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Archives for January 2021

Brazil passes 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, second most in world

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The health ministry said the country had 1,524 deaths in the previous 24 hours, rising to a total of 200,498 for the pandemic.

SAO PAULO: Brazil passed 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic Thursday.

That is the second highest total in the world.

The health ministry said the country had 1,524 deaths in the previous 24 hours, rising to a total of 200,498 for the pandemic.

The milestone was reached as Brazilians are once again crowding their beaches.

Many Brazilians have been straining against quarantine for months, going to bars or small gatherings with friends, but massive blowouts had been few and far between since the pandemic began.

Then big festivities kicked off after the Southern Hemisphere’s summer started Dec 21.

While many countries imposed new restrictions to limit the spread of the virus in mid-December, Brazil’s government gave its blessing for holiday fun in the sun.

Egg price witnesses sharp fall in Namakkal

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The NECC has pegged the suggestive price at Rs 4.85 for Namakkal on Thursday, down from Rs 5.1 a day ago. The decision was taken unanimously at an NECC meeting held in Namakkal on Thursday.

eggs, protein

NAMAKKAL: Following the bird flu outbreak in several States, including neighbouring Kerala, the price of egg has witnessed a sharp single-day fall of 25 paise here on Thursday, according to the daily suggestive farmgate price released by the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC).

The NECC has pegged the suggestive price at Rs 4.85 for Namakkal on Thursday, down from Rs 5.1 a day ago. The decision was taken unanimously at an NECC meeting held in Namakkal on Thursday.

“On account of the Avian Influenza outbreak (types H5 and H5NB) in a couple of districts in Kerala, the egg price has dropped drastically in Namakkal. Around 40 to 50 lakh eggs  are transported from Namakkal zone to Kerala per day. Now, around 15 to 20 per cent of the eggs have stagnated,” said NECC chairman P Selvaraj. After Christmas, the price of eggs typically starts to fall in the northern part of India, which has also played a role, he added.

Selvaraj explained that the situation was not uncommon as flu outbreaks happen every year, as there is no vaccination available to combat the flu. “The only solution is to take precautionary measures in poultry farms,” he added.

While Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan had earlier said that it is possible for bird flu to affect the human body, Selvaraj pointed out that no human had lost their life because of bird flu in the past 15 years. He added that consuming eggs was safe and there was no need to panic.

Namakkal Egg producers Association President K Mohan and Tamil Nadu Egg poultry Farmers Marketing Society’s president Vangli Subramaniam said that the process of disinfecting poultry farms was underway, as per instructions from the district administration. They maintained that the risk of bird flu was low in Namakkal.

The fall in prices has hit poultry farmers, who continue to reel under the stress caused by Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns.  At the time, the price had dropped to less than Rs 2 per egg, as rumours spread that the virus could spread through poultry products. This led to a pile-up of crores of eggs at cold storage units in Tiruchy, Salem and Mettupalayam.

Going forward, Selvaraj predicted that the egg price may fall over the next two weeks, as the demand for eggs in Kerala has fallen suddenly. Meanwhile, the cull bird rate has been maintained at Rs 50 for a week.

In the Tirupur zone, the price of chicken at broiler farms has dropped to Rs 77 per kg from around Rs 85 a kg a week ago, according to an office-bearer from Palladam Broiler Farm Owners Association. The retail price is pegged at around Rs 145 per kg. However, he said that the drop in price cannot be attributed to the Avian flu in Kerala. “There will be panic in the broiler farm industry only when the price drops below Rs 70 per kg. Currently, we don’t believe that there would be such a large drop in prices. However, the future is uncertain, and broiler farm owners are in a wait-and-watch mode,” he added.

Bird flu: Kerala poultry vehicles banned in Dakshina Kannada district

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Vehicles entering Karnataka to be sprayed with disinfectant; poultry farm owners told to keep farms clean

Bird Flu

MANGALURU: After confirmed cases of bird flu were reported in Kottayam and Alappuzha in Kerala, the Dakshina Kannada district administration on Thursday banned the entry of vehicles carrying poultry and related products into the district.

The order also stated that all vehicles carrying poultry products from Karnataka to Kerala and Kerala vehicles coming to the state for poultry products will be sprayed with disinfectants at the inter-state borders. Vehicles that are not clean will be sent back.

The departments of Health and Animal Husbandry are keeping a close watch on bird sanctuaries, water storage units and poultry farms in Dakshina Kannada district. Owners of poultry farms have been asked to maintain cleanliness and avoid unnecessary movement of people near the farms. They have been asked to immediately inform the veterinary department in case they see unnatural deaths of poultry and symptoms of bird flu. Measures have also been taken to spray disinfectants on vehicles that visit poultry farms and railway brake vans that transport poultry products.

