News
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Health and Family Welfare Ministry said that a total 86 thousand 984 people affected with novel coronavirus(Covid-19) have been cured and the recovery rate has reached 47.75 per cent in the country.
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US President Donald Trump has postponed the G7 Summit till September. He has expressed his desire to expand the Group to G10 or G11, including India and three other nations Russia, Australia and South Korea to the grouping of the world's top economies.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to be more careful in the midst of the COVID pandemic even as a major segment of the economy has been opened up.
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Government has announced the first phase of nationwide Unlock starting from tomorrow after the fourth phase of Lockdown ends today.
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In his Mann Ki Baat address today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the spirit of service shown by the people and called it the biggest strength.
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Home Ministry today issued new guidelines for reopening of prohibited activities in areas outside containment zones in a phased manner.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to the citizens of India to mark the first anniversary of his second term in office.
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Covid-19 cases has reached 1 lakh 73 thousand 763 in India. But there is a silver lining that the overall recovery rate has reached 47.40 in the country and a total of 82 thousand 370 patients have been cured so far.
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The new guidelines say that there will be no restriction on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods and no separate permission, approval and e-permit will be required for such movements.
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United States President Donald Trump has announced that America is terminating its relationship with World Health Organization over its handling of the Corona virus.
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In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, security forces killed two terrorists at Wampora in Khudwani area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district in the wee hours today.
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Indian Railways has turned out to be the lifeline of the country in true terms. The nation witnessed zero passenger casualty in rail mishaps during 2019-20.
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The passengers disembarked in a planned manner based on their destinations. Medically screened passengers were provided with breakfast and their baggage disinfected before allowing them to board buses chartered by greater Chennai Corporation.
Transportation arrangements were made by the TN Government for the passengers to various destinations like Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and 25 districts in Tamil Nadu including Chennai.
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20 of those who turned positive today are expatriates, while 37 arrived from other states in the country.
Four were contact infections. Test results of 15 persons undergoing treatment have turned negative.
With the addition of ten more places to the list of hotspots, the total number of hotspots in the state has risen to 116.
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Health Ministry also confirmed death of a 35-year man from Dailekh district on Saturday. The total number of COVID deaths have gone to eight.
In the daily press briefing Ministry spokesperson said 166 more persons tested positive for COVID-19 during last 24 hours taking total number to 1567.
The COVID-19 cases are continuously increasing in the Himalayan nation and over 950 persons have been diagnosed with corona virus in last one week. There are 1339 active cases, while 220 people have been recovered so far. Eight persons have died of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, in view of increasing threat of COVID-19 Nepal government has extended nationwide lockdown till June 14. The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting held in Kathmandu last evening.
The government has also decided to suspend international flights until 30th June.
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According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh 40 people died and 2545 fresh cases of Corona infection were reported from the country over the last 24 hours since Saturday.
With this the death toll in the country has gone up to 650 and total number of infections now stands at 47,153. The number of recovered persons also went up to 9781 with 406 people recovering since Saturday. During the same period 11,876 samples were tested for Corona infection.
In the meanwhile, shops and offices in Bangladesh opened after the government announced the end of ‘general holidays’ on May 30.
Trains and waterways services of launches and ferries have also resumed operation on a limited scale. A total of eight intercity trains started from Sunday and 11 more will start operating from Wednesday. The government has restricted the sale of tickets for train to 50 percent of the capacity which can only be booked online.
The public transport buses will start operation from Monday. Government has announced a temporary increase in bus fare by 60 percent in view of the restrictions imposed on the occupancy of the seats in the buses. In a circular issued on Sunday, the government has instructed that one seat must be kept vacant between two passengers in the buses. No standing passenger will be allowed. It said that the old rates will apply once the Corona pandemic crisis is over.
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Researchers said the fossil of the Silurian Period creature, called Kampecaris obanensis and unearthed on the island of Kerrera in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, inhabited a lakeside environment and likely ate decomposing plants. Fossils of the oldest-known plant with a stem, called Cooksonia, were found in the same ancient lake region as Kampecaris.
While Kampecaris is the earliest land animal known from a fossil, soil worms are believed to have preceded it, appearing perhaps 450 million years ago, according to paleontologist Michael Brookfield of the University of Texas and the University of Massachusetts Boston, lead author of the research published this month in the journal Historical Biology.
Kampecaris, about an inch (2.5 cm) long with a segmented body, resembled modern millipedes but was a member of an extinct group and is not ancestral to millipedes alive today. Its legs were not preserved in the fossil.
It was an arthropod, a broad group that includes insects, spiders, millipedes, centipedes and crustaceans like crabs and shrimp.
Life first evolved in the world’s oceans, with an explosion of diversity beginning roughly 540 million years ago. It took quite some time for life to emerge onto land, beginning with plants likes mosses approximately 450 million years ago. The later advent of plants with stems like Cooksonia helped usher in more complex terrestrial ecosystems.
The first land vertebrates - amphibians that evolved from fish with brawny fins that inhabited shallow waters - showed up about 375 million years ago - ancestors of the reptiles, birds and mammals alive today including our species, which first appeared about 300,000 years ago.
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Professional cricket has been suspended since March because of the pandemic, with Sri Lanka’s home series against England and South Africa among its casualties.
Thirteen players will check into a hotel for a 12-day residential camp at the Colombo Cricket Club, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement.
“The players taking part in the camp represent a general squad chosen from across all formats, and primarily consist of bowlers, as they need more time for conditioning before going into active competition,” it said.
A coaching and support staff of four will oversee the training, during which players will not be allowed outside the hotel premises and the practice venue.
The SLC would ensure everyone at the training camp adhered to the government health regulations, it added.
Sri Lanka are preparing to host India for a limited-overs series in July.
