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Watch: A heartbeaking video of a three-year-old daughter crying to be with her mother in quarantine, serving as a nurse in Belgavi

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: A heartbeaking video of a three-year-old daughter crying to be with her mother in quarantine, serving as a nurse in Belgavi

The Novel coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world. While everyone is housebound, enjoying the comforts of their houses with family and loved ones, the medical heroes are at the forefront of the global outbreak. Such is the plight of the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers that they are not only working day and night to treat the ones infected with the deadly disease, by risking their own lives but are also having to keep themselves away from their family and loved ones and stay in quarantine in fear of putting them in risk as well.

An emotional video of a three-year-old daughter crying outside a hospital for her mother, to return home, which left the mother teary-eyed too, went viral on social media, Wednesday.

In the 0.37-second heartbreaking video clip shared on Twitter, a three-year-old Aishwarya is seen crying and calling out to her mother, Sugandha Korikoppa, a staff nurse at one of the district-designated hospitals to treat COVID-19 cases in Belgavi. The toddler is upset as she cannot go near her mother and embrace her as Sugandha is under quarantine for 14 days after she served at the hospital for a week. Aishwarya urges her mother to return home. Sugandha is also seen standing helplessly at the entrance of the hospital. She too starts crying as she neither could go near her daughter nor explain the situation to her. In the end, is seen making hand gestures, suggesting her husband to take the daughter away from there.

Sugandha had not gone home for 11 days and her daughter, went to bed crying almost every night. Sugandha’s husband Santosh brought his daughter Aishwarya to the hospital so that she could see her mother for a few minutes from the entrance. He parked his bike outside and called Sugandha on her mobile phone. Sugandha rushed out of the hospital and stood near the entrance as she had to maintain social distance.

Speaking to the media, Santosh said that he understands the predicament of both his wife and daughter. “However, we are proud of Sugandha’s service. She will complete her two-week quarantine period and come home. We are okay with it,” he said. He said he would convince his daughter and keep her engaged with TV and indoor games.

After the emotional video went viral on social media, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday reached out to the Belagavi-based nurse, Sugandha Korikoppa on phone and assured her all support in the battle against COVID-19.

“You are struggling, working hard without even seeing your own children. I saw it on TV channels. Please cooperate. You will have better opportunities in the future. God bless you, and I hope your hard work does you well”, said the chief minister.

This emotional video poignantly highlights the emotional hardships and sacrifices which are being made by the medical heroes of our country who have kept their duties before their personal lives and are standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against the pandemic. Similarly, police personnel, bankers and all others involved in indispensable services are too fighting on the frontline against the coronavirus to contain its spread and minimise the disruption caused by the pandemic. How much ever they are thanked for their selfless services it will never be enough.

Nizamuddin railway station employee tests positive of coronavirus, 15 health workers including doctors of Railway hospital got infected

OpIndia Staff
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Nizamuddin railway station employee tests positive of coronavirus, 15 health workers including doctors of Railway hospital got infected

15 healthcare workers at a Railway hospital in Delhi have tested positive for Wuhan Coronavirus after they came into contact with an infected Railway employee. The employee of Indian Railways who is posted at Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi has been tested positive of Wuhan coronavirus infection. The patient is 59-year-old, works as a supervisor and has a few months left for retirement.

As per Indian Railways, he was undergoing treatment at Central Hospital of Northern Railway, and due to contact with him, 15 health workers including doctors have been infected with Coronavirus in that hospital. There were no traces of infection in the railway employee when he was admitted to the hospital. He had been to hospital on 31 March and after that, he again visited the hospital on 2 April.

Public Relation Officer of Northern Railway said, “On April 2, when the man came to be hospitalized, the doctors suggested him to undergo MRI and CT scan tests. On April 6, when his report came, he was found positive for coronavirus. The patient has been sent to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.”

As the infected staff is posted as reservation supervisor, he didn’t come in direct contact with passengers. 15 people including doctors and nurses of the Northern Railway Central Hospital have been isolated because they had come in contact with the 59-year-old railway employee.

