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  • EBU & European Gymnastics renew their broadcast deal to 2028

    EBU & European Gymnastics renew their broadcast deal to 2028

    The European Broadcast Union (EBU), the umbrella body of free-to-air broadcasters, has renewed its agreement with the European Gymnastics (UEG) governing body, which will continue to cover its men’s and women’s artistic and rhythmic gymnastics competitions through 2028.

    The EBU will distribute the annual Artistic Gymnastics European Championships and Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships across 21 different territories.

    Broadcasters included in the deal from prominent gymnastics markets include the BBC (UK), BNT (Bulgaria), Rai (Italy), The Sport Channel (Israel), and Suspilne (Ukraine), among others.

    Coverage of the tournaments in the 21 territories will be supplemented by additional content provided by the EBU’s OTT streaming platform Eurovision Sport, which will provide shoulder content and ancillary programming around tournaments and widening the distribution reach.

    Adding an extra four years to the long-running deal will bring the EBU’s partnership with UEG, last extended in 2020, to 42 years in total.

    Speaking on the deal, EBU Sport executive director, Glen Killane, said: “This renewed agreement builds on more than 40 years of successful collaboration between the EBU and European Gymnastics, reinforcing our shared commitment to free-to-air access and global visibility for gymnastics. With equal focus on men’s and women’s events, we remain committed to promoting the sport’s values and showcasing true gender equality.”

    UEG president Farid Gayibov added: “Extending our contract with the EBU marks a significant step in our long-lasting partnership. We are proud to continue this collaboration, which ensures our sport reaches audiences across the continent.”

    The 2025 men’s and women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships, the first tournaments covered by the deal, will take place in Leipzig, Germany, from May 26 to May 31, with the Rhythmic European Championships taking place from June 4 to 8 in Tallinn, Estonia.

    In terms of recent rights deals, in October 2024, the EBU secured TV and radio broadcast rights to the 2026 and 2030 editions of soccer’s iconic FIFA World Cup in five territories – Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, and Israel (2026 only). Sportcal

  • Bangladesh deploys Starlink for a reliable internet connection

    Bangladesh deploys Starlink for a reliable internet connection

    Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned satellite internet service Starlink launched in Bangladesh on Tuesday, as the South Asian nation steps up efforts to ensure reliable, uninterrupted access to the internet.

    Muhammad Yunus, who has led the government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh following weeks of violent protest last year, has said the deal provided a service that could not be disrupted by any future political upheaval.

    “Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet is now available in Bangladesh,” the company posted on X.

    Monthly packages start at 4,200 taka ($35) for the service now available nationwide, said Yunus aide Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, with a one-time payment of 47,000 taka required for setup equipment.

    “This has created a sustainable alternative for premium customers to get high-quality and high-speed internet services,” he added in a Facebook post.

    Nobel peace laureate Yunus took the helm of the interim government in August after Hasina fled to neighbouring India. Authorities had suspended internet and text messaging services as protests spread nationwide last July.

    Starlink has expanded rapidly worldwide to operate in more than 70 countries, with a strong focus on further growth in emerging markets such as India. Reuters

  • The motives why aggregation could alter niche OTTs

    The motives why aggregation could alter niche OTTs

    With niche streaming platforms, including international players like Apple TV+ and regional services such as hoichoi and Chaupal, now bundled into popular aggregation services, industry experts see an opportunity for these platforms to move closer to the mainstream in a cluttered OTT economy.

    Bundling through services like Prime Video Channels has helped many platforms reach beyond their core linguistic audiences. For instance, Apple TV+ is now accessible to users outside its traditional, urban, upmarket base, while names like hoichoi and Chaupal are being discovered by non-Bengali or Punjabi viewers.

    “Aggregation has proven instrumental in expanding our footprint beyond core markets,” Soumya Mukherjee, chief operating officer of Bengali streaming service hoichoi, said. “For hoichoi, being part of Amazon Channels has allowed us to tap into new user cohorts, especially in regions where Bengali isn’t the primary language. These partnerships enhance discoverability, leading to higher engagement and time spent from previously untapped audiences.”

    Aggregation has the potential to be a strategic catalyst for language platforms like hoichoi, both in terms of visibility and business outcomes, Mukherjee added.

    Local to global
    By being part of larger aggregator ecosystems, regional services gain access to a much broader and often more diverse audience segment, many of whom might not have previously engaged with regional-language content directly.

