HUBBALLI  MONDAY  NOVEMBER 28, 2022  `9.00  PAGES 12  CITY EDITION PROSTATE GLAND ENLARGEMENT CASES SHOOTING UP: LANCET The surge is more pronounced in low and middle-income countries of Latin America, south and east Asia 91% SURGE IN CASES IN INDIA, 70% GLOBALLY NUMBER OF CASES TO RISE FURTHER Between 2000 and 2019, there was a 90.9% surge in number of benign prostatic hyperplasia cases in India, as per the study. In contrast, the worldwide average was 70%. Qatar saw the highest surge of 500% during the period. An enlarged prostate gland can lead to a variety of symptoms, including difficulty in urinating | P7 ■ Latin America saw the sharpest region-wise rise in number of cases (98%), followed by east (97%) and South Asia (91%) ■ As life expectancy increases, cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia are expected to rise further, the study warned ■ The condition is typically found in men over the age of 65 1.82 crore N.O. OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA CASES IN INDIA AS OF 2019 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Thousdands of demonstrators, including university students, rally against Beijing’s stringent zero-Covid policy, shout anti-Xi slogans SHOWDOWN D I L I P S I N G H KS H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad Oct 13: A rare protest held against Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing over strict antiCovid measures Oct 14: A protest banner on a bridge in Beijing calls for Xi’s removal Oct 17: Xi reaffirms China’s adherence to zero-Covid policy in Communist Party Conrgess amid rising public discontent Oct 18: Protests spread to other cities Oct 28: Large-scale protests erupt in Tibet against China’s zeroCovid policy. Nov 4: Despite zeroCovid policy China reports 4,420 new locally transmitted Covid-19 infections, the highest in six months Nov 8: Seven people arrested in northeastern China following a clash between residents and authorities enforcing Covid-19 restrictions. Nov 10: Authorities promise to improve quarantine and other anti-virus policies Nov 14: Residents of Guangzhou city break lockdown rules and clash with police Nov 23: Employees at the world’s biggest Apple iPhone factory Zhengzhou beaten and detained amid protests over anti-virus controls. Nov 25: A fire in an apartment building in Xinjiang kills 10 people amid stringent lockdowns. Public anger at Xi mounts in the wake of the incident Modi, Kharge, Kejri turn on Guj heat People show blank papers as a way to protest in Shanghai on Sunday | AFP Anti-lockdown stir flares across China E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E ISOLATED protests in China against stringent Covid curbs are gaining traction and spreading to more cities as thousands of people, including students, hit the streets and campuses on Sunday in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan and Nanjing, confronting police and even publicly calling for the resignation of President Xi Jinping. In Shanghai, a large group of people gathered at Wulumuqi street and chanted “Xi Jinping step down, CCP step down”, news agency AFP reported citing a verified video circulated on Chinese social media. Such public display of defiance is rare in China, where the ruling Communist Party is known for crushing all kinds expressions of dissent. However, the coronavirus pandemic has changed all that with people being pushed to the brink by the government’s insensitive backto-back lockdowns, mass Covid tests and stringent quarantine protocols. Experts say China’s zero-Covid policy is stirring rare public anger with people growing weary of the mindless restrictions. According to reports, protests were also held at Beijing’s elite Tsinghua University, Peking University and Communication University of China at Nanjing. Videos circulated online showed protesters holding up blank sheets of paper, a tactic used to evade censorship or arrest. The protests, which began in the morning, intensified with the participation of hundreds of people by mid-afternoon, the BBC reported. The developments come as China reported a record 39,506 domestic Covid cases on Sunday . The protests seem to have escalated after several people died in last week’s blaze in a high-rise building in remote north-west city of Urumqi in the Xinjiang region, allegedly because rescue efforts were hampered due to lockdowns. Xinjiang is one of the worst-affected regions where lockdown has been in force for more than 100 days. While Chinese authorities refuted the notion that Covid restrictions caused the deaths in Urumqi, local administration did issue an apology , offering to phase out curbs. If the protests spread further, it could pose a major challenge for Xi, who is just over a month into his third term in power. CAMPAIGNING for the Gujarat elections hit a crescendo on Sunday with several national leaders of the BJP Congress , and AAP descending on the coastal state. Speaking at a public meeting in Gujarat’s Kheda district, Prime M i n i s t e r N a re n d r a Modi, sharpened his attack on the Congress. “Gujarat had for a long time been a target of terrorism. People of Gujarat were killed in explosions in Surat and Ahmedabad. The Congress was ruling in Delhi then. We asked them to target POLL POSITIONS Ticket aspirants muted out at Cong e-meeting D EVA RA J B H I R E H A L L I @ Bengaluru CONGRESS ticket aspirants from across the state, who have sent in their applications to the KPCC office paying Rs 2 lakh each, were disappointed