EU nations approve a dozen pandemic recovery plans
The Hindu
The green light to prepare for the release of funds is a key step in an 800 billion-euro (USD 950 billion) support program that EU members agreed on in principle last summer
approved the pandemic recovery plans of the bloc's four biggest economies and eight other member countries Tuesday, a move seen as a bellwether for an economic revival from the unprecedented recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The approval will allow a dozen of the EU's 27 members to start unlocking funds for the pre-financing of projects that are intended to put Europe on more solid economic footing while also making it greener and more digitally advanced. The nations include the EU's economic juggernauts — France, Germany, Italy and Spain — and Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovakia.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.