Qatar confirms first coronavirus case
Doha: Qatar has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state media reported Saturday, after a 36-year-old Qatari woman who was evacuated to Doha from Iran tested positive.
Qatar on Thursday repatriated a number of its citizens from Iran -- which is battling the worst outbreak outside China -- and confined them to a 14-day period of quarantine, the government said.
The health ministry said the infected patient had been admitted to hospital.
"This had been expected because of the virus's spread across the region and other countries, alongside the exponential increase in the number of cases," the health ministry said according to the Qatar News Agency.
Iran on Saturday reported nine new deaths from the novel coronavirus and 205 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 43 dead and 593 infected.
Gulf countries have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to prevent the coronavirus spreading, after infections emerged among people returning from pilgrimages to the Islamic republic.
Saudi Arabia on Friday barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Qatar, from entering two of Islam's holiest cities amid fears over coronavirus.
The Gulf tally stands at 45 cases of coronavirus in Kuwait, 38 in Bahrain, six in Oman and two more in the United Arab Emirates for a total of 21.
On Saturday the UAE also announced it was suspending nursery school classes, and limiting activities at other schools.
Authorities said that two planes will also be sent to Iran to collect Emiratis and other Gulf citizens trapped there after air routes were closed.
Cyclists taking part in the UAE Tour are awaiting the results of coronavirus tests from their hotel lockdown, after the event was abandoned Thursday when two staff from an Italian team tested positive.
The race organisers said in a tweet Saturday that 167 of those quarantined had received negative results on coronavirus tests, but it did not say whether they were cyclists or staff members, nor how many others were awaiting results.
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Five held for MDMA, ganja trafficking in Bengaluru; drugs worth over Rs 5 cr seized
Bengaluru (PTI): Five persons were arrested for allegedly trafficking the banned narcotic substance MDMA and ganja in different parts of the city, police said on Tuesday.
Police said they seized 3.912 kg of ganja, 343 grams of MDMA and 170 grams of other narcotic substances, along with a goods vehicle and a mobile phone, totaling worth Rs 5.77 cr.
The Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch, along with local police, carried out the operation here recently, police said.
The arrests were made on different dates following raids based on credible inputs.
According to police, ganja was being transported near Nayandahalli signal on Mysuru Road. The MDMA and ganja were stored and sold from a lodge in R K Puram and Channasandra Main Road.
Cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, police said.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to procuring the drugs at lower prices from an unidentified foreign national and other sources within the state, and selling them to the public, including college students, for profit, a senior police officer said.
Efforts are on to trace the suppliers, police said.
The accused have been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is underway, they added.
