More than 28,000 Indians have registered for repatriation in western Saudi Arabia while in that part of the country 43 Indians have been confirmed dead due to COVID.

Speaking exclusively to Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, India's Consul General in Jeddah, Noor Rahman Sheikh said the consulate had was able to repatriate 3035 Umrah pilgrims before India announced its pan India lockdown. Meanwhile, Saudi government has advised Indian consulate in Jeddah to put on hold Haj Arrangements which is due to begin on 22nd June.

WION: How is the Indian consulate reaching to stranded Indians in the Jeddah?&nbsp;

Noor Rahman Sheikh: Since 12 March, the consulate has activated 24/7 help desk pertaining to COVID. All our nationals requiring assistance is promptly provided possible assistance. From 12th to 19h March 2020, the consulate facilitated the repatriation of 3035 Umrah pilgrims as Saudi govt had announced the suspension of flights, both domestic and international. All our nationals who want to get repatriated to India registered at our embassy in Riyadh. Database of Indians residing in the western region of Saudi Arabia is then transferred and made available with consulate general of India in Jeddah. We also have a large number of Indian community members who work as volunteers through whom we provide all possible assistance to our nationals.&nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;Are any Indians infected? And have any of the Indian nationals lost their lives? 
Noor Rahman Sheikh: We understand more than 3000 Indians are impacted by COVID throughout the kingdom, though we don't have region-wise figures. So far from the western region of Saudi Arabia, 43 Indians have died due to COVID.

WION: If you can give details on the repatriation flights..how many registered? 
Noor Rahman Sheikh: Three flights have operated under the Vande Bharat mission from Jeddah. In the first phase, 2 flights went to Kozhikode on 13th May, another to Kochi on 14th May. Last week, as part of phase 2 of the mission, there was a flight to Vijayawada and to Hyderabad that carried 145 passengers. &nbsp;More flights are anticipated in phase 3 of Vande Bharat mission. So far, more than 28000 Indians residing in the western region of Saudi Arabia have registered for repatriation to India. Of course on compelling reasons like medical emergencies, pregnant ladies, expiry of visit visa, Umrah pilgrims have been given priority in flights.&nbsp;

WION: How has the ground situation in Jeddah changed, how have Indian diplomats faring? Has it been difficult? 
Noor Rahman Sheikh: From the beginning of March this year Saudi Arabia has been taking various measures to contain the spread of the pandemic including suspension of both domestic, international flights of Umrah, prayers at all Mosques, imposing curfews, lockdowns etc. From 23nd to 27th of May, during the Eid days, it will be a complete lockdown at the kingdom. The city of Mecca remains completely sealed and no one can enter or exit the city. So all this has certainly changed the way&nbsp;we used to work earlier. Since the consulate handles Haj operations, based on Saudi Govt's advise have put on hold arrangements of Haj due to pandemic. Haj operations were supposed to start on 22nd June and conclude on 3rd September this year. It has been a unique experience for all of us at the consulate. Last year, 2 lakh Indian nationals had performed Haj. We are hoping situation will improve.&nbsp;

More than 28,000 Indians have registered for repatriation in western Saudi Arabia while in that part of the country 43 Indians have been confirmed dead due to COVID.

More than 28,000 Indians have registered for repatriation in western Saudi Arabia while in that part of the country 43 Indians have been confirmed dead due to COVID. Speaking exclusively to Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, India's Consul General in Jeddah, Noor Rahman Sheikh said the consulate had was able to repatriate 3035 Umrah pilgrims before India announced its pan India lockdown. Meanwhile, Saudi government has advised Indian consulate in Jeddah to put on hold Haj Arrangements which is due to begin on 22nd June. WION: How is the Indian consulate reaching to stranded Indians in the Jeddah? Noor Rahman Sheikh: Since 12 March, the consulate has activated 24/7 help desk pertaining to COVID. All our nationals requiring assistance is promptly provided possible assistance. From 12th to 19h March 2020, the consulate facilitated the repatriation of 3035 Umrah pilgrims as Saudi govt had announced the suspension of flights, both domestic and international. All our nationals who want to get repatriated to India registered at our embassy in Riyadh. Database of Indians residing in the western region of Saudi Arabia is then transferred and made available with consulate general of India in Jeddah. We also have a large number of Indian community members who work as volunteers through whom we provide all possible assistance to our nationals. WION: Are any Indians infected? And have any of the Indian nationals lost their lives? Noor Rahman Sheikh: We understand more than 3000 Indians are impacted by COVID throughout the kingdom, though we don't have region-wise figures. So far from the western region of Saudi Arabia, 43 Indians have died due to COVID. WION: If you can give details on the repatriation flights..how many registered? Noor Rahman Sheikh: Three flights have operated under the Vande Bharat mission from Jeddah. In the first phase, 2 flights went to Kozhikode on 13th May, another to Kochi on 14th May. Last week, as part of phase 2 of the mission, there was a flight to Vijayawada and to Hyderabad that carried 145 passengers. More flights are anticipated in phase 3 of Vande Bharat mission. So far, more than 28000 Indians residing in the western region of Saudi Arabia have registered for repatriation to India. Of course on compelling reasons like medical emergencies, pregnant ladies, expiry of visit visa, Umrah pilgrims have been given priority in flights. WION: How has the ground situation in Jeddah changed, how have Indian diplomats faring? Has it been difficult? Noor Rahman Sheikh: From the beginning of March this year Saudi Arabia has been taking various measures to contain the spread of the pandemic including suspension of both domestic, international flights of Umrah, prayers at all Mosques, imposing curfews, lockdowns etc. From 23nd to 27th of May, during the Eid days, it will be a complete lockdown at the kingdom. The city of Mecca remains completely sealed and no one can enter or exit the city. So all this has certainly changed the way we used to work earlier. Since the consulate handles Haj operations, based on Saudi Govt's advise have put on hold arrangements of Haj due to pandemic. Haj operations were supposed to start on 22nd June and conclude on 3rd September this year. It has been a unique experience for all of us at the consulate. Last year, 2 lakh Indian nationals had performed Haj. We are hoping situation will improve.

