Mangaluru: Iftar parites, Taraweeh prayers in mosques banned during Ramadan due to corona

Bengaluru, Feb 29: The BJP leaders in Karnataka rallied behind Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal amid a controversy over his remarks that centenarian freedom fighter HS Doreswamy was a "Pakistani agent."

The saffron party leaders have extended support to Yatnal, days after he called Doreswamy a "fake freedom fighter" who behaves like a "Pakistani agent".

Yatnal made the comments at a press conference on February 25 while reacting to a query on a public meeting organised by the Congress titled 'Save the Constitution'.

"There are many fake freedom fighters. There is one in Bengaluru. Now we have to say what Doreswamy is. Where is that old man? He behaves like a Pakistan agent," Patil had said.

"Doreswamy is an elderly person and senior to all. He had participated in various agitations. He should also see what to talk and who will be hurt with those statements. We have all seen what he said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters in Kodagu on Saturday reacting to Yatnal's outburst against Doreswamy.

Noting that the statements were made in bitter taste, Kumar said, "If you speak unpleasant (things), you will hear unpleasant."

Bellary City MLA G Somashekara Reddy too backed Yatnal saying that the his statement was appropriate. "There is nothing wrong in his statement. It is absolutely correct. I support him. It is not just okay to be a freedom fighter, but he should be a 'Deshbhakt' (patriot) too, who respects the unity and integrity of the nation."

On Friday, another BJP Minister KS Eshwarappa slammed Doreswamy alleging that he had visited Amulya Leona's residence and shared a good relationship with her family.

Leona had raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans at an anti-CAA event here on February 21, taking everybody present by shock and dismay.

"We respect Doreswamy but he dances to the tune of Congress and supports whatever their leaders say," Eshwarappa said.

Mangaluru, Ma 9: Three more persons from Bantwal taluk in Dakshina Kannada district tested positive for Covid-19 today. All three are members of a family.

The infection is reportedly linked to First Neuro Hospital of Mangaluru, which has emerged as a coronavirus hub in coastal Karnataka.

With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in the district mounted to 31 including six outsiders. Three of them have lost their lives. Currently there are 15 active cases in the district.

The newly identified coronavirus patients are a 30-year-old man and two elderly women aged 60 and 70 years.

They have contracted the infection from a 69-year-old man from Bantwal who was confirmed with COVID-19 infection on May 1. All the three members now infected belong to his family.

The man had got the infection from a woman identified as P-390. He happens to be a relative and neighbour of the deceased woman who belonged to Bantwal Kasaba village. Eight  members of his family were quarantined, of whom three tested positive today.

New Delhi, May 12: Air India is planning to operate 149 repatriation flights to 31 countries between May 16 and May 22 during the second phase of the Vande Bharat mission to bring back home Indians stranded abroad amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, officials said. During the first phase of the Vande Bharat mission, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express are scheduled to operate total 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 to bring approximately 15,000 Indians from 12 countries on a payment basis.

"In the second phase, Air India and Air India Express will operate 149 flights to countries such as the USA, the UAE, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Malaysia, Oman, Kazakhstan, Australia, Ukraine, Qatar and Indonesia," the airline officials stated.

Other countries to where the national carrier would operate flights between May 16 and May 22 are Russia, Philippines, France, Singapore, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait,

Japan, Georgia, Germany and Tajikistan, officials noted.
The flights during the second phase will also be operated to Bahrain, Armenia, Thailand, Italy, Nepal, Belarus, Nigeria and Bangladesh, they mentioned.

India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 70,000 people and killed around 2,290 people in the country till now. All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended for the lockdown period.