Eye on Amphan

The Hindu Newsletter - Eye on Amphan Wednesday 20, May 2020 [alt_text]( The Evening Wrap Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying home and staying safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: Eye on Amphan We are tracking the Super Cyclone Amphan that made landfall in West Bengal and parts of Odisha today. Follow all the developments with our live page [here](. Kolkata and nearby areas witnessed winds of over 100 kmph and heavy rain as the cyclone made landfall toward the Sundarbans region at about 2.30 pm. According to the National Disaster Response Force, over five lakh people in West Bengal and over one lakh in Odisha have been taken to shelters. So far, the cyclone has claimed four lives. Speaking about the dimensions of the cyclone system, the India Meteorological Department said, “Landfall process started at 2.30 p.m. with the entry of the front sector of the wall cloud region. The width of the wall cloud is around 120 km and the diameter of the eye is about 40 km. The rear side is about 120 km and the entire process will be completed in 3-4 hours. We are hopeful that by 7 p.m. the entire cyclone will enter the land.” Border tensions with China escalate In a [strongly worded statement, China has accused the Indian army of crossing into its territory]( and “blocking” its patrols and “attempting to unilaterally change the status” on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries in Sikkim and Ladakh. The statement, made available to the media by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday, threatens to escalate what the Indian government has thus far maintained were “actions by both armies on the ground” into a diplomatic face-off. It could be the most serious such event since the [Doklam face-off in 2017](. In the statement, Beijing claimed that “the Indian army has crossed the line across the western section of the Sino-Indian border and the Sikkim section to enter Chinese territory”. This is an issue we’ll continue to follow closely and bring you multiple analyses. For starters, [there is a changed dynamic]( along the India-China border, which underlies these new incidents. We’ll also have a podcast that looks at the issue in detail. You check it out on our home page for [The Hindu’s In Focus Podcast](. And potentially with Nepal Staying on the subject of territorial disputes, Nepal has officially [unveiled a new political map of the country](that shows the regions of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura, and Lipulekh of Uttarakhand as part of its sovereign territory. This is less than a fortnight after [India announced the construction of a road to the Lipulekh pass](, which will cut travelling time to Tibet’s Manasarovar pilgrimage centre. Nepal had reacted angrily, asserting that the area belongs to Kathmandu. Launching the map at a press conference, Minister of Land Management Padma Kumari Aryal said the government of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was committed to protecting the territorial sovereignty and integrity of the country. “It is a historic moment of happiness for the people of Nepal. The government will not allow the erosion of self-esteem of our people. Nepal will publish the new map and make it part of the school textbooks,” Ayal said. “We look forward to beginning diplomatic negotiations with the friendly nation of India regarding the territorial claims,” she added. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments India recorded its biggest ever 24-hour jump in cases. Expect to hear that line a lot now, as lockdown restrictions are eased across the country. At present, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 1,08,492, with the death toll at 3,317. Today’s big news is that [domestic flights in the country will resume]( from May 25 in a calibrated manner. “All airports and air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from May 25. SOPs for passenger movement are also being separately issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri tweeted. In Brief: Amidst the global economic recession due to the coronavirus pandemic, [foreign investors have pulled out an estimated $26 billion]( from developing Asian economies and over $16 billion out of India, according to a Congressional report on the global economic effects of COVID-19. This has sharpened concerns of a major economic recession in Asia. Diagnostic machines used for testing drug-resistant tuberculosis can now be used for screening and confirmation of COVID-19 cases, the ICMR has said. As part of its efforts to increase testing capacity, the ICMR had, on April 10, approved the use of the TrueNat system for conducting coronavirus tests, recommending that it be used only for screening purposes. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0b4kq13bbf2f90kauhqqkhbysa8hkw7@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. 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