At a large food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, signs forbid the selling of wild animals and live fowl, while announcements calling for “victory” over COVID-19 play on a loop from speakers. China’s “wet markets” have been slammed internationally as the coronavirus roils the world, with the disease having seemingly emerged from stalls selling live animals in Wuhan late last year. he government has since banned the sale of wildlife for food, but the reopening of markets has drawn criticism from around the world as the death toll from the pandemic continues to mount. Shut down during the…
Author: Our Correspondent
As the coronavirus outbreak spreads across Pakistan, the Imran Khan government has sought India’s help to combat the pandemic. As per sources, Pakistan has asked India for Hydroxychloroquine. Earlier, the United States and Brazil had also sought Hydroxychloroquine consignments from India. Hydroxychloroquine is a malaria drug touted as a possible coronavirus treatment. Pakistan has become the latest country to seek India’s help after the country has seen almost 6,000 coronavirus cases and over 100 deaths. Chloroquine and a newer, similar drug called hydroxychloroquine have been pushed by President Donald Trump. But the drugs have long been known to have potentially serious side…
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation today with His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Prime Minister conveyed his greetings to His Majesty and the people of Jordan for the forthcoming Holy month of Ramadan. The two leaders discussed the challenges posed to the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps being taken in their respective countries to limit its impact. They agreed to support each other’s efforts to the maximum possible extent, by sharing information and best practices and by facilitating needed supplies. Prime Minister thanked His Majesty for the support…
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on phone today with H.E. Dr. Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister (Lyonchhen) of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The two Prime Ministers discussed the regional situation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and updated each other about the steps being taken by their governments to control its effects. Prime Minister expressed his admiration for the way His Majesty The King of Bhutan and Lyonchhen Dr. Tshering have led from the front to limit the spread of infection within the Kingdom. Lyonchhen Dr. Tshering thanked Prime Minister for taking the lead to promote anti-COVID coordination at…
An Assistant sub inspector, whose hand was chopped off in a brutal attack by a group of ‘Nihangs’ in Patiala, has been promoted to the rank of sub inspector in recognition of his exemplary courage, police said on Thursday. Fifty-year-old ASI Harjeet Singh’s hand was chopped off with a sword while three other Punjab policemen and a mandi official had sustained injuries when a group of Nihangs attacked them on being asked to show curfew passes at a vegetable market in Patiala district on Sunday. The ASI is recovering in the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research(PGIMER) hospital after…
The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday lamented the US decision to halt funding for the UN agency, promising a review of its decisions while sidestepping President Donald Trump’s complaints about its alleged mismanagement, cover-up and missteps. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was on the defensive after Trump announced a halt to U.S. funding that has totaled nearly a half-billion dollars annually in recent years. Trump claimed the WHO had parroted Chinese assurances about how the virus is spread, failed to obtain virus samples from China, and made a disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions as the outbreak…
The US coronavirus death toll – the highest in the world – surged past 30,000 on Wednesday after doubling in a week, while the hardest-hit state of New York ordered residents to wear masks in certain settings to combat the pandemic. The sobering milestone was reached at a time when states spared the worst of the pandemic were mulling a partial lifting of restrictions on business and social life by May 1, a target date promoted by President Donald Trump. The goal of getting the country back to work took on more urgency with the release of two government reports…
Actor Ranjit Chowdhry, best known for his roles in Khatta Meetha, Baton Baton Mein and Bollywood/Hollywood, has died at the age of 65. Son of renowned theatre actor Pearl Padamsee and step son of ad man Alyque Padamsee, Chowdhry died in Mumbai on Wednesday. The actor, who was in India for dental treatment, had to stay back due to the lockdown, said theatre personality Dolly Thakore. “He was so well loved and an adorable guy. I reached out to the family. He has a wife and 16-year-old son in New York. He had come to India for a dental treatment.…
India lambasted the US Commission on International Religious Freedom for its criticism of the country based on a “misguided” report that COVID-19 patients in a hospital in Ahmedabad were segregated on the basis of their religious identities. The US Commission expressed concerns over the way India is fighting the coronavirus pandemic following a media report that a government-run hospital in Ahmedabad segregated the infected patients on the basis of their religions. “As if its peremptory commentary on religious freedom in India is not enough, the USCIRF is now spreading misguided reports on the professional medical protocols followed to deal with…
An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter made an emergency landing on an expressway in Uttar Pradesh”s Baghpat on Thursday morning while it was on its way for supplying COVID 19 test samples, the IAF said. The IAF Cheetah chopper made an emergency landing on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Baghpat district, the force said. In an earlier statement the make and area of landing were said to Chetak and Outer Ring Road. The IAF aircrafts have been pressed into services in fight against Coronavirus in India. In a reissued statement, IAF said that the Cheetah helicopter was proceeding from Hindon…