The General Directorate of Saudi Passports (Jawazat) announced on Tuesday that expatriate residents abroad will not be allowed to return to the Kingdom until after the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
On its Twitter account, the passport authority said: “No entry for expat residents until the end of the pandemic.” It replied to an inquiry asking whether a resident with an exit and return visa can return before his entry visa ends.
“Welcome dear. you will not be allowed to return till the end of the coronavirus pandemic crisis, and the decision on return will be announced officially, and under a valid entry visa,” the directorate tweeted.
“In case a resident is outside the Kingdom, the mechanism for extending the exit and return visa will be announced through official channels after the end of the coronavirus pandemic crisis,” the authority added.
The authority explained that new decisions or instructions will be announced through official channels.
While denying the reports on PLA casualties, the Chinese foreign ministry said Indian and Chinese militaries held a meeting on June 22 to resolve the ongoing tension through talks.
China on Tuesday dismissed as “fake news” reports indicating that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had suffered at least 40 casualties in the bruising brawl with Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15.
While the Indian Army lost 20 soldiers during the violent clash on the night of June 15, China has so far refused to reveal details of the casualties
While denying the reports on PLA casualties, the Chinese foreign ministry said Indian and Chinese militaries held a meeting on June 22 to resolve the ongoing tension through talks.
“China and India are in dialogue, in talks with each other to resolve this issue through diplomatic and military channels,” ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.
“As for what you saw in the media, for example, some people alleged that casualties on the Chinese side amounted to 40, I can tell you for sure that this is fake news,” Zhao said responding to a specific question on the PLA’s casualty numbers.
While the Indian Army lost 20 soldiers during the violent clash on the night of June 15, China has so far refused to reveal details of the casualties suffered by the PLA.
Union minister Gen VK Singh (retd) had indicated over the weekend that China could have suffered double the number of casualties in comparison to India numbers.
A commander-level meeting led by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, was held on Monday, lasting for nearly 11 hours.
It was held at Moldo on the Chinese side of the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) with a focus on cooling tensions.
When asked about Monday’s meeting, Zhao said: “On June 22, the border troops of China and India held the second military-level meeting in the border area, which was also the first military-level meeting after the incident of the Galwan Valley on June 15.
Speaking at the regular ministry briefing, Zhao added that the “…holding of this meeting showed that the two sides hope to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, control the situation, and ease the situation.”
“During the meeting, based on the consensus of the first military-level meeting, the two sides exchanged frank and in-depth views on the outstanding issues in the current border control, and agreed to take necessary measures to promote the cooling of the situation,” spokesperson Zhao said.
“The two sides also agreed to maintain dialogue and jointly work together to promote peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he added.
When asked about details of the disengagement, Zhao said: “The specific measures are under discussion between the border troops of the two sides. I have no other information to release on this.”
Both countries agree to disengage after detailed talks were held between Corps Commanders.
India and China have arrived at a “mutual consensus” to disengage on their disputed eastern Ladakh boundary, an Army official said on Tuesday after detailed talks between Corps Commanders on Monday.
Indian soldiers patrol the mountainous terrain in Leh on June 23, 2020. | Photo Credit: AFP
The disengagement, eight days after 20 Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh, came on a day Army chief M.M. Naravane visited his injured colleagues in a Leh hospital.
Beijing, too, echoed the sentiments expressed in New Delhi, with the Foreign Ministry spokesman welcoming the Corps Commander-level talks “to take necessary measures to cool down the situation”. He said arrangements towards de-escalation were being coordinated by the two militaries on the ground.
Phased disengagement
An Indian Army official, who wished not to be named, said, “The Corps Commander-level talks between India and China on June 22 were held at Moldo in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. There was a mutual consensus to disengage. Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed and will be taken forward by both the sides.”
Another Army official said the disengagement would be done from different places in a phased manner without giving a specific time frame or sequence. There would be more ground-level talks to take forward the disengagement.
In the first Corps Commander talks on June 6, both sides identified five locations of conflict — Patrolling Point (PP) 14, 15, 17A, North bank of Pangong Tso and Chushul — and agreed on limited “disengagement” in some of the places. But that consensus ended with the Galwan clash.
Interestingly, both rounds of talks between the Corps Commanders took place in Moldo, the designated meeting point on the Chinese side. They were reportedly sought by the Chinese side and hosted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
‘False information’
The Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected a statement made by Gen. V.K. Singh (retd.) that China lost more than 40 soldiers in the June 15 clash, terming it “false information”. Beijing has not revealed the number of casualties from the Galwan clash.
The Ministry said the holding of Monday’s Corps Commanders meeting, the first since the clash, “showed that the two sides hope to resolve differences, and control and ease the situation through dialogue and consultation”.
When asked about Monday’s agreement to disengage, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “The relevant measures are being coordinated and arranged by the border forces of the two countries on the ground.”
