Coronavirus LIVE: 'No confirmation' on 250 Indians in Iran testing positive

Coronavirusextended its footprint in India with Karnataka and Noida reporting two more cases each on Tuesday, taking the total count to 137. A 64-year-old patient died in Mumbai. Meanwhile, three more persons were tested positive for coronavirus infection in Ladakh, taking the total number of such cases in the Union territory to six
Globally, the number of cases has hit 183,143, with 7,175 reported deaths across 157 countries.
The Union health ministry on Monday activated a toll-free 24x7 national helpline number, 1075, to address queries related to the infection.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus in numbers: Latest Covid-19 cases and deaths in India and world
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09:09 PM
2 Darjeeling students face "racial taunts" linked to coronavirus in Kolkata
Two students from Darjeeling Hills studying at premier institutes here allegedly faced racial taunts liked to coronavirus in separate incidents on city streets.

The abusers probably mistook the students with mongoloid features for nationals of China from where novel coronavirus had spread worldwide.
09:09 PM
'YouTuber booked for shooting video of suspected corona patients in isolation ward'
An unidentified YouTuber has been booked on charges of creating nuisance and shooting video of suspected coronavirus-hit patients in an isolation ward of the civil hospital here ignoring hospital authorities orders and hampering their work, Haryana police said on Tuesday.
09:08 PM
Coronavirus: CJI, SC judges take stock of preparedness in apex court
Chief Justice of India S A Bobde and three judges of the Supreme Court on Tuesday took stock of the preparedness and safety measures adopted in the apex court in wake of the Coronavirus (CIVID-19) pandemic.
09:08 PM
Airlines running out of cash as coronavirus restrictions ground many flights: IATA
More than 75 per cent of airlines globally have cash to cover costs of less than three months, Brian Pearce, the chief economist at global airlines body IATA, said on Tuesday as global aviation traffic has drastically reduced in the past few weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
09:07 PM
Over 500 kept under observation after arrival from abroad: Andhra govt
A total of 580 people, who returned to Andhra Pradesh from various foreign countries in recent days, have been kept under home isolation in the state and another 22 under hospital observation, the Medical and Health Department said here on Tuesday.

In a bulletin, the department said no positive cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in the state after the one in Nellore on March 12.
09:06 PM
S.Korea approves $9.4 bn extra budget to combat coronavirus impact
South Korea's parliament approved late on Tuesday a supplementary budget of 11.7 trillion won ($9.43 billion) to combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak and help shore up vulnerable businesses and domestic consumption.
09:06 PM
As virus destroys fuel demand, global refiners consider cuts
Refineries that usually rejoice at falls in the price of crude as a way to boost profits are instead contemplating extensive maintenance and slowing their output as travel restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic destroy demand.
09:05 PM
No need for biometric identification at ration shops: Maharashtra govt
Buyers do not need to give finger impressions on Point of Sale (PoS) machines at Public Distribution System (PDS) shops in view of the coronavirus threat, the Maharashtra government said on Tuesday.

The highly contagious virus spreads through physical contact with contaminated surfaces, according to experts.
09:04 PM
First coronavirus death confirmed in Brazil: Official
A 62-year-old man has died of the coronavirus in Sao Paulo, Brazil, becoming the South American country's first death from the pandemic, local officials said on Tuesday.

The man died on Monday but authorities had not confirmed that the virus was the cause of death until Tuesday.
08:52 PM
Govt deputes 30 joint secretary and above rank officers to assist state govts on COVID-19
The Centre on Tuesday deputed 30 officers in the rank of joint secretary and above to states so that they can effectively deal with the outbreak of coronavirus.

The move comes after 137 people so far tested positive and three persons died of the outbreak.
08:49 PM
Pakistan cuts key rate to 12.50% amid fear of growth slide due to coronavirus
Pakistan's central bank on Tuesday cut its key interest rate by 75 bps to 12.50%, the first reduction in four years, citing a global slowdown to ease inflationary pressure.

