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Wife COVID Positive, Madhya Pradesh Doctor Sends Maid's Sample Instead

Later, Dr Singh and two other family members were also found to be coronavirus positive (File)Bhopal: A government doctor in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli - who had attended a wedding in Uttar Pradesh without getting leaves sanctioned - sent his wife's sample in his house maid's name for testing after she developed COVID-19 symptoms. He allegedly made the move to conceal his wife's identity to avoid detection of his unauthorized leaves. A case against him has been registered.Dr Abhay Ranjan Singh, posted at the Khutar health center in Singrauli, went to Ballia in Eastern UP along with his family to attend a marriage on June 23 without getting leaves sanctioned. He returned on July 1, but instead of quarantining himself and his family, he continued with his duties, which include sealing containment zones.When his wife developed COVID-19 symptoms, he sent her samples in the name of their house maid. The fraud was revealed when the authorities reached the maid's residence after the sample tested positive.Later, Dr Singh and two other family members were also found to be coronavirus positive.  "An FIR has been lodged against the doctor under the provisions of the Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act. Once he recovers from the viral infection, action would be taken against him. Read the full article

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Donald Trump Says US To Give Ventilators To India, Stand With PM Modi During Pandemic

Donald Trump said he is hopeful a COVID-19 vaccine would be available by the end of the year.New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted that his country would donate ventilators to India in the fight against COVID-19. "We stand with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this pandemic," he wrote.He also said that the United States is working with India on developing a vaccine for COVID-19, praising Indian-Americans as "great" scientists and researchers.I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and @narendramodi during this pandemic. We're also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 15, 2020Addressing the media, Mr Trump said he is hopeful a COVID-19 vaccine would be available by the end of the year, and announced he was appointing a former pharmaceutical executive to spearhead the effort under a project called "Operation Warp Speed"."I just got back a short while ago from India recently and we are working very much with India and we have a tremendous Indian population in the US and many of the people that you are talking about are working on the vaccine too. Great scientist and researchers," he told reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House as he unveiled the massive effort to speed track the development of coronavirus vaccine."Yes. We are working very closely also with India," Mr Trump said responding to a question and described PM Modi as a "very good friend" of him."India has been so great and as you know your Prime Minister has been a very good friend of mine," the US President said.Mr Trump's praise comes just over a month after he hinted at a possible retaliation if India does not lift its hold on the export of Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug used in the treatment of coronavirus patients. He later sent his thanks after India allowed the United States to buy 29 million doses.India on Friday crossed the COVID-19 tally of China where the virus emerged late last year, registering 85,215 coronavirus cases, data from state health departments showed. India now is ranked 11th in the world in terms of coronavirus cases.However, India's fatality rate still remains significantly better than China's at 3.2 per cent compared to 5.5 per cent. More than 27,000 people have recovered in India, according to the latest available data from the Union Health Ministry.Across the world, more than 44 lakh people have been affected by the novel coronavirus with the US reporting nearly a third of the cases - by far the highest. Over 3 lakh people have died from the deadly respiratory disease. Russia, UK and Spain are at second, third and fourth spots with well over 2 lakh cases each.(With inputs from agencies) Read the full article

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H-1B Visa Card Suspension Prevents Several Indians In US From Flying Back Home

There is no official statistics of how many Indian H-1B visa holders have lost their jobs (File)Washington: Several Indians in the US, either on the H-1B work visa or Green Card having children who are American citizens by birth, are being prevented from travelling to India aboard the special repatriation flights being run by Air India amidst the coronavirus-linked global travel restrictions.According to the regulations issued by the Indian government last month and updated last week, visas of foreign nationals and OCI cards, that provide visa-free travel privileges to the people of Indian-origin, have been suspended as part of the new international travel restrictions.For some of the Indian citizens like the Pandey couple in New Jersey (name and place changed at request), it's a double whammy. Having lost their H-1B job, they have to go back to India within the stipulated 60 days as required by law. The couple has two kids aged one and six years who are American citizens.In the early hours of Monday, they had to return from Newark airport as Air India refused to give their kids a ticket to fly to India along with them, despite them having a valid Indian visa. The young mother and father are Indian citizens.They said that the officials from Air India and (Indian) Consulate (in New York) were very cooperative.But they could not do anything as their hands were tied by the latest regulation issued by the Indian government, a shocked Ratna Pandey told PTI."I would like to urge the Indian government to reconsider their decision on the humanitarian basis," said the Indian national who has lost her job but could not leave the US within the stipulated 60 days to avoid any future visa complications.She now plans to make an appeal to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to extend their stay.Last month, H-1B visa holders, mostly Indians, launched a White House petition urging US President Donald Trump to extend their permissible stay from 60 to 180 days after job loss. However, there has been no decision from the White House so far.While there is no official statistics of how many Indian H-1B visa holders have lost their jobs, it is believed to be substantial.The US, due to the coronavirus pandemic, is experiencing an unprecedented unemployment rate and more than 33 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last two months. Given this massive job loss, Indians, who have lost their jobs, are unlikely to get one and thus many would have no other option but to travel back home.In the case of single mother Mamta (name changed), the situation is graver as her son is just three-month-old. Only she was given the ticket and the infant was not allowed to fly along with her because he carried an American passport."I would like to request the Indian government to let us fly back home. I don't want to stay in the US any longer," she told PTI hours after being prevented from boarding her hometown Ahmedabad-bound flight from Newark on Sunday."I am alone here. I don't have a relative here. It''s a difficult situation," she said."Vande Bharat Mission is a humanitarian mission. But this is certainly inhuman," said Rakesh Gupta (name changed) from Washington DC.An H-1B professional, Rakesh Gupta has lost his job and needs to return to India within the stipulated 60 days. He and his wife, Geeta (name changed) being Indian citizens, received the confirmation of their seats in the flight but have been told that their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter cannot travel with them as she carried an OCI card. "I don't believe this," he said.Unlike the Pandey couple and Mamta, who had made the payment of USD 1,361 per ticket for their flight back home, Rakesh has not made the payment. Air India has said that the money would be refunded.All three Indian citizens requested the Indian government to help them travel back home by making necessary changes in the current regulations.As per a recent government notification, all existing Indian visa holders, and visa-free travel facility, granted to OCI cardholders who are not in India, have been suspended till restrictions on international air travel remains.New York-based community leader Prem Bhandari said that the May 5 travel advisory has created multiple painful issues for the OCI cardholders in the US and also to Indian citizens who are either on Green Card or H-1B visas and want to travel back home, but cannot leave their kids who are Americans by birth."We would like to express our disappointment with the discrimination between OCIs and citizens in respect of entering India at this critical stage when many OCIs have lawfully built their homes, families and businesses in India," Bhandari said in a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday. Read the full article

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On Gang-Rape Comment Linked To #BoisLockerRoom, Police Reveal Twist

