April 2020

Brazil emerges as next big coronavirus hotspot, President Bolsonaro says it is just ‘little flu’ RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil is emerging as potentially the next big hot spot for the coronavirus amid President Jair Bolsonaro’s insistence that it is just a “little flu” and that there is no need for the sharp restrictions that have slowed the infection’s spread in Europe and the US. As some US states and European countries moved gradually Monday to ease their limits on movement and commerce, the intensifying outbreak in Brazil — Latin America’s biggest country, with 211 million people — pushed some hospitals to the...

Foreign minister S Jaishankar to attend BRICS meet on Covid-19 India will participate in a key meeting of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) foreign ministers on Tuesday to discuss the fallout of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Sars-Cov-2, which first emerged in China’s Wuhan city late last year, has killed more than 200,000 people worldwide and infected over 3 million others, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The meeting, to be held by the rotating chair Russia, will be convened via video conference. Foreign minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will be among those...

Covid-19 intensity still low in Pakistan: PM Imran Khan ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the intensity of the coronavirus pandemic in the country was not as severe as it was in other parts of the world. He stated this while presiding over a meeting on impact of the pandemic on the country’s social fabric and economy on Monday, reports Dawn news. According to an official statement, the meeting was informed that the number of patients and deaths due to coronavirus is less than that in other countries of the world. A source privy to the meeting told...

Top NYC ER doc Lorna Breen ‘broke’ after being sent back home to recover The Manhattan ER doctor who killed herself after serving on the front lines of the coronavirus battle was especially distraught because she’d gotten the contagion and eventually returned to work — only to be told to go back home, a close pal told The Post. “She got the virus and came back to work too soon — they said to her she wasn’t well enough to go back to work. It broke her,” the friend said of Dr. Lorna Breen, who had been medical director of the emergency department...

Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang reunites with family Wang Quanzhang, a well-known Chinese rights lawyer, has been been reunited with his family in Beijing after being released from prison following almost five years in jail. Video clips posted on social media on Monday night showed Wang hugging his ailing wife, Li Wenzu, and their young son inside their home. Wang was also heard in the video saying, “Thank you very much,” as he hugged his frail wife, who reportedly had just returned from hospital after suffering from acute appendicitis. “I feel like I’m dreaming really,” Li said in Mandarin...

Nobel Laureate Tasuku Honjo refutes claims of novel coronavirus being man-made Nobel Laureate and Distinguished Professor Tasuku Honjo of the Kyoto University Institute of Advanced Study on Monday released an official statement through the university refuting claims to have alleged that the coronavirus was man made. A false quote citing Honjo has been making rounds on social media platforms such as WhatsApp. The forward states that Honjo had previously worked with a laboratory in China and that he had said that the virus was not natural. “In the wake of the pain, economic loss, and unprecedented global suffering caused by...

IT services companies to suspend hiring this year: Mohandas Pai India’s information technology services industry would see hiring freeze this year and senior level staff taking a 20-25 per cent salary cut due to the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic, says IT industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai. The former Chief Financial Officer of IT services major, Infosys Ltd, said the IT industry has done a “fabulous, unbelievable and remarkable” job in transitioning more than 90 per cent of its employees to work from home. It has achieved this task by setting up infrastructure at home, taking permission from...

Urgent need for measures to prevent economy from falling into slumber: Sajjan Jindal NEW DELHI: The lockdown has had a positive effect in containing the virus. But it’s imperative to also move focus on economic wellbeing, Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group has said commenting on the Covid-19 outbreak & its impact on the Indian economy. “We need to rise now to ensure that the economy does not fall into a slumber that will take huge efforts to awaken,” Jindal said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “The virus while controlled will be a threat till we find a vaccine. However,...

Pakistan’s Sana Mir announces retirement from international cricket Three months after her snub from Pakistan’s World T20 squad, former skipper Sana Mir, on Saturday, announced her retirement from international cricket. Mir, whose last appearance for Pakistan came in an ODI against Bangladesh in November 2019, stated that she felt it was the right time for her to ‘move on’ and expressed her gratitude for having gotten the opportunity to be a part of the beautiful game of cricket for over 14 years. “Last few months have provided me with an opportunity to contemplate. I feel it is the right time for...

Say no to domestic violence: Shikhar Dhawan amid lockdown India opener Shikhar Dhawan and wife Ayesha on Monday put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. With people staying at home amid coronavirus lockdown, reports of domestic violence have also come out a lot more in recent times. Dhawan, who is currently spending time with his family during the lockdown period, urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves. His Twitter post read: “While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family,...