PANAJI:The post Covid resurgence of tourism in Goa, one of the best known beach destinations in India, has brought a sigh of relief to the state's tourism industry stakeholders.

BEIJING: The owner of KFC and Pizza Hut said sales plunged by 20 per cent in the first two weeks of March as a surge of new Covid cases spread across China, BBC reported.

NEW DELHI: Recalling the multiple beneficial schemes that the government initiated during the last year or two, President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said nobody was left hungry during the pandemic induced lockdown as the government ensured free distribution of ration to 80 crore people for 19 months.

MUMBAI: Rapper and singer Mika Singh known for giving popular dance numbers, talks about his interest in doing social work.

THE HAGUE:Despite an anti-pandemic lockdown currently in force, the number of positive Covid-19 tests in the Netherlands increased by 35 per cent in the past week, compared to the previous week, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced on Tuesday.

BENGALURU:The Karnataka government has declared restrictions and announced new guidelines till January 19 in the wake of unprecedented surge of Covid-19 cases in the state on Tuesday.

MUMBAI:Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday warned of imposing a lockdown if the state capital's daily Covid-19 case count breaches the 20,000-mark.

NEW DELHI:A partial lockdown in Ningbo city in East China's Zhejiang province, home to the world's largest port, has led to problems like fewer drivers and trucks, raising concerns about supplies for international brands such as Nike and Adidas, Global Times reported.

CANBERRA: Australia's labour market has bounced back from coronavirus lockdowns that affected more than half the population late in 2021, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced on Monday.

KOLKATA: In wake of the sudden spike in Covid cases, West Bengal on Sunday announced certain restrictions on the movement of people and public transport from Monday onwards.

LOS ANGELSE: The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will be moved online in 2022 for the second consecutive year due to growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron Covid variant across Europe.

UNITED NATION: A nearly three-hour lockdown of the UN headquarters ended peacefully when an apparently mentally distraught mystery man holding a gun to his throat in front of the complex surrendered to police.

BENGALURU: Reassuring the people that there is no proposal to impose lockdown in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday again appealed to people not to heed to rumours in this regard.

NEW DELHI:1232 KM: Corona Kaal Mein Ek Asambhav Safar' by author Vinod Kapri, published by Sarthak Prakashan (an imprint of Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh) was launched at India Habitat Centre. Those in attendance included Ritesh Kumar Pandit and Rambabu Pandit, two of the seven migrant labourers from the book. Both Ritesh and Rambabu were felicitated and books were presented to them.

VEINNA: Barely a week after imposing a lockdown on the unvaccinated, Austria on Friday announced a full national Covid-19 lockdown starting next week.

TORONTO: The drop seen in air pollution in India during the Covid-19 induced lockdown was misleading as much cleaner air facilitated more sunshine to get through creating conditions for ozone (03) to increase up to 30 per cent, leading to potential health hazards, claims a new study.

NEW DELHI:The Delhi government has told the Supreme Court that it is ready to take steps like complete lockdown to control the local emission, which would help in bringing down the air pollution in the national capital, but added that it will have only a limited impact.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday took a serious view of the severe air pollution in Delhi-NCR and suggested that if needed the government can declare a two-day lockdown to bring down the levels, which has been caused by stubble burning, vehicles, firecrackers, industries, dust.

MUMBAI: Madhur Bhandarkar finds himself at the receiving end of the Central Board of Film Certification's scissors as it has asked the filmmaker for 12 cuts despite granting an 'A' certificate to his film 'India Lockdown' which he shot during the pandemic.

CANBERRA: Andrew Barr, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), said on Saturday that the region's coronavirus lockdown may not necessarily end when 70 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic.

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa would move to Adjusted Alert Level 2 from 3 starting Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced.

SYDNEY:New South Wales (NSW), Australia's current Covid-19 epicentre, has unveiled a "roadmap to freedom" out of the prolonged lockdown imposed on much of the state as it continues to battle a raging outbreak of the virus.

WELLINGTON:New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday announced that the ongoing top level 4 national lockdown will be extended until 11.59 p.m. on August 24.

