Friday, April 19

Tag: Coronavirus

Pampered Kuwaitis quibble in five-star Quarantine
MIDDLE EAST

Pampered Kuwaitis quibble in five-star Quarantine

The meat is too fatty and the staff is slow to clean up coffee stains, some Kuwaitis quarantined in five-star hotels due to the coronavirus outbreak have a litany of complaints. Authorities in the oil-rich country have forced citizens returning from abroad to isolate for 14 days in luxury properties before they are permitted to re-enter society. Kuwait has adopted the strictest measures in the Gulf to combat the spread of coronavirus. It has recorded more than 700 cases, and one death. Plush hotels have turned into quarantine shelters, preparing to host around 60,000 Kuwaitis returning from countries including Italy, Germany, Iran, Egypt and Lebanon. The first batch arrived two weeks ago, and for some accustomed to the best in life, their accommodation has proven less than sat...
China’s Manufacturing Rebounds as Virus Controls Ease
CHINA

China’s Manufacturing Rebounds as Virus Controls Ease

China's manufacturing rebounded in March as authorities relaxed anti-disease controls and allowed factories to reopen, an official survey showed Tuesday, but an industry group warned the economy has yet to fully recover. The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive the world's second-largest economy after declaring victory over the coronavirus even as the United States and other governments shut down businesses. The purchasing managers' index issued by the Chinese statistics bureau and the official China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing rose to 52 from February's record low of 35.7 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity increasing. The federation and private sector economists cautioned the economy still faces challenges as manufacturers rebuild sup...
Dubai based Indian Businessman donates Property to Quarantine Coronavirus affected Patients
MIDDLE EAST, News

Dubai based Indian Businessman donates Property to Quarantine Coronavirus affected Patients

A Dubai-based Indian businessman has donated a fully-equipped building owned by him to the country's health authorities for the purpose of quarantining coronavirus affected patients, according to media reports. Ajay Sobhraj, Founder and Chairman of Dubai-based Finja Jewellery, has donated the building in Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai, that can accommodate up to 400 people, to be used as a quarantine centre, the Gulf News reported on Sunday. In a letter addressed to the Dubai Health Authority titled 'To Support and Give Back to the City That Cares', the Indian businessman who has called Dubai his home for 25 years, has donated a fully-equipped building in Jumeirah Lake Towers to be used in the country's fully integrated strategy against the COVID-19 crisis, the report said. "I bel...
Cognizant India to give 25 pc extra Payment to Two-Third of its Staff
INDIA

Cognizant India to give 25 pc extra Payment to Two-Third of its Staff

IT firm Cognizant will give employees who are at associate level and below in India and the Philippines, an additional payment of 25 percent of base pay for April, in recognition of their extraordinary continuity-of-service efforts amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The move is expected to benefit over 1,30,000 Cognizant employees in India. Cognizant CEO, Brian Humphries in a note to employees said, the additional payment will be processed with their April paychecks, and that the company will be reviewing this approach monthly. Describing the pandemic as one of the biggest shocks to the world in decades, Humphries said that Cognizant, like all global companies, is experiencing the effects of this public health emergency on both the demand and fulfilment sides of its business, from Londo...
Dubai Suspending All Economic Lifeline Amid Coronavirus Threat
MIDDLE EAST

Dubai Suspending All Economic Lifeline Amid Coronavirus Threat

Dubai is closing its famous malls and halting all passenger flights, capping a series of shutdowns on once-thriving sectors that serve as its economic lifeline but which have been sacrificed to curb coronavirus. A few days after barring foreigners, including those with residency permits, from entering the country, the emirate said it would close its airports to commercial flights, shut shopping centres and restrict restaurants to home deliveries. Within hours of the announcement, which will be enforced by Wednesday, the city's vast malls were already largely deserted, with corridors and concourses empty and shops devoid of customers. Boasting the most diversified economy in the Gulf, Dubai derives 94 percent of its public revenues from non-oil sources which also make up the major...
US Orders First Shutdown of Website over Coronavirus Fraud
USA

US Orders First Shutdown of Website over Coronavirus Fraud

The US Department of Justice announced that it had shut down a website claiming to sell a coronavirus vaccine, in its first act of federal enforcement against fraud in connection with the pandemic. Lawsuits had been filed against the site coronavirusmedicalkit.com, which claimed to sell vaccines for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, when in fact there is no such vaccine, the Justice Department said in a statement. A Texas federal judge on Saturday ordered the site to shut down, according to the statement. Its homepage, however, was still accessible as of Sunday evening. "Due to the recent outbreak for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the World Health Organization is giving away vaccine kits. Just pay $4.95 for shipping," read a statement on the homepage. It was ...
Facebook Messenger Set to Battle Against Coronavirus
News