    According to the Ormax Audience Report 2024, 42.2 million of the 150.6 million SVoD (subscription video-on-demand) audiences have access via B2B subscriptions.

    Keerat Grewal, head – business development (streaming, TV and brands), Ormax Media emphasized that while aggregation lowers average revenue per user or ARPU, it helps in sampling and reach for niche platforms like Apple TV+ as well as regional platforms seeking to expand their base.

    Charu Malhotra, co-founder and managing director, Primus Partners, a management consultancy firm, said aggregation platforms use AI-powered personalisation that recommends niche content and also adapts to user patterns.

    Platforms integrated into aggregator apps have seen up to 35% higher engagement in tier-two and tier-three cities compared to when they operated as standalone apps.

    Aggregation is not just a content strategy, but also a market-entry and brand-building strategy, she said. Once niche platforms gain visibility and user interest through aggregators, they also witness more direct app downloads and even social media traction. This eventually leads to a dual-revenue model, combining aggregator licensing and direct subscription, according to Malhotra.

    “Aggregation by bigger platforms like Prime Video Channels, Tata Play Binge, or Airtel Xstream gives niche players a solid push by offering distribution through a single app,” said Mahesh Sharma, president- strategic revenue partnerships at Chaupal, a platform specializing in Punjabi, Haryanvi and Bhojpuri content.

    In a market like India, where users are selective about the apps they keep, due to limited phone storage, being available through an already installed, trusted app helps. It increases visibility, adds a trust factor, and boosts reach, he said.

    Bundled and discovered
    Aggregation helps break geographical and language boundaries. When a regional or niche platform becomes part of a larger app ecosystem, it reaches non-traditional markets, he added.

    “Chaupal may start seeing engagement from cities where Punjabi isn’t the main language, simply because users are curious or exploring content across categories. Similarly, Apple TV+ might get discovered in smaller towns where people might not have gone out of their way to subscribe separately,” Sharma said.

    So, while the platform might already have a strong name in its core market, aggregation opens it up to a wider audience, and often leads to increased time spent and engagement as users sample content they wouldn’t have otherwise tried, he added.

    Industry experts emphasize that aggregation can definitely help build brand familiarity, which in turn can lead to direct subscriptions in the long run. However, India remains a price-sensitive market. So, while aggregators give visibility, their impact on conversion depends on whether the niche service can stand out and justify its value.

    “Aggregation definitely has the potential to bring niche platforms into the mainstream spotlight,” said Kaushik Das, founder and CEO of AAO NXT, an Odia content platform.

    By being part of a bigger ecosystem, smaller or regional platforms gain more credibility and reach, which can lead to increased direct subscriptions over time. “It also signals to investors and industry stakeholders that there is a growing appetite for diverse content, potentially driving bigger investments into India’s digital entertainment sector,” he added. LiveMint

  • US lawmakers look into bribery claims in Paramount’s Trump deal

    US lawmakers look into bribery claims in Paramount’s Trump deal

    Three US senators said Tuesday they had written to Paramount over its efforts to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against its news division, suggesting that the entertainment giant risks violating bribery laws.

    The trio warned Paramount Global Chair Shari Redstone that the company “may be engaging in improper conduct involving the Trump administration in exchange for approval of its merger with Skydance Media.”

    Trump’s lawsuit argues that the editing of a CBS News “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris was biased in her favor and “deceptive.”

    It is described by Trump’s critics as part of a broader assault on press freedom that has seen him bar the Associated Press from the Oval Office and sue other media organizations over their coverage.

    Paramount nevertheless entered into mediation in a bid to placate Trump as it seeks to close its $8 billion merger with the entertainment company Skydance, which needs federal government approval.

    “Paramount appears to be attempting to appease the administration in order to secure merger approval,” wrote Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, plus independent Bernie Sanders.

    Republicans control both chambers of Congress, limiting the power of Democrats to investigate or compel answers from witnesses.

    The senators’ letter comes after CBS News head Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens announced they were quitting over Paramount’s handling of the showdown with Trump.

    Warren, Wyden and Sanders noted that the company had initially called the suit “completely without merit” and had sought to have it dismissed.

    “If Paramount officials make these concessions in a quid pro quo arrangement to influence President Trump or other administration officials, they may be breaking the law,” they wrote.

    Trump accuses CBS of airing two different snippets from the same answer the then-vice president gave about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to help her in her election campaign.

