23:49
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday evening and appreciated the steps taken by the state government to prevent the spread of COVID-19, sources close to the CM said. During the call, Modi also took stock of the current situation in...
23:26
More than 1,300 positive cases of novel coronavirus have been reported from Pakistan till now, with Sindh trailing behind the Punjab province in tally.Twenty-nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Punjab on Friday, taking the tally to 448 in the province, according to a spokesperson for the...
23:12
The coronavirus pandemic has driven the global economy into a downturn that will require massive funding to help developing nations, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said Friday. It is clear that we have entered a recession that will be worse than in 2009 following the global financial...
22:44
Italy recorded a shocking spike in coronavirus deaths Friday with 969 new victims, the worst daily record for any country since the pandemic began. The infection rate however continued its downward trend, with the civil protection agency reporting nearly 86,500 confirmed cases in Italy...
22:07
Amid reports of migrant workers walking down to their villages due to a lockdown in the country, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday urged the government to help them reach their homes.In a video message, she said she was pained at seeing them walk for many kilometres in their bid to...
22:05
England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has coronavirus symptoms and is self-isolating at home, he tweeted on Friday.After experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID-19 last night, in line with the guidance, I will be self-isolating at home for the next seven days. I will be...
21:56
A total of 759 people have now died of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, while 14,579 have tested positive.The death toll jumped by 181 on Friday - a rise of 31 per cent - making it the biggest rise in deaths that the country has seen so far, surpassing yesterdays record of 115.In England,...
20:57
Beni Prasad Verma, a founding member of the Samajwadi Party and former Union minister who was considered close to party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, passed away on Friday. He was 80. The Rajya Sabha MP was not well for past few days. He was admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow,...
20:45
The iconic Matterhorn mountain is illuminated by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter aiming to send messages of hope, support and solidarity to the ones sufferings from the global coronavirus disease, COVID-19, pandemic in the alpine resort of Zermatt, Switzerland
The coronavirus pandemic has killed 25,066 people, with Europe accounting for most of the deaths. Europe was the worst-hit continent with 17,314 fatalities. Italy had the highest numbers of deaths in the world at 8,165, followed by Spain (4,858) and China (3,292).At least 547,034...
20:38
As nine fresh cases of COVID-19 disease were reported from Mumbai and one in Vashi, the total number of coronavirus patients in the state has risen to 153.With nine new coronavirus positive cases in Mumbai and one in Vashi, the total number of positive cases in Maharashtra has risen to 153, the...
20:22
A 10-month-old baby from a village in Dakshina Kannada district has tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said. The baby was admitted to a private hospital at Derlakatte in Mangaluru on March 23 with high fever and acute respiratory illness. The...
20:01
The Kerala Government on Friday suspended IAS officer Anupam Mishra, who left the state violating instructions to remain under home quarantine after his trip abroad. An FIR had been registered against Mishra, the Kollam Sub-Collector, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, on the basis of a...
19:39
The first images from India of the coronavirus causing the Covid-19 disease have been caught by scientists in Pune, using transmission electron microscope imaging. They were published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.The images of Sars-Cov-2, the virus that Causes Covid-19, are from the...
19:10
The 'Flying Sikh' called upon people to stay indoors during the lockdown
Legendary athlete Milkha Singh on Friday said his family will donate Rs 2 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'Flying Sikh' called upon people to stay indoors during the lockdown period to prevent the spread of coronavirus.The 91-year-old legend said he and his golfer son Jeev Milkha...
18:59
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to some of the chief ministers and asked them to look into the issue of mass exodus of migrant workers from different parts of the country after the announcement of the 21-day lockdown.Joint Secretary in the ministry of home affairs Punya Salila Srivastava...
18:46
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described British premier Boris Johnson as a fighter and hoped he recovers from coronavirus infection. Dear PM @BorisJohnson, you're a fighter and you will overcome this challenge as well, Modi tweeted.He said he prays for his good health and extends...
