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- Fourth low-intensity earthquake hits Delhi in little over a month
- Missing India inflation data turns focus to RBI forecast models
- The Pandemic will permanently change the auto industry
- India has very little space for fiscal stimulus: Ind-Ra
- HC seeks Delhi govt stand on pleas challenging levy of 70 pc special corona fee on liquor
- Indian Coast Guard patrol vessel, 2 interceptor boats commissioned
- World Bank approves $1 billion to support India's fight against Covid-19
- Coronavirus to leave a legacy of unprecedented global debt
- What’s in a name, asked Shakespeare; Kerala HC says 'a lot'
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Economic Times | 15 May, 2020 | 12.30PM IST
Coronavirus Live Updates: FM presser at 4pm today
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to address the media later today. This will be her third press briefing since PM Modi announced the Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus package
!1 New UpdateClick here for latest updates
UNSC reform process, negotiations postponed “until further notice" due to COVID-19
- The meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiations to discuss the long-stalled UNSC reforms have been postponed “until further notice” as in-person meetings at the UN headquarters remain suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In a letter to the President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, IGN co-chairs Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh and Polish Ambassador to the UN Joanna Wronecka said that they have decided to "postpone the scheduled meetings of the process until further notice.
- “This decision was taken in light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and the recent medical guidance from the United Nations Medical Director regarding the ongoing measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and safeguard the health of colleagues,” the letter stated.
Liquor shops open in rural Nagpur
Maharashtra: Long queues seen outside liquor shops in Nagpur rural after such shops opened here today. District col… https://t.co/ufiPpPbenF
— ANI (@ANI) 1589525633000Haryana roadways bus service resumed today
The special bus service will only be available on special routes and only within the state.
INS Jalashwa to bring back stranded Indians soon
Operation Samudra Setu: Indian citizens embark on INS Jalashwa; the ship will commence its journey from Male, Maldi… https://t.co/TrKfUT3riS
— ANI (@ANI) 1589523599000Uttarakhand govt converting ghost villages in Pauri district into quarantine centres for migrants returning in droves amid lockdown
India must gear up to face community transmission of COVID-19: Health expert
- India must gear up to face the possibility of community spread of the COVID-19, a prominent health expert said on Friday, cautioning that there could be more widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus due to easing of the lockdown.
- On some experts suggesting that there is already community transmission (stage 3) of the virus in the country, President of Public Health Foundation of India, Prof. K Srinath Reddy maintained that it is a matter of definition.
- Because, if one looks at the spread to people without history of travel or history of contact, certainly there are several such cases, he said.
More than a thousand Maharashtra Police personnel test positive
1061 personnel of Maharashtra Police including 112 police officers have been tested positive for #COVID19 so far. O… https://t.co/UYc0pua4V4
— ANI (@ANI) 1589524027000Chinese official hails 'incomparable' improvement in air quality as virus hits industry
- China's air quality saw "incomparable" improvements in the first quarter of this year as a coronavirus outbreak led to rapid declines in industrial activity and transportation, an environment ministry official said on Friday.
- The number of "blue sky days" rose by 6.6 percentage points in the first quarter of 2020, said Liu Bingjiang, head of the air pollution office at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
- With millions staying home, concentrations of small lung-damaging floating particles fell by nearly 15% in more than 300 Chinese cities in the first three months of the year, according to official ministry data.
Maharashtra: Two infants recover from COVID-19 in Kalyan
- Two infants were among 51 COVID-19 patients who recovered from the deadly infection at Kalyan taluka in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Friday.
- As many as 51 COVID-19 patients, including a one- month-old baby girl and a two-month-old baby boy, were discharged from different hospitals, following their recovery, said Madhuri Phopale, public relations officer of Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation.
- Meanwhile, Thane district witnessed its biggest spike in COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with 201 people testing positive for the virus.
- With this, the count in the district has reached 2,903, of which 899 patients had recovered, 87 had died and 1,917 were undergoing treatment, a report stated.
Supreme Court refuses to entertain a petition seeking direction to close liquor shops, as the shops are not maintaining social distancing and following other norms.
Andhra Pradesh reports 57 new cases
Andhra Pradesh on Friday announced 57 new Covid positive cases, taking the total to 2157. In all, the state suffered 48 Covid deaths, while it saw 1,252 cured and discharged.