On Saturday, South Africa also allowed training and playing of professional non-contact sport, a decision welcomed by its cricket board.
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In a statement, France’s most visited museum said a booking system and new signposting would offer visitors the maximum possible safety while they are in the building. They will be asked to wear a mask and keep social distancing.
Between March 12 and May 22, the Louvre’s website received 10.5 million visitors, compared to 14.1 million in all of 2019.
The number of virtual visitors per day to the site soared to about 330,000, with a peak of nearly 400,000, compared to about 40,000 visitors per day before the coronavirus crisis.
The Louvre also said the Tuileries garden in front of the museum would open on Sunday, but collective games and gatherings of more than 10 people would be banned.
Both had been closed on March 13.
The announcement follows new steps unveiled on Thursday by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe to ease the lockdown.
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The first major event is expected to be the 2000 Guineas Stakes horse race at Newmarket on June 6, although horse race meetings will be staged, without any spectators, starting on Monday at Newcastle and Tuesday at Kempton Park.
Competitive sport was suspended in Britain in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 38,000 people in the UK to date.
Guidelines published on Saturday by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), outlined a lengthy list of criteria that must be met to allow elite athletes and professional sportsmen to resume competition.
DCMS said a “significant proportion” of the remaining 92 Premier League matches will be shown on free-to-air platforms.
While the Premier League could resume on June 17, other sports are in different positions. Domestic cricket remains suspended until Aug. 1, while the Wimbledon tennis tournament has been cancelled for the first time since World War II. Premiership rugby clubs hope to resume training from June 8.
The government’s latest step for the resumption of elite level sport follow its ‘stage two’ guidance published on May 25 which allowed elite athletes to resume group training under carefully controlled conditions.
Measures, agreed in conjunction with Public Health England and medical representatives from sports bodies, include players travelling alone to venues, being screened for coronavirus symptoms before entering, and maintaining social distancing where possible, including celebrations.
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The new patients had arrived in Thailand from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia and have been in state quarantine, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
Local infections have slowed and over the last two weeks, around 80% of new cases were Thais who had returned from abroad, Panprapa added.
Thailand will on Monday begin reopening more businesses classified as medium to high risks, including cinemas and gyms.
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As a nurse on the front lines of Mexico’s coronavirus battle, Gisela Hernandez has stayed away from her children for nearly two months, sleeping in a hotel and even her car to avoid infecting them because she feels inadequately protected at work.
At night, she video calls Santiago, 5 and Renata, 9, who are both asthmatic, to hear about what they’ve done during the day and remind them how much she misses them.
While Hernandez says she loves her work, and considers the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER) in Mexico City her second home, she is also afraid of contracting the novel coronavirus, which has killed 9,415 people in Mexico.
“I don’t regret becoming a nurse because I like to help my patients,” said Hernandez, 40, whose hospital is one of the city’s main treatment centers for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
But she said she is “scared of getting sick ... scared of never seeing my kids again.”
Health workers account for about a quarter of all of Mexico’s coronavirus infections, government data shows, one of the highest rates in the world. The risks are made worse by shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Coronavirus cases are surging in Latin America, which along with the United States is now an epicenter of the global pandemic. Frontline workers in Mexico City’s hospitals, including Hernandez, have taken to the streets to complain about the conditions. A national march is planned for Monday.
Mexico ranks eighth in the world in COVID-19 deaths, with Mexico City and a neighboring state accounting for some 40% of the country’s fatalities.
The Mexican government says it needs another 6,600 doctors and 23,000 nurses to battle the crisis, a shortage exacerbated by the high infection rate among medical staff - 11,394 health workers had contracted the virus and 149 had died as of May 17.
Medical professionals had accounted for 23% of all of the country’s infections as of that date. That compares to 3.7% in the United States, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.
Despite the danger, Hernandez is doing her part to combat the disease.
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Algeria’s energy minister, Mohamed Arkab, said in the letter that he had held discussions with “some ministers” about bringing forward the dates, which would help “facilitate nominations”.
The term “nominations” is used by OPEC’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia as well as Iraq and Kuwait to allocate crude to traditional buyers depending on demand. The nominations take place around the 10th of every month.
In April, OPEC+ decided to cut its production by a record 9.7 million barrels per day, or 10% of global output, to lift prices battered by a drop in demand because of lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
A drop in OPEC+ production combined with a record decline in output from non-members such as the United States and Canada helped lift oil prices towards $35 per barrel, although they remain at only half the levels seen at the start of the year.
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As authorities in the country with the world’s cheapest gasoline got ready to expand retail sales under a system combining subsidies and international prices, the fifth cargo of an Iranian flotilla approached the Caribbean Sea and is expected to reach Venezuelan waters on Sunday, according to sources.
Of 1,800 stations in Venezuela, about 240 have remained working since Maduro announced coronavirus-related lockdown measures in March, which included restrictions on fuel sales due to very low inventories.
More than 1,500 stations nationwide are expected to work in the coming days under the new system, which includes monthly quotas for vehicles and motorcycles, automated sales and monitoring equipment. Despite the price increases, it will cost about $1 to fill a whole tank of a vehicle under the subsidy.
After reaching the quotas, drivers will have to pay internationally indexed prices.
The remaining 200 stations will be supplied by independent companies, so drivers buying at those sites will be charged $0.50 per liter of gasoline and will have to pay in foreign currency.
Gasoline has been heavily subsidized in Venezuela, which coupled with hyperinflation in recent years has made it almost free, but acute scarcity has recently encouraged a black market that has forced people to pay at least $2 per liter.
Venezuela’s refineries, which can produce more than 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of fuel, have worked at less than 20% of their capacity in 2020 mainly due to power outages and lack of spare parts.
