Coronavirus LIVE: 6,396 fresh Covid-19 cases in Delhi, tally past 495,000
Coronavirus update: Maharashtra has 17,49,777 coronavirus cases, Karnataka 8,62,804, Andhra Pradesh 854,764, Tamil Nadu 7,59,916 and Kerala 527,708. Stay tuned for coronavirus India LIVE updates
 "Coronavirus")
A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a swab sample from a man at the Sadar Bazar market to conduct tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Delhi on Wednesday.
China ready to cooperate with India, other BRICS nations on Covid vaccine development: Jinping
China is prepared to cooperate with India and other BRICS nations in the development of vaccines against Covid-19, said Chinese President Xi Jinping as he proposed to convene a BRICS symposium on traditional medicine to explore its role in coronavirus prevention and treatment.
Speaking at 12th BRICS summit, Xi said: "It is important that we support WHO's a crucial leadership role in this endeavour. As we speak, Chinese companies are working with their Russian and Brazilian partners on phase-III clinical trials of vaccines, and we are prepared to have cooperation with South Africa and India as well. China has joined the COVAX facility, a platform on which we will share vaccines with other countries, developing countries in particular."
"We will actively consider providing vaccines to BRICS countries where there is a need. To support the development of the BRICS Vaccine R & D Center, China has designated its own national center. We will work with other BRICS countries both online and offline to advance collective vaccine research and trials, set up plants, authorise production and recognise each other's standards. I propose that we convene a BRICS symposium on traditional medicine to explore its role in coronavirus prevention and treatment. This may well boost the global arsenal against Covid-19," he added.
BA, American Airlines plan voluntary Covid-19 testing plan
British Airways said Tuesday that it will start testing passengers flying from the US to London's Heathrow Airport for Covid-19 in an effort to persuade the British government it should scrap rules requiring most international travellers to quarantine for 14 days. The airline says the pilot program will offer voluntary testing starting Nov. 25 in partnership with American Airlines for passengers flying to Heathrow from New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.
Passengers will be tested 72 hours before departure, on arrival at Heathrow and again three days after arrival. British Airways says its goal is to show that a single
test 72 hours before takeoff is enough to ensure travellers aren't carrying Covid-19, allowing authorities to end the quarantine requirement.
Airlines are calling on the UK government to scrap the 14-day quarantine requirement, which they say is killing the travel industry and slowing economic growth. The quarantine rules apply to anyone travelling to the UK from a country that isn't on the government's safe list, making most business and holiday travel unrealistic.
UN releases $100 mn to guard against famine amid Covid
UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has allocated 100 million US dollar to help people feed themselves in countries most at risk from the growing hunger epidemic caused by conflict, economic decline, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen will each receive a share of 80 million dollars from the UN's
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Xinhua reported.
An extra 20 million dollar has been set aside for anticipatory action to fight hunger in Ethiopia, where droughts could exacerbate an already fragile situation, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on its website
1,721 fresh Covid-19 cases in Chhattisgarh take tally to 213,365
Sikkim reports 27 new Covid-19 cases, one fresh fatality
Sikkim's Covid-19 tally rose to 4,548 on Tuesday as 27 more people tested positive for the infection, an official said. A 75-year-old man succumbed to the infection, pushing the Himalayan state's coronavirus death toll to 92, he said.
East Sikkim district reported 20 new cases, while South Sikkim registered seven fresh infections, State IEC member Sonam Bhutia said. Sikkim now has 312 active coronavirus cases, while 4,060 people have recovered from the disease and 84 patients have migrated to other states, he said.
The Himalayan state has so far tested 60,015 samples for Covid-19, including 179 in the last 24 hours, Bhutia added.
Meghalaya reports 85 new Covid-19 cases, 1 fresh fatality
Meghalaya's Covid-19 tally rose to 10,791 on Tuesday as 85 more people, including eight security personnel, tested positive for the infection, a health official said. A 65-year-old woman succumbed to the infection in West Garo Hills district, pushing the state's coronavirus death toll to 102, he said. As many as 283 more people were cured of the disease, Health Services Director Aman War said.
Gujarat records 1,125 more coronavirus cases, 7 deaths
513 new coronavirus cases in Bihar
6,396 fresh Covid-19 cases in Delhi, tally past 495,000
FIFA cancels U-17 women's World Cup in India, allots it 2022 edition
The Women's Under-17 World Cup in India, which was postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic, was on Tuesday cancelled by the world governing body FIFA and the country was handed the hosting rights of the 2022 edition.
The decision was taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council which took stock of the current global Covid-19 pandemic and its continuing impact on football. "... with the inability to further postpone these tournaments, the FIFA-Confederations Covid-19 Working Group subsequently recommended that the 2020 editions of the two women's youth tournaments be cancelled and that the hosting rights for the 2022 editions be offered to the countries that were due to host the 2020 editions," the FIFA said in a statement.
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First Published: Nov 17 2020 | 6:37 AM IST