The girl and the boy are not directly linked to "Bois Locker Room" (Reportedly)New Delhi: A comment about "gang-rape" that sparked huge outrage after the "Bois locker room" Instagram group of Delhi schoolboys was outed last week was never made on that chatroom, the police said on Sunday, revealing a major twist in the scandal. The comment made by a girl posing as a boy, allegedly to test a boy's response, the investigations have revealed.The girl and the boy are not linked to "Bois Locker Room" but a screenshot of their Snapchat interaction was being shared on social media alongside those of the Instagram group and got mixed up, police said."The alleged Snapchat conversation is actually between a girl (sender) and a boy (receiver) in which the girl is sending chat messages through a fictional Snapchat account named 'Siddharth'.The police said no case will be registered against either the girl or the boy. "Although, creating a fake id is wrong, her intent was not malicious so we are not filing any complaint," an official told news agency PTI."Using the fake identity of a male person, she suggested in the chat a plan for sexual assault, naming herself," Anyesh Roy, a senior Delhi police officer, shared his findings with media."The purpose of her sending such chat messages using a fake, fictional identity was to check the reaction of the receiver boy and the strength of his character, especially when someone talks bad things about her," Mr Roy said.The boy refused to take part in the girl's fake plan and stopped communicating with her on Snapchat. He then discussed the hypothetical conversation of sexual assault with his friends, including the girl, and shared a screenshot. The girl, knowing it was her who started the discussion, didn't report the incident, the officer said.One of the boy's friends shared the screenshot on Instagram. "When the Bois Locker Room Instagram screenshots were revealed to others and started circulating on social media, the alleged Snapchat conversation also got mixed with it due to its sensational nature and due to its availability in different student groups".A Class 12 student above 18 was arrested last week for starting the "Bois Locker Room" group on which obscene messages and morphed photos of underage girls were shared. The teen studies in a Noida school and sat for the Class 12 exams this year. Read the full article

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Central Teams To Visit 10 States With High Coronavirus Cases

The teams will assist state health departments in the 10 states (File)New Delhi: The Health Ministry will send its teams to 10 states with surging coronavirus cases, it said in a statement on Saturday. The teams will help the state health departments implement containment measures in areas affected by coronavirus.The teams, consisting of a senior Health Ministry officer, a joint secretary-level nodal officer and a public health expert, will be sent to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.This is in addition to the 20 central teams of public health experts who were earlier sent to districts with high coronavirus cases, the statement said.Earlier, 20 central public health teams were sent to nine states and Delhi to identify the gaps and support them in proper implementation of cluster containment plans and surveillance measures.The teams were deployed in 20 districts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.All the 20 districts were in the red zone.Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had earlier expressed concerns over the high fatality rate among coronavirus patients in Gujarat and Maharashtra.The Union Home Ministry, in a sharply-worded memo to Bengal on May 6, had said West Bengal has the highest rate of fatalities among coronavirus patients, low testing rate and worrying instances of attacks and ostracisation of frontline workers fighting the pandemic.In India, the number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 39,834, while 17,847 have recovered and one patient has migrated, Union Health Ministry said. 59,662 coronavirus cases have been reported in India so far with 1,981 deaths.Maharashtra with over 20,000 cases is the worst-hit state in the country followed by Gujarat (over 7,400 cases), Delhi (over 6,300 cases), Tamil Nadu (over 6,000 cases), Rajasthan (over 3,500 cases), Madhya Pradesh (over 3,300 cases) and Uttar Pradesh (over 3,000 cases).The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to over 1,800 in Andhra Pradesh, over 1,700 in Punjab and over 1,100 in Telangana. West Bengal now has over 1,600 cases. Read the full article

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Coronavirus, Delhi, Markaz: Hand Over Cured Foreign Members Of Islamic Sect To Police: Delhi Official

Coronavirus: The Union Home Ministry had blacklisted hundreds of foreigners last month (File)New Delhi: The 567 foreign nationals, who have been lodged in quarantine centres in Delhi after attending a congregation of an Islamic sect in March, should be handed over to the police if they test coronavirus negative, a senior Delhi official said in an order on Saturday."567 members of Tablighi Jamaat (in Delhi) are foreigners. Those who have tested negative and are still living in Delhi quarantine centres, must be handed over to the Delhi police as per the Union Home Ministry's order," Delhi's Divisional Commissioner said in an order to his juniors.Thousands from India and across the world had attended the congregation between March 1-15 at Delhi's Nizamuddin. The gathering turned out to be the biggest cluster in India with hundreds of attendees testing coronavirus positive."Total 2,446 Indian members of Tablighi Jamaat have been living in Delhi centres. Those who have tested negative can be released as per protocol or standard operation procedure laid down by the Union Health Ministry," the officer added.They must be sent to their home states, the officer said, but it must be ensured they go straight to their homes, not to any other place. The social distancing rules and protocols should not be violated."Members of the Islamic sect who are residents of Delhi should be issued passes for travel to their homes. They should not be allowed to go anywhere else or allowed to stay in mosques," the officer adds.Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain last week said over 4,000 Tablighi Jamaat members who have completed mandatory quarantine and show no coronavirus symptoms can go home.However, the minister also said Delhi Police can take action on those Jamaat members who are named in Delhi Police's ongoing investigation into the "Markaz" Nizamuddin incident in March.The Union Home Ministry had blacklisted hundreds of foreigners for their involvement in the activities of the religious group.Legal proceedings would be initiated against all blacklisted Tablighi Jamaat workers under Section 14 of Foreigners Act, which involves misuse of visa, an official had told NDTV last month. States were also asked to take action against them. Read the full article

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Ganga Water For COVID-19 Treatment? ICMR Nixes Call For Study

NMCG received proposals to undertake studies for treating of coronavirus with Ganga waterNew Delhi: The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has decided not to go ahead with the proposals forwarded by the Jal Shakti Ministry to undertake clinical studies for treatment of COVID-19 patients with Ganga water, saying it needs more scientific data.Dr Y K Gupta, who chairs the committee for Evaluation of Research Proposals at ICMR, said the evidence and data available at the moment are not strong enough to start the clinical studies by different routes/forms of Ganga water for treatment of coronavirus.The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), an arm of the Jal Shakti Ministry that deals with the rejuvenation programme for the river, had received a number of proposals, including from people and NGOs working on Ganga, to undertake clinical studies for treatment of coronavirus patients with the river water, officials said.The proposals were accordingly sent to the ICMR on April 28.Mr Gupta, who is also a former dean of the AIIMS, said, "At present the proposals need much scientific data, proof of concept and a strong background hypothesis. This has been conveyed to them (NMCG)."NMCG officials said the proposals were discussed with the scientists of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), which had earlier conducted a study ''Assessment of Water Quality and Sediment to understand the special properties of River Ganga''.According to the NEERI study, Ganga water has a higher number of bacteriophages as against pathogenic bacteria. During consultations that were held between the NMCG and NEERI, the scientists also said there was still no proof that Ganga water or sediment had anti-viral properties."We forwarded the proposals to the ICMR as received," said a senior official of the NMCG.One of the proposals received by NMCG claimed that the waters of Ganga have "ninja virus" which scientists call bacteriophages.Another proposal claimed that pure Ganga water boosts immunity which helps fight the virus.The third proposal, a detailed one, sought more research on Ganga water's anti-viral properties and its ability to boost immunity in fighting diseases. It also suggested this study can be conducted upstream of Tehri on the Bhagirathi river and upstream of Srinagar on the Alaknanda river.NMCG officials said they have not received any official communication on the status of their proposals from the ICMR.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Read the full article

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New Symptoms Of COVID-19 Identified By Top US Medical Watchdog CDC

The novel coronavirus that was first detected in China's Wuhan in December last yearNew Delhi: The top medical watchdog in the US has added new symptoms of the highly infectious novel coronavirus to a list of known ones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, which tracks diseases globally and whose officials are directly involved in advanced laboratory work, has added the new symptoms of COVID-19 on its website."People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported - ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus," CDC says on its website.The new symptoms include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache and new loss of taste or smell. These symptoms are not among the ones listed on the World Health Organisation's FAQ webpage.On the WHO webpage, the symptoms of COVID-19 are mentioned as fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains, nasal congestion, sore throat and diarrhoea.The symptoms that were already mentioned on both the CDC and WHO websites were fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing.The CDC says its list of symptoms is not all inclusive and people must consult doctors for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to them.The novel coronavirus that was first detected in China's Wuhan in December last year, which eventually sparked a pandemic, is still being studied by scientists to find out its characteristics. A novel virus is one that has never been identified in humans before, so scientists have to tread carefully while studying the virus.The WHO says some people become infected but only have very mild symptoms. "Most people (about 80 per cent) recover from the disease without needing hospital treatment. Around 1 out of every five people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing," the WHO says.Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes or cancer are at higher risk of developing serious illness, the WHO says. Read the full article

