As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to haunt the global financial markets, the rupee has been hit badly.

The domestic currency has been continuing its downtrend and hit its record low level against the dollar last week.

Here's a timeline showing how the Indian rupee has performed lately and the factors behind it...

1. Rupee in 2018:
   
   

   The Indian rupee was the worst performer in Asia in 2018. As can be seen from the chart below, it fell by around 12% against the US dollar. This was seen due to a strong dollar and high oil prices in 2018. Similarly, the spill-over from the emerging-market turmoil in Argentina and Turkey weighed on the rupee in 2018.

   Indian Rupee: The Worst Performing Currency in Asia in 2018

2. Rupee in 2019:
   
   

   The rupee traded on a volatile note last calendar year. However, for most of 2019, it traded on a negative note against the US dollar.

   While it started the year at 69.71 against the US dollar and also witnessed some uptrend from April 2019 to August 2019, it went on to depreciate during the end of the year. On December 2019, it ended at 71.31 against the US dollar.

   Rupee Trades was Volatile in 2019

3. Rupee in 2020 So Far:
   
   

   On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the rupee has depreciated sharply against the US dollar. While it started the calendar year 2020 at 71.28 against the US dollar, it is currently trading at 76.27 against the US dollar. This translates to a depreciation of around 7% for the domestic currency.

   YTD Performance of the USD/INR

4. Downtrend in March 2020:
   
   

   The massive sell-off in equities and bonds led to a huge fall in rupee against the dollar in the month of March 2020. Most of the selling pressure was due to the slump in equities and currencies globally.

   Investors were concerned that support measures from governments and central banks may be insufficient to halt the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

   Here's how the currency performed in the month of March:

   Huge Depreciation of the Rupee in March 2020

5. Rupee Hits Record Low in April 2020:
   
   

   The rupee fell to a new record low of 76.55 against the US dollar on 9th April, 2020.

   This was seen as a rise in coronavirus cases fanned fears of the government extending the lockdown to contain the pandemic.

6. Factors Behind the Rupee's Fall:
   
   

   Some major factors behind the recent fall in rupee are...

   • Weak sentiments in the currency markets due to global risk aversion
   • Sharp fall in the Indian stock markets
   • Sharp fall in global financial markets due to coronavirus fears
   • Strengthening dollar
   • Thin liquidity due to reduced participation

These are some top pointers on how the Indian rupee has been performing in recent years and amid the coronavirus led stock market crash.

I reached out to Vijay Bhambwani, editor of Weekly Cash Alerts, who is closely tracking the Indian rupee in the current scenario. Here's what he has to say...

The onset of Corona virus has not been kind to the INR.

The Rupee futures (USDINR ) opened in March at 72.36 and have closed at 76.61 on April 09 2020. That is a decline of 5.87% in 6 short weeks.

The implications of the same will be widespread. India is a net importing Country. Everything that we import will now be more expensive. Approximately two thirds of all our imports are fossil fuels. Fuels are what we call multiplier effect commodities. If fuel prices rise at the petrol pumps, everything from fruits, vegetables, grains to dairy and poultry products get expensive.

That impact will be felt at a later date. I expect the trickle down effect to start appearing in prices after the April-June quarter is over.

I have already factored in this aspect in my statistical data model and plan to identify such events to generate profitable trading opportunities for my WCA plan subscribers.

Vijay has also talked about the Indian currency in a special edition podcast from Investor Hour. He shares what's around the corner for Indian rupee and how to should position oneself for potential gains.

You can listen the entire episode here...

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And rest assured, Equitymaster is with you all the way on this journey. To that end, we have decided to offer you two of our premium learning courses free!

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Always eager to share his vast knowledge and experience, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has interacted with 12,000 doctors on sports injuries. In his over two decade long illustrious career, Tendulkar suffered many health issues, the most prominent being the tennis elbow injury.

The veteran of 200 Tests and 463 ODIs, got to know through one Dr Sudhir Warrier, an orthopaedic surgeon, that several young doctors across the country were utilising the lockdown time to effectively gain knowledge on sports injuries through live webinars. A session on sports injuries was held on Saturday and Tendulkar, knowing that his experiences will help these doctors, volunteered to be a part of it.

Tendulkar, accordingly, interacted with around 12,000 doctors, who attended the session. It is reliably leanrt that the 46-year-old legend said he was grateful to the medical fraternity for their service. During the session, the young orthopaedic doctors got to know how the requirements and treatment outcomes of athletes are different from regular patients, sources said. Dr Warrier moderated the session with Dr Nitin Patel, physiotherapist, who has worked with Indian cricket team and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

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South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has revealed his favourite bowling spells. Steyn was doing an #AskDale session on Twitter and a fan asked him about his best spells in international cricket. The Proteas pacer replied: Nagpur (7 against India) and Wanderers (6 against Pakistan). Steyn picked up a seven-wicket haul against India at Nagpur in 2010 in the first Test of the two-match series.

His exploits helped South Africa defeat India by an innings and 6 runs. Steyn achieved the feat in the first innings after Proteas put up a mammoth score of 558/6. Steyn picked up the wickets of Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, S Badrinath, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Amit Mishra to finish with figures of 7-51. In the Test match against Pakistan at Johannesburg, Steyn finished with figures of 6-8 in the first innings to bundle out the opponents for just 49. Steyn picked up the wickets of Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, and Rahat Ali.

In the second innings against Pakistan, Steyn took five wickets and South Africa won by 211 runs. Steyn announced his retirement last year from red-ball cricket, which he termed as the ultimate form of the game. Explaining his decision, Steyn said that it was in the best interest of prolonging his career. He continues to remain available for South Africa in both One-Day International and T20 cricket. The fast bowler represented South Africa in 93 Tests and took 439 wickets at an average of 22.95. Steyn became the leading wicket-taker for his nation in the longest format after he went past Shaun Pollock in 2019.

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Working out, washing utensils, watching movies and playing Ludo online -� these are some of the few activities which ace Indian batter Smriti Mandhana is indulging during the lockdown period in place as the country battles the coronavirus outbreak.

In a one-minute 38 second video shared by the BCCI, Mandhana has revealed her day to day activities in order to make sure how she makes the most of the lockdown period currently in place in the entire country.

WATCH📽ï¸Â: Lockdown Diaries with Smriti Mandhana 👊

Workouts, troubling her brother, Ludo & a lot more. @mandhana_smriti reveals how she is keeping herself engaged indoors🏠🏋ï¸Â‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ‘Œ

Full Video 👉 https://t.co/e7EyhdNh3h

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 13, 2020

She is working out as per the training schedule given by Team India trainer. "Staying fit is very important, so I am working out. I keep in touch with the trainer and receive the feedback. He keeps sending us (all Indian players) all the workouts that we need to follow."

"The other thing I like is spending time with my family. We love playing cards. I help my mother with cooking. I guess washing utensils has become a part of my daily routine. However, my favourite pass time is to trouble my brother," said the left-handed Indian batswoman.

"The third thing which is love is watching movies. I am a big movie buff. So, I make sure I watch two-three movies a week, not many because I don't want to get addicted. I want to spend time with my family.

"The best thing which I love doing the most at home is sleeping. I make sure I sleep for at least 10 hours to keep myself happy the entire day," she added.

The star Indian batswoman also urged people to stay indoors during the lockdown. "Stay home, stay safe and keep yourself physically and mentally fit."

India has been in lockdown since March 25, a step taken in order to stop the spread of coronavirus which has so far claimed more than 300 lives in the country. However, with an upstage in number of infected people, the lockdown is likely to be extended further after Tuesday.

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With people finding various ways to spend time during quarantine amid the Coronavirus pandemic, a Brazilian model challenged her cricket coach boyfriend to teach her how to bat during the 21-day isolation period.

And they are doing it. According to a report in dailymail.co.uk, Coco Cuhna suggested her boyfriend Gio Colucci that it might be fun to see if he could show her how to bat. "I was joking...he took it very seriously," Coco said.

"I thought Oh my gosh, what have I got myself in for!" Coco revealed she is spending 25 minutes a day learning how to pull, cut and drive from Gio, who is a director at The Cricket Academy in Cape Town, South Africa and has coached the likes of England batsman Tom Wesley, Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman and Ben Curran, brother of England duo Tom and Sam.

"I had never had any contact with cricket before, I never even knew about it before I moved to South Africa," said the Brazilian model. However, after a fortnight, Coco is now enjoying the drill.

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Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday revealed the misconception he had about cricket while growing up.

The International Cricket Council had posted a tweet, asking everyone to reveal the misconception they had about cricket growing up.

To this Ashwin replied: "That all cricketers had aerated drinks to regain lost energy and keep good health".

Ashwin was last seen in action during India's two-match Test series against New Zealand in February this year.

The off-spinner played just one match in the series and went on to take three wickets in it.

India ended up losing the series 0-2, but the side is still at the top of the World Test Championship standings.

All sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashwin would have been in action for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the tournament had started on March 29.

However, the tournament was postponed until April 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The current lockdown has seen people restricted indoors and many are picking up new hobbies. Energetic India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Tuesday revealed he is trying his hand at playing a flute and honing his overall musical skills.

"Playing a musical instrument, the vibrations you can feel inside your body. Music gives you peace and everybody should try to learn how to play a musical instrument now especially because we have so much time to spend at home due to the lockdown," Dhawan said while chatting with India middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer on Instagram Live.

The dashing southpaw also played the flute on Iyer's request.

Dhawan picked Dale Steyn as the most difficult bowler he has faced along with off-spinners on turning wickets.

Asked to pick his most special knock, Dhawan chose the match-winning hundred against Australia in the 2019 World Cup.

"Mardo walli feeling aayi (it was a big daddy innings)," Dhawan said.