As U.S. sanctions imposed on Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA have also limited the sources and types of products Venezuela can import, Maduro’s socialist administration this year turned to Iran for refining parts and fuel.
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Manufacturing slowed for a second month although activity has revived from record lows in February, when the government imposed tough travel restrictions, quarantine rules and factory suspensions to curb the spread of the respiratory illness.
The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index eased to 50.6 in May from 50.8 in April, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Sunday, but held above the 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction on a monthly basis. Analysts had expected a PMI reading of 51.
Export orders logged the fifth consecutive month of contraction, with a sub-index standing at 35.3 in May, well below the 50-point mark, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to take a toll on global demand.
“Judging by the PMI sub-indices, the absolute levels of demand-related indices are way below the production-related ones, indicating a pronounced constraining impact from demand on production,” said Zhang Liqun, an analyst with the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP), adding that more than 50% of companies have reported a lack of demand.
Factories reduced headcount for the first time since they reopened, with a sub-index falling to 49.4 from 50.2 in April, the survey showed.
In May, the PMI index for medium-sized and small enterprises fell to 48.8 and 50.8, respectively, while large companies reported a faster expansion in activity.
In an encouraging sign, the forward-looking total new orders gauge showed an improvement to 50.9 from April’s 50.2, suggesting domestic demand could be picking up soon.
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Countries such as Brazil, Chile and Mexico are struggling to stem the spread of the virus, which initially peaked in China in February before large-scale outbreaks followed in Europe and the United States.
The COVID-19 respiratory illness has claimed more than 367,000 lives worldwide, though the true number is thought to be higher as testing is still limited and many countries do not include fatalities outside of hospitals.
The first 41 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 10 and it took the world until April 1 to reach its first million cases. Since then, about 1 million new cases are reported every two weeks.
The pandemic has claimed more than 367,000 lives worldwide, though the true number is believed to be higher because testing is still limited and many countries do not include fatalities outside of hospitals.
Despite the continued increase in cases, many countries are opening schools and workplaces following weeks of unprecedented lockdowns that have stemmed the spread of the disease - but also hammered economies and thrown millions out of work.
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The South American nation has now reported 498,440 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began, a level of contagion second only to the United States.
The death toll in Brazil from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, increased to 28,834, with 956 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
Brazilian states are preparing to ease quarantine restrictions despite warnings from public health experts who say the worst is still to come.
Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has played down the gravity of the epidemic and criticized lockdowns for paralyzing the economy and causing widespread unemployment and hardship.
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The spacecraft is the first to take the American astronauts to orbit from American soil in nearly a decade. The mission marks the first launch of a rocket owned by SpaceX, the commercial space company founded by Elon Musk. US President Donald Trump was present at the Kennedy Space Center to view the rocket launch.
On Wednesday, the planned launch was called off due to bad weather. NASA has assigned Hurley and Behnken, two of its most experienced astronauts. Behnken is the joint operations commander for the Demo-2 mission, responsible for activities such as rendezvous, docking and undocking, as well as activities while the spacecraft is docked to the space station.
He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and has completed two space shuttle flights. Hurley is the spacecraft commander for the mission, responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has completed two spaceflights. -
US President Donald Trump has said that he will postpone a meeting of Group of 7 nations until fall and called for an expansion of the group's membership. President Trump said he has not yet set a new date, but it can take place in September around the time of the annual meeting of the United Nations.
The leaders of the world’s major economies were slated to meet in June in the US. President Trump said he considers the G7 an outdated group that doesn't properly represent what's taking place in the world. The US President singled out India, Russia, Australia and South Korea as possible additions. The G7 members are US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and UK. -
Marriage related gatherings will not have more than 50 guests. For funerals and last rites, the maximum number of persons allowed has been kept at 20. Consumption of liquor, paan, gutkha and tobacco is not allowed at public places. The directives say that the practice of work from home should be followed to the extent possible, and staggering of work hours should be adopted.
There should be provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizers at all entry and exit points and common areas. In work places, social distancing should be ensured through measures like adequate distance between workers, and adequate gaps between shifts. -
The DGCA reiterated that foreign airlines will be suitably informed about the opening of their operations to or from India in due course. Earlier on Monday, domestic passenger flight services resumed in the country after a hiatus of two months since the lockdown was announced on 25th March this year. In light of the guidelines issued by the government, Delhi Metro services will also remain closed for commuters until further notice.
Cinema Halls, Gymnasiums, Swimming pools, entertainment parks, theaters, bars , auditoriums, assembly places and any large congregation including religious will continue to remain prohibited nationwide. However, the state governments can impose larger restrictions than those proposed by the Centre as per their assessment. Home Ministry has extended the nationwide lockdown in containment zones till 30th of next month and prohibited operation of Metro Rail. -
All activities have been allowed in green and orange zones from 5 in the morning till 9 in the evening except for few which will be opened up in a phased manner starting from 8th of next month. Starting from Monday, there stands no limitation on intra and inter state movements unless the state government decides otherwise. No separate permission or permits will be required starting from Monday for both intra and inter state movement by citizens as per the Central Government guidelines.
Starting from 8th of June the doors of temples and other religious places will be open for the devotees. Hotels , Restaurants , hospitality services and Shopping malls will also see visitors from 8th of next month after around 75 days of closure as per the standard operating procedures finalised by Health Ministry. Educational Institutions, including schools, colleges, coaching institutes will remain closed till 30th June and decision on their re-opening will be considered only after consultation of all stakeholders.
International air travel, except those permitted by Government, Metro Rail, Cinema Halls, Gymnasiums, Swimming pools, entertainment parks, theaters, bars , auditoriums, assembly places and any large congregation including religious will continue to remain prohibited nationwide. However, the state governments can impose larger restrictions than those proposed by the Centre as per their assessment.