Islamists attack Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal after he asks them to stay at home on Shab-e-Baraat

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists attack Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal after he asks them to stay at home on Shab-e-Baraat

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was today attacked by Islamists who descended upon his time line for wishing on Shab-e-Baraat and urging them to stay at home and celebrate it at home.

AAP Supremo took to social media to request Muslims to stay at home for Shab-e-Baraat, which is being celebrated on the intervening night of 8th and 9th April. Islamists, however, attacked him and called him ‘gaddar’ and questioned him over his role in Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots that took place in February 2020.

He was also accused of being a closet RSS member. The Islamists also referred to Delhi Chief Minister as a ‘traitor’. And having sold his soul to PM Modi. All because Kejriwal, keeping in mind public health and safety, urged Muslims to not gather in large crowds. Many also took to Facebook to urge Kejriwal to ‘stop giving a bad name’ to Tablighi Jamaat.
Hateful comments on Kejriwal’s Facebook
Hateful comments on Kejriwal’s Facebook
Hateful comments on Kejriwal’s Facebook.

It is imperative to note here that the coronavirus cases in India saw a sharp rise after dozens of Tablighi Jamaat attendees at Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz were found COVID-19 positive. Many of the Tablighi Jamaat members have misbehaved with nurses, doctors, policemen and also refused to get tested claiming that coronavirus is a ‘conspiracy’. They have also excreted in quarantine centres among other things.

Delhi police trace Nizamuddin Markaz Chief Maulana Saad, will be interrogated after completion of the quarantine period

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi police trace Nizamuddin Markaz Chief Maulana Saad, will be interrogated after completion of the quarantine period

The Chief of Nizamuddin Markaz Maulana Saad Khandalvi has been traced by Delhi police to be living in the Zakir Nagar area and has put himself under quarantine.

Delhi police are planning to interrogate Maulana Saad but will conduct it only after completion of his quarantine period. According to his lawyers, he has put himself under self-quarantine and that’s why he is unable to join the investigation now.

Maulana Saad is booked under The Epidemics Act 1897 for allowing religious congregation in the month of March despite repeated warnings from the center and the state government. He disregarded the guidelines issued by the government in the light of the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic which is spreading rapidly. Maulana Saad is wanted in an offence lodged by the Delhi Police under sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and sections of the Indian Penal Code, for violating government directions on steps to be taken for avoiding the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus.

As thousands of people from across the country and many from abroad attended the religious congregation, the event has now emerged as a hotspot for the maximum cases of coronavirus as over 1300 of the total number of Tabligh Jamaatis has been traced back to the event and their contacts. Nearly 25,000 people have been quarantined by the government of India.

Delhi Police crime branch has sent two notices to Saad under Section 91 of CrPC. The police have asked Maulana Saad to provide some documents. The second notice was sent after the first notice was found “unsatisfactory”.

As Muhammad Saad remained untraceable, the Delhi police slapped a notice with the 36 questions at his farmhouse in Shamli near Delhi. After the first notice was found unsatisfactory, the Delhi police slapped the second issue.

Investigative agencies have started probing into the sources of funding and financial aid received by the conservative Islamist organization. The Delhi Police have also started probing into the finances of the organization which came under the national limelight after organising a congregation at its Delhi centre at Markaz Nizamuddin where 1700-3000 people are believed to have participated in the event, in flagrant violation of the restrictive orders.

Supreme Court orders free coronavirus testing at all approved private laboratories, asks govt to issue directions

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court orders free coronavirus testing at all approved private laboratories, asks govt to issue directions

The apex court of the country has ordered all the approved private labs across the country to do tests for Wuhan coronavirus for free. The apex court has asked the government to issue directions to this effect. The testing of COVID-19 was already free at government laboratories but following the Supreme Court order, it will also be free of charge at government-authorised private laboratories as well.

According to the Supreme Court order, the matter of whether the private labs will be reimbursed by the government will be decided later. It has added that the testing must be carried out in NABL-accredited labs or any agencies approved by the WHO or ICMR.

The apex court ordered this in an interim order passed in the case, and allowed the union government two weeks time to file an affidavit in reply.

