Month: May 2022

The national capital reported 442 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours, according to a health bulletin by the Delhi government on Saturday.

With this, the active cases in the city stand at 1,641.

As many as 21,914 COVID samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The case positivity rate was 2.02 per cent during this period.

According to the bulletin, 428 patients recovered from the disease taking the total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic in the city to 18,78,105.

No patient died during this period. The death toll in the city remained at 26,208.

Under the nationwide COVID vaccination drive, 23,220 beneficiaries were jabbed with the vaccine taking the total number of vaccinations in the city to 3,41,66,979.

Meanwhile, as many as 2,685 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload to 16,308, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Saturday. (ANI)

After the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) gave a clean chit to Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Saturday suggested action against ex-Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) official Sameer Wankhede.

Addressing the media, he said that there was no truth in the allegations against Aryan Khan and action should be taken against people spreading false implications.

“There was no truth in allegations against Aryan Khan. I think action should be taken against ex-NCB official Sameer Wankhede on the way he handled this matter,” said Patil.

He also highlighted that Khan’s name was removed from the chargesheet and the Centre also took cognizance of this matter and gave information about action against the concerned officer.

“If anyone is falsely implicating an innocent person, then action should be taken against them. I think Centre has also taken cognizance of this matter & given info about action against the concerned officer,” he added.

An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2 night. Eight persons were arrested 20 people including Aryan Khan, along with other accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were named in the case.

Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were granted bail by the Bombay High Court on 28 October 2021. (ANI)

Bollywood diva Tara Sutaria recreated and shared her childhood picture with her sister Pia Sutaria and her childhood friend Mishal Hirani on social media.

On Saturday, the ‘Marjaavaan’ actor took to her Instagram handle and posted a throwback cum recreated picture, she captioned the picture, “Twenty-two years later.. some things never change.. @mishal.hirani @piasutaria I am so proud of the people we have become!!!! Here’s to always being silly, picking up where we left off and loving each other through everything.”

In the picture, Tara, Pia and Mishal could be seen happily posing for the camera. Tara Sutaria’s rumoured boyfriend Aadar Jain was quick to react to the post, as he dropped a bunch of heart emoticons in the comment section.

The 26-year-old made her debut in a Karan Johar 2019 film, Student Of The Year 2 opposite actor Tiger Shroff and Ananya Panday.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Tara was last seen in Heropanti 2, opposite Tiger Shroff in the main lead. She will soon be seen in her upcoming flick ‘Ek Villain Returns’ opposite Arjun Kapoor, John Abraham and Disha Patani. (ANI)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday told the leaders of France and Germany that Moscow was willing to discuss ways to make it possible for Ukraine to resume shipments of grain from Black Sea ports, according to a Kremlin statement.

Putin held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and confirmed Moscow’s readiness to continue peace talks with Kyiv.
“Russia is ready to help find options for unhampered exports of grain, including exports of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports,” the Kremlin said as quoted by TASS news agency.

“Increasing supplies of Russian fertilizers and agricultural products will also help reduce tension on the global food market, which, of course, would require removing the relevant restrictions,” the statement added.

Russian President also said that problems with food supplies were caused by anti-Russian sanctions and other mistakes of the West, the news agency reported.

“Based on specific data, Vladimir Putin explained the real reasons for the difficulties with food supplies, which were the result of the misguided economic and financial policies of Western countries, as well as the anti-Russian sanctions they imposed,” the statement said.

“Special attention was given to the state of affairs on the negotiating track, which is frozen because of Kyiv. Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia is open to resuming the dialogue,” it added.

Putin stressed the danger of pumping Ukraine with Western weapons, the Kremlin quoted by TASS said.

“The Russian President also highlighted the issue of dangerous ongoing pumping of Ukraine with Western weapons, warning of the risks of further destabilization of the situation and aggravation of the humanitarian crisis,” the statement said. (ANI)

Maharashtra reported the first cases of the subvariants of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, said an official on Saturday.

As many as seven people were detected to be infected from the subvariants in Pune, four of which were infected by the B.A. 4 variant while the other three were found to be infected by B.A. 5 variant.
The cases were confirmed after the latest report of the Whole Genomic Sequencing conducted in coordination with the B.J. Medical College Pune.

All of the patients have mild symptoms with no need of hospitalisation. They have been kept in home isolation, according to the officials.

