Senin, 26 April 2021

Indonesian navy submarine found split into three on sea bed - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-04-26 07:20:46Z
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UK sends medical equipment to India as Covid wave overwhelms country - The Independent

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  1. UK sends medical equipment to India as Covid wave overwhelms country  The Independent
  2. India overwhelmed by world's worst Covid crisis - BBC News  BBC News
  3. India’s Covid crisis: doctors sound warning over oxygen hoarding  The Guardian
  4. COVID-19: India's oxygen shortage leaves people begging for air  Sky News
  5. Covid: Countries send aid to ease India's oxygen emergency  BBC News
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-04-26 09:08:36Z
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Minggu, 25 April 2021

Merkel crisis: Germany could face lockdown until June as restrictions fail to drop cases - Daily Express

Germany is struggling to contain infections following the country's glacial vaccine rollout. The country's seven-day average of cases per 100,000 people rose to 166 at the weekend, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

As the number of cases continued to rise, Ms Merkel imposed further lockdown restrictions until mid-April.

But as infections are still increasing, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz warned restrictions could be imposed until at least June.

Mr Scholz told Bild am Sonntag: "We need a timetable how to get back to normal life, but it must be a plan that won't have to be revoked after just a few days."

He added how the federal government should be able to outline "clear and courageous opening steps" for summer allowing restaurants to adjust reopening plans and summer holidays.

The Finance Minister said steps would also clarify when visits to concerts, theatres and football stadiums would be possible.

This week, Germany's upper house of parliament approved a law to give Ms Merkel's Government more powers to fight a Covid third wave.

The amendment to the Infection Protection Act enables the national Government to impose curfews between 10pm and 5am, as well as limiting private gatherings, sport and shop openings.

Schools will close and return to online lessons if the virus spread exceeds 165 cases per 100,000 residents.

READ MORE: Outrage at thousands marching on London as police injured in protests

She told ZDF television: "This law has a serious design flaw.

"This law will not bring down infection figures."

Other minister-presidents in Germany shared their concern over the emergency brake.

Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier, of the Christian Democratic Union party, said the exit restrictions were "constitutionally problematic", particularly with the planned school closings.

More than 80,000 people in Germany have died from the virus.

Doctors have warned that unless action is taken, intensive-care units may struggle to cope.

Germany has also seen growing unrest over lockdown measures and thousands of anti-lockdown protesters demonstrated close to parliament this week.

Police broke up demonstrations at the Brandenburg Gate and more than 150 people were arrested for breaking Covid rules and also attacking officers.

Officers added they had fired pepper spray when protesters tried to get through a barrier at the gate.

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2021-04-25 20:17:33Z
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Several countries promise rapid aid as COVID rages in India - Al Jazeera English

Several countries have promised to rapidly send supplies to help India as the country reels from shortages of oxygen and medicines amid a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.

The United States on Sunday said it was working to immediately deploy to India drug treatments, rapid diagnostic COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment and will seek to provide oxygen supplies as well.

The White House said in a statement it had identified sources of raw material urgently needed for India’s manufacture of the Covishield vaccine and will make those available.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that the organisation was “pooling resources to respond rapidly to India’s request for assistance”.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany also promised rapid support. Neighbouring rival Pakistan offered medical equipment and supplies after Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted prayers for a “speedy recovery”.

Record cases, deaths

International efforts to help India accelerated on Sunday as the country’s COVID-19 crisis grew with infections and deaths hitting record highs.

The healthcare system has struggled to cope with the huge surge, with reports of severe oxygen and medicine shortages and patients’ families pleading for help on social media.

India recorded 349,691 fresh cases and 2,767 deaths in the last 24 hours – the highest since the start of the pandemic.

India’s capital New Delhi, home to 20 million people and the worst-hit city in the country, extended its lockdown by a further week.

New Delhi on Saturday reported just over 24,000 new cases – with more than one-quarter of those tested returning positive results – and a record-high 357 deaths.

“We are in the most grievous challenges our country has faced since the partition of 1947,” Dr Ritesh Malik of Radix Healthcare told Al Jazeera.

“We are seeing a very vulnerable population continuously in search for oxygen, beds, medicines and things even like paracetamol in smaller towns in India,” he added.

Shaken by a ‘storm’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a monthly radio address on Sunday that India had been shaken by a “storm” as he called on people to get vaccinated and not “get swayed by any rumour about the vaccines”.

