Narendra Modi speaks to Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee on coronavirus
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached out to top leaders from across the political spectrum, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak. He also spoke to former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil, and former prime ministers Manmohan Singh […]
Prime Minister directs officials to ensure availability of essential medical equipment
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a meeting of various empowered groups set up to respond to the coronavirus threat and directed officials to ensure sufficient availability of all essential medical equipment such as personal protective equipment, masks, gloves and ventilators. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister’s Office said Modi […]
No final decision on resumption of services: Indian Railways on restoration plans
NEW DELHI: Indian Railways on Saturday said no final decision has been taken yet on the restoration of train services and that a call on it would be taken in a few days. The statement comes amidst railway zones preparing action plans to resume services from April 15 after passenger trains remained suspended for 21 […]
AirAsia opens flight booking from April 15, says open to any change by DGCA
NEW DELHI: Budget carrier AirAsia India on Saturday said bookings for its flights are open from April 15, but it is open to any change in case aviation regulator DGCA issues fresh directives on the issue. Domestic and international commercial flights in the country are suspended till April 14 amid the lockdown to curb the […]
Indian smartphone industry stares at $2 billion loss due to coronavirus lockdown
NEW DELHI: Smartphone industry in India could take a $2 billion hit on account of the coronavirus pandemic as shipments declined significantly in the months of March and April compared to the previous year, according to Counterpoint Research. Noting that the effect of the pandemic on India was relatively mild until mid-March, Counterpoint Research said […]
Coronavirus: Nivea India starts manufacturing hand sanitisers; to be distributed ‘free of cost’
NEW DELHI: Personal grooming products maker Nivea India on Friday said it has started production of hand sanitisers from its skincare manufacturing plants in collaboration with its key partners. The company said its plant at Sanand in Gujarat which originally manufactures skincare products for the India market has begun production of alcohol-based hand sanitisers, and […]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warns coronavirus lockdown violators they could be shot
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday warned violators of coronavirus lockdown measures they could be shot for causing trouble and said abuse of medical workers was a serious crime that would not be tolerated. In a televised address, Duterte said it was vital everyone cooperates and follows home quarantine measures, as authorities try to slow […]
Covid-19 impact: Air India suspends contract of around 200 employees
NEW DELHI: Air India on Thursday temporarily suspended the contracts of around 200 employees including pilots, who were re-employed after retirement, as all domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended in the country till April 14 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said. “Since almost all the planes have been grounded […]
Global economy could shrink by almost 1% in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic: UN
By Yoshita Singh UNITED NATIONS (UN): The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a reversal from the previous forecast of 2.5 per cent growth, the UN has said, warning that it may contract even further if restrictions on the economic activities are extended without […]
RBI announces more measures to deal with economic fallout of COVID-19
NEW DELHI: The RBI on Wednesday provided more time to exporters to collect payment of goods and software sold to overseas buyers and repatriate that to India as the central bank announced more measures to deal with the economic fallout of COVID-19 pandemic. The central bank has also decided to increase the limit of advances […]
Hurdles in fighting coronavirus are lack of funds, healthcare infra: Fitch
NEW DELHI: Continued lack of medical funds and healthcare infrastructure despite additional funding poses challenges in mounting an effective response against the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report. “The continued lack of medical funding and healthcare infrastructure inform our view for the potential epidemic to be worse in India if it is not adequately contained. […]
India breathes easy as 88 cities record minimal pollution due to lockdown
NEW DELHI: With a nationwide lockdown in place in view of coronavirus, India continued to breathe easy as pollution level in 88 cities across the country remained minimal. Out of the 103 cities where air quality was recorded, 23 registered ‘good’ air quality while 65 others recorded satisfactory air quality, according to the data from […]
Coronavirus fear: India issues ordinance, 100% tax rebate for PM-CARES Fund
NEW DELHI: The government of India on Tuesday brought in an Ordinance to give effect to various reliefs measures, including extended deadline for filing income tax, customs and central excise returns, to help taxpayers tide over the coronavirus crisis. The “Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020” got assent of the President […]
Indian doctors fight coronavirus with raincoats, helmets amid lack of equipment
By Devjyot Ghoshal, Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI: Shortages of protective health gear in India are forcing some doctors to use raincoats and motorbike helmets while fighting the coronavirus, exposing the weak state of the public health system ahead of an anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Monday said India was […]
Panic becoming bigger problem than coronavirus: Supreme Court on migrant workers issue
NEW DELHI: As thousands of migrant workers walking back to their natives places after being rendered jobless due to the coronavirus lockdown, the Supreme Court on Moday observed that the panic and fear is becoming a “bigger problem than coronavirus”, and sought a status report from the Centre by Tuesday on the measures taken to […]
Sensex plummets 1,375 points; Nifty ends below 8,300
NEW DELHI: Equity benchmark Sensex plummeted over 1,375 points on Monday, tracking heavy losses in banking and auto stocks, amid an unsettling spike in Covid-19 cases. After plunging over 1,500 points during the day, the 30-share BSE barometer ended 1,375.27 points or 4.61 per cent lower at 28,440.32. Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 379.15 points, […]