‘Historic commitments’ at Global Vaccine Summit

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‘Historic commitments’ at Global Vaccine Summit

The virtual Global Vaccine Summit hosted by the UK drew pledges of $8.8 billion, far more than its target of $7.4 billion, showing “historic commitments” made by world leaders to provide equal access to vaccines for all.

On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened the Global Vaccine Summit virtually, urging countries and organizations to pledge funding for vaccinations to save millions of lives in the poorest countries and protect the world from future outbreaks of infectious diseases, reports Xinhua news agency.

Addressing attendees from over 50 countries and organizations, Johnson said that the summit is a moment “when the world comes together to unite humanity in the fight against the disease”.

“I urge you to join us to fortify this lifesaving alliance and inaugurate a new era of global health cooperation, which I believe is now the most essential shared endeavor of our lifetimes,” he added.

With a target of $7.4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the summit raised $8.8 billion from 32 donor governments and 12 foundations, corporations and organizations.

The UK pledged 1.65 billion pounds (about $2.07 billion) to Gavi over the next five years, according to Johnson.

While the UK remains Gavi’s largest donor, other top donors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and European countries such as Norway and Germany.

Eight countries made their first ever pledge to Gavi, including Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Finland, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal and Uganda, according to Gavi.

The summit is expected to raise money to immunize a further 300 million children in world’s poorest countries by 2025, protecting them from deadly diseases like polio, diphtheria and measles, and also helping ensure the global recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.

As the world focuses on tackling the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO), Unicef and Gavi have warned that the pandemic is disrupting routine immunization, affecting approximately 80 million children under the age of one across the world.

To provide access to COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries, the summit also raised $567 million for new innovative financing instruments.

“This is the first building block towards a global mechanism to ensure equitable access to future COVID-19 vaccines,” Gavi said.

Missing hustle bustle in Delhi’s Gandhinagar market

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Missing hustle bustle in Delhi’s Gandhinagar market

Shops have opened in Delhi’s Gandhinagar market, the country’s largest readymade garment wholesale market, in the fifth phase of lockdown that includes some relaxations. However, the hustle bustle in the market is missing.

Due to the corona outbreak, the crowds in the market have vanished. Businessmen open shops, but close before dusk as they hardly receive any customer. Many shops are shut because the staff working there has returned home. The exodus of workers from Delhi has greatly affected the business in the market.

Textile businessman Harish Kumar told IANS that shops have been opened, but there are no customers. He said the market is receiving barely 25 per cent of its usual number of customers.

He said since the factories are still closed, neither new orders are being received nor there are artisans and staff. The factories even do not have the staff for cleaning the premises.

Kumar said that due to the sealing of the borders of Delhi, wholesalers are not coming from outside.

Traders say that the usual sheen of Gandhinagar market, Asia’s largest wholesale market of readymade garments, will not return unless transportation becomes accessible and available.

S.K. Goyal, President of the Ramnagar Readymade Merchant Association based in Gandhinagar, said that as long as the borders of Delhi with the NCR cities are sealed, the opening of the market will not make any difference.

Another textile businessman Kailash Aggarwal of Gandhinagar has also started going to his factory. He said that only a few shops have opened because there is no demand.

Traders say that unless the demand gets created and new orders do not arrive, the functioning of the garment factories will not be back on track.

Revenue, profit in Q1, Q2 to be hit due to Covid: Indian Hotel

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Revenue, profit in Q1, Q2 to be hit due to Covid: Indian Hotel

Tata Group-backed Indian Hotels Company Ltd on Thursday said that sales volumes, revenue, and profit of the company will be impacted during the first and second quarter of the financial year 2021 as its operations are presently shut-in most geographies.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that it will gradually ramp up the operations only after the resolution of the pandemic.

“Since the situation is exceptional and is changing dynamically, the company is not in a position to gauge with certainty, the future impact on its operations,” it said.

