Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a telephonic conversation with President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas and the two leaders discussed challenges posed by the COVID-19.As per an official release, "the two leaders discussed the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and apprised each other of the steps being taken in their respective countries to control the situation."Prime Minister Modi also appreciated the measures taken by Abbas' authorities to protect their population from the virus and assured all possible support from India for these efforts.The two leaders will stay in touch over various issues regarding the global pandemic. Palestine has so far reported 308 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths so far.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its Global Financial Stability Overview released on Tuesday has noted that early in 2020, global financial markets remained afloat as there was a sense of optimism on the back of supportive monetary policy, reduced trade tension and tentative signs of stabilisation in the global economy. However, the spread of COVID-19 has posed a risk that has seen the prices of risk assets and commodities fall at unprecedented speed.The document released by the IMF says that the equity markets experienced the fastest drop in history with the S and P 500 falling 20 per cent from its peak in just 16 trading sessions.The asset price declines reached about half the magnitude seen in 2008-09 at the worst point of the sell-off, and implied volatility spiked across asset classes, in some cases to levels last seen during the global financial crisis.Financial Counsellor and Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, IMF, Tobias Adrian while releasing the

Former US President Barack Obama in a video message on Tuesday formally endorsed his former Vice President Joe Biden, who is gunning for the White House in the elections later this year.Obama while endorsing said: "The kind of leadership that's guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility, empathy and grace -- which kind of leadership doesn't just belong to our state capitols and mayors' offices. It belongs in the White House. And that's why I'm so proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States."Biden has now become the presumptive nominee for the Democrats after fellow contestant Bernie Sanders withdrew and endorsed him. Biden will go up against the presumptive Republican nominee and incumbent President Donald Trump.Obama further said: "If there's one thing we've learned as a country from moments of great crisis, it's that the spirit of looking out for one another can't be restricted to our homes, or our workplaces, or our neighbourhoods, or our houses of ..

Airline passenger revenue is set to plunge by USD 314 billion in 2020, which is a decline of 55 per cent from 2019 due to coronavirus as per the updated analysis released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).On March 24, the IATA had predicted an estimated loss of USD 252 billion in revenues, which is 44 per cent decline in passenger for airline industry due to severe travel restrictions lasting more than three months as governments across the world try to contain the disease.As per a release by IATA, the world is heading for a recession. The economic shock of the COVID-19 crisis is expected to be at its most severe in Q2 when the GDP is expected to shrink by 6 per cent (by comparison, GDP shrank by 2 per cent at the height of the global financial crisis). Passenger demand closely follows GDP progression. The impact of reduced economic activity in Q2 alone would result in an 8 per cent fall in passenger demand in the third quarter."The release added: "Travel ...

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Tuesday (local time) welcomed the decision of India's Supreme Court to relax conditions for the release of individuals detained as "foreigners" in Assam's detention centres due to concerns with the spread of COVID-19."We welcome this decision as a first step," a statement by USCIRF quoted its Chair Tony Perkins as saying."We urge the Indian Supreme Court to continue on this promising path and order the release of all those detained in the detention centres on humanitarian grounds. Even two years as a minimum time for release is unreasonable given the threat of detention centres becoming a breeding ground for the spread of COVID-19," he added.In response to an application submitted by the Justice for Liberty Initiative, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the release of detainees held for at least two years and lowered the personal bond amount necessary to secure release from Rs 100,000 to 5,000.Coronavirus has impacted ..

As coronavirus pandemic deepens, over 117 million children in 37 countries are expected to miss out on receiving live-saving measles vaccine, the United Nations said on Tuesday.Measles immunisation campaigns in 24 countries have already been delayed and more will be postponed, the World Health Organization and the UN children's fund UNICEF said."Together, more than 117 million children in 37 countries, many of whom live in regions with ongoing measles outbreaks, could be impacted by the suspension of scheduled immunisation activities," Measles and Rubella Initiative (M & RI) said in a statement.New WHO guidelines endorsed by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation aim to help countries to sustain immunisation activities during the COVID-19 pandemic."The @MeaslesRubella Initiative supports recommendations to: temporarily pause preventive immunisation campaigns where there's no active outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease continue routine immunisation services, ..

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown with relaxation to some sectors.Addressing the media in Islamabad on Tuesday, Khan said, "We made the hard decision of imposing lockdown in the country which was very well implemented due to cooperation of the people."He said that the spread of coronavirus had slowed down to 30 per cent of the projected target, Radio Pakistan reported.The Prime Minister said ventilators, protective clothing, and other gear "have been reaching the country to meet the demand".Imran Khan announced to open the construction industry in cities from today as this has the lowest risk factor in terms of coronavirus spread.Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said the industries that are exempted from the lockdown are export sector, chemical manufacturing plants, e-commerce, software development and planning, paper and packaging units, industries with labour on-site, cement and fertilizer plants, mines and ..

