Toonz has signed a deal with Tariq Albassami Group for opening 10 stores in the Gulf region in the next one year.

E-commerce companies have been permitted to sell all items in Orange and Green Zones starting from Monday, the first day of the third phase of the nationwide lockdown that began on March 25.

Highlighting that network capacity and higher bandwidth services have proved to be crucial, not only during the pandemic itself, but also for e-commerce and economic inclusion in general, it said in an information note: “What can WTO members do to improve communications networks and services?”

With the opening of more institutes, VLCC is eyeing a 35 per cent year on year revenue growth. In FY 2018, it had a turnover of Rs 55 crore for the skilled business.

Khosla’s mandate will be overseeing the firm’s wellness centres, personal care products and its institute of beauty and nutrition, across Middle East, Africa and CIS countries.

The latest round of funding was led by the startup’s existing backer Harminder Sahni, founder of consultancy firm Wazir Advisors, Lets Ventures’ Mohit Bajaj and Calcutta Angels.

The decision would empower the central government and states/union territories to regulate prices, production, sale, distribution, transport, movement, storage, information of alcohols used in manufacturing hand sanitizers, used as preventive measure to avoid infection from COVID-19, Ministry of Consumer Affairs said in a statement.

“The export of all ventilators including any artificial respiratory apparatus or oxygen therapy apparatus or any other breathing appliance/devices... is prohibited with immediate effect,” the the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

“About 45 distilleries and 564 other manufacturers have been granted permission to produce hand sanitisers. More than 55 distilleries are likely to be given permission in one or two days and many more are being motivated to produce sanitisers in this scenario,” consumer affairs ministry said in a release.

"The total sanitiser licenses issued in the state is 48 and production ramped up to 50,000 litres per day," Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Awanish Awasthi, told reporters.

Apart from Covid-19 lockdown norms, paucity of adequate stocks and a minuscule discount in retail medicine shops shot the demand for medicine delivery through various e-pharmacy platforms.

VLCC currently operates 20 centres across UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

Hero Cycles plans to set up a fully owned assembly plant in Poland to cater exclusively to Europe, with special emphasis on the UK and Germany.

I TOTALLY agree as a frontline worker who is working 12-hour shifts that restrictions should have been tougher to start with.

THE brainless idiot scumbags who did this must be caught as soon as and thrown in jail for a very long time (Popular West End restaurant trashed by vandals in overnight raid, Glasgow Times online).

IT’S a scandal! (South Side residents rage as dirty masks and gloves dumped in street, Glasgow Times online).

This is part of a series looking at pressing coronavirus questions of the week. We'd like to hear what you're curious about. Email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions." More than 76,000 people in the U.S. have died because of COVID-19, and there have been 1.27 million confirmed cases across the country — and nearly 4 million worldwide. Though the virus continues to spread and sicken people, some states and countries are starting to reopen businesses and lift stay-at-home requirements. This week, we look at some of your questions as summer nears and restrictions are eased. Is it safe to swim in pools or lakes? Does the virus spread through the water? People are asking whether they should be concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus while swimming. Experts say water needn't be a cause for concern. The CDC says there is no evidence the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas or water

President Trump wants states to begin relaxing stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses after the spread of the coronavirus pummeled the global economy and killed millions of jobs. The White House coronavirus task force released guidelines on April 16 to encourage state governors to adopt a phased approach to lifting restrictions across the country. Some states have moved ahead without meeting the criteria . The task force rejected a set of additional detailed draft recommendations for schools, restaurants, churches and mass transit systems from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it considered " overly prescriptive ." A number of states have already begun to lift restrictions, allowing for businesses including hair salons, diners and tattoo parlors to once again begin accepting customers. Health experts have warned that reopening too quickly could result in a potential rebound in cases. States are supposed to wait to begin lifting any restrictions until they have a 14

As of Friday in Texas, you can go to a tanning salon. In Indiana, houses of worship are being allowed to open with no cap on attendance. Places like Pennsylvania are taking a more cautious approach, only starting to ease restrictions in some counties based on the number of COVID-19 cases. By Monday, at least 31 states will have partially reopened after seven weeks of restrictions. The moves come as President Trump pushes for the country to get back to work despite public health experts warning that it's too soon. "The early lesson that was learned, really, we learned from the island of Hokkaido in Japan, where they did a really good job of controlling the initial phase of the outbreak," said Bob Bednarczyk, assistant professor of global health and epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. Because of that success, many of the restrictions on the island were lifted. But cases and deaths surged in a second wave of infections. Twenty-six days later

