India
Coronavirus: India now 6th in the world with 236,657 cases
India has become the 6th worst-hit country in the world with 236,657 confirmed coronavirus cases as it has recorded close to 10,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours.
Elephant embraces tragic death in India after eating pineapple stuffed with crackers
The tragic death of a pregnant elephant after eating a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers in a village in the Indian state of Kerala has triggered massive outrage there.
According to NDTV, the incident took place several weeks back but came to the fore recently when a forest official described the gruesome incident through a Facebook post.
Coronavirus: 39 Bangladeshis return home from India
A special flight of NOVOAIR brought back 39 stranded Bangladeshis from Kolkata in India on Sunday amid coronavirus pandemic.
Cyclone Amphan: UN lauds Bangladesh, India for keeping people safe
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appreciated Bangladesh and India for their efforts to keep people safe well ahead of cyclone Amphan that affected badly both the countries.
The Secretary-General commended the governments, first responders and communities for their pre-emptive work to make people safe ahead of the storm and meet their immediate needs afterwards.
"The United Nations stands ready to support these efforts," said Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric said the Secretary-General is saddened by the loss of lives and destruction as a result of Cyclone Amphan in India and Bangladesh.
He extended his deep condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and wished those injured and affected by the disaster a speedy recovery.
The UN Secretary-General expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and India as they face the impact of a devastating cyclone while also responding to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bangladesh government evacuated over two million people to more than 12,000 cyclone shelters that were supplied with, among other things, masks and sanitizers, to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh flagged that preliminary reports indicate that damage is minimal in Cox’s Bazar - home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar - with some 300 shelters damaged, approximately 60 of which were fully destroyed.
Flooding and small landsides have been reported in several refugee camps, as well as blocked drains and damaged stairs, latrines, and bridges – but no word of casualties or deaths.
Humanitarian partners are on standby to ensure access to information, temporary shelter, food, safe drinking water and other vital services for affected refugees according to need.
UN humanitarians and partners worked hard to assist the people of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall on Wednesday, wreaking havoc, causing high tidal surges, flooding and embankments to collapse.
“It is believed that around 10 million people in Bangladesh are impacted by the cyclone, with half a million families potentially having lost their homes”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during a regular virtual briefing from New York after the landfall.
The cyclone, which lashed coastal areas with brutal winds and rain, left at least 84 people across India and Bangladesh dead.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the storm has damaged houses and crops in Bangladesh”, he continued. “Power has been cut off to cities and towns, many of which are working to contain the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Trump's use of malaria drug likely to be welcomed in India
US President Donald Trump’s declaration that he was taking an antimalarial drug of dubious effectiveness to help fend off the coronavirus will likely be welcomed in India.
Indian Railways to resume passenger train service from Tuesday
The Indian Railways will gradually resume operations from Tuesday as the country eases its coronavirus lockdown.
Train runs over migrant workers in India; 14 killed
A train in India crashed into a group of migrant workers walking along the railroad tracks on to their way back to their home state on Friday, killing at least 14, officials and local media said.
Coronavirus: 318 more stranded Bangladeshis return from India
As part of effort taken by the government, 318 more Bangladeshis returned home from Delhi and Chennai in two special flights on Saturday.
Of the returnees, 151 came from New Delhi by a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines while 167 other came from Chennai by another special flight of US-Bangla Airlines, according to Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
Most of the returnees are patients who got stuck in India due to current lockdown there amid coronavirus outbreak. Students are also there among the returnees.
India reopens stores, speeding easing of virus lockdowns
A tentative easing around the world of coronavirus lockdowns gathered pace Saturday with the reopening in India of neighborhood stores that many of the country's 1.3 billion people rely on for everything from cold drinks to mobile phone data cards.
India plans ‘wristband patient surveillance’
India says it plans to manufacture wristbands that will monitor the locations and temperatures of coronavirus patients and help in contact tracing.