Michigan [USA], April 15 (ANI): Indian automaker Mahindra is joining the "Arsenal of Health" efforts spearheaded by General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. in Michigan to make medical Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers fighting COVID-19.More than 20 Mahindra employees of the Michigan plant are making medical shields from windshields. This innovative ease-of-use box-shaped design will be used by doctors, nurses, local frontline healthcare workers and first responders."MANA's Michigan employees have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to the COVID-19 fight," said Rick Haas, President and CEO, Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA)."We have a company full of people who love to design and make things and they are not people who like to stand on the sidelines. We have ideas coming in from across the company and we are looking hard at all of them." Haas added.MANA is working with the state, Michigan's congressional delegation, trade organisations, Oakland County and .

The assertion came in response to a question by five MPs of the European Parliament, namely Petras Austrevicius, Ausra Maldeikiene, Hannes Heide, Francisco Guerreiro and Petra De Sutter who had submitted a question to EU Foreign Affairs chief, Josep Borrell, asking about the position of EU on the succession of Dalai Lama and what measures the Union intends to take.The EU parliamentarians said that they expect Beijing to respect the spiritual leader's succession according to the traditional standards of Tibetan Buddhism, according to an independent analyst.In January this year, the US House of Representatives had unanimously passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) to strengthen policy in support of Tibet, a move that was hailed as "encouraging and empowering" by the representatives of Tibet.The Act intended to, among other things, sanction Chinese officials for interfering in the Dalai Lama's succession.The Dalai Lama institution has existed for more than 600 years, during ...

Prolonged or intermittent social distancing may be necessary even until 2022 to prevent future Covid-19 seasonal outbreaks, a new study has said.Researchers from Harvard University, led by Stephen Kissler, used estimates of seasonality, immunity, and cross-immunity for two betacoronaviruses from time series data from the United States, to inform a model of Covid-19 transmission, Xinhua news agency reported.Recurrent wintertime outbreaks of Covid-19 "will probably occur after the initial, most severe pandemic wave," researchers wrote on in the study 'Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period', published in the online journal Science.The researchers added that without a vaccine or other interventions, "prolonged or intermittent social distancing may be necessary into 2022."Noting that "a key metric for the success of social distancing is whether critical care capacities are exceeded," the study said that "additional interventions, including ...

The top body of China's parliament kicked off its four-day bi-monthly meeting in the capital city of Beijing on Sunday. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is expected to decide on the date of the key annual meeting of parliament this year on Wednesday.

China's banking regulator has asked commercial banks to halt new sales of a wide range of wealth management products that might lead to unlimited losses for investors, a week after heavy losses were recorded in a crude oil futures trading product sold by the country's fourth-largest lender. Investors worry a broad tightening on such products could hurt bank profits.

Among blue chips, index heavyweight Tencent (700 HK) rose 1% to HK$417.20, while Alibaba (9988 HK) slid 0.8% to HK$199. China Overseas Land & Investment (688 HK) jumped 3.5% to HK$27.90; Citic Pacific (267 HK) rose 2.7% to HK$7.98; and Mengniu Dairy (2319 HK), went up 2.5% to HK$28.70.

Wall Street stocks opened higher amid continued investor confidence following steps by a number of US states to reopen their economies. In the United States, some governors are rolling back curbs and allowing restaurants, hair salons and other businesses to reopen despite warnings by health experts that moving too fast might lead to new outbreaks. President Donald Trump, running for re-election amid a slump that has wiped out more than 10 million jobs, is pressing other governors to lift lockdowns. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, one of the hardest-hit and most populous states, says controls will be eased only after numbers of new cases decline.

The gains were driven by banking shares after China's big four lenders reported higher profits for the first quarter despite the impact of the pandemic.

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Wall Street stocks opened higher amid reaction to developments regarding the use of Gilead Sciences' antiviral drug remdesivir as a potential new treatment for Covid-19 patients. Gilead Sciences said on Wednesday that preliminary results of a coronavirus drug trial showed at least 50% of patients treated with a five-day dosage of remdesivir improved and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks. Later Wednesday, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said NIAID's remdesivir drug trial, which enrolled about 800 patients, showed quite good news and that the drug would set a new standard of care for Covid-19 patients.

Total 23 issues of 33 industry category of Topix index were in positive territory, with Mining, Securities & Commodities Futures, Iron & Steel, Real Estate, Nonferrous Metals, and Glass & Ceramics Products issues being notable gainers, while Electric Power & Gas, Other Products, Air Transportation, Information & Communication, and Foods issues were notable losers.

Investor sentiment around the world was brightened by Gilead Sciences Inc.'s announcement that preliminary results of a coronavirus drug trial showed at least 50% of patients treated with a five-day dosage of remdesivir improved and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks. Later Wednesday, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said NIAID's remdesivir drug trial, which enrolled about 800 patients, showed quite good news and that the drug would set a new standard of care for Covid-19 patients. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 3.1 million and taken at least 226,771 lives, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.

