Bigly Yuge: Donald Trump announces national mask mandate after Halloween brainwave

Two days before the US election and several months of constantly hearing ‘Covid, Covid, Covid’, Donald Trump has announced a nationwide mask mandate. His top advisers see this as a victory for both science and politics.

“The idea came to the President as he watched Halloween trick or treating between campaign stops in Pennsylvania. He gave specific orders almost immediately”, said a White House spokesperson.

Trump’s advisory recommends the use of Halloween pumpkins for women, and fuller PPP gear for men, like those originally designed by the KKK. An indicative video has been helpfully attached with the release.

The Trump campaign is invigorated and inspired by the development. “Not only does this stop all the democratic whining about masks, it also gives our supporters a uniform. That’s the kind of brilliant mind this President possesses.”

The uniforms will come in especially handy on election day, says the Trump camp, whose preparations for civil unrest are all in place. “Our supporters will easily identify each other on the battlefield, reducing friendly fire casualties to zero — like no battle has ever seen before.”

The reference appeared to be to the Battle of the Border in Texas shortly after Trump was elected. Two hunters reached the border in their armoured recreational vehicles that night, on the hunt for Mexicans. But in the heat and chaos of battle, they shot each other because no Mexican was to be found.

This is a work of satire

The writer is a journalist and author of Aarushi, an account of the murder investigation and ensuing trial

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/31XpGnK

UK announces second COVID-19 lockdown; Film, TV production will continue under strict safety measures

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a second stay-at-home lockdown across England, starting from next Thursday and to run for four weeks until at least the start of December, in order to deal with the rapidly increasing coronavirus infections.

Non-essential shops and leisure and hospitality venues, such as restaurants, bars and pubs, will be required to close down. Johnson said that all leisure and entertainment venues will be shut.

Production of film and TV shows will continue, but under strict health and sanitation guidelines, the UK Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact) told Variety.

Following Johnson's briefing on the new lockdown, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, in a series of tweets, said, "The changes mean people should WFH (work from home) where possible. But where this is not possible, travel to a place of work will be permitted – eg this includes (but not exhaustive) elite sport played behind closed  doors, film & tv production, telecoms workers."

Read the tweets here

2/3

The changes mean people should WFH where possible

But where this is not possible, travel to a place of work will be permitted - e.g. this includes (but not exhaustive) elite sport played behind closed doors, film & tv production, telecoms workers

— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) October 31, 2020

3/3

We understand people will have a lot of questions and @DCMS officials & ministers will be working through these and detailed implications with sectors over the coming days@HuddlestonNigel@cj_dinenage@dianabarran@JWhittingdale@mattwarman

— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) October 31, 2020

The new England-wide measures will lapse by 2 December and, unless a further intervention happens in the meantime, England will revert to the current three-tier localised lockdown system.

Takeaways will be allowed to stay open and people can only meet one person from outside their household outdoors. Unlike the first complete lockdown in March, schools, colleges and universities will be allowed to stay open.

Johnson also indicated that he “sincerely” hopes that the restrictions can be lifted enough for families to come together in time for Christmas but set no further details around that.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/3ecMl4x

Understand shock but violence cannot be justified, says Emmanuel Macron on Prophet's caricatures

Paris: President Emmanuel Macron sought to calm flaring tensions with Muslims around the world on Saturday, telling an Arab TV channel he understood that caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed could be shocking while lashing out at "lies" that the French state was behind them.

France is on edge after the republication in early September of cartoons of the prophet by the Charlie Hebdo weekly, which was followed by an attack outside its former offices, the beheading of a teacher and an attack on a church in Nice Thursday that left three dead.

The country was further shaken by a new incident on Saturday, when an attacker armed with a sawn-off shotgun shot an Orthodox priest as he closed his church in the French city of Lyon before fleeing, a police source said.

The 52-year-old priest, who has Greek nationality, was shot in the liver at point-blank range and taken to hospital in a serious condition, sources said.

A suspect was arrested later Saturday, Lyon's public prosecutor said, with the motive of the attack remaining unclear.

Softer tone

Macron sparked protests across the Muslim world after the murder earlier this month of teacher Samuel Paty — who had shown his class a cartoon of Mohammed — by saying France would never renounce its laws permitting blasphemous caricatures.

But in an apparent bid to reach out to Muslims, Macron gave a long interview setting out his vision to Qatar-based TV channel Al-Jazeera, seeking to strike a softer tone.

"I can understand that people could be shocked by the caricatures, but I will never accept that violence can be justified," he said.

"I understand the feelings that this arouses, I respect them. But I want you to understand the role that I have. My role is to calm things down, as I am doing here, but at the same time it is to protect these rights."

He added: "I will always defend in my country the freedom to speak, to write, to think, to draw."

'Relied on lies'

Macron lashed out at "distortions" from political leaders over the cartoons of the Prophet, saying too often people were led to believe that they were a creation of the French state.

He slammed "a confusion that has been fed by many media -- and sometimes political and religious leaders -- which is to say that these caricatures are in a way the project or the creation of the French government or the president".

He also denounced calls for a boycott of French goods, backed in particular by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and taken up by some retailers in Muslim countries, as "unworthy" and "unacceptable".

He said the campaign was created by some private groups "who relied on lies... sometimes from other leaders" about the caricatures.

Even before the attack on Paty, Macron had promised a tough new campaign against Islamist radicalism in France, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of people since 2015.

Protests erupted Friday in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Mauritania and Lebanon, the latest in a string of mass rallies denouncing France.

'Too early to say'

France is still reeling from the latest attack in Nice, which Macron has already described as "Islamist" terror.

French authorities were on Saturday seeking to ascertain if a young Tunisian suspected of killing three people in a knife rampage inside a Nice church had outside help.

Brahim Issaoui, 21, only arrived in Europe from Tunisia last month and, according to prosecutors, killed a church employee, a Brazilian woman and a French woman in the attack in the Notre-Dame Basilica on Thursday morning.

The attacker cut the throat of Nadine Devillers, 60, and the sexton Vincent Loques, 55. A Brazilian mother, Simone Barreto Silva, who was stabbed several times, took refuge in a nearby restaurant but died of her wounds there.

Issaoui was shot by police multiple times and is currently in a grave condition in hospital. Investigators have been unable to question him and his precise motivations remain unclear.

"It is still too early to say if there were others complicit, what his motivations were in coming to France and when this idea took root in him," said a source close to the inquiry who asked not to be named.

Investigators believe Issaoui travelled illegally to Europe via Italy's Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on September 20.

He arrived at the mainland Italian port of Bari on October 9 before coming to Nice just one or two days before the attack.

French police on Saturday arrested another Tunisian man, bringing to four the number of people being held in connection with the deadly attack in Nice.

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/3oJYnqP

18 Trump rallies may have led to over 30,000 COVID-19 cases, 700 deaths, says Stanford study

New York:  About 18 election rallies by President Donald Trump are estimated to have lead to more than 30,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and likely led to more than 700 deaths, a new study by Stanford University researchers said, stressing that the communities where the Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death.

In the study titled The Effects of Large Group Meetings on the Spread of COVID-19: The Case of Trump Rallies', researchers concluded 18 rallies by Trump held between June 20 and September 22 "ultimately resulted in more than 30,000 incremental confirmed cases of COVID-19 and likely led to more than 700 deaths, which may not necessarily have been among attendees.

"Our analysis strongly supports the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of COVID-19 transmission at large group gatherings, particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low. The communities in which Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death," the researchers said in the study.

Reacting to a Twitter post on the study, Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden said "President Trump doesn't care about you. He doesn't even care about his own supporters."

The study, released Friday, noted that more than 8.7 million Americans have contracted COVID-19, resulting in more than 225,000 deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised that large in-person events, particularly in settings where participants do not wear masks or practice social distancing, pose a substantial risk of further contagion.

There is reason to fear that such gatherings can serve as superspreader events', severely undermining efforts to control the pandemic, it said.

Researchers said the purpose of the study is to shed light on these issues by studying the impact of election rallies held by Trump's campaign between 20 June and 30 September.

The researchers said Trump rallies have several distinguishing features" that lend themselves to this inquiry, adding that attendees at Trump rallies numbered in the thousands and sometimes in the tens of thousands.

They noted that the rallies were not geographically ubiquitous and the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing was low in part because the Trump campaign downplayed the risk of infection.

This feature heightens the risk that a rally could become a superspreader event.

