Srinagar: A prominent doctor and Associate Professor of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, was on Thursday tested positive for Novel Coronavirus.
Kashmir’s leading medico has been tested positive today. Sources told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the medico had virus symptoms following which his sample was collected.
“The medico is in isolation at his home,” they said—(KNO)
New Delhi: All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Tuesday said that there was a need to assess the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Russia if it is successful.
He also said that India has the capacity for mass production of vaccine.
“If Russia’s vaccine is successful, then we will have to see critically whether it is safe and effective. There should not be any side effects of the vaccine and it should provide good immunity and protection. India has the capacity for mass production of vaccine,” Dr Guleria told ANI.
The Health Ministry said earlier in the day that the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration will meet tomorrow.
“Government has constituted the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration which will meet tomorrow. Their terms of reference constitute all matters related to logistics of vaccines, ways to address issues of equity etc,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a media briefing.
He was asked if the government was planning for a tie-up with Russia for the vaccine developed by it.
“This expert group will continue its engagement with all state governments and vaccine manufacturers in India,” Bhushan said.
Countries are racing against time to develop a vaccine against coronavirus since its outbreak. The disease has killed over 7.37 lakh people in the world.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), two indigenous vaccines are in the stage of human trials.
The vaccine candidate developed by Bharat Biotech International in collaboration with ICMR is in phase one and phase two trials as is vaccine candidate developed by Zydus Cadila.
Serum Institute of India has got permission for phase two and three human trials of vaccine developed by Oxford University.
The COVID-19 case count in India has risen to 22,68,676 and 45,257 deaths have been reported due to the virus.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday said authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days.
Ms. Ardern said Auckland, the nation’s largest city, will be moved to Alert Level 3 from midday Wednesday through midnight Friday, meaning that people will be asked to stay at home, while bars and many other businesses will be closed.
These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread contact tracing so we can find out more about how this case arose and make decisions about how to respond to it once we have further information, Ms. Ardern said at a hastily called news conference late Tuesday.
I know that this information will be very difficult to receive, Ms. Ardern said. We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again. But we had also prepared for it. And as a team, we have also been here before.
She said that traveling into Auckland will be banned unless people live there and are traveling home.
She said the rest of the country will be raised to Level 2 through Friday, meaning that mass gatherings will be limited to 100 attendees and people would need to socially distance themselves from each other.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the infections were confirmed after a person in their 50s went to their doctor on Monday with symptoms and was swabbed twice, testing positive both times. Six other people in the person’s household were then tested, with three more positive results.
Importantly, the person has no history of overseas travel, Bloomfield said, adding that the source of the infections remains unknown.
Until Tuesday, the only known cases of the virus in New Zealand were 22 travelers who had recently returned from abroad and were being held in quarantine at the border.
The country has been praised globally for its virus response.
New Zealand initially got rid of the virus by imposing a strict lockdown in late March when only about 100 people had tested positive for the disease. That stopped its spread.
Life had returned to normal for many people in the South Pacific nation of 5 million, as they attended rugby games at packed stadiums and sat down in bars and restaurants without fear of getting infected. But some had warned that the country had become complacent.
New Zealanders have never routinely worn masks, but authorities have been urging people to buy them just in case.
The outbreak comes less than six weeks before New Zealanders are due to go to the polls in a general elections
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed should retire from Tests and focus on white ball cricket.
Sarfaraz, a former captain, was seen performing the duties of 12th man in the series opener between England and Pakistan in Manchester.
“In my book I am clear once you have been captain and remained on a pedestal then it is very difficult to come down and be on the bench,” Raja, who is also a well-known commentator, said on the Youtube channel, Cricket Baaz.
“I would advise Sarfaraz to think about it and retire from Test cricket and just focus on white ball cricket, a format in which he is very good and known for his aggression,” he added.
Raja, who featured in 57 Tests, said a former captain and senior player of Sarfaraz’s stature carrying drinks, although not rare in cricket, is frowned upon in Pakistan.
“There is nothing wrong with that because even James Anderson carried drinks when he didn’t play in the second Test against West Indies. But in our cricket culture these things are not looked upon nicely and if they involve a former captain,” Raja said.
