NEWS DIGEST EVENING

16 JUNE 2020: 23 SHAWWAL 1441:Vol: 12,No:234

 

*SOUTH ASIA- INDO-PAK, J&K*

Violent faceoff on China border: Officer among 20 Indian soldiers dead; casualties on both sides

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/20-soldiers-killed-in-face-off-with-chinese-troops-in-ladakh-sources-2247351?pfrom=home-topscroll

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-galwan-army-casualties-6461459/

In the first loss of lives on the disputed India-China border in at least 45 years, the Army has lost one officer and 19 soldiers in a violent faceoff in the Galwan Valley last night.An official statement released by the Indian Army late on Tuesday night said the “Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June”. It added that “17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the standoff location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries”. This take the total number of those killed in action to 20. “Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation,” the statement added.“The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers,” an earlier statement had said. That statement also said that “senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation”.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday reviewed the current operational situation in Eastern Ladakh, following Monday’s violent faceoff on LAC, along with the Chief of Defence Staff and 3 service Chiefs. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present during the meeting.Tensions between the two armies have been running high on the border since reports of a scuffle between the soldiers of both sides at Pangong Tso (eastern Ladakh) and Naku la (in Sikkim) came in early last month. Both the armies have since mobilized and deployed a large number of soldiers and heavy military equipment along LAC. More than 43 Chinese soldiers have been killed or seriously injured, reported ANI quoting sources. This is the first fatal clash since 1975 between India and China, who fought a border war in 1962. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meetings with Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with military chiefs twice as India discussed a response to the huge development.

Indian Army says 20 soldiers killed in clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan area

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-army-says-20-soldiers-killed-in-clash-with-chinese-troops-in-the-galwan-area/article31845662.ece

 

India-China border: ‘Violent face-off an attempt by Chinese side to unilaterally change status quo,’ says India

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-border-news-live-updates-6461532/

 “On the late-evening and night of June 15, a violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo,” the Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday, a day after an officer and two soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley along the disputed India-China border Monday night. The Army, in a statement, said there were casualties on both sides.“During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties on both sides. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting,” the Army said in a statement.“Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the same of the Chinese side,” the MEA said in a statement. Meanwhile, Beijing urged India to “strictly restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border or taking any unilateral action that may complicate the border situation”.

 

India-China border face-off reactions: Oppn questions PM’s ‘silence’; BJP says borders will remain intact under PM Modi

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-border-face-off-reactions-no-compromise-with-indias-territorial-integrity-6461812/

Calling the killing of one officer and two soldiers in a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley last night, the Congress party said there can be no compromise with India’s security and territorial integrity. The party, in a statement, said, “Reports of Chinese Army moving thousands of troops in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Lake Area (Ladakh) shocked the entire nation as an audacious attempt on our territorial integrity.”Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday reviewed the current operational situation in Eastern Ladakh, following Monday’s violent faceoff on LAC, along with the Chief of Defence Staff and the three service Chiefs. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present during the meeting.CPI(M) called on government to come out with an “authoritative statement” to explain what happened in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, and said that high-level talks should be initiated between the two nations to defuse the situation.The CPI, in a separate statement, said that it is believed that the present standoff can be resolved through talks and established frame-works agreed by both the countries.Deeply shocked by the reports of standoff at Galwan valley, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolences to the families of the martyred.JP Nadda, BJP President:“We now have political will and our Army is fully equipped to take on any adversary.”

 

Congress leader Anand Sharma terms Galwan valley incident 'shocking', asks Centre to brief parties

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-border-news-live-updates-6461532/

Congress on Tuesday termed as shocking and unacceptable the death of an Indian Army officer and two soldiers in the Galwan Valley and said the development was a matter of serious national concern.Congress also demanded that govt take the nation into confidence and convene a meeting to brief the leadership of political parties about the ground situation. "It is a matter of serious national concern as it has grave implications for national security," Congress senior spokesperson and party's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said. "As we have been requesting, the govt should urgently take the nation into confidence. We demand that the government immediately convene a meeting and brief the leadership of political parties about the ground situation," he said.

 

Beijing raises COVID-19 emergency response level to II from III, imposes travel curbs:Reuters

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/beijing-raises-covid-19-emergency-response-level-to-ii-from-iii-imposes-travel-curbs-6462124/

China sharply ramped up restrictions on people leaving the capital on Tuesday in an effort to stop the most serious coronavirus flare-up since February from spreading to other cities and provinces.The decision to impose fresh curbs and raise the city’s emergency response level back to II from III came as Beijing’s current outbreak rose to 106 infections since Thursday.The outbreak has been traced to the sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food centre in the southwest of Beijing where thousands of tonnes of vegetables, fruit and meat change hands each day.The coronavirus was first identified in December at a seafood market in Wuhan, capital of the central Chinese province of Hubei, and has since spread around the world, infecting more than 8 million people. As of Tuesday, Beijing had designated 27 neighbourhoods as medium-risk areas, subjecting people entering to temperature checks and registration.