The researchers said that to capture the effects of subsequent contagion within the pertinent communities, their analysis encompasses up to 10 post-rally weeks for each event.

"Our method is based on a collection of regression models, one for each event, that captures the relationships between post-event outcomes and pre-event characteristics, including demographics and the trajectory of COVID-19 cases, in similar counties," it said.

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/35WiMjK

Super typhoon slams eastern Philippines as govt evacuates one million; Manila airport shut for 24 hrs

Manila: A super typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines with ferocious winds early Sunday and about a million people have been evacuated in its projected path, including in the capital where the main international airport was ordered closed.

“There are so many people who are really in vulnerable areas,” said Ricardo Jalad, who heads the government’s disaster-response agency. “We’re expecting major damage.”

Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn with sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and gusts of 280 kph (174 mph) — equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. It was blowing west toward densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon that hit a week ago and left at least 22 dead.

“Within the next 12 hours, catastrophic violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall associated with the region of the eyewall and inner rain bands of the typhoon will be experienced,” the Philippine weather agency said in an urgent advisory.

It said Catanduanes and four other provinces will be the first hit, including Albay, where tens of thousands of villagers have been moved to safety, especially near the active Mayon volcano, where mudflows have caused deaths during past storms. Residents have been warned of likely landslides, massive flooding, storm surges of more than 5 meters (16 feet), and ferocious wind that can blow away shanties.

One of the most powerful typhoons in the world this year, Goni has evoked memories of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which left more than 7,300 people dead and missing, flattened entire villages, swept ships inland, and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines.

Jalad said nearly a million people have been preemptively moved into emergency shelters, mostly schools and government buildings. He warned of storm surges that could inundate coastal villages, including in Manila Bay.

Forecasters said the typhoon’s eye may hit or graze metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region of more than 13 million, late Sunday to early Monday and asked the public to brace for the worst. The typhoon may considerably weaken after it hits the Sierra Madre mountain range, then cross the main northern Luzon island toward the South China Sea.

Manila’s main airport was ordered shut down for 24 hours from Sunday to Monday and airlines canceled dozens of international and domestic flights. The military and national police, along with the coast guard and firefighters, have been put on full alert.

About 1,000 COVID-19 patients were moved to hospitals and hotels from tent quarantine and treatment centers in the capital and the northern province of Bulacan, Jalad said. More emergency shelters would be opened than usual to avoid the congestion that can rapidly spark infections.

The war-like typhoon preparations will further strain government resources, which have been drained with months of coronavirus outbreaks that prompted the government to set up isolation and treatment centers when hospitals were overwhelmed and provide aid to more than 20 million poor Filipinos.

The Philippines has reported more than 380,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the second-highest in Southeast Asia, with 7,221 deaths.

Displaced villagers may have to stay longer in evacuation centers even after Goni exits Tuesday due to another storm brewing in the Pacific that may affect the Philippines in a few days, Jalad said.

The Philippines is lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year. It’s also located in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active region around the Pacific where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common and make the impoverished Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 million people one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/3jQej73

Boris Johnson declares England’s second stay-at-home lockdown from 5 November for four weeks

London: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a second stay-at-home lockdown across England, starting from next Thursday and to run for four weeks until at least the start of December, in order to deal with the rapidly increasing coronavirus infections.

Addressing a briefing from 10 Downing Street on Saturday, Johnson said there was no choice but to be “humble in the face of nature" and unless tough action is taken now the peak of mortality in the country could be even greater than the first wave triggering a “medical and moral disaster”.

The new England-wide measures will lapse by 2 December and, unless a further intervention happens in the meantime, England will revert to the current three-tier localised lockdown system.

“Now is the time to take action because there is no alternative," said Johnson.

"You must stay at home, you must only leave home for education, work if you cannot work from home, recreational exercise with one person from another household or your household, and to escape injury or harm, to shop for food and essentials or provide care for vulnerable people as a volunteer," he said, adding that this lockdown would be less "restrictive" than the first lockdown of earlier this year.

He also confirmed an extension to the furlough scheme until December, the wage support scheme for businesses which was set to end from 1 November.

Non-essential shops and leisure and hospitality venues, such as restaurants, bars and pubs, will be required to close down.

Takeaways will be allowed to stay open and people can only meet one person from outside their household outdoors.

Unlike the first complete lockdown in March, schools, colleges and universities will be allowed to stay open.

Johnson also indicated that he “sincerely” hopes that the restrictions can be lifted enough for families to come together in time for Christmas but set no further details around that.

“I am very optimistic that this will feel better by next spring,” he said, indicating no significant changes are to be expected until early 2021.

The latest lockdown plans will be tabled in Parliament next week for a debate and vote by Wednesday, for them to come in effect from Thursday.

At the Downing Street briefing, Johnson was joined by England's Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, and the government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

“Across virtually the entire country, the rate of increase is on rapid increase,” said Whitty, as he presented maps of the latest coronavirus spread across England.

“Perhaps half a million people or more are with infections, based on different models… in terms of death rates, there is potential for things to be twice as bad as the first wave,” noted Vallance, as he described the situation as a “very grim picture”.

The devolved administrations of the United Kingdom will continue to follow their own already strict lockdown policies, calling on residents to refrain from non-essential travels to and from England.

Wales is currently in a “firebreak” lockdown which is due to be in place until 9 November and Scotland’s stringent four-tier system, with Tier 4 akin to a complete shutdown, is set to come into force from Monday.

Northern Ireland, meanwhile, has been in complete lockdown since the middle of October, scheduled for a month.

Earlier on Saturday, several media reports had indicated plans for the month-long lockdown were afoot after Johnson met his most senior Cabinet colleagues on Friday to discuss the possible toughening of restrictions in light of worsening coronavirus infection rate and hospital cases.

Downing Street moved to bring forward the prime minister's announcement, initially planned for Monday, in the wake of the leaked media reports.

Meanwhile, the UK recorded another 21,915 confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 1,011,660.

Another 326 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive test this weekend, taking its death toll past 46,500.

Documents from the government's Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O) revealed this week that England has breached its "reasonable worst-case" scenario for COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions for the winter months.

The scientists warned that the number of daily coronavirus deaths in England is in line with that scenario, but "is almost certain to exceed this within the next two weeks".

Infection rates are currently soaring across much of Europe, prompting new forms of lockdown across Germany, France and Belgium.

The Opposition Labour Party accused the UK government of “dithering” over the issue of what has previously been described as a short “circuit-breaker” complete lockdown.

“We could have saved more of the economy and reduced the impact of [lockdown] with a shorter, earlier circuit-breaker that coincided with half term,” said Labour’s shadow business minister Lucy Powell.

Scientific advisers at the top of government believe it is now too late for a two-week national circuit-breaker to have enough of an effect and a longer national lockdown is needed to drive the reproduction number, or R value, of the virus below one.

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/2Jhgwfg

Tamil Nadu agriculture minister R Doraikannu passes away two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R Doraikannu, who was battling COVID-19, has died, a private hospital said on Sunday.

The 72-year-old minister breathed his last late on Saturday night, Kauvery Hospital Executive Director Dr Aravdindan Selvaraj said in a medical bulletin.

"With deep grief, we announce the sad demise of Honourable Minister for Agriculture R Doraikkannu," on Saturday at 11.15 pm, he said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family during this difficult period," he added.

Doraikkannu was undergoing treatment here, after being shifted from a government medical college hospital in Villupuram on 13 October, where he was admitted to after he complained of uneasiness.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit condoled the death of Daoraikkannu and said he was saddened to know about the demise of the minister.

Doraikkannu "was known for his simplicity, humbleness, straightforwardness, governance skills, and commitment towards the welfare of farming community... He handled the Ministry of Agriculture with full dedication and engraved his strong mark. His untimely demise is an irreparable loss to the people of Tamil Nadu and particularly to the AIADMK party," he said in his condolence message.

Purohit conveyed his deep condolences to the bereaved members of the family and said he prayed to the Almighty God to rest his soul in peace.

Doraikkannu was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from Papanasam in Thanjavur district in 2006, 2011, and 2016, with the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa inducting him in the cabinet in 2016.

The minister's health had suffered a significant deterioration in vital functions last Sunday.

The hospital had said on Monday that the minister was being treated for severe COVID pneumonia and its complications.

A CT scan had shown 90 percent lung involvement vis-a-vis the infection and he was put on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and ventilator.

