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11 people die of hunger each minute around globe, 155 mn in crisis: Oxfam

The humanitarian group also said that 155 million people around the world are now living in crisis levels of food insecurity or worse some 20 million more than last year. Around two thirds of them face hunger because their country is in military conflict.

Today, unrelenting conflict on top of the COVID-19 economic fallout, and a worsening climate crisis, has pushed more than 520,000 people to the brink of starvation, added Maxman.

Economy recovering due to targeted fiscal relief, rapid vaccination: FinMin

Apart from eight relief measures announced in health and other worst affected sectors, Sitharaman announced a stimulus package for the tourism industry, which included five lakh tourist visas to be issued free of charge, once the government resumes issuance. The total financial implication of the scheme will be Rs 100 crore.

Resilient tax collections of the central government in the first two months of FY 2020-21 and sustained momentum in capital expenditure, particularly in the road and rail sector, the report said, augurs well for continued economic recovery driven by capital expenditures.

Maharashtra, Kerala reported 53 pc of India’s total Covid cases last week; Centre expresses concern

Paul, in response to a question, said the reduction in cases were earlier sharp but now the pace of slowdown has reduced which shows that one should not take the ”situation for granted”.

”The number of cases being reported now are still one third of what was in the first peak. We have realised it too. The war is not over, the second wave is not over. It is more visible in some districts and two particular states and smaller states in the Northeast and so long it is still rising, the nation is not safe,” he said.

IRDA finalises short-term standard Covid-19 policies,asks insurers to launch them by July 10

To be mandatorily termed as “Corona Rakshak Policy’’ it has been made mandatory for all the general insurers and exclusive health insurers, while life insurers have been encouraged to launch such products(benefit based) .  
The benefit based policies, to be launched by a life insurers, will have a minimum sum insured of Rs50,000 and a maximum limit of Rs.2,50,000 (in the multiples of fifty thousand).For the standard covid indemnity policies, to be launched by the domestic  general insurers and exclusive health insurers, the maximum sum assured can be Rs 5 Lakh (in the multiples of fifty thousand)
Both COVID Standard benefit based health policy  and indemnity based health policies should  be offered with a policy term of three and half months (3 ½ months), six and half months (6 ½ months) and nine and half months (9 ½ months) i.e,105 days,195 days and 285 days respectively, clarified IRDA..

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France to rein in reduced-time work scheme as covid crisis eases

From Oct.1,workers will get 60% of their normal gross wages under the scheme, down from 70% currently, President Emmanuel Macron told employers and unions. Meanwhile, the state will reimburse employers up to 60% of the cost, instead of 85% currently.

However, a company can only tap the existing furlough arrangements for up to six months, and on Wednesday the government also outlined a new longer-term programme that is more generous for the employee and company, but demands commitments to safeguarding jobs.

The programme will allow workers to receive up to 70% of gross wages, with the state reimbursing firms up to 85% if the programme is tapped before July and 80% afterwards.

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UN chief criticises lack of global cooperation on COVID-19

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it’s important to use that fact to make countries understand that bringing them together, putting together their capacities, not only in fighting the pandemic in a coordinated way but in working together to have the treatments, testing mechanisms, the vaccines accessible to everybody, that this is the way we defeat the pandemic.

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Maharashtra bans guru’s ‘spurious’ coronavirus treatment

Earlier yesterday, Ramdev had launched Coronil and Swasari as Ayurvedic cure for Covid-19, stressing that the medicines had been tested in “a clinical case study and clinical controlled trial”, which found that “69 percent patients recovered in three days and 100 % patients recovered within seven days” of the treatment.

Hours after its launch, India’s federal government asked Patanjali to provide details about Coronil, trials and sample size and asked the company to stop advertising the product until it had been approved.

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