Travel by rail, air, metro and even inter-state movement by road will continue to be restricted. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions will remain closed. There will be zone-wise relaxations for areas that fall into the orange or green zones.The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that the nationwide lockdown in India has been extended by another two weeks. Instead of relaxations kicking in on May 3 — the lockdown regulation will remain in place until May 17. The decision has been made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers and other top government functionaries met yesterday (April 30).Travel by rail, air, metro and even inter-state movement by road will continue to be restricted. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions will remain closed. This

Amravati, May 2 () Four persons, including adeceased patient, tested positive for COVID-19 at Amravati in Maharashtra on Saturday, taking the tally in the city to 47, an official said. Of the 24 swab samples that were tested, results offour have come out positive, district collector Shailesh Navalsaid.A deceased 58-year-old man from Kanwar Nagar was among those who tested positive on Saturday, apart from a man from Taj Nagar and one from Tarkheda, he said.With the death of the Kanwar Nagar resident, the tollof COVID-19 deaths in the city has gone up to eight, while the count stands at 47, the collector said.

Nashik, May 2 () At least 19 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Nashik district on Saturday, taking the tally to 316 here, an official said. Of the 19 new cases, seven were from Malegaon and 12 from Nashik, a release from the district administration state.With the fresh cases, the COVID-19 count in the district has gone up to 316, which includes 281 patients in Malegaon, 16 in Nashik city and 17 from other parts of the district, the statement read. As many as 12 patients have succumbed to the infection in the district, while 25 have recovered so far, it was stated.

Indore, May 2 () Two COVID-19 patients succumbed to the infection at Indore in Madhya Pradesh, taking the toll in the district to 74, a senior official said on Saturday. Indore, one of the worst hit districts in the country,has been reeling under the coronavirus outbreak for the last one month.The deceased COVID-19 patients include two women in their 50s, one of whom suffered from anaemia, while the other had co-morbid conditions of high blood pressure and diabetes, chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Praveen Jadia said.At least 32 fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported inthe district in the last 24 hours, taking the count to 1,545,of which 250 patients have recovered from the infection, he said.The latest data has revealed that the death rate of COVID-19 patients in the district as on

Thiruvananthapuram, May 2 (): After remaining free of any positive cases for a month, Wayanad reported a loneCOVID-19 case on Saturday, following which the district wasshifted from the green to the orange zone, Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan said.The other positive case in the state was from Kannur,which has the highest number of cases at present.With the fresh cases,the tally in the state stood at 499.No positive cases were detected in the state on Friday."There are only two positive cases in the state today. But one is from Wayanad where since the past one month no positive cases have been reported.So Wayanad has been removed from thegreen to the orange zone," Vijayan told reporters here.Samples of 8 people - six from Kannur and two from Idukkihave returned negative.There are 80 hotspots,

Ahmedabad, May 2 () Ahmedabad on Saturday reported 20 fatalities due to COVID-19, its highest single-day tally,and 250 new cases, a Gujarat health official said. With this, the overall death tally in Gujarat'sbiggest city has mounted to 185 while the number of cases roseto 3,543, the official said."Of the total 26 deaths reported in Gujarat on Saturday, Ahmedabad accounted for 20," said Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi.Of the 20 deceased, 12 were suffering from underlyinghealth conditions, she said."Ahmedabad has reported 250 of the total 333 new COVID-19 casesfrom 12 districts of the state," the official said.A total 63 coronavirus positive patients were discharged after recovery in Ahmedabad, taking their total number in the district to 462, she said. See Also - Checkout the names

Kolkata, May 2 () Fifteen people have died in West Bengal due to COVID-19 in the last 48 hours, taking the toll to 48, according to a bulletin issued by the state health department on Saturday. It said 127 new cases of coronavirus were registered from different parts of the state during this period, as the new number of active cases rose to 639.The government did not issue any bulletin on the COVID-19 status on Friday.In the last 48 hours, 60 people have been discharged from various hospitals after being cured. Now a total of 199 patients have been cured of the disease in the state.The bulletin said 4,471 samples were tested during this period to check COVID-19 and the total number of tests in West Bengal is 20,976.The total number of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal till Saturday is 886 while