It said that the company is confident about adapting to the changing business environment and respond suitably to fulfill the needs of its customers.

It said that the lockdowns and restrictions imposed on various activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic have posed challenges to all the businesses of the company and its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and associates. Lockdown guidelines issued by Central and state governments mandated closure of hotel operations and cessation of air traffic and other forms of public transport.

“This has resulted in low occupancies/shutdowns of our hotels pan India. Business operations in the various international markets where the company operates have also been impacted to the varying extent based on the spread of the pandemic and the restrictions on business activities placed by the respective foreign governments,” said the filing.

On the resumption of services, the company said that with the partial lifting of the lockdown restrictions, Indian Hotels has started re-opening a few hotels in the non-containment zones, after establishing thorough and well-rehearsed safety protocols.

It expects all the hotels to become operational in a phased manner after the lockdown is lifted and the confidence of travelers is restored. However, at this stage, the duration for which these restrictions will remain in place is uncertain and resumption of full-fledged operations will depend upon directives issued by the Central and state governments.

Informing the exchanges that the company is taking all necessary measures to contain costs and uplift revenue, it said: “The company has put in place a series of short term & long-term measures to optimize cost across all the lines namely raw material, manpower, power & fuel, corporate overheads & other costs. The company is also in discussion with all its lessors for waiver or deferment of lease rentals during the lockdown period.”

Further, all employees in its hotels and offices have been working from home in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Centre, states and municipal authorities. An exclusive helpline & online counseling for employees is made available and the company has been providing help to the employees as and when needed for various purposes.

The safety of employees who are now required to step out for work is being ensured and they have been mandated to use protective gear and take all safety precautions. All employees have been instructed to download the Aarogya Setu app, the company said.

Places of worships, hotels, malls to re-open in Telangana from June 8

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Places of worships, hotels, malls to re-open in Telangana from June 8

All places of worship, hotels, and shopping malls outside the containment zones in Telangana will re-open from June 8, the state government announced on Thursday.

The government issued an order with fresh guidelines in line with those issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 30.

This was done with a view to the phased reopening of prohibited activities in areas outside containment zones.

The Government Order (GO) allowed reopening of religious places/places of worship for public, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services and shopping malls, other than gaming centers and cinema halls. This will be subject to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as prescribed by the government from time to time.

However, activities like educational institutions, metro rail, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, sports complexes, bars, social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural and religious functions and other large congregations will remain prohibited throughout the state.

The government on May 31 had announced the extension of lockdown in containment zones till June 30 and permitted relaxations in areas outside containment zones.

As per the latest GO, the night curfew will continue throughout the state from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. No shops/establishments, except hospitals and pharmacies, will remain open after 8.30 p.m.

Large public gatherings/congregations shall remain prohibited. However, marriage related gatherings shall be permitted with a maximum of 50 participants. Funeral/last related gatherings shall be permitted with a maximum of 20 participants.

Amazon in talks to buy stake in Bharti Airtel

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Amazon in talks to buy stake in Bharti Airtel

E-commerce giant Amazon is in talks to purchase a stake worth at least $2 billion in telecom major Bharti Airtel.

According to reports, the Jeff Bezos-led Amazon would acquire around 5 percent stake based on the current market value of India’s third-largest telecom company in terms of subscribers.

Describing the reports as speculations, an Amazon spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on speculation about what we may or may not do in future.”

An Airtel spokesperson said: “We routinely work with all digital and OTT players and have deep engagement with them to bring their products, content, and services for our wide customer base. Beyond that, there is no other activity to report.”

Reports suggested that the talks are in initial stages currently. The talks come at a time when Jio Platforms has attracted several investors in the past one month led by Facebook which took up around 10 percent stake.

In just around a month, RIL has sold over a 17 percent stake in Jio Platforms for a combined Rs 78,562 crore.

Amazon sellers can now register, manage online business in Hindi

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Amazon sellers can now register, manage online business in Hindi

E-commerce major Amazon on Thursday announced that its sellers will now be able to register on Amazon.in marketplace and manage their online business in Hindi.

