IMF welcomes Indian govt’s measures to fight COVID-19

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LATEST UPDATE: 10:17 a.m. Eastern

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three-week -long trucker protest, including two of the so-called “Freedom Convoy’s” organizers. This is day 22 of the entrenched protest in the Nation’s Capital. Catherine Urquhart has the latest.

Strictly Come Dancing champion Joanne Clifton has opened up about her health diagnosis which left her in tears.The professional dancer, 38, was crowned the winner of the BBC dancing competition back in 2016 alongside Ore Oduba.However, fans of the show were unaware that Joanne was battling osteoarthritis in her knees at the age of just 31.She has been raising awareness about the condition, which can impact her daily life, but has vowed to never give up her career.Addressing the moment she was told of her diagnosis, Joanne told Express.co.uk that she broke down in tears.She explained: "I knew there was some kind of problem because my knee absolutely flared up like a balloon. Just one of them.

Delhi in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 18,55,409, said the state health department on Saturday. The positivity rate has fallen to 1.13%.

It now "feels like the pandemic is over'', according to a frontline consultant.

#COVID19 #COVAXIN #VaccineMandate #BharatBiotech #bbv152 #COVID #clinicaltrial #Pandemic pic.twitter.com/nIWWDUKhvW

#COVID19 disease caused by Omicron can be mild or serious. For some people, symptoms can even lead to death.Protect yourself:-Get vaccinated-Keep a safe distance & avoid crowds-Wear a well-fitted mask-Keep indoor spaces ventilated-Clean hands often-Cover coughs & sneezes pic.twitter.com/YBt4OsStwe

See the tweet belowThirty years ago, Hepatitis B and C killed countless ppl globallyNow, Hep B has an effective vaccine and Hep C treatments cure ~90% of patientsSARS-CoV2 is a much simpler virusVariants may cause future waves but new treatments and vaccines have crushed the big threat.

An infectious diseases expert has called for a national governance review into Ireland's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

COLOMBO (News 1st); His Eminence Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith says that it can be proven that the Government has not fulfilled a single one of its promises so far, while the belief that justice will be ensured to the victims of the Easter attack is being eroded day by day.Participating in the book launch of the book ‘Thitha’, he pointed out that those who are supposed to enforce the law and the mechanism by which it should be enforced have become problematic.The book, ‘Thitha’ (fullstop) was compiled from commission reports on the Easter Sunday attack.Rev. Lal Pushpadeva Fernando is the Editor-in-Chief of this book which is a publication of the National Catholic Mass Communication Center.The President of the Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka, Ven.

Bill Gates during at Germany’s annual Munich Security Conference. 

Covid-19 cases on Saturday as the state reported 6,757 new Covid infections, the health department data shows. Kerala's death toll rose by 16, while 17,086 people were recovered from the deadly virus. With this, the active case tally in Kerala stands at 75,017, while the death toll is at 64,053.Kerala registers 6,757 new Covid19 cases, 16 deaths and 17,086 recoveries today; Active cases stand at 75,017, death toll 64,053

#BA2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants–including Delta! And yet as evasive as old #Omicron cousin BA1. #BA2

Portugal’s air force rescued crew from ship loaded with luxury cars after it caught fire near the coast of the Azores on Wednesday. While it’s not clear what caused the fire, the 22 crew members on board were evacuated in the joint operation between the navy and the air force when the fire broke out, with no one hurt, Portugal’s navy said in a statement.