 

Indian Army 'provoked' attacks on LAC, Galwan Valley was always ours, claims Chinese army Colonel

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chinese-army-colonel-claims-indian-army-provoked-attacks-on-lac-1689656-2020-06-16

In one of the first official responses from People’s Liberation Army (PLA) following a fatal violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on Monday night, Colonel Zhang Shuili from China’s Western Theatre Command has accused India of deliberately launching provocative attacks. “The sovereignty of the Galwan Valley region has always belonged to China", Colonel Zhang Shuili, who is the spokesperson of the Chinese army’s western theatre command, said. He went further to claim, “China always owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region.”Speaking on the scuffle between soldiers of both armies along LAC in Ladakh's Galwan valley, Colonel Zhang Shuili claimed that the Indian army crossed the LAC and provoked attacks that led to fierce physical confrontation “resulting in casualties”. According to the Chinese-state media portal Global Times, Colonel Zhang Shuili also said, "India should stop all provocative actions, meet the Chinese side halfway and come back to the right path of solving disputes through talks."Colonel Shuili, however, presented no evidence to back his statement and even refrained from mentioning the exact number of casualties incurred on either side of the India-China border.

China accuses Indian soldiers of violating consensus

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/china-accuses-indian-soldiers-of-violating-consensus

 

 

If our soldiers died during ‘de-escalation’, imagine how escalated situation must be: Omar on LAC standoff 

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/if-our-soldiers-died-during-de-escalation-imagine-how-escalated-situation-must-be-omar-on-lac-standoff

After an Indian Army Colonel, who was the Commanding Officer of an infantry battalion, and two soldiers were killed during a violent clash with Chinese troops at one of the stand-off points in the Galwan Valley, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed shock at the level of escalation at the situation on the Line of Actual Control.Abdullah said: "If the Chinese shoot dead an Indian army colonel and two jawans during a 'de-escalation process' imagine how escalated the situation must be in the first place.”"Since heard no shooting took place. The deaths were the result of violent scuffles and stone pelting. Regardless of the how & the way three Indian army personnel were killed by the Chinese in the line of duty," Abdullah added. National Conference leader also slammed the media "This is what happens when the media propagates the government line that asking questions is anti-national."IANS

 

BrahMos gets combat use nod amid border stand-off with China

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/brahmos-combat-use-nod-border-stand-off-china-1689538-2020-06-16

Amidst the border stand-off with China, the BrahMos air launched cruise missile has received combat clearance.As per sources, BrahMos has received the fleet release clearance by the certifying agency.“The fleet release clearance certification has paved the way for the pilots of IAF squadrons to use the missile during combat missions,”BrahMos Corporation told India Today.The issuance of the fleet release clearance is the final step clearing the way for the IAF to deploy the missile in a combat mission, if deemed necessary.In other words, the BrahMos-A is now fully operational and war-ready.

 

China’s Great Wall Motor signs MoU with Maharashtra, to invest $1 billion

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/chinas-great-wall-motor-signs-mou-with-maharashtra-to-invest-1-billion-6461670/

Chinese automobile manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM) announced Tuesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government for setting up a production facility in the state, which it had acquired from General Motors (GM).News agency PTI reported that this manufacturing plant, if opened, will fetch an investment of $1 billion (about Rs 7,600 crore) in a phased manner and will provide employment opportunity to more than 3,000 people.“This would be a highly automated plant in Talegaon (near Pune) with advanced robotics technology integrated in many of the production processes,” Parker Shi, managing director of Indian subsidiary of GWM, was quoted as saying in a statement.“Overall we are committed to USD 1 billion of investment in India in a phased manner, which is directed towards manufacturing world class intelligent and premium products, R&D centre, building supply chain and providing jobs to over 3,000 people in a phased manner,” he added.

 

UN chief expresses concern over child casualties in J&K

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/un-chief-guterres-expresses-concern-over-child-casualties-in-jk-6461547/

UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over child casualties in Jammu and Kashmir and urged the government to take preventive measures to protect the children.The Secretary General also took note of the Naxalite insurgency and said that efforts by the Indian government have resulted in a decline in the recruitment, killing and maiming of children.The Secretary-General’s report on ‘Children and Armed Conflict’ said that the UN had verified over 25,000 grave violations against children globally from January to December 2019, stressing that the tragedy children face continued unabated throughout the year.

 

India lodges protest with Pakistan over ‘abduction, torture’ of 2 High Commission officials

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-pakistan-abduction-torture-of-high-commission-officials-6462154/

Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday summoned Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan High Commission Haider Shah and lodged a strong protest over the “abduction and torture” of two officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad by Pakistan security agencies.The development comes a day after the two staffers of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan “returned” on Monday night after going “missing”. India had issued a demarche to Pakistan and “made clear that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials”.“Two officials of the Indian High Commission were forcibly abducted by Pakistani agencies on 15 June 2020 and kept in illegal custody for more than 10 hours. The vehicle of the High Commission, in which they were travelling, was extensively damaged,” the MEA said.