Dhawan had slammed 117 off 109 balls against the defending champions at The Oval on June 10 as India won by 36 runs. That turned out to be the final tie he played as he was ruled out with a thumb fracture for the remainder of he competition.

India crashed out in the semi-finals, losing to New Zealand.

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Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar responded to Sunil Gavaskar after the former India skipper said that it was more likely to snow in Lahore than a bilateral series to take place between India and Pakistan any time soon. Akhtar pointed out in a tweet that there was indeed snowfall in Lahore last year. "Well Sunny bhai, we did have a snowfall in Lahore last year.. So nothing is impossible," said Shoaib in his tweet which included an image of Gavaskar with his quote and an image of snow in Lahore.

Akhtar was the first to suggest that India and Pakistan should play a bilateral series to raise funds in the fight against coronavirus for both countries. Gavaskar however said in a Youtube chat with former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja that any possibility of such a series happening is next to nothing. "There are more chances of snowfall in Lahore than bilateral series between India and Pakistan," said Gavaskar in a Youtube chat with former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja.

"Both teams will keep on meeting in World Cups and ICC tournaments, but a series between them seems unlikely right now." Earlier, Akhtar's suggestion got backing from his former teammate Shahid Afridi. But India's 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev said that the match wasn't needed because India doesn't need funds.

"The entire world is fighting against coronavirus and we need unity in our region to defeat this common enemy. Such negative comments don't help at all. I don't see anything wrong with Shoaib Akhtar's suggestion for Pakistan and India to play cricket. "Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," Afridi had said.

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Fast bowler Ishant Sharma said that he can't pick between his seven-wicket haul at Lord's in 2014 and the fifer he took in India's maiden pink ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.

"Both of them are equally memorable," Ishant said in a video tweeted by his Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals. "Taking seven wickets at Lord's is obviously something I can't forget. And taking those five wickets with the pink ball also I can't forget because after 12 years I had taken a five-wicket haul."

Ishant's 7/74 was crucial in India recording a historic win at Lord's over England in 2014. It was the first time in 28 years that India had won a Test at the famous stadium.

Ishant's career went through many troughs after that before he resurfaced and became an integral part of the fierce pace battery that Virat Kohli's team now possesses alongwith Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

In the pink ball Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, Ishant blew the opposition away in the first innings and ended up with figures of 5/22. It was his first fifer at home since 2007.

Ishant last played for India at Wellington in their first Test against New Zealand before his ankle injury resurfaced. He was expected to play for Delhi Capitals in the 2020 edition of the IPL but it has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The great Michael Holding has picked South African Dale Steyn among his top-four fast bowlers across generations and his list includes fellow West Indians Malcolm Marshall and Andy Roberts besides Australian Denis Lillee. In a Sky Sports podcast, the 66-year-old said he would pay to watch Steyn, who retired from Tests last year.

"I have experience with those three guys (Marshall, Roberts and Lillee, but just watching, you can't go Dale Steyn outside of photography. He has been one of the great fast bowlers in an era. You'd pay to see it," said Holding, who picked 249 wickets in 60 Tests at 23.68. Steyn picked 439 Test wickets at a stellar average of 22.95 and has one of the smoothest actions in the game. Talking about Lillee, Holding said he was a complete package. "Lillee had it all: rhythm, aggression control. He was extremely fast when he started, but he had to completely reshape his action after a back injury and find different ways to get hitters out after losing a lot of rhythm.

"When you see that someone can adapt in that way, you have to rate him highly, as many players are not as effective when they miss a beat," said Holding, who was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' for his smooth and silent run-up. On fellow West Indians Marshall and Roberts, Holding said: "Malcolm started with a good rhythm, but as time went on he learned a lot about fast bowling. He could evaluate opposition hitters so quickly and so easily.

"In those days you didn't have many tapes or computers, it was all in his head. He understood how to deal with hitters." On Roberts, he added: "Andy was someone I learned a lot from. He hardly ever spoke, he used to walk around the field with a sullen face and people thought he looked aggressive and must be a miserable guy. But that wasn't Andy. "He was my roommate for most of my career and we used to talk about cricket almost every night. A lot of times, we would order food, we would stay in our room and talk about cricket. You would never believe how much this guy knows."

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Binge watching has become the most common activity in the Coronavirus-forced lockdown. Mumbai's India all-rounder Shivam Dube is no different than the rest but his choice is rather unusual.

Dube, 26, who was drafted in the Indian team in place of injured Hardik Pandya (India v Bangladesh T20I series in November 2019), has been watching India's World Cup title campaigns spearheaded by MS Dhoni, for motivation.

India lifted the inaugural World T20 trophy in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011. "To keep my mindset healthy, I am watching India's two World Cup titles. They inspire me and provide me a pathway for what I can do for my country in the future. It keeps me motivated," Dube told Sunday mid-day on Saturday.

All-rounder Shivam Dube (right) with father Rajesh, mother Madhuri and sister Pooja at their Andheri East residence on Saturday

"I watched the 2011 ODI World Cup final many times because I am confident India can do it again [in 2023]. I also watched the T20 World Cup games several times. I think India are the best team in any format. I am sure we can win these two World Cups again," said Dube, who has featured in 13 T20Is and one ODI. Dube is working hard on his fitness at his Andheri East home. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the last IPL, where he scored 40 runs in four games. He was looking forward to playing the IPL again but it has been indefinitely suspended.

"I am missing everything of the IPL. It's difficult but we don't have a choice. We have to stay home and fight the virus," remarked Dube. But there are positives: "I am with my family after a long time, so I am helping my mother, father and sister as much as I can with household chores. I sometimes help my mother with cooking and cleaning. This also helps in bonding."

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Amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus crisis, former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday cut his own hair and said he went from 'playing square cuts to doing my own hair cuts'.

Tendulkar took to Instagram and shared pictures of him doing his own haircut.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

From playing square cuts 🏏 to doing my own hair cuts 💇🏻‍♂ï¸Â, have always enjoyed doing different things. ‪How’s my new hairdo 💁🏻‍♂ï¸Â looking @aalimhakim & @nandan_v_naik? 😋

A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) onApr 19, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

"From playing square cuts to doing my own hair cuts, have always enjoyed doing different things. How's my new hairdo looking @aalimhakim and @nandan_v_naik," Tendulkar captioned the post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 in an attempt to contain COVID-19.

According to the latest update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases in India has mounted to 16,116 and 519 deaths have been reported till now.

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While the country is in lockdown due to Coronavirus, at least two Indian cricket legends decided to have some fun of their own.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and current India captain Virat Kohli have had their hair cut. However, while Sachin chopped his own hair, Virat's Bollywood star wife Anushka played hair stylist for him.

Sachin, 46, recently posted a series of pictures of his new hairdo on social media. "From playing square cuts to doing my own haircuts, have always enjoyed doing different things. How's my new hairdo looking @aalimhakim and @nandan_v_naik?," he captioned his post.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

From playing square cuts 🏏 to doing my own hair cuts 💇🏻‍♂️, have always enjoyed doing different things. ‪How’s my new hairdo 💁🏻‍♂️ looking @aalimhakim & @nandan_v_naik? 😋

A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) onApr 19, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

Meanwhile, Virat, 31, who got his beard trimmed too, insisted that being well groomed keeps him in the zone. "While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of giving myself this new look. I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge & post your new look!" Virat posted on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of trimming my beard at home and giving myself this new look. 😊 Now I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge and post your new look! 😎

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onApr 18, 2020 at 4:20am PDT

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are regarded as one of the finest batsmen to ever play for India. Virat Kohli is second behind Sachin Tendulkar with regards to most hundreds scored in ODIs.

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Reminiscing the old days, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Monday shared a classic throwback picture with brother Krunal.

In the 2011 photo, the duo are smiling while posing for the camera with a 'desi swag.'

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Throwback to 2011 😅 How time changes @krunalpandya_official Swag mera desi hai

A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya93) onApr 20, 2020 at 6:42am PDT

"Throwback to 2011, How time changes @krunalpandya_official, Swag Mera desi hai," Hardik captioned the post on Instagram.

The flamboyant all-rounder, who was out of the Indian team due to back injury, made a comeback during the South Africa tour of India.

The first match of the series got washed out due to rain, and the series was eventually postponed following the outbreak of coronavirus.

Pandya made his ODI debut against New Zealand at Dharamsala in October 2016.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all sporting action across the world has been stopped including the 13th edition of the IPL.

On April 16, the IPL 2020 was suspended till further notice due to 'evolving global health concerns'.

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Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recalled a hilarious incident which ended up with his former teammate Mohammed Kaif getting a new nickname. The Master Blaster was referring to an incident that took place recently in the first match of Road Safety Series against West Indies XI.

Tendulkar stated that Kaif was giving his all in the field despite being 39 and that prompted others to caution him that it is the first match of the tournament and there is still a long way to go.

"We had to tell Kaif to be cautious. We nicknamed him 'bhai sahab, bhai sahab, thoda sambhalke.' It's the first match of the tournament and there are a lot of matches to be played," Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on 100 MB YouTube channel.

"What if you pull a hamstring or something. It (diving and fielding quickly) comes naturally to him. He thinks if you are fit, you continue doing those things. He was a really fit guy. He was an outstanding fielder in team," he added.

Kaif was regarded as one of the finest fielders ever to don the iconic blue jersey. He, along with Yuvraj Singh, marshalled the cover-point area with great aplomb in an era where fielding wasn't Team India's strongest suit.

Despite his incredible fielding skills, Kaif is fondly remembered by almost every Indian cricket fan for his Man of the Match performance in the Natwest Trophy final against England at Lord's in 2002.

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India pacer Mohammed Shami on Tuesday revealed what role Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram have played in shaping his bowling career. Shami also revealed that growing up he used to look up to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer, and Akram.

