Belthangady: Trapped leopard rescued, released in forest

Mumbai, Mar 26 : A 28-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his younger brother for stepping out of their home during the COVID-19 lockdown in the western suburb of Kandivali, police said on Thursday.Rajesh Laxmi Thakur killed his younger brother Durgesh after the latter stepped out of the house despite repeated warnings about the lockdown on Wednesday night, an official from Samta Nagar police station said.

The deceased, who was working in a private firm in Pune, had returned home following the coronavirus scare, he said.When Durgesh got back home after his outing, the accused and his wife shouted at him and a heated argument ensued, following which the accused attacked him with a sharp object, the official said.The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, he said, adding that a case of murder has been registered against the accused.

Bengaluru, Jan 28: Brace for hefty traffic penalties as the state government is all set to reverse a notification on revised fines which came into effect last September following pushback from road users and opposition parties.

The Karnataka government will implement traffic penalties as stipulated in the amended Motor Vehicles Act, 2019, in a phased manner following a diktat from the Centre. The government did not specify the timeline for it.

“At a recent meeting of transport ministers from various states, the Union government explained why it wanted to implement these huge fines. We found it convincing and will implement it in its original form,” said transport minister Laxman Savadi on Monday.

Savadi said India’s image globally has taken a beating due to the high number of road deaths and the Centre wants to change it at any cost. However, he said the entire set of hefty fines would not be reintroduced all at once.

BJP govt revised rates in Sept

The BJP government last September had revised fines on compoundable offences and those which are fined on the spot by traffic cops by 50%- 80%, barring drunken driving and racing.

As per the revised rates, helmetless riding attracted a penalty of Rs 500 against Rs 1,000 notified by the Centre. Driving without a licence attracted a fine of Rs 1,000 for

two- and three-wheelers and Rs 2,000 for light motor vehicles as against the earlier Rs 5,000 for all types of vehicles.

The central government recently told states and Union Territories they should enforce fines as per the amended Act and they cannot be rolled back. The road transport and highways ministry said fines cannot be reduced below the minimum amount fixed by law, unless the President gives his assent.

Bengaluru, Jun 3: The Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences at Hubballi has successfully treated a COVID-19 patient through plasma therapy, state medical education minister K Sudhakar said today.

"Karnataka achieves yet another milestone in battle against #COVID19. KIMS Hubli has successfully treated a Covid19 patient through Plasma Therapy & is the first institute in the state to accomplish this. Congrats to KIMS doctors & staff for this feat!" Mr Sudhakar tweeted.

In plasma therapy treatment, plasma cells from a COVID-19 patient, who has recovered from the disease, is transfused to a coronavirus patient who is in critical condition to treat him.

Plasma therapy was effectively used in the past during Ebola and the Spanish flu pandemic.