Crows found dead, sent for testing
Six crows were found dead in Manjanadi near Deralakatte in Mangaluru city on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday morning, viscera samples of the crows were sent for testing to a laboratory in Bengaluru.
Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra said they were not sure as to whether the crows died due to poisoning or due to some other reason. He said the samples were sent for testing as they did not want to take any chances in view the bird flu. He added that the results were expected on Friday. 

Dry run of Covid-19 vaccination on Friday in Karnataka

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To be held at 263 health facilities across the state; it will test actual system of vaccine delivery from end-to-end

BENGALURU: Karnataka is set to launch the second dry run of the Covid-19 immunisation programme, which is much larger in scale than the first one on January 2. According the Central guidelines, a trial would have to be done in at least three locations in each district on Friday, Health Minister Dr Sudhakar said on Thursday.

“So the dry run in Karnataka will be held at 263 different health facilities across the state tomorrow,” he said.

The exercise will be carried out at 30 urban primary health care centres and 28 private health centres. The drill would test the actual system of vaccine delivery from end-to-end. A similar exercise on a smaller scale was held on January 2 in five districts: Bengaluru (including BBMP), Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Shivamogga.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan chaired a video conference of health ministers of all the states.
‘Infrastructure ready’ Sudhakar said that around 6.3 lakh health workers from both the government and private sector have signed up for the vaccine and the window for registration is still open. They will be among one crore people across India who will be inoculated against Covid on priority basis. 
He said the state has the infrastructure for the vaccination drive.

“The Centre has provided 24 lakh syringes of 0.5 ml each. We have 10 walk-in coolers, 4 walk-in freezers, 3,201 ice line refrigerators, 3,039 deep freezers, 3,312 cold boxes, 46,591 vaccine carriers and 2,25,749 ice packs. The Centre has also provided 64 large ice line refrigerators with a capacity of 225 litres each. Two more walk-in coolers and one walk-in freezer will be received from the Centre,” Sudhakar said, told media after the video conference with the Union Health Minister.

“Vaccination should be a people’s movement. There is no harm from it and people should act responsibly. The polio vaccination drive will be held and 65 lakh children will be vaccinated on January 17,” he said.

UK returnees
As many as 117 people who returned from the UK and are in Karnataka are yet to be traced. Of these, 112 are in Bengaluru and the rest in other districts, Sudhakar said. Personnel from the home, health, and urban development departments, and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike are working to trace the UK returnees, and there is no attempt to mask the numbers, he said.

“Many of them hold foreign passports, and over 1,000 people who have come are from other states. Those states have been alerted to take necessary action,” he said. At least 2,523 UK returnees have so far undergone Covid-19 tests, and 65 have tested COVID-19 positive on an RT-PCR test, he added.

Meanwhile, two people who were infected with the UK strain have recovered. A 35-year-old woman and her six-year-old daughter from Bommanahalli in Bengaluru were discharged from Victoria Hospital on Wednesday. At present, only 14 of 26 UK returnees remain in Victoria Hospital.
Eleven people have tested positive for the UK strain. Seven of these people are in Bengaluru and four in Shivamogga.

Kept my promise of visiting Amethi regularly unlike previous MPs: Smriti Irani

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Smriti Irani wrested Amethi from Gandhi, a seat he held for three consecutive terms, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Amethi MP Smriti Irani

SULTANPUR: Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani on Thursday said she had kept her promise of visiting her Lok Sabha constituency regularly, whereas there was a time when its representative visited only once in five years.

Irani wrested Amethi from Gandhi, a seat he held for three consecutive terms, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“The Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi has seen a time when its MP used to visit once in five years to seek votes. One-and-a-half year ago, I had made a promise that I will come in your midst again and again,” Irani said in Rae Bareli.

“MPs and MLAs are regularly coming in your midst. In the time of coronavirus, they have been present through e-Choupal and resolved people’s problems,” said Irani, who was on a day-long visit to her constituency.

Later, in Sultanpur, the Union minister for textiles said the central and state governments are committed to ensuring that the poor and farmers benefit from different schemes.

She also asked all those eligible to avail the benefits of government schemes.

Top Democratic leader Schemer calls on Pence, Cabinet to remove Trump from office

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The 25th Amendment allows for the president to be removed from office by the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet.

Donald Trump

WASHINGTON: Top Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday joined dozens of his party colleagues in asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke 25th Amendment to the American Constitution to remove President Donald Trump from office following the violent assault on the US Capitol by the president’s supporters.

The 25th Amendment allows for the president to be removed from office by the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet.

“What happened at the US Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president.

This president should not hold office one day longer,” Senate Democratic leader Schumer said.

“The quickest and most effective way – it can be done today – to remove this president from office would be for the vice president to immediately invoke the 25th amendment,” he demanded.

“If the vice president and the cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president,” Schumer said in a statement amidst increasing chorus to remove Trump from office.

His successor Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have demanded that Pence and his Cabinet colleagues invoke this special provision of the US constitution wherein they can remove the sitting president by saying that he is not fit to serve the office of presidency.