    The Republican billionaire — who is seeking at least $20 billion in damages — sued last October, alleging that the interview violated a Texas consumer protection law.

    Legal experts have argued that the lawsuit would be an easy victory for CBS if it ever came to court.

    The network — which has made public an unedited transcript of the Harris interview — didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment but has denied any wrongdoing.

    Media watchers have pointed out that Trump routinely takes part in interviews that are edited for all manner of reasons. AFP

  • 46% of premium US SVOD subscriptions are ad-supported plans

    46% of premium US SVOD subscriptions are ad-supported plans

    There are an estimated 100 million subscriptions in the U.S. to ad-supported plans for premium subscription video-on-demand services (excluding Amazon’s Prime Video), and ad tiers now make up 46% of all subscriptions for those services that offer them.

    What makes that data, culled from Antenna’s latest quarterly “State of Streaming” report, so interesting is the context. Just two years ago, the research company points out, half of premium SVOD services didn’t even offer an ad-supported plan, and only about one in three subscriptions was to an ad plan. About half of the streaming population, Antenna also noted, had never even tried an ad-supported premium SVOD plan. (Antenna’s measurements include Discovery+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount+ and Peacock.)

    Advertising, the company notes in its report, has very quickly become “an entrenched and intrinsic part of the streaming landscape and business model.”

    Indeed, “with ads” plans are driving U.S. SVOD growth at this point. As the graphics below reveal, ad-supported tiers for Antenna’s panel of premium SVODs grew by 24.1 million net subscribers from April 1, 2024 to April 1, 2025.

    Ad-free tiers only expanded by 7.3 million subscribers over the same span. Antenna further states that ad-supported tiers drove 71% of signups for its measured services over the nine months ending March 31.

    According to Antenna’s data, ad-supported tiers carry roughly the same “survival rate” – a measure which tracks loyalty, controlling for tenure and time of entry – that ad-free plans do. Forty-three percent of subscribers who signed up for an ad-free plan on one of Antenna’s measured services during the first half of 2024 kept their subscription for at least nine months, almost flat with that of ad-supported plans (42%). Survival loyalty rates were also the same between tiers at one, three, and six months.

    However, ad-supported plans have higher rates of churn, the research company found. With-ads tiers churned at 4.96% in March, 0.83 points higher than ad-free tiers. But the research company explained that part of that numerical outcome stems from the weight of legacy Netflix subscribers, “who represent a meaningful portion of the ad-free churn denominator and are highly unlikely to cancel.”

    Finally, Antenna divides the subscription streaming market into four quadrant: “ad avoiders,” who shun plans with commercials; “ad takers,” who will only subscribe to less expensive with-ad tiers; “ad oblivious” folks who have never had to make a choice between the two types of plans; and “ad managers,” who actually weigh the cost-value equation of each service they take, and purchase a combination of plans.

    Increasingly, Antenna finds, the ad managers are taking over. StreamTV Insider

  • Rural India sees a boom in fixed wireless service

    Rural India sees a boom in fixed wireless service

    Rural consumers in India are taking to fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband service in a big way, altering the perception that it is a premium service that mostly urban households, especially in big cities and metros, can afford.

    According to the latest data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Reliance Jio, the largest player in FWA, at the end of March this year had as much as 44 per cent (2.5 million) of its subscribers in rural areas. It has 5.57 million in all.

    Jio has 82 per cent of FWA subscribers, with the rest being with Airtel, which launched the service gradually in September 2023.

    While FWA subscribers are spread across the country, Andhra Pradesh is at the top, accounting for 8.7 per cent of FWA rural subscribers for Jio, followed by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (east) and Tamil Nadu.

    Growth in FWA in India till March was faster than what the GSMA Intelligence, the research wing of a global body of telecom players, had estimated. The estimate was 6 million by the end of 2025. Jio and Airtel together crossed 6.79 million in the third month of the year. Airtel, which started after Jio, is concentrating on urban locations.

    If the GSMA projections hold good globally, there will be 32.4 million FWA homes all over the world.

    Based on the first three months’ subscriber base, India has a fifth of the global FWA market.

    The only other country ahead of India in FWA is the United States, which has 14.7 million FWA connections. However, based on industry projections, by 2030, India is expected to have 75 million-100 million homes connected by either FWA or fibre to the home. And many expect it to cross the US in the next few years.