This will include everything from registering as an Amazon seller for the first time to managing orders, inventory management and accessing performance metrics, all of it in the language of their preference, said an Amazon statement.

“The experience has been made available on the Amazon seller website as well as on the mobile app. Amazon also provides Seller Support Services and Seller University videos and tutorials in Hindi,” it said.

According to the company, hundreds of Amazon sellers from tier-I, II and III cities across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh have switched to the Hindi experience to manage their accounts during the six-months testing phase.

During the testing phase, for the first time new sellers from markets like Darbhanga in Bihar, Barmer in Rajasthan, Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh, Hailakandi in Assam and Bardhaman in West Bengal signed up on the Amazon.in the marketplace.

Gopal Pillai, VP Seller Services, Amazon India, said: “As we look at enabling more and more of Indian MSMEs to embrace eCommerce to grow, we continue to double down our efforts on vernacular, voice and video powered initiatives. The launch of the vernacular registration and account management experience for sellers starting with Hindi is a step in that direction.”

He said that this becomes all the more significant today as businesses emerge from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and explore new opportunities for growth.

Covid death toll in Telangana crosses 100

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Covid death toll in Telangana crosses 100

The death toll due to Covid-19 in Telangana crossed 100 with six more persons succumbing to the deadly virus, officials said on Thursday.

Six deaths during the last 24 hours ending Thursday 5 p.m. pushed the death toll to 105.

With this, Telangana became the ninth state in India to record more than 100 deaths due to Covid-19.

The state has been witnessing a surge in both fatalities and new positive cases for nearly three weeks.

Thursday saw another spike in a number of cases with as many as 127 people testing positive for the deadly virus. This pushed the state’s tally to 3,147.

Telangana became the 12th state to cross 3,000 cases on Wednesday. The tally includes 448 migrants, deportees, and foreign returnees. However, all the cases reported during the last 24 hours were local.

There was no let-up in new cases in Greater Hyderabad as it accounted for 110 of the fresh infections. Seven cases were reported from Adilabad and six from Ranga Reddy.

Officials said the number of patients undergoing treatment in hospitals stands at 1455. So far 1,587 people have been discharged.

Meanwhile, the government-run Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad reported four more Covid-19 cases among its healthcare staff.

A consultant from the cardiology department and lab technicians were among those tested positive on Thursday.

Four doctors and three sanitation workers from the cardiology department had tested positive on Wednesday.

The number of post-graduate medicos tested positive at the Osmania Medical College (OMC) also rose to 16 as four more students found infected.

Vindu Dara Singh: Lanka Dahan was one of most challenging scenes done by dad

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Vindu Dara Singh: Lanka Dahan was one of most challenging scenes done by dad

Actor Vindu Dara Singh has looked back at the time when his father, actor Dara Singh, played Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar’s popular series, “Ramayan”.

“Lanka Dahan was one of the most challenging scenes done by my father. He always believed in giving his 100 percent to whatever he did, but shooting with naked flames always has its own challenges as well as risks. On top of that he was in his heavy make–up but he never complained. He did his own stunts with the real fighters. Before inflaming my father’s faux tail, Ramanand Sagar ji took all the precautionary measures and the scene went smoothly,” said Vindu.

Lanka Dahan is one of the most important sequences of “Ramayan”. Hanuman gets captured by Ravan’s army and his tail is set on fire, but he escapes and leaps from roof to roof, setting fire to Ravan’s citadel and makes the giant leap back from the island to the Indian Ocean.

Talking about the epic sequence, Ramanand Sagar’s son Prem Sagar said: “The Lanka Dahan chapter was crafted with a lot of thought by Ramanand Sagar and his team. This sequence required a lot of skill and creativity both in writing and technical aspect. From Dara ji’s acting and quirky expressions to Anand Sagar’s creative shooting angles, this track portrayed it all. For the sequence, we specially hired an artificial-tail expert as the tail needed to catch fire and we could not afford to use just ropes. Then Dara Singh ji starved every day for six hours (for 7 days) during this scene and still performed it with so much conviction and finally Anand Sagar shot it beautifully using all possible innovation and technique available in those days.”