On 13 October, the minister experienced unease when he was on his way to attend the funeral of Davusayammal, Chief Minister K Palaniswami's mother, who had died at the age of 93 at Salem.

Doraikkannu, who was travelling in his car, was rushed to the government medical college hospital in Villupuram and from there was shifted to Kauvery hospital the same day.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2TJqng4

CA exam 2020: ICAI releases advisory for 21 November test, warns against fake news of postponement

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has released an advisory for students appearing for CA November 2020 examination. ICAI said that it will be conducting the examination as per schedule from 21 November.

ICAI, through its advisory, advised students and public at large to not to believe in rumours of fake news being circulated on social media or any other platforms.

Earlier this week ICAI warned against a fake notice that was circulated saying that the CA November exam 2020 dates have been postponed.

https://ift.tt/31UZSsp

https://ift.tt/3oG9Rvn

He said that ICAI is working round the clock to coordinate arrangements to ensure the safety of its students so that they can appear for the examinations successfully.

ADVISORY TO STUDENTS AND PUBLIC AT LARGE REGARDING ICAI NOVEMBER 2020 EXAMINATIONS pic.twitter.com/TyAp5eF0IB

— Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - ICAI (@theicai) October 30, 2020

ICAI has asked students and public to only refer to ICAI website - www.icai.org. They have been also asked to follow official ICAI social media pages for updates and not to believe on faking profiles imitating as ICAI accounts.

A report by The Indian Express said that ICAI CA November 2020 admit card will be released on 1 November at icai.org. The window to opt-out of the exam will be open till 7 November.

https://ift.tt/3eetgij

The exam will be held in a single shift. It will begin from 2 pm.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/34H2RX6

Valmiki Jayanti 2020: Date and significance of festival dedicated to author of Ramayana

The birth anniversary of sage Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayana, is celebrated as Valmiki Jayanti. The day is observed on the full moon night or Purnima of Ashwin month.

Also known as Adikavi, Valmiki is also credited with writing the first-ever Sanskrit shlokas.

According to a report in The Indian Express, Valmiki Jayanti is also known as Pragat Diwas. On this day, many worship the poet by reciting verses of the Ramayana at Valmiki temples across the country.

The report adds that one of the most famous temples dedicated to Valmiki is in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, where it is believed that the sage rested after writing the Ramayana. It is believed that the temple in 1,300 years old.

It is believed that Lord Rama met Valmiki during his period of exile and interacted with him. Later on, when Lord Rama banished Sita, it was Valmiki who gave shelter to her in his hermitage.

According to legends, Valmiki was originally a dacoit named Ratnakar, who would rob people and kill them. Sage Narada, however, transformed him into a devotee of Lord Rama. Narada advised him to perform penance by reciting Rama Nama, and after years of meditation, his penance was declared successful and he was given the name Valmiki.

The Purnima Tithi for Valmiki Jayanti begins on 5.45 pm on 30 October and goes on till 8.18 pm on 31 October.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted people on the occasion. He said that the ideals of Maharishi Valmiki based on social harmony, equality and justice will continue to inspire citizens of India.

वाल्मीकि जयंती पर आप सभी को बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं। सामाजिक सद्भाव, समानता और न्याय पर आधारित उनके आदर्श विचार देशवासियों को सदैव प्रेरित करते रहेंगे। pic.twitter.com/KDmIYMswMQ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 31, 2020

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu tweeted —

My humble tributes to the Adi Kavi Maharishi #Valmiki on his Jayanti today. He composed the great epic Ramayana and enlightened us about the divine life journey of #LordRama. The poet-saint's philosophical teachings are eternally relevant. #valmikijayanti pic.twitter.com/Sl9hr2PYfj

— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) October 31, 2020

Union Home Minister Amit Shah greeted everyone on the occasion and stated that for ages, Ramayana has inspired the whole world to walk on the path of truth and religion.

महर्षि वाल्मीकि जी ने पवित्र रामायण के रूप में प्रभु श्री राम के जीवन को वर्णित किया। युगों-युगों से ‘रामायण’ संपूर्ण विश्व को प्रभु श्री राम के जीवन, धर्मनिष्ठा, तप और संघर्ष का दर्शन करा कर सत्य व धर्म के मार्ग पर चलने के लिए प्रेरित कर रहा है।

वाल्मीकि जयंती की शुभकामनाएँ। pic.twitter.com/Ts0gPouLFj

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 31, 2020

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/35UdSUm

'Muslim Unapologetics' have grounds for critiquing Left, liberals; but group must not project political goals as religious ones

At least since the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 and National Register of Citizens (NRC) began in early December last year, a section of Muslim student activists have been actively promoting Muslim identity politics as a panacea for Indian Muslims. As in any mass movement, there are several groups within them. The two most prominent groups are the Islamists and the ‘Muslim Unapologetics’ — activists promoting Muslim identity politics on non-religious grounds, somewhat parallel to the Dalit and Adivasi movements in India and the Black Lives Matter Movement in the United States.

At a time when all the mainstream discourses are centred on either supporting or opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Muslim Unapologetics have diversified the discourse and brought in larger questions that need to be addressed. With their questions stemming largely from the works of subaltern and decolonial thinkers and academics, the most distinctive feature of Muslim Unapologetics has turned out to be their scathing critique of the Left and the liberals. They have not only constantly demeaned their strategy, but have also alleged that the Left and the liberals are appropriating Muslim experiences and throttling Muslim voices.

The most oft-repeated criticism against the Left and the liberals in the past few months has been that their outrage against the arrest of Muslim activists is selective. For instance, it is alleged that though they protested vehemently against the arrest of Umar Khalid, a left-wing activist, they were silent when Sharjeel Imam — someone who disagrees with the Left and the liberals — was arrested.

This criticism is placed in the larger paradigm of the Good Muslim-Bad Muslim debate. As Hilal Ahmad, an associate professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, puts it: “The good Muslims, we are told, would join the mainstream; while the bad Muslims would continue to raise sectarian demands and disrupt the progress of the nation. A number of different phrases are used interchangeably to describe good Muslims — secular Muslims, cultural Muslims, nationalist Muslims and so on — to counter the bad guys or communal Muslims, separatist Muslims, Pro-Pakistan elements and, more recently, the terrorist Muslims.”

It is indeed true that Muslims categorised as “bad” have been unjustly targeted for long. Irrespective of how regressive and communal someone’s views are, if they are targeted for no crime of theirs, people from across the spectrum should stand by them. The Good Muslim-Bad Muslim debate must be absolutely irrelevant here. But does that make the Good Muslim-Bad Muslim debate irrelevant elsewhere too? To understand this, let’s first take a brief look at the vision of a ‘good society’ held by the Left, the liberals, and the Muslim Unapologetics.

The Left’s vision of a good society is based primarily on the conception of achieving economic justice through the welfare state. Besides that, the issues of gender justice and a progressive society form the core of the Left’s agenda. Though their vision of economy diverges radically from the Left, liberals too have an agenda of developing a scientifically tempered and gender-just society.

The Muslim Unapologetics on the other hand, have a vision that has several key differences with the Left and the liberals. This is because their vision is based on subaltern and decolonial critique of dominant streams of thought, including that of the Left and the liberals. This is true especially for their visions of what a just society and a just polity would look like. This ideological difference must be wholeheartedly welcomed, discussed, and debated by all sides. Besides, it is perfectly natural for this ideological difference to spill into policy differences as well. The Muslim Unapologetics, for example, will focus on policies leading to a more equitable representation of various social groups. The Left, on the other hand, will focus more on policies leading to a more equitable distribution of wealth in society. The difference in policy orientations too should be a topic of healthy discussions and debates.

What is unfortunate, however, is that the Muslim Unapologetics have brutally compromised with the Islamists as far as the public discourse on Muslim identity politics is concerned. In their internal discussions, they decide their goals based on the academic works of subaltern historiographers and decolonial thinkers and academics like Paul Brass. But when it comes to going public, they do not attempt to clarify the difference between their identity politics and Islamism. Quite often, they themselves speak in the language and tone of Islamists and by talking of issues like Palestine, which are entirely disconnected from the socio-political concerns of Indian Muslims, even assist the Islamists in turning the entire discourse of Muslim identity politics from political to religious.

Though there are several key variations among different Islamist groups, their discourse is based primarily on the works of several 20th century theologian-philosophers like Abul A’la Maududi. Despite having several key differences with the traditional conservative ulemas, these theologian-philosophers have built much of their theories upon a conservative understanding of Islam, especially when it comes to gender issues and interfaith relations. And no matter how hard the Muslim Unapologetics try to use works of decolonial thinkers to justify it, the regressive views of conventional Muslim ulemas and most Islamists on a host of issues can’t be justified by any standard of morality.

