NEW YORK — When Queens resident Juan Carlos García stopped working in May 2020, it was yet another tribulation during a hard year. He’d already suffered through two weeks of undiagnosed COVID-19 symptoms. He also lost a 35-year-old cousin to the virus. But that didn’t stop García, a 27-year-old waiter and a food runner in the Nolita neighborhood, from sending monthly remittances to his mom and sisters in Puebla, Mexico’s fifth-most populous state. In fact, he was able to send the same amount of money as in 2019 — and even more in times of need. He wasn’t alone. According to…
Author: zenger.news
CHENNAI, India — India has proposed stricter amendments to its Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020, to create a level playing field after several complaints against unfair trade practices and “widespread cheating” in the e-commerce sector. While the e-commerce sector accounts for just 4-5 percent of total retail sales in the country, it received a huge boost during the pandemic-induced lockdowns. Indian e-commerce sales rose by about 7-8 percent in 2020 and are projected to reach $99 billion by 2024 from $30 billion in 2019. Under the proposed amendments, e-commerce firms like Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart would be prohibited from having back-to-back flash sales. Conventional flash…
NAIROBI, Kenya — For Sheldon Angaiya, an events organizer and master of ceremonies in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, the effects of the pandemic on his businesses were not just devastating but also depressing. When Kenya went into prolonged lockdown beginning March 2020 to curb the spread of Covid-19, most of his events were either canceled or postponed, leaving him with little or no choice of earning money to pay bills. Previously, he earned his pay from corporate events, weddings, birthdays, and other social events, where he provided sound and lighting systems to clients and acted as the master of ceremonies. “When the pandemic hit,…
MUMBAI, India —In the latest edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, scheduled to take place in August, Ajitesh Sharma’s ‘W.O.M.B’ (Women Of My Billion) has been selected as the opening night film for the upcoming event. “We are thrilled to announce, leading us #backtocinemas is the #AustralianPremiere of # AjiteshSharma’s film “WOMB – #WomenOfMyBillion” at the #OpeningNight Gala of #IFFM2021 at #HoytsAustralia #MelbourneCentral on August 12 at 7 pm,” tweeted Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will happen both physically and virtually, with the physical festival running from August 12 to August 20, while its digital edition will…
ISLAMABAD — The Islamabad High Court has slammed Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency’s cybercrime wing. The cybercrime wing was asked to exercise its powers judiciously, or the court would impose a heavy fine on investigation officers for misuse of authority. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing petitions filed against inquiries by the cybercrime wing against journalists Bilal Ghauri, Asad Ali Toor, and others. When Minallah inquired from the cybercrime wing’s director Babar Bakhat Qureshi about the number of pending complaints, he said they were in the thousands. This prompted the chief justice to ask him why Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency was giving an…
NEW DELHI — A day after India’s external affairs minister, Subramanyam Jaishankar, said he had asked the European Union to accept Covid-19 vaccines for Indian nationals traveling to Europe, several European Union countries allowed the Serum Institute of India-manufactured Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine. Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Greece, Estonia, Ireland, Iceland, and Spain confirmed accepting Covishield for travel entry. Switzerland has also allowed Covishield for the Schengen state. This comes after reports that travelers vaccinated with Covishield, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, may not be eligible for the European Union’s ‘Green Pass.’ Estonia has confirmed that it will recognize all the vaccines authorized…
DARJEELING, India — Traders of the eastern Indian city, Darjeeling, have appealed for a fast Covid-19 vaccination drive to boost the inflow of tourists in the region. Darjeeling, a famous hilly tourist destination in the eastern state of West Bengal, has been poorly impacted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And, hotels, restaurants, and markets have been desolated. “The middle class and lower economic class people are much affected due to the lockdown,” said Amit Rai, a hotel manager. “The entire Darjeeling hills is dependent on tourists. Tourists are not coming. Shops and restaurants are seen empty. In this situation, the government should…
NEW DELHI — The Union Health Ministry of India asked Hari Krishna Dwivedi, the chief secretary of the eastern Indian state’s West Bengal, to inquire into a Covid-19 vaccine fraud. He was asked to submit a report on the matter within the next two days. A fake Covid-19 vaccination drive was recently busted in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. The matter came to light when the ruling party, Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament, Mimi Chakraborty, claimed to have been duped by a person named Debanjan Deb at a Covid-19 vaccination drive organized by him in Kolkata. A team of Kolkata police conducted…
NEW DELHI — Abhimanyu Mishra, a 12-year-old Indian-American, has become the youngest chess grandmaster. The player from New Jersey scored his third grandmaster norm in Budapest on June 30, having crossed the required 2500 Elo rating barrier earlier. “On June 30, Mishra won the biggest game of his short but sweet career so far,” stated an official release on Chess.com. “He defeated the 15-year-old Indian grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca with the black pieces, securing a performance rating higher than 2600 over nine rounds.” Mishra broke grandmaster Sergey Karjakin’s record that was standing for 19 years. On Aug. 12, 2002, Karjakin, a world championship…
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he would never again partner with the United States in war. He said, as a Pakistani, he had never felt more “insulted” than when his country decided to join the United States war on terror. “Pakistan could be partners with the United States in peace but never in conflict,” Khan said on June 30 during the National Assembly’s budget session. “When we gave so many services, did they [US] praise us or acknowledge our sacrifices? Instead, they called us a hypocrite and blamed us. Instead of appreciating us, Pakistan was bad-mouthed. We decided…