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India’s COVID-19 cases dip from peak, but calls for shutdown mount

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REUTERS

Calls grew for India to impose a nationwide lockdown as new coronavirus cases and deaths held close to record highs on Monday, increasing pressure on the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reuters reported.

The 366,161 new infections and 3,754 deaths reported by the health ministry were slightly down from recent peaks, taking India's tally to 22.66 million with 246,116 deaths.

But as many hospitals grapple with an acute shortage of oxygen and beds while morgues and crematoriums overflow, experts have said India's actual figures could be far higher than reported, Reuters reported.

Sunday's 1.47 million tests for COVID-19 were this month's lowest yet, data from the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research showed. The figure compared with a daily average of 1.7 million for the first eight days of May.

The number of positive results from the tests was not immediately clear, however.

Many states have imposed strict lockdowns over the last month while others have placed curbs on movement and shut cinemas, restaurants, pubs and shopping malls.

But pressure is mounting on Modi to announce a nationwide lockdown as he did during the first wave of infections last year, Reuters reported.

He is battling criticism for allowing huge gatherings at a religious festival and holding large election rallies during the past two months even as cases surged.

"A failure of governance of epic and historic proportions," Vipin Narang, a political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, said on Twitter.

On Sunday, top White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said he had advised Indian authorities they needed to shut down.

"You’ve got to shut down," Fauci said on ABC's "This Week" television show. "I believe several of the Indian states have already done that, but you need to break the chain of transmission. And one of the ways to do that is to shut down."

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also called for a "complete, well-planned, pre-announced" lockdown.

New Delhi, the capital, entered a fourth week of lockdown, with tougher curbs such as the shutdown of the suburban rail network, while residents scrambled for scarce hospital beds and oxygen supplies, Reuters reported.

"This is not the time to be lenient," Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.

"This phase is so tough, this wave is so dangerous, so many people are dying...the priority at this hour is to save lives," he said in a televised address.

Global support, in the form of oxygen cylinders and concentrators, ventilators and other medical gear, has poured in.

By Sunday, the world's largest vaccine-producing nation had fully vaccinated just over 34.3 million, or only 2.5%, of its population of about 1.35 billion, government data shows.

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Iran executes 13 Afghans in October, 49 in total since January

Last month, Iran carried out at least 166 executions in October alone bringing the total in the first 10 months of 2024 to at least 651

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Iran Human Rights reported this weekend that in the first 10 months of 2024, Iran has executed 49 Afghan nationals, 13 of whom were executed in October alone. 

According to IHR, the number of executions of Afghan nationals has increased in the past three years. 

In 2022, 16 Afghan nationals, including a juvenile offender and a woman, were executed. 

In 2023, this number increased to 25. 

This year, the trend has accelerated further.

IHR warned that Iran may take advantage of the rising conflict between Iran and Israel to escalate the number of executions in the coming months.

Last month, Iran carried out at least 166 executions in October alone bringing the total in the first 10 months of 2024 to at least 651.

This marks the highest number of executions recorded in a single month since Iran Human Rights began documenting executions in 2007. 

Among those executed were the 13 Afghan nationals, six women, and an Iranian-German citizen.

The organization has called on the international community, media, and civil society to closely monitor and respond to what they say is an “alarming rise in executions”.

IHR also stated that since the presidential election and the recent escalation in Iran-Israel tensions, the number of executions has surged, with at least 353 people having been executed between August and October - since President Massoud Pezeshkian took office.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not yet commented on the number of Afghan nationals executed.

The Iranian government does not disclose the number of Afghans it executes or the reasons behind most cases. 

However, it is widely believed that a significant portion of these executions are related to drug charges.

Human rights organizations have criticized the Iranian government for conducting such executions, arguing that these actions violate international laws and the right to life.

Amnesty International says that the death penalty, without exception, constitutes a violation of the right to life as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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AWCC launches telecom and internet services in Manogai district of Kunar

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Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) has launched telecom and internet services in Manogai district of Kunar province.

AWCC officials said with the activation of the new site in Manogai, resident’s problems will be solved.

"The site now offers 2G and 3G services and hundreds of families who were deprived of internet services are now very happy," said Ataullah Sahil, head of AWCC for the eastern zone.

AWCC has also set up a new customer service center in the region to address people's problems.

"The services we have in Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, have now been activated in Ninglam market," said Abrarullah Zuhair, head of sales at AWCC.

“People in Pech Dara, Chapa Dara and Want Waigal of Kunar can get SIM cards from this branch and visit here to solve other problems,” he added.

Meanwhile, officials of the provincial telecommunications and information technology department appreciated the services of AWCC, saying that many families will benefit from telecommunication and internet services with the activation of this site.

"About 15,000 families will be provided with 3G services," said Abdul Wali Marshal, Kunar’s director of telecommunications and information technology. “Voice call services are also available. There were a lot of problems in this area before.”

Residents of Manogai district are happy with the activation of the AWCC site in the district and want telecommunication services to be expanded in remote parts of the district.

“There were a lot of internet problems here,” said Abdul Shakoor, a resident of Kunar province. “There were also problems in Ninglam. We thank AWCC for setting up this tower.”

In the past three years, AWCC has launched telecommunication services in many areas of the eastern provinces.

 

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Kabul gas company fire claims two lives, injures over 100

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Two people died and 107 were injured in a fire in a densely populated area of Kabul’s Paghman district on Saturday night, Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) confirmed Sunday.

ANDMA officials said of those injured, 81 sustained only minor injuries.

Officials said the blaze, which broke out in the Qala-e-Haidar Khan area, caused over $1.2 million in damages, impacting local businesses and traders.

The department noted that these figures are provisional and may change as an assessment is ongoing.

On Sunday, Mullah Noor Ud din Turabi, head of ANDMA, visited the area and extended his sympathies to those affected by the blaze.

He said investigation teams were on-site to determine the cause of the fire and to make necessary decisions.

The fire broke out at about 6pm at a gas company, resulting in massive explosions of tankers.

Firefighters were however quick to arrive at the scene.

Fragments from gas tankers that exploded were scattered up to two kilometers from the site.

ANDMA said it is taking proactive measures to address both the immediate needs of those affected and the longer-term impacts on the local community.

 

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