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Economic Times | 24 Jul, 2020 | 10.02AM IST
Coronavirus Latest News: India reports 49,310 new cases and 740 deaths
Total number of positive cases stand at 12,87,945 including 4,40,135 active cases, 8,17,209 cured/discharged/migrated & 30,601 deaths: Health Ministry
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China orders closure of US consulate in Chengdu
India reports 49,310 new cases
- Total cases stand at 12,87,945 including 4,40,135 active cases.
- India also reported 740 new deaths, taking the toll to 30,601.
- Total number of cured/discharged/migrated stand at 8,17,209.
Bill Gates denies conspiracy theories he created virus outbreak
- Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates on Thursday pushed back against some of the conspiracy theories spreading online accusing him of creating the coronavirus outbreak.
- "It's a bad combination of pandemic and social media and people looking for a very simple explanation," the Microsoft founder said during a CNN Town Hall interview.
- A video accusing Gates of wanting "to eliminate 15 percent of the population" through vaccination and electronic microchips has racked up millions of views on YouTube.
HRD Ministry relaxes eligibility criteria for admissions to NITs
- The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Thursday announced a relaxation in the admission criteria for NITs and Centrally funded technical institutions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) has decided to relax the eligibility criterion for admissions to NITs and other Centrally funded technical institutions.
Coronavirus clusters still popping up in China
- Chinese officials have reported two confirmed coronavirus cases in a northeastern province as China continues to see infection clusters develop even though it has largely contained the virus in most of the country.
- Authorities in Liaoning province have closed theaters, night clubs and indoor tourist attractions trying to stem further infections.
- The Liaoning infections mark China's latest cluster after one in the far northwestern region of Xinjiang earlier this month.
China's disregard for international water laws lead to worsening of ties with countries in South China Sea
- China's fearless disregard for international water laws has finally severed its ties with neighbouring countries in the South China Sea.
- Recently, the Philippines publicly called on China to comply with the 2016 arbitral ruling which had ruled that China has no "historic rights over the waters of the South China Sea".
Israeli firm developing 30-second coronavirus breath test
- An Israeli company is developing a coronavirus breathalyser test that gives results in 30 seconds, billing it as a "front line" tool that can help restore a sense of normality during the pandemic.
- NanoScent, the firm making the test kits, said an extensive trial in Israel for the presence of live virus delivered results with 85 percent accuracy, and the product could receive regulatory approval within months.
- Chief executive officer Oren Gavriely told AFP the breathalyser would not replace lab tests, but was a mass screening tool that could help people gain "the confidence to go back and act as normal".
Punjab CM urges people to wear facemask
I appeal to Heads of religious institutions to ensure enforcement of social distancing & other #COVID19 precautions… https://t.co/SLQxaUQ2Sg
— ANI (@ANI) 1595555781000Trump could lose reelection in 100 days - and the US is on edge
- Donald Trump has 100 days from Sunday to save his presidency, while America tries to avoid a collective nervous breakdown ahead of one of the most divisive, tension-filled elections in US history.
- Coronavirus is ravaging the economy, adding steadily to a death toll already over 140,000, while undermining national trust in government institutions at every level.
- Add explosive protests against racism and police brutality, leftist-led riots, flourishing right-wing conspiracy theories, and the specter of Russian meddling -- and you have a country more on edge than at any time since the cataclysmic 1960s.
Women's tennis cancels all China events in 2020 over coronavirus
US records over 76,000 new virus cases in 24 hours
- The United States on Thursday recorded 76,570 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, Johns Hopkins University reported, after the nation's total number of infections topped four million earlier in the day.
- The US has seen a coronavirus surge, particularly in southern and western states, as Texas, California, Alabama, Idaho and Florida all announced record one-day death tolls.
Trump, Saudi crown prince discuss economic recovery from coronavirus -White House
- U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and "re-energizing global economies" during a telephone call on Thursday, the White House said.
- The two leaders also discussed regional and bilateral issues and the prince "reaffirmed the strong United States-Saudi defense partnership," a White House spokesman said.
Face masks now compulsory in UK shops, supermarkets
- Face coverings must be worn in shops, supermarkets, indoor shopping centres and transport hubs — such as train stations and airports — in England from Friday as part of the next stage of the UK government's official guidance to curb the spread of coronavirus.
- Under the new regulations, members of the public will need to wear face coverings — such as a fabric covering, scarf or bandana — that cover the nose and mouth in additional enclosed public spaces, as announced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this month.
- It will be compulsory to wear a face covering when buying food and drink to takeaway from cafes and shops.
US Senate passes $740.5 bn defense bill that would rename bases
- The US Senate on Thursday passed a $740.5 billion bill setting Pentagon priorities, but which President Trump has threatened to veto over a provision that removes Confederate names from military bases.
- The Senate's version of the National Defense Authorization Act for critical defense spending passed by a vote of 86 to 14, a veto-proof result that saw several Republicans defy the president and support the base-renaming measure.
- The House of Representatives approved its own version of the bill, which also included a provision to rename several US bases named after Confederate generals who fought on the pro-slavery side of the 1861-1865 Civil War.
Tanzania's former president Benjamin Mkapa dies, presidency says
- Mkapa, the third president of the East African nation and who led several regional peace mediation efforts in office and afterwards, died while receiving treatment at a Dar es Salaam hospital, Magufuli said, without giving more details.
Brazil study finds no hydroxychloroquine benefit for COVID-19
- A study published Thursday on the use of hydroxychloroquine in Brazil to treat COVID-19 found the drug ineffective, the latest blow to President Jair Bolsonaro's push for its widespread use.
- The clinical trial, conducted at 55 hospitals across Brazil and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, tested whether hydroxychloroquine improved the condition of patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, alone or in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin.
