People cross the Toledo bridge in Madrid, Spain. Spaniards were able to go outdoors to do exercise for the first time in seven weeks since the lockdown began to battle the coronavirus outbreak.

A couple, wearing face masks, gets married in Jodhpur, during the nationwide lockdown.

A young Nepalese girl is sprayed with disinfectants as she arrives to get free food distributed by social workers during lockdown. Photo: PTI

Healthcare workers walk outside NYU Langone Medical Center on 1st Avenue in Manhattan after people came to cheer and thank them, during Covid-19 outbreak in New York City.

The German share price index DAX board as markets react to the coronavirus crisis. Frankfurt, Germany.

A member of a medical team weeps at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport after travel restrictions to leave Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and China&amp;#39;s epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease outbreak, were lifted.

A health worker checks the temperature of car passengers in an effort to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as they enter the city in the Paghman district of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Day 1 of Lockdown 3.0. Traffic jam seen at India Gate following the relaxation of restrictions during the nation wide lockdown, in New Delhi.

Long queue for liquor was witnessed on almost all the wine shops in Delhi.

A migrant woman looks on as she arrives at Misrod railway station by a special train from Nashik, during the nation wide lockdown, in Bhopal.

While India enters Lockdown 3.0, with much relaxations, the country experiences a sudden spike in its Covid-19 cases

A couple, wearing face masks, gets married in Jodhpur, during the nationwide lockdown. Photo: PTI

Marriage, wedding, Lockdown 3.0, coronavirus

Pandemic in pictures: Harsh realties of coronavirus; 10 images you must see

Business Standard

In January 2018, Shoppers Stop announced that it had allotted shares worth Rs 179.26 crore to Amazon.Com NV Investment Holdings LLC, an investment arm of Amazon.com

IT giant Infosys on Wednesday inaugurated a development centre built at a cost of Rs 426 crore at New Town near here.
Inaugurating the development centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "This is a New Year gift to West Bengal".
"This centre of Infosys will help other IT companies to come to West Bengal. West Bengal is a leading IT state in the country. Nearly 2,200 IT companies have presence in the state, including big ones like TCS, Wipro, IBM and Accenture," she said.
The chief minister also said it is a historic day for the state.
Banerjee said, "We wanted Infosys in the state and the company fulfilled our dreams."
The chief minister said a new Silicon Valley is coming to New Town on 200 acres with the potential to create 75,000 jobs involving an investment of Rs 27,000 crore.
"Twenty-eight companies have already started work with 11 data centres coming up," she said.
The Infosys campus, built on 50 acres, will have an employment potential of 4,000 IT professionals.
Ba

Inaugurating the development centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said this is a New Year gift to West Bengal

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked in January. Realme 14x 5G launched. JioTag Go Android tracker. OnePlus 13 series launch event. Poco M7 Pro, C75 5g launched. Apple Maps

The firm's IoT-enabled machines are installed in offices and public places, including at Microsoft, Facebook, Rashtrapati Bhawan, and the iconic Deccan Queen train

As part of its ongoing efforts to combat cybercrime, the government has blocked over 6.69 lakh SIM cards and 1,32,000 IMEI numbers till November 15, 2024.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said this initiative is part of a broader strategy to tackle cybercrime, with a focus on improving the capabilities of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and judicial officers.
In a related development, the Ministry of Home Affairs has launched the 'CyTrain' platform, an online Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) aimed at building the capacity of police and judicial officers. The platform, developed under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), offers courses on cyber-crime investigation, forensics, and prosecution.
To date, more than 98,698 police officers from various states and Union Territories (UTs) have registered on the platform, with over 75,591 certificates issued.
The government has also provided Rs 131.60 

The government has also provided Rs 131.60 crore in financial assistance through the 'Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC)' scheme under the Nirbhaya Fund

A parliamentary panel has pulled up the Ministry of Electronics and IT for surrendering more than half the funds allocated for semiconductor and display manufacturing projects in 2023-24, according to a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The Standing Committee on Communications and IT in the fourth report on demand for grants observed gradual decrease in allocation of funds from Budget Estimate (BE) 2021-22 to BE 2024-25 for Digital India Programme as well as underutilisation by the ministry over the years.
The report said under Modified Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India, during FY24, of the total allocation of Rs 1,503.36 crore the actual expenses as on March 31, 2024 indicates that the ministry could spend only Rs 681.11 crore, "surrendering a staggering 55 per cent of the allotted fund".
"Surrendering of funds beyond 50 per cent allocated reflects improper planning by the ministry. The committee may be apprised of t

The ministry in its submission to the panel shared that it can disburse funds under the India Semiconductor Mission only after a claim is made

Stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sought a reduction in GST, technology upgrade, and production-linked incentive scheme benefits for various segments in a pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.
The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1.
Members from the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE); Karnataka SC and ST Entrepreneurs' Association; Plant-Based Food Industry Association (PBFIA); Ambala Scientific Instruments Manufacturers' Association (ASIMA); Rajasthan Footwear Manufacturers' Association were among the participants at the meeting.
The All-India Plastics Manufacturers' Association; All India Manufacturers' Association; Gujarat Chamber of Small Industries Association; Federation of Associations of Cottage and Small Industries (based in West Bengal); Federation of Andhra Pradesh Small and Medium Association; and Laghu Udyog 

The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1

Call for reining in food inflation and raising investment in pre-Budget  talks

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

&amp;nbsp;

After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
						&amp;nbsp;

Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

Pandemic in pictures: Harsh realties of coronavirus; 10 images you must see

While India enters Lockdown 3.0, with much relaxations, the country experiences a sudden spike in its Covid-19 cases

Also Read

India enters Lockdown 3.0; all dos and don'ts explained in pics

Lockdown 3.0: Tamil Nadu allows industries to start ops with restrictions

Lockdown 3.0 opens livelihood door; travel by air, rail remains prohibited

Covid-19 Lockdown 3.0: Check what is allowed in your area, and what is not

Lockdown 3.0: Now, you can hail an Uber cab in green or orange zones

More Gallery