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The East Asia Dragons
and India India’s Only Newsletter which cover
East Asia- Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Mongolia &
Global News News, Tenders, Jobs, Announcements, B2B and More
Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Bengaluru 20 – 26 April 20201 Price: Rs 30 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Asia News:
Japan:
1. Japan: Japan to block foreign acquisitions of drug and ventilator makers
2. Japan: Nissan to close global HQ, other Japan facilities through mid-May
3. Japan: Tokyo's Toyosu fish market struggles amid pandemic
4. Japan: Fujitsu verifies AI technology to predict vessel collision risks in marine traffic control,
5. Japan: Japan says economy worsening rapidly, most negative view since 2009
6. Japan: Tokyo governor asks residents to grocery shop only every 3 days
7. Japan: Central Japan pref. to pay hospitals up to 4 mil. for each COVID-19 patient they accept
8. Japan: Experts call for more coronavirus tests in Japan as positive rate rises
9. Japan: Canon's 1st quarter net profit drops 30%, 2020 outlook withdrawn
10. Japan: Japan's Ube Industries to resume output of Avigan agent amid pandemic
Korea:
11. Korea: Seoul beefing up equipment for second wave of COVID-19
12. Korea: Korea to inject emergency funds into five key industries hit by pandemic
13. Korea: 1.27 million young Koreans de facto out of work
14. Korea: Testing kit maker Solgent gears up for IPO
15. Korea: ‘Repeat virus patients may not be contagious’: KCDC
16. Korea: Beleaguered automakers request liquidity, tax support
17. Korea: Pay with your face: LG CNS unveils facial recognition payment system
China:
18. China: Orders for COVID-19 tests Few European Countries Rejection Vs Accuracy rates
19. China: Closures of US pork plants worsen shortages in China
20. China: Overseas orders for body bags increase due to COVID-19
21. China: Protective suit that can be used at least 10 times approved
22. China: News repeats virus lab theory on China
23. China: Robot warriors join Chinese military arsenal, will free soldiers from dangerous missions
24. China: China-Europe Railway Express posts sharp growth in Q1
25. China: Catering industry goes smarter amid epidemic
26. China: Nation's mobile application market is thriving
27. China: East China province pushes for 5G commercialization
1 "Printed and Published by Girish Kumar SV on behalf of The East Asia Dragons and India No 391 20 Cross Maruthi Nagar
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and Advertising First Floor 21st Cross, Near Maruthi Mandir, Marenahalli Vijaynagar, Bangalore 560 040 Ph: 080 4115 2404
(place of printing) and published at Bengaluru (place of publication) Bengalur Editor T S Chandrashekar
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Taiwan:
28. Taiwan: Taiwan-developed rapid screening reagent put into trial production
29. Military releases surveillance photo of Liaoning aircraft carrier
Mongolia:
30. Mongolia: Minister of Foreign Affairs D.Tsogtbaatar met with U.S. Ambassador
II. Global News:
31. Italy: Two Italian companies could put COVID-19 vaccine in human trials in September
32. UN Weather Organization: Climate Change May Pose Bigger Danger Than COVID
33. South East Asia: Indonesia now leads Southeast Asia in confirmed coronavirus cases
34. Asia: Virus-hit Asian nations brace for double disasters as extreme weather looms
35. South East Asia: China taking advantage of the region's focus on the coronavirus pandemic to "coerce its
neighbours”
36. Britain: Britain Starts Testing Vaccine for Coronavirus on Humans
37. America: House Lawmakers Clash Over Pelosi-Backed Oversight Committee On Coronavirus Response
38. Sweden, 5 U.S. States To Have ‘Herd Immunity’ To COVID-19
39. Arica: Africa's 43% jump in cases in a week worries CDC, WHO
40. Russia: Russian, Indian foreign ministers discuss fight against coronavirus pandemic
III. India News
41. Use rapid test kits only for surveillance: ICMR to states
42. Firm Working On India’s 1st Covid Anti-Retroviral
43. Remittances to India projected to plunge by 23%
44. IIT Delhi develops low-cost kit for detecting Covid-19
45. Coal India Ltd to produce 710 MT coal in current FY: Pralhad Joshi
46. Agriculture: Harvesting of pulses & potato completed in almost all states
47. Emails to taxpayers for tax refund should not be misconstrued: CBDT
48. India's response against COVID-19 proactive, pre-Emptive, graded: Dr Harsh Vardhan at WHO meet
49. Turmeric sales volume up
50. Kerala cashew sector to tap Japanese market in post-Covid days
IV. Others
Tenders
Jobs
B2B
WHO REPORT ON COVID-19 Situation Report
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My Father T K Subramanyam
Ex Municipal Vice President
3 Times Municipal Councillor
PHE PWD KUWS Contractor
Passed away on 21 April 2020 at 10-41 AM in My Home Town Tiptur
Tumkur Dist Karnataka State India
Thanks Father for Giving Me Everything in this World
Good Bad, Happy Sorrow, Challenges and to Lead...
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East Asia News:
Japan:
1. Japan: Japan to block foreign acquisitions of drug and ventilator makers
Japan plans to block foreign companies from acquiring domestic
drug and medical equipment makers, to protect access to medicine
and ventilators that have proven critical amid the coronavirus
outbreak. The State will add companies that specialize in vaccines,
medicine and advanced medical equipment to its list of businesses
deemed critical to national security.
The move comes as Japan's Fujifilm Holdings Corp's has gained
global attention for its anti-flu drug Avigan, which is being tested as
a treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new
coronavirus.
2. Japan: Nissan to close global HQ, other Japan facilities through mid-May
Nissan Motor Co said that it would temporarily shut down operations at its global headquarters and other
facilities in Japan through early May to contain the spread of the
coronavirus at its sites. The 16-day closure will run between April
25 and May 10, affecting a total of 15,000 employees, the company
said in a statement.
Like many of its global rivals, Nissan has shuttered most of its
global production facilities due to the virus, and operations at many
of its vehicle plants in Japan have been suspended since earlier this
month due to plummeting demand. Recently Nissan's sales and
profits had been slumping and few executives see the need for the
company to become much smaller company, selling 1 million less cars than its current annual target of 6
million units.
3. Japan: Tokyo's Toyosu fish market struggles amid pandemic
Tokyo's Toyosu fish market, which opened in 2018 to replace the aging Tsukiji market, is facing tough
times with both trade volume and prices of high-end fish and
other marine products tumbling as demand collapses amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
The wholesale market is famous for its tuna auctions, but trade
in the fish has roughly halved in volume from a year earlier
amid sharp declines in the number of customers at restaurants,
especially foreign tourists, according to the operator.
Most of the seafood at the Toyosu market is snapped up by
professional buyers supplying customers such as upscale sushi
restaurants but amid the current market conditions, some
unsold products end up being sold online to members of the public at discount prices.
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4. Japan: Fujitsu verifies AI technology to predict vessel collision risks in marine traffic control,
Fujitsu Ltd has announced the results of a joint field trial with the Japan Coast Guard to predict vessel
collisions with AI technology,
demonstrating its usefulness in detecting
collision risks early and minimizing the
danger of such accidents.
The trial conducted from December 2019 to
March 2020 at the Tokyo Wan Vessel
Traffic Service Center, which offers
navigation support services, under an
outsourcing contract with the Japan Coast
Guard. Leveraging Fujitsu Human Centric
AI Zinrai developed by Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd, this technology can detect near misses between vessels and
predict areas where collision risks are concentrated in the Tokyo Bay. By applying this technology to the
Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system used in maritime traffic control operations, Fujitsu has confirmed that
it can contribute to the risk prevention of vessels and improve maritime traffic safety.