Stranger Things star is only just celebrating her 18th birthday today (February 19).Most know her as Eleven from the Netflix smash hit, which is set to return for a fourth season this year, but she's featured in a number of TV shows and films during her nine-year career.While she keeps her life off-screen mostly private, she gives glimpses into her day-to-day on social media – and she's dating the son of a rock music legend.Millie proves a star-studded life isn't always rosy though, as she's also gone through a battle with anxiety and lost the hearing in one ear.To celebrate her big day, Daily Star is taking a look at her life away from the cameras.Millie Bobby Brown is dating Jake Bongiovi, the son of rock music icon Jon Bon Jovi.Jacob Hurley Bongiovi is 19, and the duo made their romance public in June last year.They started rumours of a relationship a few weeks earlier though, when they were pictured together on Jake's Instagram.He called her his "BFF" at the time, while she responded with a unicorn emoji.Since then they've managed to keep things going despite her busy work schedule, and Millie shared a cute photo of them together on Christmas Day last year, writing: "Happy holidays."They haven't shared any pictures together more recently, but Jake was in the UK at the end of January judging from his Instagram, which featured a classic red phone box.In the past, Millie dated England rugby star Jason Robinson's son Joseph, and social media star Jacob Sartorius.Millie made her on-screen debut in 2013, playing Young Alice in two episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.Since then, her stardom has skyrocketed, mainly thanks to her landing the role of supernatural Eleven in Netflix's Stranger Things.She's starred in a

BALTIMORE (MARYLAND) :

Parents and guardians of children aged between five and 11-years-old can book Covid-19 vaccine appointments online from today.

Canada’s Ivanie Blondin won the silver medal in the women’s mass start speed skating final at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday.

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World Health Organisation (WHO) pointed out. “You need to know where the virus is. You need to know how the virus is changing so that the interventions can be adapted and tailored to where they are needed most," WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove said. This comes at a time when WHO officials have notified that testing rates have fallen sharply across the globe. 

schools.Government of Uttar Pradesh lifts the #COVID19 induced night curfew following a drop in the number of COVID cases. pic.twitter.com/2y4FoUM3xc

IPOs proposed to be issued by LIC, where in mentioning the details of policies and claims settled by LIC, a speculative and biased interpretation has been made that the Covid -19 related mortalities could be more than those recorded officially. It is clarified that these reports are speculative and baseless.

Prince Charles embarked on his first royal engagement since contracting Covid.The Prince of Wales made a rare appearance alongside Princess Anne yesterday to give out The Queen's Anniversary Prizes at St. James's Palace, showing he has made a full recovery from the illness.The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are awarded to UK colleges and universities to "celebrate excellence, innovation and public benefit in work".He could be seen smiling as he drank tea out of a saucer and spoke to gathered guests with his royal sibling Anne.The Prince seemed glad for a return to normality and some social interaction following a period of self-isolation, but reaction online has seen some criticise him for not wearing a mask after having had Covid recently.One aggrieved user took to the Clarence House Instagram to write: "Covid no 2 & no mask...

PLANTATION, Fla. - A mom called 911 after finding her 2-year-old daughter crying and locked inside a dark, empty South Florida day care.Stephanie Martinez found the KinderCare Child Care Center in Plantation locked up when she arrived Tuesday afternoon to pick up her daughter Anna, WSVN reported."They know I get here around 6, 6:15, because I have to pick up my other son by 6," she said. "I get here, everything’s shut off, no cars, which is weird."Martinez then called her daughter's aunt and emergency contact, Samantha Scaramellino, to see if she had picked up Anna."She was like, ‘Do you know where Anna is?’ I’m like, ‘no.’ She’s like, ‘I’m at the school, no one's here.’ My heart dropped," Scaramellino recalled.RELATED: 'Horse playing' led to 7-year-old falling from Florida State Fair ride, officials sayShe told Martinez to start making noise in an attempt to get someone's attention inside."Bang on every window," Scaramellino advised.

Meteorologist Yvonne Schalle has the Friday, Feb.18, 2022 forecast for Metro Vancouver and British Columbia.

More than 100 people have been arrested as Ottawa Police, assisted by officers from across Canada move in to dismantle the so-called “freedom convoy” blockades near Parliament Hill and through the city’s downtown core. Paul Johnson reports.

As Edmonton police and residents in and around the downtown brace themselves for another weekend convoy, the city’s police chief is calling for calm, hoping that leaders and ordinary citizens will step up to help put an end to current divisions in Alberta. Chris Chacon reports.