Therefore this attitude of leaving the entire public discourse of Muslim identity politics to Islamists brings the Muslim Unapologetics in direct conflict with the fundamental aims of the Left and the liberals. This is because the conservative Muslims and the Islamists have always stood as hindrances in the spreading of the progressive agenda of the Left and the liberals among the Muslims masses. By standing by, and even seconding the Islamists and conservative Muslims, the Muslim Unapologetics are also serving as an obstruction to the fundamental goals of the Left and the liberals.

The Muslim Unapologetics might argue that several aspects of the Left’s and the liberal’s critique of Muslim conservatives are a result of their colonial bias. For example, it can be argued that the Islamic punishment of lashing is considered as barbaric only because of a deeply embedded colonial morality. Instead, the punishment of imprisonment given in the modern world is more barbaric as it completely wipes out several years from an individual’s life, and has the potential to cause even long term psychological damages. On the contrary, the Islamic punishment of lashing causes only physical pain which heals in a much shorter time. There could be several other issues too where, owing to the origin of their thought in the works of decolonial thinkers, the Muslim Unapologetics might disagree with the Left and the liberals. If it is so, they ought to publicly and vocally explain their standpoint instead of keeping silent and letting the Islamists speak on their behalf. Or worse, by beginning to speak the language and tone of Islamists themselves.

All political struggles are inevitably based on social realities. A social reality of the Indian subcontinent is that the masses are generally swayed by emotional appeals based on religion. Thus by portraying a political struggle as a religious one, the Muslim Unapologetics might gain some advantage in the short term. But they must realise that in the long term, they are contributing to making the Muslim masses regressive and thus even more incapable of dealing with the challenges of the 21st century. Moreover, they are condemning the Muslim masses to an ideology that, in the past hundred years, has done nothing except showing them hollow dreams of a Muslim revival.

Therein lies the significance of the Good Muslim-Bad Muslim debate. Though this debate has been used to unjustly target those labelled as ‘bad’ Muslims, something that must be protested against by people across the ideological spectrum, it is a very significant debate in the larger social context. More than anyone else, the debate is needed by Muslims themselves. The increasing political irrelevance of Muslims calls not just for an examination of external factors responsible for this state of affairs, but also a deep introspection of the community. This necessitates a constructive engagement with the Good Muslim-Bad Muslim debate.

By refusing such an engagement and by intermingling the political with the religious, the Muslim Unapologetics are not only pushing the Muslim community to further marginalisation but are also doing a disservice to their own goals. This is because they are mobilising the masses based on a discourse that is not theirs. History offers numerous examples of how political projects ultimately failed in their objectives when leaders ‘used’ religion to mobilise masses for political purposes. Instead of projecting their political goals as religious ones, the Muslim Unapologetics ought to educate the masses and help them differentiate between the religious and the political. Failure to do so will be a tragic long-term loss.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3kLmMdh

Madhya Pradesh bypolls: BJP worsened situation in last 7 months, Congress will return to power, says Kamal Nath

Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, whose 15-month-old Congress government collapsed in March this year and led to the BJP's return to the helm, has expressed confidence that voters will remove the saffron party from power in the upcoming Assembly bypolls as things have "worsened" under its rule.

Bypolls to 28 Assembly constituencies in the state will be held on 3 November. In order to return to power in the state, the Congress has to win all 28 seats, while the ruling BJP only needs nine seats to reach the majority mark of 116 in the 230-member House.

"I have full faith in people and voters of the state, especially from these 28 seats. They are aware that the (BJP) government, which came to power by trading people's mandate, has not been able to change anything in the last seven months.

The farmers' condition has worsened and unemployment has increased...people understand everything," Nath told PTI on Friday night.

"Voters in MP are simple, naive and poor, but they are very intelligent," he said, adding that they will take a right decision. He said the Congress will return to power in the state after the counting of bypoll votes on 10 November.

Replying to a query about how many seats the Congress expects to win in the bypolls, Nath said, "I don't believe in announcing such things. (CM) Shivraj Singh Chouhan is an expert in it."

The Congress leader has been facing criticism for using the term "item" against a woman MP minister during the bypoll campaign.

The Election Commission on Friday revoked Nath's star campaigner status for "repeated violations of the model code while campaigning for the bypolls".

Speaking about it, he said, "Which post or position this star campaigner has? The EC had not given me any notice, nor had it asked me about it. Why they are doing this in the last two days of campaigning only they know."

But the Congress leader defended his use of the word "item". "I was in Lok Sabha for so many years. There it is mentioned in the agenda sheet, item number 1, item number 2... That was on my mind. I did not say it to disrespect anyone," he said.

"Yet, I had said that if someone feels insulted, then I express regret," the former chief minister added.

Nath also claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not express disapproval about him in particular after the episode, but only said disrespectful language should not be used against women.

On the BJP's demand for apology from him over the remark, Nath said, "It is not anyone's demand. I do what I feel is right and proper, because it (disrespecting the woman minister) was never my intention."

Senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia's rebellion against the Congress and the resignation of 22 MLAs of his party in Madhya Pradesh had led to the collapse of the Nath government in March.

Days before quitting the Congress, Scindia, while addressing a rally in Tikamgarh, had threatened that he would hit the streets if the party's manifesto was not fulfilled by the Kamal Nath-led government.

Reacting to his threat later, Nath had then said, "Toh utar jayein sadak par (Let him hit the streets if he wants to)."

When asked about his reply to Scindia, Nath said what else would he have said in such a situation. "If someone says that he will hit the streets and when the same question was asked to me, then I have to say go ahead and do it. What else should I say?" Nath said.

According to Scindia's six loyalist ministers, who were among the 22 legislators who quit the party in March this year, Nath's remark was the last straw that triggered the fall of his government.

When asked whether he tried to speak to Scindia after that, Nath said, "We used to talk quite often then. I had good relationship with him. But now there is no point in going back on those old things."

Nath also slammed Scindia for alleging that "Bada Bhai-Chhota Bhai" (Nath and Digvijaya Singh) has set up a transfer industry in the state, and claimed that the maximum number of transfers were done on his (Scindia's) recommendation and he has a list of it.

On being asked about the Congress's allegations that MLAs were offered crores of rupees to switch over and whether his party has any evidence to support the claim, Nath said, "There is no need of any proof. People understand everything and they know it..."

"I understand people a lot. I contest polls and don't go the Rajya Sabha way. I have spent 40 years among people and I know them," the nine-time Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara said when asked whether his party will get support from people.

On the bitter battle of words witnessed during the bypoll campaign this time, Nath said, "Since they have nothing to say about development, they have started this to divert people's attention. They can't say anything in the name of development. People had voted them out in November 2018. In the last seven months also they have not done anything in terms of development. Therefore, they are trying to divert attention," he added.

Replying to a question on the BJP's allegation that the Nath government did not fulfil the promise of loan waiver made to the farmers, Nath said, "Chouhan was lying for months about it when we were in power. But in the Vidhan Sabha they themselves have presented a figure that agriculture loans of 27 lakh farmers were waived! Now who is wrong, they or me?"

For the first time in the history of Madhya Pradesh, 28 by-polls are being held simultaneously because of switching over of 25 Congress MLAs to the BJP.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3mFy0AA

Bihar polls: BJP's free COVID-19 vaccine promise not violative of model code of conduct, says EC

New Delhi: The BJP's promise of providing free coronavirus vaccine in its manifesto for the Bihar Assembly polls is not violative of the provisions of the model code, the Election Commission has held.

Responding to a complaint by RTI activist Saket Gokhale, the commission said it has found no violation of the provisions of the model code in the issue.

"No violation of any of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct has been observed," the commission said.

Gokhale had claimed that the promise is discriminatory and a misuse of powers by the central government during elections.

According to sources, the commission cited certain guidelines for election manifestos contained in Part VIII of the Model Code of Conduct to conclude that the free vaccine promise was not violative of it.

"The Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Constitution enjoin upon the State to frame various welfare measures for the citizens and therefore there can be no objection to the promise of such welfare in election manifesto," one of the provisions quoted by the EC said.

Trust of voters should be sought only on those promises which are possible to be fulfilled, the other provision cited by the EC said.

