March 2020

WHO: Don’t expect travel bans, ‘Mother Nature’ to beat virus Dr. Bruce Aylward, who led a WHO team in China during the raging COVID-19 outbreak there last month, said in an interview that travel bans “generally aren’t part of the armamentarium you bring to bear on something like this.” “What we found, as a general principle – not a general principle, a pretty robust principle – is that it doesn’t help to to restrict movement,” Aylward, a former WHO emergencies chief, said outside a room at agency headquarters devoted to the outbreak. “What you’re really interested in is: Where is...

IOC Will Follow WHO Advice on 2020 Tokyo Olympics Cancellation: Chief Thomas Bach Berlin: The International Olympic Committee will follow the World Health Organisation’s recommendation on whether to cancel or postpone this year’s Tokyo Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic, IOC chief Thomas Bach said Thursday. In an interview with German television ARD, Bach said his organisation has been in regular contact with WHO experts since mid-February over the issue. “We will follow the advice of the WHO,” he said, adding that the IOC was now still working towards preparing for a “successful” Games. With cancellations of Olympic qualifiers piling up as...

‘First priority is safety’: Sourav Ganguly on postponing IPL 2020 matches The under-pressure BCCI on Friday suspended the start of this year’s IPL from March 29 to April 15 in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused massive upheaval across the globe. “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) situation,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement. This came hours after Delhi government suspended all sporting activity in the national capital due to the ever-growing...

Wasn’t Easy To Choose Boxing Being A Girl: Mary Kom Ahead Of Tokyo Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom is chasing the elusive gold medal missing from her trophy shelf. She is eagerly waiting for the much-awaited 2020 Tokyo Olympics which are scheduled to be held in July-August 2020. Kom (51kg) qualified for the Games and has recently expressed how important self-determination is for her to go ahead in the league. This will be Mary Kom’s second Olympic appearance. She booked her Olympic berth by making it to the semifinals of the Asia/Oceania Qualifiers. She ended her campaign with a bronze at the qualifiers. “This (qualification) was a long...

PM Modi bats for joint SAARC strategy to fight coronavirus, gets support from all members barring Pakistan Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday proposed formulation of a joint strategy by SAARC nations to fight the coronavirus, a suggestion promptly backed by all member states, barring Pakistan. Calling on SAARC members to set an example for the world, Modi reached out to the eight-member regional grouping and pitched for a video conference among the leaders to chalk out a strong strategy to fight coronavirus, which has killed nearly 5,000 people globally. His appeal got a prompt response from Sri Lankan President...

Netanyahu requested PM Modi to allow export of masks, pharmaceuticals to Israel: report Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested Narendra Modi to approve and allow the export of masks and pharmaceutical raw materials to Israel during his telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart this week, according to a media report. Israel’s Channel 13 on Friday reported that Netanyahu made the request after India decided to stop the export of these items to meet its own domestic requirements in view of the rapid spread of coronavirus. The leading news channel also put out a promotional tweet ahead of its broadcast during its main...

Michael Caine says Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ trilogy was “one of the greatest things I have done in my life” Michael Caine has praised Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, adding that his decision to portray Alfred Pennyworth was one of the best choices of his acting career. The veteran actor, who celebrates his 87th birthday tomorrow (March 14), was discussing the trials of working as an elderly actor when he came to reflect on his role in Nolan’s DC trilogy. Speaking to The Hindu, Caine recalled the first time he met Nolan. “He came to the front door of my house in the country with a...

Amitabh Bachchan pens a poem on coronavirus, urges fans to stay safe Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday expressed his concern over the spread of coronavirus. He ‘doodled’ a poem on the same, and also asked his fans to stay safe. He also shot for a video to advocate the preventive measures for COVID-19 for the UNICEF and the health ministry of India. The actor narrates the poem in Awadhi, the language of his hometown Allahabad. In the poem, he talks about the several home remedies people are coming up with to fight COVID-19, and he is confused whom to believe. The Badla...

Raveena Tandon asks American channel to ‘do some homework’ as they call Prince Charles’ namaste a ‘prayer-like gesture’ Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon decided to school ABC News when they called a namaste a ‘prayer like gesture’ as used by UK’s Prince Charles during one of his public events. Raveena asked ABC to do some homework, adding that it is called namaste. Sharing a video of Prince Charles, ABC had tweeted, “Prince Charles offered a handshake before quickly changing his mind and instead greeting guests at the Prince’s Trust Awards with a prayer-like gesture to avoid contact amid coronavirus concern.” Quoting the ABC...

COVID-19: Sudha Murty writes to Karnataka CM, offers help to set up separate hospital Infosys foundation chairman Sudha Murty wrote to the Karnataka government on Thursday, stating that the foundation, along with the chairman of Narayana Health Dr Devi Shetty, would like to work with them to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The letter states that private hospitals will not be able to manage the load ‘if such epidemic hits’. For this, the Infosys Foundation has asked for a government hospital with 500-700 beds to be readied, which uses oxygen lines and pipes. “Infosys Foundation will do the civil work...