Bhubaneswar, May 2 () Eight people tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha's Jajpur district on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 157, officials said with 56 people cured of the disease and one death, the number of active cases in the state now stands at 100. Till Friday, a total of 36,593 samples were tested, they said All the eight newly detected patients, which include two women, have a travel history to Kolkata in West Bengal, officials said, adding they were kept in a quarantine centre and had no symptoms of coronavirus.Their samples were tested in view their travel history, the officials said.With these new instances of the infection, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 47 in Jajpur district which has emerged as the new coronavirus hotspot of Odisha.

Chandrapur, May 2 () Chandrapur district in Maharashtra on Saturday reported its first COVID-19 case after a 50-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus, officials said here. His reports came in positive at around 8:30 pm and the area around his residence in Krishna Nagar in Bengali Camp area has been sealed, said District Civil Surgeon Nivruti Rathod.Collector Kunal Khemnar, in a press release, asked people to ad here to lockdown norms strictly so that the spread of the virus can be stopped.A District Information Office release said three residents of Chandrapur are currently admitted for the infection in Delhi and Nagpur, due to which the district ispart of the orange zone.See Also - Total coronavirus cases in India till May 4Coronavirus hotspot and Containment zones in Hyderabad

Nashik, May 3 () The number of coronavirus cases rose to 360 in Maharashtra's Nashik district after 27 more people tested positive for the disease, the district administration said on Sunday. With this, 324 COVID-19 cases have so far been reported from Malegaon town, 16 from Nashik city and 17 from other parts of the district.Besides, three patients from outside Nashik are also under going treatment in hospitals here, the district administration said in a release.The district has so far reported 12 deaths, while 25 people have been discharged after recovery.

A number of aircraft of Indian Air Force conducted a fly past over different parts spanning the length and breadth of the country today (May 3) as a tribute to the frontline staff ⁠— doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, police and others ⁠— dealing with the COVID-19 pandeminc in India. This flying activity was combined along with the training activity of the Indian Air Force and opportunity flight for transport aircraft and helicopters who are involved in moving supplies related to COVID-19 task, a government statement said. Watch the video here: Courtesy: The state-run broadcaster Doordarshan.From the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow to Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital in Kerala, the IAF aircrafts showered flower petals

India's National Pension System (NPS) has bucked the downtrend triggered by Covid-19 outbreak and the subsequent nationwide lockdown to contain it. During the first three weeks of April, the scheme along with the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has seen an upsurge in new enrolments and an increase in assets under management (AUM) of these programmes.ALSO WATCH: The CEO of mutual fund house explains how to invest your savings in the post-coronavirus world In financial parlance, NPS and APY are Central government backed schemes which are administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The PFRDA is the statutory authority established by an enactment of the Parliament, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the NPS and the pension schemes to which this Act applies.75468072The

One of India's top five technology services companies, Tech Mahindra, reported a rather disappointing set of earnings on Friday. However, the stock is still cheap and it can gain another 15% in the next one year, says a report from Kotak Institutional equities, which cut the estimate for the company's earnings per share by up to 22%. Tech Mahindra has reported a drop of 4.3% in dollar revenue in Jan-March 2020, while the net profit fell 32%, compared to three months ago. The company has announced a final dividend of ₹5 per share. 75472021Tech Mahindra derives a large share of revenue, about 8.7%, from business process outsourcing (BPO) unit, which has 46,816 employees, mostly from voice services. "Transition to work-from-home has lagged with customers refusing to give permissions. Work-from-home

