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BBC.com, 14.05.2020   विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन यानी डब्ल्यूएचओ ने दुनिया भर को कोरोना वायरस को लेकर चेताते हुए कहा है कि हो सकता है कि कोविड-19 कभी ख़त्म ही ना हो. विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के आपातकालीन मसलों के निदेशक माइकल रयान ने जेनेवा में एक वर्चुएल प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस में कहा, "कोरोना हमारे बीच क्षेत्र विशेष का एक अन्य वायरस बन सकता है और संभव है कि ये कभी ख़त्म ही ना हो." उन्होंने एचआईवी का उदाहरण देते हुए कहा कि यह वायरस भी ख़त्म नहीं हुआ है. माइकल रयान के मुताबिक़ वैक्सीन के बिना आम लोगों को इस बीमारी को लेकर इम्यूनिटी का उपयुक्त स्तर हासिल करने में सालों लग सकते हैं. हालांकि दुनिया भर के देशों ने अपने यहां लॉकडाउन में ढील देना शुरू कर दिया है. इस पर विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के प्रमुख टेड्रोस एडहनॉम गिब्रयेसॉस ने भी कहा है कि इससे दुनिया भर में संक्रमण की रफ़्तार बढ़ सकती है. गिब्रेयास ने कहा, "कई देश मौजूदा लॉकडाउन स्थिति से बाहर निकलने के लिए अलग-अलग तरीक़ा अपना रहे हैं. लेकिन विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन दुनिया के सभी देशों को अलर्ट पर रहने की सलाह दे रहा है. प्र...

The Indian Express, 13.05.2020 Following  PM Narendra Modi’s call to go “vocal for local”,  the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked all paramilitary forces to use only Made in Indian products. In an order issued on Wednesday, the Ministry has asked central armed police forces’ (CAPFs) canteens to “sell only indigenous products” beginning June 1. The total purchase value of CAPF canteens, the MHA said, would be around Rs 2,800 crore. “With this decision, 50 lakh family members of about 10 lakh CAPF personnel will use indigenous products,” an MHA statement said. Referring to Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday about making India self-reliant, the MHA statement said, “In this direction today, the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided that all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) canteens and stores across the country will now sell only indigenous products, from June 1, 2020.” Sources in the CAPF’s said the forces were still waiting for detailed guidelines on...

AMAR UJALA, 13.05.2020 उतम यायालय ने कांेस सांसद कात चदंबरम को वदेश याा के लए बतौर शत शीष अदालत क रज म जमा कराए गए दस करोड़ पए नकालने क बुधवार को अनुमत देद। शीष अदालत ने 14 फरवरी को कात को टेन और ांस क याा क अनुमत देते ए उह दस करोड़ पए रज म जमा कराने का आदेश दया था। धान यायाधीश एस ए बोबडेऔर यायमूत एल नागेर राव क पीठ ने वीडयो कॉसग के मायम से कात चदंबरम के आवेदन पर वचार कया और उह यह धनराश नकालने क अनुमत दान क। पीठ ने अपने आदेश म कहा, 'हमने दोन प क ओर से पेश वकल को सुना। धन नकालने का आवेदन वीकार करते ये इसक अनुमत द जाती है।' शीष अदालत ने अपने पहले के आदेश को यान म रखते ए 14 फरवरी को अपने आदेश म कात चदंबरम को 14 फरवरी से एक माच 2020 के दौरान टेन और ांस क याा क अनुमत द थी। कात केखलाफ कई आपराधक मामल म सीबीआई और वतन नदेशालय क जांच चल रही है। कात के खलाफ आईएनएस मीडया मामले म वदेशी नवेश संवन बोडक मंजूरी से संबंधत एक मामले सहत कई आपराधक मामल म जांच चल रही है। आईएनएस मीडया को वदेश से 305 करोड़ पए का धन ात करने क वदेशी नवेश संवन बोडक मंजूरी मलने केसमय कात चदंबरम के पता पी चदंबरम व मंी थ ...

The Hindustan Times, 15.05.2020 A top US senator has unveiled an 18-point plan, including enhancing military ties with India, to hold the Chinese government accountable for its “lies, deception, and cover-ups” that ultimately led to the global Covid-19 pandemic. The prominent suggestions are moving manufacturing chain from China and deepening military-strategic ties India, Vietnam and Taiwan. “The Chinese government maliciously covered up and enabled a global pandemic that has caused misery for so many Americans. This is the same regime that locks up its own citizens in labour camps, steals America’s technology and jobs, and threatens the sovereignty of our allies,” said Senator Thom Tillis, presenting his detailed, 18-point plan on Thursday. “This is a major wake-up call to the United States and the rest of the free world. My plan of action will hold the Chinese government accountable for lying about COVID-19; sanctioning the Chinese government while protecting America’s e...