SYDNEY: Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW), the current epicentre of the country's current Covid outbreak, announced on Friday to extend the lockdown on Greater Sydney until the end of September and to impose curfew on some areas of concern.

SYDNEY: There is little doubt that essential workers have kept the wheels of Australia's largest city turning over the course of its almost two-month lockdown.

BANGKOK: Thailand extended the ongoing semi-lockdown imposed in the 29 most affected provinces till the end of August, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said.

CANBERRA:Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced that he was "open" to providing further support for businesses amid the ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns.

SYDNEY: Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters gathered in Australia's largest city of Sydney on Saturday amid a deteriorating Covid-19 situation in the country.

WELLINGTON: A joint study by scientists from New Zealand and Canada showed that silence is golden for marine life as Covid-19 lockdown slowed global shipping and reduced ocean noise.

CANBERRA:Anger is growing in Australia as 13 million people -- about half the nation's population, endure fresh lockdowns to deal with the Covid-19 outbreaks. Many people have expressed frustration at being back in the highly policed lockdowns 18 months into the pandemic.

BANGKOK: Starting from Tuesday, Thailand will expand restrictive measures, including travel curbs, a night-time curfew and shopping mall closures to cover three more provinces as the daily Covid-19 caseloads have surged to a record high.

SYDNEY: Sydney, Australia's most populous city, entered the 20th day of the ongoing strict lockdown on Thursday imposed amid the country's largest Covid-19 outbreak of this year.

KOLKATA: Keeping in mind the imminent threat of the third wave, the West Bengal government has decided not to take any risk and continue on with the Covid-induced restrictions till July 30, with some relaxations.

SYDNEY:Following a triple-digit rise in daily Covid-19 cases on Monday for the first time in over a year in New South Wales (NSW), the Australian state's Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the scheduled lifting of the lockdown in Sydney this week is "almost impossible".

ALGIERS: The Algerian government has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown for 21 days amid a spike in new coronavirus cases.
In a statement on Sunday, the Prime Minister Office said the lockdown extension will be implemented in 14 provinces, including the capital Algiers, reports Xinhua news agency.

SYDNEY: Australia's biggest city of Sydney will enter a week-long lockdown from Fridayas local health authorities are struggling to contain a fresh Covid-19 outbreak fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant.

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has decided to totally lift the lockdown in the state. At its meeting held on Saturday, the state cabinet discussed the matter and decided on total removal of the lockdown which was imposed to control the spread of Covid in the state.

KOLKATA: Bhutan has lifted its lockdown at capital Thimphu after a boy tested for Covid infection reported negative along with possible contacts.

KOLKATA: Though there has been a sharp fall in the number of fresh Covid cases in West Bengal, the state government on Monday decided to extend the lockdown for another 15 days till July 1, with some relaxations to give a boost to economic activities.

KOLKATA: Though there has been a sharp fall in the number of fresh Covid cases in West Bengal, the state government on Monday decided to extend the lockdown for another 15 days till July 1, with some relaxations to give a boost to economic activities.

HARARE: The Zimbabwean government has announced a two-week localised lockdown for Hurungwe and Kariba districts in Mashonaland West Province following a spike in Covid-19 infections.

LONDON: The UK government is considering delaying the lifting of the remaining restrictions in England by another month amid concerns over the spike in new Covid cases and the further transmission of the Delta variant, informed sources said on Saturday.

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Sunday extended the lockdown for another week till June 14 with major relaxations, including opening of restaurants, bars, clubs, religious places and extended shopping hours.

NEW DELHI: The lockdown would continue in the national capital, but with certain relaxations. Shops and malls will be allowed to open on an odd-even basis from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., from Monday, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday issued fresh lockdown guidelines, effective from Monday, for all the 20 districts of the Union Territory with partial relaxation in some public activities.

