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68 percent polling in Gujarat first phase elections

Agencies
December 9, 2017

Ahmedabad, Dec 10: A little over 68% of 2.12 crore electorate in 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and South Gujarat on Saturday peacefully voted to decide the fate of 977 candidates for 89 Assembly seats in the first phase of the election.

The low turnout compared 70.7% in 2012, has kept everyone clueless about the way voters would have swung.

Both the BJP and Congress have claimed an upper hand. “BJP is slated for a big win. This will be a landslide victory,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

“I think the people have voted to free Gujarat from fear, hunger and the corrupt rule of BJP,” Paresh Dhanani, Congress leader and candidate from Amreli constituency in Saurashtra region said.

Of the 89 seats, Saurashtra-Kutch account for 54 seats and South Gujarat 35. Of these, the BJP won 63, Congress 24, NCP one and JD(U) one in the 2012 Assembly polls.

The lower polling percentage across many parts, observers feel, traditionally suggests a pro-incumbency tilt.

However, they say results could now depend on local issues, equations and candidates compared to generic issues like Patel quota stir, unemployment, GST and demonetisation.

Kutch, with six Assembly seats, was rocked by a sex racket by BJP members. It recorded the lowest turnout at 63% among all big districts that went to polls on Saturday, down from 68.25% in 2012. In Rajkot, from where chief minister Vijay Rupani too is fighting Indranil Rajyaguru of Congress, the voting percentage stood at 69, lower by a mere couple of percentage points.

Key contestants

Besides Rupani, other key candidates in the fray were Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani from Bhavnagar (West), senior Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil from Mandvi (Kutch) , Arjun Modhvadia from Porbandar and Paresh Dhanani from Amreli.

Similarly, Junagadh district, that in 2012 had elected three Congress legislators and two BJP legislators, this time has seen almost a 5% drop in voting percentage. It was here that the issue of Dalit beating had assumed national significance in 2016.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Six months since the new coronavirus outbreak, the pandemic is still far from over, the World Health Organization said Monday, warning that "the worst is yet to come".

Reaching the half-year milestone just as the death toll surpassed 500,000 and the number of confirmed infections topped 10 million, the WHO said it was a moment to recommit to the fight to save lives.

"Six months ago, none of us could have imagined how our world -- and our lives -- would be thrown into turmoil by this new virus," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing.

"We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over.

"Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up.

"We're all in this together, and we're all in this for the long haul.

"We will need even greater stores of resilience, patience, humility and generosity in the months ahead.

"We have already lost so much -- but we cannot lose hope."

Tedros also said that the pandemic had brought out the best and worst humanity, citing acts of kindness and solidarity, but also misinformation and the politicisation of the virus.

In an atmosphere of global political division and fractures on a national level, "the worst is yet to come. I'm sorry to say that," he said.

"With this kind of environment and condition, we fear the worst."

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News Network
August 8,2020

Kozhikode, Aug 8: Minister of State (Mos) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Saturday reached Kozhikode where Air India Express flight (IX-1344) crash-landed yesterday. 

He is likely to meet those injured in the crash and their family members.

At least 17 people including two pilots have lost their lives in the incident. However, the four-cabin crew members are safe, said the Air India Express in a statement. 

The injured are admitted to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode, as per the state government officials.

Informing about his visit to Kozhikode, Muraleedharan tweeted: "Taking off to #Calicut by @airindiain
special flight. Hope to visit the crash site at the Calicut Airport and also meet those injured in the crash and their family members."

Muraleedharan on Friday expressed grief after an Air India Express plane carrying 190 passengers including 10 infants skidded while landing at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode.

"Deeply anguished to hear about the mishap in Calicut airport involving the flight from Dubai to Calicut. Was informed that the plane overshot the runway and seemingly nosedived," the Minister tweeted.

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News Network
February 13,2020

Feb 13: Two Indian crew on board a cruise ship off the Japanese coast have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said on Wednesday as authorities confirmed that 174 people have been infected with the deadly disease.

The cruise ship Diamond Princess with 3,711 people on board arrived at the Japanese coast early last week and was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the novel virus on the ship.

A total of 138 Indians, including passengers and crew, were on board the ship.

“Due to the suspicion of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the ship has been quarantined by the Japanese authorities till February 19, 2020,” the embassy said in a statement.

“Altogether 174 people have been tested positive for nCoV, including two Indian crew members,” it said.

All the infected people have been taken to hospitals for adequate treatment, including further quarantine, in accordance with the Japanese health protocol, it said.

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