According to a report by the Japan Transport Safety Board, there were 2,863 marine collision accidents in
Japan alone between 2009 and 2019, with an average of 286 accidents per year. Collisions involving large
vessels can have a major impact on society, in terms of crew safety, damage to vessels, and marine
pollution.
5. Japan: Japan says economy worsening rapidly, most negative view since 2009
Japan's economy has been worsening rapidly in April due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said
using its most pessimistic expression in over a decade to describe the overall situation in its key monthly
report. It is the first time since May 2009, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, that the office has
used the term "worse" or "worsening" in its monthly report to describe the health of the Japanese economy.
In the April report, it revised the assessments of industrial output, private consumption and another four of
the 11 main components. The report for March said the economy was "in a severe situation, extremely
depressed by the novel coronavirus" and stopped short of using the term "recovering" for the first time since
July 2013.
6. Japan: Tokyo governor asks residents to grocery shop only every 3 days
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike requested residents limit the frequency of grocery shopping to every three days as
part of steps to prevent supermarkets becoming too crowded amid the
coronavirus epidemic. At the extraordinary press conference, Koike
also stressed the need to partner with supermarket industry bodies to
plan ways to reduce overcrowding.
The suggested measures include informing customers of the quietest
times, limiting the number of shopping baskets, setting aside times
for the elderly and disabled, suspending bonus-point campaigns for
certain days and times, and alternating when shelves are restocked to
prevent lines forming before opening.
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7. Japan: Central Japan pref. to pay hospitals up to 4 mil. for each COVID-19 patient they accept
The central Japan prefecture of Aichi will give local medical institutions that have accepted COVID-19
patients a subsidy of 1 million to 4 million yen per patient, Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura announced on April
22.
Gov. Omura said that the "medical staff support
money" can be used to cover hospitals' expenses
when doctors and others stay at hotels to avoid
infecting their family members, as well as to
increase the staff numbers to accept patients
infected with the new coronavirus and improve
treatment of employees. This is believed to be the
country's first subsidy initiative for medical
institutions based on the number of COVID-19
patients.
The amount of the grant depends on the level of
symptoms; a medical facility will receive 1 million yen per patient with minor to moderate cases, 2 million
yen per patient with severe symptoms that require a respirator and 4 million yen per patient in a critical
condition in which treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is required. Medical institutions in
Aichi Prefecture can apply for the subsidy retrospectively up to this past January when the prefecture's first
COVID-19 patient was admitted to hospital.
8. Japan: Experts call for more coronavirus tests in Japan as positive rate rises
Medical experts are urging Japan to test more people for the novel coronavirus and provide their details to
grasp the scale of infections in the country, after seeing a recent rise in the rate of people testing positive.
Japan has so far conducted polymerase chain reaction tests on more than 130,000 people for the pneumonia-
causing virus.
While Japan chose to limit the number of tests at the outset of the outbreak to avoid straining its medical
system, such an approach has more recently raised fears among experts that the country will not be able to
fully trace the spread of the virus, and that an explosive spike in infections could go undetected.
The health ministry currently provides data on the number of people who test positive divided by the
number of tests conducted nationwide and expressed as a percentage. As of Wednesday, Japan had more
than 12,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including about 700 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that
was quarantined near Tokyo in February.
9. Japan: Canon's 1st quarter net profit drops 30%, 2020 outlook withdrawn
Canon Inc. said its net profit dropped 30.0 percent in the first quarter
through March as it withdrew its full-year earnings outlook due to
economic uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. Canon
said its net profit in the first three months fell to 21.91 billion yen, on
sales of 782.31 billion yen, down 9.5 percent from a year earlier.
The Tokyo-headquartered company had initially projected a net profit of
160 billion yen ($1.48 billion) for 2020. It said the market for digital
cameras and other expensive products would likely take time to recover
after the pandemic subsides.
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10. Japan: Japan's Ube Industries to resume output of Avigan agent amid pandemic
Ube Industries Ltd. said it will restart output of a key material for Avigan, an anti-flu drug that is being
tested for the treatment of patients infected with the new
coronavirus. The chemical company said it will resume in
July the production of "critical intermediates that
constitute the active pharmaceutical ingredient core
skeleton" for Avigan at its factory in Ube, Yamaguchi
Prefecture.
Ube Industries stopped production of the agent in 2009
but has decided to restart it at the request of Fujifilm
Toyama Chemical Co., a unit of Fujifilm Holdings Corp.,
which developed Avigan, also known as Favipiravir.
Fujifilm Toyama Chemical said on April 15 it had begun
increasing Avigan production, aiming to secure by
September enough to treat up to 300,000 patients per month.
Chemical makers Denka Co. and Kaneka Corp. have also said they will supply raw materials for the drug.
Ube refrained from revealing the volume of intermediates it plans to produce. The Japanese government has
set a goal of tripling the national stockpile of the drug by the end of March next year to ensure there is
enough to treat 2 million people.
Avigan came under the spotlight after researchers at Wuhan University and other institutions in China said
the drug was effective on coronavirus patients, especially for those with mild symptoms of COVID-19, the
respiratory disease caused by the virus.
Korea:
11. Korea: Seoul beefing up equipment for second wave of COVID-19
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Deputy Director Kwon Joon-wook said that COVID-
19 could rise again at any point in time on a global
scale, and new sources of viral infections will emerge
continually. “COVID-19 spreads through those who do
not show symptoms and during incubation. It has a
relatively low fatality rate and a relatively high basic
reproduction number, which make it a virus with
characteristics optimal to trigger a global pandemic.
There is a high possibility of a second wave of
infections.”
Korean health experts anticipated the dangerous
contagion could surge again this fall, with the pattern
of the virus infections rising and subsiding to repeat for
about two years. Health authorities said they are aiming to begin clinical trials of plasma therapy using
captured plasma from virus survivors in July, though the treatment has yet to demonstrate concrete
effectiveness.
12. Korea: Korea to inject emergency funds into five key industries hit by pandemic
South Korea decided to inject emergency funds into the nation’s five key industries automobiles, aviation,
shipping, shipbuilding and oil refineries that are facing a liquidity crisis since the outbreak of the new
coronavirus.
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The Govt has discussed customized support measures for each industry at the crisis management meeting
led by Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki as a follow-up measures to President Moon Jae-in’s announcement of
a 40 trillion won ($32.5 billion) worth relief package.
13. Korea: 1.27 million young Koreans de facto out of work
The COVID-19 disaster has added to mass youth unemployment, which had already been a critical social
issue over the past few years. According to the Supplementary
Index for Employment III, held by Statistics Korea, de facto
unemployment for those aged 15-29 reached 1.272 million
among the extended-based economically active population of
4.785 million.
This figure means a surge by about 225,000 people in only two
months, compared to January, when the tally stood at 1.047
million. The Supplementary Index III for Employment, a
relatively new state method for calculation, regards
“underemployed” people -- who work less than 36 hours a week
and want to work more hours, as well as seasonal workers who
are out of work for part of the year -- as jobless.
The figure for March indicates that more than 1 in 4 young people are unemployed. The figure contrasts
with the “official” numbers publicized by the government for the month, which have total youth
unemployment at 402,000, or 9.9 percent. The official government data is calculated in a conservative
manner, by not regarding a large portion of temporary workers as the jobless.