18:10
Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor has tested positive in her third coronavirus test, authorities at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow confirmed. Kanika has been kept in isolation in a private room with facilities like a toilet, patient-bed, a television, and...
17:59
PM Modi announcing the lockdown in his nationwide address on Tuesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address announcing the 21-day lockdown got more viewership than his previous televised addresses, including the demonetisation speech in 2016, according to BARC India ratings.A whopping 19.7 crore people watched Modi's address on television on Tuesday when he had...
17:42
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written to District Magistrate, Rae Bareli, authorising the local administration to withdraw as much money as is needed from MPLADS fund to help people in her parliamentary constituency during the crisis created by a coronavirus.In a letter to the District...
17:39
The death toll in Spain soared over 4,800 Friday after 769 people died in 24 hours, in what was a record one-day figure for fatalities in the country, reports said. Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy, and has so far suffered 4,858 deaths, while the number of cases jumped...
17:31
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Central government asking for its response on a petition seeking to immediately evacuate and provide all possible medical help to the Indian pilgrims stranded in Iran's Qom.A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dr DY Chandrachud and also...
17:31
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Central government asking for its response on a petition seeking to immediately evacuate and provide all possible medical help to the Indian pilgrims stranded in Iran's Qom.A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dr DY Chandrachud and also...
17:26
Himachal Pradesh government cuts the curfew relaxation from six hours to three hours daily: State Public Relations Department quotes Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
17:21
BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda distributes food among police personnel. The party has announced that its party workers will distribute food among over 5 crore poor people amid the lockdown.
17:17
Prince Charles, the next in line for the British throne, tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, March 25, sending shockwaves through the Royal Family.Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denied reports he tested positive for the coronavirus but has refused to publish his medical...
17:11
While on UK, Scotland Yard, the UK's largest police service, on Friday appealed to the retired officers to consider returning to the force and those nearing retirement to postpone those plans to help cope with the massive workload due to the coronavirus pandemic. -- PTI
17:06
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms, says No 10. The Guardian reports that in a video posted on Twitter, Johnson, confirmed he had developed mild symptoms -- 'a temperature and persistent cough' -- over the last 24 hours...
17:01
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday asked all private clinics and hospitals to remain open amid the countrywide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.He said that there will be an increase in the number of coronavirus patients who will be discharged from the hospitals....
16:43
Cops offer a flower to a doctor in Puducherry
Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry & Family Welfare briefs the media on the COVID-19 situation. -- Till now 724 COVID19 cases have been confirmed.-- Total deaths stand at 17. -- In the last 24 hours, 75 new positive cases and 4 deaths have been reported.-- We...
16:24
PNB offered mobile ATM service in Delhi
Despite the Reserve Bank of India's massive actions to spur the economy, India's gross domestic product is likely to contract by 4.5 per cent in the April-June 2020 quarter and will rise by only 2 per cent in 2020-21 on the coronavirus impact, according to domestic rating agency Icra. The...
16:11
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has described the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore as very grave', saying that his government will do whatever it takes to stabilise the country's economy even if nobody can tell what lies ahead. Speaking to reporters after the government unveiled a...
16:02
Restrictions on domestic flights extended till April 14, 2020: Directorate General of Civil Aviation.12 more people (contacts of earlier positive cases) test positive for Coronavirus in Sangli; Till now, there are 147 positive cases in Maharashtra: PRO, Maharashtra Health Department.A...
15:56
Vegetable prices have gone up noticeably in the national capital after their supply dwindled in the last few days owing to the nationwide lockdown.The vegetable sellers at Azadpur Mandi said the prices have increased due to low supply.I used to sell potatoes at Rs 15 to Rs 17 per kg and now the...