Containment Zones will however will remain under complete lockdown till 30th June barring the essential activities. Vulnerable persons in terms of COVID infection , those above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, are advised to stay at home. Home Ministry has also advised everyone to install Aarogya Setu App in their mobile phones for helping India's fight against the global pandemic. -
In the 65th episode of the monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat,' PM said "The last time I spoke to you through Mann Ki Baat, passenger train services, buses and flights had come to a standstill. This time around much has resumed-Shramik special trains are operational; other special trains too have begun."
"With utmost precautions, flights have resumed; industry too is returning to normalcy; thus, opening up a major segment of the economy. In such a scenario, we need to be even more alert and careful," PM added.
Talking about India's fight against COVID-19, PM said, "Battle against Corona is being fiercely waged in country through collective efforts. When we glance at the world, we can actually experience magnitude of the achievements of people of India. Our population itself is many times that of most countries. The challenges facing the country too are of a different kind, yet Corona did not spread as fast as it did in other countries of the world."
"One thing that has touched my heart is innovation at this moment of crisis. A multitude of countrymen from villages and cities, from small scale traders to start ups,our labs are devising even new ways of fighting against Corona; with novel innovations. Similarly I was observing numerous photographs on social media. Many shopkeepers in order to adhere to the two yard distancing have installed big pipe lines in their shops. Merchandise is released from one end and collected at the other end by the customer," PM said.
PM Modi shared his thoughts on the efforts of corona warriors, he said, "Our railway personnel are at it day and night. From the centre, states, to local governance bodies, everybody is toiling around the clock. The way our railway men are relentlessly engaged, they too are front line Corona Warriors. Safely transporting lakhs of labourers in trains and buses, caring for their food, arranging for their quarantine in every district, testing, check up and treatment is an ongoing process on a very large scale."
"Considering the migrant labourers, the need of the hour is devising a new solution - paradigm….we are ceaselessly taking steps in that direction. Establishment of a migration commission is being deliberated upon," PM added.
Boosting the idea of 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat,' PM ensured that the recent decisions taken by the Central government have opened up vast possibilities of village employment, self employment and small scale industry. The objective of these decisions is finding solutions to the situation, for the sake of a self-reliant India.
PM Modi emphasized on the importance of Yoga and Ayurved, said, "During the ongoing Corona crisis, I spoke to many world leaders. I would like to share a secret today- I’ve observed that during deliberations between world leaders; a lot of interest is evinced in Yog and Ayurved. People everywhere want to know more about 'Yoga' and along with it 'Ayurveda' and adopt it as a way of life. Many people, who have never practiced yoga, have either joined online yoga classes or are also learning yoga through online videos. The Ministry of AYUSH has also done a unique experiment this time to increase the practice of Yoga in your life. I request all of you too participate in this competition, and through this novel way, be a part of the International Yoga Day also."
Talking about 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme, PM said, " Realizing the distress of crores of impoverished citizens, the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme was launched about one and a half years ago to ameliorate this constant worry. A few days ago, the number of beneficiaries of 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme crossed over one crore. More than 1 crore patients implies that more than one crore families of our country have been served. Do you know what more than 1 crore patients means? It means cumulative population of two Norways & two Singapores have been provided free treatment in such a short time."
PM also mentioned about Cyclone Amphan, saying, "On one hand we are busy combating Corona pandemic whereas on the other hand, we were recently confronted with natural calamity in certain parts of Eastern India. During the last few weeks, we have seen the havoc wreaked by Amphan in West Bengal and Odisha. I went to take stock of the situation last week to Odisha & West Bengal. Courage and bravery with which the people of West Bengal and Odisha have faced the ordeal is commendable."
As World Environment Day approaches, PM Modi sought people to introspect upon the rich diversity of nature or biodiversity around them. He said, "During Lockdown in the last few weeks the pace of life may have slowed down a bit but it has also given us an opportunity to introspect upon the rich diversity of nature or biodiversity around us. Much of the avian fauna had sort of disappeared due to sound and air pollution, and now after years people can once again listen to their melodic chirping in their homes. For ensuring that the rivers remain clean, animals and birds have the right to live freely and the sky remains pollution free, we must derive inspiration to live life in harmony with nature."
In the end, PM Modi cautioned people about coronavirus and said, "Friends, all of us also have to bear in mind that after such austere penance, and after so many hardships, the country’s deft handling of the situation should not go in vain. You, your family, may still face grave danger from Corona. We can not become careless and lackadaisical in our fight against coronavirus."
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Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada, Minister for Finance, Communications and Information Technology, who is also spokesperson of the government, said that in view of increasing threat of COVID-19 the cabinet decided to extend ongoing lockdown for 12 more days, till 14th June. The government has also decided to suspend international flights until 30th June.
Nepal reported highest single day spike in coronavirus cases with 189 more persons tested positive on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population total number of coronavirus cases have reached to 1401. In last few days COVID-19 cases are continuously increasing in the Himalayan nation.
Since Monday over 800 persons have been diagnosed with corona virus. There are 1176 active cases, while 219 people have been recovered so far. Six persons have died of COVID-19.
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Out of 177 new cases, 125 are reported from Kashmir division whereas 52 positive cases are reported from Jammu division.
Now the toll of positive Covid-19 cases in Jammu division are 488 whereas the toll of positive Covid-19 cases in Kashmir division has climbed to 1853.
Moreover, no death due to Covid-19 infection was reported in the Union Territory on Saturday and the toll of Covid-19 fatalities stands at 28. 33; more recoveries of Covid-19 patient have been reported from various hospitals on Saturday.
Furthermore, the union territory has broken the 8000 tests a day barrier as more than 8,200 samples have been tested on Saturday.
