Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had a telephone conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.

According to a press statement, the two leaders discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the response strategies adopted by their respective Governments to the health crisis.

As coronavirus cases continue to spread rapidly around the globe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has debunked rumours and said that it is not airborne transmission and is transmitted between two people only through respiratory droplets and contact routes.

Respiratory infections can be transmitted through droplets of different sizes: when the droplet particles are >5-10 μm in diameter they are referred to as respiratory droplets, and when then are <5μm in diameter, they are referred to as droplet nuclei, WHO said in a statement.

Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah on Friday approved the release of Rs 11,092 crore under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF), to all states to battle the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes a day after the assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday during his video conference meeting with chief ministers of the states.

The Central Government has released in advance its share of first installment of State Disaster Risk Management Fund for the year 2020-21, amounting to Rs. 11,092 crores, with a view to augment funds available with the State Governments, a press release said.

In the worst 24-hour death toll for any country since the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the United States recorded nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

The US recorded 1,480 deaths between 8:30 pm (0030 GMT) Thursday and the same time Friday, AFP reported.

Since a day before the nationwide lockdown, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has delivered 1.16 million tonnes (mt) foodgrain to several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. According to a senior FCI official, this is nearly three times what the corporation had delivered during the corresponding period last year.

The FCI is also looking at moving 6 mt foodgrain this month alone, nearly 2.5 times what it had delivered in April last year, the official said.

Toyota's Etios series and Corolla Altis model will no more be seen at the dealers as the company has stopped production of the models.

In a statement, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said that the company manufactured the last batch of the Etios series as well as the Corolla Altis at its plant in Bidadi, Karnataka last month.

The Yogi-Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government on Friday took a strict stance against reports of misbehaviour against police personnel in the state and said that anyone who attacks the police at any place in the state will be booked under the National Security Act (NSA).

A directive issued by the state government, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, read, During the lockdown, strict action will be taken against those who attack the police at any place in the state. They will be booked under the NSA.

Amazon Pantry, the company’s daily essentials store for Prime members, is back online and is accepting orders in a few cities after temporarily shutting down last week due to the lockdown.

It is now serviceable in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune for select pincodes. Pantry offers essentials including food, beverages, household supplies, health and beauty products at discounted rates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the nation through a video message, in which he appealed to the citizens of India to come together to defeat the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, that is spreading like wildfire across the nation.

In a unique proposition, the Prime Minister asked every citizen to switch off all lights at their residences on April 5 at 9 PM for nine minutes and instead light a candle, a 'Diya', or their mobile's flashlights to mark India's fight against coronavirus.

Hours after Delhi government wrote to capital's police commissioner seeking deployment of adequate police force at the quarantine centres and hospital where people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin Markaz have been kept, adjoining Ghaziabad's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has written to the local police saying that the Jammat attendees have been roaming nude inside the MMG district hospital and making lewd gestures and remarks at the nurses.

In the letter, the CMO said that the inmates who have been put under observation are misbehaving with the hospital staff.

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