The pacer was doing an Instagram Live session with batsman Manoj Tiwary. "When we were growing up, we used to witness that India and Pakistan used to be the most intense matches. Sachin Tendulkar is a great of the game and I looked up at him when I was growing up. The best pair was of Virender Sehwag and Sachin. When it comes to batting, I used to look up to Sehwag and Sachin," Shami said during the Instagram Live session.

"When it comes to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan faced off against each other, I also used to like Wasim Akram. Both Zaheer and Akram were left-arm bowlers," he added.

Shami had a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders and as a result, he got the chance to learn from Wasim Akram as the former Pakistan bowler used to be the bowling coach of KKR.

The Indian pacer also had a chance to learn from Zaheer as the duo enjoyed a stint together at IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

"When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him.

"Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well," Shami said.

"Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball," he added.

Shami was last seen in action during the two-match Test series against New Zealand. The pacer would have been in action for the Kings XI Punjab if the IPL had started on March 29.

However, the tournament has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has described Brian Lara as "sheer class", saying he never felt confident whenever he bowled to the West Indies legend. Afridi and Lara locked horns only twice in Test cricket but the former Pakistan skipper said the left-handed batting great had quite an "effect" on him.

"I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him," Afridi was quoted as saying by Wisden.

The 40-year-old Afridi, who snapped 395 and 48 wickets in 398 ODIs and 27 Tests, lavished praise on Lara, saying he had a brilliant footwork. "He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka," said Afridi. "His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class."

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With the entire world currently fighting the coronavirus pandemic, athletes across sports are utilising time to make the most out of the forced break. Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw recently revealed what he has been spending time during the nationwide lockdown. "I've been working out a bit indoors and shadow practicing to maintain my fitness levels. I've also been helping my father in the kitchen. I can cook eggs quite well and I'm trying to learn a few new things. I've been playing some PUBG too," Shaw said on Tuesday during an Instagram LIVE session on the franchise's official handle.

Talking about the importance of mental health in such unprecedented times, Shaw said: "Mental strength is very important at this time, given that we are all restricted indoors. A lot of us don't have patience for things in life, so now is a great time to work on it." "Everyone should find something to do that they like, and work towards perfecting that. That process in itself will help one grow calmer and become more patient." Shaw also spoke about the 2019 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) where Delhi Capitals finished third, having made it to the play-offs after a seven-year gap.

"On and off the field, our team was like a family," he said. "We had Ricky (Ponting) Sir, Dada (Sourav Ganguly), (Mohammad) Kaif Sir to help us with anything – the environment was perfect." When asked to recall a funny anecdote from the season gone by, Shaw spoke about how Ponting had once scared him by ordering him to take ten rounds of the Feroz Shah Kotla as he had reported slightly late for a pre-training team meeting.

"I was looking for some new spikes in the dressing room that day and reached the ground a bit late," he said. "I completed the entire training -- fielding and batting sessions -- and had no energy left to run ten rounds of the ground. Luckily, I didn't have to. Turns out Ricky Sir just wanted to scare me off for my late attendance that day!" The 20-year-old, who spent a part of 2019 serving a doping ban, reflected on his time away from the game and the lessons learnt.

"It was a mistake. And the period away from cricket was a torture," he said. "Doubts and questions arise, but I kept the faith and belief. I spent some time in London where I was working on my fitness, as I wasn't allowed to bat anywhere.

"When the ban got over, and I returned to domestic cricket, I was hungrier than before. I picked up my bat and realised I hadn't lost my touch at all. If anything, that time off made me a more determined person," he added.

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Australia's world number one pacer Pat Cummins finds India's middle-order mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara the toughest batsman to bowl at in Test cricket and called him a "pain in the back" for his team.

With his solid batting at number three, Pujara had played an influential role in India's historic triumph Down Under in 2018-19. Cummins held Pujara in high esteem when asked which batsman he found toughest to bowl to during a Question & Answer session that was arranged by the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA).

"There are a lot of them out there, unfortunately. But I am going to go with someone different, and he is (Cheteshwar) Pujara from India. He was a real pain in the back for us," Cummins said. The unassuming Pujara had helped India claim their maiden Test series victory in Australia last year by amassing a staggering 521 runs at an average of over 74 with three hundreds and a half-century. Cummins recalled the difficulty the Australian bowlers faced in dislodging Pujara.

"He (Pujara) was an absolute rock for them in that series. (He was) really hard to get out. Just ultra concentration all day, day after day. He is the hardest one in Test cricket so far, I think," Cummins added. Pujara was named the Man of the Series for his stellar showing, proving to be the player that made all the difference.

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Pakistan's top female cricket star and former captain Sana Mir retired from international cricket on Saturday and sports lovers from the country have showered honours on her achievements in the game.

The 34-year-old Mir announced her retirement after 14 years in cricket which she was honoured as one of the most successful female spin bowlers in ODIs cricket history, reported Xinhua news agency.

Sana Mir took to Instagram to share a heartfelt post about her retirement.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

For all my fans and cricket lovers, words fall short when I want to thank all of you for your love, support and encouragement you extended in the past 15 years. It has been an honour to serve Pakistan in cricket and to wear the green Jersey with absolute pride. It is time for me to move on. In sha Allah the service will continue in essence in a different form. Pakistan Zindabad. 💚🏏🇵🇰

A post shared by Sana Mir (@mir.sana05) onApr 25, 2020 at 2:18am PDT

Mir said in a statement that it was an honour for her to serve Pakistan and she has retired with absolute pride, adding, "words fall short when I want to thank you all for the love, support and encouragement in the past".

Here are some of the fan reactions on Instagram as well as Twitter.

aqsa_javed__ - I'll miss you my inspiration for sure thankyou for motivating me and yeah you have set a very high goal for every girl out there. Thankyou for making Pakistan so proud. Pakistan zindabad

saboora1532 - Sana you are the biggest inspiration for all of us ...We love you ... Your hard work and your passion has made so many people to rethink over the fate of Pakistani girls in cricket... Thank you And God Bless You

omama__siddiqui - Thankkkkk you for whatever you did for Pakistan and cricket for those great and wonderful 15 years!!! You deserve all the love, support, and appreciation for being an amazing, strong, and courageous woman. Stay happy and loved for the rest of your life You have been an extraordinary inspiration for thousands of women around the world. Thank you for being SANA MIR!!!!!

ovaisfazal7
Thank you for your services. You will be missed on the field. But your passion and dedication for the game have left a deep impact on how women are perceived in sports. LEGEND!!! May Allah guide and bless you in all your endeavours. Ameen

i_am_muhammadusman - I wish you best of luck for your future endeavours, Miss Sana Mir. We are proud of you. Thanks for your services for the country.

amalmurtaza - Congratulations and all the very best for whatever comes your way! You are Pakistan’s pride and our family’s too mA!

A fan named Adil Tasawar said on Twitter, "when we talk about Pakistan women cricket, one person first in our mind she is Sana Mir, thank you Sana you give honour and dignity."

Another fan named Shamilo paid tribute, saying, "Sana Mir truly changed the course of women's cricket, became the first household name in the women's game. That in and of itself is an achievement, but she also helped create a legacy of players behind her."

Four years after her appearance at the international level cricket, Mir took the reins of Pakistan women team as captain and played a vital role to lift the team's international ranking. She led Pakistan team to win gold medals from the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games.

Inputs from IANS

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India opener Shikhar Dhawan and wife Ayesha on Monday put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. With people staying at home amid coronavirus lockdown, reports of domestic violence have also come out a lot more in recent times.

While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time & we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ulh1zb0zmY

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) April 27, 2020

Dhawan, who is currently spending time with his family during the lockdown period, urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

His Twitter post read: "While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence."

India is currently on a nationwide lockdown till May 3 as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus. In India, more than 27,000 people have been infected by the virus so far while in excess of 850 individuals have lost their lives.

In normal circumstances, Dhawan would currently be playing for Delhi Capitals in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but due to the pandemic the tournament has been postponed indefinitely by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

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On Wednesday when the world came together to mourn the death of veteran Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who died with a colon infection, Yuvraj Singh, who had also made a return from cancer before finally calling curtains on his illustrious career in 2019, opened up about his struggle against the dreadful disease. Talking about it, Yuvraj Singh took to Twitter to say he 'knew the journey and the pain' well enough and paid tribute to acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan.

"I know the journey I know the pain and I know he fought till the end some are lucky to survive some don't I'm sure you are in a better place now Irfan Khan my condolence to your family. May his soul rip," Yuvraj, who starred in India 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup wins, said Yuvraj on Twitter.

I know the journey I know the pain and I know he fought till the end some are lucky to survive some don’t I’m sure you are in a better place now Irfan Khan my condolence to your family. May his soul rip

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) April 29, 2020

Yuvraj Singh later posted a video of Irrfan Khan from one of the advertisements he appeared for which is quite inspirational and resonates at a time like this. Yuvraj also wrote, "This clip seems like a fitting tribute to the man who thought and inspired so many out there that success is not a hand down, and that if you worked hard enough you will shine against all odds coz talent and hardwork always prepares ordinary people for an extraordinary journey."

This clip seems like a fitting tribute to the man who thought and inspired so many out there that success is not a hand down, and that if you worked hard enough you will shine against all odds coz talent and hardwork always prepares ordinary people for an extraordinary journey. pic.twitter.com/OV6V5sfUSr

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) April 29, 2020

Irrfan, who had been admitted in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection, since Tuesday, passed away on Wednesday morning.

The actor has been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a while back, and has been under medical attention for the same. He even went abroad for treatment.

Ever since the news of his untimely demise broke on social media, various people from all walks of life came together to pay homage to the late Irrfan.

Besides Yuvraj Singh, other sports stars such as Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Saina Nehwal, Sunil Chhetri and Virender Sehwag also took to the micro-blogging site to pay homage to the 'Life of Pi' actor.