The Hindustan Times, 15.05.2020 Microdroplets generated by speech can remain suspended in the air in an enclosed space for more than 10 minutes, a study published on Wednesday showed, underscoring their likely role in spreading Covid-19. Researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) had a person loudly repeat the phrase “stay healthy” for 25 seconds inside a closed box. A laser projected into the box illuminated droplets, allowing them to be seen and counted. They stayed in the air for an average of 12 minutes, the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the US (PNAS) showed. Taking into account the known concentration of coronavirus in saliva, scientists estimated that each minute of loudly speaking can generate more than 1,000 virus-containing droplets capable of remaining airborne for eight minutes or more in a closed space. “This direct visualisation demonstrates how normal spe...

The Tribune, 15.05.2020 The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has allowed Pakistani and dual nationals to keep secret their less than 10% shareholding in offshore companies – a move that is contrary to the political ideology of the ruling party and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Under the Companies Act 2017, it was legally binding for people who have substantial shares in local companies or officers of local companies to disclose their stakes in offshore companies. However, the government promulgated a presidential ordinance on May 4 to make the disclosure condition less stringent. In yet another questionable move, the PTI government has allowed companies to launch real estate projects without first securing no-objection certificate to launch a residential or commercial project. It has also allowed companies to take advances from people without first securing necessary approvals. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had made it binding for substantial shareh...

The Dawn, 15.05.2020 KARACHI: Moody’s has placed Pakistan’s long-term B3 ratings on review for downgrade as it expects the country to request bilateral  debt service relief  from G-20 creditors under the recently-announced initiative causing losses to private sector creditors. Moody’s on Thursday  said  that suspension of debt service obligations to official creditors would be unlikely to have rating implications but the G-20 has called on private sector creditors to participate in the initiative on comparable terms. The agency will assess whether Pakistan’s participation in the initiative would likely entail default on private sector debt. The country has not indicated interest in extending the debt service relief request to the private sector. Any losses expected to arise from that participation would be consistent with a lower rating, the agency said in a press release. The rapid spread of coronavirus, sharp deterioration in global economic outlook, an...

The Indian Express,  15.05.2020 Coronavirus  ( Covid-19 ) India Live Updates:  The Assam government on Friday urged the Centre to extend the lockdown for another 14 days after May 17 to contain the spread of coronavirus which has infected nearly 82,000 across the country so far. The state governments were scheduled to share their draft proposals on post May-17 strategies with the Centre today. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, refused to entertain a public interest litigation seeking the top court’s intervention in the movement of migrants across states. Stating that it is not possible for it to keep an eye on labourers on the road, the court left it upon the states to take the final call. With nearly 4,000 fresh cases, the total number stood at 81,970 at 8 am, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The World Bank today also approved a special economic package worth $1 million to support India’s fight against the  pandemic . Finance Min...

15.05.2020 The Hindustan Times, The government has allocated R 100 crores from the PM-CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund to support the initiative to develop a vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-19). There are as many as 25 vaccine development initiatives underway in India, across academic institutions, industry, and start-ups, according to the Department of Biotechnology. The allocation will be utilised under the supervision of the Principal Scientific Advisor, K VijayRaghavan. “The allocation of Rs 100 crores from the PM-CARES fund was announced just yesterday; we will take a stand on how to utilise it within the next couple of days. But definitely the support will be for a completely indigenous vaccine candidate,” said Dr Renu Swarup, secretary, department of biotechnology, which is the nodal agency for Covid-19 vaccine development effort in the Prime Minister’s Task Force. At least 10 vaccine projects are getting su...

The Hindustan Times, 15.05.2020 An integrated portal for women migrant workers, the implementation of the workplace sexual harassment law, and the inclusion of women domestic helps are some of the key suggestions that were made during deliberations for a legal review of the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act, 1979. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has initiated the talks to make the law more women-friendly. Zonal consultations have begun – one each from the east and the south -- and three more are likely to take place. Later, the review findings will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment. It was suggested that the law’s name be revised and the wage gap must be bridged to restore gender parity. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said that in most cases women migrant workers do not get the same benefits as men. “Women, who migrate for work and are not accompanied by men, are more vulnerable. The role o...