Two out of the top three military spenders in the world are India and China – and Pakistan was among the top ten countries in terms of military spending as a portion of the GDP in 2019 – and that says something about the tension in the region. Even as the world is struggling to tame the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, India and Pakistan are exchanging fires across the Line of Control in Kashmir. Most recently, two Indian soldiers including a Colonel lost their lives. The appeal for peace from United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres has not eased the tensions so far. From the Korean Peninsula to the South China sea, to the India-Pakistan border, there are many hotspots in Asia involving the three major nuclear powers. So here's a look at how India and its two bitter neighbours have increased

This is an excerpt of an article originally published in the Observer Research Foundation. Viral load matters.Although there’s plenty we still don’t know about all the ways coronavirus ravages the human body, data are telling us at least this much: More than 10 in 100 frontline healthcare workers in the US are getting infected with COVID19.Frontline health care workers who are typically in closest proximity with confirmed COVID19 patients account for 11% per cent of US COVID19 cases according to the first national level data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).7551518275516736Doctors on the cutting edge of COVID19 research have been urging policy makers to factor viral dose and its relationship to severity. This CDC report based on data between February 12–April

While the new government guidelines have allowed IT manufacturing units including mobile phones to resume operations from May 4, there has been no official confirmation yet and Realme India is awaiting the nod to open its factory at Greater Noida and begin streamlining overall processes, its CEO Madhav Sheth said on Sunday.Due to the extended lockdown, there are many challenges faced by businesses with huge impact from sales, manufacturing and cost."With the recent extension of the lockdown period for two more weeks, we haven't received any official confirmation on when can the production will resume," Madhav Sheth, Vice President, Realme and CEO, Realme India, told IANS.75515809"We have reached out to the government for approval on opening of factory and now await their decision. We will

The nationwide lockdown has had deep ramifications on economic activity and according to a CEO Snap Poll by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), 44.7 per cent of the corporate chiefs believe that it would take more than a year for the Indian economy to recover.According to the snap poll on the 'Impact of COVID-19 on Economy and Industry', as a majority of the firms continue to anticipate a significant decline in their revenues, they now foresee a delay in economic revival and demand recovery.SEE ALSO: Crashing crude oil cracks Reliance Industries fourth-quarter profit by nearly 40%Crashing crude oil cracks Reliance Industries fourth-quarter profit by nearly 40% "The survey results reveal that the country may experience a protracted slowdown in economic activity as a major proportion

Ahmedabad, May 3 () One more ward of Ahmedabad city was declared as a COVID-19 containment zone on Sunday, taking the total number of such wards here to 10, a senior civic official said. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is taking steps to ensure lockdown rules are strictly followed in these affected areas to contain the spread of coronavirus, he said.The Maninagar ward in south Ahmedabad is the latest to be added in the list of containment zones, the official said.The COVID-19 figures in Ahmedabad till Saturday are as follows: Total cases-3,543, deaths-184, active cases-2,815, discharged-525, total samples tested-30,166 (at the rate of 5,000 samples per million), the official said.Ahmedabad has been declared a red zone by the Centre, and the state government will decide on the lockdown

Indore, May 3, Two more people succumbed to coronavirus in Indore, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the Madhya Pradesh's worst hit district to 76, an official said on Sunday.The latest victims included a 55-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man, who died in different hospitals here in the last three days, Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadia said.The woman had diabetes and thyroid problems, while theman was diabetic and also had high blood pressure, he said.Indore reported 23 new coronavirus patients in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of such cases in the district to 1,568 cases, the official said.So far, 350 people have been discharged in the district after recovery, he said.An analysis of the data shows the COVID-19 death ratein Indore stood as 4.85 per cent

A rights issue is an invitation to existing shareholders to buy more shares at a discount to the market price. RIL's investors can subscribe to the right to own one new share for every 15 held in the company at ₹1,257 per share, 14% below Thursday’s (April 30) closing price. Even if you expect that RIL shares will be worth a lot more in the future, if the share falls to ₹1,257, or below, investors can buy the shares from the market instead of subscribing to the rights.The rights issue announced by one of India's most valued company, Reliance Industries (RIL), will have to conclude by the end of June, as declared by the company. The company owned by Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, plans to mop up ₹53,125 crore from shareholders. RIL's investors can subscribe to the right to own one new share

Chandigarh, May 3 () Curfew will be imposed in Haryana from 7 pm to 7 am with effect from May 4, state Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora said on Sunday. Haryana's neighbouring state Punjab and common capital Chandigarh had imposed curfew before the nationwide lockdown was announced. "As per the directions issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the curfew will be imposed in the state from 7 pm to 7 am from May 4, 2020," Arora said. Haryana has given relaxations from April 20 to restart the economic activities like opening of industry and the shops in non-containment zones while following the Centre's guidelines. An official release issued on Sunday evening said the Haryana government "is working to bring the health and economic conditions of the people of its state back on track and

The Bharat Stage 6 or BS6 emission norms have been implemented in India.Here are some BS6 compliant cars that you can buy under ₹10 lakh in India. To help the automakers clear BS4 stocks, the Supreme Court had extended the March 31 deadline for the implementation of BS6 norms to April 24. However, the country has been under lockdown from March 24. The BS6 vehicle emission norms focus on minimizing pollutant emissions from the vehicles.If the automakers approach the apex court again after the lockdown ends, the BS4 deadline may be extended again. However, the companies have already announced BS6 complaint variants of their cars and it’s better to go for these now.Today, we will look at some of the top BS6 compliant cars that you can get under ₹10 lakh in India. 74134283Top BS6 cars under ₹10

Jaipur, May 3 () Rajasthan recorded four more coronavirus deaths on Monday, while 123 fresh cases of the virus were reported, an official said.Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said four people died of the virus in Jaipur. The death toll due to the virus in the state has climbed to 75. Jaipur alone has reported 44 deaths.As many as 123 new cases, including 73 in Jodhpur, 19 in Chittorgarh, 12 in Jaipur, 11 in Pali, three in Kota, two in Rajsamand and one each in Alwar, Bikaner and Udaipur have been reported, the Health Department official said.The state now has 3,009 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 923 have been discharged from hospitals. There are 1,578 active cases, Singh said.Jaipur has reported the highest number of cases with 1,005 infections, followed by

By Gurdip Singh Singapore, May 4 () Nearly 4,800 Indian nationals, most of whom are living in dormitories for foreign workers, have been tested positive with the novel coronavirus in Singapore till the end of April, the Indian High Commissioner here said on Monday.The total number of coronavirus cases in Singapore are 18,205 with 18 deaths, according to the figures released by Singapore Health Ministry on Sunday."Almost all of the infection among Indian workers is mild and their conditions are improving," Jawed Ashraf, Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, told .Over 3,500 Indian nationals, including students, have also registered with the High Commission to return home or to seek assistance for accommodation and food due to their unexpectedly long stay here, he said.Over 90 per cent of the

As countries across the world continue to grapple with COVID-19, ZEE5 Global, which is present in 190 countries, sees a 60% surge in subscriptions and 20% growth in viewership in all markets. The platform’s focus this year is going to be on expanding across geographies, localization and strengthening its content strategy.Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global further shares the growth plan, which are the key markets for ZEE5 global, and its retention strategy once the lockdown is lifted. As most countries across the globe continue being under lockdown, viewers are turning to OTT platforms to stay entertained and escape from the much scarier reality. ZEE5 Global has also seen a 60% uptick in the number of subscribers globally and a 20% growth in viewership in the past month due

Bengaluru, May 4 () A 56-year old man from Kalaburagi became the 26th COVID-19 related fatality in Karnataka, as the state reported 28 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 642, the Health Department said on Monday. Davangere, which was in the green zone has seen as purt in cases with 21 out of 28 cases coming from the district.The deceased was a known case of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and was admitted on April 29 with complaints of cough and fever, the department said in its mid-day situation update.His chest X-ray showed bilateral patchy pneumonitisand he died at designated hospital in Kalaburagi, it said."Twenty-eight new positive cases have been reportedfrom last evening to this noon...Till date 642 COVID-19positive cases have been confirmed. This includes

The Motorola Razr foldable phone is expected to be launched in India on May 8.The flagship foldable phone will be available exclusively from Flipkart.Lenovo-owned smartphone maker Motorola had launched its flagship foldable phone, the Motorola Razr in India in March this year and the device has now been listed with May 8 as the tentative release date on Flipkart. The smartphone was originally scheduled to be launched in the country on April 2. However, the launch was postponed to May 6 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing nationwide lockdown. While the device has been listed on Flipkart, the smartphone maker has not announced when the device will go on sale. The smartphone is priced at ₹1,24,999 for the single 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. As part of an introductory offer, Citibank

Thane, May 4 () While the number of cases in Thane and Navi Mumbai municipal corporation limits has crossed 300 each, Kalyan Dombivali area, the district's third major civicbody, is close to 200 coronavirus positive cases, health officials said on Monday. As on late Sunday night, the total number of cases in Thane district is 1183.The number of cases in KDMC is 195, while it is 389 in Thane city, 314 in Navi Mumbai and 171 in Mira Bhayander.In Navi Mumbai, over 4,000 people have been tested forthe virus in the APMC market in Vashi, the premier supplier ofgrains, vegetables, fruits and spices to Mumbai MetropolitanRegion.In neighbouring Palghar district, the total number ofCOVID-19 cases stands at 177, which includes 10 deaths so far. CORBNM BNM

Jaipur, May 3 () Rajasthan recorded six more coronavirus deaths on Monday, while 130 fresh cases of the virus were reported, an official said.Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said six people, including four in Jaipur and two in Jodhpur, died of the virus.The death toll due to the virus in the state has climbed to 77. Jaipur alone has reported 44 deaths.As many as 130 new cases, including 76 in Jodhpur, 19 in Chittorgarh, 15 in Jaipur, 11 in Pali, three in Kota, two in Rajsamand and one each in Dholpur, Alwar, Bikaner and Udaipur have been reported, the Health Department official said.The state now has 3,016 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 937 have been discharged from hospitals. There are 1,545 active cases, Singh said.Jaipur has reported the highest number of

Airtel has been one of the resilient stocks over the last few months even as the AGR issue and Coronavirus-fueled market crash has wiped off lakhs of crores of investor wealth.The Airtel stock could rally thanks to the Jio-Facebook deal and the weakening of Vodafone Idea.The Airtel stock has been given a ‘Buy’ rating with a target price of ₹606, which is an upside of more than 20%.Airtel was the market leader before the arrival of Reliance Jio, but it has since ceded its lead position to the Mukesh Ambani-owned telecom company. However, the gap between the two leading mobile service providers may be too huge, according to market experts.When it comes to the market cap, though, Airtel is 1.6 times smaller than Jio. Vodafone Idea, on the other hand, is 39 times smaller than Jio, which is currently

This is an excerpt of an article originally published by the Observer Research FoundationWork will be exactly what it is right now as the ‘future’ has already made its way to our present realities. It is then important to know how to address one of the most prevailing obstacles of our ‘new now’ — building trust within our cyber-relationships (mostly focusing on daily transactions and remote working).We know the world is heading towards an economic recession. We, therefore, need to try to make our new cyber reality as akin to real life as possible. This translates into having digital economies that want to be like the very jobs we used to have.Perhaps blockchain will have the answer. Humans produce data every single day, and there have long been debates about its ownership. Web 3.0 may now

BHEL has invited foreign companies to ‘Make in India’ as it seeks to capitalise on US-China tensions to solve its cash flow issues.Investors cheered the move as the stock surged nearly 10% in two days.BHEL’s stock has taken a beating this year, losing half its value after missing FY20 sales by 20%.Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has invited foreign companies to use its facilities to set up manufacturing bases in the country. The government-owned company has floated an expression of interest in this regard. The stock surged nearly 10% in two days before cooling off, as investors cheered the initiative of a state-owned company looking to invite foreign companies on the fence in China and at the same time resolve its cash flow issues — two birds with one stone. 75548252For the year 2020

In our latest episode of BTS with Insiders, Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Ogilvy, talks about four actors, Irrfan Khan, Pushpa Joshi, Atmaram Bhende and Asha Bhende, would are no longer with us but who created magic in some campaigns created by the ad guru.Pandey shares some stories from each of the three ads, while also making an appeal to younger creative professionals to be open to identifying new actors.Last week we collectively grieved the loss of two stalwarts who made a huge impact on Indian cinema, Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor. When I reached out to Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide, Ogilvy, for our weekly chat show, BTS with Insiders, we initially wanted to talk about three ads that he had worked on over the course of his career that he held close

Apple has announced the new 13-inch MacBook Pro in India starting at ₹1,22,990.The new 13-inch MacBook Pro features increased storage and the improved Magic keyboard.The MacBook Pro will be available from authorised Apple resellers after the lockdown ends. Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has announced the new 13-inch MacBook Pro in India amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The new refresh comes just 10 months after the company had updated the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and True Tone display.The new 13-inch MacBook Pro replaces the existing Butterfly keyboard with the Magic keyboard that has a redesigned scissor mechanism with 1mm of key travel, a physical escape key, Touch Bar and TouchID. The Magic keyboard was first introduced with the 16-inch MacBook Pro.Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro pricing

Internet harassment against women is at an all-time high in India. To help address this issue, OYO is discouraging smutty comments directed towards women on its social media tactfully. This initiative also led to improved behavior on the company’s social media, with a 42% drop in negative sentiment towards the brand in less than two weeks (precisely 11 days). OYO also observed some users deleting distasteful comments.“Have we ever come across a woman who hasn’t faced online threats, trolling or harassment at least once in her life? And how are we as members of a responsible society tackling this menace?” These were some of the questions that Mayur Hola, Head of Global Brand, OYO Hotels & Homes pondered upon. The answer came to him through a quick scan on social media. As internet harassment

Nashik, May 5 () A 20-year-old pregnant woman died due to COVID-19 here, taking the toll in Nashik district of Maharashtra to 13, while four more persons tested positive for the infection on Tuesday, officials said. The woman, a resident of Bajrang wadi area of the city,was admitted in serious condition in the District Civil Hospital here on May 2, according to an official release.She died at the hospital after two hours, it said.Her swab report was received on Tuesday and it was found to be positive for the novel coronavirus, the release said.This was the first COVID-19 fatality reported from Nashik city, while the district's toll increased to 13, itsaid.Besides, four more persons - one each from Satana, Sinnar, Yeola and Malegaon towns - tested positive for coronavirus in the district on

The Telangana government has extended the Coronavirus lockdown till May 29.The government has issued new guidelines for opening of shops in urban and rural areas in the orange and green zones.Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Malkajgiri-Medchal have been classified as red zones.The Telangana lockdown has been extended till May 29, the state government today announced after a marathon cabinet meeting of around 7 hours. The K Chandrashekhar Rao government has decided that it will not allow any relaxations, and the curfew will continue as is for the lockdown period. The CM added that irrespective of the centre's decision, the lockdown will continue even after the nationwide lockdown ends on May 17. “The situation in the State capital, Hyderabad, and its neighbouring districts, Rangareddy and Malkajigiri-Medchal

The notification, however, clarified that the retail price will not rise and that would mean that the state-owned fuel retailers will have to bear the burden. Many states have already hiked value-added tax on fuels this week.The hike in duties on fuel will be effective from May 6. Fuels like petrol and diesel do not come under the GST in India.India's Central government has decided to hike the excise duty on petrol by ₹10, and on diesel by ₹13, with effect from Wednesday (May 6) to fill the gaping hole in the exchequer left by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the notification clarified that the retail price of fuels won't rise to avoid hurting the consumer. That would mean that state-owned fuel retailers like Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), and Hindustan

Bhubaneswar, May 6 () Odisha reported its second COVID-19 fatality on Tuesday night after a 77-year-old man died due to the disease in Bhubaneswar, health and family welfare department officials said. He breathed his last at the KIMS COVID-19 Hospital here, they said.The elderly man had underlying co-morbidities of hypertension, diabetes and kidney ailments, the officials said.On April 6, a 72-year-old man from Bhubaneswar's Jharpada had died due to the contagion at the AIIMS here.Meanwhile, an 18-year-old man, who recently returned from Surat in Gujarat, tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 177, an official of the department said.Till Wednesday morning, there were 115 active cases, while 60 persons have recovered from the disease, he

In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.Since retail has been impacted severely, we talk to Gitanjali Singh, Vice President Marketing, Select CITYWALK on how the organization is trying to bounce back and preparing for the post-Covid world.The last one month has thrown a lot of unforeseen challenges to the entire world. As people across the globe are trying to cope with this new normal, there are a lot of things that might change forever.The way businesses are being conducted might see a complete overhaul. People might be unwilling to venture out for a long time to come, at least till a vaccine is developed. This is also expected to bring about behavioural changes in

Jaipur, May 6 () The COVID-19 death toll in Rajasthan increased to 90 with one more fatality reported on Wednesday, while 35 people tested positive for the disease, taking the number of cases to 3,193 in the state, an official said. The state has 1,567 active cases now, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said.The death was reported from Swai Madhopur. The death toll due to the virus in the state has climbed to 90, he said. Jaipur alone has reported 50 deaths.As many as 35 new cases, including 22 in Jaipur, seven in Pali, two each in Dungarpur and Ajmer, one each in Chittorgarh and Alwar, have been reported, the health department official said.The state now has 3,193 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 1,131 have been discharged from hospitals, Singh said.Jaipur has

Aarogya Setu has claimed that the Coronavirus tracking app is secure, and no privacy breaches have been found.Elliot Alderson, an ethical hacker had claimed that he had found a security issue in the app.French ethical hacker who goes by the fictitious name Elliot Alderson claimed that there was a security issue in Aarogya Setu, the coronavirus tracking app launched by the Indian government. In his tweet, Elliot Alderson had claimed that a security issue has been found in the Aarogya Setu app and that the privacy of over 90 million Indians was at risk. Soon after this, Alderson was contacted by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). After disclosing the issue to them, Alderson said that he would wait for the issue to be fixed before

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus/TwitterThe World Health Organisation has been caught in controversies amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.US has accused the multi-lateral platform for health initiatives for acting as China’s ‘proxy’. In a conversation with Business Insider, Parag Khanna, Managing Partner at Future Map and Samir Saran, President of Observer Research Foundation explained the kind of reforms WHO needed to bring to become politically unbiased. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been under fire from the West ever since the coronavirus outbreak. US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of siding with China and even threatened to hold back its funding. There are more experts chiming in and calling for a fixed term for the WHO chief to avoid political partisanship in the future⁠—

The Indian government increased the excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 and ₹13 per litre respectively, hoping to mop up ₹1.6 lakh crore this year.As a result of this, tax on petrol and diesel comprises of 70% of the total price per litreWith the crude oil prices at historically low levels, this could help the government reduce the fiscal deficit at a time when the economy has come to a standstill due to the nationwide lockdown.Amid the falling crude prices, the cash-strapped Indian government has increased the excise duty on petrol and diesel by ₹10 and ₹13 per litre respectively. The increase in excise duty has now taken the tax component in the auto fuels to almost 70% and with this, the government hopes to mop up ₹1.6 lakh crore this year.Various state governments across the country

Shimla, May 6 () One more person tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Wednesday, taking the number of cases to 44 in the state, officials said. The patient is a resident of Jamanabad in Kangra district, Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan said.Of the total 44 patients in the state, 34 have recovered and three died. Four people were shifted to other states for treatment. Himachal Pradesh now has three active cases, one each in Sirmaur, Kangra and Mandi districts. Una has the highest number of recovered patients at 16, followed by Chamba six, Solan five, Kangra four, Hamirpur two and Sirmaur one, the officials said.

“Even after India approves the coronavirus vaccine, it might not be possible to produce more than 10-20 million doses in the first year.”The comments came from the Chairperson of Biocon in an exclusive chat with Business Insider.Syngene, a Biocon subsidiary, is involved in accelerating a bunch of initiatives to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that is spreading around the world.There are at least six vaccines under development in India, of the total 100 around the world including from the likes of Sanofi, Altimmune, and Pfizer. “Indian vaccine programmes will take some time before they get into the clinical trials, I think between 6 to 9 months depending on the programme. At least the ones we are working on, I don’t think they can get to clinics before 9 months,” Kiran Mazumdar

After coronavirus lockdown, dining experience at restaurants will not remain the same as before. Social distancing norms will be in place as restaurants reduce their capacity by half and bring in new rules for dining.Hard Rock Cafe, which has 185 restaurants across India, has drafted a plan to ensure 3-feet distance between guests. Restaurants in India have been shut for over 40 days now, with only some working in minimal capacity for takeaways. According to reports, as many as half a million restaurants might not survive the extended lockdown.And restaurants are cognizant of the fact that survival won’t come without practicing strict social distancing norms. India’s restaurants are now preparing a post-covid-19 plan to open up. And the dining experience at these restaurants may not be the

Elliot Alderson has claimed that the Aarogya Setu app allows users to find out who is sick in a particular area.He has also contradicted the Aarogya Setu team’s claim that bulk calls to the API are not possible.A French ethical hacker who goes with the alias "Elliot Alderson" earlier claimed that he found security and privacy issues in India’s Covid-19 tracker app Arogya Setu. This was denied by the Aarogya Setu team and they said that the app is secure.After this, Alderson has come up with a post highlighting the issues found by him in the Aarogya Setu app.App allows users to access internal filesIn April, Alderson found that the WebViewActivity allowed users to access internal files of the app by using commands as there was no host validation. However, the issue has now been fixed.Aarogya

The Vizag gas leak has left 10 people dead and more than 300 hospitalised.People ran to save their lives after realizing that they couldn’t breathe even inside their homes.Instead of waiting for official evacuation, people packed up whatever they could and tried to run as far as possible from the LG Polymers chemical plant.The following account is from a person living right next to the LG Polymers chemical plant.“We woke up to the gas smell from the plant,” recalls a Visakhapatnam gas leak survivor Balasouri K, who lives in a colony located right next to the LG Polymers chemical plant.“Living near the plant for many years, we can identify that it is coming from the plant. It happened earlier on a couple of occasions, but it was minor before. This time, it’s a major one,” Balasouri said.“My

ICICI Bank is scheduled to announce its fourth-quarter results on May 9.It's share price inreased by over 2% today morning during early trade.The private sector bank’s retail-focused lending puts it at higher risk of bad loans due to the effects of the coronavirus lockdown than its counterparts.Last quarter, ICICI Bank managed to post a profit of 158% and its provisions were down by 58%.ICICI Bank is set to post its fourth-quarter results on May 9 and the outlook seems grim with the banking sector bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. “Banking is the first sector to get hit and the last one to recover. We’re already in a phase of credit issues,” Siddarth Purohit, a banking analyst with Angel Broking, told Business Insider.ICICI Bank is one of top ten stocks to buy, according to Maquarie,