The country has administered almost 141 million vaccine shots so far, but experts say the mass inoculation programme needs to be significantly stepped up in the nation of 1.3 billion people.

There has been growing criticism of Modi’s government over allegations it was caught underprepared ahead of the surge.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Twitter confirmed it withheld dozens of tweets critical of the crisis after a legal demand from New Delhi.

“If (the content) is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not in violation of the Twitter rules, we may withhold access to the content in India only,” the social media giant said in a statement.

Some tweets included comments, including from regional opposition lawmakers, about the overwhelmed healthcare system.

The IT ministry told AFP news agency it asked Twitter to remove 100 posts, adding that there was “the misuse of social media platforms by certain users to spread fake or misleading information and create panic about the COVID-19 situation in India”.

Oxygen crisis

Some states and territories have imposed curbs on movement and activities, with Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday announcing a weekend lockdown.

Ambulance sirens echoed through empty streets in the northern city of Lucknow in India’s most populous state, badly hit Uttar Pradesh, during its weekend lockdown.

In New Delhi, there were chaotic scenes outside some hospitals.

“I’ve no one else except my wife and child who I’ve left on the road with an acquaintance,” Sehdev Bhatta, whose wife was lying in the back of an ambulance breathing with the help of an oxygen tank, told Al Jazeera outside Lok Nayak hospital.

“There’s no one to look after us. We aren’t getting a bed and I’ve tried many hospitals,” he added.

Women mourn the death of a family member, who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), outside a crematorium in New Delhi, India on April 24, 2021 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
Mohammed Haneef, security guard at Lok Nayak told Al Jazeera tensions were running high.

“I work very hard. We try to help guide people but they don’t listen. People are becoming very frustrated. Some even become physical.”

The government said on Sunday that more than 500 oxygen-generation plants were to be set up in hospitals. Oxygen supplies were also being bolstered through special trains and airlifts of containers from other countries.

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2021-04-25 19:10:57Z
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Covid: India sets another infection record as US shows concern - BBC News

India has registered a new world record for daily coronavirus infections for the fourth day in a row, placing more strain on its crisis-hit hospitals.

It recorded a further 349,691 cases on Sunday, bringing the total to almost 17 million since the pandemic began.

Overcrowded hospitals are struggling to secure enough oxygen, leading to patients being turned away.

On Saturday the US said it was deeply concerned by India's surge in cases.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was working closely with the Indian government to send more support and supplies.

The Indian government is deploying trains and the air force to transport supplies to hard-hit areas.

'Devastating reminder'

The situation is particularly acute in the capital Delhi, where people have been dying in hospitals because of lack of oxygen.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the situation in India was a "devastating reminder" of what the coronavirus could do.

The number of deaths across India rose by 2,767 in the 24 hours to Sunday - the highest daily number so far.

Earlier this year, the Indian government believed it had beaten the virus. New cases fell to 11,000 by mid-February, vaccines were being exported, and in March the health minister said India was "in the endgame" of the pandemic.

However, since then, a new surge has erupted, driven by the emergence of new variants, as well as mass gatherings, such as the Kumbh Mela festival, which drew millions of pilgrims earlier this month.

Graphic of India Covid cases
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'Patients will die'

Hospitals in Delhi have warned they are at breaking point. At the Holy Family Hospital, intensive care units are full and there is no room for any more beds.

"Almost every hospital is on the edge. If oxygen runs out, there is no leeway for many patients," Dr Sumit Ray told the BBC.

"Within minutes, they will die. You can see these patients: they're on ventilators, they require high-flow oxygen. If the oxygen stops, most of them will die."

At the Jaipur Golden Hospital, a doctor told the BBC the government had allocated 3.6 tonnes of oxygen, to be delivered by 17:00 on Friday.

However, the supply - a fraction of what was promised - only arrived at midnight, he told the BBC.

Patient with breathing apparatus in ambulance in Ahmedabad, India (20 April)
Reuters

On Friday, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pleaded for oxygen supplies on live TV, Reuters news agency reported.

"All of the country's oxygen plants should immediately be taken over by the government through the army," he said.

A virologist at the Christian Medical College in the city of Vellore in southern India, Gagandeep Kang, told the BBC more action was needed to stop the spread of the virus.

"We need to ensure that there are no non-essential activities taking place. You know what Indian weddings are like, and restricting the size of gatherings, whether it is for family reasons, other social reasons or for business or for political rallies. All of that really needs to stop," she told the BBC.

