The National Restaurant Association of India ( NRAI) has written an open letter to landlords in the foods and beverages space requesting them to waive rents up to June or until the time the lockdown continues, whichever is later. “While this shutdown may continue for a month or two, we will take many more months […]
Archives for March 2020
How tech firms are helping institutions smoothen their sudden transition to online teaching
Sanjana Hira, a graduate student at Ashoka University in Sonipat, has been attending online classes from her Gurgaon home ever since educational institutions across India closed down campuses to contain the spread of coronavirus. “While many of our lectures are being held online through video-conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Hangouts, some professors prefer uploading […]
World’s largest glove maker sees shortage as coronavirus fight spikes
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s Top Glove Corporation Bhd, which makes one in every five gloves globally, expects a product shortage as demand from Europe and the United States spikes because of the widening coronavirus outbreak is exceeding its capacity. The company has extended shipping times to cope with the demand surge, Executive Chairman Lim […]
Update #2 on Microsoft cloud services continuity
Since last week’s update, the global health pandemic continues to impact every organization—large or small—their employees, and the customers they serve. Everyone is working tirelessly to support all our customers, especially critical health and safety organizations across the globe, with the cloud services needed to sustain their operations during this unprecedented time. Equally, we are […]
The US economy has come to a standstill, satellite imagery shows
American Airlines planes parked in Tulsa, Oklahoma. American Airlines The coronavirus crisis is bringing the United States economy to a screeching halt, with every sector feeling the effects of most of the country’s workforce staying home. Satellite imagery combined with other photographic evidence and alternative data sources give a stark look at the U.S. situation: […]
Practo partners with Thyrocare to conduct Covid-19 detection test
Representative Image Digital healthcare platform Practo has partnered with diagnostic lab chain Thyrocare to conduct Covid-19 detection tests authorised by the government and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Starting Saturday, the test is available for Mumbai residents for Rs 4,500, and will soon be expanded to the rest of the country, Practo said. […]
Condom shortage looms after coronavirus lockdown shuts world’s top producer
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A global shortage of condoms is looming, the world’s biggest producer said, after a coronavirus lockdown forced it to shut down production. Malaysia’s Karex Bhd makes one in every five condoms globally. It has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories for more than a week due to […]
Ola launches fund to help drivers, CEO Aggarwal to forego salary for a year
Ride-hailing major Ola has launched a fund to support auto-rickshaw, cab, Kaali-Peeli and taxi drivers across India amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown. Besides, Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal will forgo salary for one year that will go towards the fund. Launched under Ola Foundation, the ‘Drive the Driver Fund’ will support the drivers through contributions from […]
DD to take viewers back in time with its retro soaps magic
A team of experts is busy enhancing the visual quality of Ramanand Sagar’s television serial Ramayan, which is set to be telecast on Doordarshan (DD) after more than three decades, along with other popular classics such as BR Chopra’s Mahabharat, as part of a special initiative by Prasar Bharati during the nationwide lockdown. Detective series […]
Gift and GST returns added to postponed tax and filing deadlines
Late on Friday, the IRS added gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax returns to the list of federal taxes and tax returns that have had their April 15 deadlines postponed to July 15 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Friday’s notice, Notice 2020-20, updates the guidance issued a week earlier in Notice 2020-18. The earlier […]