National

Amid rise in Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra all gatherings banned from tomorrow: CM Uddhav Thackeray

(Asian News Hub) – Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced that all political, religious and social gatherings will be prohibited in the state from Monday, amid rising COVID-19 cases.

In a televised address, Thackeray also said that political agitations will not be allowed for the next few days as they attract a crowd. “The pandemic is raising its head in the state, but whether it is another wave or not, it will be known in eight to fifteen days,” he said.

The decision comes at a time when Maharashtra is again witnessing a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases. Six districts – Ratnagiri, Beed, Sindhudurg, Raigad, Satara and Amravati – have witnessed a noticeable rise in average daily deaths.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister added that the lockdown may not be the solution to COVID-19, but it is the only option to break the cycle of the virus.

A week-long lockdown has already been announced in Amravati, one of the worst-affected districts in Maharashtra, which will come into force from Monday. The district administration in Pune has also shut down schools and coaching centres till February 28 in view of rising coronavirus cases.

Uddhav Thackeray said that COVID-appropriate behaviour is a must and those violating the rules will be punished.

According to him, a face mask is the only ‘shield’ in the war against the coronavirus outbreak.

“Wear mask, maintain discipline and observe social distancing to avoid a lockdown,” he said.

He asked the people to follow work from home practice and reschedule their work hours so that there is no crowding in public places.

The Centre on Sunday directed states to increase the surveillance and conduct more COVID-19 RT-PCR tests. India, notably, has been witnessing rising COVID-19 cases over the past few days and the total active caseload increased to 1,45,634 on Sunday.

Maharashtra, which is also the worst COVID-19-hit state across India, reported 6,281 new confirmed cases on Saturday. There are now 48,439 active COVID-19 patients in the state. It has also witnessed a total of 19,92,530 recoveries.

PTI

National

Incessant rain leaves 135 dead in Maharashtra

(Asian News Hub) – Last week, heavy rains in Maharashtra and Karnataka have caused massive damage to the people living near the coastal areas in both states.

Incessant rains causing landslides and floods left over 140 dead and thousands displaced. The destruction seems irreversible in cities, districts and villages.

While districts like Raigad and Ratnagiri were among the worst-hit areas of Maharashtra, parts of the coastal, Malenadu and the north-interior region of Karnataka were battered by torrential rains.

Since the rains began, 135 people are dead in Maharashtra and nine have been killed in Karnataka in incidents like floods, landslides etc. Over 1,35,313 people have been shifted to safer places, including 78,111 in Sangli district, followed by 40,882 in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. At the same time, in Karnataka, 31,360 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas, while 22,417 people are taking shelter in 237 relief camps.

National

BSF, Pak Rangers resolve to maintain peace on border in first meeting after Ceasefire

Meeting held on Islamabad’s request, lodged strong protest over Drone activities: BSF

(Asian News Hub) – Border guards of India and Pakistan on Saturday resolved to remain committed to each other to maintain peace and harmony at International Border in Jammu.

Border Security Forces (BSF) said that Sector Command level meeting, first after New Delhi and Islamabad decided on steadfast holding of ceasefire, was held on request of Pakistan Rangers on International Border in Suchetgarh area of the Jammu.

The BSF delegation was led by Surjit Singh, DIG, Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers delegation was led by Brig Murad Hussain, sector commander Pakistan Rangers, Sialkot Sector , S P S Sandhu (DIG), a spokesman of the BSF, said in a statement cited by GNS.

“It was the first Sector Commander level meeting between two border guarding Forces, after declaration of cease fire agreement by DGMOs.”

“During meeting, Commanders of both the border guarding Forces, discussed various issues with main emphasis by BSF delegation on Pak Drone activities, (militant) activities by Pakistan from across the border, digging of tunnels by Pakistan and other issues related to Border management,” the spokesman said, adding, “A very strong protest was lodged by BSF delegates regarding drone activities by Pakistan authorities in Jammu area.”

The spokesman said both the forces “decided to re-energize instant communication between field Commanders, whenever required, to resolve the ops matters.”

“ Meeting was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and both side agreed for expeditious implementation of the decisions taken in the earlier DG level talks and committed to each other to maintain peace and harmony at International Border,” he added.

GNS

National

Raj Kundra made erotica, not porn: Shilpa Shetty to police

(Asian News Hub) – Actor Shilpa Shetty has claimed she has nothing to do with ‘Hotshots’ – the mobile app involving Raj Kundra, and claimed that her husband used to make erotica, not porn.

“Shilpa Shetty has said her husband is innocent and that erotica is different from pornography. Her husband Raj Kundra wasn’t involved in producing porn content,” according to ANI.

Shilpa Shetty said that Pradeep Bakshi, the London-based wanted accused and Raj Kundra’s brother-in-law, was involved with the app and its functioning, the officials told ANI.

Kundra, 45, was arrested by the crime branch on Monday night in a case, which it said, related to alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.

According to the police, there were several WhatsApp chats that revealed that Kundra was involved in the financial dealings of an app and its contents.

The police also said three women have come forward with complaints in the case, saying they were “forced to act in pornographic movies”.

The accused persons took advantage of struggling models, actors and other workers and made them work in these movies, the police added.

Kundra was taken into custody on Monday night by the city police”s crime branch after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

On Friday, Shilpa Shetty urged to her fans to watch her latest comedy “Hungama 2” and not let the film “suffer” in the wake of her husband, businessman Raj Kundra, was arrested in a porn films case.

Shetty, whose comeback film “Hungama 2” released on the steaming platform Disney + Hotstar on Friday, said the Priyadarshan-directed comedy is a result of “relentless” hard work of the entire team and should not suffer.