Swwapnil Joshi: My children refuse to believe it’s me on screen

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Swwapnil Joshi: My children refuse to believe it’s me on screen

Actor Swwapnil Joshi is enjoying the re-runs of the mythological shows “Uttar Ramayan” and “Shri Krishna”, where he was a child artiste, but he says his children refuse to believe that they are watching their father!

The actor started his career as a child actor on TV with the mythological show “Luv Kush” in 1989, followed by “Shri Krishna” in 1993.

Talking about watching the re-run of his own show Swwapnil said: “The lockdown takes a toll on the people and everyone needs their calm. Nothing calms you more than shows like ‘Ramayan’, ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Shri Krishna’. There is nobody in the world who doesn’t know about Lord Ram and Krishna.”

Mentioning how he feels to see his old shows, the actor said: “This is an amazing opportunity for everyone to relive their childhoods, including me! Personally, I am enjoying the re-runs with my children.”

How are his children reacting to see their father on TV? “They refuse to believe that it’s me on screen. I was nine or 10 at that time,” Swwapnil laughed.

WeWork ‘inflexible’ in easing rent and lease terms, allege customers

Telugu Bullet
-
0
WeWork ‘inflexible’ in easing rent and lease terms, allege customers

Customers of WeWork have alleged that the co-working space company has been inflexible in giving them breaks on rent and easing lease terms in the COVID-19 times as they are unable to join workplaces.

You can understand why the co-working model would not be particularly appealing during a pandemic. But now that cases have exploded and lockdown orders across the country have prevented many people from even going in to work, many WeWork customers allege that the company has been inflexible in giving them breaks on rent and easing lease terms.

According to a report in the Slate, WeWork is keeping its locations open, declaring itself an essential business.

“Yet many members feel that the offices are unusable, particularly given that nonessential workers are expected to stay home and the fact that there have been positive cases at some WeWork locations,” the report said, quoting the customers.

WeWork said it is working with its 600,000 members on an individual basis to figure out compromises on rent during this time.

“But many members have been turning to media outlets to allege that WeWork has either offered unfair terms or completely refused to make concessions. (WeWork itself has stopped paying rent at certain locations),” the report added.

Some customers said getting in touch with “WeWork representatives at the corporate level was impossible because by March, when New York’s coronavirus infections were rapidly climbing, they were overwhelmed with tons of other move-out requests”.

Several customers have hired lawyers in an attempt to force WeWork to stop billing them and issue refunds for April and May.

“The firm Walden Macht & Haran is currently representing more than 20 small businesses located in New York, Los Angeles, and D.C. that initially found one another on social media and formed a group to protest WeWork’s practices,” according to the report.

WeWork was yet to respond to these allegations from its customers.

The co-working space company is struggling to solve its own internal issues, trying to stabilise its business following its failed attempt to go public last year and the departure of its CEO Adam Neumann. WeWork has named Indian-American real estate veteran Sandeep Mathrani as the new CEO of the company.

In early May, WeWork co-founder Neumann filed a fresh lawsuit in the US against the SoftBank Group for backing out of a $3 billion tender offer for shares of the co-sharing workspace company.

The lawsuit filed in Delaware Court of Chancery accused WeWork’s biggest backer of breaching of contract and as well as fiduciary duty, TechCrunch reported.

The lawsuit included a motion to consolidate his case with a previous lawsuit filed by a Special Committee of WeWork’s board last month.

The SoftBank Group cited the impact of COVID-19 on the business and alleged that several pre-conditions were not met before abandoning its $3 billion tender offer for the embattled co-sharing workspace firm’s shares on April 1.

Japan-based SoftBank last October announced the infusion of $5 billion into the struggling WeWork. It had said that it would provide up to $3 billion for the existing shareholders of WeWork.

SoftBank Group saw its quarterly profit being almost wiped out for a second straight quarter by losses at its $100 billion Vision Fund focused on tech companies like Uber and WeWork.

LA residents mandated to wear face coverings outdoors

Telugu Bullet
-
0
LA residents mandated to wear face coverings outdoors

Los Angeles County residents will be mandated to wear face coverings outdoors as it was moving forward with reopening plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said.

“Masks are in fact mandatory across the entire county when you are outside of your home, not with members of your household, and in any kind of contact with other people,” Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s Department of Public Health, said at a news briefing on Thursday.

