Canada PM's wife positive for new coronavirus
Ottawa: Justin Trudeau's wife has tested positive for novel coronavirus, his office has said, while assuring the public that the Canadian prime minister is fine.
Canada's leader and his 44-year-old wife announced on Thursday that they were self-isolating while she was tested for coronavirus after a public event.
"Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive," the Prime Minister's office said in a statement late Thursday, adding she would remain in isolation and her symptoms were mild.
"The Prime Minister is in good health with no symptoms," the statement said, noting he would also be in isolation for two weeks and -- on the advice of his doctors -- will not be tested for the virus.
It follows several provinces in Canada -- which so far has reported nearly 150 cases in six states, and one death -- unveiling stricter measures to combat the spread of the virus while sporting events and entertainment galas were cancelled.
The PM would continue his duties, his office said, and would address the country on Saturday.
Trudeau, 48, held several meetings over the phone on Thursday, including with the special cabinet committee on COVID-19, his office said, and also spoke with the leaders of Italy, the US and Britain.
On Friday he will talk with indigenous leaders, as well as provincial and territorial premiers to coordinate Canada's response to the virus, and "limit the economic impact on the country".
After experiencing some mild symptoms following her return from the UK, according to an earlier statement, Gregoire-Trudeau immediately sought medical advice and testing.
"Although I'm experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of the virus, I will be back on my feet soon," she said in a message via the PM's Office.
"Being in quarantine at home is nothing compared to other Canadian families who might be going through this and for those facing more serious health concerns."
Since the novel coronavirus first emerged in late December 2019, more than 130,000 cases have been recorded in 116 countries and territories, killing at least 4,900 people, according to an AFP tally.
Most of Canada's cases have been traced to China, Iran, Italy or Egypt, but seven people who recently returned from the US also tested positive, public health authorities said.
In Parliament, Health Minister Patty Hajdu urged Canadians to "reconsider going to areas where there are a large number of people, which might include places like churches, community centres, concerts and various sporting events."
Quebec's Premier Francois Legault unveiled the strongest emergency measures yet in Canada, asking all travelers returning from overseas trips or anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms to self-isolate for two weeks.
A ban on indoor gatherings of more than 250 people was also announced, with Montreal's Saint Patrick's Day parade -- held since 1824 -- postponed.
Alberta and British Columbia announced bans on large gatherings too.
Quebec, which has 13 confirmed cases of the virus, is also considering placing the entire island of Montreal -- a population of nearly 2 million -- under quarantine.
In neighbouring Ontario, public health officials announced the public schools would be shut until April 5.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television cancelled this year's Canadian Screen Awards -- scheduled to air on March 29 -- and the country's Juno music awards, planned for Sunday, were also scrapped
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Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
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Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
