A BPO, discounted Air India tickets & unpaid dues: ‘Racket’ unravelled by Covid
When a Chandigarh-based travel agent called Air India’s customer care centre in February last year to seek clarity on a Kathmandu flight he was about to book for a passenger, he unwittingly became part of a racket that ended up in losses of over Rs 50 lakh for him and multiple others like him. The operation, which involved booking Air India tickets through a two-decade old BPO company, IGT Solutions, without making payments to the airline ran smoothly until the second wave of Covid hit the country, after which it started to unravel and come apart at the seams.
Last February, the agent called a Gurgaon-registered Air India customer support number seeking a clarification on the name pattern for tickets he was booking for a Kathmandu-bound flight. The Air India call centre, which is managed by IGT Solutions, assured that he will get a callback from one of their support executives. Soon, he received a call from a person claiming to be an Air India representative, helping him with his concern.
West Bengal reported over a hundred new COVID-19 cases on Friday after three months, Health Department officials said. The state recorded 107 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 20,20,034, they said.
The state's daily Covid-19 tally had crossed the century mark for the last time on March 11 when it reported 106 cases. The new cases were detected after testing 7,689 samples -- a positivity rate of 1.39 per cent, it said.
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The toll remained at 21,205 with no new deaths reported. West Bengal is witnessing a rise in Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks, with experts attributing the spike to not wearing of masks and not adhering to social distance norms by people in public places. “This was about to happen because of the negligent attitude of people, who have forgotten the basic Covid protocols,” a senior doctor said. In the last 24 hours, 49 people recovered, taking the total recoveries to 19,98,254. (PTI)
Gujarat reported 143 Covid-19 cases and one death on Friday, which raised its tally to 12,25,958 and toll to 10,945, state health department official said. The death, which took place in Gandhinagar, was the first from the infection since May 7, he pointed out. So far, 12,14,405 persons have been discharged post recovery, including 51 during the day, leaving the state with an active caseload of 608, he added. Ahmedabad reported 86 cases, followed by 18 in Vadodara, 10 each in Gandhinagar and Surat and eight in Rajkot, among other districts, the official said. A government release said 11.04 crore doses have been administered in the state so far, including 59,719 during the day. (PTI)
The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus. A senior administration official said the mandate expires Sunday at 12:01 am ET, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that it’s no longer necessary. The official, speaking Friday on the condition of anonymity to preview the formal announcement, said that the agency would reevaluate the need for the testing requirement every 90 days and that it could be reinstated if a troubling new variant emerges. (AP)
Maharashtra, on Friday, recorded 3,081 new Covid-19 cases, of which 1,956 were reported from Mumbai alone. The state, however, reported no fatalities from the disease.
Six Covid-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a health bulletin said on Friday. The coronavirus tally of the Union Territory remained unchanged at 10,053 as no fresh infection was recorded in the last 24 hours, it said.
The six active patients are undergoing home quarantine, the bulletin said. The death toll stood at 129, while 9,918 people have recovered from the disease in the archipelago so far. The administration has thus far tested over 7.43 lakh samples for Covid-19 and the positivity ratio is at 1.35 per cent. (PTI)
China on Friday attacked the theory that the coronavirus pandemic may have originated as a leak from a Chinese laboratory as a politically motivated lie, after the World Health Organization recommended in its strongest terms yet that a deeper probe is needed into whether a lab accident may be to blame.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also rejected accusations that China had not fully cooperated with investigators, saying it welcomed a science-based probe but rejected any political manipulation.
He also reiterated calls for an investigation into “highly suspicious laboratories such as Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina" in the United States where China has suggested, without evidence, that the U.S. was developing the coronavirus as a bioweapon.
“The lab leak theory is totally a lie concocted by anti-China forces for political purposes, which has nothing to do with science," Zhao said at a daily briefing.
“We always supported and participated in science-based global virus tracing, but we firmly opposed any forms of political manipulation," he said. (AP)
China's commercial hub of Shanghai will lock down millions of people for mass Covid-19 testing this weekend - just 10 days after lifting its gruelling two-month lockdown - unsettling residents and raising concerns about the business impact.