Facebook Messenger Set to Battle Against Coronavirus

Facebook began enlisting outside developers to create ways its Messenger service can help health organizations battling the novel coronavirus. The social network also invited software savants to take part in an online "hackathon" aimed at creating ways to use Messenger to ease social-distancing and deliver accurate information about the pandemic, according to Messenger vice president Stan Chudnovsky in a blog post. He unveiled a global program intended to connect government health organizations and UN agencies with developers who can create ways to use Messenger share accurate information and speed up responses to people's questions. Software makers, for example, could help agencies automate answering common questions, to allow staff to tackle more challenging tasks. Developers c...
Walmart to Hire 150,000 Workers as Virus spreads in US
News

Walmart to Hire 150,000 Workers as Virus spreads in US

Walmart plans to hire 150,000 people to meet increased demand during the coronavirus crisis and will pay out $365 million in bonuses, the US retail giant said. "These roles will be temporary at first, but many will convert to permanent roles over time," it said. The firm added it would pay $300 bonuses to full-time employees and $150 to those part-time. Walmart said Thursday it wanted to reward them "for their hard work and dedication to serving customers in a time of an unprecedented national health crisis." It also plans to speed up payment of the next quarterly bonus payments, which will take its payout to nearly $550 million. The hiring drive comes as travel restrictions and lockdown measures in various US states and cities to curb the spread of the virus have led people t...
Coronavirus: How Pune School Using Technology to Teach its Students
INDIA

Coronavirus: How Pune School Using Technology to Teach its Students

Coronavirus may have led to the closure of schools and colleges in Maharashtra, but technology and social media apps have come to the rescue of students. A Phoneix world school at Kharadi, Pune is using WhatsApp and Gmail to send class assignments to its students. The local government had directed schools and colleges in the state to remain shut till March 31, due to the coronavirus outbreak in the state. Despite the lockdown, educators at Phoneix world school at Kharadi, Pune have ensured that there are no roadblocks in the process of learning, by giving class assignments on WhatsApp and Gmail. Teachers have formed class-wise WhatsApp groups to help students continue their studies without interruption. "I have been sending different subjects assignment for my students. I a...
Companies Hit Pause Button as Coronavirus Infects Global Economy
ANALYSIS

Companies Hit Pause Button as Coronavirus Infects Global Economy

Layoffs, cutting costs and halting dividends, companies are scrambling to adapt as the coronavirus emergency hits demand and the draconian measures taken to contain the spread of the illness undercut production and demand. With the economic impact of the coronavirus threatening the survival of many firms, governments have pledged tens of billions to help them limp along or failing that, to bankroll outright rescues or nationalization if necessary. Several industrial giants, in particular in the automobile industry, have reduced or even suspended production. Nissan suspended production at its Sunderland plant in northern England, the automaker's biggest plant in Europe, employing about 7,000 workers, and has closed plants in Spain and Indonesia as well. French automobile manufa...
Amazon Prioritizes Medical Supplies, Staples for Delivery
News

Amazon Prioritizes Medical Supplies, Staples for Delivery

Amazon has made a priority of medical supplies and household staples, putting shipments of other goods on hold to focus on key items during the coronavirus outbreak. "We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock," the e-commerce titan said on Tuesday. "We are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfilment centres so we can more quickly receive, restock and ship these products to customers," it said. People hunkered down due to the deadly coronavirus have turned to Amazon for anything from toilet tissue to groceries and pet treats. "There's enormous pressure on Amazon to meet these increased expectations," said Technaly...
Indian Online Grocery Platforms Order Surges Amid Coronavirus Threat
INDIA

Indian Online Grocery Platforms Order Surges Amid Coronavirus Threat

Indian online grocery platforms Grofers and BigBasket are witnessing up to two-fold growth in purchases as authorities in multiple cities close malls and shopping places to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The e-tailers said they are shoring up supplies amid the sudden increase in demand due to panic buying across a number of cities in the last couple of days. These companies are witnessing very high demand for products in the personal hygiene category as well as immunity boosting items such as honey and ayurvedic products. "In the last couple of days we have seen what we may call panic buying across a number of cities and categories. Cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad have seen a higher surge with nearly 80 per cent growth followed by Delhi NCR and Hyderabad at a...