Humanitarian situation in Syria dire amid economic crisis: UN official

 The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire amid a worsening economic crisis, said Joyce Msuya, the deputy UN relief chief, on Tuesday.

The humanitarian situation in Syria remains dire amid a worsening economic crisis, said Joyce Msuya, the deputy UN relief chief, on Tuesday. As the eyes of the world turn to other conflicts, Syria is on the verge of becoming a forgotten crisis. Yet millions of Syrians struggle each month to survive. For many, their situation has never been direr since the civil war erupted in 2011, she told the Security Council. Fighting in many areas continues, and civilians, including women and children, are being killed and injured. The economic crisis continues unabated, she said.

Fuel shortages and lack of electricity impact the delivery of basic services, including health, education, and water and sanitation. Food and fuel prices are spiraling higher every month, putting the basic necessities for a healthy and dignified life even further out of reach for millions of people. Food prices rose another 18 percent between February and March, said Msuya, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator.

US, allies call on Taliban to revoke ban on girls' education in Afghanistan

 Condemning the Taliban’s decision not to reopen secondary schools to Afghan girls, the United States and its allies have called on the group to revoke its decision.

Condemning the Taliban’s decision not to reopen secondary schools to Afghan girls, the United States and its allies have called on the group to revoke its decision. A joint statement issued by Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union has condemned the Taliban’s decision on March 23 to deny so many Afghan girls the opportunity to finally go back to school.

“The Taliban’s action contradicted its public assurances to the Afghan people and to the international community,” read the statement, adding that the decision came after months of work by the international community to support teacher stipends based on an expectation that schools would be open for all, with the higher interest of Afghan students and teachers in mind.

“We call on the Taliban urgently to reverse this decision, which will have consequences far beyond its harm to Afghan girls. Unreversed, it will profoundly harm Afghanistan’s prospects for social cohesion and economic growth, its ambition to become a respected member in the community of nations, and the willingness of Afghans to return from overseas,” added the statement…Read More

Discrimination against Sikhs has grown in US: Rights expert to US Congress

 Religious discrimination and hate crime against Sikh community in US has increased in recent years, an eminent human rights expert has told the lawmakers urging US Congress to take steps against it

Religious discrimination and hate crime against the Sikh community in the United States has increased in recent years, an eminent human rights expert has told the lawmakers urging the administration and the US Congress to take steps to end this. Congress must take action, Amrith Kaur Aakre told members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties during a recent Congressional hearing on Discrimination and Civil Right. Aakre is legal director of the Sikh Coalition.

Workplace discrimination harms Sikhs in a range of public and private sector jobs including transportation, entertainment, health care, the military and law enforcement by allowing for the biased interpretation and application of government policies and laws. “We’ve seen Sikhs willing to put their lives on the line in defence of their cities and country, only to be told that uniform and grooming policies prohibit their articles of faith, she said….Read More

Andhra govt imposes night curfew, issues fresh guidelines amid Covid surge

 The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday imposed a night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am to check the rise in Covid-19 cases in the state

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday imposed a night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am to check the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state. The decision was taken following the review meeting held by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy with the officials of the health department on the COVID-19 situation. Theatres, multiplexes and cinema halls will be operational with 50 per cent occupancy or alternate seating arrangements. The government has also imposed restrictions on public gatherings, allowing 200 people outdoor and 100 inside the auditorium.

Wearing of masks is mandatory at public places and penalty of Rs 100 will be levied for the violation. Religious places in the state should follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and wearing of a mask is compulsory inside the premises. Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) must be conducted for urgent testing. One COVID-19 care center will be set up in each segment….

World could be entering worst part of pandemic: Bill Gates on Omicron surge

 Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned against the rising Omicron cases around the world, saying that the world could be entering the worst part of the pandemic

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned against the rising Omicron cases around the world, saying that the world could be entering the worst part of the pandemic as the variant will result in the “worst surge” the world has seen so far.

In a series of tweets, Bill Gates said he has cancelled most of his holiday plans after his close friends have been infected with the Omicron variant. “Omicron is spreading faster than any virus in history. It will soon be in every country in the world,” he said. Noting that the “big unknown” is how lethal the variant is, Gates claimed: “Even if it’s only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it’s so infectious.”