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COVID-19 Vaccine Likely By September, Says Indian Firm Partnering Oxford

Coronavirus: "We have made a jump start on manufacturing..." Adar Poonawalla saidNew Delhi: A vaccine for coronavirus may be available in the market as early as the end of September, the chief of the world's largest vaccine maker has told NDTV. The cost, he said, would be roughly around Rs 1,000. "We have made a jump start on the manufacturing by the end of May and if the trials that end by September or October are a success…. then we will have a product that we can give to India and the world," Adar Poonawalla, the chief of Serum Institute of India, told NDTV today.The Pune-based Serum Institute of India is working with scientists in the UK and the US to manufacture a vaccine for the global pandemic that has infected more than 3 million people and cost 209,661 lives.Most scientists have said a vaccine is not expected in the market before two years or a minimum of 18 months. Asked about the short time frame, Mr Poonawalla said they were also expecting a longer incubation period till they tied up with scientists at the Oxford University."We have ourselves said that it (vaccine production) will take till 2021 with Codagenix and other US partners But what happened after that was that about a week ago, we were able to tie up with Oxford University which has progressed a lot and entered human beings," he told NDTV.The human trial of the Oxford's vaccine -- one of more than 100 being developed across the world -- started on April 23. Clinical trials of seven others -- some of them located in China and the US -- are also being held, reported news agency AFP, quoting the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.Asked about the cost factor, Mr Poonawalla said it is too early to put an exact figure to it. But it would come to around Rs 1,000, factoring in projects that were put on the back burner to push forward with this one.The Serum Institute chief said he has faith in the Oxford team, which was successful in coming up with a vaccine for the Ebola virus. His organisation also had a tie-up with them for the malaria vaccine, said Mr Poonawalla.Besides Oxford, his firm also has a tie-up with US firm Codagenix, which, he said, is using a live attenuated virus to develop its vaccine and is conducting animal trials with it. "It is a couple of months behind Oxford," he added. Read the full article

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Coronavirus: World Looking Away From China, It's Blessing For Us: Nitin Gadkari To NDTV