Migrants queue up in front of a screening center in Delhi
Delhi: Migrant workers queue up outside a #COVID19 screening centre in Gole Market area. Delhi Cantt SDM Piyush Roh… https://t.co/1rDtkGfLoP
— ANI (@ANI) 1589522733000Delhi HC declines to stay for now the levy of 70% special corona fees on liquor
New dress code for advocates at Orissa HC
- Amid COVID-19 outbreak, the Orissa High Court has issued a circular introducing a new dress code for advocates advising them "to wear a plain white shirt / white salwar-kameez / white saree with a plain white neck-band till the medical exigencies exists".
- "In view of the ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19), under the prevailing circumstances, the learned Advocates appearing before the High Court of Orissa through Virtual Court System, as a precautionary measure, need not wear black coat and gown and are advised to wear plain white shirt / white salwar-kameez / white saree with a plain white neck-band till the medical exigencies exists or until further orders," the circular issued on Thursday read.
1st COVID-19 case detected in Rohingya camps in Bangladesh
- Authorities have reported the first coronavirus case in the crowded camps for Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, where more than 1 million refugees are sheltered.
- The person from the Rohingya community and a local person who lives in the Cox's Bazar district who also tested positive have been isolated, Mahbub Alam Talukder, the country's refugee commissioner, said Thursday.
- Teams have been activated for treatment of the patients as well as tracing people they may have encountered and quarantining and testing of those contacts, Louise Donovan, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency, told The Associated Press.
Thailand reports 7 new coronavirus cases, all from overseas
- Thailand reported seven new coronavirus cases on Friday, while the number of deaths remained unchanged at 56.
- The new cases were all patients who arrived from Pakistan last week and have been in state quarantine, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
World Bank approves USD 1 billion aid to support India's efforts for providing social assistance to poor, vulnerable households
- The World Bank on Friday approved USD 1 billion 'Accelerating India's COVID-19 Social Protection Response Program' to support the country's efforts for providing social assistance to the poor and vulnerable households, severely impacted by the pandemic.
- This takes the total commitment from the World Bank towards emergency COVID-19 response in India to USD 2 billion.
- A USD 1 billion support was announced last month to support India's health sector.
- The response to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has required governments around the world to introduce social distancing and lockdowns in unprecedented ways, said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India in a webinar interaction with the media.
10 Lakh people are given meals in the morning and evening, in Delhi. If even 20 Lakh people need food, we are ready for that too
- Delhi Health Minister
We have sent proposals to the centre. Most of the people have given proposal to wear mask in public space & maintain social distancing. They've suggested that movement of buses and metro rails may be started in limited numbers to maintain social distancing
- Delhi Health Minister
US permits doctors on H-1B work visa to practice telemedicine
- The US has relaxed regulations to allow doctors on the H-1B work visa to practice telemedicine and help local hospitals to meet the surging demand for healthcare professionals due to the coronavirus pandemic in America, the worst hit country by the COVID-19 outbreak.
- The US has nearly 1.45 million cases of confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 86,000 people have died due to the highly contagious disease.
- The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued new guidelines enabling physicians holding the H-1B visas to practice telemedicine and providing local hospitals with the necessary flexibility to meet increased demand for medical treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bill Gates thanks PM Modi for interaction, says combating coronavirus pandemic requires global collaboration
- Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the interaction and stressed that combating the coronavirus pandemic requires global collaboration.
- "Thank you for the conversation and partnership PM Narendra Modi. Combating the pandemic requires global collaboration. India's role is key as the world works to minimize social and economic impact, and pave the way to vaccine, testing, and treatment access for all," Bill Gates said.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and discussed the global response to Covid-19 and the importance of global coordination on scientific innovation to combat the pandemic.
Pune slum fights COVID-19 with self-discipline, awareness
- Even as several congested areas in Maharashtra's Pune city turned into COVID-19 hotspots, slum pocket of Janata Vasahat has managed to fight the virus with coordinated efforts of its residents and authorities.
- Situated along Sinhgad Road, Janata Vasahat is spread over 2 to 3 km area and has a total population of 60,000.
- The locality has only reported two cases of COVID-19 so far, and the Pune Municipal Corporation plans to keep it that way.
- Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad attributed the success of controlling the spre
61 new cases in Odisha
- Odisha on Thursday recorded as many as 61 new cases of coronavirus, taking the total tally of the cases in the state to 672, informed Department of Health and Family Welfare, Odisha.