“Any time you’re out and there are people around, whether it be at a trailhead, or a parking lot, or on a sidewalk, you will need to wear your cloth face covering.”

She urged 10 million Los Angeles County residents to wear face coverings because it was a very important step to protect other people as not everyone who was infected with COVID-19 has symptoms, reports Xinhua news agency.

County health officials said that they were working hard to put protocols into place to ensure more public spaces can reopen safely.

Children under two and people who are unable to put on or take off a face covering were not required to wear one, according to the county’s Department of Public Health.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that all residents were required to wear protective face coverings when they leave the house.

Under California Governor Gavin Newsom’s four-phase guidelines, Los Angeles County, now in Stage 2, is moving to reopen sectors of its economy, rolling back restrictions on certain types of businesses and public sites.

A new health officer order was issued Wednesday by the county’s Department of Public Health that replaces the previous order and allows for lower-risk businesses and select recreational facilities and beaches to reopen with modifications.

Select recreational facilities including golf courses, tennis courts, shooting and archery ranges, equestrian centres, bike parks, and community gardens can also reopen, according to the new order.

Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation announced that it will begin reopeningtennis and pickleball courts, equestrian centres, BMX bike areas, trap, and skeet/archery ranges, model airplanes and community gardens, on Friday.

The County has reported 35,329 COVID-19 cases with 1,709 deaths.

Premier League clubs agree to extensions for out-of-contract players

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Premier League clubs agree to extensions for out-of-contract players

The Premier League has announced that England’s top-flight football clubs have been allowed to offer short-term contract extensions with players whose deals are due to expire on June 30.

The Premier League, which has been suspended since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is planning a restart in June and the 20 clubs talked about issues of players’ contracts at Monday’s shareholders’ meeting.

“At Monday’s shareholders’ meeting, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to be allowed to enter into short-term contract extensions with players whose deals are due to expire on 30 June of this year,” read a statement released on Thursday.

“As the UK Government indicated on Monday its willingness for live sport to return behind closed doors from June 1, the Premier League is exploring paths to resuming the 2019/20 season after this date.

“Clubs were concerned over expiring player contracts and registration issues posed by the potential of the 2019/20 season-extending beyond June 30. So, it was agreed by all shareholders that clubs and players can mutually agree to extend their contracts beyond 30 June until the end of the season,” the statement added.

Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive said: “What we decided today is to ensure as far as possible that clubs complete the season with the same squad they had available prior to the suspension of the campaign.”

“Players can extend their contracts beyond June 30 until the end of the season, but it must be agreed by both parties.”

Clubs and players will now have until June 23 to agree extensions.

British elite and professional athletes are allowed to resume performance training under new guidelines published by the UK government on Wednesday.

1st train to Kerala brings home 1,000 people, 7 sent to hospitals

Telugu Bullet
-
0
1st train to Kerala brings home 1,000 people, 7 sent to hospitals

The first train that came into Kerala on Friday early morning after almost 50 days from Delhi brought in 1087 people, who got down at three stations.

The first stop was at Kozhikode, late Thursday and then at Ernakulam and it arrived in the state capital at 5.10 a.m. on Friday.

At all the three stations, the police and health authorities kept a close tab on all the passengers who got down and were examined in batches of 20.

The first step was a health check up and at Kozhikode, six people who had symptoms were moved to a hospital.

While at Ernakulam there were none with any symptoms, one passenger who got down here, was sent to a hospital.

At all the three stations, the baggage was first disinfected and then given to the passengers.

The general protocol is those with no symptoms should be in isolation in their homes for 14 days. They were allowed to go to their homes in private/taxi vehicles and those from the neighboring districts was sent to their homes in state transport buses.

Air passengers can now carry hand sanitisers in hand baggage

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Air passengers can now carry hand sanitisers in hand baggage

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has authorided passengers to carry hand sanitisers up to 350 ml in hand baggage.

In a circular, the bureau, which comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said that passengers will be advised to declare the possession of sanitisers during security check.

In a tweet on Thursday, the Airports Authority of India said: “Since sanitising hands frequently is one of the measures against #COVID19 virus, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has allowed passengers boarding an aircraft to carry hand sanitiser up to 350ml in their cabin baggage. This is to be implemented with immediate effect.”

The existing instructions in force restrict the carriage of other liquid items or pastes beyond 100 ml.

