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COVID-19: China sees over 100 cases for 1st time in over 3 months amidst fear of second wave

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COVID-19: China sees over 100 cases for 1st time in over 3 months amidst fear of second wave

Beijing: China’s COVID-19 cases in a single day have crossed the 100-mark for the first time in over three months, sparking the fear of a rebound after Beijing contained it in Wuhan where the contagion first emerged in December last year.

The National Health Commission on Wednesday said that 101 new confirmed coronavirus cases including 98 locally-transmitted and three imported ones were reported in the country on Tuesday.

Eighty-nine of the 98 locally-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, eight in Liaoning province and one in Beijing Municipality, the commission said in its daily report.

No deaths related to the disease or new suspected COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region reported 89 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the regional health commission said. The 89 patients were all in the regional capital Urumqi, 43 of whom were previously asymptomatic cases, according to the commission.

The region also saw 15 new asymptomatic cases in Urumqi. By Tuesday, Xinjiang, which is Uygur Muslim majority province, had 322 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 133 asymptomatic cases, and 9,121 people were still under medical observation.

Mass testing was being carried out in Urumqi to determine the extent of the spread of the virus.

After a COVID-19 cluster linked to a seafood processing company was found in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning province last week, the city reported a total of 44 cases, state-run Global Times reported.

As of Tuesday, positive cases linked to Dalian have spread to nine cities, including one in Beijing, which is returning to normalcy after the Xinfadi wholesale market outbreak in June.

The patient in Beijing had dined with friends from Dalian, who were later confirmed to be infected with the virus in Jinzhou, Liaoning province.

The woman then drove a private vehicle to Beijing on July 19. Tiantongyuan community, where the patient lives, was sealed off on Tuesday.

Fuzhou, the capital of east China’s Fujian province, announced it was entering a “wartime mode” after the discovery of an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient from Dalian.

Although China still faces the threat of new outbreaks due to local community transmissions or from imported cases, the country’s capability to contain the COVID-19 has been honed, thanks to its experience in battling the virus for months, Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist for the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said.

He said that while more outbreaks are likely, they will not get out of control.

Zeng said that infection numbers in new virus clusters, such as Dalian and Urumqi, have been increasing quickly since July, and this curve echoes the trend in the world, where infections are also rising.

This proves that outbreaks in other countries continue to affect China as it gradually opens the borders, he said.

The NHC said as of Tuesday, the overall confirmed COVID-19 cases in Chinese mainland has reached 84,060, including 482 patients who were still being treated, with 25 in severe condition.

Altogether 78,944 people had been discharged after recovery and 4,634 died of the disease on the mainland, the commission added.

Viswanathan Anand suffers seventh loss in Legends of Chess tourney

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Viswanathan Anand suffers seventh loss in Legends of Chess tourney

Chennai: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand crashed to his seventh defeat in the USD 150,000 Legends of Chess online tournament, going down 0.5-2.5 to world No.3 Ding Liren in the eighth round.

Going into the match against the Chinese after ending his six-match losing streak, Anand surrendered the first game in just 22 moves late on Tuesday.

The duo settled for a 47-move draw in the second before Liren sealed victory in the third game with black pieces in 41 moves. Anand lies last in the table with six points with Liren and Peter Leko.

The 50-year old Indian takes on Vasyl Ivanchuk in the ninth and final round. World No.1 Magnus Carlsen overcame the challenge of Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi after the four-game contest ended at 2-all.

The Armageddon (a tie-break) also ended in a stalemate but the Norwegian won and picked up three points because he played black.

The Norwegian player maintains his position at the top of the table with 22 points followed by Nepomniatchi (19) and Anish Giri (15). Carlsen has won all the eight matches he has played so far.

Giri lost 2-3 to veteran Ivanchuk but is in line to qualify for the last four.

Legends of Chess is a unique event where Carlsen, Liren, Nepomniachtchi and Giri, semifinalists at the Chessable Masters (part of the Magnus Carlsen Tour), received an automatic invite and are up against six legends aged 40-52, who have been at the top of world chess at various points in their career.

The tournament is part of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. The winner of this event will qualify for the USD 300,000 Grand Final scheduled from August 9 to 20.

Results of Round 8: Ding Liren (China) beat Viswanathan Anand (India) 2.5-0.5; Magnus Carlsen (Norway) beat Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2.5-2.5 (Carlsen won after drawing Armageddon with black); Peter Svidler (Russia) beat Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 2.5-1.5: Vasyl Ivanchuk (Russia) beat Anish Giri (the Netherlands) 3-2; Boris Gelfand (Israel) beat Peter Leko (Hungary) 3-2.

BSP challenges merger of six party MLAs with Congress in Rajasthan

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BSP challenges merger of six party MLAs with Congress in Rajasthan

Jaipur: The Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday filed a writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the merger of six BSP MLAs with the ruling Congress in Rajasthan.

Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha contested and won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets.

They all defected to the Congress in September 2019.

BSP state president Bhagwan Singh Baba said, We have today filed a writ petition in the high court against the merger of BSP MLAs with Congress”.

The merger of BSP MLAs with the ruling Congress was a boost to the Ashok Gehlot-led government as the tally of the Congress increased to 107 in the house of 200.

Hajj 2020: 1,000 pilgrims arrive in Mina for first day of Hajj

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Hajj 2020:  1,000 pilgrims arrive in Mina for first day of Hajj

JEDDAH: About 1,000 pilgrims converge on the Mina Valley outside Makkah on Wednesday to begin their spiritual journey of a lifetime.

The Day of Tarwiyah (fetching water) marks the beginning of Hajj. There are no major rituals, so the pilgrims will spend their time praying and reflecting until sunrise on Thursday.

Mina, 7 km northeast of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and within its boundaries, would normally be the site of the world’s largest tent city, accommodating about 2.5 million pilgrims.

However, Hajj participation is restricted this year to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, and the pilgrims are all Saudis or expatriates who live in the Kingdom.

Those selected to take part in this year’s Hajj were subject to temperature checks and placed in quarantine as they began arriving in Makkah, and health workers sanitized their luggage.

Health and safety staff with disinfectant cleaned the area around the Kaaba, the structure at the center of the Grand Mosque draped in gold-embroidered cloth toward which Muslims around the world pray.

Hajj authorities have cordoned the Kaaba this year, and pilgrims will not be allowed to touch it, to limit the chances of infection. They have also set up dedicated health centers, mobile clinics and ambulances to care for the pilgrims, who will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

All pilgrims were required to be tested for coronavirus before they arrived in Makkah, and they will be quarantined after the pilgrimage.

They were given amenity kits that include sterilized pebbles for the Jamarat stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the ihram, the seamless white garment worn by pilgrims.

“There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but it is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic,” said Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia’s director of public security.

On Thursday the pilgrims will travel to Arafat to listen to the sermon, the pinnacle of Hajj. They then go to Muzdalifah and stay overnight, before returning to Mina for the Jamarat ritual.

Five Rafale jets to land in Ambala today, security tightened around air base

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Five Rafale jets to land in Ambala today, security tightened around air base

Ambala: The first batch of five Rafale jets are scheduled to land at the Ambala air base here on Wednesday afternoon with police tightening the security around the air force station.

The squadron of Rafale jets will be stationed at the Ambala air base in Haryana.

The jets took off from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday and will arrive here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates.

The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft. Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders near the Ambala Air Force Station, banning shooting of videos and photography.

The Ambala district administration has also prohibited people from flying private drones within the three-km radius of the air base, officials said earlier.

Section 144, which prohibits assembly of four or more people, has been imposed in the villages adjoining the air base, including Dhulkot, Baldev Nagar, Garnala and Panjkhora.

Ambala deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma said shooting of videos or taking photographs of the boundary wall of the air base and its adjoining areas will remain strictly prohibited during the imposition of the prohibitory orders.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Police has set up several check barricades and police officers were seen patrolling residential localities near the air base, making announcements over loudspeakers warning people not to stand on the rooftop of their houses to click pictures or shoot videos.

Violators would face punishment as per the law, they warned.

At many places here, hoardings have been erected to welcome the arrival of the fighter jets with some of these mentioning that their induction will further boost IAF’s capabilities.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the people of Ambala are very enthusiastic about the arrival of the jets.

This is a very proud and a historic moment for us that the Rafale jets will be stationed in Ambala Cantonment area. Rafales are IAF’s ‘Sikandar’, which will significantly boost our combat capabilities, he said.

He said had there not been the threat of coronavirus pandemic, thousands would have gathered in the streets to welcome the jets.

Nearly four years ago, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF’s combat capabilities.

The five Rafales are scheduled to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday, though a formal induction ceremony would be held later.

The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No 17 Squadron, also known as the ‘Golden Arrows’. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons.

European missile maker MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron.

Built in 1948, the air base is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights.

The air base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 ‘Bison’. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base.

The Mirage fighters that were used for the air strike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from here.

Indian-origin brothers succumb to COVID-19 in South Africa

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Indian-origin brothers succumb to COVID-19 in South Africa

Johannesburg: Two Indian-origin brothers and founding members of a renowned organisation that offers community services in the sprawling Indian township of Lenasia in South Africa have succumbed to coronavirus.

Abbas Sayed and Osman Sayed, the Chairman and President of the Saaberie Chishty Society, died on Friday and Saturday respectively and were buried side-by-side, as condolences continued to pour in from all over the world, including India, where the idea of the humanitarian work was sparked by a visit to Ajmer when Abbas was a teenager.

