North East - The Purbottar

17 Jun

As Delhi plans next steps, on the table: Chinese stakes in Indian tech

editor0 CommentsNorth East

AS New Delhi plans its next military and diplomatic steps to deal with the unprecedented LAC standoff with China which cost the lives of 20 Indian Armymen Monday, on its table will be a factor that could also weigh in: the rising appetite of Chinese investors in Indian technology start-ups over the last five years. While China may not be a big investor in the traditional sense, and business relations are viewed more in terms of the trade deficit that India suffers, it is the new economy and start-up space where China has increased its influence.

17 Jun

PM Modi calls for all-party meeting on June 19 to discuss situation

editor0 CommentsNorth East

In an attempt to forge a broad political consensus on the situation at the India-China border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday called for an all-party meeting on June 19, Friday. The move comes a day after the Army disclosed that 20 military personnel, including a colonel-rank officer, were killed in the worst flare-up on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in nearly five decades. The decision to call an all-party meeting comes after protracted discussions at top-level last night and this morning. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had met the prime minister late Tuesday night where they were said to have been joined by Home Minister Amit…

17 Jun

Nearly 12,000 deaths in 97 days: How India’s toll soared across states

editor0 CommentsNorth East

India’s death toll from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has exceeded the 10,000-mark after nearly 100 days since the first fatality was recorded in the country in March. The country added 2,004 deaths, including the 1,672 backlogged fatalities, and 10,951 infections in its Covid-19 tally on Tuesday, taking the toll to 11,919 from 353,853 infections. The country’s case fatality rate, which is defined as the proportion of death to the total number of cases, rose from 2.9% to 3.4%. The Union health ministry, which updates its data every morning, is yet to reflect the backlogged deaths. The death toll in India…

17 Jun

Rahul Gandhi demands answers over Galwan Valley face-off

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded to know about the violent confrontation between Indian and Chinese armies along the undefined Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army has said 20 of its soldiers, including a commanding officer, had been killed in clashes with Chinese troops in a major escalation of a weeks-long standoff between the two neighbours in the western Himalayas. “Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what has happened,” Gandhi tweeted. “How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take…

17 Jun

COVID-19: Pernod Ricard India’s contribution

editor0 CommentsArunachal Pradesh, Health, North East

Itanagar, June 2020: As the number of COVID-19 cases accelerates with lockdown restrictions easing across the country, Pernod Ricard India Foundation pledges support towards strengthening Arunachal Pradesh’s Government Hospital ICUs and public Healthcare Infrastructure. In such time of distress, Pernod Ricard India Foundation is humbled to join hands with Excise Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh to provide preventive health care supplies such as 5 ICU ventilators, 10 ICU fowler beds and 5000 surgical masks for Arunachal Pradesh State. Pernod Ricard India Foundation remains resolute in its efforts supporting the State Healthcare Departments and Public Service and Delivery professionals, at the…

17 Jun

Covid-19 patient recovers after he was administered plasma therapy

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Convalescent plasma therapy, an experimental medical procedure, where critical coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients are treated using plasma collected from those who have recovered from the viral infection, have come to the rescue of a critical patient (51), who is undergoing treatment at Thrissur Medical College Hospital in Kerala, the state health department authorities said. The patient, who had returned from Delhi recently, amid the easing of nationwide lockdown restrictions, which were enforced from March to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak, had tested positive and was on a ventilator support for six days, as his condition had worsened. However,…

16 Jun

India-China: lodges protest with India over violent face-off in Galwan Valley.

editor0 CommentsNorth East

China on Tuesday lodged a protest with India over the June 15 violent face-off between the troops of two countries, which it claimed took place when the Indian personnel crossed the border line for “illegal activities and provoked and attacked Chinese personnel” leading to serious physical conflict. The protest was "mentioned" during a meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui, Indian Ambassador here Vikram Misri said. When asked if China has lodged the protest, Mr. Misri said “Yes, it was mentioned in the meeting,” but clarified that he was not summoned. “Summon is a wrong word,” Mr. Misri said…

16 Jun

20 coronavirus cases in Siliguri

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Twenty new coronavirus cases were reported in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation area on Monday, taking the total number of patients across north Bengal to around 1,100. Siliguri MLA Asok Bhattacharya whose swab sample was taken on Sunday has tested negative for the pathogen. The new Covid-19 patients in Siliguri are in localities like Subhashpally, Nabagram, Tikiapara, Ghogomali, Chayanpara, Samarnagar, Maharaj Colony, Sevoke Road, Bagrakote, Jadavpally, Srawannagar, Bhupendranagar and Darjeeling More, said sources. “All necessary precautions would be taken in the areas concerned,” said an official of the Darjeeling district health department. The rise in the number of patients has made…

16 Jun

Amphan damper for hilsa-bounty hope

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Prized delicacy hilsa is likely to be in short supply this year, dashing the hopes of a better catch in cleaner rivers because of the lockdown. Hilsa fishing formally resumed on Monday here — after the annual two-month ban from mid-April to promote breeding — but only around 15 per cent of the trawlers could hit the sea. Most trawlers of East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas fishermen are damaged by cyclone Amphan that hit the state on May 20. Though the state government compensated fishermen with damaged trawlers, repairmen are in short supply. So most trawlers are docked.

16 Jun

Partial solar eclipse on June 21

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Sky lovers in the city are expected to catch glimpses of a partial solar eclipse on June 21, provided clouds do not play spoilsport. An annular solar eclipse, which occurs when the disc of the moon covers the central portion of the sun leaving only a ring-like peripheral region called the “ring of fire” visible — will happen on June 21, Debiprosad Duari, the director (research and academic) of MP Birla Planetarium, said. A similar annular solar eclipse had happened on December 26 last year. The eclipse was prominently visible from a stretch of southern India. Calcutta was tipped to…