The revised instructions would come into immediate effect and the order would be valid for a period of three months from May 13, 2020.

Further, BCAS also said that CISF personnel would not be stamping passengers’ boarding passes anymore during the pre-boarding security check (PESC) at airports.

Wildlife concerns rise after second fire in Hyderabad varsity campus

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Wildlife concerns rise after second fire in Hyderabad varsity campus

A major fire that broke out on the University of Hyderabad campus Wednesday night led to the death of several wild animals, students and wildlife activists said.

Students and the university security staff battled for two hours to douse the flames, which started simultaneously at three places, killing wild animals in an area of 8-10 acres.

The fire, the second in 15 days, left the students puzzled about its cause and they demanded that the university authorities immediately procure fire-fighting equipment and deploy security guards on the rocks to keep an eye on the trespassers.

A university official said the fire broke out at 9.30 p.m. near the boundary towards Nallagandla side. “About 20 security guards and 15-20 students reached and put out the fire by 11.15 p.m. with the help of portable fire extinguishers. A fire engine also was called from Gachibowli which helped in completely putting out the fire,” a university spokesman said.

When the place was inspected on the morning, it was found that some people were trying to cook inside the university as stones to balance the utensils and ashes were found at the site. It is suspected that some labourers from the Nallagandla side would have come inside the university to cook food, he said.

The university authorities said they were trying to procure additional fire-fighting equipment to tackle such situations.

Students say the central university witnesses 6-7 fires every year but the second incident in two weeks has raised concerns about the safety of wildlife.

“Last week, the first had burnt dry grass on 6-8 acres but this time it was a huge fire. It started from three points,” B. Rohit Kumar, a research scholar, told IANS.

He said he along with other students and activists saved two pythons. Many wild animals are believed to have perished in the fire.

He said they were puzzled by two fire incidents in 15 days. They suspect it could have been lit by cattle-herders who enter from outside and burn the old dry grass so that new grass grows in its place.

They said poachers could also be behind the fire incidents. Sometimes the students also light campfire but the recent incidents are not related to them.

“Every year the university is witnessing at least seven major fire accidents, which are causing lot of wildlife deaths and destroying valuable biodiversity,” said Dr Ravi Jillapalli, founder, Wild Lens, a group working to create awareness of the biodiversity on the campus.

He pointed out that in the past fire incidents damaged labs in Computer science, Life Sciences (Old building), and shelter sheds of construction labourers.

He said a security person and few students were injured in the fire caused by burning of a garbage dump a year ago. The then Assistant Registrar immediately proposed to purchase a fire extinguisher vehicle which was estimated around Rs 30 lakh, but the proposal was rejected by the administration.

He said a university with eminence and potential for excellence is struggling a lot to procure basic fire safety mechanism. “Is it really that difficult for a university with crores of funding to get a fire extinguisher vehicle and couple of fire fighters,” he asked.

A huge fire in February this year had burnt dry grass over 150 acres of land towards Gopichand Badminton Academy side.

The university campus spread over 2500-3000 acres is home to several rare species of bird and wild animals like spotted deer, wild board, monitor lizard and Asian palm civet.

Rohit Kumar said they were worried about the safety of the animals. The students had been demanding the university authorities procure the latest fire-fighting equipment so that the fire breaking out in deep forest area on the campus can be controlled.

‘Mallya’s extradition will be a milestone in CBI’s quest for excellence’

Telugu Bullet
-
0
‘Mallya’s extradition will be a milestone in CBI’s quest for excellence’

Hours after liquor baron Vijay Mallya was on Thursday denied permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court against a High Court order that upheld a ruling to extradite him to India to face fraud charges, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that the order was a “milestone” in the agency’s quest for excellence and a reminder that economic offenders facing probes in large value frauds cannot consider themselves above the process merely because they have changed jurisdictions.

The remarks of the CBI came soon after the UK High Court on Thursday denied permission to Mallya to appeal to the Supreme Court against an order dated April 20.

A CBI spokesperson said in a statement: “The decision of the UK High Court to order extradition of Mallya is a milestone in CBI’s quest for excellence and a reminder that economic offenders, facing probes in large value frauds, cannot consider themselves above the process merely because they have changed jurisdictions.”

The spokesperson said the judgement also vindicated the “painstaking investigation” by the CBI, especially since Mallya had raised various issues with regard to the admissibility of evidence, the fairness of the investigation itself and extraneous consideration with a view to “divert attention” from his own acts.