Hearing a plea filed by advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi seeking a direction to the centre and authorities to provide free testing facility for COVID-19 to all citizens, the court, in its order, observed that “private hospitals including laboratories have an important role to play in restricting the extent of the pandemic by extending philanthropic services in the hour of national crisis”.

Sudhi argued in the court that the fees charged by private labs for COVID-19 tests are exorbitantly high. Earlier today, the top court advised the government to set up a mechanism to ensure that private laboratories conducting COVID-19 tests do not charge outrageous fees from people and asked the government to explore means to reimburse the fees charged by the private labs.

The centre told the bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat that earlier 15,000 tests were conducted per day by 118 labs and later to augment the capacity, 47 private labs were permitted to conduct the Covid-19 tests.

In addition, the plea has also sought to increase the number of testing facilities for COVID-19 in the country, citing “the rising mortality and morbidity rate across the country”.

It questioned the advisory issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) which capped the testing charges for COVID-19 at Rs 4500 in private hospitals or labs, including screening and confirmatory tests.

“It is profoundly arduous for the common citizen to get himself/herself tested in the government hospital /labs and with no alternative available, the people are compelled to pay a premium amount to the private hospital/labs for protecting their lives,” it said.

A few days back, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare had put COVID-19 under the national health scheme, the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). More than 50 crore citizens, eligible under the government of India’s health assurance scheme will be able to avail free testing through private labs and treatment for COVID-19 in empanelled hospitals. The empanelled hospitals can use their own authorized testing facilities or tie-up with an authorized testing facility. These tests would be carried out as per the protocol set by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and by private labs approved or registered by ICMR. Now with the Supreme Court order, those who are not covered under PMJAY will also be able to avail free testing for Coronavirus at private laboratories.

Pokhran: One Yarun Khan arrested for transporting Tablighi Jamaat members in his private ambulance; 109 coronavirus suspects sent to quarantine

OpIndia Staff
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Pokhran: One Yarun Khan arrested for transporting Tablighi Jamaat members in his private ambulance; 109 coronavirus suspects sent to quarantine

Cases of coronavirus in Rajashtan’s Pokhran have been on a steady rise after locals in the town reportedly came in contact with the attendees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation that happened in mid-March at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi. Now, one man named Yarun Khan has been arrested by the police for assisting the travel of Jamaat members.

The police have alleged that Khan was involved in deliberately aiding the Tablighi Jamaat attendees reach Pokhran after attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. According to the police, Khan used to transport Jamaat members to Jodhpur in his personal ambulance. Khan is also accused of sheltering 3 different Jamaat members and later transporting them to Bikaner in his personal ambulance. He has been charged under Section 269 and 270 for deliberately spreading the infection, and under section 188 for misuse of the ambulance.

Stringent curfew has been implemented in the town and medical teams have sent door-to-door for collecting swab samples in order to determine the spread of coronavirus in the village. All banks have been ordered to remain closed. Only a bunch of selected grocery stores have been asked to remain open who will deliver the goods at home after seeking orders on the phone.

A couple of days back, a government employee who worked at a discom was tested positive for the virus. Later, 21 government employees were tested for the COVID-19 whose reports are awaited. As many as 109 people have been sent to quarantine centres. 

Government sources claim people who attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin had reached Pokhran at around March 19 and since then had taken part in many programmes in the town. They also claimed that many folks brazenly violated PM Modi’s call for nationwide lockdown and organised many events in the village. They also took part in another programme on March 30. 

Tablighi Jamaat member who worked as security guard infects 3 members of the house he worked at

OpIndia Staff
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Tablighi Jamaat member who worked as security guard infects 3 members of the house he worked at

A security guard, who had attended the controversial Islamic event – Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi has not only tested positive for the Chinese epidemic coronavirus but also infected three members of the house where he was working, reports Times Now.

According to the report, the security guard who was deployed at a house in Defence Colony in New Delhi has infected coronavirus three members of the same family. A complaint has been registered against the guard by the Delhi police under IPC section 269 and 270.

