In the wake of rising cases of COVID-19, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued guidelines restricting attendance at private offices, except those in health and other essential services, at 50%. The measures will be effective till March 31. As per the guidelines issued by the State government, no drama halls and auditoriums can be used for religious, social, political or cultural programmes. Any violation of rules will lead to closure of the said establishments. All drama theatres and auditoriums would operate at 50% capacity only. The government, while restricting 50% attendance in private establishments has, however, exempted the manufacturing sector.…
Author: Mike Harrison
Tourist inflow in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has risen from over 3,700 persons in January 2020 to 19,000 persons in January 2021, Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday, during a debate on the working of his Ministry. Mr. Patel said the government would not change the goalpost of doubling the number of foreign tourists by 2024, despite the year 2020 being a “zero year” because of the COVID pandemic.“I want to thank the domestic tourists who supported Indian tourism in these testing times,” he said. Mr. Patel was responding to Samajwadi Party…
Three-day visit to India is the first such outreach by the Joe Biden administration The United States Secretary of Defense, General (Retd.) Lloyd J. Austin, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the start of a three-day visit to India, the first such outreach by the new U.S. administration less than two months after President Biden assumed office.“India and the U.S. are committed to our strategic partnership that is a force for global good,” Mr. Modi said in a tweet after the meeting on Friday evening.Also read: Editorial | India and Biden: On post-Trump tiesThe Ministry of External Affairs’ Spokesperson Anurag…
Malaysia said on Friday it will order all North Korean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, in an escalation of diplomat brawl over Malaysia’s decision to extradite a North Korean criminal suspect to the United States.Malaysia’s announcement came hours after North Korea said it was terminating diplomatic ties with Malaysia because it committed a “super-large hostile act … in subservience to the US pressure.” North Korea called the money laundering charges an “absurd fabrication and (a) sheer plot” orchestrated by the United States and warned Washington will “pay a due price.” It’s the latest development in growing animosity…
Launched nearly a year ago, Clubhouse — which has already encountered a censorship hiccup in China — is looking to establish itself as the standard-bearer for audio-only social media (Subscribe to our Today’s Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)An internet spin on talk radio, the new social network Clubhouse has become a sandbox for people tinkering with ways to win fans and make money with audio.Clubhouse, still invite-only and accessible just through apps on Apple mobile devices, lets users drop into virtual rooms to join hosted conversations on any…
In the Supreme Court’s virtual court hearings, placards are proving to be invaluable Placards, which are used to convey powerful messages during protests, cheer sportspersons or give cues to actors, are making their presence felt in a new arena — the Supreme Court of India.Here, they act as silent referees, guiding lawyers, some of whom aren’t so tech-savvy, through often patchily connected virtual court hearings. With the virtual court system gaining more than a foothold in the judicial system lately, placards are proving to be of invaluable help.Often lawyers presenting their arguments are seen but not heard by the judges…
The Lower House passed the Mines and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a bill to amend the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, with Union minister Pralhad Joshi saying the changes will help create employment opportunities and allow private sector with enhanced technology in mining activities. “The reform in the mining sector would generate 55 lakh direct and indirect employment. To enhance mining activity, we will allow private sector with enhanced technology in mineral exploration,” Mr Joshi said. The Lower House passed the Mines and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill, 2021. According to the…
The NFSA provides for the supply of subsidised foodgrains through ration shops up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population The government on Friday informed Parliament that it has roped in 12 monitoring institutions for 2020-23 to assess the impact of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).Minister of State for Food Danve Raosaheb Dadarao, in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the government has put in place concurrent evaluation for assessment of the “efficacy and impact of NFSA”.During 2018-20, about 26 institutions and universities were engaged as monitoring institutions for conducting…
The United Democratic Front (UDF) will put forward in its manifesto an action plan to repair all that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has destroyed in the past five years, UDF Convenor M.M.Hassan has said. Speaking at the ‘Janavidhi 2021’ meet-the-press programme organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists, district committee, and the Kesari Memorial Journalists Trust, he said that Kerala needs a Government which would work for its development and protect the faith of believers of all religions. The UDF’s manifesto will be released on Saturday. “In the past five years, the state’s development had come to…
Despite a crackdown that has killed more than 200 demonstrators so far, protesters were back in the streets on Friday morning in several cities and towns. Authorities in Myanmar arrested a spokesman for ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party as they intensify efforts to choke off the spread of information about growing protests against last month’s military takeover.Despite a crackdown that has killed more than 200 demonstrators so far, protesters were back in the streets on Friday morning in several cities and towns. Some rallies proceeded without incident, but in Aungban town in eastern Shan state, online Tachileik…