The fresh decision ends Mallya’s legal options to challenge his extradition. The former parliamentarian, who ran India’s largest spirits company, United Spirits, and founded the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, faces charges of fraud and money laundering worth Rs 9,000 crore. He had left India in March 2016 under the pretext of personal reasons.

Mallya has defrauded at least 17 Indian banks, drawing loans which he allegedly routed to gain full or partial stake in about 40 companies abroad.

As per sources in London, now that Mallya’s legal options in the UK have exhausted, he may still attempt to pull strings in the office of UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, who gets to have the final say on his extradition to India.

After losing an appeal in the London High Court against an extradition order to India, Mallya had filed an appeal in the UK Supreme Court last month.

The CBI official further said that the extradition of Mallya was sought to face trial for offences of cheating, criminal conspiracy and abuse of official position by public servants, wherein Mallya faced allegations of conspiring with public servants and dishonestly defrauding the IDBI Bank to the extent of Rs 900 crore.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Mallya and others on January 24, 2017 which was followed by a request for his extradition on January 31 in the same year. Based on the request, Mallya was arrested by the UK authorities on April 20, 2017.

The spokesperson said that in a complex legal battle, stretching for over three years, the CBI contested the extradition case in the Westminster Magistrate’s Court and the UK High Court of Justice to satisfy the courts on various aspects of extradition and to establish the existence of a prima facia case against Mallya.

The CBI also convinced the courts about the compliance of ECHR norms with regard to prison conditions and human rights. The CBI hailed the painstaking investigation carried out by Additional Superintendent of Police Suman Kumar, who was the investigating officer of the case.

The official also thanked the continuous efforts made by the counsels of Crown Prosecution service in forcefully presenting the Indian government’s case and also the efforts of various government agencies, especially the officials of the Indian High Commission in London, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prisons Department, Maharashtra government, in coordinating the extradition trial, timely submission of evidences and assurances and prompt follow-up of the case at all stages.

Despite relaxations, IT firms in Hyderabad tread cautiously

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Despite relaxations, IT firms in Hyderabad tread cautiously

The sprawling campuses of Information Technology giants and the huge software parks in this tech hub continue to remain almost deserted even four days after the sector was allowed to resume operations with 33 percent workforce following relaxations in Covid-19 lockdown norms.

Only few companies have resumed operations and that too only with about 10 percent of the employees while a majority is still adopting a wait and watch approach due to various factors including the apprehensions among the workforce, operational challenges like ensuring social distancing in work places, continued restrictions on the people’s movement and the logistics.

Very few people are seen moving in the IT hubs of Hitec City and Gachibowli even after the relaxation in lockdown norms. The IT corridors, which used to teem with thousands of techies on normal days, have been deserted for nearly two months.

Even before the relaxation in lockdown, five percent of employees of some companies were attending offices for essential operations like data centre maintenance, payroll, support services for healthcare and pharma. The turnout in these firms has now improved to 10 percent.

Information Technology Department officials say more than 90 percent of the employees continued to operate on work from home model and not companies are keen to resume operations at this stage.

The lockdown in Telangana ends on May 27 and it is only after its lifting that the sector is likely to see some real activity.

“Getting people back to work from office is as difficult as making them work from home,” HYSEA President Bharani Kumar Aroll told IANS.

He pointed out since 95 percent of people were working from home and hardware was shifted to enable this, bringing it back to office and setting it up is a challenge.

The employees have apprehensions in returning to work. With what they have been watching and reading about coronavirus, the majority of them are not comfortable to be back to work.

“We have to look at the work environment from a social distancing point of view. They can’t be sitting next to each other. The social distancing planning needs to be done. This will give confidence to employees to come to office,” he said.

Kumar believes that the companies will have to ensure a safe environment for employees, maintaining hygiene and required sanitisation.

As the offices were shut for nearly two months, the companies need lot of preparations to resume the operations. Not many companies are keen to resume operations even with 33 percent employees as they face numerous challenges.

They have to get authorisation letters from police authorities for the employees coming to office. Transportation remains the biggest challenge as the lockdown rules say a car can carry only two persons including the driver.

The companies may also end up incurring huge expenditure on transportation of employees by buses as they can be plied with only 50 percent occupancy in view of the social distancing norms. With the night curfew continuing in the city, the firms can’t have night shifts.

