Page 283 - Video Gallery

COVID: Terracotta artisans face financial hardships in UP

Gorakhpur (UP), June 13 (ANI): With no work, Terracotta artisans in UP's Gorakhpur continue to face financial issues. "Even if lockdown has been lifted to a limit, no transportation is making it hard to deliver products," said an artisan. Another terracotta artisan expressed his unhappiness as she continues to face difficulties to run her household. MHA has ordered phased 'unlocking' of activities outside containment zones. Lockdown was first enforced in March to contain the spread of COVID-19.

FM Sitharaman chairs 40th GST Council meeting via video-conferencing

New Delhi, June 12 (ANI): Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman chaired 40th GST Council meeting through video conference on June 12. It was the first GST council meeting post COVID-19 lockdown. Downward revision of late fee for not filed old returns was likely to be considered in the meeting.

Population of Asiatic lions increases in Gujarat's Gir forest

Junagadh (Gujarat), June 11 (ANI): Good news came in from Gujarat's Junagadh, where population of Asiatic lions have increased. The forest officials have recorded total 674 Asiatic lions in the region. According to D.T. Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Wildlife Circle, "If we compare it with 2015 data so there is an increase of 151 Asiatic lions in the region and the lions used to roam in 22,000 sq. ft. but now the big cats are roaming in 30,000 sq. ft." He said that the forest department has used high tech radio collars to track the movement of lions.

Resident doctors at NDMC's Kasturba Hospital threaten mass resignation over unpaid salaries

New Delhi, June 11 (ANI): Resident doctors, who are giving their services at Kasturba Hospital threatened to tender mass resignations if they were not paid their pending salaries of three months by June 16. Releasing a video message, President of Resident Doctors' Association at Kasturba Hospital Dr Sunil Kumar said, "All resident doctors of the hospital haven't received their salaries for last 3 months (March, April and May). As this is not the right time to go on a strike, so we've decided to tender mass resignations." All the residents are providing their services in the pandemic Covid-19 situation.

Solar power panels on Nizamuddin Bridge damaged following heavy rainfall

New Delhi, June 11 (ANI): Solar power panels on Nizamuddin Bridge severely damaged due to rain and strong winds that hit parts of the national capital and adjoining areas on June 10 evening. Heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm lashed parts of Delhi-NCR. No injuries were reported so far.

Google releases first beta version of Android 11

New Delhi, June 11 (ANI): Google on Wednesday released the first beta version of Android 11 after a series of developer previews. According to TechCrunch, the tech giant is also making the pre-release versions of the new android available for its over-the-air updates. As of now, the list of supported devices only includes Google's Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and 4. As per Google, the beta versions focus on three themes - people, privacy, and controls. In an official Android Developers Blog, the company had earlier noted that with the Android update, users will have an option to grant a temporary 'one-time' permission to sensitive data like location, after which, the app will have to request permission again for the next access.

Religious places in Meghalaya to remain shut till June 30: CM Sangma

Shillong (Meghalaya), June 10 (ANI): Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma informed that the state government has decided to put on hold the reopening of religious institutions in the state that was previously decided to open on the 14th of June, 2020. CM Sangma held a meeting with different religious organizations on June 9. "Based on the majority view, we have decided that we will not be opening up places of worship till the end of this month (June 30) and towards the end of the month we will once again consult everybody and then decide the way forward", he said.

COVID-19: Hotels with PPE kit staffers serve customers in Patna

Patna (Bihar), June 10 (ANI): Shopping malls, restaurants and hotels reopened in many states across the country following a relaxation of the nationwide lockdown, even though COVID-19 cases are rising everyday. Hotels in Patna city are following the strict guidelines by the Centre and also taking extra precautions for the safety of their staff and customers. Staffers of a hotel in the city have seen serving its customers while wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits. Pranav Kumar, General Manager said, "Staffers who are coming in direct contact of customers have been given PPE kits. We're following all the government guidelines. Social distancing is being maintained."

Kuwait Airways brings back 45 stranded Indians to Indore

Indore (MP), June 10 (ANI): A Kuwait Airways special flight carrying around 45 Indian passengers from Kuwait landed at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Indore on June 9. The passengers were examined by the State Health Department after which they were sent for 14 days to the quarantine centre. Apart from a few travelers from Indore, the rest were from different districts in which most belonged to labour class.

No flowers, no prasad inside temple premises make life miserable for shopkeepers

Kanpur (UP), June 10 (ANI): Following the relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, the religious places in most part of the country have been reopened. Shopkeepers who used to sell flowers and prasad outside temples have been left in lurch as government has not allowed physical offerings in temples. According to the shopkeepers, they were already facing financial hardships due to lockdown and now physical offerings are banned. As per the guidelines, prasad distribution or a sprinkling of holy water is not allowed inside religious places.

COVID-19: Centre should extend help to economically weaker states in difficult times, says CM Hemant Soren

Ranchi (Jharkhand), June 10 (ANI): Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on June 9 slammed Centre for not helping the state during the pandemic. He said that Centre should help weaker states at the time of crisis. "There is a lot of demand from the Central Government but unfortunately we have not got a single ventilator from them. We are working in our limited resources. At the same time, in this corona period, the BJP is seen colored in its own color of politics," He also took a jibe at BJP on its virtual rallies by saying, "Approximately 150 crores will be spent on their virtual rally. With that money, migrant laborers could be brought back home for free." Jharkhand Chief Minister also asserted that the state government demanded increase in man-days under MGNREGA scheme during the visit of Secretary of Union Rural Development Department.