"It is stated that the election manifestoes are issued by political parties, candidates in respect of a particular election," the EC response said.

Gokhale wrote on Twitter on Friday, "ECI shockingly ignored the fact that the Union government announced it for a specific state and said action is taken when election atmosphere is vitiated."

Earlier this month, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had released the BJP manifesto for the Bihar Assembly polls which promised free COVID-19 vaccine once it is cleared by the ICMR.

Opposition parties had slammed the BJP for promising free COVID-19 vaccines in its Bihar poll manifesto and demanded action by the Election Commission, while alleging that the ruling party was using the pandemic for political gains.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the BJP, saying one has to refer to the state-wise election schedule to know when one will have access to the vaccine.

The BJP, however, said health is a state subject and its manifesto is for Bihar, not for the entire country, where it has promised that the state will buy the vaccine for its people.

The RJD, the Congress, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party and the National Conference all raised questions on the BJP's poll promise of free vaccine for Bihar, alleging that it is politicising the matter.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/37Zd97k

Conversion only for the sake of marriage is not valid, says Allahabad HC

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court has said in a case that conversion just for the sake of marriage is not valid. The court made the remark while dismissing a plea by a newly-married couple.

The couple had approached the court to direct police and the woman's father not to disturb their marital life. Justice MC Tripathi passed the order last month in a petition filed by Priyanshi alias Samreen and her partner.

In the petition, it was stated that the couple got married in July this year, but the woman's family members were harassing the them.

Dismissing the petition, the court observed, "The first petitioner has converted her religion on June 29, 2020 and just after one month, they have solemnised their marriage on July 31, 2020, which clearly reveals to this court that the said conversion has taken place only for the purpose of marriage."

The court referred to the case of Noor Jahan Begum in 2014, when the high court held that conversion just for the purpose of marriage was unacceptable.

Noor Jahan Begum's petition for protection from family members had been rejected by the Allahabad High Court.

In that case, the court had asked, "Whether conversion of religion of a Hindu girl at the instance of a Muslim boy, without any knowledge of Islam or faith and belief in Islam and merely for the purpose of Marriage (Nikah) is valid?"

The court at that time answered the question in negative while relying on teachings of the Quran.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2THYhBP

DU admission 2020: Delhi University to release fourth cut-off list for UG seats today; check at du.ac.in

DU fourth cut-off list for admission to various courses offered by affiliated colleges will be released by the University of Delhi today (Saturday, 31 October).

Once released, students can check for the names and seat allotted to them on the official website — du.ac.in.

The DU admission process based on the fourth cut-off list will be held between 2 and 4 November. Students can pay the fees by 6 November.

The cut-off is calculated on the basis of the marks obtained by the students in best of four subjects in the class 12 board examination.

Delhi University will be releasing a total of five cut-off lists this year. In the seats are left vacant, the varsity will be releasing a special cut off list.

Around 3.54 lakh students have applied this year for 70,000 undergraduate (UG) seats at the varsity.

Steps to apply online against DU fourth cut off list 2020:

Step 1: Log on to University of Delhi official website — du.ac.in
Step 2: Check the college and course-wise of DU fourth cut off list 2020
Step 3: Register at Delhi University affiliated college websites
Step 4: Enter the required details and upload the relevant documents in the prescribed format
Step 5: Pay the required admission fee and press the submit button

The DU first cut-off list was released on 10 October in which more than 50 percent of seats were filled. The entire admission process is being conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 4,872 candidates applied for admission in DU colleges in the third cut-off list out of which only 2,410 applications were approved. The admission process based on the third cut-off list was held between 26 and 28 October.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2TEJxnb

Odisha schools to reopen for Classes 9 to 12 from 16 Nov, districts to decide on opening places of worship

The Odisha government on Saturday announced its decision to allow schools to reopen for Classes 9 to 12 in a graded manner from 16 November. However, the official notification added that higher institutions will only be allowed to open for research and post-graduate students in the Science stream.

Regarding the opening of schools, the statement said SOPs for the same will be issued soon. "The classes of 9th to 12th standard in schools under control of School and Mass Education Department will open from 16 November as per guidelines or standard operating procedure (SOP) to be issued by the department."

"School and Mass Education and Higher Education department may permit teaching and non-teaching staff to be called to schools for online teaching, tele-counselling and related work in areas outside containment zones only as per SOP issued by Union Ministries of Education and Health and Family Welfare," the guideline added.

Additionally, the government has also permitted the conduction of exams and administrative activities, The Hindu reported.

Schools across the country were shut after the imposition of the COVID-19-induced lockdown in March. Students have been attending classes online since July, however, unlike some states, the digital lectures have not been successful in Odisha due to poor internet connectivity, the report added.

Odisha education minister Samir Ranjan Das was quoted by the report as saying that "only 22 lakh out of 60 lakh students had access to online classes".

"The number dropped again as parents returned to their workplaces with the family’s only smartphones following the lifting of lockdown. Apart from broadcast classes through televisions and online classes through smartphones and computers, the department tried to tap into radios to reach out to students stranded in their villages during pandemic," the report said.

Additionally, the state government made announcements regarding temples and events like marriages and funerals.

The Times of India reported that the government lifted the complete restrictions on opening of places of worship and allowed district authorities to take a call the matter. The report quoted sources as saying that "smaller temples are likely to be opened to the public while the decision in bigger shrines such as the Jagannath temple in Puri may take time".

While number of attendees allowed at marriages and funerals has been extended to 200 and 50 respectively, cinema halls and swimming pools will continue to remain shut.

Odisha's COVID-19 caseload on Saturday mounted to 2,90,116 after 1,470 people tested positive in 24 hours, while 12 more casualties pushed the toll to 1,320, a health department official said.

Of the fresh infections detected in all the 30 districts, 853 were reported from different quarantine centres, the remaining being local contact cases.

With inputs from agencies

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2HN4rxU

India's active COVID-19 cases remain below 6 lakh for second consecutive day; fatality rate drops to 1.49%

New Delhi: India's COVID-19 caseload climbed to 81,37,119 on Saturday after 48,648 fresh infections were registered in the past 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry.

With over 74 lakh patients being cured from the infectious disease, the national recovery rate jumped to 91.34 percent. While the country's COVID-19 toll climbed to 1,21,641 with 551 new fatalities. The case fatality rate has dropped to 1.49 percent.

The number of active COVID-19 cases remained below 6 lakh for the second day in a row.

There are 5,82,649 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country, which comprise 7.16 percent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on 7 August, 30 lakh on 23 August and 40 lakh on 5 September. It went past 50 lakh on 16 September, 60 lakh on 28 September, 70 lakh on 11 October and crossed 80 lakh on 29 October.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, a total of 10,87,96,064 samples had been tested for COVID-19 till 30 October. Of these, 10,67,976 samples were tested on Friday alone.

The 551 new fatalities include 127 from Maharashtra, 59 fromWest Bengal, 49 each from Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, 47 from Delhi and 38 from Tamil Nadu.

Of the total 1,21,641 deaths reported so far in the country, 43,837 are from Maharashtra, followed by 11,140 from Karnataka, 11,091 from Tamil Nadu, 7,007 from Uttar Pradesh, 6,784 from West Bengal, 6,676 from Andhra Pradesh, 6,470 from Delhi, 4,187 from Punjab and 3,711 from Gujarat.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/34JEc4w

SSC MTS Paper 2 exam result declared at ssc.nic.in; 20,902 candidates qualify for document verification

The SSC MTS paper 2 results have been declared by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) on its website - ssc.nic.in. The SSC multi-tasking staff (MTS) recruitment exam was conducted by the Commission on 26 November 2019.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, a total of 17,004 candidates between 18 and 23 years and 3,898 candidates between 18 to 27 years have qualified for the document verification process.

The cut-off marks for SSC MTS Paper-II have been fixed at 20 marks, which is 40 percent for general or unreserved (UR) category and 17.5 marks or 35 percent for all the other reserved categories.

As per the report by The Indian Express, a total of 1,20,713 candidates were shortlisted to take the SSC MTS paper-II exam out of which 96,478 appeared for the test.

The SSC MTS Paper-II exam 2019 merit list has been released along with the result. The individual score of the candidates will be uploaded on the official website — ssc.nic.in on 5 November.

The shortlisted candidates will have to appear for document verification at the respective regional offices of the Commission.

Here is the direct link of the official notification by the SSC on MTS paper II result: https://ift.tt/2THyTfk

Steps to check SSC MTS Paper-II result:

Step 1: Go to the Staff Selection Commission's official website - ssc.nic.in.

