Latest news with #Swaminathan
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Charges: Woman assaults flight attendant on Delta plane at MSP after being told to put bag away
Charges: Woman assaults flight attendant on Delta plane at MSP after being told to put bag away originally appeared on Bring Me The News. A California woman is facing charges in Minnesota after a disturbance on a Delta flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport over the weekend. Priya Swaminathan, a 45-year-old attorney from San Jose, is charged with obstruction of the legal process – a gross misdemeanor, 5th-degree assault, disorderly conduct and interference with flight operations due to an incident on board Delta flight DL2089 from MSP to San Francisco on Sunday evening. According to the charges, police were called to Gate C14 at Terminal 1 on a report that a passenger was "causing a disturbance, yelling at passengers, and had allegedly assaulted a Delta crew member." A Delta flight attendant says that the passenger, allegedly identified as Swaminathan, had been asked to put her bags in the overhead compartment but refused to do so. When it was time to close the plane's doors, Swaminathan was informed there was no more room for her bags and she would need to "plane-side check them." At this point, the passenger allegedly "became angry and starting yelling while pacing up and down the aisle and screaming at other passengers." She then allegedly "charged" at one of the flight attendants "and pushed her with both hands in the chest." The criminal complaint says Swaminathan then refused to disembark the plane, and when officers arrived they found her "standing in the aisle and leaning up against a seat back between rows 1 and 2." Two officers grabbed Swaminathan's arms, with the complaint saying she refused to put her hands behind her back. She was then taken off the aircraft and moved "up against the jet bridge wall in an attempt to control her." Police claimed that Swaminathan had a "strong odor of a consumed alcoholic beverage," and allegedly had bloodshot and watery eyes. As they escorted her down the jet bridge stairs, she allegedly refused to walk, and when lifted, she "began to flail her body and kicked herself free from [the officer's] grasp." The complaint says she also knocked off an officer's bodycam, and tried to unbuckle her seat belt when placed in a squad vehicle. In the end, takeoff for Delta flight DL2089 was delayed by 20 minutes. Bring Me The News has reached out to Swaminathan for comment. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Not every parent is like Justice Leila Seth, who supported same-sex relationships, rues Madras High Court
Our society is still conservative, and not every parent is like Justice Leila Seth (former Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court who openly supported her gay son); however, that should not be a reason for the police to deny security to LGBTQIA+ couples facing threats, the Madras High Court has said. A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan made the observation while allowing a habeas corpus petition filed by a 25-year-old woman from Tirupattur against the illegal detention of her partner by the latter's parents at their residence in Vellore district. The judges allowed the detainee, also a major, to go with the petitioner after she confirmed that her parents had confined her at their residence against her will. Justice Swaminathan also gave ₹1,000 from his personal funds for the conveyance expenses of the same-sex couple. Use of word 'queer' The Divsion Bench also expressed reservations over the usage of the expression 'queer' to describe persons whose gender identity or sexual orientation was outside societal norms and said, there was nothing strange or odd about such inclinations and therefore, the usage was not appropriate. 'We feel certain discomfort in employing the expression 'queer.' Any standard dictionary defines this word as meaning 'strange or odd.' To a homosexual individual, his/her/their sexual orientation must be perfectly natural and normal... Why then should they be called queer?' the judges wondered. Censuring the police for having forced the detainee to go with her parents when a complaint was lodged with them, the court held that the government officials, the jurisdictional police in particular, would be duty-bound to respond to complaints of threats or harassment received from members of the LGBTQIA+ community. 'We also restrain the detenu's natal family members from interfering with her personal liberty. We issue a writ of continuing mandamus to the jurisdictional police to afford adequate protection to the detenue as well as the petitioner as and when required,' the judges ordered. Expressing their inability to convince the parents of the detainee to accept the relationship between their daughter and the habeas corpus petitioner, the Bench said, 'But the law is very clear. All individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, possess the right to universal enjoyment of human rights.' 'Same-sex couples can form family' Authoring the verdict, Justice Swaminathan also wrote: 'Same-sex couples can very well form a family. Marriage is not the sole mode to found a family. The concept of 'chosen family' is now well settled and acknowledged in LGBTQIA+ jurisprudence. The petitioner and the detenue can very well constitute a family.' They also referred to efforts taken by Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court to improve the conditions of the LGBTQIA+ community and said, the judge had approved a deed of familial association that purported to recognise the civil union entered into between LGBTQIA+ partners.
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First Post
4 days ago
- Health
- First Post
Covid-19 now just like any other respiratory illness, predominant in India after recent surge: Expert
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, is just like any other respiratory illness now and there is no possibility of another catastrophic wave like the one driven by Delta variant in 2021, according to Soumya Swaminathan, a former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO). read more At present, 'LF.7' and 'NB.1.8' — both descendants of the 'JN.1' variant — are the main variants of the COVID-19-causing virus circulating in Singapore. AP File Soumya Swaminathan, a former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), has said that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, is now just like any other respiratory virus and there is no need to panic at the moment. In recent weeks, Covid-19 cases have risen in India. As per the latest information, there are 3,961 active Covid-19 cases in the country, with 203 new cases and four deaths being reported in the previous 24 hours. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In an interview with CNN-News 18, Swaminathan said that the SARS-CoV-2, just like any other virus, is bound to periodic surges every six to eight months and the ongoing spike in cases is a result of such a periodic surge. She went on to compare it with influenza virus. 'It has been around now for five years. It is of course constantly mutating and changing like other viruses. And, just like we get every year a spike of influenza cases at certain seasons, we have also now started seeing that periodically, maybe every six to eight months or so, there is a rise in Covid cases,' said Swaminathan, who also served as the Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during 2015-17. Swaminathan further said that there was no chance of another catastrophic wave of Covid-19 like the Delta variant's wave of 2021. Swaminathan noted that influenza virus was the predominant respiratory infection for most of the year and it was only in April and May that Covid-19 over influenza. She said that it is likely to happen now as Covid-19 has become just another viral infection now. Swaminathan said, 'It's likely that every few months or once a year, we will see this type of thing happening in the future. The good thing is, of course, that we all have immunity now, both from vaccination and from natural infections that many of us have had in the last few years. And, so, what you're seeing now is a mild disease mostly, even though people are testing and reporting positivity, you find that hospitalisations are very few.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While there is no need to panic, people with higher risk of sickness should take the usual precautions, said Swaminathan. Those with higher risk include people with compromised immune systems, pre-existing health conditions, and older people, according to Swaminathan.
