Amid nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus crisis, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2020 for admission into medical colleges across the country has been postponed.

In view of the hardships faced by the parents and the students due to COVID-19 epidemic, the National Testing Agency has postponed the ensuing NEET (UG) May 2020 examination scheduled to be held on May 3, 2020, the Ministry of Human Resource Development said.

Indian IT giant Infosys on Friday said it has terminated the services of an employee for a social media post where he urged people to go out and sneeze and spread the novel coronavirus which has infected over 800 people in the country so far.

The man, identified as Mujeeb Mohammed, has been arrested by Bengaluru Police for the post.

Oil prices slumped anew on Friday with Brent North Sea crude plumbing a 17-year low owing to massive oversupply as the coronavirus crisis paralyses global demand.

Around 1435 GMT, Brent for May delivery was down 7.33 percent from Thursday, at USD 24.41 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate fell 5.97 percent to USD 21.25.

President of India Ram Nath Kovind along with Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday through video-conferencing held a meeting with all the governors, lieutenant Governors and administrators of all states and Union Territories in an effort to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the conference, the President urged the governors, lieutenant governors and administrators of all states and Union Territories to mobilise volunteers of Indian Red Cross society, voluntary and religious organisations to contain the pandemic.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva on Friday said that the coronavirus pandemic has hit the global economy so hard that the world has entered into a recession. The economy will require massive funding to help the developing nations turn around from the downturn resulting from the pandemic, the IMF chief said.

It is clear that we have entered a recession that will be worse than in 2009 following the global financial crisis, she said in an online press briefing.

Setting an example for the world at large, Indian scientists have revealed a microscopy image of SARS-CoV-2 viral strain which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the individuals that it affects. Scientists examined a sample extracted from the saliva of a woman who returned from China's Wuhan and managed to fetch a photo of the virus under an electron microscope.

Scientists said that the picture and the findings are published in the latest edition of the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), the journal of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus. In a video posted on Twitter, Johnson confirmed that he had developed a mild fever and symptoms, following which he took a test for COVID-19, which returned positive.

Johnson confirmed that over the last 24 hours, he had developed 'mild symptoms', after which he was tested positive. He will now self-isolate at Downing Street but will continue to lead the British government's response via video-conference.

The global coronavirus death toll crossed 27,000 on Saturday as the number of cases worldwide neared 600,000.

While Italy has reported the highest number of deaths at 9,134, 919 in a single day on Friday, the number of affected people is highest in the US where it has crossed 100,000-mark.

Speaking at the virtual G20 summit on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the world has taken time to respond to the Coronavirus crisis even as he has called on a new concept of globalisation in which collective well-being of humankind is the focus.

Even 3 months after the crisis, we are trying to find a coordinated response, PM said, adding that G20 meeting shows international community has come together but it has taken some time to respond to the crisis with this magnitude and dimension.

Shares of Aurobindo Pharma gained 12 per cent to Rs 406 on the BSE on Friday, after the company announced that its Hyderabad-based facility has received an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) with Voluntary Action Initiated (VAl) status from the US FDA. The stock of drugmaker was trading higher for the fourth straight day and has rallied 38 per cent during the period.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.