“I don’t see him getting a chance in the Test format soon so he should focus on white ball cricket where he will play and be respected as well,” he added.
Raja feels the presence of Sarfaraz in the squad also adds pressure on Mohammad Rizwan, who kept the wickets for Pakistan in the first Test.
“He being in the Test squad also adds pressure on Mohammad Rizwan who knows there is a former captain keeper breathing down his neck and that is not good for him. I think Sarfaraz should not be on the bench. He should call it a day from Test cricket.”
Sarfaraz was removed as captain from all three formats last year in a sudden move by the Pakistan Cricket Board but made a comeback to the national squad for the tour of England due to the unusual circumstances arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 33-year-old, who has appeared in 49 Tests, 116 ODIs and 58 T20Is, led Pakistan to the 2017 Champions Trophy title against India.
Under his captaincy Pakistan reached the number one position in the shortest format of the game.
Raja feels Pakistan has a good chance of bouncing back in the three-Test series as England will be missing the services of its star all-rounder Ben Stokes for family reasons.
“Stokes is the world’s top all-rounder with bat and ball and a game changer. I think Pakistan can definitely take advantage of the situation.”
Talking about the match, Raja said he was disappointed to see Pakistan pacers not bowling short pitched balls to Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes.
“It is frustrating to digest the defeat after having dominated the Test for majority sessions,” he said.
“I was surprised Jos Butler, who was under pressure to get runs, to keep his place in the England team and Chris Woakes,who is primarily a tailender, were not tested by short pitched balls and the fast bowlers.
“Even the field settings for them when Yasir (Shah) was bowling were not good enough.”
Former President Pranab Mukherjee. File | Photo Credit: V.V. Krishnan
Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s health condition has worsened and he continues to be on ventilatory support following an emergency life-saving surgery for a brain clot, the Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital said on Tuesday.
Mr. Mukherjee was admitted to R&R hospital at 12:07 p.m. on Monday in a critical condition.
“The former president who underwent lifesaving emergency surgery for brain clot on August 10 has not shown any improvement and his health status has worsened. He remains on ventilatory support,” the Hospital said in an evening health bulletin. He was also found to be COVID-19 positive, it stated.
“On a visit to the hospital for a separate procedure, I have tested positive for COVID-19 today. I request the people who came in contact with me in the last week, to please self isolate and get tested for COVID-19,” Mr. Mukherjee had tweeted on Monday afternoon.
With inputs from The Hindu
Srinagar: The transgender community in Kashmir is finding it hard to survive as they are without any work post abrogation of Article 370 last year and now the ongoing lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic has further choked their business leaving them in the lurch.
The situations that arise post August 5, 2019 have hit their lone source of income and are crumbling under immense challenges.
Amid tears and sobs, a group of people from transgender community here who are putting up as tenants in parts of Srinagar after they were either forced to leave home or faced social stigma, are facing immense challenges as they have not been able to earn their livelihood since last year.
Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Tariq Ahmad known as Tahira Ji in the transgender community said that over the years, all of them used to work as middlemen and attend marriage functions as dancers and would sing songs to earn a livelihood, which was the sole source of income for their survival.
“For last one year, we have only witnessed curbs and lockdowns and during the period we faced immense hardships. It is the locals in our area who are serving us food as we have not earned even a single penny since last year to buy even bread on our own,” Tariq said.
Tariq said that due to the ongoing pandemic, there is no sigh of relief among the community as no one allows them to enter their home.
“Post August 5 2019 decision and the ongoing lockdown enforced in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, our community has witnessed the worst ever phase. The government never bothered to look into the miseries of our community and extend a helping hand in any manner,” Tariq said.
Azam, another member from the community said that the government has left them abandoned since there is nothing for them from their end. “Even we are being deprived of our genuine rights. Also, this lockdown has confined us to our rooms fearing the spread of virus,” Azam said.
Fayaz Ahmad, known as Chandni Ji, another member from the community said that they don’t beg anything from anyone except Allah. “We are being deprived of whatever is required from the government’s end if compared to those living outside Kashmir,” Fayaz said.
