AQI in Delhi remains in 'very poor' category

Visual from Rajpath (File Photo/ANI)

New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital continued to remain in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday with the rise of pollutants in the atmosphere, data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee data revealed.

The AQI was recorded at 313 in Anand Vihar, 305 in RK Puram, 325 in Mundka, and 309 in Patparganj, all four in the 'very poor' category.

An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.

The Delhi government recently launched the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign as part of its 'Yuddh Pradushan Ke Viruddh' (War Against Pollution) initiative to curb air pollution in the national capital.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai also announced the launch of a campaign to include the citizens of the capital in raising awareness on air pollution. (ANI)

Over 500 riot-related cases initiated in Belarus

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Minsk [Belarus], October 28 (ANI/Sputnik): Over 500 criminal cases have been opened in Belarus over riots and participation of Belarusian citizens in them, Andrey Serbun, deputy head of the Belarusian Prosecutor General's Office's department for overseeing the implementation of legislation by the Investigative Committee, said.

"In the past few months, we have seen an increase in the number of criminal cases related to the organization of mass riots and active participation in them. More than 500 such criminal cases have already been initiated," Serbun told the Belarus-1 TV channel.

According to him, the overwhelming majority of these criminal cases are related to the events in Minsk.

"Each offender will be identified, their actions will be given an appropriate legal assessment," Serbun said.

After the presidential elections held in Belarus on August 9, 2020, won, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC), for the sixth time by Alexander Lukashenko with 80.1 percent of the vote, mass opposition protests began in the country.

When dispersing the rallies, law enforcement officers used tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades and rubber bullets against protesters who disagreed with voting results.

Protests continue to this day, the largest - on weekends. In addition, events are held by supporters of President Lukashenko, whose inauguration took place on September 23. Law enforcement agencies say protests radicalised in Belarus. (ANI/Sputnik)

French authorities considering re-introducing self-isolation regime for month

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Paris [France], October 28 (ANI/Sputnik): The French authorities are considering re-introducing the self-isolation regime in the country for a month amid the deteriorating epidemiological situation, BFMTV reported citing its sources.

The decision is to be confirmed during Wednesday's second defense council meeting. Quarantine may be imposed as early as October 29. It may have a more flexible framework than the self-isolation regime introduced in March.

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to make a statement on Wednesday evening.

For the first time, the self-isolation regime in France was introduced in March and lasted almost two months.

The overall number of cases of the novel coronavirus disease since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in the country is almost 1.2 million people, with 35,500 deaths. A total of 33,000 new cases have been registered over the past 24 hours.

Another anti-record was registered on October 25; a total of 52,000 cases per day. (ANI/Sputnik)

Second wave of coronavirus has begun in Pakistan, strict restrictions inevitable: Govt

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Islamabad [Pakistan], October 28 (ANI): Pakistan government on Tuesday said that second wave of coronavirus has begun in the country, adding that the strict coronavirus restrictions are inevitable given the rise in COVID-19 deaths and the positivity ratio, Geo News reported.

Pakistan Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that a few weeks ago, 400-500 cases were being reported across the country on a daily basis. The tally, he said, had shot up to 700-750 cases of the infection per day.

"The Coronavirus death rate has increased in the country," he said, adding that that the positivity ratio had surged to 2.5-2.75 percent.

Pakistan has recorded 329,375 coronavirus cases, 6,745 deaths, and 311,440 recoveries from the pandemic, according to official statistics.

Dr Faisal said that the masses were not adhering to coronavirus precautions as they should, given the pandemic was still far from over.

Now, Pakistan is entering a phase where we need to tighten coronavirus curbs, the PM's aide said, adding that an official plan would be formulated soon.

"Our focus -- tightening coronavirus restrictions -- will be more on the cities and areas where the positivity ratio of the virus is high," Dr Faisal said.

The premier's aide said that authorities were mulling over several plans and recommendations to impose restrictions to stem the spread of the virus.

"We urge local administrations to implement coronavirus SOPs," he said and warned that the government would impose a fine on people who did not follow coronavirus SOPs in public places.

"Restrictions are hard [on the people] and no government wishes to impose them," he said, adding that if people follow coronavirus safety measures, Pakistan could beat this wave as well.

"Further details will be disclosed after deliberations with all provinces," Dr Faisal added. (ANI)

3 people killed, 5 injured in bomb blast in Zabul province of Afghanistan

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Shinkai [Afghanistan], Oct 28: Three people were killed and five others injured after a roadside bomb attack in Shinkai area of Zabul region in Afghanistan on Tuesday. 

The common police boss Hekmatullah Kocha stated: "Three people were executed and five more were injured in a roadside bomb attack in Shinkai region, Zabul area". 

No terror group has so far taken the responsibility of the attack..

Indian army saved unarmed Kashmiris from attack by Pakistan tribals in 1947, says political activist Misfar Hassan

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Islamabad [Pakistan], October 28 (ANI): Political activist Misfar Hassan on Tuesday stated that Indian military had saved unarmed Kashmiris on October 27, 1947, and that historical facts cannot be distorted by paid touts of the country.

Hassan said the Indian military had saved unarmed Kashmiris from a cowardly brutal attack by Pakistani tribals over seven decades ago.

"October 27/47 was day when indian military saved unarmed Kashmiris from coward brutal attack by tribals of pakistan. Historical facts cannot be distorted by paid touts of Pakistan. @PakPMO @OfficialDGISPR @MirwaizKashmir @farooq_pm @azfar_dar," Hassan tweeted.

Pakistan raiders had invaded Kashmir in 1947 and brought in its wake horrifying stories of mass plunder and vandalism.

Thousands of men, women and children were killed while the raiders carried out a siege of the then bustling town of Baramulla. The Indian Army later drove the invaders out of the area.

European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), in a recent commentary, called October 22 as the "darkest day" in the history of Jammu and Kashmir when Operation Gulmarg was launched in a bid to seize the territory.

According to a European think tank, the tribal invasion had left between 35,000 and 40,000 residents dead, besides, a "grim mark" on the fate of J-K. (ANI)

2nd India-Central Asia Dialogue to be held virtually on October 28

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New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): The second meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue will be held in the digital video-conference format on October 28, informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

According to an official release, Foreign Ministers of India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, will participate in the meeting. The Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will also attend the meeting as a special invitee.

"The Ministers will exchange views on a wide gamut of areas including political, security, economic and commercial, humanitarian and cultural spheres as well as on regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Ministers will specifically deliberate on promoting connectivity and development partnerships in the region," said the release.

The inaugural meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue was jointly organized by India and Uzbekistan on January 13, 2019, in Samarkand (Uzbekistan).

This was conceived as a platform for further strengthening cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries. (ANI)