"I don't think a national lockdown is required, but I think that in places that are showing a rise in cases, we do need to intervene with greater stringency than we have done in the past."

Map of Covid cases in India
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2021-04-25 05:15:51Z
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Princess Anne marks Anzac Day with visit to war memorial as William shares video tribute - Daily Mail

Princess Anne marks Anzac Day with visit to war memorial in London as William pays tribute to ‘indomitable spirit’ and ‘courage’ of Australian and New Zealand soldiers

  • Princess Anne and her husband attend two commemorative services in London
  • Prince William has also shared a commemorative message to mark Anzac Day
  • It comes as Royal Family resume official duties after two-week mourning period
  • Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings, and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand

The Royal family has marked Anzac Day as Princess Anne laid wreaths at a war memorial while the Duke of Cambridge has paid tribute to the 'indomitable spirit and courage' of Australian and New Zealand forces.

The Princess Royal, and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, are attending two commemorative services in London on behalf of the royal family, as they resume their official duties.

Meanwhile, Prince William shared a commemorative message celebrating the 'endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour and mateship' of Australian and New Zealand soldiers.

Since the death of the Prince Philip on April 9 the royal family has only carried out official duties where appropriate, and have dressed in black as a mark of respect when in public.

But they are now able to carry out their normal official roles in full after observing the two-week period of mourning.

Pictured: Princess Anne has visited the war memorials at Wellington Arch during a dawn service to commemorate Anzac Day - a day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand

Pictured: Princess Anne has visited the war memorials at Wellington Arch during a dawn service to commemorate Anzac Day - a day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand

The Princess Royal lays a wreath during a Dawn Service at the New Zealand war memorial

The Princess Royal lays a wreath during a Dawn Service at the New Zealand war memorial

The Princess Royal (left) alongside Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence (right) attends a Dawn Service at the Australian war memorial at Wellington Arch in London earlier this morning

The Princess Royal (left) alongside Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence (right) attends a Dawn Service at the Australian war memorial at Wellington Arch in London earlier this morning

Anzac Day - April 25 - marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings, and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand.

Thousands of Anzac troops - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - died in the ill-fated 1915 campaign.

Waves of allied forces launched an amphibious attack on the strategically important Turkish peninsula, which was key to controlling the Dardanelles straits, the crucial route to the Black Sea and Russia.

But the plan backed by Winston Churchill, then first lord of the admiralty, was flawed and the campaign, which faced a heroic defence by the Turks, led to stalemate and withdrawal eight months later.

Pictured: Princess Anne lays a wreath during a Dawn Service at the Australian war memorial

Pictured: Princess Anne lays a wreath during a Dawn Service at the Australian war memorial

The Princess Royal (centre), alongside the New Zealand High Commissioner Bede Corry (right)

The Princess Royal (centre), alongside the New Zealand High Commissioner Bede Corry (right)

The Princess Royal signs book of remembrance at Wellington Arch, London, to mark Anzac day

The Princess Royal signs book of remembrance at Wellington Arch, London, to mark Anzac day

Its legacy is the celebration of the 'Anzac spirit' - courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and mateship - shown by the Antipodean troops.

William highlighted these qualities in a message to mark Anzac Day sent to the New Zealand and Australian High Commissions in London, along with some Anzac biscuits, on Friday morning.

The duke said in his message: 'This Anzac Day, Catherine and I join Australians and New Zealanders across the world to remember and honour the servicemen and women of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

'Today we stand together to reflect not only on their sacrifices, but also their courage, sense of duty, and their famously indomitable spirit.

'Though many will still be unable to come together in person this year, we are heartened in the knowledge that Australians and New Zealanders will continue to commemorate those who have given so much for our freedoms.

'The Anzac qualities of endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour and mateship are admired as fiercely as ever before.

'Lest we forget.'

Anne and her husband were among a reduced number attending the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Wellington Arch, where the princess laid a wreath at both the Australian and New Zealand War Memorials, and signed a book of remembrance.

The Duke of Cambridge has shared a commemorative video message to mark Anzac Day today and praised the 'indomitable spirit' and 'courage' of Australian and New Zealand forces

The Duke of Cambridge has shared a commemorative video message to mark Anzac Day today and praised the 'indomitable spirit' and 'courage' of Australian and New Zealand forces

Later, the couple will attend the Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

Anzac Day has been commemorated in London since the first anniversary of the Anzac landings when King George V attended a service at Westminster Abbey.