COVID 19: On Saudi Arabia's advice, Haj arrangements are on hold

Honking cars and motorbikes take over Spanish streets protesting against the government

Passengers of a Shramik Special train from Bengaluru to Bihar, protested against the poor resources available to the passengers during the travel. The protestors hurled brickbats in the railway station on Saturday morning.

The Indian government, alongwith Indian railways, has been running special trains, Shramik trains, to help migrant workers travel back to their hometowns.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/with-highest-spike-of-6654-cases-in-24-hours-india-crosses-125-lakh-mark-300538">Also read:&nbsp;With highest spike of 6,654 cases in 24 hours, India crosses 1.25 lakh-mark</a>

The incident happened at Unnao railway station.&nbsp;Unnao District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said the train had no stoppage at Unnao railway station. But since the route was not clear, the train had to stop at the station, he said.

The passengers deboarded the train and hurled stones at the train and the station, complaining that there was no food and water available during the travel. The passengers alleged&nbsp;that even the toilets had no water.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel pacified the passengers and the train started its onward journey.

(With inputs from PTI)

Passengers of a Shramik Special train from Bengaluru to Bihar, protested against the poor resources available to the passengers during the travel. The protestors hurled brickbats in the railway station on Saturday morning.

Passengers of a Shramik Special train from Bengaluru to Bihar, protested against the poor resources available to the passengers during the travel. The protestors hurled brickbats in the railway station on Saturday morning. The Indian government, alongwith Indian railways, has been running special trains, Shramik trains, to help migrant workers travel back to their hometowns. Also read: With highest spike of 6,654 cases in 24 hours, India crosses 1.25 lakh-mark The incident happened at Unnao railway station. Unnao District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said the train had no stoppage at Unnao railway station. But since the route was not clear, the train had to stop at the station, he said. The passengers deboarded the train and hurled stones at the train and the station, complaining that there was no food and water available during the travel. The passengers alleged that even the toilets had no water. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel pacified the passengers and the train started its onward journey. (With inputs from PTI)

Passenger hurl stones at Shramik special train; no food and water available

Sprinklr has stated that the US-based company has destroyed all the backup COVID-19 data that the Kerala government had handed over to the company.

This comes after an affidavit was filed in a case challenging the usage of data by the company. The Kerala government had few days ago declared all COVID related data was transferred to the government-owned cloud web space in April itself.

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United States-based company Sprinklr, which was entrusted with handling data related to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> patients, has informed Kerala High Court that it has deleted all backup data shared with it by the state govt.
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Kerala&nbsp;government has also assured that no data was shared with Sprinklr after the data was transferred to the cloud. They also reassured the High Court that if any data had to be shared in the future, it will be anonymised.

The High Court has restrained the US-based company to use the data without anonymising it. Sprinklr has now confirmed that all the data that was entrusted by the Kerala government has been erased by the company.

The government has asked to make sure that if any data is shared with any third parties, the data has to be anonymised and a proper protocol has to be followed.

The state government, however, feels that the allegation from the opponent political party&nbsp;of breaching privacy of the public using the COVI patients data, was simply a move that was motivated with the intention of defaming the government.

Sprinklr has stated that the US-based company has destroyed all the backup COVID-19 data that the Kerala government had handed over to the company. This comes after an affidavit was filed in a case challenging the usage of data by the company.