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced the extension of the statewide lockdown till June 7, with major relaxations given for the opening of shopping malls from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

NEW DELHI: National lockdowns and public health campaigns introduced at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic have reduced the transmission of deadly invasive bacteria that cause respiratory infections -- potentially saving thousands of lives, according to a large study published in The Lancet Digital Health on Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will be placed under a total lockdown as daily Covid-19 cases have increased to more than 8,000, the government announced.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday announced to gradually lift the ongoing lockdown from Monday by permitting construction and manufacturing works in the national capital, after more than a month of complete lockdown imposed in the city to combat the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

KOLKATA: Besides announcing a grant of 1,000 crore for relief operations in areas affected by Cyclone Yaas, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the restrictions imposed in the state in the wake of the pandemic will continue for another 15 days.

MELBOURNE: Health authorities struggling to contain a fresh Covid outbreak in the Australian state of Victoria have imposed a seven-day lockdown from midnight Thursday.

PODUCHERRY: Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Wednesday announced that the government will provide Rs 3000 to all families living in the Union Territory. He said that 3,50,000 families would benefit from this.

CHENNAI:The Tamil Nadu police have tightened checks at interstate borders to enforce a strict lockdown from Monday. The interstate borders with the Union Territory of Puducherry have been sealed and only government servants and those with medical emergencies would be allowed entry.

MORADABAD(UP):A Muslim man was allegedly assaulted by a group of men led by a person calling himself a 'gau rakshak (cow vigilante)'.
The victim, identified as Mohammed Shakir, is in the business of transporting and selling meat.

CHENNAI:The Greater Chennai Police have deployed 20,000 policemen to enforce a strict lockdown that came into effect early Monday and will continue till May 31.

LONDON: UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he is "increasingly confident" that England is "on track" for the government's roadmap to exit the coronavirus lockdown, local media reported.

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Sunday extended the ongoing lockdown by 15 days to June 8, with more strict rules, including extending the 'week-end' curfew from Friday to Monday, as against only Saturday and Sunday earlier.

BUENOS AIRES:Argentina has entered a phase of strict lockdown which will last until May 30 aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19.
The decision was made through a presidential decree published on Saturday in the Official Gazette, and includes the restriction of movement from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and the suspension of all non-essential activities, reports Xinhua news agency.

SRINAGAR:There has been a bumper strawberry crop in Kashmir this year; farmers are busy in their fields harvesting their produce and packing it in small boxes but the growers are incurring losses despite the bumper crop due to the lockdown following the coronavirus pandemic.

HYDERABAD: In an effort to curb the Covid spread, the Telangana police have intensified measures to enforce lockdown across the state.
On Saturday, the city police were seen stopping and checking for the papers and permits of vehicles plying after 10 a.m.

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the Director General of Police, all the district collectors and police officers to implement the lock down guidelines and restrictions strictly.

BENGALURU:In an effort to curb the surge of Covid in the state's rural areas, Karnataka on Thursday hinted that it was contemplating stricter implementation of lockdown by measures to control unnecessary movement of people.

HYDERABAD:Police in Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana have become stricter with the implementation of lockdown.
On the direction of Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy, police officials on Thursday began taking measures to enforce the state-wide lockdown more strictly.

LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has now issued fresh directives, allowing a maximum of 25 people to take part in weddings and other functions in view of the Coovid pandemic.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transfer Rs 6,000 per month to the accounts of eligible poor.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has extended lockdown period for one more week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.We have been witnessing good recovery following the lockdown. Coronavirus cases have been on a decline. We don't want to lose the gain that we have made in the last few days. We are extending the lockdown for one more week. Instead of tomorrow, lockdown is extended till next Monday, 5 a.m. in Delhi," he said.

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Sunday announced to extend the statewide lockdown till May 24 to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Home Minister Anil Vij said.

BENGALURU: Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashoka on Friday favoured extension of the 14-day lockdown to contain the Covid spread in the state, which is in the grip of the pandemic's second wave.

HYDERABAD: The Telangana cabinet on Tuesday decided to impose state-wide lockdown from May 12 (Wednesday) for 10 days to contain the spread of Covid-19.There would be relaxation for all the activities from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily, said a brief statement from the Chief Minister's Office.