Watch: Locals clang utensils to drive away swarm of locusts in Rajasthan's Beawar

Ajmer (Rajasthan), June 10 (ANI): A swarm of locusts was seen in Beawar city of Ajmer, Rajasthan on June 9. Locals clanged utensils to scare them away. The locusts attack is another blow to farmers already reeling under the impact of COVID-19 lockdown. The locusts arrived following the route of Saudi Arabia-Pakistan- parts of western Rajasthan.

Researchers identify targets for COVID-19 vaccine using cancer immunotherapy tools

New Delhi, June 10 (ANI): A team of cancer researchers have applied the strategy of using the tools used for the development of cancer immunotherapies and adapted them to identify the 'right protein sequences to target in SARS-CoV-2,' the virus that causes coronavirus. Using this strategy, the researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) believe a resulting vaccine would provide protection across the human population and drive a long-term immune response. The strategy is described in Cell Reports Medicine. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent need for the development of a safe and effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. An optimally designed vaccine maximizes a long-lasting immune response while minimizing adverse reactions, autoimmunity, or disease exacerbation. The researchers propose a list of 65 peptide sequences that, when targeted, offer the greatest probability of providing population-scale immunity. As a next step, th

Twitter testing new feature 'Fleets' in India

New Delhi, June 10 (ANI): Twitter on Tuesday announced that it is testing a new feature in India called 'Fleets', the platform's own version of stories that disappear after 24 hours. "Testing, testing... We are testing a way for you to think out loud without the likes, retweets or replies, called Fleets! Best part? They disappear after 24 hours," Twitter India wrote. The company also shared a video, demonstrating users on how to use the new feature. "Fleets are a way to share fleeting thoughts. Unlike tweets, Fleets disappear after 24 hours and do not get retweets, likes or public replies-- people can only react to your Fleets with DMs. Instead of showing up in people's timelines, Fleets are viewed by tapping on your avatar," Twitter's product lead Kayvon Beykpour had said in March. Last month, the company also allowed its users to schedule tweets from the main web application.

India, Chinese troops disengage at Eastern Ladakh, PLA moves back troops by 2-2.5 km

New Delhi, Jun 09 (ANI): After the "positive" talks over border tensions between India and China, both the countries moved back their troops from multiple locations from Eastern Ladakh, top government sources told ANI on June 09. Ahead of the next round of talks, the Chinese Army retreated their soldiers from the Galwan Valley, PP-15 and Hot Springs in Eastern Ladakh by 2-2.5 kilometers. Border tensions between the two counties refuelled last month after Indian and Chinese troops engaged in fist fighting in Sikkim and Ladakh.

Pune store labels products as 'Swadeshi', 'Videshi' to support Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Pune (Maharashtra), June 09 (ANI): In efforts to give a push to 'Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan', a cooperative departmental store in Pune took a unique step. To make people aware about Indian and foreign brands, city store named Grahak Peth decided to label products. 'Swadeshi' and 'Videshi' tags were placed on items in store. S Pathak, MD Grahak Peth said, "We started this arrangement as people don't know which brand is Indian and which one is international. It is in support of Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan."

COVID-19: 'We have to further enhance bed capacity', says Delhi Health Minister

New Delhi, June 08 (ANI): Reviewing coronavirus situation, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on June 09 informed that there is a need to further enhance bed capacity in hospitals. "We were expecting that the beds in private hospitals would cater to patients up to 15 days but most of the beds reserved for COVID-19 patients have been used in 4-5 days. We have to further enhance the capacity now," said Delhi Health Minister, Satyendar Jain

When India entered Unlock 1.0

Grappled with the pandemic, India headed into the "unlock" phase also known as Unlock 1.0 on June 8. Shopping malls and places of worship across the country, barring those in states like Maharashtra and Goa, have started to reopen after remaining closed for nearly two-and-a-half months due to the lockdown prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Watch the video to get a sense of how things have changed in the last few months

COVID-19: Google Maps rolls out new features to avoid crowds when using public transit

New Delhi, June 09 (ANI): Google on Monday introduced new features to Google Maps that aim to inform users better about how their trip may be impacted due to the coronavirus. When a user will look up public transit directions for a trip that is likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions, Google Maps will show "relevant alerts" from local transit agencies. Transit alerts are rolling out in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the US where the company has information from local transit agencies, with more coming soon. Nagarajan said that users will now be able to see the times when a transit station is 'historically more or less busy'.

Delhi to review tomorrow if there's community transmission of COVID-19: Sisodia

New Delhi, Jun 08 (ANI): Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on June 08 said the state government will review tomorrow whether there is community transmission of coronavirus in the national capital, and if so, will adapt to new strategy to tackle the further spread of deadly COVID-19. "A meeting of State Disaster Management Authority will be held tomorrow on COVID-19 situation and to discuss whether there is community spread. If participant experts say there is community spread in Delhi, our strategy will change. I'll participate in meeting," Sisodia said.