Sprinklr has stated that the US-based company has destroyed all the backup COVID-19 data that the Kerala government had handed over to the company. This comes after an affidavit was filed in a case challenging the usage of data by the company. The Kerala government had few days ago declared all COVID related data was transferred to the government-owned cloud web space in April itself. United States-based company Sprinklr, which was entrusted with handling data related to #COVID19 patients, has informed Kerala High Court that it has deleted all backup data shared with it by the state govt. — ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2020 × Kerala government has also assured that no data was shared with Sprinklr after the data was transferred to the cloud. They also reassured the High Court that if any data had to be shared in the future, it will be anonymised. The High Court has restrained the US-based company to use the data without anonymising it. Sprinklr has now confirmed that all the data that was entrusted by the Kerala government has been erased by the company. The government has asked to make sure that if any data is shared with any third parties, the data has to be anonymised and a proper protocol has to be followed. The state government, however, feels that the allegation from the opponent political party of breaching privacy of the public using the COVI patients data, was simply a move that was motivated with the intention of defaming the government.

Sprinklr deletes all backup data on COVID-19 patients of Kerala

Beijing is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong. The decision was taken by China after there were&nbsp;pro-democracy protests last year in the city.

Following the announcement by China, former Hong Kong governor, Chris Patten, feels that China has betrayed the people of Hong Kong.

"We should stop being fooled that somehow at the end of the all the kowtowing there's this great pot of gold waiting for us. It’s always been an illusion. We keep on kidding ourselves that unless we do everything that China wants we will somehow miss out on great trading opportunities. It's drivel,"&nbsp;the former governor said in an interview to a media organization.

The Britain, however,&nbsp;he feels had a moral, economic and legal&nbsp;duty to stand up for Hong Kong.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-planned-security-agencies-for-hong-kong-a-death-knell-for-autonomy-pompeo-300521">Also read:&nbsp;China's planned security agencies for Hong Kong a 'death knell' for autonomy: Pompeo</a>

Hong Kong got freedom from the UK in 1997, after almost 150 years of being ruled by Britain.

Hong Kong's freedom&nbsp;was formed on the concept of 'one country, two principles'. However, Patten feels that this move is a new Chinese dictatorship, and the new security laws pose a threat to the declaration that was established between the then Chinese President and the then British Prime Minister.

The United States has branded the laws a "death knell" for the city`s autonomy and Britain has said it is deeply concerned by the legislation which it said would undermine the "one country, two systems" principle. 
"What we are seeing is a new Chinese dictatorship," Patten said. "The British government should make it clear that what we are seeing is a complete destruction of the Joint Declaration."

United States President, Donald Trump, too has warned China that the Washington will take strict actions i China goes ahead with these new security laws.

Beijing is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong. The decision was taken by China after there were pro-democracy protests last year in the city.

Beijing is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong. The decision was taken by China after there were pro-democracy protests last year in the city. Following the announcement by China, former Hong Kong governor, Chris Patten, feels that China has betrayed the people of Hong Kong. "We should stop being fooled that somehow at the end of the all the kowtowing there's this great pot of gold waiting for us. It’s always been an illusion. We keep on kidding ourselves that unless we do everything that China wants we will somehow miss out on great trading opportunities. It's drivel," the former governor said in an interview to a media organization. The Britain, however, he feels had a moral, economic and legal duty to stand up for Hong Kong. Also read: China's planned security agencies for Hong Kong a 'death knell' for autonomy: Pompeo Hong Kong got freedom from the UK in 1997, after almost 150 years of being ruled by Britain. Hong Kong's freedom was formed on the concept of 'one country, two principles'. However, Patten feels that this move is a new Chinese dictatorship, and the new security laws pose a threat to the declaration that was established between the then Chinese President and the then British Prime Minister. The United States has branded the laws a "death knell" for the city`s autonomy and Britain has said it is deeply concerned by the legislation which it said would undermine the "one country, two systems" principle. "What we are seeing is a new Chinese dictatorship," Patten said. "The British government should make it clear that what we are seeing is a complete destruction of the Joint Declaration." United States President, Donald Trump, too has warned China that the Washington will take strict actions i China goes ahead with these new security laws.

China has betrayed the people of Hong Kong: Former HK Governor

In a very interesting and proactive development, 25 stranded Indians were brought back from Tunisia in a military plane, which was en route Thailand and Vietnam.

Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal from Tunis, Indian envoy to Tunisia Puneet Roy Kundal, while giving the details of the operation, thanked the Tunisian government and said, Indian diplomats in Tunisia have been personally speaking to Indians stranded in the country every week. Meanwhile, India has made sure no Tunisian government officials have been stranded in India and all were brought back before lockdown kicked in.&nbsp;

WION: How are both countries cooperating during the current times of covid crisis? 
Puneet R. Kundal: India and Tunisia have a very historic relationship that goes back to 1958 when Tunisia got its independence. On the issue of COVID, Tunisia is not as badly hit as we are, as of now they have 1046 cases, with 883 recoveries and 47 deaths. So they have managed to keep it under control.

