UK PM Boris Johnson discharged from hospital, says Britain 'will defeat' coronavirus
London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday vowed that Britain "will defeat" the deadly coronavirus, soon after he was discharged from hospital following week-long intensive care treatment for the disease that has killed over 10,000 people in the country.
Downing Street said that Johnson left St. Thomas' Hospital in London and will head to his prime ministerial residence of Chequers in Buckinghamshire, south east England.
In a video message recorded to mark his discharge as well as Easter Sunday, the 55-year-old leader said that the UK "will defeat this coronavirus and defeat it together".
He said: I have today left hospital after a week in which the NHS (National Health Service) has saved my life, no question. It's hard to find the words to express my debt.
"And the reason in the end my body did start to get enough oxygen was because for every second of the night they (NHS doctors and nurses) were watching and they were thinking and they were caring and making the interventions I needed".
Johnson name-checked a number of the utterly brilliant doctors and nurses for their care during his week-long hospitalisation and stressed that the UK will win the national battle against coronavirus because the NHS is the beating heart of this country .
It is the best of this country. It is unconquerable. It is powered by love. So thank you from me, and from all of us, to the NHS, and let's remember to follow the rules on social distancing. Stay at home, protect our NHS - and save lives, he said.
As he wished the British public a Happy Easter, Johnson also expressed his thanks to the many millions and millions of people across this country doing the right thing and going through the hardship of self-isolation.
He said: I want you to know that this Easter Sunday I do believe that your efforts are worth it, and are daily proving their worth.
Because although we mourn every day those who are taken from us in such numbers, and though the struggle is by no means over, we are now making progress in this incredible national battle against coronavirus.
A fight we never picked against an enemy we still don't entirely understand".
Earlier, Downing Street said that on the advice of his medical team, Johnson will not be returning to work immediately, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to continue deputising as he recuperates. The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas' for the brilliant care he has received. All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness, the spokesperson said.
Previously, in his first public statement since being moved out of intensive care at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, the UK prime minister said: I can't thank them enough, I owe them my life.
The news of Johnson's discharge came as the COVID-19 death toll in the UK crossed the 10,000 mark on Sunday, to hit a total of 10,612 after a daily hike of 737 deaths.
Johnson, who completed a week in hospital on Sunday after being shifted there with persistent COVID-19 symptoms, had been making very good progress while on the hospital ward. He was able to take short walks as his doctors monitored his recovery after being moved out of intensive care and was watching films and doing puzzles in his hospital bed.
Johnson's fianc e Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant with their first child, is said to have sent him letters and baby scans to lift his spirits during his time in hospital. Thousands of get-well cards have also poured in for him since he went into self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus over two weeks ago.
Asked about plans for his return to work, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Saturday that Johnson needed "time and space to rest, recuperate and recover".
The Indian-origin Cabinet minister, who led the daily Downing Street update on the pandemic, has urged people to stay at home over the Easter weekend to curb the spread of the virus, despite warm and sunny weather across parts of the UK.
We have given the police powers to enforce the necessary measures we have put in place, including through enforcement fines," said Patel.
"If you don't play your part... our selfless police will be unafraid to act. You will be endangering the lives of your own family, friends and loved ones," she said.
Meanwhile, an Easter message posted on the official 10 Downing Street Twitter account on behalf of the UK prime minister also urged people to stay at home to save lives.
It reads: Wishing everyone a very happy Easter from Downing Street.
This year across the country churches will remain closed, and families will spend the day apart. But by staying home, remember, you are protecting the NHS and saving lives.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