Every country in the world, right now, does not want to trade with China: Nitin GadkariNew Delhi: The world does not want to do business with China and this is a blessing for India, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told NDTV on Saturday, during an extensive discussion on the government's plans to support MSMEs (micro, small and medium-scale enterprises) incurring losses during the coronavirus outbreak and steps to boost the national economy after the end of the lockdown.In his interview Mr Gadkari also touched upon the migrant crisis that has made headlines across the country, warning against allowing the lakhs of stranded men and women to return to their home states for fear of the virus spreading.The comment on China comes days after Asia's largest economy hit out at the government over new rules for FDI (foreign direct investment), describing them as a violation of WTO (World Trade Organization) principles of non-discrimination and saying they were against free and fair trade."World over every country is facing an economic crisis. (But) every country in the world, right now, does not want to trade with China, even though it is a super economic power. This is a blessing in disguise for us. This is an opportunity for us..." he told NDTV.Mr Gadkari also appeared to indicate this could be the opportunity for the government to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambition of making India a five-trillion-dollar economy by 2025."(We) will assign a joint secretary to convert new technology to investments to fulfil the Prime Minister's vision of making India a five trillion-dollar economy," he added.Both India and China are likely to be badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicting a growth rate of 1.2 per cent for the Asian giant in 2020; its lowest in over four decades.The contraction in its economy - GDP shrank 6.8 per cent in January-March as compared to the same period 12 months ago - was indicated by fall in industrial output in March and a nearly 16 per cent fall in retail sales.China has also faced criticism, some guarded and some open, over its role in the coronavirus pandemic; the virus originated in the country's Wuhan district in December last year.This week United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed the Chinese government had failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner and was in breach of WHO (World Health Organization) rules.Meanwhile, the IMF predicted a 1.9 per cent growth rate for India this year, and also said it expected both China and India to rebound strongly in 2021, assuming the coronavirus pandemic was contained.The COVID-19 pandemic has infected 28.25 lakh worldwide and led to the deaths of nearly two lakh people. In India, where the government today claimed a lowest daily growth rate in cases since late March, nearly 25,000 cases and 779 deaths have been reported.World28,25,140Cases18,29,648Active7,97,826Recovered1,97,666DeathsCoronavirus has spread to 185 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 28,25,140 and 1,97,666 have died; 18,29,648 are active cases and 7,97,826 have recovered as on April 25, 2020 at 5:36 pm.India24,942 1490Cases18,953 1038Active5,210 396Recovered779 56DeathsIn India, there are 24,942 confirmed cases including 779 deaths. The number of active cases is 18,953 and 5,210 have recovered as on April 25, 2020 at 5:00 pm.State & District Details State Cases Active Recovered Deaths MaharashtraDistrictCasesMumbai3029Pune660Thane465Nashik96Nagpur76Mumbai Sub Ur67Yavatmal32Aurangabad30Sangli27Ahmednagar27Sholapur21Buldhana21Palaghar17Akola17Raigad17Satara14Kolhapur8Latur8Ratnagiri7Amravati6Jalgaon3Osmanabad3Sindhudurg (kudal)2Chandrapur2Dhule2Beed1Washim1Parbhani1Jalna1Nandurbar1Gondia1Hingoli1Details Awaited*21536817 3875559 252957 117301 18GujaratDistrictCasesAhmedabad1298Surat338Vadodara188Rajkot40Bhavnagar32Anand28Bharuch23Gandhi Nagar17Patan15Narmada12Panchmahal11Banaskantha10Arvalli8Chhota Udepur7Kutch6Mehsana6Botad5Porbandar3Mahisagar3Kheda3Gir Somnath3Dahod3Sabarkantha2Valsad2Morbi1Jamnagar1Tapi1Details Awaited*7492815 1912423 169265 7127 15DelhiDistrictCasesTj From Quaritine1080Others Non Tracable213Central Delhi184South East130West Delhi122South Delhi70North Delhi60Shahadara48South West Delhi42East Delhi38New Delhi37North West Delhi32North East Delhi25Details Awaited*4332514 1381604 86857 4953 3RajasthanDistrictCasesJaipur537Jodhpur228Bharatpur102Kota99Tonk95Banswara60Iran Evacuees60Nagaur58Jhunjhunu37Bikaner35Jaisalmer32Bhilwara28Ajmer23Jhalawar20Churu14Dausa13Alwar7Dungarpur5Sawai Madhopur5Udaipur4Hanumangarh3Karauli3Pali2Pratapgarh2Sikar2Dholpur1Barmer1Details Awaited*5582034 701777 70230 27 Madhya PradeshDistrictCasesIndore915Bhopal277Khargon41Dhaar41Khandwa (east Nimar)32Ujjain29Raisen29Hoshangabad25Jabalpur25Barwani24Dewas18Vidisha13Ratlam13Morena13Mandsaur9Agar8Shajapur6Sheopur-kalan4Alirajpur3Gwalior3Sagar2Shivpuri2Chindwara2Betul2Rajgarh1Dindori1Tikamgarh1Details Awaited*4131952 1001650 84210 792 9Uttar PradeshDistrictCasesAgra241Lucknow167Gautam Budha Nagar98Meerut75Saharanpur72Kanpur59Firozabad58Moradabad58Ghaziabad41Shamli26Bijnor26Basti19Bulandshahar18Sitapur17Hapur17Amroha17Baghpat15Rampur15Varanasi14Budaun13Azamgarh7Auraiya7Sambhal7Mathura6Maharajganj6Ghazipur6Kannauj6Pratapgarh6Bareilly6Muzaffar Nagar5Jaunpur5Lakhimpur Kheri4Mainpuri4Hathras4Kanshi Ram Nagar (kasganj)3Mirzapur3Etah3Etawah3Kaushambi2Banda2Pilibhit2Hardoi2Rae-bareilly2Unnao1Sultanpur1Bara-banki1Sant Kabir Nagar1Shahjahanpur1Sant Ravi Das Nagar (bhadoi)1Mau1Gonda1Allahabad1Details Awaited*6021778 1741504 130248 4226 2Tamil NaduDistrictCasesChennai303Coimbatore133Tiruppur109Dindigul76Erode70Tirunelveli62Chengalpattu53Tiruchirapalli50Namakkal50Thiruvallur48Thanjavur46Madurai46Nagapattinam44Theni43Karur42Ranipet39Villupuram36Thoothukudi27Thiruvarur27Cuddalore26Tenkasi26Salem24Vellore22Virudhunagar19Tirupattur17Nagerkoil (kanyakumari)16Sivagangai12Tiruvannamalai12Ramanathapuram11Udagamandalam9Kancheepuram9Perambalur5Ariyalur4Kalllakurichi3Pudukottai1Details Awaited*2351755 72867 866 11422 2Andhra PradeshDistrictCasesKurnool158Guntur128Krishna76Nellore67Prakasam44Kadapa37West Godavari35Anantapur29Chittoor28East Godavari24Visakhapatnam20Details Awaited*4151061 106859 78171 2631 2TelanganaDistrictCasesHyderabad472Suryapet75Nizamabad56Vikarabad36Hyderabad Rural (ranga Reddy)35Gadwal (jogulamba)32Medchal30Warangal25Adilabad19Karimnagar19Nirmal18Yadadri15Nalgonda15Mahaboobnagar12Kamareddy11Sangareddy8Khammam7Medak6Asifabad (komarambhim)5Kothagudem (badadri)4Jagityal3Siricilla (rajanna)3Bhupalpally (jayashanker)3Nagarkurnool2Peddapally2Mulugu2Janagoan2Siddipet1Mahabubabad1Details Awaited*65984 705 253 26 West BengalDistrictCasesKolkata184Howrah79North 24 Parganas46Purba Mednipur21Hooghly12South 24 Parganas9Kalimpomg7Paschim Burdwan7Nadia6Jalpaiguri5Darjeeling4Paschim Mednipur4Diamond Harbour-hd3Murshidabad2Basirhat-hd1Purba Burdwan1Nandigram-hd1Details Awaited*179571 57450 54103 18 3KarnatakaDistrictCasesMysuru84Bbmp66Belagavi42Vijayapura32Kalburgi27Bengaluru (u)23Bagalkote21Chikkaballapur16Bidar15Dakshin Kannada14Ballari13Mandya12Bengaluru (r)12Uttara Kannada11Dharwad7Gadag4Udupi3Tumakuru2Davanagere2Kodagu1Chitradurga1Details Awaited*81489 26318 23153 318 Jammu And KashmirDistrictCasesBandipora81Srinagar79Baramulla43Kupwara31Jammu27Shopian22Udhampur20Ganderbal14Badgam13Kulgam6Rajouri4Samba4Anantnag3Pulwama3Details Awaited*104454 27340 10109 175 KeralaDistrictCasesKasaragode170Cannanore(kannur)92Ernakulam24Kozhicode (calicut)20Malappuram20Pathanamthitta17Thiruvananthapuram14Thrissur13Idukki10Kollam9Palakkad8Alappuzha5Kottayam3Wyanad3Details Awaited*43451 3116 331 74 1PunjabDistrictCasesSasnagar61Jalandhar48Patiala26Pathankot24Nawanshahr (sbs Nagar)19Ludhiana16Amritsar11Mansa11Hoshiarpur7Moga4Rupnagar3Sangrur3Faridkot3Kapurthala2Barnala2Fatehgarh Sahib (sarhind)2Muktsar1Gurdaspur1Firozepur1Details Awaited*53298 21214 1867 217 1HaryanaDistrictCasesNuh57Faridabad42Gurgaon38Palwal34Panchkula18Ambala12Sonepat7Karnal6Panipat5Sirsa4Yamunanagar3Bhiwani3Kurukshetra2Kaithal2Jind2Hissar2Rohtak1Fatehabad1Charkhi Dadri1Details Awaited*32272 113 156 3 BiharDistrictCasesSiwan29Nalanda28Munger20Begusarai9Patna7Gaya5Buxar4Gopalganj3Nawada3Bhagalpur1Bhojpur1Lakhisarai1Saran1Vaishali1Details Awaited*115228 52180 5246 2 OdishaDistrictCasesKhurda (bhuvaneshwar)46Bhadrak8Balasore3Jajpur2Kalahandi2Kendrapara2Sundargarh2Cuttack1Dhenkanal1Puri1Details Awaited*2694 460 433 1 JharkhandDistrictCasesRanchi25Bokaro10Hazaribagh3Dhanbad2Simdega2Deoghar1Giridh1Koderma1Details Awaited*1459 447 39 13 UttarakhandDistrictCasesDehradun24Nainital9Haridwar7Udhamsingh Nagar4Almora1Pauri Garhwal1Details Awaited*248 123 25 10 Himachal PradeshDistrictCasesUna16Solan9Chamba6Kangra5Hamirpur2Sirmaur1Details Awaited*140 21 18 1 ChhattisgarhDistrictCasesKorba28Raipur5Bilaspur1Durg1Rajnandgaon136 6 30 20 AssamDistrictCasesGolaghat9Marigaon6Dhubri4Goalpara4Nalbari4Kamrup Metro2Cachar1Hailakandi1Kamrup1Karimganj1Lakhimpur1S Mancachar1Details Awaited*136 16 19 1 ChandigarhDistrictCasesChandigarh26Details Awaited*228 113 15 10 Andaman And Nicobar IslandsDistrictCasesSouth Andaman16Details Awaited*1127 516 511 0 LadakhDistrictCasesLeh (ladakh)14Details Awaited*620 26 214 0 MeghalayaDistrictCasesEast Khasi Hills11Details Awaited*112 11 0 1 PuducherryDistrictCasesPuducherry6Details Awaited*17 4 3 0 GoaDistrictCasesNorth Goa6South Goa17 0 7 0 ManipurDistrictCasesImphal West1Thoubal12 0 2 0 TripuraDistrictCasesGomati1North Tripura12 1 1 0 MizoramDistrictCasesAizwal West11 1 0 0 Arunachal Pradesh1 0 1 0 Show moreShow less Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

