and feeling fine and was tested out of an abundance of caution. He had been in the Senate and using the gym there in the days before he received his positive result.

    Republican Representative from Florida Mario Diaz-Balart said on March 18 that he tested positive after developing symptoms on March 14. That was less than 24 hours after he and more than 400 other members of the House of Representatives crowded into the chamber to pass an earlier coronavirus aid package. Utah Democrat Ben McAdams said on March 18 that he had the virus, also having developed symptoms on March 14. In a statement March 24, Mr. McAdams said he had been in the hospital and doctors were monitoring his occasional need for oxygen. He has since been released from the hospital.

    Representative Nydia Velazquez, a Democrat from New York, announced in a statement on Monday that she had been diagnosed with a presumed case of coronavirus, although she had not been tested, after developing symptoms of the ailment on Sunday. Ms. Velazquez was among the House members who returned to the Capitol on Friday.

    Who is self-quarantined?


    At least six of the 100 senators have self-quarantined because of exposure to Mr. Paul or others who tested positive for coronavirus. They are Republicans Cory Gardner, Lindsey Graham, Rick Scott and Ted Cruz. All have returned to public life. Over two dozen House members have self-quarantined, some after exposure to Diaz-Balart or McAdams, and others after contacts with constituents or staffers who tested positive. Not all are still in isolation.

    The Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Thune, missed the March 25 Senate vote on the $2.2 trillion coronavirus bill after feeling ill and flying home to South Dakota. He later announced that a coronavirus test had come back negative.

  • Kulgam Youth injured on March 21 dies at SKIMS Soura today morning

    Kulgam, Mar 31: A 28-year-old youth who was seriously injured after being fired upon by unidentified gunmen at Kulgam district, succumbed at SKIMS, Soura.

    According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), on March 21, unknown gunmen had shot at 28-year-old man in Turigam area of Kulgam in south Kashmir, leaving him critically injured.

    The youth was identified as Waseem Ahmad son of Muhammad Amin at Turigam this evening.

    Waseem had suffered serious bullet wounds.

    A doctor at SKIMS told KNO that the youth succumbed early morning today. SP Kulgam Gurinderpal Singh confirmed that the boy died in SKIMS today morning—(KNO)

  • 1 lakh people may die in US: Donald Trump

    Some one lakh people in the US may die from the coronavirus pandemic and the peak death rate was likely to hit the country in two weeks, President Donald Trump has warned, citing his health experts as he extended the “social distancing” guidelines until April 30.

    His statement came as the death toll in New York state, America’s epicentre of COVID-19, crossed the 1,000 mark, with Governor Andrew Cuomo warning that thousands of people may die before the crisis ends.

    The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US stood at 143,025 and 2,509 people have died in the country, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

    Assuring his countrymen that he expects the US to be on its way to recovery by June 1, Trump told reporters at a televised White House news conference that he had to extend the social distancing measures till April 30, based on the advice from his two top public health advisors and members of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus: Dr Deborah Bix and Dr Anthony Fauci.

    “I want the American people to know that your selfless inspiring and valiant efforts are saving countless lives. You are making a difference. The modeling estimates that the peak and death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” Trump said during his second Rose Garden press conference on the coronavirus outbreak.

    Trump predicted his decision would save hundreds of thousands of lives, in an apparent moving of the political goalposts to account for the fast worsening US pandemic. “2.2 million people would have died if we didn’t do what we are doing,” the President said.“If we can hold that number down … To 100,000, it’s a horrible number, maybe even less … We all, all together have done a very good job,” Trump said.

    “We can expect that by June 1 we will be well on our way to recovery,” he said. The coronavirus pandemic is expanding fast in New York’s neighbouring New Jersey, where so far more than 13,000 cases have been reported, with 161 deaths. More than 20 of the 50 American states have recorded over 1,000 coronavirus cases — the number from where the deadly disease starts skyrocketing. Major disaster declaration has been notified in nearly two dozen states, in addition to Trump declaring a national emergency a week ago.

