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

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REUTERS
(Last Updated On: May 10, 2021)

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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Ex-MP Allah Gul Mujahid arrested in connection with a murder

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(Last Updated On: May 12, 2024)

Kabul police has announced that Allah Gul Mujahid, a member of parliament in the previous government, has been arrested in connection with a murder.

Khalid Zadran, the spokesman of Kabul police, said on X that Mujahid is a suspect in the murder of an individual named Saeedullah who was killed almost three months ago.

He added that the investigation of the case requires that Mujahid’s freedom be limited and it was decided that he remain detained until the court’s verdict.

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Several countries express solidarity with Afghanistan after flash floods kill hundreds

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(Last Updated On: May 12, 2024)

Pakistan, Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have expressed with Afghanistan after flash floods killed more than 300 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in northern Baghlan province.

“The Government and the people of Pakistan express their heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss of life and widespread damage to property caused by heavy rains and flash floods in several provinces of Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan during this difficult time.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry said: “The State of Qatar expresses its full solidarity with Afghanistan in face of the destruction caused by massive floods hitting the Baghlan province north of the country, which resulted in deaths and injuries.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the State of Qatar’s firm support to Afghanistan and its brotherly people, and voiced its complete readiness to cooperate with the relevant authorities in Afghanistan to provide all means to help overcome crises,” it added.

UAE’s Foreign Ministry also expressed “its sincere condolences and sympathy with the friendly people of Afghanistan, and to the families of the victims, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.

“The United Nations and its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance,” he said.

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Japanese ambassador meets deputy agriculture minister

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(Last Updated On: May 11, 2024)

The Japanese ambassador in Kabul, Takayoshi Kuromiya, met Saturday with Sader Azam Osmani, the Deputy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, the meeting discussed Japan’s cooperation in these areas.

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