    But the market will have a third challenger from satellite broadband service, in which companies like Starlink, One Web, and Kuiper from Amazon are in various stages of setting up shop in the country. The large rural affluent population not connected or with poor or unstable terrestrial connectivity could be a market which would also like to try out satcom service. Business Standard

  • Govt can assist Vi when the SC denies appeals for AGR waivers, IIFL

    Govt can assist Vi when the SC denies appeals for AGR waivers, IIFL

    The Supreme Court dismissing telcos’ petitions on AGR dues waiver notwithstanding, the government may still have a few options to support Vodafone Idea by waiving interest, penalty and interest on penalty or extending the timeline for payment, IIFL Capital said on Tuesday.

    The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed pleas of telecom majors Vodafone, Airtel and Tata Teleservices seeking waiver of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, a move that marks a major setback in particular for crisis-ridden VIL.

    A bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan called the pleas “misconceived”.

    The top court refused to “come in the way of the government” wanting to help the telecom companies.

    IIFL Capital, in a telecom sector note with header ‘Vi: The fat lady has not sung yet’, said on Tuesday that “while the SC’s dismissal of writ petition limits the options in front of Vi, we believe the government still has a few options”.

    If the SC has observed that it would not oppose the government’s relief measures, the Telecom Department can file a modification plea in the SC to get a formal order in this regard, according to IIFL Capital.

    “This could enable the government to waive off 50 per cent of interest, as well as 100 per cent of penalty and interest on penalties pertaining to AGR dues, that it was reportedly considering earlier. It could also extend the timeline for AGR payments, which would translate into cash flow relief. Further, it could consider rectifying calculation errors,” the note said.

    If the government waives interest, penalty and so on, IIFL’s calculations indicate that Bharti’s and VIL’s annual cash payouts would reduce by Rs 7,500 crore, and Rs 9,700 crore, respectively.

    “If we assume that the government extends the AGR payment deadline from FY31 to FY51, Bharti’s/Vi’s cash payouts would reduce by Rs 48bn/Rs 94bn pa from FY26 to FY31,” it said.

    Yet, VIL could still face cash flow challenges even with some relief, it believes.

    “Even in the event of a relief, Vi’s OCF (operating cash flow) pre-interest payment of Rs 123 bn/Rs 157 bn in FY26/27 would be insufficient to make regulatory payouts of Rs 89 bn/Rs 111 bn in addition to interest payments and capex. The government may have to extend the moratorium or increase its stake in the telco,” it said.

    On Tuesday, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia declined to comment to the question from media – on sidelines of a TRAI event – on whether the government would extend support to crisis-ridden Vodafone Idea, after the Supreme Court dismissed plea on waiver of AGR dues.

    There is no official word yet from Vodafone Idea on what it plans to do next.

    “…we wish to inform you that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has today refused to admit the Writ Petition filed by the company, seeking appropriate relief in the AGR matter,” the company said in a filing late on Tuesday.

    When contacted, Sanjay Kapoor, former CEO of Bharti Airtel, opined that that odds are stacked up against Vodafone Idea, and even in event of a bailout, the telco may find it difficult to compete given the yawning gap with larger rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel on customers base and other metrics.

    “It is a precarious situation. With the SC dismissal, the only fallback for VIL is government. But then government already has 49 per cent stake in the telco and the Centre has, in the past, made it clear that it would not want to go beyond that holding,” Kapoor told PTI.

    Also, any solution that the government works out to tide over the situation would require ensuring a level-playing-field for other telcos like Airtel and Jio, as well.

    “It is catch-22. If the government doesn’t bailout the company, VIL’s only option would be private investments through strategic or financial investors. And I would be surprised if they haven’t already knocked on every possible door. Telecom sector requires heavy investment and the longevity of tech cycles is shrinking, the cap cycles too are getting shorter,” he said.

    According to him, Jio and Airtel together hold a significant market share and have been nibbling away at the share of VIL, anyway.
    “The gap puts a great barrier for any new investor,” he said.

    Just weeks ago, VIL had sent an SOS to the telecom department stating that without the government’s timely support on adjusted gross revenue or AGR, it will not be able to operate beyond FY26 as the bank funding discussions will not move forward.

    The embattled telco shot off a letter to the telecom department on April 17, 2025, making a strong case for a lifeline, saying “no support will lead to a point of no return”.

    “Without GoI’s (Government of India) timely support on AGR, VIL will not be able to operate beyond FY26 as the bank funding discussions will not move forward,” VIL CEO Akshaya Moondra wrote in a letter to the DoT secretary.

