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UAE s special cargo of medical aid arrives in India
Thu, Apr 29 2021 10:54:29 PM
New Delhi, Apr 29 (IANS): UAE s special cargo of medical aid for India to fight the virulent second wave of the coronavirus pandemic arrived here on Thursday.
Official sources said that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had received a call of support from UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on April 25.
The UAE Foreign Minister had expressed his solidarity with India as the rise in Covid-19 infections have triggered a massive crisis. To convey their support, iconic buildings in the UAE were lit up in the Indian tricolour.
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Negligent manslaughter.
That’s the only way to describe the Modi government’s abominable, grotesque mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic. India has passed the grim milestone of 200,000 dead. Every day, more than 350,000 Indians are added to the 18 million COVID cases already recorded.
Every four minutes someone dies of COVID in the nation’s capital, Delhi with infection rates spiking among younger people. Hospitals are overflowing: often, two COVID patients share a bed.
Beset by oxygen shortages, hospitals are sending SOS tweets begging the government for supplies. There’s looting of oxygen canisters from hospitals at gunpoint. Haryana’s Health Minister accused the Delhi government of stealing his state’s oxygen tankers. State governments have deployed armed police at oxygen production plants.
Freedom House, a US government-funded non-profit, non-governmental organisation publishes an annual report on democracy, political freedom, and human rights titled
Freedom in the World. In the 2021 Report, of a total of 195 countries, 82 were found free, 59 partly free, and 54 not free. India’s status as a democracy was downgraded from ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free,’ primarily on account of alleged ‘rising violence and discriminatory policies’ and ‘a crackdown on expressions of dissent.’ This brought a sharp repartee from India’s External Affairs Minister who said, “We have a set of self-appointed custodians of the world who find it very difficult to stomach that somebody is not looking for their approval.” He highlighted the fact that India had shared its vaccines with 70 countries in the world. “Tell me, how many vaccines have the internationalist nations given?” he asked.