March 2020

Coronavirus update: UK Health Minister Nadine Dorries tests positive LONDON : UK Health Minister and Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has said she has been diagnosed with coronavirus. Dorries, the first MP to test positive, said she had taken all the advised precautions after finding out, and had been self-isolating at home, the BBC reported on Wednesday. It comes as a sixth person died from the virus in the UK, which has a total of 382 cases. The latest person to die was a man in his early 80s who had underlying health conditions. Meanwhile, GPs are warning that routine appointments at surgeries...

In Tense Talks, EU Warns Erdogan to Respect Migrants Deal Stern-faced EU leaders have warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe’s borders, after the Turkish leader came to Brussels to demand more support. There was no disguising the tension at the European Council after the talks on Monday, with Erdogan choosing to head straight for the airport rather than a news conference with EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. “Clearly we do have our disagreements, but we have spoken plainly and we have spoken openly...

Joe Biden grip on Democratic nomination tightens with big wins Joe Biden took a vice-like grip on the Democratic nomination race Tuesday with big primary wins in Michigan and other states confirming his growing advantage over leftist Bernie Sanders in the contest to take on President Donald Trump. First US networks projected a huge victory in Mississippi for Biden, reflecting his popularity among strategically vital African American voters. Then came Missouri and, biggest of all, Michigan — one of the industrial Midwestern giants due to be a key battleground in the general election. “Thank you Michigan!” tweeted Biden, still waiting...

Coronavirus: Hiding travel history will be considered crime, says Kerala Health Minister Talking about the deadly outbreak of coronavirus, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja informed that those who are not revealing their travel history of coming from affected areas will be considered a crime. “According to Public Health Act, people who are supporting or hiding anything that leads to spreading of the disease is a crime. Those who are not revealing their travel history of coming back from affected areas and countries will be considered a crime,” said KK Shailaja. She further added, “If they become positive, they will spread...

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Exit Unfortunate, Wish Things Could Have Been Resolved Within Cong: Sachin Pilot On a day Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP, Rajasthan Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot termed the development unfortunate, saying he wished things could have been fixed within the party “collaboratively”. “Unfortunate to see @JM_Scindia parting ways with @INCIndia. I wish things could have been resolved collaboratively within the party,” Pilot said in a tweet on Wednesday. Scindia joined the BJP in New Delhi on Wednesday after resigning from the Congress a day before. Twenty-two legislators loyal to him also resigned from the state...

Will not spare anyone involved in Delhi riots, says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha NEW DELHI: Vowing not to spare anyone involved in the Delhi riots irrespective of their religion, caste or party affiliation, home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said it will be lesson for the country on what befalls those who indulge in rioting. Replying to a discussion in Lok Sabha on the Delhi riots, Shah said prima facie the violence appears to be a pre-planned conspiracy. Facing opposition criticism over alleged inaction by the Delhi police during the violence last month, Shah appreciated the police for not...

There was enough time to put together plan for Yes Bank, says Raghuram Rajan Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on March 11 said there was a lot of time to put together a plan for Yes Bank which had given “enough” notice about the problems it was facing. Crisis-ridden Yes Bank was put under a moratorium last week, with the RBI capping withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account and superseding its board. SBI is set to pick up 49 per cent stake in the lender under RBI’s reconstruction plan. “Yes Bank had given us enough notice that it has been in difficulty…so...

Mohammed bin Salman had been lying low; not any more First he ordered the detention of at least four senior members of his own royal family. The next day he plunged Saudi Arabia into a price war with Russia that sent energy and stock markets around the world into free fall. For a while, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia had appeared to be living down his reputation for dangerous aggression. Perhaps chastened by the blowback over his connection with the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the 34-year-old Crown Prince had kept a low profile for more...

On Dad Madhavrao’s B’day, Jyotiraditya Scindia fulfils grandmother Vijaya Raje’s wish Former Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia has resigned from the Congress — and the date below the letterhead suggests this move was planned well in advance. In a message dated March 9 and addressed to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote, “…as you well know, this is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year.” “While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I...

Soon there will be only Rahul, Sonia in Congress: BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain on Tuesday said that soon the day will come when Congress will have only two leaders — Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. “How many leaders are they going to expel? If they continue expelling their leaders like this, soon the day will come when only Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be left in the Congress,” Hussain told ANI. “Congress is treating Sachin Pilot the same way they had treated Jyotiraditya Scindia. Congress does...