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  • India sees deadliest 24 hours with highest deaths, 9,851 new cases

    • 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.

    With inputs from LiveMint

  • Covid-19 increases risk of heart attacks, strokes: DAK

    Srinagar: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday said Covid-19 infection increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

    “If you catch novel coronavirus, you are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.

    “Covid is known to damage the lungs, but there is emerging evidence over the effect of this viral infection on the heart and the brain,” he said.

    Quoting a recent study published in New England Journal of Medicine, Dr Nisar said 44 percent patients who were hospitalized with Covid-19 infection had heart attack.

    “Earlier studies have also shown that 20 -30 percent of patients hospitalized due to Covid infection had cardiac complications,” he added.

    Dr Nisar said we know preexisting heart disease is a risk factor for higher mortality in Covid patients, but recent evidence shows that the novel virus can cause heart injury even in people without underlying heart issues.

    “Lung injury has taken the centre stage as the most dreaded complication of Covid, but heart damage has recently emerged as yet another grim outcome in the virus repertoire of complications,” he said.

    “More people actually die of heart disease rather than pneumonia,” Dr Nisar said.

    “Cardiac complications have been found to contribute 40 percent of deaths related to Covid-19,” he said.

    Dr Nisar said researchers from the University of Cincinnati and three Italian institutions have found that 31 percent patients hospitalized with Covid-19 infection experienced stroke.

    “Another study published in New England Journal of Medicine has reported five cases of large vessel stroke as a presenting feature of Covid infection in patients who were younger than 50 years of age,” he said.

    Dr Nisar said Covid-19 infection causes acute and severe inflammation throughout the body that builds up fat deposits in the inner walls of blood vessels. These fat deposits dislodge and get stuck in the heart or brain, where they block the blood flow.

    “Covid infection activates blood cells and clotting system leading to increased risk of blood clots,” he said.

    “The new findings would help doctors to recognize red flags in patients with Covid-19 infection and provide earlier intervention and save lives,” said Dr Nisar.

  • China says committed to properly resolve border standoff with India ahead of key military talks

    PTI

    China on Friday said that it is committed to properly resolve the relevant issue with India ahead of the key talks between senior Indian and Chinese military officials on Saturday to end the border standoff.Both the sides are expected to deliberate on specific proposals to end the month-long bitter standoff in eastern Ladakh during the first extensive talks between the Indian and Chinese military on Saturday, led by lieutenant generals from both the armies.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing here that “at the moment the situation in the boundary region between China and India is overall stable and controllable”.

    We have full-fledged border-related mechanisms and we maintain close communications though military and diplomatic channels, he said when asked about reports that Indian and Chinese military officials are due to hold talks on Saturday.We are committed to properly resolve the relevant issue, Geng said.The general officer commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, Lt Gen Harinder Singh, is expected to represent India at the talks which is scheduled to be held at one of the border meeting points, the official sources in New Delhi said.

    The Chinese Army is learnt to have deployed around 2,500 troops in Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley besides gradually enhancing temporary infrastructure and weaponry

    The Indian side is expected to present specific proposals at the talks to de-escalate tension in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Demchok — the three areas in eastern Ladakh where the two sides have been on a bitter standoff for the last one month, the sources said.It is not immediately known what will be the proposals that the Indian military will take to the negotiating table but it is understood that it will insist on return to status quo in all the areas.The two sides have already held at least 10 rounds of negotiations between local commanders as well as major general-rank officials of the two armies but the talks did not yield any positive result, they said.

    It is learnt that two sides are also engaged in diplomatic talks to find a solution to the face-off which is turning out to be the most serious military standoff between the two armies after the Doklam episode of 2017.After the standoff began early last month, the Indian military leadership decided that Indian troops will adopt a firm approach dealing with the aggressive posturing by the Chinese troops in all disputed areas of Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie.The Chinese Army is learnt to have deployed around 2,500 troops in Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley besides gradually enhancing temporary infrastructure and weaponry.India has also been bolstering its presence by sending additional troops and artillery guns, the sources said.

    The trigger for the face-off was China’s stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Galwan Valley.The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in the Doklam tri-junction in 2017 which triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it.Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

    With inputs from Business Standard

  • Shah Faesal put under house arrest in Kashmir capital Srinagar

    Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir Government has decided to put Bureaucrat turned politician Shah Faesal under house detention after revoking his detention under Public Safety Act.

