log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 Clouds: Missing piece of climate change puzzle The Goan (Playstore) 8 pages PRICE ` 6 VOLUME VI, NO. 89 GOA 6 ZP bodies to get 15% of panchayat funds for development works 2 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 NEWS China laying fibre cables at Ladakh flashpoint 30 MPs test positive on first day of Parliament session 50 OTHER EMPLOYEES OF LS AND RS ALSO INFECTED WITH VIRUS PTI NEW DELHI Around 30 MPs and more than 50 employees of Parliament have tested positive for COVID-19, sources said on Monday. All parliamentarians and staff of the secretariats of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had undergone mandatory Covid-19 tests before the start of the monsoon session. As per the reports of these tests, around 30 MPs and over 50 employees of the secretariats tested positive for coronavirus, the sources said. All those who have tested positive have been asked to stay in quarantine and they did not come to Parliament. The monsoon session, which began on Monday, is being held in two different shifts -- Rajya Sabha will sit in IN SHORT >> Former Panaji MLA Baban Naik no more PANAJI: Former MLA of Panaji Baban Naik passed away on Monday after suffering a heart attack. He was 76. Contesting for Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Naik had won the election to Panaji constituency in 1972 and went to serve one term. He also served the capital city as the chairperson of then Panaji Municipal Council. Andhra woman dies taking selfie in US HYDERABAD: A young woman from Andhra Pradesh drowned after she accidentally slipped and fell off a waterfall in the US. The woman is reported to have slipped while taking a selfie with her fiancee. Polavarapu Kamala and her fiancee had made a stop at the Bald River Falls while returning home. Big B first Indian voice for Alexa NEW DELHI: Amazon Alexa announced a partnership with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to create a unique voice experience for its Indian fans. >> See pg 6 WEATHER >> Max: 27.7 C Min: 23.2C Humidity: 97% TIDES Low: High: 02.38 09:34 15.30 21.05 MPs may get a 30% pay cut for a year amid Covid NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday introduced in Lok Sabha a bill that seeks to reduce for one year the salaries of Members of Parliament by 30 per cent “to meet the exigencies arising out of Covid-19 pandemic”. The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to replace the Salary, Allowances And Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The ordinance was cleared by the Cabinet on April 6 and promulgated on April 7. MPs pay tribute to ex-president Pranab Mukherjee and others who passed away this year, during the opening day of parliament’s monsoon session in New Delhi on Monday. the mornings and Lok Sabha in the second half of the day. Among the infected Lok Sabha MPs, the BJP has a maximum number -- 12. The YSR Congress has two MPs, the Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP one each. One of the infected MPs, Meenakshi Lekhi tweeted: “After the routine Parliament test for Covid & genome test it’s confirmed that I have tested positive for the virus. I am currently in good health & spirits. I request everyone who has been recently in contact with me to get tested. Together we will fight & defeat Corona.” The BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar was the first to tweet his positive status yesterday. “Requesting all those who have come in close contact with me Calangute hotel raided, fake currency seized in the last few days to monitor their health and get tested in case of any symptoms,” his tweet read. Around 200 of the 785 MPs are above the age of 65 years >Continued on P5 7 NEW DELHI n a stunning revelation, a Chinese virologist has claimed that the coronavirus was created in a government-controlled laboratory in Wuhan, the original epicentre of the outbreak. The scientist also offered scientific evidence to back her claims. In an exclusive conversation with ‘’Loose Women’’, a British talk show, scientist Dr Li-Meng Yan said she was assigned to investigate “new pneumonia” in Wuhan. She said that she discovered a cover-up operation regarding coronavirus during her investigation. Dr Li-Meng, who specialised in virology and immunology at the Hong Kong School I Thiem beats Zverev to win US Open and first Grand Slam title Highest single day deaths in Goa, 14 more succumb CM ANGUISHED, SAYS GET TESTED QUICKLY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Monday saw yet another peak in fatalities due to Covid-19 with 14 deaths due to the infection being recorded in the mortality bulletin even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant expressed anguish over the number of deaths. He urged Goans to get tested immediately upon experiencing