15:48
A family in Mumbai prepares food and distributes it to needy. Ibrahim Motiwala says, Many labourers are stranded here without food so if Allah has made us capable enough to help such people then we should. We prepare food for around 800 people at a time
15:45
The empty dining hall at the Saibaba temple
The Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust on Friday donated Rs 51 crore to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.The Central and state governments are fully prepared to fight the coronavirus which has caused havoc all over the world. The ad hoc committee of the Trust...
15:42
SpiceJet has offered services of its aircraft and crew members to the government for any humanitarian mission during the 21-day lockdown and the airline is ready to operate some flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Patna to alleviate the suffering of migrant workers, especially those from Bihar, its...
15:29
Mosques in Srinagar are closed in the light of the 21-day lockdown. Clerics have also made an appeal to all people to offer prayers at their houses.
15:24
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has told state governments that more than 15 lakh international travellers came to India over the last two months but there appears to be a gap between the actual monitoring for COVID-19 and the total arrivals. In a letter to chief secretaries of all states and...
15:16
No new case of coronavirus has been reported from Gujarat in the last 12 hours, state health secretary Jayanti Ravi said on Friday. In Gujarat so far, there are a total of 43 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, according to the data compiled by the Union Health Ministry. There have been 3...
15:10
The humane face of the Delhi police after the beating its image took in the wake of the riots in the city last month. Police, along with locals, distribute freshly-cooked food among the needy in Sadar Bazaar area, amid the nationwide lockdown. Pic: ANI
15:07
A bus carrying 14 Japanese nationals was stopped by police at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border today. Devendar Negi, the bus driver says, I picked them up from a yoga centre in Rishikesh and was asked to drop them in Paharganj. I don't know if they have been tested for COVID-19.
15:04
Streets in Jammu deserted and shops closed amid the nationwide lockdown. Pic: ANI
15:01
Truck drivers who had come to deliver goods in Maharashtra from Gujarat say they are stuck in Nagpur. We're stuck since 19th March. Price of everything has risen. We're eating 'khichdi' & 'namak-roti'. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had announced that essential services will continue to...
14:53
At a time when people with compromised immunity corresponds with a higher risk, a high-salt diet may not only be bad for one's blood pressure, but also for the immune system, a study has revealed. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn in Germany found that mice fed a high-salt diet...
14:50
From today, people in Singapore who intentionally sit down less than 1m away from another person in a public place or on a fixed seat marked as not to be occupied, or who stand in a queue less than 1m away from another person, will be guilty of an offence. They can be fined up to $10,000, jailed...
14:47
Migrant workers walked hundreds of kilometres to reach villages
Around 40 migrant labourers working in Mumbai were caught here on Friday morning for allegedly trying to escape to Uttar Pradesh in a truck amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed for curbing the spread of coronavirus, police said. The driver of the truck had told the police that he...
14:42
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has reserved two burial grounds and a crematorium for last rites of coronavirus victims in the city, days after a controversy erupted over the cremation of West Bengal's first COVID-19 casualty. According to the mayor in council, health, Atin Ghosh, KMC has...
14:01
Movement of private vehicles restricted near Delhi-UP border
Goa's disaster management authority to take over platforms of Madgaon railway station to provide shelter to homeless people, the state government said. The Goa government on Thursday announced that shops providing essential items like groceries, milk and vegetables would be kept open...
13:42
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asked banks for quick transmission of slashed interest rate as the RBI cut the key lending rate sharply by 75 basis points to boost liquidity in financial system to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a tweet, the Finance Minister also welcomed RBI...
13:24
A family eats at a night shelter for homeless in New Delhi
Arrangements were in place to deal with the situation if the number of coronavirus cases went up to even 100 per day in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday. He also informed that a five-member panel of doctors, headed by Dr SK Sareen, had submitted its...
13:13
Self-quarantining ourselves is a luxury homeless like us cannot afford, believes 68-year-old Rupa who has been living on the streets of Delhi-NCR for as long as she can remember. Rupa, currently living near a Noida metro station, says she does not understand everything happening around her...
