Photo Credit: Unsplash/Macau Photo Agency By: Sanjay Srivastava, Chief-Disaster Risk Reduction Section ICT & Disaster Risk Reduction Division (United Nations ESCAP) BANGKOK: “Act decisively and early to prevent the further spread or quickly suppress the transmission of COVID-19 and save lives” is the first strategic objective of the UN framework on responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19. It calls for a decisive, innovative and coordinated response to suppress the spread of the virus and address the socio-economic devastation that COVID-19 is causing in all regions. New innovations are accelerating national capacities…
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Fasting in Ramadan-Its Secret and Philosophy; Imam Ghazali’s Perspective
By: Dr. Humera Sultana, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Each and every fundamental of Islam has strength of its own and the forte of Fasting in Ramadan, which constitutes one -fourth of the faith, is forbearance and sacrifice. None knows the physical, mental and spiritual state of a fasting person except Allah. It’s one of the most beloved acts of a Muslim for Allah because it’s done only for the sake of Allah. To begin with, the object of fasting of the common or the lowest level is to put a restraint…
Read MoreCOVID-19 | Singapore: 20 Port Authorities Signed Declaration To Keep Ports Open To Seaborne Trade
By: Tejeshwar Singh Rana, Chief Officer-Merchant Navy & Associate Editor-ICN International Recognising that the maritime sector plays a critical role in keeping trade flows open in the global fight against COVID-19, 20 members of the Port Authorities Roundtable (PAR) from Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America came together to declare their commitment to ensuring their ports remain open amidst the current pandemic. The declaration, initiated by Singapore, calls for port authorities to collaborate and share best practices in ensuring that port operations can remain undisrupted. Representing the Maritime and Port…
Read MoreJourney Of Quinine To Hydroxyquinine
By: Dr. Samayug Bhowmik, Bureau Chief-ICN West Bengal KOLKATA: Once upon a time an Indian with a high fever fell sick in Andean forest of South America. He became very thirsty and without finding any other way he drank water from a pool of stagnant water surrounded by the same type of trees. He found the water was bitter in taste and presumed that the water had been contaminated and he engulfed some poison with water. Astonishingly, his fever soon remitted and he shared these incidental findings to fellow villagers, who thereafter…
Read MoreMan-Woman Relationship: Is It Quintessentially Monogamous?
By: Barnali Bose, Editor-ICN World KOLKATA: One often hears that in today’s world, man has lost his ability to remain content with one partner all his life. In other words,treading beyond conjugal ties is a relatively new phenomenon corroding the foundation of marriage in the modern world. I would but beg to differ with such a view as History has a different story to tell. Fidelity to one partner has been probably desired but quite often proved to be elusive. Had man been satisfied in a monogamous relationship in the days of…
Read MoreLONELY AS A CLOUD
By: Dr. Mohammad Aleem, Editor-ICN Group ( A short story ) NEW DELHI: It was a very unpleasant and harsh morning. The rain laden clouds had gathered in the sky. And it looked that the rain might start any time, soon. Strong icy winds were also blowing continuously. I was sitting on a bench in a park nearby my colony, fully covered with my woollen gears. It was the only park where we could go and walk and take a breath of fresh air. We were not so lucky to have…
Read MorePandenomics: COVID-19
By: Prof Santosh Kumar, NIDM NEW DELHI: I had published an article almost on 24th February on the coronavirus when the number of countries reported hit by coronavirus was 29.The World Bank has made US $ 12 billion and the IMF $50 billion for Covid-19. America Congress is allocating $8.3 billion funding for fighting covid-19. Many advisories are coming from across the globe such as the closure of big gathering and avoidance of mass congregation. Travel cut, Flights are getting grounded, people are avoiding going to malls, market, restaurants, closure of…
Read MoreIndia Has Enough Limestone To Help Coal-Based Thermal Power Plants Meet The New Emission Norms: CSE’s New Report
By: Dr. Dakter Esse, Editor-ICN North East Study on flue gas desulphurization (FGD) systems refutes thermal power industry’s contention that the country does not have enough limestone Limestone is needed for operating flue gas desulphurization (FGD) systems in thermal power plants. FGD systems help control emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from these plants.Coal-based thermal power plants have to meet new emission norms by 2022. India is the largest emitter of SO2 in the world. Thermal power plants account for 45 per cent of total industrial emissions of SO2in the country. FGD systems in…
Read MoreTablighi Jamaat and its Sudden Misfortune
By: Dr. Mohammad Aleem, Editor, ICN Group NEW DELHI: It is really a tough time to pass at this time of the nationwide lockdown and social distancing. People are bound to get fed up with such long incarceration in their homes. In such times, hate mongers and rumor peddlers also become active and quite sharp. Some have found time to extract revenge and some no doubt tried to settle their old scores. Today, a national Hindi daily reported that in Kolkata, an educated lady just spread a false rumor that…
Read MoreCoronavirus Threat to Human Survival: SARS to Covid-19
By: Dr. Kumar Raka, Editor-ICN Group VIJAYAWADA: In the past two decades, the world has seen at least three coronaviruses emergence and surge causing outbreaks that have caused considerable global health concerns. As per medical definition “Coronavirus is a common type of virus that infects humans, typically leading to an upper respiratory infection. Seven different types of human coronaviruses have been identified. Most people will be infected with at least one type of coronavirus in their lifetime. The viruses are spread through air by coughing and sneezing, close personal contacts…
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