    Police sources told news agency KNT that Dr Shah Faesal was placed under house arrest at Government Quarter in Jawahar Nagar area of Srinagar city.

    A police party has been deployed outside his government residence and he was informed about his detention.

    Almost all the top political leaders, who were released after their detention post abrogation of Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir, have been facing house detention.

    When Shah Faesal was escorted out of the makeshift detention centre two days back, the buzz was that other top functionaries of mainstream political parties would also be freed in a day or two. The optimism dissipated somewhat after it turned out that the move was only a change of address for the former IAS topper.

    “We thought he is free now, but it was our delusion. He has been placed under house arrest,” said a relative of Shah Faesal to KNT.

  • Opinion: Amid lack of health care infrastructure, lifting of lockdown may prove disastrous in Kashmir

    By: Syed Nashir Ali Gillani

    Srinagar: As cases of Covid-19 are increasing,so as deaths due to it with each passing day, the decision to lift lockdown from June 8 will not be wise and will prove disastrous.

    Going by the reports,the state is lacking requisite infrastructure and resources to tackle the global pandemic that has claimed nearly 04 lakh lives.

    The Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir has only 180 ventilators for a population of 1.25 crore population.

    In Kashmir alone,for a population of 70 lakh, there are just 93 ventilators in hospitals. Most of them are occupied by the patients suffering from various ailments.

    The spontaneous spread of virus will result in crises,beyond imagination.

    “Our health care system is in poor state. God forbid, if virus spreads in valley, the management of patients will be a difficult task. We are not in a position to deal with any eventuality,” a senior doctor at SKIMS had told to a leading newspaper of Kashmir valley.

    The doctors continue to suffer because of lack of proper and adequate protection gears and safety equipments like N95 masks,PVC coated gowns, the doctor had added.

    Hence,the government should revisit it’s decision in the larger interest of people.

    If it goes with it’s decision, the consequences will be enormous and the responsibility will come on it.

    Pertinent to mention, that the health care system of Spain, a developed country collapsed after spontaneous outbreak of virus.

    The patients were treated in open, not only this, the old people offered their ventilators to young people, putting their own lives at risk.

  • Srinagar Woman Succumbs To Covid-19, J&K Toll 36

    Srinagar: A day after a 65-year-old woman from Srinagar died at SMHS hospital here, her swab sample has returned positive for the novel coronavirus, officials said on Friday.

    A resident of Batamaloo, she became the ninth Srinagar resident and 36th in the J&K to succumb to the virus.

    “She was brought to the hospital on Thursday morning. She had many underlying ailments including pneumonia and died later,” Dr Nazir Choudhary, Medical superintendent SMHS hospital, told GNS.

    Her samples, he said, returned positive for Covid-19 late last night.

    With the latest fatality, the death toll due to the virus in J&K has gone up to 36. So far Srinagar district with nine deaths due to the virus has the highest fatalities, followed by Baramulla seven, Anantnag five, Kulgam four, two each from Shopian, Budgam and Jammu while one death each has been reported from Bandipora, Kupwara Doda and Udhampur. (GNS)

  • Anti-CAA protests go online

    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.
    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.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Bank loans moratorium | Supreme Court questions RBI on payment of interest after three months

    Justice M.R. Shah wonders what relief has ultimately been granted if interest continues to accrue for the moratorium period

    The Supreme Court questioned the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) regulatory package requiring the continuation of payment of interest on bank loans after the three-month moratorium during the pandemic lockdown is lifted.

    “On one hand granting moratorium and then payment of interest… This is detrimental… These are unprecedented times… These are not normal times,” Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul orally remarked during the virtual court hearing.

    Justice M.R. Shah, also on the Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan, wondered what relief had ultimately been granted if loan interest continued to accrue for the moratorium period.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, sought time to consult the Finance Ministry.

    Justice Bhushan said there were two issues in the case. One, whether interest should be charged at all during the moratorium period. Two, whether there should be an accrual of interest to be paid by the borrower in bulk or at a monthly basis after the lifting of the embargo.

    Next hearing on June 12

    The court scheduled a hearing on June 12.

    The hearing came a day after the RBI filed an affidavit in court saying it did not consider it prudent or appropriate to go for a forced waiver of interest, risking the financial viability of the banks it was mandated to regulate and putting the interests of the depositors in jeopardy.