The Telegraph India,  15.05.2020 A closely watched coronavirus vaccine being developed by scientists at Oxford University appeared protective in a small study of six monkeys and led to the start of human trials late last month, US and British researchers reported on Thursday. The preliminary findings, which have not undergone rigorous review by other scientists, appeared on the preprint server bioRxiv on Thursday. British drugmaker AstraZeneca last month announced it had teamed up with researchers at the Oxford Vaccine Group and the Jenner Institute, which are developing the vaccine. According to the report, some of the monkeys given a single shot of the vaccine developed antibodies against the virus within 14 days, and all developed protective antibodies within 28 days, before being exposed to high doses of the virus. After exposure, the vaccine appeared to prevent damage to the lungs and kept the virus from making copies of itself there, but the virus was still act...

Business Standard, 15.05.2020 There is a growing risk of liquidation of  gold  in India caused by a lockdown-triggered collapse in economic growth, wrote Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies in his weekly note to investors, GREED & fear. The potential for forced selling in gold, Wood believes, could come from central banks given the dramatic fiscal deterioration being suffered by many countries. India, he said, is at risk given its substantial  gold  holdings. “Another potential seller is Saudi Arabia where fiscal pressures caused a draconian threefold increase in the value-added tax (VAT) rate to 15 per cent and the suspension of cost of living allowances,” Wood said. Given this backdrop, he feels  gold  prices may not break the $1800-1900 level in a hurry. “Still what investors should remember is that when gold finally takes out the 2011 high of $1921/ounce, it will be the proverbial ‘blue sky’,” Wood wrote. Accord...

Business Standard, 15.0.2020 Ruling out any impact of stimulus on the price situation, Chief Economic Advisor K V Subramanian on Thursday said the Covid-19 pandemic has severely dented the demand for non-essential or discretionary goods, creating deflationary conditions. He also said that a good part of the Rs 20 trillion stimulus package is designed in a manner that the fiscal deficit remains under control. “Covid has a significant deflationary impact because demand especially for non-essential or discretionary goods and services will go down significantly. Therefore, it is unlikely that there would be too much inflationary impact through fiscal deficit or stimulus package,” Subramanian told PTI in an interview. The proposed   stimulus package  will generate demand by infusing liquidity into the system and thus perk up the economy, the CEA said. “A good part of stimulus is utilising leverage to deliver...while at the same time ensuring that t...

The Hindu, 14.05.2020 The  United Nations  forecast Wednesday that the  COVID-19  pandemic will shrink the world economy by 3.2 per cent this year, the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The U.N.’s mid-year report said the impact of the coronavirus crisis is expected to slash global economic output by nearly $8.5 trillion over the next two years, wiping out nearly all gains of the last four years. In January, before  COVID-19  became a pandemic, the U.N. had forecast a modest acceleration in growth of 2.5 per cent in 2020. But U.N. chief economist Elliott Harris told a news conference launching the report that the global economic outlook has changed drastically since then, with the pandemic’s death toll climbing toward 300,000. With the large-scale restrictions of economic activities and heightened uncertainties, the global economy has come to a virtual standstill in the second quarter of 2020, he said. We ar...

The Hindustan Times, 14.05.2020 India will be recruiting at least 1500 patients in about 30 hospitals across the country for the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global solidarity trial for treatment of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which is coordinating trials on behalf of the country has already begun fast-tracking the process of recruiting patients for the multi-country trial to compare four treatment options to assess their relative effectiveness against Covid-19. The trials include four potential anti-viral drugs, remdesivir, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir-ritonavir and lopinavir-ritonavir with interferon (β1a). By enrolling patients in multiple countries, the trial aims to rapidly discover whether any of the drugs slow disease progression or improve survival. “Right now, we are really following the numbers, so the trial sites will be in areas from where most cases are being reported. Nine of the si...

The Hindustan Times, 14.05.2020 The cases doubling time in the past 14 days has been 10.9. Over only the past three days, however, this has improved to 12.2 days. Also, the disease fatality rate is 3.2%, and recovery rate stands at 31.74%, which is better than those in many other affected countries. new cases rising over the past few weeks, India has scaled up its coronavirus disease (Covid-19) testing capacity to one lakh samples a day, nearly two weeks ahead of the Union health ministry’s initial target of reaching that number towards the end of May. “…the testing capacity has increased in the country and it is 1, 00,000 tests per day with 347 government laboratories and 137 private laboratories. Cumulatively, 17, 62,840 tests have been done so far for Covid-19. Whereas, 86,191 samples were tested yesterday,” said health minister, Harsh Vardhan, in a statement on Tuesday. The cases doubling time in the past 14 days has been 10.9. Over only the past three days, howeve...