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The Guardian March 16, 2020 Experts have criticised NHS advice that people self-isolating with Covid-19 should take ibuprofen, saying there is plausible evidence this could aggravate the condition. The comments came after French authorities warned against taking widely used over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs. The country’s health minister, Olivier Véran, a qualified doctor and neurologist, tweeted on Saturday: “The taking of anti-inflammatories [ibuprofen, cortisone … ] could be a factor in aggravating the infection. In case of fever, take paracetamol. If you are already taking anti-inflammatory drugs, ask your doctor’s advice.” NHS guidance states that people managing Covid-19 symptoms at home should take paracetamol or ibuprofen. “I would advise against that,” said Prof Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading. “There’s good scientific evidence for ibuprofen aggravating the condition or prolonging it. That recommendation needs to be updated.” P...

Hindustan Times Sutirtho Patranobis, hindustan times, Beijing The World Health Organisation (WHO) is “extremely anxious” to know the origin of the pandemic-triggering novel coronavirus first found in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and is ready to help the ongoing Chinese investigation looking into the roots of the pathogen. So far, the WHO, which the world’s top UN body for public health, has not been involved in the multi-layered and critical probe – set up to find the virus’ animal origin and the exact sequencing of the animal-to-human interface. The coronavirus pandemic or the Covid-19 disease has until Sunday morning killed more than 5840 people and sickened over 157000 globally, a vast majority of them in China. “The WHO would be ready, but currently the investigation is being done by the government, into the origin (of the virus),” Gauden Galea, the organisation’s China representative said, adding “As far as we can see, we have not been involved in it”. “...

The Print Dinesh Singh, March 16, 2020 universities across the world — from Johns Hopkins to Harvard to Tsinghua University — are playing a proactive role in the battle against the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. With research findings, general information and resource centres, universities are contributing to public good. But in India, there is a curious silence. What world universities are doing The interesting thing to note in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic is that much before it broke out, two biologists at the Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Poland, in a detailed scientific study, had forewarned of the strong possibility of such an outbreak.   This is one of the important functions of a university. Another early instance of a very effective and vital response has been from the Peking University in China that worked in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute in Shanghai. In March 2020, they pro...

The Indian Express Khusboo Narayan, March 16, 2020 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has found that Yes Bank Ltd gave a Rs 200-crore loan to beleaguered Housing Development & Infrastructure (HDIL) in 2016 for a project, but the amount was allegedly diverted to repay an older loan of the lender to ensure that HDIL account is not classified as a non-performing asset (NPA). HDIL and its promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan  have been arrested  by the agency in connection with the Rs 4,355.46 crore fraud at Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank. The promoters of HDIL are also related to the family of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dhiraj Wadhawan. The ED is probing Yes Bank promoter,  Rana Kapoor , for  receiving kickbacks  of over Rs 600 crore for loans given by the bank to DHFL. According to sources, in 2015, HDIL constructed a building in suburban Mumbai and in 2016 applied for a loa...

The Economic Times Reuters, March 16, 2020 China on Monday urged the United States to lift sanctions on Iran immediately amid the Middle Eastern country's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The escalating outbreak in Iran - the worst-affected country in the Middle East - has killed 853 people and infected 14,991. U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Tehran's petroleum exports in 2018 after withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers "Continued sanction on Iran was against humanitarianism and hampers Iran's epidemic response & delivery of humanitarian aid by the UN and other organizations," China's ministry of foreign affairs said in a tweet. Iran said last week it had asked the International Monetary Fund for $5 billion in emergency funding to c ombat the coronavirus outbreak Reference;  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internation...

Firstpost Samrat, March 19, 2020 The phrase of the moment is brief, only two words long — “social distancing”. It is the buzz around the planet thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, for which it is a recommended safety measure. The idea is simple: put at least six feet distance between yourself and the next person. In pursuit of such distance, everything everywhere is being cancelled, from protests in India to prayers in Turkey to rock concerts in Europe. Flights around the world have been scrapped as cities, regions and even whole countries have gone into lockdown. The world is retreating behind borders, walls and doors. The expression “social distance” itself has two meanings, according to the dictionary. The second meaning, “the avoidance of close contact with other people during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the risk of infection”, is the one that’s now in vogue. The first meaning of the expression however comes from sociology...