Step 2: Tap on the link that reads, "Multi Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff Examination 2019 - Declaration of result Paper-II and shortlisting of candidates for Document Verification."

Step 3: A PDF document will open.

Step 4: Scroll down and check your marks in the list as per your date of birth, region, state, and category.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3mE9tMi

Allahabad University releases results for PGAT 2 programme at allduniv.ac.in

The University of Allahabad has released the Post Graduate Admission Test results for PGAT 2 programmes on Friday (30 October). Candidates who appeared in the entrance exams to seek admission into postgraduate courses offered by the varsity can check their results by visiting the official website of the Allahabad University at allduniv.ac.in.

According to Jagran Josh, aspirants can also check their Allahabad University results by logging onto the e-Counselling Portal of the University at aupravesh2020.com.

The PGAT 2 exam was held from 29 September to 5 October earlier this year. Candidates who get shortlisted from the tests will be able to apply for various postgraduate level courses such as LLM, MEd, MBA and MBA-RD.

Follow these steps to check the AU PGAT 2 results:

Step 1: visit the official site of the university at allduniv.ac.in
Step 2: Click on the results link for PGAT 2 exams 2020 on the homepage
Step 3: Type in the login credentials that were generated during the registration process
Step 4: You will redirected to a new webpage
Step 5: Your PGAT 2 results will be displayed on the screen
Step 6: View, download and take a print out of the mark sheet

Allahabad University also declared the results for the institute of professional studies (IPS) courses.

Candidates can check their results using the registered email address and system-generated Allahabad University password. The IPS test was conducted to shortlist candidates for admission into the professional courses offered by the university and its affiliated institutes.

The varsity has also released the PGAT 2 and IPS scorecards along with the results which are available for download from the website. It will soon release the PGAT 2 and IPS cut off in the form of closing ranks for each subject and category as well.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2HQPjQj

Delhi records 'very poor' AQI of 369; SAFAR predicts significant improvement from Monday

New Delhi: Delhi's air quality recorded a marginal improvement but remained in the "very poor" category on Saturday morning, while a government forecasting agency said it is likely to get better due to a favourable wind speed.

The city recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 369 at 9.30 am. The 24-hour average AQI was 374 on Friday, 395 on Thursday, 297 on Wednesday, 312 on Tuesday and 353 on Monday. Jahangirpuri (412), Mundka (407) and Anand Vihar (457) recorded the air quality in the "severe" category.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

On Thursday, Delhi's AQI touched the "severe" levels for a brief period, before slipping back to the "very poor" category.

According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitoring agency, SAFAR, the share of stubble-burning in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution was 19 percent on Friday.

It was 36 percent on Thursday, the maximum so far this season, 18 percent on Wednesday, 23 percent on Tuesday, 16 percent on Monday, 19 percent on Sunday and nine percent on Saturday.

The number of farm fires has again increased in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and is likely to impact Delhi-NCR's air quality.

"The wind speed has picked up. A significant improvement is predicted by Monday and the air quality is likely to slip back to the 'poor' category," the SAFAR said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the predominant wind direction was northwesterly and the maximum wind speed 15 kilometres per hour. The minimum temperature was recorded at 13 degrees Celsius.

 

Calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground, while a favourable wind speed helps in their dispersal.

The city's ventilation index — a product of the mixing depth and the average wind speed — is likely to be around 8,500 square metre per second on Saturday, which is favourable for dispersal of pollutants.

The mixing depth is the vertical height in which pollutants are suspended in the air. It reduces on cold days with a calm wind speed.

A ventilation index lower than 6,000 square metre per second, with an average wind speed of less than 10 kmph, is unfavourable for dispersal of pollutants.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3mDavrJ

Truth behind Pulwama attack out after claims made in Pakistan parliament, says Narendra Modi

Kevadiya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the truth of last year's Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, has been accepted in Pakistan Parliament.

He also said that when the entire nation was mourning the death of brave soldiers in the Pulwama terror attack, some people indulged in "dirty politics" for their political gains.

Modi's statement came days after Pakistan's Science & Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry admitted his country's role
in the Pulwama attack during a debate in their National Assembly (Parliament).

The prime minister was speaking at Kevadiya in Gujarat after paying tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity on his 145th birth anniversary.

"The country cannot forget the unwanted statements given after Pulwama attack. Dirty politics laced with selfishness and arrogance was at its peak when the country was suffering from immense pain," Modi said.

"The real face of such people has been exposed after the truth was accepted in the Parliament of our neighbouring country," he added.

"Politics done after Pulwama attack shows that people can cross any limit for their political gains. I want to urge such political parties not to indulge in this kind of politics as it affects the morale of our security forces," he said.

"You should refrain from playing into the hands of anti-national forces, knowingly or unknowingly," he added.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2Ge4hPw

Kerala University Result 2020 declared for BSc, BA first semester students at keralauniversity.ac.in

The University of Kerala has announced the first-semester exam results for its Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) programmes. The results are currently available on the official website of the varsity at keralauniversity.ac.in in PDF format which can be downloaded by the candidates to check their marks.

Candidates are advised to check the PDF list using their roll numbers. An official notification said that in order to clear a semester, a student must score a SCPA of 4.00 or an E grade, or a minimum of 40 per cent marks. This is for 2014 admission candidates.

Follow these steps to download and check the Kerala University BA/ BSc results:

Step 1: Visit the official site of the varsity at keralauniversity.ac.in

Step 2: Click on the Results tab present on the homepage

Step 3: Select the name of the examination that you appeared in

Step 4: The comprehensive marksheet for the BA or BSc students will open in a PDF format

Step 5: Navigate through the PDF through your roll number to reach your results

Step 6: Download the document for future use and keep it safe as it will be the only proof of your results till you get the hardcopy from the Kerala University

Here is the direct link to check the Kerala University BA results. And, here is the direct link to check the Kerala University BSc results.

According to a report by India Today, the university will be publishing some draft mark lists on the official website and the candidates will be able to use these draft mark lists to apply for scrutiny and revaluation, if required. There is a time period fixed for that as students must apply for scrutiny and revaluation of their results online on or before 13 November.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3ea1raW

From breathlessness to 'brain fog', effects of COVID-19 can extend for long periods

To say that we live in strange times would be the understatement of the year. We have started the last quarter of 2020, trying to survive a disease with the label COVID-19, which reminds us that it’s been a year now that we are living in this altered reality.

During the year, more than 40 million people have been infected worldwide, and over a million have died. COVID-19 is truly an enigma — every time we feel like the medical community is getting a handle on it, it has the ability to throw a curveball, and set us behind. What is unique to this infection, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 2, is the range of its effects- from being asymptomatic to causing death.

For the vast majority who survive the illness, a ‘negative swab test’ is an important landmark, suggesting they are over the infection. However, in many patients, that’s not necessarily a signal of well-being, as symptoms and lassitude often remain for much longer. In a recent study, known as the COVID Symptom Study, which looked at more than 4 million people in the US, UK and Sweden after a COVID-19 diagnosis, they defined post-acute COVID-19 as the presence of symptoms, lasting more than 3 weeks from the initial onset of symptoms and chronic COVID-19 as extending beyond 12 weeks. These cases have colloquially been labelled as ‘long-COVID’. The long-term effects tend to occur in four main body systems:

-Pulmonary
-Cardiac
-Neurologic
-Mental health

Pulmonary

As the name suggests, the virus primarily attacks the lungs, which is why a drop in oxygen saturation is observed, in most patients. One of the possible long term consequences of COVID-19 is pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lung tissues. Symptoms of breathlessness may persist, with diminished respiratory muscle strength and abnormalities in lung function tests. It’s a good idea to check your oxygen saturation levels on a regular basis, especially after exertion. A simple test to perform is a six-minute walk test. In this, you check your heart rate and saturation levels at rest, and then after walking for six minutes at the quickest pace you are able to sustain comfortably. The heart rate is expected to rise, but saturation levels should remain steady, above 95 percent.

