President tests positive for COVID-19
President Bidya Devi Bhandari has been infected with SARS--CoV 2 virus. The Head-of-the-State was hospitalized on September 8 after she complained of fever and flu-like symptoms. She is receiving the treatment at the Annex ward bed number 601 of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Her PCR test came positive to COVID-19, said hospital information officer Ram Bikram Adhikari. The health condition of the President is improving as per the expectation. If the recovery follows the current trend, she will be perhaps discharged by tomorrow. A medical squad led by Dr Niraj Bam is involved in her treatment.
Mulayam Singh Yadav Passes Away: PM Modi, Amit Shah pay tribute to SP founder; last rites in Saifai tomorrow
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away while undergoing at Medanta hospital in Gurugram on Monday. He was 82, The Indian Express reported. The SP patriarch’s condition had been “quite critical” for the past few weeks and he was on life-saving drugs. Party chief and Yadav’s son Akhilesh confirmed the news of the leader’s death on Twitter. “Mere adarniya pitaji aur sabke netaji nahi rahe – Akhilesh Yadav,” he tweeted from the party’s official handle. Soon after learning about the demise of the SP founder, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recollected his relationship with the veteran leader and tweeted: “Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr. Lohia.” Yadav will be cremated in Saifai, his native village in Etawah district, on Tuesday around 3 pm, party has said, according to The Indian Express. “The body of netaji is being taken to Saifai. On Oct 11, he will be cremated at around 3 pm,” Samajwadi Party said. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will go to Saifai, today to attend the last rites.
Several loud explosions heard in Ukrainian capital Kyiv
Several large explosions have been heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv a day after President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for a deadly explosion on a key bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia, Aljazeera reported. “Several explosions in the Shevchenkivskyi district, in the city centre,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram on Monday. “Details will follow,” he said. The explosions took place around 0815 local time (0515 GMT), with air raid sirens sounding in the Ukrainian capital more than an hour before the blasts. Ukrainian forces retook large areas around Kyiv in early April after Russia abandoned its push towards the capital. The Russian president has come under increasing pressure after suffering a series of military setbacks in recent weeks. He continued reshuffling his military leadership, appointing a new general to lead the war.
Crimea bridge: Putin accuses Ukraine of 'terrorism'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge to Russian-annexed Crimea, saying that it was an "act of terrorism,” BBC reported.
President Putin said Ukraine's intelligence forces had aimed to destroy a critically important piece of Russia's civil infrastructure.
He was speaking at a meeting with the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin.
Officials say three people were killed in the blast on the bridge.
The victims were in a nearby car when a lorry blew up, Russian officials say.
"There is no doubt, this is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying Russia's critical civilian infrastructure," Mr Putin said.
"Its authors, perpetrators and beneficiaries are the security services of Ukraine."
Mr Bastrykin said that citizens of Russia and some foreign states had aided preparations for the attack.
According to Mr Bastrykin, investigators have established that the truck which they say blew up travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory.
He has ordered an investigation into the incident which brought down sections of the roadway.
Ukrainian officials have not indicated that their forces were behind the attack.
But an adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, denied Mr Putin's accusation.
"Does Putin accuse Ukraine of terrorism? It looks too cynical even for Russia," he said, according to BBC.
On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident in his nightly address, saying: "Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory."
"Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm," he added.