A dip in oil prices and a global slowdown caused by the coronavirus should ease Pakistan's inflationary pressure, which could also help improve the current account, the bank said.
08:49 PM
UK govt says 'reasonable' estimate 55,000 could have COVID-19
The UK government's chief scientific adviser on Tuesday said it was "reasonable" to estimate that 55,000 people could have COVID-19, based on the expected death rate of one in 1,000 cases.
08:44 PM
COVID-19: Govt launches 24x7 helpline for visa, travel queries
The government on Tuesday launched a helpline and an email id to answer queries regarding visa and travel restrictions as well as to facilitate foreigners in India in availing consular services amid coronavirus breakout.

The services have been issued by the Bureau of Immigration, under the Union Home Ministry, and will be available round the clock.

The phone number is 011-24300666 and the email id is support.covid19-boi@gov.in, a Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted.
08:41 PM
Wall Street gains as Fed moves to buy short-term corporate debt
US stocks reversed early losses to trade higher on Tuesday as the Federal Reserve said it would relaunch financial crisis-era purchases of short-term corporate debt to thaw credit markets strained by the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
08:39 PM
Strict action will be taken against those teasing tourists: Kerala CM
As more instances of foreign tourists in Kerala being targeted over the coronavirus outbreak surfaced on Tuesday, state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned of strict action on those taunting the visitors.

"Inhumane acts cannot be allowed and strong action will be taken," Vijayan told reporters after a review meeting of COVID-19 here.
08:39 PM
Banks merger: Meetings being held through video-conferences amid coronavirus threat
As the process of merger between Indian Bank and Allahabad Bank entered its last leg, a senior official of the city-based lender on Tuesday said it is avoiding physical meetings with field staff and arranging video-conferences in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The board meetings of the lender are currently being held through video-conferences, they said.

"The merger process is going on smoothly and there has been no disruption due to the coronavirus outbreak.

S&P 500 tumbles as trading on Wall Street resumes after 15-minute halt

The S&P 500 index plunged over 9% on Monday as trading resumed after an initial automatic 15-minute cutout, driven by mounting fears of the damage the coronavirus is doing to the global economy.
The halt at the opening was the third emergency pause in Wall Street trading in six days, and followed another series of drastic moves by the U.S. Federal Reserve over the weekend to shore up the U.S. economy.

Parliament LIVE: Amit Shah calls Delhi riots a conspiracy, defends police

Parliament Budget Session LIVE Updates: The government "pays tribute" to all those who died in the violence in Delhi in February, said home minister Amit Shah in Parliamenton Wednesday.
There was no violence after February 25, said Shah in Lok Sabha as he defended the government and the Delhi Police.
ALSO READ: MP political crisis LIVE: Congress counts posts Scindia got, cries betrayal
The Opposition, during the Parliament debate, asked for Shah's resignation but the treasury side said he had been "pro-active" in containing the violence.
More than 40 people died in the riots that began over a new citizenship law which makes it easier for non-Muslims from some neighbouring Muslim-dominated countries to gain Indian citizenship.
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08:20 PM
Delhi riots were pre-planned, culprits will not be spared: Shah
"We did not take the riots casually. Prima facie, I believe that the riots were pre-planned. I assured families of the riot victims that the culprits will not be spared no matter which religion, caste or political party they belong to" :Home Minister Amit Shah
08:05 PM
Govt wants to avoid serious discussion on Delhi riots: Congress
"It is very clear that the government is not serious. It wants to avoid a serious discussion on the worst communal riots in Delhi's history. It is a very sad depiction of our democracy and our Parliament that we have not given a message to assure the people of Delhi and the country": MP Anand Sharma of INC

08:04 PM
Lok Sabha adjourned till Friday 11 am
07:25 PM
Fake social media accounts created to incite hate: Shah
Around 60 social media accounts were created on 22nd February and were closed down on 26th February. Police will find those behind them. Social media was used to incite hate: Shah
07:22 PM
Key takeaways from Amit Shah's speech
> Analysing CCTV footage using face identification software

> Will not discriminate on basis of religion or clothes

> NSA Ajit Doval visited riot-affected areas on my request to raise morale of Delhi police

> I didn't attend events in Delhi during US President Trump's visit as I was sitting with Delhi police to control violence

> We wanted discussion on Delhi violence after Holi to avoid communal flare up during festival time
Read more here
07:19 PM
Those who died in riots were Indians: Shah
'52 Indians died in Delhi riots — I won't give a split based on religion': Amit Shah.
07:18 PM
Spread of riots on such a big scale is not possible without conspiracy: Shah
"The spread of riots on such a big scale in such a short time is not possible without a conspiracy. We have registered a case of conspiracy to probe this angle. Three people have been arrested for financing the violence in North East Delhi," the Home Minister said
07:13 PM
Those who caused violence will not escape, analysing CCTV footage for identification: Shah on Delhi riots
Analysing CCTV footage using face identification software to identify the miscreants, it (the software) does not discriminate on basis of religion or clothes. All those who caused the violence will not be able to escape the law: Amit Shah
07:10 PM
49 cases of Arms Act registered, 153 arms recovered: Shah
We are ensuring that no action is taken against any innocent person. 49 cases of Arms Act have been registered & 153 arms have been recovered. Over 650 meeting of peace committee have taken place since February 25: Amit Shah
07:08 PM
Total 2,647 people have been detained or arrested for violence in Delhi: HM Amit Shah

SBI pares savings account interest rate to 3%, scraps minimum balance fine

In major interest rate revision, the country’s largest lender State Bank of India will pay interest at a flat three per cent per annum on the balances held in savings bank accounts.
It was earlier paying 3.25 per cent for balances up to Rs one lakh, and 3 per cent on balances above Rs one lakh.

In a customer-friendly move, it will stop levying a fine for failure to maintain Average Monthly Balance (AMB) in savings accounts, and will also waiver SMS charges. The lender used to charge Rs 5-15 plus taxes on non-maintenance of AMB, SBI said in statement.
The bank has 445.1 million customers holding savings accounts. Prior to this announcement, customers in metro regions had to have an AMB of Rs 3,000, while those in semi-urban and rural areas had to maintain Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000, respectively.
In another move, bank also slashed its Marginal Cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) by 10-15 basis points across all tenures from March 10, in the tenth such cut this financial year.
ALSO READ: SBI lowers FD, lending rates by up to 15 bps in its 10th cut this year
The one-year MCLR will now stand at 7.75 per cent, as against 7.85 per cent earlier. MCLR April 2019 was 8.5 per cent.
Consequently, equated monthly instalments (EMI) on home loan accounts linked to MCLR will get cheaper by about Rs seven per lakh, for 30-year tenures. EMIs on car loans will also be reduced by Rs 5 per lakh on seven-year loans.
Keeping adequate liquidity in the system, bank has realigned interest rates on term deposits effective March 10. Besides a 50-basis-point cut on short-term deposits (7-45 days), it reduced the rate for tenures of one year and above by 10 basis points.
Deposits in the 7-45-day bucket will now have rate of 4 per cent rate as against 4.5 per cent earlier. The retail term deposit in the 'one year and above' bucket will carry a rate of 5.9 per cent as against 6 per cent earlier. The rate on one-year deposit is down by 110 basis points since May 2019, when it was 7 per cent.
For bulk term deposits of 180-day and above tenures, interest rates have been reduced by 15 bps.

Coronavirus LIVE: India bans cruises from affected nations to enter ports

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the stand of the Centre and the Delhi government on a PIL seeking proper and adequate measures to combat coronaviruseven as two new cases were reported in the country. A Mindtree employee with travel history to abroad has tested positive taking the total number of cases in India to 63. Meanwhile, with mounting infection cases in Kerala, the government has stepped up efforts putting at least 45 people, who returned here from COVID-19 hit Italy, to various health facilities, official sources said on Wednesday.
Globally over 119,400 confirmed cases have been reported among which over 4,300 people have succumbed to the virus. In US, the coronavirus death toll increased to 31, while the infected cases surged past 1,000. Manwhile in mainland China, authorities reported 22 new coronavirus deaths, taking the death toll to 3,158 as President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the worst-hit Wuhan city and lauded the authorities and medical staff for "turning the tide" against the deadly epidemic. Reportedly, over 66,500 people have recovered from the deadly virus worldwide.
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08:08 PM
Team of doctors to visit Italy to collect swab samples of stranded students
India will send a team of doctors to Italy on Thursday to collect swab samples of stranded Indian students for testing before they are brought back here, health ministry officials said on Wednesday.