They follow, a similar containment strategy like we did, in terms of having a strict lockdown, complete lockdown, the prohibition of flights from outside and stopping movement between various cities and governorates. They have been able to control the situation. They are also in the process of requesting govt of India to provide them with some medicines, we don't have a formal request as yet. Informally I have been told, we will have a request from the govt, much in keeping with India's tag as the pharmacy of the world.

We have have been cooperating with Tunisia in providing the e-ITEC courses for Tunisian health professionals to help them fight the COVID pandemic. But there are some very good things that have emerged for Tunisia in this pandemic, most of these have been observed by foreign media. Like they have used, the robotic vehicle, for example, to enforce the lockdown on the streets. They are also using the robotic vehicle to help in checking of the people at the hospitals.

Tunisia has also created a web-based platform that scans lung X rays and evaluates if the person has COVID or does not has COVID. In terms of their progress on COVID, they have managed to decode local strain of the COVID virus, a local institute called the Pasteur institute is actively working on developing vaccination against COVID. They have been largely successful till now in handling the crisis. The biggest thing they did for us is that they allowed 25 Indians nationals who were stranded here to fly back on a Tunisian military aircraft that left Tunisia on 21st of May 2020 and reached on 22nd of May

 
WION: Coming to bringing back stranded Indians, Tunisian military aircraft brought back Indians. If you can give details. 
Puneet R. Kundal: When the Vande Bharat mission started, the focus was on getting back the Indians from abroad, especially the blue collared workers. We only had 45 Indians here who were in the category of stranded Indian nationals. Therefore, organising a flight for 45 people, hailing from 10 different states in India, was always an uphill task. Tunisia has been sending its aircraft for getting Tunisians back from various cities. And we were on a lookout as and when they have an aircraft heading to India or anywhere in the east, we can request them to help us. We were told three days back, a Tunisian cargo aircraft of the military that was going to Vietnam and Thailand and will pick up stranded Tunisians from Delhi.

So at that stage, we sprung into action, we contacted, the embassy of Tunisia in Delhi, we contacted the foreign office here and requested them to accommodate Indians nationals on the flight. At the end of the day, 25 Indian nationals were interested in taking this flight. The government of Tunisia very kindly agreed to take them on board. I was at the airport and made sure all the Indians to do the COVID negative test first of all. They were spread across 4-5 cities across Tunisia. We established contact with concerned hospitals all across the country and made sure they underwent the test smoothly. Then we made arrangements for them to travel to Tunis, in the capital we arranged a hotel for them and made sure there is no problem when it comes to check-in and being looked after here.

On the morning of the flight, I was at the airport and made sure each of them boards the flight comfortably and I must say the process was extremely smooth and the embassy, all the staff worked hard. The Indian nationals who were in the process of getting repatriated were extremely cooperative. There were tensed moments, moments when we had to rush through things. Every operation has its own moments but at it 25 boarded the plane and have reached India on 22nd May.

WION: How has the mission been reaching out to the stranded Indians, in terms of accommodation or food. A helpline is something, all missions have.. 
Puneet R. Kundal: So we had a 24*7 helpline, that was available and we got everyone to register at the embassy. But one thing we did, since the number was less, was that we spoke to each person at least twice a week. We assigned our consular office here, who spoke to each person once or twice a week. I personally spoke to a few of them who were more anxious than others, including one 19-year-old medical student who was staying with a Tunisian family.

I must express thanks to that family as well, they gave him food, shelter and took good care of him for the last two months. So we made it point to reach out to each and every stranded Indian here, establishing touch with them once a week, attending to the questions. We made sure if they had a medical requirement that was taken care off. Most of them were in the professional category so no financial element involved but reaching out to them, giving them moral support, speaking them regularly, keeping the spirits high in this time was the main challenge.

WION: How has life been for Indian diplomats, for you, how much reliance for digital diplomacy has increased... 
Puneet R. Kundal: Life is now digital, we really shifted a lot of activity to the digital platform. I must say the entire process started with PM of India reaching out to the SAARC leaders. Reaching out to the G20, with our FM S Jaishankar reaching out to all the counterparts using digital technology, that really spurred us on as well. The country has good digital infrastructure. We shifted whole lot of digital activities online as well. &nbsp;The pace of the work also slackened down a bit but we tried to carry on the activity. We offered Tunisia e ITEC programmes. 120 Tunisians travelled to India every year.

Post-COVID, it was not possible so we were providing them training on COVID module by electronic means to get them involved via our training programmes, to keep up the pace of our training programme. In fact, I must also here add that there were 6 Tunisian nationals who were in India just before the lockdown and we brought them back here before we went into lockdown. That was also something worthy of notice that we made sure no Tunisian govt officials or trainees from our side who were stranded in India. We made sure each of them got back, there were 6 of these who were in India.&nbsp;

WION: Increased focus on digital diplomacy, but how have the ties been between the countries, how do you see ties in a post covid world?&nbsp; 
Puneet R. Kundal: Digital diplomacy is here to stay. We understand that, they understand that. As I said, Tunisia has a good digital infrastructure backbone. They have been carrying out a whole lot of interactions, with multilateral organisations and forums digitally. We also expect that there will be a telephonic conversation between our Foreign minister and Tunisian FM very soon. There is a whole lot of interaction that goes on and we have been trying to inform the Tunisian side that life has to continue and life has to continue in a digital manner. This has also been taken cognizance by our ministry of external affairs in Delhi and we hope very soon we have some digital meetings we should be proud of before life resumes and actual travel starts.