Even for operations during day time, the authorities asked them to ensure staggered working hours.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.S. Sajjanar, under whose jurisdiction the IT corridors fall, told the companies to gradually ramp up and reach 33 percent strength in phased manner.

The companies were asked to follow staggered timings – login between 7 a.m. to 10 am and logout between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Movements are strictly restricted between 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. in view of the night curfew.

The police also issued directions that no gathering of employees be allowed outside IT parks, campuses which encourages street hawkers and other activities on roads.

The IT firms were asked not to operate the cafeterias until further notice. No socialising or gathering of employees in common areas within the IT companies or IT parks would be allowed.

The IT Industry in Hyderabad has over 5.43 lakh employees working in 1,500 companies. The sector had clocked exports of over Rs 1.09 lakh crore during 2018-19.

Guidelines issued for pool testing of migrants, foreign returnees

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Guidelines issued for pool testing of migrants, foreign returnees

The government has issued guidelines for RT-PCR based pooled sampling for migrants and returnees from abroad in green zones, an official statement said on Thursday.

“The decision regarding pool testing has been taken to use one time RT-PCR based pooled sampling for surveillance purposes for migrant workers in institutional quarantine facilities, international passengers in institutional quarantine facilities/ hotels earmarked for quarantine and for surveillance purposes in green zones in districts with no case/no case reported in last 21 days,” the Health Ministry release said.

As per the guidelines, a cohort of 25 people will be identified and throat nasal swab will be collected as per the laid down protocol by the ICMR by trained laboratory personnel under appropriate protective gear with aprons, hand gloves, face-shields or goggles, and N-95 masks.

The guideline further said that proper labelling should be done with detail of the testee on the specimen container and 25 such samples of such cohort would be packed in triple layer packaging and will be transported to the identified laboratory under cold-chain as per ICMR guidelines.

“The outer container mentioning ‘be tested for SARS-CoV-2’ will also bear the details of sender….. thereafter pooled samples from 25 specimens shall be tested in the laboratory by RT-PCR method.”

The guideline says further report will be conveyed to the quarantine facility concerned within 24 hours and if any of the pooled samples tests positive, individual samples would be tested from the preserved samples.

ELISA kits produced by Zydus Cadila has 98% sensitivity: ICMR

Telugu Bullet
-
0
ELISA kits produced by Zydus Cadila has 98% sensitivity: ICMR

Four days after successfully developing the first indigenous anti-SARS-CoV-2A (Covid-19) human IgG ELISA test kit for antibody detection of the deadly virus, the ICMR on Thursday said that the first batch of the ELISA kits produced by Zydus Cadila has similar sensitivity and specificity of 98.7 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively.

The ICMR said in a statement that the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, has validated the first batch of ELISA kits produced by Zydus Cadila and found similar sensitivity and specificity of 98.7 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively.

“The ICMR is in the process of carrying out a national surveillance study with 24,000 individuals,” it said.

According to the ICMR, the ELISA kit is cost-effective, sensitive, rapid and a large number of samples can be tested at any level of clinical setting, including public health centres and hospitals.

After the development at the ICMR-NIV, the technology has been transferred for mass production to Zydus Cadila, which is an innovation driven global healthcare company, the statement said.

The news came four days after the NIV successfully developed the first indigenous anti-SARS-CoV-2A (Covid-19) human IgG ELISA test kit for antibody detection of the deadly virus.

According to the ICMR, this robust test will play a critical role in the surveillance of the proportion of population exposed to coronavirus infection.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said on Sunday that the kit was validated at two sites in Mumbai and has high sensitivity and accuracy. Besides, it has the advantage of testing 90 samples together in a single run of 2.5 hours, so that healthcare professionals can proceed quickly with the necessary next steps on their patients’ triage paths. This is crucial since time is of essence during a pandemic.

“ELISA based testing is easily possible even at the district level. The ICMR technology has been transferred to Zydus Cadila for mass production. The Drug Controller General has granted commercial production and marketing permission to Zydus,” Harsh Vardhan had said on Sunday.

Most countries in the world are struggling to contain the spread of the pandemic using possible interventions. There is an augmented demand of various types of diagnostic tests by countries across the globe.

Most of the diagnostic material for Covid-19 is imported into India from other countries. Therefore, Indian scientists are tirelessly engaged in developing indigenous diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of Covid-19.