    Vodafone Idea, in the letter, had cautioned DoT that without debt disbursement from banks, the investments it planned will not take place.

    “Resultantly, operational performance improvement will be stalled. More importantly, the funds raised by the company will be utilised soon and the entire capex cycle will come to a halt. In such a case, the entire fund raising done over last 12 months and investment done so far by the company, as also the equity stake of government including the recent conversion, will lose value,” VIL had said.

    According to Voda Idea’s letter, without government support and in case VIL is not able to pay the AGR dues, the company will have to go into a process of NCLT which would be a long-drawn process. PTI

  • A partial communications loss is caused via a network upgrade for Telefonica

    A partial communications loss is caused via a network upgrade for Telefonica

    Telefonica said it had reestablished all services in Spain by early afternoon on Tuesday after disruption to some fixed-phone and internet services for a few hours in parts of the country due to a network update.

    The outage came three weeks after Spain suffered a catastrophic power blackout on April 28, whose causes are yet to be determined.

    Emergency service line 112 was also disrupted in some areas of the country, Telefonica said.

    “All service has been reestablished except for a case or two where teams are working,” Telefonica’s Operations Director Sergio Sanchez said in a video posted online.

    Telefonica is the second-largest operator in Spain after Orange’s MasOrange, and other large providers’ services were not affected. Telefonica’s mobile service also appeared to work normally throughout the morning.

    According to the Downdetector monitoring website, reported disruptions were mostly related to fixed-line internet services. Users reported connection problems in the regions of Aragon, Valencia, Andalusia, Extremadura, the Basque Country and Navarra, as well as parts of Madrid. Reuters

  • One World for Health, as per PM Modi, aligns with India’s vision

    One World for Health, as per PM Modi, aligns with India’s vision

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva via videoconferencing. Addressing the gathering, he extended warm greetings to all attendees, highlighting this year’s theme, ‘One World for Health,’ and emphasized that it aligns with India’s vision for global health. He recalled his address at the 2023 World Health Assembly, where he had spoken about ‘One Earth, One Health.’ He remarked that the future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, an integrated vision, and collaboration.

    Emphasizing that inclusion is at the core of India’s health reforms, Modi highlighted Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme, which covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. The programme was recently expanded to cover all Indians above the age of 70 years. He noted India’s extensive network of thousands of health and wellness centers that facilitate early screening and detection of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. He also underlined the role of thousands of public pharmacies that provide high-quality medicines at significantly lower prices. Highlighting the role of technology in improving health outcomes, Modi underscored India’s digital initiatives like the digital platform that tracks the vaccination of pregnant women and children and the unique digital health identity system, which is helping integrate benefits, insurance, records, and information. He remarked that with telemedicine, no one is too far from a doctor. He highlighted India’s free telemedicine service, which has enabled over 340 million consultations. Reflecting on the positive impact of India’s health initiatives, he noted a significant decline in Out-of-Pocket Expenditure as a percentage of Total Health Expenditure. Simultaneously, he emphasized that Government Health Expenditure has increased considerably.

    “The health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable”, underlined the Prime Minister, highlighting that the Global South is particularly impacted by health challenges and stressed that India’s approach provides replicable, scalable, and sustainable models. He expressed India’s willingness to share its learnings and best practices with the world, especially with the Global South. Looking ahead to the 11th International Day of Yoga in June, the Prime Minister encouraged global participation. He highlighted this year’s theme, ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health,’ and extended an invitation to all countries, emphasizing India’s role as the birthplace of Yoga.

    Modi extended his congratulations to the World Health Organization (WHO) and all member states on the successful negotiations of the INB treaty. He described it as a shared commitment to fighting future pandemics through greater global cooperation. He emphasized the importance of building a healthy planet while ensuring that no one is left behind. Concluding his address, the Prime Minister invoked a timeless prayer from the Vedas, he reflected on how, thousands of years ago, India’s sages prayed for a world where all would be healthy, happy, and free from disease. He expressed hope that this vision would unite the world.
    NewsBit Bureau

  • India has 164 COVID cases since May 12

    India has 164 COVID cases since May 12

    The surging number of Covid-19 cases in southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Hong Kong raised alarms in India, with health authorities conducting a review meeting and asserting that the situation in the nation was ‘under control’.