 

Senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Sagar set free by J&K High Court

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/senior-national-conference-leader-ali-mohammad-sagar-set-free-by-jandk-high-court

Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Tuesday quashed the order for detention of senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Sagar, under the J&K Public Safety Act, LiveLaw.in has reported.The bench of Justice Sindhu Sharma observed that the grounds for his detention were "fragile" and "not justified".Sagar was arrested last year on August 6, under sections 107 and 151 of CrPC to prevent him from disturbing public tranquillity in the backdrop of abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. The order of preventive detention was passed against him on 05.02.2020. The bench observed that the detention order was illegal because the Detaining Authority did not show its awareness to the fact that the detenu was already in custody. The court said,"The detention is also bad because he has been arrested under Sections 107/151 Cr.P.C. and was still in custody when the detention order was passed. However, there is nothing on record to show that the detaining authority was aware of the fact or that the detenu was likely to be released. Detaining Authority, in such a case, must show that there are compelling reasons for detention, in the absence of which, his detention would be illegal."

 

India expects to sail through UNSC vote

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-expects-to-sail-through-unsc-vote/article31845329.ece

India expects to sail through as 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) votes on Wednesday for contenders to five non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council for 2021-22. India is standing unopposed as the nominee for the Asia-Pacific seat, and needs two-thirds of UNGA members, or 129 votes, to be confirmed. Mexico is also unopposed in its bid for the Latin American and Caribbean seat, while there is a straight contest between Kenya and late entrant Djibouti for the African seat.All eyes are, however on the contest between Canada, Ireland and Norway, who are vying for the two seats allotted to the Western European and Others Group (WEOG), with each making a pitch for India’s vote, including a late evening call on Tuesday from Canadian PM Trudeau to PM Modi. The two leaders had spoken last as recently as on April 29.

 

 

* CORONAVIRUS- LOCKDOWN*

 

Coronavirus India: ‘Covid-19 situation worsening with each passing day,’ says SC

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-india-updates-16-june-pm-modi-cms-satyender-jain-lockdown-covid-19-mumbai-delhi-6461460/

 Extending the parole of a Punjab based businessman accused in a drug racket case, the Supreme Court Tuesday said the coronavirus situation is not improving in the country and its only getting worse, according to PTI. The court was hearing a criminal case in which the accused Jagjit Singh Chahal has sought extension of his parole ending next month.A bench of Justices R F Nariman, Navin Sinha and B R Gavai observed that there is no point in overcrowding the prisons when some of the accused are either out on bail or are on parole. “You see…the COVID-19 situation is not getting any better with each passing day. It is only getting worse in the country,” the bench told the Punjab government’s counsel who opposed the plea,” the apex court said. The bench perused the affidavit of Punjab government which said that the bail was granted to him in the case on February 19 and his appeal is coming for hearing on July 16. With 10,667 cases and 380 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the coronavirus infections in India soared to 3,43,091 with death toll rising to 9,900 on Tuesday. Of the total, 1,53,178 are active cases while 1,80,012 people have been cured and discharged so far, according to the health ministry. Around 52.46 per cent patients have recovered so far.Statewise, of the 380 new casualties, Maharashtra accounted for the highest 178 fatalities followed by Delhi at 73, Tamil Nadu at 44, Gujarat 28, Haryana 12, West Bengal 10, Rajasthan 9 and Madhya Pradesh 6. Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported 4 fatalities each, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka 3 each, Telangana 2 and Bihar, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala 1 each.Mumbai is the latest one to admit discrepancies in the number of deaths being reported due to novel Coronavirus. On Monday, it emerged that at least 450 deaths had not been included in the list of dead in Mumbai. At 2,250, the city already has the country’s highest death toll in the country. Before Mumbai, West Bengal and Delhi have also been forced to revise their death numbers.

 

Use rapid anitgen detection test in Delhi: ICMR to Health Ministry

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-india-updates-16-june-pm-modi-cms-satyender-jain-lockdown-covid-19-mumbai-delhi-6461460/

“It is critical to immediately augment Covid-19 testing capacity in containment zones of Delhi to prevent the spread of infection,”Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) wrote to Ministry of Health. Further noting that the overall testing capacity of Delhi as on today is close to 18,000 samples per day, it emphasised, “Testing remains a cornerstone in our fight against Covid-19 and therefore ramping up testing is essentially critical to track, trace all cases of Covid-19.”After evaluating the rapid point of care antigen detection assay known as the ‘Standard Q Covid-19’ for quick detection of the virus, it said ICMR, AIIMS and Delhi independently is of the view that the the detection assay be used in Delhi.

 

Fight against virus, a fine example of cooperative federalism: PM to CMs

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-india-updates-16-june-pm-modi-cms-satyender-jain-lockdown-covid-19-mumbai-delhi-6461460/

Chairing the meeting with chief ministers of 21 states and union territories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his opening remarks assured the CMs that India’s fight against the coronavirus was “effective” and the country has had the lowesst number of deaths due to the virus.“When India’s fight against the Covid-19 will be anlaysed in the future, it will remebered for how we worked together and served as an example of cooperative federalism,” Modi told the CMs. Stating that the recovery rate has gone above 50 per cent, Modi said “For us the death of even 1 Indian is unsettling but it is also true that India is one of the countries where there have been least deaths due to Covid-19.”