The eighties show has been brought back on television and is now airing on Star Plus.

Two in custody for causing death of pregnant elephant

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Two in custody for causing death of pregnant elephant

A Kerala forest department team probing the killing of a pregnant elephant is leant to have taken two persons into custody.

The forest officials are tight-lipped on the progress of their investigation.

The elephant’s habitat was in the Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad district.

The local Manarakadu police station on Wednesday registered a case in the gruesome incident.

“The forest department and the police are probing the incident and we are confident of finding the villains behind this crime,” said Sub Inspector of Police T.K. Ramachandran.

According to veterinarians who treated the 15-year-old pregnant elephant, some miscreants while chasing away the elephants who occasionally stray into the agricultural land had kept firecrackers inside a pineapple.

When the elephant started eating it, the crackers burst, seriously injuring its upper and lower jaw and tongue.

The injured elephant, according to forest officials, was first spotted by locals near a water source on May 23. Two days later an elephant expert after a medical assessment said things were bad for the animal.

On May 25, the elephant was found dead in slushy water.

“Despite our best efforts to get the elephant out of water, it did not come out and died,” said a local villager.

A post-mortem conducted on the elephant two days later reveled that the elephant was two-month pregnant. Experts pointed out that this was the elephant’s first pregnancy.

On Thursday, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar took to twitter to show his displeasure. “The government has taken a very serious note of the killing of an elephant in Mallapuram, #Kerala. We will not leave any stone unturned to investigate it properly and nab the culprit(s). This is not Indian culture to feed fire crackers and kill,” he wrote.

On Wednesday, the Environment Minister sought a report on the death of the elephant and said stern action would be taken against the culprits.

Dwayne Johnson takes a dig at Donald Trump

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Dwayne Johnson takes a dig at Donald Trump

As the unrest continues in the US after the death of George Floyd, Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson is wondering where is US president Donald Trump when “the country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry and frustrated”.

Johnson took to social media to post a video, showing support to the Black Lives Matter movement and questioning Trump’s lack of leadership during country-wide protests, reports variety.com.

“Where are you? Where is our leader?” Johnson starts out by asking.

He continued: “Where is our leader at this time when our country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain with its arms out, just wanting to be heard?”

The actor continued to ask “Where are you?” throughout the video, which is over eight-minute-long.

“Where is our compassionate leader who’s going to step up to our country who’s down on its knees, and extend a hand and say, ‘You stand up, stand up with me because I got you. I hear you, I’m listening to you. And you have my word that I’m going to do everything in my power, until my dying day, my last breath, to do everything I can to create the change that is needed, to normalize equality because Black lives matter.’ Where are you?” Johnson said.

Although Johnson doesn’t refer to Trump by name, his indication is as clear as it can get.

The actor feels right now black lives need support.

“Of course, all lives matter, but in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees…we must say the words: Black lives matter,” he says.

Johnson then said: “We must become the leaders we are looking for. I’ll ask it one more time: Where are you? Where is that compassionate leader who steps up and takes accountability for his country and all the people in our country? Where are you? I’ll tell you what, we’re here. We’re all here. The process to change has already begun. You can feel it across our country. Change is happening. It’s going to take time. We’re going to get beat up. We’re going to take our lumps. There’s going to be blood, but the process of change has already begun.”

Floyd, aged 46, died last week after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, held him down with a knee on his neck though he repeatedly pleaded, “I can’t breathe”, and “please, I can’t breathe”. Chauvin has been arrested and charged with three-degree murder and manslaughter.

