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ValueAct eyes stake of over $1.1 billion in Japanese gaming major Nintendo

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Activist investor ValueAct Capital Partners LP has built a stake of over $1.1 billion in Nintendo, according to a letter seen by Reuters, a bet that digital software distribution and the development of new entertainment products will fuel growth at the Japanese gaming company. ValueAct, which first began buying the stock in April 2019, grew the position in Nintendo, known for its  gaming consoles  and for having turned characters like Mario and Donkey Kong into international hits, during the stock market sell-off in February and March, according to the letter sent to its investors. Nintendo's future is bright, ValueAct wrote in its letter, adding there is potential for growth both in the software business and room for the company to transform itself into a broader entertainment company. ValueAct has picked up about 2.6 million shares, or about a 2% stake, in  Nintendo.  Shares of the Japanese company rose more than 2% as trading started in Tokyo. ...

Covid-19: Trump plans to suspend immigration to protect American jobs

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Days after the US government allowed applicants for H-1B visas to continue in the country, President  Donald Trump  on Tuesday announced a temporary suspension of immigration into the country. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!,” the US President wrote in a Twitter post. Details of Trump's executive order were not immediately known. He also did not indicate when he will sign such an order. While Trump talked about suspending immigration visa, the H-1B visa, which is more popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa. But his reasoning that he needs to protect jobs of American citizens indicates that non-immigrant work visas too might be on his target. Read Complete Article

Govt promotes blood donation amid Covid-19 lockdown, issues guidelines

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After partial relief in  lockdown  at select places, the government is now looking at promoting blood donation, especially for Thalassemic and Hemophilic patients. In a  letter  to state blood transfusion councils (SBTC), the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) promoted voluntary  blood donation  programmes across the country. In the letter, it noted that due to the national  lockdown  from March 25, there was limited movement of Blood Mobile and Transportation vans, and blood donations. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a communication to the chief secretaries, administrators, Cmmissioner of Police of all the states to facilitate the movement of blood mobile/ transportation vans and blood donors. In a  letter  to all the state health ministers, Union Health Minister Dr.  Harsh Vardhan  termed that availability of blood in  blood banks  as 'essential'. "We are cognizant of the situation ...

'Respect' govt decision on sale of non-essential goods: Flipkart

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Flipkart  CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy has said the company respects the government's decision to reverse its previous order that allowed e-commerce  companies  to deliver non-essential items. In a mail to employees, Krishnamurthy also encouraged them to explore innovative ways to drive value for the ecosystem including sellers, brands, kirana stores and customers. "We respect the decision because the government has many complex scenarios to manage while protecting more than a billion people in the country," Krishnamurthy said. Four days after allowing  e-commerce firms  to also deliver non-essential items such as electronic goods and readymade garments, the government on Sunday said sale of non-essential items will continue to be prohibited during the  lockdown  period till May 3. "With this development, changes our plans at the  Flipkart  group, the entire leadership and the management team is completely aligned and committe...

Covid-19: Paytm Payments Bank crosses Rs 1,000 crore in savings deposits

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Paytm   Payments Bank (PPBL) said it has crossed Rs 1,000 crore in deposits through over 57 million  savings  account holders. PPBL has been witnessing an accelerated rise in the deposits, as more people are embracing digital banking during Covid-19. The bank has now implemented the option to avail benefits of Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), which is a scheme by Government of India to transfer the subsidies of various social welfare schemes like LPG gas subsidy, MNREGA payments, Old Age Pension, Scholarships directly into the beneficiary’s bank account.

Covid-19: Delhi has highest infection rate, Tamil Nadu is showing recovery

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India’s  coronavirus  infection rate – positive results as a proportion of tests conducted – has increased sharply from 3.5 per cent on April 1 to 4.6 per cent on April 19, reveal data released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). As on April 19, India had tested 383,985 people for Covid-19, and found 17,615 of them (4.6 per cent) to be positive for the virus. By comparison, the total number of confirmed cases in India as on April 1 was 2,059, or 3.5 per cent of the 47,951 tests conducted till then. However, if one were to look at the same data in a different way, the tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India has seen a 10-fold growth since the start of the month, against an increase of about 14 times in the total number of tests conducted during the same period. India has significantly ramped up its testing capabilities lately to keep a check on the spread of  coronavirus  infections in the country. Among the 15 most affected Indian st...

Get enough protein, focus on vitamins, minerals to boost your immunity

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Health is defined by the World Health Organization as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Building immunity and good defense is important for good health. The immune system is indeed a system, not a single entity. Good nutrition is essential to a strong immune system, which offers protection not only from novel infections, such as COVID -19, but also seasonal illness, such as the flu and allergies, abnormal cell development and cancers. Energy intake should be as per requirement, since both over nutrition (obesity) and undernutrition can lead to poor immunity. There is no single food or supplement that can prevent illness. However, here are a few options that you could follow that can help in building your overall immune strength. Get enough protein Protein plays an important role in body’s immune system, especially healing and recovery. Eat a variety of protein rich foods, especially combinatio...