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  Microsoft is giving all its employees a $1,500 (over Rs 1.12 lakh) pandemic bonus, in recognition of a challenging fiscal year that the tech giant just completed. According to The Verge which has seen an internal memo, Microsoft is gifting the bonus to all staff below corporate vice president level that started on or before March 31, 2021. Microsoft bonus payouts It will also include part-time workers and those on hourly rates. "Microsoft's chief people officer, Kathleen Hogan, announced the gift to employees today, and it will apply to all eligible employees in both the US and internationally," the report said on Thursday. Microsoft has 175,508 employees worldwide. Read More

  Restaurants, gyms, salons, public grounds and other commercial establishments reopened after nearly two months on Monday in Mumbai, which falls in level-3 of the Maharashtra government's five-level 'unlock plan'. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appealed to citizens not to let their guard down and follow all precautions to check the spread of COVID-19 . Buses of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), the city civic body's transport wing, were allowed to ferry passengers with 100 per cent seating capacity, though local trains were restricted for those working in medical and essential services. The BMC in a tweet said, "Mumbai, a gentle reminder! While we are getting back on track with the phase-wise opening, we can't go off the rails on our common main goal - a Covid free Mumbai. Let's reopen, but with care. Follow all precautions!" Read More

  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has decided to delay the 2022 edition of the Oscars by a month. The award ceremony, which was earlier set for February 27, will now be held on March 27, 2022, the AMPAS said in a statement. The eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration, however, will return to the standard December 31 deadline. For the previous edition, the Academy made changes to the eligibility, extending it until February 28, 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . The rule change had enabled movies such as "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" and "Judas and the Black Messiah" to be considered for the awards. Click Here

  Facebook on Friday said it is partnering with the Indian government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app in India, which will help people identify places nearby to get inoculated. The social media giant had, earlier this week, announced a USD 10 million grant for emergency response efforts for COVID-19 situation in the country. "Partnering with the Government of India, Facebook will begin rolling out its Vaccine Finder tool on the Facebook mobile app in India available in 17 languages to help people identify places nearby to get the vaccine," Facebook said in a post on the platform. In this tool, vaccine centre locations and their hours of operation have been provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Click Here

  Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday asked the district administrations across Maharashtra to immediately set up their oxygen projects and to ensure stocks of essential medicines are maintained and asserted that the state government has to be very careful and plan for the "third wave". While talking to the Divisional Commissioner, Collector, Municipal Commissioner about the situation in COVID-19 , the Chief Minister gave clear instructions to the district administration that not only the declaration but also its implementation should be seen, as per the Chief Minister's Office. "Though the number of patients has stabilised to some extent due to strict restrictions in the state, now we have to be very careful and plan for the next third wave," said Thackeray. Read More

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday said it has filed a police case against a Bollywood actor for allegedly violating COVID-19 guidelines. The civic body in a release said despite being infected by the coronavirus, the actor moved out in public places and took part in shootings. As there is a chance of spread of the coronavirus infection among others, the BMC has filed the FIR against the actor, the release said without naming the actor. "No Compromise On City's Safety! BMC has filed an FIR against a Bollywood actor for non-compliance to COVID19 guidelines on testing positive. The rules apply to all alike and we urge citizens to follow all guidelines and help the city beat the virus," the civic body tweeted along with a copy of the FIR. Read More

  The US has set a new world record for the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalisations reported in a single day, as the country's overall infection tally has surpassed the 14 million mark. The US has set a new world record for the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalisations reported in a single day, as the country's overall infection tally has surpassed the 14 million mark. It took only six days for the country to add another 1 million new cases, Xinhua news agency. In its latest update, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday said that there were 196,227 new cases and 2,762 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. With this, the overall caseload and death toll has now increased to 14,124,678 and 276,148, respectively. The new daily case count set a new world record, bringing 7-day average daily increase to over 163,000. Wednesday also marked the 25th consecutive day that daily case increase in the US surpassed 100,000. The dai...