What is Maharashtra, Kerala report over 1,000 new Covid cases each in a day

Bankrupt Sri Lanka can’t tap a $1.5 billion credit line from Beijing as China is concerned the International Monetary Fund may force delays in repayment. “There is a condition in relation to the months of import cover that we need to have in order to be able to draw on that money,” said Indrajit Coomaraswamy, a former central bank of Sri Lanka governor who is advising the government. It’s difficult for China to waive off the condition “because this is a three-year swap, it might be termed a loan and there may be pressure from IMF and others to include it in the stock of debt that we reschedule and therefore clearly that would be a disadvantage to the Chinese,” he said.

Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah will be the chief guest at the launch of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in Panchkula, Haryana, on Saturday. This is the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games - the biggest nationwide grassroots level sports competition in India, started by the central government in 2018.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia said here on Friday that he is ready to face investigation by any agency.

The issue was raised after AAP leader and Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a PMLA case. "I am not afraid of any agency. In the past, I faced CBI investigation, but they could not find anything against me," Sisodia said.

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves fell below $10 billion, threatening to spill over into a fullblown economic crisis unless policy makers secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund. The stockpile decreased by $366 million in the week ended May 27 to stand at $9.72 billion, the central bank said in a statement on its website. That’s roughly a 50 per cent drop from August and enough to pay for less than two months of imports.

Kerala clocks 1,544 new Covid cases, minister holds meeting

Kerala on Saturday reported 1,544 new COVID-19 cases which took the number of active patients in the state to 7,972 prompting state Health Minister Veena George to call a high-level meeting to assess the situation.

For the past five days, Kerala has been reporting over 1,000 coronavirus cases each day and a total of 48 COVID-related deaths.

After the meeting, George said the health department was closely monitoring the situation and there was no new variants.

Maharashtra reports 1,357 Covid cases, one death

Maharashtra on Saturday reported 1,357 new coronavirus infections and one pandemic-related death, the state health department said.

The state had recorded 1,134 new infections and three deaths the day before.

This is the third consecutive day when the state reported more than 1,000 cases. The state has 5,888 active cases now.

Congo auditor says $400 mn went missing from state mining company

More than $400 million in tax advances and loans that Democratic Republic of Congo's state mining company Gecamines said it paid to the national treasury cannot be found, according to a report by the government's public finances watchdog.

State miner Gecamines holds minority stakes in several of the world's largest copper and cobalt projects, including Glencore's Kamoto Copper Company mine and China Molybdenum's Tenke Fungurume mine.

Gecamines has long been dogged by accusations of corruption made by non-governmental organisations and opposition politicians.

Ukraine wants to bolster military position before resuming talks with Russia: Official

Ukraine wants to strengthen its positions on the ground with the help of new weapons deliveries from the West before it resumes peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said.

"Our armed forces are ready to use (the new weapons)...and then I think we can initiate a new round of talks from a strengthened position," he told Ukraine national television on Friday.

Ukraine said it had recaptured a chunk of the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region, the focus of a Russian offensive to take the eastern Donbas region.