He advised people to take booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it gives the best protection. “In the meantime, we all have to look out for each other, especially the most vulnerable, whether they live down the street or in another country. That means wearing masks, avoiding big indoor gatherings, and getting vaccinated. Getting a booster gives the best protection,” he tweeted….

Black Lives Matter: Firms pledge to add at least 1 Black director to board

More than a dozen companies are promising to add at least one Black director to their boards, as businesses across America slowly get their leadership to look more like the customers they serve.

Black Lives Matter: More than a dozen companies, including Zillow and M M LaFleur, are promising to add at least one Black director to their boards within the next year, as businesses across America slowly get their leadership to look more like the customers they serve.

The companies all made the pledge as part of the launch of an initiative by The Board Challenge, which is pushing to get more diversity into boardrooms. The Board Challenge’s co-founders will check in with each of them after six months and again at 12 months to monitor their progress, while also helping them to find candidates.

“America has been reminded again in tragic fashion that we must redouble our efforts to build a more inclusive society,” Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital and a co-founder of The Board Challenge, said in a statement. “Business leaders can’t let this moment pass us by without playing our part and taking this tangible step to build a more diverse boardroom.”

Companies have been making slow progress in getting people who aren’t white men into leadership positions. Across the big companies in the S&P 500 index, more than a third did not have a single Black director in 2019, according to Black Enterprise. The rate of 37 per cent was down slightly from 39 per cent a year before. In many cases, forces outside the companies are pushing for better representation in the board room and in senior executive ranks.

Blue Line, Pink Line of Delhi Metro resume after 171-day Covid-19 hiatus

Delhi Metro’s Blue Line and Pink Line resumed services with curtailed operation timings on Wednesday after being closed for 171 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Delhi Metro’s Blue Line and Pink Line resumed services with curtailed operation timings on Wednesday after being closed for 171 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. Trains are to operate in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 AM in the morning and 4-8 PM in the evening in the first stage. “The Blue and Pink lines resumed services today. Slowly and steadily, Delhi Metro will be back to take you places! #MetroBackOnTrack,” the DMRC tweeted.

On Monday, the Delhi Metro had resumed services with curtailed operation of the Yellow Line, since the closure of the urban transporter on March 22. The Ministry of Home Affairs had recently issued guidelines allowing the Delhi Metro to resume operations in a graded manner, following which the DMRC had said it would be done in three stages from September 7-12. Under stage one, Yellow Line or Line 2 and Rapid Metro were made operational with restricted service hours — 7-11 AM and 4-8 PM.

While nearly 15,500 passengers availed the Yellow Line and Rapid Metro combined on Monday, the figures stood at nearly 17,600 on Tuesday. Metro services in Delhi-NCR was closed since March 22 due to the pandemic. The DMRC has appealed to people to use the rapid transport only if urgently needed.

More Indians in Singapore returning home due to job losses: Envoy

More and more Indian workers are returning home as Singapore businesses cut down on workforce following the severe impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, an official said

International News: More and more Indian workers are returning home as Singapore businesses cut down on workforce following the severe impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, an official said. “On an average, about 100 Indian nationals in Singapore continue to register daily with the High Commission here for flights back home, with over 11,000 having registered so far,” Indian High Commissioner P Kumaran said on Wednesday.

Special flights have been arranged as part of the ongoing Vande Bharat Mission and, wherever necessary, more flights are added to help meet the high demand for some destinations to help Indian nationals return home as they have lost their jobs, or going back for medical treatment or family-distress situation, he said. Kumaran said the high commission would continue to work to ensure enough repatriation flights, even though formal flights between Singapore and India have not resumed.

The high commission has repatriated over 17,000 Indian nationals by arranging 120 special flights since May, said Kumaran. Speaking to PTI, the envoy also listed out his priorities in working on the India-Singapore relationship during his tenure here, especially further intensifying the political engagement, focus on increasing trade and investment flows, and technology collaborations in the space of fintech and startups.

Coronavirus update: Karnataka govt issues new guidelines for home isolation

Karnataka government issued the guidelines for home isolation of Covid-19 patients in the state.