Fayaz further said stated the government has announced Rupees 1000 to each transgender, which is insufficient and wouldn’t help to survive. “With the meager Rupees 1000 only, what can we do? Either to pay our building rent, electricity bills, buy ration or fulfill other important requirements and for that amount we are made to wait for almost a month that leaves our needs unfulfilled,” Fayaz added.
Fayaz further stated that the inaction and policies of the government is compelling them to agitate against them and hit the roads to press for their rights and demands.
Blaming the government for their inaction, the transgender community said that those at the helm of affairs have left them on God’s mercy, adding that the government must initiate some early concrete steps to facilitate the community and give them rights equivalent to other communities.
The other members of the group also echoed similar concerns—(KNO)
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has been issued a summons by a US court for a lawsuit by a former top Saudi intelligence agent who was reportedly targeted in a foiled assassination attempt.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia issued the summons on Friday, a day after Saad al-Jabri filed the lawsuit accusing Prince Mohammed of sending a hit squad to Canada to try and kill him.
A summons is an official notice of a lawsuit, given to the person or persons being sued.
Al-Jabri, who lives in Canada, reportedly under increased protection by police and private security guards, claimed that his close ties with the US intelligence community and deep knowledge of the prince’s activities had rendered him one of the aspiring monarch’s key targets.
“Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating and damning information about Defendant bin-Salman than the mind and memory of Dr. Saad – except perhaps the recordings Dr. Saad made in anticipation of his killing,” the lawsuit read.
Saudi Arabia, which has issued Interpol red notices seeking al-Jabri’s return – which have since been dismissed by the agency as political – has urged other countries to send al-Jabri back to the kingdom, accusing the former senior intelligence officer of corruption.
The summons, which named 12 people in addition to Prince Mohammed, added: “If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint”.
The suit asserts that MBS had ordered the detention of two of al-Jabri’s children, who have gone missing from their home in the capital Riyadh in mid-March, and that other relatives have also been arrested and tortured “all in an effort to bait Dr. Saad back to Saudi Arabia to be killed”.
The claims in the lawsuit are allegations which have not been proven.
“MBS will now vigorously lobby President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to issue what is called a letter of suggestion immunity,” Bruce Fein, a former US associate deputy attorney general, told Al Jazeera.
“It is rather an odd realm of law, but it asks the court to dismiss the case because it will interfere with the foreign relations of the US and relations with a head of state or high-level officials.
“But that means November [US elections] will be critical for Saudi Arabia. I can guarantee you right now that Saudi Arabia and the crown prince are talking with Pompeo and Trump asking them get him out of this.”
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar: The Centre Government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that 4G internet service will be restored on trail basis in limited areas after August 15 as decided by a special committee looking into the issue of internet restoration in Jammu and Kashmir.
A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana was told by Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, that the committee has decided that trial will be done in one district each in Jammu and Kashmir division.
He informed the court that the Committee has decided that access to 4G internet in J&K will be given in a calibrated manner and result of the trial will be reviewed after two months.
The bench also comprising Justices R Subhash Reddy and B R Gavai said this is a fairly good stand on the part of the respondents-Centre and J&K administration.
Notably, J&K is without high speed internet service after it was suspended in August last year when the Centre announced revocation of its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs — Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
On August 7, the top court had asked the J&K administration to explore the possibility of restoring 4G services in certain areas of the Union Territory.(KNS)
Srinagar: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Farooq Ahmad Khan Tuesday said the security agencies and administration was working to stop killings of Panches and Sarpances in Kashmir.
While condemning the recent attacks on Panchayat representatives and party workers, Khan said, “Panches and Sarpanches contested elections on a non-party basis. They contested elections to work for development in their respective areas. But there are some people who don’t want them to work for the welfare of people.”
The Advisor told reporters in South Kashmir as per news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that security agencies and administration want to ensure such attacks are stopped.
“The attackers should also be punished,” he added.
His statement came in view of recent killings of workers of mainstream parties in Kashmir.
Several workers especially associated with the BJP have resigned. Many Panchayat representatives have also fled their homes due to fear.
