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Iraqi President Salih appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as new PM-designate Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country’s new prime minister-designate in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis. Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq’s fractious Parliament. The 54-year-old former governor of the holy Shia city of Najaf heads the Nasr parliamentary grouping of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Source: Aljazeera

Italian architect of Barcelona Olympic Stadium Vittorio Gregotti dies of coronavirus Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti, who designed the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics stadium, died of the coronavirus on Sunday at the age of 92, said reports. According to Italian media, Gregotti was hospitalized in Milan after contracting COVID-19, and eventually died of pneumonia. Gregotti’s wife Mariana Mazza is also said to be hospitalized. However, further details on not available on the reason for her hospitalization. Gregotti’s fellow Italian architect Stefano Boeri posted a condolence message on Facebook for the former where he said, a master of international architecture who created...

Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz asked to form government Israel’s president has asked former military commander Benny Gantz to form a governing coalition, presenting a serious challenge to caretaker prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim to the premiership.  Mr Gantz, who has faced off against Mr Netanyahu in three elections since April 2019, appears to have brought together an unlikely grouping of rival politicians who have set aside deep ideological divisions to try to topple the veteran Mr Netanyahu.  Source: Financial Times

No need of prohibitory orders, awareness key to prevent coronavirus spread: Nitish Kumar Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that awareness was the key to combating the scourge of coronavirus and there should not be any panic on any count. Talking to media persons at the Bihar Legislative Assembly during the ongoing Budget session, which has been curtailed as a precautionary measure, Kumar said there was no need to impose section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), as had been done in a few districts. “I have already directed the officials to lift it, as there...

Andhra Chief Secy asks Election Commission not to delay local polls over COVID-19 fears Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney wrote to the State Election Commissioner (SEC) N Ramesh Kumar on Sunday, saying that the state is prepared to handle the containment of COVID-19 for three to four weeks, and that the situation can be unpredictable after that. He requested the SEC to revoke the decision to postpone the local body election process in the wake of COVID-19 disease.  Stating that the state government’s Medical and Health Department has taken necessary precautions to contain the disease in the state, Sawhney...

Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi Nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind. Gogoi, the first person from northeast to reach the top of judiciary, retired as the chief justice of India last November. A notification to this effect was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-clause (a) of clause (1) of article 80 of the Constitution of India, read with clause (3) of that article, the President is pleased to...

‘Churlish’: Gambhir slams Pak’s ‘Kashmir’ reference during Covid-19 conference Former Indian cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir lashed out at Pakistan for allegedly raising the issue of Kashmir during a video conference of Saarc leaders chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening to coordinate regional efforts to contain COVID 19. Gambhir termed Pakistan’s behaviour “churlish” in a tweet on Sunday and added sarcastically that it “showed” Islamabad’s “commitment” to fighting this global pandemic. He advised Pakistan to first attend to cries of help from its “own people” in danger zones. “Pak’s churlish behaviour in a video conference of...

The man with 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer just donated them A Tennessee man who became a subject of national scorn after stockpiling 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer donated all of the supplies Sunday just as the Tennessee attorney general’s office began investigating him for price gouging. On Sunday morning, Matt Colvin, an Amazon seller outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, helped volunteers from a local church load two-thirds of his stockpile of hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes into a box truck for the church to distribute to people in need. Source: The Indian Express

Coronavirus advice from Rohit Sharma: ‘Be smart, proactive’ to combat COVID-19 virus Coronavirus advice from Rohit Sharma: Star Indian batsman and Mumbai Indian’s skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday released a video advising people on how they can smartly and proactively fight against the spread of coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic. In a post on his Twitter handle, @ImRo45, the 32-year-old batsman posted a video message where he says that the past few weeks have been tough for everyone and that the world has come to a standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak, which is “very sad to see.” Source: Financial Express

Amitabh Bachchan on coronavirus outbreak: ‘Nature has proved to us all that it is supreme’ Amitabh Bachchan has expressed his thoughts about the spread of novel coronavirus, which has brought the entire world to a standstill. The 77-year-old actor has pointed out how rarely there has been an occasion “when the humaneness of the human has displayed uniformity” and has asked his followers to “be safe .. be alive and live.” The actor wrote on his blog on Monday morning, “In times of uncertainty, in times of the unknown, in times of the lack of information and direction .. be safe , be...