How Donald Trump's Immigration Order Affects Green Cards, H-1B Visa-Holders

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday temporarily curbing the issuing of new green cards for would-be U.S. permanent residents in what he described as a bid to limit competition for jobs as the U.S. takes steps toward reopening the economy."In order to protect our great American workers I've just signed an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the United States," Trump said Wednesday evening at a White House press conference. "This will ensure unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens.  Crucially it will also preserve our health care resources for American patients."The president's order will only apply to foreign nationals on foreign soil seeking residency in the U.S., and will not affect those who currently have valid visas or travel documents. It also exempts individuals seeking to permanently enter the country as a medical professional or researcher, as well as members of the armed forces, those seeking asylum or refugee status, and children being adopted by American parents.While the order only halts the issuing of green cards for the next 60 days, Trump indicated it could be expanded in the future. The document requires the heads of the Department of Homeland Security, State Department, and Department of Labor to make a recommendation on extending or terminating the restrictions at least 10 days before they expire. It also calls on the Labor and Homeland Security secretaries to review and recommend additional measures within the next month.It also suggests that the president was skeptical of some employment-based visas and could expand the scope of the restrictions."While some employment-based visas contain a labor certification requirement, because visa issuance happens substantially after the certification is completed, the labor certification process cannot adequately capture the status of the labor market today," the order said.The State Department last month temporarily suspended routine visa services at embassies and consulates.Trump sidestepped a question about whether the order would apply beyond green card holders during a press conference on Wednesday evening, simply describing the measure as "strong" and saying it could be expanded or curtailed in the future."As to amending it or extending it, that we can do at the appropriate time, but it's now signed," Trump said.The president did say there would be carve-outs for migrant agricultural workers, and promised Tuesday to make it even easier for farmers rebounding from the coronavirus crisis to hire labor from other countries.The order had been expected since Trump tweeted late Monday night that he planned to "temporarily suspend immigration into the United States."His tweet caught businesses, farmers, and even some White House aides by surprise, and came before lawyers on the president's team had finished drafting the executive order. Critics of the administration said that the move would make it harder for families impacted by the coronavirus to reunite and disrupt attempts by businesses to employ critical workers."The exemptions kind of outnumber the included, if you look at the total numbers," said Greg Siskind, an immigration lawyer in Memphis, "and some of those exemptions likely reflect President Trump's thoughts about immigrants generally as opposed to the labor market. Parents of U.S. citizens and minor children of permanent residents are barred from entry, and they are either too old or too young to compete with U.S. workers for jobs."Lora Ries, a senior research fellow for homeland security at The Heritage Foundation, called the order both temporary and narrow."It is not bringing in additional immigrant workers for the time being while so many U.S. citizens and immigrants already here in the U.S. are now facing dire economic situations," she said in a phone interview.Agreement in DisagreementAdvocates on both sides of the American immigration debate took issue with Trump's decision."While the order is limited in scope, President Trump's transparent attempt to distract from his own failures with this unwarranted suspension will cause real pain for families and employers across the country," Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project, said in a statement.Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that seeks to limit immigration, said that "the huge exceptions carved out to satisfy powerful business interests, allowing them to employ guest workers when the economy does reopen, is a smokescreen that voters -- especially the millions of are out of work -- will quickly see through.""The order," Stein said in a statement "must be updated and revised to ensure that when the jobs come back, American workers will come back too and not be replaced by a new wave of guest workers."The order is Trump's latest move to seal the U.S. border amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has imposed broad travel curbs on China, Europe, Canada and Mexico to contain the virus's spread.Yet limiting immigration has been a long-standing pillar of Trump's presidency. He has slashed the number of spots for refugees and brokered deals with Central American nations to return undocumented migrants to their home countries. Trump has said he does not oppose legal immigration, but he has supported legislative proposals that would dramatically reduce the number of immigrants able to come to the country legally.On Tuesday, Trump denied using the pandemic as an excuse to advance elements of his immigration agenda."No, no," Trump said. "I want people that are in this country, I want our citizens to get jobs. I don't want them to have competition.World26,28,550Cases16,60,252Active7,84,874Recovered1,83,424DeathsCoronavirus has spread to 185 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 26,28,550 and 1,83,424 have died; 16,60,252 are active cases and 7,84,874 have recovered as on April 23, 2020 at 9:17 am.India21,393 1409Cases16,454 980Active4,258 388Recovered681 41DeathsIn India, there are 21,393 confirmed cases including 681 deaths. The number of active cases is 16,454 and 4,258 have recovered as on April 23, 2020 at 8:00 am.State & District Details State Cases Active Recovered Deaths MaharashtraDistrictCasesMumbai514Pune134Mumbai Suburban65Thane31Sangli24Ahmednagar22Nagpur17Latur8Palghar8Aurangabad8Raigad6Satara5Yavatmal4Osmanabad4Buldhana4Jalgaon2Kolhapur2Hingoli2Ratnagiri2Washim1Nashik1Sindhudurg1Amravati1Jalna1Gondia1Details Awaited*47845652 4344594 349789 67269 18GujaratDistrictCasesAhmadabad79Surat18Bhavnagar13Gandhinagar12Vadodara12Rajkot10Patan5Porbandar3Mahesana2Kachchh2Gir Somnath2Panch Mahals1Anand1Sabar Kantha1Jamnagar1Chhotaudepur1Morbi1Botad1Details Awaited*22422407 2292125 176179 40103 13DelhiDistrictCasesSouth175Central100North66Shahdara66New Delhi56South East33South West24West23East17North East9North West6Details Awaited*16732248 921476 724 11348 1RajasthanDistrictCasesJaipur104Jodhpur55Bhilwara27Tonk20Jhunjhunu20Jaisalmer16Bikaner11Churu11Kota10Banswara9Ajmer7Dungarpur6Dausa6Bharatpur5Alwar4Udaipur4Nagaur2Pali2Pratapgarh2Dholpur1Karauli1Sikar1Details Awaited*15661890 2311633 229230 27 2Tamil NaduDistrictCasesChennai150Coimbatore60Dindigul45Tirunelveli36Erode32Tiruchirappalli30Namakkal28Madurai24Theni24Karur22Tiruppur19Villupuram16Cuddalore13Thiruvallur12Thiruvarur12Salem12Virudhunagar11Thanjavur11Nagapattinam11Tiruvannamalai9Kanchipuram6Kanniyakumari6Sivaganga5Vellore5The Nilgiris4Ramanathapuram2Ariyalur1Perambalur1Details Awaited*10221629 33949 6662 2718 Madhya PradeshDistrictCasesIndore116Bhopal70Morena12Jabalpur8Ujjain8Barwani3Khargone3Chhindwara2Gwalior2Shivpuri2Vidisha1Details Awaited*13651592 401364 36148 80 4Uttar PradeshDistrictCasesGautam Buddha Nagar58Agra49Meerut32Ghaziabad23Lucknow22Shamli14Saharanpur13Kanpur Nagar8Sitapur8Varanasi7Bareilly6Maharajganj6Basti5Ghazipur5Firozabad4Hathras4Kheri4Baghpat3Pratapgarh3Jaunpur3Hapur3Azamgarh3Bulandshahr3Rae Bareli2Mirzapur2Pilibhit2Mathura2Banda2Shahjahanpur1Kaushambi1Moradabad1Prayagraj1Hardoi1Budaun1Bijnor1Barabanki1Auraiya1Details Awaited*11441449 1551255 121173 3321 1TelanganaDistrictCasesHyderabad173Warangal Urban23Nizamabad23Suryapet16Medchal Malkajgiri16Ranga Reddy15Jogulamba Gadwal12Nalgonda11Adilabad10Karimnagar9Mahabubnagar8Kamareddy8Sangareddy7Vikarabad5Jagitial4Nirmal4Medak4Bhadradri Kothagudem4Peddapalli2Mulugu2Jangoan2Nagarkurnool2Jayashankar Bhupalapally1Kumuram Bheem Asifabad1Siddipet1Mahabubabad1Details Awaited*581945 17728 17194 23 Andhra PradeshDistrictCasesKurnool57Spsr Nellore42Guntur38Krishna28Y.s.r.27Prakasam24West Godavari21Visakhapatanam20Chittoor17East Godavari12Anantapur6Details Awaited*521813 56669 30120 2424 2West BengalDistrictCasesKolkata37Howrah15Medinipur East12Kalimpong724 Paraganas North6Jalpaiguri5Nadia524 Paraganas South4Hooghly4Purba Bardhaman3Medinipur West2Paschim Bardhaman2Darjeeling1Details Awaited*353456 33362 2779 615 KeralaDistrictCasesKasaragod149Kannur51Ernakulam26Thiruvananthapuram15Malappuram14Kozhikode13Pathanamthitta13Thrissur12Idukki10Kollam8Palakkad7Alappuzha3Kottayam3Wayanad3Details Awaited*111438 11112 323 163 KarnatakaDistrictCasesBengaluru Urban59Mysuru34Chikkaballapura10Bidar10Uttara Kannada10Dakshina Kannada8Belagavi7Ballari6Kalaburagi6Bagalkote5Bengaluru Rural5Udupi4Mandya3Tumakuru2Davangere2Gadag1Kodagu1Dharwad1Chitradurga1Details Awaited*252427 9279 7131 217 Jammu And KashmirDistrictCasesSrinagar33Bandipora24Baramulla16Budgam9Jammu9Udhampur8Kupwara5Pulwama4Rajouri3Shopian3Ganderbal2Details Awaited*291407 27310 1692 115 HaryanaDistrictCasesNuh38Gurugram35Palwal28Faridabad19Karnal5Ambala4Panipat4Fatehabad3Sirsa3Panchkula2Bhiwani2Rohtak1Kaithal1Sonipat1Jind1Hisar1Charki Dadri1Details Awaited*113262 8119 140 133 PunjabDistrictCasesS.a.s Nagar26Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (nawanshahr)18Amritsar10Hoshiarpur7Jalandhar6Ludhiana5Mansa5Fatehgarh Sahib2Pathankot2Faridkot1Kapurthala1Moga1Patiala1Barnala1Details Awaited*165251 6186 49 1016 BiharDistrictCasesSiwan6Gaya5Patna5Munger4Gopalganj3Begusarai2Nalanda2Saharsa2Bhagalpur1Lakhisarai1Saran1Details Awaited*111143 1795 1346 42 OdishaDistrictCasesKhordha33Bhadrak3Cuttack2Jajapur1Kalahandi1Kendrapara1Puri1Details Awaited*4183 450 32 81 JharkhandDistrictCasesRanchi2Hazaribagh1Details Awaited*4649 438 8 83 UttarakhandDistrictCasesDehradun17Nainital5Udam Singh Nagar4Almora1Haridwar1Pauri Garhwal1Details Awaited*1746 23 23 40 Himachal PradeshDistrictCasesSolan7Kangra3Una3Details Awaited*2740 121 18 21 ChhattisgarhDistrictCasesRaipur5Korba2Bilaspur1Durg1Rajnandgaon1Details Awaited*2636 10 26 0 AssamDistrictCasesGolaghat9Goalpara4Marigaon4Nalbari4Dhubri3Kamrup Metro2Cachar1Hailakandi1Kamrup1Karimganj1Lakhimpur1South Salmara Mancachar1Details Awaited*335 15 19 1 ChandigarhDistrictCasesChandigarh18Details Awaited*927 13 14 0 LadakhDistrictCasesLeh Ladakh11Kargil3Details Awaited*418 4 14 0 Andaman And Nicobar IslandsDistrictCasesNorth And Middle Andaman7South Andamans3Details Awaited*818 27 211 0 MeghalayaDistrictCasesEast Khasi Hills1Details Awaited*1112 11 0 1 GoaDistrictCasesNorth Goa5South Goa1Details Awaited*17 0 7 0 PuducherryDistrictCasesPondicherry4Mahe1Details Awaited*27 4 3 0 ManipurDistrictCasesImphal West1Thoubal12 0 2 0 TripuraDistrictCasesGomati1Details Awaited*12 1 1 0 Mizoram1 1 0 0 Arunachal Pradesh1 0 1 0 Show moreShow less(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