The local First Nation is adding its voice to the widespread condemnation of the violent attack on a Coastal Gaslink pipeline worksite near Houston, which terrorized the company’s employees. Neetu Garcha reports.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara were released and acquitted by a Colombo court on Friday (18) from all charges in the Easter Sunday Attacks case.The cases were called up in the presence of Justices Namal Balalle, Aditya Patabendige, and Mohamed Irshadeen.The Attorney General filed the cases against Fernando and Jayasundara on charges of criminal dereliction of duty for failing to take action to prevent the Easter attacks despite receiving specific intelligence.A total of 855 charges of criminal negligence were leveled against Pujith Jayasundera and Hemasiri Fernando, individually.The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar ordered to acquit and release Ex-Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara and Ex-Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando from the cases, without calling for evidence from the defense, as the prosecution had failed to prove the charges filed against them.Justice Aditya Patabendige delivering the summary verdict in court noted that the evidence provided by Director of State Intelligence Nilantha Jayawardena made it clear that he had not carried out his duties in a proper manner, and acted to place that responsibility on someone else.Justice Aditya Patabendige went on to note that many devotees died under tragic circumstances in the Easter Sunday Terror Attacks that also left many injured, adding that it is not possible to proceed with a case against a person in absence of evidence on such a tragic event.Justice Aditya Patabendige also noted that one needs to be extra careful when leveling criminal charges against a person, and noted that the arrests of Jayasundara and Fernando on the said charges are also marred

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) says that NO scheduled power cuts will take place on Saturday (19).However, the Chairman of the PUCSL, Janaka Rathnayake stated that intermittent interruption can be expected between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

died of heat exhaustion during a gruelling summer hike in Northern California last summer tried to send desperate calls and texts for help, but their attempts at communication failed because of poor cellphone service.Jonathan Gerrish, his wife Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish, and their dog, Oski, were found dead Aug. 17 on a hiking trail near the Merced River, after temperatures spiked at 43 C.

coronavirus disease has not been eradicated yet and it will keep on "changing its colours"."Virus has not been eradicated, it keeps on changing its colours. Wear a clean mask and do not use an unhygienic mask at all," said Dr Wig as quoted by news agency ANI.Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of preparing as many as one lakh frontline "Corona Warriors" in the country, he said, "What is important is harmonising within an institution and within the country.

MK Stalin called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Thursday.

Haj this year amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and said the Indian government supports the move.Speaking to news agency ANI, Naqvi said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I had already said that we are with the decision of Saudi Arabia. We had done all the arrangements for Haj 2021, we were only waiting for Saudi Arabia's decision and we are with their decision."Saudi Arabia has taken the decision in the interests of people's safety and health, the Union Minister stated.Naqvi expressed happiness that Saudi Arabia has allowed women to go on Haj without accompanied by 'Marham' (male partner)."India has already taken this decision three years ago under the leadership of PM Modi.

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India is a natural ally for the G-7 countries in defending the shared values from a host of threats stemming from authoritarianism, terrorism and violent extremism, disinformation and economic coercion.In a virtual address at a session on 'open societies and open economies' at the G-7 summit, the prime minister highlighted India's civilisational commitment to democracy, freedom of thought and liberty.Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) additional secretary P Harish said there was widespread support at the G7 deliberations for text-based negotiations on a proposal by India and South Africa for patent waiver on Covid vaccines.Harish said the prime minister spoke on the need for open and

NEW DELHI : Several private hospitals across the country said they have no clarity on procuring Covid-19 vaccines under the new policy announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that it has led to the vaccination being put on hold at their centres.The hospitals have sought a proper mechanism and a single-window system to be put in place for procurement of vaccine doses.