News18
4 days ago
- Health
- News18
No 2020-Like Repeat Of Covid-19, Influenza A Bigger Risk: Ex-WHO Scientist Soumya Swaminathan
Last Updated: Addressing fears of another catastrophic wave, Swaminathan said periodic surges—roughly every 6-8 months—are expected, largely manageable, and low in severity Influenza, and not Covid-19, likely claims more lives each year in India and globally despite the latter dominating headlines, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), has told News18. One of the leading experts on infectious diseases, Swaminathan has reassured the public that there is 'absolutely no need to panic now". In an exclusive interview, Swaminathan told News18 that the SARS coronavirus, much like influenza, is now part of the respiratory viruses regularly circulating in the population. ' COVID or SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus, is another respiratory virus, like the many others that are circulating amongst us human beings in the world today. It has been around for five years now. It's, of course, constantly mutating and changing, like other viruses," she said. When asked whether there's a possibility of another 'Delta-like' wave making a return, she said the public needs to understand 'very clearly" that 'we will not see the repeat of 2020 or 2021. At that time, human beings had never seen this virus before". According to her, these periodic surges—roughly every 6-8 months—are expected and largely manageable. 'We have also now started seeing that periodically…There is a rise in circulating Covid-19 cases," she noted, citing data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which indicates that the Omicron variant JN.1 has recently become the dominant strain. Swaminathan, before her ground-breaking role at WHO, was the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and secretary of the Department of Health Research in India. She, however, says that despite the increase in cases, the severity remains low. 'What you're seeing now is a mild disease mostly. Even though people are testing and reporting positivity, you find that hospitalisations are rare," she said. Swaminathan highlighted that individuals with underlying health conditions should continue to take precautions. 'People who have underlying illnesses… are likely to get a little sicker when they get a respiratory infection," she warned, adding that this applies to both Covid-19 and influenza. The flu virus may pose a greater threat than Covid-19. 'Influenza probably kills a lot more people in India and around the world… it makes a lot of sense for vulnerable people to take the flu vaccine, which gets updated every year." Addressing fears of another catastrophic wave, she assured the public: 'It will not happen that we will have a repeat of 2020 or 2021… Today, the virus cannot spread in the same way because it is met with a strong immune response." Do we need booster shots or updated vaccines? According to Swaminathan, there is a need to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of updating vaccines, especially in countries like India. 'We see that illness is mild, not requiring hospitalisation… There doesn't seem to be any reason to start a booster campaign now," she said, although she acknowledged the importance of preparing for potential future variants through continued research and updated vaccine development. She also outlined five key areas for pandemic preparedness. 'We need new legislation today that will cover biological threats like pandemics," she said, adding that 'India should have its own list of priority pathogens… and mechanisms for developing vaccines and therapeutics". Also, she said: 'Every state must have a public health cadre… It's essential to deal with so many health risks today, along with the improvement of health literacy and public engagement, which is critical." What should you do? 'Let's take sensible precautions… I see people travelling in crowded buses, trains, and planes, coughing and sneezing without a mask—that's just spreading infection." As for concerns about waning immunity, she explained, 'There are two kinds of immunity… antibodies, which decline over time, and T-cells, which have memory. The moment you are exposed again to the same virus… your immune system does its job." She emphasised that Covid-19 is now an endemic part of life. While vigilance and preparedness are necessary, panic is not. 'We can rest assured now… I would say, let's take sensible precautions… but there's no need for any panic." Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
No need to fear COVID-19, thanks to acquired immunity, says Soumya Swaminathan
There is no reason to fear COVID-19 due to the immunity people have acquired over the last few years, said Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist of the World Health Organization, and chairperson of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. According to the data from the Union Health Ministry as of May 31, India saw an increase of 685 active COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases to 3,395 since January. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of Scope 2025, an international conference on endoscopy organised by GEM Hospital in Chennai, Dr. Swaminathan explained that the current surge is driven by subvariants of the Omicron strain. While the virus may have undergone some mutations, the overall strain remains the same. India and other Southeast Asian countries have reported a similar trend in slight increase of COVID-19 cases. She said that the widespread use of vaccines, and in some cases, booster shots, has provided immunity. As a result, even if someone contracts the virus, symptoms will likely be mild, such as a two-day fever, cough, headache, and body aches. Dr. Swaminathan also recommended wearing masks when experiencing symptoms like cough, cold, or fever to prevent transmission to others. She warned that high-risk individuals — such as seniors, and those with diabetes, hypertension, or cardiac and lung conditions — should remain cautious. She urged everyone to continue following basic precautions, including wearing masks, washing hands thoroughly upon entering the home, and avoiding spitting in public.