Tunisia and India have a bilateral trade of 445 million dollars, this was a figure for last year. And one of the most important areas of cooperation is in the area of Phosphate. We have a bilateral investment project called Tunisia India fertiliser plant and India is committed to buying 100% of the output of the plant. That is the flagship of our cooperation, and it cut both ways --we get our phosphoric acid in a reliable fashion from Tunisia and the country gets 180-235 million dollars annually which adds to the resources of the country. Big companies like TATA and Mahindra produce vehicles here, we have electrical companies.

In fact, I am happy to tell you, on 20th may an Indian company has won the contract for building substations here. COVID or no COVID, bilateral interaction especially in economic and trade field is continuing. Politically the foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar was here, he met with the President and Speaker of the Parliament and had detailed discussions with his counterpart here. This is in addition to the regular interaction we have with Tunisia at the UN, Tunisia is the non-permanent member of the UNSC for this year and next year and we have a whole lot of cooperation with them at the multilateral forums in Geneva and New York. We have supported Tunisian candidature at several forums as have they, it ongoing cooperation because we have a similarity of vision on a lot of issues of multilateral interest.&nbsp;

In a very interesting and proactive development, 25 stranded Indians were brought back from Tunisia in a military plane, which was en route Thailand and Vietnam.

In a very interesting and proactive development, 25 stranded Indians were brought back from Tunisia in a military plane, which was en route Thailand and Vietnam. Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal from Tunis, Indian envoy to Tunisia Puneet Roy Kundal, while giving the details of the operation, thanked the Tunisian government and said, Indian diplomats in Tunisia have been personally speaking to Indians stranded in the country every week. Meanwhile, India has made sure no Tunisian government officials have been stranded in India and all were brought back before lockdown kicked in. WION: How are both countries cooperating during the current times of covid crisis? Puneet R. Kundal: India and Tunisia have a very historic relationship that goes back to 1958 when Tunisia got its independence. On the issue of COVID, Tunisia is not as badly hit as we are, as of now they have 1046 cases, with 883 recoveries and 47 deaths. So they have managed to keep it under control. They follow, a similar containment strategy like we did, in terms of having a strict lockdown, complete lockdown, the prohibition of flights from outside and stopping movement between various cities and governorates. They have been able to control the situation. They are also in the process of requesting govt of India to provide them with some medicines, we don't have a formal request as yet. Informally I have been told, we will have a request from the govt, much in keeping with India's tag as the pharmacy of the world. We have have been cooperating with Tunisia in providing the e-ITEC courses for Tunisian health professionals to help them fight the COVID pandemic. But there are some very good things that have emerged for Tunisia in this pandemic, most of these have been observed by foreign media. Like they have used, the robotic vehicle, for example, to enforce the lockdown on the streets. They are also using the robotic vehicle to help in checking of the people at the hospitals. Tunisia has also created a web-based platform that scans lung X rays and evaluates if the person has COVID or does not has COVID. In terms of their progress on COVID, they have managed to decode local strain of the COVID virus, a local institute called the Pasteur institute is actively working on developing vaccination against COVID. They have been largely successful till now in handling the crisis. The biggest thing they did for us is that they allowed 25 Indians nationals who were stranded here to fly back on a Tunisian military aircraft that left Tunisia on 21st of May 2020 and reached on 22nd of May WION: Coming to bringing back stranded Indians, Tunisian military aircraft brought back Indians. If you can give details. Puneet R. Kundal: When the Vande Bharat mission started, the focus was on getting back the Indians from abroad, especially the blue collared workers. We only had 45 Indians here who were in the category of stranded Indian nationals. Therefore, organising a flight for 45 people, hailing from 10 different states in India, was always an uphill task. Tunisia has been sending its aircraft for getting Tunisians back from various cities. And we were on a lookout as and when they have an aircraft heading to India or anywhere in the east, we can request them to help us. We were told three days back, a Tunisian cargo aircraft of the military that was going to Vietnam and Thailand and will pick up stranded Tunisians from Delhi. So at that stage, we sprung into action, we contacted, the embassy of Tunisia in Delhi, we contacted the foreign office here and requested them to accommodate Indians nationals on the flight. At the end of the day, 25 Indian nationals were interested in taking this flight. The government of Tunisia very kindly agreed to take them on board. I was at the airport and made sure all the Indians to do the COVID negative test first of all. They were spread across 4-5 cities across Tunisia. We established contact with concerned hospitals all across the country and made sure they underwent the test smoothly. Then we made arrangements for them to travel to Tunis, in the capital we arranged a hotel for them and made sure there is no problem when it comes to check-in and being looked after here. On the morning of the flight, I was at the airport and made sure each of them boards the flight comfortably and I must say the process was extremely