More than 900,000 people were infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as of Saturday in the United States, with the death toll exceeding 52,000, while a new study indicated that the virus was likely to be spreading in multiple US cities "far earlier" than Americans knew.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached 905,364 as of 10.30 a.m. (1430 GMT), and a total of 52,042 deaths related to the disease were recorded, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, Xinhua news agency reported.

New York remains the hardest-hit state, with 271,590 cases and 21,411 deaths. New Jersey follows, with 102,196 cases and 5,683 deaths. Other states with over 40,000 cases include Massachusetts, California and Pennsylvania.

Worldwide, more than 200,000 people died of the disease as of Saturday, among over 2.8 million cases, showed the CSSE data.

The United States suffered the most fatalities. Italy followed with 26,384 deaths. Spain reported 22,902 deaths, France and Britain also reported over 20,000 deaths.

The US states and federal government are trying very hard to balance the public health risk posed by the virus with the severe cost of month-odd shutting down of the country's economy.

The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that the unemployment rate around the country, which was near a 50-year low before the coronavirus struck, will surge to 16 per cent by September as the economy withers under the impact of the outbreak.

More than 26 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits since March. White House unveiled on April 16 three-phase guidelines for reopening the US economy, putting the onus on governors of making decisions about their states' economies.

Over a dozen states, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Colorado and Iowa, are moving toward restarting their economies this weekend with some restrictions.

Many other states remain hesitant to take such steps without more robust testing capacity. New York, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan have already extended their stay-at-home orders.

Several states have announced plans to coordinate their response with neighbours. California is moving forward in coordination with Washington and Oregon while governors from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island announced plans to form a joint task force.

A CBS News poll published Thursday said that 70 per cent of respondents believed the country's top priority should be trying to "slow the spread of coronavirus by keeping people home and social distancing, even if the economy is hurt in the short term."

The virus was likely to be spreading in multiple US cities "far earlier" than Americans knew, according to a new research.

"Even in early February -- while the world focused on China -- the virus was not only likely to be spreading in multiple American cities, but also seeding blooms of infection elsewhere in the United States, the researchers found," said a report by The New York Times on Thursday.

In the five major US cities -- New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, as of March 1, there were only 23 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

However, according to a model of the spread of the disease by researchers at Northeastern University, "there could have actually been about 28,000 infections in those cities by then," the report said.

The virus spread on the West Coast of the United States weeks earlier than initially believed, according to new information released by Santa Clara county, California on Tuesday.

Patricia Dowd, a 57-year-old San Jose woman, died at home on February 6. Jeffrey V. Smith, Santa Clara county executive, told Xinhua in an email interview that "so far, this is the earliest death in the United States."

Dowd and another 69-year-old man who died at home on Feb. 17 had no "significant travel history," and they presumably caught the virus through community spread, said the county's public health officer Dr. Sara Cody.

"These patients apparently contracted the illness from community spread. This suggests that the virus was circulating in the Bay Area in January at least, probably earlier," Smith told Xinhua. Previously, the first known US death from the virus was on February 29 in Kirkland in Washington state.

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Indian-American Seema Nanda has announced that she was stepping down as the CEO of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), it was reported. The Boston College Law School and Brown University grad, who took over as the DNC CEO in June 2018, succeeding Mary Beth Cahill, announced the move via Twitter on Friday, the American Bazaar reported.

"After two years, I will be stepping down as CEO of the DNC. I couldn't be prouder of the infrastructure we have built, the primary process we have run, and the team we have built. "I look forward to continuing the fight for our democracy and to elect Democrats everywhere," she added.

Nanda however, did not reveal the reason behind her decision nor did she announce her next move. During her tenure, Nanda worked closely with DNC Chair Tom Perez, managing the group's day-to-day operations.

The two had worked together at the Department of Labor during the former administration of President Barack Obama. Perez's term as DNC chair will end after the November presidential election. While accepting the position in 2018, Nanda described the job as "the opportunity of a lifetime".

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The Hong Kong airport is using several latest disinfection technologies including a full-body disinfection channel and cleaning robots to reduce the risk of the COVID-19 spread.

The disinfection channel is an enclosed facility similar to a telephone booth in size where users can complete disinfection and sanitizing procedures in 40 seconds, the city's Airport Authority (AA) said in a statement on Sunday.

The interior surface of the facility is equipped with antimicrobial coating which can remotely kill virus and bacteria on human bodies and clothing by using the technologies of photocatalyst and "nano needles" Xinhua news agency quoted the AA as saying, noting that the Hong Kong International Airport is the world's first to use the facility.

Currently, the disinfection channel is used by public health staff who bear quarantine duties at the airport.

Autonomous cleaning robots have also been used to ensure thorough disinfection of public areas and passenger facilities at the airport.

The cylindrical robots, equipped with ultra violet light sterilizer and air sterilizer, operate round-the-clock in public toilets and key operating areas in the terminal building, the AA said.

The robots can move around autonomously and sterilize up to 99.99 per cent of bacteria in its vicinity, including both the air and object surfaces, in just 10 minutes.

Besides, the AA is also conducting a pilot test of applying antimicrobial coating at all passenger facilities, including check-in counters, baggage trolleys and elevator buttons, among others.

After completion of the trial in May, the AA will consider implementing it as a long term disinfection measure. Hong Kong has reported 1,037 coronavirus cases with four deaths.

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US President Donald Trump tweeted that his daily Coronavirus briefings were not worth his time, two days after sparking a furore by suggesting patients might be injected with disinfectant to kill an infection.

He appeared to confirm media reports that he was considering halting the briefings, which dominate early-evening cable television news for sometimes more than two hours, out of frustration with questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, the US leader stunned viewers by saying doctors might treat people infected with the coronavirus by shining ultraviolet light inside their bodies, or with injections of household disinfectant.

After a strong rebuff of his suggestion by top medical experts and disinfectant manufacturers, Trump on Friday claimed he had been speaking "sarcastically." But he limited that day's briefing, which usually includes himself, Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to just 19 minutes, and did not take any questions from reporters.

And on Saturday, after 50 briefings over two months, the White House did not hold one at all. Trump has used the briefings to occupy television screens and promote his administration's policies, fend off critics and attack political rivals — from opposition Democrats to China to the US media.

Nearly 2,500 dead in 24 hrs
The US recorded 2,494 more coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to figures reported Saturday night by Johns Hopkins University. The country now has an overall death toll of 53,511, with 9,36,293 confirmed infections, according to a tally at 8.30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday). The US is by far the hardest-hit country in the global pandemic.

No cases in Wuhan hospitals for 1st time

The number of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in China's Wuhan, where the virus first emerged before turning out to be a pandemic, on Sunday dropped to zero for the first time. The last patient in Wuhan was cured on Friday, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China's National Health Commission. Hubei has so far reported 68,128 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 50,333 in Wuhan. The revised figure raised China's overall COVID-19 death toll to 4,632. The total number of cases as of Thursday stood at 82,692.

Italy ponders what went wrong

As Italy prepares to emerge from the West's first and most extensive lockdown, it is increasingly clear that something went terribly wrong in Lombardy, the hardest-hit region. Italy's total of 26,000 fatalities lags behind only the United States in the global toll. Prosecutors are deciding whether to lay any criminal blame for the hundreds of dead in nursing homes, many of whom aren't even counted in Lombardy's official death toll of 13,269.

