North East - The Purbottar

22 May

Joe Biden reiterates ‘no shift in commitment to Israel’s security’; backs two-state plan

editor0 CommentsNorth Eastjoe biden

US President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to help organize efforts to rebuild Gaza and said creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the "only answer" to the conflict.Biden also said he had told the Israelis to stop "intercommunal fighting" in the flashpoint city of Jerusalem. However he stressed "there is no shift in my commitment, commitment to the security of Israel" and added that until the region "unequivocally" acknowledges Israel's existence "there will be no peace." US policy under Donald Trump was criticized as being blatantly pro-Israel and ignoring the Palestinians. A Mideast peace plan devised by Trump’s adviser…

22 May

Cyclone Tauktae: 26 still missing, Navy deploys diving teams to look for bodies

editor0 CommentsNorth East

With no trace of 15 personnel from barge P305 and 11 from tugboat Varaprada six days after Cyclone Tauktae fury rendered the vessels adrift, the Navy on Saturday deployed specialised diving teams to boost the search and rescue operations (SAR) off Mumbai coast. “To augment the ongoing SAR ops for the missing crew of Barge P305 and Tug Varaprada, specialised diving teams onboard INS Makar with side-scan sonar and INS Tarasa sailed out early morning today from Mumbai,” a Navy spokesperson tweeted. The death toll on barge P305 that sank in the Arabian Sea on Monday reached 60 on Friday…

22 May

COVID crisis in India a warning of possible events in other low- and middle-income countries: IMF

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Observing that the ongoing "catastrophic" second wave of COVID-19 in India is a sign that the worst may be yet to come, the IMF has said that the situation in the country is a warning of the possible events in low- and middle-income nations that have seemingly escaped the pandemic till now. A report co-authored by International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist Ruchir Agarwal and its Chief Economist Gita Gopinath on Friday also said that under the business-as-usual scenario, the vaccine coverage in India is expected to remain under 35 per cent of the population by the end of 2021. The…

22 May

China Earthquake: 3 dead, 12 injured

editor0 CommentsNorth East

At least 3 people were killed and 27 others injured after a series of earthquakes that jolted Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in China's Yunnan Province on Friday, local authorities said. Rescue forces have been dispatched to the quake zone, and rescue efforts are underway. However, no casualties have been reported after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted northwest China's Qinghai Province Saturday The quake was felt in all 12 counties and cities of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, with Yangbi being the worst hit, Yang Guozong, the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of the prefecture, said. Two deaths were reported…

21 May

Ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip has come into effect

editor0 CommentsNorth Eastceasefire, hamas, israel, palestine

The ceasefire began early on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days of fighting in which more than 250 people were killed, most of them in Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas claimed victory in the conflict. The truce faced an early test on Friday when fresh clashes broke out at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP news agency that Palestinians had thrown stones at officers, and that "riot" suppressing measures had been taken in response. The fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza began on 10 May after weeks of…

21 May

Govt makes all-round efforts to ramp up supply and availability of Amphotericin-B drug for Black Fungus treatment

editor0 CommentsNorth EastAmphotericin-B drug, Black Fungus treatment

The government of India has been supporting States and UTs in procuring drugs and diagnostics for COVID19 management through a “Whole of Government” approach. The States and UTs are proactively supported by the Union Government for ensuring adequate availability of various medicines, medical equipment, PPE kits, masks etc., since April 2020. In recent days, several States and UTs have reported an increasing number of patients suffering from COVID complications in the form of Mucormycosis, popularly known as Black Fungus. There is also a reported shortage of Amphotericin-B, an anti-fungal drug used for the treatment of the Black Fungus disease. Union…

21 May

India observes former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s 30th death anniversary today

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Every year on May 21, India pays homage to the former prime minister and Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated during a political campaign, 30 years ago today. This year, the Congress party has asked all its state units and frontal organisations to observe the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi as the day of "Seva and Sadbhavna" for the people who are grappling with Covid-19 pandemic. Rahul Gandhi visited Veer Bhumi and paid floral tributes to his father. "Truth, Compassion, Progress," he later wrote on Twitter with the hashtag #RememberingRajivGandhi. Priyanka Gandhi also paid tributes to her father and…

21 May

Tarun Tejpal acquitted in sexual harassment case

editor0 CommentsNorth East

The Mapusa District and Sessions Court in Goa on May 21 acquitted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 sexual harassment and rape case filed by his colleague. Mr. Tejpal was accused of raping his colleague in an elevator of a five-star hotel. He was arrested on November 30, 2013, by the Goa Crime Branch and was granted bail on July 1, 2014, by the Supreme Court. The case hit the headlines for days amid a renewed focus on crimes against women. It surfaced a year after the rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus…

21 May

House Arrest For 2 Bengal Ministers, 2 Leaders: High Court In Bribe Case

editor0 CommentsNorth EastCalcutta High Court, TMC

The Calcutta High Court on Friday denied interim bail for all four Bengal politicians - including two ministers - in jail after being arrested by the CBI earlier this week in connection with the Narada case.All four will now be placed under house arrest, the court ruled. The order was passed shortly after a difference of opinion split the two-member bench - acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal ordered house arrest but Justice Arijit Banerjee ordered interim bail. Now, a larger bench will be constituted which will hear the matter,” Manishankar Chatterjee, the lawyer for Subrata Mukherjee, said. “Meanwhile, the four…

21 May

Barge P305 sinks in the Arabian Sea: 51 dead, 27 missing

editor0 CommentsNorth EastBarge P305, Cyclone, defence, INDIA

Early on Friday, the police said that on the complaint of a P305 engineer, an offence was registered under Sections 304(II) (an act done with knowledge that it is likely to cause death), 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The Yellow Gate police said they have booked the captain of the barge for allegedly ignoring the warnings related to Cyclone Tauktae. Mumbai Police Spokesperson DCP S Chaitanya said, “The captain of the barge acted negligently on the warnings issued related to Cyclone Tautkee…