Mukesh Ambani Tops Jack Ma as Asia's Richest After Facebook Deal

Mukesh Ambani's fortune rose about $4.7 billion to $49.2 billion on Wednesday.Mukesh Ambani is again Asia's richest person after a deal with Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook Inc. sent his conglomerate's stock surging.Ambani's fortune rose about $4.7 billion to $49.2 billion on Wednesday, after Reliance Industries Ltd. gained 10%. The jump put Ambani about $3.2 billion ahead of China's Jack Ma, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The ranking updates after the close of each trading day in the U.S.Facebook Inc. will invest $5.7 billion in the U.S. social-networking giant's biggest deal since the 2014 purchase of WhatsApp as it seeks a broader foothold in its biggest global market. The U.S. company will buy about 10% of Jio Platforms, which brings together digital apps and a wireless platform under one umbrella, the Mumbai-based company said in a statement Wednesday.Before Wednesday, Ambani -- who owns the world's largest oil refinery -- had declined by $14 billion on the index in 2020, the biggest dollar fall of anyone in Asia. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Ma, whose foundation this week donated 100 million masks to the World Health Organization to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, had lost almost $1 billion through Tuesday."At the core of our partnership is the commitment that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and I share for the all-around digital transformation of India," Ambani said in a web video posted on Jio's Facebook page, adding that Facebook's brands have become household names in India. "WhatsApp in particular, has entered our people's daily vocabulary in all the 23 official languages of India."The partnership with Jio would allow Zuckerberg to step up his expansion in a country that is rapidly embracing online payment and e-commerce as more people get smartphones. Jio Infocomm quickly moved into a position of dominance by offering free plans and undercutting wireless market rivals.With its half-billion internet users, the South Asian country is a key market for the world's largest technology companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google. In India, Facebook has about 250 million users, while WhatsApp has more than 400 million.That should help Jio bolster its reach, according to James Crabtree, author of 'The Billionaire Raj,' a book on the country's wealthiest people. But the transaction also shows the extent of Ambani's own influence, he said."This deal clearly shows that if you want to play big in Indian tech, you need to play nice with Mukesh Ambani."Ambani's fortune rose about $4.7 billion to $49.2 billion on Wednesday, after Reliance Industries Ltd. gained 10%. The jump put Ambani about $3.2 billion ahead of China's Jack Ma, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The ranking updates after the close of each trading day in the U.S.Facebook Inc. will invest $5.7 billion in the U.S. social-networking giant's biggest deal since the 2014 purchase of WhatsApp as it seeks a broader foothold in its biggest global market. The U.S. company will buy about 10% of Jio Platforms, which brings together digital apps and a wireless platform under one umbrella, the Mumbai-based company said in a statement Wednesday.Before Wednesday, Ambani -- who owns the world's largest oil refinery -- had declined by $14 billion on the index in 2020, the biggest dollar fall of anyone in Asia. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Ma, whose foundation this week donated 100 million masks to the World Health Organization to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, had lost almost $1 billion through Tuesday."At the core of our partnership is the commitment that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and I share for the all-around digital transformation of India," Ambani said in a web video posted on Jio's Facebook page, adding that Facebook's brands have become household names in India. "WhatsApp in particular, has entered our people's daily vocabulary in all the 23 official languages of India."The partnership with Jio would allow Zuckerberg to step up his expansion in a country that is rapidly embracing online payment and e-commerce as more people get smartphones. Jio Infocomm quickly moved into a position of dominance by offering free plans and undercutting wireless market rivals.With its half-billion internet users, the South Asian country is a key market for the world's largest technology companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google. In India, Facebook has about 250 million users, while WhatsApp has more than 400 million.That should help Jio bolster its reach, according to James Crabtree, author of 'The Billionaire Raj,' a book on the country's wealthiest people. But the transaction also shows the extent of Ambani's own influence, he said."This deal clearly shows that if you want to play big in Indian tech, you need to play nice with Mukesh Ambani."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Says India Heaven For Muslims After OIC Criticism Over Coronavirus