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Updated at 9:44 a.m. ET As a young woman growing up in a poor farming community in Virginia in the 1940 and '50s, with little information about sex or contraception, sexuality was a frightening thing for Carole Cato and her female friends. "We lived in constant fear, I mean all of us," she said. "It was like a tightrope. always wondering, is this going to be the time [I get pregnant]?" Cato, 78, now lives in Columbia, S.C. She grew up in the years before the birth control pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on May 9, 1960. She said teenage girls in her community were told very little about how their bodies worked. "I was very fortunate; I did not get pregnant, but a lot of my friends did. And of course, they just got married and went into their little farmhouses," she said. "But I just felt I just had to get out." At 23, Cato married a widower who already had seven children. They decided seven was enough. By that time, Cato said, the pill allowed the couple to

Krzysztof Penderecki , one of the world's leading composers, died Sunday at the age of 86. The Polish Ministry of Affairs announced his passing in a tweet. No cause of death was given. The Polish-born composer established himself while still in his 20s with jarring atonal works such as Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima , and came to be widely admired by music fans and musicians far outside traditional classical music circles. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood noted the passing of one of his idols on Twitter , "Penderecki was the greatest - a fiercely creative composer, and a gentle, warm-hearted man" he wrote Sunday. "My condolences to his family, and to Poland on this huge loss to the musical world." Untold numbers of people are familiar with Penderecki's music – perhaps without knowing it – thanks to films such as Shutter Island and especially The Shining , the Stanley Kubrick thriller that included the compositions Polymorphia and The Awakening of Jacob to frightening effect.

We have a unique episode of Sessions from Studio A this week. Like so many others, the current pandemic has put our normal work on hiatus. Join us for a special "quarantined" edition of the show featuring ambient music from Rockford's Micky Torpedo. Micky is releasing four ambient albums this year, based on the changing moods of each season. We'll hear music from his Winter and Spring Cycle albums this hour. We also sat down to chat virtually with Micky about his approach to writing music, as well as his involvment in Rockford's Rock and Roll Institute. You can keep up with Micky on his Facebook page and download his music on Bandcamp .

COVID-19 has caused uncertainty in the lives of many. During hard times, in the past, people found relief by attending comedy shows. But what do you do when comedy clubs are closed and the comics are left to find humor for themselves? A few northern Illinois comedians share how they are making it through this pandemic. Rudy Ruiz is a comedian from Aurora. He said he misses the stage. “Now that we’re not allowed into comedy clubs or open mics or even writing groups, it’s like a withdrawal,” he said. He said making people laugh is like a superpower and the pandemic is the enemy. “It’s like kryptonite right now. It’s like we can’t do anything and a lot of us are going crazy,” Ruiz explained. He said he knows some comics have tried to do virtual comedy shows but he doesn’t understand that concept. “We need the audience. You know we have that immediate response like, 'This joke did well,'” he said. He said he can’t capture key things like that without the live interaction. He also said

Amazon is a leader in online shopping. It has warehouses across the country to sort and deliver its products. Recently, Amazon Air announced it will expand its delivery network into Rockford. Chicago Rockford International Airport is already a major hub for UPS. The airport also has maintenance facilities capable of repairing the world's largest aircraft. But Amazon took particular interest due to the airport's cargo operations. Director Sarah Rhoads says it's part of the retailer's "Middle Mile" network for two-day deliveries. "That package would go from a fulfillment center to one of our 21 air gateways that we have throughout the United States for transport to then another air gateway for downstream transit to a sort center where that package would be sorted for final delivery to your location," she explained. Amazon has been operating at Rockford's airport in some capacity since September 2016. Airport executive director Mike Dunn says they operated under a different corporate name

The Mayors of DeKalb and Rockford responded to the statewide minimum wage hike that was signed into law last week. The measure will raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. DeKalb Mayor Jerry Smith worries about the effect this may have on small businesses. Smith says he would have preferred that the increase be done more incrementally. "I would have liked to have seen something that was written into law that mandated perhaps a one or two year step, and then let's take a look at it," he said. "You know, economies change." But he says the law taking effect means businesses know what to expect. "If you know that you're going to be paying nine and a quarter next year and ten the following year, or whatever the case may be, the smart businesses -- small or large -- are going to make those adjustments that are necessary so the bottom line is still black," he said. Smith says the City of DeKalb already pays its employees at a level where the wage hike's effect on city

