Month: April 2022

India reported a slight rise in coronavirus cases, recording 3,688 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

The country had registered as many as 3,377 COVID-19 cases on Friday.
The Health Ministry informed that active cases in the country have increased to 18,684 which accounts for 0.04 per cent of the total cases.

A total of 2,755 COVID patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,25,33,377. The recovery rate is 98.74 per cent.

With 4,96,640 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tally has risen to 83.74 crore tests.

The country reported 50 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative death tally to 5,23,803.

The daily cases positivity rate saw a rise from 0.71 per cent (on Friday) to 0.74 per cent (on Saturday). The weekly positivity rate saw an uptick from 0.63 per cent (on Friday) to 0.66 per cent (on Saturday).

As far as vaccination is concerned, 22,58,059 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered during this period. With this, the total number of vaccine jabs administered under the nationwide vaccination drive so far went up to 1,88,89,90,935. (ANI)

A petition has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) for free and fair investigation of the factum in the exercise of demolition of several properties at Khargone in Madhya Pradesh after the violent incident that took place on April 10.

The petitioners said that their grievance is that the concerned authorities are guilty of negligence and inaction which triggered the violence and targeted the present petitioners’ businesses, houses, and establishments by illegally and arbitrarily running bulldozers on their properties.

Hence, the petition moved by Raziya Mansoori and others sought compensation and reconstruction of the properties and establishments of the petitioners.

Advocate Adeel Ahmed, who has moved the petition on behalf of the petitioners, urged the court for the constitution of an SIT for fair investigation of the case and for strict action to be taken against officials of the State machinery who have participated in the illegal exercise of demolition of properties of the petitioners.

“The present Writ arises from incidents of sporadic violence that had erupted in Madhya Pradesh. The local administration in Madhya Pradesh has demolished several properties of the petitioners herein on the pretext or misconceived surmise that they were associated with alleged suspects of the Ram Navami violence in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, “read the petition.

According to the petition, allegedly, three areas of Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone saw reports of stone-pelting and arson during Ram Navami processions on April 10, and apparently, as many as 80 people have been arrested.

“Meanwhile, on April 11, bulldozers, on orders of the respondents rammed into shops and buildings – most of them allegedly owned by these petitioners in Khargone and Sendhwa Tehsil, which is an administrative subdivision (tehsil or tahsil) in Barwani District, Madhya Pradesh (state) of India,” the petition stated.

Hence, the petitioner sought a court-monitored SIT headed by the retired Judge of the Court for free and fair investigation of the factum.

The petition also sought a strict action to be taken against officials of the state machinery who have participated in the illegal exercise of demolition of properties of the present Petitioners as a punitive measure.

The petitioners have also sought to issue direction to the authorities concerned to reconstruct their houses, shops, and other establishments, which according to them, were illegally and arbitrarily demolished by the respondents after the communal violence that took place on April 10 in parts of Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh and urged to pay compensation to the petitioners.

“Issue a writ of continuing mandamus or any other appropriate writ or orders to the respondents towards the protection of the rights of Petitioners who are victims of communal violence under articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution of India,” the petitioners urged.

They further requested the court to issue a direction restraining the respondents, their agents, assignees, and anyone acting on their behalf from demolishing any further houses and properties of the Petitioners who have been suspected to be involved in the violence that took place in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)

By Sominder Koul

Umran Malik, a pace bowler from Jammu, representing the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, is garnering a lot of acclaim from fans and players for his speed, accuracy and wicket-taking ability.

In his eight IPL games so far, the youngster has scalped 15 wickets at an average of 15.93 and an economy of 7.96. His best bowling figures are 5/25 against Gujarat Titans. He has clocked deliveries above 150 kmph in the ongoing season of IPL.

Malik’s father, Abdul Rashid is extremely happy with his son’s performance in IPL.

“He bowled really well. One gets to learn a lot there (IPL). He did not do well in two matches and people talked how bowling fast does not mean everything. But, nobody is born with all his skills mastered. He learns them. There are big players, like Dale Steyn (SRH bowling coach), who have taught him a lot about bowling. Now the entire country is showing him love, telling that he is the future of India,” said Rashid to ANI.

Rashid hopes that his son will soon don the blue jersey and represent the national side in international cricket.

