Unmarried men at higher death risk from coronavirus: Study
LONDON: Being a man, having a lower income, a lower level of education, not being married, and being born in low-or middle-income countries — these are factors that relate to an elevated risk of dying from Covid-19, warn researchers. “We can show that there are independent effects of various separate risk factors that have been […]
New unlock guidelines: States free to decide on schools reopening after October 15
NEW DELHI:The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday left it to the states and union territories to decide on reopening of schools and coaching institutions after October 15 in a graded manner. Earlier, schools were partially reopened from September 21 in compliance with Unlock 4 guidelines. In fresh guidelines for further reopening of the […]
Unlock 5.0: Multiplexes to reopen with 50 per cent seating from October 15
NEW DELHI: In its latest guidelines for further reopening, the Union Home Ministry has allowed certain activities such as functioning of cinemas, theatres and multiplexes with 50% seating capacity from October 15. However, cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes will have to strictly adhere to standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Information & […]
Airline ticket refund: DGCA tells Supreme Court that tickets booked during lockdown are entitled for refund
NEW DELHI: Airline ticket refund, DGCA, Supreme Court, Coronavirus lockdownThe Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has informed the Supreme Court that people who had booked air tickets during the lockdown are entitled to immediate refunds. The DGCA also clarified that in case of tickets booked prior to the lockdown up to May 24, the […]
IndiGo marks completion of 50,000 flights since coronavirus lockdown
NEW DELHI: Airline major IndiGo on Saturday marked the completion of 50,000 flights since coronavirus lockdown. Accordingly, till September 12, the tally of the airline includes scheduled commercial operations, passenger charters, ‘CarGo’ charters, ‘Air Bubble flights’, and repatriation flights under the ‘Vande Bharat’ programme. “All these fights were operated while adhering to all the precautionary […]
India proposes full refund on domestic, foreign airline tickets booked during lockdown
NEW DELHI: In an affidavit in the Supreme Court, O.K. Gupta, Director, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said for the domestic airlines if the tickets were booked directly with the airline or through an agent, during the first lockdown period, – March 25 – April 14 – for the journeys to be undertaken in both […]
Indian economy shrinks record 23.9% in Q1
NEW DELHI: India’s economy suffered its worst slump on record in April-June, with the gross domestic product (GDP) contracting by 23.9 per cent as the coronavirus-related lockdowns weighed on the already-declining consumer demand and investment. The GDP contraction in the world’s fifth-largest economy compared with 3.1 per cent growth in the preceding January-March quarter and […]
Unlock 3 guidelines: No schools, metro, cinema till August 31; Gyms allowed
NEW DELHI: The nationwide Unlock 3 guidelines were on Wednesday issued by the government, opening up more activities outside the containment zones, but schools, colleges, metro rail service, cinema halls along with bars will continue to remain shut till August 31 and political and religious gatherings will also remain prohibited. For the first time since […]
UK lawmakers urge Rishi Sunak to add 1 million workers to income schemes
LONDON: British finance minister Rishi Sunak must extend the government’s already huge coronavirus income support measures to include over 1 million more workers who have missed out, lawmakers said on Monday. People who started jobs after a cut-off date in March for the state’s wage subsidy scheme or who set up a company in the […]
No coercive action against private firms for non-payment of full wages during lockdown: Supreme Court
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and states not to take any coercive action till July end against private companies, which have failed to pay full wages to their employees during the coronavirus-induced lockdown period. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah said industries and […]
PNB buys 3 Audi cars for top management amid COVID-19 induced downturn
NEW DELHI: At a time when the financial sector is passing through a rough patch and looking at ways to conserve capital, country’s second largest lender Punjab National Bank (PNB) has bought three Audi cars to ferry its top management. According to sources, the PNB took the delivery of these high-end luxury cars worth approximately […]
South Korea court to rule on arrest warrant for Samsung heir
The heir to South Korea’s Samsung empire appeared in court Monday as judges deliberate on whether to detain him over a controversial merger of two business units seen as a key step to his succession. Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, is already being re-tried on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other offences in […]
JP Infra introduces unique home-buying program amid Covid-19 crisis
NEW DELHI: Mumbai-based real estate developers JP Infra Mumbai Private Limited has introduced JP Care, a unique home-buying program for its homebuyers amid the Covid-19 crisis. If a homebuyer buys a house with JP Infra during the ongoing lockdown period but unfortunately loses his job due to termination or lay-off, then the developer will be paying […]
African American banks pivotal as ever for minorities in USA
When she needed capital to expand her business, Ernisha Randolph was just one of countless African Americans to encounter roadblocks despite having no history of financial trouble. About seven years ago, her catering company, Juanita’s Kitchen, had secured a big government contract that guaranteed revenues for three years. To finance the expansion, she turned to […]
India surplus in face mask production, allow exports to clear inventory: Industry
NEW DELHI: With India’s surplus face mask capacity choking production lines, the medical device industry has asked the government to lift the ban on export of non-N95 masks to help manufacturers clear unsold inventories and resume production at full capacity. The government had in March banned export of all kinds of masks to avoid any […]
Lockdown left millions of migrants empty-handed; govt should give Rs 25,000 to each of them
NEW DELHI: The unplanned nationwide lockdown has forced millions of migrants to return home empty-handed and the government should make a direct cash transfer of Rs 25,000 to each of them to salvage the situation, according to S Irudaya Rajan, an expert on migrant issues. There are more than 600 million migrants in the country […]