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Home Ministry has extended the nationwide lockdown in containment zones till 30th of next month and prohibited operation of Metro Rail
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In this phase, INS Jalashwa will repatriate 700 personnel from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu and subsequently repatriate another 700 personnel from Malè, Maldives to Tuticorin.
Indian Navy has already repatriated 1,488 Indian nationals from Malè to Kochi during the previous phase of operations. Indian Missions in Sri Lanka and Maldives are preparing a list of Indian nationals to be evacuated and will facilitate their embarkation after requisite medical screening.
COVID-related social distancing norms will be followed onboard and evacuees would be provided basic amenities and medical facilities during the sea-passage.
After disembarkation at Tuticorin, the evacuated personnel will be entrusted to the care of state authorities. This operation is being undertaken in close coordination with External Affairs Ministry, Home Ministry, Health Ministry and various other government agencies.
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This portal has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT and IT Industry. National e-Governance Division of Ministry of Electronics and IT and NASSCOM from the IT industry will jointly run this portal.
This portal shall work as a one stop digital platform for AI related developments in India, sharing of resources such as articles, startups, investment funds in AI, resources, companies and educational institutions related to AI in India. The portal will also share documents, case studies, research reports etc. It has section about learning and new job roles related to AI.
On this occasion, the Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, also launched a National Program for the youth, “Responsible AI for Youth”. The aim of this Program is to give the young students of our country a platform and empower them with appropriate new age tech mind-set, relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets to make them digitally ready for the future.
The Program has been created and launched by the National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT in collaboration with Intel India, with support from Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Human Resource Development.
“Responsible AI for Youth” will empower the youth to become AI ready and help reduce the skill gap, while enabling youth to create meaningful social impact solutions. The Program is designed to reach out to students from Government schools pan India and provide them with an opportunity to become part of the skilled workforce in an inclusive manner.
MoS for E&IT, Communications, and HRD, Shri Sanjay Dhotre, while emphasising the role of digital technologies with special reference to pandemic-afflicted world, said that such technologies have proved to be our saviours during the difficult times.
These have been of very crucial help especially in the field of education, agriculture, healthcare, e-commerce, finance, telecommunications, etc.
The Minister further added that the digital technologies have been great equalisers despite several odds. Highlighting the importance of the AI Portal, Shri Dhotre said that such national portal will lead to democratization of artificial intelligence in the country.
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The Minister said, we shall overcome this challenge too under his leadership to commence a new era of growth and development.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, the Minister said, Prime Minister's leadership and commitment for inclusive development has made India an important country in the field of technology and economy.
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However, if a State or UT, based on reasons of public health and its assessment of the situation, proposes to regulate movement of persons, it will give wide publicity in advance regarding the restrictions to be placed on such movement, and the related procedures to be followed.
States and Union Territories, based on their assessment of the situation, may prohibit certain activities outside the Containment zones, or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary.
Vulnerable persons like persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, are advised to stay at home, except for meeting essential requirements and for health purposes.
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The Ministry said, there have been several instances where the passengers have not been brought to the station and notified trains have been cancelled. It said, some of the States have also not been giving consent to the sending States, preventing transportation of a large number of migrant labour for those States.
More than four thousand Shramik Special services have been operated by Railways to transport around 54 lakh stranded persons to their destination states.
The Ministry said, it has been able to accommodate almost all the requests received from the sending States till date
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On 25th March, when the lock down was enforced across the India, 43 people affected with corona virus were cured from Corona virus which was seven per cent of the total six hundred six cases.
Health and Family Welfare Ministry data reveals that in different phases of lockdown, recovery rate has improved continuously.
In the first phase of lockdown, the recovery rate reached to 11.42 percent and in the second phase it crossed the 27 per cent mark.
During the third phase of lockdown which ended on 18th May, the figure of recovery rate reached to 38.29 per cent. At present, the highest recovery rate of 100 per cent has been recorded in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in Mizoram.
There are 17 States and Union Territories including Punjab, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, which are above the national recovery rate of 47.40 per cent.
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Domestic services resumed in India after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus lockdown. Indian carriers have operated a total of 1,827 flights till Thursday -- 428 on Monday, 445 on Tuesday, 460 on Wednesday and 494 on Thursday.
Civil Aviation Minister said on Twitter on Saturday: "Day 5. 29th May till 2359 hrs. Departures 513. 39,969 passengers handled. Arrivals 512. 39,972 passengers handled." A departure is counted as a flight during the day.
In February, when the lockdown was not imposed, around 4.12 lakh passengers travelled daily through domestic flights in India, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data.
Airports in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been allowed to handle a restricted number of daily flights as these states do not want a huge influx of flyers amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
While domestic services resumed in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, they restarted in West Bengal on Thursday.
Though domestic flight operations across the country began on May 25, they could not be restarted in Kolkata and Bagdogra as the West Bengal machinery was involved in relief and restoration work after cyclone Amphan's devastation.
A total of 16 asymptomatic passengers on seven different flights, including 13 who travelled by IndiGo, have tested positive for COVID-19 since the resumption of domestic air services.
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Medical Education minister, Dr. K. Sudhakar informed media persons in Bengaluru today that the University is working towards realising the dream of Prime Minister to make country self sufficient in combating the pandemic.
He further added that 2.5 lakh students and 23,000 teaching faculties of the health sciences University have joined the battle against Corona virus.
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Forex traders said investors are awaiting the country's gross domestic product data for the January-March quarter, due later in the day, for further cues.
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Government is reimbursing carrying cost of one thousand 6 hundred 74 crore rupees towards maintenance of buffer stock of 40 Lakh tonnes of sugar.
Besides assistance at 10 thousand 4 hundred 48 rupees per Tonne is being provided to sugar mills to meet expenses on export of 60 Lakh tonnes of sugar. The likely expenditure for it will be around 6 thousand 2 hundred 68 crore rupees.