Racing to stop a wider outbreak after discovering a handful of community cases, including a cluster traced to a popular beauty salon, authorities have ordered PCR testing for all residents in 14 of Shanghai's 16 districts over the weekend.
Five of the districts said residents would not be allowed to leave their homes while the testing was carried out. A notice issued by Changning district described the stay-home requirement as "closed management" of the community being sampled.
The latest scare triggered a rush to grocery stores and online platforms to stock up on food, as users of China's Twitter-like Weibo expressed fear they could be locked down for longer, having only started going back to work after the last lockdown was lifted on June 1.
Some areas had remained sealed off or quickly returned to lockdown due to infections and their close contacts. (Reuters)
Iron ore prices fell on Friday, with the Singapore benchmark headed to a weekly loss on renewed concerns over demand in China, where fresh COVID-19 alerts threaten to derail the economy's reopening and steel margins have come under pressure.
The most-traded September iron ore contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange ended daytime trading 1.7% lower at 914.50 yuan ($136.83) a tonne.
On the Singapore Exchange, the steelmaking ingredient's most-active July contract dropped 1.9% to $139 a tonne by 0706 GMT, with a weekly decline of 2.6%.
China's commercial hub of Shanghai faces an unexpected round of mass COVID testing this weekend, following the discovery of a few cases in the community, just 10 days after a city-wide lockdown that hurt businesses was lifted. (Reuters)
A shift by Thailand's central bank to a more hawkish footing this week stunned markets and appeared to finally end policymakers' tolerance for mounting price pressures, but a range of risks are likely to keep any tightening gradual.
The Bank of Thailand kept its benchmark interest rate at a record low on Wednesday but a split vote on the decision was a signal to markets that the central bank may raise interest rates as soon as August.
Thailand has been among Asia's least hawkish central banks, maintaining its policy focus on supporting an economy still struggling with the pandemic -- particularly a lack of Chinese tourists -- and insisting supply-driven inflation is better dealt with through fiscal measures and price controls, not rates.
Kobsidthi Silpachai, head of capital markets research of Kasikornbank, expects the BOT to raise rates in August by 25 basis points to 0.75%, but believes such tightening would mostly be a symbolic gesture to markets more than an attempt to tackle inflation. (Reuters)
The New Delhi district has been performing well consistently when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination, with 93.7% coverage of second dose and 14.7% of precaution dose among those who have received the first one.
If the number of people who have received their first dose so far is considered to be the total eligible population in Delhi, 83.9% on average have received their second dose, whereas 7.05% have received their precaution dose, according to data from the government’s CoWIN portal.
The total number of first doses administered in the city also includes children between the ages of 12 and 17 years who are not yet eligible for their precaution doses. Even among adults, there is likely to be a section of people who haven’t yet completed their nine-month gap between second and precaution doses. (Read More)
Japan's business community issued a joint statement on Friday seeking further relaxation of border controls, as the country begins a gradual easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The statement by domestic business lobby Keidanren and foreign chambers of commerce urged further easing to "facilitate an environment where people, goods, money and digital technologies can move freely".
Japan began a phased reopening to tourists on Friday after a more than two-year ban. But the visitors must be part of packaged tours accompanied by guides at all times to ensure compliance with infection controls.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged last month to bring Japan's border measures, among the strictest in the world during the pandemic, more in line with other wealthy democracies. (Reuters)
The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants are making their presence felt across various areas in the country with the daily Covid tally now showing a rise in the country. When contacted, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist, told The Indian Express that it could be the start of a mini wave.
“The sub-variants that are emerging are more transmissible than the original Omicron BA.1 and there is a likelihood of waning immunity. It is a possibility that there could be mini waves every four-six months or so and hence, apart from all Covid-appropriate precautionary measures that need to be taken, it is important to also track the variant,” Dr Swaminathan said.
