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Weekly News Highlights: From the Oxygen Leak at Nashik to the Extradition of Nirav Modi

Akash Kumar Akash Kumar Send an email April 26, 2021
294 3 minutes read
Oxygen Leak at Nashik
Image source - Outlook India

Oxygen leak at Nashik kills 22 as the Covid-19 situation in India gets worse

COVID-19 Update

With 3,46,786 new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day, India is still making new world records every day. The experts are of the opinion that India will reach its peak only after May 11th.  The death toll from the virus has also been on a rise with 2,324 deaths reported just on 23rd April.

The severeness of the second wave in India has been attributed to a number of factors including relaxation of lockdowns, allowance of large gatherings at weddings, places of worship etc., and election rallies held by parties. This letting down of guard has led to a complete failure of the health care system of India.

India for some time has been running out of oxygen, vaccines, hospital beds, and COVID-19 drugs. All this forced a number of states to adopt some sort of lockdown measures to curtail the growth of the virus. Maharashtra extended its lockdown while Delhi brought in place a 6-day lockdown.

Oxygen Leak at Nashik Hospital

Oxygen leak at Nashik hospital led to the death of 22 critically ill Covid-19 patients, that included 10 women. A leak in the tank providing oxygen at the Zakir Hussain Hospital managed by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), caused a disruption in the oxygen supply to the patients for an hour.

According to NMC fire brigade chief Sanjay Bairagi, a liquid oxygen tanker was stationed near the oxygen tank to refill it. “The leak was at the outlet of the tank which is connected to the hospital oxygen pipe,” he added while talking to an esteemed daily.

The oxygen leak made the visibility around the oxygen tanker virtually zero which is why the firemen had trouble fixing the leak. The state government announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the dead.

Read more: Tokyo Olympics 2021: Japan to choose games over people’s health

Police Officer Found Guilty for The Murder That Sparked Black Lives Matter

black lives matter
Image source – Unsplash

A jury of six whites and six multiracial jurors, after ten hours of deliberation, found Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Derek had killed George Floyd by subduing him with his knee Floyd’s neck. The death of the black man, which had been recorded on a camera, led to a major worldwide movement against racism called the Black Lives Matter.

The three other cops who were with Chauvin faced charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Their trial is yet to begin. The judgment was welcomed by US President Joe Biden, who, in a call to Floyd’s daughter said her “daddy did change the world”.

The Centre Empowers States, Market in Bid to Vaccinate All Above 18

All adults above the age of 18 will be able to get vaccinated from May 1. The order from the Centre also said that vaccine manufacturers now can directly sell their vaccines to states in the open market. Vaccines that will be imported, like the recently authorized Sputnik V, will also be directly sold to states in the open market. Private hospitals and vaccination providers can also buy directly from the open market and set their own prices for consumers.

But the situation is not great, as India is facing a massive shortage of COVID-19 vaccines right now. The Sputnik V vaccine will be imported starting at the end of this month while its production in the country will begin only at the end of the next month. According to reports, only J&J is in talks with the Indian government to enter the Indian market.

Nirav Modi’s Extradition Cleared

The British Government cleared the extradition of the fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi. Modi was involved in fraud and money laundering and in the Punjab National Bank scam of estimated $2 billion.

Modi was arrested in England 2 years ago and since then has been at Wandsworth Prison in Southwest London. Modi now has 14 days to apply for permission to appeal against the home secretary’s order in the High Court in London. The good news for Modi is that this appeal can take months or even years to be resolved. Vijay Mallya’s extradition was cleared in February of 2019 but he is still in London.

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Akash Kumar Akash Kumar Send an email April 26, 2021
294 3 minutes read
Akash Kumar

Akash Kumar

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