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Very few nations will get ‘A grade’ on response to pandemic: Bill Gates If we go by what billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates believes, very few countries will get “A grade” for their coronavirus response when it comes to understanding the scale of the damage it can do. Speaking to the BBC, Gates said several countries have failed on providing proper health care and there will be a “post mortem” when the disease is tackled. “We are in uncharted territory due to a lack of investment and preparation,” Gates said. Gates said his foundation is paying for the construction of facilities...

Flipkart Co-founder Sachin Bansal becomes Managing Director of Navi Technologies Flipkart Co-founder Sachin Bansal has been appointed as Managing Director of Navi Technologies, his second entrepreneurial venture in the space of financial services after he exited from the ecommerce marketplace. According to filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), the board of Navi Technologies has passed the resolution to announce the appointment of Sachin Bansal as Managing Director. Following his departure from Flipkart in 2018, Sachin Bansal co-founded Navi Technologies in December of that year, along with Ankit Agarwal. Navi Technologies was previously known as BACQ. Source: YourStory

‘Thank you, Sonia ji’: BJP chief to Congress president for her Covid-19 message Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday praised doctors, police, health and sanitation workers who are on the forefront in the fight against the coronavirus despite the shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE). In turn, she received a rare congratulatory message form the BJP. In a video message, released by the party hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation, she also regretted reports of harassment of doctors in some parts of the country while urging the people to follow the lockdown and adhere to social distancing norms....

Iran foreign minister raises US sanctions with India Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif on Monday raised the issue of “illegal and unilateral US sanctions” on his country during a telephone conversation with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. In recent weeks, Iran’s top leadership has called on India and other countries to help defeat the US sanctions that are hampering the country’s fight against Covid-19. Iran is among the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and has recorded more than 73,000 confirmed case and nearly 4,600 deaths. Iran’s foreign ministry tweeted that Zarif and Jaishankar had exchanged views on the latest situation regarding the...

‘Covid-19 Reaffirmed India’s Caste, Class Inequalities’: Author Suraj Yengde on Learning Inclusion from Ambedkar The lockdown to check the spread of the novel coronavirus disease sparked a mass exodus of migrant labourers. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown saw transport services coming to a halt, forcing workers and their families to cover long distances by foot. With disturbing images of migrants stranded on highways and being sprayed with disinfectants surfacing, many have criticised the state’s handling of the situation. There is also increasing concern about the long-term effects of the pandemic on the marginalised, who are often worst-hit by disasters....

Spain ‘far from victory’ in coronavirus fight, says PM Pedro Sanchez Spain is “far from victory” in its fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned on Sunday as the country’s death toll from the pandemic rose again after falling for three days in a row. The nation registered 619 new deaths in the last 24 hours from Covid-19, bringing the death toll to 16,972, the health ministry said, the highest in the world after the United States and Italy. The toll was 510 on Saturday, the lowest since March 23. But the number of new infections continued its...

Trump’s Developer Friend Stanley Chera Dies of Coronavirus Washington: A friend and donor to President Donald Trump who the president had said was in a coma and seriously ill after becoming infected with the coronavirus has died. Stanley I. Chera’s death Saturday was reported by The Real Deal, which covers the New York real estate industry. The publication cited unidentified sources who have worked with Crown Acquisitions, the firm Chera founded and ran. Chera was in his late 70s. A White House official on Sunday confirmed Chera’s identity and ties to the president. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity...

A Year On, So Many Questions Unanswered: Kumar Sangakkara on SL Easter Attacks Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said someone must answer to the questions which are still unanswered in regards to the Sri Lanka Easter bombing last year. “A year on we all share the pain of the families grieving lives lost, we stand with you and for you. We remember. So many questions still unanswered, but answer them someone must,” Sangakkara tweeted as people across the world celebrated Easter on Sunday. Sri Lanka celebrated a quiet Easter Sunday amid the coronavirus lockdown, while remembering the...

Turn Covid-19 crisis into opportunity, restart highways projects: Nitin Gadkari Turning ‘crisis into opportunity’, India needs renewed focus on infrastructure in the wake of the damage caused by Covid-19 and talks are on with state governments to re-start highway construction projects where migrant labourers can be gainfully employed, union minister Nitin Gadkari said. In a video-conference with PTI, the road transport, highways and MSME minister said talks are on with state governments for facilitating safe return of migrant labourers, an estimated 20 lakh of whom are in shelters pan-India. “I had a meeting with road sector officials. Work can be...

Not allow foreign interests take control of Indian corporate during COVID-19 crisis: Rahul Gandhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the economic slowdown has weakened Indian corporates and urged the government to ensure that no foreign interests take control of any such corporate at a time when the country is fighting the COVID-19 crisis. His concerns came following reports that some foreign institutions had bought stakes in Indian companies in the wake of the stock market downturn. “The massive economic slowdown has weakened many Indian corporates making them attractive targets for takeovers. The government must not allow foreign interests to...