Karnataka Government on Wednesday issued the guidelines for home isolation of COVID-19 patients in the state. After the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state government has permitted the persons tested with COVID-19 to be under home isolation with some conditions. According to the government, only asymptomatic or mild symptomatic people shall be allowed to be in isolation at home. The health team from district health authority will be visiting the house of COVID-19 positive patient to assess the suitability for home isolation and triage of the patient.

They have mandated the regular check-up, tele-consultation for COVID-19 patients while the patient has to report to the physician or health authorities about their health status every day. The patient shall have pulse oximeter, digital thermometer and personal protective equipment (facemasks, gloves) to be used during home isolation, read the guideline. The home isolation shall be with the knowledge of the family members, neighbours, treating physician and local health authorities, it said.

Coronavirus crisis: Nationwide lockdown cripples Assam’s tourism industry

Tourism in Assam has been crippled and scores of people working for this sector are now facing the brunt as there is a nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the deadly virus

The Covid-19 pandemic has been terrible for several businesses, but tourism is among the most affected sectors. Tourism in Assam has been crippled and scores of people working for this sector are now facing the brunt as there is a nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the deadly virus. Speaking to ANI on the same, Sailendra Pandey, Public Relations Officer of Assam Forest Minister, on Friday said that his government will take requisite measures to boost the sector after the conclusion of the lockdown.

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“Tourism has halted at the time when it usually peaks. After the lockdown ends, we’ll focus on reviving this sector,” he said. A couple of weeks back, the Centre had decided to extend lockdown till May 3. Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, stakeholders including states and people have favoured extension of lockdown. The Prime Minister had stated that integrated and holistic approach has helped India to handle the situation properly. He further had said, tight vigil will be kept on all hotspots and containment zones and strict implementation of the lockdown will be ensured so that the virus does not spread to new areas.

Coronavirus impact: ONGC to lose Rs 4,000 crore with the new gas price

For every $1 dollar change, the company’s revenues are impacted by Rs 4,400-4,500 crore annually.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will lose about Rs 4,000 crore in revenue and start making cash losses after the government slashed the natural gas prices by a steep 26 per cent by benchmarking it against rates prevalent in gas-surplus nations.

Prices of natural gas, which is used to produce fertilizer, generate electricity and gets converted into CNG for use in automobiles and piped natural gas for household cooking, was from April 1 cut to $ 2.39 per million British thermal unit – a rate about 37 per cent lower than the cost of production. “These rates are unsustainable for us. We have already told the government that the gas pricing should be freed. There should be complete pricing and marketing freedom,” ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker told PTI here.

The BJP-led government had in October 2014 evolved a new pricing formula using rates prevalent in gas surplus nations like the US, Canada, and Russia to determine the price in a net importing country. Prices using this formula are calculated semi-annually. Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on March 20, 2017, had stated that the cost of production of natural gas in the prolific Krishna Godavari basin is between $ 4.99 -7.30 per mmBtu. The same for other basins is in the range of $ 3.80 -6.59 per mmBtu, he had said…Read More

Poor diet leads to hundreds of deaths in India every year: Lancet study

The study estimates that one in five deaths globally — equivalent to 11 million deaths — are associated with poor diet.

Poor diet leads to hundreds of deaths in India annually, according to a Lancet study which found that globally one in five people die due to the lack of optimal amounts of food and nutrients on their plates. The report, which tracked trends in consumption of 15 dietary factors from 1990 to 2017 in 195 countries, showed that almost every region of the world could benefit from rebalancing their diets.

The study estimates that one in five deaths globally — equivalent to 11 million deaths — are associated with poor diet, and diet contributes to a range of chronic diseases in people around the world. In 2017, more deaths were caused by diets with too low amounts of foods such as whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds than by diets with high levels of foods like trans fats, sugary drinks, and high levels of red and processed meats.

Low intake of whole grains — below 125 grammes per day — was the leading dietary risk factor for death and disease in India, the US, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Russia, Egypt, Germany, Iran, and Turkey. In Bangladesh, low intake of fruits — below 250 grammes per day — was the leading dietary risk.

In 2017, the countries with the lowest rates of diet-related deaths were Israel, France, Spain, Japan, and Andorra. India ranked 118th with 310 deaths per 100,000 people. The UK ranked 23rd (127 deaths per 100,000), and the US ranked 43rd (171 deaths per 100,000) after Rwanda and Nigeria (41st and 42nd)…