as state party chief DK Shivakumar reportedly did not give them a chance to speak during a virtual meeting on Sunday . While 1.450 aspirants have applied, around 900 logged in for the Zoom meeting at 4 pm. Though they waited for their turn, they did not get a chance and the meeting ended at 6 pm. “I was eager to speak and thought the leaders would pick aspirants randomly to express our views. But I was disappointed as it was one-sided with a heavy dose of instructions,” rued an aspirant from ChikkaP4 ballapur district. Gadag farmer gets `8 for COMETH , THE HOUR 205 kg of onion in B’luru COMETH Argentina, needing a win to avoid early exit, were held goalless after over an hour’s play against Mexico late on Saturday. Their talisman striker Lionel Messi had struggled to penetrate a heavily crowded defence. It was now or never. Messi needed just one chance. Receiving a cross just over 20 yards from goal, he hit a fierce low drive with his magical left foot to find the back of net sending packed stadium into a delirium MESSI R AG H OT TA M KO P PA R @ Gadag PRICES of agricultural crops fluctuate wildly, but still, this is quite shocking. A farmer from Gadag got Rs 8.36 after selling 205 kg of onions at the Yeshwanthpur market in Bengaluru. The receipt has gone viral after the distraught farmer posted it on social media to warn other farmers not to bring their produce to Bengaluru. The wholesaler, who has issued the bill, has valued the onions at Rs 200 per quintal. But after deducting Rs 24 as porter charges and Rs 377.64 towards freight, he has given Rs 8.36 to the farmer, Pawadeppa Hallikeri from Timmapur village. Nearly 50 farmers from Gadag, who had gone to sell onions at the Yeshwanthpur market transporting it over 415 km, were surprised to see A MOMENT TO REMEMBER A picture of the bill shared by Pawadeppa Hallikeri online the price at Rs 200 per quintal, while it was around Rs 500 just a few days ago. Furious at the ridiculous prices, farmers are now planning a protest to force the state gover nment to announce a minimum support price for their produce. “We farmers from Gadag have been affected by incessant rainfall this year and onions that we have grown are smaller in size,” said Pawadeppa. CONTINUED ON: P5 LITTLE MAGICIAN SCORES VITAL GOAL TO SET UP ARGENTINA WIN IN ONGOING WORLD CUP IN QATAR... Later, Messi turned the provider, laying a pass to substitute Enzo Fernandez whose sublime finish — a curling right foot strike — found the top far corner net Today’s matches Group G: Serbia vs Cameroon, 3.30 PM; Brazil vs Switzerland, 9.30 PM Group H: South Korea vs Ghana 6.30 PM; Portugal vs Uruguay, 12.30 AM (Tuesday) THE EQUATION RESULTS BELGIUM SHOCKED Morocco stun Belgium 2-0 in a Group F game on Saturday Japan 0-1 Costa Rica A win against Poland in their last group tie will ensure last 16 spot for Argentina, who were shocked 1-2 by Saudi Arabia in their opening match. However, if they are held by Poland their qualification will depend on the other result between Saudi Arabia and Mexico. A defeat will certainly send them home early terrorism but they targeted me instead. Terrorism was at peak in the country he said. ,” Modi added that the spectre of terrorism will haunt the country until vote bank politics is eradicated. “We caught terrorists in Gujarat but the then Congress government in Delhi was saving terrorists for vote bank politics,” he said. “During the Batla House encounter, Congress leaders cried in support of terrorists,” he added. Addressing a rally at Dediapada, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed said India is a democratic country thanks to the Congress. “Modi D EVA RA J B H I R E H A L L I @ Bengaluru FAMILIES of most Covid warriors in the state have received compensation, but the kin of around 170 gram panchayat (GP) staffers are yet to get any ex-gratia or jobs on compassionate grounds. The majority of the victims were panchayat development officers (PDOs), bill collectors, watermen and data entry operators. To fight for the cause of these families, the Karnataka Rajya Grama Panchayat Sadasyara Maha Okkuta is staging a dharna at Freedom Park on December 12 where members from 6,012 GPs from across the state are taking part, said Okkuta president Kadashettihalli Satish. The RDPR Department on June 28, 2021 had ordered set- YAK farmers of Himalayan highlands have a reason to cheer as the scientific panel of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has approved the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying’s recommendation to declare Himalayan yak as a food animal. The ‘food animal’ tag will become official once it is notified in the gazette after approval by take up yak farming. Yak milk is highly nutritious. It is rich in fat and protein and contains many essential minerals. It is also deemed to have medicinal value. As per the nutritional analysis, yak milk contains 78-82% water, 7.5-8.5% fat, 4.9-5.3% protein, 4.5-5.0% lactose and 12.3-13.4% fat and solids-not-fat. Traditional yak milk products are central to the cuisine of the highlanders. The meat of yak is considered very lean and better than beef. India has some 58,000 yaks, found on the heights of Arunachal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. In Arunachal, their popula- Two jawans of the Indian Reserve Battalion, on election duty in Gujarat, were killed and two others were injured after their colleague opened fire over a dispute in a village near Porbandar on Saturday ting up of an ‘ashwasane nidhi’ (a relief fund) at the zilla panchayat level to pay compensation of Rs 30 lakh to the kin of each deceased. The ZPs were asked to contribute Rs 10 lakh and taluk panchayats (TPs) Rs 5 lakh towards the fund. But almost all ZPs and TPs expressed their inability because of paucity of funds. GPs too were asked to contribute Rs 50, 000 to Rs 3 lakh, depending on their revenue. “The department imposed this on GPs that are facing a financial crunch as they have to meet their expenses, including electricity bills that are huge. As GP employees are appointed by committees headed by concerned ZP CEOs, it is the responsibility of the government to pay the compensation which hardly comes to Rs 50 crore for 170 victims,” said Satish. Except for 15 families in Belagavi, Udupi, Shivamogga, Davanagere and Tumakuru, who got compensation ranging from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, none of the other Covid deceased got any relief, said PDOs’ Association state president H Boraiah. “The families of these deceased GP workers are in distress, but have got no backing from the gover nment,” he said. RDPR Additional Chief Secretary in-charge Uma Mahadevan told TNIE that she is unaware of the issue as she has just returned from her official visit to the UK and will soon address it. In October, then ACS LK Atheek and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai held separate meetings and had promised to resolve the issue. 2 domes demolished at Mysuru bus-stand E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Mysuru POLITICS that raged over three dome-shaped structures on top of a bus shelter on Ooty road here finally reached the climax on Sunday as two of those domes were demolished by the contractor on the instructions of MLA SA Ramdas. A controversy erupted three weeks ago after MysuruKodagu MP Pratap Simha objected to the domes, saying they reminded one of a gumbaz, while Ramadas argued that they represent the Mysuru Palace. The verbal duel between the two BJP leaders had divided the party workers in the city . A view of the controversial bus shelter, after two domes were removed in a late night operation, in Mysuru on Sunday | UDAYASHANKAR S To counter any drastic move by Simha, Ramadas had put up large flexes with the photo- graphs of him, PM Narendra Modi, CM Basavarj Bommai P4 and Suttur Mutt seers. EXPRESS READ Aero India 2023 from February 13-17 Bengaluru: The 14th edition of Aero India will be held from February 13-17 at Air Force Station in Yelahanka, announced the Ministry of Defence (MoD), on Sunday. Aero India 2023 is scheduled for five days and the general public can witness the display of aerobatics of various aircraft. Himalayan yak milk, meat may soon hit stores near you competent authority . “The reason why the yak population is decreasing is because yak farming is less remunerative. The animal’s milk and meat are not part of the conventional meat and dairy industry and consumed only locally. There is also no big market,” Dr Mihir Sarkar, director of ICARN, told this newspaper. He said if yak is declared a food animal, the economic benefits it could bring may encourage more people to 2 jawans on poll duty killed by colleague Compensation remains elusive for 170 Covid warriors in GPs FOOD ANIMAL TAG P R A SA N TA M A Z U M DA R @ Guwahati and Shah ask what Congress did in the last 70 years. If the Congress had not worked in the last 70 years, we would not have seen a democracy today he said. ,” Meanwhile, Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took a swipe at Modi questioning his repeated visits to Gujarat. This, he said, shows the BJP is “scared” of the results of Gujarat polls. Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attacked both the BJP Congress at his Surat rally . Gujarat elections will be held in two phases – on December 1 and December 5 – and the results will be known on December 8. tion is estimated to be around 24,000, found in Tawang, West Kameng and Shi Yomi districts. Though the animal has intense socio-cultural significance to the pastoral rearing communities, the past few decades witnessed an unprecedented decline in its population. The decline is partly blamed on a lack of interest on the party of today’s youngsters to engage in yak rearing as it is a demanding job that offers very less in return. Probe sought against Odanadi heads Chitradurga: The heads of Odanadi Seva Samsthe -Stanley and Parashu -- have conspired to implicate the Murugha Mutt pontiff in the Pocso case, alleged social worker Jitendra N Hulikunte on Sunday, adding that he has complained to ADGP Alok Kumar (Law and Order) to conduct a probe against them. P4 Unopposed, PT Usha set to become IOA president E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Chennai IT’S final. Olympian and multiple Asian Games gold medallist PT Usha is the lone candidate for Indian Olympic Association president’s post. She is unopposed and set to be the next president of the IOA. The elections are scheduled on December 10. Even on Sunday , the last day of the nominations, no other candidate came forward to challenge her and as reported by this newspaper, the Athletes’ Commission and the Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) and several other federations have backed her. Usha, who has been nominated by BJP to the Rajya Sabha, did not find any opposition from any of the members who were part of IOA for years. Her panel of senior vice president and treasurer too are unopposed.