 

Delhi Health Minister  Satyendar Jain tests negative for Covid

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-india-updates-16-june-pm-modi-cms-satyender-jain-lockdown-covid-19-mumbai-delhi-6461460/

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tested negative for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, a day after he was admitted to Delhi government’s Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital after developing a high fever and experiencing a sudden drop in oxygen levels. “Due to high grade fever and a sudden drop of my oxygen levels last night I have been admitted to RGSSH. Will keep everyone updated,” Jain had tweeted this morning.Responding to the tweet, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “You served the public 24×7 without taking care of yourself. Please take care of your health and get well soon.” Kejriwal was on June 9 tested for the novel coronavirus after he complained of mild fever and sore throat. However, his test report was negative.

 

55 Indian Journalists Arrested, Booked, Threatened For Reporting on COVID-19: Report

https://thewire.in/media/covid-19-journalists-arrested-booked-report

New Delhi: Ashwini Saini is a contributor to a Facebook page that publishes news on the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Saini, who also works as a freelancer for the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, filed a video report for the page, called ‘Mandi Live’, on April 8. The report highlighted the failure of the district administration in supplying rations to migrant workers stranded in the district’s Sundernagar sub-division. Though it featured workers who related their plight to the lockdown and lack of rations on camera, the Sundernagar sub-divisional magistrate Rahul Chauhan filed an FIR against Saini under the Disaster Management Act, accusing him of spreading ‘fake news’. An aggrieved Saini wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, accusing the SDO of “gagging the press”. What followed were three additional FIRs against Saini. Undeterred, on April 13, Saini and another reporter – from Divya Himachal – filed another video report. This one was on brick kilns operating in the sub-division in clear violation of the lockdown rules. Police swung into action, shut the kilns, but booked Saini under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

 

512 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members released from UP jails, 225 still languishing

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/512-foreign-tablighi-jamaat-members-released-from-up-jails-225-still-languishing/articleshow/76393025.cms

Meerut: Of the 837 foreign nationals who had come to Delhi’s Nizamuddin area to participate in a religious event in March and were subsequently arrested from various parts of UP for violating visa norms, 512 have been released following court orders, according to the data given by the state’s prison department. The arrests took place after the Nizamuddin area became a hotbed of Covid-19 disease and the foreigners were accused of spreading it.Apart from the visa norms violations, all of them were booked under IPC section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 271(disobedience to quarantine rule).All the 837 foreign nationals were lodged in 65 temporary jails made in the state just to adjust them. According to prison department, 512 have been released following court orders.Two days ago, a court in Saharanpur had set aside the visa norms violation charges slapped by UP Police against 57 followers of Tablighi Jamaat paving way for their return to their countries after two months of incarceration. They followers belonged to Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Thailand, Indonesia and several other countries.But, 225 foreign nationals continue to languish in temporary jails.In Meerut, there are 20 foreign Jamaatis still lodged in temporary prison that have come in the premises of a local engineering college in the city.

 

‘Gujarat Model exposed’: Rahul slams BJP govt over high COVID-19 mortality rate in state

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/coronavirus-india-updates-16-june-pm-modi-cms-satyender-jain-lockdown-covid-19-mumbai-delhi-6461460/

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the BJP government in Gujarat over the state’s high COVID-19 mortality rate, saying it had “exposed” the “Gujarat model”.Gandhi has also been attacking the Centre over its handling of the coronavirus crisis. “Covid-19 mortality rate: Gujarat: 6.25 per cent, Maharashtra: 3.73 per cent, Rajasthan: 2.32 per cent, Punjab: 2.17 per cent, Puducherry: 1.98 per cent, Jharkhand: 0.5 per cent, Chhattisgarh: 0.35 per cent,” he tweeted comparing the COVID-19 mortality rate of Gujarat with that of states where the Congress is in power. Gujarat Model exposed,” Gandhi tweeted.

 

Despite risks, Muslim doctors in worst-hit Gujarat offer timely care, support to COVID-19 patients

http://twocircles.net/2020jun15/437500.html

Gujarat: Muslim medicos in worst-hit Gujarat have been going an extra mile to fulfil their medical-course pledge for helping and curing run-down patients and have proved that not all white-coats are money-grubbing pill-pushers and bone-benders. On March 1, the state government asked the medical fraternity to gear up for the pandemic and the medics of the minority community rolled up their sleeves to swing into action for serving the sick-as-a-dog patients of the dreaded coronavirus disease. Even during the holy month of Ramadan and after, Muslim interns and resident doctors of the overcrowded state-run hospitals or physicians of private clinics not only sacrificed their comforts and academic studies but also risked their own lives to save precious lives with the situation worsening day every passing day – as one infected person expired every hour. Doctors have to wear suffocating PPE suits for several hours. Wearing suffocating plastic PPE suits for as long as 12 hours, the dedicated doctors in the frontline of the fight against the mysterious pathogen work in frightful COVID centres near infectious patients. And yet, they offer their services and personalized care gratis to all castes for a noble cause, not to mention the fact that some healers have to work without PPE kits, N-95 masks and proper gloves. Dr Muhammad Husain of Vadodara has been a great inspiration for doctors of his community. As the corona crisis escalated, the local administration was worried stiff after senior doctors washed their hands off the global pandemic and in turn, the juniors had to meet the challenge of treating the patients in municipal hospitals.