Cardiac

Vijay Singh (name changed) is a 42-year-old marathoner and long-distance cyclist. He suffered from COVID-19 in early June of this year, and recovered within two weeks. He gradually got back to running, but noticed that he used to tire quicker than before. Also, he felt that his heart was racing, even at relatively low intensity. Initially he put it down to lack of exercise for a while, but when it persisted till September, he decided to get himself checked. The cardiologist labelled it as a case of myocarditis. The heart is made up of muscle, called myocardium. Inflammation of the myocardium is known as myocarditis, and the most common cause is infection with a virus. One of the long term effects of COVID-19 has been myocarditis, which has been seen in studies of even those patients who had mild or no symptoms. The signs and symptoms include chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and abnormalities of heart rhythm. If you find that you are getting irregular heartbeats, commonly referred to as palpitations, please consult with your doctor. An unusually high resting pulse, especially over a 100 beats per minute, should also be reported. The good news is that myocarditis is often reversible, but it’s important to keep a close watch.

Neurologic

A couple of weeks ago, one of our patients, Rohit Shah (name changed), came to meet us after recovering from COVID-19. Mr Shah, is a 60-year-old stockbroker who prides himself on his photographic memory and the ability to recall numbers and stock prices of almost all the Sensex shares. While noting down his history, I asked him about any travel to other cities and he said he hadn’t been anywhere since six months. His wife was with him, and informed me later that they had gone for a few days to Pune, which he could not recall. He was making simple mistakes at work too, forgetting things which he never would earlier. This is being seen increasing frequently in post-COVID-19 patients, and has been labelled as ‘brain fog.’ Clearly, this affects day-to-day functioning, whether at work or socially. This sets off a chain of events, leading to anxiety or even depression, and the person gets caught in a vicious cycle.

One of the common neurological manifestations of COVID-19 is a loss of smell. This is due to the virus invading the olfactory nerve. Often loss of smell, accompanied by loss of taste, lasts for several months. Strokes and seizures are rare, but serious complications do occur. Infection with COVID-19 tends to act as a precipitating factor for strokes in those who are already at high risk for it.

Mental health

This illness has taken a huge toll on mental health across the world, and not just in those who have been infected.

Besides the physical burden of the disease, the stigma that has often been associated with it and the social isolation has led to a large number of survivors grappling with issues such as anxiety and depression.

Our mental health team has spoken with hundreds of patients, and it found that much like COVID-19's physical effects, there is a wide range of reactions and effects on the mental health of those infected. Loneliness, which is a terrible disease by itself, is experienced by many patients. That is one of the reasons why I dislike the term social distancing. I prefer calling it physical distancing, which in any case, is the scientifically accurate term for what’s needed to keep the illness at bay.

The take-home message is that we need to be forever alert when dealing with this virus, which seems to be changing colours faster than a chameleon. While we do know that physical distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene are our current strongest weapons in the fight, we need to be alert even after recovery. The road to recovery should include a focus on physical, mental and social well-being, which also happen to be the three pillars of the World Health Organisation’s definition of health.

The author is Director, Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/34IGtNa

Amit Shah to begin two-day visit to West Bengal from 5 Nov ahead of 2021 Assembly polls

Kolkata: Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to West Bengal from 5 November to take stock of the party's organisational matters ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, party sources said on Friday night.

In a late-night development, West Bengal BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu said the scheduled visit of BJP national president JP Nadda from 6 November stood cancelled.

"JP Nadda ji's visit stands cancelled as of now. It has been decided that Amit Shah ji will be in West Bengal on a two-day visit from 5 November.

"He is likely to visit Medinipur organisational district on 5 November and on the next day he will meet party leaders in the state. The schedule has not been finalised as of now," Basu said on Friday night.

Shah, who had played a crucial role in the growth of the BJP's organisation in the state, will look into various aspects of the organisation and will discuss the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections, BJP national general secretary and in-charge of Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

"It will be more or less indoor programmes. There are chances that he might address a press conference in Kolkata," he said.

During the visit, Shah, along with senior party leaders such as Vijayvargiya, vice-president Mukul Roy and party state president Dilip Ghosh, will interact with booth and district-level leaders, sources said.

Although Shah had addressed a virtual rally for West Bengal earlier this year, this will be his first visit to the state after the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Shah had last visited West Bengal on 1 March.

Shah's visit next week assumes immense significance as West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has been criticising the "worsening" law and order situation in the state. West Bengal BJP leaders have been demanding imposition of President's Rule in the state citing "breakdown of the rule of law".

Dhankhar had on Thursday met Shah in New Delhi and discussed the "state of affairs and affairs of state".

On the organisational front, Shah's visit comes just days after the party's state unit witnessed a major organisational change, as incumbent state general secretary (organisation) Subrata Chattopadhyay was removed and his deputy Amitava Chakraborty was elevated to the post by the central leadership.

After having a limited presence in the politically polarised state for decades, the BJP has emerged as the main rival to the ruling Trinamool Congress, winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the 2019 general elections.

With the BJP's strength increasing manifold in the state in the last few years, where it has never been in power, party leaders have exuded confidence that it will end Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 10-year rule in the Assembly elections due in April-May next year.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2THnvjO

Narendra Modi pays tribute to Sardar Patel at Statue of Unity to mark 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas'

Kevadia (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first home minister, at the 182-meter tall Statue of Unity here on his 145th birth anniversary.

Sardar Patel's birth anniversary is being celebrated as ''Rashtriya Ekta Diwas'' (National Unity Day) since 2014.

Modi, whose two-day Gujarat visit started on Friday, reached the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Narmada district on Saturday morning and offered flowers at the feet of the monument of Sardar Patel.

At the same time, rose petals were showered on the statue from helicopters.

Modi then headed to the parade ground and administered ''national unity pledge'' to the gathering on this occasion.

On Friday, Modi had inaugurated as many as 17 new projects, including new tourist attractions near the Statue of Unity. Some of the major attractions include Arogya Van, Ekta Mall, Children Nutrition Park, Sardar Patel Zoological Park or Jungle Safari, and a boat ride.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2JoKMVJ

Narendra Modi pays tribute to former PM Indira Gandhi on her 36th death anniversary

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tribute to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 36th death anniversary.

The then prime minister was assassinated by her bodyguards here in 1984.

"Tributes to our former prime minister Smt. Indira Gandhi ji on her death anniversary," Modi tweeted.

The prime minister had paid tribute to Gandhi in his monthly Mann ki Baat radio broadcast last Sunday as well. "On the 31st of October we lost former Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi. I most respectfully pay my tributes to her," he said.

Tributes to our former PM Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji on her death anniversary.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 31, 2020

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2HR625y

Disney World may lay off more than 11,000 employees in Florida due to COVID-19 pandemic

Orlando: Walt Disney World says it plans to lay off more than 11,000 unionized workers because of the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of pandemic-related job casualties at the Florida resort to almost 18,000 positions.

Disney World said in a letter to state and local leaders on Thursday that the 11,350 union workers — mostly part-timers — will be laid off at the end of the year.

Company officials previously had said that another 6,400 non-union Disney employees in Florida would lose their jobs.

Earlier this week, 720 Disney World actors and singers were laid off since many of the live entertainment shows at the Florida resort have gone dark, according Actors' Equity Association, the labour union representing the performers.

The layoffs are part of a decision by The Walt Disney Co. last month to eliminate 28,000 positions in its parks division in California and Florida because of the pandemic.

Disney's parks closed last spring as the coronavirus began spreading in the US. The Florida parks reopened this summer with restrictions on how many people could be in the parks at any given time and new requirements for social distancing and mask-wearing.

The California parks have yet to reopen because of restrictions by the state of California.

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/3oF5Ya6

Gurjar organisation in Rajasthan to begin agitation seeking quotas tomorrow; police on alert

Jaipur: A major Gurjar organisation on Friday said it will begin an agitation over reservation for the community from 1 November.

Ahead of the agitation, mobile internet services were suspended in Karauli, Bharatpur, Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur. Additional police forces have been put on alert to deal with any law and order situation, a senior police official said.

Talking to reporters in Hinduan, Gurjar leader Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla urged members of the community to reach Pilupura (Bayana) for the agitation on Sunday.

Gurjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti leader Vijay Bainsla said, "From 1 November, the movement will start in Pilupura because the government is not accepting our demands for the past two years."

He said the community was left with no option as the state government ignored their demands.

He said the Rajasthan government should get the Gurjar reservation included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, fill the backlog of vacancies and give the benefit of five per cent reservation to the Most Backward Classes (MBC) in the pending recruitment process.

Meanwhile, police and the administration stepped up vigil in Karauli, Alwar, Dausa, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur and Bharatpur districts ahead of the agitation.

