Coronavirus scare continues to spread across newspapers with lead reports on fresh cases and those in quarantine.
The United Nations’ decision to interfere in the CAA matter in the Supreme Court and India’s angry reaction to that, also makes for strong headlines.
The top financial story of the day, is the rate cuts by US Federal Reserve to inoculate the world economy from catching cold from the epidemic.
The corona lead on the schools closed in Delhi reports, “The schools’ management said: ‘The spring break has been advanced. The holidays will be utilised for sanitising the schools as a precautionary measure’.”
One effect of the growing scare is the cancellation of visas (“Visas to nationals of 4 more countries on hold”) as “India has suspended both regular (sticker) and e-visas granted to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan on or before March 3, 2020.”
In ‘UN body goes to SC on CAA…’, TOI reports how “For the first time in India’s judicial history, a United Nations body — the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)” will be intervening to help decide the constitutionality of the CAA. To which the MEA “swiftly hit back, saying it was an ‘internal matter’”.
Read the heartwarming anchor report on ‘Wife of Major killed in J&K op after Pulwama to join Army’ as “Nitika Kaul, widow of Major Vibhuti Dhoundiyal, who was killed in a military operation after the Pulwama terror attack, is all set to join the technical wing of the Indian Army.”
A second report focuses on the patient from Delhi, who was tested positive for the virus — `Delhi patient was at a hotel party…’ The case prompted “two leading private schools in Noida to shut for the week” and “extensive fumigation of a five-star hotel in south Delhi”. The report details how the patient had hosted a party at the Hyatt Regency Hotel which was attended by children of the two schools.
In other Delhi news, there’s an exclusive on the police investigation into the Delhi riots, which says that according to Delhi police “members of both communities created several WhatsApp groups to circulate inflammatory texts, audio and video messages”.
There’s an interesting anchor story here too, on how “artificial turf fields have sprung up in cities as well as villages” of football-crazy Kerala. “The state has around 500 artificial turfs, of which 150 are in Kozhikode district, erected and managed by local men, mostly Gulf returnees,” the report reads.
But what really catches the eye in today’s HT is its exclusive on Pulwama on the flap (“Pulwama strike was pushed back a week, JeM man tells sleuths”). The report notes that the attack was “was originally set to be carried out in the first week of February,” however, “weather conditions forced a suspension of the convoy movements, and JeM terrorists had to wait until the next CRPF convoy passed on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.”
And India’s ties with Iran have hit a rocky patch after Iran’s Foreign Minister Javed Zarif’s critical comments on the Delhi riots in which he called them “thuggery” and condemned the “violence against Muslims” India reacted sharply to this notes ‘Envoy summoned after Iran slams Delhi riots’ by ticking off the Iranian Ambassador after summoning him to the Ministry of External Affairs.
On coronavirus the paper focuses on “Italian tourist tests positive for COVID-19”. The report adds, “24 persons, including 21 Italian tourists and three Indians (bus driver, conductor and tourist guide), who had contact with the Italian national confirmed as COVID-19 positive in Jaipur, have been shifted to the ITBP facility for testing.”
The UN’s interference on CAA makes headlines here as well. The paper notes, “The application from the office of Michelle Bachelet Jeria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Chile, has pointed out that there cannot be any discrimination in granting refugee status on the basis of religion or race.”
Also read the shocking report about the Madras High Court ruling Thursday in which it said that “all officials and staff of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department must take a pledge within eight weeks that they profess Hindu religion“.
The second lead is odd for a financial newspaper: PM Modi calling for ‘peace, harmony and unity‘ during his address to BJP MPs. According to the report, “The PM also took a swing at the Congress and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, without naming the latter.” Swing?
And in a proactive move, the Income Tax department is on the front foot, urging taxpayers to opt for the Vivaad se Vishwas scheme. The page 1 report says letters are being sent, calls being made as the department is trying to “encourage” parties to “settle dispute under scheme”.
In good news, “salaries of around 30 million industrial workers are set to rise as a government-led committee has approved a new base year for the consumer price index (CPI) for such workforce” The anchor story notes that “the move will also benefit around 4.8 million central government employees whose dearness allowance (DA)….is linked to this inflation index”.