13:00
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Reserve Bank of India had taken giant steps to safeguard the economy from the impact of the coronavirus. The RBI cut the benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points to 4.4 per cent on Friday to deal with the hardship caused due to the outbreak of...
12:42
Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Syed Waseem Rizvi on Friday said that those found offering namaz in mosques of Shia Waqf during the COVID-19 lockdown will be sent to jail and a case will be filed against the mutawalli (caretaker) and Maulana.If anyone offers namaz in any mosque of Shia Waqf...
12:26
Terming the coronavirus outbreak a grave crisis, NCP president Sharad Pawar on Friday urged the people to follow the government's directives to contain its spread. He said if people do not follow the government orders, then everybody will have to face serious consequences. Pawar said this...
12:20
RBI announced a three-month moratorium on EMI payments
Amid layoffs and salary cuts, a key takeaway from the Reserve Bank of India's presser today is that it has asked all lending institutions to allow a three-month moratorium on EMI payments in order to infuse liquidity into the system as the economy grapples with COVID-19 challenges. It has also...
12:14
Chinese authorities announced that more than 200 cinemas in Shanghai will resume operation on Saturday after nearly two months of an enforced shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.China is expected to have 700 to 800 movie theatres up and running. The theatres will be rebooting under robust...
12:03
With the demand for protective face masks surging to an all-time high due to the coronavirus outbreak, Pune police on Friday said they have arrested two people with 1,7805 face masks kept for black marketing.The masks worth Rs 4.30 lakh were seized on Thursday, said Bachchan Singh, Deputy...
11:59
Streets in Kolkata wear a deserted look as the 21-day nationwide lockdown enters Day 3. Despite this, as many as 453 people have been arrested between March 25 and March 26 by the Kolkata Police for violating the lockdown which has been implemented to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.
11:55
IIT has collaborated with AIIMS for a pilot run of the product
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi has developed an infection-proof fabric to be used at hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). The development by Fabiosys Innovations, a start-up incubated at IIT-Delhi, comes at a time when the world is dealing with the...
11:54
IIT has collaborated with AIIMS for a pilot run of the product
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi has developed an infection-proof fabric to be used at hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). The development by Fabiosys Innovations, a start-up incubated at IIT-Delhi, comes at a time when the world is dealing with the...
11:50
Karnataka cabinet meeting underway at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. Several issues, including that of COVID-19, are being taken up in the meeting.
11:45
People queue up to collect LPG cylinders in Navi Mumbai
With five more persons testing positive for coronavirus infection in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, the total number of COVID-19 patients in the state went up to 135 on Friday, officials said. On Thursday, eight persons had tested positive in the state, taking the count to 130, they said. As...
11:31
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 'timely package' of Rs 1.75 crore to frontline warriors, farmers and the poor to combat the unprecedented situation arising out of COVID-19 outbreak and said that his government is 'humanity personified'.In...
11:29
RBI has quarantined 150 members of its staff and service providers together with IT facilitators as a part of its business continuity plan: RBI Governor
11:14
Indian equity markets pared their morning gains and slipped into the red territory even after the RBI's Monetary Policy Commitee reduced the policy repo rate by 75 basis points to 4.4 per cent to help arrest the economic slowdown in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The BSE Sensex...
11:11
All commercial banks including regional rural banks, cooperative banks, NBFCs (including housing finance companies) and lending institutions are being permitted to allow a moratorium of three months on payment of installments in respect of all term loans outstanding as on March 1, RBI Guv said....
11:07
Masks and sanitisers out of stock in Nagpur, a pharmacist says
Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) on Friday said it will provide loans up to Rs 50 lakh to micro and small enterprises that are manufacturing medical supplies for fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The Sidbi Assistance to Facilitate Emergency (SAFE) response against...
11:02
The banking system in India is safe; deposits are safe in private bank; public should not resort to panic withdrawal. Macroeconomic fundamental stronger than those in aftermath of 2008 financial market crisis, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said.To bring you up to speed, the Reserve Bank of India...
