Test Going On Dogs’ Ability to Identify COVID-19 Patients- By UK Researchers May 16, 2020 19:37
Dogs will be tested if they have the ability of identifying the COVID-19 positive and negatives. The dogs will have the patients samples from London Hospitals with COVID-19 odor.In this study, the researchers are taking the help of six labradors and cocker spaniels. The task of the dogs sniff and to distinguish the virus infected patients. This test is to detect the diseases easily and quickly.The study will be conducted in London School Of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Durham University, and a British charity, Medical Detection Dogs. British government provided for the research expenses which is worth 500000 pounds.Dogs are already doing a great job of identifying certain cancers. This innovation is expected to work on COVID-19 as well. Innovation Minister James Bethell said “Bio-detection dogs already detect specific cancers and we believe this innovation might provide speedy results as part of our wider testing strategy.”The dogs are trained to distinguish the people who are not infected with coronavirus.If this research turns out to be successful, a single person will be able to check up 250 people per an hour. The process of checking COVID-19 will be implemented in public places like airports.The research is in progress in the countries US and France as well.By Ramya C
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India Will Receive Four Rafales By July End To Gain Power Over Pakistan And China May 15, 2020 20:51
India is going to be ranked top over Pakistan and China in air with four rafales that are ready to come by July end. The rafels are coming from France.The rafales was scheduled to be delivered by May but got delayed due to COVID-19 lockdown. Now it is postponed to July which is 2 months due to the current situation both in Indian and France.At French airbase seven Indian pilots have completed their training. After this, second batch is ready to get the training in French soon after the lockdown is removed in the two countries (France and India)India will be receiving more equipment as per the deal with France. Indian had signed a deal with France which is worth over 60,000 crore for 36 rafales in September 2016. The rafales are for emergency needs of the Indian Air Force.What makes India powerful is, the air to air and air to ground striking capabilities are more than Pakistan and China rivals.By Ramya C
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Maharashtra Govt Decision To Free 50 Percent Prisoners From The State Jails May 13, 2020 15:43
The Maharashtra government decides to release 17,000 prisoners after many of them have tested positive for coronavirus.In Arthur Road jail 184 prisoners and 26 jail officials are affected with COVID-19. The total strength of prisoners in the jail is 35,239 from which 50% will be temporarily released. The count of prisoners is considering all the jails in Maharashtra state. The step of releasing the prisoners out of the jail is to avoid further spread of coronavirus due to overcrowd.This step is taken by Maharashtra Prisons Department in which it consists of Justice A.A. Sayed of the Bombay High Court, along with Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Chahande and Director-General of Prisons S.N. Pandey. The prison authorities shall follow the due process of law before setting the prisoners free.According to the previous discussion of March 25, the committee decided to release only 11,000 prisoners. Since 25 March, more than 5,000 prisoners with minor charges have been freed from the prisons.Prisoners protested for the release from the jail due to the widespread of coronavirus within the premises. The jail is for 800 prisoners but it got overpopulated with 2,700 prisoners. With the overpopulation, it is vulnerable to spread.A prison department official said, prisoners whose sentences have crossed seven years shall be counted in the release on emergency parole. Again the condition is applicable for the same- the prisoners who have returned without delay from the last two prison leaves will only be released. Under this condition, already 3000 convicts are released and around 9,000 are yet to be released.The committee said, “It is true that so far as MPID Act is concerned, there are no restrictive provisions for grant of bail. However, it would be necessary to look at the facts on case to case basis by a judicial mind before releasing such prisoners, who are generally known to be more resourceful, after considering the likelihood of them absconding and/or tampering with evidence or witnesses and/or blocking the recoveries to be made from the properties and in a given case it would be necessary to secure.”By Ramya C
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Former PM Manmohan Singh Admitted To AIIMS Over Chest Pain Complaints May 11, 2020 15:31
The former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh was admitted to AIIMS in Delhi over complaints of chest pain on Sunday evening. Singh was admitted to the hospital at around 08:45 PM. The reports further suggest that he is under observation in the cardio-thoracic ward in the hospital. The senior Congress leader has also been investigated for the presence of fever and other complications at the moment. Singh was operated on by a team of doctors led by cardiovascular thoracic surgeon and vice-chairman of Asian Heart Institute, Dr Ramakanta Panda in 2009. He was then operated for redo cardiac bypass surgery. Since then, the former PM of India has been leading an active and healthy lifestyle. The former PM has already undergone 5 bypass surgeries, the earlier one conducted in 1990. He has also got the stenting procedure done in 2004. Singh served as the PM of India between 2004 and 2014 and is now the senior leader in Congress representing Rajasthan in the Upper House of Parliaments. - Somapika Dutta
