Covid LIVE: Tamil Nadu sees 15,759 new cases in a day; 8,249 in Karnataka

Coronavirus live updates: Tamil Nadu recorded 16,813 cases in the last 24 hours. Kerala registered 14,424 infections, Maharashtra 12,207, Karnataka 11,042, Delhi 305. Stay tuned for corona-related new

1:21 PM

Oil poised for third weekly gain as demand improves

Oil headed for a third straight weekly gain after climbing above $70 a barrel this week on signs of an improving demand outlook. Futures in New York have bounced around that mark this week since topping the level for the first time since October 2018. Road traffic in the U.S. and most of Europe is pretty much back to pre-virus levels, and OPEC is predicting that the global recovery will gather strength in the second half of the year, Bloomberg reported.

1:11 PM

Euro 2020 set to open, a year later than planned

The biggest soccer tournament of the coronavirus-era is about to get started. The first match of the European Championship will kick off at 1900 GMT in Rome when Italy plays Turkey in Group A. There will be about 16,000 fans in the stadium, the Associated Press reports. Details about the tournament are here.

 

 

 

12:57 PM

Puducherry's cases decrease

Puducherry reported 429 cases in the last 24 hours compared to the 507 on Wednesday. The new infections pushed the cumulative Covid-19 tally in the union territory to 1,11,684, PTI reported quoting a civil servant.

12:45 PM

G-7 nations gather to pledge on billion vaccine doses for world

World leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are set to commit at their summit to share at least 1 billion coronavirus shots with struggling countries around the world--half the doses coming from the US and 100 million from the UK, said the Associated Press.

12:38 PM

Australians Warner, Stoinis pull out 'The Hundred' tournament

Australian opener David Warner and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis have pulled out of the inaugural edition of ''The Hundred'' as the England and Wales Cricket Board gears up for more withdrawals in wake of the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic. Warner and Stoinis, who returned home from India after the suspension of the IPL last month. They were named in Australia's preliminary squads for the limited over tours to the West Indies and Bangladesh.

12:16 PM

Philippines reopens gyms, museums

Philippine officials have allowed the reopening of gyms, skating rinks, racket courts and museums in metropolitan Manila and adjacent provinces as a coronavirus surge continues to ease. The country’s trade secretary says Filipinos 65 years old and above who have been restricted to home can now travel within the densely populated capital region two weeks after having been fully vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.

12:15 PM

Philippines reopens gyms, museums

Philippine officials have allowed the reopening of gyms, skating rinks, racket courts and museums in metropolitan Manila and adjacent provinces as a coronavirus surge continues to ease. The country’s trade secretary says Filipinos 65 years old and above who have been restricted to home can now travel within the densely populated capital region two weeks after having been fully vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.

12:15 PM

Philippines reopens gyms, museums

Philippine officials have allowed the reopening of gyms, skating rinks, racket courts and museums in metropolitan Manila and adjacent provinces as a coronavirus surge continues to ease. The country’s trade secretary says Filipinos 65 years old and above who have been restricted to home can now travel within the densely populated capital region two weeks after having been fully vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.

11:41 AM

Arunachal reports 245 new cases

Arunachal Pradesh's total Covid-19 cases increased to 30,492 after 245 more people tested positive for the disease, said the state’s health department on Friday. Five deaths pushed the state's death toll in the pandemic to 133.

11:29 AM

Bengaluru’s Biophore applies for emergency-use approval for Covid drug

Biophore India Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for obtaining emergency-use approval for Aviptadil, used in the treatment of moderate to severe cases of Covid. The Hyderabad-based firm said it has developed the product which is backward integrated with its in-house API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient), according to PTI.

11:10 AM

Donated Pfizer shots to ship globally in August, says Biden ahead of G-7 summit

President Joe Biden announced the US would begin shipping a half-billion donated doses of Pfizer Inc. coronavirus vaccines to countries in “dire need” in August, making good on a promise to lead the global campaign against the pandemic, reported Bloomberg. “We know the tragedy. We also know the path to recovery,” Biden said at Tregenna Castle in St. Ives, U.K. before a Group of Seven summit. “The key to reopening and growing economies is to vaccinate your people.”

 

 

10:56 AM

US FDA denies emergency approval for Bharat Bio’s Covaxin vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration has denied emergency approval for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, asking the Indian company’s American partner to undertake a process that will requires more data about the vaccine. The development may delay Covaxin’s launch in the US, Ocugen said, according to PTI.

 

10:24 AM

India's daily Covid-19 count remains below 100,000

India’s daily count of new Covid-19 cases remained below 100,000 for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, with the health ministry reporting 91,702 infections in 24 hours. India has 92,74,823 cases in total. Fatalities climbed to 3,63,079 with 3,403 deaths being logged.

10:08 AM

Latur city declares auto drivers, newspaper vendors as frontline workers

Maharashtra’s Latur city has declared auto-rickshaw drivers, grocery and medical shop owners, newspaper vendors and bank employees as frontline workers. They would be vaccinated for Covid-19 on priority, an official of Latur’s municipality told news agency PTI.

9:58 AM

Spain hopes 2 infected players will be back for Euros

Spain hopes captain Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente will still have an impact on the European Championship after both players tested positive for the coronavirus. Llorente’s positive test on Tuesday may have been erroneous after further tests came back negative, coach Luis Enrique said on Thursday. The Leeds defender will undergo another test on Friday, and if that comes back negative again, the team said he can return to the squad before Spain''s first match on Monday against Sweden, the Associated Press reported.