Players like Serena, Federer itching to return to tennis, feels Evert

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Players like Serena, Federer itching to return to tennis, feels Evert

Multiple Grand Slam champion Chris Evert feels players who have been around the sport for a long time like Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will ‘dive right into it’ when tennis resumes post the COVID-19 pandemic as they know time is not on their side.

All tennis is currently on hold due to the health crisis which has gripped the entire world.

“I have a sneaky suspicion that the players that have been around for a long time, especially Serena (Williams), Roger, Rafa, I think they’re going to dive right into it,” Evert said on French Open’s official website on Episode 11 of ‘Chatting with Daniela’.

“They’re appreciating that they can be with their family. They’re appreciating that they can rest their bodies. But they also know that time is not on their side,” said the 18-time Grand Slam champion.

Evert also opined that it will be interesting to see if current world No.1 Novak Djokovic could regain his momentum.

“I feel bad for Novak. He had the momentum,” she said.

“Everyone was saying, ‘Is he going to win a Grand Slam? Is he going to win four in a row? He was playing awesome tennis and then all of a sudden (season stopped). He’ll be an interesting story to see if he can get that momentum back.”

Djokovic recently announced that he is hosting a tennis tournament across the Balkan countries starting on June 13. The ‘Adria Tour’ will start in Belgrade in Djokovic’s home country of Serbia.

The tour starts on June 13 and 14 in Belgrade followed by matches in Zadar, Croatia on June 20 and 21. This will be followed by matches in Montenegro on June 27 and 28 and the tour ends in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 3 and 4.

Putin declares emergency after Arctic Circle oil spill

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Putin declares emergency after Arctic Circle oil spill

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle, the media reported on Thursday.

The spill took place when a fuel tank at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk collapsed on May 29, reports the BBC.

The plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, which is the world’s leading nickel and palladium producer.

Putin expressed anger after discovering officials only learned about the incident two days later.

In a televised video conference on Wednesday, Putin lambasted the head of the company over its response.

“Why did government agencies only find out about this two days after the fact?” he asked the subsidiary’s chief, Sergei Lipin.

“Are we going to learn about emergency situations from social media?”

The region’s governor, Alexander Uss, had earlier told President Putin that he became aware of the oil spill on Sunday after “alarming information appeared in social media”.

It has contaminated a 350 sq km area, the BBC quoted state media reports as saying.

Putin has ordered an investigation into the accident and a manager at the power plant has since been detained.

In a statement, Norilsk Nickel said the incident had been reported in a “timely and proper” way.

The accident happened when the pillars supporting a fuel tank at a power plant began to sink. The area is built on permafrost which has been melting as the climate warms.

The leaked oil drifted some 12 km from the accident site, turning long stretches of the Ambarnaya river crimson red.

Sonakshi Sinha wants people to ‘behave like animals’

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Sonakshi Sinha wants people to ‘behave like animals’

Sonakshi Sinha is angry with people ill-treating animals, and says that animals are far better than humans because they are not “sick in the brain”.

“Why do people relate behaving badly to ‘behaving like an animal?’ Please behave like animals. Because animals don’t kill for fun, or for their entertainment or because they’re just sick in the brain. Humans do,” tweeted the actress.

This tweet by Sonakshi comes as a reaction to the brutal incident of a pregnant elephant being killed by humans who fed her with pineapple stuffed with firecrackers. The firecrackers exploded in her mouth and the female elephant died while standing in a river.

Sonakshi also shared a statement by World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF India) condemning the gruesome crime.

The statement reads: “WWF India condemns the gruesome death of a pregnant elephant near Malappuram, Kerala on 27 May 2020.”

“WWF India strongly requests the Kerala Forest Department and local authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that those responsible for this gruesome act are held accountable under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and any applicable law so that such practices are not repeated in the future.”

Order on wages during lockdown was valid: Centre to SC

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Order on wages during lockdown was valid: Centre to SC

The Centre on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that its March 29 notification on full payment of wages to workers by their employers during the lockdown was not unconstitutional, instead it was a measure taken to prevent the perpetration of financial crisis within the lower strata of the society, laborers and salaried employees.