 

Uttarakhand govt to jail people violating COVID-19 guidelines

https://www.firstpost.com/health/coronavirus-outbreak-live-updates-covid-19-india-today-lockdown-narednra-modi-cm-video-conference-latest-news-corona-cases-death-current-status-vaccine-symptoms-delhi-maharashtra-8486821.html

Uttarakhand government is likely to start jailing and fining people for violations of coronavirus guidelines, TOI reported."Uttarakhand Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 came into force on Tuesday, providing for a jail term or a fine or both for the violation of Covid-19 curbs. The amendment ordinance, to which Governor Baby Rani Maurya gave her assent on Saturday, was notified in the state's official gazette on Tuesday," the report said.

 

Covid hits 10 prisons in Maharashtra, nearly 300 inmates infected

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra-covid-prisons-6462126As many as 10 prisons across Maharashtra have reported coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, with 292 inmates and 72 prison staff testing positive for the infection. As per the data available till Monday, 139 inmates and 51 prison staff have recovered.The maximum number of positive cases are from Mumbai Central Prison, better known as Arthur Road Jail, where 181 inmates and 39 staff have been infected till now, of whom 121 inmates and 37 staff have recovered.The second highest number of cases is from Solapur prison, where 62 inmates and 13 staff members have tested positive, followed by Aurangabad Prison, where 29 inmates and 14 staffers have tested positive. While cases in Arthur Road Jail were reported in the first week of May, cases in Solapur and Aurangabad prisons were reported in the last week of May and the first week of June, respectively.

 

 

Kerala Man Worships 'Corona Devi' For Well Being Of Frontline Fighters

https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/whats-viral/kerala-man-worships-corona-devi-for-well-being-of-frontline-fighters.html

Amid the unprecedented times of coronavirus outbreak, people are resorting to advised precautionary measures to prevent themselves from contracting COVID-19. However, a man in Kerala has started worshipping the novel coronavirus for the wellbeing of not only the frontline warriors but also the scientists who are tirelessly working to obtain the vaccine. In Anilan’s house at Kadakkal, the puja room has a unique addition among other Indian deities that is a thermocol replica of SARS-CoV-2. Till now the newly-found pathogen has infected over 7.9 million people across the world with 433,959 deaths.

 

Travel for faith: NCR residents cross border to fulfil long pending meeting with almighty

https://www.hindustantimes.com/coronavirus-crisis/travel-for-faith-ncr-residents-cross-border-to-fulfil-long-pending-meeting-with-almighty/story-5FzP127awUwBYV0WpIfOMM.html

Unlock 1.0 has allowed reopening of places of worship in Delhi. But, the same continue to remain closed in some parts of NCR. This, however, hasn’t been able to deter the determination of those who had been long away from their revered place of worship. As a result, quite a few residents of Gurugram and even Noida have been crossing the border to visit their religious place in Delhi.In fact, some residents of NCR had been eagerly looking forward to visit their favourite holy sites, during the lockdown. “I was wanting to visit the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place for a long time. Just before the lockdown happened, I had vowed to visit this temple while praying for my grandmother’s recovery after her recent knee surgery. After months, when I finally got a chance to fulfil my promise, how could crossing the border stop me,” asks Nagarjuna Pratap Singh, a resident of Gurugram’s DLF Phase 2, adding, “The feeling of visiting a temple after months was surreal, and the journey across the two states was worth it!”

 

Unlock 1.0 in Madhya Pradesh: Most curbs lifted, temples, markets re-open in the state capital

https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/madhya-pradesh-most-curbs-lifted-temples-markets-open-in-corona-hit-bhopal

Almost all lockdown curbs were lifted in the state capital and all shops and religious places were allowed to open on Monday. Near normalcy has been restored after 80 days. However, terms and conditions apply.Except for the containment areas in the city, all religious places were opened. In temples, devotees could have darshan, but can't offer incense sticks, flowers or water. They can't sit there either.Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after reviewing the situation and arrangements through video conferencing said there was significant improvement.He also visited the Karunadham temple to offer prayers. Earlier, all religious places in Madhya Pradesh were to open from 8 June. But due to continuing infection, they were kept closed till Sunday in Bhopal.IANS

 

UK media says anti-inflammatory drug curbs risk of death due to COVID-19

https://www.firstpost.com/health/coronavirus-outbreak-live-updates-covid-19-india-today-lockdown-narednra-modi-cm-video-conference-latest-news-corona-cases-death-current-status-vaccine-symptoms-delhi-maharashtra-8486821.html

Dexamethasone, a cheap anti-inflammatory drug for arthritis and other ailments, cuts risk of death in coronavirus patients who are on a ventilator by a third, UK media was quoted by ANI as saying."Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized patients.Results were announced Tuesday and researchers said they would publish them soon. The study is a large, strict test that randomly assigned 2,104 patients to get the drug and compared them with 4,321 patients getting only usual care.The drug was given either orally or through an IV. It reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed treatment with breathing machines and by 20% in those only needing supplemental oxygen. It did not appear to help less ill patients," AP reported.

 

Bangladesh lecturer held for Facebook post allegedly mocking former minister who died of Covid-19

https://scroll.in/latest/964739/bangladesh-lecturer-held-for-facebook-post-allegedly-mocking-former-minister-who-died-of-covid-19

A 28-year-old lecturer at a Bangladesh university was arrested on Sunday over a Facebook post for allegedly humiliating the country’s former Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, who died of the coronavirus on Saturday, the Dhaka Tribune reported.Tajhat Police Station investigating officer Rabiul Islam told the newspaper that Sirajam Munira was arrested after a case was filed against her under the Digital Security Act. Munira is a lecturer at Begum Rokeya University’s Department of Bangla in Dhaka.