Between January and March, the extended youth jobless rate grew steeply -- from 21.4 percent in January to
23.1 percent in February (de facto unemployed totaling 1.126 million), and to 26.6 percent in March. On
Wednesday, President Moon Jae-in pledged to create 550,000 jobs, in a 89.4 trillion won ($72.5 billion) plan
using mostly taxpayers’ money. But many online commenters criticized the scheme, predicting it would just
create many temporary jobs in the public sector and calling it another waste of taxpayer money.
14. Korea: Testing kit maker Solgent gears up for IPO
South Korean genetic technology firm Solgent has picked local brokerage Mirae Asset Daewoo as an
underwriter for its initial public offering, buoyed by sales of its
diagnostic kits for the novel coronavirus, the company said on April
23.
Founded in 2000, Solgent is dedicated to molecular diagnosis
technologies, which enable detection of the nucleic acid of the novel
coronavirus, using the principle of real-time RT PCR. Its major
shareholders include the Korea-based Eone Diagnomics Genome
Center, which had 17.03 percent ownership as of end-2019.
Solgent registered revenue of 6.41 billion won ($5.2 million) in 2019 and a 208.23 million won net loss. An
upshot in sales for this year is highly likely, given a series of contracts it has signed with countries in need of
coronavirus testing kits. Solgent exports the kits to countries including the Philippines, Ukraine, Poland and
the United States.
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15. Korea: ‘Repeat virus patients may not be contagious’: KCDC
South Korea’s health authorities said that patients who test positive for the novel coronavirus after making a
full recovery may have little or no chance of infecting others. The center has
completed in-depth examinations of six relapse cases and in all of them, the virus
was detected in the patient’s body in polymerase chain reaction testing, widely
used for COVID-19 diagnosis. But when the pathogen was separated out and
cultivated, nothing came out, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Reemergence of the virus has risen as a point of concern in Korea, where the daily
number of new infections has fallen to about 10. So far, the country has 207
patients who have tested positive for a second time after being declared virus-free.
Health authorities have also conducted antibody examinations on survivors of the
novel coronavirus and found that half of those with antibodies still have the virus
in their system. Out of 25 survivors with coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies, 12 tested positive for the virus
again in genetic testing, according to the KCDC.
16. Korea: Beleaguered automakers request liquidity, tax support
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Minister Sung Yun-mo met with representatives
of the country’s automakers, including Hyundai Motor Group President Gong Young-woon, Kia Motors
President Song Ho-sung, SsangYong Motors President Ye
Byung-tae, GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem and Renault
Samsung CEO Dominique Signora, to hear about
difficulties they are facing due to COVID-19.
The chiefs of eight local auto parts makers also took part in
the meeting, the ministry said. The heads of the auto
companies said the industry needed liquidity support so the
companies could pay fixed costs such as salaries, amid
significantly diminished sales as a result of COVID-19. The
five major Korean carmakers and auto parts makers asked the government for liquidity support for the
automobile industry, which has been hit hard by low sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and measures to
boost domestic demand.
They also asked the government to exempt them temporarily from the acquisition tax, on top of the earlier
exemption from the consumption tax. They said the government should extend the payment deadlines by as
much as nine months for consumption tax, value-added tax and tariffs for automobiles. Automakers also
asked the government to apply 2019 standards for greenhouse gas emissions for passenger vehicles until
year-end. The limit for 2019 was 110 grams per kilometer. Minister Sung said the government would closely
monitor the situation in the automotive sector and would review support measures with related ministries as
necessary.
17. Korea: Pay with your face: LG CNS unveils facial recognition payment system
LG CNS announced that the company has introduced a facial recognition payment system using cloud
server and blockchain technology. The Korean company’s new
payment system uses a kiosk equipped with artificial intelligence
specialized in recognizing facial biometrics to identify customers.
The payment system then proceeds with payments by accessing
customers’ account data encrypted in the cloud server.
The company said the AI-based payment system is much more
convenient than using mobile apps or credit cards. The system also
gets rid of unnecessary points of contact, reducing risks of viral
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infections, the company explained. LG CNS is currently testing the payment system using biometrics at the
cafeteria located in its headquarters in Seoul. The company said it plans to install the new payment system to
other stores down the road.
China:
18. China: Orders for COVID-19 tests Few European Countries Rejection Vs Accuracy rates
Demand for low priced made in China COVID-19 test kits has surged as countries around the world conduct
large-scale nucleic acid and antibody screening to bring the deadly virus in check, pushing domestic
companies to increase production capacity.
China claims made-in-China test kits, whether nucleic acid or antibody tests, have high accuracy rates of 80
or even 90 percent, refuting doubts by some overseas media about the accuracy of made-in-China test kits.
So far, 29 types of coronavirus test kits offered by 25 Chinese companies have been approved with a total
daily production capacity of 5 million. Production is basically normal and inventories are relatively
adequate, according to Huang Libin, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Industry and Information
Technology.
Experts also clarified that the accuracy of China's coronavirus test kits has problems, though some overseas
media reports have said that made-in-China kits have low accuracy rates. Recently Turkey to Spain had
complained about Made in China Medical Products. Even the efficacy of Rapid Testing kits for coronavirus
brought in from China have been questioned as only 5.4 per cent of the tests have proved effective. While
worldwide, medical experts agree that the Rapid testing method is not foolproof, questions were raised about
the Chinese kits. Beijing has denied the kits are of inferior quality.
19. China: Closures of US pork plants worsen shortages in China
US slaughtering plants are shutting down as a rising number of employees are infected with the coronavirus,
a situation that has raised supply concerns as the US is the world's
largest pork exporter. China has been buying heavily from the US.
Imports of US pork have skyrocketed this year. According to customs
data, China imported 168,000 tons of pork from the US during the first
quarter, up by 6.4 times and accounting for 17.7 percent of total
imports.
Analysts said that domestic supply in China will continue to be affected
by African swine fever and the COVID-19 epidemic. US meat-
processing company Tyson Foods announced closure of its largest pork
plant in Iowa, after nearly 200 workers tested positive for COVID-19.
The closure followed others by the biggest pork processors in the US,
including JBS, Hormel and Smithfield Foods.
China's pork imports are expected to rise to 2.8 million tons in 2020,
according to the agriculture outlook released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Pork
consumption is expected to be 42.06 million tons in 2020, down 5.6 percent year-on-year, while domestic
production is expected to be 39.34 million tons, with a supply gap of 2.72 million tons.
"The supply-demand gap is likely to expand 32.7 percent year-on-year. Pork prices will remain high due to
the tight supply of live pigs until the end of 2021, when pork production capacity is expected to recover,"
Zhou Lin, an analyst at the agriculture ministry, said. The gap in 2019 was filled by imports. Data from
customs showed that China imported 2.1 million tons of pork, with a gap of 2.08 million tons.
Price rise is on the way as result of the coronavirus outbreak, costs have increased, including transportation
costs, labor costs, as well as disinfectants, masks and other procurement costs. Thus, the feed price will
probably continue to go up until the end of the year, depending on the control of the epidemic.
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20. China: Overseas orders for body bags increase due to COVID-19
Chinese companies have seen rising demand for body bags from around the world, including the US and
France, with inquiries and orders exceeding production capacity, as the relentless COVID-19 takes a rising
toll the world over.
While some of the inquiries and orders came directly from
hospitals of foreign countries, many of them also came from
overseas middlemen.