- At present, out of the total cases 511 are active in the state.
Qatar makes wearing masks outside mandatory with violators fined up to $50,000
- Qatar's interior ministry announced on Thursday that wearing masks will be mandatory to go outside starting Sunday, and those who do not comply will be fined up to 200,000 riyals ($53,000).
- Violators could also be jailed up to three years, or either of those punishments, according to a statement on the ministry's Twitter account.
Nepal reports 9 more cases
According to Nepal Health Ministry, the country's case tally stands at 258.
Fresh test for Wuhan as cluster sparks mass virus screening
- Nervous residents of China's pandemic epicentre of Wuhan queued up across the city to be tested for the novel coronavirus on Thursday after a new cluster of cases sparked a mass screening campaign.
- Lines of residents keeping their social distance formed at makeshift testing sites set up under tents in parking lots, parks and residential communities as rain trickled down in the metropolis of 11 million people.
- "This is a good thing. It's a way to be responsible towards others and to yourself," a 40-year-old man told AFP after completing the process.
- The man had already been tested 10 days before, but given Wuhan's history as the source of the virus and China's worst-hit city he welcomed a little extra assurance.
DTC operates buses for returnees to Delhi
- Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has started shuttle bus services for railway passengers arriving at New Delhi Railway Station amid coronavirus lockdown, informed GK Sharma, Senior Manager, DTC.
- The passengers were dropped off at Shivaji Stadium and Ambedkar Stadium from where they are given further change over of transport.
- "The services started yesterday (April 14). We have made 29 trips today so far and cleared the passengers of two trains. Seven more trains are scheduled to arrive. 21 buses are parked here," said Sharma while speaking to ANI.
Out of the 708 samples tested yesterday, results of 7 are positive: King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow
Rajasthan reports 55 new cases
Number of #COVID19 cases has reached 4589 in Rajasthan, with 55 more people testing positive today. Number of activ… https://t.co/Sjb6s9L0tM
— ANI (@ANI) 1589513938000Shops open in Amritsar
Punjab: Shops open in Amritsar. State govt has ordered that the shops in the state will remain open between 7 AM to… https://t.co/BegkPOUAfl
— ANI (@ANI) 1589515312000Stranded migrant workers walk towards their hometowns from Delhi
- After walking for several kilometres due to lack of public transport, migrant workers on Friday reached Delhi-Gazipur border on way to their homes in various parts of Uttar Pradesh.
- Rita, who hails from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, said as there is no means of transport available so she walked with her children to reach here.
- With few transportation options available, thousands of people in some regions of the country, mostly migrant labourers have resorted to walking towards their hometowns during the lockdown.
India reports 3,967 new cases
The country's death toll increased by 100 in the last 24 hours, with the number of active cases hitting 51,401.
Virus could infect more than 200 mn in Africa: WHO modelling
- The new coronavirus could kill 150,000 people in Africa in a year unless urgent action is taken, according to a WHO modelling study that says nearly a quarter of a billion people will be infected.
- Authors of the research, published Friday in the journal BMJ Global Health, predicted a lower infection rate than in other parts of the world like Europe and the US, with fewer severe cases and deaths.
- But while they said many African nations had been swift to adopt containment measures, they warned that health systems could still quickly become overwhelmed.
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 913 to 173,152
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 913 to 173,152, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday.
- The reported death toll rose by 101 to 7,824, the tally showed
China marks month without any confirmed deaths
- China has gone a month without announcing any new deaths from the coronavirus and has fewer than 100 patients in treatment for COVID-19.
- The National Health Commission reported four new cases of the virus Friday, all local cross-infections in the northeastern province of Jilin where a cluster of uncertain origin has been detected in recent days. The last day the commission reported a death was on April 14.
- Just 91 people remain in treatment for COVID-19 and 623 others are in isolation for being suspected cases or for having tested positive without showing symptoms, including 11 newly detected.
Egypt prepares for partially reopening hotels for local tourism
- The Egyptian government started inspecting hotels in resort cities to check their implementation of anti-COVID-19 measures and readiness to partially reopen for local tourists, an official said.
- Government committees, formed by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ministry of Health, Egyptian Hotel Association (EHA) as well as representatives from the provinces of the South Sinai, Red Sea, Luxor and Aswan, did the inspection, said Abdel-Fattah al-Aasy, assistant minister of tourism and antiquities for monitoring tourism and hotel facilities on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
- This came amid the government's "coexistence" plan to resume economic activities while fighting the novel coronavirus.
