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NDTV March 24, 2020 Mukesh Singh Sengar & Saurbh Shukla Amid nationwide lockdown over highly contagious novel coronavirus or COVID-19, Delhi's Shaheen Bagh - heart of protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA - was cleared this morning after 101 days.  Cops reached the site of the protest - which had inspired similar demonstrations across the country - at around 7 am. "They were not clearing the protest site despite repeated persuasion. When they refused to clear up, they were removed forcefully at around 7:30 am," said an official, adding that large gatherings have been banned under Section 144 over COVID-19. Nine people, including six women and three men, have been detained. "The protest site would be cleaned up with the help of civic body," he added. Those protesting against CAA in other parts of the city - Jaffrabad (northeast Delhi) and Turkman Gate (old Delhi) - were also removed this morning. This comes two days after  Chi

U.S Department of State March 24, 2020 Michael R. Pompeo The United States is proud of our partnership with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, and admires what Afghanistan has achieved since 2001. We have forged a deep bond, especially with Afghan security forces, through shared sacrifice in responding to threats to international peace and security since 2001. Underscoring the national priority the United States attaches to helping bring about a political settlement to forty years of devastating war, Secretary Pompeo came to Kabul today with an urgent message. He spoke directly to the nation’s leaders to impress upon them the need to compromise for the sake of the Afghan people. The United States deeply regrets that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah have informed Secretary Pompeo that they have been unable to agree on an inclusive government that can meet the challenges of governance, peace, and security, and

The Indian Express March 24, 2020 Sandeep Singh As the spread of the  coronavirus  is creating a scare in society, business and markets, Aditya Puri, MD at HDFC Bank, told  Sandeep Singh  that while monetary policy should look to relax NPA norms, increase liquidity and cut repo rate, the government should focus on limiting spread of virus, providing stimulus and not prioritise fiscal deficit. He added that HDFC Bank is ready to help out its customers who may face repayment issues and added NPAs on account of cash flows and coronavirus will not be treated as NPA and regulatory forbearance is the need of the hour. Edited excerpts: What is your biggest concern as of now? My biggest concern is control of the spread of the coronavirus and, in the sequence of events, this has to be solved first. I fully support the lockdown and I think that if more lockdown is necessary, it must be done till we see the flattening of the curve in the number of new cases. What all things ar

Business Line March 23, 2020 Fiscal 2019-20 will end on June 30, 2020 while fiscal year 2020-21 will begin on July 1, 2020 but ends on March 31, 2021 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to align its financial year with the Government. The central board of the RBI, in its meeting in New Delhi on Saturday, decided that the fiscal year 2021-22 for the central bank will begin from April 1. Fiscal 2019-20 will end on June 30, 2020 while fiscal year 2020-21 will begin on July 1, 2020 but ends on March 31, 2021. Thereafter, all fiscal year will start on April 01 every year. As of now, both - the RBI and the Government - follow the 'T plus one' system. This means the financial year spreads over two successive years. But still, there is one fundamental difference. The fiscal year for the Government starts on April 1 in 'T' (first year) and ends on March 31 in 'T+1' (second year). The fiscal year for the RBI, however, begins on July 1 in the first ye

The Print Rukmini S March 23, 2020 After the   largest   single-day increase in the number of novel coronavirus cases in India, it has never been clearer that the pandemic is upon us and the next few weeks are going to throw up a scenario that many still find hard to imagine. From the data we have, here’s a look at the near future, and what the Narendra Modi government needs to do. India is hitting a period of exponential growth It took India forty days to  reach   the first 50 cases, five more days to reach 100 cases, three more days to reach 150 cases and then just  two   more days to reach 200 cases. From here on, the juggernaut is going to roll fast. The number of confirmed cases in India is now doubling in five days or less, down from six days earlier this month. This puts India in line with trajectories of countries across the world — in the United States, cases are now  doubling every two days . Italy discovered its first case 10 days after South Korea. F

Business Standard  March 23, 2020 IANS UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that without further efforts, between 3.5 and 4.4 billion people in the world will live with limited access to water, with more than 1 billion of them in major cities. In his message on World  Water   Day, which falls on March 22, the UN chief said on Sunday that "the world's  water   resources are under unprecedented threat",  Xinhua  news agency reported. "Today, some 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking  water  and 4.2 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation. Unless we act with urgency, the impacts of climate change are projected to exacerbate these figures," he said. Noting that this year's  World Water Day  focuses on water and climate change, the Secretary-General said that "with 2020 a make-or-break year for climate action, this focus is timely". "Water is the primary medium through which we perceive the effects of

Times Of India  March 23, 2020 Durgesh Nandan Jha If you want to know how one Covid-19 patient can set off a chain of infections, Delhi’s case No. 10 is a good example. The patient is a woman with a history of travel to Saudi Arabia. According to government data, five of Delhi’s 30 novel coronavirus cases so far, excluding her, are linked to her. This includes the Dilshad Garden resident’s two daughters, her brother, mother and a doctor who attended to her before she was taken to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital with high fever, cough and shortness of breath. Reference :  https://m.timesofindia.com/city/delhi/how-delhis-case-no-10-mayve-set-chain-reaction/amp_articleshow/74765301.cms

India Today March 23, 2020 Vidya Researchers all over the world are working to develop a vaccine for the deadly coronavirus that has already claimed more than 14,000 people and infected over 3 lakh globally. However, if some social media users are to be believed, American scientists have already developed a cure for Covid-19. Facebook user " Tooro Television " posted a photo of a few sachets on which is written SGTI-flex COVID-19 IgM/IgG. The claim along with the picture says, "#Great news! Carona virus vaccine ready. Able to cure patient within 3 hours after injection. Hats off to US Scientists. Trump announced that Roche Medical Company will launch the vaccine next Sunday, and millions of doses are ready from it!" India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the claim is misleading and the photo being shared is not a vaccine to cure Covid-19, but a testing kit developed by South Korea. A few days ago, many social media users claimed th

Money Control March 23, 2020 Viswanath Pilla In a rare achievement for an Indian pharmaceutical company, German drug maker  Bayer  has signed a deal with Curadev, a drug discovery company based in India, to develop new drugs targeting lung, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. The collaboration and licensing deal, announced on March 23, will use the Indian company's Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) antagonist platform. As per the terms of the agreement, Curadev will receive an upfront payment. It will also receive funding during the research term and may be eligible for pre-clinical, clinical and sales milestones of over 250 million euro as well as single-digit royalties as a percentages of net sales. Bayer, in turn, will gain exclusive access to novel molecules from Curadev that are designed to inhibit the STING pathway. The companies will collaborate to optimise and advance these molecules, as well as others generated during the collaboration, i