The Ministry said both sides agreed to take forward the consensus reached on June 6.
“During the meeting, based on the consensus reached at the first Commander-level meeting, the two sides have had candid and in-depth exchange of views on outstanding issues related to border control, and agreed to take necessary measures to cool down the situation,” said Mr. Zhao. “The two sides agreed to maintain dialogue and work together for peace and tranquillity in border areas.”
To a query about Chinese casualties, Mr. Zhao said, “China and India are in dialogue and talks with each other to resolve this issue through diplomatic and military channels. As for what you saw in the media, for example some people alleged that casualties on the Chinese amounted to 40, I can tell you for sure this is false information.”
Naravane in Ladakh
Indian Army chief General Naravane, meanwhile, is on a two-day visit to review operational preparedness on the ground in Ladakh. “The Army chief will be visiting Ladakh for reviewing the ground situation, discuss the ongoing stand-off with ground commanders, visit forward locations and interact with troops on the ground,” a source said.
Upon reaching Leh, Gen. Naravane interacted with soldiers at the military hospital. This is his second visit to Ladakh since the stand-off with the Chinese troops that began in early May. He visited the Leh-based 14 Corps Headquarters on May 22.
New Delhi: With 14,933 people testing positive for coronavirus in a single day, India’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 4,40,215 on Tuesday while the death toll rose to 14,011 with 312 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The number of recoveries also surged with 2,48,189 patients cured so far, while there were 1,78,014 active cases, according to the updated official figures at 8 am. One patient has migrated.
During the last 24 hours, a total of 10,994 COVID-19 patients have recovered, taking the recovery rate to around 56.38 per cent amongst coronavirus infected patients, an official said.
Of the 312 fresh fatalities reported till Tuesday morning, 113 were from Maharashtra, 58 from Delhi, 37 from Tamil Nadu, 21 from Gujarat, 19 from Uttar Pradesh, 14 from West Bengal, 9 from Haryana, seven each from Rajasthan and Telangana, six from Madhya Pradesh, five each from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, three from Jammu and Kashmir, two each from Bihar and Punjab and one each from Chhattisgarh, Goa, Odisha and Uttarakhand.
Jammu: A man, wanted in connection with a rape case, was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Tuesday, police officials said.
The accused was wanted in a case of rape, abduction and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act registered at Rajouri police station in 2019, they said.
“On Tuesday, a team of police raided a location in Palullian village and arrested the absconder who shall be produced in the court of law.” the officials said.
The accused has been identified as Mohammad Zaffer, a resident of Palullian village in Rajouri, they added.
The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) is likely to hold virtual meet on Wednesday to discuss border tensions between the two countries.The WMCC talks are headed by joint secretary-level officials from both sides.
Centre seeks details on the formulation to verify claims.
Hours after yoga guru Baba Ramdev unveiled an Ayurvedic medicine — ‘Coronil and Swasari’ — on Tuesday, claiming that clinical trials on COVID-19 affected patients had shown favourable results, the Central government asked Patanjali Ayurved Limited to stop advertising the drug and sought details on its claimed “successful trial and cure”.
Yoga guru Ramdev addresses the media during the launch of ‘Coronil’ and ‘Swasari’ ayurvedic medicines, claimed by Patanjali Ayurved to cure coronavirus disease, in Haridwar on June 23, 2020. | Photo Credit: PTI
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Ayush on the claims made by Haridwar (Uttrakhand)-based Patanjali Ayurved in treating COVID-19, the Ministry noted that it had taken cognisance of the news being recently flashed on its drug by the company. Facts of the claim related to the drug and details of the stated scientific study are not known to the Ministry, the statement said.
According to the latest update by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), 14,011 deaths have been recorded due to the infection so far in the country. (Twitter)
List of details
Patanjali Ayurved has been asked to provide, at the earliest, details of the name and composition of the medicines being claimed as successful in COVID-19 treatment; site(s)/ hospital(s) where the research study was conducted; the protocol, sample size, Institutional Ethics Committee clearance, Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) registration, and results data of the study, and to stop advertising/publicising such claims till the issue had been duly examined.
The Ministry has also requested the concerned State Licensing Authority of the Uttarakhand government to provide copies of the license and product approval details of Ayurvedic medicines being claimed as useful in the treatment of COVID -19.
Regulated by Act
“Also, the concerned Ayurvedic drug manufacturing company has been informed that such advertisements of drugs including Ayurvedic medicines are regulated under the provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Rules thereunder and the directives issued by the Central Government in the wake of COVID outbreak. The Ministry had also issued a Gazette Notification on April 21, 2020 stating the requirements and the manner in which research studies on COVID-19 with Ayush interventions/medicines should be undertaken,’’ the Ministry said.