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Joining more than 1,000 others, Djemba Diatite stood for hours in line to feed her growing family, grateful for handouts of fruits, vegetables and soap. It was her first time accepting charity, but she had no choice. The pandemic has turned her small world upside down.

With open air markets closed, supermarket prices skyrocketing, an out-of-work husband, two children to feed and another on the way, Diatite said even tomatoes are now too expensive. "This is my only solution," she said.

Clichy-sous-Bois — where fiery nationwide riots started in 2005 — is just 23 km northeast of the French capital, but with its rows of housing projects, restless youth and residents teetering on the poverty line, it feels light years away.

The town mayor, seeing a looming crisis triggered by food shortages, sounded the alarm, and with scattered unrest simmering in impoverished suburbs, the French government announced a plan for urgent food assistance of 39 million euros for communities in need. "I feel the social crisis is growing with confinement," said Clichy-Sous-Bois Mayor Olivier Klein. The government will detail to parliament on Tuesday how it plans to pull the country out of the lockdown.

Boris to be back to work from Monday

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday. The 55-year-old has been recuperating at his prime ministerial countryside retreat at Chequers since he was discharged on April 12 and had put UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in charge as his deputy. Johnson is reportedly "raring to go" and will be back to an initially light work schedule from next week, starting with a meeting with UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

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In the six weeks up to April 19, at least 4,093 people were arrested from across London for domestic abuse offences -- nearly 100 a day on an average -- during the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, the Metropolitan Police has revealed.

Charges and cautions have increased by 24 per cent since March 9, when people with COVID-19 symptoms were asked to self-isolate, compared to last year, Xinhua news agency quoted Commander Sue Williams, the Met's lead for safeguarding, as saying on Sunday.

Domestic incidents, which can include family rows not recorded as crimes, have seen a 3 per cent increase since last year, and jumped by 9 per cent between March 9 and April 19, said the Met Police.

There have been two domestic-related murders recorded in London as police continue to warn of an increased risk of abuse during the strict measures in place, said the Scotland Yard, metonym for the headquarters of the Met Police.

"The COVID-19 restrictions and 'stay at home' instruction is vital to managing this public health crisis, but unfortunately it has also left current and potential victims of domestic abuse even more vulnerable and isolated," said Williams.

The Met Police gave examples of some of the cases it has dealt with in recent weeks, including one in which police discovered that a man reported by a victim was linked to firearms.

"Officers located him within three hours of receiving the report and searched his vehicle, finding two sawn-off shotguns. A cannabis factory was also discovered. The man was subsequently charged and is awaiting trial," said the Scotland Yard in a statement.

Officers were also called to help a pregnant victim in east London, who had gone to a hospital to seek refuge after her partner assaulted and tormented her. Police said he was quickly arrested, but she was unwilling to support criminal action.

However, due to the evidence captured on body worn video, and witness accounts from staff at the hospital, the Crown Prosecution Service supported a victimless prosecution, and the suspect is awaiting trial, said the Met Police.

"Victims should be assured that they can leave their homes to escape harm or seek help, and they will not be penalized in any way for not maintaining social distancing, or otherwise breaching COVID-19 restrictions," said Williams. The UK has reported 154,037 coronavirus cases, with 20,794 deaths.

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A four-year-old Indian girl in Dubai has become one of the youngest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to have recovered from the novel coronavirus after walking free from hospital last week, it was reported.

The girl, known only as Sivani, was given a fitting send off by medical staff at Al Futtaim Health Hub on April 20, 20 days after being admitted on April 1, the Gulf News report said.

Sivani contracted the virus from her mother - a front line health worker - who fell ill in March.

Both Sivani and father dad were also tested despite not having any symptoms and, unlike her father, Sivani was found to be positive.

The girl and her mother were kept in the same facility, but concern was greater for the minor who had also fought off a rare type of kidney cancer last year called ganglioneuroblastoma.

Being a cancer survivor, doctors made extra precautions.

"Sivani had undergone chemotherapy sessions only last year and hence her immune system was still weak," Gulf News reported citing Tholfkar Al Baaj, group medical director at Al Futtaim Health Hub and the consultant in family medicine who treated Sivani, as saying.

"The doctors were concerned as she was at higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease and therefore, we had put her under close monitoring. Fortunately, she did not develop any complications from the infection," he added.

Sivani remained under treatment for 20 days before two consecutive negative swab tests rendered her all clear. She will now undergo 14-days quarantine at home.

Her mother remains under observation and was expected to be released soon.

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The number of the novel Coronavirus cases in Russia has surpassed that of China, where the disease originated. The country on Monday reported 6,198 new confirmed infections, taking the tally to 87,147, reported the Moscow Times.

China has recorded 84,500 confirmed cases since the outbreak last year. The Russian authorities on Monday confirmed 50 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total toll to 794.

Russia is now the ninth country to be worst hit by the pandemic. The virus has spread to all of Russia's 85 regions, but has affected the capital, Moscow, the most. Of all the 6,198 new cases, 2,971 have been registered in Moscow, 576 in the Moscow region and 153 in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

The virus has affected the country's military as well. A total of 874 servicemen in the military have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, Russia's Defence Ministry has said. Four people are in grave condition, including one on a ventilator.

The vast majority of the country has been on lockdown since late March, with only essential businesses — grocery shops, pharmacies, banks — operating and people ordered to stay at home. Military units have already rehearsed the parade -- footage of these rehearsals showed hundreds of servicemen drilling outside Moscow without observing social distancing. A Kremlin spokesman said that the military had their own isolation and distancing protocols which allowed them more freedom.

Spain sees slight spike in daily cases

Spain recorded 331 new deaths in the past 24 hours, up from Sunday's 288, while the political and social debate focuses on the way out of the seven-week lockdown. The total death toll stands on Monday over 23,500, while the number of infections is over 2,00,000.From Friday, people of all ages will be allowed to go on walks or practice sports outdoors, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced.

Singapore records drop in new infections

The tally in Singapore, which for long recorded over 1,000 cases daily, reached 14,423 on Monday after 799 new infections were reported with majority of them being foreign workers residing in dormitories. Around 3,00,000 low-wage workers, mostly from South Asia, work in Singapore in construction and maintenance. Most of them live together in huge dormitory complexes.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday warned against relaxing the Coronavirus restrictions too soon as the country was still facing a moment of "maximum risk", in his first remarks since returning to work after contracting the disease that has killed over 20,000.

While declaring that the tide is being turned on the pandemic in the country, he urged the public to contain their impatience against the lockdown. "We are beginning to turn the tide. There are real signs we are passing through the peak," said Johnson, 55, on returning to Downing Street after recovering from the virus.

Boris Johnson

He promised "maximum transparency" on the decisions to be taken as the UK enters phase two of the Covid-19 fightback, which will involve one by one firing up the "economic engines" of the UK economy.

Johnson said the UK has "so far collectively shielded our National Health Service" and "flattened the peak" — but he could not yet say when or which restrictions would be lifted.