The shocking act of recklessness by the security guard which infected other people with coronavirus comes despite repeated warning from the central government and the Delhi police to come forward to test for the coronavirus if they had attended the Tablighi Jamaat. However, because of his negligence, the guard not only attended the Jamaat but also hid the information of attending the event, thus infecting furthermore people in the country.

It is important to note that Tablighi Jamaat at the Nizamuddin Markaz held earlier in March has turned out to be a hot spot for coronavirus positive cases. Many of the attendees have been found misbehaving with the healthcare workers. The Jamaatis in a Ghaziabad hospital had resorted to spitting on doctors to harassing nurses and running amok naked in the wards. This morning, an FIR was registered against two Nizamuddin Markaz attendees in Narela quarantine centre after they had defecated outside in the corridor.

PM Modi holds meeting with floor leaders of parties, the decision on the extension of lockdown to be taken on 11 April

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi holds meeting with floor leaders of parties, the decision on the extension of lockdown to be taken on 11 April

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference meeting with the floor leaders of political parties on the Wuhan Coronavirus situation today.

During the interaction, Prime Minister said, “Situation in the country is akin to a ‘social emergency’. It has necessitated tough decisions and we must continue to remain vigilant. States, District Administrations, and experts have suggested an extension of lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.”

Prime minister said that the entire world is facing the grave challenge of COVID-19. The present situation is epoch changing event in mankind’s history and we must evolve to counter the impact. PM Modi praised the efforts of the states working together against the deadly epidemic.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and NCP leader Sharad Pawar also participated in the meeting that was held via video conferencing. Secretaries of various ministries also briefed the leaders about the current scenario and steps undertaken.

It is reported that the PM has hinted that lockdown may not be lifted on April 14. Several state leaders have also suggested the extension of lockdown.

Biju Janata Dal leader Pinaki Misra told PTI that after meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that nationwide lockdown will not be lifted in one go on April 14. As per reports, the PM said that he will also consult Chief Ministers.

Reportedly, Prime Minister Modi will again chair a meeting with Chief Ministers of States to review situation due to Wuhan coronavirus on 11 April through video conferencing. The decision on the possible extension of the lockdown is to be taken in that meeting.

Dubai man seeks permission for moving between houses of his two wives during Coronavirus Lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Dubai man seeks permission for moving between houses of his two wives during Coronavirus Lockdown

While speaking to listeners on the local radio in Dubai, a senior police officer felt a shock and surprise when he got a bizarre question from one of the callers. The caller wanted to know whether he’ll need any permission to move between the houses of two of his wives during the 24-hour lockdown which is being enforced to carry out sanitisation of the areas, according to a report by Gulf Today.

The caller asked, “I’m married to two women. Should I get a permit when I move from house to house?” The Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, who is the director of the Traffic Department, Dubai Police, laughed at the question and said that not getting a permit will be a good excuse to not meet the other wife if he didn’t desire to be with her, almost denying him to ask for permission as the lockdown mainly allows to move out for the most urgent needs.

The senior cop asserted, “I received many questions like this one. The permit is only for one time and people need to apply for a permit whenever they leave their homes for necessary matters.”

The permissions are issued for one time only so as to contain the transmission of the coronavirus.

The cop asserted that because the aim is to reduce the movement on the streets, issuing a weekly permit to buy essentials won’t be logical. Areas He added, “Areas which used to take one week to be completely sterilized, can be done within one day now, and that will speed the return to our daily lives.”

The Dubai police also tweeted, “Individuals are not allowed to leave the house except for essential purposes or if they are working in vital sectors during the national sterilization program.”

Dubai is already under lockdown for past two weeks, but from Sunday more severe restrictions have been placed to contain the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus. Now residents who need to leave their houses for essential purposes, which only include visits to the grocery store, pharmacy or doctor, requires a permit issued online by the Dubai Police, and a new permit is required for each such trip. A mask and gloves are to be worn at all times when outside the house, else there will be penalty. These rules will be in force for two weeks.

The United Arab Emirates has reported over 2,350 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 12 deaths and 186 recovered patients.