‘100 patients’
Meanwhile, scientists associated with the trial said they had not yet published the results. Dr. Abhishekh Sharma, Assistant Professor of Medicine, National Institute of Medical Sciences, and among those who supervised the trial, said that 100 patients, who had tested positive for the virus, were recruited for the trial. Of them, 50 were given the medicine and five dropped out midway. The remaining 50 were administered a placebo.
“69% of the 45, when tested on the third day, were found clear of the virus and half of those on the placebo recovered,” said Dr. Sharma. That works out to 31 of those on the treatment tested negative, and 25 of those on placebo tested negative.
No other details on the profiles of the COVID-19 positive persons — the degree of sickness in those who enrolled for the trial, their age, whether they were on other medication prior to enrolment — were immediately available.
Clinical trial registry
A check on the clinical trial registry, where all trials must be registered, showed that a wide spectrum of patients were solicited. They were “asymptomatic, mildly symptomatic, moderately symptomatic and those aged 15-80”. The original aim of the study was to check the status of patients at day 3, day 7 and day 14, and whether they had improved immunological parameters due to the medicine. The medicine regime involved are the Tablet Swasari Ras (500 mg), Tablet Pure Ashwagandha Extract (500 mg), Tablet Pure Giloy Extract (500 mg), Tablet Pure Tulsi Extract (500 mg) and Anu Taila (nasal drop), according to information on the clinical trial website.
Govt Orders Time-Bound Enquiry Amid Questions: ‘Is Not It Limit Of Injustice?’
Srinagar: A pregnant woman in labour on Tuesday was “forced” to deliver in open as doctors at the Community Health Centre in Sumbal Bandipora allegedly refused to admit her for the want of covid-19 test.
The incident triggered outrage and one among the woman who accompanied the pregnant lady questioned how long will the injustices continue against similarly situated fairer gender in Kashmir Valley.
“The pregnant woman in labour was told she has to undergo covid-19 test. The mother of the pregnant woman even pleaded to a lady doctor but to no avail. How big injustice is it with the mothers and daughters. Same treatment is meted out to every pregnant woman everywhere include LD hospital in Srinagar,” the woman, accompanying the pregnant woman, told reporters.
The locals demanded action against the hospital and concerned authorities even as they sought answers from government on what basis was the pregnant woman denied the proper treatment. Later mother and the baby were admitted in CHC Sumbal and both are doing good, officials said. Meanwhile, the authorities ordered a time-bound enquiry into the incident and sought “concrete recommendation” from the inquiry officer.
“Taking cognisance of media reports regarding incident involving delivery of a pregnant lady outside premises of CHC Sumbal and alleged negligence, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora immediately sought preliminary factual report of the incident which suggested that the lady had visited CHC Sumbal at 10:30am,” an official said.
Meanwhile, according an order by Additional Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sumbal has been appointed an inquiry officer and has been asked to submit the “detailed” report with three days.
“The SDM shall enquire into the incident of delivery of a pregnant lady outside the premises of CHC Sumbal and alleged medical negligence,” reads the order, a copy of which lies with GNS. “He shall submit a detailed report within 03 days positively along with concerete recommendations,” the order added. (GNS)
Lieutenant General-rank officials of India and China met for almost 10 hours on Monday, discussing the way forward after the Galwan valley clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The last such meeting on June 6 had tasked middle-level officials to implement a formula to step back from flashpoints.
Amid LAC crisis, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Moscow on a three-day visit. Courtesy: Twitter
32 road projects along LAC to be expedited
New Delhi: The Centre on Monday reviewed ongoing road projects along the Sino-Indian border and decided to expedite work on 32 of them, officials said. PTI
Tanks airlifted to Ladakh
Chandigarh: The IAF has airlifted dozens of additional tanks and armoured personnel carriers to Himalayan heights. It has used its American C-17s and Russian IL-76s freighters for multiple sorties out of Chandigarh and other places.
At today’s meeting, no dramatic breakthrough was expected with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) adamant that it would not alter its stance. The two sides met at Moldo on the Chinese side of the designated meeting point at Chushul-Moldo, 200 km south-east of Leh.
The meeting, that started at 11.30 am, concluded past 10 pm, according to officials in New Delhi.
Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, was tasked with conveying to China to restore status quo as it prevailed on May 4, the day before the first clash between troops on May 5. India has cited how China had violated all agreements, protocols and the laid-down drills related to maintaining ‘peace and tranquillity’ along the LAC and for the conduct of soldiers.
New Delhi’s military officials have asked the PLA to demolish all structures that it has built in disputed areas along the LAC, especially the ‘Finger 4’ area north of Pangong Tso, a 135-km glacial-melt lake.
Status quo ante would mean pulling back troops and tanks, amassed by both sides in the past weeks and permitting each other’s patrols to pass through the disputed areas.
In New Delhi, the apex leadership of the Indian Army carried out a comprehensive review of India’s security preparedness along the LAC in Ladakh.
Amid LAC crisis, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Moscow on a three-day visit. Courtesy: Twitter