Muslims' "social, economic and religious rights are secure" in India, union minister MA Naqvi said.New Delhi: India is heaven for Muslims and their social, economic and religious rights are secure, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today, in response to a statement by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on what it called "Islamophobia" in the country."India's Muslims are prosperous. Those trying to vitiate the atmosphere can't be their friends," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said according to news agency PTI.The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had, in a statement on Sunday, urged India to take "urgent steps" to protect the rights of Muslims and stop the incidents of "Islamophobia" in the country.1/2 #OIC-IPHRC condemns the unrelenting vicious #Islamophobic campaign in #India maligning Muslims for spread of #COVID-19 as well as their negative profiling in media subjecting them to discrimination & violence with impunity.— OIC-IPHRC (@OIC_IPHRC) April 19, 2020In a tweet, OIC's Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission also said the Indian media was negatively profiling the Muslims and subjecting them to discrimination.1/2 #OIC-IPHRC condemns the unrelenting vicious #Islamophobic campaign in #India maligning Muslims for spread of #COVID-19 as well as their negative profiling in media subjecting them to discrimination & violence with impunity.— OIC-IPHRC (@OIC_IPHRC) April 19, 2020World24,76,854Cases16,59,795Active6,46,760Recovered1,70,299DeathsCoronavirus has spread to 185 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 24,76,854 and 1,70,299 have died; 16,59,795 are active cases and 6,46,760 have recovered as on April 21, 2020 at 8:30 am.India18,601 1336Cases14,759 584Active3,252 705Recovered590 47DeathsIn India, there are 18,601 confirmed cases including 590 deaths. The number of active cases is 14,759 and 3,252 have recovered as on April 21, 2020 at 8:00 am.State & District Details State Cases Active Recovered Deaths MaharashtraDistrictCasesMumbai514Pune134Mumbai Suburban65Thane31Sangli24Ahmednagar22Nagpur17Latur8Palghar8Aurangabad8Raigad6Satara5Yavatmal4Osmanabad4Buldhana4Jalgaon2Kolhapur2Hingoli2Ratnagiri2Washim1Nashik1Sindhudurg1Amravati1Jalna1Gondia1Details Awaited*37984666 4633862 389572 65232 9DelhiDistrictCasesSouth175Central100North66Shahdara66New Delhi56South East33South West24West23East17North East9North West6Details Awaited*15062081 781603 431 35947 2GujaratDistrictCasesAhmadabad79Surat18Bhavnagar13Gandhinagar12Vadodara12Rajkot10Patan5Porbandar3Mahesana2Kachchh2Gir Somnath2Panch Mahals1Anand1Sabar Kantha1Jamnagar1Chhotaudepur1Morbi1Botad1Details Awaited*17741939 1961737 162131 2671 8RajasthanDistrictCasesJaipur104Jodhpur55Bhilwara27Tonk20Jhunjhunu20Jaisalmer16Bikaner11Churu11Kota10Banswara9Ajmer7Dungarpur6Dausa6Bharatpur5Alwar4Udaipur4Nagaur2Pali2Pratapgarh2Dholpur1Karauli1Sikar1Details Awaited*12521576 981346 65205 2225 11Tamil NaduDistrictCasesChennai150Coimbatore60Dindigul45Tirunelveli36Erode32Tiruchirappalli30Namakkal28Madurai24Theni24Karur22Tiruppur19Villupuram16Cuddalore13Thiruvallur12Thiruvarur12Salem12Virudhunagar11Thanjavur11Nagapattinam11Tiruvannamalai9Kanchipuram6Kanniyakumari6Sivaganga5Vellore5The Nilgiris4Ramanathapuram2Ariyalur1Perambalur1Details Awaited*9131520 431046 457 4617 2Madhya PradeshDistrictCasesIndore116Bhopal70Morena12Jabalpur8Ujjain8Barwani3Khargone3Chhindwara2Gwalior2Shivpuri2Vidisha1Details Awaited*12581485 781284 74127 74 4Uttar PradeshDistrictCasesGautam Buddha Nagar58Agra49Meerut32Ghaziabad23Lucknow22Shamli14Saharanpur13Kanpur Nagar8Sitapur8Varanasi7Bareilly6Maharajganj6Basti5Ghazipur5Firozabad4Hathras4Kheri4Baghpat3Pratapgarh3Jaunpur3Hapur3Azamgarh3Bulandshahr3Rae Bareli2Mirzapur2Pilibhit2Mathura2Banda2Shahjahanpur1Kaushambi1Moradabad1Prayagraj1Hardoi1Budaun1Bijnor1Barabanki1Auraiya1Details Awaited*8791184 1001026 67140 3218 1TelanganaDistrictCasesHyderabad173Warangal Urban23Nizamabad23Suryapet16Medchal Malkajgiri16Ranga Reddy15Jogulamba Gadwal12Nalgonda11Adilabad10Karimnagar9Mahabubnagar8Kamareddy8Sangareddy7Vikarabad5Jagitial4Nirmal4Medak4Bhadradri Kothagudem4Peddapalli2Mulugu2Jangoan2Nagarkurnool2Jayashankar Bhupalapally1Kumuram Bheem Asifabad1Siddipet1Mahabubabad1Details Awaited*509873 29660 20190 423 5Andhra PradeshDistrictCasesKurnool57Spsr Nellore42Guntur38Krishna28Y.s.r.27Prakasam24West Godavari21Visakhapatanam20Chittoor17East Godavari12Anantapur6Details Awaited*430722 76610 2192 5020 5KeralaDistrictCasesKasaragod149Kannur51Ernakulam26Thiruvananthapuram15Malappuram14Kozhikode13Pathanamthitta13Thrissur12Idukki10Kollam8Palakkad7Alappuzha3Kottayam3Wayanad3Details Awaited*81408 6114 291 213 KarnatakaDistrictCasesBengaluru Urban59Mysuru34Chikkaballapura10Bidar10Uttara Kannada10Dakshina Kannada8Belagavi7Ballari6Kalaburagi6Bagalkote5Bengaluru Rural5Udupi4Mandya3Tumakuru2Davangere2Gadag1Kodagu1Dharwad1Chitradurga1Details Awaited*233408 18280 17112 116 West BengalDistrictCasesKolkata37Howrah15Medinipur East12Kalimpong724 Paraganas North6Jalpaiguri5Nadia524 Paraganas South4Hooghly4Purba Bardhaman3Medinipur West2Paschim Bardhaman2Darjeeling1Details Awaited*289392 53307 4673 712 Jammu And KashmirDistrictCasesSrinagar33Bandipora24Baramulla16Budgam9Jammu9Udhampur8Kupwara5Pulwama4Rajouri3Shopian3Ganderbal2Details Awaited*252368 18292 371 155 HaryanaDistrictCasesNuh38Gurugram35Palwal28Faridabad19Karnal5Ambala4Panipat4Fatehabad3Sirsa3Panchkula2Bhiwani2Rohtak1Kaithal1Sonipat1Jind1Hisar1Charki Dadri1Details Awaited*105254 21124 127 403 PunjabDistrictCasesS.a.s Nagar26Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (nawanshahr)18Amritsar10Hoshiarpur7Jalandhar6Ludhiana5Mansa5Fatehgarh Sahib2Pathankot2Faridkot1Kapurthala1Moga1Patiala1Barnala1Details Awaited*159245 26191 1938 716 BiharDistrictCasesSiwan6Gaya5Patna5Munger4Gopalganj3Begusarai2Nalanda2Saharsa2Bhagalpur1Lakhisarai1Saran1Details Awaited*81113 2069 2042 2 OdishaDistrictCasesKhordha33Bhadrak3Cuttack2Jajapur1Kalahandi1Kendrapara1Puri1Details Awaited*3274 649 624 1 UttarakhandDistrictCasesDehradun17Nainital4Udam Singh Nagar4Almora1Haridwar1Pauri Garhwal1Details Awaited*1846 228 18 70 JharkhandDistrictCasesRanchi2Hazaribagh1Details Awaited*4346 444 40 2 Himachal PradeshDistrictCasesSolan7Kangra3Una3Details Awaited*2639 22 16 1 ChhattisgarhDistrictCasesRaipur5Korba2Bilaspur1Durg1Rajnandgaon1Details Awaited*2636 11 25 0 AssamDistrictCasesGolaghat9Goalpara4Marigaon4Nalbari4Dhubri3Kamrup Metro2Cachar1Hailakandi1Kamrup1Karimganj1Lakhimpur1South Salmara Mancachar1Details Awaited*335 15 19 21 ChandigarhDistrictCasesChandigarh18Details Awaited*826 13 13 0 LadakhDistrictCasesLeh Ladakh11Kargil3Details Awaited*418 4 14 0 Andaman And Nicobar IslandsDistrictCasesNorth And Middle Andaman7South Andamans3Details Awaited*616 15 111 0 MeghalayaDistrictCasesEast Khasi Hills1Details Awaited*1011 10 0 1 GoaDistrictCasesNorth Goa5South Goa1Details Awaited*17 0 7 0 PuducherryDistrictCasesPondicherry4Mahe1Details Awaited*27 4 3 0 ManipurDistrictCasesImphal West1Thoubal12 0 2 10 TripuraDistrictCasesGomati1Details Awaited*12 1 1 0 Mizoram1 1 0 0 Arunachal Pradesh1 1 0 0 Show moreShow less Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