Hire special buses to ferry train passengers, MHA tells states

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Hire special buses to ferry train passengers, MHA tells states

Considering problems being faced by the train passengers after arriving at the railway stations at their destination, the Union Home Ministry on Thursday allowed states and Union Territories to hire special buses to ferry these people to their locations.

“Keeping in view the situation, state and UT governments are allowed to engage special buses from railway stations wherever public or personal transport is not available, maintaining proper distancing norms,” Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said n an order to Chief Secretaries of all states.

Under the Standard Operating Protocol (SOP), to and fro movement of passengers from railway station to home has been allowed on the basis of confirmed e-tickets, the order reads.

The Home Ministry move comes after some of the state governments requested to allow special buses to ferry the passengers arriving by train to their home, keeping in view restrictions placed on public or personal transport in various zones.

The order followed the May 11 SOPs announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs that mentions strict adherence to health, hygiene and social distancing between the passengers travelling in ‘Shramik’ special trains which have been ferrying thousands of migrant workers to their native places. The SOPs for movement of persons by selected special AC trains begun this week include movement of passengers to and fro railway stations only on confirmed e-ticket and after compulsory medical screening.

India first to urge consolidated global action to fight Covid-19: Harsh Vardhan

Telugu Bullet
-
0
India first to urge consolidated global action to fight Covid-19: Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said India was the first country to urge consolidated global action to fight Covid-19 and convened a meeting of SAARC leaders to build a robust response against the outbreak of the virus.

Participating in the 32nd Commonwealth health ministers’ meeting through video conferencing, he said: “We convened a meeting of SAARC leaders in our region in mid-March in which the need for coming together, not growing apart; collaboration, not confusion; and preparation, not panic, was underlined. These are the elements that signify India’s response to this crisis.”

He added that it is important to facilitate universal and affordable access to all relevant medical products and technologies, both existing and new. These should be made available in a fair and equitable manner to tackle Covid-19, he said.

Harsh Vardhan said India has provided essential medicines such as hydroxychloroquine to almost 100 needy countries, extending solidarity and support during this time of crisis. “It is important to work on the causes of the pandemic and discover drugs and vaccine to control transmission and prevent recurrence,” he added.

He insisted countries should mutually support and share best practices and also explore innovative ways to address new threats and challenges in the post-Covid era. It is critical to build and strengthen core capacities of developing countries particularly the least developed countries for future preparedness, response and resilience, he said.

Harsh Vardhan said that India took all necessary and timely steps including surveillance at points of entry, evacuation of its nationals abroad, surveillance in community through disease surveillance network, health infrastructure strengthening, training and capacity building of health staff, risk communication and community involvement as part of its management efforts.

“In implementing the world’s largest lockdown to prevent the spread of this pandemic, we are aiming to protect lives by mitigating the explosive growth of the disease and by ensuring that our healthcare system is able to cope up with the growth of the disease,” he added.

More Indians prefer to have own car due to Covid concerns: Report

Telugu Bullet
-
0
More Indians prefer to have own car due to Covid concerns: Report

As the coronavirus pandemic refuses to die down and concerns over the infection likely to persist in months to come, more and more urban Indians are preferring to have a personal car, according to an Ipsos survey.

“Ipsos COVID 19 Impact on Auto Global Study shows there are likely to be happy tidings on the anvil, especially for India. At least 40 percent of purchase intenders said they are more likely to buy a new or a used car, after coronavirus crisis and 31 percent purchase intenders will have no change in purchase intentionand are likely to purchase same as before,” it said.

However, 29 percent of people are riding on caution and are less likely to purchase a new or a used car, it said.

Safety and protection is the main factor driving prospective buyers to purchase a vehicle now.

“Once the restrictions are lifted, we are likely to see consumers exercising precautions and self-distancing and choosing personal vehicles for mobility and more number of purchase intenders choosing to buy personal vehicles, and it is something which consumers will do to safeguard their own health and safety,” says Balaji Pandiaraj, Executive Director, Automotive and Mobility Development, Ipsos India.

Tusshar is ‘in a great place right now’ since ‘there is coffee at this place’

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Tusshar is ‘in a great place right now’ since ‘there is coffee at this place’

Actor Tusshar Kapoor maybe not be there emotionally, financially or mentally, but he says he is “in a great place right now” since “there is coffee at this place”.