A team of four doctors -- two microbiologists and two public health specialists -- from the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will leave for Rome on Thursday night.

The officials said the Indian Embassy in Italy has contacted Indian students in the country and asked them to reach to a designated venue where their samples would be collected.

Over 300 Indian students are in Italy at present, according to an official.
07:28 PM
Just In | Two more cases confirmed in Mumbai, total cases rise to 7
2 more patients admitted at a Mumbai Hospital have tested positive for Coronavirus. There are 7 positive cases in the state now.
07:01 PM
83 return to Delhi from Italy, quarantined at Army facility in Manesar
Eighty-three people, including nine foreigners of India origin, who arrived here on Wednesday from COVID-19 hit Italy on an Air Indian flight have been quarantined at the Army facility in Manesar near Delhi, officials said.

The Indian Army said 16 children (six female and 10 male) and one infant are among the 83 people. "Seventy-four individuals are Indian nationals and remaining nine are foreigners of Indian origin (six Italians and three US nationals)," the officials said.

Italy is one of the nations severely affected by coronavirus, with several parts under lockdown to prevent transmission.
06:54 PM
OPEC slashes 2020 oil demand view on coronavirus, sees more downside
OPEC on Wednesday slashed its forecast for global growth in oil demand this year due to the coronavirus outbreak and said further reductions may follow.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries expects global demand to rise by just 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2020, a reduction of 920,000 bpd from its previous forecast, it said in a monthly report.

"Considering the latest developments, downward risks currently outweigh any positive indicators and suggest further likely downward revisions in oil demand growth should the current status persist," OPEC said.
06:51 PM
Spain virus toll passes 2,000, with 47 deaths
Coronavirus infections in Spain have passed the 2,000 mark with 47 deaths, the health ministry announced on Wednesday, making it Europe's second most severe outbreak after Italy.

"By this morning, we had 2,002 cases," said health ministry emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon, up from 1,639 on Tuesday and almost quadruple Sunday's total. Madrid is the worst-hit region with half of the confirmed cases and 31 of the deaths.
06:39 PM
43 "first contacts" of five coronavirus patients under watch
As many as 43 "first contacts" of five patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus here in Maharashtra have been contacted and they are being monitored closely at their homes, district authorities said on Wednesday.

Till now, five people have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Maharashtra. All the confirmed cases have been reported from Pune.

According to senior officials in the Pune district administration, currently 17 people have been admitted at the civic-run Naidu Hospital, the designated government medical facility here for coronavirus-related cases. "Out of these 17, five are positive, reports of two persons are inconclusive and results of samples of the remaining 10 people are awaited," said Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar.
06:37 PM
Condition of coronavirus patients in Maha stable: CM Uddhav
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that the condition of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the state is stable and an alert has been sounded at airports and ports to increase monitoring of passengers.

He also said that the state machinery is ready to tackle the coronavirus crisis and citizens should not panic.

The chief minister held a review meeting with Pune divisional commissioner and district collector through video- conferencing to discuss the steps being taken to tackle coronavirus.

So far, five persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra. All five, including a couple, are based in Pune.
06:22 PM
Coronavirus scare: Tripura to shut two border haat along Indo-Bangladesh
The Tripura government has decided to temporarily shut two border 'haat' (markets) along the India-Bangladesh border as a precautionary measure to check the spread of novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday.

A state health department advisory asked Land Custom and BSF officials to direct their staff to follow hygiene protocol for containing the infection, particularly from Bangladeshis. "For the time being, Bangladeshis suffering from any respiratory problem should be assessed properly before their entry into our state.