Unemployment can happen to anyone, and state government and colleges have resources to help those who are looking to increase skills while they are between jobs. The state's latest jobs numbers indicate that unemployment was at 4.7% in February. However, this rate was higher in many of the state's metro areas. The highest was Kankakee, at 6.7%, followed by Rockford at 6.4. Illinois Department of Employment Security spokesman Bob Gough says jobless people can sign up for unemployment insurance to stay afloat. "You also have to, of course, be looking for work, available for work, and ready for work during that period," he said. "You have to check in regularly online, call in, in order to ensure that you are indeed out there trying to find work while you're out." This state program provides benefits for up to 26 weeks. Gough says people stay on the program for an average 16 weeks. To link these people with jobs, IDES runs regional employment centers. Here, clients can submit their resumes

People are doing what they can to stay healthy, but what about their pets? Dr. Phyllis Sill is a veterinarian at Roscoe Veterinary Clinic. She says if you want to keep your dogs safe, there are certain things you shouldn't do: " Don’t let your dog suddenly go on a long run or a long walk if it hasn’t been conditioned to do so," she said. "They are probably going to end up with lameness issues or injuries." She continued, "Don’t get a group of dogs together, they might fight." Sill said it is important to think about things your dog can eat or swallow, like chocolate or the sugar substitute xylitol. "Try to keep them up and away," she warned, "because if dogs get into sugar-free gum, it can kill them." The Roscoe Veterinary Clinic is considered an essential business; therefore it remains open amid Governor J.B. Pritzker's "stay-at-home" order. But, Sill said, even though they are open, they are only admitting patients with serious conditions. "We are looking at patients who have growths

Award winning Blues guitarist and singer Super Chikan and the Fighting Cocks made the trip from his home in Clarksdale, Mississippi to Philadelphia last Thursday, May 16 in a double header Mississippi Blues Project concert as part of WXPN’s Non-COMMvention […]

Below, from our session with David Bromberg, watch him perform “Kind-Hearted Woman,” and “Wee Midnight Hours.” You can listen to the full session

Governor J.B. Pritzker has released a five-part plan to allow certain regions of the state to open up to more activity. The governor is calling it Restore Illinois. The plan sets up four regions of the state. Each could open to more business every month if they were to improve on COVID-19 cases and treatment. Currently Illinois sits at phase two, with partial stay-at-home rules. Pritzker says if certain regions have improved enough by late May, they might see restrictions eased. “At that point, with face coverings as the norm, non-essential manufacturing and other non-essential businesses can open in accordance with safety guidance,” he said in his daily news conference. That would include barbershops and salons along with some retail and offices. If enough improvement is shown, schools and colleges could open in certain regions. The gatherings of large crowds will still be prohibited until there is either a vaccine or better treatment of COVID-19. As reported by Bill Wheelhouse, WUIS

With the onset of COVID-19, social media platforms show their virtues and vices once again. Millions are finding connection, entertainment, and solace, a lifeline of virtual community during a truly twisted time. Connection with friends is a blast, until someone begins posting conspiracy theories like big pharma, the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control are a cabal secretly making the world sick for profits, or opining on highly technical epidemiological research, calling into question both findings and researchers’ assumed unethical motives. COVID-19 is a new phenomenon and it takes time for researchers -- experts -- to understand it, and how to effectively and safely deal with it. Public questioning is important, but when a supermajority of experts form an informed opinion you don’t like, developing conspiracies is not a healthy path. Now, I truly believe in free speech. After all, I’m on radio. I’m just leery of the effect of unfettered, ill-informed

I love words. But sometimes this romance is a curse. I am not a word expert. But I should be. I read and write. A lot. Oh, and I’m a journalist. Words are my foundation — bricks for building stories. My touchstones for telling it as it is. And always, always my friends … for being there when I need them. But … I am not a word expert. I keep a dictionary nearby. If you’re in a newsroom you can just shout. “Help! Who knows the rule on lay vs. lie?” “No one!” someone shouts back. “Find a different word.” I use little tricks to remember proper spelling. I pronounce words wrong to get the spelling right. Like “paradigm.” I know how to pronounce it but instead tend to say pair-a-dig-em to make sure I spell it correctly. For years I stumbled over the word “facade.” I pronounced it “fay-kayed,” like it’s spelled. Silly me. I do get edgy when people abuse words. Perhaps I’m too sensitive. Like most married people, I announce my plans when leaving a room. Such as, “I’m taking my shower now.”