A manager of Tianhongshouchuang Technology Co, a large body
bag producer based in North China's Hebei Province, was quoted
as saying that "Some people calling from the US asking us to
deliver 2 million body bags within 10 days," Li said. "Our total
capacity is 1,000 a day, so we can't do this in such a short time,
and we also have orders from others that we must fill."
As employees are working overtime, the company has turned down some new big orders so that existing
ones can be filled on time. The rising orders come as the death toll from COVID-19 surges globally. Since
the materials for making protective clothing are similar to those used in body bags production lines rather
quickly.
Many Chinese factories also have no experience in exporting body bags, as they mostly focus on domestic
hospitals and funeral homes, industry insiders. Like the situation for masks, gloves and other medical
supplies, with the surging demand for body bags comes price-gouging, according to insiders. Each body bag
costs 10-30 yuan ($1.4-4.2), and the costs for production and materials take up to 80 percent. We don't do
this for money and to see prices go up that's the last thing we want to see."
21. China: Protective suit that can be used at least 10 times approved
A Beijing-based producer BW Techtextile gained approval from the health authorities for its self-developed
multi-use protective clothing, which is expected to greatly outcompete ordinary protective clothing in the
level of protection and cost savings.
The Company’s protective clothing can be used up to 10 times and costs only
a third of what ordinary medical protective clothing costs. The launch of this
product marks the first of this kind of protective clothing for medical use in
China.
The repeated-use protective clothing as one of our self-developed products
has been used for special health emergency events for years, but this is the
first time that the product has been approved for hospital use under the needs
of pandemic prevention and control. Currently the Company’s production
capacity is around 5,000 pieces a month.
Ordinary types of protective clothing are made from non-woven fabric,
which is fragile and cannot stand repeated use, so it is costly, especially as the demand is surging amid the
pandemic outbreak, causing serious shortages of raw materials. Instead of using non-woven fabrics, the new
protective clothing is made of three-layer composite materials self-developed by the company, which have
strong physical and mechanical strength and anti-damage ability. Among them, the breaking strength and
anti-permeability are required to reach the standard of disposable protective clothing for medical use at least
10 times, according BW Techtextile. In addition, the protective clothing adopts advanced production
processes including inner layering and air-tight zipper, which improves the product's protective tightness.
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22. China: News repeats virus lab theory on China
A leading News Channel says the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Wuhan lab as part of “China’s efforts
to compete with the US.” Early in February, GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas was quoted that the
coronavirus was developed in a Chinese “super-lab”.
The media said it is “man-made”
with a “naturally occurring strain
that was being studied in the lab,”
which then leaked into the
population in Wuhan. President
Donald Trump said that the US
government is investigating the lab
theory. Matthew Pottinger, the US's
deputy national security adviser,
asked intelligence agencies in
January to look into the idea of a
Wuhan lab leak.
China Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian addressed the matter at a news conference in April, telling
journalists the WHO’s officials have said multiple times there is no evidence the new coronavirus was
created in a lab.
23. China: Robot warriors join Chinese military arsenal, will free soldiers from dangerous missions
More robot warriors are entering the arsenal of the Chinese military, with the latest additions being a small
model that's equipped with a machine gun and a crane-like missile-
loading robot, and experts said that robots will free human soldiers from
heavy physical work and unnecessary danger.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is in possession of the
small ground robot, which can traverse complicated terrains, accurately
observe battlefield situations and provide ferocious firepower, the PLA
Eastern Theater Command said.
The thigh-high robot looks like a small assault vehicle. It walks on tracks
similar to a tank, allowing it to adapt to complicated terrains in open
field combat, move quickly and climb stairs. Equipped with a machine
gun, and observation and detection equipment including night vision devices, the robot can replace a human
soldier in dangerous reconnaissance missions. Target practice results showed the robot has acceptable
accuracy, and the use of weapons still requires human control. New robot warriors joining the Chinese
military have gradually become the norm.
The PLA Rocket Force is receiving a large, crane-like robot that can be used in lifting and loading missiles
onto transporter erector launchers, enabling more missiles to be launched from the same launcher within
short intervals. A conventional crane is less steady and requires human assistance when loading missiles,
but the robot solves this problem. Unmanned systems will gradually free human soldiers from heavy
physical work and extreme danger and let them focus on making combat decisions and carrying out
technical and tactical movements.
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24. China: China-Europe Railway Express posts sharp growth in Q1
The China-Europe Railway Express (Xiamen) saw significant growth in the first quarter of 2020, with 67
trips run by freight trains carrying 6,106 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, increasing by
hitting record highs of 148 percent and 160 percent
year-on-year, according to Xiamen Customs.
Statistics showed that in March, the China-Europe
Railway Express (Xiamen) made 33 trips with 2,958
TEUs, carrying $113 million worth in cargo, up 152.6
percent year-on-year.
Due to the global COVID-19 outbreak, European
countries are facing great shortages of medical supplies
such as face masks, which has led to the sharp increase
in freight volume on the China-Europe Railway
Express in transporting medical and epidemic prevention materials to European countries.
To guarantee the operation of the China-Europe rail line during the COVID-19 outbreak, Xiamen Customs
has launched an array of measures, including setting up green channels and opening more routes to increase
the transport volume.
25. China: Catering industry goes smarter amid epidemic
Three stir-fry robots are "working" in the kitchen of a restaurant in Jinan, capital of eastern China's
Shandong Province, during peak lunch hours. The robot chefs can
automatically add oil and seasonings, take good control of the heat and
fried rice can be ready in less than three minutes.
The robots can cook over 30 dishes, including the most popular black
pepper and garlic flavored beef fried rice, tomato fried Japanese noodles
and spicy noodles. The whole dining process is touchless. Customers order
food on their mobile phones or on in-store tablet computers and then take
their own meals.
"Many high-tech measures are beingIndustry insiders believe that
embracing big data and AI will become an important direction for the
future development of the catering industry. applied in our restaurants,"
said Hou Mingjing, marketing director of Shandong Camry Commercial
Group. "Our staff has been cut from over a dozen to just four after the
robot chefs were introduced, and we also have food delivery robots in more than 20 of our restaurants."
Industry insiders believe that embracing big data and AI will become an important direction for the future
development of the catering industry. It is also an effective method to save costs and improve service
quality.
26. China: Nation's mobile application market is thriving
Chinese mobile application market is thriving, and it has witnessed
new growth opportunities amid the novel coronavirus outbreak,
global business intelligence firm App Annie said in a new report.
According to App Annie, 11 Chinese companies figured in its
annual Top 52 Publishers list. Among the Chinese companies, nine
are gaming app publishers.
Tencent Holdings Ltd, China's top gaming and social media
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operator, retained its top spot in App Annie's Top 52 Publishers list. Chinese leading gaming outfit NetEase
was placed second in the ranking, followed by US-based gaming firm Activision Blizzard.
Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, average mobile usage has risen by 30 percent to five hours a day in
China from a year ago during February, the App Annie report said. Business and education apps were
among the most widely used as many chose to work and study from home. Apart from gaming, consumers
also turned to social media and video streaming apps for entertainment and for keeping in touch with loved
ones.
Other apps that saw strong growth in usage included food and grocery delivery apps, finance apps and
medical and health and fitness apps. Experts said the Chinese mobile applications market has been thriving
and growing despite the epidemic.
