Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the GST Council meeting through video conferencing, from her office at North Block in New Delhi, Friday, June 12, 2020. | Photo Credit: PTI GST Council discussed impact of COVID-19. In a relief to small taxpayers with turnover up to ₹5 crore, the GST Council on Friday halved…
The coronavirus is spiking across more than a dozen states, but many governors are signaling they have no interest in bringing back restrictive stay-at-home orders almost regardless of what happens.Even governors with detailed metrics for reopening have shown little appetite to plan for the inevitable virus surges. Public health experts say there are less drastic…
Pupils at Tom Newby Primary School. Facebook/Tom Newby Primary School Pupils have had to get used to a new normal of moving around with hula hoops to ensure they maintain physical distancing. A week into returning to class, the school says its Grade 7s have started settling in better than they were in the first two…
An ambulance drives through downtown Vancouver on April 7, 2020. JESSE WINTER/Reuters British Columbia has recorded its deadliest month for illicit drug overdoses, an increase that officials say is overwhelmingly the result of the global COVID-19 pandemic throwing drug supply chains into chaos and disrupting supports for people who use drugs. In May, as the…
A lot of U.S.companies have had near-death experiences in recent months. Among them is Branch, a 1.5-year-old, venture-backed New York-based startup that sells what it calls “exceptional office furniture, at half the price” — and which nearly went kaput because of the pandemic. After generating roughly $800,000 in revenue in the first weeks of March,…
Covid-19 deaths increase by 74 in SA. There are 55 421 confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa as of 11 June.1 210 Covid-19-related deaths have been recorded.998 400 Covid-19 tests have been conducted to date.The country breached the one million mark for Covid-19 tests, with 1 028 399 conducted as of 11 June.According to a…
OpinionScott Morrison argues protest rallies against racism only jeopardise broader community support for the issue while risking a COVID-19 spike that will delay the economy opening up.Jennifer HewettColumnistAre we there yet?NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian insists she understands community frustrations with restrictions even as she announces further easing and with more announcements “imminent”.”The rolling easing of…
The range of policies being implemented by Canadian businesses to keep staff and customers free of the coronavirus are all over the map, and companies say given that personal expectations regarding safety vary greatly, it’s impossible to please everyone as the economy reopens.Winona Zelenka with her Volkswagen Jetta. The Toronto resident has observed that COVID…
Four days have now passed without any recorded deaths from COVID-19 in B.C., but Dr. Bonnie Henry says it’s important to remain cautious while transmission is still increasing globally.Travellers wait for a taxi outside the international arrivals area at Vancouver International Airport on May 29. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)THE LATEST: There are 2,669 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in…
The logo of Lilly is seen on a wall of the Lilly France company unit, part of the Eli Lilly and Co drugmaker group, in Fegersheim near Strasbourg, France, February 1, 2018. Picture taken February 1, 2018. VINCENT KESSLER/Reuters Eli Lilly and Co could have a drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 authorized for use…
