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President for Life: Russia Parliament Passes Reforms Allowing Putin to Stay in Power Till 2036 Moscow: Russia’s lower house on Wednesday passed constitutional reforms in their final reading that include the possibility of President Vladimir Putin extending his rule for another two terms. A total of 383 State Duma lawmakers voted in favour of the package of constitutional amendments, with 43 abstentions and none against. The measures must now be approved by the upper house Federation Council and be put to a public vote scheduled for April 22. Putin announced the package of reforms in January, then repeatedly denied they were...

Chancellor Angela Merkel says two-thirds of Germans may get coronavirus Germany will spend what it takes to tackle the coronavirus which is likely to infect up to 70 percent of the population in Europe’s largest economy, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on March 11. “We will do what we need to get through this. And then at the end we will look at what that means for our budget,” she told reporters, seeming to distance herself from Germany’s policy of no new borrowing. Though conceding she did not know how the crisis would develop, Merkel said the risk was huge. Source:...

Alibaba’s Jack Ma Overtakes Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani As Asia’s Richest Man The fear of coronavirus outbreak, coupled with the collapse in oil prices and market breakdown has hurt Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s net worth. India’s richest man slipped to the second spot in the Asia rankings, after losing close to $5.8 Bn from his net worth on Monday (March 9). According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Alibaba’s Jack Ma as Asia’s richest man. The list now shows the Alibaba founder with a $45.7 Bn fortune, almost $3.4 Bn more than Ambani’s latest net worth. Source: INC42

Coronavirus update: UK Health Minister Nadine Dorries tests positive LONDON : UK Health Minister and Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has said she has been diagnosed with coronavirus. Dorries, the first MP to test positive, said she had taken all the advised precautions after finding out, and had been self-isolating at home, the BBC reported on Wednesday. It comes as a sixth person died from the virus in the UK, which has a total of 382 cases. The latest person to die was a man in his early 80s who had underlying health conditions. Meanwhile, GPs are warning that routine appointments at surgeries...

In Tense Talks, EU Warns Erdogan to Respect Migrants Deal Stern-faced EU leaders have warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe’s borders, after the Turkish leader came to Brussels to demand more support. There was no disguising the tension at the European Council after the talks on Monday, with Erdogan choosing to head straight for the airport rather than a news conference with EU presidents Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel. “Clearly we do have our disagreements, but we have spoken plainly and we have spoken openly...

Joe Biden grip on Democratic nomination tightens with big wins Joe Biden took a vice-like grip on the Democratic nomination race Tuesday with big primary wins in Michigan and other states confirming his growing advantage over leftist Bernie Sanders in the contest to take on President Donald Trump. First US networks projected a huge victory in Mississippi for Biden, reflecting his popularity among strategically vital African American voters. Then came Missouri and, biggest of all, Michigan — one of the industrial Midwestern giants due to be a key battleground in the general election. “Thank you Michigan!” tweeted Biden, still waiting...

Coronavirus: Hiding travel history will be considered crime, says Kerala Health Minister Talking about the deadly outbreak of coronavirus, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja informed that those who are not revealing their travel history of coming from affected areas will be considered a crime. “According to Public Health Act, people who are supporting or hiding anything that leads to spreading of the disease is a crime. Those who are not revealing their travel history of coming back from affected areas and countries will be considered a crime,” said KK Shailaja. She further added, “If they become positive, they will spread...

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Exit Unfortunate, Wish Things Could Have Been Resolved Within Cong: Sachin Pilot On a day Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP, Rajasthan Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot termed the development unfortunate, saying he wished things could have been fixed within the party “collaboratively”. “Unfortunate to see @JM_Scindia parting ways with @INCIndia. I wish things could have been resolved collaboratively within the party,” Pilot said in a tweet on Wednesday. Scindia joined the BJP in New Delhi on Wednesday after resigning from the Congress a day before. Twenty-two legislators loyal to him also resigned from the state...

Will not spare anyone involved in Delhi riots, says Amit Shah in Lok Sabha NEW DELHI: Vowing not to spare anyone involved in the Delhi riots irrespective of their religion, caste or party affiliation, home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said it will be lesson for the country on what befalls those who indulge in rioting. Replying to a discussion in Lok Sabha on the Delhi riots, Shah said prima facie the violence appears to be a pre-planned conspiracy. Facing opposition criticism over alleged inaction by the Delhi police during the violence last month, Shah appreciated the police for not...

There was enough time to put together plan for Yes Bank, says Raghuram Rajan Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on March 11 said there was a lot of time to put together a plan for Yes Bank which had given “enough” notice about the problems it was facing. Crisis-ridden Yes Bank was put under a moratorium last week, with the RBI capping withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account and superseding its board. SBI is set to pick up 49 per cent stake in the lender under RBI’s reconstruction plan. “Yes Bank had given us enough notice that it has been in difficulty…so...