    Experts from the National Centre for Disease Control, Emergency Medical Relief division, Disaster Management Cell, Indian Council of Medical Research and central government hospitals, held a review meeting on Monday under the chairpersonship of the director general of health services.

    An official source, said, “The meeting concluded that the current Covid-19 situation in India remains under control. As of May 19, 2025, the number of active Covid-19 cases in India stands at 257, a very low figure considering the country’s large population. Almost all of these cases are mild, with no hospitalisation required.”

    However, the Union health ministry continues to proactively monitor the situation closely and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard public health.

    The rise in Covid-19 cases in southeast Asia are mostly triggered by the JN.1 variant, a descendant of the Omicron BA.2.86 variant. As per the World Health Organisation, the JN.1 variant has around 30 mutations, and among them are LF.7 and NB.1.8, the two most common versions among the recently reported cases.

    How many cases India has reported since May 12?
    Covid cases in India: As per the data from the ministry of health and family welfare, India reported 164 cases since May 12. Kerala reported the highest number of cases at 69, followed by Maharashtra at 44 and Tamil Nadu at 34.

    Karnataka reported 8 new cases of Covid-19, while Gujarat accounted for 6 and Delhi 3. Haryana, Rajasthan, and Sikkim reported one new case each.

    The ministry noted that the active cases in Kerala, however, was at 95, adding that “further reconciliation of mortality figures is ongoing”.

    Currently, India has a total of 257 active cases of Covid-19. As many as 4,45,11,240 persons have been discharged and 5,33,666 deaths have been recorded, official data showed.

    2 hospital deaths spark concern in Mumbai
    The deaths of two Covid-19 patients at the civic-run KEM hospital in Mumbai sparked concerns over Covid-19. However, the hospital has clarified that the deaths were not related to coronavirus, but were due to co-morbidities.

    The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had said in a statement that deaths of two Covid-infected patients, a 14-year-old girl and a woman aged 54, were reported at KEM hospital in Parel. However, hospital authorities said that they were due to serious diseases like nephrotic syndrome with hypocalcemic seizures and cancer.

    BMC clarified that there was no need for people to panic. It further said that Covid-19 is now considered as an endemic and ongoing health problem and very few cases of the virus are being found.

    “The Health Department of the BMC is constantly monitoring the spread of Covid-19. From January 2025 to April 2025, the number of Covid-19 patients has been found to be very low. But since the beginning of May, there have been some cases of Covid-19. However, the BMC administration is appealing to citizens not to panic in this regard,” the civic body’s statement read.

    BMC also said that it has made arrangements for the treatment of Covid patients, such as earmarking special beds and rooms in the municipal hospitals in the city. The capacity will immediately be increased if deemed necessary, it added.

    Covid cases in Singapore, Hong Kong
    Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Hong Kong are reporting an uptick in Covid-19 cases, with authorities urging people to keep vigil and take precautions.

    In a press release, the controller of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection Edwin Tsui said, “After the resumption of normalcy, Hong Kong experienced cycles of active periods of Covid-19 in every six to nine months. We expect the activity level of Covid-19 to remain at a higher level for at least the next few weeks.”

    As per Nation Thailand, there were 31 severe cases of Covid-19 in Hong Kong in the week ending May 3, which is a 12-month peak in such cases.

    In Singapore, the ministry of health and the communicable diseases agency said that the estimated number of Covid-19 cases stood at 14,200 for the week of April 27 to May 3, rising from previous week’s figure of 11,100, the Straits Times reported.

    Last week, Singapore’s health minister Ong Ye Kung had posted on Facebook that periodic Covid-19 waves are “expected throughout the year”.

    Meanwhile, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency extended its seasonal Covid vaccination period last month by two months, i.e., until end of June. It advised people aged 65 and above to get inoculated with the JN.1 shot from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.

    Reportedly, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that positive test rates for Covid-19 in hospitals more than doubled in the five weeks leading up to May 4.

    WHO votes in favour of global pandemic agreement
    Amid the rising concern over Covid cases in Asia, members of the World Health Organisation voted in favour of a global pandemic agreement.

    After Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, 124 countries voted in favour of the global treaty on improving pandemic preparedness.

    “Governments from all over the world are making their countries, and our interconnected global community, more equitable, healthier and safer from the threats posed by pathogens and viruses of pandemic potential,” said Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

    The draft addresses structural inequities on drugs and vaccines after lessons were learned following the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be formally adopted on Tuesday during a plenary session at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. Hindustan Times