Irrfan Khan last appeared in the 2020 Bollywood film Angrezi Medium alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepak Dobriyal and Radhika Madan.

Inputs from IANS

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Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma recently had a candid chat with former Australian pacer Brett Lee about what he’s doing in order to keep himself busy during the lockdown on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected. Rohit Sharma went on to address the issue of space in Mumbai on streets as well as houses. Rohit said, "I wish I had enough place to play indoor cricket, but unfortunately in Mumbai, the place is very secluded, and you have to stick to your apartment. We are not as lucky as you guys where you have your own backyard to play."

"In Mumbai, it’s very expensive to get your own house where you have your own backyard. I live in an apartment and I am lucky to have a little balcony where I can run around and do some activities that my trainer has given me. I am trying to follow whatever little I can. Hopefully, the gyms will open soon, and I can go there," Rohit added.

"But I am missing hitting the ball, that’s for sure. As you know, I like to hit big, so space is not enough. I just can’t wait to go out there and start hitting the ball."

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Rohit Sharma is also the captain for the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians and has won a record 4 IPL titles with the team.

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India cricketer Shreyas Iyer has been entertaining his fans both on and off the field. In order to make things a bit positive during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shreyas Iyer shared a fun video on Instagram.

On Sunday, Iyer posted a video for his 2.3 million Instagram followers and captioned it: "Fielding practice is everywhere you look."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Fielding practice is everywhere you look 😏

A post shared by Shreyas Iyer (@shreyas41) onMay 3, 2020 at 12:30am PDT

In the video, Shreyas Iyer is seen diving to save an egg, catching the remote control of his TV, arranging chairs quickly and even collecting clothes thrown out of the washing machine.

One could hear American rapper Tyga's song, Bored, playing in the background. Shreyas Iyer, born in Mumbai, made his debut for India in 2017. He has since played 18 ODIs and 22 T20Is. Shreyas Iyer is also the captain of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

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Top Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne on Monday said that he and his team would be "pretty devastated" if India don't make the trip Down Under for a Test and limited-overs series later this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and is scheduled to end with a four-match Test series in December. The speculation about the tour is due to the travel restrictions currently in place and the uncertainty surrounding how long it would take to control the pandemic.

Replying to a query on the tour in an online press conference, Labuschagne said: "Well, it would mean that we are not playing cricket which is pretty devastating for myself, the rest of the team and for the country."

In between, there is the T20 World Cup, scheduled for an October 18 start, but the mega event's future is also shrouded in uncertainty due to the global crisis.

Australia has reported significant drop in positive cases with parts of the country relaxing lockdown rules. Just over 6,800 people have tested positive for the virus with less than 100 deaths in the country so far. Labuschagne lauded Australia's healthcare system and its response to the crisis so far.

"Australia has done very well with the quarantine and isolation, so we've been able to get our number down relatively quickly. With a limited amount of deaths and our healthcare system has been so good during this time," he said.

Labuschagne, currently placed at No.3 in ICC Test rankings after a brilliant year, hoped that Australia's control over the pandemic would be enough to ensure that India tour without any hassles.

"Hopefully, because of all that good work we can actually get India over here in 3-4 months or 4-5 months," he said. "Everything is changing so quickly, so it's really hard to put my finger on how everything's going to pan out. Hopefully, it pans out well but if it doesn't it will be very disappointing."

In the meantime, Labuschagne, who has enjoyed a breakout year in Tests and ODIs, is working on sharpening his skills during this forced break. "The way things have unfolded has been awesome. For me it's been about, one, taking it all in and being really happy and proud of that," Labuschagne said.

"But also then looking at, 'righto, how I can get better?' and looking at different parts of your game on and off the field that you can work on to make sure you're continually getting better," he added.

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Former India pacer Ashish Nehra went down the memory lane with ex-teammate Aakash Chropra during a chat on Chopra's show Aakashvani. Nehra said how he had only one pair of shoes which he used for Ranji Trophy games as well as his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1999.

"I wore them for the first time in Ranji Trophy and had only one pair which I took them with me to play in my first Test match in 1999. I still remember I used to get the shoe stitched after each innings and that is how it survived the entire Test," Nehra said.

Talking about practicing bowling action at the Delhi Cantonment Railway station with the club's bowling coach, Nehra said: "I wasn't alone. There used to be a bunch of us who would go to drop sir at the railway station. He would ask us to show him different bowling actions. I remember we would pick up the stones at the station and bowl with them."

The pair also discussed a game they had played at the Race Course ground in Delhi for their club team. "You remember we had to bowl into the wind and against the wind? The coach asked me why I didn't bowl you from that end. I told him that you wanted to bowl from the other end," said Chopra as the two had a good laugh going down memory lane. Left-arm pacer Nehra played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India.

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The out of favour Suresh Raina might have felt hard done by the national selection committee but its former chairman MSK Prasad made it clear that it was poor form during the 2018-19 domestic season that became his undoing. The 33-year-old, who has appeared in 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is apart from 18 Tests, last played for India in July 2018 in England after which he was dropped for good. Last year, he had a knee surgery in The Netherlands and was eyeing a comeback with his favourite team Chennai Super Kings in the currently postponed Indian Premier League.

"See VVS Laxman, when he was dropped from the Indian Test squad in 1999, he forced himself back by scoring over 1400 runs in domestic cricket. This is what is expected from senior players when they are dropped," Prasad told PTI, expressing surprise at Raina's recent comments that selectors should have taken "more responsibility" as far as senior players were concerned. Raina scored 243 runs, with two fifties, in five Ranji games in 2018-19 season. A terrific IPL player, he scored only 383 runs in 17 games for CSK in 2019 which dashed his World Cup hopes.

"Unfortunately, we didn't see that form here in Raina's case in domestic cricket while other youngsters emerged at the big stage with their brilliant performances in domestic cricket and India A," Prasad, who had an eventful four-year tenure, said. Recently, Raina, during a YouTube show 'Sports Tak', accused the selectors of not clarifying why he was dropped, something that Prasad said wasn't "true".

"I think selectors should have taken more responsibility towards the senior players. Tell me, if I have any deficiency then I will work hard. When the cause is not known, how he will improve," Raina was quoted as saying. Prasad, a former India wicketkeeper, seemed hurt by the allegation from a veteran player, which he said was far from truth. "It is so sad to hear from him that selectors don't watch Ranji games. Please check the records with BCCI that how many matches were watched by senior selection committee members in the last four years." Prasad said he had personally spoken to Raina about his exclusion and told him what was expected of him.

"I had personally spoken to Raina calling him to my room and explained him the roadmap for his future comebacks. He had, back then, appreciated my efforts. I am really surprised when I have heard things which are exactly contrary to what had happened." In fact, he gave a lowdown of how many of Uttar Pradesh's Ranji matches he has seen. "I gave postings to my selectors looking at those matches where the consistent players, fringe players, probables or comeback players are playing.

"Personally, I watched four UP games in Lucknow and Kanpur in the last four years apart from the other many UP matches my colleagues have seen. ""I take pride in saying that our selection committee has watched more than 200 Ranji matches in the last four years." For any senior player, the template for national comeback should be that of Mohinder Amarnath, who made a record of sorts during his 20-year-career with the national team. "When a senior player is dropped from the squad, we expect him to go back to domestic cricket and get his form back," he said. "If you look at the great Mohinder Amarnath, check how many times he was dropped and made a strong comeback with stellar performances in domestic cricket."

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India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday teased ace batsman Cheteshwar Pujara by sharing a throwback picture from a Test match against Australia.

In the photograph, the skipper can be seen taking a one-handed blinder at second slip while Pujara glances at Kohli from a fair distance.

First session after lockdown be like 👀 @cheteshwar1 I hope you will go for the ball pujji 😜😜 pic.twitter.com/5DAGgpzbbw

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 5, 2020

The Indian captain wanted Pujara to be fit before the first practice session of the team once the coronavirus enforced nationwide lockdown is lifted.

"First session after lockdown be like ?? @cheteshwar1 I hope you will go for the ball pujji," Kohli tweeted.

Pujara who has played 77 Test matches came up with a witty response and said," Yes captain, and I shall catch it with both hands @virat.kohli."

Indian skipper Kohli is widely hailed as the run-machine and has many records under his belt.

In 86 Test matches, he had 7,240 runs studded with 27 centuries and 22 half-centuries. In 248 ODIs, he has amassed 11,867 runs with an average of 59.33.

In the shortest format of the game, he has played 82 games in which he slammed 2,794 runs at an average of 50.80 with the help of 24 fifties.

On the other, Pujara has been a key cog in the batting wheel of team India in the longest format of the game. He has amassed 5840 runs at an average of 48.66.

Both cricketers are currently spending time with their families as the COVID-19 pandemic as brought all sporting action across the world to a grinding halt.

Kohli would have been in action for Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) had the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced from March 29.

However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Star Sports, India’s leading broadcaster, through their show Cricket Connected, has used the power of technology to engage with cricket fans and bring them voices of the world’s best former and current cricketers. On this week’s episode, Indian captain Virat Kohli will be interacting with host Jatin Sapru and a few of his young fans who will pepper King Kohli with questions, especially around what has been doing during the government-mandated nation-wide lockdown period.

This is an enjoyable format to engage with cricket fans and legends of the game through easy-going conversations. With the lockdown extended for another two weeks, cricket fans now have an opportunity to catch Captain Kohli as he talks about daily routine at home and how he is keeping himself busy. The skipper also speaks about the importance of staying at home, finding motivation and focusing on fitness and training despite the limited conditions.

Captain Virat Kohli said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected, “I am keeping myself positive and happy and just looking forward in life so that whenever I return to the game, I know I will be in a good position to start from where we left.”