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57-year old Indian woman tells wife to “give her husband” May 05, 2020 14:09
In the list of the most bizarre happenings around the world, one happened at Madhya Pradesh in India. A 57-year old woman who had an affair with a married man asked his wife to “give away her husband.” The incident happened in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.The woman had been in a relationship with the 45-year married man for quite some time now, but things fell apart during the lockdown when she wasn’t able to meet him and started feeling lonely.With no options left, she decided to go to her lover’s house which resulted in the man’s wife knowing about the affair. The woman even took things to an extent that she told her to give away her husband in exchange for the property that she is currently residing in.When the wife refused to such a demand, she further decided to call the woman’s daughter in law and the police to further settle the dispute arising. It was later revealed that the 57-year old’s husband died in 2010. Following her son’s marriage, she started feeling lonely, because of which she got into an affair with the 45-year old man. The man is her colleague whom she started sharing her stories with. The eventually became closer and started having an affair.Things took a turn for the worse when the couple couldn’t see each other because of the lockdown.By Somapika Dutta
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Indian Man goes for grocery shopping and brings home a wife May 02, 2020 14:36
While the entire world is already amidst a crisis, something trivial happened. An Indian man who went out to buy groceries somehow came back home with a bride. The incident happened in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The guy, 26-year olds Guddu was asked by his mother to buy some necessities and groceries amidst the lockdown that India is under. Instead of getting groceries back home, the man surprised his mother by bringing home another woman named Savita, claiming her to be his wife. The mother was left in a state of shock and refused to accept the couple. He even called the police upon them. The officers who reached their place were confused themselves on how to tame the situation given that they had been focused in following through the lockdown guidelines. “He told me he was going out to do grocery shopping, but when he returned, he came back with a wife. I am not ready to accept this marriage,” the mother said. Even though the mother has stated that her shock is not letting her accept the marriage, police officer Rakesh Kumar Mishra said that she is not accepting of the marriage because her probable son in law belongs to another caste. It was later revealed that Guddu and Savita have already been married secretly for the past few months. After their marriage, Savita has been staying alone in a rented apartment in Delhi. Guddu later revealed that he was planning on telling his mother about the wedding but the lockdown ruined all the plans. By Somapika Dutta
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TCS introduces new 25/25 work model as post-covid precaution April 29, 2020 21:06
While the entire world is coping with the constant stress and pressure of the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown, the biggest IT company in India, TCS has planned out its work schedule till 2025. The IT giant has planned to let go of its 20 years of work model and implement a new 25/25 model. Up till 2025, TCS is planning on asking 75% of its workforce globally to work from home instead of coming round to the office. The industry average was 20% up until now. The new model is likely going to require a lot less office space. "We don't believe that we need more than 25% of our workforce at our facilities in order to be 100% productive," TCS COO, NG Subramaniam said. For the post-lockdown phase, TCS has implemented what they are calling as the Secure Borderless Work Spaces (SBWS) which includes 90% of its employees out of the 4,48,000 employees. TCS has been investing on this platform for quite a few years now and it is time the same is put into use. TCS CEO and MD, Rajesh Gopinathan believes that with this operating model, they have come out stronger and their model has proven to be more beneficial than ever. Subramaniam further added that only 25% of the employees should spend working time in the office. This further narrates the fact that 75% of the project team is going to be in one place while the rest will be dispersed in different places around. With TCS implementing this, it is likely that the other IT companies in the country are likely going to follow through the footsteps. This is expected to bring in a lot of changes to the IT service firms and the way they work. While the experts say that only 15-20% of the employees worked from home before the lockdown, it is likely that things are about to take a complete U-turn after the lockdown is lifted. The lack of flexibility in human resources and the work from home options is likely going to change. By Somapika Dutta
