March 2020

Fall in markets a reflection of global factors, says CEA KV Subramanian The carnage in stock markets is primarily a reflection of global factors and the prevailing sentiment due to the coronavirus outbreak, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) KV Subramanian said on March 13. “Stock markets often react with greed and fear. Currently, there is fear because of coronavirus. I expect that sentiment to subside  in the next few weeks,” the CEA said. On March 12, D-Street witnessed a historic crash as Sensex registered its biggest one-day fall in absolute terms. Source: Moneycontrol

Top adviser to Iran’s Khamenei quarantined with coronavirus symptoms: Reports A key adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has been placed in quarantine after experiencing “mild symptoms” of the new coronavirus, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday. Ali Akbar Velayati, who advises supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on foreign policy, was “quarantined after having experienced mild symptoms of coronavirus,” the agency said. It quoted a spokesman at Tehran’s Massih Danechvari hospital for its report. The hospital, of which Velayati, a paediatrician by profession, is the head, is the main centre for coronavirus patients. Source: Hindustan Times

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro undergoes test for coronavirus Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has undergone a test for the new coronavirus after a top aide contracted the disease following a trip on which both met with Donald Trump, his son said Thursday. “President Bolsonaro has been tested for coronavirus and we are waiting for the results. However, he is not exhibiting any symptoms of the disease,” Eduardo Bolsonaro, a lawmaker, wrote on Twitter. The far-right leader’s test results are expected Friday, Brazilian media reports said. He cancelled a scheduled trip Thursday to the city of Mossoro, in northeastern Brazil, and his...

Peter Dutton: Australia minister tests positive for virus Mr Dutton, who sits on the national security committee, said he woke up with a “temperature and sore throat”. He said he immediately contacted his local health department in Queensland and is now in hospital. There are currently 156 confirmed cases in Australia, including US actor Tom Hanks, who is in Queensland. Hanks is there with his wife Rita Wilson – who also has the virus – to make a film about Elvis Presley. “This morning I woke up with a temperature and sore throat. I feel fine and will provide an...

More loved ones will die due to coronavirus: Boris Johnson warns Britons LONDON : Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Thursday that many more families would see their loved ones die from coronavirus, as the government’s chief scientific adviser said Britain likely has as many as 10,000 people infected. Britain and the EU also agreed to cancel face-to-face trade negotiations planned for next week in London due to the outbreak. At a meeting of the government’s emergency committee on Thursday, Johnson moved Britain’s response to the outbreak to the so-called “delay phase”, aimed at putting off the peak until the summer months,...

Coronavirus: ‘India ahead of curve’, says Trump after greeting Irish PM with namaste WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump and visiting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar greeted each other in the traditional Indian way of ‘namaste’ at the White House here on Thursday, which they said was necessary in the current times of coronavirus. Trump and Varadkar, who is of Indian-origin, joined their palms in the ‘namaste’ pose when reporters asked them in the Oval Office as to how they greeted each other. “We did not shake hands today. We looked at each other and said what we are going to do....

Coronavirus pandemic: Canada PM Justin Trudeau’s wife tests positive for COVID-19 The wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office said late Thursday. “Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. “Following medical advice, she will remain in isolation for the time being. She is feeling well, is taking all the recommended precautions and her symptoms remain mild,” it said. “The Prime Minister is in good health with no symptoms. As a precautionary measure and following the advice of doctors,...

Coronavirus is 10 times deadlier than seasonal flu, NIAID chief Fauci says WASHINGTON : The novel coronavirus spreading across the globe is “10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu,” the government’s top infectious disease official told a House hearing, where he warned the US must take serious mitigation efforts now. “Bottom line: It’s going to get worse,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci told the House Oversight and Reform Committee. “If we don’t do very serious mitigation now, what’s going to happen is we’re going to be weeks behind” in containing the spread. Source: Livemint

Myanmar MPs reject bid to allow Suu Kyi to become president Myanmar’s parliament rejected on Wednesday a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to officially become president. The rejection had been expected because the proposal was opposed by the military, which under the constitution adopted when it held power, holds enough parliamentary seats to block any constitutional change. The defeated motion was one of several constitutional changes proposed by Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy party, with most expected to be blocked. Article 59(f) of the constitution bars a person...

Coronavirus pandemic | US Defence Secretary Mark Esper’s visit to India on March 15-16 called off US Defence Secretary Mark Esper’s visit to India on March 15-16 has been called off due to the coronavirus threat, Defence Ministry officials said on Thursday. The trip, during which Esper was supposed to meet his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, is among the several events being postponed because of the coronavirus infection. A two-day conference organised by the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), which was to start from Thursday, has also been postponed due to the COVID-19 threat. The defence...