India has agreed to send hydroxychloroquine tablets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be used for treating COVID-19 patients, the Gulf Arab state’s embassy in New Delhi said. Last month, the Centre put a ban on exports as sales soared to secure supplies for itself as US President Donald Trump touted the drug as a potential effective treatment for the deadly coronavirus. It said this month it would send supplies to some countries. “The first shipment of medicine, currently on its way to the UAE, includes 5.5 million pills for treatment of patients with COVID-19,” the embassy tweeted late…
Author: Our Correspondent
A doctor allegedly committed suicide on Saturday morning in south Delhi’s Neb Sarai area, police said. A suicide note recovered from the victim’s house stated that AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal was responsible for his death, they said. The victim has been identified as one Rajendra Singh (52), a resident of Durga Vihar, police said. According to the police, Singh hanged himself with the help of a rope at his house. A tenant noticed the body around 5.30 am and informed his family members, a senior police officer said. The body was sent to AIIMS for postmortem, he said. Meanwhile, the…
The COVID-19 war room in the North Block of the Secretariat is buzzing with activity since the nationwide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24. The ground floor room’s prime purpose is to get feedback from states and various ministries based on which regular reports are sent to Prime Minister’s Office. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday reviewed the functioning of the control room and the situation prevailing in the country during the ongoing nationwide lockdown. He was also briefed about the supply chain of essential commodities. The meeting was also attended by his two…
Veteran singer-actor Rita Wilson has said that it was easier for her to cope with the coronavirus as she was accompanied by her husband, Hollywood star Tom Hanks. The couple were among the first Hollywood celebrities to be tested positive for COVID-19, which has claimed over 150,000 lives globally. Hanks and Wilson were in Australia when they were diagnosed with the coronavirus. They have now recovered from it. Talking with The Guardian, Wilson, 63, said the ordeal was a lot easier since they both had symptoms at the same time. “I think that having the virus at the same time…
Government of India through Central Nodal Agencies like NAFED and FCI has been striving to assure better returns for the farmers. Procurement of notified commodities at Minimum Support Price (MSP) from the farmers in several States in the Rabi 2020-21 season has started. Farmers are being given timely marketing support in the time of lockdown. Maximum numbers of farmers are being catered to by observing the guidelines issued to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The procurement of Pulses & Oilseeds at MSP from farmers under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) scheme in Rabi 2020-21 season is currently in progress in Karnataka,…
Death penalty cases and those related to family laws may be listed for hearing through video-conferencing mode, the Supreme Court said on Saturday. In a notice issued on its website, the apex court said this, however, would be subject to availability of the bench concerned and prior approval of Chief Justice of India S A Bobde. “Take notice that, short category matters, death penalty matters and matters related to family law, which are ready, may be listed for hearing through video-conferencing mode subject to availability of the concerned bench and prior approval of the Chief Justice of India. “The parties…
The world economy, already “sluggish” before the coronavirus outbreak, is now bound to suffer a “severe recession” in 2020, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva has warned and said the current crisis posed “daunting challenges” for policymakers in many emerging markets and developing economies. Addressing the Development Committee Meeting during the annual Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the IMF Managing Director said a large global contraction in the first half of this year was inevitable. She said the coronavirus pandemic hit the world economy when it was already in a fragile state as it was…
The Tablighi Jamaat congregation in its central Delhi headquarters, the Markaz, has been linked to over 4,000 Covid-19 cases in the country, the government announced on Saturday. The Jamaat has been linked to 4,291 of the country’s 14,378 coronavirus cases in the country; nearly three out of every ten cases. But India isn’t the only country in the world that has had to suffer due to Tablighi Jamaat workers unwittingly turning their sect into the country’s virus super spreaders. In several countries – mostly in south and south-east Asia – the Tablighi Jamaat has been linked to 3,000 more cases,…
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen says two-time World Cup-winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably the greatest captain ever. When asked, Pietersen said it would be difficult to argue against Dhoni’s greatness. “It will be very difficult just with the weight of expectation to go against MS Dhoni because of what everybody expects from him, how he has to live his life and what he has been through captaining India and then captaining the CSK,” Pietersen, who played 104 Tests, told Star Sports. India tasted huge success under Dhoni, winning the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup at…
At least 26 Indian Navy personnel have tested positive for coronavirus at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai, in the first case of a major outbreak of the deadly disease in the Indian armed forces. All the infected sailors were serving at the INS Angre, a shore-based logistics and support establishment, and they are undergoing treatment at a Navy hospital, official sources said. “The number of infected sailors is 26,” said a source. The Navy has launched a large-scale contact tracing operation to track the people who may have come in contact with the sailors. The outbreak of the infection…