4K domestic abuse arrests
The House of Commons' Home Affairs Committee on Monday called for urgent action from the government over a surge in domestic abuse cases amid the lockdown, with London alone registering 4,093 arrests in the six weeks up to April 19. The panel found that calls and contacts to the helpline run by the charity Refuge were 49 per cent higher in the week prior to April 15, than the average prior to the pandemic.

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The White House released new guidelines Monday aimed at answering criticism that America's coronavirus testing has been too slow, and President Donald Trump tried to pivot toward a focus on 'reopening' the nation. Still, there were doubts from public health experts that the White House's new testing targets were sufficient. Monday's developments were meant to fill critical gaps in White House plans to begin easing restrictions, ramping up testing for the virus while shifting the president's focus toward recovery from the economic collapse caused by the outbreak. The administration unveiled a 'blueprint' for states to scale up their testing in the coming week, a tacit admission, despite public statements to the contrary, that testing capacity and availability over the past two months have been lacking.

The new testing targets would ensure states had enough COVID-19 tests available to sample at least 2.6 per cent of their populations each month, a figure already met by a majority of states. Areas that have been harder hit by the virus would be able to test at double that rate, or higher, the White House said. The testing issue has bedeviled the administration for months. Trump told reporters on March 6 during a visit to the CDC in Atlanta that 'anybody that wants a test can get a test,' but the reality has proved to be vastly different. The initial COVID-19 test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was contaminated, and early kits operated only on platforms able to perform a small number of test per day. While the rate of testing increased as tests developed for higher-capacity platforms, they were still limited by shortages of supplies, from nasal swabs to the reagents used to process the samples.

Administration officials maintained Monday that the limiting factor now is actually the availability of samples from people who have been tested ' either because guidelines on who could be tested are too stringent or because there are not enough health workers able to take nasal swab samples from them. The CDC moved to address one of those concerns Monday, expanding the list of people to be prioritized for virus testing to include those who show no symptoms but are in high-risk settings like nursing homes. And Trump met with leaders of businesses including CVS, Walmart and Kroger, who said they were working to expand access to tests across the country. 'Testing is not going to be a problem at all,' Trump said later in the Rose Garden.

However, many of the administration's past pledges and goals on testing have not been met. Jeremy Konyndyk, a disaster preparedness expert who helped lead the Obama administration response to Ebola, said the administration's testing plans are well short of what is needed. Researchers at Harvard have estimated the country needs to be testing a minimum of 500,000 people per day, and possibly many more. Konyndyk said the aim should be 2 million to 3 million per day. Trump said the current total, up sharply in recent days, is over 200,000 per day. Konyndyk said, 'Over the past month, we've doubled or if you want to be really generous tripled the testing capacity in this country. We need to take where we are now and expand it 10-fold."

The testing blueprint for states provides details missing from the administration's guidelines for them to return to normal operations that were released more than a week ago. It includes a focus on surveillance testing as well as 'rapid response' programs to isolate those who test positive and identify those with whom they had come in contact. The administration aims to have the market 'flooded' with tests for the fall, when COVID-19 is expected to recur alongside the seasonal flu. Trump and administration medical experts outlined the plan on a call with governors Monday afternoon, before unveiling them publicly in a Rose Garden press conference. The White House announcements came as Trump sought to regain his footing after weeks of criticism and detours created in part by his press briefings.

Days after he set off a firestorm by publicly musing that scientists should explore the injection of toxic disinfectants as a potential virus cure, Trump said he found little use for his daily task force briefings, where he has time and again clashed with medical experts and reporters. Trump's aides had been trying to move the president onto more familiar and, they hope, safer, ground: talking up the economy in more tightly controlled settings. Republican Party polling shows Trump's path to a second term depends on the public's perception of how quickly the economy rebounds from the state-by-state shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus.

On Monday, the White House initially announced there would be a Trump briefing, but canceled it as Trump's greatest asset in the reelection campaign ' his ability to dominate headlines with freewheeling performances ' was increasingly seen as a liability. But hours later, Trump it became clear Trump had other ideas. He held court in the Rose Garden for a bit less than an hour. Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said that briefings would be held later in the week but 'they might have a new look to them, a new focus to them.' Trump said he hoped that virus deaths would end up no more than 60,000 to 70,000, slightly revising upward his public estimate of recent days as the U.S. toll neared 56,000 on nearly 1 million cases.

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After being the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak, China is final limping back into normalcy and the citizens, government, and public institutions are taking the necessary steps to avert another outbreak. And while the country is at it, a school in Hanzhou came with a creative idea to ensure children thoroughly follow social distancing norms.

Eileen Chengyin Chow, a professor at the Duke University posted pictures of first graders at the Yangzheng Elementary School in Hanzhou on her Twitter account on April 27. What’s striking about the pictures is the headgears the students are wearing in class, that bears resemblance to that of the soldiers belonging to the Song Dynasty. The colourful head gear, that teaches the historical context it has in the country and also helps maintain social distance,  has a 3 feet-long rod made of  soft materials such as cardboard or foam, attached on the sides.

Chow explains the  historical context of the headgears’ designs in the tweet, that reads, “The long horizontal plumes on Song Dynasty toppers were supposedly to prevent officials from conspiring sotto voce with one another while at court—so social distancing was in fact their original function!”

First graders back to school in Hangzhou, with social distancing headgear

The long horizontal plumes on Song Dynasty toppers were supposedly to prevent officials from conspiring sotto voce with one another while at court—so social distancing was in fact their original function! pic.twitter.com/0AOKsWE1xH

— eileen chengyin chow (@chowleen) April 27, 2020

The professor’s post garnered more than 17,300 likes and was retweeted over 8,300 times. The users commenting on the posts lauded the teacher who used a smart way to designed these headgears that has a historical significance.

Historical precedents used. Clever on the part of the teacher to be able to incorporate a history lesson and maintain social distancing.

— Olga Sadowy (@OSadowy) April 27, 2020

Wow! This is adorable and really interesting. I hope they are safe enough...

— Tristan Felix 🏳️‍🌈 (@tiger) April 27, 2020

This is ridiculously cute! Did they make the hats themselves? 😄

— Heather Jean Bruskay (@HBruskay) April 27, 2020

for all the nerds saying "but they can just get close face to face so this doesn't help"

making and decorating hats was obviously a fun thing for the kids to do while also learning some history

— bieb (@red_bieb) April 27, 2020

Wow I always thought it was a fashion choice

— josué (@joshnekoff) April 27, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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US President Donald Trump has ruled out making any changes in the date of the November 3 presidential election because of the Coronavirus pandemic. "I never even thought of changing the date of the election. Why would I do that? November 3, it's a good number," Trump told reporters at his White House news conference. His likely Democratic opponent Joe Biden last week said Trump was considering changing the date. "Mark my words, I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can't be held [sic]," Biden said during an online fundraiser.

'Look forward to it'
"No, I look forward to that election and that was just made a propaganda not by him but by some of the many people that are working writing little segments. I see all of the time statements made you say something statement made per Joe Biden, Sleepy Joe," Trump said. "He didn't make those statements. Somebody did but they said he made it. No, let him know I am not thinking about it at all. Not at all," he said.