About his son’s performance against Gujarat Titans, against who he took a five-wicket haul, Rashid said, “We were watching the match, people were watching too. They told him that they had come to watch him bowl. It felt so heart-touching how much name he has made for himself. He works so hard. We are all happy.”

Amid this acclaim, his coach Randhir Singh Ranjan is very optimistic about his pupil’s chances of representing India at the highest level.

“In the first three matches, his economy was on the higher side. He adjusted well in the next five games, bowling the line and lengths utilised in test matches. I would not be surprised if he will play in a format with the South Africa t20s, England tour and Ireland tour coming up,” said Ranjan while talking to ANI.

On his bowling speed, the coach said that Malik was always a very fast bowler, though there were no gadgets available to gauge his speed.

“It was confirmed for us though that his speed was above 140 kmph. Last year, he bowled 2-3 bowlers that touched the 150-mark. He will only improve with time, age is on his side. He has said that if god hopes, he will bowl at 155 kmph. It would not be a big thing for him if he keeps working hard like this,” he added.

Ranjan believes that India has got a great genuine fast bowler for the future, citing how former captain Saurav Ganguly emphasised the need of a pool of fast bowlers to win matches outside.

“Today, we have a great pool of fast bowlers. In IPL, every team has great bowlers,” he added.

On comparisons of Indian fast bowlers with Pakistan, a country known for producing some of the best fast bowlers in the game, Ranjan said that comparison is not very surprising given common topography and diet of north Indians and regions of Pakistan like Punjab and Rawalpindi. “More fast bowlers will come out of Jammu. Even he (Umran) says that there are bowlers there bowling above 140,” he added.

Reminiscing on his journey with Malik, Ranjan said that his pupil was not always hard-working but started to work hard in his u-19 days. “During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he and other boys took special permission to play at JKCA ground and worked hard. The result is here,” he added.

Malik’s uncle, Nazir Ahmed is also very happy with Malik’s performance in IPL 2022. He fully expects him to represent the national side soon.

“He has always been hard-working. He has always been this fast, children in his mohalla used to fear him when he played. He has this natural ability to bowl fast. With grace of god, he will progress further and make his family and country proud. He will soon bowl at 155 kmph too,” he added. (ANI)

Tennis legend Boris Becker has been jailed for two and a half years for hiding Euro 2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts. The three-time Wimbledon champion was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act between June 21 and October 3 in 2017 here at Southwark Crown Court.

The 54-year-old was declared bankrupt on the 21st of June 2017 owing creditors almost £50 million over an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

The father-of-four arrived at court with his partner Lilian de Varvalho Monteiro.

Judge Deborah Taylor gave the six-time Grand Slam champion imprisonment of two and a half years which he will serve half of it. They also acquitted him on a further 20 charges including nine counts of failing to hand over his tennis trophies and medals including two Wimbledon trophies.

The former world number one has won three Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens and one US Open. He also won a gold medal at the Olympics in doubles. Becker retired from tennis in 1999.

In 2013, Boris Becker became reigning World No.1 and 20-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic’s coach and helped him win six Grand Slams in three years. (ANI)

In the wake of loud chanting and sloganeering against Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation, Saudi Arabia’s authorities on Friday arrested some Pakistanis over violating the sanctity of the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Medina.

A spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Pakistan confirmed the arrests and said that this amounts to a violation of the sanctity of the place, reported ARY news.

This comes as Shehbaz Sharif-led delegation, who is in Saudi Arabia on a three-day official visit, received a “wonderful welcome” as they entered Masjid-e-Nabawi in Madina.

A viral video has been circulating on social media platforms that showed hundreds of pilgrims raising “chor chor” [thieves] slogans upon seeing the delegation making their way to Masjid-e-Nabawi. After the incident, it was reported that police have arrested them for violating sanctity.

In a video, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and member of the National Assembly Shahzain Bugti were seen along with others. According to the Pakistani newspaper, Aurangzeb indirectly blamed ousted former PM Imran Khan for the protest.

“I will not name this person on this holy land because I do not want to use this land for politics. But they have destroyed the [Pakistani] society,” said Aurangzeb.

Dozens of officials and political leaders have accompanied the Pakistan Prime Minister on his visit to the Kingdom.

