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Google Maps has received several updates over the last two months. It appears that the app is now getting a new real-time location sharing interface on both Android and iOS devices. The interface update is also available to Google Maps users in India. It appears that the new location sharing UI was rolled out via a server-side update. It is important to note that the new update does not include new features, but overall changes the look and feel of the location-sharing interface. In the new interface, Google has made visual changes to the sharing window as well as added…

'No one has ever said that the coronavirus cases will be zero by a particular date', Niti Aayog member VK Paul said, and apologised for any misconception on the matter. Last month, Paul made a presentation at a Health Ministry briefing in which he explained how the lockdown helped curtail the spread of the virus. In one of the slides, the curve showed active cases plummeting to zero by May 16. This is the first time Dr. Paul has acknowledged the issue at a public forum. His presentation suggested that the first lockdown had prevented India from seeing a 1,00,000…

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday announced there will be no 14-day quarantine for passengers on domestic flights. The minister said that only one-third of the flights will be allowed to operate under strict rules when domestic flight services resume on May 25. "In case you test positive, then you will not even be permitted to enter the airport or board flights," Puri added while discussing the revised SOPs that flyers need to follow when flights start on May 25. The Centre decided to start the domestic flight services from the next week after two months. Travellers…

Flight PK8303, carrying 91 passengers and eight crew, was trying to land at Jinnah International Airport. Provincial health officials confirmed at least 37 fatalities, but a far higher death toll is feared. At least three passengers survived. The pilot had reported a loss of engine power and subsequently issued a mayday.Flight PK-303 from Lahore was about to land in Karachi when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, just a minute before its landing, they said. The PIA Airbus A320 carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members has crashed into the Jinnah housing society located…

 After online classes, some city colleges have decided to let studentstake exams from home. Some institutions will conduct end of semester exams online to avoid delay in the academic calendar. A consensus was arrived at a meeting of University Vice Chancellors that was convened by Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel on Thursday. The decision comes amid several universities going back and forth over the examination schedule with many being compelled to defer them subsequently. While deciding to prioritise final-year examinations, the meeting deemed it wise to commence the examinations only after the completion of school-level examinations to prevent a sudden spurt in…

While the algal blooms causing green snow certainly make for a spectacular sight, they are also yet another indication of just how quickly temperatures in Antarctica are rising. Antarctica conjures images of an unbroken white wilderness but blooms of algae are giving parts of the frozen continent an increasingly green tinge. Warming temperatures due to climate change are helping the formation and spread of “green snow” and it is becoming so prolific in places that it is even visible from space, according to new research published on Wednesday. While the presence of algae in Antarctica was noted by long-ago expeditions,…

The central government stands with West Bengal in these testing times and will provide immediate advance assurance of Rs 1,000 crore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday as he wrapped up a visit to the state that had been battered by cyclone Amphan this week. This is PM Modi’s first outstation visit in nearly three months. “An advance assistance of ₹1,000 crore will be arranged by the government of India, so that the State government does not face any major hardship during these difficult time,” Mr. Modi said. “In addition ₹2 lakh will be given from Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to…

A 15 year old girl was allegedly raped by three youths in U.P. The sources said that the girl was picked up from her house by the three accused and taken to a secluded place where she was raped, Station House Officer Subhash Gautam said. The incident came to light on Thursday when the girl came back to home and narrated her ordeal to the parents, he said. A case under relevant sections of law has been registered against the accused, Mr. Gautam said. In another incident, two youths were arrested on Thursday for allegedly sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl…

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said the five million cases mark would be a "tragic milestone"The World Health Organization said Wednesday it had registered a new daily record number of COVID-19 cases as it quickly neared the "tragic milestone" of five million total infections. The UN agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that on Tuesday, there were "106,000 cases reported to WHO — the most in a single day since the outbreak began" in December. The WHO was also getting to grips with U.S. President Donald Trump's reform ultimatum, giving the organisation 30 days to overhaul its operations otherwise its…

A loud 'thundering' sound in several areas of Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon triggered panic among the city residents. Some people took to Twitter, wondering if an earthquake had hit the Karnataka capital as doors and windows shook after the noise. However, the officials ruled out the possibility of it being an earthquake. As per Srinivas Reddy, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) director: “Earthquake activity will not be restricted to one area and will be widespread.” “We have checked our sensors and there is no earthquake activity recorded today," Bangalore Mirror mentioned Reddy as saying. Karnataka State Disaster…