Jharkhand Class 12 Board Exam 2021 is yet to be taken," it had said.On June 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a meeting and announced the cancellation of the CBSE Class 12 board exams because of the Covid pandemic.PM Modi had said the health and safety of students are of utmost importance, and there will be no compromise on this aspect.After the CBSE and CISCE decided not to hold their board exams amid the Covid pandemic, several states had cancelled their board examinations, such as West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka among others.Jharkhand reported maximum wastage of Covid vaccine at 33.95%, according to central government data.Yesterday, Jharkhand extended lockdown-like restrictions till June 17 with some relaxations, including

Covid vaccination drive under the control of central government by June 21 and inoculate every citizen aged 18 years or above for free. The yoga guru even said that he will soon get himself vaccinated, a marked change from his earlier stance on the matter, and urged others to take the jab too."Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a historic announcement of vaccinating every citizen free of cost from June 21.

NEW DELHI : Indian officials and health experts welcomed a federal government plan to give free COVID-19 shots to all adults as a step in the right direction on Tuesday, but cautioned that vaccinations must be accelerated to prevent new surges in infections.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday the federal government would take over the inoculation programme from Indian states and offer free doses to everyone over the age of 18.His announcement on national television followed weeks of criticism of a vaccine rollout that has covered fewer than 5% of India's estimated adult population of 950 million.

Most appropriate response: Kerala CM on Centre's to provide free jabsMeanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday welcomed the Centre's decision to provide vaccines free of cost to everyone and said it was the "most appropriate response at this hour".Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that the central government will provide free coronavirus vaccine to states for inoculation of all above the age of 18 from June 21, and asserted that vaccine supply would be increased significantly in the country in coming days."The Prime Minister's declaration that Covid-19 vaccine will be supplied free of cost to the States from 21 June, is the most appropriate response at this hour.

covid vaccine supply to distribute it among state governments for free to vaccinate those aged 45 and above. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the central government will now purchase 75% of the covid vaccine supply in the country.What led to this sudden U-turn?The answer perhaps lies in the fact that the Supreme Court has been asking tough questions to the government on its vaccine policy.

Govt releases revised guidelines for the national COVID vaccination program:The Centre's centralised free vaccination policy will kick in on June 21, International Yoga Day and the government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all Indian citizens above 18 years of age. The Centre will also handle the 25 per cent vaccination that was with states till now under the liberalised plan announced earlier.Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement in a televised address to the nation and said the Centre will procure 75 per cent of the total production of the vaccine doses and provide them free to the states.

diagnostic services provider slipped on Tuesday amid a continued decline in India's covid-19 cases.The Metropolis Healthcare stock was down 4%, while Dr Lal Pathlabs and Thyrocare Technologies fell nearly 2% each.Hospital stocks also slipped after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the Centre will provide free covid-19 vaccines to all adults from 21 June, in a revision of the government’s much-touted strategy of ‘liberalized and accelerated" vaccination.The central government will now buy 75% of vaccines and give them free of cost to states, Modi said.Shares of Max Healthcare, Shalby, and Fortis declined 1-3%.

हम भाजपा के टीके के ख़िलाफ़ थे पर ‘भारत सरकार’ के टीके का स्वागत करते हुए हम भी टीका लगवाएंगे व टीके की कमी से जो लोग लगवा नहीं सके थे उनसे भी लगवाने की अपील करते हैं।His announcement comes just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that from June 21, the Centre will takeover government vaccination process and states won't have to procure separately.In a tweet today, Akhilesh Yadav said that the Centre had to take this decision after seeing massive public outrage. The Samajwadi Party leader welcomed the decision and said that now he will also take Covid vaccine.Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint.

decision to procure vaccines and supply to states free of cost has resolved a grievance many opposition-ruled state governments had raised over the 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate on vaccines which they had to pay under the earlier policy.The Centre will provide free covid-19 vaccines to all adults from 21 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Monday, in a revision of the government’s much-touted strategy of ‘liberalized and accelerated" vaccination.The central government will now buy 75% of vaccines and give them free of cost to states, Modi said.With the Centre agreeing to procure three-fourth of domestic production of covid vaccines, this tax liability falls on the union government.

PM Modi asks state to bring down vaccine wastageYesterday, while reviewing the progress of COVID vaccination drive in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the states to bring down vaccine wastage. During the meeting, he was briefed about the current availability of vaccines and roadmap for ramping it up.