One of the Twitter users, Muhammad Ibrahim Qazi said that Saudi Arabia citizens are calling out ousted PM Imran Khan. “Citizens of Saudi Arabia are calling out ousted PM Imran Khan to have exported the moral obscenity to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. They are also condemning Pakistanis for violating the Kingdom’s laws,” Qazi said. (ANI)

A curfew has been imposed in Punjab’s Patiala where violent clashes took place between two groups earlier today leaving four persons injured.

The curfew will remain in force from 7 pm on Friday till 6 am on Saturday (April 30).
As per Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Patiala Nanak Singh, four people have been injured in the clash.

Stones were hurled and swords were brandished as clashes broke out on Friday afternoon when the Shiv Sena was carrying out a march near Kali Mata temple in the city.

The SSP also apprised that the groups did not have permission for the processions.

“Police took suitable action, both the groups were intimated earlier that they aren’t allowed to take out a procession. They sought permission but were refused. Four people were injured and an investigation is underway,” Nanak Singh said.

Further, he added that due to some rumours, the atmosphere of the procession became tense.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urged people to maintain law and order at all costs besides upholding the long traditional love, peace, brotherhood and harmony.

As per an official statement from Chief Minister’s office, Mann termed the incident as “highly deplorable” and “extremely unfortunate” and said that it needs to be condemned by one and all in the strictest possible words.

Speaking to ANI, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said, “I want to clarify that this unfortunate violent clash in Patiala today was not between two groups but the workers of two political parties – on one side, there were people from Shiv Sena and Congress and on the other side, people from Shiromani Akali Dal.”

He said that the anti-social elements of both parties got involved in this clash, created violence and attempted to soil the atmosphere of Punjab.

“Any person attempting to disturb Punjab’s peace will not be spared. Police have restored law and order immediately.” Chadha said.

Further, the AAP MP informed that several people have been arrested in the matter.

“Punjab government and police will take strict action against those behind this violence. The masterminds of these political parties will not be spared,” he said. (ANI)

To avoid the infamous Shanghai-like lockdown, China’s capital Beijing has shut schools and suspended weddings and funerals, reported a South Korean media outlet on Friday.

According to the city’s Education Bureau, all schools have been ordered to finish classes from Friday, with no resumption date announced. The testing mandates in China have affected 20-million residents. The Chinese people are stockpiling and there is a surge in panic buying at local supermarkets, reported Airrang, a South Korean media outlet.

The ongoing severe lockdown restrictions in China’s Shanghai to contain the spread of COVID-19 has drastically affected the day-to-day lives of the people due to food shortage.

Furious residents of Shanghai have posted videos of people yelling from the balconies of apartments out of frustration caused by harsh measures imposed by the authorities. But the government has been denying reports of revolt and officials have been contesting saying all is well and managed well.

The breakdown in supply chains, especially of food has exaggerated the problems of the people. People have started posting their frustrations on the country’s social networking site Weibo saying that the food parcels which include ducks given to residents in Pudong district’s Zhoupu township were found to be rotten as they had turned green in colour. Shanghai authorities dismissed the allegations as “rumours”.

According to reports, Shanghai residents have also been falling sick after consuming some of the food supplies because of the distribution of stale food by the authorities amid the city’s COVID-19 lockdown.

Some neighborhood committees have instructed residents to throw out questionable (rotten) food items while officials have said they would investigate the matter.

The issue of low-quality food rations had added to woes of residents who have been struggling to get quality food, medical help, earn money and lead a respectable life but authorities in Shanghai have begun taking more harsh measures like sending drones to warn people to behave properly.

The city’s poor handling of the country’s worst Covid-19 outbreak in two years has raised public distrust in the authorities and anger at the government.

It is time for the authorities to ensure that quality food supply and medical help are provided to residents living indoors under difficult conditions. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Central government to release a 62-year-old Pakistan national, who has been languishing in a detention centre here for more than seven years, after Islamabad refused to accept him as its citizen.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli directed the government to decide on granting him a long-term visa, to enable him to apply for Indian Citizenship and asked it to place its decision before the court in four months.

The Court released Mohammad Qamar, who has been declared a foreigner by the tribunal, on condition to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5,000 and two sureties of the like amount and his permanent address in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, where he proposes to stay.

The apex court further directed him to report to the local police station once in a month.

Although he had completed his sentence of three years imprisonment imposed on him by a Magistrate under the Foreigners Act in February 2015, he was sent to the detention centre at Lampur in Narela, Delhi, for deportation but Pakistan refused to accept him as its citizen and he is still languishing at the detention centre.