Investor sentiment around the world was brightened by Gilead Sciences Inc.'s announcement that preliminary results of a coronavirus drug trial showed at least 50% of patients treated with a five-day dosage of remdesivir improved and more than half were discharged from the hospital within two weeks. Later Wednesday, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said NIAID's remdesivir drug trial, which enrolled about 800 patients, showed quite good news and that the drug would set a new standard of care for Covid-19 patients. Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 3.1 million and taken at least 226,771 lives, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.

Local shares fell in early trade on reigniting tensions between the world's top two economies after U.S. officials tried to pin blame for the coronavirus pandemic on China.

Asian stock markets fell sharply on Monday, 04 May 2020, as risk sentiment turned sour on reigniting tensions between the world's top two economies after U.S. officials tried to pin blame for the coronavirus pandemic on China.

A ramping up of tensions between the White House and China over the origins and handling of the coronavirus pandemic weighed on markets around the world. The U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believed that a mistake in China was the cause of the spreading coronavirus pandemic, though he did not present any evidence for the claim.

U.S. stocks eked out a second consecutive day of gains as investors weighed a cloudy picture of the economy against U.S. businesses starting to slowly reopen after a period of stultifying coronavirus lockdowns.

Banks stocks were lower. National Australia Bank ended the day 2.3% lower Westpac and ANZ both declined about 1.5% while Commonwealth Bank dropped 0.8%.

The major averages finished the session on opposite sides of the unchanged line, as traders weighed optimism about some states reopening against some dismal employment data. The ADP jobs report showed that US companies lost 20.2 million jobs in April. The government's April jobs report is due Friday.

The latest survey from the Australian Industry Group revealed that the services sector in Australia continued to contract in April, and at a steeper pace, with a Performance of Services Index score of 27.1. That's down from 38.7 in March and it moves further beneath the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

Total 21 issues of 33 industry category of Topix index were in negative territory, with Air Transportation, Insurance, Land Transportation, Iron & Steel, Nonferrous Metals, and Oil & Coal Products issues being notable losers, while Other Products, Electric Appliances, Metal Products, Construction, and Pharmaceutical issues were notable gainers.

Markets drew some comfort from the latest round of economic results out of China. Data on Thursday showed an unexpected surge in export activity in the world's second-largest economy in April, growing 3.5% from the previous year

The Australian share market got a boost on hopes for an economic recovery at home after the government unveiled plans to end most coronavirus restrictions by July. Prime Minister Scott Morrison's announced a plan to ease social distancing restrictions in a three-step process, which would remove all curbs by July and get nearly 1 million people back to work amid a decline in coronavirus cases.

Price band is Rs 315-320 per share

Price band fixed at Rs 315 to Rs 320 per share.

Price band fixed at Rs 55 to Rs 60 per share

Receives bids for 225.69 crore shares

Receives bids for 100.44 crore shares

Gets bids for 24.08 lakh shares by 17:00 IST on 9 March 2020

The litigants in a recent Supreme Court case suggested using the American Community Survey, an annual sample of 2.5% of U.S. households that asks about citizenship, to estimate the citizen voter-age population.

​Periodical cicadas live underground for 13 or 17 years before emerging to mate, lay eggs and die off, and today, there are 15 known broods in the U.S. There used to be 16 and the current number may dwindle if the teetering Brood VII goes extinct.

When seasonally adjusted numbers continue to exhibit the influences of seasonal effects, much as first-quarter readings on gross domestic product have regularly been doing, statisticians refer to it as residual seasonality. And that effect hampers seasoned economists from making clear-eyed judgments on the strength of the economy.

Generational groupings are attractive to academics who want to measure social and cultural change. They’re coveted by marketers looking to capitalize on evolving consumer tastes. And they appeal to others seeking to exploit the perceived psyche of the different groups.

Retirement calculators employ different assumptions to help users predict whether their rate of savings will support their current lifestyle after they quit work.

The share of retail and high net worth individuals in direct plans could improve further given the cost saving

The 401(k) workplace-savings plan, designed to augment traditional pensions, has become the primary retirement-savings vehicle for many workers, but critics say it isn’t up to the task. WSJ's Anna Prior highlights five key suggestions to strengthen the 401(k). Photo: Getty

At the world's biggest ship-recycling yard at Alang, India, life is becoming harder as fewer ships arrive. Here's why. Photo: Karan Deep Singh/The Wall Street Journal

The transcript of President Trump's call with Ukraine shed light on a method for classifying documents that's even more top secret than top secret. WSJ spoke to a former National Security Council official to understand the intricacies of the White House server security system.

Men outnumber women nearly 2 to 1 on the first move up the management ladder. WSJ’s Vanessa Fuhrmans explains how this can hurt women right out of the gate.

Research shows that getting ahead requires constructive criticism. But many women don’t get those frank assessments.

Women are less likely to delegate than men and that might hurt their careers. WSJ's Michelle Ma explains why women have a harder time passing off work to others.

At the Make in India event, the DIPP secretary said some of this work will be outsourced to the IITs

The state has signed MoU worth Rs 50,000 crore with Adani Group