The WHO chief scientist also felt that due to home-based self testing, numbers could also be underestimated. “We need to keep a watch on hospital-based admissions and ensure that the vulnerable group who are 60 years and above get their booster doses,” Dr Swaminathan said. (Read More)
Maharashtra on Thursday reported 2,813 new Covid cases and one death related to the disease. Of the total, 1,702 were from the state’s capital Mumbai.
The number of fresh Covid-19 cases in Delhi crossed the 500-mark for the first time in 18 days, with 564 infections recorded Wednesday being the highest in 24 days. The positivity rate—the proportion of samples tested that return positive—stood at 2.84 per cent on Wednesday, which was also the highest in 22 days, barring this Monday’s bulletin (which records cases and tests from Sunday) when it shot up to 3.4 per cent because very few tests had been conducted.
City doctors say that they have seen an increase in Covid-19 cases reporting for out-patient consultations, however, hospital admissions remain stagnant. “Yes, I am seeing some Covid-19 patients coming into the OPD, their disease profile is similar to what we saw in April. There are likely to be such ups and downs in cases throughout the year, but there is no need to panic. These increases also serve as a reminder to continue to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour,” said Dr Surajit Chatterjee, senior consultant of internal medicine at Indraprastha Apollo hospital. Read more.
The Covid-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 10,053 on Thursday as one more person tested positive for the infection, a health bulletin said.
The fresh infection was detected during contact tracing, it said. The Union territory now has six active cases, while 9,918 people have recovered from the disease, and 129 patients have succumbed to the infection to date. (PTI)
Bengal's Covid-19 scenario on Wednesday dipped slightly with 85 fresh cases of the contagion reported from various districts of the state taking the tally to 20,19,832, the health department said.
Sixty one cases of the contagion was reported in the state on Tuesday. The toll, however, remained at 21,205 as no deaths were reported from anywhere in the state. There were 48 recoveries reported in Bengal in the last 24 hours. So far, 19,98,158 people have recovered from the disease in the state. The number of active cases also rose by 37 to be at 469. (PTI)
The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally fell everywhere except the Middle East and Southeast Asia last week, according to a World Health Organisation weekly report released Wednesday.
In its latest weekly update on the pandemic, the UN health agency said confirmed cases dropped 12% to more than 3 million and reported deaths declined 22% to about 7,600. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the continuing decline of Covid-19, which peaked in January, as “a very encouraging trend.”
Still, he warned that the pandemic was not yet over and urged caution, even as many countries have dropped their coronavirus protocols and segued into trying to live with the virus. Tedros noted that 18 months after the first mass coronavirus immunization programs began in rich countries, 68 countries have yet to protect 40% of their populations. While enough vaccines are now available, demand has fallen, he said. (PTI)
An upward trend in new Covid-19 cases continued in India on Thursday, with the country recording 7,240 new cases over the last 24 hours. With this, active cases rose to 32,498.New deaths: 8Discharged: 3,591
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 195 new Covid-19 infections, pushing the caseload to 34,56,512 till date while the death toll remained unchanged at 38,025 with nil fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours. The number of people recuperated grew to 34,17,466 with 101 persons getting discharged in the last 24 hours, leaving 1,021 active infections, a medical bulletin said.
The surge in the new cases follows the emergence of a cluster at an educational institution in Sriperumbudur in which 29 people have tested positive for coronavirus out of 245 samples tested there.
Chennai leads with the majority of new cases at 95, Kancheepuram 30, Chengalpet 23, Tiruvallur 11, Coimbatore 10, Nilgiris five, Erode four, Ranipet, Salem, Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai recorded six while Cuddalore, Madurai, Tiruvarur, Tirunelveli, and Villupuram clocked one case each. (PTI)
Delhi recorded 564 new Covid cases, the highest since May 15, and one more fatality on Wednesday, while the positivity rate rose to 2.84 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. With this, the national capital's Covid-19 case tally increased to 19,09,991, while the death toll rose to 26,214.
