National number knockout cheat sheet

To the cheers from the audience of students at Tsinghua University here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that India has decided to “extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals.” The announcement was anticipated for some weeks, and The Hindu had reported last month on the Chinese government’s repeated requests to India to cut some of the security and visa regulations for Chinese businessmen and tourists. The Prime Minister said it was part of a concerted effort by his government to bring the “world’s two largest populations in closer contact.” “Thirty-three per cent of the world is either Indian or Chinese, and yet we know so little about each other,” he said. The e-visa facility would enable Chinese applicants to apply for visas online a few days before they travel. Accent on people-to-people Shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Friday of the extension of e-visa facility for Chinese nationals, Foreign Secretary S. … [Read more...] about India grants e-visas for Chinese nationals

New Delhi: Industry body CII has urged the government to take “strongest” national steps including curtailing economic activity to contain the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. CII President Uday Kotak has asked for highest-level response measures to address the rising wave of COVID-19 cases, as currently safeguarding lives is key to cut the transmission links. “The healthcare infrastructure and supply build-up are being undertaken on an emergency basis by the governments at the centre and states, but will take time. “At this critical juncture when the toll of lives is rising, CII urges the strongest national steps including curtailing economic activity to reduce suffering,” the President has said in a statement. The chamber said that the current pace of daily caseloads, the requirement for hospital beds and ICU beds, oxygen, and medicines will continue to escalate. “Healthcare and frontline workers are giving their best efforts to tackle the influx of patients, but it may … [Read more...] about COVID-19 Crisis: CII Calls for Strongest National Steps, Curbs on Economic Activity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone here. Once completed, the Centre will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over the world to enjoy the essence of spiritual aspects of Buddhism. “Taking forward our cultural ties. PM @narendramodi and PM @SherBDeuba perform Shilanyas ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter. Taking forward our cultural ties. @narendramodi and PM @SherBDeuba perform Shilanyas ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage. pic.twitter.com/GRGdne7wOj — Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 16, 2022 “The centre is being built at the initiative of the International Buddhist Confederation, New Delhi,” … [Read more...] about PM Modi lays foundation stone for India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Nepal’s Lumbini

From labelling him an atheist who has no respect for Hindu gods to claiming he kick-started casteist politics in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is under attack from all corners. The attacks aren’t only from political parties — there have been death threats, comments on his illness and age, and some have even wished him hell. The veteran Maharashtra politician, who was instrumental in setting up the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ruling alliance, and from whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi once used to take advice, is facing a well-coordinated attack, both online and offline, from Right wing sympathisers. Last week, the Maharashtra BJP’s Twitter handle posted an edited video of Mr. Pawar’s public rally in Satara, where he recited a poem by Jawahar Rathod, in which the poet talks about atrocities committed on people from lower castes. The tweet said that “atheist Sharad Pawar always hated Hindu gods”. An army of social media trolls picked up the … [Read more...] about Sharad Pawar faces a concerted offensive from the Right, online and offline

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out. It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth, said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. Its still happening and we are letting it happen. Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones' voicemail messages. Or watch old videos to see them dance. When other people say they are done with the virus, they bristle with anger or ache in silence. 'Normal.' I hate that word, said Julie Wallace, 55, of Elyria, Ohio, who lost her husband to … [Read more...] about United States Crosses Grim Milestone of 1 Million Covid-19 Deaths

In his leaked draft Supreme Court opinion, Justice Samuel Alito argues that overturning Roe v. Wade would allow “women on both sides of the abortion issue to seek to affect the legislative process.” If women in a post-Roe era don’t like state laws that restrict abortion access, or laws that preserve the right to have an abortion, Alito envisions a world in which they can step up and change them. Women can vote, he pointed out, and often do so in higher numbers than men. They can lobby and run for office. But advocates for voting access and civil rights say that Alito’s depiction does not account for the parts of the country, particularly in the South, where laws make it harder for the poor and voters of color to cast their ballots, and where racially polarized voting can make it more difficult for abortion rights candidates to gain ground. How states will proceed if Roe v. Wade is overturned May 3, 2022 02:35 Southern states … [Read more...] about Alito says overturning Roe gives women a voice on abortion. In the South, it’s not that simple.

Leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) has barbs out for his potential Democrat competitor Cheri Beasley ahead of the primaries on Tuesday. Both Trump-endorsed Budd and former Chief Justice Beasley of the North Carolina Supreme Court are way ahead of their competitors within their respective parties, meaning the candidates may likely soon go head to head in a battle between the “America First” agenda and the Biden agenda in November. Budd warned Breitbart News Saturday that a candidate “cannot be more radical” than Beasley, despite her attempts to pitch herself as the “North Carolina version of  (Sen.) Joe Manchin” ( D-WV). “I can tell you, there is nothing further than the truth. She is a radical candidate. She loves Joe Biden’s radical policies, and she will stay with him even though she’ll find out ways to skip the vice president when she’s in town, skip the president when he’s in North Carolina — that’s for political … [Read more...] about Exclusive — Rep. Ted Budd: ‘Can’t Get More Radical’ Than Cheri Beasley

Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn faces a tough test in the North Carolina Primary on Tuesday, after a series of controversies and antics that have threatened his chances of getting re-elected. Even Donald Trump has said he deserves a "second chance." But Cawthorn's donors haven't been deterred. Cawthorn's fundraising committee, Cawthorn for NC, saw a small decline in campaign contibutions in April. It received 827 donations in the month, according to Federal Election Commission filings, down from 1,252 in March, but that's in line with the flow of overall electoral donations nationally. Cawthorn for NC raised just under $66,000 in April, down from $103,000 in March. His highest fundraising month was $251,000 in June 2021. Equally, Cawthorn's Republican challengers who have raised the most in donations, Bruce O'Connell and Chuck Edwards, didn't see any major donation boosts to their campaigns in April, after Cawthorn's controversies, according to FEC data. … [Read more...] about Madison Cawthorn’s scandals haven’t put off his donors

Wheat prices surged to a new record high in European trading on Monday after India decided to ban exports of the commodity as a heatwave hit production. The price jumped to 435 euros (Rs 35,260) per tonne as the Euronext market opened, up from the previous record of 422 euros (Rs 34,180) reached on Friday. On the Chicago Board of Trade, just before trading opened the price of the SRW wheat futures contract hit $12.35 (Rs 961) a bushel, an increase of 4.9 per cent. Global wheat prices have soared 40 per cent on supply fears since Russia’s February invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, which previously accounted for 12 per cent of global exports. The spike, exacerbated by fertiliser shortages and poor harvests, has fuelled inflation globally and raised fears of famine and social unrest in poorer countries. India, the world’s second-largest wheat producer, said on Saturday that it was banning exports after its hottest March on record, with traders needing express government … [Read more...] about Wheat Prices Hit Record High in European Trading After India Bans Export Due to Scorching Heatwave

India on Monday 2,202 reported new Covid-19 infections, while the active cases dipped to 17,317, according to the Union Health Ministry data. It also reported 27 fresh deaths while the total active cases decreased by 375 in a span of 24 hours. While the current active cases comprised 0.04 per cent of the total infections, the national Covid recovery rate was recorded at 98.74 percent. The 27 new fatalities include 22 from Kerala, three from Delhi and one each from Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.74 per cent and weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.59 per cent, according to the health ministry. Meanwhile, Delhi on Sunday recorded 613 new Covid cases and three more deaths, while the positivity rate was 2.74 percent. The city had on Saturday recorded 673 new Covid cases and four deaths, the highest single-day fatality in over two months. The total number of people in the country who have recuperated from the disease surged to … [Read more...] about With 2,202 New Covid Infections, India Sees Slight Dip in Active Cases; 22 Fresh Deaths, Most from Kerala