Adam Kinzinger on Thursday became the first Republican lawmaker to call for invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

“The president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell. And the president now must relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily,” Kinzinger said in a video posted on twitter.

Congressman Sean Casten in a statement said that “attempted coup incited by our 45th president, Donald Trump, will go down as one of the darkest moments” in American history.

“Donald Trump presents a grave threat to the continuity of our government, and our democracy.

He must be removed from office immediately, and I am calling on the House to impeach, and for Vice President Pence, in parallel to initiate removal via the 25th Amendment,” Casten said.

The “insurrectionists” who stormed the Capitol today should be held fully accountable for their actions under the law, said Senator Patty Murray.

“The most immediate way to ensure the President is prevented from causing further harm in coming days is to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office.

As history watches, I urge Vice President Pence and the President’s Cabinet to put country before party and act,” he said.

There has been no reaction from Pence on this.

Pence while presiding over the Joint Sessions of the Congress to count and certify electoral college votes condemned the violence, saying violence never wins, freedom does.

“We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls, as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today,” he said.

Describing Wednesday’s events as “one of the darkest days in American history,” Congresswoman Suzan DelBene alleged that Trump encouraged a violent mob to attack members of Congress to block the certification of Biden and Kamala Harris.

“He failed to repudiate the violence he started and refused to activate security forces to protect the US Capitol.

Consequently, he violated his oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States,” she said.

“I couldn’t have imagined the violence and lawlessness I saw around the United States Capitol. For the good of the country, the 25th Amendment should be invoked to remove President Trump from office immediately,” she said.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui called on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and convene the Cabinet to remove the president from office.

“President Trump continues to put himself above the American people, and his reckless actions to undermine our democracy must be met with equal consequence,” she said.

Two Army personnel injured in mine blast along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch

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Two Army personnel were injured in a landmine blast along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch.

JAMMU: Two Army personnel were injured in a landmine blast along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, officials said.

The Army personnel were patrolling the forward area in Mankote sector when they accidentally stepped on an anti-personnel mine triggering explosion, they said.

The personnel suffered injuries and were hospitalised, they said.

Don’t want to live with husband as he refused to accept Islam: UP woman to magistrate

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AURAIYA: A 21-year-old Muslim woman who had married a Hindu man last month against wishes of her family appeared before a magistrate here and said she doesn’t want to live with her husband as he refused to accept Islam, police said on Thursday.

According to a marriage certificate produced by Nazra, a resident of Senganpur village here, she had married Akash of Kulgaon village at an Arya Samaj temple on December 21 after changing her name to Neha, Bamaen police post incharge Devi Sah Verma said on Thursday.

As her husband Akash did not accept Islam, she gave a statement before the magistrate on Wednesday that she does not want to live with him.

She was sent with her parents, Verma said.

Both Nazra and Akash were in a relationship, which was opposed by their families.

On October 12, both had left their home, Verma said.

Two days after, the woman’s father Allahudin lodged a case against Akash and one other Raj Kumar for luring his daughter, Verma said.

He alleged that she took away Rs 80,000 cash and ornaments worth lakhs of rupees.

Police said the woman’s statement has been recorded and her medical examination has also been done.

West Bengal poultry farms on alert over bird flu outbreak in some other states

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The Centre said the Avian influenza outbreak, has been reported at 12 epicentres in four states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal

Bird Flu

KOLKATA: An organisation of poultry farm owners in West Bengal has asked its members to be on alert in the wake of a bird flu outbreak in various parts of the country and take preventive measures to avoid the spread of the infection, an official said on Thursday.

The alert was sounded as a precautionary measure amid reports of the bird flu in some states, though not a single case of Avian influenza has been detected here so far, West Bengal Poultry Federation general secretary Madan Mohan Maity.

The Centre on Wednesday said the Avian influenza outbreak, has been reported at 12 epicentres in four states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Advisories have been issued to contain further spread of the infection in poultry ducks, crows and migratory birds, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said.

“No bird flu case has been reported in West Bengal and its neighbouring states. With reports of the Avian influenza outbreak in various parts of the country, we have sounded an alert to our members.

“We also asked them to take all the precautionary measures like spraying of disinfectants, and maintain hygiene protocols,” Maity told PTI.

He said there was no need to panic, and Andhra Pradesh, which supplies eggs to West Bengal, remained free from the bird flu outbreak.

The state animal husbandry department officials could not be reached for their comments.

Maity said there has been “no impact on consumption” of poultry products as of now.

“If the spread of bird flu is not contained, people will start avoiding consumption of poultry products, which could impact the sector adversely,” he said.

Prices of egg and chicken could plunge if demand for such products falls in the wake of the bird flu spread.

Broiler chicken prices are now ruling at Rs 175-200 per kg, while eggs are sold Rs 6.5-7 per piece in the state.

West Bengal produces two crore eggs daily as against its consumption of 2.5 crore, Maity said.

Broiler meat production in the state is about 2.5 crore kgs per week, higher than its consumption of two crore kgs.

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