smooth and the embassy, all the staff worked hard. The Indian nationals who were in the process of getting repatriated were extremely cooperative. There were tensed moments, moments when we had to rush through things. Every operation has its own moments but at it 25 boarded the plane and have reached India on 22nd May. WION: How has the mission been reaching out to the stranded Indians, in terms of accommodation or food. A helpline is something, all missions have.. Puneet R. Kundal: So we had a 24*7 helpline, that was available and we got everyone to register at the embassy. But one thing we did, since the number was less, was that we spoke to each person at least twice a week. We assigned our consular office here, who spoke to each person once or twice a week. I personally spoke to a few of them who were more anxious than others, including one 19-year-old medical student who was staying with a Tunisian family. I must express thanks to that family as well, they gave him food, shelter and took good care of him for the last two months. So we made it point to reach out to each and every stranded Indian here, establishing touch with them once a week, attending to the questions. We made sure if they had a medical requirement that was taken care off. Most of them were in the professional category so no financial element involved but reaching out to them, giving them moral support, speaking them regularly, keeping the spirits high in this time was the main challenge. WION: How has life been for Indian diplomats, for you, how much reliance for digital diplomacy has increased... Puneet R. Kundal: Life is now digital, we really shifted a lot of activity to the digital platform. I must say the entire process started with PM of India reaching out to the SAARC leaders. Reaching out to the G20, with our FM S Jaishankar reaching out to all the counterparts using digital technology, that really spurred us on as well. The country has good digital infrastructure. We shifted whole lot of digital activities online as well. The pace of the work also slackened down a bit but we tried to carry on the activity. We offered Tunisia e ITEC programmes. 120 Tunisians travelled to India every year. Post-COVID, it was not possible so we were providing them training on COVID module by electronic means to get them involved via our training programmes, to keep up the pace of our training programme. In fact, I must also here add that there were 6 Tunisian nationals who were in India just before the lockdown and we brought them back here before we went into lockdown. That was also something worthy of notice that we made sure no Tunisian govt officials or trainees from our side who were stranded in India. We made sure each of them got back, there were 6 of these who were in India. WION: Increased focus on digital diplomacy, but how have the ties been between the countries, how do you see ties in a post covid world? Puneet R. Kundal: Digital diplomacy is here to stay. We understand that, they understand that. As I said, Tunisia has a good digital infrastructure backbone. They have been carrying out a whole lot of interactions, with multilateral organisations and forums digitally. We also expect that there will be a telephonic conversation between our Foreign minister and Tunisian FM very soon. There is a whole lot of interaction that goes on and we have been trying to inform the Tunisian side that life has to continue and life has to continue in a digital manner. This has also been taken cognizance by our ministry of external affairs in Delhi and we hope very soon we have some digital meetings we should be proud of before life resumes and actual travel starts. Tunisia and India have a bilateral trade of 445 million dollars, this was a figure for last year. And one of the most important areas of cooperation is in the area of Phosphate. We have a bilateral investment project called Tunisia India fertiliser plant and India is committed to buying 100% of the output of the plant. That is the flagship of our cooperation, and it cut both ways --we get our phosphoric acid in a reliable fashion from Tunisia and the country gets 180-235 million dollars annually which adds to the resources of the country. Big companies like TATA and Mahindra produce vehicles here, we have electrical companies. In fact, I am happy to tell you, on 20th may an Indian company has won the contract for building substations here. COVID or no COVID, bilateral interaction especially in economic and trade field is continuing. Politically the foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar was here, he met with the President and Speaker of the Parliament and had detailed discussions with his counterpart here. This is in addition to the regular interaction we have with Tunisia at the UN, Tunisia is the non-permanent member of the UNSC for this year and next year and we have a whole lot of cooperation with them at the multilateral forums in Geneva and New York. We have supported Tunisian candidature at several forums as have they, it ongoing cooperation because we have a similarity of vision on a lot of issues of multilateral interest.

Tunisian military plane enroute to East Asia brings back 25 stranded Indians; Indian envoy Kundal thanks the govt

THe United Kingdom, which has gone through a major economic crisis due to coronavirus, has asked employers to cover 20-30 per cent of furloughed employees' wages from August.

This step has been taken to reduce the burden of the economic crisis on the government finances.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-to-introduce-quarantine-for-international-arrivals-from-june-8-300503">Also read:&nbsp;UK to introduce quarantine for international arrivals from June 8</a>

"The Treasury has drawn up plans that would require employers to cover between 20 and 30 per cent of people’s wages. They would also be required to cover the cost of employer’s national insurance contributions, on average 5 per cent of wages," as reported by media.

