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Coronavirus to be treated as an emergency, task force in place: Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday addressed the media over coronavirus outbreak and said that the administration is concerned about the situation. “There is no need to panic,” he said. The chief minister stated that a task force has been formed under his leadership which will include all concerned stakeholders. “Have asked task force members to deal with coronavirus situation as an emergency,” he said. The Aam Aadmi Party chief also said that a coronavirus testing lab will be set up at Lady Hardinge Hospital in...

Fund backed by Uday Kotak bets on a stressed asset An asset manager backed by Asia’s richest banker has finally invested in a stressed Indian asset, in a positive sign for the broader push to clean up the nation’s massive pile of bad debt. Kotak Special Situations Fund invested ₹500 crore ($69 million) in beleaguered Jindal Stainless Ltd., India’s largest stainless steel producer, according to a statement. The fund is backed by billionaire banker Uday Kotak. India’s efforts to clean up bad loans have caught the eye of global investors, but many money managers have held back due to difficulties agreeing on...

Amit Shah says India well prepared to contain coronavirus; will not play Holi this year Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday the country was well prepared to contain the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus and that he would not participate in ‘Holi Milan’ function in the wake of the reports of outbreak of the virus in different places. Shah also appealed to everyone to take all important measures to check the spread of coronavirus. “Holi is a very important festival for we Indians but in the wake of Coronavirus, I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan...

Will not celebrate Holi, hold any Holi Milan function in view of COVID-19: JP Nadda Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s example, BJP President JP Nadda on Wednesday said he will not celebrate Holi or hold any Holi Milan function in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Countries across the world are making efforts to contain the spread of the disease, Nadda said on Twitter about an hour after the prime minister’s announcement. “The world is battling COVID-19 Novel Corona Virus. The countries & medical fraternity are jointly making efforts to contain its spread. Keeping this in mind, this year, I will...

Coronavirus treatment could be available by summer: US Vice President WASHINGTON : Drugs to treat the novel coronavirus could be available by this summer or fall, US Vice President Mike Pence said Monday. “The vaccine may not be available until late this year or early next, but the therapeutics to give relief to the people who contract the coronavirus could be available by summer or early fall,” he told a news conference. The Gilead drug remdesivir has already been used to treat one infected patient in the US as part of a trial, and the intravenous antiviral is also being deployed in trials...

‘Get it done’: US President Trump to drug companies on coronavirus cure US President Donald Trump sought to show his personal engagement in the fight against coronavirus, meeting with drug company executives on Monday to elicit promises of new medicines and announcing he’ll visit federal health agencies later in the week. At the White House meeting, executives from Gilead Sciences Inc., Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Sanofi, Pfizer Inc. and other manufacturers told Trump they were making rapid progress on vaccines and antivirals to combat the coronavirus, which has infected about 100 people in the country and killed six. Source: Hindustan Times

No handshake for Angela Merkel as coronavirus’ panic spreads across globe As the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus see a surge across the globe, Germany’s interior minister refused to shake hands with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s fearing the spread of the infection. When Merkel reached out to greet Horst Seehofer at a meeting on migration in Berlin, he smiled and kept both his hands to himself. They both laughed and Merkel then threw her hand up in the air before taking a seat. “That is the right thing to do,” she said as she took her seat while guests at the meeting...

Pope Francis ‘tests negative for coronavirus’: Report Pope Francis, who is suffering from a cold, has tested negative for the coronavirus, an Italian newspaper reported Tuesday, as Italy battles Europe’s worst outbreak. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni did not respond to a request for comment on the report in the Messaggero newspaper. Francis cancelled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy this weekend, after axing all public meetings at the end of last week over the cold. The new coronavirus has spread from China across much of the world, with Italy among the worst affected with over 2,000...

Meghan Markle Was Just Passed Up for a Disney Role Due to ‘Controversial’ Royal Drama The Duchess of Sussex is trying to make the most of her “financial independence” from the royal family, but things haven’t been working out for her quite as planned. Meghan Markle was snubbed for a Disney role recently, according to one unnamed film executive who spoke to the Daily Mail on March 1. Apparently, the 38-year-old former Suits actress is too much of a “controversial figure” for the company, ever since her and 35-year-old husband Prince Harry’s royal exit. According to the Mail’s source, there are “limited plans” for Meghan...

Revenue secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed finance secretary The government on Tuesday designated revenue secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, a 1984-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS, as the finance secretary, the senior most bureaucrat in the finance ministry. “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved designating Dr. A.B.P. Pandey, lAS (MH:1984), Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance as Finance Secretary,” a notification issued by the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions said. ACC is chaired by the Prime Minister. As finance secretary, he will continue to head the revenue department. Source: Hindustan Times