Wednesday's cases are highest since May 15 when Delhi logged 613 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 2.74 per cent and three deaths. On Tuesday, the national capital logged 450 fresh Covid cases and one more death, while the positivity rate stood at 1.92 per cent. (PTI)
Karnataka on Wednesday reported 376 fresh Covid cases at a positivity rate of 1.61 per cent. Of the total cases, Bengaluru alone recorded 358 infections. The active caseload on Wednesday stood at 2,623.
Odisha recorded 15 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, two more than the previous day, taking the tally to 12,88,545, the health department said. The toll remained at 9,126 as there was no death due to the pathogen in the last 24 hours. Fifty-three other coronavirus patients have died due to comorbidities so far, according to a bulletin.
There are 105 active Covid-19 cases and eight more people recuperated from the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 12,79,261, the department said.
The daily positivity rate was 0.15 per cent as the new infections were detected from 10,277 samples tested, it added. (PTI)
Mizoram reported 15 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, a health official said. The state has so far reported 2,28,449 cases, while the toll remained at 700 with no new deaths in the last 24 hours.
The positivity rate was 5.54 per cent as the new cases were detected after testing 271 samples. The state now has 109 active cases, while 2,27,640 people have recovered from the infection. (PTI)
With the addition of 313 new COVID-19 cases, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 7,11,626, an official said on Wednesday.
These new cases were reported on Tuesday, a jump of over 100 cases from the infection tally on Monday, he said.
The death toll in the district stood at 11,895 as there was no fresh fatality, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.67 per cent. (PTI)
With all major COVID restrictions now removed in the UK, recorded cases at their lowest rate in about a year, and vaccines and booster coverage relatively high, many people are keenly settling back into old habits.
Mobility data suggests that – with the exception of travel on public transport and travel to workplaces, which are still below average – we are starting to get out and about as much as we did before the pandemic.
But for a significant number of people, the habits that were picked up during the pandemic are still very much a part of life such as wearing masks. Read more.
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Covid-19 testing was carried on Wednesday morning at Ahmedabad's Kalupur railway station.
The pace of Covid-19 vaccination in children between the ages of 12 and 14 years in Delhi has slowed down further, with shots given to those between the ages of 45 and 60 overtaking the numbers among children in June.
The numbers have remained the highest in the 18- to 44-year-old category, the gap widening after the precaution dose was opened to them and uptake in the rest of the group declined.
There was a sharp increase in the number of younger children getting the Covid-19 vaccine in March, when the drive was first opened for them, with the numbers gradually going down over the next month. Read more.
Mumbai on Tuesday reported 1,242 new coronavirus infections, almost double the previous day's count, but no pandemic-related death, said the civic body Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC).
The infection count was the highest since January 29, when the city had reported 1,411 new cases and 11 fatalities. On Monday, India's financial capital had recorded 676 cases but no deaths. The city reported cases in four digits for the first time since February 2, when Mumbai had reported 1,128 cases besides seven deaths. Mumbai's tally of Covid-19 cases increased to 10,71,776, on Tuesday while the death toll remained unchanged at 19,569.
Notably, for the first time since March-end, the civic body has increased daily Covid-19 tests to over 15,000. Last week, municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal had directed officials to increase testing. (PTI)
Delhi recorded 450 fresh Covid cases and one more death, while the positivity rate declined to 1.92 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here on Tuesday.
With this, the national capital's Covid-19 case tally increased to 19,09,427, while the death toll stood at 26,213. The fresh cases emerged out of 23,404 Covid-19 tests conducted in Delhi the previous day, the department said in its latest bulletin. Delhi on Monday logged 247 fresh Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.47 per cent while no new death was reported due to the viral disease.
On Sunday, Delhi reported 343 Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 1.91 per cent while no new death had occurred due to the viral disease. On Saturday, the capital logged 405 fresh Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 2.07 per cent while no death was reported. Delhi on Friday saw 345 Covid cases and zero death while the positivity rate was 1.88 per cent. (PTI)
An upward trend in new Covid-19 cases continued in India on Wednesday, with the country recording 5,233 new cases over the last 24 hours. With this, active cases rose to 28,857.