"Moreover, all border haat may be closed for the time being in consultation with Bangladeshi authorities," a memo signed by the Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Debasish Basu said.
06:17 PM
Railway hospitals provided with over 1,000 isolation beds for treating suspected coronavirus cases
Railway hospitals have been provided with over 1,000 isolation beds for treating suspected coronavirus cases and more than 12,000 beds for quarantining them at different locations, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Control rooms and telephone helplines have been set up at all railway hospitals, it said. According to the statement, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has directed the Railway Board to ensure that adequate preventive measures are put in place across the Indian Railway system.
06:07 PM
BYJU'S announces free access to its learning app amid COVID-19 crisis
In view of the coronavirus scare, edu-tech major BYJU'S on Wednesday said it will provide free access to its complete app to school students till April.

The announcement comes following advisory for schools to remain closed to safeguard the health of students. Students across classes 1-12 can download and access BYJU'S learning programs for free until the end of April, BYJU'S said in a statement.
06:05 PM
Karnataka govt issues temporary regulations on Coronavirus
Karnataka government issues temporary regulation 'Karnataka Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020' which aims to prevent spread of the disease. According to the regulation, no person/institution shall use print or electronic media to spread mis-information on COVID-19 without prior permission of the Department of Health & Family Welfare. If a person is found indulging in any such activity, they will be punished.

According to the regulation, all govt and private hospitals should have flu corners for screening of suspected cases of COVID-19.

Mukesh Ambani no more Asia's richest man as recent oil slide erodes wealth

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is no longer the richest man in Asia, owing to the recent freefall in oil prices.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce major Alibaba Group has toppled Ambani to get the top spot in Asia.

The persistent concerns of severe impact of the coronavirus epidemic coupled with the recent carnage in the oil markets have erased $5.8 billion from the RIL chief's net worth.
Ambani's current net worth amounts to $41.8 billion, while that of Jack Ma stands at $44.5 billion. Globally, Ambani is the 19th richest man just behind Jack Ma who is at the 18th rank.
Energy markets went into a free fall on Monday with oil prices across variants plunging around 30 per cent, the biggest fall since the 1991 Gulf War. The slide comes after Saudi Arabia shocked the market by launching a price war after no consensus was arrived between OPEC and Russia to cut crude oil production as part of market stabilisation exercise.
The shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) recorded its worst fall in around 10 years on Monday as it fell to a low of Rs 1,094.95 per share.
It closed at Rs 1,113.15, lower by Rs 156.90 or 12.35 per cent from its previous close.
Following the fall in share price, RIL also lost the crown of the company with the highest market capitalisation in India to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). At the end of trade on Monday, the market capitalisation of RIL stood at Rs 7.05 lakh crore, while that of TCS was Rs 7.40 lakh crore.
Ambani controls almost 42 per cent of Reliance Industries, owner of the world's largest oil refining complex. The Mumbai-based conglomerate's other businesses include a 4G wireless network across India.
On top of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index is the Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos with a net worth of $112 billion, followed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates with a fortune of $106 billion.

YES Bank resumes inward NEFT, IMPS services; customers can now pay dues

Troubled lender YES Bank enabled its inward IMPS/NEFT services. Customers can now make payments towards YES Bank credit card dues and loan obligations on other accounts. Earlier, the new YES Bank administrator Prashant Kumar said that the moratorium imposed by the Reserve Bank of India could be lifted before the end of this week.
The bank, which had over Rs 2.09 trillion in deposits, was put under moratorium last Thursday due to an inability to raise capital. Its board was superseded and Kumar was placed as the administrator.

YES BANK
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@YESBANK
Inward IMPS/NEFT services have now been enabled. You can make payments towards YES BANK Credit Card dues and loan obligations from other bank accounts. Thank you for your co-operation.@RBI @FinMinIndia
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State Bank of India's legal team has started due diligence as the public sector lender prepares to infuse Rs 2,450 crore to pick up to 49 per cent stake in the troubled private sector YES Bank after it was placed under administration by the RBI.