Business

Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI) The Indian rupee slipped further by 95 paise to 76.15 against the US dollar in opening trade on Monday amid sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country and heavy selling in domestic equities.

Forex traders said market participants are concerned that the sharp rise in coronavirus cases, with nearly 400 cases in the country, could weigh on the economy.

Washington, Mar 23 (AFP/PT I) A trillion-dollar Senate proposal to rescue the reeling US economy crashed to defeat Sunday after receiving zero support from Democrats, and with five Republicans absent from the chamber because of virus-related quarantines.

Democrats said the Republican plan failed to sufficiently protect millions of American workers or shore up the critically under-equipped health care system during the coronavirus crisis.

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government to contain the spread of coronavirus infection.

The Delhi government on Sunday said the city will be in lockdown from March 23 to 31, under which no public transport, including private buses, taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed.

Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI) Equity benchmark Sensex sank nearly 3,000 points to hit its lower circuit limit in morning session on Monday, triggering a 45-minute trading freeze as coronavirus-led lockdowns across the world stoked fears of a massive global recession.

After opening 2,718 points lower, the BSE barometer plunged 2,991.85 points or 10 per cent to 26,924.11.

New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill, 2020, without any discussion on Monday as the House curtailed its sittings in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 40 amendments were introduced by the government to the Finance Bill, which was moved for consideration and passing by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

SINGAPORE, March 23 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be cutting 96 per cent of the capacity that had been originally scheduled up to end-April, given the further tightening of border controls around the world over the last week to stem the COVID-19 outbreak.

“This will result in the grounding of around 138 SIA and SilkAir aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147, amid the greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence,” it said in its website.

Mumbai, Mar 22 (PTI) Mumbai, also knows as the city that never sleeps, finally braces for a virtual lockdown as local train services will stop from Sunday midnight till March 31 in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus.

However, BEST bus services will continue in the metropolis to facilitate movement of staff of the essential services, a state government official said.

MOSCOW, Mar 22 (NNN-TASS) – Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin and his Belarusian counterpart, Sergei Rumas, held a phone conversation concerning energy issues, the Russian government said.

“The heads of government noted the achievement of principle agreements on the parameters of cooperation in the oil sector, taking into account the mutual interests of the parties,” it said in a statement.

The implementation of these agreements will ensure the supply of Russian oil to Belarusian oil refineries in full and on agreed terms, it added.

OTTAWA, Mar 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – Air Canada is laying off more than 5,000 flight attendants, as the country’s largest airline cuts routes and parks planes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wesley Lesosky, who heads the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said that, the Canadian carrier is laying off about 3,600 mainline employees, as well as all of Air Canada Rouge’s 1,549 flight attendants.

21 Mar 2020; MEMO: The United States believes Saudi Arabia’s flooding of oil markets compounds the coronavirus-caused global economic crash and intends to send a senior official to Riyadh for months to boost efforts to stabilize energy markets, senior US officials said on Friday, reports Reuters.