27. China: East China province pushes for 5G commercialization
East China's Jiangxi province aims to have 20,000 5G base stations built by the end of this year to speed up
the commercialization of the new generation of mobile IoT
and related applications.
Xiao Yong, an official of the provincial science and
technology department, said Jiangxi is a national pilot for the
Industry IoT, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and virtual
reality (VR) technology. The construction of the 5G network
will help explore new possibilities of the new tech. The 5G
infrastructure building has given a boost to its emerging VR
industry, Xiao said.
The 5G commercialization is opening up a wider range of
IoT and VR applications. Jiangxi has planned to build 10
industrial clusters based on the 5G commercialization this year. The revenue of IoT related industries is
expected to reach 100 billion yuan (about $14 billion) in 2020.
Taiwan:
28. Taiwan: Taiwan-developed rapid screening reagent put into trial production
A research team at Academia Sinica has developed a key reagent for a pioneering rapid screening test for the
COVID-19 coronavirus disease and the technology has been transferred
to seven companies, one or two of which will be chosen for possible mass
production, James Liao president of Taiwan's most prestigious research
institution, said.
Liao said at a legislative hearing, adding that it took only one month for
the team to create a product prototype, compared with the three-six
months normally required for such development.
He was responding to a question about the progress after Academia Sinica
announced last month that the research team had synthesized monoclonal
antibodies that can identify the protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The reagent will
be able to provide COVID-19 test results within just 15 minutes, according to Academia Sinica.
Liao said that the method of producing the reagent was transferred to seven firms on April 10, which had
already begun trial production of the testing kits, although the new product requires certification and
approval from the Food and Drug Administration before they can hit the market.
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29. Military releases surveillance photo of Liaoning aircraft carrier
Taiwan's military released for the first time a surveillance photograph it took of the Chinese aircraft carrier,
the Liaoning, as it monitored the passage of a
Chinese carrier battle group in waters south of the
country a day earlier.
The black-and-white photograph released by the
Ministry of National Defense (MND), shows an
aerial view of the Liaoning, though it did not say
where or when the photo was taken, other than that it
was taken by the Air Force.
In a press release, the MND said the Chinese aircraft
carrier, escorted by two destroyers, two frigates and a
supply ship, were monitored as they passed through
the Bashi Channel, a waterway to the south of Taiwan, on Wednesday and was heading toward waters east
of the island.
The ministry has been closely monitoring the battle group, including the dispatch of eight Navy vessels, but
nothing out of the ordinary was observed, according to the ministry. This is the second time in April the
aircraft carrier battle group has operated in waters near Taiwan.
The Liaoning and its five escorting vessels on April 12 passed through the Miyako Strait south of Japan and
east of Taiwan, before heading south toward the South China Sea on a long-range training mission. The
Chinese battle group concluded its training mission on Wednesday. The Liaoning is China's first aircraft
carrier and is named after one of its northeastern provinces. The 300-meter-long vessel was refurbished and
upgraded from an unfinished Soviet carrier and commissioned in 2012.
Mongolia:
30. Mongolia: Minister of Foreign Affairs D.Tsogtbaatar met with U.S. Ambassador
On April 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs D.Tsogtbaatar met with U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia Michael S.
Klecheski, exchanging views on the current state of bilateral cooperation
and other issues. The sides stressed that the countries need to join efforts
and cooperate closely at this time of the exponential spread of novel
coronavirus in the world.
On April 21, 2020, the Mongolian government and MIAT Mongolian
Airlines informed the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar that MIAT will
operate two additional evacuation flights. The flights are currently
scheduled to depart as follows:
Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, Republic of Korea on April 30, 2020. Ulaanbaatar to Frankfurt, Germany on May 2,
2020. These dates and times are subject to change.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Mongolia is pleased to announce that
application is now open for the LEAD Mongolia 2020 U.S. Exchange Program implemented by World
Learning. The LEAD Mongolia 2020 U.S. Exchange Program is looking for 30 qualified Mongolian
changemakers from across the country to take part in this important initiative. LEAD Mongolia will help to
shape the next generation of democratic champions through a variety of leadership opportunities, a three-
week U.S. exchange, skills building training, and project implementation. The program focuses on
following three policy challenges specific to Mongolia: environment and urbanization, poverty alleviation
and unemployment, and transparency and anti-corruption. The online application is at
https://form.jotform.com/200118299440451
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II. Global News:
31. Italy: Two Italian companies could put COVID-19 vaccine in human trials in September
Advent-IRBM and Takis Biotech, two biotechnology companies based in Pomezia, a town around 30 km
south of Rome, are among a handful of companies
towards human testing of a potential vaccine.
Advent-IRBM is set to start advanced studies on its
potential vaccine in conjunction with the Jenner
Institute, which is part of Oxford University in the
United Kingdom. Advent-IRBM has announced it
will send samples to the Jenner Institute on
Thursday, where it will be developed in part with
local funding.
Asked about the Advent-IRBM project on Tuesday,
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said "a vaccine is the best way to defeat the coronavirus," according
to a ministry release. "If this vaccine or another works, the important thing is to immunize as many people as
possible in the shortest time possible."
According to information from the company, research is based on the use of adenovirus, a mild virus that
infects chimpanzees, with a genetic modification that carries part of the coronavirus. The hope is that it will
create an immune response in humans. Piero Di Lorenzo, Advent-IRBM's chief executive, said the testing at
Oxford will be aimed at assuring the vaccine is effective and without unintended side effects.
Takis Biotech was among the first companies in Europe to switch its focus to developing a vaccine against
the coronavirus. The company issued a press release as early as on Jan. 27, when the disease had not yet
been named. Luigi Aurisicchio, the chief executive and chief science officer for the company, saw the risk
for a global outbreak back then. "We will immediately make available our skills gained for the development
of vaccines against cancer and other infectious diseases to fight the spread of this coronavirus," Aurisicchio
stated in that press release.
"Our idea was to create a company quickly, and to focus on this," Aurisicchio said this week. "Since our
technology is versatile, it can be adapted for a virus that mutates like COVID-19 ... [and even] for some new
diseases that emerge." The company has developed five potential vaccine candidates, all based on human
DNA. It is now in the process of conducting animal trials after receiving authorization from Italian
regulatory bodies. In a statement, the company said all five trials are "extremely positive." Takis Biotech
said it expects the best candidates to be ready for human testing "sometime in the fall," the season that starts
in September. Advent-IRBM, meanwhile, said the best scenario for its potential vaccine is that it can be
ready for human testing in September.
32. UN Weather Organization: Climate Change May Pose Bigger Danger Than COVID
The World Meteorological Organization is warning that if the planet keeps warming at its current pace, the
average global temperature could increase by 1.5 degrees C in the next 10 years. This rise would worsen
extreme weather events, and many of the dangerous
effects of climate change might become irreversible, it
said.
WMO reported that the national lockdowns of
transportation, industry and energy production because of
the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in a 6 percent
drop of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
However, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said this good news would be short-lived. He said the
startup of industry might even trigger a boost in emissions. He said the pandemic also was making it more
difficult to monitor and manage weather and other hazards.
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Taalas said the world needs to show the same determination and unity against climate change as against
COVID-19. He said people everywhere need to act together in the interests of the health and welfare of
humanity, for the sake of this and future generations.
33. South East Asia: Indonesia now leads Southeast Asia in confirmed coronavirus cases
Indonesia's coronavirus tally surpassed that of other countries in Southeast Asia despite the country being
one of the last in the region to confirm the existence of COVID-19 in its territory. The government
announced on Friday 407 new coronavirus infections in the archipelago, bringing the number of confirmed
cases to 5,923 nationwide.