10:40
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das: India has locked down economic activity and financial markets are under severe stress. Finance is the lifeline of the economy, keeping it following is the paramount objective of the Reserve Bank of India at this point of timeIt has been decided to reduce the Cash...
10:36
RBI: Monetary policy committee voted 4:2 majority to cut repo rate by 75 basis points to 4.4%.-- RBI is at work; calibrating action to meet any liquidity mode. -- We are living in an extraordinary situation; war-like effort needs to be mounted against coronavirus using conventional,...
10:23
Ghaziabad: A group of migrant labourers from Rajasthan's Dausa have started walking to return to their hometown in Dausa. One of them, Ramlal says, We are daily wage earners. There's no arrangement for food. We used to live in a park. It will take us 3 days to reach Dausa.
10:19
Repo rate reduced by 75 basis points to 4.4.%. Reverse repo-rate reduced by 90 basis points to 4%: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das
10:19
In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday issued a directive stating that the sale of any preparation containing the drug Hydroxychloroquine needs to be in accordance with the conditions for the sale of drugs as mentioned in Schedule H1 to the Drugs...
10:15
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thakeray distances himself
The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 17 in the country on Friday and the number of coronavirus cases climbed to 724, according to the Health Ministry. In its updated figures at 9.15 am, the ministry stated the following death toll in states:Maharashtra: 4 Gujarat: 3Karnataka: 2Madhya...
10:07
A sanitation work in Delhi
In Delhi, sanitation workers of the New Delhi Municipal Council say that they are carrying out their duties just like any other time. We have been provided masks and gloves by the NDMC. We are only facing a little trouble while commuting to and from work.
10:03
Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech, TCS were the top losers.
Equity benchmark Sensex surged over 1,100 points in opening session on Friday led by gains in banking stocks ahead of Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das' address. Positive cues from the global markets too enthused investor sentiment here. The 30-share BSE barometer was trading 1,140.10...
09:55
The Indian Embassy here has announced free online yoga classes for the millions of Americans to keep them healthy and cheerful while they are forced to stay indoors and work from home due to the fast spreading novel coronavirus that has taken the lives of more than 1,100 people. The free...
09:53
Moody's Investors Service on Friday slashed its estimate of India's GDP growth during 2020 calendar year to 2.5 per cent from an earlier estimate of 5.3 per cent, on account of the rising economic cost of the coronavirus pandemic.This compares to 5 per cent growth in 2019. Moody's said, at the...
09:47
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that he held talks with Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi, assuring him that all persons going to Bihar due to the nationwide lockdown will be safely sent to their destinations.I held talks with Deputy Chief Minister of...
09:39
Acclaimed painter and sculptor Satish Gujral has passed away. He was 94 years old. The artist, who was former Prime Minister Indra Kumar Gujral's brother, was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in the country in 1999. He designed the Belgium Embassy in...
09:24
India has proposed setting up of a common electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share expertise and best practices in jointly combatting the coronavirus pandemic. India made the proposal at a video-conference of senior health officials of the South Asian Association for Regional...
08:52
A day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced relief package amid India enforced lockdown, Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das will address the media on Friday at 10 am.
08:37
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, An Air India special flight carrying 314 Israelis back to their country landed safely Tel Aviv on Thursday evening with many passengers carrying Indian and Israeli flags while deplaning. The Israeli embassy had put up a request with the ministry of...
08:10
Over 16,000 confirmed cases were reported in a single day in the United States on Thursday as the total number of COVID-19 patients soared to 85,088, the highest for any country, according to data compiled by Worldometer. The United States surpassed China (81,285) and Italy (80,589) in terms...
00:10
The Indian Railways has identified the new hostel building of Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project training institute in Vadodara for creating a backup quarantine centre, the national transporter said on Thursday.It includes 168 rooms having 334 beds and 12 big common rooms, which can be...