US coronavirus death toll tops 30,000: tracker
Washington: The confirmed coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 30,000 on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
The tracker says 30,990 people have now died in the country from COVID-19 since the start of the global health crisis.
The US has the highest death toll in the world, followed by Italy with 21,645 dead although its population is just a fifth of that of the US.
Spain has recorded 19,130 deaths, followed by France with 17,167.
Nearly 640,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the United States, which has seen a record number of deaths over the past two days.
New York, the epicenter of the country's COVID-19 epidemic, has suffered more than 14,000 deaths across the state alone.
Meanwhile President Donald Trump promised to unveil plans later Thursday to reopen the US economy, claiming his country has "passed the peak" of the coronavirus crisis despite the record daily death tolls.
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.
Air pollution: Car now status symbol, people saving money to buy 4-wheelers, says CJI Surya Kant
New Delhi (PTI): Car has become a status symbol, and people are saving money to buy four-wheelers after stopping using bicycles, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Tuesday.
The CJI's observation came while hearing a plea related to air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
After senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi suggested that a solution to the problem of air pollution can be achieved by cutting down on people owning multiple cars, CJI Kant said, “Car has become a status symbol… People are saving money to buy cars and have stopped using cycles.”
ALSO READ: EC illegally using mobile apps developed by BJP's IT cell to conduct SIR, alleges Mamata
During the arguments, Dwivedi said the automobile industry is too powerful.
The CJI said, “The rich people should also sacrifice. Instead of going for high-end vehicles, they should go for good electric vehicles.”
Observing that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is failing in its duty, the Supreme Court rapped the central pollution watchdog for seeking a two-month adjournment on the issue of temporary closure or relocation of toll plazas on Delhi borders to ease traffic congestion.
The top court criticised the CAQM for the lack of “seriousness” in its approach, and said that it appears to be in no hurry in either identifying the causes of the worsening air quality index (AQI) or finding long-term solutions.
The bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the CAQM to convene a meeting of experts in two weeks and submit a report on the major causes of the worsening pollution levels.