While speaking to his fans, Virat Kohli also talks about the things he misses while staying at home like the IPL, the excitement the tournament brings for the players and the fans and the magical moments that are created. Virat even answers a few questions asked by his young fans around his unflappable mindset during batting, Virat emphasizes on how important it is to have a proper mindset especially while playing a sport, sending a strong message to all the young cricket aspirants in the country. On the episode, captain Kohli also catches up team mate Yuzvendra Chahal and reminisces their comradery.

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Sourav Ganguly, former India skipper and the current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday shared a throwback picture of him training at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

Ganguly shared the picture on his Instagram account and captioned the post as: Memories .. training at Lords day before my test debut in 1996".

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Memories .. training at Lords day before my test debut in 1996

A post shared by SOURAV GANGULY (@souravganguly) onMay 6, 2020 at 4:06am PDT

The left-handed batsman made his Test debut against England in 1996 at the Lord's Cricket Ground. In his opening Test, Ganguly came out to bat at number three and played a knock of 131 runs from 301 balls, studded with 20 fours.

His innings helped India post a total of 429 runs and gain a lead of 85 over the hosts England. England managed to hang on in the second innings for a draw.

Over the years, Ganguly went on to become one of the most successful Indian skippers. Under his leadership, India defeated Pakistan in Pakistan for the first time in a Test series. He also guided India to the finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs. The swashbuckling left-handed batsman scored 18,575 runs across all formats in his international career. In October 2019, Ganguly became the president of the BCCI.

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Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) have completed the formalities in transferring Rs 50 lakh to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's COVID-19 Relief Fund, according to an MCA official on Thursday.

Though the decision was taken on March 26, the amount was not remitted as there was no direction whether to make the donation to the CM's Relief Fund or the specially-created fund for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maharashtra is one of the worst-hit states in India with over 14,000 positive cases reported.

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A furious US President Donald Trump on Monday accused the American media of giving unfair coverage to his fight against the Coronavirus and played video clips appreciating his administration's efforts in containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. "I mean, if you had libel laws, they (the media) would have been out of business even before they'll end up going out of business. So it's too bad," Trump told reporters during his White House news conference on Coronavirus. "We really have done this right. The problem is the press doesn't cover it the way it should be," he said. He alleged that several news outlets, including the New York Times, are biased.

"I have never seen a video like that playing in this room. It looks a bit like a campaign ad. Who produced a video for you?" he was asked by a reporter. "That was done by a group in the office and it was done just by — we just put some clips together. I bet I have over 100 more clips even better than them. They were just pieced together over the last two hours," Trump said. The Washington Post alleged that this was a campaign style video. According to Politico, Trump "fiercely defended" his administration's response to the Coronavirus at the briefing, complete with a campaign-ad-like video aimed at bolstering his case.

The US has over 5,50,000 confirmed cases of infections. It has recorded 1,509 deaths related to the pandemic over the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 23,529, the most of any country. Trump, however, said the number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide over the weekend, sending clear evidence that the aggressive strategy to combat it is working. He insisted on easing restrictions by May and claimed that he has 'total authority' to take a call on lifting the restrictions that ends on April 30, according to reports. The Trump administration is considering easing the stay-at-home orders from May 1.

"We don't have a king. We have an elected president. The Constitution clearly says the powers that are not specifically listed for the federal government are reserved for the states, and the bounds between federal and state authority are central to the Constitution — one of the great balances of power," CNN quoted Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying. So far, at least 1,21,787 people have died from the virus and 1,947,727 have tested positive.

1,509
Total no. of death recorded in the US in 24 hours

Trump denies plan to sack Fauci

Donald Trump has dismissed rumours that he was going to fire his top medical advisor on the pandemic. Unusually, the evening briefing at the White House began with a statement by the internationally renowned Dr Anthony Fauci, seeking to defuse speculation that he had fallen out with the Republican president. Trump, who on Sunday fuelled speculation by retweeting a critical comment with the hashtag #FireFauci, sought to draw a line under the latest White House turmoil. "I like him," he said of Fauci. "I hear I'm going to fire him. I'm not gonna fire him, I think he's a wonderful guy." But Trump then launched into a sustained assault on other targets, demonstrating his frustration with accusations that he has mishandled the crisis.

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Do you need a little something to chase away your lockdown blues? A viral video of a dog has been making rounds on social media ‘turned into a helicopter’ while leaping through a four-feet-tall gate that has impressed millions online.

The video clip posted by Helen Laura Morrey on Instagram shows her Lurcher dog, named Maldwyn taking off like a helicopter while leaping through a gate with his tail spinning with excitement. As the video went viral, it has also been shared on other social media platforms too. The video was shot at Merthyr Mawr in the United Kingdom, when Morrey was out on a walk her three dogs.

Morrey wrote on her Instagram that, "Even during times like these I’m blessed to have lovely places on my doorstep to take these 3 out," while adding that Maldwyn "lost his mind and turned into a helicopter."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Helen Laura Morrey (@helenlauramorrey) onApr 4, 2020 at 11:36am PDT

Since the Lurcher’s long leap went viral, it has garnered 20,330 views and counting with many amusing comments from netizens! One user said, "Omg this video cracked me so much! That is one talented dog." Another user said, "This is just pure joy! Makes me laugh every time!!!" A user said, "Beautiful dogs, amazing jumping skills, crazy helicopter tail action, but what also makes this so great is the sound that you make... Wooaaa!!!"

What do you think about this video?

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Doctors and nurses in England will be asked to treat Coronavirus patients without fully protective gowns and to reuse equipment due to shortage fears, a media report said on Saturday.

The decision came in a reversal of guidance to hospitals from Public Health England (PHE) on Friday. Earlier this week, it was reported that the plan was being considered as a "last resort". It comes as National Health Service (NHS) providers warned some hospitals' supplies could run out in 24 hours. Chris Hopson, head of the association, which represents healthcare trusts across England, said in a tweet: "We have now reached the point where the national stock of fully fluid repellent gowns and long-sleeved laboratory coats will be exhausted in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

He said that national leaders have left "no stone unturned" —but gowns that were ordered weeks ago are currently only arriving in "fits and starts". PHE changed its guidance, which until now required long-sleeved, disposable, fluid-repellent gowns for people treating COVID-19 patients. Now it says that if these gowns were not available, staff can wear washable medical gowns or non-fluid- repellent equipment. At least 50 NHS workers have died after contracting the virus. The UK has recorded a total of 1,04,769 Coronavirus cases with 14,607 deaths.

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Thousands of people on Saturday defied the countrywide lockdown to attend the funeral of a Muslim cleric in Bangladesh, triggering fears of rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The news media in Bangladesh reported that thousands of people, without masks and in clear violations of social distancing, participated in the funeral prayers of Khelafat Majlish's 'Nayeb-e Amir' Maulana Zubayer Ahmad Ansari, held at a madrasa in Bertola village under Sorail Upazila of Brahmanbaria district. The cleric had passed away at his home last night.

The gathering was large and the authorities did not stop it, media reports said. Noted Bangladeshi author, Taslima Nasreen, who lives in exile in Sweden, tweeted that 50,000 people had attended the funeral prayers, defying the ban on mass gatherings during the lockdown. "Stupid government didn't even try to stop these stupid people," she tweeted.

Like many other countries where religious congregations are turning out to be a major multiplier in the pandemic, the Saturday funeral gathering could become Bangladesh's hotspot for the outbreak. So far, over 2,100 people have tested positive and 84 have died due to Coronavirus in Bangladesh.

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All of Chris Wallace's wedding bookings were either cancelled or postponed due to the Coronavirus, but the UK-based wedding photographer didn't let that deter him. Wallace took it upon himself to recreate a wedding ceremony using LEGO figures lying around his house. He named the bride and groom Florence and Fred, and spent many hours preparing for the wedding. He even staged several scenes and big moments seen frequently in Christian weddings and then proceeded to click photos of them. He used his experience capturing weddings to make it seem natural.

The bride getting dolled up for her wedding

The bride walked down the aisle with a Harry Potter figurine, whereas groomsmen Ghostbusters, Chewbacca and a 1980 Lego spaceman stood at the altar to support the groom. "I've found myself with quite a bit of free time on my hands and thought it'll be a fun thing to do," said the photographer to the New York Post. "The ceremony was held outdoors in the most gorgeous of settings, filled with the greenest of plastic leaves and most colourful plastic flowers," he added.

Posing for a family photo. Pics/carpediemphotographycheshire.co.uk/Chris Wallace

Wallace said: "I tried drawing upon the experiences I had with weddings, to capture the big moments while making it seem natural." As the lockdown is anticipated to last till June, he plans to do another shoot soon.

Girl, I want you real clean!

A New Yorker hung fliers to look for a 'germ free' partner during the Coronavirus crisis

Pic/New York Post

A single man from New York, who is looking for love, hung dating fliers across the city, saying that his potential lover must be healthy, fit and clean.

The man, identified only as Brad, also said in the flier that he is "seeking a girlfriend for Coronavirus and beyond." He describes himself as a healthy, attractive, and well-settled man, looking for "germ-free monogamy". "I was single when the lockdown began and was wondering how and when dating would be possible again," Brad told the New York Post.

"This is no time for casual dating or hook-ups, so I am seeking a long-term and exclusive relationship," he added. Brad said that he has already received responses from "high-quality women" and is looking forward to meeting some for six-foot-apart dates.

Papi Gudia 2.0

An area in Mexico City became one of the most searched addresses on Google Maps this week, after photos of a creepy, doll-covered house located there, went viral on social media. The post was first shared by TikTok user Fernando Mata, who was looking for creepy content for his social media. It later turned out that this was the address of a small esoteric shop, and the dolls were merely an advertising strategy to attract prospective customers.