Bank Manager Allegedly Raped Inside Home Amid Lockdown

The woman was raped inside her flat in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal.Bhopal: A 53-year-old manager of a state-run bank was allegedly raped inside her flat by an unidentified man in the posh Shahpura area of Bhopal in the early hours on Friday.The incident has raised serious questions about security in the Madhya Pradesh capital at a time when there are strict restrictions on the movement of people.The woman, who is visually challenged, had been living alone in the flat for the last few days as her husband was stuck in his hometown of Rajasthan's Sirohi district because of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.Early investigation suggests that the suspect used the stairs to get to the second floor and then entered the woman's flat through the open doors of the balcony, police officer Sanjay Sahu said.The police have registered a case of rape and other relevant provisions and are investigating the incident. Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

5 Missing After Toxic Ash Leak From Reliance Power Plant In Madhya Pradesh Singrauli

This is the third such incident in last one year of ash leak in Singrauli.Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh: Five villagers are missing after a breach in an artificial pond that stores toxic residue from a coal power plant run by Reliance Power in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli on Friday evening. This is the third such incident in the last one year in Singrauli, about 680 km from state capital Bhopal, which has 10 coal-based power plants.  Photos and videos taken by the villagers on their mobile phones show a sea of sludge in the areas around the power plant and also what appears to be an agricultural land."The five people who got swept away were inside their houses, close to the boundary of the ash pond. This is a serious negligence by Reliance Power. We are trying our best to rescue those villagers. Crops have also been damaged. We will ensure that compensation is given and the accountability is fixed," said Singrauli District Collector KVS Chaudhary.This is the third such incident in the last one year of breach in an artificial pond near a power plant in Singrauli, home to 10 coal-based power plants with a capacity of over 21,000 megawatt - the largest for one region. These plants have made Singrauli the second-most critically polluted industrial zone in the country after Ghaziabad, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. "Earlier, an artificial pond near Essar plant was breached and also a project run by the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited. Just a few months back, a national green tribunal team had visited the area. All power companies had assured the team that their ash dykes were in good health and were being maintained," said Ashwani Dubey , a lawyer who has fought cases related to pollution in Singrauli in the green court."Singrauli is a critical zone in the country. Many directions have been passed in the past but no one seems to listen," he added. In August last year, after a similar breach in a power plant run by Essar, the company had alleged it was "a clear case of sabotage". However, a government report on the breach had blamed "extreme carelessness by the company management" and held them responsible for a sub-standard boundary and not clearing waste material from the boundary. Read the full article

[bigyack-com]

Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut Concern After PM Modi Appeal To Turn Off All Lights At 9 PM, Sunday

Maharashtra Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut has urged people to not to put off lights at the same time.Mumbai/ New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest call - to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles, diyas (earthen lamps) to fight the darkness brought upon the country by coronavirus pandemic - "can affect emergency services", the Maharashtra Energy Minister said. In a message, he has urged the citizens not to turn off all the lights at the same time."We should rethink before switching off all the lights at the same time at our homes. This can lead to a grid failure and affect emergency services," Dr Nitin Raut said.Explaining what he meant, he added: "Putting off the lights together at the same time can lead to a huge difference in demand and supply. Due to the lockdown, the demand has already decreased from 23,000 megawatt to 13,000 megawatt as factory units are not operating.""If all lights are put off at the same time, it can lead to a potential blackout, which will also affect the emergency services. It may take up to 12-16 hours to restore services. In fight against coronavirus pandemic, electricity is an important tool," he said.On Friday, PM Modi, in his third address to the nation in the last few weeks on COVID-19 pandemic, urged people across India to switch off their lights and hold candles, lamps and mobile flashlights at 9 pm on Sunday, April 5, for 9 minutes in a nationwide show of solidarity, to fight the darkness of coronavirus."We must all together, challenge the darkness spread by the coronavirus crisis, introducing it to the power of light. No one is alone during the lockdown, the collective superpower of 130 crore Indians is with every citizen," he said in a video address.The appeal prompted sharp reactions from opposition leaders. "Listened to the Pradhan Showman. Nothing about how to ease people's pain, their burdens, their financial anxieties. No vision of the future or sharing the issues he is weighing in deciding about the post-lockdown. Just a feel-good moment curated by India's Photo-Op PrimeMinister!" tweeted Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.Listened to the Pradhan Showman. Nothing about how to ease people's pain, their burdens, their financial anxieties. No vision of the future or sharing the issues he is weighing in deciding about the post-lockdown. Just a feel-good moment curated by India's Photo-Op PrimeMinister!— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 3, 2020Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra tweeted: "Turn out lights & come on balconies? GET REAL MR. MODI! Give India fiscal pkg worth 8-10pc of GDP. Ensure immediate wages to construction & other labour during lockdown- laws exist permitting this. Stop gagging real press in name of curbing fake news (sic)."Turn out lights & come on balconies?GET REAL MR. MODI!Give India fiscal pkg worth 8-10pc of GDPEnsure immediate wages to construction & other labour during lockdown- laws exist permitting thisStop gagging real press in name of curbing fake news— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 3, 2020Maharastra housing minister Jitendra Awhad said: "I don't understand why they want to make an event of everything. This is nothing but foolishness, childishness."Across India, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to 62 deaths, infected over 2,500 people. Worldwide, the coronavirus count has crossed 1-million mark, killing over 50,000.India has entered 10th day of a total lockdown, announced by PM Modi last week to ensure social distancing, one of the ways to prevent spread of highly infectious coronavirus.    Read the full article