Ministers, Cong legislators bribing voters in Hebbal: DVS

Bengaluru, Mar 10: A 75-year-old man who arrived in Kalaburagi from Saudi Arabia on February 29 has been admitted to the isolation ward at Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) after he showed symptoms of coronavirus. 

His throat swab has been sent to the laboratory of Bengaluru’s Victoria Hospital. The district Health and Family Welfare Department is waiting for the report. 

The aged man who arrived from Saudi Arabia on February 28, was admitted to a private hospital on March 5 following fever and cough. As he showed the symptoms similar to coronavirus, the health of his family members has also been examined by the doctors and a close watch on them is being kept.

Recently, first confirmed positive case was reported from Whitefield in Bengaluru. The state government had also declared holiday for all primary schools in Bengaluru.

May 1: India on Thursday called as "propaganda" certain social media posts from the Arab world alleging harassment of Muslims in several parts of the country in the name of containing the spread of coronavirus.

Strongly rebutting the charges, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the Gulf countries are deeply committed to friendly relations with India and they are even seeking bilateral talks on the post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Talking about India's close and traditional ties with the Arab countries, he said New Delhi is ensuring uninterrupted supply of food and essential commodities to the region during Ramzan as part of its deep-rooted friendship.

Srivastava said the countries in the region do not support any interference in India's internal affairs.

"Much of what you see is propaganda by interested parties. Stray tweets can not be used to characterise our bilateral ties with these countries. The real picture of these relations is very much different," he said during an online media briefing.

There has been a wave of angry reactions on Twitter by leading citizens and rights activists from various Arab countries following allegations that Muslims are being blamed for spreading COVID-19 in several parts of India.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a powerful bloc of 57 countries, recently accused India of "Islamophobia". India rejected the charges as regrettable.

"We have been making special efforts to ensure uninterrupted supply of food and essential commodities which are required during the Ramzan period in these countries, and this is something which has been greatly appreciated. These countries also want a priority discussion with India on the post-COVID-19 economic recovery," Srivastava said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have been in regular touch with their counterparts from the region in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In these discussions, there have been requests for sending medicines and medical teams to these countries. We already deployed a Rapid Response Team in Kuwait. There is also a request to send doctors and nurses from India," said Srivastava.

"What comes out clearly is that these countries are deeply committed to friendly relations with India. They also do not support any interference in internal matters of India. It is, therefore, important that the friendly and cooperative nature of our relations is accurately recognised and the misuse of social media is not given credence," he added.

Asked about reports of an order issued by Oman's Finance Ministry asking all state-owned companies to replace foreign workers with qualified local Omanis, Srivastava said it is not aimed at Indians working in the Gulf nation.

"The policy is a decades-old one and not specific to India. It does not target the Indians in any way," he said.

There have been apprehensions that the order will render thousands of Indians working in state-run firms in Oman jobless.

"They greatly value relationship with India. Government of Oman is taking special care of Indians which included free testing for coronavirus, its treatment, providing food," the MEA spokesperson said.

Oman government is also extending certain categories of visas of Indians.

Srivastava said India has been in touch with its friends and partners across the world as part of the collaborative approach to dealing with the pandemic.

Bengaluru, Jul 16: Eminent theatre personality and renowned vocalist Dr Subhadramma Mansur who had won many awards including the prestigious Karnataka Rajyotsava award died on Wednesday night, according to her family.

She was 81 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

The family said she developed severe respiratory problems last night following which she was rushed to hospital, but died on the way.

Condoling her death, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Dr Mansur had contributed to the theatre world for five decades. He also recalled her devotion to music as an eminent vocalist.

"I pray for her soul to rest in peace and strength to the family to bear the irreparable loss," the Chief Minister said in his message posted on Twitter.

The veteran theatre personality from Ballari earned recognition for her roles in mythology-based dramas.

Connoisseurs of stage performances recall her memorable portrayal of Draupadi, a character from the Mahabharata.

Her depiction of Hemareddy Mallamma left a deep imprint on the audience.

Many awards were bestowed on her including the Rajyotsava Award, Nataka Akademi and Gubbi Veeranna Award and an honorary doctorate by the Srikrishna Devaraya University