The country continues to be hardest hit in Southeast Asia in terms of fatalities as the COVID-19 death toll
reached 520 after another 24 deaths were registered on Friday. Indonesia also has by far the largest
population in the region.
"More than 173,000 people are currently classified as people under surveillance [ODP] and another 12,610
as patients under treatment [PDP]," the ministry’s disease control and prevention director general, Achmad
Yurianto, said in a press conference on Friday.
With its 5,923 cases, Indonesia has surpassed the coronavirus tallies of Malaysia 5251, the Philippines 5878
and Singapore 4429, all of which had announced their first coronavirus infections in late January, a few
weeks after the contagious virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Indonesia confirmed its two first
coronavirus cases on March 2.
34. Asia: Virus-hit Asian nations brace for double disasters as extreme weather looms
Countries from India to the Philippines, already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, are likely to also
battle weather-related crises, from heat waves to cyclones, in coming months, disaster experts warned. In
India currently under lockdown with more than
12,000 confirmed cases of the virus - the cyclone
season starts in two weeks
To try to maintain social distancing requirements,
India would need to double the space available to
shelter people from extreme weather. May and
June are also the hottest months for India. People
without adequate access to cooling or sufficient
water could face health risks, particularly during
the lockdown, scientists warned.
Meanwhile in Vanuatu, around 160,000 people are in need of assistance after Cyclone Harold tore through
South Pacific islands last week, said Sanaka Samarasinha, UN resident coordinator in Fiji. "Crops have been
all but destroyed," he said. If a new season of crops isn't quickly planted, "we will be looking at food
insecurity for quite some time", he warned.
The disaster forced the government to announce a second state of emergency on April 11, after an earlier
one banned mass gatherings as a result of coronavirus fears. Vanuatu has said it has no confirmed cases of
the virus as of April 15. Islands in the North Pacific, meanwhile, may have to contend with drought-like
conditions as well as the virus, said Lemau Afamasaga from the Palau Red Cross Society.
The Philippines, meanwhile, is juggling more than 5,600 COVID-19 cases - the highest number in Southeast
Asia - as well as thousands of people displaced by a volcano eruption in January and by last year's cyclones.
Elizabeth Zavalla, secretary-general of the Philippines Red Cross, said the association is manning a 24-hour
call center on the coronavirus as well as distributing aid to disaster victims.
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The Philippines' monsoon season starts in May but most of the more than 20 storms the country sees each
year come between June and August, she said. As Asian and Pacific countries brace to handle extreme
weather and virus outbreaks at the same time, it is crucial disaster response teams are provided with personal
protective equipment and psychological support, experts said.
35. South East Asia: China taking advantage of the region's focus on the coronavirus pandemic to
"coerce its neighbours”
Two US warships are operating in the South China Sea near an area of a standoff between China and
Malaysia. The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a Chinese government
research ship, was spotted last week conducting a survey
close to an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia’s state
oil company Petronas, months after it undertook a similar
patrol off Vietnam.
The incident prompted the United States to call on China to
stop its “bullying behavior” in the disputed waters, citing
concern over Beijing's provocative actions towards offshore
oil and gas developments there.
The US State Department has said China was taking
advantage of the region's focus on the coronavirus pandemic to "coerce its neighbors".
The USS America amphibious assault ship and the USS Bunker Hill, a guided missile cruiser, have been
deployed and were operating in the South China Sea, US Indo-Pacific Command spokeswoman Nicole
Schwegman said. "Through our continued operational presence in the South China Sea, we are working ... to
promote freedom of navigation and overflight, and the international principles that underpin security and
prosperity for the Indo-Pacific," Schwegman was quoted. "The US supports the efforts of our allies and
partners to determine their own economic interests."
The area is near waters claimed by both Vietnam and Malaysia as well by China, through its sweeping claim
to most of the South China Sea within its U-shaped 'nine-dash line' that is not recognised by its neighbours
or most of the world. China has denied reports of a stand-off, saying that the Haiyang Dizhi 8 was
conducting normal activities.
36. Britain: Britain Starts Testing Vaccine for Coronavirus on Humans
Britain has performed the first human trial of a coronavirus vaccine in Europe. Two volunteers were injected
Thursday in the city of Oxford, where a university team developed the vaccine in less than three months.
Hundreds of other volunteers will be injected with
the trial vaccine, and the same number will get a
vaccine for meningitis so the results can be
compared. Volunteers will not know which
vaccine they are getting.
Britain's foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, the trial
offers new hope. The United States conducted the
first vaccine test in March in Seattle, Washington.
Canada, Russia and other countries also are working on developing a vaccine, but experts say that even if a
successful one was developed soon, manufacturing and distribution would take a long time.
With no proven remedy for the coronavirus, health officials worldwide are recommending protective
measures such as good hygiene practices, social distancing and use of masks and gloves. But people in many
places are getting tired of restrictions, even as the number of cases grows. Several European countries have
seen a decrease in new cases and are preparing to gradually reopen businesses and ease restrictions.
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on governments to ensure health care is available to all
people and that economic aid packages help those most affected. “We have seen how the virus does not
discriminate, but its impacts do — exposing deep weaknesses in the delivery of public services and
structural inequalities that impede access to them.” Guterres said in a statement urging nations to plan for an
adequate response to the crisis.
37. America: House Lawmakers Clash Over Pelosi-Backed Oversight Committee On Coronavirus
Response
This week, Republicans and Democrats argued over establishing a separate select committee to review the
federal government’s response to the coronavirus
pandemic. On Thursday, House lawmakers voted
212 to 182 in favor of creating the committee.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) confirmed
the committee will oversee congressional bailouts
and other aspects of the virus response. The
bipartisan group will be led by Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Leader Kevin
McCarthy (R-Calif.).
“The committee will root out waste, fraud and
abuse,” explained Pelosi. “It will be laser focused on
ensuring taxpayer money goes to workers’ paychecks and benefits, and it will ensure that the federal
response is based on the best possible science, guided by health experts.”
However, House Republicans saw the move as a partisan witch hunt and another attempt to politically
damage President Trump. Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pointed out there are already enough
committees in place to conduct further oversight.
38. Sweden, 5 U.S. States To Have ‘Herd Immunity’ To COVID-19
The Swedish government has commented on its latest review of the coronavirus response, saying the
majority of Swedes will be immune to COVID-19 within several weeks. According to officials, they have
refused to shut down the Swedish economy while
protecting the groups at risk.
As a result of this strategy, the majority of the Swedish
population are developing the so-called “herd
immunity.” These findings come as the U.S. gradually
moves to reopen its economy, following weeks of
painful shutdowns.
Several U.S. states have followed in Sweden’s
footsteps, including Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, South Dakota and North Dakota. Leading Republicans in
these states have claimed they trust their citizens to remain safe, stay at home and socially distance
voluntarily without governmental abuse of constitutional rights. “Without any mandate, forced business
closures or shelter in place orders, the people of South Dakota did a responsible thing, and they stayed
home,” said Governor Kristi Noem (R-S.D.).
As a result, the number of COVID-19 cases in these states has been much lower than in areas with strict
economic lockdowns in place. Likewise, Sweden has had fewer coronavirus cases than many of its shuttered
European peers. Both the U.S. and EU are now facing a new problem as they plan to lift economic
lockdowns and get back to work.
