North East

17 Apr

The RBI cut its reverse repo rate by 25 basis points

nebm0 CommentsBusiness, North East

The Reserve Bank of India cut its key deposit rate for the second time in three weeks on Friday to discourage banks for parking idle funds with it and push them toward lending to revive the economy amid the coronavirus lockdown. The RBI cut its reverse repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.75 per cent with immediate effect, as said by governor Shaktikanta das through a video conference. The rate had already been cut by 90 bps on March 27.

16 Apr

Plea In Supreme Court Seeks Free Unlimited Data, Calls During COVID-19 Lockdown

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to ensure that free unlimited calling, data usage and DTH facilities are provided to subscribers to ease "psychological stress" during the lockdown till May 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.It has also sought a direction to the Health Ministry to take appropriate steps to deal with psychological pressure mounting on individuals due to the lockdown or being kept in quarantine.The plea sought directions to the government and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to invoke relevant terms of agreement of licenses granted to DTH…

16 Apr

India Fast-Tracks COVID-19 Fighting Drug Supplies To UAE

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

India is fast-tracking procedures to supply hydroxychloroquine, a drug considered to be efficient in fighting the coronavirus, to the UAE after a request from the country's government, media reports here quoted the Indian envoy as saying.India's Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor said there is a huge demand for the anti-malarial drug from many countries and India is considering it on a case to case basis."As the drug is on the restricted list, we are obviously giving exception to the UAE, given the friendly relations between the two countries," Khaleej Times quoted Kapoor as saying.

16 Apr

68 Doctors, Nurses Of Hospital In Delhi Quarantined After Patient Dies

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

68 doctors, nurses and staff of a government hospital in Delhi have been asked to be under home quarantine after a 25-year-old patient, who is suspected to have had coronavirus, died on Wednesday night.The woman, who was pregnant, was admitted to the Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital in north west Delhi on Monday, but allegedly did not disclose that she had travelled abroad recently and had been asked to be under home quarantine.The hospital, which can admit up to 200 patients, has said in a statement that the woman was admitted after submitting false information.

16 Apr

Centre Sets Foodgrain Production Target At Record 298.3 Million Tons For 2020-21 Crop Year

nebm0 CommentsLifestyle, North East

The agriculture ministry aims to increase foodgrain production by 6.35 million tonnes to record 298.3 million tonnes in the 2020-21 crop year riding high on hopes of normal monsoon.The foodgrain output in the 2019-20 crop year (July-June) is estimated at an all-time high 291.95 million tonnes, as per the second advance estimates released by the ministry in February."IMD has forecast the June to September southwest monsoon rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be normal. This augurs well for rain-fed kharif crops," Agriculture Commissioner SK Malhota said at a national level video conference organised to plan for…

16 Apr

US says that China May Have Secretly Set Off Low-Level Nuclear Test Blasts.

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

China may have secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions despite claiming to observe an international pact banning such blasts, the US State Department said in a report on Wednesday that could fuel US-Chinese tensions.The finding, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, may worsen ties already strained by US charges that the global COVID-19 pandemic resulted from Beijing's mishandling of a 2019 outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan.US concerns about Beijing's possible breaches of a "zero yield" standard for test blasts have been prompted by activities at China's Lop Nur nuclear test site throughout 2019,…

16 Apr

Rahul Gandhi says to the centre that lockdown doesn’t defeat coronavirus

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said today that a nationwide lockdown shall only be purposeful in pausing the deadly coronavirus, but it cannot defeat it. He recommended that the government should go for testing "aggressively and strategically". Rahul Gandhi also suggested through his statements that there should be two zones in India - hotspot and non-hotspot."In no way does a lockdown defeat the virus. It helps only to stop the virus for a short while. The only way to do this is to increase testing," the Congress MP said, addressing the media through a video app.

16 Apr

Delhi Man Dies Of COVID-19, Guard Blamed For Infection Tests Negative

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

A security guard who was accused of infecting a family of 3 with COVID-19 in Delhi's Defence Colony, got tested recently and the reports were found to be negative. The three family members were being treated in Max Hospital, Saket. An elderly man in his 80s died yesterday and his son is on the ventilator. The man's wife has recovered and has been discharged.The family had blamed their security guard, accusing him of visiting the Tablighi Jamaat gathering last month, which emerged as a major virus hotspot linked to cases across the country.

16 Apr

Plasma Trials For COVID-19 To Begin Soon In Delhi

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that the Delhi has got the Centre's approval to carry out clinical trials of plasma therapy to help critically ill coronavirus patients. The plasma therapy is only for COVID-19 patients who are on ventilator support and seriously ill. Multi-Centre trials were expected to begin for this, after clearance from the Drug Controller of India."Trial of Plasma Enrichment technique will begin in the next three or four days. If successful, we can save the livesof serious COVID-19 patients," Mr. Kejriwal said.

14 Apr

Sports photographer for The New York Post died Sunday from the new coronavirus.

nebm0 CommentsNorth East

Anthony Causi, a highly skilled and exceedingly popular sports photographer for The New York Post who covered the city’s teams for 25 years, died Sunday from the new coronavirus. He was 48. The newspaper reported Causi’s death on its website Sunday night and included an image of Monday’s back page. It featured a photo of Causi holding a camera with a long lens and the words “Our Eyes, Our Heart” and then below: “And our city’s loss.” Causi was married with two young children. Many of New York’s professional teams and several players posted messages on Twitter expressing sadness, condolences…