I’ve been watching a pair of yellow-bellied sapsuckers excavate a cavity in a dead white oak behind the shed. Since I’m home all the time, I can wander over and look at them whenever I feel like it, which is more often than you might expect. Sapsuckers, a kind of woodpecker, aren’t supposed to be here. They nest in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada. In fact, according to the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas, there has never been a confirmed nesting of yellow-bellied sapsuckers in my neck of Wisconsin. Yet here they are anyway, doing their thing in my dead oak. I guess they got lost and didn’t have a Bird Atlas. You can’t watch a woodpecker batter the trunk of a dead tree for very long without thinking about... brain trauma. I’m sure you’ve also wondered how woodpeckers sustain such head rattling without concussing themselves. My father-in-law used to say that woodpeckers could wrap their tongues around their brains to soften the blows. What an image! Without ever looking up, I

The Illinois State Police on Friday made an announcement about the May 6 arrest in Iowa of Clark Terry Baldwin. He was wanted for the 1991 Tennessee murders of Pamela McCall and her unborn son, and the murders of two unidentified women discovered separately in Wyoming in 1992. In the ISP announcement, titled "Illinois State Police Announce An Update to the Tammy Zywicki Case," the ISP indicated that "at this time, Baldwin does not appear to have been involved with the murder of Tammy Zywicki." Zywicki, a 21-year-old college student, was abducted and killed by an unknown assailant after experiencing car trouble on I-80 near LaSalle, IL in August 1992. Reports at the time that she had been picked up by a trucker led nowhere. Baldwin was a long-haul trucker and suspected serial killer operating during the same time frame. He fit the profile of Zywicki's murderer and it was reported that authorities were investigating whether he might be involved. The ISP said it was continuing to

WET WET WET singer Marti Pellow has performed a song in tribute to carers who are raising money for personal protection equipment (PPE) in his hometown of Clydebank.

Scottish Golf today revealed that no date has been set for the sport in this country to restart and stressed that lockdown restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

MERCHANT city lunch favourite Sprigg will reopen a delivery service after appearing on The Glasgow Pantry this week.

There was a peaceful anti-war protest in DeKalb on Thursday evening. The event was part of a nationwide effort led by MoveOn.org. It gave people the opportunity to gather at 5:00 p.m. in their cities and say, "No War With Iran." DeKalb's protest took place at Peace Corner, just off Lincoln Highway and 1st Street. More than 50 people gathered to express their concern. Dani Brzozowski is running for Congress in Illinois' 16th District. She said, "I think President Trump and people like Representative Kinzinger thought they'd be able to take military action in Iran without fear of any consequence from the American public." She gestured to the cars driving by and the dozens of people around her and said, "That's not the case, right? People did not just sort of turn a blind eye to this." Matthew Fazekas said, "I'm 23. We went to war with Iraq when I was six years old. I think it's time for this kind of thing to stop." He continued, "We live in a very unpredictable time. Another war is just

Listen, believe, provide. That's the mission of Rockford's Family Peace Center. It will provide safety and services for survivors of violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder or dependent abuse, and human trafficking. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara announced that "Phase 1" of the center will open in the next six months. It will be located on North Main Street, across from the Coronado Theater. He said, "We are terribly excited to create a safe space that survivors can get all the services they need -- and not just the services they need, but the hope they need -- that tomorrow's going to be a better day for them and their family." Judy Moe serves on a committee that represents a variety of religious organizations who work together to help survivors. She said they have been meeting for several months so they can warmly welcome and help any person who enters the door. "We are going to work with people when they come in and do it in a way that is non-threatening." She continued, "We will

There are many opinions on how to broadcast a presidential impeachment trial. To be sure, the stakes are high when the highest office in the land is given this level of scrutiny. How should it sound on your radio? There are often factors that are out of our control. For example, sometimes the coverage is scheduled with a start time of 11:00 a.m. Sometimes, it’s been noon. Sometimes, the proceedings are scheduled for the weekend. They can last a few hours or go deep into the night. That means your favorite program may be preempted during times we’re in “special coverage.” Faced with these moving parts, the WNIJ news team is committed to the public service of carrying balanced coverage. That means perspectives from both sides of the aisle and the White House are given airtime. We also believe in addition to live testimony, daily analysis is a vital component of understanding the day’s proceedings. That’s why we'll continue to carry live testimony as it begins each day, and conclude live

President Trump is addressing the nation a day after the Senate acquitted him of both articles of impeachment. Trump said he was "totally vindicated" after a months-long impeachment inquiry and trial. Watch his remarks live.

Comic Relief and Children In Need are teaming up for the first time ever to hold a special fundraising night on BBC One.

Channel 4 have launched a search for a couple who have cancelled their wedding due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shops are closing. Newspaper sales are falling. But we’ve chosen to keep our online journalism free because it’s so important that the people of Glasgow stay informed during this crisis.

Banks and building socities have launched a range of offers on ISAs as the new tax year begins.

SINGER Marti Pellow has told fans he is proud of his Scottish roots and hometown Clydebank.

We take a look back into the archives and explore Glasgow's past.