In a call with governors on Monday, Trump said states should "seriously consider" reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens already have said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or fall.

'Consider opening schools'
"Some of you might start thinking about school openings, because a lot of people are wanting to have the school openings. It's not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we've all gone through," he said. Reopening schools is considered key to getting the economy moving again. Without a safe place for their kids, many parents would have difficulty returning to work.

1,010,507
Total no. of COVID-19 infections in the US

56,803
Total no. of COVID-19 deaths in the US

Turkey sends protective equipment to US

The cargo at the Etimesgut airport outside Ankara. Pic/AP

Turkey has dispatched a planeload of personal protective equipment to support the United States as it grapples with the novel Coronavirus outbreak. A Turkish military cargo carrying the medical equipment took off from an air base near the capital Ankara on Tuesday, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was scheduled to land at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington later in the day. A top official said Turkey is donating 5,00,000 surgical masks, 4,000 overalls, 2,000 litres (528 gallons) of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks and 500 face shields.

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Many Americans in India who had signed up for airlifts back to the US are now deciding to stay back and "ride it out" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the State Department's top consular official. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ian Brownlee said on Tuesday that many who had enlisted for repatriation from India were not responding to offers of seats on the planes arranged by the department to take them home.

The number of recorded COVID-19 cases in the US reached 1 million on Tuesday, with 58,348 deaths, while India had only 31,368 officially recorded cases with 1,008 fatalities, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Brownlee said: "Two weeks ago, we had a list of folks and we were pretty sure if we called (the) folks they'd show up at the airport and say, 'Yes, please.' We're now getting to the point on that list, we're having to make multiple calls for individual seats because people are deciding 'No,' they'd just as soon ride it out where they are."

Last week he said that 4,000 Americans had been brought back to the US and 6,000 were waiting for airlifts. India has cancelled passenger flights and rail transportation during the strict lockdown imposed on March 25.

Brownlee had spoken earlier of the massive logistics effort required to bring Americans from around the vast country to Mumbai and New Delhi, the departure points for the chartered flights.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and fiancee Carrie Symonds announced the birth of a 'healthy baby boy', delivered at a government-run hospital in London on Wednesday. The birth is believed to be slightly premature but both mother and baby are said to be doing very well.

Prime Minister of United Kingdom Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds blessed with a baby boy: UK Media. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/uSQcWcureI

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2020

"The Prime Minister and Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning, a spokesperson for the couple said on Wednesday.

"Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS (National Health Service) maternity team, the spokesperson said.

The news comes days after Johnson, 55, returned to 10 Downing Street on Monday after his hospitalisation for complications from COVID-19. He had been recuperating at his Chequers countryside retreat in Buckinghamshire, where he was joined by his pregnant fiancee.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/83HkS1Vjhx

— Carrie Symonds (@carriesymonds) April 9, 2020

Symonds had taken to Twitter earlier this month to express her relief at Johnson's discharge from hospital with a series of clapping hands emoticons alongside a picture of a rainbow, which has emerged as the symbol of support for the country's NHS through the course of the pandemic fightback.

The 32-year-old herself had been previously self-isolating with the couple's dog Dilyn after she developed symptoms of coronavirus but later revealed she was on the mend. The couple had announced their engagement at the end of February, when it was also revealed that they were expecting their first baby in the summer.

The last child born to a sitting UK prime minister belonged to David and Samantha Cameron, who welcomed Florence Rose Endellion into their family in August 2010. Symonds, who works for an ocean conservation charity, met Johnson during her time as the communications chief for the Conservative Party.

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South Korean infectious disease experts have downplayed concerns that patients could get reinfected with COVID-19 after recovering. While hundreds in South Korea have tested positive again after their release from hospitals, Oh Myoung-don, who heads the central clinical panel on new infectious diseases, on Wednesday said there was a "high possibility" that such test results were flawed.

He said South Korea's standard real-time PCR tests, designed to amplify the genetic materials of the virus so that even tiny quantities are detected, doesn't reliably distinguish between remains of dead virus and infectious particles. He said lab tests on animals suggest that COVID-19 patients would maintain immunity for at least a year after their infections. He also said it was unlikely that the virus could be reactivated after remaining dormant when it doesn't seem to be a type that causes chronic illnesses.

277
No. of people tested positive after recovering

Construction fire near Seoul kills 8

A fire broke out on a construction site near Seoul on Wednesday, killing eight workers and leaving another 17 presumed dead. Local fire officials said the toll could rise as more people were believed to be trapped inside the warehouse that was under construction in Icheon. Another 14 or the 70 workers remained unaccounted for.

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The US Government, through its aid agency USAID, has announced a grant of an additional USD 3 million to India to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In coordination with the Indian government, the USAID is providing these funds to the Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity (PAHAL) project, an innovative financing platform of IPE Global, USAID said in a statement on Wednesday. US Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, stated: "This additional funding to support India in its continuing efforts to combat COVID-19 is yet another example of the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and India."

To date, the USAID has provided USD 5.9 million to assist India in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. This assistance will help India slow the spread of COVID-19, provide care for the affected, disseminate essential public health messages to communities, and strengthen case finding and surveillance. Through the PAHAL project, the USAID will support the National Health Authority to establish a financing facility that can mobilize resources from the private sector to assist over 20,000 health facilities enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), India's health insurance scheme for 500 million poor and vulnerable people.

During the talks on April 04, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump had agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Early this month, India, at the request of President Donald Trump, had exported 35.82 lakh tablets of hydroxychloroquine to the US along with active pharmaceutical ingredient or API required in the manufacturing of the drug.

Trump had thanked India for its decision to export hydroxychloroquine to fight coronavirus and lauded Prime Minister Modi for his "strong leadership" in helping "not just India, but humanity" in this fight.

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A six-year-old boy has been cheering up his neighbours with one joke at a time amid the distressful Coronavirus pandemic and the agonizing lockdown that followed, by putting up a joke stand outside his home in Saanich, a town in Canada's British Colombia.

A picture of Callaghan McLaughlin, sitting at his 'Drive-by, walk-by joke stand' with a wide smile was shared by his mother Kelsea on Instagram, where he has earned praises for his adorable efforts to make people smile. His mother requests in the caption to listen to a joke from him.

According to the CBC, Callaghan only knows 16-17 jokes which he learned from a joke book his mother gave him, and with these jokes, he does the best he can to make people have a hearty laugh.  The mother-son duo missed interacting with their neighbours due to the lockdown and came up with this idea that helps people cheer up.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Please drive by and hear a joke from this kid 🥰 . . . #driveby #walkby #kidhumour #togetheryetapart #cadborobay

A post shared by Kelsea Murray-Roxburgh (@kelseamclaughlin) onApr 14, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

The post shared on Instagram received 188 likes with many users lauding him for his adorable effort to bring a smile on the faces of people. One user said, "What a sweet thing to do. You are a blessing." Another user said, "This is actually amazing! Well done Callaghan." A user commented, "This is so precious."

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President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the federal government will not be extending its COVID-19 social distancing guidelines once they expire Thursday, and his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, predicted that by July the country will be "really rocking again."

