portrait

Coronavirus impact | Lockdown is a ‘solution looking for a problem’: Rajiv Bajaj The Indian auto industry has already seen significant job losses and the extended lockdown is only making matters worse, said Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto. On April 20, Bajaj came out to sharply criticize the government’s lockdown strategy and described it as a “solution looking for a problem”. “Lockdown is not the long term answer to the health crisis. The young and healthy need to go back to work. The lockdown is arbitrary and not an answer to the economic crisis either”. “I think job losses have already...

Pope francis censored for calling scotch whisky ‘the real holy water’ Having already waxed lyrical on his passion for wine, Pope Francis has been censored by the Vatican church for declaring that whisky is “the real” holy water during a visit to a Roman priest school. Footage of Pope Francis hailing Scotch as “the real water of life” emerged when the religious leader paid a visit to students at Rome’s Scots College last year. The visit is due to feature in an upcoming documentary about the Scots College, but the Vatican has censored the Pope’s whisky quip, demanding it was...

‘He Was the Father of Our Team’: UK’s First Sikh Emergency Medic Succumbs to Coronavirus Tributes have been pouring in for Manjeet Singh Riyat, an Emergency Medicine Consultant who died of coronavirus on the National Health Service (NHS) frontlines at the Royal Derby Hospital in the East Midlands region of England on Monday. Riyat, 52, from the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, was the first Accident and Emergency (A&E) consultant from the Sikh community in the UK and was well-loved by his colleagues, who described him as the “hugely respected” father of their emergency team. “Mr Riyat, known to...

NBD should enhance emergency facility to USD 10 billion to fight Covid-19: Sitharaman Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday asked New Development Bank (NDB) to enhance the emergency facility to USD 10 billion to combat Covid-19 pandemic. Sitharaman participated in the 5th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of NDB through video-conference. “On the discussion of Covid-19, FM appreciated NDB’s effort on fast-tracking of financial assistance of about USD 5 billion to BRICS countries including Emergency Assistance of USD 1 billion India to combat Covid-19 pandemic. She also suggested that, assistance under this Facility to be enhanced to USD 10...

WHO chief calls Covid-19 ‘Public Enemy No. 1’, says ‘worst is yet ahead of us’ The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000 could get worse. He and others, however, have previously pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed. Source:...

IMF May Need to Step Outside its ‘Comfort Zone’ to Help Countries Amid Coronavirus, Says MD Georgieva The International Monetary Fund may need to step outside its comfort zone and consider “exceptional measures” to help countries deal with the coronavirus pandemic and mitigate its economic impact, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday. Georgieva, in a blog published on the IMF website, said the fund had already taken extraordinary steps to free up resources, especially for emerging markets and developing economies that have seen an outflow of $100 billion in recent months – the highest on record. But more resources...

Israelis Accuse Prime Minister Netanyahu of Endangering Democracy More than 2,000 Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday, demonstrating against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to form an ’emergency’ government with his chief rival and accusing him of using the coronavirus crisis to escape prosecution on corruption charges. Demonstrators wore face masks and largely kept their distance from one another, in line with social-distancing rules, as speakers criticized Netanyahu’s possible partnership with rival Benny Gantz. Some held black flags, which have become the symbol of their campaign in recent weeks. Gantz, who during three bitter election campaigns...

Arnab Goswami resigns from Editors Guild of India on live television Noted journalist and Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami on Monday resigned on live television from the Editors Guild of India. While conducting a panel discussion on the mob lynching of two sadhus and their driver at Palghar in Mumbai, Gowasmi slammed the president of the organization Shekhar Gupta for not speaking up against the horrific incident and “destroying the remaining credibility” of the organization. Speaking against Gupta, Goswami said, “I would say, Shekhar Gupta you hear it from me first. Whatever remaining credibility of the Editors’ Guild of India...

‘Disappointed’ Vijay Mallya to pursue legal remedies after losing appeal against extradition to India Hours after the high court of England and Wales dismissed his appeal against extradition to India, controversial businessman Vijay Mallya tweeted that he is “naturally disappointed”, but will continue to pursue further legal remedies. He reiterated in a series of tweets his offer to repay what he owes Indian banks that had lent his Kingfisher Airlines loans, claiming that the banks had already recovered Rs 2,500 crore in cash. Justice Stephen Irwin and Justice Elisabeth Laing on Monday dismissed his appeal, upholding the Westminster Magistrates Court’s December 2018...

Deepika Padukone trolled for joining hands with WHO chief Bollywood’s superstar actress Deepika Padukone will be joining Dr Tedros, the chief of World Health Organization (WHO) to “discuss the importance of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic”. She will be going in for Instagram live on Thursday (April 23) at 7:30 PM. Ever since the ‘Chhapaak’ actress made the announcement on Sunday evening, she has come in for criticism on social media. It’s because Dr Tedros and WHO have been instrumental in making COVID-19 the kind of problem it is, allegedly in cahoots with the criminal Chinese regime. Source: Indiaglitz