 

US lawmaker Ilhan Omar's father dies from coronavirus complications

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/u-s-rep-ilhan-omar-s-father-dies-coronavirus-complications-n1231141

US Rep. Ilham Omar said Monday that her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, had died from complications from the coronavirus illness COVID-19."No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew him," Omar, D-Minn., said in a statement.Omar, who asked for privacy, said her father died Monday. She did not provide information about her father's age or any previous medical conditions.The lawmaker, elected in 2018, is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.In the statement, she wrote, "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'cuun," which translates to, "Surely we belong to God and to Him shall we return."nbcnews

 

Dexamethasone emerges as first Covid-19 life-saving drug: Here is all you need to know

https://indianexpress.com/article/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-drug-dexamethasone-price-availability-all-you-need-to-know-6462076/

 In a major breakthrough in Covid-19 treatment, scientists in UK have claimed that the generic steroid drug dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalised patients. The results are a part of UK-based RECOVERY trial, one of the world’s largest randomised trial of drugs to treat COVID-19 patients.This is the same study that earlier this month showed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was not working against the coronavirus.In the trial, led by a team from Oxford University, 2,104 patients were given dexamethasone and were compared with 4,321 patients who did not receive the drug. The drug is shown to cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators and for those on oxygen, it cuts deaths by a fifth.“This is the only drug so far that has been shown to reduce mortality – and it reduces it significantly. It’s a major breakthrough,” BBC quoted chief investigator Prof Peter Horby as saying.“Dexamethasone is inexpensive, on the shelf, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide,” one study leader, Peter Horby of the University of Oxford, said.There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus which has killed more than 431,000 globally.

 

 

*INDIA- ISLAMOPHOBIA, HUMAN RIGHTS & OTHERS*

 16 people charged with murder during riots in northeast Delhi

https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/16-people-charged-with-murder-during-riots-in-northeast-delhi/story-zDACVRMcSTVymg4VetG8uO.html

Delhi police on Monday filed a charge sheet against 16 people in the murder of a man, Parvez, during the riots in North East Delhi riots earlier this year.As per the charge sheet, all 16 accused have been charged with murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy and offences under Arms Act. As per the document, Parvez, a proper dealer, was shot dead on the street outside his house in North Ghonda. He was rushed to the nearby GTB hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The police had registered an FIR in the case on February 26.The investigating officials have mentioned in the charge sheet that Parvez was shot while pacifying the local Hindu and Muslim residents. The 16 accused named in the charge sheet were arrested based on statements of eye witnesses and CCTV footage. Police said one of the accused had shot Parvez in his chest, while others attacked him on the evening of February 25 at around 7.Police have also mentioned that the rioters took away Parvez’s licensed pistol. He had kept 25 bullets but police found only 13 bullets next to his body. Police have told the court that all the accused are in jail and that they are trying to recover Parvez’s gun along with the weapon that was used in ther murder.

 

Delhi Riots: How Police Is Using FIR 59 To Imprison Students And Activists Indefinitely?

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/delhi-police-riots-students-anti-caa-activists-arrest_in_5ee7ab99c5b651a404b0591a?utm_hp_ref=in-politics

NEW DELHI — On March 6, ten days after Delhi’s worst communal riots in a generation, Arvind Kumar a sub-Inspector of the Narcotics Cell of the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch filed a complaint that would come to be known as First Information Report 59/2020. In his complaint, Kumar claimed to have received information that the riots were a conspiracy planned by former Jawaharlal Nehru University student (JNU) Umar Khalid and his associates who had given provocative speeches, and collected arms and ammunition, while staging protests with women and children. In the three months since it was first filed, FIR 59 has morphed from naming two people for four serious but bailable offenses of rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon, unlawful assembly, read with criminal conspiracy, into what appears to a roving witch-hunt against students and activists who protested against the Narendra Modi government’s controversial citizenship law in the months preceding the Delhi riots.As things stand, FIR 59 now accuses at least 14 people, including Safoora Zargar, an MPhil student, Meeran Haider, a PhD candidate, and Gulfisha Fatima, an MBA graduate, and three other students, of some of the gravest offenses in the land including murder, sedition and terrorism. Their lives are caught amidst a series of FIRs, bail hearings, court orders, and incarceration in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. FIR 59 is one of 750 filed in connection with the Delhi riots, but lawyers say it is one of the most visible examples of how the Delhi Police, which reports to Home Minister Amit Shah, is using the riots as a pretext to place some of the Modi regime’s most charismatic and outspoken critics under indefinite incarceration.

