France confirms first coronavirus death outside Asia
Paris: An 80-year-old Chinese tourist has died from the new coronavirus in France, the first death confirmed outside of Asia, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said on Saturday.
Buzyn said she had been told about the death of the patient -- in hospital in Paris since late January -- late on Friday, adding that his condition "had deteriorated rapidly" after several days in a critical condition.
Six people with the virus remain in hospital in France, Buzyn said, adding that none were seriously ill.
One of them was the dead Chinese tourist's 50-year-old daughter and the rest were British nationals who were infected by a compatriot at a French ski resort.
The virus originated late last year in China, where it has since infected more than 66,000 people and killed more than 1,500.
Three deaths from the virus have so far been recorded outside mainland China -- in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.
The scale of the epidemic ballooned this week after officials in the Chinese province of Hubei -- the epicentre of the outbreak -- changed their criteria for counting cases, adding thousands of new patients to the tally.
Some 56 million people in Hubei and its capital Wuhan are now living under quarantine, virtually sealed off from the rest of the country in an effort to contain the virus.
Away from China, almost 600 cases have been confirmed -- roughly 35 of which have been reported in the European Union.
The most concentrated number of cases outside China is on a cruise ship quarantined off the Japanese coast, which is holding at least 285 people with the virus among its 3,700 crew and passengers.
The US embassy has said it will fly roughly 400 Americans on board the ship back their home country and Buzyn said France was "always ready to repatriate its nationals", though she made no firm commitment.
There are believed to be four French nationals on the Diamond Princess, where all those on board are mostly confined to their cabins and required to wear masks and keep away from others during brief outings on deck.
"We are following the international situation very closely," Buzyn said.
"We need to prepare our health system to deal with a possible pandemic and therefore the circulation of the virus on national territory." She said she would take stock of the situation on Tuesday in a meeting with health experts and officials.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