The earlier first cases of BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were found in Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad respectively, confirmed the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) on Sunday.

All these patients are from Pune city. Of these, 4 are males and 3 are females, of whom, four people are in the age group of more than 50 years and two are in the age group of 20 to 40 years while one is below 10 years of age.

Two of these patients have a history of travelling to South Africa, and Belgium, while three have travelled to the Indian states of Kerala and Karnataka. The two patients have no travel history, said the officials.

Notably, all of them except for the minor have received both doses of the COVID vaccines while one is said to have also been jabbed with the precaution dose.

“All of them had mild symptoms of covid. No one needs to be hospitalized & treated successfully in-home isolation. B. A. 4 and 5 are of the Omicron sub-lineage, which increases the rate of transmission of the virus to a certain extent according to international experience,” said the officials.

BA.4 and BA.5 are subvariants of the Omicron variant circulating globally. These were reported first from South Africa earlier this year and are now reported from several other countries. These variants have not been associated with disease severity or increased hospitalization. (ANI)

Atleast 31 people were killed and seven others were left injured after a stampede broke out at a church event in the southeastern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt on Saturday, CNN reported citing police and security officials.

Hundreds of people who had turned up to receive food at the church early on Saturday broke through a gate, causing the stampede. Most of the casualties were children.
The tragic incident took place at a local polo club, where the nearby Kings Assembly Church had organized a gift donation drive, according to Olufemi Ayodele, a regional spokesman for Nigeria’s Civil Defense Corps.

“During the process of distributing the gift items, there was a stampede due to overcrowding,” he said. “Casualties were children mostly,” CNN qouted him as saying.

Quoting a spokeswoman for the state police, Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko, CNN reported that the drive had not even started when the stampede took place.

Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said the crowd forced their way into the venue, despite the fact that the gate was closed, resulting in the mishap.

“Thirty-one people have been confirmed dead, Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said. Seven injured people were hospitalized after the incident,” she added. (ANI)

Samsung is reported to have reduced the number of phones it plans to produce in 2022 from 310 million to 280 million, citing reports from Korean outlet Maeil Business News.

Although it is quite a large number of phones, but it’s a relatively sharp drop from the company’s initial goal, as well as the number of reported phones produced by the company and its partners last year.
From low-end models to flagships, the lowered production targets will affect phones across its lineup. In a sense, reducing the production of cheap phones sounds counterintuitive. Now, the issues that arise from this are that people might be speculative about buying an apt smartphone for themselves. People in the low-end phone market may not want to buy a new one unless absolutely necessary, as per The Verge.

Samsung isn’t the only one feeling the effects of an ongoing pandemic. To make things worse, the Russian-Ukraine war has hampered sales after the company had stopped shipping to Russia, along with many other companies. Samsung is also fighting the high risk of rising inflation.

Apple is also reportedly expecting relatively flat sales this year as it plans to produce about the same number of phones as in 2021, but it’s likely that it’s working on a fairly large upgrade. (ANI)

Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka Vinod K. Jacob handed over a consignment of over 25 tons of medical supplies, donated by the Government of India to Minister of Health, Keheliya Rambukwella in Colombo on Friday.

Taking to Twitter, the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka said that the consignment is valued at close to Rs 260 million.
“Ongoing commitment to the people of #SriLanka!!!Acting High Commissioner @VinodKJacob76

handed over a donation of more than 25 tons of medical supplies, with a value of SLR 260 #million, to Hon’ble Health Minister @Keheliya_R in #Colombo today,” the Indian mission in Sri Lanka said.

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Gharial, a 5600 tons Landing Ship was deployed for the delivery of humanitarian assistance materials expeditiously as part of Mission SAGAR IX.

In addition to medical supplies, the ship also carried onboard kerosene for the use of fishermen in Sri Lanka. The consignment of kerosene shall be distributed among the beneficiaries by Ceylon Fisheries Harbor Corporation in the coming days.

“Humanitarian supplies which came on board #INS Gharial also include kerosene for use by fishermen in #lka. These supplies will be distributed among the beneficiaries in the coming days,” the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka tweeted.

The medical consignment was donated in response to requests by various organizations and hospitals spread across different parts of the country.

The representatives of Suwasariya Foundation and Member of Parliament Dr Harsha De Silva had pointed out the medical requirements to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his Sri Lanka visit in March 2022 and these requirements are now being met through these donations.