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39. Arica: Africa's 43% jump in cases in a week worries CDC, WHO
The coronavirus pandemic has been confirmed in over 180 countries globally since it was first discovered in
the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December 2019. The World Health Organisation, WHO, has since
declared it a pandemic due to its spread. All except three African countries have recorded cases as
governments roll out measures to combat the spread.
Major African stats: April 23 as of 15:00 GMT:
Confirmed cases = 26,134
Number of deaths = 1,243
Recoveries = 7,071
Infected countries = 52
Virus-free countries = 2 (Lesotho, Comoros)
40. Russia: Russian, Indian foreign ministers discuss fight against coronavirus pandemic
The foreign ministers of Russia and India, Sergey Lavrov and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, discussed fight
against the coronavirus pandemic in a phone call on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry reports. The diplomats
"discussed key issues on the bilateral and international agenda, including cooperation in fight against the
coronavirus pandemic in the light of the recent decisions of the UN General Assembly, prospects for the
Afghan settlement, the activity of BRICS during the Russian presidency, as well cooperation in the Russia-
India-China format," the ministry said.
Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar also spoke to his counterparts from US and Brazil with discussions
revolving around the novel coronavirus disease and ways to increase cooperation to battle the pandemic.
“The changing world of #corona era diplomacy. Strong friendships thrive even virtually," Jaishankar said in
a Twitter post noting that he had also spoken to his Saudi Arabian and Omani counterpart too.
III. India News
41. Use rapid test kits only for surveillance: ICMR to states
A day after ICMR said it has asked states to stop using rapid testing kits for Covid-19 for two days so that it
can check complaints, they have been told to continue using the antibody diagnostic kits for surveillance and
monitoring trends as per protocol prescribed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
In a letter to state chief secretaries ICMR additional director general G S Toteja said, “States are advised to
follow the prescribed protocol for these tests and use it for the purposes for which these are meant. lt is
reiterated that to contain coronavirus infection, RT-PCR tests must be continued vigorously as the principal
diagnostic tests.”
The ICMR reference to the polymerase tests underlines that they are the “gold standard” for detecting Covid
infections and shows that states were not following the protocol that rapid tests are not for diagnostic
purposes. ICMR reference shows that states were not following the set protocol that rapid tests are not for
diagnostic purposes.
Following complaints that the antibody test kits are showing varying levels of accuracy, ICMR on said it has
advised the tests be suspended pending field validation and investigation by its teams. However, forwarding
a protocol on use of rapid antibody tests to states on Wednesday, ICMR asked them to use it as a tool for
surveillance and not to diagnose Covid-19 cases.
ICMR has told states that the test kits can’t replace the RT-PCR test. It will also collect data from various
states to assess the scope and extent of utility of these rapid antibody tests in field conditions.
umbai co seeks nod for drug trial
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42. Firm Working On India’s 1st Covid Anti-Retroviral
In an indication of innovation in pharmaceuticals for Covid-19, Mumbai based Glenmark may become the
first company in India to offer an anti-retroviral, a class of
drugs which has shown promise, and is being used as a
potential treatment for the virus. Glenmark has developed
anti-retroviral (ARV) drug Favipiravir, which has shown
positive results globally, and has applied for regulatory
approval for trials in India.
Faviparir has demonstrated good results against influenza
viruses, including those that are oseltamivir-resistant, and
has been approved in Japan and China. Globally, it is either anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, or anti-
retrovirals/anti-virals like Favipiravir, Remdesivir and Lopinavir, that are increasingly being used for Covid
treatment. Glenmark confirmed it has submitted its application to tbe Drugs Controller General of India
(DCGI) for marketing approval of Favipiravir.
Glenmark has developed the API in-house, which is believed to have been a big challenge as many firms are
still trying to do so. Once the approval is in place, the company will conduct trials on 60-100 patients and
launch the drug.
43. Remittances to India projected to plunge by 23%
The Remittances projected fall, which would be the sharpest decline in recent history, is largely due to a fall
in the wages and employment of migrant workers, who tend to be more vulnerable to loss of employment
and wages during an economic crisis in a host
country.
World Bank Group President David Malpass said,
remittances are a vital source of income for
developing countries and they help families afford
food, health care and basic needs.
Remittances are projected to fall by about 23% in
2020 to $64 billion In India a striking contrast with
growth of 5.5% and receipts of $83 billion seen in
2019, as the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak and travel restrictions make a huge dent on flows, a World
Bank report has estimated.
The coronavirus-related global slowdown and travel restrictions will also affect migratory movements, and
this is likely to keep remittances subdued even in 2021. The projected remittance growth of 5.8% in 2021
will keep total regional flows at about $115 billion, the report said.
“Remittances to South Asia are projected to decline sharply by 22% to $109 billion in 2020. This is a
significant and unprecedented deceleration compared with the growth of 6.1% seen in 2019,” said the report
titled ‘Covid-19 crisis through a migration lens’. The economic slowdown is likely to directly affect
remittance outflows from the US, the UK, and EU countries to South Asia. Falling oil prices will affect
remittance outflows from GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and Malaysia,” the report said.
Remittance flows are expected to fall across all World Bank Group regions, most notably in Europe &
Central Asia. (27.5%), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (23.1%), South Asia, (22.1%), the Middle East &
North Africa (19.6%), Latin America & the Caribbean, (19.3%), as well as East Asia & the Pacific (13%).
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44. IIT Delhi develops low-cost kit for detecting Covid-19
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) has developed a low-cost Covid-19 detection kit costing barely
a few hundred rupees using indigenously developed
technology. The kit was approved by the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR), the apex bio-medical research body
which is at the centre of the fight to contain the Covid-19
outbreak.
The institute, which is the first such to get ICMR approval is
now in the process of identifying an industry partner and aims
to get production rolling this week. IIT Delhi’s team of 10,
including four faculty members, identified unique regions (short stretches of RNA sequences) in the Covid-
19 /SARS COV-2 genome. These regions are not present in other human corona viruses, providing an
opportunity to specifically detect Covid-19.
IITD director Ramagopal Rao said regarding technology used for the detection kit, he said, “We know tests
will cost a few hundred rupees and that too can come down if production volumes are higher. IIT Delhi has
internally funded this research and we have applied for a patent.” This is the first probefree assay for Covid-
19 approved by ICMR. “We use a fluorescent dye along with highly specific primers to detect Covid-19,”
said professor Manoj Menon.
45. Coal India Ltd to produce 710 MT coal in current FY: Pralhad Joshi
Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that Coal India Limited will produce 710 million tonnes of
coal in the current financial year. He said, the company’s coal offtake
target will also remain at 710 million tonnes for this fiscal. Mr Joshi said,
the demand of coal will pick up again after coronavirus lockdown, so he
has directed Coal India Limited, CIL to keep the production targets at 710
million tonnes in line with its goal to achieve one billion tonne coal
production by year 2023-24.
The Minister stressed upon consistency in coal production throughout the
year and instructed CIL management to make all necessary preparations so
that production does not get affected even during monsoon season. He also
asked CIL authorities to provide quality coal to all consumers and make sure that sufficient coal is available
at power plant during the year.
46. Agriculture: Harvesting of pulses & potato completed in almost all
states
The harvesting of pulses and Potato has been completed in almost all the
States. Agriculture Ministry said, the status of wheat harvesting is also
encouraging in the major wheat growing States. About 99 per cent of
wheat crop has been harvested in Madhya Pradesh, 90 per cent in
Rajasthan, 78 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, 45 per cent in Haryana, 40 per cent
in Punjab and around 84 per cent in other States.