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US health agencies report six new coronavirus symptoms April 27, 2020 18:40
Dry cough, fever and shortness of breath. These were some of the common symptoms that were clarified by the reputed health officials in the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. While majority of the individuals kept an eye out on these primary symptoms, there were a few other symptoms that made a mark.Researchers shortly came up with the possibility that the loss of smell and taste could be linked with the coronavirus symptoms.Recently, the primary US health agency, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has added six new symptoms to the list of the pre-existing symptoms. Some of them include chills, shaking with chills, constant muscle pain, persistent headache, sore throat and the loss of taste and smell.Aside from these symptoms, CDC also encountered the signs of trouble in breathing, constant pressure and pinching pain in chest, confusion and inability to decipher, lack of arousal, bluish tinge to the lips and face as some of the emergency symptoms of the condition.With the global death toll of the country surpassing 200,000 already, countries from across the world are now leveraging some of the best ways to keep the numbers down and their country protected. Majority of the countries have been taking cautious steps into the process of easing of the lockdown.But, the constant fear of the resurgence of the infection has left people in a constant dilemma of whether or not they should reopen the businesses. A few of the US states including Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska have already started loosening up their restrictions and advised the businesses to open again despite constant warnings of the downsides to it.Aside from that, India has also advised on opening some of the neighbourhood stores, the mobile and electronic shops and such. But, the lenience is still not applied to majority of the red zones and quarantined towns that are the worst hit because of the covid-19. While the shopping malls have still be advised to remain close, the opening of the small stores have brought in some relief for these small scale businessmen.India has also allowed the manufacturing and the farming industry in the rural areas to get back in operation but with all the necessary precautions taken. The WHO has informed that there are no possible evidence that the person who has been infected with the novel coronavirus to be infected again. Sri Lanka has also lifted their monthlong day time curfew in 2/3rd of the country. But, with the increase in the number of cases again, the country imposed a 24-hours lockdown till Monday. Norway has imposed its ban on gatherings of 500 people till September 01.Spain authorities have reported that the people will be allowed to leave their homes for quick walks around in the neighbourhood but ensuring to follow all the safety protocols as suggested.The coronavirus has already infected over 3 million people and has caused over 200,000 deaths worldwide already.By Somapika Dutta
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PM Narendra Modi interacted with sarpanchs via video conferencing April 24, 2020 12:55
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, interacted with the Sarpanchs from all across the country via video conference on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Day. Apart from interacting with the sarpanchs and getting an idea about the situation in each of the villages, PM Modi also launched e-Gram Swaraj portal and a mobile app. All the Sarpanchs have been advised to share their opinions on the situation with PM Modi and will have to join the interaction at one of the Common Service Centre that is situated close to them. PM Modi highlighted that this virus has taught every individual to become self-dependent which is why it is high time that the villages of the country become self-reliant on the things that they have around them. He further highlighted the growth of the country saying that while only less than 100 village panchayats had broadband connection a few years back, today the same has crossed 1.25 gram panchayats all across the country. The Common Service Centres have been opened up as well to help the villages fight the novel coronavirus. In order to make the villagers understand the concept of social distancing, PM Modi clarified that it is maintaining a distance of “do gaj door” among each other. This is expected to help them understanding this better. Speaking about the challenges that the novel coronavirus had thrown at people, PM Modi said that it has posed India in a very crucial and critical situation but it has also made everyone learn new things that they otherwise wouldn’t. The PM also lauded the kind of cooperation the entire country has shown, saying that it is the cumulative efforts on everyone’s part that is posing India as an example across the globe. “The members of the Panchayati Raj system, who are fighting in a committed manner against this challenge like brave warriors act as a source of inspiration for the rest of us. This combined force is our strength in this fight. We will definitely defeat this pandemic by staying strong through our unity,” said PM Modi to Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh in a letter. By Somapika Dutta