Trump to fly out next week

Trump said he plans to resume out-of-state travel after spending over a month mostly cooped up in the White House, starting with a trip to Arizona next week. And he said he's hoping to hold mass campaign rallies in the coming months with thousands of supporters, even though medical experts have said there is little hope of having a vaccine by then.

Trump delivered his daily upbeat update on Wednesday, putting a positive face on the latest grim numbers — the death toll in the US on Wednesday crept past 60,000, a figure that he in recent weeks had suggested might be the total death count.

35 states' reopening plan out

"We mourn... every life tragically lost to the invisible enemy. And we are heartened that the worst of the pain and suffering is going to be behind us," Trump said. As many as 35 of the 50 US states affected by the pandemic have unveiled formal reopening plans, as President Donald Trump expressed confidence that "much better days" are ahead for the country that has been hit hard by the "invisible enemy".

So far, the virus has killed 61,670 Americans and infected 1,064,737 others. Globally, the virus has killed 2,29,182 people and infected 3,244,586 others.
Agencies

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Almost 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, nearly half of the global workforce, face an immediate danger of losing their livelihoods due to the continued sharp decline in working hours because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said. Over 430 million enterprises in hard-hit sectors such as retail and manufacturing risk "serious disruption", the UN agency added. The findings appear in the ILO Monitor third edition released on Wednesday.

Globally, there are some 3.3 billion workers. Two billion have jobs in the informal economy, the most vulnerable workers in the labour market. ILO said 1.6 billion in the informal economy "have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living" as a result of the economic meltdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to lockdowns or because they work in hard-hit sectors, these workers globally have seen a 60 per cent drop in income during the first month of the crisis. This translates into a over 80 per cent decline in Africa and the Americas, 70 per cent in Europe and Central Asia, and 21.6 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, the ILO said.

The ILO called for "urgent, targeted and flexible measures" to support both workers and business, particularly smaller enterprises and those in the informal economy.

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In an incident that show motherly love is the same for every species on Earth, viral pictures of a worried cat in Turkey bringing her sick kitten to hospital for treatment shared on Twitter has made netizens emotional.

A Twitter user shared the pictures of the cat carrying the kitten with her mouth and walking into a hospital in Turkey. Another set of pictures shared by the user shows a team of doctors attending the cat and treating the kitten. The translation of the tweet originally in Turkish, reads, “Today in the hospital, a cat brought her baby in her mouth to the emergency room.” The post garnered more than 83,600 likes and was retweeted over 4,800 times.

Yavrusu biraz haylaz biri, annesi bulduÄŸu yerde kapıp götürüyor pic.twitter.com/GYvBXt3UQz

— Merve Özcan (@ozcanmerveee) April 27, 2020

The pictures were also tweeted by a official in the Indian Revenue Service, Naaved Trumboo, who tweeted, “As strange as it may seem, a cat walked into a hospital in Turkey seeking help for its sick kitten.” He also said in the tweet that mother’s love works in mysterious ways.

As strange as it may seem, a cat walked into a hospital in Turkey seeking help for its sick kitten. Mother's love works in mysterious ways. pic.twitter.com/kD54sONpgL

— Naveed Trumboo IRS (@NaveedIRS) April 30, 2020

Here’s how the twitterati reacted:

Respected Sir,
awesome post.
U r absolutely right
That is called mother's love nobody can denies it.

— Kaleem-uddin Khaza (@Kaleem4u) April 30, 2020

Very intelligent mother

— Anamika Baruah (@AnamikaBaruah8) April 30, 2020

She wanted a scan done- a Cat Scan !!

— Manoj Sharma (@Sharma_Manoj) April 30, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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With the Coronavirus outbreak wreaking havoc across the globe with millions of people being infected and scores of lives claimed, government have made wearing face masks mandatory for people. The decision has made face masks a prized commodity for people.

Traffic in California came to brief halt after drivers had stopped to pick up face masks that were littered on the road. Although it is not clear how the masks ended up spilled on the highway, CBS reported that a man was spotted throwing boxes of masks on the road from a white truck.

The California Highway Patrol-Hayward posted pictures of the incident on their Facebook page where scores of masks were found lying on the southbound lanes of Interstate 880. “Multiple individuals stopped in lanes and stepped out of their vehicles to pick up masks,” read the post, adding that debris has been cleared and the lanes were opened.

The post also appealed drivers not to step out of their vehicle on an active freeway. Many users commenting on the post criticized the driver who reportedly threw the mask on the road, instead of donating it. One user said, “Just terrible! That person has no respect.” Another user said, “The highway does not have a need for medical masks. Therefore, I would have donated to an entity that did! A user said, “What a waste of something necessary now.”

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened new tariffs against Beijing as he claimed to have seen evidence linking the novel Coronavirus to a lab in China's ground-zero city of Wuhan. Trump's comments undercut a rare public statement from his own intelligence community on Thursday which stated no such assessment has been made by them whether the COVID-19 outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.

'I have evidence'

At his daily White House briefing on COVID-19 on Thursday, Trump was asked by a reporter: "Have you seen anything at this point that gives you a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin of this virus?" "Yes, I have. Yes, I have," Trump said. He, however, refused to provide any details, except for saying that investigations are on and it would be out soon.

Asked what gave him a high degree of confidence that the virus originated from the WIV, he said, "I can't tell you that. I'm not allowed to tell you that."

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said on Thursday it concurs with the "wide scientific consensus" regarding COVID-19's natural origins. The US has 1,069,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

WHO blamed for pandemic

Trump also blamed the World Health Organisation for the pandemic. "I think the WHO should be ashamed of themselves because they're like the public relations agency for China," he said. Trump, however, did not hold his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping responsible for the global outbreak.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a fertiliser factory completion ceremony, state media reported on Saturday, his first public appearance after 20 days of absence that sparked rumours about his health.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim cut the tape at the ceremony marking the completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, on Friday. Photos released by KCNA showed Kim, dressed in a dark Mao suit, cutting the red ribbon during the ceremony and talking to accompanying officials with a smile on his face.

"All the participants broke into thunderous cheers of 'hurrah!' extending the greatest glory to the Supreme Leader who has brought about a new change in the development of Juche-based fertilizer industry and has led the grand revolutionary advance for strengthening self-supporting economy to a victory with his outstanding leadership," KCNA said. Juche is the concept of self-reliance.

Kim was also quoted as expressing "satisfaction about the wonderful creation". In a report last week, CNN had said that the US was looking into intelligence that Kim Jong-un was in "grave danger" after surgery.

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China, where the deadly coronavirus first emerged in December last, reported just one COVID-19 case, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Saturday. The death toll remained at 4,633 with no new fatality. As of Friday, the total confirmed cases on the mainland were 82,875. As many as 77,685 patients have been recovered, the NHC said.

One new imported coronavirus case was reported on Friday with no new local infection, it said. China has reported a total of 1,671 imported COVID-19 cases, including seven in critical condition. The Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, have not reported any coronavirus case for 28 consecutive days since April 4, local health commission said on Saturday. Hubei also lowered its COVID-19 emergency response from the highest level to the second-highest on Saturday.