While, Harvesting of Rabi onion in the field of small farmer units is almost completed. Harvesting of larger
farmers plots is in progress and may extend up to second week of May. The Ministry said, 100 per cent
harvesting of sugarcane has been completed in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
and Punjab. About 98 per cent of harvesting of sugarcane is completed in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana and
Uttarakhand whereas about 85 per cent harvesting has been completed in Uttar Pradesh.
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47. Emails to taxpayers for tax refund should not be misconstrued: CBDT
The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT, refuted rumours circulated on social media alleging that the
Income Tax Department is pursuing recovery proceedings
and using arm-twisting methods by adjusting outstanding
demands of the start-ups. CBDT stated these observations
completely unfounded and total misrepresentation of facts.
The CBDT said that its email seeking clarification from all
those taxpayers who are entitled to get tax refund but also
have outstanding tax to pay should not be misconstrued. It
said, computer generated emails have been sent to almost
one lakh 72 thousand assessees which includes all classes
of taxpayers. CBDT said, in case the outstanding demand has already been paid by the taxpayer, the
taxpayers are requested through these mails to provide the status so that while issuing the refund, these
amounts are not held back and their refunds are released forthwith.
Meanwhile, the CBDT has issued nearly 14 lakh refunds involving an amount of over nine thousand crores
to various taxpayers including individuals, firms, start-ups, MSMEs in order to help them in the Covid-19
pandemic situation. The CBDT requested the start-ups to respond to its emails at the earliest so that further
necessary action can be taken by the IT Department to release the refunds immediately.
48. India's response against COVID-19 proactive, pre-Emptive, graded: Dr Harsh Vardhan at WHO
meet
India’s Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that India’s response has been proactive, pre-
emptive and graded in handling situation arising out of COVID-
19 outbreak. While participating in a virtual interactive session
with Health Ministers of member countries of World Health
Organization (WHO) on the measures being taken for
containment of COVID-19. He said, the current situation on
COVID-19 in the world is alarming and requires special
measures to mitigate the number of casualties. Exhorting the
WHO officials, the Health Minister said, we are meeting in
troubled times and we have to work together by sharing our best practices to eradicate COVID-19.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that India was first to respond to COVID-19 and stands on a better footing then
the rest of the world because of the valuable and sincere services of its Corona Warriors. Dr Vardhan also
said, during the last three months, the government has scaled up the number of government labs to 230 aided
by another 87 private labs with more than 16 thousand collection centres. He said, so far more than five lakh
people have been tested for COVID-19. He said, the government is going to increase the numbers of its labs
to 300 and ramp up its present daily testing capacity of 55 thousand to one lakh per day by 31st of next
month. He said, India has in all 2,033 dedicated facilities in the country with more than one lakh 90
thousand isolation beds, more than 24 thousand ICU beds and more than 12,000 ventilators.
Further, while referring to the solutions meant to curiosity of people to know about the risk hovering around,
Dr. Harsh Vardhan highlighted the effectiveness of‘ Aarogya Setu mobile application, which has been
downloaded by more than 7.2 Crore people.
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49. Turmeric sales volume up
In the Erode turmeric market finger turmeric was sold at Rs 6,389-6,819 a quintal and root variety at Rs
5,300-6,119. Of the arrival of 161 bags, 90 were sold. At the
Regulated Marketing Committee, finger turmeric was sold at Rs
5,939-6,606 and root variety at Rs 4,806-6,239. All the 64 bags
kept for sale were sold.
The 16th session of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum
(Sascof) that met through video-conferencing has said in its
South-West monsoon outlook (June-September) for this year
(2020) that rainfall for the season as a whole is most likely to be
normal over the region.
50. Kerala cashew sector to tap Japanese market in post-Covid days
V Sajeev Kumar Kerala’s cashew sector is gearing to tap the Japanese market in the post-Covid days in view
of rising demand and recurring orders for kernels. Japan
is one of the major buyers and the current lockdown is a
hindrance to meet the demand fully. However, the sector
is confident to utilise its potential once the restrictions
are lifted, said K Rajesh, national committee member of
the Cashew Industry Protection Council.
Japan is an important market for Indian cashew kernels
with yearly export of around 10,000 tonnes. Of this, the
contribution of the Kerala cashew sector is around 8,000
tonnes and the balance will be met from Vietnam and
China markets. The drum-roasted cashew kernels are the USP of Kerala product, which finds many takers in
Japan, Rajesh said.
An delay in entering the Japanese markets in the post-Covid days may give Vietnam and China an
opportunity to gain supremacy. Both these countries have a competitive advantage of lower production costs
because of mechanisation. The cost of production for kernels in India is around Rs 700 per kg, while in
Vietnam, it is around Rs 350/kg.
Besides Japan, the US, Australia, the European Union are also good markets and the Covid-19 situation has
led to a diminishing demand in these consuming economies, he added. However, he said, the consumption
of cashew nut in the domestic market has been affected in the wake of the cancellation of marriages and
other functions. It is expected to take at least 1 to 2 years to restore normalcy.
III. Others Job
25
25
Tenders:
26
26
B2B
Overseas Companies for Partnerships:
Sl
No
Company Name Product Contact Address
01
OCGS Korea
Corona RT-PCR Kit,
Sample Ready in Bangalore and India
02
HOLOGIC America
Panther Fusion SARS-CoV-2 FDA-
approved Coronavirus Test Manufacturers
03
Thermo Fisher Scientific
America TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit2 FDA-
approved Coronavirus Test Manufacturers
168 Third Avenue
Waltham, MA USA 02451
Phone:
781-622-1000
800-678-5599
04
Roche Diagnostics
cobas SARS-CoV-2
Video
https://diagnostics.roche.com/us/en/home.ht
ml FDA-approved Coronavirus Test
Manufacturers
9115 Hague Road
PO Box 50457
Indianapolis, IN 46250-0457
05
LabCorp
COVID-19 RT-PCR Test
FDA-approved Coronavirus Test
Manufacturers
https://www.labcorp.com/contact-us
Additional Points
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, or C.D.C., is a government organization based in Atlanta, GA.
The organization’s CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel was the first coronavirus
27
27
test approved for use in the U.S., and should be used with the Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast DX Real-
Time PCR Instrument with SDS 1.4 software.
Wadsworth Center, part of the New York State Department of Public Health, is located in Albany,
NY. It developed and currently performs the New York SARS-CoV-2 Real-time Reverse Transcriptase
(RT)-PCR Diagnostic Panel test in-house.
In Indianapolis, IN, Roche Molecular Systems offers the cobas® SARS-CoV-2 Test, which produces
results in roughly 4 hours and runs on the company’s cobas®6800 and 8800 systems. The company
plans to produce 400,000 tests per week.
Thermo Fisher Scientific, which is headquartered in Waltham, MA, offers a 4-hour test in the
TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit. The company expects to ramp up to producing two million tests per
week.
Hologic, Inc. has created the Panther Fusion SARS-CoV-2 test, which works in three hours. The test
runs on the company’s Panther Fusion system. Hologic, which plans to produce 600,000 tests per
month, is headquartered in Marlborough, MA.
In Burlington, NC, LabCorp’s COVID-19 RT-PCR Test is processed by LapCorp itself after patient
samples from physicians are sent to it. As of March 20th, it has been able to perform 20,000 tests per
day.