This teen is a gender-bender

Pics/@puutan_318, Instagram

A Japanese 18-year-old boy, has been getting a lot of attention on the Internet for cosplaying as an Asian schoolgirl. Puutan, whose real name is reportedly Tatsuya, has been flaunting selfies in feminine clothes, as well as a long hair wig. He currently has over 27,000 followers on YouTube, and 23,000 followers on Instagram.

Mexicans want beer to survive quarantine

Mexico's decision to halt production of most non-essential products due to the Coronavirus pandemic, has led to a polarising debate in the country on whether beer should be considered an "essential" during lockdown. "Beer supplies should be guaranteed, because beer helps people get through quarantine on better terms," said the National Alliance of Small Business in a press statement.

Village gets ghosts to keep people indoors

Kepuh village in Indonesia has resorted to an unusual way to ensure that the locals stay indoors. Those who step out of their homes at night will have to face pocong—shrouded ghosts believed to represent the souls of dead people. The pocongs are actually volunteer youths trying to help maintain the lockdown.

Crime junkies can get rich in 24 hours flat

A video streaming service is seeking a true crime buff to make $1,000 (R75K) during the Coronavirus lockdown by watching 24 straight hours of documentaries. The chosen candidate will be given a pre-selected list of true crime documentaries to watch.

Bugging you

A swarm of bugs descended over a beach at Cayton Bay, Yorkshire, leaving locals stunned. The bugs, later identified as European Chafer Beetles, are said to have washed up on a few beaches in the area. The cause is still being investigated. "I was stunned to realise they were living creatures. There were just masses and masses of them," said Sue Weatherill, a local resident, to Daily Mail. Pics/@ChrisBull52, Twitter

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With widespread testing, contact tracing and population behavioural changes, Hong Kong appears to have managed to contain the first wave of COVID-19 without resorting to drastic measures like complete lockdown which now threaten to damage economies of several countries around the world, say scientists in a Lancet study.

A combination of border entry restrictions, quarantine and isolation of cases and contacts, together with some degree of social distancing helped the city with a 7.5 million population avert a major COVID-19 outbreak up to March 31, said the study published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

"By quickly implementing public health measures, Hong Kong has demonstrated that the virus transmission can be effectively contained without resorting to the highly disruptive complete lockdown," said professor Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong, who led the research.

"Other governments can learn from the success of Hong Kong. If these measures and population responses can be sustained, they could substantially lessen the impact."
The government also deployed measures to encourage social distancing including flexible working arrangements and school closures. Many large-scale events were also cancelled.

Further analyses suggest that individual behaviours have changed in response to COVID-19. In the most recent survey, 85 per cent of respondents reported avoiding crowded places, and 99 per cent reported wearing face masks when leaving home—up from 75 per cent and 61 per cent respectively from the first survey in January.

S Korea virus cases fall below 20 in 2 months

SEOUL: South Korea reported 18 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, marking the lowest daily increase in about two months. The new cases brought the country's total infections to 10,653, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the first time since February 20 that the country's new infections came below 20. Over the past five days, the country reported fewer than 30 new patients per day. The number of South Korea's daily new cases reached a peak of 909 confirmed cases on February 29, but the country has since managed to flatten the curve.

Iran closer to containment

Iranian authorities have said that they were closer to the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic in most of the country, while Turkey was poised to overtake Iran as the hardest-hit country in the Middle East due to rapid growth of new cases. Iran on Friday reported 1,499 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 79,494, with 4,958 deaths. "Despite circumstances arising from sanctions and economic warfare, no patient was left abandoned behind hospital doors and no patient lacked drugs and medical care during the peak of the virus across cities," minister of health and medical education Saeed Namaki said. In Turkey, 4,353 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total number to 78,546. The death toll surged to 1,769, after 126 more deaths were reported.

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With humans in their homes amid the coronavirus lockdown, animals are roaming free on the streets. After pictures of dolphins off Marine Drive, peacocks venturing in the streets of Mumbai and tigers taking a stroll in the forests of Madhya Pradesh went viral, stunning pictures of lions sleeping in a park in South Africa is making rounds on social media.  

 The picture posted on Twitter by the Kruger National Park in South Africa, show the rare sight of the pack of lions sleeping in the pathways of the park. Clicked by Section ranger Richard Sowry, the caption for the post reads, “Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see.  #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see.  This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.”

Kruger visitors that tourists do not normally see. #SALockdown This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see. This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.
📸Section Ranger Richard Sowry pic.twitter.com/jFUBAWvmsA

— Kruger National Park (@SANParksKNP) April 15, 2020

The astounding pictures that were posted on Twitter on Wednesday, garnered over 19,500 likes and was retweeted more than 6,700 times. The users commenting on the post spoke how such rare sights are seen when humans are at home and how mother nature is recovering from the wounds.

Now mother earth belongs to all of us as nature intended.

— Aaron Moloisi (@aaronmoloisi) April 16, 2020

Mother nature is enjoying the #lockdown. No humans to bother them.

— Emile van Rooyen (@EmilevanRooyen2) April 15, 2020

We’re seeing glimpses of the world when the humans are gone ...

— Jason Randa (@JasonRanda2) April 16, 2020

Looks pretty nice. I've seen a few videos from around the world other animals walking through city streets and looking around and then just continuing to do their thing. It's quite beautiful and they are wondering where we are.

— Lori Brown (@LoriBrown82) April 17, 2020

The animals are loving having their turf back.

— Heartbeat Of Africa (@PeterDermauw) April 15, 2020

What do you think about the pictures?

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After an elephant, monkey and wild bears, another heartwarming video of penguins roaming freely on the streets of Cape Town in South Africa has taken the internet by storm. The adorable video, which has gone viral now was shared by Twitter user Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer who is working in Odisha. In the video, a small group of penguins can be seen strolling the streets of cape town amid the coronavirus crisis.

Penguins check the streets of Auckland, searching for the humans💕 pic.twitter.com/lEsiGSPes3

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 19, 2020

In the 27-seconds video clip, three penguins can be seen strolling the streets of Cape Town in South Africa and walking in a disciplined manner on the pavements of a society. In the adorable video, the three penguins can be seen following each other as they enjoy a leisure walk on the empty streets of Cape Town.

New Order.... Humans in Homely Cages,
Animals Come to See. https://t.co/JWNEOmILR5

— Pankaj Thapliyal (@PankajT04765688) April 19, 2020

IFS officer Susanta shared the adorable video with the caption: Penguins check the streets of Auckland, searching for the humans. However, Susanta was soon corrected by his one of his followers who said that the place is South Africa's Cape Town and not Auckland in New Zealand.

They have come to zoo for the humans 😍😍😍

— 𝓈𝓊𝒹𝒾𝓅 🇮🇳 (@iam_Sudip) April 19, 2020

The video which was shared on Sunday has garnered over 3,000 views and about 600 likes. Netizens were amazed looking at the play-time that the penguins enjoyed amid lockdown across the globe. One user said, "Wildlife love lock down," while another user commented, "This is so beautiful..." A third user jokingly said, "Joined army it seems...patrol duty."

Here are some of the best reactions to the video:

Joined army it seems...patrol duty

— P. Madhavi (@PMadhav45856047) April 19, 2020

That jump was cute.

— ajay (@Ajaychennai2) April 19, 2020

This is so beautiful...keep sharing such wonderful videos sir..

— Mangesh (@iammangs) April 19, 2020

Really sweet

— Asheesh Talwani (@AsheeshTalwani) April 19, 2020

What do you think of the adorable video?

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Equity benchmark indices slipped by 2.7 per cent during early hours on Tuesday in line with Asian peers after US oil prices slipped below zero dollar a barrel in overnight trade.

US crude futures turned negative for the first time in history following a collapse in oil demand as the coronavirus pandemic derails the global economy.

At 10:15 am, the BSE S&P Sensex was down by 870 points or 2.75 per cent at 30,778 while the Nifty 50 edged lower by 248 points or 2.69 per cent at 9,013.

Except for Nifty pharma and FMCG, all sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the red with Nifty metal down by 5.2 per cent, auto by 5.1 per cent and private bank by 4.3 per cent.

Among stocks, index heavyweight Reliance Industries fell by 3.93 per cent to Rs 1,195.60 per share. Metal majors Hindalco dropped by 8.9 per cent at Rs 106.10 per share while Tata Steel lost by 7.1 per cent and Vedanta by 6.6 per cent.

Auto major Maruti skidded by 6.8 per cent to Rs 4,964.70 per share and Tata Motors by 5.2 per cent.

Private lenders IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank dipped by 6.7 per cent, 6.1 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively.

However, those which gained were Dr Reddy, Cipla, Nestle India, Hindustan Lever and ITC.

Meanwhile, Asia shares were in the negative zone after an overnight tumble at Wall Street with US crude futures turned negative for the first time in history. However, it bounced back into positive territory this morning.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell half a per cent. Japan's Nikkei fell by 2.26 per cent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost by 2.38 per cent and South Korea's Kospi slipped by 1.67 per cent.

Overnight stateside, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 592 points lower at 23,650, the S&P 500 slipped by 1.8 per cent to end its trading day at 2,823 and the Nasdaq Composite pulled back 1 per cent to close at 8,561.

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New York: The idea formed on a day when all the news headlines were dire. The coronavirus was surging worldwide; Nashville had lost lives in a devastating tornado and children had their lives upended as they separated from beloved classmates to shelter at home.

But only bad news is never the whole story. Days later, The Associated Press started its daily series 'One Good Thing' to reflect the unheralded sacrifices made to benefit others that normally wouldn't make a story, but maybe always deserved one.

Since March 17, when a Norwegian mom tried to soften the blow of birthdays under quarantine for her two teens by asking via social media that people reach out to them, there have been 35 stories about the ways that everyday people have tried to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The gestures have been grand and small, some as simple as chalk-written messages on a sidewalk thanking healthcare workers at a New Orleans hospital for their efforts.