 

Anti-CAA activists go online

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/anti-caa-activists-go-online/articleshow/76395141.cms

Hyderabad: In view of the lockdown, civil and human rights activists are expressing dissent through various internet platforms. However, intelligence agencies are finding it hard to keep a tab on the daily activities of the activists, especially those who are opposing the arrests in Delhi in connection with the riots and anti-CAA protests.Even after the lockdown restriction were eased, many activists switched to online webinars, discussions and online campaigns to express dissent. It has been found that activists are using Zoom, Twitter, and Facebook to hold online meetings. “Webinars are the best way to stay connected with fellow activists across the nation,” said a civil rights activist. TNN

 

AMU Urges Education Minister To 'Rectify Mistake' In University’s NIRF Ranking

https://www.ndtv.com/education/amu-urges-education-minister-rectify-mistake-in-universitys-nirf-ranking

Aligarh: Claiming a fall in the university ranking due to an error in NIRF data, AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor urged Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to rectify the ‘mistake’.The university has requested that the rectification be done at the earliest since a lower ranking would adversely hit the career prospects of its students.In a letter to HRD minister, Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor said a ‘serious discrepancy' in terms of PhD output has adversely hit the institution's ranking announced by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).The university has 2,911 full-time research scholars while the data of the NIRF has mentioned just 33, said Shasay Kidwai, spokesperson of the university, adding that since 2016, a faulty data is being shown in the rankings. Mr Kidwai said because of the flawed data, the ranking of the AMU has slipped from its last year's 18th spot to 31st. Of the five parameters, the university has scored well in four.PTI

‘Serious Discrepancy’: AMU VC urges review of its NIRF ranking

https://www.thestatesman.com/india/serious-discrepancy-aligarh-muslim-university-vc-urges-review-of-its-nirf-ranking-1502900336.html

 

 

Babri Masjid demolition case: BJP leader Katiyar appears before CBI court, says falsely implicated

https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/jun/15/babri-masjid-demolition-case-bjp-leader-katiyar-appears-before-cbi-court-says-falsely-implicated-2156939.html

LUCKNOW: Deposing before a special CBI court in Babri demolition case, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar on Monday denied allegations of conspiracy to pull down the disputed structure. “I was falsely implicated in the case as there was a Congress-led government at the Centre and due to political vendetta, I was roped in the case for ulterior reasons,” deposed Katiyar before the court. Katiyar was told to appear before the court as it started recording statements of the accused on June 4. The court has been conducting day-to-day proceedings in order to conclude the trial by Aug.31, as directed by the Supreme Court. Katiyar had earlier appeared before CBI court on June 4 but due to paucity of time, his statement could not be recorded. On Monday, he appeared in the court along with his lawyer KK Mishra. To most questions, Katiyar either said he did not know or he was falsely implicated. After recording the statement of Katiyar, Special Judge SK Yadav directed other persons, who are less than 65 years of age, to appear before it on Tuesday. However, former deputy prime minister LK Advani, BJP leaders MM Joshi and Uma Bharti are already exempted from personal appearance till furthers. The special court also directed its office to write to Sonipat District Jail superintendent in Haryana to arrange for the recording of the statement of an accused, Ram Chandra Khatri, through video link on June 20.PTI

 

FIR filed against unidentified persons for pelting stones at mosque in Dwarka

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/1092462-fir-filed-against-unidentified-persons-for-pelting-stones-at-mosque-in-dwarka

An FIR was registered against unidentified persons for allegedly pelting stones at a mosque in Dwarka sector 11, officials said on Monday. According to a complaint, some miscreants pelted stones at the mosque on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.Police visited the mosque on Monday morning and found some stones there, the officials said. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under Section 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code, police said."Some stones were found at the backside of the mosque. The incident allegedly took place past 1 am on Sunday night. Security guard Chaman said he heard a 'thud' sound, suggesting that something had been thrown inside the mosque compound," a senior police officer said. The security guard then informed the muezzin and imam of the mosque about the incident, he said.PTI

 

Youth lynched in Mumbai on suspicion of theft

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/youth-lynched-in-mumbai-on-suspicion-of-theft/article31845475.ece?homepage=true

A 24-year-old youth was allegedly tied up and lynched on the suspicion of being a thief in Saki Naka on Monday morning. The police have arrested three people in connection with the crime and one more is wanted.The incident occurred at a construction site in Mohili village of Chandivali. According to the police, the four accused are construction workers, who have been staying at the site since the lockdown.“Early on Monday, the four woke up to find the victim, later identified as Satish Rajbhar (24), entering a tin shed at the construction site. They pounced on him and tied him up with a rope, accusing him of being a thief. Then they began to beat him up with plastic pipes and their bare hands,” senior police inspector Kishore Sawant, Saki Naka police station, said.

 

Crude below $40, fuel prices at 21-month high

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/crude-below-40-but-fuel-prices-echo-oil-at-65-due-to-tax-hikes/articleshow/76394541.cms

On Monday, state-run fuel retailers raised pump prices for the ninth straight day, pushing petrol and diesel prices to their highest in nearly 21 months. After the latest increase, petrol price hascumulatively risen by Rs  4.98 per litre and diesel by Rs 5.23 since retailers resumed the daily price revision on June 7 after a gap of 82 days. In the latest round, petrol price was raised by 46 paise per litre and diesel by 59 paise. As a result, petrol sold for Rs 76.26 a litre and diesel Rs 74.62 in Delhi on Monday. The rates vary from state to state due to the difference in the VAT. These prices are the highest since October 4, 2018 when petrol cost Rs 84 per litre and diesel Rs 75.45 in Delhi. During that month, India’s crude purchase averaged $80/barrel, while it is hovering around $35-36. Petrol price in Delhi had touched Rs 76.01 per litre and diesel Rs 67.96 on January 2 when India’s crude cost stood at $66/barrel. TOI

