Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the authorities to take appropriate steps in coordination with state governments to prevent hoarding and black marketing of commodities during the 21-day lockdown in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus, the ministry said on Tuesday. The directives were issued after a detailed review of essential commodities and implementation of the lockdown by Shah, Joint Secretary in the ministry Punya Salila Srivastava said. Addressing a press conference, she said the minister has issued directions to the authorities to take quick and stern action against people indulging in hoarding and black marketing of…
Author: Our Correspondent
Amid the 21-day lockdown invoked to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, stargazers can witness the Super Pink Moon on April 7 from their homes. The supermoon, which will be a little larger than the usual full moon, will start showing up in the Indian sky from the evening of April 7. It will be fully visible on the morning of April 8 around 8 am. The moon will appear on the eastern side from where it will rise. So, people having an east-facing window with a clear view of the sky can witness the event from their establishments.…
Indian stars Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas will join artists from around the world for a global television and streaming special curated by pop star Lady Gaga to support and applaud frontline health care workers in their battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. The One World Together At Home’ virtual concert organised by the World Health Organization and international advocacy organisation Global Citizen will air on April 18 and will feature the real-life experiences of doctors, nurses and families living through the pandemic. Apart from Shah Rukh and Priyanka, the star-studded line up also includes Alanis Morissette, Billie Eilish,…
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has unveiled a short film, “Family”, which talks about the importance of staying at home, maintaining hygiene and social distancing in the times of the coronavirus pandemic. “Family”, which has been conceptualised and virtually directed by Prasoon Pandey, also features Rajinikanth, Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Sonali Kulkarni, Shiv Raj Kumar and Prosenjit Chatterjee. Bachchan posted the film on his official Twitter handle, saying, When you see that the cause is greater than the idea you dreamt of, there is just immense joy and gratitude for all my colleagues and…
IPL is “massive” in terms of stature and it is a “big shame” that it cannot be held at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said star England batsman Jos Buttler, who is expecting the cash-rich event to be slotted later in the year. The deadly contagion has claimed more than 120 Indian lives apart from close to 80,000 global deaths which has forced countries, including India, to go under lockdown in their bid to flatten the curve. Buttler, who plays for Rajasthan Royals, underlined the importance of a tournament like IPL. “I don’t know any more than you…
Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 1,300 points in early trade on Tuesday led gains in bank, IT and auto stocks amid recovery in global equities. After hitting a high of 28,963.25, the 30-share BSE barometer was trading 1,127.57 points or 4.09 per cent higher at 28,718.52. Similarly, the NSE Nifty soared 347.95 points, or 4.30 per cent, to 8,431.75. IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging up to 15 per cent, followed by Mahindra and Mahindra, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Infosys. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance was the sole loser. In the…
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the final week of the ongoing lockdown is “critical” for evolving an exit strategy as data regarding the spread of coronavirus will have a bearing on the decision to be taken by the government. He also appealed to the people to abide by whatever decision is ultimately taken by the government and cooperate with the same spirit that has so far been evident “even if it meant to continue with some degree of hardship still beyond April 14”. The 21-day nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus was announced by Prime…
For the first time after the outbreak of COVID-19, China reported no coronavirus deaths on Tuesday. The National Health Commission said it had 32 confirmed cases, down from 39 on Monday, reports the BBC. All of the confirmed cases were imported, it added. Total number of coronavirus cases in China as of Tuesday was 82,697, while the death toll stood at 3,335. Although other countries like the US and Italy have surpassed China in terms of both cases and deaths, the Asian giant was concerned that a second wave of infections could be brought in by foreign arrivals. It has…
The Punjab government on Tuesday gave a 24-hour deadline to around two dozen Tablighi Jamaat followers, who came to the state after visiting Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz in March, to report their whereabouts to the nearest police station, or else face criminal prosecution. A spokesperson for the Health Department said all those who had attended the Markaz event and were currently in Punjab should report for coronavirus screening within the next 24 hours. Of the 467 Tablighi workers who reportedly arrived in the state from Nizamuddin, the police has traced 445 participants, whereas 22 are yet to be tracked. Samples of…
Pakistan government has cancelled Baisakhi celebrations scheduled to begin on April 14 at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Punjab province. This is a festival in which 3,000 Sikhs from India and 2,000 from elsewhere were to participate. Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Deputy Secretary Shrines, Imran Gondal said on Monday that a meeting of the ETPB and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbadhank Committee (PSGPC) unanimously decided that there would be no Baisakhi celebrations at the shrine in Hassanabdal city this year and the scheduled visits of Sikh pilgrims has been cancelled, reports Dawn news. The Ministry of Religious Affairs has…