After their return from Ajmer, a small religious commemoration at their home in Lenasia soon transformed into a variety of charity and welfare projects for all communities in the apartheid era.

The brothers were among the six siblings who continued and expanded the work of the society started by their father, uncles and aunts to include feeding schemes, building mosques and madrassahs, and a free ambulance service when there were no such facilities from government in Lenasia where they lived.

“Like their forefathers, they worked tirelessly throughout their lives to serve the community with dedication. Tears flow as we remember their smiles and our insightful conversations with them,” said a message from religious leaders from Lucknow.

“They were men of dignity, honesty, truthfulness and simplicity,” said another message from Panipat in Haryana, where in 2009 the organisation helped restore an ancient mosque 30 years after it had been closed down by raising funds in South Africa.

The novel coronavirus that first surfaced in China’s Wuhan city in December last year has claimed 7,257 lives and infected 459,761 people in South Africa.

Here’s How Maanyata And Trishala Wished Sanjay Dutt On His Birthday

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Maanyata, who is away from Sanjay Dutt on his birthday, sent an adorable greeting on social media

Here's How Maanyata And Trishala Wished Sanjay Dutt On His Birthday

On Sanjay Dutt’s 61st birthday, the actor’s wife Maanyata and his daughter Trishala wished him in the best way possible. Maanyata, who is currently staying in Dubai (going by her recent Instagram posts) with her 9-year-old twins Shahraan and Iqra, shared an adorable picture with her husband on her Instagram profile on Wednesday morning. In the picture, the couple can be seen twinning in black outfits. She wrote in the caption: “Happy birthday love …..Love you.” She accompanied her post with the hashtags #missingyou #godbless, #love, #positivity, #birthdaymonth and #beautifullife. As of now, Sanjay Dutt, who is currently in Mumbai, hasn’t responded to Maanyata’s post but we would love to see his reaction.

Meanwhile, Trishala (Sanjay Dutt’s daughter with his first wife Richa Sharma), who stays with her grandparents in the US, shared a throwback picture of the actor from his young days and she wrote in the greeting: “Happy Birthday Papa Dukes. May God bless you with a long, happy and healthy life. I love you so much. To infinity and beyond, always and forever. Cheers Pops! FaceTime you in a bit! LOL – Have a beautiful day! #birthdayboy #leo #lionking #loveyou.”

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Screenshot of Trishala Dutt’s Instagram post.

Sanjay Dutt was last seen in Ashutosh Gowariker’s period drama Panipat, co-starring Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. The actor’s impressive line-up of films includes KGF Chapter 2, Torbaaz, Sadak 2 and Bhuj: The Pride Of India. The actor will also be seen in Shamshera, co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor. He has also signed Prithviraj, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar.

Maanyata Dutt produced Sanjay Dutt’s 2019 film Prassthanam, which also featured Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Ali Fazal, Chunky Panday, Amyra Dastur and Satyajeet Dubey.

Chapter On Tipu Sultan Dropped From Class 7 Textbook In Karnataka: Report

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Responding to a question on dropping the chapter in class 7, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu Sultan from classes 6 and 10.

Chapter On Tipu Sultan Dropped From Class 7 Textbook In Karnataka: Report

Chapter on Tipu Sultan dropped from class 7 social science textbook to reduce syllabus this year

The chapter on controversial 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Haider Ali are among those that have been dropped from the class 7 social science textbook, following the Karnataka government’s decision to reduce the 2020-21 syllabi due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the chapters on Tipu Sultan have been retained in the class 6 and 10 books, official sources told news agency Press Trust of India.

According to Nasheman news the revised syllabus uploaded on the Karnataka Text Book Society (KTBS) website shows that in class 7, social science text, chapter 5 that deals with Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, Historical places of Mysore, and Administration of Commissioners have been dropped.

The Department of Public Instructions decided to reduce the syllabus for the year 2020-21 in view of the pandemic and disruption in the academic calendar for the year, that has been brought down to 120 working days.

Responding to a question on dropping the chapter in class 7, officials said it should be noted that the students study about Tipu Sultan from classes 6 and 10.

A couple of months ago, amid the growing clamour from some BJP leaders to remove a chapter in the textbook glorifying Tipu Sultan, the government had constituted an expert committee to look into it.

The committee however had recommended that the ruler cannot be ignored from the school syllabus.

Commenting on the development, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar said that the BJP government was taking such decisions with a political agenda in mind.

Pointing out that Tipu Sultan was a historical figure, Mr Shivakumar had said “History is history…you cannot change history. We will not accept it. Congress will take it seriously by setting up a committee to look into it.”

Soon after coming to power, the BJP government in Karnataka had scrapped the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, an annual government event the party had been opposing since 2015 when it was launched during the Congress rule, led by Siddaramaiah.