Music has been a central theme. The series has included stories about a Rio firefighter sharing his love of music from a hydraulic ladder 150 feet up as he played the trumpet for cooped-up apartment dwellers; a virtual rendition of 'Bolero' from the National Orchestra of France, with each musician playing alone at home; the virtual Corona Community Choir with members around the world, performing on Sundays.

If music soothes the soul, food feeds it. There have been six stories that tell of benefactors feeding health care workers, the poor, the elderly shut ins, even volunteers feeding hungry animals at a revered Hindu temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.

There have been meals from Brooklyn caterer Israel Frischman for Holocaust survivors who are shut in. The day after the story ran, donations poured in and now Frischman has financial backing for the needed meals.

And simpler fare from the 'Solidarity Menu' started by Emiliano Moscoso who employed his hamburger chain of restaurants in Colombia to feed poor neighborhoods in Bogota.

The delivery of lifesaving supplies has been a storyline as well, from the professional cyclist in Italy who has gone from racing against competitors to racing medicine to those in need, to Yale student Liam Elkind's delivery service. A month after reporting on Elkind's 'Invisible Hands' effort which he started with a friend, he reports that it's ballooned.
'We're making over 1,000 deliveries a week now, and over 10,000 volunteers have joined our group. I feel like I haven't slept in decades, but, honestly, I've never felt more energized,' he said.

Heroes have emerged in youth, from Nova Knight, a 5-year-old firecracker in Alaska imploring her cohorts to wash their hands and postpone playdates, to 16-year-old TJ Kim, who can't drive, but can fly. He uses those skills to deliver much-needed medical supplies across rural Virginia.

The stories have circled the world, from Colombia and Nepal, to Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Indonesia and South Korea where Kim Byung-rok, a shoe cobbler, donated land to help raise money for the fight against the virus.

In the month of stories about the goodness of others, it's no surprise when we doubled back to the previous subjects of the coverage, AP journalists found the obvious: the givers' giving has expanded.

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The novel Coronavirus outbreak has created an atmosphere of uncertainty but everybody has been trying to create hope in some way or the other.

This picture is of two fairy penguins standing side by side and comforting each other which watching the Melbourne skyline.

The Twitter user captioned the images, "Couldn't stop thinking about these penguins enjoying the Melbourne skyline together. So I found the original photographer and apparently they're both widowed. I can't handle it."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Pinguins Part 2. “... Love is the only game in which we win even when we lose” The way that these two lovebirds were caring for one another stood out from the entire colony. While all the other penguins were sleeping or running around, those two seemed to just stand there and enjoy every second they had together, holding each other in their flippers and talking about penguin stuff. Pain has brought them together (see PART 1). I guess sometimes you find love when you least expect it. It’s a privilege to truly love someone, paradisiacal when they love you back. 📸 @tobiasvisuals • (Even though it is very similar to the previous image I thought it’d be a pity to not share it with you guys)

A post shared by Tobias Baumgaertner (@tobiasvisuals) onApr 13, 2020 at 5:01pm PDT

He also explained that the penguins had been standing on the rock for hours. He clicked the pictures about a year ago but shared them once again so that people could enjoy the heartwarming moment during such times.

According to him, it was a volunteer who revealed that the white penguin was an "elderly lady" who lost her partner and the one to the left was a "younger male", who lost its partner too.

"During times like this, the truly lucky ones are those that can be with the person/people they love most. I captured this moment about a year ago. These two fairy penguins poised upon a rock, overlooking the Melbourne skyline and were standing there for hours, flipper in flipper, watching the sparkling lights of the skyline and ocean. A volunteer approached me and told me that the white one was an elderly lady who had lost her partner and so did the younger male to the left. Since then they meet regularly comforting each other and standing together for hours watching the dancing lights of the nearby city. I spent 3 full nights with this penguin colony until I was able to get this picture. Between not being able or allowed to use any lights and the tiny penguins continuously moving, rubbing their flippers on each other's backs and cleaning one another, it was really hard to get a shot but I got lucky during one beautiful moment. I hope you enjoy this moment as much as I did. #lovewillalwayswin." (sic)

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Amid the coronavirus gloom, a Turkish man is giving netizens a reason to smile with his unique antics and helping attitude. The man identified as Burak Soylu dresses up as the famous Marvel superhero Spiderman to help his neighbours amid the global pandemic.

In Turkey, a man named Burak Soylu has been going around dressed like Spiderman.

He drives around in a Beetle, buys milk and groceries for the elderly, and delivers it to their doorsteps.

When he was asked why, he said "My superpower is doing good for the neighborhood." pic.twitter.com/KAYm3hyPyb

— Goodable (@Goodable) April 17, 2020

According to a Twitter post shared by Goodable, just like the 'friendly neighbourhood' Marvel superhero who helps people with his superpowers, Burak dresses up in a Spiderman suit and goes around helping his neighbours, especially elderly people by distributing milk, groceries and essentials at the doorsteps.

In the pictures shared by Goodable, Burak can be seen buying vegetables from the market and delivering it to those in need of help at a time when most countries have imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. While speaking to Goodable, Burak said that his superpower is doing good for his neighbours.

you forgot to add his best pictures.. here they are pic.twitter.com/9feElnkjg5

— Serhan (@serhanbilgin) April 18, 2020

Twitter user Serhan also shared some breathtaking pictures of Burak as Spiderman driving his Beetle and even posing on a tractor. Since the time it was shared, the post has garnered over 10,000 re-tweets and about 4,000 likes.

And he's masked and gloved too! Good one, Spidey! 👏👏👏👏👏

— Omowunmie (@molarah26) April 17, 2020

The post, which has gone viral now has garnered tons of appreciation from netizens. While some Twitterati lauded Burak for helping the elderly amid coronavirus crisis, others talked about how Burak was spreading the safety message by wearing a costume that includes a face mask and hand gloves which are highly important to combat COVID-19.

Now that's what I call a friendly neighborhood spiderman..

— Dequondre Agee (@DequondreA) April 18, 2020

One user said, "And he's masked and gloved too! Good one, Spidey!" while another user commented, "Now that's what I call a friendly neighborhood spiderman..." A third user jokingly said, "So can we say Superman costume is Coronaproof? Hahaha." Talking about the Turkish spiderman's noble cause, a fourth user said, "He also visits disabled kids school and presents toys along with mask."

Here's how netizens reacted to Turkish spiderman's noble work:

Spiderman! Spiderman!
Helps the elderly how he can!
Drives around, in his car!
Buys some food, drives it far!
Look out! Here comes a helpful man!

— Cleodora Silvestri (@drakkenmensch) April 18, 2020

This is truly theirs FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD SPIDERMAN. pic.twitter.com/Mye8pKyvJo

— AbeAbeStudio (@StudioAbe) April 18, 2020

Quality bloke!! Humanity need more people like this!

— The Darge Knight (@DargeKnight) April 18, 2020

😆So can we say Superman costume is Coronaproof? Hahaha 😂

— Özlem (@icbukeydis) April 19, 2020

This is humanity's at its finest

— jack (@jackdilnessa) April 18, 2020

Isn't the Turkish Spiderman living by the well-known proverb of the Marvel superhero, "With great power comes great responsibility".

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The oil market plunged further on Tuesday on concerns over a collapse in demand as the pandemic leaves factories, cars and airplanes idled around the world. The extreme volatility in energy markets highlights investors' worries about the duration of the Coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the economy.

That is in turn weighing on financial markets more broadly, including stocks. The benchmark US oil contract was down $4.78 at just $15.65 per barrel on Tuesday, having traded as low as $11.79 a barrel at one point. The drop comes a day after the price of oil fell below zero on Monday, partly due to technical factors as traders shifted from one futures contract to another. The US oil contract for delivery in May settled at -$37.63 per barrel on Monday, an indication that investors don't want to be left holding oil at a time when storage facilities are almost full and demand is at its lowest since the mid-1990s. The tumult in the oil market reflects uncertainty over where the world economy will head as governments begin to loosen controls imposed to contain the coronavirus.

"We could merely be in the eye of the hurricane as the epicenters of its rage remain centered around demand devastation and crude oil oversupply," Stephen Innes of AxiCorp. said in a commentary. "At a minimum, oil prices will be the last asset class to recover from lockdown" and only when travel restrictions are lifted, he said. Brent crude, the international standard, dropped $45.72 to $19.85. "The historic drop in WTI prices is an indication of the downward pressure which many other crude oil grades could face, given the oversupply situation," Sushant Gupta of Wood Mackenzie said. The volatility in energy markets unsettled stock markets as well. with Germany's DAX stock index losing 3.3% to 10,319 and the CAC 40 in France shedding 3.2% to 4,384. Britain's FTSE 100 declined 2.6% to 5,664.

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In a viral video that left the internet in splits, a dog exposed the owner's fake handstand pose. The video that went viral on Facebook shows a woman pretending to do handstand by lying down and pressing her hands against the wall, while a man on a chair reading a newspaper is seen sitting besides her.

The nearly-perfect clip seemed convincing until the act was exposed when a dog made an appearance in the picture. At that point, the viewers realised that the man and the woman were simply lying on the floor and the handstand pose was created by tweaking the camera angle and successfully tricking people into believing that the pose was legitimate.

Paulinho Martins, who posted this video on Facebook on Tuesday, said in the captions, "Everything was going well, until the dog ruined everything." The video has received over 6.1 million views with more than 48,000 likes and was shared over 225,000 times.

Amid hilarious reactions, users commenting on the post said that they would love to try it out with their friends while one user commented, "Is that spiderdog?" Another user said, "It is not that bad to cheat, well done!" while one more comment read, "It is absolutely obvious, when he touched his glasses. Newspaper fell on him."