Soft loans of about 18 thousand 600 crore rupees are being extended through banks to 362 sugar mills and molasses-based standalone distilleries for enhancement and augmentation of ethanol production capacity.
An interest subvention of about 4 thousand 45 crore rupees for five years is being borne by the Government for this.
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The nationwide lockdown in containment zones has been extended up to 30th of next month, while guidelines have permitted phased reopening outside these zones.
Under the new guidelines, in phase one, the activities which will be allowed from 8th of next month are, religious places of worship for public, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services and shopping malls.
Union Health Ministry will issue SOPs for these activities, in consultation with the Central Ministries and Departments concerned and other stakeholders for ensuring social distancing and to contain the spread of COVID-19.In the phase two, schools, colleges, educational, training and coaching institutions will be opened after consultation with States and Union Territories. State Governments and Union Territory administrations are being advised to hold consultation at the institution level with parents and other stakeholders. Based on the feedback, a decision on the re-opening of these institutions will be taken in the month of July this year.
Under the new guidelines, only a limited number of activities will remain prohibited throughout the country. These activities are international air travel of passengers, operation of metro rail, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places.
Social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious functions, and other large congregation will also be prohibited. In phase three, dates for opening of these activities will be decided based on assessment of the situation.
The Home Ministry said lockdown will continue to be implemented strictly in the containment zones. These will be demarcated by the State and Union Territory governments after taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.
Within the containment zones, strict perimeter control will be maintained and only essential activities allowed. The night curfew will continue to remain in force, on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities. However, the revised timings of the curfew will be from 9 PM to 5 AM across the nation.
The new guidelines say that there will be no restriction on inter-State and intra-State movement of persons and goods and no separate permission, approval and e-permit will be required for such movements. However, if a State or UT, based on reasons of public health and its assessment of the situation, proposes to regulate movement of persons, it will give wide publicity in advance regarding the restrictions to be placed on such movement, and the related procedures to be followed. States and Union Territories, based on their assessment of the situation, may prohibit certain activities outside the Containment zones, or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary.
Vulnerable persons like persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, are advised to stay at home, except for meeting essential requirements and for health purposes.
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The Ministry said, Centre has provided around one crore 20 lakh N95 masks and over 96 lakh Personal Protective Equipment to the States, Union territories and Central Institutions.
Government said, the doubling time in the past 14 days was 13.3 and it has improved to 15.4 in the last three days.
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These model stretches will have all the required safety and aesthetic features like Road Signs, Road Markings, Road Furniture and Safety Items, pedestrian facilities, Street Lighting, Plantation and CCTV cameras at all vulnerable locations.
Road Transport and Highways Ministry said, with all these features, the model stretch shall look like a perfect textbook version of model road.
Some of the NH sections identified for development as Model Stretches are Dausa to Jaipur, Jalandhar to Amritsar, Srinagar to Banihal, Varansi Ring Road and Brahmputra Bridge to Guwahati.
NHAI has issued policy guidelines to help its Regional Officers and Project Directors to identify and plan the development of Model Stretches and ensure completion in a timely manner.
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According to a release by the Health and Sports Ministry of Myanmar the returnees were undergoing quarantine when the test results came in.
The Ministry said that 15 of the Covid-19 patients were from Yangon while two were residents of Mandalay.
With these new cases, the total number of Corona positive patients in Myanmar has gone up to 224 including six deaths and 130 recoveries. Most of the Corona positive cases are from Yangon. Till now Myanmar has tested 23,951 people according to the health ministry data.
All the new Corona positive cases over the last two weeks are people who were rescued by the Myanmar government from abroad.
More than 2,500 people have been brought back from abroad by the government since the Corona outbreak.
The first Corona positive case in Myanmar was detected on March 23.
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While the Government is keeping a close watch on infectivity and mortality, it is imperative to bring in a robust forecasting model for predicting the spread and enhancing disease surveillance.
Numerous mathematical models for Covid-19 forecasting and surveillance are being worked out by investigators funded by DST-SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board) and other agencies.
Inspired by India’s history of using mathematical models for disaster management planning of metrological events, DST has initiated this exercise to pool in expertise in the field and create one model for the entire country that will be subjected to rigorous tests required for evidence-based forecasting, routinely practiced in weather forecasting communities.
The model will entirely rely only on the data that is relevant to COVID-19, and also have an adaptive built-in component to learn from the newer trends in the data. It will aggregate successful evidence-based mathematical and statistical forecasting models and include the best predictive analytics for robust forecasting of infectious disease spread.
The supermodel could be used by the policymakers in India and around the world to overcome difficulties in predicting the rate of spread of infection and how it would burden the healthcare sector, thereby curbing the epidemic.
“Mathematical modeling and simulations for the spread of COVID-19 virus and its impact are not mere academic exercises but are critical needs for rational decision making, planning, and resource management. It is thus of vital importance that a robust National Model which is vetted by a large cross-section of scientific community working in the area is developed,” said Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST.
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He submitted the representation to the Governor mentioning various issues pertaining to the failure & political witch hunting of the State Government while imposing necessary social distancing throughout the state.
During the meeting he shared his deep concerns in respect to the faulty ration supply , poor facilities at hospitals & low medical arrangements.
"The whole administration lacked the kind of sympathy and humanity required at such critical moment of dealing with the affected common people" said by Abdul Mannan on post cyclone scenario.
He also expressed his worrisome concerns over the recent incidents at Kolkata police training school , Garfa police station & last night unfortunate event at 4th battalion of armed police Bidhanagar.
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Through these virtual rallies, the state BJP discuss will discuss various types of economic announcements and schemes of the Union government among all sections of the society.
In today's virtual rally 750 BJP booth level workers of the State will be connected through video conferencing.
