Tag Archives: Brazil

India

Hydroxychloroquine for COVID19: President of Brazil invokes Ramayan to thank Narendra Modi

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Newsroom24x7 Network

New Delhi: President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro, has invoked the Ramayan and compared the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to ease restrictions on the export of hydroxychloroquine, with Lord Hanuman who brought Sanjeevani, a magical cure from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Ram’s brother Lakshman.

When Lord Hanuman was on his quest to find Sanjeevni, the medicinal herb from Sumeru Mountain to save Laxman, he could not identify the exact herb that was required to revive Laxman so he brought the entire mountain.

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Bolsonaro has written: “Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Ram’s brother Lakshman, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored the sight to Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome the global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all peoples.

Earlier on 4 April, Modi had a telephonic conversation with the President of Brazil. The two leaders had discussed the global situation in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister had conveyed his condolences on the loss of lives in Brazil due to COVID-19. he said that the prayers of every Indian were with the friendly people of Brazil at this time.

The two leaders stressed the significance of close cooperation between India and Brazil, bilaterally as well as in the multilateral institutional framework, to mitigate the grave crises caused by COVID-19. They agreed on the need to forge a new human-centric concept of globalisation for the post-COVID world.

The Prime Minister assured all possible support to Brazil President in this difficult hour. They agreed that their officials would remain in regular touch with respect to the COVID-19 situation and its emerging challenges.

Recalling with gratitude the participation of the President of Brazil as the Chief Guest in the 70th Republic Day celebrations of India this year, the Prime Minister expressed happiness at the growing vibrancy in the India-Brazil friendship. He also thanked Brazil for its leadership of BRICS in the past year.

World

China blocks India’s NSG bid

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Lalit Shastri

NSGIndia left no stone unturned in recent months at the level of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and across diplomatic channels to build consensus for gaining membership of the NSG but what comes as a bolt and a crushing blow to the optimism expressed by India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the crucial NSG issue during her annual press conference in New Delhi the other day is the lack of support across the board in favour of India during deliberations at the 3-hour post dinner NSG meeting in Seoul on Thursday.

China,  known for its excessive pro-Pakistan leanings, remained unmoved by the last moment bid by Modi to woo Chinese President Xi Jingping on the sidelines of a multilateral summit in Tashkent on Thursday and used “criteria” as the stumbling block to prevent India from acquiring the membership of the NSG which is crucial from India’s point of view as it needs clean nuclear energy so essential for all-round progress and economic growth.

China has taken the stand that India’s case should not be entertained till it becomes a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Wang Qun, Director General, arms control division at the Chinese Foreign ministry said: “The NSG won’t discuss Indian membership yet. Many differences are there on admitting non-NPT members.”

Besides China, even Switzerland has raised objections to the process of including India and other countries that do not subscribe to the NPT rules. Even countries like Brazil, and Austria have expressed reservations about a non-NPT signatory becoming a member of NSG.

The NPT criteria being used to the hilt by China to keep India out of the NSG also applies to Pakistan. India has not signed the NPT on principle as it considers NPT as discriminatory and in favour of the Nuclear weapon States. India’s Prime Minister had stated in Parliament on 29 July 2009 that there is no question of India joining the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state. Nuclear weapons are an intergral part of India’s national security and will remain so, pending non-discriminatory and global nuclear disarmament.

While India has chosen not to sign the NPT on principle, Pakistan has refused to be a signatory of the non-proliferation treaty only because India has refused to sign it.

World

Explosion results in spread of toxic gas in Brazil

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Newsroom24x7 Desk

Brazil gas leakBrazil : A chemical explosion at a cargo warehouse in Santos, Brazil caused massive toxic gas release and resulted in spread of toxic gas over the country’s biggest port. As news spread about the leak, and as air filled with smoke and dust of toxic fumes, the company owners said the containers in Santos were full of acid and a disinfectant which came into contact with rainwater, causing a reaction.

The situation spread toxic air in the vicinity, and as air trapped from the containers mixed with humidity, a dampened air came up on the breathing zone of people residing in the area. Immediately, the cargo terminal and nearby homes were evacuated. Those residents who did not leave the vicinity were asked to stay inside and strictly sit indoors.

The area’s mayor informed that at least 66 people were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties. Mayor Mario Antonieta de Brito asked people to stay out of the rain, as it could contain chemical elements that could have the potential risk of causing burns on the skin.

The container terminal was operated by Localfrio, a logistics company, in Guaruja, an area on the eastern side of Santos, in Sao Paulo state. The company shared its clarification via a spokeswoman. She spoke on behalf of the company, which exports chemicals used for refrigeration and general cargo, and said the containers were filled with chloric acid and sodium dichloroisocyanurate – a cleaning and disinfectant agent.

Firefighters were rushed to the region and massive relief activities began. The firefighters said that rainwater had seeped into the containers causing a chemical reaction.

India

There should be significant increase in health expenditure: Pranab Mukherjee

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Newsroom24x7 Desk

pranab mukherjeeNew Delhi: President of India Pranab Mukherjee today said that a healthcare system, which is universally accessible, affordable and effective, is crucial for a developing country like India.
The President was inaugurating the Mid-Term Meet 2015 of the National Interventional Council of the Cardiological Society of India in New Delhi today.

The President said a healthcare system, which is universally accessible, affordable and effective, is crucial for a developing country like India. To build such a system, we require robust healthcare infrastructure, trained and motivated personnel, and better access to medicines and equipments. There are 7 hospital beds per 10,000 population in India, compared to 23 in Brazil, 38 in China and 97 in Russia. In terms of healthcare professionals, we again lag behind the other BRIC countries. There are 7 physicians per 10,000 population in India, compared to 19 in Brazil, 15 in China and 43 in Russia. Though schemes like the National Health Mission have improved service delivery, health services in India still suffer from lack of reach and constraints of quality.

The President said India’s public expenditure on health is meager. We fare below our BRIC peers on this count as well. India’s per capita government expenditure on health in PPP terms is US Dollar 44, as against 809 in Russia, 474 in Brazil and 236 in China. Considering that we are a sixth of humanity, a significant rise in health expenditure is urgently required to ensure universal health coverage.

The President said a health insurance mechanism that can take care of all is the need of the hour. As per estimates, about 216 million people in India or 17 percent of the population were covered under various health insurance schemes as at end-March 2014. We need to do much more to bring the uncovered population under the health security net. An insured population will also be a healthy population, which will exhibit a greater propensity to seek education, acquire knowledge and access job opportunities. Good health and fitness of the people will truly be a reflection of our country’s progress.