What do you think of the video?

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Two young girls in Italy took the lockdown game to a whole new level by playing tennis from neighbouring buildings.

The girls in Liguarian town of Finale Ligure managed a 12-shot rally in the 24-second video. The video was posted on Facebook last Friday by a local tennis club where the two are members.

Two young girls in Italy play tennis across their rooftops https://t.co/o0paauxGFZ pic.twitter.com/YGNiviMit5

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 21, 2020

Naturally, a few balls during the practice session did not make it across and bounced down into a private road below where the girls' fathers put them in plastic bags their daughters had affixed to the end of fishing poles.

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Despite the World Health Organisation's warnings to not rush into easing the Coronavirus restrictions as it could lead to a resurgence of the disease, some of the affected countries have started to restart their economies.

Spain, which was also planning to ease the lockdown when the daily deaths dropped below 400, had to reconsid its plan after recording a spike for the second day on Wednesday. Another 435 people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 21,717, said the authorities.

Pedro Sanchez, Spain PM

Spain has suffered the third-highest number of deaths in the world after the US and Italy, with infections now hitting 2,08,000 cases, health ministry figures showed. Monday's figure of 399 deaths was the lowest in four weeks, but a day later, it rose to 430 with officials explaining the numbers tend to go up slightly on Tuesday following delays in receiving regional data on weekend deaths.

The March 14 lockdown has been twice extended with Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez seeking parliament go-ahead to prolong nation's state of emergency until May 9. "We must avoid missteps. If we stay on top of the virus and our health system maintains and reinforces that impression, then we will propose another step," BBC quoted him as saying.

A worker on a construction site on Wednesday in Cenon, France, as works resume after stopping several weeks; long lines built up outside the few McDonald's drive-thrus that started serving customers again; more than 10 million employees in France - one out of every two in the private sector - have been laid off during the lockdown. Pic/AFP

But from Sunday, the conditions are to be eased for youngsters in Spain, who have not been allowed out of the house for nearly six weeks under one of the most restrictive lockdowns in the world. From April 26, those under 14 will be allowed to go for a walk with one of their parents or accompany them on trips out to buy food, medicine or go to the bank.

Addressing MPs at Wednesday's parliamentary session, Sánchez said moves to ease the lockdown would likely begin in the second half of May. "The second half of May offers the prospect of a scaling-back [of the lockdown], of phase two of the fight" when the restrictions "will be modified", he said.
But the lockdown "will not be lifted until we are prepared for it because we are not going to take any risks," he said, insisting that "any optimism must be tempered by prudence".
'
"We must be incredibly careful in this phase," he said. "The scaling-back period will be slow and gradual, precisely because it has to be safe." Restrictions were also being eased in Denmark, Austria and France. In the US, too, some states were relaxing restrictions. The pandemic has infected over 2.5 million people and killed over 1,77,000 around the world.

Iran and Iraq continue to report new deaths

Iraq, which had on Tuesday partly eased the lockdown restrictions, recorded one more fatality, bringing the tally to 83 on Wednesday. The Health Ministry said the total number of cases reached 1,602 with 28 new cases, reported Anadolu Agency. In Iran, where local shops were reportedly allowed to open from April 20 but with social distancing in place, reported 94 new deaths on Wednesday. But the cases of infections was on the way down, it said. Health ministry said the fatalities detected in the past 24 hours took Iran's overall toll to 5,391; and infections climbed to 85,996 with 1,194 new cases. "If we arrogantly think that the job is done and we have won, then this would be the biggest problem that could affect us," President Hassan Rouhani said. Iran has struggled to contain the outbreak. Despite that, Iran has allowed many businesses to reopen since April 11 after shutting most down in mid-March to prevent the spread of the disease.

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A photo of a sad bulldog looking at children playing from the balcony and not being able to join them in their games has gone viral amid the Coronavirus lockdown and is breaking hearts online.

Rebecca Ellis, the owner of the dog named Big Poppa said on Twitter that he loves playing with children and he is sad that he is not able to play with them due to the lockdown imposed to contain the deadly virus, but she has been trying to cheer him up.  "I've been trying but he loves children more than anything and not being able to play with them daily but he can see them... I think its taking a toll on him," she said.

In the caption of the photo, Ellis said, "Big Poppa has been so sad today, I think he miss(es) playing with the kids in the building.  He just watches them from the patio." The photo that has attracted attention from international celebrities too, got more than 656,100 likes and was retweeted over 72,300 times.

Big Poppa has been so sad today, I think he miss playing with the kids in the building. He just watches them from the patio pic.twitter.com/gVooqvZ5oI

— Rae Elle (@RaeElle) April 22, 2020

Among the users commenting on the photo is Game-of-Thrones fame Maisie Williams and popular TV show host Ellen Degeneres. The photo has been melting hearts with many asking the owner to hug the dog to cheer him up and introducing their pets to him.

not being dramatic but I would literally die for big poppa

— Maisie Williams (@Maisie_Williams) April 22, 2020

Stay inside. Flatten this curve. Do it for Big Poppa. https://t.co/q2c9GYZMgN

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 22, 2020

Pls hug that dog for me oh man 😔

— Joe Dan Tony (@slowhnds) April 22, 2020

We know a little chihuahua who would love to be friends! 🐶♥ï¸ÂðŸ¶ #BigPoppa pic.twitter.com/q8Q9RKz4z0

— MGM Studios (@MGM_Studios) April 22, 2020

My bulldog is also kinda bored but is enjoying the quarantine cuddles. But on HIS terms. pic.twitter.com/xGnfZeKAmv

— Dis-gusted (@SkipTrollington) April 22, 2020

Larry the newbie is 9months and wants to say hi to #bigpoppa pic.twitter.com/SmYZApRU1A

— Nicky (@darlinNicky) April 22, 2020

here’s a flower for Big Poppa, I hope it makes him feel better 🥺 pic.twitter.com/a9OWMfkZVe

— 𝖕𝖆𝖛𝖑𝖔𝖛 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖎 🐶 (@PAVGOD) April 22, 2020

What do you think about the dog’s photo?

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Washington: Girls her age play Candy Crush or like watching cartoons, but 15-year-old Hita Gupta peps up hundreds of lonely Americans, including the elderly and children, marooned in nursing homes due to the COVID-19 lockdown by sending them gift packs and spirit-lifting notes.

The 10th-grade Indian-American student from Pennsylvania's Conestoga High School has an NGO 'Brightening A Day' and is using it to spread love, hope and joy among America's nursing homes' residents, especially senior citizens, to help them keep at bay their boredom arising from the COVID-19 restrictions.

Gupta brightens up their lives by sending them handwritten notes and gift packs containing puzzle and colouring books and a packet colour pencils.

"It saddens me to think of how lonely or depressed many nursing home residents feel because they cannot see their loved ones. Our seniors are already one of the most isolated groups. A research has shown that more than 40 per cent of seniors regularly feel lonely," Gupta told PTI in an email interaction.

"During this uncertain time, which is causing panic among many seniors, it's our responsibility to let them know that they are not alone. I initially started sending gift packs to nursing homes using self-funding. Now, I have sent them to residents of 16 local nursing homes," she said.

Each gift pack contains one puzzle book, one colouring book, and a pack of colour pencils/crayons, Gupta said. "It also contains an uplifting note written by my 9-year-old brother Divit Gupta," she said.

Her NGO has reached more than 2,700 kids and seniors in 50 hospitals and nursing homes in seven different States in the US with hand-made cards on holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day. "We have also sent school supplies and cards to orphanages in India," Gupta said.

Gupta's initiative has won her praise from one and all.

"Need some inspiration? 15-year-old Hita Gupta, from Pennsylvania, USA, is brightening the lives of nursing home residents with gift packs through her NGO, Brighten A Day," the US Embassy in New Delhi wrote on its Facebook page.

"She aims to lift the spirits of those who are in need of some cheer by sending them love, hope, and joy through cards and gifts. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, she is sending handwritten notes and gift packs to cheer the residents and help them overcome loneliness and isolation. More power to you Hita!" the embassy said.

Nursing homes throughout the US are limiting the interaction of senior citizens who remain mostly confined to their rooms. Outsiders are also prohibited form visiting them, resulting in feelings of loneliness and isolation in many of them.

The US is the worst affected country from the coronavirus, with 842,000 infections and over 46,000 deaths reported so far. According to Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, eight in every 10 deaths due to the coronavirus reported in the US are adults, and people who are 65 years old or above.

Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 185,000 lives and infected more than 2.6 million people, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.

Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes has announced a detailed plan to gradually lift the country's coronavirus restrictions, the media reported on Saturday.

After hours of discussions on Friday, Prime Minister Wilmes announced a timetable to gradually end the country's lockdown, which began on March 12, reports the BBC. The first businesses to open will be fabric shops on May 4 in order to help people comply with new regulations requiring all Belgians aged 12 or over to wear masks on public transport. Other shops will reopen a week later.

Schools will return from May 18, but no more than 10 children will be allowed in each class. Cafes and restaurants will not be permitted to open before June 8. But Wilmes warned that "nothing is set in stone". At least 44,293 people have tested positive for the virus in Belgium as of Saturday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

A total of 6,679 deaths have been recorded in the nation of 11.4 million - the highest rate per capita in Europe. More than half the fatalities have been in care homes. A number of other European countries have already announced measures to ease their lockdowns, the BBC reported. On Friday, the Czech Republic ended restrictions on free movement which had been put in place to help halt the spread of coronavirus.

Sme shops have already reoopened in Germany and schools will gradually reopen from May 4, although bars, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and music venues will all remain closed. Meanwhile, Poland's Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski called for a two-year delay to the presidential election - due to take place in two weeks' time - saying it was the safest situation given the pandemic.

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