Firstpost PTI, March 18, 2020 New Delhi:  Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Group's self-assessment of dues to the government are a whopping Rs 82,300 crore short of what the telecom department calculated after the Supreme Court's ruling on AGR. The apex court on Wednesday lashed out at the telcos for trying to reopen the dues they owed to the government through the self-assessment exercise. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), according to its own submission to the apex court seeking relief in payment tenure, has put dues of the three companies at Rs 1.19 lakh crore. The dues estimated by DoT for Bharti Airtel and Telenor has pegged at Rs 43,980 crore, while that of Vodafone Idea was Rs 58,254 crore, and Tata Group of companies at Rs 16,798 crore outlined under 'total demand of DoT incorporating CAG and special audit as on October 2019'. Against this, Bharti Group has calculated its dues at Rs 13,004 crore, Vodafone Idea at Rs 21,533 crore an...

Firstpost PTI, March 18, 2020 Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said the Centre is committed towards revival of the beleaguered BSNL but it was not possible to retain all its employees. Prasad also said in Lok Sabha that nearly one lakh employees of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have opted for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). "The government of India is committed for the revival of the BSNL. Our intention is to keep the BSNL alive and that it performs. But it is not possible to retain all employees," he said during the Question Hour. The minister said the central government wanted the revival of the BSNL for public service and fairness. He said 74 percent of the BSNL revenue goes towards salaries of employees while in case of the private sector telecom operators, the salary outgo is less than 10 percent. Asked about possibility of the BSNL adopting the 4G technology, Prasad said the Union Cabinet has taken a decision in this r...

NBC News Joe Valiquette, March 16, 2020 The U.S. government has dropped charges against a Pakistani man who was convicted in 2005 of providing material support to al Qaeda—and released him from prison, according to court papers filed last week by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan. Uzair Paracha has returned to Pakistan, a person familiar with the matter said. The news of Paracha's release and return to his homeland was first reported by the New York Times. Paracha was charged in 2003 with helping an al Qaeda operative illegally enter the U.S. Paracha, who had been living in Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced to 30 years in prison following his conviction in 2005. Paracha’s attorney filed an appeal in 2008 citing exculpatory statements made by other individuals who claimed Paracha was unaware he had assisted an al Qaeda operative. Paracha was granted a new trial in 2018 and one was scheduled for this March. But last year prosecutors informed the judge that they ...

Firstpost FP Staff, March 18, 2020 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday said it will purchase up to Rs 10,000 crore government securities through open market operations (OMO) on 20 March. The RBI said that it will make the purchase through a multi-security auction using the multiple price method, a statement said. Amid mounting coronavirus pandemic scare across the world, certain financial market segments have been experiencing a tightening of financial conditions as reflected in the hardening of yields and widening of spreads, the RBI said. The RBI said it reserves the right to decide on the quantum of purchase of individual securities, accept offers for less than or higher than the aggregate amount of Rs 10,000 crores (including due to rounding off) and also to accept or reject any or all the offers either wholly or partially without assigning any reason. "It is important to ensure that all market segments remain liquid and stable, and functi...

Firstpost PTI March 18, 2020 Mumbai:  The government's plan to privatise flag carrier Air India will be further delayed and it will have to infuse up to Rs 3,000 crore to ensure continuity of operations till the sale process gets over, the Centre for Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said on Wednesday. The government has already extended the date of submission for expression of interest to 30 April from 17 March due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. In January, the government restarted the divestment process of the carrier and invited bids for selling its 100 percent stake in both Air India and its low-cost international budget arm Air India Express besides entire 50 percent holding in ground-handling joint venture AI-SATS. "The privatisation process for Air India will be further delayed. The EoI submission date has already been pushed back by six weeks," CAPA said in its latest report -- Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Aviation -- released on Wednesday. Due to ...

Firstpost PTI, March 18, 2020 New Delhi:  The government's plan to provide broadband services in all villages of the country is likely to see an investment of Rs 7 lakh crore with 90 percent of the contribution coming from industry players, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. "The likely investment under the National Broadband Mission is around Rs 7 Lakh crore which is to be catalysed largely by the industry out of which contribution by the government through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is envisaged to be around 10 percent, that is, approximately Rs 70,000 crore which will cover all the states in the country including the states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Under the National Broadband Mission (NBM), the government envisages providing broadband access to all villages in the country, including those in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, by 2022. The NBM is seen as an...

Firstpost Ishfaq Naseem, March 18, 2020 Fifty-six-year-old Mohammad Yusuf Wani who runs a private school in Kashmir couldn’t roll out the online classes for the students after the shutdown of educational institutions in the region following the detection of coronavirus cases in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The low-speed 2G internet service has only made it difficult for his students to access the online lessons that are prepared at his Green Valley Education Institute in Buchpora neighborhood of Srinagar. The curbs on the high-speed 4G internet services which have been extended by the authorities in the Union Territory on Tuesday has left Kashmiris infuriated as it has not only hit the education of students but has made it difficult for the residents to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic as access to online videos about the disease as well as initiatives like work from home have become practically impossible. “We couldn’t begin the online aca...