Mask-clad Muslims circled Islam’s holiest site along socially distanced paths on Sunday, as Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage with extensive health precautions adopted after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Thousands of worshippers entered the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca in batches to perform the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba, a cubic structure towards which Muslims around the world pray. The umrah, the pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time, usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year but it was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will…
Author: Our Correspondent
In the wake of worsening law and order situation leading to dastardly killing of Manish Shukla, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar has summoned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and top officials to the Raj Bhavan at 10 am on Monday. The Governor has also summoned West Bengal additional chief secretary (home) Hari Krishna Dwivedi and the state Director General of Police (DGP) Shri Virendra. A member of the BJP’s North 24 Parganas district committee, Manish Shukla was shot dead by unidentified men in Bengal’s Titagarh on Sunday evening. Sources within the BJP told India Today that a few bike-borne men opened…
The Centre estimates to receive and utilise 40-50 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine covering 20-25 crore people by July next year and it is preparing a format for the states to submit by October-end their list of priority population group to receive the vaccine, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday. He said priority would be given to health workers engaged in COVID-19 management in getting the vaccine. He said a high-level expert group is going into all the aspects of vaccines and the health ministry is preparing a format in which states will submit lists of priority population…
The national president of Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag Paswan is going solo for the upcoming Bihar elections even as his father Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan is in hospital for a heart surgery. Flashing a victory sign after a meeting of the party’s central parliamentary board at his residence in Delhi, he said: “I will not speak more but we will win the battle.” “Lok Janshakti Party will not contest the upcoming Bihar elections in alliance with Janata Dal (United) due to ideological differences,” Abdul Khaliq, national general secretary, LJP said. But the LJP clarified that their differences are with…
India’s COVID-19 tally has crossed the 65-lakh mark with 75,829 new coronavirus cases and 1,069 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry data released on Sunday morning shows. The country now has 65,49,373 total cases of coronavirus, including 9,37,625 active cases and 55,09,766 recoveries. A total of 1,01,782 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 till now. Meanwhile, India continues to occupy the top global position with the maximum number of COVID-19 recoveries and accounts for 21 per cent of the recovered cases worldwide, while its share in the total cases stands at 18.6 per cent, the…
https://twitter.com/DilipGhoshBJP/status/1312370862872354817?s=20 BJP Women karyakartas molested, bombs were hurled by TMC goons during a rally. The BJP took out rallies statewide to disseminate information about the provisions of the Farm bill. On Saturday, one such BJP rally was attacked in Nodakhali village in Budge Budge area of South 24 Parganas allegedly by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers. The BJP workers began their rally from Block No-1 in Bawali in Budge Budge to Satyapirtala. When the procession passed through the Shakher Bazaar, the party members reportedly came under the attack of Trinamool Congress goons. Soon, scuffle broke out between the two groups, culminating…
Shooter Shreyasi Singh, daughter of former union minister late Digvijay Singh, on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of party leader Bhupendra Yadav. Ms Singh said that the main motive behind joining the party is to fulfil the dream of her late father Digvijay Singh. “With the blessing of my mother and elder sister today I accept the membership of BJP. The main motive in joining the party is to fulfil my father’s dream,” Ms Singh said. She also requested everyone to observe a few seconds of silence in memory of her late father. “I am…
All schools in Delhi will remain shut till October 31 because of the coronavirus outbreak, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Sunday afternoon. The Delhi government had earlier ordered schools in the national capital to close till October 5, but allowed online classes – which have become the norm in recent weeks and months with the need for social distancing – to continue. “All schools in Delhi will remain closed till October 31 due to Corona. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that as a parent, he understands the seriousness of the situation. At this time it will not be appropriate…
An ambitious humanitarian project to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the world’s poorest people is facing potential shortages of cash , cargo planes, refrigeration and vaccines themselves and running into skepticism even from a number of those it’s intended to assist most. In one among the most important obstacles, rich countries have locked up most of the world’s potential vaccine supply through 2021, and the U.S. et al. have refused to hitch the project, called Covax. The supply of vaccines isn’t getting to be there within the near term, and therefore the money also isn’t there, warned Rohit Malpani, a public…
The Pentagon has approved India’s request to shop for USD 90 million worth of kit , spare parts and logistical support for its fleet of C-130J Super Hercules cargo aircraft. In its notification to the Congress, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the proposed sale will support the policy and national security of the US by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and improve the safety of a serious defence partner, which continues to be a crucial force for political stability, peace, and economic progress within the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region. The items ordered by India are aircraft…