Tushar Kapoor took to Instagram, where he shared a photograph of himself sitting on the balcony and holding a coffee mug. He is seen dressed in a navy blue T-shirt paired with white shorts.

He wrote: “I’m in a great place right now. Maybe not emotionally, financially, mentally, or physically. But there is coffee at this place.”

He later shared another photograph of himself, where he is seen sporting a T-shirt paired with jeans and a scarf.

“When R…E is inevitable, why not lie back and enjoy it! Easier said than done? At least, fight back when it’s all over! #thursdaythoughts,” he wrote.

2 K’taka gold dust hunters die in Kolar Gold Fields

Telugu Bullet
-
0
2 K’taka gold dust hunters die in Kolar Gold Fields

Two treasure hunters aiming to find gold dust in the Kolar Gold Fields mines drowned in a pit and died, an official said on Thursday.

“Three persons, including a rescuer, have died in KGF. We have taken out two bodies. They could be thieves,” Kolar district Deputy Commissioner C. Sathyabhama told IANS.

On Wednesday evening at around 7:30 p.m., Kanda, 55, Joseph, 45, and Richard went in search of gold dust in the KGF mines.

“Kanda and Joseph went down into a pit with the help of a rope as Richard waited above. Both of them did not return, prompting Richard to go back home and inform Kanda’s family,” a police officer said.

Kanda’s son Santosh, 20, then went in search of his father and got down the pit where the trio had hoped they could find gold flakes mixed in dust.

“While Kanda and Joseph went inside the pit and died, Santosh went into a deeper place and died,” said the officer. Police are yet to find the body of Santosh.

According to the officer, the deceased did not know that there was water inside the pit, which led to their drowning and death.

“We have completed the post-mortem and returned the bodies of Kanda and Joseph to their families,” he said.

The officer said that gold dust hunting has been happening stealthily for a while as the seekers aim to salvage gold flakes by sieving the dust to sell them.

The police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC. The officer said the deceased duo were history-sheeters with police record.

IOC committing upto $800 million for postponed Tokyo Olympics

Telugu Bullet
-
0
IOC committing upto $800 million for postponed Tokyo Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said on Thursday that the IOC is willing to bear up costs of upto $800 million in the organisation of the postponed Tokyo Olympics. The 2020 Olympics was postponed to 2021 this March due to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed an estimated 3 lakh people worldwide and infected over 4 million.

“We anticipate we will have to bear costs of up to $800 million for our part and responsibilities in the organization of the postponed Games Tokyo 2020,” Bach said in a teleconference after the IOC’s Executive Board meeting.

Bach said that “$650 million would go towards the organization of the Games next year and $150 million to support international federations and National Olympic Committees (NOC).”

This is the first time that the IOC is publicly stating the extent of additional costs that it has to bear due to the unprecedented postponement of the Games.

Bach also denied any speculation on a potential second postponement of the Games or shifting it to a different venue if a vaccination is not found for coronavirus by the time the Games start. The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to start on July 23 and end on August 8, 2021.

“We are now working with full engagement for the success of Tokyo 2020 in 2021 and to have these Games in a safe environment for all participants,” he said.

“We are one year and two months away from the opening of these postponed Olympic Games. We should not fuel any speculation on any future development.”

MakeMyTrip rolls out gourmet meal delivery service

Telugu Bullet
-
0
MakeMyTrip rolls out gourmet meal delivery service

Online travel major MakeMyTrip has rolled out an online gourmet delivery service in partnership with luxury and premium hotel chains and independent properties across cities in India.

With traditional dine-in experiences coming to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus pandemic-triggered lockdown, MakeMyTrip aims to bring culinary experiences from top restaurants to the doorstep of discerning customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru, the company said in a statement.

It said: “With a commitment of adhering to food safety and hygiene standards, MakeMyTrip will be delivering orders through third-party service providers in respective cities.”

Opening up the new offering, Deepak Tuli, Chief Business Officer, Emerging Businesses at MakeMyTrip said: “As the world adopts life-altering measures to adjust to the new order, customers are seeking options that can help them with familiar experiences in safe and hygienic environment. Our new online gourmet delivery initiative is a step towards ensuring that food-lovers continue to enjoy their in-city fine-dining experiences by bringing their eating-out adventures to their homes.”

