The new novel coronavirus outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, and was traced back to the sea-food market, which soon became the hotspot and was considered to be the origin centre, where a virus jumped from a bat or a pangolin onto humans.

In April, a French Nobel prize winning scientist Luc Montagnier had also sparked a row by making the same claim.

Speaking on ITV’s ‘Loose Women’, Dr Li-Meng Yan, who is described as “a scientist who was working at the Hong Kong School of Public Health when she turned whistleblower on the Chinese government after she alleged they knew about the spread of the coronavirus before publicly acknowledging the COVID outbreak.”

The description refers to Dr Li’s claims that she had to flee to the US for her own safety and “is now determined to spread her findings to the world”. She is said to have joined the ‘Loose Women’ from a secret location.

Dr Li said while working at Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, her supervisor first asked her to investigate a new ‘SARS-like’ virus in Wuhan on December 31, but her efforts were later “stifled”.

She said she reported back that cases appeared to be rising exponentially but was told to “keep silent and be careful.”

She also said she has proof that the virus came from a virology lab in the city and not from the wet-food market. “The genome sequence is like a human fingerprint,” she says on YouTube.

Based on this you can identify these things. I will (use this) evidence to tell people why this has come from the lab in China, why they are the ones who made it,” she says. “Anyone, even if you have no biology knowledge, will be able to read it, and check and identify and verify it yourself.”

She said the Chinese authorities began to discredit her even before she fled the country. “They deleted all my information and also they told people to spread rumours about me,” she said. The Chinese National Health Commission, World Health Organisation and University Of Hong Kong disputed her claims, according to The Sun.

In July, Hong Kong University put out a statement: “Dr Yan Limeng was a postdoctoral fellow at HKU. She has left the University. HKU notes that the content of the said news report does not accord with the key facts as we understand them. Specifically, Dr Yan never conducted any research on human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus at HKU during December 2019 and January 2020, her central assertion of the said interview.”

In March, a paper in Science journal on the proximal origins of COVID-19 found that “analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus.”

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The week ending August 28 was bullish. Market observers believe that the market is likely to move forward if there are no unforeseen events. But something unexpected happened on the first day of last week. Reports by the Foreign Ministry that Chinese troops had moved across the border led to a sharp drop in the market.

The Nifty fell below 11,400 points, reaching close at 11,800 on Monday. Normally, when there was such a decline it had to go back due to the strong upward trend prevailing in the market. But the volume of trade in the market was significantly lower — preventing such a surge. The new rule is that the margin will be available only if the investor is asked to mortgage the securities. As a result, the current shortfall in margin availability has adversely affected trade. This prevented a strong rise from the low level.

The market was volatile last week. This situation is likely to continue as the low volume trading pattern will continue into next week. Low volume adversely affects the market trend.

Global indicators also weighed on the market. Strong selling pressure on technology stocks on Thursday sent US markets into a tailspin. This was also reflected in the Indian market.

Earlier, the Nifty broke its resistance at 11,377 points. The market went down after breaking this level last week. The next support is at 11,100. The market is likely to go through strong volatility next week as well.

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Amid tensions in the Indo-China border, the Central government has banned 118 Chinese apps including the most popular smartphone game PUBG. The decision to ban these smartphone apps has been taken by Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology. According to Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology, these apps are “engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

A statement issued by the Ministry revealed that they have received several complaints from various sources regarding the operation of these smartphone applications. The Ministry also alleged that these apps are apparently misusing the data of the users, and are taking all these information to servers outside India.

“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures,” the statement said.

The decision to ban PUBG is expected to receive negative responses from the youth in the country, as there are millions of young people in the nation who spend hours playing this shooting game. However, several psychology experts have previously warned that games like PUBG will increase violent traits among its users.

It was around a few months back that the Indian government banned the much popular short video app, TikTok. The decision literally shocked TikTok lovers, and they urged the government to lift the ban, as it has nothing to do with data loss or national security. However, the government did not lift the ban, and within a couple of months, they have banned another popular Chinese app used by millions.

In the meantime, Donald Trump administration is also planning to ban TikTok in the United States, citing data loss concerns.

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Welcoming the school’s opening, the Dubai royal said it further strengthens the UAE’s strong cultural ties with China and the deep bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The Dubai Government is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of students, teachers and staff of all private schools in Dubai amidst the prevailing circumstances, Sheikh Mansour said.

He also praised the efforts of all government organisations and private schools that collaborated to develop protocols for ensuring the safety of students in accordance with the internationally benchmarked precautionary measures approved by the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai.

Sheikh Mansour unveiled a commemorative plaque at the inauguration event and toured the school premises. It is located in Mirdif, and will serve up to 2,000 students. While focussing on the Chinese community in the emirate, the school will also accept students of other nationalities living in Dubai. There are about 200,000 Chinese nationals living in Dubai.

Sheikh Mansour reviewed the teaching methodologies of the school. In addition to the Chinese national curriculum, students will study Arabic, Islamic studies and moral education. School officials and teachers were directly recruited by the Hangzhou Education Bureau. It will follow the model of Hangzhou No. 2 High School, an internationally renowned school based in Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province.

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director-General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said the school “not only facilitates quality education for students but also serves the broader community”. “We are proud that Dubai has been chosen as the location for the first public Chinese school outside China. The school will provide a window into Chinese culture and civilization,” he added.

The inauguration was attended by Ni Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to the UAE; Li Xuhang, Chinese Consul General in Dubai; and Yin Liping, Principal of the Chinese School Dubai.

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The Indian Army, now controlling multiple key ridges on the south bank of the Pangong Lake, has effective military control of the entire disputed area in the region, according to reports.
The army is positioned in a manner that ensures that the entire disputed area, right till India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control in the region, can be defended. The army’s occupation of these key heights is an entirely defensive move, done to counter a Chinese build-up with tanks and troops on their side of the LAC in the area.

This was done on the night of August 29 and August 30 in contravention of the confidence building measures that both sides have worked out during the recent military talks in Eastern Ladakh, where major military movements are not supposed to be carried out at night.

In dominating the heights, soldiers of the Indian Army also over-see the crucial Spanggur Gap, a key passage in the area through which troop movement can take place. China has also built a tarred road on the south bank of the neighbouring Spanggur Lake, through which it can bring in heavy vehicles including tanks and armoured personnel carriers. By dominating the heights in this area, the Indian Army can sight the movement of these vehicles.
There has been no breakthrough in Brigadier-level talks in the regions to diffuse the situation. A second round of talks is presently on in the Chushul area.

The south-bank of the Pangong Lake saw fierce clashes between the Indian and Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the 1962 war. The Indian build-up in the area is meant to defend Indian territory in the key Chushul Valley in the region.

Since early May, Chinese forces have made incursions in six areas along the disputed Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh. In clashes in Galwan, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action though a buffer zone between the forces has since been created.

In other areas, including the North bank of the Pangong Lake, there has been no substantial military disengagement despite several rounds of military and diplomatic talks.
By attempting to open up a new front on the South Bank of the Pangong Lake, in an area which has traditionally been heavily defended by the Indian Army, Chinese forces are intent to unilaterally change the status of the Line of Actual Control, a worrying signal that New Delhi feels it has to proactively respond to, reports said.

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India bans 59 Chinese mobile apps including TikTok and Shareit

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