Guillermo Lasso will take over from beleaguered Lenin Moreno on May 24 and will immediately face an economic crisis exasperated by a 7.8% contraction in GDP in 2020. Former banker Guillermo Lasso won Ecuador’s presidential election on April 11 after his socialist opponent Andres Arauz conceded.Conservative Lasso declared himself president-elect and accepted the “challenge” of changing Ecuador’s “destiny”.With 93% of votes counted, Mr. Lasso held a lead of almost five percentage points over economist Arauz.“On May 24 we will assume with responsibility the challenge of changing our country’s destiny and achieving for all Ecuador the opportunities and prosperity we all…
Author: Mike Harrison
Sources said the judges may, in future, return to functioning from their respective residences Over 50 staff in the Supreme Court have been tested COVID-19 positive, triggering alarm bells in the highest court.Sources said the judges may, in future, return to functioning from their respective residences. Some of the judges, including Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, used to sit in the Supreme Court to virtually hear the day’s cases. On Monday, however, the court is supposed to tighten social distancing protocols. The judges are expected to discuss the road ahead. The coming days are crucial for the court.…
The incident, which sparked protests late into Sunday night, happened with Minneapolis already on edge and midway through the trial of the first of four police officers in George Floyd’s death. The family of a 20-year-old Minnesota man told a crowd that he was shot by police on Sunday before getting back into his car and driving away, then crashing the vehicle several blocks away. The family of Daunte Wright said he was later pronounced dead.Officials from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the agency was on the scene of a shooting involving a police officer in Brooklyn Center…
Even as the country reported more than 1.5 lakh cases for the second straight day on April 11, the Centre prohibited the exports of injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) stating that there has been a sudden spike in demand for injection Remdesivir used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.“India is witnessing a recent surge in COVID cases and there is a potential of further increase in demand for injection Remdesivir in the coming days,” said the Centre in a statement.You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list…
Photos on social media and local broadcasts showed downed powerlines, debris and houses stripped of roofs and walls. A tropical cyclone off Australia’s west coast destroyed several homes and cut electricity to tens of thousands of people overnight before weakening in power on Monday morning.Officials said around 70% of the structures in the coastal town of Kalbarri, about 500 kilometres north of state capital Perth, had sustained damage when the category three storm made landfall late on Sunday.Around 30% of that damage was “significant”, WA Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.“The situation in Western Australia remains…
The all-party meeting was held at the Raj Bhawan, and Governor Anandiben Patel said the situation was grim and vaccination against COVID-19 should be ramped up The current COVID-19 wave is worrying and people need to take all precautions and follow protocols, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday at an all-party meeting, which was not attended by Samajwadi Party, the main opposition in the State.The meeting was held at the Raj Bhawan here, and Governor Anandiben Patel said the situation was grim and vaccination against COVID-19 should be ramped up. An invitation was extended to Samajwadi Party…
Maharashtra adds 63,294 infections, U.P. sees 15,276 cases. India reported 1,69,899 fresh cases of COVID-19 as of 11.30 p.m. IST on April 11, marking the biggest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic last year. As many as 904 deaths were also recorded on the day. This is the second straight day the country reported more than 1.5 lakh new cases. The figures do not include cases and deaths from Ladakh. The data are sourced from covid19india.org, an independent aggregator of daily COVID-19 figures. Maharashtra reported 63,294 infections, accounting for nearly 37% of the new cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh…
The Ukrainian military said that a soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in artillery fire from Russia-backed separatist rebels on Sunday, as hostilities rise sharply in the east. As of the reported attack, Ukraine says 27 soldiers have been killed in the east this year, more than half the number who died in all of 2020. Attacks have intensified in recent weeks and Russia has built up troops along the Ukraine border.Russia denies Western claims that it has sent troops into eastern Ukraine to help the rebels, but officials say the Army could intervene if Ukraine tries to retake…
“The results of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council elections is a vindication of my stand,” said Pradyot Manikya, who led the newly formed Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), to victory, grabbing 18 out of the 28 seats.The victory comes 19 months after Mr. Manikya quit the Congress over differences with the party’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register for Citizens (NRC). While the Congress was opposed to the NRC, Mr. Manikya, who was then president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee, went to the Supreme Court seeking an NRC in the State.…
The world watches in horror, as the army uses violence against its own people, says EU’s top diplomat The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday Russia and China were hampering a united international response to Myanmar’s military coup and that the EU could offer more economic incentives if democracy returns to the country.“It comes as no surprise that Russia and China are blocking the attempts of the U.N. Security Council, for example to impose an arms embargo,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.“Geopolitical competition in Myanmar will make it very difficult to find common ground,” said Mr. Borrell,…