The lowering of the emergency level shows a major breakthrough in Hubei's prevention and control against the coronavirus, Hubei Vice-Governor Yang Yunyan told media. Meanwhile, 20 new asymptomatic cases were reported on Friday, taking the total number of such patients to 989. Asymptomatic cases refer to people who are tested COVID-19 positive but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. However, they pose a risk of spreading the disease to others.

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In a touching gesture, a bride ensured her grandmother staying in an assisted home gets to be a part of her wedding by visiting her on her big day amid the Coronavirus scare. Shauna Varner from Minnesota stopped at nothing to involve her grandmother Janis Krueger in her wedding, even if it was from behind the glass door.

Varner and her fiancé Travis Scepaniak had planned a big wedding but had to call it off and smaller ceremony with a small number of guests due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As it was impossible to get Krueger out of the assisted home, Varner came up with an idea to get the administration there involved to help her.

The assisted home shared the heartfelt moment of  Varner making her bridal debut in front of Janice on their Facebook page, with the caption that read, “COVID-19 cannot stop true love.” The post, which concluded with the home conveying their wishes to the couple, also read that love radiated between the grandmother-granddaughter duo as soon as the bride got out of her car.

The post shared last week garnered more than 105680 views on Facebook with over 2,600 likes and was shared 531 times. Users commenting the video praised the bride’s gesture and conveyed their best wishes to the couple.

A user said, “This is so sweet that they would come to visit Grama and make her part of their special day! Congratulations to the happy couple and your families! Your dress is beautiful and the groom looks pretty good too!” Another user said, “How beautiful grandma could still participate ! Love has no boundaries ! Wonderful that the facility help make a dream come true!” One user said, “Wow!!! Goosebumps and tears! How very special!”

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North and South Korean troops exchanged fire along their tense border on Sunday, the South's military said, the first such incident since the rivals took unprecedented steps to lower front-line animosities in late 2018.

Violent confrontations have occasionally occurred along the border, the world's most heavily fortified. While Sunday's incident is a reminder of persistent tensions, it didn't cause any known casualties on either side and is unlikely to escalate, observers said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement that North Korean troops fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the border zone. South Korea responded with a total of 20 rounds of warning shots on two occasions before issuing a warning broadcast, it said.

A preliminary South Korean analysis showed that the North firing wasn't likely a calculated provocation, though Seoul will continue examining whether there was any motivation for the action, a South Korean defense official said. The firing came a day after the North broadcast a video of Kim Jong Un reappearing in public after a 20-day absence.

S Korea refutes surgery rumour

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, a South Korean official said on Sunday, amid speculation about his health that continues to linger even after he reappeared publicly. He refused to provide the basis for the intelligence assessment.

Glad Kim is back and well, says Trump

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was "glad" about the reappearance of Kim Jong Un and that he is apparently healthy. "I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well!" Trump tweeted, following Kim's first public appearance in nearly three weeks after rumours that he was seriously ill or possibly dead."

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Millions of people were allowed to return to work in Italy Monday as Europe's longest lockdown started to ease, while countries from Iceland to India took a patchwork of steps to loosen Coronavirus restrictions. Businesses including hairdressers in Greece and restaurants in Lebanon were opening their doors under new conditions.

With pressure growing in many countries for more measures to restart the economy, politicians also were trying to boost funding for research into a vaccine for COVID-19. There are hopes that one could be available in months, but warnings that it could take much longer.

Italy, the first European country to be hit by the pandemic and a nation with one of the world's highest death tolls, started stirring after its two-month shutdown. In all, 4.4 million Italians were able to return to work, and restrictions on movement eased. Traffic in downtown Rome picked up, construction sites and manufacturing operations resumed, and flower vendors returned to the Campo dei Fiori market for the first time since March 11.

As infection rates have fallen in large parts of Europe, tentative efforts to restart public life are gathering pace. But Europeans' new-found freedoms are limited as officials are wary of setting off a second wave of infections.

In Italy, mourners were able to attend funerals - but services were limited to 15 people and there was still no word on when Masses would resume. Restaurants scrubbed their floors in preparation for take-out service, but sit-down service is several weeks away.

Italians still have to carry certifications explaining why they are out. The list of acceptable reasons has now been expanded to include visits to family and lovers, but just who falls into that category is still unclear.

Russia braces for quick surge in cases

Russian officials on Monday reported a steady rise in the number of the COVID-19 infections, fueling concerns that the hospitals could be overwhelmed. The task force dealing with the outbreak reported 10,581 new cases on Monday, taking the total to 1,45,268, including 1,356 deaths. Officials have voiced fears that the holidays could cause a surge in contagion.

Spain sees lowest daily death toll

For a second day in a row, Spanish health officials are reporting 164 new deaths from COVID-19, the lowest daily death toll in six weeks, to a total of 25,428. The figures came as a respite for a country that has spent seven weeks under a strict lockdown and that on Monday entered the first stage of its four-phase lockdown rollback.

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The race by governments to develop mobile tracing apps to help contain infections after coronavirus lockdowns ease is focusing attention on privacy. The debate is especially urgent in Europe, which has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the world, with nearly 140,000 people killed by COVID-19. The use monitoring technology, however, may evoke bitter memories of massive surveillance by totalitarian authorities in much of the continent. The European Union has in recent years led the way globally to protect people's digital privacy, introducing strict laws for tech companies and web sites that collect personal information. Academics and civil liberties activists are now pushing for greater personal data protection in the new apps as well.

European authorities, under pressure to ease lockdown restrictions in place for months in some countries, want to make sure infections don't rise once confinements end. One method is to trace who infected people come into contact with and inform them of potential exposure so they can self-isolate. Traditional methods involving in-person interviews of patients are time consuming and labor intensive, so countries want an automated solution in the form of smartphone contact tracing apps. But there are fears that new tech tracking tools are a gateway to expanded surveillance. Intrusive digital tools employed by Asian governments that successfully contained their virus outbreaks won't withstand scrutiny in Europe.

Residents of the EU cherish their privacy rights so compulsory apps, like South Korea's, which alerts authorities if users leave their home, or location tracking wristbands, like those used by Hong Kong, just won't fly. The contact-tracing solution gaining the most attention involves using low energy Bluetooth signals on mobile phones to anonymously track users who come into extended contact with each other. Officials in western democracies say the apps must be voluntary. The battle in Europe has centered on competing systems for Bluetooth apps. One German-led project, Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing, or PEPP-PT, which received early backing from 130 researchers, involves data uploaded to a central server.

However, some academics grew concerned about the project's risks and threw their support behind a competing Swiss-led project, Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing, or DP3T. Privacy advocates support a decentralised system because anonymous data is kept only on devices. Some governments are backing the centralized model because it could provide more data to aid decisionmaking, but nearly 600 scientists from more than two dozen countries have signed an open letter warning this could, 'via mission creep, result in systems which would allow unprecedented surveillance of society at large.'

Apple and Google waded into the fray by backing the decentralized approach as they unveiled a joint effort to develop virus-fighting digital tools. The tech giants are releasing a software interface so public health agencies can integrate their apps with iPhone and Android operating systems, and plan to release their own apps later. The EU's executive Commission warned that a fragmented approach to tracing apps hurt the fight against the virus and called for coordination as it unveiled a digital 'toolbox' for member countries to build their apps with.