even the slightest symptoms of Covid-19. “If you test positive, get admitted at the earliest. Beds are vacant in Covid Care Centers and Covid Hospitals. We want to save people’s lives. We want to reduce the mortality rate”, Sawant pleaded. Till date, 304 patients have died due to the coronavirus in Goa. The active number of cases stands at 4,946 with the inclusion of 306 new cases on Monday. A total of 24,898 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Goa so far of who 19,648 have recovered. Among the 14 fatalities, the TWO MLAs TEST POSITIVE PANAJI: Two more MLAs tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. St Cruz BJP MLA Tony Fernandes and Mandrem BJP MLA Dayanand Sopte are both asymptomatic and stable. While St Cruz MLA Fernandes has been admitted to Manipal Hospital in Dona Paula for medical care, Sopte has opted for home isolation. The other Goan politicians who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past include Minister for AYUSH Shripad Naik, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, BJP MLAs Nilkanth Halarnkar and Clafasio Dias. Congress MLA Ravi Naik, MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar, MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar, NCP President Jose Philip D’Souza, NCP MLA Churchill Alemao and Commissioner of NRI Affairs Narendra Sawaikar had also tested positive. youngest was a 26 year-old from Paroda while the oldest was a 94 year-old from Vasco. Of these, nine deaths occurred at Goa Medical College and Hospital in Bambolim, two at ESI Covid Hospital in Margao and three at the South Goa District Hospital. Out of the 14 deaths, three patients were brought dead to the SGDH including the 26 year-old man from Paroda and three patients passed away within 24 hours of being admitted to the GMC. With the exception of these three, the rest had prior co-morbid conditions. The deceased persons include three women and nine men who were residents of >Continued on P5 TOUGH ROAD! FIVE ARRESTEDNOTES TOTAL TO AROUND `3 LAKH THE GOAN I NETWORK MONEY FOR NOTHING! PANAJI Panaji Police on Monday raided a hotel in Calangute in connection with an alleged fake Indian currency network with suspicions of linkages with drug business. Fake currency to the tune of Rs three lakh was seized from the possession of the accused. The hotel is owned by a prominent Bollywood actor and initially, 11 tourists from Punjab including a minor, were detained by the police as suspects. Police arrested five persons named Rajdeep, Gagandeep, Harjeet, Rahul and Anurag, who had come from Chandigarh a week ago and were found to have used fake Indian currency notes at various spots in Panaji and Porvorim. Police raided the hotel acting on a complaint submitted by a Panaji-based ice cream store owner. The accused were tracked using technical surveillance. Search that followed led to recovery of different denominations of Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 notes and the total amount of fake currency seized is around Rs 2,96,400. A case has been registered under sections 489 A (counter- „„Five persons had come from Chandigarh a week ago and were putting up at a hotel at Calangute „„They were found to have used fake Indian currency notes at various spots in Panaji and Porvorim „„Police raided the hotel acting on a complaint by a Panaji-based ice cream store owner „„Accused were tracked feiting currency), 489B (using as genuine, forged or counterfeit currency) and 489C (possession of forged or counterfeit notes) of IPC at Panaji Police station. Further investigation is in progress. It may be recalled that a team of Goa Police arrested 42 persons, mainly from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi, during a midnight gambling raid in a hotel in Calangute. Rs 10 lakh cash and over 5,000 gambling chips with face value of Rs 1,000 were seized in the raid. A team of police officers led by Calangute PI, Nolasco Raposo and Old Goa PI, Vijay- using technical surveillance „„Search that followed led to recovery of different denominations of Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 notes FACT FILE: The hotel is owned by a prominent Bollywood actor. Initially, 11 tourists from Punjab including a minor were detained by the police as suspects Sun, sea, sand & stress for Punjabi group at Arambol PERNEM: It was the sun, sea, sand and then, stress for a group of Punjabi tourists at Arambol beach after they were accused of driving recklessly on the beach on Monday.   >> See pg 3 nath Kavlekar along with support staff had raided the hotel at Gauravaddo, Calangute in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Vehicles negotiate a huge pothole just outside the Goa Medical College, Bambolim on Monday. Heavy rains have taken a big toll on several roads in the State posing risk to lives of motorists.