The Centre, in the affidavit, said, March 29 was not a permanent measure, and it has already been withdrawn. “It is further emphasized and reiterated that the said directions (March 29 order) were issued by Union of India as a temporary measure to mitigate the financial hardship of the employees and workers specially contractual and casual during the lockdown period”, said the Centre.

The affidavit emphasized this measure was pro-actively taken to prevent the perpetration of financial crisis within the lower strata of the society, laborers and salaried employees. The MHA said the direction for payment of wages was in the public interest and was taken by the National Executive Committee under the pertinent provisions of the Disaster Management Act. Therefore, the National Executive Committee had full competence to issue the order.

The Centre said regarding the contention that the employers are not in a financial position to pay their employees and workmen, no material has been placed on record to establish this fact. “The petitioners-employers must be directed to furnish proof of their incapacity to pay wages and salaries in terms of the March 29 order, by placing on record their audited balance sheets and accounts”, said the Centre.

The affidavit, filed by the MHA, added that the March 29 notifications have outlived their life and adjudication of the same would only entail academic exercise, as it would not be in the interest of the public to seek recoveries of salaries paid to employees and workers for 54 days. Therefore, the petition should be disposed of as being infructuous.

Scores of firms from across the states moved the apex court challenging the March 29 order, which obligated employers to pay full wages to their workers during the period of the lockdown. The industries have challenged the MHA on the source of power to pass such directions and highlighted that financial burden cannot be put on the private firms when the companies are shut during the lockdown.

The Supreme Court had asked the Centre to file its response on the petitions. The affidavit said the Act authorizes the National Executive Committee to assist the National Authority in carrying out policies and plans of the Centre during disasters.

“There was a legitimate state interest in the issuance of these directions. The said directions are neither arbitrary nor capacious. The same were neither excessive nor disproportionate but were completely proportionate…the impugned directions did not suffer from any vice of unconstitutionality,” stated the affidavit.

The MHA said the order was withdrawn after taking on board views from various experts. Last month, the apex court through an interim order said no coercive action should be taken against employers for non-payment of wages, till a final decision is taken by the court.

Not safe to train yet: Bangladesh Cricket Board tells players

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Not safe to train yet: Bangladesh Cricket Board tells players

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury revealed the board had to turn down players’ requests to resume training considering the ongoing situation related to COVID-19.

Wicket-keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim had approached the officials but was asked to train at home till the situation improves a bit.

Coronavirus has been creating havoc in the country as close to 750 people have lost their lives so far while in excess of 55,000 people have been infected by the virus, according to worldometers.info.

“Mushfiq communicated with us, he wanted to begin personal training. But we told him that this is not yet a safe time to do so, he should train at home,” Chowdhury was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“Training is important, but players’ safety is more important to us.

“A few other players wanted to know if they could do individual training. But our message was the same for all. We are working on disinfecting our facilities. But the job is yet to be completed.”

Cricketers in England and West Indies have been taking part in training sessions for a while now while Sri Lankan players started their sessions from Monday.

Chowdhury stated they don’t want to rush just yet and there is no exact timeframe as to when players can return to the field.

“We need to consider the overall situation. We can’t rush into anything. Many countries are starting their activities; we will definitely do the same. However, we can’t give an exact date right now,” said Nizamuddin.

“We have been working to disinfect the things we need for training after Eid, and it is in the process. After it is completed we can say that we are ready to start cricket training again.”

Arjuna Award nomination will motivate to perform better: Harmanpreet

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Arjuna Award nomination will motivate to perform better: Harmanpreet

Indian men’s hockey team defender Harmanpreet Singh, who has been recommended by Hockey India for the Arjuna Award, has said it is an honour for him and this nomination will motivate him to perform better in the coming years.

“I was extremely delighted to hear the news. It’s an honour to be nominated for the Arjuna Award and I am sure the nomination will motivate me to perform even better in the upcoming years,” Harmanpreet said.

