Mint Lite: Top 10 news and views around the world

Hundreds flooded streets in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, US, to protest against social distancing and business closures as the virus hits health and economy

Mint Lite is a quick update to up to speed with everything you need to know, and some things that you may not need to know but are just fun to know, in five minutes before you start your day

On the streets for different reasons

Hundreds flooded streets in Kentucky (left), Ohio and Michigan, US, to protest against social distancing and business closures as the virus hits health and economy. In South Korea, where people queued to be checked for symptoms before they voted, the ruling Democratic Party won by a landslide on Wednesday. Health authorities said Thursday they will now have to monitor a possible rise in cases for two weeks.

Delhi to start plasma trials for high-risk covid-19 cases

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said Delhi has received approval from the Centre to soon start plasma transfusion trials to treat covid-19 patients. After Maharashtra, Delhi has the highest number of covid-19 cases in the country, with over 1,500 people testing positive. In this method, patients who have recovered and developed antibodies to the infection donate blood. The plasma is removed, treated and injected into an infected patient, so that the antibodies aid recovery. Kejriwal said Kerala and Maharashtra were also working on this method.

Bombay HC asks state to consider sending migrants home

The Bombay high court has asked the Maharashtra government to consider letting stranded migrant workers return to their hometowns within the state, while hearing petitions relating to daily wagers affected by the lockdown. It added that workers should be tested before they go home. It also asked the state to prepare a list of the stranded migrant labourers. The Aurangabad bench of the court also directed collectors to prepare a list of stranded migrant workers in their districts, whether their basic needs are being met, and if psychological counselling is being provided to them.

Bombay HC asks state to consider sending migrants home

The Bombay high court has asked the Maharashtra government to consider letting stranded migrant workers return to their hometowns within the state, while hearing petitions relating to daily wagers affected by the lockdown. It added that workers should be tested before they go home. It also asked the state to prepare a list of the stranded migrant labourers. The Aurangabad bench of the court also directed collectors to prepare a list of stranded migrant workers in their districts, whether their basic needs are being met, and if psychological counselling is being provided to them.

Gates Foundation gives $150 million more for covid-19

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged an additional $150 million for covid-19 response, bringing its total commitment to $250 million. The announcement came a day after US President Donald Trump said he was holding funding to World Health Organization pending a review of its work. Gates Foundation is the second largest donor to WHO after the US. Melinda Gates, who co-chairs the foundation with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said, “De-funding WHO makes absolutely no sense during a pandemic." The funds will go toward treatments and public health measures.

Virus cuts into chocolate demand, cocoa prices slump

Cocoa processing has decline in the first quarter as retail outlets globally are closed because of the pandemic, and demand for chocolate plummets, Bloomberg reports. Cocoa prices have declined more than a fifth in two months (see graph). Processing in Asia, which was rising earlier, may drop 9% compared to last year, while Europe and the US may decline 3% and 7.5%, respectively.

Gold demand in India could hit three-decade low

India’s gold consumption in 2020 could fall 50% from a year ago to the lowest level in nearly three decades as a nationwide lockdown has closed jewellery stores during key festivals and the wedding season, Reuters reports. The drop in consumption by the world’s second-biggest gold buyer could limit a rally in global prices, which hit a seven-year high last month. The fall in demand could narrow India’s trade deficit and support the faltering rupee. Industry insiders said gold consumption in 2020 could fall to 350 tonnes, the lowest since 1991, and down from 690.4 tonnes in 2019.

Oil-rich Venezuela is running out of gas

In Venezuela, the coronavirus lockdown isn’t the biggest problem—it’s the shortage of fuel. The acute fuel shortage has grounded 90% of Venezuela’s nearly five million cars, buses and other vehicles. The military guards the few stations that still have some fuel, reserving supply for essential services during the pandemic. The country is sitting on massive reserves but the shortage began after the US imposed sanctions last year. Oil prices are now plummeting during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the US is looking to use this opportunity to oust weakened Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Now the virus has a tune, and it’s soothing

Scientists have turned the structure of the coronavirus into music with a Japanese koto. Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology assigned each amino acid spike in the virus a unique note, converting the entire protein into a musical score, Science reports. The new format can help scientists find sites on the protein where antibodies or drugs might be able to bind, by searching for specific musical sequences that correspond to these sites. This is faster and more intuitive than conventional methods to study proteins. And oddly, for a virus that causes such fear, it sounds soothing.

An artwork by Banksy is seen in this picture obtained from the artist's Instagram account on April 16, 2020. Instagram/Banksy via REUTERS

In lockdown, Banksy decides to work from bathroom

UK-based artist Banksy put out pictures of his new art showing rats causing mayhem in a bathroom during lockdown. The famous artist, whose identity has not been revealed but whose work can fetch over £1 million, posted five pictures on his Instagram account of painted rats wreaking havoc in what seems to be his home. The nine rats are squeezing out hand sanitizer, hanging from the towel ring, stepping on a toothpaste tube, and pushing aside the bathroom mirror. One seems to be counting the days of lockdown. The caption: “My wife hates it when I work from home."

UK-based artist Banksy put out pictures of his new art showing rats causing mayhem in a bathroom during lockdown. The famous artist, whose identity has not been revealed but whose work can fetch over £1 million, posted five pictures on his Instagram account of painted rats wreaking havoc in what seems to be his home. The nine rats are squeezing out hand sanitizer, hanging from the towel ring, stepping on a toothpaste tube, and pushing aside the bathroom mirror. One seems to be counting the days of lockdown. The caption: “My wife hates it when I work from home."

Marston Moretaine: 99-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore, poses for a photo at his home in Marston Moretaine, (Photo: AP)

99-year-old raises $16 million for UK health service

It’s heartwarming to watch 99-year-old Tom Moore cheerfully wave and walk holding a frame. The British war veteran completed the last of 100 laps of his garden on Thursday, and raised $16 million for UK’s National Health Service. He had set himself a goal of walking the 25m around his garden 100 times before his 100th birthday on 30 April. And his original target for charity? $1,250.