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Hunt on for man who chased Swapnil’s killer THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO Who is the man who had given a chase to murder accused Mustafa Sheikh when he was seen fleeing from the Krishni Jewellers shop with a knife after stabbing Swapnil Walke? Even as the Crime Branch has obtained a further fourday remand of the three accused, Mustafa Sheikh, Evander Rodrigues and Omkar Patil, investigation Officer, C L Patil is on the look out of the man who was seen running after the accused. Police investigations have revealed that the man had given a hot chase to the accused up to Alto Monte before the accused made good their escape. Sources said the Crime Coronavirus made in Wuhan lab, claims Chinese virologist AGENCIES 8 SPORTS STUNNING REVELATIONS „„Coronavirus is a “high-mutant virus” which will become an outbreak soon „„Seafood market in Wuhan and the virus’s intermediate hosts just a “smokescreen” „„Virus is not from nature and it was from a laboratory controlled by the Chinese government in Wuhan „„China Military Institute discovered and owned some bad coronavirus named CC45 and ZXC41... after lab modification it become a novel virus „„These are the truths and all other things were covered up „„Virologist now working on a scientific report with a small group of top scientists across the world and the same will be published soon of Public Health, said she conducted two researches on new pneumonia in China - first between December and early January, and the second one in mid-January, before fleeing to the US from Hong Kong. “I decided to report this development to my supervisor, who is also a World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant. There was no response from the WHO and my supervisor. Everyone warned me that do not cross the right line and keep silence or else I would be made to disappear,” she said. The virologist said she had expected her supervisor to “do the right thing on behalf of the Chinese government and WHO”. Several countries, including the US, have criticised both China and WHO for covering-up the severity of the coronavirus outbreak. Dr Li-Meng revealed she had contacted a famous Chinese YouTuber in the US. The expose, which was in Chinese, said that the Chinese Communist Party was covering up the COVID-19 crisis and there was a human-to-human transmission of the virus. She also said that coronavirus is a “high-mutant virus” which will become an outbreak soon and the seafood market in Wuhan and the virus’s intermediate hosts were just a “smokescreen”. The doctor then made the stunning revelation that the “virus is not from nature” and it was from a “laboratory controlled by the Chinese government in Wuhan”. “This is based on the China Military Institute that discovered and owned some bad coronavirus named CC45 and ZXC41. Based on that, after lab modification becomes a novel virus,” she said. Asked if she had scientific proof about the revelation, Dr Li-Meng said she has intelligence from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local doctors and other people across China. “These are the truths and all other things were covered up,” she added. The virologist said she is working on a scientific report with a small group of top scientists across the world and the same will be published soon. Branch has not yet established the identity of the person, who was seen running after the accused persons after the stabbing in broad daylight. “This person could have turned out a crucial witness as he did not only see the accused running after the incident with the knife, but had chased them to a distance”, a Crime Branch sleuth told The Goan. The CB is trying to find out whether the person, seen running after the accused, was standing at the spot, and waiting for his family members to return from a clinic. In fact, PI Patil has made a plea to members of the public >Continued on P5 NATIONAL EDU POLICY TOPICS SCERT directs webinars, workshops till Sept 25 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has directed schools to organise webinars and online workshops on themes related to the National Education Policy. These webinars and workshops are to be conducted up to September 25 coinciding with the ‘Shikshak Parv’ celebrations launched nationally by the HRD ministry. A circular has been sent out to ADEIs, headmasters and principals of government and aideded middle, secondary SSC supplementary exams from today >> See pg 5 and higher secondary schools across the State by SCERT Director, G Honnekeri. The circular also annexes a schedule which fixes ‘Vocational Education’ and ‘Faculty Development’ as the themes for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Responding to the circular, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary >Continued on P5