In addition, medical supplies to General Hospital Hambantota, Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya and Teaching Hospital, Jaffna are also being catered to, the High Commission said was quoted by Colombo Page.

Another large consignment of medical supplies for Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya was earlier delivered onboard INS Gharial on April 29, 2022.

These humanitarian supplies are in continuation of the Government of India’s ongoing support to the people of Sri Lanka in multiple forms such as financial assistance, forex support, material supply and many more. These efforts prove that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy which places people-to-people engagement is still active. These are complemented by the people of India who have also been donating generously to their brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka, according to the Colombo Page.

The Ongoing commitment to the people of Sri Lanka attests to the importance attached by the peoples of India and Sri Lanka to the well-being of each other, the High Commission said. (ANI)

Afghanistan is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since the Taliban seized power in August last year as poverty and unemployment are at an all-time high and families in Kabul are forced to move to the streets.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said that more than half of Afghanistan’s population is dependent on life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection under the Taliban regime, TOLOnews reported.
“Afghanistan’s people cannot be left behind. We provide direct aid to the most vulnerable. We build schools, health centres, water projects and roads to provide conditions for the voluntary return of refugees and displaced people when they feel ready,” UNHCR Canberra stated in a tweet.

One in two people in Afghanistan does not know where their next meal is coming from, the organization further added.

However, the Ministry of Economy contradicted the UNHCR and said the numbers of the ministry show that the poverty level in the country is decreasing.

“Keeping food and fuel prices constant, keeping exchange rates constant, increasing imports and exports, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and creating domestic and foreign projects are among the programs of the Ministry of Economy to reduce poverty in the country,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, according to TOLOnews.

Meanwhile, a number of residents of the war-ravaged nation stressed that the increase in poverty and lack of employment has doubled their challenges.

Earlier, the former US diplomat to Afghanistan, Ross Wilson, has also expressed concerns about the growing adversities in Afghanistan as the world turned a blind eye to the nation’s situation amidst the rising Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Afghanistan’s per capita income has dropped from USD 500 a year to USD 350 and food aid from UN agencies has not alleviated poverty in the country, the latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

As per a local survey, the rate of poverty in the country has exceeded 95 per cent since the fall of the former government while 56 per cent are seeking to leave the country amid a drop in daily income.

Moreover, millions of Afghans are on the brink of starvation as the country reels from a humanitarian crisis. (ANI)

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday called himself as a “majnoo” as he testified in a special court hearing in the Pakistan Rupee 16 billion money laundering case against him and his sons- Hamza and Suleman.

Categorically rejecting the allegations of money laundering against him, Shehbaz Sharif apprised the court that he had never received a his salary when he was the Chief Minister of Punjab province and termed himself a “majnoo”, an urdu word for a fool.
During the argument before Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan, Prime Minister Shehbaz took the rostrum and said the case against him was “false”.

“I have not taken anything from the government in 12.5 years,” he said, adding that he used to get the government car in his use refuelled from his own pocket.

“God has made me the prime minister of this country. I am a majnoo. I did not take my legal right, I did not take salary and benefits,” he said, according to Dawn newspaper.

Furthermore in the hearing, the counsel of Shehbaz and Hamza, Mohammad Amjad Pervaiz argued before Special court Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan that the facts in the challan were incorrect.

“This case was mala fide because it was politically motivated. The law says if there are 10 cases against someone, he cannot be arrested separately for each.”

He recalled that the secretary had sent a summary to him for sugar export during his tenure as Punjab chief minister, adding that he had set an export limit and rejected summaries, the Dawn reported.

“My family lost Rs 2 billion because of my decision. I am telling you the reality. When my son’s ethanol production plant was being set up, I still decided to impose a duty on ethanol. My family lost Rs 800 million annually because of that decision. The previous government withdrew that notification stating that it was injustice with the sugar mills,” Shehbaz said.

Following this, the judge allowed Shehbaz and Hamza to leave, saying that the hearing could proceed without their presence.

The court had extended the interim bail of Shehbaz and Hamza till May 28, during the hearing, last week and also issued an arrest warrant for three others, including Suleman Shahbaz, Tahir Naqvi, and Malik Maqsood stating that the three have been declared absconders by the magistrate court, Geo TV reported.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in December 2021 had submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza before the special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs 16 billion in the sugar scam case. (ANI)