All BJP frontal organisations in the State will also hold a virtual rally through video conferencing across the state to make the people aware of various schemes running in the state as well as economic package recently announced by the Union Government.
To make this program successful the party has also appointed in charge as per the parliamentary constituency.
On the other hand, BJP will also run a contact campaign in the state to distribute face covers and sanitizers in each division on large scale.
On this occasion today all BJP workers will also pledge to use local and indigenous products.
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In last few days COVID-19 cases are continuously increasing in the Himalayan nation. Since Monday over 800 persons have been diagnosed with corona virus. Meanwhile, 13 more persons cured and discharged from various hospitals during last 24 hours.
There are 1176 active cases, while 219 people have been recovered so far. Six persons have died of COVID-19. Currently 110078 people are under quarantine and 1176 persons kept in isolation across the country. Out of 77 districts 53 have reported corona virus infection till date.
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Union Railways and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has penned down the achievements of Indian railways on completion of one year of the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.
The has informed that last year has been remarkable for railways both in terms of safety and performance. Commenting on Commerce and Industry, Union Minister Piyush Goyal informed that, the government took several steps to promote exports as well as protect the interests of domestic industries.
All unmanned level crossings were eliminated in the country whereas one thousand 274 manned crossings were removed. Commissioning of new line, doubling and gauge conversion increased to 2 thousand 226 kilometer in 2019-20.
The Minister informed that this was nearly 50 per cent more than the average annual commissioning achieved during 2009-14. Union Minister informed that, the punctuality of trains has also improved significantly by nearly 10 per cent over the last year.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that even during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Railways ensured uninterrupted and round the clock freight operations of essential commodities like foodgrains, coal, salt, sugar, milk, edible oil, among others. The Minister also highlighted the operationalisation of Shramik Special trains which have carried more than 50 lakh migrant workers to their home states till now. Railways has also distributed over 75 lakh free meals to migrants so far.
The Minister Piyush Goyal also cited the innovative step through which Railways created COVID care centres in its coaches with facility of more than 3 lakh beds. Speaking about the steps taken in commerce sector, the Minister highlighted Prime Minister’s decision to abstain from joining RCEP , a decision which will help the domestic workers and small and medium enterprises in the country.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal said , India is also engaging to resolve all outstanding issues with the USA, South Korea and Japan to boost exports, and is also working to initiate dialogue with European Union.
The Minister said that with an objective of reducing excessive dependence on non-essential imports, duty was increased on 89 items and restrictions were imposed on 13 items benefitting lakhs of domestic workers. The minister said, FDI inflow in the country grew by 18.4 per cent in 2019-20 to reach 73.46 billion dollar.
The Minister also mentioned how the reforms introduced by Narendra Modi government has catapulted India’s ranking in terms of ease of doing business.
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This year's edition had been scheduled to start at the Foro Italico on May 11, but was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think that, barring major upheavals, we are going to reorganise the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in September, between the middle and the end of the month," Binaghi told SuperTennis.
"They tell me, especially the Romans, that it is an extraordinary season, the best time to play tennis." Binaghi said he would meet shortly with Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora to discuss ways to "allow the public enjoy this great event."
The tournament would, however, overlap with the French Open at Roland Garros which begins on September 20, with qualifying the week before.
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He has informed that last year has been remarkable for railways both in terms of safety and performance. Commenting on Commerce and Industry, Goyal informed that, the government took several steps to promote exports as well as protect the interests of domestic industries.
All unmanned level crossings were eliminated in the country whereas 1,274 manned crossings were removed. Commissioning of new line, doubling and gauge conversion increased to 2,226 kilometer in 2019-20.
Goyal informed that this was nearly 50 per cent more than the average annual commissioning achieved during 2009-14. He informed that, the punctuality of trains has also improved significantly by nearly 10 per cent over the last year. Goyal said that even during the testing times of COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Railways ensured uninterrupted and round the clock freight operations of essential commodities like foodgrains, coal, salt, sugar, milk, edible oil, among others.
He also highlighted the operationalisation of Shramik Special trains which have carried more than 50 lakh migrant workers to their home states till now. Railways has also distributed over 75 lakh free meals to migrants so far.
Goyal also cited the innovative step through which Railways created COVID care centres in its coaches with facility of more than 3 lakh beds. Speaking about the steps taken in commerce sector , he highlighted Prime Minister’s decision to abstain from joining RCEP , a decision which will help the domestic workers and small and medium enterprises in the country.
He said , India is also engaging to resolve all outstanding issues with the USA, South Korea and Japan to boost exports, and is also working to initiate dialogue with European Union.
He said that with an objective of reducing excessive dependence on non-essential imports, duty was increased on 89 items and restrictions were imposed on 13 items benefitting lakhs of domestic workers. The minister said, FDI inflow in the country grew by 18.4 per cent in 2019-20 to reach 73.46 billion dollar. He also mentioned how the reforms introduced by Narendra Modi government has catapulted India’s ranking in terms of ease of doing business. -
Nadda underlined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led from the front during the novel coronavirus pandemic, and took bold and timely decisions by involving people to combat the deadly infection.
"While many big, powerful countries found themselves helpless against COVID-19, situation is under control in India," Nadda said at a press conference here on the first anniversary of the Modi government's second term.
Hailing the Centre's decision of the lockdown as timely, the BJP leader said the move helped in checking the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Citing the Citizenship Amendment (Act) scrapping of Article 370, strengthening of anti-terror laws, bank mergers among the key successes, Nadda said these bold decisions helped in strengthening the country and realising the objective of 'one nation, one constitution'.
He announced that the party will hold digital rallies across the country to mark the first anniversary of 'Modi govt 2.0'.
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The IMF in a press release said that the assistance has been approved for Bangladesh to meet its urgent Balance of payment and fiscal needs as Corona pandemic has led to sharp decline in its exports and income from remittances.
