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PM Modi on Mann Ki Baat: Be more vigilant as economy opens up  In the 65th edition of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, which coincides with the last date of the fourth phase of nationwide lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today warned people to not let their guards down as the economy opens up gradually from tomorrow. The government has announced a phased exit from over two-month lockdown from tomorrow as lockdown 5.0 has been turned into ‘Unlock 1.0’. Here are the key highlights of PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat address: -“COVID-19 is very much there and we cannot be...

India, China talking though diplomatic, military channels to resolve Ladakh standoff: Rajnath Singh NEW DELHI: India and China are talking through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the ongoing troop confrontation in eastern Ladakh, said defence minister Rajnath Singh, adding even the major 73-day Doklam face-off in 2017 had also been defused through bilateral dialogue. The minister, in a couple of interviews to television channels on Saturday, did not directly answer whether Chinese troops had actually intruded deep into Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. “There are perceptional differences with China over the LAC,” he...

Donald Trump postpones G7 summit; wants India to join group WASHINGTON : U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would postpone a Group of Seven summit he had hoped to hold next month until September or later and expand the list of invitees to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his return to Washington from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Trump said the G7, whose members are the world’s most advanced economies, was a “very outdated group of countries” in its current format. “I’m postponing it because I don’t feel that as...

Indian aviation on a two-year pause, says AirAsia India CEO Bhaskaran Speaking in CAPA India webinar on designing a sustainable roadmap for the revival of Indian aviation, Bhaskaran said that while there is no doubt about a strong demand outlook for the Indian market in the long run, the next few quarters are going to be challenging with less number of flights and weak load factors. “All expansions are on hold. We are struggling to keep up to whatever capacity we have. Unfortunately, aviation industry is a contract between a lessor and a lessee, so strongly in favour of lessor...

Sony CEO Opens Up on PlayStation 5 Pricing Strategy Sony is finally opening-up on its next-gen console, PlayStation 5, after having kept mum for most of the year. With a game reveal , we can expect further news to start flowing in. While next week’s showcase is sure to give us something about the console itself, do not expect too much. Sony is bound to continue keeping its cards close to its chest. However, Sony PlayStation’s CEO, Jim Ryan, did touch upon a few elements regarding the console in a sit-down with gamesindustry.biz. The reports, mostly unconfirmed, about PlayStation 5...

BCCI nominates Rohit Sharma for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has nominated India vice-captain Rohit Sharma for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020. Meanwhile, the board has also nominated Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Deepti Sharma for the Arjuna Award. The Government of India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had sought invitations for the respective awards with the period of consideration beginning 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2019. Rohit Sharma, Team India’s vice-captain in the white-ball format has been a prolific run-getter. Named the ICC ODI Cricketer...

Roger Federer is the world’s highest-paid athlete for 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic knocked soccer’s Lionel Messi off top spot, according to the annual Forbes list released on Friday. The Swiss tennis great, owner of a men’s record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, earned $106.3 million in the last 12 months, including $100 million via endorsements, to move up four places and become the rst player from his sport to top the list. Soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 million), Messi ($104 million) and Neymar ($95.5 million) and American basketball player LeBron James ($88.2 million) rounded out the top five. “The...

Covid-19 Vaccine Could Be Ready By October End, Claims Pharma Major Pfizer’s CEO Global pharmaceutical major Pfizer believes that a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 could be ready by the end of October, the company’s CEO Albert Bourla said. Pfizer is conducting clinical trials in the US and Europe for the BNT162 vaccine programme to prevent Covid-19 in collaboration with German mRNA company BioNTech. Bourla made the comments while participating at a virtual event organised by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) this week. “If things go well and the stars are aligned, we will have enough evidence...