"I'm not doing any favour. I'm giving back to my country."
This barefoot pilgrimage home we're seeing all around us, and the way plenty of us have reacted to it, is not just a commentary on India, circa 2020. It also shames us forever, notes Dilip D'Souza.
'People are just putting the mask below their nose.' 'They are only protecting the mouth, but not the nose.' 'People need to understand that it is the nose which has to be protected.'
Subtle and sharp, sarcastic and self-deprecating. And sometimes just downright rude. There are wife jokes, husband jokes, boss barbs, Modi jibes, weight gain worries and the inevitable China insults. Humour in all forms is the panacea it seems for people around the world who are united in their need to laugh or at least crack a smile in these troubled times.
'The situation has improved because oxygen tankers are now coming.' 'Before this it was chaotic.'
"BJP leaders are playing the game at the behest of central leaders. MLAs were offered money... Rs 10 crore in advance and Rs 15 crore after the government is toppled," the chief minister alleged and added that the BJP wants to convert the state's politics into a goat market, 'bakra mandi'.
The coronavirus pandemic has spread to 146 countries with the worldwide death toll from the virus surpassing the 7,000 mark on Monday. Among the more than 1,73,000 cases recorded globally are government officials, celebrities and sports personalities as authorities around the world grapple to contain the spread of coronavirus. Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, British actor Idris Elba, and Sophie Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are some of the most well-known faces to be infected so far.
As India logged a world record of over four lakh coronavirus infections on Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the entire world is shaken by what is happening here and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "dropping the ball and throwing it to states" after prematurely taking credit for having "won against COVID-19" when the second wave was already underway. "Rely on yourself is the motto. No one will come to help you. Definitely, not the prime minister," Gandhi said, while alleging that the COVID-19 situation has gone completely out of control for the Modi government, and wondered whether it was their way of making the states and the citizens truly 'Aatmanirbhar'.
The number of active cases stands at 2,20,114 ,while 3,47,978 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data at 8 am.
'Through multiple transportation modes, flood waters, a couple of PPE kits, multiple temperature checks, quarantine check point, immigration approval, health declaration forms and through two Covid tests, which thankfully were negative, I finally reached home in Dubai.' Abhijit Masih reveals what it takes to embark on an international journey in the times of the pandemic.
'It is a political failure, and not a medical failure.'
Modi had on Friday urged people to turn off lights at their homes for nine minutes at 9pm to display the country's collective resolve and solidarity to defeat the virus.
In her weekly QnA with Rediff readers, life coach and mental health guru Anu Krishna addresses issues relating to mental health and offers solutions.
Barcelona will meet Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw on Friday while Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur in an all-Premier League clash.
He, however, added that most of the private hospitals in Delhi were good and only a couple of them were indulging in such malpractice.
'Smokers are a highly susceptible population during this pandemic.' 'Health benefits from quitting smoking can start as early as within an hour.'
These captivating photos snapped by photographers across the globe amid the coronavirus pandemic showcase how different nations have experienced a life under lockdown. In total, 15,697 photos have been submitted to the contest. The power is now in the global community's hands to cast their votes and decide which photo should win #StayHome. The most-voted photo will be revealed through the Agora app on May 27 and will win the top prize of $1,000. Octavi Royo, CEO and co-founder of the app Agora, which is running the competiton, said the photos gave 'a point of view on the confinement and to share a message of hope to humanity through their photograph'. Take a look at some of the best entries here.
'Many are coming hungry and thirsty.' 'Some told us they were stopped from filling water at roadside village handpumps because villagers told them 'tum Carona ho'.'
The affected nurse is being treated and is recovering well, junior foreign minister V Muraleedharan said. Meanwhile, China has locked down five cities, including Wuhan, suspending all public transport in an unprecedented move to contain the coronavirus that has infected over 630 people and left 17 others dead.
'The spirit of cooperation between the Centre and states has been diluted in many ways.' 'The level of consultation which used to be there earlier has reduced significantly.'
'There will always be hiccups given that the Namami Gange programme is spread over different sectors and involves several agencies.'
Sheela Jaywant invites you to explore The GoaWriters Group's interesting look at the lockdown.
This is the fifth consecutive day that coronavirus infections have increased by more than 15,000. There has been a surge of 3,38,324 infections from June 1 till date.
The government's decision comes in the wake of a WHO directive stating that a person infected with the corona virus will not infect others unless he starts manifesting the SARS symptoms.
'While the farmers are reeling under a huge debt burden, crop loss due to locust attacks and erratic rainfall, the state is also facing a COVID-19 challenge.' 'In this situation, you have Congress and BJP MLAs trying to outwit each other in a game of thrones'
Real Madrid failed to win their Champions League group for the first time in four years when a late goal by substitute Marco Reus allowed Borussia Dortmund to equalise and clinch a 2-2 draw.
The COVID-19 tests will be started at every polling station in the containment zones of Delhi in a few days
Locals are overly concerned as horrifying tales emerge of patients running from pillar to post to secure hospital beds or even get themselves tested.
As we get used to a long haul of isolation to curb the spread of COVID-19, the police's new avatar in many places is a far cry from that of the high-handed enforcer of law and order.
Coronavirus is the biggest story of our lives and a billion plus people expect us to be around, watching, reporting, editing, recording this for posterity and blowing the whistle to draw attention to injustices and State failures, notes Shekhar Gupta.
'No one should make coronavirus a Hindu-Muslim issue.'
'The coronavirus has provided each one of us a chance to press the 'reset' button. I take this National Medical Emergency to announce a process of national healing.' 'As of midnight tonight, my government will drop all talk of NRC and NPR, and my Muslim brethren should sleep peacefully that this is as much their country as mine.'
'I am not minimising either the seriousness or the complex nature of the current situation.' 'Naturally, we have to do what it takes to secure our borders.' 'We are talking to the Chinese, both through military channels and diplomatic ones.'
'In fact, they work in tandem.' 'When it comes to finding a solution, this must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings.' 'And not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally.'
As people crisscross the country, eager to return to their homes, the cases have raced past 80,000 with at least 2,649 deaths, according to the Union health ministry on Friday. While there is no exact count, this includes a large number of those who have returned to their states.
Here's the full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the nation on the eve of 72nd Republic Day.
If the precautions are not taken and guidelines are not followed properly, there can be chances of spike in cases, the government said.
The journey of getting used to a new way of life -- without domestic help, without the necessity of dressing up to step out and just staying cooped up indoors -- has been out of the ordinary, equal parts good, bad and ugly.
This was after the WHO modified the definition of probable cases on May one.
In a nearly 25-minute televised address to the nation, Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in its second phase and detailed guidelines will be brought out on Wednesday to ensure that outbreak does not spread to new areas.
Mexico and Bolivia were booed off the pitch after playing out a drab goalless draw in their opening match of the Copa America on Friday, leaving hosts Chile top of Group A after the first round of matches.
