India

NEW DELHI (AP) — Doctors in India are fighting a fatal fungal infection affecting COVID-19 patients or those who have recovered from the disease amid a coronavirus surge that has driven the country’s fatalities to nearly 300,000.

The life-threatening condition, known as mucormycosis, is relatively rare but doctors suspect that the sudden increase in the infection could further complicate India’s fight against the pandemic.

Agra, May 22 (PTI) A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three men at a village here, police said on Saturday.

Police have arrested two of the accused while the third is on the run.

The girl was taken to an abandoned ashram by one of the accused where she was raped by all three, police said.

She was alone at home when one of the accused turned up there, police said, adding that her parents had gone to attend a marriage function.

The girl told her parents about the incident when they returned home on Friday.

Ahmedabad, May 22 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court has issued a notice to the Central and state governments as well as local authorities in Surat over a Parsi Panchayat body's plea seeking its direction to permit them to perform the last rites of members of the community who died of COVID-19, as per the Zoroastrian tradition.

The court of Justice Nirzar Desai on Friday issued a notice to the respondents, returnable on May 27.

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) The government has asked social media companies to immediately remove any content on their platform which mentions or refers to the term 'Indian variant' of coronavirus, in a bid to curb spread of misinformation around COVID-19.

Digital platforms said they have received the latest advisory.

On Friday, the IT ministry wrote to all social media platforms emphasising that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not associated the term "Indian Variant" with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports.

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the assured supply of essential medicines for the treatment of mucormycosis (black fungus) and cost-free care to those affected.

In a letter to the prime minister, she also pointed out that the illness is not covered under Ayushman Bharat and most other health insurance plans and sought immediate action on the issue.

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Cyclone Yaas is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and cross the Odisha and the West Bengal coasts on May 26, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

A low pressure area formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal and the adjoining north Andaman Sea on Saturday.

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said COVID-19 vaccination centres for those in the 18-44 years age group are being closed in the national capital due to lack of doses and appealed to the Centre to provide more vaccines.

From Sunday, all vaccination centres for youths in Delhi will be closed as stocks have run out, he said in a press conference.

Coimbatore, May 21 (PTI) As the severe second wave of Covid-19 sweeps across the country, not sparing this district too, a Coronadevi temple has come up on the outskirts of the city, thanks to a mutt, seeking divine intervention to put an end to the raging pandemic.

This is in line with a 'Plague Mariamman Temple', dedicated by the faithful to the deity Amman seeking her protection earlier when plague wreaked havoc about 150 years ago.

The Kamatchipuri Adheenam has built a temple near Irugur on the outskirts and consecrated an idol, naming it as Goddess Corona Devi.

NEW DELHI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Data of around 4.5 million customers of the state-run Air India has been leaked following a massive cyber-attack on its data processor in February, the airline officials said Saturday.

The leaked data included customer information of credit cards, passports and phone numbers registered between August 26, 2011 and February 3, 2021, Air India said.

The airlines disclosed the scale of the breach nearly three months after it was first informed of it.

Mumbai, May 21 (PTI) The Maharashtra Government on Friday extended its 'Shiv Bhojan' free meal scheme for the poor and needy till June 14 as part of its 'break the chain' restrictions to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, officials said.

A statement from the chief minister's office (CMO) said a government resolution in connection with this move was issued on May 14 by the state food and civil supplies department.