The assistance is provided under the Rapid Credit Facility and Rapid Financing Instrument provisions of the IMF. The money will help Bangladesh to meet its health, social protection and macro-stabilization measures.
The acting Chair of IMF Executive Board Antoinette Sayeh in a statement said that the assistance will help the government of Bangladesh to cover the financing gap and support its efforts to contain the adverse impact of the Corona outbreak in the country.
In response to the severe economic slow down due to Corona pandemic, the government of Bangladesh has undertaken food distribution and cash transfer programmes to vulnerable sections as well as ensuring payment of wages in Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector and provision of working capital to business and farmers.
The IMF said that mobilization of tax revenue, addressing the issue of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of the banks, infrastructure and governance remain key challenges for Bangladesh to enhance business environment and attract FDI.
This is the largest amount of loan assistance for Bangladesh to deal with the Covid-19 fallout. Earlier ADB provided 500 million assistance to Bangladesh to deal with the Corona pandemic.
The Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector contributes more than 80 percent to the total export earning of Bangladesh employing more than 4 million people. Foreign remittance is the second highest Foreign Exchange earner for Bangladesh. In Financial year 2019, Bangladesh received remittances of dollar 18.42 billion dollars.
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This course on soft skills assists the learners in enhancing personality development with modules on corporate etiquette, improving inter personal skills, making impactful presentation including other necessary soft skills demanded by the industry at present.
The training module is available in Hindi and English on the NCS portal. The Ministry is implementing the NCS Project for transformation of the National Employment Service to provide a variety of employment related services like job search, career counselling, information on skill development courses, apprenticeship and internships through an on-line portal of NCS.
National Career Service has taken a number of initiatives to mitigate the challenges in the labour market due to COVID-19 and the consequent lockdown.
NCS has so far conducted around 76 Online Job Fairs during the lockdown period. Online Job Fairs are being organized to bridge the gap between job seekers and employers where the complete cycle from job posting to selection of candidate can be completed on the portal.
Besides, a special link for Work from Home jobs and online training has been created on NCS portal to give direct access to job seekers to such jobs.
There are around one crore active job seekers and 54 thousand active employers registered on NCS and around 73 lakh vacancies have been mobilized through the portal so far.
Around one thousand employment exchanges including 200 Model Career Centres across the country are integrated with NCS. -
Fears of a lightning strike postponed the initial takeoff attempt on Wednesday of what would have been the first crewed rocket launch from US soil in almost a decade, and the first time a commercial company has achieved the feat.
"No decision on weather right now for Saturday's test flight of @SpaceX's #CrewDragon spacecraft. Will reassess in the morning," tweeted Bridenstine.
Earlier in the day, NASA said the chances of a Saturday launch at 3:22 pm Eastern Time (1922 GMT) were 50 percent. The weather forecast currently predicts a thunderstorm.
The next window, which is determined by the relative positions of the launch site to the space station, is Sunday at 3:00 pm Eastern Time (1900 GMT), and fair weather is predicted.
NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, former military test pilots who joined the space agency in 2000, are to blast off from historic Launch Pad 39A on a two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The same launch pad was used by Neil Armstrong and his Apollo 11 crewmates on their historic journey to the Moon, as NASA seeks to revive excitement around human space exploration ahead of a planned return to Earth's natural satellite and then Mars.
The mission comes despite shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with the crew in quarantine for more than two weeks.
NASA has urged crowds to stay away from Cocoa Beach, the traditional viewing spot -- but that did not deter many space fans on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump, who flew in for the previous launch attempt, is expected to attend again.
NASA has had to pay Russia for use of its Soyuz rockets to take its astronauts to space ever since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011 and the decision was taken to shift focus to commercial partners for missions in low Earth orbit.
The mission is a defining moment for SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk in 2002 with a goal of tearing up the rules to produce a lower-cost alternative to human spaceflight. By 2012, it had become the first private company to dock a cargo capsule at the ISS, resupplying the station regularly ever since.
Two years later, NASA ordered the next step: to transport its astronauts there by adapting the Dragon capsule.
The US space agency paid more than $3 billion for SpaceX to design, build, test and operate its reusable capsule for six future space round trips.The project has experienced delays, explosions, and parachute problems -- but even so, SpaceX has beaten its competitor, aerospace giant Boeing, to the punch.
Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock with the ISS about 19 hours after liftoff, for a duration that is yet to be finalized, but likely around early August.
Wednesday's scheduled flight was scrubbed 17 minutes before blastoff because of high levels of atmospheric electricity that could have triggered a lightning strike on the rocket.
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The national capital is likely to experience thunderstorm with squall.
Mumbai is likely to have partly cloudy sky. The minimum temperature in the metropolis will be 28 degrees Celsius while maximum will be around 35 degrees Celsius.
Chennai will see a partly cloudy sky. The temperature will hover between 29 and 40 degrees Celsius.
Kolkata is also expected to witness generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or Thundershowers. The minimum temperature in the metropolis will be 24 degrees Celsius while maximum 33 degrees.
On to North, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the minimum temperature will be 25 degrees Celsius in Jammu while maximum will be around 37 degrees Celsius. The city will observe partly cloudy sky with possibility of rain or Thunderstorm or Duststorm.
In Srinagar, the minimum temperature will be 14 degrees Celsius while maximum will be around 24 degrees. The city will observe thunderstorm with rain.
In Gilgit, the temperature will hover between 15 and 32 degrees Celsius. It will face generally cloudy sky with light rain.
In Muzzafarabad, sky is likely to be partly cloudy. There is also possibility of rain or Thunderstorm or Duststorm. The lower limit of temperature will be 16 degrees Celsius while upper limit will be around 36 degrees Celsius.