  • Doctor tests positive for coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir

    Jammu, March 30 (GNS): A doctor in Jammu has tested positive for coronavirus and was among 11 persons who were confirmed to have contracted the dreaded disease in J&K on Monday. So far 49 people including 37 in Kashmir and 12 in Jammu have tested positive for the pathogen. Among them, eight tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir and three in Jammu on Monday.

    In an ominous development, this is the first case of a doctor contracting the novel coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Official sources told GNS that the doctor is working as microbiologist at the microbiology laboratory of Government Medical College Jammu. Sources said all staff working in the laboratory and others who might have come in his contact has been shifted to quarantine and their samples have been taken for tests, they said. (GNS)

  • Iran reports 117 new coronavirus deaths, toll at 2757

    Country plans tougher curbs on movement

    Reuters

    Iran had 117 new COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,757, a health ministry spokesman said on Monday, prompting the Middle East’s worst-hit country to consider tougher curbs on movement.

    The total number of infections climbed to 41,495.

    “In the past 24 hours we had 117 new deaths and 3,186 new confirmed cases of people infected with the coronavirus,” Kianush Jahanpur told State TV, calling on Iranians to stay at home.

    Iran has had an intercity travel ban since Thursday and the government has extended the closure of universities and schools and the suspension of all cultural, religious and sports events.

    “If necessary, we might impose tougher measures as our priority is the nation’s safety and health,” said Iran’s first Vice President, Eshaq Jahangiri, according to state TV.

    Iran last week warned of a surge of cases as many Iranians ignored calls to avoid travelling for Persian New Year holidays that started on March 20.

    Jails

    To stem the spread of the virus in crowded jails, Iran’s judiciary on Sunday extended furloughs for 100,000 prisoners. On March 17, Iran said it had freed about 85,000 people from jail temporarily, including political prisoners.

    Iranian media on Monday, citing the governor of Iran’s Fars province, Enayatollah Rahimi, reported that prisoners at one prison “broke cameras and caused other damage in two sections of the prison where violent criminals are kept”.

    The State news agency IRNA said similar riots had erupted in other prisons since March 20. Families have called for the release of all prisoners.

  • COVID-19 pandemic: Only two testing labs in Kashmir

    North Kashmir has no collection Centre for COVID-19 samples nor testing lab

    Srinagar, Mar 28 (KNO): With daily surge in number of positive cases in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the authorities have not been able to increase the number of testing labs from existing two and collection centres for lakhs of people living in north and southern Kashmir.

    According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), an official said that Kashmir valley has only two functional testing labs for COVID-19 with two sample collection centres in south and not s single in north Kashmir.

    Official sources said that even after growing cases of deadly novel Corona-virus in Kashmir with number mounting to 45 in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities here haven not set up any new testing labs so far making suspects to travel several kilometers for tests and sample collections.

    Sources said that two functional testing labs for COVID-19 are made functional in Kashmir are, one at Government Medical College (GMC) and Sher Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) Srinagar only.

    Sources further said that hundreds across the valley are under quarantine and the figures are mounting amid the increase in positive cases within the valley from both south and north Kashmir with more positive cases emerging from north Kashmir belt of Kashmir.

    Despite authorities being aware about how fatal this virus can be, they have not made a single testing lab functional in north or south Kashmir since when both the belts have full-fledged medical colleges functional in Anantnag and Baramulla, official sources said.

    Government medical college (GMC) Anantnag, Dr Showkat Geelani said, “We don’t have a testing lab functional here for Coronavirus but we collect the samples and send them for testing to Srinagar and so far we have sent almost a dozen samples”.

    Nodal officer Kashmir diversion for COVID-19 Dr. SM Qadri on being contacted told—KNO that only two testing labs are functional in Kashmir one at Government Medical College (GMC) and Sher Kashmir Institute Of Medical Science (SKIMS) Srinagar.

    He said that no testing lab has yet been made functional anywhere in Kashmir expect the two functioning in Srinagar but we have collection centres operational in Pulwama and Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital (JLNM) Srinagar only samples are to be collected and tested in functional labs.