Is China using Zoom teleconferencing to spy on us?

OpIndia Staff
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Is China using Zoom teleconferencing to spy on us?

Amidst the lockdown in many countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, people are now relying on teleconferencing applications to continue to stay connected with work or their distant families. One such popular teleconferencing app globally is Zoom. 

But is Zoom safe or a spy for China.

The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, focusing on research, development, and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security.

The Citizen Lab report examined the encryption that protects meetings in the popular Zoom teleconference app. It found that Zoom has “rolled their own” encryption scheme, which has significant weaknesses.

In addition, it identified potential areas of concern in Zoom’s infrastructure, including observing the transmission of meeting encryption keys through China.

Here are the key findings of the The Citizen Lab investigations into ZOOM:

  • Zoom documentation claims that the app uses “AES-256” encryption for meetings where possible. However, we find that in each Zoom meeting, a single AES-128 key is used in ECB mode by all participants to encrypt and decrypt audio and video. The use of ECB mode is not recommended because patterns present in the plaintext are preserved during encryption.
  • The AES-128 keys, which we verified are sufficient to decrypt Zoom packets intercepted in Internet traffic, appear to be generated by Zoom servers, and in some cases, are delivered to participants in a Zoom meeting through servers in China, even when all meeting participants, and the Zoom subscriber’s company, are outside of China.
  • Zoom, a Silicon Valley-based company, appears to own three companies in China through which at least 700 employees are paid to develop Zoom’s software. This arrangement is ostensibly an effort at labor arbitrage: Zoom can avoid paying US wages while selling to US customers, thus increasing their profit margin. However, this arrangement may make Zoom responsive to pressure from Chinese authorities.

The report further indicated that while Zoom was headquartered in the United States, and listed on the NASDAQ, the mainline Zoom app appears to be developed by three companies in China, which all have the name – Ruanshi Software. Two of the three companies are owned by Zoom, whereas one is owned by an entity called American Cloud Video Software Technology Co., Ltd.  

Zoom’s most recent SEC filling shows that the company (through its Chinese affiliates) employs at least 700 employees in China that work in “research and development.” 

The filing also implies that 81 per cent of Zoom’s revenue comes from North America. 

Running development out of China likely saves Zoom having to pay Silicon Valley salaries, reducing their expenses and increasing their profit margin. 

However, this arrangement could also open up Zoom to pressure from Chinese authorities. 

While the mainline Zoom app (zoom.us) was reportedly blocked in China in November 2019, there are several third-party Chinese companies that sell the Zoom app within China (e.g., zoom.cn, zoomvip.cn, zoomcloud.cn).

The report further stated that:

“Unfortunately for those hoping for privacy, the implementation of call security in Zoom may not match its exceptional usability. We determined that the Zoom app uses non-industry-standard cryptographic techniques with identifiable weaknesses. In addition, during multiple test calls in North America, we observed keys for encrypting and decrypting meetings transmitted to servers in Beijing, China.

An app with easily-identifiable limitations in cryptography, security issues, and offshore servers located in China which handle meeting keys presents a clear target to reasonably well-resourced nation state attackers, including the People’s Republic of China.

Our report comes amidst a number of other recent research findings and lawsuits identifying other potential security and privacy concerns with the Zoom app. In addition, advocacy groups have also pointed out that Zoom lacks transparency report a critical step towards addressing concerns arising when companies have access to sensitive user data. Zoom has just started (April 2nd, 2020) that it will release such a report within 90 days.

As a result of these troubling security issues, we discourage the use of Zoom at this time for use cases that require strong privacy and confidentiality, including:

  • Governments worried about espionage
  • Businesses concerned about cybercrime and industrial espionage
  • Healthcare providers handling sensitive patient information
  • Activists, lawyers, and journalists working on sensitive topics”

The Citizen Lab raises pertinent questions about the safety of the teleconferencing app Zoom and also about its security due to links off Zoom with China. You can read Zoom’s annual report here.

Author Savio Rodrigues is a social activist, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Goa Chronicle. You can read the original article here.

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