The UK is struggling with an economic crisis and the finance minister, Rishi Sunak, stated last week that the country has been badly hit by the nationwide lockdown, and a lot of people may lose their jobs in the coming weeks, or months.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/united-kingdom-to-reduce-chinese-firms-investment-to-zero-by-2023-300559">Also watch:&nbsp;United Kingdom to reduce Chinese firm's investment to zero by 2023</a>

The government had&nbsp;also decided to extend the job retention scheme by four months on May 12, but told employers they would have to help to meet its cost from August.

Rishi Sunak is expected to announce the changes next week.

While the country is battling the economic crisis, the government is also urging locals not to step out of the house if not necessary, and to make sure they follow social distancing and other take other precautions, to help the government contain the spread of the virus.

There are almost 254,000 total cases in the UK right now, including 36,393 deaths.

THe United Kingdom, which has gone through a major economic crisis due to coronavirus, has asked employers to cover 20-30 per cent of furloughed employees' wages from August.

THe United Kingdom, which has gone through a major economic crisis due to coronavirus, has asked employers to cover 20-30 per cent of furloughed employees' wages from August. This step has been taken to reduce the burden of the economic crisis on the government finances. Also read: UK to introduce quarantine for international arrivals from June 8 "The Treasury has drawn up plans that would require employers to cover between 20 and 30 per cent of people’s wages. They would also be required to cover the cost of employer’s national insurance contributions, on average 5 per cent of wages," as reported by media. The UK is struggling with an economic crisis and the finance minister, Rishi Sunak, stated last week that the country has been badly hit by the nationwide lockdown, and a lot of people may lose their jobs in the coming weeks, or months. Also watch: United Kingdom to reduce Chinese firm's investment to zero by 2023 The government had also decided to extend the job retention scheme by four months on May 12, but told employers they would have to help to meet its cost from August. Rishi Sunak is expected to announce the changes next week. While the country is battling the economic crisis, the government is also urging locals not to step out of the house if not necessary, and to make sure they follow social distancing and other take other precautions, to help the government contain the spread of the virus. There are almost 254,000 total cases in the UK right now, including 36,393 deaths.

Employers to cover between 20-30% of furloughed employees' wages: UK

Cities spot mountain ranges from far during lockdown

We have all read about how the magnetic field of the earth protects us from the solar radiation. However, according to reports, that magnetic field is now weakening.

As per the reports, the magnetic field around the earth, on an average, has lost almost 10% of its strength over the last two centuries.

However, a rapid shrink has been observed in the South Atlantic Anomaly, a stretch between Africa and South America. A large and rapid shrink has been observed in this region over the past&nbsp;50 years just as the area itself has grown and moved westward.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/nasa-finds-evidence-of-parallel-universe-where-time-runs-backward-299949">Also read:&nbsp;NASA finds evidence of parallel universe where time runs backward</a>

Scientists from European Space Agency (ESA) from the Swarm Data, Innovation and Science Cluster (DISC) are using this data from ESA's Swarm satellite constellation to study the anomaly. The Swarm satellites can identify and measure the the various magnetic signals that combine to make up the Earth's magnetic field.In the last five years, a second centre of minimum intensity has developed towards southwest of Africa. Researchers believe that this could mean that the anomaly can split into two separate cells.

The weakening of the magnetic field is also causing technical difficulties for the satellites and spacecrafts orbiting the planet.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/scientists-prepare-a-map-of-antarctica-turning-green-due-to-climate-change-300122">Also read:&nbsp;Scientists prepare a map of Antarctica turning green due to climate change</a>

The South Atlantic Anomaly has been appearing over the last decade, but has developed vigorously in the last few years. Dr Jurgen Matzka, from the German Research Centre for Geosciences, said:&nbsp;"We are very lucky to have the Swarm satellites in orbit to investigate the development of the South Atlantic Anomaly. The challenge now is to understand the processes in Earth's core driving these changes."

One most speculated reason behind this is that there is a chance that the time for Earth's pole reversal is coming near.

Pole reversal is when the north and south magnetic poles flip. While this flip will not occur immediately or suddenly, and will happen over centuries,&nbsp;there would be multiple north and south magnetic poles during this period, all around the planet.

This is definitely not the first time that pole reversal will be happening on the Earth. This event has occurred few times in the history of our planet, as per the scientists and we are long overdue by the average rate at which these reversals take place (roughly every 250,000 years).

While this is not going to affect or alarm the general public to a huge extent, it is causing technical difficulties for various satellites and spacecrafts, as the&nbsp;magnetic field getting weaker, charged particles from the cosmos can penetrate through to the altitudes that low-Earth orbiting satellites fly at.

(With inputs from agencies)

We have all read about how the magnetic field of the earth protects us from the solar radiation. However, according to reports, that magnetic field is now weakening.