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Novel coronavirus can withstand sustained exposure to heat: Study April 21, 2020 17:21
While majority of the people had the notion that the novel coronavirus doesn’t withstand heat and won’t infect the tropical countries, they have been proven wrong. Despite the prior suspicions, the new studies have found that the virus can very well thrive in higher temperatures.According to a study conducted by the researchers from the University of Aix-Marseille in France, they have found that the virus can live in prolonged exposure to heat as well.In the study, the researchers found that the standard temperature of 60 degrees celsius which is typically used for disinfecting the labs didn’t have any kinds of impact on the nature of the virus. The pathogen can only be killed when exposed to a high temperature of 92 degrees celsius for an extended period of 15 minutes.The samples were collected using swabs from the kidneys of an infected African green monkey. While one of the swabs was heated, the other one was used with animal proteins in order to mimic the biological contamination process that has been witnessed around.The researchers then heated one of the samples for an hour in 60 degrees celsius. The virus stayed intact and even replicated at a prolonged high temperature. This suggests that even after the proper disinfecting of the labs, it is likely that the virus may linger.When the same was disinfected at 92 degrees celsius for an hour, the virus was successfully killed but since it caused RNA damage, the sensitivity of the check was harmed. The team of researchers also suggested that the 60 degree temperature would be enough to kill the virus if the sample size is small. But, in case of the larger infection size, the near boiling point is a necessity to deactivate the virus.The researchers also concluded with it are the fact that it is always better to use chemicals to disinfect the labs instead of using heat. Some reports even suggested that the China lab workers were aware of the hazard which is why they made use of the hazmat suits. The study is yet to be peer reviewed or published in any of the scientific journals around.By Somapika Dutta
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Covid-19 positive case in Rashtrapati Bhavan; 125 families in self isolation April 21, 2020 12:28
One positive case has been reported in Rashtrapati Bhavan putting 125 families in self isolation at the moment. The same has been done with immediate effect following the guidelines put down by the Union Ministry of Health in India. According to the reports, the person who has been tested positive for the virus is a relative of a sanitation worker. The infected individual’s mother has also reportedly died because of the covid-19 complications. The entire house has been sealed and the family inside is under quarantine for the coming two weeks. Following the report, 30 families near the staffer’s house have been advised to stay in quarantine and that the food will be supplied to them by the government. In addition to that, another 95 families along with that have also been advised to quarantine themselves. The employees in these houses have also been advised to stay inside.The reports also suggest that amidst the 125 families containing around 500 people around the Rashtrapati Bhavan have been put under self quarantine. No official statement has been released by the Rashtrapati Bhavan yet.India currently has over 18,000 confirmed cases with over 500 reported deaths and over 3000 recoveries or migration.By Somapika Dutta
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India witness biggest single day rise in Covid-19 cases; tally cross 17,000 April 20, 2020 11:15
Entering the lockdown 2.0, while India was planning on implementing several relaxations on the lockdown measures, the country witnessed the highest spike in the confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. India reported 1,553 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total tally of the confirmed cases in the country above 17,000. The death toll due to Covid-19 currently stands at 543. The officials have reported that the country has tested over 4 lakh samples already. Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan stated saying, “The doubling rate of Covid-19 cases has increased from three days before imposition of lockdown in March to 9.7 days now.”Out of all the infected people, over 2000 people have recovered already. Kerala is the only state in the country which has reported more recoveries than the active cases now with just 2 casualties till now. They have been proactively working to flatten the curve effectively.At present, 14, 175 active cases of the novel coronavirus are still there in the country.Maharashtra is the worst hit state reporting over 4200 cases till now followed by Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana. These are some of the hotspot areas in the country.Aside from that, PM Narendra Modi informed that there might be relaxations in the lockdown restrictions from April 20, 2020 in the low infected areas. There are likely going to be more lenience in the work and the movement of the people but the same is going to be informed accordingly.The country has also been divided into red zones, green zones and orange zones, which are the markers on how the country might reopen its economy based on the cases reported.By Somapika Dutta
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