"Mobile internet services have been suspended in Karauli, Bharatpur, Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur. Additional police force, including Rapid Action Force and Armed Border Home Guards, have been alerted to deal with any situation," Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Saurabh Srivastav said.

A high-level meeting of police was also held in Jaipur. Additional force is being sent along with higher officials in the districts.

The Gurjar panel had held a mahapanchayat in Bayana on 17 October, giving the state government an ultimatum to fulfil their demands till 1 November.

On Thursday, Rajasthan Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Ashok Chandna had said a cabinet committee had taken a decision on their three key demands.

Chandna said all 1,252 candidates belonging to the Most Backward Classes (MBCs), who have completed their probation period, will be given regular pay scale by the state government.

The state government will once again write to the Centre to include the provision related to reservation for the MBCs in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, he said.

Chandna said families of the three people who died due to injuries received during the Gurjar agitation in the past will be given an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3mQA4G7

Earthquake hits Turkey, Greece: 19 dead, over 700 injured as strong tremors hit Aegean Sea

Istanbul: A strong earthquake struck Friday in the Aegean Sea between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, killing at least 19 people and injuring over 700 amid collapsed buildings and flooding, officials said.

A small tsunami struck the Seferihisar district south of Izmir, the city in western Turkey that was the worst affected by the quake, said Haluk Ozener, director of the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute.

At least 17 people were killed in Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, including one who drowned, and 709 were injured, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD.

Among the dead were the wife and two children of the secretary-general of the Turkish Medical Association’s Izmir branch, the group said.

On Samos, two teenagers died after being struck by a wall that collapsed. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted condolences, saying "Words are too poor to describe what one feels before the loss of children."

At least 19 people were injured on the island, with two, including a 14-year-old, being airlifted to Athens and seven hospitalized on the island, health authorities said.

The small tsunami that hit the Turkish coast also affected Samos, with seawater flooding streets in the main harbor town of Vathi. Authorities warned people to stay away from the coast and from potentially damaged buildings.

Izmir Gov. Yavuz Selim Kosger said at least 70 people were rescued from wrecked buildings, with four destroyed and more than 10 collapsed. Others suffered less severe damage, he said, but did not give an exact number.

Search-and-rescue efforts were underway in at least 17 buildings, AFAD said. Turkish media showed rescuers pulling people from the rubble, including one survivor who was found about six hours after the quake. Emergency teams continued digging after nightfall and cranes lifted concrete slabs from the wreckage.

The earthquake, which the Kandilli Institute said had a magnitude of 6.9, struck at 2.51 pm local time (11.51 GMT) in Turkey and was centered in the Aegean northeast of Samos. AFAD said it measured the magnitude at 6.6.

It was felt across the eastern Greek islands and as far as the Greek capital, Athens, and in Bulgaria. In Turkey, it shook the regions of Aegean and Marmara, including Istanbul. Istanbul’s governor said there were no reports of damage in the city, Turkey’s largest.

Video on Twitter showed flooding in the Seferihisar district, and Turkish officials and broadcasters called on people to stay off the streets after reports of traffic congestion. Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer urged residents to not enter damaged buildings and to be mindful of social distancing and mask mandates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clouds of dust or smoke rose from several spots as buildings collapsed in the quake.

Greek seismologist Akis Tselentis told Greek state broadcaster ERT that due to the shallow depth of its epicenter — roughly 10 kilometers — potentially powerful aftershocks could be expected for several weeks and warned that buildings could collapse in a strong aftershock.

The government and cities like Istanbul sent more than 3,000 rescue personnel to Izmir, as well as relief supplies. The Turkish Red Crescent set up kitchens.

France offered assistance to both countries. The secretary of state for European affairs tweeted France's "full solidarity with Greece and Turkey" and said "we are ready to offer the necessary aid."

The Greek minister responsible for civil protection and crisis management, Nikos Hardalias, headed to Samos along with a search-and-rescue team, paramedics and engineers. Some islanders planned to spend the night in emergency tents for fear of aftershocks.

In a show of solidarity rare in recent months of tense bilateral relations, Greek and Turkish government officials issued mutual messages of solidarity.

"We pray that there is no further loss of live in Turkey or Greece and we send our best wishes to all those affected on both sides of the earthquake," Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun tweeted. "This tragedy reminds us once again how close we are despite our differences over policy. We're ready to help if Greece needs it."

Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, tweeted that he had phoned Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "to offer my condolences for the tragic loss of life from the earthquake that struck both our countries. Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together."

Erdogan responded to the tweet with his thanks and offered his condolences. "Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds. That two neighbors show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life," he wrote.

Relations between Turkey and Greece have been particularly tense, with warships from both facing off in the eastern Mediterranean in a dispute over maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights. The ongoing tension has led to fears of open conflict between the two neighbors and NATO allies.

from Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/3kKZaWa

Reopening Mumbai local trains tougher than resuming public transport elsewhere, says state disaster management secy

Staggered office timings, along with proper crowd management and sanitation measures, will be key to safely opening Mumbai’s suburban trains for the general public, IAS officer Kishor Raje Nimbalkar told Firstpost.

Nimbalkar, who holds the post of Secretary, Disaster Management in the Government of Maharashtra, said that while saving lives is the administration’s priority, many people now need to go out of their homes in order to earn their livelihoods.

On Wednesday (28 October), Nimbalkar wrote to the general managers of the Central Railway and Western Railway proposing to reopen Mumbai local trains for people at large. However, according to the state government’s proposal, local trains will continue to be reserved for people working on essential services during peak hours. These time slots are 8 am to 10.30 am, and 5 pm to 7.30 pm.

Notwithstanding official guidelines on social distancing, familiar scenes of overcrowding in Mumbai local trains have returned in recent weeks, albeit with a new fear of COVID-19 transmission. In this backdrop, throwing open local trains for the general public while preventing the spread of coronavirus is expected to be a massive challenge for authorities. In an interview with Firstpost, Nimbalkar said that reopening public transport in Mumbai is more difficult than in other cities.

Edited excerpts follow:

It has been two days since you wrote to the heads of the Central and Western Railways. Has there been any response from their end?

Yes, the Railways have responded to the letter. They have asked us to hold a meeting on the issue of how to ensure proper crowd management in local trains.

In the recent past, there have been reports and videos of large crowds in local trains, even though the trains are not yet open for the general public. If trains are made open for everyone, do you believe that social distancing will be possible?

As per our proposal, only people who are engaged in essential services are to be allowed in trains during the morning and evening peak hours. For the rest of the day, we are working out measures to ensure that there is minimum crowding. For this purpose, staggering of office timings will help. If the public at large travels during the early morning, afternoon, and late evening hours, then the crowds will automatically be spread out and social distancing will be ensured.

We have to be very mindful of the risks involved. At present, we are witnessing a second wave of the novel coronavirus in many western countries. Some countries such as Italy and France are having to impose a second round of lockdown. Therefore, people’s lives have to be a priority for us. At the same time, people need to go out in order to earn their livelihoods.

There needs to be an assessment of how many local train services will be needed per day. As of now, even if the Railways run fewer services than in pre-COVID-19 times, many sections of the populace are not taking trains — such as school and college students. The administration will take all these aspects into account in its calculations and then arrive at a conclusion. We are also thinking about whether any technological solution, such as an app, can be implemented.

What are the challenges that are unique to the city of Mumbai?

Mumbai is huge as compared to other cities, and so, in some ways, reopening local trains here is more difficult as compared to public transport elsewhere. During peak hours (in normal times), as many as 4,500 people travel in a single train, as compared to the ideal figure of up to 750 persons. Thus, if crowds in Mumbai local trains return to the levels that were seen before the coronavirus, then there could be problems. The chief minister will issue appropriate directions keeping all these factors in mind.

In the recent past, there have been reports of people having to spend an inordinately large amount of time travelling as they are not allowed to board local trains. Do you believe the government could have made the request for allowing the general public in local trains earlier?

Earlier, many offices were either closed or were working with 30 percent capacity. Now, as per Mission Begin Again, many economic activities are returning to normal. This is the right time.

What sanitation measures will be in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

The local trains are thoroughly sanitised every evening. Of course, sanitising local trains after every trip is not possible considering the magnitude of the task. But complete sanitation work will be done on a daily basis.

You have been quoted in a report as saying that the state government has consulted a firm that prepared software for the Kolkata Metro. Can you shed any light on the measures suggested by the firm?

We are working with the firm, and have shared the relevant data with it. Whenever more concrete information can be shared with the media, we will do so.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3jNwfiO