Thousands rally in India's capital as opposition bloc and Prime Minister Modi launch their campaigns
Thousands of people have attended a rally by an alliance of Indiaโs opposition parties that criticized the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of stifling opponents and undermining democracy ahead of a national election next month.
Indian police detain dozens of protesters demanding release of top opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal
Indian police have detained dozens of opposition protesters to stop them from marching to Prime Minister Narendra Modiโs residence to demand the release of their leader and top elected official of New Delhi arrested last week in a bribery case.
Protests against arrest of one of top rivals of Indian Prime Minister Modi continue for second day
Hundreds of protesters in Indiaโs capital have taken to the streets for a second day, demanding the immediate release of one of the top rivals of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the country gears up for a national election next month.
India's opposition parties team up to challenge Modi's Hindu nationalist party in 2024 elections
Indiaโs splintered opposition parties have decided to contest the 2024 national elections in their bid to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and prevent his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party from achieving a third straight win.
India virus cases pass 9M; capital's hospitals under strain
Health workers and relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. The capital's health system is under tremendous strain: Government figures showed 90% of the critical care beds with ventilators designated for virus patients and 86% of critical care beds without ventilators were full as of Thursday. At Aakash Healthcare, a private hospital in New Delhi, all the critical care beds there were full, and many patients were waiting outside the hospital, said Dr. Akshay Budhraja, a pulmonologist. He said New Delhi is hoping to add 1,400 more critical care beds and that all private hospitals have been asked to reserve 80% of their critical care beds, and over 60% of their other beds for virus patients. It took India 12 days to go from 5 million cases to 6 million but 22 days to go from 8 million to 9 million.
The Latest: Hawaii imposes new COVID-19 travel restrictions
There were 1,225 new confirmed COVID-19 cases increasing the state total to 60,873. ___WASHINGTON -- Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech will seek emergency government approval for their coronavirus vaccine, as the U.S. aims to begin administering doses by the end of the year. ___LOUISVILLE, Kentucky โ Kentucky reported a new daily record of 3,649 coronavirus cases Thursday amid warnings by Gov. He and public health experts are warily watching the number of patients hospitalized with the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. ___WASHINGTON โ Infection disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says he โwants to settleโ concerns about a coronavirus vaccine as he returns to the White House podium for the first time in months.
India celebrates Diwali amid pandemic, pollution fears
People play with fireworks during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)NEW DELHI โ More than a billion Indians celebrated Diwali on Saturday amid twin concerns of a resurgence in coronavirus infections and rising air pollution that is enveloping the countryโs north in a cloud of thick toxic smog. Kejriwal said last week that the pandemic was spreading fast in the capital due to the rising air pollution. The link between air pollution and worsening COVID-19 cases remains mostly theoretical at the moment. But ahead of Diwali, messages encouraging people to stay home during the festival whizzed around New Delhi via WhatsApp.
India's festive mood raises fears of surge of coronavirus
Authorities in New Delhi have banned firecrackers and are appealing to people to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights at home. Coronavirus infections have been rising in the capital and authorities are worried large festival crowds will worsen the virus situation. India has confirmed more than 8.7 million cases of coronavirus infection, second-most in the world, and more than 128,600 fatalities. India's Hindu festivals draw tens of thousands of people, packed in temples, shopping districts and family gatherings exchanging gifts. For Indiaโs nearly 70 million traders, who employ about 400 million people, an upturn could not come fast enough.
In India, polluted air spells trouble for virus patients
India has reported the second most coronavirus infections in the world after the United States, with more than 8.4 million confirmed cases and nearly 125,000 deaths. โThe relationship of long-term air pollution and COVID-19 indicate adverse health impacts that make people prone to the infection,โ Wu said. The link between air pollution and worsening COVID-19 cases remains mostly theoretical at the moment. New Delhiโs air pollution woes arenโt new. Every winter season, air pollution levels in the capital soar to dangerous levels and dark yellow haze blankets the city for months.
Asia Today: India's virus cases jump on New Delhi resurgence
With 8.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, India is the second worst-hit country behind the United States. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)NEW DELHI โ Indiaโs coronavirus outbreak increased by more than 50,000 cases Thursday amid a resurgence of infections in the capital. Nerves are frayed in New Delhi after it reported a record 6,842 new cases in the past 24 hours. With 8.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, India is the second worst-hit country behind the United States. Indonesia has reported more than 425,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the largest in Southeast Asia and second only to Indiaโs 8.3 million in all of Asia.
Indian capital launches campaign to curb toxic air pollution
Authorities in New Delhi launched an anti-pollution campaign on Monday in an attempt to curb air pollution levels ahead of winter, when the capital is regularly covered in toxic haze, and warned that filthy air could make the coronavirus pandemic more dangerous. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)NEW DELHI โ Authorities in New Delhi launched an anti-pollution campaign on Monday in an attempt to curb air pollution levels ahead of winter, when the capital is regularly covered in toxic haze, and warned that filthy air could make the coronavirus pandemic more dangerous. Earlier studies have also suggested that high levels of air pollution can make viral infections more dangerous. Winters have become a time of health woes, when the city is covered with a toxic haze that obscures the sky and blocks sunlight. Pollution levels soar as farmers in neighboring agricultural regions set fire to clear their land after harvests and prepare for the next crop season.
'Ticking time bomb:' Lack of beds slows Delhi's virus fight
In this Wednesday, June 10, 2020 photo, people enquire about their relatives from a health worker at a COVID designated hospital in New Delhi, India. Half of Delhis 8,200 hospital beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are already full and officials are projecting more than half a million cases in the city alone by July 31. Two and a half months of nationwide lockdown kept numbers of infections relatively low in India. Half of Delhi's 8,200 hospital beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients are already full and officials are projecting more than half a million cases in the city alone by July 31. We are sitting on a ticking time bomb, said Dr. Harjit Singh Bhatti, president of the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum.