President, PM, Ministers and MPs to get 30% pay cut in COVID-19 fight

Starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the salaries of Central ministers and Members of parliament will be slashed by 30 per cent for the coming year in view of the coronavirus outbreak and the expected downturn in the economy, the Union cabinet has decided. Making the announcement this evening, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and all state Governors have voluntarily decided to take a 30% salary cut.   The money will go to the country’s consolidated fund, the minister said after the cabinet approved the Ordinance amending the Salary, Allowances and Pension…

Tiger tests positive for coronavirus at New York’s Bronx Zoo

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the first known case of a human infecting an animal and making it sick.   Nadia, the 4-year-old Malayan tiger that tested positive, was screened for the COVID-19 disease after developing a dry cough along with three other tigers and three lions, said the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo. All of the cats are expected to recover, it said.   The virus that causes COVID-19…

Delhi got nothing: Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said that he has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking for a disaster fund for the national capital amid coronavirus spread. “Centre released ₹17,000 crore to the states to fight coronavirus, but didn’t give even a single rupee to Delhi,” said Sisodia. “Such discrimination is unfortunate,” he added.   “The whole world is suffering from COVID-19, Delhi government and people of Delhi are working collectively with the center to fight the battle against it. On Friday, the central government provided emergency disaster management…

Fashion industry mobilises to address global PPE shortages

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic leads to shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) worldwide, a number of fashion retailers and manufacturers are mobilising their production facilities and supply chains to help fill the void, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.   Beth Wright, Apparel Correspondent for GlobalData, comments: “As citizens and healthcare workers alike try to protect themselves from the virus, global stocks of essential goods such as face masks and hospital gowns are depleting. In an attempt to help, fashion firms ranging from retailers to suppliers are switching…

Exercise can be good for you and your country especially during a crisis like COVID-19

By Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General Public parks have been gated shut, beaches emptied and stadia deserted, as an unprecedented 2.5 billion people across the world are told to sit at home. Times are tough. The Coronavirus is real and as it spreads its tentacles across the globe it is taking its toll on the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere. Measures such as closing gyms, shutting sports facilities and staying at home put a limit on a person’s mobility and exercise. Necessary, but painful, as enforced inactivity can contribute to…

Fenexa and Est global forays into crypto trading league in India

Fenexa Technology Private Limited, (ftpl) new delhi in collaboration with Est group based at cic, mit, boston is soon launching the digital exchange in india in may 2020 as situation improves after the corona pandemic. It is the precursor to the launch of crypto trading league (ctl), a big incentive to crypto traders of the region.   Amalendu mukherjee ( founder, fourth dimension solution limited) , the chairman of ftpl stated that the recent surge in the popularity of crypto currency had led to dramatic increase in trading volumes on many…

5.6bn N95 respirator masks in demand in the US

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the need for N95 respirator masks will surge in the US. According to GlobalData analysis, around 5.6bn N95 respirator masks are in demand due to the COVID19 outbreak, and up to 7.3bn will be required in the severe scenario.   Tina Deng, Senior Medical Devices at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view on respirators shortage:   “Providing these numbers of N95 respirator masks in a short time represents an intractable challenge for manufacturers. The major manufacturer, 3M Co, expects to ramp up monthly production of N95…

TECH5 Makes its Touchless Biometric Technologies Available to Help Manage the COVID-19 Crisis

Geneva, Switzerland. In an effort to aid in the global movement of “flatten the curve”, TECH5 has made its biometric rapid deployment kit available to help develop and implement touchless biometric-based solutions as part of COVID-19 crisis management. TECH5 is providing its biometric technology SDKs, mobile platforms and services to companies who address the needs of government authorities by giving them tools to manage the crisis and pandemic while preserving security and privacy.   To this end, TECH5 has released its mobile and touchless biometric face and fingerprint capture along with…

Current economic situation – way forward

The economic slowdown presents a serious challenge to the Modi government as it sets a target of making India a $5 trillion economy in five years. Lets start from the worst hit Auto sector to the real estate sector, number of unsold homes have increased. Whereas, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it stands ready to safeguard the country’s banking system from financial and market risks stemming from the spread of Covid-19, citing expectations of “coordinated policy action” by central banks around the world amid threats to global demand and currency…

Talibaghi Jamaat booked under NSA for vulgar conduct during quarantine

What comes as a shocker is while the whole world is struggling to fight against COVID-19, there are still a few who are causing disturbance in it.   Some Talibaghi Jamaat members were creating nuisance in the hospital they were kept in.  After their shameless act, of misbehaving with female nursing staff and resorted to obscene behaviour at a hospital in Ghaziabad where they are being quarantined, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to book several members of the Tablighi Jamaat under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).   It…