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Modi offers India's help to China to deal with coronavirus outbreak

As China reels under deadly coronavirus outbreak, prime minister Narendra Modi has conveyed to Chinese president Xi Jinping India's readiness to provide assistance to the country to deal with the situation.

In a letter to Xi, Modi expressed solidarity with the president and people of China over the outbreak of the virus, official sources said.


A total of 811 people have died of the coronavirus infection in China so far while the number of confirmed cases has gone up to 37,198, according to latest data released by Chinese authorities.

Though the epicentre of the outbreak was Hubei province, the virus has spread to almost every province in China as well as around 25 countries in the world, forcing the World Health Organisation to declare it a global emergency.

In the letter to Xi, Modi offered India's assistance to China to deal with the challenge and also conveyed condolences at the unfortunate loss of lives due to the outbreak, the sources said.

The prime minister also conveyed to Xi his appreciation for facilitating evacuation of around 650 Indian citizens from the Hubei province last week.

A sizeable number of countries have evacuated their citizens from China and restricted movement of people and goods to and from China.

India too has put restrictions on the movement of people to and from China as part of precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong on Wednesday said China is ready to work with India to strengthen communication and coordination, and to safeguard the health and safety of Indian citizens in China.

Admitting that there could be a short-term impact of the epidemic on China's economy, he said the country's internal resilience is growing and it has ample resources and policy tools to cope with the economic volatility resulting from the outbreak.

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England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

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  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
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Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

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Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

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Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

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Kapil Sharma’s Canadian café targeted in shooting, Khalistani terrorist cites mockery of Nihang Sikhs as motive

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Comedian Kapil Sharma’s recently launched Kap’s Café in Surrey, British Columbia, was the target of a shooting in the early hours of 10 July. Though no one was harmed, the property sustained significant damage. A known Khalistani extremist, Harjit Singh Laddi, has claimed responsibility for the attack, citing perceived religious disrespect on The Kapil Sharma Show.

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Police probe hate crime over migrant effigies bonfire in Northern Ireland

POLICE in Northern Ireland have launched a hate crime investigation after a bonfire topped with effigies of migrants in a boat was set alight in the village of Moygashel, County Tyrone.

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