China has reported 15 new coronavirus cases, including eight asymptomatic ones, while the epicentre of the deadly virus Wuhan city, which announced plans to test all of its over 11 million people, has confirmed no new Covid-19 infection, health authorities said on Wednesday. According to China’s National Health Commission (NHC), seven new confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday of which one is imported and the other six cases locally transmitted. Also on Tuesday, eight new asymptomatic cases were reported taking their total to 750, the NHC said. Hubei province and its capital Wuhan where the coronavirus first emerged in…
Author: Our Correspondent
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will on Wednesday share key details about the Rs 20 lakh crore relief package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nirmala Sitharaman will be sharing information on the break-up of the Rs 20 lakh crore relief package, which Modi said was more of a vision than a stimulus and added that it will include sweeping reforms that will act as India’s pillar of growth in future. The package will include reforms in some existing land and labour laws besides additional liquidity support to jumpstart the bruised economy. Sitharaman will be addressing the press conference at 4…
India on Tuesday strongly condemned separate terror attacks targeting a maternity hospital, a funeral and a military check post in Afghanistan, calling them “barbaric” acts against innocent people including women and children. Militants attacked a maternity hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, killing 14 people, including two newborn babies and their mothers. In a separate attack, a suicide bomber targeted a funeral ceremony in Nangahar province, a hotbed of the ISIS group, killing at least 24 people and injuring 68. “India strongly condemns the barbaric terrorist attacks against innocent civilians, including women and children, at the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital maternity ward, funeral…
Saudi Arabia will enforce a countrywide 24-hour curfew during the five-day Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday later this month to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. The curfew will apply from May 23-May 27 following the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Until then, commercial and business enterprises will remain open as they now are and people can move freely between 9 am local time (0600 GMT) and 5 p.m., except in Mecca which remains under a full curfew, the statement published by state news agency SPA said. Saudi Arabia had earlier imposed…
In his fifth address since the Covid-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday evening announced a much-awaited Rs 20-trillion stimulus package while giving away that the nationwide lockdown would be extended beyond May 17. Lockdown 4.0, however, would be very different from what we have seen so far, the PM said in a primetime telecast. The details of both — the package and the next phase of the lockdown — would be unveiled during the week. The PM said the Rs 20-trillion package, nearly 10 per cent of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), would be with the objective of…
International tourism could decline by 60-80 per cent in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the revenue loss of USD 910 billion to USD 1.2 trillion and placing many livelihoods in danger , the planet Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has said. The global international agency said that the pandemic has caused a 22 per cent fall in international tourist arrivals during the primary quarter of 2020. According to the United Nations specialized agency, the worldwide health crisis could lead on to an annual tourism decline between 60 per cent and 80 per cent in comparison with the 2019 figures.…
The Indian Railways, which had on Monday “advised” the passengers availing the special trains that started operating on Tuesday to place within the government’s Aarogya Setu mobile application, has now made it “mandatory” to undertake to to so. While the principles issued by the railways for the 15 pairs of special trains running between Delhi and major cities of the country didn’t say installing the mobile app was mandatory, a late night (12:24 am) tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsory. “Indian Railways goes to start out out few train services. it’s mandatory for passengers to download Aarogya Setu…
Serie A clubs can return to team training from May 18 if they can create adjustments with medical protocols, the Italian government has announced on Tuesday . The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) met with the government’s technical scientific committee (CTS) last week to discuss details for a normalcy to group training because the country emerges from a two-month coronavirus lockdown. Italy’s sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora and health minister Roberto Speranza said during a joint statement on Monday that the CTS had largely accepted the FIGC protocol for a resumption of group sessions. “The opinion requested by the govt from the…
Virat Kohli’s natural talent makes him a cricketing equivalent of Roger Federer while Steve Smith’s mental fortitude matches that of Rafael Nadal, said South African swashbuckler AB de Villiers comparing the 2 contemporary greats. In an instagram chat with former Zimbabwe seamer Pommie Mbangwa, de Villiers spoke about the 2 batsmen, who are easily the game’s biggest crowd-pullers immediately. “It’s a difficult one, but Virat is certainly the more natural ball-striker, there is no doubt that ,” de Villiers said during his interaction on ‘Sports Hurricane’. “In tennis terms, I’d say he’s more sort of a (Roger) Federer whereas Smith…
Amid raging controversy over alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday cracked the whip on Health Secretary Vivek Kumar by transferring him from the post, prompting the opposition to say the removal only proves “something was seriously wrong”. Narayan Swaroop Nigam, who was the Transport Secretary, has replaced Kumar, consistent with the govt notification. Kumar’s transfer to the environment department as secretary comes days after a war of words broke out between the state and therefore the central governments over the “dismal performance” of West Bengal in tackling the COVID-19 crisis. The Inter-Ministerial…