Since then, the services have become an important moment for thousands of expatriates and visiting New Zealanders and Australians.

It comes as thousands of Australians took to pubs across the country to sink beers and play a traditional game of two-up as Anzac Day commemorations got underway.

Earlier in the day, Australians gathered in the chilly dawn at public ceremonies for the first time since 2019 after the Covid pandemic caused marches to be cancelled last year.

Hundreds were packed tightly into the Royal Hotel in Sydney on Sunday afternoon.

Thousands of rowdy Aussies have taken to pubs across the country to sink beers and play two-up as Anzac Day commemorations continue. Pictured: The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks

Thousands of rowdy Aussies have taken to pubs across the country to sink beers and play two-up as Anzac Day commemorations continue. Pictured: The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks

A crowd of rowdy patrons celebrate their winnings during a game of two-up at the Royal Hotel in Paddington, Sydney

A crowd of rowdy patrons celebrate their winnings during a game of two-up at the Royal Hotel in Paddington, Sydney

A large crowd participates in games of two-up in a laneway next to the Royal Hotel in Paddington

A large crowd participates in games of two-up in a laneway next to the Royal Hotel in Paddington

Patrons and servicemen and women in their military uniforms enjoyed two-up in the beer garden, while others who managed to find a spare table drank the afternoon away.

Elated patrons were seen cheering as they celebrated their two-up wins, while two sailors ran the game which has become synonymous with Anzac Day.

Australian soldiers played the coin toss betting game in trenches and on troopships during World War I. Two-up is illegal to play in NSW on any day other than April 25 due to it being an unregulated form of gambling.

Last year Anzac Day was marked by televised services only and no marches for the first time in more than a century as the pandemic kept people indoors.

Services and marches were back with limited crowds in most parts of the country.

Only services in Western Australia's Perth and Peel regions were cancelled after a hotel quarantine outbreak led to community virus transmission and the imposition of a three-day lockdown.

Patrons and servicemen and women in their military uniforms enjoyed two-up in the beer garden, while others who managed to find a spare table drank the afternoon away

Patrons and servicemen and women in their military uniforms enjoyed two-up in the beer garden, while others who managed to find a spare table drank the afternoon away

The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks was also a hotspot, where hordes of revellers filled the bar and outside area to soak up the sun

The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks was also a hotspot, where hordes of revellers filled the bar and outside area to soak up the sun

Sunday marks the 106th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, a campaign which ultimately cost more than 8700 Australian lives.

Like last year, many Australians paid tribute at home by standing at the end of their driveways at dawn.

Outside of the Sydney CBD, a maximum of 5000 people - excluding spectators - can participate in an outdoor Anzac Day march or dawn service.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra that the nation faced a defining moment 12 months ago when the pandemic first reached Australian shores.

'A moment of uncertainty and danger, when the future seems so uncertain, masked by fog,' he said in front of about 3,000 people.

'We could not gather, but we held candles in driveways and on balconies and we played the Last Post on radios and iPhones as some, especially in our west, will do again today.

A veteran walks next to police officers as they attend the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating Anzac Day in Sydney

A veteran walks next to police officers as they attend the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating Anzac Day in Sydney

An Australian Army soldier stands as people attend the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating Anzac Day in Sydney

An Australian Army soldier stands as people attend the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating Anzac Day in Sydney

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian attends the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating Anzac Day in Sydney

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian attends the consular corps wreath-laying ceremony commemorating Anzac Day in Sydney

Crowds gather during the Sydney Dawn Service

Crowds gather during the Sydney Dawn Service

Australians are seen paying their respects at the eternal flame at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne

Australians are seen paying their respects at the eternal flame at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne

'And together we called on our past to light up the dawn, and in doing so, we rediscovered a deep truth about who we are - our strength is found in each other.

'When we are threatened, when our peace and our safety and our security are imperilled, in these moments our differences fade away.'

Mr Morrison acknowledged the service came as Australia prepared to withdraw its last troops from Afghanistan.

'It has been our longest war. The world is safer from the threat of terrorism than when the Twin Towers were felled almost 20 years ago, but we remain vigilant. However, this has come at a great cost.'