A BJP worker was attacked on Sunday in Budgam who later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
The police said that Abdul Hamid Najar was on morning walk when unidentified gunmen fired at him near Ompora.
Thirty eight-year-old Najar (who belongs to the Other Backward Class) was the district president of the BJP.
The attacks have created a fear among BJP workers, Panches and Sarpanches in the valley. After these attacks, several BJP workers had announced their dissociation with the party.
On Thursday, suspected militants shot dead BJP Sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Khanday in Qazigund area of Kulgam district. While on Wednesday, a BJP Sarpanch Arif Ahmad was shot at, leaving him critically injured.
Muhammad Rafiq Bhat, BJP General Secretary for Dooru constituency in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, announced his resignation from the party on Thursday.
Independent Sarpanch Muhammad Iqbal from Chandan Pajan area of Devsar, Kulgam uploaded a video on social media announcing his resignation.
Several BJP workers from Kulgam and Anantnag resigned from the party on Thursday seeking forgiveness from people.
Several BJP leaders have also resigned from the party in North Kashmir.
This comes after a BJP youth leader Waseem Bari along with his father and brother were killed in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district last month.(KINS)
Moscow: Russia on Tuesday declared itself the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine with President Vladimir Putin saying one of his daughters had been inoculated.
Dubbing the vaccine “Sputnik V” after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space, Russian officials said it provided safe, stable immunity and denounced Western attempts to undermine Moscow’s research.
Scientists in the West have raised concerns about the speed of development of Russian vaccines, suggesting that researchers might be cutting corners and coming under pressure from authorities to deliver.
The World Health Organization said any WHO stamp of approval on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate would require a rigorous safety data review.
“We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine,” said the UN agency’s spokesman Tarik Jasarevic in Geneva.
Putin had told a televised video conference call with government ministers, “This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered.
“I know that it is quite effective, that it gives sustainable immunity,” he said.
The president said one of his daughters had been inoculated with the vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the Russian defence ministry and other government bodies.
“In this sense she took part in the experiment,” Putin said, adding that she had a slight temperature after a second injection and “that’s all”.
The chief of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, which is financing and helping to coordinate the vaccine efforts, told reporters that Phase 3 trials on a large group of people would start on Wednesday.
Kirill Dmitriyev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had made “preliminary applications for over one billion doses” of the vaccine.
He said that along with foreign partners Russia was ready to manufacture 500 million doses of vaccine per year in five countries.
Dmitriyev denounced “coordinated and carefully orchestrated media attacks” designed to “discredit” Russia’s vaccine.
“We should leave politics behind and enjoy this moment,” he said. “We are not forcing this vaccine on anyone.”
“Little detail’ available”
The pandemic has seen an unprecedented mobilisation of funding and research to rush through a vaccine that can protect billions of people worldwide.
Russia has been pushing hard to quickly develop a coronavirus vaccine and said earlier this month it hoped to launch mass production within weeks and turn out “several million” doses per month by next year.
The WHO had last week urged Russia to follow established guidelines and go “through all the stages” necessary to develop a safe vaccine.
Spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters at the time that the WHO had not been officially notified of any Russian vaccine on the verge of being deployed.
Experts said they were concerned that not enough was known about Russia’s research.
“There seems to be rather little detail thus far on Russian (vaccine) candidates,” said Danny Altmann, a professor of Immunology at Imperial College London.
“The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective could exacerbate our current problems insurmountably.”
The vaccine developed by Russia is a so-called viral vector vaccine, meaning it employs another virus to carry the DNA encoding of the needed immune response into cells.
Gamaleya’s vaccine is based on the adenovirus, a similar technology to the coronavirus vaccine prototype developed by China’s CanSino.
The state-run Gamaleya institute came under fire after researchers and its director injected themselves with the prototype several months ago, with specialists criticising the move as an unorthodox and rushed way of starting human trials.
Moscow has dismissed allegations from Britain, the United States and Canada that a hacking group linked to Russian intelligence services tried to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine from labs in the West.
With more than 897,000 confirmed infections, Russia’s coronavirus caseload is currently fourth in the world after the United States, Brazil and India.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)