The top court noted that Qamar had married a woman, who is an Indian citizen and had five children out of wedlock. His daughter and son have filed a plea seeking his release from the detention centre.

The apex court further took note that as per the Uttar Pradesh government, his wife had divorced him and now stays in Delhi with her five children. It also took into that no document pertaining to the divorce has been produced before the court.

It also noted the statement of the Ministry of Home Affairs that though Pakistan was given consular access to the detenu twice in 2019, the Pakistan government is yet to confirm his nationality which is necessary for his deportation.

Qamar was arrested on August 8, 2011, from Meerut and was held guilty by a court here for overstaying his visa and was sentenced to three years and six months in jail and a fine of Rs 500.

According to his children, their father Qamar alias Mohammad Kamil was born in India in 1959.

The habeas corpus filed in the top court said, “He (Qamar) had gone with his mother from India to Pakistan as a child of around 7-8 years in 1967-1968 on a visa to meet his relatives there. However, his mother died there, and he remained in Pakistan in the care of his relatives.”

On attaining adulthood, Qamar came back to India on a Pakistani passport around 1989-1990 and got married to Shehnaaj Begum, an Indian citizen, in Meerut, they said.

The plea said that Qamar has no documentary proof to show that he had gone with his mother to Pakistan around 1967-68 and his mother died there therefore, his story has not been believed.

It added, “Nevertheless, the undisputed fact is that he came to India around 1989-90 on a passport of Pakistan and did not renew his visa due to lack of education and, subsequently, got married here.” In Meerut, he was doing menial jobs and residing there along with his family, who all have Aadhaar cards issued by UIDAI, the plea stated. (ANI)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accord permission to facilitate the early movement of food, essential goods and lifesaving medicines to the people of Sri Lanka.

In a letter to PM Modi, the Chief Minister said that the situation is getting worse with every passing day in Sri Lanka and has pushed millions of Sri Lankans into hardship and misery.
“I wish to draw your attention to the serious economic crisis that has engulfed Sri Lanka and has pushed millions of Sri Lankans into hardship and misery. The situation is reported to be getting worse with every passing day. Hence the unfolding humanitarian crisis must be addressed immediately,” the letter reads.

Earlier today, Stalin moved a resolution in the state Assembly urging the Centre to allow the state to send humanitarian aid to the crisis-hit Sri Lanka.

The Chief Minister recalled his earlier memorandum submitted to PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informing that the Government of Tamil Nadu is willing to provide essential commodities and lifesaving medicines to the people, who are in dire need of them but said no further action had been taken by the centre.

“In the meanwhile, reports of untold sufferings and unrest in our neighbourhood have been pouring in every day. Considering this critical situation, the august House of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution today, urging the Government of India to positively consider our request to immediately despatch the much-needed supplies,” Stalin said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

“During the deliberations that preceded the passing of the resolution in the House, all the political parties represented in the Assembly voiced their deep concern over the Sri Lankan situation and also the need for extending a helping hand in time, without further delay,” he added.

The Chief Minister further urged to immediately issue the necessary directions to the Ministry of External Affairs to process and facilitate the early movement of food, essential goods and lifesaving medicines from Tamil Nadu to the people of Sri Lanka.

“I wish to share and convey the collective sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu as reflected by the unanimous resolution passed today. With a deep sense of urgency and concern, I urge you to immediately issue the necessary directions to the Ministry of External Affairs to process and facilitate the early movement of food, essential goods and lifesaving medicines from Tamil Nadu to the people of Sri Lanka,” Stalin said.

Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis as the government’s inability to import essential goods after the coronavirus pandemic torpedoed vital revenue from tourism and remittances. (ANI)

The Czech Republic has so far provided Ukraine with military aid totaling nearly 3 billion crowns (about USD 130 million), Ceska Televize broadcaster reported on Friday, citing Czech Defense Ministry spokeswoman Jana Zechmeisterova.

According to the broadcaster, the ministry did not provide any details on the deliveries for the security reasons.

Zechmeisterova also confirmed that the Czech Republic was in talks with Germany to create a model of cooperation regarding military assistance to Ukraine, the broadcaster added.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. Many Western countries have since been supplying Ukraine with military materiel, including lethal weapons. Russia has denounced the supply of weapons to Ukraine from the West, saying that it adds fuel to the fire and derails the negotiation process. (ANI/Sputnik)