Latest Updates on Covid-19

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that during COVID-19, China felt blamed and stigmatised by the international community for the pandemic, leading to a harsh attitude toward the outside world and a draconian lockdown within its borders. Speaking on Saturday at the Iqwat Global Business Conclave, an event organised by an association of Kashmiri Pandits. Misri also recalled that he faced a major challenge during his posting in China as Ambassador, when India and China had an unprecedented confrontation in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley. For the first time in nearly 50 years, lives were lost on both sides at the Line of Actual Control, he noted. What made it particularly challenging was that it happened at the height of COVID-19, which imposed limitations on interactions, understanding domestic perceptions in China and travelling back to Delhi, Misri said. "Travel was extremely difficult. Anytime you flew out of China during COVID, returning meant a mandatory 21-day quarantine, 21

Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 191 on Saturday, the lowest for October 24 in a decade, excluding the Covid period, the Delhi government said, attributing the improvement to sustained pollution control measures. According to a statement issued by the Environment Department, the AQI stood at 306 on October 24 in 2024 and 275 on the corresponding date in 2025, before declining to 191 this year. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the improvement reflected the government's efforts to tackle pollution through enforcement, monitoring and public participation. An AQI of 191 falls in the 'moderate' category. The government said nearly 9,883 vehicle challans were issued in the last 24 hours as part of its anti-pollution drive. During the same period, 2,810 km of roads were mechanically swept and 1,075 km covered through water sprinkling to control dust. Authorities also removed 12,702 metric tonnes of waste, lifted 2,223 metric tonnes of construction and demolitio

Goyal said India was left without essential equipment during the pandemic, prompting the push for self-sufficiency

Airlines are willing to lose some price-sensitive passengers who travelled when tickets were cheaper, while essential travellers are considered more willing and able to pay higher fares

Respiratory infections can share similar symptoms, making them difficult to distinguish

Today's pieces examine mining reforms and fiscal federalism, India's need for a caregiving policy, stronger bank boards, urban governance and lessons in crisis leadership

Suresh Narayanan's memoir offers thoughtful lessons in crisis management and leadership, drawing on the Maggi controversy, Covid-19 and crises across global markets

The findings suggest severe Covid-19 could alter the body's existing viral environment, although further research is needed to understand the impact

Andhra Pradesh has reported 12 Covid-19 cases and four deaths since late June, raising fresh concerns about the virus. But is this the beginning of another wave?

The All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) on Monday said that reports of a sugar shortage are unfounded, even as ex-factory prices rose about 15 per cent in less than a month, and urged its members to ensure steady availability of the sweetener across the country. In a communication to its 700 affiliated principal members and associations, AISTA said the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) and the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) had, on July 17, jointly clarified that the country has adequate sugar stocks to meet domestic demand. The sugar industry has also agreed to commence the 2026-27 season (October-September) at the earliest, depending on agro-climatic conditions, the association said. "The recent rise in ex-factory sugar prices -- about 15 per cent in less than a month -- has created an unwarranted impression of a shortage," AISTA Chairman Praful Vithalani said in the communication. He urged stakeholders across the sugar .

Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has said the Omicron RF.5 variant has been detected in the state following genome sequencing of four Covid-19 positive samples. The Health Department has sent four samples from Covid-19 cases reported in Kadapa district to a virology laboratory in Pune for testing, and the results have confirmed the presence of the RF.5 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant. "Genome sequencing at a virology laboratory in Pune has confirmed the presence of the Omicron RF.5 variant in four COVID-19 positive samples from Kadapa district," said Yadav in an official press release late on Saturday. The Minister held discussions with senior health officials over the phone regarding the findings from Pune and reviewed the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the southern state. RF.5 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus and is among the several Omicron sub-lineages identified across the world, said the press release. Director of Medical Educat

Health authorities said infections are spread across multiple districts with no evidence of localised transmission, while five samples have been sent to NIV Pune for genome sequencing

After two Covid-19 deaths in Andhra Pradesh, neighbouring states have stepped up surveillance and testing, while health experts say current variants are mild and there is no need to panic

In this session, Dinesh Gulati, COO of IndiaMART, shares his rich experience and provides career tips to the B-Schoolers.

In this session of Manager’s Mantra, Wifred Selvaraj, Managing Director, LGT Holidays, talks about India’s travel and tourism industry and provides management tips.

An estimated 16% of expected cancer diagnoses across Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and the UK were missing between April and December 2020, compared with pre-pandemic trends

A new global preparedness report warns that future outbreaks could become more disruptive as trust declines and pandemic funding slips worldwide

The sudden lockdown sent the Indian workforce into a panic, and prompted a hasty overnight pivot to a work model that few companies had planned for

Researchers identified a sarbecovirus strain in Thai bats that may bind to human ACE2 receptors, though no human infections or community spread have been reported

Global shocks from pandemics to wars are reshaping currencies and capital flows, raising questions on RBI's role and India's external stability strategy