Women’s team captain Rani has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award while her compatriots Vandana Katariya, Monika and Harmanpreet have been nominated for the Arjuna Award.

“All of us have received tremendous support from Hockey India over the years and I was extremely happy to know that Rani has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Vandana Katariya and Monika have been nominated for the Arjuna Award. They have put up some brilliant performances in the recent past and I would like to extend my congratulations to them,” he said.

The dragflick sensation stepped up his role in the team and shouldered the responsibility of vice-captain with aplomb. As a defender-dragflicker, he was instrumental in the team’s winning performance in the FIH Series Finals in Odisha.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Test Event, he captained the team to victory in the absence of Manpreet Singh who was rested for the tournament. Singh was also part of the Indian team that won the Olympic Qualifiers against Russia last year.

The 24-year-old said that he has been able to perform for the team only because of the support he has received from his teammates.

“I am very happy with the way I have been contributing to the team in the last couple of years. However, I have been able to come up with the goods only because of the way my teammates have supported me. Hockey is a team sport and all of us ensure that we are contributing to the team’s cause in some way or the other. If we score a goal, then it’s not only the goal scorer, who takes the credit, but the entire team is credited for a particular effort,” said the defender.

The 24-year-old added that booking a place in the Tokyo Olympic Games was the biggest achievement for the team in 2019.

“It was simply amazing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in front of our home crowd last year. I will cherish the memory forever. The balance of our side was fantastic and everyone chipped in to make the tournament a memorable one.

“Now, we will give everything we can to come up with great results at the Olympics next year. It’s our sole target at the moment and all of us are up for the challenge. Hopefully, we will become a much better side once we play our first match in Tokyo,” said Harmanpreet.

Numerous arrests in NYC as protests continue

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Numerous arrests in NYC as protests continue

New York City police officials have made numerous arrests and even resorting to force after a curfew began amid continuous protests against the death of the unarmed African-American man, George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis last week.

Faced with the third night of demonstrations involving thousands of New Yorkers who defied the curfew to protest against Floyd’s death, the police on Wednesday night decided to act more harshly after giving them an hour’s notice when curfew came into force at 8 p.m., reports Efe news.

New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Department Terence Monahan told reporters that the police had adopted a more aggressive approach in order to quickly disperse the groups of protesters.

The police resorted to force in Brooklyn, using batons, rubber bullets, and tear gas with the aim of dispersing protesters and arresting numerous people to enforce the curfew.

The detainees were then loaded onto buses of the city’s Department of Correction.

After protesting peacefully for more than an hour in front of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s residence in Manhattan’s upper east side, the demonstrators began marching south of the city, until the police began charging through the crowd at Third Avenue and 50th Street at about 9 p.m.

It was police officials on bicycles who first charged the protesters and then those on foot began to arrest dozens as loudspeakers on police vehicles reminded the demonstrators of the curfew orders and demand everyone leave the area.

Arrests also took place in Union Square.

The marches on Wednesday seemed to be more organized than the chaotic protests of recent days with private vehicles offering water and food as well as hand gel and masks to try to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

“Hands up, don’t shoot” and “Justice Now” were some of the most heard slogans on the streets.

Protests were also held in other cities around the country, including Washington D.C., Oakland, Chicago, Miami, Tampa and Orlando.

Floyd’s deaths has also triggered protests around the world including in France, the UK, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Greece, South Africa and Germany.

‘Nestle India does not expect financial challenges amid COVID-19’

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‘Nestle India does not expect financial challenges amid COVID-19’

Food and beverage major Nestle on Thursday said that it does not foresee challenges regarding financial resources in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that it has a strong cash position and is in a comfortable liquidity position to meet its financial commitments.

It further said that while the impact of COVID-19 on the company’s business operations has not been materially adverse so far, it is extremely difficult to assess its impact on near term and annual results, it said. Nestle said that it continues to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 as the situation evolves.