 

NRIs of Aurangabad working towards distinct community development model through ‘Our Voice’

http://twocircles.net/2020jun15/437512.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29

Amid massive healthcare failure, the worsening migrant crisis and peaking COVID-19 cases, a group of NRIs in Aurangabad are addressing community concerns with the help of MP Imtiyaz Jaleel.Lok Sabha MP and Maharashtra AIMIM chief Imtiyaz Jaleel has been in news most recently for refusing to transfer his local area development funds to PM Cares Fund.Speaking to TwoCircles.net, he mentioned Our Voice, a shared vision run by NRIs of the city.

 

 

*WORLD*

 UN rights experts condemn Israel's annexation plan, US support

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/rights-experts-condemn-israel-annexation-plan-support-200616120645385.html

UN human rights experts said on Tuesday that Israel's plan to annex significant parts of the occupied West Bank would violate international law banning the taking of territory by force, and urged other countries to actively oppose it.A joint statement, signed by nearly 50 independent experts, voiced dismay at US support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "unlawful" plan for de facto annexation of land the Palestinians seek for a state."The annexation of occupied territory is a serious violation of Charter of UN and the Geneva Conventions, and contrary to the fundamental rule affirmed many times by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly that the acquisition of territory by war or force is inadmissible," it said.What would be left of the occupied West Bank, after the annexation of about 30 percent, would amount to a "Palestinian Bantustan", it said.There was no immediate reaction from the government of Netanyahu, who has set July 1 as the date to begin advancing his plan to annex Israel's illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including parts of the Jordan Valley, hoping for a green light from Washington.

 

Israeli army 'arrests' Palestinian youth in Ramallah raid

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/israeli-army-arrests-palestinian-youth-ramallah-raid-200616121543851.html

Israeli army raided Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the first such incursion since the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced last May it would cut security coordination with Israel, a Palestinian official told AFP news agency."Israeli forces entered Ramallah before dawn," interior ministry spokesman Ghassan Nimr said, noting that "three houses were searched" in the city but no arrests were made.The PA has its headquarters in Ramallah and the city is nominally under Palestinian control, but the Israeli army has carried out numerous raids there.Under the Oslo agreements signed between Israel and Palestine in 1993, the PA is obliged to share information with Israel about any armed resistance to the Israeli occupation in a practice known as "security coordination".

 

Lawyer: Egyptian journalist detained on fake news charges

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/lawyer-egyptian-journalist-detained-on-fake-news-charges/2020/06/15/e03e2f90-af6c-11ea-98b5-279a6479a1e4_story.html

Egyptian authorities detained a prominent local journalist Monday on charges of spreading fake news, his lawyer said, in the government’s latest crackdown on press freedom.Mohamed Monir, 65, was taken by plainclothes security officers from his apartment in Giza, his family said in a statement. Over the weekend, Monir had posted surveillance footage on his Facebook, showing scores of heavily armed police officers breaking into his home to search it when he wasn’t there.He later appeared before state security prosecutors who ordered his 15-day pretrial detention on charges of spreading fake news, joining a terrorist group and misusing social media, said his lawyer, Nabeh el-Ganadi.Monir is editor-in-chief of al-Diyar newspaper and a former deputy editor of the pro-government Al-Youm Al-Sabae, or Seventh Day newspaper, among other outlets, his lawyer said.Monir’s family said he had been interviewed recently by Al-Jazeera TV, a Qatari-owned channel banned by Egypt’s govt, but meant no harm by it. His lawyer did not comment on his connection to Al-Jazeera.AP

 

Russia hosts Zarif, promises to stand by Iran on nuclear deal

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/russia-hosts-zarif-promises-stand-iran-nuclear-deal-200616071636850.html

Russia has promised to stand by its ally, Iran, amid tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Moscow.Lavrov said on Tuesday Russia would do "everything" to preserve a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that started to unravel two years ago when the US renounced it and reimposed sanctions on Tehran."We will be doing everything so that no one can destroy these agreements," Lavrov told reporters after face-to-face talks with Zarif. "Washington has no right to punish Iran."He said Russia would firmly oppose any "attempts to use this situation in order to manipulate (UN) Security Council and to promote an anti-Iranian agenda".

 

 

 

*VIEWS, ARTICLES, FEATURES*

 

Removing Statues in India is Pointless. Let’s First Fight Casteism:ANTHONY KHATCHATURIANUP

https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/india-casteism-racism-discrimination-statue-removal-protests-black-lives-matter-america-uk

Religious Freedom reports have little say in US state department policies:K P Nayar

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/us-religious-freedom-report-india-caa-nrc-protests-muslims-k-p-nayar-6460682/

Farrukh Jaffar: Kabhi socha nahi tha ki Hindu-Muslim ki baat apne zamane mein hogi

https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/farrukh-jaffar-kabhi-socha-nahi-tha-ki-hindu-muslim-ki-baat-apne-zamane-mein-hogi-1689221-2020-06-15

 

 *Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:17 PM)*