    Senior advocate Rajiv Dutta, for petitioner Gajendra Sharma, said the RBI affidavit reflected that the Central bank placed “profitability of banks over and above public interest in these distressing times”.

    Mr. Dutta reminded the court about how it had recently said that commercial interests should not overawe public health and interest. This was with reference to Air India’s decision to assign middle seats to passengers in the Vande Bharat mission flights.

    In its affidavit, the RBI was responding to a petition challenging the charging of interest rate on loans even during the three-month moratorium period declared amid the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown. The RBI had recently extended the moratorium till August 31.

    ‘Not a waiver’

    The Central bank said its regulatory package introduced amid the pandemic lockdown was “in its essence in the nature of a moratorium deferment and cannot be construed to be a waiver”.

    “Banks are commercial entities that intermediate between depositors and borrowers. They are expected to run on viable commercial considerations,” the affidavit said.

    The RBI reasoned that banks were custodians of the depositors’ money.

    “Actions are guided primarily by the protection of depositors’ interests… Any borrowing arrangement is a commercial contract between the lender and the borrower… Interest or advances form an important source of income for banks,” the RBI said.

    It said the regulatory package introducing the moratorium was permitted with the object of mitigating the burden of debt servicing brought about by the disruption on account of COVID-19 to ensure continuity of viable businesses.

    A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan had earlier issued formal notice to the Central bank and the Centre on a petition by Gajendra Sharma, who said though there was a moratorium on loans, there was also accrual of interest, which had to be paid in bulk or at a monthly basis after the lifting of the embargo.

    The court had wanted to know why the government and the RBI seemed to think that natural justice was not violated when “the government, on one hand, ceased the working of individuals and, on other hand, is asking to pay the loan interest during moratorium”.

    Central to the challenge in the petition was the RBI notification of March 27.

    “The interest charged during moratorium period would be added up into the EMIs at the end of three-month forbearance. It will have to be paid in one go or be equally divided in all future EMIs. The monthly bill for customers will increase… In the present scenario, when all the means of livelihood has been curtailed by the government of India by imposition of lockdown and the petitioner has no way to earn a livelihood, the imposition of interest will defeat the very purpose of permitting moratorium on loans,” the petition contended.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • LAC standoff | India-China dialogue to focus on eastern Ladakh

    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.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Amazon in talks to buy $2 bn stake in Airtel

    Representational Picture
    Photo Credit: Reuters

    Investment could give e-commerce major 5% stake; deal could boost telco’s fortunes as it competes against number one Jio

    Reuters

    Amazon.com is in early-stage talks to buy a stake worth at least $2 billion in mobile operator Bharti Airtel, three people with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters, in a move that could turbocharge India’s digital economy.

    The planned investment, if completed, would mean Amazon acquiring a roughly 5% stake based on the current market value of Bharti and would give India’s third-largest telecoms company a boost as it seeks to compete against the number one player Reliance Jio.

    “Jio has transformed itself from a pure mobile operator to a digital technology-led consumer facing platform, and Airtel can do the same,” said one of the people.

    “Airtel is looking to play a catch-up game here, and for Amazon it makes all the strategic directional sense for the India business.”

    Amazon had been mulling several investment options, including buying a stake worth up to 8-10%, a second person said.

    The talks between Bharti and Amazon are at an early stage and the deal terms could change, or an agreement may not be reached, said two of the three people, all of whom declined to be identified because the discussions are confidential.

    If talks to buy a stake fail, the companies could also look at a commercial transaction that could give Bharti’s customers cheap access to Amazon products, one of the people said.

    An Amazon spokeswoman said the company does “not offer comments on speculation of what we may or may not do in future.” Shares in Bharti closed 3.8% higher after rising as much as 6% on news of the Amazon talks.

    U.S. tech interest

    Discussions between Amazon and Bharti underscore the attraction of India’s digital economy for U.S. tech giants.

    Over the past six weeks, Jio, the digital arm of Reliance Industries raised $10 billion from global investors including Facebook as it seeks to establish itself as a one-stop digital commerce platform.

    Alphabet Inc’s Google is also exploring an investment in Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between Britain’s Vodafone Group Plc and India’s Idea Cellular, the Financial Times reported last week.

    A deal with Bharti could help e-commerce major Amazon expand offerings via its smart speakers and also boost its cloud business as access to Bharti’s vast telecom fibre network could help Amazon lower costs.

    Reliance’s Jio has already partnered with Microsoft for use of its Azure cloud platform.