New Delhi, October 5 (PTI): The education ministry released guidelines on Monday for reopening schools, which included thorough cleaning and disinfection of premises, flexibility in attendance, no assessment for up to three weeks and ensuring smooth transition from home-based schooling during COVID-19 lockdown to formal schooling. It also asked states and union territories to frame their own Standard Operating Procedures for health and safety precautions based on their local require

MOSCOW, September 24 (Reuters): The young violinist holding a sign reading "Strike for Climate" on a Moscow square didn't have long to wait for the police to arrive. His one-man protest lasted just 30 minutes before he was detained this summer for the second Friday in a row. The city's COVID-19 lockdown is now over but protests remain illegal, presenting a new challenge for Arshak Makichyan's mission to build a movement from scratch to pressure the go

Newmai News Network Aizawl | September 11  As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Mizoram, the Zoramthanga government has imposed a one week lockdown in the Municipal area of the state capital Aizawl since Friday, September 11. The decision of the Mizoram government came after the state had recorded 141 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, which was the highest single day spike in the state. The Mizoram Health department said that, out of the 141 cases reported on Monday,

Imphal, August 24 (NNN): In the last five months of COVID-19 induced lockdown, Manipur police has collected Rs 90,02,550 as fine in its drive against lockdown and curfew violators. The COVID-19 induced lockdown in Manipur commenced on March 24, the day the Modi government at the Centre declared the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the pandemic in the country. While declaring the lockdown in the state too by the Biren government, district magistrates of each district pro

MUMBAI, August 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation): When the police knocked on the door as 15-year-old Muskaan prepared to head to the temple in their village in northern India, the bride-to-be was distraught. With a sick father and unemployed brother, Muskaan believed that getting married to a distant relative's son would alleviate the financial burden on her family and offer a better future. Yet a tip-off to the authorities in June by local activists concerned about a spik

Newmai News Network Imphal | August 10 Drivers of inter-state trucks transporting essential commodities in Manipur amid COVID-19 lockdown set a seven-day deadline to the state government to address their grievances. The drivers who staged a protest in front of Imphal’s Inter-state Bus Terminus on Monday alleged that the state government had failed to translate into work the demands they had forwarded. Among others, the drivers are demanding a special COVID-19 testing facil

SHIMLA, JULY 23 (IANS): It may come as a surprise, but a poor family in the BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh had to sell their cow, a substantial source of income, for just Rs 6,000 to buy a smartphone so that their two children could stay connected with online studies amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Considering the fact that the cow is regarded as holy and often referred to as mother in the rural setup, the sacrifice cannot be described as small by any means. The man -- Kuldeep Kumar -- b

TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 3 (Reuters): For Amer al Dahn, the idea of eating meat is now a dream. Today, he can't even afford bread and depends on credit from the local grocer to feed his wife and four children in the Lebanese city of Tripoli.   "We can no longer buy meat or chicken. The closest we get to them is in magazines and newspapers," said Dahn, 55, leafing through a supermarket brochure in his cramped apartment.   Living in one of the poore

CHENNAI, JUNE 26 (IANS): The domestic market outlook for the truck industry this fiscal depends on when the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted while currently vehicle production is on, senior officials of Ashok Leyland Limited said on Friday.   They also said the company is also looking at increasing exports with a larger portfolio of products and it is not dependent on component imports from China.   Speaking to reporters, Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director and Chief Execu

SINGAPORE, June 23 (Reuters): Singapore will head to the polls on July 10 after its prime minister said he was satisfied a ballot could be held safely despite criticism that such a move might endanger voters during the coronavirus pandemic.   The tiny city-state, which has one of Asia's highest tallies of COVID-19, largely fuelled by mass outbreaks in migrant workers' dormitories, eased strict lockdown rules last week that had been in place for more than two mon

NEW DELHI, JUNE 9 (IANS): Owing to the Covid-19 lockdowns impacting both supply and demand, India will sell nearly 127 million smartphones this year against the earlier projection of 162 million units which is a 21.6 per cent decrease from sale forecast at the beginning of the year, a new report said on Tuesday.   In terms of actual decrease compared to 2019, it will be 12.5 per cent down from 2020 sales of 145 million smartphones, according to market research firm techARC.

Itanagar, June 8 (PTI): Shopping malls, hotels and restaurants in Arunachal Pradesh reopened on Monday after nearly a two-and-half-month-long hiatus due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Places of worship, however, will remain closed till June 30. Shopping malls, hotels and restaurants will have to follow the standard operating procedures laid down by the Union health ministry, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said. Authorities of shopping malls in the state capital were se

GUWAHATI, JUNE 8 (PTI): Places of worship, shopping malls and restaurants across Assam reopened to the public on Monday after remaining closed for around two-and-half months since the lockdown began on March 25 to contain the spread of COVID-19. Temples, mosques and gurudwaras, as well as shopping centres and eateries allowed entry to people while ensuring that social distancing norms are followed in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines, according to the authorities

NEW DELHI, JUNE 4 (IANS): In a bid to provide further relief to states amid the coronavirus outbreak, the finance ministry has released Rs 36,400 crore to states as compensation for their revenue loss in the goods and services tax (GST) regime for the period from December, 2019 to February, 2020.   With this the Centre has released its entire GST compensation due to states for financial year 2019-20 and also given extra compensation for February that is accounted for in the

KOCHI, June 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation): Students protested in southern India on Tuesday after the suicide of a teenage girl who was unable to attend online classes because she did not have a television or smartphone.   Schools have been shut across India since the country locked down its 1.3 billion people on March 25 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, leaving millions of children whose families cannot afford expensive devices with no access to education. &nb

SYDNEY, June 3 (Reuters): Learning Australian bush survival skills is becoming popular as city folk turn to nature with the easing of the coronavirus lockdown, organisers of a course outside Sydney said.   The Bushcraft course teaches basic survival skills like foraging for food and water, and also offers insight into traditional indigenous cultures. The course filled up soon after the lockdown began to be eased late last month, and there is a lot of demand, the organis

NEW DELHI, JUNE 2 (IANS): The demand for Mother Dairy milk reduced during the lockdown amid the coronavirus scare though the demand for fruits and vegetables sold by Safal, its retail network in the segment, increased by 69 per cent in May compared with February, a top official said on Tuesday.   Mother dairy had registered sale of 270 tonnes of fruits and vegetables in May, compared with 230 tonnes in April, and 200 tonnes in March, and 160 tonnes in February.  

Kolkata, May 29 (IANS) As the fourth phase of Covid-19 lockdown draws to a close in India, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that all government and non-government offices will resume their operations from June 8 across the state.   Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna building, the CM said all offices will be able to reopen with 100 per cent attendance.   "All public sector, private sector and government