Trump confirms pulling out US pension fund from China investments
- US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his administration has asked for the withdrawal of billions of dollars in American pension fund investments in China and that other similar actions are under consideration.
- The US and China relations have deteriorated after the coronavirus outbreak. The US has expressed disappointment over Beijing's handling of the coronavirus which has claimed over 80,000 lives in America. China has also been accused of stealing Intellectual Property and research work.
- "Billions of dollars, billions... Yeah, I pulled it back," Trump said on Fox Business News on Thursday when asked about reports that the US had pulled out billions of dollars of American pension funds in Chinese investment.
Global coronavirus death toll exceeds 300,000
- Global deaths linked to the novel coronavirus passed 300,000 on Thursday, while reported cases of the virus are approaching 4.5 million, according to a Reuters tally.
- About half of the fatalities have been reported by the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy.
- The first death linked to the disease was reported on Jan. 10 in Wuhan, China. It took 91 days for the death toll to pass 100,000 and a further 16 days to reach 200,000, according to the Reuters tally of official reports from governments. It took 19 days to go from 200,000 to 300,000 deaths.
- By comparison, an estimated 400,000 people die annually from malaria, one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases.
Israel's active COVID-19 cases drop below 4,000
- The Israeli Health Ministry said that the active COVID-19 cases in the country dropped by 259 to 3,793.
- This is the first time that the number of active cases in Israel has dropped below 4,000 since March 28. The highest number of active cases was 9,808 recorded on April 15, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
- The ministry also reported 31 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 16,579, while the number of recoveries increased by 289 to 12,521.
New York, New York? Prolonged shutdown raises doubts about future
- New York City shows no sign of easing a two-month lockdown, even as a statewide stay-at-home order ends Friday, leaving America's cultural and commercial capital wondering what its future holds.
- While many European cities begin the process of reviving their economies, the Big Apple -- America's coronavirus epicenter -- remains shut as authorities fear sparking another wave of COVID-19 infections.
- "I'm bored to tears," said sprightly 80-year-old Rhoda Glass, who at this time of year would normally be bouncing between the several charities where she volunteers.
- "I'm just hoping we come back to a semblance of normal pretty soon,"
US adds 1,754 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours
- The United States recorded 1,754 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 85,813, according to the latest real-time tally Thursday reported by Johns Hopkins University.
- The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities -- has now confirmed a total of 1,416,528 cases, the Baltimore-based school reported.
Global virus vaccine race heats up, but not without controversy
- The race for a vaccine has exposed a raw nerve in relations between the United States and China, where the virus was first detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan.
- Two US agencies warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers were trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research -- a claim Beijing rejected as "smearing" its reputation.
- US President Donald Trump, who has ratcheted up the rhetoric against China, said he doesn't even want to engage with Chinese leader Xi Jinping -- potentially imperiling a trade deal between the world's top two economies.
- "I'm very disappointed in China. I will tell you that right now," he said in an interview with Fox Business.
- "There are many things we could do. We could do things. We could cut off the whole relationship."
Pune reports 194 new cases
- Pune reported 194 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday while six people died due to the disease in the day, a top state health official said.
- "Six deaths and 194 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Pune district on Thursday," said Dr Bhagawan Pawar, District Health Officer (DHO).
- "Total positive cases stand at 3426 in the district and death toll is at 181," the official said.
New COVID-19 cases on US carrier despite extensive screening
- Five US sailors have been evacuated with coronavirus from an aircraft carrier despite extensive screening as the warship prepares its return to sea following a major outbreak, a US official confirmed Thursday.
- After testing positive but asymptomatic, the five spent two weeks in quarantine in Guam where the nuclear-powered USS Theodore Roosevelt is docked, the official said, confirming a New York Times report.
- After each registered negative twice in subsequent tests, they were permitted back aboard the ship.
- But they were later retested and again found positive.
- The Navy declined any official comment on the new cases.
Mexico reports record one-day coronavirus surge with 2,409 new cases
- Mexico's health ministry on Thursday confirmed 257 additional coronavirus deaths and 2,409 new infections, the biggest one-day rise in cases since the pandemic began.
- The new infections brought confirmed coronavirus cases to 42,595 and 4,477 deaths in total, according to the official tally.
Copyright © 2020 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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