Available on the MakeMyTrip app, the offering is available under the ‘Meals & Deals’ category on the home page and is being rolled-out in phases on the Android and iOS platform. In the coming weeks, the company plans to extend the new offering to other cities including Pune, Jaipur, Kolkata and others.

Won’t restrict those engaged in essential services: Hry govt to HC

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Won’t restrict those engaged in essential services: Hry govt to HC

The Haryana government on Wednesday apprised the Delhi High Court that it will “not restrict the movement of people who man essential services”

Appearing before the court through video conferencing, Anil Grover, Additional Advocate General of Haryana government, said, “Movement of people who man essential services as mentioned in the notifications issued by the Union of India, including but not limited to government as well as private doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, staff of Delhi Police, Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Jal Board, Municipal Corporations, High Courts, trial courts etc., shall be allowed between Delhi and Haryana on the production of e-passes and they shall not be quarantined unless and until they test positive for Covid-19 or have been found in contact with Covid-19 patients.”

He further submitted that e-passes shall be issued to all the aforesaid individuals within 30 minutes of receipt of the applications. Each e-pass shall be valid for the entire duration of the lockdown and could be used for multiple visits.

The submissions came while the court was hearing a plea filed by O.P. Gupta, which said that a number of Delhi residents have to travel to Sonipat for essential work and similar is the situation for Sonipat residents and they are being stopped by the Haryana authorities at the borders.

Gupta said the District Magistrate of Sonipat has imposed blanket cross-border transit restrictions between the two cities and granted exemptions to only a few categories of government officials and for movement of goods not destined for there.

Maha records 1,602 Covid-19 cases, deaths cross 1,000

Telugu Bullet
-
0
Maha records 1,602 Covid-19 cases, deaths cross 1,000

Maharashtra on Thursday notched a new high of 1,602 Covid-19 cases and the death toll crossed 1,000, while Mumbai recorded a new high of 991 cases, state health officials said here.

With 44 fatalities – down from Wednesday’s highest 54 – the state death toll shot up to 1,019 and the total number of coronavirus patients increased to 27,524, the highest jump of 1,602 after the previous high recorded on May 13.

Of the total deaths, 25 were recorded only in Mumbai, taking up the city’s toll from Wednesday’s 596 to 621 and the number of Covid-19 positive patients in the city shot up by a new high of 991 to touch 16,738.

Mumbai’s Dharavi slum alone continued to be a major hotspot and a headache for the health authorities, notching 33 new cases, taking the total number of patients to 1,061, and 49 deaths till now.

Besides Mumbai, there were 12 deaths in Navi Mumbai (Thane), five deaths in Pune, and two Aurangabad.

They comprised 31 men and 13 women, and nearly 77 percent of them suffered from other serious ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and asthma.

On the positive side, 512 more fully cured patients returned home, taking the number of those discharged to 6,059 till date.

Mumbai recorded its 6th and the state its 9th policeman victim when a 45-year old policeman of Shivajinagar Police Station, succumbed to Covid-19 at the MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai.

Another 1,000-plus police personnel have tested positive and several thousands more are in quarantine around the state.

With the continuous daily spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths in Mumbai grabbing attention, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) assured the people that besides Coronavirus, the civic body has kept aside 7,500 beds for all other non-Corona diseases at major hospitals in the city and suburbs, maternity hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Thane Division) continued to cause huge concerns with 681 Covid-19 deaths and cases shooting beyond 20,000 to 20,689, with Thane district notching 36 deaths, Palghar 13 and Raigad 11 fatalities so far.

Pune Division trails a distant second with 198 fatalities and 3,783 patients.

The next major area of concern is Nashik Division with 71 deaths and 1,193 positive cases, followed by Akola Division with 26 deaths and 428 cases, and finally Aurangabad with 20 fatalities and 799 patients.

There’s also Kolhapur Division with 5 deaths and 158 patients, Latur Division with 5 fatalities and 94 cases, and finally Nagpur Division with 3 deaths and 339 patients.

Meanwhile, the number of people shunted in home quarantine increased from 298,213 to 315,686, and those in institutional quarantine went up from 14,627 to 15,465, while the state’s containment zones increased from 1,439 to 1,512 on Thursday.

As many as 14,253 teams have carried out a survey of a population of around 59 lakhs in the state till date.

1...1,6891,6901,691...2,191Page 1,690 of 2,191