“The company does not foresee any specific challenge in terms of its capital or financial resources. We do not expect a significant deviation in profitability basis our current reading of the fast-evolving circumstances,” it said.

Further, it also said that challenges are not expected in realizing or recovering its assets and thus there shall not be any significant impairment to the carrying value of its assets.

At present, the company is in a position to fulfill its legal obligations and it does not foresee any material impact on the company’s business due to non-fulfillment of any obligations by any party, the filing said

There has been no impact on the internal financial reporting and controls of the company with all controls applied digitally in a ‘work from home’ situation, it said.

“The company continues to witness demand for most of its products and the Company’s focus in the immediate period is to make sure that its products are available to consumers while continuing to focus on preventive measures to ensure the safety of the people,” it said.

The company has resumed operations at all of its manufacturing locations and distribution centers and warehouses, and scaling up continues in all area of operations while adopting stringent safety practices and following standard operating procedures for social distancing to ensure the well-being of its employees and other staff in accordance with the directions of the Central and state governments and authorities.

For its employees at its head office and regional offices, Nestle continues with the ‘work from home’ advisory to minimize the risk and contain the spread of COVID-19.

Fitbit introduces low-cost emergency ventilator for Covid-19 patients

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Fitbit introduces low-cost emergency ventilator for Covid-19 patients

Global wearable brand Fitbit on Thursday announced that it has developed a high-quality, low-cost and easy-to-use emergency ventilator called Fitbit Flow to meet global needs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ventilator has obtained an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
‘Fitbit Flow’ builds on standard resuscitator bags, like those used by paramedics, with sophisticated instruments, sensors, and alarms that work together to support automated compressions and patient monitoring, the company said in a statement.

The device is designed to be intuitive and simple to use, potentially helping to reduce the strain on specialized staff who are typically needed to operate a commercial ventilator.

To develop and test ‘Fitbit Flow’, the company worked with emergency medicine clinicians caring for Covid-19 patients at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Hospital in the US.

“We saw an opportunity to rally our expertise in advanced sensor development, manufacturing, and our global supply chain to address the critical and ongoing need for ventilators and help make a difference in the global fight against this virus,” James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit, said in a statement.

Other similar emergency ventilators vary in the combination of features they offer, but according to the Fitbit, it believes that none delivers all of the attributes of its device at the same lower price range.

According to the company, the goal is to supply these devices to health care systems around the world that do not have a sufficient number of traditional commercial ventilators.

‘Fitbit Flow’ is designed to be used only when a traditional commercial ventilator is not available.

“Fitbit Flow is a great example of the incredible innovation that emerges when academia and industry employ problem-based innovation to respond quickly to an important need,” said David Sheridan, Assistant Professor at OHSU.

Australian airport workers hold demonstrations over recovery plan

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Australian airport workers hold demonstrations over recovery plan

Australian airport workers held demonstrations on Thursday, demanding access to COVID-19 welfare payments as well as a national recovery plan to help revive their devastated industry.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) called for more action from the government, including to support the bankrupted Virgin Australia airline and reverse a decision to exclude workers at foreign-owned companies from the “JobKeeper” subsidy, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to a recent survey of over 1,000 aviation workers in Australia, almost 40 percent said they have no income at all since being temporarily stood down from their job, and 70 percent said they were worried about losing their position permanently.

On top of that, 30 percent had been forced to use their superannuation to cover living expenses and 20 percent worried they may lose their house.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the survey served as a reminder for the federal government to take action on behalf of aviation workers, some of whom have had no income for months since the COVID-19 crisis began.

“Workers are protesting at airports and at the offices of federal government ministers to highlight the struggles they face.

“They want the government to hear their stories and to act to save their jobs and their industry,” Kaine said.

“Governments around the world are stepping in and supporting their aviation sectors. Air travel is of particular importance in Australia yet the government is utterly directionless, with no plan and no policy.”

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