Strictly follow COVID-19 guidelines, Bengaluru top cop urges people
Bengaluru: Ahead of the fortnight long lockdown like restrictions starting from May 10 in Karnataka, Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant on Sunday urged people to strictly abide by the guidelines and warned of stringent action against violators.
"I urge my fellow Bengalureans to follow the lockdown guidelines from Monday more strictly.
We can only be successful in our fight against #COVID19 if we work together,
Stay Home, Stay Safe!" Pant tweeted.
He warned that stringent action would be taken against those who violate the guidelines.
The government announced lockdown-like restrictions from May 10 to 24 to contain the spread of COVID-19 as infections and related fatalities have shown a rapid rise.
While the daily caseload is about 50,000,the active cases are inching closer to six lakh mark, reportedly the highest in the country.
The cumulative fatalities have also crossed 18,000.
With most hospitals in the state, especially Bengaluru, running short of beds, the government has announced that private hospitals should reserve 80 per cent of beds for COVID-19 patients.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