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2021-04-25 08:21:25Z
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Sabtu, 24 April 2021

COVID-19: Fires don't stop as bodies pile up in Delhi's ambulances and crematoriums - Sky News

The heat is intense. The grief is palpable.

Fires just do not stop burning in the Indian capital, Delhi, right now.

The coronavirus dead are piled up in vehicles and ambulances and rickshaws - as India continues to set daily global records for new infections.

An crematorium in Delhi cremating people who have died with coronavirus
Image: An crematorium in Delhi cremating people who have died with coronavirus
The bodies of COVID-19 victims are carried into a crematorium in Delhi

In one, there are three bodies wrapped in white cloth, string tightly wound round their necks, waist, knees and ankles.

Workers in the crematorium temple seem overwhelmed with the number of dead arriving and there's much frenzied activity.

The deceased are thoroughly sprayed with disinfectant while still outside, by a cremation team wearing hazmat suits, goggles and gloves.

They're then carried or lifted on stretchers from the street and into the next staging area. There are rows of deceased with exhausted funeral workers, volunteers and relatives hovering close by or sitting on benches which are hugging the walls.

More from Covid-19

Every few minutes while we're here, a body is stretchered through into the makeshift crematorium which has been created on open land next door.

That, too, is now full with burning pyres which form such an important part of the ancient Hindu funeral ritual. Young boys almost run in, pulling piles of wood behind them on cycle carts and tip their loads onto fresh patches of soil for yet more to be built.

Funeral pyres at a crematorium in Delhi
Image: Funeral pyres at a crematorium in the capital

"Jildi, jildi," they shout (quickly, quickly).

They're furiously building pyres to keep up, but the rapid pace means these sudden and shocking funerals are also hasty, often lonely affairs.

And yet they are crowded too - by rows of parallel pyres with individuals or couples all forced by events into swiftly saying their goodbyes to loved ones.

Few relatives are allowed in because of the coronavirus rules and partial lockdown in the capital. But there are so many funerals going on at once here that it is far from private event - and there is talk of expanding further into the street if the level of deaths remains as high.

This is India - now the centre of the global pandemic - and in its capital city, each new COVID-19 death arrives less than four minutes after the last.

On Saturday, India reported 2,624 COVID deaths in the last 24 hours - its highest number so far. Total fatalities have now reached 189,544.

Some of the top hospitals - and some of the smaller ones too - are saying they're battling to save lives in the midst of an acute oxygen shortage.

The body of someone who died with coronavirus being pushed into a crematorium in Delhi
Image: Crematoriums in Delhi are extremely busy

Over the last few days, several have been putting out alarming pleas for help on social media, while others have said they can no longer accept patients.

One announced on Twitter that patients would have to be discharged and sent home if they didn't get any more supplies of oxygen.

The Yamuna Sports Complex in the city - which was converted into a COVID facility complete with almost 900 beds to help with the shortage of hospital vacancies was closed only days later.

A notice on the gate read: "Oxygen Beds are not available."

We found a rickshaw driver and his two daughters sitting outside in his tut tut. They'd spent around three months' salary buying their own oxygen cylinder which they'd purchased that morning and he was hooked up to it.

He was determinedly sucking on the air. "They've told us we cannot be admitted," his daughter Heena told us. "But this oxygen is already running out and we only got it a few hours ago."

Bodies are sprayed with disinfectant before being cremated
Image: Bodies are sprayed with disinfectant before being cremated

Everywhere, rich or poor Indians are taking matters into their own hands to try to stay alive.

There were queues outside a small business which normally sells bottled gas to welders and contractors. Now, their customers are those who have COVID in the family or community.

The owner told us he suspects some are hoarding, but he asks no questions and no explanations are forthcoming. The crowd all had their own oxygen cylinders and all those we spoke to had sick relatives or neighbours they were buying for.

The cylinders are now like gold dust and they're selling on the black market at a price which is on average fourfold their normal level.

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Delhi hospital overwhelmed by COVID

"It's heart-breaking but we Indians are fighting," one man told us.

"This is all on the government. If this had happened a year ago then it is understandable. No one knew back then. But they do now and they've had a year to prepare and they wasted it. So now we have no choice."

And India may not yet have reached its peak. That's forecast to come somewhere in mid-May.

These grim figures could keep on going up. As one commentator put it: it's not just a sharpish uptick. The country's coronavirus cases are shooting up like a straight wall.

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2021-04-24 21:11:57Z
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