    He furthermore said that there is no collection centre or testing lab made functional in north Kashmir. The people belonging to northern belt of Kashmir are gripped with fear after Bandipora witnessed couple of positive cases and two deaths of positive patient, an elderly on Thursday from Sopore and ther other elderly from Tangmarg with numbers in quarantine and several tested positive from Bandipora—(KNO)

  • Youth hanged self to death at friends home

    Budgam, Mar 30, KNT: A youth hanged self to death in his friend’s home here in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Monday late evening.A police official told Kashmir News Trust that a 26 year old youth identified as

    Ishfaq Ahmad Khan aged son of Muhammad Rafi Khan of Lachmanpora Beerwah hanged himself in his friends home at Drung Lassipora and died onspot.

    The dead body was shifted to SDH Beerwah for Medical formalities.

    Police have registered a case in this regard and set investigation into motion. (KNT)

  • Malaysia confirms 156 new COVID-19 cases and 3 more deaths

    CNA

    KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia confirmed 156 more COVID-19 cases on Monday (Mar 30), bringing the total number of people who have tested positive to 2,626.

    At a press conference, Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also said that three more deaths have been recorded.“According to the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (sic) has confirmed three more deaths, making the total death tally 37.

    “The three include a 57-year-old diabetes patient with travel history to Indonesia, a 46-year old man in Sarawak and a 46-year-old man with high blood pressure and an auto-immune disease, also from Sarawak.

    Eight deaths were recorded with the youngest being a 27-year-old with diabetes and hypertension, while the oldest was a 91-year-old with similar health complications.

    Separately, he said as of 12pm on Monday, 94 cases were in ICU of which 62 required ventilator support.

    Dr Noor Hisham also announced 91 new recoveries, bringing the total tally of recoveries to 479.

    RELIGIOUS GATHERING INFECTED FIVE GENERATIONS.

    “Initially when we went in, there were 71 positive cases, when we went in again today it spiked to 90 positive cases in total at the school and one outside,” he said.

    There are a total of 274 students in the school.

    Following the 71 positive cases on Sunday, the government ordered a full lockdown at seven villages in Sungai Lui located in Hulu Langat.

    Hulu Langat is the district with the highest number of cases in Selangor. As of 12pm on Monday, there were 271 positive cases in the district.

    The lockdown, referred to as the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), bars the 4,000 residents in the district from venturing outdoors at all hours.

    Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has explained that the Welfare Department will be distributing food to the five villages and two Orang Asli villages affected by the EMCO.

    He stressed that visitors were also barred from entering the villages.

  • Covid-19: Lack of sanitation, other basic facilities mars health care at CD Hospital Sgr

    Both Positive and negative result people are kept together, allege patients

    Srinagar, Mar 30 (KNO): Amid the coronavirus outbreak, valley’s lone Chest Disease hospital continues to face government neglect and is grappling with shortage of basic facilities like sanitation, proper fencing etc.

    According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a Covid-19 patient from Budgam district of Central Kashmir alleged that there is no basic facility at CD hospital as the rooms, bathrooms and surroundings of the hospital are very dirty and the patients are ill-treated.

    “I visited Delhi on March 16th, returned back on March 18 and directly visited SKIMS and asked doctors for check-up but they behaved very rudely and asked me to go home after which I was at home from 18 to 25 March,” he said. “On March 25, a team of doctors took me to Chrar-e-Sharef hospital, from where I was shifted to CD hospital Srinagar where doctors change statements about me every day, one day they declare me positive and another day negative.”

    He said that the facilities are very poor at CD hospital as even dogs sleep in the wards during night and the food that is provided to them is unhygienic. “No gap is being kept between patients suspects of Covid-19,” he alleged.

    Before confirmation all patients are kept in a single room and once report comes, then patient is kept in isolation, he said. “All suspected persons must be kept in isolation at initial stage, otherwise his/her virus spreads to all till authorities wait for confirmation,” said another patient.

    The hospital should have proper sanitation otherwise the health of the patients will deteriorate instead of recovering, he said. “My relatives and friends contacted whole administration but nothing has been done so far,” he said. When contacted by KNO, doctors at CD hospital said that some of the grievances and complaints of patients are genuine and have taken up these issues with higher ups and will be redressed soon—(KNO)