We have all read about how the magnetic field of the earth protects us from the solar radiation. However, according to reports, that magnetic field is now weakening. As per the reports, the magnetic field around the earth, on an average, has lost almost 10% of its strength over the last two centuries. However, a rapid shrink has been observed in the South Atlantic Anomaly, a stretch between Africa and South America. A large and rapid shrink has been observed in this region over the past 50 years just as the area itself has grown and moved westward. Also read: NASA finds evidence of parallel universe where time runs backward Scientists from European Space Agency (ESA) from the Swarm Data, Innovation and Science Cluster (DISC) are using this data from ESA's Swarm satellite constellation to study the anomaly. The Swarm satellites can identify and measure the the various magnetic signals that combine to make up the Earth's magnetic field.In the last five years, a second centre of minimum intensity has developed towards southwest of Africa. Researchers believe that this could mean that the anomaly can split into two separate cells. The weakening of the magnetic field is also causing technical difficulties for the satellites and spacecrafts orbiting the planet. Also read: Scientists prepare a map of Antarctica turning green due to climate change The South Atlantic Anomaly has been appearing over the last decade, but has developed vigorously in the last few years. Dr Jurgen Matzka, from the German Research Centre for Geosciences, said: "We are very lucky to have the Swarm satellites in orbit to investigate the development of the South Atlantic Anomaly. The challenge now is to understand the processes in Earth's core driving these changes." One most speculated reason behind this is that there is a chance that the time for Earth's pole reversal is coming near. Pole reversal is when the north and south magnetic poles flip. While this flip will not occur immediately or suddenly, and will happen over centuries, there would be multiple north and south magnetic poles during this period, all around the planet. This is definitely not the first time that pole reversal will be happening on the Earth. This event has occurred few times in the history of our planet, as per the scientists and we are long overdue by the average rate at which these reversals take place (roughly every 250,000 years). While this is not going to affect or alarm the general public to a huge extent, it is causing technical difficulties for various satellites and spacecrafts, as the magnetic field getting weaker, charged particles from the cosmos can penetrate through to the altitudes that low-Earth orbiting satellites fly at. (With inputs from agencies)

Earth's magnetic field weakens; satellites and spacecrafts malfunction

Australia has been one of those few countries which has been able to contain the spread of coronavirus. The number of active cases has seen a significant decline in Australia, and the Australian government is planning to let people return back to their day-to-day life soon.

Not only have the number of cases declined, but the infected people have also been able to recover.

In light of this, the Australian government has urged the British government to exempt Australians from the 14-day quarantine period while travelling to the UK.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/the-new-norm-cricket-australia-set-to-seek-iccs-permission-to-use-disinfectants-on-match-balls-299884">Also read:&nbsp;The New norm? Cricket Australia set to seek ICC's permission to use disinfectants on match balls</a>

The UK government is planning to initiate a 14-day quarantine period for all travellers who will be travelling to the UK for the next few weeks. The British&nbsp;government is taking this step to contain the spread of coronavirus, and avoid the second peak in the number of positive cases.

However, since Australia has been able to bring their country to a lower rank in the number of positive cases, the officials believe that Australians pose less of a threat to the UK in terms of spreading the virus.

"Australia has led the world in the successful containment of COVID-19, which clearly means that travellers coming from Australia would pose a low risk to the rest of the world," Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said in a statement.

He also stated that Australia will not be opening their international borders to non-citizens, for now. However, all the citizens travelling back to the country will&nbsp;have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. 
&nbsp;

Australia has been one of those few countries which has been able to contain the spread of coronavirus. The number of active cases has seen a significant decline in Australia, and the Australian government is planning to let people return back to their day-to-day life soon.

Australia has been one of those few countries which has been able to contain the spread of coronavirus. The number of active cases has seen a significant decline in Australia, and the Australian government is planning to let people return back to their day-to-day life soon. Not only have the number of cases declined, but the infected people have also been able to recover. In light of this, the Australian government has urged the British government to exempt Australians from the 14-day quarantine period while travelling to the UK. Also read: The New norm? Cricket Australia set to seek ICC's permission to use disinfectants on match balls The UK government is planning to initiate a 14-day quarantine period for all travellers who will be travelling to the UK for the next few weeks. The British government is taking this step to contain the spread of coronavirus, and avoid the second peak in the number of positive cases. However, since Australia has been able to bring their country to a lower rank in the number of positive cases, the officials believe that Australians pose less of a threat to the UK in terms of spreading the virus. "Australia has led the world in the successful containment of COVID-19, which clearly means that travellers coming from Australia would pose a low risk to the rest of the world," Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said in a statement. He also stated that Australia will not be opening their international borders to non-citizens, for now. However, all the citizens travelling back to the country will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.

Australia urges UK to exempt Australians from 14-day quarantine

May 22 in history: Mexico declaring World War II, same-sex marriage legalised and more

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