South Korea's Hyundai Motor's first-quarter net profit slumped 44 per cent to its lowest level for the quarter in a decade as the spreading coronavirus outbreak hit demand for cars worldwide, the company said on Thursday.

Net profit for January-March was 463 billion won ($376 million), far below an average Refinitiv estimate of 607 billion won drawn from 15 analysts.

In a setback to those seeking entry into the US for employment purposed, American President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending immigration for 60 days to protect the jobs of Americans laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The temporary freezing of immigration will affect people who are legally seeking entry into the country for employment purposes but not the ones who are already living in the country, the order said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that coronavirus will remain with us for a long time and said that the body declared it a global pandemic at the 'right time'.

Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time. Looking back, I think we declared the emergency at the right time on January 30, he added.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during the coronavirus crisis, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has commended government's proactive measures such as lockdown and expansion of focused testing in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, the philanthropist billionaire said he was glad that the Indian government is fully utilising its exceptional digital capabilities in its COVID-19 response and has launched the Aarogya Setu app for coronavirus tracking, contact tracing, and to connect people to health services.

Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain who was earlier arrested under in a case related to February communal violence in northeast Delhi has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Hussain was arrested earlier in connection with the alleged killing of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the communal violence in northeast Delhi which claimed over 50 lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, which aims to protect health workers from violence, saying that 'there will be no compromise on their safety.'

The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 manifests our commitment to protect each and every healthcare worker who is bravely battling COVID-19 on the frontline. It will ensure safety of our professionals. There can be no compromise on their safety! Modi tweeted.

President Donald Trump's new executive order banning immigration to the United States will last 30 to 90 days with the chance of renewal and apply narrowly to those seeking permanent immigration status, a senior administration official said.

Other workers such as those on so-called H1-B visas would be covered in a separate action, the official said.

Despite a significant drop for the second time in the number of registered coronavirus cases in the country, Italy Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte prepared countrymen for a longer lockdown on Tuesday.

Italy is approaching a fateful decision on whether to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses for the first time in nearly two months on May 4.

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday withdrew its lockdown relaxation norms for Mumbai and Pune regions, both coronavirus hotspots, and revised its last week’s guidelines prohibiting door-to-door delivery of newspapers and magazines in the state.

The curb on doorstep delivery of newspapers and magazines will be in force only in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune city in view of the spread of coronavirus in these regions, the government said. Lockdown relaxation norms for the regions were withdrawn in view of a large number of people found commuting on April 20, it said.

Netflix Inc on Tuesday reported a surge in new sign-ups as audiences stayed in their homes to help fight the novel coronavirus and binged on series such as Tiger King, but the company predicted a weaker second half of the year if quarantine orders are lifted.

The world's largest streaming service gained 15.8 million paying customers in the first three months of the year, bringing its global total to 182.9 million at the end of March.

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