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Australian flag carrier, Qantas on Tuesday extended international flight cancellations till the end of July, but said that it was in a strong position to endure disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said that domestic flights would be cancelled till the end of June and international services until the end of July, adding that domestic and trans-Tasman services could be quickly reinstated should restrictions ease in coming weeks, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Australia has done an amazing job of flattening the curve and we're optimistic that domestic travel will start returning earlier than first thought, but we clearly won't be back to pre-coronavirus levels anytime soon," Group CEO Alan Joyce said.

"With the possible exception of New Zealand, international travel demand could take years to return to what it was."

The company, which includes budget branch Jetstar, also revealed it had secured a further A$550 million ($354 million) in debt funding, placing it in a stronger position to endure the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Qantas, by reducing expenditure and borrowing against its fleet of aircraft, the company could survive several recovery scenarios, including one where current travel restrictions persisted until December 2021.

The reduction in expenditure is largely due to the standing down of more than 25,000 staff who were forced to use leave entitlements before receiving delayed financial assistance from the government.

"The impact of this stand down is deeply regrettable but has been greatly softened by the Australian Government's JobKeeper program, which the Group commenced paying several weeks ahead of the official payment start date," the airline said in a statement.

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As a last ditch effort to prevent his extradition to India, embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Monday filed an application in UK Supreme Court to prevent implementation of an earlier order that made his return to India imminent.

The application came after a gap of almost two weeks after the London High Court on April 20 rejected a similar application and ordered his extradition to India to face enforcement authorities there in connection with a Rs 9,000 crore bank fraud and money laundering case involving his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The UK Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter later this week. Legal experts said that if the application is rejected by Supreme Court as well, then UK Home Secretary would have to sign on Mallya's extradition papers within 28 days.

Mallya's application in Supreme Court came on the last day when such an appeal could be made in the top court. The 64-year-old businessman was given 14 days to file such an application against the order of High Court. The high court dismissed his appeal against a Westminster Magistrates' Court extradition order certified by the UK Home Secretary.

Legal experts quoted above said it is unlikely for Mallya to get a reprieve from Supreme Court as it would only look as constitutional issues and may not tamper with high court's order if other aspects are in order.

This should be music to the ears of enforcement agencies in India who have been waiting for a long time get hold of the fugitive businessman. The ED has attached several properties of Mallya in the last few years under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Mallya is being investigated by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the loan fraud case.

He was arrested by the UK authorities on April 20, 2017 on the request of the Indian investigative agencies.

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The Trump administration has initiated talks on winding down the White House Task Force on COVID-19 and gradually delegating its responsibilities to the relevant federal agencies, US Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday. Pence leads the task force.

"As I have said before, as we continue to practise social distancing and states engage in safe and responsible reopening plans, I truly believe — and the trend lines support it — that we could be in a very different place. And by late May and early June — and that probably represents the timetable for our agencies."

President Donald Trump also confirmed the news. Asked why is now the time to wind down the task force if there could be a recurrence, he said, "Because we cannot close our country down for the next five years. The administration has learned a lot." The president noted that health experts believe there could be a recurrence but they would need to "put it out". Over 71,000 Americans have died more than 12 lakh have been infected from COVID-19 so far.

Infection rate rising
Meanwhile, the infection rate outside of New York is rising even as states move to lift their lockdowns, an Associated Press analysis found Tuesday.

New confirmed infections per day in the US exceed 20,000, and deaths per day are well over 1,000, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

And public health officials warn that the failure to flatten the curve and drive down the infection rate in places could lead to perhaps tens of thousands of deaths as people are allowed to venture out and businesses reopen. "Make no mistakes: This virus is still circulating in our community, perhaps even more now than in previous weeks" said Linda Ochs, director of the Health Department in Shawnee County, Kansas.

HCQ warnings ignored
Fired vaccine expert Dr Rick Bright has alleged that the US ignored the concerns of doctors over the import of hydroxychloroquine from "uninspected" factories in India and Pakistan and flooded the US with the unproven and potentially dangerous drug to treat COVID-19 patients.

Italy claims to have made vaccine that neutralises COVID-19

Italian biotech firm Takis has claimed that they have developed a vaccine that neutralises COVID-19 in human cells. According to reports, the tests conducted on mice at Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases showed that the vaccine generated antibodies in mice that could work on human cells too. "This is the most advanced stage of testing of a candidate vaccine created in Italy. We believe this will also happen in humans," Takis CEO Luigi Aurisicchio said.

Pak becomes 29th country with over 500 COVID-19 deaths

With a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the past week, Pakistan has now become the 29th country in the world where over 500 deaths have been reported. The Executive Director of National Institute of Health (NIH), Maj Gen Prof Dr Aamer Ikram said things would start improving for Pakistan in June, Dawn reported. But as things stand, he said the total number of cases in Pakistan could go up to 1,50,000. Pakistan's cabinet has given a nod to relax the lockdown restrictions after May 9.

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The Disneyland theme park in Shanghai will reopen on May 11 under "enhanced health and safety measures," the firm said. Only limited attendance will be allowed initially, and visitors will need to book tickets and make reservations in advance. Social distancing will be maintained in lines for amenities, in restaurants, on rides and other facilities and sanitisation and disinfection will be boosted, it added.

With warmer weather and new virus cases and deaths falling to near-zero, China has been steadily re-opening, parks, museums and tourist sites such as the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City ancient palace complex in Beijing. China has reported two confirmed cases and 20 new asymptomatic infections.

China asks US for proof
China on Wednesday dared US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to show "enormous evidence" he claimed to have to prove that the virus originated from a lab in Wuhan and said he has no proof to back up his claims.

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India is projected to record the highest number of births in the 9 months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March, with more than 20 million babies expected to be born in the country between March and December, according to top UN body. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that pregnant mothers and babies born during the pandemic across the world were threatened by strained health systems and disruptions in services. An estimated 116 million babies will be born under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF said on Wednesday, ahead of Mother's Day, observed on May 10.

These babies are projected to be born up to 40 weeks after COVID-19 was recognised as a pandemic on March 11. The highest numbers of births in the 9 months since the pandemic was declared are expected to occur in India, where 20.1 million babies are projected to be born between March 11 and December 16. Other countries with the expected highest numbers of births during this period are China (13.5 million), Nigeria (6.4 million), Pakistan (5 million) and Indonesia (4 million), it said. "Most of these countries had high neonatal mortality rates even before the pandemic and may see these levels increase with COVID-19 conditions," UNICEF said.

It is estimated that there will be 24.1 million births in India for the January-December 2020 period. UNICEF warned that COVID-19 containment measures can disrupt life-saving health services such as childbirth care, putting millions of pregnant mothers and their babies at great risk. Even wealthier countries are affected by this crisis. In the US, the sixth highest country in terms of expected number of births, over 3.3 million babies are projected to be born between March 11 and December 16.
"New mothers and newborns will be greeted by harsh realities," UNICEF said, adding they include global containment measures such as lockdowns and curfews; health centres overwhelmed with response efforts; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of sufficient skilled birth attendants as health workers, including midwives, are redeployed to treat COVID-19 patients.

"Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was. They now must prepare to bring a life into the world as it has become ¿ a world where expecting mothers are afraid to go to health centres for fear of getting infected, or missing out on emergency care due to strained health services and lockdowns," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "It is hard to imagine how much the coronavirus pandemic has recast motherhood" Fore said.
UNICEF said its analysis was based on data from World Population Prospects 2019 of the UN Population Division.

An average full-term pregnancy typically lasts a complete 9 months, or 39 to 40 weeks. For the purposes of this estimate, the number of births for a 40-week period in 2020 was calculated. The 40-week period of March 11 to December 16 is used in this estimate based upon the WHO's March 11 assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic. UNICEF warned that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not more affected by COVID-19 than others, countries need to ensure they still have access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.

Similarly, sick newborns need emergency services as they are at high risk of death. New families require support to start breastfeeding, and to get medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy, it said. "This is a particularly poignant Mother's Day, as many families have been forced apart during the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also a time for unity, a time to bring everyone together in solidarity. We can help save lives by making sure that every pregnant mother receives the support she needs to give birth safely in the months to come," Fore said.

Issuing an urgent appeal to governments and health care providers to save lives in the coming months, UNICEF said efforts must be made to help pregnant women receive antenatal checkups, skilled delivery care, postnatal care services, and care related to COVID-19 as needed. Ensure health workers are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment and get priority testing and vaccination once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available so that can deliver high quality care to all pregnant women and newborn babies during the pandemic, it said.

While it is not yet known whether the virus is transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy and delivery, UNICEF advised all pregnant women to follow precautions to protect themselves from exposure to the virus. Closely monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and seek advice from the nearest designated facility if they have concerns or experience symptoms. Pregnant women should also take the same precautions to avoid COVID -19 infection as other people: practice physical distancing, avoid physical gatherings and use online health services, it said.

UNICEF said even before COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 2.8 million pregnant women and newborns died every year, or 1 every 11 seconds, mostly of preventable causes.
The agency called for immediate investment in health workers with the right training, who are equipped with the right medicines to ensure every mother and newborn is cared for by a safe pair of hands to prevent and treat complications during pregnancy, delivery and birth.

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Four top Republican senators have urged President Donald Trump to suspend all new guest worker visas for 60 days and certain categories of new guest worker visas, including the H-1B, for at least a year or until unemployment figures return to normal levels in the US amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic, which has so far claimed 76,000 lives and infected over 1,256,000 in the US, has ravaged the labour market, and 1 in 5 American workers have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since mid-March, when the lockdown hit businesses across the country, the world's largest economy.

1/5th workforce out of work

The letter to president Trump, dated May 7, has been signed by Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Chuck Grassley and Josh Hawley. "More than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment coverage just since mid-March, and approximately one-fifth of the American workforce is currently out of work. "This is a stunning difference compared with the historically-low nationwide unemployment rate of just 3.5 per cent in February this year," the senators said in their letter.

"To protect unemployed Americans in the early stages of economic recovery, we urge you to suspend all non-immigrant guest worker visas for the next 60 days," the senators said.

'Suspend EB-5 visa too'

"That suspension should, at a minimum, include H-2B visas (non-agricultural seasonal workers), H-1B visas (specialty occupation workers) and the Optional Practical Training programme (extension of foreign student visas after graduation). We also urge you to suspend the EB-5 immigrant visa programme, effective immediately," the lawmakers wrote. The H-1B work visa for foreign technology professionals is highly popular among Indians and a large number of Indians also opt for the EB-5 investors visa.

Worst monthly record

The US unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record. The figures are stark evidence of the damage the coronavirus has done to a now-shattered economy.

The collapse of the job market has occurred with stunning speed. The government's report Friday noted that many people who lost jobs in April but didn't look for another one weren't even counted in the unemployment rate. The impact of those losses was reflected in the drop in the proportion of working-age Americans who have jobs: Just 51.3%, the lowest on record.

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[Source: Research & Innovation] A revolutionary approach to neuro-rehabilitation developed by EU-funded researchers could help intensive care patients to recover, including survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Source: Research & Innovation] ‘For Europe to come out stronger after the Corona crisis, we need to already direct our investments towards game-changing innovations that create a sustainable and human centric digital future’, according to the vision statement of the European Innovation Council Advisory Board published today.

[Source: Research & Innovation] The Danish island of Bornholm is the first ever winner of the EU RESponsible Island Prize. The Danish island won the title in recognition for its innovative energy solutions and its contribution to a sustainable and climate-friendly Europe, the European Commission announced today. The second prize went to the island of Samsø, also in Denmark, and the third prize to the Orkney Islands in the United Kingdom.

[Source: Research & Innovation] EU-funded researchers have employed quantum physics to develop an optical microscope that opens up the potential to view the tiniest of objects - including many viruses - directly for the first time.

[Source: Research & Innovation] A total of 117 innovative solutions to tackle the coronavirus have been selected as winners of the European Innovation Council-led #EUvsVirus Hackathon.

[Source: Research & Innovation] The European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Pilot will work with an extra €150 million to support game-changing innovations to tackle the coronavirus crisis. The additional budget, approved by the European Commission today, will fund the best start-ups and SMEs who applied under the March cut-off.

[Source: Research & Innovation] EU-funded researchers have developed an ultrasensitive test to rapidly, accurately and cost-effectively diagnose disease, underpinned by innovative biosensing technology that could help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV and cancer.

[Source: Research & Innovation] Polymer Comply Europe (PCE) is pleased to announce its next live webinar on the polynSPIRE project “Demonstration of innovative technologies towards a more efficient and sustainable plastic recycling”, organised on behalf of European Plastics Converters (EuPC) and the polynSPIRE project. The live webinar will focus on recycling and redesigning the plastics value chain are essential in reusing plastic waste material and avoiding landfill. Webinar agenda: Welcome & Introduction About CIRCE The polynSPIRE project: goals, challenges and progress Questions & Answers Closing

[Source: Research & Innovation] Generating safe antigens to induce immunity is one of several key steps in vaccine production. Purification is another, and it is typically a complex process. EU-funded researchers have designed a way to simplify the process, boost yields, limit waste and reduce costs, in a bid to help make more doses available more affordably.

[Source: Research & Innovation] Armed with a novel biosensor that uses acoustic waves to detect tumour DNA, an EU-funded project could increase the precision and affordability of cancer diagnosis and help make personalised treatment a reality for more patients.

Hong Kong and India on March 19 signed an agreement to avoid double taxation and limit withholding tax rates on passive income at source.

PwC India has called for simplification of India's goods and services tax regime, in a report to mark 200 days since the regime entered into force.

India has launched a consultation on efforts to reform the country's 1961 income tax law, to be led by a newly constituted task force.

India has approved amendments to its double tax agreement with Qatar.

India's Central Board of Direct Taxes has launched a consultation on changes to the country's tax ruling process and forms to enable the country to exchange information on tax rulings with other countries' tax authorities, as proposed by the OECD in its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project.

India's Central Board of Direct Taxation announced on June 7, 2018, that during the first two months of June tax officials have been tasked with resolving disputes with taxpayers.