The BJP and some other organisations have been strongly opposing Tipu Sultan, calling the erstwhile Mysore king a “religious bigot”.

Tipu Sultan was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort at Srirangapatnam against the British forces.

Tipu Sultan, however, is a controversial figure in Kodagu district as Kodavas (Coorgis), a martial race, believe that thousands of their men and women were held captive during his occupation and subjected to torture, death and forcible conversion to Islam.

He was also accused of execution of Mandyam Iyengars at the temple town of Melkote in Mandya district on the day of Deepawali as they supported the then Maharaja of Mysuru.

However, the scale of such suppression is disputed by several historians, as they see Tipu Sultan as a ruler who took on the might of the British.

While BJP and some other organisations see Tipu Sultan as a “religious bigot” and a “brutal killer”, a few Kannada outfits call him “anti-Kannada”, saying he had promoted Persian at the cost of the local language.

Weddings, Funerals Increasing COVID-19 Cases Load In Kerala

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Taking a serious view of over 70 people being infected after attending a marriage and a funeral in Kozhikode and Wayanaad districts recently, the government has decided to restrict the number of those attending such events, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Weddings, Funerals Increasing COVID-19 Cases Load In Kerala

Earlier, the cap on attendees at marriages and funerals was 50.

With weddings and funerals turning out to be COVID-19 spreaders in some places, the Kerala government on Tuesday said a maximum of 20 people would only be allowed to participate in these events.

Taking a serious view of over 70 people being infected after attending a marriage and a funeral in Kozhikode and Wayanaad districts recently, the government has decided to restrict the number of those attending such events, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Hereafter, only 20 people can participate in marriages and funerals, he told reporters.

Earlier, the cap on attendees at marriages and funerals was 50.

In Chekkiad panchayat in Kozhikode, more than 30 people who had participated in a wedding of a doctor onJuly9 tested positive later, Mr Vijayan said.

The groom was among those who had tested positive. Vadakara MP, K Muraleedharan, had also attended the previous day’s functionand was asked by the Kozhikode Collector to go on quarantine.

In Wayanad’s Thavinhal panchayat, eight members of a family, who had participated in a funeral, were found positive for the virus on July 19.

Following this, authorities tested 210 other people who came in contact with them and totally 43 were found infected, the chief minister said.

The tests are continuing and would be held on Wednesday also, district health department sources

The panchayat has been declared as a containment zone. Mr Vijayan also said three health workers of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital tested positive following which it has been decided to test all workers.

Noting that 12 migrant workers who had returned to the state were found infected in Kozhikode district, he said those coming back should give their details to the district labour officer. Instructions had been issued in this regard, he added.

Rajasthan Governor Cancels Independence Day Event Over Covid, Hint For Ashok Gehlot

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The Governor said he was concerned about the “frightening” situation in the state and the rising active virus cases.

Rajasthan Governor Cancels Independence Day Event Over Covid, Hint For Ashok Gehlot

Governor Kalraj Mishra had blocked two previous proposals for the assembly over various reasons 

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, in a statement today cancelling the annual Independence Day “at-home” event over what he called a spurt in coronavirus cases, delivered a message that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will not like to hear.

The Governor said he was concerned about the “frightening” situation in the state and the rising active virus cases.

“When the assembly session was cancelled on March 13, then there were two cases. At the time the session was cancelled to fight the spread of the global pandemic,” said Mr Mishra.

“There were 3381 cases on July 1. Now it is more than 10,000. The unrelenting virus spread is a cause for concern and the state has to take serious steps to save people from this worldwide pandemic.”

The statement comes a day after Chief Minister Gehlot submitted his third proposal for an assembly session from Friday. It is seen as a hint that if the Governor nixes it again, coronavirus could be a legit reason.

Mr Gehlot, who is fighting rebellion by his sacked deputy Sachin Pilot, is seen to be pursuing an assembly session for the singular goal of proving his majority on the floor of the house. He believes he has just about the numbers to win a trust vote at this time and accuses the Governor of stalling a session under pressure from the BJP.

The Governor blocked two previous proposals raising questions including one on coronavirus precautions.

On the last request, Mr Mishra had asked how social distancing and other virus protocol would be maintained during a session.

Yesterday, Mr Gehlot met with his cabinet to discuss the Governor’s questions and sent a revised proposal for a special session citing coronavirus as an agenda

To the Governor’s point on COVID-19 precautions, the Gehlot cabinet said it was up to the Speaker to ensure that all checks were in place. It also pointed out that Goa, Manipur and Puducherry had held sessions in the middle of the virus battle.

Mr Gehlot’s request to the Governor does not mention a trust vote. “We have a majority. We will prove it if required,” said a minister on Tuesday.

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